This makes my heart ache a little bit. A glimpse into the future...
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
James 3: all of it
I've been struggling lately to figure out whether or not some of my conversations are starting to lean toward gossip.
A few years ago I did some thinking on this same subject. The end result of my pondering was this truth:
People don't want to be discussed when they aren't present(exceptions, of course, apply). Brilliant, I know.
Somewhere along the line I think I started to forget that again! Ironically, I picked up The Happiness Project today to read June's chapter and there is a section on gossip in it. I thought it would be interesting to see what someone with a different(non-Biblical) viewpoint would say. This is the paragraph that really stuck out to me:
"But although gossip may serve an important social function and it's certainly fun, it's not a very nice thing to do- and I always felt bad after a gossipy conversation, even though I enjoyed it at the time. I wanted to stop telling unkind stories, making unkind observations (even if factually accurate), or being too inquisitive about sensitive subjects. even expressions of concern can be tricked-up forms of gossip: "I'm really worried about her, she seems down, do you think she's having trouble at work?" That's gossip. Even harder, I wanted to stop listening to gossip."
Interesting.
I'm not a malicious person and if you ask me to keep something to myself- I will. But there are fuzzy areas like Gretchen Rubin highlighted. Areas that I like to pretend are something other than what they are.
I don't believe that this is the kind of problem that can be cooked down to a simple list of dos and don'ts. There are too many factors in play. Since I can't come up with a list of rules to follow, I want to challenge myself to do more "thinking before I speak" especially if the subject is a person other than myself.
If you are one of the few people that I talk about intimate stuff with(there aren't many- I'm kinda private), I expect you to hold me accountable. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (I can hear Monica quoting that- wise woman)
Goal #1 for June: Think before you speak!
A few years ago I did some thinking on this same subject. The end result of my pondering was this truth:
People don't want to be discussed when they aren't present(exceptions, of course, apply). Brilliant, I know.
Somewhere along the line I think I started to forget that again! Ironically, I picked up The Happiness Project today to read June's chapter and there is a section on gossip in it. I thought it would be interesting to see what someone with a different(non-Biblical) viewpoint would say. This is the paragraph that really stuck out to me:
"But although gossip may serve an important social function and it's certainly fun, it's not a very nice thing to do- and I always felt bad after a gossipy conversation, even though I enjoyed it at the time. I wanted to stop telling unkind stories, making unkind observations (even if factually accurate), or being too inquisitive about sensitive subjects. even expressions of concern can be tricked-up forms of gossip: "I'm really worried about her, she seems down, do you think she's having trouble at work?" That's gossip. Even harder, I wanted to stop listening to gossip."
Interesting.
I'm not a malicious person and if you ask me to keep something to myself- I will. But there are fuzzy areas like Gretchen Rubin highlighted. Areas that I like to pretend are something other than what they are.
I don't believe that this is the kind of problem that can be cooked down to a simple list of dos and don'ts. There are too many factors in play. Since I can't come up with a list of rules to follow, I want to challenge myself to do more "thinking before I speak" especially if the subject is a person other than myself.
If you are one of the few people that I talk about intimate stuff with(there aren't many- I'm kinda private), I expect you to hold me accountable. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." (I can hear Monica quoting that- wise woman)
Goal #1 for June: Think before you speak!
Solving for X
When you are having issues with anxiety, people love to quote Philippians 4:6,7:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I always found that to be very frustrating. I would try to do what that verse says to do when anxiety over something would overwhelm me. I would pray. I would try to "give it to God" but as soon as I dumped my garbage I would start collecting more(very often the SAME stuff I had just given away). I was missing something. I have come to believe that that "something" is in the verses immediately following Phil. 4:6,7. Verses 8&9 say:
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
I needed to make a conscious effort to refill that newly empty space with different stuff. Good stuff.
