What a Mess

Right now, my house is a disaster area. Demolition crews (aka: JP & Co.) have torn out half of my kitchen: there are no cabinets or counters on the south wall, and all of the pots, pans, canned goods, and other miscellaneous items that stayed in the cabinets that used to be there are now scattered about the remaining counters, the kitchen table, and the "back room." (If any of you have ever seen the infamous "back room," you understand why I have it in quotation marks.
Our old office desk is sitting in the middle of the living room, cramped between the coffee table and the piano bench. A huge box of books takes up the space just beyond the front entry way, leaving a small path through which you must pass to reach the rest of the house.
We are in the middle of remodeling our house. The kitchen, when it is completed, will boast new tile floors, fresh paint, new countertops, cabinets, and lighting fixtures. The office has brand new furniture with plenty of space for JP to run his business from and, once I get the ducky wallpaper stripped off, will also have new paint. There will be new curtains for the bedroom, new paint and towels for the bathroom, and the living room will also receive paint and, if we get really adventurous, hardwood floors.
It's all going to look wonderful - if we ever get there. Sometimes I wonder if we will. It seems like such a long, stressful battle. Right now all I can see is the mess in front of me. I have a vision of what it will look like when it's done, but that vision often seems so far away.
This reminds me of my life. So many times I feel like my life is a mess, cluttered with the junk that I'm trying to clear out and replace with the new. It's a process, a hard one, but worth it in the end.
The good news is that I have a Master Remodeler working on my life. He's helping to clear out the old and bring in the new. He has the blueprint, all the master plans. I'm just a sub-contractor, working under His guidance to do the things I need to do to get the job done.
Just like my house will be a "whole new house" when our remodeling is completed, so my life is a new thing when God is done with me.
But then again, He's never done with me. :)

2Cr 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Irish Eyes are Smilin'!

Are You Happy?

Interesting Study....

"A new study by the Pew Research Group says Republicans are happier than Democrats.
People who worship often are happier than those who don't.
Married people are happier than unmarried.
And no surprise here: People who live in the sunbelt are happier than everyone else."

Houdini Dog

Yesterday I got home from work and my little dog Caleb greeted me at the front door. That may sound fairly typical, but it's NOT because we pen Caleb up during the day. Up until recently, he's stayed in his kennel, but for the past few days we've been penning him in the kitchen where he can hang out and still have access to his doggie-door to go outside.
So for him to greet me at the door was very strange. I looked around and noticed the gate was still latched. I walked into the kitchen and new he had started in there, because my mop was chewed to smithereenes. Still, I had no idea how he got into the living room.
I asked our two renters downstairs if either of them had let him out - they both said no. It was then that I got the sneaking suspicion that Caleb had learned how to climb or jump over the gate.
This morning when Caleb and I got up for work, I did a little experiement. I penned him up, then walked away and hid around the corner. For a while he jumped up on the gate and tried to get over, but couldn't. Finally he seemed to give up and go outside. But seconds later, he came RUNNING back in from the backyard covered in snow, made a GIANT leap, landed with his little front paws over the top of the gate, and pulled himself over, landing in the living room with a thud and dropping snow everywhere. Amazing.
I was going to scold him, but he came prancing up to me so proud of his accomplishment, tail wagging, and sat down "like a good little dog" right at my feet as if to say, "Did you see my trick? Do I get a treat?" It was so cute I started laughing and had to pat his little head.
Unfortunately, now Caleb has to go back to the old kennel until he can be trusted around the house by himself. I wouldn't be surprised if my little houdini dog finds his way out of that one of these days, too.

PEERS Test

Since you all seem to like these quizzes, here's one each and every one of you REALLY SHOULD take. It's called the PEERS Test, put out by the Nehemiah Institute.

The PEERS Test is designed to identify your primary worldview in five areas of life: Politics (civil government), Economics, Education, Religion, and Social Issues (PEERS). The test will rate your views in one of four worldview categories: Biblical Theism, Moderate Christian, Secular Humanism or Socialism.

This quiz is extremely eye-opening. I would wager that once you take the test, you will be surprised, even shocked and mildly appalled at your results. You may be baffled to find that your worldview (the way you look at the world) resembles more of a secular humanist mindset that than of Biblical Christianity, thanks to the public education most of us have been brainwashed with.

While I'm on the subject, let me make a plug for Summit Ministries in Colorado Springs, CO. Summit’s mission is to equip Christians to defend the biblical worldview and expose the subtle lies of Secular Humanism. It is VITAL that each and every one of us know how to stand up against the "vain philosophy and empty deciet" being thrown at us from all directions. But we can't do that until we are able to recognize these philosophies. That's where Summit comes in. They have these amazing two-week summer conferences in Colorado Springs that equip men and women to recognize thinking that is contrary to Biblical Christianity and teach them how to defend their faith in all sorts of social, economic, religious and educational issues.

My Dad's church takes a handful of college kids out to this conference every year. I've been twice. It's truly amazing - it will change your life. I would highly recommend going, or if that's not possible, at least buying a copy of Dr. David Noebel's (President of Summit Ministries) book, Understanding the Times: The Religious Worldviews of Our Day.

There is also a video that you can watch that will tell you more about Summit and its mission.

All that said - PLEASE TAKE THE PEERS TEST. You will not find out your scores today. They will mail them to you along with a description of what they all mean. This is actually a mini-PEERS test. The full version is available to take on their website, but costs a couple bucks.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through empty philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2Cr 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Are you A Heretic?

My dad tipped me off to this great site. Test to see whether or not you're a heretic! There a link to take the quiz at the bottom of my results:

You scored as Chalcedon compliant. You are Chalcedon compliant. Congratulations, you're not a heretic. You believe that Jesus is truly God and truly man and like us in every respect, apart from sin. Officially approved in 451. Chalcedon compliant 100% Modalism 67% Pelagianism 33% Monophysitism 33% Monarchianism 33% Arianism 0% Apollanarian 0% Adoptionist 0% Docetism 0% Gnosticism 0% Nestorianism 0% Albigensianism 0% Socinianism 0% Donatism 0% Are you a heretic? created with QuizFarm.com

"Roe v. Wade for Men"

There's a new lawsuit today from the National Center for Men that's been nicknamed "Roe v. Wade for Men." It has to do with a man's choice not to have a child and avoid the financial responsibilities required with fatherhood.
Basically, what the group is saying is that women have more options when it comes to unexpected and/or unwanted pregnancies than men do. A woman has the "right to choose" to either keep or abort the baby, whether the husband wants it or not. If he wants to keep the baby, but she wants to abort it, she gets to abort it. If he wants to abort the baby and avoid child support, but she wants to keep it, she gets to keep it and he must pay.
This is very interesting to me. So much fuss is made over a woman's right to choose, but what about a man's right to choose? Obviously, these men are fighting for the right to require the woman to abort the child, but if they gain the right to do that, then logically they "should" have the right to require the woman to keep the child. But a law of that nature was shot down just a couple months ago.
I'll be intersted to see how all of this turns out. My guess is that it will not go through, which will cause a huge fuss about unequal rights. Then men everywhere will freak out saying they were forced into paying child support and single moms everywhere will end up fending for themselves will no support from their children's fathers.
You can read more about this by clicking here.

Ugly Little Guy, Ain't He?

Divers have discovered a new crustacean in the South Pacific that resembles a lobster and is covered with what looks like silky, blonde fur, French researchers said Tuesday. Scientists said the animal, which they named Kiwa hirsuta, was so distinct from other species that they created a new genus and new family for it.

