I believe I may have mentioned, after attending the Going Beyond event with Priscilla Shirer last June, that I became a fan of her worship leader, Anthony Evans. In fact, I know I mentioned it because I took a picture of Anthony for the Allaccess blog while I blurted out, "I promise I'm not a stalker!" which is a phrase that tends to make people nervous.
In hindsight it would have been more appropriate to mention that I blog for LifeWay on the Allaccess blog. Too late now.
Anyway, the point is that Anthony Evans has a brand new Christmas album that was just released on iTunes yesterday and it is SO GOOD. It's called What Christmas Means and you can download it by clicking over to iTunes or buy a copy through his website.
Then you can sit around your house and listen to beautiful Christmas music in October while drinking hot chocolate. Except I'll have to drink iced tea because it's still 94 degrees in South Texas. Not that I'm bitter.
While we're on the subject of the Evans family, don't miss the chance to hear Priscilla Shirer live this Thursday and Friday. Click over to Living With Joy for more details!
Oh, and one last thing! Only two more days until LPL Memphis! My bags are packed (not really, because I procrastinate) and I can't wait to see y'all.
There's a survey going on at the Living Proof Ministries blog. Beth is looking for some anonymous answers from men regarding insecurity for a book she is currently working on.
Ladies, if you think the man in your life might be willing to share a little insight, then send him to this post that explains exactly what Beth is looking for.
The future comes at us fast! I bet you can remember being a little girl playing house and pretending to be a mom. If you think real hard I bet you'll recall your first crush, first boyfriend, and first kiss. It won't be too far a stretch for you to conjure up the struggles in friendships, romantic relationships, parental disagreements you had in your teens. Can you believe how far you've come and how fast?! Well, now there's a new generation of girls playing dolls and dress up, struggling with insecurities in personal relationships, and wondering about the future. The world they are growing up in is vastly different than the world you did. They have cell phones now. They text more than they talk. They are tempted with things and fall into traps that most of us could not have conceived of at their age. Before we know it a generation of girls will become a generation of young adult women and so forth. The question before us is what are we going to do to influence the girls in our world today?
LifeWay realizes that if a generation of girls (0-17) and young adult women (18-34) is lost to the philosophies and empty deception found in this world it would be devastating! We don't want to see that happen! Pam Gibbs is a dynamic woman who has a heart and passion for girls. Pam desires to see the church effectively reach, keep, and minister to a generation of elementary, middle, and high school girls. I bet you desire the same thing! Many of you are moms, youth group leaders, neighbors, and friends of those who have girls, I encourage you to allow Pam to be a vital resource to you in your efforts to reach out to a younger generation.
OK, you don't know me but I add the videos, fix broken things, and host of other things for the AllAccess blog. So, when I went to the wonderful AllAccess people and asked to hijack a post, they graciously allowed me. Maybe it was because they realized I could make their pictures look funny or shut the whole thing down, but I am just going to think it's because they are THAT AWESOME and they want you to know about a good thing.
Our ParentLife magazine people are venturing into the blogosphere and it's about time. This is for Moms AND Dads of kids - well, I guess there is an assumed kid when you say you are a mom and dad - but what I mean is that they are preteens and younger, down to babies. And just like a baby is brand new, so is the ParentLife Blog. They want you to stop by the delivery room and tell them how cute or not so cute they are and one person will actually get a free book for the feedback given. Oh, and if you work with kids or just like cute kid picts, the ParentLife Blog is also a place for you. You can also send in cute kid pictures and submit your funny stories. Based on what they hear, there may be some tweaks and changes or a massive overhaul (I originally typed overalls ;) so that it is the best parenting blog - evuh!
I want to hijack more posts. This was fun. I feel like a pirate - ARRR. Until then, back to your regularly scheduled bloggers.
Someone asked in the comments yesterday about the Jesse Tree, which made me very happy because I assumed I was the last person on the planet to adopt the tradition.
A Jesse Tree is a way of celebrating the Advent season based on Isaiah 11:1-2:
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD"
It's basically a series of nightly devotions that highlight Christ's lineage throughout the Old Testament. For my family, it's a way to keep our focus on Him during the Christmas season.
I wanted to keep it simple so what we did this year was print out ornaments that we found online which represent each of the different passages of scripture. Then, for our tree, I just made a tree out of green posterboard because sometimes I am artsy and craftsy like that.
You can really make it as elaborate or as simple as you want. Some people buy real ornaments to hang on a real tree, but that was way too classy for us. We prefer posterboard and double-sided Scotch tape around our house.
Although, truth be told, I'd like to do something a little fancier next year. Especially because my makeshift tree leaves a lot to be desired.
We hope y'all had a Happy Thanksgiving filled with plenty of food, friends and family. Thanks so much for participating in the "Loving Well" Retreat Kit in a Box giveaway and don't forget that we have another great giveaway coming up next week!
