Been reading some terrific books lately!

Saturday Morning and A Standard Christian


Christian fiction is better than ever.

I've read two terrific books in the past few weeks, and I now offer them for your enjoyment and edification:

Saturday Morning, by Lauraine Snelling

Lauraine Snelling is best known as a writer of historical Christian fiction, but she hits one out of the park with her latest contemporary fiction offering, Saturday Morning.

Snelling brings together four women of diverse backgrounds who are each going through crises in their lives. Their interweaving stories, and the way they band together for friendship, support and prayer, makes for such an engaging tale, I had a very difficult time putting the book down.

There's Andy, who after raising her children and supporting her traveling businessman husband for years, now finds herself with a thriving lavender farm and skyrocketing lavender product business. (Coincidentally, I have had my own love affair with lavender for the past several months! I love its fresh, clean fragrance. I thought lavender was grown in France; didn't realize it's a big business here in the U.S.) Suddenly, Andy's husband wants to move to San Francisco...and Andy doesn't want to go.

There's Hope, who runs a downtown San Francisco rescue mission called "Casa de Jesus." Big business is threatening to close the doors--just as Hope gets some of the biggest, most life-changing news of her life.

There's Julia, an attorney whose troubled granddaughter has run away to--you guessed it--San Francisco.

And there's Clarice, an wealthy aging widow who arrives in the Bay City, stunned and penniless, courtesy of the gigolo husband who duped her.

The idea of women coming together for support and prayer is one that Lauraine Snelling hopes will catch on. She tells me, "My dream would be that women would come away from (the book) saying, 'I have to have a group like that,' and do everything they can to build that group and to take the time for that group and to be blessed that way."

By the way, I was able to interview Lauraine Snelling by phone today, and hope to provide more excerpts from our interview shortly.


A Standard Christian, by Jeri Massi


"Never, in all my life, had I heard anything so beautiful and so true as Handel's Messiah...Christ had come; Christ had died; Christ had risen. Everything foretold had come to pass; everything not yet past would pass. Even the men who made great claims would pass away with time. In the end, all that would be left would be that sweet claim extending a command to comfort the people of God, to bring them into heaven, to take away their sin forever and give them the knowledge of God."--"Grace Jovian" in A Standard Christian.

For young Grace Jovian, listening to The Messiah for the first time is just one of many revelations along her path to a solid faith in God. It's a path that also includes plenty of roadblocks, stumbles, and lessons from surprising sources along the way.

In this sequel to Jeri Massi's Secret Radio, Grace is out on her own after graduating from a Bible college that represents an extreme,almost cultish branch of fundamentalist Christianity. As a manager-trainee at a department store in a western North Carolina town, Grace struggles with her faith as she realizes that the truths in God's Word often differ wildly from what she's been taught.

On one level, the book is almost a roman a clef chronicling the public scandals spawned by the sect from which Grace has emerged. On another, it's the story of Grace growing up: battling mice in her mountain cabin, suffering a major health setback, achieving physical fitness, making new friends and learning important lessons from those friends, Christian or not. But mainly, it's the internal story of Grace's seeking after a real, solid faith. And it makes for a very absorbing and readable tale.

Author Jeri Massi tells me: "One great purpose of the book is to show the humanity of every human being, saved or not, the value of every life, and the constant work of God's grace that is often visible but also inscrutable, unable to be fathomed, even imperceptible. The other purpose is to show that God works when we don't think He is working."

Ultimately, although Grace never claims to have "arrived," she's able to agree with the wisdom of a friend who tells her, "Just accept that you're a standard Christian with all the flaws and keep going back to Him."

Jeri Massi has chosen the self-publishing route for this series, which started with "Secret Radio" and will conclude with a third book in early 2006. Massi has been oft-published, though--most recently, her excellent Valkyries series. You can read my review here.

...and one I hope to review in the near future:



If I Gained the World, by Linda Nichols, isn't a new book--it was loaned to me recently by a friend who knows I love fiction.

This book grabbed me and didn't let go. I can't wait to read more of Linda Nichols!

...and two I hope to be reading soon...

Robin Lee Hatcher's "Victory Club" just arrived on my desk--I can't wait to read it; it's no secret that I love Robin and her writing.

And I've promised Infuze Magazine (an online magazine for which I've reviewed a couple of books previously) that I'll review Jack Cavanaugh's "Dear Enemy" for them. Both are World War Two-themed books, so it looks like I'll be spending some time in the 1940's!

Sigh...reading...one of the great pleasures in life!

Did you worship in air-conditioned comfort on a padded pew yesterday?

I did. And I was thankful for it. But for all of us who did, this is a must-read.

Vanity, thy name is...a table?

OK, this post may seem a little ironic after I earlier posted a quote about taking your blogging audience seriously. But the truth is, my blog has always been a hodgepodge of things that interest me, and that I hope will interest others as well.

So, I couldn't pass up a USA Today article today about, of all things, vanity tables.

But there's a reason for my interest. You see, the vanity table that sits in my bedroom right now is inextricably linked with many of my fondest childhood memories.

I've blogged before about my great-aunt Cynthia, whose name I inherited through my mother. Well, another thing I inherited from her, through my mother, was a beautiful bedroom suite. As a child, I would go into the bedroom and look at the furniture, the decorations, the Huldah prints, with reverential fascination. I was powerfully attracted to that room.

When I married and the furniture became mine, I was thrilled and delighted. The whole set is in need of refinishing, but that doesn't bother me so much now that a "distressed" look is "in." The beautiful bed needs repair; we're not using it right now, although I hope to have it restored someday.

But the vanity is one of my very favorite pieces, and always will be.

USA Today says: "Vanity tables, hugely popular in the 18th-century, are making a comeback despite their seeming irrelevance to the lifestyles of modern women.

"A vanity, or dressing table...was the sort of thing a woman would have in the corner of her boudoir, back when women had boudoirs. This is where she displayed her perfumes, sat down to apply her powders and potions, and stored her jewelry and other luxury pretties."

The article goes on to ask: "..why would women want them now--and who has room for them?"

I'm blessed with a fairly large bedroom now, but I've always had room for my vanity table and the chair that accompanies it.

And I use it exactly as those 18th-century ladies used it. It's where I sit to apply my make-up and fix my hair. The surface holds pictures of me with my husband, my daughter, and my sisters, as well as perfumes and lotions. The drawers contain jewelry, make-up, skin care stuff, nail polish, old letters, cards and mementoes. It's a little island of feminity where I can succumb to my girliest tendencies. And I love it.

As far as I'm concerned, this piece of furniture represents the only time the word "vanity" is a positive thing.

(By the way, the vanity pictured above is not mine. If you'd like to see more, here is a website that sells vanities pretty much exclusively.)

Quote o' The Day for Bloggers

"Your audience is giving you two of their most precious possessions – their time and their attention. What are you doing with this gift? Are you using it to improve their life, influence their worldview, feed their mind? Or are you wasting it by giving them junk food, blather and trivia which provides a momentary amusement but has only a fleeting impact? What will this person gain in return for loaning you this treasure for 26 hours every year?"--Joe of Evangelical Outpost, on The 5/150 Principle

Two terrific Katrina-related interviews

I was able to interview two people today who are both relatively small cogs in the gigantic wheel of Hurricane Katrina relief...but both interviews brought to mind a song my dad used to sing a lot, "Little is much when God is in it!"

A small church reaches out with compassion

Pastor Bob Bixby

I told you earlier about Morning Star Baptist Church, which is taking seriously Biblical mandates to care for the hungry and hurting.

I was able to talk by phone with Pastor Bob Bixby, who along with his associate pastor Mark Garard has been in Lousiana and Mississippi trying to determine what one small church can do to help. Bixby and Garard took a vanful of donated items along with them--items that ended up being airlifted to a church in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Pastor Bixby told me he's learned so much about what to do and what not to do. But he's been struck by the compassion of small churches who are doing so much to help, and by the reactions of the evacuees.

And he said he hasn't seen a great deal of anger and frustration: "That has not been our experience. We expected that. (But) I have been hugged so many times, I mean, I've gotten enough hugs to last me a year--and thanked. Just thanked for coming, even though I had nothing to offer."

Although Bixby believes the spiritual need is the greatest, he also believes that Christians need to show love and compassion by helping to provide needed material things. "Let's face it...would you want to hear somebody preach to you when you've been in the same pair of underwear for five days, and haven't brushed your teeth in as many days, and have these physical needs? You wouldn't even be interested. That's just the way we're made, and it's appropriate to give materially."

