holiness

Some things to think about from A Lamp for my Feet by Elisabeth Elliot.

The Hope of Holiness

The "openness" that is often praised among Christians as a sign of true humility may sometimes be an oblique effort to prove that there is no such thing as a saint after all, and that those who believe that it is possible in the twentieth century to live a holy life are only deceiving themselves. When we enjoy listening to some Christian confess his weaknesses and failures, we may be eager only to convince ourselves that we are not so bad after all. We sit on the edge of our chairs waiting to grasp at an excuse for continuing to do what we have made up our minds long ago to do anyway. The Lord is ready to forgive sin at any moment and to make strong servants out of the worst of us. But we must believe it; we must come to Him in faith for forgiveness and deliverance and then go out to do the work He has given us to do.

"Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity" (1 Cor 13:6 AV). Let us be willing to call iniquity what is really iniquity, rather than to call it weakness, temperament, failure, hangups, or to fall back on the tired excuse, "It's just the way I am."

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. (Ps 51:10 AV)

a feast of feasts

I haven't done a Friday's Feast in a long time.  And since there isn't one up for today, I'm just going to do a bunch of them.  Because I figure you guys like nothing more than to hear all about me.  *"Let's talk about me.  Let's talk about my.  Let's talk about me - oh my oh my."  Or something like that.

Appetizer

When was the last time you had your hair cut/trimmed?  Five weeks ago

Soup

Name one thing you miss about being a child.  Irresponsibility

Salad

Pick one: butter, margarine, olive oil.  Butter

Main Course

If you could learn another language, which one would you pick, and why? Spanish because it would be the most useful.

Dessert

Finish this sentence: In 5 years I expect to be…a 47 year old mother of teenagers with some best selling books on the market and to be much healthier and wiser.

Next feast:Appetizer

What is the weather like today where you live? It is around 86 degrees with a mild breeze and low humidity.  Well, there is some humidity or smoke or something because I can't see Denver or the mountains.  It is very lovely today.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?  2

Salad

What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?  Curtains.  We don't have any blinds at all.  A couple of windows are bare.

Main Course

Name something that instantly cheers you up. A prat fall.  Something funny.  A hug.

Dessert

How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning? 3

Next feast:

Appetizer

If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose? Easy!  The UK.  Is that a continent?  Well, thats my answer anyway!

Soup

Which browser do you use to surf the Internet? Safari

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?  7 - how do I know because I don't know what I don't know...

Main Course

Finish this sentence:  Love is…a many splendored thing

Dessert

Have you ever been in or near a tornado? No, I have not.   But I have been through recent damage by one.

Next feast:

Appetizer

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist? Optimist.  Oh, I can see the dark side, but I choose to believe the bright side.

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write with? Red

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure?  Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them? every few months or so.  A salon.

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online?  If so, what was it? Yes, books.

Dessert

In which room in your house do you keep your home computer? It is supposed to be the dining room, but we don't have a table in here.  We have the kids' computer and mine in here.

Last feast:

Appetizer

When you drink soda/pop/coke, do you prefer to drink it from the bottle, a can, or after pouring it into a cup?  I love it in a glass full of ice.  Not a nasty paper or plastic cup.  A glass.  And then the water condenses on the outside.  That's awesome.

Soup

What television show are you willing to stay up late to watch? Well, I like to stay up late, so any show that I like, I guess.  Monk being my favorite.

Salad

Name one person, place, or thing you think of as brilliant.  I had some salad the other day and the plastic container it came in was made out of corn.  So then it wasn't plastic I guess, was it?  What was it? It was brilliant.  It didn't taste like corn.

Main Course

Would you be willing to work 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days in order to save gas?  I don't know if I'd do it to save gas.  I'd do it to have an extra day off.  I used to work 3 twelve hour shifts.  That's too much though.  Didn't like it at all.

Dessert

If you were a superhero, what would you call yourself?  Supergoof.

thursday thirteen

Thirteen of my least favorite things.  Well, maybe not my least, least.  Its hard to do that without getting gross and I'm not going to get gross.

1. Least favorite color - Putty or Gray.

2. Least favorite smell - Asphalt.

3. Least favorite sound - Teeth scraping on a fork.

4. Least favorite movie (that I've seen) - New version of The Longest Yard.

5. Least favorite TV show (that I've seen)- The Bachelor

6. Least favorite indoor chore - Cleaning Toilets.

7. Least favorite outdoor chore - Weeding.

8. Least favorite song - Achy Breaky Heart

9. Least favorite food - Liver

10. Least favorite drink - Beer

11. Least favorite tactile feeling - Pinch

12. Least favorite emotion - Irritable

13. Least favorite place - In a cellar.

i don't want to be perfect

I keep telling myself that.  But it is not the truth.  I really, really would like to be perfect.  It seriously distresses me that there are imperfections in me.  Seriously.

But here's the thing... Have you ever been around someone who seems perfect?  Perfectly dressed, not a hair out of place, not a misspoken word.  Just perfect.  Beautiful, thin, all that.

Did you feel totally relaxed and comfortable in her presence?  When you visit someone's home, do you feel more comfortable if it is spotless and perfect or if there are a couple of dirty dishes in the sink, a stack of mail on the table, and other signs that people live there?

