I only have the quickest moment to be on here today because it’s my new assistant, Michelle’s, 29th birthday and we’re taking her to an early lunch in just a few minutes. The staff planted a tiara on her head when she walked in the door this morning and she still has it on. That tiny little fact would be so much funnier if you new our darling, athletic, ultra-professional new employee. Her former coworkers at the Whitehouse would fail to recognize her amid the Living Proof Ministry madness. She is an incredible delight to me and never moreso than today with her very business-like demeanor and that plastic crown on her head. We love you, Michelle! And we hope to celebrate your big 3-0 with you next year!

This very, very happy day is also a tad sad for my man and me. Melissa, too. She’s talked about it incessantly. Amanda’s too busy with babies or she’d be thinking about it, too. (Please, all cynics and non-pet lovers stop here for your own sakes!) We said good bye to our beloved bird dog, Beanie, a year ago today. I hate to be melodramatic (why should I stop now?) but it nearly killed us. We’d just lost my constant companion, Sunny, 21 days before that but she was almost 18 years old and, as much as we cried, we knew it was coming. She’d been sick off and on for a month. Beanie took us by surprise. She was 9 but we could have had a lot more time with her. Right after Sunny died, Beanie started laying in the bushes in the back yard like she was going to die, too. We kept telling her she was most certainly NOT going with Sunny. Then ten days later she was diagnosed with cancer all over her body and ten days after that, it had gone to her brain, causing constant seizures.

Some of you will remember that Beanie provided illustration after illustration in the Bible studies and sessions. She was stinking hilarious and had some of the most human-like antics you have ever seen in your life. (She loved to hold hands and take bubble baths, for starters.) She stole our hearts for good. We love our 1 year-olds, Star and Geli, so, so much and wouldn’t trade them for anything. But there are a couple of little graves out in the back yard of my home that I wish were not there today.

I’m picking up Marley and Me at Blockbuster today. I read the book when it first came out and adored it but the movie was released soon after we lost both dogs and we were still bawling our eyes out. Tonight’s the night. I’m giving way to it. Then I’ll get up tomorrow and get on with it.

Good morning, my dear Siestas! Because of our wonderful Siesta Scholarship Fund, we would dearly love to give away 10 MORE TICKETS specifically to Siestas for the Pittsburgh Living Proof Live this very weekend. If you’ve been wishing you could come but didn’t have the money for an event ticket, you’re exactly who we’re looking for! These scholarships only cover the tickets and not the traveling or lodging costs so they are best suited for ten of you who live close enough not to have to incur a ton of other expenses.

If that sounds like you and you’d love to join Travis, the worship team, and me in worship and the study of God’s Word this very Friday night and Saturday till noon, be one of the first ten Siestas to call Living Proof Ministries at 281-257-3344 or toll free at 888-700-1999. Ask for Kimberly or Susan and they’ll fix you right on up.

We love you and delight in serving God through serving you. Stay in the Word, Girls!

PS. I’m going to keep comments closed on this post so that people won’t get confused and leave their information here instead of calling.

Hey, Siestas! How are my favorite bloggers on God’s green earth?

Keith and I just got home from our cactus ranch about six hours from Houston. I joined him there on Thursday because he’d been gone for several days and I missed him like crazy. He’s been putting in a bunch of new water lines and troughs for our wild game (that means animals in case you’re not familiar with the terminology) and was basically stuck until the job was finished. Hence, I headed West. You tend to get more attached to your mate when your kids are grown because you’re all you have left within your own four walls. It’s really important that you darling young wives and moms remember that one day, God and couple-willing, it will be just the two of you again. It will happen before you know it and, if you don’t have anything left, it’s hard to know where to start again. It’s one reason some folks just start all over but there’s no need. There are all sorts of adventures to have together. Just keep investing. Anyway, I didn’t mean to get off on that subject. Today I mean to just chat with you about nothing.

Needless to say, I took my laptop with me so that I could sit on the porch and work on the (overcoming insecurity) book. I’m all the way to chapter 11, praise You, Lord. I’m guessing I have about five more to go. I hope to have the creative part of the writing wrapped up in a month and then the editing madness begins. Writing is not for the fainthearted or those with a strong affinity for instant gratification. Or, come to think of it, for those who can’t take criticism. It is a hard profession that you only want to take up if you absolutely can’t keep from writing to save your life. That reminds me, I read the coolest book recently by Jerry Jenkins called Writing for the Soul and it’s penned specifically to writers OR to those who think there might be a writer deep inside somewhere. If that’s you, you ought to think about grabbing a copy. I think you’d be so blessed. I read constantly but I can’t say I’ve ever read anything specifically on writing before. I enjoyed it like crazy.

