The DMV

I've had several people request a viewing of my tragic, albeit comedic driver's license photo. Well, for those of you who've been patiently waiting.....here it is.

Luckily I got my new license last month. I will say, however, the last 4 years with this pic have been interesting!! When I went to renew my license, I was bound and determined to take a better picture this time. I cheesed it up real big. Then she handed me the temporary and said, "You'll get the real thing in 5 weeks. Next.." I took my new license, confident it would be better.... Alas, one of my eyes was on vacation. It was looking off in some other direction. I looked half-crossed eyed. No!! This cannot be. I've spent the last 4 years with a license picture that made me look like a turtle. It was too late. Someone else was already in line, and clerk Bertha was no longer interested in helping me. So I limped out of the DMV with my head hung low. Then, a miracle directly from Heaven. Lo and behold, 5 weeks later I received my new license in the mail. My eye had been restored! The temporary was just a sham, a mockery, a lude trick. Sing praises! Finally, a license picture to be proud of. Anyway---the legendary photo is below. No, it's not an urban legend, not folklore. It really does exist.

I realize those of you who don't know me will not appreciate this. I'll have to post a current photo sometime to give you a point of reference. I promise, I do not look this scary!!

Anyway, this pitiful little photo has brought much laughter over the past 4 years. Sorry it took me so long to pass it on! Enjoy...


Ya gotta love the DMV... 

Covenant Marriage

I was blown away tonight when I turned on the evening news and heard a story on Covenant Marriage. They were featuring the governor from the state of Arkansas. That state has passed a Covenant Marriage law, which allows people to enter into a Covenant Marriage by their choice. A Covenant Marriage is different from a regular marriage because there is mandatory counseling prior to marriage. It is much more difficult to get divorced. There are only a limited number of reasons a divorce will be granted (abuse, imprisonment for a felony, or adultery). There is a mandatory "cooling off" period required (sometimes up to 2 years) before the divorce will be granted.

The idea is to help people see marriage as God intended, a life-long covenant between a man and a woman. So far, 3 states have passed these Covenant Marriage laws. 25 more have proposed them. The Covenant Marriage movement was started in an effort to help lower the divorce rate and bring God back into marriages. The governor of Arkansas is going to renew his marriage vows with his wife and convert their marriage to a covenant marriage in Feb 2005.

You should take a look at the Covenant Marriage site. It's amazing! I am so excited to see that God is finally being brought back into our marriages and even our legislature! Congregations can sign up to be Covenant Marriage congregations. I sure hope this movement takes the country by storm. As Christians, we need to stand up for our marriages and families. If Satan can destroy our families, he can destroy our whole existence. Things have gotten so twisted in our society. It's about time things started to turn around!

Merry Christmas!

Well, it's about 6:30 on Christmas morning. I guess millions of children are dragging their parents out of bed to see what Santa brought. They don't realize their parents only got into bed 20 minutes ago. They've been up all night reading directions and trying to assemble various toys. I can't wait to have kids!

The world will arise this morning as one big global family. We all come from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different races. We may not know each other by name, but we are all family. Today, most will arise full of a different kind of spirit. A spirit of giving. A spirit of hope and joy. Everyone slows down just a little, and takes a glimpse outside themselves. We visit Grandma and buy gifts for cousin Fred. We laugh at Aunt Dottie and the mis-matched clothes she wears. Mom will soon be buzzing around the kitchen, cooking for an army. We all kind of come together today. People are more likely to speak in the grocery store and let you over in heavy traffic. Christmas lights twinkle all around. Why can't we have this same spirit all year?

We called the soup kitchen to find out how we could volunteer today. They told us they already had enough volunteers, and we wouldn't be needed. Imagine if they had that problem on a daily basis, not just at Christmas.

While I know this morning will be full of laughter and joy for so many, I am reminded that there are multitudes of people that are suffering this morning. Somewhere out there is a man with no home, sitting under an overpass, trying to keep warm, wishing he had a hot breakfast to wake up to. Someone is lying in a nursing home, and doesn't even realize it's Christmas. All of their memories of past Christmas' have been stolen from them by Alzheimer's. Yet others are filled with grief due to the death of a loved one or memories of past Christmas' that are filled with hurt, anger and sorrow.

What if we all stopped for just a minute today. Stopped and looked around, searched our busy minds for someone that needed a special touch today. Maybe while everyone is snoring in the living room after a huge meal, we could sneak away and bless someone else. Drop by for a short visit. Maybe take someone a piece of pie. Maybe even a phone call. I don't know. It's just a thought. Our world has such great potential. We could be so giving, so thoughtful, so friendly. I know we are capable. We do it once a year.

