2009 July | E. Tyler Rowan

Oh Yes, She Speaks!

Before I get to the big news, here’s a brief recap…

The four of us – April, Karen, Peggy, and myself arrived in Charlotte around 4:30pm (EST) yesterday. Apparently we just missed a wee bit of security excitement. Depending on who you speak to, rumor has it a man ran through the security check with a weapon OR there was a bomb threat. We saw no evidence of anything amiss when we disembarked the plane.

We checked in to the most fabulous Embassy Suites and freshened up.

Then we joined a group of other early arrivers for dinner. Today, I have seen five women that I met last night – what a relief to know a few people in this crowd!

We even had a little over an hour to cruise through the famous outlet mall. (Even at outlet prices, I found myself running out of a few stores.)

This morning came early (6:00 here is 4:00 at home), and we got all gussied up in our business casual gear. We got ourselves registered for the pre-conference and launched into session.

Renee Swope spoke for the early morning devotional. It was G-O-O-D! After the session, I asked her about her toes and fingernails (based on her comment in this post).

Right now I am skipping out on a session and hiding in my hotel room. The jitters were taking over, and I needed to step away and crank out my voice in praises to my Lord. Casting Crowns and I are currently rockin‘ out “The Voice of Truth.”

But wait – the reason for my title. One of the sessions this morning hit me smack in-between the eyes. Powerful, world-changing, ministry-shaping words of wisdom were imparted. And not only did I write down every single word, I got to speak to the one who shared the words. First, I made sure to tell her how she blesses me and how her words impacted me. Then, I pulled out the camera and handed it to Peggy. From one blogger to another, she totally understood my need to record the moment.

More later (probably much later) tonight. Or maybe tomorrow. I’m on a 30-minute countdown to publisher appointment #1…

Filed Under: just because, my walk, She Speaks July 31, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 3 Comments

The Anticipation is THICK in the Air

I awoke this morning with a Scripture pressing on my heart…

However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” ~1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it — What God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. (Msg)

As I pondered this verse in multiple versions on biblegateway, I saw that it referenced back to Isaiah 64:4…

Since before time began no one has ever imagined, no ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you who works for those who wait for him. You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work. ~Isaiah 64:4 (Msg)

Today is going to be a really good day! Today is going to be a GOD day!

Filed Under: my walk, She Speaks July 31, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 1 Comment

On My Way (*edited)

For some reason I have this song in my head…
I’m on my way
From misery to happiness today
uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh
It’s complete with The Proclaimers’ funny accents and everything.

If that song is now hopelessly stuck in your head, or if (gasp) you’ve never had the privilege, just click here.

Though you’ll be reading this in the morning, I’m typing it late at night.

I’m like a school girl, the night before the first day of Kindergarten. I am so excited that I’m practically vibrating. Yet I feel just nervous enough that my tummy is gurgling.

As you read this, I am in the skies above – well, I just don’t know where. It has occurred to me that I don’t actually know where North Carolina is in relation to Alberta! I always did dislike geography (although we actually call it social studies here in Canada).

As She Speaks flows along, I will try to pop over to my hotel room to post random pictures and little details about the happenings. And you can trust that if when God smacks me in the face with something He wants me to learn, I will tell you all about that, too!

Just fyi, my publisher appointments are at 2:45pm and 7:30pm on Friday. And my speaker evaluation groups at 8:00pm on Friday and 5:00pm on Saturday. This is in NC time (no clue what time zone that is, lol). So if you feel compelled to pray that I don’t barf on my shoes – or those of the lovely publishers I will be speaking to – please do so especially at those times.

If I get to meet Lysa in person, oh golly, I will probably trip over my own tongue!

And now, I shall attempt to get approximately three hours of sleep before we begin our trek to the airport! hahahahahahhahahaha Oh, sorry, that is just my hysterical laughter at the idea of actually being able to sleep. And/or imagining how fantastically I am going to be functioning tomorrow. Go ahead, I know you want to laugh at me, too. If I do anything stupid in my stupor I’ll be sure to make your day by sharing.

