tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973Mon, 07 Oct 2024 04:19:58 +0000book reviewsessaystrustcouragefamilyjust for funforgivenessfriendshipworshipChristmasGivingcreativityencouragementfaithfoodhopeindecisionjoymovie reviewspoliticsracestoriestechnologyworking worldIt's not Spanish. It's Southern beauty shop.http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)Blogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-1943317003891533047Wed, 22 Dec 2010 16:20:00 +00002010-12-22T11:20:42.670-05:00Hi everyone, Just wanted to let you all know that this blog is moving!  You can find me here:  http://www.lkayjohnson.wordpress.com.  I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but it's only because I've been doing a lot of writing. I hope you'll visit my new blog and (soon) updated website.  I'm working on lots of writing projects that I look forward to sharing with you! Merry http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/12/moving-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-5397242667344976631Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:10:00 +00002010-12-10T17:10:40.474-05:00encouragementfriendshipOn Monday, I was at a Christmas party where I somehow ended up talking with my friend Jeanne about our first jobs. I laughed when I recalled my first job at Baskin Robbins where I quickly gained 10 lbs.!  "What was your favorite flavor?" she asked, awaiting my answer with the eager anticipation of a 10-year-old.  "Pralines and creme."   "No way!" she said, "Me too!"  We http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/12/encouragement-in-new-york-super-fudge.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-5505972239887264623Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:05:00 +00002010-12-01T14:06:00.047-05:00creativity My husband cannot resist side streets and detours. When traveling, he is equal parts instigator of adventures and destroyer of “best laid plans.” I can no longer number the times we have headed for some destination—any destination—when something catches his attention that demands further investigation: an undiscovered alleyway, a cool shop he never noticed before, a side road that leads http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/12/side-streets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-3443425726752920057Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:00:00 +00002010-10-07T05:00:07.557-04:00familyfoodThe trick to making good biscuits is to handle the dough tenderly. You just knead it for a minute, very softly, like patting a baby’s butt. I can just picture Nanny’s hands now—they were not the hands of a Southern belle. But then again, this was not the South of the debutantes. Hers were hands that had worked, snapped beans, and sewn a flock of feed sack dresses. These were not hands that held ahttp://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/10/southern-biscuits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-1760212220271545101Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:00:00 +00002010-10-05T05:00:04.790-04:00book reviewsCrazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Crazy Love by Francis Chen is a wake-up call to 21st century, comfortable, wealthy Christians, particularly in North America. Chen’s challenge is to recognize the fact that we have been given a treasure beyond our ability to even grasp—but it is given in order to share, not hoard. Even more, we are to share withhttp://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/10/crazy-love-overwhelmed-by-relentless.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-9057538696967670178Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:16:00 +00002010-10-02T14:16:52.245-04:00book reviews My rating: 4 of 5 stars Anne Jackson's book, Permission to Speak Freely, is part confessional and part invitation to confess. Her book started as a question on her blog: “What is one thing you feel you can't say in church?” The question struck a nerve and went viral—a blogger bonanza. When the responses piled up and went global, Jackson wanted to understand why. Her conclusion is somewhat http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/10/permission-to-speak-freely.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-1214210879377353168Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:23:00 +00002010-09-28T15:23:16.882-04:00courageessaysNot long ago, I heard a special radio broadcast that included interviews from people like you and me who reminisced about where they were when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. It was fascinating to hear everyone's memories. (I have searched NPRs website to find a link to the program to no avail. If anyone out there does know where to find this broadcast, shoot me a link.) The program got me to http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/09/apollo-11-and-possibilities.