Prayer Time at Newark Airport

I spoke to my mom today while they were on a layover in Newark. She seemed to be in good spirits. They had kind of a crazy morning. Their first flight started speeding down the runway and the pilot suddenly slammed on the breaks and came to a complete stop! They thought it was to miss another plane. Scary! It was actually because some kind of warning light came on as the pilot was accelerating. They had to wait an hour to make sure the warning didn't come on again and then they took off without any problems.

Later, while they were waiting at their gate in Newark to board the Israel-bound plane, it was suddenly prayer time for the Jewish passengers. Mom said all the men in their black hats stood facing Jerusalem and began rocking and praying. In that moment I think the excitement hit them that they were indeed going to Jerusalem!

Melissa and I got one last text message from our parents that said "Will talk to you next from the Land Beautiful! Wish you both were with us!" Oh, me too!

Sigh of Relief

Thank you so much for your sweet prayers and words of encouragement. It is a very great comfort knowing that you all are praying. What a gift!

I just talked to my mom and it turns out they won't leave for the airport until 5:15 a.m. I don't know how we got so mixed up to think it would be 2:30, but at least it made them excited about 5:15!

Please excuse my emotional outburst earlier. I finished weaning Jackson two days ago and my feelings are kind of exaggerated. Please more Spirit, Lord!

Headed to the Holy Land

Sometimes people ask me, "Is it ever hard to be Beth Moore's daughter?" Well, this is one of those times. My mom is teaching Bible study tonight and then around 2:30 in the morning she and my dad will get picked up to go to the airport. They are flying to Israel to tape some segments for the Psalms of Ascent study. It is painful for me to think about how tired she is going to be as she boards that flight. And then to have jet lag on top of that once she arrives in Israel. So here I am asking you all to please pray for my parents, especially my mom. I hope I don't sound whiny. My heart is just very tender because I love her so much and I know that she is coming off a very exhausting month. Tears are welling up in my eyes right now. Do you remember having that feeling as a child when the babysitter arrived and your mom was getting to walk out the door and you cried, "Mommy, don't go!" That is the feeling I have right now. And yes, I am 27 years old! Alright, now that I've cried about it I feel better. I know that I can trust the Lord with my parents. He will show Himself faithful as He always has.

There is a prayer sign up on our LPM home page if you're interested. We won't hear much from Beth for the next week, but I promise to keep you updated as I get the opportunity to talk to her on the phone. In the meantime, I'd love to hear if any of you have been to the Holy Land and, if so, what was the one thing that you'd like to see or do again? If you haven't been yet, tell me what you would like to see or do one day.

Travis Cottrell

I just got word that Travis Cottrell's web site has crashed from all the post-simulcast traffic! The number of visitors to his site yesterday was more than 300% the average. If you've been trying to visit his web site, don't give up! It should be up and running by Monday afternoon.

By the way, wasn't the praise team incredible? Praise God for giving them such amazing gifts to lead us to the throne in worship!

D-Day

My darling Sistas, Keith left a little while ago to shoot clay pigeons in a tournament and I've been sitting out on my back porch all by myself with Jesus. It's a gorgeous, cool day in Houston. Both dogs are sprawled out next to each other in the grass, taking naps in the sunshine. All I can think about is Jesus, the simulcast, and 150,000 women (and some courageous men) I want so desperately to be (permanently!) free. I have never been more burdened or felt more weight of the Spirit - brooding as I called it yesterday - than I did in the days and even weeks leading up to this event. I have never felt smaller or less adequate or more desperate for God to come. I suppose there are many reasons for all the feelings leading up to D-Day but one of the most obvious was that the topic was publicized in advance and I knew that women were coming for a SERIOUS work of God. I so deeply did not want to do anything to quench or distract from the delivering work of God or miss the direction He wanted us to go. Thankfully, my weakness can't trump His strength. At the same time, I think the team and I would be nuts to feel up to a task like that. Sometimes if you want to go face to face with Jesus, you've got to go face to face with the carpet. This was one of those times. He is so mystifyingly merciful. So willing to work in spite of us.

As Amanda conveyed, my whole family (and staff!) entered into this one like a bunch of bird dogs on point. Keith had prayed with me for days and after I flew in last night, we went back to carpet again, thanked God, and pled for the lives of each participant. Please join me in continued intercession until God gives us a release. Enduring deliverance takes place in an ongoing day-by-day relationship with Jesus Christ. He isn't simply the most important thing in life to the delivered. He IS life to the delivered. Divine invasion is the only map for pit-free traveling. I'm bursting with jealousy for that kind of passion, Presence, and permanence for EVERY SINGLE ONE of those participants.

