The Bestest Day Ever!

Every once in awhile, Scott and I hit a homerun.  We choose to do something that turns into great fun for everyone.  Olivia is usually the first to give our egos a boost; "This was the bestest day ever!" she will exclaim.  And she's usually right.  Since Jesus has changed my life, each day seems better than the last.  Little do I ever really stop to consider the greatest happiness in this life, to be the least little peek at life in the next.

From Spurgeon:

"The earnest of our inheritance."—Ephesians 1:14.

OH! what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. Yet the realization which we have of Christ's preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at the best. As an old writer says, "'Tis but a taste!" We have tasted "that the Lord is gracious," but we do not yet know how good and gracious He is, although what we know of His sweetness makes us long for more. We have enjoyed the firstfruits of the Spirit, and they have set us hungering and thirsting for the fulness of the heavenly vintage. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption. Here we are like Israel in the wilderness, who had but one cluster from Eshcol, there we shall be in the vineyard. Here we see the manna falling small, like coriander seed, but there shall we eat the bread of heaven and the old corn of the kingdom. We are but beginners now in spiritual education; for although we have learned the first letters of the alphabet, we cannot read words yet, much less can we put sentences together; but as one says, "He that has been in heaven but five minutes, knows more than the general assembly of divines on earth." We have many ungratified

desires at present, but soon every wish shall be satisfied; and all our powers shall find the sweetest employment in that eternal world of joy. O Christian, antedate heaven for a few years. Within a very little time thou shalt be rid of all thy trials and thy troubles. Thine eyes now suffused with tears shall weep no longer. Thou shalt gaze in ineffable rapture upon the splendour of Him who sits upon the throne. Nay, more, upon His throne shalt thou sit. The triumph of His glory shall be shared by thee; His crown, His joy, His paradise, these shall be thine, and thou shalt be co-heir with Him who is the heir of all things.



Listen Up, You Techies...

So, we're walking out of work the other day, my co-worker and I, and we're talking television.  I can't recall why, but I can tell you I probably didn't have much to contribute to the conversation.  If it's not "The Glades," I'm not really interested in watching.  In fact, I'm getting a little tired of Calli's it's-different-when-I-do-it attitude, but that's another post.  So, my co-worker mentions a show called "POV."

"What does POV stand for?" I ask.

"Point of view," he says.  "It's a techie term."

"Oh."

Today, in recognition of all those other folks who don't give a rat's caboose about what's on TV, technical jargon, or if there's an App for that, I decided to develop some terminology of my own:

1)  CU:  What you say to the nurse who calls you at home, tells you you've been diagnosed with   ?     and when you ask her what on earth that is, she says, "Don't you ever watch TV?"

2)  PO (Power Outage):  To your average technology addict, it's like shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater.  While my husband is breaking out in a cold sweat and pacing the floor, I can still do a crossword by candlelight.  (Your more advanced techies have battery back-ups and mystical spells they call up straight from the underworld, to continue their assault on the human intelligence despite a lack of electricity.  They are impervious; they are pure evil.  Don't mess with them).

3)  SPF (Smart Phone Free):  What I plan on remaining for as long as possible!  Do I really need to spend three times as much for my phone, and twenty percent more each month just so I can "stream" or "surf"?

4)  PHD (Physically High Def):  Most techies don't know this, but there is an entire physical world out there with real trees, real stories, and real people who use spray tans and Bump-Its.  You can see them for yourself.  Oh, yeah, and there are smells, too.

5)  CSI (Computer Systems Ignorant):  Those of us who understand the basics.  As the tech guy at work told me, "You're a user."  He made me feel so ashamed.  That is, until I realized, he must be the pusher.  He comes around with the latest programs, installs them, a few at a time -- just enough to get us hooked.  And then... when we have an IT problem... we have an estimated wait time of 30 minutes.  We'd sell our mothers to move to the front of the line.  We buy him lunch; we bake him cookies.  Anything.  I never thought I'd wind up like this.

