If I'm being honest, I've been struggling a lot lately with a lack of gratitude. Well, more precisely I guess you could call it envy. I've watched as some of the people in my circle seem to be getting all of the things I long for. Sometimes it is so precisely exactly what I was wanting, that I almost want to accuse them of doing it just to spite me. Which is ridiculous.
So in an effort to help refocus my mind on what I do have, instead of what I do not, I've decided to do a gratitude post. Enjoy!
******************
I am thankful for:
my husband So many years I spent thinking I would never find anyone to love me (not forever, anyway), that I would possibly never be married, yet here I am. Married for 6 years now to my best friend.
my daughter She is the incarnation of every dream I ever had about motherhood. She is the fulfillment of my calling, my reason for existence. She amazes me every day.
our home I've always wanted to own land. Our little ranch house on 5.5 acres is perfect. Sure, I'd like to develop it some more: a barn, fencing, etc. But it's the living area I always dreamed of having.
our critters I can't imagine myself without sharing my life with some of God's creatures. Three dogs, two cats, and 10 chickens are enough. For now. I am thankful that none of us have allergies that prevent us from having these wonderful companions in our lives.
my family I am blessed to come from a large extended family, and can't imagine my life any other way. We gather religiously at every holiday, often in gatherings of 50 or more people. They are an amazing group, and a source of strength in my life.
my job While sometimes I lament not being a SAHM, the truth is I like my job. I work with people I genuinely care about, I've learned a multitude of new skills, I'm respected in certain circles, there is opportunity for broadening my horizons. Add to that decent pay and amazing benefits and I have truly been blessed in this area.
our church Our church is amazing. The outreach to the community, the opportunities to serve, the teachings, the friendships... we have gained so much by joining this particular house of worship.
our finances While things could certainly be better, and they have, we are doing okay. We can pay all of our bills, and even have a little left over. Plus we have some in savings. All in all, we're doing well.
social media I end on the medium that brought me to blogging: social media. I started blogging via MySpace, and eventually expanded to a "real" blog. I've met friends thru blogging that turned into real life friends, I've reconnected with old friends via MySpace & Facebook, I've met friends via message boards, and shared my thoughts on Twitter. Social media has been good for me.
*******************
Please pray for me to continue to turn my mindset around. And as always, thanks for checking in!
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Second Chances
This is something that's been stirring around in my brain for a while. Time for it to come out.
Ya'll remember my nephew, right? (short version - overdosed on drugs, almost died, medical miracle)
For more details read here & here for the short-story explanations.
Let me preface this by saying that I already said that I don't know why God spared him. And maybe more importantly, why God doesn't spare others. (crap, I swear I already blogged on this, but now I can't find the post. If I do, I'll insert it here).
Anyway, there are some things that happened surrounding my nephew's incident that left me (us) troubled.
Like... people from my sister's and BIL's church, which they were very active in, people they were close to, shunning them after they heard about their son's overdose.
Like... when I initially went forward at my church to pray for my nephew, and the "prayer partner" there stared at me and stumbled thru a prayer that seemed anything but sincere (thank God my pastor didn't act this way or I might not go there anymore).
Like... my nephew's doctors seeming to try to rush his parents into deciding to pull the plug. From the beginning I felt like he was getting less-than-stellar treatment because of why he was in that condition.
Like... other people. Random people. Friends reacting to the news of his condition with a well-he-did-it-to-himself laissez-faire attitude.
This all bothers me.
And not just because it's my nephew.
Did he make a mistake? Yes. A huge one. There's no denying that. He admits it himself.
Do we all make mistakes? Yes. Sometimes little ones. Sometimes big ones. But we all do.
Does he deserve to be dismissed, written-off, uncared for, left-to-die, because of his mistake? Does his family deserve to be shunned because of a mistake their son made?
Not unless we all deserve it too.
Everyone messes up. Some bigger than others. Or maybe it's that we all mess up the same, just in different ways. Some are obvious (ie. drug overdose that almost kills you), some are not so obvious (IDK... that's why they're not obvious, I suppose).
But the thing is that we all screw up at one time or another. We all do. And while I can't change how other people react to mistakes, I can do this:
I can not judge people by one mistake in their past.
I can not treat people differently because they made a mistake that I didn't make.
I can love everyone to the best of my ability.
I can show others the grace that I have been shown. Or that I wish I had been shown.
I can support people thru their mistakes, and thru the consequences of their actions, whether society judges them or not (because there are always consequences).
I can try to do all these things and more. Maybe I will succeed. Maybe sometimes I will slip. I am human after all. But I can try to make the world a better place, one second chance at a time.
**********************
For anyone who's interested, my nephew is doing well. To the best of our knowledge, including those who live with him, he has not taken any illegal substances since returning home. My understanding is that he is unable to work (ie. not released by his doctors to work), but is currently attending a local community college (I don't know why school is okay, but not work - ask his doctors). He really seems to be trying to make a better life for himself, and understands the gravity of what happened. As much as he can, since he doesn't remember any of it. His memory of the incident goes from feeling sick, then jumps to doing physical therapy in the hospital. Everything in-between is lost to brain damage. You can see a renewed interest in family, as he has attended more family functions in the past few months than he has in the past 2 years combined.
Physically / medically speaking, he is severely hard-of-hearing. He hates to admit it, but it's obvious that he's getting most of what is being said from reading lips. The hearing loss is considered permanent, and hearing aids do not help, as the loss is due to brain damage, not an ear problem.
His brain damage is still considered severe, and permanent. He has been warned that one head injury could kill him. So when he stumbled down some stairs and bumped his head, what would have been a no-biggie to the rest of us, landed him in the hospital for some testing (he's fine).
And... I think that's it. For now. As always, thanks for checking in.
Ya'll remember my nephew, right? (short version - overdosed on drugs, almost died, medical miracle)
For more details read here & here for the short-story explanations.
Let me preface this by saying that I already said that I don't know why God spared him. And maybe more importantly, why God doesn't spare others. (crap, I swear I already blogged on this, but now I can't find the post. If I do, I'll insert it here).
Anyway, there are some things that happened surrounding my nephew's incident that left me (us) troubled.
Like... people from my sister's and BIL's church, which they were very active in, people they were close to, shunning them after they heard about their son's overdose.
Like... when I initially went forward at my church to pray for my nephew, and the "prayer partner" there stared at me and stumbled thru a prayer that seemed anything but sincere (thank God my pastor didn't act this way or I might not go there anymore).
Like... my nephew's doctors seeming to try to rush his parents into deciding to pull the plug. From the beginning I felt like he was getting less-than-stellar treatment because of why he was in that condition.
Like... other people. Random people. Friends reacting to the news of his condition with a well-he-did-it-to-himself laissez-faire attitude.
This all bothers me.
And not just because it's my nephew.
Did he make a mistake? Yes. A huge one. There's no denying that. He admits it himself.
Do we all make mistakes? Yes. Sometimes little ones. Sometimes big ones. But we all do.
Does he deserve to be dismissed, written-off, uncared for, left-to-die, because of his mistake? Does his family deserve to be shunned because of a mistake their son made?
Not unless we all deserve it too.
Everyone messes up. Some bigger than others. Or maybe it's that we all mess up the same, just in different ways. Some are obvious (ie. drug overdose that almost kills you), some are not so obvious (IDK... that's why they're not obvious, I suppose).
But the thing is that we all screw up at one time or another. We all do. And while I can't change how other people react to mistakes, I can do this:
I can not judge people by one mistake in their past.
I can not treat people differently because they made a mistake that I didn't make.
I can love everyone to the best of my ability.
I can show others the grace that I have been shown. Or that I wish I had been shown.
I can support people thru their mistakes, and thru the consequences of their actions, whether society judges them or not (because there are always consequences).
I can try to do all these things and more. Maybe I will succeed. Maybe sometimes I will slip. I am human after all. But I can try to make the world a better place, one second chance at a time.