Last night our family spent time reflecting on Jesus and what a tremendous gift he is to us. My mom and I had picked out different passages from the Bible. Mom printed them out and we passed them around. We went around the room, taking turns reading them. Afterwards we each took turns praying. I can't tell you what a blessing it is to be able to sit and pray with my parents and grandparents. We were discussing the state of our country, families, kids, prayer in schools, etc. My grandmother was telling us how grateful she was to be able to say that everyone in her family was a believer. We stopped to think about it, and it's true. Me, my parents, all of my grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We're all Christians. I marvel to think that my family, going back for generations, has been raised in Christian homes. I couldn't have asked for a more special gift!

Whatever you do today, I hope you have a very special Christmas!

Pusillanimous

Pusillanimous means: lacking courage and resolution; marked by contemptible timidity.

I sometimes struggle with fear and timidity. It seems God whispers things in my ear, things He'd like me to try or things He wants to do through me. Sometimes I listen and act. Sometimes I freak out. I have come to realize that the things I feel led to do that seem impossible and completely off the wall--those are from God. The things I want to do that make sense and have a defined order--those are of me. God doesn't often provide a full set of instructions, rather He lays things out one step at a time. That can be scary.

The good news is, I don't have to be pusillanimous!

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

What makes us afraid as Christians? Sometimes it is fear of rejection or embarrassment. Fear of the unknown. Fear of loss or pain. Satan can sell us on fear of just about anything.

Sometimes we worry about being laughed at, abandoned or mistreated by the world. If we aren't getting some type of flack from the world, we probably aren't being as effective as we could be. That's not to say we have to go around offending everyone we meet. But there should be a definite sense of difference between us and the world. Sometimes that comes in being left out of certain groups at work or school. It may mean being made fun of. Maybe we are lied about by people trying to ruin our reputation. Or maybe it just means having to separate yourself from old friends who don't share your belief system. No matter the specifics, that sense of alienation or separation can be scary at times.

But God's Word says:
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats. Do not be frightened. 1 Peter 3:13-14

When we fear stepping out into the unknown, seemingly alone - God is there. He has gone ahead of us. He has prepared the way. In 1 Corinthians, Paul said, "If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord." (I Cor 16:10) God may send others to our aid. He may give us the strength internally. However He chooses to encourage and strengthen us, we can be assured He will not leave us dangling out there alone. Why would He call us to do something completely outside the scope of our abilities and then not equip us to carry it out? That doesn't make sense. His goal is to be gloried and to further His Kingdom. He isn't pulling the wings off of the proverbial butterfly.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed his people; to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. Luke 1:68, 74-75

Remember when you were a kid and your parents told you to do something? When you asked why, they said, "Because I said so." Sometimes they didn't give you a reason. God is often like that. But the request is always for our own good. As His children, He wants what is best for us, and He wants to see us grow. Sometimes growth comes from being forced to do scary things. What if your parents had not made you brave the darkness as a child and sleep in your own bed? Would you have been sleeping in between your parents at age 17? What if they had not allowed you to fall on your fanny numerous times as you learned to walk? Would they have been carrying you around in some huge kiddy sling at age 10? Sometimes growth and change is scary, but it can be oh so productive--not only for us, but for others as well. Just remember, He is our Father and He has our best interest at heart!

You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. Romans 8:15

Facing fear can also bring enormous freedom. Think in practical terms. I am afraid to fly on an airplane. But if I ever decide to go to Europe, it will take me forever to get there by land and sea. Look at the freedom I can gain by getting into one of those caskets with wings (sorry!). Facing fears in one area can liberate us in other areas as well. Once you realize that fear won't kill you, it has less power in your life.

God can use fear to teach us about His power. He can use it as an exercise in faith. What better way to build our trust in Him than for us to experience Him catching us over and over each time we fall? God doesn't always make sense to us. He does things in an order that we often don't understand. But He is God. He's been doing this for a really long time. I think He's got a pretty good handle on things, whether I understand it or not. Rather than focus on the fear, the key is to focus on the Father. He IS faithful, and He WILL guide, protect and catch us if we seek Him.

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

Happy Anniversary

I'd like to say a big, "Happy Anniversary to Tim & Rhonda!!" Today is my parents 37th wedding anniversary. I know most people think they have the best parents in the world, but I hate to break it to you---mine are the best!!

