What does love look like?

Can I just be honest? It's been a hard couple of weeks. I feel like I've been wading into a deeper part of the waters. You know those seasons of your life, where you can FEEL the labor pains? The baby is coming but hasn't arrived. And you know deep in your heart that the "momentary light afflictions" are for an ETERNAL purpose, BUT in the moment you don't feel strong enough to hold onto that truth... Perhaps you feel more pressure than joy as you dive deeper.

Let me explain in more detail...

God is leading me into an unfamiliar territory of womanhood.  Amidst a few intense conversations with Ryan, my boyfriend, I realize how little I understand what it means to be a woman in a relationship with a man. I honestly think when Ryan and I started dating (over a year ago), I thought had this whole thing figured out. I lived as if I "knew" how to be a good girlfriend and what I "deserved." I hate admitting this, but I really think I neglected my NEED for Christ to know how to be a girlfriend, to love Ryan and ultimately to give him the respect he deserves... Well, last week, the Holy Spirit touched my eyes. So gently he revealed parts of my heart that humbled me to tears. I realized how much I hate being wrong and how quickly I am to blame Ryan instead of humbly validating his emotions, feelings and heart. I realized that I have so many expectations on who Ryan should be... Not that I am giving him an excuse to be less of a man that God desires for me, but instead of encouraging him toward life, my responses would often be filled with disappointment and frustration, confirming in his heart that he was deeply failing me. I realized that sometimes I use my emotions and my legitimate needs to manipulate him, with the unhealthy and wrong motivation to control our relationship... And on top of all these things (or maybe underneath), the Holy Spirit revealed my deep fears and insecurities. Rejection, being a disappointment, being too much. Does he really love me? Is his love genuine?

In the first days of realizing my need for wisdom in learning to better love and respect Ryan, I listened to a sermon called Marriage and Women by Mark Driscoll, the pastor of the church we are attending.  It was one of the many in a series on the book of first Peter. You may know the verses by heart... but for everyone's reminding:

    Wives and Husbands
    1Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.
    7Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

I highlight verse 4 because my heart deeply desires to be a woman whose beauty and love is rooted in a gentle and quiet spirit. However, in my everyday living, I struggle with anxiety and what I like to call craziness. Seemingly uncontrollable emotions, swinging back and forth between truth and lies. But this is not how I want to live. I long to be the woman who is marked by this gentle and quiet spirit. To me, this woman is marked by maturity, intimacy with Christ, and a proper understanding of who she is in relation to God and the people around her. All of these things produce in a woman the ability to live and love gently. For me, I long to be the passionate woman I am rooted in gentleness. Able to love with gentleness, speak truth with gentleness and even correct with gentleness. I long to be a woman who is so aware of the Holy Spirit dancing around her, guiding her with words of wisdom and truth. A woman whose heart is not tormented by fear, anxiety and control, but peace and trust in Christ. A woman who is rooted and established in Christ's love. That nothing could shake her. And the only love that truly sustains her is the Father's.

I wish I could say my pursuit of a gentle and quiet spirit has been successful these past couple of weeks. But I'm not there yet. And I am aware of the echoes of disappointment in my heart since I haven't yet arrived. Even last night, I found myself questioning Ryan's love for me. And two nights ago, I felt so tormented in my sleep as I wrestled with the Father about His love for me. Instead of simply dropping peace into my heart (my preferred method), he revealed deeper areas of my heart and past that need healing. He showed me how I had stopped trusting Him and stopped believing that He was still at work in my heart. At one point I even admitted to Ryan (he was on the phone with me) and God that I felt like the Holy Spirit was holding out on his end of the deal. I cried, "I have prayed and pursued and read the word and it's HIS job to bear fruit in me... but I still DON'T have peace. What am I doing wrong? And where are YOU, God? "

And somehow in His perfect timing, He partly answered me today. Last night was another one of restless sleep, but this morning He met me on my drive into work. One of the things I know God created me to do, a place where I encounter His spirit and the most peace I've ever experienced, is worship, prayer and intentional pursuit of intimacy with the Father. As a new Misty Edward's song played through my speakers, God gave me the ears to REALLY hear His voice in the lyrics. You should go to iTunes and download the entire album right now. The song I was specifically listening to was Arms Wide Open. Here are the lyrics.

