Did you know that I separate my books alphabetically by author's name? And also into Fiction and Non-Fiction, with the Non-Fiction divided into Spiritual and Non-Spiritual? Because I just couldn't accept a book about a Marine sniper sitting beside Spurgeon's Sermons. Just wrong.

Did you know that God provided a new church building for our church in less than three days? My mind is still trying to get that one. What a Provider He is!!!

Did you know that I always accept gifts of kitchen aprons? Because I bake like I play sports - full contact! BAM!! Aw, yeah, babe! (an Emeril reference for you Food-Network-snobs)

Did you know that I listened to a recording of my own sermon 2 1/2 times already in the last day? Not because I love to hear the sound of my own voice - in fact, it kinda annoys me - but because the Word was convicting and challenging me, too. It's all about undistracted devotion to the Lord.

Did you know that my accent is a weird mix between Texan, Pennsylvanian and nothing-ness? Who else says "y'all" without a hint of a Southern twang until they hit Texas soil? Straaaange.

Did you know that singing random songs is a family trait? We all do it. Together. Only different songs. Haha!

Did you know that if you lick a gummy bear and stick it on a car window in the summertime, it melts? And if you put a half-eaten gallon of chocolate ice cream in a trash-basket, it will melt and then spill all over the floor like a river of molten chocolate lava? And if you dump a chocolate milkshake into a hot tub, all the water turns icky-brown?

Yeah, I know that now. This is why they used to call me "Smart Child." :)

I hope this was informative and interesting.

I recommend this post for the ladies!! As usual, Boundless Webzine (a ministry of Focus on the Family) gives a Biblically balanced view on a touchy subject. Bravo!

http://www.boundless.org/2005/answers/a0001400.cfm

Here's some quotes from the article:

Yes, there are lots of Christian women who struggle with the problem of overemphasis on beauty. But ... others fall into the category of "mismanagement" or neglect. And ... this has a profound effect on [their] growing desire for marriage and family.

More than most women, most men are stimulated, animated and activated by what they see. It's hard for women to fully grasp what this means because it's not our nature to be equally aroused by the images around us. We're more relational....

As you suspect, you can go overboard in both directions. A woman with abundant natural beauty who piles on the makeup and dresses seductively is just as poor a steward as a plain woman who "detests" all efforts to make the most of her appearance.

The kind of man a Godly woman should want to marry would esteem a woman who strives to be lovely, both inside and out.

This is not, however, about the world's standard of beauty. It's about making the most of what God has given you...

The beginning of man’s relationship with God was in a garden. A paradise. God and human walked together in Eden. The ultimate struggle of prayer commenced in a garden, and then came Calvary, outside of the city on a hill. And I find fellowship in a place of the same nature. I hesitate to say that I find my place of worship in forests and mountains. You might think I worship trees… Definitely not the case. In all of the creation, my eyes are turned to the Creator, the God and Father of all.

Nature is only my cathedral. God is my God!

I should make this a regular feature of my blog... 'Cause I know y'all are so interested in what happens in my life. I really should make this one like the "Week in Review." I've been so busy in the last week that not much blogging occurred. But that would take a long time to type, so here's some snippets of fun.

Friday. Ultimate Frisbee & Bonfire with The Youth Group. Well, it only started with ultimate Frisbee. One game. My team lost. So we played volleyball. My team lost again. So we played soccer. My team lost again. Have I mentioned that I've been praying for humility lately? And that's what I get! It was quite hilarious that every time someone got hurt, everyone laughed uncontrollably. Who knew pain could be so funny? Only a little blood and bruises, but we survived. The Quiet Kid is now known as "Gimpy."... Onward to the bonfire. The Country Boy brought glorious, amazing fireworks. The Curious Girl charred a mountain pie. The Crazy Kid made a blow-torch with an old can of Tag and a lighter. Sometimes he REALLY scares me! And I could see the Milky Way and a million stars in the night sky. And people played chess with me, which made me happy. Even if I did lose once, and was well on my way to losing again (humility again).

Saturday. Work and play, work and play. Spent the morning making breakfast, cleaning house, making a grocery list, doing laundry, and organizing paperwork. In the afternoon, The Little Bro and I went to the lake for serious bonding time. Which means, he fishes and I read... The sound of gentle waters and little fishies splashing as they fight the line. Boats skimming by and faraway shouts of happy wakeboarders, swimmers and lake-goers. Good times. Then it's onward to more work at the grocery store, then home to clean again and finish getting ready for the dinner guests on Sunday. Chilled with The Little Bro later. More family bonding, aka. Walker Texas Ranger. He makes me wanna learn kick-boxing. Yeah, Chuck Norris is The Man!

