Cornucopia

Oh, the “horn of plenty”! It’s such a beautiful reminder of all that is good. It’s sort of a wonderfully filled cannoli; the kind with enough sugar crystals to make your mouth do a happy dance if mouths could dance. Or perhaps a reminder of Bugles stuffed with cream cheese. It’s overflowing with plenty. The “plenty” though for some people is not as beautiful or good as the “plenty for others…or so it seems.

I don’t know if your life is like mine – a life where in the last year you’ve experienced losses and wins, pain and enjoyment, disappointments and unexpected surprises, broken relationships and loving relationships, mental breakdowns and sanity, misfortune and blessings. I will guess that it is. There has been “plenty” of all the aforementioned filling my life this year. It’s been a cornucopia filled with all of life’s experiences that have somehow made me stronger and my life even more beautiful overall.

Since God’s “no” has manifested as “No, because I want something better for you” I have no logical reason to complain. Have I always liked it? No, I have not. In addition, I’ve told Him as much! Thankfully, He is very patient with me and has a great sense of humor. I am blessed with human relationships that mirror those qualities as well.

In response to such a beautiful life I lead with wonderful adventures awaiting and exceptional people to share it with, you know, like the cream of the cannoli, I choose to be grateful hopefully not just this Thanksgiving season but also every day.

Fill someone’s life with goodness today. It makes it sweeter.

Trees

I’ve recently become enthralled with the concept of specific trees as specific memorials for specific events. You might remember that I like things in triplicate so I had mention that specifically.

I’ve been thinking about a picture of Triple M and me…one where we look like total tree huggers and not because we are environmentalists in any way, shape or form, but because we were literally hugging a tree in his back yard as his right hand reached for my left hand. Aww. That sounds so beautiful. What made the event even more special was that I earlier spilled some coconut milk (seed from a tree…did you like that reference) on my T-shirt at an awkward angle above the waist while making piña coladas. Bama Girl did not think they were special enough. I got her back though. That’s another story. There is something romantic, even redeeming about trees.

The first tree that comes to mind is the tree of knowledge of good and evil as depicted in Genesis (first book of the Christian Bible). God is so Wonderful and He was willing to share everything, well, almost. He asked, ever so politely, I might add, for Adam and Eve to eat from everything else except that tree because it would not be good for them. I will venture to say most of you know the story but if not, I invite you to read Genesis Chapters one through at least four to get the full scoop. Somehow, even though I am sure the Garden of Eden was like, well, Eden or Paradise. Eve was fooled into thinking 99.9% wasn’t enough. She wanted that 0.01%. I don’t understand that. Regardless, even in the “hey, I’ve prepared a megabizzillion wonderful goodies for you from which you can feast…just don’t touch this one, or even go near it” invitation to all things wonderful, Eve chose stupidly.

The next tree I am reminded of is a tree in transition. This tree became a cross. It was transformed into a redemptive tool for you and me. As Chris Rice wrote from Jesus’ point of view, “Now I can never forget how much you mean to me. 'Cause I will always remember whenever I see. Where I carved your name into my tree. Where I wrapped my heart around your name. Then I took your arrow through my heart…Just to say, ‘I love you’. ‘I really love you’.”

The last tree that comprises my enthrallment is the tree from the song “Don’t sit under the apple tree…” There is something very romantic about this song. I must admit that I thought the spirit and feeling of that song would be my experience with Triple M when we went apple picking. I’d pictured tall apple trees and small ladders leading to plentiful fruit filled trees. I even got a flannel shirt, the kind with the snaps for the outing.

I thought Triple M and I would skip along and he would say, “Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me”, and we would sit under the tree. At that very moment, he would take a bite out of a beautiful apple, and I would tilt my head, giggle, and respond, “I won’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but you…” I was deceived by Groupon. And somewhere along the way I became dissatisfied with my 99.9% everyday experience with him, and wanted that 0.01%. We did get our picture taken…while standing up. It turned out to be one of my favorite M & M pictures.

I think back now and see how foolish it is to search for that 0.01% of what can never be instead of being filled with joy for the 99.9% that is – the reaching out in hands and heart to wrap me in the love of all things wonderful. I’ll be deceived no more.

