Hey, you darling things!

Man, have I missed you! I may be out of sight sometimes when my hands are too full to tap their way to the blog page but you are never out of my mind. And that’s no lie. I mean it when I say it. You’re not even out of my mind when I’m out of my mind. Anyway, these days I see enough of you on Twitter to feel like we’re not very out of touch even when I’m momentarily less active on the blog. (@BethMooreLPM or when I have something to say that is only for Siestas – meaning you LPM bloggers – @Siestaville. It’s a lot of fun on there if you like that kind of thing. Just don’t take it too seriously. It doesn’t replace our quiet times or anything.)

It’s Sunday afternoon after a fabulous morning of church, a good plate of Tex Mex with my man, and a tiny nap and now I’m outside on the back porch wishing all of you were having tea with me. I have no idea how we’d all get on this porch but, if the Lord can multiply loaves and fishes, He can provide square feet and a few thousand extra tea cups that look just like these.

Oh, I know what some of you are thinking. “Beth, we’ve seen those same cups a thousand times.” Yep. I know. I drink out of them every day – I do mean every single day – but isn’t there some comfort in occasionally knowing what to expect? Knowing what somebody’s (non-destructive) habits are can be a sweet slice of kinship, don’t you think? Keith is sitting on the other side of this wrought iron porch table so I don’t exactly know how much time he’ll give me but I’ll write like a maniac till he says with a fair amount of exasperation, “Lizabeth, how long are you gonna be doing that?” and then I’ll say, “Give me five more minutes!” and then I’ll have to say bye or he’ll get up and go to the shooting range. I only get a window before he moves on. Grin.This is one of many reasons why the man is fairly hard to take advantage of. He doesn’t put up with a lot of putting off. Never has. Which may be one reason we’re still married.

Just so you can picture our scene together (yours, mine, Keith’s, Geli’s and Queen Esther’s), I’ll give you a few descriptions. It’s the first breezy day of dropped temperatures in Houston, Texas this September and a delight to no end because it’s very, VERY early this year. It’s in the higher 80’s right now (late afternoon) but it was in the divine 60’s early this morning. Even this particular variety of the 80’s is pleasant right this second because, lo and behold, there’s very little humidity. Please be impressed. This is second only to the parting of the Red Sea. You should have seen all the great hair at church today. It is a sparklingly gorgeous day and there are about four hummingbirds buzzing all around us here in my back yard. Oh, and I just drank a bug in my hot tea. I spit it out before I swallowed it. I share this so you know that all is well but, as long as we’re here on this planet awaiting its redemption, it’s still a far piece from perfect.There’s always the proverbial fly in the ointment somewhere.

I’ve had a Life Today taping since I talked to you last. (Last weekend) I sent out a prayer request on Twitter and, boy, did you pray that one up. We had one of the best groups ever. The studio audience only has space for a couple of hundred people so it is the PERFECT size to really interact with a group. I can actually walk over and touch one of them while I’m teaching or look straight into a face or even hear a sigh. They bless me indescribably. I just love the intimacy of the setting and it makes it so much easier to forget the anxiety fostered by very large and present cameras. As time goes on, I get closer and closer to and fonder and fonder of the people on the taping team at Life Today.

The people on my team at LifeWay are like family to me. For those of you who don’t know the distinction between the two (and who would care to know this much anyway??), the LifeWay projects are the video-driven Bible studies like A Woman’s Heart, Breaking Free, Esther, and James: Mercy Triumphs. We’ve worked together for 18 years, have grown up in that genre of discipleship together, been through many ups and downs and have long since bonded as tight as blood kin. We work together throughout any given Bible study project so it’s much more involved than four times a year, which is my more typical annual schedule with Life Today. The Life Today tapings are for the Wednesday television broadcasts of my good friends, James and Betty Robison’s syndicated Monday through Friday program. (The most generous people I know on earth. Who in the world would give up 20 per cent of their entire air time?? And to someone like Blonder Than She Pays To Be??And before they had any idea whether it would even mesh with their audience?? And, no. I don’t pay a dime for it. It’s a mind boggling opportunity to reach people we might never see in our Bible studies. A true gift of grace that I will never completely understand.)

Anyway, what I was saying before I started making a short story long: we’ve developed a really neat relationship over the years of taping at Life Today. For instance, I don’t stay in hotels much anymore when I go. I’ve stayed the last few times in the tiny little guest house of their photographer, Janice Meyer, and her good buddy, Kim. I am crazy about both of them but there is one other reason why I like to stay there. Fur. And a lot of it. This was my welcome last week.

