If you could see me now, I’m sitting here in a big red poodle skirt with a black poodle on the front that has a rhinestone collar on.  Underneath the poodle skirt is a very big, very scratchy crinoline that I’m afraid will make it difficult for me to sit in my car seat and drive to work!

It’s 50’s day at the bank and we are all dressing up.  I’d love to know where poodle skirts came from.  Who first decided that the poodle was the dog of choice?  Why not a cute weiner dog?  Why not a collie?  I guess weiner skirt doesn’t have the same ring to is as poodle skirt does.

I couldn’t find any saddle oxfords, so white tennis shoes will have to do.  I did find a scarf that matches really well.  And I hunted in Paige’s ever-growing make up case and found this awful blue eyeshadow and red lipstick.  No offense to the ladies of the 50’s…but this blue eyeshadow doesn’t do a whole lot for the eyes.

We’re going to be piping 50’s music through the sound system at the bank.  It would have been cool to find a jute box, but that may have been a tad expensive.  I’m not a dancer at all, so I won’t be doing any “sock hopping”, but maybe someone will do a little dance to the music before the day is over!

All I need now is a 1950’s T-bird to drive to the bank in!!  Hopefully I’ll look the part today.  I hope this crinoline doesn’t drive me crazy…..if it itches, I’ll try to scratch in private!

It seemed like it just started, and before I knew it, I was singing the closing song!

Last night was an amazing night.  Ben and I had spent the afternoon at the church getting ready for the concert.  You know those last minute details that have to be taken care of….set up the product tables, move the piano from out of the corner of the stage and onto center stage, rearrange all the plants now that you’ve moved the piano, put all the hymnals back in the pew rack, pick up left over tissues from the morning service (yuk), vacuum the sanctuary and hallways…..just stuff like that.

My friends, Keith & Stacy arrived about 4:15.  Keith started setting up his sound equipment.  He set up his board, he unrolled his cables and hooked up his microphones and loaded in the tracks from my new CD off of his IPOD.  We ran through a couple of songs to get a sound check.  Keith is really good at what he does.  He had some kind of effects machine that could do all kinds of things with my voice.  He has a good feel for what works on different songs.  To the untrained eye, it looks like he is just standing there punching buttons…..but it sure makes a difference in the sound and quality of what comes out of the speakers…..so it’s a good thing to have Keith around if you’re going to sing!!

At 5:00, I grabbed my clothes and makeup bag and went to the bathroom to get dressed.  I was going to plug up the curling iron for a little touch up job on the hair, but discovered our bathroom doesn’t have one outlet!……not ONE!  I looked everywhere…..nope, no outlet.  So I grabbed my mirror to check out the back of my hair….it would just have to do.  I touched up with a little more hair spray to make sure what curl I had left stayed in place, dabbed on some powder, a little more blush and got dressed.

I met Mary in the sanctuary and she ran the power point so I could preview it.  There were two songs that were going to feature “slide shows”.  One was Legacy, to honor Ben’s mom, and another was “I Will Fly”, to honor my friend, Warren  Coates.  Our church secretary helped load the pictures and then Mary took the pictures and timed them to the music of each song.  A tough job….but Mary is just the lady who tackles that kind of thing and always conquers it!  The slides were perfect!

By this time people were arriving, so I began to greet my friends.  It was so great to see some of the ladies from my Bible Study group!  Those ladies are SUCH a blessing to me!  My friends Warren & Cynthia Coates arrived.  Even though Warren is in a wheel chair now, he still has a beautiful smile on his face!  And my parents came over from Grand Ridge, Florida.

Several people asked me if I was nervous and I told them I wasn’t.  It’s strange, but a calm just comes over me.  I know it’s too late to back out now, I have to get up and sing and if I forget some words, or trip over a chord, or a hundred other blunders happen….so be it.  I think the excitement over sharing my new songs outweighs any fear that I have.

It was an amazing night.  As I shared my testimony through word and song, I saw smiles and I saw tears.  God is so faithful and I watched as hearts were touched by His spirit.  It is a wonderful thing when God moves.

After the concert I had a chance to hug a lot of necks.  And I was just overwhelmed at the encouraging words.  I wanted more than anything for people to be glad they came….to feel that they had experienced worship and not just a concert.  I think that’s what I heard from people and I give God the glory.

