Grandmas rock...

It's true. They sit in their rockin' chairs and do just that...they rock.

I remember growin' up and sitting on my grandmas' laps. Mostly it was a time to have them hug me and tell me how special I was to them. That was always the case with Grandma Kate. I loved her for it. Other times, especially with Grandma Violet, it was to tell me things like, "Pretty is as pretty does." That meant that little girls were to be quiet, gentle spirits. Little girls were to act properly at all times. Growing up with brothers, that certainly was rarely the case, so Grandma Violet was that constant reminder of a woman's place in this world. I shall never forget that either. I loved her for it.

Other things stick out. Grandma Violet loved giving out one dollar bills. On October 16th, I could always expect a cute little birthday card. I never paid attention to the message, but rather the delight of that one dollar bill magically appearing inside every year. Grandma Kate was the big spender, though. She always gave the very same type of card, but with a five dollar bill...every year. Six bucks to a kid was the equivalent to the lottery for an adult. Okay, maybe not quite to that extent, but still...it was awesome!

God provided many things through my grandmas. Green beans that none can compare too (Violet). Outings to Long John Silver. (Hush puppies tasted better when Grandma Kate was around.) Outings to KFC. (I hated those trips, but now find myself ordering what Grandma Violet did...three wings and a biscuit.) Puppy love (Kate). Animals are from God and should be treated humanely. Hard work and perseverance. Both grandmas taught me that. Chinese Checkers (Violet). Othello (Kate...and she never let me win). Crazy Eights (Kate). Grandma Violet ate dandelions while raking leaves and always added, "They'll do ya good and help ya too!" Ice cream eating contests. The older Grandma Kate got, the faster she ate. And she said the trick was to not let the ice cream touch the roof of your mouth. (I still haven't figured that one out!) And so many other things that only grandmas can provide. And it was all rooted in that four-letter-word...LOVE.

I thought I had seen the last of my grandmas when they passed on to be with Jesus. I knew I'd have the memories, a special dish or trinket from their belongings, but I didn't expect any more dollar or five dollar bills.

Little did I know, that at just the right time, one of those special old ladies would come alive again with generosity.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I will be going back to school this fall and so my first registration fee is coming up on Monday, the 22nd of this month. I didn't know where the majority of the $800 was going to come from. I've prided myself in not having to use a credit card, but reality hit and I knew that I would unfortunately have to join that club of being in debit to a piece of plastic. And then...

Mom called.

"Ya know how when you're are really in need of some money, how God always chimes in at just the right time?....Well, I think most of your first school bill of $760 is going to be covered."

I just smiled and let her finish telling me the story...

Last week, she (mom) went to pull out a recipe from an old recipe book that she hadn't used in ages. An envelop fell out and she noticed it had something to do with my Grandma Violet, my dad's mom who passed away almost 2 years ago. Mom set the envelop on my dad's stack of mail. Dad finally got around to opening the envelop just four days ago and it happened to be a $500 savings bond...in MY name. My jaw dropped.

Needless to say, when I get home to VA in just over a week, I'll be cashing that in to pay for my first two prerequisite courses!

Maybe mom should keep cookin' from those old recipe books! Who knows what might fall out next! :)

Isn't God good!?

And isn't it true...

Grandmas really do ROCK!

In memory of Grandma Kate (passed away December 2007, she was 79.)
In memory of Grandma Violet (passed away July 2008, she was 102.)

A runnin' fool with loose hinges...

The Message version of the Bible says in 1 TIMOTHY 4:8,
"Exercise daily in God-no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever."

It's true. I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm a runner, but I have become pretty darn adamant about training for an upcoming mini-marathon. I ran 10 miles this morning. Was snowin' here in the "lou" (Louisville, KY) and so I once again alternated between the indoor track and the DREADmill. I clocked out after 1:38:34. So I'm keepin' it just under a 10min/mile pace. Nothin' to brag about, just something new that you now know about me.

As far as the "loose hinges" are concerned, that would be a reference to my joints. Since middle school, I've had some issues with my...sing along if you would..."head and shoulders, knees, and toes". Okay, so not with my head (though I did get nine staples in my scalp last year, but that's a story for another day), OR with my toes (they just suffer blisters), but my shoulders, knees, elbows, and hips are hypermobile, especially the elbows and shoulders. In fact, my basketball and volleyball playing days are over...as in...I won't even step on the court to goof around. It makes me sad, but more...it makes me cringe.

I had my right shoulder tightened 2 1/2 years ago. That surgery was unsuccessful and I'm back to square one. In fact, I dislocated it just two weeks ago and am in a brace just about 24/7 to keep it from slipping. Hence...I'm a running fool because it's really all I'm physically able to do right now. I can bike, but believe it or not, that can be hard on the shoulders, too.

