Renaissance_Phoenix's Xanga

Thankful Thursday (Vol. 44)

Fri, 16 May 2008 00:12:17 GMT

I'm tired. Today was weird, and i just wasn't feeling work at all. Ah well, somedays are just like that. :)

For today.....I've spent most of my day trying to come up with a topic of gratitude. I mean, honestly, there are a million and one reasons I'm grateful, and that's the truth, but it's been hard to peg one down. Finally, this is the best I came up with...so enjoy this week's thankful post.

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies;
But let the thankful heart sweep through the day and,
As the magnet finds the iron,
So it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!
~Henry Ward Beecher~

This week, my prayer partner and I were initially praying over a specific situation in Austria, but when we heard about the devastating earthquake in China, that has just created so much chaos and death and destruction there, we added a second topic of prayer for the week. It was appropriate.

Something struck me as I considered what to pray for China, for the people connected to this disaster and beyond. But something that just kept coming to mind were the missionaries.

See, China is a Communist country. It's still considered a closed country. Missionaries and people sharing their faith in China are criminals and if are present, they are there undercover and the church there thrives in the underground. In fact, with a death toll as high as the early predictions are saying, I cannot imagine how many missionaries, believers and workers in the faith were killed and/or buried in the rubble. And no one will know anything about it. Sad.

What does this have to do with gratitude? I know that's what my dad is thinking right now. But see, this week's theme is gratitude for freedom to speak freely, love freely and profess freely of our faith. Tuesday night, my brother's small group met here at this house, we spoke openly of our faith. We talked, worshipped, prayed, shared Christ with each other and not once did we fear for our lives. Not once did we worry about being arrested for praying together.

As we prayed on Tuesday, even more impactful is the prayer that Marie shared. She prayed that so many people in China shared their faith with so much on the line, and here, we have nothing on the line and we dont' share our faith because we are afraid to be ridiculed. There is such irony. In places where sharing your faith is a life and death matter, there is no fear. But in our society, the greatest fear is sharing our faith for so much more shallow a reason.

This week, as you worship together in a freely built, freely owned building alongside hundreds of other believers who have the freedom to profess what they believe, and have no jail time facing them. Where you can go to church unafraid of a police raid, and you can sings songs a praise without reservation.....be grateful.

Christ held back not even the life blood of his own vitality. He deserves no less than that.

I am grateful to be free to worship....but also grateful for the millions of believers around the world who worship boldy in a place where their very lives are threatened.

This week....
Worship with gratitude.
Pray fervently.
Speak of your faith boldy.
Sing Loudly.
Hold nothing back.

Time for a Vote

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:16:08 GMT

So....the results are in. The top two on American Idol are the Davids.

David Cook vs. David Archeleta.

Honestly, I don't think little Archie even holds a candle to David. But....seeing as my dad and I don't exactly see eye to eye on this topic (see his comment on the bullet post from Tuesday)....sheesh.....I thought I'd trained my poor papa better. *sigh*.....At least my brother agrees with me.

Who do YOU think will win??

For my money....here's the winner - the real one - of this year's competition. He's the one with talent.....

