Last night Kyle was playing around with Snoopy and somewhere along the way Snoopy got scared of Kyle (for whatever reason, we still aren’t sure).  Anyway, he comes into the office where I am on the computer.  I continued working but when I no longer heard him in the closet (which he will sometimes check out and sniff around), I got up to see what he was doing.  My dog was lying in the far corner of our spare closet!  #1 pathetic-ness of the evening.  Because Kyle felt bad, he let Snoopy do something we normally do not do–he let him sleep on the bed.

Now I don’t know if your dog does the same thing or not but Snoopy likes to stretch out.  And if he fills the entire space allotted, he pushes his feet and back against whatever, or whoever, happens to be in his way.  Needless to say, Kyle and I ended up sleeping on either edge of the bed while Snoopy enjoyed the lap of luxury in the middle. #2 pathetic-ness (plus a couple more for throughout the night.  I have to admit I was scared of getting up last night, worried that my dog would completely take over my spot on the bed!).

Now, there are some mornings that I invite him to come up on the bed after Kyle leaves for work, but Snoopy usually stays there for a little bit and then goes to the door to bark at the wind.  This morning, after I woke up slightly cramped I made Snoopy get off the bed.  He didn’t move (#3 or 4 pathetic-ness).  Now, he is only 50 pounds and I can lift him with little problem, but you know when a child is throwing a temper tantrum and all a sudden they seem to gain 100 pounds because you can no longer just lift them up?  That exact same dead weight is what Snoopy did.

We did manage to get him off the bed and after Kyle and I did our devotions before he left for work, we discover Snoopy lying on the comforter on the side of the bed (#5 pathetic-ness).  I just had to laugh.

Snoopy is adorable, not to heavy to snuggle with, but I have to say, there are some times that the pathetic-ness goes into over drive…Just makes me love him all the more.  Look who’s pathetic now.

With Christmas now behind us, it is easy to forget the spirit of the season as easily as we dismiss the debate between Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays.  Having just left this time of “holiday spirit” I have to wonder in earnest on the true giving aspect.  I know there are those who truly give of their time, whether at a soup kitchen, charity project, or other form of service.  I also know there are those who have no time, but instead give in a gift of some sort.  This covers the angel trees, bonus donations in the offering for a couple weeks, ect.  But why are we so intent on this concept of “give a penny, take a penny”?  To be more clear, why do so many today (including myself at times) have an ingrained mentality that if I give of my time or gifts, then I should GET something too.  Why can’t we be trained to just GIVE without any attachments?

Since I’m on the topic and have already riddled myself into using popular phrasing, I have also heard that when your hand is open in giving it is thus open also to receive.  Now this isn’t so bad.  Some people close themselves off and think that every fool should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.  Reality, everyone needs help at some time or another.

I have been reading 1 John this week and my thoughts culminated on this subject once I read the following verses:

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another. ¹⁷
If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister
in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 16-18)

Despite the hard workers at the ACLU, Christmas is still a national holiday and it is still (ultimately) about the coming of Jesus Christ to save the world.  Yet in all of the mubo-jumbo of “Happy Holidays” being the politically correct phrase to say, how can we possibly miss that JESUS CHRIST LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR US.  John tells us that “this is how we know what love is.”  Not lust the fills the soul at the shot of the most recent Victoria’s Secret model or the the condemnation of a man standing just of the exit of a highway with a sign saying that he is hungry and God bless.  Love, in it’s truest and untarnished form is sacrificial.  Now, how many can say that they would die for that man off of the highway?  No?  Jesus did.

Just like that.  Thats all there is to it and yet, that all there is to it.  It is by far the hardest task that anyone has ever asked of us.  To love in a sacrificial manner that people will know who we are by our actions.  But why is it so difficult for us to do this?  Why is it so hard to simply love one another as Christ first loved us?

I received a notice today from a friend of mine.  She is involved with a new non-profit called the Greenhouse Project.  This organization is based through an orphanage in Uganda, striving to survive in a country that has been torn apart by civil wars for longer than these children have been alive.  They are using funds from an art grant to go to Africa, teach the kids art, bring back those pieces that the children create, and sell them as support to keep this safe haven alive.  For some, it is a chance to have their voice heard in a world that seems determined to shut them up.

As soon as I saw that my friend was still raising funds, I asked my husband how much we could send.  I wrote the check in that same sitting.  I am so proud of her heart.  She has a heart for those who need help and she is doing something about it.

