intermission

I know I haven't been here in a while. I visit, and I think, "I wish I had something to say." But I don't. I've been meeting and working. Here's what I'm thinking about, though, because that's what blogs are for, right?

camp-in success

Well the camp-in last Friday night was smashing. Small group of ladies, couple movies, too much junk food, sleeping in tents ... inside, and waffles and the Sermon on the Mount for breakfast. We pulled it off without drama, and without destroying anything. Perfect. Some pics:


The ladies at the start of Legally Blonde.


Smores. Mmmm.


Playing hair.


Getting sleepy.


Waffles and Matthew 5 are part of this complete breakfast.

Ramsey

So Dave's officially in China and blogging. Haha. Way to give in to the blog, Dave.

a devotional

Something to mediate on this fine morning ...

Sun's Atmosphere Sings

Astronomers have recorded heavenly music bellowed out by the Sun's atmosphere.

The study, presented this week ..., reveals that the looping magnetic fields along the Sun's outer regions ... carry magnetic sound waves in a similar manner to musical instruments such as guitars or pipe organs.

They found that explosive events at the Sun's surface appear to trigger acoustic waves that bounce back and forth between ends of the loops, a phenomenon known as a standing wave.

In the cosmic equivalent of a guitar pick, so-called microflares at the base of loops could be plucking the magnetic loops and setting the sound waves in motion, the researchers speculate.

Pretty cool. The whole story is here.

Psalm 19:1//The heavens decalre the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalm 97:6//The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.

Isaiah 49:13//Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, and will have mercy on His afflicted.

saving babies

Yesterday afternoon the Supreme Court validated a ban on partial birth abortions. This is very good.

A partial birth abortion is one that is carried out during the second or third trimester of a pregnancy. The baby is partially removed, intact, from its mother's womb before doctors fatally damage the skull. Accoridng to MSNBC, surveys have found that 60% of Americans favor the ban.

Pro-choice opponents, of course, are discouraged. Touting, as usual, women's health issues as the reason any kind of abortion should be legal under any kind of circumstances. They manage to disregard every report of health problems caused by abortions in doing so.

The greater issue, and one that I don't expect many of them to understand, is the judgement due a nation that allows the killing of children. Individuals will be judged, but nations also - take Sodom.

There's also the responsibility of America, known as a Christian nation, to set an example for the world. We think they're not watching, but they are. I was at a training seminar with Global Expeditions recently, and one of the speakers was talking about having just returned from a mission field in Jamaica. The local church leader they work with was discussing the weight of American politics and the statement he made was, "When America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold." When America messes up, the whole world suffers for it.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said of the pro-choice movement, "We've been losing fight after fight after fight." She further mused that people aren't interested in protecting abortion rights because they've been around for so long. Voting rights have been around for a long time too, but I think if someone introduced a bill to disallow women or racial minorities from voting, it would be met with less than 60% of the people's approval. Maybe God answers prayer.

"And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of te children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:6)

didn't see that coming

So I'd say for about a month now I've been feeling pretty terrible about what I can reasonably describe as a "dry season" in the things of God. I'd like to call it a blatant and insulting lack of passion, because that's what it feels like, but I know in the middle of Song of Solomon the bridegroom leaves and on the story goes to a happy ending. Whatever you want to call it, and however okay it is, I feel yucky. Praying made it worse because I'd devote some serious time to it, and then just feel disappointed with how much I did not feel myself connect with God's heart.

Last night, as my typewritter and I did some zine-ing on the couch, Timothy sat down next to me with this very serious look on his face. "Lex, I gotta tell you ..." My mind started to race about what sort of bad news he was about to lay on me. Not because I'm pessimistic, but you should have heard the tone in his voice: it was serious.

He proceeded to tell me the over the past month or so he's really noticed God doing some good things in me, and my faith maturing, and it being very inspiring, etc. I didn't believe him at first (maybe I am pessimistic ...), but I know my wonderful husband wouldn't lie at me.

It was strange. And very encouraging.

bad Ford

Okay, so probably two weeks ago I managed to snap my driver's side "window regulator." It's the small metal post that holds the window-roller-upper thingy in the door. If you've never met me, suffice to say I'm not a body builder. There is no way I should have been able to snap that thing just rolling up the window.

So I went back to my Ford dealer thinking this would be taken care of quickly and with a good-customer-service smile. Not so. My warranty was up 1000 miles ago, hands are tied, blah blah blah that'll be $100 plus labor when the part comes in. I don't think so.

I wrote an email to Ford expressing my extreme disappointment, etc. and proceeded immediately to AutoZone. It turns out my car is the only one in America, apparently, that does not have automatic windows. So no, silly girl, we can't order that part for you. Who has manual windows these days? Neither could Murrey. What on earth ...

All of this was fine and good, and I could wait for Timothy to have an opportunity to scour the junk yard. Today, however, the temperature has finally hit the mid-60's and I roast in my car. Poo.



I think the marketing stat is that a satisfied customer will tell four to five people about her experience, but a dissatisfied customer will tell nine to ten. So I'm doing my part to maintain that statistic, so long as nine to ten people read this.


Oh, and if you have a driver's side window regulator laying around, I'll give you $40 for it.

be healed!

My dad and I went to my grandparents' last night to see their new puppy. Not the cutest puppy ever, but still cute. She's a corgi. (Timothy calls them Hobbit dogs because they're so short ... because they have no shins.)

When I walked in, I went over to give my grandma a hug where she was sitting in her living room chair. She kissed me on the cheek and then, with one hand rubbing her leg, asked, "Can you heal my knee?"

"No," was my clever reply. "But I know a Guy."

She had blown out her knee over the winter and it never fully healed. So I laid a hand on her knee and commanded healing according to God's word. In retrospect, I should have asked her to stand on it right then, but I didn't. I know she's healed, though, because she believed and God's word is true.

The extra nifty thing - to me anyway - is that she asked, and she asked expecting it to work. I don't think I've ever talked to my grandma about healing, but I have talked to my parents. My sharp intellect and sleuth-like deductive reasoning skills thus lead me to believe that my stories, testimonies, and beliefs are being discussed when I'm not around. Taps fingertips together and narrows eyes: This is gooooood.

tips from the man

I found notes from Mark Driscoll's, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, presentation at Resurgence last autumn. I like Mars Hill. He gives 10 cautions and encouragements for preachers. I know we have some budding preachers in our virtual midst, so some of my favorites are below, with abbreviated notes - the rest is here:

4. Study the stand-up comics. Stand-up comedy and preaching are the only two mediums I can think of in which someone walks onto a stage to talk for a long time to a large crowd.

