Can You Count the Stars?

December 5

God likes to do great things through unlikely people. To start a great nation, he chose an old man with no children. He showed the whole night sky to Abram and promised that his descendants would be more than all the stars in the sky. Abram believed God and God called him righteous.

Today’s Ornament – Field of Stars

Today’s Bible Verse – Genesis 15:5-6

He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

A Sign of the Promise

December 4

Just as predicted, man turned to wickedness. Only Noah stood righteous before God. God could have destroyed all of mankind, but he decided to give them another chance. On God’s instructions, Noah and his sons built an ark to hold all kinds of animals during a world-wide flood. The destruction of the world and all the people in it made God sad. He made a promise to Noah that he would never destroy the world with a flood again. He set a rainbow in the sky as a reminder of his promise.

Today’s Symbol – The Rainbow

Today’s Bible Verse – Genesis 9:14-15

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

December 3

When God made the first two people, Adam and Eve, he loved them very much. He walked in the garden with them in the cool of the evening. He only gave them one rule – do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But Adam and Eve, being human, could not resist the fruit, especially after Satan the serpent told them how tasty it must be. They ate it and, by doing so, incurred the punishment of death. In his mercy, God allowed them to live, but he put in motion the plan that would save Adam and Eve and their children and their children’s children from the death they all deserved.

He promised that through Eve's offspring, Satan would be crushed.

Today’s Ornament – The Apple

Today’s Bible Verse – Gen. 3 :13-15

Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

In the Beginning, God.

December 2

Before creation, God is. And with him, and part of him, is Jesus, God who would be flesh already prepared to take on the burden of the people he has not yet made.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. And he looked at all he made and declared that it was good.

Today’s Ornament – The Earth

Today’s Bible Verse – John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and the Word was God.

From the Root of Jesse

Coupon Flyers, Christmas lights, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It's easy to lose the truth of Christmas in the frantic pace of December. The truth is that God came to earth.

Did you get that? God, who opens his mouth and breathes out galaxies, became a helpless embryo, the child of an unwed teenage mother. But don't worry. It was all part of his plan.

In our family, we find it helpful to take some time each day to remember the enormity and purpose of God's plan. We do this by putting up a Jesse Tree. In our house, it's a small pine tree, but you could use a branch or a paper tree. Each day, we tell a story of God's plan, leading up to his incarnation, his taking on human flesh. Most Jesse Tree sites start 28 before Christmas in order to celebrate for 4 full weeks before the big celebration. I find it works better for our family to start on December 1, so that's what we're going to do.

Walk with me through the Bible this month. I'll post a blog every day with the following day's thoughts.

December 1 - The Jesse Tree

God made a promise to his people that they would not always have to live in fear and bondage. He promised a deliverer, someone who would bring peace to the earth, who would save through the power of the Spirit of God. He would come from the line of Jesse, the father of David. The people didn't know when this Savior would come, but they looked forward to him delivering them from generations of suffering. They watched the signs, they prayed for the Messiah to come quickly, and they kept their eyes on the family line of Jesse.

Today's symbol - the tree

Today's verse - Isaiah 11:1-7

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord--and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

Another Fight Lost

My husband's uncle died last night at the way too young age of 54 after a short, intense battle with cancer. He was a voice of sanity in a loud, crazy family, a steady man who loved his girls and loved his football. Say a prayer for his family tonight, would you?

Cancer Stinks

Cancer claimed the life of my husband's aunt this month. It's ravaging the body of his uncle right now. And it has returned to the body of a dear family friend.

A sign of the fall?

A sign of the times?

A reminder of the fragility of life?

Maybe. I don't know. But I know cancer stinks. An unseen enemy fighting the body from within.

It seems the invisible foe is the hardest to fight. It's true with cancer, but it's true with other things too - dissention, discontent, discord - When the body is attacked and weakened by its own members, it cannot thrive.