I don't know much about raising kids because I don't have any. But I do know about being raised. My parents were always real with me. I've seen them fight, cry, get angry, apologize, laugh, pray, worry, scold, teach, serve, study, hurt, succeed, mourn, comfort, the list could go on and on. My parents have been such a huge part of my coming to know Christ. I hope I am half the parent they are when I have children.

I can remember my mom making me sit and read to her at night. I hated every minute of it. I wanted to be off running around and playing. But she made me read to her anyway. Now I want to be a writer. When I started wearing make-up, my mom took me to the Estee Lauder counter at the mall and had them do me up right. She didn't want me to look like a clown, so she invested the time and money to help me learn how to wear it. She even took me to "charm school" one summer. She went with me. We learned how to sit properly, walk properly, talk, etc. My mom loves to learn. Through the years I have gone to cooking classes, sewing classes, basket-weaving, painting, drawing. Some of the classes were for me, some were for her and she dragged me along. It taught me the value of being your own person-pursuing your own interests, despite being a wife and mother. In addition to classes on cake decorating, flower arranging, and becoming a Master Gardener through the County Extension service, my mom also went to college when she was in her 40's and finished her degree in Psychology.

In addition to all that learning, she has also taught me how to serve. I can't tell you how many nursing homes and little old widow ladies I have visited over the years with her. I also marveled when she taught Sunday school and all the flip charts and puppets and bulletin boards she created. We've taken countless casseroles to sick people, new mothers, grieving families, etc. She has helped raise money for a paralyzed lady and taken in visiting missionaries. She has taken on many of my friends as if they were her own, welcoming them into our home-even inviting them to spend Christmas with our family. When I was in college, our house was often the local hang-out. Sometimes the living room would be so full of people that you could barely walk through. My parents would retreat to their room and leave the house to us (I think they were mostly relieved to know I wasn't out tying one on somewhere!).

My mom reaches out to all kinds of people. One Christmas, we had a house full of people that had no families. They all became part of our family that year. We ate until we were sick, played games, watched Christmas movies, etc.

My mom has also taught me to laugh. We can get cracked up at some of the most off the wall things. We almost had to leave the theater when we saw "Bruce Almighty" together because we were laughing so hard. And if she ever gets tickled at a TV show, you can be sure that you will hear her laughter no matter where you are in the house. Many times my dad and I have been drawn out of another room, completely intrigued and amused by her hysterical laughter. She loves to go to Hallmark stores and read funny cards. She doesn't mind the stares and whispers. She just laughs all the more.

My mom has celebrated victories with me, cried with me over broken hearts, and even taught me about men by rebuking me when I didn't treat boyfriends the way I should.

Most importantly I recall all the times I observed her curled up in a chair with her Bible and a notebook. I remember all the times we've prayed together and discussed God's Word and His Will. She has taught me to know what I believe and why, to stand up for what's right, to depend on God and to trust Him with everything.

As for my dad, I remember all the Sundays when we would have "dinner on the grounds" at church, and he stood patiently waiting until everyone in the place had fixed their plate before he would eat. He's always been a leader in the church, teaching Sunday school, serving as a deacon, leading a small group. When I was a teenager, we went to a small church that had no youth minister. My parents made sure we had activities, devo's, went to youth rallies, etc. My dad even wrote a newsletter for the youth group. He wanted to make sure I had as much exposure to Christ as possible at that critical age in my life.

I can remember many nights we have sat up late talking about all kinds of things, anywhere from boys to the Bible to fears/doubts/decisions to hobbies. My dad is a counselor by trade now, but he hasn't always been (at least not to the general public!). I guess I was good practice for him! Recently we had a hurricane come through our town, and my dad called one of the emergency shelters and offered to come give free counseling if anyone there needed it.

My dad isn't afraid to stand up for what he believes in. He will boycott companies that support/promote ungodly things. He keeps up with what's going on in the world. He isn't afraid to enter into an "intelligent discussion" with anyone and vocalize his viewpoint, even if it is different from theirs. I have seen him pouring over the Word and studying for hours on end. His collection of commentaries and other Biblical reference books always makes me salivate.

My dad just seems to know everything. I'm sure everyone thinks their dad is the smartest man alive, but mine really seems to be! You can ask him about almost anything. He might not be an expert on the topic, but you can almost bet he knows something about it. It's amazing. He exposes himself to a lot, so he absorbs a lot. He watches the news, the History channel, the Discovery channel, listens to Christian radio, etc. He uses words I've never even heard of sometimes. My mom and I joke that we need a dictionary to understand him.

