My National Day of Prayer

I’ve been reading a lot of buzz this year about the “National Day of Prayer.” Evidently, there has been a widely spread rumor (debunked by snopes.com in all of its infinite wisdom) that President Obama cancelled the NDP. You can read an article here about the realities of the situation and what has been going on.

I’m just not sure where the merit is of a Christian taking part in something like the National Day of Prayer Task Force. I’m not sure what a Christian thinks is the merit of a national day of prayer anyway. My personal favorite quote out of this article is, “The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson said in a statement.

I think that says it all right there. Why exactly do Christians need governmentally mandated permission to pray for a day? (And if you are a Christian and think praying one day out of the year will lead to a remotely healthy spiritual life, we should talk.) It’s my understanding that as a Christian, I have the OPPORTUNITY to pray, any time of day or night, any day of the week or year, and Jesus will listen and mediate for me. Having a national day of prayer will in no way change my communication with our Father.

I know that someone is out there saying, “Yeah, but.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up for our religious freedoms.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up against the ‘liberal agenda’.” “Yeah, but…”

Why are we so afraid of persecution? Not to say that being thrown in jail or tortured or something along those lines isn’t a cumbersome thought in the minds of everyone. But the fact of the matter is the government is just that-government. We have a freedom in Christ that is above all man made laws and regulations. While having the “freedom of religion” the US constitution provides is nice and cushy and lets us worship in our comfy pews and warm church buildings every week, I just wonder if a little persecution might just do the Body good. And if you think I’m saying having the “National Day of Prayer” cancelled is persecution that is definitely not what I’m talking about. We need to get real about our faith. Our faith transcends all forms of persecution. So what if I’m put into prison for loving God? Or tortured? Or murdered? Is that going to change the reality of my eternity? No. Absolutely not.

If we put as much effort into bringing the reality of our Freedom to those that don’t have it instead of working through Washington lobbyists and special interest groups to ensure our governmental freedoms I dare say the church would be in a lot better shape. If we spent as much time actually praying as we do protesting our rights to a national day of prayer we might see more change. If we just realized the Freedom we have to pray in every circumstance of every day how might we change the Kingdom for the better?

My Little Things #1

Do you have little things in your life that just make you smile for this reason or that? I have lots of them.

Driving down the interstate in West Virginia last week on my way to Coal Prep 2010 in Lexington, KY a little tune sang by Bob Seger came on the radio. You might have heard of it…a little ditty titled “Old Time Rock and Roll.”

Though the song itself is an iconic classic this is not the reason I smile and quickly turn this particular song up whenever it’s played. The reason is a small, furry, cat-hungry alien from the planet Melmac. Otherwise known as ALF. I absolutely loved that show when I was little. Probably borderline obsessive. And my favorite two episodes (and frankly at this point the only two I actually remember…) are one in which Alf finds himself trapped alone in the house being chased by gigantic cockroaches and the other in which Alf spoofs Tom Cruise’s performance in “Risky Business” by dancing in a dress shirt with no pants on while singing “Old Time Rock and Roll” into a cucumber. How ‘bout that Tom Cruise….I remember a fuzzy alien puppet’s performance more favorably than yours. Booyeah.

I think it’s these little things in life that help keep me going. They are things that when my mind wanders and meditates on them they make me start laughing for no apparent reason and cause others to look at me and wonder if I’m mentally well. And I’m okay with that.

My Return.

As a friend of mine reminded me recently on my Facebook wall, I need to start blogging more. I’ve fallen off the wagon here the past few months. I haven’t really even been reading blogs either, which is pretty atypical for me. But the other day I thought, “I need to see what Gary Spear is up to in the blogging world these days.” So, I went on over to www.gspear.wordpress.com to find this: Daily Thanks.

Gary has been writing out a list of his daily thanks. And since I know I’ve found myself a time or two saying, “I don’t know why we don’t share more with each other as Christians and open our lives up to be encouragement to each other,” I think I will follow Gary’s example and participate myself. Plus, how much happier and pleasant of a person will I be if I’m constantly seeking out things to be thankful for so I can write them on my blog?? Haha.

Let’s see…what’s been going on recently.

I’ve been listening to NPR on my 3 minute ride to and from work everyday. They have an interested way of “reporting.” I like that I always seem to be tuned in when they’re talking about a) world news or b) Broadway musicals and other such forms of entertainment. A lot of things are said on NPR that I don’t agree with. But sometimes I like to hear them anyway.

I just received this month’s copy of “Coal Age.” It’s a magazine that reports all about the coal mining industry and has pictures of really cool machines. I look forward to getting it every month and it says a lot of things I agree with. Sometimes I like to hear those too.

