Moriah and her best friend, Lily. These two are a hoot together!
Malachi is now mobile. This sort of scene is becoming all too familiar - in case you're wondering, I didn't pull any of those pots out.
Picking up trash at the lake this a.m.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Does anyone else experience the out-of-control-schedule-thing that seems to happen to us EVERY October? I'm falling asleep with my hands poised on the keyboard! It's been a busy day and will continue to be a busy month, but I'm thankful! This a.m. was Como Fishing Day - one hour cleaning up trash at the lake and then a few hours of fishing for anyone who wanted to come out (this event was put on by the city, led by a single woman from our church). I managed to get out of this event because I had a baby shower to go to. I can't say that I'm sorry - supervising 25 children waving baited hooks around is not my idea of a fun morning. I don't think it was Randy's either by the time it was over! :) Tonight was the Op Camp monthly dinner/program. We didn't have a big turnout, but everyone had fun carving pumpkins and eating pizza. Now I'm just sitting here praying and trying to figure out if I'm brave enough to go to bed. I would say I'm mildly nervous. About 45 minutes ago, Byron and his mom, Tarita, stopped by to pick something up and they had just heard what they think was two people jumping our fence (out of the backyard). RB checked out the backyard with Byron following him around waving the "OFF" bug spray :) and everything looked fine. Tarita asked me if it looked like everything was still in our garage...for those of you who have seen our garage, this should make you smile. Like we would know if anything was missing. That place is a MESS! Anyway, I know that God is protecting us and has probably protected us more times than I care to know about, but there is still that nagging sense of insecurity. Oh, and just so you know, my highly excitable husband (note the sarcasm) managed to fall out of bed when I went and got him and managed to fall right back in when they left. I THINK he was conscious when he was checking for any intruders, but I can't be sure. Love that guy - a little hard to get riled up. (Mom, I know you're reading this and I really am okay! Not even anxious - just a little uncomfortable). There really is a great sense of security in knowing WHO is protecting this house. Tonight He used Byron and Tarita's arrival. He is good. THIS is cool! Byron is getting baptized tomorrow! They were reading Acts 2 this week in Mighty Men and Byron raised his hand at the end and told Randy he wanted to get baptized. Yea! He calls Randy "Dad" and now Tarita tells him if he gets in trouble, etc. that he has to talk to his "father" (Randy). This sweet kid is making waves in the kingdom already! Can't wait to see what else God will do with this life! Anyway, here are a few pics from the week. The first ones are of our little trip to Mainstay Farms earlier this week. The kids had fun picking out little pumpkins to take home. Kendra! I got my pumpkin pictures! :)
Moriah and her best friend, Lily. These two are a hoot together!
Malachi is now mobile. This sort of scene is becoming all too familiar - in case you're wondering, I didn't pull any of those pots out.
Picking up trash at the lake this a.m.
Moriah and her best friend, Lily. These two are a hoot together! Malachi is now mobile. This sort of scene is becoming all too familiar - in case you're wondering, I didn't pull any of those pots out. Picking up trash at the lake this a.m.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
gray hair
Okay, I just have one little thing to say (and it will not provide even a fraction of the entertainment that my husband's poetry does), but I AM GETTING GRAY HAIR! It's TRUE! I've got these weird new GRAY curly hairs growing in on the front of my head. Someone needs to write a haiku about THAT....Good grief, I'm only 35....maybe I'm just becoming really wise....
Monday, September 29, 2008
Branching out
So I was thinking about another haiku, but thought, "Why not get adventurous?" The picture my wife inserted below notwithstanding, in general I have been fairly conservative in my blogging. So tonight, I'm branching out. I'm going to attemp a Septolet. A septolet, you ask, "What is that?" Well, I'll tell you:
The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.
So here goes. My first ever attempt at a Septolet:
Buzzing
Fiercly biting
Causing itchy pain
Mosquito armies
attack relentlessly;
my porch
the battleground.
And now, my own invention, a monolet:
Was that a racoon that just ran across my driveway or are the rats getting bigger?
The Septolet is a poem consisting of seven lines containing fourteen words with a break in between the two parts. Both parts deal with the same thought and create a picture.
