Who Names the Hurricanes Anyways?!

Who Names the Hurricanes Anyways?
I am in the ATX still and loving it so much, but honestly it has been a little weird for me. Like it is so easy here… What living away from home business about anyways? I guess I am not called to be comfortable and live the life that sounds right. So with that said, I am moving on!
Yesterday the family came over! My nanny got really upset at me because I asked her why she was a republican. She did not really have an answer but she did get upset. Meanwhile I do not even know who I am voting for. Obama’s speech at the democratic National Convention, moved me to tears… LOL.. Obama was showing up as being misspelled, so I clicked to add it and the “correct” spelling was Osama. That is kind of funny. I would vote for him if he was Pro-Life. RON PAUL Revolution!
Saturday morning I went to the Church under the Bridge. A homeless work here in Austin. I was able to see so many friends, it was really awesome. I got my first check for ZAO! That really was exciting for me. I got to meet a lot of new people that is the thing about being a homeless minister, it sucks to get close to them and form relationships because they start camping in another city or they find a better program than you are offering. It sucks when people only come to you for what you can give them… OR wait maybe that is what is so great about the kingdom. You have Gods love and means to give away so that you can receive more and more when you give more and more! Whatever the case there is something so redemptive about giving an old man a kiss on his bald head as he sits in his wheel chair and then you pray for complete healing in his body and heart, and then he starts crying. Or telling a woman, that has been stripped of every ounce of pride, that she is beautiful. That means more to me than anything. I can see God so strongly through people who are completely in need of him. They are nothing, they have nothing, and then only thing that can cure their starvation of spiritual and physical needs is the love for Christ Jesus. My sweet papa provider! The glory fell on that community. I had a holy anxiety and expectancy. I knew something huge was going too happened. Maybe it was just that I got to look straight into Jesus’ eyes like a hundred times! I prayed for every sick person I saw. Easy bait, none of them care! I prayed for a deaf lady put my hands on her ears.. I wanted to do a Heidi Baker, “Bring me the blind” but I did not. No creative miracles. There was a lot of healing for me though. I just wept as I worshipped to my sister playing the piano looking at 6th street. It was truly a Heavenly experience that I would not trade for any grand conference with the highest paid musicians and preachers. It has become so clear to me that all the people need is the Good News and love and the fruits will show. Heidi Baker says she lives by Passion and Compassion. Laid down love for God and her neighbor. I am going to steal that, and coin it as my own life model. Forget all of the other junk and focus on the Gold that Christ left us!
Saturday afternoon I got a pedicure and manicure with my sister. We had a great time being girls. I have pink nails and toenails with rhinestones… I never really thought about Rhinestones being spelled like the Rhine River. My motherland.
The family came over and told me about a friend of the family that was driving drunk and hit a tree with her 15 year old daughter in the car without a seatbelt. She was hurt badly, her spleen is bleeding and a lung punctured, broken bones, and her face is all messed up. Keep her in your prayers and that God have his revenge on the mother.
Church was great today. I was at Starbucks, I turn around and see a childhood-teens best friend. Katie Gable my ultimate running buddy was in the same starbucks with me! I was so excited. She is cool has all of these tattoos and piercings. Oh to be extreme… I love it, I just do not have the nerve! I was so happy to be with my church family! I missed my Uncles preaching though. I was a lazy bum all day. I slept and watched movies. Discovered a really dumb thing about myself, I have never questioned in my mind what “ATF” stood for. I know I haven’t because I would have asked. Thanks to Lord of War I now know it stands for, Alcohol, tobacco, and firearms. So I now know that the “ATF” with their fancy acronym is operated by this Sullivan cat, has five thousand employees, and has a 1 billion dollar budget. Some useless information to store in your pocket for a rainy day! Anyhow, I watched Xman, Lord of wars, and What happens in Vegas. My favorite was what happens in Vegas. SO adorable I was laughing the whole time. It could have been that giddy ‘I am in love with you Ashton’ laugh, inevitably I laughed the entire movie!
I am leaving to go home tomorrow unless Gustav forces me to stay. It is headed straight for Shreveport. All of the New Orleans evacuees are staying in our schools this week. I want to know who gets to name the hurricanes every year. What is that advisory board called? Are those people taken seriously? The names come from the National Hurricane Center and have been since 1953. The names go from A-Z alternating Male/female. Here are all of the names for 2008. Pray none of them hit!
2008 Hurricane Names
Arthur
Bertha
Cristobal
Dolly
Edouard
Fay
Gustav-- JUNK
Ike
Josephine
Kyle
Laura
Marco
Nana
Omar
Paloma
Rene
Sally
Teddy
Vicky
Wilfred

Does anyone remember that Lisa Loeb song, "Beware this woman shes' a hurricane she will steal your heart but she hurting".. maybe I am totally making those words up, but they sound right!

