"Candle In The Wind"

There aren't too many celebrities that I follow but from the first day I saw and heard Princess Diana , I was fascinated with her. She lived a very "fishbowl" life unfortunately but I think she handled it with grace. She had a huge heart for the sick,poor, underprivileged and I think that is part of the reason I loved her.
Ten years ago today she was killed in a car accident.
She was only 36 ...but she made a huge impact in the time she was here. She loved and she was loved and she won't be forgotten.

Moving is hard!!!

Well, I am officially moved to my new office and I think FINALLY all the communication pieces are working..no easy thing. New phone lines and numbers and computers that needed "ports" turned on before they would connect to the server...one of the oversights of IT(Information Technology) I came in this morning and we weren't connected to the server and neither one of our printers were working...very frustrating when you need that to be able to do your job. Luckily the server issue was a very quick fix. The printers...not so easy but they finally got fixed..a matter of moving internet addresses or something confusing like that.

I spent all day yesterday unpacking boxes and setting up our patient info and desks. It looks very nice and we do have a nice window which is something we didn't have in our other offices.

My out pt. friends have had it a little tougher. They had no air conditioning in the building today...phone lines and fax machines that weren't working and alot of unpacking left to do. I hope to be able to see that office tomorrow. I will be teaching out pt. classes every other Wed. at that office. I've heard they have a beautiful view overlooking the river.

Change is hard but I think this will be a positive change. I just hope they let us stay awhile !

Church in my heart

There was an article about Ben Harper in my 850 words of Relevant. I loved this quote.
Seriously, isn't that what counts?


“I wasn’t raised in the Church, but I’ve always had a church deep in my heart,” Harper says.

Richard...You're not 20...time to give it up!

Despite the fact that he is 10 years older than I am and supports Buddhism, I've always thought Richard Gere is an attractive man. I loved him in Pretty Woman, Officer and a Gentleman,and Shall We Dance, but honestly after reading this article I think he's a little egotistical. This article made me laugh though and I will see the movie :O

Syndicated show "Extra" says that even though he'll turn 58 on Friday, actor, Richard Gere is still so confident in his "American Gigolo"-hood that he bares his derriere in his new flick, "The Hunting Party," which co-stars the younger, and ostensibly less wrinkly, Terrence Howard.

The Little League World Series

I love baseball but not just Major League....I love Little League. My son,Zach, played Little League when he was younger and going to his games are one of my fondest memories. I can't imagine how exciting it would be to actually play in the World Series. I will be watching the finals this afternoon between Georgia and Japan...and rooting for Georgia even though Hamilton,Ohio would have been closer to my heart !

Nehemiah 8:9-18

This sermon hit home...I've struggled with Godward joy. These verses talk about how the people understood joy after hearing God's word read to them for 6 hours. They are told that it's a sacred day and not to grieve. That "sacred" day is Yom Kippur ..day of atonement. For us, everyday is a day of atonement with Christ.

We cannot experience joy if:

1 our life isn't lived in deference to God

For deep joy..you need deep conviction


2 we don't embrace your complete diagnosis from God's word

We need to be "called out" by God at times


3 we don't see joy as an act of obedience

we are commanded to pursue joy


4 we don't spread it(joy) ..especially with mercy


5 we don't consistently remind ourselves of when God rescued us.

It talks about the building of booths as a reminder that God took them out of the desert. The building of booths occurred during the Feast of Tabernacle described in Leviticus 23 to commemorate that God prevailed in them.

Reverse Psychology

Pinky

Adam this is for you to make you laugh

Small things with great love

We can not do great things, only small things with great love. It is not how much you do but how much love you put in to doing it." Mother Teresa

All caught up in "busyness", we forget that the foundation of God's kingdom is people and love.

