Monday, December 30, 2013

The Robertson Controversy

Now that things have cooled down a little bit (and I'm done with the Christmas series) it's time for me to throw my two cents into the hat about the whole Robertson controversy.

I actually went and read the full article that was posted to GQ, because there were all sorts of things floating around on Facebook about what Phil said. Before I jumped into any sort of debate, I wanted to make sure I actually knew what got said instead of just listening to what other people said he said or didn't say. There is no sense arguing or debating over something if you didn't go read the facts yourself. Just saying.

I agree with everything he said. But here's the thing......the Robertson controversy is such a small piece in such a very big problem. On one hand, I'm thankful that the controversy did give the Christian community a small boost of courage. I'm thankful that some people who have been holding their silence felt strong enough about this issue that they finally spoke up. On the other hand, I'm deeply disappointed. Because I know that the only reason this was such a big controversy in the first place is because the TV show is so popular, especially among Christians, and everyone freaked out when they found out that Phil might not be on it anymore. And as long as Phil stays on the show, then people will stop complaining about his treatment by A&E and will go back to their couches.

The majority of this whole controversy was really about whether or not one of the most popular TV shows would go on because Phil said something that wasn't politically correct.
Sure, some people spoke up and said that Christians are expected to be tolerant of everyone, but no one is expected to be tolerant of us. And that's truth. But we are missing the forest for the trees on this one.

Where was the outcry when a baker in Colorado who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple because it violated his beliefs was ordered to bake the cake by a judge or face serious fines/jail time?  I didn't see anyone posting about his right to free speech.

Where is the outcry as a florist in Washington State face penalties for refusing to provide flowers for a gay wedding? I didn't see my Facebook news feed explode with that controversy.

What about the t-shirt company in Kentucky that is still in a legal battle because they refused to make t-shirts for a gay pride parade? I haven't seen people posting the link to an online petition to protect their religious rights.

And what about abortion? What about the genocide of disabled children? What about the clinics that are killing babies after they are born because the abortion didn't work the first time? Who is standing up for their rights??

Listen, I'm not trying to be a jerk about all of this, but really guys. We have been walking around with our eyes wide shut. We only open them when something interrupts our tiny universe.....like when we find out our favorite TV show might go away.

Do you know why pro-abortionists are winning all of the Congressional votes and court cases? Do you know why homosexuals will soon be able to sue a church for refusing to perform their wedding? Do you know why the welfare system is raging out of control?

Because the supporters are not afraid. They are fearless and ruthless in their pursuit.

Think about it. If a baker were to refuse to bake a cake for my wedding, what would I do? Probably tell my friends what happened, maybe even post about it on Facebook, and then go find another baker. Because seriously, if you don't want my money, then you're not worth my time. But because of the relentless attitude of the pro-homosexual movement, they decide it would be much better to sue the baker and force them to bake that cake (or face jail time) than to just walk down the street to the next baker.

See what I mean? That's fearless. Ruthless. Courageous. That's standing up for what you believe in. And that attitude has got the entire country afraid. That attitude is what caused A&E to almost immediately suspend Phil Robertson from the show. Because who wants a group that ruthless to come against them???? It would be better to cancel the #1 reality show on cable television and lose all of the money that comes with it, than face the mighty homosexual movement.

This saddens me to a degree that I don't think I will be able to express in writing. Church, where has our courage gone? What in the world are we doing? I'll tell you: we're not paying attention and we're not voicing our opinions. And because of our apathy and silence, our entire country is falling into total Godlessness and darkness.

Wake up!! Take on an attitude of courage and fearlessness. Start spreading your light into the darkness. I truly believe that if the Church of America would stop being so wrapped up in ourselves and our comfort zone and rise up to be the fearless Christ-followers we were called to be, America could be an even greater nation than it ever has been. America could be a country that fears God. A country that pursues righteousness. A country that walks in His blessing and protection.

It will take work. It will take courage. It will take a love that only God can give for the sinners of this world. It will take a boldness that only the Holy Spirit can send. It will probably mean that we lose some friends....maybe even some relationships with family members....maybe even our jobs. But we must unite in the Spirit of the Living God and stand up for righteousness.

The future of our country depends on it.

“If My people who are called by My name humble, themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” ~2 Chronicles 7:14

Friday, December 27, 2013

Anticipating Christ: Return of the King

Yes, I realize Christmas was two days ago. So why am I writing another post two days after Christmas is over? Shouldn’t I be moving on to New Year’s Resolutions and stuff? Well, I suppose, if you think Christmas is just about December 25th, but I believe that Christmas means a little bit more than the 24 hour time slot we allot it every year. I believe that Christmas is something that should be celebrated all year long. Because Christmas is truly about Jesus, and how He came for us.
We’ve been through some of the details of His birth: the nasty manger where He first laid His head. The outcast shepherds who were valued by God to announce to the world that Emmanuel had come. The mysterious wise men, who travelled far and faced many dangers just to worship the King of the Jews. And then we went through the reason why He came in the first place.
Christmas is about anticipating Christ. It’s about His people longing for their Savior to come. He did come, over 2,000 years ago, so we no longer wait for the coming of a Savior to save us from our sins. Now we wait for our Redeemer to return, and call His church to be with Him for all of eternity.
Christmas is about knowing that He will come again to receive His bride. It is about taking on the attitude of the shepherds, and sharing the joy and knowledge of Christ with those around us. It is about taking on the attitude of the wise men, and fearlessly seeking to worship our King.
Yes, Jesus was born in a manger. Yes, He lived a humble life and died on a cross and rose again. But the next time we see His face, things will be a lot different. When He returns, Jesus will be in His full glory and power, and the whole world will recognize Him as the one true God and will bow to their face in worship.
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for that day. I’m ready for the day when I get to see my Lord face-to-face. I’m ready to spend an eternity with Him. I’m ready for no more tears. No more sickness. No more death. No more struggle. No more pain. I’m ready for Emmanuel to return to us. And I want to make sure that every day I am living for Him, so that I will be ready for His return.
I hope that you have enjoyed this Christmas series. But more than anything, I pray that you anticipate the return of Christ, and that we all realize that Christmas means so much more than the value our society places on it.
Merry Christmas everyone!!

“Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’” ~Revelation 1:7

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Anticipating Christ: The Sacrifice of the Lamb

So far, we’ve looked at some specific details of Jesus Christ’s birth. (If you’ve missed any of the previous posts, you can check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.) But to share the story of the beginning of His life, without also sharing the rest would be a disservice to those of my readers who may not know the story of His death.
The best part of the Christmas story is understanding why He came in the first place. Why did the King of Kings step out of heaven into human flesh? What is the big deal about all of this in the first place?
After His birth, Jesus grew into a man. He lived a perfect life, because He was the Son of God. He went through all of the same temptations that we did, but He was without sin. When He was 30 years old, He began His public ministry. He called twelve disciples, and for three years they travelled throughout Israel, teaching, preaching, performing miracles, and calling the people to repent. When He was 33 years old, the religious leaders in Israel finally had enough of this Jesus, and they arrested Him and accused Him of blasphemy. They turned the people’s hearts against Him and He was crucified.
But this was all part of the plan in the first place. This was the climax of a story that had been thousands of years in the making. This was the whole point of His humble birth. He lived so He could die a terrible death. He lived to pay the ultimate price for our shortcomings.
It can be summed up like this: when God created the earth and everything on the earth, it was perfect. But Adam & Eve disobeyed God, and brought the curse of sin not only on themselves, but on all of creation. Sin created a divide between God and His people. In order to re-connect with God, the people had to make periodic sacrifices to atone for their sins. But sacrificing animals was not the ultimate solution. In order to make things right, sin and death had to be conquered once and for all. So God sent His Son, Jesus, perfect and holy. He lived a blameless life. He sacrificed Himself by taking on the sin of the world and allowing Himself to be crucified. He died for us, so that we could once again live in the freedom of God. But that still is not the end of the story. Because three days later Christ rose from the dead, conquering sin and death forever. He later ascended back into heaven, and God sent the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in His physical (flesh and blood) absence.
Friends, this is the true meaning of Christmas. It is not the gifts. Not the songs. Not the stress. Not the parties. Not a paid day off work. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of our Savior. To remember everything He came for. To rejoice in the fact that our God loves us so much that He would make the ultimate sacrifice so that we can have a full relationship with Him once more. To know that one day, if we follow Him, we will see Him face-to-face and spend an eternity with Him in heaven.
And that is something to be excited about!
But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~Romans 5:8
P.S. If you want to know more about Jesus, please feel free to send me a message. My e-mail address is lifewtc@gmail.com. I would be happy to share with you and guide you to some Scripture that gives some deeper descriptions of Jesus and His sacrifice for us. In the meantime, I would suggest reading through the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All four give an account of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Anticipating Christ: The Wise Men’s Journey

"The three wise men" are a huge part of Christmas today. There are songs about them. They are in pretty much every nativity scene ever made. And you can certainly find them in almost every Christmas play/cantata/program too. What's interesting is that we know very little about them. Here are some things we do know:

  • They were from "the East"
  • They knew Biblical prophecy
  • They followed a star to Bethlehem
  • They had a run-in with King Herod
  • They visited Jesus and brought Him gifts
  • They did not return to King Herod because they were warned in a dream not to
That's pretty much it.

We assume that there were three of them, because they offered him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We also assume that they saw Jesus right after He was born (because after all, they are there in our nativity scenes!!)

In actuality, the Bible doesn't say where they were from, whether they were Kings or just distinguished foreigners, how many there were, or when exactly they saw Jesus. However, it is estimated that they saw Jesus when he was a toddler, as Matthew 2 uses the term "child", and King Herod later ordered all of the male children age two and under to be killed according to the timeline that he ascertained from the wise men.

What I find most intriguing about the Wise Men is just how far they were willing to go to meet Jesus. In Biblical days, travel was dangerous. Highways were filled with robbers and vagabonds....people that certainly would recognize a group of distinguished people and know that they probably carried some truly valuable possessions with them.

But the danger and expense of a long trip did not stop the Wise Men from journeying many miles to worship Jesus, and I think that provides us with a perfect example of how we should be today.

We shouldn't worry about what others might think of us when we worship Him. We shouldn't stop pursuing Him just because the road is getting long and troubled. We shouldn't let anyone-not even a hot-tempered king-get in our way of seeking Him out.

Christmas is only two days away (!!!), and I know that we are all busy as we finish our last minute preparations. One walk-through at Wal-Mart today during my lunch break reminded me just how commercialized and stressful this Christmas season has become. But my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not forget the true meaning of this season.

Let us not forget to seek after our Lord today, and fall at His feet in worship.

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." ~Matthew 2: 10-11

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Anticipating Christ: The Shepherd’s Story

Yesterday we were talking about the humble birth of Christ, and this kind of goes along with that, but in a different way. Not only did Jesus have a humble birth, but His birth was announced by one of the lowest groups of people in society’s eyes.

In Biblical times, shepherds were not looked on very highly. They spent all of their time with livestock, and because of this they were kind of loners…..didn’t really have a family or a group of friends. Their clothes were not very expensive, but were functional instead. And worst of all, they smelled. Really bad. I mean, they lived with their sheep, and sheep aren’t exactly the best smelling animals ever. Just saying.

So not only did Jesus have a humble start to His life, but His birth was announced by one of the lowliest people groups in Israel.

But this is not just about His humility. The story of the shepherds also proves God’s love for all people groups. God did not see the shepherds as being unworthy or too much of an outcast to share in the occasion—quite the contrary! Instead, the shepherds were one of the first people to lay their eyes on the Savior of the world, and then they were blessed with the opportunity to worship Him and announce His birth to the city of Bethlehem.

Jesus goes on to live His life surrounding Himself with the people that didn’t really fit in. He would dine with sinners and thieves. His own disciples were fishermen and tax collectors. Throughout His whole life, Jesus proved again and again that He did not come just for the rich and elite, but He came for all of us.

I hope that we follow the example of the shepherds. I hope that we realize just how valued we are in the eyes of God. I hope that we can celebrate the birth of our Savior with the same level of exuberance. And I hope, more than anything, that we would not be afraid to tell others about our Redeemer.

