Part of my devotional reading this morning was from 2 Thessalonians, chapter 1. When I read verse 11, I quickly turned it back to the Lord in prayer - "God count me worthy of Your calling and by Your power fulfill every good purpose of mine."
Then I read this in Streams of the Desert devotional - "When God wants to bring more power in your life, He brings more pressure. He is generating spiritual force by hard rubbing."
Great!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Top of the day to ya!
Until I graduated from high school and yondered beyond my life in Butte, Mt., I didn't realize that most of the rest of the world had no idea what an important holiday St. Patrick's Day was. After all, I was in the center of an almost completely dominated Irish Catholic community. I thought St. Patrick's Day was holy. Seriously.
Over the years, my enthusiasm for this day has lessened quite a bit but for some reason a few memories hit me today. Here are a few:
*Green mayonaise on my bolgona sandwich, hand prepared by my ever celebratory mother. Just a side note here - I always tried to hide my sandwich from the others at my table. As much as I loved that my mother made things fun, I felt embarrassed too.
*Overcrowded streets all over town. Every corner bar sold green beer and most of the town had the day off or took the day off. It made for quite the town party.
*Having half days of school since we all needed to attend the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
*Learning to draw shamrocks by connecting three hearts together. I drew shamrocks on everything. Today, I drew one on my chalkboard wall. Old habits die hard.
*The smell of corned beef and cabbage cooking. I don't think we ever ate anything else for supper on this day. The smell was always a little unnerving, but the food tasted very Irish.
I made corned beef and cabbage today for my family. Corbin and Christiana darted for Burger King upon my announcement of "what's for supper?"
*The word blarney stone. Eating something that looked like a blarney stone from our local bakery.
*Hoping I would never forget to wear green because I did not want to be pinched. Checking everything I did wear for any hint of orange because that was a cardinal sin and you got punched. Yes, I am serious.
*My senior year, I left school early (we no longer were let out early for the parade) and went home quickly before the parade. It was going to be such a fun day until I realized I was covered head to toe with hives. I felt horrible in just a few hours and I spent the day in bed. I am allergic to codeine. I happened to take some cough syrup that day. Bummer!
*People walking all over with big green hats on. Like the one in the picture above.
*Making shamrocks out of green pipe cleaners.
Funny how different this day is for me now. My kids hardly even know it is a holiday. I don't even think they wore green today. Joe really loved the corned beef and cabbage though. He wants it every year. Now I just need to teach him how to draw those shamrocks!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Happy Birthday, Christiana
Could she be any cuter? All grown up and fully adult. Eighteen years ago on March 5th, in the hills of Mt. Union, PA., I gave birth to a rolly-polly, 9lb 4oz., beautiful, and I mean beautiful baby girl. We named her Christiana Spring and the day we drove her home we had the biggest snow storm ever.
Even though we named Christiana after a Gulf War reporter named Christianne, we could not have picked a more fitting name for her - a Christian true and true. Christiana has a heart for the Lord and a heart full of compassion. She is bold in sharing her faith and fearless when it comes to praying with her peers. Just a couple of weeks ago, we attended the school's Bistro where individuals and groups perform their talents. One girl in particular played a phenomenal piece on the piano. Later, Christiana told me that that girl was so nervous to play that she came and asked her to pray for her. I find that so amazing in this crazy mixed up day and age.
My memory is not very sharp but it would be hard to forget one particular thing about Christiana. Her hair. She was born with a head full and it never went anywhere but crazy. She had curls and frizz and a never ending amount of locks. I fixed more pigtails, french braids, and side ponies than all her Barbies put together. We laugh now at all the big bows I found to place in the masses.
One of Christiana's teachers, in reviewing her vocabulary words she had placed in a spiral of index cards, saw that we had placed a label over the title I had written on there "Scriture Memory 2009" (this is what happens when your children need something right then). When she returned the cards to Christiana she had written in this verse for her: "As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." Prov. 27:19. That verse sums it up. Her heart reflects who she truly is - kind and compassionate, helpful and self-sacrificing, a servant.
I can't wait to see what God has in store for my girl.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Not again....
Where has all this snow come from? I had no idea when I went to bed last night that I would wake up to 12" (maybe a slight exagerration, but you know...) of snow. I must have not watched the news at all yesterday.
So, much to my surprise, today is a snow day, as the school calls them. I think this is about the 5th or 6th one this year. Here in the good ole' plains state of SD, when it snows and the wind blows, it looks like your the stationary decoration in the middle of a shaken snow globe. With rural bus routes still in existence here, our snow days are largely determined by the ability to retrieve or return these rural children to their country settings. "Back in the day" as Elise would say, they actually assigned host families in the city, for the rurals, just in case they couldn't get them home. Oh how times have changed.
