conTEXTual

My friend sent me a text several weeks ago and I thought it was worth sharing.

In view of so many Christians perspective/beliefs on the lottery, should those same people let their kids recieve HOPE scholarships?

I'm so thankful.

That I have a friend who recognizes when I'm being a 'tard and need some quality time. Time to talk and make no sense, time to unload, unwind, and vent all the junk in my head.

Without fear.

Without shame.

Even if I've told her 5,000 times that I'm going to move away and may eventually do so one day.

Or if I'm still angry at that stupid person who she told me would hurt me.

Or if a friend keeps hurting me.

Or if another friend of ours is just insensetive and seemingly unaware.

I'm so thankful that she stopped by tonight to tell me I'm being a brat.

And to listen.

I keep wanting to write this, but then I erase it.

My hope is that I'll keep this post up for more than a few minutes.

I watched this video again today, and can't help but be moved.

Can I just say that I'm getting real sick of the "christianese" lately? I'm so over Christian friends sitting and talking about stuff and using "the language". Are we really at a place where we can't be more real than that? Where even in the safest of havens we put our guards up for fear that our "Christian" friends will see through our facades? Our smoke and mirrors?

Can we just BE REAL? I mean, REALLY real? Can we go five minutes without using scripture as some sort of litmus test for our friends? So that we can witness to people where it counts? In WalMart? In the mall? In the park? At work?

Can we stop wasting time trying to FEEL PEACE and actually find some?

One of the things I've loved about my friend Jenn is that she's not a cookie cutter Christian. I'm sure she'll tell you that she's had some moments in her life where she may have been, but the woman that I've known has constantly been out of the box. We don't agree on everything... maybe even a lot of things. But what's more important... she has fruit in her spiritual life. Life is not a glossy 8X10 of how things are supposed to work out. Even and especially as a Christian, life is complicated. And confusing. And just weird sometimes.

And I'm not even addressing the whole being a pentacostal thing.

But, the thing I respect about Jenn is her willingness to always be out doing the work. Clay's heart is so hungry for the multiple cultures in his city. He longs for Louisville to see God. Josh (and his wife) long for the kids in Carrollton to be real. To be real with God. So do Justin, and Julie, Jeremy, and Sarah and her husband Brent. There are so many other people I know who are doing the work.

I'm just sick of "The talk".

The talk that's not matching The Walk.

Can we just stop manufacturing the talk and let the walk speak for itself? For REAL? It's time for us to write out own cardboard testimonies that are REAL.

iPod Friday.

I'm such a music thief. When (really) cool people tell me what they're listening to, the need-for-acceptance-in-me feels compelled to listen too.

currently listening to:

Free Fallin' (Live) - John Mayer. I still love John. This song is smooth.
Beautiful Disaster - Jon McLaughlin. WOOH-Wooh.
The Funeral - Band of Horses. Just a mad cool song.
After Tonight - Justin Nozuka. This makes me wish I'd pursued dancing. Contemporary.
Close to You - New Kids on the Block. Judge me if you want... but I LIKE it. Plus, I'll be singing along with them in three-and-a-half weeks. You'll be jealous!
Los Angeles - Counting Crows. The very end of this song is hilarious. I mean, TEARS, hilarious. Tacos, skinny girls, streetwalking. Wow.
Rock your soul - Elisa. Just listen.
Britney - Bebo Norman. He actually wrote it to Britney Spears. I hope she listens to it. You should listen to it.
Ruins - Bebo Norman. To know that he was in Columbus -- 45 minutes away from me -- and I didn't discover him until he went label still makes me frustrated. This is a great song.
God of this City - Chris Tomlin. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Goodbye - Audio Adrenaline. Getting ready to say goodbye to my 20's. Seem apropos.

Upon further examination, I thought it might be fun to share some facts.

I took a moment to look over blog stuff this morning, and after looking (and relooking several times) at this picture, I thought it might to be fun to share some facts about this photo and the surrounding circumstances.

