bow ties

When I think bow tie, I think of a tuxedo. For ordinary people, I only think of bow ties when I think of dress attire for philosophers, historians, some musicians, writers.  In other words, those who march to their own drumbeat. So imagine my surprise when Belk started advertising bow ties in their dress section. 

I've debated buying one for various family members, but the reality is, I just can't see any of the menfolk in my family wearing one. Of all the men I know, I can only think of two who could pull off wearing a bow tie. One is the music leader at our church, and the other is my brother-in-law Rex.
Ladies, what do you think? 
A) Would you want your husband to wear a bow tie?  and
B) Would he?

the dishwasher

Yesterday during our AM sermon on Colossians 3 and the importance of our attitude in jobs http://cbministry.net/sermons.shtml (it's the first one), I could help but think about my attitude toward housework.  Other than my mother, I can't think of anyone who enjoys washing dishes or sweeping floors. And yet, every time I do that job I should do it as if I were doing it for the Lord. Quite honestly, I don't think such a thought has ever crossed my mind when I scrubbed the toilet or fought the in-ground dirt in the kitchen floor. And while I really don't think God cares one iota about the cleanliness level of my house, He does care about my attitude. Do I moan and groan over these seemingly inconsequential never-ending tasks, or do I tackle them with joy and gladness?

So after giving myself the above luke-warm pep-rally, here's a list of my favorite cleaning products:

 This what my mother had us use on all furniture and kitchen cabinets growing up. And I love it, especially since I found it in a spray bottle!  We never used those growing up, though I don't know whether it was the financial factor or the economic factor.  But they both shine very well!

 This is great on hardwood floors, though I'm not crazy about the way it smells.

 My favorite absolute luxury item! It's great for ANYTHING: around the door handles of doors, the tomato stained kitchen counter tops, the bathroom, Bobby's wheelchair.  The only drawback is their price.  I ran out of my supply a few weeks ago and made do with my old sponge and bottle cleaner, and was so thankful to see a coupon in Sunday's paper.  For some reason cleaning the bathroom seems to take less time when I use these.

And one of my favorite kitchen floor cleaners.  Pine-sol does great as well, but this will somewhat tackle the in-grained dirt in the floor.  I don't recommend tile with marble indentions in it for the kitchen, even if it does match the rest of the house.  Within a few years you'll not love it quite so much.

What cleaning products make your housework zing?

random inner thoughts

For Kevan and Becky and Lydia and Sharon, and all my other friends who are hurting and struggling through these days:

Psalm 56:8

I can't bear your burden.
I can't carry your pain.
But my heart still hurts for you
and cries out just the same.

Feelings I may never know,
Fears I cannot see,
I learn to give a warm embrace
And give you some reprieve.


The Spirit brings your name to mind
Again I kneel in prayer.
I cannot find the words to say.
Lord, let them feel You there.

You have a record of my tears.
You know my sundry thoughts.
Is the sea your bottle?
The sand its stopper?
The wanderings my many thoughts?


Laughter is like medicine.
To you once again I cry.
Restore my broken spirit;
Help my soul to fly.


He is...
I am...
and the fillers list grows long.
When circumstances chill my soul
God's faithful to bring song.

cousins

Science projects...I don't remember having many of those as a child.  So I found it neat and fun that a friend of mine was collecting bugs for her son. Not just any bugs, mind you, but specifically, insects.  And I've learned a few cool things these last two weeks while looking and listening.
We had a yellow jacket nest outside the door which I sprayed and easily bagged up.  There were wasp nests on the front porch, but evidently they've abandoned the nest (or else heard the eldest J was coming to get 'em), for there's no wasps to be seen the last few weeks. We knocked down a few dirt dauber's nests and pulled two apart.  We didn't get a complete dauber, but we get enough broken parts in the nests that it should count. Since the Mom wasn't familiar with this crazy insect, and I was woefully ignorant, I googled it.  Turns out the dirt dauber has three different names throughout the US. The south calls it dirt dauber or mud dauber.  The west calls it mud wasps.  And essentially that's what it is.  A wasp that builds its nest out of mud.  Part of the nest is for food storage, and the other part is for nesting. The debate is still on as to whether or not they sting.  Most people claim they don't; others ferociously claim they do.
But I digress.  What's cool about the yellow jacket, the black wasp, and the dirt dauber, is that they are all in the same family... cousins, if you will.  All very different, all distinct stings, but still related.

the black wasp

the yellow jacket

the dirt dauber

So the next time I ponder families with cousins like mine (blond hair, blue eyes/ brown hair/brown eyes/ red hair, green eyes/ and all sorts of sundry mixtures of those deviants), I can point to nature and simply say, "God likes variety." 
Courtesy of a 4th grade science project.  :)

age 20

At the age of 20 two dramatic things happened in my life.  One, my Christian service assignment was a ladies Bible study at the Nashville Rescue Mission.  Two, as part of my Missions degree, I spent 6 weeks in Ivory Coast, West Africa learning to analyze cultures.

