Confessions of a missionary friend

My friend Amanda is serving the Lord in Brazil as a Kindergarten teacher. She is inspiring, to say the least, but her last blog caught my attention. She talked about her struggles right now while she's there. She might be one of the most transparent people I know with her struggles, too. You think of missionaries having struggles but somehow having this "extra" Holy Spirit protection against anything that could make things difficult. I don't know why I think that because nowhere in the scripture do the apostles have that. They struggled in their work, albeit with joy, but there was struggle. Amanda's struggle is with feeling dependent. Dependent on her translators for taking there time while in service to help her understand Portuguese. She wants them to not miss out on the service. Then she admits she just has a dependent issue because she is pretty independent. What a "real" thing to say. Exposing not only her struggle, but all of our nature. She wants to know what it is to fully depend on God. To have joy in that. Man, don't we all. I wanted to give her these pearls that would make this struggle easy, but I didn't have them. You see, I too know what that is. I find myself being dependent on so many things that don't help, don't solve, don't comfort, don't bring everlasting joy. No, I too like Amanda have a need to be independent. If I'm that then I don't have to be accountable. I don't look vulnerable. I don't need anything. I just can be and folks, being who i want to be is often the thing I need to fight. I pray for Amanda that she discerns the help of others in Brazil as her dependency on God in times of need.

Acting in our own self can lead to a mess, even with good intention. She inspires me to teach. She inspires me to be more like Christ. She inspires me to be dependent on the only thing worth having a dependent relationship with. I can't wait for Christmas to see her, my "family", and share in the joy of her serving. Amanda, don't grow weary in well doing, for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not. Dr. York just sent that to me and it was timely for you, too. I'm proud of you in the Lord...

Are you dependent? Seeking dependency on Christ? Trust me, breaking the ties of dependency is incredibly hard when that "thing" is not Christ. I need to keep learning that in my life. Be independent of this world and totally dependent on the one who holds your future and wants to see your good.

Love Ya'll

For all who are married, with children, or want to be married with children

I know I just posted like 34 seconds ago, but John just woke up from a nap. The kids are not talking to each other very nicely and this was the conversation that occurred just milliseconds after his rest was over,

Molly and Grant: "no you shut up, I don't have to do what you want, stop making fun of me Grant, (word vomit, blah, blah, awful things)"
John (with a new bowl of cereal in his hand to help him "wake up"): Grant, you must say ten nice things to/about Molly for being awful..."
Grant(droning): "Molly, you're pretty, I like the towel around your head, I think your smart to be such a dumb young baby..."
John: "Grant, stop it and say something nice..."
Me: "John, I don't claim to be the smartest or best parent but here's what I know. Sharing is not sharing unless it's voluntary and saying something nice only makes the kids dread saying positive things to one another if its forced or made..."
John: "Uh, Jenn I'm still asleep and I can't understand the words you are saying..."
Molly: "Grant, shut up and stop talking during Extreme Home Makeover..."
Me (laughing at the chaos): "I'm a senior in college in education and I know what I'm talking about..."
John:"Grant, say it or do 100 push ups"
Me:"and that will make him hate exercise..."
John (still eating cereal and not waking up):"I just want to eat cereal and children not talking"
Me: (In my head)"this will be fun to share with the world"

I LOVE my family. They. are. amazing.

I'm a PC, but I really want to be an Apple

John and I have the constant debate that he will never be an Apple computer owner and when I finally graduate, I'm going to get one for myself as a "You Did It". (Check back on that one, the commercials are making me not want to do that) I want the new iphone 3G, too. That way, I could blog about everything I find interesting immediately.

Clark Moore won the district tournament and Ella made her first soccer goal yesterday. She had a chance to play forward and got a goal. That was incredible to see and she was so fired up. The best thing about it, Soccer is OVER!!!!!!!!!! Now only basketball season to finish...

I've basically eaten ice cream, candy,diet coke, and potato chips from the concession stand all weekend so I will be trying to fulfill that exercise bulemia thing I tend to have and run a bunch this week. We also will be getting a new realtor for our home that is still for sale in Chattanooga. I'm not even going to talk about it anymore. Stupid economy.

