An excerpt from Mexico mission journal.....

I just came across this today and remembered that day...another heart song straight from the Father ...

 On the day that we left,  a liitl girl named

Erika came to me and hugged me.  She looked up at me

and said "I want Jesus in my house".  During the week

that we were there, Erika helped us translate to her

nieghbors and friends who did not know English.  She

smiled ALL the time.  She laughed more than anyone

else.  She offered to help carry things and was never

short of kisses and hugs for everyone.  I would guess

that she was around 10.  

On the last day when she came

to hug me, she wasn't smiling.  She said "I want Jesus

n my house".  I felt so helpless.  She knew we were

leaving in a few minutes.  Leaving Mexico.  Going back

to America.  She was hanging on to me for dear life. 

She buried her face in my shirt and started to cry. 

We had ministered to so many.  A construction team had

worked non-stop on the church while we were there.  We

had shared bible stories and the good news of Christ. 

We had given supplies and toys and crafts.  God had

used us so much.  

Still, as I held onto Erika, all I felt was fear and 

hopelessness.  This was the last real moment of trust 

God had in store for me.  I had  to let her go.  I had to trust Him. 

He was the difference maker.  I held her as long as I could as

tighly as I could.  My three sweet highschool girls

that I roomed with noticed us and gathered around us. 

Toghether we prayed for Erika and for God's plan for

her life.  This is our prayer to Him, though Him, for

Erika.  Later, it became my heart song for missions.

  When I see and feel the pain so deep,

  I want to lend a  hug to heal the hurt, 

  the pain that is so real to me. 

   

  I want to be washed and clothed and soaked in the

blood,

  the Love the lasting Love,

  The healing blood. 

   

  As I wrap my arms around them, Lord... I pray

aloud...

   

  I pray…..

  Let my arms be your arms,

  Let my heart that breaks with your mercy gift,

  Be healed by Your embrace not mine

  Make me an instrument of comfort

   

  As I hold Your Child whose brokenness I cannot mend,

  With a servants heart I won’t pretend 

  to have the answers I know You know

  But, let my tears fall down in honor of the healing

that begins with                

  this prayer.

   

  Let my arms be your arms,

  Let the love that passes between our embrace

  Be the Love passed down from You

   

  Let me be Christ to them   

Pop that Corn

So our microwave broke.  When getting ready for a movie night last week, my daughter "discovered" a fabulous way to make microwave popcorn in a pot on the stove top!  She was amazed  ;) "Look Mom! We can do it like this!"

Who knew you could make microwave popcorn on top of the regular stove?!?!?!?!

Ahhhhh....innovation and memories equals love.

Mud People

So Anna made these mud people after it rained.  Some had curly hair, some had mohawks, some were sicking out their tongues.  She used all natural ingredients and materials.  Shells, mud, grass, sticks and the like.  I thought they were pretty cool.  

Mud Boggin!!!!!!!!!

So when I was in middle school, I wen to this thing called a

  Mud Bog!

From what I remeber, it involved a loooooooooooooooooooooong  muddy pit in the middle of a big field somewhere, deep enough to drive a monster truck through.  You fill it with mud and invite people to some and see how far their vehicle through it to see how far they can get.  The one who gets the farthest wins.  There were lots of baseball caps, smoked turkey legs, cold beverages, people kicked back in the back of pick up trucks, watchin and hollerin and havin a good time.  For some reason there were alot of little dogs runnin around, too.  More than a few folks wearin some sort of camoflauge and of course a whole lotta mud flyin around.  

I remember it being fun.  So when I found out that they started a mud bog in my area I had to go.  I took Anna and her friend Danni.  They had never heard of such a thing and seemed to really have a good time.  It was just as I remembered.  Muddy and redneck and turkey legs and a great way to kick back and enjoy an afternoon.  Never heard of a Mud Bog? Well, maybe you wouldnt go every weekend but you may wanna go once and check it out.  Besides, they only have them once a month.   

Yeeee Hawwww Get Muddy!