The winner is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
69
Timestamp: 2008-11-28 17:47:39 UTC
Congratulations to Megan at Rapp Family Aixtreme Life!
Please email your mailing address to kris.seidenkranz@lifeway.com and we'll get this in the mail for you!
Jennifer Rothschild is one of our LifeWay Women and we've got something coming down the pike early February you'll all want to check out. She's already written two other LifeWay Bible Studies. This study is based on her trade book, Self Talk/Soul Talk. Jennifer's been on Good Morning America. We love her! Stay tuned for more.
In fact, I laughed several times as I read over all your funny entries in last week's caption contest. And the scripture references were impressive.
However, after much deliberation, Sophie and I decided our favorite was "High and Lifted Up".
Because really, isn't that every woman's goal for her hair and her life in Christ?
Two women actually submitted the suggestion, so they are our winners.
Jessica
Susan L. Prince
If you will email me at bigmama8303@yahoo.com, I will arrange to get your copy of "Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter" sent to you ASAP.
There is nothing we like more than giving y'all the chance to win some cool stuff, so it's time for another caption contest.
We had so much fun reading all of your suggestions last time that we knew we wanted to make it a regular feature.
After I got home from my trip to Nashville, I emailed a couple of different pictures to Sophie so that we could decide which one was begging to be captioned. Ultimately, there was really no question which picture it should be.
I mean check out the look in my eyes. Was it fear or excitement as I watched my hair being teased to new heights by a woman who used to work on the set of "Hee-Haw"?
What is happening here? Am I closer to heaven if I have big hair?
Congratulations, Colleen! You can email me your mailing address at bigmama8303@yahoo.com and I'll get your Return to the Garden DVD study in the mail on Monday!
Thanks for playing, everybody. We'll be doing many more giveaways in the future!
Yesterday Melanie and I had a conference call with some of the women you see over in the sidebar to your right: Pam, Kris and Paige. All three of them - along with Dawn, who's also over there to your right - work in the women's ministry division at LifeWay, and every single time I talk with them, I am AMAZED by how much they have on their work-related plates. In fact, yesterday I pretty much decided that if I had even a tenth of their responsibilities, I would curl up in the fetal position and remain there forevermore.
But they don't, of course. They are passionate about the work the Lord has entrusted to them, and they work tirelessly, selflessly and enthusiastically. I am always encouraged (and usually exhausted from laughing) after I talk to them.
It occurred to me this morning that it might be fun for y'all to find out a little bit more about what they do. These are the women who work with LifeWay authors, who plan events, who make sure the Bible studies get published, who make sure churches have the resources they need. Everything that comes out of the LIfeway women's divison passes through their hands.
Doesn't sound like an intimidating task at all, does it?
So, what would you like to know about what these ladies do everyday? What kind of behind-the-scenes info would you like to hear about?
Just leave your questions in the comments - and we'll pass them along!
Okay, we had so much fun with the caption contest! It served to confirm what we already knew, which is that the best part of Allaccess is your input.
I mean, clearly, I can just blah, blah, blah all day long but, like my husband keeps telling me, it gets tiresome after a while.
So here's your chance to contribute to what we're doing here.
Travis Cottrell has agreed, after only small amounts of begging and pleading, to answer any questions y'all may have for him right here on Allaccess.
Our thought is that this can become a regular feature and, eventually, we will totally con every member of the Praise Team, LifeWay Event Team, and possibly even speakers and authors to do the same thing.
And here I thought my career in sales was over.
Anyway, leave your questions in the comments and Travis will answer them starting next Wednesday.
So I meant to post pictures from Living Proof Live in San Antonio as soon as I got home, but I accidentally left my camera at the Siesta Fiesta pajama party Saturday night, and oddly enough it is somewhat difficult to upload your pictures when you live in Alabama and your camera went home with a bloggy friend who lives in a different state (thanks, Kim, for finding it and sending it to me!).
There's no doubt that the weekend's teaching and worship were huge blessings for everyone there. And on top of that, there was a whole bunch of other great stuff.
Like sweet friends:
And a Q&A time with Beth, her daughters Amanda and Melissa, and the women who read The LPM Blog:
And last but not least - cute shoes:
So basically, you know, it was perfection.
Hope we get to see some of you in Las Vegas at Deeper Still this weekend - Melanie and I will be blogging as much as we can, so check in here and at the Deeper Still blog if you get a chance.
So, a confession: living in the moment - taking life day-by-day - can be a HUGE battle for me. There are times when I wrestle with fear and worry like nobody's business. And when I slip into that spiral, I can spend hours bogged down in mistakes I made when I was younger, grieving the extent to which I looked my depravity dead in the eyes and pretty much said, "OH, BRING IT" when I was in my early 20s.
And on top of that, I wear myself out thinking about what I could or should have done differently, thinking about how I should have known better. Worrying that somehow, someway, I let God down.
