Category Archives: 5 • Top Five Fridays

Find out what’s hip this week! The Top 5 Lists include crafts, recipes, restaurants, new music, how-tos, Pinterest faves, and more!

Run!

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Run! 

I don’t want to run!

Run!

Please God I don’t want to run!  I’m too old to start this now!

Run!

This conversation kept running through my head as I stared at it – a facebook post recruiting women to join a group to train for a ½ marathon.  Who in their right mind runs a half marathon?

Run! (God is sure persistent – just ask Jonah)

So with great trepidation and 2 months shy of my 50th birthday, I joined a running group.  I haven’t run much since I was 18 years old – a looonnnnggg time ago, and I had never run more than 3 miles at a stretch.  I had serious doubts that I could even complete this task. Continue reading →

Reflections & Hope

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I know a lot of you felt like I did when our women’s event, “Truth or Dare,” ended Sunday night. It was too soon! I wasn’t ready to go yet.

What’s been working in your heart and mind in these few days following? I’m thinking a lot of us girls need to process and talk, right?

Did you know Long Hollow has a Recovery/Care Ministry?

There are lots of opportunities for you to find help, hope, and healing through the challenges in your life. Check out all that’s available and email or call the church office (615.824.4006) to find out more. Counseling appointments are available.

We’d love to hear from you!

“His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”
2 Peter 1:3

Jennifer Lorance
Women’s Member Care Minister

{When I’m Just a Memory}

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Do you ever go through seasons of life that you think of death more often than others? I feel that I am going through those seasons more and more as I pass the “Alert” signs on 65 N/S that continue to update us on how many people have had fatal car accidents in TN this year. I pass by that sign at least 6 times a week. I can hardly drive by it without reading the sign, being in awe of how much the numbers have changed, and then thinking of how many lives were changed because of those deaths. Today marked 617 deaths… lets put that in perspective… let’s say that each death impacted only 10 people, I say “only” because that is a very low realistic number… it is probably more in the hundreds, but for example sake we will say 10. That means in the past 8 months in Tennessee alone over 6,100 people have been affected by a fatal car accident… not to mention all of the other hundreds of ways people can die. I don’t know about you, but this makes me immediately think of my own countdown.

After dwelling on this thought this afternoon I was cooking this evening and the song, “Live Like That,” by Sidewalk Prophets came on.

 

      Sometimes I think

What will people say of me

When I’m only just a memory

When I’m home where my soul belongs

  Continue reading →

Common Things

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In Jeremie, Haiti at the orphanage!

On a recent trip to Haiti, I was struck—not most by what vast differences there were between me and the people I met, but all that I had in common with these precious folks.

Obviously, we live in very different places.   Though my family would be considered mostly middle class in this country, I was incredibly wealthy compared to those I encountered.  I’m Caucasian; they’re dark skinned.  I have a college degree.  Most of them hardly have any type of formal education.

The differences are vast, no doubt.

But…we are a LOT alike!

What do we have in common? Sin. Death. The transforming power of the gospel, of human touch, of a smile.  The language of music.  The joy of knowing Jesus.

We were challenged to not look on the Haitians with pity, but with the knowledge that the ground is level at the foot of the cross.

“Thank You, Lord, for the privilege of seeing You at work in the lives of people everywhere and the reminder that Your love, grace, and mercy are for everyone, everywhere!”

Vivian

{Vinegar Magic}

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Many of you know, I am cleaner by day and DIY’er by night! Therefore, I know much about vinegar! I LOVE it… yes, cleaning… and vinegar!

While I HATE the smell, I love the outcome! I dare you to try it out and let me know what you think! Every time I DON’T use vinegar… the result is just not the same.

Let me share some tips…

*White Distilled Vinegar and water (half and half) will clean and shine your wood floors like you have never seen*

* To remove stickers that have been used to “decorate” furniture and other surfaces, moisten with vinegar. Let sit for at least ten minutes, then remove.*

* For persistent room odors, place a bowl of vinegar in the room overnight.*

* To clean windows, spray with half vinegar, half water. Wipe clean with either newspapers or cloth.*

*Spray shower walls and shower curtain with vinegar to help prevent mildew.

