Time Out

Let's all take a second, shall we? I have a mission for you. I want you to take a moment and stop to breathe. I don't care what you believe about Christmas or the holiday season. I want you (and me) to pause for a moment and contemplate what Christmas really means to you this year. It might mean faith, presents, family, or love. Whatever it means to you, let's take a second and remember that this year.

Comfortable

The guest speaker at church today had a really great point I'd like to share with all of you. Staying in a place where you are comfortable isn't going to invite change. He pointed out that doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result is defined as insanity! So rather than being insane, let's pull some focus. Being comfortable isn't a bad thing. But staying in your comfort zone isn't going to allow you to grow. He was speaking spiritually, but this could be applied in your relationships or professional life. Taking that jump and doing something different can reward you in so many ways. I encourage you (and myself) to apply this! I know that I am creature of habit (and like it that way!), but if I can bring myself to change my routine, God could have the surprise of my life waiting just around the corner! (or "just around the river bend" if you prefer!)

Am I _________?

This question dawned on me last night. Who are you asking your question too? It can be any question, but I was thinking in the terms of questions about yourself. How many of you ask yourself these types of questions?

Am I good enough? Am I pretty? Am I going to be OK? Am I going to get thorough this? Am I physically fit?

I ask myself these questions. And, I think, sometimes we take these questions to men. (not males, but people in general- well in my case, males might be appropriate sometimes) Why are we looking for verification from the world. Whatever answer you get you aren't going to be satisfied with it. Because deep down you know that no matter how many times the answer stays the same, or even is an answer you like, your question isn't truly answered. The only person you need to take your "me" questions to is God. The world can tell you that you are OK, but only God can really start to truly make you believe His answers.

Have we no shame?

I was driving home the other night from a fantabulous dinner with some awesome people and I was listening to Brad Paisley. (P.S. that new Montana Chop House in Hermitage is great! Pricey, but yummy) I've decided I really like Brad Paisley's music. He sings about a lot of stuff from sad songs, to sappy songs, to fun songs. I briefly questioned my judgement when I heard a song about cigars. Literally. Just cigars. Anyway, this is all beside the point. One of my earliest favorites of his is the song called "Little Moments." It talks about all those times his girl did something that was so small, but significant in his eyes.

It starts out with "Well,  I'll never forget the first time that I heard, that pretty mouth say that dirty word. And I can't even remember now what she backed my truck into, but she covered her mouth and her face got red and she just looked so darn cute..." So this got me thinking, when would this ever happen? I honestly don't think people get embarrassed anymore. If you don't like it, don't look type of mentality. We aren't ashamed. We don't get embarrassed when we swear. That is considered a minor occurrence. We are considered odd if we don't swear often. Have we lost our ability to feel shame in any situation? Maybe not, but we don't like the feeling. The fact that we are vulnerable and can screw up. We try to use excuses but guess what? We are human. We aren't perfect. So revel in the fact that we can be ashamed. Use it to learn from our mistakes and to open up and be vulnerable, not push them off and try to power through it. I know I can try to do this more often.

Long Time Coming

Sorry, everybody, I know it's been awhile. Some of you have been asking me about the lag time. Well, I'm lazy. (See previous blogs, haha). So hopefully, I forget about why I wrote down these ideas!

Ever feel like you need to get out of your own way. I feel like that's how God feels about us sometimes. He's just like, OK, Krystle, just let it happen. Stop trying. Just go. When we relax and let everything happen, it won't slip through our fingers.

