Back in business!

And this time with no drama!!!

I've been so busy since last week, I haven't written anything down to post. I really haven't even had time to put two thoughts together! I'm about ready to check out for a while and just go somewhere I can sit and do nothing. Too bad I can't take any vacation days right now - this is one of our busy months (April) and it is hard for me to take off from work.

Anyway, just wanted to post something. There are always thoughts going through my mind, so I need to be still for a moment to write them down. Until then, have a good day/evening/night....whatever the case may be!

TGIF

I'm so glad it's Friday. I was joking with my boss that I'm going to change my work week to four, ten-hour days so I can be sure to get rested on the weekend. I don't know why I'm so tired!

Just checked on my computer to find out about how long it will take to get it back. Estimates are I should have it by the end of next week. Woohoo! I miss my computer already. I'll have to remember to treat it kindly and give it praise from time to time. I don't want to take it for granted ever again. So easily we expect those things (or even people) that make our lives run smoothly to always be there. I may have a party for my computer when it comes home.

I hope you know I'm joking.

Anyway, I realized about a week ago that I missed the one-year anniversary of the birth of this blog. March 11, 2003 is the day I took a step of faith (thinking that maybe someone would be interested in reading my thoughts) and began my adventure in the blogosphere. It has definitely been fun! I've met some very interesting people and my life is definitely better for having met them. In addition to that, I've learned how to voice those thoughts that for far too long just roamed aimlessly in my mind. This blog has been a bit of therapy for me and I'm grateful.

To all of you who read my stuff - Thank You!!!! I am always humbled when someone tells me my thoughts have impacted their life in some way. That is truly an amazing thing.

So I just wanted to post something before the weekend. I have no idea when I'll get another opportunity to post something. This may be a good time for me to get into the habit of writing my thoughts on paper anyway.

Have a great weekend!

Deja vu!

It has happened again!

Alas, I am once again computer-less. :( It seems that when Apple repaired my computer in November, they may have replaced the bad logic board with another one from the same lot. Last night, as I was working on the previous post, my computer froze up, the screen started going haywire and before long, I was trying to start up my computer again. The computer worked, but there was no monitor. I had to turn around and write my post in long-hand (and then re-type it this morning). I hate when that happens, because I don't feel like what I end up re-writing is as good as the first time I wrote it!

Anyway, I took it to the repair shop and they are sending it out to be worked on. Hopefully, I won't have to wait 3 weeks to get it back! The good news is this - it is still under warranty! I haven't had the thing a year yet! The other good news is, even if I had been out of warranty, they still would repair it at no cost. This problem with the logic board was a manufacturing defect or something. Evidently, there have been a lot of iBooks crash with this problem.

So, posts from me may be sparse over the next week or so. We're right in the middle of our busy season here in the office, which will make posting during business hours very difficult. ;)

I forgot to mention...

Sunday was awesome! Four people gave their lives to Christ at the close of the service. I am so excited! God is moving in incredible ways in the lives of people I know. It is interesting to watch!

Another thing I wanted to share was I have picked up a new daily devotional. Actually, the book itself is not new, just new to me. It is a collection of writings by Hannah Whitall Smith entitled God is Enough. Her writings are very thought provoking. I've also added to my daily reading, Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest. I have a copy of his original book, which was written in 1935, so sometimes it is difficult to understand. The language of that day is quite different than today! Fortunately, I found an online version written in modern language. Oswald Chambers' writings are also very thought provoking and usually very timely.

Like yesterday.

Now, I am what you might call a "fixer". I'll try to solve any problem you send me. If someone is dealing with a problem, I'll be more than glad to try and "help". Sometimes, ok - a lot of times, this gets me into trouble, but I can't help it! God made me this way! However, I am learning to not jump into the middle of other people's problems or to even try and solve my problems on my own. I'm not always successful, but I am getting better. As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under Heaven." I'm learning that more each day!

The other side of this coin is that sometimes, I just wish there was someone to do that for me. Someone who will step in and try to solve all of my problems. Of course, Jesus is the most obvious candidate for this position. Unfortunately, I don't always go to Him like I should. I believe that is why He has not opened the door for me to be in a dating relationship with anyone. I've got to be able to look to Him as the answer to my every situation - not another person. Like I said, I think I am getting better at going to Jesus for my every need.