Bixby plans to come home and organize his thoughts and impressions and write them down. He wants to encourage churches to hook up with churches in the hurricane-ravaged area. "I've learned how to help them," Bixby says. He expects to send a group from his church back down to the area next week.

Go here for more information on what Morning Star is doing.

Homeschooling help for displaced students...


Charlotte Mason

My second interview was with a fellow blogger, Donna-Jean Breckenridge of Liberty and Lily, who had alerted me to a possible way that children displaced by Hurricane Katrina can continue their education.

Donna-Jean serves on the advisory for Ambleside Online, a free online homeschooling curriculum based on the educational methods of Charlotte Mason--a Christian woman who lived a century ago in England.

Donna-Jean tells me: "(Mason) has a motto that says, 'Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.' ...She talks about 'the natural home atmosphere.' In other words, not bringing everything down child-size, but letting children live among what's normal, what's natural.

"The discipline of habit...creating good habits with children so that they don't have to consciously be making decisions about things, but that instead doing things properly becomes a habit.

"And then the one that most people love the most is the part that says 'and a life'--and that has to do with living books in particular. What the Charlotte Mason method of education would advocate is using the best books for children. She believed that
the mind feeds on ideas, and that therefore children should have a generous curriculum...rather than textbooks, which are often pre-digested, if you will, by a team of people who determine what a fourth-grade child needs to hear.

"Instead, the Charlotte Mason method would advocate children being put in direct contact with these living books, great authors...so that, in a sense, the authors become the teachers. And the teacher's job then is to present this sort of smorgasbord of ideas for the children to to directly go to Robert Louis Stevenson, or C.S. Lewis, or Emily Dickinson, or the great works of art, and so on."

Now, Ambleside Online is working on a project to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees use the curriculum during this time of disruption in their children's lives.

Of course, this pre-supposes that the evacuees will have access to the Internet. Says Donna-Jean: "We're sort of envisioning a family that has had to leave, that has been displaced, and they may be living with relatives in another city or another state, and of course has had to leave behind--may have lost--their books, their materials, their resources, their curriculum."

If you go to Ambleside Online, you'll find a link for a simplified plan for Hurricane Katrina victims. "As part of our effort we will be including website links to simple, easy to follow resources- music sites, origami (it seems to us this is the simplest of handicrafts to institute in an emergency situation), handwriting pages, simple and easy games to play, physical activities, and so forth."

Sounds like a great idea to me...and it was wonderful speaking with this terrific lady that obviously has such a heart for children.

"When I lay my Isaac down"--my interview with Carol Kent

Unshakable faith in unthinkable circumstances


"...even as I was pounding my fist into his chest saying 'Why, God?' I found myself unable to resist falling into His embrace."--Carol Kent

What do you do when the unthinkable happens? What do you do when your life is turned upside down? I'm sure these are some of the questions that victims of Hurricane Katrina are asking. I was recently able to interview Carol Kent, who knows something about such questions on an intimate level. Carol is the author of When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances. Following is a transcript of portions of our interview.

CINDY: Carol, your life was shaken by some terrible news one night a few years ago. Can you tell me about the phone call that ended up changing your life forever?

CAROL: Most definitely. It had been a wonderful, happy life up until that moment for my husband Gene and I. We raised an only child who was a total delight to have in our family; he had an optimistic attitude, a heart of compassion.

He came home from camp during his high school years and said, "Mom and Dad, I really want to do something that matters with my life, and I believe God wants me to serve in some form of military or political leadership, and I believe the best place that that I can get prepared to do that would be at the U.S. Naval Academy."

And he set his sights on getting into Annapolis, and he received an appointment and graduated in 1997,so we were looking forward to seeing our son thrive in his future, in his career, and with his dreams of serving the Lord effectively. And he met and married a delightful young woman who had been previously married with two little girls...she had been married at the age of 16 to a man ten years her senior, and there were many allegations of abuse.

And we knew that the biological father of Chelsea and Hannah, our new granddaughters, was seeking unsupervised visitation, and we knew this was causing some real stress in our son's life.

A phone call at 12:35 AM

But I had been out of state with my husband at a speaking engagement, and the phone rang after we were in a deep sleep after returning home on a Sunday evening. Gene picked up the receiver; I looked at the clock, it was 12:35 AM, and I saw a look of shock and horror come over my husband's face, and he pulled the receiver away, and he said, "Carol, Jason has just been arrested for the murder of his wife's first husband, and he's in the jail in Orlando, Florida."

And we knew at that moment everything about our future would change.

CINDY: I have two sons myself, and I can only imagine getting a call like that, and how your world was turned upside down in just a matter of minutes. Not only was this news lifechanging for your son, but for you, because you're the director of Speak Up Speaker Services, and you've been making your living as a speaker for quite some time. How did this affect that and, well, basically your whole life in the following months after you got this terrible news?

CAROL: Well, one of the things that we realized immediately was that this was so out of our control to fix or to do anything that would be the norm for us, which is to get the book on the easy ways to pull life back together.

I tried to get out of bed, and my legs wouldn't hold my weight. I had never been in shock before; I had waves of nausea coming over me. And at the same time, we realized that we needed to do something, like get an attorney and pay for an attorney of gigantic magnitude.

"We had no choice but to keep going"

Our livelihood was basically me speaking as a Christian public speaker all over the country and writing Christian books. And my husband had left his profession in the life insurance business after thirty years to go on the road with me and to run Speak Up Speaker Services, a Christian speakers bureau that we have through Speak Up Ministries. And so we had no choice but to keep going. Nor were we allowed legally to talk about what had happened from a public platfrom until after the trial was over.

And so, first, out of knowing that it was the way we made our living, I went to the next speaking engagement. And in my heart I wanted to curl up in the embryo position and just die, I was so sick for my son.

He went through a severe beating when he was attacked by ten inmates just days after he was arrested and placed in a maximum security portion of the jail. His two front teeth were broken off; his ear had a cut in it, he was kicked in the eye. And I remember the call that came from him, and after that 15-minute digitized call clicked off, I sat at my desk and I just wailed. I heard this guttural roar come out of the depths of my being, and I said,"God, I cannot do this journey. I cannot walk this path."

"God ministered to me through my own words"

And then the "Mama" part of me clicked in, and I realized our son needed us more than he ever had. And I went to that speaking engagement, and I stood up and began to speak what I know to be truth out of God's word, and it was as if God ministered to me through my own words, because I was reminded of the fact God was good, and he was trustworthy and that bad things happen to good people even good Christian people in the middle of a fallen world.

We think of this gigantic hurricane that, well, we just cannot believe the images on our TV screen, and we realize that in this world there will be trouble, there will be problems, but God is still God, and we are not.

CINDY: Can you tell me briefly about some of the principles that you've learned going through this experience that you are now being able to pass along to other people?

CAROL: Well, when I wrote the book I realized that Abraham was an incredible example of a parent who had to release control of his son to the God who loved his Isaac more than he did.

And I began to journal, and my husband did as well, as we learned that there is a hidden power in the middle of unthinkable circumstances. Because when you're a broken person all you can do is look up, and that's not a bad place to be in. We were flat-out needy, and we learned how to let go of let go of our own control in the middle of our unthinkable circumstances.

And we learned the power of relinquishment, realizing that we have to give to God everything about this situation,even if in this lifetime we can't figure out why God allowed these things to happen.

We learned the power of heartache, that God is very close to the broken hearted, and He loves those who are desperately needy, and even as I was pounding my fist into his chest saying "Why, God?" I found myself unable to resist falling into His embrace.

And then we learned the power of Christian community, as God's people came around us in the most miraculous ways, and they put together an e-mail update that we were able to have sent to hundreds of people all over the country, who began praying for Jason, our son, and for his wife and daughters, and for us. And these people supported us in tangible ways when we didn't have the ability to do it ourselves.

And we learned the power of faith in a dark hour; that sometimes there is no "ram in the thicket" that we can visibly see. But in the middle of it all, I realized that Abraham had history with his God, and I had history with my God, and I realized that due to the fact that I knew Him intimately after coming to Him at the age of five at my mother's knee, that I could trust an unknown future to a known God.

And finally, we learned the power of speaking up. That we could chose to never speak of this publicly, that we could chose to crawl in a hole and pretend it didn't happen, or that we could chose, following the trial to speak up honestly and authentically about what our journey had been, and hopefully give other people the opportunity of freeing themselves to speak about the bad things that happened to them and what they have learned in their faith journey.

