graphics

I like to use graphics and themes when I speak-
here are 25 of my favorites from the recent months:

1. pause- my friend scott saunders helped me with these graphics as well as many other sets. this series was on spiritual disciplines.



2. white flag- this was a series on having a right view of authority- my friend wes was the model in all of the images.



3. summerPSALMS- another series created by scott- this was a lot of fun for me.



4. BFF: I took a risk with this one using the illustrations of E.H. Shephard to speak about friendship- surprisingly, it went over well, thanks to all the help I had from the middle school staff.



5. beautifully angry- this was about doing something about poverty in the world- I went for a rock-show-flyer-look- I don’t think the students got it.



6. believe it or not- this was a series about faith- I wanted the images to look like the pages of Robert Ripley’s books from the early 1900’s.



7. not it- another series by scott- this was a series on humility and gave birth to ‘arrogant joe.’



8. CRASH- or how to crash your faith- I went to pick and pull and took photos of smashed cars for this one.



9. revolutionaryLOVE- on the life of jesus- the title came from the david crowder song.



10. love.action.mercy.prayer.- gwen stefani’s love-angel-music-baby had just come out. I wanted the graphics to look like urban outfitters- too bad middle schoolers don’t shop there.



11. GO TEAM- this was one of my most popular series- we had local sports heroes come and talk about practice, rules, team, etc.



12. liking yourself- a series on self image. I wept while studying for those messages. If I only had one sermon to give students it would probably be one from this series.



13. forty-five-eight- this was the story of joseph and had genesis 45:8 as its core verse. I wanted it to look like rob bells’ nooma videos.



14. iPod- this was about making a noise for God/ evangelism. no one even noticed when I snuck in some photos of my favorite irish quartet from their iPod commercial.



15. MADE- this was a series built around the illustrations that the bible uses to describe us: clay, light, sheep, a house, etc. the middle school staff did this series and they all nailed it. the graphics come from kurt johnson.



here are some things that I used for one of my favorite projects, WX-MEN; our short lived middle school boy ministry:

16. samson the savage- this stuff practically preaches itself to middle school boys



17. thunder- the life of john the baptist- we were all so sad when he was beheaded!



18. ancient warriors- on 1 and 2 Samuel- I had fun with this- hopefully the boys did too. scott made these graphics as well.



19. spider-man-spirituality- this was my last wx-men series. I finally got to use my love for spider-man to serve God!



20. fearlessCOURAGE- on the life of paul. I got the graphics from a little orthodox bookstore in boulder creek.



21. the pirates of Babylon- on the book of daniel. for awhile there, there were a lot of pirates in middle school ministry!



here are some things that are current and in the future:

22. calling all peacemakers- this is a series I’m doing for Los Gatos Christian School- its on bullying. I had no idea how big this issue was.



23. unChristmas- this series begins this week- the art was inspired by a recent book, unChristian.



24. (678)- the name of the new middle school ministry- brooke commons developed this logo. its inspired by Isaiah 6:7-8



25. crouching-dragon::soul-assassin- this series is coming up in January- its based on Genesis 4:6 where God tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door, but he must master it- I’m really looking forward to this! scott created the graphics for this one too.

mothers of the disappeared

donde estan?

planet earth

ok- I love the “discovery network” channels-
I love man vs. wild, mythbusters, dirty jobs, deadliest catch,
street customs, how its made, American chopper,
but probably the most fascinating show on the network is called planet earth.





have you seen it?
its amazing.
they have footage of climates, and lands,
and of animals that have never been filmed before.
here is some of the fun info
that I have picked up over the last few episodes:
in winter, Antarctica doubles in size.
there are several species of fish that live at the bottom of the ocean;
its pitch black down there, so their bodies generate light.
that still boggles my mind.
elephants eat clay to make their stomachs feel better.
they have this footage of a money that flies like a flying squirrel
and they have this mini “march of the penguins” episode
where they speed things up, and show how each of the penguins
gets a turn at being in the middle of the huddle.
how do all of these animals do these things without talking?
maybe they do!


different worldviews see this footage
and decide that it confirms their worldview.
the people writing the narration come from a worldview that says that
the earth and the creatures in it evolved over millions of years.
they strong traits survive and the weak traits die-
and every species adapts to its environment.
this footage confirms it-
and to them maybe even confirms that there is no Creator.