* Okay, I had a burning need to come back on here at 3am to add this:
- please know that I am NOT miserable; those are just the words of the song, people…
and
- do you remember “Where in the World is Carmen, San Diego?”; thanks to my geographical ignorance, that song has been plaguing me in my sleep; I am now going to find out where I’m going (thank-you, mapquest!)

Filed Under: just because, ministry, my walk, She Speaks, writing July 30, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 2 Comments

Random Things I Like Care Package Giveaway Winner

Something just occurred to me – today is Wednesday! And I said I would choose a winner on Tuesday afternoon. Oops! I have been a bit distracted.

Mr. Random selected for me… number 11! (Someday I will learn how to make that little box appear on my blog so I can offer up some proof.)

Comment #11 -
Twincere said…
HaHa I could’ve wrote your post. I’m a Mom of 5 (+2 nephews) and I deplore laundry (cuz there is so much of it) and cooking is okay, if I must do it! Looking forward to your updates, and I grabbed your link from the BlogHop ‘09! Nice to meet ya!

Tanya, watch for my email so I can get your mailing details. Oh, and don’t expect anything too soon – I am away for a few days and then have to actually find the time to go shopping with 5 kids home for summer, plus I’m an organized procrastinator.

Filed Under: contests, just because July 29, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 1 Comment

The Joys of Sharing Bedrooms

When I had only one, and then two children, I was a firm believer in “every child gets his/her own room.” But more and more children kept coming. One day, I realized that we were about to bring child #4 home – to our 4 bedroom house. Hmmmm….

We decided to purchase a good quality set of bunk beds for the two girls closest in age (14 months apart) to share. The beds are farther apart than your typical bunk beds (so kids aren’t constantly bonking heads), and they can be separated into two twin beds. I’d love to show you a picture here, but I am seriously too lazy to go take one, upload it, download it, then spend four hours re-formatting this post.

For years Abbey (7) and Megan (6) have shared a room. Currently, because our downstairs has been off-limits, Shea (4) has joined them. Three girls in a 10×10 room is a tight squeeze! Really, only a good picture can do this justice – come back next Wed and I will have pictures and share how we fit all the toys on one small floor of our house.

Abbey has been asking for her own room on and off for a couple years. So when we began renovating the basement this spring we were faced with a decision – do we build three bedrooms down there, or keep it at two? (When we bought the house there was one, but we added a second downstairs bedroom by necessity – #5 aka Malakai (almost 2) was on his way!)

We decided that the best long-term benefit for our whole family would be served by having a massive family room and fewer bedrooms. After all, Braeden (11) is practically a teenager, and right behind his teen years will be – count ‘em – t-h-r-e-e teenage girls! A large space for hanging out is pretty much a necessity.

I didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news for Abbey, though. So I came up with a clever (at least I think so) solution! Abbey will get the girls’ bedroom upstairs and Shea & Meg will share downstairs…for one year. We’ll move everyone a couple weeks before the start of the school year. Next year, Megan will get her own room. Then Shea. Ta-da!

If you’re thinking about all the moving around and getting a headache, let me assure you that the girls will NOT be taking their furniture with them when they move rooms. The bunk beds will stay downstairs, whether or not they are bunked or twinned. Dressers will stay put. The only thing that will move is the child and her clothing (which I will put in a laundry hamper to transport).

So, I think that this might work for me! Make sure to visit the link and see what works for others in the world wide blogosphere.

How do you feel about kids sharing bedrooms? Are you for it, against it, or indifferent?

Filed Under: Abbey, Braeden, carnivals, kids, Malakai, Megan, organizing, Shea, WFMW July 29, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 4 Comments

He.

He holds my heart,

He makes me me.

He loves me and laughs with me

(and sometimes at me).

His eyes look right into me,

and my knees still turn to jell-o.

He is strong, loyal, hard-working,

talented, generous, and handsome.

He’s all mine.

And he keeps getting better with age.

Happy birthday, Pat. Not only do I love you,

but more than anyone else I know – I respect you.