"When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.' And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And whent they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them." ~Luke 2:15-18


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Anticipating Christ: The Humility of a King

What strikes me the most about the story of Christ’s birth is the humility displayed in His coming.
I mean, think about it. This is God. This is the Holy of Holies. This is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He fully deserved the most triumphant entry, accompanied by a host of angels and wrapped in brilliant light.
But He didn’t. He chose to be born in a tiny stable, and not those cute little stables that we see in nativity scenes. Things were not clean and organized back in those days. This was a little lean-to filled with animals that had been travelling. It was not clean. It was not organized. It probably reeked of urine and manure. And this “manger” was a feeding trough. Nasty. Probably crusted with remnants of old food. Definitely not something anyone would want to place their child in. But it was all they had, and it was the place that He divinely appointed to be born in.  
And this is the key: it’s not like Jesus didn’t have a choice but to be born in a stable. This was not a circumstance that was out of God’s control. It was not a mistake. God’s plan was for this humble birth to take place. But why???
Philippians 2: 5-11 sums it up pretty well:
“Let Christ Jesus be your example as to what your attitude should be. For He, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to His prerogatives as God's equal, but stripped Himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man. And having become man, He humbled Himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying. And the death He died was the death of a common criminal. That is why God has now lifted Him so high and has given Him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, whether in heaven or earth or under the earth. And that is why in the end every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
In Christ’s birth, throughout His life, and even in His death, He was a perfect example of humility. He had every right to be prideful, I mean, c’mon, He’s God. You can’t get any better than that! But rather than clinging to His prerogatives, He chose to live the ultimate life of humility so that He could display the attitude we should have.
As we go through the month of December (and really through the rest of the year as well) we need to be walking in humility—following the example set forth by our Messiah. We should not think of ourselves as too important to get our hands dirty for the Kingdom of God. We can follow in Christ’s footsteps, and be a shining light to those around us with our humble attitude and servant-minded hearts!
"She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."  ~Matthew 1:21

Monday, December 16, 2013

Anticipating Christ: The True Meaning of Christmas

It is no secret that Christmas can be one of the most hectic times of the year. Christmas parties. Christmas decorations. Christmas cards. Christmas presents. Christmas with his family. Christmas with her family. Christmas church service. Christmas music. Christmas advertising. Christmas shopping.

It’s like the day after Thanksgiving (or in this year’s case, the week before Thanksgiving), time switches to warp speed and before we know it we’re watching the ball drop in New York on the TV and we’re telling our co-workers Happy New Year. 

And every year, I see the blog posts and Facebook statuses and news stories and internet articles that talk about how to have a “stress-free Christmas”. I will be upfront with you: this is not going to be one of those posts. Because at the end of the day, what you do or do not accomplish during the holiday season really has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas. Not that any of it is necessarily bad, it’s just that the majority of it really has no eternal significance. 

I am much more concerned with the true meaning of Christmas: the celebration of Christ’s birth. 

Even though we do not know the exact day He was born, the purpose of Christmas is to reflect on the birth of our Savior; to remember all that He did for us when He stepped out of His realm and into a human body. When Divinity traded his crown for a tiny manger in a dirty stable, purely out of His love for us. 

This year, Christmas has been a little different for me. Yes, I’ve bought some gifts. Yes, we’ve already sent out our Christmas cards. Yes, I have a tree in my house and decorations scattered throughout the living room. But my heart has been longing for something much deeper: a true connection with the meaning of Christmas. A longing to celebrate what Christmas day means for not only Christians, but all of humanity. This year, all of the other “fluff” that we add to Christmas really hasn’t been all that important to me. I’ve been humming Silent Night and O Come, O Come Emanuel. I’ve thought about what it would have been like to hold Jesus as a baby, to watch Him grow into a man, to know that the Lord was standing right before my very eyes. 

As I reflected on some of this last week, I decided to do a blog series about it. This is not a series on how to have a fun Christmas, or how to make new memories with your family. This is a series that will hopefully bring some of us back to the true meaning of Christmas….that will hopefully cause us to stop and pause and rejoice in the miracle of Christ’s birth. 

I hope that you will join me over the next week and a half as I delve into the Christmas story. I will be posting one short blog post every day leading up to Christmas. And if you enjoy the series, please share it with your friends and family. Let’s bring back the true meaning of Christmas together. Because Jesus truly is the reason for the season! 

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." ~Luke 2:7

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

The Worst Thing EVER

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, then you probably saw my status a couple of week ago. If you’re not friends with me on Facebook, then you probably should be here is what I posted:
“Just got bit by a weird spider whose bite stung like fire. Prayers that I do not die or lose a finger are greatly appreciated. My greatest fear has become a reality today. #iHATEspiders”
Because I know all of you are deeply concerned about this horrific incident and desire to know every detail, I decided to accept your over-sharing request and get you all the terrifying specifics.
What kind of spider was it?
No idea. But here’s a picture of it all smushed up:
I tried doing a quick Google search to see if it was a popular poison one, but no such luck. I did save it in a plastic bag though, so if my finger starts to rot off I can take it to the doctor and they’ll know what it is.
Speaking of which, how is my finger?
Good, so far. It stayed swollen for a good week and up until a few days ago you could see a red dot where it bit me. But now, you can barely see it and the swelling is gone. Still not throwing the smushed up spider away though…..not until it is 100% gone.
How did I get bit?
I was washing dishes and apparently the tiny demon was hiding on the bottom of a bowl. I was placing the bowl in the sink when it suddenly felt like my finger was getting burned off I got stung by a bee. I threw the bowl down, slammed my hand up against the side of the sink (in order to kill the suspected bee), yelled really loud, and then got Roman to get a piece of ice out of the freezer so I could squeeze it against my finger. It wasn’t until I finished whining about how bad it hurt that I realized it wasn’t a bee, but a spider. Actually, first I thought it was a bee, then we thought it was some sort of bug, then we realized that the dead bug in the sink had eight legs which meant it was a spider. Then I freaked out. Then I got some Benadryl cream and slathered it on there. Then I proceeded to complain for the next ten minutes until it finally stopped burning.
How much more do I hate spiders?
A lot. I’ve had two nightmares now where the spiders were following me around the house. Every room I walked in there was a spider on the wall. It was terrible. TERRIBLE, I tell you!
Have I washed any more dishes?
Absolutely not. I’m still too traumatized. I may claim emotional damage and never wash another dish again. Roman, I’m looking at you buddy. Jk, yes, I’ve washed dishes. Carefully. Very carefully.  
Have I turned into spider woman yet?
Not yet, but I’m remaining hopeful. I’m thinking about testing out my jumping skills pretty soon because I think by now the poison should be good and sunk in. Maybe try jumping off the couch? Off the bed? Off the kitchen counter? Off the porch?
"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether." ~Psalm 19:9