Sunday. Good to be in the house of the Lord. And we may not be in our literal house much longer, as our church building has been sold! So we're praying for the provision of God. He's given us ten wonderful years in our building and blessed us financially through it. Teaching on justification and sanctification was wonderful. I kinda gave up on the taking notes thing towards the end. The Pastor talks SO fast sometimes! But God was burning truths into my heart, so notes are secondary.... A semi-picnic with the campus group. Real plates and silverware, tablecloths, mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and roast au jour makes it a "semi-picnic." Though eating outside with the biting bugs gave it an air of authenticity! Chillin' in the apartment. Dying a slow, torturous death again by chess. The Princess Bride with the girls, as the guys had fun with guns. A long dusky walk in the forest. Encouraging spiritual conversation with The Butterfly Girl*. Eating sweet wild blackberries and huckleberries. Relaxing bonfire on the hill. Innovative mountain pies by The Tall Guy and creative marshmallows by The City Guy. Staying up too late, but the beautiful day was worth it.



*Ok, my names are becoming very imaginative. The Butterfly Girl is so named because every time I see butterflies, I think of her. 'Cause she likes to wear pretty butterfly things. Anyway, butterflies make me smile and so does she!

Life-Giving GOD,

Quicken me to call upon Thy name,
for my mind is ignorant,
my thoughts vagrant,
my affections earthly,
my heart unbelieving,
and only Thy Spirit can help my infirmities.
I approach Thee as Father and Friend,
my portion forever,
my exceeding joy,
my strength of heart.
I believe in Thee as the God of nature,
the ordainer of providence,
the sender of Jesus my Savior.
My guilty fears discourage an approach to Thee,
but I praise Thee for the blessed news
that Jesus reconciles Thee to me.
May the truth that is in Him
illuminate in me all that is dark,
establish in me all that is wavering,
comfort in me all that is wretched,
accomplish in me all that is of Thy goodness,
and glorify in me the name of Jesus.
I pass through a vale of tears,
but bless Thee for the opening gate of glory at its end.
Enable me to realize as mine the better, heavenly country.
Prepare me for every part of my pilgrimage.
Uphold my steps by Thy Word.
Let no iniquity dominate me.
Teach me that Christ cannot be the Way
if I am the end,
That He cannot be Redeemer,
if I am my own Saviour.
That there can be no true union with Him
While the creature has my heart.
That faith accepts Him as Redeemer and Lord
or not at all.

-From "The Valley of Vision: Puritan Prayers & Devotions"

I spent a rare Friday night at home. It was nice! Dinner with the family. Spur-of-the-moment trip down to the lake. The Little Bro fished and I snapped pictures in the glimmering dusky light & read a new (oldish) book. Enroute to the lake, I told a fascinating story out of a book I had just started, and got The Little Bro hooked. So I kept reading aloud to him. At Sunday lunch, The Little Bro looks at me and says, "What happened to (character's name)?" and I had to explain to my parents who that person was and that it wasn't a real person.

Saturday morning I was up early and ready for the day. Went garage-saling with The Sis for a short couple of hours. My finds: an old Hardy Boys book, antique-y picture frames, a silver candlestick holder and a Chinese teacup. And I had time to cuddle the nieces. :)

The rest of Saturday was filled with the craziness of 7 middle-schoolers in an amusement park. It was amusing, let me tell you! One certain youth was convinced we were gonna get mugged. And we were not in the ghetto. Several guys rode a roller coaster 8 times in a row. They begged me to ride it, and so I finally did, while saying "I'm gonna regret this!" And I did. 'Cause I have firm roller coaster specifications... And a rickety wooden one that shakes incessantly, with a tiny metal bar across your lap, and that feeling of the nearness of death--not what I like AT ALL! What else? I had to explain that beer-battered onion rings would *not* make you drunk, and what every other kind of food on the menu was. I had to participate in a splashing war, and be dragged around a pool by my ankle. I had to convince someone to go on the coolest spinning ride, and commiserate with another when our ride turned out to be a "BAAAAD ride" (major pain). I had to find someone's money. I was chauffered around in the old-time cars on a track while singing crazy songs. I was rejected from a kiddie-land roller coaster. Hey, we didn't know it was kiddie-land! By the end of the day, I was sunkissed and exhausted.

