Music – Page 4 – Blessings on the Journey

It’s a New Day

Posted on July 6, 2010October 10, 2010 by narciejeter

I played Michael Buble’s Feeling Good a couple months ago at church. Can’t remember the text at this point but it was about the swagger. There’s a certain swagger to Michael Buble and this song and I think there’s often a certain swagger to the new day that was created in the resurrection. When Easter came -” it really was a new dawn, a new day, a new life.” Not that I’m actually picturing Jesus swaggering. Can’t imagine him in a rat pack hat. Not even “Buddy Jesus” a la Dogma. But there is a certain swagger to this new day that has been created. A day where we have hope. A day where we aren’t just talking in metaphors and imagery, but we are God’s people here on earth trying to live into the already and not yet of God’s kingdom now. Among us.

That is a powerful thing. We’re not just all hanging out down here and doing the best we can for the heck of it. We’ve been charged with bringing God’s kingdom to earth – that’s pretty weighty and scary and awesome and humbling. It’s a new day – “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or fre, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galations 3:28) No more do we have to bow down to classism or sexism or racism or whatever else. No more do we have to just assume things are going to go on being and doing as they always have. No more do we have to wait for someone else to stand up and make a difference. It’s a new day for each of us. It’s a new time for each of us. It’s a new opportunity for each of us to really know each other and meet needs and get connected and become community.

Shane Claiborne’s article about inter-dependence day said it much better then I could so here’s a link http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-claiborne/this-july-4th-lets-celebr_b_633710.html. In thinking about college campuses and what gets someone through the door of a campus ministry – what gets folks to seek community – what makes that connection – I can’t help but look towards the fall semester. I know that having that community around you is vital in college life. Having fellow journeyers with you is essential and I can’t fathom not having that support. But how in a world where everyone feels connected (hello facebook, twitter, myspace, whatever the latest trend is) do you actually show the importance of real relationships and the vital news that we as a community, as a body of believers can make real change in the world?

I love Michael Buble’s song because of it’s implications for our Christian walk, but I also love it for this coming school year because we’re doing some things a little bit different at Winthrop Wesley. Change is scary people. Let me tell you. I love how we’ve done things. I love the students that have been here and are here. A campus minister friend of mine shared an image that a campus minister shared with him about what campus ministry is like. It’s like building sand castles in the sand. As soon as you have a really good looking castle, the waves come and wash it away. There are pros and cons with that – our “congregation” changes roughly every 4 years and even with students you’ll get the “but we’ve never done it that way before even if it’s been 2 years instead of 30.” This past year we had a large group of seniors graduate and with some changes to Winthrop’s schedule and with the opening of the new Student Center, the Student Leadership Team and I thought this might be time to make a change.

So we are. We’re going to mix up our meeting times, we (meaning the lovely Jonathan and Marissa) have painted some of our space, we’re going to do small groups differently and who knows what else differently. Can’t wait for God to show us how this is going to look because it’s a scary thing stepping out and not doing the same thing that you’ve always done. The familiar and the natural rhythm can’t be underestimated, but when you know it’s time, you know it’s time.

The main thing we’re doing differently this year is that we’re going to have a mission focus. We will continue all of our work with social justice in terms of Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week, CROP Walk, and the Potato Drop…it wouldn’t be Wesley if we didn’t have that as our backbone. But we’re going to spend this year with a focus on Human Trafficking. I’ve been hearing about this for a couple years now and it is something that has captured my heart. There is so much information out there and so many different organizations and books and people lifting up this issue it’s unbelievable if you start digging around and yet we’re not hearing about this from the media. It’s not something commonly talked about. That is frustrating. So this year we’re going to learn about human trafficking and then we’re going to do something to help combat the problem any way we can. This means inviting speakers in. This means reading books and educating ourselves. This means we’re going to New York City over Fall Break to the Church Center Building and are going to do a United Methodist Seminar with the amazing folks that coordinate the Seminar Program there.

A song and story that has captured our vision for this is from the band Bluetree and the song is “God of this City.” If you watch no video I ever post on this thing, watch this one. Seriously. It is powerful and he can say it a lot better than I can write it. It is powerful coming out of the mouths of these Irish folk asking each of us – what are we doing to combat these things (hunger, homelessness, child soldiers, human trafficking) in our world? If this is a new day, what are we doing to show a hurting world the God that loves them and is very much alive?

