I Heart Concerts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love, love, love, love, love concerts. OMGosh, do I love concerts! Always have. Started going to them with my p.'s when I was five. Sadly, some concerts I don't remember (thanks, Mr. Miller and Senor Corona). But all the ones I do, I had a crazy good time at! Our church did a concert in June, and gee...can you i.d. me in the crowd?? In Aug., I'm going to John Mayer and in Nov. I'm going to Coldplay. I can not WAIT! The only concert I am really jonesin' to see is Hillsong-United. I'd fly around the Earth twice in the last seat of coach to see them!

Praying for Steve, not Apple

In the last week, I've read 3 Steve Jobs articles in 3 mainstream magazines. All emphasizing the concern of what could happen to Apple if Steve's cancer returned. If it would, there'd be big ramifications for the company, the consumer and the shareholder. I suppose since I'm not tied to any of those, I find myself more concerned with the guy's health. He'll never know if we pray for him, but let's do it anyway.

Vacation Pix (we didn't want u 2 c)

For every good digital pic, there's ten that aren't. Normal people delete those. I keep them. Why? For your viewing pleasure, of course! Here are a few un-deleted's...just for you:

Mind Your Own Dang Business

Accomplished leaders often have a golden principle or mantra. Someday, I think mine will be: MIND YOUR OWN DANG BUSINESS. One of the biggest inhibitors to my leadership potential could be the preoccupation with the business of the peers around me. It often sounds like this, "Well how come he got to..." or "Well that's not fair!" This morning, I realized that JESUS HIMSELF had to address this with His team of leaders: Matthew 18:1, Matthew 20:20-23, Luke 22:24. And in studying these, I realized if I'm preoccupied with the business of others around me, I'm not preoccupied with the One who sent me. So I'm gonna work on this. Anyone wanna join me?

Monster in Law?

I hate sitting in theaters, so I only catch like 2 new flix a year. I'm 3 years late on this one, but just watched Monster in Law on TNT. OMGosh, it was so funny! Though I laughed my way through it, it's actually my personal irony that gave me the best laugh. You see, in our arrangement, it's not that I inherited a monster-in-law; it's that Raul's mom inherited a monster-daughter-in-law! I'm sure I can't enumerate how many times Elsa's bitten her tongue around me. But what makes her cool is she raised a great son AND loved him enough to give him to me.

Sad Discoveries in Paradise

Although it's called Paradise Island, it doesn't mean all's paradise. Here are a few discoveries that made my heart sad:
1. We admired the beautiful rocky coastline, but I was astonished by the loads of garage & debris that had washed onto the rocks & rotted there (i.e. chairs, bottles, plastic, clothes). As a Green-girl, I sadly wondered, "Who's responsible for this?"
2. There's alot of fine dining here, Carmine's is our fav. They have the best atmosphere AND best food. But I also observed an obvious distinction: the patrons were one race; the servers were another. Maybe it's just the way things are. It still made me sad.
3. The poolside cafe would not serve alcohol to 2 underaged teen girls. So they went to get their Dad. The Dad came up and told the bartender it was OK to serve them. So the bartender did. This hit a sensitive nerve; I wish I could've stepped into the moment & saved them.

Things We Do on a Summer Vacation

Be surrounded by fish:

Get attacked by a sharks:

Touch a conch oozing out of its shell:

Be together without interruption:

At the Top of Rocks

"The Lord continued, 'Look, stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.'"
I watched Raul and the boys weave thru the crevices of the rocks & finally position themselves on top of one. And later it occurred to me...a long time ago, God asked Moses to do the same thing!

Give Me Wonder

God,
Look at my 2 boys gazing thru the glass of an aquarium, astonished at the life within it. Loaded with questions, bred from curiosity. Frozen against the glass, so as not to scare the sea life away. God, give me wonder like my boys. Open my eyes to be mesmerized by your world around me. Lest I grow up to fast & miss seeing You in it.




(DJ & Andy, Atlantis, 7/21/08)

La Tour de Churches

Today, Barby, Ann Marie and I took "La Tour de Churches."
But not without challenge! When the service ended at the 1st church, we had 26 min.'s to drive 24 miles, park & get seated in the 2nd church's service. But the local police enforcement barricaded the entrance to the highway so that1 bazillion Harley Hogs could fulfill their missional drive for Toys for Tots. AGH! So we were 15 mins late to the 2nd church & had to sit in the last row....grrrrrr! But, it's all good: 1) I got to participate in stimulating debriefings along the way 2) I got to be in the company of 2 great leadHers and 3) I got to experience worship in His House 2x in 1 day! Woo Hoo!

