Let's play the Where's Waldo game. It's real easy, hint one: look for green. You win!PLease keep posted for more pictures, post event memory recaps, and Pittsburgh highlights! Coming soon!!!!
7.17.2008
6.28.2008
6.27.2008
Wall-E and I save the World.
Maddy and I went to see Wall-E today. I liked it but about 3/4Th's of the way through,Maddy was snoring on my shoulder. Most of the movie has only two words repeated constantly: "Wall-E" and "Eve (a)".
I thought this was cleverly done, but my nearly 4 year old thought it wasn't worth watching unless her mouth was full of popcorn or skittles. The summary of the movie is this: Get off your bootay, get a life, get a love, and save the world.
So, as I sat watching the fat humans that gorged on food through straws and never got out of their hover chairs.....I began to feel slightly offended. I mean...I paid big moolah to gorge on skittles and popcorn and watch this movie and now they were telling more there is more to life?
So when we left the movie, feeling motivated to save the world, we drove 1/2 mile to the nearest Thai restaurant and then walked laps around a toy store. This was hard work so a late afternoon nap was in order. As Maddy and I snored as the rain pummeled against the window, I dreamt of food.
Now I am drinking a Cinnamon Dulce Latte while Maddy pretends to be a hair stylist on my head.
Deep Breaths.....now on to save the world...right after bed.
I thought this was cleverly done, but my nearly 4 year old thought it wasn't worth watching unless her mouth was full of popcorn or skittles. The summary of the movie is this: Get off your bootay, get a life, get a love, and save the world.
So, as I sat watching the fat humans that gorged on food through straws and never got out of their hover chairs.....I began to feel slightly offended. I mean...I paid big moolah to gorge on skittles and popcorn and watch this movie and now they were telling more there is more to life?
So when we left the movie, feeling motivated to save the world, we drove 1/2 mile to the nearest Thai restaurant and then walked laps around a toy store. This was hard work so a late afternoon nap was in order. As Maddy and I snored as the rain pummeled against the window, I dreamt of food.
Now I am drinking a Cinnamon Dulce Latte while Maddy pretends to be a hair stylist on my head.
Deep Breaths.....now on to save the world...right after bed.
6.25.2008
Fox in the Vineyard
A young girl in my teen Bible study asked Jesus into her heart last night. One concern she expressed was that her parents may not like if she became a Christian. As I dropped her off at her house, (note that it was around midnight) Her mother opened the door and I was flooded with an immense feeling. I wanted to hug her mom. But on the car ride to her home, the young girl had mentioned that being from Germany, hugging just wasn't a common thing to do.
Her mother had this glow about her and shook my hand until the awkwardness became evident. I wondered if she shook my hand so long because it was culture thing from Japan or maybe because she really was that excited and thankful to meet me.
Let me explain their interesting family dynamic....
Her mother is Japanese and her father is German. Her mother speaks Japanese as her first language, German as her second and is now taking English classes at my church. Upon further questioning I began to realize that her mother was developing a very close relationship with God. She stated proudly and with complete clarity that she believes in Jesus, even as her daughter rolled her eyes and snickered in disgust. She informed us that she just started to believe 3 or 4 weeks prior to this night.
And then, on the porch of their house in the dark of the midnight moon we all prayed. My other teen Bible Study attendee from Kenya prayed in English, the young girl in German,and the mother in Japanese. It was an amazing spiritual experience to hear these heart felt prayers in different languages...true tongues!
As we finished praying, the mother turned to her daughter and in amazement recited the most delightful words to her, uplifting her daughter in encouragement and blessing her.
Then we all heard a sound. A horrific grotesque sound. Like a wail and a groan mixed with a high screech that echoed through sleeping suburbia.
"What is that horrible sound?", I asked.
I was informed that it was a fox. In a matter of seconds we went from spiritual bliss to fearful weaklings as we scurried into the house. What scared me the most was the sound as it got closer following the dog through the street. There sat the fox in the street staring with red eyes up at us, wailing a horrible wail directly next to my car. We stood behind the glass door of the house wondering how we would return to my vehicle with that fox ready to attack.
Thankfully the large German father was awoken to save us from unknown peril. He took a small flashlight and scared the fox towards the darkness.
As I safely got into my vehicle I was struck by the timing of the fox. Why is it that every time God is at work Satan appears to be at work also?
"Catch us the foxes,
the little foxes that spoil the vines,
for our vines have tender grapes." Song of Solomon 2:15
We had some beautiful fruit on that porch. The fruit of a mother and daughter growing in their relationship with the God who created them. That little fox smelled that fruit and instantly was drawn to us, set out to nibble at what God was creating. But the fox was too late. And that fox would not destroy what God had already set out to complete.
I may have ran from that fox...but Lord help me never to run from the good things that you have in store for us who believe.
I told you scales would fall.
Her mother had this glow about her and shook my hand until the awkwardness became evident. I wondered if she shook my hand so long because it was culture thing from Japan or maybe because she really was that excited and thankful to meet me.
Let me explain their interesting family dynamic....
Her mother is Japanese and her father is German. Her mother speaks Japanese as her first language, German as her second and is now taking English classes at my church. Upon further questioning I began to realize that her mother was developing a very close relationship with God. She stated proudly and with complete clarity that she believes in Jesus, even as her daughter rolled her eyes and snickered in disgust. She informed us that she just started to believe 3 or 4 weeks prior to this night.
And then, on the porch of their house in the dark of the midnight moon we all prayed. My other teen Bible Study attendee from Kenya prayed in English, the young girl in German,and the mother in Japanese. It was an amazing spiritual experience to hear these heart felt prayers in different languages...true tongues!
