[Blog]
Cooking....I don't do much of this, unfortunately. I keep saying one day I'll grow up and learn to be an awesome cook. I love food, so I love when other people have this talent. But me--I "assemble" food. Ya know, buy good stuff at Trader Joe's and Costco, bake it or throw it on the grill and assemble a colorful dinner. Oh, and I can make a good salad. But real cooking...I have not been born into this world yet. I don't have that recipe my kids will say, "My mom makes the best....." Salad? That doesn't work. Some of you gifts in this area. You get great ideas about what to cook for dinner, you plan and shop and prepare and love that whole process, and then plate something truly yummy and full of love for your family. I might see something yummy in a magazine or online, and might even shop for a few of the ingredients, but when it comes time to do anything about it, I freeze. I lock up right there in the middle of my kitchen. Weird, huh? Maybe its a fear of failure....I've failed a lot in the kitchen.
So when I say "What's Cooking this Fall?" I'm talking definitely not talking about in my kitchen, but rather on our music and ministry calendar. I'm much braver in this arena! People often ask me if I get nervous before an event, and I don't really. Maybe at a wedding or funeral, where a flawless performance is in order. Flawless, I am not. I am pretty comfy being myself and doing what I feel the Lord has called me to do. But there are still areas where I can be afraid in serving the Lord. Like the fear of travel. I'm not talking about the travel itself--not much fear there. I love other cultures, other languages, other foods, even the thrill of being out of my comfort zone and watching the Lord work. But here is what we parents can really fear: being far from our kids. That has been a fear I've had a hard time getting over. The overseas travel we've done has always included our daughters. I'd go just about anywhere the Lord called as long as they can be there with us.
Well, I believe the Lord has shoved me out on to a proverbial cliff of trusting Him this October with a call to a thrilling opportunity to serve in Indonesia. Its just Ron and me this time...that means we'll be half the planet away from our girls. I know, they will be fine, in good hands. I put off the same invitation to Indonesia for three years because of this fear. But this time, this year, the call was loud to my heart. It was time. So, off we go in faith.
Ron and I will be leading and teaching and singing for a conference of children's ministry workers in Jakarta Indonesia in October. We'll also be doing an evening concert open to the public. We're excited, nervous, prayerful. On the way back we will be stopping in Tokyo, Japan to sing at a preschool of 350 children and also do a concert, all organized by a friend who used to attend Community Bible Study here in Huntington Beach. I found her on Facebook and threw out the idea of us stopping there (after I noticed that many of the return flights from Indo actually do stop in Tokyo...knock, knock). This is the beauty of Facebook--she wrote right back, thrilled! Apparently she and her team have used our music there for years and she's been praying we could come.
God is so good....so creative...so relentless in giving us those shoves that will stretch us, grow us, causing us to trust Him.
"When I am afraid, I will trust in you,
In God, whose word I praise.
In God I trust, I will not be afraid." Psalm 56:3-4
We do have a lot "Cooking" going on in the studio, by the way. Here is some of what we are up to:
*"Peace" CD. For years moms have asked if we would make a "Lullabye" CD. Well, this is going to be kind of that, but for all ages. This world is anything but peaceful on the average day. We all need the peace of Christ, true rest for our souls in Him. This CD will contain a couple of new songs I'm writing but also re-recordings of some older peaceful praise songs on both our adult CDs and the children's CDs (children's voices removed). I'm feeling a spiritual nudge to do this project. We plan to have it out before Christmas.
* Finally, an
updated testimony recording! Complete with live versions of the songs. Ron is editing that now; also out before Christmas.
*
"Image of His Grace" adult single. I use this in my testimony and it seems to resonate with people. We will have it available online as a download; also before Christmas.
* Writing/recording the
theme song for Royal Family Kids Camp for the 2014 season. We LOVE this ministry.
Looking forward:
* We are 6 songs in to a
new kids CD; we expect to have a new completed CD out by summer 2014.
* Theme songs and planning for
VBS in summer 2014. We are already booked to do the worship and praise music for
Mariners Church in Irvine (June 30-July 3). Horizon Christian Fellowship will be having us back again this summer (date TBD), and a couple of others in the works. Last year we wrote a theme song for the VBS at
Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston, TX, and did a concert on their last day. We will be doing the same for them in July 2014.
*As always, I'm looking forward to many speaking engagements with women. MOPS (Mothers of Preschool), Christmas teas and brunches where I'm thrilled to be the guest speaker, and even sharing with women in jail (see here). Please visit our
concerts calendar to see our current list of concerts. Check back often--events are added weekly!
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