Hey, my Darling Siestas! I just have to share some news before I head out of the country. It has to do with an accidental prophecy that came out of my mouth about six years ago. Some of you may know that I started obsessing about a future “Baby Curtis” way back when Amanda and Curt were engaged. It all started when I asked his sweet mom to send me some baby pictures so that I could prepare a slide show of them both for their wedding. I opened that envelope full of snapshots and nearly died. He was the cutest baby boy I’d ever seen. I promptly stuck the picture in Amanda’s face and announced, “I want me one of THOSE. Right there. Have me a grandbaby that looks like that.” At that time, Amanda was convinced that she could only handle baby girls so I was scoffed and, in fact, told not to speak a thing like that over her again. Of course, in our family that means nothing. We tease each other to no end. When the night for the rehearsal dinner finally came, after the groomsmen and bridesmaids had lifted their Cherry Cokes and given their toasts, Keith stood to give his: “Be fruitful and multiply.” That’s my man.

A while passed after the wedding and I was sprawled out on the couch day dreaming while my beloved son-in-law was sitting on a chair at my house watching television. “You know what I can’t wait to do, Curtis?”

“What, Ma’am?”

“I can’t wait to praise dance with my grandson.”

He looked a little stunned as if I’d just said something random. “I’ve been thinking about it,” I said. “I think I’d like to have weekly ‘Praise Dancing with Granny’ sessions where we can turn the worship music on and dance all over the house. I want him to know how much fun God is. When the little guy gets a little older, he and I will make us some banners. He’ll have a miniature one and I’ll have a regular one and then we’ll run through the house waving them to some really great praise songs. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Silence.

I was messin’ with him just a tad but he knew it sounded just like something I was capable of doing. Then, like I’d received a sudden jolt of revelation, I blurted out, “And he can even bring his friends!”

Finally, the silence broke. “Ma’am, he won’t have any friends.”

A few years later I was sitting on the kitchen counter eating Fritos after work while Keith conjured up some masterpiece for us to eat. (It’s his fault I’m a terrible cook.) The door bell rang and I finished my sentence, hopped off the counter and went to see who it was. No one was there. Only a package. A tall, skinny package. I glanced up and down the street and didn’t see anybody. (Keith was already onto a prank and was making a far more thorough search which ultimately proved fruitful.) I tore into the odd package curiously and, after tugging and pulling, lo and behold I pulled out a long banner. Don’t think it was a dead give-away because I get all manner of creative praise aids since I’m in such interdenominational ministry. The shoo-in came when I pulled out the second one. A miniature. And burst into tears and screams. The card inside said, “You better get ready for Praise Dancing With Granny!” Oh, my word. To this day I could cry and squeal about it. And if I’d truly known how in love with the little dude I’d fall, I would have fainted flat on the floor from an overdose of joy.

I’m taking the time to write when I should be packing because you need to know that the praise dancing prophecy is under fulfillment. As God would have it, Jackson Curtis Jones would rather dance his legs off than anything on earth. Even if he hears music from a TV commercial, he’ll stop what he’s doing, get a certain mesmerized look on his face and get down with his darlin’ self. And if a commercial will bring it on, you ought to see the man-child do what he was born to do! That boy can get his praise groove on to the Glory! Last week when he and his mommy were here, we turned on the music every single day and all of us danced to beat the band. He has more moves than a locomotive! Needless to say, he takes up a lot of dance floor by making some wide running circles, but the best part is when he stands in place and lets it happen. He does a lot of side-to-side lunges kind of like an 80’s aerobic move then shifts his vibe to the front, alternating his arms up and down like he’s almost in a trance. It looks like a slow-mo throw back to the “Jerk” my oldest sister and brother used to do in the den when they were playing their Beatles 45’s. Only, me and my grandboy were spending our time doing something a whole lot better than that. We’ve got us some praise going. My favorite part is when he does the Stomp. Kirk Franklin would be so proud. The boy picks up his right foot and stomps it on the dance floor over and over with his feet so wide apart, I think he’s going to do the Chinese splits. I’m not telling you the little dude does it every once in a while. I’m telling you the little dude is a dancing machine. I’m telling you he can point to the CD player, tell me to turn it on, then break it down.

Sigh. This, Girlfriends, is what makes getting older worth it. You live long enough to see some prophecies fulfilled. Even a few you didn’t know were prophecies until they came to pass right before your very eyes. Yep, God sure is good. You want to hear just how good? Almost every night before his parents put him to bed, Curt grabs his guitar and plays while Jackson and his mommy give God some praise with the dance. One of these days my darling Curt may just put down that guitar and shake a leg. And I’ll invite some of his friends.

Have a great week and a half, Siestas! I’ll have so much to tell you when I get home. Thank you for your prayers! Our Angola trips involve some of the most difficult ministries we ever have the privilege to do. The suffering is unimaginable but God has called us to open our eyes and our hearts to it and do what we can to help. There will also undoubtedly be moments so tender, we’ll remember them forever. I will get to see darling Matthew, the tiny child that God raised from the death bed after we were there last. A miracle if I’ve ever seen one in my life.

