Moving Mountains Pat IV – Running Towards the Prize

April 29, 2008 at 7:46 pm (The Abundant Life)
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The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was this past weekend.  I got up early on Sunday to watch in on the news.  It was cold and rainy.  Ick.  Still, a part of me wished I was there!  As I said in my last “installment” I walked/jogged the Music City Half- Marathon in 2007.  I had never, ever attempted anything like that in my life.  It was one of those “to do before you die” things, and when a friend suggested that I join her I thought, “Why not?” 

We started training in January.  My best-girl, Carla, trained with me even though she had no desire to actually do the thing.   I guess you could say I didn’t really train rigorously or anything, but it was great fun, and I was in excellent shape when April rolled around.

By excellent shape I mean that I was fit – not thin.  Wouldn’t you know it, there were a ton of “us” at that race.  Diversity was part of what made the race so fantastic.  Tall, short, thin, not-so-thin, old, young, even pregnant – every race, color, creed – 30,000 folks just coming together to have a good time and in the process gain confidence, meet a goal, and raise money for a good cause. 

I desparately want to blog about my marathon expereince, but that will have to be for another time as I need to finish what I started…

So after the race I felt phenomenal.  Even though I really didn’t lose any weight in the process ( I KNOW I gained some serious muscle!) I felt healthy and proud of my self for the first time in a long time.  Also for the first time in many moons, I gave myself a break from the constant barrage of try-and-fail dieting.  I did pretty good until this past fall of 2007.  We distinctly felt a call from God to move back to our homestate of Oklahoma.  Let me add that when you begin to listen to the Lord and obey Him after not doing so for a very long time, it’s to be expected that you will get asked to do something you aren’t sure you want to do.

Nashville had become our home.  We’d made friends that were more like family, had a great church, etc… but in Oklahoma was our past, our families, and the call of God to “Go back.”  So in November we packed up what we didn’t sell on Craigslist and moved to Oklahoma City.  Well, we got there and it was one thing after another that went wrong even though many other things went right.  Namedly, the place we were renting was just awful.  It looked fine until we got moved in and the place seemed to just unravel.  The landlord was unhelpful and disinterested with the place and us for that matter.  Did I begin to eat?  You betcha I did! 

We hated coming home and didn’t know how we would get out of that mess or even if we should.  We tried to make the best of it as it got the best of us and our nerves.  Of course I gained more weight and then slapped a “diet-aid” on it to try and make it better.  This time it was Jorge Cruise’s 8 Minutes in the Morning which I actually really like, it’s healthy and practical, and I was just lazy and too stressed to even try to stick to any kind of plan.  I think I felt like if I could just lose weight I would be happier.  If I could just fit into my size 10s again, I would feel good.  If I coulld, if I could, if I could . . . It’s never enough. 

I think at this point God was shaking His Holy head saying, “Child, don’t you get it?  Nothing can make you happy . . . least of all a ‘better’ body.  Come to Me!”  I was bowing down at the altar of my own ideas of happiness and sacraficing myself, my time, my body.  God is a jealous God in case you didn’t know (Deut 4:24 – “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. “) 

As you might have figured out this is my last post on “weight loss” because that’s not my focus anymore.  Do I still want to lose weight?  Sure!  Do I still long for that size 10?  YES!  Will I continue on this crazy-cycle of diets, self-loathing, and mis-appropriated priorities?  Nope. 

Over the last several months, and really if I cared to go back and put my walk with God under the microscope for the past few years, God has been saying the same thing to me over and again, just in different ways.  As I said to Carla yesterday, “The Lord loves to repeat Himself until we get the message.” 

Here it is aptly summed up in Psalm 119:9-16  ”How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. Blessed are You, O LORD; Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have told of All the ordinances of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word.”

Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

And so here I am, still not near one goal, struggling in my flesh, but chasing after THE GOAL (Phillipians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”) I tell you something interesting, the more I dig into God’s word and actively pursue what He has promised those who believe (Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and thatHe is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”)  the less I think about what I am going to eat and drink and this body of mine. 

