Status: Single
City: Dallas
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date: 7/8/2005
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Friday, June 12, 2009
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Hey everyone, if you have a few seconds please fill out this quick survey. Take a break from whatever you are doing and let us know your thoughts.
You can start here.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
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Current mood:New-music-tastic!!!
Hey friends! Hope you are doing well. As I sit and type this blog,
I am very much trying to focus on THIS, and not on the big welt-sized
mosquito bites on my legs, ankles, shoulders... aaaagh. Gotta love
summer! And living by a creek! :)
Anyway. The new record is coming out soon! So surreal and crazy.
1) I can't believe it's June, and 2) I can't believe all the songs are
written, recorded, and I finally get to talk about them and share them.
I'm sure it's the same with anything else, but every time I've gone to
write for a new record, I am seized with this (temporarily) crippling
fear that maybe... I can't write anymore songs. Or... the ones that
will come out won't be any good. I'm sure in a lot of circumstances,
it's spiritual attack - and in many others, pure insecurity mixed with
pride. But THEN! Then, there's always the part in the story where songs
just start... happening... I mean, I sit down and take time to write,
but I seem to always not notice that while I'M panicked and afraid
nothing's going to come out, songs are being finished right under my
nose! Then, I'm sitting in the car in the driveway, listening to new
mixes, and completely overwhelmed by His faithfulness once again. And
let me tell you, if there has ever been a season in my life where I've
experienced that humbling faithfulness, it's been this one!
I had written a few songs when this past February had rolled
around... but I had more ideas FOR songs that actual finished songs.
And, since it's the nature of the beast, and since I'm more of a
5-minute-long, ballady, introspective song writer, there's a time when
I get a phone call that goes something like this...
"Beth... I think we may need to start thinking about radio songs."
Oh, right! :) I always seem to forget about those! Ha!
And, the same as it is with most of us, there are parts of our
jobs that we enjoy, and then other parts that... let's just say...
don't come as naturally. But it was definitely a fun thought to think
about getting in the studio again with Mr. Ed Cash for a writing
session, so it was put on the calendar, and my
insecure/prideful/worried mind started reeling again.
What if nothing happens?
What if we leave with an unfinished song?
What if there isn't any inspiration?
Should I come in with an idea?
The good part of it was, though, that having known Ed for almost
seven years now, the anxiety that could be there over trying to write a
song with a complete stranger wasn't in the slightest bit in my mind.
So, to make a long-ish story a bit longer, we had a great day of
writing, chilling, catching up, finishing a song I had started and
couldn't finish ("I Am Yours" - slowly becoming one of my favorites on
the record), Ed brought up maybe trying to get another song together
before the end of the day. It was about 2pm. I knew I had to leave
around 6pm, so I agreed, maybe we should just try and see what came of
it. (At this point, my confidence and enjoyment was a ton better!
Having something accomplished scares away crippling writer's block like
nothing else.) He started to play some melody ideas he had recorded on
his phone ... and let me tell you, there is a TREASURE chest right
there! You know that part in Elf where the team of writers find the
"little black book" of that famous author's children's book ideas?
Yeah. That's how I would feel if Ed's phone "accidentally" made its way
into my possession. Okay... so off of creepy kleptomaniac rabbit
trail...
We listened through a few ideas. All really, really good, but nothing was jumping out at me.
Then... there was this piano song he played. Whoa! I immediately
connected with it and loved it. He had a chorus that just said "I want
everyone to know, everyone to know, I want to tell the world about Your
love."
How GOOD is the Lord? Seriously! I had been smack in the middle of
learning what it means to truly, truly be a minister of the Gospel.
