A NEW BLOG

I AM STARTING A NEW BLOG AT WORDPRESS CALLED INTERSECTIONS.
THERE ARE JUST SOME THINGS AND THEMES I WANT TO EXPLORE THAT REQUIRE A NEW START. I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME OVER THERE...

http://deannadavis.wordpress.com/

A Great Song

Just heard this song and really liked it. The video also spoke to me about how worship music, and God's children, cannot be put in a box. We look, sound and worship in a style and way that reflects who God made us to be and the cultures He has put us in. What I'm saying is that I'm not sure I'm really cool enough to like this song:) BUT THE TRUTH THAT SAVES AND MOVES US IS ABSOLUTELY THE SAME ACROSS GENERATIONS, CULTURES, MUSICAL STYLES AND LANGUAGES.

The lyrics are here.

Fear and Safety

It's no secret that I speak and teach from my own personal neurosis and spiritual struggles. I've often described my teaching style as if I were on a therapist's couch with my Bible open, and everyone else in the room is getting to listen in on my very private thoughts, emotions and interactions with God. Case in point:

I've been struggling with fear recently. Clarification: I've been struggling with fear for quite a while and to great lengths, but God just moved it to the front burner for me in the last few weeks. So I've done what I know to do when there's an issue for me, I went to the Word of God. I've been meditating on I John 4:18 which says, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." There is so much there that I'll be digging in for several weeks, I'm sure.

This morning, I tried an interesting spiritual exercise. I tried to talk about this verse with my kids. Can I just say, nothing sheds light on spiritual truth than seeing how it hits a young person. Here's how the morning went...

Mom: Hey guys, let's read the Bible together before you go to school. I read this verse I want to talk with you about. ( I read I John 4:18). I want to talk about fear with you. Is there something you are afraid of?
Georgia: I'm afraid of things under my bed. (her little sister Abby sleeps on the bed under her.) I'm afraid that a monster with red eyes (Abby has an eye infection right now, complete with red eyes) will crawl out from under my bed and climb up the ladder and get me.
Mom: (Trying to keep a straight face...) So you are afraid of what's in the dark, that something might get you? That's a pretty common fear. How about you Jeffrey?
Jeffrey: I'm afraid of not getting homework done. (He's a classic firstborn.) Mom, what are you afraid of?
Mom: I'm afraid that something might happen to you guys. And I'm afraid that I won't get to do some of the things in life I really want to do. (Both, major sources of Deanna-angst) The verse we just read though, says, when we really love God, we don't have to fear anything. Why do y'all think that is?
Georgia: God says He'll take care of us, doesn't He? Since He keeps His word, we don't really have to be afraid of anything, do we? (Oh my sweet, deep Georgia, of great faith...)
Mom: Yeah, I think that's the point. God is bigger and stronger than anything we are afraid of. And if says He loves us, we don't have to fear things, do we? We are safe when we are with Him. Godlove = safety. There's no place for fear. Pretty cool, right?
Jeffrey: But, why does the Bible say we have to fear God then? (He is a little theologian, that one. Almost German in the way he wants to debate an issue...:)

I went on to describe with my kids the different types of fear, one of course being respect, but this was an interesting conversation for me. I've read that verse probably a hundred times over the last 20 years and never really READ it. That my kids instinctively knew the truth, that if God loves them, they are safe, was quite eye-opening. I've got a lot more theological training then they do, yet that truth is just now soaking to the depths of my soul in a way they just knew.

Christmas With The Davises

So this past weekend we began decorating the house for Christmas. Here's the scoop.We got an amazing handmade nativity scene when we were in Ecuador years ago. I back light it on the mantle every year, along with a few reindeers, trees and our Ga Tech stockings.
When I was growing up, my parents had a Frosty the Snowman just like this. Kitsch? Sure, but every year when I was little, we took pictures with my sister and I hugging Frosty. Now, my kids get to do the same thing.
Not sure who gave us this ornament, but it comes out every year.
Speaking of Ga Tech, Jeff decided on our tree topper this year and he creatively found a way to put Buzz up there. By the way, this Buzz was a wedding present from me to my man.

And my grandmother always said every Christmas tree should have a bird in it, so this blue bird is an annual thing for us. In fact, he hung out on my grandmother's tree too.

