Two Quotes about Story

Loved these and wanted to save them:

The shortest distance
between
a human being
and truth
is a story.
Anthony de Mello

All personal theology
should begin
with the words:
'Let me tell you a story.'
Sue Monk Kidd

thank you Gary!

St. Stephens Day Wishes

I found this wonderful blessing on the blog of a kindred spirit this morning. Thank you Andrea, it's exactly what I needed:

May today there be peace within
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received
and pass on the love that has been given to you
May you be content knowing you are a child of God
let this presence settle into your bones
and allow your soul the freedom to
sing
dance
praise
and love
It is there for each and every one of us.

Saint Therese of Lisieux

I have big dreams for 2007, it's good to know I'm were I am supposed to be and that I can rest in that today. Infinite possibilities are born of faith. God please make it so.

Merry Chrismtas!

Redeeming the time

Ole Henri does it again:

The Fullness of time

Jesus came in the fullness of time. He will come again in the fullness of time. Wherever Jesus, the Christ, is the time is brought to its fullness.

We often experience our time as empty. We hope that tomorrow, next week, next month or next year the real things will happen. But sometimes we experience the fullness of time. That is when it seems that time stands still, that past, present, and future become one; that everything is present where we are; and that God, we, and all that is have come together in total unity. This is the experience of God's time. "When the completion of the time came [that is: in the fullness of time], God sent his Son, born of a woman" (Galatians 4:4), and in the fullness of time God will "bring everything together under Christ, as head, everything in the heavens and everything on earth" (Ephesians 1:10). It is in the fullness of time that we meet God.

Henri Nouwen

Like to get daily meditations?

Moonstruck

I thought finally I had found something beautiful (and round) that I could afford - but I guess Austrian art lamps run big money these days!

Isn't this beautiful? By using a clear light bulb in the orb you can scatter the patterns over your walls. Opaque bulbs change to just enjoying the design on the lamp.

Moonstruck indeed!

via

Merry Christmas from Sufjan!

Don't forget to call your Grandma!

A Christmas Letter from Jesus

Wow - let's get this circulating around the internet (and put it into practice in our own lives too):

Jesus Enters the War on Christmas

Also, Keith has done a great post on similar thoughts, art included:

Merry Debtmas

Drop by and show him some love!

Hat tip to Will & Lisa

Some things are worth fighting for

Shari MacDonald Strong has a new article up at Literary Mama that speaks my heart well"

No Guts, No Glory

How to Publish Your Own Books!

Oh this thrills my book-loving heart!!

Cool Tools has researched and self-published their way through the least expensive, highest quality options out there and this is what they've found:

Blurb * LuLu

Life just gets more accessible every day doesn't it?

And I'm not really into shoes

Oh my goodness - look at this thing! I must have a passion for round things as I've blogged on a round bed and a round kitchen - this is just brilliant!

Many, many years ago I used to manage a closet store called "The Closet Wizard" in Hamilton, Ontario - we would have never been able to keep this thing in stock!

It's brilliant! A little ferris wheel for your shoes! I want one!!

Rakku - The Future of Shoe Storage

ht to ready made blog

Teach our children well

Jenell Paris has some incredible insight into the Ted Haggard issue, the Christianity Today article on the same, and raising our children to be truth tellers. Woo Hoo!

The Last Thing

O Christmas Tree...

We continued the Turner Family Tradition today and went and chopped down our Christmas tree. I tried to suggest borrowing a fake one this year but Ali & Jake would have NONE of that.

So we bundled up and braved the freezing cold (but sunny) day and found the "perfect" one to grace our flat. I'll post some "after" pictures once we've decorated it too. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

my new hair

made using the warholizer

We Are The People We've Been Waiting For!

World Aids Day, 2006

Mike at Waving or Drowning has been a prophet for me on God's heart for the world. His passion for social justice and change isn't just words. He and his wife Sue live out redemption in very practical, beautiful ways.

One of those ways is a project he and a friend Robert have created called (Red)emption. I know I've blogged about it here before - but want to remind you as the project goal of 1000 participants is lagging behind at 401. I know we can do this people. It's just $10.00.

If you've already given how about your spouse, children or good friends? Spread the love around.

Mike and Robert have decided to close the project at the end of the year. I think it would be amazing if we could help them reach their goal. Stephen Lewis is putting help in the hands of the people, instead of the programs - this is where the difference is made. We really are the people we've been waiting for!

eve.harmony.com

funny!



thanks paul!

It's alive! (well, live)

Yippee! My first sermon is live online. It was such a wonderful opportunity to share with my community about the things that really matter to me. I loved it. You can hear how nervous I am (I'm sure, I haven't even listened to it yet, but I know my voice cracked and my hands shook), but it was a wonderful experience and I was bathed in love and support.

Make sure you listen to Peter afterward, he prays for me and it was probably the most moving part of the morning (for me at least). He, Walter & Dan are truly the first pastors I've ever had. It's fun to be in a church where everybody gets to play!

A Hidden Wholeness

Please listen and I'd LOVE your feedback!!

p.s. - You can also view my power point slides, there are some amazing quotes I've used that are included.

New Blog Alert - Beloved Lily

One of my bestest friends in the whole entire world is blogging now and I'd love it if you'd give her some new blogger mojo and welcome her to the blogosphere. You can find her here:

Beloved Lily

One last campaign ad

thanks julie!

Grace Filled response to the Ted Haggard Story

Jason Clark has an introspective post up regarding the Ted Haggard story:

What sort of church am I projecting/perpetuating/participating in: reflections on Ted Haggard, me and all of our church families

Story People

Center on Wheels

I spent a long time
trying to find my center
until I looked closely
one night & found
it had wheels
& moved easily
in the slightest breeze,
so now I spend less
time sitting and
more time sailing.


