Here's To Tomorrow...

(Thanks for the memories!)

The path of 2007 has been a challenging - often painful - part of the journey, and few understand this like "The Real Staff Wives of Orange County": the pastor's wives at C3 Church. These, my sisters, know what the past year has been - for me, for themselves, their husbands, friends, and for the church.

Amanda, Andrea, and Sandi are the "Real Staff Wives of Orange County", but they are not defined by their position, who their husbands are, how "well" they perform, what others say about them...etc. They are defined by "whose" they are - THEY ARE HIS: Christ followers with a passion for others to know Him.

It is because they know whose (and whom) they are that they can love with abandon, give 'til they feel it, lose and not look back, and be...really be barbaric in their spreading of grace.

I love these "graceful barbarians", and I thank them for their patience, their sacrifice, their endurance, their support...and for their love, in return.

Sandi, Andrea, and Amanda:
You rock! Thanks for being warriors on this path of peace - I wouldn't trade you for anything.

Here's to 2008 - It's gonna be a crazy-great ride. Thanks for being in it with me.

Love, Angie

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Merry Christmas! My family celebrates on Christmas Eve and the celebration is at our house so today will be an action packed day. I just wanted to take a minute to tell my C3 family how much I love them before the craziness of this holiday consumes me. Enjoy your holiday with your friends and family as we reflect on the greatest gift ever... the birth of our Savior. I love you all!

Love Is A Beautiful Thing

This is a group I recently discovered and love. They are from Orlando and sound a lot like The Black Eyed Peas. Check 'em out sometime! I love this song because love IS a beautiful thing!

Life in the Gutter

I just finished reading "The Gutter: Where Life Is Meant To Be Lived" by Craig Gross. He is the co-founder of XXXChurch.com. This book talks about how Jesus lived a life of meeting people in their deep, dark places and how we as Christ-followers are called to do the same. It is thought provoking and insightful. I wanted to share some quotes that really stuck out to me.

-Those who are most opposed to the gutter are those who have been there the least.

-The gutter is the place where the "least of them" live. *Matthew 25:45

-If Christians would stop being scared of the world-or the gutter-I think most of them would find out for themselves that it is definitely not the place they want to be. It a change of perception I wish more people would adopt: to focus more on the great life we have in Christ than on the fleeting lures of the gutter. The more afraid we are of the gutter, the larger it looms and the more tempting it becomes.

-When you look at the way Jesus and the things He did, the way He brought light to darkness, you can plainly see we have nothing to be scared of.

-God did not create you to be a scared, irrelevant Christian.

-If you go to the gutter you have to be willing to stay in the gutter. Our Christian mentality is to visit the gutter over spring break or during a summer missions trip.

-Don't blame the dark for being dark. Blame the light for not shining on the dark.

-Jesus was a genuine lover of people, and everyone flocked to Him because He met needs, not because He preached about the kingdom of heaven. He met needs first as a practical way of showing that He loved people, then He got into the meatier theological issues.

-Whom are we fighting? Are we fighting to win the world to Christ? Or are we just fighting among ourselves in church? Are we too much about getting fed and too little about exercising our faith? Yes, we keep fighting the good fight, but must we fight our brothers and sisters in Christ? No one wins that way. Why can't we all put our focus on the lost, those living in the dark places, the "whosoevers" that are so close to Christ's heart?

-Where darkness abounds, love is brighter.

And... this was the most mind boggling to me.

-The unchurched embraced Him (Jesus) then, but they don't now. So when did this spiritual reversal occur? When did the "lost" change their position? They didn't. We did. Christians did. Somewhere between the time Jesus ascended into heaven and now, we Christians, the walking billboards for Jesus' life-changing power, have done a lousy job of maintaining His momentum. Those who despise Him shifted too. The religious who once hated Him now advertise for Him. The lost who once hung out with Him now refuse to acknowledge Him and it is all because Christians changed. God didn't change. Jesus didn't change. His people did. At one point, the God who embraced the gutter was well represented. Jesus walked the streets and took an authentic love with Him-all the way to the gutter. Wherever He went, the unchurched responded while the religious scorned. Fast forward two thousand years and now the reverse is true.

