Sillyville

When I was little, there was this video of Samantha's that I had to secretly love, as I was probably about 12 and way too old to publicly indulge in such childish entertainment. It was called Wee Sing in Sillyville and is a classic, poorly made children's video that is just oh, so entertaining that you can't help but watch it over and over again.

The last song, however, ironically enough, has been coming back to me quite a bit over these past few weeks. It's a simple little verse that goes:

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver and the other gold.

I guess my mind and heart has been reflecting a lot on the end of one season and the beginning of a new one in my life. Last week at this time, I got to spend a short trip in D.C. with Brad visiting my sister and brother-in-law and spending the day with two of my new friends (2 of Brad's old friends), Tony and Jamie Sebastian and their adorable little boys. How much fun to get to know brand new friends and get excited for the new friendships that God was giving me in this new season of life in which I'm entering.

This week, I just got home from the last "official" time my small group met that's been meeting in some form for the last 12-36 months! We're all in such different phases, and have had trouble meeting through the summer, but getting together tonight was like we never left. What a gift to truly enjoy fellowship at the deepest level, laughing and crying together, truly sharing in each other's burdens and celebrations in so many different seasons of life.

As I was driving home thinking about all these different things, I tried to comprehend even a brief glimpse of how incredibly overwhelming and magnificent Heaven will be. To be in the presence of our Bridegroom with our fellow brothers and sisters in perfect fellowship, truly surrounded by silver and gold . . . just like Sillyville, but probably better. :-)

Birthday . . . Again!

I've enjoyed one of the most delightful birthdays today, relishing e-mails, texts, cards, phone calls and even a few presents from family and friends near and far. I think one of the most special parts of the day was receiving quite a few e-mails from new friends in Michigan, some of which I haven't even met yet! I know it will certainly be an adjustment moving away from my family in a few months and I'll certainly miss them, but what a wonderful gift to already have a new family (both literally and in the church body) that I can love and enjoy. Special thanks to everyone who overwhelmed me with your love! :-)

Birthday!

29 years ago today, God began the most wonderful story that would change my life forever (even though technically my life hadn't begun yet). Brad Leach was born into this world bringing delight to so many of his family and friends. It was not long after that my parents received their little baby girl and began praying for the spouse that she would one day have. It would take some time for the worlds to collide, but coming from the Baby Girl, it was certainly worth the wait.

Happy Birthday, Brad. Thank you for staying faithful to God's call on your life even when it's been uncertain, confusing, and incredibly challenging. Thank you for being like Jesus to me from the moment that I met you. Thank you for the promise of growing closer to our Father and each other in the years to come. Thank you for being such an example to me of perseverance and undying loyalty as evidenced by your passionate dedication to the Lions. :-) I love you and can't wait for the adventure ahead!

New Normal

So these last few weeks have been a blur of activity and a wide range of emotions. Very good and fun, mind you, but certainly intense. I've been processing some various changes that I get to experience over these next few months and I thought it might help to verbalize some of them here. I'll start this post with the not so deep stuff . . .

Lions Football - I was discussing my first experience watching a full Lions football game to Brad and our friend Norflette on Monday and came to the conclusion that I'm not sure I have the emotional fortitude to be a Lions fan. Silly me thought that a 17 point lead at halftime was a pretty safe and secure place to be. Imagine my angst and distress when I watched that lead diminish into nothing in a matter of 5 minutes in the third quarter. It was then Brad informed me the first rule of watching Lions football: no lead is a safe lead. I was delighted to ride out the rest of the emotional roller coaster and end the day with both the Steelers and Lions, 1-0.

New Family - I LOVE this part of new normal. I genuinely have such a love for Brad's family and was trying to put my feelings into words the other day, coming up with the following simile that hopefully at least my female readers will be able to appreciate, knowing that it may go over some of the male readers' heads (i.e. Brad didn't get it.). Brad's family is like a gift with purchase that you get at the makeup counter at Christmas. You go to buy one item that you really did want to get, and then find out you get a whole OTHER gift, too, leaving the store so extraordinarily happy! God has truly blessed me not only with such an amazing family in which to be born, but an equally amazing family in which to be married. How wonderful.

