Family of God

Adam spoke this morning in church on the family of God. It was really good, he was really blessed of the Lord this morning. As he was speaking a song came to mind by Casting Crowns. I've always loved this song because it makes me think. If you haven't heard it or even if you have, maybe it will make you think about getting real with the family of God.

Stained Glass Masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Chorus:
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be

Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

Chorus (x2)

But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

Another no-brainer...

Study Links Television, Teen Pregnancy

Happy Veteran's Day

Out of all the holidays we celebrate as a nation, I find Veteran's Day to be up at the top of my list. Memorial Day would probably have to be tied with it. These are two days out of the year that we truly honor and remember our heroes of wars present and past. It was announced on the news today that there are still a few (it may actually be only one or two) surviving veterans of World War I. Can you imagine the things they have seen? They witnessed the first world war when everyone thought the world would end, only to witness a second world war, when again, everyone thought the world would end. (Matthew 24:6) Since then, numerous other wars have been fought. I have had the great privilege of knowing several World War II veterans. Each has a different story to tell. And slowly, members of this generation are "fading." My dad preached the funeral of two gentlemen this past week, both of whom we discovered later were serving in the India/China/Pacific region of World War II at the same time. He quoted General Douglas McArthur in his farewell address to Congress after returning from the war:

"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

We owe a tremendous amount to our soldiers, past and present. Our nation would not be what it is without their faithful, selfless service. We owe the very protection of our freedoms to each and every one.

I was touched today by the post on msnbc.com's Field Notes:

4 Hour Shoeshine Honors Nation's Military

You can find stories here that won't make the headline news, but are most certainly worthy of reading. This post highlights the sentinels that guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetary. If you have ever been and watched the changing of the guard, it is an experience you will never forget. But, reading this article I learned some new things about the guard. For example, everything is done by 21 (21 steps, 21 second pause, etc.), because 21 is a perfect number in the military. Each sentinel also spends an additional 4-6 hours simply shining his shoes for the next day's 2 hour shift. They stand by perfection. And they honor those who lost their lives in the call of duty, and were simply labeled "MIA", because their remains were never found.

So, although late in the day, remember the veterans you know, and those you don't. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for their service. And honor them not only today, but every day.

I Beat Them to the Punch

Yesterday, my dad installed his speakers for our computer. It's basically surround sound for our computer. We've had them for a couple of years now, but they haven't worked properly until now. To celebrate, he brought me downstairs to listen to "Christmas with the Rat Pack".

Dean Martin's silky smooth voice echoed throughout our basement singing, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." Then, "Baby, It's Cold Outside", followed by my request, "White Christmas". Dean Martin had a voice unlike any other, and dad and I talked about how Frank Sinatra was great, but his voice couldn't compare with Dean's. Dad said when Dean performed, it was just "effortless". It didn't look like he was even trying. "Frank was more popular and sold more records, but Dean...Dean was the singer."

So, this morning, November 2nd, I woke up and started singing in the shower. Not completely unusual so far. But this is how I beat "the man" to the punch...I was singing Christmas songs. On November 2nd. Barely into the month of November, and I'm singing "White Christmas" and "Joy to the World" in my shower. Before all the stores, before all the radio stations. At least as far as I know. I win this year. I'm in the Christmas spirit before everyone tells me I'm supposed to be in the Christmas spirit.

Leonardo da Vinci exhibit / Flint River PBC 200th Anniversary Meeting

This past weekend, after attending the 200th anniversary meeting of Flint River PBC, John and I went to the Birmingham Museum of Art to see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit: Drawings from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin. We thought this might be our only weekend to see it, and it will be leaving the museum on November 9th. So, we headed to Birmingham after lunch and arrived at the museum around 3:45. The wait was approximately 30 minutes, and the museum was closing at 5:00. The wait went by fairly quickly, although we got behind a couple who preferred to spend the entire time in a public smooch session. My goodness. I could say more on that, but I'll try to refrain myself.

The exhibit itself was absolutely marvelous. It included several of his sketches: a portrait sketch that was probably practice for his Virgin of the Rocks painting; human anatomy sketches, and horse anatomy sketches. The walls and frames were unique, because he drew on both sides of the paper. They had to create a way to show both sides. Also on display was Leonardo's Codex on the Flight of Birds. It was fascinating to see his attention to detail, as well as precision. When using metalpoint to draw, he couldn't erase! Beside each sketch was a little paragraph with some info about it. I found it interesting that several of the sketches were practice for paintings that he began but didn't finish. Everything was VERY small, too. They gave us a magnifying glass when entering the exhibit to aid us. I didn't realize this, but John said even the Mona Lisa is very small, compared to how we typically think of it.

It was a wonderful experience. The drawings have never traveled outside of Italy before in a group, and they are only coming to the U.S. to Birmingham and San Franciso. And one of the nicest parts - it was FREE!

