Beth Moore-The Hairbrush Experience

For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.

This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville, waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you. You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons not the least of which is your ego.

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport...an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served on a wheelchair only a few seats from me.

All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him. Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man. I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing. I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!"

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, "Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane."

Then I heard it... "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, "God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man."

Again as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. "That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair."

I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, "Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?"

To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that."

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?"

At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Longlocks.

Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush."

"I have one in my bag," he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair. Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while. The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?"

He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride."

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it. Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?"

I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way, all because I didn't want people to think I was strange. God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Dissecting a Cow's Eyeball!

Last month I drove to Hattiesburg, MS to attend a weekend class for the deafblind degree I am working on. We were required to dissect a cow's eye as part of our midterm exam. My cow's eyeball was huge, the size of the palm of my hand, and then attached to the eye was muscle and fat also! Disturbingly, there were also two eyelashes still attached that I could not pull off with tweezers.

We were instructed to cut the eye open, and find the lens inside the eye. When I cut the eye open, black gushed out. I asked the teacher "What is the black stuff?" and she looked at me as if I were kidding and said "Blood..." (as if she were saying duh...). That stumped me, and I actually said "Oh, humans have red blood, and cows have black blood?!" Bobby still can't believe I asked that, but really, how am I suppose to know about a cow's blood?! The teacher told me no, that we all have blue blood until it hits the air, then it turns red, I knew that... but what I didn't know and learned from her explanation was that blood turns black after someone dies! She asked me "Don't you watch C.S.I.?". Umm, no. I watch "Grey's Anatomy", and the blood is still red on that show... So I was humiliated and acted engrossed in my eyeball so attention would be diverted elsewhere. The girl next to me leaned over then and whispered "I am glad you are here, you ask the questions I am too afraid to ask!" That is because I lack the "inhibition gene" which most people do have, the one that prevents every thought that passes through my mind from being spoken! ;)

When I did find the lens, it was actually very cool. It was similar in shape and texture to a "smashed marble", it was even as hard as a marble. When I placed it over text, the lens actually enlarged the text as a magnifier would! This degree is definitely challenging, but fascinating...

Taco Bell Opens in my Itty-Bitty-City!!!

Today was the grand opening of "Taco Bell" in my itty-bitty-city! Those of you who know me know how much I love Taco Bell! So I left work today and drove to the Taco Bell, ready to enjoy a meal of fine Mexican cuisine... When I neared the Taco Bell, traffic was literally backed up, because the drive-thru line was backed up into the street! A manager was directing traffic in the parking lot, and he had to escort me to a parking spot when I told him I did not want to go through the drive-thru. I ordered my meal, and only 30 minutes later I was served! As I ate my meal I noticed there were three managers directing traffic, and one policeman writing up an accident report in the parking lot as well. Apparently everyone who lives in my itty-bitty-city all wanted to indulge in the fine Mexican cuisine of "Taco Bell"!!! ;)

I wasn't planning on going on opening day, I really thought it had opened yesterday. This makes two grand openings of Taco Bell I have attended, the first one being in England. I took Zach in his stroller, and we waited 45 minutes in line to order, and 45 minutes for our food that day. Zach had his first taste of "adult food", I let him have a nacho supreme chip, fully loaded! Now Zach loves Taco Bell also, his favorite meal is the "number 7" which is the chicken quesadilla with a taco and drink.

A Sentimental Pineapple Charm!

Today I bought a silver pineapple charm for my charm bracelet, and I am so excited! When Graden was first learning to talk, Bobby would show him pictures and ask "What's this?!" and wait for Graden to answer. One day Bobby showed Graden a picture of a pineapple, and asked Graden to tell him what the picture was. Graden answered "House!!". At first Bobby didn't know why he had said house, but then he realized that Graden had watched so many episodes of "SpongeBob Squarepants" he thought pineapples were houses!