The first big lawsuit over rights for Christian music included the song "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love." Ironic, huh? Like cancer in the body of Christ, bent on destroying itself from within. Only in this case, we already know the cure.

Reports of My Birth Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

I got a bill today. It seems I had a c-section in September. Funny, I don't remember anything about it and I haven't seen any extra babies laying around anywhere.

When I told my youngest I'd been billed for having a baby, she said, "Mom, that was so 7 years ago."

Resolutions

When we moved back to America, we made two resolutions as a family.

1) We promised ourselves we wouldn't get involved in too many activities, especially at night.

2) We determined not to let discussions of how the church should or should not be, or how Christians should or should not act, overshadow talking about Jesus.

Time to assess our success or failure...

1) It's hard to live in America with kids and not get involved in some evening activities. All in all, though, we're home about as many nights as we're out. Now I need to re-resolve to make sure our time at home is used wisely, but I can't make that resolution until this round of the Amazing Race and Survivor are over.

2) This is a toughie. I spend a lot of my energy fretting about how to change situations and people I have no control over. I let myself fall into less challenging conversations with people I know will mostly agree with me. It's time to refocus my words on important topics. It's time to hand over the stuff I can't change and let God work his wonders without my help.

8:37

I have a thing about time warps, like the one we have to walk through to get from house to car that makes us exactly 3 minutes behind schedule everywhere we go.

Today's time warp comes from my computer's internal clock. It's the warp that occurs between 8:36 and 8:37. In the nano second it takes for the clock to switch over, my whole body goes through a sort of time travel of its own.

8:36 is my time, early morning quiet time after the husband is gone to work and before the kids are my responsibility.

8:36 is the same as 8:00 and 8:30.

8:37, though, is almost 9 o'clock. Time to kick things into gear. Time to make sure everyone's dressed and ready to start read aloud time in a few minutes.

Like the jarring feeling you get from a car with bad transmission when it shifts from 1st to 2nd, that's what 8:37 feels like to me.

Mug Shots

I'm off to the Post Office this morning to mail off our passport applications. Don't you know we'd plan our Africa trip to coincide not only with the month our passports expire, but with the expiration of our yellow fever shots, too.

Ten years since our last passport photos. It's scary how much we've changed in the last ten years. The hubby, of course, looks better than ever. He's more chiseled, less awkward. He's lost the mustache and the monstrous glasses and has trimmed his hair back to a manageable length.

I, on the other hand, am not improving. I've got the baggy eye thing going on, I've added glasses, and I've got the worse hairstyle of my life. And let's not even talk about the weight difference.

I hate getting my picture taken. Hate. It. But I've reached a point where I realize I'm not going to look any better in next year's picture or the year's after that. This is probably the best I'm ever going to look. Might as well record it now.

Close Your Eyes

I didn't bring my card adapter, so you'll have to spend a moment with me with your eyes closed (though I supposed that will put a cramp in your ability to read this post).

The weather is perfect, about 60 with a slight breeze blowing the scents of salt and fish off the ocean. A steady drone of low waves washes up against the sand and seagulls call out announcements about the latest morsel they've spotted.

A group of ladies gathers on the balcony, laughing over one funny memory or another. From the kitchen, friendly conversation spills out over flour tortillas and pulled pork, infusing our lunch with the kind of comradery that makes food taste its best.

You can open your eyes now. Wish you were here.

Africa Plans Update

So far, we've had about $1250 sent to us to help toward our trip to Africa in February. That's about enough for one person to go and stay. I hope it's me.

Fund raising is such a humbling/humiliating process. Truth be told, it's one of the things that keeps us in the states. It's hard to ask people to give money so you can do what you love to do. There's a piece of me that thinks it would be easier to make requests if we promised to be miserable when we got there.

It's a funny thing, this wanderlust that is part of my every cell. I yearn for far-off places. I love to talk to people who are not like me, to listen to what makes them tick, to puzzle out why God placed them in this time and place like he said in Acts 17. I have a lot of friends who are perfectly content living in the same town they grew up in, going to the same grocery stores, visiting the same attractions. I think they're lucky.