7. Preach Jesus. Jesus should be the hero of every sermon, the answer to every question, and the hope for every person.

9. Give your sermons away. The web is the new front door and many people will visit your church through your website long before they attend a church event.

10. After you've preached, let it go and sleep like a Calvinist. Passion, courage, and boldness are keys to preaching that simply cannot exist in someone who is too analytical or critical of themselves.

i'm a photojournalist

I saw this on my lunch break today and thought of you. I would have posted it on my lunch break too, but the camera was being all goofy. It's a long story. But this is great:



Barbie needed a new tennis racket or something.

Even better was Kaitlyn Jane last Sunday morning with her sunglasses (and mohawk):



Less better was last night when I locked us out of my apartment. We walked down a very slushy route 62 to hang out at Starbuck's while Timothy came to save us.

good things

Many of you know that Timothy has recently gotten into the business of painting studio backdrops. It's pretty perfect in that he likes to do it (9 x 7' canvass is fun for him), it's very easy for him, and he can charge a hefty sum and still undercut all the competition.

We thought we'd see how far this could go, so I made fliers. About a week ago I sent out 20 of them to local photography studios, but we hadn't heard anything - except for the one that came back undeliverable.

Yesterday Timothy got a phone call from a woman who owns a studio in Crystal Lake. She really likes the stuff and wants to order two, but first she asked if he could email a PDF of the flier. She has a meeting today with some organization of portrait photographers (there's a big, fancy name I don't remember), and she wants to hand out some of our fliers! She's never met Timothy, never done business with him - but she's our in with who knows how many portrait photographers today! She asked Timothy on the phone yesterday how busy he wanted to be! That's favor, right there.

Prayer works.

photos

Okay, first of all, I made a stuffed animal. You saw the cat Gracie made for us. Well I wasn't out to make a stuffed kitty to send back, but I happened upon a free pattern for one. How fun is this? I've made two now, but this is the first one that I'll be sending to Grace.

His collar is a yellow button on a black ribbon. It says "Lee." Because that's his name. Too cute. And too easy. You can download the pattern here.

And then Friday night we took a few of the faithful Switch attenders to Ascention Convention. It's impossible to know what to expect at a conference you've only ever heard of, but it was pretty amazing.

That's our crew. I don't know how the shortest kid in the bunch ended up kneeling in front, but it works.

This was the most amazing thing, and you probably can't see it very well because it was dark in there. Whomever was speaking gave a great message about a generation of Naomi's (from Ruth) that have been dealt a severe blow. Then he referenced a verse in Matthew about mother's praying for their children (that he didn't cite, nor can I find) and asked all the moms in the room who wouldn't mind to come forward.

They created this line that stretched across the length of the auditorium. He asked everyone in the room (of a couple thousand teenagers) who is suicidal to come forward and just stand in front of the moms. The whole time the rest of us are singing the chorus to The Time Has Come over and over again. Then he asked for everyone who felt like Naomi - like one day someone or something that was supposed to come home, or supposed to be there, just didn't - like they've been given a pill too hard to swallow - to come forward. We sang. The mom's prayed. The speaker gave the moms permission to lay hands on the kids and flesh out Christ's desire to hold them in their weakness. It was amazing. We sang and danced, God healed broken hearts. Phenominal.

worship

Where do the weekends go? I have all kinds of pictures - but not right now - and stories to go with them. In the meantime, I read this last night and went *gasp!*

Jehova is talking to Israel about their polluted, half-hearted-at-best offerings that He's not having anything to do with, and He says, (Malachi 1:10) "Who is there even among you who would shut the doors, so that you would not kindle fire on my altar in vain?" He's so unhappy with their religious, bored offerings that He doesn't even want it. Just close the temple and go home.

So if we are living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and our worship is our offering (Hebrews 13:15), I wonder how the Lord feels about what goes on in this country on Sunday mornings. So many people go to church and stand during worship out of obligation, with the idea that God will honor their commitment. That if they do their part, He'll do His.

There are even some who want to go, but don't give their best when they get there. I've done that. There have been times when I'm tired, but I stand and sing the songs and lift my hands and direct a bit of heart toward the Lord. In verse 14, Malachi communicates a curse from the Lord on those who have a male in their flock but come to the temple, say a vow, and sacrifice a blemished animal. But isn't that what we're doing when we gather for worship but resist the urge to lift our hands or dance or kneel? Isn't that what we're doing when we gather for worship and sing the songs while we think about where to have lunch that afternoon?

Verse 14 uses the word "cursed." That's strong language. God's not interested in me doing my part, fulfilling my obligation, or singing a song. If that's all we're going to do, He'd rather we close the doors and sleep in.

this is all i think about anymore

(Seriously, I've so inundated myself with all the theory and practice - and some prayer - about the emerging church/post-Christian society/digital era/spritual revolution that I actually had a dream last week that I was giving a presentation on the topic. Fortunately the dream ended when I started taking questions.)

I'm going over my notes from The Millennium Matrix to put together a presentation for the boss, and I stumbled upon a thought. Rex makes a statement that most people who are at all watching our society would agree with: spiritual hunger is on the rise. He goes on to identify specific "tastes" our culture is developing that, if fulfilled, will lead to a revolution in the western Church.

Something inside me is naturally skeptical and as such wants to find something to disagree with, but in this I cannot. Without explaination, the hungers he defines are:

1. for homegrown prophets
2. to make a real difference
3. for authenticity
4. for mystery
5. for deep support
6. for depth

What do you think? Haven't we all felt a bit of longing for those things at some point. The interesting thing is that they can be fulfilled by the body of Christ - or by the world.

The one that tripped me with a thought was the first. Rex writes, "In order to make the transition to the new era successfully, we need new prophets." Basically, these are voices that connect ancient truths to modern life in the new language of an emerging generation. The thought that stopped me was, "Who are these people? Who is poised in a such a position - for such a time as this - to communicate ancient truths in a new language?" Do you know what answer I got? Worship leaders.

