Betrayer (by Brian C. Russell)

If you follow this blog regularly, then you know that I have two guest posts per week. I am so loving this! Hopefully, this has helped introduce many of you to some very good blogs, and I will continue this practice.

I'm posting a short story that I read on Brian C. Russell's website earlier this week on a Saturday simply because, like all of the short stories I have read by him, it blew me away. I was first introduced to Brian's work via a cartoon he writes, The Underfold I love that, too. But wow, can this guy write! Check it out:

His blood warmed my throat as I drank. It tasted of fruit, a sweet sensation lingered on my tongue. Eyes closed, I swallowed, not sure of what the next steps would be. Never before had anyone freely given of their blood for me to drink, nor anyone offer their flesh as sustenance.

This man, who did he think he was? He forgave, and never condemned anyone… Not even me.

That night is replayed in my mind every day. Of what he said at the table, how he knew it was me, but didn’t do anything to stop me. Of course, I know now. I know now that Jesus, the Son of God, was the messiah.

Running from the temple, the evil spirits descended upon me. Tormenting me in my anguish. “Betrayer!” they screeched.

Darkness swallowed my path, and glowing red eyes lit the shadows. A root grabbed my sandal and threw my body to the ground. I rolled onto my back, trying to catch my breath. One of the demons sat on my chest, compressing my lungs. His eyes hovered over mine. “You have just handed over the Messiah to us. We wanted to thank you for your services.”

Tears streamed down my face. “Just let me die.”

“Die?” He laughed, and a chorus of laughter echoed around me. “I am sorry, betrayer. You have been chosen for a much worse fate than death.”

“Lies! Torment me no more.”

“As I have said, we are here to thank you, not torment you, betrayer.”

I pushed to my feet and ran. Their laughter faded into the darkness and I came to a tree wrapped with vines. That was going to be the end. My end. I climbed onto the tree and looped a vine around my neck. I breathed deeply and jumped from the tree.

Everything blurred. I sputtered for breath. I groped at the vine to loose myself. Everything was gone.

Nothing greeted me. It wasn’t darkness, it wasn’t light. There was… nothing.

Then, Jesus appeared. Magnificent and new. “Judas, you have helped me fulfill my purpose in this world. You have endured a sacrifice that many will never understand.”

I sobbed. “Rabbi, I am sorry. Forgive me, Lord.”

He touched my neck with his hands. “Your sacrifice is wrapped in sin and greed. I knew the outcome, but you did not, yet you still performed it. Without your sin, there could be no forgiveness of sins.”

“Forgive me. Please.”

“You will roam this earth until the day I return again. You will never die until I come to judge all mankind.”

When I awoke, I lay in a field. A place of burial for foreigners. Stories were told of my death. Many embellished facts of my insides strewn across this very field.

Over the years, people have told me that the Lord works in mysterious ways. That sometimes, even what seems horrible is a blessing in disguise.

They have no idea.

I have lived to hear of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and now I can take part in that salvation. Someday.

Am I right, or am I right? Check out more of Brian's writings here: Brian C. Russell

Tired of Fighting? (By Stacey Armond)

I first started blogging in an attempt to gather all my long winded comments from other blogs into one place. Now, many of you whose blogs I frequent are saying, "How's that working out for ya?" Well, shut up. I have a lot to say.

I am grateful to Jon Acuff for many things; for his friendship and for introducing me via his blog Stuff Christians Like to so many fantastic, funny, wonderful people. One of my favorites is Stacey and her husband who sometimes answers to Hucklebuck. Stacey's Thoughts of Infertility is a online journal of sorts; helping lots of folks struggling with infertility. But it's not only about that. I've said this before and I will say it again. No matter what the subject matter, if something is written from a writer's heart I am a fan. I am a big fan of Stacey, and consider it a privilege to call her a friend. But enough of me, here's Stacey:

If you read my blog regularly and have a good memory, you might remember that I have been studying the book of Philippians for the past few months. I wrote a post about it back in February when I first started attending the Bible study, and I can't believe that 16 weeks have gone by! In the original post ("Perspective"), I wrote about how much I was looking forward to studying a book about "how to have joy no matter what." Now, as I near the end of the study, I want to write about something I learned this week.

While studying the last chapter of Philippians, I took a long look at Phil. 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." These are powerful verses, and I've been trying to soak them in. I know that I believe them, but how do I live it? How do I overcome my anxiety and truly live in peace?

One of the things that is so hard about the struggle with infertility and miscarriage is that it feels way too big for me. It is so far beyond anything I know how to handle. I'm not suggesting that it's the hardest thing in the whole world by any means, but being pregnant six times and not being able to do anything to help those babies grow and thrive is incredibly hard. Watching each one slip away has been devastating for us. After almost eleven years of marriage, we still have no children to hold in our arms and fill up our home. Even now we are in a season of waiting, and we have no idea how long it will last. All of these facts are hard to ignore. I wake up every morning painfully aware of them. I don't have a definite medical reason why this is happening. Although my doctors have identified and even corrected some problems over the years, we have no guarantee that I will ever deliver a baby. Sometimes I let the future scare me. Many times I let my circumstances rob me of my joy.

A few things clicked for me today as the Bible study led me to 2 Chronicles 20. I hope you'll read the whole chapter, but here's a recap:

Jehoshaphat (king of Judah) is warned of an impending attack. He immediately decides to inquire of the Lord. All of the people of Judah gather to seek the Lord's help, and Jehoshaphat leads them in prayer. For me, the highlight of this king's prayer is in 2 Chron. 20:12: "We have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." Okay, now this I understand! Although I don't have a vast army threatening my life today, I do feel utterly powerless against my foe. I have no idea what to do other than keep my eyes on the Lord.

When we read further, we learn that God spoke through one of the men in the assembly. Here is what is recorded in verses 15 and 17: "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm and see the the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'"

The people of Judah not only obeyed God; they sang and praised Him BEFORE they knew the outcome. Of course, God came through on His promise and the people rejoiced. In verse 30, we find Jehoshaphat's kingdom at peace because "God had given him rest on every side."

As I studied today it became clear what in the world these verses have to do with the fourth chapter of Philippians. What was the result of the people's obedience?