It was a great end to a wonderful Saturday. The meeting was a great blessing. I traveled up to Huntsville on Friday night with Josh & Sam, and I met John there. It had been several years since I had the opportunity to visit at Flint River, and I loved getting to visit with all the sweet people up there, as well as see several other friends from various places. It was a wonderful celebration of a group of people meeting together in the same area for 200 years! As Elder Gene Thomas commented in his church history on Saturday morning, that means Flint River PBC was meeting before Alabama was even a state!! Several ministers were in attendance, and I felt that the common theme in several of the messages was continuing forward and how to ensure the church is there for another 200 years. I particularly enjoyed Elder David Montgomery's message on "Witnessing and Waiting". He used the example of his children on a long trip from Texas to GA and another trip to Maryland. On the way to GA, his son asked him over and over, "Are we there yet?" On the way to Maryland, he managed to wait all the way to NC before stating that he knew that they weren't there yet, but that he sure did hate the car, the seatbelt, etc., and if he didn't get out of that car soon, he thought he would just die. Elder Montgomery responded by saying, "Try playing a game, or taking a nap, or reading, or talking to me and your mom. It won't make the trip any faster, but it will seem to go by faster." He related that to our wait for the Lord to come back. By witnessing, it won't make it get here any sooner, but it will seem to make the time go by faster. He also brought out a lot of other good points about witnessing to others about what we believe.

What a blessing to be able to celebrate 200 years, and if the Lord doesn't return before then, I sure hope future generations can say they are excited to be celebrating 400 years.

We're At That Age

Laura and I are at that age. Wedding after wedding...seriously. I think this is probably # 6 or 7 for me this year. But I love it!

If you are a follower of Kitchen Talk then you probably know my friends from Auburn, Brigette and Swafford. This weekend I had the privilege of attending their wedding and it was most definitely a celebration! These kids are just great for each other and two of the most godly people I know. I admire their relationship and am so happy for them both. So that is what the next "couple" of pictures are all about.

Brigette Lesch and Daniel Swafford Wedding

I love this picture! They are married and off to the honeymoon!

I've never seen this before. We tossed lavender at the bride and groom as they left. Our hands smelled like soapy flower goodness afterwards.

Brigette's 7 real bridesmaids
Morgan, Lou, and Bridge being goofy while waiting to take pictures.
Me and Pam

Brigette and Swafford dancing at the reception (took place at the Historic Rucker Place)

Dancing! This was difficult because the band was jazz/swing. It seriously sounded like the same song over and over again. But we improvised and danced like they were playing 90's music.

Roommates! (me and morgan)

Lou, Bridget, and Catie Anne
Yep! 7 real bridesmaids and 10 honorary bridesmaids! Crazy, yes but lots of fun. So of our group, Catie Anne was a real bridesmaid and me, Lou, Bridget, and Morgan were all honorary. Swafford only had 7 guys if you were wondering but also had 3 ushers that were friends of ours.
The cake! I always make sure to get a picture of because well I love wedding cakes!

Overall, a great time! Especially nice to have a reunion with college friends. We all live in different cities now and life just doesn't afford us many opportunities to hang out. I miss them. On a happy note though, Mr. and Mrs. Swafford will be living in Birmingham. Hopefully we will get to see each other occasionally.

Katie Leach and Jeff Johnston Wedding
This was a really sweet wedding. Family photo beforehand.
Jeff, Katie, and the bridesmaids. (All of which were from Jasper I might add)
Again, the cake!

My favorite parts of this wedding were 1) acapella singing, mary-John singing, and Maggie playing the cello (basically the music) 2) bottled coke at the reception 3) Mr. Leach crying more than Katie...it was so sweet.

Komen Race for the Cure

This past Saturday a group of us participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Birmingham, AL. We participated for the first time last year, running/walking in support particularly for Queen Shenaynay over at the Beehive, and also for all the other women we know and love who have had breast cancer.

The race starts at 9:00, and we tried to be there between 8:00 and 8:30. I learned that next year, we will definitely need to be there around 7:30. Several of us met at Table and I's apartment and rode to the race together. We ate bagels and had juice to get us going. And of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some pics on the way.

We managed to get a quick photo of our group, but I think it is missing a couple of people. Brother Bucky managed to take a quick nap before heading off to walk.

There were 10,000 + people there this year. Maybe as many as 13,000. Unfortunately, our group got seperated, so we weren't able to all walk together. But we all had a great time and had some great stories afterwards. For example, John and I thought we were about to see a fight break out, between two women! The lady in front of us whipped out a cigarette and started smoking while walking. (Yes, yes. We all considered the irony and desperately wanted to ask her, "what are you thinking?") Well, the lady to our left started coughing exaggeratively (don't know if that is a word, but it fits). Then, she started talking to the lady about how she has asthma and what does she think she's doing walking for breast cancer research and smoking at the same time and why doesn't she just go smoke in a room all by herself and kill all the brain cells she wants...on and on and on. It was crazy. But, she finally hushed.

Sis. Lauretta did a good deed during the race. She had just got started walking when she saw a little boy crying and screaming. So, she went over to him and he had lost his mother. They guessed he was about 5. So, she told every police officer she saw the situation and gave them her phone number. Finally, they caught up with the mother somewhere in the middle of mile 2 or 3.

So, that story makes this picture even funnier. After the race, we saw a mother and child strapped together. That child wasn't going anywhere. That's the way to do it.

Great friends. Great cause. Great day.