Lori's gone bye-bye.....

Happy New Year!!!!!!!
My resolutions are as follows:

1. Finish book.
2. Sign contracts with Random House for 2 more books in 2005.
3. Take bonus and buy Lacey her horse.
4. Travel....to Israel and Washington D.C. (not necessarily in that order.)
5. Join an archeological dig in Israel and get really dirty and find.....the ark of the Covenant!
6. Write a screenplay about the "find" and pitch it to Speilberg at Dreamworks.
7. Begin work on the film on location in Jerusalem.
8. Meet the cast: Andy Garcia as the Latin professor of archeology, Viggo Mortensen as his protege, Bill Pullman as the quirky "digger", and Julia Roberts, who plays Me.
9. After the shoot, head back home to check on the chickens.....they were tasty, claims the neighbor...great.
10. Get the cats from the KittyKat Hilton....they hate us now, sorry kitties:(
11. Accept invitation to accompany Andy...er uh...Mr. Garcia to the Oscars.
12. Start looking for a gown....
13. Fertilize the lawn
14. Have tires rotated.
15. Get back to reality.....
16. I'm back
17. finish book......

food for thought......

I read a great article on the post-modern emerging church movement. I want to share what jumped out to me:
The post-modern person "celebrates experiences" and wants to "engage all the senses." They learn through naratives--stories--and the visual is very important.
Two very strong emphases in "pme" Christian worship is the desire for community and the desire for contemplation. This generation wants to be connected to each other and to God. The preaching experiences will need to contribute to that by being more about worship than evangelism.
The gathered church worships and the scattered church is involved with its community and showing what it means to be a Christ-follower.
One professor at Baylor's Truett Seminary suggested that sermons need intentional silences....to listen , not only to the sermon, but to what God is saying.
The "pme" Christian is intrigued by the faith and foundation of the early church and desires a deeper understanding of the nature of God.
We need to be both priests and prophets. As priests, we protect the institution of the church and as prophets, we hang out with the new movements and learn to communicate truth in a world that questions if there is truth.
All food for thought. I personally think that any person/community seeking a deeper understanding of God and His purposes is a person/community seeking Truth, which is a good thing.
On the other hand, I don't like labels. I don't think God likes them. When Moses asked God's name, He said," I AM THAT I AM." He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow......
So, has humanity changed??????
The nature of Man is sinful. That hasn't changed. Man needs salvation. That hasn't changed, either.
That is truth.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow.....

We have snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's our schedule:
10:30-12:00 - go sledding
12:00 - eat post-sledding friendly food: steaming homemade turkey-noodle soup with
homemade pumkin bread and cheeseball and crackers, yum.
12:30-3:00 - build snow sculpture (to be determined...)
3:15 - snack: snow
3:15- 5:30 - make snow angels and have snowball fight, build snow fort, and paint
snow sculpture.
5:30-6:00 - warm ourselves with steaming hot cocoa and gaze upon the fruit of our
labors..............
Tommorrow's scedule:
If snow is still here: same as above
If not: we will pout

What are we to do????

I am so shocked and saddened by the havoc caused by these tsunamis......the death toll is astounding and so horrible, I cannot wrap my brain around it.
What are we to do???
On Monday, Fox news was reporting from an island in the Andaman Sea near Thailand called Phuket island......I thought to myself," I know this place!"
Phuket Island is the island that, supposedly, David Copperfield "transported" to during his show that I saw a few weeks ago!!!!!
Mr. Copperfield, unknowingly, put this obscure little island "on the map" for me and I feel so sad for the people there and for what they what they are enduring.....
So, what can we do???
The IMB(International Mission Board) is taking donations for the relief effort and they are calling for us to pray for those families who have lost so much......that they would find peace...and compassion from the world.....that they would seek God, and find Him......
I pray that your heart will be broken for these people.....

We saw it!!!!!

We FINALLY saw Napolean Dynamite!!!!!!
Ohmigosh, what a funny movie!!!!! We have a new language at our house:
GALL, idiot!!!!
Heck yes!!!!!!
Hey, you gonna eat your tots????
"I promise to have chicken chimNeychangas....."
"I like your sleeves."
"here's your food, big fat lard Tina..."
LaFawnduh.....
"Gall, you bruised my neck meat!"
"You wanna go to the Thrift store? I want a new fanny pack..."
"Why don't you go find your grandma..."
Anyway, we loved this movie and are anxiously awaiting the sequel: "the wedding of the century" coming soon......