So, I'm pretty sure that we've all heard the verse, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship" Well, I've always heard of that in respect to sexual purity. Recently, I've been thinking about it in a whole new manner. If my body is God's temple because the Holy Spirit is living in me, shouldn't I be taking care of it in a very strict manner? I mean this is a TEMPLE. The ancient Pharaoh's, who considered themselves gods, had droves of slaves to keep their bodies pretty looking. I want to apply this concept. Shouldn't I be eating healthy and exercising? I want to keep my "temple" 100% fit for what God needs. I've also been looking at the self control aspect of it. I don't have a problem with self control in some aspects, but in others... I definitely do. I've decided to consciously try and work on anger. I get pretty frustrated at work with some of the guests, and I'm trying to change that. I haven't had a good track record yet of denying that extra cookie though :)

Along with the anger issue, how about that "we are supposed to turn the cheek" idea. I have SUCH an issue with that. If you are going to hate on me, I really don't want to be nice to you. For example, the people who scream at you at work. Well sorry, buddy, if I was gonna bend the rules for you, I am DEFINITELY NOT going to now. I know work is kind of a bad example because of the various rules, but you see my point. As Americans, all in control, and masters of our own destiny, we have problems taking things lying down. I suppose actively accepting a circumstance and not fighting back actually shows a better self discipline, than anger.

Now, speaking of discipline, let's picture something for a minute. You are a toddler. You did something wrong. Mom or Dad comes and disciplines you. Now, did they explain your circumstances in a detailed manner? No. They disciplined you to your measure. I think that God kind of does the same thing. He disciplines you to what you can handle. Same thing with temptation. He only allows you to be tempted to what you can handle. How awesome would it be to be on a full disclosure discipline level with God? Pretty cool, but I"m not there yet.

A couple last parting shots. Let's try to look for our blessings here on earth. We are trying to store up treasure in heaven, but let's look for our treasures here on earth. They may be "hiding" in plain sight; we might not even recognize them!

Last but not least: Don't ever sexually objectify anyone. Let's just leave it at that.

Jolly Holiday

So, I was listening to Jolly Holiday from the Mary Poppins soundtrack today. (Judge me if you will, but Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are amazing) I was singing along (of course) and Julie and I got to this part (Mary singing to Bert): "....You'd never think of pressing your advantage, for bearance is the hallmark of your creed. A lady needn't fear when you are near, your sweet gentility is crystal clear!..."

How opposite is that in today's society. Men are not respected by other men and women alike if they aren't "manly", aggressive, or overly suggestive. Now, of course, this isn't everyone, but speaking broadly it applies. If a guy doesn't "press his advantage" the gal is left thinking that he isn't interested. Possibly not in women at all.

As far as bearance, everyone doesn't think too much of that when they are out drunk at the club. All actions can be crazy and blamed on alcohol. As far as "ladies fearing" that would be going a little far. Unless, of course, they are breaking into your house. But, some guys are VERY pushy. I've been in situations, both personal and professional, when people just keep pushing and pressing. Just let it go. She's not interested and is waiting for you to leave. Of course, initiating situations isn't a bad thing. We're talking about extreme situations.

I fear that gentlemen are a dying breed. Being sensitive isn't a bad thing. To all the gentlemen out there, I salute you for maintaining your bearing. Trust me, the ladies, do love you.

Independent

Do we realize how lazy we are? I do sometimes. Yes, I think I am a hard worker, but I am also very lazy. I was sitting at work doing the crossword puzzle the other day (very badly, might I add) and one of the clues was a fill in the blank bible verse that I wasn't familiar with. Did I stand up and walk the 2 feet to the computer to look it up? Did I reach out my arm to my bag to grab my iPod to connect to the wifi to look it up? No. I was too lazy. I was going to post about this yesterday at work, but I was too lazy. Granted, this isn't an extreme circumstance, but it makes me think about the people in third world countries who literally break their backs working to put enough food on their table to sustain them.
Speaking of our "daily bread" the sermon on Sunday went along with my thoughts. You know the Lord's Prayer right? "... Give us this day our daily bread..." Do we pray for that? Do we pray every day to to receive that? I don't. In our society we feel we don't have to rely on anyone for our daily bread. We are independent. (Hear us roar!) I think sometimes, we don't think that we have to rely on God. We are so self-sustaining, so selfish, that we forget who gave us all our blessings. Who gave you the skills for your $100, 000/yr job? Maybe your winning personality? Well, who gave you that personality?

We have been given SO much, yet we fail to be thankful at all. We expect it. Maybe this post should hit a little closer to Thanksgiving, haha. We are so blessed. Let's praise God for that. I read something once that said, " If you can afford to go to the store, buy a book, and have the education to read it, you are one of the wealthiest people."

