Redeeming Love

My friend Christa who is far away in Japan, is actually closer than I think... at least in spirit. She posted on her blog that she has just read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Well, I just finished that book about 3 weeks ago. It's on my fave list now. It's a great love story with two dimensions. It is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. It's a beautiful story that captures the grace that God gave to us even when we prostitute ourselves to the idols of this world. In the story, the husband goes and gets his wife out of prostitution numerous times. He never stops loving her no matter what she does. That is the way God loves us. He will never stop pursuing you and will NEVER give up on you!! If you have never read the story of Hosea, check it out here:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=35&chapter=1&version=31

I've been tagged!

I was tagged, so here are my answers.


5 things I miss about childhood

1. Going to Ollie's (my old babysitter who lived across the street) and eating her home cooked chicken and dumplin's!!!

2. Not having to be responsible for anything.

3. My mom being my alarm clock instead of the radio.

4. Skating Parties and 80's love ballads (When I see You Smile... I can face the world.. Oooh Oooh.)

5. Good sitcoms like The Cosby Show, Growing Pains, Family Ties, etc. They don't make shows like that these days!

Now, I tag: Christa W, Brittany Nye, Tom B., Cheryl R., Nick Nye.

Your turn!

Another Rainy Day at the Body Shop

I am starting to love hanging out at the car body shop. I have a "hoot" of a time! Let me tell you about today. I had to wait for about 30 minutes for my car to be ready. SO, during that time I got to observe from the office all the clients that came in. We were all sitting around in the dirty floored office with every Nascar miniature car lined on the mirrored shelves, when a heavy set woman came in. She had to pay for her car repair and they started talking about how there had been four other broken windshield like her's this week. Well, as soon as she left, tdhe owner of the shop looked at me from behind his desk and said "Check this out. She has been sleeping with somebody's husband and she told his wife and then he went and busted her windshield. So, then she went and busted his. Well, her 'baby's daddy' found out and went and busted this other guys window. And finally, the man's wife busted the mistresses again." Confused yet? I was. I still am not sure I got it right, but it sure was sad and funny at the same time. It's sad because he told me this story like it happened everyday. These people are satisfied living a life of betrayal, dishonesty and violence. They probably don't know other ways to deal with things. On the other side, it was funny because they ALL brought their cars to this body shop!!! Anyway, it was an interesting day hanging out at the garage. However, I am glad to have my car back! YAHOO! I hate driving in the rain. I have had so many wrecks in it. I think I'm gonna miss my regular trips to the garage. Maybe I'll have to visit sometime to catch up on the latest news!

Joy Ride

What a way to start off a Monday morning! Not that I want to whine today, but it was just one of those days that momma warns you about. I woke up to the sound of my husband's groggy voice saying, "Honey, it's 6:20." I was supposed to get up at 5:15!! But, I was glad to hear his voice considering I had just had a very real dream that he had been shot while we were living in the inner city. But that is not the best part. I had left a very important folder at the wrong school last Friday, so I had to stop by that school before starting my regular day. Well, it's a new school, so I had only been on that road 2 other times. I decided to follow all the cars out because they looked like they knew where they were going and it seemed to be going in the direction I needed to go. (I also must mention that hurricane Katrina had already begun to make herself known via icky rain by this time. It was still pretty dark out as well.) As I was driving down this country road I see the signs for a curve, which I start slowing down for. However, my tires decided to NOT grip the road very well and I began to skid a little. I had two choices: 1- hit the silver hatchback that was coming head on or 2 - hit the guard rail. I picked number 2. Now, no worries (mom, I know you are reading, so don't worry). I didn't even have to stop the car (I was only going about 25 mph). It barely made a scratch on the paint, but it did mess up the tire. But, I am getting good at buying new tires. I have bought at least three in the past year because of weird things like this. This is also the second rim I have bent!!! So, my hub cab is still somewhere in this small town along with a big chunk of my tire. But there is a bright side. I got to get a ride to my office from the body shop owner (SEE PICTURE ABOVE FOR THE RIDE WE TOOK!! jj). It was a 'good ole' boy' kind of place and they were so friendly. In the five minute drive from the shop to my work, this man told me that he didn't get a lot of sleep last night because he got home late from church (9:30)He said his preacher, Brother So-and-So, kept getting up everytime the sermon was supposed to be over and start preaching again. He also volunteered that he wanted to move but his wife didn't want to move to this town because she was prejudice and that her "daddy made her thata way." He said it was "perty embarassin." He has a son with Down Syndrome and I think he's having meatloaf for dinner! If only we could all learn how to be as transparent as this man was instead of going through everyday pretending to be more or less than we really are. We can learn a lot from a day at the body shop.