I'm the one (I'm blaming my dad for this) who wants to hike every trail in the book at least once before we hike the same trail twice. I'm the one who's willing to taste anything once, the one who loves that moment when the chaos of a foreign tongue resolves itself into meaningful words in my ears.

I'm kidding about wanting to stay in Africa, at least for now. I know our family is where it needs to be for the next few years, but my heart aches for a continent that is both the darkest and brightest place I've ever been.

Oh, Garbage!

I'm amazed at the attention garbage gets in this country. And I'm amazed at how much of it we produce each week.

In Africa, we ended up with perhaps a barrel full of garbage a year, less in a year than what we now produce in a week. There, food scraps went to the neighbors, the dog, or the compost heap (in that order). Tin cans, cardboard boxes and plastic containers were coveted items. I'd collect a stack of them on my porch knowing that sooner or later someone would come and carry them away. For a while, we buried our chicken bones. That was until we realized that our African friends could get a whole 'nother meal off the bones and skins and scraps we left behind.

Here, no one wants my chicken bones. Or my yogurt cups. Or my cereal boxes. I've tried reducing how much we use, but the system here is designed to produce waste. I take my own bags to the grocery store, but I still come home with all kinds of foods wrapped in plastic or mesh or cardboard. Even fresh produce has to go in a plastic bag to keep it safe from the other produce. You never know where that avocado has been, you know.

I wonder if we produce more garbage in America because a big truck comes to haul it away each week. After all, if we had to pile our trash in the street for everyone to see or bury it in our yard, I bet we'd be a lot more careful about how we shopped.

The Opposite Effect

Can you explain to me how I spend hours cleaning my room and now I can barely get in the door much less find the bed?

Kiss of Death

On Amazing Race tonight, early on in the show one of the couples did an interview that went something like:

"We love each other so much. Nothing could every shake our love and trust in each other."

"That's right, Smookums."

"Our communication is perfect. We never, ever argue."

"Never."

Kiss of Death. When a reality show shows a clip of such a positive statement, it's a sure sign that team will not only be the next to go, but that they'll go down in a blaze of ugly, argumentative fire.

Sometimes that happens in real life, but thank goodness we don't have editors recording our every stupid, over confident claim.

From Pumpkin Seed to Potluck

3 little seeds went in the ground some time back in April. We were so excited to see them sprout into 2 little plants, then less excited when they started taking over the garden. From those little seeds came a pumpkin patch big enough to require the space I'd allotted to squash and peppers, basil and cilantro.

And from those seeds came a summer's worth of leaves for my new friends from Kenya who were craving pumpkin leaves and other greens. We ate fried pumpkin blossoms in July and during August, we watched the first little nubs of fruit grow into real pumpkins.

It's October now. Fall is upon us and the first frost will harden the grass any day. Time for harvest.

The kids each picked a pumpkin and one of them insisted that hers be converted to food. (Think pie, cake, muffins, and (of course) roasted pumpkin seeds.) As I write, the smell of 4 loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread is creeping out of the oven, begging me to check on the bread one more time.

Remind me to set 3 seeds aside for next year.

The Farthest I've Been...

North: Barrow, Alaska

South: Soweto, South Africa

East: Mombasa, Kenya

West: Barrow, Alaska

You?

Phone a Friend Lifeline

The other day, I heard about a man who died in his apartment. His family wondered about him, then worried about him, then checked on him and found his body a month after he died. A whole month. I hope someone would miss me before then. I know they would. (I could insert a sarcastic comment here about how they'd miss me when they ran out of underwear or clean spoons or when they got hungry, but in truth, I know I'm loved by a lot of people who look out for me.)

I feel so sad for him, someone who lived his life in a way that he wasn't connected with anyone who missed him right away. I can't imagine living that way.