Last weekend, at Living Proof Live in San Antonio, Beth talked about what it means to be an heir of God. She talked about how differently we'd live our lives if we woke up in the morning and marveled at our inheritance. She talked about how our lives are not left to chance, how every single thing that is playing into our lives makes for a beautiful inheritance. There's no such thing as a chance encounter or a chance season. Fate has no power over us.
God is Sovereign.
Beth challenged us during the second session of the weekend to realize that our brokenness is no accident; our brokenness is our assignment. Hearing those words was a profound moment for me; I tend to think of the "bad stuff" as something that embarrasses God, as my own personal laundry list of all the things I've done to disappoint Him.
But the reality is that my failures are part of who I am. He has allowed those things to happen so that I can boldly testify to His healing and His power. By God's grace, I'm not who I was at 24. I'm not who I was at 30, even. He has given me victory in areas of my life that could have destroyed me, and my struggles have deepened my faith and strengthened my walk with Him in ways I could have never imagined. As Beth said Saturday morning: "Even dirt can become good soil for a seed."
Our brokenness is a testimony to the fact that no one besides Him could have shattered those bad habits; no one besides Him could have demolished those strongholds; no ones besides Him could have restored what was beyond man's repair.
No one.
And I don't know about you, but I think that's cause for some serious praise.
Back in January I bought a CD called God Speaking by a guy named Ronnie Freeman. I loved the CD instantly, and even now, almost eight months later, it's still in constant rotation on my iPod. The CD is, in a word, excellent.
There's one song in particular that I thought might be of interest to those of y'all who were at Living Proof Live this past weekend. The song is called "My Inheritance," and as you can imagine, it fits in pretty nicely with the theme of Beth's teaching. You may have even heard it at the end of the Saturday session - it was playing loud and clear over the speakers. Made me smile.
If you'd like to listen to a clip of the song (or even buy it), you can find it here on iTunes or here on Amazon.
As an added bonus to the song? Christy Nockels also sings. And that may not matter to anyone else except for me, but that's okay, because OH, I DO ADORE HER.
Hello everyone! Kris here. I know, you haven't heard from me in so long and I am way convicted! I don't want to sound like a marketing strategist, but well, that's what I am and this bit of information is too good to not let you in on it! I just got this video today - hot off the press - straight from our amazing video production team.
Get ready girls. Esther, It's Tough Being a Woman will be available November 17th. Here's a message to you from Beth. Check it out. (First, you'll want to stop the video over there to your right)
It seems like everywhere I turn lately I see something about Fireproof (our friend Pam actually wrote about it in one of the first allaccess posts). There's no doubt that this movie is going to have huge buzz by the time it hits theatres on September 26th.
Now I'll be honest with y'all. Even though I'm sure that Fireproof is an excellent film, it's not the kind of movie that would normally make me run to the theatre. Why, you ask? Because I'm weird. And I'm not typically a huge fan of movies about romance, the search for romance or the quest to reclaim romance gone awry.
Which means that I'm pretty much left with movies featuring talking animals or movies where things blow up.
You may have picked up on the fact that I have some movie romance issues.
But for several reasons, Fireproof has piqued my curiosity. First, I believe with my whole heart that we're supposed to fight for our marriages. Second, I'm oh-so-intrigued by this particular film's behind-the-scenes story (I mean, a church with a movie ministry? ROCK ON). And third, Mike Seaver, because I could sing the "Growing Pains" theme song from memory right this second, OH YES MA'AM.
So all that to say: I'm planning to see it. And if you'd like to know if the movie will be playing in your area, check out this section of the Fireproof website. You can even find contact information if you or your church would like to buy out a showtime.
And just in case you haven't watched it yet, here's the Fireproof trailer.
What do you think? Will you see this movie? And do you think this film will catch on with mainstream audiences?
p.s. That song you hear in the trailer? It's "Love Is Not A Fight" by Warren Barfield. And I love it a bunch. In case you were wondering.
This past weekend my husband cleaned out my car, oh God bless him. Because while I realize that there are probably many of you who keep immaculately maintained vehicles with nary a curly French fry in sight, I confess to you right here and now that I struggle in this area. The car cleanliness thing tends to get away from me.
However, the up side is that if you're ever looking for a Coke-stained notepad, a small piece of a Happy Meal toy or an assortment of gently-worn Starbucks napkins, I can HOOK YOU UP.
You're welcome.
And here's even more good news: when my hubby and my little boy cleaned out my car, they discovered one flat-out treasure: my notes from a Living Proof Live in Knoxville in 2005.
Honestly, I can't remember why the notebook was even in my car - I think I threw it in there a few weeks ago to take to a meeting. Regardless, I was beyond tickled to sit down at my kitchen table yesterday afternoon and read through those notes. I'll be doggone if I didn't get me a good word AGAIN - three years after the event.