So here's a portion of what yesterday's (3/24/04) devotional had to say:

If you become a necessity to someone else's life, you are out of God's will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a "friend of the bridegroom" ( John 3:29 ). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don't try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone's life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God's will and saying, "This person should not have to experience this difficulty." Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, "You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him."

Here's what I felt God was saying to me through that devotional: First of all, I am not anyone's "savior" - including myself. Of the four people who gave their lives to Christ on Sunday, I felt God leading me to be purposeful in building relationships with two of them (they are women close in age to me). I feel strongly that as believers, we have a responsibility to disciple and encourage new believers in the Faith. I've seen too many people fall by the wayside because they were left "on their own" to figure out how to walk with Christ. So, since Sunday, I've been thinking of ways to be a mentor to these two women and encourage them in their walk with Christ. This devotional firmly reminded me to stay out of the way - so to speak. I can't fix the problems in their lives or shelter them from things to come, and I don't need to. My responsibility is to always point them to Christ and walk alongside them through whatever comes. I would hate for them to one day say to me that I was a "thief" and that "because of you, I lost sight of Him."

The other thing I was reminded of is that in my own life, I need to look to Christ as my source. I shouldn't put someone in His place and allow them to become as Oswald Chambers says, a "necessity" to me. I don't want to lose sight of Christ because my focus was on someone else. It all boils down to the fact that I shouldn't allow myself or anyone else to be a "necessity". Christ alone is all I need. He is all anyone needs. As the scripture referenced by Chambers in this devotional appropriately states, "He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:30.

God's timing is always perfect. I'm amazed at how He does provide what I need, even when I don't know I need it! He is so faithful and it truly is getting easier to trust Him and look to Him for my every need.

Good Intentions

This is turning into a (for lack of a better word)...interesting week. I've just been in a funk. My goal was to stay home each night - which I've done - and work on getting some music together for our worship team. However, I haven't gotten to that yet.

Last night, I came home, took my dog walking, came home and washed the dog, cleaned the house a bit, watched a little tv (and I do mean a little), cooked something my roommate had left out, paid bills and finally got to bed around 1 am. I was so tired today, I didn't even read my devotional this morning. Still haven't. Had a weird dream, too. In the dream, for some reason, my family and I were hosting a party for some celebrity, but whoever it was didn't want a big throwdown. So if certain people showed up to the house, it meant the word was out and therefore the party would be cancelled. Well, Dennis Quaid shows up drunk and the party gets cancelled....all I remember after that was trying to put him in the bed so he could sleep off his drunkenness. Isn't that a crazy dream? I have no idea where it came from!

Anyway, as you can tell, tonight I'm not working too hard on the music. Took the dog walking again and then came home and cut her hair. What a mess that was! I'm struggling with the desire to work on another project I've been putting off for a while: cataloging all of my books and cd's. When I do that, I can re-organize my bookshelves. They are an absolute mess....you should see them.

So I sit here, trying to get my thoughts in order, and shift gears to focus on the music. I always resist doing what I know I should do. I'm sure no one else has that problem. :)

I know, I'll go get something to eat first and then begin on the music. Oh yeah...sounds like a plan.

Home at last!

I am finally home to sleep in my own bed! Hallelujah!!! For the past 3 nights, I've been house/dog-sitting for my friend who went out of town. When we made the arrangements for me to do this, I did not expect to have the kind of weekend that I had.

First of all, a beloved member of our church passed away and his funeral was on Saturday. Our worship team was asked to sing at the funeral, so I had to get up early Saturday morning, come home to get ready and then go to the funeral. Saturday night I had a babysitting job. It was just an incredibly busy weekend.

I was already a little stressed. Of course it's my own fault.

After talking with my pastor and the worship team director (who also happens to be the pastor's wife!), we came to the realization that our music has been in a rut. We're in the process of working in some new material, and I volunteered to try and pick out some new stuff. We're looking to add more up-tempo music to our repertoire.