It’s true…..he does exceedingly, abundately above what we can ever dream  Tonight was one of those nights when He way exceeded what I could have imagined.

I went to the newspaper to be interviewed yesterday.

My friend Debbie, who is a big-wig at the paper (you know those adminstrative assistants do it ALL), came out in the lobby and we chatted for a second.  Then Dean came out and asked if I was ready.  We walked back through this huge room that is filled with cubicles of people talking on the phone, typing and doing all kinds of newspaper stuff.  We passed a few offices and then arrived at his office.  He had two chairs in front of his desk; he motioned for me to sit in one and then he sat down next to me and pulled out his little note pad.

Dean first interviewed me a few years ago when I had just started writing.  I remember Dean came by the house for the interview.  We sat in the living room and he asked me questions about how I had started this writing process.  I had just returned from our Georgia Ladies Retreat where I had sold about 80 CDs and he shared my amazement at that fact!  He seemed genuinely interested in what inspired my writing and after the interview, told me he hoped to hear more from me.

This time he began by asking what was different about my writing….I told him I hoped it was better…that I’m learning to write from a place of vulnerability that I couldn’t write from before.  He asked me if I still had to sing a song in front of my church before I knew if it was good or not…..I told him that I’d pretty much learned the difference now between my “that’s awful” stuff, to “that works” stuff.  He asked if I was where I wanted to be.  That was a good one!  It made me stop and think….and then I told him yes.  If I had the last four years to do all over again, I wouldn’t change anything.  The timing…the people…the events that have come together to make all this happen is just as it should be.  And I can’t wait to open my eyes every day to see what God is up to next!

Random stuff:  I was drying Paige’s hair for her tonight since she had a late shower.  We put off some homework until after church and it was 10PM before she was heading to bed.  She sat there, eyes closed while I dryed her hair.  It brought back memories of mom doing that for me.  There is nothing like the feeling of someone else drying your hair while you close your eyes and dream of sleep!

My maid didn’t come today.  There are clothes in the dryer, crumbs in the sink and wet towels in the bathroom!  O.K…….so, I don’t have a maid.  But if she HAD been here today, she would be fired!

If I hear the song “Private Eyes”, I am immediately transported to high school and Richard’s red corvette.

If I hear “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” or “Dizzy” I’m back in Tennessee dancing around the living room.

If I hear “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, I’m in Red Bug Elementary School’s spring play.

It’s amazing how a song can transport you to a time, a place, a special moment. 

Music is a powerful vehicle.  I remember when I was little and watching a scary movie….as soon as the “scary music” started playing, I would mute (or back in those days, get up and go turn the volume knob down) the sound on the tv.  Immediately, without the sound of shreeking strings, the movie lost some major scare potential.

On the other hand, I think about how music in movies can create the perfect atmosphere for that special moment like the first embrace, the first kiss.  The movie would be a dud without it.  A timeless melody is created that seems to be etched on our brains forever.  It would only take a few notes to know you were listening to the score from Titanic, or Rocky.  The music just embodies what the movie is trying to portray…they go hand in hand.  I think it would be an incredible moment to create a score for a movie and know that you had helped to create magical moments, that without music, are impossible for the soul to experience.

I feel the same way about the worship songs that we sing.  The praise team was practicing at the church last night and when I start singing words like “You alone, I long to worship.  You alone, are worthy of my praise”….I can’t help but be transported into His presence. 

I still have my old favorites that I love to sit and play that minister to my soul…..Willing Heart, Day By Day, Be Thou My Vision, Spirit Song and Whisper a Prayer, to mention a few.  Each song can transport me to a different emotion and a different time in my life when God used that song like a healing balm to my soul. 

I haven’t written too many “chorus” type songs, but one that I wrote and use at retreats a lot is one that is on my new CD, called “High and Lifted Up.”  When I sat down and wrote it, I had been praying and searching for the words I wanted to say to God and it was as if the prayer just decided to be poured out into music.  I taught that song to the ladies this weekend.  We sang it Friday night and then again Saturday morning.  After lunch, Donna Rice and I were walking through the hotel lobby and we heard someone singing “High and Lifted Up.”  She said that chorus had been stuck in her head too and asked me what I thought about people singing that tune.  It’s pretty cool!  But really, what I hope is that as the ladies left the retreat that whenever they find themselves humming the tune of that song, they will be transported to a wonderful time when God was definately lifted up in their lives!

