When Herod wanted to know where to find this interloper, this baby that the Magi were wanting to worship, he asked the dudes who knew the Scriptures. Pastor pointed out in class today that, even though he didn't believe, Herod knew that the Bible would tell him the correct answer to what he wanted to know.
That happens again and again. Balak didn't believe in the Lord, but he paid off one of the Lord's prophets to curse the Lord's people. The people of Jericho didn't believe in the Lord, but they knew what the Lord had been doing on behalf of His people. There are many other examples of unbelievers who knew the Bible to be a reliable source of historic information.
But look at what is rampant in the Church today. Today we have Christians (who presumably do believe in the Lord) who don't believe the Scriptures to be reliable information. "Did God really say...?" They don't believe that Jesus did miracles. They don't believe that Jonah was swallowed by the large fish. They don't believe in a six-day creation. They don't believe the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea in the miraculous way described in Exodus.
Isn't it weird that even unbelievers used to know the veracity of the Scriptures, and today even the believers do not believe them? The devil is surely pattin' himself on the back over this one.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Chuza
In the movie Passion of the Christ, I really like how we see Christians in Pilate's court and in Herod's court. They're there, observing with grief, but still serving their employer in their stations of life. Seeing as how the apostles had disappeared, some other disciples reported what happened during Jesus' trials before Herod and Pilate.
Luke 8 tells us that Mary Magdalene, Susannah, and Johanna (the wife of Chuza who was Herod's steward) hung around Jesus and the guys and provided monetarily for the group.
One of our recent Bible stories for daily prayer was the story of John's beheading. But Peter wasn't there at the party. And since Mark was from Judah and not Galilee, he wouldn't have been there either. Somebody who was there had to report that story. And that probably would have been Chuza.
This goes under the category of "We are not Enthusiasts. The Holy Spirit works through means."
Luke 8 tells us that Mary Magdalene, Susannah, and Johanna (the wife of Chuza who was Herod's steward) hung around Jesus and the guys and provided monetarily for the group.
One of our recent Bible stories for daily prayer was the story of John's beheading. But Peter wasn't there at the party. And since Mark was from Judah and not Galilee, he wouldn't have been there either. Somebody who was there had to report that story. And that probably would have been Chuza.
This goes under the category of "We are not Enthusiasts. The Holy Spirit works through means."
Monday, July 02, 2012
The Nice Thing about My Job
My real work --the work at home-- is never-ending. It's nigh onto impossible to catch up on the cooking, the cleaning, the homeschooling, the laundry, the repairs, the errands, the gardening. Sometimes I'm caught up, as it were, in one of those areas. But never all of them. Never even most of them. Oh, let's get real, I can't even remember being pretty much up-to-current in more than two of those things at once. That gets wearying.
The easy thing about going away to a job is that it's clear-cut. You go punch the time clock. You do your work. Sometimes there you get everything done. [gasp!] And then you might be able to twiddle your thumbs or surreptitiously flip through a magazine until the next customer arrives and you snap back to efficiency again. And at the end of the day, when you're done, you're actually done.
So after a week of going to my paid-job every day, now that I'm home again, I'm overwhelmed. Where to start?! It's especially hard to make decisions and to get motivated when you're being overwhelmed by some other things in life. And come the end of the day, even if I zip and zap and work like a maniac, the undone items on the to-do lists will still stretch before me.
So have any of you found solutions to this? How do you live with the perpetual knowledge that you're not doing what needs to be done? Or is the only real solution to reduce the amount of jobs you're trying to do? (Such as ditching the garden or quitting the job or hiring a maid?)
The easy thing about going away to a job is that it's clear-cut. You go punch the time clock. You do your work. Sometimes there you get everything done. [gasp!] And then you might be able to twiddle your thumbs or surreptitiously flip through a magazine until the next customer arrives and you snap back to efficiency again. And at the end of the day, when you're done, you're actually done.
So after a week of going to my paid-job every day, now that I'm home again, I'm overwhelmed. Where to start?! It's especially hard to make decisions and to get motivated when you're being overwhelmed by some other things in life. And come the end of the day, even if I zip and zap and work like a maniac, the undone items on the to-do lists will still stretch before me.
