I just moved blogs...check out my new one at:
www.monicahunt.wordpress.com
- I definitely recommend wordpress...it does some cool stuff ...Plus Matt hasn't been feelin' my all pink profile for some time ;) ...I guess I haven't quite been either! Anyway- check it out!
Friday, January 4, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Follow Your Passion
I just started reading The Barbarian Way today and I am already loving it. It is written by Erwin McManus...Here's a little excerpt from some of what I read today:
"Although anyone who understands the heart of God knows that the Crusades were a tragic lesson in missing the point, the power of this story awakens within me a primal longing that I am convinced waits to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. To belong to God is to belong to his heart. If we have responded to the call of Jesus to leave everything and follow Him, then there is a voice within us crying out, "Fight for the heart of your King!"
Yet Christianity over the past two thousand years has moved from a tribe of renegades to a religion of conformists. Those who choose to follow Jesus become participants in an insurrection. To claim we believe is simply not enough. The call of Jesus is one that demands action. Jesus began His public ministry with a simple invitation: "Come, follow Me." His closing instructions to His disciples can be summarized in one word, "Go!" A quick survey of the modern church would lead you to believe His invitation was, "Come, and listen," and His closing mandate would be summarized in one word "No!"
I just want to say I am glad to be a part of a church that doesn't just tell people, "no." C3 welcomes everyone...no matter what you look like, what problems you have, and what your past is like. So far, the book has encouraged me to follow my passion for Christ and let go of tradition and ritual. This is something God has been teaching me through C3 over the past couple of years. I am so grateful to be able to let go of what gets in the way of reaching people for Christ. Lost people don't care about a churches tradition...they come wanting help...they come searching for something and I can tell you for sure that it isn't tradition. I have never really been one that clings to change but after attending church for a little while I did start to believe things had to be done a certain way. Of course, now my view on that is totally different, but it was something that God had to teach me...It was an adjustment, as I'm sure it was for many.
I pray I continue to learn, let God teach me, and never stop following my passion for Christ. I pray I continue to always strive to love God and love others with all that I have...
"Although anyone who understands the heart of God knows that the Crusades were a tragic lesson in missing the point, the power of this story awakens within me a primal longing that I am convinced waits to be unleashed within everyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. To belong to God is to belong to his heart. If we have responded to the call of Jesus to leave everything and follow Him, then there is a voice within us crying out, "Fight for the heart of your King!"
Yet Christianity over the past two thousand years has moved from a tribe of renegades to a religion of conformists. Those who choose to follow Jesus become participants in an insurrection. To claim we believe is simply not enough. The call of Jesus is one that demands action. Jesus began His public ministry with a simple invitation: "Come, follow Me." His closing instructions to His disciples can be summarized in one word, "Go!" A quick survey of the modern church would lead you to believe His invitation was, "Come, and listen," and His closing mandate would be summarized in one word "No!"
I just want to say I am glad to be a part of a church that doesn't just tell people, "no." C3 welcomes everyone...no matter what you look like, what problems you have, and what your past is like. So far, the book has encouraged me to follow my passion for Christ and let go of tradition and ritual. This is something God has been teaching me through C3 over the past couple of years. I am so grateful to be able to let go of what gets in the way of reaching people for Christ. Lost people don't care about a churches tradition...they come wanting help...they come searching for something and I can tell you for sure that it isn't tradition. I have never really been one that clings to change but after attending church for a little while I did start to believe things had to be done a certain way. Of course, now my view on that is totally different, but it was something that God had to teach me...It was an adjustment, as I'm sure it was for many.
I pray I continue to learn, let God teach me, and never stop following my passion for Christ. I pray I continue to always strive to love God and love others with all that I have...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
* I hope everyone has had a great 2007! I am excited and looking forward to all that 2008 has in store for it. I know that it will be great and I can't wait to see what God does.
* Finding time to blog lately has been tough but I think a break from technology can be a good thing...It can be hard to stay away- but it's good :) I'm sure I'll be able to work in more blogs as they holiday season winds down...
* We're excited because our 2nd niece will be born soon...any day now possibly! We love being an Uncle and Aunt!