The focus of that weekend was Loving Well - the idea that we'll never be able to love others well until we let God love us well. And after a little interweb searching, I found out that the teaching from that conference is available as a weekend retreat in a box, and it's called - YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE THIS - Loving Well.
What a crazy coincidence.
I remembered yesterday that what resonated so deeply with me that weekend was how sacrificially we have to love the people in our lives who, for whatever reason, are difficult to love (and for the sake of our discussion, we're talking about people who are ornery, bitter, manipulative, etc.). Beth used four different passages from Scripture to illustrate how we're called to love those "testy" people, and here's what just jumped off the page at me as I re-read my notes yesterday:
"The people who drive us crazy have been assigned to us, positioned for us. They bring out the worst in us because God designed them to bring the worst [in us] up and OUT."
My tendency sometimes is to try to "escape" difficult people - to avoid them, to push them away, to distance myself from them because I so dislike the feelings they bring out in me. But Beth reminded us that "God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart," and our calling is to extend that love to others. Period. 1 John 4:19-21 is pretty clear on this matter: "We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."
So what about you? How do you handle this issue in your own life? How do you deal with people who are difficult to love? Have you ever experienced restoration in one of those relationships? Do you have any wisdom you'd like to share with the rest of us? Any encouragement you can offer?
I think it would be safe to say that I'm a people person.
And what I mean by that is that when I meet people, if I have time, I love to look for common denominators: shared friends, shared backgrounds, shared interests, shared favorite colors, shared favorite song in the summer of 1989, etc. and so forth and so on amen.
Not too long after I started blogging, I joined an online group study of Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of The Spirit with about fifteen other women. Every week, after we completed our homework, we'd post about what we'd learned. And while the Word was always, always central, I thought that one of the neatest things about walking through that particular study was the opportunity to read about each participant's life experiences in relation to each week's lesson.
You might say that I'm a smidge relational. And I mention that to (hopefully) explain why I think what I'm about to tell you about is OH-SO-COOL, MY WORD.
Priscilla Shirer is working on a new Bible study called Going Beyond, and there's something called Open Access that enables you to be a part of the study throughout the writing and editing process. Participants won't just go through the study before its made available to the general public; they'll also influence the content by contributing their own illustrations, examples, feedback, and more.
Open Access is a whole new way of writing and publishing a Bible study - and if you'd like to hear more about why Lifeway is taking this approach, you can click over to the Open Access blog and watch a mighty informative video. And get this: you can even follow the development of this project on Twitter. It's Lifeway 2.0, y'all.
Back when I did the LBY study online, we thought we were pretty tech-savvy with our chart-o-participants in our respective blog sidebars. This Open Access deal is a whole new level technology-wise - it's Scripture-centered, forward-thinking and community-driven. Love that.
If you decide to join the study, leave us a comment and let us know. We'd love for you to keep us posted about the Open Access experience.
Oh, it warms me to the core of my overly relational heart.
You know, the part of my heart that cannot resist the temptation to tell you that my favorite song of 1989 was "Love Shack."
I loved reading all of your suggestions and recommendations for Bible studies, and I thought I'd throw a suggestion in the ring because, well, I like to share.
(Total sidenote: earlier today I told my little boy that I wanted him to repeat something to his daddy that he'd said to me, and he looked at me for a second, sighed, and said, "OH, MAMA - ARE WE ALL GONNA TALK ABOUT IT OR SOMETHING? I GET TIRED OF ALL THE TALKING."
And what I wanted to say - but didn't - was "Son, you are an official resident of an over-communication zone, where no topic is off-limits and no conversation is EVER short."
The child comes from a long line of over-sharers. Bless his sweet little heart.)
ANYWAY, there's a new Bible study called Anointed, Transformed and Redeemed: A Study of David. It was filmed at Deeper Still in Nashville last September, and y'all, when I tell you that it was the most impactful weekend of teaching I have ever experienced in my life, I mean it.
The structure is clear and effective: Priscilla focuses on David's early life; Beth focuses on David's middle-aged years; and Kay focuses on the last part of his life. I think anyone would be blessed by the teaching from that particular weekend, especially if you're in a season where you know the Lord is calling you in a new direction (which is right where I was livin' last September).
There's not a doubt in my mind that you will be encouraged and convicted by what you learn. I cannot say that enough.
Remember that time I went to Deeper Still in Atlanta?
I know! It's like I've hardly mentioned it!
Anyway, at the end of her talk on Friday night, Priscilla Shirer quoted (By memory, thankyouverymuch. I barely remember my telephone number these days.) the lyrics to "He Is" by Aaron Jeoffrey.
"In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT
In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride
AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!"
Oh, is that all?
Seriously, how awesome is that?
Anyway, the other day Sister Lynn emailed me about a cool little thing called Wordle. You can type in your url or just put in a bunch of words and watch what happens.
