Christian versus Christ Follower


UPDATE: Jeff quoted C. S. Lewis this morning in church. I thought it fit nicely with this post. Besides, you know I love me some C. S. Lewis:

“For the church is not a human society of people united by their natural affinities but the Body of Christ, in which all members, however different, (and He rejoices in their differences and by no means wishes to iron them out) must share the common life, complementing and helping one another precisely by their differences.”

Let me first say that I’m not slamming the term “Christian”. I’m okay with it. I am one. Secondly, while the Mac versus PC commercials are mildly entertaining, I have not yet nor do I plan to partake in the drinking of the Apple kool-aid. I’m sticking to my Gateway, thankyouverymuch.

Anyway, I thought these parodies were pretty cool, so I wanted to share them with you. I would also like to thank ThinkChristian.net, because they originally posted these almost a year ago. They have a pretty cool website, too. You should check it out.

And one that’s close my little church planting heart:

There are several of these on YouTube. Just something to think about. Not bashing, just makes me pause and think about how non-Christians see us sometimes.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

The Neighbor (Repost)

The girl sat at home alone; at least without human company, but the family cat was there.

At 10, she had become an expert at faking a sick day. The truth was she didn’t want to go to school. She had always been a bit of a square peg, and now with her family still reeling from a bitter divorce, facing her school friends with their in-tact families seemed a bit too daunting for a Monday. Money was tight for a single mother of four, especially when said mother happened to be employed as a waitress. A day off to care for a sick child was not really an option when you worked for tips.

Her mother reluctantly left her youngest child home alone, knowing there were neighbors next door and across the street the girl could call in case of an emergency.

The girl was enjoying her solitude. She was ordinarily a talkative, outgoing child, but lately wasn’t really feeling that way. She was perfectly content with the company of the television and the family cat, Nicky.

Nicky was another matter. After an expensive series of treatments for feline leukemia, he was finally in remission. He represented the life before her dad announced (on Christmas day, no less) that he was leaving. Nicky was a reminder of a family unbroken – Dad, Mom, sisters, brother, dog and cat. Perhaps that was too much to expect from a cat, but as the girl sat there with the cat purring in her lap, she felt comforted.

That is, until the cat fell from her lap and onto the floor. He began to pant and become limp. Terrified, she did the first thing that came to her mind. She called Mrs. Jones.

The Jones family lived two doors down. Their youngest daughter was friends with the girl’s older sister. They were a good, Christian family who always seemed to be doing something for someone else. Mrs. Jones was one of the kindest, most sincere people that the girl had ever met in her young life. Even though the neighbors obviously knew what was going on in that house, the girl never felt judged or pitied by Mrs. Jones – only loved.

The girl dialed the Jones house, said something incoherent into the phone through her tears and hung up. Mrs. Jones was there in a matter of minutes. She embraced the young girl and told her it was going to be okay. She then calmly wrapped the cat into a towel, and walked with the girl and the cat the short distance to her driveway.

The girl sobbed quietly on the way to the vet. She knew that Nicky would not be making the return ride home in the car. Alas he did not, but Mrs. Jones was there. And somehow that made the ride home much more bearable.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, that little girl was me. As I sat at the funeral of Mrs. Jones over 30 years later, I reflected upon how on that day and on countless other days for countless other people, her kindess and love reflected the Love of Christ. She really understood about that kind of love. I am so grateful for people in my life like Mrs. Jones.

I big pink fuzzy heart social media

It has come to my attention that by adding “(in reply to tweets)” in my twitter updates, some of them actually make sense and can be followed by the average reader. I will not do that this week. I feel like being confusing and random. Because that’s how I roll sometimes.

Something kind of cool happened on the twitter yesterday. And by “kind of cool” I mean AWESOME. It also gives credence to my assertion that being a tad pushy isn’t always a bad thing.

I big pink fuzzy heart social media…

RT @FaithWords: @billyCoffey – the tribe has spoken you must plan a BlogTalkRadio chat with us ; ) //The tribe is grateful. Thanks.

@HeatheroftheEO Oh, that’s what you WANT me to say, isn’t it?

@HeatheroftheEO You need to be more specific. Deep dish or hand tossed?

Son: I thought you were in the den but you were in the office. That’s called situational irony/Me: No, that’s called you being wrong.

