Personal Retreat

This past week has been wonderfully full at my house. There is nothing better than good food, laughter and after-Christmas bargain hunting! My sister and her children spent the last couple of days after Christmas with us and we have had a blast! We cooked our brains out, parented, cleaned, and generally distracted every shopper within 10 feet of us everywhere we went. We always have a great time when we're together. But now she's gone. She has taken my eldest child with her to go camping with her family in the desert for a few days. Since I am down to one child and I don't have to go to work until after New Year's Day, I want to use this time wisely. As I considered my options during this "down time," I remembered a paper my pastor handed out a year or so ago.

The paper is entitled "Heart-Searching for Prayer Preparation and Personal Revival." It is a simple collection of scripture and questions designed to walk the reader through a journey of reflection, confession and forgiveness with Jesus. There are moments in the past year where I failed others; there also moments where others failed me. Sadly, there are moments where I failed Christ. Some of these moments were glossed over by me and never properly confessed and/or settled. There is no reason to allow past hurts to affect our future. We live under Grace, for heaven's sake! Forgiveness is available to us and we need to offer it to others as well.

To begin the new year afresh, I am going to take time over the next few days to make proper use of the document my pastor made available to me. This will be my first personal retreat and I am looking forward to the journey. If you are interested in doing a bit of spiritual inventory yourself, I am making the information available to you. I was going to type it all up here, but I was concerned about violating a copyright. Besides, if someone else has already done it and I can just point you in the right direction, why re-invent the wheel?

I am praying for those of you who choose to join me in this time of personal assessment. Blessings.

link: Heart Searching for Prayer Preparation and Personal Revival

Mess-Free Cookie Decorating

Do you like my cookie? I decorated it all by myself! If you or your kids want to have a little cookie decorating fun, visit the betty crocker website. At the bottom of the screen you will be able to choose a cookie shape and get busy decorating. Have fun!

link: Decorate a Cookie

Earthly vs. Heavenly Treasures

I know Sunday is supposed to be reserved for Church, but this past Sunday, I was on a mission. I had to get a Wii. My son had saved his own money all year for the privilege of owning one and the least I could do was help him get it. So, at 6:00am on a frosty Sunday morn, I headed out to stand in line with all the other gamers and their parents. After a short stint at my local Target – where I knew they only had 12 and there were at least 50 people in line ahead of me – I decided to make a dash to the line at Toys-R-Us. The line was just as long, but I decided to take my chances. After some time had passed and I could no longer feel my ears, the store manager came out and everyone held their breath. They had 41 Wiis and would hand out tickets, one per person, until they ran out. At first I figured I was doomed. The line was so long they would never reach me. But they continued to come closer, closer, and the stack of tickets stayed thick. Once they reached about four people ahead of me, I knew it would be close. One, two, three…..FOUR!

They handed the last ticket to the guy right in front of me. Why, WHY?? I was so disappointed! I spent the entire drive home going over my morning. If only I had gotten up 15 minutes earlier. If only I hadn’t stopped at Target first. If only….. But the reality stayed the same. I didn’t get what I was after.

Fast forward 4 hours. I am now sitting in the fourth row to-the-back at church and we are observing the Lord’s Supper. Part 1 went fine, we each got our corner of saltine, listened to the pastor remind us that this represented the body of Christ, broken for us (That part always brings me to tears). Then the trays of shot glasses of grape juice began to be passed out. As the trays reached the back of the sanctuary, I began to wonder if they underestimated the attendance today. When I picked up my cup from the tray there were only 2 left; not enough for the poor folks in the back. Then a miracle happened. The usher whipped out another tray – and it was full! There was plenty for everyone.

Right then I realized how blessed I was to know Jesus. The things the world offers are finite. There are only so many Wiis to go around. But the gift of Salvation offered to us is available to everyone! And there is no second-guessing our approach to him. We don’t have to show up early or make a beeline straight to Him to receive his gift. We can show up late and be last in line and He is just as thrilled to give us His gift as he was when he shared it with the very first person in line!

My son has not yet acquired a Wii and, even when he does, it will only satisfy him for awhile. The real gift of Jesus Christ as Lord of your life will satisfy for an eternity.

