during Lent.

…when I gave up twitter for 40 days!

First of all, it didn’t kill me, and I seriously thought it might.
Have you ever seen that Lisa Nova Video?  I fell like that some days.

So, you can see why it was a good thing for me to remove from my life for a specified period of time.  It effected me much more than giving up chocolate would because I discovered two things.

1. I like being (or feeling) connected.
   I still had Facebook, but it just isn’t the same for the instant conversation.  I like to talk/type…A LOT.  (my poor spouselet) .  
2. I need to type/talk/write.  
   Not only to keep myself connected to the outside world but inside my own head.  I realized that I got so much more done when I had tweetdeck open and could read other peoples tweets on work and faith issues that sparked a creative notion in my own head and life.  I seriously need Ritalin growing up.

My aunt asked me on Easter Sunday, but did it cause you to THINK about and reflect on God any at all?  OH yes!
I will not admit how often I reached for my phone to just tweet something and stop myself because I gave it up for 40 days.  

Constant.
Reminder.

It was good.  It was eye opening-mostly about the productivity aspect, I had never considered, my tweets keep me focused!

Next year…wow, it is going to be hard to pick something bigger than THIS,  for me.

Did you give up anything for Lent?  What and how did it work for you?

This weekend I offered tobe a chaperone for a weekend church event for the youth.  This was my first youth event as an adult.
I didn’t know what to expect.

I did know that I would spend all day today recovering and for the most part, stuck to that plan.  However, God had other plans.

The kids got a snow day, I guess so they could recover too!

I am not going to get down and dirty with the details because:

1. there is no way to fully express all the awesome things that God did over the weekend.
2. Reggie Dabbs said “Just like Vegas, what happens at Winter Blitz, STAYS at Winter Blitz”

But here are some things I can share:

If you ever get the chance to see tenth avenue north.  Do It.

If Mad Dog and the Englishman come to an event or to your chuch, check those boys out! They are funny. (and one of the highlights for the 14 yr old boys)

And if you EVER are asked to go to a youth event where Reggie Dabbs is speaking.  Move heaven and earth to get there.  That man was the best thing that could have ever happened to some of the kids that attended this weekend.  The way he brought the kids to God for healing.

Incredible.

I will tell you this.  When he asked for assistance from all the Mama’s in the house- I was scared.  I am not a fan of  “helping” when I don’t know what I am signing up for, neither was another mom on the trip with us.  But, we did.   (OK, she required a bit of coaxing..but IF I AM out of my comfort zone, I am takin’ people down with me!)

The instructions were simple.

1. Line up across the front (there were more of us than he thought so he ammended this for across front and back of the venue)
2. Don’t touch the Babies (yet)
3. Don’t talk to the Babies
4. when he says go, hug the babies.
5. tell them you love them
   (Jesus isn’t here to hug them, but YOU can be his arms.)
6. when he says switch, grab another baby and hug them

Then, he started calling out things that kids might be struggling with- addictions, sucicidal thoughts, divorce, eating disorders.  There were hundreds of babies for us to hug.

Even the kids who were not touched directly by some of these issues were weeping and praying for their friends.  Not a dry eye in the house.

Some of us mama’s were crying so hard-thinking “what if that were MY baby?” we made noise.  Over the music the kids in the back row could hear us, they turned around.  Yeah, we didn’t care.

Our hearts broke for those children.
And then…
I was glad, relieved that they were getting some relief from the pain.

I heard some people say they had been holding that all in for years.
Wow.

Yeah, Reggie was the messenger.
God was the message.

People were changed!
(I think I was one of them)

Today over 150 bloggers will hit the internets with posts about this fantastic program. I am fortunate enough to be one of those people.

Over the past 3 years my heart has really changed toward poverty around the world and sometimes the task seems so daunting. But, when you think that 5 dollars (how much a gallon of gas was in parts of the country not even 6 months ago) will buy TWO pairs of shoes for the poor in Mexico.

Wow.
I don’t even think I could get two pair of socks for $5.00 anymore.

So, here’s the deal.
50,000 shoes.
50 days.

