"The Interpreter"

Every once in a while, there's time for a movie, and every once in a while, we actually watch one that is halfway decent!

"The Interpreter" with Nicole Kidman (2004) is such a movie. Taking in consideration our endearing connection with Africa, it was a film that struck home to us. Even though the country in Africa is fictional, it could be the story of about one in a dozen countries. As a matter of fact, our first place of missionary service, Liberia, is reliving this story right now in some ways. Charles Taylor has been placed in custody of the International Tribunal and is being tried as a war criminal, much like Saddam Hussein.

It tugged at my heart in many ways, but mainly because of the complex loyalty and struggles Nicole Kidman shows in this political drama. She was born, had grown up in this fictitional African country and was now serving as an interpreter in the UN.

There's so many elements to this movie. It's defining and strategic, but it's also emotional and victorious on many levels.

It's one that I recommend if you are so inclined to be challenged to think and feel beyond the American mindframe!

A Near Miss

This weekend I was blessed to be able to go to my parents for a quiet, but very special Easter. My two younger daughters actually went with me which gave me some incredible quality time during the journey! However, because this was the fourth weekend in a row that I have had to go somewhere (mainly ministry opportunities), I almost was too tired to savor the blessings!

When I think of my best friend who lost her mother four years ago, I should be ashamed of myself. My mother is still vibrant and alive, beautiful and so soothing to be around. I cherish the times I am with her and my dad, who is an incredibly interesting, jovial fellow. This weekend, however, everything felt in slow motion, a little defunked, slightly off kilter. But I did try to push through it, look my parents in the eyes, smile, listen, share, and savor them.

In the car, I eavesdropped on a conversation one of my daughter was having with a close "friend" -- who happens to be a male -- and talked with both of them about silly things, random things, trying to praise them, thanked them, just being real with them. Never, ever would I want to be guilty of missing these priceless moments again.

In the past, because of the overwhelming twists and turns of ministry, I know I have missed opportunities. I have fretted and fumed through probably some very very potentially special times. I can't take those back and I don't usually go back and feel guilty about them. I have what I have now and I am going to enjoy it. Any time, any moment spend with those we love are gifts that God gives to us over and over again!

So what if my permitted daughter drove (at night) down Hwy 218 which is very rural and very windy. I survived. (twitch, twitch!) So what if I didn't have a new Easter dress this year. I survived. So what if I am dragging today and can't seem to focus on anything. I'll survive.

But the family times won't -- if we don't breath them, smell them, taste them, enjoy them!

Spring Cleaning

I've got to get this off my chest before I can move on to other things! What is the big deal about spring cleaning? Who started that anyway? I do not believe it is a biblical concept; at least, I don't see it in the Bible. When the pollen starts yellowing our cars, the birds start singing non-stop, and the lawn mowers are taken out of winter storage, somehow people get into the mode that the house must be cleaned from top to bottom!

Actually I've read the stories about how - back in the day (whatever that means) - women would take advantage of airing out quilts and other items that could not really be washed when the weather turned a little warm. Okay, I've got some quilts that I can put out on my clothesline......um....I don't have a clothesline. (When did that happen?) Okay, I could just drape them across our deck and let them "sun".

True confession time: I hate housecleaning whether it is winter, spring, summer, or fall (did that sound like James Taylor singing?). So, to say that I must be pressured by society's norm and turn my house inside out during my favorite season of the year seems cruel.

I would prefer to do this kind of aggressive cleaning in the lazy days of summer when humidity drives us to turn the a/c on and the music up. I could do it then. There's less responsibility for other things at that time. But, oh wait! Summer is to be more carefree and laid back. How can you do that if you are feeling pressured to clean, clean, clean?

Okay, I'll set my PDA for "spring cleaning" in the fall. Just when the cool, crisp winds blow and football and homecomings are sounds in the autumn nights! It's the perfect time. Humidity is down, I could open the windows, let the sunshine in, and turn on the music....and clean. But, oh wait! What about school camp? The opening of classes at the local university where I minister? The promise that I would put the finishing touches on the book I am writing? Fall is a perfect time for all that. How can I do all that and deal with the pressure of cleaning?

Well, that just leaves "old man winter" time. Why didn't I think of that before? When the breezes turn too brisk and we replace sweaters with coats, the sky is gray and the clouds omniously looking like snow (which usually never comes to where I live!). I'll build a fire, turn on upbeat music, and get to work on all those neglected spots that need cleaning. But, oh wait! There's Christmas to contend with. Baking, shopping, spending time with family, and reaching out to the needy. There's so much going on in the winter. Basketball, progressive dinners at the university, and final exams to help my daughter get through. Winter is to be a time of recharging our batteries. Somehow, it doesn't seem right to insert "spring cleaning" into such a special, dormant time!

Hmmm......well, I guess that means I'm pretty much booked up for the whole year. I'll try again next spring! Or maybe I'll just start on it today!

Creative Ministry

There's always those that attempt to shut you down when you are doing something for God. This college campus we minister on is no exception! During the summer, one of the most effective outreaches has been the SOAR program. Organizations take their places in a designated area at least 18-20 times during the summer, being available for freshmen and transfer students to glean from what is available to them on campus when they arrive in the fall. For the past two summers, we have made personal contact with over 400 students. Many of them see us, speak to us, know where they can find us, and have attended Bible studies.

This summer, a certain director of this program has rearranged things so that this will no longer happen. Jeff heard him last summer make the comment that mainly only Christian organizations were taking part in the summer program. And what's with the older people (i.e. Jeff??) sitting at the tables. Where's the students? It was obvious that Mr. Director did not like 1) that Christian organizations were about the only ones taking advantage of this outreach, 2) that older people were manning the tables, and 3) that it seemed to be effective for us for some reason.

Now, I will not judge Mr. Director and his spiritual state because of these new developments, but I can't say that I haven't tried! It's hard to believe that a Christian would want to shut down Christians from getting themselves out to the students. This summer, ONLY students can participate in certain activities during the summer. There will be NO literature tables. ONLY students (have I mentioned that ONLY students can participate?) can represent any student organization!