More thoughts on some other transitions later. Any suggestions on how to best adjust to cooking and Lions fanaticism would be greatly welcomed. :-)

And it's off!

How excited am I about football season starting tonight?!? And this weekend will kick off the Steeler's season w/ one of the greatest rivalries in football . . . Steelers vs. Browns! I've really gotta soak up all the Steelers that I can this season, as I've heard that for some crazy reason, the people of Detroit aren't nearly as interested in Steeler games as I am. Bizarre, huh?!?

Still Awake . . .

So I apologize for not staying true to my word and posting the rest of the story the next day. As it turns out, I've taken a very hefty bite of "school" this last semester and it's taking up a lot more of my time than I initially realized. I trust that many of you have been keeping up with the epic tale of love here, written by my handsome Prince.

To complete the pre-engagement story, I mentioned that my interest was piqued after reading Brad's blog, but nothing more serious was going on in my heart until I followed a link on his blog to his church website where there were also links to his Podcasts. I decided to listen to one, choosing a message entitled "Baggage Claim 301: Dreams." Somewhere in between "Welcome to church today . . ." and "Let's close in prayer . . .," God managed to grab my cynical little heart and mind and speak to me directly through this man's insightful and God-inspired preaching.

Brad was talking about the dreams that God can lay on our heart, dreams that many times have to die in the way that we expect them to happen, in the way that we want them to happen, only to be later resurrected in a more perfect way than we could have ever asked or imagined. Listening to the message was a wrestling match of sorts for me. I knew that what he was saying was Truth, was what God was trying to tell me about, but I didn't want to believe it. I was scared to believe it. The truth was that after suffering the pain and hurt of broken dreams I didn't want to dream again. I didn't want to hope again. It was easier and less painful to expect nothing and never be disappointed than it was for me to honestly allow God to do something new in my heart.

And so, after I listened, sat there, prayed, and then listened to the whole message again, I spent some serious time honestly downloading my thoughts and dreams to God, totally unfiltered, total stream of consciousness, total of two hours and a good 8 journal pages. My dream was to one day be married and though I never sat down and wrote out the infamous "list of husband qualities" (saying instead that I didn't care and would take whatever God gave me) I realized that if I was honest, I was carrying around this "backpack" full of expectations and desires for a future husband. I was just in denial that I was doing it.

So, I "dumped out" my backpack, taking a look at all the things I was carrying around, some of which I thought were really big, but in the big picture of things weren't (i.e. A last name that sounded good with mine) and other things that I didn't give enough value that should have been huge (i.e. A family of his that I could genuinely love). I left that journal entry day asking God to put back the things in my backpack that He wanted to be there, and burn up all the others that wouldn't matter. And, nearly 12 months later, I can now say that I'm quite delighted with my new alliterative name, Leah Leach. It makes me giggle.

All that to say, that by the time I actually met Brad in February, God had already done such a work on my heart that meeting him was about as close to love at first sight as I think is humanly possible. I came home that night and took this picture (at top) so I could remember how I felt when I first met Brad.

I never thought that it could happen to me. My analytical mind often has me examining decisions and thoughts from every possible angle. (I thought that if I were Eve, I would've had to pray for several months to see if Adam was the man I was to marry.) :-) But God made the impossible not only possible, but truly a dream come true.

It's truly my prayer that He would breathe life into your dreams, resurrecting them from the ashes or tombs where they may be lying from long ago. Go ahead. It's worth the risk. Dream on.

Am I Dreaming?!?

I've had to ask myself this question several times over the past few days. In the biggest whirlwind of a weekend that has turned out to be the best weekend of my life, I now have the delight of having the best fiance in the whole world. :-)

Yep, I got engaged. Brad Leach asked and I said, "Yes!"

Since Brad is doing extensive feature articles on the actual details and process of the engagement, I thought I'd take a few posts and rewind and recap some of the story of how we got here. It's a good story written by a Good Author. Jane Austen's got nothing on Him. :-)

Almost a year ago I went to a Saturday Night Service at Allison Park Church (the wonderful church where I grew up) and I had the opportunity to talk to Pastor Jeff Leake and Melodie afterwards. Pastor Jeff was telling me about his latest trip to Michigan where he met with a pastor friend of his, a guy who had planted a church 5 years ago, planted another in the meantime and . . . was 27 years old. Jeff called him his hero. :-) I was perplexed at what kind of person this could be and as I was pondering this further, I could see the wheels in Jeff's head turning too. He looked at his wife, Melodie and asked, "Hey?!? Don't you think it would be great for Leah and Brad Leach to meet? They'd be great together . . ."

