Last night, my sister and I saw a preview for the movie 2012. All I understood was that in December 2012, life as we know it is supposed to be over. New concept, I know. But the special effects of this preview were amazing as the foundation of Los Angeles (and I suppose the rest of the world) begins to buckle. Houses, buildings and bridges were folding over on themselves. Needless to say, it was a very intense preview. And quite fun to watch from the comfort of my recliner in my safe den. Isn't that why we enjoy scary and thrilling entertainment? While we sit comfortable and safe?

But what about when those devastating things happen to us? Much easier when it's fiction isn't it? Jesus' disciples lived through one of those events. Oh, it's easy, when we are sitting in our chairs to criticize them for not waiting three days. For believing that He was actually dead and that all their dreams and hopes were in the tomb with Him. See, we know the rest of the story, but they didn't. It hadn't happened yet and their world had been turned upside down. If you haven't lived through one or more of those moments, you are either very young or you aren't being completely truthful.

I call those moments, Bizarro World moments. When everything you believe and stand upon is suddenly the opposite. When red means go and green means stop. When he walks in and tells you that he doesn't love you. When you are no longer a valued employee and it's time for you to go. When your accountant informs you that you no longer have any money in the bank. When an obedient child has bad news for you. When your pastor decides to begin a new life with the organist. The equator is now the coldest place on earth and gravity no longer applies. And death would seem easier than living in the aftermath.

Did death on a Roman cross change the fact that Jesus was/is the Messiah? No, but it sure seemed that way for His followers. When we stand in the middle of rubble and death, is He still God? Does that verse in Jeremiah still apply? Can this be His plan? Who is He now? He is still God. He still loves us. He still has a plan. I know this because He has stayed by my side through destruction. He has stayed by my side when I have turned away from Him. He has stayed by my side when I shook my fists at Him. Stop looking at the destruction and death. Begin to look for Him. I promise you, He's by your side, too. Just waiting for you to turn to Him. And cry on His shoulder.

The World

"But to me, Baby, you are the world."

Sixteen years ago, tomorrow was a very special day. I was still in my 20's. I had been back in the US from Japan less than six months. For the first time, I was living in the same town as my brother and his wife. And just a few minutes after 12 noon, I met the most amazing girl. She was only minutes old and she was my brother's daughter. His first born. His princess. And, it turns out, his only daughter. He (along with Janet) have given me two fun, delightful and brilliant nephews since then but this one's about her. The beautiful girl in this picture.

You see, she may just look like any other girl to you, but she is a vibrant part of my world. I was in Japan when Richard and Janet called me from Birmingham and asked how 'Aunt Lara' would be said in Japanese. From that moment, the foundation of my world changed. I watched my brother sing to her before she was born, pressing his chin to Janet's belly. We all fell in love with her before she even breathed her first breath. Then there she was, two weeks later than she was supposed to be here, being carried down that hallway by my brother. She was red and screaming. Dark brown curls all over her head. A few days later, I was holding her and singing to her. I still do that, by the way. And for the first time in my life, I understood unconditional love. I realized that there was nothing this girl could do that would change my love for her. No matter what she became. No matter what choices she made in her life. My love could do nothing but grow for her. I have had those moments with each of her brothers, too.

Now, here we are. Tomorrow she turns 16. She has done nothing but grow more amazing and more beautiful. She has such talent and heart. While she and her brothers do not and can not mean more to me than my Lord, they are a huge part of my world. You might even say vital. You might never have a chance to meet her, so I thought I'd do the honors.

There she is, the most beautiful of nieces! My Carlie! Sweet sixteen. I love you, my dear girl!

Failure

A few days ago, I was in the middle of heavy traffic on one of Alabama's busiest highways, Hwy 280. All I wanted was a pedicure and there I was, stuck in non-moving traffic. Everyone in Birmingham knows about 280, and we all HATE it!!! Sitting there I looked at all the stopped cars and buildings in front of me. There on the right, just after the I459 overpass, it was. A towering symbol of one man's failure. Several years ago, Richard Scrushy came under indicted for money laundering, extortion, obstruction of justice, racketeering and bribery. He pleaded not guilty, but was convicted in 2006. Sometime before all this mess, he received the ok to build this beautiful, yet useless, building. It's purpose was to become the latest in cutting edge of health care. The world's top digital hospital.

