It’s back again… my favorite day of the week – FRIDAY!

Sometimes I get so excited about Friday that I become paralyzed trying to figure out what to do first.  I try to cram all of my favorite things into Friday…

• Reading a good book
• A nice long energizing walk
• Lunch or tea with friends
• Relaxing by the pool (at least that one is eliminated for a few months now)
• Tidying and decorating my home
• Writing
• Dreaming and planning
• Catching up on a favorite show or going to a movie
• Browsing some of my favorite stores

Oh, there are so many things I could do to fill my day!

Today my plan is to take that nice long walk, catch lunch with my Golden Girls, wander a few stores for some decorating ideas and go grocery shopping.  I don’t love the grocery shopping but even on your best days you have to be a little responsible.

What’s your favorite day of the week?

How do you like to fill it?

It’s another Fabulous Friday and I’m beginning my morning with the perfect cup of tea, sitting on my patio, watching the rain fall while my dog romps through the yard a dripping, soggy, smelly mess.  He’s having a blast and I’m peacefully enjoying a slow-moving morning.

These types of days are rare and precious.

I found a few great things I thought you should check out this Fabulous Friday:

My friends at the Bloom Book Club have recently announced that Angie‘s new book What Women Fear will be the next selection.  If you’re interested in doing a book club with some other great women, you should check it out.  Angie’s new book is phenomenal… and I’m not just saying that because I like her.

Next Tuesday, September 27th I’ll be joining a great list of speakers for The NINES.  The NINES is a free online conference packed with 9 hours of great content.  Be sure to join us by registering here!

Backstage Leadership has some new options for you to engage with some great leadership content.  Another great resource for you to check out!

What other great resources have you discovered lately?

Have a great weekend!

My Fabulous Friday is filled with packing, painting, cleaning, more painting and more packing.  Oh and probably a run to get more boxes and packing supplies.  Moving is a great reminder of how much crap you collect.  PURGE people, PURGE!  It’s good for the soul.

I have a few opportunities to post around the blog-o-sphere this week.  If you’re bored, you can check these out:

• Talking about “What’s Next” at the Willow Creek Association blog
• Having some more conversation about the dangers of “Hitting the Wall” at the Gifted for Leadership blog

And to top off our Fabulous Friday, it’s a book-giveaway day!

I’ve got 5 copies of the new release The Guardian

A young woman thrust into a world of power and corruption…
The sold-out follower of Christ who vows to defend her…
And the scroll that links them both together…

Anna Riley has just stumbled across a family secret–her ancestors have been keepers of an ancient scroll that God gave to John the Disciple.  And now it’s hers.  But Anna will soon discover that being the keeper of the Scroll comes at a price, for there are those inside the Church who would have the scroll and its secrets at any cost.  Sucked into a world of corruption and deceit, Anna is thrust into a journey that leads her half way around the world.  And the only person she can trust is a stranger named Jason Lang who, she’s told, was appointed by God to help her with the task.

As Anna and Jason race against the clock, Anna’s own journey of faith may very well be the thing that unlocks the scroll’s secrets.  And her decisions will determine whether the man she’s grown to love will live or die, as a mystery that’s eluded the world since the time of Adam and Eve is finally revealed.

I’m usually a little wary of Christian fiction but this book was a great read!

To win your copy, leave a comment telling us your favorite Christian fiction book.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It doesn’t take much for me to enjoy my day off… just a little less demanding schedule and I’m in heaven.

I don’t have one single scheduled commitment today.  That’s a miracle that I will treasure every moment of!

Ok, here’s my random Fabulous Friday thoughts:

• I get to work with an incredible staff at Cross Point.  We hosted a special event last night and it was a blast to have our entire team together… long day with lots of laughs.  I wouldn’t advise hiring Cross Point staff to cater your event though… just ask the chicken.
• Today is the first of my posts at the Willow Creek Association blog.  I’ll be blogging about leadership there once a month.  Join the conversation!
• Target, I think I’ll pay you a visit today.
• I’m painting all the baseboards in my house.  If anything builds patience, this does!
• Sadly I have to say “So long for now” to Lindsey as she prepares for her move to Southern California.  I’m so glad the world really is so much smaller than it used to be… it’s funny that Orange County really doesn’t feel that far away anymore.
• And last but not least, you have to check out this video promoting our upcoming Family Night at Cross Point.  Well done Grant & team!

 

Cross Point Family Night Promo from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

In the dead of winter I always say that “I never complain about the heat”… “I love summer”…

I think I’m getting very close to complaining about the heat this summer.  It’s really quite crazy.  The morning run was grueling today.  I’m looking forward to a great weekend and a few other things…

• A week from today I’ll be attending the Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek.  I can’t wait to hear from some amazing speakers and get to share as one of the bloggers for the Summit.  To learn more, check out this post from Tim about his thoughts on Willow and this conference.
• I’m craving Oreos today.  Tam, don’t we share this affinity?  Just another reason we need to hang out soon! 
• Read through Justin‘s notes for this weekend’s message at Cross Point.  Good stuff.  You should join us!
• This post from Thom Rainer really challenged me.  Any leader of a growing church should read this and pray through potential application.
• My great friends at Leading and Loving It are launching the next round of virtual community groups.  If you are a pastor’s wife or women in ministry, this is such a great opportunity!
• I’m spending some time in an undisclosed location today (that sounds so official doesn’t it?) to try to work on some writing projects.  My wonderful agent is a slave driver.
• Has anyone ever stripped/sanded the handrails of your hardwood staircase?  I’m about to try that and I’m afraid I’m going to totally mess it up.  I’ll take any tips you have!
• Grateful for God’s blessings and unexpected answers to prayer.  Why am I always surprised when He answers prayer?

