I've Moved

Okay, I've found my new home. All of those following this blog, please update your readers, your links to me, your shortcuts, however it is that you get here - to point to http://www.brain-drops.com

(I was going to register braindrops.com, but that apparently is a tattoo and body piercing parlor. Hope the two different places don't get confused.)

http://www.brain-drops.com

Time To Move

I'm trying to find some time where I can sit down and do some much need maintenance on my blog. But I've realized that I am limited in what I can do with my blogger account, so it's now time to move. Over the next few days (maybe week) it will be pretty quiet around here. But once I've got the new blog set up and a domain name registered, I'll be sure to let you know. And please, leave a comment if I'm in your blog roll. I want to make sure I get everyone updated with the new address. I've missed a few people lately only to realize they had moved and I hadn't updated my links to them. See ya in a few...

All Eyes East

One of the best worship bands out there! Come check them out next Friday night! You won't want to miss this.

Pet Peeves and Other Irritating Things

If a red light means stop and a green light means go, why would a bank have their drive thru "open" sign in red? When I first pulled in I thought all the lanes were closed. And this is a national bank, not just some small local bank.

Businesses that send my business a bill with an envelope no where close in size to the check I have to send back to them. Forcing me to get creative in my folding of said check and payment stub in order to fit it into the envelope.

Now cities are looking for bailouts from the federal government too! It was a bad idea to begin with, and now it's even worse. Excuse me, where can I get in line for a bailout too? I'm a small business owner, can I have a billion or so? (Yes, for those that don't know me, I am being extremely sarcastic here.)

Laziness... Not the kind where I think I'm going to have a lazy day today and not do anything. We all have those days. I'm talking about the perpetual laziness of people who think things should be handed to them without any effort on their parts. And then have the audacity to complain when they don't get their way or what they want.

Surprisingly this year, the Christmas commercials I've seen didn't start until after Halloween. Or maybe I didn't notice them until after Halloween, not really sure. But please, retailers, couldn't you do this too. Wait until the middle of November maybe? I bet you'd have happier employees too.

Okay, I could go on, but I've ranted enough. If you have any you want to share, comment below.

$5 shoes

Have you donated yet? Go here now - 50,000 shoes, 2 minutes + $5 = 2 pairs of shoes.

Blog Roll Updated

Real quick. I have added new links to the blog roll. If you are linking to me and I don't have you over there, comment and let me know and I will make sure to add you.

Drawers, boxes, closets...

Are you compartmentalizing your life or are you living out the bigger picture? Do you have one box for "X" area of your life, a drawer for "Y" and maybe a closet for "Z"? Do any of these areas interact with the others or do they all have their own identity or life unto themselves?

I found myself doing this. I would have one area for mommy things, then I had another for work things, then I had yet another for personal things. And I felt like one of those performers who was trying to keep all the plate spinning at the same time and not let them all come crashing down around me.

Then I found myself just living the everyday, ordinary life that I had become accustomed to. Somewhat of a rut, a boring routine, not really going anywhere. I wasn't doing what I was really passionate about, and I was struggling with that. It wasn't until someone else challenged me that I was finally able to come up with the answer that no, in some areas, I'm not doing what I truly love or feel that I am "called" to do. So I re-evaluated what was occupying me, my time, and my focus and made some changes.

Now, I am in the middle of three, maybe four, different projects. Some big, some small. They all will have an impact, on what scale, I don't know yet. And I am passionate about each one. I also see the potential in those closest to me, and I want to help them realize their dreams and goals too in whatever way I can. Which opens up a bunch of other projects and the opportunity to spread myself too thin. But that's another post.

So now I am challenging you. If you are ready, then go think. No, really think. Ponder, mull over, reflect on, formulate an opinion, on what are you doing and what do you want to be doing? Or do you need to take a new direction in life and finally do what it is that you really want to do. Feel free to comment or e-mail me if you want to share. If not, that's okay too. I just hope I have given you something to think about today.

What did you want to be?

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you have great aspirations to be an astronaut? Or perhaps you wanted to be a doctor, or lawyer, or a fortune 500 CEO? Looking back I can't really say what I wanted to be. For a while I thought it would be cool to be a flight attendant. My dad traveled a lot and that seemed like it would be fun to travel and get paid for it too. But then that idea faded away and really I don't remember what else I wanted to do.

I started college right out of high school, majoring in communications. And after spending a semester goofing off and not really doing a lot in the way of school work, I realized I wasn't ready for that yet. So instead, I quit school for a couple of years and just worked. During that time I met some cool people and a lot of weird people. Because of that, when I decided to go back to school, I choose psychology as my major. I wanted to figure people out. Yeah, that lasted a couple of years and I realized again, nope that's not what I want to do either.

So another change of schools, another change of major and I wound up in what at the time was called either communication arts or music/video business. It was a new program (only 4 students in my class by the time graduation rolled around), and they had no idea what to call it. But it was an all encompassing 2 year program teaching all you wanted to know about the music business, video production and film industry. We had marketing classes, a law class, photography, video, audio, film, business, and lighting classes. Here I finally found my passion. Then I graduated. And what did I do. I went to work in a restaurant. It was only for about 6 months, until I finally did get a job at a television station as a camera operator. Finally I was working in the industry - using my degree. Long story short, it lasted about three years. The minimal pay and the long commute finally did me in. The experience I gained there was tremendous. Unfortunately, it would be another 10 years before I would be able to put that experience to use again.

Fast forward another 5 years and finally, FINALLY, I am back doing what I love and using what I learned so many years ago. It's not production this time around, it's more the business end of it all. But I am having a blast! And as things develop I will be sure to share more here. Exciting times are yet to come.

So what did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing what you love? I'd love to hear.

50,000 Pairs in 50 Days

For about the price of a venti latte at Starbucks (or any other favorite drink there), you can donate 2 pairs of shoes to someone who is in need. You, yes you, can change the world for someone in need, with a simple $5 donation. It takes less than 5 minutes so what are you waiting for.

Anyone who donates will be entered to win a trip to Mexico to personally deliver their shoes to someone who has never had shoes before, tying together the virtual world with the real world.

