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Thursday, July 17, 2008

  • Regular Programming Interrupted

    If I could list the top things people across the board would say about me, they would be reliable, responsible, dependable. A bit of theme, huh? Viewers in the area have recently seen this message flash across the screen of my life: Regular programing interrupted due to major and recurrent power outages. Please check back later.

    Sunday I turned my phone off for church. Monday night I realized I hadn't flipped it back on. So, I check my messages. There were three messages from Barnes & Noble. They went like this:

    1. Amy, this is Ryan. We had you scheduled for tonight. Just checking to see if you were on your way in.
    2. Amy, this is Ryan. We haven't heard from you. You were suppose to work tonight. Wondering if you are okay.
    3. Amy, this is Todd. We had you scheduled to work yesterday and it's not like you to miss. Please give us a call to let us know you are okay.

    Work. What? Utter panic and shame.

    So, yes, I was suppose to work Sunday night. Apparently, I skipped that when I wrote down my schedule. I typically work one evening during the week and Saturday night. That is not an excuse. I messed up.

    Unfortunately, my brain seems to be having major and recurrent power outages. I recently had to see my doctor about something. I had seen her a week or so before and this was a follow up. I was convinced that she had given me a prescription. I had jotted myself notes but I couldn't find a prescription where I usually stow those things and it wasn't in the notes I had jotted. But I was embarrassed to think I had lost it, so I didn't call the office. I hunted and waited and hunted and waited.

    At my last visit, I had to fess up as I was sure she would ask me about it. I had it wrong. All that hunting was for naught. We had discussed the possibility of a prescription depending on how things had gone. Uggh.

    And then there was that time a few weeks ago. My friend Jill's two sons were putting on a concert. I got invited and Jill said, "Why don't you just come for dinner right before too." I should have been there just after 6:00. At 7:15 Jill calls wondering where I'm at. It took a few moments for it all to register and come back. But I made it to the concert and ate S'mores afterwards with them. Chocolate is good for those kinds of things.

    Last night, I had to go back into B&N for the first time since missing. I REALLY dreaded it. We are talking major anxiety. So, I had returned Todd's call on Monday night and apologized, but I was still nervous.

    When I make a mistake -- and even when I don't make a mistake -- I tend to over apologize. I prayed about it and decided the best thing was to face it head on but determined to not go on and on about it in my usual style. The first person I saw was Ryan. "Ryan, I am so sorry. I totally missed it on the schedule. I had my phone turned off. I'm really sorry. I know there isn't a lot of padding in the scheduling." He was very kind and reiterated that they were concerned because I was so responsible.

    The next person I saw was Mary, our general manager. Again, I apologized twice and totally owned it. She said that it happens to everyone once or twice, not to make a habit of it, and that they were concerned.

    My brain just seems to be all over the place the last few weeks. Please pray for a return to the normal programming. I much prefer it. In lieu of that, I'm writing everything down and triple checking it.





    PS. Taking a break from the blog the last day or so was not part of the power outage. It was more of a conviction of how much time I let blog hopping and blogging consume. I love the relationships, the information, and the encouragement. But it was a reality check of sorts for me. It was good to spend a little extra time with God and a few other things. I think I have a bit more perspective on it. But, I am dying to hop all over and say, "Hi' and see what you are up to. So, hopefully, I will be visiting you soon!

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Monday, July 14, 2008

  • A Child in Rwanda

    Heads up. This is not my typical post. It tells about my other Compassion child in Rwanda, but also deals a bit with the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. I hope you'll still read, but it is just very different from my other posts.


    As I write, the things I sent for Delia and her family are in Ecuador. My friend left yesterday on her trip. I'm praying that everything went well.


    But I wanted to introduce you to the other little girl I sponsor. I recently received an updated photo. I think she looks taller in this picture than the last.





    Kayirangwa is 9 and she lives in Rwanda. Rwanda is a small country in Africa. How, you might ask, did I get from sponsoring a child in Ecuador to sponsoring one in Rwanda?