My plan is to spend some time on this exercise starting, appropriately, with the first in the list- things that are true. If you would like to, think on that for yourself too. Different things will "speak" to different people. Don Truex(our preacher) did a lesson recently called "Think on These Things" in which he offered some of his ideas for things to think on in each category. I liked a lot of what he had to say. I am excited about going back through my sermon notes, meditating on the good stuff in there and adding my own ideas as I go.
That's it for today. As Paul said at the end of this very letter:
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all"!
"Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I always found that to be very frustrating. I would try to do what that verse says to do when anxiety over something would overwhelm me. I would pray. I would try to "give it to God" but as soon as I dumped my garbage I would start collecting more(very often the SAME stuff I had just given away). I was missing something. I have come to believe that that "something" is in the verses immediately following Phil. 4:6,7. Verses 8&9 say:
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you."
I needed to make a conscious effort to refill that newly empty space with different stuff. Good stuff.
My plan is to spend some time on this exercise starting, appropriately, with the first in the list- things that are true. If you would like to, think on that for yourself too. Different things will "speak" to different people. Don Truex(our preacher) did a lesson recently called "Think on These Things" in which he offered some of his ideas for things to think on in each category. I liked a lot of what he had to say. I am excited about going back through my sermon notes, meditating on the good stuff in there and adding my own ideas as I go.
That's it for today. As Paul said at the end of this very letter:
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all"!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Book club meeting for The Five People You Meet in Heaven -Mitch Albom
These are a few of the lovely ladies of book-club:)...wish they were all in the pic. Love them!!!
Our last book-club meeting featured carnival food(yes, there was a carnival in the story!). The hostess made amazing funnel cake from scratch!! And the chocolate covered frozen bananas... Heavenly!!! FYI- the Fritos are topped with chili, cheese and sour cream(the chili was my contribution). Yum and double yum.A quote from the book(that we had a great discussion about by the way):
"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of it's handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair."
-Mitch Albom
This book wasn't my favorite, nor was it my least favorite.
The author wanted to address the subject of our purpose in life. I don't know that I agreed with him 100%, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It made me work to figure out what I DO think. And here's what it is... Wait for it...
Our purpose in life:
To seek God.
To love both God and His children.
To help others find God.
Some of the beautiful verses I read studying about this are- Eccl. 12:13, psalm 63, Matt. 22:36-40, Luke 19:9, 1 John, Acts 17:22-31.
Two of our thought questions as a group were:
Using what you know of on this earth, what would heaven be like for you?
and
What five people would you meet in heaven?(In the book the main character interacted with 5 people who helped him to understand his life on earth.)
Anyone want to share what your answers would have been?
Friday, May 28, 2010
It was worth it
Well, that wasn't my favorite 48 hours, but it could have been a lot worse I suppose.
Turns out I am my father's daughter.
I have the same chronic condition he has- diverticulosis(sp?). I am sure I will learn a lot more about the specifics when I do my follow-up visit with the Dr., but, if I understand correctly, it is basically inflammation in the diverticulii(found in the wall of the colon). It is potentially dangerous if the inflammation turns into infection. If they do get infected, the diagnosis changes to diverticulitis- which my dad has has struggles with more and more the older he gets. If it is caught early, they can treat the infections with antibiotics, but if not abscesses can form and that is the dangerous part.
I am young and reasonably healthy though, so we should be able to manage it quite nicely. I will have some dietary restrictions, but it won't be too bad. Hey, I'll take it over some of the other problems I could have had!
The Doctor gave me some medicine to start taking to heal the inflammation. I'll start that today. I'm hoping for no side-effects. If there are side-effects, I usually get them- even the weird ones.
So, a lot to be thankful for- including peace of mind.:)
p.s. I have had a WONDERFUL time making up for all of the eating I didn't do all day Wednesday and half of the day Thursday!!!
