FlowerDust.net

I was brainstorming on the phone yesterday with someone about what it would look like to “blog” the Catalyst Conference.

Note: This does not mean only sitting in a chair making bullet point lists of what the speakers are saying.

Note: This does not mean only talking with the speakers back stage.

I NEED YOUR HELP! Think WAY outside of the box. What do you see happening as a blogging-behind-the-scenes-meeting-people AND incorporating this into the actual Catalyst event? Bringing Catalyst to the people who aren’t there…and bringing what isn’t at Catalyst to the people there.

No dumb ideas. Forget about money and logistics for now. Just throw out some crazy ideas!!

Lunesta has become a close companion lately. I go through seasons of insomnia…usually about 3-4 months long, followed by 3-4 months of healthy, non-medically-induced sleep. Currently, I’m about halfway into one of those insomnia cycles.

I decided last night to see if, by chance, I’d be able to fall and stay asleep without the drugs. No such luck. I drifted off into a weird, lucid dream.

In my dream, I was given a choice to do something and the consequences would require me to leave ministry. I’d be disqualified completely. And I remember the battle I was waging in my head.

“If I make this decision, I’ll lose my job.”

“If I make this decision, I’ll never be able to speak into the lives of leaders again.”

After I woke up following a very restless night of tossing and turning, I started thinking through what my dream-self was considering and realized something disturbing.

Not one of those thoughts I had was “If I make this decision, I’ll be disobeying God.”

Now, I realize this was just a dream and the decision I was considering in it was something that would likely never cross my path…and I realize a dream doesn’t represent my full consciousness.

But if it was a real life situation, would I have asked myself the same questions, while neglecting the most important one…How does this affect my relationship with Christ?

It’s easy for me to coast through life and walk a straight line. It’s actually pretty easy for me to be the good girl. But following rules isn’t the most important thing…that should just be an overflow of a lifestyle of obedience.

Why do you make the decisions you make? Are they out of love and obedience, or out of fear for losing your position, your marriage, your ministry?

Just something to chew on.

Another company takes online initiative.

My tweet after picking up some amazing produce at Whole Foods on Sunday:

And their reply:

Stuff like this gets me really excited for some reason! And not just because the gift card. I really love good customer service!

It’s been a little bit of a hot topic lately…my boss, Pete, recently asked me why I don’t advertise on my blog…and then someone else asked me if I feel like my blog has turned into an advertisement for Compassion International. Today, my friend Ben posted on a plethora of blogging stuff, including advertising. (He also noted my incessant changing of profile pictures on my blog. Busted!)

So, I thought I’d clarify what I put up on my real estate here and why.

1. Nobody pays me to put up anything “ad worthy” on my blog. I get asked but always say no. Anything you see in my sidebars or read on my blogs I put there because I see value in it. People send me books all the time to review and I never promise anything…if it’s worth talking about, I’ll talk about it, but if this blog is not the right place, then I won’t. I don’t get paid when people sponsor kids and all the Catalyst talk and links have been at my own free will.

2. I do get paid when you buy a book from my sidebar. I use Amazon Associates to do that. However, all they money from that goes right back into the G.O. Ministry pastor’s library. I keep nothing.

3. No, I will never sell advertising on my blog. Ever.

Why not? It costs me a whopping $5/month to host this site. Your comments, emails, and support and love for each other (and for the ministries and people I’ve highlighted) is invaluable. And it keeps things pure…if it’s something worthwhile, we’ll talk about it.

What are your thoughts on blog advertising?

Disclaimer: If you or someone you love has ads on their blog, good for them. More power to you. This ain’t about trash talking. I love you all.

i thought i’d share a few little blurbs with you from my article for the catalyst groupzine.  as soon as i know when you can order them, and when they’ll be available, i’ll let you know.

my article is called “the lonely leader and the power of truth” and here are a couple of thoughts from it:

Fear and loneliness are two inseparable lovers with a tragic common denominator: they seek to destroy the Kingdom within.

and

Sadly, we’ve often become so structured there’s no time to experience real life together.  We’re obligated to schedules and appearances but not to each other.  The business of community satisfies our addiction to productivity, but does nothing to nourish the anemia that is afflicting us.

as a leader…do you struggle with loneliness?  do you find that fear isolates you?

with moving, getting settled in, starting my new job and then spending a week in the dominican, i’ve been really behind on reading some blogs. i just caught up with brad lomenick’s blog last night and he asked a great question earlier this month which i thought i’d ask y’all.

if you could have dinner with anyone (besides jesus)…who would you have it with, and where would you have it?

mine would be anne lamott at a waffle house.

you?

I have got to focus the little part of my brain that is the creative writing part on a very cool article for the Catalyst Groupzine. For some reason, it’s been tougher to write than my book!

In the mean time, I thought I’d copy the ideas of many others and have a “You Ask…I’ll Answer” post. You ask questions and I’ll respond to them (in the comments as well).

Nothing is off topic…have fun!

I am so relieved there are services out there like this. What would I have done without this Facebook ad?

You guys are amazing! We had 118 books donated to the GO Ministries Pastors’ library. WOW! Thank you once again for being the church in practical ways and making a huge difference thousands of miles away!

