Good Day, Sunshine!

I've started a new morning habit. I don't know how long I can keep it going, but I get up at 6:00, make my 'coffee', and I sit by my bedroom window in the dark to watch the sun come up.

This time of day used to be my Bible study time, and I'd often rush to read through my daily pile of readings before I got my morning call from Alicia (who calls as she drives to work each day). I realized that I wasn't really spending any time with God -- I was just reading and praying pretty rotely.

So now I sit and try to be still. It takes a while. At first my mind is full of yesterday's activities and mistakes -- what I should have done differently, what I didn't complete, what I wish I'd said or not said. Then I start listing my 'gottas' -- things to do today. But slowly I let go of those things and I just sit. I quiet my mind and I just watch expectantly, hoping to see the first signs of light, wondering what colors will show up as the morning breaks through.

Some days are awash with color -- the darkness slowly brightens in shades of blue until lavender and pink streaks show. Others are just subtle variations of gray with no distinguishing marks at all. Some days the sunrise is clearly over. The sky is blue, the world is light, and the day has started. Other days you don't really know for sure if the world has waken. The gray isn't really bright enough for shadows to appear, but you realize that it doesn't seem to be getting any brighter and there definitely isn't going to be any fanfare.

It occurred to me today as I was smiling at the shades of pink and orange of the lightening sky that today's sunrise was really the same as yesterday's, even though yesterday was covered in clouds. I just wasn't able to appreciate it from the perspective of my window. Someone on the other side of the cloud cover saw it just fine!

Isn't that how God's love is? It's always there for us, but we often don't see it. It's hidden away by the woes and difficulties of the world. But behind the financial problems, the doctor's diagnosis, the betrayal of friends, and the general busyness of our lives, he is always there letting his love shine with all the colors we could imagine. We just have to change our perspective.

NEVER Judge by Appearances

As many of you know, I love books, movies, musicals, and other experiences that cause me to think about the times we as humans make incorrect assumptions and judgements about life. This little video has to be among one of the best examples I've seen. It is WELL worth seven minutes of your life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Ponderings

In our Sunday School class we are watching a video lecture by Mark Moore (www.markmoore.org). He is a very indepth instructor and he's receiving mixed reviews by our class members. Some see him as a bit pompous, espousing that the Bible is a historical document valid only for the specific readers to whom it was intended. Others believe he is opening up new vistas of Bible study. Still others are totally lost by his concepts and instructions.

Between this study and some other non-fiction books I'm reading (one in particular, Clutter-free Christianity by Robert Jeffress, which will be reviewed soon at www.hisreadinglist.blogspot.com) I'm getting a totally different perspective on the Bible.

Yes, I believe it is specifically meaningful to the intended readers for whom it was written. And I believe we can learn about the character of God through it's message, thereby understanding how God will act in our current culture.

But more than that, I realize that this book is more incredible that I'd ever imagined. Think of the people who are nearly illiterate. The Bible stories they hear from others and in church are often paraphrased, yet they touch hearts and move mountains. Some of the most faithful are those who cannot comprehend parallel texts and original Greek meanings.

Then there are Biblical scholars who spend their whole lives unearthing new understanding of history and culture. Their lives have been transformed and they spend decades researching the most specific facts and developing convincing arguments to help others believe.

Most of us fall somewhere in between. What other book can you think of that meets the needs of every single reader, regardless of his intellectual desire for complexity? It is the most simple and the most complex book in history -- all at the same time! It offers everything anyone could want or need.

Some days I need to read a short passage and hear God's voice reminding me of his love or admonishing me about my actions. Other days I need to seek and find His truth through investigation -- to discover his character as if I were on a treasure hunt. He offers both!

How cool is that?

The Ant Bully

It's that time of year again. I opened my dishwasher and was disgusted by the swarm of ants in the bottom. GROSS. I checked out the internet to find solutions (since it was so helpful last year during our fruit fly fest!).

I wanted to find something that was safe, since we DO wash our dishes here (and what is more disgusting that an ant carcas sticking to the glass you want to drink out of??). I found this recipe:

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 T borax

combine ingredients and boil for three minutes. As it cools it will thicken into a gel. Put a glob in a lid or just in the area where you see the ants. They will probably swarm it for a while, but once they ingest it and take it back to the nest they die!