We’ve been studying Amos in Bible study here recently and I think I’ve put my finger on something about myself that I didn’t know. I think I’m really interested in the nature of God. Why He loves the way He does. Why He gave us free will. I know there are text book answers to these statements but I think there are other ends and aspects to be surveyed. I think contemplating these questions may help me tremendously in my relationship with Him and with others. That’s all I’m going to say about that right now.

Craig and I got a new vehicle. It’s a 2009 Rav4 Limited. I love it. Although I have only driven it 2 times since we got it because it’s technically Craig’s car for everyday use. With that car came satellite radio and I think I’m going to have to subscribe and get it installed in Audrey (my Corolla) as well. There is a channel that plays nothing but show tunes. I am in love. We discovered a show via satellite radio and we’re anxiously waiting for it to come by our area…Avenue Q. It’s like Sesame Street for adults. What’s not to love??

I have a doctor’s appointment this week. I hate going to the doctor. It’s only for a regular check up, but still. It makes my stomach twinge with pain every time I think about it. I think I mostly hate going and rehashing my mom’s medical history with them. And hearing the lecture about how I need to make sure I do monthly self breast exams and that I’ll need to start getting mammograms when I’m 27. That’s only 3 years away. Blech. I’d rather just go to the dentist instead. There all they ever tell me is that I have excellent teeth and to “keep up the good work.” A far more pleasurable experience in my mind.

I think that covers most of it. I'll end this with my daily thanks that I've written thus far...

9/30/09

-Craig had to be at work in Indy at 5:45 this morning so he was out the door at 4:45. I’m so happy to have a husband that comes in and wakes me up just to say “I love you-have a good day.” What happy sleep I got for the next hour and 15 minutes.

-Our dog Nelly is so cute. I’m so happy to have her in my life…what a great example of unconditional love and friendship.

-McDonald’s cookies are so delicious! Especially for breakfast!

-Wow. I love my job. I wish I could bring every one of my friends and family to our shop and show them around. Gear manufacturing has to be in the top ten coolest things ever.

-I have a good friend at work. He’s a salesman too. He’s also 58 years old. Odd? Yes. But I love it. We go to lunch every day and it’s great to hear him tell funny stories about crazy things he did when he was young. And I’m thankful I get to share Jesus with him in my own little way every day.

-I love iPods. Aren’t they great?

-Tonight I get to teach the 2s and 3s at church. I love teaching children. I’m glad it’s one of my spiritual gifts.

-I will also be cooking up a big batch of vegetable soup this evening. It will be eaten at tomorrow night’s 20 somethings Bible study. I love that this time of the year facilitates such warm, comforting food. Fall is lovely.

10/01/09

-One of our customers is looking at buying a product from us that they have not in the past. This is great because a)it’s more business, and b)this particular product being sold means that I get to work with my good buddy Dean on the project. I don’t get to work with Dean very much anymore, so this is a welcomed thing.

-I have lots of meetings today. I like meetings. They help make the day feel “fresh.” It gets me out of routine for a bit and I like that.

-Tonight we have our 20 somethings Bible study night. These are the best nights. I love catching up with everyone on Thursday night, sharing what’s going on in our lives, and praying, studying, and eating together. I don’t think you get much more Biblical than eating together.

-I got to work in a mention of my plans for tonight with a guy at church. I love when I get a chance to bring up really cool things that our church does with people that I work with. He said “that’s really neat.” But he sounded very sincere. I really want to get him to at least visit Elmwood once. I’ve invited him a couple of times and he seems interested, but it just hasn’t worked out quite yet. I’m thankful for the opportunities that allow me to easily and conversationally “plug” our church family. I think it comes across more non invasive and friendly that way.

10/02/09-10/05/09

-Fall Retreat at Spring Mill Bible Camp is this weekend. What could be better? There is nothing I love more than the familiarity of SMBC. Even though it’s changed over the years, there’s really no place on earth that I feel as welcomed and as at home. It always feels the same. My soul just loves to be there.

-Southern Indiana in the fall is gorgeous. Amen?

-I am in Jericho this weekend. Although I love Cana because it is warm and relatively clean, Jericho holds a certain nostalgia and love in my heart because it was the first cabin I stayed in at the age of ten my first year of Bible camp. It reminds me of people that I looked forward to seeing every summer that I now seldom, if ever see. Those are happy memories with Cheryl Massey, Lisa and Leslie Cruzan, Angie Fyfe, Stella Grady, and Sarah Bird. Nights of staying up late, of having older girls to look up to and pattern myself after, and of dreaming of the day I would get to be a counselor.

-I am so excited that the girls from Newburg, Anna P., Moyra S., and Carrie W. are in my cabin. These are some of my favorite girls ever!