So have any of you found solutions to this? How do you live with the perpetual knowledge that you're not doing what needs to be done? Or is the only real solution to reduce the amount of jobs you're trying to do? (Such as ditching the garden or quitting the job or hiring a maid?)
Saturday, June 30, 2012
More Water, Please
I can't seem to get caught up on dishes this past week. Nor on laundry. Nor watering the garden. Definitely can't keep up with watering the garden and the trees!
Symposium last week with lots of wonderful company. Working lots of extra hours this week. Monday is my only day off next week. (The paycheck will be nice. But when will I catch up on laundry, kitchen, and garden work?)
Somebody suggested putting a fan near the entrance to the attic, to draw some of the stifling heat out. I tried that today. Boy, it was blowing hot air! But it sounds like it should help in taking the "warm blanket" off the top of the house. (Besides, it's probably also better for the stuff that's stored up there!)
We did not mow in June. Well, Andrew did hit up part of the backyard once where the grass was getting water from the sprinkler's overreach from the garden. As Katie says, it smells like August, it looks like Augusts, it feels like August.
The wasps are building nests like crazy. Our wasps don't seem to be mean. I don't recall ever being stung here. But there are a lot of nests -- way more than I've seen before. Then we come along like dragons, stomp on their cities, kill their babies, spray poison on the adults, wreck their homes, and cause general mayhem in Waspland. So the poor homeless wasps keep trying to hang around and rebuild.
The news clip from Channel 58's coverage of the presentation at symposium is now available online. That's got nothing to do with heat and water and summerness. But I'm throwing it in this blogpost anyhow, because, well, it happened during summer. (Do ya buy that?!)
We are running the air conditioner. I know, most of you think that's a no-brainer. But WE are running the AC. We, the people who usually go for a few years between turning it on. We, who run it for only a few days during the hottest of summers. I think we're on Day #5 already, and it's still June.
Well, off to change yet another load of laundry.
Symposium last week with lots of wonderful company. Working lots of extra hours this week. Monday is my only day off next week. (The paycheck will be nice. But when will I catch up on laundry, kitchen, and garden work?)
Somebody suggested putting a fan near the entrance to the attic, to draw some of the stifling heat out. I tried that today. Boy, it was blowing hot air! But it sounds like it should help in taking the "warm blanket" off the top of the house. (Besides, it's probably also better for the stuff that's stored up there!)
We did not mow in June. Well, Andrew did hit up part of the backyard once where the grass was getting water from the sprinkler's overreach from the garden. As Katie says, it smells like August, it looks like Augusts, it feels like August.
The wasps are building nests like crazy. Our wasps don't seem to be mean. I don't recall ever being stung here. But there are a lot of nests -- way more than I've seen before. Then we come along like dragons, stomp on their cities, kill their babies, spray poison on the adults, wreck their homes, and cause general mayhem in Waspland. So the poor homeless wasps keep trying to hang around and rebuild.
The news clip from Channel 58's coverage of the presentation at symposium is now available online. That's got nothing to do with heat and water and summerness. But I'm throwing it in this blogpost anyhow, because, well, it happened during summer. (Do ya buy that?!)
We are running the air conditioner. I know, most of you think that's a no-brainer. But WE are running the AC. We, the people who usually go for a few years between turning it on. We, who run it for only a few days during the hottest of summers. I think we're on Day #5 already, and it's still June.
Well, off to change yet another load of laundry.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Red Ear Lobes
I wore earrings for about 15 years after my ears were pierced. Then I began to have occasional infections. Besides, at that point it was hard to manage jewelry. You moms known how it is. For one thing, babies would pull on the earrings. For another thing, when you can't even go to the bathroom by yourself, taking the time to put on jewelry just doesn't happen so easily.
So, eventually, I got back to wearing earrings. Or trying to. But they weren't comfortable. Every few years I decide that I want to wear those pretty, dangly, dress-up things again. So today I wore them at work. For three whole hours. Then I couldn't take the pain any more. When I took the earrings out, my ear lobes were red and swollen.
Why? [pout]
I guess I should remember this the next time I get the goofy idea to wear earrings. Maybe I should do something really outlandish and get rid of my earrings so I won't be tempted.
Bummers.
So, eventually, I got back to wearing earrings. Or trying to. But they weren't comfortable. Every few years I decide that I want to wear those pretty, dangly, dress-up things again. So today I wore them at work. For three whole hours. Then I couldn't take the pain any more. When I took the earrings out, my ear lobes were red and swollen.
