I have to go to work tomorrow so I'm doing the blog thing a day ahead of time for those of you who harass me to hurry up and update every day.
I truly must confess my newest addiction/obsession. I love flair on facebook! I spend way too much time checking to see if anybody has sent me flair and way too much time checking out flair to send to other people. It's so much fun to see what people think about you and how well they know you and your interests by seeing the flair they send.
Today was a good flair day. I received tons of flair from my friends. I do understand that how much flair I receive on any given day is not a true gauge of how much I am loved. But it sure makes me feel special. One friend sent me like 10 flairs - does that make us best friends?
Okay - bored with my rambling and ready for the point yet? Today a friend sent me this awesome flair that said, "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil says, 'Oh, crap, she's up'!" I love that idea that I can strive to be that type of woman who works hard to be a formidable enemy to our Great Enemy. It makes me feel like shouting a battle cry or something. How cool is that!
Pray for my success tomorrow - my first day on the new job. I'm pretty stinkin' nervous.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Never enough
So today in my quiet time I was reading Haggai. The first chapter was so interesting in its description of a people who chase after stuff and are never satisfied. "You have food to eat, but not enough to fill you up. You have wine to drink, but not enough to satisfy your thirst. You have clothing to wear, but not enough to keep you warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!" Hello - has he been looking at my checkbook?
Haggai continues in this manner for sometime, expressing God's anger with a people that is consumed by stuff-chasing. Is that a word? While people were seeking to meet their own desires, the temple of the Lord lay in complete ruin. Religion took a backseat to their own wants. I was certainly convicted that I have often allowed my own faith to lay in ruins around me while I chased after my own desires.
The beautiful part of this first chapter in Haggai is what happens after the people are confronted with their sins. They repent. Completely and immediately. In obedience they begin to rebuild the temple. God's anger changed to pleasure. "I am with you," said the Lord. I sneak peeked at some of the rest of Haggai (Yeah, I'm that kind of reader) - God continually affirms and encourages those working to rebuild the temple.
I love that God honors obedience and repentance. I hope that God will use us as church planters to help others lay down their stuff-chasing and exchange it for a life of faith and beauty. I hope that God does not allow us to ever lay down our faith to chase after other things. I only want Him.
Haggai continues in this manner for sometime, expressing God's anger with a people that is consumed by stuff-chasing. Is that a word? While people were seeking to meet their own desires, the temple of the Lord lay in complete ruin. Religion took a backseat to their own wants. I was certainly convicted that I have often allowed my own faith to lay in ruins around me while I chased after my own desires.
The beautiful part of this first chapter in Haggai is what happens after the people are confronted with their sins. They repent. Completely and immediately. In obedience they begin to rebuild the temple. God's anger changed to pleasure. "I am with you," said the Lord. I sneak peeked at some of the rest of Haggai (Yeah, I'm that kind of reader) - God continually affirms and encourages those working to rebuild the temple.
I love that God honors obedience and repentance. I hope that God will use us as church planters to help others lay down their stuff-chasing and exchange it for a life of faith and beauty. I hope that God does not allow us to ever lay down our faith to chase after other things. I only want Him.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Worship in the dark.
It was a late night. I went to bed and stared at the ceiling for a couple of hours waiting on my coffee to wear off. I replayed the events of the day in my head, and was reminded by how blessed I am with great friends who love God and desperately want to serve Him. Somewhere around midnight, I finally drifted off to sleep.
At 4:30 God woke me up to pray. My first response is always so spiritual, "Are you kidding, it's dark outside, I should be asleep. Do you really need me to pray right now? I can pray just fine in the morning." My second response was obedience. As I was praying for the close friend who needs God's hand today, I began to meditate on Job 26:7-14, "God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds do not burst with the weight. He shrouds his throne with his clouds. He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundaries for day and night. The foundations of heaven tremble at his rebuke. By his power the sea grew calm. By his skill he crushed the great sea monster. His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. These are some of the minor things he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who can understand the thunder of his power?"