I have recently found the Story People and just love the art, stories and vivid imagination. No one in Iowa was this cool when I lived there!

Christian no more?

These are brilliant!







thanks marko!

Thin

Upcoming documentary airing on HBO in November - Dying to be Thin

I think this will be very important. Wish we had access to HBO up here.

What have you done?

Amy at Amy Loves Books just posted this list, and I fell in love with it - it puts changing a baby's diaper on the level of climbing all of the stairs in the Tower of Pisa - it brought back so many memories of things I've done - I'd love to read yours too!

What have you done? (things I've done are in bold)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (well, it was my boss's Maserati)
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - never killed - but prepared... ick!
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life - tried, but he drown...

Vanna needs some bling!

Our '87 Volvo Vanna (called that because I constantly referred to the "van" we used to drive instead of the station wagon we now drive) is in need of some serious car bling. Aren't these incredible???

Blik Autographic

(Red)emption Junkie??

My good friend Mike @ Waving Or Drowning and virtual friend Robert have a brilliant idea that thrills this junkie's soul!!

The RED concept from Bono is a brilliant way to introduce the consumer driven world to the good that small amounts of money can do in the world - but Mike & Robert want to take out the middle man:

I’ve come to the conclusion that I love this program. And I hate it. Let me try to explain why.

The love part is easy. I love it because it will provide funds for saving lives. What’s not to love about that?

Here’s the part with which I’m having trouble. I hate it because it’s a sad commentary, a mirror if you will, reflecting the reality of our culture back to us. The currency of the Kingdom is love. The currency of this material, self-centered culture is “stuff.” Bono is brilliant as he has realized this, and knows we will not give out of love. HIV/AIDS is killing people in numbers too horrible to give voice to. And while this troubles us, it apparently doesn’t trouble us enough to give out of love. The brilliance of Product (Red) is that it will get the money out of us anyway. No love? Fine, then we’ll appeal to your need for the other currency, for stuff. Want a new Gap shirt, and a trendy one at that? Great. Here you go, and by the way, a couple of bucks will go to life-saving drugs.

In short, I long for a world that operates on Kingdom currency. It’s coming… just not fast enough. In the meantime, I will grit my teeth, smile, and promote the Product (RED) campaign. Heck, I’ll probably end up wearing a red t-shirt. Hypocritical? Maybe. Paradoxical? Definitely.

Now for the challenge. Robert and I have been discussing for some time the need for us to start another campaign to raise some funds here at WorD.

We’ve been looking at the (RED) iPod specifically. When you spend $200 US on the iPod, Apple will contribute $10 to the Global Fund. (Robert has changed his mind about Christmas, BTW, so don’t bother emailing his wife.)

I don’t have a clue what the profit margins are like on the iPod, but $10 doesn’t strike me as a lot of money. Let’s be realistic. It’s not. Here’s the choice: You can lay out $200, get a new iPod, and contribute $10 to a good cause. Or, you can just contribute the $10. We believe we can get 1000 people to donate $10 each. We’d like $10 from everyone in the developed world, but we’ll settle for you, and everyone you know. And when we’re done, we’ll pass the money--all of it--along to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Donation $10.00 CDN HERE

East Coasters Watch the sky tonight!

I just received this in an email and thought if you're on the east coast you might benefit from this too:

A Natural Wonder: Tuesday, October 24, at twilight--about 30 minutes after sunset, scan the southwest horizon for Mercury and Jupiter to the right of the thin waxing crescent Moon, and the star, Antares to the left of the moon and slightly above. Quite an arrangement. (Binoculars helpful!)

Color Like No Other

I personally liked the first video much better (the one with the balls flying down the hills of San Francisco) but this one is still incredible:

Sony Bravia - Color Like No Other

Not your mother's pyrex bowl set!

Aren't these breath-takingly beautiful?? How simple yet so dramatic.

Conjunction Junction How's that Function??

Next to Mr. Rogers & Sesame Street the School House Rock singers were the most formative influences of my childhood. No, seriously. Pretty sad, eh?

I loved this article tracking down where they are now.

Why is it I can't remember ten things from four years of a pretty good liberal arts college, but I can recite every word of the preamble? A degree in Anthropology (don't laugh) and I still get the Incas mixed up with the Aztecs, but I know all there is to know about naughty, nasty, mean old number nine. I mean...how sad is that?

It was home schooling before it became the in thing to do. Because my Saturday morning were spent glued to a television, I now know that and, but and or will get me pretty far, and that interjections are generally set apart from a sentence by an exclamation point, or by a comma when the feeling's not as strong. So, all things considered, I think I came out ahead.

So, who do I have to thank for this wealth of information. Who are the people attached to these voices inside my head, and are they still around today? Turns out, they are. And they're all still singing away. There are four main singers (jazz musicians, actually)responsible for almost all of the Schoolhouse Rock videos, with a few guest appearances here and there (Verb! That's what's happening!) So, let's take a look at some heroes from my youth...the Schoolhouse Rock Singers.

You can read the rest of the article here: Where Are They Now - The Schoolhouse Rock Singers

I'm getting older too...

This time of year makes me very nostalgic. Fall has a way of slowing me down inside, pondering, reflecting and watching. It's also a time of celebration. Thanksgivings - both of them, Canadian & American bring tucking in times with family and friends. It's also the season I grow up. This birthday is bringing much emotion and internalization this year. 41. Wow. 41.

40 didn't phase really me - I looked at it like I was beginning something new - and that is still here, but this feels different somehow. It's not the age or getting old part of this I feel, this just that 41 feels so real somehow. 41.

My mother Bobbie died at 43, so much of life left unlived somehow. 2 years. I can't imagine what that would mean to me to only have two years left. To struggle with sickness, facing death and separation from Keith and my children. Two years? I know that's not reality, but most children who's parents die young face this benchmark with a bit of fear and loathing. There is still so much left I long to do.

