I promised a picture of the pool a few days ago, so here it is. Keep in mind that this is located on the 6th floor of the hotel. It is enormous. I can't imagine what is underneath this baby. The view is really cool, though, because you are looking out over the city if you head towards the rail. If I haven't mentioned it before, the railings in Thailand would send an OSHA inspector into cardiac arrest. Apparently the Thai people aren't anywhere near as litigious as we in the States.

So, two things I learned over our 50-hour trip home from Thailand: 1) If customer service is important to you in air travel, you're going to want to stay away from United Airlines. 2) No matter where you are traveling in this beautiful world, avoid Chicago like the plague.

Our journey began late Sunday afternoon Thailand time, around 5 in the morning here at home. We only flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, about an hour flight, and then we had another overnight stay at that hotel that we loved so much on the way over. Amazing that it is perceived as a "nice" hotel in Bangkok, and it actually does appear that way on the outside and in the lobby, but there were roaches everywhere, and one room had to be changed due to a rat.

Because we were afraid of who we might be sleeping with in our room, and because we had this fantastic plan about how to go on the offense against jet lag, Jeff, Debo, Paul, Brandon, Jerry and I stayed up in the lobby all night. We had to be back there at 3:50 a.m. anyway, so we figured we might as well. We got really tired, but were able to keep each other awake with all kinds of trivia, including a really long TV show theme song marathon. We skipped the easy ones and really searched our brains for lyrics to all those great shows of the past. Why don't TV shows have theme songs anymore? Our kids probably won't be able to do this 20 years from now. The two we got stuck on and just couldn't remember at all were Webster and Mr. Belvedere. When we got to Bangkok and had free wireless, Jeff pulled them up and all was right again.

The airport in Bangkok is really beautiful. It is all steel and glass and neon light - very modern. These pieces of artwork were right inside the first security area. Definitely not what you would see at your average American airport.

Our flight from Bangkok to Thailand was pretty uneventful. It's about 6 hours, and those hours seemed much longer going home than they did on the way. I think it's much harder to psyche yourself up for a 6-hr flight followed by a 12-hr flight. Going the other way you can say to yourself, the next flight is only half as long as this one. Telling yourself the next flight is twice as long isn't helpful at all.

Because we had stayed up all night, I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep on that first leg. I tried to stay awake to watch The Pursuit of Happiness but just couldn't do it. Guess I need to move that up on my Netflix queue so I can see how it turns out. I'm glad I didn't watch Bridge to Terabithia, though. Vicki was bawling like a little baby. Who knew that movie was so sad? That's not how it was advertised at all.

Once we got through security in Tokyo, we only had about a 45-minute layover. I really like how that airport is laid out. They have moving sidewalks going right through the middle of the terminals, all the way down. It was fun exercise to walk up and down the length of the airport on a perpetual treadmill that was working for you instead of against you.

The flight from Tokyo to Chicago just about put all of us out of our minds. We took a different route coming home. It was much more across middle America than on the way there. We came in around Seattle and then headed southeast towards Chicago. I was able to sleep off and on throughout the flight. I didn't really want to, but it was hard to keep my eyes open. I watched Music and Lyrics, which was actually really cute, and Breach, not so cute, but still pretty good.

After flying 11 hours or so and getting so close we could smell the smog, they put us in a holding pattern because we weren't able to land in Chicago due to weather conditions. We should have probably realized this was an ominous sign, but all we could think about was landing so we could get on our 4:15 flight to Nashville. We were so naive.

This is us, bunches of hours later. It seems that due to the storms yesterday, the FAA knocked Chicago down from 100 flights landing per hour to 40. If that few planes can get in, that really screws up the outbound plan as well. Over half of our group was supposed to be on the 4:15 flight. When we got there, that one had been pushed back to 7. The other half of our group's flight was listed to leave at 7:48.

Shortly after we arrived they cancelled the first flight. So we all got in line to try and figure out what to do. To make a very LONG story a little shorter, there was basically nothing United could or would do for us. There were 30 of us trying to fly standby and only one plane scheduled to go out, which was full. Rather than hang out all night and try to get ourselves home at who knows when on Tuesday, we ended up chartering a bus. So, yes, we were literally living out that well-loved '80s classic, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Only watching it is a whole lot funnier than living it.

So around 9:30 last night, 32 of us left behind the 20 or so that had seats on the later flight (which I think ended up finally leaving close to 11) and loaded up a bus heading for Nashville. Our driver's name was Kas, and he was absolutely adorable. We were just so happy to be getting out of there. Unfortunately, he did have to drive through some of that nasty weather that had been our nemesis all afternoon. The bus ride was almost more turbulent than our flights had been.

Around 4:00 this morning, when we were about an hour and a half away from Nashville, Kas pulled the bus over at a rest stop. We thought we were getting out to use the facilities, but Kas was kind of unresponsive. Jeremy tapped him on the shoulder to see if we could get out of the bus. He sat up long enough to open the door, and then this is the posture he resumed.

Apparently Kas has a little switch. When he gets sleepy, he stops driving, lays on the steering wheel and takes a power nap. We were all just a little bit nervous about this, but 20 minutes later he sat up, smiled and was ready to go. Some of the folks at the front talked to him the rest of the way home, just to make sure.

Around 5:30, we came upon the Nashville skyline at sunrise. It has never looked more beautiful. At this point it had been just slightly over 48 hours since we had left our hotel in Chiang Mai heading home. Jack Bauer would have saved the world at least six times by then. We considered ourselves extremely blessed just to have made it back from halfway around the world.

We got to the airport around 6:00 a.m. to see whose baggage was there. We had two of our four bags, but some people didn't have any. Since the flight was cancelled due to weather, they will not deliver our bags. (United used this weather excuse to get out of EVERYTHING, by the way. USA Today published a very timely editorial yesterday that gave me a little bit of satisfaction, if you are interested in that kind of thing.)

So currently we are waiting to get the call from United saying that our bags are there. Nothing like heading back to the airport to bring a perfect end to the perfect day. But I got my baby back this morning. I love him so much. I get my others back tomorrow. Then everything will be okay again.

Being back makes everything that has happened over the past two weeks seem like a faraway dream. I don't ever want to forget what I have experienced over these days. I don't want to forget the faces. I don't want to forget the darkness of a people who don't know the Light of the World. They recognize Jesus, and are even somewhat interested in Him, but only for who He was as a man.

These people that we have been serving over the past ten days are immersed in this culture. They are raising their children in a world that mine may never even see. May I never forget them, but always remember to lift them up before the Father. I feel like we were able to lift their spirits a little bit, but the impact they made upon us was life-changing. How blessed we are to be able to worship together whenever we want, so much so that we completely take it for granted. The Ms we were with were starved for this. I hope it tasted as sweet to them as it did to me.

It's about 2:45 p.m. here in Thailand on our last day. We have a closing ceremony from 3:30 to 5, and then the 50 or so of us that are leaving tonight will bust over to the airport. We are going to be cutting it a little close, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Tonight we are just flying back to Bangkok. Unfortunately we have to stay at the same hotel we stopped at on the way here, and this time we won't be nearly as tired as we were last time, so I'm afraid we'll notice even more things about it we'd rather not see. But it's just a few hours, and then we'll be back to the airport. Tomorrow will be the 6-hour flight to Tokyo, followed by the 13-hour flight to Chicago. Then hopefully we won't have any problems getting out of Chicago. If all goes well, we should be home around 8:00 on Monday night Nashville time. I can't wait to see my babies.