1. They rejoiced in what the Lord had done.
2. They recognized God's power and strength.
3. They rested in His peace.

Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I don't know what to do as my battle with infertility continues. The people of Judah were told to take up their positions and to stand firm. Yes, I have a part to play that is not entirely passive, but ultimately the result is out of my hands, and I'm okay with that as long as the battle is God's. I want to keep my eyes on Him, rest in His peace, and rejoice no matter what the outcome will be.

*All verses are quoted from the NIV. If you want to know more about this Bible study, click here: Precept Ministries

If you would like to read more from Stacey (and you really should - she's awesome), visit her at Stacey's Thoughts of Infertility.

Okay, so here's the deal...

I've been praying for God to give my life more balance, that I use my gifts for good, not for evil...

But God, in His infinite Wisdom, does not dole out answers to prayers like some kind of holy gumball machine. Pray for patience, He will put situations in your life to teach you patience. Pray for integrity, He will put you in a position where the right choice isn't necessarily the first choice. He's pretty all powerful and omnipotent like that.

So, when I prayed for balance, He opened the floodgates. I haven't had a paying painting gig in 2 months. In the past 2 weeks, I've had 5 calls from old clients and a call from a decorator that wants to keep me working for the rest of my natural born life. God said, "Go find your balance."

I enjoy blogging more than I ever thought I would. I have met some of the most amazing, hilarious, inspiring, talented, God honoring people: pastors, writers, stay at home moms and daughters, college students, working men and women. It takes up time from my day, but time that, while can be a distraction, can also be an incredible blessing. All things in moderation.

Because I will be away from my computer quite a bit for the foreseeable future, I have asked Billy Coffey to be a regular guest blogger on HLAC. A request that he has graciously accepted. (Excuse me while I do a back flip - um...ouch!) I have also asked some of my blogger buddies to fill in on a rotating basis. If you enjoy this blog, I promise you, you will enjoy reading their work as well.

Beginning next week, Monday's posts will be written by Billy Coffey. In addition, on Wednesdays, I will introduce some of you to some of my favorite bloggers who will fill that spot for me. I will continue to be annoying and ridiculous the remaining days, save Sunday, where I will hopefully post something that honors God and refocuses this blogger on why I am here in the first place.

Thank you for your faithfulness to this blog. I think this is going to be awesomatasic!

The One Thing

I get pretty wrapped up in the world. There's so many distractions - like the internet (ahem). Then I go over to my buddy Jason's blog and watch this Francis Chan sermon about how it is easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven; about how often that scripture has been explained away by one theory or another. But do you know what I think that scripture really means? I agree with Francis Chan's interpretation: I think it means that it is easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to get into heaven! I don't cling to money, but that doesn't mean that there are not any number of things that get in the way of simply being in awe of God. Stupid, ridiculous, small things that, when compared to the Creator of the Universe, the God who knit me together in my mother's womb, that knows the number of hairs on my head, are simply laughable. Seriously people. Go watch that video. If you can't do it now, go back and watch it later.

Jeff made the following video when he was the Creative Arts pastor at our old church. I have included the lyrics, all of which aren't on the video, but I think they speak volumes. What do you think?



The One Thing
Restless tonight
Cause I wasted the light
Between both these times
I drew a really thin line
It’s nothing I planned
And not that I can
But you should be mine
Across that line

If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something

I promise I might
Not walk on by
Maybe next time
But not this time

Even though I know
I don’t want to know
Yeah I guess I know
I just hate how it sounds
If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something
If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn’t that be something

Revelation 3:14-22 14
"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."



EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking of stupid and ridiculous, Twitter update tomorrow!

Follow Me! (or not - no big whoop)

If you're not following me on Twitter, you're missing out on some real teachable moments for you and your children (and possibly your dog - I seem to have a large dog following). If I am following you on Twitter, may I please suggest to you that there are a few things that I could happily live the rest of my life not knowing about you via twitter?:

- that you need to pee
- whether or not you washed your hands after you went pee
- that they put the wrong kind of pickles on your Chic fil A sandwich (Sorry, Erin - too good to pass up.)
- that you can tweet 74 bible verses in a row via twitter
- that your dog just peed on the floor (actually, that was rather amusing)
- that my dog is plotting against me
- that you got a really crappy parking spot at the mall
- that you cleaned your barn with a leaf blower
- that you're back from Wal*Mart (unless you're Steph. Then I'm all up in that.)
- that you are now following me and 20,000 of your closest friends via twitter*

*A notable exception to this rule is if you are @kickbuttcoffee and you tweet the following message: "We triple filter our water and then Chuck Norris grinds the beans with his teeth and boils the water with his own rage." (Because that's pretty much awesome.)

And here's some frigintastic advice you've been missing out on because you're not following me on Twitter:

@brian_russell: Yar! I keep forgettin' where I be s'posed ta click on this here Facebook fer Pirates!

@katdish: You know, @br8kthru used the twitter pirate function until I threatened to punch him in the kidneys.

@myapronstrings: I love how solicitors come to your door and when you say "Im not interested" they say "But I'm not selling anything" Oh. Really? My mistake.

@katdish: I used to have the same problem. Then I started keeping a battery operated chainsaw and a bottle of ketchup by the door.

@churchpunk: how in the crap do we lose a whole computer?

@katdish: One word: NINJAS.

And some random bits of wisdom:

I think Joe Biden was the inspiration for the main character of all those Naked Gun movies.

@marni71 - good point. did you know that the uterus is also a highly specialized homing device to find car keys and lost homework?

@marni71 -it should be by seniority - chidrens pastors pray for salad, youth pastor pray for coffee & tea service, senior for the meal.

@Brian_Russell - I have assembled a team of ninjas that have assured me it can be taken down, but yes - I believe there is.

@puriChristos - Can you ever REALLY get past the monkey butt? The genie is out of the bottle. It cannot be undone.

@nickcarnes - have you ever seen the warning label on the weight loss pill Ally? "May cause anal seepage". Um, thanks. I'll pass.

@mabeswife - I prefer barf, but yeah...

@erinbeekeeper - Oh, I'm not worried. Texas will never fall into the ocean. Why? Because Oklahoma sucks.

@purichristos - try not to say monkey butt in your meeting.

@whataboutbobdog - Say an extra prayer for your mom's ungrateful heart, would ya?