* My mom's 50th birthday is today. I am thankful for her...she definitely doesn't look or act 50! She's got the heart of a 20 year old!
* We will be finishing up school this semester (graduating in May) and I can't wait. I know I said in previous blogs that I would be done in December, but I made a decision to drag it out one more semester. It was too much for me to take a full load of classes while working part time. So I decided to split it up between last semester and this one so I will be done in May!!
* There are a lot of things I want to do this year...I don't want to call them resolutions because anytime I say that I never stay with them past January! Finishing school is a huge one though!
* I can't wait to see what God does in 2008 through C3. I know that it will be a great year and what a great way to start it off with our first meeting in the theaters this Sunday. Our kick-off on January 20th is going to rock!!!
Anyway- I am excited and optimistic about 2008 and all that it will hold!
* Finding time to blog lately has been tough but I think a break from technology can be a good thing...It can be hard to stay away- but it's good :) I'm sure I'll be able to work in more blogs as they holiday season winds down...
* We're excited because our 2nd niece will be born soon...any day now possibly! We love being an Uncle and Aunt!
* My mom's 50th birthday is today. I am thankful for her...she definitely doesn't look or act 50! She's got the heart of a 20 year old!
* We will be finishing up school this semester (graduating in May) and I can't wait. I know I said in previous blogs that I would be done in December, but I made a decision to drag it out one more semester. It was too much for me to take a full load of classes while working part time. So I decided to split it up between last semester and this one so I will be done in May!!
* There are a lot of things I want to do this year...I don't want to call them resolutions because anytime I say that I never stay with them past January! Finishing school is a huge one though!
* I can't wait to see what God does in 2008 through C3. I know that it will be a great year and what a great way to start it off with our first meeting in the theaters this Sunday. Our kick-off on January 20th is going to rock!!!
Anyway- I am excited and optimistic about 2008 and all that it will hold!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
2008, Here We Come!
The week is over...and we are finally home. It has been such a great relaxing week. I loved it. We spent time with family, went to the zoo, and spent lots of time together :) I love spending so much time with Matt...we had a great time on our little vacation. We went to Amelia Island and stayed at the beach. You can check out pictures from our trip here. Everything was amazing...the view from our room rocked.
I just can't believe that we are only a week away from our first Sunday at the theater. It's gonna be awesome and I can't wait! I also can't wait to see what God has in store for 2008...I know that it will be a much better year...I am glad to put 2007 behind me. I will, however, take away from it so many lessons that God taught me. He taught me (and continues to teach me) the act of truly forgiving someone. He showed me who my real friends were and amazed me with their loyalty. He taught me how to trust...
I will not forget the lessons that He taught me and I am glad to be moving forward. I can't wait for this Sunday! It will be scary but so exciting at the same time...I'm sure it won't be perfect and we will have to work out kinks...but I know it's gonna rock...and each Sunday will get better and better! God is amazing and I can't wait to see what He does!!
I just can't believe that we are only a week away from our first Sunday at the theater. It's gonna be awesome and I can't wait! I also can't wait to see what God has in store for 2008...I know that it will be a much better year...I am glad to put 2007 behind me. I will, however, take away from it so many lessons that God taught me. He taught me (and continues to teach me) the act of truly forgiving someone. He showed me who my real friends were and amazed me with their loyalty. He taught me how to trust...
I will not forget the lessons that He taught me and I am glad to be moving forward. I can't wait for this Sunday! It will be scary but so exciting at the same time...I'm sure it won't be perfect and we will have to work out kinks...but I know it's gonna rock...and each Sunday will get better and better! God is amazing and I can't wait to see what He does!!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Love is the Movement
I can't believe how fast Christmas went by...we had a great time with our families though! It's great to be able to spend some quality time with them. Matt and I are headed out for a little two day vacation tomorrow and I can't wait. =)
I just read Pastor Byron's blog and it hit something in me...I, just the other day was listening to someone rant about how "people" are taking Christ out of Christmas. They kept saying that people don't care about offending Christians. I couldn't agree more with what Pastor said....how can you expect lost people to act like they know Christ? How can you expect lost people to celebrate Christmas the same way people who know Christ do? ...maybe if we showed them what we truly celebrate they would see. Maybe if we loved them instead of ranted about them...maybe if we cared...and remembered that they need Him.
