JURY DUTY: No Whining Allowed!

This past week I served in the District Court. I had been called to show up for jury a week prior, but had excused myself due to guests from Ukraine, thinking they might just pass on me altogether. Instead, they scheduled me the day after my guests left. When I called in, they rescheduled me to a day later. I called in again. I wasn't needed until the following day.

After a week of tiptoeing through my schedule ("I can be there … maybe"), I was a little irritated. Not that I didn't want to serve. I've always wanted to, but being called seemed always to happen at the worst times. This was no exception. My work seemed to be a shambles after all the postponing, and the anxiety of trying to arrange car availability "in case" got to me after a bit.

But I have to look back, and even with the "awful" timing, say, "That was really cool!" It was a civil case with a wonderful judge who taught us so much in the process that I felt I should have been paying her. It was an honor to be invited as a good citizen to have a part in the settling of an important dispute. It was rewarding to see justice done and to know I had a part in it.

Not that it was all easy. My heart broke for the party who lost the case. The individual was obviously in a terrible mess, and yet it was obvious that the case could not be decided in that person's favor. I begged my fellow jurors to pray if they could, that the person would find the healing and help they so desperately needed.

This balance between justice and compassion struck me. Aren't there times in all our lives where the "cases" may not be decided "in our favor"? And yet we are needy in ways we can't even see. We make a case to God and the prayer isn't answered. Yet He is perfectly just and will provide exactly what we need in spite of ourselves, as no earthly judge can do.

I think I have been making some cases that I ought to drop. The odds aren't in my favor, and I may be barking up the wrong tree. Best to withdraw and wait for justice to be done as God sees fit.

And if you get called to actual jury duty, please don't whine. How many countries actually give their citizens a chance to make their nations more fair and just, to actually take part in this process? It's an honor and a great way to learn more about the court system. Next time I know I'm going to whine even less. (:

Makeup and Stuff

Yeah, I like this picture, too. I had just come from a TV interview and had a professional do my face. She did a great job, right? But I never quite feel myself in all that goop.

I struggle over the makeup thing. Sure, I want to look good, but whose "good" am I using as a standard? As a business woman and an author/speaker, it's kind of the required thing to do. I honestly feel just as comfortable in no makeup at all, which is why I probably love going to Africa - no one makes me wear the stuff there. (:

But I understand the need to look polished, too. I just couldn't be one of those folks who has to wear makeup to the grocery store. (I went to a seminar where they said you should because you never know what contacts you might make there or who you might meet! Too much pressure for me.) I've never been quite sure I could trust a "friend" whom I had never seen without makeup.

My husband loves the stuff. He gets a little frustrated with me when I want to attend an event "au naturel" face-wise, and he's wanting to "present" me. But he says I'm beautiful even when I don't have makeup on. We just have different opinions about when it's necessary, and frankly, he likes looking more business casual than I do at almost any point. I heard a friend say once that her husband had never seen her without makeup. I can't imagine that - especially with a community pool outside my front door!

I guess the most important thing is to remember that when it comes to makeup, the face having it can't improve the condition of the heart beneath. I've made the mistake before of equating beautiful features with a beautiful heart, and been terribly disappointed. What was I thinking? Americans are so concerned about appearances, but not nearly so concerned about their inner lives and character.

I have a bunch of Bible verses on our bathroom mirrors, written in lipstick. Maybe I'm trying to even out the time I spend on my face with the time I spend looking into His face. Not a bad idea when I'm paying attention (emphasis on the WHEN). It's my heart I'm really concerned about, and I'm very aware of how much more obvious the condition of my heart is versus the condition of my face. If that's in order, I don't mind putting a little goo on for my husband. OK, Honey?

What about you? How's your heart today, makeup or not?

My eldest daughter just got her driver's license, and I've made all the obligatory jokes with my friends about moving their mailboxes.

As the oldest drives off proudly to youth group, the youngest is whipping up angel food cakes from scratch, and is pounding away at her guitar, writing her own songs.

OK, they're still my children, but it's time to think about letting go.

My reaction to my new licensed driver surprised me. Did I think I would cry like the first day she was sent to school? We pulled into the driveway after the test, and she hinted, "The first place I want to drive is to the church."

I knew it was now or never, and so I pulled out my keys and handed them to her. The delight on her face was obvious. "Really?"

As she pulled out of the driveway, a fierce calm settled over me. I knew she had driven to church a bazillion times with me in the car, and she knew her way. When I realized she was staying at the church longer than expected, I took the next step and called her to ask her to pick up her sister from orchestra practice (sis is the accompanist now—at 13!). My words to her were, "Remember one thing … you and sis are the most precious things in my life, and you'll be responsible for them." I could hear the smile AND the seriousness in her voice when she answered, "I know, Mom."

Last night the eldest drove to youth group, and the youngest and I stayed home and worked together on that angel food cake I mentioned (egg whites—soft peaks—you bakers know the drill). I did a lot of the cleaning while she measured intensely and covered herself with flour. Then I left her to finish up and went out with some friends. I got three calls while I was out—two questions on baking, and one to let me know the elder was on her way home. (Insert sigh of contentment here.)

Not every day is that easy. I keep telling the oldest how hard it is to let go, and she listens good-naturedly and smiles, and the youngest laughs when I say, "You'll know how this feels when you have kids!!" But the truth is, I think we're ready for this. We've been becoming ready for a long time.

During the driver's test, my daughter had an administrator who kept her talking the whole time about her faith and why she believed what she did. They were comparing philosophers and getting into some pretty deep stuff, but she shrugged her shoulders later and said, "He's an agnostic, from what he told me." Didn't affect her faith in the least.

Yep, she's ready, inside and out. Not perfect, but ready.

My life is moving on, too. New opportunities as a writer, new venues for existing stories, a growing not-for-profit (please visit www.purityworks.com if you haven't already), a husband leaving a day job and into the life of a musician again, a friend moving out and onward to a new stage of life …

And it feels good. Not perfect, but good.

I think I'm ready, too.

May you feel secure as well in whatever you've been prepared for today.

OK, how can a cute little doggie like this do any wrong, huh? Chloe is the darling-est dog ever to be found at a rescue, well-trained, usually fun and obedient - I've been calling her a "miracle dog." So how today does she come to be the dog from the flames?? Lemme tell ya - (I posted this to a friend and wasn't going to share it, but it's just too funny - you have to laugh.)

Our tragicomedy begins while we were having a nice walkie, Chloe enjoying some time off the leash, which she is not bad at. She loves to chase lizards, and so when she jumped into some ground cover I didn't think twice about what she was after. In a moment, she was rolling back and forth in the plants, just lovin' life (I thought). ("What a cutie" is going through my mind UNTIL …) I realize her white coat is turning brown in the process. What? Is this mud? Oh, noooooooo. Chloe has covered herself and her collar head to toe in another dog's poop! She stinks to high heaven!

I promptly snap on her leash, getting the rank stuff on my fingers as I do, taking care not to be mean as I know she is wondering why I am spoiling her fun, and race her back to the house. Trotting her quickly across my somewhat clean floors and carpet, I am praying, "Don't roll! Don't roll!" and I make it to the master bathroom, which, thank God, has a garden tub. I close the door to keep her in (not easy since she abhors baths) and whip off my shorts so I can get in the tub with her.

After two shampoos, with the dog wrapped in a towel under one arm so she won't shake, I put my shorts back on with one hand (yeah - nice), tote her out to the back porch and attach her to the BBQ while I rinse out her collar with vinegar and water.

At least I got a bucketful of hair out of her while I was toweling her down - she's shedding like crazy!

She also peed on the rug today and pooped in our room which is usually off limits. She nipped me when I put her in her crate.

Now, I know she's adjusting to us being gone during the day, school starting and all, and me having to work when I am home, but isn't this JUST A BIT MUCH??

OK, ha-ha, now you're laughing, and you should be. The REAL miracle is, I did not kill the dog. We have made up and are playing fetch in the hallway. I must be insane.

Moral? Poop happens. And I actually laughed (and sweated) all the way through it. A friend told me today that every household needs a dog … hmmmm…

Book signings are always fun for me, and humbling. This year The Princess and the Kiss: The Three Gifts of Christmas will be appearing in August. My publishing house is excited, and since I've worked with most of them as an editor in the past, I enjoy my time with the staff so much. Even better, the bookstore owners who were at the event this weekend (Denver International Christian Book Something-or-Other —ICRS to industry folks—see how much I know?) have such great stories. They're still excited about the impact The Princess and the Kiss is making, and they say so. 

I can't tell you how this encourages me. Being at the forefront of a new approach to purity definitely takes its toll. I get a lot of looks like I have two heads. After all, who thinks a kiss is really precious anymore? It's no big thing. And being a virgin at the altar? Unheard of. Impossible. 

Baloney.

But I digress. I was talking about the signing.

I learned long ago that signing books is not an opportunity to be a star. It's an opportunity to talk one-on-one with people I would never otherwise meet, whose children will be deeply affected by these books. It's a chance to pass on the encouragement that they are not alone, and that the virtues still apply in this integrity-hostile culture, and all over the world. And it's a chance to be reminded that I am not alone, either, and that I am making a difference. I am part of a global community that longs for a return to REAL traditional values.

Please don't let anyone tell you you're old-fashioned because you believe in goodness, in nobility, in integrity and sexual purity. Don't be discouraged if all your friends around you are divorcing, and you're hanging in there. It's worth it. Don't take it personally when your child rolls his/her eyes at you. You're the parent and they're bound to be unhappy with your decisions sometimes. Set limits on technology and entertainment. The diet of the heart feeds the character, and junk food will yield sickness, just as good food yields health and strength.

You're not alone. There are plenty of others out there fighting for the values that hold lives together and make our world great and our citizens noble. Find them and build a community of encouragement and action.

If my books help us find each other, then I'm grateful and humbled. Let's not just huddle, but get out there and change things, starting with our generation of young people. Thanks for being a part of an answer we all desperately need.

After a trip home to Ohio, I'm always reflective. This has a lot to do with the cultural shift from major metropolitan area to farming community. In seminars I talk sometimes about trying to cultivate simplicity in our families' lives. Traveling to and from the farm reminds me to follow my own advice.

A few months ago a tornado took the roof off Dad's ancient barn, and so he and the local nephews and son-in-law have been having a blast rooting through years of stored up farm goodies—steel scraps, wood leftovers for the new barn's furnace in winter, odds and ends that I can't even name—all saved by my father, who is extremely resourceful and inventive.

For the purpose of tearing down the actual barn, which is too old to warrant repair, Dad bought an elderly excavator. Those of you who have never driven one are really missing out! It's a big, big toy that's relatively simple to run and can dig and destroy things in record time.

Probably the height of our visit was the afternoon we lined up to learn how to steer, turn, dig, lift and dump.

It was so terrific to get out of my office, writing and speaking element and do something really fun and so different. The day also had no strict schedule. We were messing around and we had time to mess around.

How many of us can say that? How I long for the days of my childhood when summer seemed to last forever and there were no set plans! Every day was a discovery, and I wasn't bored either (well, most of the time—I was a kid, after all!).

A rural community makes it a good deal easier to move more slowly, drive less often, and spend more time talking or digging in the woods or puttering in the garden. At Dad's house, we have resident hummingbirds and finches that entertain us nearly every day, and the TV seems a real "boob tube" in comparison (except for Jeopardy—that's an evening ritual at the farm).

No matter where we live, it's vital that our lives aren't stolen away by technological entertainment, too many classes, too much schedule. To live, we need variety, physical involvement, and time to mess around.

I challenge you to find a chance to let go of some things in your schedule this month. Maybe you don't have a farm to go to and an excavator to drive, but say "no" to something that isn't THAT important and say "yes" to goofing off. You'll be glad you did. Be like a child and recapture the wonder of childhood. And if you have kids, just hang out and follow their lead. You'll be goofing off happily before you know it!

Sometimes a vacation is just a vacation—and then sometimes it's much more.

Our family headed to the Dallas area to stay with some new friends in Tyler. The weekend prior I had flown there to be present at a play based on my children's books on purity. The performance included Irish dancing, excellent swordplay (with sparks!), a smoke-breathing dragon … not to mention wonderful efforts by 70 home schooled kids. Their efforts were amazing—a regular Cecil B. DeMille production which was attended by 1000 area folks.

Becky (the playwright) and I had become good enough friends (or maybe Becky was just taking a wild risk) that she allowed our family of four to share their home during our vacation a week later. After a long drive that gave our bunch time to reconnect from our busy lives, we arrived in a home of southern hospitality and love.

My husband cooked some meals, and Becky cooked some meals, and we all cleaned up. Our kids hung out with the kids from their homeschool community. We ran to Wal-Mart, shopped for Texas belt buckles, read books and had long talks around the kitchen table. We rode horses, fed chickens, and the girls learned to sword fight from a marvelous teacher who bases his methods on character-building, not just ability. We attended high tea at a friend's house and a cast party for the play where we hooted and hollered at clips from the event.