@candysteele - Mike Rowe nekkid

@PuriChristos - Oh, excuse me, Mr. Monkey butt

@CandySteele, @redclaydiaries, @PuriChristos - Stop all this blaspheming! (Oh, wait - need to save that one for Sherri's email.)

@purichristos - we really should have a dictionary for FOTTSP. Maybe use monkey butt as some sort of magic portal to definitions.

@CandySteele - Oh, you're right! It's raining pork and beans outside!

@weightwhat - It's a virtual rainbow of monkey butts. Sort of like a skittles rainbow, only disgusting.

Dear Fed Gov: If you want people not to panic about the swine flu, stop holding round the clock news conf. telling people not to panic

FINALLY! Stupid news conference is over. Now I can watch Shepard Smith - who is dreamy...

If the only qualifications you need to be a press secretary is the ability to say um and I don't know, I think I might apply.

@mabeswife - he's not glittery, he's sparkly! Stupid people!

And here's three awesomatastic blog posts I tweeted this week:

A Bunch of Swingers (from Very Much Later)

A brief snippet from Jake's post:

People aren't great at balance, we have such a nasty tendency toward extremism. It's just tons easier to be all or nothing, black or white. Less thought and effort goes into being extreme than being balanced. That's where this whole back and forth motion of theology comes from. We just don't like to think, and apparently don't read the Bible enough to understand that balance, my friends, is a key to following Jesus and living life a little more like He'd have us do it.

This is why I pink fuzzy heart Helen: Security! Security!

And finally, a parenting blog post inspired by an inordinate number of monkey anatomy related tweets:
What not to call the Hoo-Ha

So, there you go. This is what you've been missing Prodigal Jon.

Eight is Enough

So...I pretty much got nothing. Plus, I'm still reeling from the fact that my first guest blogger is more popular than me ON MY OWN BLOG. How suck is that? (Just kidding - that's awesome.) Maybe I should spend more time carefully weaving a story that is humorous, engaging and thought provoking...Oooo! Shiny vampire!

I suppose I could write about the weather: It rained. A bunch. Rednecks swam in flood waters. For fun. There was no school. There better be school today. The end.

And now...I'm going to punt. A few members of the Magnificent Infinity posted "8 Things" posts, so I'm going with that. We used to be the Magnificent 7, but we're a friendly bunch, and people dig us (especially Annie K). I'm changing mine up a bit because I like to be different, and they're not the boss of me. Here ya go:

8 Things I MAY OR MAY NOT have done Yesterday:
1. Made red beans and rice for lunch.
2. Shot a man just to watch him die.
3. Sent Donald Miller* a tweet with the word frigintastic and got a response to said tweet.
4. Threatened to kick my kids out in the rain if they messed up my clean house.
5. Got rave reviews from Simon Cowell after singing "Jenny" on American Idol for Wii.
6. Alphabetized my spice rack.
7. Took an extra dose of Ginkgo Biloba for good measure.
8. Booked 2 appointments with potential new clients for next week.

*yeah, "Blue Like Jazz" Donald Miller.

8 Shows I MAY OR MAY NOT Watch
1. Best Show in the History of Television (also known as The Deadliest Catch)
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. CSI Miami
4. CSI NY
5. CSI Las Vegas
6. Dirtiest Jobs
7. Myth Busters
8. The Office

8 Things I Wish I Could Do (or might actually be able to do):
1. Paint with either hand.
2. Juggle.
3. Write song parodies a-la Weird Al Yankovitz.
4. Recite the preamble to the Constitution.
5. Play the harmonica.
6. Roller Skate backwards.
7. Make awesome chicken enchiladas.
8. Sing "American Pie" in its entirety (the long version)by memory.

8 Things I MAY OR MAY NOT be Looking Forward To:
1. Meeting some of my bloggity gal pals this summer.
2. Tomorrow.
3. Redoing my guest bathroom.
4. Old age.
5. Catching up on a season's worth of American Idol on Tivo.
6. Going to my husband's high school reunion.
7. Going to Japan with my mom someday soon.
8. The premiere of the movie "New Moon".

Just to make this interesting and to lure you lurker types out of shadows, I am offering a frigintastic prize to the person who can come up with the most correct true or false answers to the aforementioned statements. In the event of a tie, I have more than one of these quality pieces of yard art:


These are not the actual birds in my possession, but seriously - close enough! I didn't feel like taking a picture, downloading it to my computer, etc. Besides, mine are hermetically sealed in the original packaging. Sa-weet! This is a friendly competition and all results are final. Please - no wagering.

The winner will be announced on tomorrow's post.

Bonus Question: I MAY OR MAY NOT have given out the following phone number on one or 30 occasions "back in the day":

It's all a Matter of Emphasis

One of the great things about being completely random is that I never feel the need to write something thought provoking and/or deep. I may do that accidentally sometimes, but - you know - no pressure. I'm not, after all, a writer. I'm a silly person who writes a blog that, for reasons unbeknownst to me, people read on a regular basis. I do have a theory, however. Not to brag or anything, but I think I have the uncanny ability to find really good writers in the blogosphere. And don't try to deny it, because some of you people follow me everywhere! Hey Look a Chicken has become some sort of bloggity portal through which many people find much awesomeness. (You're welcome.)

Oh, and check this out! The last time I wrote a post about a really good blog, the writer's name was Koffijah. This time, his name is Billy Coffey. I really like coffee. I really like Koffijah and Billy Coffey. Did anyone else just get a little chill down their spine? No? Okay, whatever...



I suppose I could just give you a link to Billy's blog, but he was kind enough to allow me to post a story here. Besides, I think after you read it, you will be a fan of What I Learned Today just like me. And while you're over there, please disregard my stupid random comments sprinkled among the unabashed declarations of adoration for his writing. I just like to mix things up a little. Enough of me, here's one of Billy's recent posts:

Please Take One

The toy store downtown is one of those mom-and-pop deals that you can get lost in, the sort of place where you can find things that Toys R Us would never think of stocking. Good things. Great things. Things that really, really make me wish I were a kid again. Which makes shopping there both a pleasure and a curse. A pleasure because there is so much I’d like to get my kids for two weeks of chores well done. A curse because I can’t make up my mind what to get them.