The website to donate $5 is 50,000 Shoes. 3 clicks and you are done. Go now.

And after you've finished that, pass the word on. Join the FaceBook group, blog about it, e-mail your friends about it. Help us get 50,000 in 50 days.

Here is the official press release for even more information -
Nashville, TN -- November 7, 2008 -- Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need, has announced plans to launch a new fundraising website, www.50000shoes.com. The charity is challenging bloggers and social media users to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of new shoes in 50 days.

Through the new world of blogging, emailing, twittering, and through many other forms of online media, the non-profit hopes to achieve not only the fundraising goal, but also to spread their mission far and wide. The Soles4Souls www.50000shoes.com charity challenge will be live on Monday, November 10, 2008 and end on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

"We have been utilizing the basic Web-based marketing tools such as e-mail blasts, social networking and YouTube videos. However, this website, www.50000shoes.com, is the natural evolution of our viral marketing plan," said Soles4Souls Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey.

"A strong grass-roots effort, combined with an effective web-based social marketing platform, will allow Soles4Souls to form online community in a creative manner while being effective with raising funds and helping those in need," he said.

Both the tech savvy and the computer challenged can visit www.50000shoes.com to download their choice of four (4) Soles4Souls banners ad and blog widgets. Using the tools provided, users will be able to easily email, blog, or twitter the challenge to friends, family and co-workers as well as ask everyone to continue spreading the message.

"This is a huge challenge to meet a huge need. We want to virally attack the issues of poverty and make it simple for the end user to play a role in it," Elsey stated.

Donating is easy and takes just a click and a couple of minutes. It requires no shipping, no wrapping and no trips to the post office. The monetary donation is small with $5.00 buying two pairs of new shoes. Anyone can click and give, and all donations are tax-deductible.

After 50,000 pairs have been donated, one person (with a guest of their choosing) will be selected at random to deliver the shoes they purchased to someone in need on one of Soles4Souls' trips to Mexico!

"Can you imagine what it would be like to personally give someone their very first pair of shoes?! We look forward to connecting the tangibility of handing someone a pair of shoes with the virtual world of the Internet," Elsey said.

Social networking has become a very powerful communications tool; however, no one knows when life will hit hard or where a disaster will strike. One day you have everything you need; the next you may only have your life. A pair of shoes can help people begin the rebuilding process. Shoes not only bring hope, but in millions of cases they can save lives. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets while over 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes. This is an opportunity to "Step Up" and to help Soles4Souls with their mission of "Changing the World, One Pair at a Time" with "One Click at A Time."

Another Random Friday

It's been a busy week and I haven't had much to say. Well I take that back, I've had a lot to say, I just didn't take time to write what I had to say. So here are some random thoughts from this week.


* I am surrounded by some incredibly talented people. Big things are on the horizon.

* It's been great having Dean home this week. I know Amy has enjoyed it too. There is a difference in her attitude when he's home and when he travels.

* I'm thankful the election is over and we can all get on with our regularly scheduled lives. It was historic and I'm glad my daughter was old enough to understand what was going on. I pray we can continue to be a country united, regardless of if your candidate won or lost.

* I'm looking forward to meeting new friends tomorrow evening.

* I've discovered I enjoy reading riders, contracts, and other documentation that most people wouldn't like. It's all part of a bigger plan coming together.

* I'm sitting here watching the birds as I type this. There is one bird sitting on the fountain, it looks like he is sleeping, and his tail is dragging in the water. I want to tell him he'd probably be more comfortable somewhere else, but I don't think he'd understand. Wish I could have gotten a picture.

* I have more to write, but it will wait until next time when I can better organize my thoughts.

Have a great Friday.

Writers Block

more animals

Another Wordle

I'm having fun with this. If you haven't tried it yet, go to http://www.wordle.net and create one for yourself.

Random Friday

It's been a crazy week. Not so much busy, but a lot going on in my head more than anywhere else.

* I've been challenged this week. Things people have spoken into my life have challenged me to think more, go deeper, and even lose sleep.

* There are so many things I love to do. But now I have so many unfinished projects, I really must stop starting new things and finish what I've started.

* Mark Hilliard (at http://www.renownworhsip.org) had an interesting comment the other day. He was wondering where all the extra campaign money goes. My response "I'd like to know why there is so much money spent on a campaign. So much could have been done with the millions of dollars wasted. Or is it billions?" That's the only political comment I will make on this blog.

* I've been challenged as a parent this week. She has a strong will some times, and the issues of respect and responsibility have been big around here.

* I really must put something on the window by my desk to keep the birds from flying into the window. It is fascinating though to sit here and watch them fly and feed. But where has the "darn" squirrel gone? He hasn't been around lately.

* Welcome to all the new readers I've had this week. I'm going to a blog party next weekend and as part of that, the organizer Heather Whittaker (http://whittakerwoman.typepad.com/whittaker_woman/) created a page to introduce all to each other with short bios. In the past two days I have seen a tenfold increase in my statistics. I'm so looking forward to meeting all of these incredible people.

* Thanks to Dre (http://drefillmore.typepad.com/my_weblog/) for sharing this laugh this morning. Everyone should laugh at least once a day. http://www.nolaf.org/

* Thank you to all the other bloggers out there that I read. You share what's on your mind, and you speak into my life and I thank you for your words.

* And I leave you with this question. Are you doing it because you can or because you should?

Title Unknown

I have a hard time with titles. Not the ones that are given to a person such as doctor, president, pastor, etc. But with titles for this blog, or a book, or a message. As part of the creative team with Journey Church I am responsible for helping come up with titles for the podcasts. When I worked at another church I was responsible for the message titles that went on the CD's and video casts. It's been 4 years (or more) that I've been doing this and I still have a hard time with titles.

I admire the authors who can come up with the witty titles for their books. Right now I am reading "Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself" by Alan Alda. His previous book is "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed". These titles don't give you any indication of what the book is about. They pique your curiosity, then it's up to you to discover what it's really all about.