In fact, I think I have lost a few pounds, but who’s counting?

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Hey Good Lookin’, Whatcha Got Cookin’?

April 28, 2008 at 4:47 pm (I'm no Rachel Ray)
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I made a special catergory for recipies but noticed that I had yet to put anything in it.  I love to cook.  My favorite chef is Rachael Ray for the following reasons:

  1. She is happy.  I know that for some she is a bit too peppy, but I think she and I would have the best time!  She loves to entertain and cook for others. There’s just something about making something for someone and watching them enjoy it. 
  2. She is a real woman.  I have much love for Giada,but sheesh she’s thin for a chef! :)  
  3. She is quick – none of this 3 hours to make a meal nonsense.  I have a hungry family, and a rumbling tummy of my own.  Whatever I cook needs to take less than an hour or the natives grow restless.  I have 2 RR cookbooks, and true to form – it usually always takes about 30 minutes. 
  4.  Her stuff tastes good.  While she has her share of off-the-wall, “froo froo” recipies, there are just as many practical but creative meals that I have made that Jason and Jonah just rave about. 

So, what I would like to share with you is from my mama’s kitchen.  These are not fancy, but they are cheap and easy.  We did not have a ton of moola to throw around as a kid and with 3 kids to feed, meals needed to be simple and quick.

Without further delay – here are a couple of my “Morris Meals” that I enjoyed as a kid and still do from time to time.

  • Tuna Croquettes- if you love tuna, you will love these things.  Plus, tuna is cheap, cheap, cheap.  Here’s what you’ll need:  2 cans of tuna (water or oil doesn’t matter, but the better the quality the better the croquette), can of bread crumbs or smash up a package of saltine crackers, 1 egg, veg. or canola oil, green onion (1 palmful, diced).                                                                                       1) get a medium-sized fry/saute pan (bigger if you are making more croquettes), cover the bottom with  oil, turn on med-high heat.  2) open and drain tuna – dump into a mixing bowl and add egg. 3) whisk egg and tuna until blended and add 2 palmfuls of breadcrumbs/crushed crackers **make sure you don’t add too much or your croquettes will be too dry, just eye-ball it. 4) add diced onion/salt and pepper, and in my house we like Tony’s Creole Seasoning.  5) use your hands to mix until you can easily shape patties.  The # of patties you get depends on how big you want them.  6) place in pan, space 2 inches apart and don’t crowd the pan.  Cook on each side for 3-5 minutes and let cool on a plate with a paper towel.  These are great with salad and/or green veggies like asparagus or green beans.

  • Cubed Beef with Rice and Gravy -     this is also super-easy, cheap, and a winner with picky eaters.  I like it with mushrooms; Jason does not.    What you’ll need:  1 1lb of cubed beef (or pork – whatever!), jar of gravy/gravy mix/or make your own if you’re feeling saucy! ( ha ha), Veg/canoloa oil, brown rice (instant or old-school – again, whatever you prefer).  1) get the pan ready – I use a large skillet w canoloa, med-high heat.  2) the meat – you may want to tenderize it some more as cubed steak can get a little tough, also season with salt and pepper. 3) cook meat until browned and drain most of the oil or if you’re making your gravy from scratch – use the pan drippings for that. Turn down to low heat 4) you’ll probably want to start the rice immediately if instant and if old-school, you should have done this 30 minutes ago.  5) Get your gravy ready and add to pan with meat (and if you’re adding mushrooms, now’s the time too) 6) Turn back up to med heat and simmer for no more than 7 minutes.  7) Serve beef and gravy over rice.  This one simply needs some veggies.  We love peas, squash, or broccoli with this one. 

                                                                                       

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Meet the Zaragozas

April 27, 2008 at 9:40 pm (The Abundant Life)
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When you meet new people as a married couple, it is common to get asked, “And how did ya’ll (well, we are in the south now!) meet?”   Our story it not really typical, or wasn’t 8 years ago, but is a little more now thanks to geniuses like Dr. Neal Clark Warren.  As my dear friend Carla always says, “Begin at the beginning, please.”  So I shall . . .

