Oh Look! A Shoe!

Drew received lots and lots of new toys for Christmas. So many that I've reserved most to go in the attic for another time. He is very loved. :)

It amazes me how quickly a toy looses its shine. And how Drew can be surrounded by toys and want the thing that looks new.

-My keys
-The stool leg
-My purse
-The bottom of our shoes, blaa!

He'll pass up all his fun toys for something he doesn't have.

We were born craving new. We are easily distracted by something we don't have. We long to look different physically, have new clothes in our wardrobe, sometimes we want new friends or make bad decisions to find new in our marriages.

But God is also a fan of new.

In His word He promised, "Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Lamentations 3:22-23
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each morning!"

Each day He wipes the slate clean. He wants to make us new from the inside out. He also longs for us to desire Him over all the shiny, sometimes new things this world has to offer. 

I'll forever be amazed at how God will speak to me through the lessons & life Drew is experiencing for the 1st time. I pray we will always wake up thankful we are being made new by Him. 

"Every day it's true. You make all your mercies new."
Nichole Nordeman, Mercies New

Accept the Invitation

Today I had the opportunity to sing "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry! We launched a series at my church Cross Point called Wide Awake, moving beyond life as usual to life with God.

Our Pastor shared a couple of key points:
"God wants to walk with us before he works through us."
"Your life is not about doing things for God. You were created to remain, abide, be with Him."

I found it ironic that Drew was wide awake at 3:30 AM this morning. These days I long to be dead asleep more often!

But I also find myself longing for something else.

Jesus.

I hear, see and know God is inviting me to be with Him. And I continually turn Him down. Maybe because I feel overwhelmed & busy caring for Drew. Maybe I just want to sit and do nothing after he goes to bed. Maybe I just don't want to. 

But I need Jesus. I need Him when I'm overwhelmed. I need His eyes to see Him working in our family and in those I cross paths with daily. I need him to refresh my spirit in the quiet moments. 

I had a friend tell me a story once about a little girl he knew. She was 4 years old and one day he walked in to the girl's room and saw her on her knees praying with her bible beside her. 

No one was watching. 

At 4 years old, she was taking time to be with God. 

I want Drew to know that mommy and daddy walk with God. That we will get on our knees to thank him, ask for help, be still. And that He is alive and at work in the hearts of His people.

I am excited about this series and want to start accepting God's invitation to remain in Him.

Help Me Believe

While driving to run errands on Saturday, I began to pray for the families who lost loved ones on Friday in Connecticut.

I asked God to give them comfort, peace, and understanding. But then I began to question Him.

At first I didn't say out loud what I was thinking, but He already knew what my heart was feeling,

"God, are you trying to prove a point? Why would let this happen? Do you really have to let the lives of children be robbed from this earth, and IN THAT WAY? I have a hard time believing in you when things like this happen, I'm sorry, but I do!"

I tried to calm myself down, wipe away the tears and be ok knowing He was listening, but I wouldn't have answers.

The next day I sought comfort listening to Nichole Nordeman's, "This Mystery" album. The song "Help Me Believe" started playing.

"Help me believe, cause I don't want to miss any miracles.
Maybe I'd see much better by closing my eyes, 
And I would shed this grown up skin I'm in to touch an angel's wing.
And I would be free.
Help me believe."

My prayer changed as I prayed the lyrics of this song, "Help me believe God, I want to see Your miracles."

For the past two months we have been praying for the son of one of Jason's co-worker's, Tika. Her son, Armenius, was rushed to the hospital sick and having seizures. Initial tests showed that he had a heart condition. He was in ICU, critical condition and on life support. There were moments they thought he wouldn't make it. He was put on the transplant list. He had strokes and lost feeling in his left side. Then they were told he may not walk, talk, or be the same fun loving 6 year old.

But he fought back. He gradually improved. They discovered his condition may not be related to his heart but could be a very rare virus he contracted. He started walking, talking and his compassionate, loving nature is more present than ever.

Jason came home last night with an update. They took Armenius for tests to check his heart again and see if he could be taken off the transplant list.

The doctors couldn't explain what they saw. It was as if what they originally spotted had vanished. They couldn't say it, but Tika could,

"It's a miracle."

My heart was overflowing with affirmation that God heard me and he definitely heard the prayers for Armenius.

Jason said, "We can't explain why some bad things happens, but stories like this show us His love, that He is listening and renew our faith."

I'm praying we won't miss His miracles today, whatever they may be. Continue to pray that those who are hurting & aching to have their family members back would see them too. 

Surviving Two Fender Benders & Nursery Pics!

