Making the Most of a Necessary Evil

Sitting in a 55-degree windowless conference room for eight hours straight is not my idea of a good time. I'd much rather be at work, but continuing education is a necessary evil. The one highlight--the location of the conference allows me to visit a great city and catch up with friends and family.

After arriving, the first order of business was to walk down Congress Avenue,


hang a right on 6th Street,



and grab a bite to eat at the 1886 Cafe & Bakery inside The Driskill Hotel.



I read the evening away and woke up excited, knowing that the reward for shivering through the next eight hours would be a reunion with my good friends. The reward was sweet because we hadn't gotten together in several years. We had a great time reminiscing over a delicious meal at Eastside Cafe.



The evening disappeared, and the next day promised only three and a half hours of shivering before I could check out and catch up with another good friend and her two girls. We (or maybe it was just me) gobbled up lunch at Threadgill's and then enjoyed great conversation on the ride to meet my mom.

(Note the lingering evidence of surviving the conference room: a sweater despite the 98-degree weather.)

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of me with my mom. But we had a great time taking in the Friday night festivities in my hometown. The evening was full with a stroll through the farmers' market, a yummy dinner at a new restaurant, a quick listen to a live band, and a dash to the rodeo (only to find out that we'd already missed the one event we wanted to see). Saturday was leisurely with nothing on the agenda and was a perfect day finished off with a homecooked meal.

With such wonderful friends and family, I guess my only complaint should be that the conference isn't held more often.

Summer Reading

Growing up, summer meant lots of time to read. And though I wasn't much of a reader back then, the summer reading program at my local library lured me to read with promises of a certificate and a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. But more than the certificate and pizza, I think it was the competitiveness of reading lots of books over a short period of time that captured my interest.

Last fall, the stack of books I wanted to read grew as I prepared and taught class each week. All work and no reading made me one unhappy gal. I promised myself I could read for pleasure as soon as all the grading was done in January.

But then, I started the Beth Moore study on Esther (which was fantastic), a study on Psalms with my small group, and the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class. Obviously, I had a little trouble saying "no," except when it came to my reading my stack, which sat untouched.

But now the time has come. Actually, I started a bit early. After I finished reading and reviewing Sticks and Stones, I read Words That Hurt, Words That Heal by Carole Mayhall during April and underlined a ton in that little gem. Definitely one to read.

Next up was 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey, which I mentioned in a previous post.

Then, I read Loving People by Dr. John Townsend. Another one to buy so you can underline.

My friend Krista had recommended Sacred Influence as a good book to read before marriage. I read it last week and underlined a ton in it as well. (There's a theme here: If it's nonfiction, I buy it to highlight in it.)

And most recently, I read When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin. In a word = AMAZING! Beautiful character development. Powerful story. And as I watched the pages dwindle in the span of a day, I secretly wished that the book was 2,000 pages long instead of 342 because I didn't want it to end. And now, I find myself missing the characters.

So that's what I've been doing. I hope to keep up the pace and read a book a week to put a dent in my stack. In the immediate queue are Gifted Hands by Ben Carson with Cecil Murphey, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson, the Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers, Cold Tangerines, and hopefully many others.

But knowing my tendency to set a goal like this and then pursue it with all of my being, I have already had to set some boundaries. Those require me to make sure that I use the summer to invest in relationships with my real friends, not just characters in books. I've already planned some get-togethers with friends over the next few weeks and hope to plan more. Hopefully this outlook will help keep me balanced.

Most, if not all, of the books on my to-read list came as recommendations from friends. So what books do you want to read or do you recommend?

Healing

"You heal well." At least that's what my dermatologist said as she studied her previous handiwork and scanned for other unfit moles in need of removal.

Her comment struck me as unbelievable.

I look at my skin and see scars. Those that are brighter than others make me self-conscious, knowing that everyone can see such obvious evidence of imperfection.

Take for instance the circular indention on my back where a mole has been removed. Or the pink stripe on my right forearm, revealing a burn from the oven door last summer. Neither hurts anymore or is as red as it once was, but the lingering scars, not the interim healing, is what I focus on.

But after hearing my doctor's comment, I realized there's two ways to look at it: the hurt or the healing. Yet focusing on one to the exclusion of the other doesn't tell the whole story.

The same holds true in our lives.

If we focus only on how great everything is without sharing what we've gone through, it's hard to seem believable or for people to relate to us. But by sharing the painful parts of our stories along with the healing that's taken place, there's common ground because we've all endured some sort of pain.

And more than likely, that pain has changed us. Just look at your changed scars for the proof. Or even better, look at His scarred hands and know that the pain is not for nothing.

