Saddest or Funniest of the Year--You Decide

Worst Best Man Ever @ Yahoo! Video

Wordless Wednesday

I Resolve...

A couple of years ago I listed some ideas for planning your new year. Here's my 2009 version:

. Visit a friend who moved away.
. See an ocean.
. Donate your used cell phone to charity.
. Send us the film camera you're not using. Some Kenyan pastors can use them in a microbusiness enterprise.
. Plant something.
. Switch from milk to soy or from Pepsi in the afternoon to low-sodium V-8.
. Join a Bible study. Even if you don't believe the Bible, it's the best-selling book on the planet, and many of our greatest authors use it as a literary reference. I've been re-reading Hagar's story, and I'm seeing stuff I never noticed in the past.
. If married, read a book on improving communication. Gottman has good stuff.
. If you have kids, read a book on positive parenting. The love-and-logic folks would be my choice here.
. Support at least one child in a developing country. Write regularly.
. Read aloud to a friend.
. Choose one book from the best-seller list and read it.
. Choose one classic and read it, too.
. Take a class. Want to learn to cook pastries? Go for it. Learn Photoshop? Do it! Learn to write? I still have a few openings in my spring writing class.
. Cook a complex recipe.
. Write a letter to a public official saying something nice.
. Clean your closets and donate last year's (decade's?) fashions to benefit a homeless shelter.
. Shop at a Farmer's Market. Give the local folks a chance.
. Switch from a bank to a credit union.
. Donate to a library some books you aren't using.
. Give old eyeglasses to a Kiwanis club that will redistribute them to the needy.
. Resolve to stop using plastic water bottles.
. Befriend someone who thinks totally differently from you. Ask lots of questions and really listen. Try hard to understand.
. Allow yourself to change your mind on something. If you believe in evolution, watch "Expelled." If you're a Protestant, read the Roman Catholic Church's statement on life. If you can't stand Al Gore, watch "An Inconvenient Truth" without saying anything snide.
. Go to a half-price book store and buy a CD of music you don't normally listen to.
. Read a book (or listen on tape) on the history of something like the Ming Dynasty or the Taj Mahal--something about which you know little to nothing. If you can get a friend to do it with you, all the better. If you want U. S. history, I recommend John McCullough's book on John Adams.
. Spend an afternoon at a museum.
. Do something about Darfur.
. Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk.
. Take a meal to someone in need. Not a close friend--someone who will be truly surprised.
. Memorize a poem. How about John Donne's "Batter my heart..."?
. When you order from Amazon, go through the link on this site that looks like the widget below. No matter what you buy after using this link, a portion of the sale will go to benefit our Kenya ministry.

What would you add?

Some of My Greatest Assets

A group of my close friends and I saw the Christmas lights tonight in Highland Park via horse-drawn carriage. Celebrating a milestone birthday (it was yesterday) with me were (top photo from left) my sister, Mary; Mary DeMuth; Kelley Mathews; Eva Bleeker; and Reiko Kirstein.

My little sister, Mary, I've known since birth (hers). She makes me laugh, picks me up from the airport, feeds me when my fridge is empty, and dons jammies to catch a Jane Austen or Anne of Avonlea flick with me. When we were kids, we shared a room and she has the fingernail scars to prove it. Fortunately she forgave me. (I ducked flying shoes--no scars.) As adults, we love each other dearly, much to the relief of our parents.

Mary DeMuth is generous with her fantastic cooking and as a fellow writer sends me words that bless on a regular basis. We shared communion once with tortillas and orange juice. And we also had some good times as roommates at conferences in California and Colorado. She used to live in France and her family hosted us for a wonderful time there, as well.

Kelley and I met in a spiritual formation group at seminary. She is also a fellow writer, and even though she's the mother of three little ones (two of whom are my godsons), she manages to make herself available whenever I want to get together. Once we were at a conference in Colorado and I conducted an important interview. When we got back to the hotel, we realized the tape recorder hadn't worked, so she calmly helped me as I scrambled to reconstruct what we'd just heard. A year or two ago we went to the zoo and had a flat tire with a car full of kids. Steady, unflappable Kelley had that tire half changed before road service even arrived. My favorite "Kelley" memory for 2008 was a lovely dinner out with her and her husband in downtown McKinney, Texas.

