Deadbeat Blogger

Wow. I've totally failed my 40 day blogging test. It's inservice week at school and I am going crazy! From 8-5 it's Copies, meetings, lessons, copies, folders, thinking, lessons, copies, lunch, meetings, lessons...and tonight, I made time to focus all of the stress into Zumba. It was good. My instrustor insures me that by this time next year, I could be a body double for Jennifer Lopez, and have some rhythm to boot! We'll see about that. I'm anticipating the possibilities.

What I'm really excited about is expanding my little padded world by meeting a lot of the Zumba ladies. Our pastor encourages us to try and meet new people each week and get to know at least one of those people. That was hard for me, because in my world...I'm surrounded 24-7 by churched people. Now, I've expanded my little bubble, and hopefully God will use me through my little Latin American Zumba class. Ole!

Missed you at Zumba, Amanda. It just wasn't the same not seeing you shake your groove thang in the mirror.

Summit

If you couldn't make out my blog yesterday, I believe the problem is fixed...so, you can check it out again.

Today I went to the Leadership Summit conference, put on by the Willow Creek Association. It was really amazing to see the different viewpoints of the various leaders in our country as well as internationally. Just today, I heard from leaders of our world such as Tony Blair, Bono, Wes Stafford ( Compassion International), David Gergen (political analyst for CNN), Andrew Rugasira (founder of Good African Coffee and passionate about empowering Africans with trade instead of Aid), as well as two brothers Dan and Chip Heath who shared on the power of failure...and why maybe it's not such a bad thing.

The idea that maybe failure is just the first sign of eventual success is an amazing perspective. It seems to me that many people (and many leaders) do not allow any margin of failure...and because of that there is no margin for greatness or for God's movement. They must control all situations, all people, and all viewpoints. God wants us to try new ideas or he wouldn't have given us the power to think of new ideas. He wants us all to be of different personality or else he would have made us all the same and life would be very boring. When we are so afraid to step out and try something that God has placed in our hearts, because of failure or because of a fear that others will ridicule our failure then we don't move. We stay in the same place forever and ever. To accomplish great things in God's kingdom, we must move. And to move, we must be willing to fail. We must also be willing to allow others to fail and learn.

Could It Be....

Okay, I missed bogging yesterday. But God is a God of second chances, so you should give them, too. : )

I went to see The Time Traveler's Wife with Amanda this evening. It was good. In an effort to not be utterly confused and to get more from the characters, you should read the book first if you are thinking about seeing it.

Anyway, on my way home I was thinking. I was thinking and listening to one of Music Man #1's albums done in the closet of a friend's bedroom. I haven't listened to it in a few years. I'd forgotten (almost) how gifted MM #1 is. How brave he was to leave everything behind and use the gifts he had to further God's kingdom...when many of us are afraid to give up the smallest thing, MM #1 gave it all away. He's really a beautiful person and a wonderful musician. My prayer for him is that God allows him to feel the blessings and joy in his gift always.
As I listened to one song, thinking about some hard issues that have been on my mind...wondering what I could possibly do to change them...MM #1's voice came through on the speaker.He spoke to me through that scratched CD he made years and years ago. And in the midst of feeling sorry for myself, in the midst of asking why is this journey so hard, and Where is God when I am feeling so...without Him? MM #1 gave me an idea...

"Could it be that
every step He takes me
leads me into his embrace?
With arms around me
He won't let me go.
And Could it be
that by His will
He's brought me
to this place where
He can shed this
body for one
that won't pass away..."(c)

Thanks, baby, for reminding me that all the trials are not for nothing. There is an end...and it is in His arms. He knows what our prayer is...and we will just keep keeping on until then.

And don't get any ideas, those words are copyrighted!

Brownies

Tonight was life group, which for those of you who don't know is when a group of people meet every week at one anothers houses and basically try and grow together...share the burdens, iron sharpens iron.

So when we have group at my house, I always make dessert. Usually brownies. Well, I was really hungry earlier and was thinking about one of my favorite candies, Raisinets...and I got to thinking - I should mix things up a little. I should try to rock the boat, stir the pot...I should put raisins in my brownies! Yes! It'll be just like eating Raisinets or eating a Chunky Bar!

