Straight Face

I wanna see your straight face.

First day teaching.

Home Renovations: Day 1

Things I've learned from day one of house renovations:
A. Get all the help you can get. Beg.
B. 20 minutes--how long it takes to pry up the linoleum tiles in my kitchen.
C. My neighbor has a creepy cat with a watchful eye. The cat's other eye ain't watching nothing--if you get my meaning. Edgar Allen Poe would freak.
D. Ownership changes a person. When it comes to physical labor, I'm a minimalist. Not today.
E. The more junk and crap I find in the house, the more I try to decipher the story behind it. Hmm... what's this unmovable speck on this wall? How is a mouse  fossilizing on this trap? What made these walls cry tears of grease?
F.  Previous owners can be your worst enemies. They should have their own negative acronym: PO
G.Crap you paint over is still crap. (Actually, I already knew that. I just included it here in case the PO happens to read this. Yeah, PO, that grease bubble you painted over turned into a wall zit. I popped it.)

Lists

I just discovered Google Keep, and with it have rediscovered the joy of lists. Not that there's anything special about this app over other list making apps, but it's awakened the slumbering listing giant in me. Suddenly, I'm making lists for everything: job lists, daily lists, weekly lists, moving lists, even bucket lists.

I'm transformed. Once a lazy man, doing nothing; with this onslaught of to-dos, I will never forget all the nothing I will do. It's a way to quantify laziness. Should Dad or future me ever grab me by the collar, confronting lazy me over sloth, lazy me can turn over this Google Keep account as Exhibit A for the prosecution. Which could in turn become evidence for the defense. "I can't be lazy! Look at all these lists I've compiled!" Let the prosecution commence smacking itself in the face. (Don't beat yourself up future me, you're not the first prosecution to bring evidence by the defense and for the defense. Can we say Zimmerman trial...?)

Speaking of which, I've got a new list to compile--all the reasons the Zimmerman trial will end in a lose-lose.
Google Keep, here I come...

2013: All In

All In. That's my theme for the new year, because, if I can't do something with my all, I shouldn't do it at all. But, if I do it at all, then I'm going all in.

Ready Spirits, Weak Flesh

"But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all. And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. . . . And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak." (Mar 14:29-38)

God, Jesus, there was no one with You. NO one stood beside You or supported You. We left You alone to carry our own burdens. I left You to carry my sin. Forgive me. Forgive us. Each of us has a cross to bear. Each of us must walk with You. Help me to tarry and watch with You. Otherwise, I not only abandon You, but I also set myself to fail. Peter and all the disciples promised they would never leave You. Failed promises. Why? Is it because, in the garden, they all slept, counting their flesh strong enough to accomplish what their spirits had willed to do? Had they watched and prayed, might they have kept their promises? Teach me to watch and pray.

Too

God's Word is a gift. Life is a gift. Every day is a gift. Every moment is a gift. Every gift from God is God saying to me, "I love you." Every moment, I want to respond, "I love you too."

"We love him, because He first loved us."
~ 1 John 4:19

Sonshine and Reign

Yes, it has been quite a while. Do not overstate the obvious.

Moving right along. Give me your full attention.

This summer and past school semester have gone the way of the bumpy road for me. And yesterday, I was walking home from work and talking with God about some of the things that are going on in my life. It had been a very emotionally low day for me. As I walked to the bus, praying, I could sense God listening. Then, He began to show me what I needed to do. I was past the point of resisting. I gave. At times like these, I like to sit and write out what I am going thru. Typically, I blunder and don't finish writing it all down, whether it's poetry or prose. This time God was giving me the words, but I couldn't stop to write them down. I prayed that He wouldn't let me forget, and went on to the bus stop.
I began writing as soon as I was seated on the bus. But, I was stumbling for the words. I realized God wanted me to read from the Word. So I did. From that reading came the answer to what I was writing and learning.

Anyway, here it is (not sure what to title it):

You sit and you cry, when your Everything's gone.
But, no one will hear if your crying goes on.
How long will you cry? for days? for years?
There is a time to come to terms with your tears.
Surrender to the Son, let Him rise on your rain.
Nothing is gained from your pain if down your remain.
It is clear you are empty, with your head in your hands.
But you have bought precious truth if you can look up and stand.
Your Everything is gone and not coming back.
That's what everything becomes: memories--the past.
Here and now is gone no sooner than said.
And the day we live, once lived is dead.
Hold on to your memories, they neither leave nor lie.
They know only one home, and that is deep inside.
So here is the truth upon which to rebuild:
Remember, your hands are not empty if your heart is filled.

~ K. Todd