me- I’m coming from a different worldview-
one that says that there is a Creator-
and He is very creative-
and He delights in His creation.
there are parts of it that have been available
to His eyes only for thousands of years-
we’re just discovering it.
every now and then on planet earth,
they allude to the fact that there might be a Creator-
they ask questions like,
“why would a fish that lives at the bottom of the ocean,
in a pitch black environment be so colorful?
who looks at its colors?”


there is this part of the book of job that I really like-
its almost a commentary on this series, planet earth.
Job asks God all these questions,
and then God begins to ask Job questions:
“Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?”
“Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
or walked in the recesses of the deep?”
“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?”
“"Who let the wild donkey go free?
Who untied his ropes?”
“Do you give the horse his strength
or clothe his neck with a flowing mane?
Do you make him leap like a locust,
striking terror with his proud snorting?”


God goes on and on about stars, ostriches,
and leviathans (whatever those are)
almost like a producer of the show planet earth.
He seems giddy just talking about the creation.
and thousands of years before the show was filmed
it was God who said “I made it- and I love it.”


planet earth is fascinating.
not just the tv show, but the planet itself!
and to me it confirms what the angels declared
thousands of years before it was filmed,
“"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of His glory."


“the basic reality of God is plain enough.
open your eyes and there it is!
by taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created,
people have always been able to see
what their eyes as such can't see:
eternal power, for instance,
and the mystery of his divine being.”
-romans 1 (the message)

black friday? no way!

instead of going to the mall, we headed to the beach!



we saw the monarch-butterflies that had migrated in,
we saw the ocean,



and we played in the sand!



we had fun-
but after a big car ride yesterday, and a big car ride today,
we're all ready for a big nap!

we had a great time!

today we drove to modesto to see our two grandpas, our two grandmas and one uncle john on thanksgiving.
jane was very friendly to everyone!
at grandma karen's and grandpa rod's, we played a piano!



and an organ-



and we painted a picture!



at grandma glenis' and grandpa joe's
we found a big hat-



a doll house,



and a bike!



we had a special day with our families; eating some very tasty food.
we drove all the way home listening to lullabies from baby einstein,
as we drove home janie said over and over,
"we had a great time!"
she took a power nap and then woke up saying,
"we had a great time!"
and when we got home, we read a special story just for thanksgiving!



this was the best thanksgiving yet!

balloons

balloons have been following me around for awhile.
I used to have custom-made balloons with the wxw star on them-
and every sunday morning, I’d fill them up before church.
this led me to learn more about balloons,
and to learn from people that are experts at filling them just right.
it takes skills to fully inflate them, but not over-inflate them-
I’ve learned that there is a goo that balloon places squirt into balloons
that can make them last up to a whole day longer.
but the goo is smelly and sticky-
and if the balloon pops while you’re filling it,
then the smelly sticky goo can turn you into a smelly, sticky person.

but that’s not my only experience with balloons-
jane went through a serious pooh bear phase-
and pooh and his friends
in the hundred acre wood have a thing for balloons.
probably the most famous pooh-bear story
is the one where he uses a balloon
to try to steal honey from some bees.



and then there is the story
of how piglet wanted to re-gift his balloon to eeyore,
but it popped on the way to his gloomy spot.


not only that, my little girl is very into balloons right now.
one time I called the house, and I was chatting with Deanna,
and I heard my normally quiet,
whiper-ey little girl shouting at the top of her lungs
“HOW WE GONNA REACH IT?! HOW WE GONNA REACH IT?!”
“I CAN REACH IT! I CAN REACH IT!”
I asked, “what is she doing?”
Deanna sounded exhausted,
“she got a balloon and she’s chasing it around the house.”
“she’s been at it for an hour!” she replied.

balloons can bring joy to a little girl,
but also sadness.
we have those old-school popcorn ceilings- balloon-killers.
when those beautiful bouncy balloons pop on them,
the sound is scary, and the sight of the shredded balloon is heartbreaking.
sometimes jane goes to bed after playing with a full balloon-
when she wakes up, it’s the first thing on her mind-
but sadly, by the time its morning, the balloon has lost its float-ey-ness.
balloons just don’t last very long.
just one day- maybe two- so you have to enjoy them while you can.