*Update*
I do have diverticulosis, but I was wrong about a couple of things(guess I should have waited till the follow-up visit before I gave all that info.!). The diverticulosis is not what they are treating for, nor was it the problem causing my symptoms. I have some mild inflammation in my diverticulii(sp?), but it isn't a big deal at this point. The condition causing my problem is ulcerative proctitis(again- sp?!). It is related to ulcerative colitis, but it is much less scary. Ulcerative colitis happens higher up in the colon and is MUCH harder to treat. Many people suffering with ulcerative colitis spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital. My ulcers are found lower down(in the rectum to be precise. Sorry if the terms bother you. I myself, am past all that.) and it responds well to treatments. Like ulcerative colitis, it isn't curable. It will come and go throughout my life. When the ulcers are present they will use drugs to try and speed the healing so I won't have any complications(abscesses). So, it isn't fun or pleasant, but it is manageable and for that I am thankful.:) I really hope I got it right this time. A third correction would just be embarrassing.
And as for side-effects... I have been getting a lot of headaches since starting the med.s. The Dr. said that is a common side effect. Unfortunately I will probably just have to put up with it. I guess there are worse things!
Turns out I am my father's daughter.
I have the same chronic condition he has- diverticulosis(sp?). I am sure I will learn a lot more about the specifics when I do my follow-up visit with the Dr., but, if I understand correctly, it is basically inflammation in the diverticulii(found in the wall of the colon). It is potentially dangerous if the inflammation turns into infection. If they do get infected, the diagnosis changes to diverticulitis- which my dad has has struggles with more and more the older he gets. If it is caught early, they can treat the infections with antibiotics, but if not abscesses can form and that is the dangerous part.
I am young and reasonably healthy though, so we should be able to manage it quite nicely. I will have some dietary restrictions, but it won't be too bad. Hey, I'll take it over some of the other problems I could have had!
The Doctor gave me some medicine to start taking to heal the inflammation. I'll start that today. I'm hoping for no side-effects. If there are side-effects, I usually get them- even the weird ones.
So, a lot to be thankful for- including peace of mind.:)
p.s. I have had a WONDERFUL time making up for all of the eating I didn't do all day Wednesday and half of the day Thursday!!!
*Update*
I do have diverticulosis, but I was wrong about a couple of things(guess I should have waited till the follow-up visit before I gave all that info.!). The diverticulosis is not what they are treating for, nor was it the problem causing my symptoms. I have some mild inflammation in my diverticulii(sp?), but it isn't a big deal at this point. The condition causing my problem is ulcerative proctitis(again- sp?!). It is related to ulcerative colitis, but it is much less scary. Ulcerative colitis happens higher up in the colon and is MUCH harder to treat. Many people suffering with ulcerative colitis spend a lot of time in and out of the hospital. My ulcers are found lower down(in the rectum to be precise. Sorry if the terms bother you. I myself, am past all that.) and it responds well to treatments. Like ulcerative colitis, it isn't curable. It will come and go throughout my life. When the ulcers are present they will use drugs to try and speed the healing so I won't have any complications(abscesses). So, it isn't fun or pleasant, but it is manageable and for that I am thankful.:) I really hope I got it right this time. A third correction would just be embarrassing.
And as for side-effects... I have been getting a lot of headaches since starting the med.s. The Dr. said that is a common side effect. Unfortunately I will probably just have to put up with it. I guess there are worse things!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Getting ready for the best day of my life
I just had my last meal until Thurs. afternoon(earliest).
Lentil soup, salad, garlic toast(millet and flax bread), peach medley applesauce topped with blueberries, and some fancy pants cheese from Switzerland.
Soon to follow: chocolate "ice cream" made from coconut milk with banana slices.
It is a meal to be proud of, but what I really wanted was greasy pizza.
Tomorrow the fun starts.
If you haven't had a colonoscopy before you don't want to know.
Think of me when you partake of... really ANY sort of food tomorrow. If you can chew and swallow it, I will probably be hungry for it.