I was a freshman at USAO in Chickasha, OK when I started listening to KOKF, 91-FM which is now Air 1.  Having spent the last four years in Ryan, OK (aka Middle-of-Nowhere) where I relied on 5 or 6 cassettes of my favorite Christian artists and a little Z Television (which no longer exists – RIP) I was completely stoked to get a steady stream of alternative Christian music 24 hours a day!  Jason was a morning show host that I listened to every day.  Fast forward to 1999, I was on a date with another gentleman (who was not my type…admittedly, it was sort of a pity-date, for shame!) in another town when I heard someone say, “Hey, Jason Z is here!”  I got all star-struck (I am easily impressed) and finally got to see what my favorite DJ looked like.  Cute.  Very cute.  Cute enough that there was no way I was going to muster up the courage to talk to him.  Plus, it’s not good manners on a date to get all flustered about another guy. 

Fast forward to 2000, and I am in my friend Leeann’s apartment.  She is telling me about this friend in Nashville who sends her these hilarious letters and that he has a huge crush on her.  Unfortunately, she does not share his affections, but cherishes his friendship.  This friend was none other than the cute DJ I spotted a year ago.  While I don’t know if it was Leeann’s intention to help Jason “move on” from wooing her, she suggested that he and I email.  We did.  A lot.  Then we chatted on-line.  A lot.  Then we began to send letters back and forth.  A LOT.  Most weeks I got 3 letters from Jason and he likewise from me.  It wasn’t long before we were burning up the cell phone minutes. 

We talked about everything.  Turns out he’s a nerd just like me – a bookworm.  We talked about literature. We talked about family.  We talked about the Lord. That’s where he got me.  Strangely enough, I started feeling like this pen-pal was going to be more than a pen-pal.  He felt it too. 

After several months of all the letters, emails, and phone calls – we planned to meet.  Jason would fly from Nashville to Oklahoma to meet this voice behind the phone.  I felt bad that I had a bit of an unfair advantage, having seen and heard him long before.  We both agreed that when we saw each other, we would know if this “thing” was a “sure thing” or not.

Man was I nervous as I waited in the concourse (oh, the pre-9/11 days!) for him to step off of that plane.  Wouldn’t you know, he walked right up to me and planted one right on me! Yup, I was head over heels.  He stayed for a few days, sleeping at a friend’s place in the guys’ dorm on campus.  We talked and talked like we would never run out of things to say.  We just stared at each other.  We kissed. 

On Sunday he met my parents and my youngest sister.  They loved him.  He asked my dad for permission (after a tiny nudging from me….a small kick!) and my dad said “Why Sure!”  Later that afternoon he asked me to be his wife, and I didn’t hesitate.  Jason went back to Nashville the next day with a fiance in Oklahoma.  I started to plan a late summer wedding, and a lot of people thought we were just nuts.  I guess we were, but conventional isn’t always right.

Jason moved back to Oklahoma in May and we got our marriage counseling (what was it like one session?!) and planned most of the wedding before I jetted off to Canada for a summer mission trip.  That was one of the worst summers of my life for more reasons that one, and a whole different story that I shall share another time….

I came home in August and we were married August 18, 2001.  7 years ago this August.  We went to an amazing marriage conference yesterday and afterwards I said to Jason, “You know, there were times when we both thought that the way we met and married was crazy and that we were in hindsight just so opposite that it wasn’t funny….but I see now more and more that we are for sure just the people God picked for one another.”

Jason, I’m glad I married you honey.  You were and are and always will be the man for me!  Love you!

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Tag! I’m it!

April 25, 2008 at 2:18 am (A Penny for my thoughts)

Summer tagged me!

Here are the rules: The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1.

