Tender Self! Be Gentle Please

And don’t mind me if I can’t quite meet your eye. I’m in major culture shock, people. Today the best part of my day was wandering around the woods like a fleece-clad Jane Austen character. No, I wasn’t looking for my Mr. Darcy but I was enjoying clambering over, under and around moss-covered fallen trees. I found one potato bug, three kinds of purple flower, a half dozen children just home from school, some dirt, some bees, a lot of wind and a thoroughly enjoyable swing.

Also a poem from the Lord written in dandylions and green grass.

Point being, I am not yet fully functional around people here in the Emerald Isle. I find being in public to be quite pointedly painful to my spirit. It’s an awkwardness- an old coat that doesn’t fit anymore but you stuff yourself into it anyway because it’s the only coat that goes with your shoes. I’m thankful for it at the same time it irks me. It makes the thought of moving easier to bear. Wilmington may not be an old coat (it’s rather more a pair of excellent flip-flops) but at least it seems to fit!

So that’s that for today. My hair is big, my heart is tired, my feet enjoyed their walk (as did the rest of me) and I spent some time drawing. It was a good day.

Also, I highly recomend throwing yourself a tea party. It did wonders for me!

Hail the Victorious Dead!

So many things have died on this tour: one frog that Sue squished while driving through VA on the way to the airport, my heart (dead unto Life) and most of my ideas about what my future holds, a thousands opinions I had about how I should or should not function, not to mention my computer. RIP Dell-with-the-great-keyboard. I’m believing that God will resurrect my technology in the world of the Mac.

It’s late at night, my legs are sunburned (thanks alot Wrightsville Beach!) and my heart is moved to update my blog. I cannot begin to fill you all in on what an amazing time these last weeks have been. I can say only that it was the people met and the relationships built that really meant the most to me. I have begun to learn how to live.

Life on the Road

(The non comic book version)

I’ve been officially “on the road” for 27 days now, and the rest of the team has been going even longer. We live out of suitcases and the trunk of whichever car we ride in most. Our meals are hastily thrown-together salads or sandwiches usually paired with raisons or Sun Chips. Andrea and I carry around enormous containers of cranberry juice because Bob Jones once told her that “the anointing is in the kidneys”!  We don’t have personal space and if your bed-buddy kicks you are out of luck.

On the bright side, there’s always a baby to hold (even when they’re snotty or squirmy it’s better than nothing). Our towels get picked up and replaced every day. A woman I don’t know makes my bed. Some of my best buddies are only doors away down the hall. I have free access to a variety of breakfast-like foods every day and the internet is reliable.

So on any given morning here in Warsaw, NC if you were to wander into the breakfast room at the Holiday Inn Express you can find our team in various states of awake-ness. Glory has a table for her, Amber and the baby. Jadon has three plates of food and a mound of cream cheese on his bagel that would daunt most men. Justin’s got his headphones on and either his drumsticks or a bible. Or both. Micheal is neck-deep in his computer listening to recordings of sets or figuring out logistics or whatever it is that he actually does. He also has his bible. Occasionally Timothy wanders through or Neil does. General good mornings are given and recieved. You won’t see Ned in the canteen until our meeting is about to start- she overslept and had to take a shower. The twins and the Leonhards are wild cards- one can never be sure where they are or if they are coming.

What about me, you say? I’m the one in the corner clutching my Kashi Cinnamon Harvest cereal and trying to see through the fog of sleepy over my eyes. Talk about stretching- I am PLEASANT when I wake up now. I mean, not the second that I wake up but very soon after.

Warsaw: The Edge of NoWhere

I know this is a long overdue update. I haven’t even written anything about Fredericksburg, much less our two-day stay in Wilmington or our grand accomadations in the wonderful non-town of Warsaw, NC.  And I’m sorry that you are all missing out on those stories, but I can’t say that I am particularly sorry that I haven’t written anything in a while. Sometimes, when you are struggling, sitting down to write a breezy newsy blog post seems hard. Also, it’s hard to find enough time in an internet-full location where you can think quietly to write a full sentence, much less an entire blog-post.

So there. There is the introduction to all the stories I can think up in the next couple of hours. (The writing of this post will be interupted for a Team Meeting of St Lorel and the Roadies but I will finish it as soon as I can.)

Lets start with Fredericksburg….

The Short of the Very Long Stories

My birthday was…interesting.

I’m moving to the East Coast.

This is the best trip ever.

I’m tired and have limited access to internet. Expect an update soon.

Leaving tomorrow for our last event. Mount Olive NC here we come!

Awaken The Dawn

Awaken the Dawn begins today. All us staff got up to the tent at around 9am this morning for a quick staff briefing/badge handout. They told us where the food is, where the staff parking is, who to talk to for what etc. They also passed out the “Event Staff”, “Band Access” and “All Access” badges. Event staff gets food, Band Access can go on the stage and All Access can hang out with the speakers in the green room plus everything else. The guy tried to hand me “Event Staff” and I (knowing that, as part of the St Lorel team, I would be painting ON the stage) asked for Band Access. He goes “Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”
“Because if you’re not I’ll get in a whole lot of trouble.”
“No I really am. I’m on Timothy’s…”
[Michael interjects] “No man, she’s on the team. Really.”

Now I have Band Access. Whoot. Whoot.

Sue and I are taking some time to run errands and shower before the event starts at two. My wonderful parents are going to bless me with a North Face so I don’t have to freeze for the next week. God is so kind to me. Also, I got medication for my nose in the form of saline and Aleve-D sinus and cold. Already I feel better.

Having Holy Spirit encounters all morning. Actually, for the last 24 hours. All kinds of life-related revelation just keeps falling on my head. It’s really sweet and very kind of Him.

Looking forward to the event. It’s gonna be awesome. We have to get Ned from the airport tonight but if I have time I’ll update you on the event.

Love.