1. This was taken in May of 1988. My parents divorce had just become final (literally by days).
2. I went through a phase where I would not show my teeth when I smiled. I didn't like my teeth at all. I wanted braces because everyone else had them.
3. (I also went through a phase where I wouldn't let anyone sit on my bed because it would mess up my bedspread. My BFF Laura still won't let me live that one down.)
4. I actually have a TAN in this picture. You can see the difference on my arms. And that's about as tan as I get.
5. That is my natural hair color. Ha ha ha ha.
6. My mom lost 80 pounds when she and my Dad separated. I don't remember her being overweight, but this was the smallest she'd been since her wedding.
7. She's sporting some AWESOME 80's church hair. That stuff took a whole can of Rave. And a little thing we like to call "The White Brush" which helps achieve that poof.
8. My pose is a little bit cheerleader-ish. Ironically enough, I was a cheerleader. Go figure.
9. Nobody knows where the 8X10 version of this photo is. This is the wallet sized copy that I scanned.
10. I was 4'6" in this picture. I have a picture taken around the same time that tells me how tall I am.
11. Between my brother and I (and the next 7 years), we grew a total of 3 1/2 feet.
12. I'm wearing a necklace that was adjustable. I still have the necklace too. I found it at my mom's a few weeks ago.
13. Anybody notice that I'm sporting SHOULDER PADS? HELLO??? I was 9. What in the world?
14. Looking at my hands make me cringe. I used to bite my nails something awful. I prayed a few years later and told God I wanted wedding hands, and needed strength to quit biting my nails. He answered my prayer.
15. My hair is being held with a banana clip.
16. Those glasses were from Lens Crafters (remember -- "in an hour"?). Well, as it turns out, they took 4, and the lenses were accidentally tinted pink. I literally owned rose colored lenses.

Hilariousness. Love it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

Okay, not me. My mom! Today is my mother's 55th birthday, and it's so weird for me to type that she's roughly 10 years from some sort of retirement because, in my head, she's still in her 30's.

My mom is by far the coolest person I know. I've blogged about her birthday two years ago here. Last year, I was on some sort of tangent (that includes a blog I may repost later), so I apparently skipped posting something about it.

I was joking with my mom that in some places (Shoney's) she's eligible for the seniors' discount. With our economy, I told her to consider this a blessing!

This morning, she called me at 6:00 a.m. and said (in a very loud, very high pitched voice) "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEE!!!!!".She's really is hilarious. So, Happy Birthday to you Mom!!!!!!

Thank you for:

• being the person who taught me how to tap into phones
• teaching me how to pray
• being the only other person in my life who has blond eyebrows and doesn't care
• always being young at heart
• being a mom who enjoyed her "babies" -- and still does
• constantly making me laugh
• teaching me common sense!
• always being available for questions about medical issues!
• teaching me how to drive. Ha ha ha ha ha. (I'll have to blog about that one day!)
• for all the letters on the back of bank envelopes
• for staying awake all those nights when I've needed you or been scared of the dark
• praying for my husband (KEEP PRAYING!!)
• being my greatest inspiration and best friend!

There are a thousand other things I'm forgetting... but those are definitely worth remembering!

Happy Birthday! I love you!!! Bunches and Bunches!!!!!

What would you relearn?????

When my brother was home a few weeks ago, we were talking about how the Georgia State Superintendent was the first winner of "Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader?". During the course of that conversation, I reminded my brother that while I knew a good number, I didn't know all the state capitals anymore. As sad/weird/funny as it sounds, the rest of the ride home, my brother used his iPhone as I relearned all the state capitals. We had the best time laughing (and drilling each other) to the "home bases" of the fifty states. Thanks to that experience, I will never look at Richmond, Virginia the same EVAH again. (I'll be happy to share that story privately.)

This morning on The Pioneer Woman, Ree A.K.A. P-Dub is giving away some gift certificate for learning tools and asked the question:

"If you could relearn some subject from school (without shame of course), what would it be?"

My response was: ESPANOL.

I took two years of high school spanish and semester in college. If I were taken hostage in a spanish speaking country I could:

1. Count to 100
2. Ask where the bathroom is.
3. Ask where the library is.
4. Sing my white-girl karaoke version of La Cucaracha and Cielito.
5. Identify crazy chickens.
6. Muerto.

So... what would you relearn?