Archives for November 2007

How Do I Fail, Let Me Count The Ways

6 November 2007 by

The book club thingy on Peace Like A River that was originally scheduled for tomorrow is postponed for the time being. Robin and I are nowhere near ready – so we’ve agreed that it’s better to wait. The last week has been so crazy that I actually forgot about it until last night, so obviously I’m not exactly, you know, prepared to participate. As soon as we come up with an alternate date, I’ll let you know.

And there are a few of you who have emailed me to ask about the podcast we recorded this past weekend, and y’all are so sweet to, you know, care. But there are some definite SOUND ISSUES in that I sound like I AM SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS (I was the one holding the laptop) whereas Melanie and Shannon sound like they are whispering from a location far, far away. I’m trying to figure out if there’s anything I can do to balance the sound, but so far I’m not having much success trying to fix it.

So there are some technical difficulties, I’m afraid. But if this one won’t work, we’ll try to record another one from our respective homes.

I do apologize for any bloggy inconveniences these recent developments may cause.

Filed Under: The Interweb

Two Words: Quiet Dignity

6 November 2007 by

img_0457.jpg

Filed Under: Oh Howard

In Which I Answer A Question And Hey! Free Music!

5 November 2007 by

A few weeks ago someone mentioned that I seem to stay pretty up-to-date with Christian music, and she went on to ask me how I manage to keep up with all the new music when, after all, I’m old.

OH, she didn’t really say that last part.

But it would have totally rocked if she had.

And the answer is that I stay up-to-date with Christian music because I love it. Plus, I realized a few years ago that something as simple as listening to Christian music throughout the day – whether it’s on my iPod or in the car – really impacts my thought life, my patience and my perspective. It’s pretty difficult to get bent out of shape in traffic and then scream a series of, um, colorful adjectives when you’re singing “Savior, He can move the mountains / My God is mighty to save / He is mighty to save” at the top of your lungs.

I’m just sayin’.

ANYWAY, the bottom line is that Christian music – whether it’s an old hymn like “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” or a song that’s a little newer – has been a tremendous source of encouragement to me.

Which leads me to this past Friday night.

A couple of months ago my friend Brian at Provident Music asked if Melanie, Shannon and I would be interested in doing sort of a “girls’ night out” for a Casting Crowns show here in this lovely city where I live. The three of us were immediately all over the idea – because in addition to really, really wanting to see each other, we really, really wanted to see Casting Crowns.

And that is how our get-together this past weekend came to pass (thanks, Provident! thanks, Casting Crowns!).

But it actually occurred to me Friday night that we weren’t at a Casting Crowns “show” at all. We were in a worship service, and it just so happened that our worship leaders were John Waller, Leeland, and Casting Crowns. There was no flashiness, no self-aggrandizement, no self-righteousness – just some talented musicians who were doing their very best to get out of the way and give God all the glory.

At the end of the night, when the girls and I were talking about the show, Shannon mentioned how great the lyrics to John Waller’s song “The Blessing” are. And she was so right. In fact, I’m sitting here listening to his CD right now, and I think I’m going to put it on repeat – the lyrics are strong. And there’s a song called “While I’m Waiting” that’s REALLY speaking to me right now, but we won’t get into all my waiting on all the stuff related to all the things, because that is another story for another time.

And besides, the bottom line is that I really want to share some of this John Waller musical goodness with y’all.

So here’s the deal: I have ten copies of John Waller’s CD. And if you’d like to have a chance to win one of them, all you have to do is to leave a comment on this post.

HOW SIMPLE IS THAT?

IT IS SO SIMPLE.

I’ll close comments (and the giveaway) this Friday around 9 AM and then use Ye Olde Trusty Random Dot Org to select the winners.

Happy Giveaway, y’all!

Filed Under: Jesus Music

The Conversation Flowed Like A Bottomless Bowl Of Warm Queso Dip. Oh Yes It Did.

5 November 2007 by

Oh, y’all. I can’t even tell you how much fun I had with Melanie and Shannon this past weekend. We talked, we ate, we laughed, we ate, we shopped, we ate, we blogged, we ate, we drank diet Coke, we ate.

You may be noticing a bit of a pattern.

Tonight I was talking to my friend Daphne, and she asked me if it felt even a little bit strange to finally meet the girls in person. I told her what I will now tell you: it wasn’t even the teensiest bit weird for me. Although for the first couple of minutes after I picked up Melanie at the airport I kept having to mentally pinch myself because HEY, WE ARE NOT JUST TALKING ON THE PHONE! LOOK! SHE IS REAL! I COULD TOUCH HER ARM IF I WANTED TO! BUT THAT MIGHT FRIGHTEN HER! LOOK! MY WORD! HER HAIR IS STUNNING!

(Seriously. Y’all have no idea about Melanie’s hair. Really. She has totally been holding out on the internet by not sharing the fabulousness that is her hair. In fact, it is so great that this afternoon I actually had the semi-serious thought that Mel could really minister to all of us by creating some sort of hair discipleship program. If she would let the internets walk with her during an average hair week, let us see how she navigates her daily hair challenges, let us see the source of her hair comfort during those tough hair times, I really feel like the Lord would honor that.)

(Because He has quite literally placed an anointing on her head.)

(I am going to pray that she would be faithful to her higher hair calling.)

And that Shannon – I’ll tell you what. When Melanie and I finally got to pick her up a little bit later Friday afternoon, it really did feel like we had known her our whole lives. Shannon is not just sassy, she is SASSY!, and she is also funny as all get out and SMART AS A WHIP. Because did I mention that she does CROSSWORD PUZZLES FOR FUN?