Monday, December 9, 2013

December Resolution

The other day I was thinking about the New Year’s Resolutions I made in January. Well, actually, one in particular: Lose the college fifteen.
I haven’t really talked a whole lot about it here, but 2013 has been a pretty difficult year. Roman and I started “trying” for a baby in August of 2012. After five months of no success, we started seeing a new doctor in January of 2013. For this entire year, I have been taking different types and doses of hormones, and gone through all sorts of testing. Between the weight gain that naturally accompanies artificial hormones, the stress of all of it, and a knee surgery in the middle…….I think I can say with complete confidence that I have totally bombed out with that resolution.
And that’s okay. Trust me, the last thing I need is to beat myself up over a few extra pounds gained. But here lately, I’ve come to the realization that what my mind really needs is something other than babies to focus on. And so I turned my attention towards healthiness, because that seemed like a nice thing to focus on. That, and the fact that I’m about to have to buy new jeans because my current pairs almost don’t fit anymore. Ahem.
Roo at Neon Fresh wrote this post about how we should aim for progress instead of perfection. Her main point was, why wait until January 1st to change something in your life when you can start today? What happens so often—and let’s use weight gain as an example—is we eat a whole lot of junk in the month of December and just use the excuse of “I’m going on a diet in January!!!!!” as an excuse. Congratulations, using that logic I would now have 25 pounds to lose instead of just 20.
Over the past few months I have tried and failed (miserably) at starting a workout routine. My knee is fine….other than not being able to sit on my knees for a long period of time or sit cross-legged, I can’t tell that I ever had a knee surgery. So blaming the lack of exercise on my knee is no longer an option. Sure, I’ve been busy. But there really isn’t a time of the year when I’m NOT busy. And if I were being honest, I spend a whoooooole lot of time in front of the TV throughout the week. Precious time that could be spent on improving my health.
Which is why I finally made the impromptu decision to start back last week. Right now I’m working through 42 Days to Fit by Brandy Ferguson, Stacy Karen and Emma Swanston. This is one of the eBooks I bought in The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle. The program is really designed for women, but I’m pretty sure the men could just tack on a few more reps and it would work just as well.   
I’m kind of sort of excited, kind of sort of nervous, and kind of sort of regretting it due to my current lack of being able to move due to muscle soreness. While I was “doing the dance” this morning to fit into my jeans (don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about), I sort of panicked for a minute. Thoughts like, “How in the world am I going to have time for this?” “Can I really stop eating ridiculous amounts of chocolate every day?” “Is this going to be something I can make into a habit?” “Do I really possess that kind of self-control?” flooded my mind and I was really close to just giving up right there in my closet. But then I remembered, I don’t have to have the whole future planned out, I just need to do what I can for today and worry about tomorrow when tomorrow gets here.
Here are some tips/thoughts on how I plan to be successful this time around:
1.       Drink lots of water. LOTS of water. I’ve never been a big water drinker. I <3 Diet Coke and coffee and water is just so bland in comparison. But it is a scientific fact that sodas directly cause weight gain, among other problems (yes, even the Diet drinks) so this is one area that I must improve in. I just finished downing my second 16 oz. water bottle. I drank about 8 oz. first thing in the morning—even before I had my coffee, and I’ve been sipping on cold water the rest of the day. This one is easy for the most part, and completely free. Have there been times over the weekend that I wanted a Diet Coke? YES. And I did cave once, but I can say that I have been drinking a whole lot more water overall just in the last three days.
2.      Only worry about today. I already said this one, but it’s a biggy so I’m going to expound on it a little bit. If I think about everything I have to do over the next week, my mind is overwhelmed. I’ve got worship practices. A Christmas Banquet. A concert. Church. Work. I could easily look at the next week and say, “Nope. There is just too much going on. I’ll start next week.” But I’m not going to do that. Instead, I’m focusing on today. I have a practice tonight at 7:30. I’ll probably be there until about 9:15 or 9:30. Which means my strength training will have to be either in between work and practice, or after practice. Past that, I ate a healthy breakfast and lunch, and I have a healthy dinner planned for tonight as well. Done. Today was a good day. I’ll worry about tomorrow when I wake up tomorrow.
3.      Running is awesome. Okay, you may not think so, but I do. And if there is a certain fitness activity that you love, then do it often! Running is a HUGE stress reliever for me, so I’m going to do my best to make sure that my twenty minutes of cardio three times a week is spent running. It will help me look forward to doing it instead of dreading it, and that’s more than half the battle. Think about something you would love: cycling, jump rope, swimming, jumping on a trampoline….and then do what you love for exercise! Working out doesn’t have to be boring!
4.      Sleep more. I’m terrible at this one. I usually go to bed between 11:30 and midnight every night and then I’m up at 6 in the morning. So if I fall asleep right when I go to bed, I’m getting six hours of sleep. That’s the bare minimum requirement for sleep time. I haven’t figured this one out just yet, but I’m going to be doing my best to get some more shut eye.
5.      Keep healthy snacks in the house. I bought a pomegranate the other day, and ate it instead of chocolate when I wanted a sweet fix. If I hadn’t had that in my fridge though, I almost certainly would have eaten the chocolate. You can’t choose the healthier option if you don’t have the healthier option in your fridge. It’s that simple.
6.      Don’t do it by yourself. Is there someone else in your life that is willing to get fit with you? Roman is working through this plan with me. He’s helping me to make healthier choices and stick to my workout plan. Trust me, it is SO much easier when you have someone helping you and encouraging you!
7.      Pray. Seriously, pray. God wants us to exercise our bodies so that we can be healthy. He wants us to have self-control when we sit down at the dinner table. So ask Him for help! Ask Him to give you strength to say no to junk food and for the self-control to eat and exercise responsibly.
Please know, I’m not a certified fitness person, so I am definitely not an expert. And it has only been a week, so this could all be a bunch of hoopla….only time will tell! But it’s exciting to think that as everyone else starts their weight loss endeavors on January 1st, I will already be four weeks in with mine! (And hopefully I won’t be “doing the dance” as much by then….)
What about you? Is there something you’ve been putting off that you could start tackling today? Don’t keep pushing it off just so you can call it a New Year’s Resolution!  
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~Matthew 6:34

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Clean Eating Revisited............AGAIN

If you remember, like ten zillion years ago (not really), Roman and I tried to do the whole "eat clean" thing. I wrote a post about it back in August of 2012 here, and then another post in April of this year here, in case you missed them and want to play catch-up.