Some of the kids from the play came along to the Dallas Christian Book Expo to do sword demonstrations and pieces of the drama along with my readings. I never heard them complain about the long drives or … anything. All I heard was, "Mrs. Bishop, we love you. Thank you so much for letting us be a part of your play. I hope we can do more." Wow—are there still high schoolers like this in the world??

Of course, none of them saw this in themselves. They were confident, but not cocky, unaware of their rare qualities, or of how many families wished for that kind of community or that quality of relationship and character.

There was a pall in the car as we left for home, and tears were shed. It wasn't just a sadness over an ended vacation, but a true mourning for parting from such dear friends. And in Orlando, our transition was difficult. Back to our schedules, our cell phones, our work and school, longing to somehow keep hold of the community we learned from. Thank goodness for Facebook!

Maybe you are totally unaware of what you have to offer in your community. I know we must have offered something to our friends in Tyler, but I have a hard time seeing it in light of their gifts to us, and maybe that's just as well. But we are all influencing someone by virtue of just being here. My thought after this vacation is , "How can I do it better?"

Thank you to all our friends in Tyler—we are praying for you to keep pursuing your big dreams, and we're praying to come back. Thank you for opening your arms to us, and giving us the opportunity to reevaluate our lives. And if you're ever in the Mickey Mouse area—well, you know who to stay with!

Can I confess something as a mom? I struggle with putting my kids first. I don't imagine any of the rest of you do. (smile)

But really—there are so many fun and exciting things to do, and we live in a country where it is so easily all about ME—I deserve this, I ought to take advantage of that—and sometimes walking kids through their personal "stuff" isn't too much fun. That's probably when I most tend to turn into an "escapee," dwelling on the importance of my trips or speaking engagements or even an appointment to the hairdresser (which in itself isn't bad—we all need care—it's just tempting to schedule extra opportunities to leave the house sometimes for no really good reason). Luckily I'm not an avid shopper, or I'd be in extra big trouble.

We've just been through a tough season with our 15-year-old, and we've survived, and healing has come. The relief in the household is palpable. So I'm just beginning to bask in the joy of our time together. It's great, just great.

At the same time I've been so excited about a trip to South Africa to teach purity in a couple of churches and work in a really distressed neighborhood in Cape Town. Those of you who know me know how excited I get about the African countries, and how much I look forward to going.

Then they scheduled the dates, April 17-28. My daughter's sixteenth birthday is the 17th. AND my 12-year-old turns 13 the day before.

Now, don't shun me, but at first I thought, well, my gals are so flexible and strong and independent, and we celebrate a lot of birthdays before or after the day because of travel. No problem. We'll do something special the weekend before. My husband, bless his wonderful, fatherly heart, seemed hesitant about the plan. In fact, he was supposed to go with me, and then  bowed out, even though the worship team there was really looking forward to him coming. He made a strong statement about needing to be with the family (hint to wife!), but said no more, except for a few funny looks. (:

So I started making my plans and finding another partner to be my right-hand gal, and meeting with the team leader. It wasn't until a few weeks later that something in my heart screamed, STOP!" and I realized that (can I write this?) I was more excited about that trip than I was about my daughter's sixteenth birthday.

This revealed something about my heart that humiliated and disturbed me deeply. I knew that I knew that I knew that I could not expect real blessing from my efforts if I didn't put my girls first. I had known it before, but now I was called upon to really put it into practice.

I wrestled for a bit and asked if they could delay the trip out, but yesterday got word that it wasn't possible. I would have to step down. I cried tears over it and was ashamed of myself, but today I feel more peaceful. I know it's the right thing. It isn't worth missing a sweet sixteen.

As I give myself the grace I need to, I recognize that many other parents need the same grace. Even when we have raised our children well, when we have taught them what it means to pursue purity, when we're doing all the right things, our priorities can get tangled up. We can be distracted. We can forget what's really important.

I will likely get another chance to go to Cape Town, but even if I don't, it's okay. Right now it's my own heart and my daughters' hearts that are in need, and I can't go doing the other stuff if I can't do it right at home. My heart needs the pain and turning of this sacrifice that shouldn't have felt like a sacrifice in the first place.

Are you in a similar position somehow? Don't beat yourself up. Make the hard choice, give yourself a day or two to recover, and move on. Choose to turn your heart towards home. You don't want to regret a thing the say you die. 

When I thought of lying on my deathbed, I knew that I might be disappointed if I hadn't spent time in Cape Town. But much more than that, I knew that I would be telling myself, "You weren't even there for her sixteenth birthday." Then the choice was clear—a lot of things are like that when you look at life from end to beginning.

But I'm not going to dwell on that now. I have a party to help plan, and I'm really looking forward to it. In fact, I'm going to allow myself to be consumed by it. It's going to be a BETTER trip than Africa even could have been.

Just ask my husband. He knew it all along. (Thanks, honey.)

Visiting Ukraine for the fourth time felt a lot like coming home. Kiev is familiar and we don't feel as though we are so easily lost (misplaced, my husband calls it). I'm still stunned by the beauty of the ancient buildings and churches, and the statue of "Mother Russia" still takes my breath away, even though I know some of my Ukrainian friends have reason to wish it was gone.

We stayed at the Music Mission Kiev offices behind the opera house, which is close to the metro that we're getting pretty comfortable taking to get around. I'm able to read some Russian now, though I can't translate it all. Our friends Sasha and Olya have a new baby, so much of our time was spent traveling to their house and finding excuses to sit Marta while they had some time to themselves or just some help.

I'd like to describe just one special "God moment" from this trip, though. As with many of these "windows of the soul," it happened when I was least expecting it. We were rushing through the constant stampede of the metro through the underground passages full of shops, noise and movement, bundled up in our furry coats, when I saw an old woman standing by the stairwell leading up to the main street. 

This is not uncommon in Ukraine. The number of poor widows is astonishing, and many of them beg with paper cups in the subways and on the streets when it is warm enough, just to survive. Randy and I have gotten into the habit of dropping anything we have into their cups as we pass by, and I personally take time to touch their faces or arms, look into their eyes and bless them. This is always a holy moment.

But I could feel this particular woman's misery. She had a scarf and coat, but she was shivering with cold, her eyes closed, not even speaking. I was drawn to her like a magnet. Randy handed me an especially generous gift, and I went back to put it in her empty cup, touching her arm and rushing back into the crush of people. I didn't get to see her response.

As we mounted the stairs, I felt my heart physically breaking for this woman. I haven't felt such a sensation since my mother died. I started to weep, and couldn't stop for blocks. We climbed some very steep streets up out of the Maidan square, and Randy kept asking me if I needed to stop. But in my heart I was seeing every scrap of poor and needy humanity in every country and dark corner of the world, my heart going out to them, my mind again asking, "And why am I safe and warm?" I could feel God's heart for these unseen people who are passed by every day by others more fortunate. I could sense their questioning what their lives were for, and I wondered myself.

Most importantly, I knew in my heart that those lives were important to God, and if God were to ask me to serve tea to those ladies in the subway for the rest of my life, I could be happy doing it. What a small thing to ask in light of what He's done for me. What a joy it is each time I look into one of those ladies' eyes.

I remember another time I felt that kind of joy. My mother was in the hospital with cancer, and I stayed in the room with her one night. The chair I slept in was the slipperiest chair on earth. I simply could not find a comfortable position, and when I did, I practically slid to the floor. I even slept on the cold, hard hospital room floor part of the night because it was easier!

But that discomfort was almost non-existent in the light of being with my mother. The privilege of her presence made me laugh at my circumstances. What a joy to suffer a slippery chair on her behalf!

What joy should come to us as we suffer on behalf of any human being in need. Whether we part with money, give up our spot in line, sleep in a smelly orphanage or a slippery chair, we can do it with joy and feel just an iota of what Jesus must have felt, even in His dying for us. May He daily give us that kind of love for others, that serves out of a heart of joy and gratitude. And may your Thanksgiving be filled with such feelings, friends …

Saturday is usually housecleaning day here, but with all the travel we've been doing lately, it hardly needs it every week. So this was a great time to help some friends who are starting a new season in life. A family with a tragic background, the grandmother had lived in a section of the house, shutting herself off and barely talking to the rest of the family for years. She had recently left, and the bedroom suite she had occupied was filthy, as though she had never made an attempt to clean it. 

Marie, 18, is now settled in the master suite with new paint, clean carpet and new bedroom accessories from her birthday and a modest shopping event to Ikea. But she had one more obstacle to overcome - the bathroom. Most Americans probably haven't had to deal with a bathroom neglected for sixteen years. I can only compare it to the toilet I saw in Ukraine in a 100-year-old orphanage that was shared by 150 orphans.

This is where I thank God for my mother and her thorough cleaning methods. I knew what to do with that bathroom and it had my name on it. After we announced to our good friend Frank that we were on our way over to do battle, I loaded a large basin of my farm wife grandmother's with a host of cleaning rags and sprays and a big bottle of bleach. 

For hours yesterday I stripped layers of crud and hair from the floor of that bathroom, scrubbed huge patches of mold from the shower over and over with mold and mildew remover, wiped down walls, and scoured the toilet inside and out, top to bottom. We took out the sheet of plastic that let in sun from the skylight and dumped the dirt and bugs outside, leaving piles of black paper towels in our wake. I swept out drawers and cabinets and wiped down every inch, sometimes surfaces covered with caked-on dust.

Never mind the question, "How could someone live like that?" The more important question is why anyone would undertake such a project. My husband, daughters, and our friend Robin scrubbed down the kitchen, bought supplies, trimmed curtains and worked until they were exhausted, too. But our mantra was, "We love Frank and Marie." We were erasing the past and letting in the future. They are coming out of darkness into a season of light, and we are so excited to be marching forward with them.

But doesn't God do this and so much more for us? That bathroom is nothing in comparison to what my heart looked like to God when He started on me. Some days it still looks that bad. But he goes on scrubbing. I blush and sometimes fall apart when he uncovers another filthy corner, another disgusting wad of hair, a dead rat in the recesses of my heart. But He doesn't give up because he loves me.

I was reading an Oswald Chambers devotional yesterday that, interestingly enough, talked about our lives no longer being private once God's love has hold of them. God evidently wanted to really drive that point home with me, because my day didn't end there. My Hindu neighbor, who has become a good friend, had invited me to the Hindu New Year's celebration at the temple near our home. I had been looking for the opportunity to connect with her and to show an interest in her faith with the hopes that I could also share mine.

Going to the temple was like stepping out of America and into India. The gorgeous saris the women wore, the incredible smells of the spiced food, the amazing fireworks and the beauty of the temple itself were breathtaking. I asked questions about the Hindu deities and nodded politely, not understanding much of what I heard, and reading translated excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita posted on the walls.

Yup, I guess my life really isn't mine anymore. This week includes training for Orlando parents of troubled teens, a trip to Texas to talk to moms and daughters, and two days later, a two-week stint in Ukraine, our family separated again. I go back and forth between thinking it's a privilege and a virtual impossibility. My faith is still growing. But I remember the bathroom, and I remember God's redemption, and I know that my life has a purpose. Pray that God strengthens our family in the midst of all our "housekeeping," would you? It's an amazing journey, and a small price to pay in comparison … (-=

Forgive my blog today if it's a little foggy. I'm still recovering from jet lag, and a 32-hour trip home - oh my goodness! I can't believe how long it takes to get to Namibia - it's one of those "you can't get there from here" things. I keep telling everyone that it's like having a baby—the day after you say you'll NEVER do it again, but then a few days later you start to reconsider. We had such a huge response that I imagine we WILL reconsider for next year, but hopefully with the family so we aren't separated, and with a few stops in between to make it more tolerable.

This trip was so different because we worked in the developed areas of Namibia—modern cities where we held conferences in churches just like we do here in the US. The difference was in the hunger of the people and their true desire to be different. It's hard to find that kind of passion in America.

And it was so COLD at night. It was winter in country, and we just really couldn't get our heads around how bone-chilling it would be. Our first stop was at a mall to buy long-sleeved shirts! Our hosts also bought us jackets and electric blankets - their hospitality was amazing, and they treated us just like family. Everyone we met was warm and friendly, a true joy to know.

I spoke and spoke and spoke until I felt like I couldn't give the message any more! Two sermons, umpteen youth groups and schools, two full conferences and everything in between. Our team was probably sick of hearing it by the end, but we had some other great opportunities, too, interacting with the poor in a squatter's camp and contributing to families' incomes by purchasing crafts and jewelry, passing out books and gifts and blankets and shoes, learning from missionaries Lon and Val Garber in rural Namibia, watching children in public schools being taught biblical truth (heartbreaking that we can't be as outspoken in our own "enlightened" country), our teen girls working with poor preschool children …

But we also got to do some amazing things on a couple of days off, like climbing Dune 7 (it's like being on a dinosaur's back), riding the dunes on quad bikes (something my mom would NEVER have let me do), and a safari where the rhinos got so close we could have touched them. African wildlife is always awe-inspiring.

