foolishnotions.net

…for my honey, the student.

[sigh]

i’m so happy for him.

• it has been so long since i have opened my google reader that i had to log in.
• i have so many unread posts it won’t tell me how many - it just says 1000+.  (i’m certain this is it’s way of making it a little easier on me.)
• i have so much stuff running around in my head i think it might explode if i don’t blog soon.
• i’ve had new commenters that i haven’t had a chance to say hey to.  if you are one of them -HEY!  thank you so much for stopping by.
• tonight i will, with great remorse, “mark all as read”.  then, with great joy and a clear head, spend the evening with my man.
• tomorrow i have off and i look forward to finding out what you’ve all been up to and telling you what i’ve been up to.

i guess what i’m trying to say is…
i’ve really missed you guys!
you rock.

the week the lights were being installed i cut my fingers at least a dozen times.  i thought my index finger might come completely off before it was over.  after my 3rd or 4th trip to the first aid kit everyone started joking that i needed to wear thimbles to protect my fingers.

so, it’s tech week.  and jennifer just walked into my office and plopped these down on my desk.

i love these people.

gotta go program lights now!
have you bought your ‘creation’ tickets yet?

he was just born yesterday.

today he measures up to my shoulder.

this november he will be 9.

that’s half way to 18.

how is this happening so fast?

how can i make it slow down?

how can i not squander the next 9 years?

these are my mother’s day thougts.

[sniff]

when the cat is away… the mice shall play.

just another day at the office.

this is what 4000 post-it notes looks like when you put them all side by side.

video by matthew ray…

my favorite chick-fil-a meal
chicken sandwich no pickle:  410cal; 16g fat
1 packet of mayonnaise:   90cal;   9g fat
small waffle fries: 270cal; 13g fat
med. dr. pepper:  150cal;   0g fat
cookies & cream milk shake: 790 cal; 33g fat

grand total for my favorite fast food meal:  1710 cal; 71 g fat - are you serious?!?!?!

keeping it real chick-fil-a meal
grilled chicken sandwich, no pickle:  270cal; 3.5g fat
honey mustard:    40cal;   4g fat
half of the fries:  135cal; 7.5g fat
water or diet dr. pepper: 0

grand total for my keeping it real chick-fil-a meal: 475cal; 15g fat

ok, so 475 calories and 15g of fat used to not look so good to me.  until i realized that that’s 72% less calories and 79% less fat than i was consuming 1-3 times a week before i started paying attention!!!!  shoot, for that matter i can eat all the fries and still come out skinnier at the end of the year.

i’ve decided to do this about my weight…

• i’ve decided to eat things that i want while staying away from the things that will kill me at least 85% of the time.  that’s 6 out of 7 days.
• i’ve decided to arm myself with understanding about what i am eating and basing my choices on that knowledge compared to what i know my body has been able to endure in the past.
• i’ve decided that i don’t have to choose the healthiest thing on the menu to be a success.  i just have to choose something better than i would in my blissful ignorance.
• i’ve decided that if i have a bad day, or week, or month… it doesn’t matter.  no longer will i just quit.  i’ll just start again.

this is my theory.  diets don’t work.  i haven’t found one yet that i’m still on.  but, if i can eat 72% better (how about 50% or even 25% better), 85% of the time…. someday i will be lean and mean.  and i’m finding the more i start doing the math… the harder it is for me to justify putting ridiculous food in my mouth.  i have yet to walk into a restaurant and fail to find an alternative to what i originally wanted that was not waaaay better for me… and it still tasted good!

today i put on a pair of size 8’s.  i started this journey in size 12’s.  now, these 8’s aren’t straight out of the drier or anything.  and i’m sure they are a “big” 8.  but 2 months ago i couldn’t get them on.  and today i am wearing them to work without fear of being sent home.

i choose the slow boat to skinny.  i look forward to waking up one day and wondering who the new girl is and how she got here!  i’ll keep you posted to let you know if my theory works.

alright!  who’s still out there fighting the good fight for
being healthy, looking great and living long???
haven’t heard from you all in a while!
weigh in…

i was pondering the concept of hearing God’s voice today. how exactly do you explain the experience of “hearing” God’s voice to someone who doesn’t know God? after all, it’s not really audible (at least for me). how can we claim to “hear” something that doesn’t actually make a sound?

i cringe every time i feel myself about tell someone, “God told me… xyz”. in fact, rarely do i say it. i just fumble clumsily for a short introductory sentence to explain by what authority can i account for the eminent information. it’s not that i don’t think i actually heard from God. it’s just that i’m keenly aware that saying, “God said…” sounds like total whacko, fruit-loop, voices in your head wierdness… not to mention a little pretentious… “oooo… carolyn, thinks she hears God.” it evokes a reaction of, i really don’t want to hear this.

so, i began to think through my experiences of hearing God’s voice. how do i know when it’s God? how can i explain this to someone who is really trying to understand without freaking them out or sounding like i really don’t know what the fool i’m talking about. this is what i’ve got so far…

there are times when in an instant, i have an answer that i understand as thoroughly as if someone stood right in front of me and spelled it out. i didn’t hear any voices, but none the less, i inexplicably have the information… and i get it. sometimes it happens when i’m searching for it. sometimes it comes completely out of left field. it can come as a result of something i see, read, dream, hear…. or, it can come as a result of seemingly nothing at all.

i think sometimes these moments are just epiphanies. other times i think it is God’s “voice”. and i’m certain many times they are epiphanies imparted by God just to help me get along.

for me, the difference in the two is this…

• an epiphany i understand clearly in my head. it’s good practical information i can use to get things done. some of these i think are from God. some i think are just ideas i cooked up all by my creative self… because God made humans creative that way.
• God’s “voice” resonates as truth in my soul. it’s a deep and comprehensive understanding dropped in an instant into my heart. i draw from it confidence, wisdom and the tools i need to walk out my destiny. and because it’s truth to me and not mere information, it becomes a part of who i am. typically, these truths keep “coming up”… like in one week i’ll read something in my bible, see something on tv, hear a story, or witness some other practical application of a truth that started stirring in my heart during prayer one day.

so, there you go. that’s my current explanation on the subject of hearing God. seems easy enough.  it’s still too long to replace, “God told me…” i guess i’ll work on the short version now.  i think there are a lot more explanations i need to rework in my career christian mind before i can more effectively communicate them to someone else.  when i don’t, it just comes out… weird.

am i alone?
does anyone else have to hash this stuff out in their brains?

ok… i can’t help it. this is still a family-friendly site. just hang on a minute.

i’ve known millie since she was a teenager bitten by the shutterbug, feverishly taking pictures of anything or anyone who would step in front of her camera. over the years and during a time where everyone is a photographer, millie has emerged as a truly astounding artist and a remarkable business woman; pushing the envelope daily and rising as a true leader in her field of wedding, engagement and family photography. and… she gives all the credit to her Creator. and so, millie holloman of millie holloman photography is my next foolishnotions.net featured artist, redeeming excellence in art for God’s glory.

i knew as soon as i saw this shot that it was one of my favorite “millies” ever! this picture alone makes me want to save all of my money and go let her capture my family. why?

1. first and foremost…. i love the fact that she even did it. expensive cameras and torrential downpours typically don’t mix in most photographer’s worlds!!! but one of my favorite things about millie’s style is that she often takes risks and creates brilliance out of the unexpected.
2. i love how she framed the shot from behind the bushes for privacy. anyone can take a picture of a couple kissing. but only an artist can trick you into thinking that no one was there to take the shot.
3. it’s black and white - on purpose. not every shot has to be color. not every shot has to be black and white. and the really great artists know why.
4. i love the rain. i just love it. i love that it’s not all about the amount of makeup and choosing clothes that won’t go out of style in 10 years - it’s a timeless moment. who the flip cares about the hairstyles? let it rain!!!
5. millie has such an innate ability to make people feel absolutely comfortable around her. as a photographer i would say that’s 90% of the battle. but if you met millie you would instantly know why. her whit, her laughter, her love for life is immediately disarming. when you meet her you instantly feel as if you you’ve known her forever. it is truly a remarkable gift.

now. you’ve heard my 2 cents on this shot.
go here to read millie’s commentary on this image.

check out her site.

subscribe to her blog.

give her your money.

you’ll be glad you did.

hmmmmm… i wouldn’t have suspected this from our sweet carolyn f.

posted from iPhoneSlide.com

so, this is my thursday creative chaos contribution.
go pay the ragamuffin a visit to see even more chaos!

for those of you who know me from a distance, my references to the work i do at glory academy of fine arts may be a little confusing. i work for the rock, right? yes. well, i also work for glory academy of fine arts. here you go - - in a nutshell…

• glory academy of fine arts (gafa) is a non-profit fine arts academy.
• gafa is an outreach of the rock. we share the same building and we share the same core vision, but we are technically separate…. it’s a fine line, really. basically, we have a fully functioning school in our church complete with it’s own staff (some of which also work for the rock).
• i work for the rock and for gafa, doing pretty much the same thing… graphic design, web, sound, lights, video - basically if it has a button or a chord i’m in charge of making sure it’s doing what it’s supposed to. i get two different paychecks… but if you look at my weekly task list it’s pretty much a mishmash of the two jobs.
• gafa’s largest division is dance, but they also provide instruction in music, creative writing and drama and have plans to expand into other divisions such as art, graphic design and so on.

so, does that make more sense?

ok - - it’s may. and every may is the glory academy of fine arts annual production. this is no dance recital. it is an original full length production complete with lights, haze, set design, costumes, make-up and bobby-pins. lots and lots of bobby-pins! it is the fruit of an entire season of praying, brainstorming, planning, rehearsing, meeting, writing, communicating with parents, coordinating volunteers, creating sets, choosing costumes, make-up and crazy eye-lashes [gasp]. our goal each year is to communicate God’s love for humanity through the arts. our goal each year is to reach the lost with God’s creative genius. it all starts in august and after the 3rd week in may, we all collapse in a heap of physically spent creative bliss. and on june 1st we all can’t resist thinking about what next year’s theme will be.

last year our theme was ’seasons’. it was a powerful depiction of the season’s we go through in life and in our pursuit of God set against a backdrop of spring, summer, fall, winter…. and then spring again. leaving everyone expectant of another year of growth, excitement, harvest and strengthening. it was absolutely amazing.

this year our theme is ‘creation’. i have been feverishly cutting music, pulling together video elements and learning our new lighting system. the costumes have been coming in and alterations are underway. the backdrop was delivered early - so we get a little extra time to experiment.

i am excited every year but this year is different for me. i really think this one is going to be my favorite ever. i love the creativity of God. and nothing illustrates it better than this beautiful earth he fashioned out of the love of His heart in just 7 days. and this year God has blessed us with a brand new lights of our very own. no more renting!!!!

the rock and glory academy have a deep desire to redeem excellence in art back to the Creator and to equip people, young and old, physically and spiritually to use the talents God has blessed them with as a tool to spread God’s love. the installation of our new lights has been a difficult transition for some in our church. there has been concern about where we are headed with all of this new technology. are we trying to put on a show each sunday? are we exalting technology over worship? no, the heart and vision of the rock is the same as it has been for years… to make a difference in wilmington. to be effective in reaching this community teaming with such rich creativity, we need first and foremost to know our Father’s heart for his people; to reach this community of artists we need to speak their language; and, to be truly effective in our efforts we must add to our genuine worship - excellence. this is why, for us, these new lights are not only important - - but absolutely essential to accomplishing what God has set us here to do in wilmington. i am so excited to be right in the middle of it.

if you live within driving distance of the rock, don’t miss ‘creation’. friday, may 16th at 7pm, or saturday, may 17th at 3pm. go get your tickets today.