life

Friday Mish Mash

It’s Friday – time for a random mish mash.

  • I am a journal junkie. There I said it. I have journals and notebooks all over the house. And they all have something written in them. Well most of them, there are a couple I haven’t used yet, but I’m sure I will soon. I also have scraps of paper with notes in various places, not to mention all the notes I have stored on my phone too. And it would appear that some habits are learned and not genetic – because now Amy is doing the same thing. She will leave notes on her bedroom floor at night so she remembers something in the morning. She keeps a notebook next to her bed and writes down all sorts of random thoughts and questions, usually just before she falls asleep.
  • When you become a parent watching the news affects you in a different way. I watched our local news last night (which I don’t normally do for many reasons) and was reminded of one of the reasons why I don’t watch. There was a story on about a 12 year old (6th grader) who had made a hit list, obtained guns (how does this happen?), and was planning on killing at least 20 classmates, teachers, family members, and who knows who else. Having a 5th grader really brought this story close to home. Thankfully this year we don’t have any bullies in the class (like we did last year), but still, I don’t know anything about any of the other classes. As a parent I pray every day for the safety of my daughter and those that she is with.
  • If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you’ve probably seen posts about #savebluelikejazz. Well I am happy to say the movie has been saved and it is amazing what 4495 people have done over the period of 30 days. Most of it was small donations, and they added up and came together to raise $345,992 to make this movie. Filming has begun in Nashville, will continue in Portland, and the movie will be released some time next year. If you go, look for my name in the credits, amongst the other 4494 people that will be listed. 🙂 It’s the first time in history that a movie has been crowd source funded. Hopefully it won’t be the last. There are a lot of great ideas out there that deserve to be developed. Check out Kickstarter for more.
  • It’s hard to believe it’s been two months since we’ve moved. Time has flown by. And it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Every time I look it seems there is something new on the calendar.
  • I was trying to explain the concept of divorce to Amy the other day. This came about because of the news of Miley Cyrus’s parents getting a divorce. In order for her to understand, I used Dean & myself  and our stuff as an example to illustrate what happens. After trying to explain the concept of “equitable distribution” she came to the conclusion that if Dean & I should ever divorce she would want to live with him because he would have the big tv and would take her to Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner. She was also quite adamant about the fact that she would keep her “stuff”. And no, don’t read anything in to that other than it was for the purpose of an illustration. We’ve been married for 20 years and are still very happy and very much in love.
  • Now it’s time to go get ready for a Halloween party. Not my favorite holiday, but at least I get the chance to spend time with my favorite 10 year old and meet some more of her friends.

 

Introducing Melanie Blievernicht

For those of you who do not attend Journey Church of Acworth, please allow me to introduce you to a dear friend, Melanie Blievernicht. She is an amazing woman of God, who has followed the call He placed in her heart and has written two books.

Walking Faith Forward is her first, now in it’s second edition. Here is the synopsis from Barnes & Noble.

“In the second edition of this engaging weekly devotional, Melanie Blievernicht draws from lessons in her personal life and Biblical references to show you how to connect with God and to spread His word by concentrating on a specific spiritual focus area each week. Encouraged by Christ’s promise of guidance and hope, Walking Faith Forward uses inspiration and reflection to help you make God a part of your daily life.”

Having served with her, I see this example lived out everyday.

Her second book, just recently published, is Divorce Is Only Human: My Journey With God Through Divorce.

“From the author of Walking Faith Forward comes one woman’s spiritual path through the darkest part of her life… a time of deep pain, depression, and despair… but also one of hope, determination, healing, and triumph through faith.

“Every so often, a book comes along that the Holy Spirit will use to minister to the depth of human pain and suffering. This is one of those books… An amazing story of tragedy turned into healing… A woman’s sharing of her own trials in order to pass on the gift of hope to others… ”
Douglas Crumbly, Lead Pastor, Journey Church of Acworth, GA”

So take a moment, and stop by her site to say hello. And if you have a chance to meet her in person, give her a hug from me too.