I love to read. I read more now than when I was in school, and I read a lot then too. As a child I read a lot too. I have memories of the bookcases my dad built in my room, being filled with books. Some of which I still have today that I am passing on to my daughter. But what I love about reading is the ability to get "lost" in another world. Fact or fiction, every story, every book, can take you somewhere you've never been before, if you are willing. You are given the opportunity to experience another life or learn something new. And it all starts with a title.

Any good recommendations for what I should read next? I'm looking forward to the new places I can explore. Share your favorite titles with me.

Wordle

There is this website called Wordle that will take the words used on your blog and create a word picture of them. Go check it out.



http://wordle.net/ Images of Wordles are licensed Creative Commons License

Jesse Cook Cafe Mocha

Beautiful images and amazing guitar playing. Enjoy this while I try to organize all the thoughts running around in my head for my next post.

What Is Church?

What is church to you? Is it an ornate building with lots of stained glass windows, a pipe organ, and a choir? Or is it a contemporary service, with a full band, meeting in a building that looks nothing like a church building. Or does it fall somewhere in between?

It was pointed out to me this morning that I didn't grow up in church the way so many of the people I'm surrounded with did. I did go to an Episcopal church until I was about 9. After that, it was pretty much hit and miss until I was in my 20's. There were the occasional Christmas and Easter services, but they were few and far between. And of course since it was a "traditional" church, it was the stone building, with the stained glass windows, the steeple, the bells, the hard pews, kneelers, and so on. This is pretty much what I associated with church and God.

It wasn't until someone took the time to explain the personal, loving, relational aspect of Christianity, that my skewed idea of what church was changed. And my idea of who God was, well lets just say that was even more skewed. Once I finally met that person and listened to what they had to say, then I thought I finally understood what church and God was really all about. That was almost 19 years ago.

This past Wednesday night we had our leaders small group at our pastor's home and it really showed me what the church really is supposed to be. It's not about the building, or the seats, or the illustrations, or any of the other trappings. Church is the people. The people that God has placed you with in life. It is about the real, authentic, honest relationships. Accepting and loving people where they are at right at that moment. Not forcing rules and restrictions and doctrine down their throats. But simply shining the love of God and letting Him work in their lives. That's what church is all about.

What Has Your Attention?

What is occupying your time? Is it the blogs are you reading? Are there some that you should just unsubscribe from? Are they imparting anything of value in to your life?

Is it a something? Is there something that has become the main focus of your life, taking away from someone or something else, that may be more important.

Or maybe it's a someone that is occupying your time and energy. Are you spending time with or are you investing time with this person? Are they imparting something into your life? There is a difference between spending and investing. Think about it in terms of money. If you spend money, what do you have to show for it? A trinket. Something that is going to be used up and soon forgotten. If you invest money, what do you have to show for that? Hopefully a good return for the future. (Thank you Pastor Douglas for this illustration. It has stuck with me since the first time I heard you use it.)

There is so much going on in the world right now. So many things screaming for our attention. Too many different directions we could be going. It is too easy to get bogged down in these things and forget what is really important.

I'm not writing this to tell you that you should stop reading blogs, watching the news, don't spend time with that person anymore, or doing whatever it is that you are doing. I'm simply writing this to encourage you to take a moment and consider what are you doing, what is it accomplishing and is there something that you are missing because of this.

I'm also doing it as a reminder to myself. To focus on what is important and not lose sight of that. To invest more and spend less. To speak positive into the lives that I impact.

Where The Money Goes

I think SchoolHouse Rock had it right. Maybe this is a lesson we all need to learn again.

Love Everybody?

My 8 year old (who some days has the mind of a 30 year old) asked me the other day, "Do you love everybody?" "What do you mean by everybody?" I asked. Her response was "Everybody, in the whole world." I thought for a moment and said "to a degree yes. We are commanded to love everyone, just as God loves us. But it's not in the same way as I love you or daddy." I thought that would have been the end of the discussion, but she took it a step further. Her next question was "what about people who hurt you?" Wow. How do I answer that one. Like most people, I've been hurt on different levels. I had an experience where I was assaulted when I was younger. Maybe terrorized would be a better word. But regardless of the terminology, it took me a long time to battle the fear it left behind. So this was one of the things that came to mind when she asked me this question. And quite frankly I didn't have a good answer for her. I stuttered and stammered through and now I don't even remember what I told her. But ever since then, this question has been replaying in my mind. I have gotten over the fear and terrors, and I've gotten over the pain of other hurts in my life. But could I honestly say I love those people that hurt me?

I had to look up the definition of love, and here's what I found.

* a strong positive emotion of regard and affection;
* any object of warm affection or devotion;
* have a great affection or liking for;
* beloved: a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
* a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction;
* get pleasure from;
* a score of zero in tennis or squash;
* be enamored or in love with;
* sexual love; sleep together: have sexual intercourse with;

If I were to answer based on those definitions, I would have to say no, I don't love those people. But then I looked up God's definition of love. And here's what He has to say:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The words "it keeps no records of wrongs" jumped out at me and I was reminded that, yes, no matter what, we must love others. We don't have to like what they've done, but we must love and show God's love to them. I choose to walk in this love today and everyday. How about you? Is there someone you have been withholding love from?

Creative team meeting

Yes, we actually do get work done. But part of the creative process is this too.



I've said it before, I'll say it again. I love the people I get to work with. It doesn't feel like work even though it can be a full time job and then some.

Road Trip Thoughts

So we're home from a week long road trip. A lot of time spent in the car, driving up to Cass West Virginia and back home, via Deltaville Virginia - with a few stop in between.

These are some observations from our trip:

~ Thank God for built in DVD players. At first it wasn't working, don't know why. But then it fixed itself and kept Amy occupied and not asking "are we there yet?"

~ Can someone please tell me why the price of gas can vary so much, even in one city. We passed two stations that were $2.99, then down the road a couple of miles, it was $3.39. I don't get it.

~ I am also thankful for OnStar and their driving directions. Dean has a GPS built into his phone, but there were some times it just wasn't working. Fortunately we were able to push that "blue button" and someone was able to download directions to the car and we were able to find where we were going.

