Covered in Feathers?

(Psalm 91:4 NLT) "...He will shelter you with his feathers..."

Huh? What kind of sheltering can God do with feathers? That was my question to Him this morning, during my daily reading. This verse jumped off the page and lodged itself in my muddled brain, begging for clarification. I know God can do anything He wants, but why would He choose to use feathers?

My trains (yes, I mean multiple) of thought while searching for clarification:

Feathers...soft, inviting, definitely not something I would choose to make a shelter out of, especially if there are any rocks or wood lying around.
Is this related to God's character?
Maybe a different translation will help.
God bless America, where I can have several translations at my disposal on my nightstand without persecution.
"He will cover you with his feathers..." (NIV)
Cover, shelter, cover, shelter
Like the blood of Christ covers our sins?
Hmm...back to feathers
I know ostriches were pursued for their feathers, to be used for headdresses and shield ornaments.
So they must be beautiful.
Last I checked the "world famous" Topeka Zoo didn't have any ostriches, so I can't vouch.
People are drawn to beautiful things.
But what about, oh, say, eagle feathers?
I found a quote from Pliny (who was 10 when Jesus was crucified) that said eagle feathers were so powerful that if laid with any other, the eagle feathers would devour and consume all the rest.
So God rescues us from our troubles (taken from the previous verse), devours the sin in our lives, leaving us covered in His beauty. Now that is cool. Cover me with your feathers, Lord!

Chew on this and let me know if He reveals anything different to you.

Name of Jesus Concert

Last night, Jason Morant, Nate Sallie, Big Daddy Weave, and The Todd Agnew Band graced Wichita's presence with an intense concert. I was blessed to be able to attend, with full access passes, and quite possibly the best seat in the house. This refreshing concert is not about those men, but about coming together to worship God, as they will continually remind you.

JMo is gifted with both a beautiful voice and spirit. Chatting with him only epitomized his graciousness, humbleness, and friendly personality. He's so "Lovely" he needs to be headlining his own tour. (Picture upper left)

Nate Sallie--wow--that man can blast and is full of the "Holy Spirit." He was energetic and involved the crowd. Nate, I'm ruined.

BDW--love them. They were so much fun to watch and really know how to entertain an audience. I spoke with Mike a couple times. If I had to tour, I would want them along for the ride as they know who they are truly performing for--an "Audience of One."

The Todd Agnew band. I can't mention this group without first talking about Jonathan Chu. This talented and gracious young man, knows how to worship with his violin. He worked hard all night as the stage hand, gave an incredibly vivid performance, and still found time to talk to me several times. Todd is intense, insightful, and intelligent. His transparency and down-to-earth talks were heart rending, surprisingly humorous, and necessary. His music never fails to touch me, and seeing him perform live is even more wrenching. You will walk away desiring to be more like "My Jesus." (Picture upper right)

As the concert came to a close, I dreaded the final note Todd would wail. But it made me intensely long for the day where I will be able to worship for eternity, without having to stop and drive 3 hours through a Kansas springtime storm to arrive home in the wee hours of the morning. Oh, and maybe there I'll be able to carry a tune. :)

Impossible to walk away untouched, unmoved, or unchanged. "Be The Moon." If you don't know what that means...you need to go to the concert. You won't be disappointed.

Judging 4N6

This afternoon brought back fresh memories of experimenting with my acting chops: the sick feeling I never failed to get right before performing, doing everything in my power to impress the panel of judges piercingly staring at my every move, and rejoicing when I placed first. The National Forensics League competition for Kansas was today, and I was recruited by my former coach to judge Dramatic Interpretation and Humorous Interpretation. My specialty, oh so long ago, was Duo Interpretation. It was exciting to meet up with a couple of my fellow forensic friends and catch up on where our separate roads have led. Amazing how easy it is to lose touch. Anyhow, here are a couple of my comments:

• It is not necessary to incessantly scream (especially in a small classroom) for extra emphasis. Voice inflection and facial expressions, my dear, are equally powerful. And saves the judges at least four Advil.
• Chocolate (or unmarked bills) is the only acceptable form of bribery. Crying does not help.
• As a Christian, I try not to judge people. Isn't it fun when society finds a way to make sin acceptable?
• According to the leaflet, Dramatic Interp is supposed to make me cry...oh what, I'm sorry. I must have dozed off.
• As a contestant, you are not entitled to be bossy. Cockiness leads to ten minutes of me hearing blah, blah, blah, last place.

Uh oh, I think I'm supposed to learn some life lessons from this. I hate when that happens.

Angel's Picnic Fiasco

What does watching a child eat five chocolate chip cookies and a plate full of cheetos at a picnic get you?

1. Ten minutes of relaxation between swinging, playing catch, screaming, and climbing jungle gyms.

2. The end to five minutes of pouting because BBQ briscuit just isn't up to par with a hamburger and ketchup. (I'll spare you the details on the lack of Gatorade issue)

3. A sugar high that peaks during the awards ceremony. Restraints, anyone?

4. Ten sticky, orange fingers. I've never seen anyone attack a plate of cheetos with both hands before. Next car purchase...leather seats.

5. The inevitable upset tummy on the ride home. (Easter baskets can be used for a variety of purposes)

6. Hopefully her grandma felt the benefits of the sugar crash. I didn't stick around to find out.

Back to Name Dropping

So I promised more name dropping...today I will finally deliver. My major morning track at the conference was taught by none other than David Kopp. He wrote some of my favorite books including The Prayer of Jabez and The Dream Giver. I also purchased his latest, Roar. I recommend this beautifully illustrated book if you have any children interested in The Chronicles of Narnia. It's basically a work/guide book in association with Narnia.

