OK, you guys, I’ve got a window just to have a little fun. I’m going to take the first 20 questions you ask as long as…

1) They are questions that have short answers (In other words, this is not the time for an explanation of TULIP).

2) They’re not heavy questions. (Remember, this is mostly just for fun. That doesn’t mean you can’t ask anything spiritual. It just means that we’re not going to handle heavy topics like, for instance, my abuse background. That’s for another time.)

3) I actually know the answer. (If I don’t, I’ll try to do you the favor of not acting like I do. Grin.)

Only one question per person! I’ll take the first 20 that I can answer in my time frame! Oh, and I’ll just post the questions I hope to be able to answer so that it’s not frustrating to you to have your unanswered question dangling there. Make sense?

I love you guys so much. What this really means is that I wish you and I were just sitting around talking this afternoon over a cup of coffee…or tea for you tea drinkers.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

By now you know that all of the world is buzzing about the death of Steve Jobs. Every unique quote has already been said about him on twitter, blogs, articles, or facebook so I have nothing new to say, but I am grieving the fact that we lost a very brilliant man who changed the way we use technology. Not only did he change it, but I bet he has made his way into each of our lives in some way, shape or form. Currently I’m writing this from my MacBook Pro, with my iPhone perched on top of my Bible and iTunes is open just waiting to be played. I’d say he’s most definitely invaded my personal space. He was genius and I am honored that I get to use his products daily.

Truth be told, I was the girl that always bashed the iPhone until I gave into peer pressure two years ago and purchased my first 3GS iPhone, since then, I am the girl that’s trying to convert everyone else. It wasn’t until this past May that I actually purchased my first MacBook Pro after my computer saw its final days, so I can’t say much, but it goes without saying that now that I’ve gone Mac, I’m not going back. I love it.

About a year ago, however, I started doing a series of iPhone dumps on my own personal blog and I think it’s only appropriate to visit that series once again in honor of Steve Jobs. After all, without his brilliance, there would be no iPhone dump. I have a serious problem when it comes to the camera on my iPhone and I’m not exaggerating or lying one bit when I tell you there are currently 1,857 photos and 62 videos on my iPhone. It’s sick. But if you’re like me, the convenience of that camera is what makes it so popular. And need I even mention all of the really fun camera apps? All of the apps can take an ordinary photo, and make it look nearly professional in two seconds flat.

Without further ado, please bear with me as I share some very random photos off of my iPhone thanks to Steve Jobs.

I recently celebrated a friends birthday at Dave & Busters. Simply stated, it is a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. After eating, there is a fun arcade with games that you win tickets for. Typically, I wouldn’t care less about the number of tickets I had, but when I realized there was a chance we could take home a coffee maker, I was all about it. Thanks to our friends and their tickets, the roomies and I took home this gem. So cheap, but it produces some mighty fine tasting coffee. We have no idea how long it will last, but it’s a fun memory. I think I was the only one overly ecstatic about the coffee maker, so much so, I needed my picture made with it.

This picture was taken from my balcony at my apartment a few weeks ago when the fires were raging. Y’all, those aren’t clouds you’re seeing, that is smoke. Beautiful, yes, but so sad. This picture was edited using Instagram, a really fun photo app.

This here is as big as you’ll ever see my hair. I was ten here and this was one of my glamour shots. My mom sent this to me one morning with a caption that said, “I bet Beth would LOVE to see your BIG HAIR at age ten!” Ha ha! I, however, think this is quite the scandelous picture. I was ten, y’all. Ten.

My roommate Michaela (on the left) is a high school art and photography teacher and a few weeks ago we went to the homecoming football game with her. My other roommate, Bethany, is on the right. We had so much fun soaking up some Friday Night Lights! (Because I know I’ll get asked, I used the app “Diptic” to split the photos and then used “Instagram” to edit it. See ladies? Isn’t the iPhone camera so fun?)

The other night I had the urge to bake my mom’s famous banana bread. If you’re an expert baker like I am (insert sarcasm), you know that the trick to finding out if your said item is baked thoroughly, is to poke a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, all is done and well. Obviously, I needed only one toothpick, but ended up with 50. It was a toothpick disaster. This right here is proof why I don’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. When in a battle, the kitchen typically wins.