African community is such a blessing to me. It's one of the things that makes coming home so hard. By the time our visit is over, I can hardly bear to leave the sweet family that we've come to know and love. We are already sending emails back and forth and looking forward to more fellowship next year, as well as publishing our materials in the area so they can be available to EVERYONE.

Have I said before that everyone should go on a trip like this? I say it again. Don't put it off. Get out there!

Thanks to so many of you who prayed and contributed and followed our blog and sent emails—you are so dear and you made an impact on hundreds of lives that are thinking differently today about purity and becoming newly committed to living that truth. Because of you, some of these new friends will not contract AIDS, and that is a reason to celebrate and continue to partner with our brothers and sisters in Africa. Purity works! We saw it in Namibia and continue to see it every day …

A winding, whirling vortex of suitcases, clothes, passports, gifts, teaching materials and power converters surround us. We're going back to Africa!

If you don't know anything about Namibia, don't feel bad - neither did I. Go to your movie store and rent the Disney film "A Far-Off Place." That will give you a feel for the desert part of the country. We will see some of that, but most of our time will be spent in towns, training in Planned Purity in the African country with the fifth highest occurrence of HIV/AIDS. 

I'm not feeling the sense of "overwhelmedness" that I have in the past, although that may come as July 1 nears. Maybe we're getting better at this. I think the thing I wish most is that this time we could go as a family, but the costs of the trip prevented that a long time ago. Just my eldest daughter and I will go this time, and the timing is good for us. It will be a great chance to bond (and drive each other crazy!). I recognize more and more the short time we may have left with our daughters.

If you would, be thinking of my husband and youngest daughter while we're gone (through July 17). We'll miss each other a lot. But we're always strengthened during these times, too. It's as though we're reminded that our connections are stronger than distance, that our prayers and love can cross oceans and continents.

And it is a big ocean that we will cross. 17 hours in the air will get us to Cape Town. On Sunday we were commissioned at church and they showed on the big screen a moving picture on a global map from Orlando to Windhoek. Wow! Never been that far from home before, and a couple of us will be crossing the ocean for the first time. 

Have you ever done something that seems so beyond yourself, so different from what you ever expected to do in your life? If you haven't, find a way to do a thing like that at least once. Your whole perspective changes. Your definition of "impossible" changes. And your thoughts of "what can one person really do?" DEFINITELY change.

We're looking forward not just to changing the world with AIDS prevention training—we're looking forward to being changed ourselves. And we're looking forward to the stories to tell when we get home. Be waiting for us, will you? We'll try not to show too many slides …

All right, girls, I just have to brag about my treatment this Mother's Day … I was awakened (twice, I fell asleep again) to a beautiful strawberries and whip cream'd waffle on the back porch with no less than a mimosa on the side, there to view my gorgeous gift, a beautiful bird feeder for the back yard (yes, Susan, you gave me the idea!).

All was lovely until the community irrigation system kicked in. Having no control over the misting, I enjoyed a lovely pre-bath rinse and then rescued the feeder, which was being soaked by the water. (Moldy bird food is no good!) Need to overcome that obstacle. Anyway, it makes a great story. (-= The waffles, by the way, were prepared by my daughters, who are being trained by their father to be much better in the kitchen than I will ever hope to be (those of you who know me, stop laughing.) Randy had already left for worship team warmups at Northland.

Church was great and the message very timely as God always seems to have it, and can I just tell you that I love watching my husband up there singing with those awesome performers? He is rediscovering his voice, which he has never thought was his best quality, but those Disney guys up there like it just fine. Who knew? (Me!) And guitar will certainly be an opportunity for him, in time. He loves what he does and he worships with all his heart, just as he always has. I got to go back to the Green Room and be introduced to the singers afterward as a "special" treat, which actually made me very nervous. Too much talent in the room!

At home, I was sent to my room (yahoo!) while the kids prepared some of lunch and Dad finished second service. I was escorted out by Christianna, whose introduction was every bit as entertaining as Chaucer in A Knight's Tale. Cracked me up!

The kids had accessorized with as much gold as humanly possible and made a beautiful table, along with tall candles and pictures of Mom, which made for a few tears and more I didn't want to shed at the time. Mom would have been proud of them.

And she would have loved the beautiful food, too. Scallops, veggies and mushrooms in an alfredo sauce over pasta (to die for) and salads with not just iceberg, but European lettuce (I couldn't tell which was which). My favorite el-cheapo spumante was a perfect compliment, with Spanish flan and Cool Whip (the kind with real cream!) for dessert. You know me, just back up the whipped cream truck! Spoiled!

I needed this kind of a reminder that mothering is worth it this year. This has been the hardest year of all, with the beginning of teen emotions and the involvement of another family and boy with very different ideas about relationships. I never knew being a mom could hurt so much. My eyes have sometimes ached from crying, and I miss an openness in my daughter's eyes that took a vacation when we cut the unhealthy relationship off. Will she ever look at me that way again? That's in God's hands.

At the same time, Pastor Joel encouraged me today with the word that our job as parents is to put our teenage children's bodies in the right places at the right times, even if they don't necessarily follow emotionally at the time. That's what we've done and now we pray. And pray. If you're in a similar place, my heart goes out to you. God is faithful, let's keep reminding each other!

On a lighter note, I'd like to share with you the words on my Mother's Day card:

M is for the moments you didn't smack me when you could have.

O is for the outrageous things I did I never should have.

T is for the tribulations mothers have to live through.

H is for the heart attacks I sometimes tried to give you.

E is for expressions you taught me NOT to say, and

R is for the great respect I have for you today!

(I don't deserve such a wonderful mother!)

To which we all would shout, "Amen!!" (-=

Loving all of you and wishing you a lovely day, with all its emotions.

Note: I just found out you can see the fountain on the web site: www.canaaninthedesert.com! Just click around to find the info on the fountain, and there's a picture of it with running water on the front page!

A week in the desert—sounds lonely, but it's not bad when it's in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was beset with cold/allergy symptoms when I got there, and then realized that everything was in the height of its blooming season. So I got to SEE a lot, but I also sneezed a lot. (-=

I grew up in the Midwest, so Saguaro cacti only existed in cartoons for me. I guess it takes about 100 years for one of those puppies just to grow an arm, as my AZ friends informed me. And where's the grass? There just isn't much, and it takes precious water to keep it alive. But the rock gardens are gorgeous!

We visited a place called "Canaan in the Desert" that's a prayer garden cared for by a group of nuns. Beautiful, fascinating place under Camelback Mountain. Blooming prickly pears and other kind of spiky things I can't name, some of them bigger than I've ever seen. And then the walk through the stations of the cross, the story of the death of Christ. Little quail running everywhere. (Have you ever seen a quail with that funny little question mark feather sticking up off the top of its head? They're so funny and interesting!)

But the coolest thing was a fountain in the garden, a large bubbling fountain in the middle of the desert. The pool beneath the fountain had seven sides, and each named a quality of God the Father: Father of Comfort, Father of Mercy, Father of Faithfulness, etc. That was meaningful enough, but then we realized that each side had a spigot, and there was a little cup dispenser out there and a little instruction book that offered the experience of drinking from each spigot as you walked around the fountain, meditating upon that quality of God as you drank.

The picture of Him as Living Water and the only Source in the desert of our lives was poignant, meaningful, and joyful. It really made an impression upon me, especially with my physical ailments during the trip. Wow!

I spoke to three MOPS groups (mothers of preschoolers) at the church, La Casa de Cristo, a beautiful mission-style Lutheran Church of about 1200. We taught on the five doors of the heart and introduced a new booklet with six scripted lessons on the subject for moms to use with little ones. It should be available on the web site soon. The moms were delighted!

Come to find out that this church has the biggest presence  of all at the National MOPS convention! I didn't know that when we booked this event. God is obviously in the business of networking. So many other contacts have pointed me in this direction that I feel pretty sure I'll be headed there in time. There also seems to be a great chance of returning to Scottsdale for a full conference, so it was a very productive time.

On the flight home, we hit a thunderstorm on our way to Memphis. Some of you know how terrified of flying I've been in the past. Well, I am here to tell you that I bumped around in that little plane like a cork in the water and almost fell asleep. I'm not kidding! Walking through that fear has released me from it almost completely. I'm so grateful for that, and for the Source that pressed me to face the fear.

He's the only place to get life. He's the only place to get water. When you've suffering or struggling, picture yourself sitting next to that fountain I described, and a breeze blowing a mist of water over you, right over the wall that says "Father of Mercy." Ask for His help, and He will be there, watering your heart and giving you strength for the journey. He sure came through for us this week, and I'm so grateful!

Egad! What a rollercoaster lately. A sick child, a restless husband, a stubborn teenager, a picky editor (jk, Robin). AND my own issues, of course, up, down, all around. Too much in the schedule, not enough to keep me busy. When will I ever learn to be content?

At the same time, I knew getting into the issue of purity was stepping onto the front line of a battlefield. At times we are definitely under fire. The chinks in our armor are exposed. We snap. Someone acts thoughtlessly, and I get a burr under my saddle. I want to give up. I can't understand why everyone else is so … whatever they are. One by one, little bad things happen, until I'm sure that, if I turned around, I'd see red horns and a forked tail.

Is he real? Of course he is. But he isn't as big as my Boss. I should know that, no matter what happens.

But then there's a day like today, when a friend calls a friend in another state whose daughter has been pulled into deep trouble on the Internet. The daughter is getting counseling and the technology has been removed from her life, but the family is still looking for help and support. And so a person from Florida calls a friend in Kansas and mentions this friend who has been talking to her lately and has this purity thing. The friend in Kansas looks up the web site, and his wife writes. 

The friend who has the purity thing calls some friends who are great encouragers in Kansas, who happen to live about 20 minutes away from this family. In fact, the dad of the daughter in trouble even knows someone from their church! The encourager friends are delighted to help, and so the purity gal calls the dad who is now receiving help and support from others who have attended purity conferences and can help get the family exactly what they need.

Is God real? Gosh, yes. And what an A-class Networker He is. And He's bigger. Don't ever doubt it.

In trekking to an new area of Orlando, we found another great opportunity to share the message of Planned Purity. Foundation Academy in Winter Garden hosted us for a conference with a group of parents of elementary children—exactly the demographic we look for—and it was great! Not only was the hospitality team amazing, taking care of our every need, but the parents responded very enthusiastically to the material. I know we left them with tools that are going to make huge differences in their family lives and in their children's successful pursuit of purity of heart and body.

There are days when I kind of get in God's face and say, "I didn't choose this!"—but every time we do a conference we get better, and every time we come away affirmed in the fact that this is what we are supposed to be doing—and I really do love it—the writing and speaking, that is. The business end seems like a necessary evil, and the ever-unpredictable amount of funds available—well, I'm getting used to it because I've committed in my heart that this is what I'm going to do and nothing is going to change that.

You know, so much of life we spend worrying and trying to keep up with human systems that in the end won't make a hill of beans of difference anyway—when the real value is in the relationships we nurture and the lives we affect and change. Not that we shouldn't be responsible, but what kind of "responsible"? I believe the most responsible way to live is in the palm of God's hand, trusting Him for everything. I haven't gotten it down yet, but I do believe it with all my heart. I am moving forward into those places He wants me to go, no matter what …

The other day we met with a national group that looked at our work and said, "You're exactly what we're looking for." Huh? Half the time I wonder what I'm doing, and then I hear comments like this that assure us we're doing something very important. Please keep praying that we will continue to believe that and not give up. And you keep believing, too - for whatever God has given you to do.

Arkansas! I love it there. Not only because of the beautiful countryside, but because there are some folks in Fayetteville that I dearly love. They are passionate about parenting and purity, and we're watching the incredible effects of their efforts to bring Planned Purity to life in their congregation.

Steve Alberts, the youth pastor I work with, loves to do drama. Last year they did The Princess and the Kiss in a dinner theater format, and had such a great turnout that this year they did a version of The Garden Wall. 

I really don't have words to say how much the play meant to me. If you've read the book, you know about Seth and Petra and the garden they're building for Petra's future husband. But Steve wrote in a modern element of Grandmother Petra telling her granddaughter (who is in a risky Facebook relationship) about her relationship with Seth. There were strokes of genius in the way Steve related the story and built on the few words I could cram into a 32-page children's format. But the most wonderful part was how the play affected me personally.

I have an almost 15-year-old in a relationship right now, and it's rocky going. Daily we are struggling to set boundaries, to talk, talk, talk (without driving any of us crazy) and to navigate the bizarre waters of young relationship. But the play reminded me of the important things—why a young woman must tend her garden and why a young man must decide that he will protect that garden at all costs. And all that was accomplished in the context of FRIENDSHIP.

