Christians December 1, 2009

Lately it seems I’ve been hearing a lot about how hypocritical Christians are. The ironic thing is that it is Christians accusing other Christians of hypocricy. Not to say non-Christians don’t think we are hypocritical – I am sure many do. But why are Christians propogating this idea that the people of their own faith are hypocritical? How is this edifying to the Church (universal) to point blame this church or that church as being full of hypocrites? And are we not all hypocritical from time to time (And let me be the first to say that I am)? But do we think we can avoid the label, so long as we are not the ones teaching, preaching, or serving in the church?

 Just look at your Christian friends’ Facebook profiles. I would guess a vast majority of them do not put “Christian” as their religion, but some other description that clarifies that they are not like other Christians.  Why is it that if someone asks us our religion we feel the need to say “Christian – BUT…” Are we giving a defense for our faith or are we defending our own personal image?

So what is a hypocrite really? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a hypocrite is “one who acts in contradiction to his or herstated beliefs or feelings.” As a Christian, we are called to live righteously, free from sin. Yet we all know that even devout long-time Christians do not live completely righteous lives. It seems the only way to avoid being a hypocrite is to lower the bar. We will never be perfect, so why act like we are trying to be and risk looking like a hypocrite when we fail?

I think that part of this accusation of Christians by other Christians stems from a longing for authenticity. To not have to pretend to be perfect, not have to pretend to be “okay”, not have to pretend to have life figured out. This is a good thing. But somehow we have to figure out how to fuse authenticity with humility and love. To be able to be honest with each other and build each other up, rather than point fingers at each other and cause division.

And we have to be humble enough to accept accusations by those who aren’t Christians. Remember that Jesus also suffered accusations and slander. Jesus did not defend himself. He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to convict people of who He was. We cannot expect anyone to be convicted of needing Christ if we feel we need to give a disclaimer about ourselves every time someone finds out we are a Christian. Let the lives we live and the words we speak demonstrate what Christ has done for us and how He is working to continue to transform us. And let these words and actions be edifying to the Church, who act as Christ’s hands and feet and eyes and joints and smiles in the world. We all need each other.

Our Neighborhood Gang November 22, 2009

When my husband and I first visited this apartment community we now live in, it seemed like such a serene place to live. After moving in, we found that most of the time (save for a few late-owls stemping up and down the stairwell several nights) it is indeed a serene place to live. The apartments are nice, the grounds well-kept, and the people friendly.

Upon moving in, we started noticing the gang hanging around our apartment community. They seemed harmless at first. Out of place in the suburban-like atmosphere, but we had heard nothing about them causing trouble. Sometimes it would be 8-9 of them appearing suddenly from the little clusters of woods scattered throughout the neighborhood and other times it would be just 2 or 3 loitering about the grounds. 

Then this past summer, they seemed to disappear. I thought maybe they had finally been run out, though since our community is not gated and has no security, it was probably unlikely. I thought more likely, they had gotten shot. But just this week I saw them again, once on my way to work, and once just yesterday as we were driving to the mall. In fact, one of them ran right out in front of the car with some kind of death wish.  Thankfully we missed him, but I got a close look at him and it was ugly. But I felt sorry for them, hiding in our community like they do.  Only another 4 days and they will no longer have to fear for their lives anymore. Well… at least not until Christmas. Our poor neighboorhood gang.

Oh, did I mention a gang is a group of turkeys?

Title of the Song November 19, 2009

I’ve been on a bit of a youtube kick lately. A friend of mine actually introduced me to this song and a video some kids from her school made for it. The song itself is funny enough, but the video they made was even more hysterical. Apparently their video is not on youtube anymore though, so you’ll have to just listen to the song. Enjoy!

Scarves November 13, 2009

Disclaimer: The author of this post hearby claims no responsibility for any moderately to severe  negative effects illicited by the reading of this post. Effects may include drowsiness, boredom, aggitation, etc, particularly to the male gender.

