Jan 29, 2012
We’ve been having some great conversation at my house lately. And so I want to ask you: What does being Christian mean to you?
Do you consider yourself Christian or not?
Do you hold Christians to a higher standard?
Do you think Christians have double standards?
Should Christians be more forgiving than they seem to be?
Should Christians be more firm than they seem to be?
Does grace and mercy outweigh other characteristics, such as discipline, protecting your family, etc? If someone has a track-record of negative actions should a Christian forgive and forget, or set up boundaries and say “no more”?
Have there been Christians in your life who seem less “Christian” than “non-Christians”?
What is your definition of Christian, and does the media help or hurt your perspective? Do you think being a “true” Christian is easy, hard, good, or bad?
I’ll post my own thoughts in a few days, but first I really want to know:
What do you think?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Jan 20, 2012
Recently, my mother was certain she saw a fox in her front yard. A fox! That may not be news for some of you, but this is the desert of Southern California. We’re used to things like tumbleweeds and roadrunners and Wile E. Coyote.
Every so often we get things in our little city that come down from the mountains. Creatures like black bears and mountain cats. Bobcats have certainly been making the rounds lately. But, again, a fox?! Are you sure?!
And she was. But she almost doubted herself. Why? Because. Society tells us if it isn’t normal then it just can’t be. The word “impossible” permeates our vocabulary and gets into our very subconscious, fighting against what we know is true and right.
My mom saw a fox. Even if no one else saw it but her. How do I know? She’s my mom. She could have just said “I saw a fox today” and that would have been enough for me. But she went beyond that. She offered me verbal evidence: she detailed its appearance, its mannerisms. And for several days we checked facts online: how do foxes live, sleep, eat, raise their young? We saw the den it tried to make. We saw the leaves where it slept. Everything pointed to the same conclusion: my mom was lucky enough to make eye contact with a beautiful fox in her own yard.
It got me thinking. Recently I went through a bit of a discussion with God. I keep telling Him I trust Him. But I certainly don’t act like it. When the funds are low, I pray, “Thank you God for getting us through this day,” and then I cry to myself in fear and anxiety.
I read the Bible, full of miracles and awe and wonder, and I claim that same God as my own. But when I’m faced with stepping off a ledge, do I really believe He will catch me?
I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve let the physics of this world interfere with my Faith in His. For whatever reason, God brought to mind a conversation I’d had many years ago with someone from my church. We were talking about finances and life and all things in between and my friend suggested a necessary expense I thought was unaffordable. “How?!” I remember crying out. “How am I supposed to do that?!” Back then I was fairly new in my faith. But not now. Now I’m firm. Cemented in the Foundation that God Is, Was, and Always Will Be. And I’m still crying out, “How?!”
I already trust my Mom completely. I need to trust my Daddy-God more. Not just say it. I’m not afraid to ask Him for favors; why am I afraid to trust He’ll actually provide them?
The moral of this little post is this: If God tells me there’s a fox in the yard, I’m gonna believe Him. Period. I don’t need to find the evidence. That’s just confirmation of what I already know: He’s trustworthy. Period.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Dec 8, 2011
I’ve been around the Blogging World for a while now. I’ve met some great new blog-friends (Andrea, Jenn, Ariel, to name just a few). And through my tours of other blogs, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I pay attention to what attracts me and what doesn’t.
And I’ve come to a better appreciation of my blog. It’s not odd at all to think of it like a child or a job or both. This Blog is my Baby; growing, finding its way in the world. Making mistakes, gaining strength.
And every so often, realizing what we’ve already subconsciously known.
My Blog can be broken down to what I call the Four F’s: Faith, Family, Food, and Fun. And those are the four main factors I look for on other blogs. Granted, under each category are sub-categories: How God works in our lives, familial anecdotes, recipes, writings, party planning, daily life…
So you can see how even fine-tuning my Blog to the Four F’s isn’t really as simple as that.
But I’m grateful that I have the flowchart. So in the coming weeks, I’m going to fine tune the presentation. My blog will be easier to navigate (I hope!), and easier to look at.
Now this is where you come in: I’m looking for feedback. What do you want to see? What can I do without? What are your ideas, suggestions, thoughts on my Blog, and how can I make it better for you? Visually? Readability? Blog post ideas? Categories? I recently made some changes. Do you like them? Is it easier or harder now to leave comments?