I met Brandilyn Collins by accident at a fiction writer's breakfast. I really don't belong to that group, but they kindly invited me due to my association with my mentor, Julie Carobini. Julie has a book, Chocolate Beach, coming out in 2007, as well.

Kay Strom was one of the key note speakers, and I bought her Daughters of Hope book. I had the opportunity to speak with her for a minute. A truly lovely lady who sheds new light on the state of Christian women across the world. I had no idea torture and persecution still existed, let alone to the levels that prevail many cultures. This book will open your eyes and make you realize how blessed we are as Americans and challenge you to make a difference.

There are too many others to list here, but I must give a shout out to my incredible roommate, Tasra Dawson. She is self-publishing her first book this fall, so I wish her all the best in that venture!

Easter Prayer

I was nominated to give the prayer before Easter dinner tomorrow so I thought I would share it with you, as well. May you all have a blessed holiday with your family and friends celebrating the life of our Risen Savior.

God, we love you.
We recognize that Easter symbolizes your infinite mercies and the ultimate sacrifice...for us. Today, as our family gathers together in fellowship, we celebrate that your son, and our savior, is risen, and give thanks to Him for opening the gate to everlasting life.
May we always keep near the cross.
We have peace, for you forgive and forget our trespasses. Purpose, for you direct our steps. Joy, for you triumph over evil. Love, because the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts, and hope, as you promise to come again and take us home.
May we always give thanks.
Lord God, holidays are a great reprieve to stop our busy schedules and honor you, but we also want to know more of you in our everyday lives. We yearn to experience your spirit leading us to growth in our faith and we long for you to flood every aspect of our existence with your glory and love.
May we always desire to know you more.
Thank you for this tangible reminder that Jesus sacrificed His life for us, prevailed over both death and sin, and will forever reign at your side.
May we never forget.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Back in Action

I am back, and almost fully recovered from a week long conference. It was an amazing, but exhausting, experience being surrounded by 400 like-minded people. I learned far more than my mortal brain can retain, but hopefully the most important stuff has sunk in. I've finally shuffled through most of my email backlog and caught up on my sleep, so tomorrow it will be back to some serious work! My to-do list grew substantially...and I love every second of it.

Phil Callaway was the keynote speaker for the week. This man made me laugh and cry at the same time, or was it laugh so hard, I cried? Both, actually. Talk about a man humbly fulfilling his purpose and glorifying his maker. Unbelievable. I highly recommend getting one his books. I purchased Laughing Matters (autographed, of course), so I'll let you know if it lives up to the hype I created.

I'll continue name dropping...tomorrow...

On Getting Older...

First it was being called ma'am at the grocery store, then the new car insurance discount, and now it's those pesky crow's feet. I am, of course, referring to the little reminders that I am getting older. Everyday I look at my face and say, well, it's not going to get any younger, so I might as well start to like it. I'll keep you posted on how that one turns out.

But this evening, I had a very pleasant surprise, that in truth made my whole week bearable. I usually try to avoid answering the door to anyone who looks like anything remotely like a door-to-door salesman. I have a hard time turning people down, feeling guilty for not buying fifteen magazines I'd never get around to reading anyhow, just so some kid could try to win a trip to Hawaii. I digress, as I did open the door this time.

The first words out of this "miracle cleaner" salesman were, "Are your parents home?" I was literally stunned speechless. I could feel a cheesy smile plaster across my face, and I'm sure this guy was wondering what kind of nutso he happened upon. I just hope I didn't have anything stuck between my front teeth, because I was too blinded by bliss to take any care. I eventually managed to squeak out a "No." Then he took off his sunglasses, took a better look, and apologized profusely. Are you kidding me? Just for saying that, come on in, mister, and sell me some of that cleaner. If only it could erase these wrinkles...

Oh wow, I just thought of something. Do they teach that tactic in salesmanship school? If not, they should. Oh well, I'm taking the compliment and sticking it into my pocket for a rainy day.

Anyone, or perhaps your parents, want some miracle cleaner?

Band-Aids

I took Angel to my parent's house on Saturday. They were planning to spend the beautiful afternoon working in the yard and Angel loves playing with the dogs. Their back fence is lined with huge evergreen (I think) trees, and the ground below them is covered with the dead needles that have fallen off over the winter.

Angel decided to build her own garden in the needles. To start with, she wanted gloves, but none of the five pairs my mom produced were good enough. And needless to say, every tool, flower pot, weed, and piece of yard art was succintly moved to her area. She even hung a welcome sign.

After some coaxing, she managed to coerce my mom into going feather hunting with her. (Kobe, my mom's dog, and I declined as we were quite comfortable lounging in the shady grass) So they crawled around in the needles, dodging the low branches, and surprisingly found a lot of feathers. But unfortunately, something happened to Angel's hand. We took her inside to examine her mysterious pains. Nothing was visible to my naked eye, but for the sake of peace, I rubbed some ointment on her hand and my mom put a large net-like bandage around her hand and secured it with tape.

Now that everything was in perfect working order, she proceeded to go work on her garden again. Approximately three minutes later, she acquired the same wound on her other hand. I ushered her back inside and gave her the same ministrations as the other hand. Well, almost. She was quick to point out that my mom put three circles of tape around her hand, while I had done only one. Then she asked how many days should she keep the bandages on for. A month, at least. :)

When I took her home, she wanted me to tell her grandma what happened to her hands. And per grandma's rules, those darn feathers never even made it inside.

My mom invited her back to help during planting season, promising her new gloves. I'm buying stock in Band-Aids.