I feel sad for his family who must bear not only the burden of his death but whatever guilt they will carry for not checking on him sooner. It's not like their checking in on him would have kept him alive, but it might have made his death easier on them.

I know there are a lot of people in this situation, men and women who have either been forgotten by society or who have built themselves a life in which they don't depend on anyone.

I am reminded again of how we are our best selves when we live in community with others. Hard as it may seem sometimes, people make me a better person. If you know someone who needs to get connected, please call that person and commit to do so regularly. And if you're the kind of person who tends to hole up and avoid regular contact with people who care about you, find someone you can talk to or - better yet - someone you can serve.

I'll try to do the same.

Feeling the Call

It’s true what they say, that time flows more quickly the older you get. It surprises me when I realize that we’ve now lived in the states for 8 years, the same amount of time we were overseas.

When we came back from Togo, we intended to keep the possibility of returning to the mission field alive. While we don’t have any immediate plans to return full-time to overseas mission work, we have recently felt God’s call to return to Africa for a visit. In the future, we would like to plan a trip for at least Edwin and Patty to do some follow up work in Togo. Right now, though, we are drawn to visit the other side of the continent where our former teammates are establishing a new work in Rwanda and where our church sponsors a missionary family.

The Koonces and Crowsons recently moved from Togo to Rwanda where they will be starting a new church planting work. Their whole team should join them in the next year or so. We would love the chance to see if and how we could ever fit into that work. While there, we would like to take the opportunity to check in with Andrew and Aimee Jo Martin in Fort Portal, Uganda, a couple our home church sponsors for whom we play the roll of laisons.

For the past few months, as we’ve considered this trip, we’ve been reluctant to ask anyone to help send us. We know it’s a terrible time to ask for funds, but we also know that money is like water in God’s hands. If we don’t ask anything of him, is it because we have no faith that he will provide?

And so we ask, in faith, knowing that if God intends for us to make this trip, he will provide. We would love to take the whole family, which would cost nearly $15,000. But if less than that is collected, we would still like for some of us to go, adults first and then kids. We’re aiming for a January trip, about 3 weeks long. I’ll keep you updated as plans develop.

If you are willing and able to give towards this trip, you can make checks out to Vancouver Church of Christ, earmarked for Slacks Mission Trip. Our overworked church accountant would prefer that you send the checks directly to us so that we can keep track of acknowledgments and thank you notes. Let me know if you need that address,

Thank you for your prayerful consideration and may God bless you in whatever good works you are involved in.

Answers in Genesis

For the record, there is a 5 minute time warp between my front door and my car. Which explains why we were late for the evening session of the Answers in Genesis conference. Which explains why we couldn't find six seats together in this 2500 seat auditorium.

Ken Ham and his colleagues have put together some impressive materials detailing the truth and importance of Genesis 1-11. All their arguments, reasoning and logic boil down to this major take-away:

The Bible is True.

Mom's Prayer

The awards ceremony for the Genesis contest was last week. I went to Denver feeling like I had a 1 in 5 shot at winning my category. I bought new shoes. I borrowed a dress.

My mom prayed for me. She prayed that whether I won or lost, I would be able to enjoy my time, that I wouldn't be too disappointed if I lost.

By the time the awards night rolled around, I already knew I wasn't going to win. No one came out and told me, but I had a dozen little hints that Jennifer Griffith was the best new writer in Contemporary Fiction (the first being that she'd already won the category a previous year).

So, thanks to Mom's prayer, I was able to go to the banquet not even nervous about whether I would win or lose. I enjoyed the night and was truly happy for those who won.

Thanks, Mom.

Writer's (self-imposed) Block

After a couple of months of pushing really hard to finish a project, I promised myself and my kids that I would take a couple of weeks off from writing.

It. Is. Going. To. Kill. Me.

My Week

I started the week by sending off a manuscript and proposal to some agents. I pressed "send" with a prayer that these words will not go to waste.