I'm finishing the weekend with checking blogs and starting homework. It is almost mid-term time. WOO. I'm not talking about this subject either.

John and I are talking to Tyler King about possibly starting to play a Indoor Soccer season this winter. What do you think? Injury nightmare? Take more life insurance out? We think, an active way of being together and building our relationship. It's that or professional Netflix couple. The vote is still out...

Buck Run had a great service this morning. Ten Commandments are still being taught. Our small group class is amazing, too. If you read this and don't go to church with us you should check out Johnny Collett's blog to the right there. Click it later after you read this nonsense.

Talk more soon...

my last blog didn't have a title so this one will be Do what I say...

Here is what I want. Don't fight it. Just do this and you will make me so happy which will make you so happy. It's a full circle situation.
1. Marie and Tyler-one of you start blogging. You have one and it sits at August 29. I don't even know you anymore.
2. Jeanne-you have some of the greatest moments in history to be blogging about. You also seem to get more done than any woman on the planet should so this won't be a problem.
3. Julie-you, my sweet sister, have more wisdom than anyone your age should and publishing it would be such an encouragement to many. I promise.
4. Ginger-Texas would be a much bigger space if it had your comments on Blogger. Richmond awaits this from you. Basically, if you think Sarah Palin has stardom with wit and banter than you are a force to be reckoned with.
5. John-Seriously, this life we're living needs a double the exposure from your perspective. And you are the most gifted man in discipleship and many would read from you. I promise, just check my comments later. I don't need it in print because I live with you and your example far exceeds your written word, but posterity needs it. Yeah, that's a little dramatic but I do mean it.
6. Gold Star Chili-you need a spokesperson, and I'm your girl. PR is my middle name.

Don't fight it. Its like leaning into a turn in a speeding car on a winding road...

I haven't had a post worth writing in a long time and this one won't be much different. Sorry. It may be as much fun to read as listening to John Tesh. John, my John, has been making all these John Tesh jokes and then, low and behold, he was on this worship channel "jamming" to a black urban Christian song with his "crew" dancing and an all white choir backing up his "mojo". My John's comment, "I wonder what God thinks of Christian television...is God in heaven going, OHHHHH..." Oh John Tesh, Extra misses you.

Did you all watch The Office? Dancing With The Stars? Biggest Loser? The problem with all this is we don't have DVR and everything comes on at the same time. We do have 3 TV's sitting in our living room right now, so if I could get John to plug them all in and get them working I would watch all of it at the same time. That's managing on a micro level, baby.

Some of the women I work with are trying to come up with a t-shirt that we can wear when we run and I want to some suggestions, if you have any. Here are a few:
1. Your mom runs...(Grant's idea)
2. Does this make my butt look fast...(written across the, you guessed it, the butt) summer's idea
3. it eat, therefore I run
4. my sport is your sports punishment...
5. kilo is the deal-o (that one's dumb, I just typed it)

Please look at Dr. York's blog at the idol worship video. Crazy. Also, Johnny, the Eagles are going to be in concert in November in Ohio, I think. You might need to get some of the Bush bail out money to buy tickets but if you've never seen them, I hear it will be a good concert.

Ella is finished with soccer this weekend! I've eaten way too much pizza this week, like four times. I've watched all nights of Dancing with the Stars and really don't feel bad about it. I passed a geology test that was impossible. The Office was great, Baby Mama on Friday night. John joined NetFlix and we will finally be up to date with movies. It's a goal, don't make fun. He does NOT however enjoy Dancing with the Stars and that's going to be a problem since all 3 females in our house critique the show amongst ourselves and have a pocket full of shhhhh for those who want to interrupt that while in play.

I'm on the top of the world looking down on creation...

This was the #1 song the year I was born, 1973. I've been getting the most random emails with stuff like this and I delete most of them, but was curious on this one. I really thought it was going to be something like "Dirty White Boy" or "Double Dutch Bus" but no, I"m a lot older than those songs apparently. I don't care. I'm growing wiser. Wise is beautiful!