The gutter is different for everyone. God calls us each to accomplish a specific purpose. Where is your gutter? Who are those you need to reach out to in their deep, dark place? I'm challenged by this.

A Triggered Life

It is the tendency of most people to want to surround themselves with friends who lift each other up. I'm not any different. As I go through each day I find myself drawn to those that engage in a lifestyle of encouragement. It sustains me. It is God encouraging me through those people. It is my heart's desire to be that person to others as well. My life is not my own. It is God's. I am to be an extension of His love and encouragement. I am reminded in my relationships that I have choices to make everyday. I choose if I'm going to surround myself with those who lift up or those who tear down. I choose if I'm going to press forward or if I'm going to sit and sulk. I choose if I'm going to live in self motivation or if I'm going to focus on others. I choose if I'm going to make Christ my Master or if I'm going to allow circumstances to rule my thoughts. I'm on a journey to be cheerful no matter what. When I choose to have dialog with God in every area of my life I've found that it really does make it possible to live in a cheerful and encouraging manner. He gives me the hope I need no matter what.

I've been praying a lot about some very specific areas in my life lately. I'm excited that I have the promise that God will make everything holy and whole. I know His plan is perfect. I'm refreshed with the people He's put in my life to encourage me in this. I see those in my life now doing amazing things for His glory. I'm encouraged by the selflessness. As I strive to seek Him more the "freeloaders" are finding their ways out of my life making room for the ones who truly need to know His love. The exhausted, the ones who need to be pulled to their feet... the stragglers. The ones who come with nothing and end up with everything as they find their way towards the One who completes us. It is those who are new in their walk with Christ that teach me the most at times. I'm affected by the change, the love, the hope, the journey. I'm challenged by the selflessness. The reflection of God in their lives is like food for my soul. It spurs me on to choose the things that really matter in my life. It releases me from my "freeloader" mentality. The attitude of how everything revolves around me. The attitude of "I've done this... I deserve this." The reminder is clear when I look into the eyes of my friends who have found Christ in circumstances I don't really know if I could have handled in my own life. I've done nothing and I deserve nothing. It is only by God's barbaric grace that I have everything I could possibly ever want or need. This is the encouragement. This is the hope.

My heart is full of gratitude. It beats for those who have a lifestyle of encouragement. It pushes me to encourage as well. My grateful heart presses me to come along side those who are seeking hope. I know the way of hope because I live in that hope. We are the vessels God uses to show others His light. I breathe my next breath living a triggered life. Triggered by the death and ressurection of Jesus. Triggered by His love for me. This life I have is not about MY pain, MY sufferings, MY desires, MY knowledge, MY works, MY whatever. It is about MY God and MY influence for Him to OTHERS. I must choose today to use my influence to be an encouragement. I also want to thank you for yours. No one must be left out. No one left behind.

1 Thessolonians 5:4-24
4 -8But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

9 -11God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him! So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you're already doing this; just keep on doing it.

12 -13And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!

13 -15Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.

16 -18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

19 -22Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.

23 -24May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

My Two Dudes

I just thought I'd share my new favorite picture. These are the two men in my life. My handsome hubby Darrell and his little protege Hayden (my nephew). Matching hair, jackets and so on! Love it!

Read it... Loved it.... Had to Share it

I was reading an article today in RELEVANT LEADER magazine by Jim Palmer. I loved it so much I read an excerpt from it again to a friend. We discussed it and had a great conversation. So now I want to share the excerpt with you.