So, there on a Wednesday during lunch, I wander. And in my wandering I happen to spot a Longaberger basket sitting atop a wooden display of toy soldiers (Toy soldiers, I think to myself. My son would love some toy soldiers).

In the basket is a pile of those long, thick pretzel sticks. The sign above them says PLEASE TAKE ONE.

Given the fact that it’s lunchtime and I’m hungry, that’s exactly what I do. I take one and munch while I walk. Through the Legos, the building blocks, the books, the dolls. Through the Tonka trucks and coloring books and Play Doh.

And I am back to where I started. At the basket of pretzels.

Still unsure of what to buy and still hungry, I decide to restock and take another trip around the store. I reach into the basket for another pretzel. And as I bite it, I see something out of the corner of my eye.

Standing beside the stuffed animals about four feet away is a little boy. Sixish, not much older than my son, and staring. At me. He holds out one fist and raises his index finger.

One, it says.

I wrinkle my eyebrows, unsure of what his attempt at sign language means.

One, again.

“What?” I ask him (which actually came out as “Wamp?” because I hadn’t swallowed yet).

“You took two pretzels,” he says.

“So?”

“You’re only ‘posed to take one.”

“Who are you” I ask, “the pretzel police?”

“It’s what the sign says,” he states, now using his index finger to point. “Mama said the sign says ‘Please take one.”

I look at the sign, then back to him. “No,” I answer, “the sign says ‘Please take one.’ There’s a difference. It’s all a matter of emphasis.”

“What’s empkasis?”

“Never mind,” I say.

“You shouldn’t have taken that pretzel. Mama says God watches us.”

My mind takes a sudden detour to those old Disney movies, where the older, bigger kid was always accompanied by Jiminy Cricket, Mr. Disney’s version of a conscience. I’m starting to think this kid is my Jiminy Cricket. Or maybe just aggravating. I haven’t made up my mind yet.

“Your mama’s right,” I answer, wondering where in the world his mama was. “But since God knows the sign says ‘Please take one,’ I think I’m in the clear.”

“Please. Take. One,” he corrects.

There we stand in the middle of the store, staring down one another like two gunslingers in a Western wondering who would draw first.

PLEASE TAKE ONE. An invitation to me, a rule for him. Which was right? I’m not as sure as I was a few minutes ago.

How do we decide who is right and who is wrong? Easy.

Go ask the owner of the store.

“Excuse me,” I say to the nice lady behind the counter. “I was wondering if you could shed a little light on a problem this youngin’ and I are having.”

She perks up and joins us, happy to have something to do.

“We were wondering about this sign here,” I say. “Is it please take one, or please take one?”

The owner gives us both a strange look. “Well, I’m not sure. No one’s ever asked.”

“It’s preyin’ on our minds, ma’am,” the boy says.

“Preyin’,” I add.

“If you’d like a pretzel,” she says, “please take one. If you’d like another, you can take one, too.”

Excellent.

“Can I have a pretzel?” the boy asks.

Situation resolved, the three of us part ways. Him to his mother, who had been preoccupied with the books, the owner back to the register, and me to finish my shopping.

Funny, I think, how three words led us this far. But I am sure of this: if two people can disagree over something as simple as pretzels, it’s no wonder why we disagree over the important things even more—politics and God, right and wrong, war and peace.

Who’s to know which is right and which is wrong? Or even if there really is a right and wrong? How do we settle our differences, put away our prejudices, and find the truth?

Maybe, I thought, we should all do what that little boy and I ended up doing.

Maybe we should all go the Owner of the store and see what He says.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Oh sure, it's no top ten shiny vampire list. But still, very good.)

P. S. - Billy, In your email, you mentioned that you didn't remember how you found your way over to my blog. I'm pretty sure it was the first comment I made on your post, The Fruit Salad. Here's what I said (in part):
"Your grandmother was a very wise woman, indeed. And you dropped the "f" bomb on her? Jerk!"

You left a comment here before mine was even posted.

P. S. S. - If you have a comment for Billy, please feel free to post it here. I'll try to keep my big mouth shut. (No promises, though.)

Everyday People

So, it seems that the Esteemed Reverend Hogan is hassling me for reposting some of my older posts. So instead of doing another "best of HLAC"(?), I have decided to link Jeff's newest post, Everyday. Which surprisingly, has absolutely nothing to do with Sly and the Family Stone. But you gotta admit, Jeff's picture on the sidebar of my blog bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Family Stone.

If you happen to be new to HLAC, please feel free to express to Jeff how much you are enjoying reading some of my older posts. He will probably dig that.

P.S. - That's some pretty stellar camera work in that video, huh?

P. P. S. - "And so on, and so on, and Scooby Doobie Doobie! Ahhhh! Sha Sha!" They just don't write 'em like that anymore do they?

Look ya'll, I'm pseudo famous!

Peter P. at Rediscovering the Church interviewed me on his blog! I'm pretty sure he's talking to Francis Chan next week, or was it Charlie Chan? I forget...

Anyhoo, check it out here: Interview with Katdish
Will the accolades never end? (She types as the readers of Hey look a chicken collectively roll their eyes and slowly shake their heads.)

By the way Peter - you could have told me that you were posting this interview today! I might have tidied up around here a bit. Okay, probably not...never mind.

Blogroll Shout-Out

"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth." -John F. Kennedy

"If you see in any given situation only what everybody else can see, you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture that you are a victim of it." -S. I. Hayakawa

So, I was commenting on my buddy Jason's blog the other day that my blog roll is pretty diverse, and that with a few exceptions, many of the blogs I frequent, based upon the number of comments received, are not exactly burning up the site hit counters. The thing is, I actually like that. Not that I don't want people to read their blogs, I just like feeling like I've stumbled upon something really special that hasn't been ruined by a bunch of lemmings following each other over a cliff. (I don't even know if that comment made sense, but I'm going with it.)

One of my favorite blogs is The Wide World of Timbo. Like most of the blogs I frequent, I found this one via Stuff Christians Like. Unlike most of the commenters on SCL, he uses the Name/URL function when leaving a comment. I actually had to track him down. On my first attempt, I googled "The Wide World of Jimbo", which is something completely different...