Once I knew a lady who seemed that way at first.  Just too put together.  I felt very intimidated.  Then one day, I noticed that her shirt was missing a button.  Oh, how I rejoiced in that missing button!  She is just human after all!  She is not perfect.  She is just like me.  She is just a woman like me, doing the best she can!  Turns out she is a beautiful woman inside as well as out and if I had let my intimidation keep me from relating to her, I would have missed that.  I would have missed so much!

It occurred to me that maybe in my attempts to look perfect, I was doing the same thing.  When I work so hard on what I'm wearing and how I look and act, am I making myself seem unapproachable?  Too perfect?  (Stop laughing!!)  My goal should always be to look friendly and welcoming. 

So, here are the lessons:

- Nobody is perfect.  We are all flawed and some of us try very hard to seem perfect, even to be perfect, but we never succeed.

- How much of what we do is about impressing others?  And is it worth it?  Do we try too hard and come across as intimidating and unapproachable instead?

- Don't let yourself be intimidated by others.  They are just flawed people doing the best they can.  Most would be mortified if they knew they intimidated you.  Others get a power surge from being intimidating.  Those aren't the people I'm talking about.  I have no idea what to do with them.

What I'm not saying:

- I'm not saying there is anything wrong with wearing nice clothes, makeup, being fashionable and all that.  I guess it is about our motives for how we look.  Dress to Impress is a book, I think, but I'm not sure its the right mindset for our day to day lives.

 - I'm not saying that everyone who looks nearly perfect has the wrong mindset.  I don't know that the lady I mentioned is trying to be perfect.   Maybe she just wants to look gorgeous.  A lot of this has to do with my own insecurities and how I view other people.

a few quizzes

You Are Barbeque Sauce

You are a social person. You enjoy cooking for other people. You are both skillful and competitive. You enjoy mastering hard tasks. You appreciate complexity more than simplicity. Your taste in food tends to lean toward interesting flavors. You appreciate exotic spice combinations. You tend to like cutting edge, fusion cuisine. You get along with all personalities from a distance. Except salsa personalities, who always seem to annoy you.

What Condiment Are You?

You Are 60% Yankee, 40% Dixie

You're a pretty even split of Yankee and Dixie. You've probably traveled around a lot in your life.

Are You a Yankee or Dixie?

Your Personality at 35,000 Says...

Deep down, you prefer spending time alone to spending time with others. You enjoy thinking more than talking. You are not too sure what your place in the world is yet. You often feel invisible in a crowd. Your gift is having a way with words. You know how to express yourself well. You are inspired by what is possible. Real life is often too ordinary for you. You are happy as long as you are given some personal space. It's important for you to have your own private life.

The Personality Test at 35,000 Feet

These actually sound pretty right to me.  What answers do you get?

wall-e

We saw WALL-E  yesterday.

It is a very cute movie.  Not a lot of dialogue, you know, since he can't really talk much.

It's a love story, and above all a story of hope.

I was afraid I was going to be disappointed.  I love PIXAR movies and the trailers for this just didn't look very interesting to me.  But it lived up to their standards and to mine!

Wall-e is sweet and outmoded.  He falls in love with a more sophisticated girl and it is really fun.

I love a part in the film where it portrays "I once was blind, but now I see."  When you watch it, you will know what I'm talking about.

So, grab the kids go see it.  Hey, the theater is air conditioned, too!

words of wisdom

Stop trying to compete with others. Give yourself to God and then be who you are without regard to what others think. Reduce your interests to a few. Don't try to know what will be of no service to you. Avoid the digest type of mind. Learn to pray inwardly every moment. Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Pray for a single eye. Read less, but more of what is important to your inner life. Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Practice spiritual concentration.
--A. W. Tozer.

"Stop trying to compete with others.  Give yourself to God and then be who you are without regard to what others think."  

Excellent advice.  I would love to get a good handle on this.

"Reduce your interests to a few."  

Why?  I read a book once in which the author advised the reader to find four areas in which to be expert.  To keep files on those things.  I would have a hard time choosing just four areas of interest.  So instead I am interested in a lot of things, but expert in none.  I guess that is his point.

"Avoid the digest type of mind."  

That follows along the same lines, I guess.

"Learn to pray inwardly every moment." 

 Godly, scriptural advice.  I do better at this some days than others.

"Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility."  

Maybe not the childlike honesty that blurts out "Your breath smells like socks."  LOL  But overall, wouldn't it be nice if we all practiced these things?

"Pray for a single eye."  

This is a strange sentence to me.  But I guess he's talking about focus.  I have been feeling the need for focus lately.

"Read less, but more of what is important to your inner life."  

He lost me with the first two words.  I do try to read things, whether fiction or not, that are edifying to me.

"Call home your roving thoughts."  

That would require round- the- clock diligence.  While I do keep a strong watch over where my thoughts wander, I let them wander.  I come across some interesting ideas that way.

"Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul."  

What a lovely line.  That just makes my spirit sigh.  Ahhh, yes.

"Practice spiritual concentration."  

Interesting thought.  To practice.  To be intentional about it.  

Can you sum up his quote in one line?  

Do you have any comments on his thoughts?

Which line spoke to, or challenged you, the most?