Nite all
Lentil soup, salad, garlic toast(millet and flax bread), peach medley applesauce topped with blueberries, and some fancy pants cheese from Switzerland.
Soon to follow: chocolate "ice cream" made from coconut milk with banana slices.
It is a meal to be proud of, but what I really wanted was greasy pizza.
Tomorrow the fun starts.
If you haven't had a colonoscopy before you don't want to know.
Think of me when you partake of... really ANY sort of food tomorrow. If you can chew and swallow it, I will probably be hungry for it.
Nite all
Monday, May 17, 2010
Goals for May(been thinking about them for a while now, just not POSTING my thoughts;)
May's focus: Having more fun
I'll be honest. I just can't get on board with this one. I am spending this year trying to become a happier person and I want to look to the Bible to learn how to do that. The Bible says very little about this topic. Does the Bible say that we can't have fun? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Buuuut, having said that, I think that the pursuit of fun is too much of a priority for most Americans. If we don't have enough fun, we tend to feel persecuted.
The Bible does talk about joy. We are capable of being joyful people even if we don't have an ounce of "fun" in our lives. That joy comes from having a relationship with God. It comes from knowing that we are heirs with Christ, and we have a Father that loves us. Paul and Silas had that joy even in prison and they sang songs of praise to God instead of falling into depression. I can't think about this topic without thinking of some of our brethren in Ethiopia today. Some of them spend every day working hard just to survive. They don't go to the movies, or start book-clubs, or try out trendy new restaurants, or go to amusement parks but, as a rule, they are a joyful people. Maybe the lack of "white noise" in their lives makes it a little easier to focus on God. I know that I spend an awful lot of time trying to be physically comfortable in this life and I think that it causes my spiritual self to atrophy. Does that mean that I am going to try and have a miserable life so that I can better focus on God? No. But I do want to get my priorities straight.
Joy can be mine no matter what life brings me. Right now, life is good. The blessings are pouring in. How much easier should it be right now to want to "wake the dawn with praises"?
There it is then- I need to focus this month on counting my blessings. And if the near future finds me with no physical blessings to count, that doesn't leave me empty handed. The lack of physical blessings will just make the spiritual ones shine that much brighter. I am a child of the Most High God and heaven is mine!
So, here's to the first real post in a while... It feels nice.
I'll be honest. I just can't get on board with this one. I am spending this year trying to become a happier person and I want to look to the Bible to learn how to do that. The Bible says very little about this topic. Does the Bible say that we can't have fun? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Buuuut, having said that, I think that the pursuit of fun is too much of a priority for most Americans. If we don't have enough fun, we tend to feel persecuted.
The Bible does talk about joy. We are capable of being joyful people even if we don't have an ounce of "fun" in our lives. That joy comes from having a relationship with God. It comes from knowing that we are heirs with Christ, and we have a Father that loves us. Paul and Silas had that joy even in prison and they sang songs of praise to God instead of falling into depression. I can't think about this topic without thinking of some of our brethren in Ethiopia today. Some of them spend every day working hard just to survive. They don't go to the movies, or start book-clubs, or try out trendy new restaurants, or go to amusement parks but, as a rule, they are a joyful people. Maybe the lack of "white noise" in their lives makes it a little easier to focus on God. I know that I spend an awful lot of time trying to be physically comfortable in this life and I think that it causes my spiritual self to atrophy. Does that mean that I am going to try and have a miserable life so that I can better focus on God? No. But I do want to get my priorities straight.
Joy can be mine no matter what life brings me. Right now, life is good. The blessings are pouring in. How much easier should it be right now to want to "wake the dawn with praises"?
There it is then- I need to focus this month on counting my blessings. And if the near future finds me with no physical blessings to count, that doesn't leave me empty handed. The lack of physical blessings will just make the spiritual ones shine that much brighter. I am a child of the Most High God and heaven is mine!
So, here's to the first real post in a while... It feels nice.
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