Joyful Transformation

Today is the day…the day where we get to wear our masks on purpose. So for today, if you could create alternate identity who would you be?

I will go first. I would be a famous writer and speaker. People would ask me to come and speak to their groups and would want me to write articles for their publications. My books would have passed Harry Potter in sales and the clamor for the sequels would be much more intense……isn’t that a cool costume!

Do you ever have the feeling that you are in the right place at the right time? I had that feeling this past weekend. It is an amazing and yet humbling feeling.

Overall the weekend was great. The weather was perfect and I got to enjoy it on the tennis courts. I got to keep my sweet babies on Friday night and ended up in Babies R’ Us Saturday where they proceeded to take my money in exchange for cute baby stuff. Sunday was a good day at church and a wonderful afternoon spent enjoying the company of my husband and the beauty of the day. Sunday night I got to enjoy spending time with my son, playing tennis and talking.

Babies, tennis, shopping, time spent being with and talking to friends, time spent with family and most importantly, time spent worshipping God….with the beautiful weather tossed in for bonus points it was almost a perfect weekend. Hope yours was good too!

So, here it is the last Friday in October, the last two days of daylight savings time, the World Series is half over, there are only four races left this season…it is that time of the year; time to crawl into a cave and hibernate.


But then we would miss Thanksgiving and Christmas not to mention the Super Bowl and the beginning of “24”. So I guess once again I will stay awake and try to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the next two months.

Is it just me or does the months just click off a lot faster than they used to? It seems like I can’t get my summer clothes sorted properly before it is time to put them away again. I don’t guess there is anyway to slow down the passing of time, but I can try to slow myself down. I can enjoy each day more and spend time with those people I love. I can also spend more time with people who need me. That is harder somehow though. It is easy to get more and more selfish with your time when it feels like it is out of control. That is why I have to keep reminding myself.

Have a wonderful weekend blog-world. And don’t forget to “Fall-Back” Saturday night….see, I just found you an extra hour!!

Do you ever talk to yourself? Do you talk to yourself in the mirror or just in general? I do both, but especially in the mirror, I don’t know why…do you think it is where I can read the expression on my face?

Last night we were talking about finding intimacy with God. I was saying something to the class about Jesus going off to be alone to find the time and the place to talk to God. And as I am prone to do I started thinking out loud. I mentioned that sometimes we had to go off by ourselves and talk to ourselves to know where we are at and to understand feelings and emotions that we are having. I related that sometimes I can figure out what is bugging me or what I am really thinking by writing…but sometimes I can just look in that mirror and have a good heart to heart.

How about it? How do you stay in tune with yourself?

I will stay away from wardrobe malfunctions today….apparently it makes some folks nervous….but for the record by the end of the day yesterday there was a ¼ inch strip holding one side of said panty hose together….today I am wearing pants!

Last night the sky was painted so beautifully. There was an amazing sunset, a small sliver of a moon and a flock of geese (or some birds that fly in a v-formation) flying south. I just put my racket down and enjoyed the vision for a minute.

And then I wondered…..if flying in a “V” is the most aerodynamic…how long will it be before NASCAR tries it? Gotcha! You were expecting some deep profound thought.

You know sometimes we need to not think so much. We need to just look and enjoy the beauty that God has surrounded us with and whisper a gentle “thank-you”.

Have you ever started the day with a small little hole in your pantyhose only to have it turn into a frisbee sized opening by 10:30? I feel so feminine today.

Guys....if this has happened to you this may not be the place to share it.....I am just saying.

I love the change of seasons. I love driving home each day and seeing more and more trees in the full color of autumn. I am amazed by how God paints his world and even more amazed that this incredible beauty is actually a sign of death. The leaves turn slowly and most vibrantly when they have been nourished with lots of water. Many times a dry summer will result in an almost non-existent fall when the leaves just turn brown and fall off of the tree.

God is a master planner. His desire for us is to age beautifully and gracefully as the leaves on the trees. But when our lives become a drought, when we fail to quench our thirst for him and the good things he has blessed us with we just become withered, dry and ugly.

