Archives for 2010

Radical: The Cost of Nondiscipleship

September 14, 2010 by Amy 15 Comments

Please read the call to action at the end!

Today begins my participation in the Radical Read-along over at Marla Taviano’s. If you’ve read Crazy Love by Francis Chan, this book may not floor you. If you haven’t, well, buckle your seatbelt.

Honestly I had great doubts about reading this book. I have read so many books and while my heart has truly changed I feel like there’s some big next step I haven’t taken yet and I’m scared that this will just be another book to tuck away on my shelf. I’m truly wanting to live radically.

There are two ideas that he presents in this first chapter. The first is that Christ asks for radical abandonment.

This is where we come face to face with a dangerous reality. We do have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus. We do have to love him in a way that makes our closest relationships in this world look like hate. And it is entirely possible that he will tell us to sell everything we have give it to the poor. But we don’t want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives.

See that key word for me “afraid”. And we know how I feel about fear. I don’t want that to be the reason I don’t live radically. For the same reason he gives in the last part of this chapter. The cost of nondiscipleship is high.

The prices of our nondiscipleship is high for those without Christ. It is high also for the poor of the world. Consider the cost when Christians ignore Jesus’ commands to sell their possessions and give to the poor and instead choose to spend their resources on better comforts, larger homes, nicer cars and more stuff. Consider the cost when these Christians gather in churches and choose to spend millions of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for themselves. Consider the cost for the starving multitudes who sit outside the gate of contemporary Christian affluence.

Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Just today I was planning on blogging about an awesome belt I got from Anthropologie on Saturday. It’s a super cute belt and there’s nothing wrong with belts but it was an extravagance and bought at the cost of someone poor. To be honest, I don’t know where to draw the line. I don’t know when God asks you to sell it all for the poor and I don’t know when it’s ok to keep it. I don’t know. But I do know the $28 I spent on that belt on a whim would have given 28 Africans water for a year. And I don’t know, that just doesn’t sit well with me. It makes me want to do something radical. Like selling a brand new, freaking cute belt.

So I’m selling the belt.

It’s going to be a stake in the ground, that little something I can do, a baby step of selling possessions in giving to the poor and most importantly, water for 28 people for the next year.

If you want this belt for $28, please email me. Your money will go 100% to Blood Water Mission, a worthy cause, the likes of where my money should have originally gone. If I don’t sell it here, I’ll put it on eBay or Craigslist. I just have to do something.

Something radical.

Join the read-along here or be inspired by others’ posts.

Groupon Gap Deal

September 13, 2010 by Amy 3 Comments

Ok, so I know everyone and their brother with Groupon got this Gap coupon but I was SO excited how my purchase went I’ve been blabbering it all weekend and it’s not properly blabbered until it’s blogged.

So, first of all, if you’re not familiar with Groupon you haven’t been reading my blog you get to buy gift certificates to places for a discount price. A few weeks ago Gap did a nationwide Groupon and you got a $50 gift card for $25. Well, with Groupon you also get a $10 referral fee. I had one in my account so I only paid $15 for mine.

When I went in Saturday I was immediately drawn to the back of the store when ALL their dress pants were $35! After trying on several pair I settled on these Trouser pants.

I needed to get to my $50 gift card value though. Well, if you know Gap, they don’t have a whole lot of stuff for $15. I managed to find a T-shirt for $19.

When I went to ring up, my total was EXACTLY $50. Turns out the shirt was on sale for $15. My Groupon code worked beautiful and I owed absolutely nothing (not even tax). Not to mention I did the entire gift card transaction from their iPhone app – no printing.

So I walked out of the store with $79 worth of merchandise I paid $15 oop for.

Now that’s something to blabber about.

(And yes, go sign up for Groupon)

Catch-Up

September 13, 2010 by Amy 2 Comments

OK, this has got to be quick! I have been really lax since Labor Day and it keeps stacking up and now I’m so behind but I want to get back on track this week so here we go!