~ I found that you can tell a lot about an area based on the billboards you see. And along those same lines, you can tell which way an area is leaning politically based on the number of those signs too. Don't believe what the polls and news are telling you. Go out and drive around and see for yourself.

~ Road food... what happened to the diners? The mom and pop places where you could get a good meal, cheap. Most all we found was chain food. Need to go look up "Diners, Drive Ins and Dives" before our next road trip.

~ Some names of towns I wouldn't want to live in (only based on the name):
Muddlety (muddle through life... sounds boring)
Gassaway (that one speaks for itself I think)
Goochland (I'm a Goochlander?)
Dinwiddle (uh?)
Squirrel Level (who came up with that name?)

The leaves were changing in West Virginia, not quite at peak. But we had a beautiful day for the train ride and picnic. Had a nice visit with family, albeit short. Glad to be back home.

So what did you do last week?

What Makes A Star?

Why do we elevate some of the people that we do, to the level of a "star"? When did politicians go from being someone who worked for the betterment of the country to being a celebrity? And how about CEO's? When did they achieve this status? There are many to be admired for what they have done, the innovations they have brought to us. But what makes them a "star"?

Why isn't the lady who drives the bus and delivers the kids safely to and from school everyday a star? Or the guy who dependably delivers the mail? Or my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Booker? Why don't we recognize them as someone worth celebrating? These are the people we should be acknowledging and thanking. When was the last time you said thank you to the mailman? Do you know his name?

It's time we stop idolizing and worshiping the mass produced man made stars and recognize and celebrate the stars in our every day lives.

One last thought for you to think about. What if Jesus came back today? Would we treat Him like a star? What would He think of that?

No Gas

For those of you living in the southeast that have been affected by this "NO GAS" situation, how has it affected you most?

For me personally I have become more aware of the errands I run and where I am going. There is only one thing that is non-negotiable that I have to do each day and use gas to get done, taking my daughter to school. But I have also found that there are a lot of other things that I do, just because I can and not necessarily because I should, that I have been able to eliminate from my daily routine.

I've found that there have been several good things that have come out of this situation too.

One has been the savings. Because I'm not going out as much, I'm also not spending as much. I am getting more creative with what I am cooking at home and using up things that I have had in the pantry for a while that probably should have been used long before now. No, they haven't gone bad, they've just been sitting there waiting to be used.

Something else good that has happened is that I am getting a lot of unfinished projects done. I'm also spending more time with my daughter. Because I am home more during the day I get more done while she is at school. This enables me to spend more time with her after school and in the evening, instead of having to do all the chores I would normally have to do in the evening.

And most of all, it has made me more dependent on God. I realize there is nothing I can do to fix this problem. And complaining about it doesn't do anyone any good either. So I have to trust that He will provide for me when I have the need. He orchestrates my steps and knows the plan He has laid out for me. I just have to be quiet, listen and follow His lead.

So how about you? How has this affected you, your routine, your relationships?

Teaching our kids

It's a sad reflection on our society today if a teacher doesn't have confidence that a parent is going to actively be involved in a child's education.

I recently had a parent/teacher conference and I must say this is the first time I have been disappointed with one of my child's teachers. Don't get me wrong, she seems to be a good teacher and Amy really likes her. But I have some reservations.

I've known for some time now that I have a smart kid. I know most parents think their kids are smart, but mine is one of those really smart ones. I'm going to have to go back to school to keep up with her at this rate. She has blown the top off of the CRCT standardized tests that they give here in school. She's reading at a 5th grade level and that's when she's not really trying. Her math skills are incredible too. I don't know any other third graders working on square roots. I don't even remember what grade I learned that in. I know it wasn't elementary school.

So when I went to this conference one of my concerns was that she wasn't allowed to pick more challenging books from the library. The reason I was given: "well if she reads all the higher level books now she won't have anything to read when she gets to 5th grade." Is it just me or is there something really wrong with that statement? She went on to say that in 5th grade we would have to go to the public library to get books for her to read and we wouldn't know which ones were AR books and it would be a lot more work. Ummm... I'm at a loss for words here. Why wouldn't I do that? If I want what's best for my child, then I will do whatever it takes.

Are there really that many parents out there who don't care about their kids education? That is the only thing I can glean from that comment. Has school just become a place where kids are babysat between the hours of 7:30 am and 3:30 pm? And if that's the case, what are these kids going to do when they grow up?

I know there are some teachers out there reading this blog. Please comment and tell me what you think. Personally, I will continue to work with my daughter, take her to the library, book store, museums, etc. in an effort to continue to challenge her. But if this is what I have to look forward to for the next 9 years, I may have to re-evaluate what we're doing about schooling.

Taxes, China and A Life Change

This is the story of how working for a tax software company made me a mom.

I used to work for a tax software company. We created an on-line personal tax preparation software program that turned out to be quite successful. For those of you not familiar with the behind the scenes of a software development company, I'll give you the brief description. Long hours (any where from 8 to 20 hour days, depending on the season). Junk food (take out, pizza, fast food. You name it, we ate it). Good pay (thank God for stock options). No life outside of work and the friends we had there. That pretty much sums up the life that I (and my husband) were living.

Because of the success of the program we created, we were approached by a "bigger" software company, offered lots of money, and eventually bought out and dismantled. While it was sad to see people lose their jobs, see all our hard work just shut down, it turned out to be a turning point in my life.

Thanks to the stock options, I was immediately able to pay off all the debt that my husband and I had accumulated. And it was substantial to say the least. (That's a story for another post another day).

I also realized that working for a software company was not what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was a great place to be for a season, but it wasn't what I was passionate about.

One day my husband said to me "I think I hear my biological clock ticking." I looked at him a bit puzzled and said "isn't that supposed to be my line?" By this time we had been married almost 10 years and intentionally didn't have children. But he reminded me of a program we had seen some years earlier about all the abandoned girls in China. He said "I think that's something maybe we should consider now."

Before you could say international adoption, we were contacting adoption agencies, figuring costs, looking at different countries, and were one step closer to changing our lives forever.