Before he could extrapolate much further, I had to interrupt him. I didn't even have a chance to tell him I'm not interested in set-ups because I couldn't get past the even bigger "red flag" that was already present.

"Do you REALLY want me to meet someone and risk becoming Leah Leach?!?" I asked incredulously. Clearly this is NOT something that God would ordain.

I was just curious enough to check out his blog that night, however, doing so with at least 10 different reasons why this guy HAS to be a weirdo. My first concern was quickly quieted when I saw his picture . . . he certainly didn't look like a weirdo. In fact, I had to admit that he was pretty cute . . . ok, really cute. And when I actually visited the blog and saw that he was funny and profound and liked football (including pictures of the Steelers at the Super Bowl!). . . well, my interest was piqued.

So this post doesn't last obnoxiously long . . . I'll continue the epic tale tomorrow. :-)

Christmas Eve

Tonight is the night growing up that was second in excitement to me only to Christmas Eve, the night before the first day of school. Of course, I could never officially admit that to anyone else, but I LOVED the excitement of new books, new teachers, yep, even new homework. I'm such a nerd.

Although it's not quite as exciting when I'm having to buy all of my books and when I journey to school via the world wide web, maybe I'll still try and get my old kicks one last time by picking out a fun new outfit for tomorrow and buying a new lunchbox and Trapper Keeper. I loved those Trapper Keepers.

Deep Thoughts . . . Again

Ok, over these past few days I've been pondering some "deep" thoughts once again, thoughts that are best processed on the blogosphere.

I confess that I have been known to watch the Weather Channel from time to time. Strange, perhaps, but during hurricane season even the largest skeptic has to agree that it can be kind of entertaining. My question is, when these psychotic weather reporters are doing a live report in the 130 mile/hr. winds and sideways rain, why do they insist upon wearing a hood? Do they really think that is helping them stay dry? Why don't we just report the weather like a real man in a hurricane, sans hooded raincoat.

Why do we call it a "pair of pants?" There is only one of them and yet it is always used as a plural word and we insist on using the word "pair" with it. We do the same thing with glasses. Why? I suppose you could bring up the point that there are two pant legs involved, but we don't call it a pair of shirt because they have two sleeves. Weird, huh?

Jack Handy's got nuthin' on me.

Sesame Redemption

One of the first posts of my blogging career was written right around Thanksgiving 2006. I was suffering the effects of "post-Thanksgiving withdrawal" and lamenting the sadness that comes with the end of a really great thing, one that I first remember experiencing when I went to see Sesame Street Live as a little girl. If you missed it the first time around and care to see it now, you can catch up here.

On this, the day of Mr. Snuffalupagus's birthday :-), I thought it would be a great time to share how God has continued his lessons to me, showing how He can redeem our hurts and renew our dreams truly far beyond anything we could ask or imagine.

A little over six months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Brad Leach. He was coming in to Pittsburgh for some meetings and asked if I'd like to grab some coffee. That simple night started a beautiful conversation that continued throughout the next week on the phone, e-mail, and IM until we had the chance to see each other once again the following Friday afternoon in Cleveland (it was half-way in between Detroit and Pittsburgh).

I'm pretty sure that my work and school efficiency that week was not at it's highest peak. And by that I mean that I really wasn't thinking about too much else other than when I got to talk to Brad again. :-) The more I got to know this man, the more I found myself wanting to get to know him more. He was funny and goofy, yet also profound and deep. He dreamed HUGE dreams for His Father and was crazy enough to chase after them (how many people do you know that plant a church 3 months after they graduate college?). More than anything, the thing that struck me from the moment that I met him was the way that he talked about Jesus like He was his Best Friend. It was so refreshing and genuine, and it made me want to know Jesus more.

And just when I thought that this guy couldn't get any better, it was only a few days after that first trip to Cleveland that Brad asked if I would like to meet him there again the next Friday. This time, however, he wanted to know if I would join him to see Sesame Street Live. I giggled, smiled, and felt all melty. :-) I was so touched and delighted and impressed with his creativity and effort to truly get to know me. The night was such a special treat and joy beyond what I could have imagined.