Today's Snappy Points

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:36:43 GMT

Eisley's newest cd, "Combinations" is just as cool and whimiscal as the first one. It's growing on me...even after just one listen.
God totally took control of my day, and it ROCKED. -- more to come.
Y'all - my readers - totally rock my socks off and knock me out. The comments on the last post are incredible. I intend to respond to them all tomorrow, or maybe just compile them....there are some amazing answers that I totally am right in line with.
I made a new friend today named Laura. We laughed so hard, I thought I was going to fall off the 10 foot ladder I was standing on....
Hence it became dubbed the "Tower of Maiming and Injury" -- because I had already dubbed the other one (a six foot ladder) the "Tower of Death"
Little Caesar's has pizza's for 5 bucks. Really...it cannot get better than that.
I'm still watching "There Will Be Blood"....for some reason, it's taking me forever to finish. Sorry, Cdubbs.
It's time for some more Flight of the Conchords. I am far far behind.
American Idol was STUPID tonight. Can I just say that I am sickened at the fawning over D. Archuleta.
Randy was DEAD ON...in his assessment that little archie singing "I miss you Boo" was.....awkward...and his dancing (if you wanna call it that) was vomit inducing.
My man, David Cook, was beautiful. But...seemed ill-at ease....and still managed to cause a bigger reaction than anyone else in the perfoming half.
Sheetz is amazing. I need say no more, for those of you who know what that is.
I crave Italian food...good Italian food.
Did I tell y'all that Micah gave me a card on Mother's Day? It was so sweet. It's got his scrawling on it.....which I love.
Tomorrow is Laundry day.
So today I went to prayer at church at noon and wound up staying until 6.
I was painting and helping make a faux brick wall. I painted five million fake bricks, I'll get a pic up soon.
It's how I met my new friend....and had too much fun for my own good.
At small group tonight, someone in the group just took a little bit of time and prayed for me, for my life and....I cried. Yes I did.
Maybe the stone heart is softening up a bit.
Almond Snickers are...favorite.
I love comments on xanga, on myspace, and on facebook. They feed my narcissism.
There is an imminent need to change cell phone companies.
The new schedule is released tomorrow. I should be officially moved to 3rd shift then. SWEET! :)
My prayer times lately have been sweet and tender, as well as meaningful and full of hope.
Lately I've been clinging pretty tightly to Jeremiah 29:11 - I know His plans are good. I trust His plans.
I trust.
In the mean time, I am going to get busy doing His work. :)
That's all for tonight y'all!
Consider the Lilies....they dont' toil. We shouldn't either. We're beautifully arrayed without any effort of our own. ;)

Q&A Time

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:15:51 GMT

Had this conversation with someone today:

Me: "When are you coming to church then?"

They: "I have this thing against organized religion, I don't like it."

Me: "Another reason you should try visiting our church. It's kinda not normal"

They: "I don't like religion"

Me: "Neither do I. I dislike Religion, and Relgious people most of all."

They: "Then why do you go to church?"

....at this point, the conversation was interrupted and left us both hanging.....

So now I'm pondering this....folks, why do we go to church? it's not about being "religious." It's not about the motions, it's not about the people....And saying "God commands us too" is not a valid answer for someone who needs a reason to attend.....

Thots?

Your turn...please express.

My Mom

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:03:44 GMT

....is amazing.

I know I told y'all already this week, but it's true.

Words are not sufficient.

I miss her like....well I can't think of a good analogy. I'm tired and I have to get up at 6am. Know it's desperate.

I can't wait to see her nexxt month. It cannot come nearly soon enough.

Someday, I'll have enough money to not have to worry about ridiculous plane ticket costs. :(

If you're a mom today....Happy Day. I hope God hugged you especially well today. :)

Thankful Thursday (Vol. 43)

Thu, 08 May 2008 11:11:16 GMT

I love my mother as a tree loves water and sunshine,
She helps me grow, prosper and reach great heights
~ Arabella Radici ~

This week's Theme: Mom

This week I have been pondering how grateful I am for my mom. Mother's day is this Sunday and I'm terribly torn up that I am not going to be there with her to celebrate her love, her life and mothering. She was supposed to be here with us this week, but her surgery and recovery gave us different plans. :( But I know that God had a plan in all of it. I'm still not sure what that plan is, but it's something.

All I know is that my mom is really the best thing about me. There are piecees of me that are really soley her doing. They are there because she spent countless hours praying. They are there because she spent innummerable minutes forming and shaping a character and person in words, discipline and love. They are there because she took just a few seconds everyday to remind us how much she loved us, both in word and with her touch.

She taught me how to love. She taught me how to give. She taught me how to forgive. She taught me how to perservere. She taught me how to pray. She taught me how to be a woman. She taught me how to be grace. She taught me how to exist. In every minute she taught me how to BE a human being, a Christian, and a Godly woman.

I know that I've let her down so many times and in so many ways, but it's because of her that the things I am exist. The other day I was perusing Mother's Day cards and I took a collection of about ten cards, because each one said just a portion of what I wanted to tell her. But I couldn't buy the entire card section....so I had to pick one. That was hard. If I had had no cost bounds, I would certainly have bought the entire rack of cards and signed each one with as much love as the next.

I'm grateful I still have my mom. My best friend lost her mom about six years ago, and she struggles desperately on this day....but I still have mine. I can call her anytime, just to hear her voice, or to get heavy hitting advice, or tell her about the inane details of my boring days. I love that about her.