That is Christianity at work.  My friend taking the summer to assist and determine where the need is in this orphanage is a step of faith.  She is being the salt of the earth and light in a dark world.

“Christian” has quickly become an adjective as opposed to the verb that it is.  How we can sit around as the world crumbles on all fronts is beyond me.  I suppose this is why I find myself at such peace right now.  I don’t have a job, I live in an apartment complex whose prices raise significantly each year, etc…there is a plethora of “stuff” that I could easily allow to drown me in sorrow, worry, and depression.  But I have my hope in Jesus my Lord.  I have a home.  My husband has a good job.  We are blessed to have friends and family who love and care for us.  Even our puppy brings a smile to the faces of the passersby as he appears to always have one on his.  Now, I have a friend who I have seen go through the trenches, also known as high school, and has come out, a semester from graduating college with a degree in theology, and has focused on others–loving and caring for those who are considered unlovable.

That is peace.

I joke about the unrest in Israel, asking my family if they are ready to go home.  They smile and say ‘better believe it.’  How about you?  Each one of you has a choice.  Choose Jesus or Choose hell for eternity.  Jesus=peace, hell=well, hell, eternal suffering and unrest.  Simple choice, simple answer.  The unrest, the deteriorating of morals and of “Christians” standing for tolerance rather than Jesus and the Bible…it is a very clear sign of the second coming of Jesus.

But for anyone who has not made the choice for Jesus, beware, in the twinkling of an eye, he will be here and gone.  When you go to work or to school and see the empty chairs, the missing people, you can no longer say that you were never warned.

Jesus is coming and this time, the devil is going to be allowed to take over and put hell on earth-unlike any destruction and misery that you can ever imagine.  I would suggest choosing the peace now, but that is just my opinion.

I am slightly embarassed to see how much time has passed.  It feels as if I have just let things fall to the wayside and yet, I get so flustered sometimes at the haste that fills every where I go.

The other night, my family and I went to see Marley and Me at the movies (cute movie, amazingly hilarious book).  Of course, much like when I read the book, I laughed exuberantly and cried pathetically.   I think it is more a remembrance of my own dogs that causes the rise and fall of emotions.

I lay with my new puppy dog, Snoopy, and I began welling up with tears.  He, of course, just panted in my face and fell asleep across my lap.  He is a good dog, but his nemesis happens to be cats.  Now, that isn’t a problem when my husband and I are at home in our apartment.  It just so happens to be an extraordinary problem as we are visiting my parents…they have 3 cats.

Having dealt with a dog who was not fond of cats before, I thought it would be nothing to introduce my Pointer/lab mix to the slightly smaller four legged animals who just so happen to be armed with ridiculously sharp claws.  Silly me.  Snoopy lunged.  The first kitty slashed.  Snoopy licked his nose and tried to lunge again.  Oh me.

The real problem happened the other night (coincidentally right after getting home from the movie theater).  I was taking my dear 5 year old puppy dog out for a walk, knowing that I couldn’t have him take off through the house, he was on his leash.  Well, one of the cats (the big orange tabby who has no perception of danger what-so-ever) was sitting calmly on the stairs, right in front of the door.  Snoopy, being keen as he is, saw the cat and lunged.  This time, with the bars of the stairs in between them, no one was hurt, except the glass  bowl that was knocked off of the table in the foyer…shattering.  I managed to drag him out the front door (thank goodness for claws and wood floors) while my loving mom and husband cleaned up the mess.

Snoopy remains oblivious.  Anytime one of the cats passes within his view from our closed off room, he begins to whine.  So much for the piece of cake I was looking forward to in celebration at my mastery training skills.  We will try again on the next visit (as long as he stays away from the chickens too).

Prayer is something that churches talk a lot about but talk a lot to. In other words, “PRAY for the afflicted”
“PRAY for healing” “PRAY for answers and wisdom.” These are pertinent to the Christian walk, but what does it actually mean?

Jesus said it like this when his disciples when they asked how to pray, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tel you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”

First of all Jesus isn’t saying you can only pray kneeling next to your bed with the door locked, all by yourself. He is saying not to be a show. So many have decided to, rather than being a light for others through how they LIVE, but to “witness” by being a Bible basher, screaming condemnation from the street corners and by praying loud and extensive prayers that people have to take notice of.

