Our Life in Greensboro...update

It's been a while since I've updated my blog here and so much has happened! Where do I begin?

Originally when Carter and I moved to Greensboro, we were working on starting a cleaning company here in the Triad. After a couple of months, we realized we were not making enough money to pay our bills and could see ourselves in this predicament for at least another year. After much prayer and godly wisdom from our friends and family members, we decided to call it quits. As much as we hate to quit something, we realized it would not be wise for us to continue to rely on others for money and put ourselves in more financial debt.

As we have seen over and over again in our lives, God's timing is perfect, and although it was not a good thing that we had to quit, he provided jobs for both Carter and I almost immediately. I began working full time again for Eye Care Associates in Burlington...yay! I have loved being back at my old job - I didn't realize how much I loved doing what I do. A week later, Carter got an interview and was hired with the YMCA for the same job he had in Raleigh - life guarding and swim instruction. He starts next week.

Carter is finishing up his final semester at Southeastern Seminary. In December he will graduate with a Master of Arts in Ethics, Culture and Theology. I am so proud of him for finishing. He is excited to be on the home stretch!

Mercy Hill is going strong! It has been such a joy to plant a church here in Greensboro. We have met so many great people since we've started. The church has already seen people come to know Jesus and be baptized! We started community groups recently which has been a great way to get to know others more intimately and build community (hence the name) and accountability within our groups.

Koda is enjoying his life in Greensboro as well. He usually spends the morning in the woods behind our condo with Carter. He loves to run and chase squirrels and lay in the little stream back there. He has made a couple of kitty friends - one named Taz, who loves to taunt Koda from a safe distance. The other is named Val. She is very sweet and loves to smack Koda on the nose when he gets too close, luckily, she is declawed. Koda turned two years old on Halloween!

50 Shades of Red

Based on the title of this blog, you may be thinking I've jumped on the bandwagon and decided to write about why you should or should not read the new book 50 Shades of Grey. If so, you are about to be sorely disappointed. I titled this blog post 50 Shades of Red because of my growing anger at other bloggers and Facebookers who find it necessary to rage a war against all things non-Christian. This would include things like the popular, steamy novel by E.L. James and Target's new campaign supporting gay marriage. After much deliberation and repentance, my sinful anger has evolved into concern for a new generation of believers.

It started several months ago when I began seeing blog posts shared on Facebook about the controversial novel and why these certain bloggers would refrain from ever letting the book enter their home, much less the home of a fellow Christian, without the use of some holy water and an 11 foot pole. After reading their entries and the string of encouraging comments attached to them, I thought to myself, “Wow, these are some really holy people.” What these bloggers had done, whether knowingly or unknowingly, was alienate and judge their fellow Facebook friends and blog-followers who had read the book (and possibly enjoyed it), all in the name of holiness. This attitude has also been evident in the new boycott against Target because they support gay marriage, and the rallying for Chick-Fil-A because they don't. What these Christians have done is set themselves apart, but not in a good way.

The problem with the mentality behind the boycotts of literature and stores that do not support Christian values is Religion—that's right, with a capital R. Religion muddies the water of true Christianity. It's confusing to the non-believer. Through this lens, being a Christian is now about not supporting gay marriage, boycotting anything and anyone who does, and not reading erotic novels. To some people this is a relief, because they can hold to rules like this, and do so with fervor! In the Bible, these people were called the Pharisees.

I want to be clear in that I do believe in personal conviction. Some Christians feel they must refrain from certain things in order to keep their focus on Jesus and remove stumbling blocks from their lives. Personal conviction is just that... personal. It is not something to hold over another person's head as a marker of spiritual maturity. It's between you and Jesus, not you and social media.

I also realize that it's okay to have your opinion. However, if you are a Christian, the way you make your opinions known, will reflect on Christianity one way or another. Before sharing your opinions on an important matter ask yourself a few helpful questions: Is my opinion worth sharing? Will publicly sharing my opinion on this matter take away from the loving, merciful message of the gospel that I am trying to live out among those around me?

Why am I so passionate about sharing my own opinion in this? Because Jesus called us to love our neighbor, not condemn them. In 1 Corinthians 8 (read it if you're not familiar with it), Paul is writing to the church in Corinth about eating food sacrificed to idols. He assures the believers that it is okay to eat the food, whether it was sacrificed to idols or not. The food is not defiled because God is the only true God; idols have no power. However, Paul does go on to encourage believers not to eat the meat if it will cause another brother to stumble. But he does this out of a concern for his readers' hearts. He is telling the Corinthians to consider the welfare of their brothers as more important than their religious freedom.

The root of the issue in expressing your opinion is your heart. When you discuss these controversial issues with a religious, holier-than-thou heart you are causing other Christians to stumble because they think that's what the gospel is really about. You're also causing non-believers to think that Christianity is something it's not. Think about it; you're teaching a false gospel. Your heart is not concerned about anyone else, only how you are perceived.

I keep hearing statements like, “We have to stand up for what is right, for what we believe in, for truth, etc.” To this, I would say: I agree. We need to stand up and proclaim the message of salvation that God in his great mercy, “caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you...”(1 Peter 1:3-4). This inheritance is available to anyone who surrenders their life to Jesus. If we are holy, its because God made us holy through his Son, not because we follow a checklist.

Being a Christian has nothing to do with what books you read or don't read, where you shop or don't shop or whether you support gay marriage or not. It's all about a relationship with Jesus. Surrendering your life to him will change everything, but it does not produce the arrogant “Christianity” I have seen displayed over these issues. 

