What I Learned in November

1. http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-word-contains-the-five-vowels-a-e-i-o-u-in-the-right-order
We had a guest speaker at the Jackson Woman's Club meeting from Kentucky Monthly Magazine and he said that the word  facetious had a claim to fame- the only word in the English language with all five vowels in correct order. According to Oxford Dictionary, there are a few others... but this is the only one I've ever heard. 
2. How lobbyist got its name- http://www.welovedc.com/2009/06/09/dc-mythbusting-lobbyist-coined-at-willard-hotel/
In my policy class, we discussed lobbying during the November session, and my professor told us the origin of the word lobbyist.  According to story, Ulysses S. Grant used to like to go to the lobby of the Willard Hotel and smoke cigars and drink.  While there, he would be aggravated by men wanting legislative favors.  He termed them "lobbyists".  However, according to the website above, lobbyist was used long before then... It's thought that it was used as early as 1640 in the British parliament.  Interesting stuff, I know. 

3. The picture of the Newsboys cover for "God's Not Dead" was actually a real picture from when Titanic sunk. Caleb Bates showed me this... he has an amazing memory.  He is also slightly obsessed with Titanic history, and he was leafing through a book and saw the image.  Which led to us googling the other image.  And there you have it.

 4. Nothing stays the same.  Ok, this is another case where I knew that... but I was reminded of it this Thanksgiving.  Every year for at least the past 10 years, the guys in my Mom's family gather to have the annual Turkey Bowl. This year, it was freezing cold and there was snow on the ground...and they bypassed tradition.  Some of them felt too old. Landry has been sick and was not allowed to play.  And it was a little sad... but they made up for it by pulling out a classic and watching it, from 2004.  Where Caleb is only two, and he's loudly proclaiming he wants to go , "Outkide.  Mine wants to go outkide." He wants to go outside to watch, "The Bocats.  Mine watch Bocats." And it might have slightly broken this Mama's heart to see that cheesy grin when the camera switched to his face.
Another break in tradition?  Southern Lights... we usually go on Thursday night, but this year we waited to go until Friday.  I ran into Barnes and Noble to pick up a book, heard someone call my name, and got to see my best childhood friend, Olivia.  His timing is good.  I also got to go out and see her grown-up Sophie, who has a great personality, and her precious bundle of joy Abram.  So, breaking tradition isn't that bad, because if we had went on Thursday I wouldn't have gotten to chat with her.  And we are going to get together in December... because it has been WAY too long!!!

5. Once you have a best friend, it kind of stays that way.  Those few minutes in the parking lot at Barnes and Noble... catching up... well, we can chat just like we saw each other yesterday.  So many memories!

6. I really love basketball.  I forget how much I miss it until it starts back again.  Oh, sure, I'll complain and gripe about late nights and endless talk of plays and stats and scouting... but I love it.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.

7. I am slightly addicted to Facebook.  I took a break and it has been kind of nice.  I did notice that the first day, I caught myself thinking in terms of facebook statuses.  I think we have all kind of gotten like this, if we use social media at all.  My break was good for me.  I caught up on some reading, and sleep... lots of sleep.  I'm fired up to get back to work and school and finish up this semester. 

He Loves Me Anyway

Condemnation... such a heavy word. 

I can feel it on my shoulders.  Condemnation makes it hard to take a full, deep breath.

Condemnation is paralyzing.  It stops me in my tracks.  Keeps me from moving on.  Keeps me from moving at all...stuck.

And condemnation isn't from God.

Condemnation involves judgment, and while God is all about judgment, He is also about love.

And no one else has the right to judge you.  Not your parents.  Not your spouse.  Not your boss or coworker.  And really, not yourself.  And that goes for condemnation, too.

We've been reading about condemnation in Renee Swope's A Confident Heart. Actually, we read about it last week... but I've been so preoccupied.  But I'm not going to beat myself up for not posting sooner. After all, our key verse was There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

Today, on the way home from work, You Loved Me Anyway by the Sidewalk Prophets came on.  I've always really liked that song, but today key words really spoke to me. As I thought about condemnation... I thought of Christ headed to that cross.  The sins of the world literally on His back, as He nailed them to the cross.  He packed a heavy wooden cross not meant for Him.  He, the Son of God, the Word that spoke the earth into being, stumbled under the weight... the physical weight, but dare I say, the weight of all of that sin and shame?  Because we've already established it is so heavy.  He took on the shame. 