As my daughter gets older, I get more and more flack about "why she doesn't date," "what's the big deal about holding hands," etc. I'm amazed at how casual we are about relationships in which our teens participate. It's so easy to just do things a certain way because "everyone is doing it." It's so hard to set a new standard. And it's hard to explain boundaries to a teenager when they've never felt "these feelings" before—even when they're a committed to purity as my daughter is. But I'm not giving up—and you shouldn't, either.

In the drama in Arkansas, the couple who played Petra and Seth were 17 and 18, and they were in a relationship, also with very clear boundaries. I was delighted to see the chemistry between them in the roles, which was portrayed with honor and innocence. Absolutely beautiful. I also told Steven (Seth) that I had fallen in love with him and didn't know what to do! (-= We had a good laugh about that.

Everyone served Robin and I as though we were queens. This congregation knew how to serve and how to work hard. They love their families, and I saw some beautiful marriages. I also met some new and old friends like Shannon, Brook, Holly, Susan, Sherri, Lolly (who gave us a tour of the amazing city library where they donated some of my books) and Mary Lynn, our intrepid chauffeur who ran us all over kingdom come with her ridiculously well-behaved, Irish-dancing daughters.

You know, not everyone can call themselves "Razorbacks" and be proud of it. (Mary Lynn actually has a red boar-shaped sink in her guest bath - no kidding!) When I saw the Italian Russian boar sculpture on campus, we all hooted, but I thought, "Now here are some folks who really are comfortable with themselves. And now I am, too. I have a genuine red "WOO PIG—SOOOO-EEEEE" pin to prove it!

I could go on, but suffice it to say that as I talked to the parents, the teens and the church as a whole, I was blessed, privileged, and felt very much at home. I'm trying to find an excuse to get our family there for a vacation (don't tell my metropolitan area-loving husband—ha!) just so they can be friends with the wonderful friends I already know so well.

Purity is alive in Arkansas, and with the help of all of us, will keep spreading to the far corners of the world. SOOOOO-EEEEE! GO PIG!

Please be praying for the upcoming conference here in Winter Garden, March 7, as well as people to accompany us to Namibia and Ukraine this year. I'll try t keep my end and write on this ol' blog whenever I can —

Love, Jennie

Have you thought lately about how every day of life is a gift?

With some ups and downs emotionally for me lately (anxiety issues, raising a teen and a preteen, financial pressures, ya da, ya da …) I find that I need constant reminders of this. Sometimes it's as simple as watching a comical squirrel peek out from behind a tree, hanging by one arm, as I'm being a good girl and taking my morning walk.

Sometimes it's sitting with my nearly-92-year-old aunt and making her smile with a bunch of posies and a couple of crossword puzzle books. 

Sometimes it's being surprised by questions about the "birds and bees" in my own home that have me cracking up downstairs in a room downstairs later on.

Whatever it is, the reminders are always there. I just have to notice them.

We saw August Rush, the movie, last night, and Evan Taylor made a similar statement: "The music's always there … if you're listening."

My music today is the sound of the washer. It reminds me that I have a husband who needs clean clothes … and that I don't have to use a bucket like in Nigeria! 

My music today is the sound of a teenager coughing upstairs. I get to serve her today because she is off school sick, but she is looking up her homework online because she hates being behind.

My music today is the clouds and the blue sky and a practically perfect Florida day. Though I'm indoors typing, I have a great view.

What's your music today? Can you find it? Take the time to listen and find the rest and peace you need. It's always there, waiting …

Blessings,

Jennie

Well, I'm in Florida again after a month back home on the farm in Ohio. It was a packed trip, with lots of time with new and old friends, a couple of conferences (one rural, one in-city), and a number of speaking engagements, interviews, events, etc. There's a lot of interest in purity no matter where we go, and because this was my home setting, there a number of people interested in coming to see what we were doing.

One particular event was very moving and meaningful to me. At the Fort Wayne conference, I had friends offer to help out who were college friends, old band members, fellow missionaries and small group members from way back, a radio host, an editor, house mates and new Florida friends - what a diverse group of people! I was not only blessed by their help, but by seeing the amazing people we have become, and having the privilege of being a part of that group.

Secondarily, these great friends taught me an important lesson.

We learned as we approached conference time that numbers were very low, and I was sitting in that place where I had to decide whether to go forward or cancel. I thought that God had opened a number of doors that no one else could have and wanted to go forward, but didn't want to tank financially, so I called my friends and said, "What do you think?" They all pooh-poohed my doubts and said, "This is what you're supposed to do. We're doing it!" (One friend wasn't there when I called - I left a message and called her back later. When I mentioned the message, she actually said, "Oh, that silly message!" Can you believe the nerve?? (-=)

So we did the conference for a group of about 30. But my friends backed me entirely, because they were not putting their faith in me. Instead, we were all putting our faith in God. No one was counting on me to fail or succeed. They were counting on God to be faithful as we were obedient to whatever he asked of us.

This was a very great freedom - to be loved so dearly and to know that no one was putting pressure on me to perform. Everyone should have friends like that.

Going back to the farm is always healing for me. Only farm kids understand how connected you become to the land that your family grows up on and works together on. And the grass is so much nicer to walk on. (Our whole family goes on about "pointy" Florida "grass.")

If you saw the news about the plane crash in Sanford, that awful accident was in the subdivision just next door to the one we used to live in. I just ache for those families. What must it be like? And I remember Vashti being so nervous because of the flight path overhead - was she sensing something ahead? Who knows? But please be praying for those folks. We were actually looking at houses in that division, and now I'm so grateful to live here - to be safe - to have been safe in Ohio -

But you know, there isn't anywhere safe, except the hand of God. We have to make Him our dwelling place. Anything can happen anytime, but we are safe under His wings.

I'm glad to be home, and aware that nowhere is really home until I move on from this earth. May we all live each moment in that knowledge and hope. Have a wonderful summer!

Thanks to all of you who have asked about our recovery from international travel and moving into the new house. We're happy to report that we're back with very few problems, despite the difficulty of reentry into American life. The girls did great (thanks to Mary and Tom!), our daughter's ballet performance was wonderful, and birthdays have been celebrated. Last night we hosted a dinner for all the movers who took our stuff from one house to another during our trip. It's hard to express our gratitude for the kindness they showed, kindness that made coming back so much easier.

Our trip to Nigeria was very productive for us personally and for our purity efforts. I don't think you can go into any new culture and not be changed, unless you're really hard-hearted. When you look at the problems of other nations and recognize the fact that God chose to plop you in the USA, you wonder why you were so lucky. The answer is that God is expecting you to responsibly share your liberty and material goods with others. I want to challenge every American reading this letter to pursue that with your whole heart. If this country would return to a definition of liberty as "the freedom to do what's right" instead of "the freedom to do whatever I want," what a different world this would be.

In Nigeria, we saw a government too corrupt with money and power to care for its people, much like in the Ukraine. Modern conveniences exist in the cities, but they aren't managed well and so fall into disrepair, like the boulevard we traveled full of streetlights without bulbs. Dishonest groups of men set up checkpoints along roads between cities to ask for nonexistent papers and to demand money or goods. Registration to vote is difficult and groups actually invite others from outside the country to come in and vote for their candidates! Nigeria is trying to model a democracy after our nation, but it's tough going.

And of course AIDS is rampant. Everywhere we traveled we had individuals come and literally beg us to send purity materials and to return to teach purity. We're looking for money and information right now to provide those opportunities - we'd like to return early next year.

But on a personal basis - besides being constantly aware of the poverty, the overcrowding, the risks and the dangers and the heat - it was very healing for us to return to the African continent. In this culture, people always have time to spend. The mundane tasks of life, here necessary for survival, take on new meaning. Even washing clothes in a bucket becomes an enjoyable task.

Yes, I was away from the responsbilities of home and children, and that can be very freeing for a few weeks. But I was also drawn back to the importance of simple things - to the fact that God, family and people are the only things that make life worthwhile. That the day-to-day tasks of housekeeping and business in America are my offerings to that family and to God. That the things that stress me out aren't as important as I make them.

I'm sitting in my own office now in a beautiful home of our own (thanks to God!) in central Orlando, and they're about to open the community pool right across the street. But on my computer, I'm corresponding with friends in the Ukraine and in Nigeria who are waiting for me to help. What will I do about this? The vacuuming can wait another day. I can put off furniture for books sent overseas. And I can remember that all this comes from God and is mine to steward and not to hoard.

I want so much to transfer aspects of life lived in Africa to my life here in the US, but I know I won't be able to do it as thouroughly as I would like. May God help us all to remember what's really important in the process, and to be productive to him, not becoming well-traveled and numb, but becoming more willing to trust Him with all because of the faithfulness He's shown us.

Here's to Nigeria, Ukraine and the world celebrating liberty in the same way we can, through purity and truth. May it come to be!

Hello, folks … and see you later! We're on our way out of the country on Wednesday to Nigeria and will be counting on all of your prayers as we separate for a time as a family to do what God's asked us to.

In the meantime, a great group of friends is moving us completely out of our rental and into our new house - exciting and VERY chaotic! But I think the peace of mind I feel in general is proof positive of God's work in my life—a couple of years ago I couldn't have handled so much upheaval.

The chaos and pressure that God allows in our lives is so clearly for our growth and productivity. I have known this in theory, but this year I am learning it with my life. It actually may have begun when we lost our mom to cancer and my "charmed" sort of life went out the window. I am growing in the awareness that I am simply human and therefore a mess, and that this allows me to experience God's truly amazing grace. (Have you seen the movie? It's very good!)

Instead of worrying about all the disorder around me, I guess I have resigned myself to it. I'm not yet thrilled about it, but I can coexist with it, at least for periods of time. And I'm not defined by it. I am a woman who is strong and capable, fragile and messed up, broken and mended, a mass of contradictions. But God is strong, and can be strong in me when I let Him. He can also be strong in my children and husband and others, and we can grow together in our messiness.

Nigeria is bound to be messy. We will not be sleeping in fancy hotels, we will be washing clothes by hand, we will be sweating profusely in 100 degree weather. We will be painting buildings and bouncing along in Jeeps and in regional airplanes (yikes! God is in control!), being stopped by real guards and fake guards who might take our money and cameras.

But God will be there. And in Psalm 91, He tells us all we need to know. HE is our dwelling place, no matter where we are. And when we live in Him, we are safe.

We're so looking forward to telling our stories when we return (maybe after we put a few dishes away). Know this: every one of your prayers are appreciated for us and for our children and for the people of Nigeria, who so desperately need the friendship and help of those who are able.

I will try to write a blog if we can get to an internet connection. If not, I will report after Easter sometime. We love you and appreciate you all. (-=

I have an acquaintance who says she gets stir crazy when she has to visit family in Ohio, but for me, it's just what the doctor ordered. I was with my dad for a week, visiting friends and updating them on our lives and what's going on at PurityWorks, shopping with my sister (finding cute shoes for $10 a pair!), and generally "hanging out with the folks." Can't say I wasn't glad to get back to Florida weather, though. It was about 21 degrees when I left and 77 when I got home - whew!

You know, I just haven't thought enough about how important it is to stay connected to my "roots." Moving to Florida really isolated us, coming to a place with no friends, having to explain our life story over and over, wondering how to "break ground" in new relationships. It was so nice to be able to sit with people who already knew me, who celebrated success with me and cried with me over heartaches. Life is all about relationships—so why is it I get so caught up in tasking?

Today our DSL connection was down for awhile, and I immediately started to consider the possibility that I wasn't meant to do work online for a spell for good reason. I just got four more letters from orphan friends in the Ukraine, and spent some time writing back to these precious girls. Four letters off to the translator again, a teenage Ukrainian who makes $5 apiece for getting my letters into a condition where they can be read by the kids. Time well spent.

My head is divided in so many pieces right now. While I'm writing to Ukrainians, I'm considering the wardrobe items I still need for Nigeria in a few weeks. I called the hospital this AM to figure out how to get my malaria meds. I have a little girls' ministry event next Saturday and am organizing (with my ten-year-old, who is sometimes enthusiastic, sometimes more interested in XBox) supplies, schedule, and help.

AND we just bought a house! Can you say "finally"? It's down the street from our main church family and in a new community right across from the pool (not to mention it's a "Steinbeck" model—how can a writer beat that?). Yea! Hello, equity, goodbye, money-down-the-pipes! Now, if I can just get over the fact that we have to move right after we get home from Africa, when I have jet lag, a major ballet production and two girls' birthdays. (Aaaaah! Make it stop!)

Truly, we're blessed. God continues to teach me to "walk on the waters of my chaos" and look at Him, always at Him. All this will pass, but when we look back we will remember the incredible richness of our lives (OK, not financially, but it's not all about money, is it??).

Keep praying for us. Obviously there is a lot going on, and there are always more surprises when you wake up in the morning and say, "What today, God?" But we know it's all good, and part of accomplishing His purposes in our generation.