Some trees need different amounts of water than others. Some are evergreen and seem ageless regardless of how much rain falls. People too have different needs. I hope I find the nourishment I need to grow more beautiful before I step over into eternity. And while your needs may be different than mine, I hope you find the same nourishment in your life.

Yesterday Derek, Mary, Matthew and I went to church at Crossbridge. We heard a very good lesson on time. One question was asked; if someone followed you around for a couple of weeks what would they assume was the most important to you…..by the way you spent your time.

Ouch! I was rushing back from Birmingham to leave to go to Huntsville to play tennis. I am not sure if you would say driving or playing tennis was the most important to me. I spent more hours on the road than I did playing tennis.

We had a very good time visiting this church. They have such a warmth and friendliness and even though the regular minister was not there, we felt blessed to have shared this time of worship with them. Derek & Mary ran into an old class mate from high school. She called them later in the day and invited them to their small group meeting at their house. Just a little too far to drive.

I hope you all had a great Sunday as well…..

What are your time pitfalls?

This is the normal view as you walk down to the water. Normally you look straight out onto the boat dock.....


It is like a broken arm....you can see that it is not where it is supposed to be...imagine me stepping onto that in the dark with my dogs at my heels....what was I thinking?


Everything is intact, but it would be a little difficult to get the SeaDoo off of the lift. I guess it is a good thing that the shore stopped the turning...You can not imagine how rapid that water was moving last night.


Shelby is guarding the dock where Hooch can't come back up....but if you look out into the lake you can see the dock adrift that first caught my eye last night. Obviously someone came and anchored that dock...or it would NOT still be there.

I have analogies....But I think I will save them for now.

So tonight I went out to one of my favorite eating places The Outback with one of my favorite people…Terri. We had a really good time. She is suffering with the crud and has the sweetest little Minnie Mouse voice right now. It was one of the rare times that the waiter looked at me and talked to me. I must admit it was kind of nice. However, I did miss our usual banter. It is harder to pull off when I have to keep saying “pardon?”

Anyway, when I arrived at home I saw yet another boat dock out in the middle of the lake. The strange thing was this one had lights on it. Must be solar….no extension cord is that long. As I was looking I noticed my dock was slightly askew. Well actually it was more like totally sideways. This can’t be good. I put down my stuff and walked down to the water. The walkway was still attached but had turned 60 degrees and my SeaDoo was now resting against the bank. The good news is the boat was still on the lift, and the SeaDoo and the sail boat were still securely attached to the dock. In addition our lights (which are electric) were still on. I decided to make sure that everything was there and secure so I walked out onto the dock. Our usually placid lake had currents that would rival the Ocoee River in a white water raft. Suddenly it dawned on me that if the other cable snapped me and my dogs, Hooch & Shelby (because of course they came with me) would be floating down the lake with nobody even knowing where we were (remember David is out of town.) I hurriedly returned to the house.

I came inside and found that my neighbor had called. All of the docks on our side of the water had come loose. He was offering to provide a group effort to get things “straightened up”. I called him back to let him know David was out of town and we decided the docks would be fine until daylight. There was no way we could pull them against that current in the dark anyway.

In the midst of the raging water I couldn’t help but think of the power found in the words “peace be still”.

My Mom gets to get rid of her back brace today. They are traveling 50 miles in this yucky rain to go to the Doctor. Please pray for their safety.

My husband is in Los Angeles. He had a really long delay but finally arrived there around 9:30 CT last night.

I thought the Cards would have clenched by now. Maybe tonight?

The baby girls are battling the sniffles….Mom gets a little uptight worrying. Mimi probably doesn’t worry enough…but please continue to pray for the babies.

It is raining and gloomy here. I really enjoy that kind of weather, well, I enjoy it when I can stay home and read in my comfy clothes and fuzzy house shoes.

I sometimes feel like an "alien".

His yoke is easy and His burden is light…..and he really only wants me to carry His burden…..I can share yours, but I can’t carry it for you.

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink….or sometimes it is like my dogs. We live on a lake where they could get water anytime they want, but they will sit by their empty water bowl and whine for me to fill it with water.

