Blue Man Group

Our last day in Chicago, we planned a "free" day. We all got on the subway and went to downtown Chicago. We found the visitors center and everyone chose an activity to do for the afternoon and evening. Our friend, Justin Walden, wanted to go back to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs/Braves play and so Mickey and I went with him. It just seems right that when in Chicago, you should see a little baseball!! Everyone else went to the "Million Dollar Mile" shopping strip and sight seeing and the Surgical Museum. It was a good afternoon. The Braves came back to win in the 9th inning. It was just funny to see the fans turn on their boys so quickly!! AND THEY DID!!

We went and ate some Chicago-style Pizza (which was actually, pretty bad - our choices were probably not the best!) and then on to the Briar Theatre to see The Blue Man Group! You know, the men painted blue all over that were featured in the Cingular commercial?? It was AWESOME, at the risk of using and old, overused word! The show consists of a small, but great, band of a bassist, a guitarist, and a drummer, as well as three men covered in blue, head to toe, wearing brown tunics, and a videographer. The blue men are center stage and play drums and other crazy rhythm instruments - sometimes, as they pour bottles of paint on them causing them to spray all over the front rows of the audience. The front rows are dressed in plastic coverings. The show is a totally interactive attempt to include the audience in the process of creating art in all forms (drama, modern art, sculptures, comedy, music - and this list doesn't even cover it!). We were on the back row, so we were in charge of "toilet paper" - now, I am not going to spoil it for you by telling you what that means!! It was great fun and I highly recommend seeing it!!

Chicago!!

First I must say, "I'm sorry". I just realized that the pictures have not been downloaded to my computer yet and I just can't do it right now. Wedding pictures - later.

OK, so Mickey and I left the wedding in the late afternoon on Saturday and arrived in Chicago at about 4:00 am. Mark had two couches cleared for us to drop into when we came in. He met us at the door of the church and we didn't waste any time finding our places. If you know me, you know that I still didn't sleep! It was all so strange and Mickey began sleeping immediately and SNORING loudly - I felt so sorry for everyone, that I felt it my duty to shake him every few minutes to keep him from getting too loud. You see, there were thirteen of us and all thirteen people were on air mattresses and couches in the same room - sleeping. That night we all bonded, pretty well. We actually had a snoring symphony going on with some talking, groaning and "whee-ing" mixed in (not to mention the unmentionable gas passing that happens to you unaware in the middle of the night!) The next morning I made it very clear that even though it was a small church, we did have other room choices and I would be making one for the next night for MYSELF. I also chose one for Mickey - far away from everyone else. Eventually, every snorer and noise maker was kicked out of the main room or left by choice.

So, a little about the church - they call themselves C3 - Chicagoland Community Church. They are a small church in the inner city of Chicago. They cater to the "Post modern" communities around them which is actually "Post Christian" as well. It is a difficult ministry. Two blocks from the church is where the homosexual community gathers - they own shops, provide entertainment, and support the transvestites and homosexual communities. There are rainbows on everything on the street. Two blocks in another direction is the "Goth" communities gathering place. You find the same thing there - they own shops, provide entertainment and support the Goth community. Surrounding the church are beautiful old restored homes and also new architecturally appropriate new homes. Most of them are "flats" and rented or sold separately from one another. This is where the "yuppies" live. The housing is expensive and much desired by these young professionals. There are some homeless, and quite a few run aways on the surrounding streets, too. So, as you can see, we were totally out of our element - challenged to completely leave our comfort zone!

We would sleep on blow up air mattresses, shower in the ONE shower available, and lock ourselves in and out of the building each time we came or went any where.

Pastor Jon Pennington had so many prayer requests when we asked him. He is a man with a huge amount on his plate! He juggles all of those communities and also has another church which shares the building - which has a totally different vision for their ministry than C3.

I really could write a play by play of all the things that happened this week, but you would almost have to be there to get the full impact. Each day, we did maintenance on the church (painted their sanctuary and bathrooms), found a park where we took our puppet shows and played with preschoolers, played Frisbee and basketball with the teenagers, and surveyed any one who would allow us to. It was a full and wonderful week and I am very tired. I am going to go to bed now, but stick around tomorrow or then next day - I want to tell you about the "Blue Man Group", which we saw! Awesome!!

