I hate to dust. Maybe it's because of the knick knack overkill in my house and the long time it takes me to thoroughly dust everything. But, I just think it's the meticulous effort it takes to get rid of all those tiny dust particles. This doesn't bode well when I prefer a non-dusty home...means I have to do it. I can hear my Mom say from my younger years "There's enough dust there that obviously someone must be coming or going!" (For those not getting that humor...Genesis 3:19..."For you are dust, and to dust you will return")
Thankfully technology has invented these electrostatic wonders called Swiffers to help ease the pain of dusting. Using the various dusting contraptions, even the tiniest of particles gets sucked into the web of electrostatic-ity. It still doesn't make me enjoy dusting, but it helps ease the pain of getting into every nook and cranny.
This made me think about my prayer life. When I pray daily, I have a typical process I use to make sure I "cover all my bases" and then I sprinkle in other things as the Spirit leads. But I know, just like when I dust, I don't get into every nook and cranny of my heart. I fail to pick up those lingering sins in the corners of my soul that I just don't want to look at because, well, maybe they'll just go away. Or maybe, there are things floating around in my heart that I can't get my soul around. Like a teeny tiny dust particle my dust rag won't pick up and I resort to that long-handled Swiffer, these soul particles are deep burdens and desires that my lips cannot lift to the Master. I need a Spiritual Swiffer. And, I have one....
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." - Romans 8:26
When the caverns of my heart are dusty and I've expressed all the energy I have to clean and purify my heart, it is so good to know the Father has provided us the Spirit to help us with that spiritual dusting. My unconfessed sins, burdens, hopes, desires and dreams are all drawn to the Spirit who "swif"-tly takes them to the Father in ways I could never express. What a glorious thought.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Kickin' it New School
True confessions...I'm analytical. Sometimes too much. But when it comes to major purchases, I typically research until I'm blue in the face, monkey with my budget (which isn't my favorite thing to do) and put everything on paper to see if it makes sense. This time last year I purchased a laptop and a new car out of necessity and it's only by the grace of God I didn't pass out from all that stress. I don't spend large amounts of money easily....small amounts, oh yeah!
Over the past few months, my cell phone of two and a half years had been acting up. I had friends tell me they texted me with no response (yeah, didn't get that text) and my phone would lock up and restart periodically. And one time during that event, all my contacts disappeared, then came back, in duplicate! I knew it was time to get a new phone, I just needed to do my research.
My phone was a simple Nokia. Flip open the top, push some buttons, and voila. I made calls, texts, and took an occasional picture. The fanciest thing about this phone was the ability to use a Bluetooth headset. Since I don't buy phones very often, I decided it was time to enter the geek world of which I'm entrenched and invest in a smartphone. My one holdback....I didn't want to pay for internet service and have to view it on a teeny tiny screen. Off I went to shop and test out phones.
My carrier is T-Mobile. Let the harassment begin. Say what you will about this company branded in pink, but they are top notch. I've been with them for 10 years and have received the best customer service around. I remember sitting in the hospital cafeteria almost 8 years ago with my Dad fresh out of bypass surgery and having billing issues. They not only credited my billing error, but bonused me a ton of minutes because of the stress it was causing in my already stressful situation. I could have kissed that customer service rep!
Aside from the various BlackBerry options, T-Mobile has a phone called the Sidekick, made by Sharp. The newest 3G Model has full keyboard and a nice big, swivel screen. Quite a drastic change from my little Nokia, but I thought it was worth pricing out. Bonus, it comes in one of my favorite colors, Purple! The sales rep priced out the phone, which I had already done the week before. (See my intense research above) Another bonus from T-Mobile customer service...when I called to price out phone options, the customer service rep noticed my long tenure with T-Mobile. She decided to change my plan to unlimited minutes for life at the current rate I was paying. Wow. Now that's what I call sevice. The final decision making move was for the sales rep to calculate my monthly bill. Paying for a phone is one thing, but the ongoing charge is another. As he calculated it, he said, "Who is your car insurance with?" and I replied "State Farm." Another bonus....as a State Farm customer, I get 15% off my bill each month. So, to have unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet, along with insurance would only cost me $20 more a month. Within my budget....sign me up!
