whereisjodi.

I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for - but everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men, most richly blessed.
- by an unknown soldier

I was especially moved by the line about weakness "that I might feel the need for God." Boy how that resonates today.

Posted by authorjodi at 08:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Are arranged marriages the next big trend in America? Here's an article by an author trying to explain the benefits, but I think it'll be a hard sell in America.

Larry King got triple ratings for his Paris Hilton interview Wednesday. 3.2 million! I can't believe 3.2 million people took the time to tune in and listen to that girl. Too bad we can't mobilize 3.2 million to call their congressman about something slightly more important...say responsible immigration reform?

Bill Clinton was forgiven because he "didn't inhale." A few years and a few decayed standards later, Barack Obama was forgiven because he admitted to using cocaine instead of waiting for reporters to dig it up. But poor Mitt Romney has yet to find forgiveness for putting his dog in a carrier on the roof of his car for a roadtrip almost 25 years ago. I'm not sure I'd feel that great about putting an animal on the roof, even well-protected, but it was 25 years ago! If we're talking about bad decisions as a younger person, I think I'd choose the guy who had a family to haul and not enough room for everything over the guy who used an illegal, highly addictive drug.

Posted by authorjodi at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've made a little fun of people who prayed for patience -- isn't that just like asking God to drop frustrating people and situations into your lap? I guess I should have known that praying for faith would be just as foolhardy...

After a morning of consultations between me and the mechanic, my uncle and the mechanic, me and my uncle, me and my father, the mechanic and my father........ ;) I had the dubious honor of ordering a brand new transmission for Bertha. That's a slightly better outcome than ordering a brand new engine, but I have to be honest, I'm still in a bit of sticker shock.

In truth, the consultation between me and my father included a few tears before I got my act together, so if I don't see a serious bump in my faith level after this, I think I might have to put that particular prayer on hiatus. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Raise your hand if you know what it means to lunch an engine. I had to drive less than 20 miles today -- probably closer to 15 -- and a couple miles away from my destination I thought I noticed white smoke. However, it was rainy and misty and the smoke quickly dissipated, so I held my breath and kept going. One mile from my destination I stopped at a light and white smoke came circling around the cab.

This is not good.

But there were no lights on! Feel free to laugh, but in the absence of any innate car sense I cling tightly to the dashboard theory my father carefully explained to me -- if a light goes on pull over immediately. So no light...maybe I can limp one more mile to my destination.

I pulled in front of the pastorate and white smoke engulfed me. However, my final destination was only 100 yards away so I thought...come on Bertha...you can make it...and I nursed my way into the parking spot. Key off and a loud BANG. Hood open and whoooooooosh white smoke everywhere.

I gotta tell ya, I laughed. I think I mentioned that I read Randy Alcorn's Treasure Principle a couple months ago. In it I was reminded how everything I have is really God's anyway, so I looked up at the sky and told God it was too bad about His RV and what did He propose we do about it. ;) Then I thanked Him that it happened when and where it did. I was, after all, driving 200 miles through the boondocks of Florida in blazing heat just a few days ago. Now I'm in a spot I could conceivably stay a few extra days if necessary, staying with someone I know who can recommend an honest mechanic (who just happens to be across the street).

My father telephonically diagnosed a blown head gasket and introduced me to the term 'lunched' which means...if I remember correctly...that <something> broke and antifreeze went all through the engine and the engine is kaput. I also learned that white smoke is oil, black smoke is gas. Or is it blue smoke that's oil and white smoke that's... Yeah, guess I didn't learn that lesson quite as well. :p

Several of the guys at the church decided it was maybe the transmission and a look at the transmission fluid holder thingy determined that the transmission fluid dipsticky thing was bone dry. We're going to get some fluid in the morning and then see if "we" can see where the leak is.

After prayer meeting and dinner I said goodnight to my new hosts and called my marvelously-mechanic uncle and stood outside at 10 o'clock at night with a flashlight in my mouth trying to open the radiator. First, I confess, I had to double-check that what I thought was the radiator truly was the radiator. Under orders, I turned it halfway, and after not being blown up, turned it the rest of the way and took the cap off. Green fluid coolant...check. I even moved the flashlight around a little to see that none of the belts were munched. I am quite flush with my new mechanicalness.