Home School schedule meant reading some Sherlock Holmes, making sure two kids were on track for Algebra II and one kiddo was practicing addition facts. I drew a map of the US on the road outside and divided out the different types of American Indians on the map. Picked and prepared and got about 20 quarts of corn put in the freezer. Picked tomatoes, ignored the green beans that need picking, and actually felt a little thankful that I won't have any walnuts to deal with. They're long gone.

Writers group met last night. Only 5 people brought a piece for critique, but we managed to use the whole time.

Printed off sample chapters, book proposal, one sheet, business cards, and Work In Progress for my upcoming conference.

Got my hair cut and my nails painted. Tried on my banquet dress and my new heels and felt okay about how I'll look on Saturday.

Grocery shopping, laundry, all the usual stuff. Printed airline ticket and dragged suitcase out so I can pack tonight.

It's only Tuesday. I'm exhausted.

(I'll be at the ACFW conference in Denver for the rest of the week. Check back next Monday to see if I have any news.)

Remembering

We're not very good rememberers. Pomp and ceremony have all but left our culture as we chase after the here and now, the comfortable, the informal. But there are a few moments in life that leave a mark on our hearts - the birth of a child, the words "I do," a sudden death.

For those who were alive, there are moments we share as a nation that define us. The bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President Kennedy, the space shuttle Columbia disaster. And of course, the attacks on September 11, 2001.

For some reason, I spent those first few days huddled over a scrap booking project. The TV was on, but I couldn't watch the pictures. I kept the children out of the room, let them play and be innocent for a few more days. I didn't want images of that day making them afraid to sleep, to dream, to live.

Like in the days following Hurricane Katrina, people were desperate to help and many did. Others of us held our breath and prayed and waited for everything to return to normal. Only normal is not the same.

A friend, an airplane pilot from the south, was grounded indefinitely. He jumped on his motorcycle and rode two thousand miles to the northwestern corner of Washington. He arrived in the dark, in the rain, with a spirit that said "You can't stop me." That's what I needed to hear.

Approaching a Milestone

We're approaching another milestone on this blog: 25,000.

It's a slow, steady climb. I think I've averaged 21 hits a day for the last year, it could still take a couple of weeks before we see the 25,000th visitor.

If you are visitor #25,000, drop me a line to collect your prize.

Prayers, Please

One of our dear friends, Hammer Afakule, suffered a stroke this week. He was in the hospital, but is now home and seems to be on the mend. He was able to teach Bible class on Sunday.

Many of you have met Hammer, or at least know him by reputation. He's one of the hardest workers in God's kingdom on the ground in Togo. We pray that he'll have many, many more years of productive service.

Pray for his wife Dela and his children Dovene, Nancy and Joycie. Pray for the church in Vogan where Hammer lives to find the maturity to take some responisbilities off his shoulders and for Hammer to have the grace to let some of his projects go.

Get A Clue!

I'm off to Faith Quest, a big youth function that will kick off the school year. I am now *gasp* the mother of two high school students. How did that happen?

I'm sorry I can't tell you anything about the retreat other than that the theme is "Get a Clue!" I'll post pictures from camp or after we get home.

Have a happy Labor Day weekend!

Come and Visit

I wanted to start a new website, but I find the thought of it overwhelming. Instead, I've started a new blog that is dedicated to my writing life which, honestly, is a huge portion of my life right now.

I plan to post meditative thoughts related to writing, books reviews, good websites for writers to visit, industry news, triumphs and frustrations in my own writing journey...

I'd also like to highlight people's stories. I believe God's story, begun in the beginning, continues even today thorugh the lives of people around the world. So if I hear a good story that points to God, I'll post it there.

I plan to keep blogging here, too. We'll see how I do at keeping up with both.

It's an experiment. Nothing fancy yet... no wdigets or gadgets. Just words.

Be my guinea pigs?

http://pattyslack.wordpress.com/

My Hero (insert batting eyelashes here)

I appreciate my husband. I do. But every once in a while he does extra good, you know?

