Jon Powers (drums) with Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris on the Hope for Haiti telethon Friday night. Jon is my son-in-law, Dave Powers’ brother.
Such a quiet, sweet, soulful performance of “Hallelujah,” the classic Leonard Cohen song. Tredessa says I simply cannot write the words to the song on this blog. For obvious reasons (some of which Justin left out on his version here).
There is a family debate about whether or not Elvis once sang this song. Stormie is sure of it. And after she said so, I could sort of hear him singing it in my head, too. But Tredessa says Elvis wouldn’t have touched this song with a 10-foot pole (due to risque themes)…and I guess it wasn’t even released until some years past his death. But, so, ok. Stormie and I think Elvis should sing it – if he is still alive.
Last year I said October is Orange. And it still is. My church turned orange last fall, too. I do love my house-of-worship-advertising sweatshirt with the bum logo (thank-you, sweet Katie!).
This October is craaaaaazy-busy-fun and occasion-filled!
Like, we have three family birthdays in October (mine, Hunter’s and still-to-come: Jovan’s!). I turned 50 (shhh…there is no need to think about this, nor mention it aloud) with dinner at Cinzzetti’s~
Pictured: Me and my baby, Stormie; Patrice is telling me right at this very second that she is pregnant with their 3rd child! Me, Pearl and Marilyn. I screamed immediately following…
DP nearly ate Cinzzetti’s out of mussels; me and the 5 grandbebes who were well-contained in our private room.
I have sweet friends (almost every single one of whom is younger than me, I noticed), and a lovely family. Thank-you, everybody for celebrating my life even if I could have gone without noticing the new decade. I am blessed.
Hunter and the wheels-in-motion cake and fun-on-wheels party for himself and 25 of his closest friends:
Hunter turned “The Garage” into a speedway. There were trikes and bikes and skateboards and more. Kids zoomed one way and then the next. It was crazy loud and speedy. Hunter got the chocolate fudge cake he wanted in the shape of a “5″ and when, the other day, he reminded he really, really, really wanted some lightening bolts, too, in honor of his current favorite movie, Bolt, I whipped up a strawberry cake at the last second to cut out and ice some lightening bolt shapes for flanking the main cake.
But, oh my goodness, it is what I did with the cut-off-cake crumbs that needs to be mentioned. Into a bowl: leftover chocolate-fudge cake, the rest of the fudge filling, a block of cream cheese, a can of cherry pie filling. Mixed well. Cookie-scooped onto baking sheets and thrown into the freezer until they were just firm enough to coat with melted white chocolate. Chocolate-Cherry Cake Bites, o yeah! To. die. for. Yum. Seriously!
Poor Magoo ended up very, very sick at his own party. He conked out, but the fun held up.
There was a Worship and the Word Movement PSTeam (prayer-support team) potluck at the MadCap Theater (a great improv place-you should totally go!)
Last night there was a Seek and Soak with TOM EWING (a man DP called a general in worship ministry). Here is the kick-off song featuring Tom, Sing to the King
In the video, left to right: Rocky Rhoades on guitar, Tom Ewing, Tristan on drums, Stormie on bass, DP on lead guitar (and leading the whole Seek and Soak), Lewis Brown (a.k.a. Proxy), and Lewis Brown, Sr. on sax. It was an amazing night. Musical worship, the Word of God, 3+ hours of encounter-worship, about 100 people entering the Presence, even Baptists! Smile, Emily! That was for you!
Let’s see…what else?
Jovan and Rocky will find out if it is a boy or a girl at their next appointment. Goody!
There is the celebration of Amy Jo’s baby-to-be this Thursday night.
And Saturday night I get to go see the final Delirious concert in Colorado ever as they are on their farewell tour. This band changed everything in the 90s and they are still such a class act, men of integrity who love Jesus and are soooo talented. They changed the sound of worship and people around the world go deeper worship via the songs of the Lord they introduced. Got to see them at Ichthus and now here. I love them and how they have influenced my own children to become History Makers.
Also ~ Dave will play the lead in the Platte Valley Player’s community theaters’ presentation of “Suspenders,” a musical comedy, as part of the grand opening celebration of Brighton’s newly restored/renovated armory as a community arts center/theater in Brighton’s “downtown.” He’ll be performing in it over the next few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. I’ll be attending the very first performance on Monday the 19th (an event for which I bought a dress!!). I am somewhat divided in my joy about the fact that Dave is also painting the backdrop for the show and there are 6 giant 8′ x 4′ canvases in my living room at this time.
Family Time!
I will be going to spend a week with my mama et papa in Springfield, MO, where they wrongfully and stubbornly retired a year and a half ago and now wish to leave to be closer to any of us that they know (do you know of anyone house-hunting in Springfield?? Help!). They will spoil me rotten and my brother Joe is meeting me there, too. We will visit Branson, about a half hour from them, for the express purpose of giving my mother her dream-come-true in visiting the Roy Rogers/Dale Evans Museum before it closes its’ doors for good this December.
