Vangie sits on the front row every third Sunday when we come to do our Southern Gospel service. She is fairly young, probably not much older than I am, and her short, black hair is peppered with a few gray hairs. Vangie’s body has betrayed her. It is twisted in unnatural directions and her head tilts to the left. She is slumped in her chair and looks uncomfortable. She’s been in the convalescent home for over a year maybe longer. She always listens intently to the message and often raises a hand of praise during the service.

Almost every time, Vangie gives me her confession. She tells me the worries of her mind or the problems that she is having physically or spiritually. Today, for example, she told me that she had bad news about her heart, and asked me to pray about it. She followed it up by telling me the horrors of cell phones and technology and told me that she had warned her family about it. She often tells me that she has asked God for forgiveness for bad thoughts or bad attitudes, and once, she asked me to lay hands on her and pray. I did. Usually, I can’t separate the fact from the fiction, but I don’t have to. I’m just there to remind Vangie as often as needed that she doesn’t need to carry that baggage anymore.

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Check out our new photo gallery (“Gallery” in the main menu bar). We finally figured out how to post pictures on this site, thanks to our web-star, Helen Mildenhall. We’ve posted our first album, pictures from the Doable Evangelism Seminar in Reno, NV (thanks to Christie Mumm, our professional photographer who spent the day serving with us). Take a peek!

It’s Monday, March 5 at 5pm. I need a quiet place to journal after a rough day. I went to the Doable Evangelism Seminar on Saturday in Reno, and I’m just needing to process some things. I drove out just looking for a cup of coffee and some quiet space to reflect and journal. I came upon an old motel on fourth street, and noticed that someone had recently fixed the old place up…turned it into a bed and breakfast with a coffee shop.

As I walked through the old door I noticed charming little tables in a gentle-quiet environment. There was a middle-aged man and an older woman engaged in a conversation. She had reddish-brown hair and spoke with a gentle voice. He had darkish hair and a gentle voice as well. They both seemed tired. It seemed they were getting ready to close for the night. We greeted one another and chatted a bit. I soon learned that, yep…they were closed (it was after five pm now). Darn. I asked if they knew where I could find a quiet place where I could get a cup of coffee and journal. Without hesitation the lady said, “You can sit wherever you like. I have work to do and won’t mind you being here.” The gentleman said, “I’ll be happy to get you a cup of coffee.”

“Why, thank you so much,” I replied. I respected their kindness, and quietly journaled. The gentleman decided to go home, said goodnight, and softly went on his way. The woman seemed delighted to finally get some much needed work done. I noticed she talked out loud to herself while she worked. Wow. I do that, too. I silently chuckled to myself. Read the rest of this entry »