Why? [pout]
I guess I should remember this the next time I get the goofy idea to wear earrings. Maybe I should do something really outlandish and get rid of my earrings so I won't be tempted.
Bummers.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
I Believe in the Holy Christian Church
Once upon a time, I was particularly ticked at some shenanigans within our beloved synod. At the same time, a dear friend of mine kept talking about the so-called "visible" and "invisible" church, and how we should be able to see the true church in one particular organization. My pastor pointed out to me the line in the creed: "I believe in the holy Christian church." He explained that the Church's holiness is an article of faith; we cannot see her holiness. He said,
Allow me to call our synod beloved, as a confession of faith in the forgiveness of sins. Just as I call you holy by virtue of Christ's righteousness, not your own. If you deny the one, you end up denying the other. If you accept the one, it might make it easier for you to accept the other.
If you deny the one, you end up denying the other.
Yes.
Monday, June 25, 2012
So, How Do You Feel About Kids?
But that's incidental to what I wanted to mention.
Katie tells me that she never goes out with my granddaughters without somebody somewhere commenting on the kids. "They're so beautiful." "What cute little girls." "Aren't they sweet?" "They're so well-behaved." "Such pretty daughters." Katie was afraid she'd sound arrogant saying it, but it is simply a fact that that's what she hears at the grocery store and the park and stuff like that. Every time.
Until Thursday.
The girls were playing in the foyer so that they didn't have to be perfectly still and quiet, but Katie could listen through the doorway while she kept an eye on the girls. The folks from Planned Parenthood came through the door, passed through the foyer and noticed the girls, and said not a word. Not one person. Every one of them kept her mouth shut. Some averted their eyes from the children. Katie said that's never happened to her before.
That silence speaks volumes.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Prayer: Asking God to Be What He Is
With the way we see prayer, it seems kinda goofy for us to pray that God be what He already is. We usually think of prayer as giving God information, asking for help, requesting stuff. But look at what David prays in Psalm 31:
Be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress.Do you suppose maybe there really is something to that thing about prayer being when we speak back to God the truths that He has already given us?
Monday, June 18, 2012
Driving and Brain Speed
Maggie doesn't drive. When she was approaching the age when kids are allowed to take drivers' ed, I couldn't put my finger on the reason why we weren't going to allow her to get behind the wheel. After the psychological evaluation she had recently, now I know why.
If your brain processes things slowly, it's hard to take in all the things you see when driving, consider not only what's happening but also what is likely to happen in the next several seconds, then make decisions about what to do with your couple-of-tons of metal, and then do it. And that would be even harder when there's extra traffic or when you're driving in an unfamiliar area, trying to watch for stop signs while navigating unknown roads to your destination.
After our IEP meeting, I've been wondering if there's something that can be done to help Maggie increase her processing speed. The IEP which the school offered doesn't really have anything designed to achieve higher processing speed. The remedial reading, writing, and math they're offering look to me as if they're trying to help her catch up to closer to "where she should be" according to the school's timetable. When I look online for information about increasing neurological processing speed, I am skeptical. Someone provides a service that purports to help increase a student's processing speed. Will it work? Or are they hawking a service that will line their pockets? How can we know?
Too often, I've seen "tests" which purport to measure a certain aspect of a person's ability. The test is supposed to represent/reveal how a person performs in one area of thinking. Then the person is trained and drilled and drilled and trained. The person improves his score on the test. But (!!!) does that mean the person has actually improved in thinking ability or reasoning ability or brain speed? Or does it just demonstrate that the person has trained his brain to do a particular task quicker? I found an online exercise for "increasing your brain's processing speed." But I'm suspicious as to whether practicing this exercise will actually increase the speed of neurological connections in any area except the one which has been rehearsed and drilled.
So what's the solution? Do we just keep plugging away with the kind of activities and books we've been using? Do we assume that trying these therapies might actually change Maggie's brain speed instead of merely speeding her up on the exercises? Will increased speed in one task generalize to increased speed in hearing & decision-making & academics & overall problem-solving? Or will this kind of therapy just take time away from activities that might be more interesting and beneficial in the long-run?