My dad has also given me the gift of independence. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean my dad didn't stick a power tool in my hand and teach me how to fix it myself (or at least try). I have spent countless hours with him underneath my car (now I will say that I have no clue how to fix cars, but I am good at handing out tools...). He has given me the confidence to try things for myself. I have replaced pipes under my kitchen sink, repaired toilets, built things with wood and power saws and drills--all because he refused to let me be helpless. I love him for that.

My dad and I are good at making each other cry. He's written things for my high school graduation, given me jewelry with a special analogy tied in, made those "dad" speeches about being proud... I tell him he is getting sappy in his old age. I can write him a card, and tears will glisten in his eyes (he's probably crying reading this blog right now!).

My dad also loves to laugh. Some of my favorite memories are around the dining room table, telling stories and acting crazy. Heads thrown back, laughter abounds.

When I was young, we used to live in North Alabama where it actually snowed from time to time. My dad would tie a rope to the handle of a metal trash can lid, sit me on it and take off running down the street. He also used to grab my knees and squeeze them, telling me that was how a cow ate corn-which of course used to send me straight to the floor in a fit of laughter (I am very ticklish).

I am so very lucky to have these two wonderful people in my life. They have taught (and continue to teach) me so much. I am where I am as a person and as a Christian because of them. I couldn't have picked a better family to have been born into. I am eternally grateful to God for the wonderful gift that is my family!!

I love y'all~~


Our little family way back when (1973) 

Worthy Vessels

Recently I met an awesome lady by the name of Kitty Tilson. She is a potter, living completely on faith. A few years ago, Kitty was living in a rental house in North Alabama. She had never owned her own home, but had always dreamed of living in a log cabin. The time came when her landlord decided to sell the house she was renting. For various reasons, Kitty couldn't buy the house. She was in a quandary about where to live. Some friends asked her to move to Utah with them, so she did. Living there just didn't feel right to her. Her heart was in North Alabama. And she still wanted a log cabin.

One day she got a phone call from a friend telling her about a cabin for sale in North Alabama. Kitty had looked at a few cabins there, and thought she had already seen this one. She wasn't interested. But her friend persisted. This was a cabin Kitty had never seen before. So Kitty decided to take a look.

She had been praying for God to give her a place to call home. She specifically told God that she wanted a place with lots of trees, a creek, at the end of a dirt road, and it had to have a place for her to use as a pottery studio. She decided she wouldn't ask for the log cabin because she didn't want to be greedy.

When Kitty and her friend arrived to look at the property, it was at the end of a dirt road, surrounded by trees and had a creek. There was a separate building that could be used as a studio. Oh, and the house was a log cabin!

As they were walking around with the realtor, Kitty was having a serious prayer session in her head. She had never owned a home before, and this one would need a lot of work. She asked God to give her a sign that this was the place He wanted her to buy. While she was in the middle of her prayer, her friend asked the realtor what the name of the creek was. (Kitty was mildly irritated by this because she was over here praying her heart out in her mind. Who cared about the name of the creek...) The realtor's reply was, "Oh, the creek is called Kitty Branch." Kitty decided to buy the property that day!

Kitty's place is amazing. It's almost dream-like. The cabin has a screened porch on the back. From the porch, you can hear the creek running over the rocks. Her grass is a plush green. Behind the cabin, on the other side of the creek, the tree-covered land slopes upward giving her total privacy. Her pottery studio is next to the cabin. Inside, the cabin is so warm and inviting. To get to the original bedroom, you have to climb a ladder-like staircase through a hole in the living room ceiling (kind of like Little House on the Prairie). The cabin is the old style with a dog-trot. On the other side of the dog-trot, she has built a 2 story addition with 2 more bedrooms and bathrooms. She uses her dog-trot to display her pottery. (The next time I go I will take some pictures)

Kitty lives solely off of her pottery sales. People come to her home, and she travels to trade shows. The day we went to see her, she made hot cocoa and homemade gingersnaps for everyone. It felt like we were stepping into a Christmas card.

If you are ever in North Alabama, you should give Kitty a call. You will be blessed by her heart and her testimony. Her pottery is beautiful as well.

She calls her business Worthy Vessels.

