I'm a thief, too.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -- Marianne Williamson


Thanks, Shelia.

Let's reminisce...

So it's a couple days past the one-month marker since my trip down to New Orleans.




Time to take a look back...



Top Five Silly Things Learned in NO:
01. Coloring books and two-sided jumbo crayons aren't just for first-graders.
02. Breaking into dance when the impulse comes is a quick way to spread joy.
03. "Jesus sandals"+leather wristbands=Instant youth pastor.
04. Never go on a ten hour car trip with a driver whose bladder can't hold out over an hour.
05. Singing loudly to 90s boy band hits isn't just for girls.



Top Five Serious Things Learned in NO:
01. When you begin to grasp the Church as the Bride of Christ, things become clearer.
02. A broken, honest Body is more effective than a broken Body with perma-grin and "I'm fine" written on its forehead.
03. You can't expect to pour out love if you can't receive love from your Father first.
04. Sometimes all people need is a good laugh coupled with a genuine smile.
05. Warfare is real. But Christ allows us to claim victory.



Now, here's to the beautiful city and beautiful people of New Orleans. It's time to see this ravaged bride return to the loving arms of her Groom.



(Thanks Amberly, for the idea behind this one--and thanks Em, for the trip pictures.)

April Showers.

There's something about spring showers that just brings joy into my life.

(Now, I love rain. I was born and grew up in Oregon...and you can't live in Oregon without at least a tolerance for rain...)

But there are a few distinctive traits to these mini-storms that just appeal to me: They are so abrupt. They creep up on you with little or no warning, do their thing and then vanish as quickly as they appeared. They make a rebirth of life possible in plants. They scream, "Come dance and sing in me!" and when they leave, their puddles whisper, "Come, jump in me." They make me want to open my windows afterward so I can take in the, for lack of better word, "natural" smell.

And, they always come when I need them to.

Because, along with a day's break from allergies, spring showers offer up a blank slate. They wash everything away, and only leave room for growth. Still, at least to me, there's something even more exciting about spring showers...

See, after a spring shower, the sun comes out. And I believe that whenever the rain and sun exchange duty, even if I can't see it, there's a rainbow somewhere.

And rainbows remind me of promises. Mostly because of the main rainbow story I know and the promise the rainbow embodied for Noah...

But thinking about these promises never fails to stop me dead in my tracks, if only for a second. I stop to listen to what promise today's shower brought me...and when I quiet my mind and heart, I get an answer. Whether in the form of a verse, a conversation, a hug, a text message or a new realization, refreshment comes--and it's always just as life-giving as the spring rain.