I realize I may be biased, but I can't shake it. Pastors and evangelists and teachers are crucial to the body of Christ, and preaching/teaching needs to happen - but they're not speaking to a post-Christian generation. Some will learn the language, but they'll always have an accent. The media has taught non-believers that preachers can't be trusted; it's harder to get through. And of course music has always been a powerful medium, but I think where we're going it's going to be central.

I could go on and on, but it would become a lecture.

worship

I had another fun mini-revelation about worship last Friday night. I seem to get these as the team is praying together before practice, and always just as I'm opening my mouth. (Which is uncomfortable for me because I generally like to think things over before I say them out loud.)

I was praying along the lines of worship being an offering given even if we don't feel like it, and about being the leaders so we should go before the congregation and show them the way ... Then I had the thought that maybe our role as a worship team is more than leading others into worship - maybe it's worship. I understand that to show a group of people how to worship involves worshipping the Lord yourself, but I guess the idea that I had was that it's our responsibility as the worship team to send up that incense on Friday nights. There's a worship meeting going on every Friday night, and if only a handful of teenagers show up in bad moods it's our responsibility to make sure that the name of the Lord is exalted from that place. If no one else will make the sacrifice, we have to.

I guess it goes back to our Luke 1:9 calling for 2007. It's almost like He's got this all planned out.

grundle

My friend Grace in Minneapolis sent us a present recently. His name is Grundle. He's a hand-stitched kitty with a stylish neck scarf and a blue mohawk. Fabulous.

fasting and lava lamps

Revelation on fasting: God doesn't owe me anything for my empty belly.

I initially had that revelation months ago when I took over the Switch worship team. After one particularly dry Friday night I decided to fast the entire following week - Monday through Friday (probably more out of desperation than anything else). I did it and I prayed earnestly and I can say my heart was in the right place in that I really wanted the people who come Friday nights to meet God during worship. I secretly had this idea, that I didn't know I had until it was all over, that if I fasted all week God would just have to do something. Friday night came and went and it was dead. Eureka.

So I've known that, and even before that happened I knew that. If you'd asked me, "Does fasting twist God's arm?" I would have said, "Of course not!" Now it's in me, though. Again, I have been fasting and fervently petitioning Holy Spirit for some intervention tonight, BUT I'm now doing so ... more humbly, I guess.

On a totally unrelated note, you have to check this out: prayer lamp. It's a virtual lava lamp designed to add a different element to your prayer life. At first I was just playing along, but when I started to type out my prayer I really had to think about the wording I was using. Was I even praying Biblically? It'll definately make you focus - and it's fun.

some postmodern thoughts

I'm on my third book, now, about the drastic shift our spiritual society (and in many regards our society as a whole) is just stepping into. Miller calls it a new era, Kimball (it's okay - I just heard Schwarzenegger's voice in my head too) calls it vintage faith, Barna calls it a revolution, but they're all talking about the same thing. That is: why young, hip kids, teenagers, and 20-somethings don't want to go to church. Allow me to dump some of this out of my brain.

Miller will tell you this emerging generation is different from any other before it. The age of "broadcast" is over, and the digital is taking over. Kids are involved in their learning experiences in hands-on ways, they're connected via the internet, and no longer does an action have one equal and opposite reaction. Don't believe me? Visit a wiki site, or MySpace, or watch this. (Even if you do believe me, watch that anyway - it's a 22 month old playing Wii. Pretty amazing ... and he falls over once, which is just hilarious to me. He's playing virutal tennis, but he can't stand up in the real world.)

Kimball ("It's not a tumor!") will tell you this emerging generation is different from any other before it. Most of them have none of the Judeo-Christian foundation that we expect of people when they enter a church. We expect to be able to use words like "Abraham" and "redemption" in sermons, but they don't get it. What's more - and what's really exciting if you ask me - is that they're looking for a spiritual experience. The parents that sit in churches today were raised on teevee with the idea that a traditional church experience is boring - so our churches are brightly lit, sometimes rather sterile, and void of religious symbols. The new kids want to meet God and they expect to walk into a church that is dim, intimate, and decorated with things that remind them of God (like a cross). We wonder why they reject a Christian church for Buddist temples or palm readers - have you ever experienced the ambiance in those places?

Barna will tell you this emerging generation is different from any other before it. There's a revolution at hand in which people are tired of the shallow society all around them, and are determined to live for something real. They're willing to do it with or without the local church because they understand that they are the Church. If the church wants to remain part of the Church, she'll have to catch up. (Don't believe me? Check out Threads.)

So when you put it all together, what have you got? A generation of young people raising themselves with all the knowledge of the world at their fingertips. They're searching for Truth, but it's a needle in a haystack with every world faith or anti-faith claiming to be truth. All they know of Jesus is that He was a really good guy. Most of them think Christians are mean, hypocritical people, and they wonder why our spiritual gathering places look like department stores.

What does it mean for the western Church? I'm not sure it's my place to say, but I like Kimball's take. At the very least it means we need to be aware. Obviously the local church can't please everyone on any given Sunday morning (and we can't change the way we do things on the whim of a couple authors), but if we really want to reach a postmodern, post-Christian generation we might have to do it a different evening. Are we willing to step out and try something new?

this summer ...

Global Expeditions

I got to spend last Saturday (all of last Saturday) at a Global Expeditions leadership training ... thing ("seminar" sounds lame, "class" doesn't do it justice). What a good time.

First of all I learned a ton. Communicating vs. speaking, confrontation, etc. Good stuff, even just for our youth ministry 'cause teenagers are teenagers regardless of what country you put them in. Can I get an "Amen?"

Secondly, I really want to go to Thailand. There was this little table tent sitting in front of me for 10 hours with cute kids and a story from Thailand. Our India trip this year is not through Global Expeditions, but I'd like to go with them at least once, I think. The project director that was working with our break-out group asked if I would like to be a team leader this summer. If only I didn't have to work. I really need to find someone who wants to sponsor a CITW youth leader - just pay my salary so I can bring teenagers and Jesus together full time. If you're interested ...

Best of all is that I have a good understanding of Global Expeditions now, and much respect for the organization. I've heard a lot of horror stories about kids who have gone on missions trips that turned out to be a lot more like vacations - or even service trips. Building houses is nice, but if no one gives his/her life to Jesus at the end of the day you've done a great injustice. GE is all about having a good time, but they understand the gravity of their work as well. I like 'em.

finally

It happened. What a great Switch meeting last night. I felt the presence of God like I'd been waiting to all of Faith Week. It was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had with Him - top five for sure, and definately the most annointed I've ever felt on a stage. Wow. I started to cry, even. He's not a Faith Week God, not a Jay Fallon God, not even a Sunday morning God - He loves teenagers and He loves Friday nights. Keep the youth ministry in your prayers - we want encounters like that every weekend.