Okay.........so this is where we get creative. First of all, we will soon be electing officers for next year. We are praying that these will be proactive students (some who will be staying in Charlotte for the summer and can participate in these opportunities). Also, Jeff is looking into seeing if we can just set up literature tables on an independent basis around campus during the summer. We will advertise in the magazine that is mailed out to every potential and registered student during the summer. We will distribute flyers. We will hold Bible studies right on campus in open view of others.

God has given us a job to do on this campus: to shine His marvelous light onto this campus so full of darkness. Pray we'll find creative ways to do this. As Emeril Lagasse so often says, "We'll just kick it up a knotch! BAM!! BAM!!"

Too Tired to Tilt Over??

The numbness that comes with fatigue is actually not a bad thing sometimes. I'm learning that. After a "mountaintop" experience this weekend at a Ladies' retreat in Virginia, I have come home to the realities of my life and all the expectations of me! It must be exactly how Elijah felt after the Mount Carmel experience. He was completely drained, so he tucked his tail, and hid. While in his solitude, his fatigued brain starting playing tricks on him. He felt all alone in his fight to save the world, and it just didn't feel right to him anymore. Jonah had much the same reaction after running from God and then finally doing what he was supposed to do in Nineveh. Afterwards, he just wanted to die.

So, with those two wonderful examples in front of me, I am trying to analyze all my feelings today. I have come home to my wonderful family which involves dishes, laundry, dirty floors, and cooking. There's another major drama going on in one aspect of our ministry (this is not an unusual thing -- it's almost constant!), and another girl who stood me up last week for discipleship now wants to meet again......today, right away! One of my parent's closest friends (he's been like a daddy to me) is in the hospital very sick with his heart.

That's what I mean about being too tired to tilt over. All this is going on and I feel like I'm looking at it all in slow motion. The only thing that seems important to me right now is a nap. Then I struggle with guilt about all this other stuff going on. Then I remember that feeling guilty about doing anything but work is an indicator of an stress-proned person, and I remember that I do have those capabilities of being controlled by stress, which in realizing that stresses me more.

I think I will just lie down and sleep...........and wait for the ravens come and feed me. :)

Just a Word Can Cure Confusion

Talking things out really helps at times. Yesterday was one of those times when I was able to feel connected to someone that is important to Jeff and me, our ministry, and just our lives in general. But differences in personalities often lead to misunderstandings that can affect many facets of life. Even though there may have been other things I would have liked to ask or say, I walked away from that meeting with a much lighter heart in many ways. I do hope that the other person is thinking the same.

I, for one, am a person who has great need for communication in any form. Words of affirmation are important to me as is spending time with people I care about. While life is demanding and overwhelming at times, I know for myself that if someone will tell me that it's okay, will acknowledge parts of my life that have been profitable (or harmful -- I learn so much from those encounters, even though they are not as fun!), and will present the supposition that they are "involved" - even if not directly, it helps me so much.

For others that do not need affirmation or that believes that it is a spiritual defect in my character, I must beg to differ. While I struggle constantly with not doing or ministrying for glory received of man, it is more the fear of not being "understood" that haunts me! I do not care as much if a person agrees with me as much as I am that they have completely taken the time to hear me and attempt to understand.

Another issue I struggle with is my ministry of discernment. Sometimes I really wish that God would take it from me because it oftentimes bogs me down with stark awareness of things gone awry! But, at other times, it is a priceless tool in my counseling and times when people ask for advice or direction. When I see something that is not quite right and it is a situation or person that I care deeply about, I will bow under the weight of it. God has directed me over and over again to allow those times of insight to lead me directly into intercessory prayer -- and I'm working on that.

There's something freeing about being part of a solution or to be able to offer sound counsel to someone willing to receive it. I know distinctly that it is a large part of my calling to use this particular ministry (of discernment) for God's glory -- and use it wisely and biblically.

Talking out misunderstandings, not drawing to premature conclusions, and making the effort to involve myself in the healing or "solution" process are all innate desires of my heart (spiritual and emotional).

Remember: if you're bogged down with miscommunications and there is a rift in a relationship, "just a word could cure confusion". Talk it out with grace, sincerity, and humility!

Makeup Mania

Well, it has finally happened. Perhaps it has happened somewhere else before, but just this morning I was reading my "daily fix" from BBC World News and saw it.

First of all, how many of you ladies out there are guilty of this? (If you are a guy and guilty of this, I don't want to know) You're running late, you dash out of the house, get in your car, and head down the busy streets to wherever.... On the way, you glance in your rearview mirror -- not really to check traffic behind you (smile, you know it's true) -- and you are reminded of what you did not have time to finish in the house. You're following me, aren't you?

You fiddle in your purse or makeup kit, take out the mascara, bend the rearview mirror more to your liking, and you proceed to finish the fine tuning of your face. With quick, absent-minded glances to the road every once in a while, we work until we are satisfied that our face is what we want it to be (at least for now).

How many times have you seen it? Ladies whisking away at their eyebrows or eyelashes while their cars hover omniously on the white lines. Yes, I am guilty, too.

Well, in England, in a small town called "Mold" (I'm not kidding), Ms. Maddock was "busted" for doing just that. Did someone turn her in? Was there a cop sitting beside the street that saw her? No, it was a speed camera. It caught Ms. Maddock with BOTH hands off the wheel (while I have been guilty of driving handless, it's never been for makeup). What looks like a compact in one hand and mascara in the other. The camera follows her through traffic for as long as possible. She was fined 200 pounds for this offense and six points put on her record! Was her license suspended. No, not this time. That had been done just the week before for a DUI!

Check the story out at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/4785686.stm

And safe driving, you makeup maniacs!! You never know when someone may be watching!