A new transmission is better than a new engine, so obviously I hope it's just that, if not something even more lovely and cheap. Thankfully I'm still skating on my faith high and haven't yet sunk into anxiety over how one might conceivably pay for a new engine when one's bank account spends most of its time in the negligible range. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A couple praises in my life have me singing today. First, my house rented in less than a week and there will be no lag in collected rent, therefore no need to quickly make a couple grand to cover the mortgage. Praise God! Second, a much needed person has arrived to help out with my part in the short term mission ministry at my church and an issue that's been giving me both headaches and nightmares. Praise God again!

In honor of that, I'm going to give you a couple good news items I found today:

• I read a great, cheerful article this morning by Janet Folger regarding the abortion fight. It's about as inspiring a piece as I've read in a long time on that subject and reminded me of a factoid that popped out at me last week when I read O'Reilly's Culture Warrior. He said <if I remember correctly> that 85% of the counties in America do not have physicians willing to do abortions. To me that is a wonderful statistic.
  
• US Weekly has decided not to put Paris Hilton on the cover this week, nor even mention her in the edition. Here's to more of this kind of responsible journalism! ;)
• A 72-year old man seemed like an easy hit for a 27-year old pickpocketer. Unfortunately for the thief, the 72-year old turned out to be a former marine and gave the kid something to think about.
  

Posted by authorjodi at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Montgomery County Board of Education in Maryland has made a breakthrough of earth-shattering magnitude. Somehow they've proven what hundreds of scientists and millions of dollars have, to date, been unable to confirm: homosexuality is present at birth and is unchangeable.

Oh wait. I guess there's different definitions of "prove." In this case, they've just decided the above fact is true and have instituted it into their curriculum.

Unit 8:2 of the new 8th grade textbook includes a definition of innate from the 2006 edition of the Merriam Webster's Dictionary as meaning "determined by factors present in an individual from birth." The curriculum then instructs teachers to "Say to students, 'Sexual orientation is innate and a complex part of one's personality."

I have a question for you. Suppose a Board of Education decided to institute a curriculum that threw the theory of evolution out the window and only taught creationism. I wonder if they'd get away with it? Or, sticking with the sex ed theme, suppose they decided to teach abstinence as the best and only way to prevent teen pregnancy, STD's and etc. Oops -- that one's actually empirically provable as true.

Homosexuality is not the same as math, it's a controversial issue with vehement feelings on both sides. Exposing children to curriculum that includes homosexuality is bad enough, but teaching them unproven theory as fact is unconscionable. (Thanks to Hal for mentioning the article)

Posted by authorjodi at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We put into a public beach for lunch and floated in the shallow water while eating leftovers and drinking the aforementioned Propel water. Thankfully we weren't set upon by too many seagulls because some kids down the beach were feeding them. I couldn't believe how warm the water was. It was quite refreshing actually, but if I got into water less than a foot deep it was too hot for comfort under the hot sun.

While I was floating, for just in instant I had a feeling I've had before...wondering how heaven could be any better than this. I knew exactly how, when that quick instant of bliss was shoved out of my mind and replaced with worries and concerns, but it reminded me again how tough we have it in America. With a little hard work, or a little luck, or a little suing of people who've offended us...we can lay our hands on almost unimaginable wealth and excess. Surrounded as we are by false treasures, it's easy to be lulled into a warped sense of reality. To work hard for that next piece of future junk society assures us will bring that much longed for satisfication, respect, prestige.

But I digress. ;) After lunch we got back on the boat and started to make our way back to the launch. We saw a fin in the water and thought it was a dolphin, so we spun around and went back. Then we saw several fins and thought they might be baby dolphins...but when we got close enough to really tell it turned out to be a couple small sharks fighting over a fish carcass. When one of them turned and started toward us I got so scared I lost my balance and fell off the boat.

Just kidding. Actually, they turned out to be tarpin fish. They were pretty big, for a person used to rainbow trout in the Snake River, and they acted like they were on drugs. They were swimming in circles, laying sideways with one fin sticking out of the water. Occasionally one would do a little dolphin dip and jump with it's head out of the water. They disappeared once we got close and so we turned back around.

