There’s No Checklist

There’s an age old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  and its answer might help prevent bitterness.  The question is asked because we think bad things should NEVER happen to ‘good’ people.  We think bad things shouldn’t happen to… us!

And it’s all because of our checklist.

I doubt you actually have a pen and paper with you at all times marking all the good you’ve done. (At least I hope you don’t.)  You might not be ‘keeping score’ but, just ask any Little Leaguer, it doesn’t mean you don’t know who ‘won’.

What’s on this ‘checklist of goodness’?

• Go to church – check
• Be nice to people – check
• Didn’t kill anyone on my way to work (even though that jerk cut me off) - check
• Paid my taxes (even though I don’t agree with the bailouts, etc, etc, etc…) - check
• Voted (no comment) - check
• Filled out my timecard (even though I dont’ get paid what I’m worth) - check
• Read my Bible – check
• Pray – check
• Tithe (even gave extra at the holidays) - check

Yes, this list may seem simplistic and maybe you are one of those amazing people who has given money to the homeless, donated a kidney to a co-worker, spent time at soup kitchens, knit blankets for babies, etc, etc…  You are a fine example of humanity, but that does not protect you from the ‘bad’.

We keep this mental checklist of all we’ve done and think it somehow matters.  Well, shouldn’t it?  Bottomline… no. 

Emily – Based on ‘A Rose for Emily’ by William Faulkner

The assignment was to write a poem about the short story ‘A Rose for Emily’ by William Faulkner.  If you haven’t read it, I think my poem might give you a clue as to what happens.  If you have read it, let me know what you think of the poem!

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Parties and Quiet Times

A friend recently asked what my Quiet Time looked like.  Since I know her and the reasons she usually asks me these kinds of questions, I answered the question she was really asking, and not the one she voiced.

What is a Quiet Time and why should we have one?

It’s like going to a party.  There’s typically one host.  They invite those they know and sometimes those they’d like to know better.  Everyone mingles.  You get to know others on a surface level.  There’s a collective quality to a ‘good’ party.  But even at the best kinds of parties, most of the time you’ll find those people you don’t see often, or those you want to know more about and say, “It was great to see you… we really should get together and catch up.”  Because you know that seeing someone only at a party makes it almost impossible to deepen your relationship.

You plan the personal get together.  It’s usually just you and this friend.  Maybe it’s dinner, coffee, lunch, going out for dessert… however it is structured the best ones involve talking and catching up one-on-one

An Authoress to Admire

Dorothy L.Sayers (1893-1957) was an Oxford educated author, Christian humanist, and good friend of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.  A friend of mine recently introduced me to her work when he quoted her in his blog.

After some research I found some quotes I quite enjoy beginning with my personal favorite.  I look forward to reading her mysteries and works of non-fiction.

Why do you want a letter from me? Why don’t you take the trouble to find out for yourselves what Christianity is? You take time to learn technical terms about electricity. Why don’t you do as much for theology? Why do you never read the great writings on the subject, but
take your information from the secular ‘experts’ who have picked it up as inaccurately as you? Why don’t you learn the facts in this field as honestly as your own field? Why do you accept mildewed old heresies as the language of the church, when any handbook on church history will tell you where they came from?
Why do you balk at the doctrine of the Trinity – God the three in One – yet meekly acquiesce when Einstein tells you E=mc2? What makes you suppose that the expression “God ordains” is narrow and bigoted, while your own expression, “Science demands” is taken as an objective statement of fact?
You would be ashamed to know as little about internal combustion as you know about Christian beliefs.
I admit, you can practice Christianity without

POV of a 17 year old

I wrote this my senior year of high school for my Creative Writing class.

Much of my writing is to remind my ‘older’ self of things I learn and how I felt at certain ages of my life.  My goal for this poem was to not only express how I was feeling at that moment, but also to show how I knew in the future I’d be facing the same opinion from my own children.  Do children ever really understand adults before they become adults?  I remember writing and rewriting the ending to express the cycle of the adult/child relationship.  How we think we’ll remember and somehow ‘right the wrongs’ we faced as children, yet we end up creating new ‘wrongs’ with the next generation.

What do you think?

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I’m getting older and hopefully wiser
although my parents still treat me as a child,
at times.
I suppose I understand
I’ll always be their child.
I am the youngest
the baby
the Lucky One
at least my sister thinks so.
I don’t know about that myself
sometimes

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Why is it that when you’re a kid and Christmas only means presents, pretty lights, and wrapping paper does Christmas seem to be so BIG?  The movies, songs, cookie baking, decorations, school concerts, plays, and those fun christmas sweaters… (Ok, so maybe that’s a girl thing.)

I remember the build up and the excitement .  Yet now that my focus is on the TRUE meaning of Christmas, the ‘holiday season’ is a blur until about December 23rd.   Then it suddenly BLAZES into reality and I’m hit with the fact I haven’t bought any gifts.