Come on, now! Tell me you don’t feel the love?? It makes me so dang happy I can hardly stand it. There’s a doggy door in the tiny guest house so they can come see me while I’m studying. While I teach, the dog hair flies all over the audience from my wardrobe but we get through it just fine. We just sneeze, blow our noses, and get to the next point. This time after the taping, someone on the video team asked me if I’d mind getting a picture made with the taping crew. Honestly, I nearly got choked up. I’m pretty sure somebody made them do it but, still, it really touched me that they cared to have it. Or at least didn’t run from it. I’ve come to love and appreciate them so much. Many of them have worked for James and Betty for years. Decades. That’s a true test of integrity in many ways in my eyes. Here’s the Life Today team. Two people to my right in the beige top is my Life Today make-up artist, Faith. I like to say that I get a work of Faith even before I open my Bible on the set:

OK. I’ve got to start moving faster through this blog or Keith’s going to shut me down before I get to the “help me get the word out” part. This weekend was the official kick off of the fightin’ Texas Aggies’ 2012 football season and their inauguration into the SEC. My firstborn didn’t start demanding to go to Texas A&M to college until kindergarten. No other university ever took her eye. Not one. Her blood was maroon from day 1. So, she absconded with the pastor of our church and headed to the game and I got to intercept the children. We snatched them from their car yesterday morning and didn’t have to surrender them until today at church. We had the best time with them ever. I could talk about them until you’d rock back and forth with boredom so I’ll try to hit the high points and I’ll be able to do it faster if I don’t pick any certain order. So, get ready to bounce like a red rubber ball.

This is the children these days. In everyday blogs, you really don’t use your professional photos. Just mostly casual pictures taken with your phone so keep that in mind. All of these are with my iPhone:

Jackson (above, shoeless – he really does have legs. You just can’t see them. He has not had a knee-ectomy as it appears in said photo) just started the first grade and is missing two teeth and another is hanging by a fleshy thread. He has a lisp that makes Amanda and me swoon with adoration. This is Miss Pris. Oh, good grief. I can barely stand the preciousness.

She talks a hundred miles an hour, very expressively, and usually with both hands. Stop it. No comments. To give you a little idea of how much nostalgia this child causes Keith and me, this is Amanda at her age. I wish you could see this better but I don’t have time to scan. I just snapped a cell picture of a picture but you’ll get the idea. Unless you’re as blind as a bat.

I could just about cry over that. But I don’t have time. Next! (***But in rereading the post just before publishing, I realized that I accidentally cut off Amanda’s legs in above picture taken with my phone. She hadn’t had a knee-ectomony either. At least you can see clearly that she and Jackson are well related.) These are two little outfits I got for Annabeth at Target yesterday. She’s got on one of them in the earlier picture. For you moms and grandmoms of little girls, the clothes at Target right now are adorable! I wasn’t as enthusiastic about the boys’ selections (come on, manufacturers! man up!) but I gave the girls’ stuff an A.

I tweeted that picture earlier today and two of you said, “I LOVE THAT TABLE!” Me, too! Listen, I’m not much of a furniture person and I’m the furthest thing from a decorator but I love that table to no end. If my house caught on fire, it’s the only piece of furniture I’d try to make my man drag out of there. Part of what I love about it is the host of memories made there. So much laughter. SO MANY OPINIONS. And some fairly fine food on occasion.

When you live in the country, there’s always a critter to look at. I caught the kids looking at a rabbit in under a tree. I don’t think you can see the rabbit in the picture but, unfortunately, you can indeed see a set of elk horns. Why, I ask you?? WHY????? WHY ARE THEY SITTING THERE??? This is life with Keith Moore. Whom I love.Those are pipes sitting there to the right side of the scene if you’re wondering. They’re for irrigating some trees. May the Lord grant them to go underground sooner than later.

I have no vocabulary to wrap around my gratitude to God for the family time we get to share with Keith’s parents. As you long-timers here on the blog know, we live right next door to them. This set of children know their great-grandparents WELL. Oh, Jesus, thank You. I don’t know why but I’ve wanted to cry every time I’ve looked at this picture since I snapped it last night. I love this man so much and, Lord have mercy, he has had so many health problems that it’s a miracle he’s alive. Every single day we have Keith’s parents is a gift to us. Sit up a little bit and have some respect. This, my dear sisters and daughters, is one fine man. Mr. John Moore and his great grandson, Jackson. A future great man, we pray.

