What's your blogging personality?

(Hat tip to Amy Andrews...)

Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate

You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great. One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog... And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes. Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

However, today I seem to have no blogging personality at all! Despite a restful weekend, I'm sleepy today and can't seem to shake it. The sweltering temperatures we've been experiencing are supposed to gradually cool down a bit, so hopefully I'll have more energy and pizzazz tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great Monday, all!

So much to blog about, so little time...

IT'S FRIDAY!!!



Oh, you're wondering what the pic of Gerard Butler is all about? No real reason...but while we're on the subject, if you've seen both The Phantom of the Opera play and the movie, which did you like best, and why? My husband much preferred the play, and really didn't care for the movie at all. There are things I like about both.

By the way, you can read here about my experience seeing the play in Chicago.

Now on to more stuff...

~The events in London continue to disturb, especially since it prompts the question: when will it happen here again? La Shawn Barber thinks it's only a matter of time...and she speculates about what NYC's random backpack searches will be like:
"They know exactly the type of person to search: young, male, and Arab-looking. But they’ll stop you, white American man minding your own business, and you, black woman visiting from Arkansas.

"I guess random 5-year-old girls need to make sure those pink Barbie backpacks are free of contraband. And 80-year-old Granny had better give it up, or she’ll be in a world of hurt."

~Do you have a reluctant reader in your family? Yesterday I interviewed Max Elliot Anderson about his books specifically aimed at kids who he calls "reluctant readers." Max himself is a reluctant reader, so he knows whereof he speaks.



Among the devices he uses to capture and keep his readers: bright white pages, short paragraphs, very little description, lots of action and dialogue. Anderson has gotten a lot of good feedback from parents who had despaired of getting their kids to read.

Anderson's books are being compared to everything from the Hardy Boys to Tom Sawyer to Jack London.

~I myself am a more-than-willing reader, and I've been devouring books in record times lately. For instance, I read Maeve Binchy's Nights of Rain and Stars almost in one sitting the other night. A friend had left James Patterson's Lake House in our guest room, so I gobbled that one up as well. Fascinating but disturbing premise: kids who have been engineered to be part bird, part human.

~I interviewed Julie Anne Fidler last week about her Adventures in Holy Matrimony, and was going to blog at least transcribed excerpts, but technical problems nixed that. Suffice it to say that Julie was a delightful guest, as interesting and engaging voice-to-voice as she is on her blog and in her book.



This is what I blogged earlier about Julie's book. Do buy it and give it as a gift to a bride-to-be--along with some gorgeous lingerie or needed housewares, of course!

~Southern Gospel with an Aussie accent? Martin Roth, whose Martin Roth Christian Commentary has languished for some 18 months, is back online--but with a blog about one of his passions, Southern Gospel music.
Roth bemoans the fact that most of his favorite artists never make it to the land down under. I'm not as big an SG fan as my husband is, but I do like several artists and have gotten to see many of them in concert, including three or four Gaither Homecoming events.

He says he's not sure if his Southern Gospel Beat really qualifies as a blog, but it works for me!

~Along with drought conditions, Northern Illinois expects to experience a heat wave this weekend, with temps expected to top 100. I will no doubt spend my weekend praising God for air conditioning!

And finally...I answer the Friday Feast:


Appetizer
What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?--I drive a Cutlass--I'm not even sure of the model year!--but if I had my druthers, I'd drive a PT Cruiser.



Soup
Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) - what's the total?--27

Salad
When were you last outside, and what were you doing?--Early this morning--leaving the house and getting in my car to go to work.

Main Course
What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?--I have a lot of favorites, but usually I end up coming back to Chili's, where I usually order the chicken tacos. And I MUST have the chips and salsa--so it's always the struggle of trying not to eat too many of them before the real food comes!

Dessert
Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.--Oh, boy. A chocolate malt with extra malt from BeefARoo. A chocolate shake with whipped cream on top from Steak n Shake. A chocolate concrete from Culver's. (Do you see a pattern emerging here?)

Now, I hope everyone will go out and have a blessed and wonderful weekend!

Keeping an eye on London

Very disconcerting to learn this morning of more attacks in London.

One of my first thoughts was, how terribly demoralizing for Londoners. I feel for them.

I'm a person who never really feared things like public transportation, air travel, etc. It was just a part of life, and I blithely trusted that everything was going to be OK.

9/11 changed that, but I got back on an airplane and have flown many times since. Yes, I always say a prayer for safety as soon as my rear hits the airplane seat, but I'm not an idiot--I know bad things can and do happen.

And that 15-minute incident I lived through in Washington, D.C. in May really affected me. As I've said before, although it turned out to be just a scare and not terrorism at all, we didn't know that at the time we were running off the Capitol grounds.

Notwithstanding, I wasn't afraid to hop on a train from New Jersey to Manhattan the very next night. But when the train lost power and we sat for several minutes in a tunnel with no explanation, I almost started to panic--and I'm sure it was because I was, psychologically and emotionally, still feeling the effects of the incident in D.C.

So I have at least a tiny inkling of what it's like for those London residents. I'm sure they've just started to regain their confidence in a normal routine of life--and now they're hit with this. It's got to be nerve-racking at the least, and terrifying at the worst.

While surfing BlogExplosion not long after the London incident two weeks ago, I actually read a London blogger whose attitude was "Hey, Americans, we don't need your pity or your prayers." The gist of it was that she was actually annoyed by the expressions of solidarity and compassion she'd read in US blogs in response to the incident. She went on to say that our shock and compassion was misplaced, because Londoners have dealt with terrorism just fine for many years (the IRA, etc.)

My first, knee-jerk reaction was to think, "Well, excuse us for being caring and concerned!" But I can't believe that all Londoners are like that blogger.

When Americans were dealing with 9/11, we deeply appreciated the expressions of concern from other nations.

Maybe Britishers have such a stiff upper lip, they don't need our compassion. But I don't really think so. So I'm extending it once again: London, you're in my thoughts and prayers. Whether you want to be or not.

Quote o' The Day

Author Angela Hunt

"Sometimes I get irked . . . when I hear people bashing Christian fiction, faith fiction, whatever you want to call it. In most of these cases, people either haven't read it, or they haven't read it in the last five years, or they read ONE book that could be called "Christian" and have written off the entire genre--and its authors."--Angela Hunt

Does anybody ever dress up anymore?

...and the latest White House flip-flop controversy



Actually, I think the girls of Northwestern's women's lacrosse team look quite lovely in their official White House picture. But there's no denying it--they're clearly wearing flip-flops on their feet.

Is that so wrong? Well, apparently some of their friends and family thought so, according to the Associated Press story: "A front-page story in the Chicago Tribune included the headline 'YOU WORE FLIP-FLOPS TO THE WHITE HOUSE?!' inspired by an e-mail sent to player Kate Darmody from her older brother after he saw the photo on the team's Web site.

"Family members of other players expressed similar dismay, insisting the summer footwear staple was too casual for a visit with the president."

The girls countered that they weren't wearing ratty beach sandals, but dressier versions of the summer staple. And to their credit, they're auctioning off the flip-flops to raise money for a sick child.

I have a feeling W probably could care less what the girls were wearing on their feet--he doesn't strike me as the type who would be offended, especially since they looked quite presentable otherwise. Bush's own daughter Jenna reportedly appeared in court a few years ago wearing capris and flip-flops.

However, the story did make me think about how apparel etiquette has either changed or fallen by the wayside in my lifetime. And it begs the question: Does anybody ever dress up anymore?

OK, I know this is going to sound strange to some of you, but years ago, I actually used to dress up to fly somewhere on a plane trip. I don't do that anymore, and haven't for some time--but even now, I try to strike the right combination of casual, comfortable and--well--nice.

And don't think me judgmental when I say this, but whatever happened to "Sunday-go-to-meetin'" clothes? Nowadays it's not uncommon to be trying to worship while derriere-cleavage (let alone the other kind of cleavage), thongs peaking out of low-rise jeans, and bare midriffs are clearly in view.

On the other hand, I've seen churches where Sunday services were virtual fashion shows, with women feeling like they have to have a new outfit every week, and where dressing up to "show respect to God" somehow became a measure of your spirituality. I think that's not only pretentious and creepy, but unbiblical to boot. And certainly no one should feel like they can't come to church because they don't have an extensive wardrobe of expensive suits.