Our team REALLY appreciates your prayers of support and encouragement along the way.

It was an amazing trip…and this week will be a crazy one of catching up on emails, blogs and comments. But I really can’t thank you enough.

I would be honored to spend some time praying for you this week and weekend…please let me know how in the comments.

Hola, everyone! I am back on Southern soil in Nashville after a great week in the Dominican.

Last week, I posted about some time I spent in The Hole — which is a trash dump in Santiago where squatters have taken residence over the last decade or so.

The story of The Hole is one that is grander than anyone could ever dream up.

Years ago, the city of Santiago set aside a large area (which is sunken in and dug out, thus creating “the hole”) to be a landfill. The river is filled with trash and raw sewage, and it is here that Santiago’s poorest call home.

And the mayor of The Hole? A drug lord. It’s his territory, and even in the midst of poverty you see proof of his reign. Nicely dressed young Dominican men with gold jewelry walk along the open sewer with expensive motorbikes, following prostitutes. Children who have no contact with the outside world flash gang signs and chant Dominican rap songs.

A man named Felix is the pastor of the church and feeding center in The Hole. He’s been around for seven years, getting to know the children and their families.

(Here is Felix praying with the kids before lunch one day).

One day, the drug lord requested a meeting with Felix. He saw what he was trying to accomplish in The Hole.

As long as you are here, the drug lord said, you will be safe. Anyone you bring to help will be safe. And if you have any problems, you tell me, and I will take care of it.

And it was true. As nervous as I should have been walking around with expensive video equipment in the lair of drugs and prostitution, I felt safe. We Americanos were welcome and loved.

That’s just like something God would do, isn’t it?

So, we have been trying to figure out a good way to get the community here at FlowerDust.net involved in the Dominican trip this week. I have really enjoyed getting to know the staff here at GO Ministries and learning what they are doing to equip local pastors.

The average Dominican makes $6500/year…so you can guess what the average pastor makes — not a lot! What GO is doing is forming a library for the 44 churches in the area they support.

Here’s the deal.

From 7 am CST Monday to 7 am CST Tuesday, if you purchase any book from the list below, I WILL GIVE YOU A FREE AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF MAD CHURCH DISEASE WHEN IT COMES OUT! Simply purchase the book and leave me a comment letting me know. I will email you to get your info this week.

So, buy a book, or buy fifty (I can only send you one copy of mine either way, but hey, don’t let that stop you!) and get a free autographed copy of Mad Church Disease.

You guys donated over 100 mosquito nets on World Malaria Day…so let’s show some love to some pastors and get them some study material they would never be able to afford otherwise. By the way, the money that comes through the Amazon Associates referrals also will go directly to GO Ministries!

Now ready? Set? GO! Don’t eat out today and instead, buy a book for a pastor!! Their Wish List is below!

How can we consistently show those in developed, consumer-driven countries that places like this exist? That, although, these places need clean water, sanitation, food and medical care, we need their hope, simplicity, community, and generosity?

How can we connect the two? Is there even a way?

i never can seem to translate what is in my head after visiting a slum. a true, third-world slum. the sights and smells and naked babies and starved dogs and sweat and raw sewage and shacks and the most impacting thing.

hope.

Words cannot do today justice, at least of my own experience. I have a picture which will tell a story I will never forget.

Sure, everyone worked their tails off, moving thousands (literally) of buckets of sand, water, and concrete up and down stairs…but my own personal highlight included a Dominican Spa Facial.

I’m waiting for a team member to give me the picture tomorrow….and I will just let that speak for itself.

Tomorrow I am going to “The Hole” which is a dump where people live. The poorest of the poor. I’m sure I’ll have lots of stories to share tomorrow night.

Thanks for your prayers!

We are sleeping in the middle of the city of Santiago, in a cement dormitory with 10 foot high, 3 level bunk beds and open air. Our power is battery generated and toilets do not like toilet paper. No hot water (at all, at the moment), but who needs that anyway?

Outside my slatted window are the constant sounds of Spanish voices, children playing, birds, bikes, and squeaky brakes less than three feet outside where my head is. If I stuck my arm out, I could probably touch one of the children walking by.

They told me to bring ear plugs to help me sleep since it was loud, but I can honestly not think of a sweeter sound to fall asleep to than the life of this city.

Sedative drugs are a very good thing.

I am normally not a nervous traveler, but always the night before a big trip, I get nervous. I downed 20 mg worth of valium last night at 7:30 pm and woke up fuzzy and drugged at 2:45 this morning.

Nerves, nerves, nerves.

Safety is always a concern, but normally while I’m on a trip. I don’t take into account the fact I am not graceful at any point in time, and sometime whilst showering, busted my face on a mirror. Blood began pouring out of my nose, on my hands, on the floor…and thirty minutes later with no end in sight, I pondered if it was broken.

(It is now 6 pm ET and it hasn’t bled since, so I’m going to go ahead and call it good).