And a great big "hello" along with big hugs for all the friends from Ohio and Indiana. You are truly precious to us. May God watch between us until next time! Much love -

OK, so this week I learned a good lesson about the dangers of packing my schedule too tightly. I had been tracking some mood changes that seem to be appearing in connection with certain changes of life, and recognized that I was going to be in my "vulnerable time" (that's a nice way of saying it) during a week fully loaded with women's events, appointments with doctors, editors and business people, a birthday party for my 91-year-old aunt and all the lessons and details that are simply part of day-to-day life with the Bishops.

For five days, in between and during these events, I was foggy, tired, emotional, angry, on edge, overwhelmed, depressed and uptight (I know, because I wrote all these words down as I was feeling them just to remember that they had actually happened).

Good advice from a friend comes back to me: "All these symptoms are a natural part of getting older. Your best defense is to track them if you can and prepare for them by keeping your schedule easier during those days."

But doing this makes me so mad. I used to be able to do so many things at once—now I can forget the smallest, or most obvious details. I feel betrayed and rebellious. I don't want to have to slow down!

This all feeds into my lack of understanding when it omes to what rest is and why I need it. Rest? Why? There is so much to do and I just don't have time for it! But at this stage of life, my body is telling me, "Rest, or you're going to be in bad shape before long!"

So I am learning. My next "vulnerable time" is during a trip home to Dad's, and I'll have plenty of space there to avoid over-scheduling. But in another month, I'll be in Nigeria while I'm experiencing symptoms. Great fun! Hopefully just the "knowing" that the moods and restless anxiety will pass will help as I muddle through whatever speaking or travellng or sleeping (or lack thereof) I'll be doing at the time.

Last night my oldest daughter and I came home from dance class to find Dad and Sis ready with a beautiful meal and classical music playing on the Internet. We sat around the table, talked and laughed, and had a wonderful time that made me once again aware of the great family life I enjoy. After supper, I did some dishes and listened to my husband strum a new dulcimer (the latest addition to his instrument collection) while my daughter got cleaned up fom dance class. I put on a kettle of water, and got out the tea set. It was time to initiate that Ukrainian tradition again of sitting around in the evening drinking tea.

A pot of tea (the tea a gift from a Ukrainian friend)and many Oreos and tea cookies later, it was bedtime, and all four of us bundled into our bed for the last chapter of Wind in the Willows, which we've been picking up at bedtime lately. We work crossword and sudoku puzzles afterward, reading the Bible, saying good-night prayers, mom drifting off first and ordering children to bed. What a wonderful evening of rest and true contentment. (Before you start thinking we're the perfect family, I must interject that nights like this are, for us, rare. Many more nights have been spent in front of a screen or running around Orlando like chickens, and collapsing, exhausted, into our beds.)

If you're familiar with Wind in the Willows, you'll know that Toad is quite a character, pompus, impulsive, greedy and unwise (and thus so much fun to read about!). But in the final chapter, Toad makes a change. He begins to turn over a new leaf and really think of others first after years of selfishness. But he had been as he was for so long, that the reader still feels suspicious of his new attitude. Change is desperately hard to accomplish, for Toad … and for us.

But if there's hope for Mr. Toad, maybe there is hope for me. Maybe I can rest. Maybe I can put up with the changes of life and even be able to be thankful for the new perspective. Maybe today I can take one more step towards contentment and away from the rat race. May it be so, for me and for you, with God's help.

Well, back from Arkansas and into the laundry - whew! God was so good to us in that our flights were fairly smooth, even with the bad weather heading to the east and the terrible storms that hit about 50 miles north of us here in Florida. Please pray for those who lost family members - about 19 are dead.

We spent a wonderful few days with a church family in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The youth pastor had read The Princess and the Kiss and was inspired to write an expanded version for the stage. With next to no theatrical experience, his little troupe pulled off a full-scale production, including a dinner theater - amazing! People contributed to costuming efforts, handmade arrows, a huge set and plenty of prayer. A lady donated funds to have the author flown out, and my younger daughter and I came. We were served and gifted to death, a meet-and-greet was held in a beautiful home, and I was able to share the Planned Purity concept after the performance and sign books following. We're looking forward to planning a conference with these folks in the future, and they're planning to do the Princess play every year.

I have a another new story to tell since I got home, too - another amazing orchestration of God. You know that we're headed to Nigeria in March with Campus Crusade. Lonna, the woman who is heading this effort, called me the other day. She had just talked with the head of the Mashiah organization, which sponsors an AIDS home for women that we'll be visiting during our time in Africa.

Lonna had not told this woman the names of speakers for the trip besides herself. She started to talk about me, and the woman immediately responded with enthusiasm because they are already using The Princess to teach women there - in fact, they are acting out the story because there aren't enough books for all the women to see the pictures!

Now, what are the odds that I would commit to an African trip, to a place I've never been before, and a single AIDS house of about 60 women where I happen to be going would be using my book? God is so incredible.

So much is happening here that's good. Now if I can just dig out from under this laundry and hold onto that strong, calm sanity that only the Lord can provide -

Thank you all for your prayers. I know that is a great part of what's pulling us through.

All I want to know is WHY it is as cold in Florida as it was in Atlanta this weekend! We headed up to the land of peaches and pecans to see a videotaping of our good friend, comedienne Anita Renfro (check out her web site - she's a hoot and a half), and froze to death!

But it was a good girl trip. Our girls are big fans of Anita's - they met her at the Christian Booksellers Convention and have some of her estrogen-laden material from her videos memorized. Anita and her husband John have become some of those "CBA buddies" that we look forward to seeing every year. So we bought the girls tickets to this taping for Christmas and went with our friend Dawn (who is comfortable with Atlanta traffic, bless her) to take it in, along with a couple other friends from Atlanta (who have a new baby - we switched therapies, mom taking the day off to see Anita and us goo-gooing over the new baby the rest of the time!).

We all dressed up in our best duds (we might be taped, after all!) and went over to the Dozier Center, a beautiful new performing arts center, to take it all in. And we laughed our heads off! Anita as a way of telling it like it is that makes one think, "Omigosh, that's SO TRUE" while at the same time you're wondering, "Is she REALLY going to talk about this??" She's incredibly bold and irreverent at times, which is good for all of us women who come to these events just to hear someone finally tell the truth about the difficulties and triumphs of womanhood.

Why do we gals get so darned uptight, feeling like we have to perform, like we have to have it all together, like we have to be perfect parents and wives and workers and … whatever! Anita's good medicine for that disease.

I fall into it as well. Today I've been trying to pack for a trip to Arkansas where a group of lovely people are doing a play they developed based on The Princess and the Kiss. They have bent over backwards to get me out there just because they're so delighted about the book and the production, but I'm here stressing because I can't find the suitcase I need (where in tarnation can a suitcase hide??) and because I have to pack some books at the last minute because a communication breakdown in our young company kept them from being drop-shipped, and I have a ten-year-old accompanying me who needs quite a bit of packing assistance - she wants to dress like a Floridian (imagine) to run around in a state with snowfall. Egad! I just want to have some fun and enjoy these folks who are ready to treat me like a queen!

OK, so that's why I'm writing this blog today - to get it off my mind and do something different before I lose my cool (some of this is pre-menopausal, I do have a good excuse). An older woman who advises me told me the other day how much better I'm doing at resting, balancing, transitioning to life in Orlando … it makes me laugh as I look at myself today! Have I really improved??

Maybe that's why we need each other as women, even if we only write a general blog to get it off our chests. Sometimes life is just so incredibly ridiculous! And if you're like me, it's an ongoing battle to overcome the chaos, laugh, and move on.

That's why I need my friend Anita, and that's why I need whoever is reading today. If I can laugh, or call, or write it down and see how funny it is, it really helps.

So thanks for being my outlet today, y'all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go hunt up a suitcase. Pray for me! (-=

What an amazing weekend - we actually had a Mrs. America contestant at our home! If she's reading this she'll probably kill me because she hates me bringing up the pageant thing - but listen, this woman is worth knowing and she's not your regular every-day "Barbie" girl.

Lonna is the person who's heading our upcoming trip to Nigeria. She has a story you wouldn't believe - of abuse, abandonment, adoption, alcoholism, drug abuse, abortions - you name it, she endured it as she lived through the pain of her awful growing up years.

With a gun to her head, Lonna was ready to end it all - and then she felt God standing behind her, His hand on her shoulder. She says that she actually felt God hold her that day, and life for her changed forever as she gave herself to Him.

Lonna found a wonderful husband, had some great kids, and worked with a ministry that helped homeless kids. Then a friend said she ought to run for Mrs. Idaho to get a platform to speak about the ministry. Can you imagine? Lonna just laughed. She says, "I was not a pageant contestant type." But over time, she began to see that her friend's suggestion might make sense.

So she took the plunge. But she had no pie-in-the-sky notions about it. She was not going to win. She was going to enter to pray for other women and care for them as she sought opportunities to share her faith and her passion for serving. She tripped during the swimsuit competition. She ripped her hem out during the evening gown segment. And she won.

Can you imagine when they put the crown on her head, how she must have felt? She didn't even plan to win. She went out of a desire to serve a ministry. And yet God saw fit to crown her queen.

Isn't that like God? There isn't any one of us He can't restore. And when we're at even our clunkiest, our filthiest, our dorkiest, He sets a crown on our head and calls us "daughter" and "princess." There is nothing He can't do.

Lonna spoke at our church Sunday, and it was powerful. Here is this poised, well-spoken, bold and direct woman, presenting the Gospel in such a way as to crowd the altar with seekers, telling us who she used to be and who she is now. Amazing!

I knew in that moment that God had made me new, too. New today, new from yesterday, new from years ago. I became a princess at the altar with all the rest.

May you know you're princess today, too, no matter where you've come from. There is grace enough for EVERYONE, and He wants only YOU.

If you'd like more info on our trip or on Lonna, visit her web site at in-his-grace or Google Lonna Vopat. As I said, she's well worth knowing.

Tonight's a big fundraising bash, and we're all up in arms about what to wear. Does anyone else feel that dressing up gets to be a whole lot more work as you get older? I sure do.

My husband is deciding whether his suit will do or whether he ought to rent a tuxedo. I have two dresses I'm waffling between. The invitation says "black tie optional." I haven't been to enough frou-frou events to know what that actually means!

A good friend of ours, a lawyer who has been consulting with us about how to grow PurityWorks, invited us to sit at his table tonight. Sitting with lawyers is intimidating enough in itself! (-= But John wants us to have this opportunity to see how a fundraising event goes so that we can do one ourselves someday. Oh, boy. I hate asking for money and I hate planning big events. I have some growing to do.

What is it about me that makes me so shy to ask for monetary help when we are providing such great services? Parents love The Princess and the Kiss, they do studies with the Life Lessons books, they go on about how effective they feel these materials are, they ooze with compliments at speaking engagements and pray for us and ask to be involved … still, something inside me makes me nervous - afraid of rejection - shy and awkward.

Well, we're a not-for-profit and we need the money - so I have to get over it!

I've been thinking a lot lately about the verse about overcoming fear and trying to get into the other side of it - the part about the power and love and sound mind that I already HAVE. I'm still trying to tap into that. A lot of self-talk about courage, and that's new for me. I don't think I ever thought much about being courageous before.

When we moved to Orlando, I remember playing Nicole Nordman's song "Brave" all the way here (thanks to my good friend Robin, who built me up by making a new cover for the CD that included the quote: "Lara Croft, stand down - there's a new gal in town"- I'll bever forget that, buddy!). But I don't think I was brave then. I think I was exhilarated by the newness of the adventure. As the days went on and the pressure grew and the challenges mounted, I became very much a coward. I gave in to anxiety. I let the enormity of this gift God has given to us crush me.

Well, it's a new day. It won't be easy, but I'm going to intentionally choose to be brave instead of just singing about it. And that includes the matter of fundraising (gulp).

Yesterday my youngest daughter had her first lesson with a Ukrainian piano teacher. Folks from Kiev are well-known as world-class musicians, and this gal is no exception. But Ukrainians are tough as nails, too, and they don't put up with whining in the least. When this lady told sis in no uncertain terms that she was going to have to sit differently and start playing with the tips of her fingers instead of keeping them flat, it was hard. And she said "no" a lot during this first meeting, though she wasn't cruel.

After the lesson, sis had a good cry and asked if she really had to have a teacher, if she could't have an American teacher, anything to not repeat the experience. But I saw that this was a matter of courage for her. Yes, someone who speaks Russian as a first language is hard to understand. Yes, old habits are hard to break. But when you are gifted as sis is, it's worth the sacrifices to really excel and to grow and to grow up.

Sis is now sitting at the piano with her new chair and her feet on phone books so that her weight is in her feet, not her seat. She sits back far enough so her fingertips can't go past the tops of the keys. And her fingers look just like she took a curling iron to them. (Of course, all of us are allowed to tickle her if we catch her practicing otherwise.) But she is attempting to play with a great deal of courage.

