Pricilia Shrier challenged followers on her blog today to pipe in their thoughts on the new Julia Roberts movie, “Eat, Pray, Love.” Christianity Today Blog, Her.meneutics, also recently posted on the controversial topic of this recent phenomenon.  I’ve been curious to know what the Chrisian circles thought about it, and when or if a discussion might arise…seems like things have been mildly quiet.

~~ So I purchased the book about a month ago after all the buzz and the enticing trailers of my favorite actress riding a bike in blissful abandonment through a foreign city.  I thought “Oh, yes, this is definitely going to be my next book to movie experience!”  I sent out a few social messages asking for people to join my little reading adventure, with no avail.  I asked a few ladies at church if they had read it and received a few raised eyebrows.  But no one really warned me regarding what I was about to experience.

Because of my deep love for all things travel, I shrugged off the slight mention, and paid my $15 at Barnes and Noble, in hopes of rekindling the flames of my own world ventures. It only took reading this daunting paragraph on page 14 to have more than my eyebrows raised by by Elizabeth Gilbert’s tale:

“Culturally, though not theologically, I’m a Christian. I was born a Protestant of the white Angle-Saxon persuasion.  And while I do love that great teacher of peace who was called Jesus, and while I do reserve the right to ask myself in certain trying situations what indeed He would do, I can’t swallow the one fixed rule of Christianity insisting that Christ is the ‘only’ path to God.  Strictly speaking, then, I cannot call myself a Christian.  Most of the Christians I know accept my feelings on this with grace and open mindedness.  Then again, most of the Christians i know don’ speak very strictly.  To those who do speak (and think) strictly,  all I can do here is offer my regrets for any hurt feelings and now excuse myself from their business.”

Yes, you read that right.  Those words are enough for an entire library of discussion for me.   I continued reading, all the way to page 21 with paragraphs that are steeped in her humanistic search for peace.  I don’t know how this tale will end or even if I will find out.  But I know what I feel in my heart.  Its not as she assumes here “hurt feelings” but rather a chilling sadness – over a world that is drowning without the Truth.  They are lost with out the knowledge of Jesus, the real Way, Truth, and Life.  Searching in all the wrong places, misguided and failed by an empty religion.

The fact that she says she has Christian friends who are not “strict” enough to share the truth with her, just motivates me to the core to promote the real Jesus, “not just the form of Him” into my lost world.

I’ve also read in several news articles recently that Julia Roberts converted to Hinduism while filming this movie.  An article that is not really shaking us up at all, because its message is not new to us any longer with so many stars turning to cults and universalistic teaching.  Again, my heart is sad.

Words are Powerful indeed!! The written word, even more entangling.  If we as real Christian women are filling our minds with false teaching, how will we ever be able to keep our minds, and ultimately our hearts clear with the Truth.

I believe this book, “Eat Pray Love” is more than a book, it’s more than a movie, or a simple feel good experience.  It’s sneaky trickery masked in romantic notions, to diverge our eyes from the REAL GOSPEL of Salvation in John 14:6 that  “No one comes to the Father but by me (Jesus Christ!)” John 14:6.

Thanks Pricilla for opening this much needed discussion~

~~Do you think its ok to immerse ourselves into books like this that promote “other world” cultures?  (i.e. Harry Potter and Twilight…)

~~Do you think Julia Roberts new chosen “path” will promote a rise in Hindu thinking? Or is it simply pop culture news, here one day gone the next?

So my mom’s friend says to me the other day ever so slightly under her breath that, “somthin’ is rotten in Denmark” – talking about how some things just don’t seem right.

Southern women are full of phrases like this.

“It’s so durn hot out here, you could fry an egg on the pavement!”

“You’re just up poop creek without a pattle!”

“Well, wait, just one cotton-pickin’ minute”

“She’s about got as much ‘o personality as a sack ‘o potatoes.”

