Katdish.net

Everybody’s blogging about their reflections on 2008, their new year’s resolutions, or how they’re not going to make any new year’s resolutions. Me? I gave up quitting. I’m going to a party in a few hours, I need to finish my laundry that I somehow managed to get sidetracked from (shocking, I know), and I need to touch up my roots so I don’t show up at the party looking like I’m wearing a festive skunk hat on my head. (I’ll give you a minute to get that joke…….)

The point is, I don’t have TIME to write a new post. So I’m gonna punt. The following is a post that I wrote way back in June. Since I had a loyal following of approximately 5 readers back then (including my husband and myself), I figured it would be new to most of you. It’s my pseudo-new year’s resolution post. Happy New Year, Don’t drink and drive, and Gee, your hair smells terrific! See you on the other side!

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But here’s the thing. I strongly believe that when we say “I’ll never do that”, we often condemn ourselves to do exactly what we say we’ll never do. I think the Apostle Paul has a pretty good angle on this one in Romans 7:15-20:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul’s pointing out a few things here:

1. Knowledge is not the answer. Before he understood what the law demanded, he was okay. Once he understood this concept, he knew he was doomed.
2. Self-determination or willpower doesn’t succeed. He was doing things that even he found unattractive.
3. Becoming a Christian doesn’t alleviate our struggles with sin and temptation.
4. Being born again requires a moment of faith, but abiding in Christ while allowing Him to abide in us is a lifelong process.
5. We should never underestimate the power of sin, or use or sinful nature as an excuse. We are responsible for our actions and we need to remember that the enemy has already been defeated. Jesus conquered sin once and for all.
6. God’s provision for victory over sin is the Holy Spirit that lives in us and gives us power. When we fall, He lovingly reaches out to help us up.

I learned a long time ago to never say never because you just don’t know what plans God has for you. If you had said to me five years ago that I would leave the church family that I love to start another church, I would have been very tempted to say “I’d never do that.” Again, God has the game plan, I don’t. Here’s a little list of things I said I’d never do before I completely grasped this concept:

1. I’ll never date anyone I work with. (Dated and later married someone who, while wasn’t on the same payroll, was hired to work with my company.)
2. I’ll never date an engineer. (See Number 1.)
3. I’ll never use the television as a babysitter. (Yeah, right. We’re all child experts BEFORE we have kids.)
4. I’ll never spank my kids when I’m angry. (If you wait until you calm down, sometimes you confuse your kids because they forget why they’re being punished. Okay, maybe I’m justifying my bad behavior just a bit.)
5. I’ll never clean my kid’s face with a napkin that I’ve spit on to get wet. (This grossed me out when my mom did it, but sometimes that’s all you have.)
6. I’ll never be a stay at home mom. (Before I had kids, I couldn’t separate my self worth from what I did for a living. Kids give you a whole new perspective on value.)
7. I’ll never lose touch with my childhood buddies. (Sadly, our lives went in completely different directions. I still cherish those memories, but I don’t keep in touch.)
8. I’ll never forgive (insert name here) for (insert injustice here). (The true gift of forgiveness is that it releases your burden, not theirs. Jesus knows what He’s talking about.)
9. I’ll never drink tequila again.
10. I’ll never, EVER drink tequila again. (No really, this time I mean it.)

So with a new understanding of this concept, I’ve updated my top ten list:

1. I’ll never have rock hard abs and buns of steel.
2. I’ll never have the perfect “wash and go” haircut.
3. I’ll never have a pool and spa with a great covered patio in the back yard. (Ron, honey — do you still read my blog?)
4. I’ll never work a healthy diet and exercise routine into my busy life.
5. I’ll never get my house spotlessly clean, professionally organized and immaculately decorated.
6. I’ll never go to Australia and/or New Zealand.
7. I’ll never hear “Wow, I would have guessed you were closer to 30 than 40!”
8. I’ll never let my 6-year old eat Sun chips out of a bowl for breakfast while sitting on the leather sofa watching “Wow! Wow! Wubzy!” (Okay, nix that –it just happened. SEE WHAT I MEAN?! It’s almost scary when you think about it!)
9. I’ll never truly die to my selfish desires and live a life completely sold out to Jesus.
10. I’ll never be able to use this blog as an avenue to reach out to those who have never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I’ll never be able to communicate that God wants them back, that nothing is too dark, too shameful, too horrible that it cannot be wiped clean by the blood spilled at Calvary. I’ll never be able to convey the insanely beautiful, gut wrenching, life shattering peace that is the Gospel of Christ.

