Plan A

"God always has Plan A for your life."
Brad Larson

I have heard Brad say this 100 times, and I know he sincerely believes it because he has lived it.

Last night I had a conversation with a dear friend. She's a single mom in her late 20's, and just found out she is one of 45 million Americans with an incurable but treatable STD.

She's really sincere and growing in her relationship with God, but she's had a long journey to get to this point. Like all of us, she's made mistakes, and she continues to face consequences for the choices she made years ago.

She was really discouraged, and said that she thought at this point that maybe it just wasn't meant for her to find a husband. Although I understand her point of view - who wants to have that conversation with a guy that you like? - I had to argue with her.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty
—never canceled, never rescinded.
Romans 11:29

The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
Psalm 37:23

True, God's plan for our lives is like the shortest distance between two points. In his perfect plan for our lives, we leave Point A and go directly to Point B. Sometimes, in our view, there is no way possible to get from Point A to Point B. And so we make right turns and left turns, trying to figure our own way to the place we want to be.

In our lives, we make choices every day. God's spirit lives within us and directs our steps, and with his help, we can make the right choices. But when we don't, when we choose our own way, that doesn't change the final destination. It just changes the path we take to get there.

No matter what we have done, no matter how many self-inflicted detours, there is always time to make a U-turn and follow God's directions to get to Point B. God always has Plan A for our lives.

Amor

Martin and I are leaving tomorrow morning on a short missions trip down to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. There are 8 people from E3 going with us, and we're teaming up with another church in the area for a total group of about 25. The missions trip is organized by Amor Ministries.

We'll be building a small house for a family that desperately needs it.

House Building Timeline

Day One: Pour the foundation. This will involve setting the forms and mixing cement. And then mixing some more cement. And then, you guessed it, some more. At the end of the day, aside from sore muscles, you will hopefully have poured the foundation, which will cure overnight in order to start the walls on day two.

Day Two: Build the walls. If you are building a typical 11'x22' home, you will build seven walls with room for one outside door and two windows. You will also begin work on the two roof sections during this day and may or may not get to placing paper on the roof.

Day Three: Wrap the house. After completing the wood frame of the house, you will wrap the frame and get it ready for stucco. This involves one layer of tar paper, one layer of bailing wire, and one layer of chicken wire, stretched flat. Your team will also work on completing the roof and installing doors, windows, and trim in order to be able to start stucco the next day.

Day Four: Complete the stucco. This process is similar to the foundation, but a little easier due to the fact that you are not mixing rocks with your cement this time. Day four involves mixing, troweling, and smoothing two coats of stucco to complete your home!

I'm sure, as is our usual, we will not take any pictures and so you'll have to make do with the photos that are posted on the ministry's website. (Click the photo to the right for more pictures of this awesome love-in-action work.)

We'll be back home Monday night.

UPDATE: We did get one photo from the trip. (Thanks, Sara.) This was the baño available to us at the work site (the family's home). More to follow, I'm sure!

True Love

I saw this graphic today at the CMS Labs on Flickr. I immediately thought that more people should see such a revolutionary message.

Then I found out that it was created in response to this:

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Westboro Baptist Church to Picket Heath Ledger's Funeral

'Brokeback Mountain' star - Heath Ledger - is dead.
WBC will picket his funeral.
"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination."
Lev. 18:22.
"For because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience."
Eph. 5:6.
Yes. WBC will picket this pervert's funeral, in religious protest and warning:
"Be not deceived; God is not mocked." Gal. 6:7.
Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty
and His plain word; to wit: God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers!
Ergo, God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit
known as 'Brokeback Mountain'
- and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it.
Heath Ledger is now in Hell, and has begun serving his eternal sentence there - beside which, nothing else about Heath Ledger is relevant or consequential.

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I'm speechless. That makes this imagery all the more relevant and powerful.

Brad spoke last week on a very similar topic. He said: "You are surrounded by people of immeasurable value. Every person you know is someone Jesus died for." More of us need to start spreading the good news of God's love for everyone - "fags" included.

God loves WBC, too. Even these completely misdirected, hurtful, hateful people are loved by a God whose ability to forgive is beyond imagination.

Where Am I?

Or, where have I been? Well...

We had our first Sunday morning service with Desert Vista Church this past weekend. Our current series is "30 Days to Live", so that's what the banners are for.