I'll blog about yesterday at some point on the plane. Brandon Abbott played auctioneer last night for the Lottie Moon thing. He was SO in his element. They raised over $33,000 on all of the baskets and the special fear factor stuff at the end. Scott Harris ate some really nasty things, but raised something like $8,000 for it. I still don't think I could have done it.

Remember Koy, the adorable Thai girl with the amazing voice that we've listened to in the lobby every night? Last night I went downstairs to take her picture and tell her good-bye. She totally hit on me. No lie. It was one of the most bizarre experiences of my entire life. Fortunately, what happens in Thailand stays in Thailand.

That's all for now. Pray for us. See you soon. :)

Friday night, 10:40 p.m. I'm going to have to blog quickly because Jeff has already gone to bed and I told him I wouldn't be long.

Last night we did the Jerusalem marketplace for all the kids so the M's could have a couple's night out. It was a long three hours, but it was absolutely amazing for those kids. We were all in costume, with all different booths. Like I mentioned yesterday, I was working the butter and cheese booth. It really was exactly like it sounds. We had crackers that we spread butter on, and we crumbled up cheese for the kids to try. Other booths were dried fruits, dried fish (nasty), bread, basket weaving, carpet weaving.

The most awesome part was that our rhythm section guys were all given Biblical time instruments, and within about ten minutes they had figured them out and were making really good music. These guys are so talented. I think they had more fun than anybody, because they basically had a jam session for three hours. By the end of is they were making up songs like "Sweet Home, Jerusalem," and other variations of cover tunes. It was hilarious. But by the end of three hours, I was about to take the recorder from Mike Lawrence and throw it through the window.

Today I produced the group meeting. I'm telling you, if it could have gone wrong technologically, it did. The demons in that room are unbelievable. We have struggled so much with sound. Doug Diamond is doing an unbelievable job of solving ten problems at a time and keeping a cool head the entire time. It makes me wonder if he ever goes into his hotel room and punches the wall and yells at the top of his lungs. I kind of doubt it, but it's a fun thought.

Today was family fun day for the M's, so they picked up their kids at noon. Then almost all of us loaded up in 4 buses and headed to the elephant camp. This is an experience I will remember my whole life. Today was the first day that I wished my kids were here with me. Not that it was the first time I missed them, but the first time I wished they were here. They would have absolutely loved that place.

When we first arrived, we went to watch the elephant show. These elephants all have their own individual trainer that works with them. They played soccer, did a bunch of tricks, even gave a guy a massage. The most amazing part was when they painted. And when I say painted, I'm not talking abstract. They made bonsai trees and beautiful orchids and a few other things. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have never believed it. I was really expecting them to just throw paint up on the canvas, but they were extremely purposeful and delicate in what they did. It was something I can't even get my brain around to understand how you would train an elephant to do that. I probably don't want to know.

Because there were so many of us, we split into two groups. One group went on to do the ride, and our group walked down to the elephant nursery. We were able to take a lot of pictures with the elephants. When I sat down on one of them, it was so prickly. The elephants were definitely good sports, because they just sat there forever letting one after another of us pose with them. During this group photo, a couple of the elephants got a little overly familiar with my friend Vicki. Those of you that know her will have to ask her about that. Let's just say she felt a little violated. :)

We were able to feed the elephants bananas and sugarcane for treats. If you wanted to tip the trainer, you could fold the money lengthwise and give it to the elephant. They knew not to eat it and would hand it to their trainer. It was so cute.

Afterwards we got to ride an elephant for 30 minutes. This was amazingly fun, and yet terrifying at the same time. It was nothing like riding around in a circle at the zoo. We were riding up and down gigantic muddy hills in the middle of the jungle, in the elephant's own environment. There were times when we looked around and it literally felt like being in Jurassic Park. At times I keep having to pinch myself and remind myself that I am in Thailand, halfway around the world from home, and all these people that I love are here experiencing it with me. It's been like youth camp, but a whole lot better.

We did get nasty hot at the elephant camp, so when we stopped at the butterfly and orchid farm on the way home, we were all kind of over it. My dad would have gone nuts there, because there is nothing he loves to photograph more than flowers. He could have gotten some incredible shots.

Tonight we went to dinner at a resteraunt called Riverside that our tour guide told us about this afternoon. It was the Lamberts, the Forresters, Brandon, Debo, Jeff and me. They were laughing at me because I was so giddy when I saw our table down by the river with these gorgeous Japanes (or is it Thai?) lanterns and beautiful sunset. It was one of those moments that you just want to burn into your memory because everything is just completely perfect right at that time. I will never forget it.

I love being in Thailand. I love doing what we're doing. I think it's sad that tomorrow is our last full day.

But I have three sweet little ones at home who share my face, blood and name, and being separated from them this long leaves a gap that nothing else can fill. I miss my babies. If only there was a way to get back to them that didn't involve a 30-hour commute and four planes, that would just be some kind of good. But that's not going to be the case.

Tomorrow will be incredibly hectic with getting through a normal day and then getting as much as we can packed up so we don't have to do it on Sunday. We have to be checked out by 2, and I think we'll be on our way to the airport before 4. I wish we didn't have to spend the night in Bangkok, but I guess there's no way around it. I'm just really not looking forward to going back to that hotel. Yuck.

Hopefully I'll have time to blog tomorrow, but it could possible have to wait until the plane. Just a few more days and this will all be a memory. Thanks for sharing it with me.

Hello again. It's 2:45 p.m. on Thursday which means it's 2:45 a.m. back at home. That really stinks, because I'm wanting to talk to my littlest guy really badly. I haven't had a chance to hear his voice since Sunday, and that's a really, really long time. Especially since I'm with other people's babies in my childcare rotation. They are getting lots of extra hugs and kisses from Miss Leigh Ann this week. Jeff is with Bryant's age group, and he's had one little boy virtually attach himself to him. It's funny how little guys seem to like having big guys around so much! It's helping him with missing Bryant too, so I think it's a good thing.

Yesterday was about like the day before, except that we had M's singing with us on stage, which I think made a huge difference. The group was much more open than they had been the day before, and I think I started sobbing about halfway through the first song when we had some verses up on screen about all others being idols and the nations will praise. Just looking around that room and thinking about what those guys deal with day in and day out was a little bit too much.

We had a group dinner out by the pool, which I will definitely have to take a picture of and post because it is so amazing, and then we all kind of went our different ways. A bunch of people went to the gem factory, which was especially opened for our people. But Jeff, Brandon, Debo, Scott Harris and I decided to go to the movies. We rode in a Sung Tow over to the airport plaza because that was where one of the M's said to go. When you get to the movies, there is a screen there that shows which seats are available, and then you get to pick the seats you want. It was so cool. They had three different kinds of popcorn to choose from, and it was dirt cheap, as are most things here. The seats themselves reclined pretty far back, so it was very comfortable.

In Thailand, after the previews and before the movie, they play the national anthem. This is taken very seriously in Thailand. We all had to stand up to pay respect to the king while they played a montage video of images of his decades of monarchy. I couldn't help but think how different America would be if we had just a little amount of that kind of respect for our leaders. Something to ponder anyway.