    "What does love look like?" is the question I've been pondering
    What does love look like?
    "What does love look like?" is the question I've been asking of You

    I once believed that love was romance just a chance
    I even thought that love was for the lucky and the beautiful
    I once believed that love was a momentary bliss but love is more than this

    If all You ever wanted was my attention, all You ever wanted was love from me
    all you ever wanted was my affections, to sit here at Your feet...
    Then tell me

    "What does love look like?" is the question I've been pondering
    What does love look like if all of life comes down to love
    Then tell me what does love look like
    is the question I've been pondering
    "What does love look like?"

    Then I sat down a little frustrated and confused
    if all of life comes down to love
    then love has to be more than sentiment
    more than selfishness and selfish gain

    Then I saw Him there, hanging on a tree, looking at me
    I saw Him there hanging on a tree looking at me
    He was looking at me looking at him, staring through me
    I could not escape those beautiful eyes
    And I began to weep and weep

    He had arms wide open, a heart exposed
    arms wide open
    he was bleeding, bleeding
    arms wide opened, a heart exposed
    arms wide open
    He was bleeding, bleeding

    Love's definition was looking at me
    Looking at Him hanging on a tree
    I began to weep and weep and weep

    This is how I know what love is
    This is how I know what love is

    As I sat there weeping, crying
    Those beautiful eyes full of desire and love and he said to me

    You shall love me
    You shall love me
    You shall love me

    You shall love with
    arms wide open, a heart exposed
    with arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

    He said, you shall love me with
    arms wide open, a heart exposed
    with arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding

    If anyone's looking for love in all the wrong places
    If you've been searching for love
    Come to me, take up your cross
    Deny yourself forget your father's house and run with me
    Because you were made for abandonment wholeheartedness
    You were made for someone greater someone greater
    So follow me; you'll come alive when you learn to die

    You shall love me, you shall love with
    arms wide open, a heart exposed
    with arms wide open bleeding, sometimes bleeding

Did you get that? We shall LOVE with arms wide open, a heart exposed, with arms wide open, bleeding, sometimes bleeding.  We are to love like Christ: Arms open - in surrender of our own strength and to the Father's will, our hearts exposed - honest and uncensored - in all of our weakness and imperfection, unafraid and unashamed of our deep longing, with arms wide open bleeding, sometimes bleeding - (this conjurs up so many ideas) running desperately after Him through trenches, messy in our failures and weaknesses, our emotions, confessions, with sin still inhabiting our human bodies, with a life that is a living sacrifice giving of all that we are even unto death.

This message of loving and being loved by Christ reminds me of one which IHOP preaches so fervently... I am dark, but lovely. Even in my weakness, I am lovely. Your weak love matters. (The Song of Solomon). The lyrics of this song reflected so much of my honest but extremely weak and messy pursuit of God and the Holy Spirit this past week. I am so struck by the fact that he would accept my weak love, even my self-focused pursuit of his heart. I love this woman's honest and very human pursuit of love. The recognition of the definition of love according to the world. Her frustration and wrestle to understand. It stirs my heart with a hunger to encounter Jesus in the way she did to write this song. I am clearly reminded that truly understanding and experiencing God's love is born out of simply being and sitting with the Father. So tonight, that is my prayer. Capture my attention, Jesus. Give me doves eyes, focused on you. I trust you. Keep teaching me to love like you. To live like you. To be the woman of love and peace I know you have made me to be.

To preface my upcoming blogs...

I need to write. Really. Not for anyone who may be reading, but for myself. My heart. And honestly, my brain. I've been walking on quite a road for the past several months and I have arrived at the point of realizing my desperate need to express myself verbally. Writing, words, thoughts, dreams... they're how I live and especially how I love. I'll be honest, I LOVE verbally telling someone how much I love them - in a card, over coffee, through a text or email, I'll even grab you by the cheeks and tell you how much Jesus loves you, if you let me... I don't know why, but my HEART gets so much fulfillment in giving away words. And then there are the other words. My 'deep thoughts', the questions I have about life, the passions I am pursuing, my frustrations and pain, my honest and uncensored walk with Jesus. I NEED to verbalize these thoughts... And I haven't been. But I have to try. Even if it's for the sake of a few more restful hours of sleep at night... (Though I know the results will go beyond this desire!)