**********************
For anyone who's interested, my nephew is doing well. To the best of our knowledge, including those who live with him, he has not taken any illegal substances since returning home. My understanding is that he is unable to work (ie. not released by his doctors to work), but is currently attending a local community college (I don't know why school is okay, but not work - ask his doctors). He really seems to be trying to make a better life for himself, and understands the gravity of what happened. As much as he can, since he doesn't remember any of it. His memory of the incident goes from feeling sick, then jumps to doing physical therapy in the hospital. Everything in-between is lost to brain damage. You can see a renewed interest in family, as he has attended more family functions in the past few months than he has in the past 2 years combined.
Physically / medically speaking, he is severely hard-of-hearing. He hates to admit it, but it's obvious that he's getting most of what is being said from reading lips. The hearing loss is considered permanent, and hearing aids do not help, as the loss is due to brain damage, not an ear problem.
His brain damage is still considered severe, and permanent. He has been warned that one head injury could kill him. So when he stumbled down some stairs and bumped his head, what would have been a no-biggie to the rest of us, landed him in the hospital for some testing (he's fine).
And... I think that's it. For now. As always, thanks for checking in.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
So What Have I Been Up To?
You heard about Jason, you heard about Jena, so what about me?
Wel, I'm leading a couple of large projects at work, which have me working more-than-usual hours.
I started volunteering in the church nursery. It was supposed to be just one service a month, but with everyone taking all kinds of vacations, they've been short-handed, so it's really been at least 2 services a month so far.
Our family has joined a small group at our church. It's only supposed to last thru the Summer, and is a "strictly social" group. Basically instead of meeting to do Bible study, or other development, we meet to hang out & build relationships. Considering I have a hard time meeting people & making friends, it has been a God-send (no pun intended). I still have a bit of anxiety every. single. time. we meet, but am starting to make connections with some of the other folks in the group. And it's really great because most of the people in this group are roughly our age, and several of them have kids around Jena's age.
ThirtyOne. I had an open house to clear out some of my inventory & make room for newer products, offering cash-n-carry items at a steep discount, and a small discount off of catalog orders. Attendance was as good as any party, plus I've had several requests to have more! Everyone likes a discount I suppose! And I do still have inventory I'd like to update, so I guess I'll probably have another. I also had my first person to sign up as a consultant under me. That has me a little more energized about this endeavour than I had been, as I really want her to do well & want to be there for her.
Extended family. Well, drama has finally calmed down (knock on wood), and we are all settling in to the new 'normal'. After my father-in-law's passing, followed shortly by my nephew's overdose, things have been all kinds of crazy. So now we're making up for it. Picnics, weekend getaways, vacations, date nights, family dinners... making up for lost time. Well worth it, and much needed.
As much as I love the distraction, and as much as so much of our busyness is because of wonderful good things, I'm also distracted by how jam-packed our schedule has become. As I was reviewing our calendar last night I realized we are basically booked from now thru December. No lie.
I suppose that's it in a nutshell for me. As always, thanks for checking in!
Wel, I'm leading a couple of large projects at work, which have me working more-than-usual hours.
I started volunteering in the church nursery. It was supposed to be just one service a month, but with everyone taking all kinds of vacations, they've been short-handed, so it's really been at least 2 services a month so far.
Our family has joined a small group at our church. It's only supposed to last thru the Summer, and is a "strictly social" group. Basically instead of meeting to do Bible study, or other development, we meet to hang out & build relationships. Considering I have a hard time meeting people & making friends, it has been a God-send (no pun intended). I still have a bit of anxiety every. single. time. we meet, but am starting to make connections with some of the other folks in the group. And it's really great because most of the people in this group are roughly our age, and several of them have kids around Jena's age.
ThirtyOne. I had an open house to clear out some of my inventory & make room for newer products, offering cash-n-carry items at a steep discount, and a small discount off of catalog orders. Attendance was as good as any party, plus I've had several requests to have more! Everyone likes a discount I suppose! And I do still have inventory I'd like to update, so I guess I'll probably have another. I also had my first person to sign up as a consultant under me. That has me a little more energized about this endeavour than I had been, as I really want her to do well & want to be there for her.
Extended family. Well, drama has finally calmed down (knock on wood), and we are all settling in to the new 'normal'. After my father-in-law's passing, followed shortly by my nephew's overdose, things have been all kinds of crazy. So now we're making up for it. Picnics, weekend getaways, vacations, date nights, family dinners... making up for lost time. Well worth it, and much needed.
As much as I love the distraction, and as much as so much of our busyness is because of wonderful good things, I'm also distracted by how jam-packed our schedule has become. As I was reviewing our calendar last night I realized we are basically booked from now thru December. No lie.
I suppose that's it in a nutshell for me. As always, thanks for checking in!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
FireMan - what's he been doing anyway?
Just a quick little update on Jason.
He's doing well. Still adjusting to life without his dad, which is difficult.
As you may (or may not) recall, he is a full time firefighter, working 24/48 (24 hours on, 48 hours off).
Like many firefighters in our area, the pay doesn't quite cut it, so he also works a 2nd job maintaining & repairing fire trucks at the fire house.
On top of that, he has his own business maintaining, repairing, and otherwise working on emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulances, security vehicles, etc).
While his business is doing well, he's hit a bump at his second job where not only is he no longer satisfied with the work, but the fact that they pay is roughly half what he can make elsewhere... let's just say he's a little burnt out.
So he's been looking for income elsewhere, and hasn't worked any hours at his second job in nearly 2 months. Odd jobs, fixing up & selling cars, fixing up & selling lawnmowers... really, whatever.
So far (the past 2 months) he's managed to bring in pretty close to what he would have made at his second job.
I know he's not happy there any longer, and have actually encouraged him to go ahead & quit. As long as the income is similar, I'm okay with that.
He's been fairly active with the local (volunteer) water rescue team this summer, primarily by performing boat patrols along the river. He's always enjoyed boat patrol, and even moreso this year, as he is now a boat operator, having completed the training / testing at the end of last season.
New this year, he recently began volunteering with the media team at our church. He's primarily been working as a camera operator during the services, filming the preaching for later broadcast on the internet. I'm really proud of him!
Around the house he's kept busy with a never-ending list of projects. Lately these are: cutting up the hickory tree that was felled in our last big storm (yay free firewood!),finally building the dogs a real doghouse (as opposed to the functional, yet ugly, one we created from home renovation scraps), and landscaping the front of the house (untouched since we'd moved in).
Between work, volunteering, home projects, and family, he's definitely keeping busy.
Which is good because:
a) he's never happy if he's bored
b) it keeps him out of trouble
So that's a quick update on my FireMan. As always, thanks for checking in!
He's doing well. Still adjusting to life without his dad, which is difficult.
As you may (or may not) recall, he is a full time firefighter, working 24/48 (24 hours on, 48 hours off).
Like many firefighters in our area, the pay doesn't quite cut it, so he also works a 2nd job maintaining & repairing fire trucks at the fire house.
On top of that, he has his own business maintaining, repairing, and otherwise working on emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulances, security vehicles, etc).
While his business is doing well, he's hit a bump at his second job where not only is he no longer satisfied with the work, but the fact that they pay is roughly half what he can make elsewhere... let's just say he's a little burnt out.
So he's been looking for income elsewhere, and hasn't worked any hours at his second job in nearly 2 months. Odd jobs, fixing up & selling cars, fixing up & selling lawnmowers... really, whatever.
So far (the past 2 months) he's managed to bring in pretty close to what he would have made at his second job.
I know he's not happy there any longer, and have actually encouraged him to go ahead & quit. As long as the income is similar, I'm okay with that.
He's been fairly active with the local (volunteer) water rescue team this summer, primarily by performing boat patrols along the river. He's always enjoyed boat patrol, and even moreso this year, as he is now a boat operator, having completed the training / testing at the end of last season.
