Restoring Honor

Yesterday Glenn Beck hosted a rally in Washington, DC, entitled, "Restoring Honor." The following is a clip of the closing prayer and song. Glenn tells the story of the man who leads this powerful prayer, so I'll give some additional background on the song.

You have probably heard this song before, as it has been around for several years. It was written by James Huey when he was just a teenager. When he was 12 he began to sit at the piano and ask the Lord for songs. He would consistently pray and play for hours at a time. One day the Lord gave him "When I Think About the Lord." James put it on a shelf and somewhat forgot about it. Later, as a student at Christ for the Nations, he pulled that song off the shelf and submitted it for consideration for their 1998 recording. It was chosen and became a worldwide song of worship. Yesterday this anointed song that the Lord gave to a teenager almost twenty years ago was sung in our nation's capital, publicly declaring that the Lord, He is One.

Lord, heal Your people and restore righteousness in America.

First day...

Your hair smells great

When I first got my hair cut in this style, my hair guy put some product in it. Having never used product on my hair, I basically took a look at the product and tried to find something relatively close at the local Wal-Mart. Or Wal-Marts, if you prefer. After standing in the aisle for an unspecified period of time, I found what I was looking for.

So I bought it.

And I used it.

And I liked it.

Until my local store stopped stocking it.

I stood in the aisle for another unspecified period of time and found a product, same brand, that was slightly different.

So I bought it.

And I used it.

And I liked it.

Until my local store stopped stocking it.

I stood in the aisle for yet another unspecified period of time and found a product I thought might be OK. I tried it; it was OK. I tried something else; it was less OK. So I went back to the OK one.

So I bought it.

And I used it.

And I liked(ish) it.

Until my local store stopped stocking it.

This week I stood in the aisle for one more unspecified period of time. On my lunch hour. I desperately searched for a product even sort of close to what I wanted. If only I had been looking for heat-activated replenishing conditioner for frizzy, dyed-brunette, medium-body hair with split ends...Cake is what that would have been.

Finally...

I found it.

Pomade. Just like I used three products ago.

*Sigh.* Happiness.

So I bought it.

And I used it.

And I liked it.

Too bad it's men's hair product infused with what I would describe as vurrry nice cologne.

Every Time

One day a few years ago, a position came open at work. It was an unusual occurrence. But we had moved our Online Coordinator to another position, and it left a spot open. I wasn't on the interview panel, but I remember clearly what the panel said.

"We interviewed one girl who was just great. We LOVED her. She's working on her Master's degree in Higher Ed, and her thesis topic is online education. She's really too good for this position, but if she's interested in it we would LOVE to have her."

That's the first thing I knew about the girl who would become one of my very best friends.

Many of my friendships had a pretty distinctive beginning. But not this one. I really don't know when it was that we became so close. It just happened. I do remember some milestones. Like the day we first realized we have lived parallel lives.

Seriously, parallel.


We're both preacher's kids. Our dads are amazingly similar. So are our moms. Our families had both been hurt by those we trusted most - the church - and had dealt with forgiveness in that area. We were both in band.

We both had an amazing group of college friends. We love higher education. The kind of love that makes you work your tail off and sometimes give more than you have because your heart won't let you not. The kind of love that makes one good moment in six months of bad moments worth everything. For the first year we knew each other, she was finishing her Master's degree, which helped inspire me to start (and finish! Soooo many pep talks!) mine.



She loves Jesus. I love Jesus. We share the same sense of humor. She struggled with one personal issue, I with another. But the emotions were the same.

She had moved around as a kid. So had I. We both were considered the smart kids. She has an older brother (two, actually) and a younger sister. I have an older brother and younger sister.

Parallel lives.



We have laughed together - a lot. We have cried together - a lot. We have been in the trenches together. We have been on a 12 passenger van together for an 8-hour-one-way trip...both ways. And two days of fun in between. We have written numerous mass-mailed letters together, getting the wording just right. We wrote a proposal together for a project and painstakingly picked every. single. word. We have been creative together. We balance each other.