Anyhoo, one of my all-time favorite SCL posts is WOTAM, baby, straight up WOTAM. (Christian Text Abbreviations). The post was great. Here's a sample of one of Jon's updated text abbreviations:

9. OTTOMH
Original Meaning = Off The Top Of My Head
Christian Meaning = One Time This Orangutan Mauled Hank
Usage: OK, this one is kind of a niche phrase. I admit, you won't get to use it often. But if you ever go on a mission trip or a retreat or simply have an orangutan outreach program during church service and one of those orangutans mauls someone and that someone happens to be named Hank, you are going to be so happy that you read this post and can immediately text all your friends, "OTTOMH! OTTOMH!"

While the post itself was hilarious, the comments were some of the funniest I've ever read. Most of them were simply adding more ridiculously funny text abbreviations. Until you get to Comment No. 52 from Tim M. which says: "Hi. I’m new to this blog. I got here by googling “orangutan mauled Hank” to see if there's any update on my cousin Hank after his horrible accident."

Can I prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this is the same Tim on my blog roll? No. But I'm assuming it is, because that is classic Timbo.

Tim wrote a post entitled "Star Trek" the other day. I immediately clicked over to his blog because I like to make fun of Star Trek and Star Trek fans. Here's the comment I left: "Where do you come up with this stuff? I want more bear/cat/bear/monkey visionary stuff! Who cares about Star Trek?" (There's an entire back story to the bear/cat/monkey comment, but I'll let you figure that one out for yourselves.) So, here's what Tim posted in response to my comment: I listened, and heard. That guy cracks me up!

Will I be doing more blog roll shout outs? Probably - but don't hold me to it. You're not the boss of me!

Keeping Austin weird, one visit at a time.

There are many reasons I love Austin. First and foremost being, it is in Texas. I was born in Virginia, but as the saying goes, "I got to Texas as fast as I could." This attitude may seem obnoxious to many - especially people from Oklahoma - but speaking for me personally, it is not meant to be. It's one thing to visit here. You can come and go, then move on with your life. But there's something about living in Texas that grabs onto your heart and never lets go. Can I get a witness? But back to Austin. How could I not love a place whose slogan is "Keep Austin Weird"? Here's a brief explanation from the crack research team at Wikipedia:

Keep Austin Weird is the slogan adopted by the Austin Independent Business Alliance to promote small businesses in Austin, Texas. The phrase arose from an offhand remark by Red Wassenich (a librarian at Austin Community College) in a phone call to a local radio station. He and his wife, Karen Pavelka, placed the slogan on bumper stickers, distributing them free to businesses in Austin.

One interpretation of the slogan is as a reference to the many small businesses in Austin, which give the city its unique cultural identity.

The “Keep Austin Weird” slogan reaches far beyond a marketing campaign, however. Austin reflects a culture of artistic and individual expression that maintains the city as a vibrant and eclectic creative center. In a mostly conservative Texas, Austin is “Weird” because it continues to be progressive in the arts and music. “Keep Austin Weird”, moves beyond a mere slogan, to reflect the dynamics that encompass Austin.

For example, in January 2009 alone over 1700 live music venues were supported. Few cities in the world could boast such a broad spectrum of tastes. In addition, multiple festivals such SXSW, Austin City Limits, Armadillo Bazaar and the Batfest, among many others are highly attended with far reaching audiences.

Austin is just cool. Having said that, I'm glad to be home: Land of superior Internet connections. It seems everywhere I went in Austin, I saw reminders of home. For instance, I saw a sign that reflected my sister's Native American name:

I even saw signs that reminded me of my Internet peeps. The kids and I ate lunch right next to this place:

which obviously reminded me of Tony C at Tony C Today. Incidentally, if you've never checked out his blog, he's got what I consider to be the most awesome header bar in the blogosphere. That alone is worth the visit, but I digress...Right across the street, I saw a store the reminded me of my friend Sherri at Matter of Fact:

(Y'all, she don't spell so good...)

And since my friend Helen over at Random Musings just got a new bed, this sign made me think of her:

Here's a store that reminded me of Steph at the Red Clay Diaries, Beth at That's Not Me Anymore, Annie at Buzz by Annie's, Nick the Geek at My Experiences as a Youth Pastor, and Jake at Very Much Later:



(Okay, Jake - I realize that Boise isn't exactly backwoods, but I didn't see a baked potato place.)

Right next to "Backwoods" was a store that reminded me of Mare at It Might Be Hope and Koffijah at Koffihouse:


Hey, fellow smartypants contributors, check this out:

(How cool is THAT?)

Yes, reminders were all around me. Even on the drive home, the signs were everywhere. Here's one that made me think of my new bloggy buddy Mandy Thompson:



As I entered the final stretch, literally minutes from home, I saw a sign that reminded me of Kathy at This Crazy Adventure I call Life:

Did I spend entirely too much time snapping pictures and generally annoying my children on this trip?

But that's just one more thing that makes me so very annoying/endearing!

Who's your neighbor?

I have set out to write this post on several occasions, but I always get distracted. I don't know why...

But my friend Stacy from Louisville (I mostly just call her Stacy, cuz we're Facebook BFFs and all) wrote a really great post about community that reminded me about writing this particular post. When I started blogging, It was mostly just a way to write really long comments about what I thought about stuff, thereby saving space on other blogs in the comments section. (That's worked out pretty well, don't you think?) But it has become so much more than that. I have met so many great people through blogging that I can honestly say I consider my friends. I've even had the great pleasure of meeting some of them face to face, and am looking forward to meeting a few more. A few of my bloggity gal pals were discussing/wondering if we would have ever become friends if we had all met in the "real" world. I would really like to believe that we would, but I think the odds are against it. The blogs I follow are pretty diverse, as are the people who write them, but there is something that caught my attention, some kinship, about each and every one of them. My reading them was not random, it was intentional.

So....In the interest of being completely random, I'm challenging you to meet your blog neighbor! You can do this every day, and your neighbor will be different every time. If you have a blogger account, go to the top of your blog and click on "Next Blog". There's your neighbor! (You are allowed to skip the blog if it is in another language or just a little too freaky-deeky for your taste. That has been the case on several occasions for me.) But this time, my neighbor was Tanya at Trixi's Stretching. No, she's not a Pilate's instructor. She's a photographer and all around creative person. She also lives in Texas, like me. Considering all the blogs in locations all over the world, what are the odds of that? I left her a comment telling her that I was her neighbor and what I hope was an encouraging comment about the post I landed on. She's a great photographer, btw. You should go check out her blog. I haven't heard back from her, but her friend RRamone entered my Super Skanktacular Saturday Giveaway. He also made me laugh out loud. That dude's a riot, and also an artist - Kewl.

