Elevation

When my sister and I travelled to North Carolina last Easter, we were blessed with the opportunity to attend a serivce at Elevation Church. I have since been downloading the sermons of the Pastor Steve Furtick and listening whenever I get the chance. It never ceases to be amaze me how good God is. He has led me to a church that speaks to my heart and is helping heal my spirit. Despite being unable to physcially attend a service on a Sunday morning, I am able to worship alongside their incredible music leaders and be spiritually challeged as I listen to sermons on iTunes each week.  This church has truly been a blessing to me and I will be forever grateful to my God for the healing He has provided for me through this place.

Something I need to be more diligent of is spending time reflecting and praying about the truths with which God has presented me. I am hoping that by putting my reflections out into the blogosphere I am kept accountable to this. Even if no one is reading, I know Someone will be looking forward to each new post.

Hey little sister

Remember when we...
saw life so perfectly organized and free from chaos from 10000 ft

got free Twix bars from a Hawaiian flight attendant

talked about Jesus with a billionaire CEO and you offered him your book

drove and fell in love with the most beautiful VW Jetta ever

were California girls

were questioned at every turn about vacationing in Charlotte

revelled in 88 degree weather
meet a State Trooper
drove 8 hours to spend an afternoon in One Tree Hill

stood in the Scott Home

touched Haley's scarred piano keys

explored the B. Davis' beach house

got a sneak peek into OTH future

simultaneously yelled SUNKIST and were officially considered lunatics by all around

saw the Comet

wandered through Red Bedroom Records

found the spot where Nathan hid a Valentine's gift

circled Lucas Scott's house too many times to count

airballed on the River Court

pretended to be the girl behind the red door

reminisced at Tric

cried tears of laughter over chicken nuggets

heard Katy Perry and the Gospel all in the same breath

saw Vegas lights in 3D

were Elevated

worshiped with strangers who were family
escaped

devoured Mexican Easter brunch

wished we had studied at UNC

spent an excessive amount of cash on tea

were convinced to buy 3 more pairs of jeans than we needed

discussed church with an airport security guard

recreated the airport scene from Home Alone
watched a thunder storm from above the clouds

felt whole, secure and happy again
fell in love with the Queen City

Don't know about you, but I'm ready to go back

Southern Comfort

I was blessed to spend the Easter weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina with my sister. The trip was nothing short of amazing. There's no way I could possibly write about all of it, but here are a few highlights for curious readers...


1. Charlotte is known as the Queen City, and it truly lives up to this name. It is gorgeously green and elegant. It amazing how much nature is packed into a city. Beautiful for a weekend drive, a hike by a nearby pond or river. And the housing... wow. Charlotte is a clearly city of affluence, but is not showy or gawdy by any means. No opulent palatial homes. Neither are there cookie cutter styles. Think more beautiful colonial meets modern designs surrounded by forests. 


2. The weather.  Sunshine and 30º vs. the snow we left here in Canada. Need I say more?


3. Elevation Church. The most thought provoking Easter Sunday I've had in a long while. This merits a blog entry of it's own. Stay tuned.


4. Charlotte is a scenic 4 hour drive from Wilmington. Really, every drive is scenic (see #1). Why is Wilmington such a big deal? Three words: One Tree Hill.  Take the best day of your life and multiply it by a zillion and you will not even come close to imagining how indescribable our day was in this little river-side town. Again, getting its own blog entry in the near future. 


5.  Shopping at Concord Mills Mall put a serious dent in my wallet, but oh so worth it. This place puts a whole new spin on retail therapy.


6. The people. North Carolinians have a warmth about them that rivals no other. We Canadians may have a reputation of being polite and considerate, but there is nothing like the southern hospitality offered by people of this state.


Above all , the best thing about this weekend was the feeling of being able to breathe. For the first time in a long while I was able to just enjoy where I was, free of worry or stress. North Carolina was healing in that way, it took the weight off my chest and allowed me to just be. I'm searching North Carolina real estate pages as I write this. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme, but the feeling of being carefree was truly priceless.


On the show One Tree Hill,  protagonist Brooke Davis hangs a sign in her store Clothes Over Bros. The sign reads,


"Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better and everything's safe".


For me, that's North Carolina.