Reelfoot, Tennessee

The picture you are looking it is of sunset on Reelfoot Lake. The lake was formed way back in the 1800's when a major earthquake caused the Mississippi to flow backwards for about a day. It's a beautiful place swarming with beautiful cypress trees (seen here).
It's also in the middle of nowhere - and the site of a family reunion we went to this weekend.
We had a great time, and the area really was beautiful - but LARD ALMAGHTY was it ever COUNTRY down thir! I think JP experienced quite a bit of culture shock. His first impression of southern living was when we pulled up to our hotel. We warned him it wasn't much, but I don't think he was prepared to sleep in a finished-out pole barn! The look on his face was priceless. And this was the best place in town....
Once he got used to his surroundings - and the ceaseless, twangy chatter of my relatives - he then had to get used to the food. Biscuits and Gravy, catfish, hush puppies, fried okra, and even FROG LEGS are normal menu items at the local Lakeview Diner. I'm proud of him, though, as he DID at least try the frog legs.
We had plenty of adventure to keep us occupied. My aunt Anita suffered a minor stroke on Saturday night and had to be carried off in an ambulance, much to her annoyance and resistance.(Don't worry, she is fine now) JP paid my younger brother Joe $50 to eat a live minnow. And the guys built a potato gun and shot it at each other. Good, clean, southern fun.
We had a great time, with exception of the 14-hour drive home, during which everybody was simply anxious to be back home. Mostly I think JP is just happy to be back to normal eating. He's already determined we're going out to a nice restaurant for dinner tonight. :)

Kirby Puckett Dies at Age 45

It's the top story at noon, five, six and ten: Kirby Puckett died last night from a stroke he suffered Sunday afternoon. Every place I look around the newsroom, someone is researching facts, double-checking them, hunting down interviews, and disecting every possible angle of Mr. Puckett's life to cover in the news. Every angle, that is, except one. It seems as though everybody has either forgotten about or is scared of mentioning Kirby's Puckett's soiled reputation.
Now I'm not trying to be the righteous right hand of God or even distract from the legend of this hall-of-famer. Certainly he was a great athlete, a talented man who did a lot of good for a lot of people, including the state of Minnesota. I just scratch my head at why none of the news coverage includes more articles like these.
"But Audra," you say, "YOU'RE the media and you didn't mention any of that on YOUR show today!"
Guess what - I was overpowered by my superiors. They told me to leave out that stuff - that the viewers get upset when they hear it.
Like I said, not trying to be a party pooper; I just wish that the media's internal editorial thought process would be tempered with something other than sentimental, hero-worshiping amnesia.

The Moment You've All Been Waiting For

Okay, I've given up hope that anyone else will respond and I'm going out of town tomorrow...so here are the much-anticipated answers to the how-well-do-you-know-me-quiz!!!

Oh, but first - the winners:
Tied for First Place - my Dad and Nicole Russell. Well, Dad, actually had one more correct answer, only because he included the bonus questions...but Nicole would have gotten that one right for SURE. So its a tie.
Tied for Second Place - Deb and Priya with 7 correct
Beth had 6 (I can't believe you didn't know my eye color) and Chris gets the honorable mention with 3 (he hasn't known me very long).

Here are the answers:
1.) My middle name is Lynette, not to be confused with my mom's name, Lynn

2.) My eyes are blue, Beth. :)

3.) J.P. stands for James Patrick, although he almost ended up Jean Paul (yikes)

4.) My favorite color is, and always has been, and will always remain - GREEN!!!

5.) I work for WCCO-TV (channel 4)

6.) My favorite musician is Phil Keaggy. If you don't know any of his stuff, I'm not sure why we're friends. Ha ha! Just kidding, but check out his Acoustic Sketches CD.

7.) My birthday is 6/25/1982

8.) I have 3 brothers and 1 sister (not including my bro- & sister-in-law)

9.) This was a trick question! I have one adorable nephew, malachi and TWO nieces or nephews in the oven! No, Amber's not having twins; JP's sister Lisa is also pregnant.

10.) My favorite book is by far Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard, though all of the books on that list are ones I would strongly recommend. Every woman in the world should read Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl. And Watchman Nee is a spiritual genius.

11.) My favorite movie since the day I saw it has been Braveheart. Gotta love that Mel Gibson. *sigh*

Thanks for playing! We're heading out of town for the weekend, so I'll update on the trip on Tuesday.

Disappointed

I have to say, I'm a little disappointed in the response to the how-well-do-you-know-me quiz from a few days ago. I'm going to insist on hearing from at least 3 or 4 more people before I post the answers. Dad? Amber? Becky? Lyss? Pete? Anybody care to give it a shot?
I'll even throw in a bonus question:

11.) What is my favorite movie?
a.) Sense and Sensibility
b.) The Patriot
c.) Braveheart
d.) Pride and Prejudice

Gay Marriage Ban in Wisconsin?

Wisconsin voters will decide later this year whether to amend the state constitution to ban gay marriage and civil unions. The proposal cleared its final hurdle in the Legislature last night. Approval from the state Assembly puts the amendment on the state ballot in November, when voters will also determine whether Governor Doyle gets a second term in office.

This One's for Stuart:

Bono Honored by Chile's President:

"President Ricardo Lagos gave U2 front man Bono the country's highest award for the arts on Sunday and told him he should learn to play the traditional Andean instrument known as the 'charango.'

The arts medal is named after late Chilean Nobel Prize laureate Pablo Neruda, a poet Bono said he greatly admired.

"He moved me very much," Bono said of Neruda, who died in 1973.

During the ceremony at the La Moneda presidential palace, Lagos also presented Bono with a charango, a small lute-like Andean folk instrument.

"When we were talking before, Bono told me that one must study throughout one's life," Lagos said. "So for his next concert here, I hope he's learned how to play the charango."
It was not the only distinction for Bono during U2's stop in Chile for a concert Sunday night before a crowd of nearly 80,000 people expected in Santiago's main soccer stadium.

Shortly before the concert, Bono received Amnesty International's 2005 "Ambassador of Conscience" award, which was also granted to the other members of U2 - Edge, Larry Mullen Jr., Adam Clayton and manager Paul McGuinness.

The ceremony was attended by President-elect Michelle Bachelet, Chile's first female leader, who is to be inaugurated on March 11.

"You are a reminder to all of us that the world is not changed only by politicians and governments," Bachelet told the musicians. "The world is changed by all of us."

After the ceremony, Bono met with relatives of political dissidents who disappeared during the 1973-90 dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Bono has met with leaders and received gifts during other stops on the band's swing through Latin America. While in Brazil he discussed the government's anti-poverty program with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and received a packet of condoms and anti-AIDS information from the Health Ministry."

A Quiz for You

Just because I'm bored, here's a quiz. See how well you know me. Just post your answers as a comment, then I'll reveal the real answers later.

1.) What is my middle name?
a.) Lynn
b.) Marie
c.) Lynette
d.) Leigh

2.) What color eyes do I have?
a.) Blue
b.) Brown
c.) Hazel
d.) Green

3.) What do my husband's initials (J.P.) stand for?
a.) John Paul
b.) James Patrick
c.) Jacob Paul
d.) John Patrick

4.) What is my favorite color?
a.) Pink
b.) Brown
c.) Blue
d.) Green

5.) Which TV station do I work for?
a.) WCCO 4
b.) KARE 11
c.) KSTP 5
d.) FOX 9

6.) What is my favorite music band / musician?
a.) Delirious
b.) Fake It
c.) Phil Keaggy
d.) Jars of Clay

7.) When is my birthday?
a.) 5/26/1981
b.) 6/25/1982
c.) 6/25/1981
d.) 5/25/1982

8.) How many brothers and sisters do I have?
a.) 1 brother, 3 sisters
b.) 2 brothers, 1 sister
c.) 2 brotheres, 2 sisters
d.) 3 brothers, 1 sister

9.) How many nieces / nephews do I have?
a.) one, and two in the oven
b.) one, and one in the oven
c.) none, but two in the oven
d.) two, and one in the oven

10.) What is my favorite book other than the Bible?
a.) Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl
b.) Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
c.) The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee
d.) Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Answers to come...

David & Mac

This weekend I went with my husband and his cousins Pete & Erin to the Third Day / David Crowder Band concert at the Target Center. It was a pretty good time. I've never been a "huge" fan of the David Crowder Band, but after seeing them in concert, I've changed my mind about a lot of their music. They have a song on their new CD "A Collision" called "You are my Joy." That song rocks my face off.
I also want to give a "holla" out to Chris & Joelle Sanny who tied the knot on Friday and are now camping on the beaches of Hawaii. Congrats, guys, and get a tan for me.

Let's hear it for the UP

JP and I just got back from a weekend of snowboarding in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We went with a gal I used to go to high school with and her husband. What a fun time - if you're into skiing or snowboarding and you haven't been out to Michigan, I would encourage you to go. It's only 4.5 hours away (WAY better than the 16 it takes to get to Colorado), and there are three great resorts right next to each other, Big Powderhorn, Blackjack, and Indianhead. You can even buy a "hopper" pass that lets you go from resort to resort without having to purchase a new lift ticket.
We rented a chalet that rocked - it was fully stocked with everything you would have forgotten to bring, had Candian cable TV (which is fun to watch, if you never have), and a HUGE hot tub!
We had a couple adventures. Saturday was freezing cold, so we had to bundle up tight. We all looked like a bunch of bank robbers, no skin showing anywhere, not even on our faces. Sunday the weather was much better. I even successfully landed my first "jumps" on a snowboard! But then, on what became the last run of the day, I landed a jump and was on my way to the lift when for no reason I took a nasty tumble and landed smack on my tailbone/left hip. It hurt so much - they had to call ski patrol to come pick me up on a snowmobile and take me up to the lodge. Needless to say, I'm experiencing a fair amount of agony until that heals. :)
We're safe and sound at home now. Thanks to Jim and Margie for watching little Caleb for us while we were away.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This is kind of fun to watch

Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida has created a very interesting page. It begins as a view of the Milky Way Galaxy viewed from a distance of 10 million light years, and then zooms in toward Earth in powers of ten. Ten million, to one million, to 100,000 light years until you finally reach a large Oak tree in Florida. If ever there was a witness to creation, these folks have captured it for our viewing pleasure!
Click here for the show.