TV Trivials

Did I actually call television trivial? Well, yep, I did. No one...I repeat no one is going to die if they do not have one (even though the withdrawal pains would be something out of this world for most). Come to think of it, I wouldn't imagine that it would be a pretty sight to watch some people have to wean off their television addictions though. I'll even admit mine: one time a year, I stay constantly glued to the television. March Madness. The Big Dance. HOWEVER, this year my schedule has been ironically arranged so that during both of the big weekends of the NCAA playoffs, I'm either at a counseling conference or at a singles' retreat. Hmm.... what kind of tablet do I take for those withdrawals?

Let me update you on our tv situation. (Refer back to the blog entitled LSD and TVs) We actually lived without a television in our family room for 8 weeks -- and the last time I checked, no one had psychological fallout from it. (That does not mean there were no comments or pity parties, but those roll off my shoulders after raising 3 daughters!! Am I hard or what?)

Finally, after Jeff worked some hours with his dad's business to earn the money for the tv, we were ready to buy. A 34-inch widescreen would give the illusion of being large without paying the $3000 or so price tag. Being married to a thrifty, money-clinched-tightly-in-the-fist (a nicer way to say "tight wad"?) man, I had to do my homework and balance the budget and what would be practical for our large family room, and what was a solid buy. The 34-inch widescreen seemed to be the way to go.

So, we headed down to the closest H.H. Gregg store. Never did it dawn on us that it was six days before the Super Bowl -- and that this might not be the best time to expect them to give us a really good deal. I had been in the store the week before and met C- He was a personable fellow and was so much help with all the questions I had. The tv was on sale that previous week for a price that Jeff could handle without breaking out in hives. :) But, something came up that Saturday, so we didn't get to buy it.

That's how we ended up walking into the store on a Monday night. C- met us in the tv department and we started the negotiations. However, two things worked against us that night. 1) the Super Bowl was coming up and we did not know that there were NO negotiations planned that week for anyone. (*Did you know that most electronic stores charge a 30% restocking fee for televisions brought back within two weeks after the Super Bowl? That's how bad it has gotten with people buying big tvs in order to watch the big game in style and then try to return the tv.)

2) Harder-than-nails managers on duty that night. After an hour of C- going between our demands and the managers on duty (who had to ultimately approve the deal), we knew that it wasn't going to happen that night. C- was exhausted and frustrated, I could tell, but he kept up a good front. He was a great asset to H.H. Gregg that night. (and the reason we eventually went back there) Because, when we left the store, we were disillusioned with H.H. Gregg's platform that says they are willing to make a deal for anything sold in their store. It was only $100 that we were asking off the tv. Only $100. Mere change in the pockets of that company, but those managers that night stood by their Super Bowl vendetta.

Defeated, but still determined, we waited for two weeks. (Don't ask me if it was a patient wait, okay?) I kept looking for sales of this particular television at other stores, but none popped up. Finally, we decided to go back to H.H. Gregg and see if we could get anywhere. C- met us at the door and within 15 minutes, we were loading our new 34-inch widescreen tv in the back of Jeff's truck. The difference? Different managers that day were in charge of the deals and the Super Bowl had passed.

Timing is everything........

Reflections:Musings on a Saturday Morning

Unbelievable, isn't it, that a 37-year old woman could get by with actually marrying a 15-year old? Where was the positive, protective influence of this teenage boy's parents? In several places in the Bible it speaks of the progressive depravation of mankind. This is a great example of those scriptures. This lady (I don't even remember her name -- neither is it important) fell in love with her own 15-year old son's best friend. So, I'm deducing there's some major character flaws and perhaps (no, definitely) instability in her emotional well-being. While all that sounds politically correct and all, what is essentially true is that she has allowed her flesh (and all its kinky and unbalanced desires) to rule her. Beyond the thought of what her son might think, beyond the thought of what this relationship will do to this young teenage boy (for the rest of his life).......and now there is a baby inserted in the middle of it all?

If this seems like a soap opera storyline, you're exactly right, it does. But this is a true story. The lady has had the baby (a boy), but has been put back in jail. The young 15-year old father has run away from home, ended up in another state, and is just obsessed with keeping his new "family" together. This 37-year old teenager wannabe actually had the gall to marry this young boy, using the leverage of a 1962 statute that says a minor may marry if he has fathered a child.

I dare say that it will take intervention from God in a poignant way to salvage anything worthwhile in this situation.

What next?

Parents killing their children, setting fire to their homes, and blaming it on what??

The Dawning of Our Redemption

While I do not portend to be a prophecy scholar or a diplomat, I did live in West Africa for nearly 20 years and do have great discernment of human nature. Over the past ten years I have become more and more convinced that the continent of Africa will, most likely, be the most compliant with the antichrist and his plans to bring peace to the world.

For those of you who are not familar with Eschatology (the study of the End Times), taught explicitly in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments, after the Rapture of Christians (a sudden disappearance of millions all at one time with no warning -- which, by the way, will cause worldwide confusion, but will be quickly explained away as an alien invasion or such) It will be after this time that one man will step on the scene somewhere in the world and will be of such a charismatic nature and so convincing in his solutions, that the entire world will concede to his suggestions on how to restore world peace. The Bible calls this man the antichrist because, though he will be given great powers by Satan himself and will portray himself as Christ, the Son of God, he is not. For a span of time (approximately 3 1/2 years), he will actually do what no one on this earth has done since the creation of man -- create and maintain world peace. (Don't be fooled that there won't be renegades against this man's philosophies and plans, because there will be) However, the majority of the world will follow him simply because there is just no better solution.

If we look at the majority of African countries today, there is poverty, ravaging diseases, lack of educational opportunities, and stunted economical growth. In a high percentage of these countries, there are wars or the devastating remnants of war. For some countries like Sudan, Rwanda, and Somalia, the future is as bleak as their recent pasts. A perfect setting for a man to appear and make promises that he can and will keep -- at least for a time.

Liberia (the land of our hearts) has just come out of 24 years of political instability and 15 years of civil war. Touting the election of the first woman African president, there are daunting problems to solve. Lots of baggage to unload. Many fences to mend. Do we dare think Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson can completely cleanse this crippled country?

