Ladies, thank you so much for your thoughtful, honest, heartfelt responses! There were several times when I just had to stop and pray for all of us as I was reading through them. I’m sure many of you did the same thing. My mom just got home from the Women of Faith pre-conference in Washington, D.C., and she told me she can’t wait to read all of them. Now that we have passed the 400 mark, I’m going to close the comments. Thank you so much for participating!

I have some very exciting news. Today 11,000 women attended the pre-conference event in D.C. We were blown away by that! But that’s not the exciting news I’m talking about. Eight hundred and ninety-three women committed their lives to Christ! Praise Jesus! I cannot even fathom it! We praise God for how He’s using Women of Faith to introduce women to our Savior. I know my mom has been blessed to partner with them this year.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I’m going to try to keep my laptop closed as much as possible for the next two days, so I’ll see you Monday.

*UPDATE* Comments are now closed.

Remember when our husbands had a chance to answer some questions? It’s your turn, ladies! Are you ready? The subtitle for the Esther study is going to be, “It’s Tough Being a Woman.” Beth’s question is this: For you, what are the three toughest things about being a woman?

If you’d like to participate, please leave your answer as a comment. Beth may use your response in the Esther Bible study, but she will not use your name. She would really love to be able to read each one in its entirety, so it would be wonderful if we could keep our answers pretty concise.

Alright, girls! Spill the beans!

When I was a kid we used to celebrate my birthday at a steak house called Taste of Texas. These days it’s a great big restaurant that is so popular you have to wait for two hours to get a table. But back then it was dimly lit, intimate restaurant in the shadow of Town and Country Mall. I cared nothing about steak, but there was a horse-drawn carriage at the restaurant that would take you on a nice little tour of the area after dinner. This was the number one reason we went to Taste of Texas every year. To put it mildly, I was obsessed with horses. Truly obsessed.

I would spend a great deal of my birthday dinner outside the restaurant petting Bob the horse and talking to the carriage driver. As soon as dessert was eaten, my dad would join me outside and we’d pay the carriage driver to take us around. It was the highlight of my birthday. One year (I think I was turning 9) my dad was explaining my out of control love for horses to the driver and somehow by an act of God the woman offered to sell us a pony for $75. This pony’s name was Coco and the woman and her family had used him for pony parties. I was ecstatic. It was the happiest day of my entire life. I could not believe my dad said yes!

Very soon we went to meet Coco at this family’s farm. I was immediately smitten with my equine friend. As they say, love is blind and this love was no exception. I did not allow the fact that the first time I sat on him, he went to the bathroom, or that he then squished my leg up against a pine tree, to cloud the glory of my horse ownership.

It was not long before we moved Coco the Wonderhorse to our family farm in Waller, Texas. It was only a 40 minute drive from our house – an incredibly beautiful drive, in fact. My dad basically grew up on that farm and I think he enjoyed being there as much as I enjoyed my adventures on horseback.

Daddy took care of all the saddling and bridling. He would trot Coco and me around on a lead rope when I got bored of walking. He rescued me countless times when Coco ran me into a barbed wire fence (definitely intended for cows, not horses) or rubbed my leg against a tree trunk. That little pony was ornery. He knew exactly what he was doing but I was so infatuated I would never admit that he didn’t genuinely love me and care for me.

Then there was that time when he took me under a low branch. I knew we were headed for trouble because the branch was definitely not high enough for me to duck under. He would not be steered away from it, so I closed my eyes and held my breath. Next thing I knew, I was laying on the ground. I’m sure my dad had some choice words for Coco the Wonderhorse, but all I can remember now is how he looked cutting the branch of that tree. I can still picture him – his black hair and his back to me, his arm going back and forth as he sawed it off.

