Yesterday I went strawberry picking with Moose - actually, I picked and he ate. :) But it was a fun morning activity on a beautiful summer day.
He couldn't "get" the idea of picking the fruit because he couldn't see any of it. Most of the berries on the periphery of the plants had already been picked, those that hadn't were either unripe or beginning to rot as they touched the ground.
So as I picked, I moved back the lush green foliage and in each strawberry plant I found a jackpot of fresh, ripe berries just under the canopy of leaves.
It struck me as a lesson - so often I judge people by their outside, and I hardly take time to find out what is beneath the surface. So often I'm judged in much the same way. A lot of the time, all I have to do is tell someone I live in Naperville, and immediately their mind jumps to this mental image of a snooty, over privileged, flashy person and I am SO not that person. I just happen to live in a well-funded community but I think of myself as pretty down to earth.
Thank God that He doesn't judge us this way - He doesn't look down and see our shell and think "oh, there's nothing good in there let's move on to the next one." He sees the good in me and in you and in everybody, and He never stops urging our hearts to bring all that good to the surface. And then, all we have to do is bear fruit.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
My Perfect(ed) Body
I wish I could remember what the name of the song was that we sang in church yesterday that reminded me of this...I don't think about the afterlife a whole lot. I'm sure it will be wonderful and amazing and I guess I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'm enjoying every minute of the full and wonderful life on earth that I've been gifted with. Anyway, so we're singing in church about how awesome Heaven will be and the words are something about our bodies being changed...and then it hit me.
When I'm in Heaven, I won't have to wear an insulin pump.
I'm connected to this machine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it keeps me alive. I only get to take it off a maximum of 1 hour a day unless I am otherwise engaged in water based activity (I can take it off to shower or to go swimming, basically). But when I go to Heaven, my body will be changed and I will no longer be human and I won't need an insulin pump anymore.
*imagines life without being tethered by tubing*
This is amazing to me. I don't know why, but I've never considered this before. Eternal pumplessness. I don't think you can imagine how wonderful this sounds to me if you aren't also connected to a machine that keeps you alive every day, all day. It would be different if the machine was optional, like a cell phone or iPod. If I could just choose to not have it on me one day and see how that goes. (I guess I could choose to not have it, but I know how that will go! That story would end with me in the ER.)
So when I get to Heaven, my body will be perfect. I won't need contacts either! No contacts, no glasses, no insulin pump, no Chiropractor appointments...this Heaven deal is sounding better and better!
When I'm in Heaven, I won't have to wear an insulin pump.
I'm connected to this machine 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it keeps me alive. I only get to take it off a maximum of 1 hour a day unless I am otherwise engaged in water based activity (I can take it off to shower or to go swimming, basically). But when I go to Heaven, my body will be changed and I will no longer be human and I won't need an insulin pump anymore.
*imagines life without being tethered by tubing*
This is amazing to me. I don't know why, but I've never considered this before. Eternal pumplessness. I don't think you can imagine how wonderful this sounds to me if you aren't also connected to a machine that keeps you alive every day, all day. It would be different if the machine was optional, like a cell phone or iPod. If I could just choose to not have it on me one day and see how that goes. (I guess I could choose to not have it, but I know how that will go! That story would end with me in the ER.)
So when I get to Heaven, my body will be perfect. I won't need contacts either! No contacts, no glasses, no insulin pump, no Chiropractor appointments...this Heaven deal is sounding better and better!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
He puts the "dear" in DH
My husband is an all around swell guy. He's very patient, very gentle and very kind. Every once in awhile, he will use his technological savvy to do something nice for me. When we were first dating, he made me a custom ringtone and put it on my phone (it was Christopher Walken from SNL, saying the infamous line: "I got a fever! And the only prescription is...more cowbell!". Last year, he set up the entertainment center as my oversize workstation. Sometimes, he embarks on long road trips just to get me a chili cheese dog. This weekend, he made me another custom ringtone, and it's awesome.
I'm in love with those White Castle commercials, where people are distracted beyond belief by a sandwich calling them. In one, Death backs down from taking his next victim when a cheeseburger calls him and pulls him away from his work. The best part is, when the cheeseburger calls it doesn't say words. It plays this sexy siren song of fast food pleasure that cannot be denied. In one spot, a chicken sandwich calls a guy who is working on putting together a store display. He says, "if I leave, I'll get fired". The chicken seduces him with its sensual pleasures; playing only the song which beckons him with a force no mere mortal can resist. He drops the phone and departs the store. These commercials totally crack me up. And the song is rad. I wanted it for my ringer.
