Angie and I can't believe we are done with Crazy Love. (Actually, she still has to finish the chapter, as she confessed in the video.)
We have been so blessed by all God has done in this community. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us. We are excited for the next book in 2010.
We will be in touch in a couple weeks with a survey to get your thoughts of what you loved about this experience and what we can tweak to make it even better.
Have a blessed and happy holiday season filled with the Crazy Love of God.
Angie and I were planning on filming our chapter 9 video this afternoon. When I called her this afternoon, she sounds like she was in bed.
She was.
The little peanut growing inside of her had her puking much of the day. Needless to say, she was not up for doing a video. Please keep her in your prayers. Todd is on the road making things especially hard for her.
Since Francis shared stories of people who were living out a crazy love life, Angie and I were going to share some of our own stories.I'll do that here. We would love for you to share testimonies of people God has used in your life to show his crazy love on the ning site.
Without question, RoseAnne Coleman will forever be one of the most beautiful, Godly, crazy love people I will ever know. She exemplifies what Francis discusses in every aspect of her life.
I first met RoseAnne several years ago at Fellowship Bible Church. She was leading a women's bible study. I wasn't sure if this older lady was going to resonate with me. Well, she rocked me to the core. She radiates Jesus unlike anyone I have ever met.
RoseAnne teaches through story and through her life. How does her life demonstrate somone who is in crazy love with God? I wish I could do her justice...
She lives on a small farm south of Nashville. She doesn't have a lot, but that doesn't phase her. She fully depends on God in a manner that is so uplifting,
She knows the word and weaves it into her conversation in pure and beautiful way. She intimately knows Jesus in a way I do not.
RoseAnne is also passionate about growing things and loves seeing the parallels of growing vegetables/flowers/etc. to God growing us. I never thought gardening could teach me as much about Jesus as it has, thanks to RoseAnne.
Her mentor, Miss Helen, left a profound impact on her life, and her Miss Helen stories have caused me to weep and yearn for a deeper relationship with God.
RoseAnne started a blog and wrote a book called The Stories I Keep not too long ago. I love that God is using her story-telling gift to reach a larger audience. She has taught me so much. She writes just like she talks. I love it.
She is a beautiful woman and her crazy love makes her even more captivating.
Here we are a few years ago. You can even see her God-sparkle in her eyes.
So, who is your RoseAnne? Come share with us on the ning site.
Peace be with you. Angie and I will be back next Sunday to wrap up the book.
The video was not eaten! Yes, we are in the bathroom again (we filmed 7 and 8 the same night). This video is a little longer than normal, but there was SO much to discuss. So grab a cup of coffee and your copy of Crazy Love and join us in Angie's bathroom. We are blessed to have you with us.
Today's guest blogger is Sara Frankl, also known as "Gitzen Girl." Angie and I LOVE Sara. Though she lives with a debilitating disease and experiences more pain on a daily basis than most of us will ever experience, her positive outlook and genuine love for the Lord never wavers.
You are going to love her thoughts on Chapter 7 - and if you don't read her blog, now is the time to start.
Can you answer yes to Chan's questions: Are you ready and willing to make yourself nothing? To take the very nature of a servant? To be obedient unto death?
How do you give of your time?
Share an example of a time when you gave radically and liberally and you saw God bless that action? How did that help you to grow in your relationship with him?
What are you doing right now that requires faith?
How are you using the gifts God has blessed you with?
Join us on the ning site to discuss these questions and any thoughts you have, as well.
Today we are pleased that Ann Voskamp is joining us with beautiful thoughts and words, as only she can write. Angie and I are blessed to have gotten to know her through (in)courage. If you do not read her blog, you must start. Her passion for the Lord is rich and unlike anything I have ever encountered. Her words make me hungry to know the Lord more. She challenges in such a beautiful way. My words cannot do her justice. Below is the beginning of her post, but I would just go right to the whole thing. It will do your soul good today.
Much love and peace to you today, Jessica
______________________________________
Girl, if you say that boy's name one more time, I'm opening this door up and flinging myself out into the deserts of Utah," Grandma slaps her knee and I shrink down, seat belt digging into ribs. Utah with her rouge painted wrinkles, her blush-brushed crags, blurs by at 60 miles an hour. Another mile marker flashes and I bite my tongue. I won't say it out loud, how many more miles home to that boy and those eyes, but there's no stopping a heart from keeping tally. "You want me to slow down before you jump or you just leaping without warning?" Dad chuckles, one hand wheeling that wheel.
"I think I'm just leaping, Son." Grandma shakes her head. "Did you ever in your life know a girl so love sick, Lloyd?" Grandma swats Grandpa's shoulder, gets his attention. "Ten days, thousands of miles criss-crossing the States, hitting every photo op you can imagine, and all she goes on about is The Boy this, and The Boy that. He's all she can think of! I've heard so much of that Boy, I wished we had just packed him!" My cheeks burn redder than Utah's cliffs and Grandpa winks, elbows my snickering kid brother in the ribs and they howl, coyotes on a ridge.