Labor Day was great. I spent the whole day Saturday cleaning the girls’ playroom. I threw away 3 bags of stuff, re-organized all their bins and as I mentioned, organized their Barbies. Which, by the way, has been working GREAT. It’s so easy to clean up and really, they haven’t been playing with them much so they’re stored behind the door never to be seen!
Because of that, I decided to finally sand down their play tables and paint them. I’ve been working on that through my spare time in the past week. I have one done and the other part way done. Hopefully a post and pictures on that.
We also went to a local fair where they highlight was getting the girls’ faces painted. It’s for sure a highlight of the year for Emma.
In my other spare time lately, at Kaitlin’s insistence, I caught up on Everwood Season 1. So far I’m not fangirling over it but it is a good show. It runs more like a long dramatic movie than a TV series if you ask me but it’s good. I’m just not sold on the main couple yet. I hear Season 3 and 4 are better though so I think eventually I’ll get through it all. It’s a nice show to have playing in the background while I work.
However, Kaitlin ALSO bought me Chuck Season 1 and I LOVE it. I hope to catch up on that as well and yes, it will probably be added to my TV line-up. I realize I didn’t need that but I think this is one I can DVR and watch later.
Friday the kids had their fun run at school. Lexi had a great time and did two more laps than required. It was fun seeing her competitiveness come out. She did a fantastic job. Ms. Emma was too busy talking with her friends to hit her goal. I guess a 2nd grade life is too busy to worry about fundraising!
Speaking of Kaitlin, she came in Friday and beyond watching Chuck together, we did a bunch of shopping and eating. Oh my word. I was on a bit of a staycation with her.
Friday night was Mom’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Mom) so we went out to eat for Japanese. Which, by the way, was my Mom’s first time going. She always thought she’d hate it but turns out she LOVED it. Woot!
Saturday Kaitlin and I went shopping at Southpark. And you can’t go shopping at Southpark without going to Cheesecake Factory so that’s what we did. I only had a small pizzette and salad but oh my word that pear/blue cheese/carmelized onion pizzette thingy was SO good. We were pretty good with the cheesecake too and split a piece and even at that, took half of it home.
Saturday night was our real splurge and we went to Beef and Bottle. If you’re in the Charlotte area, you HAVE to go. Best steak in town.
Sunday we went to church. So fun to have Kaitlin with us and a great start to a new series Epic on the book Esther. Then we hit up Cracker Barrel since Kaitlin had never eaten breakfast there!? It was off to the airport and called it a weekend.
Last night we stopped by Jake and Jill’s to have a little cake for Jake’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Jake!
I finished last night with a coffee date with my friend Becky where Jo Ann and her daughter Kristyn showed up and we had some great girl time.

So yeah, it’s been a busy past week and lots of fun. I started this morning with a trip to the gym which is exactly where I need to be every single morning for about 6 weeks after this weekend. I’m looking forward to getting back into it this week!

Hope you’re having a great Monday!

Book Review: Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson

September 7, 2010 by Amy 2 Comments

Anne Jackson asked of her blog readers, “What is one thing you feel you can’t say in the church?” Hundreds of comments and two years later, Permission to Speak Freely was born.

If you read Pete Wilson’s Plan B or read Jon Acuff’s, Stuff Christians Like, you might remember the phrase, “The Gift of Going Second”. In a nutshell, it is when one person confesses to a struggle and then another feels the freedom to share their same struggle as well. It’s a gift. In fact, after I read Plan B, I posted Me Too. If you take that concept and blow it out into a full book, I think that’s what Permission to Speak Freely is getting at. Many times we keep our struggles and sin hidden for fear of anything from a disapproving look to a job or marriage loss. And many times the fear is not unfounded, particularly in Christian circles. However, the freeing benefits of confession can far outweigh any risks involved.

In the first half of Permission to Speak Freely, Anne covers her personal struggles and finding her way to confession with others and help herself and others to unload their burdens. The last half covers the confessions of Adam and Eve and the Prodigal Son and then on to the Gift of Going Second. I read the first half with rapt attention, excited to see where it was going. While moving into the scriptural tiebacks, I was nodding my head. She finished with the gift of going second and maybe because it was not a new concept to me, I felt like it dragged on a bit. I wholeheartedly believe in it, but felt like it was drawn out, possibly a little stuffed for word count.

I also don’t think the book ever tackled the answer of the original question. Or at least not head on. I feel that she tackled confession on a personal level, not public, which is what my expectations from her original question were. Many of her examples were confession between two people but didn’t address church members openly discussing taboo questions or struggles. I felt like maybe there was just one more chapter that needed to be written. And maybe that’s what we’re supposed to go off and write on our own. What does speaking freely look like to us? Or maybe my expectations were a bit misguided.

The book is absolutely gorgeous. I love the size, the graphics, the artwork both in and outside the book. It’s a book you want to pick up and read simply from the aesthetics. I believe the confessions given in the book are worth the book itself.

All in all, I walked away with a better understanding of Anne, whom I respect so much. More importantly I’m walking away with another ounce of courage to always be authentic and share my struggles, questions and even hope.

I have two copies of this book and would love to give one away. If you’d like to receive a copy, please leave a comment below. For extra entries, you can tweet it. Please come back here and let me know you did!

Opposing Burning Demonstration

September 7, 2010 by Amy 8 Comments

The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, plans to mark the anniversary of al Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington by burning copies of the Muslim holy book. The church insists the event is "neither an act of love nor of hate," but a warning against what it calls the threats posed by Islam.