If you really want to write, you might think of tracking down some cactus and pulling up a lawn chair next to it. But not too close in case you doze off. A simple landscape is sometimes best of all. Our little piece of Texas is a great place to write because it’s out in the middle of absolutely nowhere and all you can hear are birds, crickets, cows (on the ranch next to us), sheep (mostly on the ranch next to us and a few on ours), dogs (definitely ours), rattlesnakes (unfortunately also ours) and Keith’s John Deere tractor.

When I’ve written about all my blond brain can handle, I go riding with Keith, Star (Border Collie, for you new ones), and Geli (Bird Dog, also for you new ones) in our broken down jeep with old fashioned air conditioning that comes from holes in the floorboard. We look for any animal or critter we can possibly find. This time we got to see a baby bobcat, 2 feral cats, 2 armadillos, and I have no idea how many deer. The sweetest thing of all is that we came upon a mom who’d just dropped a fawn. It was the most precious little thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Keith said it could only have been a few hours old. We scurried off quickly so we wouldn’t upset them but I went back later to make sure the mom hadn’t abandoned him. I reckon I’d have tried to feed him with a bottle and take him home with me. It would be so fun to have a pet deer in the back yard of the ministry. No, I’m not too serious. Maybe just a tad serious.

Oh, and Keith killed a rattlesnake in the barn. He was reaching right down toward it to move an old tire when he saw it. The ugly thing was rared up and ready to strike but didn’t make a sound because its rattler was missing. We think one of the feral cats probably bit it off in a fight when it was much smaller.

The temperature really skyrocketed there this weekend and I must have mildly complained because Keith piped up with, “Why don’t we go swim in the river?”

“We don’t have our swimsuits!”

“Baby, can’t you swim in shorts?”

“I don’t know if I can or not. I’ve never thought about it before.”

“I bet you can. Let’s go get in and see if you float.”

So we blew up a couple of tubes then Keith cut a pair of his Wranglers off at the knee (Big Mama, does this sound like your man? I think our men are twins separated at birth). I put on my gray running shorts and we headed to the San Saba river not far from our place. We splashed and talked and dreamed and planned two or three more grandkids and had the greatest time. My firstborn loves water so much. I pined for her the whole time. No, I didn’t get my hair wet. I twisted it up in a clip because he’d said he was taking me to dinner afterward. It was one thing to swim in my shorts. It was another thing entirely to go into town with river hair. Not on your life.

I can’t get internet there (or cell service) which is one reason it’s a great place to write but I invariably miss being out of touch with Siestaville. Melissa called me and told me about the blog she posted (the one right before this one) and gave me a run down of a number of your responses. I could hardly wait to get home and take a look for myself. She and I both marveled that God has given us such a tremendously diverse community here. What a rarity in this polarized world! How many communities of believers like this do any of us get to be part of? We are blessed indeed. It’s so incredibly boring just to hang with people exactly like ourselves.

One Lord. One Body. Five thousand people and one fabulous time.

Amanda, Melissa, and I love you so much.

PS. I nearly flipped over that Esther cake. Unbelievable!! Now, THAT took some talent!

Hey, You Scripture Memory Buffs!

You girls are ON IT! I’ve been so proud of you all along but in the last month I have seen a significant resurge in commitment. Way to go! That’s exactly what it takes. I have heard testimony after testimony from Siestas about how God has been using your memory work. He’s sure used it in my life. I keep my spiral right by the gear shift in my car and try to say my verses over and over when I’m driving…if I’m not talking to one of my girls on my cell. One thing you do in Houston, Texas is DRIVE so it’s the perfect place for me to keep my spiral. The kitchen would be a waste for me. Then again, next to the coffee pot could work.

Scripture memory is the difference between day and night, isn’t it? The only person who could possibly think it couldn’t make all that much difference is somebody not doing it. The harvest is HUGE. Btw, did you see the short testimony/comment on the previous post from Siesta “Texatheart” who said she’d lost 52 pounds in the last seven months? She believes a significant part of the success God is giving her is Scripture memory. WOW! You never know how God will use His Word! One thing for sure: it never, ever, ever returns void.

Can you believe we are nearly to our halfway point? By the end of this month, we will have stockpiled 12 verses in our brains out of our 2009 commitment to 24! Here’s the cool part: really and truly, how many of us would have memorized 10 verses in the last five months without one another? We would have wanted to, but how many of us would really have done it if we didn’t have each other holding us accountable? That’s the Body of Christ at its best. We cheer each other on to the finish line.