My father didn't think he'd live past his father's age when he died. The celebration that marked that year he did was great. I know that pretending I don't feel it at all doesn't make it go away. So being present to the emotion it brings up within me is something I can learn from, something that can bring life, instead of death.

October 13th is my birthday, but I also celebrate the 14th as it marks an anniversary of my abstinence and recovery. It has been 7 years of one day at a time linked together to bring me to where I am today. For that I am truly grateful and hopeful and filled with wonder.

Seven years ago today my life was at it's lowest place possible. It seems like two lifetimes ago. It really was somehow.

One of the gifts that I've been given this past week is the lyrics to a song that was important to me long ago. I was searching iTunes for Songbird, by Fleetwood Mac and remembered Landslide - I'm sorry, but the Dixie Chicks version was nice, but not nearly as moving as the original. While looking I saw that Stevie released a later acoustic version on AOL Sessions in 2003 and her voice is gritty and aged and it's richer and deeper and speaks to the journey I have been on too since that song originally touched my heart.

The imagery in the lyrics means so much more now - the child within, the ocean tides, the seasons of my life. Each of those speaks to where I have come the farthest on this 40 year journey called my life. What a gift. As I cooked turkey and chopped potatos this weekend I just kept listening to a short playlist I had put together, tears streaming down my face. Feeling the deep emotion that this season of my life is brining up within me. Yes, I'm getting older too.


Landslide, Stevie Nicks

I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
till the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life

Well, I've been afraid of changing
cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too

Oh, take my love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down

If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down

Giving Thanks

This being Thanksgiving weekend in Canada my good friend Dan Wilt is one thing I'm giving thanks for. He's posted a sneak peek to the talk he's preparing for church tomorrow.

I promise I'll post the link here when they upload it - but here is some of the beauty:

“Sweet flower” is what her name means. Grandma also told us it was the name of an ancient Armenian princess. Grandma’s first name was Siranouche. My wife’s middle name is Siranouche. My daughter’s middle name is Siranouche. “Sweet flower.” So appropriate in each life it adorns.

As my children encircled her feet, Grandma would tell the old stories. On one occasion, I taped an hour of those stories, and the harder questions were asked. “Grandma,” queried my daughter, “How did your mommy and daddy die?” I interrupted, telling Grandma she didn’t need to answer that question if she didn’t want to. Her response was matter-of-fact. “They must know, honey. They must know such things.”

At 95 years old, Siranouche was one of the last living survivors of the Armenian death marches under the Ottoman Turks at the turn of the 20th century. A mass genocide that the world ignored, Adolph Hitler is infamous for a statement made to a German commander: “Who remembers the Armenians; who will remember the Jews?”

Siranouche and her family lived in a small Armenian village called Orphah. She recalls the beauty that was once her family’s estate. “I remember playing among the fruit trees in the orchard,” she says with a smile. At 14, young Siranouche and her family were awakened in the middle of the night by Turkish soldiers. She, her mother and siblings stood and watched as the fathers and husbands were huddled into their small Armenian churches – which were then burned to the ground. The screams still haunted her now aged mind.

She remembers the death marches through the Syrian Desert. How her mother would spread her skirt over her five children in the desert’s cool, night air to keep them warm as they slept. She remembers the Syrian women lining the march, hoping to help save some of the children by taking them as their own. Though the youngest died along the march, Siranouche’s mother (my wife’s great grandmother) gave away the rest of her children in one day – such a horrible joy for her – to know they might live, but that she would die soon, far away from her precious jewels.

Her new Syrian family treated her well, though she was a servant. One night, she had a dream. In her dream, Jesus came to her with outstretched arms. Using no words, she could see in his eyes that everything would be alright. From that point on, she knew she worshipped a different God than those around her, and she knew that someone was taking care of her.

Despite her life of hardship, Grandma ‘Anouche was known to her family as one of the most grateful human beings they had ever known. It seemed as though every breath she took marked another moment to be celebrated. Her great pain as a young girl had taught her the “art of appreciation” – the capacity to look deep into every moment, person, place or thing she encountered, and to find something worthy of celebration.

You can read the rest of the post here: Cultivating A Grateful Heart

Moby - Everything is Complicated Podcast

sojo has a brilliant interview with moby

Everything Is Complicated

The View Out My Kitchen Window

Isn't this lovely? It's the view out my kitchen window. Far better than the next door neighbor's kitchen I used to see in Pennsylvania! I remember she used to hang a light up Santa Claus in her window from November 1st - January 1st - this is much better!

We're high enough up here to see the clouds and the spire of the Catholic church just two doors down. Much better motivation to do those dishes!

Marko is a marketing genius!

Did you ever play the "ungame" as a kid? That quasi-christian, quasi-counselling kind of game where you had to answer deep, meaningful question with your parent? It was so 70's.

Marko has a very funny post on his favorite versions of wanna-be christian games here:

Christian Board Games You've Missed

Stephen Wiltshire - The Human Camera

This is absolutely incredible - God bless the people who gave this young man a pencil and honored his gift:



ht to DRAWN!

Spiritual Chatter and Pious Words

From today's Inward & Outward

Many people are looking for an ear that will listen. They do not find it among Christians, because these Christians are talking where they should be listening. But he who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either; he will be doing nothing but prattle in the presence of God too. This is the beginning of the death of the spiritual life, and in the end there is nothing left but spiritual chatter and clerical condescension arrayed in pious words.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

One Giant Leap for BlogHer-kind!

very cool!

Anousheh Ansari Space Blog

If I had a Million Dollars!

5th grade project in full swing here. Alinea is spending $1,000,000,000 for math class - so we're all sitting here listening to the Barenaked Ladies song and printing out lots of really cool things for her to buy. This is quite the project in dreaming - but I tell you what - I wouldn't trade one moment of THIS for one dollar of THAT!