Eva started out as a writing student who became my teaching assistant who became my friend. She's the one I call when I want to catch an exhibit somewhere. Often we hang out at the Java Ranch (a local coffee shop we've nicknamed the "Cowboy Cafe") and talk theology. The girl is smart and so fun to talk to and is always reading something I've never heard of. She likes NPR and green stuff and is passionate about social justice. I always come away feeling fed...and loved.

I met Reiko, my sweet, soft-spoken, generous, giving neighbor when she and her family flew from Hawaii to Dallas to check out the seminary. They stayed with us that weekend, and we've been friends ever since. She was there when we rang in the new millennium. Our daughters are in the same grade and have grown up together. If I need someone to keep my girl after school, Reiko's there. When I was recovering from surgery, she would show up with yummy food. She prays for me and always has a word of encouragement.

What a joy to have these friends all in the same place tonight. My retirement account may have taken a hard beating this year, but in the friendships of these awesome women lie some of my truest, most enduring riches.

Special Day Today

Today is Boxing Day in Britain--a non-religious renaming of the Feast of Stephen. You can read a great article about it here.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas cheer to you and yours!

Christmas Eve 2008

Our family spent the morning in Washington, D.C. Next month it will host 4 million people, but today it was as quiet as I've ever seen it. We had the National Archives Building pretty much to ourselves.

Our daughter is doing a history project, so we got shots of her in front of the White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court before going to see the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution. After that we headed to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History to check out the beautiful new oceanography exhibit. Her grandfather, who works for NOAA, was the brainchild behind an exhibit on oceanography and weather forecasting. He came with us, so we got the inside story, which was fun.

The city shows signs of preparation for a huge celebration--bleachers already line the sides of some streets. We're preparing for the oath of office by the one elected to the most powerful office on earth.

The buildings in this city are always a marvel. Beautiful, majestic, historic. And today I'm struck by the contrast with a much different important city--the City of David, the birthplace of the Most High. He was born in a stable, placed in a trough where animals slobber, surrounded by flies. Heralded by angels going to shepherds instead of senators.

Immanuel--God with us. Merry Christmas!

Today in Luray

We're in the D.C. area with my husband's family, while my sis is at my house hosting Christmas dinner with her in-laws and friends.

Today we went with Gary's dad to see Luray Caverns in Virginia. I had not been there since I was in my teens. The bottom half of this photo is a reflection. The water is only inches deep and would burn like battery acid if you drank it. But such beauty if you just look at it!

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? ... If I make my bed in Sheol, look! You are there!" (Psa 139:7, 8).

Congrats, Heather Goodman!

My friend Heather Goodman won this year's Genesis contest, which the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) hold for first-time novelists. Here's a profile of Heather for which I was interviewed.

Happy Hanukkah!

When I was in Amman last month, I explored their internationally known museum that houses astounding collections including hand-held oil lamps from the early Roman period (above). Imagine people all over holding these little lights during the Feast of Dedication (another term for what we refer to as Hanukkah).

The apostle John records an instance of Jesus, an observant Jew, participating in Hanukkah:

"Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.' Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

"'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.' Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, 'I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?'

"'We are not stoning you for any of these,' replied the Jews, 'but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.'

"Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are gods"? If he called them "gods," to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken--what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I am God's Son"? Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.' "

"Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp" (John 10:19-22).

Interracial Churches

Whenever we spend the weekend with our friends Barney and Karen Giesen in Houston, we worship with them at City of Refuge Evangelical Presbyterian Church. We love going there with them because the church is interracial, and just looking around and listening to the music provide a foretaste of the diversity of heaven. Recently Karen and her pastor were interviewed for a Religion & Ethics Newsweekly piece on interracial churches. You can watch them here.

On the Accuracy of the NT Text

Nearly everywhere I go where the subject of religion comes up, whether in the academy or on the street, a question arises about the veracity of the New Testament manuscripts. The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) does important work in this area as they gain access to libraries where ancient biblical documents are stored and take high-resolution photos of the best manuscripts of the New Testament. This allows CSNTM to make possible their dissemination. That means people who would otherwise have no access can view them if they have a computer and an internet connection.