I recently joined my cousin in an age old, postcard club. On Monday, when I opened my mailbox, in the midst of all the junk lies this brilliant little jewel!   A cardstock treasure smiling back at me, delivering a spot of joy to the ever so hot August afternoon.  Refreshing me with sand dunes and a beach scene, it arrived  all the way from the Virginia Shores!

And so after relishing in the childlike moment, I read the lines a few more times and held it in my hand ever so reminiscently and gently pasted it of course, to my refrigerator door!

My mind wandered back in time just before email, instant messaging, myspace, facebook and twitter…along to about 1994, my ninth grade year, listening to Joshua Kadison serenade my heart about Rachel’s trip to California to be a star, and sending “picture postcards from LA, signed with love forever more, to hang on my refrigerator door.”  So I had to bust out in a Kadison song during my “picture postcard moment.”  Because you know there is a song for every moment in life!

I know I’m not the only one with this lyrics-for-life obsession.  If someone says “hit me” – well, instantly you can’t help but hear Pat Benatar screaming out “Hit Me With your Best Shot — Fire Away” and then have this nagging desire to tight roll your jeans (no? really?).

It’s said, you never know what you have until its gone.  I wonder if any one else ever misses the long lost postcard club?  Or some of these long lost songs?  Do you have song lyrics spilling over into your life moments too?

a little memory lane…

My Sunday School teacher (i.e. husband) asked our class this past weekend, ‘If money were no object, what would you do?’

Me: Buy some good luggage…the Louis Vuitton luggage…

I mean you did say that money was no object, right?  Because, when I stroll through the stores I often find myself in the luggage department.  Whether I’m at Ross or Sak’s Fifth, I love to test out and pretend I’m actually “leaving on a jet plane” and I’m shopping for the perfect bag for my perfect trip!

Barnes and Noble, walking through the travel section I mentally photograph every book I plan to someday purchase for our trips overseas.

Airports make me happy.  They make little birds fly out of my heart and sing a song.  The smell of the exhaust fums billowing out of the back of a big beautiful Prevost, intoxicate my entire day like a Venti Java Chip Frap does on a hot summer afternoon.  YES!!  I love all things travel.

Now, while I was dreaming rather superficially on my designer selection, my reasons for this choice are entirely different.  All of these tangible items I mentioned Sunday lend to my hearts desire to travel to the nations, to minister in song and spirit.

Pastor Chris Hodges @ Church of the Highlands said in his message on Sunday, called “Baggage” that he was absolutely not a fan of travel, He was all about the destination.  I know, it’s not something for everyone.  So, he asked the audience if they were Journey people who liked traveling or Destination people who like arriving!  I have to say I’m a completely exhilarated Journey girl!! (btw: my brother and his kids made a cameo appearance in the opening of the Baggage message – the guy on the laptop with the kids around…yup, that’s Dave and my adorable niece and nephew!)

Our Sunday School class is talking and opening up our hearts more and more to this Dream Giver God of ours.  Dreaming beyond our limits.  Imagining beyond the bonds of our financial barriers.  Truly looking deep down into our soul to those core gifts that were planted there before we were born and asking the question at this middle of the road in our life, “Who were we created to be?”

This week, I’m stretching my heart’s eye to no longer look at the obstacles preventing me from moving into “REAL JOY” – but actually beginning to take the journey, and traveling where it leads.