Everyone in Birmingham is familiar with this building that towers over 280. This empty building. It has become a constant reminder of all the things that Scrushy did wrong. And that made me wonder. What if our failures were placed in blinding notice of the world on the busiest highway in town? What if they were so tall that they were visible from far away. What if they had outer walls of glass and mirror so that they reflected every time the sun rises and sets? And what if you had to drive past them at least twice a day for you and everyone else on the road to see? Pretty humiliating thought, isn't it? Our failures can feel that big and obvious, but most of the time they are not. Thankfully! While they may feel that way, at least our failures are not broadcast on the national news.

But even if they are that big and that well known, there is one thing that is bigger than that glass and steel building on Hwy 280. Can you guess? It's the Cross of Jesus Christ. There is nothing we can do that His Blood does not cover. There is no failure so large and well known that His Cross cannot shadow. While we are never free from the consequences of our sins and failures, we can ALWAYS be forgiven. Richard Scrushy is in prison right now, that cannot change. The empty, beautiful building still towers uselessly over 280 and that has not changed. A lot of people lost their jobs and savings through his actions. That will not change. But our God, Who is in the business of forgiving, has made Himself available to forgive Richard Scrushy. He has also made Himself available to forgive you. No matter what you've done. No matter how visible your failure is or isn't. Pretty cool, huh?

Seventy-one years ago, tomorrow, my father was born. In the Mississippi delta, September of 1938, there was no hospital for a delivering mother to find. I don't know what, if any prenatal care my grandmother had. We have no way of knowing my Mamaw's actual due date for Papa. I still wonder just how far along she was in her pregnancy. The only information I have is that, after eight healthy deliveries, my grandmother gave birth to the man you see in this picture. Thankfully a doctor was there to help my Mamaw. When the doctor held my father in his hands, there looked to be no hope for Papa's survival. Papa was tiny. Too small to survive. Too early for his lungs to have developed. Papa's body fit into one of the doctor's hands, while his head fit into the other. Premature births can be a devastating experience and the parents are not promised tomorrow. Papa weighed in at about 2.5 pounds. The doctor believed that this baby was dead. Until... Don't you LOVE that word? Until my father let out a bellow. The doctors response? Nothing wrong with those lungs! Don't you love it?

This wonderful man who raised me truly does have a set of lungs. Ones that should not have been fully formed when he was born. At first he slept in his older sister's baby doll bed. When winter came, he slept in an open dresser drawer. I hope that you someday get an opportunity to hear my father sing. He followed the Lord's call into music ministry. He's seen countless changes in music. He even recorded a record when I was a little girl. No one sings How Great Thou Art like my Papa. Lisa & I believe that they honestly don't make them like our Papa! When he calls my office to talk to me, he announces himself as Papa. So you can call him that too. So, I welcome you to celebrate Papa's (Donald Moore) birthday tomorrow. That's what we will be doing.

Just a few short years ago, we humans believed that the solar system revolved around our own ‘blue marble’. Imagine our humbling surprise that not only was the earth not the center of the Milky Way, but our planet makes it’s orbit around the sun. Isn’t that just like us? We become so self-absorbed that we erroneously decide that everything revolves around us. But that’s not really the purpose of this post.

Last night my sister, Lisa & I went to a concert/worship event at a church here in Birmingham. If you have never heard of Glory Revealed, you can check it out here http://www.gloryrevealed.com/ Two years ago, David Nasser (evangelist) and Mac Powell (lead singer of Third Day) felt the Lord leading them to write songs that were pure Scripture. David’s vision was that people would learn the Word of God by singing those songs. Fast forward 2+ years and Shades Mtn Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL is hosting the final stop of the Glory Revealed II tour. David Nasser, Mac Powell, Laura Story, Aaron Shust… The list goes on and on. It was AMAZING!!

Just a few songs in and my arms were raised in worship. I felt the Presence of our Almighty God. If you’ve never experienced that, don’t wait! Beg, steal, borrow whatever it takes to find yourself a Bible based, God filled, worshipful church. Give your heart to Christ. Take what He did on the cross just for yourself and make Him Lord of your life. Make Him the center of your own solar system.

Even those of us who’ve followed Him for years find ourselves orbiting things other than the ‘Son’. What do you find yourselves focusing on? Am I the only one who focuses on something so much that I loose my Center? What distracts you? Family issues? Workplace stress? The everyday business of life? Things you ought to do but don’t? Things you shouldn’t be doing? It’s an endless list, isn’t it? But there is nothing as freeing as releasing those ‘orbits’ and getting back on the track that we were made for. A continuous orbit around the Son. The problems and stresses didn’t go anywhere. They aren’t any smaller than they were yesterday. They have just taken their proper place and are so much smaller than the Center of my universe.

