San Antonio Bound

Today I am spending the day at four different airports, flying in three different planes, and going from a very cold state to a very warm and sunny one!

Harrisburg PA. To Philly PA. To Charolotte NC. To San Antonio TX.

I'll take you back ??? years, to the first time I ever heard of the San Antonio Christian Film Festival. My very first thought was "how cool is that? A place where hundreds of people come together and learn how to make movies, and then screen all these new Christian films!"
But every year we were at the other end of the south touring over the time that this event was going on, and so it never was really an option for me to attend.
Most of you have heard of the fall of Vision Forum, and all of that. When they shut down last fall they also cancelled all of their upcoming conferences and events, including the Film Festival. My first thought when I hear that they had shut it down was "what about all those people who spend their year last year getting a film ready to compete in the festival? What happens to their films now?"
I was beyond excited when I heard that our good friends the Telfer Family (from Media Talk 101) were going to start up their own festival, the Christian Worldview Film Festival. The Telfers called our family and asked us to come down and perform on the mainstage for the festival, but sadly we already had this coming week booked doing banquet concerts with the WeCare Program Fundraising Tour. I tried to think of a way to still go but it just wasn't possible so I tried to forget about it.
Fast forward to my birthday...my father gave me a card and inside was a certificate to attend the festival. I was shocked! And so excited!
(it appears that he talked to my brothers and they said that they could wing a few concerts without me. =) yes, I know-I have sweet brothers! bless their hearts.)

Everyone who knows me well knows that I am a movie junkie. Not in the typical sense (I don't sit around and watch tons of movies) but I love to review new movies, and be critical, and tear them to pieces. =)  (both theologically and morally)
It drives me crazy that our society has such low standards when it comes to movies.
It also frustrates me that Hollywood seems to have the monopoly on "professional" filming. My family loves watching movies together (we rarely do because there is hardly anything decent for the whole family anymore) but there aren't a whole lot of movies out there that are decent AND professionally done.

All that said. I've been passionate for years about Christians standing up and taking back all the ground they've lost to the secular crowd in the area of media. Lets face it: in our generation, media is the way to reach people. There are many people who won't read a book, or listen to a message, but they will watch a movie. Films can have such a powerful influence for evil. Or for good.

Sooo...I'm heading to San Antonio, getting ready here in just a few minutes to board my final flight. I'm planning to take the acting tracks and soak up all the information I can!

-chels

Phone Update

This is for those of you who may have been texting/trying to contact me via phone in the last month.
Lest you think I have been rude in not responding, let me fill you in...
My lovely blue phone crashed/quit/whatever on my birthday, January 29th. So since then (until today) I have been without a phone. Its been quite lovely, actually, and I really haven't missed it hardly at all. I think my family missed it more than I did; they couldn't keep track of me as well. =)
We have been in the south the past month, and down south they don't have US Cellular stores. So we had to wait until today, when we finally located one in Virginia.
They told my brother (who kindly took care of the transaction for me because he's just nice like that) that they wouldn't be able to transfer my contacts to the new phone.
Whereupon mother dear said "wait a minute...how can they be able to track people and supposedly access all this information from your phone but they can't transfer your contacts?"
#truefact
So brother and dad went to battle with the salesman and it ended with all my contacts getting transfered.
#nevergiveup #learntoarguewell #happydance
If you've texted me in the last month and I never answered and you feel so led to text again, go right ahead. =)

-chels

#storyofmylife

Baby Love in Georgia

 with two of my favorite things in this world: a baby & a cup of coffee

 I love babies. or adore them. or something like that.

some day {Lord willing} I'm gonna have a whole houseful of my own.

but in the meantime, I'm having a ball loving on other people's. =)

 I really miss the little people at my church, and can hardly wait to get home and see how much they have all grown up while I've been gone.

But while I'm on tour, its been pretty special getting to meet new little babies that our friends have had lately.

after he woke up I had to take a few pictures, even though he was leaning up against my knees and the angle wasn't so great.

what a charmer. that double chin just gets me. =)

-chels

Frustration in Delays and Goals

What a cheerful way to title a post. I know, I know.

And I have no pictures? Blogger strike number two.

My, where to start? It's been over a week since my Valentines post. In the last week I have been nearly everywhere except for here on this blog. Well, not quite. =) 

This touring business has been pretty hectic these last ten days. I had such high hopes for all that I thought I could accomplish this month, and this past week, in particular, but I am realizing that even though I worked hard at it, I

A) didn't work hard enough

B) aimed way too high

C) totally underestimated the commitments I would have with our touring schedule

Ever been there, my friend? Sometimes I feel that this is the story of my life. 

Dream up grand, big ideas. Write lists that stretch for miles and miles with ambition and zeal and energy. Run into a totally different schedule than what I was planning and multiple unexpected delays, especially when on tour.

And then have a little mini crash with the dust of frustration billowing around me.

{just being honest here}

There's nothing quite so discouraging as missing most of your goals and having all that ambition come crashing to the ground.

All that said. There was no guest post. I have yet to experience the wonders of owning Lightroom. Three of the five books on my February reading list have been virtually untouched. There weren't even close to fifteen posts. And so on. 

Ah, I am so thankful that tomorrow (or next month, rather!) is a clean slate. I'm learning my lesson though and I won't allow myself to be so ambitious for next month either, because most of it will also be spent on the road. 

It's a hard thing to describe, this road life. I'm not really sure how to explain it but there is no such thing as schedule. There is no such thing as routine. Sometimes it feels like one huge jumble of instruments, siblings, belongings, and more towns, churches, and people than I can possibly remember or keep up with. I'm compiling a list of sarcastic comebacks to use on the next person who says to me "Oh, thats SO COOL that you get to spend the winter vacationing with your family down south!" Vacationing? Gracious-there may be many words to call my life but "vacation" is not it!

I also apologize that its taking so long for the upcoming posts I mentioned here. I haven't forgotten about them; they are both in the making and saved in drafts, but to make a long story short, the one post needs some pictures to accompany it and I can't take the pictures til I get home because some of the outfits I need for the pictures are at home (long explanation there!), and the other post ended up being way bigger than what I was thinking it would be so I'm attempting to break it down into a series-type deal and sort everything out into the proper order. And posts like that are HARD to do when internet time is limited to a quick, timed stop at Caribou, or hacking into the Lowes wifi for ten blessed minutes while brother dear is inside making a purchase and my minutes are ticking away. 

We are approaching our busiest stretch of all for this tour, so I will probably be absent even more. However, in the midst of everything else God has provided an exciting upcoming opportunity for me (stay tuned!) which will involve quite a bit of time in five different airports, so maybe during those amazing hours of solitude I will be able to cook up a whole storm of posts and be back to normal again! =)

In closing...I've been reading lately in the Old Testament, about the children of Israel and their journey to Canaan. What a challenge it has been to see the good in life, and to BELIEVE God's promises to us! 

I want to be like Caleb and Joshua who saw the grapes, and not the giants. They could have chosen to be distracted like the other ten spies and focused on the giants and the "impossibility" of conquering the mighty cities, but instead they saw the land for what it was-God's promised gift to them-and they choose to believe God's promise and GO FOR IT! That's what I want-to choose to see the GOOD in everything. I want to find joy  in seeing His hand working in my life, and in the lives of those around me. 

{even when we're stuck on a 45ft bus and this farm girl misses that good old farm air and Iowa snow like everything!}

Be blessed, friends! Let's go conquer those Canaanites! =)

-chels

Happy Valentines Day!

{don't get excited; these aren't mine. =)}

//Valentine's Day//

I've honestly never given this holiday very much thought. 

It's not that I have anything against the holiday. 

I've always know that Valentines meant love and roses, fun little notes, and an abundance of all things pink and red. 

I just never really cared about it for myself, personally. I never felt like I was lacking, or missing out, or anything like that.

In the last several days I've come across quite a few people talking about Valentine's Day. Specifically talking about how it can be a difficult holiday for single people.

This was revelation to me. Call me weird or whatever, but the thought never really occurred to me that single people might struggle on this day, with wishing for a special someone to love them. 

I've been realizing though that it is a major problem, apparently. From what I've been hearing from others, it sounds like there is a multitude of singles out there who get honestly depressed on this happy, lovely day called Valentines.

So. In light of that, I'm here today to offer a little love to all of y'all, whether you fall in the camp of "I wish had someone to love me and that I wasn't single!" or "I could care less about having a significant other". =)

Most of you reading this have family of some kind. Parents, siblings, cousins...something. Go out and love on them today. If you feel a lack of love in your life than I would say that the true reason is because you don't have much love going out. Don't focus on love coming in! Focus on being a giver. Consume yourself with loving on others and you will be amazed at how your whole perspective will change. If you actually stop and think about it you will realize that you are way more loved than most people in the world. There are orphans who would give anything to just have one parent to love them! There are soldiers who would love to be home with their family's but instead are spending today sacrificing for our freedom. There are abused children who don't even understand what true love is because of how they have been mistreated.

And you are complaining because you don't have a boyfriend today? Grow up, girl!

All of us have friends, too. (at least I hope so!) You have a friend who you know is going through a rough time in life right now? Why not send her flowers today? Stick in a note of encouragement with a scripture verse and let her know you're praying for her. Who says guys are the only ones who can give flowers? =) Think outside of the box! 

Even if you think that no one else loves you or cares about you today, let me tell you that JESUS DOES. His love far surpasses any other love you could imagine and it is the very best thing in the world to be His child and experience the fullness of that love for yourself. 

Spread the love around today!

-Chels

Joy Killers Cd

.......goes to commenter #24, which is Luba!

Please drop me an email including your address at daughterofvision@gmail.com 

and I will get the cd in the mail to you. 

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and comments. It sounds like God wanted me to write that for a reason! I'm so thankful it was an encouragement.

also, this is random, but...if there are any people planning to come to our Sarasota concerts tonight or tomorrow night, the times are different from what I posted two weeks ago.
here are the updated times:
February 14th-Pinecraft Park-7:30pm
February 15th-Bethel Mennonite Church-6:00pm

-Chels