Teri Lynne Underwood

Catching Fireflies

Teri Lynne Underwood — Thu, 24 May 2012 07:00:34 +0000

this is what summer nights are made of …

catching fireflies

laughing with family

remembering those gone on

wrapping up in the warmth of a summer night

What do you remember doing as a child in the summertime?

linking with Brooke for One Beautiful Thing

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Scotty McCreery! FTW!

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Invitation to the Avodah Life: Where Work, Worship, and Service Become One

Teri Lynne Underwood — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:00:58 +0000

My friend Jessica and her husband introduced me to a new word … avodah. Jessica first told me about it several months ago as she was sharing with me the new dream God had planted in their life: a coffee business. But so much more than a business, Avodah, for this sweet family, is not merely a job – it’s a lifestyle. And it’s not so much about the coffee, though I understand that is exceptional, Avodah is decision, a choice they’ve made. A choice to make the line between work and worship fade and to wrap it all up in serving others. I think that’s a spectacular way to live, don’t you?

I was thrilled to pray for them as they launched this new endeavor and happy to see the website go live and watch people go crazy over coffees with names like “Meet the Deadline” and “Brand New Baby.” In the midst of all my celebrating their success, though, God began whispering to my heart, “This isn’t just for them. Avodah is for you too.”

He whispered through tweets about children needing medical care and homes decorated with Scripture on the outside. He beckoned me to invite others to join me for an amazing summer journey. He reminded me that we live then we create art. In the midst of all of that, the thumping of a new heartbeat … Avodah. Work. Worship. Service.

One heart, one life, given to one passion, one purpose: Christ lifted up.

And a call to invite others to join me along the way.

This summer, I’ll be exploring avodah and sharing with you ways God is working in my life and information about ministries and organizations and activities who are opening the doors for an avodah life for all of us.

Will you join me in this pursuit? How could blurring the lines between work, worship, and service change you, your family, your community?

P.S. Go visit the Avodah site, order some coffee, and be a part of one family’s obedience. You will be blessed. Every bag of coffee purchased supports ministries like Freeset which is an organization I firmly believe in.

P.S. #2 Neither Jessica nor Jordan asked me to write this post. I haven’t received any compensation for providing my opinion. I just believe in them and love how they are living life out loud for Jesus. And I wanted you to know about them too.

linking with Michelle at Intentional Me for Thought Provoking Thursdays

10 Ideas for Finding Time and Motivation to Finish #B90Days

Teri Lynne Underwood — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:24:29 +0000

I may have mentioned that I’m co-leading a Bible in 90 (99!) Days group this summer. I also may have mentioned there are over 200 women signed up to join me. And I may also have shared that I’m thrilled to be joining forces with Stacey and Ruth to pursue this One Amazing Summer goal. When we first started discussing this, it was just the three of us and then we realized we couldn’t NOT invite others to join. To say that we were amazed at how many wanted to join us would be an understatement! Last week I share ten reasons I wanted others to join me. This week, as we are counting down the days until we start (T-6 to be exact), I wanted to address some of the concerns and fears people might have about joining us.

1. Split the reading into two or three sections each day. I am working on a plan that divides each day’s reading into three sections. Each will take between 10 and 15 minutes. For many of us, finding those smaller chunks of time throughout the day will be easier than doing the 45 minutes of reading all at once.

2. Do this instead of any other Bible study or devotional reading you normally do. The first time I did this reading plan, I tried to add it to the other study and reading I normally do … it was a disaster! It’s okay to set aside Jesus Calling or My Utmost for His Highest for the summer and simply read God’s Word. I promise!

3. Don’t try to study as you go! This is another thing that tripped me up. It was taking me three hours to do the reading and I was so frustrated. I finally realized that God’s Word speaks whether I’m taking notes or not. Lay down the pen and journal and just allow yourself to lean into Scripture.

4. Know it’s going to get hard. I cannot lie about this … there are sections that are hard to read. For me it wasn’t Leviticus it was Psalms. I felt like Psalms was never going to end and that David was the biggest whiner in the world. On the days it’s hard, don’t feel bad because you want to give up. Remember, being a disciple requires discipline and that’s just never our favorite thing. {And about Leviticus, can I just say I find that book so fascinating. Read it and consider how much work the Law was … and celebrate the beauty of grace!!}

5. Somedays it will be something you check off the list. Again, may I offer you some grace here? That is o.k. Some days fixing dinner for our family is just something we check off the list. Don’t beat yourself up because somewhere in Numbers you stopped caring who the leaders of the tribes were and how many people were in each family. {Though there was a great suggestion in our Facebook group about looking up the names of the people listed and learning what those names mean. Another thought I’d share is that each of those names is a person … and God knew each of them, just as He knows us and knows our names.}

6. Your mind will wander. It’s going to happen … if not before, it will almost certainly happen somewhere in the minor prophets. This is an opportunity for your to put into practice taking your thoughts captive and disciplining yourself.

7. At some point past the half-way marker, you’re probably going to feel pretty proud of yourself for how well you are doing. Just remember that it’s okay to celebrate your accomplishments but strive hard to keep yourself from feeling prideful for doing this. Remember, it is only God at work in us that gives us the ability and desire to grow in our relationship with Him.

8. I encourage you to enlist your family in helping you make this a priority. Their support and encouragement will mean the world to you. Share with your kids what you are reading and read portions of Scripture with them. For those who are doing this with your husbands – enjoy the conversation. Give them permission to ask you if you’ve read … and ask them to give you some time to get it done each day.