Mile 368. If Grandma but knew how that grin of his could wind a girl in and spin her out, let her go all a dizzy swirl. I'm counting miles back to that smile.
"You sure are in love, girl." She pats my knee.
First love's an immersion and passion shapes all vowels into the kiss of that name.
Did you all love that story about her bed? Incredible!!! I have to say I was completely humbled by the idea of her in tears over sharing time with the Lord. I can't honestly say I have this emotion, but boy do I want to. Do you know people like this? I would love to hear some of your stories if you do, because I am inspired by such deep affection for God.
Let's jump to page 101, where Francis says, "Personal experience has taught me that actions driven by fear and guilt are not an antidote to lukewarm, selfish, comfortable living. I hope you realize instead that the answer is love."
(Gulp)
God doesn't want us to do things because they make us feel better about ourselves. He wants us to be completely motivated by love. And do you think you can love others well without loving Him? I don't. Not the way He desires us to. I bet Clara was great at loving others out of the overflow of love that came from the Lord.
Let's hop to 102, where this question comes up: "Do you feel free in your Christian life?" I think this is an important place to camp out for a bit, because so many of us feel like we need to do, do, do, do in order to be in the grace of God, and that feeling of being chained is not from the Lord. If we love Him, our actions will flow freely from that love. It's a good barometer of our faith, isn't it?
I think it's natural to get caught up in what we need to be doing to be right with God, and it seems too easy to just "love" Him. Anyone who has a great relationship with the Lord will tell you that it makes sense when you're in it. He didn't mean for it to be as complicated as we have made it!!! I really believe that we are commanded to help others and to live lives that edify Jesus, but the only way we can do this genuinely is out of true, deep love for the Father we serve.
He alludes to this on page 108, and I thought it was one of the most powerful paragraphs so far. When we look at our relationship with the Lord as a chore, we are getting the glory, not God! Wow. So true. If I am constantly walking around dropping stories about the soup kitchen I volunteer at, how much I have tithed to overseas missions, all the amazing things I have done, do you really think people are going to be convinced that I love God? Or maybe, that I need some credit for all my good deeds. I love when he talked about David Livingston giving the speech at Cambridge and explaining that he had never made a sacrifice.
Un. Real.
Also, if you haven't done the exercise on page 111, you should...it's good.
Angie and I have been swamped lately. So, we are splitting the video duties. I did this week's video and she is doing next week's. I hope my thoughts are good fuel for conversation this week.
Do you offer leftovers to God? How can you change this?
Have you thought about the fact that you are rich? How does this affect your worldview? How does this affect your relationship with Christ?
Do you bring the glorious into the mundane?
What are ways you enjoy God?
Also, I mentioned the Christy Nockels' videos about bringing the glorious into the mundane. You can view them here. (While the subject matter is motherhood, so much of what she says is applicable to all women - not just mothers.)
Continue reading this week, friends. We only have 4 chapters left! Angie and I praying for you and are grateful for this community.
Angie and I are both on the road today, so our guest for Chapter 5, Brandi Wilson, is going to start the conversation. We will do our regularly scheduled video on Wednesday, and then be back on our normal schedule next week.
If you don't know Brandi, you are going to love her. Brandi is our pastor Pete Wilson's better half, and Angie and I have the pleasure of calling her friend.She has one of the kindest spirits I have ever encountered, and I know you will be blessed by her words.
I loved what Brandi had to say and think you will too, so hop on over to her blog and spend some time mulling over her thoughts.
We are honored that Cross Point Nashville campus pastor Blake Bergstrom is sharing is thoughts on chapter four today. In addition to being one of our pastors, Blake is a dear friend of my family's and Angie's. He is so incredibly kind and has a big heart for the Lord. (And he lives with five women - his wife and four beautiful daughters, so he gets girls!)
Please head over to his blog. You will be challenged and encouraged to further meditate on Chan's challenge for self inventory in chapter four. Blake has a conversational style that I think many of you will relate to.
This week's guest is Tam Hodge, who is a believer, mother, wife, friend and all around great woman to know! She broke Chapter 3 up into morsels of thoughts and questions, which we think is a great way to continue to digest this meaty chapter.
So, go visit her blog and read what she has to say about chapter three - and then stay awhile. You're going to love this woman.
I loved this chapter, and it got me into a mode of really reflecting on some things in my life that impact my relationship with the Lord. I became a Christian as an adult, so I might have a different story than some of you. How has your past shaped your understanding of the Lord?
Specifically, how is your relationship with your father? For me, I have a dad I can depend on all the time. If he tells me he's going to be at my house at 5, that really means 4:45. He never missed a game I was cheering at, never failed me in anything significant. I could ALWAYS go to him, no matter what. Even if I had done something I was really ashamed of, I still knew it could be trusted in his keeping, and I shared so much with him. There were times in my life that my mother was not able to be an active part of my life (I have never discussed this on my blog and don't really want to go into great detail here, but I love her dearly and maybe I will tell this story some other time...) and my dad really stepped up to the plate.