So. There’s my top ten list. Do you have one?

Everybody’s blogging about their reflections on 2008, their new year’s resolutions, or how they’re not going to make any new year’s resolutions. Me? I gave up quitting. I’m going to a party in a few hours, I need to finish my laundry that I somehow managed to get sidetracked from (shocking, I know), and I need to touch up my roots so I don’t show up at the party looking like I’m wearing a festive skunk hat on my head. (I’ll give you a minute to get that joke…….)

The point is, I don’t have TIME to write a new post. So I’m gonna punt. The following is a post that I wrote way back in June. Since I had a loyal following of approximately 5 readers back then (including my husband and myself), I figured it would be new to most of you. It’s my pseudo-new year’s resolution post. Happy New Year, Don’t drink and drive, and Gee, your hair smells terrific! See you on the other side!

.

But here’s the thing. I strongly believe that when we say “I’ll never do that”, we often condemn ourselves to do exactly what we say we’ll never do. I think the Apostle Paul has a pretty good angle on this one in Romans 7:15-20:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

Paul’s pointing out a few things here:

1. Knowledge is not the answer. Before he understood what the law demanded, he was okay. Once he understood this concept, he knew he was doomed.
2. Self-determination or willpower doesn’t succeed. He was doing things that even he found unattractive.
3. Becoming a Christian doesn’t alleviate our struggles with sin and temptation.
4. Being born again requires a moment of faith, but abiding in Christ while allowing Him to abide in us is a lifelong process.
5. We should never underestimate the power of sin, or use or sinful nature as an excuse. We are responsible for our actions and we need to remember that the enemy has already been defeated. Jesus conquered sin once and for all.
6. God’s provision for victory over sin is the Holy Spirit that lives in us and gives us power. When we fall, He lovingly reaches out to help us up.

I learned a long time ago to never say never because you just don’t know what plans God has for you. If you had said to me five years ago that I would leave the church family that I love to start another church, I would have been very tempted to say “I’d never do that.” Again, God has the game plan, I don’t. Here’s a little list of things I said I’d never do before I completely grasped this concept:

1. I’ll never date anyone I work with. (Dated and later married someone who, while wasn’t on the same payroll, was hired to work with my company.)
2. I’ll never date an engineer. (See Number 1.)
3. I’ll never use the television as a babysitter. (Yeah, right. We’re all child experts BEFORE we have kids.)
4. I’ll never spank my kids when I’m angry. (If you wait until you calm down, sometimes you confuse your kids because they forget why they’re being punished. Okay, maybe I’m justifying my bad behavior just a bit.)
5. I’ll never clean my kid’s face with a napkin that I’ve spit on to get wet. (This grossed me out when my mom did it, but sometimes that’s all you have.)
6. I’ll never be a stay at home mom. (Before I had kids, I couldn’t separate my self worth from what I did for a living. Kids give you a whole new perspective on value.)
7. I’ll never lose touch with my childhood buddies. (Sadly, our lives went in completely different directions. I still cherish those memories, but I don’t keep in touch.)
8. I’ll never forgive (insert name here) for (insert injustice here). (The true gift of forgiveness is that it releases your burden, not theirs. Jesus knows what He’s talking about.)
9. I’ll never drink tequila again.
10. I’ll never, EVER drink tequila again. (No really, this time I mean it.)

So with a new understanding of this concept, I’ve updated my top ten list:

1. I’ll never have rock hard abs and buns of steel.
2. I’ll never have the perfect “wash and go” haircut.
3. I’ll never have a pool and spa with a great covered patio in the back yard. (Ron, honey — do you still read my blog?)
4. I’ll never work a healthy diet and exercise routine into my busy life.
5. I’ll never get my house spotlessly clean, professionally organized and immaculately decorated.
6. I’ll never go to Australia and/or New Zealand.
7. I’ll never hear “Wow, I would have guessed you were closer to 30 than 40!”
8. I’ll never let my 6-year old eat Sun chips out of a bowl for breakfast while sitting on the leather sofa watching “Wow! Wow! Wubzy!” (Okay, nix that –it just happened. SEE WHAT I MEAN?! It’s almost scary when you think about it!)
9. I’ll never truly die to my selfish desires and live a life completely sold out to Jesus.
10. I’ll never be able to use this blog as an avenue to reach out to those who have never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I’ll never be able to communicate that God wants them back, that nothing is too dark, too shameful, too horrible that it cannot be wiped clean by the blood spilled at Calvary. I’ll never be able to convey the insanely beautiful, gut wrenching, life shattering peace that is the Gospel of Christ.

