I know a lot of us have been getting ready in various ways for tomorrow’s simulcast. My church has been buzzing with activity and excitement all week. Mom has been intense and constantly in the Word for the last few days. She’s already safe and sound in Tyler and ready to go.

My own preparation as one of the hostesses at my site has been pretty intense, too. I bought some Velcro rollers and root lifting spray so that I can have Beth Moore-worthy big hair tomorrow. You know, because I want to be recognizable to our visitors as the daughter. So every day for the past week I’ve swapped my hair minimizer (the Chi) for my new hair maximizers so that on the big day I will be proficient at creating my adequately large do. I realized almost too late that my roots were completely unacceptable for standing in front of a crowd and making announcements. But the Lord kindly provided an open spot with my stylist to correct the problem. I know my sisters are relieved for me.

In all seriousness, I am speechless at the amount of people that my mom is going to speak to tomorrow. If I really let my mind think about it, I get a stomach ache. It is a huge, huge blessing to all of us to know that y’all are interceding. May it not be our hair, but our Savior – the One who is able to deliver anyone from any pit – who is high and lifted up tomorrow.

Hey, Sistas! Amanda and I have asked her younger sister, Melissa, a couple of times to guest-author some entries on our blog. She stays so swamped as she finishes up her Master’s that we didn’t know when she’d ever find the time. Yesterday Melissa sent me something she had written for a different reason and it was so thought provoking to me that I asked if I could post it in our blog. After some thought, she gave me permission. May God speak.

Just a Christian’s feeble attempt to comment on American Idolatry

As I sit here and ponder the News as of late my heart becomes heavily burdened. From Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith to the latest media frenzy, the rich and famous don’t seem to be holding up too well. I wonder if there isn’t some common denominator between these troubled souls. How could those who have so much fame, talent, and not to mention enough money to purchase for them their every object of desire, be so self-destructive? I can’t help but think of the fates of those such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and Kurt Cobain, whose status of fame may as well have been elevated to sainthood. And then it hits me, what if the common denominator is not solely their individual self-destructiveness, but what if it includes the destructiveness of American Idolatry?

It seems to me that idolizing a human being isn’t just unhealthy and destructive for the one doing the idolizing, but also for the one being idolized. If there is any truth in this notion, namely, that it simply is not healthy (or to use politically incorrect language, it is simply morally wrong) for a person to be worshipped and idolized, then the American population is partly to blame for the broken state and the troubled fate of so many bold and indeed talented souls. Can we not appreciate a person’s talent and beauty without obsessing over what clothes they have worn at the Oscars or what person they are dating this week as opposed to last week? Is any single person worthy of this excessive attention or infatuation?

In Romans 1, the apostle Paul condemns the human race for suppressing the truth of God; he says that we should have seen God’s invisible attributes through that which is displayed in the created world. He goes on to declare that we didn’t honor God, but exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man. We failed and continue to fail to rightly credit the Creator, and instead we worship and serve the creatures that he has created. When we gaze upon the beauty or marvel at the talent of another and we fail to recognize that it is God alone who is the author and the source, we are not only lying to ourselves but we are doing a great disservice to our fellow man.

To have the American masses track your every move, fall at your feet, and even scream and shed tears in your presence—knowing all the while that you yourself are subject to the same kind of sickness and eventual death as the common folk—may be flattering for a moment, but in the end it is merely isolating, oppressive, and repulsive. Our obsession with the rich and famous places them in an impossible position, for there is only one name under heaven that is meant to be adored and there is only one being who will not be destructed by our worship. There is only one who remains pure and holy despite His glorious, incomprehensible, and inevitable, yes, eternal fame!

God doesn’t have an emotional need for our worship. Believe me, he gets plenty of it! For even the angelic beings shouted as they watched him place the stars in the sky and even now as I, a small speck on this globe, push buttons on a key-board, the entire heavens and earth declare of his glory! It is He who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand. It is He who weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales. To whom then shall we liken God? Or what likeness shall we compare with Him? We Americans, like, the craftsmen of old, are guilty of seeking out and fashioning for ourselves meaningless idols—we create them, we gaze upon them, we place hope in them, and then we condemn them when they don’t deliver and meet our needs and expectations. At the end of the day, idolizing a person is as futile as worshipping a wooden statue, for both are corruptible and they shall both return to the dust. God alone is incorruptible, and not only does he alone deserve man’s worship but he is the only being who is not corrupted by man’s worship. He is the one who reduces powerful rulers to nothing and makes even the judges of the earth meaningless…truly, he merely blows on them and they wither.