Here is a video of the whole song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgQccYki-9Y&NR=1

Here are the words:

You’re God of this city, you’re the King of these people, you’re the Lord of this nation, you are…

You’re the Light in this darkness, you’re the Hope to the hopeless, you’re the Peace to the restless, you are…

For there is none like our God, there is none like You, God!

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here.

You’re the Lord of creation, The creator of all things you’re the King above all kings, you are…

You’re the Strength in the weakness, You are Love to the broken, You’re the Joy in the sadness, you are…

For there is none like our God, there is none like you, God!

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!
Where glory shines from hearts alive with praise for You and love for You in this city.

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here.

For there is none like our God, there is none like you, God!

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!
Where glory shines from hearts alive with praise for You and love for You in this city.

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city!
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here.

Faith, Music

Ginny Owens

Posted on June 24, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

Once a month Mike gets Worship Leader magazine and each magazine comes with a Song DISCovery CD with new worship songs. There’s usually around 13 of them and they range from really awesome to okay. The CD this month came a couple days ago and there was a song by Ginny Owens on it called “Just as I Am.” I have since gone on Amazon and bought her latest worship CD that has a song by the same name and I’m hoping it will be the same one. I’m telling you these CD’s are helpful – they even give the song a theme and focus verse. The theme that they gave this one was “Repentance and commitment” and the focus verse is John 6:37 – “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;” (NRSV) The song is no where on youtube but here’s a link to it http://iLike.com/s/92ZOU as just the music.

Some friends from college and I saw Ginny Owens way back in 2001 before she hit it big. It was completely random. We were on our way back from Carolina Place mall (there wasn’t much civilization in Rock Hill back then so we went to Pineville all the time) and we were listening to the Runaway Bride soundtrack in my car. We were singing at the top of our lungs the Dixie Chicks version of “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Needless to say – hilarious. Anyway as we drove down Cherry Road I saw this random homemade poster sign that Ginny Owens in Concert Tonight. I thought surely this couldn’t be true, so I dropped everyone off at their various residence halls and went back down Eden Terrace to investigate. Lo and behold, Ginny Owens was going to play in concert that night at Sullivan Middle School. How random is that?

So I call everyone up – I have no clue who even sponsored this thing – and there we went. We had barely heard of Ginny Owens at that point but she had been rocking some songs on the radio that we already loved – If You Want Me To, Be Thou My Vision, and Free to Dance and I had been reading in my CCM magazine that Michael W. Smith had signed her to Rocketown Records. I’ll never forget that night. I’m not going to go into all of Ginny’s story because that’s hers to share and I know you’ll be able to look up more info if you’d like. But Ginny is blind. We had no clue about that before going to the concert. When someone walked her out on stage I know I was shocked. And just amazed at the power of her lyrics and music and story. She has always been an inspiration and her songs resonate even years later.

It was a gift for one of her songs to be on that CD and I’m thankful for it. Can’t wait to get the new CD’s in the mail and get to hear more. It never ceases to amaze me that somehow in the midst we get those little things that spur us on and keep us going forward. We are given that bread for the journey to keep us sustained, nurtured and moving towards new life and new beginnings!

Thank y’all again for the prayers and for being my fellow journeyers. Yesterday I was pumped to get the news, last night I was exhausted and today I’m kind of in between. Thank God that we don’t have to be ready to go and “on” every day, but that sometimes we can just be – and that’s okay. My favorite response to yesterday’s news was from my crazy probably sleep deprived and sun stroked father who’s still at the college world series. I know we have both Carolina and Clemson fans out there so I’m not going to make any disparaging remarks about any particular team but I need to see if Enoch’s gamecock t-shirt still fits. Anyway – I sent out a text to family telling them the results and Dad texted back (he’s not necessarily the most adept of texters but that’s okay) “Praise the 555” and then a few seconds later “Lord.” Bahahahahahaha…who in the heck is the 555? So we called him and he said well, I wanted to make sure I capitalized Lord but then I must have mashed the wrong button and said 555. Then again I guess it’s better than 666 or KKK. Could have been a lot worse. But Praise the 555. Still making me chuckle. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord of our lives that goes with us, beside us and before us.

Watch out for the weird wolf thing at the end…but I did like this version.

Be Thou My Vision.

Want to hear from Ginny Owens herself? Here’s some of her story.

Health, Music, Tumor

Quick Report

Posted on June 23, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

Not going to spend too much time reporting on this and will debrief and reflect more later but we went to the neurosurgeon’s and the nurse took out the stitches – hallelujah! My head is my head again so that’s good. The pathology report says that this is a “low grade oligodendroglioma grade 2.” Right now we just hang out and I get a MRI in three months and see if it grows or not. Because they can’t determine how long it’s been there so how fast it grew the first time, they don’t really know how fast or if it will grow this time.