But, that isn’t all-after they get 50,000 pairs of shoes-one lucky person who donated will get to travel to Mexico to deliver the shoes. What an aswesome experience!

I donated mine yesterday and honestly, it took like 3 minutes-less if you have your credit card number memorized! So, head on over to 50,000 Shoes.

Share the love!

About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 3.5 million pairs (or one pair every 23 seconds) to people in 61 countries, including Honduras, Romania, Thailand, and the Sudan. The charity has been featured on CNN Headline News, NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.

I have been looking forward to today for about the last 300. Part of me was so sick of all the ads and the he said, she said business I couldn’t stand it.

I was also pretty tired of the emails and assumptions made about my voting choices by people I respected. This whole thing presidential election has been a huge mess. My eyes have been opened to division and hate that I didn’t know existed among civilized people.

Good Christian people sending emails that were so hurtful and filled with lies and hatred for another of God’s children. (and then we wonder why people have such a negative opinion of us-Christians.)

We are ALL God’s Children, even if we have different ideas.

Because of all of this, I was nervous about voting. I had conjured images in my mind of people yelling and screaming and getting in fights. Afterall, my polling place IS a Baptisst Church in Kentucky.

The line snaked to the door and wrapped around inside the church. I thought I would be there all day!
Young kids-obviously voting for the first time with their tatoo’s and stretched ear plug disk thingies-grandma’s who have voted at the same place for 60 years. All of us, in it together.

I got choked up.

And I prayed that no one saw me wipe the tears from my eyes. I was emotional because this is the first presidential election that my popaw won’t vote- because he died in April, but even back then, he had some SERIOUS opinions about it and I miss him. I miss discussing politics with him. But, that was only part of it.

The other part, the part that would have gotten him coked up too (because that was the kind of man he was)…that there were people lined up at 11am on a tuesday…TO VOTE. I heard on the radio some people waited over 2 hours to vote this morning.

To exercise our right.
Our Duty.

I can’t say that I don’t care how it all turns out…part of me does. I want “my” guy to win. I don’t want to be a loser by picking the wrong dude. I know it is silly it is my competitive nature, but, I also know that no matter what…

God is in control and he can turn even the worst situations into his glory.

And no matter who wins…History will be made.

How was voting in your area?

If you follow me on Twitter, then you know that today the office took all the October birthday’s out to lunch, which, included me (that upcoming 40 thing you know). There were 3 of us who were celebrating this time and I let someone else pick the restaurant. I am not going to name names, but this place is named after a cheese that Wisconsin made famous.

The experience was less than stellar. First, we called to get reservations for a table of 12. They don’t “do” reservations.

OK.
Fine.

I showed up a little early to request a table for 12.

We don’t have a table for 12.
They can seat us in two 6 top booths, back to back.

Yeah, whatever.
I leaned over the hostess station and pointed to three 4 tops that we could move together and asked if there was a reason why we couldn’t sit there??

The reply from the oh so helpful manager was “because there are people sitting there!”
There are at this moment, but I am here early and they might be done. That would be the best place for us to sit.

(for future reference when ever someone is being THAT bullheaded about my business. I will go somewhere else and tell all sorts of people about the love that I got at a particular restaurant named after a cheese from Wisconsin.)

When 5 of the party arrived a female manager, not the bullheaded one, sat us at a table for 8 near a booth for 4. OH GEE Thanks! that is so much better than TWO tables of 6.

Luckily, our server was a professional and he moved the tables to they were facing the same direction and we could all talk. And I will say that he was a bright spot in the day-the food was OK. I have never been a huge fan of this place named after a cheese from Wisconsin-so maybe I am a bit to harsh. But, our server did rock.

After lunch, I headed to the YMCA to work off all the garbage I just ate and listened to a podcast from Andy Stanley @ Northpoint Church (in Atlanta). His name keeps coming up all over the place, so I thought I would check him out. Funny how God works. The first message I listened to was from August 11, 2008 and it was on a Christian’s Work Ethic (taking care of business part 1).

It was incredible for me to see the difference between the way that most everyone at the cheese place just “got through” their day (with the exception of our server) and to listen to the story Mr. Stanley told about a Porta-can worker and how he did his job, because he worked for the Lord (and not that particular waste managment company). Usually examples in life are not in such a stark contrast.

