Sweet Land of Liberty

I’ve mentioned here before how interesting Facebook has made my life. A couple weeks ago the girl who sat beside me in fifth grade found me. It was a laugh reconnecting with her, realizing that my current sentence to a lifetime in fifth grade was probably punishment for all our shenanigans.

This week brought another blast from the past. In 1992 I went on a mission trip to Germany. I met a kindred spirit on that trip. We hit it off immediately and enjoyed a month of adventure together. After the trip we wrote letters (this was pre-internet) and she visited me in Philadelphia once. Somewhere in the middle of our college years we lost touch—until last week.

It has been an enormous blessing to reconnect with this old friend. She is married, a mother of four, living on a farm in rural Tennessee. We’ve been emailing frantically this week, trying to catch up on 17 years a little bit at a time. Our conversations have been the highlight of my week.

This sweet reconnection exposed an ugly part of me, though. When I saw my friend’s “stats” on Facebook, I was instantly disappointed with my boring life. (When I related this story to my high school small group girls tonight, they were quick to say, “Joy, you are NOT boring.” I heart those girls so much!!) When I see a friend has married and had four kids in the past 17 years and I’ve taught fifth grade and, um, taught fifth grade in another state, I can’t help but feel like I’ve missed out.

It was no coincidence that I also found this quote from Charles Spurgeon this week, “If there were any place better for you than the one in which you find yourself, Divine Love would have placed you there.”

As I start this new week, I want to remember that Divine Love has placed me here. And I am thankful that Divine Love has placed a dear friend in my life—again.

I've Been through the Desert on a [Church] with No Name

I’ve been wanting to post something on here about the church plant of which I am a part. What has kept me from writing is an inability to give words to what excites me about this process.

The current associate pastor of my church has been moved to plant another church in a different part of our town. This summer, he invited me to join the plant and to coordinate its women’s ministries. At first, I was simply excited about the possibility of growing a women’s ministry from the ground up. Now my excitement is for the whole project. As my pastor has shared his vision with a group of us (the launch team) and as we’ve read articles and surveyed people in the community, I’ve become really eager to see this church get going. But why?

The church has no name. We’ve got some ideas, but no clear favorite. The church has no address. We’ve got some locations, but nothing is decided. Still, every Wednesday night, a group of people gets together to plan, to dream and to pray. It’s given me a picture of what the Church really is.

I grew up in a Philadelphia neighborhood where I could walk to a number of churches—old churches, established churches. It never occurred to me to ask how they got their names. And their buildings were old, stone things with steeples and pews. But someone built them. Being a part of this church plant has given me an appreciation for the magnitude of starting a church; of taking an old warehouse and making it a place of worship, of taking an idea and making it a name.

Most importantly, I’m seeing that a church is more than its name or address. The people are the church. Every Wednesday that we meet, I am growing to love the people in the room more and more. I can’t wait to be part of a church that bears the mark of our Creator, as well as of these passionate, creative people.

They're the People that You Meet Each Day

I’ve been going to the same gym for about a year. To commemorate the occasion, I offer some observations about the people I see when I am there.

For two days in a row, there has been a guy in workout clothes smoking outside the gym. Sometimes, I will go to Chick-fil-A after working out. I rationalize that I’ve burned off the calories in my waffle fries, so it’s all good. But I have to wonder, does working out negate the effects of cigarettes?

Snaps to the girl wearing pearls in Zumba tonight. (Zumba=one hour of Latin, hip-hop, cardio mayhem.)

There’s this awkward trainer who doesn’t have a lot of clients, so he wanders around a lot (earning him the nickname “the Lurker” from my friend Beth). Tonight said trainer sniffed a girl. It wasn’t a “You smell nice, what is that?” sniff either. It was more like, “Hi, I’m a collie. What a fine looking poodle you are.”

My absolute favorite trainer, henceforth to be known as Cute Trainer, is a highlight for me. He’s just adorable. He makes everything look fun—even riding a spin bike, which is, like, the opposite of fun. Sometimes he brings his clients into Zumba to dance with us for a song. He always tries to dance along with us, freely, joyfully making mistakes. It totally distracts me. I always try to be extra Fergalicious when he comes in, only to wind up tripping over my feet.

There are other notable characters who don’t need their own paragraphs, but who bring delight to me regularly. There’s the pastor of a local mega-church who works out twice a day, and a guy who is so flexible he can stand on one leg with his other leg at a 180 degree angle, propped on a machine, all while working his arms. There’s a man whose love for the ab machine is so intense I’m afraid one of them is going to snap in half, and a small man who doesn’t look like much, but when you use a machine after him, you realize he’s been lifting 150 pounds with his legs.

What flavor do I bring to the gym? I think I would probably be known as weird t-shirt girl. I enjoy buying strange t-shirts at Goodwill. Here is a current favorite, nice and wrinkly because I got it out of the hamper for the photo op!




And my mother wonders why I’m not meeting nice, young men at the gym.

Saturday in the Park

In July I listed all the things I have come to love about my current city of residence (I still can’t call it home). A friend of mine said a few weeks ago that this is a great place to live for the life we want to live.

