I had a hilarious call last night from a good friend. Jeff Johnson called to tell me that he has moved on to a final round in the hunt for the next...yes, you know....AMERICAN IDOL!! Jeff is such a great guy and so talented. (if you click on his name up there it will take you to his website. Listen to some of the songs from his record.) He's a worship leader who has a real heart for the Lord. We both sang at Jeff Berry's wedding last fall in the Bahamas. I won't tell too much of what I know, but Simon did actually call him on his cell phone yesterday. He flies in to New Orleans today to tape a video interview and do another round of auditions for Simon, Randy, Paula and some mystery celebrity judge. Too funny. I can't wait to see what happens with him. Here's a picture he sent of the Dallas round. Pictured with him is Jordan--his lovely girlfriend.
Now, on to other topics. We had a delicious dinner last night at Basante's. It's our favorite Italian place here in Nashville. We still had a little left over on a gift card and dropped by Sunset Grill to pick up desserts to go! What a night! It was great being with Sheryl and having some time to talk. Seems like we haven't had much time lately. The girls loved being with Amanda.
We watched a bit of the convention last night. I swore yesterday that I wouldn't go down the political road and wavered a bit in the comments. By the way, some really great discussion yesterday in the comments. We all need a place to discuss these things civilly and with respect to one anothers' opinions. We all have our own feelings on the matter, no doubt. I still say that GWB seems to be a good leader and seems to have a heart for people and the office he holds. I do differ on some of the issues, but as of now, I think he's my choice. What I will say is this...compassion, leadership, a respect for the office of President, and a heart for God are not qualities reserved to any political party. We have had Presidents, both Democrat and Republican, who have demonstrated all of these. We need to be in prayer for these next 2 1/2 months. I dread the mud slinging, sarcasm, accusations, and 7th grade behavior that seems to be looming. And--beyond any flag or country, our allegiance is still to God. We are Kingdom citizens, guests (thanks to Carol Nelson for that translation of "aliens") in this world. Yes, we are also Americans and are to be light and salt here. But, all things must fall into the context of our allegiance belonging to our Heavenly Father. My youth minister drove this verse into our heads in middle school and it's still one of my favorites. It certainly has application for us today.
"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
Ryan and Sarah Williamson are officially in town and we are so thrilled. Seeing their faces at OC last Sunday just made everything seem in place. They are coming over tonight with Sydney and baby Jack.
I just hung up with a friend from Orlando who sings the lead in the Tarzan show at Disney's Animal Kingdom. He is asking us all to pray for folks out there. This storm could truly be devastating. Let's pray for protection and safety for all those still there and all those traveling. I expected that he would have evacuated based on TV reports. He said many people have opted to move a bit inland instead of leaving totally. I just pray they're all safe.
Today, if we claim to live in Him, let's walk as Jesus did. What does that mean? Let's pray for the intuition of the Holy Spirit as we go about our work. Let's be aware of those around us as Jesus was--with time to stop and engage them. Let's not be afraid to talk boldly about our Father. After all, we're only guests here. We have Heaven in our hearts. Let's not think twice about reaching out to the hurting we encounter today--no matter how our flesh may judge them. Let's be about our Father's business.
3 comments:
Just a note of clarification on yesterday's post. Sometimes what I think I am saying isn't what ends up coming out. Ask Sheryl. Anyway--the reference to "gospel preacher" was not neccessarily a positive one. I was thinking about those old timey gospel preachers who just seemed mad all the time. My "Whoa's" were basically in response to what I was seeing--more of a shock than an approval. Some of you won't like that, but there it is. Maybe this is why I wasn't going down that road. Creamed corn, creamed corn, creamed corn.
Being in Abilene or any part of the country apart from Florida, it is difficult to feel the urgency to pray for the people in Florida as they brace for this storm. However, the urgency for me is real today as my husband and I arrived in Orlando to visit his parents on August 13 at 10am and Hurricane Charley hit that evening at 10pm. The devastation was incredible. We don't understand the magnitude of what these people are experiencing until we experience it for ourselves. So now, my husband and I are glued to the news reports as we anticipate Francis hitting the same exact places. Our family is there and there is much fear to the destruction they and the church there will face the second time around. Of a 750 member church, noone was left untouched and I don't doubt this will be the case with Francis as well. The devastation was bad 3 weeks ago and they are saying this could be worse.
Please pray urgently for these people as they face a menacing weekend.
I am with you on Zell. He is a live wire! I'm not sure he would have been my choice to speak Wednesday night. I think he is a concerned older man who is overwhelmed by what he sees, fears and knows. This is how he deals. I have to admire his passion for what he thinks is right, just not his methods of getting that across.
Thanks for this post. I need the "Heaven in our hearts" reminder daily. :)
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