There are four grades – 1, 2, 3, and 4. There are a ton of websites but one that helped me was http://www.irsa.org/astrocytoma.html. So it’s not a grade 1 which is the better of the four. But it’s also not a grade 3 or 4 which are malignant. So it’s pretty awesome that it’s not malignant! I would prefer a grade 1 but hey – I’ll take a 2 over a 3 or 4 any day of the week. The group will present my tumor (those are two words you’d really not prefer to put together) next Wednesday to the tumor board and we’re supposed to call on Friday to see if there’s any change in what we’re going to do. We’re still scheduled to meet with the new neurologist in a couple weeks and get those things going but as of now unless there are changes in my symptoms like more seizures, etc. than we’re to go about life as usual. Sadly, Nicaragua is still a no go and they don’t want me to get overly exhausted, but other than that – life is good and beautiful and wonderful.

Thank you so very much for the prayers! Both nurses were shocked that I felt so good after having surgery. They couldn’t believe that I didn’t have any tingling or loss of feeling or anything besides some headaches. I know that’s y’all’s prayers at work. I know that the rapidness of my recovery and feeling as good as I do now is because of the power of those prayers and I appreciate every one of them. I’m not going to go too much farther in that because I don’t want to start crying here at the computer, but THANK YOU!!!!!!! This is good news. We’re going to claim that and believe that. And even better – life can go on as usual at least for three months so that means having fun with Mike and the kids, family and friends, getting ready for a new year at Wesley, preaching on Sundays and loving life! Hallelujah!!!!!!!!! God is good!

I’m going to close you out this afternoon with a song that I love by the group New World Son called “There is a Way.” Love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17eWXuUTq5s

Love, love, love to each of you! Thanks for the prayers. Loving the light breaking through each day!

Campus Ministry, Culture, Faith, Family, Health, Music

Those Moving Moments

Posted on June 22, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

The two verses that the email version of the Upper Room gave me this morning were Psalm 91:1-2 “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” The other focus verse was Matthew 28:20, “Jesus said, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So tomorrow is the big day. In some ways I feel like this is an even bigger day than surgery day but maybe that’s because I’ll be awake the whole time. I am SUPER excited to get the stitches out. I have already scheduled a fabulous wash and haircut from my beloved Robin at Kuttin’ Up for tomorrow evening. Hugely excited about all of this crusty yuckness out of my hair. Mom and Mike will go with me to the neurosurgeon’s. GiGi is going to keep the kiddos. Whatever they say – I don’t know. I’ve gone back and forth all day but at present I’m just ready to know something.

To stay occupied I had a wonderful breakfast with an amazing couple that I’m marrying in less than a month and we began to plot and plan ways of sprucing up Wesley. They’re having their reception at Wesley and I am beyond excited that we have the opportunity to give it a fresh look for their amazing occasion and to get ready for the school year. We then got to work sprucing up and I had a great lunch with a clergywoman friend – a real treat! Mike and I finished out the day picking out some new lights for Wesley and voting in the primary runoff. So some work and civic duty complete it was time to hang out with the kiddos, take them to the splash pool, enjoy some Brunswick stew, cheer on the Gamecocks (cannot believe we won but so thrilled!), watch an episode of Burn Notice and we’re now flipping between the Clemson game and some crazy shoot em up movie on AMC. It’s been a busy but good day and for that I am hugely grateful.

Dad called tonight after the Gamecocks won and in typical Dad fashion he has now made friends with the scalper who tried to break in line. Today the guy came up and apologized to him for trying to cut and said he’d try to get him good tickets to Thursday night’s game. Hilarious. This is what amazes me about my father. Even when he sticks to his guns and integrity but is kind of a hard rear, he still somehow makes these connections/relationships with people. I guess you know where you stand with him and that is awesomely refreshing compared with plenty of people that just blah blah and placate you.

