Many of you have probably noticed that I don't blog as much anymore as I did in the beginning. Sometimes I'll go weeks before making another post. Often times I'm just so busy (I know: excuses, excuses) that I don't have the time to sit down and write...and then there's times like today.
Seems like I just don't have much to talk about these days. Nothing crazy, new, or exciting going on...no life-changing lessons or experiences to flesh out...its like I've fallen into a slump. I feel as though the creativity and humor and excitement have been sucked away, at least for a time. I'll consciously try to think of something to blog about, and nothing comes to mind. Then if something does come to mind, I can't find the words to express it.
Kind of like right now.
But it hit me today on the way home from church. Back when I first started this site, I was spending time with the Lord every single day. Even if it was just 20 minutes of reading the Bible on the bus, plus some prayer time, it was at least something. During that time, every little thing seemed to be a big deal, every beautiful thing a blessing, every lesson learned a new revelation.
Since switching jobs, I've found it harder and harder to stay in that mode. When you're waking up for work at 4:30 am to start out with, there's not a whole lot of desire to get up an hour (or even a half hour) earlier to spend time in the Word. I used to read on the bus, but now I drive in. I tried to read in the mornings before I left, but I just kept getting lazier and lazier and lazier...hitting snooze as many times as I could get away with before I absolutely HAD to get up.
So now, being as completely transparent with you as I can be, I've gone literally weeks - if not months - without reading my Bible. It's collecting dust on my bookshelf. I'm still able to hang out with and talk to God throughout the day, I still pray and ask for His input, but I need that "good food" of His Word to fill my empty spiritual belly.
His Word is poetry. It is life. It is creativity. It is filled with faith and hope and revelation. It contains the lyrics, melodies and harmonies to a thousand songs. Its a love letter bursting with romance and adventure. While I sit here with nothing to say, nothing to share or encourage with...it sits dusty on my shelf, waiting for me, waiting for you.
I'd like to ask all of you who frequent this site to hold me accountable to making this life change, starting now. No more excuses. "TODAY when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the days of the rebellion." TODAY I choose to make You the #1 priority in my life. TODAY, nothing else is more important that knowing You more intimately.
Maybe you'll make the same decision.
And I pray that as I, by grace, continue to remain faithful to this committment, that you in turn would be blessed by the fruit of the Spirit flowing from my life.
1.24.2006
Sick & Tired...and loving it
Today, I am home sick. It started Sunday night and has progressed until today, when I woke up to a throat so sore I thought I was swallowing balls of fire. Turns out it's proably just a virus - the doc put me on antibiotics - and now at home I sit....and sit.....and sit.
I love sick days. I love sleeping in and spending half the day in my pajamas. How I envy the stay at home moms!! (ha ha...just kidding ladies, I know you don't just sit at home in your PJ's all day). I think I could probably do this for about a week and never get bored. But by the end of the week, I'd be ready to go back to work or something. At least the stay at home moms have diapers to change, babies to feed, games to play and children to pick up after. I'm just sitting here. Like a bum. A fat, dumb, happy bum. (I only say fat because when i went to the doctor today, I weighed 8 pounds more than I weighed the last time I went to the doctor, about a month ago.)
There is no point to this blog. I just have nothing better to do. The house is clean, the laundry is running - and for goodness sake I'm SUPPOSED to be taking it easy! :)
Party at my place tonight???
I love sick days. I love sleeping in and spending half the day in my pajamas. How I envy the stay at home moms!! (ha ha...just kidding ladies, I know you don't just sit at home in your PJ's all day). I think I could probably do this for about a week and never get bored. But by the end of the week, I'd be ready to go back to work or something. At least the stay at home moms have diapers to change, babies to feed, games to play and children to pick up after. I'm just sitting here. Like a bum. A fat, dumb, happy bum. (I only say fat because when i went to the doctor today, I weighed 8 pounds more than I weighed the last time I went to the doctor, about a month ago.)
There is no point to this blog. I just have nothing better to do. The house is clean, the laundry is running - and for goodness sake I'm SUPPOSED to be taking it easy! :)
Party at my place tonight???
1.16.2006
Can I just say...
...that I am so sore today, I could barely get my arms up high enough to brush my hair this morning...Ugg....
1.14.2006
Spirit Mt or Bust
Hi everybody! Right now JP and I are sitting in our hotel room in Duluth, MN. We spent the day at Spirit Mt Ski area. After about 3-5 minutes of trying to get his snowboard ON, JP decided it wasn't worth the hassle and traded the board for skis. I stayed on a snowboard - and we both had a great time. Then reality hit - we are so out of shape!!! :)
So now we're back at the hotel pampering our already-sore muscles with every intention of going back out tomorrow...unless we can't move.