New this year, he recently began volunteering with the media team at our church. He's primarily been working as a camera operator during the services, filming the preaching for later broadcast on the internet. I'm really proud of him!
Around the house he's kept busy with a never-ending list of projects. Lately these are: cutting up the hickory tree that was felled in our last big storm (yay free firewood!),
Between work, volunteering, home projects, and family, he's definitely keeping busy.
Which is good because:
a) he's never happy if he's bored
b) it keeps him out of trouble
So that's a quick update on my FireMan. As always, thanks for checking in!
Friday, June 22, 2012
What are you whining about?
What are you whining about ??
What am I whining about? Seriously?
I'm tired. I'm tired of being sad. I'm tired of being on an emotional roller coaster.
I wish my husband were home more this week.
I wish I had someone to help me with Jena so I wouldn't feel so strained all the time. And yet...
I wish I had more time with Jena. Good, long, quality time - not just trying to get life done.
I wish I felt more committed to my job. Or better - I wish I had a job that was more meaningful to me. I wish I could find one.
I want this fat to melt off. And the skin to tighten and the boobs to lift all at the same time. As if by magic. I'm tired of watching what I eat.
Ugh. I'm still gonna post it, but I've decided I don't like this post. I don't wanna whine. I want to be grateful. Let's turn it into that.
I'm grateful for my awesome family. I'm grateful to have so much love in my life.
I'm grateful to be in good health and pain free. I know from experience this isn't always guaranteed.
I'm grateful for my daughter. My amazing, wonderful, daughter.
I'm grateful for my husband, his love, and all he does for our family.
I'm grateful to be part of a good God-focused, outward-focused church.
I'm grateful to have a job with good people, doing good work, that also pays me good money and awesome benefits.
I'm grateful that we are financially stable, and improving.
There, that's better.
As always, thanks for checking in.
I'm tired. I'm tired of being sad. I'm tired of being on an emotional roller coaster.
I wish my husband were home more this week.
I wish I had someone to help me with Jena so I wouldn't feel so strained all the time. And yet...
I wish I had more time with Jena. Good, long, quality time - not just trying to get life done.
I wish I felt more committed to my job. Or better - I wish I had a job that was more meaningful to me. I wish I could find one.
I want this fat to melt off. And the skin to tighten and the boobs to lift all at the same time. As if by magic. I'm tired of watching what I eat.
Ugh. I'm still gonna post it, but I've decided I don't like this post. I don't wanna whine. I want to be grateful. Let's turn it into that.
I'm grateful for my awesome family. I'm grateful to have so much love in my life.
I'm grateful to be in good health and pain free. I know from experience this isn't always guaranteed.
I'm grateful for my daughter. My amazing, wonderful, daughter.
I'm grateful for my husband, his love, and all he does for our family.
I'm grateful to be part of a good God-focused, outward-focused church.
I'm grateful to have a job with good people, doing good work, that also pays me good money and awesome benefits.
I'm grateful that we are financially stable, and improving.
There, that's better.
As always, thanks for checking in.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Blessings
Physical Blessings:
1) No serious medical issues yet this year
2) My back is stable (not worsening)
3) Jason is healthy & strong as ever
4) Jena is healthy & growing well
5) All the pets are relatively healthy
Financial Blessings:
1) We can feed & clothe our family, and pay our mortgage
2) We have good benefits, including affordable health coverage
3) Our car is almost paid off
4) We are on target to be debt free (excepting the house) within 2 years max
5) We can afford a few extras
Mental Blessings
1) My issues with depression & anxiety appear to be (mostly) over
2) So far I see no signs that my PPD will lead into Clinical Depression
3) My job is providing me with enough challenges to stretch me, but not enough to stress me
4) Jena has tested above her age group in all developmental milestones
5) I haven't had writer's block in months
Spiritual Blessings
1) Mine & my husband's salvation
2) So many answered prayers & visible miracles
3) Continued growth in the Lord
4) Finding my "fit" in our church home
5) Spiritual battles won
Answered Prayer
1) TheBoy's miraculous recovery
2) Continued growth & healing in our marriage
3) Promises fulfilled
4) Safety for Jason on the job
5) Unspoken
Today's Blessings
1) We all woke up this morning (and healthy too!)
2) We both have jobs to go to
3) My parents watching Jena
4) We can talk during the day
5) Phone call from a friend
**********************
this post inspired by this post
1) No serious medical issues yet this year
2) My back is stable (not worsening)
3) Jason is healthy & strong as ever
4) Jena is healthy & growing well
5) All the pets are relatively healthy
Financial Blessings:
1) We can feed & clothe our family, and pay our mortgage
2) We have good benefits, including affordable health coverage
3) Our car is almost paid off
4) We are on target to be debt free (excepting the house) within 2 years max
5) We can afford a few extras
Mental Blessings
1) My issues with depression & anxiety appear to be (mostly) over
2) So far I see no signs that my PPD will lead into Clinical Depression
3) My job is providing me with enough challenges to stretch me, but not enough to stress me
4) Jena has tested above her age group in all developmental milestones
5) I haven't had writer's block in months
Spiritual Blessings
1) Mine & my husband's salvation
2) So many answered prayers & visible miracles
3) Continued growth in the Lord
4) Finding my "fit" in our church home
5) Spiritual battles won
Answered Prayer
1) TheBoy's miraculous recovery
2) Continued growth & healing in our marriage
3) Promises fulfilled
4) Safety for Jason on the job
5) Unspoken
Today's Blessings
1) We all woke up this morning (and healthy too!)
2) We both have jobs to go to
3) My parents watching Jena
4) We can talk during the day
5) Phone call from a friend
**********************
this post inspired by this post
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Christian Divorce - part 2
*disclaimer - I am not divorced. nor am I getting divorced. nor am I a theologian. these are simply my thoughts on the subject
So what about divorcees within the church? What happens to them?
Well, many conservative Christian pastors will not perform marriage ceremonies if one or both parties are divorced.
The idea being that it is impossible to know whether or not their previous marriage was Biblically justified, so in order to prevent from the appearance that they support divorce in all instances, they refuse to perform re-marriage ceremonies for anyone.
Personally, I have no problem with that. I think we're all just trying to do our best, so if a pastor thinks that's the best way to do it, so be it.
I can say that when FireMan & I were engaged, I was a little worried we wouldn't be able to find a pastor to marry us.
I was fine with not having our ceremony in a church, but I was standing my ground on having an ordained man of God perform the ceremony.
And we finally did find someone, who was absolutely perfect.
But... I digress. After all, finding someone to perform a wedding ceremony is just one of the struggles divorced Christians find in the church.
Probably the next largest issue, is whether or not they are permitted to serve in the church.
There are a multitude of reasons for this, ranging from being afraid to look like they're supporting divorce, to not wanting to set a bad example (if you want to volunteer in any children's or youth ministry), to "the Bible says so" (which almost exclusively is in response to being in an ordained position).
The first two... well, let's just say I have yet to find a verse to support this.
But the last one, well... let's take a look.
The verse used to prevent divorced members from serving in official church positions are these:
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ... Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." -- I Timothy 3:2,12
Now... I am in full support of this verse. To me, it's pretty clear. A bishop ("pastor" in most churches today) or deacon must be "the husband of one wife". Clearly to hold that office you must be a man, must be married, and must not be a polygamist.
As far as whether or not this verse addresses those who were divorced... I say it does not. And let me explain why.
Let's say you would be willing to make an exception if the divorced man had a Biblically justified divorce. So I'm not even gonna address that.
I'm only going to speak to those whose divorced could not be justified Biblically - let's say he divorced her because she was too annoying & got fat on him - could he, at any time later in his life, hold the office of pastor or deacon in the church? Even if his divorce was a sin?
I say that as long as he is currently married, then "yes".