If your brain processes things slowly, it's hard to take in all the things you see when driving, consider not only what's happening but also what is likely to happen in the next several seconds, then make decisions about what to do with your couple-of-tons of metal, and then do it. And that would be even harder when there's extra traffic or when you're driving in an unfamiliar area, trying to watch for stop signs while navigating unknown roads to your destination.
After our IEP meeting, I've been wondering if there's something that can be done to help Maggie increase her processing speed. The IEP which the school offered doesn't really have anything designed to achieve higher processing speed. The remedial reading, writing, and math they're offering look to me as if they're trying to help her catch up to closer to "where she should be" according to the school's timetable. When I look online for information about increasing neurological processing speed, I am skeptical. Someone provides a service that purports to help increase a student's processing speed. Will it work? Or are they hawking a service that will line their pockets? How can we know?
Too often, I've seen "tests" which purport to measure a certain aspect of a person's ability. The test is supposed to represent/reveal how a person performs in one area of thinking. Then the person is trained and drilled and drilled and trained. The person improves his score on the test. But (!!!) does that mean the person has actually improved in thinking ability or reasoning ability or brain speed? Or does it just demonstrate that the person has trained his brain to do a particular task quicker? I found an online exercise for "increasing your brain's processing speed." But I'm suspicious as to whether practicing this exercise will actually increase the speed of neurological connections in any area except the one which has been rehearsed and drilled.
So what's the solution? Do we just keep plugging away with the kind of activities and books we've been using? Do we assume that trying these therapies might actually change Maggie's brain speed instead of merely speeding her up on the exercises? Will increased speed in one task generalize to increased speed in hearing & decision-making & academics & overall problem-solving? Or will this kind of therapy just take time away from activities that might be more interesting and beneficial in the long-run?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Dad on Moving Day
Last night, Bethany phoned. She and Evan were moving. The day was getting away from them faster than they had expected. Could we help with unpacking the U-Haul? Of course we could! We love them, and we've been altogether too little help and support to them in the 10 months they've been living in Wisconsin. (Besides, it meant a glimpse of their apartment and neighborhood. For some reason, it's terribly important to me to have a picture in my mind of the home where my loved ones are living.)
When Katie and Nathan moved to and/or from Indiana, we had help from Rheins and Caseys and a few other friends. When Katie and Nathan moved to Texas, Nathan's dad carried a lot of furniture. Bep and Evan had help from parents when they first moved to Wisconsin. When we moved here, our father-confessor took charge of packing the truck while we carried stuff out of the house to the driveway. As the mom or dad, you don't want to do too much bossing around when the grown-up kids are moving. And yet ... you want to provide assistance (and the experience you've gained through your previous moves) to the couple who's moving. And on moving day, the more assistance, the better!
My dad carried a lot of book boxes in his day. A lot of mattresses and couches and freezers. A lot clothes boxes. A whole bunch of boxes filled with toys. He tied things down. He packed things in tight. He made sure items were safe during transport. He didn't do it just for us and my siblings, but for other people too. It seems to be just one of those loving things dads (and substitute dads) do.
When Katie and Nathan moved to and/or from Indiana, we had help from Rheins and Caseys and a few other friends. When Katie and Nathan moved to Texas, Nathan's dad carried a lot of furniture. Bep and Evan had help from parents when they first moved to Wisconsin. When we moved here, our father-confessor took charge of packing the truck while we carried stuff out of the house to the driveway. As the mom or dad, you don't want to do too much bossing around when the grown-up kids are moving. And yet ... you want to provide assistance (and the experience you've gained through your previous moves) to the couple who's moving. And on moving day, the more assistance, the better!
My dad carried a lot of book boxes in his day. A lot of mattresses and couches and freezers. A lot clothes boxes. A whole bunch of boxes filled with toys. He tied things down. He packed things in tight. He made sure items were safe during transport. He didn't do it just for us and my siblings, but for other people too. It seems to be just one of those loving things dads (and substitute dads) do.
Happy Paper Clips
But now ... I've changed my mind. Those zebra-striped and tiger-striped and candy-cane-striped paper clips bring a smile to my face! I don't know why they're so cheery, but when I come across one, it sure does brighten my day!
Mark
As we've been reading Mark recently, we keep coming across crowds. There were crowds of people coming out to hear John preach. Crowds of people listening to Jesus. Crowds wanting to be healed. Crowds spilling out of the houses were He was. So many crowds that He couldn't go into a city but had to preach outside where there was more room. Crowds crowding around Him so that He couldn't get away to eat supper.