Sunday--Blessed day in the house of the Lord and blessed day of rest! I'm convinced that without Sundays, we would all shrivel up and die from fatigue!! We blessed the name of the Lord and heard the Word preached about justification by faith. Lunch with the family. Isn't it annoying how those closest to you know just how to push your buttons? Explanation: There's a nice little pizza place close to church that we went to lunch at. There's nice little booths, which I love. However, the lamps hang low to the table and The Little Bro likes to reach up and make the lamp sway. AHHHH! It drives me crazy. So lunch went something like this: *pleasant conversation* Little Bro hits the lamp. Said lamp sways. I reach up and stop lamp. *finishing sentence in pleasant conversation* Little Bro hits lamp again. I stop lamp. *conversation* Little Bro hits lamp again. I hit The Little Bro.... Everyone laughs.

Yeah, good times. :)

Inspired by Real Life:

1. Mock someone's name. This is the cardinal sin. Don't you know that people can't help their names? It was their mama's fault that they're named after a plane or a famous person that committed suicide or an inanimate object, etc.

2. Comment on their food choices. Just because they like weird food that you find disgusting, does not give you the right to express your disgust.

3. Ignore them. "Is that a buzzing noise I hear?"

4. Talk about yourself. Constantly. Incessantly. You find yourself fascinating. That's understandable. But rolling eyes, giving standard un-interested answers, nodding your head while checking the time during someone else's conversation about themselves is just not cool.

5. Laugh at them. Nobody-NOBODY- likes to be laughed at. Unless they're a comedian. And even then, sometimes they need therapy.

6. Give commands/direct orders. Unless it is your dog, refrain from "Sit. Stay. Shake."

Don't try this at home. Or work. Or anywhere else. I refuse to be held responsible when you are tarred and feathered. 'Cause ya know, people are sensitive. :)



*In case you missed this, I am parodying the book "How to Win Friends & Influence People." This is a joke.

"The only hope of a decreasing self is an increasing Christ."
F.B. Meyer

"Humility is the proper estimate of oneself."
Charles Spurgeon

"If you are looking for an example of humility, look at the cross."
Thomas Aquinas

"God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us."
Martin Luther

"The more humble a man is in himself, the more obedient toward God, the wiser will he be in all things, and the more shall his soul be at peace."
Thomas A Kempis

"It is no great thing to be humble when you are brought low; but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare achievement."
Bernard of Clairvaux

"Nothing sets a person so much out of the devil's reach as humility."
Jonathon Edwards

"Humility is the most difficult of all virtues to achieve; nothing dies harder than the desire to think well of oneself."
T.S. Elliot

A co-worker gave me a massive zucchini the other day. So big that I slung it over my shoulder to carry it like a sack of potatoes. Only half-jokingly. I only know how to make two things with zucchini: Chocolate chip zucchini cake (tastes better than it sounds) and zucchini bread. And I'm wondering how many loaves of zucchini bread this monster vegetable will make. Hmmm. I need more recipes.


Cows made me late for church on Sunday. Yup, a herd of cows on the road. I am SO. Serious! I told The Chatty Girl about it during church and she whispered, "Devil cows!" And then I fell over laughing.

And here are some things that I love... especially in the summer.

• Fresh berries
• Moonrises
• Rainstorms
• Unity of the saints
• Flag football
• Middle-schoolers
• Soft piano music
• Solitude
• My dog
• Playing “Apples to Apples”
• Arriving at the destination after a long trip
• Sour Patch Kids
• Wildflowers from the roadside
• Cooking for people
• Inside jokes
• Forgetting the past
• A leather journal filled with handwriting
• Crayon pictures by little children
• My Bible
• Blue skies

And so in mountain solitudes o'ertaken,
As by some spell divine--
Their cares drop from them like the needles shaken,
From out the gusty pine.
-Bret Harte

The mountains were almost blue in the summer haze. Only the sound of rippling stream waters and the calling of the whippoorwills broke the silence. Dappled sunlight fell softly onto the pages of a book. Flickering firelight steadied my thoughts. A solitary walk down the lane gave a 'song in the night.' The dusk of evening became pink and purple, as the luminiscent moon brought sweet memories.

You might have guessed by now that my vacation was wonderful. Restful and refreshing. But as I told a friend yesterday, when I went away, the battles went with me. Battles of self and sin and seeking God's voice. It is easier to hear the voice of God in the mountains. And I'm comforted that even Christ Himself withdrew to a lonely place sometimes. And I'm even more comforted to realize that the sweet peace I seek is not found in a geographical place. My peace is found when I begin to pray, when I speak the precious name of Jesus, when I walk and talk with the Friend like no other. Thank You, Lord.