While at Hobby Lobby the other day I kept singing, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas..,”. Hmm, I wonder why?!

That same day, I purchased and took this lovely mug home with me from Hobby Lobby. You can thank the clearance rack for said purchase. Isn’t it so cute?

Kelly Minter recently sent Beth some coffee. Beth so graciously made some and shared it with us at work one day. It did not disappoint.

Here are a few of us enjoying said coffee. From left to right you have Diane, Susan, your Siesta Mama, Kimberly and me.

This was on our way to lunch one day. Me, Beth and Diane were crammed in the back of the car. I am sure you can tell that we were already moving based on the blurriness of the picture.

A few Saturday’s ago I had a hankering for some Chick-Fil-A. It had been at least two weeks since I’d indulged in the blessing of it, so I drove myself over to the nearest Chick-Fil-A. My feelings were immediately hurt upon arrival. How dare they shut down for 19 days? I was so, so sad. No worries, though, I kept the car moving and drove to a different CFA. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

I’m not sure if any of you have ever heard of the restaurant in NYC called Serendipity. They are not only known for the movie named after them, Serendipity, but also for their frozen hot chocolate. This summer I got to experience the goodness of it all while I was in NYC. Y’all, it was the best dessert I’ve ever put in my mouth. Fortunately, for us, you can take it home with you. Well, not the frozen part, but the mix. The other night we busted out the mix and relived every moment all over again. It may not be as good as sipping it in NY with your best buddies, but it will do. A little known fact you may want to know is that it can now be purchased at your local Williams Sonoma.

I was at Costco the other day and had to take a picture of these ginormous dates. Why, you ask? Because they look like roaches. Who would willingly eat these? Ew.

This past Friday night I was able to attend the David Crowder concert with some friends at the House of Blues here in Houston. This is their last tour as a band, so it was really neat to be there. Touring with them was John Mark McMillan (who wrote the song, How He Loves), Chris August and Gungor. It was a great night and a great concert.

The other day at lunch we were talking about fish and I was telling my co-workers about this fabulous salmon from Costco, of all places. Later that week I purchased some and sent a picture to my boss who was curious. If you’re a fish lover (which I’ve just recently become), you may want to check it out as well. You just stick it in the oven for 20 minutes and you’re good to go. Enjoy!

We here at LPM enjoy a good piece of Dove Chocolates. The best part, however, is the inspirational quotes you find inside each wrapper. This was my quote yesterday. It made me sad because I would most certainly take the time to notice the colors of the leaves changing if in fact I didn’t live in Houston. Here, we’re lucky if they change by March. It’s very unfortunate.

This is my sweet family. We all happened to be in one place at one time. We were at a dear friends wedding. I have two brothers, Brien and Kevyn, one older and younger. And those are my parents, Sam and Kristy. I dearly love these peeps.

Last night my roommate Bethany and I decided to go on a bike ride. The entire evening ended up being comical, but we at least enjoyed being outside preparing to go on our ride that lasted all of eight minutes. So why the picture? Because we believe in safety first.

Thank you, Steve Jobs, for sharing your gifts and creative talents with the world. I clearly am blessed by them as the iPhone has brought me endless entertainment.

Happy Thursday, y’all!

Hi ladies! Here is the recap video from Baltimore. Thank you so much, Rich!

Hey, beloved Scripture Memory Team!

I so hope you are blessed in the presence of Christ Jesus today. I am all the way in Baltimore, Maryland serving a wonderful group of women at our Living Proof Live. Our dear Lindsee is pinch-hitting for me this time around and she also has some great information for you regarding our upcoming celebration. Her portion will pick up immediately following my 19th verse. I’m choosing my verse this round from the theme Scripture God gave us for our Friday night session here at Living Proof Live in Baltimore. I want to remember it forever. You don’t have to hear the session to see why it is enormously relevant and a powerful Scripture indeed to have hidden in your heart. You’re welcome to share it with me if you don’t have a selection ready.

Beth, Houston. “I continually look to the Lord for help, for He will free my feet from the enemy’s net.” Psalm 25:15 The NET Bible

I love you guys so dearly! OK, Lindsee, take it from here!