6)  App:  Short for appliances.  Despite my husband's lightening-quick ability with the television remote and his ability to store a week's worth of TV programming in his head, he is tragically inept with appliances -- particularly the washing machine, the oven and yes, even the refrigerator.  (He has this inability to see casseroles and salads that usually wind up residing in the back of the refrigerator.  This causes him to scowl, sigh, and then whine, "There's nothing to eat.")   

7)  SOL:  What you're all gonna be if we "techless" ever decide to put down our books, allow the laundry to build up, stop picking up the kids and pick up the remote instead.  OK, so SOL isn't exactly my own, but it still applies!

When It's Time to Call the Professional

"If thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it."—Exodus 20:25. 

This morning’s “Spurgeon” pointed out that while this verse originally made reference to the Temple of the Old Testament, it clearly speaks to us today, of the Temple of the New Testament and the sacrifice of the cross.  Spurgeon says that as human beings, we desire to add or take away from Christ’s sufficiency by focusing on good works or penance as a part of salvation; this focus elevates us as authors, designers, and craftsmen, bringing the glory to us rather than the Deserving One.  As God expressly forbade the use of human tools on the physical structure of the Temple, a foothold for repentance and salvation to the nation of Israel, we, His chosen of today, are no more permitted to defile by our touch the redemption He has provided us in the very being and offering of His Only Son, Christ Jesus.

I love puzzles, math problems, and can't resist a challenge.  Discovering the unknown gives me great personal satisfaction.  It’s that satisfaction that can get me into trouble.  Personal satisfaction is just a polite way of saying pride.  Doing it myself, experiencing a sense of accomplishment is fine, provided I am ever mindful of “from whence cometh my help.” (Ps. 121:1, 2) “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13)  Conversely, without Jesus, I am nothing; "without Him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3, 4).  Christians are not self-deprecating; we are self-aware.  I know what I am capable of, with and without Jesus.

Without Jesus, I am a do-it-yourselfer.  The diy network has a show called "Renovation Realities," which shows you what really happens when folks try to do it themselves.  Blown budgets, fights, injuries, tears.  As a do-it-yourselfer, I've had my share -- and not just during home renovations!  I can't even deal with people some days without losing my temper.  Without Jesus, I am a liar, a thief, a gossip, a bungler, no kind of friend, wife or mother.

But with Jesus, I am forgiven, redeemed, perfect, patient, honest and kind.  Some days, obviously, I lean on Him more than others.  Some days I encounter people I just cannot tolerate.  That's when I need to give it over to Him.  No sense "laying it on thick," as my mother always said.  No sense trying to run the other way; you can't pretty up a pig.  She doesn't like me, and I don't like her, but Jesus loves us both.  He can take care of it, and He deserves the honor.  And, so long as I can keep my grubby little paws off of it, that's just what He'll get.  The minute I try to take it back and fix it, I am serving no one but myself, seeking the pride of doing it all on my own, and setting myself up for miserable failure.  Sure, God may give me the victory for a time, but without humble obedience to Him my "temple" to self is destined to come crashing down.  

Look Again

My husband tells me I'm wonderful.  My husband tells me I'm beautiful.  But is it me he really sees?

Psalm 115:1 (NLT)

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name goes all the glory
for your unfailing love and faithfulness.

God loves me enough to have given me a wonderful man like Scott.  Do I think for one moment He will not give us what it takes to make our relationship work?  No way.  God seeks to be glorified.  God deserves to be honored.  God works for His own recognition and worship.  That means, God will help me be a helpmeet to my husband.  God will help me keep my mouth shut when it does not need to be open.  God will turn my eyes toward Scott and Scott's eyes toward me.  God is changing me everyday, and I am praying that it is to be more like Him.  I have only to surrender to His way.

God placed Scott and I on this earth for each other.  So that when I look at him, I feel warm and silly inside.  So that when I am happy I have someone who appreciates my happiness, to share it with me.  So that when times get tough I have a strong man to lift me up or give me a shove in the right direction -- whichever is best at the time.

But best of all, God gave us love for each other so that when we see each other, think of each other, pray for each other, we can not do it without thanking Our Heavenly Father for His unfailing love and faithfulness.