So here goes. My first ever attempt at a Septolet:
Buzzing
Fiercly biting
Causing itchy pain
Mosquito armies
attack relentlessly;
my porch
the battleground.
And now, my own invention, a monolet:
Was that a racoon that just ran across my driveway or are the rats getting bigger?
Sunday, September 28, 2008
fondue anyone?
Friday p.m. we went out for Rebekah's birthday to a new place down in Sundance Square called Simply Fondue. It was pretty pricy, but the atmosphere and food were really FUN! And so was the company. We forgot to take pics at the restaurant, but we took this at 1 a.m. to document that Rebekah did turn 30! Candice (on L) and Rebekah (on R) are two of my closest buddies - we've shared a LOT of coffee, prayer, and laughs over the last couple of years! These sweet friends have challenged me to love Jesus and my family.
my men
Yesterday, my men went out to a friend's deer lease to shoot guns. They had fun and now we've got something on both of their Christmas lists...
it's time for some pictures (okay, a lot of pictures)
I just think that a blog with no pictures becomes quite BORING (unless, of course, you've got a spouse who is into haikus, but he was slacking until earlier tonight - by the way, for those of you who were anxiously awaiting a new one, he graciously supplied you with a new one following all my pictures)! So anyway, I just downloaded various pics from the last month. Gives you a little glimpse into our lives! I was going to go to bed about an hour ago. I've been a little sick with a cold and I'm feeling pretty crummy and a bit depressed (I don't know why - I'm a woman, do I need to?). My husband left over an hour ago to go find someone to talk to about Jesus down at the lake. No, I'm not joking. He invited me to come - he forgot we have 6 sleeping people here who might miss us if they woke up! :) I'm assuming that either he found someone to talk to or he's been abducted and I'll never see him again. When do you think I should worry and call the police... In case you're thinking that I'm married to the craziest, most wonderful man on the planet, I am! Never a dull moment with him around! I think I'll go to bed now!
BUT OH, WAIT! My man is home! He says that he talked to Burt and Donnetta (married 25 years) all that time. He wants me to ask you faithful blog readers to pray for them. Well, now that we know my husband is not missing, I think I'll really go to bed! :)
BUT OH, WAIT! My man is home! He says that he talked to Burt and Donnetta (married 25 years) all that time. He wants me to ask you faithful blog readers to pray for them. Well, now that we know my husband is not missing, I think I'll really go to bed! :)
It's just a laugh-a-minute around here with Haiku Man...
Yes, that is his underwear - I really don't have a CLUE what he was doing. I suppose you'd have to be a Haiku author to understand this mind...
Byron and Royce
It's hard to tell, but this is Byron at one of his football games. We love this kid!
Byron's brother, Royce, is a sophomore now and we love being with him too! He'll be driving soon - AHHH!
Byron's brother, Royce, is a sophomore now and we love being with him too! He'll be driving soon - AHHH!
the Albrights
A couple of weeks ago, our friends from Croatia came over and hung out for dinner. We were in training school with James and Laura several years back and we loved catching up with them before they returned to Zagreb. Their girls Lizzie and Becca were adorable and our kids enjoyed playing together all night! We love the Jesus-lovin' Albrights!
I found the kids all watching a video on the computer and realized that it was the one played at Connor's funeral. It made me cry to even hear the music. They still miss him and talk about him often.
I found the kids all watching a video on the computer and realized that it was the one played at Connor's funeral. It made me cry to even hear the music. They still miss him and talk about him often.
Muddy Mighty Men
A few weeks ago, the Mighty Men enjoyed playing a little flag football in the mud at their weekly meeting. My boys are now going every week - they were sort of adopted as "mighty men in training" this summer after helping with the mowing project. I love that they get to spend this time with their dad.
A haiku, you say?
Soft sweet baby hands
On my keyboard gently type
While I write haikus.
The original haiku read something like this:
ta'thoihyaweth
thg;ahkltweeh.ehthj t ehs
;athes
What I'm noticing is that when I sit on the floor to type haikus while the baby is crawling around he likes to type with me. It can get frustrating. The only reason I got this one finished is that he slipped and hit his head on the bench, so now his mom is holding him.
