Today, I spent more time on the phone with Sprint customer service which is more then likely located in India...(nothing against the residence of India, but I've called four times and haven't understood the representative yet!) I was put on hold about three times and every time he came back on the phone he would timidly say "Thank you for patiently waiting"...by the fourth time I was pretty close to saying "Listen, stop saying that! I'm not patiently waiting!! I'm annoyed that I'm on hold and frustrated that I've had to call as many times as I have!" Didn't say that though...just said "Yup, Uh huh"...
I'm just not a patient person and that's that...I mean, maybe sometimes I am...
When the computer says to double click, I usually click four or five times....the computer gets all confused and has several times opened more than sixty windows of the same thing! This thinking of "the more times I click the faster it will come up on the screen" usually just creates more work for myself
In conclusion...be patient! I'm working on it and if you are working on it too then we would all be patient with one another and that would just make it easier...
Monday, May 12, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Feelings. Nothing More Than Feelings.
I have spent the last several months longing for that "feeling" of God's presence in my life...Do I know He is there? Yes. Do I know I am His? Yes. Do I know that He loves me? Yes. Do I know He has a plan for me? Yes. So, why desire for the "feeling" of things I am already confident of? There is nothing wrong in praying for an overwhelming presence of God in our lives...I'm going to keep praying for it...But, I can't allow "feelings" to conclude my beliefs. Wouldn't it be nice if you could see your prayers float up to Heaven? You see Jesus catch them and hand them over to His Father...Wouldn't it be easier waiting for the answers to our prayers if we could see that they reached Him? I know that sometimes I feel like my prayers don't even leave the room...they hit the ceiling and bounce right back down to me and I am left "feeling" like maybe all I did was talk to myself for the last couple of minutes. This makes me wish I had a higher ceiling!
Having a relationship with God is so much more than being on a spiritual high 100% of the time...It is definitely more than feeling powerless and empty. Having a relationship with God is about balance. I don't need to search for oneness with God...I already have it...that is a promise to us as believers...Christ dwells in us!! "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9
It doesn't matter how high or low the ceiling...He has made His home in us...He is in the room within earshot of our every need!
Having a relationship with God is so much more than being on a spiritual high 100% of the time...It is definitely more than feeling powerless and empty. Having a relationship with God is about balance. I don't need to search for oneness with God...I already have it...that is a promise to us as believers...Christ dwells in us!! "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Romans 8:9
It doesn't matter how high or low the ceiling...He has made His home in us...He is in the room within earshot of our every need!
Friday, May 9, 2008
Because I'm Obsessed...
...I researched and found a possible spiritual application to my last blog...
Did you know that the Bible uses the word "heart" 765 times? See, because of my obsession I spent the whole day reading and counting! No, just kidding (Did you ever notice how people always feel like they need to say "just kidding" when it is clearly a joke...who could read the whole Bible in a day?) I obviously did a Bible search online. Often times the condition of the heart that is being referred to is either positive or negative to the extreme...evil, hardened, glad, willing, discouraged, sorrowful, seeking, guarded...In our modern dictionary, there are so many definitions of "heart"...understandably, the first definition states it's function in our ability to live...it mentions the conventional shape that we usually draw...like, I heart N...but out of the many possible ways of defining this word I like: "the innermost or central part of anything"
To love the Lord your God with all your heart...may our love for Him be the central part of every single part of our lives...and may we be able to express His love to others who don't know it.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. 6:5
So, monitor your heart today...what is it's condition?...
Did you know that the Bible uses the word "heart" 765 times? See, because of my obsession I spent the whole day reading and counting! No, just kidding (Did you ever notice how people always feel like they need to say "just kidding" when it is clearly a joke...who could read the whole Bible in a day?) I obviously did a Bible search online. Often times the condition of the heart that is being referred to is either positive or negative to the extreme...evil, hardened, glad, willing, discouraged, sorrowful, seeking, guarded...In our modern dictionary, there are so many definitions of "heart"...understandably, the first definition states it's function in our ability to live...it mentions the conventional shape that we usually draw...like, I heart N...but out of the many possible ways of defining this word I like: "the innermost or central part of anything"
To love the Lord your God with all your heart...may our love for Him be the central part of every single part of our lives...and may we be able to express His love to others who don't know it.
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deut. 6:5
So, monitor your heart today...what is it's condition?...
This Just In...
So, the news for the day is that I went to the doctor for a check-up on my fainting episode...I had an EKG and a whole bunch of blood work...they also thought it best to wear a heart monitor for the next 24hrs and to keep a detailed diary on when I sit and stand, eat, laugh or cough...like I said, detailed! I've had it on now for a little over an hour and I'm already annoyed with it. There are wires everywhere!! I feel like maybe I'm entitled to a handicap parking space for the next 24hrs or so...
