Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

"My belief in Jesus did not seem rational or scientific, and yet there was nothing I could do to separate myself from this belief."

- Donald Miller

Happy Anniversary Kevin!

Three years!!!

Last year I wrote this for you.

This year I'm gonna let Aretha do the work.

Looking out on the morning rain
I used to feel so uninspired
And when I knew I had to face another day
Lord, it made me feel so tired
Before the day I met you, life was so unkind
But your the key to peace my mind

Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

When my soul was in the lost-and-found
You came along to claim it
I didn't know just what was wrong with me
Till your kiss helped me name it
Now I'm no longer doubtful of what I'm living for
Cause if I make you happy I don't need to do more

Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

Oh, baby, what you've done to me
You make me feel so good inside
And I just want to be close to you
You make me feel so alive
Cause you make me feel, you make me feel, you make me feel like
A natural woman

Happy Anniversary hot stuff. Never forget that death is the your only way out :)

Quoted - Tozer Edition

"We are too quick to live this life and forget that there is another world to come...this is not the end."

AW Tozer

Book Review - The Distant Hours

I totally judged this book by it's cover. In this case it worked out pretty well. I just stumbled upon this novel at the library. I had never heard of it or the author but the jacket description had me hooked.

The Distant Hours is the story of Edie Burchill and her mother. Her mother was sent to the English countryside during WWII to live with a family she did not even know. (Did you know this went on? I thought it was just the kids from Narnia. live and learn.) The family she stayed with consisted of three daughters of a famous author. They lived in a friggin castle with a moat. Seriously. The author was weird and his daughters were weirder. Edie can't get her mother to talk about the experience so she sets out to investigate on her own. She visits the now-elderly sisters at Milderhurst Castle. Time has not been kind to this family. All three sisters are still living but are also varying degrees of 'nuttier than a fruitcake'.

Let me admit something. This book scared the tweet outta me. It's not a horror novel but it just has this creepy feel to it. Don't read it late at night alone. But do read it. It's creepy good.

Quoted

No man can be thoroughly humbled until he knows that his salvation is utterly beyond his own powers...

- Martin Luther

The Challenge - Fail Edition

So remember how I was going to read the bible in 90 days?

Yeah.

About that. I failed. Guess how long it took for me to fall behind?

No seriously. Just guess.

ONE DAY!!!!!!!

I could not keep up with the reading schedule for 24 friggin hours.
The only excuse I can provide is that I really had no idea how overwhelming the kids would be this summer. By the time they finished demanding breakfast as if I were a short order cook (which, I guess, I kinda am) they were anxious to know the day’s activites. It goes without saying that I had not planned the day's activities.

Nevertheless, the fault is entirely mine. I have read quite a bit this summer so the 12 Bible pages per day should have been completely doable. But I find it impossible to just ‘skim’ the Bible. I can read a novel at the pool while watching the kids and talking to a girlfriend but the Bible requires my complete attention.

I really miss my complete attention.

I hope to find it again soon.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

"Christianity offered a decision, a climax."
"I had always hated hearing about it because it seemed so entirely unfashionable a thing to believe, but it did explain things. Maybe these unfashionable ideas were pointing at something mystical and true. And, perhaps, I was judging the idea, not by it's merit, but by the fashionable or unfashionable delivery of the message. "

- Donald Miller

Summer 2011

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Quoted - Tozer Edition

"Many come short, being satisfied with the works of God rather than hungering for and reaching on to God Himself."

AW Tozer

Anna's Baptism - Part 2

This free picture slideshow generated with Smilebox

Being a step-mom is kind of a pain. You have these children that you love but you have no unbreakable connection with them. Divorce, custody arrangements, any number of things could separate you from them and there is not one thing you can do about it. The don't belong to you and you have no rights to them at all. I am not suggesting that stepparents should have rights to those kids, I am just explaining why that reality is scary and hard.

So Anna's baptism was simply one of my best days ever. Because now Anna is my sister in Christ. And nothing can ever change that.

I love you so very much Anna and I am so happy that you are part of my forever family.

Quoted

Peace if possible, truth at all costs.

- Martin Luther

Anna's Baptism - Part 1

Picnic, Baptism & Hail Storm of June 2011 from Friendship Community Church on Vimeo.

Here is the 'professional' video made by Trey McCampbell. Anna is about halfway through.

Quoted - Blue Like Jazz Edition

"I think the devil has tricked us into thinking so much of biblical theology is story fit for kids."

- Donald Miller

Email musings

I have no job. Due to that, you would think my email would be minimal. You would be wrong. More often than not, the contents of my inbox are just weird.

For example.

Today I received an email from Crossings Book Club. I am a member and they wanted me to "Reply to My Featured Selections". No big deal. Happens every month. Usually they offer great books by popular Christian authors. This month, the main book was a novel called The Amish Nanny. This brings the following questions to my mind.

1. Why would the Amish even need a nanny? Are Amish women suddenly hitting the work force in droves?

2. Haven't we really exhausted this genre in Christian fiction? I mean I get it. The Amish are a simple people. It's easy to use them as the center of Christian romance stories because you don't have to worry about sex scenes. Although, and I don't mean to be crude here, I bet you could write a novel about an Amish girl embroiled in a hot,sexy love affair and it would sell like hotcakes.

3. What's next? The Amish Housekeeper? The Amish Day Care Center? In the name of all that is Good people, please stop writing these books. If nothing else, try writing about Mennonites. At least it will change things up a bit.


The next email to catch my attention was from Curves. How does Curves even know me? It's like the one diet program I am proud to say I have not attempted. Does the internet know I am a chubby housewife? Has it somehow detected that I am a very likely candidate to sacrifice Kevin's hard earned money on the altar of their empty promises? Let me guess. Are they gonna tell me to eat less and exercise more? It's a revolutionary concept but...no thanks.

First Day of School!

Quoted

"The good news isn't that God is victorious. How can He not be victorious? The good news is we can be victorious, too."

AW Tozer

Les Miserables

It’s no exaggeration to say that the music for the Broadway musical Les Miserables was the soundtrack to my high school years. I cannot remember how it started. But somehow my friend Debbie and I acquired the soundtrack …on cassette tapes. We listened to it constantly. Everywhere we went, that music played. We memorized every word. We sang along …loudly. When I saw the production for the first time at TPAC right after graduation, my life-long love for musical theater was cemented. Debbie and I spent money we didn’t have to purchase season tickets. We didn’t even consider the cheap seats. We saw so many great shows during our college years. Grand Hotel, Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, Phantom of the Opera.

At some point, I quit going. It wasn’t a purposeful decision. I got married, had kids. Discretionary income and babysitters were hard to come by. I sold a car and accidentally left 2 of my Les Miz CD’s (I had replaced the cassettes) in it. I mourned the loss but never bothered to replace them.

Life went on without Les Miz until one afternoon when I picked the kids up from school. They had seen the 25th anniversary concert in choir class and they were hooked. I ordered a new set of CD’s and rediscovered my old flame. Oddly enough, the new production was returning to TPAC. I bought us tickets and began anticipating.

When the day arrived, I got lost in Downtown, as usual. It’s like a tradition really. We finally made it to the theatre and found our seats. The lights dimmed and the show began. The production was different but the experience was the same. What I love about Broadway is the consuming experience. When I sit in the audience, I am completely focused. I am not worried about anything. I am not even thinking about anything. That’s a pretty rare experience for me.

And while the ticket prices at TPAC are not friendly enough to allow me to take the whole family often, seeing the look on Anna, Kaylee and Savannah’s faces as they watched was worth every penny.