The rules: List fifteen authors, including poets and playwrights, who have influenced you and will always stick with you. Do this in no more than fifteen minutes. Tag at least fifteen friends, including me, because I’m interested in seeing what authors my friends choose.

Note: I don’t tag.  Play if you’d like.  I took way more than fifteen minutes to do this because I take a long time to think and I have two children who require my services very frequently.  Apparently, I like to break the rules.  This was a Facebook game but I decided I could use it as an interesting (ok, to me) blog post.

1.  C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters.  Any sentence he has written is quote-able.  Excellent author.  I am really looking forward to reading The Chronicles of Narnia with my children.

2.  Gene Edwards – My sweet friend Lori introduced me to him and his book The Divine Romance in college and I did a paper on it for my New Testament class.  It was during that semester of taking that class that I gave my life to Christ, and the influence that class and that book had on me was a big part of it.  Amazing book.

3.  Francis Chan – He is a more recent author, but Crazy Love rocked my world.  I also really enjoyed Forgotten God.

4.  David Platt – If Crazy Love rocked my world, then Radical by David Platt turned it upside down over and over again.  It gets under your skin, helps you see Scripture for what it really says.  It changed me.

5.  Kay Arthur – Her Bible studies are unforgettable.  I always learn so much from this amazing woman of God.

6.  Francine Rivers – a Christian fiction writer and one whose books never leave your head.  Redeeming Love, The Last Sin Eater, and the Mark of the Lion series are my favorites.

7.  Max Lucado – He writes in a way that simplifies and highlights Biblical concepts, bringing them to life.  I have not read all of his books but I have a lot of favorites.  He Chose the Nails, And the Angels Were Silent are two of my favorites.

8.  JRR Tolkein – The Lord of the Rings.  Need I say more?

9.  Shirley Jackson – I feel traumatized by this author.  For an extra credit project in high school, I was given the assignment of reading a short story called The Lottery by her.  I had no idea what it was about.  The ending stunned me.  I’m still traumatized almost twenty years later.

10. Corrie ten Boom – The Hiding Place, Tramp for the Lord.  Her testimony from the concentration camps of the Nazis is one I will never forget.  When she praises God for the vermin and the lice and fleas, I think my jaw dropped.  What a lesson.

11. Darlene Diebler Rose – similar to Corrie ten Boom.  Her testimony from being a captive in a Japanese prison camp during WWII is unbelievable.  Evidence Not Seen is the title, I believe.

12. Randy Alcorn – I cannot say enough about how much his books have influenced me.  His fiction book Safely Home is unforgettable.  His non-fiction books Heaven and If God is Good are my absolute favorites.  I could read them over and over.  I learned so much.

13. Beth Moore – Amazing Bible study teacher.  Again, I have learned so much from her studies.

14. Henry Blackaby – reflecting back on number one, that same New Testament class.  His book Experiencing God was our text book for that class.  So many students were saved as a result of that class and text book that he came to our campus to speak.  He wasn’t the best speaker ever, but the book is amazing.  I still remember some of the lessons.

15. Phillip Yancey – His books are so informative and educational as Christian non-fiction:  The Jesus I Never Knew is one of my favorites.  I have several of them.

I would love to read about YOUR list!  Post your link here and share!

You may or may not remember that nearly two years ago I posted a YouTube video about Cardboard Testimonies, even sharing my own cardboard testimony if it were me on that stage.

Yesterday, I got to be on that stage.

Can you believe it??  What a blessing!!  I was just so incredibly humbled and excited when I got the email asking if I would participate.  See, God reads my blog, doesn’t He??

What an incredible service it was.  Our pastor has been doing a series on hope and this was ideal for that series.  There was a video testimony earlier in the service from a couple who lost their little girl in a car accident a couple of years ago.  Yes, tough to watch.  Then the cardboard testimonies.  There was not a dry eye in the room and by the end, everyone was standing and clapping and crying and singing.

