06 October 2006
Tra la la
Once again, I don't have much to say, but felt I should probably write something. Okay, I'm done for now. I'm going to Tulsa tomorrow to visit the aquarium and just kick around. That should be fun. Okay, NOW I'm done.
04 September 2006
Nothin' much
I don't have much to say this time, but figured it's been a while since I blogged. So, here I am. I got a new job. Yea me! I love it. I stay busy a good portion of the time so the days fly by. I also get to work OT and get paid for it. That's great too! The OT also helps since I have no social life. I've been too tired to worry about it.
Well, that's about all the excitement in my life right now. Will blog more later.
Well, that's about all the excitement in my life right now. Will blog more later.
08 July 2006
"Christians"
I know I probably shouldn't rant about this considering who might read it, but it's my blog. I can write what I want. Some things that have been really irritating me lately are the things I and the people around me do/say while covering ourselves with the title of "Christian". Let me preface my rant by saying that I am one of the most judgemental people I know. Having said that, I feel no guilt whatsoever in making comments about others who are like me.
This Sunday will be the last Sunday at our church for our music minister. He and his wife and daughter are great. When he came in view of a call to our church, he did not hide the fact that he would be incorporating praise music into the repertoire along with the tried and true hymns. The search committee knew this. This was NOT news. But, any idea what the first thing complained about was? Yup. You guessed it. Other people had other complaints and made sure that he heard them. Apparently, when he signed on, he didn't get the memo that he was the official complaint department. Who knew?
Did I agree with everything he did while at our church? NOOO! But, did I stop and think whether or not my opinion would hurt him and possibly others? I sure did. Did I consider the fact that my complaint would do more harm than good? Yup. Did everyone else do the same? That would be a big, resounding NOPE!!!! Several people who made their complaints have the subtlety of a bear with a pine cone up it's behind. And now we've lost a very good man. A man who has made several people (including myself) understand that God truly did mean "Make a joyful noise". He will be missed.
I said all of this to say that many of the Christians I know, including myself, are horrible to the very people to whom we should be gracious. I'm not sure if that's the right word or not, but there you go. A couple came forward in church this past Sunday to dedicate their granddaughter. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts and didn't seem very clean and I judged them on sight. The second I did, I took a step back (no, not literally) and realized what I'd done. What right do I have to decide that what they look like is not good enough for the hallowed halls of MY church? How horribly conceited was I in that moment? I hate that I'm like that, but I also hate that many people in the church are the same. I'm glad that God caught me at that particular moment and stopped my horrible thoughts. What courage it had to have taken for that couple to have stepped up in front of our congregation to offer their grandchild in to the hands of the Lord. It's not as easy as one might think.
And the arrogance is incredible! It's stopped being about God and started being about "me". That "me" was figurative. I've never thought much of myself so I don't think arrogance fits in my case. If you're going to get up in front of a church and preach or sing you'd better be doing it for God's glory and not your own because people can tell the difference. If you go to my church and are reading this, watch Robin the next time she gets up to sing. Watch Lori, Cari, Lynn, Barbara. Yes, these women are all confident in themselves, but at the same time, you can tell that they mean what they're singing. I know that Lynn is my aunt and I may be a tad biased, but I can't help being blessed when she sings. There's no way around it. She lives what she preaches/sings. It's evident in her love for and generosity toward others. Arrogance would never be a word used to describe her. My point being....it is possible to be a Christian without judging others or putting ourselves above them. Sure, you can see the differences, but see them only as that. Not as shortcomings. I'll work on it if you will. No, I won't. I'll work on it anyway.
This Sunday will be the last Sunday at our church for our music minister. He and his wife and daughter are great. When he came in view of a call to our church, he did not hide the fact that he would be incorporating praise music into the repertoire along with the tried and true hymns. The search committee knew this. This was NOT news. But, any idea what the first thing complained about was? Yup. You guessed it. Other people had other complaints and made sure that he heard them. Apparently, when he signed on, he didn't get the memo that he was the official complaint department. Who knew?
Did I agree with everything he did while at our church? NOOO! But, did I stop and think whether or not my opinion would hurt him and possibly others? I sure did. Did I consider the fact that my complaint would do more harm than good? Yup. Did everyone else do the same? That would be a big, resounding NOPE!!!! Several people who made their complaints have the subtlety of a bear with a pine cone up it's behind. And now we've lost a very good man. A man who has made several people (including myself) understand that God truly did mean "Make a joyful noise". He will be missed.