Per Stephanie's Request...

...Here are some more pics taken over the last couple of days. What a cutie!

And the Puppy Name Winner Is...

...Caleb.

There was an overwhelming majority of you who voted for "Charley," but we like Caleb better...so na na na na na na.

We picked him up last night - so cute and cuddly, very affectionate. I have to be honest though - I barely got ANY sleep last night. Caleb was whining and whining and whining from the kitchen where we had him penned up. He finally stopped, then started back up at about 4:00am. When I got up to see if he needed to go potty, he already had - poopy and potty all over the kitchen, and he was standing in it. Praise God for Mr. Clean at 4:00am.

So...I can see this is going to be a learning experience, and I'm happy and willing to go through it. Once he gets accustomed to his surroundings and the new routine, I hope things will get a bit easier.

Special thanks to Margie for making the last-minute decision to travel with me on the eight hour treck through the snow and back to pick him up.

Did I mention how cute he is?

Young, Hip, Reverent

Interesting article in the Star Tribune today.
Click here to read.

Marriage Question

Okay, here is a question for all of you - something I've been hashing over lately - and I need feedback from both men and women.
We all know that within marriage, men and women have different needs. For a woman, the need is to be loved, cherished, and adored. For a man, the need is to be respected, honored, and admired.
Of course, its far easier to understand the concept than it is to actually live out love and respect in a marriage. Things happen, frustration creeps in, and what's known as the "crazy cycle" begins: She becomes frustrated with him (or vice versa), which causes her to disrespect him, which causes him to fail to show her love, which causes her to disrespect him more, and on and on and on. It's not easy to love and respect when you're feeling disappointment.

My question is this:

Is it possible for a woman to respect her husband and, at the same time, be disappointed in him...or do the two go hand in hand - if you're disappointed in him, you're not showing him respect?

I think I've come to a conclusion, but I'm wondering about the rest of you. Please comment - I want to hear your thoughts.

Our New Little Bundle of Joy

After six beautiful months of marriage, JP and I are happy to announce our first little bundle of joy! Yes, that's right, we are adding a new member to the family. It's a boy, but we haven't decided on a name yet. The due date? Thursday, February 9th, 2006.

***WHAT??? THAT'S THREE DAYS FROM NOW!!!***

Yes, I know...

***SO, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT IT TAKES 9 MONTHS FOR A BABY TO DEVELOP?***

Yes, of COURSE I know that. Sheesh! Who do you think I am?

*** WELL, THEN DO THE MATH, SILLY.***

Thanks for your input, but the reason its not taking us quite as long is because we're adopting. He's already 12 weeks old.

***WHAT? ADOPTION'S GREAT, BUT ANYBODY WHO'S EVER BEEN THROUGH THE ADOPTION PROCESS KNOWS THAT IT CAN TAKE YEARS TO WORK THROUGH ALL THE MUMBO-JUMBO.***

Not in our case. That's because our new little addition isn't coming via stork...because he's a puppy!!!! :)


Here he is! Ain't he cute? He's a soft-coated wheaten terrier. 12.5 pounds. His fur starts out this color and then changes to more of a lighter "wheat" color as he gets older. We're picking him up on Thursday and we're so very excited! Today I went out and bought all sort of stuff that we'll need, like food and water dishes, puppy food, some toys and some treats. I wanted to get him one of those big pillow beds, but they're so expensive!!! Have you ever priced one of those?

Like I said, we haven't come up with a name yet. So here's the deal - we could use some help. I'd like to take a vote out of our three top options and see what you all think would be the best name.

The nominees are:

1.) Boomer - the name of JP's dog that he had growing up, also a soft-coated wheaten terrier

2.) Charley Boy - a play on words, since our last name "Charlebois" is often mispronounced "Charley-Boys"

3.) Caleb - Hebrew for "dog"

So please, cast your votes (by Thursday if possible!) and we promise to take your input into consideration!

Now that its official...

MY SISTER IS HAVING A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Ezra Nazareth Knoblauch

Congratulations to our dear friends James and Alyssa on the birth of their brand new baby boy, Ezra Nazareth Knoblauch!!! What a cutie...Ezra was born on Friday, January 27th around 7:30 am and weighed 6 lbs 9 oz. He sleeps all day long, and when he's awake he always has this great look on his face that seems to say "who are you and why are you talking to me so goofy?" :)
As for the name...
Ezra - Hebrew for "Help" (ha ha...that can be taken two ways: 1.) "Help" as in God is our help or 2.) "Help" as in....HELP!!!! :)
Nazareth - In Biblical times, a Nazarene was a Jew who was bound by a vow to be radical for God. They left their hair uncut, abstained from all wine and strong drink, and practiced extraordinary purity of life and devotion.
Knoblauch - German for "garlic"...seriously! :)

We love you, Ezra, and are so happy to have you in this world!

Words Don't Come as Easily Anymore

Many of you have probably noticed that I don't blog as much anymore as I did in the beginning. Sometimes I'll go weeks before making another post. Often times I'm just so busy (I know: excuses, excuses) that I don't have the time to sit down and write...and then there's times like today.
Seems like I just don't have much to talk about these days. Nothing crazy, new, or exciting going on...no life-changing lessons or experiences to flesh out...its like I've fallen into a slump. I feel as though the creativity and humor and excitement have been sucked away, at least for a time. I'll consciously try to think of something to blog about, and nothing comes to mind. Then if something does come to mind, I can't find the words to express it.
Kind of like right now.
But it hit me today on the way home from church. Back when I first started this site, I was spending time with the Lord every single day. Even if it was just 20 minutes of reading the Bible on the bus, plus some prayer time, it was at least something. During that time, every little thing seemed to be a big deal, every beautiful thing a blessing, every lesson learned a new revelation.
Since switching jobs, I've found it harder and harder to stay in that mode. When you're waking up for work at 4:30 am to start out with, there's not a whole lot of desire to get up an hour (or even a half hour) earlier to spend time in the Word. I used to read on the bus, but now I drive in. I tried to read in the mornings before I left, but I just kept getting lazier and lazier and lazier...hitting snooze as many times as I could get away with before I absolutely HAD to get up.
So now, being as completely transparent with you as I can be, I've gone literally weeks - if not months - without reading my Bible. It's collecting dust on my bookshelf. I'm still able to hang out with and talk to God throughout the day, I still pray and ask for His input, but I need that "good food" of His Word to fill my empty spiritual belly.
His Word is poetry. It is life. It is creativity. It is filled with faith and hope and revelation. It contains the lyrics, melodies and harmonies to a thousand songs. Its a love letter bursting with romance and adventure. While I sit here with nothing to say, nothing to share or encourage with...it sits dusty on my shelf, waiting for me, waiting for you.
I'd like to ask all of you who frequent this site to hold me accountable to making this life change, starting now. No more excuses. "TODAY when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the days of the rebellion." TODAY I choose to make You the #1 priority in my life. TODAY, nothing else is more important that knowing You more intimately.
Maybe you'll make the same decision.
And I pray that as I, by grace, continue to remain faithful to this committment, that you in turn would be blessed by the fruit of the Spirit flowing from my life.

Sick & Tired...and loving it

Today, I am home sick. It started Sunday night and has progressed until today, when I woke up to a throat so sore I thought I was swallowing balls of fire. Turns out it's proably just a virus - the doc put me on antibiotics - and now at home I sit....and sit.....and sit.
I love sick days. I love sleeping in and spending half the day in my pajamas. How I envy the stay at home moms!! (ha ha...just kidding ladies, I know you don't just sit at home in your PJ's all day). I think I could probably do this for about a week and never get bored. But by the end of the week, I'd be ready to go back to work or something. At least the stay at home moms have diapers to change, babies to feed, games to play and children to pick up after. I'm just sitting here. Like a bum. A fat, dumb, happy bum. (I only say fat because when i went to the doctor today, I weighed 8 pounds more than I weighed the last time I went to the doctor, about a month ago.)
There is no point to this blog. I just have nothing better to do. The house is clean, the laundry is running - and for goodness sake I'm SUPPOSED to be taking it easy! :)
Party at my place tonight???