We are called to be the “salt of the earth” and a “light in the darkness.” This involves LOVING EVERYONE BUT HATING THE SIN. This involves living the lives that we would want Jesus to be proud of. This involves being not of this world. The Bible also commands us to pray continuously, which can (and should) be done without needing to create a stage for yourself, putting yourself in the limelight.

The second part of what Jesus was saying in Matthew is what people call the “Lord’s prayer.” In fact this is more of a students prayer, not to be recited word for word each and every day. It is a guideline of what can be said. One this that can be noted that we just read right over is the very beginning. “Our Father.” In the Greek, the word that was used is ‘Abba’, better translated to ‘Daddy.’

Years ago, my sister and I gave my dad a plaque for father’s day that read, “Any man can be a father, but only a special man can be a dad.” There is a distinct difference between these two names. It’s not the formality, it’s the relationship. A father gives his DNA to his child, a Daddy gives his heart and his life. Our Father in heaven created us to have an intimate relationship with him, like a DADDY and his child who he would give his life for (and he did on the cross at Calvary).

Now, the easiest way to pray is to talk like you would to a daddy, in conversation and the best part is not having someone to talk to, but someone who talks back. Just yesterday I prayed that my fiance’s flight would not be delayed much longer (he had been waiting for about 4 hours and they still had an “unknown” departure). This may sound like a petty prayer to be lifted up to the creator of the universe but he was tired and worn out, just wanted to be home, even if only for the night. My heart ached for him and I knew that there was only one who could get the pilot there so they could take off. Not even 5 minutes after I said the prayer, I got a call saying they were loading the plane and getting ready to take off. My prayer was answered.

This is one of endless examples that I could give of answered prayers. Some claim these are “coincidences” but I can guarantee any individual who had a lump in an MRI and then it miraculously disappears in the next doctors visit would call it far beyond a “coincidence.” What is overlooked by so many is that while they claim to believe one thing, so many worship idols.

It doesn’t have to be a golden statue to be called an idol. Worship is whatever you give your attention to. Money, clothes, popularity and fame. These are all idols that people worship. Jesus once had a rich young man ask him how to get to heaven and when the rich man was faced with giving up his wealth he found himself in a predicament that could keep him from the Glory of God. It isn’t about having money, its about having such a hold on it that not even the golden streets of heaven will get you to release the clutch on the check book. In this story, money was the idol.

So, you heard my story about how my God answered my prayer, as simple as it was. Now, when was the last time your check book or your famed movie star that you “idolize” or even your popularity answered your deepest need? Whether it was healing your dying mother or getting you to your plane on time, there is only one God that can talk back and change your life.

Prayer is alive and active conversation with a living God who desires a relationship…who answers you when you cry out?

A myriad of excuses arise whenever people face difficulties, especially with marriage problems. Kyle and I began our first of 4 marriage pre-counseling sessions with the pastor who will be performing our ceremony. This week focused somewhat on getting to know us, but to also address a key component to maintaining the ability to work through issues. That key, the thing that can keep people together in even the most amazingly difficult times it agape.

Agape love is that love which comes from God and can not exist without God. There are in fact three types of love: philia, eros, and then agape. Philia may be somewhat recognizable…think of a famous Pennsylvania city-brotherly love or the love that you feel for your best friend. Then there is eros. This is that passionate, sexual love. For a marriage you need both eros and philia, and can’t be survive without the other. Then above both of the others is agape. Like I mentioned before, agape love is given first by God so we can in turn share it with others. It is sacrificial and unselfish (“For God so LOVED-agape-the world that he gave his only son”). Marriage needs all three types of love to survive but the key beyond loving each other with this love, is to first love God.

When there is a strain on your personal relationship with God, you not loving him as you should, then you in turn will face difficulty in loving others in this manner. It is like a triangle of components to maintain such a powerful love.

obey His word

/                       \

worship—prayer

When these 3 are cooperating then you will be experiencing the ability to love others (in this case your spouse) with that same agape love, thus loving them with a sacrificial love. How endearing is that. To be loved with a love that you know that that person would give their life for you. This in itself gives you a greater strength to withstand trials and tribulations. It makes something that was once breakable and fragile (depending on either Eros or philia) to intangible and permanent (agape). This is forever kind of love–this is the marriage that God intended.

I received this in an e-mail and encourage you all to take the time to read it and hear what this one person is saying.  Continue to pray as a person of such influence is leading so many lost astray.