There had been a few conversations on planes with people who either
were believers and felt like they had wasted their life on being
silent, or with unbelievers who really wanted to have this Jesus stuff
explained in a sincere way to them. And I will be honest, it is a
terrifying place to be in walking with the Lord! Especially for a
people pleaser. I can come up with a lengthy list of reasons why I
don't feel "wired" to share the love of Christ with someone (don't we
love to say that it just isn't 'cool'? Maybe with fancier words, but
that's always what I mean!), but when I step back and look at all my
excuses, none of them drown out His call for obedience, and for it to
be fueled by our thankful, satisfied love for Him. So, to say the
least, those lines-- although they were simple and few-- were a very
big confirmation of what He had been speaking to my heart.
So, out came this song over the next four hours... a call to those
who are chasing after things that won't satisfy their souls. Stuck in
the emptiness of their life. Sharing in a three-and-a-half-minute
format how my heart (because it's HIS heart) is for ALL to be led to
repentance and salvation in Jesus; our very, very merciful High Priest!
I'm so glad this is the first song to be let out of the "vault".
:) I'm SO ready for you to hear the rest, but this is such a meaningful
one to share with you before anything else. I hope you enjoy, and are
encouraged to move past insecurity, self-consciousness,
people-pleasing, and to feel the urgency of His return, and His heart
to water and plant through YOU... whether it's through your words, your
servant's heart, your friendship... so HE might give the growth, and
cause the miraculous to happen! That a cold, dead heart of stone would
be replaced with a heart of flesh. I'm so excited that we get to be a
part of that!
See you all soon :) Beth
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Friday, June 05, 2009
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Current mood:Hungry :)
Healthy Yummy Oatmeal Banana Nut Bread
A fun recipe I thought you might enjoy :)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat free vanilla yogurt
3/4 cup honey
2 egg whites
3 or 4 mashed bananas (depends how much you like banana)
1 tsp butter nut vanilla (only @ Kroger, but normal vanilla works fine)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup walnuts, cut in pieces
Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 4.5 x 8.5" bread pan.
2) Cream yogurt and honey together in a bowl until it's completely
mixed. Stir in egg whites one at a time, beat well, then stir in
bananas and vanilla.
3) In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add flax meal, mix. Beat into creamed mixture. Stir in oats and
walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. * I like to sprinkle some oats on the
top, along with dusting it with some cinnamon for an extra layer of
flavor. And it makes it smell even better in the oven!
4) Bake in pre-heated oven for 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
5) For banana muffins, pour into prepared muffin pan. Bake at 350
degrees for 20 minutes, or until light brown and baked all the way
through in the center.
ENJOY!
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
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Happy Tuesday, everyone!
A major sign of being home for me is actually knowing WHAT
day of the week it is… when I’m on the road, every day sort of feels like a
Friday or a Saturday. I’m pretty sure it jacks you up after a while!
How was your Memorial Day? Shane and I had lunch over at
some friends from church’s house… then came home and made a Kashi roasted
vegetable pizza (sounds like it wouldn’t taste good, but ooooooh buddy, it’s an
explosion of flavor!) and watched The Secret Life of Bees. It’s been hard to
wake up this morning, for some reason. I got up early and had my coffee, but
now I sort of feel like I could take a nap until lunch.
I had kind of an emotional day yesterday. It’s sad, because
I feel like “emotional” has this negative connotation to it—but really, it was
one of my favorite days in a long time. Maybe another word for it is “soft”. My
heart felt very soft. It may be a product of being home for a solid week, being
adjusted to having time to think, breathe, process, enjoy. Especially to really
set aside time to enjoy the presence of God. I wish I could invite all of you
over to our house today for lunch and a hang—our house has a BUNCH of windows,
lots of open space, and we are blessed enough to live in a part of town that
still has trees. I’m sitting in our living room right now, and all I can see
around me are green trees with splashes of morning light on their branches, and
sweet little birds hopping from one tree to the other. In a word, this home of
ours is RESTFUL. I can’t believe how restful it is. Who knows how long we will
live here in Dallas, but I am so deeply thankful for the time we do have here.