Shut Down

When I get overwhelmed, when I get hurt, when I get stressed, when my heart is broken, the same thing always happens. I take a step back, breathe deep... And shut down. Real mature and healthy, I know. That is the true reason behind the lapses in posting any original pieces. Yep, that's me, mature and healthy! So what changed? Definitely not my circumstances. No, last night I went to the movies. I can hear those of you who know me laughing right now. Where else would Lara go to have a WAKE UP moment than to the movies?

Well, it wasn't just the movie, which I'm sure you are just now figuring out was Julie & Julia. It was the combination of the story with Panera's amazing strawberry/poppy seed salad w/chicken along with Godly fellowship with good & wise friends (who give great counsel, btw!).

So, what has changed? I watched the story of a New York woman who followed a path that shouldn't have worked. And it changed her life. What was it? A blog. Do I think this blog will change my life? I don't know. Do I think it can change your life? Again, I don't know. But I do know this... Shutting down changes nothing and no one. Unless the change we're discussing is rust and decay. So, again, what did I learn from Julie Powell & Julia Child? These two women didn't shut down. They didn't settle for rust or decay. And neither am I.

No, even though I adore cooking, I will not be cooking my way through Julia Child's book for the next 365 days. What I will be doing, however, is staying open. Writing through the stresses of life instead of surfing the web to avoid doing what He has called me to do. Write. I'll be posting soon.

My South

I'm sorry. I know I haven't been keeping up with posting to this blog. When we have alot on our plates & our hearts are tender, this is when we need to touch those tender places and bring them to light, so that we can heal. Evidently, I haven't been doing this, but a friend e-mailed this to me & I wanted to share that with you.

This was written by Robert St. John, executive chef and owner of the Purple Parrot Cafe, Crescent City Grill and Mahogany Bar of Hattiesburg , MS.

My South
Thirty years ago I visited my first cousin in Virginia. While hanging out with his friend, the discussion turned to popular movies of the day. When I offered my two-cents on the authenticity and social relevance of the movie Billy Jack, one of the boys asked, in all seriousness; “Do you guys have movie theaters down there?” To which I replied, “Yep. We wear shoes too.”

Just three years ago, my wife and I were attending a food and wine seminar in Aspen, Colo. We were seated with two couples from Las Vegas. One of the Glitter Gulch gals was amused and downright rude when I described our restaurant as a fine-dining restaurant... “Mississippi doesn't have fine-dining restaurants!” she insisted and nudged her companion. I fought back the strong desire to mention that she lived in the land that invented the 99-cent breakfast buffet. I wanted badly to defend my state, my region, and my restaurant with a 15-minute soliloquy and public relations rant that would surely change her mind. It was at that precise moment that I was hit with a blinding jolt of enlightenment, and in a moment of complete and absolute clarity it dawned on me -- my South is the best-kept secret in the country. Why would I try to win this woman over? She might move down here.

I am always amused by Hollywood 's interpretation of the South. We are still, on occasion, depicted as a collective group of sweaty, stupid, backwards-minded, racist rednecks. The South of movies and TV, the Hollywood South, is not my South.

This is my South: My South is full of honest, hardworking people.

My South is the birthplace of blues and jazz, and rock n' roll. It has banjo pickers and fiddle players, but it also has BB King, Muddy Waters, the Allman Brothers, Emmylou Harris and Elvis.

My South is hot. My South smells of newly mowed grass. My South was kick the can, creek swimming, cane-pole fishing and bird hunting.

In my South, football is king, and the Southeastern Conference is the kingdom.

My South is home to the most beautiful women on the planet.

In my South, soul food and country cooking are the same thing.

My South is full of fig preserves, cornbread, butter beans, fried chicken, grits and catfish.

In my South, our transistor radios introduced us to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones at the same time they were introduced to the rest of the country.

In my South, grandmothers cook a big lunch every Sunday, so big that we call it dinner (supper comes later).

In my South, family matters, deeply. My South is boiled shrimp, blackberry cobbler, peach ice cream, banana pudding and cream pies.

In my South people put peanuts in bottles of Coca-Cola and hot sauce on almost everything.

In my South the tea is iced and almost as sweet as the women.
My South has air-conditioning.

My South is camellias, azaleas, wisteria and hydrangeas.

In my South, the only person that has to sit on the back of the bus is the last person that got on the bus.

In my South, people still say 'Yes, ma'am,' 'No ma'am,' 'Please' and 'Thank you.'

In my South, we all wear shoes....most of the time..

My South is the best-kept secret in the country. Please continue to keep the secret....it keeps the idiots away.

Not doing a great job at keeping it secret. Oh, well...