Merry Christmas to all.....

...and He will be called "Emmanuel," which is "God with us."
I pray that Jesus is your reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!

thank you for your baby boy....

I was watching "Jesus of Nazareth" the other night. I've seen it many times before...it was being played in the Pavilion of Promise at the Worlds Fair in Vancouver, B.C. in 1984. As I'm watching the scene in the Garden where Jesus is praying......it struck me how much I struggle with the humanity of Jesus. As I'm watching the scene unfold I'm thinking," He fore-knew why He was sent, of course He would die, that's the whole reason He came!!"
So, why the prayer????He knew the answer, He knew.....so, why pray??????
Did Jesus really have all of the struggles that come with humanity? The Bible says that Jesus sits on the right hand of God making intercession for us......us, humanity.
I am struck by how little I comprehend what Jesus did for us, for me...it is easy for me to be flip about it and say, "yeah, I believe He died for my sins....." How can I be so flip about that statement????
I watched the movie "Saving Private Ryan" and walked away from that awestruck by those men's sacrifice to save one man......I mean it affected me....I was tortured by this movie!
So, why doesn't the sacrifice of the Son of God move me like that???? I believe it is this lack of understanding Jesus' humanity....Jesus came, not as God's robot, but as His Son......for me...because He couldn't live a day without me......because He loves me.....and you....
My new favorite Christmas song is,"Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day ...."
I think I'll start from there......I'm a mom, after all, and Jesus had a mother.......
Thank you, Father, for not giving up on this feeble servant. Fill me with your sweetness....and thank you for your baby boy......

the Baffling Flipflopper...

A poem for Dana:
set to the tune of "The Beverly Hillbillies"

Now, let me tell ya a story'bout a girl named Dana,
she's a social worker who hangs with the insane-a,
she really likes to counsel and helps to ease thier pain.....
but really she'd rather be riding a horse in the sun or in the rain...
A cowgirl, she is, who's lookin' for her cowboy.....
Well, the first thing ya know, she's off to Colorado,
to work on the dude-ranch, we think she's a little mad-o,
she learns to cook then learns to guide, she's become a real "wrangler"
Then she's not, she's changed her mind,
her parents want to strangle-her.....
social worker, relief-worker, school counselor, relief worker, counselor, world traveler, that is...
The Baffling Flipflopper.....

You know I love ya, my friend, Happy birthday.................

my Wednesday....

Our new drama guy is so cool....the drama group met last night and it was so much fun!!!
One of the "thespians" did an "art-house drama" monologue and in the critiquing process told us about the most famous example of "art-house" drama is a film called " the cure for insomnia" which is a 60 hour film showing nothing but people's shoes as they walk down a busy sidewalk.
How does he know that???
Lacey did her monologue as a 3 yr. old who "accidently" killed her brother's fish when she gave it a bubble bath...everyone roared and I was very proud of her considering she is the youngest in the group and isn't daunted by that, she just gets right in there and does her thing....you go girl!
Anyway, I am really excited to see what Dale will do with this group of kids and I'm happy that he relies on me as a peer, not just as the "slackey" who works with the kids. He truly is a God-send.....
Sadly, though, Matt will be missed.....he has worked so faithfully with this group for 2 years and has been loved by this group for many years. He is leaving to join the Airforce the day after Christmas and I am afraid for him...Matt, you are too precious for words....may God use you where you're at and keep you safe, my friend. Thank you for your tireless support of my drama kids, we love you......