Can I just say...

...that I am so sore today, I could barely get my arms up high enough to brush my hair this morning...Ugg....

Spirit Mt or Bust

Hi everybody! Right now JP and I are sitting in our hotel room in Duluth, MN. We spent the day at Spirit Mt Ski area. After about 3-5 minutes of trying to get his snowboard ON, JP decided it wasn't worth the hassle and traded the board for skis. I stayed on a snowboard - and we both had a great time. Then reality hit - we are so out of shape!!! :)
So now we're back at the hotel pampering our already-sore muscles with every intention of going back out tomorrow...unless we can't move.
Praise God for how beautiful it is up here. At the top of the mountain, you can see for miles and miles across Duluth and Lake Superior. It's breathtaking. Oh wait - that's just me being out of breath. Nevermind.

Peace to all of you - we'll be home tomorrow night.

Babysitting Malachi

Right now, I am babysitting my little 5-week-old nephew, Malachi, for the first time. (Wait, Audra...so if you're blogging, who's watching the kid?) Don't worry, he mostly just sleeps, eats, and dirties his diaper. He's sleeping now. As long as his tummy is full and his tushy is dry, he's happy.
Watching a newborn is amazing. They're completely helpless, 100% dependent on someone else to give them food when they're hungry, keep them clean, protect them and provide for them. But as long as they have all of those things, they rest more peacefully than any one of us adults have rested in years and years.
I was holding Malachi today for the brief time that he was awake (and not eating), and all he did was stare up at the ceiling (aparently one of his favorite pasttimes, according to mom). He's five weeks old - he doesn't "do" anything - he just "is"...and that's okay! Because I know that someday Malachi will grow up, he'll be able to interact and play, he'll have questions and adventures, and he'll be able to talk to me. He can't right now, but that's no problem. Right now I just enjoy his helpless dependency on me as his babysitter and auntie.
I believe newborns are a beautiful metaphor of the way God looks at us as His children. Without Him, we're utterly helpless - we would die if not for His care. He gives us the food we need, and we grow up fast...perhaps sometimes too fast. As we grow, we learn to communicate with Him and ask Him questions, and He takes us on incredible adventures in faith and life. We may not be there yet, but that's okay. For now He's just enjoying our helpless dependency on Him as our Father.
My prayer is that we don't "grow up" so fast that we forget what it means to remain dependent on God for our every need. Then, like a child who finds fresh excitement in the smallest turning over of a stone, that we'll walk next to our Father into the adventures of life with awe and admiration of Him and His constant care over our lives.

The Pill Also Kills Your Sex Drive

Thanks, Becky, for bringing this up in a comment. I also ran this story on my newscast the other day and have been meaning to post it.
New research out of Boston University shows that libido levels drop in women who take the pill or even have previously taken the pill. The findings indicate that taking the pill "could permanently diminish a woman's sex drive."
Read about it here.

Tag, I'm it!

I'm a little late at realizing this, but on December 11th, I was tagged by my cousin, Erin Corniea. Apparently that means I have to list five things about myself that few people know about me and then tag a maximum of five more people to do the same.
Normally, I'm the type of person who deletes chain emails without even reading them, but just for fun...I'll do it.

1.) I think I might be slightly ambidextrous. While I write and throw with my right hand, I do a number of things left-handed. I shoot pool left-handed, deal cards left-handed, and when I was a waitress I used to carry my trays left-handed. I'm not sure why or how this came to be in my life, but it's true.

2.) I have MAJOR texture issues. I can't eat anything with weird textures, whether I enjoy the flavor or not. I love marsala, but I can't stand mushrooms. Fried rice is a favorite, but please, hold the water chesnuts. And pretty much any seafood is out of the question unless prepared just the right way.

3.) If I could play any instrument in the world, it would be the cello. If I could speak any language in the world, it would be Arabic.

4.) Someday before I die, I am going to make it to Fiji. And,

5.) When it comes to music, I could sing anything for any amount of time in front of any amount of people and would never get nervous once. I could dress up in a clown costume and dance an Irish jig for the world to see - no problem! But ask to me play the piano, and I get sooooooooo nervous I don't know how to cope. My fingers sweat and slip off the keys, my hands shake, it's horrible. It's strange, though, that this only happens on piano solos. If I'm singing along with the piano as I play, it's not really a problem. It only happens when I'm "just" playing piano.

So there you have it - now you know just a little bit more about me. Now it's my turn to tag: I pick Dad, Brenton, and Nicole.

The Pill: Does it Cause Abortions?

Okay, I KNOW this is treacherous ground and that by bringing up this very touchy and very controversial subject, I am going to be stepping on a lot of toes. But this is just to heavy on my heart to ignore right now.

Anybody who knows me well knows that I am pro-live to the core. Some might even think that I'm over-the-top or ultra-conservative on the issue. Call me whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me.

My husband and I have made the decision NOT to go on any form of birth control. It's not that we think it's such a horrible thing. Many of my closest, dearest friends have chosen the pill, the patch or other forms of family planning.

There's just something about birth control that, to me, says "I'm going to play God in this area of my life." Ouch. Sorry if that hurt - that's just the way I feel about it PERSONALLY. Don't take it as a hit. I personally just can't do it in faith, and that which is not of faith is sin. I you can, great.

Don't get me wrong - my husband and I have even had intense conversations about whether waiting to have kids is playing God or just the responsible think for some poeple to do. We've wondered if we're ready to start a family or if "planning" our offspring for a later date would be wise. It is my personal opinion that if you're not ready to start a family, then don't get married because sex is part of marriage and sex was designed for making babies. It's a package deal. But then again, the Bible says that if you're burning with lust you should get married - and I can think of MANY people who are burning with lust who, in my opinion, are not ready to have kids. This is all very debatable, but there's something else that is NOT debatable in my book: The pill can cause abortions.

Now just wait! I didn't say the pill "does" cause abortions or "always" causes abortions...just that it "can" cause abortions. And most of the time, the parents would never even know it. It happens so early, you'd never even know you were pregnant.

I'm begging you - please read this. It's a summary of an 88 page book by a man named Randy Alcorn who did the research and figured it out. Basically, "There are three mechanisms of the birth control pill.

1.) Inhibiting ovulations (primary mechanism)
2.) Thickening the cervical mucus, thereby making it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg, and
3.) Thinning and shriveling the lining of the uterus to the point that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.

The first two mechanisms are contraceptive. The third is abortive.

When a woman taking the Pill discovers she is pregnant (according to The Physician's Desk Reference's efficacy rate tables, this is 3 percent of pill-takers each year), it means that all three of these mechanisms have failed. The third mechanism sometimes fails in its role as backup, just as the first and second mechanisms sometimes fail. Each and every time the third mechanism succeeds, however, it causes an abortion."

I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to live with that possibility. Just knowing that by taking the pill, I could potentially be killing my baby - it's not worth it. Who knows - maybe it would never happen...but I'm not willing to take that chance.

Good Advice

Check out this good advice from Bill Gates.

Good Tidings of Great Joy

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, the holidays can be in a word - tough. Rushing here and there, to and fro, buying and returning, smiling, smiling, smiling all day long for relatives you've met before but don't really "know." But that's not even as bad as the many others...who have no family, nowhere to go, nobody to see. Yes, the holidays can really be tough.
I had a wonderful holiday season. There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family and this year, with my new husband. And this year for New Years, he and I shared my very first New Years kiss - the first time in my life that I had ever smooched anybody as that crystal ball fell at midnight.
Yet even with so many happy things happening around me, I had to watch myself to avoid getting sucked into the holiday funk.
I find it very telling that the devil would attack the very emotion Christ's birth is supposed to bring. The angels sang of good tidings of great JOY!!!!! Yet joy is the very target of Satan's schemes over the holidays. If we could all just learn how to be JOYFUL all year long, we would have major ammunition to use against him this time of year.
It all starts with thankfulness. So today, I hope you'll stop and thank God for the things you have, even if you don't like them. Thank him for your monotonous job, your screaming kids, your trials and tests, your demanding spouse, and for the opportunity to respond to all of these things in righteousness that he provided through His Son.
Thankfulness will lead to joy, and joy is infectious.

Long Time, No Post!

Well hi there, everybody...remember me? :)
Who has time to blog over the holidays? I hope yours were blessed and safe. I'm back for the moment, but don't be surprised if another 2-3 week gap finds its way between posts these days....

Word of the Year!