Actually - on a bit of a tangent here - I'd say the kids almost need encounters like that on Friday nights. You'd be amazed at some of the stuff the average 14 year-old goes through these days (if I can say that without sounding too old). Just last night one of our guys testified of how he was giving a speech in his Language Arts class about why evolution shouldn't be taught in schools (and we're proud of him for sticking his neck out there like that!), and his teacher stopped him - and then insulted his Bible. So there - pray for us and pray for them.

what about God?

A minor point that Jeff mentioned in yesterdays Comments. "What about God?" Our church is doing well in tithing and volunteering compared to the national average ... actually, the national average is my job right now, so I've got those numbers in a stack of papers on my desk. Hold on ...

I have it broken down by age group, but probably the largest percentage of our church was born between '65 and '83. According to the Barna Research Group, 29% of people in this age group volunteer their time in church. So we're actually pretty average. Tithe? 9% of born again Christians tithed 10% of their income to a house of worship during the year of Barna's most recent study (2002). Again - average. I hate to burst bubbles.

But the comment that struck me was ... what about God ('s standards)? I wonder how often we make our standards "God's" standards. I wonder how often we compare ourselves to ourselves (which we know is not wise). How often do I eat a cookie mid-fast and justify it by telling myself that I still did better than the last time I tried to fast - whose standard is that? I we give 5% one month because the car needed repaired - whose standard is that? If we drive 5mph over the speed limit, but are still going slower than everyone else on the road - whose standard is that? Tell a little white lie, argue with parents (over something small), pray for half as long as we watch teevee (but 10 minutes longer than yesterday) - whose standard?

I wonder how many of God's standards we're falling short of because our society has so compromised them that we don't even see them anymore. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his disciples that if someone were to sue you and take away your coat, give him your shirt too. Imagine someone taking off with your wallet and you chase him down just so you can give him the $40 that was in your coat pocket too. Or, "give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." (Matt 5:42) And there's always, "Be holy, for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:16) Whose standard?

the church

I just finished reading The Emerging Church by a pastor in California named Dan Kimball. Really good stuff and I highly recommend it, especially if you work in youth ministry. It got me really excited, but I'm not going to go into all of it.

It also got me thinking about the Church (as opposed to the church). Most of us know - because most of us have the same good pastor - that the body of Christ is the Church, not the building we meet in. We know it, but I wonder how much we really believe it.

We believe that the church should produce a good Sunday morning service and attract people to Jesus. So if we really believed that we are the Church we would do the things that we expect the church to do.

We would volunteer in a ministry.
We would tithe regularly and give extra for special events or causes.
We would pray for our church leaders every day.
We would live like Christians in our workplaces.
We would worship, read a Bible and pray every day.

It wouldn't just be a good sermon to talk about reflecting Jesus or preaching without words ... We'd be doing it. Our passion would be as obvious in a traffic jam as it is on Sunday morning - because both are good times to worship or listen to a sermon.

So are we the Church or do we go to a church? Just a thought.

marimba ponies

Hey, I've got a great idea. Let's get a bunch of Asian youth, put them in blue, striped overalls and red barrets, and let them loose on marimbas, pianos, and percussion instruments. Great. And what should we call it? Wait, wait ... I've got it: Marimba Ponies. Perfect. My favorite is the little girl with the crash cymbals.

nothing really

I am just not feelin' Faith Week. I'm excited. I'm having a great time. Faith Week is my favorite time of year, but, for instance, worship the past few nights (for me) has been sub-par an average Sunday morning. I'm not feelin' it.

So I sat down to talk to Holy Spirit about it yesterday and had one of those conversations that you sometimes have with the Lord wherein you hear what you're saying and wonder how it sounded good in your head. It was childish, I admit. It went something like, "I don't really feel Your presence during worship ... I mean I know You're there because You say You're there and You're Truth, but I don't feel it ... and I know it's not about feelings, but it's nice when feeling is a part ... okay I'll shut up now. Do you know what I mean, though? I haven't felt Your presence or power once in four wonderful nights ... What's the deal?" Do you know what He said to me? Of course you don't, but I'll tell you: You focus on the Word.

And I sighed and said, "Okay." Because it wasn't so much a harsh instruction as it was a promise.

Then I wondered if part of it isn't just that we have a great pastor, so my expectation for serious God-encounter goes up because my average in-church God-encounter is relatively amazing anyway. I'm still wondering on that.

Secondary thoughts:
I really like listening to Brian Zahnd. We could have Faith Week every spring, and then a Brian Zahnd week in the fall or something - I'd be down for that. Of course, every week can be Brian Zahnd week if you get to the WOLC website, but he really is good in person too - very energetic. I like it when I'm asked to think.

We went out with Gracie last night, and I absolutely cannot take anymore Steak 'n Shake. Don't even bring it up - I won't go. I wish I had a picture of Gracie right now to post, but I don't.

AND we're getting quite a crew together for the drama on Saturday. If you were only going to come out for one night of Faith Week (you'd be silly, but) you should make it Saturday night. The youth/missions drama is going to be awesome. Oh, and there's some Jay guy speaking who I guess is alright too.

it snowed yesterday

It probably snowed somewhere, in fact I know it did because I chased down a lion and killed it. There were no pits nearby, so I chased it into a 24-hour chain restaurant. The padded booth did the job.

I'd been thinking about Benaiah. One of the churches I've been researching at work is National Community Church in D.C. (I know, that name kind of sounds odd, "national community"). They meet in three different movie theathers in the D.C. area (sermons are pre-recorded and shown on the big screen). Not because they don't have money for a building; they don't want one. They're taking the gospel to the people and it's working very well. Their pastor, Mark Batterson, wrote a book called In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. I thought that was kind of weird - to turn two pretty obscure verses into the subject of a book. Honestly, even after I read those two verses I wasn't all that impressed. I had been turning it over in my head for days, wondering why on earth it was such a big deal.