I will keep you on my heart and freeze some frames in my mind and describe them to you when I get home. I love you so dearly and I’m so honored to be your servant. Your siesta!

Hi, sisters!
This is the Africa trip prayer memo that will be emailed to our prayer warriors either this evening or tomorrow morning. Also, I have loved adding so many of your Bible studies to our Bulletin Board! Thanks and keep ’em coming!
Love,
Amanda

Friday morning Keith and Beth will depart for a mission trip to Angola, Africa. They are partnering with LIFE Outreach International (www.LifeToday.org), a ministry that has touched countless lives worldwide through its humanitarian relief programs. This wonderful and effective ministry graciously hosts Beth every Wednesday on its television program, LIFE Today with James and Betty Robison.

Beth and Keith will arrive in South Africa on July 28 and proceed to Angola the next day. In Angola, the team will visit and serve at six “Mission Feeding” sites. LOI currently feeds over 400,000 African children every month through its Mission Feeding program. They will also visit two malnutrition clinics and two villages where they are not currently feeding in order to show the major need for food in those areas. The team will visit four additional sites for the “Water for LIFE” ministry. This ministry uses portable drilling rigs to dig wells that provide clean drinking water to communities. Throughout the week, the team will be taping footage of the feeding and water programs in order to help raise financial support for these ministries. The Moores will return to South Africa on August 2 and begin the trip home on August 5.

We covet your prayers for Beth and Keith and the entire mission team as they serve our Father in Africa.

Please pray…
-For peaceful, on-time flights. Storms have been forecasted for Houston for Friday morning.
-For Beth to be able to write during the plane rides.
-For perfect health during and after the trip.
-For a quick adjustment to the time change.
-For physical, emotional, and spiritual strength.
-For safety.
-For the entire team to be anointed to wash the feet of the people they encounter.
-For Christ to be glorified as physical and spiritual needs are met in His name.
-For lives to be changed.
-For this trip to result in increased financial support for these important humanitarian programs.
-For God to bind the enemy from having any influence over this trip.
-For God’s peace to rest on every family member and co-worker left behind.
-For the camera equipment to work perfectly.

Beth’s number one prayer request is for Jesus to so overwhelm them with love that it would carry them through the many difficult sights and emotions they will face. Beth wants to feel what Jesus feels for these dearly beloved people. She wants love to be the strongest emotion she has. Thank you so very, very much for taking these matters before the throne. God bless you, Dear One!

First of all, thank you for praying, ladies! My grandpa did not end up needing that surgery yesterday. We were all thrilled! He is not out of the woods yet, so please continue to pray for him as the Lord brings him to mind. Also, my mom’s flare up is gone. Praise God! Thanks for going to battle with us over those things.

Second, I want to let you know about the Bible Study Bulletin Board on our web site. We created it several years ago to help women find Bible study groups meeting in their communities. We were getting lots of emails from women who were relocating to new cities and wanted to plug into new groups right away. We also heard from many ladies who were attending churches that didn’t offer Beth Moore studies and wanted to know where they could find one.

If you are the leader of a fall Bible study group and you would welcome members you do not already know, we would love for you to register your group online. If you are not the leader but think this sounds great, please let your leader know about this opportunity to reach out to women who are hungry for the Word.

Please know that once your entry is submitted, I can’t edit it. I can delete it, but I cannot make any changes to it. Also, be sure to read the guidelines before you register or choose a group.

If you have connected with a Bible study group using our bulletin board, we’d love to hear from you on the blog today!

My friend Michelle, whom you may have read about in Get Out of That Pit for a prank she pulled while we were in college, loves to compliment her friends by saying, “You’re a rock star!” So I’m stealing Michelle’s cool saying. In honor of my sister’s 25th birthday, here are 25 reasons why Melissa is a rock star.

1) She has the heart of a lion. Strong and brave.
2) She loves nerds. But she never was one.
3) She calls her Bible the Holy Scrips.
4) She can read out of a Greek New Testament.
5) She still makes our mom roll her hair for special occasions.
6) She makes up extremely bizarre names for the people she loves.
7) She is the funniest person in our family.
8) It’s never as much fun when she’s not around.
9) She’s a wonderful auntie to Jackson.
10) On several occasions, we’ve picked each other up from the airport wearing the same outfit.
11) She squeals when she’s really tickled.
12) She hates words with “p” in them. Pumpernickel, pumpkin loaf, pamphlet, etc.
13) She has THE most beautiful hair in the world.
14) She’s honest.
15) She knows a thing or two about perseverance.
16) When we were little girls, we would soak our feet in hot water together. We never outgrew it.
17) She was and is better than most boys at sports.
18) She’s got an artistic side.
19) Which means she’s great at decorating and putting outfits together.
20) She’s an inch taller than me. But my feet are bigger and I don’t think that’s fair.
21) She loves classic cars.
22) When she was 14, she bought an iguana to impress a guy. Mom eventually had to pay the pet store to take it back.
23) She’s a faithful friend.
24) She’s a very good baker and she also throws great dinner parties.
25) She’d give me a lung or a kidney if I needed it and I’d do the same for her.