As I was praying, I was contemplating the power of God, His ability to control situations. Some of you know that this is a passage that I have been praying through for a year now in preparation for church planting. As I was contemplating the unfathomable truth that everything that I have ever seen God do in my lifetime is but only a whisper of God's power, thunder began to roll in the distance. As I prayed longer, the thunder grew louder. I began to get excited about "who can understand the thunder of his power". I want to see "the thunder" of God's power. The more I thought about God's power, the louder the thunder became. Worship broke out in the darkness of my bedroom as I began to see God's hand at work in the church plant and in my life, and in the life of the people around me - and realized that "I ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Then the rain began to fall. I heard the first slow drops of rain hitting the roof and rolling down my window. Then the rain began to fall faster and harder. It was as if God was letting me know that He is prepared to "rain down" His presence on His people. I want to be in the middle of that rain. When the drops fall, I want the very first one to splash over me. I can't wait to see how God is going to refresh us, cleanse us, renew us, and make us whole as He begins to work around us. I can't wait to see the people that God is going to redeem, and I am so excited and humbled to be a part of what God is doing.
Gradually as I listened to God and to the rain and the rumbling thunder, I understood that God has great and mighty things in store for my friend. I finally drifted back off to sleep as dawn broke. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next. I am so glad that I did not miss worshipping in the dark this morning as the storm rolled in to illustrate that verse that I love. I'm so glad that God woke me up to share that moment with Him.
At 4:30 God woke me up to pray. My first response is always so spiritual, "Are you kidding, it's dark outside, I should be asleep. Do you really need me to pray right now? I can pray just fine in the morning." My second response was obedience. As I was praying for the close friend who needs God's hand today, I began to meditate on Job 26:7-14, "God stretches the northern sky over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds do not burst with the weight. He shrouds his throne with his clouds. He created the horizon when he separated the waters; he set the boundaries for day and night. The foundations of heaven tremble at his rebuke. By his power the sea grew calm. By his skill he crushed the great sea monster. His Spirit made the heavens beautiful, and his power pierced the gliding serpent. These are some of the minor things he does, merely a whisper of his power. Who can understand the thunder of his power?"
As I was praying, I was contemplating the power of God, His ability to control situations. Some of you know that this is a passage that I have been praying through for a year now in preparation for church planting. As I was contemplating the unfathomable truth that everything that I have ever seen God do in my lifetime is but only a whisper of God's power, thunder began to roll in the distance. As I prayed longer, the thunder grew louder. I began to get excited about "who can understand the thunder of his power". I want to see "the thunder" of God's power. The more I thought about God's power, the louder the thunder became. Worship broke out in the darkness of my bedroom as I began to see God's hand at work in the church plant and in my life, and in the life of the people around me - and realized that "I ain't seen nothin' yet!"
Then the rain began to fall. I heard the first slow drops of rain hitting the roof and rolling down my window. Then the rain began to fall faster and harder. It was as if God was letting me know that He is prepared to "rain down" His presence on His people. I want to be in the middle of that rain. When the drops fall, I want the very first one to splash over me. I can't wait to see how God is going to refresh us, cleanse us, renew us, and make us whole as He begins to work around us. I can't wait to see the people that God is going to redeem, and I am so excited and humbled to be a part of what God is doing.
Gradually as I listened to God and to the rain and the rumbling thunder, I understood that God has great and mighty things in store for my friend. I finally drifted back off to sleep as dawn broke. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next. I am so glad that I did not miss worshipping in the dark this morning as the storm rolled in to illustrate that verse that I love. I'm so glad that God woke me up to share that moment with Him.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
No wonder Jesus shocked the world!
I'm on the slow plan on reading my Bible all the way through. I started a little over 5 years ago. At first I felt like such a failure that I couldn't rush through it in a year - after all, the books all say that's how it should be done. But I have persevered with my slow and steady pace and been stunned by how God has revealed Himself over the years. Today's revelation is not necessarily new, but I just understood it so much better than I ever had in the past.
Recently, I have been reading the minor prophets. (You know, the little books at the end of the Old Testament....Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and now Zephaniah.) The last few weeks have been quite depressing, actually. These prophets are very focused on God's judgement on the nations. Lots of "you're going to be destroyed, I'll pour out my wrath on you, burn, baby, burn"...You get the idea. Woven in amongst the judgement however, is a beautiful promise of restoration for God's people. A promise of rest and peace and beauty.
I have always been mystified by how the religious population in the New Testament became so hard and legalistic. But after reading all this, I've begun to understand why the religious people created extra rules that kept them from breaking any of God's rules. I mean, honestly, I don't want to be dashed on rocks, or destroyed by pestilence or famine.