Girls, registration for the SSMT is flourishing and we already have over 1000 ladies registered. Praise God! Don’t stress if you’re not already registered, we have plenty of room. Registration will officially close two weeks before the event, so know that you have plenty of time. We are so excited and can’t wait to celebrate with you! When we say you are highly treasured around here, we mean it.

With that said, we have had a lot of unique questions come in that are not covered in the FAQ page so we wanted to put them here and then we’ll put them on that page as well. We hope this is helpful to you as you plan your trip to Houston in January. We don’t want anyone to feel left out or lost.

Are my children welcome to attend the celebration?
While we all know how much our Siesta Mama loves little ones (grin), and understands that some of them might be memorizing scripture with us, her teaching is specifically geared toward women 18 and older. Please use caution in bringing little ones. As a reward, we encourage you to do a special party for your children if they have been memorizing with you. Make it a special time to celebrate their hard work.

Is there anything LPM can do to help Siestas in the same region connect prior to the January meeting?
We are blessed to hear you are coming to SSMT in 2012! As much as we would love to publish a regional list of those attending, we are unable to do this due to the confidentiality of each individual’s information. This is for your protection, ladies. Thanks so much for understanding. If you would like to put your Facebook page (not your email or phone number) in the comments section, we will post it, as we know you have more control over the privacy of that. We should all be very careful about what we post on the World Wide Web for all to see!

Can we do t-shirts, pink feather boas, etc to help connect with other Siestas in the airports and restaurants?
First of all, y’all are AMAZINGLY creative and fun! We love that and are so blessed by your anticipation for this special weekend. In light of these fun ideas, we have a special photo op planned on Friday evening. This will be your special keepsake from LPM for the weekend. If you want to make your own fun memory (ie. t-shirts, bracelets, boas, etc) by all means have a blast with it! We’ll look forward to seeing you in 2012!

I want to attend the SSMT Celebration, but I’m nervous about coming solo. What should I do?
Please come! We promise you will be blessed! Many women came solo in 2010 and left with new friendships and blessings in abundance. During the celebration, we will have you pair off with another Siesta sitting around you and say your verses. It will be a very rich time of celebration indeed. Don’t let coming alone keep you from coming. You will not be the only “one” coming!

Since today is the first of October, we are only three months away from the celebration. Can you believe that? We are so looking forward to January and know you are too!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Good morning, Siestas! Or should I say good morning, Baltimore? (Hairspray, anyone?) I’ve been singing it all week!

Anyway, our Siesta Mama is heading to Baltimore today for Living Proof Live this weekend and we were wondering if any of you are planning on attending? She’s been hard at work this week and we’ve been praying for everyone involved.

Thanks to the Siesta Scholarship Fund, we are so excited and humbled to be able to offer 20 scholarship tickets for those of you that desire to go, but just cannot afford a ticket at this time.

If this is you, we will offer them to the first 20 of you that call the Living Proof office during regular business hours (8:30 – 4:30 central time). Ask for Kimberly at 1-888-700-1999 and she will get you squared away. If you call during the lunch hour, or happen to get the voicemail at any point during the day, leave a message with your name and phone number and she’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

We know that the Lord has handpicked each of those who will be there and we can’t wait to hear how God showed up!

We love y’all!

A really good, lifelong friend of mine (Kim Gannon) emailed me this picture just for grins yesterday. (Her daughter, Shannon, is well into her college years if that tells you how old the picture is.) It not only made me laugh. It also made me smile, if you know what I mean. There’s a difference between something making you laugh and something making you just-plain-old-smile. I thought it was kinda sweet. That’s why I smiled. That’s one very subtle way to bear the Name, isn’t it? But, of course, now I’m wanting to laugh about it again. It’s too bad you can’t see the jeans underneath. I bet anything they came all the way to the waist where they were tightly cinched by a narrow band then did a very unflattering, pleated poof right around the tummy. They were hideous.That’s my house, by the way. It’s terrifying that I stood that close to an open flame with all that hairspray. My courage knew no end.