These are song lyrics based on the parable found in Luke 8:4-15.

There was a man who went
Outside to sow his seed.
What kind of soil would it be?
It didn't matter how,
This man threw it out.
It mattered where the seed would go.

Oh, did it fall aside?
Where the birds came to find.
Trampled under and destroyed.
Or, did it fall on rocks?
Quickly to spring up
And then to wither into dust.
Or, did it fall in thorns?
Which came to hold it close
Now choking out the life that grows...

He sent His Word to us
That seed upon our hearts,
What kind of soil are we now?

Have we heard the Word
And the devil stole it out?
There's nothing left inside us now.
Or, happy to be saved?
Yet never rooted in the faith,
Once tempted and we turn away.
Or, choked by the world?
Worries, riches or pleasures?
So our fruit dies before it grows.

This seed within our hearts
Bearing fruit, a hundred times over
Lord, let it be so.
Let it be so in me.

As you read this post, which has been pre-written and prescheduled like several others, I will be hidden away at a mountain cabin for a couple days... diligently seeking the three R's. Rest, song-wRiting, and Reading. No cell phone service, no computer, no distractions. Well, not many distractions. Pray that I glorify the Lord with my vacation!

Trust is
Walking on the broken glass
Of my shattered dreams.
Trust is
Reaching for the hand of Christ
That lifts me up from drowning.
Trust is
Rejoicing in God's promises
While seeing the death of flesh
Trust is
Knowing my Lord is faithful
When things remain impossible.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in You I trust...
Psalm 25:1-2

"They're just like us---" The Curly Girl began...

"Only from Virginia!" finished The Curious Girl.

This past weekend, we had the joy of host(ess)ing our dear friends from Virginia. The youth group is right-they are like us. Like faith, like-minded, like in spirit and practice and love. The fellowship of the saints is a wonderful thing! It's like a missionary journey-sort of-when those affectionately known as "The Virginia People" come to visit.

Late on Saturday night, I was discussing music with The Virginia People. I mentioned that the Supertones were my favorite band of all time. And then just had to say, "And if it wasn't for the Supertones, I wouldn't have the pleasure of your company!" It's true! My friendship with them began with my foray into the wonders of Internet message boards. Specifically one for fans of the O.C. Supertones. Now I can't even remember what we posted about. The Supertones (sometimes). Life (most of the time). Faith and The Word. And that topic started the friendship between The Original Virginia Friend and I. Now--at least 5 years later, after two weddings, three graduations, one baby shower and countless visits for no reason--I'm still encouraged by the faith in Christ that we all share.

It's just encouraging sometimes to realize that we're not the only ones.

We're not the only ones who preach the Word without compromise.
We're not the only ones to have unfounded lies and malicious gossip spread about us.
We're not the only ones who believe that Christianity is not a part of life, but our whole lives.
We're not the only ones that believe in the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
We're not the only ones looking for the soon return of the Lord!
And the list goes on and on.

Sometimes us hardcore Christians get an "Elijah complex." We think, I alone am left! (Check out 1 Kings 19:9-18) But God told Elijah firmly that there were 7,000 in Israel that had not yet bowed to the idol of Baal. Likewise, I believe that there is a remnant left in America. People who have not bowed to the idol of comfortable religion or the god of humanism. There are still ones committed the Christ Jesus as Master, and willing to lay down their lives for Him. There are still those who take the Bible literally and obey its words.

Thank God for His saints.

Plastic bags full of football flags, now pooled with rainwater. A lonely volleyball net. Ashes from a bonfire. A chess set armed for battle. The once starry summer sky, now covered with wispy clouds. Blankets folded in a pile. Desserts still waiting to be eaten. Multicolor fireworks that have already had their moment of glory. A digital picture of The Little Bro in his graduation gown & hat. Flashbacks of funny heresy, smiles and laughter of faraway friends and good conversation.

Remnants of a beautiful weekend.

I've noticed that my blogging of late has been just narrative. And that's cool, and I'm sure y'all enjoy it, but there is so much more that God is doing.

Amy Carmichael wrote...

It was a tiny little brownie that I was enjoying today. Just one bite and all these memories came flooding back to me....