So, there you have it. Are you going to stay inside your little circle of friends? Or are you going to go meet your neighbor? Inquiring minds want to know...

I've reached my limit this week

Okay, ya'll. I think I'm at my self imposed limit of ridiculous posts for the week. However, I have no such limitations over at The Fellowship of the Traveling Smartypants. Here's a sample of what's over there:



If you've never visited the smartypants blog, well, hmm....I'm not sure what to tell you. Imagine a blog with a bunch of contributors who would hang out with me. Scary, I know...

The ABC's of crap in my purse

Disclaimer: Yes, that is a pricey Fossil purse with paint on it. But in my defense, it was a gift from my sister. She feels sorry for me because I have chosen to live a life devoid of overpriced accessories, so she buys me expensive purses, Pandora bracelets with coordinating overpriced beads to go with, and other fancy stuff for Christmas and birthdays. I had no idea how much that purse costs until I went to get one without paint on it. After pricing them, I decided my purse had character. I bet no one else in town has a chocolate brown Fossil Sutter Crossbody flap bag (don't think I didn't have to do a Google image search to figure out what kind of purse it is) with off-white trim paint strategically dabbed on the credit card zipper pouch. Katdish: trendsetter (CHECK!)

I'm really liking Twitter. There. I said it. (How's that for a segue, huh?) Now, I'll also say this: my friend Steph at the Red Clay Diaries was right. Yeah, Steph. You guilted me into it, but I'm glad I came around. It's really opened up a whole new world of Internet peeps for me, and as you all know, I don't spend nearly enough time on the computer. For example, this chick named
Mandy Thompson started following me. So I go check out her twitter page and her blog. Turns out, she's just like me, except that she's an incredibly gifted musician and is cool. She thinks I'm cool, too. But let's not let that cat out of the bag just yet. She'll figure out what a dork I am sooner or later.

Anyway, Mandy recently wrote a post dedicated to stuff in her purse. It looked really professional with corresponding letters to the stuff all nicely laid out. There was a purpose for everything she had in there. Contrast that to Steph's post awhile back about stuff in her purse. Which is waaayyyy closer to what is in my purse. As it should be, as we are the same person, just in the alternate universes of Texas and Georgia. But I digress...

I really liked the way Mandy lettered the items. So, in attempt to copy her (cuz she's cool), I attempted to do the same with the items in my purse. You would think that someone who actually paints murals and custom artwork as a trade would be able to use the paintbrush function on her computer. And you would be wrong. Painting with a mouse is nothing like painting with a paintbrush. I pretty much suck at it. But still, it took me a long time to designate letters to items from my purse in no particular order, so I'm going with it. Ladies and gentlemen, the ABC's of crap in my purse:


A) Rudy the cat. He is not now, nor has he ever been in my purse.
B) My second Blackberry. I upgraded from my first Blackberry when my dh decided he needed an iPhone. Some people never get a brand new car. I never get a brand new PDA. (Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I dig it.)
C) My business cards, "Ragamuffin Child Interiors" I realize the "child" part is redundant, as the definition of a ragamuffin is "a shabbily dressed child". But would you hire a painter whose company name is "A shabbily dressed child Interiors"? Me thinks not.
D) Large stack of random receipts. I think it's important to keep receipts. Why? Because my husband says so.
E) Pens that I can never find, but have obviously always been in there.
F) Giveaway mirror from my old church.
G) Oil blotting sheets. People, I am very shiny! Those paper toilet seat liners are also great for blotting the excess oil from your face, but by using the little blue sheets you will draw way less attention to yourself in the ladies room. (You're just gonna have to trust me on this one.)
H) Orbit gum - I tease Pete Wilson about chewing gum during interviews, but I'm a fairly prolific gum chewer myself. (Don't tell him I said that.)
I) Eye wetting drops from when I had lasik surgery a year ago. Hey, you never know.
J) Broken pieces from a cheap tic tac toe game that my daughter asked me to hold for her last month.
K) No-slip ponytail holder. I swear by those, especially if you have thick hair.
L) Leftover nail glue and orange stick that I used to apply Lee press-on nails to my ugly man-hands whist attending Catalyst One Day in Alpharetta, GA.
M) Several tubes of lipstick that I almost never wear. Also, one of them is a highlighter.
N) A Speert purse hook. You set the square part down on the edge of a table, and then you can hook your purse on it. Another fancy gift from my sympathetic sister. I've used it once: the day she gave it to me at lunch.
O) Bed, Bath & Beyond and Linens n' Things 20% coupons. You never know when you'll need to buy someone a Snuggie. (I know LNT is out of business - I threw it away.)
P) A bulletin from a church where we guest-led worship a couple of Sundays ago. (Okay, it was mid-January. Are you beginning to see a trend here?)
Q) Business account checkbook.
R) A bag of gourmet coffee that they were giving out at Catalyst One Day.
S) A bag of airline pretzels.
T) A foil pack of Gas-X. (I know, I know -- TMI.)
U) A copy of "Making your Mark: How to leave long, annoying comments on other People's Blogs" by Wordy McTypesalot. You never know when someone's going to ask you for your autograph. It hasn't actually happened yet, but I'm ready!
V) Wallet by "The Sack". I love that wallet, but I don't keep any credit cards or ID in there. It's basically a fancy junk drawer for my purse. I'm pretty sure Waldo's in there.
W) Credit card zipper pouch where I actually keep my credit cards and ID. Incidentally, I almost never use credit cards. I should take most of those out of there and put them in my wallet.
X) Huh....apparently, there is no "X". But I'm not redoing that picture! (Man, I hope Angela doesn't read this. That will drive her nuts! I swear, Angela; I did not do that on purpose this time.)
Y) Tres muchos denaro. (Dang. I'm practically bilingual!)
Z) Correct change for nothing in particular.