people are like balloons-
they come in all shapes, colors and sizes-
some are shiny, some are plain-
some go out in a blaze of glory, some just run out of gas slowly;
some last longer, some don’t last very long at all,
but they all have a very short life.

the writers of the bible didn’t have balloons-
if they did, they might have talked about them-
instead, they talked about the brevity of life in other terms.
james says that people are like a mist.
peter says that we are like grass.
we just don’t last long.

so if I may borrow a phrase from one of my heroes, bill hybels,
“in what other life are you going to go all out?”
we only get one life; and its really short
what are you putting off?
we only get one shot-
go for it now. live your life now-
tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
finish life with no regrets.

thanks ann

jane has this friend named ann.
ann helps jane with her words.
we were pretty scared about a year ago, because jane didn’t talk!
she clearly heard what we were saying, recognized music, and could respond to the things that we said- but she didn’t say a word.
we were afraid and worried that she was autistic, deaf, or something-
I think we were afraid to find out.

one morning, jane and I were at barnes and noble playing with a train.
there was another girl about jane’s age who was chatting and chatting-
I couldn’t help it, I said to her mom
“wow! she can really speak well!”
her mom said “yeah- she talks like crazy. is your daughter having speech issues?”
“I don’t know…” I said.
her face changed. “write this down” she said
she told me all about her son who went through this program and learned to speak to the point where the program became unnecessary.

we called the number.
Janie was tested, and she qualified for the help- and for the last year, we have had weekly visits from ann. ann is amazing.
jane did not like strange adults- we were a little skeptical, but jane fell in love with ann.
ann taught Janie to communicate with sign language,
how to blow air out of her lungs, how to take turns, and how to ask questions.
and she does it all with games, and toys and whistles and bubbles.
jane lights up when we tell her that ann is coming over.

today, Deanna and jane went to get tested again to see how Janie is doing and to see if they still need to have visits from ann.
turns out, she no longer qualifies for help!
she communicates too well to get help from ann!
wow!

this isn’t that big of a surprise for me-
but I guess I didn’t stop to see just how far she has come and how fast.
we were watching an old movie of jane and she was playing with toys and not making a sound. at the time, this was perfectly normal, but watching it now its weird; because she doesn't do ANYTHING without talking!
now, when we sit down to read stories, Janie often reads the ENTIRE story to ME!
whether she is reading it or has it memorized, she can say ALL of the words in some pretty long books. she also has so much more conflidence. she feels the freedom to be friendly and to initiate conversation. she is less frustrated, because she can say what she is thinking. just the other day, we were at the park and she went up to a little boy about her size and said, "what's going on? what's going on? go down the slide! what's going on?"

and best of all, we get to talk to each other.
conversations with jane are so cool.
thanks ann!
thanks God-
I almost forgot how silent she was.

“say to those with fearful hearts,
“be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
he is coming to save you.”
and when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind
and unplug the ears of the deaf.
the lame will leap like a deer,
and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!”
-isaiah 35
(the message)

laptop

yesterday I ended my message with this meditation- I thought I’d share it with you-

one time I was working in my office and these guys were doing construction outside.
there was tractors running through the hallways and men banging on stuff with hammers they were doing this all day- every day for like weeks and weeks!
I was getting headaches and getting all stressed out and I couldn’t work in my office-
I was like the Grinch! I was like “noise! noise! noise!”

