The Hornet Buzz

As earlier reported, Taylor and the Hornets are playing in the state semifinals this afternoon and (hopefully) finals tomorrow. If you want to keep up with the score, check this out.

Eureka!

Life is a series of trade-offs, I suppose. Granted, my job is stressful at times. And I do have to read and respond to e-mail in the evenings and on weekends in order to stay caught up. But all of the long hours, stressful personnel situations, and mountains of correspondence seem worth it when I get to have a day like today.

I did have to get up especially early and endure a fruitless search for gourmet coffee before my 7:15 a.m. arrival at the conference. But after working for five hours or so, I got to come back to the hotel, take a hot bath in the huge whirlpool tub, read a book, and take a two-hour nap. Then I had an amazingly delicious meal at DeVito's (again... sorry, Alisa) where I enjoyed a wonderful salmon with pesto, side of homemade spaghetti and bread, and finished with coffee and raspberry white chocolate cheesecake, all placed on the ol' work credit card.

Brent (my coworker) and I did have to be back tonight for a couple of more hours, but we really didn't talk to anyone, so he read a book for class and I read a trashy novel.

Now I'm tucked in and ready to get up at the crack of dawn again tomorrow. But we only have to be there 'til 10 a.m., then it's off to Branson for a bit of shopping.

Yeah, my job is cheesy. And everyone wants to be me when I'm eating cheesecake and taking naps. But nobody wants to deal with the problems.

Table for one

Ok, so I was wrong about the lack of wireless internet availability in the ca. Civil War hotel. Lucky for you guys... I'd HATE for you all to miss a single moment of my exciting life.

Speaking of single, I did something tonight that reminds me of my spousal-challenged existence: I ate dinner by myself. There's nothing worse than entering a restaurant and the hostess saying, "Dining alone?" Oh, I'm sure I could have driven through some horrible fast-food joint and eaten in my room, but I wanted to enjoy one of my favorite restaurants, Rogue's Manor, while I was in Eureka (sorry, Alisa... I know you're jealous!).

So I grabbed a book and headed to a table for two as one. Dinner was yummy, and my waiter was especially attentive (I find that's always how it is when you're alone... guess they feel sorry for you). Now I'm in my room, laying in a bed meant for two, after enjoying an amazing bath in a double whirlpool tub.

{Sigh}. It's a bicycle built-for-two world, and I'm riding a unicycle.

Oh, most days I love that I can buy as many pair of shoes as I wish. I don't mind not sharing a bed. I couldn't even make a long-term commitment to a cat, but occasionally, I would be nice to say "table for two."

But I don't want to share my dessert.

One step closer...

For all of you Hornet fans (not to be confused with Lonnie's Ho'net fans), Taylor's team won tonight, which means they're in the semi-finals of the STATE TOURNAMENT on Friday. Hooray!

Another one bites the dust

Well, I've been on the job 22 days, and I've lost two staff members (that's 22% of my total staff, for those of you keeping count). Wow.

Tomorrow's my last day in the office until next Wednesday. I'm off to Eureka Springs tomorrow for a couple of nights, then going to Mountain Home on Friday for three nights of rest, relaxation, cooking and fellowship with Chris and Estella. Joe's not coming, so we can cook green stuff this time.

After a meeting at the hospital Monday morning, I'm headed to Central Arkansas for more meetings, but at least I get to see friends and fam.

All for now... time to pack!

Leaving a legacy

When you change jobs, not only do you get to learn a new computer system and get used to new people, you get to think about your mortality. Because that's usually a time of filling out life insurance forms and designating beneficiaries.

A few weeks ago, a family friend called to talk to me about buying some additional life insurance. I said, "I have no kids and no spouse. Why do I need more life insurance?" Yeah, I know it builds cash value and is considered part of a great portfolio, but really, I have no one who depends on me for their livelihood. That's strangely empowering yet disturbing.

So I started thinking about the difference between an inheritance and a legacy. Ideally, we'd leave both to those we love. But which is really more important?