    Several years ago, I read a book called The Good News About Injustice: A Witness of Courage in a Hurting World by Gary A. Haugen. Gary is the president of International Justice Mission. It is an organization that works with victims of slavery, exploitation, and violent oppression. No, this is not light reading. But it is important reading!

    I think I was gripped with the opening paragraph. He talks about making his typical commute one morning in 1994 and having the thought of saying to his fellow travelers, "Excuse me, friends, but did you know that less than forty-eight hours ago I was standing in the middle of several thousand corpses in a muddy mass grave in a tiny African country called Rwanda?"

    What? 1994? I remember thinking that those things just didn't happen any more. I had consigned them to the Holocaust and World War II.

    But they do happen, like most things of that nature, for little or no reason (or rather exaggerated reason). The Rwandan genocide was between the Tutsi and Hutu people of Rwanda. The Hutu militia and every day civilians killed their neighbors -- anyone of Tutsi descent or anyone perceived as sympathetic to the Tutsi. Most estimates of the death toll are 800,000 to the 1,000,000 mark. Supposedly, it was fueled by the belief that the Tutsi and Hutu are very different and with one being superior. Sigh. In reality, there is very little genetic difference. All of that death took place in 100 days.

    Perhaps one of the saddest aspects is that the world looked on and did very little to stop the escalating violence. President Clinton apologized during his term. But it makes me wonder if it wasn't a bit like World War II. There were rumors of concentration camps but we didn't step in until attacked.

    I was surprised by the book and my own ignorance of the situation. I do well to keep up on local news. Global news is hard to grasp. Still, I think I should do better.

    Delia caught my heart because of language (I cannot speak it but I took Spanish in high school and college) and the relative closeness of Ecuador. Kayirnagwa caught my heart because of reading that book and that sadness that anything like that could happen so recently. It was only 14 years ago. At 9 she wouldn't have been born yet, but I am sure her parents were. What an awful thing to have lived through. What a difficult thing to heal from -- whatever side you were on.

    I came across a 2007 newsletter from Compassion about Rwanda. It shares the story of Emmanuel. His mother had survived the devastation but had hardened her heart. How could God care if all of those things had happened? But Emmanuel was enrolled in Compassion and became a Christian. Each morning he knelt to pray. Still, his mother wasn't interested.

    In 2006 there was a drought. His mother wanted to flee the country in search of relief. Emmanuel told her not to, that his Compassion center was providing rations to families affected by the famine. At first she didn't believe him, but he convinced her to go and see. The workers loaded her with rice and water. As a result of Emmanuel's witness and Compassion's practical intervention, his mother became a Christian.

    That is how I got from the United States and Ecuador to Rwanda. I know that Kayirangwa likes to jump rope and play games and that she has chores. I do not know how she or her family might have been impacted by what happened. But still, I hope, that in some small way my giving to her gives her hope and healing for her family and the tiniest bit of healing for her country. I am thankful that I know a God who can multiply what I give and what Emmanuel's sponsor gave a million times over.

    Now, if any of you know of anyone going to Rwanda, I'd love to be able to send Kayirangwa something like I did for Delia!








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Sunday, July 13, 2008

  • Coming Back Around

    My church has just purchased a new facility (new to us that is). Actually, we've purchased more than that. We've purchased a piece of history. Parts of the building are 97 years old. A church has been meeting there all of those years. Those are prayer soaked, worship filled walls.

    Today, we had a first/last service with the members of the congregation we are purchasing it from. They called it a "baton" handing service. It was a bit of an emotional service as they said goodbye to a place filled with memories, hopes, and dreams and we said hello to a new area of ministry. They prayed many years ago for the parking lot to overflow. Today it did. We were forewarned that we would be parking on the street and walking. (It was a lovely day for a short walk.) I know that it looked differently than they anticipated, so that makes it bittersweet.

    It will be different for us -- going from a mutlipurpose warehouse with 2 bathrooms (yes, lots of standing in line) to a bigger building with 27 bathrooms, a balcony, lots of beautiful old wood, a wing of classrooms for the kids, . . . The biggest change will probably be being in a neighborhood instead of off the highway going out of town. There are lots of ministry opportunities there.