He's still crying. I'm thinking maybe I should hug him. . .
OK, he's better now.
On my keyboard gently type
While I write haikus.
The original haiku read something like this:
ta'thoihyaweth
thg;ahkltweeh.ehthj t ehs
;athes
What I'm noticing is that when I sit on the floor to type haikus while the baby is crawling around he likes to type with me. It can get frustrating. The only reason I got this one finished is that he slipped and hit his head on the bench, so now his mom is holding him.
He's still crying. I'm thinking maybe I should hug him. . .
OK, he's better now.
Friday, September 26, 2008
nothing significant to say
The thing about a blog is that it really works best if you write on it daily. The problem is that some days I just don't have anything profound to say. I'm sitting with my kids watching some cartoon about a bear with the sniffles. It's not exactly stirring my mind to think deep, heart-stirring thoughts. Actually, I'm tired enough that I don't know if I can even type anything coherent.
Tomorrow I'm taking Josiah and Luke to a friend's ranch to shoot guns and do guy stuff. The problem is that we don't own any guns. We'll probably just watch the other guys shoot their guns. That should be fun.
Anda is out with friends for a birthday party. I miss her. It's been five minutes already.
Well, I told you I didn't have anything significant to say. You didn't believe me, did you? You thought for sure there would be some witty or profound statement about life or parenthood or how to save the world and restore the nation's economic stablility, but alas, there's nothing. You should believe me next time and just skip down to re-read Anda's novel about why we've decided to keep having kids until the older ones put us in the nursing home.
Tomorrow I'm taking Josiah and Luke to a friend's ranch to shoot guns and do guy stuff. The problem is that we don't own any guns. We'll probably just watch the other guys shoot their guns. That should be fun.
Anda is out with friends for a birthday party. I miss her. It's been five minutes already.
Well, I told you I didn't have anything significant to say. You didn't believe me, did you? You thought for sure there would be some witty or profound statement about life or parenthood or how to save the world and restore the nation's economic stablility, but alas, there's nothing. You should believe me next time and just skip down to re-read Anda's novel about why we've decided to keep having kids until the older ones put us in the nursing home.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
a few thoughts about life and the poor
Hmmm....the last thing I should be doing is BLOGGING right now! It's 10 a.m., my kids are running around doing who-knows-what, the baby is waking up, laundry is waiting for me, and the kitchen - well, let's just say that it's waiting for me too. No wonder I'm blogging. :)
Let's talk about the tooth fairy for a minute. I'm good at a lot of things as a mom. I feed my children, they are usually appropriately dressed, and I haven't lost any of them (yet). But there is one area in which I have almost NEVER succeeded as a mother - leaving the tooth fairy gifts in a timely fashion. I'm not kidding - it's like the same tape played over and over again. My children joyfully lose a tooth, I congratulate them, they repeatedly talk about how the tooth fairy is going to visit that p.m., and then I forget until the following a.m. when they wonder why she failed to visit them! This a.m. was the same story. Luke lost one of his front teeth last p.m. - this, I'm sure you would agree, is one of the most important teeth to receive recognition for. They ALL know I stink at my job, so he was giving me the not-so-subtle obligatory reminder before bed. I forgot again. This a.m. I was frantically running around trying to sneak a dollar under his pillow and getting McKenna to write him a note. I told her that I hope she's a better tooth fairy than I am someday. At my funeral, my kids will still be laughing about how I was the worst tooth fairy ever - I just hope none of them are in therapy....