Yes, I love my phone, but I did have some buyer's remorse for a day or two. To get over that, I polled my Facebook friends to enlist help in naming my phone. Giving it a name would help me bond with it quicker. The verdict? Violet. In honor of her color....Violet from Peanuts, who is Lucy Van Pelt's best friend and 'sidekick'....and because the phone rings and alerts are so unintrusive, it reminds me of a shrinking violet, like the daughter on The Incredibles, one of my favorite Pixar movies.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've entered the 21st century.
Over the past few months, my cell phone of two and a half years had been acting up. I had friends tell me they texted me with no response (yeah, didn't get that text) and my phone would lock up and restart periodically. And one time during that event, all my contacts disappeared, then came back, in duplicate! I knew it was time to get a new phone, I just needed to do my research.
My phone was a simple Nokia. Flip open the top, push some buttons, and voila. I made calls, texts, and took an occasional picture. The fanciest thing about this phone was the ability to use a Bluetooth headset. Since I don't buy phones very often, I decided it was time to enter the geek world of which I'm entrenched and invest in a smartphone. My one holdback....I didn't want to pay for internet service and have to view it on a teeny tiny screen. Off I went to shop and test out phones.
My carrier is T-Mobile. Let the harassment begin. Say what you will about this company branded in pink, but they are top notch. I've been with them for 10 years and have received the best customer service around. I remember sitting in the hospital cafeteria almost 8 years ago with my Dad fresh out of bypass surgery and having billing issues. They not only credited my billing error, but bonused me a ton of minutes because of the stress it was causing in my already stressful situation. I could have kissed that customer service rep!
Aside from the various BlackBerry options, T-Mobile has a phone called the Sidekick, made by Sharp. The newest 3G Model has full keyboard and a nice big, swivel screen. Quite a drastic change from my little Nokia, but I thought it was worth pricing out. Bonus, it comes in one of my favorite colors, Purple! The sales rep priced out the phone, which I had already done the week before. (See my intense research above) Another bonus from T-Mobile customer service...when I called to price out phone options, the customer service rep noticed my long tenure with T-Mobile. She decided to change my plan to unlimited minutes for life at the current rate I was paying. Wow. Now that's what I call sevice. The final decision making move was for the sales rep to calculate my monthly bill. Paying for a phone is one thing, but the ongoing charge is another. As he calculated it, he said, "Who is your car insurance with?" and I replied "State Farm." Another bonus....as a State Farm customer, I get 15% off my bill each month. So, to have unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited internet, along with insurance would only cost me $20 more a month. Within my budget....sign me up!
Yes, I love my phone, but I did have some buyer's remorse for a day or two. To get over that, I polled my Facebook friends to enlist help in naming my phone. Giving it a name would help me bond with it quicker. The verdict? Violet. In honor of her color....Violet from Peanuts, who is Lucy Van Pelt's best friend and 'sidekick'....and because the phone rings and alerts are so unintrusive, it reminds me of a shrinking violet, like the daughter on The Incredibles, one of my favorite Pixar movies.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've entered the 21st century.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Lessons to Learn from Kate Gosselin
Last night, Jon and Kate Gosselin announced their separation and impending divorce. It was somewhat surreal and sad as the world who has watched the miracle of twins and sextuplets be brought to life now watch their lives become transparent and vulnerable on the screen. I have to admit I wasn't surprised at this given what we've watched between Jon and Kate through the seasons. But, lest we forget that for all of us, we could be right where they are in the blink of an eye. I'm not married, but there are a lot of lessons for me to learn from Kate. And, Jon isn't completely absolved I'm sure, but I'll let the men in the crowd speak from that perspective. I see enough from Kate that I'm learning lessons that all us women should take note of....
1. Marriage takes commitment and work - When people get married they are all caught up in the dresses and the decorations and quickly forget what happens after the honeymoon. Every day a wife has to arise and ask God to keep her heart pure and focused on being the wife He's called her to be. Every day won't be romantically glorious, but when you marry for better or worse, marry the one you want to go through the "worse" with because going through the "better" is easy. Going through the "worse" takes commitment. Kate worked a lot to keep her house in order and everything in its place. What if she'd done the same with her relationship with Jon?