Homeward Bound.

I am ashamed to say that I have just officially made the worst cup of coffee in the whole world! I am supposed to be good at this whole barista thing, I was only one for almost two years…You would think since I mastered the art of a perfect extra-dry cappuccino and the expertise of a red-eye I could make a cup of drip! I guess I have lost the art.
I am in Austin. It feels really great. I am a little taken back with how easy it is here, and the enemy is really ragging on me. I know that I am supposed to be in Shreveport for this season. I was just hanging up my clothes in my closet and it dawned on me that I am going to have to re-pack them in a couple of days.
Yesterday I drove to the airport with Tyna, who is amazing. She text me this morning, and told me that she wanted to spread Gods love to everyone. She has this new grace on her life to love! It is amazing! She will do really great things for the father. Shica baba! I got to the airport and I felt like I was flying out of Entebbe or Addis Ababa Int. It was sketchy and did I mention small. It was a private airport… I talked to an old friend about, ZAO and she was so excited she sincerely wants to do anything she can to help. God is sending me the harvesters. INTERMISSION… I just noticed I got the “Cat Scratch Fever” I actually totally forgot my mom had a giant Persian cat who is satan incarnate. I walked in the door last night and he scared me to death. He just scratched me. Anyways, I was at the airport and my flight got delayed. Gustav is ruining reputation for being right on time. Anyone who knows me knows I live on “African time” all the time! I flew to Dallas, where my plane was also delayed. While there I met the most beautiful man I have ever seen, I think he could have been an Angel from New Jersey. I spotted him but of course was too nervous to talk to him. Finally my love for dunkin donuts and him conveniently standing in between me and my favorite cup of joe, we started talking. I definitely had my flirt coat on... that was so dorky but oh so true! Anyways I got offered a cupcake by this other older gent. I reached Austin giddy like a little girl. We went up to the church, I was so happy to see everyone. The singles had gone to Players, so I headed that way. I felt really loved when I walked in they all started chanting, “Audi..Audi” I love C.our.age a lot. Though I am away from this church, these people, this place I have decided it will always be my home. I was having a conversation with a friend the other day. He was asking me where I called home, because I am always on the move. I told him it is wherever the heart is, or wherever I can give my heart for the Lord Jesus. Although that is true, I feel a special love for Austin. These people are really special to me. I am excited to see my parents today! They were on vacation all week for their 25th Anniversary. How about that for great role models! Well I need to get dressed to go love on Jesus through homeless ministry!
Remain in Love.

"Ms. Audi I told my mom that I am going to give all of my clothes, (except my brand-new school clothes) to the poor."

I teach a ‘tweens’ class on Wednesday nights, and last nights meeting was amazing. I taught on love. That is my heart beat so that is usually all I talk about but I think it finally permeated their thought process. I have had a constant battle against their minds and spirits since I started teaching but finally there was a glimpse of peace! It was all my sweet Yahweh of course! We went through a lot of scriptures on love and I wrote on a black board what love was. Then we listened to a prophecy about Gods love, on the Jonathan Helser CD. The glory fell. The hardest kid to get to was crying and the others were praying and showing holy reverence. The Holy Spirit was not grieved! Then I showed them a clip of "Finger of God" about the underground church in China, to prove a point that young people can really love the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then of course I threw in some Heidi Baker, talking about radicle faith and giving everything you have to the poor to follow Christ. There was a sweet spirit in the room that really rejuvenated my spirit if nothing else!
I was just talking to one of my best friends in Uganda, and she was telling me that she is leaving to go to a rainforest/ butterfly and bird sanctuary for her birthday. And we are not talking about Moody Gardens. That is fortunate. Kudos to you for having an amazingly exotic life! Haha..God has really blessed me with a new friend! Last night I realized how thankful I am for Sis. Tyna! I loaned her my favorite book, The Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne. Read that if you never have. It will make you want to sell everything you own to live for the poor, hate any sort of violence, and you will check every thing you buy to make sure it is made with fair labor.
Hurricane Gustav is headed our way. Kind of freaky since it is the 3 yr. Anniversary for Katrina. We have the authority to speak to the wind, Jesus did, didn’t he?!
I was listening to John Lewis on NPR this morning on my way to Krispy Kreme before work. He is the only of the ten speakers from the Lincoln Memorial, "I have a dream" King rally, that is still alive. Today is the 45th anniversary. He was talking about Barack Obama (how amazing it is that a Black man is the democratic head), and how the King movement was the reason that we were not still drinking from the bitter cup of segregation. I do not know about that.. Here is Louisiana it is still quite segregated. I am always stepping out of "the zone" because it is so far from my thinking that people could actually judge someone because of the color of their skin. Anyhow, Lewis started crying and said, "I though I had cried all of my tears", oh my the waterfalls came and in a hurry! I really appreciate Lou Engle and his calling to repent for the sins of our nation. God forgive us for hating our brothers and for all of the innocent blood shed during slavery and with hate crimes.
I am so excited about going to Austin this weekend! I am due for some family time over Spiderhouse, Claypit, and Barton Springs! I am supposed to go to this Campus Ministries meeting today during lunch.. I will keep you posted!
Quote of the day.. Let me look through "The Blessing of Love" By Mother Teresa...
The work we do is nothing more
than a means of transforming our love for Christ into
something concrete.
The Poor do not need our compassion or our pity,
They need our help.