We have so many good memories. Like the morning she walked into my office and told me she was going to have a baby. We cried that morning. Or the day she slipped in the hallway...Ahem. Or the season she fell in love with basketball (this is huge). Or the countless times we just sat and talked about life...About real things...About frivolous things...About nothing at all. Or the lunches at Azteca. Or the time she gave me some serious support when I didn't think I had the heart, strength, or right words to turn down a very sweet man. Or the months that she, no longer just Online Coordinator, led us through some rough times. Or the trip to Babies R Us to buy a friend's baby gift when we really had no idea what babies needed. Or so many others.



The day she told me she was having a baby, I knew it would eventually bring a bittersweet moment. I knew because we had talked about it.

That moment has arrived. My dear friend gets to stay at home and raise her baby girl. She gets to teach her child the way of Life. She gets to spend her days singing Love songs and reading True stories. She gets to be a mom. All day. I could not be happier for her, for this is the fulfillment of innumerable hopes, dreams, and prayers.

(Aren't they beautiful?)

My heart is full when I think about her getting to be a stay-at-home mom.

So are my eyes.

Chelley, I'm going to miss spending 40 hours a week with you!! I'm overcome with thankfulness that the Lord chooses to bless me and love me through you.

"I thank my God every time I remember you."

Love you. Keep me! :)

...Sweetness...

C & J. Love them to pieces.

Spring Love

Spring speaks freedom from constraints. In the spirit of Spring, this is nothing more than a free flow of words...


Windows open, new air reigns
Lovers chirping wings to fresh birds
Bats tink against baseballs thrown fast
Cyclists sweat and runners dodge pups

Dirt clogs beneath nails
Blooms splash against new green
Rain drizzles. Lightening rumbles.
Auctioneers speak loud and buyers hunt

Chalk on sidewalks, skateboards roll
Shirtless gray men roar mowers through lawns
Sun lingers long and polka at night
Dandelions fly across the breeze

Visions of Flight

Fifteen years ago today, 168 Oklahomans lost their lives in the Murrah Bombing. This morning I watched a small portion of the memorial service...Strange how simple things can bring back 15 year old emotions and memories.

We were on stage at OSU for the state concert band contest. As an 8th grader, it was my first trip to state. I was nervous. We were the first band to perform that morning, scheduled for a 9:00 start. Mrs. Eby liked being first, and we were ready. Our first song was beautiful, with light and airy trills and runs. "Visions of Flight," it was named. Later people said it was fitting, with so many souls departing earth during those few minutes.

No one knew the extent of what had happened. In some ways we were protected from it, being away from our normal routines and away from TVs and phones. It was before everyone had cell phones. Even in the weeks to follow, as pictures and details were released, I'm not sure I fully grasped what had happened. It was close and personal - just an hour away from home. It happened in my lifelong home state - gentle, unassuming, nonthreatening, quiet Oklahoma. Maybe that was the most surprising part for me. Not that it happened, but that it happened here and by the hands of our own. But even though it was close and personal, I strangely felt separated from it.

I wasn't separated from it, though. The tragedy of April 19, 1995, became part of who I am. I felt it on the morning of September 11, 2001. I felt it today as I heard the names being read.

And so on this 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Murrah Building, I take a moment to remember.

First Day of Spring

In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.
~Mark Twain

...Today everyone was to come here for mom's birthday celebration...

...This came instead...

...A girl can't let a little ol' snow storm
and lack of company keep her from good food...

...So even though it was winter outside,
it was definitely spring inside...

Welcome, O promise of Spring!

Newness...

Week o' Worship

The CFNI Worship Conference was awesome, as expected!

Lesleigh, Angela, and I left a day early so we could avoid the impending 8 inches of snow that were coming that night. The snow never came to Claremore, but instead came to Dallas two days later. We had foot of snow! A foot. Of snow. In Dallas, TX.

...At Papadeaux for dinner...
...So tired after staying up until 2:00am the night before...

Four full days' worth of stuff is too much to share, but here are some highlights....

The problem is that the 'worship hat' should never have come off. -Jenn Johnson on changing from her 'mom hat' to her 'worship hat.'

