Hey, check out the chic in the Falcon

This was the perfect way to finish my 35th year of life.
Happy 36th Birthday to me!

Seat 12A

I was tired, and ready to settle into my seat and the last chapters of my book when I walked down the isle of the Alaska Airline plane, looking for seat 11B. Another woman had mistaken her seat for mine, so I agreed to take her seat one row back.

I didn't want to talk, to be friendly, to make conversation. I wanted quiet (are you surprised that i like quiet?). And then Bob sat next to me.

We introduced ourselves, quickly bypassing the awkwardness of being strangers.

Bob asked what I was reading. I shared that I was reading A Million Miles In a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. I told Bob that Miller was an author who shared thoughts on Christianity. I came out of the Christian closet, and briefly let Bob know that I love Jesus. I shared a bit about the book, that it is about living a story, living intentionally. Miller says, "that living a life without a story is like reading a book about nothing." I told Bob that I wanted to start living a better story.

I didn't shove Jesus down his throat. I try not to do that anymore. People don't want Jesus shoved down their throats.

Bob shared a bit about his family, his job, a little about his story.

Now that small talk was over I had hoped to settle into my seat, read, close my eyes, but I couldn't. My Spirit was hungry (you can think i'm crazy. i thought it was wonderful and crazy). The Spirit was in my belly . The Spirit was growling, hungry, wanting more from Bob (i could literally feel this happening).

So our conversation continued. I discovered that Bob loves Jesus too. He hadn't shared that yet, he hadn't come out of the Christian closet. I liked that. Bob shared more of his story, he let me read chapters of his life where the pages were filled with disaster.
He had been a pastor, had become addicted to pornography, had been removed from ministry, had almost destroyed his family, his life.

but God. (i think "but God" is the most beautiful sentence by the way. those two words can say everything).

God has rescued, redeemed, restored, and is rewriting (writing again) Bob's life... and Bob is BEAUTIFUL.

I can't recall most of what Bob said, but I remember his face, and the Spirit alive in him. My Spirit was hungry for his Spirit. The Jesus in me had to sit with, meet with, cry with, rejoice with, the Jesus in him.
Because of the story he had lived, and the story he was now living Bob was radiant! His words, face, person, were radiant with humility, compassion, tenderness, grace, glory, love.

As Bob shared I recalled a scripture a friend had shared with me a few days earlier.
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, He was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord."
Exodus 34:29

I shared the scripture with Bob. I told him that like Moses, he was not aware that he was RADIANT!

When Bob got off the plane (he was on his way to his father's memorial service), I just sat there in quiet tears, absorbing the place my soul was in.

The woman in my assigned seat got up from her seat, and said, "it looks like you two were meant to sit together," and then she asked for prayer for her 6 month old grandson she was on her way to take to the hospital.

Bob said, "good bye" again, and began to exit the plane.
And I sat there in seat 12A, staring out the window, into the next chapter of my story that waited for me outside.
I sat there not yet, ready to turn the page on this short chapter. "God, I'm going to miss Bob."
And He replied, "it is the Jesus in you that will miss the Jesus in him."

"When I look at you it is as if I am in the presence of Christ... It is the Christ in you who recognizes the Christ in me...Yes, He indeed is in our midst.. and from now on, wherever you go, or I go, all the ground between us will be holy ground."
Henry Nowen

Rachel & Norah

on our last day in portland, kristen nora (the video will explain why) and i (rachel) took in the saturday market, a bit of wading (it was RAINY), a gondola ride, and dinner at the melting pot.

btw- there is video footage i haven't shared from our trip- me discovering kristen doesn't like pesto! who doesn't like pesto? and did you know she makes, likes, and feed hers family tater-tot casserole!
the video footage i didn't share (to cut down on lengthier videos) is of me asking random people (of course) if they would eat tater-tot casserole. ICK!
so tell me would you (ingredients: hamburger, tater-tots, corn, cheeses, and cream of potato barf soup)?
and do you LOVE pesto?

Waiting To Be Discovered

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."

this video makes me laugh and smile.

kristen and i had no idea that our little adventure to portland would lead us to meet some interesting and wonderful people!

this adventure caused me to be in awe of God, of how He creates people. scripture says we are all made in the "image of God." there are so many sides, layers, colors, fragrances, tastes, personalities... to God, all displayed in people. each person like a portrait, painting, book, movie, song, waiting to be discovered. God waiting to be discovered.

i envy God, He KNOWS each one of us.
He knows home-schooling mommies, "know it alls" from arizona, and their sweet wives, dad's from miami, couch surfers from mexico and canada, and batalogists who say "app uh lach in."

Oh how i would love to sit with God, and have him tell me each of their stories. I'd watch His face light up as our Father told me about each of His children.
He would get out His wallet and show me pictures of the "know it all" and his wife from Arizona, He would show me how beautiful His children are.
He would tell me about bats (shiver). He would be enthusiastic to share every detail (shiver). He'd tell me how cool batologists are, and how He delights in seeing His children be passionate about His creation.
He would tell me about glen- quiet, thoughtful glen.
And He would tell me about mexico, germany, and couch surfing, and how it pleases Him to watch his children embrace new cultures, new people, new experiences.

Hearing him, and watching Him, tell me about His children and how He loves them, would cause me to love him more, and to better grasp how He knows and loves me.

i won a give away!

Enjoy the video above from the first day of my weekend getaway to portland, or. with blog friend kristen, from the blog idaho mom.

kristen would tell you that our friendship began through a give away i had on my blog. she left her first comment, and won a c.d containing one of my favorite mommy songs, "Sacred".

i would like to tell you that i was the real winner of that giveaway. i won a friend.
a laugh with, cry with, jump with, dream with, hope with, breath with, believe with, ride a gondola with...friend!


tell me which blog friend(s) would you most like to meet, and why?

where in the world is denise jones

guess where i am.

guess who i am with.

(it's not donald miller, but i am reading his new book)

so make sure you have popcorn in the house, and maybe a pair of depends,

because vlogs (video blogs) are coming, and you might laugh so hard you wet yourself!