He was the only dad in the dressing room when I twirled around in 50 potential prom dresses.
He sat in the family room the night before cheerleading tryouts and watched me practice my routine until I cried myself to sleep, sure I would never be cool enough to make the squad.
He told me I was beautiful, talented, smart, special.
And so does my Lord.
For me, gratefully, he has modeled the way I should rely on Christ.
I know that this isn't the case with all of us. Some come from abusive backgrounds, shadows we can hardly crawl out of on our hands and knees, memories that stain the very fiber of our being.
If you are one of these women I want you to know that I am praying for you as I type these words. I am asking the Lord to show Himself to you as the father you have always wanted. I am so sorry that you have been where you have and I wish it had been different for you. They are deep wounds, I'm sure. Please know that there are many, many women here that have probably walked similar roads and would love to connect with you and I am praying that the Lord introduces you to each other.
Jess and I have prayed over this book club, and have been so blessed to see the fruits of relationship growing. If you haven't spent time on the forums or in the chat section, feel free to hop over and introduce yourself. And if you happen to be reading through other's comments and see someone struggling with something you have also dealt with, please reach out. We are sisters here.
Your Father loves you.
There is so much more I could say because I really felt like there was so much truth in this chapter but as I write I just feel that the Lord is saying to leave it there. If we can confront the things in our past that have kept us from putting our full weight into Him, we will transform our relationships with the Lord and with others. Be courageous and honest as you process this week's reading, and know that all the while you are loved and prayed for.
We are grateful you are here and we hope you fall in love with your Abba all over again...
(And just a heads up about the videos... we shot this week's on an HD flip camera, which caused the video to be too long to upload as one. So the total length is the same, just two videos!)
This week's guest contributor is my husband, talented speaker, author and humorist, Matthew Paul Turner. Angie and I invite you to visit his blog and read his post, inspired by chapter 2. As the one person who gets to experience Matthew as he writes, I can tell you that he invests so much of himself into his words. He spent a great deal of time preparing this week's guest post, and we hope it will urge you to continue to ask questions and delve into your story. I know it inspired us.
Be sure to then discuss Matthew's post and questions on the ning site.
Let's kick things off with our video for chapter 2. Ignore the fact that we are ghostly white - weird light. :) Be sure to have Crazy Love near you so you can follow along with us.
Here are the lyrics to Nichole Nordeman's Legacy I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me And I enjoy an accolade like the rest You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much
I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl' But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides The temporary trappings of this world
I want to leave a legacy How will they remember me? Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough To make a mark on things? I want to leave an offering A child of mercy and grace who blessed your name unapologetically And leave that kind of legacy
I don't have to look too far or too long awhile To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy
Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one... Verses from Chapter 2 James 4:13-14 Phil 4:4, 6 1 Corin 10:31 Psalm 73:3, 13, 16-17 Matthew 10:32-33 Ecc 7:2 Rev 3:1 1 Corin 3:13-15
Here are this week's questions How do you make it a habit to take your thoughts captive and offer your thoughts to God?
How do you bring glory to God in the "mundane" of life?
How do you reduce stress in your life?
What do you do when you catch yourself being selfish?
What thoughts do you have when you think about your legacy?
As always, join us on the ning site to discuss these questions, as well as any thoughts you have on chapter two!
Please hop on over and spend some time with me (Angie) and my Pastor (Pete). He also happens to be a friend of mine, and has some awesome insights that I hope you all enjoy.
And also, I haven't watched it, so I don't know the level of obnoxious laughter yet.
Be inspired by the Lord this week!!!! He is THAT big!!!!
Love to you all,
Ang and Jess
Pete is an amazing Pastor, and if you want to watch his sermons online, please click here. This past week was the first in a series I think you will love! It is about Religion Lies, and will be the first one you see on the media page.
Welcome! We are so excited to be starting Crazy Love this week. To start things out, take 15 minutes and join us as we discuss our thoughts from the book.
As we mentioned, here are the list of verses mentioned in the intro and chapter one.
Romans 1:20
Psalm 19:1-4
Ex 3:14
Psalm 102:12, 27
Psalm 139
Hebrews 4:13
Col 1:16
Psalm 115:3
Daniel 4:35
Proverbs 8:13
Rev 4
Isaiah 6
We encourage you to read them in more than one bible translation. If you don't have a bible or have just one translation, check out Bible Gateway for access to dozens of translations.
Join us in in the ning community to discuss the following:
How do you consistently remind yourself of God?
What attribute of God is hardest for you to grasp?
What struck you in this week's reading?
Anything else you can think of!
We have turned off the comments on this post because we want you to come to the ning community. :) So join us. And, be sure to come back on Wednesday for our guest blogger's thoughts on the intro and chapter one.
not too long ago. I love that God is using her story-telling gift to reach a larger audience. She has taught me so much. She writes just like she talks. I love it. 