This is part of our Saturday night ritual at Bibby’s house. Annabeth gets a warm sudsy bath, shampoo and conditioner, a good blow dry from a near professional (laughing), and a mani-pedi. Jackson is a breeze! A bath and a towel dry and we’re DONE! It ain’t easy being a woman.

This I took this morning. I escorted both children outside when they each got up so that I could help them formally welcome “Mr. Autumn.” Oh, I realize, you cynics you, that it could be 95 degrees in Houston by tomorrow but you cannot take a Houstonian’s joy away at the first cool breeze. It’s an earnest deposit on a Fall sure to come…at least by Christmas.

We then got dressed and ready for church and headed into town for a glorious morning. My pastor DROPPED a word on us this morning from the pages of 2 Corinthians. Sometimes I can’t even fathom that I’m related to the man up there preaching. What unfathomable grace. He has blown our minds this year. Bayou City Fellowship celebrates our first birthday next Sunday. It has been the dearest, most unforgettable year of my church life and, girlfriend, that’s saying a LOT. I have loved church all my life. It has been a harbor to me through innumerable storms. We sang a song that was new to me today but the lyrics fell on me with such power. Here is the part that got me the most. It’s a terrible picture but the words are why I want you to see it. Oh, and by the way, that’s our Lindsee Lou’s darling little face in the left-hand corner of the screen. She’s one of our very gifted worship leaders.

OUR GOD HAS SPOKEN. Oh, indeed He has. And the chains are BROKEN, bless His unfathomable Name. I was overcome as Keith and I sang those words with our two daughters – embodiments of such redemption – standing right next to us. The four original Moores worshiped together this morning, then three of us – Keith, Melissa, and me – received communion from Amanda and Curtis. “The Body of Christ broken for you. The blood of Christ poured out for you.”

Oh, God. Thank You. You are my entire life. The breath in my lungs. The only good in me.

Well, wouldn’t you know I’d run out of time before I got to the news I wanted you to help me spread??? OK. I’ve got to give it to you quickly. The simulcast is this coming Saturday: September 15th. For the first time, you can even tune in as an individual. I mean, by all means, get to a group if there’s one in your area or if you can manage to pull one together. The sense of corporate worship is ideal for something like this but, if you can’t get with others, come by yourself by way of your own computer screen! I’ll get Lindsee to stick a link in here tomorrow for those of you who would still like to look into it. (For those waiting for it, here is the link to all the details on the simulcast.) The individual price isn’t much more than a trip to the movies with a coke, candy, and popcorn. I wish so much we could do it for free! But at least it’s fairly affordable. As I told them on Twitter, I have nothing fleshly to gain from more people participating. I’m not driven by numbers. Just too old to be and been around too long, I think. And not a single dime from a Living Proof Live goes into my personal checking account. The only reason I’m inviting anyone is because I pray – oh God PLEASE – that He is the one inviting all of us. Listen, the least that can happen is that we come together and worship God and open His Word and He is faithful to His promise that His Word will not return empty. You can’t beat a Saturday like that! I’m promising no bells and whistles. No dog and pony show. I don’t know how well the messages will be put together but I promise you I’m studying hard and trying to hear from God. I can’t control the technology or, half the time, my own mouth, God have mercy on me, but I am believing God for this Saturday. He IS faithful. That I know. And I believe He’s put this together and not we ourselves.

I am asking God for something huge to happen to us. I am praying with all of my heart for a revival for women. The news I’d like you to help me to spread, however, is to the men. To every man you know who might be willing to pray. This summer at Living Proof Live an interesting thing happened two different times. God raised up men (of their own volition and vision) in that city to pray for that gathering of women. The Spirit FELL on us and I cannot help but think that one reason why we sensed Him so powerfully was because brothers joined in and prayed. He esteemed it highly I believe.

I feel like God would do the same thing if we women banded together and prayed for a move of His Spirit among our brothers. On this coming Tuesday (the 11th), you’re going to see a post I’ll have written called “Brothers, Pray for Us.” I am asking men to commit to pray for us (just individually, informally on their own as they feel led) on Saturday, September 15th. It can be a one-time prayer or maybe they’d remember us several times that day. Maybe some of them would even feel led to fast through the hours of our gathering (I’ll post those hours on Tuesday) but I don’t want to put any kind of restraints on it. I’m just asking men to intercede with faith for us and I believe God may well respond by doing something in our midst we otherwise might not experience. I’m not just looking for husbands of participants to pray though I hope they will! I’m talking about men of God of any age, married or single, that would simply care enough to lift up their sisters in Christ before the Throne of Grace.