I have been camped out at my parents house for the last couple of days. My parents are leaving for Angola, Africa, soon and I wanted to make a visit before they left. We’ve had a wonderful time together. Melissa’s 25th birthday is tomorrow and we’ve been celebrating all week. Right now my parents are busy cooking a Thanksgiving-in-July feast and we are looking forward to sharing that together in about 1 hour and 55 minutes. Not that I’m counting.

I plan on writing a post later with more detailed prayer requests for the Angola trip, but I would love to ask for your prayers now. As many of you know, it takes a lot of energy to get ready for an overseas trip – packing, getting immunizations, getting projects finished, and preparing spiritually. And the enemy is infamous for stirring things up right before an important work takes place. Here are a few things we would love prayer for before the trip.

A) Keith’s dad, John Moore (Pappaw to the grandkids), is in very poor health. He had an extremely serious, risky surgery last week and has been in the hospital ever since. Yesterday he developed a painful complication that could require more surgery if it does not correct itself before Monday. What was already working against him was the fact that his flesh has a hard time healing due to radiation he endured with prostate cancer years ago. He is desperate for prayer and for a work of God. As I was typing this he called my mom and she assured him we were asking our prayer warriors to lift him up. Please pray for complete healing without further surgery, for relief from his pain, and for a better quality of life for him as a result of his surgery last week. Thank you so much in advance!

B) My mom is having a reaction to one of her vaccinations that is causing a health issue she deals with to flare up. Please ask God to extinguish this flare up.

C) Pray for peace over the ministry and over our whole family for the next week as they prepare for this important trip. Pray for the peace to remain as they travel. The travel dates are July 27-August 5.

My parents have partnered with James and Betty Robison of Life Outreach International to help feed hungry and malnourished children in Africa. Because of the generosity of Life Today viewers and the amazing provision of our loving Father, Life Outreach International is currently able to feed over 400,000 children per month. This is what the trip is all about. I will have more details for you later, but for now you can read a little more about it here.

Thank you, sisters, for standing in the gap! You have no idea what it means to all of us! We love you.
Amanda

My Dear Sister,
The God of Glory
Has called you.
You have a ministry.
In Christ, you are enough for that ministry.
Never forget that showing God off is your ministry.
No matter what,
Keep your heart in your ministry.
Unveil your face
And serve others with authenticity.
Always remember
That the power is in God’s Presence.
Let nothing
Come between you
And intimacy with God.
Keep moving forward
From glory to glory.
Let God thin that veil.
Remember, ministry is not about position.
It’s about people.
Let name after name
Be written on your heart.
Do not seek great things for yourself,
Seek a great God.
As you leave this place,
Go in a fresh anointing.
He who turns water into wine
Turns wimps into warriors.
You have a ministry.
Go fulfill it.

Hey My Darling Siestas!
I’ve been so anxious to catch up with you but in too fast a tail spin to do it! I have such a full plate today that I can’t say as much as I’d like but I at least wanted to greet you in Jesus’ great and powerful Name this morning and thank you a gillion for your incredible responses to the “tough being a woman” survey. Your answers were TERRIFIC and have already given me insight for the Esther study. After about four months of research, I’ve only just begun to write it and the process will take at least the next nine months. I am going to put your responses in a notebook and I will look at them MANY, MANY times in my writing journey. You are so precious to me. Sharing this community with you has already been used by God to add so many rich perspectives to this ministry. You were a missing link I needed, especially after having to retire from my beloved Sunday School class a year ago. I love you and I’m honored to serve you.

One more quick thing I hope you’ll enjoy! One of the greatest treats of doing what God has called me to do is getting to be with other sisters who have been called to something similar. It’s such a weird (and challenging) life that it helps tremendously to cross paths, laugh, and share the ups and downs of a public women’s ministry. Between the Women of Faith and Deeper Still events, God is allowing me in this season to be with other speaker friends that I totally dig in the Lord Jesus. This weekend when I returned from D.C., my good buddy Priscilla Shirer (one of THE most gifted Bible teachers I’ve ever heard) was in Houston doing one of her brand new Going Beyond revival events (get one on your calendar). Our other good buddy, Lisa Whelchel, was there lending support and receiving a word so how could I resist? I threw on my jeans and headed to the church with a heart blazing with anticipation. Lisa and I sat on the front row and “Amened” and “Hallelujah’d” while Priscilla tore it up in the power of the Holy Spirit. We, then, got to grab time together after the event and talk a thousand miles an hour. I’m crazy about both of them and they are head over heels in love with the Lord Jesus. I thought you might be relieved to know that, in a world (even a religious world) replete with territorialism and competition and ghastly egotism, there are a whole bunch of us girls (still weak in our natural man and an inch from the next pit, if we’re willing) who want desperately to be dead to the stinking flesh and alive to the Spirit, and able – despite pressure to the contrary – to cheer one another on in this difficult race on Planet Earth. Turf wars originated and persist in the devil himself and can erupt anywhere he is offered – however accidentally – an inch to work: churches, ministries, worship teams, mission fields. You name it. Be onto him when he rears his ugly head and refuse him the right to EVER talk you into a turf war with a brother or sister in Christ. U-N-I-T-Y!

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