If you wanna find out more abut the Mud Bog you can visit their myspace page at www.myspace.com/rockwallcountymudbog....check it out

Bottle Tree

DID YOU KNOW? Bottle Trees are a Mississippi favorite, a tree (a wooden stick covered in wooden dowels) covered in bottles to catch evil spirits before they could reach your home. It is believed this practice originated in the Caribbean on the island of Haiti and was brought to the mainland by slaves from Africa.

Actually, bottle trees can be found in people's yards all over the world.

My grandmother has a bottle tree.  Its beautiful.  

why are there no butterfly kisses songs for boys and moms?

here's one God gave me while I was in prayer...

i really like it, it has become my heartsong whenever i worry about letting go of landon, leave it to GOD to turn  my worry into comforting music....

"Trading Hands"

I remember the first time

I held his hand

"Man," they said.."what a grip he has"...

I held it again, as we crossed the street

Trying so hard to keep him close to me.

And I've held on just as long as I can

I know I cannot stop him

From making his plans

But if Im losing my grip, Lord

One thing's for sure

If he's letting go

I pray he's trading my hand,

For Yours.

I remember holding his hand

Up to my own

A way we could measure, how much he'd grown

As time went on, all could see

He held my hand less and less it seemed

I remember teaching him how to fold his hands in prayer

and holding them tightly when he was scared

The time's getting closer where I must let go

One things for certain

Im gonna take it      s   l    o     w  ......  

And I'll hold on just as long as I can

And I know I cant stop him from being man

But if I'm losing my grip, Lord

One things for sure

If he's letting go

I pray he's trading my hand

For Yours

Help him hold on

Help him hold on

Help him hold on

 

To Yours...

lonely cat dies

So I was surprised to find out that my Grandmother's cat kept her from being lonely.  She lives with two of her children.  Another daughter and son in law live next door. Another two daughters live next door as well.  Down the street live another daughter, son in law and grandson.   Across the street even more live even more granddaughters and grandsons and so on and son on.  She has lived in this town all of her life and her parents before them. She is going on 80 years old, still drives and when she is "out on the town" she never meets a stranger.  She is known by someone everywhere from the church to the post office to the dairy queen.  At last count, there were more than 60 relatives I could name of of the top of my head while writing this paragraph. In fact, I am sitting in her house writing this right now and in the last 15 minutes, at 1130 am on a Sunday morning, at least 6 different people have come in and out of her house.  But, she had this cat.  This mean, awful, useless cat that scratched and hissed at everyone.  She named it Mercy.  She named it Mercy because when it was around all she could say was "Oh, Mercy".  We joked that it was called Mercy because it never showed anyone any.  Whatever the reason, that was it's name and it loved my grandmother.  It would sit on her lap and it was nice to her.  It died last week.  Today, I heard my aunt mention what my grandmother said about it.  Mercy kept her from being lonely.  Grandmas lonely?  When does she EVER have the chance to be lonely?  Everyday, my aunt said.  That was very curious to me. Currently, I am struggling with feeling a bit lonely myself.  This seems to be curious to the people around me as well.  How can someone like me be sad or lonely or depressed.  Well, if my grandmother can be lonely, so can I. Maybe that cat gave her an anecdote to her loneliness. Maybe it listened without judgement.  Maybe it never walked away while she was talking or was rude to her.  Maybe it was tough and tolerant enough to listen to her honest feelings as ling as she needed.  maybe it just gave her something to do.  For me, it seems my loneliness is caused by many things.  A little of each ingredient seems to make the perfect recipe for Lonely.  A craving for attention starts it off.   Then a pinch of dismissive behavior thrown my way.  Add an intolerance for my "strong emotions" and a healthy dose of labeling, "Drama Queen" or "Over Dramatic" would do fine.  Just the right amount of hormone in-balance makes the perfect breeding ground for "nobody loves me" and "nobody cares" disease.  Before you know it, I am lonely.  I am glad my cat didn't die.

