Happy 234 & "The Eds"

Happy Independence Day!

Enjoyed: Watching fireworks with Michael, Andrew, neighbors and old church friends Thursday night

Started: painting our shutters last night

Watched: the Argentinian god humiliated as his team was soundly defeated by Germany in the World Cup yesterday

Talked: to my four-year-old neighbor when he dropped by for a visit last evening

Decided: to start reading and posting notes on Matthew again (join me)

Reflected: upon "to whom much is given of him much will be required" as it relates to my blessed life in the United States

Reminded: by a friend's Facebook note that not all people in the world go to bed safe and full

Challenged: by a local pastor to not idolize America and remember God (not "God and country") comes first

Grieved: that a friend lost her father on the morning of her birthday

Hugged: my little bug after missing him so much while he was at camp

Enjoyed: the crepe myrtles in full blossom around the area now -- God's creation is simply awesome!

"The Eds" & Notes on Quran - Sura 23

The Eds were eager to make a brief appearance!

Laughed: with friends while playing Apples to Apples at our Memorial Day gathering on Monday night

Amused: when Michael - 8 years old - recently began a sentence with "When I was a kid..."

Enjoyed: my first tomato sandwich, fried squash & watermelon of 2010 within the last few days

Visited: my grandparents & parents with Michael yesterday

Played: baseball with my 4-year-old neighbor, Walker, and Andrew on Saturday evening. Walker thought Andrew calling me "Susie" was so funny that he wanted Andrew to have an "ee" ending nickname and called him "Andrewi."

Determined: to finish my translation of the Quran, God & Government and A Christian Guide to the Quran this month

On that note here are a few thoughts from the next sura!


Sura 23 -- Al-Mu'minun

"The True Believers" was a nice sura with characteristics of the believers and some descriptions about creation and resurrection day. I liked quite a bit in this chapter and didn't make note of much for this post.

Except for this because it was a bit amusing how this translation put it.

41. So they were rightly seized by a mighty blast; and We turned them into mouldy rubbish: A good riddance of the wicked people!

See what I mean? :) Not that the destruction is funny just the wording here in English. :)

This verse:

43. No nation can live beyond its allotted time, or lag behind.

made me think of how empires have risen and fallen. Empires that were so mighty and majestic that likely no one would think they'd ever have weaknesses. It made me realize how the status of our nations are dependent on God alone. It's not because we are somehow good that we are in great nations or not. It's all in His hands and we would be wise to realize this and live according to His standards of righteousness.

78. It is He who gave you hearing, sight, and hearts, but only few of you give thanks.

This verse was convicting! How often do I take my abilities to hear, see and love and feel for granted.

102. Only those whose scales are heavier in the balance will find happiness. 103. But those whose scales are lighter will perish and abide in Hell for ever.

The scales analogy always takes my attention. I agree that we should have lots of good deeds, but not for the hopes of our salvation. I find it interesting that Isaiah has this to say about our righteous acts.

⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

As my post about the mechanic with dirty fingers described the other day, how can we clean ourselves when we are dirty?

Matthew 9:17-38 -- "The Eds" & The Amazing Christ

I wanted to conclude our current Bible chapter by presenting you with

MATTHEW 9 "THE EDS" EDITION
ca. 30 A.D.

This will cover verses 18 through 38 since we already discussed the first half of this chapter.

Ruler BEGGED: Jesus to go to his house and heal his daughter

Jesus RESPONDED: by going with him

Woman TOUCHED: Jesus' garment

Jesus AFFIRMED: her faith had made her whole

Jesus ARRIVED: at Jairus' house

People MOURNED: Jairus' daughter's untimely death

Jesus RESPONDED: that she was asleep, not dead

Crowd LAUGHED: at Jesus' foolish words

Girl RESTORED: to life (take that, Death!)

Blind men CALLED: to Jesus for mercy

Jesus QUESTIONED: their belief in his ability to heal

Men RESPONDED: "Yes, Lord."

Jesus TOUCHED: their eyes

Sight RESTORED: according to their faith

Jesus ADMONISHED: "'See that no one knows about this.'"

Men DISOBEYED: ^31"But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region."

Did you ever wonder why Jesus told some people not to tell what he had done for them? And did you also wonder why the people went out and deliberately did what he asked them not to do? Is it because being able to see or walk or speak after not being able to see or walk or speak was such a huge deal that they couldn't help but share what great things had happened to them?