Destined to Dream of Destin

Destined to Dream of Destin
Sugar grain beaches,
A stunningly christine doorway to the rest of the exotic world.
The temperature stagnate at 80 degrees f.
Its beautiful beaches are a utopia to me.
Almost as exciting as Dinotopia, but for sure a mile behind.
I have a this perfect world in mind, and it is beach-o-centric.
‘Somewhere over the rainbow’ and ‘Big Rock Candy Mountain’ keep going though my mind.
I think if there was ever a place that would have a constant rainbow without any rain,
or gum drops growing off the palms it would be there.
I imagine human size monarchs that never have to be human size caterpillars.
Dolphins ceaselessly jumping out of the water.
Everyone would be dressed in white linen and there would be no pain.
There would be waterfalls to bathe in that sparkled like Swarovski crystals.
and giant already pealed mangos, pineapple, and the passion fruit would all be out of the shell.
There would be painted elephants who did not leave waste.
And packs of wild mustangs that of course were friendly.
The natural springs would taste like perrier.
Where there would be no disgusting smells, taste, textures, sounds, or sights, but at the same
time our senses were enhanced to their full ability.
The wind blowing sounded like the strums of a harp.
And the only weather variation would be when the gold dust would shower.
There is no sickness, so therefore no need for miracles.
Constant Glory.
Groups of people would gather every night and play guitars and djembes and sing to Christ.
Wow.. This is either a Lisa Frank world or my vision of Heaven! And to think I just started with wanting to go to Destin!
I guess you can tell that I do not feel like being stuck in an office all day!

Crazy Contradiction

Crazy Contradiction.
Have you ever not put on a jacket because it did not match your outfit. Pathetic thinking I know, but that was just me.. I was freezing but wanted to look sharp because the defending attorneys were coming in for a deposition! Now they are here so I am warm but very unattractive! I just talked with a guy that traveled with the Grand Ole Opry in the 60's and 70's. He invited me along with my voice and guitar to a bluegrass jam session.. I will be taking him up on that one. Country in not my forte but it would be a lot of fun!
My life as of the last week has been pretty eventful. I started school here in Shreveport. Im only taking 9 hours because I am working full time and I am in nearly every ministry at church. That is more than I planned on taking but since I decided against Mozambique for the Fall, I thought I might as well!
Heidi had some awesome things to say today in, "Compelled by Love".
She talks about how God spoke to her and told her,
"Apostolic is upside Down." Unlike how people are often trying to exalt themselves, the apostolic is the lowest place. Apostolic is a place of laid-down love where we become possessed with the nature of the man Christ Jesus to become a servant of all.
Ayn Rand would be pretty upset with that statement! But nevertheless it is the truth.. Take me lower Lord. Oh great.. Im about to get on my beatitudes soapbox again! I will spare you! I chuckle when people ask me to call them apostle or prophet. Take me still lower God! And that is all I will say!
Im doing my Bible study on love tonight, did you know that ‘love’ is referenced 703x in the Bible, according to biblos.com? Wow, that a lot of love! Maybe it is important in the Christian walk!
I got my new pimp-mobile! It was donated by the church! It is a periwinkle Crown Vic with plush, lazy boy, periwinkle seats to match. Wood paneling, what can I say, except Im a true G. You can catch me swayin’ my wagon, or floatin’ my boat anytime! Emily said it is bigger so that I can pack neighborhood kids in for church! That works.. Man but it is smooth! I don’t know if I will ever go back to a sporty car! I did feel kind of old driving this morning with the heat on (in the dead of summer) listening to National Public Radio while drinking coffee. Call me Granny Audi! Im still trying to name the tank.. Any ideas?