So I, a Christian who is guilty of having spent hundreds of dollars on People magazines, join my voice with the prophet Isaiah, “who shall we liken God…who shall be his equal?” And I am revitalized by the answer to this rhetorical question: no one. Let us lift up our eyes on high and see who has created the stars…for He calls them by name and because of the greatness of His might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing. (Isa. 40:26) Only after first recognizing the Creator’s masterful hand behind every facet of life should we appreciate and savor the talents and the beauty of another…and even then, let us tread carefully, for ours is a jealous God. So then, I dare us (indeed I dare myself) to stop pointing fingers and asking why many who have phenomenal God-given talents, or extraordinary and dumb-founding God-given beauty, are so often hitting rock bottom. Yes, let you and me stop pointing fingers and actually claim part of the responsibility for their downfall!

Read about Living Proof Live – Detroit here.

Click here for the video.

I love you now

‘Cause you’re my friend.

We had an amazing birthday weekend! Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes. It could not have been more perfect!

Friday:
Curt’s parents arrived and we went to dinner together. Curt and I stole away to a movie while they put Jackson to bed. Later I realized I wouldn’t be putting my baby to bed on the last night before his birthday! Panic! At 11:40 I crept into his room and pulled him out of his crib. He never woke up, but I rocked him until midnight. It was the sweetest time together. I held him close and I told him everything on my heart. At midnight I wished him a happy birthday, gave lots of kisses, and put him back in bed a few minutes later. That for me was the highlight of the weekend.

Saturday:
When I opened my eyes that morning and realized Jackson wasn’t awake or crying yet, I summoned Curtis so we could wake him up together. We opened the nursery door and he was standing up smiling. We sang Happy Birthday and had a very happy, cheerful morning together.

Curt’s parents and sister’s family came over and we decided to go to the zoo. It was the most perfect day – gorgeous, blue, cool, and sunny. I had always wanted to take Jackson to the zoo and our first time did not disappoint. A lot of the animals were being really lazy, so I kept praying things like Lord, please make the kangaroo get up and bounce across the field. Please wake up the otters and tell them to swim. Lord, please cause the cheetah to run for us. Lord, make the gorilla wake up from his nap. Lord, please cause the baboon to show us his face and not just his ugly bald bee-hind. We did get to see the baboon’s face and it was rather creepy.

So after all that praying we walked up on a cage with nothing in it. I did not even know what was supposed to be in the cage, but a male lion suddenly emerged from a cave. He stood right in front of us and sized us up. He climbed up on a big rock and stood there. I was holding Jackson on my hip and we were both in awe. Then the king of the jungle sneezed and we all jumped. We felt pretty dumb…it was just a sneeze, but such a loud sound coming from such a mighty animal commanded a response. Then he started staring us down and opened his mouth and began growling. It was so freaky and so amazing. I jumped several times and held Jackson close – a completely involuntary response. But after seeing all those lazy animals, God provided the mightiest of all to show off for us.

My parents arrived late that afternoon. It was such an answer to prayer that my mom’s flight was not delayed and she made it easily from her conference in Detroit.

I made it all the way to that night without crying. And then I decided to read through some of your comments and they definitely induced some tears. This sweet one below was the main culprit:

Happy Birthday Jackson. Amanda, cherish every moment because they fly faster than the speed of light. I know because in 76 days, my firstborn is going to meet his bride at the altar. It seems like only last week when I brought him home from the hospital.

*There’s a slight possibility that the lion’s growling was actually his attempt to cough up a massive hairball. We’ll never really know. But for dramatic effect we will assume it was actual growling.

Sunday:
Can I just say that my son was the ultimate birthday boy? He LOVED his party. He smiled the entire time and was very enthusiastic about everything. The only time he cried was when the instructor had us put away the maracas. Jackson made it known that he was very unhappy with the arrangement, so he got to keep his for the duration of the party. We had an absolute blast! I will let the pictures tell you about it. We had so much fun that I had a really hard time falling asleep last night because I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Welcome, everyone!

