Scotty McCreery! FTW!

by Teri Lynne Underwood · 7 comments

in Parenting

Occasionally as parents we are able to do something so fantastic for our kids that we create a dream come true.   It doesn’t happen often, I have found.  In fact, it often ends up being quite by chance.   But when it happens, it is most assuredly one beautiful thing.

Last weekend we took my daughter and our foreign exchange student to Nashville to experience the Grand Ole Opry.  An American institution, the Opry has been airing live on WSM radio for 85 years.  It just would not have been right for us to have hosted an exchange student here in the South and NOT taken her to the Opry.  Right?

We knew that Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley would be there when we bought the tickets.   Honestly, that was enough of a reason for Scott and me to go.   But as is the norm with performances at the Opry, on Wednesday before we left for Nashville, they added a new performer to the show:

Scotty McCreery.

And yes, that would be my twelve-year-old daughter’s favorite singer right now.  To say that she was excited would be an understatement of epic proportions.   She was beside herself with anticipation.   This photo captures that exuberance that is one of my favorite qualities in this beautiful daughter of mine.

Scotty McCreery Fan www.terilynneu.com

I think she is amazing!!

Here’s a bonus pic … my favorite one I took during the show.

At the Opry www.terilynneu.com

Tell me, what is one beautiful thing about your children?

Linking up with my friend Brooke to share #OneBeautifulThing.

{Perhaps these words encouraged you today.  Maybe they might be a blessing to someone else?  I'd find it a great honor if you were to share this post with those you know. And would you subscribe for (almost) daily words of encouragement via email or in a Reader?  Many thanks.}

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Spring and Easter

Living the Art

by Teri Lynne Underwood · 10 comments

in Priorities

writing www.terilynneu.com

We’ve been told we just need to make the proclamation:

I am a writer.

We’ve been told there’s only one rule:

Content is king.

We’ve been told the path to success:

Build your platform.

And yet, day after day, we read the story of those who have made the statement, written the content, and built the platform and still feel

unsuccessful

insecure

tired

empty.

Why is that? What is it about pursuing the craft that leaves us drained?

A few weeks ago my husband and I attended the Creative conference sponsored by Worship Leader Magazine.   I sat in rooms with writers who are passionate about using their gifts and abilities to point others to Christ.   I was challenged and encouraged by speakers who shared their stories of both success and failure.  And I was reminded of something I’d lost:

Writing is not merely a craft, it’s an art.

When we do a craft, we know the end result before we begin.  But art?  Art is different … we don’t know where the painting will end when we pick up the brush.  We can’t always predict where the words will take us when we pick up our pen.

Yes, we study the rules, the procedures, the mechanics of our art.

But even more, we must live art.  Our hearts explore where the words are not yet able to articulate.

explore the path www.terilynneu.com

And as we live … the art grows.  It breathes.  It expands.

Art fills up the spaces we didn’t even know we had.

Before we can ever write, ever create the art, we have to live.

We must breathe deeply the smell of baby powder on freshly bathed babies.

We must gaze deeply into the eyes of the one with whom we’ve pledged for richer, for poorer.

We must touch often the hand and faces of those we love.

We must live … wide open, with abandon.

living the art www.terilynneu.com

Because art comes from life.  Never, ever the other way around.

How do you live art?

 {Linking up with Michelle at Thought Provoking Thursdays}

{Perhaps these words encouraged you today.  Maybe they might be a blessing to someone else?  I'd find it a great honor if you were to share this post with those you know. And would you subscribe for (almost) daily words of encouragement via email or in a Reader?  Many thanks.}

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Spring and Easter

Top Ten Reasons to Join Me for #B90Days This Summer

by Teri Lynne Underwood · 6 comments

in Spiritual Disicplines

The Bible in 90 Days.  The WHOLE Bible in 90 days.  Sounds like a herculean task, doesn’t it?   I won’t lie, it takes commitment and determination.  I learned a lot about myself when I did it a couple of years ago.   But I also learned so much about Scripture and the character of God.