It's been almost six years since my Mom died. My inheritance is long gone. But her legacy lives on. I think about all the Sunday afternoons she spent at the bar in the kitchen, trying to write the perfect note to someone she missed at church. Or all the many ways she showed me unconditional love, selfless giving, and everlasting optimism. She saw the good in everyone... she got that from her mother, who got it from her father, who I'm sure got it from one of his parents. Generation upon generation of a "do unto others" attitude. A legacy that has survived way past their deaths.

Granted, I have no children, but I wonder what people will remember about me when I'm gone. Right now I'm struggling with my headstone reading, "Here lies Lori... she went to lots of meetings." Or "Old Maid Who Never Changed Her Last Name." Or maybe "Here's Lori... she's finally done moving."

I asked my Mom once what she wanted on her epitaph, and she replied, "Here lies Donna Kay... she made a difference." Mom never had an important job. She never got that Cadillac she always wanted. And she certainly didn't leave a fortune to my brother or me. But she left something far greater... a legacy of faith, of love, and of family.... the things that truly last.

Guten tag!

Life continues to be a series of good news/bad news and good days/bad days or, as Paula Abdul would say, "all the many shades of all my favorite colors" (would someone please check her medicine cabinet?). But I digress.

My weekends have been lifesavers these past few weeks because they not only allow me to catch up on my sleep, but to be lazy and watch TV and not have to think. Or stress. I'm so happy that I had a week off between jobs to get my house settled, because quite frankly, I've done next to nothing to it since. My project for today is to get my office set up so that I will only have one messy and disorganized room left in my house.

I left work an hour early on Friday because, frankly, it all became too much and I wanted to run away and hide under the covers. I know we all have days like that, but I generally figure out a way to make that happen.

Back to the good news... turns out '08 may be the "Year of Lori" after all. This looks to be the year that I cross yet another thing off my life list. It's all very unscheduled and not at all a done deal, but it appears that I have a need to obtain a passport before the end of the year. I do so love to travel and I've never been outside of the U.S., so the possibility is thrilling. Now I need to learn some conversational German. I'll keep ya posted.

Last night I went over to "The Corridor" to shop at Target and meet my friends Kelly and Amanda for dinner and a movie. Our waiter at Carrabba's was a total tool (he mocked us because we didn't know Italian... I'm sure lots of folks in Rogers do), but the food was pretty tasty. I managed to not completely ruin the diet with my entree, but the three or four or eight pieces of bread weren't so healthy.

And you know how I love me a romantic comedy, and we saw one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, Definitely, Maybe. The critics hated it, but I thought it was wonderful. Even better than 27 Dresses.

I got into bed at 2 a.m. Now I need a nap.

This should be a very short week since I'm only in the office for three days, then I'm on the road for a week. But I found a cool hotel in Eureka Springs with a big bed and no Internet. I bought two books last night at Target so that I can simply relax and read while I'm there. Then I'm off to Mountain Home to hang out with Chris and Estella, where I will get a massage and have gourmet cooking lessons.

All things considered, I have a pretty good life.

P.S. Congrats to my wonderful nephew, Taylor, and his Hackett Hornets, who won their 28th game in a row on their way to a regional basketball tournament victory. On to state!

People in their 30s

A pal sent this to me, and I thought it was fun. So enjoy and read with a grain of salt, young 'ens.

--------------------------------

TO THE SPOILED UNDER 30 CROWD...

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning .. uphill BOTH ways yadda, yadda, yadda!!!

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a Utopia! And I hate to say it but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have The Internet .. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!! (ooh, card catalog... blast from the past!)

There was no email... We had to actually write somebody a letter ..with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters... If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ usually talked over the beginning and mess it all up!

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting... If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either... When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics... We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating.. All the seats were the same height! If a tall guy or some old broad with a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just in trouble!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no on screen menu and no remote control... You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were in trouble when it came to channel surfing! You had to get out of your chair and walk over to the TV to change the channel and there was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

And we didn't have microwaves... if we wanted to heat something up we had to use the stove or go build a fire ... imagine that! If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever like an idiot.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled. You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Regards,
The over 30 Crowd

{Sigh... it was a tough time to be alive}

God's Hand

Today has been one of the hardest days of my career. I know a lot of folks think I have no issue with confrontation (like my pal Susan, who today told me I had "quite a pair"), but it really does bother me to have to deal with difficult people, even when they deserve it.