This is why Jesus must have been such a shock. They expected a judgement bringer - a man of wrath - who would destroy the wicked nations of the world. After reading all the judgement stuff in the Old Testament, I could see why they might have this idea. Instead they found a man who said, "Love one another, Peace I bring to you, Blessed are the merciful." Jesus was not what the religious people expected. He was about forgiveness and mercy and freedom from sin. Because He did not fit their idea of who the Messiah was supposed to be, they could not accept Him. They could not wrap their minds around God acting differently than they expected.
Today, I better understood why Jesus was a surprise to the religious people when He came. And I want to be careful that I do not limit God to my expectations of Him. I do not want my limited knowledge of Him and his character to ever keep me from seeing Him at work all around me.
I am looking forward to that beautiful promise of restoration. When someday our relationship is fully and completely restored and not messed up by my sin and when I can see clearly all that God is.
Recently, I have been reading the minor prophets. (You know, the little books at the end of the Old Testament....Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and now Zephaniah.) The last few weeks have been quite depressing, actually. These prophets are very focused on God's judgement on the nations. Lots of "you're going to be destroyed, I'll pour out my wrath on you, burn, baby, burn"...You get the idea. Woven in amongst the judgement however, is a beautiful promise of restoration for God's people. A promise of rest and peace and beauty.
I have always been mystified by how the religious population in the New Testament became so hard and legalistic. But after reading all this, I've begun to understand why the religious people created extra rules that kept them from breaking any of God's rules. I mean, honestly, I don't want to be dashed on rocks, or destroyed by pestilence or famine.
This is why Jesus must have been such a shock. They expected a judgement bringer - a man of wrath - who would destroy the wicked nations of the world. After reading all the judgement stuff in the Old Testament, I could see why they might have this idea. Instead they found a man who said, "Love one another, Peace I bring to you, Blessed are the merciful." Jesus was not what the religious people expected. He was about forgiveness and mercy and freedom from sin. Because He did not fit their idea of who the Messiah was supposed to be, they could not accept Him. They could not wrap their minds around God acting differently than they expected.
Today, I better understood why Jesus was a surprise to the religious people when He came. And I want to be careful that I do not limit God to my expectations of Him. I do not want my limited knowledge of Him and his character to ever keep me from seeing Him at work all around me.
I am looking forward to that beautiful promise of restoration. When someday our relationship is fully and completely restored and not messed up by my sin and when I can see clearly all that God is.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Random thoughts from "Touch Me, I'm going to scream"
For those of you who are not music nuts and are not interested in my random thoughts about life from music and are sick and tired of me discussing the Paste articles I'm currently reading, this is not your lucky day! Do not attempt to buy a lottery ticket today!
For everybody else, here's the scoop. Last night I was reading the July issue of Paste. I was impressed with an article entitled, "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream", by Jay Sweet about a band called My Morning Jacket.
Sweet had several aha moments in this article. If you are short on time you may want to skip this post as I discuss this article at great length. I do tend to ramble, you know.
Sweet was challenged by My Morning Jacket to try to categorize them after their latest album, and this article is his attempt to say that they cannot be categorized by current genres as they continually push the limits and include a variety of music in their albums. I was reading along without much interest last night while I was simultaneously watching a bio about ABBA. I made it to the second paragraph before I started hunting my pen and making notes. Most of these quotes generated more questions for me than answers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
"We live in fractured times. Never before in our history have we shared fewer unifying commonalities. Niche is king , and being friends on Facebook or texting each other - sometimes from across the room - passes for human interaction. Some of us find ourselves aching for connection, perhaps to even share some generally accepted cultural touchstones. From the earliest primitive drum circles and fireside chants to The Beatles and Gnarls Barkley, music has been a vehicle for this connection. But as music becomes a more solitary endeavor, experienced on computers in our cubicles, on headphones and in cars, something is lost." OUCH!! Who wastes tons of time on facebook? But, I spent a long while pondering this truth and its application to the church. People are disconnected, they are aching for connection, music was a past vehicle for connection - think back to tribes gathered around the fire, banging on the drum and telling stories. Is this not the role and importance of music in worship? To unite us as people and connect us with God? How can we capitalize on this need?