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for being comfortable. I haven't put on a pair of pantyhose all summer, and when I do wear them, they're the first thing I rapidly peel off when I get home.

However--that said--there are, or should be, some occasions where you dress up. And I think the whole notion of dressing up is going the way of the buffalo, so to speak. Modesty and decorum--etiquette, for that matter--seem to be quaint and archaic notions from the distant past. And I, for one, think that's kind of sad.

Granted, I am a woman who doesn't go to the grocery store without freshening my make-up.

The debt I owe to John Glenn

John Glenn, from www.firstflight.org

Today is the birthday of astronaut/U.S. Senator John Glenn, and that got me thinking about how a brush-with-fame moment launched me (appropriate wording, eh?) on my journalism career, at the tender age of ten.

The year was 1967--five years after Glenn's orbiting the earth in "Friendship 7." Astronauts were heroes to kids my age...bravely and literally going where no one had dared to go before.

My parents were missionaries in Beirut, Lebanon, and I was a student at the American Community School there (having spent the first year and a half of my education in Lebanon at a British school, Manor House.)

John Glenn was visiting Beirut to tend to some business dealings he had there at the time. (My memory is foggy, but I think it had to do with PepsiCola or some other soft drink). Someone persuaded Glenn to put in an appearance at the American Community School, and he was to appear at an all-school assembly.

The appearance would be in the form of a sort of press conference. Two kids, a boy and a girl, would be chosen from each grade to get their chance at "interviewing" the former astronaut. I was the girl chosen from my fifth-grade class. We sat in chairs on the stage, facing Mr. Glenn.

Actually, each of us would be allowed to pose just one question to Mr. Glenn, but we could form our own questions. Mine: was he ever scared or nervous when he was in outer space?

For the first time in my life, I realized the thrill of asking a famous person a question, having that famous person treat my question as valid and worthy of answering, and having them reply well.

Many times in my career in radio, I've been one of several reporters at a news conference at which the focal point is someone quite famous. I'm not naturally an aggressive person, so it takes some nerve to ask a question loudly and clearly enough to let it be known that this is my moment, my chance to ask my question.

How will the person respond? Will he/she deride the question or de-value it in some way? That's always a possibility. So it's great to hear the person say something like "Great question," or even just to hear them go on to answer it in solid and substantial fashion. Especially when it may be a tad controversial. And I'll admit, I've gotten a little thrill as I think, "This is going to sound great on the radio." And I'm even gratified when I see it on TV later, and realize the sound bites used were from the reply to my question.

John Glenn treated a little ten-year-old girl's question with respect and consideration. He admitted to being nervous and even a little lonely in space--but went on to say that he was so busy working the controls and doing his job, that he had little time to dwell on such things. At least, that's how I remember his reply.

I had always loved reading and writing, but that experience was a turning point for me. I had discovered the thrill of asking questions and getting answers.

From then on, I interviewed everyone from fellow students to siblings and relatives. I spent my junior high and teen years with a portable tape recorder always at hand. I was a reporter and then an editor on my high school newspaper staff, and then my college newspaper staff. From there, it was a short hop to radio news, which I've been doing for over 25 years now.

I still love interviewing. I love satisfying my curiosity by delving into other people's stories and, with my questions, guiding them in the process of revealing their thoughts and feelings.

So, happy birthday, John Glenn. And thanks.

News of a new "Pride and Prejudice" movie...

...and I do the Jane Austen meme

Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in A&E's "Pride and Prejudice"

From Blest with Sons, news of an upcoming movie based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. But Blest has seen the trailer (I haven't), and she's disappointed already: "I am dismayed, disenchanted, and disappointed. Changes. Changes. Changes. Hardly a scrap of Austen’s subtle dialogue is visible… Just the blunt gaucherie of standard Hollywood. They’ve even added stupid jokes like Mr Collins accidentally saying 'intercourse' from the pulpit and getting flustered. And Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth is much too…coquettish. Sigh."

Blest calls the A & E version "my favorite movie ever and in my opinion the best adaptation of a book ever." You know, I've never seen it in its entirety. I should rent it sometime for Liz and me.

In the meantime, even though it's been a while since I read a Jane Austen book (although I've read P & P many times), I will do Blest with Sons' Jane Austen meme:


The Jane Austen Meme


Jane Austen

Which of Jane Austen’s novels have you read?--Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and Emma

What is your favorite?--Pride and Prejudice

What is your favorite Jane Austen movie?--A tie between Emma and Sense & Sensibility. (As I said, I haven't seen A&E's Pride and Prejudice in its entirety.)

Which novel would you most like to see redone as a movie? Any casting suggestions?--Sadly, I can't remember the other books well enough to recommend casting!

Which Austen character do you most resemble?--Except for the fact that she's supposed to be beautiful, I may resemble Jane Bennet a little. In that I'm underconfident, somewhat tentative and a little ditzy at times.

If you could be transported into one of the books, which character would you want to be?--Elizabeth Bennet, without a doubt. She's one of the coolest, smartest, spunkiest heroines in all of literature!

Which character does your spouse most resemble?--Hmm. He has a few Mr. Darcy traits, but more of Charles Bingley--fun-loving, jovial and a people-person.

If you could change anything in any Austen book, what would it be?--Can't think of a thing!

B. J. Hoff is back in the blogosphere!

B. J. Hoff

I'm delighted to report that one of my favorite authors, B. J. Hoff, is blogging again. She had taken time off from Grace Notes, but now finds things have settled down a bit in her life so she can again share her wise advice and seasoned perspective on writing fiction.

If you're an aspiring writer, B. J. has some of the most practical and down-to-earth advice--a trait she shares with fellow-writer and blogger Robin Lee Hatcher.

And if you had B. J. on your blogroll before, take note that she has a different URL now, and make sure and change the link.

As I've said here many times, I fell in love with B. J.'s writing several years ago when I read her "Emerald Ballad" series. She is an expert on all things Irish, and Irish people come brilliantly and lovingly to life on the pages of her books. If you love fiction, and you haven't yet read anything by B. J., you must remedy that as soon as possible!
But you can start with checking out her blog.

Did I tell you I love to read?

This is the image that author Jeri Massi chose to represent me in her sidebar links. I like it. And she got it right--I'm a confirmed bookworm. Reading is, and has always been, one of the chief joys of my life.

(By the way, you can read Jeri's A Standard Christian online as an ongoing serial, or buy it in its entirety. And her Valkyries books are excellent fiction reads. Read my review of Valkyries 1 and 2 here or my interview with Jeri here.) (UPDATE: Apparently, "A Standard Christian" ends its online run tomorrow, and you'll have to buy the book online if you want to read it.)

Anyhoo--back to reading. In honor of their tenth anniversary, Amazon.com has come out with their 25 bestselling authors (hat tip to Tim Challies). Voracious reader that I am, I've read surprisingly few of them. Maybe it's because I'm not really a bandwagon person---I never feel the need to rush out and buy a bestseller just because it's a bestseller, or because it's on Oprah's book list.