Anyway, I thought I'd begin by sharing a blog I recently read from a Pastor's blog that I frequent. I have several pastors' blogs feeding into my Google reader, but now most blog posts sit marked as unread. Except one, Jason Holdridge. He's raw. He's real. He's SO HONEST. He's spilled his guts online - joy, pain, family, solitude, pursuit of God, distance from Him. I love his uncensored way because I can relate to his "human/new creation" relationship with the Father. People like him give me courage to write even more honestly. I'm thankful for this man and his words.

Usually I would simply provide my readers with a link to the corresponding webpage, but instead I'm going to paste the entire blog post here. For your convenience and mostly because I want you to read his thoughts. I need you to read this post. I long to be honest and live with uncensored words too. And I'm going to attempt to here. I pray that my words would not cause harm, fear of distress to you, but that you would come along side me in this narrow road we travel on, pray that God would give me courage to write and enable me to truly know Him better through this experience... Thank you!

"I didn't have the heart to tell them." - Jason Holdridge

I heard someone say this the other day and for some reason it just lingered inside my head the whole night. I made a mental note of it and went on with my life. But over the course of the last several days I feel like I've heard it a couple more times in different contexts of humanity.

It takes heart to share certain things with certain people. I think it's easy to just glide through life taking the path of least resistance with the convoluted motto: "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will". A motto I've found to be so misleading it makes me want to vomit. I think the most dangerous place to be is in the center of God's will. Climb into God's will and you'll experience butterflies and battlefields like never before. You'll be called upon to do the unthinkable. You'll undergo a gauntlet of misunderstandings. And above all, you'll be asked by God to muster the pluck (heart) to tell people things that are unnatural to say out loud.

It reminds me of what Jesus told Peter just before he took off and went to sit at the right hand of his Daddy, "You used to be able to dress yourself and go where you wanted to go, but now someone else will dress you and you will go where you don't want to go." A very interesting bit of enlightenment from the Messiah as to the rigors of discipleship. Namely, "you are in for a counter-intuitive" Jesus-journey. You will be asked to do things that any thinking human being would intelligently decline. You will be taken to places that will crucify you upside down. You will be invited to join Jesus in proclaiming his upside-down, inside-out Kingdom message...a message that, frankly, people will feel uncomfortable with. They will kick against the goads. Heck, we will kick against the same goads on days wondering if their is any other way -- "let this cup pass from me"?

Sometimes I struggle to have the heart to tell people what they desperately need to hear. I'm scared of their reaction. I'm wondering if it will sound maudlin and sappy. I'm scared to tell my wife what's bothering me. I'm fearful that my dad wouldn't understand. I don't want to go first risking no reciprocation. I'm nervous of being misunderstood by my colleagues. I'm anxious that it will come out wrong or that I'm in no moral position to point out the glaringly obvious. I feel my insides contracting and constricting with self-doubt and self-paralysis.

Even in ministry, I can sense when it's time to go there. God is telling me to address something that can't be delayed another day. To broach the issue. To ask the question. To share the dream. To wonder out loud in the presence of the staff. To ask my wife the fearful question, "What's wrong?" Oh my, having the heart to go there not knowing where there might take you is often a daunting notion. In some ways, I'd rather go anywhere but there. Is there another way? Can't someone else do it? I'm not equal to the task! I'm out of my league!

And then the voice of God whispers in the stillness and the smallness I've become accustomed to: "Now is the time, this is place, you are the person. I will be with you." And with painful trepidation, I muster the man inside me to take heart and speak truth as I see it. I may not always be right, but at least I'm not living in silent misery. I'm making my mark on the sands of time. I'm staking my claim. I'm numbering my days instead of numbing them.

Lord, give me the heart to tell people whatever you lay on my heart to share. "I love you." "You make me proud." "I disagree with you." "I have an idea." "I'm scared, are you?" "Thank you." "I miss your friendship." "That is sin." "I'm depressed and borderline suicidal." "I'm lonely, can we meet up sometime?" "You hurt my feelings." "You make me very, very happy." "Are you ok?" "Why do you keep doing that?" "I'm going down...I need help." "I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?" "You know what I love about you...?" Yeah...give me the heart to tell people what could easily just rot inside my soul.