I am dedicating this blog to the assistant pastor at The Quarry Church, Brenton Balvin. The editors of The New Oxford American Dictionary have chosen the word "podcast" as the word of the year for 2005...seriously!
"Podcast," defined as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player," will be added to the next online update of the New Oxford American Dictionary, due in early 2006.
From the PRNewswire: "Only a year ago, podcasting was an arcane activity, the domain of a few techies and self-admitted 'geeks.' Now you can hear everything from NASCAR coverage to NPR's All Things Considered in downloadable audio files called 'podcasts.' Thousands of podcasts are available at the iTunes Music Store, and websites such as iPodder.com and Podcast.net track thousands more."
Among the runners up: bird flu (an often fatal flu virus of birds, esp. poultry, that is transmissible from them to humans, in whom it may also prove fatal), ICE (an entry stored in one's cellular phone that provides emergency contact information), persistent vegetative state (a condition in which a patient recovering from a coma retains reflex responses and may appear wakeful, but has no cognitive functions or other evidence of cerebral cortical activity), and trans fat (fat containing trans-fatty acids, considered unhealthier than other dietary fats).

Long time, no blog

Hey everybody!
Sorry it's been a while. I don't seem to have as much "down time" as I used to back in the "olden days" before my new job. Nowadays if I have some spare time I usually spend it sleeping. :)
My husband had knee surgery this week, so he's been recovering at home from that. What a happy man - he's been able to lay on the couch watching movies and eating all the rainbow sherbert he wants, all week long. Maybe I'll have knee surgery next week, too. (It's worth a shot!)
Anyhow...this short blog is just to say hi and let you know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Stay tuned for more as the schedule allows!

Christmas Bills, Christmas Bills, Paying all the way

Today, I went Christmas shopping. Not Christmas gift shopping, but Christmas decoration shopping. For the first time, I have my own home to decorate...and I'm realizing that all the things that used to be at my disposal, I now have to go purchase for myself. Like white twinkle lights, for example, or decorative holiday dish towels. (Seriously, have you ever been to a homemaker's house who didn't have decorative dish towels?) Granted, I'm not a homemaker (yet). But I am a wife now - I NEED these things.
So I set out today. I went on a mission, made my list and checked it twice: Christmas lights, tree ornaments, greenery, ribbon, stockings, candles...I think that should do it. That's all I need to give my home the festive ambience it lacks.
$200 later, I am not satisfied.
All the lights I bought for the tree, I ended up using around the house. I'll need about 3-4 more boxes of those. The tree ornaments somehow ended up in a bowl as a centerpiece, so I guess I'll need more of those, too. Hmmm...now the room feels kind of lop-sided, as though one half is decorated more than the other. Maybe once we get the tree in here it will help with that. I should also get a cinnamon spice candle, too. And a bigger poinsettia. I wasn't going to decorate the outside of the house, but now I think I will. The candles I did get are kind of drippy. Maybe I'll get some dripless ones tomorrow.
*sigh*...what is happening to me? I'm 23 years old and this is my first Christmas as a wife/homeowner. I'm supposed to have a 2-foot tall fake tree with do-it-yourself ornaments and silly string tinsel. But instead I blew $200 on Christmas Crap ($150 if you don't count the $50 gift card) that has nothing to do with the Reason for the season. I didn't even get a nativity set for crying out loud! (Note to self: add nativity set to list of things to get...oh, and a small light-up village.) At this rate, I'll end up like those obnoxious snooty ladies whose imported tree ornaments are so expensive she'd disown you if you broke one.
Lord, help me to not lose focus of You this season. Help me not to be caught up in the vanity of a home that looks pretty on the outside, but lacks the depth and insight of who You are and what You mean.

New Pics of Malachi

Thomas Merton

"To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence a gift of grace."

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For

1.) My Sweet Jesus and His blood
2.) My husband, JP
3.) My family
4.) My friends
5.) My & My family's health
6.) My home
7.) Freedom
8.) Music
9.) The outdoors
10.) My job & the ability to work

Malachi Allen Harpel

He's here! My very first nephew, Malachi Allen Harpel, entered the world and made it just a little more beautiful today, Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005. He is absolutely beautiful: 5 lbs, 14 oz (TINY!!!!)...20.5 inches long...curly light brown hair and a dimpled chin like his Grandpa Ferguson. He has the most precious little face -- looks like his daddy (my brother, Micah) if you ask me. Of course I'm biased, but I think he's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.
Missy was a champion. Last week she was diagnosed with toxemia, which is a pregnancy-induced hypertension. About 7 out of every 100 pregant women develop toxemia, also known as preeclampsia. It can be dangerous, even deadly for mother and baby. Basically, Missy's blood pressure was very high, she had high protein levels in her urine. At first the doctors put her on bedrest for the remainder of the pregnancy, then after more testing decided to induce her today. She was great...held out as long as she could before requesting an epidural. Once she had it, it was only a short matter of time before she started pushing...and 15 minutes later, Malachi was here!
There are no words to describe the power of holding an hours-old baby in your arms, the tiny miracle you've known about for so long but are just meeting for the first time. It's completely overwhelming. And this was just my nephew! I can't imagine what it must be like when it's your own child. All the parts are there...tiny fingers & toes...tiny ears...thin, soft hair...little lips. A real, live, tiny person, alive and well since conception.
I hope you all get to meet Malachi soon and experience the wonder of human life. I am a very proud auntie!!!
I love you, Malachi.

I know You are, but what am I?

“I AM,” You thunder – as You do,
Deep in my bones, I know it’s true.
Your Are Jehovah, Savior, King
My Righteousness, My Everything
You are Yeshua, Lord on High
I know You Are.
But what am I?

“I AM,” You whisper – Lord, I know!
My Shelter safe from every foe.
My Judge and Jury, God and man
The one who numbers grains of sand
Majestic, Glorious, Mighty One
Son of man, yet God’s own Son
At Your command men live and die.
I know You Are
But what am I?

“I AM,” You weep, Your aching eyes
Reveal what I don’t realize
“I AM the Balm that heals your wounds,
I AM the Voice that gently soothes;
The breath beneath the sparrow’s wings,
The melody creation sings.
Is it too much to comprehend,
I want to be your closest Friend?
I’m not just thunder when you’re bad;
I’m Father, Papa, Abba, Dad.
And most of all, my darling, dear:
I AM Your husband, and I AM here.

"So what are you? Beloved bride,
You are my greatest source of pride.
You are my heart, my soul, my prize;
My spotless treasure, purified.
You were my daughter before you knew;
You are my home; I live in you.
An heir with Christ you’ll always be,
That’s what you are because of Me.”

Leave & Cleave

This weekend, I experienced one of the most exciting, frightening, wonderful, and breaking events of my life. It was at the same time both wonderful and devastating, God-ordained and heartbreaking.
On Saturday, my husband and I were sent out from the church of which I have been a part for the entire 23 years of my existence. No, not kicked out -- sent out. As ministers. To a new season, a new vision in God's plan and destiny for our lives. My father, my pastor, laid his hands of blessing on our shoulders and released us to go do God's work in a new place...a place I never imagined I'd be. And I am torn. Torn between the excitement of this new call and the deep-rooted attchment of the church which I have for so long called "home."
God is leading us to a new place. After months of prayer and waiting, my husband and I both heard the call to go to The Quarry Community Church in Monticello, MN and serve there. It's a wonderful church, and I know for certain it is where God has opened the doors for us to give. I'm blessed and excited, thrilled and confident in this work in our lives, yet I'm so reluctant to let go of the old vision, the passing season.
My dad is the pastor of Maranatha Christian Church at the University of Minnesota. All my life, our entire family's lives have revolved around the church, been entirely devoted to the church, been envolved in every aspect of the church. It's second nature to me. So to leave this church --to step out of my father's vision and into my husband's vision -- is extremely hard. I might even say it's been the hardest part of "leaving and cleaving" so far. I knew what I signed up for when I married; I knew that meant my husband's world was my world now. I knew today would come. Now it's here, and it's just as hard as I thought it would be. And I weep with joy over the destiny He had planned far in advance for our lives.
God didn't tell us to cleave to our husbands for nothing. He mentioned it because it's so vitally important, and not something we women would do on our own, naturally. Thank God that He puts this kind of stuff in His Word. Thank Him that He prepares us and teaches us what to do. Praise Him that He is faithful, that His grace is sufficient, and that he was the perfect example of perfect submission.
I praise God for Maranatha...for The Quarry...for my father...for my new pastor...and for my huband, the prophet, priest and king of our home.

C.S. Lewis

"Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite."