Ivory Coast (the other African nation that has our hearts) is reeling from a major national division that has no viable end. The nation is divided: North vs. South (sound familar?) The president has followers, but not enough to take control of the dominant-Muslim north. It's a lose-lose situation in that country. Even the peacekeepers from France and other countries have been threatened if they do not leave. The consensus: they want to fight it out to the end. Is this a job for Gbagbo or even Outtara if he would win the next election (if the election even happens?)

Nigeria fights its own internal battles from oil pipeline disasters to the attempted ethnic cleansing (a hint of Rwanda, perhaps?) in regions that will not submit to the growing Islamic rule. This country is heading down the same path as Ivory Coast and Sudan, and several others. And the main concern of their president is that he be able to run for a third term?

Sierre Leone remains locked in its own cage; used up by other more dominant countries for its natural resources of diamonds and gold and eager mercenaries. Ghana seems stable right now, how long will that really last? There is great oppression in Guinea, Togo, and Mali (mainly because of geographical location and the governments run for many hundreds of years by a predominant Muslim influence.) South Africa fights apartheid and other internal issues whether they want it known or not. Riots are becoming increasingly a way of life in many of the regions.

It is not really necessary for me to elaborate on the AIDS epidemic. This disease affects all African nations (but is definitely not exclusive to this continent). However, the means to treat those with this disease continue to elude the Africans afflicted by AIDS.

Africa is ripe for a savior. The antichrist would be welcomed with open arms by Africans, some with open pockets. Philosophically, in many parts of Africa, because of the nature of their oppressive cultures, a person can be bought with any currency that will promise a new beginning, a better future.

Knowing that the BBC is liberal and humanistic in nature, it is still one of the best sources for current news about what is happening in various African countries. If this kind of thing interests you, follow the link and find out yourself the state of this continent. http://news.bbc.co.uk/

If the absolutely breathtaking incidents in the Middle East right now do not convince you that you need to get right with your Creator and start looking up, perhaps the awareness of this needy continent at the brink of internal annihilations will make you realize that things are lining up more succintly than the "Age of Aquarius". This is the dawning of our Redemption!

All Eyes on PA

Since 1887, when the first trek to Gobbler's Knob brought the groundhog predicting fever to Pennsylvania, the festivities at Punxsutawney have crescendoed, at times bringing more than 30,000 people to this small town (of about 6500 people).



This morning Phil saw his shadow again which means six more weeks of winter in the old German tradition. The last time that Phil did not see his shadow was in 1999; however, being the skeptic that I am sometimes, I had to go back in some winter archives and see if winter really was short that year. Ask anyone in the northeastern corridor about the March 14-15th winter storms that dumped anywhere between 1 and 9 inches of snow on them. (6 weeks after Phil's prediction? hmmmmm) And, in 2002, when Phil did indeed see his shadow, there was no significant snowfall or winter storms reported after the first of February.

The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..." Well, this morning Punxsutawney reported partly cloudy skies, so perhaps the snow will not "swirl" until May. Though, according to "Ray's Weather Archives", there have been four years since 1993 when April actually saw snow fall in some parts of the eastern seaboard.

I'm really not against Groundhog Day. Actually it's a pretty neat way to celebrate the middle of winter. It's so easy to find ourselves in a winter slump about this time of year, and I think the people in PA have a handle on a way to rise above that!

Of course, the good people of PA have much more than Phil to celebrate this year. I read that when Phil popped his head out of his burrow, Pittsburgh Steelers towels and paraphenalia rained down around him. I'm thinking that probably the people of Pittsburgh would not even notice a huge winter storm this Sunday............

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Every ailment, every syndome, every cause and effect pertaining to our health has a name now. What's the name of that syndrome that plagues people in the winter? I can't remember, but I do remember the first time I read about it. It's not that I don't believe it's real, but I also do not believe it is as simple to just give it a medically-correct name and then just accept it and do nothing to remedy it! Even worse, taking some kind of synthetic drug for it seems overkill (at least to me). Oftentimes, with our health and medical situations, we seem to feel better -- relieved, mind you -- if someone will just name our ailment and give us some colored pills in a bottle. Why is that?

I am a strong advocate for health - healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, healthy thinking... Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with low blood sugar problems. Before the relief of finding out what was ailing me, I was a basket case, believe me! We were in West Africa at the time in a bush village, but there was an American missionary doctor in our town. He concluded that either I was having a nervous breakdown or I was entering early menopause. Neither of those seemed palatable to me for obvious reasons (even though, considering what was going on in our life and ministry at the time and the history of females in my family - either could have been a possiblity), so I kept searching for a more soothing diagnosis.

My father, at the age of 49 or so, contracted type-2 diabetes -- mostly due to poor choices in foods and eating habits during his adult life. The doctor that finally concluded I had reactive hypoglycemia said that it is basically just one short step towards diabetes. That did it! I did NOT want that. If it was a choice, I was choosing hmmm....no! No diabetes. I started doing research on low-blood sugar, high blood sugar, and all the ends and out of both.

It was ten years ago when I chose health -not just for me, but if I was going down that path, obviously my family would go with me. It's no fun alone! Admittedly, the first three years or so were hard as I began weaning my family off some of their comfort foods, unhealthy snacks, and desserts. There was much wailing and gnashing of the teeth, let me tell you! But I prevailed, because I had been given a second chance and a personal conviction from God that healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle, healthy choices, would bring more strength and stamina to my ministry and family. It was just a win-win situation! Now, my family has been reined in pretty well on most things. However, for three of them, there is one thing sacred that I could not wrestle away from them - chocolate. I was smart enough not to try. Now, there is evidence that chocolate (the dark kind with little or not sugar) has great health benefits. But I'll leave that one for another blog.

Another conviction of mine is that traditional medicine and treatments most of the time only put bandaids on the root cause of disease and such. I am NOT against traditional medicine in some cases, but I do believe that especially in these days of rising cost of treatments and insurance, a more practical, economic approach is to take control of your body, understand what's going on inside your body, and how it can best be remedied.