I’m still trying to wrap my head around that last thing.

The three of us talked a lot yesterday about how blogging can only show so much of a person, about how there are some pretty significant chunks of our lives that we don’t blog about for the sake of sanity and privacy. Since Melanie and I have been working on a project together for the last seven or eight months, we’ve tackled a lot of those real-life, would-never-blog-about-it-but-oh-my-word-how-do-I-handle-this situations, and as Shannon shared some things along those lines with us yesterday, I was reminded that while yes, the blogosphere can be fun and wonderful and encouraging and edifying, it can never, ever replace the joy of real-life, face-to-face relationships.

Because while I love to read Melanie’s and Shannon’s blogs, if push came to shove I’d happily trade reading their blogs for being able to sit with them in a barbecue place and hear about God’s faithfulness during some incredibly difficult times in their lives.

Or for hanging out with them in a Mexican restaurant and laughing until we wheezed and / or wet our pants.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: real-life trumps blog-life. Every single time.

So yes, we had a blast. And no, it wasn’t strange at all to spend the weekend together. In fact, it was delightful. And I guess if anything at all caught me off-guard this weekend, it’s how sad I was when I dropped Shannon and Melanie off at the airport this morning, how much I have missed them all day long, and how I wish like crazy that they lived closer.

(I’m now feeling a strange urge to embed a clip of “Friends Are Friends Forever.” It’s just like junior high, only now I’m old. SOMEBODY STOP ME.)

And slowly but surely, I’m easing back into normal life, the life where I had to put Alex in time out for swinging a plastic baseball bat AT THE DOGS and then all his grandparents arrived this afternoon and I took Martha and Mama to Steinmart and then came home and made soup and cornbread and changed the sheets and washed a bunch of clothes and thought about how I needed to be editing the podcast but it wasn’t really a great time what with all the company, and seriously, would you want to be the one to tell Martha that you can’t take her to Steinmart because you have to edit a podcast?

I didn’t think so.

But please remind me to tell you the story about Martha trying on jackets and coats at Steinmart this afternoon.

It is not to be believed.

Filed Under: My Friends Rock, Rambling

We Have Eaten Untold Volumes Of Food

3 November 2007 by

We’re taking a blogging break before we start recording the podcast, and I have to tell you that there’s something very liberating about being with two other people who understand the necessity of a blogging break. In fact, it seems quite fitting that we would all finally be in the same place and spend at least a little bit of our time together TYPING LIKE MAD ON OUR COMPUTERS.

Welcome to the 21st century, ladies and gentlemen.

So now, a few pictures:

img_0467.jpg
This was a light post-BBQ snack this afternoon. But we drank water with all the sweets so really, we were just hydrating before we continued with our shopping.

img_0468.jpg
And this was after we had supper at a Mexican restaurant.

Since we were planning to come back to Melanie’s hotel room to record the podcast, we figured we needed a little SUSTENANCE, but unfortunately we failed to remember that the kitchenette does not in fact have an oven.

Which pretty much means that I just ate a spoonful of recently thawed brownie batter.

Because I am a connoisseur of fine food.

And yes, we could run over to my house and stick the brownies in the oven, but SHHHH! there’s a very animated four year-old there, SHHHHH!

img_0470.jpg
Here we are cautiously optimistic before checking the Texas A&M score. Melanie was somewhat less smiley after she saw that the Aggies were down by 21, but she quickly cheered up when she saw this picture and remembered what a TOTALLY AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER I am.

I mean, just look at that framing and composition.

It’s all terribly symbolic and meaningful.

img_0474.jpg
And because we’re good Southern girls, we’re keeping the TV tuned to the Arkansas game for Shannon. While we continue to eat semi-thawed brownie mix with plastic spoons.

Because we are klassy like that.

img_0479.jpg
Here are Melanie’s beloved Sour Patch Kids. I’m sure all that sugar at the bottom of the bag is just loaded with vitamins.

And look!

img_0482.jpg
Shannon is doing a crossword puzzle. OF HER OWN FREE WILL. FOR ENTERTAINMENT. BECAUSE SHE ENJOYS IT.

I cannot wrap my head around such a thing.

Meanwhile, for the last few minutes Melanie and I have been pursuing some terribly intellectual pastimes of our own:

img_0481.jpg
COLLEGE FOOTBALL MESSAGE BOARDS!

Because we love knowledge, y’all.

So now we’re all going to quit with the typing and start with the podcasting. I’m sure we’ll be discussing many current events of pressing international importance.

Like, you know, our hair.

See y’all tomorrow.

Filed Under: My Friends Rock

Change Your Batteries

3 November 2007 by

That was the message my camera gave me at the beginning of tonight’s concert. Right after I’d accidentally taken a lovely picture of Melanie’s arm as well as a picture of a girl sitting several rows behind us.

Mad. skillz. I got ’em.

But we have had so much fun. SO much fun. Despite the fact that I thought the Casting Crowns concert was at our civic center and almost paid $7 to park at a venue that was actually hosting a large Christmas extravaganza.

I mean, I’ve only lived here SEVEN YEARS, y’all. How can I possibly be expected to, like, KNOW WHERE THINGS ARE?

We did make it to the concert on time, and it was phenomenal. I’ll write more about that later. Because I am somewhat tired. Seeing as how it’s one o’clock in the morning.

But before I forget, let me just say this: Melanie and Shannon are everything I thought they would be and so much more. They are funny and kind and and sassy and beautiful. And they’re also game for going through a Taco Bell drive-thru at 11:15 at night, so, you know, ACES.

Filed Under: My Friends Rock
« Previous Page
Next Page »