I feel like I’m constantly witnessing His hand in and on creation—sort of like
having the Discovery channel on all day, but a little better. :) All that to
say, I think time off and the season turning from spring to summer and watching
beautiful birds land on our bird feeder by the kitchen while I drink coffee in
the morning has softened my heart and undeniably stirred my affections for
Jesus.
And I was really, really struggling with something the other
day. I guess Sunday night and Monday morning… just… self-consciousness. Pride.
A situation had come up and all of the sudden, I was keenly aware of the way it
might make ME look… and it involved me choosing to either stay in relationship
and friendship with a group of people or just half-heartedly doing it. That may
sound vague…. Sorry… just go with me on this. :)
So, I was sweeping the floor. I had some moments of quiet
and was going to go up to my room for a little while and enjoy it, and just
wanted to sweep the floors really fast before I did. And, let me tell you, the
grace of God has been so tangible lately. The more I walk with Him, the more
I’m convinced that we really have just a few seasons of clarity with Him… and
because of that, makes genuine love for Him fuel our perseverance and hope in
Him. But, even a crumb of clarity from Him is so glorious and wonderful! And… I
had about five seconds of it yesterday when I had made my way to the downstairs
bathroom, sweeping the floor. I feel like He spoke to my restless heart: “Do
you love because you want to be loved in return, or do you love because I am
love?”
It might sound overly simplistic… but man… did it mess me
up! I flipped to passages in 1 John that talk about love in a very similar way
(imagine that, God having the same Truth then and now) …
“So we have
come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and
whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16)
So I’m just chewing on that today. Abiding in love towards
my brothers and sisters. Asking for a heart of humble love that produces fruit
of service and encouragement.
I think I’m going to go tidy up the house a bit now and then
go enjoy the beautiful weather outside! I sure love summer. :)
Hope you all have a lovely rest of your day… see you soon.
Beth
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Thursday, May 14, 2009
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Current mood:Locked-out
Hey friends. :)
So, alarm went off at 5am this morning. Shane and I both were
flying out of Dallas/Fort Worth airport (Shane- 8:30a, me- 10:30a) so
we carpooled with the guys over in my Honda. I saw him off fine, went
to get a grape nuts/yogurt/blueberry parfait (highly recommend), sat
down and read for a little while. Around the time my flight was
supposed to board, I mosied on over to my gate to see.. GASP!... that
my flight had been cancelled. As far as I was concerned, it looked like
a baby rain storm outside, until I saw a huge bolt of lightning take
over 80% of the sky. Hmm. That's what I get for totally checking out
with a book and tea. Anyway, I stood in line with about 50 other people
looking for another flight to Nashville, and by the time I got up
there, all six of the afternoon flights had been completely booked and
I was put on stand-by.. which is the airline's way of getting you off
their back, but also not having to do anything with you. Stand by =
little to no chance of getting on the flight... at least in my
experience. So, I'm confirmed for the 9:40p to Nashville tonight. I
called a friend and got a ride to my house (because Shane has the keys
to the car in his book bag... yeah. It only gets better!), to
remember... GASP!... that BOTH spare keys to the house are with Shane.
Hmm. I sat outside in the sunny, beautiful, 80 degree weather for a
couple minutes (of course it's nice now!) and then decided it was
torture to sit there and be able to look inside. Kind of that "water,
water everywhere; but not a drop to drink" sentiment. :) I seriously do
have the worst travel luck of anyone I've ever known. At least this
morning there was a good reason! Usually I just show up and they tell
me it's cancelled... or I've been bumped off the flight... why?, I ask.
Oh, I'm not sure, sorry, is the typical answer. Ha! It gets comical
after a while. Cruel comical.
So, here I am... sipping Southern Pecan coffee at the White Rhino,
about to go read and journal, get a massage, then maybe go see a flick.
Shane knows what a to-do list person I am, and how deeply frustrating
it is to not be able to use my free time to organize or sanitize
something, and he has just been chuckling when I call him and the only
thing I can get out is, "aaaah!" -- and has reminded me that it might
be good for my soul to have nothing to "accomplish" today. To just...
be.