CINDY: Carol, what you went through was very tragic...and I think that most of us that live this life are going to face, at one time or another, one of those earthshattering, life-turning-upside-down things happening, whether it be in their family life, or whether it be something like Hurricane Katrina or other natural disasters. What do you hope that people who read this book will come away with that could help them such situations?

CAROL: My prayer is that people will find the hope and will realize that the last chapter isn't written yet. Something more is coming, and because we are a family of faith, when we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we know that even in this lifetime we don't know the answers to all of our "Why?" questions, that there is a better day coming.

And one of the ways that God taught this to me, just in living out my journey, is that once I began to speak publicly about our son's trial, and the aftermath of getting, what in prison vernacular is called a "toe-tag" sentence--our son, apart from our miracle, will never leave the Florida state penitentiary until he's dead on a slab with a tag on his toe--it's a hopeless sentence, and I've cried buckets over that--we still have a remarkable son in a very unlikely place. And we do not justify what he did, it was against the laws of God and man, but we know that he believed his legal resources for
rescuing two little girls from what he believed to be an abusive father, is the "why" of all of this and what started to spiral him in a psychological downturn.

At the same time, we are now meeting people...I had a woman come up to the book table where I was signing books, and with a whisper she said, "My husband's been incarcerated for the last 18 years, and nobody knows he's getting out in a month."

I said, "Is he coming home to live with you?"

And she said, "Yes, we're going to try to make a go of it." Then she stood to her best posture, and she said with a confident look, "Today you've given me the courage to start telling my story. I'm going to quit hiding in false shame and false guilt and tell people what's happened.

And I want everybody to know, whether your Isaac has been abuse, or a financial reversal, or giving birth to a child with a disability, or or having a spouse betray you and leave you for somebody else, all of us have an Isaac experience. And as we seek help from godly people who can give us Biblical truth, we begin to be able to share with others what God has brought us through, and point them in the direction of renewed hope, fresh faith, and the belief that something more is coming.

Katrina updates...New Orleans reminiscinces...

I've been following my friend Don Elbourne's blog with concern and interest. Don is a Baptist pastor who, pre-Katrina, lived in New Orleans and pastored in Lakeshore, Mississippi.

Don and his scattered congregation need monetary and prayer support. The pictures of what's left of his church are heart-rending. Please add Don and his church to your prayer list, and give if you possibly can.

To make matters worse, Don's wife was robbed the other day, and the thief took her purse, including her drivers' license and the couple's credit cards. "Ya’ll pray for us," Don writes. "This is tough and overwhelming, but God will see us through."

Some good news for one blogger...

I had told you that David of Espresso Roast was stressed out because he and his wife were separated from their five-year-old son, who had been visiting grandparents in Mississippi. David and his wife knew Jacob was OK, but they needed, understandably, to have him physically with him.

David posted in my comments section this past Friday: "Thanks for the post and the prayers, Cindy. Yesterday we got Jacob home safe and sound! It was a bit stressful, but God was faithful to provide us peace and assurance of his care."

David blogged: "We didn't realize how much stress we were feeling about that until we actually were within an hour of being reunited with him. It was such a relief to see all of them tired but in good shape."

A local church is taking Biblical mandates seriously...

A church in my town is getting serious about helping victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Morning Star Baptist Church has sent their pastors to Lafayette, Louisiana, with plans to bring back at least one evacuee family. Other plans include a blood drive and a campaign to raise money for air mattresses. Find out more here.

The church's site quotes Pastor Roger Price of Lafayette: "The desperate need here is for mature Christians to put their arms around the shoulders of these people and weep with them...to sit down with victims and let them talk, then offer words of comfort, prayer, and a witness for Jesus Christ."

This is the home church of my blogging friend Joy McCarnan, and I'm happy to pass on the information.

A New Orleans memoir


When I heard New Orleans' deputy police chief say "this city is destroyed" on national television, I couldn't help but feel profound sadness.

Yes, I know there was probably enough wickedness in the city to more than rival the toxic cesspool of water now flowing through the streets. But what city can say "We are without sin...we don't deserve judgment"?

There was also plenty of beauty and innocent joie de vivre in that city. I always wanted to take my husband there, because I'll never forget a vacation I took there with my parents when I was a teen-ager, circa mid-1970's.

I was charmed by the distinctive architecture, the honey-rich drawl of the N'awlins natives, by jazz notes floating out of a bar in the middle of the day. I remember my mom getting her portrait done by a hippie artist on Jackson Square. She still has that portrait, and it actually begins to capture something of her unique beauty.

I remember visiting a Civil War museum and renting bikes to ride through Audubon Park. (Is Audubon Park ok? What about the D-Day museum--my daughter has always wanted to go there; is it destroyed?)

I'll never forget our first day of touring the city. My dad parked our car, we got out, and one of us spotted a wad of dollar bills on the sidewalk. No one any where nearby--no way to find out to whom it belonged. It wasn't a big amount, but we accepted it as a gift from above--a lovely little benediction to send us off on our day.

And don't even get me started on the food. We had muffaletta sandwiches from a deli my aunt had told us about. They were amazing. Delectable beignets from the Cafe du Monde. We had lunch at Antoine's. We had incredibly delicious gumbo and jambalaya at a nondescript-looking but awesome little restaurant on Bayou Gauche.

Houston Chronicle writer Alison Cook writes a requiem for the tastes of New Orleans. Cook has her own memories of the Cafe du Monde: "Chicory coffee au lait — was there a more magical brew to be had anywhere? — exerted its lure from the porch of the Café du Monde, where I would sit under churning ceiling fans, watching waiters pour with a fine flourish as I devoured an absurd number of fried-dough beignets. The more powdered sugar ended up on my clothes, the better life seemed."

And (hat tip to Lisa Samson), Erin of Biscotti Brain has her own memories of signficant milestones in her life that took place in the Big Easy.

Will it be rebuilt? Will it flourish again one day, maybe even better than before? I pray so. I would certainly not want to lose a city that has been such a major part of so many people's lives and memories.

What are your hidden talents?

I'll have a Katrina update hopefully later this morning...but until then, something less serious, courtesy of Robin Lee Hatcher:

Your Hidden Talent

You are a great communicator. You have a real way with words. You're never at a loss to explain what you mean or how you feel. People find it easy to empathize with you, no matter what your situation. When you're up, you make everyone happy. But when you're down, everyone suffers.

What's Your Hidden Talent?

This quiz takes just seconds of your time. By the way, Robin has blogged about her heaviness of heart in the wake of Katrina. I can relate strongly, but I'm now trying to process how those of us with very tender hearts can go on with life while still helping, praying for and respecting the loss of those involved in the hurricane.

Hearts and prayers go out to Katrina victims

It's hard to watch our city fill with water like a bathtub and try to decide where to go from here. Our hope rests in the firm foundation of our sovereign God who holds us in his right hand. This morning I think of John Newton’s words, “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.”--Don Elbourne

I'm getting word from relatives, friends and fellow-bloggers about how they're being affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

A New Orleans pastor...

My friend Don Elbourne, a New Orleans-area pastor, has finally been able to blog about his situation.

Don says he's expecting the worst as far as his house and church building are concerned. His church is in Lakeshore, Mississippi. Don writes: "For those not familiar with the gulf coast, Lakeshore sits about half way between New Orleans LA and Gulport. MS, just outside Waveland/Bay St. Louis. Our church is only about a mile from the gulf, in a very low lying area. As soon as the roads open I want to get in and assess the damage. I will be very surprised if any of our church buildings still stand at all."

Evangelist Tim Lee's ministry is accepting donations for Don and his church. Lee says all financial donations earmarked for Don Elbourne will go directly to Don. You can send your contribution to:

Tim Lee Ministries
P.O. Box 461674
Garland,TX 75046

Sheltering the victims...

This message from my cousin Judy, who lives in the Beaumont, Texas area:

"Thought all of you in the rest of the country might like a local update about the Katrina evacuees. Our local area has a few thousand it sounds like. Our convention center in Beaumont has 1000 and many of the local churches are housing hundreds more. Mom said East Tx Baptist Encampment in Newton is housing some. One church in Lumberton, near me, has about 200. They are calling for all kinds of donations and the Red Cross especially needs cash. I hear that many have medical needs...including medicine and even dialysis. We are starting a sign up list at work for volunteers to help serve food and no telling what else. Also sounds like about 475 buses will be coming through here on IH10 to go to the Astrodome."

A five-year-old can't come home...

