Posts
Socks and underwear are on the list according to this article:
http://www.health24.com/teens/General/735-1432,20089.asp
Now, socks don't bother me that much; occasionally I actually need some new ones. Not the most exciting gift. Underwear should just never be on the Santa list, ever. My nephew actually had a way of publicly humiliating you if you were on the special end of an underwear present.
Josh B is always waiting in special anticipation for the moment. Waiting, searching for the sucker who gets the gift that is not in a box, crumples into your hands, and wallah, yells "LOSER!" as soon as you get it open. Fortunately, he usually gets a pair just so that the Loser tag is spread around.
I have a hard time imagining that special moment when you tear open the paper to find 3 pair of your new undergarments (even if they are boxers with hearts on them), look at your special someone with a sigh and puppy eyes and a "I love you" escaping from your lips.
So what are your "Nice try, but you are terrible at gift giving" moments?
Monday, December 18, 2006
Bad Christmas Ideas, Part 2
Bad Christmas Ideas, Part 1
The list could go on year round, but we'll probably just go for a couple of days (while I'm in the spirit of the holidays).
This first one isn't even funny, it just gets me upset. Check out this article on a new video game tied to the "Left Behind" series of books sent to me by my good friend Mike.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNG8TMU1KQ1.DTL
Did someone not get the memo that mowing people down with a gun is not a WWJD kind of act?
Ok, so you lose some "spirit points" if you do that instead of "converting" them. Honestly, I haven't played the game so I am relying on this article and other news sources (my pc admittance for the following rant). But, please, how much worse can an interpretation of Revelation get?
Why do we have to throw in violence just to try to get something Christian in the mainstream? It just seems like that Crusade spirit won't die. I wonder how these same people who came up with the idea and produced the game would feel if other religious groups used the same principles in a game for them?
Once again, it also shows that the categorization of people and the "us vs. them" mentality is a part of the brokenness of humanity that slides in under the gun, so to speak. My new quote from Mother Teresa in the signature of emails says it much better than I could:
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other."
Give peace a chance this holiday season.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Review of "Jesus Asked."
One of my favorite books that I have read recently is Jesus Asked. What He Wanted To Know by Conrad Gempf. The basic premise of the book is turning the assumption we have of Jesus as the Great Teacher upside down. Jesus the Great Conversationalist pretty much goes by the wayside as well.
Gempf's own assumptions are questioned when a friend points out that, by our usual standards, Jesus didn't impart a whole lot of information or end up with a large following. What information he did pass along was not always clear nor a direct answer. More questions was the standard fare when you got a chance to ask, if he wasn't downright rude to you at times.
Don't believe me? Read the gospels. Really. Don't blow through the conversations; actually take a look. How many people leave a chat with Jesus angry, disappointed, or just confused? These stories in the gospels may just be purposefully challenging and disturbing, not just to the people at that time, but to us as well. Which is exactly what Gempf hopes happens to us - no fence sitting when you have a face to face encounter with Jesus!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Neighbors
Well, not in the sense of "they live right next door, on the other side of the fence" neighbors but we first ran across them in our neighborhood. This is the couple that I mentioned in the post from Feb 8 and promised to update, so here goes.
Over a year ago, we met this couple who are not exactly homeless, because they move from place to place (which may include tents, apartments, rooms, etc), but they are not exactly permanent residents at any one location. We first met them when the lady, we will call her Cecilia, asked for money. We gave it to them, thinking it was the "Christian" thing to do. Let's just say we were a little naive, and had much to learn on this journey.
Cecilia came back later, and we gave her food from our garden instead of money this time. She loved the food from the garden, but was upset that we wouldn't give her money. Several days later she brought her husband, we'll call him Carl, to meet us. Since it was afternoon, we invited them to dinner. We had a good time and spent most of it listening to their stories about their growing up, and kids that lived all over Texas. They kept coming, and every once in a while we would give them money for "groceries", a "friend's daughter who was sick", "gas money for a friend", etc. Then came the big night.
Several months had gone by. After burgers one evening, Carl said he wanted to confess something to me while Cecilia was not there. He asked that we speak privately. We went into the house. Carl then told me that he and Cecilia were hooked on drugs and he wanted us to pray for them. I said that we definitely would. I called the family inside, and we laid our hands on Carl and prayed for him. We later found out that Cecilia was not too happy that he had confessed.
We look back now and slap our heads thinking "Duh!" We wanted to think the best of them, even though we knew that they had moved twice in the couple of months that we had known them. It just showed us our gullibility from living in a world that generally ignores, or at best glances at page 12 in the local newspaper, this world.
