http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izryvi1NUZ0

 

This is my kids in action. For the last few months they've been creating videos to use with youth group.

The theme is "Amnesia Guy." And Nathan (my youngest) plays someone who has amnesia. The others have to tell him who he is: You are Loved, You are Forgiven, You are Bold ... etc. This is the video they came up with for Your Are Bold. Leslie (my girl) is the star with Nathan. Cory (my oldest) wrote, directed, and produced it. Enjoy!

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Today my son Cory is graduating from High School. He did it! And as a homeschooling mom ... I did it!

Congratulations Cory. We love you!!!

Joshua 1:9 ...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you. ~Author Unknown"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving." ~Oliver Wendall Holmes



"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." ~Judy Garland



"What we are, is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." - Eleanor Powell




Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. ~Albert Einstein




Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (NIV)


Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)



Psalm 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD; You are my trust from my youth. (NKJV)


1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. (NLT)


Psalm 119:9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. (NIV)



"Whatever you are, be a good one." ~Abraham Lincoln

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My kids are VERY creative. Being homeschooled, they usually had 2-3 hours of school work and the rest of the time they goofed off ... or entertained themselves. Creativity is the result. They write songs, write stories, read, and do video productions ... just for fun.

Also, they've recently "taken over" their youth group's drama department. This week Cory, Leslie, and Nathan are doing a skit on the theme "I am Bold." Nathan (14) has amnesia and he is very timid. The other two tell me that he's actually an accomplished and well-known person, and they enourage him to Be Bold.

The point of the message, of course, is to remind us who we are in Christ. Sometimes we forget.
Okay, most of the time we forget.

Anyway, here are a few of the illustrations the kids came up to to prove Nathan's success. I thought they were great!






Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

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I couldn't believe it. On Day Two I crashed at 9:30 p.m. Of course this means I woke up by 3:30 a.m on Day Three! After a nice quiet time with God I went back to sleep ... a little too hard. The wake up call woke me up for about .02 seconds. Then I fell back asleep. I woke up at 6:45 and realized I was meeting Lori Raschke, my friend from Moody for breakfast. I got ready FAST. We met at Panera Bread Co, and Lori showed me her wedding photos which were amazing, and I actually cried when I looked at them. She was such a beautiful bride! We chatted for a while and then I BEGGED Lori to drive me up to Moody in my rental car. Chicago drivers are crazy. I mean CRAZY!!! Lori gave in.

Lori was kind enough to go with me as I checked out of the Blake Hotel and then we drove up to the Moody Publishers Building. I was happily surprised to see Andy McGuire and Randall Payleitner there. We chatted for a few minutes and then Lori walked me over to the Moody WMBI building (across the street) where I was due to tape an hour-long show of Moody Mid-Day Connection. (Oh, I have to mention that my car radio was set to WMBI the whole time I was in Chicago. I love that station!)

When I got there I discovered the host of the show was actually in the Wheaton office, so I still didn't get to see her face to face. Instead they set me up ALONE in a radio room. I had my headset, my mic, and all these fancy buttons. My favorite button was the "Cough" button. I actually used it, too, when I wanted to clear my throat! Still, even though the host wasn't present the interview went great. (Okay, I wasn't really alone because right across the hall through another window was the producer and audio guy ... who were both Gen Xers. And they were really nice, too!) You can listen yourself on June 16th at Moody Mid-Day Connection!

After I finished with the interview I went to the LifeWay Bookstore which was right around the corner. I bought three new CDs I've been wanting. (They were on sale!) I also bought some little gifts for the kids.

Next, the plan was to meet up with Kristen Anderson at 4:00 p.m. I still had a few hours before that. What to do? What to do? I found the nearest Starbucks, got some coffee, and worked on editing the novel I'm co-writing with Mike Yorkey. The title is The Swiss Courier and it's due in September. It's a great novel ... if I say so myself!

The minutes ticked by and I got a call from Kristen that she was in town. We met up and she joined me on a drive down to South Bend Indiana. Kristen is an amazing young women whose story I'm writing. We worked on the drive there ... but only after getting some yummy pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. (I've eaten at CPK twice in three weeks, once in San Diego and once in Chicago!)

Kristen recorded her part of the story for me as I drove. I'll use that tape later as I work on her chapters. And we only got lost ONCE finding the hotel. (Yes, that makes three for three for WRONG directions from MapQuest.) Thankfully, each time I got lost I had a friendly hotel employee who guided me in. Thank goodness for cell phones!

Kristen and I chatted, and then I conked out. She had A PAPER due for school and she was up to at least 3:00 a.m. (I woke up briefly and noted the clock.) I knew I was tired because the light and the clicking of her fingers on the keyboard didn't bother me one bit.

South Bend, Day Four

I woke up the next day and got ready as quietly as possible since Kristen was still sleeping. Then I caught the shuttle to the Harvest Show. I was a little early so I waited in the green room. Then, the makeup lady put some powder on my face ... no overhaul of makeup needed! The second guest, Melanie Wells, showed up and we were led to the back of the studio. We sat behind the scenes as the rest of the show--mostly news--was being taped and broadcasted LIVE.

Here I am in the Green Room at the Harvest Show.

Finally, it was my turn to go on. The hosts were fun to talk to and I had a great time talking about Generation NeXt Parenting. If you would like to see the show, you can go here: https://harvest-tv.com/video/dsp_playshow.cfm?showid=177

My segment is at: 23:20

After the show I headed back to the hotel, and Kristen and I headed out. We went to lunch at a fast-food Italian Restaurant. A first for me!!! We also finished editing the first two chapters of her book that I'm writing. Yeah! It felt good to accomplish that.