Do any of you older Siestas remember when we used to make these kinds of Christmas sweatshirts?? This one was amazingly understated compared to the others. (Kim made these for both of us as I recall.) Some of mine had so many 3-dimensional trinkets sown and glue-gunned onto them that I couldn’t even wash them. I just stunk for Christmas. Surely some of you remember the applique days. They certainly were not limited to Christmas but they were overwhelmingly thematic. You know how we put out decorations on our doors and in our houses throughout the seasons of the year? This was a way of actually wearing them on your person.

You young women on here have no idea what your big sisters have been through.It’s a wonder we don’t have to take medication to talk about it.

So, here’s a fun question: What do we (or you) wear today that you think we’re going to mock and scorn ourselves for later??

Hey, Darling Things!

I am under the books, studying for our Living Proof Live in Baltimore, MD this weekend. (And if you’re going, I can’t wait to see you and to see what God has a mind to show us. The rest of you please pray for us and we will be the far better for your intercession.) I came to a point in my preparation that I needed to look up a map and my heart did this ridiculous little jump. Why? Because I was about to reach for my Bible atlas…and I love my Bible atlas. I could honestly use it for a coffee table book and thumb through it every afternoon while I drink hot tea and have a Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookie. (Of course, I’m hardly ever at my coffee table in the afternoon, nor do I often get to just sit and drink hot tea and eat cookies, but IF I DID, and if I had neither daughter to amuse me, I’d do all of those things with my Bible atlas.) I don’t know how to explain it. I just love it.

Here it is. I’m smiling as I look at it.

I love things like maps and charts. They bring some organization to the chaotic mind of BTSPTB.

Random, huh? Well, that’s when I thought of you. I thought it would be fun to hear you complete this sentence today:

I know this is so random but I love…

What, Girlfriend? What random, not-hyper-serious thing do you love that maybe a ton of people wouldn’t necessarily love with you? Do tell!

We are beside ourselves over the responses to our “1000 Women” campaign for Passion 2012! Over half of the scholarships slots have been filled! We feel so strongly that God is in the middle of this and that He finds great joy in watching one generation invest in the next and cheer them on. Last week as I prepared for the video announcing the LPM scholarships, God set a fire in my heart to do one additional video (this one), challenging any willing churches, ministries, Christian businesses or even families to scholarship other young men and women to Passion 2012 and/or help with their expenses. I am convinced to the bone that so many men and women 18-25 would jump at the chance to go and that expense is by far their biggest obstacle.

We’re wondering if God wants to move on the hearts of some businessmen or women, ministries, or churches to pool extra dollars (if there are any!) and send several young men or women. Maybe a couple of families could go in together and send one. Listen, you may wonder how much difference just one scholarship could make but, to that one person, it could be the difference between light and darkness. To some, between life and death. And, by all means, it could be the difference between a sense of purposelessness and a divinely conspired future. Unless God decides this year to do something altogether different than every other Passion gathering, He will show up with an overwhelming presence and in an environment that is profoundly effective for the age group. I’m not much of a fan of guarantees but, based on God’s history through these events, I do not believe you will be sorry you made this investment in a life. If we can be used of God to send them, we can trust Him to do the rest. He is unfathomably faithful.

Ok! The challenge is officially on the table for any of you who want to pool together some finances and send some 18-25 year olds to Passion 2012. They’re out there! I bet you won’t have to hunt very hard to find some willing recipients.

If you want, let us know you’re taking the challenge and how you found your recipient! (I wish we had the proper resources to help you find them here but we better stick to the scholarship program we’ve already established.) No pressure whatsoever to join in or to let us know you’re taking the challenge. This is for those, like me, who just seem to like making everything into a party.

You guys are a blast. Let’s see what God does!

Ten years ago, before transferring to Moody and moving to Chicago ever even entered my mind, I was a little sophomore at Baylor University. One fine central Texas day I went down with a friend to a place cleverly called Waco Hall to listen to an increasingly well-known “upcoming” musician. All I knew about the musician I had gleaned from the signs scattered on walls around campus: he had really good hair.

We couldn’t stand up inside the little house so with knees and thighs touching, we kneeled around on the floor. We sat captivated by Kiran as she revealed to us who she was through a translator. She told us how much she loves Jesus, how she loves to study and hopes to become a teacher someday.

 

And then she paused.

And she asked us, with a soft and sincere smile on her face:

 “How do you like my house?”