So, what are we complaining about? What little things do we say each day? My favorite boots are missing. Mom, why can't you stop asking me questions. My windshield wipers are bad, I'll have to buy new ones. Well, congratulations. You have shoes. You have a family. You have a car. And most of all. We have God. We are blessed beyond belief.

Selfish

I had to go to the AM session of Bible Study today and boy, am I glad I did. Her main point was selfishness vs. sacrifice. It really hit home for me. I took a look at my life, my job, my daily interactions, and was I surprised. What do I do to take up my cross daily and follow God? How do I offer myself as a living sacrifice? Sure, I do tithe, but honestly, that's not hurting me right now. What costs me to give? And am I giving it to God? Like Beth read, if it doesn't cost us, we don't think of it as expensive. And we value things that cost us and guard them. I want my life to be like that. I want to jealously guard my relationship with God against that world. We are not going to live unselfishly with out meaning too. From the minute we wake up til bed we think me, me, me, me. Maybe I'm worse since I'm an only child and don't have any kids of my own to think of and take care of. I live with my parents, essentially, they are still taking care of me.

And we all know that thru giving we receive *Christmas message anyone?* But I don't want to give in order to receive. That shouldn't be the motivator. I want to try seeing what God wants, not what I want.

I'm sure some people would think it's crazy to want to have something cost you, but it makes sense to me. Give it up to Jesus. Because when we do, we find what our true life. And that's something selfish me wants.

I really hope that I can take my own advice on this.

Am I the problem?

Am I part of the problem, or part of the solution? I think we all have to ask ourselves that. In relation to anything: work, school, relationships. If we truly take a look at our conflicts in life, I think we may find ourselves more problematic than we think.

If we all try to think as a team and not a selfish individual we might have less conflict.

Short and sweet :)

Did you know?

Did you know that 27% of the Bible is prophecy? AND 20% of the books of the Bible are prophetic! Wow. I guess that means we should be paying attention to prophecy. I don't know about you, but when I think of prophecy I think of some hokey thing from a Harry Potter book :) Like I said before, I didn't know I was going to like studying Daniel's prophecies but I do.

I think in our culture today we forget how destructive pride can be. We don't think about what it does. I'm not even though thinking about it :) I think to myself, what is wrong with a dad being proud of his little girl who learns how to kick a ball for the first time. Maybe nothing, IF we don't let pride inflate us. But think about all the things pride can lead to. Fights at high school football games. Broken friendships. Thoughts anyone?

More random plot twists- Have you ever asked yourself, Can God trust me? Does God look at you and say, "Oh, yes, that's Sally, she can handle this situation." Or is it, "Well... maybe I won't let her be a part of this one." I know I need to ask myself that question. I don't think I would be in the affirmative category right now. I know I need to pretty much be on my knees praying that I can get to that level of trust with God.

Speaking of praying, isn't it awesome that we have Jesus Christ interceding on our behalf to the Father? I mean. Jesus. yeah. Him praying for us. How powerful!

Sorry this is random tonight. Lots of little tidbits. In my bible study, Beth said something to the effect of isn't it great that we don't just hope that Jesus is the son of God- we know. Now, sometimes I have to take a look at my faith and relationship and say ok, girl, this is where I am. Look at what is right in front of you. Faith is one of those things for me. But, I'm dealing with. I guess I'm just putting it here to see if maybe it can be encouraging for you. You aren't the only one who struggles.

Last random note, Since I've been reading a lot about prophecy the possibility of theopany (appearance of Christ after he ascended into heaven but before he comes back- or something like that. Google it!) How crazy awesome is this stuff. I mean Daniel was sitting there praying and wham!!! there was (what some scholars to be) Jesus. Daniel freaked out. So would I. What would be your reaction if Jesus Christ literarily appeared before you. Yeah. Man. Imagine that. I guess we don’t' have to b/c some day it will be a reality in eternity. But if during my life he did appear and I wasn't dead, what would I do. I don't know. What would you do?