Drew will hopefully be here in less than 6 weeks and today I finished the nursery. The final pieces, our bedding, came in from mellissasboutique on Etsy!   

Here is a link to view photos of Drew's nursery. I enjoyed putting all the pieces together and we're so thankful that Jason's parents gave us the furniture, my mom the rocking chair & my dad the bedding! 

Last week was one for the record books. On Saturday, May 5th (I could have really used a margarita on this Cinco De Mayo) we were rear ended as we exited off the interstate heading home. The impact was not too bad. The damage to my car was minimal. Jason was driving & saw the lady about to hit us. I was caught off guard so my neck experienced some whiplash. 

But I couldn't feel Drew. And he was just going bizerk in my tummy cause I drank coffee. 

I called the doctor on call after 20 minutes of not feeling him and she said that anytime you are in an impact accident you need to go to the hospital to be monitored. 30 minutes after the wreck I finally felt little Drew kick. Praise the Lord! As soon as we were able to leave the scene, we headed to the hospital in hopes I would only need to be monitored for 4 hrs. Funny thing is we were supposed to tour the hospital the following Monday but we ended up getting a hands on tour instead. :) 

4 hrs turned into 24 hrs. 

Drew and I were/are perfectly healthy, but I had a small contraction that I didn't even feel and some irritability so they wanted to keep me overnight. I was put on a liquid diet in case Drew decided to come early. I had 3 Popsicles & chicken broth for dinner and breakfast. Let's just say this pregnant lady was HUNGRY! 

After a rough night of little sleep for Jason and I (guess it's good practice for the future ;) I finally saw the doctor on call and they let me have solid food again! It had been almost 24 hrs since I had a meal. We made it home at 4:30 PM that Sunday and got in bed at 9:00 PM. We were pooped.

Little did I know this would happen again 5 days later.  

Yes, I was rear ended AGAIN last Thursday.  

I was driving downtown headed to a dinner for work. I was stopped at a stop light when I heard the car behind me trying to stop, then BOOM.

"You've got to be kidding me," is all I could say over and over. Then I just had to laugh.

Luckily the impact didn't cause any new damage to the car. :) Drew was moving around and the doctor on call told me if I went straight home and monitored myself and the baby from there then I wouldn't have to go back to the hospital. Drew and I are doing just fine.

My OB nurse called the next day and said, "Please tell me this didn't happen AGAIN!" I told her they were going to put me on bed rest just to keep me out of the car! :)

We are very thankful that our entire family was protected during these incidents! Prayers for safety and for Jason and I as we prepare to meet Drew really soon. We both can't wait to hold him & tell him how much we love him, he is loved by friends and family and a Father in Heaven.

An Unexpected Shower

Last Thursday we had our monthly Women's Event with the women of Mending Hearts at Cross Point.

Mending Hearts is a place where women who are homeless or at the end of their rope due to addiction, mental or emotional disorders can find shelter, hope and healing. They live there as they recover. Mending Hearts is about a mile away from our Nashville campus. 

Cross Point began a relationship with Mending Hearts a couple of years ago by helping them with construction needs around their campus. 

In the fall of 2011, we committed to help Mending Hearts refurbish 5 buildings on their campus to house 40 women who are seeking freedom in recovery. On the 2nd Saturday of the month we meet at Mending Hearts from 7:30 AM - noon to volunteer with a construction team working to get these units built & finished! On February 12th we celebrated the opening of our first completed building!   

During the first week in my new role as Missions Coordinator at Cross Point, I got to help facilitate an event that was arranged by a couple of women at Cross Point. The event was a painting night open to women of Cross Point & the women of Mending Hearts. Lisa Gardiner, a local artist and Cross Point attendee walked us through step by step to paint a beautiful heart. The ladies' paintings were auctioned off at the annual Mending Hearts Fundraiser.

It was my first opportunity to spend time with the women of Mending Hearts. The girl I sat by decided she wanted to draw Snoopy instead! What are the odds of that. :) My friend Brenda won her painting for me at the fundraiser.

I knew Cross Point could serve these women by spending quality with them. I made time with the women of Mending Hearts a monthly local opportunity for the women at our campuses to be involved with. It is a time to build community with the women of Mending Hearts and help them with their recovery by encouraging them. The goal is to create a safe environment for them to have fun, enjoy fellowship with other women and experience the love of Christ through those relationships. Many of the women have said, "I didn't know I could have fun sober."