I said all of this to say that many of the Christians I know, including myself, are horrible to the very people to whom we should be gracious. I'm not sure if that's the right word or not, but there you go. A couple came forward in church this past Sunday to dedicate their granddaughter. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts and didn't seem very clean and I judged them on sight. The second I did, I took a step back (no, not literally) and realized what I'd done. What right do I have to decide that what they look like is not good enough for the hallowed halls of MY church? How horribly conceited was I in that moment? I hate that I'm like that, but I also hate that many people in the church are the same. I'm glad that God caught me at that particular moment and stopped my horrible thoughts. What courage it had to have taken for that couple to have stepped up in front of our congregation to offer their grandchild in to the hands of the Lord. It's not as easy as one might think.
And the arrogance is incredible! It's stopped being about God and started being about "me". That "me" was figurative. I've never thought much of myself so I don't think arrogance fits in my case. If you're going to get up in front of a church and preach or sing you'd better be doing it for God's glory and not your own because people can tell the difference. If you go to my church and are reading this, watch Robin the next time she gets up to sing. Watch Lori, Cari, Lynn, Barbara. Yes, these women are all confident in themselves, but at the same time, you can tell that they mean what they're singing. I know that Lynn is my aunt and I may be a tad biased, but I can't help being blessed when she sings. There's no way around it. She lives what she preaches/sings. It's evident in her love for and generosity toward others. Arrogance would never be a word used to describe her. My point being....it is possible to be a Christian without judging others or putting ourselves above them. Sure, you can see the differences, but see them only as that. Not as shortcomings. I'll work on it if you will. No, I won't. I'll work on it anyway.
18 April 2006
M-I-C-K-E-Y
Yes, the family went to Disney World last week. Me, my parents, my sister and my niece. We left early on a Saturday morning and came back in the evening on the next Saturday. We had to stand in several long LOOOOOOOONG lines, but it was well worth it. If you are a resort guest at Disney World you get to enjoy extra time in the parks. We didn't take advantage of that until our last night. My niece, my sister and I played in the Magic Kingdom until after 2:15 a.m. It was a blast! The only line we really had to wait for any amount of time in was Space Mountain, but my niece really wanted to ride it again so we were cool with that.
We went to Animal Kingdom, EPCOT ("Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" for those of you who were wondering), Typhoon Lagoon, MGM Studios, Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom. Dad made the mistake of assuming that we would be through EPCOT early in the afternoon and then we'd be able to go on to another park. WRONG! We loved it! Mission: Space was awesome. I only got to ride it once, but three of our party got to go twice.
The light shows were amazing!!! Especially "Fantasmic" at MGM Studios. Just a warning, if you do go to see this show, get there early (1 1/2 - 2 hours ahead of time) and don't sit in the first few rows. You'll get wet and if it's a chilly evening....cold. But, once again, well worth the wait. We also saw the EPCOT light show "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth". Many fireworks and a hugantic globe with different pictures popping up throughout the show. This show is great if you're not an 8-year-old who doesn't like loud noises. She kept her ears plugged and enjoyed the show anyway. And finally, we saw the Magic Kingdom light show "Wishes Nighttime Spectacular". Another warning. If you want to enjoy this show, do NOT sit close to the castle. We missed most of the fireworks because we thought we had good seats. Oh well. We went back the next night and got to enjoy the entire show.
As far as shopping goes, there was Downtown Disney. It had the biggest Disney Store I've ever seen. I think there are 12 different rooms in it. My niece was in Disney heaven. Downtown Disney also had a Ghirardelli "store". We got ice cream. It was yummilicious! DD has a Christmas store, a Pooh store, a toy store (of course), a Lego store, restaurants (including McDonald's) and a giant Lego monster in the pond. How cool is that?
I could go on and on about all the cool things there are to do at Disney World, but I won't. This blog would go on forever and ever. We had a good time, we ate like little piglets and we walked our feet off. Who could ask for more?