Unfortunately, at that point the wind decided to go kaput and the tide was also working hard to wash us out to sea. We tacked about six times and, after the seventh time we'd passed the same fisherman, Sandy called it quits. Here's a picture of how we proceeded at that point:

Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the inlet so after hiking for awhile we got back in and tacked about 15 times to land at the correct beach. While Sandy went up to get the car I tried to get a picture of the sand crab she'd spotted. Sadly, this is as good as I was able to get because every time I got close it would stop and I'd be afraid it was going to dart back and latch onto my toe:

Overall, a wonderful day of sailing. My knees and forearms got a little sunburned, but the pink is already gone this morning. And I only have a small scab over my eye from the spar smackdown, not the black eye like I'd halfway hoped. How sad is that? I thought a black eye earned from getting beaned by a mast would make a great picture for my blog. :p

Posted by authorjodi at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 08:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Some spam is just too priceless for words. What I'd like to know is who would fall for something like this, which I just received:

Hi,
How are you doing today? My name is James Adamati I live in London and work in a financial institution here in United Kingdom. There is a potential transaction relating to a dormant account of one of our deceased customers, which I would like us to handle the fund actualization together. Secondly, I hope to relocate and acquire a home for my family with a view to establishing over there. I will be needing your assistance and co-operation in this endeavor. Let me know if I can trust you with the above and more information will be sent to you as quickly as possible.For further details,please contact me through my private email- 
Respectfully,
James Adamati

I know this is rather a lame post, but after sailing all day and then attending a rather ... interesting ... event this evening I'm too braindead to post anything better. I'll explain more tomorrow. :) 

Posted by authorjodi at 07:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't know if you remember the story I linked to a month or so ago, where a lawyer sued a dry cleaner for something like 67 million dollars because his pants got lost... Turns out there's a judge left in our country who hasn't lost his marbles. The lawyer lost his case and has been ordered to pay court costs for the dry cleaner. Well done!

Worms are a new contender in the global warming blame-game. Apparently they "produce greenhouse gases 290 times more potent than carbon dioxide."

BetUS.com is laying 20-1 odds that someone will be trampled when the Apple iPhone is unveiled June 29th.

Posted by authorjodi at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today I demonstrated once again that I was not born with a green thumb. I joined my host Sandy, herself a master gardener, at the local botanical gardens where she volunteers. We were charged with planting seedlings...or potting cuttings...sheesh, I can't even remember the correct lingo! :p I do know I was very nervous cutting off leaves willy nilly and jamming green stalks into the soil, but I managed to get a few done. Thankfully we soon moved on to "upgrading" and I was able to let Sandy handle the plants while I kept her supplied with wheelbarrows of dirt and trundled pots back and forth with a little yellow wagon. I got quite the system going and told her some were born with green thumbs and some were born efficiency experts. ;)

It felt pretty productive actually. As most of my work is computer related, there was something really satisfying about a spot of manual labor <especially when I no longer had to actually touch the plants and therefore risk killing them>. Of course I know myself well enough that if I had to work outside in the heat and humidity everyday the satisfaction would waver pretty quickly. 

We took a quick tour around the gardens and I got a lesson in Floridian alligators, ie., they're EVERYWHERE. Some dude was standing a couple inches from the pond as he was cleaning undergrowth and just casually mentioned he was keeping his eye out for the 8-foot alligator that lives there. Apparently you can't dip your toes into any water around here without risking the big whammy-slammy. I kept picturing in my mind's eye that stupid alligator movie I watched last week. ;)

I ended the day going to the movies with Sandy and her grandchildren. They wanted to see Pirates of the Caribbean so that's what we saw and I just have to say...wow. Seriously, wow! How could they spend that many millions of dollars on special effects and not toss a few bucks toward hiring a screenwriter capable of putting a coherent plot down on paper? :p

Posted by authorjodi at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my favorite Michael W. Smith songs is on my mind today, Never Been Unloved:

I have been unfaithful
I have been unworthy
I have been unrighteous
And I have been unmerciful

I have been unreachable
I have been unteachable
I have been unwilling
And I've been undesirable

And sometimes I have been unwise
I've been undone by what I'm unsure of
But because of You
And all that You went through
I know that I have never been unloved

I have been unbroken
I have been unmended
I have been uneasy
And I've been unapproachable

I've been unemotional
I've been unexceptional
I've been undecided
And I have been unqualified