So I put in the words to "He Is" and this is what it looks like. Click on the image to see it in a size that doesn't require super-sonic vision.
I started blogging about two years ago and one of the best surprises of the whole thing is that I've become a part of a community. A community that prays for one another, encourages one another, and celebrates victories for momentous occasions like when you finally potty-train your child.
About the time I started my blog, there were several women online doing Beth Moore's Living Beyond Yourself study. I loved reading their posts on what they were learning and what God was teaching them. It encouraged me in my own faith and, even more importantly, inspired me to get involved in a weekly Bible study.
It's just every other week so it takes into account the lazy days of summer where it's hard to keep a schedule or to, you know, get dressed before 10 a.m.
The Kelly Minter study is incredible and I know you'll be blessed even if you're a little late to the party.
Yesterday I was in the car for a pretty long time by myself, and do you know what I did, y'all? Do you know?
I listened to a whole sermon. I did!
Right there! In my car! Alone!
It was a message that I missed a few weeks ago when I was out of town, and as I listened to our pastor teach from I Corinthians to Matthew to Genesis and back to I Corinthians again, I amen'd and uh-huh'd all the way down I-65.
I'm telling you: it was a balm for my weary soul.
Because as much as I'd like to sit here and tell you that I spend a chunk of every single morning digging into the Word and pondering the great mysteries of the faith before praying with great fervor, the reality is that the only thing I've been digging into lately - especially for the last couple of weeks - is a big ole pile of excuses about why I'm not spending more time with God.
So I guess I'll just go ahead and put this out there because there's really no need to sugar-coat it: one area where I am really struggling right now is with having a daily quiet time.
STRUGGLE. ING. Oh mercy. Am I ever.
And I could pull one excuse after another from that pile I mentioned (crazy schedules, lots of summertime travel, five year-old who wants to sit beside me and make car noises while I read my Bible, so much laundry that I can only hope to catch up by the spring of 2009, blah blah blahtedy you've heard it all before blahtedy blah blah), but in the end it's still just a bunch of excuses.
No valid reasons, mind you. Not a single solitary one.
So tell me, oh internets: how do you avoid the quiet time slump? Do you think it's unrealistic to have twenty or twenty-five minutes of uninterrupted alone time when there are young kids in the house? And how do you make sure you are spending enough time with God - and in the Word - on a daily basis? Any helpful hints you can offer?
I'm guessing that I'm not alone in this one, so I can't wait to read your comments.
And be gentle, internets. Be gentle. I have a feeling that the other Strugglers and I are feeling a little fragile.
Wow. So we are passionate about the modesty issue.
In fact, I have totally re-thought my decision to wear a tube top to Deeper Still this weekend.
Oh I'm kidding. I would never wear a tube top to Deeper Still in Atlanta. I'm saving it for Deeper Still Las Vegas.
In all seriousness, the modesty issue hits a nerve because we all have such strong feelings about it. But, like everything else women struggle with, it's ultimately a heart issue.
Women are inundated with a culture that tells them they need to be alluring and appealing to the opposite sex. And for women who don't know what it is to find your worth and value in Jesus Christ, it is easy to buy into that message.
Instead of sitting back and judging someone by their wardrobe we need to love them where they are, show them the One they can find their value in, and let Him change their heart.
We'll talk more about modesty issues next week.
But for now, let's talk about the challenge I am currently facing.
Can I manage to bring just a carry-on bag to Deeper Still Atlanta?
Oh sure. You might be asking what the big deal is, but then clearly you have never met me. I am not a strong decision maker. I like options.
However, I will be in Atlanta for approximately 36 hours. There is no need for superfluous luggage.
Also, my flight leaves at 6:30 a.m.
Process that. SIX THIRTY A.M.
Which means I will need to set my alarm for 4:30 a.m.
I can't think about it or I will start to cry.
In fact, my biggest fear is that I will make it to the hotel, fall asleep on a couch in the lobby because my room won't be ready, and be awakened by the entire LifeWay staff as they arrive and see me passed out asleep on the couch.
With no makeup on.
Because I'm not applying makeup at 4:30 in the morning.
But in spite of the early flight and the carry-on luggage, I am so excited about this weekend. Sophie and I will be checking in as often as we can with a random array of Deeper Still updates.
I have had the adventure of knowing Travis Cottrell (worship leader for Deeper Still and Living Proof Live) since 1985 when he was a ninth grader and I was a freshman in college at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. We met in the Blue Ridge Community Theatre production of Oliver. I was the mean servant wench and he was the Artful Dodger. Yes, its true...but even back then it was remarkable how that boy could sing! So confident...sooooo skinny! We have come a long way since then by the grace of God, and our worlds are colliding all over again on a different stage of ministry to women....so different than Oliver!
So this big sister, sometimes pesky younger brother friendship has endured more than 20 years, several more productions (including Peter Pan, where he was a dancing pirate and I was Wendy (note original hair color). See photo below...viewer discretion advised.