Love-> Marriage, Marriage->Love....

So here’s some food for thought. I was watching Aladdin on TV last night (great movie!) And it occurred to me that after their magic carpet ride and kiss everyone is all happy happy and the sultan and Jasmine jump right into the marriage card. “You’ll be married at once!” Even though no one really proposes or asks. Not that I’m criticizing one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, just thinking.

In the real world, at least the real world in our culture, we’ve become accustom to huge and sweeping romantic epic. We expect huge proposals, elaborate weddings and a storyline that most woman would cry if they read it. But when exactly did this shift take place? Didn’t it used to be marriages were strategic alliances for families, countries, and royalty? Again, not that I’m complaining. I’d like to pick my own husband, thank you very much. Was our culture “Disney-fied” at some point? If you ask anyone, including me (not that I’m getting married currently, haha), why are you marrying this person you will get a common answer in some way or another. Love. I love him/her. I can’t imagine life without her/him, etc.

Even in the Bible a lot of the marriages you read about are political. I mean Adam and Eve were married, but they were kinda the only option. Yes, there are love stories in the Bible. (Ever read Song of Solomon?) But I want to know where our American romantic expectations meet real life. Marriages are hard work. (Or so I’ve heard!) Where does God’s plan fit into all this? Yes, I think God loves us so much He wants us to be happy and loved by our spouse, but it’s not like I can think of scripture at the moment that says, “Marry your spouse because you love them” So I guess my basic question is when/what prompted the move of marriage from an alliance where love could grow, to love that makes you want to form an alliance.

I guess I do expect that someday I will “be in love” and will get married according to God’s plan for my life. But is this sweeping epic love we think of today part of the love God wants us to experience.

I think I’m rambling now. I hope you understood some of that!

