A wild and wonderful day

Kathy & Becky

It's hard to know where to begin this post because it's a journey that began almost forty years ago. 

My wild and wonderful life with Jesus began when I was nine. Something amazing happened. Jesus's Spirit (whom we call the Holy Spirit) entered into my heart and life and I became forever changed. 

So it was pretty cool last week when Becky and I had the opportunity to talk about the Holy Spirit via six short videos we were producing for our newest Bible study, Jumpstart Your Life. These videos represent our walk with the Lord and the difference He makes through His Presence called the Holy Spirit.

Michelle L.

We asked God to show up in a big way--and He did. The day of shooting was long, grueling, fun, but mostly Spirit-filled. There were six of us involved in the production, and all the team members performed equally important roles. Amy and Kathy proved to be perfect directors; finding and creating excellent locations for the vignettes, approving wardrobe and offering suggestions without hurting anyone's feelings. Michelle F. is simply the most calm and reassuring producer who somehow makes things happen. And Michelle L. is a patient, talented videographer.

More to come about the actual shoot, but suffice it to say that last Wednesday was truly a wild and wonderful day with Jesus--and friends.

Jumpstart!

If you were to ask me, "What's one of the best things about co-authoring a Bible study for women?," I would answer by saying, "Just look at this photo."

This is a shot of eight really cool gals who participated in the launch of our newest Jumpstart Bible study. They did the study together and then, for graduation, they celebrated by having lunch together. I love that! It represents so well what Becky (my co-author) and I feel Jumpstart is all about. 

Jumpstart is a short study that can be done as a group, or with just one girlfriend. But however you choose to do it, it's a relational approach to how God wants us to interact with others in His world. 

If you participated in the study but didn't have the chance to go to lunch with someone afterward, let me challenge you. Take another study of some kind! Then--invite someone to lunch with you. Celebrating is half the fun!

If you're interested in doing Jumpstart with a friend, go to our website and click on Jumpstart. There, you will find our first study: Jumpstart your Heart. Soon, our new study--Jumpstart Your Relationship with God and Others--will also be available online.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a friend (or two!), set aside some time, and jump into Jumpstart!

Jumpstart video shoot

Last week, More Than You Imagine Ministries made its second Jumpstart Bible study video, planned for launch in January 2012. This was totally made possible by two Michelles: Michelle L, videographer, and Michelle F, Women's Ministry director for Church of the Resurrection (and director of the video shoot).

Turns out that working outdoors on a video during the middle of a fall day is a bit challenging. One neighbor was having a tree stump removed -- noisy. Another neighbor was having three trees replaced -- less noisy, but the workers talked really loud. And, we had to work around barking neighborhood dogs, scurrying squirrels, and Archie, my cat, climbing all around the set. Somewhere along the way, we prayed and the Holy Spirit took over the day. We were grateful.

What I learned from this video shoot:

• Let the experts do their jobs (Michelle and Michelle)
• Prayer does not replace practice (I spent many hours memorizing the talk)
• Prayer does replace perfectionism
• A video shoot has some stress, but is mostly fun
• Work is always more fun with friends - Becky, Kathy, Michelle and Michelle
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P.S. Video and study materials for the first Jumpstart study are available on the More Than You Imagine website for free! You can do the study in your own home with friends or family. Be sure to let me know what you think.