Happy 19th Anniversary Keith!

 

19 years! It's hard to believe. It feels like yesterday and forever all wrapped together. The path we have walked together has knit our hearts tight. The good, the bad, and the ugly - we have shared it all. I am amazed we made it through. I am thrilled we made it through.

Our marriage has been the hardest, most rewarding work of my life. Look at us - we're doing it - together.

I love you dear husband. No one stirs my passionate heart like you. Thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for these 19 years! 

Much bewildered, sore afraid

At church Walter has been teaching on fear. This post by Darren at The Alternative Hymnal brings the subject of fear to Jesus' ministry. Overcoming fear is a constant obstacle for me. He writes:

"When I started to think about it the words “Do not be afraid” kept on coming to mind, in particular how the Gospel story seems to start with the words “Do not be afraid” (in Matthew) and, in the same book ends with the same words as Jesus and the angel appears to the women after the resurrection, it’s the same words Jesus uses on the mountain after the Transfiguration and the same words he uses as he calls the fishermen to follow him on his journey, it’s also the same words used as he walks on water and frightens the disciples and when the Synagogue leader is told that his daughter has died."

Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of being known - all of those things rear their ugly heads in my life and I am tempted to isolate. To hide, to withdraw and to stop engaging in the community I so long for and need. I found this post a real reminder that most of life is really about overcoming our fears. All of us. Not just me.

I wonder what it would be like to sit together in a safe community and share our fears. Talk about them, say them out loud. Realize how very much alike we really are to the people sitting to our right and our left. I know that most would bristle at the thought. Few would show up, and fewer still would probably feel safe enough to share. But what could be overcome if we spoke our deepest fears into community and we were heard and not alone?

I have come face to face with some of my greatest fears in this past year. I am now in a community that embraces me - will allow me to use my gifts and participate as I am. Not as who I have to construct myself into to be acceptable.

This is terrifying to me.

What if I am judged as unacceptable. What if I stand and don't deliver? What if I can't live up to all that I so long to be? What if I'm all talk and no action?

That would be one of my greatest fears realized.

Do you ever just pick up a book at THE RIGHT TIME to read a line that HITS HOME, square, right between your eyes? I did that this morning. A Christmas devotional by Calvin Miller was calling to me today, "Pick me up" it said. This page opened and I read this prayer:

"Lord, may I quit trying to figure out the mathematics of grace. You have chosen me because it is Your nature to use the bewildered. And that is enough for me. What would you have me to do?"

The bewildered. The afraid. The lost and confused. That hit me square between the eyes. Okay. Today I will own my bewilderedness and do it bewildered. Here I am God, send this bewildered one.

You can read the rest of Darren's post here:

The Alternative Hymnal Faithless - Mass Destruction - P*Nut and Sister Bliss Mix

Finding My Voice

I have started a Vox blog today because I like the features it has for private posting and releasing things to only family or friends.

Pretty cool format too. Check it out:

Finding My Voice

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: American Girl Dolls Write to President Bush.

This is so sly!

McSweeney's Internet Tendency: American Girl Dolls Write to President Bush.

Thanks Bob!

I've been everywhere man

I have lived in many different places - a lot with very distinguishable language systems (Pittsburgh especially) and it seems not to have affected my home-grown, midwestern roots.

We escaped Pennsylvania without the dreaded silent "l" of swimming in the "poo" after we go "dahn tahn" to pick up groceries from "Giant Ego". It seems that here we must be aware here of that pesky "a" for "o" transfer that seems to be creeping in as my son said "dag" yesterday when he was describing a puppy - we've got to put a quick end to that one!

Your Linguistic Profile:

55% General American English

20% Yankee

15% Upper Midwestern

5% Midwestern

0% Dixie

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

The Princess and The Goblin

We are reading George McDonald's The Princess and The Goblin together each night and there are quotes in here I don't want to forget:

"But Mr. Author, why do you always write about princesses?"

"Because every little girl is a princess."

"You will make them vain if you tell them that."

"Not if they understand what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?"

"The daughter of a king."

"Very well, then every little girl is a princess, and there would be no need to say anything about it, except that she is always in danger of forgetting her rank, and behaving as if she had grown out of the mud. I have seen little princesses behave like the children of thieves and lying beggars, and that is why they need to be told they are princesses. And that is why, when I tell a story of this kind, I like to tell it about a princess. Then I can say better what I mean, because I can then give her every beautiful thing I want her to have."

pg,. 11-12

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...on she ran, unable to think for fear, and ready to run anywhere to elude the awful creature with the stilt-legs. Not daring to look behind her, she rushed straight out of the gate, and up the mountain. It was foolish indeed -- thus to run farther and father from all who could help her, as if she has been seeking a fit spot for the goblin-creature to eat her at his leisure; but that is the way fear serves us; it always take the side of the things that we are afraid of."

pg. 138-139

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The lady was seated on a low chair by the side of the fire, with hands outstretched to take her, but the princess hung back with a troubled smile.

"Why, what's the matter?" asked the grandmother. "You haven't been doing anything wrong -- I know that by your face, though it is rather miserable. What's the matter, my dear?"

And she still held out her arms.

"Dear grandmother," said Irene, "I'm not so sure I haven't done something wrong. I ought to have run up to you at once when the long-legged cat came in at the window, instead of running out on the mountain, and making myself such a fright."

"You were taken by surprise, my child, and are not so likely to do it again. It is when people do wrong things willfully that they are the more likely to do them again."

pg. 147-148

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You must not suppose that I am blaming you for that, I daresay it was out your power to help it."