You like-e-de-hubbley-bubbley?

This weekend/beginning of the week was great.. I just erased that because it was so boring. Then I typed it back because it needs to be stated! I feel like a mess, my pants are too tight, my franklin Covey has post-it notes taped all over it, I have 2 starbucks insulated cups empty with straws making my desk look dirty, I have a canker sore and I just drank a pineapple juice... And those are really my only worries! Life is good! I have clothes on my back and an extra pair to give to someone who does not have any.
An old lady in my church donated a car to me this past week! It could not have come at a better time because my Cabrio broke down. I just got the call from the mechanic telling me that my Axel was broken and my steering was about to fall out. I really do not know anything about that stuff..It sounds bad but not as expensive as I though it would be. God is constantly faithful!
Friday night, though raining in a flood, was one of the greatest times I have had in a really long time. I went to this Lebanese Restaurant with Tyna. We talked about our lives and the kingdom of God for hours! Shreveport does not know what it has coming! We were searching for something to do since it was like nine o’ clock and I had probably drank nine cups of coffee! While we were driving down the interstate a truck started driving head-on towards us. We were headed north and there is no possible was to go south on this road, he would have to exit north and turn around and get on another highway... We called to police! He could have killed someone! Anyways, we stumbled on a James Burton Guitar Festival. It was so much fun! We were the only young people really, so as you can imagine we got a lot of attention! It was a clean explosion of fun all packed in one night! Saturday Tyna and I went to look for apartments and got sick of the torrential rain fall, so we went to what we thought was a $1 theater.. Too bad it is just a really old and crappy theater that shows ‘already on VHS’ shows for the same price as regular theaters.. And they are not classics. I would pay to watch "A creature from the blue lagoon" in 3D for that price..not Wanted..Do not watch that horrible movie.. Save yourself from 2 hours of torture. Who ever thought wind surfing your fathers corpse out of a train that was derailed in a huge canyon was the cool thing to do. I thought it was a horrible and dirty flick. I left the movie only to find that my car was broken, but it is okay because once I got home I was greeted with the rich smells of Greek food. A wonderful lady from our family community decided that she wanted to cook for my Auntie to continue her two week birthday celebration! Basically we ate, played instruments, and talked all night. Sunday was a wonderful day to minister to my Jesus! Bishop Fuller delivered an awesome message about how Christ does not throw out the broken reeds. That would be a message to me, the president of Team Prodical! We continued to manifest glory by shifting the fellowship to a locally owned Mexican restaurant. After stuffing myself with food that makes me sick every time I eat it, I went to the Robinson Film Center. I have finally found the underground arts culture of Shreveport! I am even trying to get into an apartment loft building which is reserved for Artist only! I will keep you posted on how that goes! I watched, "The Unforseen Truth" it is a documentary about Barton Springs. It was really great. It made me wonder which side of the argument I am on. The environmentalist or the Capitalist. Do you ever have things that you love and are passionate about but there is an continual debate going on about it and you do not know where you stand? That is where I am with the Barton Springs debate. I love the springs dearly but I see where it should not be a reason that people cannot build homes. It was quite scary to see how much the water has been polluted since 1996. It is sad to think it will not be safe for the next generation to swim in. Moving off of that... Sunday night we had a band from a local church come and rock out for our youth group! It was trance like for me, I really like when worship is in state of ecstacy like that. Sunday night was concluded with Sushi and coldstone with the band, and then getting locked out of my house! It all worked out for the best! Thank you Jesus for an awesome weekend.

my Desktop background.. my computer is acting really stupid. Im trying to post blogs and it will not let me! This is a test!

The Mornings and my Equilibrium

I am going to try to start writing a little daily journal entry.

Myself
have to live with myself, and so, I want to be fit for myself to know; I want to be able as days go by, Always to look myself straight in the eye; I don't want to stand with the setting sun And hate myself for the things I've done. I don't want to keep on a closet shelf A lot of secrets about myself, And fool myself as I come and go Into thinking that nobody else will know The kind of man I really am; I don't want to dress myself up in sham. I want to deserve all men's respect; But here in this struggle for fame and pelf, I want to be able to like myself. I don't want to think as I come and go That I'm for bluster and bluff and empty show. I never can hide myself from me, I see what others may never see, I know what others may never know, I never can fool myself -- and so, Whatever happens, I want to be Self-respecting and conscience free.


