Beautiful

When someone says they have prayed for a specific message for you and come with something this specific, sometimes it's just best to listen.

MercyMe - Beautiful [Official Music Video] from mercymemusic on GodTube.

From the Interweb :: June 12, 2013

Seedling, Never Not Knitting I have some alpaca that I think would be perfect for this little hat BUT who wants to knit winter hats when the sun is finally shining!? Not this kid. This one will have to wait till fall. 

All Seasons Slippers, Etsy - And I want to make these too. Something cozy, comfy and delightful. Indeed. 

Great Kids Have Parents Who Seem to do this Well, Donald Miller "Secretly (until now), I’ve noticed a common theme amongst well-adjusted kids. The theme seems to be this: Great kids come from families in which parents are real about their shortcomings. They come from families who live and believe in grace."

22 Unbelievable Places that are Hard to Believe Really Exist, Bored Panda - I want to go all these places to take all these photos myself. Incredible creation. 

Too Girly To Lead?, Laura Ortberg Turner - no matter how close or how far to the church I feel, this topic is close to my heart. I love the subtitle on this article: "God cares more about our girts than our gender." I've often said it, felt it myself, wondering why God would gift someone if he didn't intend for them to use those same gifts. Why would he gift a woman to preach (yes, preach, not speak, teach or share but actually preach) if he didn't intend for her to do so? Why gift her to vision cast if those gifts were not to be used? Why lead through conflict, manage teams, organize or direct if that wasn't his intention for her? Why?

Probably the Best Wedding Photo Every, Bored Panda - It probably is. Seriously. Check it out.

You don't have to wait, Jim Palmer - live now. today. here. in this moment.

and another one like it...

This is for the Day, Sarah Bessey

What I Want My Kids to Know About Sex, We are that Family - In a world where the messages about sex are so convoluted and sometimes polar opposite, there are some things I wish my kids - and their friends and their friends' friends - knew about sex.

To Carry Hope, Settle Monroe - there is hope, no matter the whether or the season.

Tim Fall: "Families that don't talk about money are more likely to end up in a legal dispute.", Jenny Rae Armstrong - It makes interesting sense. Let's pull out the spreadsheets and spread out the budgets, Babe!

Not as much time for the interweb when there's beauty like this to be enjoyed outside!

Round What?!

I thought I could do it. I thought I could come back after the lock out, after my own small boycott, and enjoy the game. I thought I could enter into the playoffs with some level of enthusiasm. I thought I could. And maybe it would have been different had my team made the playoffs. Maybe then I could have. Or maybe if my sweet husband's team had played more than four slightly better than dismal games I could have. But I can't. I can't enjoy the game this year. It's surprising and sad and I hope it doesn't last but the truth is, I just don't care this year.

The sun is shining, the grass is finally getting green and, to be honest, when I'm working four nights a week, the last thing I want to do on the other three is stay inside and watch big business. I want to play. I want to garden. I want to ride my bike and read books on the back deck and drink beer and bbq and go to yoga...and I just don't want to watch hockey this year. It's weird. I don't actually like it a lot but I'm going to run with it.

So I can't, in good conscience, write playoff post. There's some good match ups and some teams I really dislike going head to head but this is the best I've got. Conference finals...Pittsburgh from the East. The west is a little harder. I've gone back and forth between Chicago and LA. LA is proving that it wasn't all a magic run last year. Chicago had that stellar season. LA or Chicago? Chicago or LA? I think LA and Pittsburgh would be an interesting Stanley Cup final so let's say L.A.

As for the cup, well, we'll see how I feel when we get there.

Until then, time to enjoy the great outdoors and the wonderful things that summer has to offer...

Quoted :: Henri Nouwen

When we have been wounded by the Church, our temptation is to reject it. But when we reject the Church it becomes very hard for us to keep in touch with the living Christ. When we say, ‘I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,’ we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the Church seldom asks us for forgiveness, at least not officially. But the Church as an often fallible human organization needs our forgiveness, while the Church as the living Christ among us continues to offer us forgiveness. It is important to think about the Church not as ‘over there’ but as a community of struggling, weak people of whom we are part and in whom we meet our Lord and Redeemer.