We had a very interesting experience trying to get out of the mall. It was closed, and we were trying to figure out how to get back out because Scott had told our Sung Tow driver we would meet him back there at 9:30. We were wandering around the closed mall and then the parking garage like a bad episode of Seinfeld, but it was totally hilarious to us. We couldn't find our driver, so we ended up taking another one, who charged a bunch less and got us home in about half the time, so we figure it was good that we didn't get ripped off by the same guy again.
This morning's session was AMAZING. I can't write nearly as much as I want to about this, but please just know that it was powerful. We sang our favorite Travis Cottrell song, "ICO," and over half of the audience had both hands in the air and voices as loud as could be. It must have sounded so sweet. One of the M's shared a word with us that was so heart-breaking, because she is not in a good place right now. She's wondering why nothing is working, but believes that she can endure because she's given that word from the Father, and can't imagine leaving at this point.

At that point, Jamie and Meredith were supposed to do a sketch, but Vicki and Jeremy had already decided to cut it because it just wasn't right, and when he got to Meredith and Jamie, they were both saying, "We don't need to do it." It was just a very obvious moment, and it was neat to see them not care a bit about all the work they had put into the lines and everything it took to get ready. I love these people I am serving with so much.

So instead of doing that sketch after this incredibly powerful testimony where the entire room was in tears, we went immediately into "Still." Those of you that know the song need to just think through the words and soak that in. It was indescribable. I wish you all were here and could experience this with us!

Scott has been speaking about Jonah this week. It's so interesting, because what he is talking about, disobedience and reluctance, along with the consequences, couldn't be more pertinent to all of us. You don't have to be an M to struggle with your calling. I have been seriously challenged by his words, and I'm so thankful that he is here with us.

My childcare rotation is immediately after the service. These little ones are getting REALLY tired already, and the workers who are in there with them all day are exhausted. They could really use some of your thoughts, as well as a few days of sleep. We have two little baby girls in particular that cry all the time unless their mommy is with them. You can imagine that having this from 8 to 5 is a little bit wearisome.

Tonight we are doing a marketplace, so it is all hands on deck. I am working the butter and cheese booth, whatever that is. I'll have to let you know tomorrow.

We are all weary. Jet lag is not finished with us. Singing this morning was very hard for all of us, because our voices are incredibly tired at this point. Please lift all of us up, no matter what area we are serving in. I don't think anyone is ready to go home yet, but we could all use rest.

One more thing before I go. Because there are so many of us here, we are all still meeting each other as the week goes on. There is a lady here that I knew that I recognized, but I didn't know her name. Of course I assumed that I just knew her from Brentwood. I had even made a little small talk with her yesterday. Today she stopped me in the hall and said, "I know that I know you from somewhere." I, thinking that I was joking around with her, said, "Yeah, do you go to Brentwood Baptist?"

She said, "No. I'm from Alabama."

At this point I was taken back and realized that she had on one of the FAMS nametags, and not one of the BBC nametags. She said, "I used to teach there."

I said, "I used to teach in Alabama. Where did you teach?"

She said, "Berry Middle School."

So I have come halfway around the world, ten years after I quit teaching to reconnect with someone who taught 8th grade Language Arts the same years that I was teaching 7th grade Social Studies at Berry Middle School in Birmingham, Alabama. I left and moved to Nashville. Apparently she left and moved to Korea to teach MKs. Doesn't that just blow your mind???

We truly live in a small, small world. Think how it must look to our Creator. Amazing.

(This was written last night, but our Internet was down. :))

Wow. Today has been such a full and amazing day. We began bright and early with a sound check at 7:00 a.m. Which was fine since I’d been up since 2:30. I thought I would sleep a little bit later today, but I was mistaken. It’s all good. I can sleep when I get home.

We had our first group meeting at 8:00. It was somewhat like I was expecting, but a little bit more subdued reactionwise. I think we may have been a little bit much that early in the morning, when they’re not used to anything like that, with all our brass and drums and everything. But throughout the day we have had so many comments that have been totally affirming, so I’m really looking forward to going back in the morning. They were invited to join us, and when we had rehearsal, those who showed up were SO excited to be there. It is going to be a beautiful time together.

After the meeting, Jeff and I both had our childcare rotation. He has 1-yr-olds, and I have babies. If I wasn’t homesick before, walking that first sweet 10-month-old baby boy to sleep definitely did it. I know my baby is in wonderful hands, but I sure would love to kiss on him a little bit!

From the baby room, I ran to grab a bite of lunch. They were serving native thai today, and I had some delicious, but incredibly spicy, red curry soup. I had to mix my rice in it to try and tone it down, but it still made me tear up a little!

Then it was straight to group rehearsal for 30 minutes. Some of the ladies in my section hadn’t read music in years, but they were thrilled to death to have the chance. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow morning, getting up on stage with the 30 or so that will be joining us.
Once rehearsal was over we finally had a little bit of free time. I went up to the gorgeous outside pool on the 7th floor to see all the kids out there. I ended up deciding to join them for a little bit. It was great fun to get to play with some of them, and it made me miss my big kids. I know they are swimming the days away in Florida with MiMi, and I can’t wait to get them back to the pool again.

Jeff and I went up to the room for what we thought would be a short nap about 2:30. I asked if he thought we should get a wake-up call, and he said he thought we would just sleep about 45 minutes or so. We were supposed to be at a group meeting at 5:25 and rehearsal at 6:00. So we lay down, and I suddenly woke up what I thought was just a few minutes later and looked at the clock and it was 10 after 5. We struggled to force ourselves awake and hurriedly got down to the meeting room, just a few minutes late for the meeting. We ended up not getting to have rehearsal because the M’s have the room every night. So it looks like we’ll be doing full sound checks each morning. That’s fine. It‘s definitely what we’re used to at home. Jeremy is doing a fantastic job, but definitely could use some supernatural energy.

Tonight we went to the night market. It was much like the market we went to on Sunday, but a little bit more claustrophobic. The gypsies are unbelievable. No matter how many times you turn them down, they keep coming back, over and over. It makes me think I’m about to be pickpocketed, but I’m not carrying anything, and my money is shoved way down in my pockets with my hands over them. It’s sad at first, and then it just gets annoying because they start touching you and just will not go away. Very, very frustrating. Our little buddy group had a great time together, though, and I bought some fun things.

Right now I’m sitting in the lobby with Jeff, Brandon and Debo, and we’re listening to Asian Elvis singing live. We are so amazed by all the western music we hear everywhere. They sing it in perfect mimicked English. There is a girl named Koy who sings with the band who has the most beautiful voice. It is so delicate and mesmerizing. We got to meet her a few minutes ago, and she was just so sweet and gracious. We’ve also met an American, “Billy Smith,” who was so excited to talk to us and keeps offering to buy us drinks. He said he’s here to save money in taxes, so we’re not quite sure what that means. But he plans to be here in the lobby every night, so we’ll hopefully get a chance to share the love we have within. It’s just hard because we have to be so careful about what we say when we are out in the open areas.

On the way back down from getting the computer, I just met an M from Vietnam in the elevator who asked me if I was one of the ones singing on stage this morning. When I said yes, she just embraced me and said thank you so much. She has no idea what a privilege this is for each of us!
I just want to say thanks again to all of you who have been my support back home. I could not be doing what I was called to do this week if it weren’t for you, and I love you deeply.