* Give your dog a gleaming coat by spraying or rubbing with a solution of 1 cup white distilled vinegar to 1 quart water. As a bonus, you save the cost of an expensive shine product used on show animals. (Works even on a horse!)

*Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.

*Polish car chrome with full-strength white distilled vinegar on a soft cloth.

*Remove unwanted decals and bumper stickers by covering them with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar, or by repeatedly spraying them with full-strength white distilled vinegar. They should peel off in a couple of hours.

* Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.

That’s a start… try them and you will never go back! Give some of these tips a try and let us know what you think!

And on a encouraging note: Dwell on this today, it sure has been an encouragement to me these past few weeks

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:18

{I reminisce on the time Christ hung on the cross for ME and in the midst of His deepest agony and suffering, the men he was dying for dipped a sponge in vinegar and put it to our Saviors mouth… But, in His present suffering there was so much glory to be revealed in that.} Remember today, His plan is much more glorifying than ours will ever be!

 Jessica

The Morning Watch

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“Blessed is the day whose morning is sanctified. Successful is the day whose first victory is won in prayer. Holy is the day whose dawn finds thee on the top of the mount!” ~Joseph Parker

 

There’s no doubt about it. The early morning hours are vital to the rest of our day.  On the very first day of history, God, in His unsurpassed and perfect creative mind, created the night and the day, evening and morning. He created the hours to our day, and He set them as different and saw them as good.

From the beginning, the morning has had a special place in our day. Like clockwork, morning comes around at the same time everyday, with an anointing over it. Just as Sunday is our day of rest that we wholly devote to the Lord, so is the first part of our days. As Priscilla Shirer calls these times, in “The Resolution for Women“, Sabbath Spaces (or 14 minutes of our day alone with Jesus). We often fail to realize the necessity of this time, because our days are so full until the very end as we try to squeeze out every bit of life in the twenty-four hours we have been given, that we can’t seem to wake up in the morning hours. We live from moment-to-moment, exhausted, drained, and without a boundary to rest and be refreshed.

Here are five (of countless) reasons why the morning is a universal time to be treasured & sanctified: (whether you are a night person or a morning person:)

1. There is nothing more humbling that awakening to the dawn & sunrise, and first thing telling the Lord “Good Morning!” Continue reading →

Summer Refreshment

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Need something quick for breakfast, a pick-me-up after working out or just a yummy, not-so-guilty treat?  Try one of these.  For me, the key to a really great smoothie, is freezing the fruit. It eliminates the need for ice, which can water down the smoothie.

Here’s how to freeze the fruit: Slice bananas, lay on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, place in a zip top bag until needed. Same for capped strawberries (can leave whole), peaches, blackberries, etc.  This method helps them not to clump together. Plus, it’s a great way to preserve the fruit for another use before it spoils.

Here are three of my faves:

Banana Cream Pie Smoothie

1 cup frozen banana  (one large one)
1 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt
1/2 cup lowfat/skim milk,
2 Tblsp. crushed graham crackers, I use wheat germ/ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Process in blender. Yields 2-1 cup servings. It is like a rich, banana milkshake.

Berry Banana Smoothie Continue reading →

Jonah’s Journey

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I am so excited to share about Long Hollow’s Jonah’s Journey Ministry today! The JJ ministry has been around for some time, but just recently became an official part of Long Hollow. Through this ministry families are able to care for babies whose mother’s are currently incarcerated. We have seen families experience multiple time frames in regards to caring for the children. Babies have remained with their caregiver for 2 months, 6 months, a year and 7 of our babies have even been adopted!

Families considering the Jonah’s Journey Program often ask the following questions:

1. How often does the child visit the mother in prison?

Our caregiver families accompany the child on a prison visit every two weeks.

2. Does the State provide funding to caregiver families?

No, they do not. That’s the beauty of the program! We are keeping the babies out of State foster care and IN the church!

3. Is there help available for diapers and formula?

Yes! We keep a stock of these donations to help our families off-set the cost of an additional child. We also have clothing and baby items. You can also find support within your small group.

4. How does this program benefit the children/babies?

They are able to spend their first few months or year in the care of a loving Christian family. They experience Jesus before they can even understand who He is!