The one thing I love about snow days is it feels like a free day. Everything, for the most part, shuts down. No appointments, no work (well for me anyway), no driving, no shopping for food, no pressure, no visitors, no running to school to bring forgotten items. It is like a forced Sabbath whether you need one or not. Yeah!
Hopefully, I have the ingredients for some good old fashioned comfort food because that is what you really do on a snow day. Eat.
So, much to my surprise, today is a snow day, as the school calls them. I think this is about the 5th or 6th one this year. Here in the good ole' plains state of SD, when it snows and the wind blows, it looks like your the stationary decoration in the middle of a shaken snow globe. With rural bus routes still in existence here, our snow days are largely determined by the ability to retrieve or return these rural children to their country settings. "Back in the day" as Elise would say, they actually assigned host families in the city, for the rurals, just in case they couldn't get them home. Oh how times have changed.
The one thing I love about snow days is it feels like a free day. Everything, for the most part, shuts down. No appointments, no work (well for me anyway), no driving, no shopping for food, no pressure, no visitors, no running to school to bring forgotten items. It is like a forced Sabbath whether you need one or not. Yeah!
Hopefully, I have the ingredients for some good old fashioned comfort food because that is what you really do on a snow day. Eat.
(The picture is taken from my front porch this morning.)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Sometimes.....
Lord, today I need to be infused with joy. Injected with contentment. Transfused with transformation. Intravenously fed doses of perseverance. Paddle shocked with humility. Prescribed pills of strength and fluids of hope only You can give.
In You, I live and move and have my being. Acts 17:28
In You, I live and move and have my being. Acts 17:28
Monday, January 19, 2009
I am completely Lost!
UPDATE!
Just wanted to let you know, we completed the task of watching all DVD's in time to see the Season 5 opener. I nearly lost my mind. I cannot handle watching TV with the commercials. I didn't even enjoy the show because I was going insane, twidling my thumbs, through the commercials. So annoying and such a time waster. I think I may have to opt for waiting for the DVD's to be released or really give serious consideration to the whole DVR thing.
By the way....If Jack's beard is not confirmation that facial hair can make a good looking guy not so good looking any more, I don't know what is. What were they thinking?
************************************************************************************
I just finished reading my sister-in- law's post about her obsession with American Idol. Four weeks ago, I would have never related to being obsessed with anything that came from a tv. But oh, how things have changed.
When I was young, we were allowed to watch one HALF hour of television a day. I chose "I Dream of Jeanie" everyday except Tuesday when I would watch "Happy Days." By my high school years, I hardly ever watched TV. We crafted, sewed, baked and did anything other than sit in front of the "boob tube" as it was commonly referrred to in my home. Seriously, when I met Joe in college, I did not know who John Wayne or Perry Mason were. Nor did I care.
What is strange to me is that out of all four of us girls, who were raised all in the same house, we do have one sister who loves tv. And all of this is her fault.
Upon the recommendation from my sister, Christine, and the insistence that I would not be disappointed, I sat down one evening during the Christmas break and started watching Season 1 of Lost. I need you to understand something. I NEVER watch TV. I hate sitting that long staring at it. It makes me feel lazy. And I really hate thinking about the word boob tube. But, low and behold, since that first day of watching Lost, I have become addicted.
Last night, I spent birthday money I don't even have yet, purchasing Season 4. I couldn't take it any more. We looked for it to borrow from everyone we could think of, I called Blockbuster every hour to see if the other Lost addict in town whom I have been competeing with had returned Disk 1 of season 4, and then I just broke down and bought it. Why? Because, Season 5 starts Wednesday and I am going to be ready. I would never make it until next Fall to watch the released Season 5 on DVD. No, not never!
I added up the hours of time I have spent watching Lost in the past 3 weeks. I am pretty sure it adds up to more hours than all the hours I have watched TV in the past 20 years. I may even be able to add movies into that equation (Ask my kids....I usually fall asleep at the theatre).
I think I may even call my cable provider and ask about DVR. I really don't know if that is even the person I call since I only learned about DVR two weeks ago from all people, my mother! I so don't pay attention to details when it comes to the boob tube. We don't even have a remote for our DVD/VCR player. We have to get down on our hands and knees, put on our bifocals and press the play button every time. No, I am not kidding.