There is no truer representation that I have of what God's love, mercy and forgiveness is than my mother. If someday, i'm blessed enough to hear that I am like her, it would be words that mean more to me than anyone would know. I'd be ecstatic, because she's the most amazing woman I know. :)

My prayer is that I can endeavor to be half the woman she is.

A mother is the truest friend we have,
When trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us;
When adversity takes the place of prosperity;
When friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us;
When trouble thickens around us,
Still will she cling to us,
And endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels
To dissipate the clouds of darkness,
And cause peace to return to our hearts.
~Washington Irving ~

Did I mention that she's also the most beautiful woman in the world?
She is.

Tired Tuesday Bullets

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:37:51 GMT

Just got in from playing Basketball. I LOOOOOVE playing with my work-peeps. So fun.
Still praying with a xanga friend this week, and it's just ridiculously cool.
My toe hurts....Basketball injury.
Today, I ate a burger and fries from Five Guys. Holy Cow, the French Fries were Ah-mazing.
I finally rented "There Will Be Blood" -- look out Cdubbs, I'll be letting you know how I feel about it soon. :) I think I'll be watching it in the morning.
Realized last night as I was praying for someone that Low Expectations are just as bad if not worse as all out doubt.
I'm about to watch American Idol.
And Eat some Lucky Charms. Oh yeah.
Did I mention that my toe hurts?
I'm complaining, I know. But This is my blog and I'll complain if I want.
Today was mildly eventful at work. Had a kid threaten to punch a concrete wall as hard as she could in front of me. (She didn't)
My favorite Summer drink from Starbucks is the Passion Fruit Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Mother's Day is Sunday. I'm sad I will not be with moms. :( She was supposed to be here then.
On a brighter note, she's healing according to schedule and making progress.
AND, I will be heading back to H-town to visit Moms in June...so I might be there around Father's Day. So goody. We get a double dose of celebratory goodness.
There's a little thing called Laundry that needs to be done.
Tonight at Basketball, I told my teammates that I would not be having any other team for as long as we play. I want them on my team. :)
I know I mentioned it was fun already...but it really was.
Speaking of awkward...I wasn't but go with me....I ran into a dude whom I went on date with at the beginning of the year (it was a set up) yesterday. It was....awkward. I was again reminded of why there was no reason for a second date.
I'm hungry. Time for Lucky Charms.
Thursday is my day off, and I will be watching Iron Man.
Now, Magically Delicious. And I'm not talking about the cereal....I'm talking about one David Cook. :)
Off I go now.....
Buh-bye.

Something Quotable

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:37:09 GMT

God's fingers can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness
~ George McDonald ~

Leave the broken, irreversible past in God's hands
And step out into the invincible future with Him.
~ Oswald Chambers ~

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation
~ Andrew Murray ~

He maketh sore & He bindeth up
He woundeth & His hands make whole
Job 5:18

Updateable Sunday

Sun, 04 May 2008 18:04:08 GMT

It's Sunday afternoon and I suppose I shall update y'all on my world of entertainment, and the tremendous blessings God allowed me to be a part of this week.

Now Reading:
I have completed the first two of the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer, Twilight and New Moon. I am currently reading Eclipse and really anticipating the release of Breaking Dawn in August. The main character Bella is well-written and the stories are intriguing. Definately a pop-culture phenomenon, and probably not well-recieved among uber conservative Christians. Surprising that there's not more hoopla over these books like there were over the Harry Potter books. But as I've stated about the HP books, it is a personal decision and we should never bash something we've never investigated ourself. If you make a decision, I respect that, and probably would be completely cool with what ever decision you make, but I ask that you respect my decisions as well. :)

Also reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (yes, I read much more than one book at a time) and enjoying it tremendously. Something about the writing style is fascinating. I'm looking forward to reading some more of his work.

On the queue of reading: More in the Earthsea Chronicles by Ursula Le Guin and some other books! I love reading.

In the Way of Movies:
Went to see Baby Mama last week. It was entertaining, but I wouldn't pay full price again.

Got a copy of "Corpse Bride" and finished watching that today. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Tim Burton is something else. :) And the music in the Stop-Action Animation was fun!

Also Picked up a copy of "Howl's Moving Castle" - which is one of my favorite movies ever, and books, if I might add. It's a standard Japanese Anime type animation, but the story is so beautiful. Let's also mention that Billy Crystal voices a character and rocks my world each time I watch it! :) he he!