Sometimes I am so sure of what I hear God telling me that I can’t understand why others can’t hear it. But you know Balaam couldn’t see the Angel of the Lord standing in his way even though his donkey could. Are donkey’s smarter than we are? Maybe they just know where to look for angels….maybe they believe they exist.

There are times when I must realize that not everyone is looking for answers. Not everyone is growing or seeking the same things at the same pace that I am. That don’t make them wrong and me right (although at times it does make me frustrated!) TL made a good point that none of us relate to each other in the same way. Maybe my relationship or my growth is unique to me. Maybe instead of trying to help others understand the way that I think I need to try harder to understand those who think differently.

It is hard when you think you have found something wonderful and you can’t get others to even look at it. But sometimes we miss the angels in our paths when we have predetermined what our paths should be.

This is Angel. (pronounced "en heel" or something like that). He is the child that I have been sponsoring for the last few years. He lives in Honduras at Por Los Ninos orphanage. He came there when he was 4 years old and only weighed 19 lbs. He had three older brothers one of whom had died of malnutrition and one younger sister. His intestines had collapsed due to severe malnutrition and parasites. He probably should have died in 1995 when he came there. But through loving hands and many prayers he is now 15 years old and in most ways a very healthy boy. However, he has a condition that makes him very sensitive to the sun (in Honduras) and prone to skin cancer.

I got a call this week that his skin cancer had returned and he had to have another surgery. I am asking you to say a special prayer for Angel. He has already suffered much in his short life. But God has blessed him in a place where he has hope. Will you pray for him with me?

It is strange how something simple like rain can have such a big impact when it has been absent for a while. I was actually enjoying driving home in the drizzle last night and felt that old familiar feeling of winter time.

But when all of the creeks and streams in the area are suddenly filled up it causes quite a current on our lake. This morning as I was getting in the car I saw a boat dock floating down the lake. No time to run in and get the camera. Somebody will look out the window today and say “baroo” (that is for Chris) and wonder where their dock went.

Life is like that sometimes. When we suddenly have showers of blessings we don’t always respond in a thankful, Godly way. Sometimes we just “let loose” and end up breaking free. In the same way when troubles or heartache overwhelm us we sometimes just drift around, looking for a place to set anchor, but never really stopping to find it.

I need to be sure that my life is firmly planted where I can weather whatever this life brings…whether it is showers of abundant blessings or showers of troubles. Either way I should be able to praise God and hold fast….unlike the docks I saw this morning!

If Rainy Days and Mondays always get you down....

What do rainy days that are Mondays do..???




Well at least I can remember the sweetness of Sunday morning!



For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. Matt 5:45

Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence
Psalms 68:4

Can we see Him in the clouds today?

This was the view as I was getting in my car this morning. Makes a girl want to stay at home. It was 40 degrees on my way to work! I love the days when you run the heater in the morning and the a/c in the afternoon. The weather is fabulous right now!

I was thinking about this picture and how many things in this view are in my power to control. We are actually thinking about cutting down that tree, it is obscuring more and more of our view of the lake. But for the most part God controls what you see here. The neat thing is the steam coming off of the water and the sun reflecting off of the trees. Breathtaking. Maybe we should just have a "blogger retreat" on my deck...what do you think?

But back to the control thing; how much time and energy do we spend worrying or working to change or enhance something that was a gift from God in the first place. I can never make my legs longer or my hips smaller (in proportion to everything else). Even our sense of pride gets caught up in things that we did nothing to have. I can keep my mind sharp, but the fact that I think at all is a gift from God. I need to retrain my thinking to be thankful for the things that I have been blessed with, and when looking at the long legs or awesome arms in others, realize that just like this beautiful lake, it is God's painting, and something I should admire and not something I should be jealous over. If I count my blessings I may discover I don't really have room for anymore!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (NIV) Isaiah 55:8-9

Well after Blogger pulled a disappearing act this morning, now my email is down.

I have switched temporarily (or maybe not) email addresses for the "blog". So if you emailed me today and I didn't respond, click on my profile for another address...

