Outside the Pigeon Holes

It was cold out. I'd been inside all day and so had the mutts. Denny said I should take Sketch for a walk. He was restless. After a little while I decided Denny was right. So I bundled up and took Sketch, all bouncy and excited, for a stroll around the block. As we were turning onto Overlook there was a man coming toward us and as usual Sketch yapped at him. I smiled and said "Sorry" and then shushed Sketch. As the man passed us he said with a nasty tone "You should be sorry." It was so mean the way he said it. I felt like a child who had been scolded by a bully teacher. I wanted to say something back but tried to take the high road and retorted "God Bless you!". I'm sure that was effective. The next part of my journey was all about the cognitive dissonance in my head. I thought of all the things I could have said. I tried to tell myself he'd had a bad day and after all, Sketch probably did startle him. Still. He didn't have to be MEAN. I...

I had just stumbled through a prayer for political things. Things I really just don't know all that much about - including how God really feels about politics and our current presidential election. I sense this is an important time in our history. I sense that there is someone God has in mind and I sense that God might show up in the middle of all this and make all of us drop our jaws. I pray for that and I pray for a huge healing in our country. Still, it all seems like so much. Just when I think I understand or I think I know exactly what God would want, I find out that I don't. So needless to say it was a really ineloquent prayer. I felt kinda stupid. Words had failed me. Just after I finished it, there was a message in my gmail inbox. This is what it said: I don't concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me. But I have stilled and q uieted myself, just as a small ch ild is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. O Israel, put you...

We tuned in last night to be complete geeks and watch the new Knight Rider series movie. I watched this series faithfully as a kid and was looking forward to some good, old-fashioned 80's-like fun with a modern technology twist. Dream on! Within 5 minutes we were introduced to our first protagonist: a man in bed with not one, but two women! Yeah - he's sooo cool. This segued into a shot of a bikini clad woman hosing off her breasts on the beach. Then to a scene introducing us to our other fearless hero: a female cop who is bidding farewell to a woman in her bed who she'd met the night before. Woohoo! What awesome people to call heroes! They have no respect for themselves but by golly, if there's a bad guy out there these two will get 'em! We turned it off. If we'd wanted to watch the devaluing of the gift of sexuality we'd have visited the Hustler store. Sigh.

I am beginning to believe something that I once would have found totally preposterous... Could it be that while we're all responsible for accepting our own salvation, that everyone is already forgiven?? I grew up believing that to "repent" meant to ask for forgiveness. But it doesn't. It means to turn back. In Christian-ese it is used to mean turning back to God, following His ways, living our lives in the footsteps of Jesus. Forgiveness has already been given. To everyone. In pratical terms, if I have to ask for forgiveness for every infraction I make in my daily living I am in deep doo-doo. I'm bound to miss something somewhere. God knows this. I keep finding Scriptural examples: Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. His forgiveness was given to us AS we were sinners, before we were "saved". When Jesus was dying on the cross and the people were ridiculing him, killing him and in es...

I'm in an online Book study group that just started. We are reading a book about the importance of praying for people who don't yet understand the awesomeness of knowing the authentic Jesus. I have squirmed some with this book because it seems to place more emphasis on human effort and righteousness than on God's grace and Jesus' work on the cross. But that's a post for another time... Theological issues aside, the book has gotten us thinking about the inarguable importance of "going to the mat" for lost loved ones. I am all about praying even if I think it's hopeless - because with our God nothing is hopeless. But I never really thought about what power those prayers might very well have. And before now I have kind of glossed over a lot of prayers. I don't always take the time to pray meaningful prayers for my loved ones. I send up breath prayers or "bless them" prayers. Those are good. But there must be value in really pressing in on an...

