yeah, i know...all i ever do is hit you up with links these days. i think virb might become the place for other thoughts. we'll see.

at any rate, you need to read this post by michaela. seriously. whoa.


in other news, i might be going to africa. stay tuned.

there are no words.
this story touched me in a way i can't explain. go read it.

i'm taking the day off tomorrow. woo! it's gonna be a wonderful little break.

i have an idea of what i wanna do...but i think you should give me your suggestions. so, do it. in the comments.

please?

thanks.

so, i finally purchased wertz's new album the other day (along with the newness from andy davis and jon mclaughlin). it has been on repeat for days. dang. one of those albums that comes at a time when practically every song makes me go "whoa...i know exactly how he feels." whatev.

you should check it out.

UNLEASH 2007
Originally uploaded by Lanna Grace.

go check out lanna's photos for a glimpse into what went down at newspring yesterday.

all i can say is...our volunteers--our people--are simply incredible. they love jesus, they love newspring, and they love others. and it shows.

last night i woke up about 1am and couldn't go back to sleep (shocker!), so i started googling unleash to see what people were saying...and it completely confirmed what we already knew. among all the awesome comments about worlds being rocked, perry just saying it like it is, and God showing up, there was a common theme. seriously, 99% of the blog posts i read included some reference to being BLOWN AWAY by our volunteers! and yeah, i work with our volunteers, but i'm not telling you this stuff to pat myself or any of our staff on the back. newspring volunteers were the ones clapping and cheering for groups as they walked up to registration. they were the ones serving bbq to 900 people in a humongous tent (in an hour). they were the ones driving to the store and buying benadryl for conference attendees who needed it. i am so proud of our people and the bar that they set so high for other church leaders. they showed them all what serving in the local church can look like...a lot of fun!

not only did our volunteers go WAY above and beyond...they keep thanking us for the opportunity to serve! it's just insane. most of the 300 or so volunteers who made UNLEASH happen took a day off of work. and they busted their tails caring for people. and yet, at the end of it all...when they should be letting us thank them for the stellar job they did...they are sending us emails about how much they loved and appreciated the chance to serve. simply amazing. that's what true servants' hearts look like. i am humbled to be able to serve alongside all these amazing people.

mom had her heart cath this afternoon. there was only a 10-15% chance that the stress test was a false positive. we, of course, were hoping and praying that they would get in there and find nothing wrong. but i don't think we really thought that would happen.

it feels so good to be wrong.

after hours of waiting for them to actually do the thing, it was over in about 30 minutes (which just blows my mind)...dad wasn't even back from running home to walk the dog when the doctor came to tell me that her heart is fine. everything looks good. the test was incorrect.

wow. RELIEF.

thanks, friends, for the prayers and the encouraging words. i think i've been a bit of a basketcase here lately, but i'm grateful for those of you who've hung in there with me. seriously.

now...i've got to get some rest before the BIG day. unleash. tomorrow. bring it.

i'm trying to sort through everything in my head right now, so this post might not make sense or very possibly could sound way overdramatic. just so you know.

at the moment, there is so much weighing on my heart and mind that it's hard to focus on any of it or get a firm grasp on things. being insanely busy, i think, can be a blessing and a curse. this past week, it's probably been a blessing more than anything. unleash happens in less than 2 days. it's gonna be incredible. i don't think any of us really understand exactly why God has chosen to pour Himself out through our church, but we're all pumped to share it with leaders from across the country. to make His name famous. that's the motivation...that's the goal.

my mom goes tomorrow afternoon to have a fairly serious procedure done at the hospital. stress test results last week seemed to indicate that she has some degree of blockage in her heart. we'll know more after they go in and check things out...but there's a good chance they'll put a stint in tomorrow and she'll be recovering for a little while. again, your prayers are appreciated.

it's times like these when friendships/relationships tend to snap clearly into focus. you realize how much the people who support and love you mean to you. and, sometimes, you realize how much the absence of others just hurts. ah, life. that's the way it goes.

i'm gonna stop now.

so...i haven't been sleeping well. at all. for several reasons.

if you feel like praying for some good rest for me, that would be okay.

oswald does it once again. dang.

this post made me stop and think today.

i like it when that happens.

the phrase "guarding your heart" gets thrown around a lot in single-ville...but it's refreshing to see it applied in a totally new way.