I have a dream....

to see on my t.v. good quality Christian programming that appeals to, dare I say it, the" post-modern emerging Christ-follower...."
My vision would include:
the Parachute Band in the background , leveling me with their greatest worship song: "All the Earth...shall declare...that your love is everywhere....." They will set the tone.....
Then, perhaps a pastor comes on the scene, perhaps he has a goatee, not that it matters... and he begins to speak, not preach, really, he's more of a teacher of the Word. He challenges me to be all that God desires for me to be, to seek His plan for my life and to put feet to motion....cool.
He's not nerdy-looking, he does not wear a suit or a sweater...he looks normal, genuine, approachable, kind...
Sometimes the programming includes an improv night where you can go to the open-mike and showcase a God-given talent, or where some talented drama folks show the lighter side of "christianity" and perform some "church-deprecating" humor....funny!
Maybe, on a special night, they will show some film on a missionary who shares with us what God has done for them.....and I'm actually moved.
On Mondays, since there is nothing elso good on t.v., they have a great talk-show with this funny guy who interviews christian recording artists or christian actors, christian anybody-who-is-interesting-and -making-a-difference.
Don't get me wrong, I like some programming out there....David Jeremiah, Hal Lindsay, although he desperately needs a better publicist who will not let him dress like that and talk that way....
I could do the job.......
Anyway, that's my vision, I think I'll call it: Cool Christianity for dummies.....

I have a cold...

Not that anybody cares, but, I have a cold...One of the advantages of home-"skewling" is that we don't get sick as much as when the girls were in school and I was working...nice, and we can stay in our pj's.....all day!
I sound like Brenda Vicarro in that Tampax commercial back in the 80's...if you remember that...you're feelin' my pain.....and you're old!
Today is library day...the day when we go to rectify our fines(hahaha). We are starting a unit study on "all-things-German" since the Jaeger clan are 2nd generation Americans(which explains the drinking.....)
Perhaps, we'll even have a field trip and go to Leavenworth to see the big, fat liar: Santa, and eat a big, fat sausage with brown mustard and onions...A+

I heard a story...

I heard a story:
There was a man and a woman who were very much in love and decided to be married...
On the day they were to be married, there was the usual excitment felt and anticipation of the coming nuptials. As the couple stood before the minister to say thier vows, the man felt someone come along side of him and turned to see his last girlfriend and she took his hand. His fiancee looked at him with tears....soon there were more women lined up next to her beloved, all had been former girlfriends..... The man turned to his fiancee, who had tears running down her face, and said to her," I love you. I choose you to be my wife...but I loved them, as well, and each has a piece of my heart....all that I can offer you is what is left...."
Isn't that so contradictory to what the world would say? The world says to date as many as you can so that you will recognize "love" when you see it.....what a lie.
Each failed relationship leaves scars so deep.....
Why not leave the matchmaking to the "Matchmaker", the One who created you, the one who knows your perfect match???? I wish, for my daughters, that there would be a revolution in the church!!! Bigger than "True love waits." How about the young men becoming "champions" for the young women in the church, thier responsibility: to protect them instead of looking at them as potential wives!! And, girls, take this season of singlehood and let God use you. Stop letting the world deceive you into believing that you are incomplete without a man!!
To the church: let's give our young people an alternative to dating. How about courtship?? Sound corny??? Not to me.....

considering mental illness...

I believe that mental illness is probably one of the saddest maladies known to man. It's so misunderstood...and hard to diagnose...even harder to manage with medication. It is trial and error. The best case scenario would be to medicate the person so that thier personality is altered just enough to trick the brain into not being triggered by the everyday occurences that, in the normal brain, would result in a laugh, perhaps a sigh, perhaps an expletive, but in the brain of the mentally ill, would send them over the edge. This is what a mentally ill person can expect as quality of life, nice......sad.
I pose this to you: what if there is no mental illness??? What if these persons are simply on a mental "holiday?" Seriously, haven't you ever just wanted to have a freak out but thought better of it cuz we were" raised better than that???" I have...
Think about how liberating it would be to just be able to do and say whatever you wanted to do and say and you knew that those around you would simply chalk it up to thier "illness?"
Take the price of gas.....when it went over $2.00 a gallon I wanted to have a freak out!!!! then, of course, anything brought in by truck went up in price, as well: milk, cheese....what I wanted to do was to jump up and down and have a fit, after all, everybody know the federal government controls the price of gas and if they wanted to could they could change that....
How about when someome irritates you??? Sometimes I want to yell at them and tell them to "shut thier cakehole!!!" Do I? Of course not...
How about lines at the bank??? Those people who go through the drive-through and take thier time and then count thier change and put things back in thier purse....you know who I'm talkin' about. You want to go up to thier window and tell them, "Loser, move on...." but you don't...
What if you could and get away with it?? Wouldn't that be so liberating?
I'm considering mental illness......