*Cue the song “A Whole New World”

~~~which by the way, I do plan on playing at least once at my wedding J

Does God hear our prayers?

Answer: Absolutely. He hears us and answers! Even if the answer isn't what we want. But He cares about us. Even little things. Real time example:

I'm at work. Due to unforseen circumstances we were overbooked a room. Enter in prayer. When I checked my status next I wasn't oversold any more!!!! We had someone cancel! Praise, Jesus. It's such a small thing, but God is listening to you!

Moving mountains

So I saw a verse today in Psalms that was pretty awesome. It talked about how God is just storing up good things for us. Isn’t that cool? He is like a Dad who is just buying up everything for his little one’s birthday and just so excited for them to unwrap it on that special day. Everyday can be our “birthdays” from God. Pray that you can receive and use all the amazing things God is waiting to give you because we are precious to Him. He loves us and wants us to do great things.

You know how you read the bible and see all these miraculous signs and wonders and think to yourself, man that would be cool if that happened these days! It can! (I sound like a tv salesman!) We have something better than an angelic visitor or vision! We have the Holy Spirit with us at all times! A part of the Trinity inside us. Wow. I mean think about it. It’s the whole mustard seed thing. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can move mountains.

Me...Me...Me..Me..

I've noticed recently that I haven't been doing a great job at looking at other people's perspectives. I work at a hotel, so my job is kinda based on that. I've become so accustomed to how it goes and those bitter people who are out to get you that I have forgotten to empathize. Example: Lady, I don't care that your room smells funny because we don't have any other rooms so you can't switch. I need to remember to put myself in their shoes and understand it can be stressful, but to really feel for their situation. I would want them to do the same thing if our positions were reversed. It isn't all about me. Good customer service isn't always smiling and being friendly, its about smiling and being friendly while POSITIVELY reacting and solving the situation. Better to be merciful than judgmental.

Cursing and Learning

I’ve grown up in a church environment. The church I am currently attending was the one I was baptized in as an infant. So, I feel like I’ve gotten the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of different doctrines and church ideas. Today, during bible study I came across an idea I don’t think I’ve ever heard of or thought about. In her Daniel study, Beth Moore firmly states that she believes that the nation of Israel will acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah before final judgment and eternity. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I’ve never thought about the Jewish people realizing that Jesus is the Messiah. (Note to any Jewish folks reading this: I’m not judging I’m just exploring!) I’ve known that we share the same Old Testament, but since they don’t believe the Messiah has had his first coming to earth yet, there’s a big differing point. I guess I’ve just always accepted their point of view and not thought about how it could be changed. Just kind of a sarcastic mumbling to myself “well, they are going to be waiting for a LONG time since Jesus has already been here!” How refreshing that maybe one day Israel (God’s chosen people not the current country) and we Gentiles will come to believe the same thing.

Beth also said she believes that God’s chosen people and the church (referring to all believers not refined by descent or denomination) are separate. She doesn’t think that we Gentiles will ever become his chosen people or vice versa. Good thing He loves us all. I’m just enjoying learning new things! Because when we learn, we have the opportunity for growth!

On a less serious (?) note, my job makes me swear. Haha. As any of my coworkers can attest to yes, old high school friends the girl you thought would never utter a vulgar word has done so. This disappoints me. Yes, I know. What a stupid thing to worry about, but it bothers me. I want to hold myself to a higher standard. Well, you say. Is swearing really so bad when it doesn’t involve kids and has a really good reason J I guess not, but the bible does say don’t use foul language, and the women I just called a witch with a b last night ( not to her face, don’t worry) is God’s child. He loves her just as much as He loves me. I used to be able to count on one hand the number of four letter words I have said out loud. Not so much anymore. Not that I hadn’t said them in my head!!! One of my current goals is to clean up not just my vocal words, but my internal ones as well.

You

Today’s blog is brought to you by YOU. :)

So, something that I've been thinking of recently- What is something that you are ashamed in your life? Ok, great. We are now all thinking about something(s). Now, what have you done to change that. Uh Oh. Yeah. Probably a lot of nothing if you are like me. I think I live in a constant state of life that I don't work very hard to change.

Another thing, since I restarted the Beth Moore Daniel bible study it's been very interesting. The second half is all about the prophecies in Daniel, mostly relating to the "end times." I thought I wouldn't like it, but I find it really neat. It is teaching me a different way to think about things. You mainly think about the "rapture" as a negative event, but in the Christian circle it should be thought of as a joyous occasion. Christ coming back like He said He would to jumpstart eternity!