That... is... (deep breath)... DIFFICULT.
I wanna be able to do it. I want to enjoy the next seven hours
fully. I want to remember that in His endless, mysterious, purposeful
sense of humor, He knew what today would look like. I want to have my
mouth open wide for Him to fill it (Psalm 81:10) ... my very poor, poor
spirit open for Him to fill with His riches. His wealth of mercy,
kindness, and vision today. Settle my heart, LORD! Remove frustration
and replace it with rest.
Hope y'all are having a fabulous Thursday... and if you can't
think of anything to be thankful for, be thankful you can get in your
house today. :) Love you guys! If any of you are in the general area
this weekend (Lincolnton, North Carolina; Herndon, Virginia; Perrysburg, Ohio), come say hello and hear
some new songs!
Beth
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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Current mood:New-music-tastic
Hey!
How are you guys doing? I was thinking the other night on our LONG drive from Wyoming, Michigan, to Columbus, Ohio, that I haven't blogged in a while. It's crazy to think about the last two months flying by like they have. My part of the record is done, mixing has begun, the photo shoot was last week, and now I'm out on the Turn Down the Music tour w/ my husband and the other Shane, Matt Maher, and David Nasser. I felt like hopping on their tour was light years away, and now it's HERE! I have eight more sweet days with my husband, and then flying out for a couple shows and meeting back up with the crew on the west coast.
Today... we are staying at some friends of ours house in Naperville, just outside of Chicago. I flew in yesterday morning after getting approximately 2 1/2 hours of sleep, and we were kind of on the go all day. So today happening with no agenda is very, very nice. Except Shane feels like he's getting nodes (sp?) back on his vocal chords, so he isn't talking today. Which, I might add, has been really, really funny. His favorite way of getting my attention so far has been "pssst!" which I'm pretty sure is a sound... but oh well. :) I think we're going to go downstairs and watch a movie in a minute, play some ping pong (I'm getting better!), eat lunch, go ahead and register us online for our World Vision trip this summer to Zambia (I couldn't even BEGIN to tell you how ecstatic I am about that! There's a little boy from Zambia that Shane has sponsored through WV for about 10 years now, and we get to go meet him in August! It's going to be so surreal and wonderful.) ... waiting on some laundry to get done now.
I've been learning a lot about community. I feel like the Lord keeps pushing me into situations that FORCE community... sharing space and time... pouring out all I've got... loving like I love myself. It sounds simple, but fleshing it out has been very difficult! Because, before you know it, it pours over into sharing the Gospel with someone. Yeah. Talk about being inconvenienced AND uncomfortable! But how worthwhile it is! I can see some circumstances recently that have been Sovereignly ordered to push me forward in that area... to love people more than wanting them to like ME. To say the name of Jesus even when it's offensive, or sounds narrow minded, or even excluding. To press through that and share His deep, passionate love for them displayed on the cross, and ESPECIALLY in the empty tomb. A lady named Michelle that I sat next to on a plane a few months ago put it well, "I've learned to pray every morning for a natural way to share Jesus with someone in that day." I want to grow in that area of my life -- I'm sure I'll be learning in it til I'm 75, but I'd like to get a headstart. ;)
Alright, well I think I'm gonna hop off and go do some Pilates or something. The possibilities in today are endless! Shane just whistled for me across the living room, so I'm gonna go hang with my silent husband for a little bit. Y'all have a great day! See you soon. :)
Beth
**I'm listening to the mixes of my new record, releasing September 8th :)
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Thursday, April 09, 2009
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Current mood:vocalizing-tastic
It is one of those rare overcast days here in Los Angeles, and I am FEELING it! Maybe I am also feeling the last month of non-stop going, and maybe coming down from my caffeine high is contributing, but I'm going to blame it on the rain. (<-anyone know that song? Shane sings it all the time. :)) Anyway, today is last day of vocals for the record! I can't believe it. All we're doing tomorrow is recording an acoustic version of the first single, "Everyone To Know" for a little bonus on the CD, and that's it. I fly home Saturday afternoon and have Easter with my sweet husband and church family, a couple days at home to let my suitcase explode and launder things, and then back out for photo shoot, some shows (what's up Bellefontaine show coming up! All my hometown peeps say what!), and then I'm hopping on tour with the Shanes, Matt Maher, and David Nasser for most of the month of May. I think I may be helping out with the World Vision table (being a "rep" as they call them), so I'm looking forward to that!:)
Alright, well lunch just arrived, I gotta re-charge and then plug through the last song! Thank you all so much for your prayers during this process... I have felt them, and the Lord has done such amazing things. I can't wait to tell you about them!
