Pike Place

Mark your calendars

The next presidential election will be here before you know it. Be sure to block some time on Tuesday, November 6th, 2012 to cast your vote.

Ang & Sam, 'Love you both.

Who to Vote for...

I am cautiously sending a request for information. I feel like I should vote. I am not sure who to vote for. I know I have a lot of friends who have a lot of strong political opinions.

I would love to hear who you are voting for (feel free to comment anonymously) and why you are voting that way.

I really would like to know what you think. Also, please remember to be kind.

G#d Da%# Piece of Work Continues

So, the night while I was blogging about our experience with the couple in Key West I was also having a challenging night from a parenting perspective. Since then, I have begun to think more about the situation. I started picturing what that man who yelled at his wife must have been thinking. He may have been scared they would lose each other in the crowd. He probably felt out of control of the situation. He may have been frustrated because she asked him stick with her, so she didn't get lost and he wasn't doing a good job of it - he was shirking his responsibility. He may even have been scared she would get hit by one of Key West's Tourist Trolleys....Who knows? As I think of the times when I "Lose It." The pattern seems quite similar:

I am scared my kids are going to end up in a situation where they may get hurt. I feel like we've shifted from control to authority and I wonder if it's been a successful transition. I feel out of control. I feel responsible. I feel an overall frustration.

Regardless, I still don't want to be the raving lunatic & even if I wanted to be that...its effectiveness is nil. So, what's a mom to do? I guess I have to begin by knowing that frustrating situations are a part of parenting (no big revelation there). My girls are a gift from God. My girls are becoming who God has created them to be - just as he is creating me to be who he created me to be. And just as it is my role to help 'adjust' their behavior, it is also my role to allow God to adjust mine. So I continue on.

I try to get my own personal feelings out of the way as much as I can to allow myself to hear God's words for my girls and act on it. I also partner together with other parents who can help me see how awesome my kids are. We all need people to help lift our eyes out of the immediate situation and see the bigger picture - whether it's parenting, work, life, marriage, ______________...

I pray all of us would find those "Eye Raising" friendships.

Sacred Monday

"Conversation requires talking and listening. As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen. I picture the gentleness in his eyes and the smile full of love as he gazes on me. I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell him of my worries and my cares. I will open up my heart to him as I tell him of my fears and my doubts. I will ask him to help me to place myself fully in his care, to abandon myself to him, knowing that he always wants what is best for me."

I found these words at Sacred Space today. What an unbelievable gift to know that we are loved by someone who is all loving, all knowing, all peace. And we have the freedom to just come. No acting, no trying to be better than we are. We just come & God meets us - regardless of whether we even totally believe he exists. Amazing.

God, help me see your face is the prayer I continue to pray. He has never neglected to show himself. He continues to amaze.

"G#d Da%# Piece of Work"

"You are a G#d DA%# Piece of Work" Those are the words we heard some angry husband say to his wife on this very corner. You may or may not be familiar with this corner. It is located in Key West, Florida - one of my favorite places on the planet. It is the kind of place where everything seems a little better. It's a place where it would seem impossible to be in a bad mood.

In Key West you will find sunsets like this (on a regular basis), so Steve and I were surprised to hear such anger. Do you know why he was angry? Because his wife crossed the road and he didn't have time to follow her. He had to stay put and wait for the traffic! We watched this little exchange over a decade ago now, but it is still etched in our brains. Sometimes we joke about it. Sometimes we feel sorry for the couple. Mostly we remind each other that we don't want to be that couple - EVER! NO MATTER THE CIRCUMSTANCES!

Are we entitled to happiness? I think no. But I do think we have the choice every minute of every day. We can either wallow or we can celebrate the good and be at peace in the rest.

Steve and I were able to spend some time together today. It was one of those precious days, ya know? On our drive we were listening to a little James Taylor. Steve asked me what song of his is my favorite, and I remembered this song that I had TOTALLY forgotten about. Secret 'O Life. This is a great version of it. Enjoy.

Preachers are Perfect ??

There was a time when I though all preachers were perfect; I thought I could look at a preacher and consistently see Christ.

I now know that no matter the title, NO ONE IS PERFECT. Every set of eyes I see is struggling with something. We all have issues. We all struggle with some type of voice from satan speaking lies into our soul.

At some point I moved from seeing perfection to being overwhelmed with criticism and focusing in on the hypocrisies. There was a time when I trusted no one.

The season I am currently walking through is a season of tentative hope. I see potential in people. I see God's Kingdom coming. And I see myself as a fellow-traveller on the journey. It is not my job to judge. It is not my job to fix everyone's problems.

God has called me to love. God has called me to align myself with him...in my lifestyle...in my home...as I interact with those who are following him and those who are not.

I appreciate what the apostle Paul has to say about weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 12.9-10

God says,

"My grace is enough; it's all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness."

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Does this mean we all say 'screw it' and wallow in our failures? Of course not. It means that - just as we take the burden of a sick or hurting friend to the foot of the cross - we also take our weakness. We offer it. We allow God to use it. We allow his Kingdom to come into our mess.

Isn't it amazing that he wants all of us?