Our monthly events so far:

*Thanksgiving dinner w/live music from Cross Point women

*Christmas caroling in neighborhoods by Mending Hearts

*A chili cook-off where the Mending Hearts women made the batches

*Valentines dance/karaoke 

*A jewelry craft night with Strings for Hope

Thursday's event was an ice cream sundae extravaganza and we brought toiletries to donate to the Davidson Department of Children's services. The event was nearly over and my boss Ryan and co-worker Krystin said they needed to talk to me about some work related things upstairs. I kept fighting them saying, "I need to get back to them! What if I don't get to say bye to the women!" Krystin and Ryan did a good job trying to keep me busy while the women were hard at work. :)

When we got back downstairs to the gym, the women of Mending Hearts were lined up, beaming from ear to ear, screaming, "Surprise!!"

They had planned a baby shower for me. 

 

  

Krystin caught the precious surprise on video. http://twitvid.com/5FZ5A 

Many of these women are mothers, who currently do not have custody of their children.

Many of them are pregnant themselves. 

They have very little financially because of their addictions.

But, they chose to love on me in an extravagant way. 

While I was opening my gifts, I asked them to throw out motherly advice. We had so much fun laughing about the joys & crazy times of parenthood. 

One of the girls pulled me aside at the end of the night, "This is such a blessing. Don't mess it up."

I will remember that advice & respect her for speaking so boldly. You don't have to be an addict to mess things up as a parent. 

I love these women and I am praying for them to experience freedom from their addictions and to always rely on Christ through that process.   

If you are a woman and attend Cross Point, I hope you will consider being a part of our monthly events. Our next event is Thursday, May 17th at 6:30 PM at Centennial Park in Nashville. We will be enjoying a picnic together! Email missions@crosspoint.tv to sign up! 

Advice

When you are expecting, the word you hear the most is "advice." Some people say, "Don't listen to any advice" but then proceed to give it with much conviction. Some will share without asking if you would like to hear. Others who respect our decisions will wait until we ask for it.

There are so many ways to take care of a child. Bottle & diaper choices, feeding, outings, daycare, the list goes on and on. I find myself overwhelmed that we won't make the right decision about the trivial things, but more importantly, how we will parent our little one. 

I was comforted recently while reading God's word. Every story bursts with advice on how to be a good parent. 

Advice on how to LOVE. 

God has been angry with us, disciplines us, laughs with us, is proud of us, welcomes us into his arms when we repent and never fails to shower us with forgiveness. 

My thoughts have shifted from over analyzing decisions on how to raise our baby boy, to learning what it means to parent like God. 

That is advice I'll never turn down.

In closing, the past 7 months have flown by! I started my new role at Cross Point as Domestic Missions Coordinator and I'm now in the third trimester of my pregnancy. I made it through 5 tough months of nausea/vomiting and have learned and embraced new, exciting opportunities at my job that benefit God's kingdom in huge ways! A few pics of my growing belly and our growing son. Prayers for the health of our baby & relief from some pregnancy pain for mommy are much appreciated. :) 

A Psalm Hidden in My Heart

Psalm 139 has always intrigued me. Years ago I memorized the entire psalm and God has spoken to me many times through His words hidden in my heart. I am comforted knowing that "all the days ordained for me were written in His book before one of them came to be."

The words of this psalm mean so much more to me now.

My heart feels as if it is going to burst with love for my God and our sweet little one we are anticipating when I read, 

"¹³ For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place,
   when I was woven together in the depths of the earth."

God is not only talking about me, but is describing that He sees our baby. He is not hidden from him/her. His hand is on me and He has been creating this new life in me before I knew it was there!

I will enter the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy on Saturday. I am thrilled to reach this milestone and thankful for the health of our sweet baby. I am also hoping the nausea starts to fade REAL soon. :)

So, the Telfords are once again experiencing a major plot change, but one we are anxiously awaiting. Please pray for us as we begin this journey of parenthood. 

A Plot Change 10 Years in the Making

There have been few moments in my life when I've been open enough to stop talking and listen to God speak. It is not an audible voice I hear, but an overwhelming realization that He is with me and whatever He has placed on my heart & mind screams, "PAY ATTENTION!"

2 months ago, I experienced one of those moments. A passion & what I considered a calling I received at 18 collided with my 28 year old self. 

At 18, I was the same spunky, creative, goofy blonde. During that season, my heart raced for God. I sponsored my first Compassion child, spent time in solitude with Him daily and was about to begin college as a psychology major, hoping to be a counselor. My experience with my parent's divorce inspired me to help others. The death of my uncle, who was an alcoholic plagued by bi-polar disorder always haunted me. I wanted to help people who were stuck, controlled and eaten up with mental disease or addiction. I had a family friend tell me he was certain God would call me to be a missionary.