A Time of Adjustment

This has definitely been a time of adjustment and an emotional rollercoaster with both Zach and Kristen being back at school. Darrell has been very sensitive to that which has helped. I think it's a good thing that we are going to Boston in a couple of weeks to get away. One of my friends gave me a quote from a book he's reading which accurately describes where I am


I read this great quote in this book I'm reading called Authentic Faith. It's a book about several "disciplines" that don't get talked about a lot. Like the discipline of waiting, the discipline of persecution, the discipline of suffering, etc. In his chapter on the discipline of mourning, he says this: "As my friend Jeremy Matkin points out, paintings require both highlights and shadows to create depth. So do people."

Right now you're in a shadow, but God will get you through it!

Lee..#2 ...time for goodbyes

It's again a really hot day....111 in our car on the asphalt at 3 pm.
We got Kristen all moved in...She's staying in an apt with 3 other girls.
It's nice...alot of closet space :)
Zach had alot of orientation stuff this am so we met up with him after lunch.
We checked out the Lee bookstore and the Pathway Bookstore then the tiny mall in town.
Tonight was the dedication night where freshman parents,students, and faculty get together and Dr. Conn speaks and Voices of Lee sing and then there's a nice buffet...and then the goodbyes. I feel at peace with both of my kids being here. I trust God to guide their lives. It's just hard not to be the hands-on mom that I have been for the last 20 years. So I said goodbye with tears and it will be an adjustment but I know it's for the best. Tomorrow we come home..and I'm ready.

Trip to Lee ...Day 1

We left this morning around 6:30...I knew 5 am wasn't going to happen:)
We were able to pack everything in the cavalier and malibu...it would have cost us an extra $400 to rent a van. The drive was fairly uneventful..one close call where a guy came over on Kristen and I but she reacted quickly. We made it to Lee by 1 pm.
It is seriously the hottest weekend of the year here..our car thermometer was registering 102 at 7 pm so I know it had to be at least 105 when we were moving stuff in.
Zach is in a really nice dorm. His roomate seems quiet but nice. Tyler and Dylan are both down here so they helped us move some of the stuff in.
We ate dinner in their cafeteria and then headed out to the most popular place on freshman move-in day...Super Walmart. That place was insane.
So I'm glad to be lying in a nice cool room in a fairly comfortable bed with free wifi:)

The 5 stages of grief...in a funny way :P

I thought this was hilarious...I could definitely relate :^)

"Jesus never talked to a prostitute"

I'm finishing a book called "The Irresistible Revolution". It's one of those books that I don't want to finish because everytime I read it...I find something new that I connect to. I would love to meet him someday....not as a speaker...in the midst of his ministry doing what he does with love

Here is something I read last night that I will share

"I have an old hippie friend who loves Jesus and smokes a lot of weed, and he's always trying to get under my skin and stir up a debate, especially when I have innocent young Christians visiting with me.(The problem is that he knows the Bible better than most of them do) One day he said to me, "Jesus never talked to a prostitute." I immediately went on the offensive: "Oh, sure he did." and whipped out my sword of the spirit and got ready to spar. Then he just calmly looked me in the eye and said, "Listen, Jesus never talked to a prostitute because he didn't see a prostitute. He just saw a child of God he was madly in love with." I lost the debate that night.

A great concert for $5

Joe Bonamassa
with special guest Scotty Bratcher Band
$5 Friday Concert
Friday, August 31- 8:00 PM
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
All tickets $5 general admission

If you like inexpensive entertainment, according to my husband,Darrell, this will be a great concert. It's at The Fraze which is an oudoor amphitheatre in Kettering and a really great place to see a concert. My sister actually saw him play when he was 13...his dad owned a guitar shop in Utica,NY which is just a few miles from where she lived in New York and he played with Buddy Guy.

Nehemiah 7 Hands and Feet

I'm going through a sermon series on Nehemiah. Last night was good because it actually correlates with the book I'm reading, "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. Jeff Cook, and urban ministry professor from Cedarville gave the message. He teaches a class which is talked about in the bible alot but is rarely taught in class....How do you minister to the poor...Specifically..how does middle/upper class suburbia successfully minister to the urban poor. I thought it was interesting that a requirement of his class is to live homeless for a weekend on the street.