Here's one thing I think I'm beginning to see about the "poor". Maybe I'm thinking about it because Christmas is "just around the corner." I think what actually triggered this thought process was a women's Bible study that I'm a part of right now. I was flipping ahead and noticing that Proverbs 31 was "broken down" as the woman talked about running our homes. The verse that talks about opening her arms to the poor and extending her hands to the needy was listed with all the other verses, but there doesn't appear to be any explanation about how to do that. Now, in all fairness, I haven't seen the video for that week so she may talk about it more than it appears in the notes that I already have. But the only discussion I see about the poor in the whole study is in a comment later about doing an outreach in your neighborhood, having each person bring a toy for the needy (which will be distributed later). Here's what I'm realizing. The poor in America really don't need our stuff (One of the poorest families I've ever met in Como (this was a few years ago) had more clothes in their tiny apartment than I've probably ever owned in my lifetime). They need us. They actually need our arms and our hands. They need relationship with us. In that relationship, we will naturally discover what the actual physical needs are because often there are many. But I think the church in America has gotten into the comfortable habit of alleviating our guilt for ignoring the poor by buying a bunch of gifts, dumping them on their doorsteps, and then never seeing them again. I know - I used to do this all the time. This is not to say that things like Angel Tree and organized giving projects like this do not have their place (we're actually doing a big Angel Tree thing this year in our cell/church and the coordinators of this project have done a phenomenal job of organizing this and are helping many churches build relationship with the families of prisoners). Certainly, they do benefit people. But if we stop there and never build any relationship, we have failed miserably. But there is a good reason for ignoring the Prov 31 description of the woman who opens her arms and extends her hands - the verse implies that we have to TOUCH people (literally and figuratively) and this is messy, inconvenient, and hard. Even now, living in the middle of the "poor", I find myself still maintaining a "healthy"distance sometimes because if I get too involved, I have to DO something. :) I think for me, another reason that I used to do nothing was because I just didn't know where to start or how to build these kind of relationships. I think this is true of so many believers - they want to help, but the thought of where to begin is overwhelming. Just go somewhere where people are involved with and serving the poor. Pray that God will show you. This is a prayer He will answer quickly - His heart is for the poor. Randy preached a sermon a few months ago and pointed out that we have to go to them - not many are going to come knocking on our doors for this relationship.
I don't know why I'm writing about this - I think it's that when you've been in one social class your whole life, you tend to make judgments/assumptions about the ones of which you're not a part (upper, middle, and lower classes ALL do this). I guess this is just one of many of mine that is being shattered as I'm just seeing the tip of the iceburg of what Jesus means when He says to love the poor. Sometimes I wish we could ignore this part of God's Word (but it's such a darn BIG part)! But my last word has to be GRACE, GRACE, GRACE! We're all on a journey to see the heart of Christ and He's so merciful and gracious to us! Praise Him for His goodness!
Gotta go! My sweet people are hungry and letting me know about it!
Let's talk about the tooth fairy for a minute. I'm good at a lot of things as a mom. I feed my children, they are usually appropriately dressed, and I haven't lost any of them (yet). But there is one area in which I have almost NEVER succeeded as a mother - leaving the tooth fairy gifts in a timely fashion. I'm not kidding - it's like the same tape played over and over again. My children joyfully lose a tooth, I congratulate them, they repeatedly talk about how the tooth fairy is going to visit that p.m., and then I forget until the following a.m. when they wonder why she failed to visit them! This a.m. was the same story. Luke lost one of his front teeth last p.m. - this, I'm sure you would agree, is one of the most important teeth to receive recognition for. They ALL know I stink at my job, so he was giving me the not-so-subtle obligatory reminder before bed. I forgot again. This a.m. I was frantically running around trying to sneak a dollar under his pillow and getting McKenna to write him a note. I told her that I hope she's a better tooth fairy than I am someday. At my funeral, my kids will still be laughing about how I was the worst tooth fairy ever - I just hope none of them are in therapy....