My problem is I am too much of a "perfectionist" at times. Everything has to be just right...or so I think. Sometimes I get too bogged down in getting everything "together" when I should just jump in and figure it out as I go. I think I may have to do that here. One thing that is stressing me out is the realization that I don't know many up-tempo, lively songs that would be appropriate for congregational singing. This means I'm going to have to do some work.

After talking with the pastor and his wife last week, I realized God is wanting to stretch me in my walk of faith again. When it comes to music and worshipping Him, I've gotten lazy. I've been maintaining the "status quo" and it's time to move to another level. The whole idea scares me. Mainly because I don't know how to go to the next level, but also because I don't know what that will mean for me and my life. What does going to the next level look like? What is He going to require of me? I guess that's where I need to kick my faith into high gear and continuously seek God for direction. Another area of my life that He is working on. :)

Oh well, we will see what happens. I want to be faithful in this area of my life because not only will it impact my life, but it will impact a whole congregation of believers. Yikes!

So anyway, that is another reason I'll be staying home this week. I need some time to focus and get into some new music. Needless to say, it should prove to be an interesting week. We'll see which part of me wins out...the part that wants to please God and do His will or the part of me that just wants to do nothing. Pray for me!

God's Earth

I read a post over at Benjamin's blog that sparked a response from me. It was too long to try and write in his comment section. :)

In his post, Benjamin writes: "...man has a responsibility not to slash and burn the planet."

Just tonight we discussed this very thing in Bible study at church. What, exactly, is our responsibility to God's earth? Based on our discussion and my understanding of scripture, here are my thoughts on the subject:

In Genesis 1:28, God commands man "to be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." The original Hebrew word there for "subdue", kavash, means: "to dominate or bring into bondage". Basically, God commanded us to control this earth to use it as we will, not simply be "good stewards" of the earth. True that "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof", but here, He clearly gave us control of it. God doesn't directly address the earth or the things on it (plants and animals, etc). He works through us to affect and impact His other creations. I do agree that we should, in some respects, be good stewards, but simply because if we don't take care of this world, nothing will be left.

An example my pastor gave about the control God has given us over the earth goes like this: there are two types of control that can be given to someone. For this example, say I'm giving you a piece of land. The first type of control I can give you is that I appoint you to take care of the land. You can do whatever you want with it, but I'll be coming back for a full account of your actions. You will be accountable to me for what you've done with it while it was under your control.

The other type of control is that I flat out give you the land. It's yours, you do with it what you will. I won't be checking up on you. If you destroy it, that's your decision. If you use it to bring forth crops or build something on it - kudos to you.

The second type of control represents what God said in Genesis 1:28. He created the earth for our benefit. Everything in it is subject to us. Several examples of how we have subdued the earth are: air-conditioning, buildings, roads, dams, levees, genetically altered crops that produce more on less land, clothing created from natural resources (i.e., cotton, silk, etc.), electricity (which is created in some areas by harnessing the power of running water), natural gas to heat our buildings...you get the picture. The problem is, current special-interest groups and environmentalists have convinced us that we need to be subjected or controlled by the earth. We should leave the earth in its "pristine" condition. If they had their way, we would all live in the wild, unable to use the natural resources God gave to us. Just think of all the legislation that restricts our actions in regards to natural resources. God never intended that.

When it is all said and done, He is not going to ask for an account of what we did with the earth. In fact, the book of Revelation, in the Bible, tells us this earth will be destroyed and a new one will be created. (Revelation 21:1) Through lies and deceit, Satan is once again robbing us of something God has given to us.

Benjamin also commented that: "The primary motivation that fuels human exploitation of the earth's natural resources is not disregard for the planet, or a sort of cavalier ‘we can do whatever we want’ ecological myopia, it is rather the thirst for wealth, the love of money which is the root of all evil."

As to the argument about the love of money leading to destruction of the earth...the simple fact remains that if people are driven by money to use natural resources, it's not in their best interest to destroy the very thing that makes them money. It is a fallacy that these "money lovers" are destroying the land. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule.