So. There’s my top ten list. Do you have one?

‘Twas four days after Christmas, and all through the house
Were the sounds of loud children, but where was my spouse?
Oh, off to some meeting for this or the other,
While sister was yelling at her older brother,
“Don’t change the channel, cause I was here first!
I want to watch Sponge Bob, Golf Channel’s the worst!”

The garbage was stacked by the curbside with care,
In hopes that the garbage truck soon would be there;
The children had long since been up from their beds,
“We’re hungry! We’re hungry! We need to be fed!”
And what do you think a good mom has to eat?
Why, leftover cookie dough is always a treat!

When out of my girl’s room there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my studio to see what was the matter.
Away to her doorway I looked down to snoop,
That my sister’s dog Maggie had left us some poop.

My sisters you see, along with my mama
Were down at Atlantis – that’s in the Bahamas.
So Maggie and Moose, the dog and the cat
Spent Christmas with us, plus some days after that.

On Maggie, on Buddy, on Moose and on Rudy,
It’s hard to keep track of who left what doody.
But later this evening my sis will be back
And she’ll pack up her car with her dog and her cat.
They’d rather stay here than at some pet hotel,
I just hope my new steamer can get out the smell.

But alas, look at me; once again, I digress
I meant to write something in the hopes to express
How grateful I am for some time to unwind
And to thank you for reading, you’re really too kind
My family, my friends and even my dog
have been inspiration for me and this blog
So thanks for your patience, your kindness and love
And most of all thanks to my Father Above

This year has been awesome, though some spots have been rough
When I thank God for blessings, I’ll include Jon Acuff
For without this great blog known as “Stuff Christians Like”
I wouldn’t have many of you in my life
And who would have thunk that I’d have such affection
For people I met through my high speed connection?

That’s all that I have; the plot does not thicken
Just thanks to you all, and……

Hey look, a chicken!

If you’re like me, first let me say, “Sorry. It must suck being you.” Oh, I’m just kidding! I am incredibly and undeservedly blessed in so many ways. What I mean is, I am my own biggest enemy sometimes; especially when it comes to my arch nemesis — time management. I don’t know why I procrastinate so much or why I simply forget things altogether. Some would say that this is a form of passive-aggressiveness. You know, kinda like sarcasm. Eh, what do they know?

If you read the comments section from a couple of days ago, you may have read that I was taking a 6 hour defensive driving course online. The comment was posted on December 23. If I didn’t get the completion certificate to the court “on or before December 25”, there would be a warrant out for my arrest. Since the courthouse is closed on December 25, obviously I was cutting it a bit short. Federal Express must love people like me! The early part of my Christmas Eve was spent: A) pacing back and forth by my front door then, B) racing to the courthouse (30 minutes away) before they closed, according to the lady on the phone “in the next 30 to 45 minutes”. I literally made it there as they were shutting down the office.

I am street legal, but at what cost? I’m not talking about what it cost me to have the driving school fedex the certificate to me “top priority, morning delivery” on Christmas Eve. I’m talking about the cost to my family. I bolted out of bed the morning of the 23rd at 3:30 a.m. realizing I had forgotten all about the ticket. So, I splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth, found the school online, and immediately started the course. My husband had to go into the office, so my poor kids had to put up with a tired, stressed out, mean mom who didn’t have time to spend time with them on Christmas Eve eve. They were excited about Christmas and all I did was yell at them to stop being so loud and complain about how inconsiderate they were being to me. Yeah, right. Whose fault was it that their mom was being a bee-atch? They certainly had nothing to do with it. They just wanted to hang out and have fun.

After finishing the test, I tried to lay down for a few minutes. I was mentally and physically exhausted, but I could not wind down. Then I remembered I had forgotten to get my son a flu shot. Incidentally, if you haven’t had one you might want to consider doing so. My GP said that the strains this year are pretty wicked.

Anyway, my daughter wanted to come with, because she wanted to see her brother get a shot. By the time we had waited in the Redi Clinic at the local grocery store for 30 minutes, got the shot and picked up a couple of things at the store, it was dinner time. There’s a Denny’s across the street that also has a to-go menu. So I dragged my tired, grumpy, fed up self and my kids over there to get something to eat. As kids will do, they acted up when my patience was at an all time low. I snapped at them for things I usually would have ignored.