So, what would you do if money were no object?

~~~~~

….”all my bags are packed, I’m ready to go”

A few months ago I invited my grandmother over to eat dinner with us in our tiny love-shack-of-a-kitchen.  Not just the quick and easy kind of dinner either.  It was the full home cooked spread.

Given my previous lack of skills in the kitchen, this moment was truly an amazing feat for me.  I have kitchen stories from the early days of our marriage that we won’t even speak of…there are jello disasters and dish rags full of tears from the trials and “terrors” of my efforts with Mr. Uncle Ben…moments that had prevented me from even opening the cabinets, forcing me to accept my fate as a future drive-thru mom.

However, I am blessed with a heritage of heroic Godly women, and also of great southern cooks.  Dinner is traditionally more than just a meal, it’s a moment.  My mom and grandmother, and their mothers, made sure of that.  We eat at the prepared table, and we eat together, when it’s just ready.  There’s a call to wash up, then the call to “gather round.”

After the rounding, we “gather” hands and pray.  Each one has their own favorite words, “Dear Lord,”  ”Dear Heavenly Father,” “Thank you Jesus.”   But there is one that phrase resounds at the end of every prayer.  You can almost feel it coming, the breathing pause, and then these precious words, “…and bless the hands that prepared it.”

I’ve never really given a second thought to why we prayed this.   Gathering over our meal that night, I hear my grandmother praying the family blessing over my hands.  That moment awakened me to the secret of how, and why my favorite women have been so richly gifted with great cooking hands.  It’s not the special cast iron skillet, its not from her special spoon or pan, or even the particular brand names she favors, but rather from the many gathered hands simply asking God to “bless them.”

Now, the more I cook, the more I hear someone blessing me, helping me move a step further into this rich heritage.

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”               — Mother Teresa.

The bible says, “In all things we are more than conquerers…” Rom 8:37

~What things do you need God to help you make great?

Keith and I went to Mobile to spend time with his family this month on the 4th holiday.  This holiday has always been one of my favorites.  I just love everything about this time of year, the beach weekends, the lake days, the warm weather, sand in your toes, flip flops, fireworks, the watermelon, blueberry pickin’, fresh peaches and oh, fresh bacon and tomato sandwiches!

It’s been a while since we’ve all been together. Our nieces and nephews are really growing up, two of them are teenagers now.  Keith’s mom Gloria, made about a dozen pies.  And of course, I had to have a slice of each one. On Sunday morning before church, I got a cup of coffee and pulled out a slice of her famous blueberry pie.  I told her I had to work out the schedule so I can be sure to get a taste of all of them before I leave!

Some of the cousins from Lousiana, with their cute girls, who I have not yet met, came over on Sunday, and it was so nice catching up.

Each summer, when we visit I try to take time with the kids and go out in the yard and have a “photo shoot.”

My oldest niece being the teenager, is now “too old” for this, but I snagged one anyway on Sunday…so beautiful…I can’t believe she’ll be going into high school this year….Oh, the “teen” years…

The younger kids soaked it up, and really got involved in our fun time.  Especially my oldest nephew, he is always up for an adventure with “Aunt Jenn” -

{Bare feet, are one of life’s best things}

Keith’s brother smoked a turkey and a boston butt (yes, a butt! and a big one too!) and Gloria made a ton of veggies, fresh out of their beautiful garden.

Paw-Paw or “Uncle Earl” brought out the watermelon, another southern favorite summer moment…

…this made all the kids super happy!

{my favorite photo of the summer}

After teaching these innocent babies how to have a “watermelon seed spittin’ contest” – I sent them back to their mom to show off their new skill. LOL.

These are truly “Happy” days, worth celebrating.

{Photos via, Hudson July 4th}

So there’s a little tricky Gecko hiding out somewhere in our Master Bedroom, teasing us with his bag o’ tricks.  We tried for an hour to catch him last night but he’s so sneaky!  We tried to sick Millie on him, to go under the bed and attack, but she just thought it was play time. Meanwhile, I had to sleep with one eye open, jumping up every hour thinking this little sticky thing was attacking me.  Then tonight when I came home I spot him scurrying from the bathroom to the night stand, and I start screaming for my hubby to catch him, and again, NO LUCK!  So looks like another one-eye-open-while-I-sleep night.

Ahhh…all this gekko chasing now has me thinking about abour car insurance, LOL! ~