9. Check in with the group! If you blog, be sure to link up a quick post each Monday here at TeriLynneU.com to share what you are learning and how you are progressing. If you don’t blog, leave comment so we know you’re still going strong. Use the Facebook group to help you when you feel discouraged.

10. Don’t give up!! Probably almost all of us will get behind at some point. The good news is – there are 11 grace days built in! You could not read for a week and still finish before Labor Day. When you get behind, start where the current reading is and then add in what you have missed as you have time.

It’s going to be a great experience for all of us. I promise. After I did the #B90Days challenge a couple of years ago, I shared about my experience with some senior adults at my church. One of the ladies was very interested and started reading her Bible. She carried it with her every day and read whenever she had a few minutes – waiting in the doctor’s office, while others in her home were watching television, as she sat stopped by the train. When she got to the final chapter of Revelation she said she read the whole thing aloud and wept through it.

This can be a life-changing experience for you! We know God’s Word NEVER comes back void. You can do this … and we will do it together by the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ!!

What is your biggest concern about starting or joining this Bible in 90 Days challenge?

linking up with Angie for Top Ten Tuesdays

Monday, Monday

Teri Lynne Underwood — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:38:34 +0000

my girl is in the middle

Whew … this weekend was a blur of family, dance, church, and a migraine to end it all. (The last part was not my favorite, to say the least.)

Anyway, no new post today but a quick reminder about One Amazing Summer. We’ll be kicking off our Bible in 90 (ahem 99) Days reading next Monday, Memorial Day. We’ve had over 200 women sign up to join us in our Facebook group and many have left linked up or left a comment indicating their desire to join on this #B90Days information post I wrote last week.

If you are still on the fence about joining us, I understand. Really. It is a big commitment … but here are ten compelling reasons you should consider doing this challenge. Tomorrow I’ll share some suggestions for accomplishing this goal {read: finding time in the middle of summer madness to read the whole Bible}.

So, how ’bout it? Interested in joining us? Stacey, Ruth, and I would love to be your cheerleaders this summer!!

What do you think would be the greatest challenge to reading the Bible in 90 days?

Celebrating Our Girl

Teri Lynne Underwood — Fri, 18 May 2012 07:00:10 +0000

This weekend we’ll be celebrating! Another year of dance completed. The girl has been in dance for 8 years now and we have loved watching her progress. She’s becoming quite the performer! And I think she’s pretty beautiful!!

So tonight we’ll go out to to eat and buy a new outfit for the end-of-year dance that happens after her recital. Tomorrow we’ll watch her dance and wonder how she got so big. I’ll be the one with the goofy big smile on her face as the tears stream down her cheeks.

What about you? What will you celebrate this weekend?

Photos courtesy of HMP Studios … Thank you for these amazing photos to help us celebrate our girl!!

Scotty McCreery! FTW!

Teri Lynne Underwood — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:00:05 +0000

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.

I think she is amazing!!

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

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

Linking up with my friend Brooke to share #OneBeautifulThing.

Living the Art

Teri Lynne Underwood — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:00:13 +0000

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.

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.

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

How do you live art?

{Linking up with Michelle at Thought Provoking Thursdays}

Top Ten Reasons to Join Me for #B90Days This Summer

Teri Lynne Underwood — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:56:06 +0000

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.

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

Community. We’re building this amazing fellowship around the Word of God. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!

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

Teri Lynne Underwood — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:30 +0000

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 experiences of my Christian life.

Yes, it’s a lot of reading … but not as much as you might think. It’s about 12 pages a day. {I’m working a reading plan that divides those twelve pages into three separate readings per day.} If that still sounds like a lot, think about it this way … on Day 1 you’ll read from Creation through Hagar naming God “El Roi,” the God who sees me. {Genesis 1:1 – 16:16} The first part is so familiar and yet has so many new insights to offer.

We’ll be hosting a weekly link-up where you can share what God is showing you throughout the summer here on my blog. In fact, today we’d like to invite you to link up your About page if you are planning to join us. We’d love to stop by and give you a word of encouragement.

Stacey has started a Facebook group for those who participating in the Bible in 90 Days Summer 2012 and we’d love for you to connect with us there also.

Here’s the bottom line: I’ve been praying and thinking about how to make the most of this summer. I don’t know about you two, but I have the hardest time staying focused during the summer months. What better way to keep my focus then to stay in the Word!

There are 99 days from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Bible in 90 Days plan is actually 88 days of reading with two “grace days” built in. That means, there is room for a week of vacation with no reading this summer or even for reading only 6 days a week instead of seven. I truly believe we can see the hand of God work in as-yet unimaginable ways in our homes this fall if we commit to reading the whole of Scripture this summer. And because I so believe that, I can’t NOT invite others to join me so they can be a part of that same moving of the Lord.

Consider this your invitation … Join me for a summer in the Word.

You in?

Please don’t forget to link your about page if you are interested in joining us this summer. If you don’t blog, leave a comment. We want to be sure to get everyone on the Facebook page so we can support and encourage each other.

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Teri Lynne Underwood — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:48:30 +0000

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 the Mothers,” a tribute I wrote a few years ago. My “Dear Teri, Love Teri” series is also filled with gentle words of encouragement and grace for mothers everywhere. Or maybe you just need 10 Words Every Mother Needs to Remember. Wherever you are on this journey of raising and training and nurturing and shaping the hearts and minds of children, you are doing a mighty work!