Back to School... Back to School

This is a picture of me after my first week back to work in the school system :) Actually, it's not that bad. I actually love my job (or the frequent breaks on my job such as Christmas, Spring, Summer and Fall breaks). Today I had one of my favorite students come sit with me while I ate lunch in her classroom. She told me she loved me. I love when they do that!!! Although, this same girl will tell me that I am "fat and ugly" next week, it still felt great today. The kids are the best part of my job. The adults are the worst for the most part. When you get a bunch of women together working harder than they are being paid for weeks on end, it can often turn into a gossip, petty mess. That is one of the one things I pray for almost every day when I walk into work... that what ever comes out of my mouth does not pollute the air. I bet if most of us vowed to not say anything negative all day, we'd be silent most of the day.

I am a liar

I've always considered myself a truthful person- someone who was real with others. I have sometimes compared myself to an emotional vomiter - spewing my guts to anyone with ears. However, God revealed something to me tonight as I listened to Daniel preach. The message was on John the Baptist and how he was a prophet and a "truth-teller" to the Israelites. One of the questions on the back of the sermon notes was "Are you telling the truth about yourself?" Initially, my response was "Sure, I'm a fairly transparent person." But then, I thought about this question in light of my relationship with Christ and realized that I am a liar. I lie to myself every day about who I am in Christ. I can ramble on about how awful my body looks from my warped, unrealistic, American perspective or how controlling I can be, but never once do I remember God's truth about me in my day. I know and embrace humility as a true sinner in need of redemption, but there is another truth that I forget - Gods' truth. It is a rare occasion that I live in the grace that has set me free through faith in Christ. I often feel 'prideful' if I remind myself that God wanted me, He loves me, or I am blameless in His sight because of what Christ did. I honestly don't know that I believe that all the time. So, because I don't often live in this truth about who GOD says I am since becoming one of His own, I call myself a liar. This realization was brief and likely will need to be repeated again and again in order to produce a consistent change in my thinking patterns and negative self talk. But, thank God that this life is not all there is! And thank God that he will finish the work he started in me. He will not lead me to a realization and leave me there. God- you never cease to amaze me!

Crash

I look like Rudolph right now. My nose is red from crying. Why? Because of the heaviness that sits on my heart right now due to the reality of this world we are living in. I just saw the movie Crash. It was about American's and prejudice and racism. It interwove many different people's lives together and showed how prejudice and racism of ANY kind affects others. It wasn't just a black - white thing either. It was black, white, Asian, middle eastern, young, old, male, female, rich, poor, etc. It cut to the core. I couldn't stop crying even in the car. My heart is so sad that things have to be this way. I want to scream at God "This is hopeless down here... what the heck am I supposed to do about it?" But, then I remember the things I've learned so far on my journey with Christ. It IS too big for me or any human to handle. It likely won't be reconciled this side of heaven. It is a God-sized task. But His word still calls his followers to act. He still calls us to love, to be living pictures of a gospel that's foundation is reconciliation. God reconciled us to Himself through Christ. How could I live this life and not walk in that truth daily (I admit I do not always). I am blessed to have the opportunity to reconcile myself to others through His grace every day. He is letting me be a part of His story. I wish I could act like someone who has received grace more often. Lord, forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. God - I love you! Help us!