Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Deep Thoughts......


I was thinking about my legacy the other day (doesn't everybody??) and I was left with this conundrum of sorts.......



Is it possible to "leave a legacy" without first "living a legacy?"



Don't you have to live one before you leave one??
By the way....deep thoughts like this remind me of an old Saturday Night Live Sketch. Does this picture ring a bell??

Monday, November 26, 2007

Dancing with the "Stars??"

A dear friend of mine sent this to me as a "cheer me up" while Gregg is gone. It is absolutely hilarious!!!! And with the use of Gregg's high school picture (it will make sense when you see it), memories of watching him "cut a rug" at our high school dances rapidly comes to mind. How in the world she found this, I don't know. Enjoy and get ready to smile!!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9561336141

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Oops! I did it again!


Those of you who are teachers out there will probably understand where I am coming from on this one. Have you ever noticed that sometimes you just CAN'T turn off the teacher in you? It doesn't matter where you are...eating at a restaurant...walking behind a group of teenagers at a public event...shopping at the "After Thanksgiving Day" sales at the mall.... It is so naturally ingrained within you, it just "oozes" out at the most inopportune times. You don't even mean to do it. It is almost involuntary. It is as if your brain is so used to guiding, instructing, and redirecting, that when it signals an opportunity to do so, it acts on that impulse. This can be a extremely embarrassing when you are not in the classroom.

Case in point: I went to Macy's for the 3rd day in a row to pick up some makeup they were out of. With each trip I made, they promised me it would be there the next day. (Wait a minute...haven't I heard this story before with some living room furniture we are STILL waiting for from Macy's??) Anyway...on my third visit, I went to the Clinique counter to receive my long awaited makeup. I am in a "tweet" about it (as my Grandma would say) because I am COMPLETELY out.... as in not even dipping a Q-Tip in the bottle would help me out. Do you understand my pain???? This meek "Sandy Duncan" like woman comes to the counter and asks me if I needed some help. I noticed her voice was a little loud on my "audio radar" but it seemed harmless and after all, it was a short question she asked me. When I proceeded to explain to her what I needed, she began searching every nook and crannie of the Clinique counter and came up empty-handed. She began to explain to me in a VERY LOUD voice that the makeup must be on the truck still and she wasn't sure when it would be unloaded. I quickly eyed the other counters of snooty cosmetics (Estee Lauder, Lancome, and the like) to see which costumers were becoming privy to my "lack of makeup" situation. I knew they would judge me for it. After all, what TRUE woman waits until she has nothing left in the bottle to purchase a new one? "Sandy" went on and on to explain that she could order it for me from this city or that city and it may be in by early next week. Oh, her voice was just TOO LOUD!!! So....I shhhhh-ed her. I mean it. I actually went "shhhhhhhh" to her!!!! I even put my finger up to my mouth, just in case she wasn't reading me "loud and clear." (Get it??) It was my involuntary teacher coming out, I knew it!!! She looked at me so strangely. I don't blame her. I am sure she has never been "shhhhhh-ed" by a customer before. I couldn't believe I did it myself. When my brain registered that the "involuntary teacher" button had been launched, I responded with a quick "thank you" and mustered up any dignity I could find (there wasn't much to be found...I was without my makeup after all :) ), turned around and bolted out of Macy's. I can only imagine all the makeup reps from the snooty cosmetic counters running to her aid after I left. "Were you just "shhhhhh-ed" by a customer?? How absolutely undignified!!!!"

I forgot to mention one important factor in the story. Unfortunately, Faith was with me when all this was going on. She witnessed me "shhhhhh-ing" the Clinique lady!!!! How's that for a "teachable" moment?????

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Let it Be... Christmas

"Here, there, and everywhere" with the Beatles

WARNING: You will probably need to be a fan of the Beatles to even remotely enjoy this blog entry. If you find yourself asking "Who are the Beatles?," (you're kidding, right?) then come back later, when I write about something else. :)



You may remember me sharing with you a few entries back about a church in IN that is communicating the story of Jesus' birth through specific Beatles tunes this Christmas. Already generating a lot of internet interest (both positive and negative) before the series has even started, staff members at Granger Community Church decided to share their promo for the series on some of their blog pages. I thought I would share it with you as well. Will this "Beatles-Church" combo create a "Hard Day's Night" for GCC this Christmas? Only time will tell if they will be singing "I Should Have Known Better" or "I Feel Fine" afterwards. If you are interested in listening to the podcast yourself, after December 2, go to www.gccwired.com

Sidenote:

I got to thinking about some other Beatles' titles they could have chosen that might have worked as well.

Got to get YOU into my life



I call YOUR name



THE Word



When I get HOME



YOU really got a hold on me



Searchin'

Can you think of any others?

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Preteen Math Equation



Math Equation below:

12 yr. old girl
+ rapidly approaching puberty
+ emotions
+ relationship dynamics at school
X
wisdom
- experience
- season of life=
____________________________________


ANSWER: The World of 6th grade in 2007!!!!!


Directions for solving above equation:

Must be done in this order ( remember the FOIL method from Algebra?) or equation will end up with a different answer than you are striving for......

1) Pray

2) Listen intently to the lengthy, detailed conversations about her school day. (Where does she get that from?? Must be her father.)

3) Be grateful she is a "talker."

4) Hold her if she cries over something hurtful during her day. Try not to cry with her, remembering too well how difficult those days were for you.....not to mention those hideous pictures in the Jr. High yearbooks to prove it. Now, that's something to cry about!!!!

5) Resist the urge to "fix it" for her. (i.e. Lunch room or impromptu playground visits not allowed.)

6)Give her wisdom she can understand. Not too wordy, or you will lose her after first 5 min.

7)Pray again.

8) Read a good book together (like Nancy Rue's Girl Politics) which will help walk you through the "stuff" of girls and 6th grade.

Want to join me in my prayer time this morning? Here goes:

Thank you, God!!!! Father, You knew I was struggling with how to guide my daughter (your child) through the beginnings of this difficult season in her life (BTW God, why does adolescence have to last so long?? Let's make a deal....How about 5 years instead of say, 10? What do You think?) This book You have permitted me to "stumble upon" (much of what I feel like I am doing through parenting....stumbling), is an absolute gift!!! Your timing, God, couldn't have been better. This book speaks to everything we have been discussing together as this 6th grade school year unfolds. And more importantly, it is written specifically for a preteen audience, in her language, and I am just there to read it with her. I have prayed for wisdom and will continue to do so. Thanks for giving me this nugget of wisdom right now. I am so grateful!!

Side note: I know this book won't apply to everyone in my blog "audience." Sorry to bore you with that. But if you are the mom of a daughter who is not a preteen yet, put this book in your parenting arsenal for future use. It is THAT good!

Monday, November 12, 2007

How "comfortable" is God with my comfort?



I am getting ready to say "goodbye" tomorrow to one of my most valued "creature comforts." I have said "good-bye" to him so many times, I really should be able to do this without any emotion....without any hurt...but unfortunately, I still react much like a rookie. Probably always will. Lately, I have been thinking about how much I enjoy the "creature comforts" in my life....and I mean really enjoy them. Whether it be my husband, my girls, my relationships, a good book, a warm fire, money in the savings account, gas in my tank, sleeping cat on my bed, refrigerator full of food, hot shower in the morning, inbox full of "fresh" unopened emails from friends, a calendar of planned events....I cannot get enough of my
"beloved" comforts. Ahhhh, even listing them brings me comfort. :)



All this reflection on my comfort adoration gets me wondering just how "comfortable" is God with my comfort. How does He feel about the things I label as comforting to me? Are they gifts from Him, or could they sometimes be things that keep me from knowing TRUE COMFORT? I think Paul knew TRUE COMFORT....even with an uncomfortable "thorn in the flesh." The pain of the "thorn" was a purposeful vehicle in allowing him to experience the TRUE COMFORTER.


There are countless verses in the Bible that describe the TRUE COMFORTER. Too many to list here....but just by the sheer volume of its representation in the Bible, you know it is an important attribute of God:



He who comforts you- Isaiah 51:12

Comforts all who mourn- Isaiah 61:2

The Lord spoke kind and comforting words- Zechariah 1:13

Those who mourn will be comforted- Matthew 5:4

The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort- 2 Corinthians 1:3

Comforts us in all our troubles- 2 Corinthians 1:4

Comforts the downcast- 2 Corinthians 7:6


So, is it a bad thing that one of my most valued "creature comforts" is leaving? Yes.....and no. I NEED to be stretched, challenged, and abundantly loved on by God. And one of the ways that He gives that gift to me is by allowing me to "live" some earthly uncomfortableness. That way, I will be able to recognize TRUE COMFORT, when I experience it, when I feel it. I do believe God loves comfort, as long as that comfort comes from Him. And He uses different methods to bring that comfort to me. Sometimes it is in the form of my husband, my girls, my relationships, a good book, a warm fire, etc. But when I begin to place emphasis on the comforts themselves, instead of recognizing with Whom those comforts originated, then I am missing out on something very big.

So, for the next few weeks, I can honestly say, "God is taking me out of my comfort zone" (a little overused in some circles, my apologies :) ) and i know with confidence that I would much rather be dwelling in His COMFORT ZONE, than my own. That is how comfortable God is with my comfort.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

So this is Christmas

However you feel about the Beatles (my fav has always been Paul).....or don't feel about the Beatles, you may be interested to know that a "hip" church in Indiana is planning their Christmas sermons this year around Beatles tunes. Never heard of such a thing?? Neither had I. But I have been following Granger Community Church and their staff blogs for a few years now, and they are anything but conventional. They have a divine gift of blending both cultural and spiritual elements together and as a result, strongly point people towards the unlimited, loving heart of God at the same time. They are intentionally relevant with a capital "R."

Here is a sampling of their sermons titles used to depict the Christmas Story:

Let it Be.......Christmas

A Story Told by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Week #1: Nothin's Gonna Change My World
Week #2: All the Lonely People
Week #3: I Believe in Yesterday
Week #4: You Say You Want a Revolution
Christmas Eve Services: Let it Be

Personally, I am pretty excited to listen to the Podcast of this series. Yet, I would imagine there might be a little controversy surrounding the direction the pastoral staff has chosen to go this Christmas season. Either way, you can be sure it won't be as controversial as John Lennon's long ago statement of "being more popular than Jesus."