Laughing with the Lord #1

Welcome to my entirely new and twice-weekly Laughing with the Lord post! Maybe some of you know that Laughing with the Lord is my brand for the books I write, and I thought it was high time I shared some of the things (aside from what I write in my books) that I think makes our Lord and Savior smile, chuckle, or laugh out loud. 

As I state on my website by the same name, I firmly believe the Lord has seen fit to give us all the beauty, glory, and awesome diversity of His creation for our pleasure and survival. As if that weren't enough, He also gave us (among countless other gifts and abilities) a sense of humor with which to appreciate those aspects of human behavior we can't quite explain any other way.

To that end, let me give you today's example. I pick up my granddaughter, Molly, from kindergarten each afternoon, and today I was running late. As I dashed out the door and backed the car out of the garage, I noticed that the sun was trying to break through the ever-present (at least for the past few weeks) rainclouds. I knew there would be a rainbow closely. 

Sure enough, as I rounded the corner to the road on which the school is situated, there it was behind me in all its stunning glory. I rolled to a stop at the side of the road, jumped out with my phone, and got thoroughly soaked as I took pictures of this glorious spectacle. Of course, that put me even further behind, and as I skidded into the parking lot of the school and backed into a parking space against a grassy incline, I failed to notice I'd parked in six inches of icy water--until I stepped smack-dab into it. By that time it was too late, so I plowed through trying to look as though I'd planned the whole thing--the running behind, the wet hair, the soaked shoes and socks. Yep, all planned to perfection. 

I'm pretty sure I heard God chuckle. But aside from the joy it gives me to think I made God happy, it was worth all the sogginess to gaze at His covenant with His children. 

Until tomorrow ... 

Michael and Me

What on earth, you ask, do Michael W. Smith (internationally-known musician, composer, and singer) and I (an author known to my immediate family, mother, and grandmother) have in common? (Well, maybe you didn't actually say it, but humor me.) Plenty, I reply, plenty. And here's the proof:

Michael W. Smith is as kind and considerate in real life
as his songs are soul-inspiring and joyful when he performs them.
It's a joy to know a favorite entertainer is just
what we hope they are.

A picture!

Yes, that's me with Michael's arm on my shoulder. Even though I look like one of those life-sized cardboard cutouts, and I'm paler than most snow drifts, that's me standing next to the great (and incredibly handsome) Michael W. Smith at a meet-and-greet just before his concert on Sunday, May 10th. Since meeting him, I've been completely blown away by how much we have in common.

1.  Michael and I were both at the World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on the evening of Sunday, May 10, 2015! Can you believe the coincidence? Yes, he was there to do a concert with the talented and insanely beautiful Amy Grant, and yes, I was there for the concert, but still... both of us there at the same time? What are the chances? (Pretty darned good, since we bought the tickets a millisecond after they went on sale.)

Here I am looking nowhere near as beautiful as Amy Grant,
who is not only talented beyond belief, but sweet and funny
in real life. 

2.  Michael is married and his wife's name is...are you ready for this?... Deborah!(My name is Deborah!)

3.  Michael was born in October and I was born in November! (Just one month apart and maybe a year or two (okay, a few years) apart, but hey, it's still pretty weird.)

4.  Michael is a composer, musician, and wildly-popular singer. I'm a writer, took piano lessons for two years, and I... get this...sing along with Michael. I know, I know. Pretty wild, huh?

5.  He lives in Tennessee. I live in Tennessee. Just gets stranger and stranger.

6.  Michael graciously accepted a copy of the children's adventure book, Laramie on the Lam, for his grandchildren. I wrote that book. Of course, I took two copies with me to the concert (one for Michael, and one for Amy) for the purpose of giving one to each of them. Still... seeing my book in the hands of Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant was a thrill.

7.  And last, but certainly not least, Michael loves the Lord. I love the Lord. He composes, plays, and sings for the glory of our Father. I write, edit (and then write some more) for the glory of our Father.

You've probably figured out by now that I'm spoofing the things I have in common with Michael. Except for that last one. It was very apparent from the way he treated his fans at the meet-and-greet and his audience during the nearly 3-hour concert that his love for God is genuine. What a wonderful role model for younger generations and what a thrill for his older fans to know he's the real deal. We need more Michael W. Smiths and Amy Grants in our entertainment realm and in the world as a whole.

The love for God displayed in his music and during his concerts is also contagious. I dare anyone to sit through a concert of Michael W. Smith's (or Amy Grant's, for that matter) and not want to worship our Heavenly Father.

Thanks, Michael. Thanks, Amy. Thank You, God.

Until the next time...

Living in the moment

I've spent the last few days marketing my new story, Laramie and the Law. Somewhere in there, it dawned on me that I'd better start thinking about working on the third installment. (The second will be published on April 1, 2011.) I've become caught up in the neverending game of the "done" and the "yet to be done."

Life is like that sometimes. We get so caught up in something in our past (or looking to the future) that we forget to live in the moment. This morning I woke up and noticed the glorious sunshine the Lord has seen fit to bless us with for the last several days. The snow-covered mountain peaks are etched against the startlingly blue skies, the snow covers the ground like a huge white blanket, and the icicles that melt during the day magically re-form overnight as the slow process of thawing out for another year progresses.

In a few weeks, this will be gone. Yes, I'll love the warmer temps, the green grass, and springtime flowers. But I shouldn't lose sight of the beauty that God is giving me this very moment. I have lots of "yesterday moments," and plenty of "tomorrow moments"--but I have only one "right this minute" moment. I need to savor each and every one of them.

Until the next time...