"And They'll Know We are Christians by our Love........."

That is the song that ran through my head tonight as I attended revival services at the small church we have been visiting. It has been a while since I have been so moved during church services. The sermons are not awe-inspiring..... they are simple. They still sing the old hymns, not more modern praise and worship music.... But both at Sunday morning services and this week at revival services, I have been moved to tears.

We have been welcomed into the church with warmth and open arms. This week was special because a pastor from out-of-town came to deliver the messages each night..... this after having lost his young brother in a tragic accident two weeks ago. Our church let him know that he didn't have to follow through with his commitment to preach here, but he wanted to come.

Last night, a church member who has had a long battle with cancer came forward in tears at the end of the service, and told the congregation she just found out her cancer was back and had spread. Immediately, the whole church came forward, surrounded her, laid hands on her, and prayed and wept with her..... many stayed even after the service was over, to encourage her and pray.

Then tonight, the guest pastor gave a very sincere sermon on faithfulness and how he had been inspired by this little church. He let us know how therapeutic this week with our church had been and talked of needing prayer for going back and dealing with his grief over his brother. The closing song found just about every one in the church on their knees...... at the alter, in the aisles, in the pews, surrounding the pastor as his tears flowed in mourning. Even the elderly, who could barely walk, were kneeling in prayer, leaning against the pews. I was humbled and moved by their sincerity and compassion.....

Love...... is a verb. And the spirit of God showed up in a little country church in Appalachia, among simple people who want to be faithful to Him.... in the way they know how.

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ...."
-Galations 6:2


(Painting by Bryan Morgan)

Whisperings........

(Ponderings inspired in Cataloochee Valley)

Venerable valley, that time has forgotten.......do you mourn for those who left you behind?

When the winds blow and make these old boards creak and groan, does it stir up memories of life now gone?

The plow no longer digs deep in your ground... No more laughter, no more singing, no more church bells sound.....

But I believe you still remember, because you whispered it to me.... I heard the murmur on the cool mountain breeze.... You sang softly of age-old mysteries... and of life and death in this ancient valley......

Black Water.......

"I come from the mountains, Kentucky's my home, Where the wild deer and black bear so lately did roam; By cool rushing waterfalls the wildflowers dream, And through every green valley there runs a clear stream.

Now there's scenes of destruction on every hand... And only black waters run down through my land. Sad scenes of destruction on every hand,

Black waters, black waters, run down through my land..."

- 'Black Waters' by Jean Ritchie

I know I have been single-minded in my posting as of late. But my heart is extremely saddened and angered by Mountain-top mining. It is destroying the beautiful state where I live....and the state that I grew up in. When you see your fellow Appalachian people suffering because of the negligence of a few in power, it is hard not to speak up.

The above picture is of a stream filled with Coal sludge. The water in West Virginia and Kentucky is literally being poisoned. I am very grateful that PBS recently did a special on this issue....they are the first media outlet to do so. You can view it here. It is a longer clip, but it is a worthy endeavor of your time as we all use electricity....much of which is powered by coal mined in my state.

THIS is the price of coal...... Should the Appalachian people continue to suffer, be sick, and in some cases, die, to supply our nation with electricity? President Bush just recently made a statement that our nation needs to make this sacrifice to take us from dependency on foreign oil. I have to say that I strongly disagree.......

This new website has made it easier to let your voice be heard about the new Regulation passed by the Bush Administration to allow Coal Companies to basically have free reign for Mountain-top Removal.... with little to no accountability. It also features a moving preview of an upcoming documentary about the people of Appalachia's suffering and fight to end Mountaintop Mining.

PLEASE, please take the time to view these clips and let your voice be heard.....

A Door For Anna......

For my friend, Anna, who loves doors...

Welcome back to the states, friend! Wishing you many new adventures and much blessing in your new home...

Can't wait to see your new front door!

Fall Fun .....

A taste of what's to come...


Forward Thinker...

Over-achievers...