the power of beauty

The girls and I are doing this study together about the power of "true" beauty and modesty. Yesterday, our challenge was to understand the "power" that girls possess and then to learn to be responsible for that power. It was explained in this manner: Are you familiar with the Gestalt Theory? The Gestalt Theory teaches an artist to control a viewer's time by forcing the person to mentally complete a visual image.....because the brain is intrigued by completing the incomplete, it will always pause to finish an unfinished picture.
So.....(this is when it gets good), when a man sees a tight-fitting shirt or a belly or a slit cut up the side of a woman's skirt or too much cleavage, he will mentally finish the "picture." That makes so much sense to me and my daughters. God want us to "captivate" only our future husband and it is our responibility, as women, to honor the way he created men by not "captivating' them. It is a respect thing....not of ourselves, but of God's creation. I think it was a "light-bulb" moment for us.
The key verse: May your fountain be blessed and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer...may you ever be captivated by her love. Proverbs 5:18-19
We went to different art galleries to find examples of this Gestalt theory and we drank coffee and tea and soaked up some culture in art form....what a great day. I love my girls......

hey, Laurie 3

remember when we went to watch your dad and his friends shoot archery and how bad they were? when we started making fun of them they handed me the bow and challenged me to do better and I didn't know it was a 60 lb test and when I tried to pull it back and hold it I realized I was not strong enough so I let it go and the string went right across my chest!!! when I fell to the ground in agony grabbing my chest, wondering if I had severed something you were so good and said I had a trick knee from playing powder puff football and you took me home....later, when we saw those guys at your house, Tom said, "it looks like the swelling hasn't gone down much..." as he's staring at my chest!!!!! I thought I would die of embarassment!!!!
that was great.....
remember going skiing up on Stevens pass with Doug and Karen and at dinner, Brittany asked you which one of us was the better Lori/Laurie and I asked her what it took to be a good Lori/Laurie and she said, "you have to make fun of people, alot!!!!" oh, how we laughed...
that was great....
remember that one trip when I was driving over and there was a huge rainbow on top of the pass and I actually drove through it....and when I got to your house you asked me if I was alright cuz you had a funny feeling that something had happened....I told you I felt like I'd been touched by God.....
that was awesome......
still missing you....

Let it snow...

I really want it to snow...I love snow....it makes everything so pretty and white....I love snow angels and snow sculptures.
Last year, we had tons of snow and I got stuck in my own driveway almost every time we went out. I still owe my neighbor a cheescake......
I'm the only person I know that would rather drive in snowy conditions than clear conditions in wintertime, after all, if you get stuck or slide off the road, at least you'll have an excuse to play in it, right???
So, please let it snow for Christmas...or for Thursday...do you know that I leave all my "let it snow" trims up all year 'round?? I do.....I just love snow.....

hey Laurie "2"

remember when we we got all dressed up and made our hair really big and tried to get into our first rated "R" movie??? I think it was"Stir Crazy"....and Shari went first and the gal asked for ID and Shari was so mad!!!!!!
that was great......
remember watching "Iceman" with the Herrons and laughing our butts off over ,"PEEETAHHHH-TEETEE_TEETEE"
that was great.....
remember how you hated when I would sing in public and that one time we were at 7-11 and I got a Mounds bar and started singing the song,"sometimes you feel like a nut...sometimes you don't..." and that guy behind us started singing it with me.....
that was great......
remember when we would be driving anywhere and you would hit arm like the "iceman" and do his singey thing....gosh that made me laugh..."I've been to Hollywood, I've been to Redwood..."
that was great.....
remember when we went to Leavenworth with my church group and you stole that trim???? I was so mad at you....
not so great.....
remember the "beaver?"
THAT was great....
remember spending days together....watching our children play.....laughing, drinking mochas together....solving all of our problems, together......watching SNL....enjoying all things blue, and yellow, together.......watching you create something amazing......driving for miles, just to see you.
priceless.......

Alexander was "bi?"