Now, the next quote that spoke to me - an aha about musical chemistry in a band - I'm not crazy after all. I've seen the way some of you look at me when I try to explain about the energy that exists between some musicians! "I tell ya, it's really magical to be playing with these guys," drummer Patrick Hallahan says. "Something about the energy - we don't mean to create it, and I don't know what the hell it is, but it's so human you can feel it." My question is - why do I have this energy with some musicians and not others? How do we create this energy with a worship band to push to higher levels of musical performance? Can the energy be generated or does it simply exist or not exist?
Then there's the lyrics in My Morning Jacket's new song, "If you touch me well, I just think I'll scream, cuz it's been so long since someone challenged me and made me think about the way things are, made me think about the way they could be." No Kidding! We get up, go to work, come home, bathe the kids, go to bed, get up, go to work.... With very little time for thinking or contemplating the big questions in life.
Here's another quote that really applies to my blog about "sit and soak", "You can only get comfortable for so long before you become stagnant." This is definitely true in music. I have to be pushed past the limits of what I am able to do in order for true musical growth to occur. Growing musically is rarely comfortable and safe. It tends to be risky and unsettling. "Once music stops being surprising to you, or stops being weird enough and becomes obvious, then it loses its purpose. If the music doesn't have the tension-and-release or doesn't have a common thread of connectivity, then it's ultimately disposable."
The other interesting thing that I've noticed now about several bands is the talk of going on retreats to the middle of nowhere together. Just hanging out. "It's important, as a band, that we all feel vested in each other," Koster says as he watches a zookeeper play with a cougar. "So if Jim's mind is opened up to some new music, or Tommy discovers some new tone, then organically it will find its way into all our playing. We are still developing our friendship, which is important for a band." Maybe we should make a bigger effort as worship bands to hang out - maybe that helps create that unexplainable musical energy that makes good music great?
So there are my thoughts on this article - questions mostly. How can we apply the things that are working for secular bands into the worship world to improve our playing and performance?
For everybody else, here's the scoop. Last night I was reading the July issue of Paste. I was impressed with an article entitled, "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream", by Jay Sweet about a band called My Morning Jacket.
Sweet had several aha moments in this article. If you are short on time you may want to skip this post as I discuss this article at great length. I do tend to ramble, you know.
Sweet was challenged by My Morning Jacket to try to categorize them after their latest album, and this article is his attempt to say that they cannot be categorized by current genres as they continually push the limits and include a variety of music in their albums. I was reading along without much interest last night while I was simultaneously watching a bio about ABBA. I made it to the second paragraph before I started hunting my pen and making notes. Most of these quotes generated more questions for me than answers. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
"We live in fractured times. Never before in our history have we shared fewer unifying commonalities. Niche is king , and being friends on Facebook or texting each other - sometimes from across the room - passes for human interaction. Some of us find ourselves aching for connection, perhaps to even share some generally accepted cultural touchstones. From the earliest primitive drum circles and fireside chants to The Beatles and Gnarls Barkley, music has been a vehicle for this connection. But as music becomes a more solitary endeavor, experienced on computers in our cubicles, on headphones and in cars, something is lost." OUCH!! Who wastes tons of time on facebook? But, I spent a long while pondering this truth and its application to the church. People are disconnected, they are aching for connection, music was a past vehicle for connection - think back to tribes gathered around the fire, banging on the drum and telling stories. Is this not the role and importance of music in worship? To unite us as people and connect us with God? How can we capitalize on this need?
Now, the next quote that spoke to me - an aha about musical chemistry in a band - I'm not crazy after all. I've seen the way some of you look at me when I try to explain about the energy that exists between some musicians! "I tell ya, it's really magical to be playing with these guys," drummer Patrick Hallahan says. "Something about the energy - we don't mean to create it, and I don't know what the hell it is, but it's so human you can feel it." My question is - why do I have this energy with some musicians and not others? How do we create this energy with a worship band to push to higher levels of musical performance? Can the energy be generated or does it simply exist or not exist?
Then there's the lyrics in My Morning Jacket's new song, "If you touch me well, I just think I'll scream, cuz it's been so long since someone challenged me and made me think about the way things are, made me think about the way they could be." No Kidding! We get up, go to work, come home, bathe the kids, go to bed, get up, go to work.... With very little time for thinking or contemplating the big questions in life.
