Being Kept

I received an e-mail today. You know, the ones that have the letters "FWD" maybe once, maybe three times at the front of them? The ones that we read while we are working, watching TV, or even just delete before we read. Well, I didn't delete this one and I'm so glad I didn't. I'm just a little afraid of deleting letters from my friends. Have you read a few posts back when I admitted that I'm a pack rat? Well, that applies to e-mail, too. It's when those letters get too long or they threaten me that I toss them. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and neither are the folks in my address book. And if I forward them junk e-mail, it's just going to make them mad, too. So, I don't. But, every once in a while, one of them ministers to me. And I have to share it with my loved ones. I can relate to this one, especially the picture.

Have you been there? Nothing but the wall in front of you, filled with dark shadows? Where is He? Right there with you, His hand on your shoulder. He's keeping you...

I Am a 'Kept' Woman.

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind,

But GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer, But the LORD kept me moving.

(Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong, But the LORD kept my mouth shut.

(Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc..,

(Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up. When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

Enjoy being 'kept' by Him. And don't forget that we are, every minute of every day.

Lara

Remember When?

Well, I'm back from vacation. Aren't those some sad words? I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and can't wait for the next one. Tina held up well, although the rough waves from a tropical storm put Lisa into bed two evenings. For a little while there, she swore that she would never step foot onto a cruise ship again. (She's a little dramatic, too, but she was pretty sick.) Thankfully, she's reconsidered as our last day on board was close to Heaven. (There's my dramatic side.) And now, we've hit the ground running.

Saturday was spent, making the basement playtime friendly for Mom and my nephews. Vacation Bible School starts on the 22nd, so Lisa's getting frazzled. It happens to be sandwiched, for me, by the Southern Christian Writers' Conference in Tuscaloosa, AL and the Liberty Conference. And somewhere in all of this, I'm finishing the compilation of my script book, 'In The Shadow' so that I can sell it at both conferences. Whew! Can we say that June and July are busy times for me?

On Friday, I took a few moments to be nostalgic. I know, I know, when am I not nostalgic? In craving a really good hamburger, I drove through the suburb of Birmingham where my family and I lived when we came to Birmingham. As I drove Hwy 31 South, I went back to the years when it was my route home. When I passed the turn to our old apartment complex, I realized that two days had passed since my 15 year anniversary of coming to Birmingham.

15 years ago, I was younger, thinner, and still remembered the few words of Japanese I had learned. My parents had moved to AL while I was overseas, so home was no longer the little house on Lexington Street in High Point, NC. My brother and sister in law were expecting their first child. And for the first time in my life, I was living in an apartment. Throughout my life, we have moved to another town, another ministry at least every four years. I have always been ready for 'the next thing'. Yet, we never lived in an apartment. But here, in such a transient form of living, was home for 8 1/2 years. That number alone is fascinating to me, but I have to say that fifteen years in one place (for me) blows my mind. Those of you who have always lived in one or two places are confused by this, I know. But when all you've known is change, fifteen years is a LONG time.

It took a few years, but I love Birmingham. I love my church. I love being near to my dearest friends. I love the fact that I've hung out with them longer than I've lived most places. As I write this, I realize that I've been active at Liberty longer than I've been a member of any other church. Again, there goes the mind! Always figured I'd move around for my entire life. Just when you think your life will always be a certain way, God throws a curve ball. Have to say that I've enjoyed this curve ball!

Happy Summer,

Lara

TPS Annual Trip

It's that time of year!!!! Summer. Most of you know that I am NOT big on summer heat or humidity. Every summer, I look at my family and ask, "Why do we live in Alabama?" But something special happens in May. The Princess Sistas take their annual beach trip to Orange Beach, FL!!!! The picture you see here, explains what these trips are like. I, who have sun/skin issues take a paperback book, snacks and water bottles and find my refuge under this umbrella. And a very nice young man comes and makes sure that it protects me from the sun through out the day. Some vacation, huh?

This year, we Sistas are doing something different. We are going on a CRUISE!!!! We leave tomorrow, from Mobile, AL for Cozumel. It's a short one and we'll be back on Monday. I'm already regretting the shortness of it, and I'm not even on the ship. Tina and Lisa have issues with motion sickness as well as a fear of water and are being gracious in taking a chance on our behalf. Tina informed us that if we wanted her to go, we'd better choose the shortest cruise. So, we're trying it and I already believe that we ALL are going to love it. Please pray for them, if you think about it, I want us all to enjoy this time away. And I'm hoping to take a longer one next time!

The next big 'summer thing' will be the arrival of my NY family on June 30th. The kids will go up to NC w/Lisa & I for the Liberty Conference and Rich & Jan will come to B'ham then to the beach. After the conference, we'll all join Rich & Jan for a short family time. We'll get to be together for another week, then have the kids for some time after that. I have to say, it's the best time of my summer.