It would really build our faith if they’d sign in on the Tuesday blog with their name and city but we want prayer whether or not they sign on the dotted line. Would you help us get word out and encourage as many men as possible to join in with us and perhaps let us know on the Tuesday blog that we have their support? They wouldn’t need to leave a big comment. Just a “Keith, Houston, Texas” kind of thing would be sufficient. I’d love to know if it’s a pastor though. Ask him if he’d tell us the name of his church as well. I want to tell all the sisters on Saturday at the simulcast what kind of covering we have, at least by estimation. Do you get the vision or have I rushed it too much? You’ll see me put it out on Twitter Tuesday morning right after the blog goes up. Please wait to get word out on Twitter until the blog is posted on Tuesday so that the guys don’t get all confused about where they’re supposed to sign in.

Thank you so much, Sisters! I am convinced that the impact of their prayers could be dramatic. God has placed this so powerfully on my heart that I’d have to wonder why He’d bother pressing it upon me with such force and not intend to respond to it. That’s just not the way He works. “The prayer of a righteous man has great effectiveness,” James says. Let’s see some of that effectiveness!

Oh, mercy, I’ve got to get off of here before Keith goes to the shooting range!

I LOVE YOU. That’s the absolute truth. So much. Talk to you soon!

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One year ago today I walked into a house-turned-office for my first day at Living Proof Ministries, and my, what a year it’s been! (Fun side-note: Within an hour on the job, I filmed this video. On my very first day of work. I was terrified and can now laugh hysterically at my professional head nodding.) This year has easily been one of the most exciting, fun, challenging and neat years of my life. I’ve grown in ways I would have never imagined, been challenged to increase my faith and believe God, and on top of all that, made a handful of new best friends. What you may not know is that not only did I enter into a new job, after 26 years of attending, serving and working at a church I was raised in, I became a member at a new church as well. So, to say it’s been a new year and a new season is a vast understatement. But I wouldn’t trade this year for anything in the world.

There is no way I could let this day pass without sharing what I’ve learned about this ministry in just one year. Though I’m only going to share three things that stick out to me, what you need to know is that this list is the bare minimum.

L is for the Lavishness of LPM

I may hear the word “village” around here a lot, since we do refer to ourselves as The Village, but more so than that, I hear the word lavishness. I don’t know a word that describes LPM more accurately. Not only does the Lord lavish His love on us, but His lavishness towards us means that we can generously give to others. Living Proof gives more than anyone I know. And I mean that in every sense of the word. They give of their time, their love, their resources, their energy, their wisdom, and especially their prayers. You can’t walk through the doors of LPM and walk out without receiving a blessing, which is their goal. They do it with intentionality and grace. And lest you think for one second they do it to make a name for themselves, think again, it is all to make God’s name great, because He is the one that so lavishly and generously loves and gives to us.

P is for Prayer Warriors

My very first day of work happened to be on a Tuesday, the day after Labor Day. On any other given Tuesday, you would find us scurrying out the door at noon to head to lunch, however, on this particular day, since they had missed their typical Monday prayer time during lunch, they dove into prayer time on Tuesday instead. I think you know where I’m going with this. Instead of eating out on my first day of work, I prayed with my new found co-workers. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared and intimidated out of my ever-loving mind, and sometimes I still am. What in the world had I gotten myself into? I was sitting in the red room with 10 other ladies I barely knew and they were praying their heads off. If I can say one thing about these ladies, it’s that they’ve taught me how to pray. And not just pray, but pray with boldness, belief and for heaven’s sake, a little bit, or a lot of faith. Are my prayers eloquent? Heck no. Do I soak in every word they say and pray? You bet I do. I’ve witnessed miracles because of their mighty prayers. One thing I know to be true, you want these ladies praying for you.