"I don't know, grandmother," said the princess, beginning to cry. "I can't always do myself as I should like. And I don't always try. -- I'm very sorry anyhow."

pg. 159

happy roald dahl day!

one of the most fantastical minds and imaginations of our generation is being celebrated today. he would have been 90 today.

have your own SCRUMDIDDLLYUMPTIOUS day!

“Adults will try to fool you into thinking they have important things on their minds when, in fact, they are thinking about what to have for supper or when they are going to wash the car.”

Wholly

I was reading Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle before I hand it off to Alinea so we talk about it together and found this quote. It reminds me so much of the incredible views we have on our Bay of Fundy:

"One side of the room is all a big window which Grandfather had put in. It has shutters you can close, but when they're open you look down the steep bluffs to the ocean and the only thing that's farther out on the bluff than Grandfather's stable is the lighthouse. Mother and Daddy always look forward to sleeping in the enormous bed, but Mother says that the first couple of nights, even if they close the shutters, she always stays awake for a long time to see the lighthouse light as it swings around. There are no pictures in the room; Grandfather says you can't ask any picture to compete with that view. But on one wall he painted in soft gray Gothic letters:

"God is over all things, under all things; outside all;
within, but not enclosed; without but not excluded;
above, but not raised up; below, but now depressed;
wholly above, presiding; wholly without, embracing;
wholly within, filling."

That has always been one of Grandfather's favorite things, so we knew that it was by Hildevert of Lavardin, who wrote it sometime around 1125."

Meet the Austins, Madeleine L'Engle, pg. 151

You are like a Hurricane

During Lent last spring I was tempted to 'give up' something meaningful. And then I remembered that the past 12 months were about giving many things up and away. I decided to embrace instead of push away, to add instead of subtract. I decided that I was going to pour my Lenten meditations and prayers into my fingers and onto paper.

It had been years since I had allowed myself the freedom to do art. I completed three pieces, each in a different medium. This one is my favorite. It is a self-portrait.

It didn't begin that way. I just had my sketchbook, my pastels and the sunny warmth of the front porch at 29 Union calling to me. I would have never set out to draw myself. I don't know what happened.

I have never been light on my feet. I guess I've always been too self-conscious. I'm sure the church's stern frown upon dancing in my younger years had is affect. Needless to say, I have rarely lost myself in the moment of movement and the dance of joy.

But, there were two euphoric recollections of freedom that have etched their way deep into my memories. I guess they came to life here on this page.

The first was during my college years while staffing a week of camp. This was not the camp of my childhood and they held a DANCE (gasp) for their campers and it shocked my little Brethren roots to the core. I watched from the sidelines with my pharisaic nose in the air. Until the dj called all of the females, young and old to the center of the floor. How could I not go?

We all joined hands and he played Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun - and we circled and circled, spinning faster and faster. I have never felt so free. So full of life and so uninhibited. All self-consciousness stripped away and I joined the whole instead of the fear of the one alone. The isolation that comes from judgment can be a desolate thing indeed.

The second time was only about five years ago, at the National Youth Workers Convention in Pittsburgh. They invited Andy Hunter to a late night option to give us a taste of what England was doing on the rave front. I was so excited. Keith not so much. I wanted to get lost in the crowd and find that place of becoming part of the whole in worship.

Walking into the room they reserved was a huge disappointment. About 12 people were on the dance floor with about 20 more watching. At a convention of 1000's I had to admit that I was more than a bit saddened that more people weren't joining in so that I could loose my inhibitions and spin. Childhood restrictions on dance also make for little grace and ease of movement on the dance floor. I pictured myself doing the "Elaine" and becoming a spectacle instead of a sum of the parts that make up the whole.

We sat at the sidelines, Keith wanting to leave, I wanting to stay until more people showed up. Then I noticed that his stage was set up in front of a large curtained off section of the room. I got up, without telling Keith where I was going and snuck back behind the curtain. No one could see me. I became invisible even to myself, and able to dance for that audience of One. Tentatively I put out my arms, I closed my eyes and began to feel the beat and I swayed and wove my hands into the music. My feet were still firmly etched to the floor though.

A couple of minutes changed that as I realized my invisible safety and then I began to spin - I know it wasn't full of dancer-like grace and moves of skill, but rather it seemed like the three year old I once was turning in time to the music of Lawrence Welk my parents often listened to in my childhood. Although not artistic in the least I was free and worshipping my God to my full extent, body, soul & spirit, tears streaming down my face.

I think that it what flowed onto the paper here. I imagined myself in the middle of the greening grass, long skirts and sleeves flowing in the wind and spinning like my life depended on it. I was lost in the medium, adding color, my hands smearing and blurring, green, yellow, orange and red all swirling and whilrling onto the paper.

It is how I long to be - so carefree, so uninhibited, and fearless in my worship. So unlike reality.

Self-conscious.
Stumbling
Afraid.

I'm glad it's on paper. It makes it feel more real. It reminds me that there are times when heaven touches earth and I am transcendent in my worship. Freed from all that hangs on me, body and soul.

I realized after looking at it that it was so similar to a weather map of those tropical storms that whirl and spin in this season - so dangerous and out of control. Oh the damage they wreak and wreck.

That brought up another memory from when I was in middle school. Our bus driver was a crazy lump of a woman named Hilda. I remember crossing Highway 50 on the way home and we were sideswiped by a car on the four lane highway. After that we called her "Hurricane Hilda". It was then that the fear of the hurricane began winding it's way into my psyche.

Hilda is far too close to Heidi for my liking. I never wanted to be known as "Hurricane Heidi" - destruction, wind gusts of 100 mph, unruly wildness. Not the image the church ever told me a woman was to embrace. And far too much like the wild things I knew were deep within me.

This became a secret obsession of mine. Each hurricane season I would listen for the choice for "H" - fearing that my own name would be linked to those horrible tragedies. Hurricane Heidi. Oh the destruction, the devastation the wild things within me can wreak and wreck. Not a metaphor I welcomed freely.