Dad would show me different parts of the farm where he did this or that as a kid. He would tell me about riding his own Shetland pony out there – Pony B. Pony B was so bad, his legs had to be in restraints when he was ridden. One time the whole family thought it would be great to remove the restraints for my dad’s turn to ride. Pony B took off like greased lightning toward a bull. My poor dad was probably terrified, but everyone looked on and cheered, “Ride him, Keith! Ride that Pony B!” I love how hard my dad laughs when my aunts and grandparents tell that story.

One ornery Shetland pony, one young dad, one young girl, one farm in Waller, one collection of amazing memories with the man who raised me.

My horse fascination continued up through junior high, when I upgraded to a quarter horse thanks to my Pappaw. Once boys entered the picture in high school, that season of my life drew to a close. Now, I would still put horseback riding on my list of hobbies. I still take any opportunity to ride that I can get. I still like to sketch horses on my worship bulletin at church sometimes. I still love the smell of horse sweat and would choose it over perfume any day. But that hyperventilate-with-excitement feeling did fade over the years. Which is probably best anyway.

What did not fade, what has in fact grown, is how much I love my daddy. The time we got to spend together driving out to the farm and riding that silly horse bonded this mama’s girl and that young dad who wasn’t sure his daughter needed him all that much. We had something special together that Mom and Melissa weren’t a part of. Who knows what we talked about on those car rides, but I do remember chatting it up all the way. On the way home, we would stop at a little shack called JR’s Chicken and get a huge Coke and a bucket of chicken. That place is no longer there, but we have often talked about how much we wish we could go back. Our family farm was sold years ago, but Dad and I have a standing date for a trail ride every time we go to the mountains.

Daddy, thank you for getting me a pony. I know now that Coco didn’t really love me. That he didn’t really deserve the title of Wonderhorse. That $75 for a horse of that caliber wasn’t that much of a bargain. But I knew then and I know now that you love me. And you definitely deserve the title of Wonderdad. I love you with my whole heart. Happy 51st birthday.

Love,
Your goofy kid

My mom has been tucked away in her favorite mountain range for some concentrated time with her new b.f.f. Esther. She’s only had dial-up Internet there (gasp!) and for some reason she hasn’t been able to get to the blog. Oh, the horror! Thankfully, she’s on her way back to civilization today.

Our intention for this blog is not to promote products, but a couple of people have asked how they can access the lessons where Beth talked about the husbands survey. Beth used the results in two sessions of her Wising Up Bible study: “How Wisdom Looks on a Wife” and “Wisdom for a Woman’s Sexuality.” Wising Up consists of Parts One, Two, Three, and Four, each on separate DVDs. Each DVD contains three lessons. So for all of you who, like me, hate math, that’s twelve lessons total. (Right?) The set has been packaged in such a way that you can buy each DVD separately. Part Three is the one you’re looking for. It contains the following lessons: How Wisdom Looks on a Wife, Wisdom for a Woman’s Sexuality, and Wisdom for Moms.

I’m really excited about this series. I’m planning on using the twelve lessons this fall with my college girls. It does not have a workbook that goes with it, so I think it may interest some of our students who are in over their heads with school work and can’t commit to 45 minute lessons every day. Although I have been amazed by how willing they are to do the studies.

I’m also thinking about inviting some of my married girlfriends over on three separate nights to watch Part Three. Or we might get a little crazy and go stay in a fun hotel somewhere and have our own little retreat! We can watch the three videos in between games of Uno, shopping, and sleeping. That sounds heavenly to me!

If you’d like to get your hands on one or all of the DVDs, you can find them on our Living Proof web site in the online store. They’re located under “New Products.” This is what they look like:

I promise you won’t hear me talk about a product again for a while!

Last week I got a package in the mail from Diane, our lovely and wonderful resource manager at LPM. When I opened the package I was so excited to find Mandisa Hundley’s new book, Idol Eyes. Most of you probably know that Mandisa sang on the Living Proof Live praise team before she became a contestant on American Idol. I started reading the book on Saturday and Curt had to rip it out of my hands to get me to do anything else. I finally got to finish it last night. I loved it! Here’s why…

Every question I had, she answered. I’m not a big American Idol fan (although I was while she was on the show), but when I’ve watched it I’ve always wondered about the behind-the-scenes process. Now I feel so in the know!