Amazon's Top 25 Bestselling Authors

I'll boldface the ones I have read:

1. J.K. Rowling--Nope, I haven't succumbed to the Harry Potter craze. Just doesn't appeal to me--if I want fantasy, I'll re-read the Chronicles of Narnia.
2. Spencer Johnson
3. Nora Roberts --Several years back, I went on a Nora Roberts spree at the library. I'd have to say she's one of the best of her kind, although any sort of spirituality is markedly missing from her books.
4. Dan Brown--Ah yes, the "DaVinci Code" guy. Not interested.
5. Dr. Seuss --Love him.
6. John Grisham --Read several, and liked them. But I think there are several Christian fiction writers that are every bit as good as him, and some even better.
7. Stephen King--I must admit, I've been fascinated by some of the movie versions of his books, but I've never read any of the actual books. To me, it would be kind of like saying, "OK evil, here's an engraved imitation to come dwell in my mind." (Why that's not true of the movies, I don't know.)
8. J.R.R. Tolkien --Read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but not until just a couple of years ago. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and wanted to read the books BEFORE watching the movies. I found the movies were remarkably faithful to the books. I really liked the books, but I found I prefer the style of Tolkien friend and contemporary C.S. Lewis. (I really got bored and annoyed with all the long "songs" in the Tolkien books, for instance.)
9. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins --Nothing against these men; I'm sure they're fine Christians. But after the first couple of "Left Behind" books, I lost interest...and it amazes me how long they've been able to drag the Tribulation out.
10. Jim Collins
11. Phil McGraw
12. Robert Atkins
13. C.S. Lewis --Oh, yes. On the short list of my favorite authors. I discovered Narnia at about age 8 or 9, and have never looked back. I'm hoping the upcoming movies do the books justice.
14. Mitch Albom
15. Ken Blanchard
16. James Patterson--I think I read one of these books..."Kiss the Girls"? Very disturbing.
17. Stephen R. Covey--My son worked for Franklin Covey for a while, and he did become very organized and motivated at that time! I've never read "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," but one habit has stuck with me: Be proactive. I'm not usually, but I try to be! :)
18. Mary Pope Osborne
19. Marcus Buckingham
20. Lemony Snicket
21. John C. Maxwell
22. Janet Evanovich
23. Robert T. Kiyosaki
24. Arthur Agatson
25. Tom Clancy--I loved the movies "Patriot Games" and "The Hunt for Red October," but I've only actually read "The Sum of All Fears." And to be honest, it was tough going at some points. While reading a fiction book, you shouldn't have to say to yourself, "Well,I guess I should really read more of the book." It should be a case of having difficulty putting it down.

How about you? Read any of the authors on this list? Can you recommend them? Let me know in my comments section or on your own blog.

Oh, and speaking of Narnia...

Miss O'Hara pointed me in the direction of this excellent article by John J. Miller. Good stuff.

My heartfelt congratulations...

..to Miss O'Hara, who shares some good news on her blog today. Ah, yes...ain't love grand?

I've been reading Miss O's blog for quite a while now...ever since discovering it through Julie Anne Fidler's. Miss O has a refreshing, sparkling style, but she's not afraid to get tough and even irate when it's warranted. And boy, is she smart.



And speaking of Julie Anne Fidler, I've been trying to arrange an interview with her about her book, Adventures in Holy Matrimony.

Julie talks about how she and her husband dealt with disasters on several fronts that struck them almost the minute they got married. Still a young woman who hasn't been married for many years, Julie nevertheless fills this book with the common sense and practical advice that comes from having gone through adversity and lived to tell about it.

Appealingly reader-friendly, and marked by Julie's trademark candid transparency and breezy wit, the book is also rich with Biblical perspective and spiritual insight.

Engagement is rightfully--as I'm sure Miss O'Hara is experiencing right now--a time of heady elation and high romance. But I wouldn't hesitate to slip a copy of Julie's book in with a shower gift for a bride-to-be. While definitely not a downer, the message of "Adventures in Holy Matrimony" might be: yes, love and romance are fantastic, but sometimes things go wrong--even things totally beyond the control of either partners. In that case, don't despair: with God's help, some great advice and some hard work, marital love can survive, and be even stronger and more precious than before.

"Faithful Women": My interview with Noel Piper

"God uses the weak things"


"I think one of the reasons there are so many stories of people in the Bible is that we learn by seeing what happens in other people's lives. God could have just given us a book of teachings, but but he gave us a lot of people's stories."--Noel Piper

CINDY: I recently read a book that both blessed me and really challenged me in my walk with Christ. That book was Faithful Women and their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. The book tells the stories of five Christian women who faced difficulty and sacrifice, and the amazing things that God did through them. And I'm delighted to have as my guest today the author of that book, Noel Piper. Noel, welcome to Weekend Rockford.

NOEL: Thank you, I'm glad to be here.

CINDY: I know that you are a pastor's wife, and that you are the wife of John Piper of Desiring God ministries. Noel, tell me a little about yourself and your family and your husband and your ministry.

NOEL: Well, we have five children--four grown-up boys who are all married, our youngest just got married this spring, and a nine-year-old daughter who I home school. She's at camp this week for the first time ever, so we have an empty house, unusually.(laughing)

We're at Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and we're celebrating our 25th anniversary this year of my husband being one of the pastors there, the preaching pastor.

CINDY: Noel, this book--I've got to tell you--it's just really impacted me. I remarked to myself that it's been a long, long time since I read a book that so impacted me spiritually, I've got to tell you that. I sat there reading just in awe and amazement--

NOEL: Well, that's a real answer to my prayers for what the book would be.

CINDY: Not only is it an entertaining book in its way, in the fact that it tells fascinating stories that you just want to keep reading, but it really impacted me because all of these women that you profile--Sarah Edwards, Lillias Trotter, Gladys Aylward, Esther Ahn Kim and Helen Roseveare--I had heard snippets about all of these women and read snippets about them, but reading their entire stories just honestly blew me away, they were so amazing.

What led you to write a book about Christian women of the past?


NOEL: For several years now I've been each year focusing on one woman that I would do research on and find her story to prepare to tell to the women at our church in a special summer Sunday School class. And then I find myself when I'm speaking at retreats, whatever the Biblical topic is I'm speaking about, one of the sessions would be, I would use one of these biographies as a lived-out example of what we were talking about.

Because I think one of the reasons there are so many stories of people in the Bible is that we learn by seeing what happens in other people's lives. God could have just given us a book of teachings, but but he gave us a lot of people's stories.

And so, there are people after the Bible as well--we can just look at the people next to us, for that matter, to see how God is working, and sometimes we can see it more clearly in somebody else's life than can in our own.

Sarah Edwards

CINDY: Let's just take a look at some of the women in particular. Sarah Edwards was the wife of Jonathan Edwards--best known, probably, for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"--

NOEL: Ah, but so much more than that (laughing).

CINDY: But so much more than that, you're right...and the profile you give of Sarah really gives us a lot of insight into Jonathan as well. This woman raised 11 children. She died at the age of 48, which is the age I am, which touched me right there. But one thing you point out, and I had heard this before, but the descendants of Jonathan and Sarah, according to a study that was done by a man comparing two different families--their descendants just did remarkable things. Can you kind of share that?

NOEL: Well, I list here in the book, all the pastors, teachers, government officials, authors, missionaries "by the droves"--this was in 1900, so about 150 years after Sarah and Jonathan were living.

One biographer says, "Can there be any other mother in America who has contributed so much to America?" and I take that--not that I'll ever have as many descendants as Sarah Edwards, for one thing (chuckling)--but as an encouragement.

She was just drudging along every day, doing things that took a lot more effort for her to do than for me to do, and she had no way of knowing how God was going to use that in the lives of her children and on through the years.

Esther Ahn Kim

CINDY: One of the stories that impacted me the most, I think, was the one of Esther Ahn Kim, because she endured amazing amount of persecution that there's no way we as Americans could ever identify with. Tell us a little about her story.

NOEL: She's Korean--she's dead now, but she lived at the time of the Japanese occupation of Korea. And the burning issue for Christians then was whether to bow at the Shinto shrines, which was required by the Japanese in their country. She refused, and she was a teacher in a school, so that made her a leader of sorts.

So she was imprisoned for six years. And one of the things that really struck me was how much Scripture she had just right at the tip of her mind's tongue to speak to herself--not time to pull a Bible out, or look up in a concordance, "Where's that verse about what?" And so, I think that's one of the powerful things about her story is the power of Scripture that is hidden away in our hearts.

CINDY: One thing that I think we can all gain encouragement from is the fact that none of these women were really remarkable women in their own right--well, of course, Helen Roseveare was a doctor, but you know, most of them were just ordinary women.

Gladys Aylward, in fact was deemed too uneducated to be approved as a missionary by the China Inland Mission. Tell us a litte about Gladys; her story is amazing as well.

Gladys Aylward

NOEL: She was a parlour maid. She decided she felt God was calling her to China. She had about two cents and her Bible, not much more than that. But she said God said to her, "I'm the God of Nehemiah, I'm the God of Moses; if I can do for them, I can do for you." And so she just saved up her money and went to China on her own.

That is truly a story of how God uses the weak things. I really see that as a theme through this book.

They were women who didn't think of themselves as doing anything extraordinary. They were what 2nd Corinthians says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." That would be a main theme of all these stories. It's God who is powerful.

CINDY: Absolutely...it was actually God doing these amazing things through these women.