Henri Nouwen, "Forgiving the Church," Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith, Harperone; Reprint edition (Jun 1, 2005)

Current Read :: May 2, 2013

Order in Chaos, Jack Whyte
This is the third in the templar saga. I think I'll miss these once they're over. I'm especially excited about this one as it takes us into Scotland in the era of Robert the Bruce. Betrayal, history, knights, kings, queens and politics...just what the doctor ordered.

Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job and Your Dream Job, Jon Acuff
I've just started this one via audiobook and am enjoying it so far. Acuff shares, in conversational style, some of the things he's learned about following and finding your dreams and transitioning well into your dream job, without quitting the day job too soon. So far so good.














The Winter Ghosts, Kate Mosse
 This was not what I was expecting. I have read Mosse's two previous novels and found myself thoroughly lost in both. This one was a different genre entirely. A ghost story of a different type. There was no mystery, no intrigue, no crime to solve, no puzzle and no chase. It was more of a classic ghost story. A slow ghost story. I don't think I enjoy slow ghost stories.








The Sanctuary, Raymond Khoury
This is another of Khoury's stand alone novels and, like the last one I read, it was okay. Tying together the intrigue of kidnapping, the mysticism of the search for eternal life that spans centuries and the science of medicine used in all the wrong ways. It was a nice break from the real world but I would probably say it was simply "okay."















World Without End, Ken Follett
I think the most fun part of this one was that it's the first book ever recommended to me by my dad. Ever. I read Pillars of the Earth over the holiday and was able to have a fun chat with him over that one. He then proceeded to give me a preview and I just couldn't wait to dive in. And he was right. I loved it.  Characters tied in from hundreds of years prior, and more of the lords, ladies and historical tales from Pillars. I think I actually enjoyed it more than Pillars, to be honest.

Lexicon Project :: Guidance

So here I am, trying to teach myself cables, and not just any cables, Celtic cables at that, with only this chart for guidance (have I mentioned I haven't knit by a chart before either?). I'm so pleased with how the pattern is coming out.

NHL Playoffs 2013 Round 1

I admit it. I'm still feeling a bit of a post strike hangover so writing about the playoffs seems a little bit ridiculous but, the truth it seems, is that once a hockey fan, always a hockey fan so here I am. The other truth I should probably confess is that I probably only watched about half of the hockey games that I normally would in a season (and that's not a reflection of the shortened season). Sure, I caught all the games that my Oil played that I could (pesky work schedule got in the way of a few) and most of the Canucks games (I'm a good wife, after all...or trying) with the exception of our early season fast (read protest/boycott) but those Eastern Conference games...did they happen? With the exception of whichever Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa game got the early slot on Hockey Night in Canada, it was as if a lot of those games didn't exist for the viewership in this house.

But now it's playoffs.

Now the fun begins.

Now it matters.

So, as has been my tradition over the last few years, here's my picks for this round.

Eastern Conference

Pittsburgh (1) vs NY Islanders (8)
Even without the injury ridden Crosby in the lineup, the Pittsburgh bench goes deep. There's tons of playoff experience and hockey smarts on this year's team. The Islanders just haven't seemed to be able to score this season and, well, the Penguins just happen to be the top scoring team in the league. Either the Islanders need to put up a defensive wall or they'll need to find offense they haven't had all season. Either way, I think it's a long shot.

Pittsburgh in 5.

Montreal (2) vs Ottawa (7)
It seems that both of these teams have had a bit of a roller coaster season. Montreal didn't fare so well at the end of their season, piling up the losses. Curious what that does to a team to have a slide like that just prior to the playoffs. That said, if they could come through the personnel chaos at the beginning of the season they way they did - P.K Subban? Just sayin.' - maybe they are mentally tough enough to get through this too. They were second in the East, after all. They've got rookies, they've got some new muscle this season, they've got some great scoring stats and stellar special teams and they've got a goalie who's willing to pay the price...but you've got to know that a good Canadian match up like this will be full of life. Ottawa has it's strength. They've got veterans like Karlsson and Alfredson who are hungry for the cup, one of the best penalty kills in the league this year, some muscle of their own and a goalie who, if he really is healed from the injury that sidelined him for almost half of the regular season, could be the answer to Montreal's offense. I like Ottawa for this one. This is the team that last year shocked everyone, giving the Rangers a good scare. They're good for the upset.