Climbing this slide is my life’s work

Hey, my dear Sistas! I’ve missed talking to you guys! I’m captive for a few minutes at the hair salon with my head under one of those warmers while my color bakes. A Texas woman wouldn’t be caught dead without some kind of color on her hair. Besides all the wonderfully Spiritual things it obviously means, here in Texas to be rooted and grounded means that until your fresh-rooted, you need to be grounded. I may miss other things, but I do NOT miss my hair appointments.

I’ve been busy as a bee since the last I touched base with you. I had a lot of getting ready to do for our Detroit Living Proof Live event then hopped on a plane bright and early Friday morning to see faith become sight. The team and I totally dug our group. Though God was faithful and present Friday night, we spent most of it warming up then really sensed the power of the Holy Spirit drop on us first thing Saturday morning. I don’t know about them but I didn’t feel Him let up until after we left. (Still felt Him so strongly on the plane that I sobbed part of the way home.) Seventeen women (three over 60, two under 16) made public professions of faith in Christ Jesus on Saturday. I felt the freedom of God to do something really unusual for the last session. He had given me clearance to finish up our topic at the end of the second session and save the third one for personal testimony. It was Jackson’s first birthday and my heart was so tender over all the miracles God has performed in our family that I wept through much of the session. If you and I have known each other long, you know how unusual that is. I may tear up but I almost never cry out-right while I’m teaching but I did this time. I was overwhelmed over the faithfulness of my merciful God. I wanted the women to have hope, no matter how hopeless things looked in some of their families, that nothing is too hard for God. I wanted them to learn to pray BIG and to do everything it took to cooperate with God so that He could be loosed to work wonders. I am jealous for others to see the same transformation in Christ that our family has experienced and I KNOW if He did it for us, He will do it for anyone.

The event was calendared well before Jackson was born but, thankfully, ending the engagement at noon enabled me to make it to Amanda’s by late afternoon that day and well before the party the next day. I’m so grateful to Amanda for her understanding and willingness to save the big party for Sunday afternoon. It turned out to be such a sweet plan because Amanda and Curt, Curt’s parents, and Keith and I were able to have our own time with Jackson on Saturday to open presents and gush over him. He wasn’t so overwhelmed that he was oblivious to all he had gotten. We are so blessed! The affectionate little thing seems to love both sets of his grandparents so much and we love each other. Both families get along really well.

Sunday was the big party at the Gymboree and Jackson was the best little host you can imagine. HE LOVED IT! He laughed and showed off and played his little heart out. I’m such a baby nut that the party was the next best thing to Heaven. The room was full of Jackson’s toddler buds who’d come to celebrate his big day. I laughed my head off at all their mannerisms and expressions and the hilarious ways they interacted. The baby girls had huge bows on their heads and, oh, their shoes!!! No wonder we girls grow up with shoe obsession! I’ve come to love all of Amanda’s fellow moms vicariously through her. I had the biggest blast watching all of them together. I’m going to ask Amanda to post some pictures of the big day so I can go ahead and be completely shameless. Thank you so much for humoring me. Our weekend, from beginning to end, was deliciously wonderful and full of God’s grace. I’m honored to share this part of our family life with you and humbled that you would let me. Pray big, Girls. You’ve got a big God.

Today is the last day of the my first year of motherhood. A year ago tonight Curtis and I went to the hospital to have our little guy. What a wonderful baby boy we brought home with us. I’m getting ready to go buy his birthday present. Everything for the party is ready. Curt’s family is on their way into town. My mom is in Detroit for her conference, but she and my dad will be with us in time for the party. All that’s left is to enjoy my boy and our company. It will be a little hard to let him out of my arms tomorrow, but mama’s gotta share. The blog will probably be a little quiet for the next few days. I may not have much time to moderate the comments, but we’ll be back to normal next week.

The Lord gave Colossians 1:24-29 to our ministry director to pray over Beth for the event in Detroit. We’d love for you join us in praying these verses over her:

Now Beth rejoices in what was suffered for these precious women, and she fills up in her flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. She has become its servant by the commission God gave her to present to them the word of God in its fullness— the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. She proclaims him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that she may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end she labors, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in her.

Have a wonderful weekend, sistas!

Many thanks to Rich Kalonick for this video!

