My Homies

The status of "homie" is similar to "my best friend" or "someone I can trust" - from Ask.com

Today I'm at Britta's

Several years ago during my first-ever read-thru-the-Bible, I was struck by Leviticus 26 and how I could see a parallel for motherhood in it. So I wrote my own version of that chapter.
A few weeks ago I wrote about Leviticus here and a friend commented about having studied the book. Since she's also a mom I sent her a copy of my Leviticus 26 rendition for her enjoyment. Annnnd, she asked if she could re-post it on her blog. I was only too happy to oblige. *grin*

So, today I am inviting you to go visit Britta and enjoy a chuckle as you read Leviticus 26 a la Motherhood.

Today I'm at The Point

I have had the pleasure of meeting a few blog friends in person, and Leah Adams is one of them. I love her heart for Jesus and for women! So when she asked for readers to share their faith story on her blog, I was only too happy to participate. I am delighted to share HIS heart and my story with the other women who enjoy Leah's blog.
Please join me over at Leah's so I can share my faith story with you, too!

Four Days in Texas

I.had.a.blast.in.Texas!!!
And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going to share my story with you through photos. *grin*
This is Edie Moore and I. We have been blog friends for years. Edie picked me up at the airport in Dallas on Saturday (Poor woman, had no idea what she was in for!) and we were on our way to fun.

Saturday evening we went to Fort Worth. I knew I must be in Texas when I saw a cow on the roof.
Or was that a longhorn?
We Michigan girls have a hard time telling the difference, you know!

Seeing a cowboy riding his horse down the street made me feel even more sure I wasn't at home anymore.

And the flag on the buggy confirmed it for me. Longhorns, cowboys, buggies, and the flag. Yep. We're in Texas, kids!

Walking around Fort Worth, we found a goat pen full of, well, goats!
Edie bought a cup of feed, and we made fast friends. Especially with this guy.
He was kinda pushy!

Yes. This is the same goat.
Like I said. Pushy!

We wandered around a bit more and ran into this guy. And since we felt sorry for running into him, we thought it would be nice to kiss him and make up. *wink*

After saying goodbye to Ben the Longhorn, I saw this sign.
And I KNEW I was not in Michigan anymore!?
Have you ever heard of fried pickles before???

One more stop for a photo opp. (Edie was such a good sport!)
It had been so long since I'd been on one of those little horses. I just couldn't resist.

And then there was no question about it. You don't find a room full of cowboy-hat-wearing-men in Michigan!
This was in a restaurant called "Chuy's" in Fort Worth. Got my first taste of Tex-Mex food. It was yummy!

Edie and I met my friend, Jenni, for dinner Saturday night. Jenni used to live in Michigan and was my mentor/spiritual director for several years before she and her family moved to Texas.
It was sooooooo nice to see her again!

As we drove from place to place, Edie often mentioned these things called "turn-arounds" on the highway. We don't have any in Michigan, so she said she'd take me on one.
See how excited she is about them? *wink*

And there it is. A little stretch of road that allows you to get off the highway and turn around to go the other direction. Without having to deal with traffic lights.
I told Edie that in Michigan we use the little driveways which cross the median of the highway to make such turns. And to comply with the sign posted by said driveways which states, Authorized vehicles only, the driver of the automobile places his/her hand on the dashboard and proclaims, "I authorize this vehicle!"

We stopped at World Market to look around, and I came upon this mask. Now, if only we were having a Marti Gras party at Edgewood, I think I would have bought it!

Remember the sign about the fried pickles?
This is what they look like IRL.

I ended my time with Edie and began my time with Angela by having dinner at the Grande Lux Cafe in Dallas. And we ordered some fried pickles!

See? I even ate one.
I will never let my picture be taken again when I am biting into food.

Edie feels the same way.

And then there's Angela, who somehow manages to look cute and dainty while eating her fried pickle. *sheesh!*

We had so much fun at that restaurant, laughing and talking and being goofy. It was like being with forever friends.
Though we weren't sure the men at the table next to us were as amused with our fun as we were. *wink*

Monday, Angela and I ventured out to look around town - only to find that most of the shops were closed on Monday. We did find a few open stores - including this one which had yummy ice cream and a body-less mannequin.
Seriously, this girl had only a head and one arm. We felt sorry for her and decided to pose with her, so she wouldn't feel so lonely.

And this little ray of sunshine is Angela's daughter, Emma.
She became my buddy and absolutely delighted my heart.
Note that I am sharing popcorn with her. I don't share popcorn unless I love you!

Tuesday morning, Angela and I decided to take a nice long walk. We wanted to get some good exercise and were prepared to work hard. i.e. We expected to get sweaty and out of breath. Soooooo, neither one of us showered, and obviously had not done our hair or make-up before the walk. And when Angela found out I wanted her son to take our picture, she wasn't so sure about my bright idea. *ahem* I ran my fingers through my hair to obtain a crazier appearance and looked at her with hopeful eyes.
She agreed to the photo. *wink*

Many people thought I was a bit crazy to make this trip to Texas. Why would you get on a plane and fly across the country to spend four days with people you've never even met before???
Let me just say, "Many people" would miss out on a huge blessing if they weren't willing to be a bit crazy.
I had a wonderful time with Edie and Angela. The sights we saw and silly things we did were fun. But it was the times we just talked, the life experiences we shared, the opportunities to talk about God and His faithfulness which made this trip so great. I considered them my friends before I came to Texas, but now - having spent these days together in person - I have a deeper friendship connection with Edie and Angela. And my heart is delighted.

After our walk and a quick shower, it was time to head to the airport for my trip home. Emma rode along with us (Like I said, she became my buddy.) and we gathered for this picture before we said good-bye. For now. I hope we can do this again sometime!