It was such an adorable moment with Graden, I had to have the charm when I saw it... :)

The Books I Am Reading For This Semester!
Current mood: energetic


This weekend was the Orientation Weekend for my second master's degree I am earning from University of Southern Mississippi. The degree I am earning will train me to teach children and young adults that are deafblind, meaning they are deaf and blind, not an either or...

At the orientation, they told us we will be dissecting a cow's eyeball next month! Ugh... :) They also told us that next year they are paying all expenses to send the students to Long Island, New York to do a field observation at the Helen Keller Center!!! I am so excited about that!

Then they gave us the books we are required to read THIS SEMESTER, meaning we will have even more books next semester! Here is the list:

1. Hand in Hand: Essentials of Communcication and Orientation and Mobility for Your Students Who Are Deaf-Blind. Volumes 1 and 2 (over 800 pages)

2. Learning Media Assessment of Students with Visual Impairment (over 200 pages)

3. Remarkable Conversations: A Guide to developing meaningful communication with children and young adults who are deafblind. (over 300 pages)

4. Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical and Functional Perspectives (nearly 500 pages!)

5. Program in Low Vision Therapy (nearly 200 pages)

6. Dictionary of Eye Terminology (288 pages)

7. Vaughan & Asbury's General Opthalmology (466 pages)

8. A Guide to Planning and Support for Individuals Who Are Deafblind (over 500 pages)

9. Children with Disabilities (nearly 900 pages)

I am sure we won't read every page of every book, but I do know I am going to have a lot of required readings this semester! So much for my leisurely reading of "War and Peace"! ;) I am so excited to have been accepted! Dr. McDowell told us they had 526 total applicants and accepted a total of 46 over the past four years. I will be in the last cohort group, and will be graduating in 2009. This degree is entirely paid for, our tuition and books, and even traveling expenses. I am very blessed!

Love,
Jennifer

Funny Sixth Grade Student Story!

One of my sixth grade students asked me Friday "What is a stripper?" I didn't really know how to answer that, so I said "Sometimes when a house needs to be painted, the old paint peels, and you have to hire a person to come peel the old paint off the house. You call the person who does that a 'stripper'."

He thought about this for a minute and said "There must be two meanings for stripper then!"

Sigh... ;)

I Was Accepted!

The University of Southern Mississippi called today to tell me I have been re-accepted into the Master of Science-Special Education-Severe/Profound program. I will be earning a degree in Deaf/Blind- Dual Impairments.

I had been accepted last year, but turned it down because I had just finished my Master of Arts in Teaching, and I wasn't ready to write papers again... Sigh... I still don't really want to, but this degree will help me with my special education teaching. I am really excited!

They only accepted 10 for next year, because the government pays for the entire program. My tuition, books, travel expenses, and child-care expenses are all paid for. In exchange, I have to teach SPED in MS for two years, which I am already doing... :)

My Favorite "Grey's Anatomy" Quote...

This is my all-time favorite quote from the show, "Grey's Anatomy".

My Favorite Quote from "Grey's Anatomy":
Meredith: I lied. I'm not...out...of this relationship. I'm in. I'm so in, it's humiliating, because here I am, begging--
Derek: Mere--
Meredith: Just...shut up. You say Meredith and I yell, remember?
Derek: Yeah.
Meredith: OK, Here it is. Your choice, it's simple. Her or me. And I'm sure she's really great. But Derek...I love you. In a really, really big...pretend to like your taste in music... let you eat the last piece of cheesecake... hold a radio over my head outside your bedroom window... unfortunate way that makes me hate you...love you. So pick me. Choose me. Love me. I'll be at Joe's tonight...so if you do decide...to sign the papers...meet me there.


I was bawling when that scene was over! Of course, those tears were nothing compared to when Denny dies last season in the season finale. I could not believe it, I felt as if the air had been sucked out of me when Izzie was laying in his bed crying...