Again, my child's example is for my own benefit. Whether it's fundraising, attending a frou-frou event, rubbing elbows with lawyers or any other of a million transitions from midwest farm community to metropolitan area, I have to be brave. It's God's intent for me to be a strong leader and not turn back or whine.

You know, as I watch sis play this way, I can see a kind of new confidence on her. She looks good with her back so straight. Hopefully, I do, too. (-= Pray for me to keep it up, ok?

Last night we did a presentation at a large Baptist church here locally. It was a great turnout, about 60 people. It's amazing how the Planned Purity message just catches like fire in a dry field. The people who came left so energized and excited that it was hard to get them to calm down and retrieve their kids from the nursery!

The staff volunteers at the book table really worked themselves silly as the book flew everywhere. The combination of The Princess and the Kiss or The Squire and the Scroll with their accompanying Life Lessons books is a lifeline to so many parents who see their kids approaching subjects related to purity and relationships in the kindergarten and first grade years. And I still can't believe the wide appeal that these books seem to hold - others told me the books were purchased for a person in college to encourage them to keep the faith and hold onto their purity.

Folks get really excited when we start sharing strategies for purity training in the young years, and they're so affirmed by seeing that other parents are feeling the same way. A kind of electricity fills the room as they begin to nod heads and agree and share questions and listen to each other. As they left, we just heard "Thank you … thank you … thank you for coming." And already we have those who are ready to attend a Saturday three-session seminar.

One lady last night really touched my heart (well, more than one, but I'll tell you about this one). She was a single mom whose husband had passed away a year and a half ago. She was concerned about her two little boys and finding mentors for them. She wondered how they would see models of healthy affection between spouses when there was no father in the home.

We hear a lot of these kinds of comments from single parents. I'm always so glad to encourage them. I can't imagine what it's like to raise a child by yourself - it'a hard enough with the two of us constantly working at it! But, in some ways, a single parent learns better the need to depend on God. They don't have a choice. God will HAVE to be the father or mother in that situation for awhile. And He is so faithful, and there is no doubt that He has that single parent in position because they are the RIGHT parent for the job, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Friday I have another of these presentations for a homeschool group, moms and kids all together. Should be an interesting morning. Pray for us, that we'll have the right words at the right time to encourage these parents and inspire the children.

Also, please pray about our coming trip to Nigeria. We have a load of planning and fundraising to do before that time. In fact, we have an entire PurityWorks budget to get in order, and there are a lot of needs that only God can provide. We are setting our minds to be faithful day by day, but often have no idea how things will be accomplished. It is a real walk of faith. We need the same strength and wisdom that we try to share, a constant cycle of being renewed and prepared to pour out.

But the cause of purity in this world is worth it - to stem the tide of AIDS, to see more happy families, to see children growing up understanding healthy sexuality and knowing how to guard their hearts and bodies, to see adults finally embracing the freedom in which a lifestyle of purity results … that's the rush. That's why we do what we do. Thanks for reading today.

Merry Christmas to all - our board members, our staff, our donors, our readers, our friends from all walks of life and all over the world. What an amazing year this has been!

Before we moved from Michigan to Orlando, we had a dear friend and prayer partner share with us a picture that had come to her mind for us: it was a huge gift box with a big ribbon, and my husband and I being squashed underneath the package!

That picture truly sums up our experience since we have moved here. What a gift - but the pressure that accompanies such huge opportunities can be very great, sometimes so much so that we want to chuck the whole thing!

But our friend told us about this picture with one sentence of requirement: "You must remember that it's a GIFT."

This has been the struggle of our last year-and-a-half.

Maybe your year has been similar. Maybe you have moved through some heavy stuff, some daunting requirements, some pain or fear or loss that has threatened to steal away your knowledge … that life is a GIFT.

I know in my heart that there is no better time of the year than Christmas to remedy such things … and also, that Christmas can be extremely difficult for many of us emotionally.

I am there with you. Let's pray for each other as the holiday arrives, shed the tears we need to, share the laughter we need to, and allow the imperfect planning to be as it is and not hinder the joy of the holiday. If you are alone, reach out. If you can't help being alone, reflect upon your blessings (there are always some). And remember, above all, that being alive is a GIFT to be shared.

If you saw The Nativity movie this week, you'll remember that Mary mentioned that we all have gifts to share. Share yourself, as you are, small as your gift may seem, with someone else - not out of obligation, but because YOU are such a joy and will bring joy to another. And let the peace of the Baby and His willingness to endure what He did for our sakes be your inspiration.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Bishops

Well, we've entered FutureWorld - today we became the proud owners of a hybrid vehicle, a Toyota Prius, to be exact. The girls think it is the coolest because you don't need a key to start it, and the little gadget (um, not a key, but something like a key) you need to open the car simply has to be in your pocket and the car opens as you draw near. A spy car! Not to mention it's black!

Pair this with the fact that we bought the car from a humongous Toyota dealership that seems to be modeled after Disney World (isn't everything in Florida??). After the hours of torture spent in listening to details, re-figuring figures and signing papers, we were escorted to a lady who handed over all our final instruction manuals and then asked if we would like our picture taken with our new car! I burst out laughing. Only in Orlando!

It's a little out there for mom, especially since she thought dad would go for a convertible for the second car (our faithful little Neon finally bit the dust - in fact, it ran miraculously for the past few years according to the fellow who took a look at its internals and found most everything inside the dash melted together). I made every effort to convince him to buy a used Sebring (they're easy to buy and sell here in Florida, it's his mid-life crisis car, etc., etc.), and he went for the techno-cool, enviro-friendly car instead. It looks very intellectual to me and very suitable for a musical genius husband. The writer wife will be very happy with her mini van, thank you.

Of course, at the same time I am thinking it's amazing that we live in a country where having two cars is even possible, let alone picking the exact car you want. Many of our Ukrainian friends have no cars at all - they ride the metro. But life in Orlando demands that two working parents have methods of transportation - no metro yet. (At least we're going to save big on gas this year — the Prius can get 50-70 miles per gallon!)

A good friend of mine who was also recently in Ukraine spoke to me about an incident where she was feeling self-conscious about her $300 camera, trying to hide it from her Ukrainian friends. These friends reprimanded her by saying, "God allowed you to have that camera and you are using it for His glory! You have no reason to be ashamed! Take pictures!" Can we allow ourselves to be humbly blessed?

Every American should be thanking God Almighty this season for the great riches we all enjoy. Maybe we have a new car, or maybe we have one that barely runs. Maybe we have a fridge full of food, and maybe we have a granola bar. But the fact is that in America there are very few who starve and very few in need, in comparison to many countries around us. And thus we should always be ready to share, to give, and to use what we have in service according to our opportunities which are present each day.

It is a very great blessing to be living in America, and no shame. But our day-to-day lives will tell whether we are worshipping the gifts or the Giver. May Christmas this year cause us all to lay all we have at the feet of the Manger Child (spy cars included). Though every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Light, no gift will ever be as great as He is Himself. Fashionable cars come and go, but He is the only Gift that truly satisfies.

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the ride, whatever you're riding in!

After a couple of weeks of engagements and Christmasing up north, I awakened in my Florida bed missing the"cozy" that can only come from cold weather.

A friend and I had a discussion about this while I was visiting. We decided that you can't really use the word "cozy" unless a fireplace and a cold winter wind (and preferably, snow) are involved. Floridians have fireplaces (which I still find weird), and the temperature can approach freezing at extreme points, but it just isn't the same. You need the true passage of seasons to make "cozy."

"Cozy" was sleeping in the bedroom I had as a child and hearing the wind whistling, seeing the Christmas lights twinkling outside on the front porch. "Cozy" was all our family opening presents together in a living room that used to be huge and now seems small. "Cozy" was my best friend and I ending up in a downtown Starbucks with our frozen ears and hot lattes after watching skaters on the Cincinnati downtown rink. "Cozy" was my husband and I in a restaurant on the Ohio river, watching the Cincinnati skyline and eating a special holiday meal, and snuggling in a taxi to head to a surprise (for him) Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.

"Cozy" was enjoying homemade potato soup and a crackling fire after a speaking engagement in the house of a family full of stories about the mission trips that have changed their lives. "Cozy" was a Christmas tea with 300 moms and daughters from the American Heritage Girls, all dressed in their holiday best on what seemed like the coldest night of the year. "Cozy" was sitting at my in-laws's house in housecoat and slippers on a frosty morning and having traditional tea and toast with Grandma for breakfast. "Cozy" was meeting a friend I have't seen in years in a little restaurant in Lima, dashing to the car afterwards to avoid the bitter wind.

"Cozy" is what I'm trying to recreate in the Florida sunshine. Friends have told me that they turn up their AC on Chrstmas Day and put on sweaters to make it feel more like a northern Christmas - I don't know if that will really help in my case.

My thought is that I will continue to close my eyes and remember the "cozy" memories I just made up north as we head into the holiday. They will be more real than fake snow or blasting air conditioning. No matter where you live, "cozy" has to come frm people you love.

I wish you all a "cozy" Christmas season this year! May all the hustle and bustle be overshadowed by the love and joy of the presence of Jesus and the gifts of family and friends.

Sorry for the long wait between blogs! Life has been a blur with trips to North Carolina and then continuing north for holiday time with families. In the midst I took a much-needed break at home by myself. All the activity had me unravelling, and puttering around the house and catching up there was a great medicament.

So we're in Ohio at present. The family drove north and I flew into Cinci to keep up with them, then from a best frend's house north to Randy's parents in smalltown Ohio - I can't believe how much I've become accustomed to Florida life! The cold dreariness took me by surprise at first, and then, as we hung out with Mom and Dad, became more and more cozy and reminded me of why I love Ohio. (I had just told someone the other day how beautiful it was here - then to come home in the brown gloominess seemed really weird!)

So our pace slowed at the Bishops', and we took time to sit with Randy's mom (please pray for her - she can hardly walk and they are still trying to diagnose her), play games, eat food that will probably work itself out in strange mood swings (for me), etc. Randy and his dad had some good time together, too, and didn't have any fights (we always tease them about that because they're so alike in ways). We dropped off a few Christmas presents from Kiev and then had to go on.

I'm in Cinci again now to take care of some interviews and speaking stuff for PurityWorks. I get to be in a pulpit on Sunday, which will be fun, and have been given license by the pastor and hostess to say "anything it takes to get people to be sexually pure." Whoa! How can I possibly fail? (-=

Monday I have the American Heritage Girls Christmas Tea. If you're unfamiliar, AHG is the Christian version of the Girl Scouts that has been featured in Focus on the Family publications. They're actually giving us some guidance to help us make the same contacts, and partnering to see how AHG can use PW materials in their program to teach purity.

After time here I head north again to meet my family (who have been visiting with good friends in Michigan) at my dad's. Christmas with the family and friends will happen there, and then we will head south to go home again (I get dropped off in Cinci for a return flight).

Does this give you a picture of what our lives are like? God is certainly giving me opportunity to function in the midst of chaos with a peaceful spirit, to learn to fly on small planes without fear, and to see what is important and let the rest alone. But it is a DAILY struggle. The battle in my mind to overcome fearful and anxious thoughts is very real, and I am learning (via Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind - EVERYONE should read it - and some good counsel) that a good deal of my personal struggles are rooted in a lack of mental discipline. Taking thoughts captive is not my strong point, but I am learning.

I guess with a Bible college degree and a natural interest in Scripture, I've stuffed a lot into my brain, but not meditated on it specifically enough to let it truly transform me. As I learn to do that, I'm finding that much of my mental anguish is overcomeable.

And you really do have to walk through fears to nail them to the wall. It's a battle, because our enemy knows that on the other side of that fear there are individuals who need love and attention. But fear saps our power and love by making our minds unsound. So constantly "chewing" on the fact that "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" has made the truth of the matter trickle into my mind and spirit, changing my thoughts to good expectations instead of worrying about what "might" happen (and probably never will).

OK, enough sermonizing. I have much more Christmasing to do before we get back to Florida. My wish for you is that you can give yourself permission to dump any holiday "shoulds" that are making you anxious, and to return to the manger to look at the Baby as often as possible. To recognize that the holiday won't be any more perfect than the days that lead up to it or follow it - to walk in that knowledge with grace towards the stressed-out around you and maybe to give up a batch of cookies for a long talk with a daughter or husband or good friend - and to give yourself to the journey, allowing what comes to be sufficient.

Ooooh, that sounds good - now if I can just do that myself!!! Pray for me, won't you?

Well, we are back and recovering from jet lag. Today we have spent a good deal of time drinking tea and eating chocolate. The Ukrainian tradition of talking over tea is one we want to incorporate more often into our own family life, taking time to reflect, to talk, to rest. Our friend Helen sent some lovely tea home with instructions about exactly how to brew it, and we picked up some tea cloths at the airport, so we are ready to start a new habit. And we didn't fail to bring home a good bit of Ukrainian chocolate, which is soooooo good!