Looking helplessly at one another, we collectively cheered:

“It’s beautiful!”

“Yes, it’s beautiful!”

She beamed in agreement and with satisfaction.

But the thing is, I really couldn’t see beauty.

What I saw on that hot April day was a flimsy little box of a house roofed with plastic paper, rocks, and sticks.

Later as we walked around the slum, Kiran would start to cry.

Tears of joy, she said. Tears because she was just so happy she had God.

Then she would literally burst forth into songs of praise. This is the stuff of the Psalms or maybe even the book of Acts. I saw these things in an Indian slum.

And all I could think about was stuff Kiran didn’t possess.

The dark, scary place we were walking around.

All Kiran could think about was that God was with her.

Where I saw tremendous lack, Kiran saw an extravagance worth displaying.

The radiant joy Kiran effused challenged the “lack” I saw.

Her intoxicating presence told me she lacked no good thing.

This was one of those remarkable moments when fixed values start to move. A paradigm shift, if you will. I had to start deconstructing and reconstructing meaning; I had to start trying to make sense of things again. Clearly I had been missing something major about basic life questions. I started posing new questions: What does it really mean to be blessed? What does it mean to have enough? Can I really trust myself to answer this former question?

Being in Kiran’s presence was something of a dream. Surreal. I felt like I was bound in chains in a dark room gazing out a window at a little girl skipping in a field of sunflowers at the brightest point of the day.

It wasn’t that Kiran was proud of what little she had. That would have been admirable, indeed. But that wasn’t it. It was the very idea that Kiran had absolutely no idea she had little. No one could have convinced Kiran she was “suffering,” not without performing some kind of lobotomy anyway. She was rich and full, living off of a couple of Compassion meals. She knocked me off my white horse. I wasn’t the one doing the liberating anymore. I never was. Maybe I had been bound all along.

The remarkable thing about the Proverbs text I mentioned before (30.7-9) is not that it mentions living in the middle of two extremes: poverty and wealth. The astonishing thing is that it links spiritual infidelity to these two extremes. In other words, living off of just enough, that which is necessary, is spiritually advantageous. At least according to the wisdom writer.

Kiran’s effortless joy, her tremendous wealth in living off the Lord alone, not only reverberates the sounds of the ancient sage; it takes the shape of a cross. Her abundant life is nothing short of cruciform. Undeniable power in perceived human weakness. And not even the thickest darkness can obstruct this kind of light. It is the overwhelming penetrating light of the cross. I was blinded by it because I couldn’t stop staring at Kiran.

My vision will never be the same.

If I close my eyes and focus long enough, I can still hear the sound of Kiran’s voice. She is singing, “Lord, I lift Your Name on High. Lord, I love to sing Your Praises.” The cadences of her voice are still in my heart.

 

 

“Oh God, what do we see and hear?

 Your kingdom coming.”

Let it come to us. 

As of yesterday, it has been two weeks since I’ve been a part of what they lovingly call “The Village”. In other words, I’ve been at Living Proof Ministries for an entire two weeks. I am certain that if I had a penny for every time I’ve heard the words “The Village”, whether referring to the LPM staff, or in the phrase “It takes a village!”, I’d be one wealthy girl.

But if I’ve learned one thing these past two weeks, I’ve learned that it certainly does take a village. And that The Village is very easy to love. I may not be wealthy in pennies, but I am certainly wealthy in sisters.

I jumped into what I like to refer to as sanguine land.

I myself am quite the sanguine, but have noticed the past two weeks that I’ve really toned it down a bit. I have been a top notch observer, just taking everything in moment by moment. Quite honestly, the other night I sat down to journal and I couldn’t think of one thing to write down. Not because I have a lack of words or thoughts, but because I didn’t know where to start.

Even as I started this post, I uploaded pictures then decided I had nothing to say. Thankfully, I regained consciousness and came back to this post shortly after my loss of words and this is what you’ve got. What is it I’ve got, you ask? A list of observations from a week of working with the village.

1. This may disappoint, but my first observation? The phones never stop ringing. Ever. LPM is a hopping ministry. Praise God!