M is for Mothering and Mentoring

September 6th, 2011 I gained 14 mothers and 14 mentors. Please note, I have a wonderful mother who I love dearly that lives 20 minutes from me and we talk often, but this was a no brainer given the territory I stepped into. I am the youngest on staff and each of them could be my mother. I say that in the most endearing, respectful way. The way the care about the little details of my life, the way they scratch my back, they way they send texts because they can’t bare to wait until the next day to hear about a certain this or that, are all things any mother would do. Do I hate it? No. In fact, I consider myself ridiculously spoiled in the spiritual realm. I’ve been known to confess during prayer time just how unique my situation is. What 27-year-old girl gets to be surrounded by this much wisdom? Does it mean we sit and chat over coffee on a daily or weekly basis? Well, not really. Unless you take into consideration our lunch hour, but what I mean by mentoring is I get to watch (and watch I do) the way these godly women handle their husbands, their children, their times alone with the Lord, their reaction to all manner of circumstances and so on and so forth. I get a front row seat to their daily, personal lives, and not one of them has left me disappointed. Are they perfect? Far from it. But they’re real. They’re authentic. I want to be like that.

The Lord has extended His faithfulness to me in more ways than I can count. I will boast in the Lord alone, because He alone did this.

Working alongside these women is one of the greatest privileges of my life. It’s life giving and water to my soul nearly every day. Not one day goes by without receiving encouragement, truth, wisdom and you better believe it, laughter. When I leave, I feel like I’ve been near God. Not to mention, we can talk for hours without gossiping, a miracle for 14 ladies if you ask me. Thank you, Jesus.

I don’t want to fool you into believing that life here is perfect. We’re human, flawed, we are all but a vapor, dust, bereft, and deeply in need of Jesus, without Him, every minute of our work here is in vain. However, it is my greatest desire to honor God and this ministry by celebrating God’s faithfulness to us.

Thank you, LPM, for accepting me from the minute I walked through those front doors. I feel like I’ve been here for ten years. And I hope I’m here for ten more, God-willing.

Thank you, Lord, for planting me here for such a time as this and doing greater than I could ever ask or imagine. You alone are to be praised. You are what LPM is made of.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17

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Good Tuesday afternoon, ladies! I hope you all had a wonderful, restful Labor Day. Just this morning I sent our dear siesta mama a quick text to see if she had any plans today (we hate to double up), because low and behold, we’ve been thinking of y’all all morning and since there were no immediate blog plans, I just knew it was perfect timing to post this fun meme. She just returned this weekend from filming at Life Today, so needless to say, we’re praying up some sweet rest for her.

What is a meme you ask? A meme is simply a “concept that spreads via the Internet.” So, please know that I simply saw this on another blog and decided it was a fun post for you, our dear siestas. Although I don’t know who originally came up with it, I still have to give credit where credit is due.

A. Age: 27

B. Bed size: A queen. My long legs tend to hang off anything smaller.

C. Chore that you hate: Hanging up clothes. Not washing or ironing, but hanging them up. I loathe it. I have been known to have neat piles of folded clothes around my room because I hate doing that so much. Oh, and I also cannot stand cleaning an upright shower. I learned that last week as I almost suffocated from the fumes while trying to accomplish this task.

D. Dogs: Oh, the puppies. I’ve only “owned” those that my roommates have had. Which have been Macy, Cohen and Cupcake. Three of the most different dogs you’ll ever meet. Growing up I only had a turtle that unfortunately ran away. And by “ran away”, I mean we left him in the yard one day while cleaning out his box and a day later (he was my older brother’s turtle, don’t blame me) after Brien remembered to get him, he was nowhere in sight. Poor buddy. His name was Norm. Short for Norman.

E. Essential start to your day: Waking up. That is essential. Seriously, though? I cannot get ready without listening to worship music. Ask my roommates.

F. Favorite color: It’s constantly changing, but is currently green. Or coral. And maybe red. See, I’m very fickle with my colors.

G. Gold or Silver: Both. I used to think Gold looked terrible on my skin tone, but currently gold is the “in thing” so I own a lot of gold costume jewelry which I wear often. However, silver is my go-to choice.

H. Height: My drivers license says 5’11. So I’m going with that.

I. Instruments you play: Since my mom has been a piano teacher my entire life, I play the piano. My skill set, however, is much less than hers. She’s the best of the best. : )

J. Job title: Media Assistant and Youth Specialist. If you’re going to friend the youth, you must know the media. ; )

K. Kids: Zero. Though I’d claim many as my own.

L. Live: Texas! I’m a proud Texan through and through. First family member born and raised here.

M. Mother’s name: Kristy Kay. Love her!

N. Nicknames: The most obvious one is Lindsee Lou. (Lou is not my middle name contrary to popular belief!) Lou. Loupers. Leddy. Lindslepie. (Thank you, Grandma, for that last one.)