Every night when I say my prayers before I go to sleep, I spend time thanking God. Thank You for my family. Thank You for my friends. Thank You for having a great house to live in, plenty of food to eat, a good job... I often forget to say thank you to Him for the lessons He's teaching me, because it's so easy to forget that He's in all of it... the good, the bad, the in-between, and in the stinky parts that make us want to crawl under the covers and feel sorry for ourselves.

When we lose someone dear, it's sometimes difficult to see God in it, but He's there. When a child dies, someone who's really a good person loses a job, or a house, or is diagnosed with a terrible disease, I struggle to figure out why. But He's in all of it. Oh, I don't think He causes it, but He uses it... to draw us closer, to reaffirm our dependence on Him, to show His glory.

Last night, when I was reading Beth Moore, I came across this prophetic passage:

"Then comes the question: Will we walk away from Jesus when from human understanding He looks weak and defeated?
What do we do when we can't explain what Jesus is doing?
Will we remain nearby when He hasn't stopped a tragedy?
When based on earthly evidence, human reasoning is left to one of two harrowing conclusions: He is either mean or weak. Think, beloved, about what I'm saying. Will we cling when our human reasoning implies evil has defeated Him? Or that evil seems to be found in Him? Will we stand by faith when human logic says to run?
That's what will make us different."

Ouch. Sometimes when it's hardest to see His hand is when He's working the most. Oh, it's not always easy to trust. But that's how we grow. And how He shines.

Back in the Fort

After a mere 48 hours at home, I'm back on the road. Today was another marathon day of meetings, ending with a faculty meeting that started at 4 p.m. (where the President introduced me and stated that I was responsible for raising about $500K... no pressure). Then I ran home, threw some stuff in a suitcase, and headed down to the Fort to get ahead of the ice storm.

(There's really not much to report tonight, but if I don't update every day, my dad worries. And besides, it's not called "the occasional drivel.")

Tonight I'm crashing at Sorne and Vance's. They cooked me dinner. And the best part of the night was, when I walked in the door, Mason and Isaac came barreling in to give me big hugs. Isn't that sweet?

I meant it last week when I said that I was overwhelmed by the love in my life. And it's nice to be wanted. But the bad part of it is (and I feel completely selfish as I'm typing this) that I sometimes feel stretched thin when I come "home." I mean, I have a lot of family and friends here. People who love me and merely want to spend time with me. But people who get hurt feelings if I stay on someone else's couch besides theirs. People who don't necessarily appreciate that I do my best to spread around the Lori while I'm here. This past weekend, I was in the Fort for nearly 36 hours, and I spent the bulk of it with my family. Tonight I only had a few hours, and I'm spending it with friends.

So shhh... don't tell my fam that I'm in the Fort. It'll be our little secret. You'd think as big as my butt is, there would be enough of me to go around. Turns out, not so much.

Death by meeting

While I do enjoy traveling and getting to be out of the office, I don't necessarily enjoy packing and unpacking or catching up at the office. Nor do I enjoy the multiple meetings per day I get to attend when I'm actually at the office. Today I had 9 a.m, 10 a.m, 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. meetings. In between those times I got to read about 200 e-mails and check various voicemail messages (all sales people).

Tomorrow I have meetings at 8, 10, 11, 3 and 4, then I'm headed south to get ahead of the ice storm. Ugh... meetings.

But at least I found a great Thai place in town tonight. And I got my grocery shopping done. Yay for small steps.

I'm back!

Heatfelt apologies for my absence. I've been driving around the world... well, at least northwest part of the state, since last Thursday. I spent Friday in our Little Rock office, then stopped at UCA to see some old friends. I was in Russellville on Friday and Saturday, emceeing the Miss Lake Dardanelle pageant. Here's me, Erin, and Paige, just after the pageant.



