(l-r)  Allison, Bailey, Katie, Kyle, Joey, Lois, Rachel, Brooke (Lois’ best friend) and Hannah

And they sang a capella – the way I learned to sing.  In fact, the congregation sang “Trust and Obey,” which – when I was a child – we sang every week at the start of Sunday School.  Not that my long-suffering teachers would have thought it made much of an impression on me.

I’m going to be humming all day……

I have been promised Mother’s Day lunch cooked on his Egg, encased in its new nifty concrete table/holder/base/thingy.

I am suffering through a really nasty. feverish, hacking-my-brains out cold.  So I blame the germs surging through my body for making me think of this video which Lois has played for our enjoyment countless times:

The Korean Egg Song - Music to Sneeze By

Enjoy.  Both Keith.  And the music.

Back to my Kleenex.

Julia’s practicing paid off – she joined her Shearer Hills Baptist Church choir buddies this morning leading us in worship.  Purely coincidence – Amazing Love played on K-Love yesterday morning on our way to the grocery store, so we belted it out in a trio with Chris Tomlin.   I get to listen to K-love again since I finished the Faith by Hearing New Testament series.  And in case you were wondering – Revelation sounds even more strangely than it reads.

Every few years, our church produces the Living Last Supper – a dramatic reenactment of the final Passover meal with Jesus and his disciples.  For the third time – Keith is portraying Peter, the big fisherman.  The disciples were, of course, really….ummmmm….young guys.  So it was suggested to Keith – perhaps a little cosmetology would be in order?  Maybe give a nodding acquaintance to Miss Clairol?

The Stylist Formerly Known as Rachel first pinned his brown and silver locks so the color could be evenly applied.  He’s not had a haircut in three months, so he has hair’o'plenty.

“There is no such thing as natural beauty.”  Truvy Jones

His middle name is now “Harley.”

Living Last Supper

Thursday and Friday

April 1 & 2, 2010

Tickets Free But Required – Ping Me, I Have Some

Shearer Hills Baptist Church

So here goes – tuning to Channel Glad now…..

The sad news from a Sea World last week made me glad Shamu didn’t see us as bathtub toys in 1998.  Though maybe Rachel had a few doubts at the time.

I know many friends really enjoy the Olympics – more power to you.  But personally – I’m glad they’re soon to be over.  They’re preempting “The Office,”  and that’s a show the girls and I watch together.  The last time I watched the Olympics was the 1972 night the Russians stole the basketball game via repeated do-overs.  I vowed I’d never watch again – and forgiving soul that I am – I haven’t.   U-verse – btw – has had a terrific application for the Olympics.

My continuing rancor at that travesty of a game is kind of funny since my favorite basketball player now is Russian.

There is little that makes me more glad than to hear my girls sing.  Tonight was Hannah’s pre-UIL concert.  That’s her – top row, far left.

“Walking in Jerusalem” really made me smile.  I just finished the book of John in “Faith by Hearing” yesterday.  I wonder about John.  What made him so beloved?

About two years ago, Julia caught a snippet of “Ben Hur” on TV and has pestered me ever since about seeing the whole movie.  “Mom, when are we going to watch that Jesus movie?”  I really didn’t think she was ready for it until recently.  I bought it last week (if I’d just waited one more week, I could have recorded it for free on U-verse – sigh.)   She and I are watching 30 – 45 minutes every few days.  Well, we probably watch 30 minutes, and have 15 minutes of questions.  She’s gotten the concept down – Judah Ben-Hur was a man whose life intersected with Jesus’ at different times, but Judah didn’t know who Jesus really was in those early meetings.  Last night, she told me, “Mom, that’s like us.  Everybody knows Jesus’ name but they don’t know who he really is.”   I was very glad to hear her say that.

From sad and mad to glad. 

Thanks, Mom.  I’m feeling better already.

Julia is sitting next to me right this minute, practicing the songs her choir plans to sing Palm Sunday.  This is her “I’m paying attention” face – because she is.  She takes her responsibilities seriously.

We met Julia four years ago today. She spoke - and sang - in Russian.   She didn’t know “family” and certainly not us personally.  She had no idea how long we had prepared, prayed, wept, saved, reorganized and planned to get her here, knowing God’s hand was it (but wanting human hands to move a whole lot faster.)  She had to leave everyone and everything she knew to leap into the unknown.   I believe her walking out of Children’s Home #47 with us was the single bravest act I’ve ever seen committed – anywhere at any time by anyone.