Which leads me to noticing things about beauty. I am on campus during the day with many college girls who are wearing 3 1/2 inch heels to walk across campus. I'm so not exaggerating this either. What is wrong with these girls?!!? I remember when I barely brushed my teeth to go to class when I was their age, (well, come to think of it I haven't showered today or brushed my teeth and I'm on campus so maybe I'm just gross...popping mint now...)but times have changed. These girls look like they are going out to dinner on a Weekend. I was even Greek back in the day, but saved the dressing for meetings and mandatory dress up days(which we all HATED). This shouldn't bother me, but it so does. Heels? Really? Heels at 8:00 a.m.? Do you not read anything but US Weekly or InStyle? Have you not heard how detrimental that is too your feet? At 8 a.m? Oh, you don't exercise either? Good thing because your feet are going to fall off from your Achilles Tendon being shortened. No heel striking during running for you, missy! Just grates at me...

Here's something else I love on campus, the awkward too-many-people-in-the-elevator feeling. You know, everyone is looking down (especially the girls in 3 1/2 inch heels, they can see the tops of our heads) and you barely want to tell me what floor your going to. I love that. I'm taking the stairs today, enough of that.

Spoon Bread Festival is this weekend and I'm going to work the KiS golf table for some extra cash. I love Spoon Bread. Berea is always good people watching, too. The folk art stuff there this weekend should be great!

Going to class...

Random stuff

I said I was going to follow this political campaign very closely and although my intentions were well meaning, I am failing at the present. I am hearing things in my "liberal" arts classes I am being forced to take and the conversation in slanted and short. Can you really talk in a 55 minute class with a head instructor? No. Anyway, I will be bookmarking some national newspapers to get some information due to the lack of time I also have in front of the T.V. Some would believe this is a good thing, but I don't have DVR or TEVO right now so I'm totally isolated from the world. It took Ginger telling me the severity of the hurricane to even know that. I'm current events handicapped. If my blogging friends want to post in comments relevant items, I would be obliged.

On a funnier note and for my Richmond, KY readers, Big Whirl is now on a moped. With a helmet. As the kids and I were riding to a play audition, we saw him and it looked like he had a For Sale sign on it, too. I've been telling John I want one since I live so close to Waco so maybe he could give me a good deal...

Molly wanted to audition for the local Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" here in town. When we showed up her apprehensions began to read on her like the ghost of Christmas Past :). After having a small conversation about showmanship, animation in speaking, and unforced vibrato in singing, I asked her (trying to be a good mom) if she would feel better if I auditioned. She immediately said yes, and we got to do that together today. I watched her be uncomfortable, study a couple of lines in a few seconds and perform, and grow into a more well-rounded adult all before 1 p.m. This is a real stretch for her, so I hope she makes it.

Ella is still doing well at school and at sports. She has made many new friends and is growing into a beautiful person. Grant is HUGE! I don't mean this ugly, I mean this like the first time you see a monster truck. He might be one of the funniest people I've ever spent time with. His personality is so winning, I'm often afraid he means it when he says he's not going to college so he can be a Hobo and he'll really be OK.

Dr. York has been preaching through the Ten Commandments on Sunday mornings and it has been so good to review the basic tenants of the law. He even makes us say them in unison to memorize them! It is a reminder to me that the free gift of God is such a grace. We fall so short, don't we? We strive, try, and often mistakenly work for something that God has said rest, taken care of, paid in full. The hard ones for me are coming in the next few weeks, but I pray God soften my heart to hear his whisper of grace. Grace is so good! I'll say it again, SO GOOD! Derek Webb's lyrics are so befitting this:

Beloved, listen to me
Don't believe all that you see
And don't you ever let anyone tell you that there's anything that you need
But me.

Love ya'll

The Grand Ole' Party has arrived

John and I just got finished watching tonight's Republican National Convention and Sarah Palin is...is...(with almost tears in my eyes)...AHHHMMMAAAAZZZZING!

I've not really been too involved in this, or any political race, but she has inspired me to get off my duff and get crackin'. I will be investigating her life much more in depth starting tomorrow, (after class that is)

If you did not see her speech, find it online and get to it.