I’ve thought about that a number of times since she said it and today was one of those days when I experienced it. This is a great place for my lifestyle.

It’s a great place for relationships.
The first reason today was great was because I got to have breakfast with my family (with the exception of my brother who was working). We met at a cafeteria. I find the cafeteria amusing and overwhelming, but I most enjoy being able to sit down with my parents and sister over eggs and turkey sausage. This morning we debated whether or not we should say grace, since my brother is the one who insists that we do. After much snickering and my attempt at a “God’s neat, let’s eat” blessing, my dad ended the discussion with a gruff, “Let us pray.”

It’s a great place for a simpler, greener lifestyle.
After breakfast, my sister-in-law and I headed to the local farmer’s market—I should say one of the local farmer’s markets. Lately, it has become very important to me to support local farmers and to buy fresh produce that does not have to be shipped across the country. I seem to have developed an allergy to the fruit shellac grocery stores use, so having farmer’s markets nearby is wonderful not only for me, but for the people sitting near me when I am having an allergic reaction and sneezing apple all over the place.

When I came home I baked zucchini bread and did my laundry. It was the perfect day to open the windows and let the breeze blow through my house, rustling the clothes on my massive drying rack.

It’s a great place for a healthy lifestyle.
This afternoon, Emily and I took our bikes out. We rode through a city park, a National Historic Park, and along the city’s greenway to another city park. There were plenty of people out enjoying the day—including some folks setting up for a wedding in one of the parks.

We encountered one family with two little kids riding bikes with training wheels and another toddler in a stroller. Dad was running along beside the kids as they went down a hill, the boy yelling, “I am not having fun! I don’t like this ride” while Mom hefted the stroller up a hill. We commended all their efforts and the mom replied, “It’s hard now, but I know they’re supposed to do this so that they can do what you’re doing one day and we can enjoy bike rides as a family!” (And how cool is it that she stopped to talk to us?)

Emily and I were inspired to go off-roading in one park. As we entered the super-steep trailhead, I shouted, “I am not having fun! I don’t like this ride!”

It’s a great place to produce more and to consume less.
Earlier this week my Thursday night Bible study had a pot-luck supper. It was so fun to see the girls showing off for each other. These are hard-working ladies who, in the middle of the week, took time to prepare something amazing for each other. Sweet potato pie with homemade crust, pasta with an unreal homemade sauce, homemade salad dressing, I could go on an on, but then you’d be hungry.

Because my friends are so useful in the kitchen and are always talking about their experiments, I am motivated not to take the easy way out. For instance, tonight felt like a good night for pizza, but instead of calling Papa John, or stopping by the grocery store for a frozen pizza, I made pizza crust from scratch and topped it with ingredients I already had in the house.

Tomorrow my brother, sister-in-law and I will head to Charlotte to watch the Philadelphia Eagles play. We will stop at a Philadelphia Soft Pretzel Factory in Mooresville along the way and maybe the Rita’s Italian Ice next door will be open when we get there. I will have some of my favorite people and favorite things from home in this strange place I am coming to love.

She's Got Legs, She Knows How to Use Them

Earlier this spring I had a consultation about getting some varicose veins removed from my legs. Today I had another appointment with the vein specialists. After my first visit, I was given the impression that today would be the magical day when my nasty veins got zapped and I could return to wearing short skirts without being self-conscious.

My friend Hannah agreed to drop me off and pick me up from my appointment. Not only is she a star for scheduling her baby’s nap around my appointment, but she also had a Caribbean Living magazine and two chocolate bars waiting for me on the passenger’s seat. She believed that, if I had to have a procedure, I should not have to think about it—I should think about the Caribbean instead.

If you look back at the post I wrote about my May appointment, one of my concerns was about seeing a doctor named Todd. As if having a person called Todd examining my legs was not enough, this afternoon I met an ultrasound tech named…wait for it…Cody! Without making me any promises of a future, or even buying me a drink, Cody got pretty familiar with my legs.

What followed was a lot of waiting (reading up on the Caribbean) and then finally a visit from Dr. Todd. It turned out that today was not supposed to be the actual zapping day, but another consultation. Dr. Todd’s very kind nurse explained about how they needed to submit my case to the insurance company and get it approved before any zapping could occur.

So now it looks like the great event will be happening in November—far past short-skirt season, long after my tan has faded. It also means two more months of miserable, achy legs and trying to manage my lively new crop of fifth graders while sitting down.

The more time I spend around health care, the less I like it. I went in today expecting surgery, but instead got a consultation and another three months of waiting. Why did I have the wrong idea? I think it came from the way things were explained to me at my last appointment. Am I the only one whose doctors always seem to be in a hurry?

And then there’s the matter of my insurance company. It seems to be pretty tight-fisted when it comes to covering procedures. The nurse told me that insurance companies don’t want to cover this procedure in young women. Old women, yes. Men, yes. But they want to make sure I’m not just milking them for a “cosmetic” procedure, so they have all these hoops for me to jump through. Except, I can’t really jump because my legs hurt…

It is not my intent to start a health care debate on my blog, so if you feel the need to post anything remotely political, send it to Glenn Beck. This girl is staying out of it.