-Listening to the girls take showers and get ready for bed I hear this comment: “Aw, you took the nasty shower so I could have the nice one? Thanks!” This is why these girls are some of my favorites!!

-Worship is so amazing at camp.

-Steve Corp in engaged to a girl that seems to make him the happiest man alive.

-Jake Parsley makes me laugh. A lot. (“I’ve lived a soft life…”)

-Luke Burris and I shared an impact class. That’s neat, because I don’t really know Luke that well. Come to find out, I think we might have a good deal in common.

-Ummmm…..biscuits and gravy. Enough said.

-Beth brought Starbucks. That’s great, because in the words of my husband the coffee this morning tasted like, “coffee beans and manure.” That’s harsh.

-My husband emits a lot of heat. That’s nice for me when it’s 40 degrees outside and I’m cold.

-During quiet time I finally got to sit down and read a good clip of “Practicing God’s Presence.” I find it hard to find time to sit down with a good book these days, so I welcomed that half hour. It fit in pretty well with the weekend’s theme too.

-Apples and marshmallow dip. It’s what I live for.

-Since we’re down in the area, we’re going to have lunch with Craig’s grandparents and great aunt. Most of my grandparents died by the time I was in middle school and the only remaining grandfather I have doesn’t have a very good quality of life at this point, so it’s nice for me that I inherited two grandmothers, a grandfather, and a great aunt when Craig and I got married. I’m glad we got to spend time with them today.

-My parents watched Nelly for us this weekend. I am glad they love their grandpuppy.

-Monday I get to meet with a counselor at Miami elementary school. I am going to mentor one of the 4^th grade girls there that needs some extra love and attention from an adult. I am very excited about this opportunity.

My Wordless Wednesday

My Impending Doom

I’ve decided that in order to pay homage to the greatest show ever to air on television, Scrubs, I will title all of my blogs in similar episode name fashion, with all of them starting with “My.”

The past two weeks my place of employment has been on a shut down, so I have been at home. The first week I decided to go visit my parents that live right outside of Louisville, KY but I decided to stay home the second week so that I can clean the apartment and generally catch up on some things that have slipped since the wedding because of the general busyness that’s been going on in our lives since then . As result, I have had the luxury of taking little trips out during the day that I would generally never get to do because of being at work. Such as, going to Target and Hobby Lobby. I’ve been working a little on scrapbooking parts of the wedding this week in addition to my cleaning sprees and the occasional look see at reality TV so both of those places have come in handy during my sabbatical.

What I’ve noticed though, is that the majority of people that are out during the day are a) retirees, or b) young stay at home mothers. This makes sense of course, because almost everyone else in the world is at work at 10 AM on Tuesdays. Anyway…the young mother’s thing is causing a major stressor in my life. Because I look at these women and realize…I am their age. And then I look down at my left ring finger with the sparkly bling on it that I love so much and realize, I’m married. And then that reminds me that within the next couple of years…this could be me. And I start to feel ovaries squeeze shut and scream hysterically.

The idea of being responsible for another human being’s life makes me want to puke. That kind of commitment is the most cumbersome thing I can think of. To have a child that is totally completely and utterly dependent on you for every -thing…barf. I mean, I can barely take care of our dog. I forget to feed her or give her water sometimes. I forget to let her out to go potty. I step on her and drop her (accidentally of course) on a frequent basis. I’m just not sure a small child is as resilient as a cockapoo puppy.

I love children too…that’s the funny thing. I have taught Sunday School since I was 14 and I love children and anything to do with them. But the idea of having my own makes me want to run screaming into the night. And it’s so hard to not catch baby fever once you’re married. It’s more aggressive than the swine flu and not quite as deadly as the Ebola virus. I’m fairly certain it’s reached pandemic status.

So all of you out there that know me, please do me a favor and don’t mention the B word. Or the P word. Or any word having to do with children, Hodglings, pregnancy, babies, Volvo minivans, or other such related talk. Because right now they feel as though they just might be my impending doom.

And so it goes...

I haven't decided what this blog is going to be about. I think it's might end up being about everything. From the economy, to politics, newlywed talk, random comments about life in general, witticisms...you name it, I may end up talking about it. I know I have a lot going on in my mind right now that I need to write out. I'm right out of college (Hail Purdue) and I've been working in a job gearing me up for a career path in sales for the past two years. I like to watch the market, why some businesses succeed and others don't intrigues me on a daily basis, I love to talk theology and religion, and I'm a huge fan of all things home maker related (even though I'm not one...) But above all I think my intense desire to look at the world through eyes of common sense and reason really makes me unique. There's just been so much floating around in my head recently that I think I need to start writing it down. And what better way to do it than on a public blog for all of the world to see and evaluate?