Mandisa took the opportunity to be very transparent about her life and her walk with the Lord. I imagine it wasn’t easy to open up about her deepest struggles, disappointments, and traumas. However, she is going to be rewarded with some major plunder! (Breaking Free, anyone?)

The pages are peppered with Scripture and filled with things God was showing her throughout her journey. I was challenged, blessed, and built up reading so much truth. If I were not yet a believer and I picked up this book, I would come face-to-face with God’s love and care for me, with the fact that He undeniably answers prayers, and with the message of His salvation. She communicates her faith gently and thoroughly.

I got to marvel at the wonderful works God has done through our sister Mandisa. It was so exciting to see how God numbered her steps toward American Idol and how He’s using her now. It reminded me that God has a plan for me, too. And whatever that plan may be, the highs and lows are designed to bring Him praise and to develop His character in me.

Thanks, Mandisa! Please excuse me now, I have to go find my “Mandiva” t-shirt.

*UPDATED*

Hi ladies!
I just need to do a little blog housekeeping today. Thanks for putting up with the boring stuff. We have new siestas joining us every day, so it helps to do this from time to time.

Let’s talk about comments for just a minute. In the wonderful world of the Internet, there are many options for communicating: blog comments, instant messages, emails, message boards, chat rooms, etc. Sometimes the choices are overwhelming! At LPM we are only using email and blog comments. Of course, we do regular mail, telephones, and faxes, but we’re just talking about the world wide web today.

We love hearing from you through the blog. Here’s a quick explanation of how to leave a comment. Click on “(number of) comments” underneath whichever post you want to respond to. Then it will give you a space to leave your comment. Type out whatever you want to say, then do the word verification. The word verification protects us from spam. Then you will click “choose an identity.” If you have a blogger/google account (which means you have your own blog or profile on blogspot), fill in your name and password. If you do not have a google/blogger account, choose “other” and fill in your name and your web site address if you have one (that’s optional). You can also choose “anonymous.” Then click “publish your comment.” You will see a line at the top that says something like “Your comment has been saved until owner approval.”

Here’s an important question. When should I send an email and when should I comment on the blog?

If you would like to…

-Ask a question about resources, Beth’s calendar, a specific conference, Beth’s favorite restaurant, something you heard through the grapevine, how the blog works, etc.
-Suggest something for a future blog entry
-Receive a personal response for any reason
-Share something (perhaps tragic or troubling) that we will want to respond to
-Share sensitive information about yourself or your family
-Share anything like music lyrics or poems with Beth
-Submit a comment that accidentally turned into a novella (I’m so guilty of this)

…please go to our contact page and send us an email. The contact page will allow you to choose an area of the ministry to send it to. “The LPM Blog” is one option among several. Basically, it will help us stay organized and serve you more efficiently if we can keep everything that needs a response out of the blog. For your convenience, there is a permanent link to the contact page on the sidebar of the blog underneath “Questions?”.

Sometimes I read a comment that I agonize over because I wonder if the writer will regret having shared so much. Then I either post it and wonder if I should have, or I don’t post it and then I feel bad because I will never be able to explain to that person why. So please read through your comment before you submit it and make sure you have not shared anything about yourself (or another person) that shouldn’t be posted online until the glorious return of our Lord. Because once it’s there, literally anyone with access to the Internet can read it at any time. We should all assume that the one person we wouldn’t want to read it will in fact read it.

Please also keep in mind that not everything you read on the Internet is true.

With that said, I want you all to know that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this blog. It is an absolute joy to be the blog gardener of sorts. I’m not sure why I just got that mental picture, but I kind of like it. Especially since I do not have my mom’s green thumb. If someone has written a handbook on how to manage a Christian ministry-based blog for women, please let me know. I will have us all read it together. Since I don’t know of one, we will just continue to learn together as we go. Not everything in life is black and white and that carries over into blog-land. I really appreciate how patient you all have been with me over the last seven months as I’ve tried to figure out how to handle everything from moderating comments to navigating the gray areas. Thank you so much!