One of the great things about my job is that I do get to travel quite a bit, which gives me the opportunity to catch up with old friends. In addition to seeing Lon, Jen, Brady, Avery and Peyton on V-Day, I had lunch with Alisa and Grey on Saturday, and I got to spend two nights with Paige and her mom, Lynne.

Yesterday I left Russellville early to head to the Fort to pick up my grandmother for church. I usually attend the 8:30 a.m. service since I am not at all interested in being on TV. Yesterday I picked a spot far enough away from the camera, but of course I was caught anyway. Several folks e-mailed and/or called to tell me the news, and since I DVR church every Sunday, I got the chance to see me and my four chins for myself this afternoon. Ugh. Back on the diet.

I spent today in the Fort Smith office and got to have a tasty lunch at Blue Plate with Susan and Ashley. Overall, it was a productive trip, but I'm glad to be home, back in my own bed. For two nights at least. Then it's back on the road.

Happy everything!

Tonight I spent my Valentine's night with three sweethearts: Brady, Avery, and Peyton. We went to eat dinner at Mi Burrito, and the waitress gave Jen and me and rose when we left, the only V-Day flowers I've been given in about a decade. I stopped at Wal-Mart in Russellville after visiting Alisa at ATU this afternoon to buy V-Day trinkets for Huey, Dewie and Louie. The store was packed with men, all trying to figure out what to get their wives/girlfriends/significant others at the last minute. So I ventured to the candy aisle and got some pop rocks and M&Ms. I realized, after I gave them to the boys, that although I was on the holiday aisle when I bought the stuff, it was actually Easter candy instead of V-Day candy. My first clue? The pop rocks were in eggs.

But it wasn't just me. Joe sent Estella and me e-mails today telling us "happy birthday." Yeah, mine's in June and Estella's is in December.

So happy everything!

Right now I'm chillin' in my hotel room in NLR. It's pretty sweet with a flat-screen TV and a big bed, but every tub after my new one is a disappointment.

Oh, and to update you on the job... I made it 13 days before the first person quit. And he quit to go to Iraq to diffuse bombs (I kid you not!). When someone chooses diffusing bombs over working for you, should that make you feel bad about yourself?

Happy V-Day!

Rather than boycott Valentine's Day, I've decided to revel in my singleness. Granted, I'm not "in love," but there's so much love in my life that it overwhelms me sometimes. So here's to all of you, the ones who I don't tell often enough how very much you mean to me....

I love TAYLOR, CHANCE and HOPE... I've never borne children, but these three are amazing, fabulous, beautiful kids. Taylor's all grown up but still thinks I'm cool enough to text, even when he's on a date. Chance still gives hugs willingly. And Hope is the most precocious child I've ever known. But they all make me smile, make me proud, and make my heart burst with love.

I love BRAD... there are a lot of years between us, and it took us awhile to become friends, but I admire him so much. And I'm proud of him.

I love my DAD... even when he sends a numeric page and leaves a message, or uses IM like e-mail, he's one of a kind. We've had our rough patches, but he can be awesome. And he makes good candy. Plus, I've found out my stepmom can be pretty cool herself.

I love my GRANDMOTHERS... for teaching me about unconditional love, unselfishness, and putting others above yourself. They are class personified, even when they carry yellow purses and wear matching shoes, or have a closet full of bedazzled gear.

I love MEMAW KAT... for worrying about me when I am sick, sending me cookies that Lonnie never delivers, and for teaching me how to boogie to KC and the Sunshine Band. Memaw and PEEP have been like second parents to me.

I love ESTELLA and CHRIS... Estella is warm, gracious, and everyone wants to be around her. Chris makes sure everything works, from my knives to my tires. A visit to their house is like coming home.

I love JOE... because, even when his OCD kicks in and he's tightly scheduling our vacation, he's one of the most loyal, supportive, and loving people I've ever known. I could break down in California, and he'd come and get me. Oh, he'd say, "I told you so," but he'd do it.