Here are the notes I took:

Nehemiah 7 gives a list of names. Those who helped to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Anytime you see a group of people..you wonder..what have they gone through to do what they did?

What they did?

An astonishing accomplishment in rebuilding a broken community

The question you want to ask....What did God do IN THEM to make this possible?

God typically has to break people of their pride, their self-sufficiency, and their cultural arrogance before He can use them to bring change among the poor.

When you are dealing with urban poor, there needs to be a change of focus

Individual.......Community
Spiritual........Holistic


Bringing God to the Poor
1 God's heart and passion for the poor must be a part of our DNA ...You have to have God's heart for the poor..Amos 2:7,Isaiah 10:1-3, Proverbs 14:31,Jeremiah 22:16, Ezekiel 16:47-49

2 We must focus on issues that affect the welfare of the community
Effective urban ministers build relationships and work WITH the poor, they don't go in to "fix" the problems You can't go in like a lone ranger to "save" them

3 Ministry focus must be on the whole person not just their spiritual needs.

Hands and Feet
1 House Churches are the huddle...the planning ..not the game...you need to actually go out into the community

2 Ministry among the poor is not optional ..it's not "extra credit"..

3 Don't be a lone Ranger...you need to involve alot of people and resources so they can become self-sufficient...

4 Think holistically

5 Focus long term...don't just do "drive-by ministry"

Sometimes God speaks to you through worship music...Tonight we sang a song I have never heard before by Mercy Me. The music didn't grab me but the lyrics absolutely did




Hold Fast
Mercy Me

To everyone who's hurting
To those who've had enough
To all the undeserving
That should cover all of us
Please do not let go
I promise there is hope

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast

Will this season ever pass?
Can we stop this ride?
Will we see the sun at last?
Or could this be our lot in life?
Please do not let go
I promise you there's hope

You may think you're all alone
And there's no way that anyone could know
What you're going through
But if you only hear one thing
Just understand that we are all the same
Searching for the truth
The truth of what we're soon to face
Unless someone comes to take our place
Is there anyone?
All we want is to be free
Free from our captivity, Lord
Here He comes

Bridges...not the answer

"2 hours after the bridge collapsed" is a Relevant article by John Piper that was in my email this morning. He talks in the article about how alot of times we blame God for things when in reality God allows things to happen for a reason. I'm including a piece of the article that especially stuck out to me

The word “bridge” does not occur in the Bible. There may be two reasons. One is that God doesn’t build bridges; He divides seas. The other is that usually His people must pass through the deadly currents of suffering and death, not simply ride over them. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you” (Isaiah 43:2). They may drown you. But I will be with you in life and death.

I think we all feel at times like we're drowning in those waters and want that bridge, but sometimes bridges aren't the way...they collapse.

Distractions

Nehemiah 6:1-19

Have you ever wrestled with something and then had God talk directly to you through another person..that's what happened to me last night
The sermon dealt with distractions. Specifically distractions that get in the way of kingdom life. I'm going to post my notes. Maybe you need to hear what I heard.

"God is interested in being part of a movement...not part of a monument."

Big Distractions that take you out of building a kingdom life

1 Getting distracted by the comfort of "good"
There is a big difference between good and Godly

What are some "good" things in your life that are getting more attention than the greatest work of your life(Making disciples)

2 Getting distracted by accusations
With Nehmiah the accusations came in the way of rumor
The accusations were
made out in the open..(to distract others as well)
were wrong
were relentless
came from intimate people

How do you handle accusations that come your way? Especially when they are carried out in a demeaning way


3 Getting distracted by false danger
Is there anything that you are delaying to obey for fear of getting hurt,losing a friendship, or switching careers?

The more focus you have, the more flack you will get

The ability to discern through difficult decisions comes from understanding God's nature..Sometimes you don't have a verse to back you up but you just know that it's wrong..that it isn't God's will....the closer you are to God(prayer) the better you will be able to discern what is the right thing.

Don't let the size of the task or the length of time needed to accomplish it...keep you from doing it.