{iPhone Rewind} :: October

My co-worker and I always comment on how fast the months seem to fly by. I know many of you feel it; it seems like October just started, and somehow it's already over??  :)

We helped a new friend to our Home Church move into her new home!

We headed down to SA for a weekend with my parents...the boys went dove hunting (this picture is the picture Mike snapped in between hunts), and my mom and I did some shopping.

We got to celebrate my dad's birthday (a month late...but he wanted to share his cake with us). Homemade German Chocolate- Yum!

 

We also had a chance to meet with my sweet friend Lauren and her fiance Miguel. Mike is going to officiate their wedding, and I couldn't be more excited for them to get married! (not an iPhone photo, but aren't they cute?)

 

I learned there's a Rosa's Tortilla Factory close to my house! This is actually in Frisco, but it's right on the McKinney city line, which means it's pretty close. This brings back college memories of Taco Tuesdays! Anyone?

 

This adorable cutie came into Starbucks while Mike was working and he got to snap this photo of her wearing the hat I made for her- it finally fits her sweet head! :)

 

Mike and I were blessed with an impromptu date night at a pre-season Mavericks game.

I thought this fax we received at work was fantastic. I feel MUCH better about meeting face to face. In (like inside of?) a bank vault. In the country of my choice. #bankhumor

It actually got COLD this week. Legitimate sweater and scarf weather!

Our home church helped serve with Habitat for Humanity on a neighborhood revitalization project.

Mike was asked to help emcee the Kids Karnival at Woodcreek, so we got to dress up and have a fun evening! I love that when we google searched ideas for Lois & Clark costumes, my sweet friends showed up!

Bring on November! :)

All For You

Learning to fully surrender and trust God is really hard for me. I can't tell you why; I have seen God's provision over and over in my life. He has never given me a reason to doubt Him; if anything, He has proven His faithfulness countless times. So why is it so hard for me to really let go?

It's always something. The desire for a plan. The need to control the plan. Insecurities. Fears. Some of them unnecessary; some of them slowly realized. I want to live a surrendered life, I really do. But letting go is hard. Because to truly surrender means letting go of it all. Everything. The plan, the worries, the insecurities, the fears, the hopes, the dreams.

It's not going to happen overnight, but I want to experience the true life He offers. The life I know is abundant and good. The life I know I can't find if I hold on to the securities and plans I have made for myself. I'm praying for a heart of surrender. I'm asking God to help me let go and fully trust Him.

Nothing compares to
Life I have in You
Nothing of this world satisfies
So, I want to let go
I want to let You know
All that I have to give is Yours

Here I am 
As gold to the fire
I will surrender to Your hand
To this place
Lord, I have come ready for Your touch

It's all for You (x2)
I'm letting go (x2)

What is it in me
That hangs on for so long
Why do I fight the tears that come?
I work so hard to
Keep in control when
All that I want is to let go


Here I am 
As gold to the fire
I will surrender to Your hand
To this place
Lord, I have come ready for Your touch

It's all for You (x2)
I'm letting go (x2)


I'll take this life
And lay it down
I'm letting go (x2)
My hopes and dreams
Here at Your feet
I'm letting go (x)

And I'm ready for Your life
And I am ready for You now

Our Heart, Our City

With the start of the church plant residency, we have also started our season of support raising. It's a curious thing, support raising is...I have a new fresh perspective on and appreciation for what some of our missionary friends have faced. And I know this is just another leap of faith and another way to trust the Lord's provision in our lives. We would certainly appreciate your prayers over this process!

Some exciting things in the process...we have officially launched our new ministry website, so if you are interested in keeping up with what God is doing in McKinney, be sure to take a peak at hischurchplant.com. You can sign up for email updates to hear about how things are going with the church plant, and you can also find ways to partner with us.

Mike's oh-so-talented brother was generous in helping us put together a promo video to share with our supporters. In it, Mike shares about our heart for the city of McKinney and why we feel called to plant a church here. It might help a little to catch a glimpse as to why we have embarked on this crazy adventure :)

Our Heart // Our City from Michael McCullough on Vimeo.

I joke about it being a crazy adventure, and in a lot of ways it is. But we believe so much in what the Lord has called us to do in this city. In His city. We are burdened for the 90%, and we are humbled by the fact that the Lord would want to use us here. I have shared here before about feeling both excited and terrified. And while there are certainly giant steps of faith ahead for me {and it may not always be easy}, I am more convinced than I was a year ago of why the Lord has us here. I can't wait to see what God does!

300th Post!

Today marks the 300th post for this blog...not sure why that feels like an accomplishment, but I apparently have had a lot to say over the past few years ;)

It's always fun to read through old blog posts. It's such an incredible reminder of the faithfulness of God. It's cool to see the journey He has walked you through and how you were thinking about things at the time. It's interesting to read where you were then and where you are now. Definitely a good time for reflection and gratitude.

I started blogging back in college as a way to journal and, in all honesty, to vent. I am glad I have that blog to look back on, as the Lord was still teaching me things, but it is interesting to see the difference in tone between that old blog and this one. When I switched over to blogger in March of 2009, the Lord was already beginning to stir in my heart and draw me closer to His. I was wanting a fresh start in more ways than one, and I figured a new blog could give me a clean slate, a better way to be intentional.

I wanted this blog to be a chronicle of my life- what is going on, what the Lord is teaching me, how He has answered prayer. But more than that, I wanted this blog to truly reflect my journey toward intimacy with my Savior. Meaning, I want that to truly be how I live and therefore what I blog about. While I don't always post about Jesus-centered things, and my sinful heart is revealed all too often, seeing the tagline at the top of the page is always a good reminder to check my words. Because I want my words (and even more, my life) to mean something for the Kingdom. I don't want to be a "noisy gong or clanging cymbal." (1 Corinthians 13:1)

I was curious to see what I write about on a consistent basis (which can be a little scary and convicting!) Where is my heart and what is my focus? What are the things that my words say are important to me? So I decided to create a word cloud on Wordle to see...

 





I pray that the words in my next 300 posts reveal/highlight more of Jesus and eternal things and less of me and the things that will fade away.

Pumpkin Carving 2012

This past weekend, Mike preached at Christ Fellowship on the Parable of the Prodigal Sons. Not that I am biased or anything, but he did such a great job! If you have a minute, you should watch him preach. He certainly has a gift for teaching the Word, both in remaining faithful to the Word and connecting with his audience. So proud :)

Because it was a busy morning, we decided to take a break from our Bible study with our home group and have a Pumpkin Carving party! As promised, here are some pics of our day:

Emma insisted on carving Adrian's ears for him...one small one and one massive one :)

Precision. Focus.

Sami's cool cat carving

 



Trying to figure out the best way to follow the design...

 



Of course he designed his own. He's good at pretty much everything creative.

 



Pumpkin guts.

 



Sasha and Rylie have become the best of friends.

Home Church Pumpkin Carving 2012

 

Just an FYI: remember our pretty pumpkins?

 

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when you carve a pumpkin too early in Texas: