Quick Takes - Take One

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God keeps reminding that I need more patience and empathy. Recently there are situations when I seem to have less tolerance and I am wrong. I am typically patient and sympathetic to the point that I often embarrass my daughter with quickly shed tears. But it is wrong of me to put my desire to look forward and need to move ahead on others as their only right course. There were times in my life, when I couldn’t move on. I still needed love. There were times when problems so overwhelmed that I could not see beyond them. I still needed understanding. I'll work on this. I’m sure God will provide me the opportunity.

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Is it taking stretching the dollar too far when I intentionally use less toilet paper? And no, I don’t count the squares.

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Monday’s food journal. (The day after two huge Easter meals.)
Breakfast: Vanilla pudding cherry cake dessert from Easter.
Morning snack: Chocolate and a donut
Lunch: Carrot cake
Afternoon snack: Lots more chocolate
Dinner: Cake and punch
Evening snack: Salted peanuts and probably more chocolate.

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God prepares. I know it, I’ve experienced it. I’ll post more on this soon.

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I was deciding where to grab something to eat when I drove past KFC and they had a new sign. Kentucky Grilled Chicken. Sounded good. I pulled up to the drive thru order menu and asked for chicken only. I never get the sides; too loaded with calories. Please don’t hold #3 against me. The girl took my order and I pulled ahead. The drive through window opened, a teenage boy leaned out looked right at me and said, “Grilled breast”. That’s just WRONG.

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I get very frustrated after sitting at a computer all day to come home and not be able to figure out how to do some tech thing. I just want to get it done and not waste time! I haven’t been on windows vista and mail very long and I can’t even find my problems in their help center. I just want someone to do it for me. Send me the geek squad.

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I love LOST. The “island” is all about unfinished business from the past and how it affects each person. They have to face hard things about their past and reconcile them for today. I can see a lot of Christian applications. However, I don’t like it that now they have a guy who can communicate with the dead. It is really out there. I saw a reference to God on a blackboard in the last show. I mostly like LOST because it stretches my tiny little brain cells to figure out all the connections, because everything is connected. I like the challenge.

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The Holy Alphabet

I received this in an email recently. It is so good I want to share.

Although things are not perfect

Because of trial or pain

Continue in thanksgiving

Do not begin to blame

Even when the times are hard

Fierce winds are bound to blow

God is forever able

Hold on to what you know

Imagine life without His love

Joy would cease to be

Keep thanking Him for all the things

Love imparts to thee

Move out of 'Camp Complaining'

No weapon that is known

On earth can yield the power

Praise can do alone

Quit looking at the future

Redeem the time at hand

Start every day with worship

To 'thank' is a command

Until we see Him coming

Victorious in the sky

We'll run the race with gratitude

Xalting God most high

Yes, there'll be good times and yes some will be bad, but...

Zion waits in glory...where none are ever sad!

Coulda Shoulda

I had a meeting today at work. We have had tons of them lately. You know, the economy and all. We are intensely analyzing, planning and strategizing. Tough stuff. The funny thing about lending insight to our business is that it invariably comes home to roost. Irritating. Take my latest word of encouragement, and I’m using that term loosely, to this contribution to the meeting.

“Maybe we should have done this last year when the advice came through. We could have done that instead and maybe things would be easier now.” Heads nodded in understanding and talk moved on. Was I the only one who really heard what was said? Oh, gentle woman that I am I couldn’t let that pass unnoticed.

“Wait, let’s go back to that point. We could have? We should have? We need to be saying we have and we will. It is too important to our future. We can’t overanalyze ourselves to indecision. It’s time for action. Of course we might make some mistakes, but never making a decision and taking action is almost always wrong.”

Now I haunt myself. I’m the nag at the back of my own mind. I am a Coulda Shoulda pile of inactivity. And it’s too important to my future. There are things I want to do and be and ways I hope God can use me. Much of that seems to be lost in inertia. Huh? Why did I pick that word? It is not common to my vocabulary.

Inertia: Medicine/Medical. lack of activity, esp. as applied to a uterus during childbirth when its contractions have decreased or stopped. From dictionary.com

Facinating. I’ve been fervently praying for direction and a more clear understanding of God’s call and desire for my life. Now God plops a word in my mind that relates to the process of birth coming to a stop. I’m staring at these words and all I can think is. That’s scary. The last thing I want is to stop growing. He wants me to be more for Him. Renewed. Reborn. Is God trying to bring something to life that I am holding back with my inertia?

The journey of the Israelites is a great example. They were promised so much, but they didn’t have the faith and gumption to walk in and receive God’s gift in the promised land. Their lack of acting on God’s promises led to disbelief, sin and eventually forfeiting the life they could have had. Although God was rightfully just to put me in the wilderness, he is also faithful to restore. There is no better preparation for the heart than the wilderness. I want to be more for Him. How do I move from Coulda Shoulda to I Have I Will? How do I move from inertia to birth a new life?

Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness. Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed. Isaiah 40:3-5

That takes work. Plain and simple. Preparing the way in my heart for God takes the effort of laying down my will and my humanness. It takes picking up the spiritual shovel and putting in some back breaking, sweat producing exertion. Everything in me must be placed on God’s scale. Anything that doesn’t measure up? Gone. Ouch!

Maybe I can’t work past my Coulda Shoulda inertia until I absolutely believe the other side of the river truly is better. It is promised. What is it worth?

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold I will do something new. Now it will spring forth: Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. Isaiah 44:3.

This is a promise and declaration to Israel. Quit treading in the sea of regret. Yeah, I could have and should have done a lot of things. But I didn’t. No surprise to God. Now he urges me to look forward. Be aware of the new life he is sprouting. God spent 40 years displaying his protection and miracles in ways we haven’t seen since. The “something new” is a miracle so much more magnificent than any previous; the people will completely forget what happened in the past. I have and I will.

Commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5

Dandelion Gift

Heavy. That’s how I feel tonight. And I’m not talking about my scale although that isn’t too kind these days. I sift through feelings and contemplate. Is it right for a Christian to feel such heaviness? Just last night at bible study I commented that we live with joy. As Christians, it isn’t the life of can’t have and can’t do. Ours is the life of satisfying joy while choosing to do without much of what the world sees as fulfilling. Immediately a tug in the back of my mind whispered, take heed, I will have to prove those words.

So today, I’m struggling with heaviness. The monster that has been lurking for months is ready for attack. Sometimes it feels like life is all about can’t haves and can’t dos. Monstrous problems are in operation takeaway just like the stripping locusts. Where will I stand if all I see is can’t?

Prayer. Praise. Recalling promises. Sometimes these are done through hardened jaw, steeled eyes and sheer grit. Tonight it is a sacrifice, without much joy. I know the promises are no less true just because I feel heavy. Is that an honorable sacrifice?

Our study leader talked about when her children were little and they proudly brought her a gift of a dandelion from the yard. To them it was precious and beautiful. Her wiser eyes saw the weed it is. Her loving eyes acknowledged love in the weedy bouquet. When I bring gifts of praise, obedience and love to God, does He see my gift as genuine and precious?

Tonight I present my weedy bouquet. I give what I can. God understands.

Trust and Men

I hate everything about flying. . .

I only trust men so far, and it doesn't go above 30,000 feet!

Quote from my daughter.

It will be something I can use to a mother's advantage in the future.

Love you!