David of Espresso Roast is asking for prayers that his five-year-old son Jacob can come home soon. Jacob is safe with his grandparents in Mississippi, but is basically stranded there right now. Read more here.

"I saw several people crying today...

My blogging friend Ashley alerted me to this blog entry by her sister Lindsay, who helped out in a Red Cross shelter as part of her job with the state of Lousiana.

Lindsay writes: "I saw several people crying today, and for good reason. it was heartbreaking to watch the adults watching the news on the big screen tv set up in the corner. at one point, i stood over there and watched with them for a few minutes. they were showing new orleans and they had the caption - sunken city - next to it. some of them just stood there, shaking their heads in disbelief, watching these pictures of their hometown with water up to the roofs of the houses. lots of people told us that they know they have nothing left..."

Opening their homes...

Carol, who has opened her Texas home to relatives fleeing Katrina's aftermath, has some advice:

"If you know someone who has taken in evacuees, call. Ask if you can stop by. Take some flowers or cookies or something.

"We see a lot about the people stranded in the city and being sent to Houston. They are in an unimaginable situation.

"There are also hundreds of thousands of others who left when told to and are scattered about the nation. They are isolated, their resources slowly dwindling, they are frightened, many do not know where their loved ones are or if they have a home to return to or when or a job or . . .

"Sometimes a smile from someone who has heard and expresses concern is huge.

"I have some of these people in my home. They are my family. Simple gestures of kindness have done so much."

Simple gestures of kindness. Yes.

"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”--Matthew 10:42

Responding to Katrina

As news of the devastation from Hurricane Katrina continues, you may be asking, "How can I help?"

Give...

The Salvation Army and the America Red Cross tell us the best way you can help is with a financial contribution.

To donate through the Red Cross, call 1-800-HELP -NOW, or go to www.redcross.org.

To donate through the Salvation Army, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.

Also, bloggers will be uniting tomorrow for a concerted relief effort.

Pray!

If you can't give financially, don't underestimate the power of prayer. Include the victims, the rescue workers and the relief workers on your prayer list.

Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco is calling for a day of prayer today for residents of New Orleans. Says Blanco: "That would be the best thing to calm our spirits and thank our Lord that we are survivors." She added, "Slowly, gradually, we will recover; we will survive; we will rebuild."

Southern Baptist relief efforts

Meantime, AP reports that more than one-thousand Baptist volunteers have been mobilized to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in and around New Orleans. However, Joe Conway of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief says workers have had a hard time getting to the hardest-hit areas because of "the devastation of the storm, the rising flood waters, the damage to infrastructure."

Keep track of what's going on...

...through your favorite news sources and remarkable sites like the Slidell Hurricane Damage Blog.

...Word here on how the hurricane is affecting the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary...

Casting Crowns' members praying for friends in New Orleans

This also from AP: "Members of the Christian band
Casting Crowns are praying for their friends in hurricane-ravaged
New Orleans.
Lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall says, 'We have a lot
of friends down in the seminary in New Orleans, youth pastors,
worship leaders.'
He says, 'they're heavy on our heart.'
Casting Crowns performed in Louisiana in the spring and is
scheduled to return this fall."

*****************************

"In my mind I'm where I belong
As I rest in your arms
And like a child I hold on to you
In my moment of truth, yes I do

We can ride the storm
Endure the pain
You comfort me in my hurricane--"Mind's Eye"

"All I need is a couple days off..."

...but a really great nap would do, so where is my nap pod?



Darren Marlar had a story today about places where you can pay to take a really good nap. Apparently they're now available at the Mall of America, but I've also heard about "MetroNaps" in New York City. (Granted, at around 42 bucks an hour for the Mall of America nap, that's a pretty pricey 40 winks.)

This from the MetroNaps website: "MetroNaps provides America with mid-day rest facilities: a clean, comfortable place to take a nap. MetroNaps was born from the realization that many employees spend significant amounts of their day dozing at their desk or catching powernaps in odd places. We seek to be the premier provider of professional nap centers in the United States."

"I would come every day, and I wish I had a pod in my apartment because nothing helps me as much as the pod," says Elizabeth Cole, a MetroNap regular, is quoted in this msnbc report.

A listener called and told us she'd taken one of these power naps on a cruise ship. She told us that the "nap pods" zap you into REM sleep so quickly, you end up getting the equivalent of several hours of sleep in a much shorter time. You wake up feeling amazingly refreshed and reinvigorated.

So where do I get mine???

Seriously, don't you just love a nap? Why is the act of sleeping so lovely?...just drifting off into restful oblivion...releasing the cares of the day...floating away on a cloud of tranquil unconsciousness...

Yawn...I'm getting sleepy..

Quote o' The Day

(and why I love fiction!):

"When we pick up a novel, we are not just immersed in a story, we are immersed in a community of new friends, who live out their lives before us, who show us who they are in a transparent manner, who usher us to places we’ve never been. We have a common purpose with these imaginary friends: to get to the end of the story, hopefully in one piece, everybody a little wiser, a little bolder, a little more inspired."--Lisa Samson

Watered-down evangelicalism?

Ran across this story on AP's Religion Roundup today:

CEDARVILLE, Ohio (AP) - The Reverend James MacDonald says
too many churches are trying to "engage the culture" with a
watered-down gospel instead of just presenting the Bible as God's
word.
MacDonald pastors the eight-thousand-member Harvest Bible
Chapel outside Chicago, and he says people are saved by the
"gospel of power," not human wisdom or persuasion.

Read the entire story here. (By the way, the last six paragraphs in the story I linked are actually introductions to sound bites from MacDonald. Somehow they mistakenly ended up as part of the article.)

MacDonald made those comments at Cedarville University's Fall Bible Conference (the college my son Jonathan graduated from, and from which my son Justin is trying to graduate from. :))

Religion Roundup is a service I get as part of my Associated Press package here at the radio station. The writer, AP's Steve Coleman, is a Christian himself and does a terrific job writing and editing this feature.

By the way, I happen to agree with MacDonald's comments.

Major Davis' Prayer Campaign Begins Today

Today is the start of Major Danny Davis' 90 day prayer campaign to win the war on terror.

Says Davis on his website: "There is no doubt God is able to work an extraordinary miracle, and the Bible is full of precedent where believers humbled themselves, admitted their inability to get out of a tough jam, prayed to God for His deliverance, and a great work was accomplished on their behalf. The best and brightest minds all over the world are working feverishly trying to contain, quell, or defeat terrorism and have thus far been completely unable to even slow it down. In my opinion, God alone is able to do it."

According to his website, Davis is now stationed in Doha, Qatar.

Want to know more about embryonic stem cell research, from a Christian perspective?

You might want to visit the website of the Christian Medical and Dental Association.

The CMDA's executive director, Dr. David Stevens, says the site offers "medically-reliable biblically-sound information" on stem cell research, cloning,
assisted suicide and other issues so that Christians can contribute knowledgeably to the national debate.

Harvard scientists announced earlier this week that they've found a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells--raising hopes that treatments and cures could someday be developed without destroying human embryos.

Stevens tells AP: "There are other ways to get the cures that we want without destroying human beings."

I'm in love with Taylor, the Latte Boy

It all started when my co-host Darren Marlar played Kristin Chenoweth's "Taylor, the Latte Boy" here on 101QFL.

Now, hardly a day goes by that we don't get at least one request for this charming little song. If you love coffee, and especially if you love Starbucks, it's just a natural fit.

Kristin Chenoweth is an actress (apparently she's a regular on West Wing and has also been on Broadway), who happens to be a Christian (read about her Christian CD, "As I Am," here.) "Taylor" is actually just a humorous postscript to the songs on that album, but as Christianity Today comments, "Only in the extremely cute closing track 'Taylor, the Latte Boy' does she display the most range, delightfully putting her gifts as a comedic Broadway actress to use."

Honestly, I have a hard time getting this song out of my head, and every time I meet a boy named Taylor, it pops up unbidden.

Imagine Darren's and my delight when we found out a local videographer, Chris Johnson, has put together a video for the song. (She actually did so as an anniversary gift to her Starbucks-crazy pastor and his wife.)


This video perfectly captures the wistfully comical appeal of the song. Kandice Campbell does a beautiful job as "Kristin"--she's absolutely adorable--and her brother Kasey Campbell as her accompanist and Nick Sanderson as Taylor himself are terrific.

Do go check out this charming video. You may fall in love with the song and probably with Kandice Campbell as well!

The inventor of the synthesizer is dead...