My car needed a new battery last weekend. That means I need to re-set the pre-sets on my car radio. So this week I've been scanning radio stations, trying to hunt up which ones should be tagged by my radio buttons. This morning I was checking out a station which turned out to be a Christian radio station with a Bible trivia quiz. So I stay tuned for a couple of minutes. The show concluded with a kids' Bible song about how important the Bible is, how we love the Bible, how the Bible is our delight ... because it shows us how God wants us to live.
That's it? That's what they think the Bible is full of? Rules? Behavior guidelines? Things to do to make God like you? And that's why they love it?
Those crowds (in Mark's gospel) weren't crowding around Jesus so that they could hear rules. They got plenty of that from the scribes and Pharisees. This Man did not teach like the scribes and Pharisees. He preached something different, something they hadn't heard before, something for which their hearts yearned. And the crowds poured out of the cities to hear more.
My car needed a new battery last weekend. That means I need to re-set the pre-sets on my car radio. So this week I've been scanning radio stations, trying to hunt up which ones should be tagged by my radio buttons. This morning I was checking out a station which turned out to be a Christian radio station with a Bible trivia quiz. So I stay tuned for a couple of minutes. The show concluded with a kids' Bible song about how important the Bible is, how we love the Bible, how the Bible is our delight ... because it shows us how God wants us to live.
That's it? That's what they think the Bible is full of? Rules? Behavior guidelines? Things to do to make God like you? And that's why they love it?
Those crowds (in Mark's gospel) weren't crowding around Jesus so that they could hear rules. They got plenty of that from the scribes and Pharisees. This Man did not teach like the scribes and Pharisees. He preached something different, something they hadn't heard before, something for which their hearts yearned. And the crowds poured out of the cities to hear more.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Under the Tuscan Sun
What a waste of a Friday evening!
A romantic comedy. Set in Italy. I wanted to see it years ago when it came out. I kept wanting to see it. We finally got around to watching it.
We shouldn't have.
The plot involved divorce and gays and fornicating teens. There was more sex, foul language, and nudity than I expected in a PG-13 movie. The "message" in the film came from the character who was a hedonistic actress.
And this was billed as an inspiring, uplifting, feel-good movie?
A romantic comedy. Set in Italy. I wanted to see it years ago when it came out. I kept wanting to see it. We finally got around to watching it.
We shouldn't have.
The plot involved divorce and gays and fornicating teens. There was more sex, foul language, and nudity than I expected in a PG-13 movie. The "message" in the film came from the character who was a hedonistic actress.
And this was billed as an inspiring, uplifting, feel-good movie?
Friday, June 15, 2012
Slugs in the Garden
After I planted lettuce in April, one of the big rains must have washed some of the seeds to the other end of the raised bed. Eventually, lettuce was popping up in places I hadn't sown seed. I left it to grow.
The lettuce I did plant needed thinning. Week after week I didn't get to it. We came home from vacation to ready-to-pick heads of Romaine. The ones at the far end of the garden --where there was plenty of room to spread out-- grew beautifully. Where I planted, however, was crowded. The heads were thinner and several were spindly. But what surprised me most was the slug damage.
Where there was room to spread out, where air and light circulated around the veggies, I had no chew-marks from the slugs. The most crowded part of my lettuce-row was the holiest.
Same thing in the strawberry patch. I overthinned last fall. But hey, no slugs this year!
The lettuce I did plant needed thinning. Week after week I didn't get to it. We came home from vacation to ready-to-pick heads of Romaine. The ones at the far end of the garden --where there was plenty of room to spread out-- grew beautifully. Where I planted, however, was crowded. The heads were thinner and several were spindly. But what surprised me most was the slug damage.
Where there was room to spread out, where air and light circulated around the veggies, I had no chew-marks from the slugs. The most crowded part of my lettuce-row was the holiest.
Same thing in the strawberry patch. I overthinned last fall. But hey, no slugs this year!
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Some Teenagers ...
... give me the creeps.
Gary and I were out biking today, trying to build up a little endurance so that we might be capable of biking to town should we so desire. We passed three girls. When Gary passed them, I saw them giggling and pointing and smirking behind his back. When I passed them a few moments later, they did the same thing to me.