@JeanneDamoff Thank you. You really can apply many life experiences to an episode of Seinfeld.

@sarahmsalter I knew you were incredibly perceptive, Sarah.

HEY! @BridgetChumbley @VariantVal @sarahmsalter @JeanneDamoff @PuriChristos @PeterPollock ! Did you see my RT?

Everyone’s a comedian…

RT @FaithWords: Which Faithwords author(s) would you like to be chat with on Blogtalkradio? //@BillyCoffey!

@VariantVal Ssshhh! I’m trying to find something.

Hello everyone! Are you paying attention?

Okay…I have to turn off the tweet deck and do some actual work. Sigh. Parting is such sweet sorrow.

@redclaydiaries And that’s all that really matters in the end.

@redclaydiaries Yes. We are hilarious.

RT @marni71: @katdish @redclaydiaries Awww how sweet. How many of us can truly say we’ve found friendship by harsh Biblical conviction?

@forthegirls Okay, well I like CSI too. Except Miami, because David Caruso is annoying.

RT @redclaydiaries: @marni71 Did u see?! @HeatherSunseri LOVES Caillou! WHO’S WITH ME ON ANOTHER INTERVENTION?! // UNFOLLOW!

@sarahmsalter Caillou is the poster child for annoying children everywhere.

@redclaydiaries OMGoogle! You must watch it. “I want people to love me so much it hurts.” – Michael Scott

@sarahmsalter You’ve never seen The Office? I’m not sure we can be friends anymore…

@billycoffey Was it like a crazy, maniacal laugh?

@chrissulli I’m multi-talented.

@chrissulli That’s what I’m here for, Chris.

@chrissulli You’ve obviously never been pregnant.

I’m going to RT @peterpollock’s guest post as soon as he changes “bost” to “post”. Cuz I’m in editor mode right now.

@marni71 I swift head butt if I recall correctly.

@marni71 Trying being fitted for ski boots only to have the guy tell you (in a surfer accent) “Your calves are HUGE!” Nice.

@marni71 Yes. An OCD germophobe. He completes you.

@marni71 Monk is good. He’s a germophobe.

@PuriChristos What do you mean “ewww”? I’m mildly offended.

@Helenatrandom @makeadiff21 @Doallas @BridgetChumbley @billycoffey @HeatherSunseri @br8kthru Thx for the RTs. I’m officially overexposed

@redclaydiaries Right….because I have so many more followers than you do. You broke spades w/your own poop tweet.

I crack myself up. I truly, truly do…

@redclaydiaries Oh man…that’s a TWSS moment if I ever saw one. I’m not touching that one though…(ha! TWSS)

Dear @BridgetChumbley ‘s blog carnival. I have nothing set out for dinner. I blame you.

@Helenatrandom Thanks, but I meant she’s an epic procrastinator.

@marni71 Yes. I think my sister is supposed to set up an etsy account, but she probably hasn’t because, well…she’s like me.

@marni71 Yes. Covered with sticky fingerprints already.

@JeanneDamoff You know what? I don’t but I really need to make a road trip to Dallas. My daughter loves American Girl Store.

@gyoung9751 Hey! Thanks for making me feel all convicted and stuff this morning!

@bryanallain Okay, that’s just gross…

RT @bryanallain: if I had a nickel for every time I’ve eaten guinea pig, I’d have a nickel.

@chrissulli You say “incredibly random” like it’s a bad thing….

@CandySteele I didn’t even know there were more than 15 types of beans. Were there jelly beans?

RT @marni71: A UPS truck just tried to kill me while on the hwy. “What can Brown do for me?” Not swerving into my lane is a good start.

@PuriChristos Awesome Cat, Watermelon Cat, Bus, Stink Eye

As always, Sorry/You’re welcome…

    All I Really Needed to Know I Learned from Watching Seinfeld

    As promised from last week, here’s my updated version of Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Needed to know I Learned in Kindergarten”, the Seinfeld edition:

    Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned from kindergarten or watching Seinfeld. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox or on late night reruns on TBS.

    These are the things I learned:

    From kindergarten:
    Share everything.

    From Kramer:
    “Retail is for suckers.”

    From kindergarten:
    Play fair.

    From Jerry:
    “To me, a lawyer is basically the person that knows the rules of the country. We’re all throwing the dice, playing the game, moving our pieces around the board, but if there is a problem the lawyer is the only person who has read the inside of the top of the box.”

