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March 9, 2013

There’s a time for everything.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God, laughter, Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
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I’ve been hearing conversations lately about the importance of context. Often conflict arises because of false assumptions, many of which are made because of a lack of knowledge about the context that surrounded a conversation. My pastor just came back from Isreal talking about how being immersed in the culture of the holy land changed his perspective of scripture in a huge way.

So then I was asked (for a contest) to name my favorite hymn/christian song. I was trying to remember the name of it so I went online to Google it and found some interesting songs on YouTube. Man, they put everything up there nowadays. When I was a kid, it was “Jesus Loves Me.” I found a video of some kid in a rainbow wig singing that. What kind of context would that be for people looking at that video 200 years from now?

Then I found the pot of gold. (A little Irish humor for you today.) Seriously, this video made my jaw drop. I knew I wasn’t supposed to laugh because it’s a praise song afterall, but again, context is everything. Maybe back in the 70’s this would seem cool. Some of the lyrics include, “He’ll zap you any way can (Zap),” and “I can praise God and still play rock and roll.” Oh My Girlish Figure.

Okay. Moving on. The third video is from my favorite comedian, Tim Hawkins, who discusses Christmas songs. Take a minute and a half and just enjoy it and laugh.

And the last video is in fact one of my favorite hymns. There are so many to choose from. The context? A hard world can be changed with the love of our Father. Be content, be generous, be loving, be gracious, and take the gift you’ve been given. No strings attached.

Jesus Loves Me

Jammin for Jesus

Tim Hawkins, Give the kid a blanket

Take My Life

And then there’s probably a video here that was placed here by WordPress for advertising. 🙂

 

March 3, 2013

Precious gifts and krispy fails.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under Family, God, Love | Tags: , , , |
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I am guilty of not completely appreciating gifts that have been given to me freely and sit visibly in front of me as I stare past them thinking about something meaningless. It’s like when I go walking down the beach and I look at all the huge beautiful houses and think how cool it would be to live there. Then I chastise myself and turn the other direction and remember that the most beautiful thing in my view is the vast ocean, sky, and beach. The houses are going to get knocked down some day but the gifts of warm sand and cool water and dolphins jumping—those are God’s gifts—all free and all perfectly lovely.

I’m thinking about gifts today because last year on this day—a seemingly normal uncelebrated day on the calendar—my brother invited me up to his house in MD to spend the day with him and the kids. Why? No reason, we just hadn’t seen each other in awhile and wanted to spend some time together. There was no agenda and no special events planned. So I went up there and cooked a rice krispy house with the boys that turned out so bad we laughed, took some photos, and proclaimed it a “krispy fail. “

Later we decided to go to a movie. The Lorax was playing and after we laughed at how the kids could memorize every line in the movie but couldn’t remember their homework assignments for the next day. As Greg put it, “If only they would use their powers for good.”

I remember that normal, lazy but fun day very well because it was a gift from God. God gave me that last day with my brother before he died the next week. We spent the day talking about a lot of things and just enjoying our friendship and our family. I will always cherish the memories of that day and thank God for letting me have those precious moments with Greg and the kids.

It sounds cliché when people say things about living life to the fullest and appreciating the moments you have with loved ones, but nevertheless it is true. Just listening to jokes and stories, hanging out and enjoying some fresh air or a warm fire, taking a walk, watching a movie, or playing a game—it’s all precious time spent that lets us be present in each other’s lives. I wish I could spend more time with Greg’s kids like we used to but I’ll let God be in control of the timetable on that one.

In the meantime, I’ll remember that day always. Especially when I go into work each day. Last year my coworkers made these decorations that reminded me of the Lorax trees, and they hang all over our office. At first I was sad each morning when I walked in and saw them and was reminded of my loss. Now I just see the pretty paper flowers and remember the gift God gave me and I’m thankful.

"Rice Krispy Fail"

“Rice Krispy Fail”

 

January 12, 2013

A body at rest tends to stay at rest, until acted upon by an outside force.

Posted by Grendel's Mother under God | Tags: , , , , |
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I find doing something you think is hard is often not that hard. It’s getting to the starting point that’s the hardest part. Whether you’ve hit rock bottom and said okay, I’ll get off my butt and do it, or maybe just reached that point when you actually can let go of the control you think you have and hand it over to God, it takes that hard push to get moving before momentum takes over. It’s not easy—even though we are encouraged over and over again—but it really is awesome when you do and can see how God can get you through.

My attitude and habits needed to change, and I needed God to get me moving. So, now I’m on day six of a 10-day Daniel fast. I honestly didn’t think I’d make it three days but here I am thanking God for getting me through this. The thing that seems to work with God and me is I tell Him I’ll suffer the pain—cravings, hunger, desire, etc., for whatever I am trying to give up—I just need Him to keep me from succumbing to the temptation. “God,” I say, “please keep me from grabbing that bagel or coke, or whatever—just help me to not fall off this path.” And He does. He is so good to me. I am blessed so much and praise Him for family, friends, and a good life.

My friend asked me the other day if this was getting harder. In some ways it is and others not. There are moments, you know? One minute I’ll be dreaming about a cheeseburger and another I’ll be content and full after eating a veggie burger without a bun. Having said that, I did make “pizza” today that I can’t quite say was terrible but it didn’t really hit the spot. I’m not sure what I’ll eat first when I done this, but real pizza just jumped to the top of the list. Having said that, I don’t plan on gorging myself with junk when this is over. I’ve lost 10 pounds so far (yes, I know, lots of water weight, but who cares—I’ll take it). So I’m feeling pretty good and needed this kick start to a new year and a new me.

I had a goal last year that took a back seat due to all the tragedy that happened. But I’m going back to that now. I want to get in shape again so I can run around with the kids and maybe, just maybe I’ll sign up for the four-day trek to Machu Picchu. Now that is a very lofty goal. It will take a lot of veggie burgers to get there but if I keep my focus on God, maybe He’ll help me explore His beautiful world old-school style.

Do you have a dream? Do you need to restart your life? If you aren’t a follower of Jesus, I would encourage you to read the Gospels. Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four are the story of Christ told to different audiences. It could be just the thing to save your life. He saved mine. And He can help you too. And you don’t have to eat like a vegan on steroids to be close to Him.

 

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