What was I doing 10 years ago? I was a freshman in college at USAO, getting ready to end my second semester.  I moved out of the dorms and into a bachelorette pad with Gwen and Kimber.  Kimber moved out to be replaced by Trisha and Crystal.  Also, I was preparing to spend the summer at Falls Creek working in the children’s camp.  Fun times ! I had a nice tan, too.
5 snacks I enjoy in a perfect non-weight gaining world:
Buffalo Wings, Dunkin’ Donuts (Chocolate Frosted), Cream-Cheese Danishes, Cheese Dip from Ted’s, and Blue Bell Dutch Chocolate Ice cream

In the real world: I might still occasionally enjoy any of the above, but I stress occassionally but healthier snacks I like are chips and homemade salsa, strawberries/blueberries, carrot sticks with ranch
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Be debt free, give (to church, IMB, rescue missions, Mercy Ministries, family, Crisis Pregnancy Centers, etc), Open a bookstore, give Jason the most awesome home theater he could imagine, buy a home of our own.

Five jobs that I’ve had:
waitress/hostess at a Chinese Restaurant
Writing Tutor
Pre-school Teacher                                                                                                                                      Gift Shop Clerk/Barista in a Marriott Hotel
Freelance Writer

Three of my habits:
updating my facebook status like five times a day                                                                                  repeating lines of favorite movies (only with friends who tolerate this sort of thing!)
Reading more than 2 books at a time

Five places I’ve lived:
Austin, Texas                                                                                                                                         Chickasha, OKlahoma                                                                                                                             Nashville, Tennessee                                                                                                                               Oklahoma City, OKlahoma                                                                                                                          Ryan, Oklahoma

And the five people I’m tagging are:
Mandy                                                                                                                                                        Jason                                                                                                                                                          Shawna                                                                                                                                                      Mindy                                                                                                                                                              Nathalie

(But don’t feel obligated! Just do it if you want to.)

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My Quest for an Oklahoma Driver’s License, Part I

April 24, 2008 at 8:54 pm (A Penny for my thoughts)
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I’m one of those people who might be described as “Never met a stranger.”  Perhaps I walk around with a look on my face that says, “Tell me your story.  I am dying to hear it!”  Funnily enough, this aspect of my personality makes the job that I have perfect for me.  I listen to other people’s stories and make them into interesting (or at least somewhat) articles for the business publication I freelance for. 

Today I had a two-fold mission:  get the car registered/get my Oklahoma Driver’s License.  Please note that when transferring all this from one state to another you better plan on making a day of it.  Oklahoma, unlike Tennessee, uses tag agencies for vehicle registration and driver’s licenses.  Yet, when you move from another state you must go to the Department of Public Safety (aka the driver’s license testing place) to get your license – sort of.  So the car tag took all of 10 minutes and over $100 – OUCH!  Man, Oklahoma, do you want some of my blood too?  As I caressed my poor, hurting checkbook I asked where the DL testing place was.  The clerk, who was a bit on the surly side I might add, said that the nearest one was in Edmond and she gave me the address.  So I asked, “Well how do I get there from here?” To which she replied, “I grew up in Edmond, but I have no idea – sorry.”  I felt confused and abandoned as she walked back into the tag agency. 

Sigh.  Okay….I’ll call….Shawna!  Shawna did not grow up in Edmond and has never been to the DL testing place, but knows her streets and helps me find it.  I love Shawna.   She is a true friend.

So I get there and take a number and sit down.  I start to fidget and people-watch.  There are several teenagers with their parents who all have mixed looks of fear and exhilaration on their faces.  Then there’s the rest of us, staring longingly at the digital number-thingy, waiting for our turn.

The man next to me, a gentleman in his 60s, asks me something about what kind of ID he needs to get his renewed.  Since I am the queen of overkill, I brought like 6 acceptable forms of ID.  So I gave him a list of what he could use, and he seemed relieved.  Before I know it, we’re swapping stories about Tennessee and then we start talking about Harley’s.  My parents are Harley riders.  They go to rallies.  They wear bandannas; they have cool t-shirts.  They have biker friends and everything.  They’re even going on a cross-country ride this summer with my uncle Robert.  I actually think it’s really cool even though I tease my parents to no end.  So, over the course of the 35 minutes we sat waiting for our turn, I learned that this gentleman had 1 grandchild, a son-in-law in the oil field, a motorcycle-phobic wife, and I heard the details of his near-fatal ATV accident last year.  Wow.  I was kind of sad that it was finally my turn and said, “It was really nice talking to you.” as I made my way to the clerk’s desk.