Filed Under: just because, marriage July 28, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 2 Comments

Getting Ready

Right now, there are about 500 women in North America frantically getting prepared for the She Speaks Conference. I am one of them. Because of God’s great provision, four women from our women’s ministry team are able to attend and learn from the experiences and teaching of the Proverbs 31 Ministries team.

For many of us, preparations include getting our hair cut and coloured, trying on countless outfits, and the like. I don’t know what it is, but us women usually do more to get ready for a date with other women than we do for dates with our men! This is me. Tonight is chalk full of ‘primping’ appointments.

Others are also clicking away on their computers in efforts to complete book proposals or practice talks. For many hopefuls, this is our ‘one shot’ at getting our ideas and our abilities reviewed (and maybe even accepted). Again, this is me. These last few days are packed with plans to write and re-write, making last-minute revisions and memorizing talks.

Virtually all of us are trying to get our homes ready for our absence. Cleaning to be done, meals to be planned (maybe even prepared and frozen), schedules to be written out, notes to be left. Yes, this too, is me. Maybe. If I find time. Otherwise, they are on their own and I expect that McDonald’s and Pizza 73 will be getting a lot of business over the next weekend.

I find myself stopping, though, in the midst of all these preparations. I hear a still, small voice whisper to my soul, Spend time with Me. No matter what you do to prepare, you will never be ready for all I have for you at She Speaks if you are not with Me. And oh, how I need Him by my side! Each time I hear that whisper I stop, and in the words of Moses I tell Him, I cannot go without Your Presence, Lord! I will not move from this spot unless I know You are with me! (Exodus 33:15)

I believe that, in so many ways, this conference will be life-changing, ministry-reviving, heart-refining, utterly amazing. But without Him, it will merely be a good experience. I’ve had too many God experiences to be willing to settle for a good experience. And God experiences don’t happen by accident, they happen with intentionality – by seeking HIM (and not being focused on things like good hair, meetings with influential people, etc.).

Lord, help me to keep my eyes focused on You. Still my excited mind, so that it will pay attention to You. Though my hands are busy with getting pre-pared, may my heart stay attuned to being pre-prayered.

Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me. For You are God my Saviour and my hope is in You all day long. ~Psalm 25:4-5

Is there something you are getting ready for, working on, or hopeful about that is taking up space in your heart and mind? Are you doing what you really need to be doing to be prepared – are you pre-prayered?

Now, if you’re wondering whether I will be cancelling my hair appointment this evening after writing this post, the answer is no! Are you kidding? I cannot go to a conference with 500 other women with bad roots! BUT, I have promised God and myself, and I promise you – I will spend the same amount of time in communion with Him that I spend in conversation with my stylist. Fair enough?

Filed Under: my walk, praying for, writing July 27, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 5 Comments

Doin’ the Hop

I’m joining in on Blog Hop ’09 at Pensieve this weekend. The purpose is to find a few new blogs I love and add them to my reading list (because I have all this free time and nothing to do with it, and I refuse to do housework), to have a few people find my blog and decide they love me, and to try to win some super giveaways!

Since I’m posting twice today, if you visit here regularly you may want to check out my post from earlier this morning…

So, who the heck am I?

Let’s start with the stats:
* 31 years old
* wife
* mother to 5 (ages 11, 7, 6, 4, and almost 2)
* special needs mother
* women’s ministry leader
* hopeful author

But here’s the real grit:
* full-out follower of Jesus Christ
* I hate laundry and cooking (hahaha, God’s funny giving me a big family)
* I love reading and writing
* I love singing (and if loving something made you good at it I’d be fantabulous)
* we are in a perpetual state of home renovation
* my heart beats to see other women find who they are in Christ
* I love being a mom, but struggle big time with being an angry mom
* I love my husband, but all too often let PMS rule our interactions
* I have the unique personality combination of organized procrastinator (???)
* I host a monthly blog carnival called The God Chronicles, so we can keep a record God’s faithfulness in our lives (TGC is supposed to be on the 20th of each month, but I seem to be not completely on top of it – for those who are wondering, I have just now – July 24th – decided to take a summer hiatus from TGC; it will return on Sept. 20th)

And, what shall I be giving away for the Blog Hop? Hmmmm…. I always give away books, because I love to read. But I recognize that not everyone shares my passion. I know, I’ll do up a care package of my favourite things! For example, my fave bubble bath, candle, lotion, book, corkscrew, socks, whatever. As I shop for some of my own faves, I’ll just throw an extra in the cart for the lucky winner! I’ll draw (via random.org) on Tuesday afternoon (that’s July 28th).