I’ve chosen a portion of Psalm 112 NIV for this segment. Since I can’t decide between verses 1, 4, 7, and 8, I’m just going to bite the bullet and try to memorize the first eight verses over the next month. It’s my birthday month (I love birthdays) and sometimes it’s fun to do something special and particularly memorable to end one year and start another. I’m about to break my own loose rule about Siestas not committing to more than we can reasonably handle but, since God has given me a passion for the whole portion, I’m going to believe Him to give me the unction to memorize it. There’s an even better reason to post the whole segment: You’ll find so many rich verses in it that some of you who haven’t chosen a Scripture yet might grab one that resonates and go with it. Take particular notice of verse 7.

Like most women (and especially mothers, perhaps), I’ve always dealt with fears of varying intensity over something happening to – or with – one of my loved ones. I don’t deal with it all the time or even give way to it much of the time but there are nights when I can’t even go to sleep for imagining what could happen to someone I love. Most of that kind of thinking is our own natural human tendency but some of it is how the enemy preys on naturally selfish people who have finally come to love a handful of others more than themselves. When a wave of totally unfounded fear hits me, if I do not immediately check it, pray, or meditate on several of my memory verses, my heart will even begin race and butterflies will swarm in my stomach. All over something I made up!! I think part of it is being in the information loop of so much bad news with a full-time women’s ministry. For many of you, it may be reading one sad blog after another until catastrophe or loss seems to become the everyday norm instead of the extraordinary. The information age has placed our imaginations on steroids.

No matter what sets a woman up to live in fear, it is NOT the will of God for us to give way to vain imaginations and waste our valuable mental energies dreading all sorts of things that may – but probably won’t ever – happen. And, if they do, we’ll have the grace to handle them at the time but we don’t get the grace in advance to cover our fear and dread. We’re just out there on our own, wrestling made-up angels. It’s exhausting. SO, if you resonate with that, consider Psalm 112:7, Girlfriend.
OK, so here goes mine. Remember, I’m taking the whole month to memorize it.

Psalms 112:1-8 (NIV)
1 Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.

2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. (Note: from a New Testament or Covenant point of view, I think of wealth and riches in spiritual terms like 1 Cor. 1:4-9 describes.)

4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

Now, let’s hear yours! Name, city, verse and translation!

Thank you so much for taking this journey with me.

Hey, Siestas!

It’s time to get ready for (drum roll, please) the 2nd Annual Siesta Summer Bible Study! Every woman is welcome! If you’ve already got a different Bible study scheduled for the summer with your friends or a group from your church or neighborhood, that’s fabulous. Go forth and do that thing!

For those of you not participating, it is important to know that we will not hog the blog all summer with this Bible study activity. It will only require a post or two every other week. We will have plenty of other things going for all our Siestas.

This opportunity is for the rest of us that either don’t yet have a plan to stay in the Word this summer or just think this sounds different and fun. And is it ever! We had a blast last summer. I really do think it was one of the most unique ways any of us has ever done Bible study. Our class was made up of single women, married women, widowed women, young women, not-nearly-as-young women, church-going women, not-yet-church going women, happy women, angry women, SAHMs, heads of corporations, and women all over the United States, many from Canada (yea, Canadian Siestas!!) and several other nations. It’s hard to find a class like that.

You interested? OK, so here are the answers to the most important questions. Unless you participated with us last year, the concept will not make sense until you’ve read all the instructions so hang in there till the very last word and I think you’ll get the idea. Here goes:

WHAT BIBLE STUDY ARE WE DOING? This summer’s Bible study selection is the workbook called:

Me, Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild. (Due to our summer schedules and our every-other-week format, we will not add Jennifer’s coinciding DVD sessions into our study. You, on the other hand, are welcome to purchase those and work them into your own personal or group experience. All we’re requiring and officially working from in SSBS is the workbook.)

HOW LONG IS IT? Very good question! Jennifer’s study is a perfect 6-weeks long. Doable for the summer, don’t you think??

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? The basic premise of the study is to learn how to guard what we’re saying to ourselves and what we’re stuffing destructively into our minds. Hmmmm. I think I could use that. How about you?

WHEN DO WE START? Since Tuesday is LPM’s normal day for Bible study, we tend to be partial to it. We’ll launch our Siesta Summer Bible Study 2009 on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 then, in like fashion to last year, we will “meet” every other Tuesday from that point on until August 4th. (MORE ON HOW WE WILL MEET TOWARD THE END OF THIS POST.) We’re just talking about meeting four times here. Between those times we’ll each do two weeks of homework on our own. The assignments are not long and but they are packed with riches. I really do think we can work this format into even some of our busiest schedules, Siestas! And, boy, will our families and friends and work mates be glad we did! With all the relational demands and upside-down schedules of summer, this is no time to take off from the study of God’s Word. As I told you last summer, for me, 3 months out of Bible study is roughly 2 ½ months in the pit.