Ottawa in 7.

Washington (3) vs NY Rangers (6)
Two teams with nearly identical regular season records coming out of the East. Oh joy. It would probably be fair to say that the first half (or more) of both teams' regular season were lackluster at best BUT both teams have turned it on to finish and captured play off spots in their own right. So here we are. We have Washington with Ovechkin - who just wasn't enough to do it last year - and a Ranger squad - changed very little from last year - boasting the fire power of Rick Nash and backstopped by Lundquist. They're two teams that don't like each other much so it will probably be feisty hockey and close games but I'm not convinced that the Capitals have what it takes. Playoff hockey history hasn't been kind to the Capitals.

Rangers in 6.

I saw this on facebook the other night and had to grab it to share.

Boston (4) vs Toronto (5) 
I wish that I could say that I write this with no personal bias but that would be a lie. Toronto bugs me. The fact that they haven't seen playoff ice since 2004 makes me happy. Stephen Harper's mocking tweet prior to the series - "I hope MapleLeafs fans enjoy their 1st playoff game in HD this evening," - gave me a good chuckle. That Toronto is in the playoffs when Edmonton isn't, ticks me off.

So here we are. Two more teams facing off that come into the playoffs with nearly identical stats. I wish I could hold the fact that they haven't been in the playoffs in years and that 15 players on the Leaf's roster have never played in a playoff game against them but I can't. Boston won in 2011 and, barely changing the roster, were out in the first round in 2012. I don't think playoff experience is going to be the factor in this round...unless you want to say that last year's loss makes the Bruins more aware. There's enough muscle to make this series nasty - hello, Chara's a monster - and enough offense to make it fun - Kessel, Seguin, Horton, and Redden to name a few. The difference will be the strength and longevity of the defense. If Rask can hold it together, he could be the game changer.

Boston in 5.

Western Conference

Chicago (1) vs Minnesota (8) 
If Toronto makes me grumpy, it's fair to say I hate Chicago. Hate Kane and Bickell and Oduya and Hossa. I do. But you don't post a season like this one for nothing. Sorry Minnesota.

Chicago in 5.

Anaheim (2) vs Detroit (7)
I feel like this is the same Anaheim team I was watching in high school...or maybe that's just Teemu Selanne that makes it feel that way. That's guy's a veteran leading a team that wants to win and knows they can. They broke all sorts of franchise records this year. They have special teams, penalty kill and goal tending in order. The starting lineup of Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry is impressive and more than capable.  And then there's Detroit. The third team in the NHL that is essentially dead to me. They have experience. They have stars. They have the will to win. They beat Aneheim three out of the four times they played this season. And they're on a roll coming into the playoffs. If you're going to pick a time to "get hot" this is it. I figure this will be one of the hardest fought series this round with more than a few one goal decisions and over time wins. While LA showed last year that a number 8 seed can take it all the way, this Anaheim team has something good going on.

Anaheim in 7.

Vancouver (3) vs San Jose (6)
While not hailed as the hands down favorite this year, it's not as if Vancouver is out of the running. Their playoff hopes are alive and well. Come on, when your backup goalie is Luongo, you're not doing half bad (all haters keep your opinions to yourself. you know you'd want him on your team). I'm not convinced that the Schneider/Luongo question is actually that big of an issue. You've got the Sedins, Burrows, Bieksa, Kessler (if he can stay healthy), Edler, newly aquired Roy, and Ballard. Guys that can win. They're season started a bit shaky but if the end of the season - and games like their last meeting with Chicago are any indication - this Vancouver team is picking it up at the right time. Meanwhile, the Sharks are still boasting a strong veteran core albeit less so after the pre-trade deadline deals that saw some of their depth (like Clowe) finding new homes. Even so, they're coming in on a winning streak that not only propelled them into the playoffs but into the 6th spot. The difference between these two teams is going to come down to offense. I know, I know...the team with most goals wins. I get it. But here's the deal. As they go into game one, these two teams are, on paper fairly evenly matched so the team that can find the offensive solution (and yes, score the most goals) wins. 5 on 5 goal scoring and the power play. If Vancouver can find the power play prowess of seasons past, this could be short lived. Regardless, it's going to be fun.