Unaware, I have been unfair
I've been unfit for blessings from above
But even I can see
The sacrifice You made for me
To show that I have never been unloved

It's because of You
And all that You went through
I know that I have never been unloved

Posted by authorjodi at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The I-75 Super Flea was not the greatest sales effort ever attempted by moi. In fact, I sold a grand total of zero books, but boy was it an experience. Let's just say I didn't stumble across my target audience with folks who came looking for U&C (used & cheap). Whether or not they were readers was not the issue, but sandwiched between "antique" farm tools, previously-owned video games and exotic animal adoptions I didn't have much of a chance to stand out. ;)

If I had sold even two books I would have gone back tomorrow, but all I got after literally steaming in the sun for almost six hours was more fodder for my character files. While that makes today totally worthwhile, it doesn't tempt me into a repeat of the experience.

And now we will enter into Participation Saturday. I have a serious question I'm soliciting responses for in my quest to be in the world but not of the world. Or salt and light. Or...you get my drift.

Posted by authorjodi at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I was glad to see NBC refute the report that they were paying Paris $1M for her 'story'. Now if only they would also refute the fact of the interview itself -- maybe devoting the hour instead to the recent sayings of Ahmadinejad or, if they want something a little lighter, how about a show examining the phenomenen of Christian comedy.

I'm spending my Friday night, once again, experiencing extreme gratefulness over the invention of air conditioning. I know someone who will say it was all in my head, but I felt a significant increase in humidity when I crossed into Florida. :p

I've passed so many flea market signs in the south that I'm going to try my hand at vendoring one tomorrow. The bad news is I have to be there at 7:30 to set-up. The good news is, if I don't sell any books I'm only out 20 bucks and some sleep for the experiment. ;)

I'm pretty sure I won't be live blogging from the I-75 Super Flea, but I'll be sure to record my thoughts to share later.

Posted by authorjodi at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I was reading in Daniel and came across the oft-quoted lion's den story. What stood out to me this morning was the jealousy of the other administrators because of Daniel's success. They determined to find something against him, but after careful study could not:

They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God."

What an awesome statement of Daniel's character, that they could find nothing against him excepting his faith in God, which conflicted with the practice at the time of worshiping the king and other various gods. That is something to strive for!

Posted by authorjodi at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I found quite a number of articles that interested me this morning, but I was ripping around trying to get out of dodge so I didn't have time to post them. Here's a quick look:

1. For all the bloviating in the mainstream media that they don't have any bias, poll after poll seems to show that the average American doesn't believe them. MSNBC has an interesting article discussing a study they did regarding campaign donations among reporters which seems to lend further credence to the theory of a left-leading media.
2. Two 14-year old girls were kicked off a public bus in Portland, OR for kissing. Each other. One of their mothers is considering a lawsuit.
3. As if I wasn't sick enough of the Paris scandal, NBC is giving her $1M for a sit-down interview after her release. She'll only speak to Meredith Vieira because apparently Matt Lauer made "disparaging" remarks about her.
4. A column out of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses the current energy bill under consideration in the Senate which some say looks to increase gas to $6/gallon by 2016. The bill also includes "$29 billion in new taxes on oil companies. The tax is to subsidize wind and solar power, hybrid vehicles and biofuel."
5. A Knesset member in Israel has proposed "'rehabilitation centers' to suppress the sexual tendencies of gay people." This in the wake of some pretty hefty verbal jousting over a plan to stage a Gay Pride parade through the holy city of Jerusalem. Actually, I just checked Stacy's site and the parade apparently happened today.
   

Posted by authorjodi at 07:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bertha made only a couple little burps along the road today so I have my fingers crossed that the crisis has passed. I'm overnighting near Tifton, Georgia...home of the infamous billboard that a farmer erected in his field which said "I apologize to the world that I voted for Jimmy Carter." It's also apparently the peanut capital of the world, so they've got all kinds of things going for them. ;)

It was difficult for me to get back on the road today. One of the truly lovely aspects of this trip has been meeting so many interesting and kind and odd and generous and ... people. Yes, I've met many, many different types but I won't list them all. :p The folks I just tore myself away from in lu-Fet were some of the best -- truly gracious hosts who couldn't have made me feel more at home.

I'm headed to Florida, despite earlier reservations about entering the land of perpetual humidity. There were just too many days before I have to be in Atlanta not to take advantage of some more opportunities, so off I go. Who knows what the next couple weeks will hold, but I'm fairly certain I won't be joining any retirement communities. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 07:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Looking for a new job over the next 17 months? Russia is looking for volunteers to live in their fake Mars mission capsule so they can observe human dynamics in tight quarters.

A hotel in East Berlin is recreating "Communist Chic" in their spartan rooms.

And in the not-so-humorous category: Britain issues an apology for knighting Salmon Rushdie. I know they should have the right to knight anyone they want, but just how naive are they that they didn't expect the requisite new fatwas and threats of suicide bombings? 

Posted by authorjodi at 08:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bertha will soon be back to her old self, guzzling large quantities of gas as she takes me down the road tomorrow. With that in mind, I just read an article whose headline caught my eye: "Top Gas Gouger? The Government!" Whaddya know, but that the government takes a larger cut than the oil companies. When gas is $3 at the pump, most companies profit about 10 cents a gallon, while the government pockets a national average of almost 46 cents.

Anybody remember Ms. Clinton's infamous speech wherein she stated about oil company profits: "I want to take those profits and..." blah blah, make better use of them blah blah. Personally, I'd like to get my hands on the record profits the government is "earning" and put them to better use.

Posted by authorjodi at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Sir Isaac Newton predicted the end of the world no sooner than 2060. I flipped on Fox News this morning while sipping my coffee and saw a quick story about some of Newton's papers now on display in Jerusalem. Apparently he was quite the religious scholar, as well as being what some consider "history's greatest scientist."

Newton decided to use mathematical calculations and intense study of the book of Daniel to come up with a possible date for the Apocalypse:

"This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."

Well shoot, I had almost decided to follow Tim LaHaye and Joel Rosenberg's suggestions that the world might end in the next 25 years. If it goes til 2060 I may have to plan for retirement after all. ;) 

Posted by authorjodi at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Dilbert.

Posted by authorjodi at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is piloting a program that pays poor people for 'making good choices' such as going to the dentist, holding down a job, attending parent-teacher conferences, and etc. He's managed to raise more than $43 million in private donations for his pet project, scheduled to begin this fall.

An opponent of the bill was quoted as saying:

"It just reinforces the impression that if everybody would just work hard enough and change their personal behavior we could solve poverty in this country, and that's not reflected in the facts."

Wow. I don't know what facts this woman is looking at, but it seems to me that if everybody would just work hard enough and change their personal behavior we'd see a marked decrease in poverty in this country. Of course it wouldn't solve the whole problem, but I can't help but think it would have an enormously positive impact, allowing the government to focus its resources more effectively.

However. Paying people for good decisions just seems like a slightly tweaked version of welfare to me -- a slightly better version, granted, in that payment is for good choices instead of those that contribute to the cycle of poverty.

But the real question is -- where is personal responsibility in this equation? This pilot program is being paid for by private donations, but I'm quite sure that Mayor Bloomberg envisions the day when Big Brother will take over. That glorious day when smokers are paid a stipend from the government to give up smoking; thieves are paid not to rob; murderers not to kill.

I'm sorry, but I'm just having a hard time seeing the value of paying a parent to attend their child's parent-teacher conference. If they don't feel the welfare of their child is reason enough to show up, why would a mere $25 make any kind of significant difference? Don't get me wrong, I'd show up for $25 smackers, but I don't see how that would change the root causes for my actions...except that I might be even less inclined to go when the payments dried up.

My favorite quote in the article is this:

"Mayor Michael Bloomberg traveled to Mexico this spring to study the healthy lifestyle payments, also known as conditional cash transfers."

Let me be clear -- I'm not saying we can't learn anything from countries poorer than ourselves, but I'm not convinced poverty cessation is an area Mexico is especially brilliant at. I'm also not convinced paying for good behavior is a strategy that will prove effective in the long run. If a person can't see the value in good choices and personal responsibility outside the bounds of payoffs, then I don't see how those same payoffs can have more than a transitory effect on behavior.

Posted by authorjodi at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I can't stand the fact that Presidential candidates are already vying -- it seems like campaigning never stops and since I'm no fan of that lie-laden endeavor it gets wearisome. However, I did read one story this morning that I found really interesting. Apparently undeclared candidates Al Gore and Fred Thompson are the new dream matchup. A recent poll put Fred one point ahead of Giuliani, who's been the front-runner...and poor old Hillary's negative numbers are reaching 50%. If I were Al Gore, I'd make sure I had Secret Service protection before I announced anything...but that's just me. ;)

What I find most interesting about this is that no single candidate on either side has managed to capture the hearts of their party. Most of them are incredibly astute, skilled in the political game <slide sideways, then duck> and have spent millions of dollars in their efforts to prove they should get the job. They speak in soundbites, morph in their positions like speedy chameleons, and have huge staffs advising them on what America is looking for. But again, not a single one is getting the job done. I dream a little dream that this is because America is looking for integrity and honest leadership instead of good hair and slick soundbites...but maybe that's just a pipe dream. 

Posted by authorjodi at 09:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Saturday I was pretty wiped out from my week of driving and vending, so I sat in front of the telly and watched a few movies while working on a sewing project. I'm a little embarassed to admit this, but I actually sat through Lake Placid...an incredibly silly movie about a 30-foot crocodile and the plucky paleontologist, grumpy cop, suave fish and game officer and nutty millionaire who try to catch it. My favorite part of the whole movie was the following exchange between the requisite 'couple' after they decide to capture the crocodile instead of waiting for the feds to come in and kill it:

Plucky Paleontologist: We're doing the right thing.
Suave F&G Officer: You might feel differently if you get eaten.

Posted by authorjodi at 08:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok folks, the first as4me e-newsletter is history. In it I talked about the Glenn Beck show and whether or not joining the political arena matters in light of things like the Iranian President trying to nuke us out of existence. Also a question to keep your mind sharp and a couple recommendations. Of course, as it is the first, the links for the rec's didn't work...

If you didn't get it, you didn't sign up. :p

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When I was nuking leftover chili for lunch today I happened to catch part of a story about the International Space Station and the fact that the astronauts were woken up this morning to Nicole C. Mullen's 'Redeemer.' It's one of my all-time favorite songs and to hear it blaring out of the station was absolutely marvelous, let alone the fact that the mid-day news let the song play over the air for a few lines...or even that they found such an item newsworthy.

I have to tell you, I'm really and I mean really enjoying this aspect of the Bible Belt. A church every few blocks, fish and other Christian symbols plastered on different business signs, even the weatherman telling you on Saturday night that it looks like rain so make sure you take an umbrella to church in the morning. I realize people are people and a Southerner is just as prone to wander as us in the Northwest, but the outward trappings of faith are deeply encouraging to me as I'm much more used to my anti-God part of the country.

In other encouraging news, a global pedophelia ring was broken up today, capturing over 700 suspects and rescuing 31 children who'd been held in unspeakable conditions. You can read more here if you'd like, but I'll be honest with you that the particulars made me a little sick.

Some less-than-encouraging news I read over at The Great Separation, an Episcopal Priest in Seattle has announced she's become a Muslim, in addition to her Christianity, because she found that:

"At the most basic level, I understand the two religions to be compatible. That's all I need."

This reminds me so much of the one world religion described in the Left Behind books <although I only read a couple of them> that I'm sort of stunned. Other than the fact that the two religions are monotheistic, I wonder just what it is this woman finds compatible? Sure, we could list some minor things...but how about the majors: the deity of Christ; the treatment of women including acceptance of such things as genital mutilation; the whole concept of murdering your fellow man allowing you to be ushered into the presence of 70 virgins. It's flabbergasting in one sense, but in another -- I'm sorry to say -- I read her denomination and wasn't surprised at all. :(

Tipped off by a friend, I watched an absolutely fascinating Glenn Beck program that was rerun over the weekend over on CNN. I think it might have been the longest time I've sat in front of CNN since the first Gulf War when it was the only option. In fact, I found myself constantly checking the corner of the screen for the CNN logo because I was so surprised at what they were allowing to be aired. ;) The program is the subject of my first not-yet-named newsletter, due out later today, so if you'd like to read about it you can join the mailing list by entering your e-mail address in the top left corner.