Wedding number 2

We attended the wedding of our niece, Jennifer, last weekend. I helped Brenda a little on Friday with last minute preparations. Coletta, Mickey's sister and Kelly and Aaron arrived on Friday evening and it was fun spending time with them. Kelly had been to the doctor for her "find-out-what-the-baby-is" ultra sound. Bless the little dickens heart, already the baby is turning to Jesus - I can't say "he" or "she" because the baby was in praying position!! Baby Parks had the knees completely together and was modestly not going to change positions for anyone! They will try again in four weeks, but I am not getting my hopes up! (I still think it is a boy!)

Any way, Jennifer's and Kyle's wedding was very beautiful and I think just what the mothers and the couple wanted - the only people that matter, you know. Jenn had a gorgeous form fitted strapless gown with a chapel length train (I think). Her veil was fingertip length (I think). She was beautiful! There was a LOT of pink at the wedding - hot pink. The groomsmen wore black tuxes with hot pink accessories (OH, yes, they did!) There were pink flowers, pink bridesmaid dresses, pink bows, and even a pink light in the baptistery! It was lovely - and pink. By the way, Sarah was in the wedding and looked beautiful, too - in her pink dress!

The reception was at the church with cake, punch and a fruit table with a white chocolate fountain. Now the great thing was, the wedding began at 2:00 pm at Muldrow, Oklahoma and their honeymoon flight left Fort Smith, Arkansas at 4:50 pm. The wedding was about 35 minutes long and the reception was a quick eating of the cake and drinking the punch and a few "glad you cames" ending with a changed bride and groom running to the car under a rain shower of white bird seed (cup fulls, thank you). We don't know yet if they made it or not, but I must say, they were certainly brave for trying. All in all, it was good food, good family, and good fun and now they are Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Price.

Quick as a wink the family and friends cleaned up the reception hall and the sanctuary for the next morning. We could have almost made the 4:50 flight!! I am going to try to post a couple of pics, but don't cry if it doesn't work! Mickey and I headed toward Chicago - I will blog more about it separately - check it out!

Late Nights and Life Goes On

In the last month, I have had so many people look at me with "long faces", as my mother would say, and ask caringly, "So, you are really empty nesting, now. Right? How are you?" It kind of makes me giggle inside - every night (almost) during the last week we have had a table full of college students and new grads gathered 'round - who by the way, stayed past midnight. Last night we had six at the table and another five or six in the living room, just hanging out. Empty nesting? I'm not sure we know what that is yet. God has filled our lives richly and kept us busy with lots of young people and we are grateful.

We do miss Lacey in our every day lives. We talked to her today over "Skype". It was one of the clearest connections that we have had to date. Mickey has always made her laugh a lot. She laughed so much today - and it was so good to hear. At one point he had to tell her to stop laughing long enough to hear what he was saying (there is a sort of weird delay). Just as we had gotten warmed up though, the "prince of the power of the air" interrupted us. We got cut off and couldn't ever regain a connection. The worst part about that is not getting to say "goodbye" and "I love you" - no real closure to the conversation. Maybe I will just start out the conversation with that from now on.

Kelly is feeling the baby move a lot these days and Aaron finally got to feel it kick. She is not as sick as before and is beginning to really need the maternity clothes - but still mixing regular in sometimes, too. We get to know what the baby is on Friday this week! I'm going to say it here - I think it is a boy. Why? I don't know - I just am guessing and I think it is a boy. We will see them this weekend at Jennifer Jones' (our niece) wedding.

Following the wedding, we will drive all night to Chicago! Next week we will be with about 10 college students on mission trip at an inner-city church in Chicago. We are very excited about it. Mickey and I will get there in time for our own Sunday morning service that we plan to have on the lake somewhere. We will be doing all kinds of things (serving in a soup line, maintenance around the church and neighborhood, beach/park ministry to children, marketing-outreach (I think we are going to have a lemonade stand) and other things. We so look forward to the trip.

Perspectives is over. We had our celebration night, last night. It was great to hear the testimonies of what Perspectives has meant in the students' lives and how they will use what they have learned. I am excited for the next step.