Back tomorrow. Have a great day everyone. Time for bed!

Yes, this picture is from last night. I haven't had a chance to download today's pictures yet. Don't worry, I'm not still wearing those same clothes. :)

We are completely exhausted. It is 10:20 p.m., and we just finished up a group meeting about 20 minutes ago. I'm not going to write much, because I have to go to bed. We have to have eaten breakfast and be in the meeting center ready to go at 7:00 in the morning.

Today has been so very long, but wonderful. We woke up at 4:30 a.m., apparently as an extended result of jet lag. We've spent the day in meetings and trying to get things set up. The sound system was not able to be put together until this afternoon, so it was a little bit stressful. Our final team arrived around 1:00 p.m., and they've been going strong all day. I have no idea how they have managed to stay awake this long. The conference begins bright and early tomorrow, so there is no rest for the weary other than that we are divinely provided.

More tomorrow. Must. Sleep. Now.

Greetings (Sawadeekaa) from Chiang Mai, Thailand. After two of the longest days of my entire existence, we finally arrived here around lunchtime today. That’s midnight the day before back at home. I apologize in advance if this post doesn’t make sense or rambles, but I’ve collectively had about 12 hours of sleep since Thursday night.

Getting out of Nashville was a nightmare. Because they cancelled the earlier Chicago flight, they rerouted too many of them to our flight. They came on the PA when it was time to board and said they were overbooked and needed four people to volunteer to take a later flight or they would begin bumping people. This is United, by the way. I do not recommend that you ever try to fly United out of Nashville. They were extremely unpleasant about this whole thing.

Since almost everyone on the flight was with our group, and those remaining apparently also had connectors, they didn’t get four volunteers. So one of our guys was called up to be bumped. An older gentleman was also called up. He and his wife were trying to get to Vancouver to board their 50th anniversary cruise that they’d been planning forever. Two of our guys volunteered to stay behind so Tony wouldn’t have to travel by himself and the couple could get to their cruise. They ended up flying a completely different route, but they got bumped up to business class, so it turned out to be a pretty sweet deal for them.

Anyway, we were two hours late leaving Nashville. We were supposed to have a 2-hour layover in Chicago, so you can see the dilemma. Once we got on the runway, the pilot came on and said Chicago had put out a ground stop on all incoming flights, so we had to sit out there for about 30 more minutes. Once we got in the air, it was literally one of the worst flights I have ever been on. It seemed like it was the flight attendant’s first day. But she was cute and funny, so she got a pass. But it also seemed like the pilot was kind of new. We weebled and wobbled on that landing worse than I have ever encountered. I’ve never been so happy to get off of a plane.

Apparently United decided that it was too many people to leave behind (about 25 total) so they actually did hold our flight in Chicago. They changed the gate so we would be as close as possible, and they were strategically stationed all along the route cheering us on to our departing gate. We got on the plane, they shut the doors and we were gone. No time for bathrooms or calling home or anything. But we were so thankful that they held our flight for us!

After that, the trip was pretty smooth sailing. Our flight to Tokyo ended up being a little over 12 hours. I was able to sleep for about two. We arrived in Tokyo around 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. in Nashville) It was a very, very nice airport. We had a 2-hour layover there, and I spent most of it walking around, trying to get the circulation moving again.

Our flight to Bangkok took off about 6:30 p.m. and arrived around 11:30, 2 time zones earlier, so it was about a 6-hour flight. We had a guy from our team meet us there and help us get to our hotel for an overnight stay. That was a huge help, because we were all too tired to even think. The airport kept our luggage for us, so we didn’t have to go through customs until we arrived in Chiang Mai today.

The hotel accommodations in Bangkok were a little gross. There were some bug issues in the bathroom, and it just felt kind of dirty all around. But for that matter, so did Bangkok. There is a very oppressive spirit about that city. We left the hotel around 8:00 a.m. and headed back to the airport for our 10:30 flight to Chiang Mai.

The flight this morning was lovely and uneventful. We met back up with the team that flew threw Newark because they are going to Hong Kong for a few days after our conference. A couple of our group was there to meet us this morning and bring us to the Lotus Hotel. Jeff and I got stopped going through Customs and they searched our conference bag that had supplies in it. They kind of put us through the third degree, and we were getting really nervous, but I looked over at Jeremy and he was nodding and telling me not to worry about it. I think the guys were kind of just messing with us. It was a slow morning for customs.

So we arrived here at the hotel and were greeted in an amazing way by all the team members who were already here. We had a short orientation meeting and got checked into our rooms. Our room, by the way, is AMAZING! I won’t be able to post pictures due to a really slow internet connection until I get home, but just trust me. This is not suffering in any way!

Our hotel is connected to a mall, so we actually ate Pizza Hut for lunch. But their Pizza Hut is much different from ours. It has a full menu, with things like mussels and shrimp on it. Quite interesting. On Sundays there is a huge street market, so most of us loaded up in these roofed pick-up trucks and headed over there this afternoon. I was able to buy some really fun souvenirs. But it is so hot. I feel every bit like I haven’t had a shower in four days.

We were attempting to stay up until 8:00 p.m. so that we could get a great night of sleep and be ready to go tomorrow. I’ve now accomplished that goal, so that’s going to be it for now. I’ll post as I’m able.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them up. Tomorrow will be a full day getting everything set up for the conference. The folks who arrive tomorrow will not have any down time like we have had, because the conference starts bright and early Tuesday morning. Pray for some extra energy for those guys.

Sawadeekaa!

It's 4:35 a.m. Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. My stomach just fell as News 2 announced that United's 6:50 a.m. flight to Chicago has been cancelled. We are on the 9:23 a.m. flight. Please pray if you see this early that none of us will get bumped due to them trying to get all the 6:50 people on the 9:23 flight. And that our flight will still go through as planned. There's stormy weather between here and there. Please help us pray it out.

I'm not worried. (Well, maybe a little, but I'm really trying not to be.) I know the Lord has this under control. I know we will get there one way or the other. I'd love for things to go as planned. But I'm willing to adapt.

Back in December when it was announced that our church would be hosting the AGM Conference in Thailand in June, I so clearly felt God say to me, "You are going to be there." It was never really even a choice for me. So in a tiny little way, I feel like Paul after God promised him he was going to go to Rome. No matter what happened, he knew he was going to get through it because the Lord told him he was going to be there.

What motivates me is the idea of getting to experience worship with 400 people who only get to do it corporately one week a year. I can't even imagine how amazing this will be. But I know it's going to be a little glimpse of heaven.

Bryant is now securely tucked away with my sister and brother-in-law. We've eaten dinner. It's 7:25 p.m.

Let the packing begin.

To the two of you who get an e-mail everytime I post, I'm really sorry for all the updates. But for whatever reason blogging is helping me stay on track and focused (or is it called procrastinate?) so I'm going to keep doing it. And no, this picture wasn't taken today, but I always like posts better with pictures. And he is wearing this shirt today, so it counts.

I'm back home now. What a weird feeling to leave Orlando and be in Nashville before 8:00 in the morning. I realize that's how planes work but it seems odd just the same.