I suppose my purse (and the center console in my Jeep) are very much like this:



To my guy readers. Sorry. I hope you didn't get any girl cooties while reading this post. I'll try to write a post with some fart humor and/or gratuitous violence to make up for this one.


Wow. That was a really long post about the contents of my purse. I'm actually kind of embarrassed. But not embarrassed enough not to publish it. (Hit "publish post".)

Off the Blogs

Why yes, I AM very shiny!
Thanks for noticing.



6:00 pm (ish): Meet my new driver friend (whose name I still can't pronounce) in front of my hotel. Call Steph to get the address for Buckhead Christian Church. Driver enters info into his GPS, which apparently works way better than Google maps, because Google maps sure didn't help Steph get to Buckhead very well.

6:30 pm: Arrive at Buckhead.

So, I don't really get Atlanta. Buckhead is not downtown Atlanta, but it sure feels like it should be downtown. I suppose it's like Houston in a way, in that we have lots of places that have tall buildings. But in Houston, the only place that really "feels" like downtown to me is downtown Houston. But I digress...

I suppose I should have mentioned on my previous post that I spent a fair amount of time at North Point shoving a paper doll in the hands of random people and then asking them to pose for a picture. If you attended Catalyst One Day, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Oh yeah...I remember her now. Boy, was that chick annoying!" Thanks. It's a gift, really. Anyhoo, when I arrived at Buckhead Church, I continued to take pictures of people posing with Zeke. I also met a couple of people who also have blogs, and it's cool to put a face with a name, like Ben Arment and Nick Carnes. I was early, and basically sat around waiting for Steph. I also had the opportunity to meet Jon Acuff's mother-in-law and his wife Jenny (who is stunning, btw). I did not get a chance to meet Jon's dad, but boy, do they look alike!

It was starting to get crowded, and the band was rehearsing so no one was allowed in yet. Pete Wilson was nice enough to put Steph's giant booty (bag) between 2 seats in the front row, thereby saving our seats. I enjoy asking popular pastors from large churches to do little errands for me. It's just one more thing that makes me so very endearing. Not unlike when I asked Brad Lomenick, who is the Executive Director of Catalyst to pose for a picture with Zeke. When he asked me what it was for, I said, "Don't worry about that, just pose for the picture already!" Yeah. People dig me. Oh, where was I? Oh, yeah. They start letting people in. Steph is no longer lost, but now cannot find a parking space. Which is weird, because they have at LEAST 10 parking spaces designated for an event that has about 150 attendees. Go figure.

Steph finally arrives. We exchange hugs and settle into our seats. Pete Wilson introduces Aaron Keyes and friends, then we are lead in some praise and worship songs. I am lamenting the fact that Aaron Keyes has better hair than me, and wondering if he uses a flat iron or does he just have a really good stylist. He is also a big fan of the book of Psalms, which is cool, cuz me too. He also quotes a scripture about breast feeding and mentions that he has 4 kids and his wife is breastfeeding. Now I'm thinking, "Okay, let's move on." At one point during all of this, Steph accuses me of interfering with the Holy Spirit just because I suggested that she randomly shout out, "JESUS!" during this time. She was definitely interfering with my spiritual gift of sarcasm. But I've prayed about it, and I've forgiven her ungrateful heart. There is barely enough room on the front row to hold Steph, me, and our combined sarcasm.

Pete Wilson gets back up, introduces Ann Jackson, Carlos Whittaker and Jon Acuff, during which time the three of them are awkwardly trying to set up 4 stools on a very small stage. Jon is sitting on the end with his stool butting up to a mic stand. Rather than moving the mic stand off the stage, he settles for sitting VERY CLOSE to Carlos Whittaker. I thought I was the only one who notices this, but clearly, this does not escape Jon's attention. Which is just one more reason why that guy cracks me up.

Ann, Carlos and Jon proceed to "Go First". What this means is that they shared some very personal, potentially embarrassing situations that they have struggled with in their lives. (Did I mention that Jon's parents and in-laws were sitting in the audience?) When they finish speaking, Pete asks them a couple of questions and then opens it up to the audience. So how many people do you think raised their hand? Yes. You are correct. Approximately none. Well, I'm chock full-o-questions, and fear of making a fool of myself has never really been a big deterrent for me in the past. So, after three famous bloggers bare their souls to a crowd of strangers, I ask the following questions to Pete Wilson courtesy of my friend Helen of Random Musings:

What makes a blog comment worthy to you?
How many blogs do you check out per day?
What have I got that Helen hasn't got?
Why do you never comment on her blog?
Why do you make your wife freeze by keeping the thermostat too low?
Buy her a snuggie already!
If you and Jon Acuff had a fight with fists tied behind your backs, who would win?

After the third question, there was an audible hush in the room, as if to say, "Who in the hail is this person, and why is she asking those stupid questions?" But at that point, I was committed. I'm pretty sure Steph is slouching down in her seat in an attempt to become invisible - which totally didn't work. Pete very kindly saves the moment by saying, "In the interest of time, I'm only going to answer one of those questions." He answered the blog comment one, saying that if a comment seems to come from the heart, he often felt compelled to answer it. Of all the people sitting on the stage, Carlos Whittaker is the only one who has absolutely no idea who I am. I've never commented on Ann's blog, but she works for Pete, so she sort of knows who I am. I think his mouth was literally hanging open during that exchange.

After I broke the ice. Well...after I smashed through the ice with a high powered sledgehammer, a couple more folks asked questions. Here's one that I thought was kinda special: "What goes through your head right before you throw up?" Now, see...for me, that would be, "Gross. I'm about to throw up." But whatever...

The evening was not what I expected, but it was very cool. I was able to talk briefly with Carlos Whittaker and Jenny Acuff who were both very gracious. I also gave Carlos Whittaker a copy of a CD made when I was at another church and an autographed copy of a little book called "Making Your Mark: How to leave long, annoying comments on other people's blogs" by Wordy McTypealot personally autographed by yours truly. So, I'm pretty sure I made his month, if not his entire year.

Steph and I walked approximately 42 miles back to where she had parked. We then proceeded back to Alpharetta and back to my luxurious suite at the Comfort Inn where, instead of interfacing over the Internet, we were able to really get to know each other...NOT! We both had our laptops and were commenting on The Fellowship of the Traveling Smartypants blog, which is more of a geeky chat room than it is a blog.