Here's one thing I think I'm beginning to see about the "poor". Maybe I'm thinking about it because Christmas is "just around the corner." I think what actually triggered this thought process was a women's Bible study that I'm a part of right now. I was flipping ahead and noticing that Proverbs 31 was "broken down" as the woman talked about running our homes. The verse that talks about opening her arms to the poor and extending her hands to the needy was listed with all the other verses, but there doesn't appear to be any explanation about how to do that. Now, in all fairness, I haven't seen the video for that week so she may talk about it more than it appears in the notes that I already have. But the only discussion I see about the poor in the whole study is in a comment later about doing an outreach in your neighborhood, having each person bring a toy for the needy (which will be distributed later). Here's what I'm realizing. The poor in America really don't need our stuff (One of the poorest families I've ever met in Como (this was a few years ago) had more clothes in their tiny apartment than I've probably ever owned in my lifetime). They need us. They actually need our arms and our hands. They need relationship with us. In that relationship, we will naturally discover what the actual physical needs are because often there are many. But I think the church in America has gotten into the comfortable habit of alleviating our guilt for ignoring the poor by buying a bunch of gifts, dumping them on their doorsteps, and then never seeing them again. I know - I used to do this all the time. This is not to say that things like Angel Tree and organized giving projects like this do not have their place (we're actually doing a big Angel Tree thing this year in our cell/church and the coordinators of this project have done a phenomenal job of organizing this and are helping many churches build relationship with the families of prisoners). Certainly, they do benefit people. But if we stop there and never build any relationship, we have failed miserably. But there is a good reason for ignoring the Prov 31 description of the woman who opens her arms and extends her hands - the verse implies that we have to TOUCH people (literally and figuratively) and this is messy, inconvenient, and hard. Even now, living in the middle of the "poor", I find myself still maintaining a "healthy"distance sometimes because if I get too involved, I have to DO something. :) I think for me, another reason that I used to do nothing was because I just didn't know where to start or how to build these kind of relationships. I think this is true of so many believers - they want to help, but the thought of where to begin is overwhelming. Just go somewhere where people are involved with and serving the poor. Pray that God will show you. This is a prayer He will answer quickly - His heart is for the poor. Randy preached a sermon a few months ago and pointed out that we have to go to them - not many are going to come knocking on our doors for this relationship.
I don't know why I'm writing about this - I think it's that when you've been in one social class your whole life, you tend to make judgments/assumptions about the ones of which you're not a part (upper, middle, and lower classes ALL do this). I guess this is just one of many of mine that is being shattered as I'm just seeing the tip of the iceburg of what Jesus means when He says to love the poor. Sometimes I wish we could ignore this part of God's Word (but it's such a darn BIG part)! But my last word has to be GRACE, GRACE, GRACE! We're all on a journey to see the heart of Christ and He's so merciful and gracious to us! Praise Him for His goodness!
Gotta go! My sweet people are hungry and letting me know about it!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thoughts on being "charismatic"
I go through phases. Sometimes I pull back from trying to listen to God. I think mostly I'm just selfish and I don't want to obey him. I start getting comfortable with my life, and I just sort of tune him out. It seems to work OK for awhile, but always I find myself bored and unsatisfied. A sense of distance from God gradually comes over me. It's a very vague sense; not like I'm in some great sin that would cause shame and humiliation if it were found out. It's more like I'm just existing with God. Like when I go for days on end without really sitting down with Anda to talk about our lives together.
I feel like I've been in a season of passive resistance to God. The last week or so, I've noticed a change. I'm listening again. Maybe it's the 60/60 experiment our church is doing where we set our watches to beep every 60 minutes for 60 days to remind us to be constantly turning to God. Maybe it's the book I'm reading about Jimmy Seibert and the crazy things he has done in his journey with God. Whatever it is, I like it.
It's pretty unstable to follow God. I can't be certain about very many things. He might tell me to do things that will endanger a friendship or my finances. He might lead me to say something offensive or culturally inappropriate. He might inconvenience me by sending on a task that wasn't a planned part of my schedule. The great thing, though, is that what isn't shaken up is made stronger. When the Israelites stood on the other side of the Red Sea, none of them doubted that God was real. We start doubting when we stop seeing him work, and we stop seeing him work (most of the time) when we stop responding to his specific words. But as we obey His specific words for us and see Him work through us, we know with certainty that this great God of the Bible is King of today, just as he was back then.
I was telling McKenna tonight that we don't have to choose between loving the written word of God and listening to his specific words to us. I have a super-high view of scripture. It is the true eternal spoken word of God, and it can never be changed or minimized. I also have a super-high view of hearing God's specific words to me. That's often how I know where to go and what to do moment by moment.
So call me a flaming charismatic. Last month that description may have bothered me a bit, but not tonight. Tonight I'm desperate for God. I want His presence, and not just his precepts.
Our family is reading through Exodus right now, and yesterday we read chapter 33. It shook me up. I saw my sin, and repented. The chapter picks up after the Israelites had built a gold cow and called it God. Understandably upset, God made a deal with them. I believe many if not most American Christians have taken God up on this deal. He said (basically) "I will send you into the promised land and give you all that I said I would. I will even send my angel with you. You can have all of it. The only catch is that I won't go with you."