Almost a month ago, I purchased an eBook bundle. It was called "The Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle." In it was a TON of resources specific to clean eating. Right now, I'm reading two of those books: "Better than a Box" by Katie Kimball and "Real Food on a Real Budget" by Stephanie Langford. Roman and I have decided we are going to try and give this clean eating thing another shot, but we are approaching it differently this time.

**Sometimes, it just is not feasible to eat *totally* clean.

In Better than a Box, Katie Kimball shows us how to take processed food recipes and reengineer them into clean foods. I’ve learned so much about cooking in general just from reading her book. She has all sorts of tips, such as what spices go best with what meats, how to do your meal planning, and the basics of baking. She also has a TON of recipes in there that she has already reengineered. I’ve tried several of them, and so far we have had 100% success.

BUT, I will say this: sometimes it just is not feasible to make everything from scratch...because she literally does make everything from scratch. Even her chicken stock is made from scratch. It’s a really long process where you boil chicken bones in a big pot for like, eight hours and you can’t leave the house and you have to be awake to watch it. So for someone like me, there is NEVER a time when I am at the house for eight hours straight (while being awake). So what did I do on the recipes that had chicken stock in them? I went out and bought chicken stock. The rest of the recipes I was able to make with “clean” ingredients, so I don’t think that one cup of chicken stock is going to kill us.
So the lesson? It is totally okay to cheat sometimes. We can’t be superheroes all the time, and sometimes we have to take some shortcuts. And that’s perfectly fine and acceptable. One reason why I think the clean eating thing didn’t work with us the last (two) times was because we were so strict on ourselves that it was exhausting and we eventually just gave up. So when/if you are looking at “clean” recipes, allow yourself to take a shortcut if you need it. Because one unhealthy ingredient in the middle of a bunch of healthy ones is a whole lot better than just giving up and ordering pizza. Just saying!
**Eating clean can be expensive, so we have to do everything possible to stay on budget.
In Real Food on a Real Budget, Stephanie Langford shows you how to eat clean on a budget. She has all sorts of good information on how to find fresh grown foods and not pay a killing for them. Although the information is great, and I have learned some things and put them into practice, it’s not quite accurate for our situation.
We live in a very small town that has one grocery store and a Wal-Mart. Unless it’s hiding somewhere, I don’t know of a Farmer’s Market that sells food grown without pesticides/chemicals. So all of her tips on going to Farmer’s Markets and such are not applicable to us, because there aren’t any in our area. If we really wanted to, we could drive an hour or so and there would be a couple of Farmer’s Markets, but the money we would pay for higher quality groceries plus the money we would spend on gas would totally break our grocery budget.
So what do we do? We buy our veggies and fruits at our local stores, wash them really well, and eat them. And our budget sighs in relief at the same time. This kind of goes along with what I said earlier, but basically the lesson here is that the point of eating clean is not to make you bankrupt, so you have to find a happy medium between grocery costs and budgeting.

We are still learning as we go. And we definitely have not been perfect with this. Last weekend we went out of town. What did we eat? Hot dogs, breakfast bars, chips, cookies, and all sorts of other things that are definitely not “clean.” But I don’t think perfection is the point. I think we are on a journey to take better care of ourselves, and we are making progress. Maybe one day I’ll be one of those wives who has time to make her own chicken stock and can her own vegetables, but that day is not today, and I’m okay with that.
Interested in the two books I’ve mentioned here? Well, I am excited to tell you that the Bundle I bought a few weeks ago will be back for the Black Friday weekend (November 29-December 2). You get 86 eBooks as well as access to other tools for only $29.97!!  To see the details of what all is included and to purchase the Bundle, click here. And it's not all about clean-eating, either. Some of the topics include: Allergey-Free/Special Diets, Meal Planning, Natural Skin Care, Natural Health, Fitness, Gardening, and Healthy Kids & Babies. Seriously, go check it out. If you can find only five or six books that you are interested in reading, than it is worth it to buy the bundle and get access to all the other books as well. (Note: this is not an affiliate link, I just really enjoyed the Bundle and wanted to tell you guys about it.)
Got any questions on how Roman and I are tackling this clean eating thing? Feel free to leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them!

"She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens." ~Proverbs 31:15

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Dear Dad

My Dad had a birthday on Sunday. I won’t say how old he turned, because I’m nice like that. But I will say that he’s getting ready to retire in a few months, because I’m only kind of nice.
I don’t really talk a whole lot about my parents on this blog, but today I decided to write something for my Dad in honor of his birthday, so here goes.
Dear Dad,
You are the first man I ever loved. You are the first man I ever kissed. You are the first man that held my hand. You took me out on my first date. You are the first man who ever told me he loved me.
I have so many memories of the time we’ve spent together. You have always been a present father, and for that I am incredibly grateful. I remember you teaching me how to ride a bike. I remember building forts with you and Stephen in the back yard. I remember you letting us help you plant your garden in the backyard, and letting us hand you tools while you were building that add-on to the shed out back. I remember you lying down with me at night until I fell asleep. I would ask you so many profound questions like, “how do airplanes stay in the air” and “how do boats float on the water” and you always had the smartest answers. I thought that you were a genius, and now that I’m in my twenties, I know you are.
You have been such a great father to me. You reminded me all the time that I was your princess, that I was beautiful, and that I was treasured by God. One of my favorite memories is you explaining to me what it meant to be a Christian when I was five years old. You held out your hand and said that when I accept Jesus into my heart, it’s like God puts me in His hand and shuts it tight, and no one can ever take me away from Him. You closed your hand into a tight fist and told me to try to open it again. You always had a knack for explaining complicated things in a way that I could understand. I gave my heart to Jesus that night, and I remember the joy on your face after you led me in that prayer.
You always checked my closet when I was scared of monsters. You comforted me during all of the bad thunderstorms and assured me that just because there was a dark cloud, it did NOT mean that I was about to get killed by a tornado.
As I grew, you helped me with homework. You helped me work through problems with classmates at school. You gave me so much advice on how to be a productive student and how to study. When I got into middle school, you helped me train for the cross-country team. Eventually, you wound up being a volunteer coach. Out of all of the cross-country and track meets from sixth through twelfth grade, I’m pretty sure you only missed one. And that was only because you were in the hospital. Very few people in America today can say that they have a father so dedicated to their success, and I am blessed to be one of those people.
I remember begging you to buy me a car on my sixteenth birthday. I really thought you were joking when you continued to tell me "no", but now I'm so glad you did. You helped me buy my first car right before my eighteenth birthday, and it taught me so much about being responsible for your things, being responsible with your money, and what it felt like to have a true commitment.
You walked me down the aisle on my wedding day. I remember asking you if you would cry, and you said “yes, because I’m getting older and I’m more emotional than when I was younger.” And sure enough, I saw your eyes get pretty misty when I came out of the back room and grabbed tightly onto your arm. Which then made my eyes get misty, because I remembered you telling me several years ago just how important walking all of your daughters down the aisle on their wedding day was for you.  
You danced with me in my room when I was a little girl. You would spin me around and watch me twirl like a ballerina in my princess dresses. And then you danced with me on my wedding day.