For example, did you know that in America, there is about the same amount of forest cover today as there was 100 years ago, even though we consume more wood per capita than any other region in the world? (Source: LA Times, Tues. March 26, 2002, By-line: Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace) In this article some other environmental myths are debunked by the late, Dr. Julian Simon. An interesting read.

Anyway, just wanted to post some thoughts on the subject, but don't take my word for it. You should always find the facts for yourself. Don't simply accept one person's word as truth. There are a lot of people spreading un-scientific pabulum as fact, simply because they are trying to get money for their program or research facility. Follow the money.

If you'd like to know where I found my information, let me know!

Wish I had a few more days

Yes, I'm back, but not quite ready to get back to the usual grind. :)

My visit to Southern Illinois was quite interesting. I accused my roommate of driving me around for 6 1/2 hours and taking me to a small town somewhere in the south. Those folks were more "southern" and "country" than I am!!! It was wild. In more ways than one. Suffice it to say, I'm glad to be home. :)

I've got some thoughts floating around in my mind, but haven't had the time to pull them into a cogent post.

One thought I will leave with you - if we do not keep ourselves focused on Jesus, we won't be able to resist temptation. I've learned of some things this week that have just reinforced that fact in my mind. I believe God is just reminding me that I need to trust Him for my every need. I can't do that unless I look to Him for everything. I need to go to Him first for every decision I make - including those small decisions (like whether or not I should buy another book or cd). I believe that when I learn to trust Him with the small stuff, the big stuff will be easy. I haven't mastered this, but I'm learning.

A struggle

I should have known it would come. My attitude, emotions and all that stuff have been on a "high" since seeing "The Passion of The Christ". I have been renewed and re-focused and I'm extremely glad....I've been learning so much about Christ.

But...

Yesterday, living in the real world struck home. For some time now, I've truly been content as a single person. My heart's desire is to know Christ and that's what I've been working on. I believe that's what God has been leading me to do - to know Christ as I've never known Him before - so that when I do meet "the one" I'll already be depending on Christ for all of my needs and not put that burden on my husband. So, I've been content to not be dating anyone.

But yesterday, I was almost to the point of being depressed because I'm not dating anyone. There were several things I experienced yesterday that started me thinking along those lines, so I know why I ended up being near-depressed.

In the past, when I would start down this slippery slope, I'd allow myself to dwell on the thoughts and start feeling sorry for myself. Then to "escape", I would go find a romance novel to read. Silly, isn't it? But not now. Yesterday, I was about to start the self-pity thing when I realized I didn't have to do that. I asked Jesus to meet that need in me right now. I believe He has given me the desire to one day be married. It's just not His plan for me right now. And I know that.

I wish I could say that I was "over" the feelings and emotions I was dealing with right away. This morning I'm still having to give that over to Christ. But isn't that the way it works with anything we have to overcome to be in Christ's will? I am overwhelmed by His love and I know it will all work out. I'm just having to do that "die daily" thing, which is hard. I believe He's trying to take me to a deeper level in my walk, so this is just some of the adjustment of being in a new place. Much like an airplane experiences turbulence when changing altitudes. I'm looking forward to where He's leading me.

Back home for a while

Well, I'm back....but just for a while. :)

Got home Tuesday afternoon and have been running ever since! Yesterday was so busy. I'm always amazed at how much stuff doesn't get done when I'm out of the office for a couple of days. What's crazy is this - all of our staff was together, so it's not like they were in the office generating work for me.

So....today I'll be catching up and trying to get a little ahead. I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon to go "home" with my roommate. She's from Illinois and we're going to visit her family for a few days. This will definitely be an interesting experience....southern girl goes to southern Illinois. :) We'll be back on Monday.

It's a beautiful day!

God is good! All the time!
All the time! God is good!

Can you tell I'm excited about my Jesus? :)

We had a beautiful day yesterday for our poker run. There were only 20 participants, but we made some new connections and met many new people. It was awesome! I wish I already had a motorcycle. *sigh*

Anyway, we had a fabulous time in church this morning. It's the first Sunday of the month, so we had Fellowship Dinner right after service and it was good! I must say, I'm a part of an incredible body of believers. I wish everyone could experience what we have. It truly is a God thing! Only He could have brought such a mix of people together in once place. I am always excited to be around my extended "family".