When we were in Africa and had small children, we mainly lived in small bush towns. There were no doctors that I would have dreamed of taking my children to! Someone gave me a copy of the missionary's alternative to healthcare called, Where There is No Doctor". That was the beginning of my passion for learning about what goes on inside our bodies, how to understand symptoms, and how to treat basic and not-so-basic ailments with basic medicines, herbs, timed healing (letting it work its way out), and home remedies. Even here in America, my family doesn't rush to the doctor with the slightest sniffle or fever. In the past ten years, God has allowed me to read, confer, research, and reference so many diseases and such. I am thankful that He has imparted His wisdom and given me the passion to understand how the body works and how best it can be put back on track, sometimes with practical or natural provisions.

There is a time and place for traditional medicine, and that's why I am very excited about the new wave of medical treatment centers using the term, "Integrative medicine". That is simply the use of traditional and alternative (acupuncture, acupressure, herbal, homeopathic, chiropractic, and many others, including nutrition) treatments in the best way possible to heal the body. Finally, it seems that American medical experts are realizing why Europe and other countries have known for decades (and centuries). Our bodies know best.

So, if you feel yourself succumbing to that winter syndrom that I can't remember the name, your body is most likely going to turn towards the sunshine more (open blinds and curtains or buy one of those "Tru-light" lamps and sit under it). Drink orange juice, concentrate on citrus because the color is the color of sunlight (I know that sounds crazy, but it's true!), light happy music, and a warm fire. Add flowers to your table and warm, energetic colors to the rooms you frequent the most! Colors of the sun or nature, anything that displays light of any kind would be beneficial to the body during these short days of winter.

I got off on this rampage today simply because I am home, the sun is shining beautifully in my windows, the cat is basking in the sun rays (he doesn't seemed plagues with that syndrome!), and I am enjoying a warm fire in the hearth.

Anyone join me for a cup of oj??

LSD and TVs

It's enough. I mean, I've had enough. Never in my life did I think that buying a new television would be so complicated. Am I the only one NOT excited about this electronic progressiveness? What happened to just buying a plain old tubed television. Now there are small tubes, big tubes, tubeless, Plasma (isn't that part of red blood cells?), LCD (a derivative of LSD perhaps?), Rear projections (huh??), Conventional (that sounds a little familiar), or Combos. Wouldn't that be easy: I'll take Combo #2. Yeah, well it's not that way.

4:3 and 16:9, though mathematical in their interpretations of aspect ratio and such, are now used to refer to the sizes of the picture on the screen. Oh, and then you have 16:9 enhanced which is basically a squarish TV trying to give the impression of being widescreen (you know, a widescreen wannabe). We have been told many times that 4:3 screens (the squarish-looking tvs that we have been used to for years) are on their way out. Within 1 1/2 years or so, a squarish tv will project a black line on top and bottom of the picture, because most programming is being produced and fed in 16:9 (true widescreen) mode. That's the wave of the future.

I know there are people out there that can just buy a large, widescreen Plasma or LCD TV and not flinch at the price. We're not in that position, but we also do not want to buy a gasping dinosaur of a tv that will be irritating to watch in a matter of 18 months or so. So, we'll keep studying on it, asking questions, gaining electronic knowledge until perhaps we fry our minds!!

On Christmas morning, our 55" large, black, big screen (not wide screen - there IS a difference) gave up the ghost. While listening to Christmas music on one of the music channels, the crisis hit! I was downstairs with the girls cooking breakfast. The aroma of sausage and pancakes was dripping off the end of my nose. However, my husband, who is forever a turbo banshee when it comes to smelling anything wrong electrically (there's a childhood incident that caused this fear in Jeff), came running down the stairs hollering, "Turn everything off. Turn everything OFF! Something 's frying!" (Need I say what I thought was frying at the moment?)

He ran around the room with his nostrils doing types of calisthenics that I didn't know nostrils could do. Finally, he reached the television, and with satisfaction in his eyes, he quickly "pulled the plug" on the old electronic codger. This television actually came with the house when we bought it three years ago. The previous owners were leaving the country and that huge monster of a TV was not something you could put in your carryon, for sure! So they left it. It was already having a few issues, but we were just thankful to use it for this long.

It's not a huge deal that we don't have a television downstairs, except when our married daughter and her husband come, our other daughters decide to watch TV, and invite whoever else knocks at our door. (Our rotating front door is a subject for a future blog!) One night last week, while I was fighting the flu, I counted 8 other people in the room besides me! Hello....I have the flu - does anybody care? Guess not.

Anyway, we really like having our standard ole 27" upstairs, but it just may be that it has to go downstairs before long, even though it is sure to get lost in the mere size of our family room.
A larger screen would be nice when we have college students in, but that is yet to be determined.

HD-capable. HD-ready. Integrated tuner. Digital. S-video cables. All that jazz. It's enough to make my head spin!

Actually, the more I look at TVs, the variety that's out there, and the prices of them, LSD doesn't seem like a bad idea! Perhaps the drug-induced aura will cause our little 27" to seem like a 55"!!

Tired Already?

A new year brings a lot of things to mind. Resolutions, diets, new looks, diets, new jobs, clean closets, and just a general cleaning up of things in one's life.

This year, I've done a couple of those -- and even though the closets DO need cleaning, I don't see it happening this month (no, let's just say, not this year!). But I have rethought some of the things I did in 2005 that were mainly just the useless spinning of my wheels. I desire to become more selective where I put the essence of my efforts and more abandoned in the way I live life with my family. Have you heard the song, "Live Like You Were Dying"? It'll make you think!

Anyway, all that said, in the last couple of days, I have been battling some kind of virus, flu bug, so have been pushed to just let it ride itself out! I am in the minority with that, I realize, because I know many, many people fight, never stop, never give in, push through it -- and then it lasts longer and often there are relapses. Understanding the very mystical sounding saying, listen to your body, I do try to do just that. So, I have searched the web, listened to the radio, and watched way more tv than is normal for me -- because of all that, I have heard too much. Here are three things that I am already tired of!