Thanks!


**Google is taking over the free world**

• Why am I getting freckles on the inside of my arms?

• My husband flew his new helicopter (RC) on his first attempt. This was his birthday present and I think he likes it (he should he ordered it himself). But I have discovered yet another subject about which I know nothing! I nod a lot and say “really”…..I don’t know what he is talking about.

• Derek and I played tennis last night after church. This group of about 8 teenagers came up and played beside us….loudly, and somewhat distractingly. However, I decided they were just having fun and tried to be patient. I was a good example for my son…he was about to let them have it. How soon the young forget about the silliness of youth.

• Yesterday I had all three babies sitting up between my outspread legs on the floor. About the time I told Diana to grab the camera I started getting a leg cramp in my right hip joint….it is still sore!

• Today my babies get their first shots for that Upper Respitory thing. (technical, I know). Last night Diana called me stressed out about what to dress them in today…..(does worry skip a generation?)

• Derek is watching the Dog Whisperer on the Discovery Channel and is convinced that he can train dogs now. He actually is doing a great job with his Pit Bull, Skeeter
  
  
  
• I have new blue pens that I really like.
  
• Why can I not seem to keep tables in my classroom at church. Nobody is using them…why do they keep moving them?
  
• Do you like to use new words? Do you sometimes know how to spell something but not how to pronounce it? How about a new word today…
  
  furtive • \FER-tiv\ • adjective *1 a : done by stealth : surreptitious b : expressive of stealth : sly2 : obtained underhandedly : stolen
  
  See you have read that word before, but probably never say it. Today your mission is to use this word in a sentence.
  
  
  

It is obvious that I have a look about me…an air that says,


Otherwise why would people ask me random questions in strange places.

Lately my audience has been the nineteen year old check out clerks at Wal-Mart. Last night as I went through the check out line with my car wash, diapers, Spiderman underwear, Diet Coke and cheese, the young lady ringing up my purchases stopped and said

“Can I ask you something”.

Now I was convinced she wanted to know about my children….I live for those questions, but no, children were not on her mind…yet.

“Do people have to get a license to get married?”

I told her yes.

“I didn’t know that, why do you have to pay money to get married?”

OK my mind goes into hyper drive thinking if you don’t want to make a commitment enough to go get a license maybe you need to rethink this whole thing….but I refrained and said.

“In some places, like Vegas, you can do a one-stop thing where you get the license and everything as you get married”.

Then she wanted to know if you had to have a license like 30 years ago when her Mom got married….

”uh yeah!”

“Well she never said nothing to me about getting no license”……

That is when I broke it to her that back in the day you had to get a blood test before you could get married…..suddenly this conversation was going places this wise woman wasn’t prepared to go with this youngster at a check out counter.

My take is that it really should be harder to get married. I think if people had to jump through a few more hoops they might make better decisions….it should be at least as hard as getting into college….that is only a four year commitment. I guess I was shocked that someone would think it was “too hard”.

My other Wal-Mart experience was two young girls saying

“I didn’t know old people still liked “that””.

Well I missed the first part of the conversation but the girl looked at me and said

“I mean REALLY old people”….

well thanks, you little whipper-snapper!

Some guys I know have gotten into a habit of saying the following phrase..

"It is what it is"

Now I am not sure exactly what they mean. Do you have an interpretation?


***
OK they are NASCAR guys but play along anyway....

Last night I found myself in a unique situation. David and I were playing tennis together at our local Monday night social tennis event (not the official name…I think I need to come up with one.) Anyway, Derek came up after he got off work. We were already involved in a foursome and there were three boys playing two courts down so Derek hooked up with them. David and I could hardly pay attention to the match we were involved in for watching our son. He makes friends so easily, and although he has only been playing tennis for a few months he was playing great! There is something special about watching your child (no matter how old they are) perform well, but more importantly be classy doing it. It adds yet another slice of joy for me to be able to share my love for tennis with my family.