I love ALISA and SCOTT... for seeing me at my very worst and still letting me hang out with the cool kids. Our conversations have changed from drummer boys to little boys, but their friendship has always been constant. Even when I didn't deserve it.

I love ASHLEY... for listening to my rants about work, for thinking more highly of me than I do of myself, and for being the most talented person I know. I kinda like LARRY sometimes. And I'm already in love with EMMA and PARKER.

I love SORNE and VANCE... Sorne, because even when it's been too long between visits, we can always pick right back up where we left off. She's loyal, smart, and always fabulously dressed. And Vance grew on me. Now he makes me laugh like no one else can.

I love BRENT and DAVE... who else could appreciate a $70 steak, talk about football and pageants at the same time, and know the lyrics to every good song from the 80s? They make me smile and make me appreciate life.

I love JEN and SHANNON... I have two male cousins who are near my age that I've always been close to, and they both married up. I'm so glad that both of these amazing women are now my friends, not simply cousins-in-law. Because each of them accomplish more each day than I've ever done in my life. They've faced amazing obstacles (and not just their husbands) and come out as strong, smart, Godly women. And I do love LONNIE and SCOTT, too. But shhh... don't tell them... they might think I've grown soft in my old age.

I love DeWOOD... for looking out for me, believing in me, and making me want to live a better life.

I love NANNER... because, even though she's 15 years younger than me, she thinks I'm cool enough to hang out with on a Friday night. And we have the same (good) taste in music, movies, television, and books.

I love all the great kids in my life who shower me with hugs and kisses, even when they don't want to, and who I can return to their parents... BRADY, AVERY, PEYTON, GREY, MASON, and ISAAC. All boys... go figure.

And I love all of those who've gone Home before me... MOM, PAIGE, and both my GRANDFATHERS. How very lucky I am to have known you; how very forward I look to seeing you in heaven.

If I've left you off the list it's because I forgot, I didn't think you'd read my blog, or I don't love you. Take your pick.

Keith Craft, one of the speakers at yesterday's conference, said that, in order to be successful, you must align yourself with the right people. People who believe in you, people who challenge you, and people who share your values. Who are your people? These folks are mine. Love you all!

xoxo,
Lori

I get paid for this?

Well it's been 13 days on the new job (12 actually, since I was sick on Monday), and I can honestly say that I'm finally finding my footing. Granted, I still have so much to learn, but I'm asking better questions and figuring things out.

In my 12 days, I've only had to pay for lunch once. And I've gotten to travel a bunch (much more starting tomorrow). Plus, in the span of two days, I got to hear Franklin Graham, Robert Schuler and Zig Ziglar. Wow.

Graham spoke at chapel yesterday and was amazing. He was so down-to-Earth, with a message that was both simple and profound. And guess what he talked about... John and the other three being called to be "fishers of men." (OK, God... I'm listening... not quite sure where You're going with this fishing thing). My favorite thing he said: "The most fulfilling thing in life is to be used by God." What a definition of success!

Today I was invited by one of our radio ad reps to the "Get Motivated" seminar in NWA. There were easily 2,000 people there. My favorite speaker of the day, no offense to Zig and Bob Schuler, was Krish Dhanam. Dhanam immigrated from India, and is now on Ziglar's staff. He was hilarious, talking about his life in India. He said his family was so poor, they "went to KFC to lick other peoples' fingers." Ha!

One of the interesting themes of the day to me, was that on a ticket full of world-renowned speakers and multi-millionaires, all of them had one thing in common: a relationship with Christ and a commitment to family. Guess you CAN have it all after all.

Back to this fishing thing, much more than that message seems to be one of understanding my calling. Or, as one of the speakers said today, "Mirror, mirror on the wall... here I am... what's my call?"

Yep, all this and I get a paycheck. I'm a lucky brat indeed.

Cock-eye

When I was a kid, my parents and I (I'm sure my brother was someplace way cooler than hanging out with us in our paneled station wagon) used to play the "cock-eye" game in the car. You know, when you'd see a car with one headlight out and whoever yelled "cock-eye!" first was the winner. I think it was the predecessor to slug bug or the license plate game.