Now that that is out of the way… Remember how I said I went shopping a couple weeks ago? Well, during my excursion I purchased some items considered a little more “trendy” than my usual style.  No “skinny jeans” or leggings or huge cowel (sp?) neck sweaters to get lost in while getting dressed in the morning. But I got a cute sweater with a big belt and a long necklace with big beads on it and (da-da-da-daaa!) a scarf! I’ve always admired people who can pull this look off and I’ve long contemplated just how to wear one. And I just happened to find a pretty light-weight neutral scarf for really cheap ($6!) on clearance at JCPenney. My husband was thrilled, let me tell you. (For any who know my husband, you know that previous sentence to be gushing with sarcasm).  Anyway, once I brought it home I realized my dillema… I have no idea how to tie a scarf! I tried googling it to no avail and settled on the inevitable — that one day it would get used… most likely as part of a costume or perhaps to wrap the baby Jesus in as swaddling clothes in a Christmas play.

Thankfully and perhaps  divinely-provided I was reading through one of the local  boards on a website I frequently read called thenest.com, and spied a post about “fashion scarves.” You can imagine how relieved I was to discover that I am not the only one perplexed by this seemingly simple fashion trend! But some helpful fashionista posted a response with the address of a website with a “tying guide” (why couldn’t I find this before?!!!).

First  I tried the double-it-and-pull-it-through-the-loop knot (“Eauropean Loop”) and the ends were still dangling past my waist. Then I tried the  “Hollywood Knot” which was a cute knot, but again had the long dangling ends.  The “Twice Around Ascot” which resolved the long dangling problem, but made it so that the ends were each in my armpits. SO, I finally figured out that if I wrapped “twice around” first and then did the “hollywood knot” to finish it, the result was pretty close to what I had pictured in my mind.

So today I wore my scarf for the first time! And almost got toothpaste all over it when I went to spit  because I didn’t take it off to brush my teeth, lest I lose this perfect knot I somehow managed to phanagle. I think I will have to carefully loosen it and pull it over my head to save it this way like my husband used to do with his ties (before he perfected the double-windsor). 

Looks like I will be wearing my scarf afterall! Much to my husband’s dismay. Good thing he thinks it’s not clothing and makeup and manicures that make me pretty! What a good husband to put up with my girly silliness!

Keep on Singing November 9, 2009

So today I spent a good amount of time watching videos on youtube of these two little girls Bella and Sophia and they are adorable and hilarious. I’ve posted one of my favorites here for you to see (don’t worry, it starts slow, but it gets funnier):

Isn’t she cute? And yet, it’s kind of scary. If a 3 year old girl is thinking things like that, it’s no wonder kids are having boyfriends/girlfriends in elementary school, dating in junior high, and getting pregnant in high school. And even those who make it through those pivitol years without such experiences don’t escape the messages that permeate our culture.   They are often left feeling lonely, rejected, unnatractive, etc.  If only it were really that easy to convince single young women they don’t need a prince! I know, I know… I’m married, what do I really know about singleness?  And it’s true, it’s been almost 5 years since I was single.  But some of my dearest friends are single and they are some of the most amazing people. I admire their ability to sing “someday my prince will come… but in the mean time I’m going to embrace this life I’ve been given and let God use me and shape me.” They sing and dance and travel and write stories and paint and climb mountains. They have some of the most amazing stories and I am amazed by their courage and talents!

 Sometimes I see the sin and weakness and failures of my life and wish “If only I had had more time to prepare, to be really ready to be the wife deserving of my husband.” (Or at least to be a little more interesting!)  But I am learning that God uses us and shapes us where we are. If we are married, great! He uses that spouse to (lovingly, but honestly) open our eyes to the sin we blindly deny so that “as iron sharpens iron” couples help each other become more like Christ. If we are single, great also! God draws us out of our comfort zones and teaches us to trust Him above all else.

I feel like this has not been a very smooth and cohesive post. But I hope you enjoyed the video clip as much as I did. May you be inspired by this little girl’s joy and embrace life where you are and keep on singing.

I Might-Could… November 5, 2009

Have you ever heard this term before? Most likely not if you are from Michigan, but then again, I suppose you might-could’ve. It’s a southern term used like “I might-could go hunt’n” to mean something like ”I might go hunt’n if’n the weather makes it so I could.” Ok, weird example and stereotypical of me, I know. The truth is that the phrase, as grammatically awkward as it is, has grown on me. I first read about it in the book I Married Adventure by Luci Swindoll. In it she writes about how she has made a grand list of “might-could’s” that she might do someday if she could. I love lists, and she inspired me to make my own list to which I have periodically added since then. Here are my current “Might-Coulds”:

• Go parasailing
• Swim with dolphins
• Write a book of my own memoirs
• Ride a rollercoaster (If you know me, you know how truly terrifying this is for me)
• Learn to speak Spanish fluently
• Take a photography class
• Go white-water rafting
• Go on a missions trip to a Spanish-speaking country
• Go dog-sledding
• Pet a baby panda bear before they’re extinct
• Eat at Hell’s Kitchen (ya know, from the show with Gordon Ramsey)
• Go backpacking
• Run a 1/2 marathon (yes half, a real one will cut your life by 10 years. At least my life it would)
• See the waterfalls and volcanoes on the Hawaiian islands
• Go to a Michael Buble Concert
• Learn how to paint (my life dream “I want to be an artist and paint pictures oh so well, then all my friends would want one, gee that would be swell” – I had to memorize that for my kindergarten graduation)
• Go whale-watching
• See the Northern Lights in Alaska
• Go snorkeling
• Climb a mountain with a breath-taking view (that probably could be just about any mountain I suppose since I’d probably be gasping for air by the time I reached the summit)
• Teach a college phsychology class
• Be on Antique’s Roadshow (and not just in the background standing in line with old worthless junk)
• Visit Israel and all the ancient historical sites from the Bible
• Go luging (no, not lugging, but luging, like on the Olympics)
• Go to the Olympics

That’s my list for now. I have a lot to do in my lifetime! Some of them are definitely feasible and others are a little unlikely. I think my first goal will have to be going to Israel, so I can buy a antique treasure to get me on Antiques Roadshow in order to fund the rest of my might-coulds. I’ll probably want to wait to write the book of memoirs until I’m old and gray and have more interesting stories to tell. Then I can call the book My Could-Did’s.  And maybe by then I’ll be an awesome photographer, so I can put pictures in the book too. That is if I don’t die from riding the roller coaster first. Maybe I’ll save that for last.

I hope you’ve been inspired to dream up your own “might-coulds” too. And remember to think strategically when planning the order of accomplishment like I have. As for today… well, I might-could do some laundry and clean up the apartment. Or I might-could go make some homemade brownies. Hmmm… we’ll see which “might-could’s” become “could-did’s”.

Tanger Outlets November 3, 2009

Remember how I said I love finding deals? Well, this weekend my mom and I drove about an hour and a half to spend two full days shopping at a Tanger Outlet mall. We had been planning this trip for over a month, during which I scavenged the internet for additional coupons for extra savings. And it worked! I got most of my Christmas shopping done, other than a few things I’ll purchase from ebay. And of course, Mom and I managed to find a few cute things for ourselves too, mostly from Eddie Bauer (her) and Maurices (me).

We also managed to have a good time apart from the shopping experience. For instance, we got to participate in a 5 year old’s birthday party at the hotel. Well, actually when we got into the hot tub, the kids all scattered and ran for the pool, but at least one little girl returned and told us all about her life as a almost-5-year-old kindergartner who can do cannon balls in the deep end and touch the bottom of the pool. I also got to expose Mom to the musical talents of Paula Abdul and Rhianna and their songs (respectively) “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow” and “Umbrella.” Of course my versions were much better, but I did let her listen to the originals via youtube when she questioned my sanity. And at the resturaunt Saturday night we were served by a very sweet waitress who would come to our table and ask “How is everything?” Naturally, we would respond “It’s good” and she would then reply “Thank you.” Ummm… “You’re welcome???” Must be she made the food too.

So, if you are looking for a fun trip to get good deals and whittle down that Christmas list, go to the tangeroutlet.com website and find a location near you.  And if you need help finding coupons or even hotel deals (ok, so that probably made up for a lot of what we saved, but we did even get that for cheap!), let me know! I’d love to share.

Payless Deal! October 29, 2009

OK, so one of my hobbies is finding deals and this one is amazing! I love payless, they have tons of shoes that are really cute and for really cheap too. And *bonus* they always have my size! Being a tall girl, finding my size can sometimes be challenging. Sure, they may not always be the comfiest shoes, but I always have to wear inserts for my flat feet anyways, so I’m not out anything!

Anyway, enjoy this coupon for 50% off at Payless (<— Just click here) !

