Say Hello to My Little Friend

Thank you for the kind words about the Contagious Joy news as well as the tips on what to do with the elf.  Tuesday night Bart made snow angels in corn meal.  Sydney got up this morning and when she found him on the kitchen counter (next to the Santa cookie jar) she asked me 249 questions about how I thought he got the container off the shelf and if he missed Santa since he was next to the Santa jar and if he missed snow since he was trying to make snow angels.  If she is really buying this thing like she seems then I don’t know how the child sleeps at night knowing a 5 inch creepy looking doll is lurking about the house just waiting to get into her toothpaste or climb into bed beside her. *shudder* Now don’t get me wrong, the elf is fun and Syd absolutely loves it but the more I think about it, it’s just a little too Chucky for me. I’m considering letting Boo Kitty in the house to keep an eye on things just in case.  Because there is one thing you can count on Boo to do and that is damage.

Wait.  I don’t think I’ve told  y’all about Boo?  He is a tom cat that showed up at the house this summer.  He was scrawny and had obviously been bitten by something large.  I typically hate cats but I was disarmed by his liking me.  Liking, not licking.  I would have still hated him if he licked.  Syd’s bff’s dad is a vet and when he was over one day he took a look and hooked me up with some antibiotics.  We nursed him back to health, fattened him up, and here he has remained (the cat, not bff dad).  He fights cats.  He fights dogs.  He fights deer.  He fights diesel trucks. When he comes limping home I pour peroxide in the wounds, give him antibiotics and he lives to tear it up another day.

I told you he just showed up a stray.  This past Sunday night we invited the whole church over to the house for a Christmas party.  One of our friends, Jason, took a closer look at the cat and wouldn’t you know it, after asking Luke if he liked to fight (the cat, not Luke…but now that I think of it that would be so hilarious to watch.  Luke fighting, not the cat) he figured out it was his!  Apparently he had come over one day with the cat in the truck, it jumped out, ran off and he never could catch it.  Who knows how long he had wandered before he settled here.  We tried to give him back but Jason refused. We did learn his name is really Ruby (the cat, not Jason)which is strangely reminiscent of our boy cat named Nancy.  It’s how we name our animals here in Alabama.  Or maybe it’s just that we have no desire to do the necessary exams to determine gender.  Gross.

With that said, Boo and I have an understanding.  I feed him.  I pet him under his sweet little cheeks while he lies on his back and waves his paws in the air.  I use baby talk when I call him Boo Kitty.  In exchange, he takes care of things that need taken care of.  Like cats.  Like dogs.  Like deer.  Like diesel trucks.

And like freakish little elves that don’t stay on their shelves.

December 14, 2011 | Filed Under Holidays | 4 Comments 

Maybe the Elf Will Make My Video Announcement

Technically, I’m a moron.  And by that I mean that beyond occasionally writing on this website I have no computer-audio-visual skills whatsoever as evidenced by the fact I have spent the last two entire days trying to film a short 10 minute video with some BIG NEWS and post it to to the blog.  What video you ask?  Precisely. (Please read through to the end.  I’ll get back to the point in a bit.)

I finally gave up and went to town to find Sydney an Elf on the Shelf.  I’ve heard about them over the past few years but none of the kids expressed much interest until lately.  Some of Sydney’s friends have them and have had the best time telling about the havoc their elves wreaked during the night.  I didn’t realize how much she wanted in on the fun until she showed me that she had drawn one on notebook paper in hopes that if she wished hard enough it would come to life.

She might as well drawn my heart on that paper and ripped it to shreds.

I temporarily appeased her by fixing her school snack and putting the paper elf inside the bag.  And then I lied – because aren’t all non-Jesus Christmas traditions based on big fat whopping webs of deceit? - and told her I didn’t make it and that maybe..just maybe..her elf was coming to life!!  (Lord forgive me)  She was absolutely delighted to the uttermost and so after I dropped her at school the search was on to get a real one.  My Facebook friends came to the rescue and gave me the names of local shops that carried them.  I found one on the first try and therefore, may I introduce you to Bartholomew.

 

I left him on the kitchen counter and when Sydney came in from school she said, “Oh man, this is just getting creepier all the time.”  We read the book and Bart is now hanging out until dark when he will have to get creative and attempt to outdo all the other elf mischief going on amongst her friends’ houses.  Or that sentence can also be read: I would love to hear some good ideas on what to do with this thing so Syd doesn’t have the lamest elf on the block.  I’m personally hoping he will edit my video and get it posted but just in case, I’d better give you the condensed, written version of the content.

 

I am very excited to announce a new affiliation that will be of great benefit to ministry wives.  For quite some time I’ve been troubled in heart because as one girl in a remote corner of Alabama, I feel very inadequate to provide the resources that I know you girls need based on the emails I receive from you.  You deserve so much more than what I alone can give.  I’ve been praying about that issue for several months with the hopes of there being an opportunity for me to join forces with some of the larger ministries that are doing a great work.  I didn’t want to be presumptive that anyone needed or wanted me so I just watched and waited and wondered if desiring such a thing was of God or simply a product of my own warped discernment.  And then God – being faithful as always – crossed my path with Diane Nix through a mutual friend.  Diane just happens to be the creator of a wonderful site for ministry wives called Contagious Joy.

 

Diane and I had an email exchange some months back about ministry related things and during the course of it, I felt compelled to pitch out my desire to join forces with a site larger than my own.  Not coincidentally, the Lord had also been nudging her in my direction.  After some phone conversation and a lot of prayer, she has graciously permitted me to hitch on to her well-built wagon.  I do not presume to call this a partnership because Diane has done all the work on CJ and already has a fabulous team in place.  It is more of an affiliation whereby the ministry wife related material that I produce will be hosted there and CJ will link back here to the M2M Blogroll, etc.  Honestly, we aren’t altogether certain how this will unfold but we are both excited at the possibilities.