1. The Golden Globes and all the media attention that comes with it. I watched some of it because so many of the girls that I minister to are into these kind of things, I feel I need to be able to give some kind of "somewhat intelligent" comment about it. It's bad enough that 36 consecutive hours after the event was filled with fashion experts, gawking commentators decked out with their own bling-bling, and more cleavage and strutting than a person can stand just filled the airways. Now, tonight, (gasp!) it was revealed that one of the stars actually was given a gently-worn (USED) dress to wear to the after Globe parties!! Heaven forbid that the dress was not new and that it did not cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Where in the world are we heading with this? And what about the millions of girls that watch these fashion analysts commenting on the horrors of wearing a used dress to something like the Globe Awards. What message is this portraying to our society? One that is already embedded way too deeply, especially into much of this collegiate generation.

2. Racist, bigoted comments from ALL sides of the political and social spectrum. There are days that my traveling wings itch so badly to board a plane and head back to West Africa to live out the rest of my days! While there is prejudices everywhere in the world, the one associated with the color of the skin is falling on intolerant ears - mine! When I was in junior high, integration (the blending of black and white students into one school system) was just happening. My jr and sr high school years were very interesting and very tense at times, but I learned what I believed about some things. I didn't like racism then and I certainly do not like it now. While I could give a thorough dissertation on the moral and spiritual harm of this kind of continual bashing of how we treat each other as blacks and whites, that is not what I desire to do here.

But I do want to point out that Hillary Clinton has shown some (only some) of her true colors in Harlem this week during a MLK celebration. Comparing the runnings of the current government to the runnings of a plantation (and, she reminded the audience, "you know what I mean"). Okay, do we really know what you mean, Ms. Clinton? Perhaps New Orleans' mayor Nagin knows what you mean since he, too, has decided to make his own extremely biased and not-so-smart comment about race. Yes, he did. That's exactly what he meant. Nagin, too, showed some of his true colors when he said that he hoped that NO would be rebuilt again as a chocolate city!! Okay, you can't get more blunt than that! And this is my issue....when high-profile public servants(?), not because they deserve to be, but because people that do not have a clue, vote them into these high-profile positions -- when these people continue (over and over) to feed the fire of racism that burns omniously underneath our feet, it's irresponsible and should be illegal. But, yadeyadeya, freedom of speech and all that! It's sloppy, sad, and should not be acceptable AT ALL!

3. The impatient drivers in my city and the ones that need to go to parking school. Three times in the past week, I have had to find alternative parking spots because of people who were either impatient or incapable (or, most likely, BOTH) of putting their cars in between the two visible white lines, parallel with the others around them. Earlier this week, I could have sworn (and I'm not the swearing type) that I was back in West Africa where the ability to continually blow the horn while in the driver's seat was the most coveted right as a citizen. What in the world has gotten into this city? Are we all so important that our agendas supersede the graciousness of living in the south? There's probably a myriad of answers, but I am so weary of going 28 mph in a 25 mph school zone, and having people riding my bumper and honking their horns because they THINK they are more important than the children that are represented by these speed limits. Could we please re-find the graciousness. I promise you'll live longer without all the unnecessary stress that goes with thinking that your importance is the most important thing in the world.

There, I feel somewhat better (if only my virus-riddled body would agree).

How Do You Burn Fish Sticks?

Okay, so now I know how far I have come in ten years with my cooking and food choices. I just don't know how to cook with processed foods anymore. I don't know if there are a lot of women like me, but there are just times that I'm willing to go on auto-pilot, make "the pots jump up and down" (as my father-in-law says), and wait for a suggestion from one of the other family members who reside with me. However, most of the time, they are just no help at all! None. Today, though, was different. My husband had a suggestion: fish sticks! Fish sticks, like in school cafeteria fishsticks? With garden peas and french fries, a roll and a slice of cake? He looked a little sheepish; probably because of the bewildered look on my face. And then it hit me, I had not cooked nor eaten fishsticks in probably seven or eight years! Did I even remember what kind to buy? How should I best cook them? Did I even really want to cook them? I could not imagine eating them, but fervent love and a reminder of those vows I willingly and mushily chirped out almost 25 years ago took me straight to the frozen food aisle of the grocery store! I'm sure that I remember there being a clause in our vows that went like this: "For better or for worse, for aged ribeye or for crumbly fishstick, I take thee." Yeah, I'm almost certain that's the way it went!

I bought the Gorton's popcorn fish and one small box of breaded white fillets. Now, at no time am I blaming Gorton's for the way those little "pop-in-your-mouth" morsels of fish turned out. It would be nice to do so, but I do have a conscience. Looking for some gourmet twist to the french fry side dish, I decided upon julienne sweet potato strips seasoned with sea salt. That sounded fishsticky enough, but yet had also a cosmepolitan feel enough to satisfy my gourmet side that has really become who I am and how I cook. I chose Leseur extra small garden peas to top off the cafeteria-like menu, deciding on making a mixed green salad instead of cake and rolls (even though my husband was disappointed about the cake part!)

Because of a time constraint, I needed to get everything done by 6:00 p.m., but didn't remember that until 5:40. Never fear, it's just fish sticks and fries. That shouldn't take too long to create, I thought. Wait a minute, I'm not really creating anything! Just heating up something. The gourmet, holistic-foods person that I had become almost jumped out of my skin with that knowledge! However, after looking at the packaging on both the fries and the fish sticks, I realized that they both needed to be cooked at a different temperature. So, I used my faithful brown stones (instead of heeding the instructions and using metal pans for baking), met the temperature in the middle of the two foods, and popped it all in the oven. Everything was fine for the first 12 minutes, then I had to take the sweet potato strips out to stir them. The last 12 minutes did not go so fine. When I came back in the kitchen, following a trail of not-so-aromatic smoke coming from the oven, I knew that supper had taken a turn for the worse. When I opened the oven door, which, hours later, I am still regretting because the house smells like it was burned down and built back up again before the smoke settled.......the fries and the popcorn fish were almost charred.

