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Have you ever finally seen someone in person whom you really admired, but you'd only seen in pictures or on TV, or heard on CDs? What was your reaction in that moment? Have you ever thought about why you had that reaction?

I've been sharing this week on my blog about one of the role models in my younger years, Amy Grant, and how I happened to be in Augusta last Sunday when she did a concert there.

(Continued from my previous blog...)

Last weekend I was invited to lead worship at the Vineyard in Augusta, GA. It kind of came together last minute, and I was glad I was available to make the trip. My mom has become a regular road-trip buddy these days (especially since my husband is a pastor he can rarely get away on weekends), so she came along for the trip.

Somewhere along the way I heard that Amy Grant was going to be doing an outdoor concert in Augusta on Sunday afternoon. The YMCA was hosting this event to celebrate their 150 years in Augusta. I guess Amy was actually born in Augusta when her dad was doing an internship there as a doctor. I had it in the back of my mind that if the weather was good and we felt up to it, maybe we'd stick around. I have never seen Amy Grant in person in all these years, and somehow the little girl in me always hoped I'd have the chance at least once.

Did you have role models growing up? Do you have role models now? Do share!

The term role model was introduced by sociologist Robert K. Merton. Merton says that individuals compare themselves with "reference groups" of people who occupy the social role to which the individual aspires. The term has passed into general use to mean any "person who serves as an example, whose behavior is emulated by others".

Growing up, I must admit that one of my role models was Amy Grant. Don't laugh! I'm sure she was for many eleven-year-old girls in 1988!

Hello Friends!

Many artists partner with wonderful organizations like Compassion or World Vision, and I also have had a longing to partner with an organization who is reaching out to the "forgotten ones" of the world. I started asking the Lord about it, and recently heard about an incredible cause that really made my heart burn passionately...when a friend told me about Love146.

So have I mentioned I consider myself an amateur at the art of "mosaic sewing"? What is that, exactly, do you ask? Welllll....I like to sew, but I can't follow a pattern to save my soul. So I gave up on that long ago and just sort of patch things together any way I feel like. It's a lot of trail and error. It includes things like corduroy patch pillows, messenger bags, purses, bed skirts, curtains, some mild clothing modifications, etc. I love to buy all kinds of fabric. I love all the textures and colors and patterns. I have a tub full of it. I wish I was skilled enough to make beautiful quilts...but not so much. I have had help in the past completing a patchwork sort of quilt, but haven't done one on my own just yet. Maybe I'll have to attempt one this year.

I kind of feel like my life is one giant patchwork-y sort of mess...so maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.

I can hardly believe it's been seven years since the attack on the Twin Towers & the Pentagon. Seeing the images still makes me shudder. Where were you when you first heard about it?

I remember that day that I had just arrived at work (I lived in Washington state at the time, so by that time it had already happened out on the east coast), and everyone was glued to the televisions in the office. I don't listen to news in the morning or anything, so I hadn't even heard about it. What a shock. I think we were all pretty glued to the TVs most of the day. It was hard to think about anything else. And of course at that time we were all uncertain whether there would be attacks in other cities as well, so everyone was staying close to home, close to family. It was such a scary and uncertain moment in the history of our country, and of the world, really.

So summer has come and gone so quickly and it seems even the weather knows it's turned September now. I've been trying to get in a few last days at the outdoor pool this week since it won't be long before it closes. The numbers of people who go have slimmed and often I end up there alone, and love the solitude, love listening to the breeze, love listening to the birds and kids playing around the corner.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons, though, so I'm looking forward to the months ahead. I love taking walks in the crisp clean air in my favorite hoodie in the still-warm-enough but not-too-hot late afternoon sun, listening to the leaves blow in the trees and later crunch under my feet. I love campfires and s'mores, I love snuggling under heavy blankets, and love seeing all the colors the leaves turn in the woods around our house. So as much as I'll miss the lazy summer days by the pool when I had the chance to do that this year, I'm looking forward to all that fall brings as well.

Once in a while I have to sneak over to my mother-in-law's neighborhood pool to enjoy a few hours of sun and splash around a bit. Why is it that it so refreshes me, this simple thing? I love just listening to the breeze, listening to kids play in the water, reading a book or magazine, writing in my journal, just feeling the warmth of the sun, munching on some snacks and cool drinks from the cooler, then getting too hot and jumping back in to cool off again. I even splurged on a bright new "floatie" (which I got on clearance at Target for $2.98!) and felt like a little kid all over again. :)

What a day - 08/08/08. I hear that tons of people are getting married today and doing all kinds of special and crazy things to commemorate the special occasion. I'm happy just to enjoy a normal quiet day at home after what feels like it has been a "plane crazy" couple of months!

Don't get me wrong - I always enjoy my time at various churches and events. Whenever I am ministering through worship or speaking, I truly sense God's grace in the midst, and come home feeling joy-filled and blessed for having been a part of it...but let's just say airport lines, airport food, plane delays, bad weather, grumpy flight attendants, cranky kids kicking my seat when all I want to do it sleep, packing multiple suitcases, sleeping in strange beds, lack of sleep, jet lag, and lugging heavy gear around are just some of the parts I endure for the sake of the rest. :)

So I have returned home after a trip to Fort Collins, CO - for Activate Leadership Conference, which was a really great time - but I had another one of those "fortune cookie" moments on my trip I wanted to tell you all about…but this time it was with a ring. :)