You have given me advice on my work issues. You have taught me how to be a good wife and a good Christian woman. You have shown me what it means to be a hard worker, to be loyal to the people around you. You retired from the Army and have served this great country of ours well.
You have come to my rescue late at night when Roman was at work and I thought someone was in my house. You also came to my rescue that terrible day when the roaches swarmed in my kitchen and I cut my hand open trying to get away. You have helped us move (twice), paid for meals and groceries, helped us out when we needed the money, and have done so many other things to make sure that Roman and I start off on the right foot. Oh yea, and you and mom still buy me milk. (I promise, one day I’ll start buying it myself!)
Dad, I love you so much. I love the man that you are, as a husband, a father, a Christian, a friend, and a worker. You are a rare breed….a man that places God before everything else. A man that loves his wife more than anyone else. A man that has always worked hard to provide for and support his family.
As we get ready to celebrate your birthday as one big family this weekend, I hope you know how much you are loved. I hope you know that you mean so much more to me than just a birthday cake and a present and a card. You are my Daddy, and you are my hero.
Happy Birthday, Dad. I love you!!!!!
"He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge." ~Proverbs 14:26 

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

This is the Stuff of Romance

Last night I realized that I have known you for eight years. Eight years! Right around this time, eight years ago, a mutual friend of ours sent you my phone number. You had come to our fall festival, interested in another girl. But she didn’t want anything to do with you. However, upon further consideration, you realized there was a much prettier and fantastic girl in the room (a.k.a. ME) *ahem* and not all hope was lost. Then you promptly chased me through the fellowship hall with a fly swatter. Love at first sight, I tell you. This is the stuff of romance.
My friend asked me after you left if I wanted her to text you my home phone number. I said no. She did it anyways and didn’t tell me. You called me later that night and asked me if I liked you. I was too embarrassed to answer, but I finally agreed to give you my answer and then hang up the phone. “YES” *click* You called right back laughing because you didn’t think I’d really hang up. This is the stuff of romance.
My dad asked me that night who I was talking to. “Don’t worry, Dad. It’s just some guy I met at church. I’m sure he’ll get bored with me after a month or so.” This is the stuff of romance.
About two months later, we were at the same mutual friend’s house for a New Year’s Eve bonfire. It was just me and you standing in front of the fire for a few minutes….everyone else had gone inside to get something to drink. Your Aunt called, and you told her that you were at a bonfire with your girlfriend. I pretended not to notice that you called me your girlfriend. After you hung up, you looked at me and said “It is alright that I call you my girlfriend, right?” I giggled and said yes. When you left to go home that night, you kissed me on the forehead and I think I may have almost passed out from the butterflies. This is the stuff of romance.
Within a few months of dating you, I knew I wanted to marry you. I was so certain that I even put it into my tenth grade English essay...which you know, definitely makes it a sure thing. “I hope I get to marry him, but if I don’t, then we will definitely stay best friends for the rest of our lives.” Luckily, I got the best of both worlds and married my best friend. I also made a 100 on my essay. This is the stuff of romance.
We’ve known each other for eight years. We’ve been together for seven of those eight years. We pulled all-nighters talking on the phone. I got in SOOOO much trouble when I finally got a cell phone and my parents saw just how many minutes I spent in one month talking to you. We broke up at six months for *gasp* one day. Then we broke up for *gasp* one day a month after that. We argued. We had the typical drama that only happens when you have two sixteen year olds “dating”. My parents didn’t let you drive me ANYWHERE until Homecoming. We thought we were so cool when we hopped into your mom’s truck and drove off. This is the stuff of romance.
Senior year was rough. We had a major fight. We broke up for ten months. We both entered into unhealthy relationships. I’ve spent much of my adulthood trying my best to forget everything that happened my senior year. But I can say one good thing came out of it: that first time you hugged me after I managed to get free of my ex-boyfriend was the best. thing. ever. I was quite damaged. We got back together. Then I left you for two months because I couldn’t figure out what was up and what was down. God did a major re-work in my heart, and I figured out that you truly were THE one for me. I never knew just how much I loved and appreciated you until I had lost you. We’ve been together ever since. This is the stuff of romance.
We got married when everyone else said we were too young. My own best friend later admitted that she thought it was a terrible idea. But our wedding day was the best day of my entire life, because I pledged to be yours for the rest of forever. We took two weeks for our honeymoon, and everyone laughed at us because apparently that was the longest honeymoon in the history of ever. But I don't care what they say, those two weeks hold some of the best memories for me. We came home flat broke, living in that crazy-awful trailer. I still have nightmares about the hot water running out after ten minutes, the ugly wallpaper, and that terrible time I had with the roaches. We struggled our way through college, through jobs we didn’t like, through three months of summer with no air conditioning (hell, I tell you), through ministry and through complete exhaustion. We adopted a cat. Then another cat. Then a puppy. The puppy was against our parents’ wishes because they thought we would get tired of him and try to bum him off on them. HA! Yea right, that puppy quickly became our fur-child…..who still tries to sleep in between us every night and has a fit when you try to hug or kiss me. This is the stuff of romance.
We’ve made plenty of mistakes. Fought plenty of unnecessary fights. We’ve battled through fourteen months of infertility. It has been the most heartbreaking time of our lives, and it still isn’t over yet. We’ve endured all of the medicines, doctor appointments, negative pregnancy tests, tears, and doubts. We’ve questioned everything that we thought God had planned for us. It has been a test of both our faith and our marriage, but so far we are walking through the fire and I know that eventually we will see the good in all of this. This is what we do. We relish the great times, and fight through the hard times. We cling to our Father when the road gets rocky and praise Him when the path is smooth. We stay faithful to Him and we stay faithful to each other. Because that is the stuff of romance.
Our story is not perfect, but it’s ours. And I’m thankful for the life I’ve lived with you. We are in that in-between stage right now. We haven’t had our first child yet. We’re still unsure about what we want to be when we grow-up. We still act more like teenagers than anything. Eight years ago seems like such a long time, but it really isn’t. But I’ve had the best time knowing you these past eight years. I’ve enjoyed learning about you and falling in love with who you are. You are strong, funny, smart, incredibly handsome, and a hard worker. And one day (hopefully soon) you’ll make an amazing dad. You are a man of great faith and dedication to His kingdom, and that is why I love you most. I still can’t believe I get to wake up next to you every morning….but I really wish you weren’t such a cover thief. This is the stuff of romance.
Trials will come. The road will not always be easy. We still have plenty of unnecessary arguments in our future. We are still battling infertility. But despite all of that, I will always love you. You are my best friend. You are my better half. You are my husband. You are wonderful. I love being your wife and being able to see you grow into such an amazing man of God. America and Hollywood, take note: this is the stuff of romance. It isn’t sleeping around. It isn’t divorce. It isn’t having an affair. It’s following God’s plan for a family: marriage. It’s unconditional love. It’s sticking with that person no matter what comes your way. It’s the joining of souls into one flesh. That is the stuff of romance.       
To my best friend: Happy Eight Years of Knowing Me. I am certainly glad to have met you eight years ago. And I look forward to the many years of knowing you in our future.
“And the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.”  ~Mark 10:8