OK... I think I am a pretty tolerant mom to my fuzzies. I let them sleep under my covers, sleep ontop of my head, perch on my back and I even share my leftovers (in their own bowls, never from the table, of course). But momma has to draw the line with peeing in the house. Sketch used to be housebroken. But Bentley has been a bad influence with his unfixed, lasix-takin' self. I tried putting down puppy pads and newspaper. Bentley uses them but he also uses every corner he can find. Sketch usually goes right next to the papers...infuriating! Crating doesn't work because Sketch literally pulls the door inward with his teeth and escapes. I have confined Bentley to the bedroom when I am not here and that has worked. The problem is when I am home and he's galavanting around the house while I write, read or surf. So the decision was down to greatly restricting the movement of my beloved - albeit rotten - mutts or finding another solution...Enter Petsmart's cleaning and hous...

Tomorrow is ash wednesday. The beginning of Lent. I used to think I had to find something to give up. I have given up food items and even listening to my favorite band for lent in the past. Then my friend Elizabeth said that she sometimes adds something rather than gives something up. One year she added praying for her enemies. She took time everyday to pray for Osama Bin Laden. Ouch. That one is tough for me. But I am following in E's footsteps this year and doing the same. I won't choose one person in particular. I think I'll include people who aren't necessarily "enemies" but maybe folks like the parent we have in our program who beats his wife in front of his kids...Or the EGRs in the school office...Or Hillary Clinton who scares the bejeebers out of me...Anyone who stirs a negative feeling in me who I'd rather stick needles in my eyes than to extend love to - like Michael Vaillete (sp) who killed his family in Mason. Easy as pie to pray blessings an...

"Are you willing to let Jesus use your ass? " -Lee Jones Lee's bold question comes from this passage in the Bible: Matthew 21:2-3 . ..then sent Jesus two disciples, Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. The owner of this ass was willing - no questions asked...Am I???

This isn't B.S.: The band Five for Fighting is generously donating $0.40 to Autism Speaks for *each time* the linked video is viewed. The funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal. View the video here: CLAUDIA'S STORY Here is info from Wikipedia about Five For Fighting: Philanthropy In the spring of 2007, Ondrasik created the first video charity website ([1]). The website allows fans to upload videos answering the central question, "What Kind of World do You Want?" from his hit song,"World". Each time a fan-made video is viewed, up to .49 cents goes to a selected charity. The charities are: Augie's Quest (www.augiesquest.org) Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org) Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org) Save the Children (www.savethechi...

In September I posted the following on YouTube. It's simply the retelling of an experience I had at a taxidermy-themed restaurant while I was in Pennsylvania. I received more comments on this vlog than any other I have posted. And most of it was hateful and nasty...Someone called me an f-ing nutcase (the nutcase part I took as a compliment!) and another called me a stupid c--t. Go figure! I finally just posted another vlog clarifying that no offense was intended to anyone who fancies taxidermy...Jimminy Christmas!

It kinda started like that...You know, you see a thread loose on your sweater so you pull it and it starts to unravel...And you just keep pulling on it - somehow fascinated by the back and forth pattern of the undoing. The paneling in the kitchen had started to pull away from the wall, see. Each time I walked by I'd kind of tug on it and think "hmmm...that would be so easy to just pull off of there. I wonder what it looks like under there?" For about a week I have been tugging at that corner...How hard would it be?? Today is Martin Luther King day. A day to remind us of his work toward liberating America from racial injustice. In remembrance, I deemed today as liberate my house day. I began with a Fly Lady Fling Boogie (say WHAT? ). I Free cycled my old stereo and speakers and some junk from the bathroom pantry. Then I scrubbed the floor in the dining room with vinegar and water to get up the places where Bentley missed the papers or totally ignored them. Then I moved ...

A group of folks from VWS pilgrimaged to US Bank Arena on Saturday for a much anticipated day of intense prayer and fasting. I wasn't sure what to expect - I hoped that it would be an awesome day to join in corporate prayer for the nation and any and all other things that the Lord placed upon our hearts. It largely delivered but a friend described the experience quite well. He said. "I had my ups and downs with it". I'll get the downs out of the way: It started out on such a high intensity level that I felt overwhelmed and off kilter at the start. I wasn't even sure I wanted to stay after 5 minutes. The Call's founder, Lou Engle is a passionate man of God...And when he gets started he quickly escalates into street corner preacher-mode. I had to put tissue in my ears! We were all invited to become radical "nazirites" who embraced the disciplines of prayer and fasting as a lifestyle. I'm all about those disciplines and I practice them but I'm n...