Watched "Bend in Like Beckham" this week twice. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that movie. Do watch it!!!! I exposed two of my favorite people to it! Sweet!

Television:
Finished watching Season 6 of Smallville. Man. Love that show. I'm a nerd though. It's not incredibly convincing or compelling telelvision like Heroes or Lost, but it's fun and quirky and delves in the mythology of Clark Kent and Superman like you'd never expect. :) I loved the episode "Justice" when all Clark's old friends of Superhero-dom come together to work. It's great.

Also, I'm behind watching Lost. I need catch up badly.

American Idol: David Cook. I need say no more.

Iron Chef America comes on tonight! Sweet!

Musically Things:
Dowloads have slowed down a bit, but I still pick up a few new songs now and then. Here's some of the highlights this week:

Of course David Cook! :) I now have enough songs to make a cd. Done. And it's good.

Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis -- This is a really popular song with my girls at work, and it's grown on me over the last several weeks. I broke down and bought it. Good vocal work. It's kinda a sad song though.

Dreams Collide by Colbie Calliat - I love Colbie. This is a new single, probably a pre-release of a new album due out late this year. But she is the musical equivilent of a cross between Jack Johnson and Joni Mitchell. Good stuff.

New Soul by Yael Naim - This is the song on the apple inotebook commercial. The uber thin one....the song is really fun. I read the name of the songtress in the paper this morning. I've loved that song and wanted a copy. :) Now I have it.

The Blessings This week:
Remember me mentioning that I have been praying pretty heavily for someone I barely know? Well, I was prompted by the Lord to share with that person this week about my prayers on their behalf. Thursday night, I had the opportunity to tell this person...and personally, I was blessed just to get to have that conversation. It's truly something special when you see that God's at work and He lets you have a part in it. :) I can't really share much more than that, but know that God has not released my heart from praying for this person...and that's ok. I'm interested to see what God's going to do...and even if I dont' get to see it, just this small glimpse of God's hand is pretty cool.

Also, still praying with my xanga buddy and man, what a blessing! I really enjoy praying with someone. Collaborative prayer is what the speaker at church called it today. I liked that idea. It hit me that God has been showing me that prayer alone is good, but praying with, and alongside someone else is....tremendously more powerful. :)

God's good, right? Oh yeah. Prayer is a good thing...and I'm amazed at God. :)

Thankful Thursday (Vol. 42)

Fri, 02 May 2008 09:39:56 GMT

Oooooooooh.....Just a few more weeks and it's going to be one year! Yes!

Not that I speak in regard to need,
For I have learned in whatever state I am,
To be content.
~ Phil. 4:11 ~

My job has a really high turn over rate. Mostly because a lot of people can't really handle the stresses, they can't handle going up face to face with the monsters that our kids deal with on a regular basis. Most of the time it's a problem with temperament. It takes a great deal of patience, understanding and ability to set aside you personal emotions to get the job done right. Not that you lake emotion or empathy, but to rightly deal with some of the problems arise. Unfortunately I cannot explain this to you well enough or accurately enough. It's a job that you can't really understand unless you do it. And it's a job that a lot of people don't respect or accept as a career. Which is ridiculous. Most people see what we do as glorified babysitting, and that's not even remotely close.

But, here's the thing I'm grateful for this week. While I work, I am surrounded by, and made intensely aware of our kids' home situations, and their lives in general. It's sad. And, Good grief, does it keep my heart in perspective. I'm grateful for my life. For not having to know the horrors of the world that these kids have faced. I don't know why God allowed me a different life, that did not include emotional, physical or verbal abuse. A life that did not include just making it through the day, but a life where now at age 28, I can be a whole person, secure enough in myself to make my own path. No crippling handicaps and certainly no failure of knowledge that I am loved. Why did God allow that? I don't know. But I am grateful for it.

One of the girl's told me the other day in anger "You don't know what it's like to live my life, to be comin' from where I come from!" (Among many other things)...but she was dead on about that. It's ok though, it doesn't hinder me from doing my job. I don't have to live the nightmares to know that they are real. But I tell you, there are moments and times that I wonder why I'm so blessed. And my job reminds me of it daily.

I pray that God gives you reason to evaluate our life, and give you reason to recongnize some perspective and allows you to be grateful for your life. It's a wonder when we set aside the little things that irritate us and take hold in a small portion of what God gave us. My life is not perfect, but it is infinitely better than some people's. I could not be more blessed.