Martin leaves today for his first trip back to the Motherland. Fatherland? I'm not sure. Anyhow, he leaves tonight, and won't be back until after Thanksgiving. (No, Mom, murderers won't read my blog, google my address and kill me in the night. Besides, I have a killer dog to protect me.) He'll be seeing family, old friends, and attending his 10-year reunion.

Other than that, I'm keeping busy with work and all the side jobs of Iris Media. I'm looking forward to going to Seattle to see my mom for Thanksgiving, and I'm very excited to be attending an InDesign seminar on November 30 (David, want to go with me?), so hopefully I'll get some mad skillz.

OK, back to work. It's still month end.

Dream A Little Dream

I have been having really vivid dreams lately. I think it's the allergy medicine I'm taking at night. I have these active dreams all night, and I wake up exhausted, like I didn't sleep at all. Thank goodness it's Friday and I can sleep in a little this weekend.

Last night, I had a dream that is still with me this morning. Do you ever have dreams that create such strong emotions that you still feel it when you wake up? Sometimes Martin does something in my dreams and I wake up so mad at him, then have to realize that he didn't do anything at all!

The dream I had last night was this:
I walk into a large church. (It took me a while to figure out which church it was, but it was the church in NC that I attended in high school and college.) I feel like I should know some people, like I should belong, but everyone is a stranger. There are some people who seem familiar, but they don't talk to me. I walk up to the front of the right section, where I always used to sit, but there are no seats. I go to the back and put down my purse, but then I don't know what to do. I try to find the production booth to DO something, but can't find it. I feel lost, unwelcome, and really, really out of place.

I still feel a little of residual emotion from that dream this morning. It's really an awful feeling, wanting to belong, but not belonging.

I'm so thankful for our church, The Life at Scottsdale. We are pretty small, and there are always seats open at the front, back, wherever! I hope that we are friendly and make people feel welcome (you don't want to make new people feel like they stick out, either, so it's a delicate balance of friendliness vs. weird fakeness). Sometimes it feels really uncomfortable to approach someone I don't know and make conversation (I'm really shy -- I know, no one believes me), but it's worth it to make them feel like we care. Because we truly do.

We had an impromptu movie night at our house after church last weekend. We had a house guest, Kissy Harris, and knew some people might want to hang out with her. So we invited anyone who wanted to come over for a movie on our big screen. Anytime we have a get-together at our house, we invite everyone. It's easy to in a church our size! Anyway, I invited a girl who has been coming to our church for a few weeks. She said, "I've gone to church my whole life and no one has ever invited me to do anything."

That made me so sad! I can't imagine what life would be like without my church family. My life is so enriched by each and every person who calls The Life their home. I couldn't pick a better group of people to "do life together" with.

So this is a thank-you to everyone who makes my church warm and friendly, and an encouragement to us all to make sure that no one ever feels like I did last night in my dream. If we can't make someone feel loved in church, where are they going to feel loved?

A La Iman

I've been meaning to update, but it's been really busy the past few weeks.

With a nod to Iman (who is having a baby boy - congratulations to you and Karen!), here's a Shotgun Blog.

101 Ways to Lock Yourself Out of Your Room
Our Memorial Day "Romance Weekend" getaway (with several other couples from the church) was wonderful. We stayed at Sky Ranch Lodge, which was a nice place to stay with a group. I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if it were just the two of us.
The major complaint I have with the Lodge is that there are too many ways to accidentally lock yourself out of your room. There's a front door, with a deadbolt that can be locked from the inside by turning the bolt, and the handle has a push-button to lock. The first time we left the room, we pushed the button and pulled the door shut behind us, checking to make sure it was locked. When we came back, our key wouldn't work in the door. Apparently, there's no way to not lock your front door. The push-button lock is a secondary measure to ensure that housekeeping won't disturb you. If you push it, the normal keys to your room don't work. The maintenance guy said, "Yeah, this happens all the time," which made me wonder: why didn't they warn us at the front desk? The next time we left, we made double-sure to not push the lock on the front door, but we had locked the deadbolt and left out the back patio door (which did not have a keyhole for re-entry). Apparently, the room key only opens the handle -- the deadbolt lock is another key. Both times we had to track down maintenance, wait for him to come, verify the problem, call the office, go back to the office to get the right key out of the safe, and then let us in. It was very frustrating, and seemed very simple to fix: key both the deadbolt and the doorknob to the same key, and warn us about the "do not disturb" button.
The first time we went to Sedona, we enjoyed the scenery, but were really bored. This time, with a group, we had way more fun, although all we really did was eat, swim and hang out. One night, we did drive a very long, long way to go bowling, which was a lot of fun, even if we spent more time driving than bowling!