It’s those relationships that are so important. A dear friend in seminary would say repeatedly, “It’s all about relationship.” And it is. There’s just something about that connection with the human spirit. That which is real in me speaking to that which is real in you. That beautiful hopeful and yet fragile humanity in each of us that calls out. We’re watching America’s Got Talent now and this guy just did this whole kite thing to the music of Sarah McLachlan’s “Arms of the Angel” and it was just astounding. Even Piers was floored by it. He said he was prepared to make fun of it but it was extraordinary. Very cool. Three yes’s. For a guy with a kite. Who would have seen that coming? That’s what’s awesome about the Susan Boyle’s and this kite guy and these random human connections that we make. Remember that hilarious wedding video from last year with everyone dancing down the aisle? Maybe it’s just sappy old me, but there’s just something so moving and human and great about these things. It somehow pierces our cynicism and the layers of dust and crud and stink that seem to sometimes cover our souls.

I just love it. I love when we’re shocked speechless by something and are blown away by the sheer force of joy or passion or just God given poignancy of something. You can’t see Susan Boyle sing and not think – wow – didn’t see that one coming. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxPZh4AnWyk

If Simon Cowell can be blown away – Oh my. (I also love the girl that rolls her eyes like yeah right like this woman can sing.) You can’t watch the wedding party dance down the aisle and not get caught up in the moment of it all. They just practiced once briefly. Hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

You can’t take part in this life we’ve been given with your eyes and ears even halfway opened and not have your foundation rocked some of the time (sometimes in a great way, sometimes in a not so great one), but the good comes with the bad, the joy comes with the mourning, the hot fudge sundaes with the brussel sprouts. It’s awesome to be able to savor the igniting of the human spirit and those shake the rafters experiences that just blow you away in the best of ways.

So as I think about diving into the unexpected tomorrow, I know that….well there are so many cliches I could write here, I’m hesitating. I could say it’s all good or it is what it is or any other random pat answers. Instead though I’m going to say the journey rocks on. And it does. We’ll keep you posted!

Here’s Laura Story’s Mighty to Save – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYqogpLpC5Q

Culture, Faith, Family, Health, Music

Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner

Posted on June 22, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

We just caught the end of Dirty Dancing which you can’t hear that stinking song at the end and not think about that movie – “For I’ve had the time of my life….” Mike is now watching Family Guy. Why is it every night around 10:30 when he can’t find anything to watch – we end up on TBS watching Family Guy? It never ceases to amaze me how this show is still on the air and uncensored.

The wonderful lady at the doctor’s office called and said that we will meet with the nurse and doctor on Wednesday when they will take out the stitches and will go over the pathology report and the plan of action. So Wednesday afternoon it is. At least we now know when it is. I’m trying not to complete fast forward tomorrow and Wednesday morning, but I must admit in our world of DVR – it sure would be nice to be able to fast forward some things.

Then again, I would miss such awesomely precious moments. Enoch, Evy and I have eye goop right now and the amazing Dr. Paxtor at Sunshine Pediatrics which is the best pediatric group there is by the way has us all fixed up. Enoch actually went to bed around 6 pm which is unheard of. There is no telling when that kid is going to wake up tonight so here’s to hoping for the best! Evy was her hilarious wild self until 8:30. She is one of the most adorable girly little girls. It amazes me because I’m not really a girly girl. She’s just girly. No other way to describe it – dainty and expressive and girly. She’s tough too though. When she got shots last week for her 16 month check up she didn’t even cry. I’m glad we’re raising a strong little girl. I wasn’t someone that grew up watching Dirty Dancing. Truth be told – wasn’t allowed to watch it until I was too old to really care, but as cheesy as it is, I did always like the “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” line. And since Enoch still calls Evy “Baby” most of the time, I think that’s pretty hilarious.

I like the both of our kids are so uniquely them. They are as exuberant and happy as two children can be and just as mischevious (I secretly love the mischeviousness and think it’s adorable). I like that they have their own personalities and do things in their own way and nature or nurture – they are each their own person. We have raised them the same – if Enoch wants to play with a doll or Evy a train – who cares? It’s just funny how they interact and learn and grow and change and just are.

Someone on facebook posted on Father’s Day that not all of us have had the greatest earthly father but each of us has a heavenly Father that created us and knows us intimately. She cited Psalm 139. I love this Psalm. I don’t necessarily know if facebook is the way to share that message to some random person out there that grew up with a cruddy father or if that would just tick them off more, but you never know how God will speak to some one and you can’t beat Psalm 139 for talking about the Creator. It’s the uniqueness – the whole special snow flake thing – that makes our human interaction to interesting and complicated and special. We are each uniquely created and yet all of these unique many times strong-willed individuals still somehow manage to form community. Even in the midst of our “me”-ness and our egos of being this special creation we are called to step outside of this self and reach out to the other.