Praise God for how beautiful it is up here. At the top of the mountain, you can see for miles and miles across Duluth and Lake Superior. It's breathtaking. Oh wait - that's just me being out of breath. Nevermind.
Peace to all of you - we'll be home tomorrow night.
So now we're back at the hotel pampering our already-sore muscles with every intention of going back out tomorrow...unless we can't move.
Praise God for how beautiful it is up here. At the top of the mountain, you can see for miles and miles across Duluth and Lake Superior. It's breathtaking. Oh wait - that's just me being out of breath. Nevermind.
Peace to all of you - we'll be home tomorrow night.
1.09.2006
Babysitting Malachi
Right now, I am babysitting my little 5-week-old nephew, Malachi, for the first time. (Wait, Audra...so if you're blogging, who's watching the kid?) Don't worry, he mostly just sleeps, eats, and dirties his diaper. He's sleeping now. As long as his tummy is full and his tushy is dry, he's happy.
Watching a newborn is amazing. They're completely helpless, 100% dependent on someone else to give them food when they're hungry, keep them clean, protect them and provide for them. But as long as they have all of those things, they rest more peacefully than any one of us adults have rested in years and years.
I was holding Malachi today for the brief time that he was awake (and not eating), and all he did was stare up at the ceiling (aparently one of his favorite pasttimes, according to mom). He's five weeks old - he doesn't "do" anything - he just "is"...and that's okay! Because I know that someday Malachi will grow up, he'll be able to interact and play, he'll have questions and adventures, and he'll be able to talk to me. He can't right now, but that's no problem. Right now I just enjoy his helpless dependency on me as his babysitter and auntie.
I believe newborns are a beautiful metaphor of the way God looks at us as His children. Without Him, we're utterly helpless - we would die if not for His care. He gives us the food we need, and we grow up fast...perhaps sometimes too fast. As we grow, we learn to communicate with Him and ask Him questions, and He takes us on incredible adventures in faith and life. We may not be there yet, but that's okay. For now He's just enjoying our helpless dependency on Him as our Father.
My prayer is that we don't "grow up" so fast that we forget what it means to remain dependent on God for our every need. Then, like a child who finds fresh excitement in the smallest turning over of a stone, that we'll walk next to our Father into the adventures of life with awe and admiration of Him and His constant care over our lives.
1.06.2006
The Pill Also Kills Your Sex Drive
Thanks, Becky, for bringing this up in a comment. I also ran this story on my newscast the other day and have been meaning to post it.
New research out of Boston University shows that libido levels drop in women who take the pill or even have previously taken the pill. The findings indicate that taking the pill "could permanently diminish a woman's sex drive."
Read about it here.
New research out of Boston University shows that libido levels drop in women who take the pill or even have previously taken the pill. The findings indicate that taking the pill "could permanently diminish a woman's sex drive."
Read about it here.
1.01.2006
Tag, I'm it!
I'm a little late at realizing this, but on December 11th, I was tagged by my cousin, Erin Corniea. Apparently that means I have to list five things about myself that few people know about me and then tag a maximum of five more people to do the same.
Normally, I'm the type of person who deletes chain emails without even reading them, but just for fun...I'll do it.
1.) I think I might be slightly ambidextrous. While I write and throw with my right hand, I do a number of things left-handed. I shoot pool left-handed, deal cards left-handed, and when I was a waitress I used to carry my trays left-handed. I'm not sure why or how this came to be in my life, but it's true.
2.) I have MAJOR texture issues. I can't eat anything with weird textures, whether I enjoy the flavor or not. I love marsala, but I can't stand mushrooms. Fried rice is a favorite, but please, hold the water chesnuts. And pretty much any seafood is out of the question unless prepared just the right way.
3.) If I could play any instrument in the world, it would be the cello. If I could speak any language in the world, it would be Arabic.
4.) Someday before I die, I am going to make it to Fiji. And,
5.) When it comes to music, I could sing anything for any amount of time in front of any amount of people and would never get nervous once. I could dress up in a clown costume and dance an Irish jig for the world to see - no problem! But ask to me play the piano, and I get sooooooooo nervous I don't know how to cope. My fingers sweat and slip off the keys, my hands shake, it's horrible. It's strange, though, that this only happens on piano solos. If I'm singing along with the piano as I play, it's not really a problem. It only happens when I'm "just" playing piano.