YES that is travis far right with the midriff showing. Remind me to tell you about how he tried to mess me up on stage in a live performance of The Pirates of Penzance. Otherwise, it is a joy to be his, Angela's and their three kids' buddy. Trust me, you don't want to shop with this family. It is a wonder to behold. Trav and Ang are a force of nature in a department store; and around their kitchen table with coffee and sweet, fun, funny kids I adore.
Even after knowing Travis all of these years and hearing him in performances and worship sessions too numerous to count, he never ceases to amaze me. A month ago I had the privilege of being in a choir of thirty people to sing parts on his upcoming Christmas album and I was amazed yet again. Not only did he orchestrate stunning (only adjective that works for this) vocal parts for us on several songs, he also directed us and sang his lead vocals?! COME ON?!! STUNNING! It is almost too much to stand. GIRLS, that is going to be one incredible, BIG Christmas album. RUN! don't walk to get it this fallt. I would give you this advice if I didn't know Trav from Adam. honest.
At a Living Proof Live event we had in Vancouver this past February, Travis and I walked past an older man who worked for the arena as an usher. He was there with some of his fellow staffers and as we walked by he said, "@#!$% that boy can sing!" Travis graciously smiled and I said. "Yes, yessir, he sure can."
And sing he will. At Deeper Still this weekend Travis will lead 19,000 women before the throne in a powerful time of worship to our King! It is what God put him on earth to do, worship Jesus with everything he has got...and not in a pink and burgundy pirate costume. At least I hope not. The adventure continues!.....
Nobody told me that I could "fall" so fast and so hard for a Twitter. I must confess that I wasn't an early adopter although I love new technology. Without experiencing the joys of twittering first hand, I had a hard time understanding why anybody would care to read a rolling commentary about "What are you doing?" But after hearing all of the rage and finally spending some time snooping behind the scenes of twitter, I'm hooked.
I'm now fascinated with following all sorts of people and keeping track of the little details that they find interesting and worthwhile to share with anyone who will listen.
My new addiction has me wondering: With our attempts to stay connected to virtually everyone, I'm not sure if we're "authentically" connected to anyone.
Does twittering have a place in churches? With a limitation of 140 characters, can twittering be used to build community and interact with other believers? I wonder if Jesus would have twittered with his disciples.
But until I can figure it out . . . I need to let my twitter followers know that I just wrote a post about "what I'm doing right now."
Melanie and I are both in Charlotte, North Carolina, and last night we got to go to dinner at a real-live restaurant where we were not responsible for dispensing chicken nuggets and French fries to little people.
Oh, it was very luxurious and fancy.
We went to a Mexican place down the street from our hotel, and after we set about the business of systematically demolishing some chips and salsa, we started to catch up on what was going on in each other's lives.
Because A LOT had happened in the eighteen hours since our last phone conversation, you understand.
And while yes, it's true that Melanie and I talk, oh, at least once a day, we don't often get to sit down and talk without interruption. In fact, when we talk on the phone we typically have to assist a preschooler in the bathroom at least once per conversation, and we've mediated no telling how many END! OF! THE! WORLD! meltdowns while simultaneously relaying information about the super-cool shoes we saw at Target.
So sitting in a booth across from each other? All alone?
It was a bit of a luxury, aside from the nachos that had approximately two heads of lettuce shredded across the top of all the hot cheese.
I don't think I'll be eating salad again anytime soon.
We sat in our little booth for an hour and a half, talking about everything and nothing: our husbands, our kids, our shoes, our hair - and probably more time on that last thing than is either healthy or good. We talked about Big Decisions we're praying about, some Life Junk we're dealing with, and the ongoing process of pushing through the fear that seems to go hand-in-hand with new opportunities.
I guess you could say that we talked about everything and nothing. And it was some mighty fine fun.
This morning I was thinking about our girls' night out when I saw this article on the front page of the Lifeway site. The article has a lot of great things to say about the importance of friendships among believers, and more than anything it was such a reminder to me that we are people designed for community. We are not meant to walk through life alone.
It's difficult - especially in such an image-obsessed culture - to let down our guards with people, to let them see our flaws and our baggage and our struggles. The Southern girl in me constantly fights the tendency to pretend like everything is okay when it's really not, to gloss over the fact that I've made some big mistakes in my past, to just nod my head when someone is telling me about their problems - as if I've never had any real problems of my own.
So in those moments like last night - where the food rates somewhere just below average but the conversation is genuine and transparent and sincere - I can't help but be reminded of the blessing of friendship, the blessing of community, the blessing of walking through life with people who know your junk and love you anyway.
Since my husband and I live in a town where we don't have any immediate family members, we've both gravitated to Bible studies where the age of the participants is a little more varied than what might be considered typical. We don't have the benefit of fellowship with older and wiser relatives on a daily basis, so we've tried to fill that gap through our small groups.