Jesus, who?

So who is this Jesus, anyway? I'm reading the book of Luke & recently (re)discovered these in Luke 1-5:
Jesus, who made his parents proud.
Jesus, who wasn't afraid to rise among the mature.
Jesus, who was 30 when his career began.
Jesus, who was hungry, weak and tempted.
Jesus, who wasn't accepted in his 'hood.
Jesus, who knew when to withdraw.
Jesus, who asked questions.
Jesus, who sat on hills, stood in boats & went for walks.
And asking myself, "Jesus, who?" has been helping me better understand who Heather is.

Why Did God Make Mosquitoes?

Today, after it rained, DJ went outside to swing & got attacked by mosquitoes. When he came in, he was so ticked. He had bites everywhere; we counted at least nine & one in his armpit! He impatiently asked, "WHY DID GOD HAVE TO MAKE MOSQUITOES?!?! Seeing an opportunity here, I went to my mental Rolodex, but my "mosquito file" was empty. So thankfully God stepped in and helped me respond. "DJ, God puts mosquitoes in our yard so the frogs have something to eat. If there weren't mosquitoes, the frogs would go hungry." And that satisfied DJ and DJ went on his way. Whew!

Sex Tips for Singles (rated NC-17)

I'll be getting on a plane shortly, so I asked myself if I'm OK if these were my last words. I am. So here we go...'Though long ago, I wish someone would've shared this with me, perhaps by sharing it here, it'll save shame or restore regret for another. 1) Don't watch or listen to movies, TV or music that has sex in it. If your senses sense it, your hormones will want to do it. 2) 1-night stands, bad reputations, disease, and more importantly, regret, means: "dating & drinking don't mix." 3) If you're in a monogamous, Christ-centered rltshp. but you both keep gettin' tempted and/or succumbing to it...get hitched and be done with it! Gheesh! 4) Thongs, g-strings, lingerie, crack or boob exposure - the way you dress is the way you are perceived. Dress modestly--be percieved as dignified; dress suggestively--be percieved as easy. 5) God is everywhere and IS aware of who's doing who. And it breaks His heart if they are not married. The worst thing I ever did was break God's heart. The best thing God ever did was forgive me. Regret, guilt and shame are from Satan (because God is love He's not capable of invoking such horrible feelings). Please know you are always a prayer away from God forgiving, forgetting, and giving a second chance.

Welcome! Today, Your Tour Guide Will Be Senora Palacios

Moving L to R...
1. I appreciate their parking-sensitivity to expecting mom's, but it had to be a man who designed the graphic for this sign. Pah-leez! Could they make her look ANY fatter and saggier?
2. Sipping Starbux, getting a manicure & getting a blow dry at the same time is NOT being a Diva. It's exercising good leadHership by multi-tasking.
3. Some may visit Peru & buy a Peru jersey, but I didn't like the colors of it, so I got a Mexican one. (Lo gustan, De La Mora's?)
4. I heard they don't flush any T.P. here, but I didn't believe it, so I asked our taxi-driver. "Senor, you mean ALL the T.P.? No matter what's on it?" "Si, senora, all of it."
5. Apple isn't stupid! They know to be everywhere. Even here, at Jockey Plaza, where I tested the MacBook Air. The question is: will I come home with one...?

The Adventure Continues!

El Segundo Dia en Lima

Hello! As promised, I'm takin' you on the adventure with me. Starting clockwise:
1. This is me, overlooking the Lima coastline...with Starbux of course!
2. Last night we had dinner with an amazing-duo, Steve & Dorcas. When (not if) you get to know them, you will realize, firsthand, the amazement between them.
3. The United States gang "collaborating" before heading out to our conference.
4. At the conference: ONE church, in ONE room, speaking TWO languages, living for ONE wonderful God.

Big Ole' Jet Airliner...

We flew in a Spirit airbus for 5.5 hrs. Initially, this was a great concern. See, the longest I'll sit is for a 1-hr. church service. And the only reason I do movies, sporting events & concerts is 'cause I can get up & find something else to do. So what DID I do in the friendly skies?
1. drank 4 cups of coffee, 1 bottled water
2. Listened to: NBC Today Podcast, Relevant Podcast, Blue Man Group Podcast, Newsboys Podcast
3. Read Marie Claire mag (don't...its trashy) & the book, "Deadly Viper"
4. went to the bathroom
5. ate M & M's, cashews, beef jerky, "SoyJoy" bar, an apple & spicy pumpkin seeds
6. talked to the airline attendant
7. took a pic of the sun out my window
8. journaled ideas in my iPhone notepad
9. went to the bathroom again
10. fixed my makeup...just in case we crashed...wanted to look good
And that's the exhaustive list of what I did. So if you think you can't sit still....you can! There's plenty to do if you prepare for restlessness! Stay tuned...