So there you have it - now you know just a little bit more about me. Now it's my turn to tag: I pick Dad, Brenton, and Nicole.
Normally, I'm the type of person who deletes chain emails without even reading them, but just for fun...I'll do it.
1.) I think I might be slightly ambidextrous. While I write and throw with my right hand, I do a number of things left-handed. I shoot pool left-handed, deal cards left-handed, and when I was a waitress I used to carry my trays left-handed. I'm not sure why or how this came to be in my life, but it's true.
2.) I have MAJOR texture issues. I can't eat anything with weird textures, whether I enjoy the flavor or not. I love marsala, but I can't stand mushrooms. Fried rice is a favorite, but please, hold the water chesnuts. And pretty much any seafood is out of the question unless prepared just the right way.
3.) If I could play any instrument in the world, it would be the cello. If I could speak any language in the world, it would be Arabic.
4.) Someday before I die, I am going to make it to Fiji. And,
5.) When it comes to music, I could sing anything for any amount of time in front of any amount of people and would never get nervous once. I could dress up in a clown costume and dance an Irish jig for the world to see - no problem! But ask to me play the piano, and I get sooooooooo nervous I don't know how to cope. My fingers sweat and slip off the keys, my hands shake, it's horrible. It's strange, though, that this only happens on piano solos. If I'm singing along with the piano as I play, it's not really a problem. It only happens when I'm "just" playing piano.
So there you have it - now you know just a little bit more about me. Now it's my turn to tag: I pick Dad, Brenton, and Nicole.
The Pill: Does it Cause Abortions?
Okay, I KNOW this is treacherous ground and that by bringing up this very touchy and very controversial subject, I am going to be stepping on a lot of toes. But this is just to heavy on my heart to ignore right now.
Anybody who knows me well knows that I am pro-live to the core. Some might even think that I'm over-the-top or ultra-conservative on the issue. Call me whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me.
My husband and I have made the decision NOT to go on any form of birth control. It's not that we think it's such a horrible thing. Many of my closest, dearest friends have chosen the pill, the patch or other forms of family planning.
There's just something about birth control that, to me, says "I'm going to play God in this area of my life." Ouch. Sorry if that hurt - that's just the way I feel about it PERSONALLY. Don't take it as a hit. I personally just can't do it in faith, and that which is not of faith is sin. I you can, great.
Don't get me wrong - my husband and I have even had intense conversations about whether waiting to have kids is playing God or just the responsible think for some poeple to do. We've wondered if we're ready to start a family or if "planning" our offspring for a later date would be wise. It is my personal opinion that if you're not ready to start a family, then don't get married because sex is part of marriage and sex was designed for making babies. It's a package deal. But then again, the Bible says that if you're burning with lust you should get married - and I can think of MANY people who are burning with lust who, in my opinion, are not ready to have kids. This is all very debatable, but there's something else that is NOT debatable in my book: The pill can cause abortions.
Now just wait! I didn't say the pill "does" cause abortions or "always" causes abortions...just that it "can" cause abortions. And most of the time, the parents would never even know it. It happens so early, you'd never even know you were pregnant.
I'm begging you - please read this. It's a summary of an 88 page book by a man named Randy Alcorn who did the research and figured it out. Basically, "There are three mechanisms of the birth control pill.
1.) Inhibiting ovulations (primary mechanism)
2.) Thickening the cervical mucus, thereby making it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg, and
3.) Thinning and shriveling the lining of the uterus to the point that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.
The first two mechanisms are contraceptive. The third is abortive.
When a woman taking the Pill discovers she is pregnant (according to The Physician's Desk Reference's efficacy rate tables, this is 3 percent of pill-takers each year), it means that all three of these mechanisms have failed. The third mechanism sometimes fails in its role as backup, just as the first and second mechanisms sometimes fail. Each and every time the third mechanism succeeds, however, it causes an abortion."
I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to live with that possibility. Just knowing that by taking the pill, I could potentially be killing my baby - it's not worth it. Who knows - maybe it would never happen...but I'm not willing to take that chance.
Anybody who knows me well knows that I am pro-live to the core. Some might even think that I'm over-the-top or ultra-conservative on the issue. Call me whatever you want. It doesn't matter to me.
My husband and I have made the decision NOT to go on any form of birth control. It's not that we think it's such a horrible thing. Many of my closest, dearest friends have chosen the pill, the patch or other forms of family planning.
