Fighting the Good Fight

Today I was reminded that Christians are to "fight the good fight", to protect and guard the eternal and infallible truth of Scripture. So I will attempt to do my little part in that universal command. I want to talk about self-worth. There is a lot of talk going around about that, and how to have it, do you have enough, etc. etc. People seem to think this is a new and revolutionary concept. It's not new, it's not revolutionary, and if you don't have enough, you must not know that you are made in the image of God. He knows you intimately, everything you do and think. The fact that the Almighty Creator of the earth and everything in it made you in His image should fill you with more of a sense of worth than you can contain. When you realize you are known fully by the Creator of the universe, you'll want to shout it out. It's amazing, that God, who made and rules over all nature, made you, formed you in your mother's womb, and He knows all your thoughts and all you do. That's enough to give anyone as much of a sense of worth and purpose as they need.

Party Animal?

I said I love parties. Why do I love parties? I think the best way to summarize my thoughts would be to paraphrase Nathan Lane's narrative lines at the end of Nicholas Nickleby-which is a great movie, and can only be improved by first having read the book. Anyway, Lane's last lines are in the way of saying that some sadness comes into every life, and happiness is a gift to be delighted in when found, and our own happiness is increased by adding to the stores of others' happinesses and joys. Nicholas had been searching for family, and had come to find that family doesn't consist only of those with whom we share blood, but of those for whom we would give blood. That, my friends, is why I love parties-to surround myself with family and to add to others' happiness.

Fish 'n Kids

So you know I really like Finding Nemo. In fact, if you read my post on coral reefs, I can guarantee you'll be just a little smarter than you are now. (And your'e obviously already pretty smart just because you read my blog.) I like parties, too. Nay, I LOVE parties. Our home was made for them. We have a big, comfy couch and an overhead projector so that we can watch movies on the wall in full surround sound. This is a treat for us, and for our friends. Having no children, we have a great party house, and are priveleged and blessed to be able to play host and hostess. Now, please understand that I love kids, and I often have friends with kids over, but this week I am presented with something entirely different-a party-a first grader's birthday party. I'm thinking of the ways little people are the same as big people, and the ways we are different, and what we need to do to accomodate the differences. The pizza dinner will be fine, and I may make a blue jello dessert with gummy fish inside. My concern is this: will these young people appreciate the happy-go-luckiness of Ellen DeGeneres as Dory combined with the wry cynicism of Albert Brooks as Marlon?

My Potato Plant

One quiet evening as my husband and I were having some fine pasta at home, my eyes wandered over to our friui-and-vegetable bowl, and I gave a dainty shreik and we both quickly evacuated the house, but not before grabbing my cell phone to call my mom and possibly a HazMat crew. However, after the frantic call to my mom, she calmed me down and assured me that it was OK for potatoes to begin to sprout. She suggested I use toothpicks to prop the growing root-vegetable in a plastic cup, and let it soak up to its "waist" in water. I had many clear cups inside, so I followed all the instructions, and soon had a beautiful and most interesting houseplant that required no maintenance. There were lush green leaves and a visible root system, plus you could plainly see that it was a potato-a stylin' sweet potato, to be exact. Oh, the memories. I tried to plant my potato, but it failed to thrive in the outdoors. I may go to the market and get another potato to grow. Those were happy days.

Lynx

This flesh-eating mammal is in the cat family and lives in Europe, Asia, and North America. The links I plan to talk about, though, are merely time-eating blogs in the cyber family that live in computers throughout the world. I know I promised in "Good news of Great Joy" not to endorse any products or blogs, but I just have to break my own rule despite what Cofusious' advice to "Nevah break yooah resowution." First, I must mention and give a hearty endorsement to my friend Bill's blog, (fickett.blogspot.com/), because it is really cool, because I know most of the people in the picters, because I wouldn't be the blogger I am today without his help, and especially because there are pictures of-drumroll, please-my better half, JayM, on his blog (see "Jay enjoys Kristi's birthday" from Feb. 15, '06 and "Everything is Normal" from Jan.07, '06). Also, there is my friend Clyde whose blog lives at xanga.com/clydesilla. Clyde has an amazing blog, I can say no more than that. I'd also like to mention tklog.blogspot.com/ because he seems like a really nice guy and has always responded to my comments. Last but not least, I want to add thegracegirl.blogspot.com because from the name I assume she is a girl, and I am relieved that there are girl bloggers out there.

