Acquire the Fire Nashville

April 11 found 13 teens and adults from Tucker Street Church traveling to Nashville to attend Acquire the Fire. Due to illness, I was only able to attend Friday evening and Saturday evening. But those sessions were great, and sometimes “less is more” if you consider the alone-time I spent with God holed up in the hotel room.

Worship with Unhindered both nights was truly that: worship. Joel Johnson on Friday evening and Ron Luce on Saturday evening—“Are we not Dreamers? Be the dreamer-part of the 2% who influences the 98%-and through Christ change the world”—both brought challenging messages. But what spoke to me the most was Phil Joel’s message of how he and his wife Heather embarked on a one-year Bible reading plan, every morning connecting with the Lord in His Word, and how this has radically changed everything about their lives. I echo Phil Joel’s hope: “to see a growing community of like-minded believers who hunger for more spiritual depth through the renewing of their minds in the Word of God.”

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary

Willis and I were married on March 26, 1983 in the Woodlake Presbyterian Church in Woodlake, California. We had met in 1978 when Willis was still in high school and I was attending the community college, but we were truly just friends. He was always fun to be with and he always made me laugh, but in my eyes he was just a kid. I didn’t see Willis for three years while I was attending Cal Poly—our paths never crossed when I was home during the breaks. After I graduated in 1982 I came home for the summer. Willis came out to visit one day and I was amazed—he was all grown up! During our first date on July 31, 1982 we both just KNEW “this is the one!”

We chose March 26 because Easter fell on April 3 and my last final at Cal Poly—I was taking education classes and student teaching—was on March 17. In the providence of God, we had over 2 weeks free with the quarter break at Cal Poly and Easter recess at Selma High School.

Although our plan all along had been to celebrate our 25th anniversary in Hawaii, we decided to put that off a couple of years and celebrate on a smaller scale in Gatlinburg while Hannah was in Washington D.C. for a youth conference. Although most of our long weekend was over-cast and rainy, we still had a great time—we were together, we stayed in a beautiful cabin overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains, we ate some good food, and we found some cool pottery and baskets—my husband is so sweet!

Our Next Car Story

As I read John Piper’s account of a totaled car and an insurance payment and of exulting in the untold mercies of God, which is exulting in the cross of Christ (found in Don’t Waste Your Life), I knew I had to tell our next car story. This is really Willis’s story, but hey, it’s my blog!

Last week Willis called as he was driving home from Union City to say he’s been in a car wreck. A guy had pulled out of a McDonald’s and right into Willis, smashing in the driver’s side of his Cadillac. Needless to say, the other guy’s car received a lot more damage—the Cadillac is a boat and a tank—and needless to say we exult in Willis’s safety. Willis drove the car to the insurance company where they totaled it. (It is truly amazing how car parts and car repairs can be so expensive!) So here’s our latest example of “God’s omnipotent grace that works everything together for our good”: Willis paid $5,000 cash for the car last April. He’s put 41,000 miles on it since then but it still runs great. The insurance company paid him $6,200 for it. Willis bought it back for $1,500. He got a check for $4,700 to put in the bank. Since it only has 118,000 miles on it—that’s like new for Willis—and since he was able to beat out most of the damage so the doors and the hood all close properly and it doesn’t look that bad, he wants to drive his $300 Cadillac for another year. And “exult in the amazing grace of so much bounty” from God’s hand. (All quotes John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life)

2008 Youth Choir Tour

Hannah and I took part in our fifth Cumberland Presbyterian Church youth choir tour during spring break week in March. It was a different week for several reasons: there were just 2 Chapmans on tour this year. In 2004, Bethany and Ben were with us, and in 2005 Willis joined us, playing the guitar. In 2006 and 2007 the 4 of us participated. This year we had an all-youth praise band so for the first time I wasn’t playing keyboard. And the group was smaller this year: 53 students and 22 adults. (The biggest group was in 2006 when we went to New York with 80 students and 34 adults.)

We had a great week. The youth choir sang at churches in Rogers, AR, Lee’s Summit, MO, Gladstone, MO (Kansas City area) and Fairfield, IL. Singing is only one part of the worship service: there’s also scripture, prayer, music with movement and sign language, drama, black lights, and drama to music. As well as singing, we also spent time putting on a carnival for children in Broken Bow, OK and visiting with residents of a nursing home in Kansas City, KS. And we had a free day in Branson, MO! It was a very full week and God was certainly at work in the lives of many people: students in the choir, chaperones, and people in the congregations. On our last night we have a sharing time especially for the seniors, but a lot of students shared how they felt this was their best tour ever—even though they hadn’t been as excited about it in the beginning. Isn’t it just like God to “do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine” as we continue in obedience to Him.