With all of that, I guess I will spend my summer going to weddings. Tim and Jacklyn were the first to be married this past weekend. The wedding was beautiful (although the only way I know that is because Mickey and I crashed it - we weren't invited, as no one outside the immediate family was). It was in Garvin Gardens in Hot Springs beside a waterfall, which along with the birds provided the music. Yes, Tim did get a little "wet" eyed and so did Jacklyn. We wish them a long and happy life together.

OK - since I am really tired and Mickey has given the snoring a rest for the last few minutes, I think I will go to bed. I have a long day tomorrow getting ready for our trip.

On the brink of a new generation

About 9 years ago, we moved back to Batesville. Kelly was 17 and Lacey was 14. That is when our world as we know it today, came into existence. We lived in a house with a big back room, just perfect for teenage entertaining. The first of our regulars were Kyle Barnhill, Clint Crain, and on occasion Kevin Combs along with Cindy and Amy Woolf, Emily Baker, and Haley Butler. Scores of others began appearing regularly. Tim Meitzen and his girlfriend Carma would show up sometimes, along with Daren Neely - First Baptist's youth director, and Landon Wehrung with Bethany Klonowski. There were random homecoming and prom dates such as Ryan Scoggins, Ryan Reveley, Alex Jeffrey, Robert Garrison, Joel Goodin, Eric Long and Jonathan Bunch who made appearances (taking one of the five girls). During Kelly's Senior year at Batesville David Manning and Matt Middlecamp surfaced to join the already long established Leah Cooper and John Redmond. At some point, Lacey brought home, her now long time friend, Tim Byers. There were several other soccer players and foreign exchange students who graced our home, too. Mark Davis and TJ Stroud attended a few open parties and some chicken spaghetti dinners during those days. Ozlem became a vital part of our lives during her stay in America, and remains much like a daughter, even today. Life long church friends, Angie Appleget and Gloria Gatlin were there for church parties and special events. In her Sophomore year, Lacey met and introduced us to Brandon Smart, Stephen Settles, and Micah Dailey who brought along Joe Young. Patty Gordon and Brian Hirschey were two more who were seen around our house during Lacey's Senior year in High School. Some time in there, probably during the time we hosted a Senior High Bible Study in our home, Holly Moody, Jennifer Hawkins, Jessica Middleton and Pam Nuckolls, showed up. We also became aquainted with the other Klonowski girls, Alexis and Jesse. Chris McIlravy and Sam Nuckolls, who were a little older, became connections that we made mostly through associational meetings and camps. Then of course there was always Jackie Martin, my niece, who truly belongs to us and spent an amazing amount of time with us. Julie Whitener, Jon David and Kristy Parker, and Jacob Martin didn't spend as much time at our house, but were still important to our family. I am sure that I have left someone, probably very important, off the list as I am thinking back over the years. At any rate, we have seen a lot of young people grow up and been blessed to be a part of their lives. Many of these named here are now married, some with children of their own, or graduated from college and starting new careers. We don't see them as much as we used to. Some, we don't see at all any more. Some of the ones that we really spent a lot of time with, still come around when they are in Batesville. What a joy to hear about their successes and even their failures that have caused them to grow. Most of them are successful adults now. Even as I write this, and have a bitter sweet nostalgic feeling, I am excited about the next wave - the next generation. From our tiny little apartment last night, I locked the door at midnight as I watched five new graduates - college bound students - leave my house.

Stuck in Springtime

One of my favorite memories is of a day in the spring, a few years ago, when both of my daughters were at home. It began to pour rain - a quick spring shower - with no lightning or wind. We all looked at each other and with hardly a word, quickly took off our shoes and ran out into the front yard. We made a dash for the ditch across the street and put our feet in the muddy, swift flowing stream it had quickly become. Not long after, as the rain slowed down and the sun reappeared, there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky. For me, it was bliss.