The flight was uneventful. I think I actually slept, although I never felt like I didn't know I was on a plane. You know the feeling where you can hear everything around you but you suddenly realize that your head is hanging down really low and your mouth is open. I'm hoping it wasn't a snore that woke me up, but the guy next to me was wearing an ipod, so it probably didn't matter too much. We landed safely and on time. As Bradley said when we landed last night, "No crashing... nobody got hurt... we're good!"

I'm off to pack. Yikes. Don't worry, though, I'm sure I'll be back!

Mornin'. I'm back at the airport, waiting for my 7:05 a.m. flight back to Nashville. I've been up since 3. Hopefully by the time I get on my 13-hour flight I'll be so sleep-deprived that I won't even need the drugs to crash.

Today will be a very busy one. I should be back in Nashville by 8:00, hopefully back home by 9. I'll pick up Bryant from Mom and Dad's and head home to pack the rest of his stuff. While he's napping I plan to start tackling my own packing job. I have a little anxiety about this. But once I get all my stuff out, I'll realize what I don't have and can hopefully go out and get it this evening.

Bryant will go to my sister tonight, since we have to be at the airport at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I'm thinking we may just stay up all night. Even if I don't try to, that's probably what will end up happening, so I guess I'll just see how it plays out.

I just pulled out my chronological Bible to read today's passage. I'm in Ecclesiastes. It's such a depressing book, and yet occasionally makes me chuckle. Like just now when Solomon said that out of 1000 men you will only find 1 who can be called upright, but not a single woman. Think having 700 wives and 300 concubines made him a little bitter towards the fairer sex?

But the verse that really caught my attention was 7:8, "Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride." Wow. I think that's definitely worth meditating on over these next few days of traveling.

I've always known that patience is not one of my stronger points. I've never linked that to pride before. But now that I think about it, it makes complete sense. When I am impatient, it is because something is inconveniencing me. Me, me, me. Like this morning when I went down to the continental breakfast that supposedly started at 5:00 a.m., and it was 5:10, and there was hardly anything out. I had to hunt someone down to get a spoon. Partly because I'd been up a couple of hours, I was very annoyed. But the Lord spoke to me about all the people in Thailand who would gladly eat with their fingers to get anywhere near that continental breakfast bar.

I'm praying that God will change me this week. Make me more patient, a lot more patient. But mostly I pray that my focus will be off of me and on the work He has sent me to do. Everyone says going on a mission trip changes your life. I'm looking forward to it.

We made it to Orlando! My children had so much fun today. It made flying a little bit fun for me, just to watch their excitement. Orlando is having really bad storms right now, and we had to descend through some pretty rough winds, so it was a little bumpy. The flight attendants weren't even able to come through and take trash or anything. As we're shaking all around in the air and I'm holding on to my armrest for dear life and trying to smile for the kids while screaming inside, Bailey says, "Awesome! I want to go through the bumpy part again!" You have to love the complete lack of awareness of her own mortality. For now anyway.

Because of the lightening, they had to stop getting luggage, so it took almost an hour for us to get their bag. But by then we were with MiMi and Poppa G, so it didn't matter. After a delicious dinner at Bennigans (why don't we have this restaurant in Nashville anymore!?) they brought me to my hotel. Now they are on their way to a fun-filled vacation at The Villages. Bailey cried a little bit when they left, which surprised me, but she quickly got engrossed in her Game"girl" and was just fine.

So I'm going to try and get some sleep because the airport shuttle leaves at 5:40 a.m. On a happy note, that's p.m in Thailand. :)

It occurred to me that I've never ever stayed in a hotel room all by myself before. So add that to the list of things I've never done that I'm about to compile over the next two weeks.

One thing down. Bunches more to go. Thanks for praying, friends!

Anxiety. This is what I feel. In about six hours I'll hopefully be on a plane with Brad and Bailey headed towards Orlando. They are so excited they can't stand themselves. I have so much nervous energy that my hair is pumped up to about twice its normal size.

When I went to get Bryant at 6:30, I noticed the kids' doors were open. Their beds were made and they were dressed and downstairs ready to go. No anxiety on their part, just sheer unbridled eagerness. I wish that's how I felt.

Paul said, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Peter said, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

I'm working on it, guys.

My dad took Bradley down to Alabama today to visit the farm and check on the cows. Apparently my Uncle Alan thought it would be a good idea to let him drive the 4-Wheeler. Obviously there were no moms or grandmoms around. Which is probably a good thing, because he had a ball. It's time like these where we just need to find out later. Or not.

Wasn't he just a toddler? It's starting to scare me how much he looks like a teenager. I can't believe I'm old enough to have an almost-3rd grader.

Jadie Thomas took some AMAZING pictures of my family this weekend. If you live anywhere near Nashville, you should definitely check her out. www.jadiethomasphotography.com

You can read about our session on her blog under the "About Jadie" section of her website. It's funny!

I just went to Drudge to find a story that I saw reported on News 2 this morning about airport rankings. Apparently, out of 100 nationwide airports, Nashville ranks 7th as the least miserable. This is good news as I will be flying out of here in two days to take my kids to Florida to stay with Jeff's parents while Jeff and I are in Thailand.

The two worst in the nation? Chicago and Detroit. This is not good news, as our early-morning flight to Tokyo on Friday begins with a stop in Chicago. As a cute little tag to her story this morning, Jenna McKee said, "Want some evidence to back this up? One flight to Chicago has already been cancelled this morning, and one flight to Detroit has already been delayed." Normally this wouldn't cause my eyebrows to raise, but it suddenly occurred to me that this could throw a major kink in our travel plans this weekend.

Beginning tomorrow, 108 folks from Brentwood Baptist Church will be attempting to get to Chang Mai, Thailand. If you are a praying sort of person, please lift us up, that God will grant us traveling mercies and that we will have no issues making any of our connectors or getting our luggage. I think this might definitely require divine intervention.

On another note, my trip to Drudge revealed some shocking news. Apparently our friend Ahmadeinejad said yesterday, "With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine." He's hoping that the currently escalating conflict in Israel is the beginning of the end.

"If you make a mistake and create another war against the oppressed Lebanese nation, this time the angry ocean of the nations of the region will remove your rotten ... roots from the region," the president said in another speech on Sunday night.

And in Russia, Putin stated his intentions to aim their missile systems, potentially containing nuclear weapons, at European targets in retaliation to our decision to establish antimissile bases there in the face of a nuclear threat from Iran. Mr. Putin dismissed this threat as a myth, and claimed that he was being forced into this position by US agression in the area.

Our peaceful years with Russia are over. The arms race has begun to redevelop. The Eastern Hemisphere of our world is literally falling apart before our eyes. Africa is a mess. The Middle East is a ticking time bomb. Russia is vying to become a superpower once again, and they already have plenty of nuclear capability.

Were either of these stories on the news this morning? I just watched GMA's opening segment. Their three big stories are yet another interview with the family of Andrew Speaker, Mr. TB, a discussion of last night's Democratic presidential candidate debate, and the most newsworthy item of all, Paris Hilton going to jail. Yes, the goings on of a sad, sad, socialite whose sole claim to fame is being rich, is more important than some extemely serious threats to our national security. But of course, focusing on national security might accidentally end up leading to another Republican president, and that certainly can't be allowed to happen. Is there any such thing as responsible journalism in this country?

At least the plot to blow up JFK made the news. Somehow.

two more...

fun at the fountains

Today we went to the fountains at Bicentennial Park in downtown Nashville. A mostly-good time was had by all!