Most people are at least familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…” It is printed on every graduation card known to man and written in every graduate advice book ever published, but what about the rest of the 65 books or even the rest of Jeremiah for that matter?

We focus all of our energies on this one verse hoping that it will somehow hold all of the answers and when we feel lost and confused we can’t seem to understand why God’s promise to Jeremiah no longer brings us hope and promise to our future.

It’s not because God has left us. It’s not because the promise has changed. It’s because we have become so short-sighted on this one verse of promise that we fail to see where exactly it is that God is leading us in our future.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” In our own visions and ideas of the future, we are in control; we know how to handle every situation that we face. But, if we were to let go of our strong hold on life and truly lean on God in trust and faith beyond what we know, then God would lead us straight past what we plan for ourselves and into some much greater.

David said something similar to Solomon as he knew he was at the end of his life. “Get to know the God of your ancestor. Worship and serve him with your whole heart and with a willing mind. For the LORD sees every heart and understands and knows every plan and thought. If you seek him you will find him.” (1Chronicles 28:9). We don’t serve some ambiguous God, disconnected and uninterested. We serve a God who loves us enough to die on a cross so each and every one of us can not only have a plan and a purpose, but so that we can spend eternity with him once we have lived out that plan he created us for.

I don’t believe that we were necessarily created for one thing, perhaps thousands of little things that affect lives beyond our scope. But whatever it is that we have as our purpose, we will not only change other people’s lives, but have our life changed. From a doctor who saves a life to a teacher who changes a child’s heart to a sales associate whose smile brightens the day of someone stuck in depression.

Lives are changed everyday by you and by me beyond what we see.

The plans that God has for us will be revealed as we seek him, love him and live for him day by day.

Basketball is not a new phnomenon.  I just wasn’t introduced to its intricacies until several years ago and had the pleasure of my team not only doing well, but winning (twice!).  I say this as Kyle has the NCAA championship on (Kansas and Davidson is currently in process…Davidson ahead at this moment but its back and forth…good game).  Now, I never got into basketball because I didn’t understand it.  I didn’t know the fouls and intricacies of the game that make it so interesting.  Since being educated on such things (via my fiance who loves the game and played some himself), I have noticed that my enjoyment in the game has multiplied and I also was to learn to play myself.

I don’t think this is uncommon, or for that matter that this observation is unique.  I do believe that taking note of this has helped me with others who feel the same way about things I love (such as football with my brother-in-law, who grew up on soccer).  This can (and does) extend outside of the sports arenas into everyday life.  Where we are faced with conflict how often is it that the conflict arises because one or more of the individuals just does not understand all of the intricacies of the issue?

Just a little food for thought.

I feel the need to write more consistently lately, for one reason or another.  Granted the fact that I am exhausted, about 3 hours past when I normally crash, and have absolutely nothing on my mind right now probably does not help.  One of my friends detests blogs that ramble on in diary form, speaking of nothing but air.  He tries to form his around an article, discovery, once a very specific observation he made that he even included pictures to further his explanation.

To be honest, I prefer the to-the-point blog versus…well…this one.  But where I find myself is in somewhat of a rut; somewhat of a very large rut.  I have lost the time to do what I most enjoy doing and find most relaxing.  I use words to express myself on paper rather than in speech to avoid the trouble that is sure to follow had the other option been taken.  I use times like these to delve into and relish in a theory or idea that I play with in my mind and piece apart as best as I am able.  I use writing as a de-stresser, as a soothing mechanism, as a mediator, as a peace-maker.  I know the harshness that comes from words and I know the pure and living power that lives in words.  When misspoken, lives are changed, either for the better or for the worse (profound statement isn’t is?…what I mean is words have the capability of changing the life of someone, sending them over the moon (“will you marry me” or simply, “I love you.”) versus destroying someone or tearing them down (“I hate you” or “don’t bother, you wouldn’t make a difference anyway.”-lies that have been told to too many).

I think that is why I love writing.  In my head I have thoughts that bounce around so many times, they begin to bump and meld into one another.  When I write it, it is as if I immortalize a piece of my idea, something that sounds, well, pretty cool.  So as I begin to fall back into my routine (hopefully, we’ll see how I do), please bear with me.  I used to have a constant 30 or so that checked in each time a new post came up (that was cool!) whereas after two months I had 10 (imagine that).  I never had over 50…I never even had 50.  Perhaps I will peak an interest, who knows.  I might just have something worth saying