According to AP, Robert Moog died yesterday at the age of 71:
"Robert Moog's (mohgz) invention turned electric currents
into sound and opened the musical wave that became electronica. "

I happen to be sort of a fan of the synthesizer. Two of my favorite songs that contain synthesizer solos: "Eagle Song," by the Imperials (actually, that's one of my favorite Imperials songs ever), and "Spin Your Light," by the Second Chapter of Acts. (Unfortunately, neither of the snippets of the songs I've linked contain the synthesizer interludes.)

Had the most amazing meal Friday night...

As I blogged about earlier, Friday was my 27th wedding anniversary. My husband surprised me with reservations at Maggiano's Little Italy in Schaumburg. He had been there before, but I hadn't. Delectable, delicious and awesome don't begin to describe this place. By the way, we had so much left over that we feasted on it again for lunch at home the next day, along with Justin and Elizabeth!

I don't often indulge in restaurant desserts, but may I say, the tiramisu was exquisite. They have locations in 20 states, so give it a try sometime.

Our dining experience was just one component of a very memorable anniversary; many thanks to everyone who gave us anniversary greetings.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!

27 years today! All my love and thanks to my precious husband, who has stuck by me through all these years. You're the BEST!

"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it..." Song of Solomon 8:7.


Yes, that's us with our preacher dads--August 19, 1978

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.--Shakepeare's Sonnet 116

I took the Jane Austen quiz

The Pride and Prejudice type: Truly an Austenite,
this type is a Romantic at heart, but they
always keep their head and are wary of
melodrama. Lively, clever, and independent.
These people are easily amused by their own
foibles and the quirkly foibles of others. They
lament society today, and dream of the time
when guys were gentlemen and girls were ladies.


Jane Austen novel quiz
brought to you by Quizilla

What I have in common with Cindy Sheehan

Now, wait a minute. I'm not saying I agree with Cindy Sheehan. It seems to me that she's being used by liberal groups to push forward their own agendas. (Read Margaret Carlson's The Co-opting of Cindy Sheehan, Grieving Mom).

Even her family members have reportedly said that she's dishonoring the memory of her soldier son, who died in Iraq. And she appears to be pretty inconsistent in her comments about President Bush.

I'm a conservative, pro-Bush, God-fearing, patriotic American woman. But I admit, a small part of my heart grieves every time I hear about another American soldier being killed in Iraq. I'm not about to go out and join the candlelight vigils, although the war is in my prayers every night. I'm not like Cindy Sheehan in a lot of ways.

However, we do share something in common--besides the fact that we have the same first name and we're about the same age.

Cindy Sheehan had someone in Iraq that she loved, and she lost him. I have someone in Iraq that I love, and I don't want to lose him.

I've mentioned here that my brother David is a cop and former Marine (Desert Storm veteran) who is in Iraq voluntarily, training Iraqi police officers. Frankly, I'm terrified for my brother. I lost my dad a year ago, and I don't want to lose my only brother.

I said as much to him in an e-mail the other day. David had sent out a bulk e-mail, letting all of us know about the death of an American man in his unit.

When I responded, expressing my fear and wishes that he would come home, I hit "reply all"--so everyone on David's list saw my stark, raw emotion.

And David also hit "reply all" when he sent me this response. Strong though some of his wording may be (remember, once a Marine, always a Marine,)I think it shows the mindset of people like him who think they are in Iraq for good and necessary reasons,

David's response:

"_______________ [the American man who was killed] risked his life, knowing the risk, in order to train Iraqi Counter Terrorist Special Forces. My intent of passing the news on is to let everyone think about the fact that there are thousands of Iraqis who are putting their lives on the line every day to see democracy flourish in their country.

" So while France, and Germany have stood aside in helping the war on terror, America has found an ally in many of the Iraqi people who like the Americans, brave any risk to fight the war on terror. Let the liberal think of the American and Pro freedom Iraqi blood that still stains the soil of this country before thinking of stopping before success.

"Now is not the time to stop the fight. Let us not walk away from those we have given a taste of freedom, the promise of democracy, and the hope of a better future for their children.

"This is a noble cause. Just as our country's founders didn't shy from the unpleasantry of war to forge freedom in our country, neither should our country back down to the Muslim Extremist that bombed our country, hate our Christ, and our freedom. Let them all come here, all the Jihadist and Mujahadeen, the unholy warriors and suicidal fanatics of Muslim extremism. The haters of Christianity, Judaism, peace and freedom Arabs and Democracy. Come to us O enemies of freedom, come to Iraq and let your rat-like blood spill in the streets on the ground of Iraq so that the seeds of freedom and international security can be watered by it, and the dogs can be made fat by your flesh.

" Let them come one and all here to Iraq, the arena, the field of battle, rather than to my homeland. Let every American warror that loves freedom come and stand alongside the American military, police, security professionals and Iraqi Nationals that are ready shed their blood on this soil fighting terrorism. The Muslim extremist come from countries far and wide to kill the guardians of freedom here. Let us as Americans reach for the indomitable courage and intestinal fortitude that has made our country great, and unlike the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, the Kurdish uprising against Saddam, carry out the mission we began.

"Semper Fi"

David closed with this quote: "Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart. Give him money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in that mans company. Whoever lives past today and comes home safely wiil rouse himself every year on this day, show his neighbor his scars, and tell embellished stories of all their great feats of battle. These stories will teach his son, and from this day until the end of the world we shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for who has shed his blood with me shall be my brother. And those men afraid to go will think themselves lesser men as they hear of how we fought and died together." --Shakespeare's Henry V

Will this rhetoric, although eloquent and heartfelt, be any comfort if my brother dies in Iraq? Frankly, probably not. But at least I will know that he believed very strongly in what he was doing there. And I would not dishonor his memory by protesting what he believed in so passionately.

In the meantime, I pray daily for God's shield of protection on his life.

Carrie McDonnall is a hero

Missionaries are a special breed.

Yes, I know that as Christians we're all supposed to be missionaries. But I'm talking about people who leave home and kindred and go to places where at the very least they will face sacrifice, and at most they'll be putting themselves in harm's way.

Of course, the best missionaries would deny that there's anything special or heroic about them. They're humble and self-effacing.

But 27-year-old Carrie McDonnall is a young woman that I believe deserves so much more admiration than the Jessicas, Britneys and Parises that garner the world's adulation.

Carrie is still recovering from critical shrapnel wounds she sustained when her husband David and three fellow Baptist missionareis were killed in a 2004 drive-by attack in Iraq.

I haven't yet read Carrie's book, Facing Terror, but I want to. In her book, Carrie says she doesn't regret going to Iraq to, in her words, "share the love of Christ."

And she says she would go back overseas as a missionary if that's what God wants.

Speaking to the Southern Baptists' 2004 gathering, Carrie McDonnall said: "Make no mistake, David and I went to Iraq out of God’s call on our lives to see His name glorified among the nations. That includes the hard and violent places.

"My Jesus bears scars on his body from the violence he endured. How could we sit back and say ‘I can’t go because it’s too hard,’ especially when the world is saying, ‘You just can’t do that’?

"Trust me, for my Jesus, it’s the least I could do."

Wow.

For more on Carrie McDonnall:

A USA Today article on the incident that claimed her husband's life

Carrie speaks to the SBC in 2004

A Baptist Press article

A review of Carrie's book

Back from God's Country!

Boy, I love Texas! Elizabeth and I just got back last night after over week in the Austin area, spending time with my son and his wife, my mom, my sister and her family.

Most of the time was spent just relaxing and enjoying time with my loved ones. One of my favorite things to do on vacation--since my usual work schedule involves me getting up at 4 AM every weekday--is to stay up late reading and then sleep in the next morning. I got to do plenty of that.



One of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt, sent me a package of books just before I left on vacation, and I have been in hog heaven. First I read Unspoken, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Then I polished off The Pearl. Now I'm well on my way with The Note.

I had already been hooked on Angela's writing, thanks to The Canopy and The Awakening (read my review of that book.)

Angela Hunt's writing is exceptional--intelligent, evocative, absorbing--and she has a distinctive flair for choosing unusual and intriguing storylines. These are wonderful books.

Which reminds me...

The Charis Connection

If you're a writer or have writing aspirations, there's a new blog you need to know about. The Charis Connection combines the wisdom and practical knowledge of Angela Hunt, BJ Hoff, Deborah Raney, Lisa Samson and others.
BJ tells me: "Angie Hunt and I set this up for a group of authors published in Christian fiction who will be contributing two or three posts each on a monthly basis... the entire focus of the blog will be on writing, especially the writing of Christian fiction. We're encouraging posts from our contributing authors that speak to the craft of writing, publishing, the spiritual journeys of Christian authors, and a lot more..."