    It was a bit of coming around for me. My parents were not overly religious but we belonged to a United Methodist Church. I was baptized as an infant. While I don't know that my parents were faithful to the promises made that day, I do know that God was. We went on Christmas and Easter and a few other times. The Sunday they were giving third graders Bibles, we "happened" to go. I remember it distinctly as it was the first time I had held a Bible. And since I loved reading, it seemed like a challenge -- a book that had to be read.

    Several years later, we were told we needed to go to confirmation class. My parents took my twin and I and dropped us off. Over a couple of weeks, we found we enjoyed the nursery and soon we were going to youth group as well. One night after a Sunday school lesson earlier that day had talked about giving your life to Christ, I prayed and did just that.

    While I've gong to various denominations since, I guess my roots are United Methodist. While we are not a United Methodist congregation, it is interesting to find myself back in a building with those roots as well.

    We officially have the keys, but won't have a grand reopening until September. There is lots of work to be done until then.

    I'm thankful for all the faithful people who have been in that building before us. As that old Steve Green song says, "May all who come behind us find us faithful."






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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

  • The Parable of the Sturdy Pillar

    Once there was a big beautiful palace. In the center of that palace was an ornate room of the kind you only find in fairy tales. In the middle of that room was a large and very sturdy pillar. It was beautiful pillar, but it it was just a pillar. And as with some stable things in our lives, it was sometimes taken for granted.

    One day, the king looked at the pillar and called for the carpenter. "Here now, I think I need a bit more room in here. Be a good chap and shave a bit off the right side of that pillar." So, that is what the carpenter did. He painted it all up and no one ever knew the difference. They barely noticed the slight wobble in the floor above.

    Many years later, the queen was planning a ball. She wanted plenty of room for dancing. She called for the carpenter. "I need more room. Please take a bit off the left side of that pillar."So that is what the carpenter did. He painted it all up and no one ever knew the difference.

    Several years later, the prince was having a fencing tournament. He thought he needed more room. So, he gave a royal command to the carpenter to take just a bit more off that pillar. So, that is what the carpenter did. He painted it all up and no one ever knew the difference. Though, when the wind blew off the ocean in just the right way and one was on the floor above, some thought they could feel the floor shake just a bit. But everyone knew this was nonsense because it was a well built palace and had a nice sturdy pillar in the middle of the room below.

    As you might have guessed, there was also a princess. She was getting married. So, of course, she wanted her wedding in that very special room with that pillar. But there were so many guests that there wasn't quite enough room for all the chairs. She looked at that pillar and called for the carpenter. "The wedding is only a few days away. Quick now, I need more room. Take some off the pillar." So, though he thought better of it, that is what the carpenter did. But he was beginning to wonder how much more he could take off that pillar and still call it a pillar.

    The night of the wedding all the quests were assembled. The bride and groom exchanged vows. So that everyone in the kingdom would know the wedding had taken place, the king commanded that 100 drums and 100 trumpets ring out. So, at just the right moment just before the kiss, the king gave the signal and the drums and trumpets rang out. They were so loud the whole room, the whole palace reverberated.

    With a sudden crash, the ceiling gave way. The guests below just barely escaped. And the king called for his carpenter in a fury. He asked, "How could you let this happen? I thought this was a solidly built palace and with a sturdy pillar at the center!"

    The carpenter stood tall. "I only obeyed royal orders, sire. But it seems that every few years someone commands that I take just a bit more off that pillar. But no one ever stopped and asked or gave a thought as to what that pillar might be holding up!"

    The moral of the story: Before you move a pillar or shave anything off, be sure you know why it was put there and what it might be holding up. If you are careless and whittle a pillar away, you may find yourself scrambling when the ceiling gives way.

    There are, of course, many pillars in our lives: diet, exercise, learning, and such. But more importantly, are the spiritual pillars like time with God, prayer, and meeting with other believers. But just like the royal family, we whittle away our pillars. We get up too late for a quiet time. When a friend asks for a prayer, we promise to do it later but other things crowd it out of our mind. Sometimes we think, "Sunday is a day of rest, so I'll just stay here a bit longer. God wake me up if you want me to go to church." Or we may think that listening to Christian music is enough to turn our minds to God and things above.

