Pet Peeve

Someone has unwittingly stepped into my "zone of frustration" and you, lucky reader, get to hear about it!

For many years, probably close to nine, I've been noticing that there is yet another 'in crowd' and 'out crowd' at church. Yes, friends, that place where everyone should be accepted in a come as you are fashion, we divide by denomination, dunk vs. sprinkle, moderation vs. tea-totallers, NIV vs. King James vs. some other version, weekly or less often communion, and traditional vs. contemporary worship.

And there is another insidious division that shows itself at about the age of 16 and doesn't really ever go away...Bible college versus some 'less than devout' education and career choice.

Please don't get me wrong -- I am thrilled that people choose to dedicate their lives to careers such as missionary, ministry, or other self-sacrificing life choices. They make eternal differences in the lives of many and they are well trained at the institutions they choose to attend.

God also calls many more to be educated and work in the secular world. If I look back on my life, every single person who impacted my decision to follow Christ spent the vast majority of their life in the secular world. They attended a public high school, a state university, worked at a major corporation, and served in the local community with me.

I have felt like an ineffective parent because my children chose private religious institutions or state universities instead of Bible colleges. And my kids felt like outcasts because their college and career choices, clearly ordained by God, as teachers (degrees which they could not get at the "in" Bible colleges) were not jobs considered in full time service to God.

Not only do we as Christians seem to judge those who live outside salvation, we have determined that there is a heirarchy of devotion based on the college and career choices of those who are brothers and sisters in Christ. I daresay that there are thousands of Christians living quiet, Godly lives in the trenches of American life every day who are impacting millions of lives by becoming like others so that by all possible means they might save some (See Paul's approach in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

I am very glad that you are following God's call on your life to go to a Bible College and are devoting your life full time in His service. But please, don't presume that others AREN'T doing the same by following a different path!

Now the Little Buggers Have Me Intrigued

The ant problem has decreased greatly (I've actually been a bit afraid to post about it. . . you know, the old adage about speaking too soon), but a mystery remains. Each day we get about 5 - 15 new dead ants in the tub. Every day without fail. The good news is, of course, that they are dead. The bad news is that they keep coming and I have no idea from whence they come!

I've closed up the drain (if water can't go down it only makes sense to me that ants can't come up, right?). I've sprayed in the drain (yea, I know about the danger to the water supply -- sorry about that), around the base of the walls, around the windows, and on every live ant I've seen in the past month. I can't find any ant sneaking into the bathroom from any hole or crack in any part of the room. Trust me, I've spent WAY too long waiting and watching (so dearest husband, if you are wondering why the house hasn't been too clean in the past month, there is your answer). Not once have I seen one little antenna peeking through.

So I beseech your assistance, dear friends. What substance can I possibly concoct that will stick to little ant feet and leave a trail that I can see? I'm almost ready to call in CSI!

And what, pray tell, are they coming to the bathroom to eat? NOT that I want them back in the kitchen, but I promise, we do not eat in the bathroom upstairs!

What Does it Say About Society?

There has been quite an uproar about Susan Boyer lately -- I even directed you to her performance in a youtube video in a previous post. Since her 'debut', the world has been buzzing about this nondescript middle aged woman that everyone laughed at until she opened her mouth and sang.

Shame on us. Why in the world would any of us be surprised by her talent -- and I'm including myself in that scolding. Why is it that we only think the young, thin, and beautiful are capable of wonderful things? I wonder how many times we have lost progress in this world because we have overlooked the brilliant by choosing the beautiful.

How many times have those who received genes that didn't seem to match, suffered physical or other maladies that left them less than 'perfect', or even those whose parents weren't able to provide the latest cool clothes been treated just differently enough by peers, teachers and bosses that they gave up and believed they weren't good enough?

How many older folks lived fabulous lives, created wonderful things, taught our best and brightest, yet get treated like children because they are a little slower, a little more bent, a little less focused than they used to be?

How many brilliant minds, locked in bodies that don't function well, go unheeded because we who think we are smarter can't take the time to listen?