It's summer. Three kids. All day. No time to blog.

Things I've overheard this week:

Bradley explaining to Bailey about how when you die and get to Heaven, there's a special machine that checks your heart to see if Jesus is in it. If it doesn't find Jesus, a big hole opens up under your feet and you fall straight through to hell. Not quite doctrinally accurate, but I decided to let it go for now.
------
Today Bailey asked me who my grandkids are. I told her that I don't have any because none of them have children yet.

She said, "Yes, I do. I have Bryant."

"Yes, but Bryant came out of my belly, not yours."

This led to a fascinating walk down memory lane about how fat I was when Bryant was in my belly. I said, "You'll understand one day how uncomfortable that is."

Bradley said, "Not me."

"No, but your wife will understand. You'll have to hear her complaining about wanting the baby to come out."

"Yeah. Then I'll have to have surgery to get her to stop having kids."

Sometimes it would be nice if he didn't pick up on EVERYTHING.

-------

This conversation led to him saying he would let McKenzie have 60 babies if she wanted to -- or whoever he married.

Bailey said, "You aren't going to marry McKenzie??"

"No. She said she didn't want to anymore."

I asked him if this made him sad. He said, "I don't know. She said we could talk about it again when we're old."

Congratulations, Bailey. I am so proud of you!

I can't believe I'm about to have two children in grade school. What has happened to me?

Is it just me, or is this prolonged delay in entering the presidential race bothering anyone else? I understand that he has a full plate, and there are a myriad of things that I don't know, but I wish he would just come out already.

I am psyched about a Fred Thompson run. I think that he would fill a niche that we are currently completely lacking on the Republican side. I think he is funny, charismatic, conservative, and would be an asset to our national security.

That said, this seeming reluctance to enter the race is starting to make him look wishy-washy and indecisive, regardless of how fair that characterization may be. While I don't want someone in the White House who wants it so bad that a loss would completely devastate him and turn him into the raving lunatic that we've all seen Al Gore become, I do want my President to be fully invested in the job.

I sincerely hope he jumps in soon so we can all get on with it. I know the election is still 17 1/2 months away, but in the political realm, it's getting late.

On the other hand, I could have this in my party...


NEW YORK (AP) - Democrat John Edwards Wednesday repudiated the notion that there is a "global war on terror," calling it an ideological doctrine advanced by the Bush administration that has strained American military resources and emboldened terrorists.

In a defense policy speech he planned to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations, Edwards called the war on terror a "bumper sticker" slogan Bush had used to justify everything from abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison to the invasion of Iraq.

"We need a post-Bush, post-9/11, post-Iraq military that is mission focused on protecting Americans from 21st century threats, not misused for discredited ideological purposes," Edwards said in remarks prepared for delivery. "By framing this as a war, we have walked right into the trap the terrorists have set—that we are engaged in some kind of clash of civilizations and a war on Islam."

Senator Edwards, you are a complete idiot. I can not even believe that this is what you think, you overpaid, narcissistic hypocritical moron.

We already know that the Democratic leadership has been pressing the media to stop using the phrase "global war on terror," or any other form of GWOT. I understand that that keeps what is actually happening in the mindset of the American people, so of course the Democrats don't want that phrase being used.

But to call it a bumper sticker, an ideological doctrine put forth by Bush to justify his policies? Senator Edwards, where have you been the last six years? Are you one of the whackos who believes that we knew 9-11 was going to happen? Do you follow Rosie O'Donnell's theory that we wired the buildings with explosives so that we could justify a war with Iraq to get oil? I so wouldn't be surprised, but it's still causing me a mini-stroke.

Global war on terror. Let's see. Currently terrorists are in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia -- oh my gosh, you're right! I have never heard of any Islamic extremists coming over from Antarctica. Bush is such a liar. I am so ashamed.

War. Yes, I think we can all acknowledge that we are in a war. We are in a fight for our very existence. But that's hard to think about, so it's much better to pretend it isn't happening.

Terror. I know AP isn't allowed to call them terrorists, but that doesn't make it any less accurate. What else to you call randomly blowing up buildings and vehicles with the idea of killing the most civilians possible? Is there a symantic issue here that I am unaware of?

How incredibly sophomoric and irresponsible for Senator Edwards to say that this is a war on Islam. We are at war with a mentality, an ideology that is unfortunately spawned by Islam. We are at war with a mindset that believes to do us harm is the will of Allah. We are fighting a group of people who want to remove any memory of our existence from this planet, a mentality that allows parents to justify allowing their children to strap bombs to their back and blow up buses full of innocent people, because to do so is the only way that they are guaranteed salvation. It is unlike any enemy that we have ever faced. And it is global. They are here.

I don't think Senator Edwards has a snowball's chance in hell of being elected next year. But how different is his rhetoric from the "mainstream" Democratic party? Nancy Pelosi has certainly put forth this sentiment. Harry Reid has already claimed our defeat and is ready to move on. These are the people that Americans put in office.

God help us if they get the White House too.

Can anyone explain to me what is going on with my president? I have delayed in blogging about the current proposed immigration bill because I have been listening in disbelief to what is supposedly in it. I say supposedly, since the thing is something like 750 pages long and unreadable to the average Joe.

But the major point, taking out all the little nuances, is that legal status would be granted to the millions of people who are here illegally. Period. I'm completely baffled by this. Not that Ted Kennedy would think it's a good idea. He's an idiot. But why is George W. not balking at this? I've never understood his ideas when it came to immigration. I don't know if it stems from his geographic origin or his "compassionate conservatism" ideals or what, but it makes no sense.

Why would a president whose number one strength has been national security find it logical or reasonable to grant legal status to millions of people that we know nothing about? Is this amnesty bill supposed to keep millions more from flocking over the border in the future? The very idea is absurd.

What a slap in the face to those people who have come to America through the legal channels and spent years seeking legal citizenship through endless miles of red tape. What a slap in the face to American citizens as a whole, who are already forced to support this largely indigent nation through welfare programs and rising healthcare costs because they treat the emergency room like a walk-in clinic. Illegal immigrants are being offered in-state tuition at some universities, while those legally in this country are penalized for wanting to attend that same university with an out-of-state address.

I am not anti-immigration. But I am anti-illegal immigration. What if this was the way I disciplined my own children? Oh, you broke the rules and ate a popsicle on the living room couch? Must have been a bad rule. I'll just make it not a rule anymore, and then you'll be forgiven for the huge purple stain and sticky woodwork. You want to stay up until midnight on a school night? Sounds reasonable to me. You want to watch Rated R movies? I guess we can work that out, although the therapy for dealing with your post-Freddie Kruger nightmares might get a little expensive. We don't allow our children to break rules because to do so on a consistent basis would lead to chaos and their ultimate harm. Why should we expect anything less to happen to our country?

In his article today in World Net Daily, Pat Buchanan quotes Theodore Roosevelt from a 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus. Almost 100 years ago, Mr. Roosevelt warned, "The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities."

By offering amnesty to millions of people who are in this country illegally, with absolutely no mention of assimilation into our culture, combined with the constantly-rising demands that their rights be met, we are sending ourselves down a path of destruction. Throughout history, every great society has come to an end, usually by becoming so weak from within that when an outside force attacks, they are powerless to respond accordingly. America is so divided right now on everything from stem cell research to immigration to the war in Iraq. It is not hard to imagine a future where we have torn ourselves into such tiny pieces, that those who seek our harm will only have to cause a small ripple, and it will grow into a tsunami that washes us away into oblivion.