Well after much paperwork (you think buying a house is a lot of paperwork), several meetings with a social worker, trips to the INS, the jail to be fingerprinted (for the county, state and feds), biographies written and all documentation notarized by the local, state and Chinese governments, we were finally ready to wait. Yes I said wait. Once we had done all this work we had to wait. And wait. And wait some more. Referral times were running around 10 to 11 months. Longer than any pregnancy I had ever heard of.

And then the call came. Work ceased, and the wait for the FedEx guy started. Little did he know the package he was delivering would change not just one life, but three lives forever. After more paperwork, flying for 13+ hours (I called that my labor) one bad meal, one mystery meal, and an exhausting walk on the Great Wall of China we me the most beautiful, precious gift ever given to us and started a new chapter in our lives.

Fast forward 7 1/2 years - and here we are in 2008. Parents of an incredible 8 1/2 year old. Yes, that's her in the picture above, a few years ago in Leavenworth, Washington. And I could go on, but I will save more of the story for another post.

But this is my positive post for a Tuesday and also my way of sharing something that God did in my life that has changed me forever. What's God done for you lately?

Welcome To Our Church

We've been showing this video the past few weeks at church. It really represents who we are and what we're about. If you are in the Acworth, Georgia area come check us out on Sunday. 10 am at Russom Elementary. Or go to www.jcacworth.com for directions and more information.

This Week

What has God done in your life this week?

As part of LifeShare, we have been challenged to share our spaces (blog, MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, etc) to share what God has done and is continuing to do in our lives. It's been an amazing experience already and we're only 2 days into the 7 days. Check out LifeShare if you want to join too. It's not too late.


So what has God done in my life this week...
My prayer this week has been for God to use my words to reach people that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to meet otherwise. Well He is a God who answers prayer. In this week alone I have have seen a huge increase in readers of this blog. A few have commented, most haven't (don't hold back I love to hear from all of you). And some have e-mailed me directly. And it has been amazing, encouraging and confirming for me too. Thank you.

Thanks for stopping by and keep coming back. You never know what I'll share next.

Peace.

Generosity in Action

I saw this video on Tim Stevens blog this morning (http://www.leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/) and thought it so relates to the LifeShare project I'm participating in this week and I wanted to share it with all of you.

This is just another example of sharing your life and making an impact on the community around you. It doesn't take much. Even just a smile. Go do a random act of kindness today.

LifeShare

LifeChurch.tv and Ragamuffin Soul are joining together for the next 7 days for this LifeShare project. In short, over the next 7 days you share your life on line and in person, share what God has done in your life and you use your space to share all this.

There are a bunch of different ways you can get involved with this project too. Check out http://tinyurl.com/4646tg for all the details.

I'm in. How about you? Get involved. Share your life with someone and make a difference.

Say what you mean...

And mean what you say. A rule that we should all live by. So why do the marketing types feel that they have to come up with some "fluffy" message to make me feel better about parting with my hard earned money. Wal-Mart's new slogan "Save Money. Live Better. Wal-Mart" is a perfect example. I went there yesterday. I did not save money, and I certainly didn't live better. (I could go off on a tangent here and this could become a rant about Wal-Mart, but I'll leave that for another day.) I did however leave there yesterday extremely frustrated, and have reached the point now where I won't go back there to buy anything. They didn't deliver on their message that they are constantly preaching to me.

I work as part of a creative team for a church. We are responsible for the image, branding, illustrating, marketing, production, etc. of this church. We have a powerful message we want to convey to people. But if we come up with some silly statement that doesn't represent our true message or tell people what they are really going to get, will people get fed up with us too and not return?

Whether it's saving souls or saving money, make sure that what you say really does represent what you are delivering. Be direct and give the people what you are promising. Otherwise they won't be back.

Random thoughts for Friday

Just some things rattling around in my head...

• Menopause and puberty... don't mix
• Why does it take an anniversary of something tragic to bring people together? Why can't we experience that kind of peace everyday?
  
• Snarky is the word for the week. (Thanks Tori - I've been thinking about that ever since your post at: http://www.babybloomr.com)
• God definitely has a sense of humor (see menopause and puberty)
• Do we ever realize how many lives we touch (directly and indirectly) on a daily basis?
• I miss being up north during this time of year. It's going to be 90 degrees here today. That's just not right for the middle of September.
• Turning 42 has been harder than turning 40. But it's getting better.
• I miss my Oma. She passed away 10 years ago. There are many days I wish I could call and ask her advice or just chat about nothing in particular.
  
• My daughter asked what a mid life crisis is. When I tried to explain it, her next question was "Does that mean you are only going to live to be 84?"
  
• I get to work with some of the most amazing people. We work hard, but we have fun and love what we get to do. They have become my family.
• Someone needs to invent a waterproof computer. I seem to have some of my best ideas in the shower and have no where to write them down before I forget.
• Smile at someone today. It may be what makes a difference in their day.

How not to be intimidated

I have learned over the years that first and foremost, we are all just human. Regardless of who we are, what status or position we hold, celebrity or everyday person, we are all the same. That is not to say we are clones of one another or that we should be. We all have different talents, experiences and lives that make us unique.

But just because someone is "famous" doesn't mean that they are any better or more special than you. They simply have a talent that has been recognized by many and has become elevated to a different level.

I learned this lesson one day by sticking my foot in my mouth, up to my knee if you will. When I was younger, I worked in the bar/band scene for a few years. One evening I was out with some friends and was engaged in a conversation with some people I knew and one that I didn't. I was introduced to this person, Steve. He seemed like a nice enough guy, just your average joe. We were talking about a concert that I had been to that evening and during the conversation I expressed an opinion in regards to the line up of artists and how I thought it was unbalanced. Not much was said about it at the time, didn't really seem like anything earth shattering either.

Well after a few minutes I excused myself, only to be approached by one of my friends there who asked me if I realized who I was speaking to. I rattled off the names of the people at the table, including Steve, not really giving it much thought. My friend said to me, "Steve (long pause), Stevie (another long pause), Stevie Ray..." at that moment I realized that I had been sitting there talking to Stevie Ray Vaughn. The guy who I had just seen in concert that night and had made the comment about. You can imagine how small I felt at that moment. But I decided at that moment to take the opportunity to learn something about life.

