Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Poopy Panty Lament Part 2

Arrrgh! God, she has done it again.

(in my whiniest voice) She went for so long without pooping in her panties. I almost dared to hope that we were past this childhood hurdle. But then... today happened. (sigh)

That will. That stinkin' iron will. That will that I hope will one day make her a strong voice for You. That will that won't be swayed by her peers, or the media, or what "sounds right." That will that says, "I will do what I will do." That will that is somehow, in some way, a reflection of Your nature. (Be it warped and tainted by sin.)

That will is pooping in her panties again!

I am tired. I don't want to deal with this again. I just don't want to. I just don't. Can't you think of more valuable ways for me to be spending my time? Can't you come up with some better way to test my faith in You? Something more comfortable and convenient? Something that smells nicer? Couldn't You? Won't You? PLEASE?

I have not lost my temper yet, thank you for that. I am coming to You at the first sign of trouble, thank you for that too. But God, I just want to flee to Tarshish! I know You are compassionate and loving. I know this is what you have called me to do today. But I want out of this giant fish I'm riding in. It smells like... well... take a whiff. You say that you are my Good Shepherd and that anywhere you lead me is a green pasture, full of the stuff I need to make my spiritual life grow and flourish. This "green pasture" looks pretty questionable to me. I like that last pasture we were in much better. You know, the one with clean panties and the happy children. The one that looked like a travel poster for Tarshish. This here is a big, stinky, fish-in-panties taking me to Ninevah.

God of compassion and grace. God of strength and provision. My Shepherd. These poopy panties are my green pasture because You have led me here. I have to trust that. Help me to trust that. Help me to see your boundaries for my life. Help me to stay here in this pasture and not jump the fence and run for Tarshish. Let me see my little Ninevite as a fellow sheep of Your pasture.

Saturday, October 09, 2004

SPS Schedule Change

Just to let you all know, we're adding one more 3-week cycle to the Lament study. This means we'll be posting the last Lament lesson on 11/22/04.

Our apologies if the content of the studies has had you confused. (That hammering and sawing you hear in the background is the sound of three queens in the workshop, learning on the job.) The updated schedule is posted on the SPS calendar.

*Be sure to visit the Lament Gallery to see some of the cards from the Lament 1 & 2.* -Erin

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Queens of the Deck

I’ve been out of pocket for about a week. I was taking care of my mother who had to quickly have surgery. Thankfully, everything is turning out great.

I’m still trying to catch up. Hopefully I can put some laments down from the past week but I definitely wanted to get back here and write to you guys first.

I want to do a brief introduction of the three women behind SPS.

SPS started off as an idea I had to do an art project with Erin. But Erin was so enthusiastic about the idea that she couldn’t keep it to herself. The first SPS was done by a group of 8 from different parts of the country.

After the first SPS was so successful, Erin decided to share it with our friend Sandi. Her enthusiasm matched Erin’s and her talents complimented ours so well that Sandi joined us and we became the three queens of the SPS deck.
Queen of Diamonds Simply put, SPS is being shared with all of you because of the potential Erin saw in it. Shuffle the Deck, Ice Breakers, and Thought Provokers were Erin’s idea and they are what define SPS. She graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. degree in Studio Art. Her main concentration was in drawing, but she rounded out her interests with courses in art history, ceramics, sculpture, painting and design.

You can see Erin’s gifts in many aspects of SPS. Her creative ideas seem endless when coming up with Ice Breakers and Shuffle the Deck. She is a captivating writer and has a maturity for explaining God’s word in everyday situations. She is always sensitive about communicating SPS so that it’s easy to understand and fun to do. She is also a great promoter. For Erin, the more the merrier!

Queen of Spades Sandi is a treasure and we are so lucky to have her. She has a desire to find effective tools to reach and communicate the Good News and she saw SPS as one of those tools. She is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, where she teaches. She also edits the school’s award-winning magazine, Kindred Spirit.

Being a successful and accomplished writer and scholar, Sandi was able to fill-in the final piece of the SPS structure by writing a bible study for it (what we call Deal the Cards and Play Your Hand) . Her knowledge and experience in the publishing world have opened doors we wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. Those of you who have had the honor know she is a great speaker and teacher. You also soon discover Sandi’s compassion for women’s and family issues and her sincere encouragement.

Queen of Hearts And there’s me. In innocence (and ignorance) SPS originated with me. Although my intentions were to enrich my relationship with my friend, SPS was meant for a bigger audience. My talents lie in graphic design and programming and in every way it is undeniable that I am a geek. I got a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and in Mathematics from Western Kentucky University.

I designed the web site and the SPS logo. I got the idea of using playing cards from the round robin art projects I read about in my art magazines. I love using technology and multi-media to communicate and share ideas in the clearest and simplest way. I’m also an information junky and spend a lot of time reading and researching technology and our culture.

But even with the three of us, Diamonds, Spades and Hearts, the deck is not complete. The author and master of SPS is the King of Clubs, Yahweh, and we give Him the glory.