What’s Going On?! Life Is Socially Packed Right Now!

I’m starting to feel like a regular socialite, only without all the fancy dresses and a rich husband. And if I were a true Houston socialite, I would be living in River Oaks, throwing holiday parties that include valet parking for my guests. Geez…there is valet parking everywhere in this city!

So although I’m not rich and I’m perfectly content on a journalist’s salary, I am living it up socially! It is Christmas party season! And to kick off the parties, my favorite comedian, Anjelah Johnson, is coming back to town this weekend! That’s right! Only a few months after she wow’d me and my friends with her live renditions of Bon Qui Qui and the nail salon lady, she’s coming back to H-Town. So we’re planning on hitting that up on Sunday, and I might even buy a “You Have Boyfriend?” T-shirt this time.

Also this weekend, my KidsLife drama team is performing our big Christmas show! These kids are ridiculously talented. They put me to shame. If you want to see adorably talented kids singing, acting and dancing, come to any of the Lakewood services this weekend — KidsLife — not main service.

Last night I had a chance to attend a preview party for a new exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science called “The Birth of Christianity: A Jewish Story.”
In addition to enjoying the beautiful atmosphere of the museum decorated for Christmas along with a nice glass of Chardonnay, I relished the exhibit. It contains artifacts from BC that help us understand what life was like for Jews. One of my favorite items was an alabaster bath tub that weighs more than 1.5 tons! In addition, the exhibit features part of the prophetic Old Testament Book of Isaiah – one of the original Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. You can also see fragments of pages from parts of the original New Testament. It was fascinating to look at pages that may have actually been written by John, Luke and Paul.

When we aren’t traipsing around museums, my friend Annie (birthday girl mentioned in earlier blog) and I have been helping our friend Tony Casela(from the band Deafening) get more gigs around town. Last night we listened to him perform at Berryhill Baha Grill and he rocked like usual. The only thing that didn’t rock was the drunk guys trying to hit on us.

While I haven’t been getting much sleep, I figure that I will never be in this fun, single season of life again, so I may as well live it up!

Once Upon A Time There Was A Princess Named Annie

Yesterday was the birthday of my dear friend Annie.
Annie is unlike anyone I have ever met. She reminds me of the princess in the movie Enchanted because she has such a childlike innocence, and she honestly seems like she is in a different realm than most people. What sets Annie apart from other people is that she has real faith. It’s a trusting faith in her Daddy God that He will give her the desires of her heart. Her faith has inspired me and so many other people to believe God for His best, and also to share our faith with others.

Annie and I like to tell people that we met on eHarmony because we get a kick out of the raised eyebrows we always see as a response. Actually, I met Drew on eHarmony, and Annie met Jerry on eHarmony. Then we met each other while on a double date at Outback and a Jeremy Camp concert. And the rest is history. We figured out that we both love Jesus and are crazy adventurous. So over the last 9 months of our friendship, we have had many adventures, such as…

*Riding horses in the middle of nowhere, Texas with her friend Jerrell.
*Me teaching Annie how to use the weights and elliptical at the gym. After a few minutes of weight training, she quickly informed me that she does not desire to have muscles.
*Annie coming to work with me at Hart as a temporary starting in September. What we didn’t know is that the temporary position would last indefinitely (she’s still here!). So now every day is filled with Annie/Lindsay fun!
*Annie waking up early one Saturday morning to take me to the Ten for Texas race in the Woodlands.
*Praying on the mattress in the extra bedroom(s) in my house.
*Going to see Anjelah Johnson’s comedy show and watching Bon Qui Qui over and over again afterwards.
*Annie being used to introduce me to so many of my friends in Houston — Kelly, Kyle, Tony, Bridget, and the list keeps getting longer by the day!

Annie, you have been used by God to bring so much joy into my life! I love the way you embrace every day and put people as top priority. You are such a servant, and I have so much love for you, my sister! Remember, you can do anything, because you rock!!! Happy birthday.

Night at the comedy club with Anjelah Johnson

Last night, my friends, Jerry, Annie and I were passing a local Improv club and I noticed the “Now Playing” marquee read: “Anjelah Johnson.” I had seen Anjelah’s nail salon bit on YouTube, and without hesitation, I basically shrieked, “Guys, we should see if they have any tickets left for her!”

Though the show was supposed to be sold out, the club just happened to have exactly 3 seats open. We grabbed our seats just as Anjelah was taking her seat. About a quarter of the way into her shtick, I turned to Jerry and said, “I wonder if she’s a Christian. She’s totally different from most comedians.”

Instead of her humor leaving her audience feeling a little nasty and naughty for having laughed at the jokes, it left us feeling like we were kids again — a pure, silly humor. She never once cursed or used any humor that was remotely vulgar. One of my favorite routines was actually her bit on “church folks.” She joked how sometimes people at church like to disguise gossip for prayer requests:

(Anjelah in a valley girl voice) “Jesus, we pray for Julie, who just found out she’s pregnant. We just believe that you are Almighty God and you are able to reveal to her who the father is.”

Anjelah just joined the cast of MADTv this season, where she’s become most famous for her Bon Qui Qui sketch. “Security! Security!”

Anjelah is doing what I wish more Christian artists did more (something I wish I did more): Use their gifts and talents to the max in the secular world to bring more goodness and purity to a very dirty, messed up world. If you want to read more about using your talents to impact the world, I highly recommend the books Roaring Lambs and Eyes Wide Open.

I also encourage you to support artists like Anjelah who are making such a positive impact on the world by counteracting the negativity of some art. Check out Anjelah’s MySpace page here.