Since then I have pondered it's similarity to the fears I have in embracing my voice and my call here in our new community. I have been silenced and silenced myself for so long that the power of the force within me terrifies me. Will I come on as a fire hose instead of a fountain? How will it ever be possible? How can I spin and not wreck? How can I participate and not be so self-conscious and afraid? How dear God can I serve you and fulfill the call you have on my life?

Only when I spin for You. Only when it is truly done in worship. God help me.

Make a difference

It makes no difference, unless you make a difference.

Peter Fitch

Myers-Briggs Prayers

These are spot-on! Which one are you?

ISTJ: Lord help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 1:41.23 am e.s.t.

ISTP: God help me to consider people's feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.

ESTP: God help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they're usually NOT my fault.

ESTJ: God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if You need some help, just ask.

ISFJ: Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.

ISFP: Lord, help me to stand up for my rights (if you don't mind my asking).

ESFP: God help me to take things more seriously, especially parties and dancing.

ESFJ: God give me patience, and I mean right NOW.

INFJ: Lord help me not be a perfectionist. (did I spell that correctly?)

INFP: God, help me to finish everything I sta

ENFP: God,help me to keep my mind on one th-Look a bird-ing at a time.

ENFJ: God help me to do only what I can and trust you for the rest. Do you mind
putting that in writing?

INTJ: Lord keep me open to others' ideas, WRONG though they may be.

INTP: Lord help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.

ENTP: Lord help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.

ENTJ: Lord, help me slow downandnotrushthroughwatIdo.

Amen.

via

Synchonized Goldfish - really!

My good friend Dan posted this today and it's so amazing to watch - this man has trained his goldfish to swim in unison! Very cool!

DanWilt.com

A True Celebration

Cynicism or Joy

For me it is amazing to experience daily the radical difference between cynicism and joy. Cynics seek darkness wherever they go. They point always to approaching dangers, impure motives, and hidden schemes. They call trust naive, care romantic, and forgiveness sentimental. They sneer at enthusiasm, ridicule spiritual fervor, and despise charismatic behavior. They consider themselves realists who see reality for what it truly is and who are not deceived by "escapist emotions." But in belittling God's joy, their darkness only calls forth more darkness.

People who have come to know the joy of God do not deny the darkness, but they choose not to live in it. They claim that the light that shines in the darkness can be trusted more than the darkness itself and that a little bit of light can dispel a lot of darkness. They point each other to flashes of light here and there, and remind each other that they reveal the hidden but real presence of God. They discover that there are people who heal each other's wounds, forgive each other's offenses, share their possessions, foster the spirit of community, celebrate the gifts they have received, and live in constant anticipation of the full manifestation of God's glory.

Every moment of each day I have the chance to choose between cynicism and joy. Every thought I have can be cynical or joyful. Every word I speak can be cynical or joyful. Every action can be cynical or joyful. Increasingly I am aware of all these possible choices, and increasingly I discover that every choice for joy in turn reveals more joy and offers more reason to make life a true celebration.

Source: Henri Nouwen, Return of the Prodigal Son

We have truly found this here. Darkness and cynicism increases darkness - light and joy shatter that darkness. What a wonderful reminder to choose joy!

Daily quotes via Inward & Outward

Keith's Most Recent Sermon

Here's the link to Keith's teaching last Sunday - it is excellent! He thrives in this environment where life if much more 'free flowing'!

St. Croix Vineyard

UPDATE: Here's a link to the archieves look for Keith's sermon there.

Prayer needed, and answered

Within the past 36 hours I have heard that two of my loved ones have been affected by nature. My sister, her husband and their baby live dead center in the flood zone of the PA/NY riverbeds that are overflowing with the deluge of rain they have received. Denise is on the tippy top of one of the mountains in the NY Catskills - so the flooding hasn't affected them directly - but it has washed out roads and made access to supplies, and providing help for others near impossible. Their lovely 7 month old daughter Marybeth was down to two cans of formula when I heard of their need.

We started to pray. I received an email from Denise that said she was thinking about using milk and the memories of tiny baby stomach aches from my own experience with my kids was not a good one. Denise got down to the final can and 15 minutes later got a phone call from the local fire department - confirming that yes, she did have a baby on the top of the mountain - and they provided 2 cans of formula, 2 packs of pampers and 2 dozen bottles of water. This big sister's shoulders are a lot less tense this morning.

We also found out that our Compassion son in Indonesia was affected by the last earthquake there. He and his family survived, but the roof of their home did not. We would like to help. We are contacting compassion today to find out if that is possible. We have no idea the cost. We just know that little Yeremiah and his loved ones have been rocked and need to know they are safe again. I can't imagine enduring such an incredible shaking of the very foundations of your life.

Any prayers for both of these situations would be greatly appreciated.

Look what I did!!

I have been busy assisting my new friend Dan Wilt on establishing a blogger blog for the newly born Institute for Contemporary & Emerging Worship Studies (ICEWS).

It has been so much fun!!

Contemporary & Emerging Worship Blog

Kindred Souls

Oh the joy of meeting a kindred spirit. It has been long since I have had one living nearby. So many of my friends in blogland are kindreds, but you are all so very far away! I have made a new friend and we have much in common, but many ways in which we will stretch and compliment each other. I am so very excited!

Her church of origin is the same as mine, and her giftings and call are very similar - she is a strong woman with a powerful voice - and understands fully what it was like to be silenced (with a silent God) for far too long. We already have a short-hand of knowing this similar path that allows for a deep resonance in our souls.

I picked her up from the airport on Tuesday and we were able to spend much time since then getting to know each other and sharing our stories. Yesterday she stopped me in my kitchen to say how leaving her last community was so difficult, but she never imagined that coming to a new place that there would already be family and friends waiting. It's wonderful to know that she felt that kindred bond too.