The manager handed me some menus, offered my kids some balloons, and asked how I was doing. It was fairly obvious that I was not doing too well, but I thought it was very nice for him to ask. We ordered our food and waited. He offered to get us all something to drink. When I told him “No, thank you.” He insisted — his treat. I still refused, but he brought my kids drinks. He shared a story with me about a woman he and his wife saw at the mall last Christmas Eve. About how she was terribly stressed out and ended up falling down, dropping all her packages and hurting herself. He shared with me how he felt bad that he had not helped her. At this point I’m thinking to myself, “Wow. I really need to get some perspective here. It’s 2 days before Christmas and I’m running around acting like the Grinch.” Our food came. He apologized for the wait, even though the food came out promptly. He wished all of us a Merry Christmas. I wished him the same, and I really meant it.

On the drive home, I asked my kids if we could play “the quiet game”. (One of my personal favorites when riding in the car with them.) I thought about what had just happened. About how I claim to live a life abiding in Jesus, and I can’t even minister to my own kids sometimes. That man’s kindness was like a sledgehammer crashing through my armor. It broke me. We got home, I set the food on the kitchen counter and told my family to start without me. I went into my closet, fell to my knees and thanked God for His mercy, asked Him to forgive my selfishness and short temper. I also thanked him for that kind soul who took the time to minister to me when I needed it. At dinner, I apologized to my kids for being such a grouch. I still had a few last minute things to do on Christmas Eve, but I didn’t stress about anything and I just feel grateful for what Christmas is about; not what we sometimes try to make it about.

Tomorrow, I’m going to go to Denny’s. I want to thank that man in person. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t even catch his name. Isn’t it funny that it takes a random act of kindness by a complete stranger to put me back on the path where I need to go? My God is everything I need and yet sometimes I find myself wandering far away from Him.

I heard this song on TV later that evening. It’s one of my favorites. Hearing this song, on that night was also a gift. (While the images are beautiful, I chose to close my eyes and just listen to the words.) If you’ve had days or weeks or even years where you’ve felt overwhelmed and and under-joyed, I pray that this song will remind you that He is always near. God Bless You and Merry Christmas!

I had a fairly productive weekend. In my last Christmas update, I mentioned that I had approximately one (1) ornament on my tree. As luck would have it, the Hogan girls came over Friday night so that Jeff and Tam could celebrate their anniversary. So, as any good friend would do while watching another friend’s children, I put them to work. Three girls can make fairly quick work out of decorating a Christmas tree, and Rachel was pretty pumped that I was letting her climb up on a ladder for the high spots. To Cameron’s credit, he resisted the overwhelming temptation to spray them with a constant barrage of nerf bullets while they were working. While they were decorating the tree, I was outside wrestling with the assorted yard art and lights extravaganza. Nothing puts you in the Christmas spirit like stringing lights wearing shorts and flip flops while swatting mosquitoes! Saturday I decorated the mantle and set out my nativity set on the piano. I’ve got boxes and boxes of decorations that are still in the attic (including an awesome Christmas village), but at this point, I decided they could just stay up there until next year. So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the fruits of my labor:

That’s pretty much it for the inside of the house. Now for the outside:

We usually put lights on the house. But my DH has been super busy with work, so we decided to skip it this year. Did you notice Joseph giving the “thumbs up” sign? I never could find his shepherd’s cane. And since I had my camera out, I thought you might like to see a couple other houses in the neighborhood. This next picture is of my friends Jay and DeeAnn’s house. Or, as it is commonly referred to at Christmas time, “Whoville”. You can’t even see everything in these pictures. They made everything you see, and I’m pretty sure the electric company sends them a fruitcake each year.

This next yard I like for a couple of reasons. First, I love me some old school plastic light up nativity sets, plus I think it’s pretty cool that Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman were present at the birth of Sweet Baby Jesus.

This next one is for Helen. I thought it was incredibly sweet and I thought she would too.

Well, gotta go wrap some presents!

P. S. – I missed church this morning. Right before we got started, my dog Buddy had what we think was a seizure. He started to shake, his little legs went limp and his jaws were clenched. I grabbed him, got in my car and drove as fast as was reasonable possible to the nearest emergency animal clinic. Since my C3 family was already at my house when this happened, I knew that they would be praying for me. What really struck me as I was waiting for them to run tests on Buddy was how I wished that I could have left word for you, my dear friends, to be praying for me, too. Thanks for sharing your lives with me and allowing me to do the same. Buddy has not had any more episodes, and all his tests were normal. I will take him to his regular vet tomorrow to follow up. Hopefully this was just an isolated incident.