so one day I went home and said to Deanna- “what if we got a laptop?”
“I could go and do my work at the bookstore or the coffee shop where its quiet.”
“I could write all of my sermons at the house or even in the park- somewhere peaceful!”
she thought that was a good idea so we went down to the computer store.
keep in mind, that at this time, I knew absolutely NOTHING about computers.
so we start looking at the laptops and I pretend like I know what I’m doing.
I look around and say stuff like, “this one has a big screen- I like that...”
“this one is silver- I like the silver… this one has more buttons than the others… that makes it better…”
this salesman comes up to us and says
“can I help you?”
I said “I want to buy a laptop.”
He said “what are you going to do with your laptop?”
I said “I want to use it write my sermons- so I need a laptop that has Microsoft Word on it
“do you have computers that have Microsoft Word?”
He was like- “uhh- yeah”
so then he was like “do you want to make webpages?”
“no”
“videos?”
“no”
“do you want to do cool graphics stuff?”
“no”
“go on the internet?” “umm- no.”
“I just want one that has Microsoft word on it- do you have one that has Microsoft Word? because I’m going to use this laptop to writ sermons.”
the guy said yes; and we bought it that night
when I got home, I checked; and it had Microsoft word on it.
but it had all sorts of other programs too!
it could edit videos and make webpages!
it could edit pictures! and download music! and make playlists out of songs!
it could go on the internet and had all sorts of games-
I said to Deanna- “wow! this thing does lots more than I thought it could!”

and in that moment it was like God whispered to my heart
“I’m like that too Rob”
“there is a lot more to ME than you thought-
I can do lots more than you thought”
“you ask me to bless the food and bless the trip, and give you a good day,
but I can do so much MORE.”
“explore ME like you explore that computer-
see all the amazing things I can do if you would only ASK!”

“now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in christ jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! amen.”
-ephesians 3

one-hundred!

wow- one-hundred blogs! I was originally going to write 100 interesting things about myself, but I didn’t get past 10. and then it dawned on me that I’m always spouting off some advice to young leaders- whether they asked for it or not. so here are 100 lessons for leaders from yours truly. I could elaborate on all of them, but for the sake of time, I’ll keep them brief. some of these sort of overlap, but hopefully they make sense.