I wonder if we think about how proud we make our Father when we “perform well”. No I don’t mean when we sing right on key or read aloud with perfect inflection. I mean times when we stop to help someone with a flat tire (like my sweet husband did last week) or when we hold the door open for someone with full arms or especially when we get ourselves totally out of the way and give of the gifts that our Father has given us.

I had no doubts that my son could fit in and perform well with the group he joined. He has practiced and worked hard by playing against me or his Dad every chance he gets. To be able to see him go out and play with others gave us a sense of pride and him a sense of accomplishment. He had faith that we had taught him the proper things and he took the next step.

What is keeping me from taking a step in faith with the training my Father has given me?

Three years ago Terri and I attended our first Zoe conference. We didn’t know anyone there. We didn’t know what to expect or even for sure how to dress. But we found something there that we loved…we found a group of people who loved to lift there voice in praise to our Lord. We found people who treated us like sisters and we found a time of renewal while surrounded by the beauty of Tennessee.

Each of the last two years we have returned. We have met blogger friends. We have made new friends. We feel like we are veterans now. On Friday and Saturday night we had a whole row of blogging friends and their associates. It was an awesome experience. I told some of my friends that only in Christ could such a diverse group of people be brought together and immediately “know” each other.

For that I am grateful. I am grateful that so many of you have made me feel that I am not alone on this spiritual journey. I am grateful that you lift me up when I am feeling low and help me to realize that my doubts, my fears, my hopes and even my dreams are not crazy. You share some of them. You understand both my frustrations and my exuberations. You let me just vent when I need to vent.

It was a joy to meet many of you face to face for the first time. It was a joy to renew my love for those of you I have met before. But there are many more of you whom I have not yet met face to face. I just want you to know that you encourage me too. There are many days that one or all of you are truly the wind beneath my wings. Thank you for sharing some of this crazy thing called life with me and thank you for taking time from your day to read my blog.

Lets all get together real soon!

Few people find in life what they are looking for. Fewer still find what they are looking for when they are only 15 years old. But I did. I had gone to a movie with my older brother Keith. He was embarrassed that I was with him, but still here we were. Back then there were only a couple of hamburger joints in town. We had gone to one of them after the movie where he ran into one of the guys he played football with. I heard them talking and heard Keith say…”that’s my sister” in a disgusted kind of voice…. This fateful meeting was destined to be repeated. This guy’s sister was dating my preacher’s son…so the next thing I know he is at one of our church’s skating parties. He asked if I would ride home with them. Mom said it was OK so he drove me home that night. This was the same night that I convinced him that I had a twin sister and was a little surprised that he believed me (sarcasm is just part of who I am).

He was the quarterback of the football team, the one with the great looking legs. Everybody (at least I assumed) thought he was too good for me, but still he liked me. It is hard when you fall for the most popular guy in school. It is hard to live up to people’s expectations of you when in truth you know that you are a “nobody”. But he never made me feel that way. He has always made me feel special and I know without a doubt that he loves me. (why else would he put up with me?)

Today is David’s birthday. He is 50!! I can’t believe it. He neither looks or acts like he qualifies for the senior discount at the golf course….but believe me he will gladly take it. My husband is a good man and a wonderful father. I love his heart and his ethics. He is patient and tolerant with me. While he does not need the group activities that I thrive on, he patiently allows me to participate and often allows me to take him with me. He is always gracious. All of my friends love him. I used to tell him that my parents liked him better than they did me. I still think it may be true.

Happy Birthday David. Thank you for growing up with me. The next part of our journey together will be equally as wonderful as long as you are by my side.

It seemed the day was meant to be filled with close calls. I ran by the carwash to have the hot-rod all shiny before I picked up the princess. I was on a different street than I normally travel and with my keen sense of adventure I decided to travel yet another street that I seldom see. As I approached the stop sign that indicted the end of the road I could see a big truck coming from my left and a white car approaching from my right…..I had time to make it between them so I took off. What I failed to see was the black car that was in front of the white car. With lots of commotion and abuse of breaks and power steering we avoided a collision. It was my fault! But I was spared. Then interesting part of this was I had that strange feeling when I turned on that road that God wanted to show me something or possibly to keep me from something by going that way. I think he wanted to show me that he was in control. You would think I would have gotten the message.

After I picked Terri up, we proceeded through her residential neighborhood. We ended up on this street that has two way stop signs at which I was supposed to stop. I did. The truck coming from the direction that was not supposed to stop, stopped too! I motioned for him to go on….he didn’t trust me (perhaps an APB had been put out on my car) anyway he finally turned in front of me….ever so slowly. When at last he was by me I proceeded to go, unaware of the black Honda Accord (black cars…my nemesis?) barreling down the street totally unfazed by my lack of stopping. She would just drive through me. Just in time with a crappy little word escaping the lips of me and my passenger we stopped, she swerved and I was spared once more.

Then last night I seemed to have forgotten my close calls during the day. Yes we had spoke of being nearer to God during the Zoe session. I was full and feeling close. I temporarily forgot all danger and launched out to once more laugh in the face of death. You see I ordered spinach dip at O’Charleys. What was I thinking? Had my close calls given me a false sense of invisibility? The sad thing is I was totally unaware of my folly until I got back in the room and saw this picture on Lee Hodges blog.


Thank you Lord for watching after me!

Well we have been in Nashville (Brentwood) for close to 3 hours now. They wouldn't let us check in the motel until 3:00 so we had a long leisurely lunch at La Paz....now I am thinking NAP!!

The weather is spectacular here. Brilliant blue sky and just a hint of color change....Wow!

I noticed several folks said they were not bringing their computers this year....you may have to count on me for updates. I didn't bring a camera, other than my phone and Terri brought a "film" camera? Do they still make those??

Anyway hope to let you know more soon. So far things are GREAT!!!

This morning I packed my bag and as soon as I load up my laptop I will start putting stuff in the car. I don't know why people think they have to get ready so early......

I live in anticipation of the next Zoe Conference from year to year. I am excited that I am going to meet some of you for the first time. I can't wait to see some of you again. I wish everyone was going, that would be so cool.

We will try to keep you updated and I will think of each of your personally during the weekend. I want you to all feel connected....after all you are my family.

Next post will be from Nashville!!

You know those annoying spam comments that you get on your blog....some you would not even know about if you didn't get email notification because they go WAAAY Back! Well I was clicking on one to go in and delete it today and it carried me back to February of this year. Next thing I know I am reading all of my post from that month. I was really enjoying myself too. That is one of the neat things about this whole blogging thing. I would not discipline myself to write without the encouragement of knowing someone is reading. But I enjoy that I have chronicled some very important times of my life.

I really enjoyed my little "Fish Tale" from February....so I thought I would share it with you again....Hope you don't mind.

--------------------------------
I am a fish.

I am tired of swimming in this aquarium. I know that there are better waters out there. But all of my life I have been told that if you were swimming anywhere else you were not really a fish. I know now that is not true. I have met many fish who swim in other waters…and trust me, they are FISH!

My problem is that I have been so preoccupied with swimming in new waters that I have quit enjoying swimming. Swimming is what my life is all about, but I have been distracted by my determination to find better waters to swim in. It has robbed me of the sheer joy to be found in swimming.It is time for me to quit looking for bluer waters to swim in and just swim.

After all I am a fish.

We all have our little habits or addictions if you would. Mine are not the same as yours; yours are not the same as someone else’s; Most of the time they are also neither better nor worse…just different.

Sometimes when I think of stripping it all away and getting back to the basics I realize that there are some things I would hate to part with. Some things are practically rituals in my life and would require something close to an exorcism to get rid of. You can rest assured that I will not air all of my dirty laundry here, but the following are some habits of mine, not all bad habits mind you, but habits non the less…

Diet Coke
Chocolate
Reading Blogs
Writing Blogs
Taking pictures of my grandbabies
Drinking coffee at work
Email
Tennis- clothes, playing, planning etc.
Buying books
Reading books
Re-reading books
Doodling
Sitting in my recliner
Giving treats to my dogs
Sleeping with two pillows
Sleeping
Driving FAST!
NASCAR radio
XM Radio at Work (The Message)
Talking
Doodling
THINKING
Spider Solitaire
Chick-fil a biscuit

So which things will I tackle first. What is most out of control in my life?