Vancouver in 7 (and not just because my hot husband wants them to win).

St.Louis (4) vs LA (5)
LA's 2012 run from eighth spot to the cup was, well, magical. Is the magic alive and well for 2013? This is yet another match up of evenly matched teams. Similar in goals for and against and almost equal power play and penalty kill percentages.  LA may have won all 3 games of the season series between the two teams but St. Louis won 12 of their last 15 games of the season, goal tending being the key to those wins with Elliot putting up some stellar stats. Then again, Quick isn't half bad either. These are going to be low scoring, grinding, hard fought games but, in the end, I don't ascribe to the theory that says the magic is gone...or that 2012 was simply a magical anomaly for the Kings. They're a solid team that has tasted the win...and liked it.

LA in 7.

So that's all I've got for now. We'll see how it goes.

Now I'm going to go knit until I'm allowed to watch the game currently recording. What did we do before PVR's?

Lexicon Project :: neatly

 

Maybe, just maybe, if they are stacked neatly, no one will notice how many are sitting there calling my name, begging to share their stories with me. At least that's what I tell myself...

The Life Aquatic :: Gagnam Style

Every once in a while, we see things in the pool that, frankly, just wouldn't happen anywhere else. Like the aquacize class the other night. The instructor used some top-40 hit fitness disc to "set the mood" and then, just for fun, I suppose, decided to use the music to inspire the fitness moves in each set. Now picture it for a minute. 30 mostly 60+ individuals in swim suits attempting Gangnam style.

You can't pay money for some of this stuff.

Of course, in the next hour I got to clean up poop off the floor. I'm not convinced it balances out.

From the Interweb :: April 23, 2013

Hard and Good Work, Momastery.com - So good. So honest. So funny.

Let's Talk about Food!, Rachel Held Evans - I like to talk about food. I also like to read about food. Mostly, I like to eat food.

What a hundred lifeguards taught me about my calling, Chatting at the Sky - Not only does she NOT lump all lifeguards together in some hollywood baywatch-esque stereotype (that's right, not all lifeguards are "whistle twirling, chair lounging, teenage flirting type of life guards", thank you very much) but the message she draws from watching them work hit home too.

(un)steady as she goes: on grieving a good thing, sortacrunchy - I don't have twins. There is no shared experience through which I can find that deeper level of understanding at how twins changes life but I can understand the anger, the grieving and the guilt of which she speaks. I can understand how THAT changes a person. I can understand how life turning out so very different from how you planned does something, something drastic, to your heart, to your emotions, to your faith and to your trust...and I'm thankful that sortacrunchy can express it in a way that I can't.

http://momastery.com/blog/2013/04/19/on-power-and-change/

What it Means to be a Christian, Rachel Held Evans - a great quote from a great man of  faith who was not afraid to share his words in ink, a man who will be missed.

In Which I have circles of friendship - and a lobster, Sarah Bessey - Good for my I-think-I'm-more-of-an-introvert-than-I-thought heart that's been thinking a lot about loneliness and community. "Community isn’t an exercise in consumerism and gluttony. Community is not more-more-more = better."

7 Religious Rules to Consider Breaking, Jim Palmer -  Indeed!

Losing Beliefs, not Faith, Kathy Escobar - She's done it again. I wish I could have a cup of coffee with this lady. It seems as though she has visited the places I'm visiting and walked the road, full of thorns and flowers, that I am walking.