What do you hope that we as Christians, and particularly Christian women, take away from reading the stories of these women?

NOEL: I'm glad there are five stories in this book, because I think it will be different for different women.

For someone who reads Gladys Aylward's story, it might be an encouragement that ou don't have to have a college degree in order for God to do great things.

For Sarah Edwards' story, it might be that you don't have to be away from home doing things out in the world; you can be doing the daily mundane things, wiping noses and dirty bottoms and whatever, and God is using you through that and doing His work through that.

For Helen Roseveare, who was a doctor in Congo, she felt inadequate almost entirely because she didn't feel like she was trained specifically for the kind of work she was called to do, but she saw God working through her weakness as well. She underwent terror and attack during the revolution that was happening there, and she saw God saying, "They're not attacking you, they're attacking Me."

So, each of these stories is for a different woman in a way, although I hope they're all for all of us.

CINDY: A couple of the things that I took away from the book was that every single one of these women--and it sounds so basic--but reading God's word and praying were just major in their lives...

NOEL: Absolutely necessary.

CINDY: ...And then just the power of prayer in all of these women's lives, how they just relied on that so much.

NOEL: Here's another thing that I would hope women would see from this. What I see in my life and the women around me, is that the women who want to be the best mothers, the women who are most involved in ministry, are the ones for whom it is the very hardest to find the regular time in God's word and praying. And we are the ones who need it most--I mean, if it can be said anybody needs God more than somebody else. But here are women whose lives dictated against them having any time in God's word, and yet, it was crucial to them.

**********

Noel tells me that there will probably be a sequel to Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God. She says she'd like white modern-day Christians to see how God has used women of different colors and cultures, like the first single female missionary from the United States, a freed slave named Betsy Stockton.

You may want to check out Noel's other books:

Treasuring God in Our Traditions

and a children's book, Most of All, God Loves You

Terrorism in London

How ironic that just yesterday we were congratulating London in getting the 2012 Olympics. Now the celebratory mood turns somber with this morning's news of a series of blasts in the city, with Al Qaeda reportedly claiming responsibility.

As I mentioned yesterday, Phil Johnson is in London for a School of Theology conference at Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle. Phil has checked into his blog with word that he and his wife Darlene are OK, as is blogger Adrian Warnock, a London pastor who Phil had just met for coffee at Waterloo Underground Station. Adrian is also blogging about the current situation.

Our prayers are with Londoners this morning.

Another good reason for me to go to London...

London's Trafalgar Square

...the 2012 Olympics.

Yep, London Town beat out the Big Apple, Paris, Moscow and Madrid. Of course, I hope I get a chance to visit London before 2012!

Speaking of London, Phil Johnson is there for a conference right now, and his blog has become a journal of his London activities. I particularly enjoyed his post about Bunhill Fields, the London cemetery that's the final resting place of such luminaries as John Bunyan, writer Daniel Defoe, poet William Blake, and Susannah Wesley (mother of John and Charles). Very interesting stuff.

And speaking of admirable Christian women (Susannah Wesley), I'm set to do an interview tomorrow with Noel Piper about her book, Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God. This slim volume had a real impact on me, spiritually. Noel's accounts of the lives of Sarah Edwards, Gladys Aylward and others truly moved me. These women accomplished great things for God. Their lives, filled with difficulty and sacrifice, make my modern life seem ridiculously soft and cushy.

Noel Piper, by the way, is the wife of John Piper of Desiring God ministries.

Am I the only one bothered by this?

While Live 8 artists donated their talents, they reportedly got goodie bags from local sponsors filled with as much as 12-thousand dollars worth of stuff.

Maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but couldn't the cost of those "goodies" be better off going to the starving people that Live 8 was designed to help? Even if that isn't a good argument for some reason, it just doesn't seem appropriate to be showering already-rich artists with luxury items for participating in a benefit concert.

At least one ethicist agrees with me: "Another ethics expert said he wonders why the companies who donated the gifts wouldn't just give the money to charity.

" 'There is nothing stopping the businesses from taking a stand, saying, `No, we are going to take this money, and we are going to give it to the charity,'" said Rushworth M. Kidder, president of the Institute for Global Ethics in Camden, Maine."

I'm a link du jour!!!

I'm honored to discover that Ganns of Superblessed recently made me a Link du Jour. Ganns said some really kind things about my blog, and I appreciate it very much!

Thanks, Ganns. You superblessed me today!

"I am an American soldier..."

Staff Sgt. Spike Goodrich

"I am an American Soldier."

That's how Army Staff Sergeant Spike Goodrich began his speech yesterday at 101QFL/Radio 91's Patriotic Prayer Breakfast. "I am a Warrior and a member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values. I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade."

Goodrich then went on to recite the rest of the Soldier's Creed, and to relate it with his own walk with Christ, both as an Operation Desert Storm veteran and a sergeant in Iraq.

We've had big-name speakers at the Prayer Breakfast before--Ollie North, Tim Lee, and Darrell Scott come to mind--but I was impressed and moved by this simple talk from an ordinary soldier.

Goodrich spoke simply but movingly of narrow escapes from death in Iraq. He spoke of the difficulty of spending 15 months away from his wife and two small boys. Back in 1991, he was deployed to Saudi Arabia when his son was just two days old.

He also expressed gratefulness for people who pray for the troops, and it moved me to pray more.

Thanks, Spike Goodrich and thousands more like you who serve our country faithfully. I appreciate you deeply.

Writing the troops

During Operation Desert Storm, I was emotionally involved, because my brother David was a Marine deployed on the USS Tarawa in the Persian Gulf. I wrote several service people through the Any Service Member program, and ended up establishing pen-pal relationships with members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, both male and female. The letter-writing (e-mail wasn't so prevalent then) personalized the conflict for me, and brought much-needed word from home to the troops I wrote.

Fast forward some fifteen years--e-mail is common, and even troops in remote places have internet access. Letters to "any service member" are no longer encouraged due to anthrax threat, but I've discovered that you can post messages to the troops on www.anyservicemember.org.

You can also "Adopt a Soldier" and encourage the troops in various ways by going to www.soldiersangels.org.

These troops are doing so much for us--the least we can do is give them our encouragement and support!

Hey, I'm a tropical storm!

This is the first time there's been a tropical storm with my name on it. I hope I won't do a lot of damage! At the very least, my husband will now have a new nickname for me whenever I freak out. :)

Happy Friday before the Fourth

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays of the year. This year, as I have for the last couple of decades, I'll be taking part in 101QFL/Radio 91's Patriotic Prayer Breakfast at Sinnissippi Park, then later that evening I'll be in the parade along with other radio staff members. In between, I'll be going to a family picnic.

Just interviewed Shannon Kubiak...


...and what a remarkable young woman! In her early 20's, Shannon is already an established public speaker and the author of five books. She has a real heart helping teen-aged girls find their identity and purpose in Christ.



I talked with Shannon about her book, God Called a Girl--How Mary Changed Her World, and You Can Too, which is illustrated with lessons from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Writes Shannon: "Although God called many great men of faith to incredible tasks in the past, there came a time when a man would not do. So...God called a girl. The same God is calling again, and this time He's calling you. Are you willing to step forward and answer that call?"

Shannon is getting married this September, and she has also wrapped up a three-book series titled "Being a Girl." Best wishes to her in her upcoming marriage and ministry.

I'm not too cool to do a meme--so here's Friday's Feast!

I'll answer the questions here--you do the same, either in my comments section or on your own blog!

Appetizer
Where do you plan to go on vacation this year, or where would you want to go?--I'm not sure if we'll get to have a vacation any time soon, but I'd love to be able to go home to Austin, Texas at some point this summer. Sure, it's beastly hot, but several of the people I love most are there!

As far as a dream vacation? If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know my dream is to go to Ireland.

Soup
What color is your bedroom? If you could redecorate it, what would you change?--Right now, the walls are an off-white called "Cozy Cottage." My bedding is sage green and burgundy. If I could redecorate it? I'd probably just put more color on the walls, maybe the sage green. I'm pretty contented with it the way it is right now, having only lived in it for a little over three months!

Salad
Do you have a bumper sticker on your vehicle? What does it say?--Nope. My husband doesn't care for bumper stickers, mainly because they're a sticky mess to remove. At one time or another, we've had those plastic clingy things that you can put in your back window, saying "Cedarville University" (where my sons go/have gone to college.)

