For the past week, I have been in Atlanta, GA, where I STILL have a house for sale? Tired of hearing that? You can't be more tired than I am of living it! Oh Lord, please let my house sell. . .
How's that for an entrance? :) tee hee
I will say, though, that I enjoyed the trip for the most part because I got to see some old friends and catch up, and because I got to spend over 20 hours in a car with one of my kids, and that kind of quality time doesn't grow on trees.
Zack and I had some pretty great talks along the road. He's quite the conversationalist when he chooses to be. I truthfully expected him to sleep the whole way, so I was very pleasantly surprised when he chose to stay awake and talk with me. We had some crazy conversations, including a lesson on how to talk in "CB LINGO." (Very funny). One particular conversation we had though was very impactful. I hope he won't mind that I share it with you.
We were talking about love because of something I had written a few weeks back. In the midst of the conversation Zack said, "But that's the thing about love. It requires someone to make a sacrifice." He went on to say some pretty wise things about love, being in love, and loving others. The gist of his words were this . . .
Everyday, when you love someone, you have to make some kind of sacrifice for the relationship. Maybe you sacrifice where you want to live (the city or the burbs, a house or a condo) or maybe you sacrifice how you want your bedroom decorated, or what kind of dog you want to have. Or maybe you sacrifice something big, like a dream, or a fear or a desire. But you do it because you love, not because you fear losing love if you don't. And though sacrifice is often hard, the decision to sacrifice is easy. You do it because you love.
Not to hyperspiritualize, but that sounds a lot like what Jesus would do.
All that to say, that zack.jones is wise.
Home Sweet Home?
This is a first for me today but I am blogging via my iPhone. I am in GA, and my neighbor, whose network I had planned to log onto is out of town and so I can't get his password. Thus, the iPhone blogging. Zack and I drove here yesterday bc he had some music stuff to do and I needed to check on the house. Originally I wasn't going to come bc we had just checked on the house 8 weeks ago, but I am glad I did!
We got here about ten last night. We could have gotten here sooner but didn't see the need to since we knew there was no tv or Internet at the house. But when we arrived, we arrived to no power! It was pitch black! But lucky for us we were armed with our iPhone flashlight apps so we headed down to the basement to check out the breaker box. I couldn't help but think as we were walking down into the black cold basement looking like nerds with our phone flashlights "isn't this what stupid people in horror movies do?"
But long story short, the power was off bc someone who shall remain nameless hasn't paid the bill in months! He said he didn't notice we haven't gotten one. I estimate the power got turned off about 30 days ago. One month with no power in a furnished but vacant home. . . Not so good. The refrigerators had all molded. And the ice in the ice maker had melted, so when I opened the freezer door (in the dark mind you) water went everywhere! The toilets also molded bc the water in the toilet bowls had almost totally evaporated and turned into a pink sludge. The insect population had risen dramatically so bugs were everywhere, many of them dead in the tubs and window sills.
In general, it is a disgusting mess. No outlet mall for me today! But I am glad I am here. And glad I didn't wait until the fourth of July to come and check on the house! And at the moment, I am sitting in my favorite chair blogging, sipping coffee, and getting ready to read my Bible. Some things don't change. And that's a good thing.
All that to say, I am thankful at this moment for the comfort of my chair and my coffee and my Bible. Bring on the day!
We got here about ten last night. We could have gotten here sooner but didn't see the need to since we knew there was no tv or Internet at the house. But when we arrived, we arrived to no power! It was pitch black! But lucky for us we were armed with our iPhone flashlight apps so we headed down to the basement to check out the breaker box. I couldn't help but think as we were walking down into the black cold basement looking like nerds with our phone flashlights "isn't this what stupid people in horror movies do?"
But long story short, the power was off bc someone who shall remain nameless hasn't paid the bill in months! He said he didn't notice we haven't gotten one. I estimate the power got turned off about 30 days ago. One month with no power in a furnished but vacant home. . . Not so good. The refrigerators had all molded. And the ice in the ice maker had melted, so when I opened the freezer door (in the dark mind you) water went everywhere! The toilets also molded bc the water in the toilet bowls had almost totally evaporated and turned into a pink sludge. The insect population had risen dramatically so bugs were everywhere, many of them dead in the tubs and window sills.
In general, it is a disgusting mess. No outlet mall for me today! But I am glad I am here. And glad I didn't wait until the fourth of July to come and check on the house! And at the moment, I am sitting in my favorite chair blogging, sipping coffee, and getting ready to read my Bible. Some things don't change. And that's a good thing.
All that to say, I am thankful at this moment for the comfort of my chair and my coffee and my Bible. Bring on the day!
God Teaches Like a Preschool Teacher
I used to think that God spoke to me in puzzles and riddles, which seemed awfully unfair, because if His message was so important, why didn't He just come right out with it? Why didn't He "plain speak" it?