Because my husband had asked for the fish sticks, he gingerly came into the kitchen, trying hard not to sniff obviously or rub his burning eyes from the smoke, and proceeded to eat my burnt offering! I had bought a good tartar sauce and a malt vinegar for him to enjoy with his nice browned fish sticks. What a trooper he was with the "blackened fish sticks" and dual-colored sweet potato sticks (one side black, the other orange)! Twenty-four years ago I would have run to my run in tears because of the burnt meal. Interestingly enough, I just laughed, apologized, and went about cleaning up the ruins.

I'm almost sure that I will not get another request for fish sticks for at least six more years! By then, maybe the smell will have left the house!

Visions of Coconut Pies and Seafood Chowder

For so many years, we celebrated quiet, simple Christmases in Africa - away from family and things familar. The quiet and simple of African Christmases, I miss very much. But spending the holidays with family is a gift exceeding anything that can be wrapped and put under the tree.

We just returned from two days in the place where I learned to drive, had my first kiss, and raced my brother's dune buggy down the road without his permission. The place of my heart. It still holds a special magic for me. Probably more so than ever because I am not exposed to its charms on a daily basis. A mere burp in the road, my hometown does not even boast of a stoplight or grocery store, though we do have a post office and a gas station. However, it has not been influenced by metropolitan growth or urban sprawl. It's still a pure, quiet, clean place on this earth. When we arrived on Thursday night, my comment to my family was, "You all are so lucky that I was raised down here in this quiet and peaceful place so that we can step out of the city during the holidays and just relax." We joke that my parents' house must have some atmospheric drug stealing its way through the house, because when you enter it, you simple want to breath slower, think less, and sleep more. It's a wonderful feeling!

My mother put out a showcase of holiday delights this afternoon. She methodically and purposefully planned it all out, preparing a little at a time until by this evening, her dining room table was ladened with a fresh fruit tray with cheeses, a relish trays with everything from pickled okra to cherry peppers, a delectable seafood chowder seasoned with my homemade herbes de provence (that I took out of a basket of goodies I had prepared for her), chicken wings, potato skins, spinach dip with crackers, a crab dip, pecan and coconut pies, and a pineapple upside down pound cake. Made last week were several holiday tins filled with peanut butter balls, sausage balls, chocolate chip cookies, ambrosia cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, and cheese krispy balls. The delightful myriad of foods prepared especially and exclusively for her family touched me like nothing else.

My mother is the finest example of creating Christmas memories and doing it well that I have ever seen! As I lay my head down on my own pillow in my own bed back in the bright, bustling city that I now call home, my heart is telling me something different.

There's never gonna be another place like where I was these past two days and the lady who made it so special for all of us is one of the greatest gifts on this side of the cross!!

Sweet dreams..........make some memories worth remembering!

All I Want For Christmas is.......

Recently someone gave us a mouse pad for the computer that has these thoughts inscribed on it:
Out of clutter find Simplicity
Out of discord find Harmony
In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity
Profound thoughts that do not seem so easily attainable at times, but I do think I've lived enough life to understand their potential.

Thankfully, the clutter in my house was put to rest on Saturday -- out of the sheer reality that I had 22 people coming to my house that night! So, at least the downstairs has simplicity!

This is not really the season for discord, but is there really a season for discord? However, always being able to find harmony is a little difficult too. It takes a daily, monumental effort to keep things harmonious in our lives and hearts. Why? 'Cause we're human, that's why. There are some people that I just love being around. They build me up, appreciate me for who I am, and encourage me to be even more. They exude the aroma of Christ and His peace. Then there are those who only have critical things to say at every turn, never taking time to look at the good in those that should be most precious to them. If given the choice: which of those would you choose to be around? Which do we choose to be?

I do believe that there is opportunity in every situation, every minute, every day. Often we allow them to slip by for a myriad of reasons. But I do like the reminder that, even in the hard things, there is a beautiful opportunity waiting to be discovered!!

So, if I had my wish, all I would want for Christmas is the simplicity of family and friends, harmony in those relationships, and having the wisdom to see all the great opportunities in this tilted world of mine!!!

The Politics of Christmas Sunday Services

Today I read an article on Fox News' website in which a writer out of D.C. was lamenting the fact that many "megachurches" were cheating their parishioners out of Christmas worship this year. Some churches were cutting out their Sunday service altogether and others were cutting back to one service on Christmas Day. The author speculated on this movement and even quoted a scholar from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, who was also disturbed by how many evangelical churches were buying into the "consumer" pleasing agenda.

Two things stand out here: first, he specifically indicated that he was concerned about the megachurches doing this. As a matter of fact, the title of the article is: Some Megachurches to Close on Christmas. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177908,00.htmlNever mind the small, medium, and large churches that are most likely doing the same thing -- it only seemed to matter to him that the supersized churches were doing this fiendish thing. Or perhaps it was just more obvious because he was able to go to websites and find the information. Still, I find it a little odd that he specifically discussed only the largest of the large evangelical churches in America and their Christmas Sunday happenings

Secondly, he tooted the fact that most Catholic churches were having their services as usual and would, in fact, have some of their most highly attended services that day. There was a quote that there was a stark contrast between the loosening of evangelical values and how the Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist churches very rarely cancel any services for any reason. (Does this indicate a leaning of the author towards a particular denomination?)

He quoted a staff pastor in a large church up north as saying that it was not a good use of their time or staff when the numbers would be so incredibly down. When put like that, even I seethed a little at how calculating and coldhearted the decision sounded. Having worked in West Africa for many years and perhaps not having a balanced or even entirely knowledgeable view of how things work in megachurches in the U.S., I still offer this observation. My Heavenly Father owns a cattle on a thousand hills and no where in the Bible do I recall the principle of withholding because WE feel it is not large enough, not beneficial enough, not financially or socially pleasing enough, or not conducive to our schedules to perform what we know is right. Are some evangelical churches sending a negative, testimony-damaging signal to society that we are sold out, committed only to our calling when it does not socially interfere with something as major as Christmas (which by the way, unless you are an ostrich, the defense of Christmas and being able to use the term has been in the forefront of debate for weeks now.) Now, after we have regained the general consensus that we can indeed have Christmas back to enjoy as we always have, are we reacting as ordinary society and watering down our commitments for the sake of the very Christmas traditions that we have been defending?