Friday, November 1, 2013

November Update

Whew! Long time no see, huh?
Let me be the first to say, I am SO glad that November is finally here, because October was a doozy. Between going on vacation, trying to catch up after vacation, lots of stuff going on at church, and then being really sick this past week, we have been at a much higher level of crazy this past month. Most people’s schedules tend to get crazier the closer we get to Christmas, but we actually don’t have that much planned for this month (yet) so we should have some sense of calm and normalcy during November.
As we approach the final countdown for the year of 2013, I thought it would be appropriate to re-visit our financial goals. Also, I promised you guys an update last month when I was lamenting over the government shutdown. #warningitslong
Thankfully, our dear Congress did decide to pay everyone, so with my last check I got my $537 lost income back-paid, which was definitely a huge relief. Not-so-thankfully, we had to put four new tires on my car this past month. Womp womp. Basically, we took my car in for an oil change right before we left for West Virginia, and promptly found out that my tires were falling apart on the inside. The phone call went something like this:
Roman: Sarah, I have some really bad news.
Sarah: ……….
Roman: We have to put four new tires on your car. Johnny says they won’t make it to West Virginia because they’re falling apart.
Sarah: …………….. Okay FINE.   >:|   O.o   :(
So even though the government shutdown didn’t wind up setting us back financially, four brand new tires did….by like, a whole lot. And then Roman brought home a good chunk less than what we needed him to (for the second month in a row—this is when I hate commission), so that put quite a pinch on us as well.
Lesson learned from all of this?? We have GOT to get an emergency fund built up as quickly as possible. It made me so angry to have to charge basic living expenses plus new tires to our credit line when it was supposed to be paid off already. An emergency fund would take care of things like this…but so far we’ve been so focused on paying off debt that we haven’t been putting anything in savings. Literally, nothing. As in, the balance of our savings right now is $26. Yes, I know. Be ashamed for me. *hides face*
If you remember my September financial post, then you know we started paying off our debt using the Snowball Method by Dave Ramsey. (If you didn’t see the post, or want a refresher, click here.) Below are our updated goals from September using the Snowball Method, followed by the new goals due to the ridiculous amount of expenses in October:
Goal #1: Pay off student loan by January of 2015.
Updated Goal #1: Pay off student loan by February of 2015.

Goal #2: Pay off credit card by March of 2014.
Updated Goal #2: Pay off credit card by June of 2014.

Goal #3: Pay off credit line by October of 2013. 
Updated Goal #3: Pay off credit line by January of 2014.

Goal #4: Have $3,000 in savings by end of 2014.
Updated Goal #4: We aren’t pushing this one back any because we realize how important it is. If anything, we’re going to be pushing to meet this one a whole lot sooner.

Goal #5: Pay off couch loan and car by June of 2014.
Updated Goal #5: Pay off couch loan by July of 2014; pay off car by June of 2014.

Goal #6: Be 100% debt-free by January of 2015.
Goal #6: Be 100% debt-free by February of 2015.

You can totally see how much damage was done just because of one month of insanity. Thankfully, even though some goals got pushed back by three months, we will be able to do some catching up and are only one month behind on our final goal of being debt-free. The important thing is to never give up on paying off your debt just because things get hard. I’m hoping that with Christmas approaching, Roman will start bringing in a lot more (this is when I <3 commission) and then maybe we can get caught up. We should have a tax refund at the beginning of 2014 as well, although that will probably go towards our savings goal.

Now you can totally understand why I am so very glad that November is here. I was so happy to file away October’s budget and start with a clean slate in November. #nerd #accountingmajor
Anyways, we’ll just keep plugging along on our quest to be debt-free and you know we’ll be keeping you updated!  :)

And oh yea, TGIF!!!!!

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” ~Proverbs 13:11


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Shopping Weirdness

Today was my first day back to work after four furlough days, a week long vacation, and then Columbus Day. Dear mister Columbus, thank you for sailing the ocean blue and giving me a day off work. That is all. Dear Congress, thanks for nothing. I lost $537 out of my check last week because of you.

Ahem.

I had every intention of writing this post on my lunch break, but my first day back after two weeks away was kind of like throwing a marriage party for a tornado in a tiny room. See? I'm even writing terrible metaphors because my brain stopped working three hours ago. ANYWAYS, I wound up leaving for lunch because sometimes it is a good idea to step away from the chaos. So here I am at 5:30-ish in the afternoon with a *very* funny story from last week. Well, I think it's funny. If you don't think it's funny, just be gentle and give me a courtesy laugh.