Greg explained Monday night, which was nice. If you weren't there, the answer is the same as it was Sunday night: perseverance. Or determination. Passion. Pick a noun, but you get the idea. Run headlong at your enemy, and don't be satisfied when he's trapped: jump in there and kill it.

See you tonight.

group1crew

While you're waiting for Faith Week Night #3 to start up, check out Group 1 Crew.



The first time I heard the chorus I thought it was pretty stinkin' cheesy, but the verses are all about the God of love. I dig it.

3rd of Faith Week

Faith Week is off and running. Wow.

The parade of ministries was fun, of course. Our youth ministry was absolutely the best. I was so proud *sniffle*.

Rick Godwin spoke Sunday night, and boy did he. He doesn't pull any punches, that's for sure. And he doesn't like tight-perms either. His message was about perseverance, and what a good way to open the week.

Greg Howse spoke last night, and will again tonight. He's energetic. He brought part of his dance team from Chicago with too; they were awesome. Interestingly enough, he spoke on building a house that expands God's kingdom ... something that takes a lot of perseverance. Hmm. Alter time with Greg was something else - lots of deliverance and lots of words of knowledge/wisdom.

Come out tonight. Or the next night. Or the night after that. Or the night after that. Or all of the above.

freedom!

I was set free this afternoon - dually.

There was this situation that I'd been praying about being free from. Freedom at a certain point was guaranteed, but I was really petitioning the Lord to perhaps speed it up if it was alright with Him. It happened this afternoon ... but not any of the myriad of ways I'd daydreamed about, and rather than the waves of relief I expected to feel at that moment, I got a little offended.

So I was talking to the Lord about it while I mopped my kitchen floor. The dialogue went something like this:

HS: Well, you wanted to be free of it, didn't you? And isn't this perfect timing?
me: Ya, but I didn't want it to happen that way.
HS: Why not?
(pause)
HS: Because it made you look bad in the eyes of men?

Oh ya. Hmm. So I'm good now. Free and loving it.

And, you know - as a little PS, here - what a good God that even in the process of a little answered prayer, He gives us avenue to grow.

a thought

2.5 days until Faith Week!! You should be excited.

I don't have a lot of time to chat, but I wanted to tell you to read this. Brian Zahnd just got back from Russia, evidently, and has a cool story to share (and lots of pictures) on his blog. I recommend clicking on the links in the story to get the pictures along the way - 'cause when was the last time you read a good story with pictures?

People say ... if you ignored the link just there to go to Brian's blog, go back and read it first ... that it's a small world, (seriously, if you're reading this and you haven't clicked the above link you're missing out) but I think it's actually very big. That's my revelation for you today: the world, contrary to popular opinion and the occational theme park ride, is actually quite large.

I don't know anything about the Church in Russia.

Or Bulgaria. I went to lunch today with some people from my new office; one is married to a woman from Bulgaria and he was telling us all about the missionary work they support and their plans to eventually move there to help full time ... Bulgaria for goodness' sake. I couldn't even point out Bulgaria on map (now I can because I looked it up for that link, but 30 seconds ago forget about it).

(Also noteworthy is that B.Z. will be speaking at Faith Week on Tuesday and Wednesday the 13th and 14th, respectively. You need to be there.)

wake and funeral

Info on the wake and funeral for Dave, in case you haven't heard:

Wake
This Friday (the 9th) at Willow Funeral Home from 4 to 9pm.

Funeral
This Saturday (the 10th) at Church in the Word at 10am.

fear

We were blessed to have dinner with one of the cutest couples I know last night. I like the Inghams because we sit around and talk for hours after dinner and it's always about good stuff - Jesus stuff. Last night was no exception.

Several hours later I was having a terrifying dream. I won't go into it because I'm told no one likes to hear about dreams, but suffice to say I felt myself catch fire. I woke up probably at the point that I would have passed out from the pain, and I have never, ever felt such a strong presence that was not God.

I don't know if it was strong or if I was sensitive, but I was probably more startled upon waking than I was scared in the dream. It was right there and I could feel it look at me and sneer. I moved to wake up my husband to pray with me, and it turned in an instant, "Oh don't do that. He's sleeping, and you know how hard it is for him to fall asleep. You're just imagining it. Just go back to sleep." He's a liar, and the father of it, eh?

Everything was fine in about 10 minutes, but it was strange.

a eulogy

I watched a man leave this world Saturday morning. It's one of those images that you wonder if you'll ever be able to forget.

For the out-of-towners: Mr. Dave Pitner suffered massive heart failure Saturday morning in the church lobby as we prepared for another monthly, ministry meeting. It only lasted about 10 minutes, which is about as long as it took for the ambulance to get there. Mercifully there is a wonderful new couple at our church: a paramedic and a nurse. In the end, they couldn't do anything for Dave, but they sure did something for the rest of us. I can't image what those 10 minutes would have been like without them there.

Which makes you think about timing. Ten minutes earlier and he would have been driving with his wife in the car and other motorists possibly in the way. It's not as though God were absent Saturday morning.

Pastor addressed Dave's passing with amazing clarity and grace Sunday morning. Thank you, Lord, for Pastor Hoban. He presented the conversation between the Lord and Satan in Job in light of, "Have you considered my servants at Church in the Word?" The devil answers, "Let me have one of them, a good man in whom is found no blame, and they will curse You to Your face." Dave's happy, and we'll pass this test to come through to a Faith Week that will tear down principalities over the northern Chicago area, set people free, and encourage the faith of the Church in our area.

Our hearts go out to Dave's wife and children. A year ago I would have been appalled at the idea that God would allow the devil to take a life. More recently, Timothy and I have been watching the Omega course from Mike Bickle. In discussing some of the unhappy events of the last days, Mike puts death in perspective. The bible refers to the 80 to 90 years of your life as a "vapor"(James 4:14). What's the last 10 years of that vapor? Nothing. Look at it from eternity's perspective, trust that God has a plan, and it's less painful an idea.

So the only thing left to do is share a warm, fuzzy story that accents some lovable character trait of the dearly departed. Here's my contribution:

Months ago Switch was hosting a bowling over-nighter. After the service, we were going to take the kids bowling and then split up the girls and guys and try to make them sleep. We under-estimated the kind of draw such an event would have and ended up with more kids than the four of us could possibly get to the bowling alley without the added complications of leaving some behind with a leader and then getting all the cars there ... Dave Pitner just happened to be there. Friday night at about 9pm, Dave was at the church fixing a light switch in one of the childrens' classrooms.

