One year ago today the LPM Blog was born! On that first day I posted a welcome message and some pictures from our staff Christmas party. It was fascinating material. Were any of you reading during those early days? It has been a blast getting to fellowship with you in blogworld since then.
I mistakenly told my mom and sister that it is a tradition to post 100 things about yourself on your blog’s birthday. I think it’s actually something you do on your 100th post. Oops! I’m blaming it on my cold medicine. We had already made the list when I realized my mistake (and thank goodness we couldn’t come up with more than 30 things), so here it is!
30 Things About LPM and the Moore Family
LPM
*It was founded in 1994 with a one thousand dollar donation that Beth didn’t know what to do with.
*One donation check several years ago was made out to “Living Fruits Ministry.” We never cashed it because we loved it so much.
*A core group of the staff has been together since the days of monthly prayer breakfasts at Beth’s house twenty years ago. They have been through untold hair seasons with one another and are likely still married today because of one another’s encouragement to press on.
*Beth had to give up teaching a Christian aerobics class in order to write Bible studies, a sacrifice she often recounts and sometimes while doing a grapevine left then right, step forward, leap back. She says she’s never kicked the habit of writing aerobic routines in her head when she hears a cool Christian contemporary song.
*Beth’s personal assistant and our senior statesman, Susan Kirby, used to be a caterer, a gift she now utilizes to pick up good to-go food. Sadly, we only have about five restaurants near the ministry but, thankfully, four of them are Mexican food.
*The entire staff also considers Susan Kirby to be our resident authority on everything from recipes to home repairs to Christmas decorations to marriage restorations. Hers is the most sought-after advice in the ministry.
*Everyone on the staff is kind and sweet to each other until we play Bunko (no, we don’t bet) then everyone’s sin nature surfaces alarmingly. We had to give up playing “Spoons” because a utensil shortage once caused us to have to also use knives, to which many nearly lost appendages.
*One of us who will remain unnamed has the strangest sneezes in the free world and they always come in rapid succession of a minimum of eight. Every staff member within ear-shot observes a moment of smiling silence until they pass.
*Diane, our resource department manager, cut off all her eye lashes with an eyelash curler several years ago. As she helplessly watched them fall in the sink, she reports to having said aloud only one word: “Y’all.” Diane says that she does not know whether she was talking to all her eyelashes or to all of her good friends at Living Proof that would care that she lost them.
*Kimberly Meyer, one of our most beloved staff members, did not fully grasp the concept of preferring others when she served at Beth’s product table for the first time at Women of Faith several years ago. The irony of her shameful bias toward Beth was that it was untested. She’d not yet heard a single other speaker on the program. The first woman who walked up to the product table got the full brunt of it. With the enthusiasm of an entire cheerleading squad, Kimberly pointed both fingers at her and blurted out, “Who’s your favorite?” The unsuspecting woman, wide-eyed with surprise, blurted out with equal exuberance, “Patsy Clairmont!” A fact we still celebrate to this day.
*Every single one of the staff members who has gotten pregnant after coming to work here has had a boy. We now have five of them. Not a pink ruffle in the mix. Something suspicious is lurking in the office drinking water.
*Beth and ministry director, Sabrina, ride to Bible study together every Tuesday and worship so loud to Kirk Franklin songs that the whole car shakes.
*The whole ministry staff loves nothing better than a big, corporate praise dance. Uh, come to think of it, we haven’t let loose like that since Melissa came on board. She needs time to grow into it. A lot of time.
The Moore Family
*Most nights that we are all together, we sit on the edge of the bath-tub, fully clothed, and soak our feet in hot bath water.
*On special occasions, we put bath confetti in the water. And afterwards if there was good conversation, we talk about what a great “soaking” it was.
*While we soak our feet in the hot bath water, we drink our “comforts,” which is short for “comfort drink,” which is short for homemade hot cocoa (with real whipped cream).
*Mom and Dad have authored about fifty “sweet-Beanie” songs and can manipulate any song ever written into a “sweet-Beanie” song.
*We eat Jimmy Dean sausage almost every morning for breakfast. It is a small, dainty meal.
*Jackson’s feet often smell just like the feet of a grown man, and he thinks it is downright hilarious for anyone to smell them and gag.
*Beanie (the dog) is fed her medication in a mound of Easy Cheese (which Mom and Dad inexplicably call “cheese-meats”).
*Beth has a phobia of non-fried foods. The revelation recently came to full disclosure last week when she was shocked and awed that the fish in her fish tacos was grilled rather than fried. She even eats fried pickles. Disgusting.