I've been to a few orthopedists and most recently, a shoulder specialist who has given me the order to see a geneticist. On May 4th, they'll be testing me for a syndrome called Ehler's Danlos (body's inefficiency to produce collagen, the stuff in the connective tissues (ligaments/tendons) that keeps them tight and cohesive.). Basically, they think that I'm a "loose young lady" (go ahead...laugh...we all have) because of this particular syndrome. We'll soon know. If I test positive, I've been told that surgery really isn't an option...at least not the typical surgeries. If I test negative, then who knows where I'll end up. I'll keep you posted.

Timothy said that going to the gym is a good thing; it's "useful". But in all sincerity, I hope I'm MORE concerned about my soul and MORE disciplined in my devotion to my God than I am about my loose hinges or in my physical training. How 'bout you? How are you treating what God has deemed a TEMPLE? Is there some spiritual flabbiness that's weighin' ya down?

"Take you everyday, ordinary life-your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life-and place it before God as an offering." ROMANS 12:1

10 years and no paycheck...

Yep, it's the truth. For almost 10 years, I have not once received a pay check. In fact, I wouldn't know what to do with one if I got one. Now, I do receive checks, just not one in bulk for doing what I do. Friends, family, church bodies, and anonymous individuals have sustained me. Though not always consistent in their giving, I must say that to this day, I have yet to use a credit card. I have yet to REALLY been in need. I have NEVER lacked anything...EVER I've even been spoiled with funds to pay for things that I've not needed, but selfishly wanted. Remember how I said that life with Jesus as the pilot is everything BUT boring? Check this out:

And might I add that this isn't to boast, but to prove to you the provision of the Lord when you choose to walk by FAITH and not by sight. And all of the following was done in 10 years without a paycheck!

In ten years, I've visited (outside of the US):

Indonesia
Thailand
Costa Rica
Honduras
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Mexico
Spain

In that time I've "lived" (2 months or longer) in:

Indonesia (2 months)...missionary home with fellow students
Costa Rica (9 months)...two host families
Venezuela (5 years)...2 apartments where I lived solo
Spain (2 months...4 after this coming summer)...two missionary families and one host family

AND:

I've become bilingual with Spanish as my second language.

I've also witnessed firsthand: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Ancestor worship, Atheism, Catholicism, Witchcraft, and who knows what else.

I've embraced Christianity in each country as well: in a house church dressed in Muslim attire, in street ministry among Catholics and gypsies, in parks with witches in the midst, and over midnight tea with Atheists.

I've seen births of new believers in the majority of those countries; I had the privilege of baptizing a friend in a women's prison in an over-sized trash can! NOT LYING! It was awesome!

I've read the account of Jesus death in detail and watched as women inmates cried in silence as they realized for the first time what sacrifice and grace is all about.

I've seen tribal dances, heard wailing from demon possessions, been to a six-hour funeral, a six-hour wedding (the bride was 2 hours late), eaten dog, horse, and chicken brains and intestines, been in the middle of an anti-American demonstration, gotten homesick for countries other than the US, been refused departure from a foreign airport, said hello and goodbye more times that I can count...and I'm sure this is ONLY the beginning. And all of this life and ministry (and so much more)...for a price tag of about...get this...

A QUARTER OF A MILLION BUCKS.

And not one paycheck...just generosity. My, how God provides! Afterall...

"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." EPHESIANS 2:10

Where to start...

I have no idea how to begin this blog. It will probably be the most random, out-of-order, unorganized, pathetic collection of writing in the history of the world, but it seems like all the "cool" kids are doing it, so I thought I'd join the club. No fancy pictures, no insightful titles... absolutely nothing that would attract anyone, but that's not the point. The point is to share, to encourage, and to ultimately say to you, my reader, "If I can get through life, so can you."

And let me say, if you add a big dose of Jesus to your life, it will be anything but mundane. It will, in fact, shock the hell right out of ya...because in Christ, our eternity lies in heaven. And heaven is why I do what I do.

What is it that I do? I try to live a simple and humble life and be Jesus to those around me in hopes that they will inquire of that undying JOY that I possess; that undying JOY that no one can snatch from me. I can share it. I can show it. I can GIVE it. But it simply can't be taken from me. And I owe it all to Jesus.

In fact, here's something to bring you up out of the mire, if that's where you're at today:

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be JOYful in God my Savior." HABAKKUK 3:17 -18

Amen to that.

Cats fur to make kitten shoes...

My brothers and I grew up hearing the phrase, "That's cat's fur to make kitten shoes." To those passionate about animals' rights, that's a morbid thought. To most, it's a random comment that makes no sense whatsoever. But to my brothers and me, it makes perfect sense. It means, "That's none of your business." No, really...it does!

So as I start this blog, you ask what I'm going back to school for. Most of you know. Some of you don't. And for those of you who don't then I must say, "That's cat's fur to make kitten shoes." For the time being, I just ask that you read along and learn how God has been at work in my life, especially the past 10 years. Oh my WOW, I'm old; that's a decade! No, I'm only 30. And if you didn't know...

30 is the new 20!