What was so amazing about having this event in your own church was knowing the people on that stage – knowing them, knowing their testimonies, having the opportunity to know them more – it just makes it that much more powerful.  Knowing that some were hanging on to hope in that very moment as they held their sign – hanging on with everything they had – was more powerful than I can describe in words on a mere blog.  Knowing how far some of these precious people have come is just incredible.  Seeing victory before my very eyes is joy unimaginable.

Wanna see?  Of course you do.

Chets Cardboard Testimonies – May 16, 2010 from Tim Trinkle on Vimeo.

Psalm 119.

So admit it…do you get nervous, or maybe worried about being bored, at the thought of reading through Psalm 119?  If you are

Thorncrown Chapel, near Eureka Springs, Arkansas where we spent our honeymoon. One of the most amazing chapels I have ever seen in my life. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

unfamiliar, this is the Psalm also known as the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses.  This chapter is all about God’s word – with it in our lives.  Or without it.

I’ll admit it.  It made me go cross-eyed once I got past verse ten or twenty, it seemed to be all the same.  Yes, yes, I get it.  Read God’s Word.  Obey God’s Word.  Check.  Double-check.  Next…

Then a dear friend challenged me to read Psalm 119 slowly and carefully and write out a list of the benefits of being in God’s word.  Intriguing.  Challenging.  And a LIST.  Now you’re speaking my language. I love lists.  So I started off on my adventure and was more, much more, pleasantly surprised than I thought would be.

I was floored.  I was changed.  My faith was reawakened from a restless nap and renewed.

Psalm 119 is a chapter rich with personal assurance and promises for every, and I mean every, situation in our lives.  It is also filled with praise and thanksgiving for God and His word.   What a fantastic combination!

I love to read through and/or handwrite my list periodically because the simple act of doing so is such a great reminder of all that I learned, not to mention a huge encouragement.  I’m not going to post my whole list because it is something very personal to me and you should do your own list (if you feel you should, of course).  But here’s how I started mine.

I read the following passage:

^1[a] Blessed are those whose^(A) way is blameless,
who^(B) walk in the law of the LORD!
²Blessed are those who^(C) keep his^(D) testimonies,
who^(E) seek him with their whole heart,
³who also^(F) do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
⁴You have commanded your^(G) precepts
to be kept diligently.
⁵Oh that my ways may^(H) be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
^6(I) Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
⁷I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn^(J) your righteous rules.^[b]
8I will keep your statutes;
^(K) do not utterly forsake me!

⁹How can^(L) a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.
^10(M) With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not^(N) wander from your commandments!
¹¹I have^(O) stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

My beginning of my list, derived from those verses.

1.   I will be blessed, joyful, blameless, undefiled when I walk in the way of the Lord according to His word.

2.  I will be blessed by seeking Him with my whole heart and keeping His statutes.

3.  I will be unashamed.

4.  I will praise Him as I learn His ways.

5.  I will obey Him.

6.  I can keep my way pure by living according to Your word.

7.  Hiding Your word in my heart will help me to not sin against you.

I saw this on Marriage Monday over at Chrysalis blog hosted by e-mom.  The ladies there are writing love letters to their husbands and posting them on their blogs.  It must be a forgotten art once you’ve been married for several years.  So why post it “publicly”?  We are committed in our marriage and we were before we even said the vows before friends, family, neighbors and God Himself.  If I can say those vows in front of others at a “public” ceremony, I can publicly post what I so dearly love about my husband (boundaries included).  *deep breath*  Here we go!

Dearest Chris,

Where do I start?  Almost eleven years this month we have been together, first as friends, then as spouses.  It tickles me to no end to think on all those questions from our friends when we were “hanging out” – are you and Chris dating?  are you a couple?

“No, no, no…he’s not my type, just a great friend.”

I’m thrilled beyond words to know that after eleven years we are still great friends.

You are patient, you are kind.  Generous almost to a fault.  I love that about you.

I have never known you to be envious or proud.  Confident in what you do, but never proud.

