grace eventually.

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of Matt Chandler or his recent news. He's the lead teaching pastor at the Village Church in Dallas, TX...a phenomal one at that. I got the priviledge of hearing him speak at 2 conferences this fall. He's bold, he's honest, he's funny, but most importantly he stands on the truth and faith that comes from his relationship with Christ. He found out on Thanksgiving Day that he had a brain tumor that needed to be removed immediately. This is the video he made for his church pre-surgery. I'm happy to say that the surgery went well. Although he's still recovering and they're still waiting on the pathology report, he's doing exceptionally well. I hope this video blesses and convicts you as it did me.

Video from Matt

In the past few weeks I've been a little more conscious of the types of things I purchase. Although I'm certainly not boycotting corporations (I work at Starbucks for goodness sake), I have been trying to look outside the box a bit. I decided I would share with you some of my recent purchases. First, my 2010 dayplanner courtesy of Etsy. If you've never shopped Etsy, I encourage you to take a look. For the most part it's reasonably priced and the things you find there are one-of-a-kind. My friend, Corrie, is the one that introduced me. She sells amazing jewelry among other things, all made from things she just finds or picks up along the way. I decided I would check Etsy to see if anyone made planners and this is what I got! This came from Kari. I don't know her personally but I would definitely recommend her for journals, planners, or address books!

My second purchase came from here. They are nylon bags shaped just like the plastic bags you would find at your local supermarket, only they're a little bigger and stronger! Mine don't look exactly like these. I actually caught some on sale that have retro food and recipe designs on them. I love them! They came in the little pouch you see on the right so you can just roll them up and throw them in your purse or car PLUS they're environmentally friendly!

Lastly, I decided this year I would do something a little different for my Godsons this Christmas. I decided to buy them a pair of these. I've actually been wearing Toms for a couple of years now. I have 2 pairs and 9 times out of 10, that's what you'll see on my feet. If you don't know the story behind Toms, for every pair you purchase, they donate a pair to a child in need. This year we are taking part in Advent Conspiracy at Trinity. We are challenging everyone to spend 1/3 to 1/2 less this Christmas and donate the rest to one of the many ministries we support as a church. When I started thinking about this, I wanted to come up with a way to participate but also to educate my Godchildren in particular on why this is important. I have no clue how they'll respond but my hope is that they will be excited to know that not only did Cece buy them a pair of shoes, but that 2 needy children are also receiving shoes this Christmas.

For those of you who know me probably also know that I'm a tad obsessed with Don Miller. So as not to scare anyone, it's not like a stalker obsession. Okay, I follow him on Twitter...and Facebook....and read his blog, but he publishes that for everyone so the fact that he's so accessible is his fault:) Anyway, I got the honor of meeting him a few years ago in Nashville. I don't really remember much about the day except that my friends Meredith, Mindy, and Jason were with me and I was of course, nervous. He signed one of my many books, took a picture with me, and that was it. I don't recall it being awkward or weird and I remember him being genuinely nice. When I found out he was going back on tour with his latest book, "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years," I knew I had to see him again. I started looking at the tour dates. The closest he was coming was Tyler, TX. That could work. Then one day I got something in the mail from LeadNow, a group that hosts a conference for 20's and 30-somethings in Dallas. I knew that Don was speaking at the conference, but since I had just returned from Catalyst and I'm trying to be a good steward of my budget, I had decided to pass on it. However, when I looked closer I realized that they were offering a special price of $20 to attend the last part of the conference which coincidentally included Don Miller! I immediately text my friend, Jenn and told her we were going! Also at this conference were other amazing speakers/authors: Francis Chan, Kay Warren, Matt Chandler, and Susan Isaacs! You may remember me talking about Susan. She's the one that wrote "Angry Conversations with God" and she was doing a seminar on writing your spiritual memoir. Now before this, she and I had become friends on Twitter. I was amazed that when I would comment to her she would respond! Now I was getting the opportunity to see her face-to-face and hear what went into writing her own spiritual memoir. Her seminar was right before Don was speaking so afterwards I bolted out, disappointed I didn't get to meet her, but determined not to miss a second of Don. I decided to send her a quick tweet and tell her I had been there and say I was sorry we couldn't meet. After Don spoke on Romeo & Juliet and the theological implications that are found in this story (that's a whole other blog post), we got ready to leave. Since I was driving back that night I had actually resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't have time to meet him. I did have his and Susan's book in my bag just in case. When we went out to the main area, we immediately noticed that there wasn't much of a line to meet him and yet, I hesitated. Jenn, being the good friend that she is, pushed me in that direction and told me to go for it. And here's where my adolescence kicks in. I've been a fan of Don Miller to the point that I think he could be my soul mate for oh, 6 years. I'd met him once before but I was so stinkin' overwhelmed and intimidated. When it was my turn I introduced myself, he signed my book, thanked me for coming, and that was it. I just stood there like a mute. Defeated I went to find my friends. In the meantime, I decided to check Twitter and lo and behold Susan had messaged me that she would be at her book table afterwards and to come find her...so I did! This was a much easier exchange. We hugged like old friends and chatted about her book for a few minutes. I told her I would see her in Tyler since I had to redeem my Don Miller encounter, plus I knew that they would both be talking about their books there.


So, on Wednesday, my friend, Matthew and I left Ruston around 3:30 and headed to Tyler. We got there at 6:30, found great seats, and waited for it to begin. Susan was first. She did a one-act play based on her book. It was hilarious! Even though I had read her book, I still laughed quite a bit. I swear that woman is a kindred spirit! Her journey to reconnect with the true God, not the one churches, other Christians, and our own life experiences have created, reminds me so much of my own. I can't recommend her book enough! Afterwards I got to see her again and actually got a picture this time:)
We went back in to hear Don and I mentally prepared myself to meet him afterwards. Surely this time would be different, right? I listened to him recount stories from his book and talk about our stories and how we are called to live out great stories, not just sit by and watch as bystanders. I was inspired yet again and so, it was time to go meet him. Earlier in the evening we were invited to partner with Don in his own organization, The Mentoring Project, as well as World Vision and sponsor a child. As one who grew up without his dad, Don has a heart for boys who grow up fatherless and the negative effects that can have. I was excited to sponsor a little Brazilian boy who has my birthday! In return I got a free copy of Don's book which of course, I already had but gave to Matthew AND a VIP pass to meet Don before he did his regular book-signing. There were probably 25 of us who were taken to a special room. Again, I'm scouring my brain for things to say to him this time since I flaked days earlier. Nope, I'm sad to say the ending was pretty similar to the first. I said little but I did get this lovely picture.
Yep, poor Don looks drugged. I couldn't help but laugh when I looked at this later. We have this idea of how things are going to happen and then those expectations are typically shattered. Don mentions in his book that the Danes are the happiest people in the world. Why? Because they have very low expectations. I'm beginning to think this may not be a bad principle to live by, then we can live life pleasantly surprised! I will say all in all, I had no idea that when I picked up Susan's book back in August, that I would befriend her on Twitter and Facebook and get to meet her. That was definitely a wonderful surprise! Thank you, Don Miller, for introducing me to such a phenomenal author and mentor.


They only have 4 shows left so if you live in Greenville, Birmingham, Nashville, or Chatanooga try to go out and see them! Don will also be at Youth Specialties in Atlanta this month.