Your comments were a great catalyst to a good cry. And to tell you the truth, I feel a lot better. This gathering was one of the weightiest things my family, Travis, and I feel that God has ever placed before us. When I awakened this morning, my poor, old body felt like I'd been hit by a Mack truck. I live to see captives set free in Christ and I'm willing to make a fool out of myself to encourage people to let Him do what it takes. Thank you so much for taking the time, not just to comment, but to spend precious hours before a screen, look past the annoying technology, and welcome the Spirit of Christ in such a peculiar set up. God worked miracle after miracle to put on that simulcast. To share just one: TEN MINUTES before it began, we had a rain storm in Tyler and we lost satellite power. You understand that if WE lost power, all 500+ sites would lose power. We went crazy in prayer. Not only did Jesus rebuke the storm, He blew away the clouds and brought out the sun. It was stunning. He intended to make sure we knew He was there. Jehovah Shammah!

After the event ended, Travis, the team and I returned to our knees and profusely thanked God. As I walked off that platform with the inevitable wish that this or that had been said or NOT been said, I was reminded by God that He doesn't ask His servants to do their tasks perfectly. Just wholeheartedly. This morning I experienced an unsolicited show of God's pleasure toward the simulcast through my devotional reading. (Our whole church is doing the one year devotional "At His Feet") The reference was Matthew 9:13, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Author Chris Tiegreen explained, "If He is extravantly merciful, so must we be. If He prefers the company of those who know their sinfulness over the company of those who don't, so must we. If He dines with the unlovable, He will put it within us to do likewise. This God showed up on our planet in the form of a merciful Savior. He offers grace without rebuke to those who know they need it. His rebukes are saved for those who won't acknowledge their need. He is purity that pursues the corrupt; mercy that hounds the needy; grace that demands only belief." Praise You, Jesus.

Yesterday some 150,000 needy souls showed up for the grace of God. Some had been innocently thrown into a pit, others had slipped into a pit, and others had hauled off and aimed for one. I couldn't see into the faces of those on the other side of the screen but I looked straight into the faces of several thousand women yesterday in Tyler, Texas and I did not see ONE who looked like she needed us to think she had it all together. Most of us were driven to all those locations, not by wheels, but by desperation. (Here's the best part of all) And God was pleased. By His sovereign choice, He can't resist any group of people who trade in pretense for Presence.

Jesus. He's who I want. Any way I can get Him. He is everything. He redeems our lives from the pit and crowns us with loving kindness. Today I raise my left hand to a God reaching down with His right, ever looking to lift my feet lest they dangle near a pit.

Simulcast

We had an incredible day! Thank you so much for praying! I'm leaving for our Saturday night church service soon, but I wanted to give you all a place to leave your impressions from the simulcast. What was one thing the Lord said to you?

I'm anticipating a spell of higher traffic on our web site and the blog after such a large event, so brief comments might be best for a few days. Thanks, y'all! I can't wait to hear about your time.

'Twas the Night Before the Simulcast

I know a lot of us have been getting ready in various ways for tomorrow's simulcast. My church has been buzzing with activity and excitement all week. Mom has been intense and constantly in the Word for the last few days. She's already safe and sound in Tyler and ready to go.

My own preparation as one of the hostesses at my site has been pretty intense, too. I bought some Velcro rollers and root lifting spray so that I can have Beth Moore-worthy big hair tomorrow. You know, because I want to be recognizable to our visitors as the daughter. So every day for the past week I've swapped my hair minimizer (the Chi) for my new hair maximizers so that on the big day I will be proficient at creating my adequately large do. I realized almost too late that my roots were completely unacceptable for standing in front of a crowd and making announcements. But the Lord kindly provided an open spot with my stylist to correct the problem. I know my sisters are relieved for me.

In all seriousness, I am speechless at the amount of people that my mom is going to speak to tomorrow. If I really let my mind think about it, I get a stomach ache. It is a huge, huge blessing to all of us to know that y'all are interceding. May it not be our hair, but our Savior - the One who is able to deliver anyone from any pit - who is high and lifted up tomorrow.

Melissa on American Idolatry

Hey, Sistas! Amanda and I have asked her younger sister, Melissa, a couple of times to guest-author some entries on our blog. She stays so swamped as she finishes up her Master's that we didn't know when she'd ever find the time. Yesterday Melissa sent me something she had written for a different reason and it was so thought provoking to me that I asked if I could post it in our blog. After some thought, she gave me permission. May God speak.

Just a Christian’s feeble attempt to comment on American Idolatry

As I sit here and ponder the News as of late my heart becomes heavily burdened. From Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith to the latest media frenzy, the rich and famous don’t seem to be holding up too well. I wonder if there isn’t some common denominator between these troubled souls. How could those who have so much fame, talent, and not to mention enough money to purchase for them their every object of desire, be so self-destructive? I can’t help but think of the fates of those such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain, whose status of fame may as well have been elevated to sainthood. And then it hits me, what if the common denominator is not solely their individual self-destructiveness, but what if it includes the destructiveness of American Idolatry?