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-8515611801532853981Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:30:00 +00002010-09-28T16:16:52.665-04:00book reviewsThe Help by Kathryn Stockett My rating: 5 of 5 stars No doubt, there will be those who will hate this book and say that Kathryn Stockett was presumptuous to write it in the first place. But I will not be one of them. Stockett's story about “Skeeter,” a young white Mississippi woman in the 60s who decides to secretly interview the household help of her junior league friends so she can write http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/08/help-by-kathryn-stockett-my-rating-5-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-5662570497565151826Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:34:00 +00002010-09-28T16:18:46.515-04:00book reviewsHow The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins Another great read from Jim Collins. In this short read, Collins starts with a basic question: How do great companies lose it? Are there common signs to indicate a company--once considered high performing--is now in decline? If so, what are they? And when is it too late to stop the downward slide? It's a fascinating http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-mighty-fall-and-why-some-companies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-8481671029434314414Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:16:00 +00002010-08-16T17:44:15.548-04:00book reviewsMaster and Commander by Patrick O'Brian My rating: 3 of 5 stars While O'Brian is clearly thorough about his research and is passionate about the subject matter, I just could not get into this story. I listened to this book on an audio download, and that may have been part of the problem, but O'Brian's focus on the riggings of a ship and his detailed descriptions of Aubrey's sea battles and http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/08/master-and-commander-by-patrick-obrian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-8412092807075657651Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:49:00 +00002010-07-05T10:34:45.369-04:00book reviewsBorn from Anabaptist sentiments in the early 1500s, the Hutterites were followers of Jakob Hutter. Similar to Mennonites and Amish, Hutterites differed in their belief that they should share all their goods communally--and they still do. During the early 20th century, Hutterites, who had fled east to Russia over the years, began immigrating to the U.S. and Canada, where more than 400 Hutterite http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-i-am-hutterite.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-7649300304258084940Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:04:00 +00002010-02-19T11:42:51.862-05:00book reviews What difference do it make? - Stories of Hope and Healing by Ron HallIf you have not read Same Kind of Different as Me, the predecessor to this book, you can still enjoy this follow-up that continues the story of the unlikely friendship between millionaire art dealer Ron Hall and sharecropper-turned-homeless man, Denver Moore. This book details how their continuing journey and friendship have http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-difference-do-it-make.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-6214739069620964160Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:20:00 +00002010-02-07T14:30:00.962-05:00book reviewsessaysforgivenessfriendshipraceFriendships that transcend color and culture barriers have always fascinated me, so when I first heard the title of Patsy Raybon's book, My First White Friend, I knew it was a reading list priority. Normally, I would go into the book itself here, but my personal interest in the book will explain much of my reaction to it.My parents, Alabama born and bred, were careful to raise my sister and me http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-first-white-friend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-7347593979760632202Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:47:00 +00002010-02-07T14:33:25.487-05:00ChristmasessaysGivingYesterday, I caught a snippet Dennis Prager’s radio show where he challenged those who believe that crass commercialization has ruined Christmas. With playful sarcasm, he reasoned, “During one period of time each year, the great majority of Americans feel obligated to buy presents for their friends and relatives. Imagine that! What an awful thing!”He had me there.He goes on. “Spending one's http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/12/beating-bah-humbug-in-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-8799828316414117913Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:50:00 +00002010-02-07T14:28:43.229-05:00joy2 Corinthians 4: 6-9, 16-186 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/12/makes-no-sense-joy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-583267189106379538Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:33:00 +00002010-02-07T14:28:23.741-05:00book reviews Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron HallWow--talk about a challenging book. You cannot walk away from this book without feeling compelled to re-examine how you view "the least of these."View all my reviews >>http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/11/same-kind-of-different-as-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-6284145567885446201Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:52:00 +00002010-02-07T14:28:10.124-05:00book reviewsJust finished reading Julie and Julia, and I’m left with mixed feelings. It’s a fun story with an engaging “what if” premise: A frustrated anonymous cubicle dweller is in need of a creative challenge. (Ok, we’re with you so far. We all get that). Insert the self-imposed challenge