4 Weeks and Counting!

I just can't tell you how excited I am about going to the Philippines in 4 weeks!

First - if I haven't already shared the amazing news - I'll tell it now. My WHOLE TRIP was taken care of in ONE DONATION check! It's incredible! I sent a letter to David Novak, CEO of Yum! Brands (the parent company of KFC - and I work for the Ad Co-op of KFC). On a prayer whim. I knew he attends Southeast - so an assumed Christian. And I just wanted to let him know what someone in his system was doing for Christ, and to pray for me & the gang on this trip. Well, I was shocked when Hank showed me a copy of the check last Sunday! I cried - I still cry if I talk about it. Needless to say, I am a little prouder to be a part of this company with a top leader so willing to give to this kind of mission - without even knowing me!!!!

God's just amazingly awesome! Never doubt that He will provide! And like a friend of mine told me - "Now you KNOW God wants you on this trip." I love it when God's obvious.

Here are a couple of pictures from a previous year's trip. Building churches, baptizing wherever there's water (the ocean provides lots of it!), having fun with the kids, loving on people, etc. I will be taking a video camera! Amy did such a good job with her Guatemala trip video I'm inspired.

I'm not sure about having a "heart for missions" yet. But I know I love to serve the Lord - wherever He puts me. And I'm also looking forward to 20 days with no computer. A tech-free season. Pray for me - my life will be changed for sure! In more ways than one I'd imagine...

Smallville's Back!

For those that are superhero junkies like myself - it's back - MY favorite show - SMALLVILLE! Season 7. And they've finally gotten Clark a job at the Daily Planet at a desk across from Lois Lane. I can't wait to see where they take this show this season. How true will they stay to the Superman and Justice League mythos? AND I love the way this show has tied in other heroes like Green Arrow (who is more of a regular now), the Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman and Black Canary. And there's always the villians - right now Lex Luthor is missing!

Walking With God

Where are you in your walk with God?

The Chocolate Hills

These are the Chocolate Hills located on the island of Bohol in the Philippines. Aren't they gorgeous! And I will get to view this site in real life during the trip!

I am so excited!!!! My trip is fully paid for - with extra to be able to give directly to the churches we help build. We'll be able to buy chairs, food, and any other necessities they may need to get started. I know I'm going to take some of Barry's special band music sheets for worship music. I'm sure someone will have a guitar around.

I got to see some pictures of past mission trips, so I will post those when I get them saved from disc. I know I'm taking a video camera so I can put together something cool when I get home. I've been told I will just fall in love with these people - and they will fall in love with me. And if the pictures are any indication, they love to be loved on and show love in return. And the team that is going -- needless to say, it will not lack for entertainment. And I'm sure all the positives totally outweigh the scary points - like bugs and creepy crawlies that are foreign to me. Not that I like the creepy crawlies that are around here! But the sights I'll get to see, and the people's lives I get to be a part of for those couple of weeks! I feel this will totally change my life - yet another way God works for the good! Who knows what'll happen...

New Spin on Old Favorite

Ok - fess up...how many used to watch Hee Haw - or the Grand Ole Opry - or use to actually do the dance....clogging? I've never done it myself, but I would love to learn all kinds of things before I go to heaven. Is there clogging in heaven? Here's a group that I LOVE to listen to, Uncle Earl, and their newest video:





And here's the classic clogging I grew up with:

Your Last Day

Wednesday night we gave the kids a Behavior Expectation list. This puts in writing what our expectations of them are: no PDA, no underwear showing, no foul language, no drugs - get along, etc. Ryan gave a message to the kids on expectations. And he touched on Ryan S. dying last week in a car wreck (which was very hard to do). Ryan S. didn't EXPECT Tuesday to be his last day on Earth. If he did - what would he have done differently? And that was one of Ryan's points. What would you do differently if you knew it was your last day to live here?