I don’t want to give it away, but I’m planning a few surprises for my concert on Sunday.

I just love surprises!  I love the anticipation of knowing that something neat is coming…..I love the thought that a surprise can bring a smile to someone’s face and heart.  I love surprises because they are unexpected blessings.  So of course, since this is a surprise, I can’t really tell you all about it yet.  But I promise to share it with you next week. 

I received a call yesterday from our local Christian radio station.  They want to do a live interview with me on Friday morning to promote my new CD and concert.  That was a nice surprise.  I remember when I wrote my first songs in 2002.  Someone suggested I contact our local station and see if they might play some of my music.  I was scared to death, but I made the phone call.  They told me to bring the CD out and they would give it a listen.  I went to the radio station.  I had never been to a radio station before.  It looked pretty much like a house that had been converted to a radio station.  The door was unlocked, so I went in thinking I would see a receptionist.  There was no one in the “living room”.  There was a glass “port hole” in the wall and through that, I could see the DJ with his headphones on doing the weather, or something like that.  After he was through talking, he waved me in.  I met Derek and he was very nice to me.  He asked me questions about my music and writing and ministry and promised to give the CD to the station manager.  I handed it to Derek with sweaty palms, tried to look like I was confident in what I was doing and left with a promise to hear from him later.

True to his word, he gave the CD to the station manager and to my surprise, they added two of my songs to their “rotation list”.  I was in the car a few days later when I heard my song on the radio for the first time.  It was the most amazing thing.  I was driving up to the drive through window of a bank and wanted to shout to the teller that my song was on the radio.  Of course I didn’t and at the time, I didn’t even have a cell phone to call anyone.  (These were the days of being a stay at home mom and living on a budget). 

I had another surprise a few weeks ago.  A friend of mine is starting a booking agency to promote Christian writers (of books and songs).  She and I talked on the phone about my ministry and whether or not I was singing as much as I wanted too….and of course the answer was no.  If I could, I would probably be on the road full time singing.  But I’m leaving all that in the Lord’s hands.  Still, it would be nice if I had someone to make call’s to different churches, and to follow up on contacts that I make.  So, I’ve signed an agreement with Shelton Booking Agency and feel that this is another step in the journey that God is taking me on.

And I know I shouldn’t be surprised by this….but it is more like I am so amazed…..that EVERY morning, God’s mercies are new.  I know I shouldn’t be, because that is what He tells me in Lamentations 3:23….but I still can’t get over it.  And it still refreshes me each morning to know that Jesus paid a price for me and in return for my obedience, there is joy beyond what this world can give.

From the first note of the first song, I knew it was going to be a great retreat.

I had been a tad worried about having a retreat in a hotel/convention center….those banquet rooms can seem stale and formal.  But as I sat at the beautiful white grand piano they had delivered for us to use and asked the ladies to join me in our first song…they just lifted their voices and sang like they were singing at an outdoor tent revival!  I knew immediately that God was answering prayer. 

I received some calls as I was heading to the retreat from dear friends telling me they were praying for the retreat.  That is the greatest gift that someone could give me.  I felt covered by those prayers and I know that everyone involved in the planning of the retreat had been praying for months that God would bless.  And He sure did!

As I shared some of the music from my new CD, I was overwhelmed to see how God was using it.  I had so many women come up after the service and tell me that the words to my songs just ministered to them.  What more can I ask for?  God is so faithful and He is so willing to fill the hearts of those that seek Him.

It was so great to be with Donna Rice again as well.  She is a hoot!  She had the women laughing, she had them crying…..it was exactly what they needed.  And over and over I heard the ladies telling her how refreshing it was to be at this retreat because of the things that Donna was sharing.

The retreat was over about 4PM.  I drove Donna to the hotel airport where she would stay for the night and be able to walk out of the lobby and straight into the airport to catch her flight early Sunday morning.  We grabbed a bite to eat and then it was time for me to get on the road and head home.  It was hard to believe the weekend was already over.