5. How quickly will a child be placed in my home?

It depends. We never know when a child will be born. Sometimes we receive multiple calls per week. Sometimes we receive one per month. Either way, when you become a JJ waiting family, you have to be ready for anything!

6. What do I have to do to become a waiting Jonah’s Journey family?

We offer training through Safe Families once every two months. Please contact Erica.ho@longhollow.com if you are interested in attending training. In addition you will complete a short home study. We do accept families who do not attend Long Hollow, however they must attend another church and provide a letter of reference from their home church.

7. What can I do if I can’t currently host a child in my home?

Support the families who can! Donate diapers and formula, donate gift cards, pray for a specific family or child. You can also be trained to provide respite care for JJ children. Respite care involves hosting the child in your home for a night or even a week while the caregivers take a short break.

We currently need several families to become Jonah’s Journey Waiting families. We also need donations and respite care families. If you are interested in this program, or simply want to hear more please contact us!

Erica Ho

Must-Sees in Nashville

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As a relative newcomer to the Nashville area, I have been doing some exploring.
Many times my friends that have grown up in Hendersonville tease me that I need to take them on a tour of Nashville.

So, to that end, here are 5 things I don’t want to you to miss…

1 – The Station Inn: This is a fabled live music venue that boasts authentic Nashville talent and leans heavily in a bluegrass, country & western direction. I have seen Vince Gill play here three times with The Time Jumpers.
2 – The Loveless Cafe: This is home cooking at its finest! Their legendary biscuits are worthy of their story and the creamed corn will rock your world.
3 – The Lawn at Vanderbilt: Right in the middle of campus there is a large lawn that is surrounded on three sides by buildings and flowers and plants of all shapes and sizes. This is my favorite quiet spot in the middle of the city. T have sat here many times with a book, or a journal and some markers, sometimes a camera.
4 – The Dragon Park: There is a beautiful mosaic dragon that kids can climb on and play around. It is next to a wonderful park with misters and waterfountains for cooling down when the southern heat gets to be too much.
5 – Restaurants- These are my very favorites: Burger UP for gourmet burgers, Sax Deli for sandwiches and fries, NOSHVILLE for lox and cream cheese on bagels, Whiskey Kitchen for shrimp and grits, Zumi for sushi. The list really does go on.

Take the time to explore and observe the places and people around you. There are so many wondrous things right here in our area, take advantage of the cultural experiences available to you. This is an amazing place to life and for families to grow together and play together. Embrace them and create memories everywhere you go.

Taking a picture when you experience something new gives you an exponential capacity to keep the memory of it alive. Take the time to trap the moment forever.

Truly,
Robyn

Robyn Collins
Children’s Treehouse Minister
www.longhollow.com/lhkidz
www.facebook.com/lhkidz
www.twitter.com/robynbcollins
www.dearheartists.com

Perspective.

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A flame was recently re-ignited in my soul. This little flitter of light has shed sparks and spread further on the canvas of my heart.

One of the mommas in Haiti with the Creole Bible we gave in Nov 2011

It’s the flame to learn.

And this flame is quickly turning into a blazing fire! I’ve realized that the more I know about the Word of God, the character of God, the heart of God and the purpose of the people of God, the more my heart becomes His and I understand the compassion of Jesus. If you ever had a glimpse of the compassion of Jesus, or felt this pang on your heart, you’ve realized…it’s something that changes you.

Prepare your heart for something wonderfully challenging and extremely urgent that you are about to read. Get ready for a life-changer and a perspective-shifter as we journey to the heart of Jesus (Matthew 9:38-38):

“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Did you get that? Jesus felt compassion for the people. In the Greek, “compassion” means to be moved to the depths of one’s soul where love and pity abides. This movement isn’t just a feeling, it’s followed by action. So here’s my top five for this Friday. A top five very dear to my heart. A top five, that when I first read it, my heart wept and my perspective on life completely shifted.

1. 6.87 billion people. This is how many other souls like you and me populate the earth. Oh how quickly we fall into the trap of living in a “me-centered” world when there are billions of others out there!

2. 2.84 billion people. (41.3%) Are unreached. There are NO believing Christians around these people. Of 16,500 unique people groups that are in the world, 6,900 are unreached with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Continue reading →