Again, I think our faith is such a balance – a tricky but rewarding tight rope walk. We are each “fearfully and wonderfully made” but we are each to “deny our selves and take up our crosses.” Hmmmm…. It’s true nobody should put “Baby” or anybody in a corner, but it’s not a big group dance a la Dirty Dancing if it’s just Baby doing a solo macarena. It’s something special when everyone joins in the dancing. When we each step out of the corners of our lives and our hearts and join in the great dance all around us – that’s what makes it really special.

So I hope that even as awesomely individual as Enoch and Evy are – that they know not only that they are special and unique and loved but that they are part of a larger story and dance that encompasses us all in mighty ways together.

Mike’s flipped it to the World Cup now. I think that’s a sign to stop blogging. Will try my best not to fast forward to Wednesday and will seek to live in the moment and in the precious time in the present – even if waiting completely stinks sometimes. Love to each of you! And thanks for your dance!

Faith, Family, Music, Television

Dad’s Day

Posted on June 20, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

So I got to hear Josh this morning at Bethel. It is rare now that I’m not in a pulpit on Sunday mornings and so it is a good treat when as someone told me this morning, I can be a “pew filler.” It’s good to get to go to worship and just be and not have to do. Josh preached from 1 Kings 19:1-15 this morning and he really brought out the larger story of the text and the battle that was waging between Elijah and Jezebel. There is an ever present battle raging on and it’s easy to get discouraged from time to time. It struck me the question that the voice of God asked Elijah – “What are you doing here?” It reminded me of the little smart girl troup on the show Phinneas and Ferb and the beautiful little girl who is in love with Phinneas who asks always very loving and innocently, “Whatcha doin?” in such a sing song way. What are you doing here? Did you think life wasn’t going to be a topsy turvy battle? Did you think that you’d win this skirmish and then it would all be done and set and steady?

Josh reminded me this morning of two of the things that Dad did when we were growing up. When my mom went back to school to get her master’s degree in counseling to be an elementary guidance counselor, Dad became a self-proclaimed Mr. Mom for a while. On the way to school in the mornings when we were in elementary school he would sing us John Denver, particularly “Sunshine on My Shoulder.” Now you should know that Dad is not a singer. LOL. If you have ever been in one of his churches and the mic was on during the singing – you know that even though Dad enjoys singing, it’s the joyful noise kind. And yet on the way to school, he would sing us these John Denver songs. Not worried about how he sounded or anything about pitch, but just concerned with showing us how much he loved us. He also would pick us up from school every day and we would get an afternoon snack. When Josh asked the congregation this morning where they thought he picked up our snack from someone wisely said McDonald’s. Heck that would have been more nutritious. We actually would stop at a local gas station. Oh, the nutrional value. Josh remembers getting Tahition Punch (the least likely nutrional thing around – please I hope our dentists are not reading this but I do think it explains a lot) and Butterfingers. I would always get NuGrape, the sugariest grape soda I could find. So yes we had purple and red mouths and who knows how we didn’t each weigh a gazillion pounds, but we knew we were taken care of and loved.

As preacher’s kids we had a pretty good sense of this whole good versus evil thing. I mean hello – who didn’t watch Star Wars and know the difference between the Jedi and the Dark Side. We didn’t really like the Wicked Witch of the West or her flying monkeys and we knew we were safe in God’s house. There was a 7th Heaven episode one time that showed Matt hanging out in the church, in the sanctuary and they had to consult some PK’s on that one because it was so real to who we were. We knew who was sick or in the hospital, we knew what it meant to pray, we knew what it meant that our Dad was a pastor to this congregation and that meant he was here, there and everywhere.

