When I Grow Up

Okay, I really don’t get into name dropping. At least I try not to. I know it makes me sick when I hear other people do it; therefore, I would hope it would make me sick should I do it. Besides, if I have to use another’s power or name to exalt myself, then shame on me. But today I make an exception – with a bag nearby. But, hopefully, there’s a point to be made. And quite frankly, it was just an ordinary moment turned thrilling for me.

Two weeks ago today, my friend Julie and I stopped by a neat little café in Alpharetta (on our way to Rome – Georgia not Italy) to have lunch with her son Jonathan and “the Passion crew,” as he called it. All ten or eleven of these darling crew members awaited us when we got there, and we took the two empty seats next to and across from Julie’s son. Blake, I believe, was on my right and Shelley on my left. Lunch was ordered and served, and conversation was plentiful. The liveliness of it alone made me almost forget I didn’t feel my best nor was able to rotate my head to look to the left or to the right. (Even as we talked, I wore a Tens Unit, a little battery operated electric stimulation device on my neck.) I especially enjoyed talking with Shelley. She, too, had recently had some back problems; therefore her empathy was sincere and her remembrance fresh. In fact, I believe the Lord sat me right next to her so she could understand and encourage me in this slow healing process. I certainly needed it, for goodness sakes. She even offered the name of her doctor who had taken such thorough care of her. She was as genuine as they come, not to mention beautiful, and I became immediately fond of her.

Somewhere during lunch, I asked Blake what she did at Passion and she told me that she was pretty new – she had come on board as an intern just weeks prior to their World Tour last summer and was now full time. Later I asked Shelley. She began with, “Hmm, what do I do at Passion?” At the moment, I didn’t understand her hesitation. And so she began with a list of things, one of which was overseeing the recording label, Sixsteprecords. Maybe you’ve heard of Charlie Hall? The David Crowder Band? Chris Tomlin? Matt Redman? Not a shabby list to say the least. Come to find out she doesn’t just “oversee,” she’s the president of Sixsteprecords. But then she gave her real "job" description: “And I’m married to Louie.”

Oh, my goodness. I was having lunch with Louie Giglio’s wife and I didn’t even have a clue! All I knew is that I liked her, she was classy, and she seemed sincerely concerned about me. I tried not to act like an idiot from that point on, but I’ve been such a fan of Louie’s ever since I heard him speak on the glory of God some seven or eight years ago, that I’m not sure I made a cohesive statement from then on. As we parted at the door, Shelley hugged me and told me she would pray for me – and I believed her and was grateful.

So why the name dropping? Because here is a woman who is gracious, unpretentious, authentic and sincere. And from what I could tell, it doesn’t take her husband or a recording label to make her who she is. She is the real thing, bathed in the beauty of Christ, and confident and complete in Him alone. And that’s what I want to be when I grow up.

It was just an ordinary moment. Now where’s that bag…