So, here’s the meeting schedule:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 (1st Mini-Session/LAUNCH/Group instructions)

(DO WEEKS ONE AND TWO OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 (2nd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

(DO WEEKS THREE AND FOUR OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (3rd Mini-Session/Group Instructions)

(DO WEEKS FIVE AND SIX OF HOMEWORK ON YOUR OWN.)

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 (4th Mini-Session/Conclusion)

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO GET STARTED? 3 Very Important Things!
1. You will each need to get your own copy of the workbook “Me, Myself and Lies” by Jennifer Rothschild and have it well in your possession by the time we launch. (We aren’t able to get it for you through Living Proof but I wish we could.) Please don’t wait till the last minute to get it or you may not be able to start on time! If you have a LifeWay Christian Store, you should be able to find it on the shelf but the easiest way may be on line through the LifeWay Website. Here’s the link:
http://www.lifeway.com/e2/shop/?R=829882

2. You are strongly encouraged to pull together a small group if at all possible. You are MORE THAN WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE SOLO, but, for the sake of richest fellowship and best accountability, try as hard as you can to enlist three or four other women to meet with you every other Tuesday. It could be in one of your homes or in a Starbucks, for crying out loud. (You don’t have to wait until the evening to meet but keep in mind that the mini-sessions will not be posted until that morning. If you meet too early in the day, the video may not be on-line yet.) Four meetings this summer shouldn’t be too overwhelming and you can rotate houses if you like. Make sure that the women you invite to participate know that the gatherings will be low on stress and high on much needed fellowship and rich discussion.

If you want to work food into it, by all means do!! That’s what we did last year and it was so much fun. We will not post recipes this year because it’s not part of the original series as it was for “No Other Gods.” Keep the emphasis on a relaxed and refreshing atmosphere where you can develop some wonderful relationships in Christ. In this superficial culture that surrounds us, where friendship takes place through text message (I’m as guilty as anybody!), we have a huge deficit of pure depth in women’s relationships. Let’s make this real. The goal is to have those two weeks of Bible study finished each time you meet (after the launch) but the fellowship will still be worth your while if you couldn’t get all your homework accomplished. Let’s have lots of encouragement without loads of condemnation.

AN ALTERNATIVE: MEETING ON-LINE IN SMALL GROUPS. By far, the way to get the most out of this experience will be to form small groups in your area where you can get together face-to-face. However, if you try really hard and can’t make it happen, get a few women to meet with you on conference call or on line and work through the discussion questions together. It’s not ideal but it works and it is still more effective than going solo. Email worked quite successfully for several groups last summer. If you have no choice but to go solo, that’s fine, too. Just work extra hard to stay connected through the mini-sessions and through participating with feedback. Your Siesta Mama just wants the best for you.

3. Sign up ON LAUNCH DAY (not before and not today) and be so kind to give the biographical information we’ll request. (Questions like, Group or solo? If group, how many? Who’s the group comprised of? Where are you located?) This is one of the most fun parts. We get to see what our class looks like. THIS TIME I WILL ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. AT OUR FIRST GATHERING I’LL ASK YOU TO TAKE ONE PICTURE OF YOUR GROUP (or yourself if you go solo and if you look remarkably like Angelina Jolie, we’re going to get suspicious) AND SEND IT IN BY EMAIL OVER THE NEXT WEEK AND WE’LL TRY TO PUT IT TOGETHER A SLIDE SHOW. Wouldn’t it be fun to see what we look like?? Don’t do it yet. I’ll tell you when. MORE ON THAT LATER.

SO, BETH, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOW IT WILL WORK? Sure!

On each of our meeting days (every other week starting Tuesday, June 23rd through Tuesday, August 4th), I will “facilitate” our summer study through a video mini-session about 15 minutes long. In it I’ll give you instructions for discussion questions or activities for your group meeting that day based on our previous two weeks of study. (THE VIDEOS ARE PITIFUL, ONE-TIME-TAKES, DONE IN-HOUSE WITHOUT PROFESSIONALS. AND IT’S PART OF WHAT MAKES IT FUN. LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS DRAMATICALLY. THEY’RE SO BAD THAT SOMETIMES SABRINA AND I GET SO TICKLED THAT WE CRY. BUT THE INFORMATION IS REAL AND THE STUDY IS SERIOUS BUSINESS.) You will then implement them into your gathering. If at all possible, try to watch them as a small group at the very beginning of your meeting time so that everybody’s on the same page. (Bar any unforeseen technical difficulties, I will make sure the post is up first thing on those Tuesday mornings.)