Great Memories

During my recent visit to Germany, I got to see some great friends and carry a personal gift for them. I think there's something beautiful about full circle moments. I gave my friends photos of one of the first times we were together, and one of the last times we were together. Sort of a meditation on how our paths have continued to cross over time and how important those crossings have been.
I also got to stay with Anja and Lydia in Braunschweig, and while the time was too short, it was really, really good! Sometimes, certain visits are so refreshing, so encouraging...this was one of those times.

Berlin From The Train

I didn't realize that on a recent train trip in Germany I would actually get a mini-tour of Berlin from the train.I love photos in train stations, by the way. They look very cool, like an adventure is just around the corner.
The tv tower in Berlin, quite an iconic landmark.
The Berlin Dome.
I even saw parts of the actual Berlin wall!

The Reichstag.
And how cool is this, the Berlin Hauptbanhof sign, with the Reichstag moving in the background. Actually, it was me moving in the foreground.
I was reminded during this brief trip just how much I loved living in Europe and how amazing her cities are. There is still so much for me to see and explore on this continent, that it seems I must return one day:).

Never Know What You'll See In An Airport

Since you never know what you'll see while traveling, I usually keep my camera handy. The Irish Women's Boxing Team? How awesome is that? The Russian Women's Boxing Team was nearby too, but I admit, I was too afraid of them to take a photo.

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

Now that the kids are a bit older and more self-sufficient, Jeff and I are entering a nice season of marriage. In other words, we can revisit the time when we were a couple, not just parents of small kids. (Can I get an amen from the other parents out there?) So, to celebrate 15 years of marriage, Jeff and I took a little trip, just the two of us, to Gatlinburg Tennessee. In a moment of rare spontaneity for us, we saw a sign for horseback riding in the mountains, and went. Can I just say, "Wow!". The Smoky Mountains are truly beautiful, and we had a great time being outdoors. And, since many of you know I'm all about the photo op, we got a great picture out of it.
We caught some great weather too, sunny and pretty warm. We sat out for a while on the main street and people watched. Gatlinburg is one of the best places in the world to people watch. I'm pretty sure people were watching us, and thinking the same thing.
I'm a nature lover, I can't help it. I did teach biology and even botany for a while, so I loved getting out and walking around a bit.
And, more photo ops, near the fall harvest-themed photo op place.
All in all, we had a great time reconnecting, laughing, being spontaneous and relaxing. Jeff and I aren't especially known for how we chill out, so not only was this a healthy departure for us, but hopefully a permanent adjustment to how we do things.

I love being married to Jeff! It's been the most amazing 15 years, with so many great experiences and memories! Even a cursory glance at the last 5 years of blogging tells the tale.

European Food Adventures

For me, some of the best parts of traveling is to eat the local food and experience new cultural things that are off the tourist path. Even though I've lived in Europe for years, I had several new experiences recently during my last trip. While staying in Oslo, my friend and her grandmother let me share an authentic Norwegian meal called fårikål. I was told by several Norwegians that I really should try this lamb and cabbage meal, so they made it my last night there. This was a special occasion where, not only did I get to try something I never would have had on my own, but I also got to hear many stories and learn much during the conversation.
On the plane ride over on Air France, this was my lunch. It is a smoked (i.e. slightly raw) salmon sandwich. While it is outside the normal tastes of the average American, this was quite tasty! I can't believe I've lived in Europe for 6 years total, and never got around to the salmon.
And speaking of the fish genre, I ate some more Norwegian salmon, which evidently is among the world's best. I must say, this meal was very, very tasty.
Then, I was invited to an authentic Norwegian dinner with some friends of mine. Again, what a privilege to be invited in to an experience that is completely outside the normal tourist thing. And of course, the best part of the meal was the company I got to share it with.
And what is a trip to Germany without a wurst? While not my beloved Thuringer brat, I found this at the Berlin airport and it made me very happy:)
And since I enjoyed salmon so much on this trip, I decided to eat it one more time before leaving the country. Note to self - next time be sure to spread out the horseradish sauce all over the fish instead of eating it all at once. My nose is still running. This was my last European meal before getting on a plane.

This trip was a really enjoyable culinary adventure - one that seemed to involve lots of salmon, for some reason. But, it was so great to try new, and really authentic national food. MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm.........