    From kindergarten:
    Don’t hit people.

    From Kramer:
    “The camp ended a few days early….I punched Micky Mantle in the mouth.”

    From kindergarten:
    Put things back where you found them.

    From Jerry:
    “Very few crooks even go to the trouble to come up with a theme for their careers anymore. It makes them a lot tougher to spot. “Did you lose a Sony? It could be the Penguin. I think we can round him up; he’s dressed like a penguin. We can find him; he’s a penguin!”

    From kindergarten:
    Clean up your own mess.

    From Frank:
    SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW!

    From kindergarten:
    Don’t take things that aren’t yours.

    From Kramer:
    “Wait a minute. You mean to say that you drugged a woman so you could take advantage of her toys?”

    From kindergarten:
    Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.

    From Jerry:
    “Why do people give each other flowers? To celebrate various important occasions, they’re killing living creatures? Why restrict it to plants? “Sweetheart, let’s make up. Have this deceased squirrel.”

    From kindergarten:
    Wash your hands before you eat.

    From Jerry:
    “When somebody has B.O., the “O” usually stays with the “B”. Once the “B” leaves, the “O” goes with it. “

    From kindergarten:
    Flush.

    From Elaine:
    “No, I don’t have a square to spare. I can’t spare a square.”

    From kindergarten:
    Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

    From Jerry:
    “The black and white cookie. I love the black and white. Two races of flavour living side by side in harmony. It’s a wonderful thing, isn’t it?”

    From kindergarten:
    Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.

    From George:
    “Just remember Jerry, it’s not a lie if you believe it.”

    From kindergarten:
    Take a nap every afternoon.

    From Jerry:
    “Sleep is separate from That, and I don’t see how sleep got all tied up and connected with That.”

    From kindergarten:
    When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.


    From Jerry:
    I can’t go to a bad movie by myself. What, am I gonna make sarcastic remarks to strangers?

    From kindergarten:
    Be aware of wonder.

    From Elaine:
    “I wanted to talk about how we had nothing to talk about.”

    From kindergarten:
    Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

    From Newman:
    “The mail never stops. It just keeps coming and coming and coming, there’s never a let-up. It’s relentless. Every day it piles up more and more and more! And you gotta get it out, but the more you get it out the more it keeps coming in. And then the bar code reader breaks and it’s Publisher’s Clearing House day!”


    From kindergarten:
    Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup – they all die. So do we.

    From Jerry:
    “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”

    From kindergarten:
    And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK . Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living.

    From Jerry:
    “Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.”

    What valuable life lesson have you learned from Seinfeld?

    ADIOS MUCHACHOS!

    One word at a time: Regret (by Bridget Chumbley)


    By “social media guru” standards, I suppose I don’t have many followers on the twitter – 954 at last count. But that’s certainly more than I could ever really keep up with. But the great thing about tweetdeck is that you can create a “favorites” column to keep up with your favorite tweeters. Bridget Chumbley certainly falls into that category. Always kind, always encouraging. And did I mention she’s a very good writer? Also? She quoted me – which has nothing to do with the fact that she’s guest posting. (It’s just nice to hear someone else quote me besides my kids, because they use my words against me.)

    Here’s Bridget with some thoughts on Regret:

    I’ve found myself spending a lot of time recently dwelling on regrets. Some regrets are for things I’ve said or done that caused hurt and pain, some revolve around situations that were completely out of my control, while others resulted from a lack of comprehension, simply because I was young and immature…

    Growing up, I used to get really angry and frustrated with my mom. She’s struggled with health issues and chronic pain for as long as I can remember, but as a child I tended to be selfish and focused on how it would affect me…not how hard it was on her (physically as well as emotionally). There were times we’d be driving to Disneyland (or somewhere else I REALLY wanted to go), and half-way there we’d have to turn around and go home, because she’d be sick or hurting.


    1Corinthians 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

    I’m not sure how you dealt with disappointment when you were young, but I got pretty upset. I’d sit in the car with steam coming out my ears, insensitive to the fact my mom was obviously feeling guilty enough without my ‘tantrum’ in the backseat. Now that I’m older (and I hope wiser), I understand what she was dealing with, and what a constant struggle it was for her to plan those family outings, never knowing what each day would have in store for her body.