This is Nick Drake. He is at home recovering from his injuries. Thanks again to everyone who prayed for him! Helen

This was what I was doing this morning instead of getting up for church! I was up til 2am writing and when the alarm went off I was not going anywhere! I will have to ask the powers that be where the confessional is located at the theatre so I can learn my penance! Sitting in sackcloth and ashes... Helen :)

Sir Charles McWhiskers Who made the best looking cage decor out of Chipotle Napkins. Goodnight my little fuzzy...I'll see you again.... :(

NICK IS AWAKE! Thanks all for prayers! From Kim: Thanks for all your prayers. Nick is awake and going to be okay. The temp is still at 99 but I got a phone call last night someone wanted to talk to me and it was Nick! God is awesome and i am so happy that all the prayers worked. He is going to be in the hospital through Sunday but they are moving him out of ICU later today. He does not remember the last 2 weeks but that is a small sacrifice to to make for having my brother back. Thanks for Everything! Kim

I have a pet peeve when it comes to Mary Magdalene. She is one of my Bible heroes. I can relate to her because Jesus healed her from torment, I love that she was Jesus' financial backer, I love that a woman in those times asked where Jesus body was so she could go and get him. I love that she represents the women who, instead of fleeing in fear like the disciples did, stayed by Jesus' side and faithfully went about the work of caring for his body after burial. Of course, she never did that task because before she got to the tomb she met the resurrected Jesus and He entrusted her to go and tell the disciples that He was alive. She's just one cool chick. I am peeved by the misrepresentations of her that have come down through the ages. Our modern churches and films about the life of Jesus still represent her as any one of the following: a prostitute, the adulteress woman who was almost stoned or the woman who anointed Jesus with expensive oil (that was Mary of Bethany). All...

T his is a really interesting read. It's a transcript from the Glenn Beck radio show. He had a conversation with Mike Huckabee at an airport. Huckabee is a popular presidential candidate among Christians...I even read today a blog entry from Lou Engle who is a huge part of The Call Fasting and Prayer movement. He believes Huckabee might be the candidate that has been prophesied about to be the candidate God is appointing to next lead the USA. I have my own reservations about grand prophecy but Engle did mention some pretty interesting things . Anyway - this gives another perspective...And I find it interiguing to note that it is Beck the Mormon who seems to understand the essence of following Christ more so than Huckabee who apprently made a statement that Mormons aren't Christians - or Christian enough. Maybe another example of how God is present in people...not religions??? GLENN BECK PROGRAM BEGIN TRANSCRIPT GLENN: So when I found out that Mike Huckabee was com...

I love how God can so easily be put on display in this situation. Let's keep praying that He will show off!! H. Nick Update: 12:15 Fever down to 100 Doctor says he has no idea how he made it through the night. (uhh - we know!) They are going to see if the fever drops any lower and then turn of the machnes and see how he responds. When they put him on the machine the drug induced coma was stopped so when he comes off it is up to (God) and him wake up also to see if the fever caused any further damage. I told the doctor I know why the fever is dropping it is because of my friends praying and God has a plan. and he said very politely that was a nice thought but not medically sound. KEEP PRAYING! Kimmie

Top 3 cool things in 2007: 1 -God blessed us with the best little senior dog with a heart condition who is now a therapy dog. 2 - Freedom ensued when I put down my idols. 3 - I got to use my writing and theatre experience for God's glory. Top 3 things I screwed up in 2007: 1 - Did not always listen to God when He was navigating. Shipwreck anyone? 2 - Did not read enough scripture on a regular basis. I tend to crisis study. 3 - Did not work consistently enough on a long term project. Will rectify that this year. 2008 is going to be a year of all things new...That theme has been popping up everywhere from personal prayer time to messages at church to random things I hear or read. I'm strapping in for the ride!