Today was one of those memory making days - only this time, I was on my own. It poured buckets full of rain. I have been trying to walk every day - even though I hate to walk - I know it is good for me - I just hate to do it, but not today. Everything was so fresh and alive. The trees were full of singing, happy birds, the ditches were full of rushing water which turned them into babbling brooks, and the scent of honey suckle in the air was delicious. Every sense in my body was standing at attention. I stopped and listened to the water as it gushed up on the rocks in a miniature imitation of a giant wave smashing against a seaside cliff. I walked slowly some times looking straight up to behold the clouds breaking up, revealing the blue sky and escaping sunbeams. As I walked by a pasture full of horses, even though I don't like horses, I stopped to watch a mother corral her colt, on wobbly legs, and head it in the right direction. Three daises were growing on the roadside by the fence, and I thought about picking them but decided to leave them. It just seemed that I didn't want to disturb anything and mess up the moment. As I rounded a corner, the sweetest aroma caught my attention. It reminded me immediately of something from the past. A rabbit bolted and hopped away. It was honey suckle - and not just a little of it. I don't know if the rain had beaten on it and released the abundant aroma or what, but I stopped, closed my eyes and just enjoyed it's fragrance for a little while. My mouth watered as I remembered plucking honey suckle, ever so long ago, and biting off the end hoping to catch a few drops of the sweet juice on the end of my tongue. How tempted I was to recreate that childhood memory. About that time I heard a familiar "plop" in the water that stood between the vine and me. I knew it was a happy frog, but something about the possibility of a snake crossed my mind and I decided to move on. After walking through puddle after puddle on the hard pavement, I coaxed myself to return to my apartment and give my tired feet a rest. What a glorious few minutes I had spent. Sometimes I would just like to get stuck in springtime!

Favorite blog sites

Some of my favorite blogs (I can't figure out how to add them to my links - maybe some other day)

www.laceyinasia.blogspot.com
www.chasemoore.blogspot.com
www.kellyjonesmusic.com/baby
www.markmclendon.blogspot.com
www.sirrom.blogspot.com
www.teacherlearner.blogspot.com
www.joshash.blogspot.com
www.thoughtsgonecrazy.blogspot.com

I chase some others down through links from these. Let me know if you decide to join the ranks of bloggers so I can keep up with you.

What is not to love?

Thirty years ago...

April 17, 1976 is a great historical day. On that day, thirty years ago, Mickey and I had our first date. People think I am crazy when I say this, but it is true. I knew that day that I was going to marry him. Now, I wasn't in love with him, necessarily - we just fit. It was like a hand in glove. He had all of the character traits that I desired in a life long partner and friend. He complimented me. We both were already complete in Christ and so we were not looking for being "whole", just for someone with whom to walk the journey. That doesn't sound very romantic, I know - but we were not lacking in that department either. Some day I will write about the first time we said, "I love you" to each other. (Something to do with a leaf falling from a tree at just the right moment - I still have the leaf!) I honestly thought he was perfect. I couldn't find anything that I didn't like about him. Thirty years later, I know he is not perfect but I still don't find much that I don't like about him. On our first date, we went to a movie and then to my house. Pete and Jeannie Whitener were there, too. Mickey juggled oranges for me and accidentally made a perfect hoop through one of Mom's lamp shades. I was attracted to his ability to do or try to do almost anything. I met his family very soon. His father treated his mother like a queen. I knew he would do the same for me. What can I say? He still twangs my buds, like no other!

My Hero

My Hero
I want to write about my hero. My dad is 83 years old and I'm crazy about him. He was the first man to sit and talk with me in the wee hours of the night, the first man to tell me how beautiful I was, and the first man to bring me hand picked flowers. When I was very young, he tailored his precious hedge around our yard and left a gap so that me and my friend could always slip through and he made sure to keep the stray branches cut from my "hiding spot" in the tree so I would have a perfect place to sit. As a teenager, he always had an extra $5 to hand me on the weekend and gave up the keys to the car without flinching. He grew a mustache and parted his hair in the middle to look more "hip" in the 70's and listened to the top 40 on his car radio to help stay in touch with my brother and me. My dad is funny and fun. He is progressive and open to new ideas. A couple of years ago he got a computer and right now he is taking a college level course on missions so he can learn more about Lacey's heart beat. On Sunday, he gave his testimony for tithing. It was so beautiful and inspiring. He loves my Jesus and he taught me to love Him, too. Our church has purchased about fifteen acres of land to which we plan to move as the Lord leads. He has been so excited and working on the fund raising committee diligently. Even though many of our senior adults are opposed to this effort, he has stood firmly in his support of it. In an effort to utilize the land as it is now, our youth have been working on a prayer garden. He has been with them every step of the way, using his God given talent of gardening. I will forever have a mental picture of him with a shovel in hand, digging into the chat and moving it to polish off the look of a stepping stone at the entry. It was quite a picture to see him doing this with a backdrop of teenagers raking and planting. He has since then carried his sprinkler and hose out and spent three hours watering and tenderly caring for the prayer garden to insure the plants survive and it is a showy success for our Easter morning sunrise service. How blessed I am, just to have known him and called him dad.