David would get mad and frustrated and scared, and then he would spill it to God. But he didn't camp there. He always ended with, "But God, You are..." - Jenn Johnson

If people experience the presence of God, you don't have to say anything. - Brian Johnson

He is worthy of an unoffended heart. - Kim Walker

Jesus let His disciples lead while they learned. - Ross Parsley

Drama management is helping people be comfortable in their weaknesses. Pastoring is drawing people out of that. - Gabriel Allred

As quickly as possible, build a bridge with the congregation.
- Thomas Miller

Anxiety = Fear + Motivation
- Thomas Miller

If we're still measuring out our offerings, we haven't seen His worth. - Klaus Kuehn

What is God dreaming through you? - Klaus Kuehn

You don't have to feed them the whole loaf in one setting. - Ross Parsley

Love God with your strength. - Ross Parsley

We have to have new and fresh perspectives for our congregations. - Kari Jobe

You have been feeling like you don't know who you are anymore. But isn't that the best place to be? You don't know who you are, but you know who He is. Find out more about who He is. Don't make it your mission to find out who you are; make it your mission to find out who He is. The greatest place to be is where you lose yourself and find Him instead. - My revelation

Friday night was the live recording of CFNI's new worship album. They joke about being a worship factory, but it's the truth. Can't wait to get my (free!) CD in the mail when it comes out in May! I have parts of the new songs in my head with no way to find out what the rest of the song is! :)

...Before the Live Recording...
...Loved spending the week with these girls...

Thanks, God, for a great week!

Baby Brianna

My dear friends Chris and Chelley welcomed their first baby - a girl - into the world last Thursday. Brianna is so beautiful and sweet, and I am so very happy for you. Congratulations!

...Brianna's birth announcement...

Look at that precious little face!

Baby Ethan

Monday morning, my dear friends John and Stephanie welcomed their firstborn into the world! He is a healthy baby boy at 7 pounds 6 ounces, and 19 inches long.

...Ethan Douglas R. at eight hours old...

...Three days old, heading for home...

Sweet little thing.

Hey, Teach!

Since my first day of kindergarten, I have loved school (minus the past year). Nineteen and a half years of my life were devoted to being a student. I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.

But this semester is something new. This semester, I'm the teacher. Eeek! I'm adjuncting a College Experience (orientation) class for the first time.

It's strange.

As a first-timer, everything I do and every decision I make determines what my reputation as an instructor will be. Am I merciful? Are my classes fun? Are my classes helpful? Are my assignments worthwhile? Am I strict? Am I easy?

The biggest challenge I have is the makeup of my class. Orientation is only required for certain students, and most of those can take it whenever they want as long as it's before application to nursing school or graduation. So I have students ranging from freshmen to juniors and everything in between. One of my students is even an adjunct at a technical school. Seems pretty pointless to take orientation any semester after your first semester. But I won't get up on that soapbox. (Aren't you relieved?)

I want so much for all of my students to benefit in some way from this class, I'm just not sure how to balance it.

The class is just one night a week for eight weeks, so we've had three classes so far. The first night went fairly well, I thought. Not spectacular, but OK. The second night we had a ton of fun. And the third night was pretty dry. I couldn't figure out a way to make it interesting to learn about reading, note taking, studying, and test taking. Even I was bored half-way through. But at least I let them leave early, so maybe that made up for it.

Thankfully I have a friend who is teaching this for the first time this semester, too, and we can bounce ideas off each other. For example, after many of our students didn't turn in assignments on time the second week of class (seriously, my assignments are über-easy!) we talked about the benefits and downfalls of accepting late work...even though our syllabi said we wouldn't accept it (this came from the department's common syllabus). I don't remember what she decided, but I told my class that if they would get it to me by 9:00 that night they could have 1/2 credit. It was my one-time-only mercy offer. I thought it was fair. Interestingly, several still didn't turn it in. I don't get it.

So like I said, this is an interesting experience for me, and a challenge I've never faced before. I do like it for the most part, but like anything else, it's going to take time to become comfortable with it.

I just hope they don't think I'm a complete dork.