It seems to me that idolizing a human being isn’t just unhealthy and destructive for the one doing the idolizing, but also for the one being idolized. If there is any truth in this notion, namely, that it simply is not healthy (or to use politically incorrect language, it is simply morally wrong) for a person to be worshipped and idolized, then the American population is partly to blame for the broken state and the troubled fate of so many bold and indeed talented souls. Can we not appreciate a person’s talent and beauty without obsessing over what clothes they have worn at the Oscars or what person they are dating this week as opposed to last week? Is any single person worthy of this excessive attention or infatuation?

In Romans 1, the apostle Paul condemns the human race for suppressing the truth of God; he says that we should have seen God’s invisible attributes through that which is displayed in the created world. He goes on to declare that we didn’t honor God, but exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man. We failed and continue to fail to rightly credit the Creator, and instead we worship and serve the creatures that he has created. When we gaze upon the beauty or marvel at the talent of another and we fail to recognize that it is God alone who is the author and the source, we are not only lying to ourselves but we are doing a great disservice to our fellow man.

To have the American masses track your every move, fall at your feet, and even scream and shed tears in your presence—knowing all the while that you yourself are subject to the same kind of sickness and eventual death as the common folk—may be flattering for a moment, but in the end it is merely isolating, oppressive, and repulsive. Our obsession with the rich and famous places them in an impossible position, for there is only one name under heaven that is meant to be adored and there is only one being who will not be destructed by our worship. There is only one who remains pure and holy despite His glorious, incomprehensible, and inevitable, yes, eternal fame!

God doesn’t have an emotional need for our worship. Believe me, he gets plenty of it! For even the angelic beings shouted as they watched him place the stars in the sky and even now as I, a small speck on this globe, push buttons on a key-board, the entire heavens and earth declare of his glory! It is He who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. It is He who weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales. To whom then shall we liken God? Or what likeness shall we compare with Him? We Americans, like, the craftsmen of old, are guilty of seeking out and fashioning for ourselves meaningless idols—we create them, we gaze upon them, we place hope in them, and then we condemn them when they don’t deliver and meet our needs and expectations. At the end of the day, idolizing a person is as futile as worshipping a wooden statue, for both are corruptible and they shall both return to the dust. God alone is incorruptible, and not only does he alone deserve man’s worship but he is the only being who is not corrupted by man’s worship. He is the one who reduces powerful rulers to nothing and makes even the judges of the earth meaningless…truly, he merely blows on them and they wither.

So I, a Christian who is guilty of having spent hundreds of dollars on People magazines, join my voice with the prophet Isaiah, “who shall we liken God…who shall be his equal?” And I am revitalized by the answer to this rhetorical question: no one. Let us lift up our eyes on high and see who has created the stars…for He calls them by name and because of the greatness of His might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing. (Isa. 40:26) Only after first recognizing the Creator’s masterful hand behind every facet of life should we appreciate and savor the talents and the beauty of another…and even then, let us tread carefully, for ours is a jealous God. So then, I dare us (indeed I dare myself) to stop pointing fingers and asking why many who have phenomenal God-given talents, or extraordinary and dumb-founding God-given beauty, are so often hitting rock bottom. Yes, let you and me stop pointing fingers and actually claim part of the responsibility for their downfall!

A True Friend to God and to Man

Read about Living Proof Live - Detroit here.

Click here for the video.



I love you now

I'll love you when

You're hard to love

'Cause you're my friend.

Birthday Report

We had an amazing birthday weekend! Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes. It could not have been more perfect!

Friday:
Curt's parents arrived and we went to dinner together. Curt and I stole away to a movie while they put Jackson to bed. Later I realized I wouldn't be putting my baby to bed on the last night before his birthday! Panic! At 11:40 I crept into his room and pulled him out of his crib. He never woke up, but I rocked him until midnight. It was the sweetest time together. I held him close and I told him everything on my heart. At midnight I wished him a happy birthday, gave lots of kisses, and put him back in bed a few minutes later. That for me was the highlight of the weekend.

Saturday:
When I opened my eyes that morning and realized Jackson wasn't awake or crying yet, I summoned Curtis so we could wake him up together. We opened the nursery door and he was standing up smiling. We sang Happy Birthday and had a very happy, cheerful morning together.

Curt's parents and sister's family came over and we decided to go to the zoo. It was the most perfect day - gorgeous, blue, cool, and sunny. I had always wanted to take Jackson to the zoo and our first time did not disappoint. A lot of the animals were being really lazy, so I kept praying things like Lord, please make the kangaroo get up and bounce across the field. Please wake up the otters and tell them to swim. Lord, please cause the cheetah to run for us. Lord, make the gorilla wake up from his nap. Lord, please cause the baboon to show us his face and not just his ugly bald bee-hind. We did get to see the baboon's face and it was rather creepy.