Demon POSSESSED: mute man brought to Jesus

Jesus AMAZED: the crowd by driving out the demon and making the man able to talk again

Crowd RESPONDED: "'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.'"

Pharisees COUNTERED: "'It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.'"

This reply by the Pharisees makes me believe that others were doing "miracles" back in the day. And we know this also from the Old Testament when Moses went before Pharoah and Pharoah's magicians were able to copy Moses' miracles to some degree. So it seems demons can do some sort of "miracles" which for some reason makes me want to recommend y'all read this post Amber wrote yesterday on The Art of Lying. If we recall that, biblically, Satan is the father of lies then...I just think you all should take 3 minutes and read Amber's post.

Jesus LOVED: by his words and deeds --

³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

NOW BACK TO THE PRESENT AGE - 2010 A.D.

Susanne CHALLENGED:

1. by Jesus' words: "'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.'"

2. to see the crowds with Jesus' eyes -- ³⁶"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."

Must say that I absolutely love to ponder verse 36. I think of a crowd of people who are sick and needy - some physically, all spiritually. And Jesus looking at them not with irritation because he really wants to get a falafel sandwich, a cool glass of water and sit down and rest his aching feet or go visit with his mom. Instead of getting frustrated with all these needy people, read how he looked at the crowd and tell me that is not a reason to want to be like this Christ!



To see all of "The Eds," please click here.

Quote & What I've Been Up To (Ed-style)

"As far back as creation, God declared that 'it is not good for man to be alone' (Gen. 2:18). We were created for relationship with the Lord and each other. Although the rugged individualist has been promoted as an American hero, such self-sufficiency leads to relational poverty."

(pg. 11 - In Touch, May 2010)

Do you think this is why people can be lonely in a crowded room? Or a city of 10 million?

Michael and Susanne on my birthday
April 30, 2010

Overwhelmed: by chocolate from Samer
Celebrated: my birthday at Red Robin's (restaurant) and Smitty's (ice cream place) with my friends
Gifted: with homemade strawberry preserves from my neighbor (tonight - yay!)

Chocolate Samer sent from Germany

Discovered: the North Carolina driver's license agency opens at 9 and not 8 or 8:30
Prepared: for that by wearing something I could walk in
Walked: in parking lot for exercise (how many times can one circle the same grocery store and restaurant in 45 minutes? Without looking suspicious)
Annoyed: at a new NC law which means I need to get my car inspected prior to getting the tag renewed
Enjoyed: a Chick-fil-A biscuit (free with a coupon sent to me by a friend)

Susanne, Denise & Teresa
Birthday 2010

Loved: the postcard from London that Louai sent and I received today
Called: "innocent" because I drink milk and not coffee
Finished: reading all eight books I borrowed from church friend, Cindy
Neglected: watching the lone movie she let me borrow - oops
Decided: to finally read a translation of Al Quran

"'God' is truly a polluted human word"

Traveled: to Virginia with a friend over the weekend





Enjoyed: spring in the foothills and along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Otter Falls
Blue Ridge Parkway
Virginia
April 10, 2010

I read this a few minutes ago and found it thought-provoking. It is excerpted and edited from Proofs of God's Existence by Richard Wurmbrand (1909-2001) who was tortured and imprisoned in Romania for his faith and teaching of Jesus Christ. He is the founder of Voice of the Martyrs. This was written in a context of people who deny that God exists.

Search yourself to see if there is some complex of antipathy that makes you deny God's existence. Terrible things have been done in the name of God, and great stupidities have been preached or written as His revelation. "God" is truly a polluted human word. In His name statues of monsters have been declared to be holy.

In His named religious wars, often the most bitter and intense, have been fought. In His name inquisitions were carried out. Nazi soldiers had "God with us" inscribed on their belts. For this reason believers are called to the reality signified by the word "God." It is important to distinguish carefully between name and reality. Let me emphasize that unless a person distinguishes well, he cannot think well.

For more about Richard Wurmbrand, click here.

The Eds & The Ings

Traveled: to visit friends in West Virginia this weekend

Enjoyed: lovely weather & seeing rolling hills with cows and streams

Looked: at Samer's great pictures from Switzerland

Delighted: to talk with Louai when he accidentally called me on Skype

Insisted: to Louai that I don't talk from the bottom of my throat when he told me Arabic was so easy that "even the children in Syria speak it!" :-P

Laughed: when Pop shouted "Sing it, Lady!" as I sang Jesus songs to him yesterday as I cleaned

Finished: the Syrian School series yesterday -- they were great!