The thing that stands out to me about my Dad was what a good example he was of being a real example of someone trying to live a faithful life. He’s not perfect by any means, but he sure as heck never claims to be. He can tell crazy stories about all sorts of things and he’s not someone anyone would ever call mamby pamby. He is as strong and fierce and no holes barred as one can get and still follow Christ. And that’s what I appreciate and love the most about him. His integrity. That he will say what he believes and stand by it whether it’s popular or not. That he speaks the truth even when it’s super annoying, a little too blunt, and sometimes scarily too honest. Right now he’s at the College World Series in Omaha and he spent the night on the asphalt last night, the fifth person in line to get tickets for today’s Carolina and Clemson games. Poor games are rain delayed right now but hopefully he’ll get to use those good seats soon. What’s funny is that in line yesterday he met this scalper. Dad doesn’t really meet strangers – he starts talking to them, much to the usual annoyance of the rest of us. Anyway, so somehow the man found out he is a minister and so today the man walks up to him and starts trying to talk to him and break in the line. See here’s the thing. Dad may be a minister, but some dude breaking into line when he’s slept on the asphalt all night – that’s not going to cut it. So he went toe to toe with the guy. Thankfully security came over and asked the guy if he had slept there all night and he of course said no so he told him to go to the back of the line. You see Dad’s not one of those Christians that is just going to sit idly by and let someone cut in the line. Yeah, yeah, I know about the whole talents thing or the workers thing with one group only working a little while and getting paid the same and that not being fair or the prodigal son stuff and I’m not really talking about those times. What I’m talking about are the times like Elijah where we feel beat down and we’ve had enough and we say okay, we’re out – we’re done. My Dad as crazy as he is, let’s me know that we’re not out, we’re not done, and we keep on going. That there is a battle ever raging before us and we keep going searching for guidance and leaning on the word of God. Because the greater story is not yours or mine, it’s God’s.

I’m thankful that God gives us those loving reminders and touchstones to look to whether it be John Denver on the way to school or sugary snacks in the afternoon or the example of one who keeps on living it and battling it out no matter the adversity. This morning we sang the song, “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and those lyrics can say it better than anything I can ever write. Much more than the love of our earthly fathers whether biological or otherwise, God’s faithfulness provides for us and abides in us always.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Y’all’s faithful prayers have made a huge difference in my life. I know that it is those prayers that is given me the strength and energy to play with the kids and keep on keeping on. I can’t say how humbling it is to know that there are so many people praying for me. It actually kind of freaks me out. But I am hugely thankful for it. Your faithfulness will not be forgotten. All of my love to each of you and happy father’s day, padre! Here’s Great is Thy Faithfulness by Chris Rice. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o

Culture, Faith, Family, Health, Music, Tumor

The Buzz

Posted on June 17, 2010October 9, 2010 by narciejeter

I’m still at Josh’s house (a huge thanks to Josh and Karen for letting us become squatters in their lovely home) and Josh, Karen, Mike and Mom are watching the World Cup and I can hear that lovely buzz of horns that everyone seems intent to whine about. What becomes a big deal to us these days? LOL.

For those that are wondering what the latest buzz is here – there isn’t too terribly much. As y’all know we saw the doctor on Saturday morning and he told us we would get the pathology results back on Tuesday or Wednesday. Wednesday is almost over but onward we go without any word. A dear clergywomen friend of mine called me earlier while I was at Wesley and she said I didn’t sound like myself and I was like OMG – you called me on a number I didn’t know so I thought you were the pathologist….It was practically the only phone call of the day.

So what have we been doing over the past couple days…well, I’ve read a lot of trashy magazines so let me tell you about the twihards and the latest with Robsten. I have eaten a lot of good food – from church folk to students to clergy colleagues and campus ministers – y’all know a way to a person’s heart! I have watched some very useless and mind-numbing tv – soap operas are so much more violent and even more insane than they used to be. I’ve played Farmville – although it’s slower now and getting on my nerves a bit. I’ve even started trying to do more twitter. Some great students tonight showed me how to fix the background of my blog and so I guess I’m moving into the next decade or so…hopefully.

Overall there’s a lot of waiting. I guess and wondering too, but that’s like a duh no brainer. It’s hard being away from my kids but that’s a duh no brainer too. I got to see Evy yesterday morning while Enoch was at pre-school and then I couldn’t take being away anymore and went and saw both of them last night. Tomorrow morning Evy will be back again and I’m super excited about that! We’re trying to keep things as normal as possible for them except that Mommy has been “at work” a lot this week. Maybe it’s like the craziness of the beginning of the school year!

I feel like I’m making a lot of people wait right now and I do wish I had some answers. But then a part of me is like, what am I waiting for anyway? I want to get this brain healed and these stiches out and go back to playing with my kids and doing the things I love! Not that Camp Josh and Karen’s hasn’t been great but what is the end date of this thing?

The problem with questions though is that it just leads to questions. Well when is any end date? I’m not talking about the finale of LOST but about when do we really ever know any answer? Are we to wrestle with questions and answers to the end of time? What do we hold to be true? What/Who/in Whom do we trust? Trust is such a big part of this. Who do we trust with our info, with our identities, with our hearts? Do we freely give these out or do we hold tight and protect? Is it a little something of both and where do we draw the line?