At the gym this morning I watched as CNN interviewed the pastor of the church in Florida about the upcoming burning demonstration. I was going to blow this off as another misguided attempt by Christians to get their point across but by the end of it I was in tears on the treadmill.

The first question posed to him was doesn’t the Bible ask you to turn the other cheek? Isn’t this act of hate doing the opposite of what Christ asked for? He said it was not an act of hate. They welcome Muslims to America. They don’t oppose the Mosque. In fact, they believe moderate Muslims should agree with them. Plus, Jesus got angry too. He overturned tables and called Peter the devil.

And that’s when I knew I had to say something. Jesus was righteously angry at HIS PEOPLE. People that called themselves followers but weren’t acting a thing like that. The only thing Christ ever offered to unbelievers was love, hope, salvation, healing and a second chance.

And why would moderate Muslims go along side this? They admitted it would be offensive and that he was offended when the flag or Bible was burned. I’m sorry, I don’t care what you stand for, moderate or radical, if you burn the Bible, I can’t support you. Why would they do the same?

If that weren’t enough, he said he was aware of the warning from military and US officials that this could cause imminent danger to troops in Afghanistan. His response? Yes, but we’re set on what we’re doing, but we’re praying about it.

So here’s my thing. I pray too. I pray to the same God he does and He wouldn’t tell us different things. Maybe I’m wrong, call me out, but let’s at least get on our knees and pray. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb here and saying this shouldn’t happen. If you hear the same thing, email them and let them know, as a Christian, you oppose this demonstration.

Barbie Organization

September 4, 2010 by Amy 1 Comment

I super duper wish I could recall what blog I found this on. This is one of the best organizational tips I’ve ever read. Get a regular shoe organizer for a door and use it for Barbies! It’s like a Barbie condo and each Barbie gets a home. Or, in our case, they get to share a home! The best thing is once they run out of room, they have to get rid of enough to make them fit! Win all around!

I used to have everything piled in the big bucket but it was terrible trying to dig through it all to find anything. After organizing the Barbies, I moved the clothes and shoes into bags of their own. What’s left is just the house sets they use when they play. Love it!

Rollercoaster Week

September 3, 2010 by Amy 5 Comments

This week has been quite the rollercoaster. Many highs and lows for me but not much in between.

At work we closed down processes that have been in place for years. It’s amazing how you can get attached to a set of code. I can buy into the saying that coding is art and also the part where it’s the only one that fights back. On the flip side, new process have come to fruition after months of meetings, coding, discussions and testing. It feels much like the presentation of a new piece of artwork. I mean, I think. Not that I’ve ever debuted artwork. It feels good, ok?

I gave up the full reigns on OTHBlog and gave up NBCPhd. On the flip side got some great feedback and planning new stuff for iHeart with Danny’s management. Announced a new partnership for this blog with NC Blog Buzz which I’m psyched about.

Personally saw some low lows and high highs.

It’s definitely not been a status quo week. I feel a little drained and more than ready for the long weekend.

But through it all, I’ve been so thankful for friends with whom to rejoice on the hills and shed a virtual tear when it bottomed out. God has covered me in peace this week. We are not meant to go through it alone and I’m so thankful.

Disney on Ice Presents Toy Story 3 in Charlotte

September 1, 2010 by Amy 7 Comments

The Bennett household is not new to Disney On Ice. The girls love many Disney movies and think seeing them in person and on skates is just, well, magical. We have not had a chance to go to Toy Story 3 the movie yet but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I’m a big fan of the Toy Story series and I’m so looking forward to seeing it on ice. They are showing it in Charlotte October 6-10. The very best part is I HAVE DISCOUNTS FOR YOU! You all know how much I love a good discount and paired with a cultural event, well, it just makes my heart happy.

Toy Story 3, the record-breaking #1 movie in the world, is so hot it’s cool as everyone’s favorite toys take to the ice in Disney On Ice presents Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story 3! An award-winning creative team and a cast of world-class skaters are bringing Woody, the pull-string cowboy; space ranger Buzz Lightyear; Jessie, the yodeling cowgirl; and the rest of the gang to fans and families around the country in this brand-new live ice spectacular produced by Feld Entertainment. This fast-paced and witty tale of friendship will make a stop in Charlotte at the Time Warner Cable Arena, Oct. 6 – 10.

Check out more information over at the Time Warner site and let me know if you end up going October 6 – we’ll be there and I’d love to say hi!

I received this opportunity including 4 pack of tickets to the opening show because of my participation in the NC Blog Buzz network. I have pledged to give my honest opinion of the product/event. All opinions are my own.