Now speaking as a single lady trying to live the right way, this one may not apply to all of you. I ( and all you other guys and gals in my boat) need to make the conscious decision every single day to live a life of purity. It isn't a passive situation. It needs to be an aggressive situation. There are a thousand different little things every day that I do that should stem from my decision to be pure. It shouldn't just be something I say I live like. It should be something I DO everyday.

Why is it that we think of God as a last resort? We think, " oh, I've done everything I can think of, ok now I will turn to God." I can't do anything else so, I guess I'll call up God now. No, He can be a player in the game. He isn't the last battle. He is the one you can turn to all the time. It isn't about what we can do, it's about what He can do even before you've used up all your ideas.

Sunday thoughts

I think I like this blogging thing more than I thought. I like being able to put my thoughts out there and sort through them to write them down. I don't really care if anyone reads them as long as I have written them. My pastor had some great "pearls" of thought today. He explained defining wisdom as God's way of thinking. What a great definition. Because, how do you explain wisdom? Especially to a younger child. It isn't being smart. I guess I like to think of wisdom as a gift. (That maybe everyone isn't blessed with, haha)

We were in the book of James this morning and James talks about being double minded and doubting. Now, for someone like me who thinks ALL THE TIME I can read into that pretty harshly. But Pastor Jim talked about sometimes when he prays he isn't doubting God's ability to do whatever He wants, he is doubting if he should be praying for A,B,C... and so on. That is EXACTLY what I think. One of those agreeing moments. I don't doubt God's ability to do whatever the heck He wants. I doubt myself and the situation. It's like you always kind of put a clause at the end of your prayer, "But if this isn't supposed to happen, let it be to Your will..." it's like our escape route. So when God says, "Hey, Krystle, remember when you prayed for a,b,c and d... well yeah, that wasn't cool." And I'm like, "oh, hey yeah, God, remember I said at the end that if it wasn't meant to be to not do it." Maybe I should pray for wisdom for myself :)

Cool thought. Discipline not as a punishment, but training. So the next time my little dog does something I won't "discipline" him, I will discipline him!

Last but not least, this is something that keeps coming up in my head, so I feel like I need to really focus on it in my life.

Ask yourself. What are YOU doing for the kingdom of God?

......Yeah. I have no idea what I am actively doing right now. Yes, I pray. I go to church. I read my bible. But right now I wish I can say, Oh well I'm doing this, this, and this. But, I'm not. Hm. Or maybe we can think about it this way. How are we being changed by God? Are we? I don't want to ever be content where I'm at.

Any ideas?

Relationship(s)

You know that great feeling when you and a friend share a secret that you know isn't shared with anyone else? Well, wouldn't it be kinda cool to have that with God? Have one of those little inside jokes or moments with Him? That is going to be a goal of mine. To find a "secret" with God.

Yet again another point from my Beth Moore bible study ( from here on out let's call it BMBS) is sort of about going through the motions. Don't you ever get caught up in the routine that you miss the point? Even enjoying something but not really connecting. Having a good time at church with the social aspect, the songs, and even the preaching. BUT did you really connect and get plugged in? Because I know I don't. I'm going to try and hash out some real alone time with God. Not doing my study, not singing, maybe not even prayed. Just talking. Or listening.

Also, don't we get caught up in the conflicts? Inside our own churches and denominations. Between denominations and especially between other religions. Didn't Jesus come to teach us to love each other? Why are we so caught up on the details? Because all in all if the basics are there it doesn't matter if we do communion 4 times a year or every Sunday. Whenever we argue and fight amongst ourselves it reflects badly on God. We are too busy blaming and pointing fingers that we forget to spread the message of love to everyone. Ok, stepping down from my soapbox. :)

Hope this made sense!

What is sure to be the first of many posts about my job

I like my job. I really do. I am grateful to have it and be at full time status. I like the people and the atmosphere.
But, really...... sometimes I think, what in the heck am I doing? Should I really be doing this? Why am I at this moment in time literally running across the parking lot to get shampoos from the Hampton? I don't remember this being in my job description. The sad part is I am not even phased by the things I have to do anymore. It doesn't bother me because I am so used to being and doing off the wall things. It sure does make for an interesting shift though. Today didn't even make me angry. That was yesterday :)
This is coming out all wrong. I'm not complaining about my job... I'm just pondering it's weird quirks!

Also, side note. A good point by my pastor at my church this morning. When we do wrong are we feeling guilty because we know what we did was "bad" or do we feel guilty because we "failed" God?

Peace out, girl scouts!

Many forms of love

So, I've realized that it's going to be mostly my Beth Moore bible study that will inspire me to write these entries but hey at least I'm thinking about the content!