When we explained our little problem, he dropped his screwdriver and was more than happy to load his van full of teenage kids that he didn't know to drive them to the bowling alley across town. What is normally a traumatic event for a teenager (being the "unlucky" ones who get stuck in a van with a guy they don't know) turned out to be the best ride any of the kids had; for whatever reason when we all got there these four were going on about Dave and his cool van.

That's Dave. We'll miss him ... but we'll see him again soon.

more leeland

Okay, so I'm not head-over-heels about this band or anything, but this is cool for a variety of reasons:

The YouTube note on it says, "Performing inside a Chick-Fil-A because the show was rained out."

First of all, Chick-fil-A is a chain of fast food restaurants (whose claim to fame has been - you guessed it - chicken sandwiches) in the south. I'd never heard of them. Their official statement, as quoted on the front page of the website partly states, "to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A." Cool.

So I love ... and I spent many of my developmental years surrounded by bad to mediocre bands performing in pizza joints, skating rinks, and basements so if all this sounds foreign to you just know I'm not crazy. There are people out there who need this, really.

So I love that when the show got rained out, they just plugged in a guitar and a mic for the lead singer and let him worship in the fast food restaurant. Come on - that's cool. He probably didn't have a monitor set up, and probably felt relatively alone without the other four band members.

I also like the crowd. There's a toddler just behind him jumping around, there are several middle-aged women singing along, the guy behind him is his brother I'm told, there's the older guy in a suit and tie directly in the field of vision. As the little camera moves you see people of all ages ... worshipping Jesus in a chicken joint. What's not to love?

leeland

This is an indie-punk band called Leeland. Timothy just pointed them out to me. I'd never heard of them, but I already want any/every CD they have available. A little YouTube research provided a dozen videos of them just worshipping in punk venues and department stores when shows got rained out. Pretty amazing.

Their website is here.

spring is coming

Sunday morning (was days ago, I know ... it's busy around here) I sat at the keyboard on stage at CITW and let my fingers follow the progression of chords the team was on as I looked around. PJ sat faithfully at his post behind the sound board watching and listening and bantering with Laura who is always faithfully somewhere but this morning was preparing overhead slides for worship. Laura - between the banter - sang along with Tami and Mike "...a thousand times I've failed, still Your mercy remains..."

Little Alexis pulled open the door just off the sound booth and half-drug Hannah inside the sanctuary, followed closely by Noah and Sammy. The kids obediently planted themselves on a short row of chairs off in the shadows and watched the team on stage. Sammy bounced in his seat and clapped surprisingly close to the beat for a three year old.

Bianca entered through another door, looking absolutely gorgeous and yet administrative as only a few strong women can do. Clipboard in hand, she was on a mission, but she took a deep breath and picked up the pre-chorus "...let justice and praise become my embrace, to love You from the inside out..." She handed something to Tami, commented on the business of the morning, and left through a third door.

The kids held down that row of chairs - though Sammy's was still evidently resisting.

Then it was Bette, in through the same door as Bianca and apparently following suit. Her hip jacket and big sunglasses somehow complimented her motherly affection and prophetic wisdom, where in anyone else it would have been an offensive contradiction. She placed her purse on her seat and joined in "... my purpose remains the art of losing myself in bringing You praise ..." She delivered a chord to a very grateful substitute guitarist and closed the sanctuary door behind her as the chorus crashed, "And the cry of my heart is to bring You praise. From the inside, out, Lord, my soul cries out..."

Tim walked in, and Sammy got off beat again, and I was completely overcome by Christ's love for his Church. Not just me and my friends, and not my weak heart back to Him - Him and His bride and the love that started it all. This is what three years of ministry was for. He came and lived and died for my sins, but He gave everything He had to train up 12 guys at the same time and this is why.

I closed my eyes to keep from crying and quietly sang along, "... never-ending, Your glory goes beyond all fame ..." Suddenly, my spirit resonated with a word, "Spring is coming," and I knew it meant so much more than the snow melting and the feeling of sun on my skin again.

Spring is when gray is exchanged for color, hopelessness for joy. Spring is when we finally clean out cars and basements and cluttered places that have been sitting dorment and stuffy for far too long. It's when driving, walking - moving - becomes a pleasure again, rather than a chore. It's when the ice and snow that has plagued the surface finally melts and softens the hard soil beneath. Spring is when seed starts to sprout and life emerges in places we'd forgotten about.

Relief washed over me and seemed to ease a burden I didn't even know was there. There is a breakthrough, a release, a new level, whatever you want to call it ... I'm sticking with "spring," coming - and soon.

I'm not sure why CNN hasn't called yet ...

In other exciting news ... brave voyagers Timothy and Dave successfully trekked across the frozen Fox River on Saturday. Video is forthcoming.

Connor and Caleb watch from the relative safety of a snow-covered picnic table.

IT was all kinds of good clean ... boredom. Because, really, once you're out there ... it's over as soon as it's begun.

exciting news!

So much news and so little time!

Perhaps best of all is Bianca Poms is pregnant! Hooray! And as this is your headquarters for all Church in the Word baby happenings, rest assured there will be updates over the next nine to 10 months. Oooh, baby.

In other exciting news, Titus has emailed from the Philippeans ... twice! Here's the first:

I had a free moment, so i thought I would send you guys an update on how I'm doing. Things are going well. I lost my wallet, and a lot of money, but I am okay for the remainder of my trip, so no worries there at all. God has been teaching me a lot about storing my riches up with Him instead of on earth. Solomon says that everything under the sun is vanity... Jesus tells us to store up our treasures in heaven. He says, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." it is true, and since the heavens are above the sun, I am no longer going to store up my treasures under the sun.

Well, the ministry out here is going great. I am helping out a lot with speaking, and I am being used as the right hand mand of the pastor in charge, so I get to hear about a lot of different issues and aspects of what is going on. It is pretty neat. We have to be careful and intentional to schedule time with God because there are a lot of things that come up. It isn't that you can't be with God when you're doing those things, and it isn't that you aren't with God always, but time alone with God is what I desire, and I can now get a small glimpse of why Jesus often withdrew himself into the wilderness for time to pray.

