Interview with VOT radio

So I’m waiting to enter the web radio interview world.  In a matter of moments, Ana will call and we’ll start this over-the-phone interview to discuss music and life… and, oh yeah- that book I wrote.    So tune in!

And I plan to start being more regular at this blog. I promise. I want to initiate some discussion here in the comments about some topics I’ve been pondering.  Do please come back soon and weigh in.  I want to know your thoughts.

Meanwhile, if you’ve not done so, why don’t you head on over to Amazon.com and order my book?  And if you’ve already gotten it, why don’t you leave a review for me?  If you hated it, that’s ok.  Honesty is appreciated… though I hope you didn’t hate it.

- C

Day Thirty: IT’S TIME!

I am like a kid on Christmas morning.  But I’m crying, too.  It’s odd.  I’m not sad crying.  I’m crying because I’m in amazement over the peace I have.  I’m crying because I’m thinking about the friends I have who believe in me, my brother’s story, and God’s great design enough to meet with me last night and pray for this day.  I’m crying because it’s the culmination of a lot of work and planning, but that it all comes down to this:  Jesus Christ crucified for sin, risen and alive.  That’s what Rick lived and died for.  That’s what the art gallery, the music, the book is all about.  HE is our desperate hope.

I want to give some details regarding today since I won’t be online again.

1.  As of now the button to buy tickets online is disabled.  I won’t be able to add you to the will-call list once we start setting up this morning, so I needed to disable it.  BUT you will be able to buy tickets at the door.  CASH or CHECK ONLY, so come prepared.

2.  Children and teens 13 and younger can come for free.  Just know that childcare won’t be provided, so do keep your children close.  There will be lots of art and food hanging about. 

3.  We WILL NOT CANCEL regardless of the weather.  God controls these things.  Obviously we want safe traveling conditions, but we do not believe God has given us this day and this event to cancel it.  The people who need to be there will be there.  I believe God’s plans will be firmly established.  BUT you can help us pray that weather won’t be a deterrent for anyone!

4.  When you come through the doors tonight, your ticket will be punched.  DO NOT THROW IT AWAY!  You will need to turn it in at the end of the night to redeem it for a book.  So put it in a safe place until it’s time to get your book.

5.  The address to the church, in case you’ve missed it:  Mountain Lake Church, 3105 Dahlonega Hwy, Cumming, GA 30040

CAN’T WAIT!  I’ll see you there.  SO GRATEFUL to all of you.

- C

Day Twenty-Nine: Running Around

As I start the day at full speed, I’m reminded that I often do more spinning in circles than swiftly moving forward when I don’t begin with a really good relinquishing ceremony with God, laying down all the stuff I want to control today, doing what Paul modeled in Galatians 2:20- “For I am crucified with Christ… the life I live in the body I live by faith in the son of God…”

So these things I want to make sure get done today I will do by faith in the son of God. Yes, even numbering tickets and writing art specs. If I want to stay sane it’s the only way. ALL of it has to be relinquished so that I don’t hold on to the thought I can control their outcomes. I don’t want to do my “running around” literally. I want to be running around, getting errands done and checking things off my list in the confidence that God is giving me the breath to continue living and the heartbeats to continue my forward motion.

My husband is in town today, along with my parents. *sigh of relief*

As much as I ADORE my beautiful son, it’s a little taxing to do what I’ve been doing and parent my son 24/7 without dad around. I’m already missing him, since I passed him off to the grandparents yesterday evening as I made my way to the airport to shuttle Jonathan and a friend of ours to comfort after a very long travel day. But thank You, God, that they are here now and are part of the blessing You’ve given me to let me do my running around, with purpose.

I cannot wait for tomorrow! I hope to see you there!!

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets

Day Twenty-Eight: You Can’t Always Know…

I was watching Franklin this morning with Elias.  You know, the children’s cartoon about the family of turtles?  Yeah, me either.  I happened upon it today.  It was my first experience and funny enough, it made the blog for today.