How in the world Joe and I are going to finish Season 4 before Wednesday is beyond me. Because, even though I am all into this and want to watch it, there is still a part of me, a very large part, that is chiding myself for allowing this to happen. But happened it has and so I must find time.
Gotta run! Joe is coming home for lunch and he said we could watch an episode or two. I guess my Monday cleaning will have to wait until after lunch. Darn!
Just wanted to let you know, we completed the task of watching all DVD's in time to see the Season 5 opener. I nearly lost my mind. I cannot handle watching TV with the commercials. I didn't even enjoy the show because I was going insane, twidling my thumbs, through the commercials. So annoying and such a time waster. I think I may have to opt for waiting for the DVD's to be released or really give serious consideration to the whole DVR thing.
By the way....If Jack's beard is not confirmation that facial hair can make a good looking guy not so good looking any more, I don't know what is. What were they thinking?
************************************************************************************
I just finished reading my sister-in- law's post about her obsession with American Idol. Four weeks ago, I would have never related to being obsessed with anything that came from a tv. But oh, how things have changed.
When I was young, we were allowed to watch one HALF hour of television a day. I chose "I Dream of Jeanie" everyday except Tuesday when I would watch "Happy Days." By my high school years, I hardly ever watched TV. We crafted, sewed, baked and did anything other than sit in front of the "boob tube" as it was commonly referrred to in my home. Seriously, when I met Joe in college, I did not know who John Wayne or Perry Mason were. Nor did I care.
What is strange to me is that out of all four of us girls, who were raised all in the same house, we do have one sister who loves tv. And all of this is her fault.
Upon the recommendation from my sister, Christine, and the insistence that I would not be disappointed, I sat down one evening during the Christmas break and started watching Season 1 of Lost. I need you to understand something. I NEVER watch TV. I hate sitting that long staring at it. It makes me feel lazy. And I really hate thinking about the word boob tube. But, low and behold, since that first day of watching Lost, I have become addicted.
Last night, I spent birthday money I don't even have yet, purchasing Season 4. I couldn't take it any more. We looked for it to borrow from everyone we could think of, I called Blockbuster every hour to see if the other Lost addict in town whom I have been competeing with had returned Disk 1 of season 4, and then I just broke down and bought it. Why? Because, Season 5 starts Wednesday and I am going to be ready. I would never make it until next Fall to watch the released Season 5 on DVD. No, not never!
I added up the hours of time I have spent watching Lost in the past 3 weeks. I am pretty sure it adds up to more hours than all the hours I have watched TV in the past 20 years. I may even be able to add movies into that equation (Ask my kids....I usually fall asleep at the theatre).
I think I may even call my cable provider and ask about DVR. I really don't know if that is even the person I call since I only learned about DVR two weeks ago from all people, my mother! I so don't pay attention to details when it comes to the boob tube. We don't even have a remote for our DVD/VCR player. We have to get down on our hands and knees, put on our bifocals and press the play button every time. No, I am not kidding.
How in the world Joe and I are going to finish Season 4 before Wednesday is beyond me. Because, even though I am all into this and want to watch it, there is still a part of me, a very large part, that is chiding myself for allowing this to happen. But happened it has and so I must find time.
Gotta run! Joe is coming home for lunch and he said we could watch an episode or two. I guess my Monday cleaning will have to wait until after lunch. Darn!
Friday, January 2, 2009
2009 One Voice is Mine
From all different angles the voices of this world, Christian and non, have filled my head with advice, suggestions, maybe this would help one liners, and unasked for directions. No one meant any harm but in the midst of it all, my heart silently was crying out to the Lord saying which way? How do I know? What am I suppose to do?
Then in the sweetest of moments, unexpected and pure, with the heaviest of heart, I opened my Bible right to this verse - This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel - "I am the LORD your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17
Bottom line - His voice is the only one I want to hear in 2009. He can teach me what is best for me because He knows me. He is the Divine Teacher. He can direct my paths because He knows the direction I am to head in.
I am thrilled to start the year off with such a solid Word from the Lord. It brings me peace like nothing else and stills the chaos inside my head. I am counting on Him and thankfully, He is trustworthy.
Then in the sweetest of moments, unexpected and pure, with the heaviest of heart, I opened my Bible right to this verse - This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel - "I am the LORD your God who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17
Bottom line - His voice is the only one I want to hear in 2009. He can teach me what is best for me because He knows me. He is the Divine Teacher. He can direct my paths because He knows the direction I am to head in.
I am thrilled to start the year off with such a solid Word from the Lord. It brings me peace like nothing else and stills the chaos inside my head. I am counting on Him and thankfully, He is trustworthy.
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