Here's another quote that really applies to my blog about "sit and soak", "You can only get comfortable for so long before you become stagnant." This is definitely true in music. I have to be pushed past the limits of what I am able to do in order for true musical growth to occur. Growing musically is rarely comfortable and safe. It tends to be risky and unsettling. "Once music stops being surprising to you, or stops being weird enough and becomes obvious, then it loses its purpose. If the music doesn't have the tension-and-release or doesn't have a common thread of connectivity, then it's ultimately disposable."
The other interesting thing that I've noticed now about several bands is the talk of going on retreats to the middle of nowhere together. Just hanging out. "It's important, as a band, that we all feel vested in each other," Koster says as he watches a zookeeper play with a cougar. "So if Jim's mind is opened up to some new music, or Tommy discovers some new tone, then organically it will find its way into all our playing. We are still developing our friendship, which is important for a band." Maybe we should make a bigger effort as worship bands to hang out - maybe that helps create that unexplainable musical energy that makes good music great?
So there are my thoughts on this article - questions mostly. How can we apply the things that are working for secular bands into the worship world to improve our playing and performance?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Katie Herzig - Hologram - God's voice in a song about a screwed up relationship
Before we left town for Aunt Bea's funeral, my new edition of Paste arrived. It was from July - which apparently comes after August in the music magazine world - since I've had the August issue for several weeks? Anyway, I hurriedly downloaded the CD onto my IPOD so I could check out the new stuff on the long trip. Overall, I was pretty disappointed. It was quite a let down for me after the international issue, much less diverse and fresh and more predictable.
However, one song in particular really captivated me. Katie Herzig's "Hologram" was vocally intriguing. It is rare for a vocal to really grab my attention since I tend to pay more attention to instrumentation. The last female vocal to really snare me as a fan was Norah Jones - honestly - how sexy can a voice be? Katie Herzig was intriguing and interesting, but not in the sexy Norah Jones style.
"Hologram" is a song about an absolutely screwed up relationship. Some of the lyrics go like this, "I'm gonna let you down, toss you around.... Oh, if you don't want me, though, I fall in love with you more....I fall in love with hard to get... It's a virtual reality....I'm in a love affair without a love song....I'm in the habit of having what I don't want....I'm just a hologram."
So I'm listening to this the second time when God showed up - talking in my head like a music critic hanging out over a cup of coffee at the local coffeehouse show. "Don't you identify with that?" My incredulous response, "Are you serious? I've been faithfully married my entire adult life." God, the music critic, "No, that's not the truth that's in her words that I want you to hear." So I replayed the song a second and a third time before I heard the truth that God was talking about. Katie Herzig is singing about a messed up love relationship - but her words are easily a very apt description of our pursuit of the American dream. (Yes, I know it's a leap, but that's the way God and I work. - that's why the blog is called "my random thoughts".)
Follow me here - "I'm gonna let you down, toss you around".....sound familiar to anybody? Does life ever do this to you? "If you don't want me though, I only want you more" - Does this not describe our constant quest for the approval of the people around us? "A virtual reality" - that's what we chase after - the "Good Life" ....The next line is where God broke my heart, "I'm in a love affair without a love song." Millions of people are loving things and people and are totally empty and dissatisfied because they do not know the only Love Song, the Savior. "I'm in the habit of having what I don't want." We get new stuff, then want something else. "I'm just a hologram." empty - needing the Love Song to fill us up - to overflow out of our life.
Now, I am aware that Katie Herzig probably had no intention of any of this, but God certainly used her words to convict me of the emptiness that fills our world and the desperate need to live a life filled with the Love Song and to share Him with our friends, family, and neighbors.
For you other music fans, and those of you who also subscribe to Paste, some artists I was also interested in on this CD:
*The Boxmasters - yes, I do not like country - AT ALL - And really - Billy Bob Thornton - please... put me out of my misery...but the song, "The Poor House" made me laugh - the whole working on a plan to pay the bills - and screwing it up every step of the way - absolutely!
*My morning jacket - "I'm Amazed" - worth a second listen.
*My Brightest Diamond - "Inside a boy" - unique
*Hayden - "Where and When" - a nice horn interlude
*Priscilla Ahn - "Dream" - my 2nd favorite on this CD - I really liked this one.