I know the suspense will kill some of you -- come on, sign up, you know you want to. :p

Posted by authorjodi at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We sang another wonderful hymn in church yesterday: When the Morning Comes. I googled the lyrics and the first reference was to someone reading part of the hymn at the 9/11 Memorial Service at the National Cathedral. The second reference was to an original arrangement by Elvis Presley, which is the version I'm quoting:

Trials dark on every hand and we cannot understand
All the ways God will lead us
To the blessed promised land
He will guide us with his eye
And we'll follow till we die
And we'll understand it better by and by

Well children by and by when the morning comes
All the saints of God together at home
We will tell the story of how we overcome
And we'll understand it better by and by

Temptation's hidden snares often take us unaware
And our hearts are made to bleed
For some thoughtless word or deed
And we wonder why the test when we try to do our best
But we'll understand it better by and by

Well children by and by when the morning comes
All the saints of God together at home
We will tell the story of how we overcome
And we'll understand it better by and by

And we'll understand it better by and by

Posted by authorjodi at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm sitting in a hotel outside Nashville that might be described as one step up from seedy, watching Angelina Jolie talk about A Mighty Heart on Larry King Live. I'm trying to remember whether I've ever actually watched Larry King...I guess I haven't for more than one or two questions at a time. I know he's Mr. Famous interviewer, but I find his style quite jarring -- jamming from question to question and topic to topic.

For instance, he made a rather insensitive comment about Ms. Jolie's mother dying, then jumped to a completely unrelated and somewhat silly question. I guess it's one step up from the five minutes of 'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader' that I watched before, but I probably should just turn off the boob tube and get some work done. ;)

I'd planned to drive straight through to Alabama tonight, but decided as I approached Nashville to stop and get a hotel, then try to hit a few bookstores in the morning. Today was supposed to be a day of driving in fits and spurts so I could pass out books to different churches I saw along the way...but I guess I was outside the Bible Belt. A little different than Alabama, where I passed a church approximately every 30 feet. :p 

Posted by authorjodi at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

However, was one of those seven THE contact I've been trying to reach for nine long months? Or was it the card I gave to someone to give to someone else at Zondervan? Maybe it was the book I dropped off with a motorcycling senior pastor along the road. Or perhaps the whole trip was about the woman I asked to take my picture as I stood in Lake Michigan who proceeded to talk my ear off about her two adopted children.

The problem with formulating a different theory of success is that, outside of monetary models, there's really no way to measure, no standard to let you know whether you accomplished anything of value.

All I know is that I tried to do what God led me to do today. I gained a little more experience at the dread vendor role. I met a woman who was such a breath of fresh air and so enthusiastic that I told her she was my encourager for the day -- only to find out later that someone had prayed specifically for someone to come by and encourage me today.

It was draining and I'm pretty beat, but I guess I'll trust that God can balance out the equations. Meanwhile, here are a couple of my favorite comments from today:

- "so you're a professor?" no, that's an endorsement
- "so you're a lawyer?" no, that's the main character
- "sounds really interesting, but I don't buy fiction" which reminded me of the talk radio caller a couple weeks ago "I don't read fiction, but you should read..."
- and finally, my all time favorite and most common "oh, it's a novel"

Posted by authorjodi at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

10:02. Two minutes into the official vendor time and I've already decided the trip was a failure. The other tables are swarmed, whereas I'm apparently putting off a toxic odor.

10:08. Yep, definitely toxic. Eight minutes in and I can hardly get anyone to pause on their way by. I recognize the strategy from my own experience with vendor expos: look straight ahead, quickly scan the table with your peripheral vision, preferably fake a chat with your conference companion...because if you make the mistake of pausing or making eye contact the vendor has a chance to nab you! :p

10:26. My first sale! Also a lovely woman who marched up to my vacant table and said "I'll stand here and look interested," then proceeded to tell two people passing by "this looks really good." Blessings upon her!

10:47. Second sale, also two people who say they'll be back after lunch. We shall see.

10:55. Make that three people who say they'll be back. Although one of them actually pulled out her wallet to prove she didn't have enough cash so she might be on the level. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 08:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Unbelievable. In the wake of the failure of the amnesty bill, you'd think local politicians might take a breath before making any statements on illegal immigration. Sadly no. A village in New York has reached a "tentative agreement prohibiting police from routinely asking workers' immigration status or otherwise discriminating against them." This after ILLEGAL day laborers sued because the village closed a site where the illegals hung out waiting for jobs. Apparently this travesty resulted in "forcing the workers onto the streets."