John 1:12-13 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

All I Want for Christmas is....

NO BRACES ON MY TEETH!!!!!

HIP, HIP, HURRAY!!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!

PAR-TAY!!!!!

DOIN' THE HAPPY DANCE!!!

This is a day of independence

for Suzanne's dental residents

Yes, let the joyous news be spread

My braces are finally out of my head!

OH, YEAH!!

3, 2, 1, LIFTOFF!!

This is a fantastic shot of the Space Shuttle Discovery launching into orbit last night.

Someday I'd love to see this in person.

link: Night Lights: Shuttle Discovery Rockets Toward Space Station

"I've always told people, 'If you see a day launch, you gotta come back and see a night launch,'" Stephanie Stilson, Discovery’s vehicle flow manager, told SPACE.com. "It's a completely different perspective. One minute it's pitch dark, next minute you can turn around and see the people in the crowd that you couldn't see before when you're standing outside watching it."

We visited the Kennedy Space Center last spring and toured the area NASA uses for launching the shuttles. I cannot tell you how incredible it makes you feel to watch that shuttle take off and know exactly where they are taking off from. Not because you are good at geography, but because you've been there. The fact that my kids can view momentus events like this one and have that kind of perspective is one of the great joys of my life! When we toured the KSC, my son had the opportunity to speak with one of the Engineers; now he fully expects to work for NASA as an engineer after college. And it is completely attainable for him! Not because he's smart, although he is; but because he has seen, firsthand, what it will take to get there and now he knows he can do it. How exciting for him!

Take every chance you are offered to expose your kids to the cool stuff this world has to offer. Something they experience may motivate them to pursue an excellent, energizing future!

Tooter Toot

Toots to all! I'm cleaning out my bookshelf and found one of my old journals. Inside I had written down a funny tongue-twister/poem. Here it is for your weekend edification (author unknown):

A tooter who tooted a flute
Tried to tutor two tutors to toot.
Said the two to the tutor,
"Is it harder to tooter
or to tutor two tutors to toot?"

Man, that cracks me up! Part of the funnyness stems from having boys in my house who think "tooting" is synonymous with....well...flatulence. I know I should be more refined than this, but the mental picture I have of a master "tooter" teaching others to "toot" amuses me. So there!

Speaking of tooting, did you see the article about the lady who is banned from flying American Airlines because of her tootelage? I know I shouldn't laugh. She's probably mortified over the whole thing, but she's got to see the humor in it!

During my archeological dig through my bookshelf I also found three Focus on the Family "Family Night Tool Chest" books. The link I have provided shows you the "Money Matters" book. I also have "Basic Christian Beliefs, book 2" and "Holidays." The first person living in Bakersfield who comments here that they want them, they're yours!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Wal-Mart Rant

Here's where my ugly side comes out. Sorry, but this needs to be said:

When Shopping at Wal-Mart:

If you and your significant other need to use two carts, I beg of you, please do not insist on pushing them side-by-side.

If your baby cries, PICK THEM UP!! Big stores are overwhelming places for little people, even if they’ve been there three times in the last week. Plus, they are probably tired from all the extra shopping going on this time of year. Comforting them may add a few minutes to your shopping time, but the trust you add to your relationship with your little one by responding to them when they need you is priceless.

If you insist on holding your class reunion in the store, please do it someplace other than the center of the aisles. The same rule holds true for family reunions.

Watch your language. This isn’t your living room.

Respect other’s personal space. I don’t like to feel your belly bumping against the back of my jacket while waiting in line. No one will cut in front of you if you give me a little room to breathe.

Keep your little ones with you. Watching unattended children destroy store property fries my cookies. I know, I know, YOUR children would NEVER do anything like that. Well, someone’s is. Why not keep yours with you to be on the safe side.

I don’t care what anyone else says, those shoes with the wheels in the heels should not be used indoors! I tripped over one skater when he whipped in front of me and another one almost knocked me over in his haste to check out the latest video games. And here’s a surprise: Neither of them apologized. Obnoxious.

If you and your children can’t treat others with respect, stay home.