So as I’m digging out my load of verifiable info of my citizenship, I learn that the clerk has family in Chickasha, where I went to school, has been widowed and is now remarried, has gained weight since remarrying, her dad was a farmer and a minister, and her first grade crush that she still wonders about still lives in Amber, Oklahoma.  Again, wow. 

As I leave to go back to a different tag agency, versus the former surly one, to get my actual license I wondered what prompts people to share so much of their lives.  I do it too.  My mom always said I would talk to a doorknob if it would talk back.  She knows me pretty well.

And yes, this story is to be continued . . .

 

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The Music of the Night

April 23, 2008 at 1:35 am (Idol talk)
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I know, I know….two posts in one day.  Don’t I have better things to do?  Well, since my deadline has come and gone, no – not really.

I was SO excited about American Idol tonight as I love musical theater.  When I was in high school in Ryan, Oklahoma, living in the literal middle-of-nowhere with nothing to do I had several tapes of various musicals that I listened to – chiefly, Les Miserables and The Phantom of the Opera.   I even had Les Mis in French!  Nerd. C’est Moi?!  Oui.

When I heard that Andrew Lloyd Webber I was instantly very excited to see what our American Idol hopefuls had up their musical sleeves.  My overall impression:  very mixed!

Syesha:  Well, hello.  Have you been on the show the whole time?  You have?  Funny, I guess I didn’t notice.  No matter, you’re the bomb girl!  Musical theater is totally her thing.  Hey, Clay Aiken is kicking it on Broadway.  As much as I loved this performance, I don’t know that it’s enough to balance out the other string of so-so, forgettable numbers.

Jason Castro:  Before he even started singing, I wailed, “WHY?!”  You fool!  Not THAT song!  Even those most unfamiliar with musical theater know Cats  and they know that  song.  Train-wreck?  Why yes, Randy it was.  Only, not the kind you want to watch, the kind you want to hide your eyes from because you’re embarrassed.  Castro may be saying “see ya” this week.

Brooke:  I knew this would be a toughie.  Musical theater is generally for big voices.  She had the honesty and the message of the song down, but vocally it was not so hot.  I felt so bad for the stop-start thing too.  I might have just made something up.

Archuleta:  Y’know Dawg, it didn’t work for me.  Well, Randy loved it.  I, did not.  Vocally, it was stellar and that’s where it ended.  Not very exciting.  Not very emotional.  Just – eh, oh yeah, he has a good voice.  He makes me think of Josh Groban. Again, amazing voice, but does nothing for me.

Carly:  Finally something she seems to enjoy!  I liked her sparkly dress.  I am so glad she didn’t go with a Phantom song too.  What would that be like 4 of them or something if she had?  C’mon people, there are a lot of great Andrew Lloyd Webber songs.  Any who, I liked it.  Didn’t blow my hair back, but it was good.

David Cook:  In short, he is the man.  I loved it.  I love that song, and felt he hit the nail on the head.  He made it sultry and sexy and all that.  The vocal was beautiful.  Bravo!  Bravo!

So there you have it.  Hope you watched, if not go to http://www.american-idol.tk/ to see all the performances. 

 

 

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Moving Mountains, Part III – The Great Diet Debacle

April 22, 2008 at 2:59 pm (The Abundant Life)
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When we last left off I was a post-preggo, flabby mess.  Hmmmm, not much has changed there, ha!  I avoided the mirror for quite awhile after giving birth to Jonah, which wasn’t hard to do because we new mommies are pretty busy and pretty enamored with our gorgeous babies.