God’s timing is pretty amazing. I was feeling a wee bit self-righteous yesterday. Then I got this link via an email from my friend Helen. Yes. I was convicted by a cat video. I’m grateful that I have friends and family that love me enough to tell me when I’m being a jerk, and a God who knows what a jerk I am but still loves me enough to sacrifice His Son so that I might live. So this is for them. And a very big thanks to Helen, who is awesome.

Incidentally, there is a disturbingly high number of cat videos on youtube…

*It’s Friday. I have approximately one (1) ornament on my Christmas tree, and I really don’t have anything to ramble on incessantly about.

But I do have a couple of things to share with you. First off, Stacy from Louisville is guest blogging on SCL today. Funny stuff. Check it out. Her Women’s Ministry Christmas Tea post reminded me (don’t ask me why, that’s just how my brain works) of one of my all time favorite “Designing Women” episodes:

Berniece just cracks me up! My mother-in-law’s name is also Berniece. She’s kind of like that character, only completely different. (Actually, I’m looking forward to my twilight years so I can wear a bedazzled Christmas tree skirt and embarrass my children. — Cuz I NEVER do that now!)

Also, you may have noticed that a have a new blog on my sidebar, “Blogs I’m Diggin’ the Most”. Why, pray tell, did I add a new entry? Because a certain Wax-free mega pastor sent me a personal e-mail asking if I would like to “exchange links” on each other’s blogs. I was understandably impressed. That is, until I clicked on his blog roll and discovered that I would be the 947th person listed on his blog roll. But whatever, like they say on the red carpet at the Oscars, “It’s just an honor to be nominated.” (snort!)

And speaking of mega pastors, If anyone could cajole a certain Tim Keller to comment on my blog, I would be all a-quiver! He’s pretty much a rock star in my book. And I’m sure he would appreciate the fact that I’ve probably violated about 300 copyright infringement laws by quoting from his book so much.

That’s all for now. I gotta go decorate my lonely little Christmas tree. And perhaps I’ll leave some deep, philosophical words of wisdom on your blogs. (Your welcome.)

While surfing the blogosphere, I have been impressed with how “fancy” some blogs are out there. My friend Pam’s blog is uber fancy! She’s even got a jukebox playing when you click over to her site. The music is great, it just scares my dog. (He is usually sitting on my lap when I’m on the computer.) I am fairly computer illiterate. I’ve been trying for weeks to expand my margins to no avail. (Hucklebuck, if you’re reading this, I could use some advice!) Another interesting phenomenon on many blogs (especially blogs written by women), is “The Contest”. I guess everyone loves a contest! Me, not so much. I’m just not very competitive. I know, I know…incredibly un-American, but what can I say, that’s how I roll…

But for my loyal readers, I thought I would make this one exception. Especially since for some weird reason (aka – an SCL shout out), my site counter has been hitting some pretty impressive numbers. I also think people just like reading the comments. Although, I gotta tell you, unless you read all the blogs in my sidebar, you’re likely to miss large segments of the conversation.

Back to the contest. Here’s what I’m looking for. Find blogs in the following categories:

-funniest (don’t say this one. Nobody likes a suck-up.)

-most thought provoking or challenging

-weirdest content (G or PG rated please)

-blog with the nicest layout

I’m sure you’re all wondering what wonderful prizes await the winners in each category! Perhaps your own personalized slanket? A box of Hot Pockets! autographed by Jim Gaffigan? A sarcasm thesaurus? For those of you expecting a wonderful reward for HLAC’s first contest, let me just say:

“I don’t think so. Homey don’t play that!”

It’s not that I don’t want to give out prizes. It’s just that I can’t deal with the pressure of having to actually mail anything out. I still have every one’s CDs by the way. I also have 3 books for Mare sitting on my nightstand. I am a horrible procrastinator. I’ll attempt to get the CDs and the books in the mail before Christmas, but I’m not making any promises!

But seriously, I’m interested in what ya’ll come up with. I’ll start:

Pigs and Pigs is, as the name would imply, a blog completely dedicated to pigs. Not even real pigs — stuffed pigs, piggy banks, pig signs. If you have a freakish attraction to this kind of thing, this blog is Pigtastic!

Okay? You get it? GO!

P. S. – You’re not allowed to use your own blog. (I don’t think I need to mention any names here.)