I got a great suggestion from a blog sister to add a permanent link to this post so that it will be easy to find. You’ll see it in our links section for future reference.

Blessings,
Amanda

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6b).

I took Jackson to get his hair cut on Tuesday. Twice. The first time was a disaster. A couple of minutes into the cut, I found out the hairdresser had never cut such a young child’s hair before. And my young child wouldn’t be still, no matter how tasty Mommy’s Dr. Pepper and soft pretzel sticks were. He ended up with half of a duck tail in the back. Remember those from the 80s? When we got home and I fully surveyed the damage, I made a second appointment with a lady in our neighborhood. She was a pro. He looks as cute as he should now. But so grown up!

Before

After

The birthday party on Monday was a huge success. The day began with breakfast in the office, where we watched a special birthday video that The Village (what we call our staff) spent months preparing for Beth. We are not going to put it on the blog because it is very long and, among other reasons, I am on it singing. And I do not sing.

A look of surprise, followed closely by tears.

We piled into two cars and drove to the Galleria. We had lunch there at Ruggles and prepared ourselves for a little friendly competition.

We divided into two teams – Alpha and Beta – for a scavenger hunt in the mall. Due to an unfortunate incident at the Nordstrom counter, my Beta fish were beaten by the Alpha dogs. In true LPM style, the prizes for both teams (gift cards) were equally great.

Alpha Team – Sabrina, Beth, Di, Melissa, Nancy, Linda, and Kimberly

Beta Team – Kimberly Mac, Evangeline, Julie, Sherry, Susan, and Amanda

We were too close to a Starbucks to pass it up. Here’s our fearless leader in action. I think she might be putting milk and sugar in my hot tea. It’s extra good when she does it.

We ended the day back at the office with presents and some marvelous cakes! They reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. We had chocolate, lemon, Italian creme, and wedding cake. Glory!

We’re back! We had the most fabulous time in Mexico. I will share some pictures in a few days when things calm down a bit.

Jackson had so much fun at camp! I just spoke to my mom and she was concerned that she left everyone hanging after Wednesday. Unfortunately, she came down with a stomach virus on Thursday. It hit Melissa on Saturday and my dad this morning. Not fun. The Jones family is praying not to get it but we are bracing ourselves.

Even though my mom was really bummed about Melissa being sick yesterday, I think she had a great birthday. We took her to La Madeleine for breakfast before Curtis, Jackson and I had to drive back home. While we were there, we ran into a group of women from a local church who were planning out Bible studies for the next year and a certain person’s study was on their list. That was a lot of fun. Then as we were leaving a woman stopped my mom to tell her how much she loved her hair and asked if she could take a picture of it. That was also really fun. Then she went shopping with our sweet friend Amy who is like a big sister to Melissa and me. Amy arranged for the Queen of Beth’s Ipod, CeCe Winans, to surprise Bethie with a phone call and sing happy birthday to her. Amy, that was brilliant! Last night Dad took the birthday girl out to a really nice dinner at their favorite steak restaurant. She said they had a really wonderful time.

Barring any sickness in my trio, I will fly down to Houston and back on Monday to be with my LPM sisters for the big birthday party. It’s also Melissa’s first official day of work! I will take my camera and hopefully get some fun pictures of the day.

Happy Father’s Day to my sweet daddy. I hope you get to feeling better! I’m so thankful to be your daughter and to have the influence of your wisdom, humor, perseverance, transparency, generosity, ability to discern why things are the way they are, loving lectures on not carrying false guilt, and your unconditional love for our mom and family. Thank you for showing me Jesus through your character. And thank you for loving my boy so much. You are a hero to me and I love you!
Love,
Manda