DEEP WATERS

In my  last post in Deep Waters , I raved about Gabby Douglas. After watching her Olympic Gold performances and her even more inspiring interviews with reporters, I had to be the 4'11", 90-pound powerhouse's biggest fan. Perhaps I still am. This 16-year-old's courage to leave her home and family in Virginia to train in Iowa exceeds that of most adults I know. ...Her courage to shine and smile her way through the ups and downs of life on the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercises of the Olympics, even when she'd lost her winning streak. ...And her courage to face the criticism and questions in cyberspace about her family's financial state, her absent father and worse of all -- her hair. The ignorance that I've seen from others, mostly African Americans, about Gabby's hair, brought to mind a favorite song of mine by R&B recording artist India.Arie... "I Am Not My Hair" Little girl with the press and curl ...

Intrigue, exhilaration, disappointment, triumph. These words describe the emotional roller coaster I rode the other night watching the Olympics. I was intrigued by the beauty and precision of these amazing athlete's bodies. I was exhilarated by their displays of strength and talent. I was disappointed by the elimination of Jordyn Wieber from the all-around gymnastics competition. And I felt triumph whenever our country seized another medal. But the moment that brought the most radiant smile to my face was during gymnast Gabby Douglas' interview after qualifying for the all-around competition. Nicknamed the "Flying Squirrel" for her aerial performance on the uneven bars, this 4'11", 90-pound powerhouse has completely stolen my heart, with her infectious smile and sweet spirit. When asked how she kept her nerves at bay at the Olympics, Gabby replied, "I meditate on scriptures like, 'Be confident in this.'" She went on to say that the...

My life has been full of surprises. I'll share a few of them: I said I'd never marry a preacher. Well, I didn't marry a preacher, I married a corporate guy who, seven years later, became a preacher .  When my husband Anthony and I decided to adopt a newborn baby girl from the United States, the Lord chose a 2-year-old toddler  boy from Russia for our family instead. After relocating cross-country from Tennessee to Northern Virginia in hopes of planting a new church there, after only one year, the Lord clearly directed us to Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas . (Note: In case you haven't noticed, Arkansas borders Tennessee. Surely moving costs would have been a lot cheaper if we would have moved right to Arkansas from Tennessee.) As I share this list, I must admit, I wouldn't change not one of them. My life has been enriched by the surprises, the unexpected circumstances, and even the challenges of God flipping the script that I had joyfully wri...

I don't know about you, but I'm a little weary of all the bipartisan talk these days. Television campaign ads, candidate signs and Facebook posts of people blasting or singing the praises of politicians are wearing me out. Honestly, I'm looking forward to November 7 -- the day  after  election day. I recently read an article in Relevant Magazine  entitled "Broken Politics" , which took a hard, but fair, look at Republicans and Democrats. Authors D.C. Innes and Lisa Sharon Harper examined how both parties get it right and how both parties get it wrong. Their conclusion: "Christians must all recognize their ultimate hope should be in Christ, not in any earthly institution or human theory. Neither one's country nor one's party is the Kingdom of God." I must agree. Over the years I've heard many Christians proudly tout the Republican party as the Christian party. As if Jesus Christ Himself would be a Republican if He were walking the f...

This week I watched "Dead Poets Society." A lover of quotes, this movie was made for nerds like me. I've been quoting lines from the movie ever since. I offer you one here, delivered by John Keating (played by Robin Williams), an English teacher at a prestigious prep school for boys: "Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, 'Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.' Don't be resigned to that. Break out!" Do you strive to find your own voice in the world? Have you ever felt that "quiet desperation"? Have you known the urge to "break out" of the mold of your life? I believe there are two facets to this need, this desire, this desperation. 1. We are called to something bigger than ourselves As far back as I can remember, when I was but a little pigtailed girl in Baltimore, Maryland, I've believed that there...

This week my mind returned to the issue of race in our country. I've recently written about race as I revisited the  20th Anniversary of the Rodney King riots . (Coincidentally, this same Rodney King was  found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool on June 17. Rest in peace, Mr. King) Our Sons Are Trayvon examined the balance of justice and mercy in the racially-charged  murder trial of George Zimmerman. I've also written about results of the 2010 US Census and what those results predict about the changing face - literally - of our country. And of course I had to write about that book that had us all talking about the history of race in the South, The Help. Recently two occurrences got me thinking about race once again: one being the  election of the first African American president of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the second being my husband's participation in a local panel examining and discussing race relations in our community. Let's take a l...

Happy Siblings: Jada, Christian and Joelle When I share my heart on the topic of adoption, I usually don’t know where to begin. My compassionate heart for orphans – around the corner and around the world, as I say – was truly birthed out of my heart for God. When I view God’s heart in the scriptures, I see a loving, merciful God Who continually looks out for the underdog. The poor, the alien, the widow – and yes, the orphan – may oftentimes go overlooked by the world. But the poor, the alien, the widow and the orphan are much like Hagar, mistreated by her master Abraham’s wife, Sarai. In Genesis 16:7 we find Hagar alone in the desert, having fled her tormentor’s home. She is hungry. She is thirsty. She is completely alone in the world. Or so she thinks. While she withers under the desert sun, the angel of the Lord visits Hagar and speaks life to her. He tells her she is expecting Abraham’s son and that her descendents would one day be too numerous to ...