Well, starting the week off with buying me a laptop, that was pretty good. But he might have even bested that.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed the floor around the dishwasher was buckling, so I mentioned it to him (and to the kids who got a bit of a lecture about why you shouldn't let water stand on a laminate floor).

Night before last, the hubby crawled under the house to look for leaks. None. (Whew!)

Then he tore up the floor to look for leaks and here's what he found. (Yikes!)

Here's where the hero part comes in. Yesterday, he ran a dehumidifier to suck up all that moisture (a gallon or more) and this morning he installed a new floor. Just like that!

And to top things off, he took me out to a French movie this afternoon. (Ahh!)

AND, we get to use it as a teachable moment. The kids are learning to wash dishes by hand!

Random Facts

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE Middle name after my mother's college friend 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? When Vicki died 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? yes 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Pepper turkey 5. What should you be doing right now instead of answering these questions? editing a manuscript 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I think so. 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Unfortunately. I'm trying to be funny but I have such innocent friends, I think I hurt their feelings. 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS Yes. 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? This is the number one thing that keeps me from applying to the Amazing Race (that and the idea of having every ugly thing I say broadcast to the world.) 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Lately, steel cut oats with maple sugar and fresh berries 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, but I have to untie them before I put them back on. 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? This is not a fair question. 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Probably height (and weight) though I'm in denial about both for myself. 15. RED OR PINK? blue, please. 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF ? My inability to keep a clean house and a good attitude at the same time. 17. who do you miss the most My team and the person I am when I'm with them. 18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? If you want :-) 19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? barefoot! 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Broccoli and cheese soup. 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The dog's toenails on the kitchen floor. The shower running. 22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Periwinkle Blue 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chai Tea (with the smoke from a wood fire), pot roast, gardenias 24. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My mom 25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Love her! 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? gymnastics 27. Hair Color? Plain old brown 8. EYE COLOR? Grey-ish blue 29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? not any more 30. FAVORITE FOOD? anything from my garden 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Julie and Julia... brilliant! Let's do a girls' night out and see this one together. 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? blue. duh. 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Please can't I choose eternal spring? 35. Hugs or kisses? comfortable hugs 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? a bite off of whatever is on my friend's plate. 37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Sandi 38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND You know who you are. 39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW The Help 40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad 41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Season 4 of the West Wing 42. FAVORITE SOUND? the ocean 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? neither 44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME??? Mombasa, Kenya 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? What, like being able to tie a cherry stem with my tongue? Nothing like that. 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Alaska 47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING TO GETTING BACK? my friends

Tools of the Trade

My husband believes in tools. He has 2 band saws, a planer, a table saw, a skill saw, and more hand tools than I can count. He's a builder, so he needs and used them all. If I need to use one of his tools, forget about finding the right one for the job. I finally bought myself a basic set of screw drivers, hammer, and tape measure so I don't have to go sorting through his things and messing them up.

As a builder, he knows how important it is for him to have his tools ready and in usable shape. And, lucky for me, he thinks I deserve the same.

So, last week, he surprised me with a new tool for my birthday-- a functioning, usable laptop. I'm already getting spoiled. It doesn't shut down unexpectedly, it stays connected to the Internet, and it keeps its charge.

My old computer is getting an overhaul to be made usable for the rest of the family. As for me, I'm super thankful for my new tool!

Thanks, hubby!

Hot Wheels Vicki

I need to tell you about a friend of mine. I would have told you about her sooner, but I thought I had more time. Besides, she wanted to tell the stories herself in an autobiography she started and put aside.

Vicki King Thompson died peacefully in her sleep on Friday. The news of her death comes as a great shock to all of us who know her.

Vicki's body didn't form the same way most of ours did and she spent most of her hours in a wheel chair or in bed. Her short legs never learned to walk, but that didn't slow Vicki down a bit. You could tell that from her email moniker - Hot Wheels Vic. She was always in the middle of things, giving advice, greeting everyone, and - above all - asking for prayers for those she loved.