Equality & friendship changes everything, Kathy Escobar - maybe we'll call this one this week's bonus piece. Regardless, here's the truth of the matter, when equality and friendship reign, violence and disconnection cannot. 

A Pearl of Laughter

Love these guys. They always make me laugh. Happy Friday.

http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2013/04/01

Lexicon Project :: Provision

Today I'm thankful for all the extra we have, for His provision and care in our lives.

For fruit that feels like warmer days, even when it's snowing outside.

For our house that is a home.

For jobs that challenge us (in good and sometimes frustrating ways) and ensure a paycheck.

For vehicles to move us back and forth.

For friends and family to share it with.

For laughter and tears and everything in between.

For all the abundance and all the extra. 

The Life Aquatic :: You Just Never Know

I fully admit that working in pools is not my dream job. It's not where I want to retire...not that I should really be thinking of retiring. We'll call that a distant dream...but I still don't want to grow old working in pools. Truthfully, working in pools sometimes makes me a little crazy, a little depressed and a lot frustrated.

It's not like on T.V. I promise. Sometimes it's really boring and, if it isn't, it probably would be better if it were. I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a first responder. But that's rare. It's the day to day that gets to me. There's a lot of crabby people, cleaning toilets (and walls. How does it get on the walls?!), scrubbing floors, making change, registering for programs (and helping find the right ones), washing windows, directing "traffic," playing referee, handing out bandaids and wiping bloody noses, filling out copious amounts of redundant paperwork, inventory lists, mopping floors, ignorant people that think the rules don't apply to them, educating (or trying to) about water safety...and just plain common sense, and a lot of watching people swim back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...

The only way I know to stay sane is to laugh and be thankful - noting the positives - and so we share stories. With each other. With our families. Oh the stories. And so I think I'll share the stories. Record them, as best I can, to save my sanity...or what's left of it.

Stories like this one from earlier this week. Four, maybe five, years ago, I taught months worth of private lessons to a little boy. He was petrified of the water. Honestly, we spent the first lesson just working up the courage to get into the water. And he did. One lesson at a time he improved. He got braver. He faced his fears and found some new skills. And he became a cute little friend. His mom and his little sister would come to watch and they too became friends. Eventually it was time for him to move on. I haven't seen him in years. On Tuesday, working a different shift at my new pool, guess who showed up for swim club. Competitive swim club. You got it. My little swimmer and his mom. He's taller and faster and swimming competitively, winning meets all across the province! And guess what? He remembered me. His mom and I had a nice little visit, catching up. She is still thanking me for the impact I had on her little boy years ago, setting him on the path, she says, to success and fitness. I guess it just goes to show that you never know the impact you have on people. You just never know.

From the Interweb, April 9, 2013

5 Social Media Mistakes that Mess with Your Career, the Scoop - I wish more people were aware of the realities of how far social media reaches and the implications of that for their career and life. If they considered the pictures they post and the language they use in light of their career I wonder if, perhaps, things like facebook and twitter would read just a little bit less like the walls of a bathroom stall.

Putting the breaks on Panic Mode, Giving Up on Perfect - A few good reminders for allowing yourself to relax when life gets busy and, perhaps, overwhelming.

The Truth About Parenting Kids in an Unsafe World, We are that family - "I knew dinner was ready because my siblings and I listened for my mom’s call throughout the neighborhood. We rode our bikes around town, to the store and to school, unchaperoned. We climbed in ditches and went inside our neighbor’s houses. We caught fireflies in mason jars and made yarn pompoms and went door-to-door selling them all summer long, just for fun." But life is different now, or so it seems. We bundle up with a different helmet for every activity, all kids have cell phones and heaven forbid we try things on our own. The things is, there are realities in our world that make it just a bit scarier than when we were kids and make the cautiousness seem just a bit more warranted.

Mind Blowing Architectural Density in Hong Kong, Bored Panda - I would go absolutely 100 % looneytunes living in a place this densely packed. The pics are pretty amazing though.

