Kale Salad Marinating for Dinner

Later? A Game of Jacks

What about you?
How are you spending your time between Christmas and New Year’s?

I most prefer working in rooms that have good natural light, so I scoped out the kitchen for possible options. After a quick inspection, I decided to try the top of the microwave, normally tucked under the corner of the dish cabinet. I pulled it out and went to work. The newly acquired height placed the screen at eye level, perfect for reading online.

Not so perfect for anything that required more than a tiny bit of keyboarding. I found myself having to stand on my tip toes to lift my arms above the keyboard. After a while, I retreated to a favored chair in the upstairs Living Room.

This morning I wanted to try something more at arm’s reach. Once again I stood at the counter, this time trying to imagine the perfect keyboarding height. With that in mind, I went in search of something to build a small tower. I was unsuccessful at finding the Amazon box that arrived the other day, but I was undeterred.

What could I use for my own version of a standing desk?

Aha!

My newly constructed, portable standing desk is not much to look at, but it’s certainly affordable and nearly the perfect height for a morning of keyboarding. This option, however, presents the opposite problem of my microwave standing desk.

Now the keyboard is at optimal height, but the screen isn’t. Fortunately, I can type fairly accurately without looking at the keyboard, so when I’m simply typing, I can enjoy watching a flurry of cardinals feast on the berries outside the kitchen window. And use psellcheck spellcheck.

I suppose if you had a traditional computer with separate monitor and keyboard, a standing desk like this might give you the option to elevate the monitor and keep the keyboard at arm’s length.

Maybe one day, we’ll invest in a more permanent “real” solution. For now, I’m content to switch my laptop back and forth, between microwave and stock pot. Or is it stockpot? Spellcheck didn’t catch that.

What about you?
What creative things are you doing in your workspace? In your home? Or both? 

I love that I can record my gifts using my phone, in a way that makes sense. And that I can take pictures of the gifts and share them with others on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.

(Note: due to privacy concerns, I disabled the location settings on photos, which I have done for all photo apps, as a best practice in security.)

And believe me. I need all the practice I can get!

Download in iTunes or for Android.

What about you?
How will you be counting gifts of gratitude this Thanksgiving?

Late last week I spent a couple of days with women (and a few men) at Eagle Eyrie discussing discipleship, huddle, oikos and missional communities. It was truly incredible! I heard about Ordinary Women/Extraordinary God from Jo Saxton and Sally Breen of 3DM. I enjoyed spending time with the women of Rivermont Avenue Baptist Church.

I’m grateful for  Laura McDaniel and  John Chandler, for the many ways they’ve made a positive impact on my life. And how God has granted them and John Upton favor and influence in Virginia and around the world.

I am blessed by the hard work of the WMUV team. And by a husband who held down the fort so that I could be part of something bigger than myself.

What about you?
What gifts might you number today? 

Linking up with Ann today.

Remember the way to
Overcome the enemy

Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. – Revelation 12: 10b-11

A Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the spotless Lamb who poured out His blood for us, while we were still sinners. Use the words of our testimonies, that we may no longer be defeated by the enemy. But instead, let us overcome Satan, who deceives the whole world.

When I’m drowning,
and I’ve forgotten how to swim,
friends and a husband
worth their weight in gold
help me find my water wings.

Sometimes,
without even realizing it.

Linking up with Ann today.

506. Teenage duck-duck-goose, a pile of shoes in the foyer and a family room full of Young Lifers.
507. Missing homework, less than stellar report cards and bootcamp.
512. Safe friendships…
514. Decaf K-cups
517. Flowers from Peter, just because.
524. Sleet on an October afternoon.
526. Heated car seats.
528. An unplanned phone call and the privilege to pray.
530. Date nights that begin with an argument but end with a nap in bed.
532. Friends and a husband who help me find my water wings

What about you?
When have you needed water wings and who helped you find them?

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by Asvensson.

Tonight as I was cleaning up after dinner, I had this sudden urge to take pictures of my refrigerator. Weird, I know. Except a few years ago I saw these cool photos of people’s refrigerators. Then when I was at Laity Lodge, there was a showing of refrigerator/food photos and art at the Cody Center.

So…I grabbed my iPhone in the neon green rubber case and snapped up a few photos.

I figured I might use them for a post for Ann’s Food on Fridays series.

Then the lightbulb came on!

Less than an hour before dinner, I read an email from my friend Vernon Brewer of World Help. He shared a story about a dire situation in Guatemala. You can read Vernon’s post here, but the gist of it is this: To keep Hope of Life feeding station open in Guatemala, World Help must raise $30,000 in 30 days. The center, in operation five days a week, impacts 800 children, 125 single mothers and 10 special needs adults.

In a trash dump.