Blood Covenant

To the left is a picture of an engagement ring one of my friends received this weekend: a stunning ruby with two pure diamonds on either side of it. Gorgeous. But not your typical engagement ring.
Most girls (too many of us, as a matter of fact) have been dreaming of and envisioning what our engagement ring would look like from the time we were...oh, I don't know...like, nine years old or something. And most of us all had one rock in mind: a diamond. After all, diamonds are a girl's best friend, right? By the time we were 12, we had already picked out what size we wanted, what cut, whether or not we'd have white or yellow gold, and how Mr. Dreamy would propose to us. We girls are so stereotypical.
This engagement, though, was different. The groom waited for his bride on one knee at a picnic table, with communion elements - the symbol of Christ's broken body and spilled blood.
And then there was the ring. The never-ending circle of eternal covenant to give and give and give and never stop giving. A ruby. Red, like the blood of Jesus - the perfect covenant. Two pure diamonds, washed clean by the blood of the lamb, centered around and connected by their Savior. Without the covenant He made, we could never fulfill a covenant like marriage.
I have never seen a ring like this before, and I love it. I am so moved by it's symbolism and depth.
Congratulations, Dale and Brenda. Built on this foundation, may God continue to reveal aspects of His blood covenant with you and the promise you're making before Him.

Trick-or-Treat, Smell my Feet

Halloween was kind of fun this year, because for the first time in my life, I was a homeowner handing out candy to kids in the neighborhood. I opened the door to everything from two-year-olds in princess outfits, to five-year-old power rangers to thirteen-year-old kids with pillow cases (they generally don't dress up). It was so much fun to give them candy and watch their little eyes sparkle, especially the really little ones.
When it came to buying candy, we stockpiled. We bought so much candy, I thought for sure we'd have enough left over to last till our first anniversary. Reeses and Snickers and Skittles and Butterfingers and Twix and Nut Rolls (for the parents)...a myriad of sugary delights and Lord knows a couple days worth of belly aches for kids of all ages.
We never trick-or-treated growing up, but we never really missed out, either. We didn't get to dress up, but we did that on our own time anyhow. Mom always seems to buy "too much" candy so that we all got our fair share. I remember one time when I was 12 or 13 I had a friend over on Halloween. We wanted to go trick-or-treating, so instead my dad gave us each $20 and sent us down to the gas station to buy as much candy as we could with that budget! (Dad, I have a confession: Patty and I stopped at houses along the way to get more candy.) When we passed out candy, we would first staple a tract to it so the kids got both.
We also had another "tradition" in our home: no scary jack-o-lantern faces. We loved carving pumpkins, but istead of faces we'd carve things like crosses and fish and words like "Jesus." What a cool way to evangelize to all of the kids and parents walking around on Halloween!
I don't really have a point to these remembrances. I just like thinking about them. It really has no "blog value"...except may just to say thanks, Mom and Dad, for laying such a wholesome foundation full of such fond memories.

Ah, Humor!

This is hilarious. Click here.

Verse for the Day!

Titus 2:11-14

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to ALL MEN. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are his very own, EAGER to do what is good. (!!!!)

Song Lyrics of the Day

Here are some more song lyrics to encourage you today. I've sung this hymn many-a-time in my 13 years at Fourth Baptist Christian School, but it hit me with a new meaning today now that I'm married. When I married JP, I took his name. I am no longer Audra Harpel, but Audra Charlebois. I have a new identity that connects me to JP (or I will...once I get around to changing my SS!).
When we give our lives to Jesus, we take his name. He is our bridegroom. And now we take that name with us everywhere we go. We're identified with Him...and that is such a comfort!

Here is the song:

Take the name of Jesus with you
Child of sorrow and of woe
It will joy and comfort give you
Take it then, where'er you go

Take the name of Jesus ever
As a shield from every snare
If temptations round you gather,
Breathe that holy name in prayer

O, the precious name of Jesus!
How it thrills our souls with joy
When His loving arms receive us
And His songs our tongues employ

At the name of Jesus bowing,
Falling prostrate at His feet
King of kings in heaven we'll crown Him
When our journey is complete

Precious name, O how sweet
Hope of earth and joy of heaven
Precious name, O how sweet
Hope of earth and joy of heaven

Women of Faith, Sandi Patty, and Me

Many of you have probably heard about the huge, national annual women's conference "Women of Faith." Believe me, when I say "huge," I mean sold-out-the-Excel-Center huge...more estrogen packed into stadiums around the country than you would EVER want to experience! Up until this year, I had never been before - and believe me, I was perfectly fine with that. 20,000 females in one place is not my idea of a particularly good time.
Yet somehow this year, I got suckered into going. Well, not suckered exactly. I kind of got myself into it. A friend from work had extra tickets, so I spamed out an email asking if anybody wanted to go. My mother-in-law felt like God was telling her to go, so I told her I would go with her. NOT for the conference, mind you, but for the opportunity to spend some good bonding time with her.
We got there Saturday morning and found our seats...very back balcony, very back row...and gazed out over the sea of hairdos, taking in the smells of mini donuts mixed with perfume & hairspray. "Oh God," I thought to myself, "This is going to be a long day."
Now, many of you are familiar with my "issues" with a certain Australian singer by the name of Rebecca St. James. (I'm not going to go into that - that's another blog.) But you probably don't know about my issues with another singer/songwriter, Sandi Patty. If you don't know anything about Sandi Patty, don't feel so bad. She was "big" when I was "little." I used to be a part of her "Friendship Company" where I would receive newsletters and tapes with children's music on it. I thought she was great. My style of music has since changed, and blaring soprano vibrato just doesn't do it for me anymore.
Probably about 12 years ago, Sandi Patty was busted for cheating on her husband. It rocked the CCM industry pretty hard since she was so well known. Ever since I found out about this - as young as I was - I have had extreme issues with her and her music. The mention of her name would send shivers up my back. Some people said she had repented, but of course she's going to "repent," I figured, because her reputation was at stake! Anyhow, that's my rant.
Go figure that one of the key note speakers at Saturday's conference was - you guessed it - Sandi Patty.
When it came time for Sandi to speak, I was in my seat thinking, "Oh Lord, please let this be over soon." She came out in all her pomp and makeup and sang an outrageous rendition of "Crown Him with Many Crowns" to which all God's menopausal women erupted in an equally as obnoxious thunder of applause and cheering. Sandi blew kisses to the crowd and I just rolled my eyes, thinking of a what a two-faced, phony, blasphemous person she was.
Shortly thereafter, she started getting into her message. And as much as I hated to admit it, she was pretty funny. She did this hilarious Barbara Streisand impersonation that I tried SO HARD not to laugh at...but it was really good.
What really surprised me, though, was when she started talking about the one topic I thought she would surely avoid - her affair. She made it very clear to the crowd of women that she had made a decision - a wrong decision - and that it was nobody's fault but her own. She talked about how she walked around in self-condemnation, feeling as though she had a big scarlet letter on her chest. Then she talked about repentance, restitution, and Biblical restoration. My jaw was hanging off the balcony by the time she was done as I realized this woman really had repented, and I continued to judge her.
As she was closing, she told a story of how shortly after everything went down, she wanted to go to church, but everywhere she went people would recognize her and reject her. Finally one Sunday, she went to a church she had never been to before where she was fairly sure nobody would recognize her. She went into the balcony and sat way up in the corner, hoping nobody would come by to greet her and ask her her name. The pastor preached on grace, and as he drew to a close he spoke to the visitors: "I know there are some of you out there who would love to get to know everybody around you, and then there are others of you who just want to sit in the back row of the balcony and be unnoticed. Just know that even if that's you, God is with you there, and He forgives you." God was speaking to her.
Then Sandi said, "maybe there are those of you here today who have your own issues, be it something as big as what I did or something as little as hurt or bitterness. I want you to know that even if you're in the very back row of the balcony in this place, God is there with you, and He forgives you."
OH MY GOODNESS! By this time my mother-in-law was poking and teasing me...sitting in the back row of the balcony...clinging to the bitterness I just wanted to hang on to...but having to laugh at God's creative way of getting my attention to an area of pride in my life. God has such a sense of humor!
Don't get me wrong, I'm still not going to run out and buy her CD...but I'm sure not going to speak out against God's annointed anymore! Thank you Lord for teaching me that funny lesson!

Ha ha! My Poor Guardian Angel...