Main Course
What's the worst pain you've ever been in?--Fortunately, I've never been in a great deal of pain. I don't think I could take it. I'm a pathetic wuss with an extremely low threshold of pain. I suppose it was painful when I was recovering from my C-sections, but that doesn't hold a candle to what women go through in labor.

Dessert
Who is your favorite celebrity? What do they do that inspires you?--Wow, I'm going to sound so cynical here, but I really don't have a favorite celebrity. There are a few women I admire greatly--you can read about them here if you like.

I also admire people like Tim Lee and other American service people who have given a great deal for their country. And many missionaries and modern-day martyrs who aren't famous at all, but whose rewards will be great in heaven because of their unflagging faithfulness.

As far as "celebrities" go, my favorite actor is Russell Crowe, but not because of anything I admire in his personal life...he's just really good at what he does.

Enjoy this movie or your money back, guaranteed

My co-host, Darren Marlar, never does anything halfway. He has been blogging in earnest lately, and I love his humorous way with words.

Today, he's talking about the fact that in a rare marketing ploy, AMC movie theaters are guaranteeing your money back if you don't like Cinderella Man.

Darren's post is aptly titled "Pauly Shore Would Cease to Exist": "The power will be in OUR hands for a change - and then directors and producers would finally have a meeting and say to themselves, 'Hey, if we don't want to lose our mansions and limos, I think that perhaps we should think about coming out with movies people not only want to see, but will also enjoy while seeing.'"

Read the rest here.

I answer the musical meme

OK, Marybeth has tagged me to do the musical meme, and as I said earlier, it's extremely difficult for me to encapsulate the vast spectrum that comprises my musical tastes. I love music almost as much as I love breathing, and I like the best of most musical genres. But I'm going to give it my best shot here:

Total volume of music files on my computer: N/A. The computer I use the majority of the time is not my own.

The last CD I bought was: The Phantom of the Opera movie soundtrack, as a surprise for my daughter (but knowing I'd get to listen too!)

Last acquired:: My Radio 91 co-worker, Charmel, handed me Newsong's Live Worship & Rescue the other day. I haven't listened to it yet.

Five songs I listen to a lot, or that mean a lot to me:

OK, this was really, really hard, so I'm going to have to tack an addendum onto the list. But here's a shot (in no particular order):

~"And Can it Be," lyrics by Charles Wesley, music by Thomas Campbell. The powerful picture this hymn paints, and the spiritual import of its message, never fails to move me:
"Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee."

"I woke, the dungeon flamed with light"--Wow. I love that.


~"The Hallelujah Chorus," by Georg Friedrich Handel. If this is only a fraction of the glory of angel choirs in heaven, I can't wait to hear them. Although this song is often trivialized in comedy, it's one of the most sublime pieces of music on this earth. Just about transports me to the heavenlies.

~"The Star Spangled Banner," by Francis Scott Key. Yeah, I don't care if the tune was originally a tavern song and it's ridiculously hard to sing. The very sound of it, anytime, anywhere, is pretty much guaranteed to choke me up with emotion and love of my flawed but beautiful and amazing country.

~God is God, by Steven Curtis Chapman


Perfectly captures the fear and uncertainty we as Christians will all face at one time or another,("when the questions without answers come and paralyze the dancer") but reassures with the knowledge Job gained through his tragedies--"God is God, and I am not. I can only see a part of the picture he's painting."

~"Submission," by C. Austin Miles and Mrs. R. R. Forman (circa 1934)

"Not what I wish to be, nor where I wish to go,
For who am I that I should choose my way?
The Lord shall choose for me,
'Tis better far, I know,
So let Him bid me go, or stay."

My late father's signature song, the one I often requested him to sing, and just remembering his beautiful voice singing it brings me to tears now.

And here's an addendum, which still by no means covers the gamut of my musical loves:
~If I Stand, by Rich Mullins


"So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can't, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home"

Possibly my favorite Rich Mullins song. Simple, poetic, beautiful...says it all.


~"Where the Streets Have No Name," by U2
Haunting and majestic. Speaks to something deep inside my soul.

~That Kind of Love, by PFR
"Oh, where does that kind of love come from?
They say that it runs in His blood..."

I just love the symmetrical harmony and subdued but meaningful vibe of this song.

~"Rhapsody in Blue," by George Gershwin. I can remember lying on the floor as a child and listening to my parents' LP of this amazing concerto, and just getting lost in it. Beautiful, whimsical, cool, soaring, powerful, pretty...rhapsodic.

~"Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth," by Burlap to Cashmere. Three minutes of pure, exuberant joy!

~And just about anything from the voices of Larnelle Harris, James Ingram and James Taylor.

I know I'll think of more later, but this is the best I can do for now!

And hey, if you'd like me to tag you with this meme, let me know in my comments section.

And they said it wouldn't last....

John and Amelia Rocchio of Rhode Island have been married for 82 years.
John's 101, Amelia's 99.

The Rocchios say patience and understanding is the key to marriage success. And says John, "She would always cook something I loved. That was the reason at the end of the day I wanted to get home."

Never underestimate the power of a good home-cooked meal! :)

I've been tagged...

Marybeth has tagged me with a musical meme. Oh, my goodness, how to boil down the vast spectrum of my musical tastes? But I'll try later this morning.

Today is Favorite Columnist Day

James Lileks
Quote o' The Day:

"Splenda sounds like the name of one of the good witches of Oz -- perhaps the Good Witch of the Upper Northeast. But Splenda is your friend. At least until we find out in 20 years that it causes your flesh to suddenly slough off the bone, in which case there are going to be lawsuits galore. I mean, people want to be thin, but they don't want to be skeletons, the Olsen Twins notwithstanding; those girls appear to be auditioning for new careers as Walgreens' Halloween window decorations."--James Lileks

As part of our regular feature, "Holidays That Make You Go 'Hmm?'", Darren Marlar let me know that today is Favorite Columnist Day. Fittingly, Darren is the one who introduced me to the writings of James Lileks, who I would have to say is probably my favorite columnist.

Lileks has such a way with words, it makes me envious. But while I'm being envious, I'm laughing out loud. Granted, he's not the kind of columnist that generally provokes me to deep thought or action. He takes something quite ordinary, points out its silliness or incongruity, and makes me laugh--and that's worth a lot to me.

For example, who hasn't bemoaned the brevity of summertime? Lileks captured it perfectly for me the other day: "Summer is here, which means it's almost over. Or so it seems. The first day of summer always prompts some genial killjoy to hook his thumbs through his suspenders, rock back on his heels and say 'well, the days will get shorter now.' Until 1974 it was legal to punch that fellow in the snoot, you know. Under the Annoying Homespun Drivel Act of 1899, "Any such persons who shall dash the joy one feels upon beholding the glories of the equinox by noting the inevitable contraction of the day shall be subject to a brief thrashing about the nasal passages." The act was repealed in that touchy-feely post-Watergate reform period, but I'd like it reinstated. Summer is here, and right now it feels eternal."

The perfect gift for your blogging friends!

...or for yourself, for that matter! Jollyblogger is selling T-shirts that proclaim, "I think, therefore I blog." They look sharp, too!



Another Evie interview online!

Now Evie Tornquist Karlsson fans--and you are legion--can listen to an Evie interview. Aaron of www.videosforfamily.com talked with Evie last week, and downloaded the interview on his site. Check it out!

Despite the substantial demand for info about Evie and how to get ahold of her music, both in printed and recorded form, there's not a whole lot of information available online. It would really behoove Evie to start her own website. She obviously still has a lot fans!

You can also read my interview with Evie here.

Memories...pressed between the pages of my mind...

thoughts on movies and memories and sin-eaters...



I love it when movies serve not only to entertain, but to stimulate thought and discussion. Such was the case over the weekend when my sister-in-law and I watched The Final Cut, starring Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino and Jim Caviezel.

According to www.imdb.com: "Set in a world with memory implants, Robin Williams plays a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people's recorded histories. His latest assignment is one that puts him in danger."

I found the movie fascinating on several levels. In the story, there are "anti-implant" protesters who picket at the "rememories"--memorial services where friends and loved ones gather to watch the person's life through that person's own eyes.