On Palm Sunday, she’ll led us in worship – in English.  And instead of her following us – we’ll follow her.

Just a moment ago, she began singing Chris Tomlin’s, “How Great Is Our God.”

How great is our God

Sing with me

How great is our God

And all will see

How great

How great

Is our God.

That’s right, Julia.

Get us ready for Easter.

I love Christmas music.  In fact – In 1994, Keith convinced me to abandon over-the-air TV for DISH because of its holiday music channel.  Pretty funny, since we both work on U-verse now.

Lois is top row, second from the right.  She was 15th chair region choir alto for Southeast Texas this year, too.

Tomorrow, it’s the children’s and youth choir at church leading worship.  And Monday night – Hannah in the Bush Middle School choir.

Gotta get my clapping hands ready!

Kanye West says it’s way better than that silly thang of  Beyonce’s.

But my latest Kodak  – a 2005 5.0 MP 7590 – has been sputtering with its shuttering for several weeks – slow and hard to focus, turning off by itself, etc.   I knew I needed a new camera, but didn’t want to spend the money on a new one, or take the time to learn it.

Keith removed the decision from my shooting finger by surprising me with a new camera for our anniversary.  A Nikon!  An SLR!  With a fabulous 18 – 105 lens (be still my heart!)  But dang – the thing has an instruction book an inch thick (literally).  I can barely squeeze in my 20 minutes of bus reading every day.   When exactly was I going to find the time to ingest the college course necessary to use the sucker?   I confess:  The thought exhausted me.  So the poor thing sat on my dresser – alone, unused, unloved – for more than a week.

Tonight was “Harvest Festival” at church – a pitch-in dinner followed by a fantastic choral program.  I hadn’t planned on taking pictures, but our music minister – whom I adore – seemed disappointed when he asked me if I’d brought my camera.  So Keith bolted his dinner, then raced home to get my camera.  My new camera.  My new Nikon.  Which I literally had not touched, for fear of the massive learning curve required.

It was time for some on-the-job training. Ten minutes’ worth before the program began.  No pressure.

The full choir and orchestra, from the back of the church.  Mono pod on a pew chair using the wide-angle 18 setting.  It felt so, so good to be twisting an SLR lens again.

Buds in the choir.  Mono pod.  Telephoto (105) lens setting.

After the service – Hannah carrying Samaritan’s Purse boxes for crating.  Our church is one of two San Antonio collection centers.  Hand-held; mid-range.

We crated about 1400 boxes Wednesday night.  There were probably 1000 more to crate tonight.  Need a ceiling-bouncing flash to illuminate the distant people.  I’ll have to get that figured out.

I confess:  As busy as the next few weeks will be, my Nikon would probably have sat unused on my dresser until after the holidays.  But as it is – I had to use it tonight, so…..

Thanks, Phil for motivating me.

Lois is getting her wisdom teeth out tomorrow.  I’ll have some reading time as I wait.

I confess – I’m thinking there’s a manual I need to read.

Confession is good for the soul, doncha know?

All I can say is – I have the world’s most generous friends, without a doubt.

So stay tuned for box count announcement.

In the meantime – we indulged in a “station break” at the Region 12 Choir Concert in which Hannah performed as 11th chair Alto.  She’s the (spunky) brunette in the very top row, 7th from the right.   She and her fellow Bush Middle School 8th grade girls’ choir members wore black formals, of which there were a disproportionate number peppered among the students representing 37 South Texas schools.

Listen to the sound of my voice

Can you hear the beat of my heart

Listen to the questions I have

Listen to me

It’s all very simple to see what we need

Give us hope

We’ll never hear the voices of the kids that receive shoe boxes.  We’ll never hug them and hear their hearts beat, or ponder their questions.

But maybe.

Just maybe.

We can give a little hope.

If you helped in any way with shoe boxes this year, know that you have that shared that hope.  You’ll never get a thank-you note, or something colorful to tack up on your fridge.  No swollen-bellied mother is going to stand behind her ragged child,  point directly at you and hiss, “Now you go say ‘thank you.’”   Nobody is going to pat you on the back at church.  There may be only One who knows what you’ve done – how you’ve practiced true religion.

We are the future

Help us believe

Give us hope

And we’ll show you the way.