O. Overnight hospital stays: Besides my birth, to date, this hasn’t happened. Praise God!

P. Pet peeves: When people drive crazy. It drives me nutty. (No pun intended.)

Q. Quote from a movie: I love me some Madea lines. “Heller? How u durnin?”, “Um, ner.” ,“Halleu-yer.” So funny.

R. Right or left handed: Right hand all the way!

S. Siblings: Two brothers. One older and one younger. I’m smack dab in the middle and the only girl. It’s not the worst gig in the world.

T. Time it takes you to get ready: Um, I’m tempted to lie here. I set my alarm for about two hours before I have to be anywhere. See “W”. I hate to be rushed.

U. Ultimate Vacation: Currently, that would have to be the Seychelles. Oh, to dream.

V. Vegetable you hate: Peas. Gross.

W. What makes you run late: The fact that I am really slow at everything I do makes me late. I enjoy taking my time and hate to be rushed. Those who know me personally can testify! I even eat slow. Therefore, I seem to never give myself enough time. Other than that, probably applying my mascara. Grin.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Do my teeth count? Oh, and I think in the third grade I had my ankle x-rayed because I sprained it in P.E. That was unfortunate since I’m not sure I actually DID anything in P.E.

Y. Yummy food that you make: Listen, I don’t want to fool you into thinking I make all sorts of yummy food. Cooking is simply not one of my gifts. (But that could also be due to my lack of trying to cook yummy food.) My roommates could testify to that. However, I can make a mean Taco Ring. And I also have mastered the art of Nutella Rice Krispie Treats. (Added: See recipe and link below.)

Z. Zoo animal: It’s been a while since I’ve taken a trip to the zoo, so this is a little tough. But, I’m gonna have to go with penguins (I mean, have you watched them walk? Or waddle, better yet?), and monkeys. I love me a cute baby monkey.

What about y’all? Choose a letter and share it with us. Y’all have a great day!

*Nutella Rice Krispie Treats (Originally taken from here.)

6 cups Rice Krispies (or 3 cups Rice Krispies and 3 cups Chocolate Puffed Rice)
1 bag (10.5-oz) miniature marshmallows
¼ cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
generous 1 cup Nutella

Topping:
1 cup Nutella
1 1/2 cups chopped chocolate
1 Tbs trans-fat free shortening

Measure the cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Melt the marshmallows and butter together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the Nutella and stir until combined. Pour the melted marshmallow mixture over the cereal stirring well to evenly coat the cereal. Pour into the prepared pan and use a small buttered piece of waxed paper or the back of a spoon sprayed with cooking spray to press evenly into pan.

In a small sauce pan melt the remaining 1 cup of Nutella, shortening and chopped chocolate over medium/medium low heat. When the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, pour over the cereal mixture. Gently spread the chocolate topping evenly across the top of the krispies.

Allow the chocolate to set, then cut into squares, serve and enjoy!

Taco Ring Link

And lastly, but certainly not least, for those who have asked, you can find the recipe and the directions for the taco ring here. Y’all are so fun!

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Oh, girls! You do not want to miss this recap video by our dear Rich from Living Proof Live this weekend. Honestly, they never get old! I personally could use an editing video tutorial in the worst way. Thanks for all your hard work, Rich!

We heard that God did a marvelous work this weekend in Charleston. Praise Him! If you were there, we’d love to hear what He did in you!

Living Proof Live – Charleston SC from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

And might I leave you with this gem? Your fearless leaders. The best part of this picture, besides the air Travis is getting, is the fact that the staff around them is not phased one bit by their jolliness. In other words, this is normal. I love it!

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Hey Siestas! Can you believe we’re already past the middle of August? Where in the world has 2012 gone? Wow.

Before we let August completely fly by, we wanted to bring your attention to our fast approaching simulcast.

If I know anything about women, I know we like a girls day away with each other and this simulcast opportunity is no exception. It is perfect timing to pull away and get in the Word for a time of refreshment and renewal either in the comfort of your own home, or at a local church. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to extend an invitation to those in your neighborhood!

So, without further ado, take a quick listen to our Siesta Mama. Also, for ALL the details and information you would ever want, click here for the official simulcast website.

2012 LPL Simulcast from LPV on Vimeo.

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Today is the last official day of summer for Houston. Well, the last summer weekday. Come Monday morning, all manner of children with their crisp, new school clothes and fancy haircuts will either hop on a big yellow bus, sit in a carpool line, or brave the daunting humidity and walk to school for their very first day. I know kiddos who get to experience their first day of kindergarten, and other ones who get to experience their first day of their very last year of school as they’re the big, bad seniors.

