Anne Marie Miller

Author: Anne Marie Miller

  • Howdy, Ya’ll

    So, I’m moving to Texas March 25th. Working at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, living in Sachse which is a few miles northwest of there.

    Howd’ya like them apples?

  • Driving Around

    Not much time to write or check email these days. It’s been pretty busy for me, and if you’ve emailed me and I’ve yet to respond, I promise I’ll reply by this weekend. It’s only 8pm and I’m pretty much going to pack up the mess I have made in my hotel room, put on a mud mask and veg until I drift off to sleep. Tomorrow evening, I fly back to Kansas City. Please pray for safe travels.

    After a busy day, I spent a couple hours driving around. I always find it fun to explore areas I don’t know. I think it’s a challenge – not knowing the street names or which way is north or south. Surprisingly, I didn’t get too lost and found my way back to the hotel without much difficulty.

    I think sometimes our lives work very similarly. We feel extremely lost and we don’t know which way the signs are directing us or what’s next on the road ahead. But we always seem to find our destination someway or another…You don’t hear about very many people dying because they couldn’t find their way home. Maybe they don’t make it to the bathroom in time…but they eventually find their way home.

  • Billboards

    I write to you tonight from a mysterious location. Only a very few people know of my whereabouts, and to you I say please don’t say anything to reveal my location. If you are not one of these people – especially if you and I are close friends – please don’t feel betrayed by my lack of disclosure. I am in a good place for a good reason. I am warm, sheltered and fed (via the Burger King drive thru tonight.) I have Wi-Fi, so I’m obviously being well taken care of. :)

    As I was driving from the airport to my hotel, I noticed something I have never noticed before in the location I am in. Well, I supposed I’ve noticed this, but it never really hit my heart until tonight.

    Within a 1.5 mile stretch of interstate, heading from the city to the burbs, I noticed out of 16 billboards, 12 of them were advertisements for alcoholic beverages, strip clubs or sex stores. The kicker is I’m not in some ghettofab, red-light place. I’m in a very well distinguished and industrialized metropolitan area.

    My heart broke on that interstate tonight. It broke for the families being torn apart by alcoholism or the sex industry. It broke for the girls who are posed on the billboards, the ones dancing tonight, and the eyes leering at them. It broke for the men and women who are paying to leer at them. It broke for the people who are trying to break free from these chains and every day on their way home are inundated by these billboards.

    Maybe God is opening my heart to the people of this city. At least for tonight.

  • Doctor’s Orders

    Interesting experience yesterday…

    If you have known me for any amount of time, you have seen my hair change colors frequently. I think I’m naturally a dark blonde, but since I was 13 have been changing my hair color every few months. Red, brown, blonde/highlighted and has even been black for a short and regrettable part of 2004.

    I warmed up for the winter and dyed it light brown back around the holidays, but it began to fade into a reddish brown so I decided to make it a dark brown. I usually get Nutriesse “Truffle” to do the job, but saw the new Garnier 100% mineral color and bought that instead.

    I began to color it and thought it smelled a little strong, so I turned the AC on and the fan on in the bathroom. 10 minutes later, my scalp was on fire so I hopped in the shower to wash it out. A few minutes after that, my throat and chest began closing up and I started having problems breathing and my eyes began to burn. I sat down for a few minutes and tried to catch my breath. Feeling slightly better, I started to put on my makeup when the bathroom started to spin and got dark and I fell (catching myself) on the counter. I still wasn’t able to breathe so I gave in and called 911.

    Operator: “911 Lenexa”
    Me: “Yes, I think I’m having an allergic reaction”
    Operator: “To what, ma’am?”
    Me: “Um, to some hair dye…”
    Operator: “Are you having problems breathing?”
    Me: “Yes…I almost blacked out…I think.”
    Operator: (gets address, phone) “The ambulance is on its way”

    A few minutes later a police car, fire truck and ambulance pulled up, sirens blaring. Eight burly paramedics filled my living room, poking me, strapping me, listening to things, checking my oxygen saturation and asking questions like, “Do you have the speciman box?” “Have you ever had an allergic reaction before?” I am dizzy…confused…embarassed…and gasping for air.

    Moments later I am strapped on a gurney (is that what they’re called?) and put in the ambulance. I get to the hospital and they decide whatever it was (probably the fumes) triggered the reaction. I have asthma, but not bad in any way (I use my inhaler maybe once a year.) So they give me some steroids, and some breathing treatments and send me on my way. The discharge nurse comes in and reads over the doctors instructions.

    “You’ve had a severe asthma attack”…blah blah blah. “For further treatment, the doctor says ‘Avoid chemicals in enclosed spaces.’” And he starts laughing at me. He points it out on the discharge papers. Sure enough in black and white, that’s what it says.

