Happy Birthday 2013!

Whoo Hoo! It's the birth of a new year! Welcome 2013.....I have so many well wishes and dreams for you already.....

So, if January 1, 2013 is the official day of birth.....that technically makes 2012 (and the years prior) a gestational period. A time to grow and ripen and mature. Mature....I am not particularly fond of that word. I believe there is a reason "manure" and "mature" are close in spelling, they both stink. However, on the other hand, they both can be used as a catalyst for growth.

And while we are unable to recall our human gestational period as a fetus, we are able (to some extent) to remember and recall our childhood, young adult and adult years, thus making us partially responsible in the outcome. There are numerous cliches that we hear almost daily to reflect that premise: Live and Learn, Learn from Your Mistakes, Life Lessons, etc...

So what exactly is our responsibility for the success of a new year?  Is it enough to simply show up with our mental index file of what has or has not worked in the past? What about fate? What about the unknown and things we have zero personal ability to control? Fiscal cliffs, physical ailments, alienation of affection, misunderstandings, the actions of others? There is certainly a long list of unknowns.

Maybe we should stick to the things we do know. And honestly, for me, that is kind of a short list. But the OCD in me loves making lists. So here is my list of things that I already know about 2013:

1. God already knows what each day of 2013 holds for me. He walks before me. He prepares a path.
2. I can follow the path He prepares or try to blaze my own selfish trail, and trail blazing on my own has not served me well in the past :)
3. My relationship with God has to be my first priority. Some call it faith. I call it my foundation. Everything else I hold valuable in my life rests upon Him.
4. With God as my foundation, it is fair for me to say that my husband is the rebar of my life. He is the steel beams, nuts and bolts, safety structure of my life here on Earth. I totally trust him. He loves me unconditionally. We are in this boat of life together, and neither of us will allow the other to jump ship or sink!
5. I love my children and the mates that God has given them to a fault. I do not apologize for this. They are great young adults. They are still learning, they are still leaning on me and Mark, as they grow and learn, and that is perfectly alright :) They are here for us, just like we are here for them.
6. Having an extended group of friends/family that believes like you do, follows the same moral compass you use, and are willing to be vulnerable with you is a priceless gift and is essential in healthy spiritual, emotional, and relational growth. Our Journey Group (small group) from our church is this for us.
7. God  blesses hard work, a humble heart, and a giving nature. (If you do not believe or understand this, I welcome you to go to Belize with me as we serve there.)
8. A day without Worship is a wasted day. Even on the hardest, darkest days, I have to stay connected with our Creator God, I must maintain the relationship that I can only have by staying connected to Him in prayer, bible study and praise.
9. Our dogs will always love us, desire to be with us, and attempt to protect us. 100% of the tail waggin' time!
10. I will need grace.....lots of it. I am opinionated, sometimes loud, passionate, dramatic and sensitive. Not a better recipe for saying or doing something stupid. So thankful that God's grace is new every morning, because I typically need it seven days a week!

There you have it. My plan for conquering another year. A year that this time next year, will be considered gestational. May the lessons learned be gentle......

Happy Birthday, to You!
Happy Birthday, to You!
Happy Birthday Two thousand-thirteen!
Happy Birthday to You!

Here's to 365 days of love and learning.......

Frankly~
Miss Scarlett

Cardboard Confessions

Mark and I had so much fun watching our kids open gifts when they were little. We would laugh at how they, quite often, loved playing with the box that their toy came in, as much as the toy itself! Especially if it was a big box that they could crawl into or hide in! Countless hours of the "Where's Joshua and Melody? Do you see them Daddy? I can't find them!" game were played at the Knight house. Of course we knew where the kids were all along....but some how in the playful, make-believe world of our kids, they thought they were really hidden away, and out of our sight. And yes, we would have so much fun reacting to the "surprise" when we found them....lots of giggles, laughs and love! And how they hated it, when the cardboard boxes finally made their way to the trash. They loved those boxes, and to them, they were NOT trash!