"I know this. Death, life, angels, rulers, things happening now, things that will happen, high things, low things, nothing else in all the world can come between us and God's Love in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

The Sky was there in africa

After four days and three nights in Africa, I was walking with my new Ghanian friend, Alex, through the village and back to the church.  I casually glanced up.  I grabbed Alex's arm and said "Wait!"  He was startled and looked all around.  "What is it?", he asked in his wonderful accent looking all around and above.  "The sky!" I said.  I haven't looked up the entire time I've been here! Would it be okay if we stood here a moment while I see the sky?  It's so beautiful."  "Of course." he obliged.  And there we stood, looking up at the African sky.  I was in Africa, looking up at the African sky, and it took me four days and three nights before noticed it.  I don't know if Alex thought it was strange of me.  If he did, he didn't act like it.  It was a surreal moment for me and a moment I'll never forget.  

...walking underneath the sky, i soon forgot it was there

though i was in africa, it seemed i didnt care

i looked above and there it was, shining and staring, glaring, daunting and giving freely its beauty...

...so wide so vast so huge so free

looking down on me...

...to walk beneath such an art

placed there above me

and to forget to look at it seems to me a sin...

i hope it never ever ever happens again.

forgive me Lord, i was too slow to see You, that night, in that way

above me and below me, i want to recognize You always !

  

jason national effect

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

By Andrea Sandke

Wed, March 05, 2008, 04:37 pm PST

We know from personal experience how "American Idol" performances can return a great song to heavyiPod rotation. It's happened for us with Paris Bennett's audition performances of the Dixie Chicks' "Cowboy Take Me Away" and Dave Brubeck's "Take Five," when Ruben Studdard covered the Bee Gees classic "Nights on Broadway," and when a pre-scandal David Hernandez lit up the stage with his rendition of The Temptations' "Papa was a Rolling Stone."

This week, we were delighted to welcome our adored Leonard Cohen(+523%) to the ranks of Idol-inspired buzz, courtesy of Jason Castro's lovely take on Cohen's often-covered masterpiece "Hallelujah" (+1,012%). The judges praised dread-head Jason, with Simon Cowell especially professing his love for the Jeff Buckley arrangement of the song. And so the buzz began.

Idol watchers sent Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" to #4 on iTunes. Searchers fanned out over the Web to find "jeff buckley," "hallelujah lyrics," and "jeff buckley hallelujah," with smaller jumps in interest on "john cale," "rufus wainwright," "leonard cohen lyrics," and the "shrek soundtrack." Even Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker took time out to compliment Castro.

And how cool is it that teenagers—especially girls 13-17—showed the most interest in the song? Perhaps they'd be excited to hear that Cohen (who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week) is reportedlyheading out on tour this summer. Then again, maybe we shouldn't make too much of a fuss over that news. After all, we do want the Cohen faithful to have a good shot at getting tickets.

American Idol, guitarless

well....heres the gist

Luke

You couldnt be MORE cheezy if you came in a can and were smeared on cheap crackers

I hope you know exactly what I mean by that

I couldnt have been MORE uncomfortable

My face hurt from wincing so much

SHUT UP! Why are you here?  Come on America.

David A

still cute, still good, pass me the pep please 

Danyell...ahem...I mean Danny

You look like you were singing to yourself in the mirror and I wanted to get out of the room so you could be alone with yourself

David H

Did you actually "Snap" your fingers, bite your lip AND nod your head during your song?!

Thats a triple cheese threat, yuck.....no matter how good you can sing, i still cant watch you

AND STOP LOOKING FOR THE CAMERAS!!!!! 

Michael

You looked like you had fun, keep enjoying yourself

You're my Aussie fix on the show

David C

Who knew a Lionel Ritchie song could get rocked out?  Good job

I loved it personally....

(I could use a few less Davids in the mix, though, its confusing enough trying to learn names)

Chikezie

Started out sounding like Luther then ended up ruining it by showboating, get over yourself, its unappealing

JASON!!!!!!! Hallelujah! I think I heard a little Bob Dillon in there?

so proud of you for goin without the guitar for the first time

blew me away

I hope you keep improving, can totally tell you've been working on your facial expressions and feeling comfortable with your talent and being on stage, great job

and i think you've got the whole country realizing that they have NO idea how to spell Hallelujah!  where'd that J come from?

MAKE THAT TOP TWELVE BOYEEE!