2. Follow His Lead - A wife needs to first follow God's leading in her life, then followed by her husband's lead. Submission is a tricky topic for a lot of people to talk about, and as a single woman who has been single a long time, it won't be easy for me one day, if God blesses. But, when a wife sees God as her authority and the way He created marriage as a picture of the gospel, following the lead of a godly husband is easy. Kate was pretty commanding and dictatorial on the show. I don't know if that was better or worse off camera, but it was obvious she didn't respect the role Jon had in the marriage as leader.
3. God first, Husband second, Children third - In our society, sometimes this gets out of order, and I'm not talking about #1 and #2. Even those that put God first will many times put children ahead of their spouse. In Kate's defense, with eight children, that's tough to keep in order. But spouses that make the commitment to spend quality time together, without the children, will benefit from the nurturing aspect that brings to the marriage. Because when the children have grown and gone, you want the marriage to still be flourishing and sparkly.
4. Edify and build up your husband - As I mentioned earlier, Kate wasn't the "gentle, quiet spirit" type, nor did we see much edification or building up of Jon from her. I sound this battle cry to every girl I talk with about relationships. Men are fragile. The way to tear a man down is with your words. Kate did that in the middle of K-Mart, a pumpkin patch, and oh yeah, on national television. As women, we are born with a power over men (see Genesis 3) and we have the ability to take a man to the heights or to the gutter. That is a power we so often abuse, mainly because we don't realize our own strength to do that. If you are married, edify your husband daily. If you aren't married, find ways to build up the men in your life to get good practice for the day you may be filling that role as a wife.
5. Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart - In past episodes, the Gosselins were touted as Christian examples. I don't know their heart, or what their beliefs are, but somewhere along the line, the focus of loving the Lord with all their heart got put on the back burner, I fear. This should be a stark reminder to all of us, whether married or single, that our first love is the Lord our God. If we keep that as our focus and cling to Him daily, we won't live a life problem-free, but we'll live a life where God will walk us through those problems victoriously.
1. Marriage takes commitment and work - When people get married they are all caught up in the dresses and the decorations and quickly forget what happens after the honeymoon. Every day a wife has to arise and ask God to keep her heart pure and focused on being the wife He's called her to be. Every day won't be romantically glorious, but when you marry for better or worse, marry the one you want to go through the "worse" with because going through the "better" is easy. Going through the "worse" takes commitment. Kate worked a lot to keep her house in order and everything in its place. What if she'd done the same with her relationship with Jon?
2. Follow His Lead - A wife needs to first follow God's leading in her life, then followed by her husband's lead. Submission is a tricky topic for a lot of people to talk about, and as a single woman who has been single a long time, it won't be easy for me one day, if God blesses. But, when a wife sees God as her authority and the way He created marriage as a picture of the gospel, following the lead of a godly husband is easy. Kate was pretty commanding and dictatorial on the show. I don't know if that was better or worse off camera, but it was obvious she didn't respect the role Jon had in the marriage as leader.
3. God first, Husband second, Children third - In our society, sometimes this gets out of order, and I'm not talking about #1 and #2. Even those that put God first will many times put children ahead of their spouse. In Kate's defense, with eight children, that's tough to keep in order. But spouses that make the commitment to spend quality time together, without the children, will benefit from the nurturing aspect that brings to the marriage. Because when the children have grown and gone, you want the marriage to still be flourishing and sparkly.
4. Edify and build up your husband - As I mentioned earlier, Kate wasn't the "gentle, quiet spirit" type, nor did we see much edification or building up of Jon from her. I sound this battle cry to every girl I talk with about relationships. Men are fragile. The way to tear a man down is with your words. Kate did that in the middle of K-Mart, a pumpkin patch, and oh yeah, on national television. As women, we are born with a power over men (see Genesis 3) and we have the ability to take a man to the heights or to the gutter. That is a power we so often abuse, mainly because we don't realize our own strength to do that. If you are married, edify your husband daily. If you aren't married, find ways to build up the men in your life to get good practice for the day you may be filling that role as a wife.
