Key-tars and Things of Permanence

UPDATED! Picture of the tattoo!

Not too much to say here. David Crowder Band was incredible. He's so silly and a great musician. Loved it. My favorites were the "key-tar," one of those instruments that has the neck of a guitar but is actually a keyboard, and his rendition of "I Saw the Light," where he invited as many people up onstage with him as would fit. It was great. I will definitely go to every concert of his I get the chance to. Shane and Shane were great, also, as was Robbie Seay. I particularly loved Shane Barnard's song about Spam that ended with the word spamily. Classic.

I love the fact that it was a flippin awesome concert that was FULL of worship! It was so overwhelming to look out over the audience and see so many people praising our Lord. As I was looking around, I thought to myself that it's just a little taste of what heaven will be like. Tons and tons of people gathered around the throne worshipping the Lord at the top of our lungs. Hallelujah for that thought!


Right now I'm missing homecoming at ACU, which I'm really sad about. I hate that I'm not getting to see all my best girls and boys from college. However, I am so happy for a weekend home. Teaching is a mentally and emotionally draining job! I love you all and I'm so sorry I missed it! Homecoming 2001 was definitely one of the longest nights of my life. Actually, pretty much half of September and all of October 2001 was the longest season of my life. Pledging. If you've done it, you understand. I am so thankful for my GATA sisters, and I don't regret my decision for a minute! To those of you who take cheap shots at social clubs, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. The friends I made in that group weren't "paid for," but even if they were, I don't care. They've added such richness to my life that I don't even want to think about what I'd be now if I'd never known them.


Today was my best friend Joy's birthday. I have quite a few friends that I would consider best friends, but Joy has been my best friend for the past eight years. I don't suppose that best friends is even the right term to describe it. We are most definitely more like sisters. To the right is a picture of us taken recently at our friend Darrin's birthday party. Joy and I have experienced SO much together. She's also one of my GATA sisters, and a big part of the reason I pledged GATA.
We grew up together at the same church for all of our lives, but became good friends her senior year of high school. We were apart for a couple years after that, at ACU together for a couple years, apart for a couple more years and back together again.

We started going to Farmer's Branch together in February, and it's been somewhat hard but also incredible to get to know each other in a totally different way. Instead of kids growing together, we're now adults growing together. Even though we were both christians, our relationship wasn't based around that even loosely. We went to church together and all, but now we're really getting to know the Lord and so much more about him. What a blessing it is to grow in intimate relationship with God and your friends! Things are so much sweeter when the Lord in the key element.

Tonight we went out to dinner with some friends to celebrate, and then Joy and I did something that I'd been thinking of doing for a good long while, but just hadn't ever done. We got tattoos! Joy already had one tiny one, but this was my first one, and boy was I nervous. It wasn't just for the heck of it, both were well thought-out. Joy got the word "peace" in Hebrew and I got the holy spirit symbol that looks like a dove. They both have very significant meaning for us. Both are small and down on our feet so that they aren't too conspicuous. For me, I just wanted an outward marking and reminder that I am filled with the Holy Spirit. The past several months, but especially couple of weeks, have been such a stretching and growing time. I am loving that I'm coming to know the Spirit. It's so sad to me how he is neglected by so many. Just like the Father and the Son, the Spirit is a part of the Trinity. He cannot just be ignored. This verse has been such a comfort to me lately, and also a challenge to be receptive to the Spirit:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8:26-27

I'm totally not completely there yet. I have the Spirit living in me, because I recieved him when I was baptized. Now, though, I'm in the process of learning to listen for him and be open to his promptings. I want to be so full that I'm just overflowing. For me, it's a daily struggle to just give control over to the Lord. He's got it anyway, so I might as well quit pretending like I'm the one with the plans. So, there you have the reason for my tattoo. Tonight as Joy was getting hers, I was worried about the pain and another friend said that he'd be worried about the foreverness of it. I don't think that's something I'll need to worry about, though. I don't ever want to the Holy Spirit to leave me, and that isn't something I'll be changing my mind about.