Adios, Amigos
Tuesday night, we went to dinner with our friends Nate & Lori. They're moving to Austin, TX, and we were saying our goodbyes. They will be missed, and more so if Lori doesn't regularly update her blog with pictures of the kids! We wish them the best and hope to see them again soon.

Work, Work, Work
We took Tuesday off, and our summer hours at work are in effect, so Friday was a half day. I had 2-1/2 days to do all of month end, which includes creating over 175 invoices and all of our monthly financial reports. I worked until past 7:00P on Thursday and left around 1:30P on Friday, but I got it all done! Why is it you always have to work twice as hard before and three times as hard after a vacation? It's almost not worth it...

Paging Dr. Davis
I am really looking forward to when my best friend from college will be visiting me! She's getting here on June 16, and staying for several days. She's just finished medical school, and is on her way back to Oregon to start her practice. We've got big plans to relax by the pool and go shopping, not to mention going salsa dancing and float the Salt River.

The Wonder Years

wonder
noun
1. The emotion aroused by something awe-inspiring, astounding, or marvelous
2. Something that causes feelings of wonder; "the wonders of modern science"
3. A state in which you want to learn more about something [syn: curiosity]

When is the last time you felt wonder?

If you're like me, it's been a while. The ability to wonder diminishes with age. Experience lessens our capacity to wonder. Perhaps it's that there are fewer "firsts". As we age, there is less newness to the things that surround us. The world is mundane. Events are routine. Life loses its luster.

Watch young children, and you will see wonder. (Do you remember the magic of Christmas morning as a child?)

As a child, I wondered at movies. The town we grew up in had only one movie theater, and there was not much else in the way of recreation. Only one title showed per week, every night except Wednesdays, but Friday nights were the biggest night for the town to go out to the show. The previews we saw on TV as "coming soon to a theater near you" would arrive 6 months later, if at all. You can imagine the anticipation of waiting for a movie to arrive. Expectation was high. The night of the movie, we would arrive a half hour early, and wait in the line that wrapped around the corner. We would pay for our tickets ($3, if I recall), and go inside. In the tiny lobby, there was a concession stand with the usual fare. The aroma of fresh, salty, buttered popcorn would waft into the theater as you entered. The theater was huge, with a balcony. It was usually dimly lit when we entered. We would sit and wait for the previews to begin. (This was before the commercials and music that fill the waiting time.) The lights would go out, the curtains would open, and the screen would flicker to life. Oh, the thrill! The anticipation! The expectation of wonderful things to come. The darkness enveloped us and transported us to amazing places.

Even to this day, after seeing thousands of movies, I still get a tiny thrill when the lights go out.

Wonder is a powerful emotion, and it's not caused by small things. It's caused by grand events, marvelous sights, and magical moments. Joy is easily felt, with the right outlook. Happiness, even surprise, bubble up quickly and without much provocation. A funny card. An unexpected plot twist. Finding a good parking space.

Wonder must be experience on a greater scale. As an adult, there are still a few moments of wonder:

• The first time I saw Eastman Curtis give an altar call at a youth conference.
• Glimpses of my husband's wedding ring the first few months of marriage.
• Endless vistas of clouds from an airplane window.
• The gorgous horizon as we drove into Phoenix for the first time, with the majestic mountains and regal cacti.
• The first time I peered over the edge of the Grand Canyon.
• The first Sunday morning at The Life, looking at the crowded seats and it hit us: "We did it!"
• Last Saturday night at The Life, when God moved and we abandoned our schedule to let Him.
  

What makes you wonder?

We're launching a new series on May 12 titled "Prison Break"... and we need some creative help.

• The invite cards we're giving people to pass out are "Get Out of Jail Free" cards.
• As our church shares the main sanctuary with another church, we can't do an elaborate set for the series. But we really want to set the tone. Any thoughts on what we can do (that we can set up and take down relatively easily) to "set the stage"?
• Some ideas I've had are:
  >Special lighting (such as a police light going in the background)
  >Constructing a "brick wall" of styrofoam... just don't know how to do it so it looks enough like a wall.
  >Costumes for greeters, band, etc.: some in "jail uniforms" -- denim shirts with numbers -- and some in "guard uniforms".
• In the past, we've hung objects from the ceiling (for our Blockbuster Summer series, we had a movie ticket, popcorn, movie reel and clacker). Are there any objects that would convey the idea of Prison Break to you? (The keys/handcuffs might work, but we don't want to be cheesy.)
  

