Well, suddenly I find that I have about five minutes to blog here at the Sonship conference in North Carolina. (WIFI is available only in the main lodge, not in our rooms, where there is no tv, radio or cell phone access. Simple living. Lovely.)
Anyway, since time is short, I'll just write at this juncture about the session this morning that really excited me. It was in this session that a World Harvest staffer, Ruthann Batstone, said some very profound things about forgiveness. She painted a picture of forgiveness that made it more beautiful to me than it ever has been before. "As we forgive, we get to be a character and a carrier of God's story," Ruthann said. "There's a taste of glory that we give when we forgive someone. It's a moment of worship -- a transaction where we do for someone else what God did for us." The reconciliation that comes when we forgive others -- or seek their forgiveness of us -- is an amazing representation of the reconciliation that happens for us with God because of what Christ did for us on the cross. In that way, forgiveness becomes a picture of the gospel to the world. I ignore forgiveness. I don't forgive others well. I don't seek forgiveness well (from God or anyone else). In fact, forgiveness hasn't carried much weight for me, and all too often it's been something I simply just ignore. Now, I find myself wanting to fly to it.
Well, more to come later on Sonship. Not a spiritual high, which I'm glad of. Just a new remembering of the gospel.
Next week, huh?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
As you may know, Ron and Gail Clegg (former missionaries to Hungary) ministered at our church this weekend, and we were blessed to have them come to our home for a while on Saturday night. After talking with us about our experience and struggles at and since Church Planting Assessment, they strongly suggested that we attend an upcoming World Harvest Sonship week. The CPC session approved our attendance, so we'll be leaving on Sunday for North Carolina, where we'll be immersed in the gospel. (For those of you who've read my husband's blog, don't be thrown off by the "kick back in the mountains" claim he made to you; he told me to be prepared to be broken down first, then built back up in the gospel. It ain't gonna be no picnic.) Anyway, I'm expecting lovely things to happen (assuming I can accomplish everything I suddenly now have to accomplish by Saturday, and we can keep the kids and ourselves free of all the sickness going around). But I just had to share something that occurred to me yesterday:
Dates we attended church planting assessment in 2006
Oct. 22-Oct. 26
Dates we'll attend World Harvest Sonship week in 2007
Oct. 21-Oct. 26
hmmmm ... seems kind of mysterious to me (or at the least, very ironic).
Dates we attended church planting assessment in 2006
Oct. 22-Oct. 26
Dates we'll attend World Harvest Sonship week in 2007
Oct. 21-Oct. 26
hmmmm ... seems kind of mysterious to me (or at the least, very ironic).
Beautiful Baby Brianna
Monday, October 15, 2007
I've been meaning to learn how to post a photo of my newest little niece (now six months old, ahem). Finally, when I updated to the new blogger, I realized how easy it is. So here she is. Her name is Brianna (pronounced Bre-ah-na), her parents are my brother Billy and sister-in-law Bianca, and she lives in Texas. I never see any of them, and that makes me very sad.
Things I want you to know about my mother
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Today is Oct. 2. If my mom were still living, it would be her birthday. She would be 62.
My mom has been gone for more than 10 years, now, though. And as I was thinking about her tonight, it occurred to me -- most of the friends who read my blog never got to meet her. There are things I want you to know about her. So in a twist on the classic "things you don't know about me" blog-list, here's "things I want you to know that you probably don't know about my mother."
1. She had an amazing sense of humor. Very ready, and very dry.
2. She was patient and gentle. Really, I don't think I can ever remember her raising her voice. (Of course, she wasn't raising us kids, either. I never lived with her once I was past the age of 4, or maybe 5, so it wasn't a typical mother/child, 24-hour-a-day relationship. But still, even when I was an adult, I never knew her to lose her temper about anything. I think that's remarkable.)
3. She had a seductive voice.
4. She was a talented writer and artist, though she was never formally trained as either. Regarding writing: She could write circles around me (science fiction and mystery short stories were her favorite genres to write, I seem to remember). Regarding art: Pen and ink was her favorite medium. She would create incredibly detailed drawings (again, science-fictionish), but I also vividly remember her coloring geometric designs with markers and also making home-made paper dolls for me.
5. She was a bookworm. Loved to read.
6. Though she had only a 9th-grade education, she was a scholar. Very intelligent.
7. You would have enjoyed conversations with her. She was interested in and knowledgable about so many things. That, coupled with her sense of humor (see #1), made her a great conversationalist.
8. My children called her Gran-Gran. She only met Emma and Eli, but of all my children, Aden is probably most like her.
9. Twenty years after they divorced, she still loved my dad.
10. She noticed Steven's beautiful green eyes even before I did. She thought they were the most beautiful shade of green she'd ever seen.
11. Her favorite "gospel" song was "Mansion Over the Hilltop" -- to which I know all the words.
12. She was opinionated, but open-minded.
13. She valued friendship highly, but solitude re-energized her.
14. She was incredibly brave. At last count, she had 14 debilitating heart and lung illnesses.
15. She was all about showing some grace to people. Very non-judgmental.
16. She called me Sister.
17. The last time I ever hugged her, she smelled like baby powder.
Momma wasn't perfect: don't misunderstand. But my memories of her are sweet, and these are the things I celebrate about her.
My mom has been gone for more than 10 years, now, though. And as I was thinking about her tonight, it occurred to me -- most of the friends who read my blog never got to meet her. There are things I want you to know about her. So in a twist on the classic "things you don't know about me" blog-list, here's "things I want you to know that you probably don't know about my mother."
1. She had an amazing sense of humor. Very ready, and very dry.
2. She was patient and gentle. Really, I don't think I can ever remember her raising her voice. (Of course, she wasn't raising us kids, either. I never lived with her once I was past the age of 4, or maybe 5, so it wasn't a typical mother/child, 24-hour-a-day relationship. But still, even when I was an adult, I never knew her to lose her temper about anything. I think that's remarkable.)
3. She had a seductive voice.
4. She was a talented writer and artist, though she was never formally trained as either. Regarding writing: She could write circles around me (science fiction and mystery short stories were her favorite genres to write, I seem to remember). Regarding art: Pen and ink was her favorite medium. She would create incredibly detailed drawings (again, science-fictionish), but I also vividly remember her coloring geometric designs with markers and also making home-made paper dolls for me.
5. She was a bookworm. Loved to read.
6. Though she had only a 9th-grade education, she was a scholar. Very intelligent.
7. You would have enjoyed conversations with her. She was interested in and knowledgable about so many things. That, coupled with her sense of humor (see #1), made her a great conversationalist.
8. My children called her Gran-Gran. She only met Emma and Eli, but of all my children, Aden is probably most like her.
9. Twenty years after they divorced, she still loved my dad.
10. She noticed Steven's beautiful green eyes even before I did. She thought they were the most beautiful shade of green she'd ever seen.
11. Her favorite "gospel" song was "Mansion Over the Hilltop" -- to which I know all the words.
12. She was opinionated, but open-minded.
13. She valued friendship highly, but solitude re-energized her.
14. She was incredibly brave. At last count, she had 14 debilitating heart and lung illnesses.
15. She was all about showing some grace to people. Very non-judgmental.
16. She called me Sister.
17. The last time I ever hugged her, she smelled like baby powder.
Momma wasn't perfect: don't misunderstand. But my memories of her are sweet, and these are the things I celebrate about her.
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