Six years ago today, The Sis and I set out on our last great single-ladies-only road trip together. The Sis was in the middle of the frenzy of wedding-planning and big life couple-decisions. I had just lost my job, and been ridiculously blessed by the Lord with a new job, which I started only three days earlier. And we got the brilliant, madcap idea of going to the beach. 'Cause New Jersey isn't that far away. Independence Day (the 4th of July for you non-history people) fell on a Thursday and I wasn't about to take Friday off of my brand-spankin'-new job, so this was gonna be a fast'n'furious kind of trip.


Since we were still college students and full-time workers and the kinda people without alot of extra cash, we decided to camp out at a state park at a half-way point. Great ambiance, bug bites and CHEAP. It was a miniscule pup tent that we slept in. And it should've been roomy enough, except I guess I'm tall. So my feet stuck out of the door. Great beginning of a trip vividly tattoed into my mind!


July 4th dawned HOT and sunny. This fact seemed insignificant at the time. It was July, after all! We packed up the campsite and be-bopped our merry way on down the highway...

Well, we checked the oil and that didn't help. The engine seemed to be overheating. We tried to get it started. All it did was click-click-click. There are no other options left. Get out the AAA card and call a tow truck!

It was an hour later by the time we and that sick little Neon made our way to the local Firestone. After waiting and waiting some more, the Firestone people didn't know anything. They told us that we'd be stuck here at least overnight, and they'd run a full diagnostic on it. We were stuck in some crazy town in New Jersey, desperately in need of a place to stay. This trip was majorly blowing the budget, so we find the cheapest, nearest hotel possible and call a taxi. (My first tow truck ride and first taxi ride, all in one day! New life experiences ROCK!).

The hotel was an experience, to say the very least. There were bird cages all over the "office" and you had to ring a bell to get in and out... and the hotel room-Oh my! There was a phone, with no phone cord. There was a mirror on the ceiling, and a grainy old TV that only got about 3 channels. I was sincerely hoping that nobody had ever been killed in this room. We spent another hour at the payphone (pre-cell-phone-era) trying to make calls to people, like The Sis's fiance who happened to be in a different country. And our family, who was in a different state. Finally, we just called our pastor's wife and told her the deal--so nobody would think that we died or anything like that.

Just to get out of the freaky hotel room, The Sis and I decide to walk to Walmart... and FOUR hours later, we returned. Hot. Sweaty. And thoroughly Exhausted.

My phone call to my new employer went something like this:

Service Supervisor: "Hello, (Company Name), How can I help you?"

Me: "Hi, this is (My Name), I just started this week and I went out of town and our car is broken down and I'm stuck in some little town in New Jersey."

Service Supervisor: "Oh really? What town?"

Me: (conferences with The Sis to look at map and discover location), "(Town Name)"

Service Supervisor: "Yeah, I know that town! I grew up nearby."

Me: (praying, THANK YOU JESUS, They know that I'm not lying!!!!!)

Things I Learned About being a Youth Leader while on the Youth Camp Trip:

• Pack for two people or three or a crowd, 'cause you're not a *real* youth leader unless at least two people end up wearing your clothes, using your shampoo or eating your food.
• No matter how many times you announce an important fact, someone will not remember it.
• You will get less sleep than anyone else, and the youth will wonder why you're tired.
• Sometimes the best answer to a question is silence.
• Fake it 'til you make it. Meaning, smile and act like you know what you're doing, even when you have no clue!
• Insist on togetherness... Youth meets lots of great people at camp, but they gotta go home with the ones in their own Body (Church). Cuz that's how God planned it.
• Expect the best; Prepare for the worst. And the registration people will love you.
• Embrace the YLIC title (pronounced Why-lick), meaning "Youth Leader In Charge," because nobody understands that you bear the youth pastor's responsibility without the title.
• Impromptu dorm room meetings are often the most vulnerable and powerful times.
• Craziness = Good Times!
• Remember: You are not the parent. If no harm to them or someone else is involved, the default answer is "yes."
• Share the love, aka. cafeteria food. "Anybody got an extra hash brown? Anybody want this dinner roll?"
• Cell phones are the devil. Ban them. (Invoke Jim Elliot's quote "Wherever you are, be all there!")
• Walkie talkies are a gift from heaven. Tired while driving? Sing at the top of your lungs for the benefit and humor of the other van!
• Smile, smile, smile! Happy smiles, euphoric smiles, tired smiles and crazy smiles.
• Be devoted to God. And make time for everyone else to be devoted, too.
• Thank the Lord daily for the privilege of ministering to His youth.