This blog is destined to be one of my regular visits. Hope you'll check it out as well!

Are you ever the victim of well-meaning but annoying e-mail forwards?

Who isn't? In fact, we here at 101QFL are so often plagued with such urban-myth type e-mails, we've actually created a feauture to try to de-bunk some of them. We call it "Cindy Swanson, Cyber-Snoop," and each week I take a different e-mail and set out to prove or disprove its authenticity.

Well, my son Jonathan sent me this WONDERFUL response to those bothersome forwards--it's tongue-in-cheek, of course, but it kind of says it all!



A LITTLE NOTE TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES . PLEASE READ IN
ITS ENTIRETY


Thank you everyone.

I must give my thanks to whoever sent me the one about roach eggs
in the glue on envelopes because I
now have to get a wet towel with every envelope that needs
sealing. Also, I scrub the top of every
can I open for the same reason.

I want to thank you who have taken the time and trouble to send
me your chain letters over the past
12 months. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed,
and wealthy. Because of your
concern, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make
these products are atheists who >refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could
be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell
like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me
with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are
actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't
support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get aphone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and
Uzbekistan.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer date the opposite sex because they will take my
kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from
Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now
have their recipe.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels
looking out for me and St. Theresa's
novena has granted my every wish.

Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time).

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I
receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor!

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM(CST) this afternoon
and the fleas from 1,000 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician!

I finally watched "Dear Frankie"

I had heard so many good things about this movie (including a hearty endorsement from Dee of ChristianFiction),so I was delighted when I finally snagged an elusive copy at Blockbuster.

The guy at the Blockbuster nearest me ended up calling a Blockbuster further away and having it reserved for us. "I couldn't figure out why everybody wants to watch this movie, until I saw the preview," he told me. "And then I thought, wow, I want to see this movie!"



Let's face it, I was already pre-disposed to like the movie because Gerard Butler is in it. Butler had me at hello when I first saw him in The Phantom of the Opera; I liked him even more when I saw him in Timeline.

Not only ruggedly handsome, Butler is a talented and compelling actor. Whether he's crushing a rose and weeping for the faithless Christine, or being touched by the emotions of a fatherless boy, he makes us feel with him.

But to tell you the truth, Butler isn't the only male competing for our affections in Dear Frankie. Jack McElhone is wonderful as young Frankie. Speaking mostly in voice-over narration, McElhone will win your heart as the boy who writes letters to a father he has never known. From the first phrase he uttered in his enchanting Scottish brogue, my daughter and I were hooked.

A few things you should know if you decide to watch this movie:

~The Scottish accents can be VERY thick at times, and difficult to understand. Liz and I even turned English subtitles on at one point, but we ended up finding it distracting--so if something was said that was indecipherable, we backed up and listened to it with subtitles on. We did find that as the movie went on, we became familiar with the actors' speech rhythms and the dialogue became easier to understand.

~Foreign movies don't always see the need to rush the action along, as we're used to in American movies. There are frequent moments where nothing is really happening on the surface, and you get the chance to observe the characters' actions and emotions at a slow and relaxed pace. Personally, I like that fine. It probably would have driven my husband a little crazy.

~"Dear Frankie" doesn't have as neat, tidy, and all-loose-ends-wrapped up ending as we also tend to expect from American movies. I could have used just a little more closure--but on further thought, it's pretty obvious what's going to happen next in Frankie's life, or at least a bit further down the road.

In my comments section, I'm going to ask a question that will be a spoiler if you haven't seen the movie, so don't read it if you intend to watch the movie. But if you HAVE seen "Dear Frankie," please read it and give me your thoughts!

Overall, this movie is as sweet, charming and heartwarming as I had hoped it would be. My only complaint: Gerard Butler needs to smile more! He has a wonderfully sweet smile that totally changes his countenance, but we just don't see it often enough.

Some follow-ups to yesterday's posts:

Major Danny Davis has gotten such great response to his plea for prayer for the war in Iraq, he's decided to organize a prayer campaign.

Davis, an Army veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, used his own money to buy an ad in the Washington Times asking people to e-mail him if they're willing to pray.

Now he says he'll launch a prayer campaign running from August 24th through November 24th. He's like you to e-mail him at majordavis3(at)yahoo.com, if you'd like to take part in this campaign.

Davis says he's asking people to pray for to pray for "forgiveness
of their own and the nation's sins, to ask God to vanquish
terrorist leaders, and to pray for peace and the safe homecoming
of America's troops."

Heavy hitters not on steroids?

Yesterday I asked: "How far do we have to go back in baseball history to find a heavy hitter that did it all on his own, without any question of using anything but his own muscle and skill?"

I got an answer in an e-mail from my son Jonathan: "Here's a good article in response to that question you asked on your blog about a steroid-less heavy hitter:

In Cubs' star Lee we place our trust

"Also, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez are prolific home run hitters that have never been (to my knowledge) implicated in any steroid controversies."

Thanks, Jonny!

REMINDER: "Dear Frankie" viewers, don't forget to answer my spoiler question in my comments section! I really want your thoughts.

A plea for prayer for the war in Iraq

A US army officer wants Americans to pray for the war in Iraq...and he's shelled out five-thousand dollars of his own money to make that plea.

The Associated Press's Religion Roundup today reports that Major Danny Davis took out an ad in the Washington Times, titled "An Open Letter to American Christians."

Major Davis is a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, and is now stationed in Florida. He's urging fellow believers to become prayer warriors in the war on terrorism.

Davis' ad states in part: "While the terrorists have been
driven to murder by a fanaticism for Islamic domination, American
Christians have been absent from the spiritual battlefield..,We will win this battle on our knees or we will not win it."

If you'd like to join Major Davis in this prayer effort, you can contact him at majordavis3(at)yahoo.com.

I'm disappointed in Rafael Palmeiro...

I remember not long ago, watching a profile of Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro along with my husband, and thinking, "Finally...a baseball star we can trust. One who's making records on his own power, without the use of performance enhancers. This guy is the real deal!"


Palmeiro in his Cubs days

And since several months of each year in my household include the running soundtrack of a Chicago Cubs game, either on radio or TV, I even remember when Palmeiro played for the Cubs and Harry Caray used to accidentally pronounce his name "Palermo."

My sons have told me not to do two things: talk about sports, or rap. I guess I'm not knowledgeable enough to do either without coming off sounding a little silly.

But the truth is, with a husband and two sons who are avid Cubs fans--and actually my daughter is becoming a pretty big fan herself--it's impossible to not have some of that rub off on me. Although something of a marginal and fair-weather fan, I do follow sports to a certain extent, and I've been disgusted by the fact that several of the major baseball stars have been at least implicated in steroid abuse.

But Palmeiro was different--right? Well, maybe not. Palmeiro has become the first high-profile player to receive a ten-day suspension under baseball's new steroid policy. This comes just comes four and a-half months after Palmeiro testified
before a congressional panel that he had never used steroids.

Now Palmeiro is admitting he ingested steroids, but he claims he did so by accident.

Like Baltimore Sun reporter Peter Schmuck, I want to believe him. Says Schmuck: "I want to believe it because Palmeiro doesn't fit the profile. He's not some pumped-up cartoon character like McGwire, and he never exhibited the classic steroid symptoms. He isn't covered with acne or prone to unexplainable fits of rage. He has always been a solid guy and a solid citizen."

I want to believe him, because it makes me sad that one more athlete that is a hero and role model to young fans has been tainted, even if the circumstances are questionable.

How far to we have to go back in baseball history to find a heavy hitter that did it all on his own, without any question of using anything but his own muscle and skill?

I guess we'll have to wait and see if Palmeiro can prove he accidentally took steroids. Till then...I'm just feeling disappointed.

Jessica Simpson: This body's made for baring???

Knowing that Jessica Simpson has at times made a rather big deal about being a Christian, and that her manager-father was a Baptist youth pastor at one time, I have watched with growing amazement as her career becomes increasingly about showing off her body as much as possible.

One expected that with Britney, Christina, et al. Even with those and many other female singers, it's sad to see a fairly wholesome girl take the skankiness route. But there was this thing about Jessica being a Christian, so I hoped she wouldn't go there. Well, as her latest video shows, she has gone that route, in a major way.