We went to Animal Kingdom, EPCOT ("Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" for those of you who were wondering), Typhoon Lagoon, MGM Studios, Downtown Disney and the Magic Kingdom. Dad made the mistake of assuming that we would be through EPCOT early in the afternoon and then we'd be able to go on to another park. WRONG! We loved it! Mission: Space was awesome. I only got to ride it once, but three of our party got to go twice.
The light shows were amazing!!! Especially "Fantasmic" at MGM Studios. Just a warning, if you do go to see this show, get there early (1 1/2 - 2 hours ahead of time) and don't sit in the first few rows. You'll get wet and if it's a chilly evening....cold. But, once again, well worth the wait. We also saw the EPCOT light show "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth". Many fireworks and a hugantic globe with different pictures popping up throughout the show. This show is great if you're not an 8-year-old who doesn't like loud noises. She kept her ears plugged and enjoyed the show anyway. And finally, we saw the Magic Kingdom light show "Wishes Nighttime Spectacular". Another warning. If you want to enjoy this show, do NOT sit close to the castle. We missed most of the fireworks because we thought we had good seats. Oh well. We went back the next night and got to enjoy the entire show.
As far as shopping goes, there was Downtown Disney. It had the biggest Disney Store I've ever seen. I think there are 12 different rooms in it. My niece was in Disney heaven. Downtown Disney also had a Ghirardelli "store". We got ice cream. It was yummilicious! DD has a Christmas store, a Pooh store, a toy store (of course), a Lego store, restaurants (including McDonald's) and a giant Lego monster in the pond. How cool is that?
I could go on and on about all the cool things there are to do at Disney World, but I won't. This blog would go on forever and ever. We had a good time, we ate like little piglets and we walked our feet off. Who could ask for more?
30 March 2006
Faith In Times of Trial
I have often wondered how I would handle tragedy in my life. No...I'm not asking for anything to happen so that I'll find out.
A couple very close to myself and a lot of people at church and around them lost a loved one this week. But, not just a loved one....a son. In my heart, knowing these people, I knew how they would be when I went to see them with my cousin. Yes, they are sad, but their hearts still hold God. He wasn't pushed out or set aside. They spoke of God's getting them through and you could see that even though they are hurting, they know they have someone on which they can lean. His mom was telling us about her trip to the hospital and about how it seemed that God was slowly preparing her for the news she was about to receive. She said that she prayed OUT LOUD!!! I know this seems simple, but how many Christians hide their prayers in public so that others won't hear? I know I do on occasion. But why? There are so many things she could have done differently, but she (and her husband) stayed on the path through all of the pain. She is one of a few people I use as an example of a true Christian. I could explain that more, but this will go on forever.
I also heard a story on Tuesday about an accident in Wyoming that took the lives of a man and his baby girl and injured the wife (mom). A few years earlier they had had a little boy and due to health issues he was taken from them within weeks. My mom read me the eulogy that this man had written for his son's funeral. It was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could put it on here, but I don't have it. He basically said that even though his baby boy was taken from him, he knew there was a reason. People often question why God would allow a woman to go through 9 months of carrying a little one inside them and then take them away so soon. This couple knew the answer to that question. If their loss could lead even one more person to know the love of God, their son's death would not have been in vain. I pray that the wife/mom will hold that faith in her heart through her loss and her healing.
So, my question is...when God sees fit to take away someone I love will I question him? Will I push Him out of my life so I can grieve and not allow myself to see that my loss is Heaven's gain? Will I pretend that I understand but secretly harbor resentment? OR Will I react in the same way these two couples have? I am not asking for this to be put to the test any time soon. I just hope that when this does happen that God and those close to me will help me attain the latter. It's so easy to say you love God when things are working out the way you'd like them to (or when they're pretty close). How much easier would it be to get through the hard times if you have someone to whom you can hand your sorrow? It doesn't sound like a difficult question. We're the ones who won't accept an easy answer.
A couple very close to myself and a lot of people at church and around them lost a loved one this week. But, not just a loved one....a son. In my heart, knowing these people, I knew how they would be when I went to see them with my cousin. Yes, they are sad, but their hearts still hold God. He wasn't pushed out or set aside. They spoke of God's getting them through and you could see that even though they are hurting, they know they have someone on which they can lean. His mom was telling us about her trip to the hospital and about how it seemed that God was slowly preparing her for the news she was about to receive. She said that she prayed OUT LOUD!!! I know this seems simple, but how many Christians hide their prayers in public so that others won't hear? I know I do on occasion. But why? There are so many things she could have done differently, but she (and her husband) stayed on the path through all of the pain. She is one of a few people I use as an example of a true Christian. I could explain that more, but this will go on forever.
