A first I wasn't looking for

If you are one of my NoVa friends, this post will not be all that interesting since we all have one of these stories now. But to each of us individually, WHOA do we have a story to tell


Today was my first (and hopefully last) earthquake.  At 5.8 it wasn't anything to sneeze at. The 11th floor where I work was definitely rocking and rolling. It lasted long enough for me to check out the window to see if the metro construction had gone wrong in some way, then check with my boss, then freak out with my boss, and then wonder WHAT just happened.

Even though my building just did a full evacuation drill three weeks ago (and I had to do floor captain training with a fetching florescent vest) we had NO idea what to do in this particular situation. Thankfully our building seems to be just fine and we only had to wait outside a brief time before they allowed us to reenter.


The rest of the afternoon was spent checking in with our coworkers and sharing our stories with one another of our panicked reactions to such an unexpected phenomenon. When it really comes down to it, nothing actually HAPPENED to most of us. Mostly, the Metro's precautionary 15 mph speed limit had the biggest impact on the day. Thankfully I don't use the metro to get to and from work.

Oh, and where is Hurricane Irene supposed to make landfall this weekend? It seems the world is ending and starting right here in Virginia. Ah, it's fun living where everything happens ;-)

And it was good!

DC Fest was AMAZING!  The meet & greet before hand was very quick with no pictures, but I had a chance to say hello to, and get autographs from, 18 amazing christian men. I didn't say anything life changing to SCC, but it was still great. Every one of them were so kind and gracious as I made meaningless smalltalk while moving along the line of artists.

And then it was on to the concert! My seat was dead center, 2nd row. It's an amazing way to see a concert. From 3pm until 10:30pm we worked our way through seven amazing sets of music. Though I didn't know all the songs, there wasn't any part I wanted to skip. I had fun. I worshiped. I pondered. I laughed. I got tired and wished I wore better shoes for standing on concrete all day. But I loved every minute of it. Right down to the last moment when I got SCCs guitar pick that he tossed into the crowd.

I hope none of the wonderful preachers and teachers I know and love take this the wrong way, but that day of music fed me as much as a month of Sunday sermons. Lyrics pierced my soul. They illuminated dark places. They brought joy and healing. I'll be sorting through all the mini-sermons my soul and spirit heard for the next few weeks.

One thought I wanted to share with you. (press play above if you can)

Oh God let this be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob

I don't know about you, but I haven't prayed any prayers about "my generation" in almost ten years. It's a phrase that somehow only applies to youth, teens, the ones up and coming. I'm 30 now. My generation is just...a normal part of the world. But I felt God stirring my heart. We are not forgotten or left behind. We have not missed God's call on our generation.

IS 62:12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.

HighCalling, revisit the zeal of our youth. Revisit the prayers you prayed. It's not over yet.

I wholeheartedly recommend this worship album : http://www.amazon.com/It-Is-Well-Expanded-Edition/dp/B0045QKQGI/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314068918&sr=301-2

Thanks for coming on this blog journey with me!

Concert Extravaganza!

Do you love concerts? Me too! Let me share a few tid-bits with you.

First, this one is local to the DC area. This Saturday is DC Fest! Hours and hours of amazing live music starting at 3pm at the Patriot Center. Last year I got tickets at the door and sat in the nosebleeds for $15 but this time I'm going all out with a 2nd row ticket that lets me meet the artists before the show. This is when I plan to stutter at Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W Smith, Matthew West and more all at once. You should come too!

Other awesome tours:

• Hillsong United is hitting a few cities. I'm bummed because the MD show is the same night as DC Fest.
• You also NEED to be at a show during the LAST TOUR EVER for the David Crowder Band. They are also taking Gungor, Chris August, and John Mark McMillan on the road with them so it will be a spectacular night. They have a whole list of cities that start the end of next month and I heard a rumor that a couple are already sold out. So don't wait.
• Chris Tomlin has been on tour for a while now and I was sad I missed him in Baltimore. Thankfully, he has a whole 2nd set of dates coming up INCLUDING the Patriot Center! Most of the cities are already on sale, so go get them now. My show goes on sale Aug 26th and I plan on snatching up some of those first 10 row tickets I see for only $36. I'm really hoping I can get some friends to go with me (hint hint hint). Christy Nockels is the special guest and I'm excited to hear her. Though I haven't keep up with her newer stuff, I loved her when she and her husband were Watermark.
• WinterJam is hitting the west cost for the first time ever. HUGE traveling indoor music fest. I had a blast at one of the VA stops earlier this year. Super cheap too. Newsboys, RED, Kutless, NewSong, Matthew West, Fireflight, and more. 

And that is today's Music Monday Concert Extravaganza update!  Let me know what shows you plan to attend this summer/fall!
(want to know my secret? I check itickets.com alllllll the time.)

Putting my hospitality to work

Have you ever wished you had a hobby that MADE you money instead of cost you money? (you'd think I sat up late at night watching infomercials with that line! But really, I'm not trying to con you.) I used to have one. Back home in Florida I had a great hobby for about 4 years. This summer I said, "Hey! Let's do that again!" I love messing around with food and making things homey and so forth and so on in a hospitable sort of way. My cooking skills and baking repertoire were very much widened by this hobby before and I'm already seeing that happen again.

Songwriters are my favorite

One of my musical heroes is Steven Curtis Chapman. His song writing style is perfect for my brain/heart to absorb. He uses so many original analogies that I just love.

In reference to accepting God's grace:

I'm playing Gameboy standing in the middle of the Grand Canyon
I'm eating candy sittin' at a gourmet feast
I'm wading in a puddle when I could be swimming in the ocean

Free song download!

Love this band, love this song.  Download it free!

Show Hope

If I'm going to be a blogger, I want to use the platform for good when I can. I received an email yesterday from Show Hope asking for assistance in spreading the word about a fundraising effort they are currently engaged in. If you are still part of that lovely jungle called Facebook, then clicking LIKE will make a difference for them.

Mature Monday

There is that alliteration again. Can't seem to get away from it!

I chuckle a little though, because today's "Mature Monday" is brought to you via a teen devotional post and the New Kids on the Block.

I read a devotional online this morning that was written several years ago by Rebecca St.James on the topic of boundaries. It wasn't until I got to the end that I realized it had been posted as part of a teen website. It really didn't matter since the subject matter, and her approach to it, are pretty ageless. You should click the link and go read it. It's good. It put words to the desire in my heart to quiet some of the chaos that has been there. Quitting Facebook (which I did this morning!*) has been about creating boundaries. When I decided to kick the FB bucket, I let up on the personal tweeting a bit as well, but I had no intention of making any major changes to my OTHER twitter account. The one all about NKOTB.