How can I put into words how wonderful the trip was and how very, very productive? The kids at the orphanage to which we returned were so happy to see us again. We took on the task this time of presenting very intimate information about their bodies and reproductive systems, speaking to them as parents since they have none to explain. Can you imagine growing up on your own with no one to tell you what a menstrual cycle is (if you're a girl) or why you wake up wet sometimes (boys)?

It sounds strange, but these children (8-16 in age) seemed truly grateful for our time spent on these subjects. We majored on the fact that God had created us with wonderful bodies and that these physical signs were part of an incredible physiology that He has given us. They seemed to be relieved by the understanding we could provide. The girls got the full talk on how feminine products worked and the boys got the skinny on why men's bodies are as they are. We noticed a definite change, a new warmth towards us, after we had these discussions.

The Ukrainian team who worked with us was great. Svyeta, our female team member and a translator, did a good bit of the teaching and really engaged the girls. Zhennya, the leader of the team, led the boys' discussion along with Randy and began with the words, "We are men and so there will be no laughing about this!" Of course, there was some humor (how could there NOT be?), but Randy said the discussion was respectful and included all sorts of topics. One of the men on the team gave his testimony - he was recently married and was a virgin until marriage. Wonderful stuff!

Some of these children did not realize what sex was and/or did not connect sex with pregnancy. In an orphanage situation like this, that information is vital. We are praying that this information, along with our lessons that reminded them about their personal value and the importance of purity, will protect them from interaction that could bring more tragedy into their lives.

Please, if you'd like to come to the orphan camp this summer and meet these kids, we would love to give you information. Our weakest point this trip was not having enough team members to give more kids attention. They were so hungry for hugs that they stood in line. These children need our love and not just our money. Leaving was very emotional for everyone and may tears were shed.

We went from not bathing for a week to an apartment in downtown Kiev near Independence Square - a bit of a whiplash there. We could walk in one direction to the main square where the Orange Revolution took place, and in the other to St. Michael's, St. Sophia and the Great Gate of Kiev. (And in Kiev, we walk everywhere, so we saw them a lot!) On Sunday, we partnered with the Almaz church to present a purity seminar.

The church planned for 50 and 85 showed up - hungry, excited and very interactive! We talked and discussed and Q and A'ed from 11 until 7 - I was exhausted, but it was wonderful! Right after the seminar, emails started flowing into the church, thanking us for coming. It was probably the single most rewarding experience of my speaking career, sharing purity, sharing faith, making new Ukrainian friends from all walks of life - awesome!

The rest of the trip held all kinds of unexpected gifts - time with friends in beautiful downtown restaurants, simple and marvelous Ukrainian meals and tea in the homes of friends and a widow from MMK who brought us all to tears with her love for the Lord, time with conductors from the Ukrainian symphony and choir …

I am more and more convinced that all Americans who can should travel and make friends in as many foreign countries as possible. (Let me give just a short sermon here!) Yes, we have people who need help in America, but America has many ways for her own to get help. Other nations like Ukraine are in dire need and their governments and national systems are unable or unwilling to help. In these times when so much seems uncertain all over the world, we who have the bulk of money in this world should spend it to build relationships and strengthen global ties in individual ways that our governments can't or won't. Who knows but that we may make friends with someone who has the power to stop a war, or avoid nuclear conflict? It may be as simple as being willing to get out, make friends, and seek to understand.

Americans, we cannot afford the luxury of sitting at home with all our comfort and convenience, hoping that the trouble all around us will somehow disappear on its own. We have a global responsibility to our brothers and sisters, and it is easier than ever to make contact with them. If love is what the world really needs, then that love must come from us. Are we bringers of liberty that results in freedom, or just self-centered rich people?

Our good friend Helen, who is one of the conductors of the Kiev Chorus, is, in all manner of speaking, a beautiful, elegant, intelligent, talented lady. She is one of a very few Ukrainians who is beginning to be a middle class. Yet she lives in a three-room flat on the 6th floor of a run-down apartment building. Riding in the elevator is an act of faith in itself. These apartments buildings are fire traps. Whole families are crammed into these tiny places, and yet they do not complain. Some of them have visited us in America, and they do not judge us for having our roomy, plush homes.

But I do evaluate myself, and wonder what I can do to encourage these fine people who have been through war, and famine, nuclear fallout and tragedy. They continue to struggle with a corrupt government and a system left over from a Soviet regime that was cruel and selfish. Many other nations suffer similarly - good people caught in the crossfire of those hungry for power and money.

I hope you'll consider your part in these matters and listen for God's voice, directing you in how to respond. There is much many of us can do - if we just make ourselves available.

Well, I'll get off my soapbox for now. We are all looking forard to enjoying the holidays, and I hope you are, too. It is wonderful to be home. Please don't take for granted the great freedom we enjoy in this country. There really is nowhere else like it in the whole world. (-=

I had some reservations about having a Princess event a day before we flew to Ukraine (especially since this was my own daughter's purity ceremony as well), but now I'm so glad we did - what a sweet, memorable night it was! Now I can separate from the girls for awhile and feel very positive about how we left each other.

Some of you know about The Princess and the Kiss (a storybook about purity) and the accompanying Life Lessons book that goes with it. Many moms and young daughters have done the Life Lessons study together (as a bridge to deeper discussions on purity) and ended it with a purity/blessing ceremony. I've been to many of these events and my oldest daughter was actually involved in the very first one, a beautiful ceremony held in a mansion along the banks of a southern Michigan river. Magical!

I wondered if we could really repeat the magic for my younger daughter. Every time I write a book, I tend to kind of distance myself from it after it's published - I guess I've worked on it so much that I feel tired to death of it! So I wondered if the study would have the same impact after I'd been through it so many times myself. Both my daughters have been through the book twice, and I've gone through it another time with a foster daughter included.

This study was actually the most fun. We did it with three moms and daughters, a "crash course" in five weeks, since my international travel was squeezing us. (Thus the ceremony right before we fly out.) We used a copy of a journal that some other moms had prepared. (There have been a series of these Life Lessons studies here in Central FL since we moved - these ladies who did the journal actually took 21 full weeks to study the book - amazing!.) We put together questions, crafts, and etc. in the journal for a keepsake. One of our moms is so crafty and I am NOT, so I was so grateful for her gifted input.

My young daughter was pretty intense about the whole thing. She knew the answers to a lot of the questions because we talk about this stuff constantly with mom in purity ministry and all. We had good talks during the lesson time at home, but in my heart I was wondering, (as all moms do) "Is she really getting this?" But she was!

A side note: It's amazing how young girls immediately catch on to issues of modesty, friendship and the kiss when you relate them to the heart. They may not be ready for all the sexual purity details, but they GET what purity is, and that's the foundation for everything that follows. It's awesome to see girls this age(8-12) talk about what they know after they've been through a study. They know what they want in a husband, they recognize that dating games hurt people, and they understand why they need to cover their bodies, among other very important things. (And to think that boys are learning similar lessons through The Squire and the Scroll - how amazing is all this???)

Back to the subject at hand: The ceremony itself was SOOOO precious. We had a cake with a crown and scepter and the girls' names on it, and some heart-shaped cookies we had made the night before. Our girls had pretty dresses and tiaras, and I dressed in my "princess uniform" to read the storybook again and ask review questions.

Then every mom and dad sat with their daughter and told her how much they loved her, how they felt when she was born, how they would be praying as the daughter pursued purity. This wasn't comfortable for all of us, but it was so worthwhile (especially in a society where very few rites of passage are available to celebrate our children's growing up)! Moms and Dads ended up sniffling and red-eyed, and in our case, our little gal just sobbed and sobbed. It was too much for her to hear such expressions of love and care in such an intimate setting. She hugged us and said over and over how much she loved us. We could tell it was one of those life-changing moments for her.

After the blessing, we all gave the girls Princess prayer box necklaces (see theprincessandthekiss.com) and prayed with them in the center of our circled families. And of course, pictures, pictures, pictures! We had created a table where we all had framed pictures and arrangements of photos with the girls' journals and candles - great opportunity to brag. And of course all the dads were snapping away and running video cameras.

I don't think I will ever forget looking into our little girl's huge brown eyes and seeing them begin to fill with tears as her daddy was talking to her about keeping her heart pure and quoting the verse about her being "God's workmanship, created for good works in Christ." She is such a jewel, so gifted and talented and unique. This ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the gift of her joy in our household again, and I wouldn't trade it.

So, even thought I'm the author of this stuff, permit me to say, "Do these studies with your kids!" You will make memories that will never be forgotten, and pave the path to purity for years to come!

Whew! I was only going to write a little because we're washing the last of the laundry and finishing packing to leave in the morning. But writing always seems to end up being more important! (-=

We love you all. Please continue to pray for us tomorrow through the 16th. We're so grateful for your support and will try to write from Kiev if we can!

Details are starting to pile up as we prepare to leave the country and then flow into a panoply of holiday gatherings, travel and all the accompanying arrangements. How to keep it all in pespective??

I personally am devoting myself to enjoying the chaos, no matter what happens. I recognize that there will probably be no way to keep my house in order as I like it, maybe no time to clean, except for the most basic basics, for the next month or two! That doesn't square very well with a woman who grew up in a house where you could eat off the floor!

BUT I don't think I serve a God who is going to grill me on housekeeping details when I stand before Him. He may, however, want to know which lives I reached out and touched. So maybe I oughta keep my mind on those who need me and off my own desires for order and peace as I understand them.

The first group I think of (because our trip is imminent) who could benefit from my involvement is our friends and partners in Ukraine. Orphans, widows, struggling people who have been oppressed for so long in unimaginable circumstances, who just deserve to live a normal life. I'vebeen reading more hstory on the Ukraine, and the stories of the unprecedented starvation, death, destruction and tragedy are just mind-boggling. How can a leader and a group of people be so completely cruel and heartless, preying on the innocent and destroying families who only wanted to mind their own business and be happy? For generations these people have suffered - not years, but generations! It's time somebody did something, and I'm so grateful that Music Mission Kiev and organizations like it are giving us the stepping stones to be in there helping.

It's a worthy sacrifice to give up my comfort for a couple of weeks to those who have never known peace or a childhood like mine. It's a worthy sacrifice for our family to experience separation for a couple of weeks when thousands of these people have lost family members for no good reason at all. When I look at what they've endured, I know I have no reason to whine about anything in my life.

The second group that needs me is my family. They'd really like me to be present in our holiday events instead of running around, stressed out, or constantly cleaning up. Therefore, I have given in to pleading friends who are inviting us to North Carolina over Thanksgiving. To me, it looks like one more opportunity for travel chaos, but at the same time, I won't be cooking! It's a camp kind of situation where the girls can ride horses or rappel (sp?) and be active. And I have secured permission to stay in our cabin and be a hermit if I like. We will have had just a few days to get over jet lag and I may just sleep!

These friends who have invited us are a group of families that have grown up together and are making a place for us in their very secure, comforting circle. How much we need that in this new and strange big-city environment! So I have signed up in spite of my crammed calendar.

And when we get home, another friend comes to visit - from the other side of the country! She is another speaker who's asked us to partner with her in Nigeria next summer. We have never met in person and it will be a joy to have her here. And since she travels as well, she'll understand if there are suitcases and dirty clothes all over the floor.

Just after her departure, we head home to another priority in relationships - our grandparents and friends in the north. My speaking and our Christmas reunions will have to share a few days, but these times with the original families are few and far between. If there are still dirty clothes from Kiev in the laundry back home, they will have to wait.

And then home for Christmas - home to rest, home to breathe, home to begin to plan for more January speaking and a conference in February. The happy chaos goes on - and maybe the house will be put in order again.

If you pray for me, pray that I will keep my eyes on what is really important in all this. I myself will not be able to have the "ducks in a row" that I would like. But I will spend time with people all over the world that I love, cherish and value. And the best gift of Christmas will be to reflect on all of it.

But for now, just this day … just this week ahead … just enough light for the step I'm on …

Boy, have I enjoyed peace and quiet this week. It will be the calm before the storm, with preparations beginning to gear up for our next Ukraine trip.

The orphanage we're going to serve is four hours from Kiev in a remote northern village near the Russian border. Some of you know about it from our newsletter. Last visit we slept in a church in sleeping bags on inflatable mattresses. There was no snow, but it was still very cold and none of the team had actually dressed for it. So this time I'm going prepared with long johns from my good sister up north and enough layers to allow me to sleep at night and to keep me from being distracted by frostbitten appendages during the day!

From what I understand, we'll be sleeping in a big room that has gym mats on the floor and great big windows that probably don't hold heat. The bathroom that Music Mission Kiev built for the kids (their first indoor plumbing) has two showers and one toilet (thee are 300 kids here) and is right down the hall, although we hear it has been somewhat damaged since we were here last. Since last time we had so much trouble with hot water, I am planning as though there will be no showers from the time we fly out of Orlando until we leave the orphanage to go to Kiev - about 6 days. That way anything I DO get will be a pleasant surprise. (I was so appalled by my "addiction" to hot water and heat last trip - I'm hoping I'll be able to stand the "roughing it" a little bit better this time.)

