Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Once, a long time ago all people had four legs and two heads.
And then the gods threw down thunder bolts and split everyone into two.
Each have then two legs and one head; but the separation left both sides with a desperate yearning to be reunited, because they each shared the same soul.
And ever since then all people spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Did you know there are two verses to Ring Around the Rosy?
Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes we all fall down.
The cows are in the meadow eating buttercups
Ashes, ashes we all stand up!

I had no idea. The things you learn from a toddler cd.

Did you know that the song dates back to the bubonic plague in London in 1665 and that the lyrics may refer to the plague itself?
"The symptoms of the plague included a rosy red rash in the shape of a ring on the skin (Ring around the rosy). Pockets and pouches were filled with sweet smelling herbs ( or posies) which were carried due to the belief that the disease was transmitted by bad smells. The term "Ashes Ashes" refers to the cremation of the dead bodies!" (http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ring_around_the_rosy.htm)

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Retropackum

Looking back through the past months and years of this blog I have noticed that I often start with something along the lines of 'Update' or 'Catch Up' or, when I can't or don't want to spend the time and brain power to write what is going on in my own life I post something that I received in an email or read online or something.
In 2009, I posted 18 times. That's one and a half posts a month. Pretty pathetic.
In 2008 I posted 24 times. That's twice a month!!! A portion of that was copied stuff but for the most part it was actually thoughts and what made me think them, or more specifically, the things that made me think.
2007 showed less posts, but more personal stuff.
2006 was really the year for this blog. Most of it was walking through day by day stuff. Reading all that now its no wonder no one ever read it and its a wonder I even posted it; although it is interesting for me to go back and read what was going on in my life then. 2006 was also the year Daddy got so sick and died so there's lots of that stuff in there too.
I started this blog in 2005, right before I moved to Simpson. So in reading through all that I find that I talked a lot about what I did each day and didn't really hear a lot back from folk. Interesting...

I'm not really sure why I started this retrospective, but it is now done. I've said a zillion times 'I'll post more I really will!' I may, I may not. It all depends what happens that worth posting about.

As my RA my freshmen year ALWAYS said: TTFN
Colonel Skippy

Monday, March 15, 2010

Business vs. Family

"Its not personal, its business."
"What does that even mean? Whatever anything is it ought to begin by being personal."
- You've Got Mail
At church last week Brad started a series on the Lord's Prayer. His focus was on the first phrase, "our Father who are in heaven." He talked about the word 'Abba' and how it wasn't a word describing familiarity but a "deep and trusting reverence". He talked about the differences between business and family.
A business relationship is about doing, what you can do for me. A family relationship is about being, being who you are.
In a business relationship you are expected to perform, and only if you perform adequately will you be accepted. In a family relationship you are accepted, and out of that comes a performance, or not - yet another aspect specific to family.
A business runs on reciprocity - I sell means you buy and we both get what we want. A family runs on whats needed - if you need and I have, then I give and if you never give it back, you're still family.
In a business you make a list of problems to bring to the attention of the management. In a family, there is no chance of eviction.

Later Brad posed the question: why would God listen to my prayers? The answer is simple: because He is still my Father. No matter what we do or don't do or say or don't say; no matter how we act or how we fail, He is still our Father. "And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (John 10:29b) We are family, and that means forever.
Have you ever heard anyone say, "I'm in business with God"? I never have. But I constantly hear about the family of God, the family that is the church, "God our Father, Christ our brother" (Casting Crowns 2009) "I'm so glad, I'm a part of the family of God". Business contracts end, family never does. Blood is thicker than water and all that.

The point is: when we pray the Lord's prayer, when we pray at all, are we addressing a business contact or a family member? Do we finagle and bargain and negotiate or do we boldly ask for what we need? Brad has mentioned several times that when a member of the congregation wants to talk to him in his office they quietly knock on the door and wait for him say 'Come in', but when one of his children need or want something they come straight in. Not only is it amusing to watch Brad tell this story but as a child who barged into Mom's office often, regardless of who was in there or how busy she looked, I completely appreciate the point. It never mattered who Mom was talking to or what she was doing, when I wanted or needed something from her or that was in her office I opened the door and walked into the office. I wonder what my walk with God would be like if I approached Him the same way I approached Mom.

"The only person who dare wake a King at 3am for a drink of water is his child." Would you wake a King in the middle of the night for something as simple as a drink of water? You would if you were his child. And the reality is, we are children of king, THE KING, so why don't we act like it?