The Upper Room today (I get the one online by email because it’s the easiest thing to do and I don’t know if it’s the same one in print form) has been a comfort to me lately. The highlighted verses were from Romans 8:28-39. I’ll post it below for you guys. It’s verses that I’ve said many a times to students about God working all things for good for those who love God and the whole if God can be for us, who can be against us, and more than conquerors and so many good things. What I like best (I hesitate when saying best with anything because that may change tomorrow) but what resonnates with me tonight as it did this morning is that NOTHING separates from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. Nothing.

I may not understand why some people end up this way and others end up that way, why some people seem to get a free pass at life and others a rocky road, or why the sky is blue, but I know that nothing in this world can separate us from the love of God. A friend of mine emailed me a couple days ago about a close family friend that just passed away at 31 of Hodgkins lymphoma and she very wisely and bravely and honestly shared some of the questions that I think we each have when we’re faced with something like that. She asked “Who does God select to call home? Who does God select to heal and create miracles?” Who?

She said they were child-like questions, but I think they are questions that on the darkest days in our hearts we know that these are the whens, and whys, and hows and what in the craps, that we want to know. It seems cliche and not at all helpful to say I don’t know. But I don’t. We don’t. I know that I believe in the power of prayer and that miracles happen all around us every day. I’m a Momma T follower that believes little things done with great love can change our world. And I know and can rest assured that NOTHING separates us from the love of God. Nothing can separate us from that. May we feel it. Even when we’re in a ticked off mood having a not so good day or when we are at our lowest point – may we just taste the presence of God. My mom has a student whose mother is most likely going to lose her second battle with cancer in the coming days. And for her I know we ache. We each know these stories and each of us has felt this pain and loss at one time or another.

May we release that. May we say outloud our doubts and our fears and our questions and our let’s just be honest profanities sometimes and say COME ON!!!! God is a big God and can take it. Rest assured. And this doesn’t even have to be a one time occasion. But let’s also pull in all the good and grasp hold of that with two white knuckled fists and say heck yeah to all of the ways God amazes the socks off us and shows us things we didn’t think possible. Try it. Just try it. Even at our lowest moments – there’s still this shining light we just can’t shake….like the buzz of a world cup horn in our ears….

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:28-39 (don’t get me into all the exegesis of this one, but just see what it speaks to you!=0))

Haven’t posted any music to y’all lately. Here’s another one that I love from church – Britt Nicole’s “The Lost Get Found.” Maybe I like poppy music but this one is just fun! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4GmLRTJq1w

Faith, Movies, Music, Worship

Laminin

Posted on June 13, 2010October 8, 2010 by narciejeter

Hi y’all,

So I’m trying to have a little church up in here. No I’m not singing loud and freaking out any nurses, don’t worry. But a friend sent this Louie Giglio video to me last week and I remember one of my students this semester telling me about this amazing thing called Laminin that’s like the rebar of the body. I like the image of the rebar because that’s what holds just about everything together in Nicaragua and it’s great, sturdy, strong stuff. I don’t know how much of this whole laminin thing is true and I’m not always one to send out mass forwards and things like this, but I do think that it’s again so super cool and neat how amazingly intricate our bodies are and that there is a master Creator and Physician that builds us up from the inside out and holds us close. Does that mean that this Creator God of ours loves those that don’t get well or get the answers they’d like to have any less? Heck no. But it does mean that the cross of Christ is ever before us calling us forth to new life and new beginnings and new realities each step of the way. Maybe a cheesy video but very cool nonetheless. How Great is Our God! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Campus Ministry, Culture, Faith, Family, Health, Movies, Music, Tumor

San Francisco

Posted on June 13, 2010October 8, 2010 by narciejeter

Mom and I watched a movie last night with Clark Gable and an opera singer called San Francisco. Although her opera singing was not the favorite of my ears, the story was decent and talked about the great earthquake and fire of San Francisco and faith and all sorts of interesting historical stuff. It was much better than watching the cartoons, news and newborn channel on the hospital television.

So they’ve taken off the lefthand iv and took out the righthand iv this morning. They removed the staples from the central line in my neck yesterday so the only things left to do to get me out of here is take the bandage off of my neck and remove the drip. Definitely gives new thought to the phrase “brain drain.” Other than that I’m doing pretty well. I have to admit now that I wasn’t so sure that I was going to wake up as me. I know that they didn’t say anything about me not being myself when I woke up but with the whole brain thing I was concerned that I was going to just be here but not really be here. But I am here! My head hurts of course – duh! but my real slightly silly brain is here and for that I am truly, truly thankful! If I could do a little jig I probably would (I think of Papa Mac my grandfather dancing down the aisle singing Lord of the Dance with his two leg prostheses).