Once again, this will be a long post. I need to write more often so they will be shorter instead of keeping a list :) Ok, so first thing's first. You know the phrase, "Love is blind." Well, I've been thinking: Is that a good thing? Yes, I think that when we love someone (note: love being all kinds of love, not just romantic) we are more inclined to gloss over the maybe more interesting facets of their personalities :p We tend to love the whole person and because we love them accept their annoying habits. BUT if we are soooooo in love (note: obsession, more on that later) you can be completely blind and look past BAD things. Think an abused woman. Sometimes they state, "oh, he doesn't really mean to hurt me. He loves me." While the rest of us are screaming "LEAVE HIM NOW" to our television sets (which are probably on Lifetime if we are watching shows about battered women). I guess, in summary, I don't think I ever want to be blinded by love. I don't want to love someone to the extent that I can't see all of them. Does that make sense? I want to love them enough that I will put up with some things, but not enough that I can't call them on their crap :) Ok, back to the obsession note. Maybe the kind of love that I'm talking about can be called obsession. It doesn't matter what they do, they have to have it. Like a drug addict. It doesn't matter that it is ruining their lives, they have to get their fix. We could describe a a bad relationship like that. A friend who always takes and never gives, but the person who isn't taking anything can't seem to leave that relationship.

Complete subject change

Manipulation. As the stereotype goes, I am female, so I manipulate. I think I do fit the stereotype to some extent. The question was posed in the study if you manipulated a situation even after you were out of it. Yes, I know I have. I remember in junior high manipulating things so that I could be close to a boy I liked ( who most likely didn't know my name, hahah) But why do I feel the need to be in control all the time. Even at work I pretty much refuse point blank to let anything go unnoticed. Just ask my co-workers :) Obviously, the situation isn't working, yet we still pick and manipulate. We need to let it go!!

Last subject change, promise! So you know that whole honor your mother and father thing. ( i have a feeling they are going to come up in this blog a lot!) Well, I've found a way to do that. I have no qualms about having a guy roommate. I wouldn't mind living with a guy that I knew to save rent. We aren't talking living together like with a boyfriend, but just a male. A completely platonic relationship. XY chromosome. My mother absolutely point blank thinks NO. Not that my parents would disown me if I did have a male roommate BUT We won't get into all that but I've decided that a way to honor her is to honor her wishes and never have a guy roommate no matter how convenient, even though I would be ok with it.

Enough rambling....

Number One

I can't believe I am writing a blog. I have never been one to journal. So let's just take a stab at it, shall we?

Yesterday, we had a guest preacher at my church. His message was about listening well. He listed these three steps for helping people to listen to sermons at church:

1. Prayer

2. Right expectations

3. Mental preparation

*working to listen

This got me thinking.... shouldn't we be applying this to all aspects of our life? Don't get me wrong, I consider myself to be an o.k. listener. I even took classes in college that taught you how to listen. But how many times do you not hear what is being said? A tip from my college courses was that hearing isn't the same as listening. This is so true. I can hear what the speaker is saying, but I don't actually process it.

For example, we are patterned as people. Someone says, "Enjoy your movie." You respond, " you too," only to realize that she is the ticket seller... she definitely won't be enjoying your movie. We heard what she said, but we didn't actually listen to her. Granted, she probably wasn't hearing what she was saying either (we'll get to that some other time).

When we actually listen to people we get a great response. Try getting a friend a little gift. Something they mentioned awhile ago. Most likely they will even forget they wanted it, but when they receive it they will feel so great because you actually listened.

What about listening to God? We all say we want to hear from Him. But do we ever listen to Him? I know I don't. Hmm.. Must work on that one.

Alright. Moving on. Sorry kids, since this is my first one I will be covering a lot of things that are bouncing around in my head.

I'm in the process of doing Beth Moore's bible study The Patriarchs. Sadly, I don't have the video session to go along with it. Today, she was talking about how we all have traits (physical and emotional) from our parents. It makes me wonder what I have gotten from them. It's the classic, I will NEVER be like my mom/dad/whatever. Guess what. You probably will be. So, if I got to pick, what would I take? Good question. Or maybe a better one. What do I already have? I feel like it's so hard to live with my parents sometimes. We love each other but you can't tell because we are so intertwined. 23 years in one house doesn't help our emotional channels. For me, remember to honor my mother and father is one of the HARDEST things to do. I tend to treat them in a very different manner than my peers, co workers, or even my friends parents. Like they are some kind of lesser being because they are MY parents. And MY parents couldn't possibly know/be able to do x, y, and z. Loving them has to be a conscious choice for me. And I do. I just need to show it more.

Last thing (I promise). One of my managers at work has gone all natural in her beauty approach. Honestly, it seems like a great idea. Think of all those chemicals you are rubbing on you all the time. As Americans, we are probably too clean. We strip our bodies of natural defenses and oils and our bodies produce them is excess to make up for it and what do we do? Strip it off again the next day. Don't get me wrong. I love my showers. And being clean. There just has to be a better way out there. Now let's see if I won't be too lazy to try this natural option.

Ok, time to post this for all the world to see. Here goes nothing.