Yesterday I got a call from a girl who I used to play softball with. Later in life we used to bowl on the same league (different teams). She was telling me that she heard that David and I wanted to bowl on a league again if the bowling alley went smoke free (ironic that they decided to go smoke free after rebuilding after a FIRE!) Strangely enough David and I had just discussed this possibility over the weekend…..how did she know? I told her that I would discuss it with him but I didn’t see how I could possibly bowl before the end of November…what with playing on THREE different tennis leagues….

Anyway this morning I got to thinking about things from our past and how they shape who we are. There are many activities that used to be such a big part of my life that just have fallen by the wayside. There are even people that I used to spend so much time and energy getting to know, that I no longer see at all. I guess it would behoove us to realize how temporary things are when we get all upset and up in arms about things. Most of the time a year from now it won’t matter anyway.

On the other hand we should really pay attention to things that are eternal. Kansas Bob posted about having eternity in your heart the other day, and what that means. I am not sure I understand it. But I know that God made us in a way that we see ourselves continuing far beyond our foreseeable future. So why do we waste time on things that are temporary? Maybe it is hard for us to discern what things are eternal. Maybe we have a hard time getting in touch with the inner longings of our spirit. What do you think?

The New Testament does not say, "You shall know the rules, and by them you shall be bound," but, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

John Baillie

**Rant alert**

It is obvious that loneliness is not a stranger to any of us. No matter what our lot in life whether we are married with children or if we are currently living alone we have times when we long for contact, when we need the touch of another. I think I will go out on a limb here (you all know how I hate to do that) and say that this is one of the major failings of our local churches. Yes, we provide many “extra-curricular” activities that allow people the opportunity to fellowship and get to know each other better, and yes most of us do a pretty good job at that. But if you are alone you are probably not going to participate in these activities anyway. Why have we missed the “one another” and the communion part of the ways of the early church? Yes, I know we participate in communion, but I am not sure why we call it that. We spend the time in introspection and never even make eye contact with another person, let alone actually commune with them. Now, I know some of you who read this are saying…uh, yes we do. Well, good for you. Some of us have a ways to go. In my humble opinion…out on this limb…no one should ever feel lonely at church. We should not structure our “services” in such a way that we look at the back of peoples heads and can slip in and out as easily as we do at a movie theatre.

I truly don’t think that was the way the early church met together. And while we claim that we are trying to emulate the early Christians we somehow miss this most important element of what their time together was about. It was time together. Not time alone spent in a building with 400 other people who are alone.

**End rant!**

Season Related Nostalgia: is there such a syndrome? I think there should be. Do you get that restless feeling this time of year like something is supposed to happen? I am excited that this is the week of Zoe, so there is that bright spot looming on the horizon! I need the renewal that I know it will bring to my soul. And I am finally going to get to meet many of you in person. That is great too!

During the last few years since my children have grown up and become independent I often find myself at church services alone. Yesterday my girls Terri and Kay were not there either so I was totally “solo”. I think this may be the first time in the new building that I have experienced this. In the old building I usually sat in the same place around the same people so I never really had that isolated feeling. Yesterday I had moved to the center of the pew and left the outsides open for other folks. I got an overwhelming feeling of being alone. It does not happen to me often, but just for a minute there I felt a little sorry for myself. I even started writing about it in my notebook but then it dawned on me that it was in my power to rectify. It may be hard for some of you to believe but I am not naturally very extroverted. I have to make myself talk to people at times. But I began to talk to the people around me and then got up and visited with some others during “Meet and Greet”.

But it occurred to me that I am often unaware of people who are sitting alone. Maybe they don’t know anyone else at all and would welcome a friendly hello and handshake. Sometimes I think the role I play at the formal gathering of the family is very inconsequential, but this is something I can do. And maybe it will prevent someone from having that unpleasant feeling of being all alone.