I won’t tell you the riveting plot of Franklin’s adventure today, but I’ll tell you what his grandmother said to him during the poignant moment in the show:

You can’t always know the importance of something until you know the stories and special memories hidden inside.

I grabbed my computer and typed it immediately.  I don’t know why it struck me the way it did, but I knew I had to write about it.

I think it’s because I’ve become convinced of the power of story and the way we connect to each other and to God through it.  And this quote made me think of Rick- the way he lived his life, the way he understood this very statement and the way it drove him to know people more deeply and care for them more profoundly.

I also thought of the many people who’ll be coming to the release party, or the people who’ll read Desperate Hope.  I can’t know the importance of their attendance at the release or their exposure to the book until I know the stories behind these people… and I may never know them on this side of eternity.  But they’re there and I am in awe of the way their stories will intertwine with mine.  There is something very powerful about that to me.  It makes me more excited about the people coming to the release. It makes me quit worrying about the numbers.  Whether many or few, those who are coming are purposed to be with me at the concert, with each other.  And there are “stories and special memories hidden inside” all of them.  What a beautiful thought to know Rick’s story- GOD’S STORY- is a thread that runs through all of them!

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets

Day Twenty-Seven: Balance

I’m going to keep this one short and sweet.  My word for the day is balance.  I’m seeking how to balance being a mom (and a good one) for my son, how to fulfill my responsibilities for the book release at the same time, how to learn songs for the Sunday right after the book release because I’m singing at a church in the area, and the list continues as long as my arm.

My son is on a rocking cow in a niche under a window right now, content to watch mommy type a blog and answer emails.  In about 5 minutes he’ll come crawl in my lap.  That’s when it’ll be time to employ some of that balance I’m talking about.  Time to close the computer down for a bit and forget the responsibilities of a book release, forsaking them for some time with Elias, the greatest responsibility- and gift- that God has given me.

So balance is my goal today.  I know it’s not something I can do on my own.  I know nothing of balance.  I just know the One who orders the heavens and the earth and calls things into place.  He’s the best teacher.

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets

Day Twenty-Six: The Dome

I have moved headquarters for the last few days before the release.  The cabin and its company (Masi) were beautiful, but we needed to spread out for a moment as things start getting crazier leading up to Saturday.

So we are in one of my favorite homes EVER.  Apart from it being magazine-worthy and palatial beyond description, it happens to house one of the most humble and giving families I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.  I am so blessed to have the friends I have.

This house also holds a special place in my heart for another reason; 5 ½ years ago my husband and I were married here in the beautiful backyard.  I couldn’t have asked for a more remarkably gorgeous setting.

I awoke this morning and walked downstairs with my son to have a cup of coffee.  Well, I was going to have a cup of coffee.  He was going to have 3 eggs.  My soon-to-be 18 month old son knows how to eat!  I fed him and then let him run around the ample real estate, which he is greatly enjoying after being in the cozy quaintness of the log cabin.  As he ran and chased Molly the Maltese pup around, I walked into the foyer at the front door, which is one of my favorite spots in the house.

If you walk in from the grand entrance, you open a door into a large receiving room that is very reminiscent of old-world Italy.  A breathtaking chandelier hangs over a beautiful round table that mimics the shape of the foyer itself- a circle.  To the left is the dining room, straight ahead is a sitting room with a piano, and to the right is the study.  But straight up is a dome.  This is why the foyer is my favorite.

The dome was just a dome for many years, which was a beautiful architectural feature on its own.  But in recent years the homeowners decided to update some of the wall treatments and flooring in the house, and especially in the foyer.  They had a specific vision for the dome.  They wanted a hand-painted mural depicting the resurrection of Jesus.

Now, this could go either way- it could be spectacularly executed, or it could look like a church nursery painting on a wall.  So it’s really important to get the right artist.

My, how they picked the right artist!  I visited during the renovation process and saw her painstakingly painting details with the tiniest brush I’d ever seen, perched atop the tallest ladder I’d ever seen!  She wanted it to be perfect.  And she didn’t even believe in the power of Jesus the Savior.  But her work on this project drove her to ask more and more questions and to open to the possibility of Jesus’ saving power.