So after all that praying we walked up on a cage with nothing in it. I did not even know what was supposed to be in the cage, but a male lion suddenly emerged from a cave. He stood right in front of us and sized us up. He climbed up on a big rock and stood there. I was holding Jackson on my hip and we were both in awe. Then the king of the jungle sneezed and we all jumped. We felt pretty dumb...it was just a sneeze, but such a loud sound coming from such a mighty animal commanded a response. Then he started staring us down and opened his mouth and began growling. It was so freaky and so amazing. I jumped several times and held Jackson close - a completely involuntary response. But after seeing all those lazy animals, God provided the mightiest of all to show off for us.

My parents arrived late that afternoon. It was such an answer to prayer that my mom's flight was not delayed and she made it easily from her conference in Detroit.

I made it all the way to that night without crying. And then I decided to read through some of your comments and they definitely induced some tears. This sweet one below was the main culprit:

Happy Birthday Jackson. Amanda, cherish every moment because they fly faster than the speed of light. I know because in 76 days, my firstborn is going to meet his bride at the altar. It seems like only last week when I brought him home from the hospital.















*There’s a slight possibility that the lion’s growling was actually his attempt to cough up a massive hairball. We’ll never really know. But for dramatic effect we will assume it was actual growling.

Sunday:
Can I just say that my son was the ultimate birthday boy? He LOVED his party. He smiled the entire time and was very enthusiastic about everything. The only time he cried was when the instructor had us put away the maracas. Jackson made it known that he was very unhappy with the arrangement, so he got to keep his for the duration of the party. We had an absolute blast! I will let the pictures tell you about it. We had so much fun that I had a really hard time falling asleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Welcome, everyone!




Climbing this slide is my life's work

The Big O-N-E!!!

Hey, my dear Sistas! I've missed talking to you guys! I'm captive for a few minutes at the hair salon with my head under one of those warmers while my color bakes. A Texas woman wouldn't be caught dead without some kind of color on her hair. Besides all the wonderfully Spiritual things it obviously means, here in Texas to be rooted and grounded means that until your fresh-rooted, you need to be grounded. I may miss other things, but I do NOT miss my hair appointments.

I've been busy as a bee since the last I touched base with you. I had a lot of getting ready to do for our Detroit Living Proof Live event then hopped on a plane bright and early Friday morning to see faith become sight. The team and I totally dug our group. Though God was faithful and present Friday night, we spent most of it warming up then really sensed the power of the Holy Spirit drop on us first thing Saturday morning. I don't know about them but I didn't feel Him let up until after we left. (Still felt Him so strongly on the plane that I sobbed part of the way home.) Seventeen women (three over 60, two under 16) made public professions of faith in Christ Jesus on Saturday. I felt the freedom of God to do something really unusual for the last session. He had given me clearance to finish up our topic at the end of the second session and save the third one for personal testimony. It was Jackson's first birthday and my heart was so tender over all the miracles God has performed in our family that I wept through much of the session. If you and I have known each other long, you know how unusual that is. I may tear up but I almost never cry out-right while I'm teaching but I did this time. I was overwhelmed over the faithfulness of my merciful God. I wanted the women to have hope, no matter how hopeless things looked in some of their families, that nothing is too hard for God. I wanted them to learn to pray BIG and to do everything it took to cooperate with God so that He could be loosed to work wonders. I am jealous for others to see the same transformation in Christ that our family has experienced and I KNOW if He did it for us, He will do it for anyone.

The event was calendared well before Jackson was born but, thankfully, ending the engagement at noon enabled me to make it to Amanda's by late afternoon that day and well before the party the next day. I'm so grateful to Amanda for her understanding and willingness to save the big party for Sunday afternoon. It turned out to be such a sweet plan because Amanda and Curt, Curt's parents, and Keith and I were able to have our own time with Jackson on Saturday to open presents and gush over him. He wasn't so overwhelmed that he was oblivious to all he had gotten. We are so blessed! The affectionate little thing seems to love both sets of his grandparents so much and we love each other. Both families get along really well.

Sunday was the big party at the Gymboree and Jackson was the best little host you can imagine. HE LOVED IT! He laughed and showed off and played his little heart out. I'm such a baby nut that the party was the next best thing to Heaven. The room was full of Jackson's toddler buds who'd come to celebrate his big day. I laughed my head off at all their mannerisms and expressions and the hilarious ways they interacted. The baby girls had huge bows on their heads and, oh, their shoes!!! No wonder we girls grow up with shoe obsession! I've come to love all of Amanda's fellow moms vicariously through her. I had the biggest blast watching all of them together. I'm going to ask Amanda to post some pictures of the big day so I can go ahead and be completely shameless. Thank you so much for humoring me. Our weekend, from beginning to end, was deliciously wonderful and full of God's grace. I'm honored to share this part of our family life with you and humbled that you would let me. Pray big, Girls. You've got a big God.

The Big Weekend

Today is the last day of the my first year of motherhood. A year ago tonight Curtis and I went to the hospital to have our little guy. What a wonderful baby boy we brought home with us. I'm getting ready to go buy his birthday present. Everything for the party is ready. Curt's family is on their way into town. My mom is in Detroit for her conference, but she and my dad will be with us in time for the party. All that's left is to enjoy my boy and our company. It will be a little hard to let him out of my arms tomorrow, but mama's gotta share. The blog will probably be a little quiet for the next few days. I may not have much time to moderate the comments, but we'll be back to normal next week.