Ironically enough, as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a mom and her young son leaving the show, the boy crying inconsolably and his mom trying to figure out what was the matter with him. I found myself wanting to run after him, telling him that everything was going to be okay and that Jesus could redeem his sadness better than anyone ever could. It was a moment for me to pause and remember, to thank God for His goodness and faithfulness, and to then turn and thank the man who had just subjugated himself to a politically correct Cookie Monster for the last 2 hours just to bless me in such a special way.

Six months later, my gratitude to both of them has only grown. Thank you, Brad, for the miles driven, the minutes talked, the coffees, breakfasts, and dinners bought, and most of all for drawing me closer to Jesus. And thank you, Father, for your never ending faithfulness and goodness, far more than I could ever deserve or imagine.

Congrats, Edna!

So I read this most fascinating article on CNN yesterday about Edna Parker, the new world's oldest person. Edna was born in 1893. Yep. That's no typo. She's 114 years old.

I started thinking about all that Edna has experienced in her life and was overwhelmed trying to grasp it all. When she was born, airplanes were not invented. The telephone was a new-fangled gadget and the country was recovering from the not-that-distant Civil War.

If there ever was a century to be alive, certainly this past one has been filled with arguably the most revolutionary changes to culture and society. Could Edna have ever dreamed of cell phones, nevertheless the Internet when she ventured into her happy marriage in 1911? It made me think about what would be a part of our world 114 years from now if Jesus doesn't come back first. I couldn't even begin to fathom. Any thoughts?

Want to know the even crazier part of the story? The new oldest person in the world is apparently friends with the tallest woman in the world. Don't they make a fun couple of friends?

Rear View Vision

"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear."

I remember asking my mom, "What does that mean?" when I was riding in the car with her when I was younger. She tried to explain to me that the car manufacturers were trying to warn the drivers that while the mirrors were there to help them see behind, the reflection was distorted providing not an entirely truthful picture of what was actually there.

Over these past few weeks, I've been giving a lot of thought on looking back in my life. I've been reading through the book of Isaiah and came across the well-known and well-loved verse, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past" (Is. 43:18). I find it to be so interesting because at other points in the Bible (several times in Deuteronomy, for example), God instructs His people to look back and remember what He's done and where they've come. Why the conflicting instructions?

As I've prayed about it more, I realized a specific distinction between "remembering" and "dwelling on the past." Too often when I look back on my life I find that I'll either spend time reminiscing about the past or struggling with regret. It's great to think back on fond memories, but when I start to dwell on them with "rose-colored glasses," remembering the "good old days" without any of their troubles, I find myself wanting to go back to what I think was an easier time. Or, I'll think back on poor decisions or sinful shortcomings and they seem so big and condemning. Like those rear view mirrors, my rear view vision is often distorted making the past perfect and my mistakes mammoth. When I live in a state of reminiscing or regretting, I'm stuck, paralyzed by feelings of inadequacy and a lack of desire to even try and do better in the future.

I think that's what God's talking about when He says, "Forget about it!" He goes on to say, "I'm doing a new thing!" something that will be even better than the best days of the past. The only reason we should ever look back is simply to remember, to reflect on His goodness and faithfulness and the grace that has brought us this far. Remember what He's done, thank Him for it, and use the memory to encourage further steps into the unknown new thing that He's doing next.

Extremely Wise

I've been reading through the books of the Bible that Solomon wrote over these past few weeks (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) and at the risk of sounding incredibly sacrilegious, I have to say that they're not my favorite books of the Bible. Granted this man is supposed to be the wisest man that ever lived, but to me, Proverbs seems incredibly random or incredibly obvious.

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret" (Prov. 11:13).

Really, Solomon?!? So you're saying that a gossip is going to tell other people my secrets?!? What do you think a liar is going to do with it?!? :-)

I really have been trying to press past my initial feelings, however, and ask God to enlighten my heart and mind to learn from the wisdom that I believe is there. Recently, the Holy Spirit really challenged me with a particular verse in Ecclesiastes. It's found in the 7th chapter, verse 18.