So what's their problem? Shame on us old people for daring to ride bicycles? Were our bikes not cool enough? Our clothes not cool enough? Or (more likely) anybody who's not part of their clique is probably smirk-worthy.
Call more over-protective. But that's one of the reasons I'm not wanting Maggie to go to school next year.
Gary and I were out biking today, trying to build up a little endurance so that we might be capable of biking to town should we so desire. We passed three girls. When Gary passed them, I saw them giggling and pointing and smirking behind his back. When I passed them a few moments later, they did the same thing to me.
So what's their problem? Shame on us old people for daring to ride bicycles? Were our bikes not cool enough? Our clothes not cool enough? Or (more likely) anybody who's not part of their clique is probably smirk-worthy.
Call more over-protective. But that's one of the reasons I'm not wanting Maggie to go to school next year.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Like It or Not, We Have a Two-Party System
During the summer of 1992 (and it seems like it was just the other day, not twenty years ago) the bumper stickers began to appear: "Don't blame me. I voted for Bush."
About a year later, as people became more and more disenchanted with the President, another bumper sticker appeared: "Don't blame me. I didn't vote for Clinton."
Those Perot-folks were the people I did blame.
Bill Clinton 43%
George Bush 37%
Ross Perot 19%
Most of those Perot votes were anti-Bush votes than they were pro-Perot votes, and most of those voters were even more anti-Clinton than they were anti-Bush. If our country had had preferential voting in 1992, Bush would have been re-elected.
We have a two-party system in this county. I don't approve of that. Technically, with what's on the books, we don't have a two-party system, and there is room for third-party candidates. But that's not the reality. The reality is that we have a choice of two in the upcoming election. Either Romney or Obama will be the next president.
Economically, we can choose between the socialist Republicans or the even-more-socialist Democrats. As many of my friends believe, it's two sides of the same coin. Personally, I think sliding down the slippery slope at a slower rate is better than careening down it. There are those who will disagree.
But there's something far more important than economics (and I think the economic state of this nation is pretty darn important). The HHS mandate would never have happened under Mitt Romney. Are you aware of what's going on in Sweden to stamp out the gospel and religious freedom? Life issues are at stake in the November election. Freedom of religion is at stake in the upcoming election. No, I don't think Mitt Romney is the best person for the job. But seeing as how we have a choice between only two men, he is the better man for the job.
Those who voted for Perot were the ones who really elected Clinton.
Are we going to make the same mistake this November?
About a year later, as people became more and more disenchanted with the President, another bumper sticker appeared: "Don't blame me. I didn't vote for Clinton."
Those Perot-folks were the people I did blame.
Bill Clinton 43%
George Bush 37%
Ross Perot 19%
Most of those Perot votes were anti-Bush votes than they were pro-Perot votes, and most of those voters were even more anti-Clinton than they were anti-Bush. If our country had had preferential voting in 1992, Bush would have been re-elected.
We have a two-party system in this county. I don't approve of that. Technically, with what's on the books, we don't have a two-party system, and there is room for third-party candidates. But that's not the reality. The reality is that we have a choice of two in the upcoming election. Either Romney or Obama will be the next president.
Economically, we can choose between the socialist Republicans or the even-more-socialist Democrats. As many of my friends believe, it's two sides of the same coin. Personally, I think sliding down the slippery slope at a slower rate is better than careening down it. There are those who will disagree.
But there's something far more important than economics (and I think the economic state of this nation is pretty darn important). The HHS mandate would never have happened under Mitt Romney. Are you aware of what's going on in Sweden to stamp out the gospel and religious freedom? Life issues are at stake in the November election. Freedom of religion is at stake in the upcoming election. No, I don't think Mitt Romney is the best person for the job. But seeing as how we have a choice between only two men, he is the better man for the job.
Those who voted for Perot were the ones who really elected Clinton.
Are we going to make the same mistake this November?
Monday, June 11, 2012
Promotion
Along came the perfect job for Gary. He's tried for other promotions and not gotten them. But the person who was promoted in those instances really was the better guy for the job.
But this job. This was tailor-made for Gary. Several co-workers who saw the job posted told him, "That's got your name written all over it." The position was supposed to be filled immediately. Gary applied. Two months dragged by. Finally someone else applied. And we learned the day before we left on vacation that this other person was chosen for the promotion.