All of that to say, although the heat is screaming otherwise, according to our calendar, summer is over.

So, I thought it was only appropriate to share my 2012 summer highlights. Please note, however, that I spent the majority of my days in Houston with minimal traveling and fun experiences, so please lower your expectations. What you won’t be seeing is fancy trips to Hawaii or days traveling NYC. But it is what it is.

In no particular order, here are my top 12 highlights of the great summer of 2012.

1. The Nehemiah Bible study. Listen, I am taking my sweet time, meaning, I am STILL working on it, just keeping it real. But, that doesn’t mean I haven’t loved it. And I know for a fact you all loved it too, so at least we have that in common. Grin.

2. Don’t think I wouldn’t talk about Girls Bible study. I loved the 10 weeks I got to spend with these sweet girls studying and pouring over So Long, Insecurity. The last night we went out in style with some fun giveaways, a few words of wisdom from our own Beth, and most importantly, dinner from Pappasito’s. Go big or go home has always been my motto. If I had to pick one thing, I’d say these girls were THE highlight of my summer.

I couldn’t say that without sharing this gem. When you get to see changes you’ve been praying for in girls, it brings much joy to your heart. So imagine how thrilled I was when one of my leaders asked if one of her girls could bring her guitar to one of our meetings. Of course I said yes, and she proceeded to tell me that one of her insecurities was playing her guitar in front of people, so she wanted to bring it one night and play it for her small group. Y’all, that’s a big deal. I was thrilled when she got their a little early that night because it was just me and her in the room, so I asked her to play a little bit for me and she not only played, but nailed it. I was so proud! Can you say precious? The Lord was so sweet to her.

3. Beth’s birthday cake. Yes, it was a highlight. It was that good. Don’t judge.

While we’re talking about her cake, here is a picture of Amanda, Beth and Melissa at Beth’s LPM birthday party!

4. My pool. Well, this is actually my apartment pool, but as you can see, it’s pretty empty, so I’ve claimed it as my own. I would be here every day if I could, but alas, my job keeps me pretty busy, so I got out on the weekends as often as I can. This screams relaxation to me!

5. Austin Living Proof Live. What a great weekend with a great Word that I’m still gleaming from. And it also may or may not have been the only place I traveled all summer.

6. Label me materialistic (again, just keeping it real), but you can imagine my sheer joy when H&M, the clothing store, opened up at Willowbrook Mall here in Houston. Score! H&M is a really cute, cheap store that is very similar to Forever  Twenty-One, but dare I say, cheaper. My coworker and I may or may not have visited the day after it opened on our lunch break. I’m telling you, I don’t get out much.

7. Okay, I may have fibbed just a little. One weekend I went away for one night with some girlfriends to a quaint little farmhouse in the country. We enjoyed ourselves so much while we laughed, ate, talked and even did some fun extra-curricular activities. Such as riding on a Gator to tour the land and kayaking. (See below.)

Exhibit A: Athleticism at its finest. Kayaking. Because this was during this summer’s Olympics, I was feeling really inspired. You can catch me kayaking in Rio during the 2016 games.

8. Catching up with my best friends. You know those friends you’ve had since the womb? These are those friends. We’re all in different seasons and live miles away from each other, but when we get together it’s like nothing has ever changed. Highlight? You bet it was. A really sweet one.

9. I took a day off work to go hang out with our students from church in Galveston one day. Since BCF is such a baby church (we’re turning one soon!), this was a really special week for them because it was their very first summer camp. They’ll never forget it! It was a sweet change of scenery for a day and it was exciting to be with them outside of church, even if just for a short time.

Galveston, oh Galveston. We take what we can get here in Texas as far as beaches are concerned.

10. My very best friend had her very first baby. A baby girl. Ellie is my new obsession and rightfully so, she’s a living doll. I was blessed to get to be there on her birthday and I’ll never forget it. This and Bible study tie for my number one highlight. It’s amazing to me how much you can love something when it’s not even yours. That’s how I feel about her.

11. Did we ever tell y’all that a tree right outside of our office got hit by lightning one day? It was the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen happen right before my eyes. Not to mention the sound like a bomb going off. Beth and I happened to both witness it and I fear we’re both still scarred from it. However, we’re all convinced the Lord put the tree there so it wouldn’t hit the building.