"It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes."

Earlier this week, I posted some feelings about how I was trying to figure out "normal life" after crazy-busy seasons. I realize that it's a lot easier for me to live in one extreme or the other. When you're working 16 hour days for weeks at a time, it quits becoming difficult. And you think you don't really need sleep or days off like you once thought.

On the other hand, when you visit life in the other extreme, it kind of makes you never want to work again in your life. Sleep, recreation, more sleep, exercising, and then you get to sleep again. Kind of makes that sluggard look good no matter what Solomon has to say about it.

Learning to live in the way that God intended, between the tension of work and Sabbath, productivity and rest . . . that's what really takes some work. Grabbing on to the one without letting go of the other truly takes a fear of God to learn how to do it in the beautiful way He created it to work.

Maybe there is something more to these words of Solomon. If this keeps up, maybe I'll start to understand why I should be flattered if some guy told me told me that my hair was like a flock of goats. :-)

They're Baaaaaaaack!

It's that time of year again . . . St. Vincent's College is filled with our favorite black and gold team. It's a good thing, too, because our local news coverage was running out of Steeler stories to talk about in the off-season. I just love football. I'm so happy it's here again. :-)

Oh My-pod!

As I was driving in the car the other day, listening to my iPod, I was reflecting on how much I love my little Nano. I got him for my birthday last year, signed up for iTunes, and named my little blue friend, Svenn. While I love the shuffle feature and the surprise of music each time a new song comes on, I have to say that my most favorite part of my iPod are podcasts. The most ironic part of my iPod is that I call it, "the gift I never knew I wanted." While I enjoy music, I can't say that I'm a passionate music fanatic, so when I was thinking of birthday gifts last year, I was thinking more clothes than iPods. My mom knew me better, though, and introduced Svenn into my life and I'm not sure how I could get along w/out him now.

I can think of several other things in my life that would go in that same iPod category, things way more significant than actual material gifts. My job and some great friendships are just some of the surprises that God's brought along my way, things that I never knew I wanted and yet are far greater than I could have ever asked. Thank God for all the "iPods" in my life and that He knows me far better than I know myself.

Return to Normal

So did you ever have one of those seasons of incredible intensity where you lose all sense of balance and "normalcy" in an effort to just survive? In the weeks before Kidz GiG, I found myself not taking days off and working 12-16 hour days more often than not. I got used to 2-6 hours of sleep a night and somehow found myself arriving at work by 5:30-6:30 AM on more than one occasion. Clearly, this is not a healthy lifestyle to pursue on so many levels and an argument could certainly be made that I shouldn't even embrace it for a season.

Getting back into a more healthy and Sabbath honoring lifestyle has certainly been an adjustment. I'm finding myself sleeping ridiculously long amounts of time (10+ hours), and once again having significant amounts of time to think, write, and pray. It's got me realizing again that learning to live in a God-honoring way in the midst of all these seasons is certainly a desire of mine. Any suggestions on some of the things that you've learned in the midst of similar types of seasons?

Loch Ness Memories

I had the delightful opportunity to spend a day off at Cedar Point on Friday. For a roller coaster enthusiast like myself, I have to say that I got quite a thrill from some of its impossibly designed coasters that I'm sure would make even Mr. Newton scratch his head on how they could work alongside his laws of physics.

After a day at "the Roller Coast," I can't help but remember how I was first initiated into the world of these thrill rides. I was about seven years old when my family was vacationing at Busch Gardens Virginia. While I had experienced a few rides on a "baby coaster" at a local amusement park, I was now just tall enough to ride the "big kid" rides and from the moment we walked into the park, it was impossible to ignore the bright yellow, steel frame towering over the rest of the Olde World . . . the Loch Ness Monster.

I could see the glimmer in my dad's eye, itching to tame the beast, and I could feel the knot in my stomach as I felt the tension between pure fear along with a compelling urge to conquer it. I knew if the day went on, the lines would get longer and my courage would get smaller, so I made the bold declaration. "Let's go, Dad."

We practically walked on to the ride, being one of the first people in the park, and I didn't talk much during the short wait to get in the car, as I was focused on trying not to overtly display my terror. When the large, black harness came down over my 48-in. body, I began to have second thoughts, however. What was I thinking?!? The only thing that brought me out of my tailspin panic was feeling my dad's reassuring hand on my knee, and hearing him say, "You're gonna be fine. I think you're really going to like this."