And now introducing The Eds' cousins, The Ings!

Catching: up on some online reading I missed while gone

Learning: to be a servant

Struggling: with my selfishness

Reading: Jesus, Interrupted

Working: on a post about why I don't eat kosher food

Going: to get off the computer and read now

Ciao!

"The Eds" Have Made Their March Appearance!

This is some of last week in a nutshell.


Filled: a lot of posts from Matthew 1 - 5:1-12 this past week. A big thanks to all who contributed to them by leaving your comments. I enjoy what questions and perspectives and varying thoughts you offer... so, thanks! Keep 'em coming!

Checked: out OK at the doctor's office (yearly physical)

Figured: my federal and state income tax for 2009. This and a physical all in one week. How can a girl get so lucky?

Visited: my grandparents with Michael. This is normal for "The C&E Team." I clean, he entertains. Mema enjoys Michael showing her his new toys. She's likely more "up" on Bakugan than most any other 86-year-old woman out there!

Moved: my brother and his wife to their new residence. Well, I just helped a bit in reality. I did not move all that stuff by myself!

Transferred: pictures from Christmas and Michael's birthday to my Snapfish account. Finally! This is why you got to see Michael signing the Christmas card yesterday - about six weeks after the fact.

Enjoyed: Syrian School part 1 -- a BBC documentary. I saw sights from Damascus and Maaloula where I'd been - loved that! Now I need to watch the other parts and see if I detect any other familiar sights.

Gathered: with some church friends last night at Mike and Cindy's house! Besides us, Mike, Cindy and their son, Jacob, there was Mark & Lindsay, Tommy, Sherel & DJ, Whitney, George & Marianne, Terry and Kevin in attendance. Did I miss anyone? I knew all of them except George and Marianne, but I quickly made their acquaintance and found out George is Egyptian. He came to the US when he was 12.

Laughed: so hard that my face was sore. Many of those people mentioned above have a crazy amount of goofiness that they share liberally with the rest of us!

Played: board game Apples to Apples last night.

Borrowed: UP! and several books from Cindy. Andrew said that movie will make me cry...hmmm.

Discovered: a good fiction book in the pile I brought home! Yay, I'd been needing a good book to read. I have some nonfiction books that need reading, but I'm not ready to start something deep at the moment. Matthew has been deep enough for the time being.

Wowed: how God often uses Charles Stanley's monthly publications and letters to speak directly to things I'm struggling with. Like really. Does this guy read my mind and personalize his messages just for me?

Teared: up thinking of a sweet man, Brother Fred, from my parents' church who went to be with Jesus last night. He was a dear man.

Pondered: this from the margins of my Quest Study Bible

Referring to Matthew 5:11-12,

¹¹"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.


The question is: Why rejoice and be glad about persecution?

"Because it reinforces our identity with Christ and the prophets. We can also be glad because, though righteousness has a price, it also has a reward. Persecution reminds us that we can anticipate something better in heaven. Our joy comes not from the physical suffering itself but from the reason for the suffering: Jesus Christ."

This reminded me of yesterday's post about these verses challenging us towards loyalty to Jesus. Also I thought of Acts 5 where the disciples were preaching, jailed, let out of prison, preached some more, flogged and then

⁴¹The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

One last thing on this topic:

"The Beatitudes are an ethical model that requires our declaration of dependence on God."

We cannot do those things without His help.

(pg. 1390)

And "The Eds" Have Returned!

You thought I'd forgotten about these things, huh? Maybe I was inspired to resurrect this from Shell's Maybes Monday last week. Ya never know. :)


Enjoyed: Two birthday parties this weekend. One at Kidsport for Michael's 8th birthday and one for the family February birthdays (my brother, sister, brother in law and nephew.)

Listed: partly because I'm a name nerd, all the young boys at Michael's party this weekend: brothers Malik & Mason; twin friends from church, Olin and Louin; other church friends, Blake, Mason G., Brycen, Austin and John; Classical Conversations friends, Stephen, Michael B., Tony and Christopher. They could have 15 boys and only Jacob from CC was unable to attend.

