Sweet Home Alabama

Had SUCH a wonderful time in Birmingham. I visited with my editor and my publisher, plus I got to see the WMU headquarters (which is really cool for a card carryin' baptist like me!) I wasn't sure going in just exactly what to expect. In fact, I was a bit worried that a "woman on the edge" like me isn't quite what they had in mind. But I met some amazing women on the edge that are working on my book. So that was an awesome relief! Plus it was a blast to have Mackenzie with me and so she got to experience it right along with me.

Then, I sat on a swing, ate lunch out on a front porch, and visited southern-style with some of the most beautiful people I've ever met. Kendra, Brandy, and all the girls at Haig Baptist in Birmingham were gracious hostesses, and are now dear friends. We laughed and cried and prayed and worshiped and studied, and I left exhausted but elated. There's something about the slow, sweet way of life among those ladies that just brings back the sweetness of where I grew up. Reminds me of my mom, my granny, and the love with which I was raised.

Speaking of nostalgia, I'm sitting here bawling watching Johnny Cash at San Quentin. One troubled soul singing out of compassion to hundreds more troubled souls. Bringing smiles to hard, hollow faces. A bright moment in the years of gray days captured on camera. You can see it in their eyes, and the appreciative smiles and enthusiastic applause. They were soaking in every wonderful moment. A superstar showing them companionship and understanding. How come nobody does that these days?

I have to think, had Johnny Cash been a religious leader, he would have reshaped the way we do things. God, give the church a crazy Johnny Cash. Or make me one.

-Becky