And for a whole host of reasons, it's been a really wonderful thing.
Right now I'm in a Bible study with women who, for the most part, are at a different stage of life than I am. Some of them are moms to teenagers, some are balancing motherhood with full-time jobs outside the home, some are grandmothers whose eyes light up at the mere mention of their grandbabies. All of them are inspirational.
I can't tell you how much it's helped me as a wife and mother to just sit back and soak up insight from women who have already walked this mama-of-a-preschooler road.
So I'm just wondering: apart from someone who's a member of your family, is there a woman in your life who has taken you under her wing, so to speak? Someone from your work? Or your church? Or your small group?
I know that I can't even begin to measure the impact that my Bible study buddies have had on my life.
And I'd love to hear about who has impacted yours.
Last fall I went to Deeper Still in Nashville, and at the end of the conference - during a hysterical Q&A session - Kay Arthur offered the audience some very frank advice about sex.
I think Kay's candor caught most of us a little bit off guard; I mean, she is so distinguished and regal and elegant, and it was a little surprising to hear her speak so matter-of-factly about a topic that oftentimes can seem off-limits in "polite company."
But oh, Kay had a good, strong word for the women at Deeper Still, and her remarks about sex were met with lots of laughter and applause. Since then I've talked with several friends who were also in Nashville that day, and they all agreed: what Kay said was right on the money.
In all honesty, doing a Bible study about THE SEX makes me nervous and more than just a teensy bit uncomfortable, but my friends and I are in agreement that this study is going to be great. Plus, since it's only six weeks long, it's perfect for this time of year.
And besides: once we made our decision, I started to get excited (OH, just TRY to write a post about a sex-related Bible study and see if every single phrase doesn't start to sound like some lame double entendre) because I thought, Hey! I bet I can write some posts about this!
Oh, I do love me a recurring posting theme.
By the way, right now my Episcopalian relatives are probably calling their friends to tell them that I'm STIRRIN' UP THE BAPTISTS by writing about sex on the Lifeway women's blog.
Well, I mean, they're calling their friends when they're not totally grossed out by the fact that their sister / niece / cousin is going to be writing about sex. ON THE INTERNET.
However, I'm okay with stirrin' it up a little bit. I was, after all, the first person in my family to join a Baptist church where THEY PLAY DRUMS AND ELECTRIC GEE-TARS AND STUFF, so I'm a smidge familiar with stepping outside my comfort zone.
And don't worry. I won't really be writing about sex. I'm far too Southern for that. Plus, you know, my parents are reading.
But I'll definitely be writing about what Kay teaches through the Bible study. And while I'm not going to share my friends' real names because, well, GOOGLE? EVER HEARD OF IT?, I am going to blog about some of what we talk about over the next six weeks.
As always, discretion will be the order of the bloggy day - I won't specify who says what, and I certainly won't reveal anything without my friends' permission.
And when I share anything that pertains to my own life, you'll never even know it because I plan to use an elaborate system of rotating pseudonyms. I'll call myself "S., a blogger at MooBama," and NO ONE WILL EVER FIGURE IT OUT, OF THIS I AM CERTAIN.
I was on vacation in Destin about two weeks ago. The house we were renting was right on the beach and every morning I sat on the balcony and watched the waves roll in.
It was not a bad way to spend time.
Maybe it's because it's not part of my everyday landscape when I'm at home, but anytime I see mountains or the ocean they make me stand in awe of God and His incredible creation.
Especially when I read verses like Psalm 93: 3-4, "The seas have lifted up, O Lord, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves. Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the Lord on high is mighty."
One day while we were there, we played in the water and sat on the beach most of the day. We were finally exhausted and came back inside to eat something. Because a trip to the beach isn't complete without some Fritos and bean dip.
As we sat on the balcony, eating our Fritos, we noticed two guys that had swam really far out. All we could see were two heads bobbing and we wondered how they would get back in.
About that time we heard someone yell, "HELP!" It was so faint that we barely heard it, but then we heard it again. "HELP!"
We looked through the zoom lens of someone's camera and could see one of the guys waving his arms.
My husband ran downstairs and down the beach to get the lifeguards. They came flying down the beach, grabbed their surfboards and headed out to save these two guys. It took them about twenty minutes and one of the guys was so tired that they couldn't even get him to stay on the surfboard.
Finally they got him in and he stood up to walk the last few steps to the shore. You could tell he was exhausted and scared.
I thought about it the rest of the afternoon. How close was he to just slipping under the surface forever?
It makes me think about life before Christ. How many times did I go out way over my head? How many times did I underestimate the temptation I was putting myself in and the power it would have to pull me under?
If you knew my whole testimony, the answer would be A LOT.
Then one day I'd had enough. I knew I couldn't save myself. I knew I didn't have the power to swim back to a safe harbor. So, I just called out, "HELP!"