I don’t have $30,000. I don’t have $1,000. I cannot imagine the extreme poverty many face in Guatemala.

But I figure, there are six of us in our family. We could give $30 ($5 for each family member) towards Hope of Life feeding station, but even that’s just a drop in the bucket. However, if each of you gave $5 for each member of your family, that might make a difference. Especially if you snapped a few pictures of your refrigerator and posted them on your blog, on Facebook or on Twitter and encouraged others to do the same.

What about you?
Will you show me yours? And will you give $5 for each family member?  Hope of Life feeding station in a trash dump? If so, please leave a comment and include a link to your tweet, Facebook note or blog post. 

Would you pray with me? 
Jesus, the One who fed multitudes with only a few loaves and fish, thank you for taking this meager offering and magnifying it so that others are blessed and You alone are glorified. In Your powerful name I pray. Amen. 

“It’s hard to believe there’s so much beauty in death.”

There’s been a lot of death lately. The day after Steve Jobs passed away, a friend from church died rather unexpectedly from complications of a routine surgery. If memory serves me correctly, Sue Nichols was just days away from turning 70 years old, but the numbers didn’t add up. She was much younger than that. The picture of health.

I think her life, lived on purpose, kept her young.

Sue was all the things you read about in obituaries: a devoted wife, loving mother, doting grandmother. And those are all great roles, important titles. But here’s what’s caught my attention.

Sue lived towards eternity.

She taught Sunday School for 40 years, most of that time (if not all) teaching tweens (can you say Sainthood?) and sharing the love of Jesus. Many young people made decisions to follow Christ as a direct result of how Sue invested her time.

She spent her time, energy and resources in the Clothes Closet ministry of our church. She sorted clothes, organized shoes and belts and welcomed people without means. Offered them dignity and grace along with a few articles of clothing.

For the last decade or more, Sue volunteered teaching English as a Second Language. Again, touching lives. Making an impact.

Deep and abiding beauty.

Over the last few months, I’ve been wrestling with God about my need to die to self in several areas. At times the fight has been difficult because my flesh is weak. I’m desperately in need of Jesus, only I’ve been too hard-hearted to let Him fully transform me.
from death.
to life.

Just when I need it most, He reminds me.

What about you?
Do you see beauty in death? How might God be calling you to die to self?

Note: The photos above were taken yesterday, rather than on Sunday, when the sky was as blue as I’ve ever seen it. 

I join with people around the world who were both inspired by his brilliance and are now praying for his family and friends.

I’ve been processing life the way photographers process images. Only not as artfully nor as expediently.

So much life these last days and weeks.

There was the weekend marching band competition that I chaperoned in Virginia Beach where I started reading Rumors of Water. Sadly, that was the last time I’ve seen the book and our camera…

The next week I spent half a day in a board meeting with my friends on the Lynchburg Day Aglow team. Then there were doctors’ appointments (three in one day: two different kids’ checkups and one for me), a board meeting in Richmond for the Spence Network, then a same day drive to/from Charlottesville to taxi my oldest between Senior Regional Orchestra auditions and marching band competitions.

The next week there was more painting to do, carpet installed in two rooms and a trip to Laity Lodge in Texas. Home Sunday evening, spent the whole day yesterday moving furniture/belongings so each of the kids can now have their own bedrooms. Then more painting.

Lately it seems there’s always. more. painting.

(By the way, what do you think of this BLUE for a 13 year old boy’s bedroom? yeah. Me neither, but then last night Peter invoked the name of Randy Pausch, who said you should let kids paint their rooms whatever color they want…so, for Randy, and for Morgan…)

Throw in 2 of 8 physical therapy sessions on my ankle and you have an idea of how crazy life can be sometimes and why it’s taking me so long to process it all.

Some people process life through poetry. After hearing Julia Kasdorf read several of her poems this weekend, I was enthralled. During one of the bathroom breaks between sessions, I had a quick conversation with Julia. She was every bit as captivating in a casual conversation as she was in a more formal poetry reading.

I haven’t written any poetry since our wedding invitation and I’m entirely sure that doesn’t count as literary poetry.

Nonetheless, when the muse landed Sunday morning as I stared into the mirror while applying makeup, I quickly grabbed my journal and penned the following:

Morning Inspired by Julia Forgive Me Julia

Untitled (but feel free to submit your suggestions in the comments below)

As long as it’s mine
I don’t much mind
the sweetness of
a poot
as it pffffftttttts

I’d like to claim paint fumes have eaten away at whatever functioning brain cells I had, but the poem was written while I was at still enjoying the fresh air and breathtaking scenery at Laity Lodge.

What about you?
How do you process life? And do you have a suggestion for renaming the above poem?

Creative Commons photo on Flickr by Sychio.