The Confessing Lunatic

I confess...blogging has been the last thing on my mind this past week. Work has, unfortunately, been the first thing on my mind, which does NOT make for a happy Lunatic but a very, very tired Lunatic. So rather than create bogus posts for the week, I thought I would highlight my week since my last post. Saturday, March 22 - We spent the evening with friends eating dinner and talking, and talking and talking! It was a great way to spend several hours and recharge from the stuff of the week. God is so good to give friends that, even though we don't see very often, we can pick up where we left off the last time we met and talk like we saw each other the day before. What's even better is that our kids - our four kids and their two girls - got along so well. Ah, the uniting ability of the Wii. ;o) So, D...when are we getting together again? It's our turn so let's do hamburgers on the grill! YUM! Send me a list of dates. April will be filled before we both know it....

Thursday Jim, our youth and our Pastor (Jim's dad) went to Mission Arlington. The youth had such a good time, I thought I would post some of the pictures from their trip. God is good. They were able to experience a range of service-related activities: Rainbow Express, which is like a backyard Bible club, choosing and delivering furniture to a family that had no furniture in their apartment, and clearing out a storage room. If I can talk my son, Jordan, into writing his thoughts I'll ask him to guest blog. These are the kids that they met at the apartment complex where they did a Rainbow Express. This little girl took a liking to Jordyn. When it was time to go back, Jordyn didn't want to leave. I can see why. Here's Dell helping the girls take a couch out of the truck. Notice the other boys - Jake, Tristyn and Jordan just standing by...or is this picture not an accurate representation? Since I was not able to get off work, I'll have to get comments from those...

"To me, Christianity is not religion. It's a personal faith. Religion is the result of man aspiring to reach God. But Christianity is God reaching down to man. So you have two opposites." Gladys Staines, missionary to India whose husband and two boys were murdered by a Hindu extremist group as quoted by Charisma + Christian Life magazine. I am not a religious person. I am a person of faith. But after reading Gladys Staines' story, I realize that my faith is weak. I'm not sure I could have responded as she did (after her husband and sons were murdered she went back to serve in the same leper colony in which she and her husband had ministered). What a testimony to those she and her husband served when she returned to them to continue his work. What a testimony to the family of the men who killed her sons and husband! She forgave them. I doubt that many have suffered as much for the cause of Christ. I'm quite certain I haven't.

While at lunch today, I read today's Verse of the Day from Bible Gateway . It is found in 2 Peter 1:5-8. I am adding verse 9 because it is what God used as the spriitual 2 X 4 that I've blogged about before. "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. " If we don't move forward in our walk with the Lord, we are likely to forget the cleansing we've received from Him in the past....we become nearsighted and blind. Just makes me think....how nearsighted have ...

I sat in the auditorium listening intently to the speaker but was completely distracted by the four young ladies in front of me. I was getting rather irritated that they refused to be respectful and sit still and listen. No more than 30 seconds to a minute would go by in between whispers to each other and giggling and poking of one another. I really wanted to say something to them but instead I sat on the edge of my seat, which I believe made them really uncomfortable because for a good 10 minutes they were quiet. As the band came back up, the speaker gave a call for the students to receive Christ. He asked the band to play "Jesus Paid it All." As others around stood to sing, I just sat. I felt I needed to pray but just couldn't find the words. I sat there listening to those around me sing, "And now indeed I find, Thy power and Thine alone can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone." I confess...at that moment I felt as if I did have a he...

This weekend was good...Saturday and Monday (compressed day off - yeah!) were filled with getting our house in order for the rest of the week. It felt WONDERFUL to clean the fridge in the garage. Those experiments I was conducting with moldy food and such had gotten a little out of control (HA, HA - those that know me know that's my way of saying cleaning out the fridge comes low on the priority list and to excuse the grossness of the state of it). Of course there was also laundry beyond compare...the mountain was conquered however and that's quite an accomplishment! Sunday was a great day. We continued our study of Romans by participating in a mock trial. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think my students did too. Sunday night we had our annual talent show and a fund raiser for the youth. Perhaps if I weren't so tired, I would write about it. But as I sit here falling asleep, I am completely, utterly exhausted. After the weekend and a full day of work and activities to...

While reading yesterday's Daily Encouragement I came across a quote that I'd like to share here. The quote comes from Warren Wiersbe, a pastor and theologian. He says, " The peace of God is not the absence of problems; it is the presence of divine sufficiency in the midst of problems." This struck a chord with me because I would categorize today as a day that I am struggling with personal demons and I am miserable as I attempt to excise them on my own. The Daily Encouragement points us to the scripture in Isaiah 26:3. As I pulled up BibleGateway and read the whole chapter, I wondered how other translations or paraphrases read (I usually read NIV). Verses 3 and 4 of this chapter read like this in "The Message," "People with their minds set on you, you keep completely whole, Steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit. Depend on God and keep at it because in the Lord God you have a sure thing." Here's what the New Iternatio...

I saw a nutritionist on Friday who gave me a plan for healthy eating that I can use for myself and the rest of my family. While I feel good about this eating plan, I confess...I'm a little confused because some of what she talked about is completely different from many, many other "diets." I completely agree with her assessment of our current diet - bad. The more processed foods we eat, the unhealthier we are. My diet was bordering on the obscene! My Diet Coke habit was out of control and I could count on one hand the number of times I'd cooked in a two week period. So, once again I am committing to a healthier eating lifestyle. For me. For my husband. For my kids. For my witness. I'll post on Resolute Health the eating plan recommended by nutritionist.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.