I'll be posting more about all this at the time, just wanted to let everyone know that Summer is officially HERE! And rest, family, movies, and laughter will abound! I hope your summer is as much a blessing to you as mine is working up to be!

Lara

Narnia

I began reading the Chronicles of Narnia when I was in high school. My first set was loaned by a friend of Lisa's who was a psychology major and had used them as the subject of many papers. She had written in the margins notes on the spiritual significance of the characters and stories. It was a beautiful way to fall in love with Aslan and Narnia. As the baby of the family, I believed that I related to Lucy. I love her heart and spirit as well as her connection with Aslan. Up until a few years ago, I believed that I was like Lucy.

The last time I read the books, and I do read them every few years, I realized that I was much more like Susan. Susan, the skeptic. Susan who doesn't always see or hear Aslan. Susan, the voice of doubt and, in her mind, reason. It was a rude awakening for me, to say the least, and somewhat painful. Isn't it interesting how God must bring us to a painful place to heal us? Or wake us up? Just take Eustace in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. His experience with Aslan's healing proved that he could never dig deep enough to trade his own dragon's scales for healing. It took the pain of Aslan's claws to clean those scales off of him. Okay, if you're thoroughly confused, just read the books. Or you can wait for the movie. But I digress...

If you haven't seen the movie, you might not want to read any further. Spoiler Alert. My favorite part of the movie, isn't actually in the book. It's toward the end. The mighty army is on the run since Aslan awoke the trees and they come to the bridge that they have been building the entire movie. Let us be clear that there are hundreds of soldiers in this army and as they approach the bridge a small girl appears at the opposite end. It's Lucy. The army stops and looks at her. She is smiling. She knows that they have reached the end of their retreat. There is no way they will get past her. The leader of the army is confused, surly she knows that he can overtake her. But that leader doesn't see Who has Lucy's back. She knows Who is behind her. She pulls out a small dagger from her belt and laughs. Then He appears. The Great Lion. Aslan. At His roar, the army falls.

Her complete confidence confused the enemies of Narnia. Her trust was not in herself or even in her brothers and sister. Her trust was in Aslan, the Lord of Narnia. The Lion Who is not tame. There has never been, nor will there ever be, an army that can stand against Him. Sound like Someone else we might know? If you have seen the movie, go again. If you haven't, GO! If you've read the books, read them again. If you haven't, read them. Pray before you do. See if there's something He is trying to tell you through them. I have learned more and more of His deep love for me each time I read them. Aslan calls Lucy 'Dear One'. Know that He calls you 'Dear One', because you are dear to Him.

Be blessed Dear Ones,

Lara

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall...

What do you see in your mirror? And is it truth or just perception? I have a nightshirt that is almost twenty years old. Yes, I am a pack rat, why do you ask? I still remember when my friend, Tonya, gave it to me and I began to unfold it. Do you know the first thing I thought of, other than gratitude? I was worried that it wouldn't fit. Even though the tag read 'one size fits all', I believed that I was too fat to fit into it. Now, I won't specify just how much more I weigh now, let's just say that I am quite a bit larger than I was that day. And two or more of me would still fit in this thing.

So, I guess my question is this... Why, when I was in my 20's, did I think that I was so overweight that I would not fit into an over sized shirt? Why was I constantly worried about being fat? At that time I believed I was the size I actually am now. Why couldn't I see that in the mirror? Pictures from then show the truth, but back then I only saw the flaws. Why is it, that my sister sees her own flaws in the mirror, whereas I, looking in that same mirror, see only her and her beauty? Do mirrors lie? Is it the wiring in our brains that deceive us? Or is it the enemy of our souls whispering? Or is it a combination of all three?

Just yesterday, looking a mirror at my office, I saw messy hair, acne healing skin and ill-fitting clothes. Not the way I wanted to look meeting friends at Jason's Deli. But in the Jason's restroom mirror, the skin looked a little better & the hair was okay. Through my drama experience, I know that lighting makes or breaks. But was I insecure before and later feeling more healthy through conversation with Godly peers? This is not one of those posts where I have any answers. I just don't know. Maybe one of us will rise above the power of the mirror and will teach us all how to do that. Until then, I'll try to avoid judging myself by what I see in reflective glass.

Lara

A Day

Ever had one of those days? Stupid question, I know. We ALL have days like that. And we're never prepared for them! Speaking of... How do we prepare? How do you know when one day's going to be worse than the others? When you reach for the snooze button, coffee or your Bible, why can't we have a neon sign flashing "TROUBLE AHEAD, PREPARE ACCORDINGLY!" Am I the only one who thinks this is a good idea?