As I drove home, I began to be overwhelmed again at what God had done.  I turned off my radio and began to just praise the Lord.  I was so blessed and the tears spilled over until I could almost not see the road!  I am thankful and grateful for the prayers of my friends and for a God who loves us beyond measure!

I’m sitting in my office this morning listening to my new CD…..still can’t believe that it has arrived.  My co-worker (and also happens to be the co-writer on two of my songs) came into my office yesterday and told me his favorite song is #3, “The Hand of God”.  I have to admit I was surprised because of all the songs on my CD, I thought that one was definately a “girlie” song.  I don’t know why….I guess because the first line mentions talking with friends and crying and I didn’t figure guys would relate to either thing!  Shame on me!  I guess I’m already learning that as the writer of a song, I don’t have any control in how the Lord delivers the song….that He can use it to minster to all kinds of needs and all kinds of people!

I’m excited about having a chance to share some of these songs for the first time this weekend at the ladies retreat.  I told a friend yesterday, it’s kind of like a “test run”.  I get to sing for the first time with my new background track and that is always a fun experience.  I’ve been sitting at my piano singing these songs for months….now I get to sing with Nashville muscians and singers behind me!!! 

And I’ll get to see what songs people enjoy.  It’s an interesting thing to watch the faces of people as you sing.  Some people are deeply moved and you only see it by the simple tear that rolls down their cheek.  Some people raise their hand in an expression of praise, while others may sit their and close their eyes just to enjoy the presence of the Lord.  What I’ve learned is that worship is an intensely personal thing.  And God moves over us, each in different ways.  And that’s what I love about Him, He is such a personal God.  And He knows what I need, and He knows what you need.

I want to thank my friends who have been praying for my throat.  I had mentioned to just a few people that I had been having some throat problems since attending the football game this past Friday.  I guess I got a little zealous in my yelling and it left me hoarse.  That usually only lasts a day, but this time, it hung on for four days.  I was getting worried….and knew I needed prayer.  Praise the Lord, I am feeling much better today.  Good thing since I sing tomorrow night.  God is awesome!

As I leave for Tampa, part of my heart is in St. Louis.  This weekend is the Write About Jesus conference that I’ve attended since I learned about it in 2003.  I’ve learned so much from the writing workshop and from the friendships I developed with other writers.  Much of the progress I’ve made in writing is because of WAJ….so I’m saying a prayer for all the people who are heading to St. Louis today!

I first noticed it when the Pastor asked us to stand and read the text for the morning from our Bibles.  I turned to the designated scripture and when I looked down, it seemed like the words were swimming on the page.  Before I knew it, the same thing was happening when I looked at the hymnal.  So I headed off to the Dollar Tree for my first pair of reading glasses.  I guess that’s a normal sign of aging….the vision starts getting blurry.

But something has gotten much sharper, the older I get.  I was thinking about that this morning as I was reminiscing about my conversation with Donna Rice last night.  Donna and I were talking about the retreat in Tampa this weekend.  We talked about how we’ve been praying for the ladies that would be attending.  We know that God already knows who will be there and because He is the loving God that He is….He will have something special for each lady.  That’s our desire as we pray, that God will take something we say, or sing, and use it to minister specifically to the hurting heart that needs it the most. 

That’s our spiritual vision…..and it is just getting sharper.  I am more determined now, than ever before in my life, to be real and to be available for God to use.  I am more aware now that I am nothing on my own…..and that in my weakness, the power of God is revealed. 

I’ll never forget working on my first CD….I felt so inadequate at what I was trying to do…but I knew that God was leading and there was a purpose in His plan.  I remember after the CD was finished and we were listening to it, that Ben asked me, “How did you know how to do all this?”  I think I laughed out loud…..because I didn’t have a CLUE as to how to “do” all this….but I knew that God had given me a vision and it was clear.  I’m supposed to write, I’m supposed to share.

What I have to give isn’t any more special than what you have to give.  As long as the GIVER is in charge of what you are doing, it will be blessed and He will use it for His glory.

It’s o.k. that my physical vision is a little handicapped…..I’ve enjoyed the green, pink and blue reading glasses that I wear.  But there is one thing that I want to always see clearly…..that God is leading and I can trust Him completely!!