And my reason for this goes back to what it means to be saved from your sin, to have accepted Christ as your Saviour.
"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" -- Hebrews 10:15-17
God has told us that in Him we are a new creature, that He will not even remember our sins. It advises us to forget what we have done in the past, and look forward to our new future in Christ.
Everything in the Bible tells us to look forward. Even when we slip up, to keep trying, keep moving forward, there is no life in looking backward.
How can we, as men, make a rule about anything (including church office), based on someone's past offenses? If they are presently making an earnest effort to follow God's will, how do we as men find ourselves a better judge than God?
One thing that has baffled me is that Christians will accept other sins without reserve - we welcome the repentant thieves, drug abusers, fornicators, and even murderers - yet somehow hold divorce as the unforgivable sin. Oh, your lips say you know a divorcee is forgiven, but how can you truly believe that, if you still put restrictions on what they can or cannot do within the church? That is not forgiveness. That is forcing someone to continue to pay for one bad (or not) decision from their past.
Even our secular definitions of to forgive indicate you cannot hold someone accountable for something that is truly forgiven:
If God has given up all claims of divorce (spiritually), and has cancelled all spiritual liabilities of divorce, then how can we as Christians, who claim to believe the Word of God, hold them accountable and base our rules on something God has wiped away?
Well, it seems to me we can't. Not with any legitimacy anyway.
Once again, I know there are plenty who disagree with me, on all sides of the argument, and that's okay. These are simply my thoughts on the subject.
As always, thanks for checking in!
So what about divorcees within the church? What happens to them?
Well, many conservative Christian pastors will not perform marriage ceremonies if one or both parties are divorced.
The idea being that it is impossible to know whether or not their previous marriage was Biblically justified, so in order to prevent from the appearance that they support divorce in all instances, they refuse to perform re-marriage ceremonies for anyone.
Personally, I have no problem with that. I think we're all just trying to do our best, so if a pastor thinks that's the best way to do it, so be it.
I can say that when FireMan & I were engaged, I was a little worried we wouldn't be able to find a pastor to marry us.
I was fine with not having our ceremony in a church, but I was standing my ground on having an ordained man of God perform the ceremony.
And we finally did find someone, who was absolutely perfect.
But... I digress. After all, finding someone to perform a wedding ceremony is just one of the struggles divorced Christians find in the church.
Probably the next largest issue, is whether or not they are permitted to serve in the church.
There are a multitude of reasons for this, ranging from being afraid to look like they're supporting divorce, to not wanting to set a bad example (if you want to volunteer in any children's or youth ministry), to "the Bible says so" (which almost exclusively is in response to being in an ordained position).
The first two... well, let's just say I have yet to find a verse to support this.
But the last one, well... let's take a look.
The verse used to prevent divorced members from serving in official church positions are these:
"A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; ... Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well." -- I Timothy 3:2,12
Now... I am in full support of this verse. To me, it's pretty clear. A bishop ("pastor" in most churches today) or deacon must be "the husband of one wife". Clearly to hold that office you must be a man, must be married, and must not be a polygamist.
As far as whether or not this verse addresses those who were divorced... I say it does not. And let me explain why.
Let's say you would be willing to make an exception if the divorced man had a Biblically justified divorce. So I'm not even gonna address that.
I'm only going to speak to those whose divorced could not be justified Biblically - let's say he divorced her because she was too annoying & got fat on him - could he, at any time later in his life, hold the office of pastor or deacon in the church? Even if his divorce was a sin?
I say that as long as he is currently married, then "yes".
And my reason for this goes back to what it means to be saved from your sin, to have accepted Christ as your Saviour.
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." -- II Corinthians 5:17
"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before" -- Phillipians 3:13
"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" -- Hebrews 10:15-17
God has told us that in Him we are a new creature, that He will not even remember our sins. It advises us to forget what we have done in the past, and look forward to our new future in Christ.
Everything in the Bible tells us to look forward. Even when we slip up, to keep trying, keep moving forward, there is no life in looking backward.
How can we, as men, make a rule about anything (including church office), based on someone's past offenses? If they are presently making an earnest effort to follow God's will, how do we as men find ourselves a better judge than God?
One thing that has baffled me is that Christians will accept other sins without reserve - we welcome the repentant thieves, drug abusers, fornicators, and even murderers - yet somehow hold divorce as the unforgivable sin. Oh, your lips say you know a divorcee is forgiven, but how can you truly believe that, if you still put restrictions on what they can or cannot do within the church? That is not forgiveness. That is forcing someone to continue to pay for one bad (or not) decision from their past.
Even our secular definitions of to forgive indicate you cannot hold someone accountable for something that is truly forgiven:
to forgive:
- to give up all claim on account of
- to cancel a liability of
If God has given up all claims of divorce (spiritually), and has cancelled all spiritual liabilities of divorce, then how can we as Christians, who claim to believe the Word of God, hold them accountable and base our rules on something God has wiped away?
Well, it seems to me we can't. Not with any legitimacy anyway.
Once again, I know there are plenty who disagree with me, on all sides of the argument, and that's okay. These are simply my thoughts on the subject.
As always, thanks for checking in!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Random Crap About Me
- I don't like clowns
- If I consider you & I to be close, I will probably double-dip my chip unless you expressly tell me not to.
- I've never been on a mission trip, even though from the time I was nine until I was eighteen I attended at least one missions' conference yearly
- I'm allergic to mettwurst. I think. Let's just say I get violently ill for 8-12 hours if I accidentally ingest so much as a bite.
- I have no known environmental allergies.
- I'm allergic to two different medications. Sort of. I'm allergic to one of the as-yet-undetermined inactive ingredients in two very different medications. I can take the active ingredient in other forms with no problems.
- All thru high school, I was preparing to be a classical musician. Yep, I used to be good. Then I realized being a music teacher (band director) would be more stable, so planned to go to college for that. Blah, blah, blah - voluntarily went into college as an undeclared major. Toyed with several ideas before settling on History.
- I have a good dose of social anxiety, shyness, whatever you want to call it. I also hate crowds. As in, they tend to give make me very nervous. Jena appears to have inherited all of this from me.
- Jason is a social butterfly, never met a stranger, loves a good crowd. I think sometimes he's really frustrated that the "boring" people now out-vote him in our house.
- My parents only agreed to let me play trumpet because they thought it was a phase. I mean, surely I'll eventually realize I want to play a "girl" instrument, right? Wrong. I mean, c'mon, my 2nd choice was snare drum. That's okay though, they came around, and eventually became my biggest fan, even buying FireGirl a realistic toy trumpet for her 3rd birthday.
And that, is some random crap about me. Any random crap you wanna share?
******************************
this post inspired by this post
- If I consider you & I to be close, I will probably double-dip my chip unless you expressly tell me not to.
- I've never been on a mission trip, even though from the time I was nine until I was eighteen I attended at least one missions' conference yearly
- I'm allergic to mettwurst. I think. Let's just say I get violently ill for 8-12 hours if I accidentally ingest so much as a bite.
- I have no known environmental allergies.
- I'm allergic to two different medications. Sort of. I'm allergic to one of the as-yet-undetermined inactive ingredients in two very different medications. I can take the active ingredient in other forms with no problems.
- All thru high school, I was preparing to be a classical musician. Yep, I used to be good. Then I realized being a music teacher (band director) would be more stable, so planned to go to college for that. Blah, blah, blah - voluntarily went into college as an undeclared major. Toyed with several ideas before settling on History.
- I have a good dose of social anxiety, shyness, whatever you want to call it. I also hate crowds. As in, they tend to give make me very nervous. Jena appears to have inherited all of this from me.
- Jason is a social butterfly, never met a stranger, loves a good crowd. I think sometimes he's really frustrated that the "boring" people now out-vote him in our house.