Please, Mr. President, apply the same wisdom and train of thought to this issue that you do to the war on terror. They are not unrelated issues. I've always supported you because I have believed that you thought what you were doing was crucial to the well-being of our nation. What are you thinking now?

I CAN SEE!!!

Yesterday will be marked on my list of best days ever. You might say it will go on my Greatest Hits (for all of you Lost fans out there!) At 3:00 yesterday afternoon, my 20/400 vision, as depicted above, was restored. So amazing.

After 24 years of needing visual correction, and being forced to wear my glasses for almost two weeks, which really weren't all that great to begin with, I couldn't have been more ready for this surgery. When I arrived at Loden Vision Center yesterday, they told me to leave my stuff, including my glasses, with Jeff. I went back to the prep room for what seemed like 20 different sets of eye drops, at least some of which were to dilate my eyes, a valium and the biggest ibuprofin I had ever seen.

After a few minutes, Dr. Loden marked my eyes to give the laser a reference point. I didn't really understand it, but by that point the valium was kicking in so I didn't really care either.

After going back for a few more measurements, they put me in the machine that makes the corneal flap. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip a few paragraphs. Dr. Loden inserted a suction cup thing in my eye, then pushed my head under the machine that makes the actual cut. I felt some pretty intense pressure as the machine pushed into my eyeball. It was like when you push on your eye and see those tiny little red dots. It lasted about a minute for each eye, and was probably the most unpleasant part of the whole ordeal.

After he had made my flaps, I walked over to the actual LASIK machine. This was like something out of a sci-fi movie. He inserted a vise-like contraption in my eye to keep it open, and then I was supposed to stare at a blinking red dot as best as I could throughout the procedure. This woman's voice, straight out of Alien, would say, "Procedure 35% complete, approximately 45 seconds remain," and so on, until it was over. Dr. Loden was very encouraging, telling me I was doing great and just reminding me to hold still. It didn't hurt, but the smell was similar to the dentist's drill when you are getting a cavity filled. A very odd sensation, indeed. Once the laser part was over, I could feel him putting the corneal flap back in place with what seemed like tweezers, and then it felt wet, like he was spraying it with saline or something. It was very hard to keep looking at the red light, but I did the best that I could.

After it was over, I laid there for a couple of minutes, and then they had me get up and walk back to the recovery room. I could tell immediately that I could see, but everything was still very hazy and the light was intense. Once in recovery I had a few more rounds of drops, then Dr. Loden checked out my eyes to make sure everything looked good. He gave me his blessing and I was free to leave.

When Jeff came back to get me I was decked out in a blue hairnet, blue footies and some really nice, thick, white-rimmed goggles. My instructions were to wear the goggles until the following morning when Dr. Loden would remove them. I had some eye drops to take every four hours yesterday and 4x a day for the next 5 days. Everything was very sensitive, and my eyes still feel a little bit scratchy, as if there's sand in them, but I can see. I just can't get over it.

We stayed in a hotel room next to the surgical center because it was north of town and about an hour away from our house. Once I got there I climbed straight in bed because the Valium was just knocking me out. I slept for a couple of hours, and Jeff came back and woke me up to see if I was okay and if I wanted dinner. He went out and got us something so I wouldn't have to dine in front of others wearing my classy eyewear. I had to wait until 8:30 to take my second set of drops, and then I was out again for the rest of the night.

This morning I woke up and I could SEE what time it was, and the alarm clock was on Jeff's side of the bed! It was unbelievable. My eyes were still really dilated, so light was still making me hurt, but the discomfort was significantly less than the night before. We went back to the Vision Center for my follow-up, and Dr. Loden said everything looked perfect. I could see 20/20 in my right eye and about 20/25 in my left. He said I was about 85% of what I will be in a few days as far as clarity goes. I just can't wait to see how things are going to look by Friday.

It literally feels like a miracle. I am so thankful that God gave his kids the ability to come up with this amazing procedure, and empowered some very wise people to figure out how to do it. What a blessing it will be to not have to wear contacts or glasses for the next several years until I get old enough to need reading glasses. I don't think my brain is fully wrapped around it yet.

But for today, I'm just going to enjoy the view.

I cannot even believe what I just read. I knew that reality TV was bringing out the worst in us, but never imagined that things could go so low.

Apparently, CBS is just wrapping up a new reality show using 40 children, ages 8-15, and putting them in an abandoned ghost town in New Mexico with no adult supervision. It is supposedly based on Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, one of the most disturbing stories ever written. I watched the movie based on this book that came out several years ago and I was upset about it for weeks. It's one of those premises that I just would have been fine not thinking about.

Now, those of you who watch Lost know that the scenario playing out on this show could be likened to Lord of the Flies. However, there are some major differences. First, it is fiction. Second, it is a story told by actors. Third, 98% of those actors are adults.

Can we even comprehend how depraved it is to send 40 kids to a deserted ghost town and "see what happens"? What kind of parent would allow their 8-yr-old to do such a thing? My son is 8. He's afraid of going upstairs at night by himself. Does no one care that some of these kids could be traumatized for the rest of their lives by the way this thing plays out?

Yes, the kids are going to be allowed to leave whenever they want. (I'm sure there won't be any pressure techniques used to get them to stay.) And, yes, they are going to reward a child at the end of each show. The idea is to see if they can create a functioning society. I get it. I know that there will be tons of adults there doing the filming and whatnot. But if the premise is to be true, then these adults will supposedly not be interfering with what goes on. And since when is leaving your 8-yr-old alone for 40 days with a bunch of kids not considered at least neglect?

Now, personally it wouldn't suprise me if the idea gets trashed, because I think there are still a huge number of people in this country who will be disgusted by this idea. But the point is that someone came up with this and thought it would be a good idea. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this person does not have children. But even more shocking, CBS thought it had legs. They're thinking it's going to be their next breakout reality show. I'm so disgusted by this I physically feel nausea.

CBS, as a general rule, has problems. Their news is laughable. They obviously have issues with decision making. But they did begin the whole reality TV invasion when Survivor was such a hit. Apparently it has gone to their heads. But this... there are just no more words.

Gatlinburg. This is where we spent Mother's Day weekend. It couldn't have been more fun.

A few weeks ago I was really starting to feel down, like there was never enough time for anything and that my kids never seemed to get me at my best. It felt like I was always pushing them aside, saying "not right now," or whatever variation of that fit the situation. I told Jeff that I wanted to just get away by ourselves. Being the amazing man that he is, he booked us a cabin the very next day.

We suddenly realized that we had never gone away as a family all by ourselves. It is something we will most definitely do again. We did whatever the kids wanted to do, playing board and card games, miniature golf, and even eating at -- you guessed it -- McDonald's.