Well, today at Church, about 30 folks got to play around with card board boxes, and all for the glory of God! They took part in a Cardboard Testimony event. The testimonies came from young, old, broken, freed, sinful, blessed, and most importantly, "willing to be vulnerable" members of our church family. To say it was truly moving and amazing would be an understatement. Who knew God could do so much with our trash?

Each person (some were couples) had something written on the first side of their cardboard that they either struggled with or were encompassed by in their own personal life.....and on the flip side was how God has blessed them and healed them, changed them, and worked through these challenges. Some testimonies were mild and uplifting (such as moving to a new town and finding a church home) and others were raw, heart wrenching (such as medical issues/addictions). Both kinds of testimonies were used greatly and touched so many lives! (I hope you will all go to http://www.exit137.org/ and look up the video feed from today's service.)

It never ceases to amaze me how God shines the brightest through the dark places in our lives, where we are "cracked" or "broken". In our weakness He is truly strong. He can take the ugliest garbage we have and use it. If we let Him. There is the clincher...IF WE LET HIM.

Most often, we are so worried about what others think about the flaws in us, that we fail to let them see the beauty of who God really is amid the ugliness .....think about that for a minute.

We would much rather hide, like a little child, beneath the boxes...under the trash....believing that no one can see us, than to take that piece of cardboard, rip it into pieces, and write our "junk" on it for all the world to see. Most definitely that is the safe, non offensive, less risky way to handle our "garbage", right?

Here's the real deal...we all have "garbage", we all know that everyone else has "garbage"...its just a lot prettier to pretend.

I am so thankful today for people who trust God enough to be real. He uses them greatly. That was made so evident today. Thanks to each of you who shared. You are my new heroes :)

So, what if you were asked to write your cardboard testimony? Could you do it? Would you do it? What would it say? Who could be blessed by your willingness to be used by Him?

Here is mine:
Side 1: Worship (Noun) Somewhere you were expected to go every Sunday at 11am
Side 2: Worship (Verb) Something I offer to God 24/7 because of His vast love for me

Yep, mine is all about "playing church"....I did it....Did not really know I did it...did not mean to do it...but, none the less, I did it. God hates that. He does not want us one hour out of every week. He wants us 100% of every minute of every day...warts and all. It took me 40 years to recognize that. Maybe through my cardboard confession...somebody else will "get it" a little earlier on :)

Feel free to share your cardboard confession with us here....I promise that we will all rejoice, giggle with holy laughter, and mostly love you, when we discover who you are under that box! Oh yes, and most importantly, we will rejoice in who God is as he blesses us through your willingness to share! Get outta that box!


Having said all of that, I also understand that sometimes we have issues that are just so personal that they still resides in total darkness in our mind, and we cannot bring ourselves to the point to share them.....yet :) And that is OK too. No pressure here. Maybe God simply brought you here to see how God is working in the lives of folks ....just like you...and that you will be encouraged that God CAN and WILL bring you that freedom one day. Maybe not on an Internet forum for the world to see....BUT....maybe over a cup of coffee with someone who is hurting and searching that needs to hear what God has done for you in a more intimate setting. He will let you know when it is time :)

Happy Easter! He Lives! He loves you!
~Scarlett

Miss Melanie, Reach For The Smellin' Salts! Miss Scarlett Is Back!

Howdy Everybody!

Did y'all miss me? Dang, I have been busier than the Sunbeam Mixer in Paula Deen's Kitchen! I think my last post was.....GULP.....last January! Where does time go?

I guess because I have been so incredibly busy writing other stuff, that I did not even realize I had neglected my blog posts for so long. So, let me start with a genuine, sweet, southern apology! I am sorry Y'all....and I will try to do better!

I have really missed you all....and thought about posting many, many times....I just do not seem to have enough minutes in the day....or the night....it is about 1:30 am as I write this....so take that little tid bit of information as an indication of how bizarre and erratic my schedule has been!