Church Planting

The town I live in has a church on every corner - almost. Really. I was surprised, however, to find out a couple of years ago that my county is actually about eighty percent unchurched. That puzzled me. I did some quick and very unscientific math in my head and realized that it was probably true, though. Here in a relatively cultured small southern town in Arkansas right in the middle of the Bible belt, there are lots of unchurched people. Why? Just recently, I began taking a hard look at that question. When challenged with the question of where I would go if I wanted something different than First Baptist offered in the way of style of worship, I was dumbfounded. I realized that WE (churches) are ALL ALIKE. I know that some of us have different theology and denominational differences, but essentially we are all steeped in the same century old tradition. Now, don't go dogging me about tradition. I am really ok with it. And I don't think tradition is necessarily a bad thing. I just know that by the statistic that I am familiar with concerning my county, what we are doing is not reaching the unreached. What we are doing is reaching the already reached and just shuffling them around a little bit on occasion. Could we be be a little creative? Could we find a way to plant some churches that are relevant to the presently unchurched masses of people in our area? I don't know what that would look like, but I know that we must do it. I don't know who will be called to reach the subcultures of our community by stepping out of the box and thinking a new way. It is my prayer that our established "traditional" churches will have their eyes opened and be willing to lead in new endeavours to reach the unreached of our local community, the nation and the world by supporting an alternative church planting movement.

Daily Random Experiences

Sometimes life is just random. Things pop up from nowhere and sometimes they send you reeling and sometimes they make you jump up and down. I have had several random experiences in the last couple of days. One was an extreme irritation, one was an expected mixed-feeling surprise, and one was a delight. The irritation involved one person taking things too far. (How does climbing a building and shooting off fireworks equal the punishment of 60 hours of community service, a hundred dollar fine and campus suspension in a real world?) Now I'm not saying that no correction was deserved, just that it was over the top. This authority has gone over the top before, and there doesn't seem to be any thought of restoration as a part of the discipline - actually because it isn't discipline. It is punishment. THAT is what irritates me. The second random thing was an expected surprise. Now I know that is an oxymoron but it describes the experience. A friend is preparing to leave and pursue a different life. It was expected because nothing in life remains the same (except Jesus). It was a surprise because of the stepped up intensity in plans. I hate it when people leave my everyday life - but I love it when people pursue life with a passion. The last thing was the delight someone brought me. It was the reconnection with some old friends. Because of email, blogs and taking a shot in the dark, we were able to reconnect. Even though our lives have been separate for a long time, God has brought them back together in His time. Both of our children are in the same area of the world doing the same work. They will actually be in the same city in just a couple of weeks and probably - they will connect. So much emotion in so little time. Can't wait to see what today brings!

Link to Kelly and Aaron's sense of humor

For a good time see www.kellyjonesmusic.com/baby I have always known my family is a little whacked so I don't know why it surprises me when I find things like this. If you want to hear about the details of my grand baby, then read it all. If not, may I recommend the two stories that accompany pictures of Kelly and Aaron with "women of the NWA women's clinic". It will make you wonder about their sanity and how much free time they have on their hands. Should I really trust these two with my new grandchild? Comments on their questionable state of mind are welcome.

Hello...cyber world!

I am going to be so excited if I did everything right. I decided on my own today that I would join the ranks of other folks who like to tell stories, spout wisdom, and share memories. I enjoyed surfing other blogger's sites when I was checking out Lacey's new site. I found many old friends there and I know there are more to explore. Right now, I don't have any neat new pictures to share and don't even have a good story to relate. If you find me - check me out in a few days. If this really works, I am sure that I will have something worthwhile to read and maybe an awesome picture to view!