YOU’LL CHECK BACK IN EVERY SINGLE TIME WE “MEET” AND THIS IS HOW:
Your way of checking back in with me will be by telling me something about your gathering afterward in a comment to that same post. It will be left up all day Wednesday for your feedback. YOU WILL BE INSTRUCTED NOT TO LEAVE A COMMENT UNTIL AFTER YOUR SMALL GROUP MEETING. The comments are meant to be your feedback to the study. I’ll remind you of that each time.

It’s going to be so much fun! And, at the top of our list of priorities, it’s going to be a joy to God, attract His wonderful favor, bring Him some substantial glory, and help keep us out of the ditch.

REMEMBER, TODAY IS NOT SIGN-UP DAY. BUT, if you’ve already got a plan going for Bible study this summer, let’s hear it! Let’s have the entire population of Siestaville in the Word of God!

I dearly love you.

I am not sure how a basically intelligent, sound-thinking un-isolated woman could miss a couple of thousand people she’s mostly never met face-to-face but, man, I wish we were having a Siesta-fest this afternoon. I’d pour the coffee and get Two Belles to send the pound cake. I have a yearning for you guys. Some of our most active and delightful Siestas were at the Laramie, Wyoming LPL this weekend but I didn’t get to talk to them one on one. I love that a number of you guys get to often meet up at the events but my hands are so full with the large group that I hardly ever get to connect. You’re always on my mind though and I surely do wish I could.

I’ve been hanging out with my man all day at church then here at home but, now that he’s caught up in the old classic “Bridge Over the River Kwai,” I thought I’d take the opportunity to catch up with my sisters. So, brace yourself. This will be random.

So, how did you like the men’s post on insecurity? Wasn’t it insightful? I loved it. It was just what I was looking for. There was only one that made me want to kick him in the shin with my pointy-toed cowboy boots on but, God-fearing woman that I am, I will refrain from identifying his anonymous, pompous self with an excerpt. And if you were in Laramie where I tanked him, shhhhhhhhhhh. Seriously, thank you so much for getting your guys on here. It was a huge help. I was raised in a home with two brothers and two sisters so I get as big a kick out of the guys as the girls, it’s just that girls are who I’m called to serve. Thank your guys for helping me serve you. I’ve got all their answers on one file and I’m going to print them out and put them in a notebook just like I catalogued all of yours. Then I’ll go through them carefully and see which ones I want to quote. When the book comes out, you’re going to see what a big part of it you are. Actually, what a big part of my ministry life you are.

I absolutely loved our group in Laramie! We met right there on the campus of the University of Wyoming. We were ecstatic to top off at over 2800 people. Our theme this weekend was pulled from Psalm 66 out of The Message: “He trained them first.” We talked about the priority of strict training to run our races effectively. Being willing to pay the price to be mighty in Christ. In the last session I knew we were going to bring up the Titus 2:4 concept of the older women training the younger women so God prompted me to have all the women and girls between 10 and 29 sit on the floor level for that session and everyone else sit in the upper level. It was such an incredible sight. Watching those young women worship before that last session built up my faith for what the church has ahead. I saw young women who truly have hearts and lives set apart to Christ. Later in the session after introducing the Titus concept, all of us 30 and over stood up and stretched out our hands to them as if to lay hands on them and told them that we pledged to be there for them. Don’t get freaky on me. We weren’t up to any hocus pocus or channeling. We were just doing something symbolic to represent a Biblical concept. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that sight. (P.S. to Laramie LPL girls: #8: He trains us to trust Him deeper. So sorry!! I taught it, just never said it! Ever a work in progress.)

I have loved these recent posts! I totally dug Melissa’s quote post. One of the things I like about working with Melissa is that she calls me on my cell phone to read me excerpts like the one she shared with you guys. I reminded her of Rabbi Heschel’s quote and that’s when we came up with the idea to ask for your favorites. I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed having that child home for the better part of last week. She is a huge part of the Moore family dynamic. We miss her so much. And speaking of recent posts, I also thought Curtis Jones ought to danged-well start an Ask-Curtis column! I loved his answers! He is really the most incredible young man. Keith and I have often said that Curtis honestly cannot know what all he knows as young as he is. It is a God-given gift. I love him like my own flesh and blood.

Speaking of Curtis, the Jones’s left right after church today to go to a lake house with several other families. Since I’d been out of town four days, I was about to split in-two to see my grandbabies. I did get to smooch all over them after church and help them get to the car. I cannot express to you the joy I have when a certain little 3 year-old boy sees me down the church corridor and yells at the top of his lungs, “Bibby!!!!!!” Oh, I’m so drunk on them. AJ said she’d bring them to me at the first opportunity after they get home tomorrow afternoon so I bet I get to have them Tuesday evening. And, anyway, I miss their mommy, too. I’m so proud of her. Amanda will often say that she was not one of those little girls that played dolls all the time (she preferred stuffed animals) and was obsessed with having children but, once she did it, (my words now, not hers) she took to it like a duck to water. She is a darling mother and she and CJ are doing their best to raise children that love Jesus and love His Church.