What a different world it would be if each time we looked at a person we expected to hear brilliance -- a voice like Susan Boyles' or something else just as magical? Isn't that what God sees?

I hope they don't feel a need to make her over. She is beautiful just as she is!

Round 2

Every time I write a blog about the ants my computer glitches and it doesn't post or save. Hmm...wonder if my computer has a rebellious bug?


So, I was looking for the recipe for the borax glop that I used in the dishwasher before and I found a website that said all you have to do is sprinkle a thin line of borax around the base of the cabinets and the back corners of the countertops. The ants ingest the borax and become dehydrated to the extent that they are just skeletons. Sounds evil!

Therefore, since I have powdered borax I have graced the edges of the kitchen. Looks a little like I had a salt frenzy, but hopefully it will work. A side benefit is that it is supposed to work on all bugs (although I'm not aware of any others in the house...I'm so naive!).

But I started thinking -- is it unethical to kill bugs? I mean, they really don't mean me any harm. But I thought the bugs and I had an agreement -- they stay out of the house and don't chomp on my flowers and I leave them alone. They aren't sticking with their side of the agreement!

Besides -- it's not like I'm actively killing them (like I had intended by spraying them with poison). It's their choice to either eat the borax and die or just go away!

Hmmm -- I wonder if some alien being is doing the same thing with humans by offering us transfats and high fructose corn syrup?!?!?

Ant Bully -- Day 2

Well, I decided I didn't really want to verify that the ants were swarming in my dishwasher, so I didn't open it until after church today. There were only three ants there, and two of them were eating the 'bait'. I'll wash it all away later today and hopefully we're done with them. We'll have to see!

Whatever Happened to the American Spirit?

I was blessed today to go sightseeing with our family and Alicia's new in-laws. We went to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (aka The Gateway Arch) and we spent some time in their great museum. There were exhibits about traveling west, about Native Americans, soldiers, and farmers. In many exhibits the true American spirit came through -- pride in the struggle to survive. There were farmers whose crops got ruined five years in a row, yet they never once went to the government requesting assistance. There was pride, often too much pride, in being able to make it through really tough times. There were stories of people who held a multitude of jobs -- farmer, door to door salesman, migrant worker, maintenance, carpentry, factory, etc. -- whatever it took. They made do with what they had and they didn't buy anything new unless they could pay for it.

Then I look at our economy today and wonder about how far we've fallen. Those folks didn't have half the luxuries we have. There were no cell phone, no air conditioners, fireplaces for furnaces, no designer jeans, no cable. And they didn't have a clue that these 'necessities' were missing from their lives.

We have a horrible storm and run out of power or even, heaven forbid, lose our homes, and we turn to find someone who must be responsible and who will take care of us. Please don't get me wrong. I don't want anyone to have to suffer and I am very sorry for folks who have lost their jobs. Illness, disaster, and layoffs happen and I wish they weren't a part of our daily life. But so many people could pull themselves out of this situation if they would just look back a few generations to their ancestors who lived through the depression and other difficult times in our history.

How would you make it if all of a sudden you had nothing tomorrow?

Sad Statement

A sign at a local Walgreen's is really bothering me. It is a sad statement for our whole society. The sign simply reads "Don't forget gifts for your pet."

Maybe in a different year it wouldn't upset me. But this sign is in the middle of the town with the most foreclosures in the whole state. How can we even think about buying trinkets for a pet when our neighbors don't have enough money to put food on their tables?

According to an August 6th 2007 issue of Business Week magazine, we spend 41 billion dollars on our pets annually. Isn't that insane? What part of the American economy would that 'buyout'?

Please don't get me wrong -- we have two dogs and a cat that are part of our family. I've grown up with pets all of my life and I enjoy the companionship and cuddling with them. But I think we've become so pampered in our lives that we seem to forget basic priorities. We've counseled families that are losing their homes but still pay for pet food, grooming, and medical care.

As in years past, our pets aren't receiving anything for Christmas...just call me Scrooge. Please consider donating what you might have spent on your pets to a local homeless shelter or food kitchen!