*We love petit fours more than almost any other dessert creation. Wedding cake is a very close second.
*Amanda was the resident evangelist to the pets in our family, leading them to the Lord by holding their paws together in prayer.
*Melissa has the uncanny ability to order the worst and most random thing on any menu. If there is one bad entrée on an otherwise wonderful menu, she will pick it out.
*When Mom goes to work out, she says that she is going to “pump some iron” in order to “meet her fitness goals.”
*Keith has been known to entertain Beth, Amanda, and Melissa on a bad day by doing ballet across the hard-wood floor in his cowboy boots. His pirouette is fascinating.
*Melissa’s first car was a much-desired 1969 Z28 Camaro in midnight blue with white racing stripes. She got it for her 16th birthday from her daddy. He took her out on the road to teach her how to drive it, gave her a little while to practice the four-speed, then said, “Now, try again and quit driving like a girl.” They still share a great love for muscle cars.
*Melissa’s proudest moment for Amanda was the day she got a report card with a “needs improvement” in conduct.
*All Moore’s look to Melissa for fashion advice. There is still distant hope that her advice for Keith will one day be taken. She likes to remind her mother that if her father were indeed both handsome and cool, he’d be dangerous. Better for him to just be handsome.
*Dad brought a live armadillo to mom’s window the night before he proposed. We’re not sure why. Perhaps to test her commitment.
Happy blog-a-versary, Siestas!
Happy Blog-a-versary!
Thank you so much for the awesome post! Such perfect timing for the stories shared, as they lightened my day!
I love this blog…talk about routine…my morning routine, before I get breakfast or fix lunches for the kids is, check email for my devotional, check the weather, then log onto LPM to see if one of you Siestas have posted. I just love it. I can’t wait for San Antonio…to meet you all face to face!!
Merry Merry Christmas to you Beth, Amanda, Melissa, Keith, Curt and Jackson!!!
His Heavenly Peace be with you!
Kate in Charlottesville
Happy Blog-a-versary to all of us! and Merry Christmas, too!
I loved the eyelash tragedy so much, probably because I heard that if you cut off all your eyelashes they’d grow back thicker. I actually did that in 7th grade and regretted it all that year that it took to get eyelashes back!! This blog ministry has meant so much to me. I have prayed many prayers for these dear sisters of mine who were either celebrating or in much pain. God blesses us all, He is so faithful. Thank you so much Beth and Amanda for sharing your lives with us, we all love you so very much.
I joined up in January, and it has been a wild ride! I love the laughter, the lessons, and the love shared here. Now that we have moved to New Mexico, I depend on my siestas evenmore because y’all are friends who I can access from either side of America! Thank you for all these great blessings!
Holly, NM used to be Georgia
I read the new post before I went to bed last night and laughed myself to sleep thinking of a “maverick” of a man doing pirouttes (SP?)in his cowboy boots for his girls.
Thank you all for bringing joy into my life through that great story, and through the blog!
Too too funny!!! What fun we will have together some day!!
This blog is such a blessing–for insights, laughs, and just sharing life! THANKS!
GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY…
So THAT’S what Beth’s singing voice sounds like!!
Ummm, well, ahhh….it is EXACTLY as I have imagined all these years! 🙂
I love the glasses but have to admit I had a pair just like them when I was in 5th grade. Bless God for the creation of contact lenses!
MERRY CHRISTMAS RIGHT BACK AT ‘CHA TO THE MOORES AND THE JONES from The Tennessee Cooks!
Thank you for teaching me more and more about Jesus over the years so that Christmas means more and more to me!
Blessings, sweet friend!
Dori
“Thank you” to all who work on this wonderful blog – this wonderful ministry. It has been a blessing!
I LOVE THIS BLOG! This blog is what got me hooked into the blogging world and now I can hardly go a day without seeing if something has been posted at LPM. Thanks Amanda for all your hard work in keeping this up.
I love this group of Siestas and please come by and visit my new blog!
Happy Blog-a-versary!
Living Fruits Ministry…oh my!
I can’t believe it’s been a year!
Thanks for sharing some behind-the-scenes glimpses of your lives.
Love to y’all!
Karla
That was delightful through and through!
So glad I found this blog. I LOVE reading it. What a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed the video presentation by Miss Beth.
Beth Moore, you crack me up.
Happy Blogaversary to you, too, and I’m so glad we’re all siestas!