Surprises October 25, 2009

Guess what I got from my husband for my birthday! Killer Bunnies (Click on the blue words if you have no clue what I am talking about)!!! I was so excited when came home to a box sitting on the table on Friday. I think my husband was as excited as I was because he proceded to look through each of the cards and read through the whole rule book (I may be exaggerating just a tad, I’m not sure because I was enamored by the illustrations on the cards at the time, but if I am exaggerating, I’m sure he will tell me !) I also got the game Bananagrams from him for my birthday. If you’ve ever played “Speed Scrabble” it’s just like that except the letters come in a little banana pouch and they are their own game, so no more dissappearing letters that make your Scrabble game increasingly hard to play.  FUN! I just want to have a game party right now! If only I was still living in campus housing! I take that back, I really like living with my husband in our apartment, but there were defiinitely perks to living in such a tight knit community. (BTW, if I am making spelling errors or double punctuating, I apologize. My motherboard has been diagnosed to be terminally ill and one of the symptoms is a sort of double-vision screen. All the letters overlap, so it kind of looks how it used to in the morning before I had put my contacts in.)

So, some of you who have known me for a while may be wondering why I got my birthday presents already when my birthday isn’t for another two weeks. Or  you may be wondering “shoot! When was her birthday, how did I forget  it?!” Or you may be wondering “Geesh, would she quit talking about her birthday already!” Well, my sweet husband purchased my gifts 3 weeks ahead of time and can’t (or doesn’t really care about) keep a secret! Actually, I take that back, he has suprised me a few times, like with our engagement. But generally, if it’s a present, he makes the first mistake of telling me he got me something and then asks “Do you want to know what I got you?”

I love surprises! Bbut only if I don’t know about them ahead of time, otherwise all I can think about is what they might be. I lasted for maybe 3 days of Tyler asking me “do you want to know what I got you?” and caved. “YESSSS!!! Tell me PLEASE!!!!” I could barely last 3 days, much less 3 weeks.

Oh well… I was surprised for that moment! And now I get to play my new games all the way up to my birthday! I sound like a kid don’t I. Which reminds me of when my brother and I were kids. There was one birthday when, after going with Mom to buy me a gift, he told me proudly, “I got you a Barbie, but I won’t tell you what kind it is!” Mom scolded him and told me they would have to take it back and get something different, but I still got Dolphin Trainer Barbie from him for my birthday anyways. Since that incident, it seems like we were always torturing each other about what we got each other for birthdays/Christmases. *smile* Good Times!

Anyways… that exhausts all I have to talk about for today. My husband’s watching football right now, but it sounds like it’s halftime… good time to go bug him to  play a game of Bananagrams with me!!! Happy Sunday!

A Moment of Silence Please October 22, 2009

Since being married, my husband Tyler and I have enjoyed using all of our wonderful wedding gifts. When we moved into our apartment after our honeymoon neither of us had jobs yet, so we spent a good deal of time trying everything out. We made homemade ice cream, pasta noodles, pizza, and popcorn. Unfortunately some of our gadgets lasted longer than others thanks to my Midas touch. Or more like reverse-Midas touch. Somehow or another I have managed to break, misplace, or misfigure some of my favorite gifts! So I would like to take a moment of silence to honor all the wounded, departed, retired, and unaccounted for items from my household:

* Our Cold Stone ice cream paddles – at the merciless hands of the dishwasher

* Our Kodak Easy Share Camera charging dock – deserted somewhere in Florida. Last seen April of 2009.

* Our beige towels – first bleached out by the residue of my facial soap, then shredded at the hems by our apartment’s cruel washing machine

* Our precious pizza stone – disfigured, though still able to function; hand-washed thus water-logged and permanently stained (Never wash a pizza stone! Only brush it off with a dry or very slightly damp towel!!!).

* Our popcorn air popper butter dish thingy – whereabouts still unknown. Last seen September of 2009.

* Our Glad storage lid – filled in for the air popper butter dish thingy so we could pop popcorn without kernels flying all over. Permanently disfigured by the scorching popper air.

* Our unknown spatula – fell behind the oven and unrecovered as of yet.

* Our extra large shiny cookie sheets – also at the hands of the merciless dishwasher (aparently anything shiny enough to see your reflection in, excluding silverware, should never ever be washed in the dishwasher. It comes out black and powdery).

* My husband’s digital meat thermometor – drowned with the handwashables. Unable to be revived.

You have each served us well for the short time that you were with us. And to those still with us, we appreciate your perseverance in spite of your trauma. May you remain with us as you until the bitter end.