Many Other Friends

While in Europe I had the chance to reconnect with many beloved friends. We used to live life and minister together, but now our paths have led us to places all over the Western Hemisphere. One of the best things about a missional lifestyle is that a goodbye is never really a goodbye, but a "see you later". Since many of my readers will know these people, I wanted to include some photos of this special time.
Who doesn't know Martha. Really, Jeff and I have traveled the world in student work circles and everyone seems to know Martha. Of course, she is more than a co-worker to us. She is Tante Martha (Aunt Martha) to our kids and perhaps one of the greatest influences on our lives. We love Martha M.!!!
This is a rare photo - it's all the present and previous staff who were at the Zoom Conference. Since we are a people on the go, I'm glad we stood still for a few minutes to enjoy the moment of being together.
And this is Maria and Lukas - two students from Connexxion who are now married and expecting their first child soon. One of the great things in student ministry is seeing young people move through the seasons of life.
And this is just a greatl photo. While Vincent isn't a current staff member, he is quite a beloved one. Vera, Anja and Birthe are presently working in Hamburg and Braunschweig, and are very, very cool.
And to know Maria is to love her. She and I have had so many conversations over movies, tv, our love of stories and Jesus. She is very special to me, so seeing her in person brought a big smile to my face.
Some of my favorite times in Germany seem to always involve Antje and Vera.
This is Nicole, my friend and former language tutor. The reason I can speak German at all is largely because she worked me really hard. Danke, liebe Nicole.
This is Julie - she was on staff with Connexxion before Jeff and I came. We like to joke that it took two of us to replace one of her, which is actually true.
So as you can see, my time in Germany was very special, filled with quite a few divine appointments.
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Teaching In Germany

The main reason I went to Germany was to teach at the Zoom Conference, a time for the Connexxion staff to download what they've learned about student ministry in a post-modern setting. I got to speak to the group also. My topic? The Main Thing In Ministry Is Integrity. This is a topic I'm passionate about and have heard that it resonates strongly with those in our line of work. Basically, I try to answer the question, "What can a person do now to prepare for a lifetime of ministry, a lifetime of following God faithfully?"

Hans and Franz Show Up At The Zoom Conference

So, before I went to Germany for the Zoom Conference, Jeff and I were asked to film a video. Years ago, we sat down and came up with our family mission statement - a way for us to make decisions and discern God's will for our lives. It is a way for us to choose between really good things and God's best for us. But rather than create it using business-speak, we decided to do something a bit more creative. Thus, Hans and Franz. Our mission statement is hidden in here (and it's not too hard to find). We hope you enjoy:).
Be sure to click on the video twice to get a full screen.

Annalie, Who I Want To Be When I Grow Up

Usually when I blog about things in my life, it's in a very linear way. I tell stories from start to finish, from beginning to end. Not this time. I just spent a week in Oslo and Germany - it was a combination of vacation and work. I was speaking at the Zoom Conference for Connexxion, the ministry Jeff and I worked with during our time in Germany, so I used that as an excuse to visit with friends.

But a highlight of the trip for me? My time with Annalie M. Annalie is one of the most amazing women I met in Jena Germany. Let me tell you about her, then about why this photo is so special to me. I don't often beg my readers to read my writing, but today is a first, so please hang with me.

Annalie and her husband Gunter have done life right. They have lived most of their adult life in the same town, been a healthy part of their church and raised their kids to love Jesus. In addition, since they live in a university town, they have loved the students God has sent their way. You should see how the women students love her!

What makes her special to me is...she is one of the only older German women who really took an interest in me personally during my time in Germany. She would pull me aside regularly and put her hands lovingly around my face and speak words of such affection and love to me that I was frequently reduced to tears. She always encouraged me about our work with students. She cooked authentic Thuringer meals for us, along with coffee and great desserts. She never failed to show me love, very tenderly, very authentically. She's a hugger and toucher, which is unusual for a German, but if you know Annalie, you know she's just Annalie. If she wants to hug you, you let her and receive it.

During this trip, we unexpectedly saw each other as she came to a celebration that was a part of the conference I was at. She and Gunter, in their endearingly German way, asked for some time for us to catch up in person. So for about an hour, God miraculously multiplied my German language skills so we could talk. And oh, did we talk! They continued to encourage me about God's will for my life and helped me see how He is working with me. And they prayed for me!!! If this conversation was the main reason for my coming to Germany, it was enough of a reason to come!

So, this photo is very meaningful for me. I have so few people in my life who I would view as ...not sure how to describe it...a combination of mother figure/mentor, cheerleader, friend... And how she's looking at me says it all. I'm crying as I'm writing this. It was such a sweet day with such a sweet friend.