I confess that I've taken God up on that deal. I've known that the path I was choosing was different than what God wanted, but I took it anyway believing that the end result would be worth it. I chose the blessing and set aside the Blesser.
We criticize the Israelites, but at least they were smart enough to see God's offer for what it was. My version of the Bible called it "dreadful news." They knew that even if they took over the whole earth without God, it was worthless. So Moses refused to go anywhere without God, and eventually talked God into coming along.
My resolve is to do the same. Won't you join me? Let's not take another step until we are certain that He is with us. Let's confess, repent, dig our heels in and say, "No, God! I won't move until you do.'' There aren't many times when God wants us to say no to Him, but when he offers to send us on a mission without Him no other answer will do.
(That's really the end of my post, but for those readers who are theologically flustered by my implication that we can be separated from God, let me assure you that I fully believe in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in every believer. I use the above description to relate the practical implications of ignoring God's voice. Clearly it is possible to be filled with God's Spirit and yet live in a way that practically denies His presence and authority to direct our lives. The end result of such a lifestyle is in many ways the same as if He were absent.)
I feel like I've been in a season of passive resistance to God. The last week or so, I've noticed a change. I'm listening again. Maybe it's the 60/60 experiment our church is doing where we set our watches to beep every 60 minutes for 60 days to remind us to be constantly turning to God. Maybe it's the book I'm reading about Jimmy Seibert and the crazy things he has done in his journey with God. Whatever it is, I like it.
It's pretty unstable to follow God. I can't be certain about very many things. He might tell me to do things that will endanger a friendship or my finances. He might lead me to say something offensive or culturally inappropriate. He might inconvenience me by sending on a task that wasn't a planned part of my schedule. The great thing, though, is that what isn't shaken up is made stronger. When the Israelites stood on the other side of the Red Sea, none of them doubted that God was real. We start doubting when we stop seeing him work, and we stop seeing him work (most of the time) when we stop responding to his specific words. But as we obey His specific words for us and see Him work through us, we know with certainty that this great God of the Bible is King of today, just as he was back then.
I was telling McKenna tonight that we don't have to choose between loving the written word of God and listening to his specific words to us. I have a super-high view of scripture. It is the true eternal spoken word of God, and it can never be changed or minimized. I also have a super-high view of hearing God's specific words to me. That's often how I know where to go and what to do moment by moment.
So call me a flaming charismatic. Last month that description may have bothered me a bit, but not tonight. Tonight I'm desperate for God. I want His presence, and not just his precepts.
Our family is reading through Exodus right now, and yesterday we read chapter 33. It shook me up. I saw my sin, and repented. The chapter picks up after the Israelites had built a gold cow and called it God. Understandably upset, God made a deal with them. I believe many if not most American Christians have taken God up on this deal. He said (basically) "I will send you into the promised land and give you all that I said I would. I will even send my angel with you. You can have all of it. The only catch is that I won't go with you."
I confess that I've taken God up on that deal. I've known that the path I was choosing was different than what God wanted, but I took it anyway believing that the end result would be worth it. I chose the blessing and set aside the Blesser.
We criticize the Israelites, but at least they were smart enough to see God's offer for what it was. My version of the Bible called it "dreadful news." They knew that even if they took over the whole earth without God, it was worthless. So Moses refused to go anywhere without God, and eventually talked God into coming along.
My resolve is to do the same. Won't you join me? Let's not take another step until we are certain that He is with us. Let's confess, repent, dig our heels in and say, "No, God! I won't move until you do.'' There aren't many times when God wants us to say no to Him, but when he offers to send us on a mission without Him no other answer will do.
(That's really the end of my post, but for those readers who are theologically flustered by my implication that we can be separated from God, let me assure you that I fully believe in the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in every believer. I use the above description to relate the practical implications of ignoring God's voice. Clearly it is possible to be filled with God's Spirit and yet live in a way that practically denies His presence and authority to direct our lives. The end result of such a lifestyle is in many ways the same as if He were absent.)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
too tired to blog, but maybe just a little...