In which Jezebel gives Way to Deborah, Sarah Bessey - Sweet mercy, this is like balm to my church evaluating spirit. "This is the thing I believe about the Kingdom of God: it’s for all of us. It’s for the powerful and weak, it’s for men and for women, it’s for the outliers and the insiders. It’s for all of us. And so there is no neat and safe and tidy box: instead there is the wild and untamed and glorious riches of Christ Jesus, there is Deborah and David, there is Junia and Paul, there is Martha and Lazarus, Esther and Sarah, and there is you and there is me. In Christ, oh, hallelujah, there is room for us all. Don’t let anyone scare you from the battle, Deborah. God has called you, Esther, for such a time as this."

Believing in a Better Modesty Movement, Dannah Gresh, her*meneutics - For years, I have been having conversations about what modesty for the Christian woman really looks like. Something about what I (and many of the women I grew up with) have been taught growing up and how that has shaped our view of ourselves seems counter to what the Bible actually teaches and what I know in my heart to be true. It doesn't seem helpful. The question remains, then, what does it mean to be proud of the uniquely created feminine nature - physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual - and be appropriately modest. What is modesty? Dannah takes a stab at it. I like the focus on respect all the way around. She just might be on to something with that.

Why Healthy Children Aren't Always Happy Children, We are that family - It could be summed up in this: "Because an (immediate) happy child isn’t always a (longterm) healthy child." And that's why the parents make the tough decisions, looking at the big picture and what's long term healthy. It's why trying to be a buddy first doesn't actually help anyone even if it temporarily keeps the peace. It's why parenting is hard work. But it's how children become healthy, respectable, successful, engaged members of society, the kind of people that others want to be around.

What Christians need to know about Mental Healthy, Ann Voskamp - for there to be more grace, there needs to be more understanding...and for more understanding, there needs to be more grace. 

All seasons slippers, Etsy - I TOTALLY want to make these!

Carry on Warrior, Rachel Held Evans - a review of a book I want to read. I might want to take some folks on a journey through it with me. Anyone in? 

Lexicon Project :: shucks

Still having some technical difficulties with my camera, not to mention that this was just an interesting word to try to capture, so here's one of my favorites from Christmas. I love it. It makes me smile every time!

Baby Photography :: Alana Knutson (5 months)

This was such a fun morning and Alana was such a good sport! I had to move fast 'cause she's really starting to wiggle and move and rock and roll!

What's in the name?

If anyone knew how many blog posts are written in my head each day, they'd probably be surprised
(and maybe a little bit appalled...or even thankful. Ha!) at the percentage, or lack thereof, that make it to the blog. I guess that's the blessing and the curse of pacing circles around the pool deck while scanning the water: there's still lots of brain power left to do and think about a lot of other things. If only the people in the water knew what I was thinking about. Or maybe it's better that they don't!

Bright and early yesterday morning, I found myself contemplating what's in a name. What's in a specific title. Most specifically, what does it mean to call oneself a christian. As I've entered a new environment and begun the process of integrating into a new group of coworkers, a new community, it's hard, for me at least, to not want to make a good first impression. I want people to like me. I also want to be known. As much as I value going to work and then going home, I want to be known for more than my work as a lifeguard. And so we've talked about family, hobbies, and value.

In each conversation, I admit, it has been difficult to "confess" to being a Christian or to anything having to do with it. I have spoken very little, if at all, about my previous work in church ministry, how I met my sweet husband (at church) or my faith, even though it's important to me. It's not that I'm embarrassed of Jesus but I do have reservations with being connected to what people think of when they think of church or christians...because sometimes I think the same things. There's a certain, well, stereotype, that I fully admit came from somewhere. Like...

the crusades
the inquisition
witch hunts

...just to name a couple of the big, historical, ugly ones. But, even though they are big and ugly, I'm not convinced that's what people think about when they think of the church today. What about...

http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/MjAxMi1hNGM0YzU0OTM4YzMyZTky

the judgement cast upon those "outside" the church by those on the "inside." You know the ones. They don't drink or swear and they go to church every week so obviously that makes them better than those that do.

the abuse - physical and otherwise - carried out against the vulnerable by those within the church.