If you knew Vicki, I guarantee she's asked someone else to pray for you. She found great power in prayer and comfort in having other people pray with her. Hardly a Sunday went by without her asking for prayers for a niece, a cousin, a co-worker, a friend. And especially for her mom. I believe it was Vicki's greatest joy to see her mother give her life to Christ earlier this year.

The kids loved Vicki, from the little ones in her Sunday School classes to those she met in the lobby. She was just their size, sitting in her wheelchair, and she loved our kids like they were part of her family. One of my very favorite pictures is one of Vicki holding one of my twins just after the babies came home from the hospital. Vicki's arms were weak, but she could handle those 4 pounds, at least for a few seconds. Even recently, she reminded me, "Remember how I almost dropped your baby?" but I always knew it was special for her to get to hold her, one of the only babies small enough to rest in her arms.

I have a hundred stories to tell, and you probably do, too. I hope we can share them together at her memorial later this week.

Tonight, though, I can't help thinking about Vicki climbing all over heaven's playground, swinging high up in the air, scurrying across the monkey bars and dancing in the freedom of her new-found perfection. Save a spot on the swing set for me, Vicki. I can't wait to play with you.

That's Nuts!

I'm trying so hard to accept the fact that my beautiful walnut trees belong to the squirrels. If you sit outside, you can hear them munching away, stuffing themselves on MY (I mean "their") green walnuts.

But, come on guys! You don't need to be so greedy. I just saw a squirrel scamper by with 3 - THREE!- walnuts in a cluster sticking out of its mouth.

UNFAIR! I won't even get one.

My other stuff is the same way. Much as I try to let my possessions flow through my hands to whoever needs or wants them, somehow I keep pulling things back and crying "MINE!" I take a deep breath. I loosen my grip. I look for something else to share.

She Didn't Follow Her Script

We did vacation Bible school a week ago. I was the village scribe and my job was to help kids write and seal their own parchment scrolls with wax squeezed out through a glue gun. My shop's co-owner, Edna Ruth, helped the youngest market-goers stamp letters into ancient Roman fluorescent play dough.

Our script said we were not Christian. We didn't know anything about the rebel Jew Jesus or why he and his followers were stirring up trouble. We were to ask the kids questions, to learn more as the week progressed.

"Who is this Jesus? Why is Paul in prison? Shouldn't he just give up talking about Jesus so he can be set free?" That was our script.

This is the script Edna Ruth followed, the script of her life--

"Of course I have a god. I know THE God. And his son, Jesus. Have you heard of him? Let me tell you all about him! He's made the biggest difference to my life and I love him with all my heart."

Even play acting, she couldn't say anything other than what she knows to be the truth. And I love her for it.

Velvet Hammered!

Just one little velvet hammer milkshake from Coffee People at 9 o'clock at night. It tasted so sweet, so cool going down after a long, hot day. I chewed on the little black specks and hoped they didn't get stuck in my teeth. Got home at midnight and crashed.

For an hour.

Then I was wide awake. Wide, wide awake. I read 200 pages. I stared at the ceiling. Until 5 a.m. and even then, I slept fitfully.

I woke up feeling like I'd been clonked by that velvet hammer, only someone forgot the velvet part.

For all you coffee addicts out there, I can see why you feel like you need to cure your coffee hangover with more coffee. I can't imagine feeling this way every morning. No thanks. A caffeine addict, I am not.

Unless it comes in the form of chocolate.

Third Place Hang-outs

I told you I lost my third place hang-out, my morning version of Cheers, where I could go for a good cup of tea with a friend and where I was bound to run into someone I knew. Cafe Divine closed down months ago and has recently been converted to a church meeting place with a really good espresso bar. I finally realized that it won't be open as a coffee shop business again. It's time to find a new place to meet.