This trip we also get to eat with the orphans. Last time we ate in the room we slept in, mostly ramen noodles but also some occasional treats from the villagers, who are glad we come to help the kids as they are all just barely able to survive themselves. (I need to pick up some potato peelers are gifts - I only wish I could bring some kind of a sun-powered tractor to help these people who work with a hoe all the time in this backbreaking farming.) The kids eat bread that almost always has a moldy smell (we ate it last time with no ill effects) and pretty much the same stew every day. We'll bring extras for both us and them.

This trip our goal is to spend one-on-one time with the 10-16 year old girls, who are in a great deal of danger in the orphanage. Some of their attendats are men, and they sleep right scross the hall from the boys. We know at this point there is no enforcement of law in this place, and that this is just part of the country getting on its feet … so abuse is part of life there right now. The kids may get a break from it when we are there, I think, but it goes on when we leave, so we continue to return to bring hope until the director discovers a conscience or until they allow more intervention from the outside world. At present, we have to bribe the director just to show up.

Our plans with the girls are to take them menstruation "care packages," since we're thinking no one is talking to them about their bodies and how to care for or protect them … and then to talk more about womanhood, modesty, etc. Their walls are plastered with posters of female pop stars with very few clothes, and this is such a heartbreaker. If only those people understood the effects of their irresponsibility on other cultures! Almost 70% of these girls wll probably end up in prostitution, and these performers definitely contribute to that effect. I'd love to bring some craft supplies in an effort to "cover up" some of the immodesty on those walls! (-=

I'm also thinking of taking a "princess" kind of dress to have each of them wear and be photographed in. None of these girls will be having a "coming out" party that I know of, and they loved it when my husband took photos of them last time. So much of their realty is bound up in what they see on TV. In that way, they face similar struggles to American children.

Anyhow, donations are coming in to support the trip, and if you have an interest in providing food, supplies or otherwise, we still have a laundry list of them to go. So let me know (you can contact me through my web site) if you'd like to help.

Kids need help all over the world. Whether you help someone next door or go into an impoverished country, kids need love and attention. And we forget that no amount of material stuff really makes a kid happy, American or Ukrainian. What the really need is a kind look, a hug, a listening ear, someone to walk with them. It's so easy to get caught in the "buying things" routine to express our love for our kids here in the US, but that can be a real trap. When I consider how happy many of the Ukrainian or African kids that I've met are with a ball or a simple toy, I recognize that with our material treasures our kids may be as impoverished as those children. If we're not engaging with them as parents, they're still starving.

We're constantly surprised at how paths open for us to do work overseas. We recognize that there are so many needs here and at home. But recognizing the global family is important in this modern world, and relationships between countries are built by individuals understanding and helping each other in spite of what their countries are doing or not doing. And we want to bring real liberty to individuals at home or abroad - liberty that brings life and hope and healing.

Thanks for reading this week! Be thinking of us as we prepare!

Wow. We are recovering from an amazing, overwhelming weekend (which was almost a week) of events! In between shuttling children and friends' children (glad to do it, Jim and Dawn!), attending a book signing (that was barely attended and actually just gave me a chance to do some much-needed SITTING STILL), and hosting, feeding and chauffeuring guests from the Ukraine, we could barely breathe. I'm so proud that our family made it through without any major emotional crashes - there certainly was opportunity for plenty of them!

First we thought we were having two females … then two males … no, two females … the girls cleaned their rooms and scrubbed their bathtub and moved their things into the guest room and bath so the girls (guys?) could have their Jack and Jill suite all to themselves. (Guests are a great excuse for deep cleaning!)

Our church was organizing homes to keep the 200+ guests that were arriving, and at the last minute discovered that there were too many homes and not enough guests, so after some shuffling and a call from our friend who is part of Music Mission Kiev's staff, we agreed to take one woman, Helen, who actually is a good friend of ours from our last trips overseas. Helen is one of the administrators and a choral conductor. We love her dearly and she speaks much good English.

We had so much fun with Helen! She was glad to be in a household by herself for awhile, and was very interested in our family. Her friend Valentyna spent a day with us at the beach and coached our eldest daughter (who is becoming quite good at Russian) in the language constantly while she was with us.

The Ukrainians love to shop (at discount clothing stores), eat (Chinese buffet - that was the biggest treat because they hardly ever get good seafood - we went TWICE to buffet and once for sushi), and give gifts. They have a childlike enthusiasm about our culture and all its conveniences, so different from the hardships they endure with government-controlled heat, water, and all the leftovers of the Soviet regime.

Many of those on the choir/symphony tour have been here before. They work very hard and travel constantly to earn $25 a day, which is very good money for them. So their main reason for coming is not to sightsee, but to make money for their families. Their schedule with us was grueling, because Northland (a church of about 10,000) has seven services a weekend. They performed in every one and also gave an extra hour on Monday night after being at the beach all day!

These services were absolutely AMAZING. If you've been to the symphony or opera, you know how much those tickets cost - ridiculous! But we went to the service (actually, two services including the extra concert on Monday) for FREE. And I can say it was one of the mst moving experiences of my life. They began with Rimsky Korsakov's March of the Nobles and then did A Mighty Fortress is Our God, and I wept through most of it.

It wasn't just the stellar talent (I've never seen such diversity), but the pride with which they performed and the emotion it drew out of us. In American a choir is not a big thing, but these folks have all trained in special schools since they were 5 years old. The commitment Ukrainians have to the arts give them a performing ability that is world-renowned.

Not to mention that we saw some incredible choreography from the Russian Ballet of Orlando. Especially their performance of Mozart's funeral piece … how do you describe such feeling and beauty?

The director of the ballet said the event changed his ideas about church. Mine, too. The beauty and majesty of this music in this setting created an overpowering sense of God's presence and power. If you can ever see the KSOC in concert, don't miss it! (OK, ad here, Google Northland Church or Music Mission Kiev for more info - the KSOC will be on tour for a few more weeks, heading north - concert in Dayton, for our Ohio friends!).

So we've been recovering ever since - from missing Helen, from late nights, from running everywhere and everywhen.

We also got to meet with the church members we'll be visiting next month. Boy, will I adress some heavy issues of sexual purity. There are deep needs that need deep and lasting change. This is one of those times when I look at God and say, "You have to do this - how can I possibly speak to all this?" It is a special privilege to serve these friends overseas, and I really, really need everyone's prayer support to do it.

Our financial donations for the trip are not yet what they need to be - God is teaching us to walk in faith. The airline tickets have been purchased (yikes!) and arrangements are being made, and I'm in a hurry to get materials ready for the seminar as they will all have to be translated. Luckily, the Ukrainian gal who is doing it for us is also a good friend. But I know that it is very much work for her.

If you think of us this week, just pray. Pray that our time will be spent as it should be, our priorities in order, the chaos joyful. These are amazing times!!

Okay, trying to get my entry in today before the weekend swamps me. We have two little boys at our house (who are being ridiculously well-behaved - are they trying to impress us??), Ukrainian friends coming tomorrow for a meeting and some video work, a book signing on Saturday, the boys going home, and two more Ukrainian guests from the Kiev Symphony and choir coming in for four days while they do a concert at our church. They leave Tuesday, and then we have friends for dinner that night. I finally get to be an inrovert again on Wednesday - whee!

The rest of my family love guests, and I really do, too - only in smaller doses. (-= Luckily, I have this gem of a husband who shops, cooks, and interacts with the boys. I do the cleaning up (there's plenty to do!) and we get along fine. Today I need to pick up a baby gift for a friend and get some fresh flowers - I love buying them when guests are coming - but that's the extent of my assignments. No writing required until next week when my head is clearer.

Looking at another season of travel ahead - seems like it all happens in cycles - Ukraine in November, Thanksgiving holiday events, a visit from a friend from Idaho, and then off to the holiday season with family up north. Then I'll be ready to stay home for Christmas and maybe vegetate or get away with the husband for awhile.

It's going to be a rich weekend. I should have good stories to share by next Friday's entry. Have a happy weekend!

Here it is Friday already - at our house it's a free day because we homeschool on Mon.-Thurs. This morning I was trying to figure out if I should get the girls mopping or pulling weeds - big jobs that need to be done before we have Ukrainian guests from the Kiev symphony this weekend. (Not to mention that for three days prior to their coming, we have two very active little boys staying with us while a friend vacations, and book signing on the day they leave and the Ukrainians come!)

It's supposed to rain today, so Vash decided we ought to mop this AM and weed tmorrow when the ground would be soft. Smart girl. It helps so much when I let the kids help decide.

We're off to visit my elderly aunt this afternoon and to do some grocery shopping and errands. How we need quiet days full of ordinary stuff! Our Bible study group is doing Being a Mary in a Martha world, and we had to compare ourselves to some inanimate object to show how we're feeling about our life. I said I felt like I was being pulled along at the back of a rocket ship, hanging on for dear life. Every day is a whirling, spinning world of activity, and the challenge is to keep our eyes on God in the midst of it. Not all that easy on many days.

Hoping to fit in a date with the husband this weekend. Why do those always have to be "squeezed in"? Looking towards some planned time away before we head out of the country in November. If you're the praying kind, please pray that the donations will come in - they're just a trickle at this point, and we need to buy airline tickets in the next few days for at least five people. As always, only God can manage our needs.

Well, off to simpler things! Enjoy your weekend, everyone, and enjoy your families. They grow up too fast!

I'm sitting here on the couch with my friends learning how to build a blog. My husband is a technology hound who was kind enough to do my journal entries for me until I could discover how to do them myself. And now . . . I CAN! So, now you get to read MY words!

I admit that I'm not always tuned in to the technology scene. I'm more likely to curl up in a corner with good book, and living with a family that is quite musical, I crave quiet sometimes. My idea of heaven is a front porch where I can drink lemonade and watch an occasional car go by, or a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate and the snow falling outside.

My family, on the other hand, loves modern technology, and they keep me from being a hermit! God put us together to balance me, I'm sure.

Of course, I wouldn't be much good on the subject of purity if I hid myself from modern culture. That's the balance issue for all of us, isn't it—not separating ourselves to the extent that we have no opportunity to affect lives, but taking the necessary time to nurture intimacy with God, which is the power outflow for all of life.

We need time to focus on pure thoughts if we're planning to practice purity in our lives. That's a good reason why I need some quiet in my life—to get my thoughts in order and to examine what I'm thinking about. But it's hard in American society. Does anyone else struggle with this? How do you make room for quiet in your life? I can always use new tips!

Upon returning to the US from Kiev, Ukraine, Jennie started preparing for an appearance at the Heartbeat International Conference which will be held in Orlando in May.

The Bishop family is preparing to return to Kiev, June 5-18. They will be working at an orphan camp with Music Mission Kiev. Jennie will have further opportunity to teach purity there, using a Russian version of her book The Princess and the Kiss.

With the school year about to end, and mission trips about to begin (our daughter Vashti will be in Honduras from May 28-June 4), Jennie is looking forward to July when the family can take bit of vacation together. July has a week with Jennie's father and sisters in Colorado, followed by the CBA conference, where her new book The Garden Wall will be introduced. After that is another week for her and her husband and daughters to spend relaxing in Colorado Springs before returning home to Central Florida and a new school year!

Friday, March 24, 2006 - Jennie has been in Kiev, Ukraine since Monday. She is there with a team from Northland - A Church Distributed. They have been doing leadership and family training all week, as well as working with local orphans.

Using her story The Princess and the Kiss and others, Jennie has had a unique opportunity to impact the lives of local Christians and non-Christains in one of the most interesting cities in the world.

Prior to leaving, Jennie completed the final draft of her soon-to-be-released story The Garden Wall, which will be published by Warner Press. The Garden Wall is a story that beautifully illustrates love, based on I Corinthians 13. Artwork is being finalized by a wonderful artist in Colorado, Jeff Stoddard, who is creating a beautiful landscape for the story. We will keep you updated on the progress of this new book as it develops.

PurityWorks, a not-for-profit organization founded by Jennie for presenting a strategy of 'Planned Purity' for parents and children, has a website, www.purityworks.org. Check it out and sign up there for the email newsletter, PurityWords, that Jennie sends out each month.

The Jennie Bishop on-line journal is back in business, linked up to the all-new website.

This is a great place for you to hear the latest news from the Bishop house!

You can even subscribe to this 'weblog' if you use downloadable software called a news reader. (NewsGator www.newsgator.com is a popular one, but there are others around as well, and many of them are free to use. It's not email, so no-one has to worry about spam filters or anything like that.

Of course, you can also just drop by jenniebishop.com anytime and click JOURNAL.