The Buried Life

I like jars (oh, and he likes lemonade in case you have forgotten). I like jars so much that I repurpose them. I repurpose just about any glass jar type out there. So far, I’ve repurposed a jar to the following themes: snowmen, fishing, soccer, musical notes, birds, and various names and/or initials. Sometimes I wonder if this is just silly and possibly dangerous.

The times I specifically wonder are when I am watching one of those “hoarding” shows. For some reason I cannot fully understand, I get concerned I will end up with 17,295 jars in my 800 sq. ft. rental with every intent in the world to repurpose as a gift for someone…because we all know how many people MUST be lining up to receive a jar from me!

I’ve watched this show semi-regularly for about a year. I am always both disturbed and disheartened by the plight of the sufferer or “hoarder” on the show. There is almost always a defining moment that transformed some sort of collection activity to an obsession and usually tied in with severe and traumatic loss of a loved one. I’ve been thinking about defining moments and how they can (but don’t have to) overwhelm us or bury us in different ways. I’ve also been thinking about how our own actions further deepen the depth of our condition.

There are some specific ways we bury our life unnecessarily. I’ve listed some below but I bet we can come up with numerous others.

• We bury ourselves with worry
• We bury ourselves with our destructive behavior
• We bury ourselves with isolation
• We bury ourselves with our selves and our selfish desires
• We bury ourselves in our work

It seems to me that the more I let myself be buried by those things I listed above, the less likely I am to acknowledge the wonderful people around me that motivate me to make those cutesy jars to begin with! In addition, I marvel at the fact that Jesus likes to think of us as jars. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says that “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (ESV).

This is the buried life we should live – to know that within each of us is treasure, even though sometimes it seems hidden. The power of God reveals it, if we let Him. The only kind of “buried life” I want to live is the one I chose when I decided to follow Jesus…

Romans 6:4: We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (ESV)

And so we can walk in newness of life instead of a buried life! I like that; I like that a lot! I invite you along and hey, I might even make you a jar! I will fill yours up with jellybeans...

Furiously Fasting for Donuts

(Warning: may not be suitable for those that have cravings of the circular sweet and delightfully cakey kind)

Those close to me can tell you I typically prefer green juice to sweets any day. Yes, I am weird like that and perfectly okay with it. There is something magical about this green beverage with its sprouts, kiwi, broccoli, green apples, celery, lime…As I used to tell the Original Hooligans and The Hooligans when they were small – “Yummy, yummy in my tummy”. Every once in a while, however, and as Muscles sometimes says, I get a hankering for something sweet. This past Saturday night, I got a hankering for a Krispy Kreme chocolate cake donut. Lucky for me, the closest Krispy Kreme is only a few miles from my house and on the way to and from Triple M’s house. Unluckily for my thighs, the closest Krispy Kreme is only a few miles from my house and on the way to and from Triple M’s house.

For those of you not familiar with Krispy Kreme donuts, they are like a guilty pleasure with glaze. Now, it’s amusing that my guilty pleasure (S-E-X and the get out of her my people) showcased this on one of their episodes. I can’t go into the episode here because then this will turn from G, or possibly PG to not so PG quickly. My favorite donut is the chocolate cake donut, with glaze, of course.

As I normally do on Saturday evenings, I was spending some much needed quality time with my favorite super hero, Triple M. I think Triple M would agree that I don’t ask for a lot. I am neither neurotic in my requests nor demanding. Somehow, though, when I do ask for something, my timing is impeccably inappropriate. It’s a gift; what can I say.

On the way to my house from Triple M’s house (by the way, his house is always appropriately impeccable), I saw the light! I literally saw the light…of the Krispy Kreme storefront all lit up! I asked if I could pretty please with wonderful glaze on top have a chocolate cake donut. “Are you sure? It’s so packed”, announced Triple M. Now, “Are you sure?” in Triple M dialect means, “I love you but I really would rather listen to Sara Groves than pull into a ridiculously packed small parking lot on a Saturday night…” I very whiningly said we didn’t have to but what a nice opportunity it would be if we did then he could teach me how to make a left turn on this busy complicated street (batting my dark chocolate brown eyes). I don’t ask for a lot, so to the turning lane he goes.