Creating Divisions

I fear far too many of us have been given bad information and instruction in the areas of evangelism. I love this quote from Nouwen because it restores the truth of 1 Peter 3:15 - "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect." or as Peterson puts it:

"Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy."

That means we live in close enough contact with those seeking truth, and in such a way that they see us living a life worth asking questions of - not us knocking on their doors and asking questions of virtual strangers.

The Fruit of the Spirit

How does the Spirit of God manifest itself through us? Often we think that to witness means to speak up in defense of God. This idea can make us very self-conscious. We wonder where and how we can make God the topic of our conversations and how to convince our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues of God's presence in their lives. But this explicit missionary endeavour often comes from an insecure heart and, therefore, easily creates divisions.

The way God's Spirit manifests itself most convincingly is through its fruits: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22). These fruits speak for themselves. It is therefore always better to raise the question "How can I grow in the Spirit?" than the question "How can I make others believe in the Spirit?"

Henri Nouwen

3 days and counting

Okay, I'm on my second batch of antibiotic and the bronchitis is still holding on. I'm not feeling as weak as I was, but a couple runs up and down the stairs can about do me in. Hard to move without doing stairs. Would appreciate prayers that the meds kick it out before Saturday. (well actually since you're praying, how 'bout Friday - we'll be doing a lot that day too!)

Just a couple of chair seats to re-cover and some last coats of paint on the table top and closet doors today and everything at the new place will be ready for move in. Keith changed all of the light fixtures around - we replaced the bedrooms and living room with ceiling fans and moved the pretty antique fixtures into the other rooms that had ugly fixtures. Almost all of the art is on the walls (except for the pieces that need furniture to be in place so I can see what height I want it at - I'm running out of wallspace though... Some of it might have to go into storage...)

We've almost got permission from the landlord to reno the room at the back into an office - so that will be project #1 once we're moved in. I know it will definitely help my writing to get the computer into a more private space. I get to distracted by the noise to hold my thoughts together when it's in the middle of everything.

The kids rooms look amazing and we're really having fun watching them enjoy and plan their lives in them. Alinea is so dreamy when she gets into her's. She spins and smiles and is just so grateful - it definitely has made the work worth it. I'll post pictures once the furniture goes in.

Hope this finds you all well! Thanks for your prayers!

The Floating Bed Company

Okay, it must be round things - first the rotating kitchen, now the floating bed - doesn't this look heavenly???

The Floating Bed Company

ht

How did I miss this quote for so long?

I had always felt life first as a story:
and if there is a story there is a story-teller.

G.K. Chesterton

ht to Mary Yerkes

The Power Of Coffee, Empathy, & Symbols

Pernell Goodyear is doing amazing work in our former hometown - it's so hard not to be jealous as it is what our hearts long to do. He puts such a beautiful edge on the difficulty that was brewing in the Caledonia area there.

I Am Pernell Goodyear

Yokel - Directory of local stores and products.

Very cool new web2.0 tool to find all of the things you need! (Sorry Canada - U.S. only)

Yokel - Directory of local stores and products.

In sickness and in health

We've been fighting that spring bug of clogged sinuses and wheezy lungs here in the Turner house. It slowed us down quite a bit this weekend, but we still managed to paint the kids new rooms at the other house. It hardly seems like we're really moving in a couple of weeks again. It sure doesn't look like it from the lack of cardboard and packing (not) going on!

I think I might be fighting bronchitis. I had a horrible case of it last year - and the shortness of breath and lingering ick makes me suspicious I am not going to get rid of this without some medicinal help. So, the appointment with the new doctor is set for tomorrow. I've been putting off seeing her. I guess it was because my doctor in Pennsylvania was such a negative experience. I always had amazing doctors in Ontario - it's like I've forgotten that and judged them all by her. Hopefully at least I can find out if my suspicions are correct and get on top of this illness. I have far too much to do in the next couple of weeks to not be full strength.

So far Keith hasn't been affected by the germs - if he goes down we're shot! I guess we have no right to complain - we've been so healthy for so long - and never anything major. Now if we can just get relocated and settled I can start to enjoy putting down some roots!

Update: Doctor cancelled because of "emergency"... poo - I came home from working at the apartment to get ready and Keith said they called. Hopefully they can squeeze me in tomorrow. I really need a script - I can come back for a physical later, but I need to get on top of this weeziness and coughing.

Saving Grace - New York Times

Lauren Winner speaks truth to the church (in the NEW YORK TIMES!) in supporting teens in a different kind of commitment to chastity - we can all learn from this one! (I'm ecstatic with the links she makes!)

Saving Grace - New York Times

ht to marko

Neatorama » Circular Kitchen

Neatorama » Blog Archive » Circular Kitchen.

i want one!

Grandad's Prayers of the Earth - Douglas Wood

I picked up this book at a garage sale this weekend for $.25. I would have paid more as the title and illustrations really called to me. After reading it this morning I realized it is priceless. What a wonderful story and tribute of a grandfather by his grandson.

It is also a wonderful teaching tool on prayer. How I longed for a vehicle to inpart this truth to my own children. Far too many times the church teaches prayer is a great shopping list at the vending machine of God. This book explodes that notion so gently.

I am so looking forward to reading it to Alinea & Jacob and helping them to understand that prayer is a far more inherent and authentic outpouring of ourselves than repetition or requests. I cannot recommend it more highly.

Off to tell my first story!

Pray for me!

UPDATE: It went so well - what a joy to write something, present it publically and have it received so well! I'll blog more about it tomorrow. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Redeemed by writing

Oh Henri you thrill my junkie soul!!