- My parents only agreed to let me play trumpet because they thought it was a phase. I mean, surely I'll eventually realize I want to play a "girl" instrument, right? Wrong. I mean, c'mon, my 2nd choice was snare drum. That's okay though, they came around, and eventually became my biggest fan, even buying FireGirl a realistic toy trumpet for her 3rd birthday.
And that, is some random crap about me. Any random crap you wanna share?
******************************
this post inspired by this post
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Two Songs
My all time favorite song is "It is Well". I don't always live up to it, but the meaning behind it touches my heart.
Another favorite is an instrumental, "Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel, more commonly known as "Pachelbel's Canon".
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Randoms
I could really use some more work clothes. With my weight / size fluctuating so much for the past FOUR YEARS (since my pregnancy), I've hesitated to buy entire wardrobes at each size. But I am so tired of having limited clothing choices.
Right now I have 3 pairs of pants I can wear to work, plus 1 skirt. That's not even a work week. I can't tell you how many times I've done laundry simply because I was out of work clothes.
And my work clothes pretty much double as my church clothes, so... 4 bottoms for 6 days. Ugh.
Also - all but 2 of my work shirts are short sleeved. Mostly because it was summer when I bought them, but also if it's cold I can put a jacket on in the office. It's cold in my office every day. Ugh.
Right now I have 3 pairs of pants I can wear to work, plus 1 skirt. That's not even a work week. I can't tell you how many times I've done laundry simply because I was out of work clothes.
And my work clothes pretty much double as my church clothes, so... 4 bottoms for 6 days. Ugh.
Also - all but 2 of my work shirts are short sleeved. Mostly because it was summer when I bought them, but also if it's cold I can put a jacket on in the office. It's cold in my office every day. Ugh.
*************************
related to above - I'm still losing weight, albeit slowly, but I really think I might be at my end size. I am currently 4 lbs above my wedding weight, and 10 lbs below my pre-pregancy weight, but hardly any of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. Very, very few.
I think my body shape has just changed so much. I'd probably have to lose another 20 lbs to fit into them, and even then it would be iffy, LOL.
Which means I might not meet my goal of fitting into my wedding dress again this year, which totally sucks. Booo!
*************************
Work has been a roller coaster of emotions lately. Example? Sure.
Last week I have two managers, including my direct supervisor, tell me that one of my largest single projects "doesn't matter".
Morale = plummeting
Today I had a Vice President ask me to teach him something. Later he asked my opinion about a division project, and said he will act on my suggestions because I am the expert in that area.
Morale = skyrocketing
Just two small examples. But it's been like that for a month or so. Roller coaster. Seems like every day. Stress.
*****************************
We have way too many vehicles at our house. Five to be exact. For two drivers. Ridiculous.
To be fair, a breakdown:
- the ILs truck, which has been broken down for months, and Jason has thus far been unable to fix. I want to declare it dead & tell them to get it off our property, but... they're his parents & they want him to fix it, so... it stays. For now.
- Jason's work van for his business
- the SUV, our newest (by model year) & most reliable, which is driven by whomever-has-Jena (primarily me)
- my old car, which we planned to sell for a decent amount of $$ (13 yrs old, and blue book was still over $3,000)... until it broke down. FireMan would like to fix it, because we'll get so much more $$ out of the sale, but... I don't like have broken down vehicles around the house.
- the new (to us) car Jason bought off of CraigsList, with the intention of it replacing my old car
I know we live in the country, but I really don't wanna be those redneck hillbillies with 63 broken down vehicles scattered around the property.
*****************************
I'm getting my hair cut next week. I can't decide how to do it. I don't really care for it shorter.
Well, not that I don't like it, I just liked it better longer.
But everyone else seems to like it shorter. Everyone.
I hear "you look younger" a lot.
So I can't decide if I should keep it short, or just start growing it out.
Either way, I have decided the shape needs a change. It was great right when I first got it cut, but after just a week or so what little it had grown out I really didn't like.
Who knows, maybe just getting a different shaping to it will help me to like it better.
*****************************
We're doing crazy-good with our Financial Peace plan.
Every. Single. Month when we sit down to do our finances, we're like
"we can't believe we've paid off this much!"
"we can't believe how much money we have to pay down bills!"
Every month. Same conversation.
Needless to say, I highly recommend the program.
*****************************
We're taking the membership class at our church, er... the church we've been going to regularly for over three years.
I know, right? Three years. Definitely not rushing into anything, but we finally decided we should become members.
We actually decided this a while back, but they only offer the class every six months, and the last one we weren't able to attend due to FireMan's shift schedule.
*****************************
For anyone not familiar with a membership class (I wasn't until my mid-20s), they review what the church's core beliefs are, core values, what they teach, etc. and give you a chance to ask questions.
At our old church it was one night.
Here it's three nights, spread over several weeks.
At the end you decide whether or not to join.
Not anticipating any issues, but it would kinda stink to find out thru this class that they believed in something that I didn't, after going there for over three years.
We had reasons for waiting. Or rather, reasons for not making it a priority.
But oh boy do I hope that doesn't happen, because that would most likely create some tension between FireMan & myself, because he loves this church, while I could easily walk away.
*****************************
I recently schedule a consult for Lasik eye surgery.
The idea of it makes me very nervous (hence the years-long procrastination), but the consult is scheduled.
Just that makes me nervous. They said just the consult will take 2-3 hours, and they'll be dilating my eyes more than is done at regular appointments, so I won't be able to see well for "several hours" afterward, and will need someone to drive me home.
Wowsa.
related to above - I'm still losing weight, albeit slowly, but I really think I might be at my end size. I am currently 4 lbs above my wedding weight, and 10 lbs below my pre-pregancy weight, but hardly any of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit. Very, very few.
I think my body shape has just changed so much. I'd probably have to lose another 20 lbs to fit into them, and even then it would be iffy, LOL.
Which means I might not meet my goal of fitting into my wedding dress again this year, which totally sucks. Booo!
*************************
Work has been a roller coaster of emotions lately. Example? Sure.
Last week I have two managers, including my direct supervisor, tell me that one of my largest single projects "doesn't matter".
Morale = plummeting
Today I had a Vice President ask me to teach him something. Later he asked my opinion about a division project, and said he will act on my suggestions because I am the expert in that area.
Morale = skyrocketing
Just two small examples. But it's been like that for a month or so. Roller coaster. Seems like every day. Stress.
*****************************
We have way too many vehicles at our house. Five to be exact. For two drivers. Ridiculous.
To be fair, a breakdown:
- the ILs truck, which has been broken down for months, and Jason has thus far been unable to fix. I want to declare it dead & tell them to get it off our property, but... they're his parents & they want him to fix it, so... it stays. For now.
- Jason's work van for his business
- the SUV, our newest (by model year) & most reliable, which is driven by whomever-has-Jena (primarily me)
- my old car, which we planned to sell for a decent amount of $$ (13 yrs old, and blue book was still over $3,000)... until it broke down. FireMan would like to fix it, because we'll get so much more $$ out of the sale, but... I don't like have broken down vehicles around the house.
- the new (to us) car Jason bought off of CraigsList, with the intention of it replacing my old car
I know we live in the country, but I really don't wanna be those redneck hillbillies with 63 broken down vehicles scattered around the property.
*****************************
I'm getting my hair cut next week. I can't decide how to do it. I don't really care for it shorter.
Well, not that I don't like it, I just liked it better longer.
But everyone else seems to like it shorter. Everyone.
I hear "you look younger" a lot.
So I can't decide if I should keep it short, or just start growing it out.
Either way, I have decided the shape needs a change. It was great right when I first got it cut, but after just a week or so what little it had grown out I really didn't like.
Who knows, maybe just getting a different shaping to it will help me to like it better.
*****************************
We're doing crazy-good with our Financial Peace plan.
Every. Single. Month when we sit down to do our finances, we're like
"we can't believe we've paid off this much!"
"we can't believe how much money we have to pay down bills!"
Every month. Same conversation.