Here are some ideas I have for signs:

• Your hot water heater will run out of hot water at precisely 5:30am today!
• There will be a train stopped across your commute today.
• The woman in the car next to you in morning traffic will be putting on her mascara as she drifts into your lane.
• Your first call of the morning will be an angry husband who is upset over something you can't control.
• Your computer will crash in the middle of important business that is unsaved.
• The elastic in your underwear will give out under severe duress as you walk into an important meeting.
• All of the above things will happen to you today, be prepared!

It's easier to take when only one of these things happen, but when they all happen before lunch...

Sometimes His gracious Holy Spirit warns me of things to come. Sometimes I'm ready for the dents and dings of life. Sometimes I'm not. Ok, so not all of these things happened to me. Guess I shouldn't complain. Do we really have any ground for complaints when the next person we meet is trying to control the grief that death brings?

I started this post as a funny, 'haven't you been there?' post. But just now, the Holy Spirit asked me if I had prayed for the patient who came in this morning. Her daughter in law lost both of her parents yesterday. Of course, He's God, so He knows the answer to His own questions. And I'm sure that you can guess that my answer is no, I haven't prayed for this lady... That's about to change.

Here's to all of us going through this day. And keep your eyes (and ears) open for those who need us in the midst.

Lara

C. Paul Perry, M.D.

In 1997, I met a spiritual giant. I was interviewing for a job in his medical office. His name was Dr. Paul Perry, he's big on ignoring the C that stands for Clarence. He was soft spoken and tended to mumble. I wasn't smart enough to be intimidated then. Once I learned more about him, it was too late, he was just Dr. Perry to me. My sister says that he has an understanding about women's pain that men just don't have. He started as an Ob/Gyn then began to have a passion for helping women in chronic pain. He studied, researched and eventually 'wrote the book' (literally) on pelvic pain. He dropped the Ob part of his practice, so that he could become a pain specialist. He built an Ob/Gyn practice staffed by Godly men and women. He is world renowned for his studies in pain management and founded the International Pelvic Pain Society. Women have come from all over the US and Europe just to see Dr. Perry in Birmingham, AL. And this is just the medical part of his life.

He became an advocate for the sanctity of life that begins at conception. He put his medical reputation on the line to be one of the first doctors in Birmingham to take a stand against abortion. When I mention his name in the medical community, people recognize him as a Christian and ask if I'm referencing the doctor with scripture on the wall of his waiting room. He began to study the book of Romans and taught in his home church of Briarwood Presbyterian as well as his own staff. He had multiple four inch binders filled with this study as he led us not just verse by verse but also word by word.

He became a grandfather when I worked for him. He wore a large round pin with Stone's (his first grandchild) picture. When Davis (the second) came, he printed off pictures and taped them to the cabinets in his exam rooms. Surely his patients wanted to see those beautiful patients. They know him as 'Poppy'.

He is a RABID 'Bama fan. His favorite color is crimson and even had his car special ordered to match. He proudly wears his crimson blazer to church every Sunday during college football season. At a Christmas party game, he believed his epitaph would read, "Roll Tide!"

This picture is a great one of him, but doesn't look like him to me. To me, Dr. Perry is wearing green scrubs with a white jacket over it. A gold cross is always around his neck. In a portrait of 'Poppy', by one of his grandchildren, Dr. Perry has red lips and a gold cross around his neck. He tap danced at the one Christmas party I missed. He signed my paychecks for almost six years and still signed my mother's. He fussed when we couldn't read his writing, because he surly couldn't. That's what he paid us for. We teased him mercilessly, and it was rare that we could pull a practical joke on him. He, along with the other doctor's, made me so mad and hurt at times. Then, he would lift me up and encourage me. He cared for me and assisted in two of my surgeries. There is no one else I would want in my O.R. than he and his partners. I always knew that he was praying for me as he cared for me. He has witnessed to everyone he came in contact with, from world renowned physicians to the housekeeping staff.

And I'm going to his memorial service this afternoon. At the beginning of this year, they found metastatic, germ cell lung cancer. This mighty man was immediately ready to go home. Through prayer and fasting, he decided to fight. But after two rounds of treatment the cancer had not diminished, but grown. At that point, he left the hospital to sit on his back porch surrounded by his family. We all wondered why he had believed God's will was to fight, but learned that the day before he left the hospital, he witnessed to one more person. One more soul.

C. Paul Perry went home Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 7:30 am CST. He is rejoicing with the Lord and Savior that he so loved. And we are trying to figure out how to live in a world with out Dr. Perry. I'm not ashamed to say that I don't know how. I can say that Heaven now has one more person that I just can't wait to see. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Perry, you can visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paulperry .

And just for you, Dr. Perry, this Mississippi State fan will say, "Roll Tide!"

Lara