So...how best to catch up? How about a cut and dry recap:

1) LOTS of script writing, directing, and acting going on :) Played one of the Pigeon Sisters in "The Odd Couple" in January, Directing duties for "Peter Pan" in May, Wrote, directed and acted in "Camp Rock @ The Stone" in August, Crewed "The Producers" in September, and currently directing "The Fantasticks" (to open Jan. 15, 2010)! Whew! And that is just stage stuff!

2) Some songwriting projects going on....nothing in the studio yet...mainly ideas, chords and melody lines....but definitely progress! I opened for my dear Friend, Mary Krulikowski, an amazing, Christian Comedienne, on a Royal Caribbean Cruise in September. (Check out her website: www.floridasfunnylady.com ) The event was called "Crusin' with the Girls"...there are already plans for a "Cruisn' with the Girls II" as well as preliminary plans for a "Flyin' with the Girls, NYC" in the works! Check it out!

3) Mark, my wonderful hubby had back surgery: A discetomy, laminectomy, 4 screws, 2 plates, fusion with BMP, with bilateral nerve releases at L5/S1 in March. A HUGE back surgery...he tried all conservative measures for over a year....and finally opted for surgery as it was starting to interfere with most every aspect of his life!! He is such a trooper...doing better everyday...BUT still walking an 18 month road of recovery (that is average for the procedure)...until he should be pain free!

4) Kids: Melody and Rodney will celebrate their 3rd anniversary in a few weeks! They are both happy and wonderful...getting closer to finishing at the university....No grandkids yet...just one fat, adorable grandpuppy named Noodle :) Melody has great, almost perfect, grades, is working in the writing center, is a member of the university school paper, volunteering at FLT, reconnecting with friends and enjoying her time at FMU. Rodney got a new boat for his birthday and has become the master angler of the family!! Josh...well he is doing great as well....wonderful grades...inducted into the leadership/honor fraternity at FMU, also tutoring in the writing center, writing for the school paper, as well as doing shows at FLT and FMU...Not to mention a new lady in his life...the beautiful Kimi (aka Peter Pan)...we love her to pieces!!!

5)Oh, and as of this morning, I have lost 80 pounds :) Walking 5 miles a day as part of Marks surgery rehab has been an incredible catalyst in getting my weight back on track! I am still not as skinny as I have been, but I am where my doctor feels I am healthy and happy, and (per my hubby) hot :) And while it is nice to fit back into some clothes that I thought I would never fit into again, the most rewarding thing for me is that I know I am healthier!

6) Spiritually, God has been holding me close, and patiently waiting on me as I ramble, rush, and regroup. I feel even more called to serve Him by using the Creative Worship tools He has placed in my hands, than ever before! SO many cool opportunities He is providing....How awesome to have multiple options....but how scary to know that it is my responsibility to choose wisely :/

There is more...but why go on...as you can see, I have not been simply ignoring you while I sat on my front porch eating bon bons and drinking sweet tea! Nope....more like I have been walking my bahunkus off (literally), eating lots of salads and drinking more than my fair share of diet Pepsi! That, plus all the other "stuff"!

So, for you dear faithful ones who have waited on me as I have rambled, rushed, and regrouped....I say thank you from the bottom of my pea pickin' heart! I promise to do better....how does once a week sound?

In the mean time...it is after 2am...and I have a very sexy baritone who is patiently waiting on me to hit the jacuzzi with him....think I will take him up on the offer!

Thanks for stopping by! Y'all come back now, ya hear?

Still Frankly,
Miss Scarlett

Ah-Ha! Moments

I just love to learn new, neat things! I love learning in general, actually....My interests are vast and my thirst for knowledge immense. I like details....I like to know the histories of things....of people...I am intrigued by learning new people and figuring out their personalities....even little things, like what colors they like.....what they like to do in their spare time....where they go to church...Maybe I am just nosey!!! But hopefully not in a busy-body way!! Each detail.....according to "Scarlettville theory"....paints a new layer on previously gathered information and completes the picture a little more clearly. So I carry a tremendous array of data at any given time! My concern is that I will leave this Earth with a brain slap-dab full (yes, my non- southern readers, that IS an actual, usable term in the South),....a brain that is tightly packed full ....of tedious, and kingdom useless information!

