Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Fall into Reading

Sorry for the delayed post. It was a crummy time to start a blog. I woke up Wednesday morning feeling a little nauseous and 2 hours later, began throwing up (and the other) every 5 minutes for 2 days. My temerature hovered between 100 and 102 degrees ON TYLENOL and I really thought I must be dying. My sweet brother came over after a 15 hour shift (he is a 4th year med student) with IV fluids and hope. However, due to my dehydrated veins, it took he and my RN mother 4 (yes 4 and I am tough) times to get that IV needle into my vein. My body drank the fluids at a dizzying rate and the liter was gone in an hour. I felt considerably better but have not been 100% until today....
Now on to more pleasent things, Katrina at Callapidder Days http://callapidderdays.blogspot.com/2006/09/fall-into-reading-challenge-join-me.html came up with such a fun idea to do a reading challenge. I am beginning late so my list is not as ambitous as others. Now those of you that know me well, know I am a BOOK WORM to the core and this challenge excited me to no end...so here is my list.
Me
1. Sin Eater, Francine Rivers (re-read)
2. Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow
3. An Excellent Wife, Martha Peace
4. Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
5. Little Earthquakes, Jennifer Weiner )
6. Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult
7. We Are All Welcome Here, Elizabeth Berg (numbers 5-7 recommended by my dear friend Heather)

To Read with Abby Kate
1. My Aunt Came Back, by Pat Cummings
2. Big Dog and Little Dog Wearing Sweaters, by Dav Pilkey
3. Spot Goes to the Farm, by Eric Hill
4. Hide-and-Seek Elmer, by David McKee
5. Shoes Shoes Shoes, by Ann Morris

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Ummmm....Fall

Well, thinking about my very first post of substance, I could not figure out a jumping off point. So I guess we will start here....I simply love the fall. The cooler weather (I hate the cold but it is always fun at first), SOUP, football (as background noise for a long Sunday afternoon nap...who am I kidding. I have not napped in over a year), the brilliant leaves changing (man is God an incredible artist or what?), opening your windows, fall smelling candles (like pumpkin spice...yum!)....I really do love it. About 5 years ago, I was at a K-Life women's retreat in October and we were having alone time. I was sitting out on a picnic table looking at the lake made clear by the thinning trees. I felt God gave me a clear picture of why He created seasons. This is what I journaled....
As I sit here, watching God’s creation ready for winter, He has shown me that in all things abides a purpose. I have been watching dead leaves fall from the trees thinking they look just like me. The dry, brittle leaves are falling to the ground, just like the empty, scarred layers are being shed in my own life. It is a process…part of this journey. So cleansing, so right. But then, as I look closer at the trees, down the hill and near the lake, they stand bare, awaiting winter and I feel death. Why must the leaves at their most beautiful shining moments be shed? The Spirit then revealed the process does not end there, it begins there. It all must start with the death of an old, meaningless life.
I feel sorry for the trees…For I know just where they stand...and what comes next. They stand there exposed, laying bare for all to see, during the one season of extremes.They must endure the cold, biting wind, abrasive to their newly barren exterior. I know of standing there, playing dead in hibernation. Just waiting for life to begin again.Feeling no meaning, only death.
And then, slowly, you feel the season begin to change. It is so slight you wonder if it was imagined. You do not drastically see change, but before you realize it…life has begun again. You have a new exterior, green and full of life. And finally, as the season change again, you see God work His magic...You see His creativity and perfection burst forth!…For to your life, color has appeared! And you realize, none of where you stand, vibrant and beautiful, would have manifested had God not killed you first.
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Monday, October 23, 2006

Why?

Okay...a few background things before we begin....
My Blog is named after a line in a the Caedmon's Call song Manners and Means....this is an incredible song about the constant need for revival and redemption in our relationships and families and for fresh vision in our work and calling. Something in us knows that we have been made to do all things with great courage, purpose and heart. This song laments the ways we fall short and reflects the longing to keep the fire burning and to do all things well. Here are the lyrics...

The heart is a lonely thing to lose in the dead of night
The heart is a sad thing to lose in the throws of a fight
The heart is the match to the fire
And the embers of desire, to keep it burning
I am a shell of the manner and the means
Mine is a story of nothing as it seems
But when we have come this far
And still don't know who we are, does it keep burning?
When it's over, and you see it with your eyes
Would you rather have the truth or a lie?
I call for angels to breathe holy on this rust
I call the snakes to come and slowly from the brush
I need a massive overhaul
A revival to fall, to keep it burning
The heart is a costly thing to sell in the prime of the years
And my heart is thinly veiled in the usual fears
The heart is the dream, and the kiss
That there could be more than this, to keep it burning.

My prayer is that this blog can be a place to be transparent....in a time of constant movement and activity, it is rare to be able to share the daily struggles, lessons and growth we are experiencing in our lives with those we love. I hope to do just that. Though my first calling is to my family and I will not forsake my responsibilties to them to post but I will try to post often. Most of you know how much I love words so this will be an outlet for me as well. Thanks for joining me on this journey...

Sunday, October 22, 2006

2 blogs you ask?

Not wanting to hijack my daughter's blog, I thought I would create one of my own. Stay tuned for more postings...