"Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Yeah, who believes in that stuff, anyway?"

"Anybody who has somebody."

Whether you have "a significant other," or whether you think Valentine's Day is a commercialized holiday conjured up by card companies and jewelers to compensate for the after-Christmas doldrums,

Have a great day, and remember:

GOD LOVES YOU!

Jonah and Jimmy Choo

My name is Judi Murphy, and I am a footwear fanatic.  But not just any footwear, mind you; I have a propensity for the finer footwear in life.  Christian Louboutin is a sculptor, an aesthetic genius who works in the softest of leathers and reddest of reds to create masterpieces of style and femininity.  Jimmy Choo inhabits my dreams, calling to me with his siren song, luring me to the depths of his Stiletto Seas...  Sad but true.

However, at some point, the realty exists that while I have allowed myself to be carried away by the illusion of Valentino Garavani's arches resting oh so gently next to mine, I am not where I was born to be.  I was born to Payless parents, cannot justify more than the occasional splurge at Macy's, and would suffer from heart failure if I saw my girls playing "runway" in any more than my Carlos Santana's (and when it comes to my ladies conducting raids on my closet for the sake of play, I have a hard time saying "no."  Doing the same thing with my mother forged an intimate bond and, as I remember it, was my way of developing myself to be like the person I most admired.)

Ironically, Jonah has always been one of my favorite Bible stories.  The classic folly of trying to run from God's plan for one's life, meets God's redirect and redistribution, meets more foolishness.  In short, here was a guy so confident he could escape from God (or, perhaps thought he had escaped from God) that he bragged about it to his shipmates, shipmates who valued God Almighty as no more powerful or omniscient than their false gods -- otherwise they would have sent Jonah packing the moment the boast had burst from his lips.  Nonetheless, it was God who sent the storm, God who determined the lot fell on Jonah, God who brought the whale, and God who calmed the storm, resulting in Jonah's shipmates not only witnessing God's authority and strength, but committing themselves to Him!  As for Jonah, he recognized his foolishness, made haste to obey God's calling, but later begrudged God the prerogative to save Nineveh from retribution because they, like Jonah, had repented!  Truth is, Jonah's physical location may have been in compliance with God's will, but his heart was still far from humble, charitable, Godlike.

While I would never think of putting my family in debt over a pair of shoes, would I be happy with shopping at Payless, limping through the aisle with a disposable Ped, trying to find a place out of the way of traffic, and proudly selecting a pair of tan-soled Fionis?  Perhaps, my heart could use a little more work.

     

Remembering The "National" Anthem

Ok, maybe I'm being too judgemental; at my age, maybe even crotchety and ornery, but enough with the National Anthem already!  Look, I've performed in public, given speeches and workshops -- I know what being in front of crowds of people can do in that split second of opening up one's mind to the fact that "they are all staring at you, expecting something of you, maybe even judging you" -- *CHOKE!*  But, in light of the "Aguilera Flub" and the "Warfield-Cross Issue," which brought, once again to the front, the "Marvin Gaye Rendition" and the "Roseanne Barr Assault," don't you think it's about time we just sing it? 

What is all this stuff about artistry and creative license?  What if our President decided to "origami" the Constitution, you know, just to make it a little more interesting and fun? or paint the White House blue with orange trim, really demonstrate America's freedom of expression?  Whatever you sing at your concert or for your audience, whatever you hang in your gallery or create for your friends is strictly your privilege and your responsibility; whatever belongs to the nation -- leave it alone.  Take a moment to put ambition, showboating, glory-seeking, personal preference aside, and bask in sacrifices made, blood shed, respect and gratitude, sorrow and untold expense, a catholic humility and national moment of homage -- all so you can, within the privacy of your own venue or coalition, perform what you like, as you like it.  Don't make it any more complicated than it already is; don't obssess over your own "signature" on things; don't care who is listening or what power they wield.  Sing it from your heart, and sing it with respect -- after all, it's my anthem, too.

Joy -- It's Not Just for Christmas Anymore!

"I will not allow uncertain circumstances to steal my joy."  Even though I was in and out of the car, and couldn't catch the full discourse, the radio pastor's words definitely sowed a seed; I've been thinking about it ever since.

Look at the facts: natural disasters, tyrannical governments, broken relationships, bad knees, long-term illness, foreclosure --temporary, volatile, immense beyond conscious choice or control, and nothing which is able to steal the joy that knowing Christ brings.  I recently finished Richard Wurbrand's Tortured for Christ.  The persecution God's people have endured joyfully, happily -- all because of the Joy that within them lives -- is amazing, and shameful to me.  People have suffered, are suffering imprisonment, physical abuse and torture, slander and shame, loved ones lost before their eyes -- and with joy!  Not because they are any happier to face their tormentors than we are to deal with unreasonable bosses, or unemployment, or prodigal children, or allergy shots, or chemotherapy -- but because of Christ, and His joy!  He lives within me, and the Bible has assured me that nothing can take Him from me!  Not to mention, the insignificance of a credit card bill or an overdue book report compared to the tribulation these folks suffer...

And looking at it, I have to consider God's grace in bestowing such eternal joy on us, joy without end, joy without limit, when we are those who whine if we have to teach Sunday School three weeks in a row because "that Mrs. What's-her face can't everseem to show up!"  We tithe for a short while before deciding, "I've been good; I'll just skip a week so I can get those cute heels while they're on sale."  We stay home from Bible study for a headache -- just imagine the headache a crown of thorns could cause...