Through some form of computer wizardry, Hubby captured the song and made it an mp3 for me and now when you call me, my phone plays the Crave is Calling song. It's such a silly little thing, but it was so thoughtful and unusual that it made me really happy.
And yes, when my phone rings it makes me want cheeseburgers!
I'm in love with those White Castle commercials, where people are distracted beyond belief by a sandwich calling them. In one, Death backs down from taking his next victim when a cheeseburger calls him and pulls him away from his work. The best part is, when the cheeseburger calls it doesn't say words. It plays this sexy siren song of fast food pleasure that cannot be denied. In one spot, a chicken sandwich calls a guy who is working on putting together a store display. He says, "if I leave, I'll get fired". The chicken seduces him with its sensual pleasures; playing only the song which beckons him with a force no mere mortal can resist. He drops the phone and departs the store. These commercials totally crack me up. And the song is rad. I wanted it for my ringer.
Through some form of computer wizardry, Hubby captured the song and made it an mp3 for me and now when you call me, my phone plays the Crave is Calling song. It's such a silly little thing, but it was so thoughtful and unusual that it made me really happy.
And yes, when my phone rings it makes me want cheeseburgers!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
So sink or swim, I'm diving in...
Our move has become more real. We spent our weekend on tour, Friday night we drove up to St. Joseph, MI where Rob & Christina's old church presented them with a farewell party. We met Rob & Christina for breakfast Saturday morning to talk about church plans and fill them in on our plans and timetable and hash out the vision of what we hope Process Church will become. (And yes, my blog title is a nod to our new venture). We are fired up like we just came home from an Obama rally. We're psyched, we're ready. Hubby is more actively looking for a job in the ATL area and I'm spending way too much time looking at houses online. We originally said we'd move a year from now, but neither of us is opposed to moving sooner if God paves the way.
I mentioned to Doug on Facebook that lately all my car radio plays is KLOVE since we now have a Repeater in the house. I'm too afraid to listen to anything else - I used to listen to 101.9 all the time but all I need is Meredith Brooks' "B!tch" to come on and then have Moose sing along. KLOVE is a good station though, and it's really been a pleasure to experience a worshipful attitude in the middle of traffic instead of getting fried.
With Steven Curtis Chapman's recent CD out, maybe they're pushing his music more than usual. I don't know. It's either that, or there's a message in the song that manages to play on the radio each time I'm in the car (the same song our music guy used in worship Sunday morning - coincidence?) that I'm supposed to "get". An excerpt:
My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is no turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That's telling me its time to take the leap of faith
So here I go
I'm diving in I'm going deep in over my head I want to be
Caught in the rush lost in the flow in over my head I want to go
The rivers deep the rivers wide the rivers water is alive
So sink or swim I'm diving in
And then Hubby found THE PERFECT job for him. The title, the salary, the responsibilities, everything he could ask for. 5 minutes away from the town we're moving to. This may be happening sooner than we anticipated, but we're ready to dive on in if it does!
I mentioned to Doug on Facebook that lately all my car radio plays is KLOVE since we now have a Repeater in the house. I'm too afraid to listen to anything else - I used to listen to 101.9 all the time but all I need is Meredith Brooks' "B!tch" to come on and then have Moose sing along. KLOVE is a good station though, and it's really been a pleasure to experience a worshipful attitude in the middle of traffic instead of getting fried.
With Steven Curtis Chapman's recent CD out, maybe they're pushing his music more than usual. I don't know. It's either that, or there's a message in the song that manages to play on the radio each time I'm in the car (the same song our music guy used in worship Sunday morning - coincidence?) that I'm supposed to "get". An excerpt:
My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is no turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That's telling me its time to take the leap of faith
So here I go
I'm diving in I'm going deep in over my head I want to be
Caught in the rush lost in the flow in over my head I want to go
The rivers deep the rivers wide the rivers water is alive
So sink or swim I'm diving in
And then Hubby found THE PERFECT job for him. The title, the salary, the responsibilities, everything he could ask for. 5 minutes away from the town we're moving to. This may be happening sooner than we anticipated, but we're ready to dive on in if it does!
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