Needless to say, I highly recommend the program.
*****************************
We're taking the membership class at our church, er... the church we've been going to regularly for over three years.
I know, right? Three years. Definitely not rushing into anything, but we finally decided we should become members.
We actually decided this a while back, but they only offer the class every six months, and the last one we weren't able to attend due to FireMan's shift schedule.
*****************************
For anyone not familiar with a membership class (I wasn't until my mid-20s), they review what the church's core beliefs are, core values, what they teach, etc. and give you a chance to ask questions.
At our old church it was one night.
Here it's three nights, spread over several weeks.
At the end you decide whether or not to join.
Not anticipating any issues, but it would kinda stink to find out thru this class that they believed in something that I didn't, after going there for over three years.
We had reasons for waiting. Or rather, reasons for not making it a priority.
But oh boy do I hope that doesn't happen, because that would most likely create some tension between FireMan & myself, because he loves this church, while I could easily walk away.
*****************************
I recently schedule a consult for Lasik eye surgery.
The idea of it makes me very nervous (hence the years-long procrastination), but the consult is scheduled.
Just that makes me nervous. They said just the consult will take 2-3 hours, and they'll be dilating my eyes more than is done at regular appointments, so I won't be able to see well for "several hours" afterward, and will need someone to drive me home.
Wowsa.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Spread the Happy
It's been way too long, and I need to focus on some positive schtuff, so I'm thinking I need to get in the habit of doing these kinds of posts more regularly again.
Here's the latest happy news from our FireHouse:
********************
Chief is getting bigger and since the weather has been warm is now outside most of the time.
He's proving to be a good fit with our family, and I think eventually he'll be a good working partner for Buddy.
Also - never having a puppy before, I don't know how much longer they continue to grow at this rate, but... I'm starting to wonder if he'll be bigger than Buddy. At 12 weeks he reaches halfway up Buddy's shoulder.
I like big dogs.
********************
Our chickens laid their first eggs!
The eggs are still very small, and we're only getting about one day total (from all 15 chickens), so definitely not into full egg production yet, but... we got our first egg!
********************
Jena was so excited to take our first two eggs to preschool for show-n-share. She did great!
*********************
Jason & I started attending a new small group at church. The study is currently on the Holy Spirit. I'm really enjoying the study, but I really like the group of people. Closer in our age than any small group we've attended before, plus many of them have children close to Jena's age so she has a blast as well.
It's the first time I've ever thought (hoped?) that I might make some strong connections with others in our church.
*********************
Jason has a new job prospect (for his 2nd job). If it works out it he will quit his business and just work for them. Same sort of work, but (hopefully) less stress, plus a much more stead paycheck than running his own business. Keep him in your prayers!
*********************
Rearranged Jena's bedroom yesterday. I really like the new setup. And I'm trying some new ideas for organizing her toys, so (hopefully) it will be easier for her (and me!) to keep tidy.
*********************
I suppose that's all for now. Thanks for checking in! And don't forget to Spread the Happy!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
God Speaks
Sometimes God speaks to us during prayer.
Sometimes God speaks thru the Bible.
Sometimes God speaks thru friends.
Sometimes God speaks thru NetFlix.
Sometimes God speaks thru comments left on blog posts.
Sometimes God speaks thru others' blog posts.
Sometimes God speaks to us, even when we don't know what to say to Him anymore.
Sometimes God finds a way to reach out to us, when we don't have the strength to reach out for Him.
Sometimes it is not prayer, or the Bible, or church that ends up rebuilding our faith. Sometimes it is movies, blogs, and the kindness of virtual strangers.
Sometimes God speaks thru the Bible.
Sometimes God speaks thru friends.
Sometimes God speaks thru NetFlix.
Sometimes God speaks thru comments left on blog posts.
Sometimes God speaks thru others' blog posts.
Sometimes God speaks to us, even when we don't know what to say to Him anymore.
Sometimes God finds a way to reach out to us, when we don't have the strength to reach out for Him.
Sometimes it is not prayer, or the Bible, or church that ends up rebuilding our faith. Sometimes it is movies, blogs, and the kindness of virtual strangers.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Dave Ramsey Got Me Scared
FireMan & I started taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University course thru our church.
FireMan was on shift, so I went to the first class alone.
And I can't stop thinking about it.
Not so much the class itself, or (to be honest), anything Dave Ramsey said on thetape DVD (whatever, I'm old). But something that was said in the discussion we had afterward.
One of the core teachings of the class is to have a substantial emergency savings for you / your family. During discussion, we were discussing what a true "emergency" means.
Of course, people immediately started talking about medical bills.
As they talked, I started to get physically ill thinking back to everything I went thru after my accident in 2002. Not just physically, but what that did to me financially.
I had the realization long ago, that had it not been for my supportive family, I probably would have ended up on the streets.
At one point I was seeing eight different doctors. That means eight different doctor bills. Plus the emergency room bills (because you know if you make one visit to the ER, you'll get like five different bills, right?). Plus prescription meds.
And let's not forget my car was totalled (I managed to drive it for another year - some parts literally held together with duct tape - before it actually died).
I missed work, unpaid. But not quite enough to file for short-term disability.
My health insurance wouldn't cover it, because I was injured in a car accident.
My car insurance decided to fight my claim, so I had to hire a lawyer.
Thank God I lived with my parents at the time (something I lamented at the time, but later saw as part of God's plan. Maybe I should tell that story on here someday).
And sitting in that class, my stomach completely sank when the gentleman leading the class said:
"Okay, many of you are bringing up medical bills, so obviously it's happened for several of you. Now think for a minute... what if that happened again, right now? What would you do (financially)?"
I seriously wanted to puke.
FireMan and I have a little savings. We have good equity in our house. We have things we could sell to get money.
But... honestly? If something like my accident happened to one (or God forbid, both) of us right this minute? Where we were seeing eight different doctors, none of our insurance would pay it, our vehicle was totalled, we were missing work unpaid, etc... Oh.... my.... goodness.
The thought of it literally sickens me.
The chance of that happening? I'd like to say slim-to-none. But then again, it happened to me. One thing Dave Ramsey explains in his philosophy of saving for an emergency is that the unexpected isn't really unexpected.
These things do happen. People get sick. Accidents happen. People lose jobs. It happens. To say it's unexpected, really just shows how much time we spend living in a fantasy world where these things don't happen. Because they do.
The good part of this? I'm excited about saving.
Now... we're just starting Step 1: Have $1000 in your emergency fund, but I'm already thinking ahead to Step 3: Have 3-6 months of expenses in your emergency fund.
Can you imagine having 6 months of expenses in your emergency fund?
And then, because I am also baby stepping my way to stockpiling via coupon savings, can you imagine having 6 months of expenses in your emergency fund, plus 6 months of food & toiletries in your stockpile?
What a comfort that would be. Combining the two you would surely have 8 - 9 months of a cushion, should someone lose a job. And what a security net should there be an accident, illness, or other unexpected occurrence.
I can't stop thinking about it.
So much so that I've thought about cancelling our upcoming trip to save the $$. Except some of our reservations are non-refundable. So... I'd rather get something out of it, then not go and lose both the money and the reservation, ya know?
Besides, I really think this upcoming trip is going to be very beneficial to our marriage, which is an even better investment than money.
So... what's your savings situation? Have you taken Dave Ramsey? Thoughts?
As always, thanks for checking in!
FireMan was on shift, so I went to the first class alone.
And I can't stop thinking about it.
Not so much the class itself, or (to be honest), anything Dave Ramsey said on the
One of the core teachings of the class is to have a substantial emergency savings for you / your family. During discussion, we were discussing what a true "emergency" means.
Of course, people immediately started talking about medical bills.
As they talked, I started to get physically ill thinking back to everything I went thru after my accident in 2002. Not just physically, but what that did to me financially.
I had the realization long ago, that had it not been for my supportive family, I probably would have ended up on the streets.