You are not rude or self-seeking, you always are thinking of our children and me first and foremost.

You are not easily angered and I’m so thankful you keep no record book of all my faults and wrongs.  You certainly exhibit the love, grace, and mercy of Christ in all that you do.  What a wonderful example for our children.

You keep evil far from you, even to the potential ridicule of others in this world that is not our own.  I am always more thankful than words can express for the high standards that you hold yourself to.  I am blessed.

You protect us, you trust where trust is due but do not trust when it is in our best interest to protect us.  What a fine line to walk and what wisdom you carry.

Thank you for laughing with me, holding me when I cry, caring for me when migraine pain attacks, persevering with hope when I was so sick after the birth of our son (that requires a love letter all its own!), giving of yourself to others, being such a great home repair guru, and for being such a great daddy to our children.  To see them so excited when you walk in the door is a clear reminder that you are loved, cherished, and rock their world.  Heck, even the dog gets excited when you get home.

And so do I.

I love you.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.^{[b] 27} He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰ And we are members of his body. -Ephesians 5:25-30

A few months before we were married...

A few months ago...

Continued from “Shoeless”…

I think the Holy Spirit whispered to me.

Shouted at me.

Hit me over the head, maybe?

I was sitting in that booth in Panera, sipping my tea from a real mug, reading Wild Choose Chase by Mark Batterson when I felt a spiritual thump.  These words crossed my eyes:

Earth’s crammed with Heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.  -Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Um, what was that again?

Earth’s crammed with Heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.  -Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I read it over one more time.  Just to be sure, you know.

Huh, interesting timing.  I pondered this in my head throughout the day.  Later that afternoon, I checked Facebook and Heather had posted the following in her status:

Earth’s crammed with Heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.  -Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Look familiar?  Yea, thought so.

Thump.

Ok, God, I’m listening.  I’m noticing.  I’m meditating.  What do You want me to do about it?

I continued reading Wild Goose Chase and the battering never stopped!

I think this is one of those stories in which the obvious can elude us.  The holy ground wasn’t the Promised Land.  It was right where Moses was standing.  Don’t wait to worship God till you get to the Promised Land;  you’ve got to worship along the way.  This is holy ground.  This is a holy moment.  Take off your sandals.

Why did God tell Moses to take off his sandals?  I think it was God’s way of saying “Be still and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10)

Let’s not talk about the fact that Psalm 46:10 had been on my heart constantly for several weeks.  Next, I talked to my husband about what I had been reading and pondering.

Chris: Here’s another thought.  What do you do when you go into someone else’s house?

Me:  Um, make myself at home?  Or don’t touch?  (I am a mom of preschoolers after all…)

Chris: You take off your shoes and stay awhile.

Loved that.  Worship.  Holiness.  Holy Ground.  Be Still and Know.  Home.  Friend..

Fast forward to Sunday Morning…as I drove into the sunrise to soundcheck and rehearsal, this is what you would’ve heard if you were hearing my thoughts:

What if the people think I’m wierd for taking off my shoes?  Do my feet look decent enough?  How’s the toenail polish?  When should I take off my shoes?  Do I wear them onto the stage then slip them off or take them off in the green room?  Will anyone notice?  I don’t want them to think I have a “holier than thou” attitude.

Because it’s all about Me, you know.

Not me.

It was time for the worship service to begin.  We prayed together and headed on stage, my flip-flops flip-flopping all the way.  I heard and felt the slap of black leather on my feet.  I stepped behind the keyboard and plugged in my “in-ears” and made sure all my settings were correct on the keyboard and the music on the right page.

Then I slipped off my shoes.

It was surprisingly humbling.  Very humbling.

I felt the warm, rough carpet and the cold metal sustain pedal.  And I was reminded of who I serve, of Who my Master is and why I stand on that stage helping to lead in worship my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ with a talent that I am humbled and blessed beyond measure to have.  I serve Him alone.  I do not want to run away for this is not a Master to run from.  He is a Master I want to run to.

I want to take off my shoes and stay awhile.