I also heard a story on Tuesday about an accident in Wyoming that took the lives of a man and his baby girl and injured the wife (mom). A few years earlier they had had a little boy and due to health issues he was taken from them within weeks. My mom read me the eulogy that this man had written for his son's funeral. It was absolutely beautiful. I wish I could put it on here, but I don't have it. He basically said that even though his baby boy was taken from him, he knew there was a reason. People often question why God would allow a woman to go through 9 months of carrying a little one inside them and then take them away so soon. This couple knew the answer to that question. If their loss could lead even one more person to know the love of God, their son's death would not have been in vain. I pray that the wife/mom will hold that faith in her heart through her loss and her healing.
So, my question is...when God sees fit to take away someone I love will I question him? Will I push Him out of my life so I can grieve and not allow myself to see that my loss is Heaven's gain? Will I pretend that I understand but secretly harbor resentment? OR Will I react in the same way these two couples have? I am not asking for this to be put to the test any time soon. I just hope that when this does happen that God and those close to me will help me attain the latter. It's so easy to say you love God when things are working out the way you'd like them to (or when they're pretty close). How much easier would it be to get through the hard times if you have someone to whom you can hand your sorrow? It doesn't sound like a difficult question. We're the ones who won't accept an easy answer.
20 March 2006
Family Wrecks
Well, I had a slight scare last week. I say slight because I know my cousin did a whole lot more freaking out than I did. I called my cousin before church on Wednesday to see if she was going to meet for dinner as we usually do before choir. When she answered, she was not her usual jovial self. Quite the opposite. The first words out of her mouth were, "I've been in a wreck! The car is really bad!" Now, if you know my cousin, you know she's a laid back sort of individual. It takes a bit to rattle her. So, of course, I was immediately worried. Turns out she's fine. Bumps, bruises, broken finger and slight burns (from airbag). Hey! I'm starting to not like the letter "B". It starts several not so fun words. Anyway, I digress. She has a tiny splint for her finger (which would work much better if she'd wear it) and her bruises are that really "pretty" yellow color now. Yuck! But, she sang at church last night (and did very well, if you ask me...but you didn't) so at least we know her vocal chords weren't damaged. :-D
My sissypoo was in a wreck several weeks ago, but it didn't scare me quite as badly because I had a good portion of the information up front and I wasn't talking to someone in "I've JUST been in an accident" mode. She did get banged up a tad though. See her blog under my "Tamra" link. There's a great pic from after her surgery. She seems to be recovering though. I talked to her on Saturday (her b-day) and the family was thrilled because she could raise her arm half-way. Nope, it doesn't take much to amuse us!
Hopefully both of them will be healed and back to their normal (well, as normal as they can get) selves in no time. We'll see.
My sissypoo was in a wreck several weeks ago, but it didn't scare me quite as badly because I had a good portion of the information up front and I wasn't talking to someone in "I've JUST been in an accident" mode. She did get banged up a tad though. See her blog under my "Tamra" link. There's a great pic from after her surgery. She seems to be recovering though. I talked to her on Saturday (her b-day) and the family was thrilled because she could raise her arm half-way. Nope, it doesn't take much to amuse us!
Hopefully both of them will be healed and back to their normal (well, as normal as they can get) selves in no time. We'll see.
06 February 2006
Cari is NOT the boss of me!!!!
Despite what she thinks, Cari is NOT the boss of me. I am writing this blog because I want to, not because she made me. Granted, I have nothing to write about, but there you go. I was sick this past week. So was half of Oklahoma.
This is sad. This is about the extent of my brain capacity at the moment. I need more memory. I do only have three more minutes before I get to go home for the day so I'm going to keep this short. If you want more to read go see Cari or Tamra's blogs. Lots more to read and tons more interesting.
This is sad. This is about the extent of my brain capacity at the moment. I need more memory. I do only have three more minutes before I get to go home for the day so I'm going to keep this short. If you want more to read go see Cari or Tamra's blogs. Lots more to read and tons more interesting.
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