by said cubicle dweller, Julie Powell, to take one year to work her way through quintessential Julie Child cookbook, http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/08/julie-julie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-3941486820973397964Sun, 10 May 2009 16:06:00 +00002010-02-07T14:26:32.906-05:00essaysfamilyIn my mother's house, there were few strangers and always room for one more. Every Saturday morning was cleaning day, and Sunday morning (& Sunday night and Wednesday night) was church, no matter how tired you were or what a devil you had been.My mother's house was all about sitting up straight, cleaning your plate, and learning to act like a lady. (You ARE going to wear a slip with that, http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-my-mothers-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-6779873687286251079Fri, 08 May 2009 03:29:00 +00002010-02-07T14:36:44.496-05:00couragetrustLinda is my hero.She is a self-confessed 'fraidy cat! She plays the violin but is terrified to play for anyone but her plants. She is one of the funniest people I know, but she's petrified of speaking in front of a crowd. She has visions of saving the world, but she's happiest working in her studio where she paints and does pottery.Linda is afraid of everything.But she is not afraid to face downhttp://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/04/do-it-scared.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-968030058706350819Fri, 01 May 2009 12:22:00 +00002010-02-07T14:25:04.176-05:00just for funMy friend Harriett sent me a link to this video this morning. It is brilliant. It's a normal day in the central train station of Antwerp, Belgium. Suddenly, over the station's loudspeakers comes the sweet voice of Julie Andrews singing, "Doe, a deer, a female deer...Ray, a drop of golden sun..."Watch this and prepare for big smiles. (Actually, I cried a little too!)THE SOUND OF MUSIC IN http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/05/sound-of-childhood.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-8250221214601085090Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:17:00 +00002010-02-07T14:24:23.220-05:00essaysforgivenessWhat are you owed?It is so hard to forgive when you've been genuinely wronged. Especially if the wrong was personal.Of course, it would be so much easier to make amends if "so and so" would just admit what a jerk he is! A little groveling at our feet wouldn't hurt either. After all, the offender owes us at least that much, right?In truth, there are times when offenses against us genuinely http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/04/great-news-your-debts-are-cancelled.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-3067220065649772189Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:39:00 +00002010-02-07T14:21:50.626-05:00essaysworshipOver the last six years or so, my reading focused decidedly on leadership and “strength finding.” Leadership is a hot topic. Ask anyone in the business world. It has become a whole industry. Just as popular are books about finding and using your strengths in order to work within your "sweet spot." Books like Good to Great, The Tipping Point, The Dip, and the Strengths Finder series have made http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/03/whats-your-passion.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-5430670855963737457Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:18:00 +00002010-02-07T14:37:39.232-05:00essaysfaithhopetrustThe downward slide of the global economy continues to result in sobering and alarming headlines. The horrifying story yesterday of the man who took the lives of his five children, his wife, and himself after losing his job leaves us all speechless. When I taught high school, I used to read a book with my students called Alas, Babylon! The premise was a nuclear attack that took out a number of http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/01/things-that-remain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-1396463386423601291Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:17:00 +00002010-11-11T00:46:38.688-05:00essaysworshipDo you ever wonder about the point of beauty? I mean, why do we need beauty, really? If life is only about survival of the fittest, beauty has no purpose. It’s useless to survival, but we long for beauty and will go to extraordinary lengths to have it. We don't desire simply to eat. We want to dine—else we would never have invented wine, or chocolate, or a million varieties of cheese or http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/01/point-of-beauty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8938522663624171973.post-2098582366874989901Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:52:00 +00002010-02-07T14:35:14.349-05:00essayspoliticsI did not vote for Barak Obama. Nothing personal. I liked him. I kind of wanted to vote for him. I just didn’t agree with enough of his ideas to do so.But today I find myself eager to support his presidency. No major mind shift of ideas on my part, but the time for arguing ideas and casting votes is past, and the time to give this man a chance has arrived, and this requires our support. The http://lkayjohnson.blogspot.com/2009/01/wishing-him-well-why-this-mccain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (L Kay Johnson)1