Even Monday Through Saturday. Even Alone.

“Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as high as it will.” 
― A.W. Tozer


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Really, I'm one of those I'll-only-fly-if-I-must folks. It's the being wildly out of control that bugs me, the venturing nearer Heaven than Earth-ness of it all (in my mind, anyway).

Cornelia Otis Skinner, back in the 1940's, captured my feelings hilariously (if only I could share the entire chapter with you!) --


(After the terrifying take off) -- "The man behind me yawns and pretends to nod. Faker! The woman across the aisle puts on her glasses and reads a copy of The New Yorker. I bet she's a faker, too... The co-pilot comes back and asks each passenger if everything is all right, which is, after all, something he should know about.

Eventually worn out by terror and boredom I manage to doze. I am roused when we start to lose altitude... we are going to land. My panic returns. Looking down, I can never make out the landing field and have a hideous feeling the pilot can't either... The warning to "Please fasten your safety belts" flashes on in a sinister manner.

The other passengers yawn and reach for their coats, which I consider sheer boasting...  Down and down we plunge ... and at last bounce gently on earth and taxi to the terminal."


And here's the part I (ol' Debra) loved best--

"I have a feeling kindred to that of someone who has successfully ridden Niagara Falls in a barrel and think we all ought to shake hands and hold a short prayer service, but the other passengers look as if such a suggestion would frighten them more than the flight has frightened me, so I desist. We have arrived! I keep the happy tidings to myself."


Now, I could veer off to lots of flying-related tangents, but no, I'll go here--

We need not ever wait for a prayer service. We can have our own, even alone. Alone we can sing, alone we can worship, raise our hands and tell God of our overflowing gratitude.

Alone we can be and, if we wish, have 'church' every day, even have awesome teaching online and fellowship, also, with those who need what God designed us to give. 

Even on Mondays or when cold rains drip and we're not feeling well. Or when a friend cancels the lunch we'd anticipated or a call gives us bad news or even if we suddenly realize we've become one of those 'shut-ins' we pitied (and feared) as a Sunday School child.

But oh, the breadth, the depth of being shut in with God! That sweet presence fluttering, beating within our heart. 

Always, we can have as much of God as we want and that full-of-glory joy. Even today. Even always. Even alone.

Sometimes, though, we must first release what weighs us down before we can lighten our load--and fly. With Him.











 







Have Jesus living within your heart? Then you're never alone and always on the cusp of something potentially wonderful.


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"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  ... Galations 5:1







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Oh! And Cornelia's book (which I linked to, above,) is a hoot. It's a 'best-of' three of her books and keeps me chuckling. Her similes are terrific--she'll make comparisons to people or events I've never heard of so I look them up online and learn much that way.  😊


You can find the book a tad cheaper at abebooks.  If you hurry.  heh.


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Moving On = Growing Up

" ... for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are but dust." ...Psalm 104:14

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My sister shared this at Facebook and oh! How funny:



Irony:
A coworker was pulled over for speeding. As she's handing the officer her paperwork she apologizes for the registration being the expired one, but assures him the new one is on her dining room table, and if he checks with DMV it is all caught up. She adds that as soon as she's done giving college finals her life will slow down and she will take care of that sticker. The officer asks which class she's teaching. She responds, "GR6."
He asks: "What is GR6?"
Her response: "Personal Responsibility and Time Management." 


But then, yikes. You know how the Bible has some Super Scary Verses? Well, this one flicked its finger against my brain. Again--


"Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."   ... James 3:1


Really, that verse haunts me. I consider myself a teacher (of sorts) via this blog and have you ever wondered why I take days off? Partly it's to consciously live-out what I'm hinting you should.

Seriously, I so don't want to zoom up to Heaven then hear, "Oh Debra! Tsk. Tsk. You told everybody else how to live, yet you became all Sloppy City, yourself." (Can't you just picture little groups of angels nearby shaking their heads, whispering to each other, then glancing at me?)  😳

Now, back in my Old Days when I'd mess up, I'd hide away, feel awfully sorry for myself and as though future changes were quite unlikely.

But here's the good news--

God showed me the better way. He said I'd grow a whole lot faster if I--

Apologize (and mean it)
Ask for His help the next time.
Then for heaven's sake, move on. 

Seriously. Groveling in that weird, weak, "Oh wretched man that I am and how can God even stand me?" stuff is horrible. Not even biblical if we've received Jesus' sacrifice for us (which was either enough-- or it wasn't).

And besides, if we remain unworthy grovelers, no one will long to know God better because we were here. No, just the opposite. (And that's scary also, that, and avoiding what we're meant to do out of fear of failure.)

So for today, if lately you've felt stuck --

Apologize.

Ask for help.

Then move on. 

But quitting must go. Groveling, also, for both keep us from what we might have been. 'God knows we are but dust,' and even so, He deeply, deeply loves us and rejoices when we grow up and shine His light, drawing others to that light. And Him.

