Cat + Vacuuming = thoughts on God

Living in a new state, there is always somethings that are a bit different that I have to get used to and deal with. Living in Tennessee is no different. Here there thing that gets to me the most are Japanese Beetles. These are little beetles that look very much lady bugs.  For some reason these bugs have been coming into own apartment since the fall. Most folks had the massive swarms show up for a few days, then they seemed to move on.   We did have some cover our balcony door and sneak in during those days in the fall. Since the fall though, I have been vacuuming live beetles all winter long. On cooler days I might only find a few and yet on warmer days like today I got 28. I have no idea where they are coming in at or hiding. I just go into one room in the apartment and there they are. So I vacuum them up. Just about daily.

With the vacuum running all the time these days in our home, I would have thought that our cat 'Squirrel' would have become accustomed to hearing the vacuum and less afraid of it. Yet, every time I turn on the vacuum the cat runs and hides. All I am doing is vacuuming up bugs that are poisonous  when eaten by small animals. So the vacuuming of these bugs is probably saving Squirrel from a few stomach aches.

While vacuuming and watching the cat run away, I had a thought "What if this is the way I am with God? What if when things are going on in my life that I am unsure of or I worry about are just things God is using to clean up my life so I have a better life? What if God is just running him plan that is good for me and I react to his care by running away and hiding?" 

Looking back on my life, hind sight always 20/20, I can see where I struggled and how the struggle was used to improve me. Maybe thinking of this while I vacuum will help to do better in the next new struggle... what ever that may be.

December 2013

It is a challenge to try to keep up on a blog with all that I need and want to do with each day. It is except the blog end up being last on the list. The problem lies in when I do make or have time to blog, there is just to much to share!  Lucky for us all, I took pictures and pictures are worth a thousand words, right?

So I think that I last shared that I was working on a project that paired with my husbands sermons during Sunday in Advent.  I will let you see all those, finished.  The pictures I did for worship services, I have been working on for months. I thought it might be fun to share some of the sketches and practices that got me to the finished picture.  Also some other paintings that I have done recently, mainly for gifts this Christmas and some projects we have done as a family. It has been a fun and busy few weeks!

I was so anxious with the first picture. I am thankful to the folks up at Faith in Thompson Station that let us visit them on  Saturday evenings to get a practice run in!

Week 1: Psalm 122

Week 2: Psalm 72

Week 3: Psalm 146

This was a challenge for me. I worked for hours on just trying to draw a chair! I have my favorite sketch of the chairs that I did further down the page.

  I very much enjoyed weeks 3 and 4 because I like the pieces the most and I was finally becoming more comfortable to be doing my art in front of a group of folks. (Thankful that they were all so kind to me!)

Week 4: Psalm 96

 

 

The sketch that the throne in week 2 was based off of.

A practice painting for week 2, before the decision was made to do the pictures as oil pastels instead of all acrylic paints. And of course before the throne was added in place of the cross. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paintings that were given as gifts

This was also given as a gift this year.

We had a blast making gingerbread buildings as a family. This our daughter did, it is a school!

My husband worked on this gingerbread home and made it quite inviting.

I made this to be a church similar to the one my husband is currently serving at. I hope it is not a prophetic gingerbread, since the sides did collapse in!  

I just liked this picture of our cat... and yes, we had our windows open this past month! It is a very mild winter here in Tennessee!

We had a great time making jar lanterns!

Christmas Eve Service

 We pray that you all had a blessed Christmas and that you remember to keep "Christ" in Christian all year through!

 

Just me, learning and trying the best I can

I keep getting comment about how neat it is that I married a pastor. And I must say, yes I think that my husband is a neat guy and blessed to get to use his gifts to serve God and the Church (aka the body of Christ).   Yes, I would agree that the office of the ministry is pretty special too. And I am blessed to have the husband I have, for many more reasons than his role in the body of Christ.

I have to be honest, I do think that I am some what of a neat person (I would have to, to be able to blog about myself and thoughts) BUT I do not think that I am any more neat, or interesting or important than anyone else in this world.

We are each God's favorites.

I bet that each person who reads this (mostly likely just folks that I know, so I know this is true) have very wonderful qualities that they (or you, really) can use for serving God and others. And you may not even "work" a paid job in a church building.