I went back to the table, laughing (mostly at myself) and apologized - sort of. I told everyone sitting there that I stood behind what I said, but that I was sorry for not realizing sooner who it was I was talking to. Fortunately for me, Stevie Ray turned out to be a very gracious person, and said he respected my opinion. For me that was a turning point. I realized that no matter the person, as long as you are honest and are speaking from the heart, then you can not be intimidated just because they are "famous".

So regardless of someones position, whether it be a "famous" person or someone you encounter on a daily basis, realize that they are just like you, human first, just with a different talent. And they are doing what they know best to do with that talent. It's nothing to be intimidated by.

A meme

Queen B started this today and it tied in with a post I was starting about why do you blog. So I thought I would throw this out and see what kind of response it generates.

For those of you who don't know what a "meme" is - here is a definition from Blogging Basics 101: A meme is a pre-set group of questions, similar, in many ways, to a chain letter.

So here are the rules:

1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them

My 5 reasons for blogging and how it's affected me

1. Friends - I started blogging as part of the leadership of a church plant. It started out as a way for the people that we were trying to reach to get to know all of the leaders. Now it has become a way for me to connect with people all over the world. (I know you are lurking out there, even though I haven't seen many comments.) I have started getting to know people I would have never otherwise had any contact with. You all have become friends to me.

2. Creativity - while I am naturally a creative person, (I sew, bead, craft, produce video, etc...) blogging has challenged my creativity in ways that I haven't been challenged in years. It challenges me to look at the world around me in a different way. And all experiences are now fair game for blog posts.

3. Self confidence - I think we all have some self esteem issues in our lives at various times and this blog has given me more confidence in who I am and what I have to contribute to the world.

4. A cathartic release - A great way to express emotions and realize that there are others out there who really are going through or have gone through the same things that you are experiencing.

5. Fun - This goes back to the friends part.

So now I need to tag some people. Hmmm... who will it be?

Amy @ http://livinglocurto.wordpress.com/

Dre @ http://drefillmore.typepad.com/

Mark @ http://markhilliard.blogspot.com/

Katrina @ http://katrinahilliard.blogspot.com/ (who hasn't blogged in quite some time I might add - I know you've been busy, but I love to read what you have to say)

Josh @ http://joshuamullen.blogspot.com/ (another one who hasn't blogged in a while but has a powerful message when he does share)

And anyone else reading this who wants to chime in, please do. De-lurk, comment and post a link. I'd love to meet you too.

Technology... Ain't it grand

How dependent are you on technology? Do you know? Do you Facebook? MySpace? YouTube? Twitter? How often?

I realize you are reading this blog on a computer, so there is that. But what about cell phones, iPods, video games, book readers, televisions (cable and satellite tv too), dvr's, the list could go on.

I admit, it a guilty of being a technology junkie. When my husband and I got married, 18 1/2 years ago, he built our first computer - a 286 with 2 megabytes of RAM and are you ready for this, a 40 megabyte hard drive. I won't even tell you how much it cost, except to say you could go on a nice vacation for what it was. But today, that computer is obsolete. Now I have an iMac, just about a year old, and I love it. And probably in another year or two from now, it will be old news too.

My latest thing that I'm looking at... the Flip video camera. I saw a video created with this and thought "Wow! That's so cool. And tiny too. Pretty amazing quality for something so small." - Now I come from a video production background (went to school for it and actually worked at a tv station for some years) and still do some editing and other production work. And I'm thinking of all the cool things I could do with this new little toy. And then I thought, okay, but will I really use it long term? Or do I want it just because it's the newest thing.

So what does that say about us? About our society? We have become a gotta have it, instant pudding, microwave society who can't wait any longer. Our attention span seems to be that of a gnat. We have 24 hour weather channels and news channels, we have text, voice mails and e-mails. Have we lost the human connection? How long can we live in this bubble?

I don't have the answers to these questions, and I put it out there for you to think about. In the mean time I'm going to go watch the speeches that I recorded last night on the dvr, because it was just too late for me to stay up. Yeah, technology. Ain't it grand.

Creative Slump

Okay, all you other bloggers and creative people out there - what do you do to spark your creativity?

Personally, I am in a creative slump today. I have a half finished quilt on the design wall that every time I walk into the room reminds me that I haven't finished it yet. I have a bunch of randomly written down notes, each which could be the beginnings of a post, but none seem to "speak" to me today. I'm listening to music that usually inspires me, I've even read a few exercises in "Caffeine For The Creative Mind". And still... nothing.

So what do you do to get that creative spark going?

Who would you invite?

I saw a "top ten" list on the Dirty Jobs website and it gave me the idea for this. If you could invite ten people, living or dead, to a dinner party; who would you invite?

I'll start with my top ten, then you comment and let me know who yours would be.

In no particular order:

1. Henri Matise
2. Ronald Regan
3. Johnny Depp
4. Jesus
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. Art Buchwald
7. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
8. Brother Yun (Read the book "The Heavenly Man")
9. Warren Buffet
10. Opa (my mothers dad)

Okay, your turn.

Someday

Someday I want my craft room to look like this - (only with more fabric, beads and embellishments instead of the art supplies)




and in that same house (dream) my office space will look like this -



Yes, in my dreams my house looks like the Pottery Barn catalog.

Because I Said So!

Did I really say that? I vowed as a kid to never say that to my kids. Famous last words. Now I've said it. Just yesterday in fact was the first time. In the 7 1/2 years we've had Amy, (she was one year old when we adopted her) I have managed to come up with a different answer, usually an explanation of some sorts. But yesterday, it finally came out.

Ack! I've become my parents.

Don't get me wrong, I love my parents. They are wonderful people, they have taught me a lot over the years, and I know I gave them a lot of grief over the years too. But when you are a kid you always think I'm going to be different than my parents were. I'm not going to have those same battles, I'm not going to say the same things.

But now it's out there. Will I say it again? Probably.