5. Love the Lord Your God with All Your Heart - In past episodes, the Gosselins were touted as Christian examples. I don't know their heart, or what their beliefs are, but somewhere along the line, the focus of loving the Lord with all their heart got put on the back burner, I fear. This should be a stark reminder to all of us, whether married or single, that our first love is the Lord our God. If we keep that as our focus and cling to Him daily, we won't live a life problem-free, but we'll live a life where God will walk us through those problems victoriously.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Top Five Reasons I Heart Elise
I am blessed with so many wonderful people in my life and one of those sweet blessings is Elise. Our paths crossed at church..I've known her since she first came to our church as a child when her Dad came as Minister of Music. I watched her grow and God uniquely connected us while she was still in high school. Providentially, that happened, just a year or so before she lost her Mom and as I have walked that road before, we have shared many tears together. Elise is just one example of the many sweet spiritual daughters I have that God has graciously brought into my life even though I've never, nor probably will ever, bear my own children. I could probably write a blog post on each and every one of them...and maybe I will one day...but let's start with Elise, since we just had some wonderful quality time a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of these five things that night...
1. She loves old movies and musicals - We are kindred spirits when it comes to movies. Whether it's the old black and whites or the big musical productions, we love them! My favorite Christmas movie is Holiday Inn...not White Christmas....not It's a Wonderful Life. And, Elise is always game to watch that movie, even during the off season. The movie of choice a couple of weeks ago was Mamma Mia!
2. She names inanimate objects - I have this quirk about naming cars, cell phones...making non-human things have a personality. Must have been all those years of talking to my stuffed animals...but I digress. Elise shares in that love and on this recent night, we discussed what she should name her new Nissan during a joy ride we took in her new vehicle. Her former car, a Saturn, was named Sally, so it was very important that she bond with her new car and give it a name. She just told me yesterday she has decided upon Jake...good name!
3. She has no problem being goofy - I'm all about deep, serious conversations, but sometimes, you just gotta cut loose. This night the goal of watching Mamma Mia wasn't just for the beautiful scenery and love story...but so we could sing-a-long! Yep, Dancing Queen...Honey, Honey...The Winner Takes it All....Take a Chance on Me...Waterloo. Laughing, singing, loving...it's a great combination. And even though I can be goofy with her, she finds it uber cool that I graduated high school in the 80s. In fact, I drug out the old yearbooks so she could work on an outfit to wear to an 80s birthday party the next night. It's much more tolerable being old, when you are old AND cool.
4. She gushes about boys - Sometimes with real Moms, girls don't come completely clean on the supposed loves of their life, but with "pseudo Moms" they normally do...and I welcome that. Sometimes it's the harsh reality of a boy who did her wrong...sometimes it's the sparkle of a possibility of a boy being interested....and sometimes it's mere infatuation with an unattainable boy. This night, it was the latter....Robert Pattinson....or "Robbie P" as she affectinately calls him. Edward from the movie Twilight. I refuse to watch the movie with her until I've read the book, but she had to show me the extra scene on the DVD (which she owns, of course) of Robbie P playing the piano....quite an attractive thing for us girls with a love for music. She can have Robbie P....I'll take Robert Downey, Jr....he's more my age...and equally as appealing.
5. She is just the daughter I'd love to have - I love Elise as if she were my own. She's been through a lot in her short little life, but I'm so proud of her and know God has big things in store for her. A few years ago, Elise gave me a sweet wooden angel with an inscription on it of what I mean to her. I have it displayed on my kitchen hutch and my heart melts every time I read it. I know if her Momma were here, she'd be so proud of that sweet girl. Miss Pat, your legacy will live on.
1. She loves old movies and musicals - We are kindred spirits when it comes to movies. Whether it's the old black and whites or the big musical productions, we love them! My favorite Christmas movie is Holiday Inn...not White Christmas....not It's a Wonderful Life. And, Elise is always game to watch that movie, even during the off season. The movie of choice a couple of weeks ago was Mamma Mia!
2. She names inanimate objects - I have this quirk about naming cars, cell phones...making non-human things have a personality. Must have been all those years of talking to my stuffed animals...but I digress. Elise shares in that love and on this recent night, we discussed what she should name her new Nissan during a joy ride we took in her new vehicle. Her former car, a Saturn, was named Sally, so it was very important that she bond with her new car and give it a name. She just told me yesterday she has decided upon Jake...good name!