So I'm trying it. I have borax at home since I use it in the laundry detergent we make, so it was easy to create this little concoction. I decided to pour the whole panful of it in the bottom of the dishwasher...did I say that ants disgust me?

I'll let you know how it works. I haven't seen ants anywhere else. Hopefully this doesn't cause them to find friendlier accomodations elsewhere in the house!

Is the Cup Empty or Full?

I have had an amazing day. It's been one of those days when you could decide to yell from the roof tops or crawl back in bed and not get out for a week. The boys are watching a show where a character just said "I don't know whether I should laugh or cry, so I'll do both at the same time." I know just how she feels!

It's all a matter of perspective. If you look at it one way, these are the things that happened:
- It's a holiday and I woke up at my normal time. On a regular day it's a struggle to wake up, but of course today I was wide awake and couldn't sleep in though I wanted to.
- I had to say goodbye to Alicia, Clay, and Becca. I won't see Becca until Spring Break or Alicia and Clay again until at least June. I hate that they are all so far away.
- Things in my garden are starting to grow...but I know they will freeze and therefore not be as pretty as they should be.
- Sammi crashed my car and it needs repaired before we can drive it.
- Something in the refrigerator smells like old peppers...but I can't find it anywhere.
- I was almost done dumping gross stuff from the fridge when the sink backed up.
- The liquid plumr that is guaranteed to work didn't.
- I can't find the receipt to get my money back on the liquid plumr.
- The liquid plumr people don't work at night so I have no idea what to do with my sink full of stinky chemicals AND a clog.
- I found out that my daughter's previous doctor was giving her double the recommended dose of medication for the past year.
- I had to interrupt another daughters plans to get a vehicle to use to go to the doctor.
- My husband told me he's going to have to be out of town for a week...during my birthday.
- A friend called to tell me how bad her life is.
- My husband was at his mothers house all evening so I got to deal with these things alone.

However I realize that God has blessed me with this version of my day:

- I woke up on my own and saw an amazing sunrise.
- I was able to hug all five of my children in the same day.
- I'm so proud of who our girls are turning out to be.
- Some days the wildness that is 9 year old boys can actually be fun.
- I had just enough fresh blueberries left this morning to make my cereal perfect.
- I had a peaceful morning and I was able to enjoy a whole cup of coffee without interruption.
- I did my Bible study first thing.
- We had lots of leftovers from the weekend reception and everyone in the house could have lunches and dinners that they enjoyed.
- I found the perfect refrigerator for the kitchen at 50% off.
- The salesman told me when the perfect freezer will have it's price reduced and I can wait.
- My daffodils are popping up their green leaves, bringing the hope of spring.
- I have a wonderful daughter who is willing to drop her agenda to be able to help out.
- No one was hurt when the car crashed.
- The doctor was impressed by how emotionally mature our 16 year old is.
- Our daughter is basically healthy and she has a doctor who really cares about the long term effects of her actions and medications.
- And she likes her new doctor.
- I was able to get the refrigerator cleaned out.
- The sink didn't leak like it usually does when it clogs.
- My husband has a great job that he enjoys and that pays for more than our needs.
- I have a fabulous husband that I will miss and who will miss me.
- I can eat what I want on my birthday and not worry that my hubby won't like it!
- My car can be fixed and we have money set aside for emergencies.
- We have friends who will help us get where we need to be until the car is fixed.
- My husband really cares about other people, and I love how he enjoys spending time with his mom once a week (he's her 'hot date').
- I have a fabulous mother-in-law who is fun to be with.

Isn't God good? Despite all the craziness of our life, He is in control. None of the things that happened today, good or bad, will really make a difference in the course of His Will. Even if I pouted occasionally or snapped at the boys when I found them playing in the chemical water in the sink, I know that He loves me anyway.

I'm surrounded by people that I love and I am blessed beyond what I could imagine.

And I had a box full of brownies I could eat whenever the stress got overwhelming!!!

Thank you, God! My cup overflows.