Oh, I forgot to say that we are keeping Beckham, the Jones’s Golden Retriever, while they’re away. He is the sweetest guy. Huge and sweet. He does just fine with Geli, our birddog, but Star drives him to distraction. You know how OCD border collies are. Every time he sits down, she sits in front of him and dead-locks him in a stare. It makes him so nervous. She’s so in love with him, she can’t stand it. He’s a British blond and I think Star thinks he’s a sheep. She wants to herd him in the worst way.

We had the BEST EVER Memorial Day Service at our church today! Pastor Gregg invited Houston’s Mayor Bill White to address our congregation and I was amazed by his openness about Christ. I’d never had the pleasure to meet him. Pastor also issued a special invitation to every family on record in the Houston area that had lost a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. I could not believe how many responded to his invitation and, at one point, he had them stand so that we could honor them. In all my years at HFBC, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a longer standing ovation. It was tremendously moving. Pastor asked one of our ministers (Arthur Craig, head of our HFBC campus for the hearing impaired) to share the story of the loss of his son 7 years ago in Afghanistan. It was incredibly powerful. As God alone would have it, his son wrote him a letter only 7 days before he was killed and it arrived about 12 days after. In it, he shared how he was growing in Christ and he told his dad and mom how much he loved them and what good parents they were. Can you imagine having a treasure like that? We do not understand why such suffering comes but God goes out of His way to show those who are willing to see how much He cares for them. Pastor Gregg finished off the service with a wonderful sermon on the most appropriate Scripture: no greater love has a man than this: than that he lay down his life for his friends. It was a great day for this Army brat and for every single person in our congregation. I deeply appreciate Pastor Gregg for never one time coming before our church body without utmost preparation. I’ve come to love him and his wife, Kelly, so much. I’ve never had a pastor younger than me before and, in this case, substantially younger! It’s a new experience. And, as it turns out, a wonderful one.

I’ve got a new assistant! Don’t worry, my dear Susan that I’ve talked so much about and worked alongside for ten solid years is still with me at Living Proof. Are you kidding me? No one is loved more at this ministry than Susan Kirby. She does a wide variety of things but none more important than providing timely counsel to her own staff. She is my very trusted com padre and the only person on staff I’d have to have kidnapped and gagged if she turned on me. For a while she’s understandably wanted to go to a four-day work week. Once we moved to the new building, her drive lengthened to nearly an hour each way. We were able to arrange a shorter work-week for her here recently but with some alterations to her responsibilities, leaving the hyper administrative slot open. (Apparently I am a full-time job) About a month ago we welcomed a 29-year old young woman to LPM that I’ve loved and admired for several years. Her name is Michelle Parrozzo and she’s a good friend of Amanda’s from their days at Texas A&M. If you are familiar with Get Out of That Pit and remember anything about the story I told about the Kennedy Center symphony, perhaps you’d be amused to know that Michelle is the one that took AJ and me. I was in D.C. to speak and Michelle worked at the White House (yes, really, and for much of that administration) and, at her invitation and escort, we actually got to sit in the President’s box. It was one of the most exciting and ultimately most hilarious moments AJ and I have had together. Michelle is not only among the best executive assistants you could ever imagine. She is also hysterical. I have already gotten a huge kick out of her.

And perhaps, on occasion, she me. But not in the best way, since I seem to have no end to a knack for blunders. Hence, one final random story. Yesterday she and I were flying home from Denver where Rich (driver, photographer, and all-around LPL extraordinaire) and Ron (security – please hear that in proper Bon Qui Qui) had driven us after the Laramie event ended. The plane was packed and we were in seats 8D and 8E, aisle and middle. The dude behind us put his pillow in between our two seats the last hour where we could hardly see each other. It was so annoying. Then, when we began to make our final descent into the Houston area, we were told to bring our seat backs and tray tables into their upright and locked positions which I promptly began to obey since I’m a rule keeper. But my seat wouldn’t pop up because the pillow was stuck between our two chairs. So, instead of moving the pillow and risking the offense of a fellow passenger, I decided to do what I’ve seen flight attendants do a trillion times. I’d just push the button with my right hand while reaching behind the seat and pulling it forward with my left. So, I reached behind me and got a good, firm grip and jerked forward. Then something twitched.