Thank You, Father, for blessing me in this trip to Texas. Thank You for Edie and Angela. For Mike and Austin and Connor and Grayson and Emma. Thank You for working out our details and walking with us through our days. Thank You for caring about doing things to delight our hearts. And thank You, Father, for the hard times, too. Because You're good - even then.

I'm So Excited!

Do you absolutely LOVE your blog friends?

Do you have dreams about meeting them face-to-face?

I do.
And I have had the pleasure of meeting several. How cool it is to be able to throw your arms around the neck of a girl with whom you've established a beautiful friendship.

Well, toward the end of last year I kept getting email alerts from Travelocity about cheap airfare from Detroit to Dallas. I looked at it, checked a few dates, and always found them to be sold out.
But it got me dreaming.
See, I have two blog friends who live near Dallas. One to the east, and the other to the west. And I have long had the desire to meet both of them.
Sooooooo, after the um-teenth email alert from Travelocity, I started to ask some questions. I asked each of these friends if I could spend a couple days with them - if I were ever to make a trip to Texas. And I asked my husband if he would be willing for me to take said trip - if I could get my hands on one of those cheap tickets.
The answer was YES all the way around. And within a day, or two, I had my ticket!

My flight is scheduled to leave Detroit Saturday morning at 7:45. I'm going to spend the first couple days with Edie, and then a couple days with Angela. And I'm so excited!

Skipping Class - To Ask for Prayer

There will be no 'Lesson from the Edge' today. Go ahead and close your books - we're skipping class.

Because...

I am on my way to a couple of special events and I would like to take this time to ask for your prayers. Tonight I will be speaking for a group of moms in San Diego, and Saturday I'll be speaking again in Fair Oaks. At both of these events, I will be presenting the gospel and inviting women to come forward for prayer. I have been on my knees for the women who will be attending - asking God to prepare their hearts, and to speak through me.
It blesses me to know HE already knows. Everything. God knows who will be at each of these events. He knows their names, their hearts, their hurts, their needs. He knows what they need to hear, and I trust He's going to speak.
Will you please join me in praying for HIS will to be done? And that HE would thwart all the plans our enemy has - which he will certainly try to enact to keep women from coming and hearing. We have victory in JESUS, and I am excited to be God's instrument of grace and hope to these women this weekend. Thank you for praying!

The FUN part of this weekend is that I get to meet three - yes, THREE - blog friends! Ronel is the coordinator for the San Diego event, and I'll be spending the night at her house tonight. And KM and Stephanie are coming to San Diego hear me speak. It's going to be a blast!

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

Do you like my Christmas decorations???

Edie made them for me last year and I just pulled them out and 'hung them up'. How easy it was!
I happen to know Edie has more decorations available. Feel free to visit her if you'd like to dress your place up a bit for the holidays.

Now, if only decorating my house was as easy as copying and pasting HTML codes....
*sigh*

For Dori

When I was at the gIRL Gathering, I let it slip that I am a Barry Manilow fan. Kinda got into singing some of his songs. You know, to keep the gIRLs entertained. *wink*
Well, ever since then, it seems Dori has had Copacabana on her mind. So I did a little YouTube search and found it. The rest of you are welcome to watch, but - Dori, this one's for you! (And now I'm thinkin' of another song! *grin*)

The gIRL Gathering

Ahhh! Had a great weekend!
I hope you enjoy this video from my time at the gIRL Gathering. Sorry about a couple spots where the sound is bad...

Counting Down

Eight more days.
Four and four more wake-ups.
Just over a week.
And then I'm going to see Lisa, and Leah, and Heather. And a bunch of other new girlfriends at the first ever gIRL Gathering.
And.I.cannot.wait!!!

That's all. I'm just sitting in my happy anticipation today. *grin*

How 'bout you? To what are you looking forward?

Hey gIRLfriend!

I know I mentioned this a few weeks ago. But it bears repeating.

What are you doing September 24-26, 2010?

I am registered to attend the first-ever gIRL (girlfriends In Real Life) Gathering, in Black Mountain, North Carolina. I know a few blogging friends who are planning to attend. (Looking forward to spending time with Lisa and Leah, and rooming with Heather!)
And I would absolutely LOVE to meet you there, too.
So, will you come?
There are still some spaces available.
Please check out the details here, and consider it.

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

For those of you in west Michigan, what are you doing the weekend of October 15 & 16? I am speaking at a women's retreat and would love for you to join me there. Click here for details.

I Have a Dream

When I began blogging nearly four years ago, I had no idea I would meet so many precious friends online. I did not realize God could put a deep and sincere love in my heart for women I have never met face-to-face. Didn't know my heart would go out to others, that I would find myself praying earnestly for needs which are not my own, or that my life would be so richly blessed by a community of women I didn't even know existed.

But that is just what happened.

As time has gone by I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet a few fellow-bloggers in person, and that truly delighted my heart.
And put a dream in me.
I began thinking, Wouldn't it be amazing if a bunch of us could get together, in one place, in person - to encourage one another, to worship God together, to actually hold hands as we pray for each other?
And my mind raced with the possibilities. Though I reasoned it would likely never happen. I mean, really, how could something like that be pulled off?

Oh, me, of little faith!

Last week I was reading Leah's blog and she talked about an event coming up in September in North Carolina. She described an event at which women who have made connections on one side of the computer screen will gather on the other side of it to meet God together. And I just knew God was making my dream come true.
The group is called gIRL. (That would be girlfriends In Real Life!)
Their website is here.
The event details/registration are here.
I am registered, have purchased my plane ticket, and unless God says otherwise, I'm going to be there. September 24-26, 2010. (Just two days after my *first* 39th birthday!)

I hope you can come, too.
(But please note, space is limited. So don't dilly-dally! *grin*)