I am already working on church Christmas decor. In October!
Upon my return, I will enjoy the grandbebes playing dress-up for the church’s annual Harvest Fest and then, as they have all requested (informing me that it is a tradition, one I must have started unknowingly), all will gather at our home for broccoli-cheese soup (because I make incredible zuppa).
Life. It can wear you out!
Dave is sick and they are checking him for H1N1 tomorrow morning, though they have already started him on antibiotics. What in the world?? Who has time for this?
Just trying to keep up…Jeanie
NOTE TO SELF: Loosen up some time in November and December. Right.
pictured: DP praying with people after a break-out session
They so graciously allowed us (Dave, Tara and Hunter, Tredessa, Luke and his wife and son, and Kyle and myself, along with the techno kings) to attend, hang out backstage and ask questions of their leadership. Their generous sharing of insight and wisdom is a priceless blessing to us.
pictured: Dess and Hunter and me; TP + DP; Tre and her “birthday man”; Hunter and Kyle.
Kentucky was wet, very wet…and muddy (we don’t get much mud here), but very lush and beautiful, too. There is great community there and really good food! I had lunch across the table from Shane Claiborne, and just a few tables away from Delirious (although Dave and Tara actually got to “hang” with Martin Smith while Hunter played games on Martin’s phone), enjoyed some awesome worship at the New Song Cafe with Brenton Brown. Skillet did a killer show (pictured below, right). Israel Houghton is the all-new Andrae, incredible show and back-up dancer/singers! Seriously, when I get to heaven, I better be able to dance like that!
One of the great highlights was Kyle and me facing backwards in the golf cart (Tre was riding shotgun) hanging on for dear life while Alpha-2 madly drove the hills explaining security measures to us. Everyone he busted gave Kyle and me the looks. It was like an hour on your favorite carnival ride. Hilarious!
pictured: Tim, John and Dj DC (the rest of our Coloradan constituency) at the techno stage where the party continued until the wee hours…; Dave and Tara and Hunter with Jenn, Stevie (youth pastors at the big Alliance church in Lexington, where DP & TP did ministry on Sunday morning following Ichthus) and their daughter
And unless we end up promoting Delirious in October here in Colorado (which is still on the possibility-table), I got to see them perform as a band for my very last time and they are just.so.stinking.cool. I L O V E Delirious! They changed everything in the mid-90s, everything! They were the final main stage show, a great end to a great festival. I felt very hippie-ish and Jesus-people-early-70’s-ish. (I wrote about Explo ‘72 last summer) I was that sweaty and dirty, too.
We stayed in a town home on the Asbury campus and daily passed this house with a “garden” in the gutters. My hair was fuzzy-crap the entire time. Hunter ran himself (and maybe his mommy) totally ragged. We celebrated Tredessa’s birthday there, walked a lot, slept little, ate lots of funnel cakes and onion blossoms and had a pretty great time, all in all.
Our thanks to the kindness and hospitality of Jeff James and everybody at Ichthus. We have so much gratitude for getting to learn from the best!
It was family-party-celebration-time for Dave (DP) as soon as we got home Ichthus Festival in Kentucky.
He L-O-V-E-S sushi like crazy! But not everyone in the family has been wooed to the sushi-side. So, we got sushi for the fishy of us and then made a bunch of other sushi-looking stuff (very odd combinations! ~ turkey and cheese wraps, tortilla roll-ups, egg rolls cut, etc) and made everyone eat them with chopsticks, wasabi peas and dipping sauces! Throw in some Asian BBQ pork spare ribs and voila! The weirdest meal we may ever have had. All in Dave’s honor.
Yeah, we are that bourgeois.
His “cake,” instead of his traditonal Rice Krispie Treats with a side of Peachie rings each year (that is DP, for ya!), was a giant chocolate chip cookie along with a super-fresh batch of niece-Elise’s incredible chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. Can you count all 28 crazy candles?
Dave and Tara. See those kind faces? It’s because they really are. Hunter and Gavin and the chopsticks. See those ornery faces? They are that and my heart-fillers, too!
Whew! We have just completed 9 family birthdays in less than 3 months. We have a slight reprieve until late July and then we crank up again for the fall season! But how can I not mark the dates and celebrate these people? I praise God for them! O yes, I do!
In WWM staff prayer yesterday, s-i-l, Dave, prayed a prayer of yieldedness. We pondered for a few moments on what it means to yield our hearts, our lives, our thoughts, opinions and desires to God. “Here I am, “ many people in the Bible responded to God.
As Dave restated that phrase: Here I am, I suddenly saw it and heard it differently.
Here, I Am.
I caught a fleeting glimpse of the meaning of yieldedness. To say Here I am is to say You be here, Great I Am.
Here, God (I AM) be in this circumstance. Here in our home, I Am, reign. Be here, I AM, in this hour of indecision, these times of heartbreak, this uncertain future. Here, I Am. I surrender to You. Be here. Be here…
Smile, Emily! That was for you!