Also, I went shooting last night with N and my head was apparently too close to the scope when I shot because once it recoiled I received a decent egg on my forehead....
Therefore, my outfit is totally ruined today! I wore an outfit inspired by my friend's blog about fashion found at thrift stores...if you're interested see it at http://thegleamofrosetea.blogspot.com... I'm pretty sure she is my only reader though...well, maybe there are two more of you out there!
Bottom line: I haven't thought of a spiritual application to this yet but I know there HAS to be one!! If you can think of one...post it under comments!!
Hope you are all having a great day!
Also, I went shooting last night with N and my head was apparently too close to the scope when I shot because once it recoiled I received a decent egg on my forehead....
Therefore, my outfit is totally ruined today! I wore an outfit inspired by my friend's blog about fashion found at thrift stores...if you're interested see it at http://thegleamofrosetea.blogspot.com... I'm pretty sure she is my only reader though...well, maybe there are two more of you out there!
Bottom line: I haven't thought of a spiritual application to this yet but I know there HAS to be one!! If you can think of one...post it under comments!!
Hope you are all having a great day!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
This and That
This:
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
Lord, I'm amazed by you...that you love me! That you sing over me like a mother or father does their child. Thank you that you are loving. Thank you that you are mighty! That you are more than capable to rescue me. Quiet my soul today with your love. Remind me of your grace and mercy. Help me to know when I'm going the wrong direction. Give me the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it.
That:
On a totally different note...I'm a little happy that it is raining out because now I get to use my new umbrella that opens and closes by itself with a push of a button. I'm pretty sure the novelty will wear off after one use so...let's look for the sun....
A little more of "this":
...and the Son today!!!
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17
Lord, I'm amazed by you...that you love me! That you sing over me like a mother or father does their child. Thank you that you are loving. Thank you that you are mighty! That you are more than capable to rescue me. Quiet my soul today with your love. Remind me of your grace and mercy. Help me to know when I'm going the wrong direction. Give me the wisdom to know what to do and the courage to do it.
That:
On a totally different note...I'm a little happy that it is raining out because now I get to use my new umbrella that opens and closes by itself with a push of a button. I'm pretty sure the novelty will wear off after one use so...let's look for the sun....
A little more of "this":
...and the Son today!!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Beautifully Broken
It seems like the older I get the more I notice that all of us have our hidden obstacles or hindrances...a fear, a fetish, a tendency to be tempted, unforgiveness, obsession, hurt, loss...just fill in the blank. I already knew this to be true...we all struggle with something one way or another, but I'm just now realizing that we walk around like it's not true. Would it be freeing if we were able to humble ourselves and be honest and confront our own brokenness? Since when is brokenness such a bad thing? Does God use people who are already whole in themselves? No, I think, in fact, that God usually breaks us in order to be made whole in Him. Brokenness strips us of the tendency to be self-reliant and self-righteous because it makes us realize that our need for a Saviour is severe. With the understanding that we are all pretty much broken APART from Christ's working in our lives and sometimes BECAUSE OF Christ's working in our lives.... what would be the point then of going on pretending? Do we have privacy from God? No! So, who are we really kidding? I'm not inferring that we initiate a new trend or something...like wearing pins that say "I'm Broken"...I'm just saying...why do we cry behind closed doors when someone feels the same way as you? Why do we hurt inside and pretend we are strong? Why do we allow ourselves to be tempted, but never seek help? I'm not going to go into a cliche' about how God can put your pieces together (although I know that to be true because He did it for me) and make something beautiful out of it...but I want to urge you to allow yourself to be prayerfully put back together and offer the jagged pieces to be used in order to point others to the God that heals...What would bring more glory to our God than finding victory and completeness in Him and praising Him for it?
"So, thank you, Jesus
even when You see us just as we are
Fragile and frail and so far
from who we want to be
So, thank you, Jesus
even when the pieces are broken and small
dreams shatter and scatter like the wind
Thank you, even then."
Even Then
lyrics by Nichole Nordeman
"So, thank you, Jesus
even when You see us just as we are
Fragile and frail and so far
from who we want to be
So, thank you, Jesus
even when the pieces are broken and small
dreams shatter and scatter like the wind
Thank you, even then."
Even Then
lyrics by Nichole Nordeman
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Be Still My Soul by Katharina von Schlege
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain,
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your Heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds shall know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain,
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your Heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds shall know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
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