And, PULL UP YOUR PANTS! You look like a toddler with a full diaper. No one should have to look at that. And, while I'm on the subject, when you grab your privates and walk with that weird sway, you look like a three-year-old who needs to go potty. If you want to be treated like a man, ACT like a MAN! Respect yourself enough to present yourself in a positive way to the world.

Rant over. Harumph.

Snoflakes for a Cause

I have shared this fun site with you before, I think, but now they've added a charitable twist to the idea. Visit the make-a-snowflake website and make a snowflake. The more snowflakes made, the more money the site owners will contribute to the Salvation Army. We can have fun and benefit others at the same time. THAT's a great idea!

link: Make-a-Snowflake

Christmas in Heaven

December 3, 2000, my Dad spent his first day in Heaven. Although I miss him terribly and probably always will, I have finally reached the point where I don't cry every time I share with someone about him. He was a good man. Not perfect, but good.

There are people who are so broken this holiday season over the recent loss of a loved one they don't know what to do. If you are one of those, I pray you find the strength to hold tight to Jesus until you find your way to the other side of your pain. He was the only way out for me and I know He can get you through it, too. At my father's funeral, a pastor shared Psalm 116:15, "The Lord cares deeply when his loved ones die." God's word is true and He does care deeply about your loss. He doesn't take death lightly and He knows you are hurting. Remember God's promise in Matthew 5:4, "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." He promises to bring you comfort through this dark time. Hold tight to Him and He will hold tight to you. Call out to Him and He will hear you. Read Psalm 145:17-19. Sometime in the first few weeks after my Dad passed away, someone shared a poem with my family. For some of us it brought comfort; for others, it simply put things in a more bearable perspective. I share it with you now in the hopes it will do one of those two things for you if you are facing Christmas missing someone you love.

I'm Spending Christmas with Jesus Christ This Year

I see the countless Christmas trees

Around the world below,

With tiny lights like heaven's stars

Reflecting in the snow.

The sight is so spectacular

Please wipe away that tear

For I'm spending Christmas

With Jesus Christ this year.

I hear the many Christmas songs

That people hold so dear

But earthly music can't compare

With the Christmas choir up here.

I have no words to tell you

The joy their voices bring

For it's beyond description

To hear the angels sing.

I know how much you miss me,

Trust God and have no fear

For I'm spending Christmas

With Jesus Christ this year.

I can't tell you of the splendor

Or the peace here in this place.

Can you imagine Christmas

With our Savior, face to face?

May God uplift your spirit

As I tell Him of your love

Then pray for one another

As you lift your eyes above.

So let your hearts be joyful

And let your spirits sing

For I'm spending Christmas in Heaven

And I'm walking with the king!

Thanks to Wanda Bencke for taking the time to compose such comforting words. You can read the story behind the poem here.

It's your sixth anniversary in Heaven, Dad. Has it even felt like a day? I wonder.....

Mondagreens

This is one of those times where I reveal one of the darker parts of myself. My sense of humor is a bit twisted. One of my favorite examples of this is my overly enthusiastic love of mondagreens. If you don't think you have ever heard of mondagreens, you have. They are those lyrics we sing that are completely wrong and make other people nearly wet their pants as they laugh their heads off at us. I especially enjoy Christmas mondagreens. The first time I realized I had a weakness in this area was when I was in the car with a friend and her four-year-old daughter. This angelic little girl decided to serenade us with one of her favorite Christmas ditties, Silent Night. As she stared to heaven with her innocent blue eyes and an obvious love for Jesus in her heart, she sang these words:

Silent Night, Holy Night,
All is right.....
....all is wrong.

I was so glad I wasn't driving because I might have driven the car over a curb. She was so sincere and what she sang was so goofy I couldn't believe it! Sweet thing. This same girl is now a young woman attending a Christian University as we speak and hopes to be a foreign missionary after she graduates. Gotta love that!

Anyway, once Gore gave us the internet, I was able to do a little sleuthing about my wierd enjoyment of misheard lyrics. The website where I often check out those urban myth emails (you know, send this to 10 people and Bill Gates will personally give you a laptop) is called snopes.com. They have amassed a collection of holiday mondagreens that get me downright giddy about Christmas.

Here's my favorite mondagreen from that site, feel free to sing along:

Joy to the world,
the Lord has gum.

GUM!!