My new CD has arrived!!  Yippee, yeah, yahoo (this is me jumping up and down!)

I wasn’t looking for it to arrive until Thursday of this week; I had been told it would be mailed on Monday and guaranteed to arrive by Thursday.  I was happy with that delivery schedule because that meant I would have my CD to take to Tampa with me this weekend for ladies retreat. 

So it’s a typical Monday….I’m moving into my new office at the bank and I hear someone in the lobby say “I have a delivery for Donna Norton.”  I went out to see what it might be and he had a big box on a dolly and said he had five more out in the truck.  I was still thinking my CDs were being mailed on Monday, so I asked who the boxes were from.  He told me some delivery place in California.  Now I knew there must be some mistake, because my CDs were being manufactured in Nashville, right?  So I asked if I could open the box and see what was inside.  By now, I’m thinking that somehow I’ve accidentally ordered 2000 pens for the bank or something and I sure didn’t want to accept the delivery if it wasn’t something I wanted to pay for.  But I open the box and saw 100 beautifully packaged, hot off the press, Donna Norton CDs!!!!!!!!

The nice delivery man helped me load all of them into my van.  I opened a handfull to take back into my office to replace the ones already on my desk.  I couldn’t wait to get the first one opened.  I’ve already heard the songs, I’ve already seen the picture that was going on the front….but there is something so awesome about seeing the whole package together….complete and finished!!!

It is still so surreal.  The fact that I’m writing songs, the fact that I’ve been to Nashville to record, the fact that I am booked to sing at some retreats…..it is still all a wonderful dream.  And I know that it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with God.  He alone, can take a broken and cracked pot and somehow use it for His glory.  He alone can inspire songs that fill my hear so full, I have to pen the words and the music. 

Last night at our Bible study, several of the women purchased a CD.  I was so touched.  And then several of the ladies started taking off the plastic wrap and proclaiming that they were going to listen to it on the way home.  You have no idea how that blesses my heart.  I’m praying that blessing and encouragement will be what is heard on my CD.  And that God will take the words and music and minister to the listener in a way that tells them the song was written just for them!

Sometimes I just get this overwhelming sense of the greatness of God.

-When I’m praying and all of the sudden it is like He is standing right beside me

-When I hear the testimony of someone and see how God has worked a miracle

-Through a powerful song like our Pastor’s wife sang yesterday, “More Than Wonderful”

-Through a beautiful sunrise or sunset

-When I looked at how He has blessed my family

…..I could go on and on.  Maybe it’s just the Holy Spirit opening my eyes to things that I am too in a hurry to notice as often as I should.  Because His glory and His greatness is all around.  But I have to confess that I don’t see it every day.  There are plenty of days when I grumble and complain and wonder where God is and what He is up to.  I question His ability to run things….not that I say it out loud, but I display that attitude in the way that I try to run things!

We had a conversation at Sunday dinner yesterday about surrender and how we have to come to the end of our “rope” before we’ll give it all to God.  And isn’t it funny how that seems to be just the time that He really begins to work.  Maybe He was just waiting for us to quit trying to work it out, so that He could work it out and there would be no doubt that it was God’s hand and not our plan!

Sometimes God’s greatness is revealed to me through His tender loving care.  It might be a gentle whisper during my day that He loves me.  You’ve heard that right?  You’re just going about your business and all of the sudden you find yourself thinking about how awesome it is to be loved by a wonderful God.  Or it might be through remembering difficult times that God has brought me through and I’ll be amazed all over again at how great and faithful He is.  It might even be an unexpected hug from one of the girls and I’ll realize that God must love me an awful lot to send me two such precious angels!

One of the first prayers I learned to pray at meal time when I was little started with the thought that “God is great”….and that is so TRUE!  It’s so awesome to know that He is bigger than WHATEVER may come my way.  He is bigger than the struggle, He is bigger than the storm, He is bigger than my doubt.

It is so great today to know that I don’t have to rely on my own strength to get through this day.  It is so great to know that God not only knows what I am up to today, but He is interested in how I spend my day.  And He wants nothing more than me to place my little life in His great big hand!