The Lord gave Colossians 1:24-29 to our ministry director to pray over Beth for the event in Detroit. We'd love for you join us in praying these verses over her:

Now Beth rejoices in what was suffered for these precious women, and she fills up in her flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. She has become its servant by the commission God gave her to present to them the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. She proclaims him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that she may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end she labors, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in her.

Have a wonderful weekend, sistas!

A Valentine's Prayer

My powerful and glorious and holy God, with everything I have and everything I am in Christ, I come before Your Throne to intercede on behalf of marriages. Lord, I come before You with complete confidence because I know with irrefutable certainty that I am praying according to Your will. Father, You are PRO-MARRIAGE. You are FOR US. And if You are for us, who indeed can be against us? Lord, Your enemy the devil is waging full scale war on the marriages of Your own children. Havoc resides in the earthly house of God. Our churches will only be as strong as the families that inhabit them.

If not for Your Spirit living within us, Satan's psychological warfare would be almost too much to bear and his lies too sly to discern. We cry out to You, Lord! I ask You to rise from Your Throne in behalf of each of our homes and marriages and cause our enemies to scatter violently. Open our eyes to the deceit of the enemy that tempts spouses to think they need something - someone - brand new. Help them to see that it would be an unending cycle of newness always wearing off and demanding something deeper to sustain it. Renew us, Lord! You created marriage and You alone can sustain it. Breathe fresh life into each of our marriages. You are a master at resurrection life. Raise marriages from the dead, O Lord! Reclaim those that have given up. Put a holy tenacity in them to refuse to let go. Give each spouse eyes only for the other. Cause each husband to thrill to the touch of his wife. Cause each wife to thrill to the touch of her husband. Renew a fiery passion in their hearts toward one another. Fill each wife with the desire and obedience to treat her man like he's the real man You created him to be. Forgive us our serious trespasses of dishonoring or belittling our spouses in any way. Forgive us for making our men secondary priorities to our children. Help us to see that the best thing we could ever do for our children is to have a wonderful relationship with their father.

Cause each man to be lavish in his demonstrations of love toward his wife. Open his eyes to see how hard she works and how badly she needs his blessing. In turn, open her eyes to the pressures that fall daily upon her man and enable her to love him in a way that soothes and relieves him. CLAIM OUR HOMES AND OUR MARRIAGES, LORD! I know You can perform miracles over the worst of marriages. You performed countless wonders over my own. Lord, in Jesus' Name, You bring to a stunning halt every weapon forged against each couple and every scheme the enemy may already have under way. Bind every single person and subsequent action that may be coming against one of these marriages. Halt any hint of extra-marital flirtation or fantasy in the powerful Name of Jesus. Cause any other person that has become dangerously attractive to now become utterly repulsive to them. Empower every person at risk to flee for his or her life from sexual temptation and immorality. Make each spouse TRUE, Lord, in heart, soul, and mind.

God, I lift this to You with great urgency and fervency. Enough is enough! Enough Christian marriages have disintegrated! I don't just pray for couples to stay together. I pray for them to LOVE staying together. I pray for the return of laughter, flirtation, desire, and life-long commitment. Interrupt mediocrity with fresh fire. We are all weak in our natural selves, Lord, and we know we'll never have perfect marriages and homes but we are fully capable in Your sovereign power to have good ones. Healthy ones. FUN ONES. L-A-S-T-I-N-G ONES! Lord, the beauty of praying in Your will is knowing that every single couple who desires and receives it can have it. Every couple can be healed. Every couple can be in love again. Every family can be whole if they are willing. Make them willing! I offer this intercession with the absolute belief that You initiated it, Lord. You do not waste time nor effort. If You prompted it, You meant to answer it. Now, compassionate and wonderful Father, do what only You can do. Out-do everything we ask. Do more than we could think to request so that Your great Name can be magnified above all else. I set before You every marriage represented by those who read this entry. Cause every couple to have a glorious Head-on collision with You, Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Nothing is too difficult for You. My prayers are unmistakably heard and my thanks already appropriate because I offer each of these petitions in the incomparable and delivering Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Living Proof Live - Seattle

Many thanks to Rich Kalonick for this video!

Click here to visit the event recap page.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Forgiven Much

I just got through posting a new devotion about the sinful woman who anointed Jesus' feet at the Pharisee's house. It got me thinking about my own life. I have been both the Pharisee and the sinful woman. When I was a teenager I had a list of things I was told not to do and didn't do. Of course, there were plenty of things on God's list that I was plowing right through, but in my immature tunnel vision I focused on the "big things" that would make me look good and pure in everyone else's eyes. And then after several years of pridefully, loudly, publicly swearing I would never do such-and-such, the Lord (graciously) allowed my will power to fail me. And I had to take a hard look at the depths of my own sinfulness. I learned that given the right circumstance, my flesh is capable of absolutely anything.