To learn more, a great place to start is these two DVD’s of lectures done by Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, the center's founder:

“Is What We Have Now What They Wrote Then?”
A lecture at an apologetics conference in Providence, Rhode Island, 2008, about whether our printed New Testaments today accurately represent the original text.

“Challenges in New Testament Textual Criticism for the 21st Century”
A plenary lecture at the annual Evangelical Theological Society meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, 2008, on current issues in NT textual criticism. I've read the manuscript of Dr. Wallace's speech, and it's anything but dry and academic.

The price of each video DVD is $10. The price of both video DVDs together is $15. Texas residents also will pay 8.25% sales tax. Allow two to four weeks for delivery. Order here.

This just in: A hilarious music video by a group of students who apparently used Dr. Wallace's Greek Grammar in fourth-semester Greek.

Christmas Concert

Every Christmas for the past three or four years our family has gifted each other with a special night out at a concert of some kind. Last year we saw/heard the Trans Siberian Orchestra. This year it was the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's "Stories of Christmas: A Christmas Celebration." The evening at the Meyerson featured the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), Chorus, and--of special interest to our daughter--the Children's Choir.

My assessment: Spectacular.

The night featured the amazing soloist Angela Simpson. We heard a variety of Christmas music from around the world, enjoyed many old favorites, and even got to sing along at one point. My voice was much improved by the sound of the DSO in the background, let me tell you. For good reason this year's show is touted as one of the "Top 10 Holiday Concerts in America."

If you live in Dallas, you still have a few more nights (and matinees) to catch this don't-miss event. Call 214.871.4550 for tickets. Groups discounts are available for groups of ten or more.

Wordless Wednesday

SoulPerSuit

Some artsy friends, Erin and Rhonda, and I are coordinating ways to engage all five senses as we participate in this holy season. Check out some of what participants have created as a result as you follow links and read comments here. (I recommend starting at the bottom of the blog and working your way up.)

Half a Simile

At this time of year, I love to put on my favorite music: Handel's "Messiah."

And now whenever the choir gets to the part where they sing, "All we like sheep ... have gone astray," I think of my nephew. When he was small, he was in a Christmas pageant, and at one point in the midst of rehearsal, he heaved a sigh. "So what's the big deal about sheep?" he asked. "All we like sheep. Okay, we like sheep. Fine. But why do we have to say it over and over?"

Hussein

I think it's interesting that some people wish Barak Hussein Obama would lose his middle name. I saw a news report yesterday, in fact, in which a newscaster reported with an element of surprise that the president-elect plans to keep his middle name for the inaugural swearing-in. Of course he plans to keep his middle name.

What I find particularly interesting is the difference between what some Americans perceive and what people I overheard in Jordan perceive about Obama's choice to call himself who he is.

I heard some non-Americans talking, and they said they couldn't believe that Americans could be so unprejudiced as to pursue someone named Saddam Hussein as a sworn enemy one year and within the same decade to turn around and elect someone named "Hussein" to the highest office in the land. And they couldn't believe that Americans would be so open-minded as to elect someone with American and Kenyan blood with an Arab-sounding name. But it was their final observation that grabbed me: "Maybe if Americans did that...maybe they don't hate us as much as we thought."

Christmas Gift Ideas

I have some inventory of my books I'd like to clear by the end of the year. So right now all my novels (Lethal Harvest, Deadly Cure, Informed Consent, False Positive) are $8 each, including shipping. And the Bible studies (Colossians, Ruth, Song of Songs, Esther, Sermon on the Mount, Judges) are $9 each, including shipping.

If you want me to send a signed copy to someone you love for Christmas, I'll wrap it and sign your name.

To contact me, use this form.

A Manger Scene with Women

Did you know shepherding isn't just a "guy" job? Have you ever imagined women besides Mary in the manger scene? For more on this possibility, read my post today over at bible.org's Tapestry Blog site, where I contribute every other Tuesday.

Red Letter Day

"Beauty is nature's brag, and must be shown in courts, at feasts, and high solemnities, where most may wonder at the workmanship." --John Milton, born 400 years ago today