I saw this and it reminded me that I'm not the only one whose work schedule has changed! :)

Life in the Newsroom

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. It's been a crazy last couple of days! I started my new job yesterday, and it's been quite the adjustment! Remember how I mentioned I'm not much of a morning person? Well, these days I'm getting up about 2 hours earlier than before - at 4:30 am! That in an of itself is a major change in my life and something I'm going to have to get used to.
Things at WCCO are great - it's wonderful to be back in the biz. I am convinced that life in the newsroom is completely different than every other job in the universe. Everything is so fast-paced and dynamic; flexibility is a necessity for survival. Today, for instance - while I was supposed to be in training - the producer who was training me called in sick...which meant I was left to care for the show! On day two!!!! To top it off, we had 2-3 "breaking news" type of stories right before we went on the air. I was so nervous I thought I was going to puke, and I never would have gotten it all done on time without the help of some very talented (and calm) people over there. Talk about a tea bag situation - I was way past my boiling point today.
In other news, God's grace is sufficient. I made it through and hopefully tomorrow will be a little better.
I had another crock pot experience, too! (Wow, today seems to be the day of re-ocurring posts) This time I was trying a pot roast, and PRAISE THE LORD it turned out better than the funky chicken from days of old. It still wasn't great. We had to salt the heck out of it and the potatoes were mushy, but it was an improvement. Thank You, Lord, for being patient with me...and for my patient husband who so kindly bears with my cooking/sanctification.
On a totally different note, has anybody else seen this story? Apparently, Missouri had passed a new policy that forbid priosons to assist female inmates seeking to have abortions. But the Supreme Court overruled it...and off to Planned Parenthood she goes. Bummer. Now Missouri taxpayers are having to pay to end that baby's life.
This post is too scatterbrained for me to continue much further. One of these days when my body has adjusted to my new schedule and I've stopped vibrating from all of the coffee I've been drinking...I'll write a sane post again. :)

Rose of Sharon, Rare and Sweet

Yesterday I met up with some friends for lunch. It happened to be one of the gals' birthday, so on the way to meet up with her my other friend and I stopped at the farmer's market to buy her some flowers. A small thing, but we thought it would be nice.
After returning to work I received the following email:

"So, the flowers you got me prompted the receptionist in my office to ask me, 'OOOh, where did you get the flowers???' (no doubt she thought it was some boy)...and I said, 'Oh, my friends got them for me, because it's my birthday!' And she said, 'Oh, how old are you?' And I told her. And she said, 'Oh, so you were just legal last year, huh?' She's in her forties (and apparently went to rehab 2 yrs. ago). And I said, 'Actually, I haven't had a drink since I was 19.' And she said, 'Oh, really? Why not?' And I got to tell her that Jesus is my Lord, and I neither want nor need to drink anymore. And it turns out a Christian friend of hers has been trying to "convert" her...and she just agreed to go to the Women of Faith Conference with her. So now I can minister to and pray for this receptionist. And I had been kinda bummed out b/c I wasn't having much of a chance to minister here (I've spoken out but not really been able to minister). So see what those flowers prompted!
Thanks again...
For He says, 'AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU'; behold, now is 'THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,' behold, now is 'THE DAY OF SALVATION.'
-2 Corinthians 6:2"

HALLELUJAH! Who would have thought that the simple act of stopping to buy a bouquet of flowers would open up doors to ministry. That's what we like to call a "divine appointment!" God was pre-ordaining that situation.
I hope all of you reading this will ALSO be praying for this receptionist. God is surrounding her with "Women of Faith" to minister into her life. Sounds to me like she is ripe for the harvest!
"Thank you, Lord, for using me in some small way...."

Judge Rules Against Planned Parenthood

Here's some slightly encouraging news:
"A judge has found that Planned Parenthood's St. Paul clinic broke state law when it performed an abortion on a 17-year-old girl without first telling her parents. Ramsey County Judge David Higgs agreed with the girl's parents that they should have been notified before the 2002 abortion. The parents argued the girl -- who was a high school senior at the time -- was still dependent on them. "

You can read the whole story here.

How Exciting!

The next person to view my blog will be the 100th person to visit this site! How nifty is that? If it's you, let me know! :)
(The counter is on the bottom right side of the screen)

Recall what God Remembers

Please, oh PLEASE, read what Oswald Chambers has to say in this excerpt from his devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest:

"Recall What God Remembers

Thus says the Lord: ’I remember . . . the kindness of your youth . . .’
—Jeremiah 2:2

Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Does everything in my life fill His heart with gladness, or do I constantly complain because things don’t seem to be going my way? A person who has forgotten what God treasures will not be filled with joy. It is wonderful to remember that Jesus Christ has needs which we can meet— "Give Me a drink" ( John 4:7 ). How much kindness have I shown Him in the past week? Has my life been a good reflection on His reputation?

God is saying to His people, "You are not in love with Me now, but I remember a time when you were." He says, "I remember . . . the love of your betrothal . . ." ( Jeremiah 2:2 ). Am I as filled to overflowing with love for Jesus Christ as I was in the beginning, when I went out of my way to prove my devotion to Him? Does He ever find me pondering the time when I cared only for Him? Is that where I am now, or have I chosen man’s wisdom over true love for Him? Am I so in love with Him that I take no thought for where He might lead me? Or am I watching to see how much respect I get as I measure how much service I should give Him?

As I recall what God remembers about me, I may also begin to realize that He is not what He used to be to me. When this happens, I should allow the shame and humiliation it creates in my life, because it will bring godly sorrow, and "godly sorrow produces repentance . . ." ( 2 Corinthians 7:10 ). "

Oswald Chambers touches on one of my favorite verses in this reading. Through His prophet Jeremiah, God cries out to His beloved, reminding her of what He remembers. He remembers that she followed Him into the wilderness. Her love was displayed in obedience and trust.
Chambers really strikes a nerve when he displays God as saying "You are not in love with me now, but I remember a time when you were." When my husband and I first started dating, we both went out of our way to please each other, do special things for each other, be on our best behavior, and always prefer each other over ourselves. Our stomaches were filled with butterflies at the mere mention of each other's names, and every time my phone would ring and his name would come up on caller ID, my palms would start sweating. And oh man, when we got engaged...I'll never forget the feeling. It was "the love of our betrothal." He could have been a CEO or a garbage man and I would have followed him anywhere.
Nowadays, it takes a little bit more to get my palms sweating (but he still does it!). Our love only gets stronger, but at the same time, the unquenchable desire to do nothing other than please each other is...well...prone to fade. For instance, I'm not as consistent in biting my lip when a smart-aleck comment is right on its tip. He doesn't try quite as hard to refrain from certain and various bodily functions in my presence like he used to. You get my point.
Are we doing the same thing to the Lord? To our God, who has absolutely no fault? Is our desire to bless his heart fading? Is the realtionship not what it used to be? If so, its certainly not His fault.
My prayer today is that we'll continue to return to that first love - the love of our betrothal to the King; the love that would do anything and go anywhere without even blinking an eye; the love that gives us butterflies and makes our palms sweat. And if that means going into the wilderness, let's bring our tambourines so we can dance and sing for our beloved while we're there. God remembers what it was like. Let's not forget.

This Always Happens to Me!

We all know the situation: God wants one thing, we want another. We fight to keep what we want. God closes all possible doors. We try to open the closed doors. The doors don't budge. Finally, we give up and later we realize what God wanted was better anyhow.
This scenario can apply to almost any situation in our lives. Some people learn the first time to simply give up what they want. And then there's me.
Here's the latest story:
For the last couple of years, I've been driving a 1990 Mazda Protege that a dear friend blessed me with. Its always been a great car - starts every time, very little mechanical problems (even with 201,000 miles on it!), zippy and fun. I love it!
My husband has two GMC Safari vans. He would call them "trucks," which, I guess, technically they might be. He uses one of them for his construction business and the other has just been sitting out in front of our house for the last couple of months.
A while ago he approached me about selling my car and making the second "truck" my primary vehicle. Now, I don't consider myself an especially prideful person in the car department - I've been driving junkers for years and have been perfectly content. But there's just something about being the "Astro Van Girl" that made me feel weird. I guess 5 kids and 2 dogs down the road, a big van would be great! But I'm 23, and there's just something about driving a big van that makes me feel...I don't know...dorky, I guess. It didn't matter that the van is 7 years newer than my Protege, that it has a CD player, heat, air conditioning, leather interior, or anything else that my little car doesn't have. I didn't want to drive it.
Obviously, that's pure pride (and I knew it), so I didn't explain it to JP that way. I told him I was more of a "small car person" and that I "didn't feel comfortable" in the big van. I didn't tell him I was embarrassed to be driving the "grocery getter." Instead, I gave him good reasons (not excuses, of course) why a small car would be the more economical, wise choice for me. Besides, my car had been running great and had years left in it.
I almost had him convinced (or so I thought).
The very next day as I was driving along the highway, I heard a loud *Clunk!* beneath my car. At that same moment the "charge battery" light came on, the power steering went out, and my little car started overheating. I pulled into a Super America parking lot and called my husband, who came directly to my rescue.
When he got there, he just smiled at me with this "I told you so" laughish grin on his face. Right then and there I knew that he was onto me the whole time. Darn that gift of discernment!
By the time we got my car home, it was smoking like crazy and dripping a foul-scented green goo all over our driveway. Turns out I busted some sort of main belt and now - you guessed it - I'm driving the van. It's really not so bad. I have to admit it was nice to have heat on this chilly October morning, and while being up so high in the air will take some getting used to, it does provide a sense of security.
So what's the point to this long-winded story? The Word says that "pride comes before destruction." In this case, my pride came before humiliation! I wonder how long it would have taken me to swallow my pride (and realize how much of a better vehicle the van is) if my car hadn't broken down. I would have driven that little Protege to the ground. I would have learned that I can manipulate to get my way...and would have been worse off for it. Praise God that whenever I try to get my way, He's faithful to slam on the brakes and remind me that I don't just get to do whatever I want.
I hope I've really learned it this time. I'm pretty sure this is the bazillionth time that God's tried to teach me this lesson, and every time I'm sure "I got it." Thank God he's only used small situations up to this point and not anything more serious. I can learn my lesson now or wait until a loved one is in the hospital or I'm in a wheelchair or something equally as dramatic gets my attention.
I think I'll choose to learn now. How about you?