I'm leaving this afternoon to go to Tuscaloosa, AL for a regional staff meeting. Unfortunately, the hotel we'll be in doesn't have internet access (what's wrong with this world!) so I probably won't be back on until Tuesday. God is probably wanting me to be off this thing for a while anyway. :) I'm looking forward to being with our other staff. We always have a blast when we get together, but anytime you get people together who love Jesus, it's a good thing. I know I'll be blessed....well, I already am blessed!

One other thing before I'm outta here: this Thursday will be my One-Year Blogiversary. I'm so excited about that! I've met some really nice people through having a blog and to all of you who read my posts - "THANK YOU!!!!!" I'm trying to think of something special to post of that day. We'll see....it's going to be a busy week.

I can't believe I'm still up

Here it is 2am again, and I am awake. Something must be wrong with me.

Actually, I got involved with downloading some music and time just went by swiftly. Plus, I've been washing clothes and my dog. :) I'm insane, though. Our Motorcycle Ministry is hosting a "Poker Run" tomorrow. It is a fundraiser. I'm excited, since this is our first big event. Here's a brief run-down on a poker run:

Any biker is welcome to participate. They start at a designated location and register, pay their entry fee (which is $10) and get the form they need to record their "hand". There are a total of five stops at various places around the city. At each stop, members of our group will be there with a bag containing a deck of cards. Each biker selects a card from the bag. We then record which card the pulled and then they move on to the next stop. At the last stop, everyone's "hand" will be compared and the person with the best "hand" will win. The rules for winning are based on 5-card stud poker with no wild cards. Whoever wins, gets 1/2 of the total money collected for the event. I'm not sure if we have a 2nd or 3rd place....if so, the 1/2 of the "Winner's Take" gets divided among the top three. (It's 2 am, so I'm not real clear on details right now.)

Now, some of you may be shocked that a ministry is hosting a "Poker Run". I think it's a fabulous idea! How else will we be able to reach out to those who don't know Christ? There are men (and women) who are hard-core bikers that will participate in this type of an event. The whole point is it's fun, they get to ride and possibly win some cash. On our side of the coin, there is a tremendous opportunity to begin the process of building relationships with people who need to know Christ. Who wouldn't want to participate?

I'll be sure to update you on what happens. :)

More thoughts on Jesus

I did it again. I went to see "The Passion of The Christ" again tonight. Whew. I'm telling you, God is going to do something among His people through that movie. I just believe it.

This time as I watched it, I was able to think more about the film and about Jesus and what His sacrifice really means. The first time you see the film, you are so overwhelmed with what's taking place, you can't really think about it. It is really an emotionally taxing experience the first time around. However, I think that is a good thing. It certainly helped to ignite a new passion in me.

Anyway, on to tonight....as I was watching the movie, I was again overwhelmed with the question of "Why?" Why would the God of all creation bother? What is it about us that caused Him to willingly send His Son to suffer so that we might live in eternity with Him - in spite of the fact that we have rejected Him and will continue to fail Him? I must admit, I still can't get my mind around that. If it were me, I wouldn't have created Adam and Eve in the first place! (Aren't you glad I'm not God?)

As I was (and still am) pondering this, I realized that I don't have a clue what love is. God's love is what motivated Him to offer Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. That kind of love certainly doesn't fit into my understanding of what love is. To me, I guess it has always been about the "good feeling" - whether it's a good feeling about that special someone or around family and friends. But God's love isn't about a feeling. It's about a choice.

I'm sure as Christ was being beaten, spit upon, mocked, insulted, humiliated and tortured, He didn't "feel" like being there. At any time, He could have gotten up from that whipping post or come down off the cross and said "forget it!!" But He didn't. As Max Lucado writes, "Jesus himself chose the nails." Revelation 13:8 tells us that Jesus is "the Lamb who was killed before the world was made." Before He spoke creation into existence, He knew He would have to die to redeem it. How many of us could make that kind of choice? As I said, I still can't get my mind around it.