Click here to visit the event recap page.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

I just got through posting a new devotion about the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet at the Pharisee’s house. It got me thinking about my own life. I have been both the Pharisee and the sinful woman. When I was a teenager I had a list of things I was told not to do and didn’t do. Of course, there were plenty of things on God’s list that I was plowing right through, but in my immature tunnel vision I focused on the “big things” that would make me look good and pure in everyone else’s eyes. And then after several years of pridefully, loudly, publicly swearing I would never do such-and-such, the Lord (graciously) allowed my will power to fail me. And I had to take a hard look at the depths of my own sinfulness. I learned that given the right circumstance, my flesh is capable of absolutely anything.

Almost ten years after that particular struggle, my profound grief over the fall has been eclipsed by grief over my self-righteousness and pride. I was given four years at my high school to flaunt the love and grace of Christ, to show Christ in me – the hope of glory. Instead, what I flaunted before many of my classmates was will-worship, arrogance, and hypocrisy. My heart breaks when I think about things said, thought, and even prayed during that time. But God was merciful not to leave me as I was. I’m so thankful that there is hope for both the Pharisee and the sinful woman. As my mom says in today’s devotion, He can take the broken cistern in that 17-year-old Pharisee’s heart, and in that 18-year-old sinful woman’s heart – both of whom He deeply and gloriously forgave – and create a wellspring of love for Him.

OK, you guys have given me speaking material for MONTHS. Or at least once a month. You are the funniest things. I have a hard work week well under way but I jumped on line to see if you were engaging in the echo: Please More Spirit! I am happy to see that you are fully engaged. Your acronyms were hilarious.

Our dear Star, I join so many of your sisters in saying how sorry I am for such a tragic and complicated loss. I was just floored. We extend our love and compassion to you in the bonds of Christ Jesus. My Beloved Ones, I paused just a moment before I mentioned Star’s prayer need because I am afraid to raise the expectation that I will always (or even often) be able to articulate specific responses on this blog. I will have to try really hard to keep this blog what it primarily is (a fun and personal way of connecting) in order to keep up with it. I think most of us can imagine that something like this blog could become all consuming and keep us from getting to the things God has called us to absolutely prioritize. I want to write a personal letter every time I see a personal need among your comments but I have to resist it or this will become a ravenous beast I can’t feed. I have to keep in mind that we really do have a prayer board at LPM and every single one of those requests DO get lifted up before the Throne of Grace. HOWEVER, I simply could not overlook Star’s need today. Please know that whether or not I mention something painful you wrote in your comments, I did hear it, feel it, and process it before the Lord Jesus. Know that I care so, so much whether or not you ever see such concern articulated. I dearly love you.

PS. Yes, Midol really works.

Since some of you Sistas brought up the subject of PMS (after all, we are sistas and if sistas have anything at all, it’s hormones), I feel compelled to tell you what I told a group recently. If you want to live those fretful days of evil principalities with any measure of victory, if, when the day of evil comes, you indeed want to stand, you have to get in your head that PMS means Please More Spirit! Need a reference? OK, how about John 3:34 – “for God gives the Spirit without limit”? (It’s a good thing.) Need another? Luke 11:13 – “how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” You know how furious we get when one of our loved ones makes the merest suggestion that maybe we’re a little hormonal? Like those times when waking up to an open bag of Fritos on the coffee table and a water ring left from a sweating glass of soda seem perfectly legitimate grounds for divorce? If, while we’re denying the remotest chance we could have PMS, we start looking for the nearest thing we could throw at them, we might want to see these words flashing in red florescent lights across the marque of our minds: Please More Spirit! Please More Spirit! This morning Keith drew my attention to a darling 12 year old girl at church with that look on her face and said, “I hope her parents are really keeping an eye on her. She really seems sullen.” “Honey,” I said, “All 12 year old girls are sullen. They are a hormone waiting to wreak havoc.” How could he have forgotten? Between his three women – Amanda, Melissa, and me – his skin was in jeopardy the greater part of any given month. But don’t think he wasn’t the kind to invite trouble. He’d say stuff like, “I’m so sorry, Baby. That zit really looks like it hurts.” Where’s me a lamp?? Good thing we have God. That’s all I’m saying. And good thing for THEM we have God. Next time around, remember two very important things:
1. Pray “Please More Spirit!”
2. Take Your Midol.