I voted

Goin to vote yesterday was awesome.  I was almost giddy.  I know I was smiling awkwardly when I handed my voters registration card to the nice lady at the counter.  I even said "Yea! I voted" when I was officially done.  I'm pretty sure there was a skip in my step when I left the building.  And finally, a tear came to my eye when I saw two little boys running around and laughing outside as I was leaving.  Just thinking that I was part of the process that molds the future was a great feeling.  I voted, it was awesome.  

Idol boys, full of themsleves

First of all, I am tired of most every guy getting on stage already aware of what a superstar they are and can't wait to show you.  I hated the pre-singing pompous interviews..."Well, you can't miss a note.."  and  "When you're doin a show..."   blah blah blah, i get it, you are all pros, you're serious singers....Just get up there a sing and get over yourself, just because you made the top 20 doesnt mean you are the best.....leave "some" of your confidence at the stage entrance please...

okay....

Chekezie:

I liked the way you said the real pronunciation of your name, it reminded me of my time in Africa, but thats about all I liked, I've decided you look like Gary Coleman and Carlton from Fresh Prince had a baby and it was full of him self

Danny Noriega:

thanks for not wearing the pants with no secrets again

David Archuleta:

Great job, see you next week, you didnt miss a beat or a note, GREAT song choice, i dont want to put you in my purse yet, but maybe hang you from my rearview mirror like Paula said

David Cook:

You were more in your element, its okay too be a little bald on top, it really is

David Hernandez:

sounded good, you are still weird to watch, be a back up singer

Jason Yeager:

you seemed really defeated when you heard your feedback, you made a good point that you tried to do what they said, I liked that you said that next week you were gonna sing from your heart since the times you tried to please the judges didnt work, HONEST singing works, good for you, show your range like you said, i want to hear it, I was intrigued

Luke:

blech...you are B -O-R-I-N-G...WHY ARE YOU STILL HEAR?!?!?!?  GO AWAY.....

Michael:

Hot, Australian, RockStar, nothings changed

Robbie:

American Idol you are not, glad you lost the BAD-danna on your head, though

and now....

drumm rollll................(drum roll..................)

JASON CASTRO!!!!!!

I still want to be behind the hometown hero thing, sue me

I thought you were fabulous and kinda magical, not because of the way you sang but because you had the amazing ability to make Paula Abdul sound articulate!  She was dead on in her feedback that she had for you.

Bless your heart, though.  I laughed so hard at your interview before the song, you can't fake that.  I could just see the executives going, "Try it one more time"  "Try it this afternoon"  "Try it tomorrow"  "Maybe we can edit an interview together"  "What's wrong with this guy?"  "Okay, just run a montage of all the weirdness, we'll go with that" Lol, lol....My favorite is when you talked about your weird faces that you make and that you were surprised about all the NON music stuff like pictures and talking that you had to do!

I love it

I know that you are kinda new at performing as a singer, I think you are great.  You are not going to win American Idol by using your guitar every time and staying "all the way" in your shell.  Be like a snail and just poke your head out a little bit to move yourself along.  To be an American Idol you have to be comfortable with your talent.  You can do it.  

Im ready to see Brooke and Carly and Syesha tomorrow.

american idol sicko girls

okay , the girls are sick, got it

well , they sang like it, too

i felt like most of them were holding back

heres the REcap...

Kristy- WHERE are your eyes? You could only see them when you bugged them out, it was wierd

if you WERE sick, i hope to eventually hear you sing OUT LOUD, i needed "rescuing" from your song

Joanne-you have a gay following already , i know it, good job singing but i know you can do better

Alaina- you DID not hold back, I loved it, a little young, a little cocky, but your performance was GREAT, I predict you will be a contender

Amanda-please dont go, please dont go please dont go please dont go ba da ba de be da ba blah bah  blah blah...please DO go, and soon...you one trick pony...ride away on it...giddy ap!

Amy Amy Amy....woa....when those first two sour notes seeped out of your face i had to pause the tv and stare at my family with bug eyes,they stared back... what are you doing in the top 24?  ewwwww

Brooke- you are so sweet, i got a toothache watching you sing, cant wait till you sing something you are more comfortable with, still one of my faves, i liked it, GO CURLY HAIR!