Disastrous Day! ;)

Yesterday Bobby saw my profile while I was looking on my page, and he read where I wrote "Yummy Wentworth Miller". He has teased me non-stop since then about using the word "yummy" about a guy when I am married! He said "I am going to make a page with pictures of Carmen Elektra and write "Yummy" all over my page!" or "Am I yummy?" Then he walks around the house going "Ummm... Yummy!" I explained to him it was a twist on Grey's Anatomy where they call people yummy, or actually McYummy, McDreamy, McSteamy, etc... I told him I liked the personality of the character the actor plays on "Prison Break". So he said "No, you didn't put "Yummy personality"!" Ughh!!! ;) And then, once again I received the reminder "We need TWO adults in this marriage, Jennifer. TWO!" ;)



And the disaster of the day was when I decided to try to color my own hair, even though I have NEVER once did it successfully on my own. So I go to Wal-Mart, get a box of light ash brown, and color my hair. It comes out too light for my taste, almost blonde with red even though I used an ash (My hair always grabs red, no matter what!). I didn't like it, so I went back back and got medium reddish brown. That turned my hair a clownish coppery-orange! The ends were now black, the middle red, and the roots orange, no exaggeration! I was in tears by then because I go back to work next Wednesday, so I went back to Wal-Mart and had highlights put in professionally at their salon. The stylist tried to put a toner in my hair to calm the color down I had put in, but that didn't work. She did put some blonde and caramel highlights throughout my hair, and that does look a lot better, if you can get past the copper red at the roots, ughh!! Everytime I try to color my own hair, I promise it will be the last time. Hopefully I have finally learned my lesson, an expensive one, too!

Our Day at the Waterpark!

Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early to go to Geyser Falls waterpark in Philidelphia, MS. Gibson went to Mamaw and Papaw's house to be spoiled, he is still too little to spend a day outside in the heat... Bobby, Graden, Zach and I loaded into the van, and begun the 2 1/2 hour drive to the park...

Graden and Zach played Metroid the entire trip up there. They have played that game together all summer with Bobby, so much so that Bobby now refers to the three of them as "The Metroid Monkeys". It is like listening to another language, and there is no telling how many times I have heard "Yes! I killed the Motherbrain!". ;)

We got to the park and paid our eighty dollars to get in, and the children chose the "Lazy River" to go into first. Graden didn't want to ride on an inner tube, so he wrapped his arms around my neck and rode me through the entire river! He would make me walk through the waterfall with him on my back, squealing with delight. My legs however were squealing from being overworked! The kids wanted to play the majority of their time on the "Creaky Water Factory". A huge, multi-leveled park that water pours everywhere, the entire time. There is literally no way to avoid getting wet on this attraction. The kids love climbing the rope nets to get up to the waterslides, over and over and over... Of course I had to do it each time along with them, to make sure they were ok! It was definitely a work out for myself. Bobby positioned himself by a water gun and hoses, and would spray the people across from him if they attacked little children with thier water weapons. Bobby loves, loves, loves to do that! He said there was a girl there who was pouring water on little toddlers, so while she would do that, Bobby would soak her with his hose. She became so angry at Bobby she shook her fist at him and reported him to the lifeguard. The lifeguard told her she was doing the exact same thing to little children, and laughed that she would complain... Zach really loved the wave pool, so we went over there for a few minutes. Both children enjoyed playing on the beach located by the restraunt we ate lunch at. Zach had an order of nachos that was the size of a small mountain! He ate quite a bit of it, too! Bobby ordered a BLT wrap that was mostly eaten by Graden. It does not matter what Graden orders, your order is always going to look better to him when the food is served! :)

At the end of the day (for us!) we told the boys it was time to go home. Graden was so upset, he started crying and saying he didn't want to leave. I told him we would stop and get a candy bar, and he starts running excitedly, yelling "My daddy is getting me a candy bar!". Graden played Metroid the entire drive home (after eating his M&M's, Mt. Dew, and a bit of Zach's Tootsie Roll, too!) while Zach took a long nap. It was a great day at the waterpark, we all enjoyed ourselves very much!



www.geyserfalls.com