After all, one could never be quite sure if the person you're talking to has one of the "zoe implants." Isn't it a major invasion of privacy that everything YOU say and do with that person could end up on a screen at a rememory? Also, it's up to the cutter to discard unpleasant and ugly material...it would be possible to delete so many things that a really bad person could be made to look good.

Another interesting fact the movie highlighted is how inaccurate our memories really are. Don't you wonder how many of your childhood memories may be hugely different from what actually happened? I mean, if you could go back and play the tape, would you find that many scenes YOU think you remember perfectly...many conversations you think you remember word-for-word...were quite different in reality?

Interestingly, Robin Williams as the cutter compares himself to what used to be called a "sin-eater." I first heard of sin-eaters when I read Francine Rivers' excellent novel, The Last Sin-Eater.

Here's the Wikipedia definition of the term:

"The sin-eater was (in British tradition) a person who, through ritual means and for material gain, would take on the sins of a dying person, thus absolving the dying of their sins while receiving the burden of the same. Traditionally, each village maintained its own sin-eater. The sin-eater would be brought to the dying person's bedside, and there either he or a relative would place a bit of bread on the breast of the dying. After praying and/or reciting the ritual, he would then remove the bread from the breast and eat it, the act of which would remove the sin from the dying and take it into himself."

Apparently, this practice may have carried over into some remote parts of Appalachia, where the Rivers novel is set.

How sad that people were ignorant of the fact that Christ has already absorbed AND paid for all our sins on the cross--that the ultimtate sacrifice has already been made, and there is no need for a sin-eater.

Very intriguing stuff.


Speaking of movies and movie-related stuff...

What is up with Tom Cruise? Is the man imploding, or what?

First his erratic, sofa-jumping uber-glee over his romance with Katie Holmes, then losing his temper at a practical joker, then going off on Matt Lauer about Ritalin, psychiatry, etc. (See Tom Cruise: once aloof, now widely-spoofed.)
All I can say is, let this be a lesson to you. Don't pay a whole lot of attention to what movie stars say. Just because you're famous and get paid exorbitant amounts of money to pretend to be other people doesn't mean you have any special wisdom, credibility or gravitas. Certainly, don't vote based on their recommendations!

And in the why-don't-they-make-more-movies-like-that department...



While alone at my house for a few hours over the weekend, I caught most of You've Got Mail on cable, and was reminded of what a charming and enjoyable movie this was, and what a shame it is that they don't make very many movies like this.

Lighthearted, witty, warm romances, notably lacking in a lot of foul language, vulgarity and gratuitous sexual situations. Movies that make you laugh and empathize and even shed a little tear here and there. Why are they so rare?Hollywood, you're wondering why ticket sales are so dismal these days? GET A CLUE!!!

In my opinion, this was Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan at their best. Frankly, I'm disappointed that Tom Hanks is going to star in the movie version of "The DaVinci Code"...a movie I have absolutely no desire to see, by the way.

And I hope Meg Ryan finds her footing despite the fact that she's now past her ingenue status. Diane Keaton still manages to be cute and adorable on film; Meg could do it too.

Anyway, even though I can truly enjoy and appreciate what they do on screen, they're actors, people. They pretend for a living. They're entitled to their opinions, but we don't have to give those opinions any weight whatsoever.

It's my brother's birthday...

David turns 38 today. That is SO hard to believe. I can remember the day of his birth like it was yesterday. You see, David was probably my first major answer to prayer.

When I was a little girl, my parents were missionaries to Beirut, Lebanon. Of course, in those long-ago days, there were no video games, no cable television (actually, we didn't have a TV at all in Lebanon), no personal computers. So we made our own fun, and read a lot, and wrote a lot, and played board games, and listened to music endlessly, and made our own little plays and performed them for people... and that was probably great for us in the long run.

However, there came a point where my older sister Bev went back to the States to finish high school. My younger sister Lisa and I missed her terribly. So we covenanted that we would begin praying for another sibling. And we were specific about it...it had to be a boy. We wanted a baby brother.

Despite our parents trying to gently discourage us in this prayer campaign--they hadn't really had any plans to expand the family--we persisted.

Whether God did a miracle, or my parents capitulated, or a combination of both, I've never been quite sure. But on June 24th, 1967, our baby brother came into the world, and I've loved him with a proprietary zeal ever since. Correctly or not, I've always felt like I helped pray him into existence.

Training Iraqi cops

Right now, my brother is in Iraq. This certainly helps keep my current prayer life active. David is there to help train Iraqi cops. Although I wish he wasn't there, I need to be supportive of him in this endeavor--he truly feels a commitment to the Iraqi people.

Being a private person and very sensitive to security concerns, David wouldn't want me to post his picture on this blog. I wish you could see how handsome he is. However, some time back, I did post something my brother wrote when he first arrived in the Middle East and was stationed in Amman, Jordan. In honor of his birthday, I'm going to re-post it. I do hope you'll read on...I think it's rather remarkable.


"InshaAllah" (originally posted September 22, 2004)

I'm proud of my younger brother David for many reasons. He's a former Marine, Desert Storm veteran, police officer, SWAT team leader...he seems to relish a kind of danger in his life that I would recoil from. Thankfully, though, there are people that are drawn to it,maybe even called to it...and I think he is one of those.

Still, I thought he had lost his mind recently when he signed up to go to Iraq for one year to train Iraqi police officers. Yes, the pay is more than good. But every time another news story about a beheaded American flashes on the TV screen, I physically flinch. I don't want my baby brother to become one of those news stories.

Here is where my belief in the sovereignty of God gets put to the test. Do I really believe that David's times are in God's hands? If so, he's just as safe in a war zone, with bullets flying, as he would be patrolling the streets of the small town in which he is a policeman.

So far, David hasn't made it to Iraq yet. An initial stopover in Jordan has dragged out, with the Iraqi police candidates being sent to him instead of him having to go to them in dangerous Iraq. I would like it just fine if he ended up spending the entire stint in Jordan, although that isn't likely.

Anyway...I said all that to say this. David sent me an e-mail today that I found extraordinary, even moving. He's always been a good writer, and this e-mail illustrates that, as well as giving a first-person report on the unique circumstances in which he finds himself.

David titled the e-mail "Shala," but I'm certain he means "InshaAllah," which is Arabic for "God willing." Please read on.

"Finished training another class of Iraqi cadets on the range today. The majority of them come to me with no shooting skills, no concept of the fundamentals of marksmanship and no experience with a pistol. Most of them understand the controls of the AK-47 assault rifle but not how to hit anyone that isnt standing right in front of them.

"They look at me with suspicion in thier eyes on the first day we meet. I have them for a week. Paul and Jeff, two Canadian Mounties, Ricky Don, a big Louisiana boy, that goes by the nickname 'Redneck' and I, begin to teach them the skills that will hopefully save their lives.

" They come to us with courage. All of them have risked death to come here and by taking this job having taken the most dangerous policing job in the world.

"Some of them were military and were on the other end of the gun in Desert Storm where I served as a Marine. These are the ones I seem to enjoy the most. Perhaps we have more in common. Military men the world over are not so different. Most of them take up this career out of a combination of desire for the safety of their families and communities and financial desparation. The same reasons I took this job.

"As I teach them and they realize that I am genuinely concerned about their success and their survival you begin to see their prejudice against Americans weaken and fade away. As their skills grow they begin to show respect and even appreciation for thier instructors.

"On the first day of shooting they are awful. I coach and train, break bad habits, yell, order pushups, and give correction. On the second day of shooting the marksmanship begins to improve and they begin to take pride in their abilities which are still sub par. I then stop pushing them to pass and teach them the subtle techniques that take them from being capable of qualifying to excellent marksmanship.

"On qualification day my students come to me to make sure I will be with them on the line. They all tell me that God willing they are going to shoot a perfect score for me.

"They are a tribal people and respect strength and a formidable teacher. They respect someone they can justifiably fear. This is why they so easily flock after Warlords and tribal leaders like children follow football players and Superheros.

"On qualification day I am no longer harsh or hard, I encourage and praise and advise and none of my students have ever shot the minimum qualification score, and most are either perfect or just shy. It is on this day that I experience job satisfaction, and the same students who once eyed me suspiciously express their heartfelt gratitude and their joy over having surpassed another obstacle. One which may save their lives.