At one point I was seeing eight different doctors. That means eight different doctor bills. Plus the emergency room bills (because you know if you make one visit to the ER, you'll get like five different bills, right?). Plus prescription meds.
And let's not forget my car was totalled (I managed to drive it for another year - some parts literally held together with duct tape - before it actually died).
I missed work, unpaid. But not quite enough to file for short-term disability.
My health insurance wouldn't cover it, because I was injured in a car accident.
My car insurance decided to fight my claim, so I had to hire a lawyer.
Thank God I lived with my parents at the time (something I lamented at the time, but later saw as part of God's plan. Maybe I should tell that story on here someday).
And sitting in that class, my stomach completely sank when the gentleman leading the class said:
"Okay, many of you are bringing up medical bills, so obviously it's happened for several of you. Now think for a minute... what if that happened again, right now? What would you do (financially)?"
I seriously wanted to puke.
FireMan and I have a little savings. We have good equity in our house. We have things we could sell to get money.
But... honestly? If something like my accident happened to one (or God forbid, both) of us right this minute? Where we were seeing eight different doctors, none of our insurance would pay it, our vehicle was totalled, we were missing work unpaid, etc... Oh.... my.... goodness.
The thought of it literally sickens me.
The chance of that happening? I'd like to say slim-to-none. But then again, it happened to me. One thing Dave Ramsey explains in his philosophy of saving for an emergency is that the unexpected isn't really unexpected.
These things do happen. People get sick. Accidents happen. People lose jobs. It happens. To say it's unexpected, really just shows how much time we spend living in a fantasy world where these things don't happen. Because they do.
The good part of this? I'm excited about saving.
Now... we're just starting Step 1: Have $1000 in your emergency fund, but I'm already thinking ahead to Step 3: Have 3-6 months of expenses in your emergency fund.
Can you imagine having 6 months of expenses in your emergency fund?
And then, because I am also baby stepping my way to stockpiling via coupon savings, can you imagine having 6 months of expenses in your emergency fund, plus 6 months of food & toiletries in your stockpile?
What a comfort that would be. Combining the two you would surely have 8 - 9 months of a cushion, should someone lose a job. And what a security net should there be an accident, illness, or other unexpected occurrence.
I can't stop thinking about it.
So much so that I've thought about cancelling our upcoming trip to save the $$. Except some of our reservations are non-refundable. So... I'd rather get something out of it, then not go and lose both the money and the reservation, ya know?
Besides, I really think this upcoming trip is going to be very beneficial to our marriage, which is an even better investment than money.
So... what's your savings situation? Have you taken Dave Ramsey? Thoughts?
As always, thanks for checking in!
Friday, November 11, 2011
It's Friday Afternoon...
... and I can't stop smiling.
The past few weeks have been like this. Around 3pm I get downright giddy. Literally cannot wipe the smile off of my face.
Everything makes me happy. You pretty much cannot bring me down at this point in theday week.
Why?
Well, because the work week is over, I'll get my baby, go home to my hubby (2 out of 3 Fridays anyway), and have two blessed days off. Two days to be a wife and mother and nothing else. Two days to spend with my family. Two days to go on family outings, to run errands, to play with FireGirl, to go to church, to cook meals, to talk with FireMan, to do chores... and if I'm lucky I might even get to sleep in on Saturday.
Two whole days to be a wife and a mother and nothing else.
And I am literally giddy about it.
Have a most wonderful weekend everyone!
The past few weeks have been like this. Around 3pm I get downright giddy. Literally cannot wipe the smile off of my face.
Everything makes me happy. You pretty much cannot bring me down at this point in the
Why?
Well, because the work week is over, I'll get my baby, go home to my hubby (2 out of 3 Fridays anyway), and have two blessed days off. Two days to be a wife and mother and nothing else. Two days to spend with my family. Two days to go on family outings, to run errands, to play with FireGirl, to go to church, to cook meals, to talk with FireMan, to do chores... and if I'm lucky I might even get to sleep in on Saturday.
Two whole days to be a wife and a mother and nothing else.
And I am literally giddy about it.
Have a most wonderful weekend everyone!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Not Just Another Blog Challenge: #4 - What's so Great about your Place of Worship
Our church is pretty awesome.
I think what I admire most about our church is how much they reach out to the community. I don't think I've ever belonged to a church that was as involved in our local community as this one.
We support a local ministry that provides food to those who are struggling, primarily homeless adult men. Members provide bags of food & toiletries on a weekly basis, that are loaded up once a month & delivered to the ministry.
Once a month the members of the church also go to the ministry's primary location and serve a hot meal, as well as providing music & a quick devotional. Still primarily homeless men, but as the economy took a downturn they started seeing more & more families.
The church is also heavily involved with an organization that provides for men recently released from prison. This group owns two houses that serves as a type of transition house as the men find their footing back in the real world. They are provided a furnished room, and must attend counselling sessions, etc. while there. The organization also helps the obtain basic job skills so they can begin working again.
In addition, our church has a jail ministry, where members of the church go to area jails several times a month to minister to the inmates, pray with them, or sometimes just listen to them. Inmates who have shown good behavior are permitted to attend local worship services, and our church provides transportation for approximately 10 inmates to attend our church every Sunday.
We also support the local pregnancy crisis center, providing counselling to pregnant women who find themselves looking for alternatives to abortion, many of them feeling they have no options, but don't know what else to do. They provide everything from basic baby supplies, parenting classes, adoption counselling, basic prenatal care, and sometimes just listening to the women's struggles.
I'm sure I'm missing some areas of community involvement, but those are definitely the big ones.
There a thousand other great things about our church, but the outreach to the local community is definitely one that has stuck out to me.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Not Just Another Blog Challenge
I know, I know... aren't there enough of these blog challenges floating around?
Yes, yes there are. But... quite frankly it seems like a lot of them ask the same things. Or some of the same things.
So a few months ago, I started making a list. Questions for a blog challenge of my own. Topics I've never seen in a blog challenge (not that I'm an expert or anything, just things I hadn't seen). Things I think might be interesting. Things that, if answered honestly, tell a bit about who a person really is.
When possible, pictures would be awesome.
Answer one question per blog post. As frequently as is convenient for you, but let's aim for answering at least one question per week, just to keep things flowing.
And please use the badge shown above to link back to this post, 'kay?
Hope you'll play along!
Here's the list:
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3. your first job (doesn't include chores)
5. something you side-eye (something you're judgy about)
7. something you struggle with
8. your past significant others (does not include "just dated", but those you would classify as an actual relationship)
8. your past significant others (does not include "just dated", but those you would classify as an actual relationship)
(ie what makes you want it)
18. oldest clothes in your closet (that you still wear)
Monday, August 29, 2011
Re-focusing... my self
I've decided to take a break, of sorts, from writing on my blog.
I will also be greatly limiting my other internet interactions (facebook, twitter, message boards, etc) at the same time.
Not a total break, but a self-imposed significant restriction on those items.
Why, you ask?
Well, the word "image" has been brought into my attention over the past year or so, first at such great intervals so as not to really notice, but lately with greater and greater frequency.
And I have been struggling internally because, on a related note, I often feel like my image doesn't reflect who I am.
And that fact wasthrown in my face brought to my attention very clearly recently on a message board. The member's response to my post not only assessed my actions, but touched on her assessment of me. And while I disagree with her assessment, I own it.I would like to state that again.
I take ownership of her assessment of me.
Why? Because the image others have of ourselves, their assessments of us as people, they can only base on what we put out there.
Oh sure, they combine what we put out there with their own experiences, their own baggage, and roll it it all up into their image of us, but... at least 90% of it we have to own, because it's what we have shown.
So while I disagreed with her approach, I never refuted what she said. But I have givenit the situation a lot of thought, and how it fits into my journey. It's something I was already thinking about, already trying to improve upon.