Then it came time to drive back to Chicago. Kristen and I chatted and the time flew. Way too soon I was dropping Kristen off. She to finish her paper, and me to take my rental car back and check into my hotel. (Easier said than done!) I was lucky enough to experience rush hour traffic in Chicago. It took me 1.25 hours to go 16 miles!!! After checking into my hotel, returning my rental car, catching a shuttle to the airport, and then a shuttle back to my hotel I am finally here and settling in. It's only 7:43, but I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow I'm flying home to see my family. I can't wait. What a week!

And don't forget about the fun meme for the A Whisper of Freedom blog tour! I love reading your answers. FUN!

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...

I'll be announcing the contest winners on Thursday!

Stop Lurking! Every week I will draw names for a free Tricia Goyer book from those who comment on my blogs. Winner's choice! Tell your friends.

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I was just a few minutes late to the TLN building where I was to tape an interview with Aspiring Women. I need to remind myself that Chicago is not Montana. I cannot go two miles in two minutes here like I can back home.

I got to the building and was met by the amazing producer Pam. After waiting a few minutes in the green room, I was ushered in for makeup. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to do my own makeup, so the makeup lady had to wipe mine off. Then she airbrushed my face, redid my eyes and put dramatic lipstick on my lips. I know that more makeup is needed for the bright lights, so I didn't mind. (It was THICK though.)

After that, I was ushered into a studio and was interviewed by Shirley Rose. I'd met Shirley before and she's wonderful. She immediately put me at ease. We mostly talked about my teen pregnancy, abortion, the beginning of Hope Pregnancy Center, etc. We talked a little about Generation Xers. And before I knew it the interview was over--which was a good thing since I was getting hot under those bright lights.

After that we taped some B-roll. I don't know what this stands for, but basically it's filler for when I'm talking during the TV spot. For the b-roll I walked along a wooded trail, looking contemplative. I sat on a log, fiddled with my wedding ring, stood by a pond, smiled as I stared into the sky, etc. Then, later when they produce the show, they will have those images while I'm telling my story. I felt like a star: "Look to the sky. Lift your face. Brush your hair behind your ear."

Also, I was taped in some guy's office as I worked on his desk. It was a huge, immaculate office and I had to laugh. That is NOT what my office looks like. Pam also went around the building and gathered up six women to be in my "post-abortion" Bible study group. I'd never met these women before, but they did a great job "acting" like we were bonded by what we shared.

The show will be produced sometime in the fall ... or maybe next spring. I'll let you know! Personally, I was amazed by what a complex shooting it was. But the people at TLN are wonderful!

After that I drove from Aurora to Chicago. I am sure that God helped me pick my hotel, because I only had to make three turns and I was there! I almost pulled out in front of someone once, and came close to clipping a guy who was crossing the street ... not bad for my first downtown Chicago driving experience!!!

After talking on my cell phone to a few Chicago friends, I met two other friends for dinner. Kendra and Ashley Smiley are amazing and we had fun talking books and ideas!!

Finally, around 9:00 p.m. I returned to my hotel and crashed. I couldn't believe how tired I was. It was a full, happy, busy day. I survived!



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Thoughts on Home, Family, and God from the middle of Suburbia!

Before 1999, I didn’t think much about heaven. It was out there somewhere, beautiful and wonderful I was sure.

Thinking of it, reminded me of food. (Like everything else reminds me of food, too.) Although meat always smells good when you pass a barbecue, grilling up dinner, if you’re not hungry, has no draw. But the hungrier you are, the more interest you have in what’s under the cover of that grill. And it wasn’t until death met our home that I became hungry for heaven.

It all started when my husband and I moved 1,000 miles from California to Montana. I had one main concern, and that was leaving my aging grandparents behind. A few years after we’d moved, the news I’d dreaded came. My grandfather was dying of cancer and he didn’t have long to live.

The thing that surprised my extended family the most was his desire to spend his last days in Montana. So over Christmas break, my husband and I drove through a blizzard, packed my grandparents up, and moved them to our home.

My grandpa seemed fine at first. Sure, he was a little slower than normal but that was to be expected. Then the weeks and months passed, and the weaker he became the more I started thinking about our eternal home.

I had listened to songs about heaven and read about it in the Bible, and while it was interesting, when you’re in that situation it’s about as filling to your soul as reading a cookbook or watching to a cooking show when your hungry.

Never having lost a close family member before, I had a hundred ideas of how I thought I’d deal with things, but none of them were right.

After four months living with us, my grandfather was bedridden. My grandmother and I would spend time in his room reading Scripture verses and praying with him.

Then, one day the idea of heaven heightened. I was reading aloud to my kids when my grandmother called me into the room. My grandpa was praying with hands lifted. Later he described smelling beautiful scents and seeing white birds and a gentle lion. More than that, he saw his Savior with arms stretched wide.

The next day, my grandfather went into a coma, and while I should have been terribly sad instead my heart nearly burst with joy. Every time I walked into the room it was as if heaven had touched the room with blue electricity. It seemed brighter and filled with the sensations of the brush of angel wings.

I have two final memories of my grandpa’s last waking moments. One was the peace in his eyes, and the other was the kiss he blew my direction. Though unable to speak, he was giving me a final farewell. Or a “see you later” to be exact.

So while I’m not ready for my life to be over today, heaven has great appeal. The small taste of it was enough to last a lifetime, and the reality of it will be a feast that I’m eager to enjoy . . . forever.

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