It’s obvious to any American - Christmas has become too commercialized.

A few years ago the ads were pushing this joyous holiday notion:

 ”This is what I want – don’t forget to buy it or I won’t be happy with you.” 

It was on the radio, TV, and even on billboards.  Especially the jewlerly & new car ads.  They’re still overwhelming!

Is it really true that people cannot have a good Christmas experience without

Spin Cycle

Laundry is never ending.  Even as you finish the ‘last load’ something you’re wearing will need to be washed.   And the Spin Cycle seems to take the longest when you’ve forgotten to wash what you need.

While doing laundry one night I thought about the Spin Cycle and me.  The last few months have been a constant state of change.  Not knowing which way was up, if I was headed in the right direction, or, if the news is to be believed, in this ‘dire economy’ my life would fall apart.

God tells us we will be tested.  And times of testing can wear me out.  I pull away from my normal over-exuberance toward others while I attempt to ‘work out’ what’s going on in my life.  And I question WHY I need to be tested.  And… I thought of my clothes.

I wash my favorites over and over because they get the most use and become dirty.  Not because I want

Pac-man Cookies

If you take pride in your maturity being called child-like is an insult. Only when you are of advanced age do you appreciate someone guessing you to be much younger than the number of candles melting on your cake.

We spend our lives trying to act mature, be an adult, to be considered ‘grown-up’. Yet in scripture Jesus tells us we have to be like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:15-17 NIV

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

But… WHY? We consider being a child to equal a lack of maturity. How can you be a ‘mature Christian’ and still enter heaven like a child? The answer came to me while talking with my oldest nephew.

Quotes from a Favorite

You know I adore the Narnia series.  What I love most about C.S. Lewis’ writing is the simplicity of words. With so few pages of type he can create a symphony of thought rolling through my mind. Characters jump off the page and into my imagination. Living, growing and becoming a part of my life. If you don’t love reading, you won’t understand. If you do, and you haven’t read C. S. Lewis… you should.

Below you’ll find some of my favorite and most easy to find quotes by C. S. Lewis (1898 – 1963) taken from “The Quotations Page“. Enjoy!

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A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable?

My Nineveh?

Some would call it ‘chance’, some luck… but I know the Lord has led me to every job I’ve ever had.

Starting with my first babysitting job to my current position I can trace the path. It’s rather amazing to see the puzzle fitting together. And now I’m waiting for another piece.

You see, I don’t know what my Nineveh might be, but apparently, like Jonah I am going to find out sooner rather than later.

We learn about Jonah because he chose to ignore the will of God. He was

Narnia: Prince Caspian

I’ve been looking forward to the 2nd tale of Narnia for a long, long time! Enjoy this sneak peek!

Narnia: Prince Caspian

Healing the Blind: Personal experience with God

Why do we put God in a box? Or a Ziploc bag? Or a room with a ceiling? We create these images of who & what God is based SOLELY on our personal experience with Him. Perhaps we should consider that we limit God when we look at Him in such a fashion.

Recently this concept was brought back to mind by someone who commented on my blog. She said:

I think a lot of people have had their experience of salvation and decide that your experience of salvation has to look the same. … God meets us so… individually.

This is SO true! Think about the miracle of Jesus healing the blind. Let’s just imagine

Simple Joys

Joy can be elusive, but also something we don’t need to seek to find. Odd isn’t it? Sometimes it’s easier to find joy when we aren’t looking. Today was one of those days.

As a child having people wave to me while riding in a car brought a sense of personal accomplishment. It was a simple thing really: I succeeded if they waved and would try more sincerely if they didn’t. Testing what worked the best, I would use my hand or my various stuffed animals to wave to passing strangers. My little stuffed dog Spike was my personal favorite waving tool – he almost always got a response.

While on school bus trips we

It’s all about me

Yes, sometimes I use that statement as a joke. “Learn that now and it will serve you well in the future.” If true, the world would be in a sad, sad place. While I do think I can be pretty darn interesting, there must be more to this life than just me. Because one day, all that is ‘me’ will be gone.

A few years ago I attended the ACMC conference. One of the seminars was on “Cat & Dog Theology“. It hit me so square on the forehead that 2 thoughts immediately struck me.

1. This is SO me
2. I would love to one day teach this to other people!

Why did it impact me so much? I’m not sure. Probably because it has become apparent to me that I’m too self focused. Goodness… I have an entire

Recipe for Hatred

3 cups – misconception

3 cups – misunderstanding

2 quarts – lack of communication

4 1/2 cups – stubbornness

5 cups – immovability

To taste – rebelliousness

1 1/4 cup – bias

1 cup – prejudice

7 cups – envy

2 cups – jealousy

1 teaspoon – evil nature

Depending on which you like better, start with a base of either a misconception or a misunderstanding. Blend with a lack of communication. Set aside to ferment. After it