I told Jason and a few of my friends about the crazy plans I felt God had laid on my heart. But as time went on, my path changed and I thought God had shifted those dreams to someone else. 

In the Dominican this Summer, the Lord brought these dreams back to my heart. I shared them with my friend Alysha and confidently she said, "I believe this is still something God wants you to do. Don't give up."

So I didn't. 

And during a meeting when our Pastor was casting vision and sharing dreams of where Cross Point is headed, the dreams God had given me were awakened, given purpose & points of action. 

God was speaking loud and clear. 

Today, I began a new adventure at Cross Point, a place that has been our church home for 6 years & my employer for almost 4 1/2. I am now serving as the Missions Coordinator alongside Ryan Bult, Missions Pastor. I will be assisting Ryan with administrative duties, coordinating local mission opportunities in the middle TN region, & making sure the word get's out about ALL opportunities, local, regional & global that Cross Point is connected to. I will get to begin and strengthen partnerships with local ministries to meet the needs of God's people. 

My former boss jokingly says, "Miranda's leaving the creative department to be a missionary." I guess that prophesy was true. :)

  

I am completely confident about where God is leading me. I have been watching doors swing open and God has been pushing me to walk through them while my heels are dug in the ground! What I've learned most during this transition is that dreams, desires & instructions God gives you, demand obedience. 

And when He speaks, you don't want to miss it.

What I Learned About Love from The Help

Who You love I'll love, is a line from Chris Tomlin's song, "I Will Follow." This is hard to live out when it comes to your enemies and those you love that have hurt you.

I witnessed this lived out in the movie, inspired by the book, The Help.

The Help takes place in the 60's during the time of segregation. It tells the story of how the black maids felt & what they experienced during this time in our history. One of the most emotional parts of the story is when one of the main characters, Aibileen is explaining the main role of the maid's job: To love and raise the children of the white families they are working for.

A recurring scene is Aibileen telling the 2 yr old, Mae that she raises, "You're kind, You're smart, You're special." She has Mae repeat this phrase back to her in the mornings and in moments where she knows Mae could be doubting these truths.

Aibileen, like all of the maids, had to leave her own children behind each day to work for these families.

-It would be easy to say, "This child is not my responsibility, their parents should be raising them!"
-It would be easy to take out your anger and frustration on the children.

Aibileen chooses to love a white child that is a product of her hateful, disrespectful parents and a stigma that should have NEVER existed. And I believe that many women loved like Aibileen, without condition or restriction.

Are you tired of fighting love? Is there someone you need to forgive and through that forgiveness you can love them again? Do you need to accept the abundant, unconditional love of God?

Treat yourself and go see this movie or read the book. It is a beautiful story of how far we've come as a society and how much more we could love.

He Stole My Heart

Now love is like an ocean
Take it down to the depths
Yeah I'm taking you with me
Taking every step to steal your heart

I'm gonna steal your heart away

Life is like a shadow
It never stays in one place
I'm standing here anyway
However long it takes to steal your heart

Gonna steal your heart away

"Steal Your Heart," Augustana

Thankful He never gives up on us. Even when we choose to steal our hearts back. 

But for today I willingly leave it in His hands.

Why Did I Wait?

Pouring sweat

Cement boogers

Dust boogers :)

Dirty hands

Undrinkable water

Cold showers

Little sleep

Germs

Sore muscles

Bug bites

These things didn't bother me a bit. I spent so many years thinking they would.

Poverty

Hunger

Orphans

Sickness

Lost Souls

Racial Conflict

Sexual Predators

Abuse

Tragedy

Abandonment

These things kept my mind and heart broken. I saw and heard about these things from the people of the DR and the family from Cross Point that went with me.

But COMMUNITY and HOPE. Those are the two things I can't get off my mind and learned so much more about. 

COMMUNITY: Through hearing some of the stories of God's faithfulness and love from my Cross Point team and the G.O. Pastors and leaders, I experienced community like I never have before. G.O.'s mission statement is all about changing the world through relationships. I left this week knowing all of G.O.'s staff in Santiago are family now.

"G.O. Ministries seeks to empower passionate, Local Leaders serving inside their cultures to Redeem people, Renew communities and Restore Creation by developing dynamic International Partnerships in Ministry that result in mutual transformation."

HOPE: It was everywhere. To see the church and feeding center Cross Point has spent years building, COMPLETE! Oh, what a feeling. Kids were flooding in to get a hot meal and love. The church was nearly full on Sunday with Haitian families, Dominican children and Americans, worshiping together. The kids understood the Good Samaritan story when we did our skit. They listened. God was speaking.