So I did it.


And I didn't tell the group.

Because I was afraid they wouldn't try them.

So everyone shows up and are heading for the brownies. I start thinking...maybe this wasn't a such a grand idea. Maybe I shouldn't have risked what is our ONLY dessert tonight to try something new. What if they don't like them? What if they spit them out? What if they think I'm a bad baker? What if I am a bad baker? But, hey, I was in it...so I figured let's ride this baby out and see how it ends up. After all, what has anyone ever done that is memorable without a risk? God always calls us to risk a little, or sometimes a lot, in order to gain something eternal.
I'm not saying my brownies are eternal...but I'm trying to maximize on a teachable moment here, so just go with me. Moses risked family and freedom, Noah risked dignity, Abraham and Sarah risked their entire way of life, and Esther risked her very life. What have I ever risked? Not a lot. Definitely not enough.
So, heck, I can risk a few raisin brownies being spit across the kitchen.

Here we go! I won't say anything. I'll just let them discover the raisin morsels on their own.


And they did.

Zumba

Ok, so technically I am 9 minutes late blogging on the 11th...but I'm counting it...because it was just that kind of day.

After work today, I rushed home and got ready for Zumba class. Amanda and I go and punish ourselves in this class every Tuesday and Thursday. It's fun...we get to flail around, pretend we're Latin ballroom dancers, sweat profusely, almost lose our lunch, and burn a whole lotta calories doing it. I'm pretty proud of myself, I've told so many people about the class...and I actually have convinced 3 people to try it out! As I was flailing around there tonight, somewhere in the midst of trying to salsa and losing some type of consciousness, I thought about how many people I've told about Zumba compared to how many I've told about God. Hmmm...it is humbling. I need to work on that...I need to work harder and telling people about the gift of eternal life rather than just gabbing about shaking around and having fun on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Sometimes God talks to us at the most interesting times, right?

Okay - I'm going to bed. I have major pain in my back, and I know I pulled something strange in the stomach area. Amanda said it's probably not a hernia. I hope she's right.
She usually is.

Music Man #2 turns 8

Today is a bittersweet day. Music Man #2 turns 8 years old .

Gone are the days of rocking to sleep, little fingers and toes, and being the apple of his eye.

I must welcome the days of my little man growing into a big one...and everything that comes along with that.

Just last year, he wasn't hesitant to run out to hug me after school, but as he has grown within the last year, I've noticed a hesitation, a quick glance around to make sure no one is watching. It's to be expected. I'm not sure a mother is ever fully prepared, though.

Just yesterday he called me mommy, crawled around the floor, laughed his little boy laugh, held me at night. Now he says, "Mom", rides his bike, has intelligent conversations, prays for his future wife and children, and wears braces...he's becoming the man that he needs to become. My prayer for him this year is for God to instill a feeling of bravery, boldness, compassion, and peace.

I love you little man. There is never going to be anything like you ever again. You are most awesome.

My husband reads Jane Austen

Well...he's read about Jane Austen...and wants to see all the movies made of her novels. So...today, after my efforts of convincing Music Man #1 that reading the book is almost ALWAYS better than the movie were pushed aside, we watched Austen's comedy...Emma.

Emma Woodhouse ( played by Gwyneth Paltrow) is a beautiful, rich, know-it-all...and a bit of a busybody who thinks that she knows what is best for everyone and doesn't have any qualms about saying so. What she finds during the course of the novel is that she knows little about a lot, including herself. Of course, as in most of Jane Austen's novels, everyone turns out happy, or at least tolerant, in the end.

That's the good thing about Austen. Her characters are flawed...but loved. They always learn their lesson in the end, albeit experiencing the consequences of their actions...pride, carelessness, no self-control, prejudice, gossip, loose tongues...

It's a little that way with God, isn't it? He created this person...this character...me. Even though I'm prideful, careless, selfish, etc, etc, etc. He loves me...and somehow or someway, he always makes sure I learn my lesson in the end so that all will turn out well in the long run.

Cool God.