Who has time to bemoan the loss of your formerly glorious self (however true or not that may be) when you’re feeding, burping, changing, playing with, and begging little one to sleep?  Oh, and somewhere in there you spend time with the spouse, interact with other people, pray – a lot, and maybe eat and sleep.  So at least for the first few months of Jonah’s life – the weight thing wasn’t a huge issue.  (no pun intended)

But when the newly-mom shine wore off and I did look in a mirror – Whoo boy!  It was a bit shocking.  One thing is pretty universal for most women after childbirth, and I do emphasize most not all.  Some girls either by good genes or good fortune, because I do not buy the cocoa butter myth – I swam in the stuff and still look like an atlas, come away unscathed by stretch-marks.  Oh the horror!  I’ve known itty-bitty, thin gals with their share of stripes to bear and bigger gals like myself who look like they have purple tire-tracks in various unseemly places.

Anyway, that was just a fraction of the shock of the post-preggo body.  Still, I looked myself square in the eye and said, “You will get your butt in shape.  You will behave!”  My poor body was scared!

So I began my eventful journey of what I like to call my “dungeon of diets.”  Years of torturing myself in various ways in hopes of whipping myself back into a shape I could recognize and appreciate.  I honestly cannot even remember all the kooky stuff I tried with the exception of pills or powders and starvation – there are just some places I will not go to fit into a size 10 again. 

On your left you will see my time spent with the South Beach Diet.  Like Atkins with more veggies.  I think I lost 5 lbs, give or take, but I just love my bread too much I guess. 

Walking forward and to the right is a time of working out every other day (which I actually really liked – I enjoy working out!) while not paying a lick of attention to the fact that whilst I attempted to work my pudge away, I ate and ate and ate.  No portion control, never mind the sugary binges and countless late-night snacks – I had the idea that if I worked out enough I could just eat whatever I wanted.  Hey, I never said I was any good at math.

Up ahead is my first go at Weight-watchers.  I was very motivated.  Attended most meetings, preached the gospel of points to all my friends as a way of holding myself accountable and even watched some of them succeed with it.  I lost 15 lbs and was feeling pretty sassy til I got tired of counting points all the time and became a drop-out. 

I went back to working out a lot and trying to watch what I ate, and for awhile I did okay.  Then I got an intensely more stressful job which means that the emotional eating volume knob was cranked about 5 more notches.  I gained enough to not be able to fit in my clothes.  Good thing we had a uniform at work – but what little fashion I had at home took quite a dive, as did my confidence.

So what did I do?  I tried Weight watchers, again.  This time on-line.  You must admit, I am persistent!  I think I lost 8 lbs that time and then began training for a half marathon.  Now this is where I do jump off the crazy cycle for at least a moment.  I actually did not do the half-marathon to lose weight.  A friend was doing it so I thought it was something I would like to accomplish.  The training was hard, but fun.  I got into great shape and while I didn’t lose much weight, I did lose some inches and gained confidence.  It was one of the most exhilarating times of my life.  If only that “high” could have lasted . . .

 

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The Truth Shall Set You Free

April 21, 2008 at 1:48 pm (The Abundant Life)
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I am proud of myself!  I started to read the entire Chronicles of Narnia (C.S. Lewis if you don’t know – but you should!) back in December.  I had read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but none of the other stories.  I had no idea what I had been missing!  On a side note, let me tell you that I am seriously excited about Prince Caspian coming out this May.  It’s a fantastic story, and I hope they make some of the others too! 

Okay, I did have a point here . . . I am about finished up with the Chronicles as I am in the middle of The Last Battle.  This one might just be his most amazing yet.  It is laced with ideas/theological debates/questions that believers of Christ and un-believers alike have been grappling with for years and will continue to grapple with.  I find Lewis’ genius, his ability to subtly engage his readers just mind-blowing.  He, like one of my other faves Tolkein, is a master story-teller. 

Here’s the particular part that caught my attention last night – “Jill looked at the King; his mouth was open and his face full of horror.  And then she understood the devilish cunning of the enemies’ plan.  By mixing a little truth with it they had made their lie far stronger.”