So I went to the foyer this morning after my coffee and just stood, staring straight up.  I admired the humbly victorious images- the soldiers cowering in fear, the angels surrounding Jesus, Him standing on a cloud above the world, and the cross in the background, so as not to forget the price.  It’s powerful.  I had tears in my eyes as I looked, reminded of my price paid.  Reminded of the love it must have required.  Reminded of this same love that drove my brother to leave such a legacy, one worth writing about and sharing with others.  The same love that drew an unbeliever to Himself through a mural painting.

And I worry about a book release party.  *rolling my eyes at myself*

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets

Day Twenty-Five: An Incentive

Okay- first I have to make a correction to yesterday’s post.  I said I was staying in a 100-year-old cabin in the woods.  I was wrong.  It’s 200 years old.  Seriously.

Now, for the incentive:  I have created a paypal button to buy discounted Desperate Hope Book Release Concert tickets for ONE DAY ONLY!! (I feel like a mattress salesman!)  You can experience the art gallery showing, have some coffee and appetizers, sing along with Aaron Shust and myself, along with my husband, AND get a book- all for $10.00!! That’s for today only, and it’s my hope that you’ll forward the information to your friends and get them excited about coming, too.

The price goes back up to $15.00 after 10 p.m. tonight, Eastern Time.  You’ve got all day.  GET TO IT. 

Here’s the link to purchase the discounted tickets.  Pass it on, send folks an email, get them to my blog site, and let’s see what we can do.

$10 dollar tickets: get ‘em here!

- C

Day Twenty-Four: Sundays. Enough Said

I had every intention of visiting a few churches in the area this morning to see some of my friends and get an overload of the church experience.  I was also delivering some books on my “marketing” push, something I dislike but find necessary to get the word out.  I need to do my part I guess. 

Anyway, my first stop was to be Buckhead Church in, you guessed it, Buckhead, Georgia.  If you’re unfamiliar, it’s just north of downtown Atlanta and is a bustling city all its own.  Buckhead Church is dead in the center of the activity, having crafted a building to fit in with the office towers that literally surround it.  It’s very cool and a way that the church is tangibly taking on the face of its community.

I am staying with a friend in a town called Milton, which translates to North Nowheresville, USA.  I am in a 100-year-old log cabin in the woods.  No.  I’m not exaggerating for effect.  It’s a 100-year-old cabin in the woods.  And I love it.

However, I have GROSSLY underestimated just how long it takes to get from North Nowheresville to anywhere else.  This brings me to Sunday.  7… (the countdown)

Elias has been tossing and turning at night with his cold, which keeps me up listening to and watching him.  Last night was no different.  But there was one change.  After waking up early and me grasping for every second I could stay reclined with eyes closed, he went back to sleep… and I slept for the first time.  Of all mornings, we woke up at 8:00 a.m. this morning. The morning I was supposed to be in Buckhead- which, if you recall is an eternity’s drive away from North Nowheresville- at 9 a.m., we sleep ’til 8.  Gotta love those rushed Sundays.

We somehow made it out the door and into civilization without being too terribly late.  Elias ate breakfast on-the-go, and I prayed for grace as I sped down the freeway (not speeding, really… just pushing the edge of “over the speed limit”) because I am, of course, still without a wallet, which means I am without legal proof that I can actually drive.  Eeeek.

But we went to Buckhead Church this morning.  And I’m SOOOO glad we did.  Elias got to play with other children his age and was wisked away without a second’s glance back at me.  He loves people.  I love that about him.  I ran into some friends and got to hear an amazing teaching from Andy Stanley.  It was encouraging and challenging… and it was confirmation of several things God has been speaking to me lately.  It made me more confident in handing out my book for marketing to someone.  It gave me permission to “do something” without feeling badly about taking responsibility.  Not to take on the job of God… just to take on the responsibility He’s given me.  Good stuff.

