I just received an email from a friend that I lost contact with for a while. She was one of my best friends in high school, but as we moved away from the area, we kept very loose contact with each other, sending emails every once in a great while.
However, she is going through a rough time in her life. Which made me wonder... What other reasons are we here on this earth if we aren't here for our relationships???
Everything we are made up of are because of relationships. They are so important. Everywhere you go is composed of people you know, your workplace, your church, your family, your school, even your local Chinese restaurant, all based on our need and natural inclination to build relationships.
I always wonder if I am being a good friend to my friends. If I am able to give them what they need out of our relationship. Right now, I feel like I'm a failure at relationships. I feel like I could have done something to help my friend out, I could have been there for her but then I stop and think; well, God put me here to be her friend now, not when I felt she needed me most. There must be a reason.
And God severely wants a relationship with us. He wouldn't of sent Jesus, if he still wanted meaningless sacrifices on altars and ritualized prayers. He sent Jesus so he could have a relationship with us. I know it sounds really ridiculous, but it reminds me of puppy love that couples get when they first date. They turn a blind eye to each others faults and while it's not a good thing sometimes, I think God is like that. He has a blind eye for us, because Jesus came and took away all of our faults. Our mistakes. So he could have a clearer relationship with us, without looking at all that is wrong with us. I think that's pretty cool.
I wish it were so easy with my friends here on earth. I desire to be a better friend to them. Even if I'm hundreds of miles away from each one, I want to know that they are okay, and still here.
So within the next few days I'm going to visit my friend who sorely needs help right now. That's stepping out of the box for me. She lives a few hours from me and I know (somehow) it's just one of those things I need to do.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Joyce Meyer Conference
I've been up to a lot lately.
Last weekend I went to a Joyce Meyer conference, and it was good. She always has a lot of good things to digest (and I mean digest) that we all just need to hear. This weekend was on the theme of Religion vs. Friendship. To sum it up, it took a closer look at our personal walk with God versus the regular same old la-te-da of going to church on Sundays. How to intergrate Jesus into our lives and not suppress the urge to include Him in other areas in our lives as well. Thank goodness she did not just do a do/don't list, (some preachers do this) she outlined how Christianity can become legalistic and ritualistic when Jesus plainly tells us to step out of the religious box.
Does this sound like a film rating or what?
I give it 4 1/2 stars.
I'm not a fanatic about speaking in tongues. Some people believe in this heavily, but personally I think it's every man for himself. If it helps your walk with God to speak in tongues, I'm all for it. Maybe I'm just too comfortable sitting in my box labeled "Walk with God" to venture out and pray to speak in tongues. But I see no reason to do it on a regular basis. The Holy Spirit is connected to God, they are one. Why would the Spirit need a way to communicate to God, if he is so tied? I really haven't studied it in the bible, so take this with a grain of salt.
A lot of times I see it as distracting, I have a hard enough time trying to focus on what I'm doing, let alone having people around me speak in other languages that I don't understand. I find that I try to understand their languages, instead of focusing on what's important... praising and worshiping God. Maybe that's why I don't even bother trying, simply because God wants me to worship Him, which I don't do enough of to begin with. I don't let myself.
These are all things to consider that I really don't want to get into at this time in my life.
The point was that during the conference she asked everyone to stand and try to speak in tongues. So in the 15 thousand people, I found myself silent in a stadium full of people talking in unintelligible languages, watching people around me like it was some weird B-rated movie. Besides being that it was an awkward feeling, it was interesting to think; How many think they are Christians because they believe they can speak in tongues? Is my walk barren because the things I believe are boxing me in? Is it that I am not open to the fact that there could possibly be more to my walk with God?
What is God looking for? What does He really yearn for in our relationship with Him? What makes Him decide to use us?
There's is only one way to answer these questions which thankfully Joyce hit at the end of the conference. Which happen to be the simplest three words I've heard in a long time. Read the Word. For all those Christians who believe they are christians because they speak in tongues, read the Word. For any one who is searching for those eternal answers that seem to have no end, read the Word. And for people like me, who can't seem to understand the point of believing in God without a why (but somehow still do) - who wants to have God use them in some way and know it is God who is using them (and not the devil) - who wants to be real to believers and non-believers about Christ, and there will be no question when they look at me that they'll think, 'yeah she's the good kind of Christian, the kind of Christian I want to be.'
(meekly said)...maybe we should read the Word too.
Last weekend I went to a Joyce Meyer conference, and it was good. She always has a lot of good things to digest (and I mean digest) that we all just need to hear. This weekend was on the theme of Religion vs. Friendship. To sum it up, it took a closer look at our personal walk with God versus the regular same old la-te-da of going to church on Sundays. How to intergrate Jesus into our lives and not suppress the urge to include Him in other areas in our lives as well. Thank goodness she did not just do a do/don't list, (some preachers do this) she outlined how Christianity can become legalistic and ritualistic when Jesus plainly tells us to step out of the religious box.
Does this sound like a film rating or what?
I give it 4 1/2 stars.
I'm not a fanatic about speaking in tongues. Some people believe in this heavily, but personally I think it's every man for himself. If it helps your walk with God to speak in tongues, I'm all for it. Maybe I'm just too comfortable sitting in my box labeled "Walk with God" to venture out and pray to speak in tongues. But I see no reason to do it on a regular basis. The Holy Spirit is connected to God, they are one. Why would the Spirit need a way to communicate to God, if he is so tied? I really haven't studied it in the bible, so take this with a grain of salt.