The Mornings and my Equilibrium
I shot out of bed this morning in fear that I was late to work but low and behold it was only 23:07, and then again at 3, and then at 4:36, 5:24, and then finally at 6:15! I sprung out of bed because my hair was a mass of wash but not styled frizz and I had to make myself look presentable, but too bad I stood up too fast! I stood up and then fell completely on the ground! Haha.. Does that happen to normal people?! Things like that always happen to me, and what makes it worst is when I tell people these stories they always reply with, "Haha... that would only happen to you, and I can totally see you doing that!" . Well I guess if I am not known for anything else on this short trip to earth I can be labeled as, "the girl who was challenged by gravity but had an expounding grace to her fall." There has to be an ancient Comanche name for that..I think you would have had to be a Frederick nerd as a child to get that! Or were other kids obsessed with Native Americans? My sister was the bigger nerd although I was not too far behind her! We had all the books, the costumes, the wars with homemade weapons. Life was perfect on the reserve for sis and me. Thinking about childhood you realize how many stages we go through in our lives! I am the queen of change. Those who know me well know that I am more happy on the go, and I live by change being the only constant. Hopefully that can be incorporate into the kingdom somehow! Then for the spectators of my life they see a free bird with no hope for commitment or submission, and defiantly no respect for the American dream. That probably is a little true but in my mind evolution is has done pretty good so far! I am constantly changing because I that is what I am in the Body of Christ. You know I really dislike it when I am drinking coffee and I get a grind in my mouth.. I just started gagging! Haha.. I also just got a call from a fellow Texan trying to go to school in Louisiana and we realized how expensive it is for out of state residency. That sucks since the state line is about thirty minutes away. But my state of stress ended when my boss just walked up to my desk and gave me a really cute bracelet that she bought for me!
I honestly do not have too much to say today, yet! Everyone needs to read, Compelled by Love, By Heidi Baker. I cry every time I open it up. Lately, I have been crying so much when I read. Yesterday I sat in taco Bell and cried while reading this book! I guess when you are in agreement with your destiny your spirit is moved. Like when you talk to someone with a kindred spirit and you manifest glory!
My Quote for the day:
Say little,
and love much,
Give all,
Judge no man,
Aspire to all that is pure.
–White Eagle.

The Back-Up Plan Culture

The Back-Up plan Culture.
I will no longer be a slave to the back-up plan culture. The culture that says that you have to have a back-up plan just in case God does not follow through with his promises. The thought process that claims that the king of kings is dead and untrustworthy. I put my foot down on trying to satisfy other peoples desires for my life on earth. Say its 100 years here, if you’re lucky and Trillions of years in Heaven. Rolland Baker talks about living a "Sermon on the Mount Lifestyle" do you understand the complexity of that? I did not until I started seeking what that really meant. I looked up the Beatitudes in Wikipedia, because I look up everything there! It this is one of the things that upset me,
The Beatitudes do not describe many separate individuals, but rather all the specific characteristics each must have to experience heaven. Biblical scholar and author Andrej Kodjak has stated that this opening of the sermon was designed to shock the audience as a deliberate inversion of standard values, but this shock value has been lost today due to the commonness of the text.[1]
The shock has left because of the commonness. The fact is that this is the constitution of what Christians are, and it has become so watered down that people actually think that God did not really mean it for everyone!
So, with this stated, I make a vow to God and the world that I will not have a back up plan.. If I live I live for you, Jesus. I do not care about becoming an outstanding member of society, or as rich as an oil tycoon in the U.A.E., or to have a degree in a frame on the wall, or having a house with a picket fence and four little boys. It is all up to God. I give my life to the cause of love. I am a firm believer that love is the pillar of a life in line with Christ. Now people can argue the fact that in the kingdom we are supposed to be the dominators. Take the Church, family, government, education, media, and arts over. And we are supposed to be the wealthiest people to Earth. I agree with that, completely. Christians are usually taught the escape route (how to make it to Heaven) and Muslims are taught to take over the world. I think we are put on the Earth for a divine reason to bring the kingdom of God to Earth, but in doing this are we becoming poor in spirit? What I am saying is that I am not going to condemn anyone for not selling everything that they own and giving it to the poor. Just make sure that you completely trust God for everything, because the healthy do not need a doctor. Never think you can do anything without him. If you decide to give your life to the ‘Sermon on the Mount lifestyle’ remember that you cannot have any trust issues with God. Give him your life and do not be an "Indian-giver" about it, and remember that it is all backwards in the kingdom!