    Another regret is of a time I was being babysat while my parents were at work. The babysitter decided we’d take a ride on her bike up to our local store. This was NOT something we were supposed to do while she watched me, and to top it off she put me on the handlebars! Sadly, she hit the curb with the front tire, and subsequently I hit the gravel driveway (face-first). I ended up in the emergency room, with much of my face left behind on the road.

    I don’t remember most of what happened (being unconscious can do this), but I’ve been told that when I was able to talk, I blamed my babysitter for the ‘accident’. I was upset and scared, and said a lot of things I didn’t mean!

    Most of us have had moments like this, we’re hurt or afraid and we speak before thinking…then when we’ve come to our senses, we apologize and hopefully we’re forgiven and we move on. Well, not long after this ‘incident’, before I realized how stupid and childish I was being, my babysitter was killed in a tragic school bus accident. When I read her name off the list of deceased students in the newspaper, I remember being shocked and full of regret…why didn’t I just say I was sorry?

    Many years later, during the summer of my freshman year of high school, I spent a few weeks with some relatives in Connecticut. It was a great trip (my first one without parents along), but about 2 weeks into the trip, I received news that my dear friend Brian (we’d had a crush on each other for years) had been killed in a horrible car accident, along with his dad.

    Needless to say I was devastated. Not only didn’t I get a chance to say good bye to Brian, I also missed the funeral by the time they were able to reach me. I went to the cemetery as soon as I got back home, but it wasn’t the same. I still have a deep regret for things left unsaid and unresolved…

    Now I’m an adult (at least according to my age), and I’ve had plenty of lessons taught to me (some harder than others)… life is short, take nothing for granted…take opportunities as they arise, because there might not be others…

    Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

    Why then is it still so hard to do what we know to be right? There are situations I need to put in the past… words left unspoken… people I need to forgive (starting with myself)… but it’s a constant struggle! I know better than to procrastinate, yet here I sit with a heavy heart and a stubborn head!


    “Forgiving others is a gift we give ourselves” ~ katdish

    It’s never too late to show compassion, and Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate example of forgiveness! Should we continue living with regrets and heartache, or are we ready to give ourselves that priceless gift and finally let go?

    ***

    To read more from Bridget Chumbley, visit her at One Word at a Time and follow her on the twitter at @bridgetchumbley.

    Trust God, trust yourself

    “Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, and sense of spiritual deadness.” -Shakti Gawain

    “If you do not ask yourself what it is you know, you will go on listening to others and change will not come because you will not hear your own truth.” -Saint Bartholomew

    “I believe, first of all, in God, and next to all in Mary McLeod Bethune.” -Mary McLeod Bethune

    Having spent a large portion of my life allowing other people’s opinions shape who I thought I was, at some point I had an epiphany. I realized that some of those opinions were without merit and simply wrong. This one in particular:

    “She’s not really good at anything.”

    Because everyone is good at something.

    If I believed in such things, I would say I simply stumbled upon the things I was good at quite by accident. But I have come to believe that everything happens for a reason — even if God never reveals said reasons to us. I also believe we all know on some level what our gifts are and that we should not allow ourselves the luxury or the burden of being deeply affected by either high praise or profound criticism.

    We trust God first and foremost, and we trust ourselves. Because the Master Creator of the heavens and earth reveals in His Word this assurance:

    I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

    My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place.
    When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

    your eyes saw my unformed body.
    All the days ordained for me
    were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

    Psalm 139: 14-16

    For most stories about Trust, visit the blog carnival going on at One Word at a Time.

    Coffee Shop Research (by Billy Coffey)

    I am of the opinion that people have a right to their own privacy, whether in deed or in word. “Mind your own business” is what my mother always told me, often with a wagging finger in my face for effect. The lesson was taught both early and often— Jesus doesn’t like eavesdropping.

    Which is why I don’t eavesdrop, I research. Jesus doesn’t mind research.

    I spent the better part of a recent morning in a coffee shop researching Tori, Laura, and Heather, the three twenty-something women at the next table. Very bright, very opinionated, and very vocal. In the twenty minutes I listened to them, they touched upon everything from politics to the environment to who’s doing what to whom on their favorite television show.

    I was about to turn my attention to the newspaper in front of me when Laura mentioned the fact that the most recent episode wasn’t very realistic. It seemed as though one of the main characters was in a delicate position involving an unwanted pregnancy.