the decision to segregate specific people groups by their age, gender or lifestyles

the stupid things that become issues to squabble and divide over. 

the greed and seeming misuse of money. who hasn't heard a tele-evangelist offering miracles if only a big enough donation to their specific ministry is made. And there's the building projects, new and old, that hint at excess on the backs of hardworking individuals, trying to do their

the striving for power. leaders abusing their position. Scaring instead of caring. Ruling instead of leading. Guilting instead of loving.

the apparent hypocrisy of those who do one thing on Sunday at church and then live however they want the rest of the week or those who pick and choose what truths they can apply or those who read their specific desires into scripture simply so they have something to justify their opinions. the ones who wave the bible like a law book instead of a love story. 

...but here's the rub. I can't, I won't, paint the whole thing with the same brush. I am unwilling to say, even though I know there's lots out there that would like me to do otherwise, that all churches or all christians are bad representatives of Jesus just because some are. I am unwilling to say that Jesus' message is false or no relevant to today or simply not helpful because some people choose to abuse the message and use if for their own gain.

The truth is there are bad people everywhere and, since churches are made of people it would be safe to assume that churches would have some too. In fact, I would think, that the Bible itself promises it.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."  Romans 3:23-24 (emphasis mine). 

all 
everyone
men, women and children
young and old
all

It is only by his grace that we could consider ourselves anything but a bad person, someone who has fallen short of what God intended when he created us and left Adam and Eve in the garden. Until we get to heaven, no one will be perfect. There is no such thing as a "good Christian" (find that title in the Bible anywhere, I dare you). In this life we will only find ourselves at different levels of being changed by who he is and representing him a bit better, following Jesus from a little closer or a little further. In this life, we will all have stuff, ugly stuff, that keeps us from looking fully like Jesus. Stuff that makes us look like anything but Jesus. It goes without saying (I think) that people who have just met him will look less like him than people who have followed him for years and years and years, studying who he is and making choices to change their behavior. It should, then, also go without saying, that time "put in" is not the only factor. Nor is simply adding the title and "doing" the right things. It is the choice to follow him, to change behavior, attitudes and character,  studying who he really was and modelling ourselves after him, by his grace, that changes lives. 

What I'm saying is that one could go to a church building for their whole life, every day, and still be ugly on the inside because they haven't let the truth of Jesus change anything about who they are. (Did you know that the only people in the Bible Jesus was ever truly angry with were the Pharisees, the church leaders, who had made faith into nothing but a dead religion, doing the right things, following the mostly made-up-by-men-laws to the legalistic letter, but not loving people?) Likewise, one could go for a matter of months and be transformed, becoming more than they had ever hoped or imagined, growing into his image in leaps and bounds. And so there it is. There are mean, judgmental, greedy, lying, cheating hypocrites in churches. But there are also loving, daring, generous, kind Jesus like people that I wish I could be more like.

I'm feeling a bit like an idealist today and wishing that Christians could be known by what they're supposed to be known for. 

When asked by the Pharisees what the most important law was, "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”' Matthew 22:37-40.

Every "rule" in the Bible, old or new testament, in one way or another reflects those two commandments. 

We're supposed to love God and love people. 

Followers of Jesus are supposed to love. 

They're supposed to be Christ-like. 

He hung out with the most unlikely crowds which probably means he heard some crude jokes and foul language and, shocker, likely had a drink or two. He healed and met real needs. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self control marked his countenance and flowed into every encounter with people he had. His teaching on money, marriage, and relationships between slaves and masters (or employer/employee perhaps) were intended to build people up and make people better. Those who did not know the truths of scripture were not beat over the head and judged for their ignorance - how do you hold one accountable to rules they do not know? - instead he spoke and taught with the specific will to educate and provide answers. No one was ever forced to follow him. Jesus allowed for choice. He did not guilt people into making choices either.  He loved well.

What if that was what churches and the people that fill them were known for? For loving God and loving people and evaluating each and every action through that lens? 

What if? 