Mysterious Women

Last Saturday night we held our 2nd Annual Ladies' Mystery Dinner. This year was a beauty pageant, and the mystery was the Case of the Missing Tiara. *Gasp!*

We had SO MUCH FUN! Truly, I have the. best. church.

About 125 ladies attended, and almost everyone dressed up. There were 25 cast members who had designated knock-off celebrity roles. And then everyone else was encouraged to dress according to the state they were born in. We had prizes for Best Costume, Best Actress, Biggest Hair, and more.

My role was Fanny Mae Buster (Ellie Mae Clampett knock-off)...Sadly I don't have a good picture of me. Just imagine me in boots, overalls, plaid shirt, straw hat, and pigtails using my thickest and best hick accent. In lieu of a picture, however, I will recite some of my lines...

"Awe, shuck, ma'am. My name is Fanny. Fanny Mae Buster. And I'm just tickled as a razorback hock-deep in corncobs to be here. I've always wanted to come to one of these-here real-life beauty pageants, and if this 'un ain't just the rooster's feathers! I mean to tell ya! But as fer that there TIara, I ain't had me a chance to lay my eyes on it yet. Miss Priss Paris over here, now, she thinks it'd look real purty on her rat dog, but just 'tween you, me and the fencepost, I think it'd look a whole lot purtier on my prize-winnin' pig, Miss PEtunia...."

They say I came in 2nd in the Best Actress category. I lost to Nicole Kidwoman. She sang a song. Pshhh...The things you have to do these days to win an acting award...

Pageant Opening Dance

Cast members Bertha Bottoms, Coach Jillian, and Wendy McBurger

Amy, born in Louisiana, and a very pregnant Steph

Pageant emcee, Donita Frump (aka Angela) on the catwalk with
"Kate Gusseling" (aka Ami...aka our pastor's wife - haha!)

These ladies were hilarious!
from left: Miss Bea Haven, Miss Dee Meanor,
Miss Sweet Tater Pie, and "Joan RiverRapids"

Showers of Gifts and Snow

Last week I had the joy of attending not one, but two, showers for my dear friend, Chelley. She and her husband are expecting their first baby - a sweet little girl - mid-February! The first shower was a 'work shower' and the second was a 'friends shower.' I am so blessed to get to work with some of my best friends. :) Love you, Chelley, and can't wait to meet your daughter!

This is the invite I made for the 'work shower.'
(Isn't it so cute? Scrapblog.com ... super-easy and free.)

And here are some of us after the shower.
Like I said, I'm so thankful for the girls I work with!

And here are a few of us at the 'friends shower.'

Lindsay (left) and Heather C (by me) used to work with us. Again, love 'em!

This weekend I was supposed to be headed to SE Oklahoma to help Denise with a purity retreat for her youth girls. I was excited to share what the Lord has done in me during my 28 1/2 years of single living - learning that God always provides what I need when he asks me to do something (husband or no)...experiencing both difficult and hilarious situations...coming to an understanding that true purity is about way more than the physical...realizing that being a strong and independent woman simply means being who God created me to be...learning that the love of the Father is personal, intimate, and complete - and to hopefully pass along some of the wisdom of trusting Him.

But, alas, the retreat was postponed due to predictions of "catastrophic" weather. I wouldn't say it has turned out to be catastrophic, but it is beautiful and I wouldn't have driven in it. It also got us out of work for 1 1/2 days, and I am ever-so-grateful for that. (Note to self: add to List of Reasons I Know Jesus Loves Me...He got me a much-needed mini-vacation this week.)

...About 3:00 this afternoon....

Good thing I have these furry boots to keep my little
piggies warm when they have to go outside

Inside project: Change quilt and pillows on my bed

I think I'll read a book the rest of the weekend. :)

A Laundry Scolding

I just got scolded.

The unspoken rule of our laundry room is that if the clothes in the dryer are dry, you take them out, set them on the table, and put your wet clothes in. If someone else's clothes are in the washers, you put those in the dryer so you can use the washer. If they have dryer sheets there, you throw one in. Sometimes, when the fancy strikes, you may actually fold the clothes you remove from the dryer. And if you happen to meet up with the person who transferred your clothes and you feel like it, you thank them. Otherwise, you don't say anything and go on your merry way.