And I realized that I had not grabbed the seat. I’d grabbed the dude’s knee. Right on the back fold of his knee, as a matter of fact, where I got a firm grip on his upper shin and pulled briskly forward. And with the force of a woman half my age. Is it my fault that the seats are so close together that his knee was practically impaled in my chair-back? Huh? Huh? Is it my fault that his pants felt like the same polyester as the airplane seat?? Huh? Huh? Is it my fault that the maneuver was even necessary since he’d stuck his pillow between our seats? Huh? Huh?

I was mortified. I was so undone that all I could do was slap Michelle on the knee like thirty times. Then, I was laughing so hard I couldn’t get out of my mouth what I had done. She got tickled before she even knew what had happened. Suffice it to say, I told Michelle that she’d have to get my brief case out of the overhead compartment (but to be careful when unloading it as bags may have a tendency to shift during flight) after we reached the gate because I was bolting off that plane without looking back. And that’s exactly what I did.

As Melissa sometimes says, “Mom, it’s hard to be you.” Heck yes, it is.

PS. Did one of you make the mistake of saying that it had been too long since you’ve seen a picture of the grandbabies? Alrighty then!

WOMEN: Want to help me out? Get as many men as you can to (anonymously!) answer this survey! Since I am studying our culture as a whole, I’ll welcome any man’s comments regardless of his religious affiliation. All I ask is that they respect the nature of this blog and watch their mouths a tad just like I’d want you to do. By now you’ve probably figured out that I am researching and writing on the hot button of women and insecurity. Many months ago when I surveyed you on the topic, I told you there would come a time when I’d want to ask the men some questions. The time has come. Perhaps you’ll be a little more motivated by the fact that I am actually going to post their answers (anonymous ones only). If they shoot straight with us, it should be pretty insightful. I only need to say this to a very few of you so the rest of you overlook this statement:IT WOULD BE THE LAMEST THING EVER TO POSE AS A MAN AND POST ANSWERS TO THIS SURVEY JUST TO GET A KICK OUT OF YOURSELF. Totally dumb. Refrain. (I’m no longer blogly naive.) That aside, thank you so much for your help! I can’t wait to see what we learn!

MEN: For the last 6 months I’ve been researching the topic of women and insecurity for a book I’m feeling prompted by God to write. Though I know that men have as many insecurities as women, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist (male or female) to know that they differ, and often dramatically. I’m hoping in the book to offer a little insight to women concerning those differences and, of course, any similarities where they exist. Here’s the most important part before we ever get to the survey:

You need to know that my expressed purpose is to gather research for writing and speaking. By giving answers you are giving me complete permission to quote you in full or in part in any format that I find helpful. Due to the survey-nature of this blog and the way I need to use the material, ONLY ANONYMOUS POSTS CAN AND WILL BE POSTED. I would, however, love to have your age if you don’t mind putting that in your answers. That’s optional though.

If you’re still game, this is all I ask: that you’ll be completely honest and tell us anything you wish you could say if you could stay anonymous. Say as much as you can without crossing a line into something blatantly inappropriate for a blog like this. I’m so grateful, guys. OK, here are the two questions. Try to keep your answers limited to one average length paragraph each. You stand to be a really great help to us. I commit to you that I will try my best to be fair as I represent your gender in the material that results from your answers.

1. What are your primary areas of insecurity and how do they tend to act on you? (In other words, how do you normally act when you’re feeling insecure?)

2. What is the most common way you notice insecurity in women?

That’s all there is to it!

PS. Don’t expect the answers to get posted right away because I’ll need to read through them pretty carefully and I’ll also let them stack up a while so that I can post them in chunks. I appreciate all of you so much and don’t take lightly that I have access to this kind of information. If you’re willing, please say a prayer for me as I write this book. It is a topic I feel very strongly about and I want so much for people to be significantly helped and for God to be pleased.

Hey, Sweet Things! It’s been several days since I posted this but I have to get back on here and tell you how PROUD I am of you! I see some fresh fire in your Scripture memory! Our sign-ins had dipped just a tad and now they’re heading back up. I know that also means we have newbies and I’m just as thrilled about that. I know this is HARD but, Girlfriends, we will do few things with greater personal impact than plastering Scripture on the walls of our minds. I am so proud of you. Let’s see this through!

Original Post:
Hey, my dear Siestas! I’ve just been thinking about the power that resides in a personal testimony and how our stories with God are meant to be told. And not just one single encounter shared over and over, as beautiful as that can be, but a lifetime of experiences lived out with a living, breathing ever-faithful Redeemer. One of the things God warns us about often in His Word is not forgetting what He’s done: what we’ve seen with our own eyes, what we’ve experienced with our own hearts. Nobody and nothing gets to take those things from us. My memory verse this time talks about that very thing. It’s Deuteronomy 4:9 out of the New International Version.