    It’s okay. Once I was able to breathe again, I was laughing too. A few nurses heard about it and came in to see how the color turned out (not as dark as I had hoped, but I won’t complain!)

  • Weekend Thought…Authority & Your Beliefs

    Below is a completely hypothetical and fictional situation about a church volunteer named Joe. I ask for your comments regarding the principle expressed and not whether you agree with the leader in the story or Joe. It’s not about who is right or has the better idea (because that’s all opinion) but what you think is Biblical and wise for Joe to do in the situation.

    Joe is a graphics volunteer at a medium sized local church in the Pacific Northwest. He’s designing a brochure for his church. The brochure is supposed to communicate what the church is about (the atmosphere, enviroment, etc.) to those who don’t go to church but aren’t necessarily opposed to the idea. For the sake of using church words…we’ll call this audience “seeker” in nature.

    The staff person he volunteers for at his church gives him direction on how the brochure should look as far as appearance and content. The direction his leader provides doesn’t sit well with Joe. Both the leader and Joe think the piece needs to reflect a variety of people interacting, but the leader thinks the brochure should show more what the service looks like (people worshipping, singing or listening to the speaker, maybe using stock photos of people praying) but Joe thinks that the piece should connect with the audience in a not so “churchy” manner. Not because Joe wants to hide anything, but he feels as if the piece intially connects with the audience, they are more apt to visit and experience what the service is like so they can make up their own mind. He also thinks that using photos of people praying kind of adulterates what prayer truly is.

    Joe is confused. He wonders if he is overreacting. He knows he should respect the authority placed over him, but at the same time, he feels very strongly that this brochure shouldn’t be “set up.” Even after thinking about it for a while, his spirit is still red-flagging him about doing the piece. He’s afraid if he talks to his leader about it, the leader will think he doesn’t support the vision of the church or that specific area and he’ll be asked to find another place to serve in the church. But he also feels that he could not, with a clear conscious, design this piece.

    What should Joe do? Why?

  • 5:00am

    Why would someone with no job, every reason to sleep in where it’s warm and fluffy and cozy, wake up at 5:00am, before a soul has seen the light of day?

    Anne & Crys

    To have breakfast with this fabulous diva! (Thanks for investing in the caffeine addiction, babycakes!)

  • Imagine (More)

    I saw you in the curve of the moon
    In the shadow cast across my room
    You heard me in my tune
    When I just heard confusion
    -U2

    God can do anything, you know–far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!
    -Ephesians 3:20

    Today has been a day full of things I could have never (ever) imagined…Thank you, Lord!

  • More Lessons from my Cat

    Wicket
    My cat has been nuzzled up into my stomach for the last few minutes as I pay some bills and check my email. He’s sleeping, I think…as he keeps twitching a little bit.

    I really wish I could be more like my cat. He has no idea when or how I’m going to feed him, he just knows I will. He knows I make sure he has clean water and knows he’s gonna get a little belly rub if he flips over. He never pounds down my door whining because the food in his bowl is getting low or because he knocked his green ball to a place he can’t reach. He knows I’ll take care of him.

    God…please let me be more like my cat. Let me nuzzle up to you and be able to rest knowing you have everything taken care of.

  • Escape is Imminent

    Pardon this interruption to the “Power of Human Need” discussion. It is so beautiful outiside today and I am becoming more and more restless…more and more nervous.

    Some job possibilities are in their final stages and all are up in the air. This is the last week I can afford to not be working. I actually don’t have health/life/dental insurance as of tomorrow (but have some starting up next week through Chris’ job.) I don’t know if I am going to be staying here in Kansas City, or moving somewhere. I’ve put my eggs in two baskets – and maybe that’s not wise to do – but I am getting more anxious by the day that either of them might not work out – Thinking worse-case scenario of course. I’ve never not worked for this long. I’m thankful to afford me taking the break I have, but I’m beginning to feel a lack of purpose in my life. I know there is a reason for this holding pattern…I just don’t know what it is. I thought everything would be figured out a couple of weeks ago and nothing is figured out. Each time my phone rings I hope that when I see the number, it would be something that will show us direction. It’s usually a sales call, which I ignore and let fall into voicemail.

    Last night I got sick to my stomach. It was probably a bad combination of spicy Thai food, a late Starbucks run and worry.

    I know…I know He has things under control. I know he holds my tomorrow and he’s holding my hand. I just wonder if I am not listening….if I am missing something….or not being obedient in some way.

    It’s beautiful outside…I can’t keep sitting in front of this machine…my escape into the outdoors is imminent…and prayers are appreciated, although I couldn’t tell you exactly what I need prayer for.