Occasionally I learn something so INCREDIBLE that it can be categorized as what is commonly referred to as an "Ah-Ha!" Moment......You know, a discernible moment where the light bulb goes off and you "get it". A moment where information is shared clearly....and processed correctly...and it makes perfect sense for the first time.

As I recollect, my first Ah-Ha! Moment dates back to grammar school. Science class....we were talking about trees. Mrs. Lawson, my first grade teacher, explained to us that you could count the rings on a visible cross section of a tree and tell it's age. She had actual samples of trunks of trees in class for us to see. I thought that was the COOLEST thing. (Yeah, I know....pretty pathetic....but come on....I was six! But still somewhat of a science geek....hey...it served me well in nursing school!)

My most notable...and valuable Ah-Ha! Moment...by far....was the Sunday night it in 1974 when I realized that Jesus wanted a PERSONAL relationship with me! I had asked Jesus into my heart when I was six....and I understood it, and I meant it...BUT I did not totally understand how to apply it until that fateful Sunday night. It was just an ordinary Sunday night at our small Baptist Church....but it became an extraordinary night in my life!

There have been other moment's....most scoring on the Ah-Ha! Rating scale somewhere between the "Tree Rings" and my "Jesus" Ah-Ha! events. I just love it when they happen! It excites me to know I can still learn and that there is so much more out there to learn!

This week I had a really cool Ah-Ha! Moment. I am doing a bible study, by Kay Arthur, entitled "Lord, Teach Me To Pray". It has been awesome from the start....but this past week was...well, for me, ...Ah-Ha! worthy. As we were going through the daily homework, there was a section about "Intercessory Prayer".....explaining why it is biblical and an important part of a healthy prayer life.

I don't know about you....but for me....there have been times in my life where I was trying to pray....trying to cry out to the Lord...but did not know what to say...or how to pray.....and I guess I always felt like those prayers were somewhat less effective....and usually were prayers that I needed God to hear the most! (I hope that makes sense!) Well, Glory be,....this week I learned that Jesus AND the Holy Spirit are interceding for ME at all times....especially during those times of despair where I am so confused or hurt or distraught and I am incapable of communicating what is in my heart! IS THAT NOT THE COOLEST THING?? Forty-six years....in church the whole time....Surely, I have been offered that information in a sermon before (but I obviously did not "hear" it if it was)...and not until this week, was I able to process it and understand the concept! It was up there on my Ah-Ha! Moments Scale.

Oh, I SO love to learn....and I am thankful for Ah-Ha! Moments! It excites me to know that there are still so many things left to learn! God is so awesome. I am so small. I am humbled that He allows me to get even a glimpse of Him and how He works. I want to know more! I want to know His favorite color!! I want to know what He likes to do in His spare time :)!! And yes....I would just LOVE to know where HE LIKES to go to church!! I know he visits Cornerstone every week :)

Do you have an Ah-Ha! Moment to share? If so, just leave me a comment....I just love hearing from you all!

Hoping many more Ah-Ha! Moments for us all!
~Scarlett







I

Tips and Confessions of a Funeral Singer

Hey Y'all! A few post back I shared with you about my obsessive need to check obituaries....If this is your first visit to my blog PLEASE don't automatically hit the back key and exit! While I will be the first to express that I am rather quirky....I will also stand behind the premise that I am alot of fun amidst the quirk! So stay with me here......Having said that, today I will be talking, in part, about funerals.

When you are an active soloist in any church body, chances are you will be asked to sing at a funeral...or two...or possibly many more.....If I had to guess, Mark and/or I have sung at more than most folks.....I would guess 50 or more. And let me just say right here....It is a great honor to be asked. To be included by the family to celebrate the life and homegoing of a loved one is truly such an honor and a blessing.....It is also one of the hardest parts of ministry.....especially if you are "a crier" at funerals....and I am.