What’s the best thing you read or discovered this week?

It’s so good to be home on a Friday! 

Here’s what’s on my mind, in my heart and in my plans for this weekend:

• Much needed long run this morning.  I’ve been a bit under-the-weather this week so my exercise routine has been all out of whack.
• Some time at the pool.  I fully intend to ignore many of the things I “ought” to do to relax and get some sunshine.
• Clean sheets.  I have an obsession with clean sheets.
• Summer Slam continues at Cross Point this weekend.  I’m excited for Brent and Willy to speak live at North and Dickson respectively and for Blake to speak at Nashville & Bellevue.
• We also announced this week that Wes Howard is coming back on staff to lead our Downtown Campus this fall.  I’m so excited about that!
• Nicole and I are working on an article together.  Gotta hunker down and get some writing done.
• Picking out paint colors for my kitchen and living room.  (These kinds of decisions are much harder than they should be.)

In other news..

I’m excited to be a part of the blogging team for The Global Leadership Summit.  This is one of my favorite leadership growth opportunities.  If you aren’t registered, there is still time to join us!  Learn from Bill Hybels, Howard Schultz, Erwin McManus, Seth Godin, Brenda Salter McNeil, Steven Furtick and more!

And rounding out our Fabulous Friday…

The winners of the The Final Summit by Andy Andrews (from Monday’s post) as selected by random.org are:

1. Jamieleadrury86
2. turner_bethany

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I woke up to a rainy Friday morning… kind of puts a damper on my plans for a good long run and some yard work.

But after kicking around a little, frustrated by the rain sabotaging my plans, I realize that sometimes it’s good to be limited.  I tend to over-extend, over-commit and over-stress myself all the time.  When something or someone else puts limits on me, after my first few moments of frustration over my lack of control, I actually come to enjoy the freedom the limits create for me.

The limitation created by the rain has forced me to stay inside today, but that limitation actually frees me from the burden of the outside things I intended to do.  They are beyond my control and I have to let them go.  Instead, my focus is narrowed to the things that I can do inside like writing, reading and cleaning.  There’s still plenty to do, but with a few things eliminated for me, it doesn’t all seem so daunting.

Anyone relate to this feeling?

 

I love Fridays of a holiday weekend, especially the 4th of July weekend!

This holiday always carries wonderful memories – friends + fun + fireworks… what could be better??

Here’s what’s on my Fabulous Friday mind:

• Walking with Ash.  This is such a great treat!
• Today would have been my paternal grandfather’s 100th birthday.  Happy Birthday Grandpa Esch!
• Putting some final touches on a big project that I’ll share very soon
• Dreaming about some ideas for this fall
• Reading The Final Summit from Andy Andrews… review and book giveaway coming soon
• Hoping for some time at the pool
• Yard work and house projects

What big plans do you have for this holiday weekend?

Enjoy & be safe!

** 4th of July graphic designed my amazingly talented friend Susannah

It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to do a Fabulous Friday post.   Here’s what’s going on…

• Made banana bread this morning and let Mick lick the beaters.  He officially has a fetish for bananas now.
• It was perfectly overcast for my 5 mile run this morning
• I wrote this post this week at Gifted for Leadership.  Any of you who know me and read it will exclaim that I don’t follow my own advice.  I know… I’m working on it.   By the way, isn’t GFL‘s new look great?
• Finalized my plans to attend the She Speaks Conference.  I had the privilege of meeting Lysa at Catalyst Dallas… amazing lady!
• Getting ready to tackle some home improvements this weekend.  Bring on the power tools!
• I haven’t played tennis in months… I miss it.
• Prepping for next weekend’s retreat with the girls from Stretch.  I can’t wait to get to know these ladies better!
• Thinking about seeing the movie “Midnight in Paris” tonight.  Has anyone seen it?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Oh, and by the way… I’m thinking of freshening up the list of blogs in my Google reader.  What must-read blogs do you suggest?

You know you are in desperate need of some time at home when you look forward to a day of laundry and house cleaning.

I love my quiet Fridays at home, but today is an extra-special treasure since I’ve been traveling so much.

On the agenda for today:

• Laundry & more laundry
• Preparing for Whiteboard, Catalyst Dallas & DC11
• Still catching up on email… the never ending monster
• Writing a letter to my Compassion child, Venka
• Did I mention laundry?
• Final details of a book proposal – I’ll share more about that soon!
• A nice long walk to catch up with Ashley
• And maybe, just maybe a pedicure.  Spring is here – time to get the toes spruced up!

What I’m Reading Right Now:

Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson

Water for Elephants (movie tie-in, mass market) by Sara Gruen

Decision Points by George Bush

Any big plans for your weekend?