As I said before, I have a very different perspective on these kind of things, and would like to say that I am glad that I am not the one in charge of making the calls of canceling or diminishing the amount of services we will have. In the past two weeks, I have been in two different churches (my home church and another one) and the very same announcement concerning Christmas Day was given. There would be one main service in the later morning, but all other services would be cancelled. I looked for reactions of disbelief, dismay, or discontent, but found none in either church. It's a sure-fire sign that our churches are rubbing shoulders closer to the "world" than we could ever imagine.

On the other hand, God did create families and deems that we give our families the respect due to them as an ordained gift from Him. Christmas is the perfect, traditional time to do this. Most people travel during this holiday, and the switching out of the services really helps. In 1994 when Christmas fell on Sunday, we were not in the U.S., so I cannot compare the reaction of today and then. But somehow I do not believe there was half the stink that we are seeing and hearing this year about Christmas. I would be curious if anyone remembers anything about the trends of the 1994 Christmas Sunday.

I personally feel that scaling down to one service on Christmas Sunday is not, in the sight of God, the abomination that some would make it. In the right spirit of worship and correct attitude, it can be just as honoring to God as if we scheduled four services on one Sunday! (But I could be wrong and only perceiving it in a totally "American" viewpoint). However, I do think we dance close to legalism and living by the letter of the law when we get caught up in the number of times we worship on a given Sunday. God is much, much more concerned about our heart attitude!

In Africa, the focus of Christmas was on the person of Jesus Christ, and in the absence of the means to celebrate in any monetary way, church services were the gifts. The West Africans looked forward to the Christmas services like none other. Even when Christmas was on another day of the week, they still believed in having a Christmas service so that they could offer their praises and adoration to their Savior.

No matter when your service might be scheduled or even if there's not one scheduled, don't let that become your focus. Do not forget that worship always starts in the heart. Open your heart to the Holy One that offers eternal life and abundant peace to you this Christmas season!!

Without Asking

My mission to get all my Christmas decorations down from their resting place concluded without a shot fired from my well-planned armory. My oldest daughter and her husband came over Monday night (just in time for dinner :) and said they wanted to help us get the decorations downstairs without me asking. I was pleasantly surprised! My mind started thinking that I hadn't even made the chocolate dessert that was to entice and behold my chocoholics (the other three) to my well-laid plans to interject the Christmas spirit into the drudgery of dragging down boxes! However, my oldest daughter is not a chocoholic and her husband just likes food, so steak, sweet potatoes, and a fresh salad was good enough for them. Is this what it's like to have grown kids? Just showing up to help out the parents? I'm liking it, believe me, even though it has been hard to accept the constant change in my household from children to teenagers to college students to married children. I used to tell my girls that they would one day pay rent for the "nine months" of incubation I gave them. This is a great start! :)

So, now my house is in pleasant chaos - I'm using that term for my own sanity. Boxes and boxes of Christmas "stuff" is strewn around my living and dining room. The Christmas tree stands in its place, naked and cold, calling out to be adorned in holiday splendor, but there's just not a moment for that yet. Maybe tomorrow. My world is tilted to the extreme right now!

Our bathroom is under major repair, not because we just have extra money and decided to redo it. When shower tiles start falling off the walls without asking, well, that's not a good thing. The water damage behind those tiles was atrocious, so I guess if you look at it that way, the rebel tiles actually did us a favor! So, our Christmas this year is a nice newly-tiled shower, freshly painted bathroom, and let's just throw in some new flooring while we're at it. Ho, ho, ho!

Thanks, shower tiles for revealing the problem behind the walls (there's got to be a spiritual implication here) and thanks, Shell and Frank, for helping me out "without me asking" to get my Christmas decorations down!

I'm wondering if I do enough for people without them having to ask me?

Mission Complete?

I returned yesterday from the "home of my heart" along with my youngest daughter, oldest daughter, and her husband. My youngest daughter, who is 15, drove a good bit of the way down on Wednesday night. However, I cannot take credit for all the bravado of letting her drive. My steel-nerved, chilvarous son-in-law offered to ride in the front with Lauren as she drove. Of course, I tried to talk him out of it (for about 5 seconds) and blissfully crawled in the backseat with my oldest. The only mistake was that I sat on the passenger side of the backseat, where I could see the speedometer and anything else I probably didn't want to see.

She did fine. And, shucks, about the time we had traveled halfway, it turned 9:00 p.m. (the first six months, a permitted driver can only drive from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Lauren is a literalist and also one of those rare teenagers that actually obeys the rules and doesn't generally ask questions. (My other two were NEVER like that!) However, when 9:00 came and Lauren announced that she could no longer drive that night, I felt benevolent enough to whomever made that rule to send them a gift card and bake them a cake!!

Now the next week looms in front of me, and I find it full of various projects and challenges. Do I dare mention bringing downstairs the pile of boxes that hold my Christmas decorations? Why does my family become paralyzed, disappear, or get down in their backs when I mention that project? I remember last year, right after Thanksgiving, feeling the "spirit" and wanting to start decorating right then. I tried every thing possible to transfer my Christmas "spirit" to all or even a couple of my family members, but they would not budge. I ended up sputtering to myself upstairs, making noise as I heaved the boxes (the heaving sounds I made were probably a little exaggerated compared to the weight of the boxes, but it felt good!) out of the storage closet, and making an attempt to bring stuff down by myself. By the time the boxes were downstairs (with the half-hearted help of my family), the Christmas spirit had sprinted out of this house!

So, this year, I will not rush it, and I will plan it better. I will set the mood, play the music, and fill their bellys. Also, considering the three others who reside in this house right now and their weakness for chocolate, I will come up with some magnificent "Death By Chocolate" dessert -- only to be eaten AFTER all the Christmas boxes are downstairs! If that sounds conniving, well, it probably is, but I'm a woman on a mission!!