Our cabin was absolutely incredible. Three stories high, located at the top of Ski Mountain Road, even higher than Ober. Thankfully it was built on the side of a very steep cliff, meaning that our lowest balcony was still 40 feet off the ground. I say thankfully, because Saturday morning as we were sitting out on the balcony eating breakfast, we heard a rustling noise in the woods. We looked down and watched as a black bear made his way all the way up to the stilts our cabin was built on. It was amazing. We couldn't have tailor-made a more realistic mountain weekend!
Saturday afternoon, and again on Sunday, we spent a lot of time up at Ober. The kids had a blast riding the Alpine Slide. Bradley was able to ride it himself (that's him coming down the mountain), but Bailey was too young. We had fun taking turns riding it with her. They loved riding the ski lift, but it made me just a little bit nervous!

Brad, Bailey and I also rode the Blue Cyclone water slide. It was a blast! I couldn't believe how fast it went. All three of us screamed all the way down.
Probably the most fun we had all weekend was our Saturday afternoon swim in the hot tub. We kept having to remind Bailey that she was not in a swimming pool. She was swimming like crazy back and forth. Bryant got to sit on the side of the tub and play in the fountain. He was squealing and laughing so hard. I'm sure the owners would have been shocked to see their hot tub used in quite this fashion, but it was a definite memory maker for the Swords kids!

Of all of my Mother's Days, this has been my favorite by far. This is what it is all about, cherishing our time together. Loving each other. Laughing out loud. I'll remember it always.

18,000 Mexicans strip naked for a photo shoot. I'm struggling to find an intellectual discourse on this one.

But seriously, what does this say about the moral decay of society as a whole when thousands of people can stand around naked all day being placed in various poses to be photographed? Did anyone there get a sense that what they were doing was wrong? Or at the very least, uncomfortable? Although I don't think that this could happen in America today, I am quite sure that it is only a matter of time if we continue down the slope we are on. This barely caused a blip on the moral radar. In fact, most people probably thought it was funny, as I did when I first heard it.

Our morality has been so desensitized, that we don't even recognize how things like this must grieve our Father. We just shrug our shoulders and think that's bizarre. The majority of moral outrage we see in this country is towards those who are intolerant. How did things get so upside down?

I know some would say I should lighten up. But that's exactly my point. Haven't we lightened up so much that our sensitivity towards what is right and wrong is so blurred as to almost be completely destroyed?

I will say this, though. If the trend catches on, it should make the job of INS a little bit easier. They sure wouldn't be hard to spot crossing the border like that.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A controversial religious figure who claims he is Jesus Christ incarnate with a following of millions with "666" tattoos on their bodies, filled an amphitheater in Orlando this weekend, and promised joy, peace and prosperity.

I find this story completely fascinating. Not because I think this guy is the antichrist. I think he's just another cult leader. But you have to admit that it is pretty amazing that his followers are tattooing themselves with 666, whether they number in the millions or not. He has been banned from at least 3 countries. He says that he is known as God in at least 30.

I may be wrong, but I never hear of anyone claiming to be Muhammad, or Buddha, or Vishnu, or any other god, for that matter. They're always claiming to be Jesus. You have to wonder why that is. Or not.

For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, and will deceive many.

(Matthew 24:5)

PRAISE GOD!!

Per Abel's multiple scans and tests yesterday, there is NO EVIDENCE of the cancer. Please go to their CaringBridge journal to read more. This is just incredible news.

Abel still has a long way to go towards recovery, and medically his chances of surviving the next 5 years are still only 20-30%. But my God doesn't work on percentages or statistics. He is the Healer, the God who Sees. He is all powerful, and there is nothing He can't do. And He will not be ignored. He is REAL. Praise you, Jesus!

Here's a thought. The racial makeup of the NBA is over 80% black. You do the math.

I just went on Amazon to place an order, and the nonfiction bestseller list caught my eye. This book is the Amazon #2 bestseller right now in nonfiction. I was intrigued, so I read the synopsis. It sounds like it is exactly as the title would lead you to believe, a 300-page book about the evil religion brings into the world.

As my friend Brandon's most recent post brings to light, there are so many people out there struggling with the idea of faith, whether there is a god or not. Many have chosen to believe that there is not, or else why would the world be in the shape it is. I hear the argument often that religion is the cause of almost all war, so how can it be a good thing.

Listen to the reviewers' thoughts:

I think Christopher Hitchens is a national - no, make that Global - treasure, and his newest book here only underscores this. To carry on with my baseball metaphor, when Hitchens stepped up to the plate with this book on religion the bases were already loaded: Vonnegut on third, Sam Harris [Letter to a Christian Nation] on second, and Richard Dawkins [The God Delusion] on first. Hitchens knocks 'em all in with one swing of the bat. He cuts through the BS of religion and "faith" better than anybody. His excellent writing style enlivens and enriches the soul at the same time. What more could a reader want?

I would add that perhaps what motivated Hitchens to write this book and so to "come out" more publicly with his critiques of religion and faith is what has also motivated me: the increasingly publicly-accepted insanity of religion in this, the 21st century. This insanity threatens to bring down all of civilization and, in the case of American fundamentalists in our government with their quivering fingers poised atop the launch buttons of our nuclear weapons, the end of Everything, which religious nut-jobs anticipate with unrestrained glee, so certain they are that they, at least, will be OK in the aftermath. This is just absolutely nuts, and Christopher Hitchens does us all a great service in pointing this out.
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Back in the 1990s, religion in America seemed to be on its last legs. I genuinely believed that the turning of the millennial clock would drive the final stake through its heart. How could anyone continue to believe after yet another postponement of the Second Coming?

Well, here we are almost ten years later, and religion is going stronger than it has in decades despite the advances of science which keep forcing god to hide in ever smaller gaps in our knowledge. Its revival reminds me of the Wizard of Oz story. After Dorothy & friends discover that the Wizard of Oz is really just an old man behind a curtain, they still expect him to work his magic. And so he does. The illusion persists. Which leads me to conclude that most people just want the illusion of an old man in the sky who will make everything right at some indeterminable point in the future.

I am halfway through Hitchens book and enjoying it immensely. One only need consider the past 7 years in the USA to see that Hitchens is right about religion poisoning everything. It's unfortunate that the people who need to read this book the most will flee from it. At least the Net has opened up a lively debate over the value of religion.
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Well, let's see, you either follow a bronze age myth made up over 2,000 years ago or you follow science and progress. The war against religion will continue as long as there are people with knowledge and science. Hitchens book takes us on a literary ride you will always cherish and enjoy makes the case against religion stronger and compliments Dawkins and Harris.

What's intriguing about the first review is the idea that it is becoming more and more acceptable to "come out" against the insanity of religion. I'd say that's an accurate statement. While at the same time, more and more people are turning to God for answers in a world full of fear and seemingly hopeless situations.

But I happen to think that everyone has a religion of one sort or the other. Mine is a belief in Almighty God, the Creator of the world, the Alpha and Omega, the one who has always been and always will be. I believe in a God who created us to be in fellowship with Him, but who doesn't force that fellowship. A God who loved His creation so much, that when they rebelled against Him and made eternity together an impossibility, was willing to sacrifice His most priceless possession, His son Jesus Christ, in order to bring reconciliation to a people who were otherwise doomed.

Everyone believes in something. Christopher Hitchens' religion may be self-worship. It may be the worship of money. Perhaps he has found faith in the ever-increasing religion of global warming. But he believes in something.

Again, this book is #2 on the Amazon bestseller list. There are SO many people out there who are missing it. We are to be the light to them. We are to live in truth, so they will recognize it when they see it. Live authentically. Love fully. Be ready.