KSU 41 Texas 21

Two in a row baby! Look out KU---your coming into our house and we're ready for some revenge!

The Things We Do

I've learned that whatever I think is weird about me, probably there are many people out there who feel or act just like me. No matter what thing I think is just me, someone somewhere has a very similar story. It makes me feel a little less lonely to know that I am not the only one who does that, or feels a certain way. Today, I clicked on Kari's Couch and read a post that hit me that way. Now before you think it is some deep spiritual issue, it is a very mundane thing.

Every school year, both as a student, and a teacher, I would play a game with myself. I would see how long I could go without repeating an outfit. I could repeat shoes, and basics like jeans, but only if they were not distinctive. I usually could get pretty far, since I could use summer clothes, then fall clothes, and with an October birthday, I could stretch it a bit farther with new birthday presents adding to my wardrobe. Then I could get out the winter clothes. I know it is dumb but I liked the game. It was just one of my little games. Kari, has gone a step further than me, and keeps a wardrobe journal, but I swear, if I'd thought of it, I would have done it too.

Me in Pictures

I can't decide which one I like best.

Pretty cool Shannon. Thanks.

This Cracks Me Up!

Every time I see this promo for the US Open in cracks me up. Enjoy.

Stressed out and Hivy

I've learned that when Je is quiet and doesn't tell me about stuff, that she might need some help talking through it. I posted a while back that we were getting into the school routine. And we are, now, but then I might have spoken too soon. Like the very next day, Je broke out in hives. We decided that it might have been nerves with starting school. This would fit with the symptoms, and with the family history, we are a hivy bunch. Frankly, stress upsets the delicate balance our systems have and makes us sick. Cold sores, rashes, etc. So it isn't too surprising that my daughter has similar problems. What is surprising, is that I missed her uneasiness. She was pretty quiet about school, and I thought with all the new she just needed some time to process, so I didn't pry. I let her approach me to talk about things rather than sitting down with her and pushing gently for her to talk. In hindsight, I can see she was a little overwhelmed and wanted some special attention. The day she broke out in hives, I spent a lot of time just asking questions and letting her tell me about whatever she wanted. I didn't hear much new info, but I did get the sense that she needed to tell me. Now, it pours out of her everyday. I know about the kids in her class, recess, lunch, and the "wall." This is the place you spend your recess if you talk when you are supposed to be quiet. Je says she hasn't spent time on the wall but she is worried about it. I told her that I was glad she hadn't lost recess, and that I hoped she listened and was quiet appropriately. I told her that I would be sorry if she had to stand on the wall, but I would understand if it happened and not be angry. What else could I say when I lost untold minutes of my recesses all though grade school on the wall. I would talk to a rock ya'll. I doubt this is a startling revelation to anyone who knows me, I like to talk. And in grade school, I hadn't yet mastered the skill to know when not to talk. Some of you probably wonder if I have to this day. I think Je is getting acclimated and isn't as overwhelmed as she was. Kindergarten is a big transition, and there are a lot of new routines and things to remember. Parenting is a process. Now maybe I have learned something about my daughter that will help me help her as she get older and confronts other new situations. Jo on the other hand will be completely different, I am sure. Isn't God great!

It Works, It Really Works!

I had a happy happy joy joy moment today. You remember the dryer saga. When we last left our heroine, she was calling an electrician to get the dryer back up and running, since the dryer repairman said it isn't the dryer. Wednesday morning, a friend who is handy with this stuff came to look at the problem to see if he could come up with it. He was also stumped. He thought it was the dryer. Since we'd eliminated that, I needed a professional. Our friend gave me a name. I left a message on the electrician's cell phone, expecting to get a call that evening when he was done working for the day. He called back in five minutes, ya'll. He was nearby and wanted to come right over. Are you kidding me? I don't really need to go to the grocery store right now, it can wait. He came, and within 15 minutes had the problem diagnosed and the dryer running. Hallelujah! He discovered some weaknesses in the wiring that, after twenty years of exposure, were compromised. He fixed my problem, found a couple of loose wires in the breaker box and fixed those as well. When we were finishing up, he noticed a broken piece in the plug in for the dryer, so decided to replace it. He had to order that part, since it isn't standard anymore, and it didn't come until today. So when he came out about noon today to put it on, I asked him to see if he could look into a mystery for me. When we moved into this house almost 7 years ago, we had a switch in the living room that didn't seem to do anything. We couldn't find what it was supposed to do. We thought it should work one of the outlets, so you could put a lamp on a switch, but none seemed connected. He predicted immediately what the problem was, and spent about 10 minutes looking for the culprit in an outlet. Of course it was the last one in the room, but he corrected the original electrician's mistake, and now, the switch works two outlets, as it was intended to. I want to go back to the original owners of the home (who teach with Shan, and had me in class in high school) and ask them why they didn't get the electrician to come back and fix it when they first moved in. They had the house built, and my electrician said that the switch is put in usually however the owner requests, and it isn't in the typical outlet so they probably picked it. hello! If I spent big bucks to build a house, and do it how I want, I sure am going to make sure that my money is spent to get it right. It took longer to find the right outlet than it did to fix it. The electrician had forgotten to break out a tab that separated the top outlet from the bottom and allowed the switch to control it. Took him all of a minute to get it apart and back together correctly. So happy happy joy joy! The switch works, and I know what it does! Yippee!