Kitty Tilson
211 County Road 494
Lexington, AL 35648
(256) 229-POTS


"My life and work are centered around my love relationship with Jesus. In Him flows all life and because of Him my life sweetly flows here in North Alabama.
You are welcome to come and visit anytime. Just call ahead.
I hope you enjoy the pottery and that it points you to Him who is everything, Jesus."
-Kitty Tilson

Bless all my skills, O Lord, and be pleased with the work of my hands. -Deut. 33:11

In the world vs Of the world

Today I found out that a friend of mine (we'll call her Melissa) was attacked at her home last week. She went out to her car around 10:00 pm to get something out of the trunk. Two men drove up and one chased her to her house. They fought at the door. Although she was finally able to get the door closed and locked, he kicked it in - completely destroying the door frame. She was screaming prayers at the top of her lungs. Even though she and her 8 year old daughter live alone, she called out to her "husband" to get the gun because someone was breaking in. When the man heard this, he backed out of the house. He stood outside the door as she called 911. She told the 911 operator that she and her daughter lived alone and had no way to defend themselves. I'm sure the man heard the conversation, yet he never re-entered the house. Eventually he ran off. She lives in my neighborhood. The men were never caught.

"Stephanie" is another friend who is 32 and recently found out she has cancer. She had learned she was pregnant the week before. The doctor wanted her to terminate the pregnancy so they could begin treating her cancer. She refused. Her son is now 6 months old and she is currently undergoing chemo.

"Brandy" is living as a single mom. Her husband shot himself several years ago. She has two sons, but one of them was taken away because she simply couldn't care for him. He lives with his grandparents. She and her smallest son live in a tiny apartment. For his last birthday, I baked a cake, bought toys and decorations because she couldn't afford to give him anything for his birthday. The church helped her with some of her bills just so she could get through the month. She was recently fired from her job.

"Peter" used to live in Los Angeles. He was a member of a gang called the bloods. When he went to L.A. to visit, he and a friend were off to see some guy the friend had business with. Peter didn't realize the business was murder. His friend stabbed the guy multiple times and put him in a coma. Peter was caught by the police. Rather than rat out his friend, Peter sat in jail until the guy came out of the coma and cleared him.

"Libby" used to do drugs. She went to clubs, slept with an untold number of strangers. She'd sometimes wake up on the sidewalk, not remembering how she got there. She traveled with a band for a while, smoking, drinking, living life on the edge. She's in rehab now.

"Andrea" was married to an abusive husband. Every day when he left for work, he would remove the spark plugs from her car so she couldn't go anywhere. They lived too far out for her to walk anywhere. They had no phone. She was stuck all day. The trailer they lived in would get so cold in the winter that the water in the toilet would freeze. She and her small son would sit in a bedroom all day trying to stay warm, waiting for hubby to come home and beat them some more.

"Daniel" was always in trouble with the law. He was arrested for grand theft auto, threat with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, among other things. One night it all came to head when he committed yet another crime. The courts gave him the option of jail or the military. He chose the military. When he was alerted he would be going to Iraq, he almost went AWOL. Instead he decided to fulfill his duty, so he went. Even though the military was supposed to turn his life around, he still wound up killing people. It was just government sanctioned now.

"Wendy" was a 17 year old girl who had been abused as a child. She was adopted by a nice Christian family when she was 6. No matter how much they loved her, the damage was already done. She grew up being a wild party-girl who lied to everyone. One night she disappeared from a party like a vapor. They found her skeleton 1 year later. She had been murdered 3 miles from home.

These people are all friends of mine. There are countless more.
Cocaine. Abortion. Adultery. Alcoholism. Violence. Prison. HIV. Murder.

To hear me talk, it sounds like I run around with a band of thugs. I don't. These people are all fairly normal. They look normal. They have normal jobs. I've worked with some of them. I've gone to church with some of them. I've even dated a couple of them.

I am just struck sometimes be the enormous effect of sin in our world. I am constantly made aware of sin by words and conversations I hear, things on TV, things in the paper, etc. But to stop and think about all the people that have crossed my path over the years whose lives have been ripped to bits by Satan. Sometimes I am just taken aback.

My new motto is "No one ever changed the world by being like the world or hiding from the world." If you had told me when I was 14 that in the course of my life I would have close friends that had these kinds of life scars, I would have told you that you were crazy. I would have thought helping "people like that" would be too overwhelming. Yet I find a great sense of peace in it. I guess I never realized until recently that God has called me to minister to all kinds of people in all kinds of ways.