I want to number my days instead of numbing them.

Behind the Red Glass

England, originally uploaded by bethanylee.

Almost a year ago in England with two incredible gals! For Jennalise's hen party we trapsed around the city of London and its surrounding parts. We enjoyed being tourists!

Two guys in a bar.

Yesterday was Saturday. Ryan and I spent the afternoon on a hunt for some Christmas spirit. We had the itch to buy and decorate a tree, but decided to hold off until after Thanksgiving. We did get some incredible ornaments at the Dollar Tree... but before embarking on our holiday adventure, we grabbed some dinner at El Toro in downtown Tacoma. I was craving the green salsa. We sat in the bar which resulted in free nachos with Ryan's drink. While we were waiting for our food, I over heard two guys who were also sitting in the bar. I was a bit surprised by their conversation. It wasn't the usual dissection of the multiple college football games that had been on TV that afternoon or their plans for the rest of the evening (it was only 4:30pm). Instead I overheard Guy #1 tell Guy #2 that he felt that Guy #3 (absent) had negative energies. Guy #1 continued to explain to Guy #2 that he believed in Karma and then went on to explain his reasoning.

I looked at Ryan and we both grinned at each other.

And so I embark down a new road of writing. Mostly for my own sanity and to better understand reality.

When I overhear conversations like the one in the bar last night, I can't help but wonder...

• What exactly is Karma and "energies"?
• Why is it so appealing to so many individuals? What really makes it so attractive?
• What are the positive and negative repercussions for humanity?
  
• What's the history of Karma and out of what worldview did it come?
• Is it a complete source of redemption? Or is it lacking, and if so, in what areas?
• How close does it match up to reality?
• What are the ideologies at the foundation of this thinking?
• How does it compare/contrast with the Christian worldview?

Over the past several months, the Holy Spirit has slowly been giving me revelation into a part of my identity, I didn't know much about.

I am an ambassador of Christ. I've been called to represent his kingdom. I have been given the task of reconciling all of creation to himself. I am on a mission to make known his truth by subduing all false ideologies that are set up against the knowledge of Christ - the embodiment of truth. First, his children and second, the rest of culture: art, philosophy, government, family, education, and more...

Although, I know that the outcome of a conversation with someone like Guy #1 does not ultimately rest on my shoulders and that the Holy Spirit will enable me to speak truth with boldness (Luke 21:14-15), I firmly believe that Christ has called me as his ambassador to be prepared with an educated answer to bring light to his Truth (1 Peter 3:15)!

I'll end with this... First century. Paul in Athens. He spends his days in the temple and in the marketplace reasoning with those who happened to be there. Some of the major players? Stoics and Epicureans. Stoics were pantheists who believed that the universe is god and that our lives are pre-determined. The Epicureans were materialists. They reduced all of the complexities of life to merely matter: atoms. (Pretty hopeless, but not unlike the ideologies fueling the conversations we encounter today) Paul, an educated man understood their ideologies and knew how to dialogue with them in a meaningful conversation. Not only did he reference Greek literature and poetry, he challenged their foundational belief systems. He spoke of God as the creator and referenced nature as giving evidence for the existence of God, he described Him as knowable and close to humanity, ultimately desiring personal relationship with us. An incredible conversation. Paul spoke in familiar phrases, referencing their ideologies to ultimately bring light to the reality of Christ.

Isn't it incredible? The gospel is so strong! And on a side note... At the time of Paul's conversations, there were thousands upon thousands of Greek gods who each had their own temple and celebrations on a daily basis... but guess what... JESUS WON!! The gospel of Jesus Christ prevailed in Greece! Today, over two thousand years later, 98% of Greeks today will claim Christianity! Did you hear that?! Out of tens of thousands of gods who were worshiped in Athens, our JESUS WON!

Grow me as an ambassador and apologist for the Father.

Thomas Jefferson

"Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves."

--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787

Photos :-)

For all you who enjoy photography!

My website/blog is live: www.effulgencephotography.com

H-Family in Tacoma

Loved this location at Fort Steillacoom Park in Tacoma... Perfect sunlight... Little T was SO entertaining...

Great Lash.

Preparations were done at Lora and Ryan's new apartment downtown Tacoma! Beautiful, huh? AWESOME windows!