"Who is our Creator? God. Who is God? God is spirit. Therefore, I am more than just my physical biology; I am also a spiritual being. Who is God? God is Love. This means far more than God simply choosing at times to offer Love or act in Loving ways. God's Love is not a spigot that He turns on and off, depending upon conditions, circumstances or how good you are. God is Love, which means that at every moment God's Love flows and is available to all people, all the time, everywhere, without condition. All that's left is to remove the blocks to the awareness of Love's presence; Love is our natural inheritance as people made in the image of God.
Many people don't feel God's Love for them inside, and see very little Love in the world. A person's present life situation may include being surrounded by people who continually express judgment and rejection. Then they come to church, and feel like they get more of the same. Churches are filled with people who hate themselves and are convinced God does too.
What if we started telling people they are Love, as images of God? Sure, we might not Love at times, but our behavior and attitudes don't create our identity; rather, our identity creates our behavior and attitudes. Whoever a man thinks he is determines what he says and does. If God is Love and I am His creation, then I am Love. If I am Love, then I must do what Love would do. Be Love. This is how Jesus lived, and what it means to be His disciple."

Just thought I'd share.

Lessons I've Learned on Love

Love abounds in the subtle gestures
It reveals itself in the extravagant outpourings
Love requires growth and demands truth
It conquers an insurmountable task
Yet flourishes in the routine

Love examines motive while extending grace
It is strong, needy, painful, joyous intertwined in a meticulous balance
Love encourages stability and relishes in the spontaneous
It delights in victory and conquers defeat

Love grounds itself in faith
While nurturing itself in community
Love accomplishes what is promised
It leaves no room for gray

Love barters pain for peace
Love fights with an unbridled passion
Silently screaming
Love multiplies through a smile
It overcomes with action

Love shields and protects
It welcomes with extended arms

Love shifts a mood
It calms the emotional twitch
It generously forgives and acknowledges the best
Love reveals the heart and directs the soul

Love is a calling.
Love is a movement.
Love is a choice.
Love is a lifestyle.

God is Love.
Love God. Love others.
Love never fails.

What I've Done

I'm forgiving what I've done.
Now what will I do?
Deuteronomy 15:10
Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors

Don't Walk By

Please join me in prayer for Uganda.
For the children. For peace. Love demands that we make ourselves aware - let us really SEE their suffering, and then not just see and do nothing. We can pray now, and act when the opportunity arises...and it will arise.

Pray.
Educate yourself. (To learn more click HERE).
Prepare to do what you can.

Love demands it.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." ~ Jim Elliot, Christian Martyr

Peace.

Glossy Images

More and more I'm realizing that there is one huge danger that sticks out in my mind that relates to people who have been Christians a while. I have been guilty of it myself. I'm challenged by it everyday. I'll tell you what I think it is later but first I want to share a story with you.

There is this girl I know. She's the outgoing, up for anything, always wanting to make others happy type. Despite her joy she lives with a continuous sorrow. You see, the joy she has now comes from her faith in Christ but there is a life before that faith. The sorrow comes from those in her life who haven't experienced the same joy she has yet. Allow me to elaborate.

My friend grew up in a home where she knew both of her parents loved her. She also knew that her dad was an alcoholic. Because of the addiction in his life her dad was incapable of being the husband and father he needed to be. She knew of his late nights out, or nights away. She knew of his infidelities and flirtations. She knew... and what she knew hurt. She longed for him to have the faith in Christ he spoke of in church with his Sunday School class or as a deacon. She longed for him to cry out to God the way she saw her mother do it. She longed, and she prayed, and she screamed, and she cried. The message he spoke of with his mouth he knew in his mind but it had no meaning in his heart. This was all very confusing to my friend. Her dad was very harsh and critical towards other "sinners." Harshest to the ones who dealt with the sins he loathed secretly in himself. She didn't understand why he was so aggressive towards others when he was tearing her family apart with his actions. My friend dealt with huge insecurities because of this. Mostly with guys and trust. Her trust was broken again and again and again with guys in her life as she grew older. But God had plans for her. He pulled her from a life that could have ended in pain and destruction and set her on a path of genuinely knowing Him. She met the one, true God. The one her mother cried and clung to. Not the image of Him painted with empty words and fruitless actions. God now continues to place people in her life that have similar struggles. She prays that God will use her life to affect others. My friend still prays for her dad. She still cries out to God for Him. She still has a place of grieving for him. But she has hope.

My friend... is me.