Malachi Harpel

This is my nephew, Malachi. He is due to be born December 8th, 2005. Today, we went to the first of I don't know how many baby showers and, like women do, "cooed" and "awwwwwed" over the tiny little baby clothes, booties, and other baby apparatus. We played the "don't-cross-your-legs" game (which, I'm sure, every woman reading this bog fully knows what I'm talking about while the men are scratching their heads) and pretended to be reluctant about eating cake. It was a fun time.
Lately, whenever I start to think about Malachi I get all misty-eyed and emotional. I just can't wait to meet him! I wonder what he'll look like...if he'll have Micah's blue eyes or Missy's curly hair...whether he'll be shy or outgoing...what he'll be when he grows up. I can't get over how much I love him with every bone in my body - and this isn't even my own child! How much more will I love my own baby? Is it even possible to love more?
I've been thinking a lot lately about God the Father and just how much He must love us. I can see how much Micah's face lights up with love and pride at the mere mention of Malachi. I've seen the same look on my dad's face toward us, as well as the look of pain when one of us children has made a foolish decision. And then I think of God watching us, His children, knowing our every thought, loving us so much it hurts. He's more than just a great and powerful God...more than Savior and Healer. He's Abba, Father, Papa, Dad.
I don't really have much of a point to make about all of this...just wanted to give you the chance to think about it, too. Its really an overwhelming thought. If we love Malachi this much, how much does the Father love us?
"For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him might not sin, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Our Father which art in Heaven

I read a post today that really got me thinking about my relationship to God as the Father. On Runalong with Pastor Mark, he presents this short parenting quiz:

"Agree or Disagree? A good parent understands that it is best for their children if...

1. They don't always get what they want.
2. They don't always get their own way.
3. They learn, through repeated experience, to be willing, when necessary, to set aside their own desires and plans for the sake of others."

Chances are most of us would agree to all three of these points. But here's the kicker:

"One last question:Your Father in heaven is a good parent. Do you sincerely thank Him each time He blesses you in one of these three ways?"

When's the last time I considered not getting my way as a blessing from the Lord?
You've heard the saying, "You'll thank me when you're older." Godly parents won't hesitate to protect their children from always getting the things they want because they know it's for the child's good. A child who always gets his way turns into a terror. Nobody wants to be around a spoiled rotten kid, much less a spoiled rotten kid-turned-adult. It's good for the child to learn contentedness.
Pastor Mark is right: God is a good Father. He knows that by not always giving us what we want, He's doing us a favor. Sometimes we don't realize it right away. But here's the thing: earthly parents are capable of making mistakes in the decisions they make for their children. God cannot - He's God. Whatever he chose, that's what's best, period. We don't have to wait 'till "when we're older" to decide if it really was for our good and thank Him then. We can thank Him for it right on the spot.
So today, I'm thanking the Lord for not giving me the things I thought I wanted, even though I may not understand why He did it yet.

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? " (Matt 7:11)

What I thought I wanted
What I got instead
Leaves me broken...and grateful.
-Sara Groves

Jesus Ad A Bad Bet For Bookie

The Roman Catholic community in Ireland is spittin' potatoes over this picture from a bookmaker billboard campaign. It shows Jesus and the disciples at the last supper...playing poker and roulette!
I'm not offended by it. You can read the story here.

Big Baby Galaxy

NASA Astronomers have detected what they're calling a "big baby" galaxy, "vastly heavy for its young age and its location in the early universe." Even though this galaxy is supposedly "12 billion years younger" than our own Milky Way, they have eight times the mass of the Milky Way's stars.

An excerpt from the article on cnn.com:
"The discovery of this massive, well-developed galaxy at such an early point in time means astronomers may have to adjust their ideas on when galaxies and other cosmic objects can form, said Massimo Stiavelli of the Space Telescope Science Institute, which deals with Hubble's findings."

Now astronomers everywhere are scratching their heads wondering how such a young galaxy can be so developed. No doubt they'll come up with some long 30-page explanation all based on the theory of evolution (which they will present as science, though it is not because it cannot be observed) and try to teach it to my children someday. That's because scientists always interpret facts in the light of theory.

A similar thing happened last year when astronomers from the University of Texas found a long string of fully-formed galaxies. From answersingenesis.org:
"The astronomers calculated that the supercluster was 300 million light-years across, and right at the most distant edge of the universe, 10.8 billion light-years away. ...However, the discovery is a huge problem for evolutionary timescales. These galaxies exist when, according to big bang cosmology, they shouldn’t have had time to form."

To me, it seems to take so much less faith to believe that an all-powerful God rapidly and supernaturally created fully-formed stars and galaxies on Day 4 of creation than it would to accept some scientist's ideas he/she rigged up to explain these types of things. Intelligent design simply makes more sense.

Breaking News:

Here is the most recent occurance in my life. The letter below is from the Assistant News Director at WCCO-TV (Channel 4), the Minneapolis CBS affiliate. Praise Jesus!

"Please join me in welcoming the newest addition to the WCCO-TV newsroom. Audra Charlebois will join us as a part-time news producer on Monday, October 17th. You may remember Audra by her maiden name, Audra Harpel. She worked with us as an intern in special projects, then as a part-time production assistant, then as a part-time writer. Most recently, Audra's worked at the Target Corporation. But I know she is very anxious to get back into television news. Audra is a graduate of the journalism school at the University of Minnesota. She's also won two Emmy awards for her student television work at The "U."

Audra will train with Sonya Goins for a week and then take over producing of the Noon news on Monday, October 24th.

Please join me in welcoming her back to WCCO-TV."


Link to wcco.com here.

Sweet Tea

God is always faithful to show us what's in our hearts. It is His goodness that leads us to repentance.
I'm sure we've all run across situations where the best - or WORST - of us is made known. Like a tea bag, when put in a hot situation our insides seep out and expose us. Will we be bitter or sweet? Will we bring refreshment and healing to those around us, or will we bring a pucker to their faces?
You've tasted bitter tea before - it's nearly unbearable. You want to spit it out the minute it touches your tongue. No amount of sugar or cream can hide the bitterness. Is that how we are in times of testing? Do we drive people away from us or do we draw them in with sweet esences of grace and mercy?
Here are a few things we can do in a hot water situation to avoid saying or doing things we regret:
1.) Pray before you do anything. Whatever you're feeling--be it hurt, frustration, anger, bitterness, or sadness--pray before saying or doing anything. Often times our emotions will drive us to want to vent, scream, and retaliate. But...
2.) The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindess, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Are you actions - even your thoughts - lining up with those qualities? Compare and see.
3.) While you're at it, why don't you also compare your heart to I Cor 13, the love chapter? Love suffers long and is kind...it keeps no record of wrongs...love rejoices in the truth...it bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things...love never fails. Are you displaying love-like qualities?
4.) If you haven't made the cut for numbers 2 or 3, repent and ask for forgiveness, both from the Lord and the other(s) involved.
5.) Finally, forgive. Don't wait for an apology; don't go searching for one. Even if you were 100% right and others invovled never repent, you need to forgive.
My prayer is that when my "tea bag of a life" is next dipped into a hot situation, I'll be able to fill the moment with herbs and spices of grace.