I would LOVE for you to join me and my friends Stacey and Ruth as we read the Bible in 90 days this summer.  Actually, we’ll be reading the Bible in 99 days.  We’re starting on Memorial Day and will finish Labor Day.  As best I can tell, at least 80 women have already committed to joining us.  {A fact that leaves me in tears, y’all!}  We’ve have a  weekly link-up here on my blog where you can share (via blog post or in the comments) what God is teaching you and we’ve got this amazing Facebook group where the anticipation and enthusiasm are already building for our kick-off in just less than three weeks.

Bible in 90 Days www.terilynneu.com

So, if you’re still on the fence, how about ten reasons you should join us?

  1. Community.   We’re building this amazing fellowship around the Word of God.  Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
  2. Accountability.  We need each other and we need each other’s support if we’re going to dig deep and spend time in the Word.
  3. Focus.  Sometimes the summer months can drift by and we reach September finding we’ve accomplished nothing.  This summer, we’ll have done something amazing!
  4. Insight.  One of my favorite parts of reading the Bible in 90 days before was the fresh insight I gained on familiar passages.  For example, realizing that Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise that God made to the Israelites that AFTER they’d been in captivity, He still had a plan for their good.  That gave me a whole new outlook on that verse and the promise it contains.
  5. Discipline.  If you’ve ever struggled with developing a consistent time of Bible study and prayer (and who hasn’t!), this can be a great way to develop that discipline.
  6. Accomplishment.  Y’all, I have a tee shirt that announces that I read the Bible in 90 Days … and I wear it!  It is an accomplishment I’m proud of.  Not because I think it makes me a super saint but because I gained so much from the experience.
  7. Growth.  When we spend time in the Word, we experience growth.  God’s Word never comes back void and committing to this experience will result in growth in our lives – in ways we cannot today imagine.
  8. Understanding.  Reading through the whole Bible in three months helps us put pieces of the big story of Scripture together that we might miss when we read just small sections at a time.   Our understanding of ALL of Scripture will increase though this process.
  9. Application.  Honestly, some days I was just overwhelmed by how much the Lord showed me.  We will find new ways to apply Scripture to our lives as we do this thing.  I promise!
  10. Purpose.  The purpose of reading the Bible in 90 Days is not to do a deep study (I tried that the first time.  Disaster!).  Rather, it is to engage in Scripture by enveloping ourselves in the words, the Word, the story, His story.   I started out reading with a notebook in hand and within a week gave that up.  Instead I underlined passages and highlighted words but I read.  I simply read the Word of God.  I wasn’t looking for anything except the opportunity to encounter Him through Scripture.  And y’all – HE MET ME!

So, what about it?  Wanna join Ruth, Stacey, and me for 99 days, 66 books, One Amazing Summer?  We’d love to have you.

Here’s how you can connect:

  • Share your about page in the linky on my blog yesterday.
  • Join our Facebook group.
  • Use the #B90Days hashtag on Twitter.
  • Add this button to your blog sidebar and use it in your posts.
Grab the button code from my sidebar.

Are you in?

Linking up with Angie and Top Ten Tuesdays … because it’s the awesomeness there!

 

{Perhaps these words encouraged you today.  Maybe they might be a blessing to someone else?  I'd find it a great honor if you were to share this post with those you know. And would you subscribe for (almost) daily words of encouragement via email or in a Reader?  Many thanks.}

You May Also Enjoy:

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Spring and Easter

Bible in 90 Days: Let’s Do This Thing!

Bible Studies

99 Days. 66 Books. One Amazing Summer. Yep, you read that right.  Ruth of The Better Mom, Stacey of 29 Lincoln Avenue and I would love for you to join us as we read the Bible in 90 Days.   I did this a couple of years ago and it was one of the most significant [...]

93 comments Read the full article →

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Parenting

For all the women who mother … by birth, through adoption, through child sponsorship, through teaching, through surrogacy, through simply loving the children (little and big!) God has placed in your path From my heart to yours … thank you! Happy Mother’s Day! For more thoughts on motherhood, may I invite you to read “For [...]

2 comments Read the full article →

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