Frankie began visiting mom’s back porch on Sunday, May 16, 2010 the week our friend Courtney’s wedding. Courtney has a black cat exactly the same color named “Frank” so we affectionately named her “Frankie.”

Two weeks later on Sunday evening, May 30th, Frankie brought her six adorable baby kittens to live at their new home!  We estimate they were born sometime around Mothers Day this year.

They are just adorable, and best of all Keith and I adopted our first lil’ baby from this little bunch.

She’s a calico, we named “Mille.”  My Aunt Gloria helped me pick the name for her when she visited early in June.  We talked about how much Karen would love to see all these kittens on their visit in July.  My cousin loved cats, and owned two of them.  I know Karen would have enjoyed hearing about my saga with this kitten, and I miss sharing these kinds of moments with her.  It has been such a joy to share in Karen’s love for cats, and bring Millie to our home as our first pet.

“Millie baby” is very playful, a social butterfly and has acclimated to our home so well.  The first night she was a little bit scared, and cried for a few hours.  As long as I was with her she was ok, but when I left she would start crying.  That was the only night she did that.

Who said cats were clean?  This one is a messy trickster!  I cleaned her box, swept up around, and as soon as I finished, she did this, again -

…three times I swept up, then I watched her the third time, as soon as I put the broom away she came running over to her liter box and did this and ran away, as if she were playing with me. I think she just likes to see me get the broom out!

She seems to be really happy with us and we, (meaning Keith) spoil her too much.  She loves to sit with me and watches me write, and she has to follow me where ever I go.  We just love her already!

My mom still has 4 sweet kittens in Wetumpka, AL, that need a good home, they are just adorable….call me if you are interested: 334.207.2297.

Most of our worlds are remiss from moments that shake or shatter the core of our being.  Most of the time we are protected and sealed off from painful heart ache spurred by tragedy.  We see it on the news, read it in  magazines or books of how it has happened to other people, but we never want to believe it could happen to us?

No. Instead we float.  Like Bubbles.  Our life  seems to glisten and shine floating individually, to the pattern and rhythm of our own beautiful micro-world.  Our safe space. The place where where we imagine nothing can happen to us, as long as we are floating.

Bubbles.

As I washed my dishes Friday afternoon, on my 31st birthday, having just returned from a week away to Virgina for my precious cousins funeral, I found myself pondering those vanishing bubbles in my sink.  Also, mulling over my afternoon spent making phone calls and getting quotes for “grown up stuff” a.k.a. life insurance, better vehicle coverage, medical insurance, etc.  I made a round of calls pursuing things I have avoided and never really gave a second thought to…until now.  Because life, for me, has seemed to exist as a series of moments, floating from one dance to the next.

Just like those bubbles disappearing in my sink, my perfectly pleasant bubble instantly burst on June 12th when I received news that my 33 year old cousin – a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a mother to two little children had tragically died in a climbing accident.  No one wants to believe it will ever happen to them or to their family.

I am guilty as charged for portraying the grotesque role of false empathy.  A pat on the back, a hug, a simple “I’m so sorry,” or “Ohhh, that’s tough.”  A card, an email, maybe even a prayer or two.  But secretly in my shiny bubble world, moving away as quickly as possible as to not interfere or collide into a world of pain or sorrow. Because it’s not my world and it’s not my problem, my heart is sadly relieved that it’s not me wearing their shoes.  And only moments later moving along and floating once again.

For years, I have boycotted the news.  I avoid hearing the tragic stories. My ignorance has been my bliss.  It’s been my safe place.  But I have now awakened to a realization during this season that as a Christian, that ignorance is not truely bliss.  It’s simply one of the nasty offspring’s of fear….denial.   My ignorance is unintentionally denial.  Living in fear, is not from the Lord, neither is living in denial.  I’m realizing this now, and principles from the Word are leaping from my heart as reminders of how I can move forward:

My confidence in this confession only comes from recent conversations of friends who share the bubble life with me.  We say it doesn’t matter that we don’t call each other during life’s trials and celebrations, because we “know” we love each  other.  Every year when I flip over the December calendar, I renew an age old promise that ‘this’ will be the year that I celebrate my friends and loved ones special days…but the calendar rolls on, and I continue to float.