I look forward to hearing from you. Let’s get ready to start 2012 with a Better Blog. Whadya say? Wanna help? I hope so.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 30, 2011
Well it’s been a few weeks. I had to change a few things up around here!
First, if you go to my actual blog (not read this in an email), you’ll see that I changed my background for the season. Happy Holidays!
Second, I started using my new ZipList software for my recipes. I really like the formatting. Of course, I’m brand new at it, so I’m sure after I learn some more tricks and tips, it will become even better. Look for some, if not all, of my recipes to be reformatted and reposted in the month of December.
Thanksgiving’s behind us, but never stop giving thanks. The last week has certainly been out of sync with my love for stability, but I also love surprises… well, good ones anyway.
By the time you read this, I’ll prob’ly be in the middle of a big winter storm. The kind of storm that So Cal doesn’t usually get; and certainly not this early in the season. I’m thankful for the touch of midwest winters that I still miss, thankful for a full pantry, thankful for the warmth of cookies baking in the oven and a log on the fire.
With the not-so-good surprises and life-as-we-know-it moments, I kept thinking about my blogfriend Andrea and her daily posts about seeking peace in the midst of a busy life. I don’t think she knows how much she really inspires me. Lately, when I find myself about to over-react, I’m reminded of her posts and they touch me, sooth me, calm me. God works… even through the blog words of a stranger. [She’ll inspire you, too. Check out her blog, Quiet Mom-ents, here.]
Life is always going to throw us curveballs. What matters is that we take the swing… but only when we’re supposed to. Striking out too early is just as bad as being stranded at the plate.
So my goal for December is to not only embrace change, but actually instigate it. I know. Me. ME. A creature of habit, a lover of stability. I figure what the heck. I only have one life. Why get it stuck in a rut?
So. Bring on the storm. I’m ready… I think…
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 24, 2011
Today is Thanksgiving.
And while this is a little thing, it’s a big deal:
But two days ago I got two new tires on my car.
It happened, because we were planning on an hour-long drive to go visit my daughter’s friend in the hospital. And since I hadn’t had the air pressure checked for a while, I took the car to America’s Tire Co. They do air checks and rotations for free. And since I had $3.42 in my checkbook, “free” was really working for me.
Until they looked at my tires. Left front: treads worn down. Right front: road hazard. Air bulge (I’d hit a pothole last week, but didn’t realize I’d damaged the tire.). He explained this is a major road hazard; unsafe to drive no matter what. I explained I absolutely cannot afford new tires right now. So he suggested replacing it with my spare just to be safe. Again, the phrase “road hazard” kept coming up.
We sat and waited. The plan was for them to replace the road hazard tire with the spare, and rotate the two rear tires. That, at least, would be safer than driving the way the tires are now.
The second service guy called me to the counter. He again stressed the hazard of the old tire, and the limited capability of a spare. And now, they’ve found two nails in a rear tire.
This is not going the way I had planned.
I had to tell my daughter it didn’t look like we’d make it to see her friend. I was almost heartbroke.
A year ago, even a few months ago; I would have panicked. I would have cried in public and called my mom and had a mini-breakdown on the phone. I prob’ly would have used words I usually try really hard not to use.
But instead, I took a deep breath. I looked at my daughter and said, “Say a prayer.”
I went to the counter a third time. And decided to take them up on their offer to apply for credit. “I won’t get approved,” I whispered, all the while praying and trusting that God can do anything.
My last resort would be to “borrow” money from family. Money that they don’t really have to give me, money that I wouldn’t be able to give back.
In less than a minute, I was approved. Not a huge amount, but enough to get two new tires.
20 minutes later I drove away, feeling more secure than I’ve felt for quite a while. My car was safe. I hadn’t known it was unsafe. But more than that, now I knew we were safe.
Shortly after we went home and were just preparing to leave for the hospital, we got the message that my daughter’s friend was being released; healthy enough to come home for Thanksgiving!
I’m still in awe of the way these situations turned out. I knew my tires weren’t the best, but I didn’t know they were this bad. My daughter’s friend was hospitalized for several days. If it hadn’t been for our plans to visit, I would have waited on getting the tires checked. After all, I only drive locally.
Now I have new tires. Now my daughter’s friend is home. My daughter consistently sees miracles in her life. And our life is still Amazing. Because God is always Graceful. And Good.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