And there He was.
He lifted me up and surrounded me with His love. He surrounded me with people who encouraged me and supported me as I found my way back to shore. It wasn't always easy and at times I wasn't sure I was going to make it.
So, this is the new Lifeway All Access blog. And maybe I'm slightly biased but I think it's pretty cool. Almost as cool as that one time that I nearly met Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, but then I chickened out.
Which makes this cooler than that time.
When Lifeway asked if I would be interested in being a contributor to their new blog, I jumped at the chance for several reasons. First of all, there is nothing that will suck me in more than a Lifeway bookstore. I am never aware of how much help I need until I walk through those doors and see all the answers that are available.
It's like the Sephora of the Christian world and all of a sudden there seems to be a solution for every single issue I struggle with, most of which can't be fixed with a good eye cream.
It also makes me want to buy a new Bible since the one I currently own still has my maiden name on the cover.
I've been married for almost eleven years.
Yes, it should be too well worn to serve its purpose at this point if I'd had it open as much as I should have. I'm working on it.
The other cool thing about Lifeway is the people who work there. You will not meet a more fun group of women. The women behind the scenes are encouraging, honest, sincere and I am so excited to get to know them better.
And lastly, I was so pumped because I figured I'd get to have Priscilla Shirer's and Beth Moore's home phone numbers on speed dial so I could call them with any prayer requests I might have. I told Pam and Kris to hook me up with the digits and that's when they hung up on me.
I frightened them with my overenthusiastic and overly familiar tendencies.
But apparently I am more than welcome to write a letter to Beth or Priscilla any time I want, which is basically an opportunity that's open to anyone else in the free world.
Anyway, I'm excited to be here. I'm thrilled to contribute to such an incredible team and would love to hear some feedback from y'all on what you'd like to know more about and things you'd love to see discussed on this blog.
It's going to be fun.
And did I mention I might get free popcorn at the next event?
They may even hook me up with some nachos complete with the pumped nacho cheese.
It's a new day for LifeWay Women. We're stepping out into the blogosphere.
This is LifeWay Women All Access.
So, why have we jumped online, smack dab in the middle of it all?
Well, studies are telling us that blogging is now mainstream among us ladies. Seems that more than a one-third of us aged 18 to 75 are blog participants. Out of those of us online, 53% are reading blogs, 37% are commenting and 28% are writing and updating blogs.*
That's a lot of us grown-up girls cruising the web.
It only made sense that we provide a blog home for accessing what we do at LifeWay Women. But we wouldn't settle for just a little access. We wanted to give you real insight into our world at LifeWay Women. Our plans are to include behind-the-scenes looks at the life and times of what we do. As a ministry. As a business. And lots of fun conversations with and about our ever-growing roster of women authors and platform speakers behind the awesome Bible studies and LifeWay Women's events we produce.
As time passes, we'll introduce you to the women (and yes, a few men too) who help make up the LifeWay Women's team. I'm not real objective when I talk about these teammates. They are some of the best in the biz, with hearts for following Christ like no other!
My fellow "bloggers" on this site are five fabulous ladies who know and love LifeWay Women. Some of the ladies work daily within the walls of our Nashville offices. A couple of others are long-time LifeWay Women followers who we brought on board to help us tell our story on a regular basis. We think you'll enjoy the insights brought regularly by each one. (I'd stop right now and bookmark this site!)
Allow me a moment to introduce the LifeWay Women bloggers:
Meet Kris. She's the lead marketing strategist for LifeWay Women.
Meet Dawn. She's also a marketing strategist for LifeWay Women, with specialty focus on African American women and churches.
Meet Paige. She's the Director of LifeWay Women's Events.
Meet Melanie and Sophie. They are two of LifeWay Women's biggest fans, sharing thoughts and real life moments from outside the walls of LifeWay, with a touch of family fun and humor, just to keep us honest.
And then there's me, Pam. As Director of Women's Ministry for LifeWay Women, I simply consider myself "glue", just trying to hold it all together.
It's going to be an interesting ride. And we don't plan on riding alone.
As we move forward in this new venture, we'll welcome your comments and questions. We'll be moderating every comment that comes our way on a regular basis with plans to be snappy in our response.
We're even going to introduce an exclusive opportunity for YOU to help us create an upcoming Bible study by Priscilla Shirer that releases next year. You sure won't want to miss the chance to participate in that.
So, allow me to be the first to say "welcome to LifeWay Women All Access".
May God richly bless this opportunity to interact with you in a brand new way. We at LifeWay Women commit this place to His work, for His glory alone.
"Commit your activities to the Lord and your plans will be achieved"
- Proverbs 16:30 (HCSB)
*According to a recent study by the online women's blogging community BlogHer and Compass Partners
Melanie
Melanie
Sophie
Sophie
Pam
Pam
Paige
Paige
Kris
Kris