I heard a song this weekend by Natalie Grant that sums it up nicely:

"Perfect People"

Never let Him see you when you're breaking
And never let Him see you when you fall
That's how we live
And how we try

Tell the world you've got it all together
And never let them see what's underneath
We cover it up with a crooked smile
But it only lasts for a little while

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God, yeah

Suddenly it's like a weight is lifted
When you hear the words that you are loved
He knows where you are and where you've been
And you never have to go there again, no

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

Who lived and died to give new life
To heal our imperfections
So look up and see love
And let grace be enough, oh

There's no such thing as perfect people
There's no such thing as a perfect life
So come as you are, broken and scarred
Lift up your heart and be amazed
And be changed by a perfect God

By a perfect God, yeah
By a perfect God, yeah
By a perfect God
By a perfect God

Be changed by a perfect God
Be changed

Measuring the Music

Unless you attend a piano recital, it's not often that you get to listen to someone playing the piano sans the orchestra accompaniment. And, it's even more rare to get to listen to professional pianists play in the comfort of your own home. But throughout this weekend, I've had that opportunity.

The sound of solo piano music streams out of my computer speakers. But it's not just any piano music. It's the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The twenty-nine competitors began their individual recitals on Friday, and thanks to the first-time ever live streaming, I'm listening as often as I can to as many of the contestants as I can.

In some ways, it's difficult to listen to the music alone and not have the audience around to chat about the competitors' performances, but the free price tag (in lieu of a $55 ticket) and the extra in-depth interviews and features (like watching the competitors choose which of the three amazing Steinways they wanted to use for their recitals) seem to more than make up for the isolation factor. Plus, I get to compare who gets the longest and loudest standing ovations and can read the critics' columns and the Cliburn Blog to choose which performances might not be worth watching.

So if you're in need of a mini-concert this holiday weekend, indulge yourself in the sounds streaming from the Steinways at this link. And feel free to judge for yourself who you think will make it to the semi-finals (to be announced Tuesday night).

Words to Think On

I just finished reading 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. It's been on the New York Times Bestseller list for quite a while now, so I don't feel like a review is necessary. However, I do want to highlight two paragraphs both found at the beginning of Ch. 14 (on p. 137 in the paperback edition):

Some things happen to us from which we never recover, and they disrupt the normalcy of our lives. That's how life is.

Human nature has a tendency to try to reconstruct old ways and pick up where we left off. If we're wise, we won't continue to go back to the way things were (we can't anyway). We must instead forget the old standard and accept a "new normal."

Just some wise words to ponder.

Happy Mother's Day!

For those who've wondered where I get my love for Jesus, my heart for those who are hurting, my desire for justice, my (former) ability to study for hours on end, my handwriting, my need to accessorize, my gift for baking, as well as many other gifts, they all came from my sweet mother who possesses much more of each of those traits and abilities than I, as her offspring, received. She's my hotline for medical issues, cooking questions, theological dilemmas, and so much more. I'm very grateful to have her in my life!

So Happy Mother's Day, Mother! And a very happy Mother's Day to all of you ladies out there who make the time to read this blog amidst all your mothering duties!

The Soloist

It's been three days since I saw The Soloist, and I can't get it off my mind. I'm not sure if that's the mark of a great movie or a guilty conscience. Maybe both.

I keep wondering if I had met musical genius Nathaniel Ayers on the street in LA (or my town), what would I have done? Would I have walked on by or would I have befriended him like journalist Steve Lopez?

I know the answer, and it's not the latter.

I think it nags at me because "my" homeless man Daniel was chased away from the street corner where he made his home. He wasn't always sober, but he didn't impose on people. He took food if offered, but I never once saw him ask anyone for anything other than a light for a cigarette. But someone told him he had to move his knapsack and find a new "home."

Probably to a place where he would fit in better. With other people like him.

But what if that's not what he wanted? Or what if he couldn't handle it?

The movie stresses that medicine and homes aren't really the answer. Instead, it's about relationships--ones that aren't particularly easy.

Similar to those taking place in Waco under I-35 where The Church Under The Bridge meets. When their pastor came to speak to my church earlier this year, he described the church body whom he serves. It's not your typical congregation; after all, how could any church that meets under I-35 be "typical"? He showed pictures of those who lead worship, many of whom share many characteristics with Nathaniel. And yet, they aren't turned away but are welcome to be part of that community. Despite their behavior. Despite their clothes. Despite their past.

I pray that my heart would be changed as a result of what I've seen and heard. Because with anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people homeless each night, this issue isn't going away any time soon.