We went to a place called the hole one afternoon. It is a landfill slum where people live in extreme filth, danger and poverty. The kids litterally jump into your arms for you to hold them. Others tightly grasp your hand. We made sure to tell them all, "Jesus te ama." The words to this song came to my head as I was walking through the slum. I sang them to the little boy I was holding, 

"There will be hope for the hopeless. Rest for the weary. A day when ALL wrong is made right. They will see God."

Hope, not despair. 

We heard stories of how far the hole has improved. 10 yrs ago it was a much darker place. G.O. has built a church/feeding center there and Pastor Felix just opened a water purification building where people can get clean water. 

There are so many plans for more life change. I can't wait to go back and experience new things. I keep asking myself, "Why did I wait so long to go on this trip?" But I know this was God's timing. I cried a lot. It was a joke that if I wasn't crying then we weren't doing things right. :) I needed to see the World through the eyes of Jesus. I will truly never be the same.

Take a moment and check out all that G.O. Ministries is doing. Pray about how you can help. And enjoy this sideshow of our week, doing our part to change the World.

2011 Videos: Cross Point Church 2011: "Cross Point Church 2011 from Amanda Braisted on Vimeo."

It's Time for an Update Folks

My first post of 2011 stated 3 areas I wanted to cultivate, change and pursue.

-The Dominican Republic trip with the church was my pursuit. 

-Cutting down my spending habits on things I don't need was my change.

-Spending time with the women on our vocal team at Cross Point was what I wanted to cultivate.

PURSUIT: I'm all packed for the DR. Tomorrow will be a long day at work, then I'll come home, double ck that I have everything I need, and then try to sleep before we have to be at the airport at 7:30 AM on Tuesday. This is really happening. :) I can't wait to love on the people we meet, especially the kids. I'm excited to worship with the community on Sunday. And I'm thrilled I'm going with my husband, one of my sweet friends Alysha and several teenage girls that I love!

CHANGE: I was better about spending less money in January and February. I went shopping with my birthday money only at the end of February. But slowly through the busyness of March and April at work, I began to find myself in Target more often and a new obsession, Francescas. Shopping is something that gives me temporary relief from stress. Instead of giving it to God, I buy a new top, or two. When I was on vacation in June, I made an agreement with myself that I would not step foot in Target until after the DR, nor would I buy anything unnecessary for myself. Confession: I've been to Target twice since making this pact, but only to buy two birthday presents and shop (with Jason present) for the DR trip. :)

CULTIVATE: Finally, all of our Girls Night's (a small group I started for the women on our vocal team) were such a blessing. I handed over the reigns to several of our volunteers to speak and encourage the team. We saw the Lord work during our meetings and I have loved watching so many of the women grow as worship leaders. 

One of the best things I learned was from Lindsey Appiah, (Charge Student Minstry, Choir and Sunday Worship team volunteer): 

"We are not just worship leaders when we are on the platform. We have the responsibility to usher in the Holy Spirit every time we step through the doors of Cross Point."

Yes!

I've enjoyed getting to know some knock out women who inspire me. The one challenge I gave to the girls that I haven't invested in yet is to use my musical gifts outside of the church walls. To start singing at a nursing home, hospital, prison, etc. I hope to find an opportunity for our vocalists to serve in an environment like this together.

I ask that you continue to pray for me. Pray as I begin my journey to the DR. Pray as I work on realizing daily that I have all that I need, and a new item from the store won't make my worries go away. Pray that I will speak with truth and love as I lead the vocalists on the team at Cross Point! 

To the rest of 2011!

Singing before Bed

Last night I was laying in bed, talking to God & asking forgiveness for desiring the things of this world more than Him. Suddenly the words of a worship song I haven't sang in years popped in my head:

"You are the only one I need
I bow all of me at Your feet
I worship You alone

You have given me more than
I could ever have wanted
And I want to give You my heart and my soul

You alone are Father
And You alone are good
You are alone are Savior
And You alone are God

I'm alive, I'm alive
I'm alive, I'm alive"

I love the thought that through surrender, through realizing that He is all we need, we come alive! I began singing the song in my head. But then quietly sang it out loud (I didn't want to wake up Jason) 

:)

It was a reminder that I can worship God though song, anytime. Not just on Sundays. I want to make these moments a consistent part of my musical.

Today I challenge you to take some time in the car, in the bathroom :), when you get home and sing to Him. 

No matter what your voice sounds like!