3. She has no problem being goofy - I'm all about deep, serious conversations, but sometimes, you just gotta cut loose. This night the goal of watching Mamma Mia wasn't just for the beautiful scenery and love story...but so we could sing-a-long! Yep, Dancing Queen...Honey, Honey...The Winner Takes it All....Take a Chance on Me...Waterloo. Laughing, singing, loving...it's a great combination. And even though I can be goofy with her, she finds it uber cool that I graduated high school in the 80s. In fact, I drug out the old yearbooks so she could work on an outfit to wear to an 80s birthday party the next night. It's much more tolerable being old, when you are old AND cool.
4. She gushes about boys - Sometimes with real Moms, girls don't come completely clean on the supposed loves of their life, but with "pseudo Moms" they normally do...and I welcome that. Sometimes it's the harsh reality of a boy who did her wrong...sometimes it's the sparkle of a possibility of a boy being interested....and sometimes it's mere infatuation with an unattainable boy. This night, it was the latter....Robert Pattinson....or "Robbie P" as she affectinately calls him. Edward from the movie Twilight. I refuse to watch the movie with her until I've read the book, but she had to show me the extra scene on the DVD (which she owns, of course) of Robbie P playing the piano....quite an attractive thing for us girls with a love for music. She can have Robbie P....I'll take Robert Downey, Jr....he's more my age...and equally as appealing.
5. She is just the daughter I'd love to have - I love Elise as if she were my own. She's been through a lot in her short little life, but I'm so proud of her and know God has big things in store for her. A few years ago, Elise gave me a sweet wooden angel with an inscription on it of what I mean to her. I have it displayed on my kitchen hutch and my heart melts every time I read it. I know if her Momma were here, she'd be so proud of that sweet girl. Miss Pat, your legacy will live on.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Table Topics - Senior Predictions
It's that time of year where every kid is chanting, "School's out, school's out...teachers let the monkeys out!" Ok, well, they used to chant that...now it's probably some rap version. For those who are bidding a farewell to their school days and graduating, this time of year is glorious. I'll never forget that Senioritis. It was bittersweet, but I didn't get that then because when you embark on your life after high school, you have no idea how much your life will change and how few of those people you'll ever seen again. I've been blessed to keep up with a few from my Senior class....the most consistent, my friends, Julie and Rod. But, thanks to Facebook, I'm now connected to a lot of those folks and it's refreshing and somewhat surreal to be able to chat and talk with them again.
I was on the newspaper staff in high school and loved it! Most of my fondest memories surround the time we holed away in "The Dungeon" (our underground Newspaper Offices) and ran the paper, goofed off and literally had to lay out the paper with a waxer. (No computer for us) At the end of each year we produced a Senior issue complete with Pet Peeves, Senior Wills and Senior Predictions. The Predictions were my favorite. One of our classmates recently scanned in a copy of that page so we could squint and read the various predictions...hilarious! I credit my friend, Julie, for most of those funny ones...and I think she even crafted mine...which was....
Rose - A traveling comedienne....traveling in search of an audience
Ha ha. Seriously, though, that is probably most accurate. So, today's table topic for my loyal blog readers....
What was your Senior Prediction?
Everybody throw your caps in the air....and discuss.
I was on the newspaper staff in high school and loved it! Most of my fondest memories surround the time we holed away in "The Dungeon" (our underground Newspaper Offices) and ran the paper, goofed off and literally had to lay out the paper with a waxer. (No computer for us) At the end of each year we produced a Senior issue complete with Pet Peeves, Senior Wills and Senior Predictions. The Predictions were my favorite. One of our classmates recently scanned in a copy of that page so we could squint and read the various predictions...hilarious! I credit my friend, Julie, for most of those funny ones...and I think she even crafted mine...which was....
Rose - A traveling comedienne....traveling in search of an audience
Ha ha. Seriously, though, that is probably most accurate. So, today's table topic for my loyal blog readers....
What was your Senior Prediction?
Everybody throw your caps in the air....and discuss.
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