I put the word out on my home school community chat loop that I'm looking for a third place. Here are my requirements:

1. It must serve coffee AND tea, several varieties of each to satisfy a range of tastes.

2. It must have comfortable seating that invites you to stay a while.

3. It must have a peaceful atmosphere so we can carry on a conversation without having to shout above the music or the people next to us.

4. It shouldn't cost as much to have a drink as to eat a meal. Price points matter.

I got back about a dozen responses, but for my first sortie I chose a place on my own. Excellent, inexpensive coffee (with a 25-cent discount if you use your own cup), comfortable couches, a knowledgeable barista, and no music being piped in. And a book exchange shelf. Who wants to go?

Tunics and Togas and Peplos, Oh My!

It's that time of year again, when the straight rows of chairs in the sanctuary are stacked and stored to make room for an ancient marketplace, this year in Rome. With five of us to costume in ancient Roman dress, the living room is draped in toga fabric (aka old sheets bought for a song from the Goodwill Outlet store).

I am the local scribe, a task I found myself drawn to, the write job for me. (buh-dum-ching!) Bamboo styluses (or is that styli?), parchment, and sealing wax are the tools of my trade. There's been word around town about a prisoner, Paul, who can't shut up about some Jewish rebel named Jesus. Have you heard of him?

If you happen to be in the Roman marketplace next week, Tuesday-Thursday from 6:30-8:30 p.m., drop by my booth and I'll help you write a letter to a loved one or transcribe a poem for you. And maybe we can both learn a little about this rumor going around.

See you there?

Prayer and Praise

2 big events today.

1. My mom, who broke her back in a fall a couple of months ago, is having surgery to glue her back together this morning. I'm heading over to the hosptial soon to check on her. Pray for her?

2. My nephew, quite possibly one of the cutest boys on the planet, is turning 1 today. Happy Birthday Elijah Hugh!

Oregon Christian Writers

I'd like to interrupt this blog for a brief commercial. In two weeks, Oregon Christian Writers will host its summer coaching conference. Can I just say, if you're a writer (or hope to be one some day), this is a great conference for beginnings and professionals alike.

I'm polishing up the first 10 pages of my novel to send in for review by agents and editors. At the conference, I'll be able to take classes from Lisa Samson, one of my favorite authors in the Christian book marketplace. I'll meet up with old friends, make new ones, learn some new skills and polish old ones.

It's going to be a lot of fun! Why don't you join me?

The Power of Story

I finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns last night and was amazed at how Khaled Hosseini was able to do what 8 years of TV news coverage on the war in Afghanistan has failed to do--make me see the people of that country as real people. I find it ironic that a cast of fictional characters lends more humanity to the place than the faces of real people, but I suppose that's the power of story.

To find love and acceptance, to provide for their children, to survive whatever hardships come along... these are the needs of women around the world. I've been working on my own story about a woman in Africa who faces different struggles, but they are really the same. When I finished reading this book, I felt like pressing the delete button on my own story. I want to tell an important story in a way that begs to be read, to expose glimpses of hope that survive the worst persecutions. Some day, perhaps I can capture the human condition as beautifully as Hosseini does, but I doubt it. All I can do is tell the story I have in the best way I can. I don't know if it will move anyone to tears, but I pray it will put a face on the people of West Africa, people who are real to me but are just video clips on the news to so many others.

Hallmark Religion

We have a birthday celebration this weekend for 5 people who camp with us over 4th of July weekend each year (including 2 of my kids!), so I had to stock up on birthday cards. I got the card for the sweet sixteen and for the toddler boy, but needed one for the grown up lady. My eyes roamed to the "religious birthday" section and I picked up a sweet looking card to read it.

Front: On your birthday, may God bless you with the greatest blessing of all.

Inside: Birthday cake.

Really? It's probably supposed to be a joke that got mis-filed under religion, but in a way, that's kind of how people seem to treat their faith. It's fluffy and fun and all about instant gratification with no thought to consequences.

Oh, Hallmark, God has so much more to offer than birthday cake.