Chuckled: when Michael would be handed a card and he'd say "Oh, a letter!" and then proceed to read every word on the card

Laughed: with the family as we watched video from 2003 where we saw cutie pie 16 month old Michael & his darling family on a visit to Greenville, SC

Finished: Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey -- this "cultural studies in the gospels" was an excellent read; chapter by chapter the author took parables, teachings of Jesus, interactions of Jesus with others and explained them through culturally-appropriate lenses

Picked: up the History of Islam and started reading from volume one of the set given to us in Damascus; the chapter on Muhammad was 168 pages and I'm so happy to report I'm finally on the next chapter, "The Rightly-Guided Caliphate" which is a mere 120 pages. Can you tell I'm not used to chapters being quite that long? ;-)

Continued: reading Tea With Hezbollah with Samer; only one chapter left

Impressed: by Sami Awad, a Palestinian Christian who is truly following the teachings of Jesus by loving his enemies while working peacefully for his people's rights; I read about him on the chapter from the West Bank in Tea With Hezbollah

Visited: McDonald's last week for the first time in ages; though it wasn't "my" McDonald's. I've not been to "my" McDonald's since last June or July except for a brief winter night when we -- Steph, Will, Michael, Andrew & I -- stopped by near closing time after Christmas shopping

Tired: from staying up late watching the Olympics Winter Games from Vancouver

Amazed: that the US hockey team defeated Canada last night

Liked: this quote from my current The Voice of the Martyrs publication:

"These dictators just can't reconcile that their people can have freedom in Christ." (pg. 9) -- after sharing how the former president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov, would persecute Christians, ban Bibles, raid the homes of preachers and bulldoze churches


Thus concludes this edition of "The Eds." What have you been "edding" about lately?

How we relate to God & the return of "the eds"

Snowed: at my house overnight -- this is noteworthy for the sunny South :)
Remembered: Last year when we were visiting Paul's and St. Ananias' chapels in Old Damascus on this day
Watched: This wonderful Why Do You Fear Me? event from Thursday night in Colorado featuring Carl Medearis (lover of Muslims, Arabs, the Middle East & Jesus!), former SC governor David Beasley and Christian novelist Ted Dekker
Discussed: a challenging chapter - The Blind Man and Zacchaeus - on reaching out to the oppressed & oppressor from the book, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
Enjoyed: seeing the neighborhood children sled and ride four wheelers in the snow
Borrowed: this thing about how people relate to God; with permission from Eva at A Thought Chronicle & her friend Rochelle who summarized this from Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas - thank you, Ladies

Read through these and see which describes you best.

Sacred Pathways by Gary Thomas

“Sacred pathways…describes the way we relate to God, how we draw near to him.”

Naturalist: Loving God Out of Doors

· Naturalists are moved by creation. They believe nature clearly point to God. Creation prompts them to worship. They believe that looking at the ordinary helps to reveal some of the mystery of God.

Sensates: Loving God with the Senses

· Sensates “want to be lost in the awe, beauty, and splendor of God”. Sights, sounds, and smells are all part of worship. They use the five senses to delight in God.

Traditionalists: Loving God through Ritual and Symbol

· Traditionalists are fed by the “historic dimensions of faith: rituals, symbols, sacraments, and sacrifice”. They find discipline, ritual, and structure nurishing.

Ascetics: Loving God in Solitude and Simplicity

· Ascetics “live a fundamentally internal existence”. They connect with God in the quite and with prayer. They do not want distractions.

Activists: Loving God Through Confrontation

· Activists “serve a God of justice”. They see worship as living against evil and calling sinners to repent. They focus on living truth and confronting injustice to change society.

Caregivers: Loving God by Loving Others

· Caregivers “serve God by serving others”. They see Jesus in the needy. Caring for others is energizing and they love God through loving others through service.

Enthusiasts: Loving God with Mystery and Celebration

· Enthusiasts need “excitement and mystery in worship…joyful celebration.” They want to experience, feel and be moved by God.

Contemplatives: Loving God through Adoration

· Contemplatives see God in “images of a loving Father and Bridegroom.” They seek simply to love God deeply.

Intellectuals: Loving God with the Mind

· Intellectuals like to study doctrines and “live in the world of concepts.” For them faith is to “be understood as much as experienced.”

____________________________________________________________________

What pathway do you primarily use to draw near to God? Why?

Which have you rarely used? Why?

Which would you like to try to incorporate into your life more? What would hinder you?

What is the benefit of approaching God in different ways?

What a Savior!