Have a blessed weekend, my friends.
Beth
Make sure you...
a) follow me on twitter twitter.com/bethanydillon b) tell all of your friends to become fans, because that would be AWESOME! c) check out where I'm doing shows so you can say hi to me in person d) last but not least... pray for me as I finish up this record!
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Friday, March 20, 2009
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Current mood:Haze-tastic
Hello from hazy Los Angeles!
Today is day 3 of pre-production week: which is just going through all the songs, looking at arrangement, key, lyrics, general direction, before the band comes next week. It's been going awesome! I am so thankful to have Marshall Altman working on this record- what a talented guy. I am staying with him and his family while I'm in town, which is super nice. Probably the most (or one of the most) draining thing(s) about record making is having a long day and then returning to a...hotel room. It's priceless to get to eat dinner in a home and sleep in a bed I know for SURE doesn't have any creepy things in it, on it, or around it. :) No worries, I've made my peace with hotel rooms and the knowledge that programs like 20/20 have given me about them a long time ago... It's just nice to get a respite!
Marshall's 3 year old little girl, Stella, has been cracking me up. Both of his kids, actually. Alex is 5 and all boy. He keeps throwing in words like "blood", "poop", and "stupid", into conversation..... And it instantly makes everything funnier. :) (reminds me of my brothers...) Stella has been wearing a Little Mermaid costume since I first got here Monday. We were watching Sleeping Beauty yesterday morning. Princess Aurora started singing and I said to her, "Oh, doesn't the princess have such a beautiful voice!". She looked at me and said, "....right." Kind of like- duh. Yeah, we've become fast friends!
I am so thankful to the Lord for these songs! He is blowing me away with His ability in the face of my limitations. His light and truth spill over and into everything! It's enough to make me want...more. And more and more. To see more of Him.
Well, my hands are hurting... Yes, I am blogging by BlackBerry again. I didn't bring a computer! Anyway, catch up with y'all soon.
Beth
Ps I have been updating my Twitter often, so check it out if you want record play-by-plays, it's BethanyDillon on Twitter :)
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Wednesday, March 04, 2009
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Current mood:clean freak
Good morning!
It has been such a good one for me. We got home last night from visiting Shane's fam in Lubbock, and I had had one of those emotional days. And, let's face it, five and a half hours in a car, staring at the desert, and having time to think... it always makes me emotional. In a good way, I think. If you haven't caught on by now, I'm someone who likes to be DOING... even on a day off at home, I love having a to-do list, getting things accomplished, having goals set. I don't think that's a bad thing, but when it comes to "being still" and "waiting on the Lord", like I am COMMANDED to do-- now that's a bit of a toughie. The Lord is SO good in it, though! So good to dig up all the things that are causing anxiety in the secret, hidden places in me. So good to give opportunity to let it out, take a deep breath.... ENJOY. Deeply enjoy. Even when there's a hundred things going on in my head at the same time, an hour of feasting and waiting and adoring brings such enjoyment to my soul. He is the best thing there is!