I had to stop after I typed that to laugh my head off. I've got an image in my head of that portrait of Jesus we all have seen- the one where he has the long hair and is holding a lamb- and he's chomping away at some Bubble Yum! I know, I'm wierd!

OH! I really love this one, to the tune of Deck the Halls:

Deck the halls with Buddy Holly,
fa la la la la, la la la la...

If you love these, too, check out the snopes website. Be warned, there are a couple of words that were misheard as curse words.

link: Mondagreens at Snopes.com

Get Outta My Way or I'll Pout and You'll Pay!

On my way to work today, I had an interesting experience. It was a normal, over-busy, morning on the main street I spend the majority of my commute navigating. The road has four lanes, two in each direction, and the two lanes going my way are filled with cars at that hour, packed like sardines in a can hurling forward at the rate of 50 miles per hour. As this road closes in on the onramp to the freeway, both lanes of traffic begin to merge into the right-hand lane. It is a crowded, often messy, affair, but usually one which can be successfully negotiated with a minimum of hostility. Today I maneuvered into the right lane fairly early; there was a spot open and I took it! As the onramp came ever closer, the drivers in the left lane became more insistent in their attempts to move into the right lane. Most of the time, people make room. This morning, however, the SUV in front of me denied a small compact car’s desire to cut in front of it. I slowed down to make room for the compact car in front of me which gave me a front row seat to the drama which was to unfold. The driver of the compact car would not admit defeat. It kept trying to inch into the path of the SUV until I was sure they were going to collide. Finally, the driver of the small car hit the brakes, let the SUV move ahead, and took the empty place behind the SUV that I had opened up for him what seemed like ages ago.

I gave the driver a smile and a wave, hoping to calm his nerves, but he was not interested in calming down. He proceeded to follow the SUV so closely I thought they might bump together. The SUV would change lanes, the compact car would change lanes right behind it, hitting the gas pedal and the brake in an attempt to stay right on the rear of this SUV. When I exited the freeway, this little car was still at it, looking like a puppy biting the ankles of a St. Bernard. Frankly, the whole incident was at first unsettling, then became silly. I was embarrassed for the driver of that little car. He looked ridiculous!

As I continued on my journey, thinking some uncharitable thoughts about the driver of that car, the Lord opened my eyes to the truth I had just witnessed. I am just like the driver of that compact car!

Excuse me, Lord?? That seems a little harsh for you so share with me at 7:00am, if I may be so bold to say.

Then I looked at the situation from another angle; with me in the driver’s seat of the little car that represented my life. Here I am, cruising along like I own the whole world and someone comes into my path, becoming a barrier to my efforts to move ahead. For example, I make plans to become involved in ministry and I think I’m doing great, then –BAM- the path I am determined to follow to my goal is blocked! I try to fight and elbow my way through the barrier and I am thwarted at every attempt. I finally give up, fall back and proceed to make life miserable for those who got in my way. I gripe, I whine, I pout. Nip, nip!

I end up looking ridiculous.

All the while, my Savior has provided an opening for me so I can continue to move forward. But, because it isn’t exactly the path I had designed for myself to follow, I won’t even acknowledge His provision. So, there I am, sitting smack dab in the middle of the opening God provided for me, and I’m throwing a fit about something I have no control over.

Yup. Ridiculous.

Here’s a novel idea: How about focusing on the blessings God has bestowed upon me instead of the slights well-meaning, but fallible, people have committed against me. Like the SUV driver who didn’t make room, these people may not have even noticed they were impeding my progress. Or maybe their needs were so great they did not have the ability to consider my desires at that particular moment. Either way, I don’t have control over the decisions others make, anyway.

But God does. He knows all, sees all, and is all-powerful. All leaders who are in place are there because God has proclaimed it. I am exactly where I am because God wants me there. It is put so perfectly in Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Just because I am not exactly where I expected to be in terms of ministry does not mean God has given up on me. He has begun the good work within all of us and will continue it until it is finally finished when Jesus comes back. He doesn’t give up on us ever. It would do us a great deal of good to remember that. When we focus on what God has provided us rather than what the world has denied us, we can have a much richer, more blessed life. And we are less likely to embarrass ourselves. Amen to that!