The next 2 minutes were an upside down, loop-the-loop, death-defying drop delight. I came out of the line a victorious warrior and couldn't quit talking about it to my dad. I was relating every turn, every hill, and every loop that took me to a new level of roller coaster fanaticism. He excitedly joined in where he could, which wasn't too often since he didn't actually "see" much when his glasses fell into the lake on the second loop (he forgot to take them off in his concern to make sure I was okay).

I remember the feeling I felt when he told me that when we went through the dark tunnel we were actually turning over in corkscrews. I knew that if I had known that ahead of time, I would have never gone through with the ride. That knowledge would have thrown me over the edge on the fear factor. Knowing that my dad was with me, and that he said I'd like the ride, however, made my ignorance bliss, and afforded me the opportunity to enjoy an adventure that I would have sadly missed out on otherwise.

In the years since, my Loch Ness lesson has come back to me, serving as a very tangible picture of the thrilling ride on which my Heavenly Father has taken me. I confess again, that had He told me all the twists and turns that the ride was going to take, I probably would have bailed out a long time ago. In the midst of those disorienting, dark tunnels, however, my fear of the unknown is replaced with exhilarating anticipation when I choose to ignore the track ahead and instead listen to the reassuring voice of my Father. It's been a wild ride, but one that I wouldn't trade for anything. Almost makes me want to be a line-jumper to get in the front for more rides to come.

Buckets 'o Fun

So I went to the bank yesterday with 6 buckets of coins and a wad of dollars collected from Kidz GiG last week. I wish I could explain to you the looks you get when you walk into the bank and ask for a cart to help carry in your money. I was so proud of the kids, however, when we came up with the grand total . . . $2,076.69! All that money will go to provide scholarships for children to attend the Christian Paisanart School in Thailand. I can't wait to see the look on the faces of some of our GiG kids someday when they get to Heaven and get to see what their little pennies and dimes did for kids they would probably never know or see. Amazing how this whole Family of God works!

Water Bottle Ethics

I read this really interesting article the other day from an online magazine called Fastcompany.com. It's called "Message in a Bottle," and it brought up some incredibly thought-provoking ideas on a topic I had previously given very little thought about . . . bottled water.

I, like probably many others of you, have enjoyed the convenience and accessibility of bottled water over the past few years. Its presence has subversively crept into our culture, moving from an elite drink of the Parisian aristocrats, to the preferred beverage at soccer games and shopping malls. I don't really think much about spending $1.35 for my bottle of Dasani or buying a case of water for my office. What was shocking to me, however, was what kind of market the bottled water industry commands.

This article reveals that the leaders of the bottled water industry last year made $15 billion, more than Americans spent on iPods and going out to the movies combined. What's more, if I filled that $1.35 bottle with tap water (some of which, like San Francisco, is so pure it doesn't even have to be filtered) once a day for the next 10 years, 5 months, and 21 days, I would finally spend $1.35 for that water. If we paid for tap water like we do for bottled water, we'd spend roughly $9.000 a month. Wow!

The real interesting point of the article came in when they raised some ethical questions about the bottled water industry and our consumption of the beverage. The article argues that bottled water is a luxury item, one that we enjoy thoughtlessly, while 1 out of 6 people in the world don't enjoy any kind of safe drinking water. Ironically enough, it's easier for an American to pay to drink a bottle of Figi water than it is for the majority of the people of Figi to drink any kind of safe drinking water. San Francisco has actually banned city departments from buying bottled water trying to set an example in being environmentally responsible, as more than a billion bottles end up in state landfills each year.

I'm not quite sure what to do with this information, whether or not it will significantly alter my bottled water drinking habits. What do you think of some of the ideas? As Christians, what kind of responsibility do we have to take care of the environment and others around the world and should this affect our usage of "luxuries" like bottled water?

KiDZ GiG Stories!

I thought it would be cool to invite some of the KiDZ GiG leaders to share some of their best stories from their week at KiDZ GiG so that we all could celebrate all the amazing things God has done among us. GiG Leaders . . . post away! :-)