Almost ten years after that particular struggle, my profound grief over the fall has been eclipsed by grief over my self-righteousness and pride. I was given four years at my high school to flaunt the love and grace of Christ, to show Christ in me - the hope of glory. Instead, what I flaunted before many of my classmates was will-worship, arrogance, and hypocrisy. My heart breaks when I think about things said, thought, and even prayed during that time. But God was merciful not to leave me as I was. I'm so thankful that there is hope for both the Pharisee and the sinful woman. As my mom says in today's devotion, He can take the broken cistern in that 17-year-old Pharisee's heart, and in that 18-year-old sinful woman's heart - both of whom He deeply and gloriously forgave - and create a wellspring of love for Him.

Your Responses to PMS

OK, you guys have given me speaking material for MONTHS. Or at least once a month. You are the funniest things. I have a hard work week well under way but I jumped on line to see if you were engaging in the echo: Please More Spirit! I am happy to see that you are fully engaged. Your acronyms were hilarious.

Our dear Star, I join so many of your sisters in saying how sorry I am for such a tragic and complicated loss. I was just floored. We extend our love and compassion to you in the bonds of Christ Jesus. My Beloved Ones, I paused just a moment before I mentioned Star's prayer need because I am afraid to raise the expectation that I will always (or even often) be able to articulate specific responses on this blog. I will have to try really hard to keep this blog what it primarily is (a fun and personal way of connecting) in order to keep up with it. I think most of us can imagine that something like this blog could become all consuming and keep us from getting to the things God has called us to absolutely prioritize. I want to write a personal letter every time I see a personal need among your comments but I have to resist it or this will become a ravenous beast I can't feed. I have to keep in mind that we really do have a prayer board at LPM and every single one of those requests DO get lifted up before the Throne of Grace. HOWEVER, I simply could not overlook Star's need today. Please know that whether or not I mention something painful you wrote in your comments, I did hear it, feel it, and process it before the Lord Jesus. Know that I care so, so much whether or not you ever see such concern articulated. I dearly love you.

PS. Yes, Midol really works.

Please More Spirit!

Since some of you Sistas brought up the subject of PMS (after all, we are sistas and if sistas have anything at all, it's hormones), I feel compelled to tell you what I told a group recently. If you want to live those fretful days of evil principalities with any measure of victory, if, when the day of evil comes, you indeed want to stand, you have to get in your head that PMS means Please More Spirit! Need a reference? OK, how about John 3:34 - "for God gives the Spirit without limit"? (It's a good thing.) Need another? Luke 11:13 - "how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" You know how furious we get when one of our loved ones makes the merest suggestion that maybe we're a little hormonal? Like those times when waking up to an open bag of Fritos on the coffee table and a water ring left from a sweating glass of soda seem perfectly legitimate grounds for divorce? If, while we're denying the remotest chance we could have PMS, we start looking for the nearest thing we could throw at them, we might want to see these words flashing in red florescent lights across the marque of our minds: Please More Spirit! Please More Spirit! This morning Keith drew my attention to a darling 12 year old girl at church with that look on her face and said, "I hope her parents are really keeping an eye on her. She really seems sullen." "Honey," I said, "All 12 year old girls are sullen. They are a hormone waiting to wreak havoc." How could he have forgotten? Between his three women - Amanda, Melissa, and me - his skin was in jeopardy the greater part of any given month. But don't think he wasn't the kind to invite trouble. He'd say stuff like, "I'm so sorry, Baby. That zit really looks like it hurts." Where's me a lamp?? Good thing we have God. That's all I'm saying. And good thing for THEM we have God. Next time around, remember two very important things:
1. Pray "Please More Spirit!"
2. Take Your Midol.

I Feel the Same Way

Don't you find it hauntingly interesting that all of us girls were hit so hard by her death? I stood in front of the television last night and wanted to bawl. Then, this morning I honestly felt a heaviness of spirit about it as I looked over the newspaper. I was moved when I opened the blog and Amanda had already written on it. I thought, "Like mother, like daughter. She can't get it off her mind either." We are both really sensitive, I reasoned. Then, I watched all of you react to it and dialogued with my staff about their own responses. Do you know what I think? I think it's possible that, as different as we may kid ourselves into thinking that we are, her tragedy tapped into something hidden in all of us. She hit a major nerve in the feminine system. Anna Nicole Smith publicly fought and lost the same battle of insecurity that you and I privately fight. Had we had money, access, and opportunity, no telling what lengths we might have traveled to feel a little better about our broken selves.