At the Pagoda...

A good friend of mine got married yesterday here in Tacoma... Ryan and I photographed their wedding... Everything was so beautiful AND there was sunshine! A miracle in the Northwest!

Just a sneak peek...

April 21, 2009.

Tomorrow, April 21, 2009, is Holocaust Remembrance Day...

From the US Holocaust Memorial Museum...

NEVER AGAIN: What you do matters.

Remembrance obligates us not only to memorialize those who were killed in the Holocaust but also to reflect on what could have been done to save them. An engaged citizenry that embraces the power of the individual to make a difference is the frontline defense for strong, just societies. What we do—or choose not to do—matters.

Last night we watched, The Courageous Heart, about Irena Sendler who risked her life in order to save approximately 2500 children from a Polish Ghetto. It's the 4th movie (The Boy in Striped Pajamas, Defiance, Sophie Scholl, The Courageous Heart) I've seen in the past 5 months about World War II and the Holocaust... (It seems a bit 'ironic' and leaves me wondering if Jesus is trying to send our hearts a message - I remember asking Ryan a few times if it was anything out of the ordinary for so many movies to be shown at the same time...) Anyway, my heart has been so stirred... There's something that whispers in the quiet of my Spirit... Beckoning me to live for something worth dying for... I ponder a message by Richard Dahlstrom on Palm Sunday... He shared the heralded idea of simply LOVING Jesus... and all that he offers - love, compassion, service... but when it came down to it... But the question he posed is, "How did the 'world' turn against Jesus in just one week?" He proposed that though the ways of Jesus are attractive, the cost of truly following Him proved to be much more than what people bargained for... I guess I've wondered... How much of this is my reality? I mean truly. I LOVE the ways of Jesus and long to be like him - but sometimes the cost does feel too weighty... or instead I throw it over my shoulder as if it weighs nothing... not understanding what He's really asking of my heart...

Several months ago Pastor Richard Dahlstrom at Bethany Community Church of Seattle shared the story of Sophie Scholl, a college girl who was killed for her association with The White Rose... She, her brother and close friend published documents in opposition to the Nazi way of thinking. In the end they were all three beheaded for their efforts.

The point is that all through history, people have had the courage to stand apart from the prevailing ruling powers in order to defend those who can't defend themselves, or inorder to bring a particular evil into the light. This is the responsibility of people of faith, and when we abdicate that responsibility we rob the gospel of its power, and in doing so distort its true nature, for it is intended to bring "freedom to captives, justice for the oppressed" and so much more to our broken and hurting world."

Do you feel it? Can you hear Him calling you out? For me, it's whispers towards a life of faith. Faith that my fasting and praying CAN change history. That my cries for those who are silent in the womb would be heard by the Most High. That His kingdom would be uninhibitedly revealed through my life and on this earth.

So I speak to myself just as much as you today... What you do matters.

It's true...

It really has felt like forever since I've written anything meaningful.... And honestly, I don't have much to write. There are always things rumbling around in my mind but I don't know if I have anything meaningful enough to articulate at this point...

So here's a little update on my life... :-)

It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL outside today! I had my first picnic table lunch here at Parkland Chevrolet and loved it... The first of many, I hope! Good lunch. More leftover chili from Ryan's birthday dinner on Saturday evening, a good book, Loving Our Kids on Purpose, and a conversation with a stranger. Wow, what a story HE has! He and his wife have been retired for the past 6 years. 30 some years ago he moved here to Tacoma as an employee of Boeing... Now he spends his time in his garden and traveling. He and his wife will be finishing up their Lewis and Clark adventures across the US in a few weeks! And then be making their way on a tour of Europe later this summer... He has hopes of returning back to his family in Cape Cod but will miss the mountains and hiking... It was such a fun conversation, though admittedly he wished he was at home in his garden rather than waiting for an oil change and anticipating a conversation with a Sears employee over his new and broken freezer... I just love people... :-)