It amazes me how much I have changed over the past couple of years...I probably would have joined in the conversation about how lost people act, back then. Not anymore...I am so glad I see...I see that you can't expect people to come to know Christ when the one time they actually come to church you condemn them or judge them. I see what loving others is truly about. I see how you won't get anywhere with people if you don't love them. People need to be loved and most are so lacking in so many areas of life that the church is where they should always be able to find it. I'm proud to be a part of a church where people will find that love...C3 rocks and Love Wins :)
I just read Pastor Byron's blog and it hit something in me...I, just the other day was listening to someone rant about how "people" are taking Christ out of Christmas. They kept saying that people don't care about offending Christians. I couldn't agree more with what Pastor said....how can you expect lost people to act like they know Christ? How can you expect lost people to celebrate Christmas the same way people who know Christ do? ...maybe if we showed them what we truly celebrate they would see. Maybe if we loved them instead of ranted about them...maybe if we cared...and remembered that they need Him.
It amazes me how much I have changed over the past couple of years...I probably would have joined in the conversation about how lost people act, back then. Not anymore...I am so glad I see...I see that you can't expect people to come to know Christ when the one time they actually come to church you condemn them or judge them. I see what loving others is truly about. I see how you won't get anywhere with people if you don't love them. People need to be loved and most are so lacking in so many areas of life that the church is where they should always be able to find it. I'm proud to be a part of a church where people will find that love...C3 rocks and Love Wins :)
Monday, December 24, 2007
I love Christmastime!
Matt and I are on our way to Jacksonville right now…I am so ready to be out of town for a while. I love just getting away sometimes. Even if it’s not far…it’s also nice to be able to spend time with family. We don’t see them too often so we’re excited. ☺ We’re also taking a small side trip for a couple days…just the two of us. I love that. I love spending time with Matt, especially on vacation!
Yesterday was amazing. The atmosphere was indescribable. It was our last time in those buildings…I thought it might be bittersweet…I was wrong. All could think about as we were moving stuff out of there was how exciting the theater is going to be. I was thinking about how much Eastland is going to get out of the buildings and how they just suit them so well. I can’t wait for January 6th. It’s going to be amazing…exciting…all of the above! I know God is going to use that in awesome ways and I can’t wait to see what He does.
Anyway- it’s Christmas Eve today…the sermon yesterday helped to remind me that I need to focus on Christ and others during this time. I am so thankful that He was born…and I am so thankful for all He has done. For His unconditional love. I am so thankful for the people He has placed in my life. I don’t know what I would do without them. I am blessed to have the most wonderful husband, an awesome family, and friends that ROCK! ☺ …. And an adorably cute puppy…how could I forget her? ☺
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and try to breathe through all the craziness that this time of year can bring…I know I need to stop, breathe and remember what it’s really all about.
Love & Merry Christmas to you ☺
Yesterday was amazing. The atmosphere was indescribable. It was our last time in those buildings…I thought it might be bittersweet…I was wrong. All could think about as we were moving stuff out of there was how exciting the theater is going to be. I was thinking about how much Eastland is going to get out of the buildings and how they just suit them so well. I can’t wait for January 6th. It’s going to be amazing…exciting…all of the above! I know God is going to use that in awesome ways and I can’t wait to see what He does.
Anyway- it’s Christmas Eve today…the sermon yesterday helped to remind me that I need to focus on Christ and others during this time. I am so thankful that He was born…and I am so thankful for all He has done. For His unconditional love. I am so thankful for the people He has placed in my life. I don’t know what I would do without them. I am blessed to have the most wonderful husband, an awesome family, and friends that ROCK! ☺ …. And an adorably cute puppy…how could I forget her? ☺
I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and try to breathe through all the craziness that this time of year can bring…I know I need to stop, breathe and remember what it’s really all about.
Love & Merry Christmas to you ☺
Thursday, December 20, 2007
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