    “Seriously,” she said, “why doesn’t she just have an abortion? No one would blame her.”

    Heather took a sip of her coffee and nodded, then flicked a crumb onto the floor. “I gotta say I would,” she answered. “I really don’t see another way out for her.”

    Tori, I noticed, remained silent through the recap. Her shoulders had closed in and her hands were folded around her coffee cup, as if she were trying to shrink herself enough to be forgotten.

    Unfortunately and as is often the case, trying to go unnoticed was exactly what made her stand out.

    “What do you think, Tori?” Laura asked.

    Tori’s grip tightened around the sleeve on her cup, and she ran her other hand up and down the leg of her jeans to smooth away a wrinkle that wasn’t there.

    It was pretty obvious what her opinion of the situation was; agreement with her friends wouldn’t have given her cause to be so anxious. No, I decided that Tori held the opposite view. The question was whether she would play along or be honest.

    She chose honest.

    “I’d keep it,” she said. “I’d find a way.”

    “Seriously?” asked Heather. “You would seriously keep that baby?”

    “Yes.”

    Laura let out a snort. “Please tell me you’re joking,” she said.

    “I’d keep it,” said Tori.

    The three sat in silence, unsure how to proceed. Changing the subject would be good. Ignoring the comment would be better. Heather glanced at her watch, hoping she would remember somewhere else she had to be.

    But then Tori found her courage.

    “I don’t think she should kill that baby.”

    Uh-oh.

    “She’s not killing anything, Tori,” said Laura. “There’s nothing there to kill.”

    Heather nodded. “She’s just a few weeks pregnant, Tor,” she said.

    Tori shrugged an I-don’t-care. “I don’t think it’s right.”

    Laura shook her head. “You know Tor, if there’s anyone at this table who should be pro-choice, it’s you.”

    “You got that right,” echoed Heather.

    I wasn’t sure what was meant by that. Evidently Tori shared my sentiment.

    “Why would you say that?” she asked them.

    Heather and Laura exchanged an uncomfortable look between them, as if what they had to say was both obvious and awkward.

    “Hello?” asked Tori.

    “You’re black,” Laura said.

    My eyes widened. How could a conversation about a television show turn into a discussion about abortion and race?

    “So?” Tori asked.

    “If there’s anyone who should appreciate freedom, it’s you,” said Heather. “Your ancestors were robbed of their rights, but you have them all. I think you’d be protective of them.”

    “But it’s a baby,” Tori said. “You can’t kill a baby.”

    “It’s not a baby,” stated Laura. “It’s not even considered a person.”
    Tori took a long sip of coffee and stared at her friends. “Maybe that’s why I don’t think she should have an abortion,” she said. “Maybe that’s why I think it’s wrong.”

    “I don’t get it,” Heather said. “What’s that have to do with anything?”

    “You say if anyone should be pro-choice, it’s me? I don’t think so. I think if anyone should be pro-life, it’s me. Someone has to say that baby is a person. Someone has to stand up for him, just like someone stood up for my ancestors.”

    “What are you saying, Tori?” asked Laura.

    “I’m saying that you can’t sit there and say that baby isn’t a person, because two hundred years ago people would say I wasn’t a person, either.”

    ***

    To read more from Billy Coffey, visit him at at his new website and follow him on the twitter at @billycoffey.

    Waiting

    My friend and pastor Jeff Hogan graciously allowed me to pilfer this post from his blog, Convergence. I should probably tell you he wrote this post while he was still living in Ohio, as we don’t get much snow here in southeast Texas. He’s not blogging much anymore, as he’s busy pastoring Convergence Christian Church. Which has a wicked AWESOME website, in case you haven’t seen it yet.

    Here’s Jeff in his own words:

    I love to watch the snow fall- especially in the evening… From indoors… With a fire in the fireplace…

    Okay, I’ll admit it: I like snow once or twice a season (it’s a plus when it happens the way I described it above) but after that, I’m really just waiting for Spring. So, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I’d like to visit a place where it snows- see it, play in it- and then go home.

    Reality, however, woke me up this morning to find five inches of new, wet, heavy snow on the ground with more falling. I suppose I could have climbed back into bed, pulled the covers up over my head and told myself, “I don’t want any more snow, so it can’t be snowing.” I suppose I also could have stood at the window lamenting all the bad weather this town has experienced in the past 6 months thinking, “It’s not fair.”