1. take care of your wife.
2. take care of your kids; church-people like having you around, your wife and kids NEED you around.
3. take care of your volunteers. bless and thank them profusely.
4. take care of your soul; minister to the minister
5. take care of your flock; don’t be a snob- be available and care deeply
6. talk less; listen more. even a fool is thought wise when he keeps silent.
7. stop waiting for it to get easy; its not going to- and no one ever said it would. it can be fun, but probably not easy.
8. leave them with a blessing; when people talk with you, they are hoping that you’ll notice, that you’ll ask that important question, that you’ll pray for them, encourage them. notice. ask. pray. encourage.
9. get creative about money; the budgets will never be as big as your dreams, but that shouldn’t keep you from dreaming. if you need it, find a way to afford it. impossible is not in God’s vocabulary.
10. no excuses; you are responsible for your ministry. stop blaming others that things are not the way you want them. you are responsible, figure it out.
11. get some rest; you’ll be better and more to be around if you do. you’ll last longer too.
12. being funny is overrated; almost every time I’ve gotten in trouble I have thought to myself “I was just trying to be funny.”
13. have a life; there has got to be more to you than what you do and where you work.
14. don’t forget your story; with all of the compliments that we receive, its easy to forget who and where we were before we met God. remember that guy or girl; remember the thrill it was to pray and learn about God and to be forgiven.
15. wear a watch.
16. don’t believe everything you hear about yourself; not from the critics, and certainly not from your fans.
17. carry breath mints.
18. have a notepad and pen- writing down your thought frees you to think new ones.
19. don’t travel alone; hotels can be dangerous if you don’t have a friend to hold you accountable.
20. don’t eat lunch by yourself.
21. clean your office.
22. show up on time; if you’re going to be late, call ahead. aim to arrive a little early, to give to the margin for a few extra red lights.
23. remember names; and use them as you speak to others. I know its hard for you, find a way to do it, its important.
24. don’t run from conflict; its coming, not everyone will agree with you or understand. its not an excuse to be a jerk, but it will happen, and in a lot of ways it has to happen. its hard, but you can make it.
25. network; initiate relationships with people like you. you need them and they need you.
26. have a hook; conversations slow down, how will you keep them going? have a hook, a go-to question that will help people to feel valued, questions like, “what are you looking forward to?” “are you happy?” “what’s on your iPod these days?”
27. be fully-present; when you’re talking to someone, don’t check your e-mail, don’t answer your phone, don’t be somewhere else. be here, now. listen intently; ask questions that show that you are listening.
28. be honest; no one expects you to be perfect, don’t pretend to be. don’t spill out your gory details, but its ok to admit that you have issues, doubts, and conflicts of your own.
29. don’t be a butt; I know that you feel important, but you’re not all that. get over yourself.
30. be a butt; for the sake of your flock, every now and then you need to say no to something or someone that wants to use them, advertise to them, manipulate them, disregard their feelings, steal their resources. don’t sin, but, be a butt.
31. be you; the big question is what is you? what isn’t? are your clothes you? your piercings? is messiness you? no! if you’re asked to change the way you dress, don’t mean that you are being asked to stop being you.
32. serve more than one category; youth guys often feel that they only need to appeal to kids- not true. they need to create security for parents, pastors, volunteers and elders. learn to minister and speak into people who are outside of your target ministry.
33. remember who you work for; we work for God, not a church. since we work for Him, He has the right to move us around. these decisions are His, not a church’s or a leader’s.
34. create confidence; give your boss, the people that you lead and your co-workers the feeling that you are going to do what you said you would do. don’t waver, look them in the eye and create confidence.
35. your product isn’t you; someone can give you constructive criticism, but you don’t have to take it as a personal attack- your product isn’t you.
36. build a team- ministry is so much more fun together.
37. delegate- give roles to others, help them learn what to do, and then let them have that job. don’t take it back. work yourself out of a job.
38. be a reader; have a book that you’re working on. you don’t need to finish 12 a year, but you should be working on one all the time. books on CD work well too.
39. don’t kill yourself; do your best, but make sure you’re taking care of your family and yourself. if you burn out, the church we replace you quickly and painlessly. but you are irreplaceable to your family.
40. smile when you talk.
41. find a mentor; find someone that you look up to, learn from them, listen to them; get their advice and ask them why they do what they do. you are in charge of setting up the meeting, and paying for the coffee. if they ask you to do something to help you grow, DO IT.
42. light your sparkle- have joy when you enter the room, be ready to laugh and smile and be excited to see someone, even if you’ve seen them a million times. rest builds sparkle, so does solitude, prayer, and caffeine!
43. evolve; its ok.
44. get organized.
45. keep it in the lockerroom; if you have a conflict with someone in your church, be careful who you tell. learn to resolve your conflicts quickly.
46. better safe than sued; when in doubt, DON’T.
47. get advice; it’s a sign of wisdom, not weakness,, and it’s a reminder that you don’t know it all.
48. understand change; there is a bad way to introduce change and a good way. several great books have been written on this subject, and you need to learn this.
49. step back; build for the future, plant seeds that will become mighty oaks, make decisions today that your successor will thank you for.
50. watch out; don’t be dumb. avoid that lady, those guys, and that activity that has disaster written all over it.
51. find a friend; a true friend, an accountability partner, someone you trust, respect, and enjoy.
52. grow; go to conferences, read books, listen to tapes. never stop growing.
53. dream; go see the ministries that you want to be like, bring others with you. go see the speakers that you want to speak like, the bands that you want to play like, and let your heart wander and wonder what you could become.
54. take care of your boss; don’t monopolize his time, support him in public, disagree in private. if he or she asks you to do something that is a high priority for you. get it done well and fast. let your boss know they although they may have much to worry about, they don’t need to worry about you.
55. over-communicate; let people know in advance what to expect as far as scheduled events. be clear.
56. know your volunteers; know their stories.
57. send mail; specifically thank you cards. be a thanking machine.
58. be curious; be interested in others. everyone is fascinating in their own way.
59. don’t be afraid to touch; have your hands ready to shake hands, to pat a back, and if appropriate, to hug. some people don’t get touched ever.
60. collect alliances; when you interact with local businesses, vendors, restaurants, go in with the impression that this could be a lifelong friendship.
61. create margin- I’ve blogged about this a bunch lately. being hurried is overrated.
62. go the extra mile; on everything. we’re doing this for God, He deserves our very best, no matter how small the task.
63. hang on to encouragements; keep a file of those encouraging e-mails, letter,cards, etc. sometimes it helps to remind us what we’re all about.
64. get inspired; what inspires you? music, a concert, art? nature? fire yourself up- every part of your world will benefit.
65. no obstacles; I keep hearing, “I would have a great ministry if only …” money won’t solve your problems. neither will a new boss or 10 more volunteers. the change needs to take place in you and the way you’re looking at this thing.
66. interruptions are from God. view them as such.
67. numbers aren’t everything. you aren’t a bad leader if you have few, and great if you have many. I’ve had them both; both are fun- and neither made me a happier person.
68. love the ones you’re with; there is this temptation to be mean to those who showed up if only a few showed up! whether there are hundreds or few, your crowd deserves your best energy and creativity.
69. remember your call- it will keep you going when times get rough.
70. recruit all the time
71. respect the offering plate; our budgets get paid by the tithes of believers- so do our budgets. that money was not offered to us, it was offered to God; therefore its holy. so work hard, and make great decisions regarding what you spend your budget on.