Oh my word, the sheer joy of celebrating the blog-a-versary with my siestas AND hearing Beth sing to us. My day is truly complete! Seriously, this blog is a wonderful gift to me and MANY others. Merry Christmas to you all.
I have been a siesta from the beginning!!! What an honor, ladies.
Beth… love you.
Moore Siestas (and Keith too)–
What a blast it is to serve our Savior with you! My first post but I couldn’t help it! You bring so much joy to my life. I thank my God for every remembrance of ya’ll! (God must be a Texan at heart!)
TOO, TOO fun!! 🙂
I actually did start reading it back then. I’m pretty sure I started reading it a few days after christmas!! It took me a while to comment because I felt silly for doing so…clearly I don’t feel silly anymore! (I loved it so much I even started my own soon after!)
I have absolutely LOVED this blog. And have been hugely blessed by it! Thank y’all so much for keeping it up with great laughs, wisdom and encouragement.
Looking forward to more in the future!
Lindsee (Lou)
I love fried pickles…I miss ’em. The Bunganaut Pig in Franklin, TN, has some of the best! sigh
That is the funniest thing I’ve ever read! And there have been a lot of funny posts over the past year. Thanks for being such a blessing. I cannot express how much I needed to laugh today.
Happy Blog-a-versary Moores! This blog has been such a blessing in my life. I haven’t been here since the very beginning, but in order not to miss out on ANYTHING I did go back and read every single post when I first stumbled upon this blog! 🙂 I love you all and thanks for the laugh today ~Kristin
That was absolutely hysterical! You Moore’s are a funny clan!! I’m a Moore, too, and I think I have your same sense of humor! Haha! I truly laughed outloud for forEVER when I read about the “y’all” after her eyelashes fell out!!! I could SO see me saying that if that were to happen to me, too. We LOVE to share everything with our girlfriends!!
Anyway…thanks so much for that! 🙂
Love,
Missy
Beth rocks those glasses!
I love the 30 interesting facts! Especially the eyelash incident! I would probably say Ya’ll if that happened to me too…and I am a northern girl.
I was just thinking recently that your blog-a-versary was coming up. What a great video and list!
The video cracked me up! I enjoyed the list. It is good to get to know more about you and your family. Thanks for sharing.
Happy Blog-a -Versary back at you Beth. I too loved the glasses. You crack me up.
I too love this blog and have been around since day one. It’s a ministry unto its self ! So I thank you all.
Amanda , you are a hoot. Where’d you get that T-shirt for your dad ? ( I want one too )
You all have blessed my SOCKS off.
I always wondered if one could cut their eyelashes off with a curler. ( I use one every day ) Did she just hold it tightly for too long ??
I really really really ( really ) love you all and appreciate you and your zany fun , and seriousness ….. cept I really ( really ) don’t think I could stand a fried pickle. I try to stay away from fried foods. I go straight for the cookies and pies. ; )
Can’t hardly WAIT for the next year here in Siestaville. The Lord bless you all richly.
Anudder siesta in New Mexico
Happy Blog-a-versary!! I’ve been reading almost from the beginning; I think the blog was two weeks old when I found it. Long enough to remember when it was a Blob! What a year! I’ve laughed, cried, shouted Yahoo-jah! and Please More Spirit!, reflected and have loved getting to know my Siestas. Amanda, thanks for creating a safe place to land on the internet. It’s my favorite place to visit!
Moore/Jones family and Siestas, I pray that you have a Blessed Christmas, that your households brim with Peace, Love and Joy, and that the coming year is filled with the beauty of the Spirit of the Living God and His abundant blessings in your lives. Yahoo-Jah and Amen!
Merry Christmas!
Veronica
It REALLY is our Blog-a-versary!??!!!
I can’t believe a year has flown by like it has and I had NO idea our Blog-a-versary is on the exact same day as my Anniversary and 19 years at that!!
WOW – I HAVE A DOUBLE-VERSARY TO CELEBRATE NOW EVERY YEAR AND YEAR AFTER… YEAR AFTER YEAR!!!!!!!! WEWHOO!!! GOSH, I’M TEARIN’ UP OVER THIS, GOT ME SOME GREAT GLASSES JUST LIKE YOURS BETHIE AND NOW THERE FOGIN’ UP ON ME, WHEEWEE!!! I’ll NEVER forget this now, NOT EVER……SOOO….I LIFT MY GLASS OF SPARKLING CIDER TO ALL MY DEAR, SWEET SIESTAS IN SIESTAVILLE AND SAY CHEERS!!!!! HERE’S TO MANY MORE WONDERFUL “FRUIT-FILLED” INSPIRED YEARS LAUGHIN’, LIVIN’ LOVIN’ AND CRYIN’ WITH YA’LL!!!!!! This is truly one of the MOST SPECIAL communities I have EVER belonged to and I love you all!!!!