I Keep on Fallin'

Having a list of goals propelled me through the summer. Knowing what I wanted to do kept me from wasting time and feeling like I didn’t get the most out of my vacation. Students arrive tomorrow, signaling the beginning of fall (before Labor Day—ugh!), but before that happens, I want to share my fall manifesto. It’s quite a bit shorter than my summer list because I don’t anticipate having as much time on my hands…

--Prepare more food at home, eat out less. Invite friends over for dinner instead of meeting in restaurants.
--Use the farmer’s market regularly.
--Catch up with Debbie.
--Keep reading—do not let books pile up on nightstand.
--Attend a Gaelic Storm concert somewhere in North Carolina.
--Be a light in my work place.
--Have conversations about women’s ministry.
--Attend a Flyers game, completing a Philadelphia sports trifecta (Phillies on August 14, Eagles on September 13. Sadly, there is no Flyers game on October 12.)

After the Boys of Summer Have Gone

This has been one of my favorite summer vacations. It has been wonderful staying close to home, spending restful days in my house or with friends. I am thankful for this Summer Manifesto (as it has come to be known) that helped me give some structure and purpose to my idle days. I posted it on here a few days before school let out, so I will now revisit it a few days before school returns—how poetic…

Sit by the pool with my girlfriends.
I’ve spent quite a few afternoons at the pool with some of the girls.

Regularly meet with two recent high-school graduates before they head off to college.
The thing about recent high-school graduates is that they are busy trying to earn money for college and making last-hurrah trips all summer. Sadly, this item was a fail.

Go for a jog/walk with Tracey.
Had a great time exercising with Tracey in her neighborhood one evening. Came back to her house and enjoyed some distilled water (with distilled ice!) while being introduced to Fail Blog.

Catch up with my long-lost mentor.
As her fourth baby will be coming along any day now, I was very fortunate to spend some time with her at the beginning of the summer.

Read the ever-growing pile of books on my nightstand.
Read the pile and then some! I have made many trips to the public library this summer and will probably not remember 75% of the things I’ve read. Some summer reading highlights were Marian Jordan’s Wilderness Skills for Women and Sandra Dallas’s Prayers for Sale.

Visit Campus Outreach students during Summer Beach Project.
Not only did I get to see Megan during SBP, I got to worship with her at Surfside PCA, a church I’ve been hearing raves about for years! (But no one told me it was pink!) I also got to visit Whitney who was in Myrtle Beach doing Summer Shine at the KOA campground. It is always exciting to hear how God is moving and shaking in these students’ lives as they devote their summers to him.

Go to a Phillies game (this could be tricky).

Used my last summer weekend to make a quick trip to Atlanta. The Phillies beat the Braves 3-2 and I got to see why Shane Victorino is truly the Flyin’ Hawaiian—he was all over the outfield, denying the Braves homeruns like a beast.


Buy an enormous drying rack for my clothes; use the dryer less.



Take a couple former students to the movies with Shannon.
Another summer manifesto fail. Between our travels and her adjustment to life with a new baby, Shannon and I barely hung out at all this summer. If there’s a bright spot to going back to school, it’s being able to see more of this dear friend!

Read, mark and inwardly digest the Bible.
This is something that needs never be checked off the list. There’s always more to be read, marked, and digested!

Spend quiet days by myself, allowing the Lord to restore my soul.
So many lovely, quiet, restful days! What a blessing to be able to read and think and nap!

Keep working out every day; add morning cardio classes to my regimen.
I kept up the exercise program. My weeks at the beach gave me the chance to jog along the ocean and I’ve also taken my bike on some little treks. I’ve done some morning cardio classes at the gym too. Zumba sculpt was awesome, cardio sculpt made me want to cry. Water aerobics is always entertaining, even if the “regulars” are not particularly welcoming.

Miss my workout partner like crazy.
It’s really good to have her back. Exercise is just so much more fun when there’s someone with you—someone to witness the strange goings-on at the gym.

Have coffee and conversation with lots of people.
I've had great conversations with old friends and gotten to know some new ladies. I even got 10 cents off for knowing the answer to Caribou Coffee’s question of the day once.

Try quilting, or at least find a quilting class I can try.
Found the classes, just can’t find the time to take them.

Talk about starting a multi-generational small group for women.
Another fail! I was going to talk about it with a woman from my church and I think I’ve seen her once since May…

Facilitate the second meeting of the women’s book club.
August 29th, can’t wait!

Tell my story.
The Thursday night girls have had a wonderful summer of hearing each other’s stories. It’s been a real blessing to get to know these women a little more deeply and to find out how God won our hearts.

Visit old friends.


Be purposeful.
Another item that I can’t check off the list. I’ve been calling this my “Summer of Intention” for ages, but living with a purpose is not seasonal. My days off have given me more opportunities to encourage ministry, to learn about ministry and to do ministry. The challenge for me now is to continue being intentional about ministry, even as I go back to working full time.

Build houses and friendships with high school students.



Swim in the ocean.
Something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
Something about the ocean
And I’m lost in love again
--Ten Shekel Shirt