"As they shake my hand and put their hands on their heart with huge smiles on their faces, I feel a sort of kinship with them as police officers. My prejudices also are difficult to hang on to as they become for a short time my children, my students in whom I am well pleased.

"And again the reality strikes me that within a year most of these smiling faces will have shed their blood in the sand in the most dangerous place in the world. 'Are you going to shoot a 50 for me today?' 'InshaAllah'( God Willing).

"May God help them, their families, their courageous hearts, their childlike attitudes, and may they live to see some kind of peace in thier homeland."--David

And my God keep bless you and keep you, my precious brother, and make His face to shine upon you.

And the happiest of birthdays to you, Davo! I love you!

Please burn all existing copies of my junior high yearbook

Can you guess the celeb in this yearbook photo?

Darren Marlar and I chatted this morning about this 11-year-old Queens, NY girl whose parents are demanding that 200 yearbooks be recalled because they're unhappy with the way their daughter looks in her picture.

Hello??? Is ANYBODY happy with their sixth-grade yearbook photo?

When I was in junior high, I was absolutely hideous-looking. I just didn't know what to do with my kinky hair, excess poundage, erratic complexion and eyesight problem (the cat-eye glasses were NOT a good look for me.)

Actually, by high school, I had pulled myself together somewhat, and I don't think I'd be terribly embarrassed if someone unearthed my high school yearbooks. And I'd give a lot to look like I did in my college yearbooks.

But junior high? PLEASE, if you went to Vidor Junior High School in Vidor, Texas circa 1968-1970, BURN your yearbook! Or at least, get busy with a black magic marker on any pics of Cindy Garrett.

Sure, there were girls who escaped the dreaded "awkward age." I remember looking at Madeline Sanders and Angie Goynes and a few other pretty girls whose names now escape me, and enviously wondering why God allowed them to emerge from beautiful little kid-hood into beautiful adolescence with nary a pimple. It just wasn't fair.

So forgive me if I don't feel sorry for poor little Asheana Maihepat of Queens. Unattractive yearbook photos are something a lot of us deal with, even including some of the rich and famous.

Oh, the guy in the pic above is Bruce Springsteen. Doesn't look so cool there, does he? :)

Anyway...in case you actually DO want to see your old yearbook photos, check out this site. And please let me know, in my comments section, if you were successful.

And Lynda or Linda Sims, if you're ever doing a Google search for yourself and you end up here, please contact me! You were the best friend ever back in those junior high years, but I've lost touch with you completely.

Frankly, my dear...

Yep, I watched most of the AFI 100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time. I'll admit, I'm something of a movie buff, and I agreed with most of the choices. I'm not even quibbling with the top quote--Rhett Butler's famous "Frankly, my dear" farewell to Scarlett O'Hara, even though it contains a word I never use.

A few observations, though:



--The movie with the most quotes cited was Casablanca, the classic love story featuring Humphrey Bogart and a luminously beautiful Ingrid Bergman:

#5--"Here's looking at you, kid."
#20--"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
#28--"Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'" (Frequently misquoted as "Play it again, Sam."
#32--"Round up the usual suspects."
#43--"We'll always have Paris."
#67--"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

Now, my admission: I've never seen Casablanca.

I know, pummel me with wet noodles if you like. My daughter has seen it and loves it. I never had much of a desire to see the movie, but now I want to, along with several of the other movies that are quoted in the list.

But here's the problem: it's HARD to find those classic movies at the video store. And I don't necessarily have the patience or the funds to order them off the internet. I've been trying for ages to find "High Society," with Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra.

One summer, my son Jonathan and I decided to try to find and watch several movies that are on many film critics' lists of all-time best movies. We succeeded in finding "Citizen Kane" and "Bladerunner." I think we ended up getting "Citizen Kane" at the library.

Blockbuster! Why don't you have a Classic Movie section? It's just downright annoying. I heard someone say the other day, in effect, "OK, we have the first season of 'Queer as Folk' on DVD, but classic movies are next to impossible to find?" What's up with that?!?

--What? NOTHING from "The Princess Bride"? I know The Princess Bride is comparatively recent, but hey, the list contained quotes from Titanic, Jerry Maguire, The Sixth Sense and When Harry Met Sally.



In my humble opinion, The Princess Bride has some of the best movie quotes ever.

C'mon, AFI people! What about "As you wish"? or "Inconceivable!" or "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!"

Yep, I found that omission disappointing. But even the head of the American Film Institute, Jean Pickering, realized the list would be controversial: ""Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary. When you consider that any phrase from American film is eligible, you realize this is our most subjective topic to date. We expect nothing less than a war of words as we reignite interest in classic American movies."

By the way, I loved Alison Strobel Morrow's comments on my blog:

"My favorite 'Princess Bride' line is: 'True love _is_ the greatest thing in the world! Except for a nice MLT--mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich--when the mutton is nice and lean and the tomatoes are ripe...they're so perky, I love that.'

"Oh, and of course the wedding scene--'Mawage! Mawage is what bwings us toogevah tooday...' The family friend that did my wedding actually based his entire sermon on The Princess Bride because he knew it was one of my favorite movies, and started his sermon with that opening line. We were all cracking up--especially me and the girls in my bridal party, because we'd all quoted the entire scene while waiting in the bridal dressing room. Actually, his message was really good--his three points were 'as you wish' (serving each other in marriage), 'true love' (and what that really is), and 'inconceivable'(which is what God's love for us is). It was the first time he'd ever done a wedding and we told him he set the bar way too high and he'd better quit while he was ahead."

(By the way, Alison happens to be the daughter of Lee Strobel (The Case for Faith, The Case for Christ), and she is the author of a recently-released novel, Worlds Collide.)

On a totally different subject:

The fascination with Evie continues



It all started when a casual mention of Evie Tornquist Karlsson on my website opened the gates to a steady stream of hits from people wanting to find out what she's doing and where to get her music, lyrics, guitar tabs, what have you.

I decided if there was that much interest in the 70's Christian music icon, I'd try to track her down and do a radio interview with her. Which I did, and you can read the transcript here.

Well, that opened the floodgates for more inquiries about Evie. Where can I get her music? How can I get ahold of her? etc, etc.

Please don't ask me for Evie's e-mail address, because I honestly don't think she wanted me giving it out for all and sundry. However, I'm going to contact her again and strongly encourage her to develop her own website. Obviously, her music still holds huge appeal for a lot of people.

In the meantime:

Some Evie-related news!

A young man named Aaron, who heads Videos for the Family, will be interviewing Evie later this week and posting the interview on his website.

Also, he has gotten ahold of a limited quantity of "Songs for His Family," a cassette tape by Evie and the Karlssons. Aaron says they are never-used tapes, and he's selling them for 4.95 including shipping and handling. If you're one of the legions of Evie fans still out there, it's worth checking out.

Quote o' The Day

"There aren't very many 'Oprah picks' that I have liked. Although every one of them I've read have been beautifully written by writers of superb talent, they have also been stories that left me depressed when I finished them. I am a pragmatic person whose life has been touched by trials and tragedy. I don't need anyone to point out to me that life can be hard and unfair. But I am also a Christian who knows that God is just and righteous, and I have a Father who has given me many promises. My worldview is infused with hope because I stand on the Rock. That worldview infuses my books as well."--Author Robin Lee Hatcher

Baby-boomer reminiscing...

Remember reaching into a huge cooler of pop bottles chilling in ice-cold water? Remember taking a long swig of Coca-Cola that was so cold it had slivers of ice in it? Remember paying 20 cents a gallon for gasoline? Remember listening to top 40 AM radio?

If you do, you're probably a baby boomer.

My 101QFL cohost, Darren Marlar, gave me this quiz on the air this morning, and it was a nice little walk down Memory Lane:

BABY BOOMER QUIZ
Look at the items below. You'll know that you qualify as a true Baby Boomer if you remember...


1. "Cruising" on a Friday night, listening to the Top 40 on your AM radio.--(Oh, yeah! I don't even remember being aware of FM radio until I was a sophomore or junior in high school...and it definitely wasn't top 40.)


2. How much popcorn you made when you got that first microwave.


3. When there were only 3 TV channels -- and it was so hard to choose what to watch!--(At least you didn't need a remote!)