    I am anxiously waiting for Spring. But while it is very true that I don’t think there should be any more snow this Winter, it’s also true that I’m not even remotely equipped to make that decision. And, come to think of it, I’m also not equipped to talk about what is “fair.” After all, there are several things about life that aren’t “fair,” (particularly in the area of God and eternity) in which I am relieved that I don’t have to get what I deserve. Besides, denial and self-pity won’t get the cars and porch cleaned off or the sidewalks shoveled.

    The only response which accomplishes that result is action. So even though I’m still waiting on the Spring, I got dressed and got to it, remembering that Winter doesn’t last forever.

    But in that brief moment, it wasn’t an easy choice, even though I clearly knew it was right. Precisely because I’m waiting for it, the big snow seemed to somehow make Spring more implausible- as if it might not actually happen. It was temporarily defeating. Waiting seems to trigger a unique combination of thoughts, emotions, and physiological effects in most people- especially when the wait is ongoing.

    Waiting tires us out and wears us down.

    Don’t think so? While waiting for something, have you ever used the phrase, “I’m so tired of…”? Or how about this one: “I can’t take this much longer.”

    When our emotional batteries get drained, our judgement can be compromised. I believe that more than a few poor choices have been made out of a desire to end the waiting and find closure. In order to avoid this situation, we need to find a source of renewal; a way to keep our stamina while things are on hold.

    Waiting is a theme that is literally found throughout the entire Bible. Jacob waited seven years to be allowed to marry Rachel, only to be tricked by his father-in-law Laban into marrying her older sister. After re-negotiating for Rachel’s hand in marriage, Jacob worked an additional seven years for Laban (Gen. 29:16-30).

    At the age of seventy-five, God promised Abraham (then called Abram) that he would be “a great nation” (Gen. 12:2). After receiving that promise, Abraham waited twenty-five more years until God gave him a son, Isaac, through his wife Sarah.

    And in Acts 1, after the resurrection and just before he is “taken up before their very eyes,” (v.9) Jesus tells the eleven remaining apostles not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there instead for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Okay- so in this case He actually tells them it will happen in a few days. But when they ask if this is the point when He will “restore the kingdom to Israel” (something for which the Jewish people had been waiting a very long time) Jesus responds by telling them, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). I’d say that roughly translates to “nobody gets to know that, you’ll have to wait and see.”

    In each of these examples, they chose to act while they waited. Jacob negotiated for Rachel’s hand in marriage, and then continued to work for Laban until the terms of that agreement were met. Abraham trusted God’s promise that he would be a great nation, so he left his country and set out on a journey to a new land. The apostles returned to Jerusalem, joined together in prayer and chose someone to take the place of Judas.

    So where did they find the stamina to do those things?

    Isaiah 40:27-32 says, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (NASB version)

    Interestingly, sometimes “wait” in v.31 is translated “hope.” These verses, compare Israel with a person waiting for some kind of resolution. In frustration, the cry goes out, “I’m so tired of this! Don’t you see me God? This isn’t fair!” But, they are reminded that God does indeed see everything, and he never gets tired. And they will find the strength and renewal they need to endure the waiting if they will put their trust and hope in Him.

    Life is full of waiting, for both the mundane and the very serious. Waiting to check out. Waiting for lunch time. Waiting for that file to download. Waiting for the light to turn green. Waiting to find out if you got the job. Waiting for those test results. Waiting to see if the surgery was a success.

    It’s likely that you are waiting on something right now. It may be wearing you down and draining your strength.

    Do you need renewal?

    Where will you go?

    In Him We Live,

    Jeff

    Playtus Rainbow Revisited


    Back on September 22, I posted a short series of haikus entitled Platypus Rainbow in honor of having outpatient surgery that day. (Just smile and nod like you understand.) I also invited everyone to post their own haikus.

    Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the HLAC Comments Section:

    Dory said:

    May I start by submitting an old one I did on my blog when I was bragging that I knew so much about wrestling that I could write a haiku about a half nelson?

    Hand under the arm
    free arm under the other
    lock together wrists

    Helen said:

    The supermarket
    is the perfect place to dance
    for those named Helen

    Nick the Geek said:

    This week is busy
    Oh boy I am very tired
    Please pass the Monster

    Marni said:

    Here’s a haiku about my experience in the elementary school drop off line this morning…

    Can’t take turns in line.
    Why be mean fourth grade parents?
    God saw that, white jeep!