As we finished praying, the mother turned to her daughter and in amazement recited the most delightful words to her, uplifting her daughter in encouragement and blessing her.
Then we all heard a sound. A horrific grotesque sound. Like a wail and a groan mixed with a high screech that echoed through sleeping suburbia.
"What is that horrible sound?", I asked.
I was informed that it was a fox. In a matter of seconds we went from spiritual bliss to fearful weaklings as we scurried into the house. What scared me the most was the sound as it got closer following the dog through the street. There sat the fox in the street staring with red eyes up at us, wailing a horrible wail directly next to my car. We stood behind the glass door of the house wondering how we would return to my vehicle with that fox ready to attack.
Thankfully the large German father was awoken to save us from unknown peril. He took a small flashlight and scared the fox towards the darkness.
As I safely got into my vehicle I was struck by the timing of the fox. Why is it that every time God is at work Satan appears to be at work also?
"Catch us the foxes,
the little foxes that spoil the vines,
for our vines have tender grapes." Song of Solomon 2:15
We had some beautiful fruit on that porch. The fruit of a mother and daughter growing in their relationship with the God who created them. That little fox smelled that fruit and instantly was drawn to us, set out to nibble at what God was creating. But the fox was too late. And that fox would not destroy what God had already set out to complete.
I may have ran from that fox...but Lord help me never to run from the good things that you have in store for us who believe.
I told you scales would fall.
6.23.2008
Dara was once called Daisy
The week I fell on the bathroom floor and begged my boyfriend to forgive me for cheating, God allowed me to catch strep throat. I was in California and my hurt and broken hearted boyfriend was 3000 miles away in Virginia. As I cried over the phone to him,I tried to reassure him that I would NEVER do this again, while unable to count the times I had done this to numerous boyfriends before.
Being from San Francisco, I had learned that you could believe in anything you wanted but mentioning Jesus just wasn't really an option, unless you were making fun of Him.
Saul also didn't treat Jesus kindly. He persecuted those who believed in Jesus. I imagine he probably made fun of them, too.
So my boyfriend forgave me...the first to ever do that! And then I got strep throat. I couldn't talk, sleep, eat, and I barely could drink. For 5 days I slurped tomato soup slowly as my boyfriend read scripture to me over the phone. I couldn't talk back!
Saul had a somewhat similar situation, Jesus revealed Himself to Saul and Saul was blinded and couldn't eat or drink for 3 days.
After the three days was up and Saul received prayer, it is written,
"Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again."
God later named Saul "Paul" and he is now known for the radical transformation from persecutor to evangelist. He boldly and without any fear shared Christ and many came to know Jesus.
Those scales fell off my eyes and I see the Truth and all I want to do is share Him with others.
I pray that God uses me in a mighty way like He used Paul. I have had the blessing of witnessing "something like scales" falling from the eyes of those who see the Truth and once denied it.
If you intend on stepping out in faith yourself and sharing Christ with those around you,
CAUTION: FALLING SCALES AHEAD!!!
When you witness those scales falling off other peoples eyes, you will be in awe and changed by the God who has the power to reveal Himself even to those who you think least likely to receive Him.
Being from San Francisco, I had learned that you could believe in anything you wanted but mentioning Jesus just wasn't really an option, unless you were making fun of Him.
Saul also didn't treat Jesus kindly. He persecuted those who believed in Jesus. I imagine he probably made fun of them, too.
So my boyfriend forgave me...the first to ever do that! And then I got strep throat. I couldn't talk, sleep, eat, and I barely could drink. For 5 days I slurped tomato soup slowly as my boyfriend read scripture to me over the phone. I couldn't talk back!
Saul had a somewhat similar situation, Jesus revealed Himself to Saul and Saul was blinded and couldn't eat or drink for 3 days.
After the three days was up and Saul received prayer, it is written,
"Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again."
God later named Saul "Paul" and he is now known for the radical transformation from persecutor to evangelist. He boldly and without any fear shared Christ and many came to know Jesus.
Those scales fell off my eyes and I see the Truth and all I want to do is share Him with others.
I pray that God uses me in a mighty way like He used Paul. I have had the blessing of witnessing "something like scales" falling from the eyes of those who see the Truth and once denied it.
If you intend on stepping out in faith yourself and sharing Christ with those around you,
CAUTION: FALLING SCALES AHEAD!!!
When you witness those scales falling off other peoples eyes, you will be in awe and changed by the God who has the power to reveal Himself even to those who you think least likely to receive Him.
6.22.2008
So Now I Have Entered Blog World
All I asked was, "Why do other woman here get special quotes on their name tags and all I have is my name?"
This past weekend I attended the annual She Speaks Conference. My name tag "necklace" dangled from my neck and fell just above my tummy. I proudly had knotted the string as the instructions in our weekend booklet suggested, to keep others from staring at my belly.
My pride quickly diminished as I noticed something different about some other women's name tags. They had cute catchy quotes under their names.
So I asked why.
The answer in short, lead me to sign up as an "official" blogger.
Next year, God willing, someone will ask me why my name tag has a "Caution: FallingScalesAhead" underneath my name.
This past weekend I attended the annual She Speaks Conference. My name tag "necklace" dangled from my neck and fell just above my tummy. I proudly had knotted the string as the instructions in our weekend booklet suggested, to keep others from staring at my belly.
My pride quickly diminished as I noticed something different about some other women's name tags. They had cute catchy quotes under their names.
So I asked why.
The answer in short, lead me to sign up as an "official" blogger.
Next year, God willing, someone will ask me why my name tag has a "Caution: FallingScalesAhead" underneath my name.
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