What would I do? Being a single person - my answer would be completely different from you married folks. But I bet there would be one similiarity - spend time with the ones you love. Let them know how much I love them, how much they mean to me. Although, I grasped this awhile back - I try to let people know how much I care NOW - why wait? And some I can only tell in-part, but I hope eventually they'll know in-full how much I care. Of course, I'd love to ride the Rock n' Roller Coaster one last time.


I listened to Dave Stone from Southeast on the way in to work this morning. And he talked about what would be on your headstone when you died. What would be your epitaph in 12 words or less? And I thought about that as well as my dad's funeral last year, and other funerals I have been to. My dad did not live his life for Jesus. He was not a good example of love. He only had 16 people there - 9 of which were there to support me. How many people will show up at my funeral? And how will they remember me? All the work I did - or did they really know me? Will there be flowers? And why can't I get flowers before I die?

But here's a question for you: What if YOU knew it was MY last day on Earth? What would you do differently? What if you knew it was your spouse's last day? What would you do differently? What if you knew it was your parent's last day? Your child's? Your siblings? Your best friend? That "loner" in the corner? The troublemaker? Your enemy? What would you do?

My new Bible is here!

My bestest friends gave me money for my birthday and said let us know what we got you. Well, it just so happened I knew exactly what I wanted! One of the ladies brought in a Chain Reference Bible to women's study...and I loved it! I love study Bibles anyway, and the chain reference leaves out the commentary on the bottom. Because those commentaries can be wrong - we found some examples. And I wanted a meaty translation - something that's real close to the original language (I haven't had time to learn Hebrew and Aramaic and Greek), but I also notice they had some "handy" sizes available. So I chose the Personal Size New King James Version. It's almost exact to the New American Standard which I love. But this Bible is just too cool! Talk about taking a journey in the Word! And it has a topical index which I like, and charts a concordance and maps. When I opened my package today I noticed it already came with tabs. Now normally I'm not a fan of tabs just because I like to push myself to KNOW where it is in the book and not rely on the tabs. But until I get the flow of this particular book down I can get used to them. I love getting in the Word - I've already started a new journey with this book and can't wait to see what's revealed!

The classics

So I've already admitted to being sentimental and romantic, but I also have "an old soul." I LOVE "the old stuff." Especially in music. Classic country - real women singing real stuff (Patsy will always be my favorite), Southern Gospel - no one beats Vestal Goodman! Bluegrass - give me Ralph Stanley singing "O, Death," and I just melt over Bing Crosby's crooning, feel like dancing with military boys to the Andrew Sisters and even Jimmy Durante can inspire me to "Make Someone Happy." LOVE IT!

Today I've been listening to some of this older stuff - Jimmy, Bing, Doris Day, Mae West, Al Jolson (yah, cha, cha), and the rest. And one song came on my "jukebox" that just absolutely delighted me - well, two really. So I found them on ye old youtube for your enjoyment as well. Tell me these aren't adorable and make you feel all sunny inside!




Turn the sound up a little for this one... you only need about the first minute, but Shirley's just cute to watch!

Today's Word

From my Billy Graham's Page-a-Day calendar:

"And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh..." Ezekiel 11:19 (NASB)

"I will give them a new heart and a new mind" Ezekiel 11:19 (TEV)

When a person comes in contact with the living God, he or she can never be the same again. This divin e"fire" either draws in or drives away, saves or destroys, helps or hinders. Accepted and utilized, it becomes a boon and a blessing. Rejected, it becomes a bane and a curse. One dying theif was drawn to the warmth of the Savior; he responded in faith and was saved. The other dying theif turned away and rejected God's compassion; he was lost forever....No, you will never be the same once you know Christ. What difference will He make in your life today?

True Love's Kiss

Ok - I admit it - I am a sentimental romantic sap! I love the classic musicals and love stories where there's love at first sight, those that fight for love, and the happily-ever-afters. Love 'em!

My birthday was Saturday, and it wasn't as I would have normally planned, but my friends remembered and that made it special! And that night I watched one of my favorite stories - Cinderella (while knitting with a cat in my lap - how much more relaxing can it get). And I not only watched the first Cinderella, but Cinderella III too.