Beth, you made me laugh till I cried again…..you go girlfriend!!! You go!!!! Work it out!!!! What would we all do without our dear, sweet, crazy siesta Bethie!?!?!?!?!?! We would NEVER have near as much fun that’s for certain!!
Love you <3 (P.S. Thats a heart sideways!!)
HUGS TO YOU
(((((((((((((((BETH))))))))))))))))
My dear sistas in Christ:
How wonderful it is that we can laugh and still be serious about God and his WORD!
God bless ya’ll!
Merry Christmas!
Laura from North Florida
Thank you to Beth and Amanda. This blog is a source of joy in my life! Happy Blogaversary and Merry Christmas!
I’ve been reading the blog for just a few months and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Happy Blog-a-versary! This is my first time to comment… I’ve started several before, but feel so inadequate with my writing skills compared to you Moore ladies, that I just delete them! Anyway, I just love all of you and appreciate all you do! I know I’m going to be blessed and entertained every time I read the blog! Merry Christmas and God bless each one fo you!!!
(Amanda, you don’t have to include this in the comment on the blog. I just want to thank Beth for taking the time to say hello to my daughter and me this past Sunday at church. It was such a blessing to meet you, Beth, and have our picture taken with you!!! May God richly bless you and your minsitry! You’ll never know this side of heaven how much you’ve blessed me and my three daughters! Donna from Indiana)
Gosh, I can’t believe it has *only* been a year! It seems it’s been a tradition forever now that as soon as I get done with my email I click on my “LPM” tab and see if there is a new post. If there is, I go get a cup of coffee and enjoy starting my day reading the post and sipping away. It has been a great addition to my spiritual life (which is to say my life, lest we compartmentalize!) and it’s always great to read the comments, too, when I have time.
Many blessings upon everyone who contributes and reads this blog. It’s been a great year!
(And ps… how does Miss Beth stay so svelt with that love of fried food? 🙂 ).
I loved the list! Personally I love me some Fried Pickles too!!! And what has the Dr. said about baby Jackson’s feet??? That can’t be normal for them to already smell like a grown man’s feet!! YUK! LOL….
Happy Blog-a-versary!
Oh my! I loved it all! The video – hilarious!! And I could comment on each of the 30 things – but I wont. Thanks so much for posting all of them. I loved every single one!
And I have to say that since I discovered Beth I’ve had one pregnancy (three pre-Beth) and guess what. The three pre-Beth babies were girls. The one post-Beth baby was…yep…a boy! Hmmmmm.
But anyway…I’ve enjoyed your blog this past year and it’s encouraged me and warmed me up more times than I can count. From the deep thoughts/revelations to admiting that you cant get your digital camera figured out. It’s all so precious! I’ve also been blessed by reading other Siestas’ comments from time to time…when I have time…which is rare.
You always know how to make me smile! I’m so thankful for this blog!
Happy Blog-A-Versary! I had a wonderful time laughing through the list, but the visual in my head of the cowboy boots ballet sent me over the edge.
Happy Blog oversary Love ya’ll Sisters! Totally Blessed by this blog.
Love ya,
Sue -LA
Thank you Beth, Amanda and Melissa for your honest and heartfelt words. I go to this blog so many times a week to check for an entry. They mean the world to me. I have shared about this blog to so many of my fellow Bible study comrades. We are all growing in the Lord together.
You know it is very meaningful when you are putting on your makeup one morning, and while praying, Amanda comes to my mind to pray for . . . couldn’t get you off my mind one day this week dear siesta so God got an earful . . . remember to put on your sandals of peace dear Amanda. Actually, you are all in our hearts and prayers!! God bless you all and thank you for this special time together. JH
I love fried pickles! (Great taste, Beth!) This was a great list and so fun to read. I couldn’t believe it had been a year already! I think I started reading in March or so. Time flies, huh?