A lot of times I see it as distracting, I have a hard enough time trying to focus on what I'm doing, let alone having people around me speak in other languages that I don't understand. I find that I try to understand their languages, instead of focusing on what's important... praising and worshiping God. Maybe that's why I don't even bother trying, simply because God wants me to worship Him, which I don't do enough of to begin with. I don't let myself.
These are all things to consider that I really don't want to get into at this time in my life.
The point was that during the conference she asked everyone to stand and try to speak in tongues. So in the 15 thousand people, I found myself silent in a stadium full of people talking in unintelligible languages, watching people around me like it was some weird B-rated movie. Besides being that it was an awkward feeling, it was interesting to think; How many think they are Christians because they believe they can speak in tongues? Is my walk barren because the things I believe are boxing me in? Is it that I am not open to the fact that there could possibly be more to my walk with God?
What is God looking for? What does He really yearn for in our relationship with Him? What makes Him decide to use us?
There's is only one way to answer these questions which thankfully Joyce hit at the end of the conference. Which happen to be the simplest three words I've heard in a long time. Read the Word. For all those Christians who believe they are christians because they speak in tongues, read the Word. For any one who is searching for those eternal answers that seem to have no end, read the Word. And for people like me, who can't seem to understand the point of believing in God without a why (but somehow still do) - who wants to have God use them in some way and know it is God who is using them (and not the devil) - who wants to be real to believers and non-believers about Christ, and there will be no question when they look at me that they'll think, 'yeah she's the good kind of Christian, the kind of Christian I want to be.'
(meekly said)...maybe we should read the Word too.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Ollie
So 4 isn't much worse than 3. I wasn't sure how my nephew would react to Aunt Mel. But he's taking it in stride. Better than I hoped. He started to fuss for a few minutes, so I figured, maybe he's hungry, after a diaper change. Well, he wasn't too interested.
Laurel comes in with the pacifier, takes off the top, and sticks it into Ollie's mouth. Ollie promptly falls asleep.
Laurel is going to be such a good mom.
Not only that but the first hour of Ollie was pure bliss.
Not what I imagined it to be like at all.
Laurel comes in with the pacifier, takes off the top, and sticks it into Ollie's mouth. Ollie promptly falls asleep.
Laurel is going to be such a good mom.
Not only that but the first hour of Ollie was pure bliss.
Not what I imagined it to be like at all.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Thoughts.
Yet another funny turn in life.
This is rather silly and ridiculous. I pray when I need help, when I think God is amazing, any time of day or night, and any hour. I always hope for answers but I don't usually get answers.
When Josh prays, he gets results. Almost instantaneous answers. Super results. Him and God have this thing going on. And if I was sure God is male, I would call it a male bonding experience. But since God's neither and both, and none of the above, all, you get my point, Josh and God have a serious bond. That's so awesome, although I'm jealous. How can I get into a serious bond like that with God??? I suppose that kind of jealousy is the good kind...
Seriously though, I think I'm just going to forward my prayer requests to Josh from now on. I've been meaning to rely on my husband more for that kind of thing anyways. I need to, and he needs it. I seem to neglect to let him on problems going on in my life. Not only that but then I try to fix it myself, whether it's in prayer or the physical action of 'fixing'.
Just some thoughts.
This is rather silly and ridiculous. I pray when I need help, when I think God is amazing, any time of day or night, and any hour. I always hope for answers but I don't usually get answers.
When Josh prays, he gets results. Almost instantaneous answers. Super results. Him and God have this thing going on. And if I was sure God is male, I would call it a male bonding experience. But since God's neither and both, and none of the above, all, you get my point, Josh and God have a serious bond. That's so awesome, although I'm jealous. How can I get into a serious bond like that with God??? I suppose that kind of jealousy is the good kind...
Seriously though, I think I'm just going to forward my prayer requests to Josh from now on. I've been meaning to rely on my husband more for that kind of thing anyways. I need to, and he needs it. I seem to neglect to let him on problems going on in my life. Not only that but then I try to fix it myself, whether it's in prayer or the physical action of 'fixing'.
Just some thoughts.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
The bike ride we (now) will never forget.
Laurel asked to have the camera while we were on a bike ride. She actually didn't have too many bad shots. I refrained from including the 'back of mommy's trailer with Dara's head' shots or the 'daddy butt shots'. Although he did have an awesome pair of shorts on that day.
A house.
And you have to have the favorite or most interesting article shots, like...
the headband...
Or the pink sandal.
No photo shoot is complete without the smushed face shot.
But this picture surprised us most of all and made us laugh out loud. Looks like a simple shot of a guy in a go-cart like contraption, doesn't it? What you don't know, is this guy came flying out of nowhere and drove along side of us in this field, and Laurel actually got a shot of it!
My girl is a natural.
A house.
And you have to have the favorite or most interesting article shots, like...
the headband...
Or the pink sandal.
No photo shoot is complete without the smushed face shot.
But this picture surprised us most of all and made us laugh out loud. Looks like a simple shot of a guy in a go-cart like contraption, doesn't it? What you don't know, is this guy came flying out of nowhere and drove along side of us in this field, and Laurel actually got a shot of it!
My girl is a natural.
Krispy Kreme
She just got hired.
In fact they like her so much they made her manager and she got to hire extras.
Yes. Cassie really did this.
Graphite-handed.
We're not really sure if she thought we wouldn't be able to catch her...
but... we caught her red-handed.... well in pencil, does graphite-handed have the same meaning???
but... we caught her red-handed.... well in pencil, does graphite-handed have the same meaning???
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