Church Chicks

I’m back home in Tupelo after a whirlwind trip to Toronto for an appearance on “100 Huntley Street” this morning. Special Thanks to Doug Campbell of Canadian Christian Tours for picking me up. Ironically I think Toronto was warmer than Tupelo, partly because we have “moist” cold here compared with “dry” cold in Canada, except that it truly does get a lot colder in Canada most of the time. The broadcast was a lot like an episode of “The View,” very fast-paced, with the discussion bouncing from one person to another. I learned later that the Friday “Full Circle” broadcast is the highest rated show on the entire network. I can see why. It’s fun and unpredictable. The ladies said some very nice things about the book and made me feel right at home. And I tried to hold up my part of the conversation. It’s a different thing being the only man on a semicircular couch with four women who all are gifted talkers. It was obvious they had all read the book carefully and thoughtfully.

Midway through the interview segment Kelita, a singer-songwriter who was a guest host today, shared the story of her own struggles with forgiveness in the face of abuse, the death of several family members, divorce, and her husband’s adulterous affair. She spoke with eloquence about how God had given her the “gift of forgiveness,” which is an awesomely biblical concept, and one of the most important points to come out of today’s interview. Her story put a very human face on the healing power of forgiveness.

Before the show the producer asked if I would stay on the couch for the special report on the “Church Chicks.” They thought I might be able to offer a pastor’s perspective. I’m glad I stayed because the “Church Chicks” turned out to be a group of women who meet together for Bible study, prayer, mutual encouragement, accountability along with a big dose of laughter, good food and encouragement. It wasn’t until the taped report was almost over that we learned that the women come from many different churches. Watching it, I assumed they were all from one congregation, but they actually represented a broad spectrum of churches. Several of the “church chicks” attended today’s broadcast, and I enjoyed meeting them after the show.

Just before I left the set, a woman came up to me and said, “My husband and I heard you at Word of Life.” It turns out that she works at the network and wanted to say hello. She told me that they had been at Word of Life Florida a week ago, which is where we are going tomorrow.

So after my Canadian jaunt, I’m back home in Tupelo for about 12 hours. Then it’s on to Florida. Marlene and I are excited because a) it’s warmer in Florida, b) we’ll see lots of friends there, and c) Damaris Carbaugh is singing in the concert tomorrow night.