" I am the thorn in Your crown,  But You love me anyway
 I am the sweat from Your brow,  But You love me anyway
 I am the nail in Your wrist,  But You love me anyway
 I am Judas’ kiss,  But You love me anyway
 See now, I am the man that called out from the crowd
 For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground
 Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face
 With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace
 And then alone in the night, I still called out for You
 So ashamed of my life, my life, my life
 But You love me anyway" Sidewalk Prophets

 The part that hit me... tried to bury your grace. Don't I do that all the time? Fill myself full of shame until His grace is covered up. Burying His grace... grace so freely given.  No condemnation... only grace. And even as we sling mud over His love, He loves us anyway. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8BBCYFAYRI

What I'm Reading In November

I'm not getting to read nearly enough as I like.  Daggone work and school =) Anyway... I am counting down the days until Christmas break, when I plan to do absolutely nothing but lay under the covers and read... and attend a few basketball games. 

So, before I dive into what I'm reading right now, let me recommend something I read at the end of October, I Still Believe, by Jeremy Camp. I read it in three days... and it would have been less than that if I didn't fall asleep!!! Sat up until 130 in the AM the first day I started and read over half of the book.  Jeremy's wife died only a few months into their marriage, and he has since used her story as a huge testimony for Christ, which is the basis of the book.  Awesome!

On my Kindle, still reading The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell.  Haven't read any of it since July... but I will finish it this year. =) I'm also reading Don't Make me Come Up There: Quiet Moments for Busy Moms.  It's a devotional book by Kristen Welch, and is true life and very, very funny.  I'm reading Oh, That I Had Wings by Sarah Pawley, a book that follows a young boy and his little sister in WWI era times.  I just started The End of Boys, a memoir. 

My drive-thru read is Into the Dark by Alison Gaylin.  I read the first book in this series a few months ago.  It's about a private investigator who can remember everything that has ever happened to her, including sensatsions, taste, thoughts... very interesting.  I'm reading Notorious Nineteen in the Stephanie Plum series and am almost finished with What Alice Forgot, which is about an almost forty-year old who hits her head and forgets the last ten years of her life. When she comes to, she finds she has not only the child she thinks she is pregnant with (who is now ten), but two other kids, and is going through a divorce.  Very good read. 

I"m reading The Ragamuffin Gospel and A Million Little Ways, trying to read a chapter a night.  Both are great books.  Much talk about grace and acceptance and learning to love yourself.  I'm also on Chapter 6 of A Confident Heart by Renee Swope.

And my to read list... which just keeps growing and growing.  Gabby Douglas's autobiography.  Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker, The Racketeer, ... oh, I could go on and on.  And then there's the books I wanted to read last month that are already downloaded on my Kindle... Grace by Max Lucado and Unconditional by Eva Marie Everson. 

As always, comment below with any suggestions for me. After all, Christmas break is coming up and I am always looking for a few good reads =)

What I Learned in October

1. The origin of open sesame- Apparently, open sesame is debated.  I always thought it was "Open, sesame", but during an interesting discussion following class one day, googled it, because one of my students said it was actually "Open, says me." And I was right... but she was, too... because Popeye actually said, "Open, says me" in a cartoon.  The original phrase comes from Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.

2. Ariel and Hercules are cousins. Yes, Ariel, The Little Mermaid, and Hercules, the lesser known Disney cartoon. If mythology is taken into consideration, she and Hercules are related: Hercules’s father is Zeus; Poseidon is a brother of Zeus; one of Poseidon’s many sons is Triton; and, of course, Ariel is Triton’s seventh daughter. This means Hercules is Triton’s first cousin, and Ariel is Hercules’s cousin once removed.

3. You can change the size of your text messages on your Iphone.  You might have already known this, but for those who are visually impaired such as me, this is a good feature.  It only changes things like text messages, but it's much easier for me to read.  To do this, go to Settings, then General, then Accesibility

4. Toby Mac's real name is Kevin.  I didn't know that.  I did know that he was a member of DC Talk as was the lead singer for the Newsboys... but I had to look it up to verify for Caleb.

5. OK, I didn't learn this, but I am learning it.  The last two months of October have been rough.  Here it is November 3rd, and I'm just now posting this.  I've been behind on homework.  Behind on work.  Tired and stressed out.  Disappointed in so many things.

And it just isn't worth it.  As I've said in several posts previously, all of this stuff is just temporary. I've got Heaven waiting on me... but I can't live in defeat in the here and now.  No matter how difficult things seem, I just need to look to Jesus.  And you do, too. 

So, no recap of all of my goals for this year, because in most of them I've given up... but I'm slowly realizing that self-improvement is for the birds.  I can't do it myself... but He can.  I just have to open my heart up and embrace grace, be willing to give love. 

Which isn't so easy. 

But His grace is sufficient. And if I've learned anything in October, that would be it.  His grace is sufficient.

The Purpose of Just Being

How has it been over two weeks since I've written here?  Two weeks!

And it's pretty much been the same ol', same ol'. Work.  Lecture.  Clinical. Friday night football. Reading. Nothing exciting.

Been doing a lot of thinking.  I'm reading A Million Little Ways, talking about finding art in your everyday life, and how all of us are artists in our own way...