Well, just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive (barely). Just Kidding! I'm just so darn exhausted from this crazy carpet thing! I feel like we just moved. But I've got a large pile of stuff by my front door that will be leaving my house on Friday (garage sale and various others who will be the happy recipients of my JUNK) and I hope to eventually go through ALL the piles of paper that have been calling my name for months now.
Here's my latest thoughts about quiet time with Jesus. I suppose I grew up hearing about it a lot, but I never really had one. All my attempts were weak and short-lived until we moved to the metroplex and started hearing Jamey Miller talk about the importance of quiet time - MAYBE he's gone one week in a sermon without mentioning it, but I wonder.... Anyway, it has become a regular part of Randy's and my discipline, but has been pretty flat lately. I'm in this Bible study for women on Monday nights right now and this week's topic was quiet time. I confess that I was having a bunch of stupid and arrogant thoughts about how I didn't need to hear about it from some random lady on a video. I've got this thing down, right? Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner! :) Here are some random things that were said by women in my church or on the video Monday p.m. "If you knew God was really in the next room, would you waste any time in going in there to see Him?" Then why do we come up with all these excuses about being too tired or not having time - those things would seem irrelevant if we knew that God in the flesh was in the next room. Another thing that struck me was the speaker's point that the whole purpose of your quiet time is to see Jesus. Memorizing scripture, reading your Bible, prayer, etc. are all good but are pretty irrelevant if you don't connect with Him. She used the analogy of looking through a telescope. What's the point of looking through one if you don't see the stars? Likewise, what's the point of reading the Word of God if, at the end, you haven't seen Jesus? Again, these are things that we all know are true, but as I've really meditated on how I treat other appointments (i.e. if I have a date scheduled with my husband, I'm not dragging my feet and dreading it when it's time to go!) and how I view my "appointment" every a.m. with Jesus, I've been disappointed with what I see! Is this God's fault? Obviously not. What I'm seeing is that the reason we don't desire Him more is because we don't know who or what we're missing. He is infinitely more satisfying and beautiful and delicious and glorious and wonderful and encouraging and joyful than any person on the planet EVER! When I'm seeing Him as He really is, life just seems to be "as it should be". Oh God, take this weak faith and breath your life into it!
Here's my latest thoughts about quiet time with Jesus. I suppose I grew up hearing about it a lot, but I never really had one. All my attempts were weak and short-lived until we moved to the metroplex and started hearing Jamey Miller talk about the importance of quiet time - MAYBE he's gone one week in a sermon without mentioning it, but I wonder.... Anyway, it has become a regular part of Randy's and my discipline, but has been pretty flat lately. I'm in this Bible study for women on Monday nights right now and this week's topic was quiet time. I confess that I was having a bunch of stupid and arrogant thoughts about how I didn't need to hear about it from some random lady on a video. I've got this thing down, right? Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner! :) Here are some random things that were said by women in my church or on the video Monday p.m. "If you knew God was really in the next room, would you waste any time in going in there to see Him?" Then why do we come up with all these excuses about being too tired or not having time - those things would seem irrelevant if we knew that God in the flesh was in the next room. Another thing that struck me was the speaker's point that the whole purpose of your quiet time is to see Jesus. Memorizing scripture, reading your Bible, prayer, etc. are all good but are pretty irrelevant if you don't connect with Him. She used the analogy of looking through a telescope. What's the point of looking through one if you don't see the stars? Likewise, what's the point of reading the Word of God if, at the end, you haven't seen Jesus? Again, these are things that we all know are true, but as I've really meditated on how I treat other appointments (i.e. if I have a date scheduled with my husband, I'm not dragging my feet and dreading it when it's time to go!) and how I view my "appointment" every a.m. with Jesus, I've been disappointed with what I see! Is this God's fault? Obviously not. What I'm seeing is that the reason we don't desire Him more is because we don't know who or what we're missing. He is infinitely more satisfying and beautiful and delicious and glorious and wonderful and encouraging and joyful than any person on the planet EVER! When I'm seeing Him as He really is, life just seems to be "as it should be". Oh God, take this weak faith and breath your life into it!
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