So… my ambitious goal of visiting several churches ended with Buckhead Church.  One.  But it was enough.  E is now about to go down for a nap, and I’m about to have my first cup of coffee today.  And spend some time breathing and taking in the woods in North Nowheresville.

I’m getting excited about this book release.  REALLY excited. 

- C

To purchase tickets to the Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert:

http://tinyurl.com/ylenwu5

Day Twenty-Three: Farsi Anyone?

Still no wallet. Still a nasty cough in my child. Whatever.

8…  (the countdown, remember?)

I wanted to share some really cool stuff with you all.  It gets me excited as I continue to wrestle with the logistics of an event, wondering if people show up and buy some incredible art, or if they’ll go buy a book and read it.  This kind of information makes it hard to forget that I can’t manifest the important work- God does.  And He always does.

My husband, Jonathan, was part of a citywide prayer luncheon at our church in Burbank.  The purpose was to connect with pastors of the area churches no matter denominations or preference or style.  I think over 90 invitations were delivered.  20 showed up.  For the first time and for the overwhelming task (for some) of stepping over denominational lines, this was an encouraging number, to me.

One of these in attendance was a church planter.  He is Iranian, and he feels like his job is to plant a church to reach out to and address the needs of the very large Armenian community in Burbank.  Very exciting stuff.

Anyway, he and Jonathan were talking about what each did when J told him about Desperate Hope and a little about our story and the culmination of a book.  The pastor was intrigued by the story and what God has done, but he shared just how foreign the concept of glory in death can be in Iran.  He said in his culture among believers, if you die or you don’t receive healing, then it’s because of sin.  There is no thought that death or illness can be an avenue to experiencing God’s glory.  He started to light up as he considered the impact of a story such as Ricky’s, especially among a culture that can’t imagine any good associated with death.

He then shared that he was interested in reading the book and then attempting to figure out how to have it translated into Farsi so that it can be available in Iran.  IRAN!!!!  Are you kidding me?!  God’s story has no boundaries and isn’t contained by our little minds or our little countries.

Btw- the pastor’s wife studies language and literature and expressed that she might be up to the task of the translation.

WOW.

That’s all I can say.  Wow.  How could I possibly get bogged down in wondering if this release will go well?  How can I get caught up in how many books we sell?  God’s providence is so astounding it makes these little concerns seem so trivial.  Probably because they are. 

God, you overwhelm me.  Even in the middle of my planning, the absence of my identity and money, and the presence of sickness, I cannot escape Your remarkable work.  Continue to amaze me.  You are not just Great, You are GOOD.  Amen.

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets

Day Twenty-Two: Sheesh.

Okay- tally thus far:

One wallet, lost then found… then lost again.  Not recovered yet.  This means I have no license, no cash, no debit or credit cards, and no way of getting any from my bank, since I can’t prove who I am.  Sweet.

One rogue sippy cup, undetectable by two fully grown women who turned the house upside down to find it, was finally tracked down discretely and without pomp and circumstance by a 17 month old who excused himself into an apparently invisible room of the house and returned 30 seconds later with sippy cup in hand.

Two colds. They got a little ickier overnight.

Sheesh.

The beautiful part is I have peace.  There are no suspect charges to my bank account.  The colds can be treated with a warm fire and a snuggie.  The sippy cup is close at hand.   God is closer.

Peace.

I just finished reading a chapter of the book… and I still can’t believe it’s actually here, or that I actually wrote it.  It seems alien, like an alternate person in an alternate universe did it.  I’m just looking on as a spectator.  I even read sentences that I don’t remember writing.  That’s when it hit me:

I didn’t.

I didn’t write this book of my own accord.  I didn’t do it using all my resources.  Sure, my pen moved and my brain was functioning and lending its ideas… but God was and is telling the story before and after it was set to paper.  I just happened to be the avenue.

So my word today is peace.  That’s what I’m meditating on and breathing in.

- C

EVENT PAGE: Desperate Hope Book Release & Concert

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Book Release Tickets