Cecilia was none too happy because even the small amount of cash that we would give them was now nonexistent. We gave them food coupons from the store, took them to the laundromat ourselves, and provided food whenever they asked; but that was it. Every once in a while we had no clue where they were, but after a month or so they would get back in touch.
Long story now shorted: Carl is rehabing from rehab, and Cecilia is in jail in Fort Worth right now. Carl is coming over to dinner Monday and we'll discuss visiting Cecilia soon. Carl usually goes to church with his daughter now.
Our learning lessons:
1) How much help can you really provide without getting involved, deeply, in other people's lives?
It's scary, and time consuming. Did I ever wonder why so little change and transformation happens?
2) How much "fixin" can we really do to people?
Carl and Cecilia are never going to be "middle class", and is that really the goal? Would that be better than where they are at? Yeah, sorta. Cecilia dreams of sitting in front of a big screen TV.
Weigh in, good people.
We're Back!
Is this the longest pause between posts, ever? Many things have changed over the past 8 months, and we honestly just didn't feel like publishing at the time. Now I feel like it.
Just an update on new plans - I graduated (yeah!) and now we are looking for a place to go and a community to make our new home. Is yours the one? Only time will tell. In the meantime, we are looking forward to Christmas in Virginia. If you are there, make room...
Just to reiterate why we are doing this in the first place - we want a forum to discuss, meditate, ponderate, and my own favorite, muse. So hop in and let's have some fun.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Things I never saw while living in Northern Virginia
Since John has been doing his 'musings' I thought I would add some balance to our page and let those of you that read our page know what the rest of the family is up to.
Periodically I will call my sister and tell her something I've seen here in Abilene that I never experienced while living in Northern Virginia. Life in Abilene, as you can imagine, is quite different that suburbia DC. John, Jonathan, and Hunter got to help one of the ranchers at church catch a calf that had gotten out. The boys spent most of the time trying not to get dirty. Hunter and Jonathan were yelling at the cows from the back of the pick-up: sit, cows, sit! A few weeks ago while trying to park at Wal-mart (yes I go to Wal-Mart quite a bit since moving here. We have a NEW Wal-Mart on the north side of town now!) I had to sit and wait for a very large horse trailer, horses included, to move out of the way so I could park. Can't say I ever had that problem while trying to park at the Chantilly or Burke Wal-Mart.
But this one takes the cake for me (at least so far).
The other day I was driving down a fairly major street (South 1st for those of you that are familiar with Abilene). I was stopped at a light and there crossing the street was a motorized wheel chair. Not such a big deal except for the person 'driving' obviously was on a mission and obviously had something wrong with her leg in that it was stretched out staight in a cast. She had oxygen tanks on the back and there hanging from the outstretched leg was a cathiter bag half full of what cathiter bags collect. We were not in a residential or medical area of town. All I could think of was where could someone in this state possible need to go that she left home in a wheel chair like that? And more importatly what if she crashes, turns over or runs out of battery? Some times I just shake my head and wonder why I am here. Can't say I ever saw that in VA.
Somethings are the same though. Red Robin is here now. Logan's is opening soon. Chuck E. Cheese is back in Abilene after having been gone for several years. And I don't think you guys have Jason's Deli up there (too bad for you).
But, all things considered life is not too bad here. The other day we were stuck in rush hour traffic. It took us 20 min instead of 15 min to get home from the other side of town. It only takes me about 8 min to get to work and only about 6 min to get to church on Wed night. (Sunday's John preaches at a small rural church in Eliasville, TX)
The kids are really happy here. Although we've all been much sicker this past year than we were up there. The Texas indoctrination seems to have lessened a bit. Jonathan and Autumn are doing great in school. Hunter loves pre-school. And we are all looking forward to John's graduation in May.
Have a great week. Miss you all.
Nancy
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
A New Age Is Dawning
Musings from John:
I'm filling out graduation forms and comprehensive examination applications and it is starting to hit that my family is heading for something new, again. Of course, there is always some sense of trepidation at starting a new phase, some sense of relief, and certainly some excitement. Perhaps for Nancy and I, the best part has been the reflection as we are entering the mid part of our life. We don't want to just keep on doing what we have been doing just because.
I appreciate the Socratic quote, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Sometimes asking the right questions may be the best counseling we could ever have. Here are some of my favorites, chime in with yours:
Are our activities reflecting the values that we say are most important?
What are we truly teaching our kids by our lifestyle?
Do we see people as the image of God?
Are we saying No to the good things and Yes to the best?