Untreated by Jesus, the true Lover of our souls, we will be insatiably self-destructive and utterly impossible to make happy. My friend's mom used to say, "Sometimes we're happy and we don't even know it." Life is hard. Danged hard. If we each know (really know!) again today that we have a perfect Savior who loves us perfectly in all our imperfections and that nothing can take Him from us, AND if we have a few fellow sojourners (sistas!)to encourage us in Him along the way, as challenged as we may be, we are the happiest people in this cold, hard world. Let's spread a smile across our face and show it. Sooner than later, somebody's going to ask us to share the hope that is in us.

A Savior

Anna Nicole Smith Dead

My heart is grieving over this woman. I see a soul who ended up taking every destructive road in her life and I wonder what went wrong early on.

We do not have to succumb to the turmoil and insanity of this life. There is one, Jesus Christ, who offers hope for the self-destructive starlet, for the drug addict, for the sexually broken, for the abused, for the impoverished, for the person grieving the loss of a child, and for the lonely. No one is beyond His reach.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:1-3

Oops

Um, I accidentally just rejected like 15 comments with no way to recover them. Ladies, I'm really sorry. This is what happens when I don't have my tea in the morning! Going to remedy that now...

Suggestions from my sistas

I'm selecting 12 Weekly Word Devotions for a little project we're doing at LPM. If you've been reading our devos for a while and have a couple favorites, will you let me know which ones they are?

Progress Report

OK. I've almost cleaned out all the Starbuck's receipts. Don't even mess with me about my lipstick. As our sister said, it's not like we're talking about peace in the Middle East here. It was just a garage. I may consider putting my lipsticks in alphabetical order, however. They all start with "P." My hair is wrecked from having my head in my purse. Seriously. I wasn't THIS inspired.

I think I'll do something I like better. I think I'll start researching Esther.

Inspired

My man just cleaned out the garage. I'm so inspired. I'm going to clean out my purse.

Sistas, That's What!

Our fellow blogger, Jackie, asked a good question after our lesson last night in Houston on friendships: BETH...... Okay tonight at Bible study we learned about calling our relationships by the right name.. we have friends, acquaintances, mentors, counselors, etc. SOOOO.... what do we call all these crazy ladies that have become an "online family"? They are a new sort of relationship.

I'll tell you what we call us: SISTAS!!!!! Blood-kin in Jesus' Name.

OK, Here's What I Used It For

Thanks for having such a stinking blast with us over that ridiculous celebrity look-alike thing. You guys made me laugh until I nearly choked and threw up in my mouth. Here's what it was about: I was teaching what I consider to be a pretty profound truth out of Proverbs 14:10. It says "Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy." Scripture doesn't contradict Scripture so, needless to say, it doesn't mean we can't sympathize and even empathize with one another and bear each other's burden. In fact, we are commanded to do exactly that. We're told to laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

In Proverbs 14:10, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Solomon was giving us insight into something we've all experienced but perhaps never quite understood. Two women of exactly the same spiritual maturity, marital status and age can get the same diagnosis and their hearts process it in completely different ways. Two believing women with nearly identical circumstances could have miscarriages at exactly the same point in a pregnancy and yet respond to it as polar opposites. Two women can make exactly the same salary and be exactly the same age and go to exactly the same church and have exactly the same friends yet respond to their singleness at 38 years of age profoundly differently. The point of the look-alike illustration is that we could Google every single bit of our physiological and psychological data, life traumas and challenges and perhaps come up a dozen other Americans that should match us then meet for lunch, hash it all out, and walk to our cars thinking, "I don't even think SHE gets me." And you'd probably be right. You see, somebody may have all your same circumstances but nobody has your heart. It is completely singled out before the One who formed it in His hands and said, "Let there be life." And there was.

If we're blessed indeed, we can find people who can relate but the more we come to know them, the more we'd see our differences and only be left with a deeper sense of isolation. There is ONE who totally gets you. Just one. Yes, we need human support. And, yes, hearts were created to be shared horizontally as well as vertically but no one can see into the grand canyon of your emotional being but God. That's why we'll never be okay if, in our deepest, most riveting hurts, we do not turn to Him and let Him completely and intimately tend to us. I am a firm believer in Godly counseling but the best of counselors should point you to the only One who is still there at 3:00 AM when you toss and turn and think you may not live till morning. St. Augustine described God as "interior intimo meo." Deeper in me than I am in myself. God gets you when YOU don't even get you. He doesn't just love you. He loves your heart. Your broken, misshapen, road-weary heart. And mine. Let Him in. Let Him tend. There is SomeOne who really does understand. He is the Lord who heals us.

Discuss Amongst Yourselves

My mom should be on her way to Bible study right now. She and Sabrina, our ministry director, are probably in the car together singing praise music at the top of their lungs. I'm in the same boat with some of you who live too far away from Houston - I SO WISH I COULD BE THERE!

Someone posed an interesting question today under the celebrity look-alike post. Which saints or fellow members of the body of Christ would you choose to "look like"?

I'll leave my answer in a comment and I'll look for yours there, too. Not that you were going to, but you can't say Beth!

Well, I'm off to the post office to mail out my son's first birthday party invitations (sniff, sniff).