God is working here though, in great ways. We will be doing a VBS in April, and that will be very fun, the kids here are awesome and they are love Jesus. So it is very encouraging to be around them. God has also been working in the adults. Last Thursday we got a report that a pastor's wife was having difficulty with her baby. She was 7 months along with a due date in April. Jhun (the head pastor as of now [Rob, who I guess would be called the senior pastor, is in the states]) and I fasted on Friday from dawn until dusk. Then on Sunday before service I found out that the problem was that they could not detect a heartbeat in the baby and the woman was having discharges. She told me about it and I asked her if she wanted prayer, and she said yes, so we (her, her husband, a disciple, and myself) went in to her house to pray (which is connected to the church). While we were in there, we laid hands on her, and prayed for a bit. And then church had to start, but I didn't feel like I was supposed to be in service, and I felt I was supposed to pray for her through the service. So I asked if it was okay to do so and they said sure. So I prayed. And I prayed. And I prayed. It ended up being a three hour service! But the Lord lead me to some scriptures, mainly in John 14, about using Jesus' name, and taught me a lot about what it was to have faith. So she decided to come home with us so that we could take her to the city in the morning and she could go to the doctor for a check up. On the way home from church I was practicing my Tagalog and I was trying to say, "God of life, you are good", which I managed to get out, and Jhun asked me if I was listening to worship, and I said no. He said that they were singing a song about that! The song was in English, Hebrew, and Tagalog. Well anyway, through the day she was saying that her stomach was hard, and looked upset. So when the morning came, we went to the doctors office, dropped her off for the examination. When we came back, she was there and she said that her baby was fine, and that it had a normal heartbeat! Praise God! It was very good news.

So we are now working in more of the ministry aspect of life rather than the repair aspect of it all. A lot of the island has power, and a lot of it has water too. We get brown-outs but it isn't too bad. I haven't been sick either, which is great. Though I have gotten sun burned twice. And it is no fun. The first time was because I didn't wear sun screen at all, the second time was because i didn't think to but sun screen on my lower back, so i have a pink bar across my back from where my shirt lifted up. you live and learn though, right?

Anyway, God is very good, and things are going splended. Please keep me in your prayers and let me know how things are going at church.

Then, today, I got:

Hey guys, sorry for the email again, but I have some good news. Right after I sent out the email to you guys saying that I lost my wallet, and updating you on what has happened, I started to leave the internet place, and there was a tricycle (like a taxi) waiting out there, and when I got in, the driver hands me my ID and says, "Do you know this guy?" Ha! Praise God! It was good, he had all of the contents of my wallet except for the money and the actual wallet, but that's okay. So I got my social security card back, my drivers license and ID, and my bank account number, credit cards and my library card back. I was worried about the library card because I didn't want to come back home and find out that I had overdue books!!! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER!

But I thought I would update you though. My wallet had been lost for about two weeks, but I knew I would get it back. Now I only have to wait for the money to come back. I told the Lord that when the wallet came we would lead the person to Him, not as a bargain, but for the glory of the Lord. I invited him to the college and career night, which is tomorrow. I think he will come, but if he doesn't, I know that the Lord will give me opportunities to minister to him.

Anyway, God is good, and I need to get going. Keep me in your prayers.

Titus

Good stuff. I've got more. Hopefully I can get back to you tonight before midweek service. Come to midweek service!

hoodie

Check it out: I made a hoodie. Well ... I decorated a hoodie.

And I have no idea why it keeps loading sideways, but so be it. I'm looking at it in my iPhoto and it's fine ... I'm just not that savvy ... or patient right now. You get the idea. "Jesus heals emo." I crack myself up. If you want to see it right-side-up you can come to Switch tonight.

That's all.

FYI

This is a public service announcement: I lost my phone Tuesday night. I suspect it got plowed into one of the mounds of snow that currently frames our parking lot. So if you're trying to call me - I'm not being rude. Send me an email and I might get it. Your best bet if you really need to get a hold of me is to call Timothy.

offense

I think I encountered a new level of offence this afternoon. I shouldn't even put it in past tense, because honestly I think I'm experiencing it still. I still feel a little like my chest cavity collapsed and some fragment of bone has punctured some vital organ. It's making it hard to breathe.

These things are so hard, but I know a year from now it will seem like the smallest trial. Right now, though, I don't even want to talk about the specific thing that happened. Not to you, not to my parents, not to my husband, not to a total stranger. If you know me, you know I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve, but this hurts me so much I just don't want to speak it.

I know that right now I should go pray, and then go enjoy a good midweek service, but I'm still trying to decide if I wouldn't rather just go home and be alone. Clean my apartment - which has been on my To Do list since the weekend, and now it's Wednesday already - and calm myself down. I know if I go, though, that I'll clean and I'll pray, but I probably won't really calm down.

I know I need to forgive, let the Lord be my judge, and not worry about what my accuser thinks of me ... but it really bugs me what he told me he thinks of me. I should stand before God, and God alone, but I'm grinding my teeth right now.

I know that Jesus was falsely accused and opened not His mouth, and that a servant is not above her Master ... but I have this righteous sense of what I percieve to be justice that really wants to write a strongly worded letter. And I know that my perception of justice is skewed, and that, being chief among sinners, justice is the last thing I should be asking for.

I know all these things. I know the condition of my heart right now is wrong. I know I need to close my eyes and take a deep breath and smile and lay aside vengence and go to the dumb party Sunday afternoon. I don't want to do any of those things, though.

So what is this? Good, because I realize the deception of my heart, or bad, because I won't immediately silence it?

back from the weekend

Mondays are extra irritating when the weekends are so packed full of the Holy Spirit. I know He's here in my office but don't try to tell me its the same - because I'll tell you that you probably missed church this Sunday. But let's back up ...

Friday night was record-awesome. Over 40 teenagers showed up for our youth ministry service, and yet another one surrendered her life to Jesus. It's interesting (and many times frustrating) to watch the spiritual walks of a group of teenagers. Some are running forward, some kind of sprint and then get tired, others are crawling as though the floor is unsteady, some stand still and wave to people as they pass, still others can't seem to decide which was is forward. The best is when one of them suddenly breaks into a sprint, but recently a couple of the runners seem to be looking around funny. Just keep praying for them ... and for the youth leaders. We need it.