It does make me want to give my everything to Him. It's the least I can do. And not to try and repay Him, for I could never do that. I want to give Him my everything simply to worship Him and thank Him for what He did.

As I was driving home, I called a good friend of mine to talk about the movie and Jesus' sacrifice. We got to comparing notes about our lives over the past couple of weeks, and for both of us, it seems like everything we've read or listened to is pointing to Christ. I've talked with other people about this as well and the same is true for them. As a Christian, this should have been my focus all along, I know, but over the past week or so, there seems to be an extra emphasis on Jesus. In fact, over the past 6-8 months, God has been telling me to "know" Jesus. I just haven't done it. So anyway, as I'm talking with my friend, this thought flashes through my mind: "what if God is focusing our attention on Christ and His suffering because of what is in the near future for us as believers." I'll be honest - that thought scared me half to death.

After seeing this movie for the first time, my heart screamed that I could, and would, face anything knowing that Christ had suffered like that for me. Well, after some time to reflect, I've wondered if, when the really hard times come, will I be able to face them and not turn my back on Christ? Will I endure to the end? This is where it will be my choice to love Him. When it comes down to it, I will have to make a choice to either follow Him and possibly be sacrificed or follow my own way and not suffer. Jesus says in John 12:25 that "those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." Oh, that I will trust in His promises when suffering comes my way.

So those are the thoughts on my mind as I try to go to sleep tonight. I have never examined my life and commitment to Christ like I have over the past week. It is a sobering experience.

My heart is ever more longing for the time when I am in the throne room of heaven - in the presence of my Savior, Redeemer and Friend - singing "blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever."

The Basin and The Towel

Since I saw "The Passion" last week, I've had several thought mulling around in my mind. One of them is the idea of what it means to be a servant.

We see in the Gospel of John, Jesus' example of a servant as he takes time to wash the feet of His disciples. After washing their feet, Jesus tells them that "if I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you should do as I did to you." (John 13:14-15)

Now, I'm not wanting to get into a discussion of the "legalities" of feet washing. I'm just trying to figure out what it means to be a servant. One thing that struck me the most in this passage was not the fact that Jesus performed the act of a slave by washing His disciples feet, but that He did it in the face of horrendous suffering. Stay with me here.

Jesus knew His hour had come. He knew that his struggle in Gethsemane was just around the corner and after that was coming unimaginable physical, and perhaps, emotional pain. It was a terrifying situation, I'm sure. But in verses 3-5 of chapter 13, John says that "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded."

To quote my favorite pastor, "3 things stood out to me in this passage." Sorry, no alliteration. :)

First of all, Jesus was a servant in spite of His circumstances. If anyone had a reason to not be around people or to run away, it was Jesus. He was about to endure torture and humiliation to redeem us to Himself. I'm blown away by the fact that God chose to create us knowing that we would sin and that even after providing a way of redemption for us that we would reject His Son. My biggest question for God is Why? But that's a topic for another day! Back to my point - Jesus had a long road ahead of Him, yet He still gave of Himself to His disciples and showed them how He wanted them to serve others. I think the key here is what verse 3 says (I'll give you a sec to go back and read it!) Jesus knew it was in God's hands.

How many times do we miss an opportunity to serve others because it is inconvenient or doesn't fit into our schedule? How often am I so wrapped up in my circumstances that I miss opportunities to serve? Ouch!

Secondly, Jesus had to get wet. The scriptures tell us that Jesus got up from His supper and took off His garments. I'm guessing that means he took off his outer clothes and was basically in his t-shirt and shorts. He was going to have to be able to get on the floor and get to the disciples feet so he could wash and dry them. I don't know if any of you have ever participated in a "feet washing" service, but if you have, you know there's a good possibility you're going to get wet. Same thing happens when we serve others. We get involved in their lives. Our hands get "dirty". There will always be some cost to us when we "take up the basin and the towel."