Authenticity

Are you being authentic? Are you being real? It is my hope that through this blog, the writing I do touches you in some way, and that you realize this is the real me. This is who I am. Not perfect (I never claim to be), not a best selling author (maybe someday?), sometimes not a good mother or person (hopefully these days are few and far between - but they do happen), but that I am being who I am called to be. It is on my heart to write and to share what I've learned about life - the good, the bad and even the ugly. And through all that I am trying to be authentic.

I looked up the definition of authentic and here is what I found:
Genuine, not false or copied, being trustworthy, original, the real thing, and real not fake. (Gee almost makes me feel like a bottle of Coke.)

So I hope through my writing I can convey things that are real, sometimes silly and not always serious, because that would just be emotional overload. And if it impacts you, let me know. Comments are always welcome.

**Edited** I had to add a link to this specific blog:
http://babybloomr.com/?p=282
She writes some amazing things. Some of it you may agree with, some of it you may not. But it is a great example of someone else who is being authentic.

Read These

It never ceases to amaze me what you can find on the internet. If you're not careful you can spend hours in front of that screen and never leave. But this will be a short post. Check out the list to the right "Read These Blogs". I have been reading some of these today and each one has reached me in a different way. But they are all so amazing. Hope you enjoy them too.

Who's right?

I read this in another blog post this morning "When did we decide the church should dictate, control, or mandate the direction of our culture?" (http://www.leadingsmart.com/leadingsmart/2008/07/another-boycott.html) and thought who are we to say that we have it all "right" and everyone else is wrong?

I was having a conversation about something similar to this with my 8 year old the other day. She was questioning why other people call things by something different than what we do. In fact the specific item in question was a tortilla. In her mind anyway, that's what it was. In a classmates mind it was called something else. And my daughter just kept insisting that this classmate was wrong, despite how many different ways I was trying to explain it. Looking back on it now, it's pretty funny to me that we spent almost fifteen minutes discussing the difference between a tortilla and flat bread, only to come to the conclusion that it was the same thing.

But we all are guilty of doing this with our opinions, views and thoughts too many times. We think we are always right, that our rules are the ones that everyone should live by and that everyone else is wrong. If things don't go our way then we get upset, or we pout, or we retaliate. In some cases we even cut off those that need us the most.

We have to realize that there are many different personalities, views, backgrounds and experiences that go into making up a person and our society. We can not be so black and white in our judgments. The only authority that can do that (in my opinion) is God. You on the other hand may think differently. We have to accept the fact that there are gray areas, that there are times we will disagree, and that we are not all clones of one another. Otherwise we run the risk of alienating everyone and finding ourselves in a very lonely place.

We have to live our lives as we are called to live them. We don't have to condone a behavior that we disagree with, but we also don't have to force feed our views on someone else. We need to share with others in a loving and non-judgmental way, and lead by example. Then maybe people will be willing to listen and follow what we have to say.

Failure is not an option

Where would we be today if all the inventors and inventive thinkers had just given up? If they just said "I can't do this". We wouldn't have the light bulb, or the telephone (two things we rely on on more than a daily basis) or we wouldn't have put a man on the moon.

Gene Kranz (from NASA) wrote a book about his experience as a flight director for the space program. He talked about all the time they spent trying to come up with different solutions to all the problems they encountered. Most famously was Apollo 13. But think about it. What if they decided to just give up. If they said there are no more solutions that we can think of and let that defeatist attitude take over. That probably would have been the end of NASA and the lives of three men. But instead they persisted, working long and hard, but they finally came up with a solution.

There have been plenty of things in my past where I've given up on trying something new or different. But I have come to a realization now that I have to strike the word "can't" from my vocabulary. If there is something I want to achieve, I can; as long as I am willing to commit to it, think it through and persist. Even when it seems like there is no solution, there is, I just give up too soon.

The NIV says in Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through him who strengthens me". I have to remind myself on a daily basis that because I have the spirit living in me, that I can do all things. I have then strength to go on, even when I feel I want to give up. I will persist. Failure is not an option.

Pick your battles

When did kids stop being kids? In the past two days I have seen news stories involving kids, and their over achieving parents. In Japan 25 kids had to give the lead part in a school play. There was only one lead part, but these 25 kids had to share the part. Just because all of the parents wanted their child to be the star. Then another story was about kids having business cards. A 2 year old with a stack of business cards in his bag? How ridiculous is that!!! The mothers explanation for it was "it makes him feel important, and helps his build his network of friends." And to make it even worse, the price for these cards is $50 for 50 cards. I didn't even spend that much on my own business cards (which are now sitting on a shelf gathering dust).

It seems like kids are being scheduled and forced to do things they don't want to, have no interest in, or just aren't ready for. Every night of the week it's off to practice here, a recital there, grab dinner on the run, squeeze in homework somewhere, and don't stop to rest.

I also had a more personal experience with parent pressure - it was at a pool. A bunch of kids were taking turns jumping off the diving board into the deep end of the pool. One of the kids didn't want to do it, maybe they weren't comfortable with their swimming skills, I don't know. But they didn't want to, and that was what mattered. Well the parents decided that it was more important for the child to be jumping off the diving board, so they kept pressuring until finally the deed was done. Afterward the tears started. When asked why they were crying, the answer was they felt pressured by the parents to do it even though they didn't want to.

Maybe it's a difference in parenting styles, but to me that was not something that the child needed to be pressured to do. I have an 8 year old and she has decided this year to try that and has found she likes doing that, but she made the decision to try, not me. She's also become a stronger swimmer because of it.

And I will be the first to admit, I have made my share of mistakes parenting too. I'm not perfect and I don't know any parents out there that are.

I think back on my childhood and my most fond memories of being a kid were playing with my friends, the spontaneous games played outside, swimming at the community pool, or just hanging out. We didn't have to be somewhere all the time or constantly entertained and occupied. We used our imaginations to create forts out of refrigerator boxes, picked honeysuckles and tried to harvest the honey to sell to the neighbors, or rode our bikes up and down the street for hours on end.

Hopefully I will be able to convey some of that to my daughter and allow her to be a kid just a little longer. Because they certainly grow up fast enough without us pushing an adult agenda on them.

This is too funny

Every time I see this video clip I just can't stop laughing. It's not so much the content, although that's pretty funny too, but watch Carol Burnett and the others. They just can't keep it together. Make sure to watch it all the way to the end.