I've been driving around cock-eyed for nearly a month. To be fair, my pal Joe offered to fix it for me when I was still in Conway, but I was way too preoccupied with packing to actually purchase a new light, so it didn't get done. And I don't do too much nighttime driving, so I didn't think about it really.

But for the past couple of weeks, people have been––thinking they're being helpful--alerting me as to my cock-eyed transportation. And, as previously reported, I received a warning ticket on Friday night from Barney Fife.

So I went to Wal-Mart on Sunday to buy a few groceries and a new headlight. I'm a modern (and cheap) woman. Surely I can save 50 bucks and put in my own headlight, right? So I got out to the car, popped the hood, and could not for the life of me figure out how to get to the stupid thing. Disclaimer: cars and bugs are where I become a girl. I don't know the dangers that lurk under the hood of a vehicle. Am I going to hurt myself? I'm really thinking I should've been more proactive about letting Joe fix it. Or maybe it's worth missing a few meals to pay to have it done. Keep in mind that I'm the chick who made 40 percent on the mechanics part of the ASVAB exam.

Here's where Wikipedia is awesome. There are step-by-step instructions on there, detailing what to do and promising a 10-minute task. Obviously a man estimated the timing. I mean, just because Ashley can make a cheesecake in 20 minutes doesn't mean I can do it in less than two hours.

I had to unscrew the cover of the air filter in three places (impressed, ladies?), remove the cover, and pop off the cover of the lights. I fought with the clip on the new light for 20 minutes, and couldn't figure out why it didn't fit. I compared new light to old light and discovered they were different sizes. Ugh. Wal-Mart automotive dude sold me the wrong size! I am indignant at this point. I had to screw the cover back on the air filter and drive back to Wal-Mart to exchange the stupid thing. And you know how lovely the customer service desk at Wal-Mart can be. But I finally exchanged it, came back home, unscrewed the air filter cover AGAIN, removed it, took the back off the light, and replaced it. I was so proud of myself. I am a mechanical genius.

So I turned the lights on and.. nothing. Guess what? I changed the wrong light. I am a mechanical idiot. Obviously Mr. Six-bucks-an-hour Electronics Dude was smarter than I gave him credit for. By this point I was NOT going back to Wal-Mart again; it was getting dark and the last thing I needed was another warning ticket, so I waited until today, when I stopped at Auto Zone and got another light.

So I unscrewed the top off the air filter yet again, found the right light, and fixed it in 10 minutes. Well, 45 or so if you count the whole time. Or more if you count the three trips to buy/exchange/buy lights.

The good news is that neither light on the passenger side should go out for awhile.

Who needs a man? I can change my own headlights. No more cock-eye.

Not tonight, dear

I had a rough, rough night. I woke up sometime in the middle of the night with an excruciating headache. Only once in my life has my head hurt this bad: when I had the flu. One of my coworkers had the flu last week. I haven't had a flu shot. You do the math.

18 hours later, I'm convinced that I do NOT have the flu. I'm not quite sure what I do have, however. I still have a horrible headache and fever, but no other symptoms.

I started back on Weight Watchers yesterday and started my new "no eating after 7 p.m." rule. Perhaps that was it. And I didn't drink anything but water for dinner (no caffeine), so that could be it.

So I spent all day napping and feeling sorry for myself.

I so do NOT have time to be sick. Franklin Graham's on campus tomorrow. I have to see Zig on Wednesday. I'm driving to Little Rock on Thursday. And I'm emceeing a pageant on Saturday (and still have to write the script).

Ah, the life of the working gal.

Come, follow me

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
~Matthew 4:18-22

As previously reported, I'm reading a great book about John, the Disciple (and not John the Baptist, as I'm an idiot and was confused before). Of course, the first few chapters talk about John's call by Christ to be a disciple, and his walking away from his profession in order to follow Jesus.

And while none of us, I assume, have been commanded by Christ in person to stop what we're doing and follow His literal footsteps, those of us who have made professions of faith have, in fact, chosen to cast away our self and follow him.