I was suddenly taken back to the first Sunday school class that Jason and I joined when first coming to Nashville in 2003 at Judson Baptist Church.  It was a wonderful young-married class taught by a couple named Steve & Doris Little.  These two were some of the most amazing Bible teachers I have come across.  Wow.  I distinctly remember Steve saying many poignant things, but one in particular was that “Believing a lie starts with going only one degree from the truth; it still looks like the truth, and some of it is, but anything even a degree from the truth – isn’t”  Sounds simple enough, but in our culture of missing absolutes and gray areas, it has always remained with me. 

Another important point Steve made several times throuughout our time in his class was that “Feelings do not equal truth, but the truth can equal your thoughts and feelings.”

John 14:6  ”Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

1 Cor 13:6 ”Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;”

2 Cor 4:2 “but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Eph 4:15 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,”

Eph 4:25 “ Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.”

 

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The Chair Model

April 18, 2008 at 3:00 pm (The Office, Uncategorized)
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Here is another completely indulgent post regarding my favorite show….oh c’mon you know it – that’s right!  The Office.  Last night’s episode was what I had been waiting for – just good ole Michael back to his old self (post- Jan, but is she really gone?  Doubtful; it’s hard to shake a psycho.)  And by ‘old self’ I mean, selfish, tactless, rude, and completely lacking in any kind of self-awareness.  Funnily enough, I will choose this Michael over sissified, pansy, having-three-vasectomies-cause-Jan-said-so Michael.  I just can’t stand seeing a man in that condition – it’s a tragedy!

I loved the meeting of the “Five Fathers” – it was hilarious to see Andy and Kevin team up to get their precious parking spaces back, which I totally related to while working for the YMCA.  Over the 2 years I worked there our parking spaces got pushed further and further away til I was beginning to feel like Milton on Office Space, where they move his desk around until he’s finally working in the basement.  I digress.

Okay so before I get to favorite quotes – it has to be said that I am a little scared for Jim.  I have this horrible feeling that Pam is going to break his heart.  Is it just me?  When he talked about proposing, didn’t she look a little scared?  Like she hoped he was just bluffing?  And when he acted like he really was going to propose (which was an awesome joke, I might add!) again, it looked like fear more than suprise.  Maybe it’s just me….but I gotta wonder!

Okay, so favorite quotes:

Michael:  I’m optimistic.  Because everyday I get a little more desperate, and desperate situations yield the quickest results.

Michael:  Use the woman on page 85 as a template.

Michael:  What part of shorn’t don’t you understand, Kevin?

Michael:  Okay, Wendy:  Hot & Juicy Redhead!

Kevin:  It’s just nice to win one.

Dwight:  You’ll wait til next year’s chair catalogue comes out and find someone who’s still alive.

 

 

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Ah, Sweet Relief!

April 17, 2008 at 3:29 am (Idol talk)
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So I just had to comment on tonight’s AI.  In the words of the American Classic Dumb & Dumber  “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!”  Yes, America, you have redeemed yourself of that horrible Michael Johns faux-pas by finally giving ole Kristy Lee Cook the boot.  

I was in shock.  Is it really true?  Did she really just get voted out?  I gotta give the girl props, she hung in there.  Isn’t it funny though, that on one of the weeks that (in my humble opinion) she did really well, she gets sent packing.  Ironic, huh? 

I have been hard on Kristy Lee, and I admittedly felt a little sad seeing her cry.  I hate when they cry, and there has been so much crying this season!  I didn’t feel too bad for her though as she messed with Simon, singing, “If I could just get one good comment!”  She has spunk and the ability to laugh at herself, which is a really great sign of a person who knows who she is and is good with that. I have no doubts that Nashville will come a knockin’ soon and very soon.  I never for the life of me thought Kellie Pickler was all that great (still don’t) and yet she’s doing pretty well for herself which leads me to think that Kristy will easily be back in the saddle (ha ha, pun totally intended) before long. 

I really do wish she could get her horse back.  I’m a sucker for horses. 

 

 

 

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