January 9, 2010
Loved: this picture so much I wanted to share it again
Delighted: in the joy on this young child's face
Blessed: that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost
Accepted: by God through Christ Jesus, not by my own works
Showered: by His kindness

Ephesians 1

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

Short Quotes & Eds

"Jesus does not give recipes that show the way to God as other teachers of religion do. He is Himself the way." - Karl Barth -- posted by a Facebook friend

Sam's Club bulletin board -- 12-17-09

"It's not what you gather in life, but what you scatter in life that tells what kind of life you've lived and the kind of person you are." -- Helen Robson Walton

"Attitudes are contagious -- is yours worth catching?"

"Winners are people who do jobs uncommonly well even when they do not feel like doing them at all."


January 8, 2010
Asked: by Andrew, "have you done any more of those 'ed' things?"
Decided: to brave the cold temperatures to run my errands this morning
Shopped: at Wal-mart, Walgreens and Food Lion
Stocked: up on vitamins since Walgreens had them buy-one-get-one free
Griped: to a friend about wireless welfare after seeing a story on the news last night
Reminded: by said friend how blessed I am in my country if all I had to gripe about was people who pay phone bills having to subsidize cell phones for welfare recipients (sorry! I still don't think cell phones are one of life's necessities! I survived years and years without one.)
Called: a "predator" because I eat meat on occasion; is predator the opposite of vegetarian?
Preyed: on pepperoni pizza
Thrilled: to be visited by Michael who is spending the night
Watched: "Night at the Museum 2"
Tickled: on my feet by Michael
Stayed: up too late -- good night, all

Assumptions, Logic, Faith, Delight & Dreaming Big

January 7, 2010
Folded: several tax receipts
Stuffed: said tax receipts into envelopes
Watched: the Alabama Crimson Tide roll over Texas in the football championship bowl game
Mailed: a note to a friend
Stayed: home all day


From Wild Goose Chase . . .

Speaking on assumptions, logic, faith and trying to explain the supernatural, Mark says this:

"Instead of embracing the mystery, we come up with human explanations for supernatural phenomena. Instead of living in wonderment, we try to make the Omniscient One fit within the logical limits of our left brain. And if I may be so bold, I honestly don't think this makes us smart. I think it makes us small-minded. And God isn't the one diminished. We are." (pg. 71)

"The more faith you have, the fewer assumptions you will make. Why? Because with God all things are possible."

By the way this chapter speaks of Abraham, and God getting Abraham out of his tent to count the stars. Mark suggests often we make assumptions based on our view of the eight-foot ceilings around us when we need to go outside at night and consider the One Who hung the moon and sprinkled all those stars across the heavens. Notice the difference? When we assume the ceiling's the limit, we don't dream, we don't believe all things are possible. But when we consider the moon and the stars and the One Who made them and His desire to work through us, we realize anything is possible with God!

"Faith is not logical. But it isn't illogical either. Faith is theological. It does not ignore reality; it just adds God into the equation. Abraham 'faced the fact.' But he was also 'fully persuaded' that God had the power to deliver on His promise. Faith is not mindless ignorance; it simply refuses to limit God to the logical constraints of the left brain." (pg. 79)

I love that. So often I limit life to reality instead of dreaming. Do you believe God puts dreams into our hearts? One psalm instructs us to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. If I understand this verse correctly when we delight in the Lord, His desires become our desires and God wants to give us those things. So why limit life to the sometimes dreary "realistic" outlook ahead of us? Take God into the equation! See the future through His eyes and realize with Him nothing is too difficult! Indeed, anything is possible!

What is something you have in your heart to do, but maybe you've tried to squelch that dream or passion because it's just sooooo unrealistic that it seems it will never happen? Have you limited God by your assumptions and logic? Have you ever stood outside on a clear night and been amazed by the awesomeness of God as you gazed into the sky? Or maybe you've had this experience while hiking in the mountains or while considering the vastness of the ocean or desert or simply by observing a newborn baby or the flowers in your yard. Do tell!

Obsessed!!

Now that I've started this little "ed" thing I got from another blog, I am obsessed with making "ed" words!!!