The danger that we face as Christ followers is forgetting what God saved us from. We should not dwell in our pasts but we must learn from it. It is very safe to surround ourselves with people who look like us, talk like us, and act like us but that is not what Jesus did. Jesus was perfect... who would he have hung out with when he came to earth? He was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners. That bears repeating. Jesus was purposeful in being a friend to the sinners.

It is so easy to criticize others. Usually the things we criticize the most are the things we struggle with in ourselves. I do it. I violently twitch inside when someone does something around me that I know I deal with in myself. I want to remember the things Christ has accomplished in me. I need to be reminded of His grace. If I forget the grace He's shown me then how can I be willing to tell others about it? If I forget His grace then how can I extend it to others? I don't want to live a life of glossy images and rose colored scenarios. God allowed me to face the trials in my life to glorify Him. I want my life to be a real example... not a fairy tale version of whatever I make it out to be. I love when my sister says, "don't be a stoner." I don't want to throw the stones of inadequacy at someone because they sure hurt when they are thrown at me. I ask God to never let me forget grace because people's lives are too valuable. My daddy's life is too valuable.

Ephesians 2
7 -10Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Don't Call Me A Christian- Revisited

*Darrell and I met with our college home team tonight. We are going through the book "Blue Like Jazz." I read this book a while ago and it quickly became my favorite read. If you haven't read it I strongly suggest it. We discussed Chapter 11 tonight and it reminded me of my very first blog. Chapter 11 challenged my thought of "being IN the world and not of it." We must not shelter ourselves. A lot of "religious" Christians hide behind this verse by only emphasizing the part of not being of the world. We have a responsibility as Christ followers though to be very relevant IN this world. I'm reposting my first blog tonight because I'm in a constant state of feeling the things I write about in it. Those feelings hit me hard again tonight.

When I think about what it means now to be called a "Christian" I get knots in my stomach. I have no shame in lining myself up with Jesus Christ but it hurts me to align myself with those that say they represent Him and show no love to those who are different than them. I've grown up in church all my life and have seen hundreds upon thousands of Christians who know a lot but don't show a lot. I would be a liar if I said that was never me. Growing up I took a lot of pride in being a "good girl." I followed all the rules that were indoctrinated into me. Regardless of all my deeds I had a dead faith. I looked upon those who were different as messed up or corrupt. I needed Jesus to resurrect Himself in my life again. I was the so-called Christian like the church in Galatians. The one enslaved by law forgetting about my freedom in Christ. God is a God of change yet He always stays the same. The change He is doing is within me.

I have a friend of mine that just gave her life to the Lord. I'm quite emotional about it. I truly think it is the first time that God has intentionally placed me in someone's life and I layed my pride aside. God used her in my life to teach me a lesson and bless me through her newfound faith. My interactions with her and my prayers for her were not based on another notch in my evangelism belt but out of a deep need to show love again. Love that saved me from bitterness and anger. Love that saved me from mediocrity and hypocricy. That is not to say that I am not mediocre or hypocritical at times. I am... I am human, but through Christ I am made whole and perfect. He purges the impurities in my life and actually uses my weaknesses to show His strengths. If he can change a jaded Christian and turn them into a loving Christ follower, then He can truly save anyone. 99% of the time it is the "Christian" that shows the least amount of love in this world. We need change more than those we consider the greatest offenders because we represent Him... and what a poor representation of the love of God we have shown.

Let me finish by saying this. How can we say that we love God and not truly love others? I've read this so much I've memorized it. It is so engrained that I could rattle it off to the point of it having little or no meaning. Let it mean something. 1 Corinthians 13:1-7&13 "If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God's secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn't love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it, but if I didn't love others, I would have gained nothing. LOVE IS PATIENT AND KIND. LOVE IS NOT JEALOUS OR BOASTFUL OR PROUD OR RUDE. IT DOES DEMAND IT'S OWN WAY. IT IS NOT IRRITABLE, AND IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF BEING WRONGED. IT DOES NOT REJOICE ABOUT INJUSTICE BUT REJOICES WHENEVER THE TRUTH WINS OUT. LOVE NEVER GIVES UP, NEVER LOSES FAITH, IS ALWAYS HOPEFUL, AND ENDURES THROUGH EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love."