Update from Deanna

To my faithful readers, I'm so sorry for the slackness with which I've managed this blog for the last month. There are reasons...big reasons...We've had pretty big family directional shifts that we weren't expecting and I wasn't ready to blog about it to the world. I'm also getting ready to begin a new blog and have been putting a bit more of my writing efforts in that direction. But I did want to update today because in a few days I'll be traveling back to Europe to visit with friends and attend and teach at a student work conference. I can't wait. Sometimes a trip outside of your comfort zone, to places that are spiritually significant can jumpstart thoughts, directions, etc. I'm praying that my time away will be an investment in my life, relationships, heart and family that will reap dividends for years to come. I'll either get back to blogging here or launching the new one soon.

On a more random note, my good friend Melissa and I got to go to one of the Braves playoff games a week or so ago. It was quite an experience, going to a baseball game people actually care about:).
In case you didn't know, Hank Aaron broke the all-time home run record while playing for the Braves. This place marks the spot, so we had to get a photo.

And anyone who knows me knows I live for the photo op. The baseball mascot came running by, so I had to get a picture. Here are some other examples of mascots I've tracked down for photos.Buzz, the nation's best mascot!!!!! Go Jackets, sting em, buzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Thrash, our hockey team mascot.
Maximus, the Gwinnett Gladiator mascot. Unfortunately, technical difficulties have flipped this photo upside down, but you get the idea.

Pop Truth

I had a good cry today. I was listening to Katy Perry's song Teenage Dream...ok, stop laughing.

No really, you need to stop laughing at me and let me explain. If you haven't heard it, first of all, where have you been? And secondly, you can here. It's an almost perfect pop confection with a beat, great hook and lyrics that nearly every modern teen or everyone who's been a modern teen can relate too. It doesn't pretend to be especially deep, but it does rather successfully capture some of the passion and emotion of teen love. Do you remember how it felt when you were first in love? The electric charge of hormonal adrenaline that is impossible to replicate or sustain, but is oh so wonderful while it lasts? What a clever idea, to write a song as an adult about how your significant other takes you back to those days when love was so exciting and you were so happy, you thought you just might die. Of course mature love done right settles into something deeper and longer lasting than that, but oh that every husband and wife could recapture a bit of that teenage passion for each other!

What got me though were some of they lyrics and the underlying meaning hidden behind them.

She sings "Let's go all the way tonight. No regrets. Just love." What she is saying in the first phrase is pretty obvious and there's no layers there. But the phrase, "No regrets. Just love," is worth a bit of thought. A Christian would assume that having sex before or outside of marriage brings regrets. But she's saying "Let's do it so we don't regret not doing it." Or that there are no regrets necessary because there is nothing wrong with having sex with someone with whom you are in love. I also suspect and have heard from many young people, that honestly, there isn't nearly as much regret the morning after as we in the Christian community would think.

This is the air most young people breath, that "where there's love, of course there is sex." In the modern worldview, sex is a natural part of any romantic relationship - expected, normal and if both are consenting, then knock yourself out. In fact, if you claim to love someone, then of course you sleep with them. It's assumed.

Here's where I started to get a bit emotional, as it illustrates a radical misunderstanding of what love and sex actually are. I've just met too many young people who come to Christ later in life, after they've operated in this worldview for a while, and I see the damage done to their hearts and souls. Sex is more than just something you do with your body. It involves your heart and soul at an unbelievably intimate level. In marriage, it it acts like superglue, helping to bond a husband and wife permanently. It allows our bodies to give full expression to what our hearts are feeling. It is perhaps the most intensely pleasurable of human experiences. It creates life.

How we go about our sexuality says volumes about our spirituality and world view. And how we go about our sexuality determines the potential depth and quality of our marriage relationships. As a middle aged woman now, I see more clearly than ever that what young people do in their teens and 20's sets them up for success or failure in adulthood and the real world of family relationships.

Our culture is actively redefining the truth that our hearts instinctively know - that sex is more than just a physical act but a deeply spiritual one, deserving of more than the casualness with which we treat it. And since it involves such deeply personal and powerful emotions, (like the ones teenagers feel when they are in love) how we communicate truth about it has to be not only clear and bold, but compassionate.

So yes, I cried at a Katy Perry song and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Oh, that more of us would.