Ever said or sent an encouraging word to another person? That is a wonderful gift ad serving God. Or held a door open for the next person. Yep, that is a gift.

Some have told me that I down play my role in a church... I might go with I like to point out that I am a sinner and that I need grace and love just like the next person.

I think that I am concerned about people that might try to place unrealistic expectations on me because I am married to a pastor (who is human too!). I have disappointed folks in the past and have seen the hurt in their eyes that I couldn't do anything to change. I have to be me, the way God made me.  And I am learning and growing each day.

Learning can be quite messy.

Good thing that we are God's favorites (each person in the world is his favorite that person, in my understanding) and He loves us so much, ...not just enough, the Bible says "so much", that He gave just the gift of his presence in Jesus and hope that we have because all of the work Jesus did for us.

I just hope folks can forgive me when I am human and make mistakes. I will make them, I always do.

Have a good one, God's favorite you! ;-)

Advent Week 1.5

*Ad·vent -noun \ˈad-ˌvent, chiefly British -vənt\

Definition of ADVENT

1:  the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting

2

a :  the coming of Christ at the Incarnation

b :  second coming 

It is the season of Advent. I thought it might be good to just start with Merrian-Webster's definition just so everyone would know what I am talking about. Sometimes there are "churchy" terms that "churchy" people may assume everyone knows the meaning of... when it is quite possible that most of us don't. (There are terms and things like come up in the church that I do not know and I google it or honestly ask my hubby when I get a chance!) 

So, this advent season, my husband is doing a sermon series on the Psalms that are part of the readings for us this year. Last Sunday was the first Sunday in advent and the Psalms that was focused on was Psalm 122. (If you would like to read it, here is an easy link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20122&version=ESV ). While these sermons are happening, he has asked me to do art that fits the Psalm. I thought that it might be interesting to share last week's art.  I do want to let you know that I am not used to doing art in such a public manner with a time limit. This is a tad out of my normal comfort zone, but it is fun... once I did it a few times (I am doing art in three different services).

This coming weekend's picture has been a challenge for me. Hopefully it will be to God's glory when it is finish. I pray that you all have a wonderful Advent season!

 Oh! Side note for those who have prayed for me in the past, I am currently working part-time for the holiday season. It's a great job and I am very thankful for it! 

*Source
 "Advent." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Advent>.

 

Random Thought : Married people secret languages

Random thought: it be neat if each husband and wife had their own language, one just the two of them understood and no one else.

Sure, sometimes we can read the body language of the other but to be able to have a private conversation in any situation at any time.

When I was a kid, one of my friends parents spoke English as their second language. It was interesting one day at her house when I heard them speaking and realized I didn't understand what they were saying. I asked her if she knew and she said no. I am very sure that it was none of my business (I was just a curious child, and, hey, I am still a curious person). It must have been nice for them to share what was on their minds freely.

I think that it would be useful quite often. Like when buying a car, I find that the sales people generally do not leave the two of you alone to really talk things over. So, my husband and I enter the lot with a general understanding of what we are looking for and that is helpful. But how neat would it be if in the middle of our visit to the dealership we could converse with each other in a language that no one else would ever understand?

On the other hand, however, I think that there is a lot of value of children hearing their parents discussing something and working out an understand or agreement between the two of them. Children benefit from knowing that parents can disagree, work through things and still love each other in the end. And if husband and wife used their secret language too often, children would not see an example of conflict management.

Oh well. Just a random thought. No real point, other that it is something that popped in my brain tonight. But hey, I am a "painter", so this is the way I am. 

Pointer vs. Painter

It was brought to my attention that I did not discuss an another interesting part of the recent wellness retreat for pastors and wives. It's about how we communicate; as a painter or as a pointer.  It relates to more than just how people communicate in a marriage, even though that was more of the focus since we were all married folks.

Disclaimer:  It depends on where you are and the situation.

From a trail in TN, nice picture to paint sometime...

So a painter, is a person who likes to give all the details of a picture, and often times doesn't have a point or know what the point is when they start talking.  A pointer is a person, does just that, they get to the point. The point is often the first thing out of their mouth.