A Fight for Love!

I think it's fitting to write about social issues today. In part, in honor of my friend Leigh Ann's birthday. I love Leigh Ann's raw honesty and humor, but lately I have been amazed and challenged by her heart. She is someone who I can honestly say has fought her traditional views of Christianity, God and the church - even to the point of sacrifice. She has been honest in her struggles and transparent in her questioning of the true mission of Christ. She is developing a real sense of being "others focused", and it is a beautiful transformation. Happy birthday, Leigh Ann. You challenge me and make me laugh. Thanks. You rock, and love does win. Peace.

I don't desire that my blog be a place for political commentary.

And if I were going to discuss politics, I more than likely wouldn't be in the same camp with a President from Columbia University.

But, today, I am in agreement - because after all, the Columbia President (Lee Bollinger) - who spoke before Iran's President Ahmadinejad - spoke more about freedom and the recognition of evil, than just recycling a bunch of political rhetoric.

His passionate speech was about the triumph of good over evil. It was about vigilantly holding brutal tyranny accountable for human suffering. It was about freedom and truth.

These are to be the ideals of the church, but one rarely hears these things from the evangelical pulpit. Why?

Why do we seem afraid to have discourse about issues of social justice? Is it not in the heart of God to "plead the case of the oppressed"? Are we terrified of being labeled "liberal" or worse?

It's a difficult path for the Christ-follower to travel. To marry an evangelical passion for each person's soul and eternity with a passion to meet the practical and social needs of the down-trodden. It is difficult, but following Christ demands that we try, even to the point of sacrifice.

Are we too afraid of labels or misunderstanding to be proactive...or just too lazy?

This speech today, from someone with whom I would most likely be on the polar opposite end of the political spectrum, reminded me of the things going on around the world that I am likely to forget in my comfortable, suburban, American existence. It reminded me of what the absence of love...of God can cause.

So, how do we fight brutality and evil - with love. And love demands action. The action of love is powerful, but it should be because it is of God. God is love, and if we are about the things of God, then we are about love.

Love hears, sees and demands action, and the best part is...LOVE WINS.

But, we do have to get in the game.

Peace.

The Day the World Changed

It is unbelievable to me that it has been six years since the tragedy of 9/11. It is one of those days that is imprinted on my heart and mind for life. I remember exactly where I was when I found out about the first World Trade Center being attacked. In my safe, naive, American world I knew it had to have been an accident... and then the other building... gone. My image that I had held onto my whole life of a secure, idealistic, United States changed in an instant. I never knew of such hate before. I had lived almost a quarter of a century on that day and I had never once thought about terrorism. HUGE reality check. This was a pure moment. A moment where I truly had to think about others before myself. I always thought I was socially aware and conscious of others but we live in a nation of privilege and security. Our security had been threatened and there was a loss and grief beyond the comprehension of words or feelings... so what happened next?

The thing that compels me most when I remember the circumstances surrounding 9/11 is the unity and LOVE that brought all of us together. In an instant we all came together as Americans and just loved one another. As I watched the continuing coverage on the news I grieved with those who lost loved ones, I prayed for the heroes and leaders in charge, I loved and I watched everyone else love. I saw every backgroud come together and lift each other up. We embraced those we never knew. We cried alongside of our neighbor. We all felt the need for each other... no life was taken for granted. I sometimes wonder when the switch flipped back again. When did life just casually slip back to the way it used to be? When did we all start taking life and love for granted again? I am just as guilty of taking these things for granted but I pray that the lessons of 9/11 will remain with me forever. I grieve for the loss of the husband, wives, mothers, sisters, brothers. I pray for our leaders and civic heroes. I just want to love. After all it is only love that will overpower the hate. Love like you mean it and never forget!