Went to see "Alexander" today......and not that I'm up on my world history, but I have never heard that the Great A was bi-sexual!!!!! Come on, Ollie, do we have to do the gratuitous "PC" thing even in big, epic films????? Whatever..............

hey, Laurie...

remember when we would do a 7-11 run for a big gulp and talk in different accents and then we would start laughing and the guy would think we were laughing at him and shake his head????
that was great......
remember when we would go on "paperbag runs" and put grocery bags on our heads with just eye holes and drive around town and watch people look at us...remember those oriental guys????
that was great......
remember when we would go to the "swing" over the yakima river and jump in and then we had to climb out on the muddy bank without getting muddy cuz your dad wouldn't let us back in the car????How many times did it take for us to learn to climb out clean?? 10-15 times...everyone else could do it in a couple of jumps...we were such girls.....remember that picture???
that was great.....
remember when we went to Pullman that weekend to find an apartment and we hit the deer on the way up and the guardrail on the way back? remember hitting the black ice on that hill in Kahlotus and getting stuck?? How far did we try to put the flares up the hill??? 100 feet?? dang thing kept going out.....remember those drunk guys that tried to help us???? remember spending the night at those people's house with all the kids toys out front???
that was great....
I miss you.......

My book....

Today, I worked on my book. I am writing a childrens story called Naomi's Miracle(don't wait for the movie...) and it has been awhile since I picked it up. Gosh, it feels so good to work on it and it was a good "flow" today. I really got alot done.....felt really good. It made me pause and wonder why I don't just finish it? I figured out why....see, this was originally a collaborative project. I would write the story and my friend, Laurie, would illustrate it. She had actually done a few sketches for me and they really just captured the spirit of the book.....she's a brilliant artist...and a good friend, but she is lost to me now.....
So....that explains my reticence at finishing the work.
But, you know what????? I know the part of Laurie that is, hopefully, still fighting to survive, would say to me, "DO IT! DO IT FOR YOU!!!!!" and so.......I think I will "do it." However,
I will dedicate it to:" my friend, Laurie, who inspired me to be better...to never give up on my dreams....who loved me for decades....who made me laugh like no other could...and to whom I would drive for miles just to see..... "

my dramatic weekend...

Today, my drama group will be performing, "Lunar Moon Latte," at our missions banquet at church. It is a parody on the Lottie Moon Christmas offering that is a big emphasis this time of year. The script is really very funny, it depicts 3 clueless church-folk in search of how they can help with international missions...Lonna, a bohemian-character, is looking at the moon with her telescope in search of the "Lunar-Moon-Offering," Anne, a "Pharisee", believes the offering is for "Moonies!!!" and promptly has a fit.....and Linda, a southern-belle, wants to give money to the "Latte-Moon-Offering." Jon, the pastor, sets them all straight and all is well.....Yesterday, Lacey had a drama clinic with the new director and I sat in on the last hour of it. It was cool because he's a trained actor and not just making it up as he goes along....like I do. I introduced myself to him and he said, "Oh, you're the one....." to which I replied, "No, you're the one...." It was a funny exchange...actors are so strange. Anyway, my favorite part was when he was talking about method-acting and how important it is to prepare for a part in this manner and he looks at me and asks," So, when did method-acting really start? You think 3o or 40 yrs. ago?" He's looking at me for the answer!!!! I'm thinking to myself, "this is so cool that he thinks I know what I'm talking about!!" So, I nod in agreement and I'm in... We did have an interesting exchange about how after FREEWILL, God's most important gift would have to be IMAGINATION......

the truth is out there....

I am perplexed by something....What is up with the single shoes that are one the side of the road???? Seriously, over the last few years I have noticed that it is not an uncommon sight to see a single shoe by the side of the road. I probably see at least one shoe a week. Who loses these shoes and why don't they go back and get them??? Is it sibling rivalry gone amuck? Does one angry sibling wrestle the other to the floorboard and yank thier shoe off and toss it out the window???? Or is it something more sinister....? Could it be the proverbial "trail of breadcrumbs?" But, where would that lead...??? the factory brand shoe outlet???? the yellow-brick road...? the end of the rainbow...? I am absolutely certain that aliens are not involved, but, it is one of the things in life that make you say, HMMMM??? It won't be the first or second question that I ask the Lord when I get to heaven....but it's up there.

a disclaimer?

My name is Lori Jaeger and I approve yesterday's message.....