Saturday I drove to WHEATON and back to accompany a young trumpet player. Wheaton. That took way too long. I was starting to get frustrated at slow/bad drivers, red lights every 1.5 miles, zero parking availability, and being lost in an elementary school that was so crowded with pre-pubescent musicians it stank a little like a locker room. Just as I was about to lose it a still, small voice reminded me that I didn't really have any claim on my time anyway. Ouch. "Whose life is this, again, Mine or yours? If it's Mine, why are you so upset about you?" That ended that.

Saturday evening was spent putting together packets for the youth missions trip meeting Sunday, and watching Luther. I'm getting through Here I Stand right now, so the movie was a good reinforcement of what I'm learning. As far as I am in the book, the movie was pretty darn accurate, which never happens. I recommend both. My wonderful husband, Timothy, showed up a little later for the last half of the movie and some spaghetti. Being that we were working on missions stuff, I guess, he stopped off at some Indian grocer near our apartment and got three bottles of Thum's Up. Where ever I am Thum's Up (no, there's no B) will always taste like a dirty road side stop in India. Mmmm.

Church on Sunday morning was better than ever. Worship didn't want to end, which was okay with everyone. Holy Spirit wanted an alter call just then, and pastor obliged. I love it when that happens. There are mornings when it seems like the people who are really searching for God find His presence, and then there are these Sunday mornings where you'd have to be dead to not recognize His presence. And if you were dead, you probably wouldn't be for long. The worship team had a rather slap-happy time of steadying hands and regaining strength in the legs in the green room. Glory to glory - I expect even more next Sunday.

And the missions meeting was a success. We fed them, motivated them, equipped them, encouraged them, informed them, and assuaged the fears of their parents. Ta-da!

titus updates

Interesting fact: The day our dear Titus left for the Philippines, Timothy did one of those double-takes where you read a scripture that you've surely read before as though it were the first time. You know what I'm talking about. The verse was 2 Corinthians 8:16-17:

But thanks be to God who put the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, he went to you of his own accord.

We also heard through the grapevine (and yes, it's a very long vine) that his wallet was stolen somewhere in transit. The whole thing, which I'm told was a little over $800. Titus being the guy he is, though, expressed relief to our reporter that he is really learning to trust in his Provider.

Keep him in your prayers.

salvation coming to a punk rock scene near you!

That's right. The light of Christ is shining in the punk rock subculture and it just got three times brighter! Look forward to seeing dirty, bearded, mohawked, plaid, pierced and tattooed young people in your congregations soon! (Maybe start showing some slides or something to prepare people ...)

Color me psyched. Let me start at the beginning. If you're on Battle Cry, you know this already, but just be excited with me again. For purposes of brevity I won't explain "zine." If you don't know what a zine is, wikipedia actually has a really good definition.

I started a zine before I got saved that was met with very good reviews. I had fans, man. My mailing list extended to the Philippines. No kidding. That's not to put my hand to the plow and look back (Luke 9:62), but just to say I know how to stinkin' zine. (Ya, it's a noun and a verb for those of you who are new to this.)

So then I met Jesus, and He has a way of changing things ... even zines. The new, resurrected zine was not met with ... well really anything. It's been written about in review zines, but I wouldn't call them reviews because the writers don't actually analyze the zine at all. They just harass my faith for a few sentences and put my POB address at the end. Marketing rule #2: There's no such thing as bad publicity.

I got a couple letters, mostly from prisoners, but not nearly the response I was used to. It's easy to get discouraged. Monday, though, that discouragment was banished.

I had to go to the post office anyway, so I thought I might as well cruise by the box. Not one, but TWO packages waited to greet me. They sat on my passenger seat for the 30 minute drive home, and I admit I wasn't excited yet. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd gotten a "shut up and die" letter. Not this time. Both were very excited Christian ziners who had also been searching desperately for other Christian ziners. Every time I meet a Christian ziner (I've met three now, which is still "every time") there's (1) the expression of relief to have found kinship and (2) the inquiry for more. "Do you know anyone else?" Now I can say Yes!

If you're natually skeptical - like I tend to be - you're wondering how Christin these zines are. I wish I had the copy of Scallywags that matte sent so I could quote verbatim, but one of the stories was about a small troup of people presenting the gospel via puppet show in a brothel in Brazil. After each performance one of the guys would speak a little about Jesus' love. The second time, as he took the "stage" he wrote, "I felt the Holy Spirit come on me so strong." I was elated to read that in a zine. Dozens of prostitues (and a few pimps) came up for prayer with lots of crying, by the way. That's a good zine.

I'm so excited. Now I have this huge vision for a Christian distro. Four zines and one button machine is enough to start a distro I think. And with the kind of favor and grace we've got - shoot. In no time at all it's going to be so un-punk to not love Jesus. Jesus and plaid will go hand in hand. Basements will be packed out with dirty teenagers singing painfully simple songs about Jesus completely out of key. The pro-choice movement will come to a screetching halt as half its supporters slap red tape over their mouths instead

Mark my words. You heard it here first. Five Stones Printing is bringing the real Jesus - in glory and power - to punk houses everywhere!

titus

That was us praying goodbye over Titus the evening before he left for a six month mission stint in the Philippines. We're not sure if he'll come back ... or if he'll come back for very long before leaving again. I got the following email last Monday, in case anyone's wondering how it's going:

Hey dudes,

I made it to the Philippines. After some tough work at the airports, I got through. British Airways decided they wanted to go on strike, but only for about an hour. So my flight was delayed an hour, which was long enough to cause me to miss my flight to Taiwan. I ended up getting a hotel for free and my meals for free from United, praise God. I caught the next flight, and I arrived safely.

I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that, at all. But praise God that I went through it; I learned a lot. God provides, and He shows favor. I got a nice seat next to the emergency exit, with all of the leg room I wanted. And on the next plane, I met a Filipino Christian, who gave me his number incase I needed anything. So that was awesome. He was truly a great person, and I lift him up to God for being a friend to someone who needed one.

I am in Manila now, and I will leave here tomorrow in the morning. We're going to take a plane to Lagaspi and then from there we will take a ferry to the island. So all will be well. The house has running water and electricity. I am very thankful for that. From what I was told, we were going to have none of that for a long time. But God is a God who provides, and I know that I will be calling on Him a lot while I'm here, which was the plan.

Well, anyway, I thought I would email to let people know what was going on.

Keep me in your prayers,

T

quickie

Go here for this morning's happy ending. I'll be back on lunch.