Experience number one made several impacts, the most memorable being a study where the ladies angrily and verbally attacked the group leader doing the study. Her lesson was on salvation, and they blew up when she started up about everyone being a sinner. Their questions and anger startled me. Our group leader, like me, grew up in nice Christian homes. Our clothes may not have been new and our food may not have been exquisite, but we always had clean clothes on our backs and food on our table at every meal. We had a loving environment.  The same could not be said for these ladies. I wish the person in charge of service assignments had given us the first two weeks of preparation time to learn about the mission, its people, and how best to reach them. Our message was correct; our way of delivering it wasn't. I struggled long and hard that year with where I fit on the social ladder.  By Bible College student standards, I was a poor church mouse.  By the street ladies standards, I was wealthy.

Then my first trip overseas came. I realized regardless of what anyone in my school had or earned, the simple fact of American resources and what I had made me one of the riches people on earth. I saw poverty that I never dreamed possible. The remainder of the year I struggled with the American mindset of success, but even more, the question of why God allowed me to be born in a rich country while others who are smarter and more creative were born into poverty with no opportunities.

I'd like to say that in the last 18 years I've reached some answers and conclusions.  I have a few small stones that I can stand on when such thoughts weigh me down.

• My purpose on earth is to glorify Almighty God.  That purpose does not change regardless of my position in life.
• Like Abraham, I'm blessed to be a blessing.  I'm to share what God has given me. How to do that wisely isn't so easily answered, but the principle is a certainty.
• There's a season and a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3). Just because the situation is one thing today doesn't mean it has to be that way tomorrow.

So now I go about my day and ponder a few of the questions from my past.  But now I've added one I didn't have back then.  Have I made any progress in making my life count?

perspective

I finished reading a children's book "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" this morning, a middle-grade historical fiction that has a unique point of view on the holocaust. As always, the book and the movie have large differences, but the main plot sticks to the same premise.

Nothing like something as horrific as the Holocaust can help slap your priorities into place.  I am such a spoiled brat.  Here am I aggravated because this stupid cold makes it difficult to breathe and our phones and internet are out for day 6 of this month, when I am living in the land of the free.  I have a Christian brother about my age in prison in China who has been sentenced to 25-30 years, essentially a life sentence, and whose fifteen year old son and wife are struggling to get by without his income.  He is denied the opportunity to appeal, usually denied his monthly visits by his wife and attorney, and I complain because I have a cold.

I don't understand the horrors of war, of hate, and of ignorance, and probably never will fully grasp the hows and whys this side of heaven.  I sometimes question in my heart the Old Testament teachings that were comparable to the holocaust and other such modern genocides, and wonder what this God I serve truly thinks about such matters.  I cling to the promise from Psalm 116:15 that the death of the saints is precious in the sight of the Lord, but still ponder why death for His saints in most of the world must be so horrific.

So now I'm struggling to put my thoughts on things that are good and truth and just and lovely and of good report, and not on the depraved, unchangeable past.  May my heart be renewed and revived, may I willingly choose to stand for what is right and good, not matter the cost.  And the wimp inside whispers, "and may I never have to suffer for it."  Stoic, I'm not.

a quieter life

I enjoy blogging.  I like Facebook.
But I would have never considered myself an internet junkie.
Until now.

For the third time in two weeks, we are without internet and phone service.
I am at my mom-in-laws to satisfy my "needs."
And in all sincerity, I am expecting three e-mails about times/meetings for this weekend.
It would be bad to show up at the wrong time somewhere.

But those three e-mails aside, it's really not a necessity to update my blog, read all the blog feeds, check facebook, or visit a website or two.

And the scary thing?  I've gotten a whole lot more housework and projects done since our internet has been so skittish this last week.  As much as a I love the world wide web, I am astounded at how much of my life it has absconded.  Seriously.

Like chocolate and sweet tea, I'm not ready to give it  up, but I am starting to wonder if it's time to enforce the "moderation in all things" mantra to my life.

Excess, indulgence, gluttony...they're all the same thing, aren't they?

He must increase; I must decrease.

I'm taking a deep breath as I type this, but I'm imposing a time limit for the computer this next week.  Now if I can just figure out how to enforce it. :/