Alexandrea- you gave me chills and you rocked it out, but why were you dressed like me in highschool circa 1983? Wasnt it a 60's song?

Kady- wow, i do think the Brittany impersonating thing is wierd and annoying, but for some reason I like it (maybe because imitating people is something i enjoy as well?)  

YOU my dear , are a wonderful singer, cant WAIT to hear more, I agree with the judges, LET IT GO!  LET IT OUT! You are a power singer and I want to hear it ALLLLLL!

Asia'h-Im tired of you, it bothers me that you dont enunciate...yawn

Ramiele- your voice doesnt match your face, it ooogs me out, LOVE your hair and make up though

Syesha- YES YES YES.. GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS THE WHOLE WAY THROUGH, ROCKED OUT WITH YOU AND MADE ME PLAY AIR GUITAR AND WRITE IN ALL CAPS!   WOO HOO!

Carly-still a fan, cant wait to hear you rock out soon, sorry you were sick, its my opinion that you are holding back because of all the hype around you and you are trying to be humble....get over it...be yourself and SIIIIIIING GIRL! Even if you dont win American Idol, your voice is out there again, you'll make it!

Did you see Jason in the background?  Go JASON!

By the way, I feel like  a HUGE hypocrite ragging on and judging these people when I am going to try out for ROCKWALL idol tonight.  Dont come.  Dont blog about me.  I'm already my toughest critic BELIEVE me...

IDOL...what a day for a daydream

Are you ready for some IDOOOOOOOOOOOOl!?!?!?

So I had to wait until 8:30 to start watching, we like to watch as a family and everyone had something going on so I decided to distract myself from the anticipation with a bath.  Cell phone ringing, I knew without looking it was Laura.  WHAT could she want?  Was it good, bad, WHAT?!  I knew if she was calling it must be "call worthy".   Afraid of what the message she left would say, I texted her back and told her I wasnt able to watch yet.   There was only one thing on mind.

Jason , hometown boyeee, was singing tonight.  For WHATEVER reason, Idol has chosen NOT to let America hear him sing until tonight.

Sitting down on the couch with remote, that I demanded be in my hand, I announced to the family that I was going to fast forward to Jason because I couldn't stand to wait and find out if he had performed well or not.  Similarly, this is my behavior at Christmas when wrapped gifts sit tauntingly under the tree with my name on them.  I just cant wait.   My family said no and if I wanted to do that, that I could go in the other room.  Fine.  So there I watched.

Painfully through all of them before I got to hear Jason.  And here is my take on them:

Chikeze-easy on the Popsicle orange suit and alligator shoes...from now on you are "Pops"...oh well it distracted a "Little bit" from the fact that you can't carry a tune in a bucket, and I hate when contestants get all cocky and mouth the judges on the first night....

Colton-"theater kid"  I cant watch him sing without picturing him wearing a newsboy hat and smudges of soot on his face like in some stage production of Charles Dickens something or another...next, and no curtain call

Danny- there is an empty closet somewhere that he was never in and every syllable that comes out of his mouth reminds me of that fact, no thank you, and CALM DOWN!!!!!!!

David Archuletta-sweet David, get in my purse (only some people know what that means, sorry if you are out of the loop), as a mom I want to take you home and feed you sandwiches and wipe your nose, as a fan I think you are great, as a singer , however, I want you to be able to breath deeply and sufficiently for your song, the gasps are distracting, but I love you, you have heart

David Cook-shave your head, we all know you are bald and you have wierd lips, I dont even remember what you sang.

