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?