Most of the time, I hold it together pretty well......and luckily, the majority of funeral service orders have the soloist singing first...at the beginning, before the Pastor has eulogized or the family member has read a poem or letter (that one ALWAYS get me going)...before having to sit there and watch the family struggle and mourn. In case you have never thought about it, the soloist usually is placed in a position where the family can see and hear the songs being sung....which means the soloist also has a front row seat to see every face, every tear, every emotional struggle of every member of the family....so it is kind of heart wrenching to say the least. If you know the family or the deceased personally, that makes it even more difficult.

Despite the difficulty, I still feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity! I have learned so much about the people and the families who entrusted me to be a part of the funerals...and believe it or not, sometimes, I have learned alot about myself....many of the things I have learned are techniques that will keep me from crying, so that I can still do what they have asked me to do for them (sing)!


Things I have learned that help me stay composed at funerals:
(AKA: Tips for Blubbering Funeral Singers)


1. If I am about to "bust a blubber fit", I can start counting the number of flowers in each arrangement, and if that does not work, I start doing math equations in my head....something like...17 mums in arrangement one, 12 roses in arrangement two.....add them, divide them, do a ratio of arrangements based on the left to right side of of the casket....usually gets my mind in analytical mode vs. emotional mode....

2. I can look over the heads of the family members and it still looks like I am singing to them....

3. Every family group has a "kooky cousin or aunt", you can spot them by their attire, so that takes my mind to a different place if needed.

4. All I have to do is think about not being able to get up and go to the ladies room, ....and then I feel like I really need to go.....Yes, it is somewhat self torture....but an overactive bladder has saved me from having overactive tear ducts if all other attempts to "keep it together" have failed. As a precautionary prep, I gird myself with protection by "Poise", as I always hydrate well before singing at a funeral.


Believe it or not....the most valuable thing I have ever learned at a funeral was taught to me at a funeral I was not singing for.....Mark and I were in the congregation. One of our dear friends, who also works in our company, lost his Mom somewhat unexpectedly. Mark and I traveled to Virgina, his family's home state, to show our support and love and to extend our sympathies to him and his family.

It was Christmas time, and the small community church was decorated beautifully in celebration of Christ's birth. I was sitting there thinking how difficult it must be to bury a loved one at Christmas time, when I heard the doors open. We stood as the family came in....His Dad, who was also very ill and in the last stages of his fight against cancer was in a wheel chair and had to be pushed to the first row, by a family member. It was very emotional.

It was the sweetest funeral I have ever attended. I bawled like a baby....and I had never met or laid eyes on Mrs. Burgess! The funeral was a great tribute to a life spent as a servant to the Lord.....it was praise and honor and worship! To see the very ill Dad lifting his hands in praise to his Creator during the worship songs, as he sat there in his wheelchair, was almost more than I could handle.....it was GENUINE WORSHIP....you could see it...you could feel it....it was as close to the throne of God as I had ever been...it was that special.

So what did I learn, you ask? I think Mark Batterson said it best in chapter four of "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day". (Which is a MUST read for everyone.) He says, "Worship is forgetting about what's wrong with you, and remembering what's right with God"! .....Read that again.....isn't that awesome!

Worship should be continual, it should not be based on what we feel, where we are, or what circumstances we find ourselves amid. Paul and Silas worshipped in jail. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, worshipped in a fiery furnace. And Mr. Burgess worshipped in a wheelchair, knowing that the love of his life was no longer here on earth, and that his days, too, were limited due to his disease.

I wish I could say I was able to worship like that all the time......but I am being honest here, and I feel like most of you can relate....that sometimes life just takes our focus off the big picture, and we get fixated on what is wrong with today. Listen closely my friend....we are missing out when we do that!!

Thanks to a funeral, I have experienced Genuine Worship in it's rawest form...and I crave it....I cannot get the taste of it out of my mouth.....