There's so much I love about these stories. Love at first sight for them both, rags-to-riches for Cinderella, justice to the evil stepmother/sisters, and the value of friendship and standing up for those you love.

Now, for those of you who don't know -- I was married once. Yes, I am divorced - almost 8 years now. God forgave me long ago and so did I. Currently, I am under divine protection in the area of a relationship with a man because I asked God to protect me when I started back to college - didn't need the distraction at that time (and I didn't have a good track record). It's been 6 years since I was asked out on a date (not even from the weird ones). 6 years. Talk about having a low self-esteem in this area sometimes. But I know that God is preparing me for my future love that will be Jesus for me while on this earth. I also know that God is preparing that man to be a real man for me. I'm sure he's getting put through plenty of trials to be able to handle me! :-) And he's going to have to ask my FATHER's permission.. But I digress...

When I watch these stories, there's always the kiss. "True Love's Kiss." And in some stories like Cinderella III and Sleepless in Seattle it was the touching of the hands -- it was something they just "knew." For our very own Steve Meredith - he saw Vicki on the dance floor and just KNEW that was the girl he was going to marry. (Everybody together now...."AHHhhhhhhhHHH").

Plus, I'm a history buff. I love to know where people, cultures, traditions come from. And I thought about that whole "You may now kiss the bride" deal. Wouldn't they have already kissed normally? What makes THAT kiss so special? And how did that start? So I did some research and found that today's wedding kiss is a testament to the newlywed's devotion and love for each other but it had a more practical meaning during the Roman Times when it was used to seal the legal bond or marriage contract. This may be the origin of the expression "sealed with a kiss" and that does not only refer to a wedding. It seems that the Romans are known for their fascination to the ancient art of kissing. They started the passionate betrothal kiss which is said to be the origin of the kiss which was done at the end of the ceremony. That kiss between the new husband and wife serves as a public agreement that they willingly enter into a life-long contract called marriage. The more superstitious ones believe that the wedding kiss paves the way for the mingling of the couples' souls.

Wow - do we really see it that way now? That the kiss is sealing the contract per se. It's binding. Meaningful. It's not just sharing spit all you youngins! How amazingly awesome would it be if two people saved their "first kiss" to be the kiss that "seals the deal" for marriage?

And I love Jane Austen stories - back when being in love was done in its proper form. There was no sex on the first meeting...there was barely looking at each other the first time you met! And to have touched each others' hands...wow...there was real meaning in that. When everything you did for each other had meaning and was not to be taken for granted. Believing in each other, lifting each other up, loving and taking care of each other in the small things (like killing the spiders or sewing a button or even caring for a sprained ankle after falling off a horse). Where just looking at each other from across the room filled your love jar all night! And the dance! To be chosen as the dance partner of the one you are in love with - you would be floating on air all night like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady! Whatever happened to all that?!?!?!?

All I've seen lately is people (young and old) that are quick to jump right to sex. Like THAT means anything. That's just destructive. Not only does it not glorify God, but it destroys you...it hardens you to be able to truly love someone. Your perception of what love IS becomes skewed to only the physical. Love is not sex. "Making love" has been turned into a free-for-all with anyone. That's not good. "Making love" is what a married man & woman do -- not only in the physical union, but in the everyday things...little notes, picking up after each other, reaching stuff on the top shelf, fixing favorite foods, listening, interacting, etc. For me, making love is a package deal. I don't want just the temporary physical feelings - but the whole experience! Anything less than that and I short-change myself and my husband (to-be, hopefully).

And to have a husband willing to fight for me - to die for me...that would be imitating Jesus. Just as He loved the church so husbands should love their wives. Another interesting tidbit about a wedding ceremony: The brides placement to the left— When a bridegroom secured his bride and prepared to marry her, she was placed to his left in order to protect her, leaving his right hand free for swordplay if need be. There was in ancient times when brides were literally fought for!

Needless to say, I love the true romantic ways - not the over-done PDA of today. I love to see true love that shines the love of Jesus to others. Call me a sentimental fool and I will agree!