There's just something about birth control that, to me, says "I'm going to play God in this area of my life." Ouch. Sorry if that hurt - that's just the way I feel about it PERSONALLY. Don't take it as a hit. I personally just can't do it in faith, and that which is not of faith is sin. I you can, great.
Don't get me wrong - my husband and I have even had intense conversations about whether waiting to have kids is playing God or just the responsible think for some poeple to do. We've wondered if we're ready to start a family or if "planning" our offspring for a later date would be wise. It is my personal opinion that if you're not ready to start a family, then don't get married because sex is part of marriage and sex was designed for making babies. It's a package deal. But then again, the Bible says that if you're burning with lust you should get married - and I can think of MANY people who are burning with lust who, in my opinion, are not ready to have kids. This is all very debatable, but there's something else that is NOT debatable in my book: The pill can cause abortions.
Now just wait! I didn't say the pill "does" cause abortions or "always" causes abortions...just that it "can" cause abortions. And most of the time, the parents would never even know it. It happens so early, you'd never even know you were pregnant.
I'm begging you - please read this. It's a summary of an 88 page book by a man named Randy Alcorn who did the research and figured it out. Basically, "There are three mechanisms of the birth control pill.
1.) Inhibiting ovulations (primary mechanism)
2.) Thickening the cervical mucus, thereby making it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg, and
3.) Thinning and shriveling the lining of the uterus to the point that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.
The first two mechanisms are contraceptive. The third is abortive.
When a woman taking the Pill discovers she is pregnant (according to The Physician's Desk Reference's efficacy rate tables, this is 3 percent of pill-takers each year), it means that all three of these mechanisms have failed. The third mechanism sometimes fails in its role as backup, just as the first and second mechanisms sometimes fail. Each and every time the third mechanism succeeds, however, it causes an abortion."
I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to live with that possibility. Just knowing that by taking the pill, I could potentially be killing my baby - it's not worth it. Who knows - maybe it would never happen...but I'm not willing to take that chance.
Good Tidings of Great Joy
It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for many, the holidays can be in a word - tough. Rushing here and there, to and fro, buying and returning, smiling, smiling, smiling all day long for relatives you've met before but don't really "know." But that's not even as bad as the many others...who have no family, nowhere to go, nobody to see. Yes, the holidays can really be tough.
I had a wonderful holiday season. There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family and this year, with my new husband. And this year for New Years, he and I shared my very first New Years kiss - the first time in my life that I had ever smooched anybody as that crystal ball fell at midnight.
Yet even with so many happy things happening around me, I had to watch myself to avoid getting sucked into the holiday funk.
I find it very telling that the devil would attack the very emotion Christ's birth is supposed to bring. The angels sang of good tidings of great JOY!!!!! Yet joy is the very target of Satan's schemes over the holidays. If we could all just learn how to be JOYFUL all year long, we would have major ammunition to use against him this time of year.
It all starts with thankfulness. So today, I hope you'll stop and thank God for the things you have, even if you don't like them. Thank him for your monotonous job, your screaming kids, your trials and tests, your demanding spouse, and for the opportunity to respond to all of these things in righteousness that he provided through His Son.
Thankfulness will lead to joy, and joy is infectious.
I had a wonderful holiday season. There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family and this year, with my new husband. And this year for New Years, he and I shared my very first New Years kiss - the first time in my life that I had ever smooched anybody as that crystal ball fell at midnight.
Yet even with so many happy things happening around me, I had to watch myself to avoid getting sucked into the holiday funk.
I find it very telling that the devil would attack the very emotion Christ's birth is supposed to bring. The angels sang of good tidings of great JOY!!!!! Yet joy is the very target of Satan's schemes over the holidays. If we could all just learn how to be JOYFUL all year long, we would have major ammunition to use against him this time of year.
It all starts with thankfulness. So today, I hope you'll stop and thank God for the things you have, even if you don't like them. Thank him for your monotonous job, your screaming kids, your trials and tests, your demanding spouse, and for the opportunity to respond to all of these things in righteousness that he provided through His Son.
Thankfulness will lead to joy, and joy is infectious.
Long Time, No Post!
Well hi there, everybody...remember me? :)
Who has time to blog over the holidays? I hope yours were blessed and safe. I'm back for the moment, but don't be surprised if another 2-3 week gap finds its way between posts these days....
Who has time to blog over the holidays? I hope yours were blessed and safe. I'm back for the moment, but don't be surprised if another 2-3 week gap finds its way between posts these days....
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