In fact, a major catalyst for my Spread the Happy posts was, well, not so much intended to change my image, as it was to help me change my mindset and what I am putting out there.
This past weekend I attended our church's Women's Retreat. Friday night the speaker spoke on... you guessed it... image.
Okay, she never actually used that word. But her message was based on this verse:
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:..." -- Proverbs 23:7a
and she used this picture for illustration:
And her whole message revolved around how we see ourselves versus how we truly are versus what the world sees versus what God sees.
And somewhere during her message, it hit me. I need to stop. Just stop. I need to stop putting things out into the world, until I get my internal self in order. And the fact is, I'm just not there yet.
I'm working on it. I'm greatly improved, but... not there.
And as much as I enjoy writing thru my journey, and as therapeutic as I find it, and as much wonderful support as I have gotten from my readers... I need to take a break.
I don't know for how long. And it won't be a 100% total break. And most likely I will still be writing, just not posting. Yet. Because the writing is so therapeutic for me.
And then when I am ready to post those musings, I can read & re-read and re-read again, and decide if they are truly reflective of my self.
If the image truly reflects the person.
Because right now, I don't think it does. Not totally.
I hope ya'll will stick around. I do plan to be back. But if God leads me in another direction, I'll be sure to let you know. But for now... I do plan to be back.
Take care, and, as always... thanks for checking in.
I will also be greatly limiting my other internet interactions (facebook, twitter, message boards, etc) at the same time.
Not a total break, but a self-imposed significant restriction on those items.
Why, you ask?
Well, the word "image" has been brought into my attention over the past year or so, first at such great intervals so as not to really notice, but lately with greater and greater frequency.
And I have been struggling internally because, on a related note, I often feel like my image doesn't reflect who I am.
And that fact was
I take ownership of her assessment of me.
Why? Because the image others have of ourselves, their assessments of us as people, they can only base on what we put out there.
Oh sure, they combine what we put out there with their own experiences, their own baggage, and roll it it all up into their image of us, but... at least 90% of it we have to own, because it's what we have shown.
So while I disagreed with her approach, I never refuted what she said. But I have given
In fact, a major catalyst for my Spread the Happy posts was, well, not so much intended to change my image, as it was to help me change my mindset and what I am putting out there.
This past weekend I attended our church's Women's Retreat. Friday night the speaker spoke on... you guessed it... image.
Okay, she never actually used that word. But her message was based on this verse:
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:..." -- Proverbs 23:7a
and she used this picture for illustration:
 |
| source |
And somewhere during her message, it hit me. I need to stop. Just stop. I need to stop putting things out into the world, until I get my internal self in order. And the fact is, I'm just not there yet.
I'm working on it. I'm greatly improved, but... not there.
And as much as I enjoy writing thru my journey, and as therapeutic as I find it, and as much wonderful support as I have gotten from my readers... I need to take a break.
I don't know for how long. And it won't be a 100% total break. And most likely I will still be writing, just not posting. Yet. Because the writing is so therapeutic for me.
And then when I am ready to post those musings, I can read & re-read and re-read again, and decide if they are truly reflective of my self.
If the image truly reflects the person.
Because right now, I don't think it does. Not totally.
I hope ya'll will stick around. I do plan to be back. But if God leads me in another direction, I'll be sure to let you know. But for now... I do plan to be back.
Take care, and, as always... thanks for checking in.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
New Sandals! Score!
And I didn't even pick them out!
FireMan needed some new shorts, so he headed off to the Gap Outlet. Before leaving, he asked what kind of shoes I'd been looking for for FireGirl, because I'd said that one of the other little girls at our church had some just like I wanted, and her mom said she'd gotten them from the Gap Outlet.
Brown sandals, I said. Just simple, but cute, brown sandals.
Wouldn't you know it, my man can shop!
Not only did he get his shorts, and not only did he find simple, cute brown sandals, but he also found some cute pink water sandals for FireGirl. Both pairs in the right size. Both cute.
And... the kicker?... if memory serves me, he paid less than $3 for each pair. Score!
This is the pic he sent me from his phone. After he had bought them, mind you.
I'm not gonna lie. I was pretty impressed that he picked out something so cute!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Friday Fragments
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I'm tired. Overslept this morning.
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Busy weekend ahead. Comedy club with some friends tonight. Work tomorrow, then a party tomorrow night. Church on Sunday, then another party Sunday night. All good stuff, but just thinking about it is making me tired.
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I'm working tomorrow because I've been behind on several major projects for... months.
}And management kept asking me what I needed to get caught up, and I keep telling them that they need to either:
a) approve me to work overtime, or
b) hire an assistant (we got rid of ours a couple years ago due to budget cuts, and now I do both jobs)
They kept telling me it wasn't necessary. I kept getting farther behind. Guess they finally listened.
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I have
:(
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I really miss having a summer break. And since I worked every summer since I was ...17? 16? I guess I'm flashing back at least... crap. Let's not go there. Let's just say I really miss that summer break.
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Getting my hair cut next weekend. Can't decide how. Just shorter. I like my hair long, but it's longer now than it's been in... well, over five years, since Jason has never seen me with my hair this long. And it's gotten to that point where it takes forever to try to style it (like I'm gonna take the time), and if I don't brush it every couple of hours it gets stringy looking, so I pretty much just wear a ponytail every day.
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So, I'm getting it cut off. Short (for me). I'm thinking just above the shoulders. But I'm drawing a blank on styles. And I'm thinking about maybe having it colored just a tad darker. Nothing crazy, just a little change. Whatcha think?
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That was way more about my hair than I anticipated. Maybe I should have done an actual posting on it instead of putting it in my Fragments.
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In case you didn't see my little button, after months (yes, actually months, because I'm neurotic like that) of thought, I finally joined the world of Twitter.
I tried to find as many of my bloggie friends as I could & follow you, but... wasn't really successful at finding that many of you. But maybe you're not even on Twitter, so...
Whatever. If you're on Twitter & wanna follow me, you should.
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Now I'm just babbling. Whatever. I already told ya I was tired. Cut me some slack.
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Have a great weekend!
Monday, June 20, 2011
THAT place
If I didn't have to go to that place, I wouldn't be so exhausted & stressed at the end of the day that I end up reaching my breaking points wtih my family later on.
I hate it. I resent it. I resent the time it takes away from me, time I could be spending with my family, for my family.
If it weren't for that place, I could be with my family more. I could be home with FireGirl. I could be home with FireMan on his days off.
Resentment is especially strong when FireMan works on a weekend. For instance, let's say:
he's off on Friday, but I'm working, then
he works on Saturday, but I'm off, then
we're both off on Sunday, which is great, but let's face it, after church, lunch, then home for FireGirl's naptime...
well, you get the picture.
If I didn't have to go to that place, I could be home with him on that Friday. As one example.
And even when my loves aren't home, I could be doing things at home. Like actually catching up on laundry. Finally organizing the kitchen cupboards. Using my new drillin' skills. Taking FireGirl to the park more. Taking her to the library. Playdates. Classes. So many things.
If I didn't have to go to that place.
I hate it. I resent it. I resent the time it takes away from me, time I could be spending with my family, for my family.
If it weren't for that place, I could be with my family more. I could be home with FireGirl. I could be home with FireMan on his days off.
Resentment is especially strong when FireMan works on a weekend. For instance, let's say:
he's off on Friday, but I'm working, then
he works on Saturday, but I'm off, then
we're both off on Sunday, which is great, but let's face it, after church, lunch, then home for FireGirl's naptime...
well, you get the picture.
If I didn't have to go to that place, I could be home with him on that Friday. As one example.
And even when my loves aren't home, I could be doing things at home. Like actually catching up on laundry. Finally organizing the kitchen cupboards. Using my new drillin' skills. Taking FireGirl to the park more. Taking her to the library. Playdates. Classes. So many things.
If I didn't have to go to that place.
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