Crumbs

Time, time, time-we all have it, what do we do with it? On the way to San Francisco, my friend introduced me to a songwriter/singer named Sara Groves, who defines love as putting aside that "one last thing" on your to-do list to sit down and share some intellectual chit-chat with a friend. This is perfectly illustrated when my husband and I sit down to watch a movie, and I say to him, "Oh! I gotta go make your lunch for tomorrow." He then says, "I'd really rather you just sit here and enjoy this movie with me." And so we sit side by side and enjoy a movie together.
The same principle applies to friendships. The dishes can wait when a friend drops by. I don't need to vacuum before I can talk. Our relationships last and define our lives, not how clean our houses are, or how many errands we can do in one day. I don't want to give anyone-not friends, family, or God-my crumbs--the leftovers after I have done all the little unimportant time-takers.

On a Personal Note . . .

I went on a retreat of sorts this weekend. My friend and I drove to San Francisco to sightsee and to see the Chinatown street fair and parade. On the way home, we stopped to see my young relative attending the University of Santa Barbara. We just said hello and hit the road, but once we were back on the road, I said to my friend, "I love that young relative." My friend asked why. Was it because I saw her grow up? Ummm, well no, because I didn't see her grow up since she grew up far away. So was it because we are related? I suppose that must be it. Being unable to have children of my own makes me love my friends and my extended family all the more. It was a very philosophical time, that car ride-the whole weekend, really. God gives us our own life with our own set of very unique circumstances, and we have to choose and ask ourselves, "How then, shall we live?"

The Revelation of Photos

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What do my pictures say about me? What do they tell you about my life, my values? I bought myself a great photo album that has room in between the photos for comments, quotes, Bible verses, or whatever you want to put there. I decided to make this a photographic prayer journal, as I've always taken pictures of my friends and family because I love and value them and now I have a constant reminder to pray for them, and to give thanks to God for them. I also have landscape pictures, that remind me of God's creative power and cause me to praise Him and fall to my knees in awe of Him. There are a lot of pictures of my husband and our dog and other things beloved and familiar that remind me to take nothing for granted, but "in all things to give thanks." Of course there are the vacation pictures, which welcome rest is a gift from God. Unlike most everyone else, I don't shy away from the camera when I'm sick; instead I see how even in my sickness I have a comfortable home, a husband to take care of me, a little dog to lay on the couch with me, and people who love me and care about me.

An Amazing Priveledge

You've read about the desert-and dessert-I love so much, and about the beautiful Pacific waters I paddle my little boat on; well, I can actually talk to the One who created those things! And He really wants me to!! I am dazzled by the vastness of the ocean and filled with wonder at what may be hidden below, and I am overcome (quite literally) by the smallness of me in my little tiny boat when the power of the waves and the wind combine to tip me over and hurl me into the waters. (Actually, that happened in a lake, but that's beside the point.) The point is that God created all we see, and He harnesses the power of the wind, water, waves, thunder, lightning-ALL nature-in His mighty hands, and He wants to know our thoughts and feelings, and He wants us to know Him!

My Addiction

It seems there is now a name for my once nameless addiction to idling away the hours at the neighborhood Starbucks, soaking up the ever-present California sun while enjoying some intellectual chit-chat with a friend or reading a great novel with a long empty cup on the table, which I keep there in plain view of everyone to justify my temporary lingering and lounging at the table. It must be made clear that I have, or at least had, a reason to sit there, as I was a paying customer. This particular and unique addiction, I'm told, is an addiction to "air lattes." The trick is to buy what you can afford, one cup, one bean, whatever, and just keep the evidence of your patronage on the table whilst you go about your business undisturbed.