Five Pounds Update

Happy Monday, everyone! I thought I would give a little update on my Five Pounds. I've been going to my aerobics classes, eating Lean Cuisines for lunch and sometimes dinner, and cutting out the fast food except for my once-a-week Chick-fil-a. For better or worse, I don't own a scale, but I think the five pounds are gone or are pretty close to being gone. My clothes fit right again, but what's better than that is I don't feel guilty about my eating habits. Sweet freedom!

Yesterday I had some french fries and - I won't lie - they were very, very, very delicious. My mouth was elated. But this morning I woke up with a stomach ache and I realized it was because I had eaten fried food for the first time in a while. I think my system is happier not having to deal with that and my mind is happier knowing I'm not being mastered by food. It's a win-win situation!

Thankfully, my husband is doing this with me. We take turns being tempted by McDonald's, but the other talks some sense into the weaker brother or sister. Then we do a fist-bump and congratulate ourselves on resisting. Curtis has definitely lost his five pounds. I know some of you were hoping to see his picture, but he wants to wait until April, which is when his Biggest Loser contest at work is over.

So yesterday I went to the Lean Cuisine web site to see if there are any good meals I've been missing out on. (Here's my hit list: chicken carbonara, sesame chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, roasted garlic chicken pizza, and the southwest style chicken panini.) Let me just say that Lean Cuisine has got it goin' on. You can send motivational e-cards to your friends dealing with their five pounds. Check this one out.

Is that perfect, or what?

Howard Dean

I just got home from Seattle and I am so full of praise and thanksgiving to our God who mercifully met with us. I walked in the door and got face down on the floor and thanked Him. If anything of value happens, it is all Him. If He doesn't come, it's a miserable waste of time. I absolutely LOVED the group. Totally loved them!!! So engaged and so anxious to throw themselves on the pages of Scripture. What more on the earth could I ask??? I will tell you more about it in a few days. I just got home from a LONG flight and a time change and I am about to jump through the tub and fall in the bed. HOWEVER, Amanda told me I'd want to check your comments after she posted the celebrity "look alikes" (seriously??) and trust me when I say it was not a disappointment. I am so poured-out from the conference that I was either going to cry really hard when I got home or laugh really hard. When I read Salty Sister's comment about Howard Dean coming up on her search, I did both. (I'm about to do it again.) I laughed so hard, the tears were squirting out of my eyes. All I could do is squeak when Keith asked me what I was so tickled about. I'm not kidding. Y'all make my day. What a wonderful homecoming. Maybe now I'll just cry. What mercy God has had on this poor, pitiful mess. I love you guys. Don't worry. I won't forget to let you know what I used those ridiculous lookalikes for. I'll let you guess for a day or two and if you were there, don't let the cat out of the bag!

A Visual Aid for Your Amusement

I thought I'd share a visual aid that my mom used at Tuesday night Bible study and in Seattle this weekend. Any guesses as to the application?



I must say, I've never looked at my mother and thought of Paris Hilton. She has been mistaken for Judith Light a time or two, which is funny because when I did my celebrity look-alike collage it gave me the one and only Tony Danza! (Don't get the connection? Think Who's the Boss.) I've always admired Avril Lavigne's hair, so way to go on that one, Mom! She'll be posting another visual aid for your amusement in the next couple of days. If you were in Seattle I'm sure you know what it is.

Deliciously Ditzy Family

I just got home from work and Keith and I were just sitting here laughing our heads off at you silly things. Every one of your entries bring me joy and touch my heart. That one on the group that made the lifesize picture out of their Bible study teacher for the group shot then accidentally left her (me) in the car nearly killed Keith and me. You could have heard us howl all over the Lonestar State. I think Linda summed us blog-sisters up best: "a whole new big, wonderful, delicously ditzy family has opened up" to us! See? It's not just Blonder Than She Pays To Be. You guys bring your own ditz to this mix. Oh, Jesus is so good to us, isn't He? Isn't He a Wonder? Such a blast? The more we love Him the better we'll love one another.

I'm off before dawn to Seattle. I'm looking so forward to the handpicked group God has invited to meet Him there. I know He has a word for me, too. Pray for God to fall on us like crazy. I'll let you know how it goes. Amanda will keep an eye on you till I get back. Isn't she precious? She and Melissa make me so much cooler than I'd be. Love you!

The Most Fun

You guys are the most fun. Thank you for all the sweet and funny notes you wrote in response to the pics of my man and his two best home-girls. I loved every single one of them and will share with Keith what the intercession I mentioned in Patriarchs has meant to many of you. If you didn't read Lucy's comment (I think it was the 11th one or so), take another look because it is so funny. I'm sure that has happened to me, too, at one time or another, particularly since Beanie sleeps right next to me. And we have a similar profile. I LOVE OUR BLOGGING! By all means, let's celebrate our blog with a new up-do! Be looking for that over the coming weeks. Great idea, Darlin' Child of mine.