Exciting Day in Redding

It's hard to put words to the sight at the Redding Airport today.  My dad and I arrived around Noon to enjoy an awesome lunch at Peter Chu's and wait for the President to fly in on Air Force One.  The place was packed and buzzing with excitement.  There was a table with cute ladies in little Uncle Sam hats, little kids running around and American Flags everywhere.  I was so thankful that we actually got a table!  A secret service agent started roaming the room about a half hour before the President showed up.  I wanted to get a picture but she gave me a firm "no" head shake.  No problem, ma'am :)

As soon as there was a sighting of the plane everyone dashed to the window like a bunch of little kids to a toy store at Christmas.  The plane touched done and everyone started going crazy!  Clapping and cheering, shouting "we love you Bush!"  "You're doing a great job Bush."  That made me so happy.  I was physically shaking when I saw the plane land.  The thing is huge!  Especially for our tiny little airport.  

This is his Presidential Fleet.  Thirteen cars to take him across the runway!  And one of the gentlemen we had lunch with said the secret service had reserved a room at Mercy Medical Center in case anything happened.  It's amazing the lengths they go to to keep our President safe!

Amazing experience all in all.  It's fun to know that Bush knows about our little Redding now.  What's crazy is, I've had a couple of dreams of him coming to churches around here and speaking about all the amazing things God is doing here...maybe someday...

Free Fallin'

Most who know me know my passion for music.  I cant play an instrument to save my life, but oh, how I love to listen. My absolute favorite way to listen to music is through someone else. I love it when friends introduce me to new bands, or have me listen to familiar music from a fresh perspective. Sharing music and listening together is an amazing experience. Sometimes I may not enjoy the music itself as much as the friend, but at least I have something new that reminds me of them and I think of them when I hear it.  

This week, my friend Kevin shared this video with me, and he single-handedly turned me into a John Mayer fan. I never thought I would be, but after seeing this video, wow. I don't know how to post the video, so here's the link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFOCvuii96w&feature=related

The Verb.

Love is indeed a verb.

 

Recently I met a woman who works at my youngest niece’s preschool.  First off, let me explain that Kamryn is an exceptionally special little girl.  She has been through a lot in her 4 1/2  years, and I’ve found this has both brought out a wildness and incredible compassion and love.  But sometimes the wildness shows up more often than the compassion, and this is how the woman explained her experience with Kamryn at the preschool.  She can definitely be a handful.  Her teacher was telling me of a particular time when Kamryn was refusing to come into the school from recess.  She crossed her arms, sat on the ground and put on her “mean face.”  I know this face all too well, it’s hard to crack.  Against her best efforts, the teacher couldn’t get her to budge.  Finally, she put her hand on Kamryn’s back, looked her in the eye and said “Kamryn, do you know that Jesus loves you?”  As soon as she said that, Kamryn’s face lit up, she got up and smiled and replied “Yes! He does love me!  He does!”  It was a good day after that.

 Wow.  All she needed was a reminder that Jesus LOVES her.  Not because He has to, but because He wants to!  He “chose HER in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him in LOVE. Having predestined HER to adoption as a daughter by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” {Eph 1:4-5} She is His pleasure!  My prayer for her life above all else is that she knows this, everyday of her life.

I feel I could learn a lot from her in this way.  On my bad days, I want to hide.  I don’t want to hang with Jesus until things are squared away, until my heart and spirit and life is where it should be, and I can have something to bring Him.  But it’s the very nature and design of His love to empower and bring life to those dark places.

 I love the series we are in at the Stirring.  “Becoming Who We Are.”  I love that word “becoming.”  To me it says, “I’m not there yet, but I’m on my way.” It’s about the journey.  And perhaps that’s even more important than the destination.  It’s so liberating, on those days that I sit with my arms crossed and my “mean face” on that there is a hand on my back and amazing eyes looking into mine saying, “I love YOU.” 

 That’s all I need.