January 4, 2010
Hugged: my brother whom I finally got on the phone! (and saw in person thus how I hugged him)
Laughed: at a cute Sponge Bob card Michael drew
Amused: by TCU's mascot -- the Horned Frogs (Fiesta Bowl Game; football)
Enjoyed: Hanging out with Michael and my dad for a couple of hours
Pondered: Things I read in a book about John 1:1 and Jesus as the Word/Logos (my dad read my blog and directed me to a book that addressed this in the first chapter)

January 5, 2010
Walked: in the "freeze with a breeze" in the dark with Andrew
Amazed: by God's grace and unconditional love as shown in Luke 15
Reminded: why we need a Savior
Overjoyed: that I could "speak life" to a friend
Loved: How God confirmed things I spoke within an hour after I spoke them
Needed: Carmen's post about the Power to Bless and Love; it's amazing how God challenges me often through blogs - stuff I need to read at just the right time
Challenged: to not do what my sinful nature is wanting me to do -- from Carmen's blog:

Romans 8 12:-14

Sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. for if you keep on following it, you will perish. But, if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and it's evil deeds, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

January 6, 2010
Chopped: the ends off 30 lbs. of carrots
Visited: my brother at his workplace
Tagged: along with my dad to Sam's Club where I bought those 30 lbs. of carrots
Called: my other brother about a home owner's insurance question that he had
Scarfed: the Hershey's Special Dark chocolate from my dad's bag of candy
Reconnected: with a friend whom I'd not talked to in a while

And finally, I laughed when I read this e-mail from my sister. I told Michael today he could spend the night with us on Friday. Two hours later, my sister sent me this:

Wow-I got out of the shower and went to the living room. Mike had all his clothes on, shoes in his hand, and a bookbag packed full of stuff. I asked him what he was doing, and he said getting ready for your house on FRIDAY! He is so ready to go over there. I told him it's a few days away, and he said he just wanted to get his stuff together and be ready to go. He is very excited to show Andrew his new movies and toys and stuff. VERY excited......

By the way, it's too bad "read" doesn't end with "ed," isn't it?

The Eds, Logos, Altars, Zacchaeus

January 3, 2010
Dressed: colorfully* & warmly since it was so stinkin' cold today!
Enjoyed: discussing life in Africa with my mom and grandmother
Squeezed: my adorable nephew - and not just once!
Annoyed: that I still can't get my brother on his cell phone
Joked: with my grandfather about my being a spy*
Wondered: if Jesus being the Logos (Word) and thus revealing the mind of God is for the benefit of our logic ... Logos and logic seem awfully close ... the things that make ya go "hmmmm"



* I had on my black "Cat in the Hat" hat, a black coat, long red scarf, royal blue gloves and my sunglasses when I left my grandparents' house today.


Notes to ponder from Wild Goose Chase ...

"Where have I gotten too comfortable as a Christ follower? ... If I let routine rule my life, I'll never get where the Wild Goose wants me to go." (pg. 44) quotes except I changed the pronouns from you and your to I and me to personalize it

Am I stuck in the rut of routine?

Remember times in the Bible when altars were built? "Altars help us remember what God doesn't want us to forget. They give us a sacred place to go back to." Do we "feel spiritually lost because we don't have any milestones that help us find our way back to God"?

"We need altars that renew our faith by reminding us of the faithfulness of God. And every once in a while, we need to go back to those sacred places to repent of our sin, renew our covenant with God, and celebrate what God has done." (pg. 48)

"Celebrate what God has done" - I like that. I need to built more altars so I can remember God's faithfulness at times when life seems out of sorts.

Mark then wonders about certain Bible characters and places where their lives were changed. I liked these a lot! Here is one favorite, "Did Zacchaeus ever take his grandchildren back to climb the sycamore tree where he caught his first glimpse of Jesus?" Wow, what a thought!

The Eds

I got this idea from Rachel, and who knows if I'll keep it up. She's calling it The Daily Eds because of something about things she does and being in past tense and all that. Maybe I'll do The Weekly Eds if I remember. For now I'll borrow her idea because I found it cute. :)

January 1, 2010
Consumed: some yummy dark chocolate
Watched: FSU's game against WV; Florida's win over Cinci -- you'd think I were a Florida resident, eh?
Cleaned: toilets & floors (vacuumed which is its own "ed")
Exercised: Walked outside before the big freeze w/ breeze settled on us
Loved: Being productive
Pondered: The Wild Goose

January 2, 2010
Endured: writing out checks for fourth quarter estimated taxes
Blogged: about the Holy Spirit
Organized: Andrew's clothes closet
Tallied: 2009 work receipts
Loved: That I finally heard from Samer
Cried: about that S word *sigh*


What noteworthy "-eds" have you done since 2010 began? :)