Mi Familia Loca

I had the privilege of spending the day with my crazy Colombian family. Darrell and I went over to my uncle's house for a Labor Day barbecue and we had a great time. Let me take you there.
Setting: My uncle and aunt's house with a newly broken A/C. We hung out in their new sun porch though. It overlooks the lake in their backyard so it was breezy and beautiful.
In Attendance: Five out of six of my mother's siblings, their spouses, and children. Darrell, myself, my mother-in-law, my sisters Brittney and Cassie, Brittney's boyfriend Eric, my nephew Hayden, my grandmother and some friends of my aunt and uncle with their child as well, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Food: Hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, and veggie burgers (I have a large vegan/vegetarian population within my family... they are converting more and more by each passing year.) We also had salad and baked beans... oh, and cake. Typical barbecue dining.
Ambiance: A lot of joking around and cutting up. Football was discussed on more than one occasion and there were many cuts made on other's teams. I caught up with my cousin Aislinn, who is a senior in high school. I had to get the dish on what's been going down in her life. It's all good. We danced to really, really, really loud salsa, merengue, and pop music. (This is always my favorite part of any family gathering. I love to dance and I love that everyone in my family loves to dance because they all do it so well... I get it from my mama!)
I love my fun family and the time I get to spend with them. It seems like we only get together with my extended family on the major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. I'm thankful for the bonus family day today!

Hangin' with My Herd

Byron and I have two "Barrys" in our lives: Barry Leathers (C3 Executive Pastor, and he and Amanda are some of our closest friends), and Barry Oser (Kayleigh's boyfriend and "like a son" to us). Ironically, both of them posted the same YouTube video around the same period of time, and had a similar take on it. You can check out their blogs about this video here and here.

Of course this video was moving to me - and I draw my own analogies from it as well. It just depends on the day as to which "character" I identify with the most. Many days, I can relate to the baby water buffalo: the enemy will try to "pick me off", isolate me from sources of protection, strength and encouragement, and pull me to pieces. Other days, I feel like the powerful buffalo that knocks the crouching lions into the air and won't back down no matter what comes (these days are more rare).

Then some days, I can identify best with the on-lookers who watch in helpless horror as the scene unfolds - knowing that the lions are behaving like lions - with their cunning ability to sense weakness and attack when you're at your weakest point, and the crocodiles are doing the same - looking out for their own appetites - not making the initial attack, but wanting to benefit from the struggle.

One of the most profound aspects of this video, for me, was the fact that the herd of buffalo never give up on the baby - even when it seems certain that there was no hope of survival - even when all seems lost, they won't leave the fallen one behind. They seem to understand that they are only as strong as their weakest "member" - and if they don't fight back, they will lose more and more of themselves to the enemy.

Of course, we can relate to this: as Christ-followers, in the ministry, as members of a unique community of faith like C3 Church...

We have to "have each other's backs"; otherwise, we can be picked-off, torn to pieces, and left for dead spiritually, emotionally and in all the important areas of life. I thank God that Byron and I KNOW that there are other honkin' "buffalo" in our lives that come hell or high water, have our backs - often at great personal sacrifice.

We are the buffalo - and we're not going to give up the fight until all the people who have felt disenfranchised by the church, outside of the grace of God, and disillusioned by "religion" hear that they've not been left...the herd is coming and the "lions" and "crocs" will have to have their appetites for destruction filled another day. The herd is circling...FAIR WARNING.

Love is the movement - Peace out.

I love my man

Happy anniversary honey! I have the best hubby ever! I'm so blessed!

Love Notes,

Byron sent me an "iCard" - I guess he knows it's the best way to communicate with me, lately, since the computer is one of my new obsessions...my little dog is the other. Hence, the card...

I thought it was sooo cute. Speaking of Byron, he was my "muse" in my last blog. He's my "Renaissance Man", and I really do love him more than my sweet little Sugar Boy!

By the way, I wrote my latest "blonde antithesis" blog at "Cuppy's Coffee" on Lee Vista , where I was treated wonderfully, enjoyed a lovely latte called Mocha Bianca, and also had FREE wireless internet access. Awesome!

Peace...and love!