Here are some things I love about Contagious Joy that lead me to believe this is a great move for me and for you:

1. The Security:  Registration is required in order to have full access to the site forums and the member requests are screened to ensure the applicants are indeed servants in ministry.  No clandestine attempts to see what’s going on with you behind the scenes shall prosper! This is a huge comfort to ministry wives who need a safe place to vent, to seek encouragement, and/or wise counsel.

2.  The Forums:  I have loved the interaction between you girls on The Preacher’s Wife Facebook group page.  I’ve not converted it to a “Like/Fan” page because I’ve been afraid we’ll lose many of the members in transition and there is no longer and option to message all the members to alert to the move.  That page will remain intact but I want to encourage you to also register with CJ and use the forums in the same way you are using the Facebook page.  There are discussion starter topics and you are free to begin your own topic as well.  CJ also has a Facebook page here and again, I encourage you to “Like” that page to keep up to date on current happenings.

3.  The Credentials:  Among the team Diane has formed is a licensed counselor who is available in the forums for those facing heavy issues.  You can read the bio’s of the entire leadership team here.

4.  The Fun Stuff:  CJ has recently given away anything from iPads to Girls’ Getaway Cruises.  As much I would love to, I can’t give y’all electronics and vacations. See what I mean about how great it is to work with someone who has actual resources?

And lastly:

THE EVENTS!

This is where it gets even better.  On January 14th, 2012, CJ will be hosting a virtual conference for ministry wives called More inJoy.  Registration is now open and is a mere $10.  Couple the low price with the fact you can watch from the comforts of your own home and there is absolutely no reason not to join in!  I’m thrilled to be one of the speakers.  Rachel Lovingood (co-author of the Bible Study for ministry wives, “In Our Shoes”…what’s the deal with ministry wives and shoes? *grin*) will also speak.  The details are still coming together so please register now and visit CJ between now and then to get more information on the conference.

 

And one more lastly:

I want to be certain that I properly express how grateful I remain for the friendships and encouragement you girls have blessed me with over the past years.  I do not want this change to be perceived that I am shoving you out of here to another site.  Very little will change here other than there being times when I will point you to CJ forums for counsel, etc. that will be readily available there versus your waiting on me to answer your precious emails.  I also look forward to writing articles there that I hope will offer wholesale encouragement to issues you may be facing.  Again, it is my desire that you are served well and I know I have failed miserably especially as of late.  You deserve better!

Okay, so I would love to hear your thoughts.  About the elf and the ministry.

Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d find myself writing.

 

December 13, 2011 | Filed Under Holidays, Ministry | 12 Comments 

From joy to despair but not really

I hope you had an amazing weekend and that your Christmas season has kicked off in right perspective.  I went to Macedonia Baptist Church in Ranburne Friday night and had a fabulous time with my PW buddy Stacy and Charlotte, ministry assistant extraordinaire.  Their church hosts a Christmas Extravaganza every year and the name does not disappoint.  The tables were over-the-top beautiful and true to form, I didn’t have my camera to get pictures.  These are the only ones I have from Stacy.  (Charlotte, send me the picture of all of us! :) They both make me so happy.  And yay for being invited more than once!

That doesn’t happen much.

In fact, it may never happen again.  I taught on Matthew 2 and gave the girls some fascinating history on the four major world empires that ruled over Palestine until the time of Jesus’ birth as well as mucho-info on the Magi and their prolific influence during each reign.  It was incredibly nerdy.  I know y’all are sorry you weren’t there.   For those who were, I know the wonderful worship music and chocolate fountain made up for it.  I would sit through anything for some good singing and a dipped strawberry.  I thought about sharing the points with you but I cheated off some of Luke’s research so I don’t want to steal his thunder if he decides to use some of the same material here at home.  I can assure you the principles and application will be altogether different because try as he may, the female gender is still a mystery to him. I like to keep it that way.

Saturday brought more joy…for two quarters anyway. For the first time I can remember in months we had an entire day when we didn’t have a single place to be so we had a family SEC Championship/Georgia Bulldog party.  That’s really the only kind of party transplanted Georgians can have in Alabama because I can count on one hand how many other Dawg fans there are in the state.  I’m trying not to be bitter over the loss. Not that anyone expected us to win but the first half we looked like the team I know we can be.  By the fourth quarter I was just begging the Lord to make it stop. It would be very easy to become despondent over all the missed opportunities and ‘if only’s’.  However, in the words of my father-in-law, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts it’d be Christmas every day.”

And then there’s the whole BCS deal about who gets to play in the National Championship.  Luke just explained to me how two teams from the same conference can end up playing one another.  Now I love my Alabama friends and I’m happy The Tide is playing in the game, but I’m thinking a true national championship needs to be made up of two teams who actually won their own conference and there should be some play off tournament to decide the top two. (Bracing for hate mail.)  Don’t get all worked up on me.  It’s just a thought. Because I know the BCS people are tuning in to see my opinion on the matter.  Especially since I had to ask Luke during the game if the correct term is “in zone” or “end zone”.

It’s time for me to jump off here and watch “Good Luck Charlie” Christmas movie with Sydney for the 32nd time.  The ancient history of the Medes is looking better all the time.

What are y’all up to?

December 5, 2011 | Filed Under Event Recaps | 6 Comments 

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