2. These ladies are hilarious.

3. They know how to pray. And they do it often.

4. A lot of laughter is heard all day long.

5. LPM knows how to eat.  Let’s be honest, we like food around here. The workday pretty much revolves around lunch. I’m a-okay with that because I consider myself a food junkie. It might not be that endearing, but it’s true.

6. There is nothing you do alone at LPM. It really does take a village. For instance, it took four of us to connect my computer to another screen so I’d be double screening it. I don’t know the technical term for that since I’m not technical, but let me tell you, it is a blessing.

7. You won’t get to work or leave work without getting approximately ten hugs.

8. Personal? What is that? The village needs to know all personal matters. But at least you know they’ll keep it to themselves. At least that’s what I’m told.

9. Skype is a must. As is email. As is HeyTell. As is text messaging. Communication is flourishing.

10. They love Jesus. For real. I want to love Jesus more because of them.

11. With their forces combined, along with the prophetic dream Amanda had, I’m sure I’ll be married in six months. Except I’m totally kidding. Maybe.

12. You know your boss is legit when she sends you a picture text message of the yogurt you’d been discussing earlier. She wanted you to make sure you knew exactly what it was so you wouldn’t have to go on a wild goose chase. I’m thankful.

13. I need to get used to eating a bigger breakfast on Monday mornings. Instead of the workday revolving around lunch that day (see #5), it revolves around Bible study and prayer. We skip lunch and feast on the Word of God. He is good, y’all. And He does satisfy. Needless to say, however, I go home with quite the appetite.

14. The UPS man could probably drive to LPM with his eyes closed. From my office I see him pull up everyday and I watch in amazement at all the boxes he brings in. LPM might just be his second home.

15. We may or may not meet frequently at the reception area on the second floor for the most interesting conversations you’ve ever heard. And by interesting, I mean we discuss what we had for breakfast. It’s pretty epic, y’all. I have heard, but have yet to experience the 3:00 stretches. I’ll let y’all know how that goes.

In all seriousness, I’ve been there a week and I can say I sincerely love it already. I’m still slowly taking everything in, but really enjoying learning the ropes and getting to know everyone there. Yes, I’m tired and adjusting to a new job and bed time, but I feel beyond blessed to get to serve alongside these incredible ladies.

Here are some pictures from my first week.

My old boss JJ and his wife Anna sent me flowers my first day of work at the office. It was so sweet and they were beautiful. Thank you so much, JJ and Anna! It meant so much to me.

I have literally taken zero pictures with my real camera, but here are some of my office that I took with my phone. I share an office with Jenn, our Tuesday Night Bible study coordinator, but she is a mama of three youngins’, so you can imagine that her office hours are more flexible and different than mine. We’ve only shared the office for two hours! The desk on the left is hers. I can take zero credit for how adorable this office is. Everything was already done, I just simply moved in.

This is the view looking out to the balcony. Not too shabby, eh?

Just a cute corner of the office. Don’t you love those pillows? At 3:00 everyday I’m tempted to take a nap.

This is my side/desk of the office. So far, I love it.

This is what the double screen looks like. It has been such a tremendous help when you stare at a computer all day long!

We hosted our volunteers at the ministry for the simulcast. It was really fun getting to know them and also getting to be with my co-workers soaking up God’s Word. We had the best time! I am so glad I went. And boy did I get a Word! Amen.

Beth came up to work one day when she planned on not actually being there. That day she worked at the front desk with Kimberly and although we may not have gotten a ton of work done, we sure had a lot of fun. And yes, Beth is wearing a tiara. This is women’s ministry after all. We may or may not have a few of those around here.

Here is Kimberly, Sabrina and Susan. They are known as the three stooges. We meet at this very countertop for conversations throughout the day.

I got to experience my first LPM birthday celebration yesterday and it did not disappoint. I had heard they were quite the big deal and I have to say, LPM knows how to celebrate. Of all people, we got to celebrate sweet Nancy in the middle. We love her!

In case you were wondering, yes, I still pinch myself every morning. I don’t deserve to work here with these incredible ladies, but believe me when I tell you I thank the Lord (very often) for this sweet gift.

And that, sweet Siestas, is my first list of observations. I am sure there are plenty more to come. I can tell I’m going to really love it here.