Tonight is laundry night. I was not first in line, so I sat my laundry basket full of clothes on the counter and left. I went back a couple times to check on the status, and the status did not change...Clothes in both dryers (running) and clothes in both washers (not running). On trip #3 I decided to begin the courtesy clothes transfer process. Both loads of towels were dry. I removed both loads of towels and put them on the table. I did not fold them, but I did leave them in two separate piles (not touching), just in case they did not belong to the same person. Then, as should always be done, I removed the lint from both filters. I then put washer #1 clothes in dryer #1 and turned it on. Then I put washer #2 clothes in dryer #2 and turned it on. I moved the laundry basket from the top for washer #1 to the top of washer #2. Then I put my clothes in washers #1 and #2, turned them on, and left.

When I returned to put my clothes in the dryers, there were two women sitting outside the laundry room. One of them was talking loudly and irritatedly about who knows what...You know how some people just radiate a certain attitude that makes gentle people run crying? It's like you don't even have to have a conversation with them, you can just tell. This was her. So I get to the door of the laundry room and she goes, "Are you the one who moved the clothes from the washers to the dryers?" I said yes, thinking she was going to do the aforementioned thank you routine. Nope. "Well, I had a mixed load." Me: " " with confused look. Her: "Some of them were dry and some of them were wet." Accusatory. What am I supposed to say to that?? So I think I said nothing. To be honest I was still getting over not getting to say, "Oh, you're welcome. It wasn't a problem!" So then she goes, "We had four loads going, and something something something." I think my ears were clogged by unbelief at this point. So I said something like, "I took the two loads of towels out and put the clothes from the washers in." Then she goes, "Well, just in the future when you change out laundry, be sure you don't mix loads." I just meekly said OK and went inside, feeling like a snotty-nosed four-year-old whose welfare mom had just yelled at her. And I thought, "Did I just get scolded?" In my head, I was letting her have it.

So the story gets better.

When I went inside, I noticed that there was a load of laundry folded on the table. I heard her tell her friend, "I'm going to get my laundry." So they come in, both grab a stack of laundry and leave.

I checked the dryers and guess what. There were no clothes inside. I literally said out loud, "You have GOT to be kidding me!" Seriously, who stalks the laundry room waiting for someone to come back so they can scold her about your clothes that may or may not have been dry?? Who does that?!?

We've all had bad laundry room experiences. To wit: One day a man left an undisclosed number of cigarette butts in his pockets and ran them through the dryer. This is far beyond disgusting. I was in there when he opened up the dryer and realized what he had done. Did I lash out at him? No. Inside I was gagging, but outside I was very courteous.

Can you tell this upset me tonight? Because it did.

Why? Why do things like this bother me for so long??

I have always been strongly effected by what people say to me and the tone in which they say it. I'm pretty sure I would be less upset if she had just walked up to me, punched me in the face, and walked away. Sticks and stones may hurt, but words (good and bad, both) I replay over and over.

Maybe someday I will be filled with compassion and realize that she is lost and doesn't understand the concept of letting things go. Or being nice. But right now, I am still railing against her in my head. And on my blog.

And I still have zero idea what she was talking about when she said some of her clothes were wet and some were dry.

This is for you, Dad...

This weekend my dad told me I need to update my blog. So Dad, consider it updated.

Although in my opinion one sentence would have technically been an update, I had a flashback that made me think that somehow one sentence wouldn't really suffice.

When I was a kid, sometimes I would have to vacuum. Of all the cleaning chores, floors are my least favorite. My dad, on the other hand, loves to do the floors. Loves it. And therefore, when it was my turn to vacuum, he would come along behind me and make sure I was doing it right. "Get up next to the walls...Don't bang the walls...Get over behind the chair...Did you get that corner? Don't bang the walls!"

So over the course of...I don't know, a week or two...I'm going to get up next to my blog walls. Maybe that will keep me out of trouble with my dad.