First, I disagree with their argument that closing an illegal site is wrong. That'd be like suing because a bank hired a security guard...thereby forcing the robber to hold up the next bank down the line. Second, how is asking someone their immigration status discrimination? Again with the bank robber metaphor: if a policeman walked into a bank and saw someone standing there with a gun and a sack of money...would it be discrimination to ask that person if they were a robber? In fact, the policeman might not even ask, he might just assume and make an arrest.

Some might say it's not an apt metaphor, but an individual standing in a place where ILLEGAL immigrants are known to congregate while looking for work is in danger of guilt by association. An ILLEGAL standing there looking for work IS breaking the law, so a policeman's ability to ascertain their status is a necessity.

Posted by authorjodi at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You'd think it would get easier to sit behind a vendor table, watching people walk by and peruse you and your offering like the remainders section at the dollar store. Sadly, the vendor time hasn't even  officially begun yet and already I'm sweating and trying to remind myself that it's not me personally they're turning their nose up at. :p

The mouse I use brought on my longest conversation so far, with a polite question about MPA thrown in for the sake of decency. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 05:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by authorjodi at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Just how glamorous is life on a book tour? As you can see from this terribly interesting photo, I spent several hours this afternoon putting stickers on scads of books in my non-Hilton hotel. And that was after an action-packed 900 miles driven in 26 hours, complete with an interesting night's sleep in a gas station parking lot.

I almost felt at home last night, sandwiched in between ten RV's and several other car-travelers stopped for a few hours sleep under the bright lights of the Flying J Travel Plaza. ;)

I'll stop there as I've just spent five minutes staring at the screen trying to conjur up something interesting to say...I think I'm more tired than I realized!

I'll be vendorizing tomorrow at the Assocation of Christian Librarian's Conference at Cornerstone University. After I get over my early morning wake-up call and inject a little caffeine into my veins I'll try to make up for my anemic posting of the last few days.

Posted by authorjodi at 05:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Love's is a truck stop/travel center for those of you unfamiliar...or more prone to appreciating your local Flying J. It's amazing how much I notice a simple thing like not being able to buy gas from a recognizable company. It's nothing like the cross-cultural shock of trying to find gas in a foreign country -- don't get me wrong -- but there's still something oddly unsettling going from one unfamiliar commercial establishment to another.

I'm sitting in the Arby's eating section at Love's, about 20 miles outside of Nashville. I took a short nap in the parking lot and will now catalogue for you the pros and cons I discovered this afternoon while traveling sans Bertha:

Pro: I can whip along at 75 and pass at will. I also went through traffic in Birmingham without white knuckles.
Con: I have to stop and find a public restroom which may or may not be sub-par.
Pro: I filled the gas tank for less than $100.
Con: Pretzeled in the front seat under the baking windshield, my catnap was of a lesser quality than I've become accustomed to.
Pro: While the car was on cruise control I didn't almost get up and grab an apple from the kitchen, which I unfortunately almost did once in Bertha.
Con: I'm lingering under the apprehension that I've forgotten something since I'm not accompanied by my entire household. ;)

Posted by authorjodi at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Car names make me laugh -- especially SUV names that sound more suited to the outback than running the kids to a soccer game. I just got back from picking up my rental car in Opelika, a Dodge Avenger. I hope it doesn't have to live up to its name... ;)

Something I love about this side of the country: you can drive all day and hit four or five states instead of just one. I'll be crossing Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana before entering Michigan -- for some reason that seems much more profitable than spending the whole day traversing California. :p 

Posted by authorjodi at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love hymns. It doesn't identify me very well with my own generation, but somewhere along the line I picked up that preference. Anyway, we sang a marvelous one this morning that had me feeling waves of joy:

We have heard the joyful sound: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Spread the tidings all around: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Bear the news to every land, climb the mountains, cross the waves;
Onward! tis our Lords command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Waft it on the rolling tide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Tell to sinners far and wide: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Sing, you islands of the sea; echo back, you ocean caves;
Earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Sing above the battle strife: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
By His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout it brightly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves;
Sing in triumph oer the tomb: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Let the nations now rejoice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
Shout salvation full and free; highest hills and deepest caves;
This our song of victory: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Posted by authorjodi at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)