I just started reading your blog (I could just kick myself for missing out – I hope I can back-track!). I LOVE THE BATH TUB SOAKING ritual, and want to do the same with my husband and little girl (19 mos) as soon as she’s big enough. My man thinks it’s a great idea too but says we need a jacuzzi tub to make it work (see why I love him? Of course, I told him I’m disappointed he didn’t woo me with an armadillo – nothing says love like an armored mammal). We’re in Michigan so a jacuzzi is not in our immediate future (lots of job loss here) but it’s fun to dream! I grew up sharing a room with my two sisters, and my mom would sit at the end of one of our beds & we’d all giggle and laugh and tell stories…doing that around a bath tub sounds even better!
Thank you for starting this blog last year, and thank you for sharing so much of yourselves. I feel like I know you all heart-to-heart, even though we probably won’t meet this side of heaven. HAPPY BLOG-IVERSARY!!!
Beth honey, the glasses confirm your bloghood. I am a big believer in blogging and I must say had I not known Christ prior to this blog…I would have fallen on my knees. It’s official..your a freak and keep being a freak!
I love you and thanks for being whom God created you to be. BLOGFREAKY!!
Much love in Him,
Andrea Hughes
This blog has truly been a blessing and although I did not find out about it until March of last year, I still feel led to celebrate with you all. Thank you so much Beth and Amanda and Melissa and Keith and all of you LPM ladies for sharing your life moments with us. May God continue to bless and guide you for our edification and for His Glory!
Happy Blog-a-versary to you all, too! I started reading around the time that “They’ll Never Know the Half of It” was posted in May. I laughed until I cried, and then I printed every prior post to read and “catch up”. My husband came home from work & thought something was really wrong with me because of all the tears. After he found out why I was laughing, I think he thought I was even more nuts. 🙂 What fun we have in our blog world! Thank you, Moores! You are such a blessing to my life!
Ohhh my goodness, I think this was my favorite blog post to date! I love you ladies. Thank you for sharing your lives with us here in Siestaville. 🙂 Happy blog-a-versary to you, too!
What a blessing! I have been enjoying the LPM blog for about 6 months. I took part of the Daniel bible study in our church, which was the first time I had ever listened to Beth, and I haven’t been able to stop since! Beth, you are truly an inspiration to me, I can’t tell you how much God has worked in you to bring light to me. For that I am truly grateful. You are a great vessel for his Word!
I happened upon the blog a while back ago, and I get so much enjoyment out of it, Amanda you make us feel like we are part of your family as well, and in the grand scheme of things, we are all family. I have never posted before, but after reading the 30 things, I couldn’t help it. TOO FUNNY! I just want to say thank you to all of the LPM staff, Amanda, and Beth for all you do to keep LPM going! You touch many lives, including mine. I hope one day to get to come and worship at a conference with you all! Merry Christmas!
yep, the eyelashes have it, y’all! I had to stop myself laughing too loud lest my husband think I have lost it…bless his heart, he gave me the workbook for Beth’s ‘fruit of the spirit’ study for Christmas, among other things, so I wouldn’t want him to think she was a bad influence….
all that list was hysterical! Thanks!
That was too fun, Amanda!!!Thanks for sharing such endearing treasures of the staff and family!!
I also can not believe it has been a year already!! A year of many emotions shared with your family and the LPM staff.We are blessed to be a a part of it through this blog!!
I look forward as many others to a new year with the siestas!!
Blessings to your family and all of us in 2008!
I loved the list and the video. Can’t believe it has been a year!! This blog has been such a blessing, and I am so glad that I have had the chance to get to know you all better!! You guys continually make me laugh and cry, and make me so thankful that I have Jesus in common with you!!
Beth – when I was watching the video, my four year old son came running over when he heard your voice and said – “Who is that?” and I said “That’s Beth.” He said “That’s the girl that teaches everybody about God…She loves to teach everybody about God doesn’t she?” So even a four year old can see how much you love what you do! Thanks for doin’ it and lovin’ us. We love you too!!!
Happy New YEar – y’all!!
Cynthia in OK
I loved reading the facts about y’all and Living proof. I think Beth is way cool, she loves fried pickles. they are the best.
Oh. My. Gosh. I don’t even know where to begin! I laughed! I laughed.
I linked here from Big Mama (b/c she just pulled out a bunch of her eyelashes like your friend Diane.) I’m so glad I did! This is soooo funny I can’t stand it. I lost it on “cheese-meats”. And then I’m like, hey we must be soul sistas b/c I LOVE petit fours and my veryclosesecond is wedding cake but only because it’s less available. 🙂 Thanks for the laugh!! I’m lovin’ it.
And I think I will soon be soaking my feet in hot bath water. Very soon.
Would you please do another list, for 2009? I laughed and laughed! An armadillo before proposing! Now that’s good stuff.