Since the tree took the hit, we unfortunately, lost it. So as to not cause any more damage, we had it removed yesterday. To say we were all enthralled by the process is an understatement. So much so, that I documented the entire event. So intriguing.

12. Lastly, and certainly not least, Bayou City Nights, our church’s first VBS. To serve together as a church body and watch everyone come together and do the thing was a beautiful gift. There is so much more I could say about this, but I’ll just leave you with this little sneak into a few of our evenings together, a collage if you will. That, right there, is some joy, my friends.

I happen to have the cutest team. Go green or go home was my motto! Skipping, singing, dancing, laughing and making crafts with these little ones was a complete joy.

 

So, now that I’ve rambled on about the great summer of 2012, I’d love for you to share a highlight from your summer. I guarantee you girls have some pretty sweet stories. Spill them!

We really do love y’all so much.

Happy Friday, y’all. And happy back to school!

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Update: Siestas, I just wanted to inform you that each of our 20 tickets have been spoken for. Be blessed, ladies!

Good Thursday morning, ladies! It has been busy around here, but really, you are thought about nearly every second of every day. I’m hoping to have a fun post up tomorrow!

However, before we do that, I wanted to bring your attention to LPL Charleston today. Thanks to the Siesta Scholarship fund, we have 20 tickets to give to those of you that would love to attend the conference this weekend, but just don’t have the funds to make it happen. So, if this is you, please call our office toll free at 1.888.700.1999 during regular business hours (8:30 – 4:30 CST) and ask for Kimberly Meyer. If you happen to reach us while we’re at lunch, leave a message and Kimberly will get back to you.

And as always, Beth, Travis and the entire LPL team covet your prayers as they head that way this very day. Pray that the Spirit would fall fresh on that city. Thank you so much, girls. You are priceless around here, as are your prayers. We love you!

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Update: Thank you so much to all of those who were able to join us. In case you missed you, you can jump on and watch it now like you would a recorded video. Just click this link. For some reason, it cut about the first 30 seconds off, but after that you’re good to go. We love y’all!

Hey, you sweet things! You better know that I have not forgotten you for a single solitary day but, wooooo-eeeeee, girlfriends, your blog mama has had her hands full! I miss you so much, though! Would any of you like to jump on livestream right at 12:00 noon central standard time today (Wednesday) for 20 or so minutes? It would just be to say hi and to catch up a bit so if you’ve got something important going, don’t sweat it. There’s no big announcement or prepared subject matter. Just a happy hello and I surely do love you and I pray that you’re seeing Jesus revealed in all sorts of ways. That kind of thing and from the heart because you are indeed so dear to me. SO, I’ll see anybody there who has the time and, even if it’s just ten of us, I’ll be thrilled to touch base.

Just click on this link to hop on and join us!

I love you guys!

P.S. Just a friendly reminder that you do not need a password. While we’re preparing to launch, we have it up to work on a few logistics, but we will remove the password about five minutes before we go live at noon.

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Happy Wednesday, Siestas! It looks like a ‘few’ of you were able to join Beth and the team in K-Town last weekend. Much praise to God for you and all who were able to attend the Living Proof Live in Knoxville!

Rumor has it that Miesta Travis brought a few of his peeps with him to form a choir. 

Here’s Beth having a moment with the choir. No doubt she is sharing from her heart, and quite possibly also telling on Travis. He’s always a good source for material. Grin.

During worship:

From the looks of this recap, it appears you had a rich time in worship and the Word, Knoxville.  We never take for granted that the Lord speaks through His Word and blesses us with His Presence.

Without further delay, enjoy this recap video from our photographer extraordinaire, Rich.  Your Siesta Mama loves you so!

Living Proof Live – Moline IL from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

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Good Mornin’, ladies! Thanks to our Siesta Scholarship Fund, we were able to snag and give away 20 tickets to the Knoxville LPL this weekend. We just wanted to give you a friendly reminder that these tickets are for those of you that would love to attend, but financially, just cannot afford it at this time. So, if you fit that bill, we’d love nothing more than to bless you. All you need to do is call our office toll free at 1.888.700.1999 during regular business hours (8:30 – 4:30 CST) and ask for Kimberly Meyer. She will get you hooked up and good to go!

Thank you so much in advance for praying over this weekend. It’s the buzz around here and we can’t wait to hear all about it upon our Siesta Mama’s return! If you wouldn’t mind, please pray the team safely there today as they travel. We love y’all so much and are so grateful for every prayer lifted up on their behalf!

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