Flying into Miami, and then into Santiago was pretty seamless. A small weather delay and two hours later, we’re in the DR. All of our luggage made it which is a miracle. We were warmly greeted by our hosts from GO Ministries, ate a mid-day meal and are taking advantage of the wifi.

It’s warm. It’s humid. But the breeze is nice and the sounds of a city yet to be explored surround us.

I’ve uploaded some photos on our Flickr page here…there aren’t many…the bandwidth isn’t like home, but I hope you’ll stop by and check them out.

We’ll be heading out for ice cream later, getting a good night’s rest, and then on to a construction site tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your prayers!

it is 3:40 am, also known as the ungodly hour, also known as i need some red bull, also known as five minutes before i am leaving to meet the team from cross point at the airport.

it is early.

but, i am excited…i feel privileged to take another out-of-the-country trip into a land which will stretch me far beyond my comfort zone. humbled at the chance to serve some with some amazing people.

the dominican is not far away. a quick trip to miami, then right into santiago. we’ll be arriving there about the same time you’re eating lunch.

your prayers are so needed for this trip. we have a pretty large group (26) going and with luggage and some camera equipment and well, just 26 people, logistics can get hairy.

please pray specifically for…

–our health & safety. this one always makes me nervous. especially after my roommate in africa had to go to the hospital in uganda while we were there in february. my asthma has been flaring up lately too…so yes, please cover us and some in this area.

–logistics. sometimes, luggage gets lost. it’s not the end of the world, but can distract us nonetheless. it was a miracle nobody’s luggage got lost with all the connecting flights we had to africa. please pray for smooth logistics.

–hearts. most importantly, our hearts. there are a lot of first-timers going on this trip and going to a new country and doing hard work out in the sun, away from comforts and family can do many different things to a person. please pray that we will keep our hearts open and flexible to ministry.

thanks everyone…i’ll update when we have some down time, and hopefully, i’ll be able to send short updates via twitter…so you can follow me that way too.

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote for the Catalyst monthly online magazine thingy…

Evidently, this little freestanding building was the place Nashville’s best comfort food called home. Tucked away in a residential area with limited and awkward parking, my husband Chris and I decided, after several recommendations from friends, to explore what this cozy little café had to offer. We moved to Nashville at the end of June, and finding delectable hole-in-the-wall restaurants is one of our favorite hobbies.

A waitress with frizzy blonde hair appeared. She seemed older than her fifty years, with deep wrinkles and a posture of a woman who has spent most of her life carrying food to hungry customers. Her southern accent was thick as she took our order. When she returned with our rolls and butter, she grinned as she asked us a question that caught us completely off guard.

[read the rest of the article here...i hope you enjoy it!]

i will be the first to admit: i can be pretty self-absorbed. i don’t think about how many things i consume or throw away in a day, a month, or a year. after all, it doesn’t seem like very much. i’m just one person.

artist chris jordan has some stunning pieces of art to represent production and consumption in america. (disclaimer: some of the photos could be considered graphic in nature, but not in a smutty way).

here is an example of one of his prints. it represents the 410,000 paper coffee cups used in the USA every fifteen minutes. (39,360,000 per day, if you were wondering).

here it is in a detail view:

anyway, i thought his artwork was extremely worthy of passing on. click here to view his site.

friday, pete and i had the amazing opportunity to meet up with the guys from the catalyst road trip. if you’re not familiar with catalyst, well, you need to be. [read more about catalyst and the catalyst road trip]. if you’ve been around here for any amount of time, you probably know that i’m a bit of a conference cynic. catalyst is much, much more than a conference, and has totally won my heart!

anyway, after some fine dining at star bagel, we took them to cross point to show them what it’s like to have church inside an old baptist church building…we talked about blogging, blogging, and well, blogging.

(by the way, holy cow has my hair gotten HUGE since moving to nashville. the humidity here is nuts! why hasn’t someone told me??! big hair rivals having something between your teeth!)

i’ll let you read more about what talked about here on their blog, but i have to say, it was such an honor connecting with these guys.

have you ever been to catalyst? are you going this year? if you are…i’d love to connect. i’ll be there doing some undercover spy work.

I just noticed my book has dropped in price to just a little over ELEVEN DOLLARS! I had no idea until I just logged in and saw it tonight.

What the heck? A hard cover for not even twelve bucks? The Amazon and Zondervan people must have gone crazy.

Even though the book doesn’t ship until until February, remember, Amazon has a price lock! If you order it now, you lock in that price. And I honestly have no idea how long it will stay at $11.55. It’s kind of like a slot machine. But not.

Just thought I’d let you guys know! Book pimping over for now! Have a great weekend.

What is the point of neurotically skipping along the surface when all the beauty lies below?

- Josh Waitzken

maybe you got an iPhone today, and maybe you got one last year. maybe you just have some old mobile phones sitting around your house. in any case, why not take a little time to help balance out the gadget refreshing world by donating your old phone to a good cause?

here is one site that will allow you to send in your old phone and select one from a variety of charities to benefit from it.

or

another one to help soldiers overseas

when it does all this. well, almost all this…

[[edit]] i had to take the video out because it kept locking up my blog. but it was funny…sorry.

did you take the plunge? will you ever?