on the subject of speaking in public and giving a messege from the bible:

72. have something to say; don’t give that message until you can’t hold it in. search that topic, that text until you find the aspect in it that is too painful to hold insode. then you’re ready.
73. study ahead. don’t prep this sunday’s message this week. prep next month’s message this week.
74. let the message marinade; don’t rush it. give yourself time to ponder the message, to let it soak into you. you can’t fake the marinade.
75. know your stuff; study! it’s the Word of God- give it your best!
76. don’t drive off without your passengers; I had a preaching prof say to me once, “your train took off before I had the chance to get on board!” capture the attention of your hearers before you get rolling on those points.
77. make one point. if you want people to remember what you said, just say one thing. the more you work at this, the easier it gets.
78. don’t tame God; God os allowed to be mysterious. if you’re talking about a miracle that He did in scripture, remember that it was miraculous! don’t alliterate the wonder out of it.
79. be relevant; use recent illustrations, speak on what your crowd needs to hear.
80. consider your surroundings; jesus did. be aware of how they will support or hurt your message and plan ahead.
81. bbe a seeker; keep your eyes open at all times for soemthing to add to a message. when you find it, write it down.
82. use imagery; God always did. download an image into the hearts of the ones hearing you.
83. inspire; fire people up, motivate, challenge, pursuade; call them out; give them something to do, not just something to know.
84. know your crowd; are they young or old? tired or fired up? seekers or students? custom make this presentation for them.
85. imagine a face; when you’re preparing, think of who will be there: how will you communicate this truth to them?
86. emulate; if you’re not confident as a speaker, listen to someone that is. emulate them. say what they would say. say it how they would say it, and eventually your own voice will be uncovered.
87. be heard; its your job to make sure that the sound is right, not just the sound guy’s. do a sound check.
88. there are no little messages; it doesn’t matter if you’re speaking for junior highers or pastors; if you’re teaching a class or leading communion, every message is important, and each one deserve adequate preparation.
89. every sunday is someone’s last; so step up to the plate and hit that ball out of the park every time. someone’s eternity is at stake.
90. know yourself; are you sick? tired? distracted? know yourself and get yourself through that message.
91. have notes; you never know what distractions will arise at church. you will get distracted in the middle of your message. if you can’t find a way back to what you were saying, it will get choppy.
92. bible pages; don’t thumb through your bible on stage. have it printed out on your notes. and if you must, at least have the page marked and the passage highlighted. not finding your passage can send you into a panic.
93. say something fresh; in most churches, there are people there that have been hearing sermons all of their life. give them something new- not just the same old points.
94. practice! a run through or two never hurts, it always helps.

and the last five ministry lessons:

95. be a shepherd;
96. decompress; reflect, go on a walk, pray it through, ask God to help you sort it all out.
97. have your integrity. get help. this is important.
98. love the church; God does, and He’s asking you to feed His sheep.
99. pray your heart out;
100. don’t give up. hang in there.

"its just beautiful"

today, janie and i went to children's discovery museum to see their new exibit about clifford the big red dog!



clifford had a bone shaped zylophone! whoa!



and his tail was a slide!



after that, we went to the bubble room!



and we made some big bubbles!



then we went upstairs to the toddler room and made a big tower, but just as we were taking the picture to celebrate our huge purple tower, some boy smashed it. which resulted in a very sad girl.



but we made another one that was even better:



we found some awesome letters:



some floating balls:



but our favorite was a quiet little dark room that had rotating colored lights. I couldn't get my girl out of there. janie said over and over in her little whisper voice, "its just beautiful. its just beautiful!"