I was lucky enough to be raised in a home where church attendance was never in question. Rather, we were there a minimum of three times a week, more if there was Bible School, revival, or any other reason the doors were opened. So I heard the story of the calling of the disciples many, many times. A few years ago, while working with the children's choir in a different church, we did a production called "Fishers of Men," devoted solely to the telling of the story of the calling of the fishermen into discipleship, and how we too are called to proclaim the Gospel.

But this morning, while visiting a local church where they were having a living Lord's Supper, I heard the story anew. I realized that phrase "Come, follow me, and I will make you..." is so applicable to our lives. Christ says it to each of us. "Follow me," which is a daily commitment, not just one we make at salvation, "and I will make you..." into what He wills us to be.

The first part of that verse is the most important and often most challenging. "Follow me" sounds easy enough, but we know from experience how much of ourselves we must cast aside in order to do that.

"And I will make you...." He will make us. It doesn't say, "Follow me and I will let you," or "Follow me and you will become, " but rather "I will make you." Wow. We are in His likeness, and holiness is certainly our goal. So let us follow Him and let Him make us into more than we can imagine.

Meal ticket, movie ticket, warning ticket

TGIF! I really do like my job, but boy, am I ready for two days of nothing to do.

Today I was in our Rogers office all day, which was good because I learned a lot, and even better because there are great restaurants in "The Corridor." We had lunch at Johnny Carino's and it was tasty.

After work I headed up to Pinnacle to shop for a bit, then Amanda met me at PF Chang's for dinner. We went to see 27 Dresses which is a great chick flick, but now I can't stop singing, B-B-Benny and the Jets.

On my way back to Siloam I was stopped by a friendly Washington County sheriff's deputy who wrote me a nice little warning ticket for having a headlight out. When I dropped off Amanda at her car, I said, "I dread driving back through Tontitown, because I'll probably get stopped." Barney Fife pulled out behind me in Tontitown, but followed me to where you can actually see the Benton County line sign before pulling me over. What a peach. He asked me my work phone number, which I had to look up on a business card... is he going to call me at work to see if I've replaced my headlight?

Work's getting easier every day and I feel like I finally have a handle on what I'm doing a little bit. But when in doubt, I just ask myself, "What would Jan Levinson do?"

80 miles, 4 meetings, 13 hours and 1 haircut

When I started this new job, I was thrilled to have the flexibility that comes with a director-level position. I was excited about the travel. I was even looking forward to meetings that would take me away from the office. I loved that I would have the freedom to take a long lunch occasionally, get a haircut in the middle of the afternoon, or come in a couple of hours late when I needed to. Let's face it, it's great to go from being the person who gets told someone's going to be out of the office to being the person who gets to be out of the office. Easy Street, right?

Yeah, not so much. While it's true that I did get a haircut today, I worked a 13-hour day. Yeah, I got to be out of the office for a meeting, but it certainly wasn't interesting (today's was about our new computer system... BORING). And I got to travel, but it was after 7 p.m. when I got finished with my meeting and dinner was Chick-fil-a rather than P.F. Chang.

When does the easy stuff start?

Shalom, Siloam

When I was a kid, I came to Siloam Springs every summer for church camp. For nine years in a row, we'd drive up crooked highway 59 and spend a week eating bad food, pulling pranks, and learning about God. It was in this town that I accepted Christ, so it seems only fitting that I'm back here.

One of the things I remember vividly about church camp was the "mountaintop" feeling you had when you came home. After a week of fellowship with other believers, of twice-daily church, Bible study, devotionals, and constant prayer, it was hard to come back home to reality. So the enthusiasm waned as the weeks wore on and "real life" started again.

My grandmother asked me last week what my job was like, and I've been trying to figure out an answer to that question since. It occurred to me today that my job is like trying to work at church camp. The advantage of chapel, prayer and spirituality integrated into your workday coupled with the challenge of achieving goals, personnel issues, and boring meetings.