Moving beyond this tragedy, time has been an epic enemy.  It’s like the further time moves beyond the moment of our loss, the more our life exists without our beloved. However, this challenge of passing time has given me a newness for living life beyond the floating bubble.  I’m learning to richly soak in each hug, to notice every tear and to embrace even the smallest of treasures, for they are fleeting and priceless.

This photo was taken a year ago…June 24th with my precious cousin Karen and her little girl Elli, a.k.a. “lollipop”…

My other cousin Syn-d, Karen’s sister, snapped this moment with her phone while we waited for our breakfast that summer morning in that little Destin diner.   ~   I never knew this would be our last trip together…our last few precious moments together. Our last laughs, our last goodbyes.  My heart was broken when my dad with trembling lip and tear filled eyes, clinging to my sorrowful mom, shared the tragic news with me that my precious cousin Karen had fallen while rock climbing in west Virginia. I have been told that she instantly went to be with the Lord, after her 60 ft. fall on June 12, 2010.

The news media reported the story on the local stations and in the papers.  Our family created a facebook group in her memory, with links to all of the articles and news report.  To her honor over 400 of her friends and family have joined and journaled their memories of how her life touched them in some way.

~

Last year, we spent a week at SanDestin Beach Resort with the cuzins and the kids on our traditional family vacation…

Moments that seemed so fleeting and non-momentous, even silly perhaps, are now precious stones of remembrance that my heart will embrace forever…

That week at the beach we celebrated Karen’s 33rd birthday on the June 23rd eating out @ her requested place…PF Chengs.

The day after we came home from the beach, June 25th was my 30th B’day.    Syn-D cooked my favorite tex mex meal that night at our grandma’s house, chicken fajitas, delicious homemade guacamole and salsa!

Karen and the kids went out that afternoon and surprised me with princess party decorations and princess bling! Elli was quick to pull me over to the table she had prepared with all the pink bling bling jewelry, which she so fashionably bejeweled me with.  She was so serious and sweet in those moments treating me on my birthday.

We all put a few rings on our fingers and played a fun round of pin the tail on the donkey. It was one grand party!

This particular shared birthday moment I  celebrated with my cousin Karen, I will now cherish forever.   We both opened presents and cards from the family that night after dinner.  And we caught a round of those infectious silly southern giggles with our pink bling during gift time!

I’m missing her more each passing day.  For some reason during the afternoon setting sun I think about her the most.  Thoughts abound of her family, her children, the life left behind, and her glorious new life in heaven – which most of all gives me hope.

My life will forever be marked from this point on, like a stone of remembrance, a book mark or pause that awakened my soul to a newness of celebrating small moments and insignificant pleasures…a phone call, a letter, a text or an email.  Our relationships and our love have greater meaning to me than ever before, they are more beautiful and special. They are now more worthy of celebration and worthy of experiencing.

My heart is stirred to a new level of comprehending as I embrace the true value of life and our moments together.   A piece of my  heart was torn apart as she was torn from earth that day.  But as my brother David so poignantly stated, “she may have fallen on earth, but she stood up in heaven.”

I watched Karen’s six year old daughter Ellianna, leave the funeral home after saying goodbye to her mommy.  She held her little best friends hand as they walked toward the car, her best friend sobbing and weeping over the understanding of loosing her “Auntie Karen.”   Sweet Elli, in the form and spirit of her mommy, took her friend by the hand, embraced her and whispered to her, “It’s going to be all right.” Those words pierced my heart as if Karen were holding my hand and speaking them herself. “It’s going to be all right.” I don’t know how, or when, but I know that’s what Karen would be saying right now if she could embrace us and show us the eternal glory.

I will miss my angel-cousin Karen, every part of her, she is so beautiful and I love her deeply.  This is one of the songs I had the privilege of singing at her memorial service.  The words truly reflected our heart to the Lord and her beautiful life.

*Please pray for Karen’s family (the Feher’s), her parents (the Esterlines), her sister, her brother and the community of friends and family that are grieving during this loss.