Today's News

"Nobody should ever feel sorry for you, so keep your bad news to yourself and don't complain." A quote by Patricia Marx - I read in a magazine recently.

Then this morning during our creative team meeting, we were discussing the media and how it only reports bad news. I threw out the suggestion, what would happen if for one day the media only reported good news. The answer I got "crickets chirping" would be the only sound we would hear.

But think about it... why couldn't only good news be reported. What impact could that have on our city, our state, the nation, and the world. There are so many good things happening in the world every day - random acts of kindness - that don't need to be sensationalized, just shared.

So my challenge to you today is in your community, report only good news. Share with your family, your friends, your co-workers, only good and positive news. Leave all the bad stuff behind.

Post a comment too and let me know what good news you have.

How do you love?

I saw a sign today that said "God loves you whether you like it or not." and it made me think, do I love people that way? Or do I place conditions on my love? And do I love them even if they don't love me back?

As a mother, my love for my child is unconditional. I may not like her behavior some times, but I will always love her. As a wife, my love for my husband is also unconditional. But he too bugs me sometimes. And I'm sure I bug him too.

But what about others around us? Do we love them based on what they can do for us? What they can give us? Or do we love them just for who they are with no strings attached. Just like God loves us.

Just something to think about...

Carpe Diem

Did you seize the day today? A more literal translation of carpe, according to Wiki-pedia is "harvest". So did you harvest what today has to offer? Each day comes with all sorts of different opportunities, both good and bad. What will you choose?

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about how we live our lives - worrying about the small things, let other peoples actions influence our attitude, and generally just getting by day to day not really enjoying life. But what if we lived each day with our focus solely on that day and not on what is out of our control tomorrow or what is past? How would we treat people? What would we say? Better yet, what would we do?

I've met many people who aren't happy in their lives and they blame the world around them for their circumstances. And I've met others who live with their focus on that particular day or moment or person that they are with. Ask yourself, who would you rather hang out with? I know when I am around a person who has nothing but negativity surrounding them it brings me down real fast and affects me for the rest of the day. But when I am around those who have a love for life and what they are doing it makes even the darkest of days brighter.

What if we all took responsibility for our own actions, attitudes, and words - how would that change things? I personally am trying to live this way, and it's hard. No doubt about that. I have to remind myself each day that it's a good day and I'm going to have a good attitude and I'm going to do what is placed in front of me that day. And by doing this, I've noticed a difference in my life and in the lives of those around me. I've noticed that the people that I used to hang around who would do nothing but bring me down, aren't really around anymore. And those that impart good things into my life are around a whole lot more.

Seize the day! For those of you who haven't seen the movie Dead Poets Society, go rent it. It's a great movie. And when you are done with that one, go rent Life As A House. It will remind you how we should all live our lives.

In a box...

"Fox. Socks. Box. Knox. Knox in box. Fox in socks. Knox on fox in socks in box. Socks on Knox and Knox in box. Fox in socks on box on Knox. ... And here's a new trick, Mr. Knox... socks on chicks and chicks on fox. Fox on clocks on bricks and blocks. Bricks and blocks on Knox on box." And so it goes in "Fox in Socks."

I've been thinking a lot about boxes. Not necessarily the physical boxes so much, but the mental boxes. The tendency we all have to put people in a box.
We have one for work, one for school, one for church, one for this and one for that. But what would happen if we let those around us out of the box? What would we find? Would we be willing to accept people for the way they are or would we want to quickly stuff them back in the box we took them out of.

Have you ever thought about how you would describe your box? Is it a cardboard box or a treasure box? There is so much pressure from our society to be "perfect", to be the most glamourous of treasure boxes, that when we don't live up to that expectation we think we're just a worthless cardboard box that someone has dumped in the trash.

But consider for a moment the cardboard box and all it's uses. We use it to move things, store things, ship things across the miles, and if you're like my family, you save those boxes and use them again and again and again. But the point I'm trying to make here is we always come back to the cardboard box, while the shiny treasure box just sits on a shelf - collecting dust, until one day it's packed away in yes, a cardboard box and long forgotten.

We have to look beyond the box - and look at what's inside. That's where the true treasure is. And we have to allow people in our lives to see inside our box as well. We have so much to share and give as long as we're willing to open the box.

This journey called life

I just got done reading some other blogs and I am just blown away. Most of the people I am surrounded by these days are at least 10 to 15 years younger (if not more) than me - but their insight into life is so much more mature than people my own age. They understand how God is working in their lives and they actually take the time to stop and listen to what He is telling them. The seek Him with all their heart and follow His guidance. And they willingly and openly share their hearts in their blogs and with those they interact with. I am blessed to be able to call these people friends and though I may not say it often enough, I am thankful everyday to have you all in my life. Your willingness to share speaks volumes into my life and I only hope that I can do the same for someone else some day. I see God in all of you and am so excited to be sharing this journey together.

It's a blog

It seems like everywhere you go these days, everyone has a blog.

So here goes, my first blog.

There's no rhyme or reason to why - just random thoughts in an everyday life.

Here's something to think about... next time you are in a metro area (especially if you happen to be in New York City) listen to the snippets of conversations you happen to pass. It's an interesting thing to do while people watching. If you are a stand up comic, this is a great way to get new material. If you are a normal person, like the rest of us, it's a way to be entertained while trying to reach wherever it is that you are going.

I did this while in NYC, and it was fascinating to hear what all I encountered in a day. There was one gentleman who was carrying on two conversations at once - with two different phones to his ears. All while walking down the street. I guess that's really multi-tasking.

Another woman I overheard was yelling at someone on the other end of the phone - not sure who she was yelling at or any of the details, but I was glad I wasn't the one on the other end.

Most things overheard were just everyday conversations - nothing earth shattering. But it did make me more aware of what I say and where I say it. Which brings to mind the rule that my parents taught me and I am trying to teach my daughter - if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

What would this world be like if we only said nice things to people? Those we don't know and especially those we do. Try it. Go through one day only saying nice things, and see how it makes you feel. Happy Friday.