4. Where you were when JFK was shot...(or RFK)...(or MLK, Jr.)...


5. When the "Domino Theory" meant something other than planning to have pizza for dinner.

6. Who shot J.R.?


7. How scary it was to open that first Apple II...(or Tandy)...(or Commodore)...to add a card to increase the RAM from 16K all the way up to 64K.


8. When your teenage son or daughter first told you about the Internet.--(I'm on the young side for that one--my kids weren't teen-agers yet, but I remember when news stories were trumpeting the soon arrival of what they kept calling "the information superhighway.)


9. When the Beatles sang "I want to hold your hand" to Ed Sullivan.--(Yep.)

10. The unbelievable taste of good ol' Ripple wine.--(Have to pass on that one.)

11. How "neat" it was to hear the Beach Boys actually sing surfing music at the beach, on your transistor radio.--(Transistor radios! Loved 'em. My sister had one that looked exactly like a Coke can. My mom said she almost threw it away a million times, thinking it really was a Coke can.)

12. When you bought your first car that actually had seatbelts installed.--(Not really...I always remember seatbelts being there.)


13. When you said that you'd never trust anyone over 30.--(Nope...that was the "hippie" era. I was still pretty young then.)


14. What a TV test pattern looked like, when the channel went off the air at midnight.--(Yep, and the national anthem playing which meant it was time to go to bed. That was actually a good thing--a point at which you could NO LONGER WATCH TV.)

15. When we gave up trying to win "hearts and minds" and settled for "peace with honor".

16. When the price of gas jumped up to 50 cents per gallon.


17. When everybody did the "bump" in their leisure suits at the disco.--(I never frequented discos, but I sure do remember that era. Eeesh...leisure suits. How could we have ever thought those were cool? I bet they take hundreds of years to decompose in the landfills...)


18. Making love, not war, on your way to Woodstock in your flowered VW van.--(Again, too early for me.)


19. Watching the first man walk on the moon with "one small step..."--(Yep, I was glued to the (black and white) TV when that happened.)


20. When Carnaby Street came to Main Street, and everyone wore mini-skirts and platform shoes.


How many of those items do you remember?

Add up your score and compare with the grade levels below:

16 - 20 remembered: You qualify as a true Baby Boomer -- you were there and remember it all.

11 - 15 remembered: You're probably old enough, but they say that "memory is one of the first things to go..."

6 - 10 remembered: It's nice to have you youngsters join us here today.

Less than 6 remembered: Either you're real young or you once were a friend of Timothy Leary's -- wasn't he the one who said "If you remember the '60's, then you weren't really there?"

I have a few to add to the list

Remember when every girl wore their hair long, straight and parted down the middle? You could look at your high school yearbook and it would be rows and rows of girls with that look (except for the black girls, whose Afros were so big they sometimes didn't fit in the picture.)

With my naturally curly hair, oh what pains I took to obtain that look. I spent every night with my hair in a pony-tail on top of my head, rolled into two enormous rollers bigger than orange juice cans.

Remember, years earlier than that (circa 1968, '69) when everyone wore fishnet hose? The really cool girls had different colored ones to match with every outfit.

Remember when yarn ribbons were the must-have accessory for hair?

Remember Dippity-do?



Did you have a crush on either of the guys on Alias Smith and Jones? (Read about my crush on Pete Duel.)

Which Monkee did you think was the cutest?

Got any to add to the list?

We need compassion for "the least of these"

David Gibbs III

Do you have a proper heart and spirit towards those that the Bible calls "the least of these"? Whether it's a senior citizen, a disabled person, a young child--do we as a nation have the compassionate heart of God? --David Gibbs III

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."--Matthew 25:40

[UPDATE: You can now listen to my interview with David Gibbs III.]

After interviewing Schindler family attorney David Gibbs III (read the transcript of the interview here, with audio to come), I was able to hear Gibbs speak at my church yesterday morning.

I came away with a heart re-dedicated to having compassion on what the Bible calls "the least of these"--the preborn, children, the disabled, the aged, the poverty-stricken, the people who can't "contribute" to society. If we as Christians don't care about "the least of these," then who will?

Gibbs' account of Terri Schiavo's slow dehydration death was eloquent, but factual and straightforward, unembroidered with intentional sentimentalism or maudlin calls for pity. Still, it moved me deeply.

He spoke of being in the room with Mary Schindler the very last time she was able to see her daughter before she died. Before he left the room, Gibbs said he stood at the foot of her bed and said, "Terri, I'm sorry. We did everything we could." Knowing Terri probably couldn't grasp what he was saying, he still felt it had to be said.

Gibbs believes God has blessed our nation heretofore because we had a heart of compassion that God could bless. But everywhere we see evidence of that changing.

We as Christians must have a heart for the weak and the voiceless. We must, as Gibbs says, adopt the heart of God for "the least of these" in our communities.

On a lighter note...



Although normally I'm a fiction freak, I'm actually reading a nonfiction book and really enjoying it!

Currently on my nightstand is Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. (Noel is the wife of John Piper of Desiring God ministries.) I've just finished the first chapter, about Sarah Edwards, wife of Jonathan Edwards. What a remarkable woman!

I'm sure it's testimony in large part to Sarah's mothering and guidance that the couple's descendants accomplished such great things.

This from Gospelcom.net:

"In 1900, A. E. Winship studied what happened to 1,400 descendants of Jonathan and Sarah by the year 1900. He found they included 13 college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers and a dean of a law school, 30 judges, 66 physicians and a dean of a medical school, and 80 holders of public office, including three US Senators, mayors of three large cities, governors of three states, a Vice-President of the United States, and a controller of the United States Treasury. They had written over 135 books and edited eighteen journals and periodicals. Many had entered the ministry. Over 100 were missionaries and others were on mission boards." Wow.

I look forward to reading more of this book, and to interviewing Noel Piper for my radio show.

It's almost Father's Day, but I'm feeling a surge of motherlove

It's almost Father's Day, and since I won't be blogging this weekend, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish a wonderful day to all of you dads who take an active, loving, nurturing and guiding part in your children's lives. May God richly bless you and may your tribe increase!

Last year I wrote a small tribute to my husband, who is a terrific dad. How I treasure him as a husband and father--he is a wonderful gift from God.

Before my own father passed away in July 2004, I wrote this tribute to him. He was a loving dad too, and I miss him so very much.

However...not to take anything away from fatherhood, but I'm feeling a strong surge of motherlove right now.

Maybe it's because it's the time of year when youngsters are graduating from high school and college. Major turning points in their lives, and in the lives of their mothers. My own daughter--who happens to be my youngest-- graduated from high school a few weeks ago, and although she doesn't have any immediate plans to leave home, I can't help but be struck with the signficance of this milestone. The days of the empty nest are looming.

I've noticed in recent weeks that other blogging moms are experiencing similar emotions.

Katy has rendered me emotional, blogging about her son--the baby of the family--finally leaving the nest, here and here.

I especially love her parting words to her son: "Kev, you'll get married one day and then you'll have your first child. You'll turn around 25 years later and the last one will be walking out the door, and it will feel so strange to you. Because you'll still remember exactly how you felt the first time you brought a new baby home from the hospital, when all of life was ahead of you. Life goes really fast, babe..."

Truer words were never spoken, Katy.

Beth struggles with sending her daughter to a secular college. Like all of us moms, she ultimately has to leave the matter in God's hands.

WallyMom expresses beautifully and emotionally what many moms are feeling during the summer before their children go off to college.

She writes: "Suddenly, I want desperately to go backwards - to those days when he woke me up too early and followed me into the bathroom too often and asked too many questions and bothered me all day long. At least I was a participant in his life. Now I'm not sure who I am to him. He won't need me like before and so I have to redefine my role. I'll always be his mom, but have I now gone from all-knowing provider to the recipient of obligitory phone calls?"

Wow...been there, felt that.

Several weeks ago, when my daughter graduated from high school, my son and his wife came up from Texas, and my younger son was home from college. It was one of those rare occasions when all my children were under one roof, and I savored it. I love my children so strongly and so deeply, it's sometimes painful. How wonderful to know that there's Someone who loves them even more than I do. Even more wonderful, that someone is loving and sovereign and has a unique plan for their lives!

Happy Father's Day, everyone. Have a blessed weekend.