But recently I have come to notice that God teaches like a Preschool Teacher. He repeats the same message to me over and over and over and over and over, each time in a new and different way, so that at some point the message hits me and sinks in.
All that to say, repetition is a beautiful gift.
But recently I have come to notice that God teaches like a Preschool Teacher. He repeats the same message to me over and over and over and over and over, each time in a new and different way, so that at some point the message hits me and sinks in.
All that to say, repetition is a beautiful gift.
Purple Toes and Jesus
I think that as far as feet go, mine are really fairly normal. They aren't overly long, or overly skinny. My toes aren't terribly odd shaped (although I do have tiny baby toenails that some people laugh at!) My arches are high, but that's about the most noticeable thing about my feet. As far as I know, my feet don't send anyone screeching in horror.
I do have a few friends who have some, shall we say "unique" qualities to their feet. I have a friend with webbed toes. I have a friend who is missing a toenail on her big toe (like permanently doesn't grow . . . don't know why . . . never explored it with her) but for the most part, even my friends' feet are normal. So I don't think that I have ever really given great consideration to how awful it would be to be a pedicurist (don't know if that's a word).
Until yesterday. I was sitting at the nail salon, breathing fumes and reading all about Brad and Angie's marriage (they thought after 3+ kids together they should get married), getting my toenails done when I happened to look over at the person sitting two chairs down. Her feet were purple. I mean PURPLE. From the tips of her toes to as far up her leg as I could see, PURPLE. And her toes were all curly. Not her toe "nails," her toes. Curly. Or as Meredith Gray would say, "dark and twisty." And they were HUGE. Purple and curly and huge. And so I looked up to the woman who was attending to these feet. Her face didn't look twisted in horror at the feet she was washing. Truthfully, she looked happy. Honestly. She looked happy. And she just carried on the nicest conversation with the woman with the purple feet.
I must say, I was intrigued. Though I kept staring at the purple, curly-toed feet, I was way more intrigued by the nail technician and her happiness. I saw no judgment on her face. I saw no disdain. She actually seemed to enjoy the moment she was in and the person she was with. And I thought to myself, I wish I was like her. I wish I could look beyond what I can see and just truly love the people that God brings into my life.
All that to say, I saw the love of Christ lived out yesterday. But I saw it in a buddhist, vietnamese nail technician.
I do have a few friends who have some, shall we say "unique" qualities to their feet. I have a friend with webbed toes. I have a friend who is missing a toenail on her big toe (like permanently doesn't grow . . . don't know why . . . never explored it with her) but for the most part, even my friends' feet are normal. So I don't think that I have ever really given great consideration to how awful it would be to be a pedicurist (don't know if that's a word).
Until yesterday. I was sitting at the nail salon, breathing fumes and reading all about Brad and Angie's marriage (they thought after 3+ kids together they should get married), getting my toenails done when I happened to look over at the person sitting two chairs down. Her feet were purple. I mean PURPLE. From the tips of her toes to as far up her leg as I could see, PURPLE. And her toes were all curly. Not her toe "nails," her toes. Curly. Or as Meredith Gray would say, "dark and twisty." And they were HUGE. Purple and curly and huge. And so I looked up to the woman who was attending to these feet. Her face didn't look twisted in horror at the feet she was washing. Truthfully, she looked happy. Honestly. She looked happy. And she just carried on the nicest conversation with the woman with the purple feet.
I must say, I was intrigued. Though I kept staring at the purple, curly-toed feet, I was way more intrigued by the nail technician and her happiness. I saw no judgment on her face. I saw no disdain. She actually seemed to enjoy the moment she was in and the person she was with. And I thought to myself, I wish I was like her. I wish I could look beyond what I can see and just truly love the people that God brings into my life.
All that to say, I saw the love of Christ lived out yesterday. But I saw it in a buddhist, vietnamese nail technician.
Voted Wicked, Counted Upright
I have a friend who is much older than me and very wise. She told me the other day that one of the things that she has always struggled with is trying to talk "her point" to death. (This is sooooo me!) She did it with her kids, her husband, her employees, her friends. I was not terribly surprised that she had faults, but I was surprised that she still struggles with them. Truthfully, I would not have thought that she struggled with anything!
This morning I was reading Proverbs Chapter 10, and I paused at verse 22. It says, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise." True story. Perhaps someone should write a technologically advanced translation that would say "When there are many typed words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his fingers is wise." HA!
Proverbs 10-18 NINE CHAPTERS is a contrast of the upright and the wicked. God devoted 9 chapters of writing IN A ROW to contrast the upright and the wicked. Just in case you or I should read one chapter and vote ourselves upright, the Lord gives us 8 more chapters to understand that we, no matter how hard we try, will eventually find ourselves in the wicked column. At some point, we will read a scenario that helps us see that we, too, are wicked. But thank God for the blood of Christ that covers our wickedness and allows us to walk blameless before Him.