Now, the ever-clueless blond is upset with Christians judging her. This from an msnbc article:

"...Simpson, a pastor’s daughter, says that sort of attitude is why she didn’t pursue a career as a Christian singer. 'It didn’t really surprise me because I grew up with a lot of that backlash,' Simpson said, according to World Entertainment News Network. 'That’s why I didn’t end up going into the Christian music industry. I think that if they're really good Christians the judgment wouldn't be there.'”

Sometimes I don't trust myself to be nonjudgmental about such matters, but in this case, I think it's a no-brainer. I saw part of Simpson's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" video over the weekend. I think I'm pretty fair in saying that it features Jessica showing off as much of her body as possible, doing blatanly sexual and stripper-style moves.

I have a pretty good idea that Jessica has millions of pre-teen girl fans who are closely monitoring and wanting to mimic her every move. The message is clear: baring your body and being sexually enticing are the way to go.

Kristen of Walking Circumspectly has some good comments on this: "In true, Biblical Christianity, the body and spirit are not separate (in the sense of our actions having nothing to do with our life in Christ). On the contrary, what we do says everything about where we are with the Lord. When we sin, we have an advocate with the Father--praise God! But we have to, we are commanded to call a spade a spade. We may NOT wink at sin, pretend not to know what it is when we see it, in the name of tolerance. It's patently unbiblical."

I'd love to see Jessica use her immense popularity to send a message that a girl can be successful and not be sleazy. Think of what a great platform she's been given to present a positive and wholesome image of young womanhood. But obviously that's not going to happen. Jessica and her former-pastor dad have totally bought into the truism that sex sells, and they're making a bundle off of it.

No, Jess, I'm not judging you here. There's just one fact you can't ignore. People who call themselves Christians should try to live by the Word of God.

That said, let me close with this quote from Mei Flower, who also happens to be a Christian and has made some pretty humorous observations about the video: "On the whole, I don't know what Christians are griping about. I realize they think we apparently lost a role model, but unless your daughter wants to be the kind of person who throws laundry in the foyer, thinks buffalo wings are made of buffalo, and tans herself into a mummy, was Jessica Simpson really that great a role model to begin with?"

Happy Friday!

And I'm answering the Friday Feast:

Appetizer
Name 3 people whom you admire for their intelligence.

1) My friend Teri B.
2) Joel Griffith
3) Peggy Noonan

Soup
What's the last food you tried that you really didn't care for.--A cold coffee drink at a little coffee shop that has otherwise good stuff. But I only took a couple of sips and couldn't finish it. Frappacino is one thing, but iced coffee--no.

Salad
If you could rename the street that you live on, what would you want it to be called?--Well, it's a name that's hard to make people understand over the phone, confusing even when you spell it out. So I think I would name it something very easy to understand, like "Edgewood" (the actually name of one of my growing-up streets.) Or it would be cool to have the name of one of my children--Jonathan, Justin and Elizabeth. (There is a Jonathan Street in my town.)

Main Course
When was the last time you were genuinely surprised?--When I found out my sister-in-law was pregnant at the age of 42. Her oldest was a senior in high school. It was a surprise for all concerned! (But I'm happy to report that the baby was born a couple months ago, and everyone is fine.)

Dessert
Share a household tip.--If you have boys in the family, keep a spray bottle of Lysol cleanser near the toilet at all times. That way, when you see a yucky toilet rim, you can spritz it and wipe it clean right then and there. (What did you want? I'm not Martha Stewart! :))

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend, everyone!

Who is Father Matthew Fox?

a controversial priest calls for a "modern Reformation"

Matthew Fox

A local (Rockford, Illinois) pastor nailed Matthew Fox's "95 Theses for a New Millenium" to the door of the Emmanuel Lutheran Church yesterday, shouting, "May the church become new and alive!"

Pastor Jim Roberts mimicked Martin Luther's famous nailing of his theses to the Wittenberg Church door to herald an upcoming visit to Rockford by controversial Episcopal priest Matthew Fox to Rockford. He will lead a workshop for the Forest City Center for Creation Spirituality in September.

According to the Rockford Register Star, Emmanuel Lutheran is a "nontraditional Lutheran church," and Pastor Roberts is supporting Fox's appearance because "it's not necessary to agree with everything Fox says to see the value in his push for change."

Number one of Fox's thesis is "God is both Mother and Father." Some of the theses just sound like so much religious psychobabble: "The human psyche is made for the cosmos and will not be satisfied until the two are reunited and awe, the beginning of wisdom, results from this reunion."

Thesis number 72 calls homosexuality "altogether natural for those who are born that way" and "a gift from God and nature to the greater community."

From Fox's website: "In Fox's new book called "A New Reformation!" he proclaims that we are in fact confronted with two churches: one expressed by the image of the Punitive Father, personified by a rigidly hierarchical church structure, repression of the feminine, spreading of homophobia and the elimination of internal dissent; and the other expressed by the feminine figure of Wisdom, personified by a Mother/Father God of justice and compassion. It is time for Christians to choose whom it will follow: an angry exclusionary god or the loving open path of wisdom."

Why does 2 Timothy 4:3 suddenly spring to mind?

Just a visit to Fox's website is enough to convince me that he represents some of the most noxious of this era's extreme liberal theology. But as a longtime fan of Phil Johnson's Annotated Bookmarks of Bad Theology, I'd love to hear Phil's take on Matthew Fox. Phil?

On a personal note...

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my dad's death. I can hardly believe it's been a year. In my dad's honor, I'm re-posting my account of his homegoing, which included something remarkable just before he breathed his last.



My father, Thomas V. "Pepper" Garrett, went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday, July 28th, 2004.

Many of you know that my dad has been dying of cirrhosis of the liver/liver cancer for the past few years. In fact, not too long ago I blogged about my memories of wonderful times spent conversing with my dad.

He was a Baptist pastor and missionary whose entire life was dedicated to ministry. He was a wonderful man--wise, funny, kind, generous, musically talented. He adored his family and was happiest when we were all gathered around him.

I had planned for quite some time to visit my folks July 26th through August 4th. I knew my dad's condition and quality of life had deteriorated greatly, and although I didn't really expect him to die that soon, I wanted to spend some time with them, particularly to give my mom moral support and help in any way I could.

As it happened, the Thurday before the Monday I was to fly to Texas, my parents moved into the Christopher House, a hospice in Austin. An appalling feature of my dad's disease was that he suffered from nocturnal agitation. Although he was extremely weak, he could not stop walking around the house at night, to the point where his feet actually swelled. Besides depriving him of sleep, it did the same thing to my mom, who was his major caregiver.

My dad's hospice nurse had suggested taking him to the Christopher House for a few days so stronger medication could be administered that would give him and my mom some rest.

As it happened, my dad went to sleep on Thursday night and woke up only once--briefly on Friday night--until the following Wednesday.


Beverly, Dad and me July 2003

After ascertaining that my dad would probably be dying at the Christopher House, I was extremely concerned about whether I would be able to see my dad alive one more time. The airline tickets for my daughter and me had been purchased on Hotwire, and couldn't be changed.

Fortunately, I had said everything I wanted to say to my dad in previous visits. I had no regrets on that point. I just wanted to see him alive one more time.

As soon as Elizabeth and I arrived in Austin, my sister took us directly to the Christopher House. My dad was in a deep sleep, but when I told him I was there, he physically responded and even tried to open his eyes.

The next many hours in the Christopher House were extraordinary. My sisters, my mom and I kept watch over my dad, frequently joined by other loved ones. The nurses and doctors had told us that my dad could hear us, so they encouraged us to talk to him and sing to him. Although we often broke down in tears, there were also times of laughter and reminiscing.

When we sang to him, it was amazing to see him respond even while asleep. He would move his mouth and raise his eyebrows as if trying to join in with us. My dad could never hear anyone singing without wanting to join in! He was a beautiful singer and musician, and loved singing for the Lord more than anything.


On Monday night, my mom and my siblings all spent the night in the small room at the Christopher House. My mom and Beverly slept on a small couch that folded out into a small bed. I slept on a recliner. Lisa slept on a mat on the floor; David slept on the bare floor. We had grieved and said what we thought would be our final good-byes to our dad, but he didn't pass away that night. The vigil continued on Tuesday. It was extremely difficult to see my father's labored and ragged breathing, and it continued to worsen.

At 12:30 AM Wednesday morning, Lisa and her husband David and I decided to go to her house and try to get some sleep. My dad's heartbeat was still relatively strong, and it didn't appear he would die in the next several hours. We knew the next day would probably be a rough one, and decided it would be better to face it after having had some rest.