It’s been sad watching the news here with the floods and I can’t imagine what those families are going through. Many prayers for each of them and all of the days, weeks, and years ahead. I keep saying surreally that I just had brain surgery, but I certainly didn’t wake up in the middle of the night with water all around and losing my family. May God’s peace, strength, and presence surround these people in ways that they can’t even comprehend.

It’s amazing to me the strength of the human spirit and that push to keep going whether to the frontier of San Francisco, that beautiful 16 year old girl wanting to get back out and travel again in her sailboat or in watching this World Cup action and the exhilaration and electricity that come from people uniting in a common theme and cause! We’ll see what the doctors say in the days and weeks to come. As Mike told y’all, the doctor got all of the tumor except one line that was where it was fuzzy and close to the motor cortex. They’ll either wait and see, do some chemo and radiation or will go back in and do another surgery. Either way looks like I won’t be making it to Nicaragua in August but I know the students will have a blast!

I’m tired and I’m definitely not back to normal, but it feels good to know that I’ll get to see my kids soon and that life is going on as usual for now. Josh is leading a Bible Study at Annual Conference right now so Mom and I have been praying for him. He and Dad will travel back this way this afternoon. Caleb was with us the morning of the surgery and GiGi has been sending us updated picture messages on the phone of the kids. Mike will be doing the music at St. John’s – Fort Mill this morning. Renee, Guyeth and Rob visited yesterday and they were each a blessing! Prayers for Lindsay, my cousin and Guyeth and Rob’s daughter who got t-boned by a car full of 5 guys last night in New Orleans. Even though it flipped, her Explorer just seemd to have one dent which is a blessing but I know she’s going to be sore and shaken up so prayers for peace, relaxed muscles, and rest.

So life goes on and just like those people in the crazy movie San Francisco – it may not all be pretty and it may be a fight, but it is life and we serve and know and trust the One who goes before us and beside us and ever with us each step of the way. Praise be to God!

This is the link I wanted to post for you on Friday – it’s a song from Amy Grant’s new record – “Overnight” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cPYk6qB4Q0

I also wanted to share with you Michael W. Smith’s “Healing Rain.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo1bjTOFbZA

Faith, Family, Health, Music, Tumor

The latest

Posted on June 9, 2010October 8, 2010 by narciejeter

I realize that some of y’all humor my rambles and some of you want to cut to the chase and get the facts of the matter so here is your bare basics for now.

We went to the MRI and Functional MRI today. We arrived at 2:10 and I went in around 3:15. Needless to say I got out at close to 6:15 pm. Wow that was long. They were doing some sort of research study and I signed some waivers for them to do whatever in the heck they were doing. Figured it couldn’t hurt. And then I got to hear a bunch of noise and wiggle my fingers and toes for awhile. Didn’t hear anything afterwards except that the nurse said that everyone seems on the same page and I have a good neurosurgeon that will be able to answer my questions on Friday. So – that’s where we are. I don’t have any more answers than that.

The team (it’s kind of weird having a team) will meet over the next couple of days and we’re still good to go for Friday. Still going there around 11:15 am and beginning around 1:30 pm at CMC’s main campus.

I am much more worried about afterwards than during but that’s probably my stubborness coming through. Who likes change? Especially where a 1 and a half and 3 year old are concerned? How in the heck will I get ready for the coming school year or be ready to welcome freshman? Will I be able to play with my kids as usual? I don’t even want to think about hospital bills, insurance, or co-pays… And the ever present question about my hair or what this recovery will be like… It is what it is and where heading forward full steam ahead.

But we’re not going alone and for that I am hugely thankful. Thanks so much for the prayers! Thanks hugely to GiGi for watching the kids and being here during this time. As always love to brothers and sisters in law and family for keeping it real. Thanks to my parents for riding up and down that road to Columbia and for being here. Thanks to my students for keeping me human in the midst of this and being wonderful. Thanks to each of you for your comments, emails, notes, cards, EVERYTHING – they have each meant the world. Thanks especially to my precious children who are the best cuddlers and welcome homers I know and to my amazing rock of a husband Mike who has been unwavering and more amazing than I could imagine or ask for through all of this. It’s been a week and a half. When I have surgery it will be just barely 2 weeks from being healthy happy narcie to what in the heck is in my brain.

I didn’t know I could be so tired, so grateful, so scared, so at peace, and so hopeful all at the same time.