From this moment on, words cannot eloquently explain what happened next so you have to visualize it in terms of awesome cars like a Charger a la Fast and the Furious. He gets in the left turn lane with another car approaching head on to turn the opposite way. Triple M then moves over rather quickly (think my nails on the dashboard by now) and back around that car to make a left turn. He turns…almost unto vehicles leaving or at least attempting to leave the parking lot. Triple M tries to go through the drive-through and then rethinks this when there are literally about ten cars ahead of us…no room to park either. What happens next, is kind of a blur but it involves him backing out while a car is pulling in the lot behind us, turning around to turn left across three lanes of traffic. He did it by zig zagging between a few cars then says, “that’s how you turn left here…”

I was speechless, which was a good thing because from the looks of my Racer, he was in no mood to, well, for anything! We drove the rest of the few miles to my place without any sort of donut, not even a sprinkled one (insert sad face here). Triple M did offer to stop at a convenience store and get a donut, but you know, it’s just not the same. And that’s how I ended up fasting for a donut on a Saturday night.

Don’t fret friend! The story has a happy ending. We stopped by Krispy Kreme on the way to his house on Sunday afternoon. You didn’t think my super hero would fail me, did you? He never does. It’s always a circular way to a sweet delightful ending.

Jr.-like salvation (not the department store kind)

If you asked me my favorite ages in children, I would likely say the “tween” years (10-13) followed by two to three year olds and then teenagers overall. I am not certain what this says about my mind’s stability, but I can tell you that there are, in my opinion, no other more crucial times in a child’s life than during those years and in my opinion, in that order. We all know that I received my training in the school of “A Wing and a Prayer” so I must be 100% correct. That and spending the majority of my life raising children and continuing on, as Maureen says, to do so.

There is a certain je ne c'est quoi (I used that term just to try to impress Muscles) about pre-teen children that both attracts and eludes. They have developed their own little selves, are still playful, and are trying to figure out who they want to become, or even whom to pattern after. It’s such a formative time. Those of us that are blessed and responsible to contribute to their edification have a high calling and task ahead.

For many years, I taught the 10 to 13 year old age group at church. I cannot begin to tell you how AWESOME this experience was for me. In fact, I miss it, and miss it a lot. The kids were so inquisitive and attentive. I remember distinctly that I learned as much from them as I tried to share. If I had to pick the one thing I liked most about them was that they are exceptional readers of genuine communication versus canned attempts; they are great doo doo detectors.

If they asked a question about God, they didn’t want “textbook” answers. They wanted experiential answers. They wanted to know what it meant to “me” and why it should mean something to them. Oh, don’t get me wrong, my little group wanted to prove it with their Bibles but wanted to know how to apply and why they should even try to apply it to their lives.

Another reason they are my favorite age group is of all the groups, they are the most real in their skin and in their actions. Life is awkward. Life is always changing and is unscripted. They answer abruptly (the way I sometimes want to), they feel deeply (the way we all should), and they acknowledge they don’t really know what’s going on! I heartily believe that at the core and center of who we are, we are perennial seventh graders waiting for the braces to come off and hit the growth spurt!

I know it’s not always appropriate to be like a seventh grader (just like it’s not appropriate to continue shopping in the Jr.’s department past the age of 22 per Stacey and Clinton from What Not to Wear). But when it comes to salvation, I feel pretty certain that Jesus wants us to bring our awkwardness and grievances of unfairness to Him, just like Juniors tend to verbalize it. I think the kids get the excellent doo doo detection skills from Him! I am also certain He calls some of us to help these “kids” develop the script of their life. That’s even more fun than hitting the mall…

The Shedding Sweater

As I was removing lint from my awesome shrug/bolero style jacket, my mind’s eye went back to a bittersweet time in my life when the Original Hooligans and The Hooligans all lived with me and I worked with my sweet friend “Ageless”.