“Be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Keep telling your stories, Sweet Siestas. Don’t decide it wasn’t that big a deal after all…or that maybe you made it up, or that maybe it was just a coincidence. It was GOD. Revelation 12:11 says we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimonies! Let’s open our mouths wide and tell it.

Okay, now let’s hear yours! Name, city, and verse!
____________________________________

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about our celebration event in January of 2010.

Siesta Scripture Memory Celebration FAQ’s

When and where can I register?
Registration will take place through our Living Proof web site and will begin in October. We will definitely let you know when it starts.

Where will the event be held?
The conference will be held at Houston’s First Baptist Church (7401 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77024). You can find maps and turn-by-turn directions on their website: http://www.hfbc.org/Location

When does the event begin?
The conference begins Friday, January 22, at 7 pm and will conclude Saturday, January 23, at noon.

What airport do I fly into?
There are two main airports located within 30 minutes of the church. Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is Continental Airlines’ hub and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is one of Southwest Airlines’ largest hubs.

Where can I stay?
Hotels located close to Houston’s First Baptist Church:

Holiday Inn Express
713-688-2800
7625 Katy Freeway 77024

Hilton Garden Inn (near Galleria)
713-212-1503
3201 Sage Road 77056

Omni Hotel
713-871-8181
Four Riverway @ Woodway 77056

Drury Inn & Suites
713-963-0700
1615 West Loop South 77027

Hampton Inn
713-871-9911
4500 Post Oak Parkway 77027

Sheraton Houston Brookhollow
713-613-0648
3000 North Loop West 77092

Courtyard by Marriott Houston
713-688-7711
2504 North Loop West 77092

La Quinta
713-355-3440
1625 West Loop South 77027

Marriott by the Galleria
713-960-0111
1750 West Loop South 77027

Embassy Suites
713-626-5444
2911 Sage Road 77056

The Houstonian
713-680-2626
111 North Post Oak Lane 77024

Hey, Darling Siestas! I’m back at my desk at Living Proof Ministries, Melissa is back at hers in Atlanta, and AJ and her family are about to board a plane and head home from vacation. Hallelujah! Whatever this wild family’s normal is, we’re happily returning to it. I have not seen my baby girl in two and a half months, a near-record for us, and she’s heading from Atlanta to Houston on Wednesday. We have an in-house ministry thing she’s coming to attend as well as Miss Annabeth Ellen Jones’s baby dedication at our church. We are looking so forward to our family all being back together again. If I don’t get those grandbabies back in my arms soon, there’s gonna be heck to pay.

Actually, I could have kept all that family news to myself except that I had you on my mind, particularly in view of some heavy things I’ve read in the last 24 hours. I just thought I’d share a verse with you that I have right in front of me today at my desk. And, yes, jotted down on an index card. And, no, it’s not a memory verse (yet). Just an encouragement verse and I wondered if somebody could use it today. It’s Psalm 94:18-19 out of the New English Translation:

If I say, “My foot is slipping,” Your loyal love, O Lord, supports me. When worries threaten to overwhelm me, Your soothing touch makes me HAPPY.”

If perchance worries are threatening to overwhelm you this Monday morning, I pray that You will sense His soothing touch…and it will make you purely happy. Maybe even giddy. We could use some giddy today.

I love you, Siestas. Take heart! Jesus has overcome the world!

Hey Siestas! Is there anything you want to say to your mom today? Or anything you wish you could say? She may already be Home with the Lord like mine is but sometimes writing out what is on your heart, even if the person never reads it, can be healing. On the other hand, she may be very much alive but face-to-face is just too awkward to say what you wish you could say. The blog is yours today for “Dear Mom” letters. Just keep them to one reasonable size paragraph . It may take a few hours for you to be able to see your comment so don’t be alarmed. I’ll be at church then at lunch today but I’ll be very attentive when I’m home. I love you guys. Happy Mother’s Day to you Moms!

PS. It’s been several hours since this post went up and you guys have me just about bawling my head off. Some so sweet and some so painful. The Mother-Daughter thing can be very complicated. I’m like many of you. I could write a letter that goes something like, “Dear Mom, I love you and miss you so much. You were my best friend and favorite person for such a long time. So hilarious. Such a great story teller. Honestly, the world’s best grandmother. I wanted your favor more than anybody else’s on this earth. I would have done almost anything to get it and keep it. I wish so much things would have been different those last couple of years but we will make up for lost time when I see you. What a day of rejoicing that will be! No more sorrow. No more fear. I love you forever, Beth.”