Or maybe I just haven’t been paying attention.

Today, I was blessed by my co-workers, my server and Andy Stanley and his podcast from 3 months ago!

How were you blessed today?

My cousin is on staff at Flatirons Community Church. He is an awesome kid (anyone in their 20’s is still a kid to me!) and his church is amazing. Every week I download and listen to their podcast. I can not begin to tell you all how these messages combined with my local church community has encouraged me to think and grow in my faith.

A few months ago they did a series on MVP (most valuable player) it has this whole baseball theme and some of the messages were about service-specifically, it is great to have gifts and to be able to use them but SOMETIMES…you are needed some where else.

You may be the best widget maker ever, but if the church doesn’t NEED a widget maker, you might need to help park cars, or change a diaper or welcome new people through the door.

I think that applies to more than just church service or service to God.

I saw evidence of it this weekend with my own kid. I think I have mentioned once or twice that he plays soccer (ok maybe 10 times) and he LOVES to be a mid-fielder or a forward-to score the goals man! But, he will go wherever coach asks him. He isn’t a big fan of being a defender/sweeper, but he is very effective in that job. When it comes to soccer there isn’t anything he won’t do for the team. And that makes me son incredibly proud of him as a mother-especially when I hear other kids say “No. I am NOT going to help the team in that position, I only play blah blah, or I am only ‘good at’ blah blah.”

Sorry baby, in this game, it isn’t all about you.
(hey that is actually a lesson for life ain’t it)

I am looking forward to the day when he will put those skills to use in life and not just on the field.

But there isn’t a video for it-so phoey!

Here are the lyrics:

Psalm 91
By: Marc Scabilia and Rick Heil

You are the defender of the weak
You are near those in need
You are a peace to those who grieve
My God you are so many things

You are my refuge and strength
You are my hiding place
You hear my voice when I call
Before I say anything at all
In desperate need I cry
Only to realize
The hand that heals the sick
Has my name written on it

You are the forgiver of my past
You are the pure and spotless lamb
You are the balm that heals the wounds I have
My God You are so many things

Hopefully, the rest of my buddies that participate in this over at Signs, Miracles and Wonders had better luck finding videos for the songs that spoke to their hearts this week. Go check them out and give’m comment love!

This evening I was supposed to meet some women from my church bible study at a 3 week study on the book of Ruth, led by Liz Curtis Higgs (in the flesh) @ Middletown UMC. I don’t think any of us realized how many people 700 is, so of course we didn’t plan well enough to actually hook up.

I sat in the balcony and had a great view, they sat downstairs (on the main level) and probably couldn’t see a thing. Next week, I am getting there early so I can be down front. I absorb information better down there!

I could go on and on about how much fun and engaging Liz is. But, I think I am gonna save the study critique after the three weeks are up.

THIS entry is about the parking lot and what happened after.

People are funny.
We have just been sitting in a church for 2 hours getting all filled up with the word and learning all sorts of interesting bible knowledge and the open the flood gates and you just can’t get out of there fast enough.

I can’t say it was an exodus, it didn’t resemble a scene from the blob, exactly, but there was definately an air of “getmetheheckoutofherebeforeidie”. I saw two women almost get run down because they followed the direction of a person directing traffic and the people in the cars did not.

I got in my car, rolled down the windows and opened the moon roof. I left the lights and engine off and turned on the radio. I sat there watching people as they left. It was really entertaining. The people directing traffic did such a great job, most of them husbands of the women who were in the study-they didn’t need to be there on a Thursday night-I hear there is good TV on.

Since I wasn’t in a rush to leave I chatted with the people working and when the lot was cleared, I turned on my car and started to leave. THREE PEOPLE…do you see that…THREE OF THEM thanked me (oh yes my brothers and sisters) ME for….having….patience. One of them even offered to put it in writing because I told him no one would believe me.

How awesome is that? Seriously!

I am filling in for someone at the office and keeping her email in some sort of order so when she gets back she won’t be behind on everything.

She got this from someone we work with this morning.

It is awesome!

Enjoy!