I’ve decided to name her Ageless for the following reasons:

• In an un-annoying way, she never seems to physically age. She looks beautiful even though years keep passing. They seem to pass her by.
• She is a classic and wonderful dresser! She is always trendy without being inappropriate. 
• Her core values transcend societal norms. She is a great mom and has been together with the same man for more than half her life. Some even dub her “Wonder Woman”. I agree
• No matter how much time passes between our “visits”, she remains a true friend; really more like a sister that lives across the country.

Ageless and I worked together almost ten years ago. We worked in a small office and became good friends. I think she won me over with her exceptional sweet tea and cheese ball. Those were great days…when she brought sweet tea and cheese balls. I was also chunkier. I’m not saying it was her fault or anything but…

We had little traditions like getting sweet tea (for her) and a Diet Coke with lemon and no ice (for me). I also would make smoothies for us from time to time. You should ask her sometime about the infamous “wheat germ” smoothie. That was something. I digress though.

Ageless listened to me throughout some of the worst years of my life. She listened more than she offered opinions although I know sometimes she wished she could shake some sense into me to take control of those things that I could control. Still, she always showed love and understanding, even when she wanted to intervene violently on my behalf.

I specifically remember the time that my home was robbed. It was a very curious event. The “robber(s)” entered with a key and only took all of my belongings including all my clothes, makeup, and those feminine products that are advertised with women only wearing white clothes. The “robber(s)” also took my journals that I had since I was a teenager which were hidden behind several other books. It was an interesting robbery. The police were pretty sure they knew who burglarized my home since none of the children’s belongings were taken, but could never prove it. Somehow, some things are never this person’s fault!

The next day, I went to work with the same exact clothes I had on the day before. Now, I am not a spiffy dresser like Ageless but she knew something was wrong. I shared my tale of nakedness and such and I could tell she once again wanted to intervene violently on my behalf. She is the kind of friend that suffers with you. She’s precious. Somewhere along the way, another coworker ran out and bought me a black sweater. It was lovely except for one thing – it shed a lot. For the next few days, I wore this sweater and left a trail of little black lint balls everywhere I went in the office. Thankfully for the vacuum cleaner, the insurance check came in and I could replace my clothes. Guess who agreed to go with me to the mall? Of course Ageless did! I think she did a better job than Stacey and Clinton on “What Not to Wear”.

It meant so much to me that she would take the time to do this for and with me. During this rough patch, her support and compassion helped me shed more than just that sweater. She helped me shed some negative thoughts and she helped me shed light on the person I really am. She even helped me shed my circumstances and take charge of the things I can control.

I can honestly attribute some of the successes I’ve enjoyed to her support and friendship. She helped me shed my shell of insecurity and embrace new ways to view and display myself without leaving a trail of little black anything behind.

Because He first loved me...The trilogy ends.

(This is the final installment on my "review" of the fundemental beliefs of the SDA church. Tune in next Friday for my take on "Junior-like salvation"-not the department store kind)

19. Law of God: No if salvation issue means I believe I can be saved by obeying them. The law is a written version, shall we say a temperament or character assessment of God. Why would I want to hurt God’s feelings after all He has done for me by purposely defying Him and ruining my life in the process? So yes, I believe that the Ten Commandments are still valid. Do I believe that I can be saved by keeping them? No. Do I believe I can be lost by breaking them? Possibly. I just don’t think Jesus likes to get slapped in the face. I don’t plan to murder anyone or lie or steal, so those are easy. I would say for me, taking the name Christian in vain probably has had the most effect. Some actions alienate me from Jesus, so those are salvation related.

 20. Sabbath: Maybe I’m dumb, but I’ve never understood why this is separate from the one above. Yes, I believe that the 7th day of the week known as Saturday is the actual day God ordained for us to rest from our labors; actually it was before that at Creation so we could have quality time. It’s so great. But I don’t believe keeping it will save me and I don’t believe it’s more special than the other commandments. Boy, I wish we would focus on “thou shalt not commit adultery” a little more. In this day and age, we also need emphasis on that one. I know it’s a point of contention especially as we get to the end of time and in particular with Rome’s influence on other Protestant churches observance as Sunday. I would go to church both days without feeling any guilt. But I like going to church and I like to be with people that praise and love the Lord every day of the week. Sabbath for some is such drudgery. Have some fun people. God wants to spend time with you and not that I want to speak for Him, but showing a little more enthusiasm about seeing Him would probably make Him happy. By the way, I totally believe in Sabbath preparation and doing only what’s necessary. Don’t label me yet.