*Daniella Cotton - "Bang My Drum" - I did listen to this one the 3rd time awhile ago.
However, one song in particular really captivated me. Katie Herzig's "Hologram" was vocally intriguing. It is rare for a vocal to really grab my attention since I tend to pay more attention to instrumentation. The last female vocal to really snare me as a fan was Norah Jones - honestly - how sexy can a voice be? Katie Herzig was intriguing and interesting, but not in the sexy Norah Jones style.
"Hologram" is a song about an absolutely screwed up relationship. Some of the lyrics go like this, "I'm gonna let you down, toss you around.... Oh, if you don't want me, though, I fall in love with you more....I fall in love with hard to get... It's a virtual reality....I'm in a love affair without a love song....I'm in the habit of having what I don't want....I'm just a hologram."
So I'm listening to this the second time when God showed up - talking in my head like a music critic hanging out over a cup of coffee at the local coffeehouse show. "Don't you identify with that?" My incredulous response, "Are you serious? I've been faithfully married my entire adult life." God, the music critic, "No, that's not the truth that's in her words that I want you to hear." So I replayed the song a second and a third time before I heard the truth that God was talking about. Katie Herzig is singing about a messed up love relationship - but her words are easily a very apt description of our pursuit of the American dream. (Yes, I know it's a leap, but that's the way God and I work. - that's why the blog is called "my random thoughts".)
Follow me here - "I'm gonna let you down, toss you around".....sound familiar to anybody? Does life ever do this to you? "If you don't want me though, I only want you more" - Does this not describe our constant quest for the approval of the people around us? "A virtual reality" - that's what we chase after - the "Good Life" ....The next line is where God broke my heart, "I'm in a love affair without a love song." Millions of people are loving things and people and are totally empty and dissatisfied because they do not know the only Love Song, the Savior. "I'm in the habit of having what I don't want." We get new stuff, then want something else. "I'm just a hologram." empty - needing the Love Song to fill us up - to overflow out of our life.
Now, I am aware that Katie Herzig probably had no intention of any of this, but God certainly used her words to convict me of the emptiness that fills our world and the desperate need to live a life filled with the Love Song and to share Him with our friends, family, and neighbors.
For you other music fans, and those of you who also subscribe to Paste, some artists I was also interested in on this CD:
*The Boxmasters - yes, I do not like country - AT ALL - And really - Billy Bob Thornton - please... put me out of my misery...but the song, "The Poor House" made me laugh - the whole working on a plan to pay the bills - and screwing it up every step of the way - absolutely!
*My morning jacket - "I'm Amazed" - worth a second listen.
*My Brightest Diamond - "Inside a boy" - unique
*Hayden - "Where and When" - a nice horn interlude
*Priscilla Ahn - "Dream" - my 2nd favorite on this CD - I really liked this one.
*Daniella Cotton - "Bang My Drum" - I did listen to this one the 3rd time awhile ago.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Lessons learned from a polyester leisure suit and big hair.
Late Monday night, we received word that Shawn's great aunt Bea had passed away. If you are not from Arkansas, you need to know that is pronounced "Aint". Aint Bea was in her late 90's and had been in poor health for about a year. We are sad that she is gone, but certainly happy for her that she is no longer in pain.
With Aint Bea's passing, I have been reflecting on her life and on the beauty she added to my life. Our first meeting was quite interesting. Aint Bea was a small, skinny woman who never let her hair go gray. She dyed it dark, jet black. It was teased and combed up to about 40 times its natural height. When Aint Bea was going out, she wore thick, heavy make-up - she was especially fond of white powder and FLAMING red lipstick. The first time I met her, she was wearing a bright, lemon-yellow, polyester leisure suit. With bellbottoms and high heels. Now, I have been in the Kemp family for a little over 15 years. Let's do the math - she must have been at least 80 when I met her. She wore that outfit with pride - she knew she looked good.
Aint Bea was a strong woman. She lived alone - the story was that she was engaged to a man who died in the war and she never loved again. I have never been able to confirm this for truth. Maybe it was just a rumor in a small town to explain why a woman would choose to live alone in an era where everyone married. She did not have indoor plumbing until about 20 years ago. Oh - and the plumbing only went to the kitchen. She never had a toilet in her house. She thought that it would be disgusting to do your business in your home and preferred her outhouse in the backyard. She was an immaculate housekeeper, and her yard was cleaner than my kitchen.