    Steph at the Red Clay Diaries said:

    Oh Katdish wake up
    Your audience awaits you.
    Tweet some crazy sh*t

    Steph at the Red Clay Diaries said:

    I almost forgot
    About the haiku challenge.
    Thank you for the Tweet

    Annie K said:

    Steph said a bad word
    But Katdish won’t give a rip
    She’s looped on pain meds

    BridgetChumbley said:

    Katdish is my twitter idol
    Her tweets make everyone smile
    Fried pie is amazing

    BridgetChumbley said:

    I had an inspiration for another so here goes:

    The twitter is lonely today
    It just doesn’t feel the same
    That’s what she said

    David said…

    My nose is dripping.
    Katdish advice, Why’d I listen?
    Silly Neti Pot.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    Jason said:

    Once upon a time
    Little fairies drove steamboats
    Don’t shake a baby

    Marni said:

    Email from Sherri
    What kind of meat do you like?
    Ha! TWSS.

    Glynn said:

    Katdish surgerized;
    Asleep, cracking herself up.
    Time for a rant soon.

    Helen said:

    Twitter ho’s unite
    to comfort our wounded friend
    surround her with love

    Beth said:

    Dude! Jason, I’m not even on pain killers and that CRACKED ME UP. Why? I have no idea…

    Strange sense of humor
    I embrace you like the night
    Lemming tortilla

    Sarah Salter said:

    I like to call this one “Frog”:

    It is still raining
    I have mud between my toes
    Oh no! A Truck! Splat.

    Shark Bait said:

    Once I had a life.
    It was full and rewarding.
    Now I have a blog.

    Annie K said:

    Oh our dear Katdish
    We are having so much fun
    At your expense. Dang.

    Sarah Salter said:

    And now, “Cricket”:

    Shiny black cricket
    A tasty treat for the cat
    Chirp! Crunch. Then, silence.

    (I think Haiku brings out my dark side…)

    Vanities of Vanities said:

    Must obey Father
    Despite your persecution
    Here, still not a Twit

    Doug Spurling said:

    What is a haiku
    a poem of some kind
    or Chuck Norris

    We interrupt this Twitter update for a special annoucement


    A VERY brief twitter update this week. Sorry, I’m pretty stoked about some other news, which I will get to in a minute. For now, here’s the shortest twitter update ever:

    @peterpollock: The slave driver has put me to work again!…. just sayin’

    @katdish: @PeterPollock Mush! Mush!

    ***

    @katdish: @billycoffey Thanks. Staying busy?

    @billycoffey: @katdish Sigh…yes. And cold and wet.

    @katdish: @billycoffey Oh, don’t fret. I have a feeling your week will end on a high note.

    @BridgetChumbly: @katdish All this ‘code’ talk between you and @billycoffey is driving me crazy! Will we get to hear this news on Friday, or no???

    @billycoffey: @BridgetChumbly Hmmm….

    @katdish: @BridgetChumbley Stay tuned….

    ***

    @katdish: RT @PeterPollock: I’m scared this morning. I was woken up by orders given through twitter DM’s… I’m just obeying, it’s safest //Mwha ha ha

    ***

    So what’s the big news? Well, hang on…I tell you in just a minute. But first…

    Billy has done some really great interviews. I’ve enjoyed each and every one of them. But no one does an interview quite like my pal Matt at the Church of No People. Here’s a brief excerpt from Billy Coffey’s latest interview with Matt:

    Your writing has a signature style. It’s been said by readers such as myself that it can be calming like a butterfly, fierce and poignant like a tiger, or ironic like a three-legged dog. What do you say?

    I would say my style resembles a three-legged dog who gets so distracted by chasing a butterfly that he doesn’t see the tiger that comes along and eats him.

    Now as a test of writing dexterity, I’m thinking of three random things: a hula-hoop, a pudding cup, and that three-legged dog from the previous question. Can you write an inspiring story using all three?

    To read how Billy answers this and other questions, hop on over to Matt’s blog,
    The Church of No People. I’ll wait right here….

    Are you back so soon? Did you go read the interview? Good, huh?

    Okay. Here’s the big news: I’m not going to tell you. You have to go HERE. to read about it. Okay…bye!