21. Stewardship: God doesn’t need our money but wants our heart. This is a personal issue. It may be a salvation issue for those that choose to rob God of what is rightfully His but I can’t say that’s the intent. I think there is a lot of confusion on this topic. For example, some feel that their time is the same as their money. I don’t know quite how to argue against that. I tithe, I do and I’ve seen miracles. Have I always been 100% faithful? I’m ashamed to say I’ve not been but God has treated me more like a daughter than like an IRS agent and I am thankful for that.

 22. Christian Behavior: not a salvation issue to the extent that my behavior doesn’t smack Jesus in the face. I don’t believe that I would be lost if I wore earrings or makeup or painted my toe nails. I do wear makeup and I do paint my toe nails. Please don’t begin looking at my toes! If you do and think I’m going to Hades, please at least say so to me directly! I’ve never been fond of jewelry. I think it’s ridiculous how it’s okay to get a watch when you get engaged, oh, and wear it on your right wrist. The watch can cost $2k but as long as it’s not an engagement ring, it’s okay. It seems to me the modest $250 engagement ring is less offensive, but whatever! I don’t even have my ears pierced so…Tastes are so subjective. So if I’m blessed enough to find someone that will love me enough to want to marry me, and he gives me a ring, I will wear it. I guess after all the above, I may be dis-fellowshipped already, so maybe I don’t have to worry? j/k. I hope you still love me after this.

23. Marriage and the Family: Salvation depends on the Lord! Having a great family is gravy.

 24. Christ's Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary: Absolutely a salvation issue. He makes intercession for me. And I bet several of you think I really need it. Seriously though, He is our Advocate and I am happy to accept Him as such. I need Him. I am confident in Him and that His sacrifice is enough.

25. Second Coming of Christ: Christ will physically return with the entire world watching. He will resurrect the righteous of the dead and they and the righteous living will be taken to heaven. All others will die. The fulfillment of prophecy and the present condition of the world indicate that Christ's coming is imminent. I preface this by saying I whole heartedly believe that Christ’s second coming will not be in secret, and will be audible, visible, and known by all as the Bible says. However, I really don’t see someone understanding this differently as a salvation issue.

26. Death and Resurrection: Because we sin, we must die. After death, we will sleep until Christ wakes and resurrects the righteous. Although I believe this, I don’t see someone’s different interpretation as a salvation issue. I’ve belonged to churches that won’t sing “I’ll Fly Away” because it could be misinterpreted but we sing “The Old Rugged Cross”. I don’t get that. In the latter, you can argue we are singing about the instrument and not the Savior. When I fall asleep in Jesus, I will have no sense of time; therefore my next thought is being with the Lord. I do however think it’s a little creepy to assign omnipresent prowess to relatives that have passed on. I will leave it at that.

27. Millennium and the End of Sin: The earth will be occupied not by Jesus, but by Satan for a thousand years. The dead will be judged and no humans shall survive. At the end of the millennium, Jesus and the angels will return to banish Satan and with fire cleanse the earth to remove all trace of sin. I guess by this time I’m safely saved so…

28. New Earth: The redeemed will have an eternal and perfect dwelling with God, and will live without sin. This was part of the point. But we should remember the main point is eternal life with our Lord and Savior.

 If you stayed with me through the end, I look forward to your feedback. I am not looking to argue nor defend any position I presented here and it was not my intent to offend anyone. I don’t think our difference in denominations makes one more “Christian” than the other. We’re supposed to be Christians first, then…whatever. Should there even be a whatever?

If you know me well, you know I equate most experiences with a song. I invite you to sing along with me the words to that simple yet AFLAC (you have to check out www.stuffchristianslike.net to understand that one) hymn, “O, How I love Jesus”

 There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth
It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth

CHORUS
O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus
Because He first loved me

 It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free
It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea

CHORUS


It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe
Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below


CHORUS