    But God is our pillar. When we let things whittle away the spiritual pillars of our lives, we shave away important pieces of our life with Him.

    Be careful not to move a pillar without finding out exactly what it is holding up or you know exactly what you are giving up! Thus ends the parable of the sturdy pillar.




    Disclaimer: Can't say that I've ever tried to write a parable before, but the thought stuck with me and I thought I would try it out on all of you!


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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

  • A Measure of Self-Control -- Hope Chronicles 55

    Okay, I know I probably shouldn't use "self-control" in the title because it will scare some of you off. But if you can get past the word, please read on!



    Mali is one of my cats. I got her as a six month old kitten. She had been a stray before turning up at the local Humane Society. We have routinely gone round and round in food battles. (Click here for more info on those.) She has been incorrigible and bold enough to try and steal from my plate. (No she is not allowed on the table, but if it involves food she will try anything.) If I do happen to give the cats a morsel of people food, Katy will sniff it trying to decide if it is edible. Before you know it, Mali has snagged it.



    Katy does like cat treats though. So, I give them to both Katy and Mali and physically keep Mali from snagging all of the treats. Both cats scamper to me when they hear the lid to the cat treats come off.



    I'm daring to hope that Mali has gained some measure of self-control, that it has sunk into her heart that she will always get fed. The other night, I opened the treat jar. Katy came right away. Mali lounged on the back of the couch. I rattled the jar. She still wasn't interested.



    Last night I dared to brown some taco meat and eat without putting Mali in the other room. She wound around my legs and I admit to keeping a watchful eye. Amazingly, she didn't pop onto the counter or the table! I think my little monster has learned a measure of self-control. (For those of you for whom this raises concern, her other behaviors has been normal and she has eaten normal amounts last night and today.)



    Needless to say, this has gotten me thinking about self-control in my own life. Can someone look and see or hear the difference in my life.



    I think our thoughts have a good deal to do with self-control in any area. For example, two areas I need self-control over are eating and exercise. I find that I do well for awhile and then I fall into the trap of "I've done so well for this amount of time, indulging now won't hurt." That must be twisted thinking to reward yourself in the behavior that you have been working on.

    I used my concordance to look up self-control in the Bible. I was particularly challenged by these verses in 1 Peter 1:13-15:

    Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."


    Too often I think of self-control just as a refraining from something -- like the M&Ms in the snack machine. Really, it is much more proactive than that: prepare your minds, be self-controlled, set your hope. Planning what I am going to have instead of the M&Ms or more than one meal in advance or when I will exercise is really the heart of self-control. If I just refrain, I'll feel deprived. If I fix my eyes on something more -- on Jesus -- even when it comes to exercise and eating and harsh words, I will have filled that "hole" with something far more fulfilling.

    What do you do to enact a measure of self-control in your life?

BabblingBrooke135

  • Visit BabblingBrooke135's Xanga Site
    • Name: Amy
    • Birthday: 12/15/1968
    • Gender: Female
    • Member Since: 7/29/2006
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About Me

  • God knew I couldn't work my way into a right relationship with Him, so when He planted the Garden of Eden he also planted the cross on top a distant hill -- Amy

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Chatboard (3)

  • VersaGratis
    Thank you very much! :) May God bless you loads.
  • plugeye
    amy, ironically my name is also amy, but I don't let that information get out there, protection you know. I live in Mi, and have been battling heart disease for my whole life, but I am so grateful for every day. I also like to uplift people and laugh, it sure beats the alternative.The LORD, and a po
    • Posted 7/21/2007 10:23 AM
    • by plugeye
  • Hope618
    Amy, Thanks so much for the invitation! I'm Hope. I'm in Va. I'm a teacher with three kids-so I can identify a little bit with your social work. I'm looking forward to chatting more! This is my first step into Xanga.
    • Posted 8/6/2006 5:19 AM
    • by Hope618