David Hernandez- (whats up with all the Davids?) If I look away from the TV I think your voice is amazing, then I look back and its "oh yeah" ..."its you and your wierdee faces you make"  and your affectations in between words is overdone...stop it

Garrett-"muppet"... Surprisingly enough, I liked you....i thought you took your criticism well and your voice is sweet and on key, maybe eventually you will come out of your shell and out from underneath your hair

Jason Yeager-first of all, you look like a skunk, hopefully you'll never have to stand by the skunk girl on the girls side of the top 12, I thought your voice was beautiful, i get a good feeling from you, not sure if you can be diverse enough though

Michael- you're hot, you're from Australia, you're a rock star, not sure if you'll win, but you'll be famous, love it

Luke - wow....quit now, you are horrible and forgettable, and you're kind of a nerd...not the good kind of nerd that's like you can transform them on beauty and the geek, the yuck kind that thinks he's a cool hip guy and really hes not and never will be and you absolutely cannot sing...too harsh? try too true.

Robbie-guns and roses you are not, give it up, go home...thtptttrpptttt! thumbs down and raspberry spitting

Is that it? No wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

JASON!

I was so nervous.  I have never heard him sing and wanted so bad to be able to get behind someone from my hometown.  He did not disappoint.  So charming, so humble, so natural, so cute and so talented.  ANd what a wonderful choice of song, he probably does feel like he's in a daydream.  I also thought it was cool that his "fans" gathered at LAkePointe Church and that they were on the news last night talking about him.

I hope he performs well every time,  its stressful, I really liked when he said "this is scary up here"....so cute.    

first blaaah-g and spaghetti

so when people get a blog , at first do they just goo on a rant and gripe about stuff, cuz that's what I wanna do....but I shall resist

I'll just begin by writing about whuts goin own in my life...thats what ive seen other people do so i'll try that first....but i bet i'll just end up gripin....(is rant a word? i think i should have used rampage or tangent)   ( is that how you spell tangent?  t an geant....tan....whatever)

so i went to lo jack's house for spaghetti

it was nice

nice to see a friend i can be honest and real with

someone i have memories with

someone who wants to tell me to get out because its so late but i wont stop talking long enough so she doesnt, sorry laura, you are just such a good listener and i love you

and I wonder what mallory meant by "You dont seem like the kind of girl that everyone would like in highschool"  what the heck does that mean?

well, i liked everybody anyway, except for that one girl, she was evil and she made my mom cry

who can like someone like that?  its impossible

i just dont remember anyone not liking me, well except for Angie, Christina and Darren

i think it all had something to do with prom and drill team, i never reaaly figured that out

i know it ended in a fist fight at the car wash and then Christina was my friend afterwards i think, i never talked to angie again and i saw darren at some random church years later and i guess we just all put it behind us, or at least i did.....

well there's my first blah-g

and i loOOOOOOOOooove the way Courtney tells stories, its my favorite

commute and traffic updates

Well, lets's first just say....I do Not communte. For several reasons. Numer one being I am a terrible driver and am doing you all a favor by staying off of the road as much as possible, especcailly in high traffic areas. Secondly, I too do not enjoy people "burning my green". Generally, I am not driving along in my car at a leisurly pace, coming to a complete stop at each stop sign, waving at nearby drivers as we enjoy each others company on the roads...lalala....NO. I am on a mission. I have things to do, places to go, tasks to accomplish and you are in my way. Move. Quickly and efficiently please. BE AWARE OF ME AND MY PRESENCE AND MY NEEDS! No matter how I've tried over the years, I still have this opinion stuck in my head that I do in fact "own the road" and cannot for the life of me come to comprehend why everyone else is not paying strict and close attention to all of my driving needs. Ex..."Can't you see I was trying to get over?" "Thanks alot lady, I would have been able to enter that road if you hadn't have been the ONE car that happened along going too slow after all the fast ones that I had to wait on to get in in the first place!" and "I am driving in the SLOW lane for goodness sakes, WITH my CRUISE control on! Stop riding my butt! ISn't it obvious to you that I'm not going to speeed UP!" I park wherever I want, on stripes, directly in front of stores if I'm just gonna be in and out etc.
So I guess what I'm saying is, even if I DID pay attetnion to the traffic updates on the television in the morning and even if I DID commute, it would make no difference to me WHAT they warned me about because "Hello! I'm in my house!" Its all gonna change by the time I get out there on the road anyway, I dont have a TV in my car to keep checking out the updates after I actually get on the road where its really gonna matter to me and lastly, I do what ever I want anyway. There you have it.