Last but not least - Jesus took His time with each disciple while washing their feet. Not only did Jesus wash their feet, He took the time to wipe them dry. He could have had them all line up in a row and pour water over their feet as they stood there, and then tossed them a towel with a "here ya go, fellas!" But no.....He went to each person individually and washed and dried their feet. What does this mean for us? Serving others takes time and our attention. Jesus could have hurried through washing their feet. After all, He was about to die on the cross. But He personally ministered to each disciple - including Judas. Now that's something to think about - Jesus was a servant to the very man who would betray Him. Hmmm.

Anyway, those were some things I gathered from Christ's example of being a servant. I hope it makes sense (seeing as how it is almost 2 am.) I plan on doing some more studying on being a servant and I'll be sure to share what I learn.

Below are the lyrics to a song by Michael Card titled, The Basin and The Towel.

And the call is to community

In an upstairs room
A parable is just about to come alive
And while they bicker about who's best
With a painful glance He'll silently rise
Their Savior Servant must show them how
Through the will of the water
And the tenderness of the towel

CHORUS
And the call is to community
The impoverished power that sets the soul free
In humility to take the vow
That day after day we must take up
The basin and the towel

In any ordinary place
On any ordinary day
The parable can live again
When one will kneel and one will yield
Our Savior Servant must show us how
Through the will of the water
And the tenderness of the towel

And the space between ourselves sometimes
Is more than the distance between the stars
By the fragile bridge of the servant's bow
We take up the basin and the towel

(c)1994 Birdwing Music (a div. of the Sparrow Corporation) (ASCAP)
From Poiema by Michael Card

What a whirlwind!

Well, this past weekend was interesting.

Friday afternoon about 2pm, I received a call from my mother. My brother was being taken from his job, via ambulance, to the hospital. He was presenting all the classic symptoms of a heart attack. Mind you, my brother will be 29 in April. So I left work, went and picked up my sister-in-law and went with her to the hospital.

I won't bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say, he is fine. They kept him overnight for observation, (and his wife stayed with him, also) so I got the privilege of staying with their four kids. We had a good time. They all call me "Kiki" and get so excited when they can spend the night with me or I with them. Of course, the last time I spent the night at their house was when child #4 was being born last September. I love those kids.

Needless to say, the weekend was a little stressful. Something like that makes you look at how quickly our lives here on earth can be over. *sigh* Just another "thought" to add to the "thoughts" still going through my mind since seeing "The Passion of The Christ." Perhaps, more on that later.....I'll be seeing it again later this week.

On a lighter note, as you may or may not know, Leap Year "Day" (Feb. 29) is also considered "Sadie Hawkins Day". Ladies, that is our opportunity to snag that "man of our dreams" and ask him to marry us - or simply go out on a date! So, at church that morning, a group of us adults were talking about it and cracking jokes. Of course, I feigned dismay at not realizing what day it was and lamented missing my "opportunity". Unbeknownst to me, my 5 year old niece was listening to this exchange.

Later that day at my parent's house, she comes up to me and says, "Kiki, Kiki....I need to tell you something." So, I bent down to let her talk in my ear, and here is what she says...

"Kiki, did you find a boy to marry yet?"

Folks, I about died laughing. My poor niece got embarrassed, but I couldn't help it. I was laughing so hard and everybody asked what she said, so I told them. I just thought it was so cute! Unfortunately, I had to tell her I hadn't, but my mom, trying to encourage my niece, told her she could pray for God to bring me a husband. Isn't that sweet?!?!

Every now and then, she'll come up to me and ask me when I'm getting married. What she really wants to know is when am I going to have a baby! That question is what has precipitated her interest in me finding a husband! *sigh* Kids - gotta love 'em!

One other thing - I just finished the most fantastic book! A Violent Grace by Michael Card, is one of the best books I've read in a while. Admittedly, it could be because my heart has been dwelling on Christ's sacrifice, but Michael Card's writing is so beautiful and thought provoking. He is an excellent theologian and writer. If you get a chance, pick up this book. In my opinion, it is a great read alongside viewing "The Passion of The Christ." Now I'm reading Max Lucado's book, He Chose the Nails. Good stuff! All about my Jesus! :)

Later!