Also, I had Cheetos for dinner.

I will now open up the floor for questions. Anyone? Anyone?

Tangent, anyone?

Oooooh, Shiny!

Friday, February 27, 2009

10:17 am – Back on a plane (CO Seat 9F, in case you’re wondering) bound for Houston. The giant bag of Skittles from WDAFRAB was indeed a sign. I am exhausted and ready to see my husband and kids again, but I’ve just experienced all kinds of awesomeness over the past two days.

I couldn’t possibly cover everything in one blog post. Well, I suppose I could, but it would be more like a novella than a blog post, and I don’t want to steal my pastor’s blog M.O. And speaking of pastor’s blogs, here’s a little tidbit of moderately interesting information: When I started reading Jeff’s Convergence244 blog, I didn’t even know what a blog was. I thought that maybe there were a few people out there that had blogs, but surely not anything I would be interested in reading. The only notable exception to this was another blog called Convergence that had a very similar URL address. Why was it so interesting, pray tell? Because the other convergence blog was A) also called Convergence (which is me restating what I just told you, but I don’t like to have just an “A” and a “B”. I have random moments of OCD.), B) The writer of the blog is also named Jeff, C) the other Jeff’s outlook on life was in such stark contrast with Pastor Jeff’s, that I will heretofore refer to him as “Beyondo Jeff”.

Okay, sorry guys. I’m in full tangent mode. Bear with me…

The creation of Jeff’s blog was intentional. When Jeff , Tam and the girls left our old church and moved back to Ohio, it was for the express purpose of Jeff going back to school to further his post graduate education in church leadership, thereby better equipping him to pursue what God was calling him to do, which was…..”Anyone?....Anyone?....Bueller?.....Bueller?....Ferris Bueller?

That’s right: to plant a church. Good job! Some of you have really been paying attention! The Convergence blog was a means for Jeff to gather his thoughts and get some feedback from friends about the eventuality of planting a church. I don’t know that he necessarily came right out and said that, and it’s not as if he had this sneaky little plan to test the waters and reel in a core group. But it was a way for Jeff to “put himself out there” and see if what he had in mind was a good, Christ-centered thing or just a big bag a hooey. (Moderately interesting sidenote: “hooey” is an actual word, whereas “sidenote” is not. Which reminds me of a great Jim Gaffigan bit where he says, "You are so dumb, Spellcheck!") But I digress in the midst of my tangent...

While Jeff’s blog is full of hope and teaching and encouragement; reminding its readers to rely on God even when He seems very far away, the content of Beyondo Jeff’s blog was as dark as the Blogger skin that he chose for it. One got the impression from reading it that Beyondo Jeff truly believed that life was barely worth living; that people were jerks (himself included), and that he once had a glimpse of a good life but that it was far beyond his grasp now. I left a few comments there, and I know that others have as well, hoping to provide some encouragement to him.

Reading Beyondo Jeff’s blog also served another purpose for me. It was virtual truth that there is much darkness in this world, and millions of people who have yet to experience the freedom of a life seeking to abide in Christ. Our mission is important. If I truly believe in hell (which I do), Then it was high time for me to stop looking sadly upon those whose lives were desperately and hopelessly mired in sin and simply say, “Good luck with all of THAT!” As one of my favorite movie characters Red from “The Shawshank Redemption” would say, It was high time that I “Get busy living (for Christ), or get busy dying.”

Dude. I had no idea I was going to write about that when I started. Katdish: Queen of the tangent. Long may she reign!

Pimp this Bum dot com

One more time, peeps! I promise to write my own post very soon, but I got a call from my pastor today about viral marketing and his first hand experience with it. Please go over there and tell him what you think. I know what I think, but I'm keeping my mouth shut for now, which is no small accomplishment, to be sure.

Here's the link: Marketing Homelessness

What I would really like to do is to draw attention to this issue. I would very much appreciate it you would consider writing a post about this on your blogs as well.

Peace out.

The Chronicles of Marnia

So....

I know what you're thinking. Is katdish just going to post links to other people's blogs or is she actually going to write something? I'll let you in on a little secret: I am really crazy busy doing things in the non-virtual world currently, and it's all I can do just to spend a few minutes trying to keep up with my blog reading. I'm also working on another prosperity gospel rant that will be delightful, I'm sure.

For now, check out Marni's post.

As my friend Ryan B. would say, it's crazy delicious!

And speaking of Ryan (who loves Dr. Pepper), here's a random story: A few years ago, as head of the VBS crafts mafia, I decided that I would have the kids make ships in bottles to go with the story of Jesus calming the seas. I called the Dr. Pepper bottling plant located in the great city of Houston, Texas to see if they would donate some 2 liter plastic bottles. They graciously agreed, so I drove down there to pick them up.

Question: How many empty 2 liter Dr. Pepper bottles will fit into a 2005 Chrystler mini van?


Give up?

Three hundred and fourteen. But only if you have no passengers, you don't mind driving on major freeways in rush hour traffic looking like a recently filled gumball machine, are not so concerned about seeing traffic that is not directly in front of you, do not need to make any sharp turns that would require unrestricted movement of your arms, and have several people waiting at the church to help you pick up EVERY SINGLE BOTTLE. Because they will spill out of said minivan like water from an overfilled balloon as soon as you open the door. So, that was kind of special...

P.S. - If ya'll haven't read Koffi House, you're missing out. IT IS GOOD!

Hey ya'll, Check this out

My new blogger buddy Jason S. over at Connecting to Impact wrote a very thought provoking post. Check it out and leave your two cents worth. (Or in Sherri's case, your five dollars and ninety-two cents worth.)

Here's the link: Withholding the Actual Cost

Koffi House: My new favorite blog

Okay, peeps. Don't get your grannie panties all in a bunch. You know you're all my favorites for different reasons. But Koffi House is more like reading a book -- a very, very good book.

Koffijah is a missionary in a "closed" country. For this reason, he does not go into great detail on his profile. He only recently started writing this blog, so you have an opportunity to read it in its entirity and get in on the "ground level". I would highly recommend it -- especially for my friends in ministry.

And Koffijah, if you're reading this, thank you for sharing your thoughts and wisdom. Please continue to write.