Koda's Life in Greensboro

This post is for Ann and you other Koda lovers! Koda has been picking up on words. He knows his favorite outings, "park", "walk", "out" and "ride"; and a new command "back" (we use this when we are crossing the street or if a group of people or bikers are passing us on trails), Koda knows to stay right on our heels! Carter is still working with him on basic directions like "right" and "left", Koda almost has it down.


Today we visited a nearby lake and Koda went for his first swim! We caught it on video.

Hello Greensboro!

We have finally settled into our life here in Greensboro. It's been a month now and we love it here! Our place is great, we have more space, an extra bedroom, and a fantastic kitchen! Koda loves it here as well. He runs up and down the hallway chasing his toys. He's still getting used to the laminate wood flooring, he takes advantage of the fact he can slide, he's just not a good judge of distance. There are woods behind our house with a small creek bed running through, Carter takes Koda back there and lets him run off leash...Koda goes crazy! He runs laps, chases sticks and plays in the water. We also have a lot of great parks and walking trails around our home, needless to say we have been enjoying the great outdoors!


Carpe Diem Cleaning Greensboro has launched and is doing well. Our company ran a Living Social ad for us and we sold over 60 vouchers! It's been fun, busy, but fun. 


Carter and I love to support local business and we have found that Greensboro is teeming with local business! Another reason we love it here. I'll tell you about a few great places we've found so far.


- Lucy's Friends Pet Sitting. This couple is awesome! Alan and Amy are so sweet and they LOVE animals. They come to your home to look after your pet if your on vacation or at work all day. We had them come over a few times after we moved to let Koda out at lunchtime while we were still in training in Durham. They spent time with him and took him for a short walk, basically did whatever Koda felt like for 45 minutes. Their prices are very affordable too! 


- Guy and Jerry's Burger Spot. This place was recommended to us by Alan and Amy, we tried it and loved it. They have delicious burgers. Their place is located next to a gas station, so you think it might be sketchy, but its not. It's very clean and Guy and Jerry are so nice. If you live in Greensboro, or are passing through, check it out. 

- Maxie B's. I'm in love with this place. Maxie B's is a dessert cafe and bakery. Their cakes are fabulous! They have lots to choose from too. It's a great place to hang out with friends and family and have dessert and coffee. 

Happy Spring!

It's been way to long since I've updated. Where do I begin?

So far, I've been doing well keeping up with my new year's resolutions. I've worked my up to level three of Gillian Michael's 30 Day Shred...it has kicked my butt, but I feel better and have more energy. It's not pilates for now, but at least I'm working out. I have to do something to balance out all the cooking I've been doing! I've mastered a few new recipes (spaghetti and meatballs, lemon roasted chicken, Moroccan-Spiced Tomato chicken) and learned how to ice cupcakes with a homemade buttercream frosting. Cooking has been so much fun - Carter has enjoyed it as well :)

We have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather together with Koda on the trails! Koda has discovered his love of water. We can't keep the boy out of it! He also got to play with his friend JoJo, who is much happier now that she has three legs. They played very well together and JoJo was more active and playful than last time. She is such a sweet pup!

A couple of weeks ago, I started an herb and small vegetable garden. Surprisingly my plants are growing! In another week or two I will be moving the plants to bigger pots. I cannot wait to enjoy them this summer. 

Pretty soon, this blog will be "Our Life in Greensboro". In a little over a month, we will be moving to Greensboro, with about 30 other people to start Mercy Hill church. I am excited to start this new chapter, but will be sad to leave Raleigh. I have enjoyed living here. There will be more to come soon about our future plans in Greensboro, so keep checking back!

Koda Update

Koda is doing great. Cuter than ever and such a sweet puppy. In February we took him to the country with us to visit the cabin Carter stays in when he hunts. Despite the rainy weather, we had a great time! Koda enjoyed roaming around in the rain, chasing sticks, and venturing very close to the pond (a surprise for us since he hates getting a bath!) by the end of our visit we had a smiling, tired and soaking wet dog to take home.

Koda has made a new friend named Padfoot,a small terrier mix who lives in our neighborhood. They play well together and even though Koda towers over Padfoot in size, Padfoot easily wrestles Koda to the ground and pounces on him! Here's a video of them chasing each other at the dog run.

And of course, we couldn't forget the little guy on Valentine's Day!

Hello Twenty Twelve

I have always enjoyed bringing in the New Year - remembering special events of the past year and looking forward to what the new year will bring. Carter and I will celebrate 3 years of marriage this May! This summer we will begin our move to Greensboro. Now that the new year is here I feel like I can start thinking about moving - looking at companies I'd like to work for and places we'd like to live. Carter will begin his last year of Seminary (yay!) and we will officially start paying my student loans back (sigh).

While New Year's resolutions can be trivial, I think it's good to reflect on what is important to you and what you would like to accomplish for the coming year. Here are some of the things I have thought about and would like to do in 2012:

1. Study the Bible daily - this is #1 for me because it will affect my whole life (attitude, lifestyle, marriage, relationships, etc.)

2. Read at least one book a month - I started this in the fall of 2011, and I've read so many good books since then - Unbroken, The Devil in the White City, In the Garden of Beasts, Dracula, etc.

3. Cook at least three new recipes a month - I love to cook, but sometimes I find myself making the same things over and over.

4. Learn to shoot a gun - this is more for Carter's entertainment and to fulfill my subconscious desire to become a female Jack Bauer.

5. Do Pilates three times a week - I am out of shape and am in need of something to keep my body healthy. I chose Pilates, because I HATE running, jumping around, and am not coordinated enough to do anything fast paced.

6. Plan and start saving for a special vacation with Carter. I love travelling and exploring new places. This year I would like to have a place picked out, an average cost of the trip, and a savings plan in place. I am open for suggestions! No cruises though, thanks.

What are some of your goals for 2012?