So, I just started reading the above mentioned book last night when I crawled into bed. Good stuff. The author begins with the "why" on loving our kids. He explains that most parenting techniques focus on obedience and would qualify this method of parenting as the lesser way... As it produces a fear of failure in children and often emphasizes rules over relationship. I'm only a little way into the first chapter but have already been challenged by my own default response to the people in my life who may stumble in disobedience. I realize how quickly, I desire to have it simply eradicated from someone's life... While my motivation may be pure, I think I am missing the point... The author proceeds to dive into how this all relates to the covenants of both the Old and the New Testament in the Bible. (The Old being composed of an external blessings and punishment based on our obedience and the New relating through an internal law that has been "written on our hearts")

"When the law is written on our hearts and minds and when God Himself dwells in us, we no longer need to be controlled from the outside, because we have the capability and responsibility to controll our selves - to tell ourselves what to do and to make ourselves do it... Because sin has been dealt with in the new Covenant, we no longer need to be punished or controlled but need to learn to manage our freedom respnsibly, which chanes the goal of government as well as the goal of parenting. When love and freedom replace punishment and fear as the motivating forces in the relationship between parent and child, the quality of life improves dramatically for all involved. They feel safe with each other, and the anxiety that created distance in the relationship is chased away by the sense of love, honor, and value for one another."

I look forward to more of his insight and I also find myself pondering my childhood and what it was like growing up... Revisiting what relationships looked like in my family and how we related to one another... Though I am sure that all of this will be helpful in parenting one day, my heart is to truly learn to love those who already surround me... To truly live deeply with those people: Ryan - my boyfriend, the Gentile's - my family I live with, my accountability partner and close friend - Jenny, my boss and co-workers... I long to know how to release my friends into greater freedom through love.

Anyway... That's not really what I intended to write, but good stuff anyway!

Yesterday was Ryan and my 6mo lunaversary. Haha. That's what he always says - as anniversary is defined at the year and luna - the month. We had SUCH an amazing day! We spent our time down at Ocean Shores. Let me just tell you that it was SOOO beautiful! In my few trips to the ocean (here in WA or OR) it's ALWAYS been COLDDDD. But yesterday was PERFECT! We spread out a blanket on the sand and soaked up some amazing rays... Definitely NOT warm enough for bathing suits but still just a wonderful... Good snacks, good company, a nice nap and a book... *sigh* Absolutely amazing! I really wanted to find a sand dollar but was a bit disappointed to find that the unbroken ones were still alive... Haha... So instead we tossed them back into the sea and I came home with a half of one all dried out. :-) I asked Ryan on the way home, if I could have put one of the live ones in the oven and he said that my idea was so mean and would make the house stink like dead fish.

Saturday, Ryan went to Crystal Mountain - snowboarding with his roommates, Jay and Jacob and one of his best friends, Garrett. Apparently it was phenomenal and BEAUTIFUL weather! They all three came home with sunburned faces and worn out bodies. It was a late birthday gift to Ryan and we all finished the day with homemade chili - that was delicious! And Ryan's favorite, cheesecake from Costco!

So there's my latest for you... I would love to keep you more updated... I think I just figure after not writing in so long, what do I have to say?! So much and so little to share... Oh - I've also been doing some more photography and learning a lot about light and the such... I need to finalize my website and then I can share it with you! :-) I hope you're doing well - if anyone is still out there reading!

Bless you today and hopefully you'll hear from me again soon!

Teach me to dance.

I'm at work and don't have any real time to be blogging. So with a quick "hello" and an "I'm sorry for not blogging" apology... There's only one thing left to say...

...i LOVE Slumdog Millionaire. Reading the articles about the children celebrating in the streets of Mumbai this morning made my blood dance under my skin... The beauty, the life, the rescue, the LOVE - it all brings tears to my eyes. I can't stop thinking about the movie. You must see it. As I walked through the showroom floor, Good Morning America was elaborating on the dance choreography for the Oscar winning song, "Jai Ho..." I love it. Jesus, give me the heart for your children. Teach me to dance...

Expand our hearts. Cause us to know you and see the things you see your eyes. May You continue to awaken us to the beauty of your image within people and LIFE across the world.

"The winners have done India proud," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

In the Mumbai slums where the film was shot, children broke into impromptu Bollywood dancing, and crowds cheered as neighbors huddled around the available television sets.

My heart can hardly contain the joy, the life and heart that runs through my veins today...It's a day to celebrate the fullness of humanity! In the slums of India and the riches of Hollywood!

Further Slumdog insight...