Writing to Save the Day

Writing can be a true spiritual discipline. Writing can help us to concentrate, to get in touch with the deeper stirrings of our hearts, to clarify our minds, to process confusing emotions, to reflect on our experiences, to give artistic expression to what we are living, and to store significant events in our memories. Writing can also be good for others who might read what we write.

Quite often a difficult, painful, or frustrating day can be "redeemed" by writing about it. By writing we can claim what we have lived and thus integrate it more fully into our journeys. Then writing can become lifesaving for us and sometimes for others too.

Henri Nouwen

Want to be encouged daily by quotes from Nouwen? Visit here.

Lake Geneva Wisconsin is in the record books!

I read this with a smile on my face this morning. I'm sure I know quite a few in the crowd. My hometown bunny hopped it's way into the Guinness World Record book. Very cute!

USATODAY.com - Hundreds strive to bunny hop into record books

Home again, Home again...

This was the view from our hotel room on the Mirimachi River this week. The first glimpse of the sun. We hit a freak storm on our travels north on Wednesday and ended up staying the night in Moncton and heading to Keith's conference the next morning.

Ali and Jake didn't mind - both hotels had pools and they had a ball, not to mention just missing two days of school was exciting enough!

Keith was sick for most of the time away, so that really put a damper on things, but Ali and Jake's enjoyment of the trip was more than enough to carry us through. I just love to see the world through their eyes! All I know is that it's good to be home and now the real work begins (again)...

We're packing up and moving down the street to our semi-permanent (next) home. It is a rental, so we're not placing down deep roots there, but we hope that for the next couple of years we'll have a good place to stay that is affordable and a good fit for our family. Good thing we saved all of the boxes and wrapping papers. Hopefully this one will go as smoothly as the last, and I'm thrilled not to have to be driving for days to get there!

The house in Pennsylvania is back on the market and we are enduring the process once more. If you think about it please pray it sells, it would be such a load of my father's back. Thanks!

Freedom Attracts

When you are interiorly free you call others to freedom, whether you know it or not. Freedom attracts wherever it appears. A free man or a free woman creates a space where others feel safe and want to dwell. Our world is so full of conditions, demands, requirements, and obligations that we often wonder what is expected of us. But when we meet a truly free person, there are no expectations, only an invitation to reach into ourselves and discover there our own freedom.

Where true inner freedom is, there is God. And where God is, there we want to be.

Henri Nouwen

Receive the Daily Meditation HERE

Congratulations Mr. Kristof!

My favorite columnist Nicholas Kristof has earned a Pulitzer Prize for his stunning work in calling attention to injustice and holding powerful people accountable.

Here, free from the NYT's "iron curtain" (paid subscription) are his honored articles. I highly recommend taking the time to have your world broadened by reading them. This is why we have a First Amendment and he uses it like no one else! Thank you Mr. Kristof!

Pulitzer Prize Winner for Commentary: Nicholas D. Kristof - New York Times

Big thanks to Mike Todd!!

hoppy easter!

ht to dcb myspace

Opportunity Knocks

Well, after riding the good news about the meeting with the town for the market I got another bit of exciting news the other day.

A phone call from the head of the women's ministry at our new church called to tell me that her team had met for prayer that morning and decided that they wanted me to take the teaching time at the next event. Redemption!! YAY! I have always longed for these kind of opportunities and am really excited to get to know the women in our new community in this way. I was given carte blanche (what does that mean anyway??) as to the topic, so I'll be spending some days next week listening for what God speaks into the silence. I could go in so many different directions, I guess I just have to remember that if I do a decent job this won't be my only chance, so I don't have to cram everything into one time, right?

Very excited indeed! Oh, and I posted some pictures we took of our Good Friday celebration of life (being sad just wasn't possible on such an incredible day) - you can find them here:

The Turner Family Blog

Have a blessed Easter!

so much for surprises...

Jake: Mom, you're not gonna believe it - there's 2 new bikes in the garage!

Me: Happy Easter... sigh.

Guess dad didn't hide them as well as he thought he did...

Meeting with the Mayor

How did I get myself into this? My mouth commits to things my mind and body have no desire to do! We're headed to meet with the local mayor tomorrow to pitch an idea for a town market.

When things were so tight financially we thought we were going to have to generate income on our own - so the market was a great outlet for that. Now that Keith is working the need isn't so great, and thus my motivation is vanishing as our need decreases.

This will be a great option for the town, and I want to get it pitched, but my energy level is waning and I should be finishing the proposal instead of this blog post... it's amazing the things we can invent to avoid other obligations isn't it??

Hope your day was as glorious weather wise as our's was today! Enjoy!

UPDATE: Meetings went really well and they said YES... now what? What have I gotten myself into!?!? I know this will be a great way to promote community - so that's what I'm going with. Pray for me!

My cousin Kristi in the news

Charlotte Observer | 04/09/2006 | Memory serve you right?: "Do you remember what you had to eat yesterday for lunch? What about last week? If you are like most adults, you might jokingly excuse memory lapses on your age.

But the question of whether or age has any impact on different types of memory is being looked at right here in our community at Davidson College.

Kristi Multhaup is an associate professor of psychology who oversees projects dealing with memory and aging. Her college students regularly develop thesis projects that involve conducting research with older adults."

Great Op-Ed in the NY Times

Christ Among the Partisans - New York Times

Hat Tip to Will

My very own words in my very own name!

I guess it came about because some of my very dearest friends (many of whom I haven' t yet met face to face) were coming to know me by my MOTHER'S dear name instead of my own!! So I knew I needed to rectify that AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

So, here I am - HEIDI RENEE TURNER - I can't wait to get to know you, and for you to know me too! Welcome to MY blog!

Hi My name is Heidi!

I'm finally blogging under my OWN NAME!! This is a test to see if my template edits worked or not... holding thumbs!