Adios Norte America; Hola America de Sur!

Today, I am flying to Peru to hang with our church's satellite-campus down there, FRC-Lima. Do you know where Peru is? I've only been to 2 countries (Mexico and Cuba), so I'm stoked to add another! Do you want to go on the adventure with me? For moment-by-moment updates, follow me on my Twitter. For pix & commentary follow 'da blog. See ya in the Southern Hemisphere!

Dang, Those Blue Jays are Mean!

I was on my patio watching 4 blue jays. They're mean! They look mean with their black & blue spikey crowns. They fought with each other. When they arrived, they didn't do it gracefully. They were loud when they pecked at my storage bin. Their "twirp" is more like a birdy-roar. And they scared the other birds away. I bet the Bird Kingdom calls the blue jays "the gangsta' mafia" behind their backs. As a leader, I can learn from the blue jays: be strong, accept not always being liked and go for it even if it's ungraceful. More importantly...don't be SO large and in charge! This morning if that darn bluejay gang would have shown up and NOT scared the other birds away, the other birds could have learned a thing or two from their leadership. If I scare folk away, no one's following & learning from me....which means I'm not really a leader after all!

The Day of Humility

Today, I left the house wearing my only pair of Juicy Couture pants. I went to the church, then I met up w/ the creative team at First Watch. All along the way, bumping up against and interacting with dozens of people. So imagine my insane humilty when I got home and realized I went all day with a 6-inch vertical rip in my BLACK pants wearing WHITE you-know-what's. OMGosh!! All day I walked around like this?! And worse, nobody said anything?!?!
God, I've gotta give You props. You have the best sense of humor when it comes to making sure I am un-full of myself. For that, I'm blushing...but grateful. -Heath

The Cuban's Thoughts

Kimmykay over at Twitter gave me a cool suggestion for a blog post: "have your Cuban be a guest blogger and talk about what it's like living with you." So the following is a pre-recorded, unedited dictation of the Cuban's thoughts on this matter..."Living with Heather is like riding the Hulk at Islands of Adventure, enough said." And there you have it, folks. A very compelling yet concise answer to the question I'm sure you were all asking! ; ) But ya can't argue with him. Though Raul & I wear our marriage on our sleeves, its safe to say none of you have seen us when we don't. It's pretty roller-coaster-ish. At Islands of Adventure, I'm sure many walk by the Hulk roller coaster, thinking, "Man, I'd never take that thing on!" Raul probably thought that at one point too. But don't we admire him for conquering his reluctance and taking on the Hulk for the rest of his life? I know I do! : )

But Am I Living by Giving?

I'm almost finished w/ a book that has done me some good. Here's some things I'm wrestling with since reading it...
1. God, please give me a heart that gives.
2. If I'm happy with the way I'm giving, it probably means God isn't.
3. If I saw God starving, what would I give Him? What would I give up for you, God?
4. God, give me open palms, not clenched fists, with "stuff."
5. God, when I croak, give the legacy of my life to those who will see it and find you.

LeadHership's 1 Yr. Birthday-Cash-Bash!!!

Today, my blogging mentor pointed out that I've hit 300 posts for LeadHership AND it's LeadHership's one-year birthday! WOO HOO!!!
So you are invited to LeadHership's Birthday-Cash-Bash, here's the dealio:

1. Leave a comment (or click here)
2. LeadHership will personally thank YOU for actually reading this blog over the year.
3. 48 hours from the time of this post, all names who left comments will be entered in a $100 cash giveaway
4. Subscribe (or get someone to) [email me if you do & I must recieve email confirmation of subscription] and you'll be entered into the birthday-cash-bash TWICE!
5. If your name gets drawn, you win $100 freakin bucks
6. **If your name gets drawn and you got someone to subscribe, BOTH of you each win $100 freakin bucks!**
7. If there are any legal loopholes in this contest... have mercy on me. It's just a blog and I'm just a leadHer, not a lawyHer.

Hey, thanks for hangin' w/ LeadHership over the year. I pray for every one of you who do and I'm grateful for every time you have.

2 Things That Rev Me Up!

Eating deep-dish, buttery-crusted, greasy Chicago pizza...

and posing with my childhood hero at his old stompin' grounds...