However, shortly before 7 AM on Wednesday morning, my mom called to tell us my dad only had a few minutes. Shortly afterwards she called to tell us that he had indeed passed away, at 7:05 AM.

You often hear stories about Christians seeing a glimpse of heaven as they died. D. L. Moody reportedly said: "Is this dying? Why this is bliss...There is no valley....I have been within the gates...Earth is receding; Heaven is opening; God is calling; I must go. "

My dad never spoke, but my sister and my mom tell me he woke with a start; his eyes came open, clear, bright and aware, and he looked up with an expression of incredible awe and joy on his face. As they talked to him, telling him they loved him, he continued to look upward with that rapturous expression before taking two peaceful breaths (his earlier breathing had been labored and difficult), then he went home to glory.

I wish I had been there. But just hearing my mom and sister describing it...my mom called it a "beautiful" death...renews my faith. Heaven is not just a lovely myth; it is REAL. And I believe my dad caught a glimpse of it before his soul actually departed his body.

The funeral, on Saturday, was more a celebration than anything else. There were tears, but there was laughter as well. There was joy! Beverly, Lisa and I had pre-recorded "Home Where I Belong" and Lisa had pre-recorded "Beulah Land," (we would never have been able to make it through the songs live) and a tape of the song "At The Crossing" was played.

The way the service ended was extremely fitting. My dad loved nothing more than when his close and extended family members would gather around the piano and sing. With my cousin Elaine playing the piano, several of my cousins sang "I'll Fly Away." It was wonderful! My dad would have loved it.

How do people who don't know the Lord make it through the deaths of their loved ones? I'm so glad we don't "sorrow as those who have no hope." We'll miss our dad terribly, but we'll see him again. And he is happier and better off now than he ever was in these "Shadowlands."

I'll close with the poem my mom chose to put in the programme of my father's funeral:

"SERVANT of God! well done,
Rest from thy loved employ;
The battle is fought, the vict'ry won,
Enter thy Master's joy.

The voice at midnight came
He started up to hear
A mortal arrow pierced his frame,
He fell--but felt no fear.

The pains of death are past,
Labor and sorrow cease;
And life's long warfare closed at last,
His soul is found in peace.

Soldier of Christ, well done!-
Begin thy new employ;
And while eternal ages run,
Rest in thy Savior's joy."--James Montgomery

P.S.--My heartfelt thanks to the many people--many of whom had never even met my dad--who prayed for him and my mom during the course of his illness. You know who you are. You'll never know how much it means to me and my family.--Cindy

Why am I blogging about Victoria Jackson????

Not as often as I should, I check out this terrific website, thunderstruck.org (bear with me, I'm getting to Victoria Jackson in a moment.)

If you haven't checked out Thunderstruck, you need to--especially if you're a Christian who blogs or is involved in the media in any way. I think of it as a kind of Drudge Report from a Christian worldview. It's a one-stop shop with a wealth of links to articles about things relating to Christianity or just of interest to Christians. It's all put together by a man named Steve Beard.

Anyhoo, I was looking at Thunderstruck today and decided to check out Steve's surf page, which lists what I assume are the sources of his linked stories. One of the links, in the "Coolies" category, is former Saturday Night Live cast member Victoria Jackson.

Now, Victoria was fresh on my mind because I had caught the tail end of VH-1's Celebrity Fit Club last night (my son graciously allowed me to do so during commercial breaks of the Cubs game.:))

Yep, Victoria Jackson is a cast member of Celebrity Fit Club II. I had watched a few episodes of the show last season, with the fascinated-yet-appalled spirit one holds for viewing a train wreck.

I'm always trying to lose weight myself, so the sight of these celebrities humbling themselves with the unflattering "before" shots and exposing their weight stats for the world to see, was interesting to me. Anyone who has been to a Weight Watchers meeting can't help but identify with the anticipatory dread of getting on that scale (although thankfully, at a WW meeting your results aren't broadcast to the room, much less a television audience.)

As I said, I haven't viewed an entire episode this season. My son tells me Gary Busey, who claims to be a Christian, has behaved somewhat erratically on the show. All I know is, he's downright scary-looking, even when he's smiling. Maybe especially when he's smiling.

And Willie Aames, AKA Bibleman, was almost unrecognizable from the character he played on "Charles in Charge."

So, I followed the link to Victoria's website. I had heard that she's a Christian too, and this quote on her site confirms it:

"Well, I'd feel like we didn't really connect if I didn't tell you about what I really feel is important. I am a genuine true blue believer...not in Kaballah...not in Scientology...not in the New Age movement...not in Mormonism...not in Buddism...not in Hinduism...not in Catholicism...not in Protestantism...but in Jesus Christ. I've studied all those other religions...and as a cynic, and a free spirit...I personally decided to put my faith in Jesus. I've read the Bible all the way through....and I believe it is the Truth...the Word of God. Read John 3:l6, Ephesians 2:8,9, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23 and tell me what you think. What do you think? Jesus claimed to be 'the Lord'...He was either the 'Lord', a liar, or a lunatic. Tell me what you think and why. After all, none of us has died and come back to tell....so we all have our faith in something. What is your faith in? I'm eager to listen and discuss."

Way to go, Victoria! I always thought she was one of the funniest people on SNL during her stint there (I don't watch the show now, BTW). She doesn't really look very overweight to me, but I'll be watching her progress.

Mel Gibson is making another historical movie in an ancient language

Mel Gibson is set to begin filming a movie set in a 500-year-old Mayan culture...and like "The Passion of the Christ," it will feature actors speaking an ancient dialect.

The film, "Apocalypto," is slated for a 2006 release, and Gibson's Icon Productions is partnering with Disney to make the movie.

Nothing is being released about the plot, and reportedly it will feature unknown actors. So far, nothing is making me want to see this movie, but I'll take a wait-and-see attitude.

I remember, just after "The Passion of the Christ" was released, Gibson was talking about making a movie about the ancient British heroine, Boudicca (this article is dated April 2004). The movie had already been tagged with the moniker, "Braveheart in a bra." At the time, it was reported that no less than four films were being developed about Boudicca, including one by Steven Spielberg.

Now with the buzz accompanying this Mayan movie, I'm not hearing anything else about the Boudicca film. Frankly, the Boudicca movie intrigues me more. But again, I'll wait and see.

Braveheart, by the way, is one of my favorite movies of all time. Yes, I have to close my eyes during the more gory parts. And that is probably my biggest complaint about Gibson--he overdoes it with the blood and gore. Yes, he does it all in the interest of historical accuracy, but it's just too much for my sensibilities.

However, while I've always been fascinated with all things Irish, Braveheart launched my twin passion for Scotland. I think it's a wonderful movie, rich with history, drama, power and feeling.

One of my favorite things about Braveheart was Angus Macfadyen, the wonderful Scottish actor who played Robert the Bruce. Macfadyen got robbed in that he didn't get an Oscar nod. The role called for him to display strong emotions, sometimes in his facial expressions alone. He is truly an under-rated actor, especially in that role.

I got an e-mail from Saddam Hopkins...

Lately, my inbox has been flooded with e-mails from "people" whose obviously computer-generated names include a lot of unlikely (although, granted, not impossible) combinations. Japhet Bryan. Haled O'Connell. Ferguson Espinoza. Gerfried Moran.

Apparently, they're trying to fool me into thinking they're real people sending me a real e-mail, but I'm not buying it for a second--especially when the subject lines are phrases like "Really Works GGreat," "If Youu Need It," and "Feels Biggerr." By the way, just the fact that this company apparently can't spell correctly would be enough to put me off buying its product. But if the misspelled words are aimed at allowing the spam to slip through my filters, unfortunately it's working.

Sure enough, "Saddam Hopkins" was trying to sell me Viagra--something I'm not in the market for, and if I were, I wouldn't buy it over the internet from someone named Saddam.

I was telling my co-host, Darren Marlar, about the e-mail yesterday. "Like people named Hopkins would actually name their child Saddam," I huffed.

"I dunno," he grinned. "Maybe they had a feeling he was going to be a real terror."

I spewed the water I had just gulped, that struck me so funny.

But, don't you just hate spam?!? Despite my best efforts to filter it out, it still worms its way into my e-mail. One of the worst annoyances of modern life.

Thought about who you would vote for in '08?

(Via Hugh Hewitt), Patrick Ruffini is conducting a straw poll including some '08 GOP hopefuls. Go vote and take a gander at the results.

Ruffini does have this disclaimer: "...of course...All of this means very little three years out."