If you haven't guessed, I am more often a painter. It might be why I can blog about randomness and feel better for it. Yes, I try to have a point for the blog at hand, but it usually takes be a bit to get there. I have been known to be a pointer, mainly in school or some work situations where I have a task and I want it to be done well and quickly. I know, a tad demanding, but life can be that way.

A classroom worm being a "pointer".  (TN)

My husband  tends to be a more of a pointer. Sure, he can paint a wonderful picture with his words, but he picks his words a lot more carefully and has a point with a plan on how to get there.  Keeps life interesting around here.

Neither style of communicating is "better" than the other. Just different.

What's new? I am different than my husband. I think that is a very good thing. I am sure that I drive him nuts at time with my random chatter or thoughts, but they make sense to me. Early on in the marriage I remember getting responses from him like "Now what are you talking about? You lost me." 

Either style can unintentionally hurt the others feelings. I know we down play feelings, but they are part of what we carry around with us each day. I am hoping that by knowing that a pointer thinks the point is the first thing out of my mouth, like it is with them, I will try to make my words encouraging.

Nice to take time to observe all sort of things in life. (TN)

Hey! So I am wondering if anyone who read the last blog that I posted, if you look at yourself in the mirror and said "I am a baptized child of God. Who am I going to blessed today?"  Honestly, I haven't.  Well, I have said "I am a baptized child of God." But I have not asked or even thought about the "who am I going to bless today'" part.

Fail. Well, there is tomorrow.

And there is grace for us today. That is something to be thankful for!

Ramble and Retreat Reminiscing

Writing in this blog has been on my mind, at least a few times a week. Every week. If it was the thought that really count in this world, I'd being doing great, right? The challenge is in the timing. I sometimes get what seems like interesting ideas, unfortunately I am in the middle of something, like driving, and it is not a good time to try to write. And then when I get the time to write, I forget what it was going to be about or how it was interesting and not just me rambling.

Rambling can be interesting, at times, right?

Last week, my husband and I went to a "Wellness" retreat. Overall, it was a very good time. They gave us lots of info on 'wellness'. It was a bigger picture than just "eat right and make sure you work out", and I appreciated it. The part that I liked the most that they presented everything through the lens of "Old Self" and "New Self". The "old self" is our natural state, sinful and self centered nature; while the "new self" is who we are as a baptized child of God, the focus is not on the self but on a bigger picture, the body of Christ.  I really liked that it was built out from each of us being " In baptism- A new creation in Christ".

Having the starting point of us understanding the "new self" (honestly, not a new concept to a group of pastors and their wives but nice to review that thought) and then using it when thinking on our lives: past, present and future.  For the past, we can remember some hard times in our lives and were encouraged in those times now because Jesus was there with us. We are not alone in our bad days or heart broken moments, Christ was there. Just like He is with you today and will be there with you tomorrow.

In the present, we were encouraged to start each day by looking in the mirror and telling ourselves (with a huge smile on your face and seriously mean this:) "I am a baptized child of God! Who am I going to blessed today?"    Not new to trying to be mindful of baptism.... honestly do not think about it each morning, but I know that I should.  Have to say though, the second part of the quote "Who am I going to bless today?", I felt was self righteous. So I asked others about it. If the question is posed with the attitude of the "new self" then it is more about being open to God working through you to bless others for the benefit of the kingdom as a whole.  I have not said "Who am I going to bless today?" in the mirror, yet. Maybe I will give it a try tomorrow.

"New self" for the future. Not really for all that far in the future, but really for future challenges. So first, I want to share how the "old self" would face a challenge. Someone viewing a situation from the view point of the "old self" would feel anxious about it and say something like "Well, look what I have to deal with now."  When the "new self" is in play, challenges can still seem big, but more about curiosity for the "new self" and would likely say "How are we going to handle this?" We are not alone, so why try to take on challenges alone when we can work together.  I like teams, they are a happy thing.

The best part of the whole thing was getting to spend time with some other wonderful couples and time to pray together. Prayer is something that is very powerful. And having trusted friends praying for you... well it always brings me to tears. (The good kind.)  Looking forward to seeing them again.

I am a baptized child of God. For which I am very thankful.