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."  ... Romans 8:1

"The most inspiring piece of advice I've gotten is simply to persevere. My mom taught me to always keep going no matter what from an early age. When it feels too difficult to push forward, I always remind myself, 'This too shall pass,' and then I redouble my efforts."

---- Liya Kebede

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And ok, this has basically nothing to do with what I just wrote, but--


Since last October and Tom's Great Lifestyle Change, I've made a ton of vegetable stir fry for dinner. Oh, the vegetables we've devoured that way. 

Mostly I've used frozen vegetables, but also canned green beans and carrots (but never peas. Uhm, no. No canned peas in the nearly 40 years I've been married, for my mom, bless her heart, used to cook the absolute souls out of canned peas so that they resembled tiny round green pillowcases and I've never, ever bought them, myself).

Anyway... 

Occasionally I'll add canned chicken or some browned ground beef, but recently I began sometimes adding frozen ravioli. Yes, you read that right--you do realize frozen ravioli need not always be boiled, right? I just toss them, frozen, in the frying pan with the vegetables, seasonings and a couple tablespoons of coconut oil. Then after the vegetables are mostly heated-through, I add maybe half a can of Rotel diced tomatoes (or you can add fresh tomatoes and Italian seasoning or a little spaghetti sauce, to taste).

Then I cover the pan, turn off the burner and let it set so the ravioli can steam awhile longer and the Rotel can warm. 

Makes for a nice change to good ol', night after night, stir-fry.




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Oh! And almost forgot to mention ... Today (Friday, 5/4/2018) and tomorrow are the final days for a special deal at Target. For each two specially selected pet food items you buy, you receive a $5 gift card.

The fun this morning was that I used one of those gift cards (from doing this deal earlier this week) to help with another pet food deal where I'll receive two more. 

With all the cat food we buy (especially for Sammy The High Maintenance Cat) this was a great deal. I try to make the most of it whenever it's offered.


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Please Don't Lose This One Thing

"Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”   ... Psalm 126:2

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This morning Erma Bombeck and I went to the coffee shop.

Erma told me hilarious family stories, but then I paused, sipped my coffee and gazed out the front windows to the large hotel, river, homes and traffic--and remembered something. 

Twenty-five years ago I watched an interview with Erma where she reminisced about a visit with a young woman in prison who'd killed her little child. This woman would spend her life's remainder there. 

She'd only recently discovered Erma's books via the prison library. Erma spoke a bit with her about what she'd done and the woman told of her struggles in patience with her often-crying, disobedient baby.

Erma said she, herself, had often needed to use her sense of humor when dealing with her own three boisterous children, to which the woman hung her head and replied, "I didn't know you could laugh about those things. No one ever told me."

Even decades later that story often returns to haunt me. 

It reminds me that a sense of humor can save relationships, our days (from turning sour) and our minds, even. And that God's joy is strength that keeps us from doing what could ruin everything.

And honestly? Since the last presidential election many folks (it seems to me) have lost huge chunks of their sense of humor. They're not who they were, but angrier. Most things have become a very-big-hairy deal and their words sound like lectures (which gets old). And their friendships disappeared soon after the laughter did.

And some people, sadly, haven't survived.

Politics, traffic jams, children, spouses, pets, bills, long lines, loud celebrities. The stalled car. The job loss. The broken washing machine. The too small house or budget. "I didn't know you could laugh about those things."

Well yes, you can. With a sense of humor--and with a huge God who cares about it all.

If you won't let this crazy world knock you down. If you at least try spinning a thing from its dark to its bright side, instead. And if you determine to remember this:

"Greater is He who's within me than he who's within this (it's too easy just looking at the bad) world."   ... 1 John 4:4, tweaked


Always remember that, ok?

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."   ...Proverbs 17:22

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Speaking of a sense of humor--




At 5:00 pm on Sunday, we stepped through the door of another of Naomi and Justin's early-evening-thank-goodness restaurant gigs and oh! 

In honor of Tom's birthday, Naomi had invited three old friends we'd not seen in oodles of years (she'd hinted she might), also, another friend arrived because I'd clicked 'interested' (re: this gig) at Facebook, plus, dear, faithful Kellee awaited us there as well as Justin's parents who we'd not yet met.

Two of these ladies are sisters and two of the funniest gals I know. If there's a funny spin to be found, they'll spin it that way and you'll come away, smiling. For hours, refreshed.

Wow! Grander goings-on than simple-livin' ol' Tom and I are used to. 

We shouted over the music with our old friends and caught up, took pictures, ate dinner, laughed much and had a royal lovely time. (All wispy-voiced on the way to the car, I told Tom I'd been meaning to, at home, increase the volume of my voice for times likes these, but had hesitated lest the neighbors believe I'm yelling at myself. heh.)

Always, it's great to be with people with whom whole decades of time away still create no awkwardness. It's a God-thing, I believe, rather like a preview of our someday reunions in Heaven.





A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.

 ---Mignon McLaughlin


A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road. 

---Henry Ward Beecher

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