It makes you wonder what God has planned, up there around the bend, where we can't see yet.
But this job. This was tailor-made for Gary. Several co-workers who saw the job posted told him, "That's got your name written all over it." The position was supposed to be filled immediately. Gary applied. Two months dragged by. Finally someone else applied. And we learned the day before we left on vacation that this other person was chosen for the promotion.
It makes you wonder what God has planned, up there around the bend, where we can't see yet.
What IS This Crazy-Talk?
Mark 3 -- They accuse Jesus of having a demon in Him. What He's saying is so outlandish.
Acts 2 -- On Pentecost, they accuse the apostles of being drunk in the middle of the morning. Who ever heard such crazy-talk like what they were preaching?
Forgiveness.
For sinners.
Who certainly don't deserve it.
Not your standard religious message.
Acts 2 -- On Pentecost, they accuse the apostles of being drunk in the middle of the morning. Who ever heard such crazy-talk like what they were preaching?
Forgiveness.
For sinners.
Who certainly don't deserve it.
Not your standard religious message.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
If I Had a Car
Gary's at district convention. Kids are at a pool party. If I had a car, I'd be getting a second dose of what I had Friday afternoon: I'd be at the beach doing NOTHING.
During a week of family reunion, I enjoyed talking with cousins and Mom, playing with kiddoes, trivia night, and my first exposure to Bunko. It wasn't until the last day, though, that I did NOTHING. A couple of hours with nothing to cook, nothing to do, just sitting in the sun or floating in the pool. A few hours of listening to birdies tweet, with the sun beating down on me, floating floating floating ... I haven't felt so mellow in a long long time. It's refreshing!
And I'm definitely up for ditching my responsibilities and having another go at NOTHINGness. But my car did not behave so well on the trip home from the reunion. Thankfully, we made it home (albeit with only two stops) without roadside assistance and without anyone wetting her pants. Well, actually, we didn't make it all the way home. We made it to my mechanic's shop. We'll find out the car's diagnosis tomorrow morning.
In theory, if I tackle enough housework, yardwork, and laundry today, maybe we could manage some beach time when I have my car back. (So have I fooled you into thinking I'll actually be that productive? I can't quite convince myself of it either.)
During a week of family reunion, I enjoyed talking with cousins and Mom, playing with kiddoes, trivia night, and my first exposure to Bunko. It wasn't until the last day, though, that I did NOTHING. A couple of hours with nothing to cook, nothing to do, just sitting in the sun or floating in the pool. A few hours of listening to birdies tweet, with the sun beating down on me, floating floating floating ... I haven't felt so mellow in a long long time. It's refreshing!
And I'm definitely up for ditching my responsibilities and having another go at NOTHINGness. But my car did not behave so well on the trip home from the reunion. Thankfully, we made it home (albeit with only two stops) without roadside assistance and without anyone wetting her pants. Well, actually, we didn't make it all the way home. We made it to my mechanic's shop. We'll find out the car's diagnosis tomorrow morning.
In theory, if I tackle enough housework, yardwork, and laundry today, maybe we could manage some beach time when I have my car back. (So have I fooled you into thinking I'll actually be that productive? I can't quite convince myself of it either.)
Trust Not in Princes
On Wednesday I kept finding myself singing The Election Song. "Trust not in princes they are but mortal. Earthborn they are and soon decay.... Since then no man can help afford, trust ye in Christ, our God and Lord" (TLH 26). I would stop myself and think, "Wait. My guy won. This song isn't right for today. This is the hymn you sing when your guy loses. What should I sing instead? Maybe the te Deum?"
But you know what? Even when my guy loses, it's right to sing "We praise Thee, O God. We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord ...." And when when my guy wins, it's right to sing, "Trust not in princes ...." Because the Lord knows what He's doing, regardless of who wins an election.
Nevertheless, I still want to do the Happy Dance when think of Tuesday night's election results.
But you know what? Even when my guy loses, it's right to sing "We praise Thee, O God. We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord ...." And when when my guy wins, it's right to sing, "Trust not in princes ...." Because the Lord knows what He's doing, regardless of who wins an election.
Nevertheless, I still want to do the Happy Dance when think of Tuesday night's election results.
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