So, there you go with that! :) Anyway, it has been a great morning. I read, prayed, had my coffee, and now I'm walking around the house getting cleaning done- which I really, really like to do. I think it's the instant gratification thing. Get your hands dirty, be on the go, organize, sanitize... magnetize... okay, that last one made no sense. Any peeps out there that enjoy the smell of Pine Sol, Comet, and Windex with me?
Just thought I would stop by and say hello! I need to finish a few things and then I think we're going to eat some lunch. I went to the grocery late last night and bought some stuff to make Rachael Ray meals this week. I'm super pumped! Today is... Black-Bean and Cheese Chicken strips (with a salad, of course!) and for dinner, Brown-Sugar-Mustard-Glazed Salmon with fresh green beans and rice! Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm! I think my mouth just watered talking about it!
Have a wonderful day, y'all, and breathe in the spring air! It's almost here!!
Beth
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Sunday, March 01, 2009
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Current mood:Syracus-ish
We just finished the last morning of the Designed Women’s Conference here, and let me tell you, it was a sweeeeeeet time. There’s nothing like a room with about a hundred tired (but ecstatic to have time away to rest) moms and young women, drinking coffee, talking, ready to soak up whatever the Lord has for them. This morning was so moving! Nicole (the sweet heart of a lady putting it all together) spoke on Matthew 25:31—serving in small things, bringing our inability to Him. Anyway. It was awesome. I love you, ladies! No offense to the male demographic here at all- my husband is living proof that men CAN have (and, in my opinion, SHOULD have) soft hearts to Jesus. But there is a difference in a group of women, their estrogen levels encouraging each others’, and the gift of God within them to cry at the drop of a hat. It’s really powerful! It’s really honest and raw and real. And disarming. I love, love, love it! I love Him in it.
The other cool thing about this conference was… note to all of you visionaries who like to put these things on!... that there wasn’t a million things to do. There were sessions this morning, spa-treatments last night, stuff like that… but they also had time to really, really rest. Which you can tell by looking in their eyes that that is a gift beyond any other gift!
So, now Aaron and I are sitting in my hotel room watching Fox News, waiting for the conference peeps to get done and go eat lunch with them. We are flying out this afternoon- Aaron to Nashville, me to Dallas… but we are seeing this storm system go through Tennessee… I hope we can make it home! That’s always such a bummer. Travel stuff. Speaking of which, I had a bonkers day in the D.C. airport yesterday! Got up at 4AM, drove to DFW airport, flew out at 7 to D.C., had a four hour layover before flying to Syracuse. BUT, we got on our plane to leave, and the pilot came on and said the hydraulic pump was broken… niiiiice. As if I didn’t have mini anxiety attacks whilst being on a plane apart from my husband, being on a plane that was broken and about to take off definitely doesn’t help! But it was all good, I got here in time, had a great night. It just was scary to be waiting at the gate with about a hundred ticked off New Yorkers. Scary doesn’t even scratch the surface. I just stood there and smiled.
I’ve felt such a call to encourage lately. I’ve been reading Acts and it hit me how Paul spent a lot of his time traveling to places JUST to encourage the believers. He definitely gave a lot of time sharing with the Pharisees, Sadducees, Greeks, Romans… but his burning passion was to GET somewhere so he could build up the church. Can’t you recall how many letters he started with, “I have earnestly desired to come to you”? I don’t know, it’s really convicted me. I think I forget how necessary it is for us to hold each other up, speak truth to each other, verbalize what we love in someone or what we see God has placed within them. All of that to say, the passage we focused on this morning was an even deeper call to that for me:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” –Matthew 25:31-40
Praying for the grace to do that today… even at the Syracuse airport, Philadelphia airport, Dallas airport. At home this week. Lord, help me, help me, help me!
Love you guys, see you again soon.
P.S. Recording is coming up soon – March 16 -- please pray for any last minute songs, songs to be finished, God-breathed inspiration, rest leading up to it, all that! It’s going to be a pretty slammed month. I know He will provide, but just join me in praying!
Beth
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