Is it Me?

I just read an article from One News Now about a Christian group on a campus which was censured because they shared their faith with other students and had a foot washing ceremony. Savannah State University considered these activities harrassment and hazing. Give me a break. Is it just me or has the ACLU got all public entities running scared? My husband thinks we should call them the Anti Christian Liberties Union since they seem determined to eliminate Christian practices of faith in any area that could potentially be seen by anyone other than the worshipper in the privacy of their own home. They should in fact be protecting my civil liberties which include the free exercise of my faith in this country. I subscribe to the principle that my freedom ends where someone else's freedom begins, but this is ridiculous. How does foot washing among a willing group of college freshmen impinge on the freedom of anyone else? How does my praying silently over my meal in a restaurant bother anyone else? Seriously. Get off my back and protect my rights in the same way that they fight for the atheist. Seriously!

A Riddle for You

Four and a half hours, two cords, a motor, a 220 plug in and two repairmen later.

The dryer still won't work. Folks it isn't the dryer. It's my house. They loaded up the dryer, drove over to an appliance store they have a service contract with and plugged it in there. Works great. So somehow, the electricty system in my house is broken. But only enough to impact the dryer, the oven and the AC both run on 220 and they are still working. I burned part of supper the other night, and baked cookies for Saturday's moving lunch. I have the AC on today and it works fine. It cost me $129 and they didn't fix my problem. Boy they sure tried though. So my riddle is:


How many appliance repairmen does it take to fix a seven year old dryer?

Someone so tiny affecting us so much

I had a blog post in mind about sending my younger daughter off to her first day of preschool. The mixed emotions of sadness and joy warring in me. Then I was catching up on blog reading and Everday Mommy pointed the way to a post that is incredible. It says something that has been on my mind for years. Our churches have gone so far to make their worship services appealing to the masses that they have muddied their connection to the truth. Contemporary worship services, bands, meditation, Saturday night services so you can sleep in on Sunday, video projections, special programs taking the place of preaching, and on and on. Everyday Mommy has written much about this kind of thing and it resonates with me. It goes back to my favorite Thomas Jefferson quote there in the sidebar, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." There is nothing wrong with making our churches welcoming places. Attractive buildings, quality sound system, convenient scheduling of services, air conditioning, nurseries with qualified staff and beeper systems, etc. The rubber hits the road when the additives become more important than the substance of the service. I have no problem with using your talents for God in a worship service, and many people are gifted musicians. I am all for doing what we can to make our churches user friendly, appealing groups who invite others in and glorify God. I am distressed by the seeker driven movement that seems to care more about meeting needs than it does about glorifying God. According to the Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." So my purpose in worshiping is to first bring glory to God, and second enjoy Him. He will meet all my needs according to his glorious riches, so I need not worry about being entertained at church. If I need it he will provide it. I attend a church with exclusive Psalmody and accapella singing so no worship bands, microphoned soloists, etc. Now that isn't the only way true believers worship, it is the way my denomination worships. I am thus the instrument of God's praise, because I am part of the choir, a choir that encompasses the entire attendance. The side benefit is that everyone learns to follow the music because everyone is part of the music. I can also take comfort in the music I sing will always pass the test, since it is God's inspired word. I have attend on occasion a wonderful church in a nearby town. It is a large church with two services and many programs for the whole family. The pastor is a very Godly man who preaches sound biblical sermons which make a person think and convict them of sin. Even if I lived in the nearby town, I don't think I would make this congregation my church home, and it isn't a doctrinal issue. I can't get past the worship band that leads the service. There are a couple of guitarists, one is electric, a drummer, bongos, a piano and more. There are usually three or four people on mics leading the singing. I don't want to accuse them of wrong motives, but I always get the sense that their performance is less about glorifying God and more about showing off their talent. That may be horribly unfair, but I am not the only one who has commented on this after seeing them. I think everyone has to go with their convictions on this issue. I think churches must make efforts to be inviting to people, and so far as is appropriate, be willing to be flexible to meet the challenging changes of our society. That said, churches must never compromise bedrock principles of biblical worship. That is a deal breaker for me. We can't be so eager to get numbers that we compromise that which we are commanded to do. This post has gotten from where I intended but my point was that we live in a culture that wants instant satisfaction, and never want to experience anything unpleasant. I don't know if this is an effect of abortion on demand or if that is a symptom of the problem. I do know that we as a society don't value life and we want what what we want, when we want it, and as soon as possible.





(graphic provided by Really Cool Christian Graphics!)