I feel so completely inadequate to help anyone. I am so scattered, so spastic. Yet God keeps putting these people on my door step. I am so humbled by that. Sometimes I feel so helpless. Especially when I don't see the fruits of my labor. My first experience with the crude reality of sin came when I was 15. I was spending the night with my friend "Natalie." Her parents were hopped up on LSD. They were an upscale family, certainly higher on the financial food chain than my family. I remember sitting in Nat's bedroom, huddled together with the door closed as we listened to her parents yell and throw things in the other room. It seemed like it went on for hours. Probably did. It scared me to death, but at least that was one night Natalie didn't have to endure alone. The next morning I remember going to the restroom and seeing her dad's Playboy magazines scattered all about. That life was so foreign to me. I did finally get Natalie to go to church with me. She spent a lot of time at my house. We were such close friends. I had such high hopes for her. She was the first girl I knew to lose her virginity, which spawned her "extra-curricular activities" for the remainder of our high school days. I don't know where she is now, but I have to believe she came into my life for a reason.

I am humbled to think that God could use me to help anyone. Yet I am grateful He chooses to use messed up people. One because He receives all the glory even more. Two because it reminds me that there is hope for us all. The people I spoke of earlier are real. Not one of those stories is fiction. They are only a small fraction of what goes on all the time in our world. Those people are us. We are them. I'm grateful God can use ANYONE, even me, to do His work. None of us is a lost cause.

And Christ died for every last murderous, lying, alcoholic, lustful, greedy, crack-head one of us!

Just remember, NO ONE EVER CHANGED THE WORLD BY BEING LIKE THE WORLD OR HIDING FROM THE WORLD!

Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence. 1 Jn 3:18-19

Be imitators of God and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:8-10

Elmo Rocks!

Well, it's been about a hundred years since my last post. Sorry to say that I am one of those people with a commitment problem. I love "new toys" and things like that, but after a while my ADD kicks in and I wander off to something else. But I'm back. Trying to keep my bloggin' alive.

Last week I had the priviledge of baby-sitting my little Emily (see her picture in a previous post). Her parents are really good friends of mine. I called them up and asked them if they would let me come over and play with Emily so they could go out on a date. They were, of course, thrilled.

Emily and I had the best time. And, as I usually do, I found several things about that evening that spoke to me about life as a Christian. First, Emily and I watched Elmo (or Melmo as she calls him) at least 6 times. Having no children of my own, I've never really been exposed to Elmo. I fell in love with him that night. Truthfully, I'd like to be more like Elmo. He laughs all the time (oh, wait. I already do that!). He is extremely patient (although I've yet to see him drive in Alabama traffic). He isn't afraid to ask questions. And he's just so darn friendly. I think we could all learn a lot from that little guy. Man, his little laugh just makes me smile.

Over the years, I have felt called to minister to married couples in this way (offering to babysit so they can have some one on one time). At one point I was doing this once a month for 4 different couples, which meant I had anywhere from 2 to 8 kids at my house on any given Friday night. We'd watch movies, bake cookies, roll around on the floor. One night we even had a dance party. We cranked up the music way too loud and danced all through the house. What a blast!

I guess I have a heart for marriage and children. I long to be a wife and mother some day. Now is not the time God has chosen to bring that about in my life. So I feel compelled to help those around me have better marriages.

Last week I think I was more blessed than anyone to have spent time with Emily. She is not quite 2 years old, and she is in a hugging phase right now. That night I probably got more hugs from her than I've gotten in the past 6 months. She would be playing or doing something, and she'd stop, grin at me, then run towards me full speed until she crashed into me, wrapping her little arms around my neck. At one point I laid on the floor and she spent 30 minutes climbing all over me. She stood on my head, sat on my shoulders, rolled all over the place. We had a blast. And I felt so full of love when I left. Isn't that how it always is?

I'm amazed at how God uses something so seemingly unimportant to bless so much. If you think you aren't a minister or have no talents or abilities, think again! God can use something as simple as babysitting to do wonderous things.

Sometimes I get bogged down thinking I have to do some big production to be useful for God. Big productions are great, but I have ministry opportunities at my feet every day. Besides, some people were designed to be on-stage, out front, doing the big production. Others were meant to be in the shadows talking to the unwed mother, holding a sleeping child, wiping the tear of a recent widow, taking cookies to the nurses working the third shift, paying someone's power bill, holding the hand of a 93 year old Alzheimer's patient, or inviting a visitor at church to sit with them in Sunday school. Whether you are out front or in the background, your ministry can be powerful. God can and will use everything about us for His purposes if we are open to that.

Consider what unexpected way you might minister to someone...