I'm Thankful

At Bible study last night, we talked about how our thoughts and words shape our lives. The antidote to worry (or stress or negative thinking) is praise and thanksgiving. So... here's what I'm thankful this morning:

• A husband who loves all of me, not just the nice or sexy parts. He finds my habit of taking three months to unpack from a trip amusing. He endures my desire to do laundry only every few weeks with patience and only hints gently when he's down to the last pair of clean undies. He's got a great sense of humor about most of my annoying habits, and allows me to be me most of the time.
• Pastors who are truly wise. Brad blew my mind last night the way he handled a certain situation. When I would have (and did) reacted with condemnation, he spoke with authority, love and compassion. He and Noelle teach me so much in the way that they live their lives and deal with tough situations.
• A mom who knows even at 30 I'm not too old to get an Easter basket!
• My DVR. I know, it's sad, but it frees me up to do what's really important and still catch all my shows.
• A workplace that is fun, relatively stress-free and calm enough that I can usually steal a few minutes to blog. A boss who's crazy generous, and who genuinely has my best interest at heart.
• A husband who works extremely hard to provide a good life for me. (I can be thankful for him twice!) He's managed to network old relationships, develop new business, and maintain a great relationship with his former employer so successfully. Although I knew he could do it when we took the leap over a year ago, I thought that it would be rough, and some months would be very tight. We have been blessed with more than enough, and have never had to wonder if we could pay the bills.
• A bounty of relationships here in Arizona. It's never not felt like home. Whether it's the ones we brought with us or the new friends we've made, I have never felt alone or without a network of support. I know that I am blessed and that God has brought each of you into my life. I hope that I can be as much of a blessing to you as you all are to me.

That's a small start to a big list from a full heart. Even as I write, my heart swells with gratefulness to God for all his favor and blessings.

What are you thankful for?

Too busy to blog... or even read blogs, but I've stolen a few minutes at work to set up a Flickr account personally and for the church website. Modifying their "badge", I made an alternating image on our home page (who says you need to know Flash?!) that showcases each of our core values.

Check it out. Each time you refresh the page, you'll get a new image.

Tomorrow morning I leave for Orlando and don't return until late Tuesday night, next week. Don't expect to hear from me anytime soon... like that will be anything new.

Here's a recipe that I made last weekend for our ladies' breakfast.

Light and Fluffy Spinach Quiche

After looking at the reviews, I took some of their tips and used a pre-made, frozen deep-dish crust. I doubled the recipe, but I used 1/2 cup of fat-free mayo AND 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese, as well as 1 cup 2% milk. I sauteed the onions and spinach with a little olive oil and garlic salt, and then threw in some crumbled, pre-cooked turkey bacon. I layered the cheese and filling in the pan, then poured the egg mixture on top.

It took almost 20 minutes longer to cook than the recipe said, but the end result was delicious! I served it with chopped tomatoes on top.

Here's a project for my readers:

We are hosting our big 2nd Annual Trunk or Treat in two weeks. It's going to be great!

The idea is that families in our church host a trunk -- their car trunk, decorated and with a theme, game or activity. Kids go from trunk to trunk, playing games and winning prizes and candy.

Some in our group want to host a trunk, but are stumped for a good (cheap) idea. The project is: give us ideas! The more details, the better.

What's New?

There's a lot going on right now.

• Helped Wes & Tonya move into their first home this weekend.
• Martin leaves for 10 days in India on Thursday (with Brian Essary).
• Preparing for another big community event for Easter.
• Trying to get unpacked and the house clean after our Hawaii trip. (I'll never be as disciplined as Rachel.)
• Looking forward to a new series launching Easter called ER: Extraordinary Relationships.

Some "new things" in my life:

• Downloaded Firefox to replace Internet Explorer and I'm loving it! The tabbed browsing is the best! Almost like working at home on my Mac.
• I gave in to peer pressure and started watching 24. I refuse to start with Season One, but now I'm hooked on the fabulous life of Jack Bauer. Last night, when I went to bed, he was dead.

That's all for now. If you were looking for deep thoughts, check out Terri or metromom.