To enter, just tell me one of your faves.

Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: carnivals, contests, fun and games, just because July 24, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 24 Comments

Learning New Words

Malakai (almost 2) has been a notoriously slow talker. I don’t believe it’s an actual speech delay, so much as an issue of “why bother?” After all, he’s spent a good year of his life pointing, saying “that” or “doooooosssss” (which means either juice or shoes, depending on where he’s pointing) and having six willing people come running to fetch whatever “that” may be.

It was about six months ago that we began to realize the boy was not really talking. He had a fairly good repertoire of words that he’d used once or twice each, but if you asked him to repeat it he declined. Literally. I would say, “Kai, can you say ‘puppy’?” and he’d respond with a head nod and an “mmm-hmmm.” Stinker!

As a family we decided to buckle down. No more getting whatever Kai pointed at without encouraging him to name the object. And it has been working! Words, words, everywhere!

Malakai, like many little boys, is quite fascinated by cars and trucks. So much so that he will stop walking (even if we’re in the middle of crossing the road) to stare at a vehicle. His absolute favourite new word is ‘truck.’ Thing is, it doesn’t sound like truck at all!

This past Sunday, I dropped him off in the church nursery and told all who would listen, “Malakai has a new word. I want you to know that he is saying ‘truck.’ I promise you, he is saying ‘truck.’ Please make sure you tell all the other workers in here, so no one things he is saying swear words.” My instructions were met with gales of laughter.

We have been very careful to repeat the correct pronunciation of the word back to him every time Kai says ‘truck.’ “Yes, Kai, it’s a T-RRRRR-UCK.” Every now and then you can hear him inserting the ‘r’ sound. (Finally!)

Yesterday, he was running around the front sidewalk admiring all the parked vehicles, “Truck! Truck! Truck!” and pointing. I said (about 400 times), “Yes, a T-RRRRR-UCK.”

At about time 401, Abbey (7) turns to me and says, giggling, “Mom, it sounds like he’s saying f%$@!” with the most innocent little look in her eyes.

I bit my cheeks really hard to keep from bursting into laughter, and very calmly replied, “Oh, sweetheart, we shouldn’t say that word. It’s not nice. Besides, we all know he’s saying T-RRRRR-UCK.”

Filed Under: Abbey, just because, kids, Malakai, real life July 24, 2009 By Tyler Rowan 2 Comments

God is in the Quiet Whispers

We were out camping earlier this week (more details on that later). I had good intentions of taking my morning quiet times to seek God, to read my Bible, to pray, to journal, to write for my book proposal. But the reality of camping with five children, two of them still small and needy, altered those plans.

My heart was not okay with spending four days and three nights starved for His Word and His voice. I had to find a way to spend time in His Presence that was different from my usual way.

As I lay in my bed in the early morning, awakened by the cawing of crows, I asked Him to be with me that day. He whispered, I am with you always.

While sitting on a park bench watching the children climb and slide and climb again, I recited His Word (my memory verses) in my head. He whispered, take the bread of life and eat.

Standing on the beach, turning slow circles and counting heads 1-2-3-4-5, I begged him to inspire me. He whispered pages of words for me to write to glorify Him.

This morning, as I savoured my still quiet, I praised and thanked Him for the way He stays close to me. He whispered, when you call on Me I will answer you; seek Me with all of your heart and you will find Me.

What has He been whispering to your heart lately?

Filed Under: my walk, real life, writing July 23, 2009 By Tyler Rowan Leave a Comment