Oh, the meetings. Today I attended the most boring meeting in the history of the universe. And I was on a committee in Fort Smith called the "business continuity committee" where we talked about how to continue processes in the event of natural disasters. Today was worse. Faculty salary scales and steps and years in rank and percentages of base... I'm surprised my head didn't explode.

Am I too old to go back to church camp? It's just down the street!

And the nominees are....

Look what Jen gave me... a blogging award.

I'd like to thank all the little people, my producer, my assistant, my parents, my cousin Lonnie, the Academy, and all my loyal readers.

When I say "I'm a Christian"

My pal Katie sent this to me this morning, and I found it so inspiring that I wanted to share. I would say "I couldn't have said it better," but that's so inaccurate. I couldn't have said it half as well.

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

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER
by Maya Angelou

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible, but God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain,
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I stand before God, at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me!"
~Erma Bombeck

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man should have to seek Him first to find her."
{this one's my new favorite!}

Gone fishin'

I have a confession to make: I am highly impressionable.

My coworkers hate it when I attend a conference because I come back spewing jargon and parroting business parables. When I read a good book, I look for ways to immediately apply it to my workplace. Yes, I am the girl who actually uses the phrase "Begin with the end in mind" (thank you, Steven Covey) when doing strategic planning.

Right now I'm reading about John the Baptist, and I just can't stop with the fishing analogies. This morning during our staff meeting, I honestly said, "We've got to stop casting a wide net and hoping a few fish will jump in." I don't know where it comes from; I've been fishing once in my life, and that was with a guide who baited my hook.

Warning: I'm seeing Zig Ziglar next Wednesday. See you at the top! Oooh, somebody smack me.

The strength of a (wo)man

So with the Lord He takes and He refuses;
Finds Him men whom others deny.
Neither strong ones nor mighty he chooses;
But such as John, or Gideon or I.
~ F.B. Meyer

Today I had one of my (becoming more frequent) "aha!" moments. You know, the ones where you realize what a doofus you are.
I was thinking about Gideon, and how God reduced his army from 32,000 soldiers to a mere 300. Then He exchanged their swords for trumpets and candles. And the Midianites were defeated. Because it was God's battle. Where He sends, He equips.

My feeling of being overwhelmed? It's because I've been trying to figure out how I'm going to handle it. And it's not my battle.

And if God uses the weak and helpless, He certainly picked the right one. So here I am, use me, Lord.

**P.S. I've noticed a tremendous decline in the hits to my blog since I started sharing my spiritual journey. But if you're offended by my recent posts, I'm not going to apologize. If you'd rather read about my boring life than what God's doing in it, sorry for that. I share only because I hope to encourage the handful of you who are still reading, because if God can work through me, He's got great things in store for you!

Nobody's Perfect

Evidently no one told the New York Giants that the Pats were unbeatable. With words like "history" and "dynasty" dying on the lips of New England fans everywhere, Eli didn't choke. The Manning brothers won back-to-back world championships, and the NFC won the Super Bowl for the first time in a long time. I'm sad for Tom Brady, though. Wonder if he needs me to go to Boston and comfort him...

I can't believe the weekend's gone. I spent most of it feeling like poo and lying around coughing and sneezing, so you'd think it would have been relaxing. Yeah, not so much. So tomorrow it's back to the old grind. I figured out this weekend that I had about 7,500 more days to work in my lifetime. That's really depressing.

Tonight Dad and Vickie brought the kids up to watch the game. I made ribs, pulled pork, fries, corn on the cob, baked beans, biscuits, no bake cookies, and brownies for dinner. It was yummy, if I do say so myself. The game... not so much. This is me and the kids at halftime.



I just started reading Beth Moore's book about John the Baptist, "The Beloved Disciple." I'm a huge fan of her books; she always has such great insight and wonderful words. The first chapter discusses all of the people who followed John the Baptist, and she points out that he was a good leader because of who he was following. "John the Baptist turned out to be a man worth following precisely because they followed him straight to Jesus," Moore states. What a leadership model. Only if we're leading others to Christ are we worth following. Otherwise we're just leading them astray.