May worship always be at the tip of our tongues! Keeping our eyes and hearts on the big picture. No counting flowers or scoping out kooky family members.....And if I blubber like an idiot, so be it.....but I do hope, however, I can control the overactive bladder.

Wishing Genuine Worship for us all Y'all!

Dirty Hair, Back Fat, and Arm Pit Chinchillas

OK.....with a title like this....do you dare to read? Really, who wants to read about "Back Fat". If you dare...bare with me.... there is a point :)

We had a wonderful weekend....Celebrated Josh's 19th birthday, caught up with some really great friends over a big pot of Chili....and topped it off with a great morning of worship. But as wonderful as the weekend has been....there has hardly been time to breathe....or sleep. To start off Josh's birthday, we caught the special 12:01am viewing of the new Batman movie on Thursday night....so we did not get to bed until 3:30ish! Friday we did the whole birthday routine....made him a YUMMY Banana Pudding Cake....(let me know if you want the recipe...easy and scrumptious)...culminating the day with "His Favorite" meal.....and yes, I did fry pork chops, made rice and brown gravy, steamed cabbage, prepared asparagus with a delicate lemon butter sauce, and made bread.....MAJOR high fat, high calorie meal...but hey...it is once a year and for "my baby"! After the heavy meal.....we had great family time....but also chalked up another very late bedtime....Saturday was crazy, and hectic.....but really special in that we got to have some friends over who we have not had a chance to fellowship with in a long time....our two families have this thing about chili...we have solved so many of the worlds problems over a steaming hot pot of spicy beans and ALOT of cornbread.......(This post is making me hungry!!) And even though all of us had early morning church commitments.....we were in no hurry...bedtime had to wait....we were having such a nostalgic time reconnecting! (We love you all Dwight, Becky, Rebecca and Michael!...let's NEVER go that long between chili again!)....SO.....1:30ish we hit the pillow....knowing we had to get up at 6:45!

SO three nights....very little sleep....and I set the alarm clock wrong. YIKES!!!!

When it went off 30 minutes late.... I quickly hopped in and out of the shower...I knew there was NO time to wash my extra thick, long head of hair and get it dry....so like those late nights/early mornings in college.....I pulled out the baby powder...sprinkled my two day old, slightly oily scalp...and hoped for the best....threw it up in a messy bun, thankful that messy buns are chic right now...slapped on my make up....went to get dressed....COULD NOT FIND "MY" BRA....(for you men.....every girl has many bras...but all bras are not created equal)....I had to make do with an "unfavorite" one...and yep....sure enough....BACK FAT enhancing it was....but the clock was ticking...and the top I had picked out was fairly forgiving....but as I hastily pulled it over my head....what do I notice?? THAT I FORGOT TO SHAVE UNDER MY ARMS....that's right....in Scarlett lingo...I had "Chinchilla Pits"....(where it looks like you might be smuggling two hairy rodents under your arms.....).....OK...I admit....it was not THAT bad...I only skipped two days....but I am kinda obsessive/compulsive about my grooming!! I wanted to cry...but instead I prayed..."Lord, should you call me to worship this morning in a manner that compels me to raise my hands in praise, please a) remind me not to raise them above elbow level, or b) move in such a way that all on the first five rows are blind or worshipping with their eyes closed...Amen. (Nothing like suggesting "options" to the Lord Almighty, right!!!)

I am happy to say....we had a wonderful worship experience today...I do not think I exposed any of my three "unwanted secrets" (Dirty Hair, Back Fat, or Chinchilla Pits).....As a matter of fact....once the music started and we hit the stage....they never entered my mind....all I wanted to do....all I could do... was worship!! Thank you Holy Spirit for meeting with the likes of me on a regular basis....I am sorry I tried to give you "options" in my selfish prayer this morning....Who DO I think I am????

As I close, Mark and I are headed out for our"date night" and since I took a nap this afternoon and not a shower....I hope he is attracted to a woman who, for tonight, hair smells somewhat like a freshly changed baby's bottom....

Worship with out options Ya'll!