All that to say, I vote myself wicked, but am counted among the upright by the One who counts the votes. Thank you Jesus.
This morning I was reading Proverbs Chapter 10, and I paused at verse 22. It says, "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise." True story. Perhaps someone should write a technologically advanced translation that would say "When there are many typed words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his fingers is wise." HA!
Proverbs 10-18 NINE CHAPTERS is a contrast of the upright and the wicked. God devoted 9 chapters of writing IN A ROW to contrast the upright and the wicked. Just in case you or I should read one chapter and vote ourselves upright, the Lord gives us 8 more chapters to understand that we, no matter how hard we try, will eventually find ourselves in the wicked column. At some point, we will read a scenario that helps us see that we, too, are wicked. But thank God for the blood of Christ that covers our wickedness and allows us to walk blameless before Him.
All that to say, I vote myself wicked, but am counted among the upright by the One who counts the votes. Thank you Jesus.
God on the FM Dial
If you have never listened to Tony Evans, then you are missing out. I remember the first time I heard Tony Evans on the radio, he said this, "If you let the devil ride in the backseat long enough, pretty soon, he's gonna wanna drive." He always has those kinds of little sound bites. They stick with you for a long time.
Today as I was riding home, he was talking about the goodness of God. He said, "We are so quick to dismiss the goodness of God. We can go for 10 years at a job we love, doing work we love, and we can just be so happy and in love with God and telling God how good He is. But if something happens to that job, if we go one day without that job, then all the sudden, God ain't so good no more." He went on to say that we are so used to measuring God by the good that happens in our life, that when something not so good happens, we are certain that God must not actually be good and that we must have somehow been mistaken. Our view of His goodness can change on a dime based on how we feel or how we perceive things.
He went on to talk about how we treat others that way as well. We can have people in our lives that we love and that we just enjoy our happy little relationships with (his words) but then something happens and we suddenly toss out every good thing that ever happened and determine the whole thing, the whole relationship was a farce and never was a good thing at all. He talked about friendships and marriages and parent-child relationships all being this way.
He talked about Colossians 3:13-14 (which was so weird because I had just talked about that this morning!) and how we should bear with one another and forgive one another and put love over everything (filter everything through love).
All that to say, I love how God speaks to us through His Word, and when we don't listen, He uses the radio! HA!
Today as I was riding home, he was talking about the goodness of God. He said, "We are so quick to dismiss the goodness of God. We can go for 10 years at a job we love, doing work we love, and we can just be so happy and in love with God and telling God how good He is. But if something happens to that job, if we go one day without that job, then all the sudden, God ain't so good no more." He went on to say that we are so used to measuring God by the good that happens in our life, that when something not so good happens, we are certain that God must not actually be good and that we must have somehow been mistaken. Our view of His goodness can change on a dime based on how we feel or how we perceive things.
He went on to talk about how we treat others that way as well. We can have people in our lives that we love and that we just enjoy our happy little relationships with (his words) but then something happens and we suddenly toss out every good thing that ever happened and determine the whole thing, the whole relationship was a farce and never was a good thing at all. He talked about friendships and marriages and parent-child relationships all being this way.
He talked about Colossians 3:13-14 (which was so weird because I had just talked about that this morning!) and how we should bear with one another and forgive one another and put love over everything (filter everything through love).
All that to say, I love how God speaks to us through His Word, and when we don't listen, He uses the radio! HA!
A Repost Worth ReReading
I wrote this several months back, but was reminded of it today and think it bears reposting. I have NUMEROUS friends and family members who are struggling in some relationships right now, and I thought this was worth rereading.
"Relationships are complicated. Every type of relationship is complicated. They are like a tricky dance that you keep trying to learn, but everytime you think you have mastered the steps you either step on your partner's feet or they step on yours, and you realize you have not mastered the dance at all.
Really, no matter the relationship. Husband to wife, parent to child, sibling relationships, romantic relationships, friendships, employment relationships, they are all tricky.
All that to say, that's really all I have to say. Relationships are tricky, and complicated, and messy, and sometimes not worth the mess. But usually, they are. And that's what makes the dance worth the risk."
"Relationships are complicated. Every type of relationship is complicated. They are like a tricky dance that you keep trying to learn, but everytime you think you have mastered the steps you either step on your partner's feet or they step on yours, and you realize you have not mastered the dance at all.
Really, no matter the relationship. Husband to wife, parent to child, sibling relationships, romantic relationships, friendships, employment relationships, they are all tricky.
All that to say, that's really all I have to say. Relationships are tricky, and complicated, and messy, and sometimes not worth the mess. But usually, they are. And that's what makes the dance worth the risk."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)