So last week we did a little shopping. We heard of this A-mazing store called Gabriels and decided to check it out. Basically, take a store like T.J. Maxx and make it three times bigger and fill it with cooler, cheaper stuff that is better organized and doesn't smell funny, and you have Gabriels. I think we spent at least two hours in there. Maybe not. I don't know because I was in a time warp surrounded by two dollar shirts that actually fit and lots of cheap jewelry. I am relatively certain I lost track of what day it was.

I'm walking through their home-y stuff and marveling at all the different ways I could decorate my house, when I pass by a row with a young woman pushing a buggy. While she was shopping, she was also talking on her cell phone. I managed to walk by at an excellent time and managed to overhear this "jewel" of the conversation:

"Guess what??!?!?? I talked to my lawyer today. They wound up dropping one of my charges, so now I'm facing only one felony instead of two! Isn't that awesome!??"



:D

:/

:(

O.o



People, generally speaking, it is not good to talk about how many felonies you are facing while shopping. I don't know, it might, like, be sort of weird if an innocent blonde girl overhears you and then shared it on her blog.  O.o

I think I'll go eat some ice cream now.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Vaaayycaaation!!!

I know all of you must think I've forgotten about you, but I haven't! I was hoping that four furlough days last week would allow me to get caught up on everything. Instead, it turned into a four-day-catch-up-on-my-entire-to-do-list fest. I cleaned. And then I cleaned some more. And then I washed my car. And then I ran a million and twenty-two errands. Ahem.

Now I'm in West Virginia.....so there. It was probably a terrible idea for me to go on vacation, seeing as how my paycheck this Friday is going to be almost half of what it normally is due to the government shutdown. Oops. I'll look into the future and tell you, you can totally expect a finances-after-shutdown post because things are about to get rocky in the Casterline household. That's a story for another day though. 

Here's some pictures to make you jealous happy for me: 





Anyways, my life will go back to "normal" after this weekend, so I pinky-promise that things will get more regular around here. Until then, I hope you all have an amazing weekend!  :) 

"Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."  ~Psalm 90:2

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Hello Government Shutdown

*taps mic* Anybody there? Oh, hey there. I think everything's working, all systems go.

I promise all of you I have not fallen off the planet. Two weekends ago we had one trillion and thirteen things going on. So last week I decided to take an impromptu week off from both blogs....basically because I felt like my brain was mush and I had too many dirty dishes. This past weekend I caught up on all of my cleaning. (Dude, I even mopped the floors!) So my brain is feeling significantly less mushy.

Well, except for the small fact that the government shut down today and I got sent home. I left out that little detail. The good news is, I will have more time to get stuff done, such as writing and cleaning my baseboards. Hahahahahahahahahaha just kidding, I'm totally not going to clean my baseboards. Who does that??!??

Here is how I see things:

Congress is composed of a bunch of toddlers.

They are fighting over who gets to play with the dumptruck.

The dumptruck is getting all beaten up and broken during the fight, but no one cares because no one really cares about the dumptruck. They just care about their right to play with it.

See what I did there? Metaphors are awesome.

Or maybe not. Don't judge me. The government told me I was not important so my ego is hurt today. 

JUST KIDDING. Who cares what toddlers think??

In all sincerity though, we need to be praying for our nation. While I do think that the issue of Obamacare is important enough for the Republicans to stand their ground, and I'm glad that they did, this government shutdown is going to have wide repercussions that go much farther than the stock exchange. Although I am fully aware that my help comes from the Lord, not the government, there are other employees who do not have that peace because they are not following the Lord. So pray for God to soften the hearts of our government and wisdom to make the best choices. Pray for the people who are directly and indirectly affected by this. And above all else, pray that God's will is done in this nation.

In times like these, I draw my comfort from one of my favorite sections of verses:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you--you of little faith? So do not worry saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Matthew 6:25-34

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Smart Things People Say

I know I've posted before on a certain co-worker who enjoys calling 1-800 numbers every day. Well, that post was written over eight months ago, so allow me to bask in the glory of my wonderfully intelligent co-workersm for a moment.

Please understand, I love people. I love my co-workers. But sometimes they can say some pretty dumb stuff. (And yes, I realize that I can be that person sometimes too.) Then there are others that kind of make you turn your head sideways and wonder where their brain ran off to and if it plans on ever returning.

Case in point:

My workplace has decided to replace the sinks with automatic faucets in an effort to "conserve water and be more sanitary." Read: it's the end of the fiscal year and somebody has some extra money they need to spend. Anyways, they started with our training office before making their way to my building. While attending training last week, a certain fellow employee made the following comment to me, "Don't put your purse in the sink, it'll get wet. Everything that goes in that sink gets wet."

O.o   Huh???

In my past experiences, sinks are used to wash things....with WATER. So in their natural environment, they generally are a little wet.

I of course just politely nodded my head and thanked her for the warning. I then promptly wrote a Facebook status about the incident.

To make things worse, a few days later I was back at my building using the restroom when the same employee entered the bathroom with a friend. "Oh no, they've installed the automatic faucets in this bathroom too. Now I won't be able to put my purse in the sink in here either. You better make sure you don't put yours in there, it'll get wet." 

Please understand that it took every ounce of my self-control to keep my reaction at an unhearable level. I then exited the bathroom and then wrote another Facebook status. Also, please know that the bathroom counters in our bathroom are ridiculously large, so it's not like you would require more space for your purse to sit. Unless of course, your purse is the size of a school bus.

What I really want to know is, why would it ever be a good idea to put your purse in the sink? I understand what this woman was saying, because you can't put anything in front of the sensor because then the sink would come on. So placing your purse in the sink would activate the sensor thereby causing your purse to fill with water and flood out your make-up. But still, even with a manual sink, the bottom of it is still wet (and kind of gross sometimes.) Does she typicall wipe out the inside of the sink so she can put her purse in it? Does she have an empty sink at home that she keeps her purse in next to the front door? Are purse-holding sinks a new design fad I am unaware of? Is there ever an item that you can place in the sink that does not get wet? Water repelling purses? Rapid drying purses?

Maybe I'm just reading into this a little too much. MAYBE.

Perhaps there is a 1-800 number I can call about this new phenomenon of wet sinks. I'm sure my other co-worker would know.

"For the Lord gives skillful and godly wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."  ~Proverbs 2:6