Aint Bea was not a woman to be crossed. She was one of these elderly ladies that thought that old age earned you the right to say whatever was on your mind. "Goodness gracious, LaRissa, how much weight DID you gain after that last baby?"
As I reflect back on Aint Bea's contribution to my life, I realize that she taught me some important lessons about life.
1. Fashion is all about what makes you feel good about you
Polyester? Big hair? Heavy make-up? Other people's opinions are not as important as what I think about myself when I take a long, hard look in the mirror.
2. I don't have to have all the latest stuff to be happy.
Who needs a bathroom when you already have an outhouse? I can make do with less and live simply and enjoy a great life.
3. Working hard builds great appreciation for your stuff and improves your character.
Aint Bea always looked for something to keep her busy. Laziness is never an option.
4. Speaking your mind can have great value.
Not so much the whole weight comment, but I have heard her say the difficult things that no one else had the courage to say to people.
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know a very unique person and be influenced by her. I hope that I can become a woman of great individuality and character.
**Just a note to those of you who are faithful readers - and are waiting in front of the computer every day for me to post new material - or try to hide from your boss so you can check to see if I've added anything new - You know who you are. (Don't worry, I'm not going to name you online and get you in trouble since I love you girls sooo much, and you recently bought me coffee.) Don't expect any new material until at least Friday since we will be tied up the next several days with the funeral. Seriously, you made my day today telling me your stories about reading the blog. I am deeply humbled that God is using it in your lives and allowing you to use it to share your faith with your coworkers.
With Aint Bea's passing, I have been reflecting on her life and on the beauty she added to my life. Our first meeting was quite interesting. Aint Bea was a small, skinny woman who never let her hair go gray. She dyed it dark, jet black. It was teased and combed up to about 40 times its natural height. When Aint Bea was going out, she wore thick, heavy make-up - she was especially fond of white powder and FLAMING red lipstick. The first time I met her, she was wearing a bright, lemon-yellow, polyester leisure suit. With bellbottoms and high heels. Now, I have been in the Kemp family for a little over 15 years. Let's do the math - she must have been at least 80 when I met her. She wore that outfit with pride - she knew she looked good.
Aint Bea was a strong woman. She lived alone - the story was that she was engaged to a man who died in the war and she never loved again. I have never been able to confirm this for truth. Maybe it was just a rumor in a small town to explain why a woman would choose to live alone in an era where everyone married. She did not have indoor plumbing until about 20 years ago. Oh - and the plumbing only went to the kitchen. She never had a toilet in her house. She thought that it would be disgusting to do your business in your home and preferred her outhouse in the backyard. She was an immaculate housekeeper, and her yard was cleaner than my kitchen.
Aint Bea was not a woman to be crossed. She was one of these elderly ladies that thought that old age earned you the right to say whatever was on your mind. "Goodness gracious, LaRissa, how much weight DID you gain after that last baby?"
As I reflect back on Aint Bea's contribution to my life, I realize that she taught me some important lessons about life.
1. Fashion is all about what makes you feel good about you
Polyester? Big hair? Heavy make-up? Other people's opinions are not as important as what I think about myself when I take a long, hard look in the mirror.
2. I don't have to have all the latest stuff to be happy.
Who needs a bathroom when you already have an outhouse? I can make do with less and live simply and enjoy a great life.
3. Working hard builds great appreciation for your stuff and improves your character.
Aint Bea always looked for something to keep her busy. Laziness is never an option.
4. Speaking your mind can have great value.
Not so much the whole weight comment, but I have heard her say the difficult things that no one else had the courage to say to people.
I am thankful to have had the opportunity to get to know a very unique person and be influenced by her. I hope that I can become a woman of great individuality and character.
**Just a note to those of you who are faithful readers - and are waiting in front of the computer every day for me to post new material - or try to hide from your boss so you can check to see if I've added anything new - You know who you are. (Don't worry, I'm not going to name you online and get you in trouble since I love you girls sooo much, and you recently bought me coffee.) Don't expect any new material until at least Friday since we will be tied up the next several days with the funeral. Seriously, you made my day today telling me your stories about reading the blog. I am deeply humbled that God is using it in your lives and allowing you to use it to share your faith with your coworkers.
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