Josiah Berger

Josiah David Berger's memorial service was today at Grace Chapel. I am continually amazed at what the Lord is, does and continues to do. He is the same. We change, and if we know Him, we get to get glimpses of what Christ is like as He changes us. A tear, a song, a smile, a hug, a word, a truth--peace.

I didn't know Josiah. I know his father as pastor of Grace Chapel where I have been attending since January. I drive about an hour on Sunday, when I attend, and everytime I drive out to Leiper's Fork, I think this is too far. "Lord, surely you have another church closer in for me." Then, I arrive...and The Church, is what it should be...loving, welcoming, spirit-filled. I am home. I have fallen in love with Grace Chapel and pastor Steve. I was going to tell him how his message brings such truth and hope to my spirit. I was planning to tell him that his messages are right on with what the Lord is teaching me. I was planning to tell him how much he has meant to me the past few months--even though he doesn't know me. I was planning to tell him that I love him, even though he doesn't know me. I was planning to tell him last Saturday at the "new members" class. Then, his son left this earth and went to heaven...and everything changed.

The faith, strength and devotion to the Lord that the Berger family has shown through this, has changed me forever. I want to be better, serve better, live better...and LOVE better. I want to know YOU more, Lord. I want my life to be an example for others. I want others to look at my life and say ...she served the Lord with all she had. I look at my life today, and I see blemishes, scars, bumps, messiness and ugliness. I want to be clean, white as snow, just like I was on the day HE found me. I want to be forgiven. I want a fresh new start. I want a second chance, or more like a 55th chance. Again Lord. I am asking again. Please Lord, can I have another chance. I have failed you over and over....and in this young boy's passing, I see that my life must matter and it must matter for YOU. I must live everyday as if it were my last, loving you, loving others and claiming the freedom that you died for. You already did it. You already paid the price. I repent, turn away from the sin I have commited and I run toward you ...towards the prize. I claim my forgiveness and I say Halleluia, May the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord reign down on us and change us FOREVER and Ever.

FairyGodChildren

why do people love children so much....could it be because they bring out the child in us?....their innocence....their freedom...their love....their openness to fun and inhibitions....they don't care what people think...they just are....my Godchildren....live every minute to the fullest and when i am with them...i partake in a part of life that i otherwise wouldn't be blessed with....we went to disneyworld this summer....one of the best times i have ever had....fun, fun, fun!!!

old friends, new friends, where-have-you-been friends

so I just returned from D.C. our 20th page reunion. it was truly amazing to reconnect with those friends that i spent a year with paging in the nation's capitol. the amazing thing was that though some i have seen within that 20 years, there were many that i had not seen--and it was like a day had not passed. jokes, laughs, love, friendship--FUN. i felt 16 years old for 3 days. i acted 16 for 3 days. some of my friends are ivy league graduates, have very important government and state jobs. others are moms, dads and just good people. i thank God for such an opportunity to reconnect, revisit, reexperience and RELOVE. my experiences in my life define who i am as a person. from my pageship, to interning, to living in wyoming, to los angeles, to nashville--i am free, free to be who God created me to be...with hope, with friends and with love.

movement

isn't it interesting all the ways that we can move....sitting, standing, rolling, jumping, twirling, shaking. for some, movement, is their expression of who they are. my friend dana is a dancer and i got to see a performance this past weekend in richmond, va starring her dance company. the way these bodies moved--sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes leaping, sometimes gliding, sometimes floating, running, twirling, turning, crawling, prancing, swishing, spinning, shaking and sliding. It was amazing to watch all of these dancers in unison at times and individually at times express themselves to latin and african tribal music.

then, the next day, i saw my friend who has ALS, the cruelest disease i know of. she is so limited in her movement that she uses her eyes to operate her computer mouse. she is confined to a wheelchair and can barely wiggle only her middle finger. she can sometimes hold her neck up, but is even having difficulty with that these days. she can speak softly, mumbled, with limited breath support.

two extremes: from unlimited movement by truly talented ballerinas to no movement by someone who is trapped in a body that doesn't move. and then there's me--one with choice. i can choose to move or choose to be still. what is my choice? who chooses ? who chooses with me? will i move? ...or will i stay?

Friends

Brooke's dad died this week. Jack was such a loving father. I remember the first time we ever met him, it was at the Gin in Oxford. He encouraged us to dance on the table. He loved the "Ole Miss Girls". He loved Brooke, and I know her children were the light of his life. He died unexpectedly and with style--as Jack would have wanted.

We are flying into Orlando this weekend to be with Brooke. Although sad, it will be a celebration as Jack would have wanted. He was an "event planner" and knew how to have a party. Brooke's wedding reception was something you would see in Hollywood. Jack always helped us out. He always found us a place to stay, always invited us to neat happenings. He was a friend to all a father to many. Please pray for Brooke, her family and family friends as they grieve the loss of Jack. Please pray for Christ to find the hearts that don't know him.

In His name, amy

angels don't cry...people do

please pray for healing for:

baby gregory who had open heart surgery at Leboneur. he is healing.

Jack Houston, my friend Brooke's dad, who is being kept alive on a ventilator and suffers from an infection in his brain.

a friend of my mom's who has spinal fluid leaking out of her brain in Philadelphia.

please pray for parents of children with disabilities

please pray for the broken hearted. may they all be healed

pray for comfort and peace for those who don't understand God's plan

pray for marriages that are hurting

Godchildren

in beth moore's book, "Breaking Free", she speaks of spiritual children--how many of us who do not have offspring in the physical sense, have them in the spiritual sense. karen gave me avery when she was born in may of 1999. i was there for her birth and she has blessed my life in amazing ways. avery ann is one of my spiritual offspring and i am grateful my sweet friend shares her daughter with me. jack, avery's brother, is my precious child too. i actually saw him be delivered. karen has shared them with me, every step. i just spent about 2 weeks with them in florida. what a blessing! giggling, playing, staying up late, adventures and fun. i get to mother them some too and i love it. kelsey shares her three girls with me too. i am blessed immensely with the children in my life. hope shares her 4 boys. and i get to work with preschoolers this year--how fun! God knows my heart. he knows my desire--every one.

delight yourself in the Lord and HE will give you the desires of your heart.


pray for amelia's family. she died today in the nicu. her mom wrote that they were with her when she took her last few breaths. she was sick and tired--and God took her to be healed and whole. pray for comfort and peace for the family.

please pray for a friend in VA who has been having rough times in her life.

please pray for a friend and his life. may he be blessed, every day.

pray for forgiveness. forgiveness is the gateway to peace and love.

pray for our nation, for our leaders, for our schools, for peace and unity.

pray for reconciliation for all of us.