I feel like maybe that name, the christian title, wouldn't be so heavy to bear, something to confess to. At least that's what I hope. But right now, in this world, it's not quite that way, is it? So, for now, I'm going to try without the title but I'm going to work hard to live and work with the attitude of Jesus so that if and when the "christian thing" comes up, maybe, just maybe, it won't be such a scary thing.

Last Week's Lexicon Project :: Fresh

In a perfect world, this photo would be of the cute little old man who, when leaving the pool the other day, reached out and grabbed his wife's bottom...at least I'm assuming it was his wife. Full hand on full cheek. Super cute. Him with his saggy old man pants and her with her walker. She couldn't swat him away if she'd wanted to. But alas, I didn't have my camera with me at work and, if I had, it probably would have, at best, been considered a little creepy and, at worst, been breaking some sort of privacy law.

Then, after several hours over several days worth of creative shooting (at least I think so!), I'm stuck with a "card error" message. I'm not sure what I've done or how to get them back but I've decided I'm going to win this one. I'm not done yet.

So this is what you get. Bright, yellow, fresh daffodils brightening up our living room. A bit of a foreshadowing of the spring we can only hope is on it's way.

From the Interweb: March 29, 2013

Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World - We are that Family - I love this one, written a topic that seems to be ever heavy on my mind and heart. It seems so often I just don't know what to do about this attitude that says "I need" about things that are definitely a "want" or how to balance living here, now, today, in this world, with what's good and truly valuable. I'll take any suggestions.

3 Things You should Know About Becoming Yourself, Jim Palmer - surprisingly timely and cut to the heart of the matter

easter hope(less), Kathy Escobar - once again, she's read my mind. Thank you, Kathy. 

The Most Beautiful Cherry Blossoms Around the World, Bored Panda - I want to take pretty pictures like these!

The City in the Clouds: Dubai Photographed from the 85th Floor, Bored Panda - and like these!

30 Awesome Behind the Scenes Shots from Famous Movies, Bored Panda - these are just fun!

Thoughts on 25 Years of Marriage, Wordgazer's Words - some good advice. 

In Which We Leave a Little Room, Sarah Bessey - for a simpler holy week, without the bands, and the showmanship of "that kind" of church. "Strip the rhetoric when we strip our altars. Still the bells and our scrabbling hearts, lay down the palm branches next to the gold spray painted easter eggs and sky-writing Scripture verses and slick direct mail brochures. Fill a basin with water, instead of free cotton candy, and wash someone’s feet. Tear apart the simple bread, pour a glass of wine, and remember, I’m learning to resist the urge to pontificate. Set up an outpost for the Kingdom of God, right in the teeth of suffering and death and greed, and  practice it: We were loved right to the end. Even now, we are loved, right to the end."

Not Enough and Too Much, Kathy Escobar @ Shelovesmagazine - a good match with Jim Palmer's post from above. "Our crazy brains are always trying to ruin us, rob us of freedom, steal our hope, confidence, and peace. And when it’s all said and done it seems like the primary struggle tends to land in one significant place for a lot of us: the tension between feeling not enough or too much."

10 Ideas to re-engage with the Bible if we've become allergic to it, Kathy Escobar - more help for the wounded, for those of us trying to re-shape and sort out this walk of faith when what we knew just doesn't seem quite right anymore. If that's not you, these are just some good tips for diving into the Word. 

Easter: The Highest Act of Love, We are that family

I know that yesterday was supposed to be Lexicon day BUT there has been a sad turn of events in my world. Some sort of corruption is plaguing my memory card. Both the camera and the computer read that there are photos there but they can't seem to actually do anything with them, most importantly, there is no viewing them. Sigh. I'm hoping to be smarter than the card on this one but we'll see. So far, the results are not good. Any ideas? I have my Lexicon photos and half a photo shoot on there...grumpy, grumpy, grumpy...

Lexicon Project :: fragrant

I made this fragrant delight for my last potluck on my last day at my current pool before I transfer to my new site and new position.

It was delicious and the whole house still carries the lingering fragrance of cinnamon, cardamon and chocolate. Yum!