End of season slump...

Trend Setter...

For some more Fall Fun, head to my new blogging friend, Brandy's, site for a fun fall give-away. And spend some time reading her delightful posts...she lives simply and is very creative and inspiring!

Provision.......

(an excerpt from an e-mail I sent to my family shortly after moving to our new town)

I had a wonderful night last night....just one of those nights where it seems the stars are all aligned just for you. We were invited to Vacation Bible School at a little country church up the road..... down a beautiful, winding, one-lane road following a creek. I stayed with Sir Laughsalot through the evening... went to his class with him. He made friends with the class clown right away, an onery little red-headed boy. They carried on, laughed, and played together the entire night..... Such a wonderful thing to see after having to leave all his friends behind when we moved.

Another mom was there and I sensed a kindred spirit.... and a familiar accent. We trepidly started conversing and realized we were both from the same area of North Carolina and she had also gone to college near my hometown in Kentucky. Before long, we were laughing, too.... and didn't stop talking until the evening was through. We even got some looks from the teachers to hush. As the evening wound down, we exchanged phone numbers, e-mails, and 'See ya tomorrow's!"

It was dark when we left..... and the cicadas and peepers were almost deafening. I had a euphoric feeling walking down the little road to the car, with the sounds of the country in my ear, the little white church's steeple lit up in the background, and the sound of kids laughing. A night of good conversation, a possible new friendship, and knowing my son is getting that gentle, fun introduction to Jesus that we had at our bible schools growing up. We drove home with the windows down, listening to the night sounds, and Sir Laughsalot softly singing the songs he had learned that night.

I believe Someone did line the stars up for me last night.......

Wordless Wednesday...

An Appalachian sunset....

More Wordless Wednesdays here.

Your Comments Needed..........

Before this happens to any more mountains:

The Bush Administration just issued a regulation to allow for the expansion of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining practices. The new rule would allow the practice to continue and expand. Mountaintop Mining has already destroyed more than 450 mountains and ravished the communities that surround them through the burying of streams and headwaters, flooding, and toxic waste and debris being dumped into the valleys below.

This new regulation is open for a 60 day comment period. Fred First has set up a site with instructions on how to comment here

"Mountaintop Removal is occurring right at the heart of one of the nation’s main hotspots of biological diversity. According to the Nature Conservancy, the mountain region including southwest Virginia, southern West Virginia, eastern Kentucky and northeastern Tennessee contains some of the highest levels of biological diversity in the nation. This region is also at the headwaters of the drinking water supplies of many US cities"........ This is something that affects us all.

This is not an issue of coal vs. no-coal. It is not a political issue. It is a matter of doing what is right and not what is most profitable. The production of coal is up but mining jobs are down..... Coal Companies are making more profit than ever because of this practice, but the regions where they are mining are still some of the most impoverished in the nation. Communities are being left with nothing but polluted water, flooding, and a ravished landscape.

Please let your voice be heard on this issue. And a big thanks to L.L. Barkat,

June, Colleen, Brandy, and Fred for helping spread the word. If you post about this topic, please let me know and I will link to it.......

A Stroll through the Land of Enchantment...........

A magical shop in the woods..........


An encounter with a wee faerie along the way......


The King's next court jester.......


A knightly encounter.......


Looking for loot........


A bit of theatre......


'The Rogues' and their Groupies.......

-All photos taken during our weekend at The Maryland Rennaisance Festival.

No Need To Fear........

Sir Laughsalot is here!!!!

Or should I say, Robin Hood? Either way, there was no need to be afraid of this big, green monster we came across at The Maryland Rennaisance Festival , with such a brave companion at my side.

Sir Laughsalot started the day as a knight, but happened across this super cool hat and changed roles for the day. That's the fun of the festival.....both children AND adults get to play make-believe!

Much more to come, but this fair maiden needs her beauty rest after a long weekend of being rescued from ugly green trolls and keeping up with a 5 year-old in Wonderland........