Except I'm not an artist.  Never have been.  And I totally didn't think this book was for me...

Except we are art. We are His creation. We are His art, art breathing.

We all have a purpose.  As I'm rushing around, crazy` chaos, trying to just exist, I'm telling a story. 

And this week I've been thinking about what that story is, and how it reads, and how it affects others.  Some days I feel like I do really, really good... and then there are other days.

Days like I've had most of the past week.  And probably days like you've had sometimes, too. 

When you wonder just what it is that you are supposed to be doing.  What is the meaning to all of this? And it would be really nice if there was a burning bush or a voice in the middle of the night calling your name, except let's face it... we'd probably pee on ourselves if that happened. But a neon sign flashing, "You're on the right track..." or "Turn around now" would be nice.

But what I'm thinking tonight, and this is deep, y'all... What if this is it? I mean, not like eternally it, because I know this is temporary. But what if that whole big "purpose" is just what I'm doing... laughing with Caleb and smiling at the stranger in the grocery store and taking big deep breaths when I don't feel like I'm getting any air and worshipping as I'm driving down the road or walking on the treadmill...

What if the story I'm telling isn't so much about what I'm doing and what I'm accomplishing and how I'm feeling... but what if is about the other people I run across, that I don't even know their name?  So many of Jesus's story were about those who aren't even named.. because ultimately, His story, His time on earth, was about His Father.

And as I've been thinking that, as these words have been pouring out onto the screen, suddenly I can breathe a little easier... because if it's not about me, well, what I do doesn't matter so much... because if I can ever learn just to hand it all over, just to wring myself out and give it up, quit striving... well, He moves in, and He starts doing.. and I can just be.

Be art. Be a Mama. Be a wife.  Be a student.  Be a reader of His Word. Be loved and cherished and redeemed and forgiven and enough...

Because He is more than enough. And His grace is sufficient.

Isaiah 49:23 We will Not Be Disappointed

Sometimes it feels like I'm fresh out of  hope. 

It's a rainy day today here in the bluegrass, and as I drag myself out to the car what I'd really like to do is just go back to bed.

And it's been a good week... but sometimes we just get worn out. 

I'm thinking back to the middle of summer... where it is so hot and dry and the grass is starting to turn brown.

Sometimes that's how I feel, even as I check off my to do list and meet with students and hug Caleb and take popsicles to the ball girls.

Dry. Drab.  Thirsty...

This week in the P31 OBS of Renee Swope's A Confident Heart, we're reading chapters 1 and 2.  Our verse for the week comes from Isaiah 49:23b, which says (NIV): Then you will know that I am the Lord;  those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

Just looking at this verse gives me pause.  If I hope in Him, I will not be disappointed.  Hope is a confident expectation.  If you are expecting something, you can't doubt that it will occur- you know it, you look for it to happen. 

By putting our hope in Him, we will not be disappointed... will not be let down, will not have our dreams smashed.

The King James Version, which is my primary study Bible, says it a little different.  "and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."

The word wait there translates to hope... waiting with expectation.  Ashamed can be translated as "disappointed"... but it also had another translation.  The Hebrew Word can also be translated as "to be made dry."

When grass is dry, it is dead in the heat of summer.  When creeks are dry, there can be no life.  When the well is dry, all you get is dust. 

I don't want to be dry.  I want to be alive, full of hope, free from disappointment, even on my darkest days.

How do we do this?  Well, we hope in God, because He will not allow us to be dry.  Today's reading was from Chapter 2, which touched on the story of the Samaritan woman at the well from John 4.  "I'll give you living water.  You'll thirst no more." (my paraphrase). 

The Samaritan woman was thirsting for something.  I'm thirsting for something.  You're thirsting for something, because we were made to be in relationship with the One and Only God.  We try to fill our insatiable thirst for that one thing with people and jobs and possessions and tasks and books... but all that does is sap out our life, our water, and we become dry, brittle, and dead.  But He wants to fill us.  He wants to offer us living water. His living water gives us hope, and we will not be disappointed.
.

Happy Birthday Kami and Al!

Tonight on the way home I was reflecting about the stories of our lives.  There are some stories that I never get tired of telling.  Stories about when I drove the car down Picnic Hill, or when Caleb rode the ice cream truck at Myrtle Beach, or about when Wallace wrecked and how scared I was.

And then there's the story of the explosion in the Clemons Clan. 

And in case you haven't heard it, let me enlighten you.

Twenty years ago, my Aunt Nora was pregnant.  She had been telling us for a while.  Gentry was two or three and it was time for her to expand her family.  She was the baby, and we were all excited.

My Mom, the oldest sibling, had two daughters already, and Billy had already moved in with us.  I was a pouty teenager and Holly was her happy go lucky Indian loving self.

And then she called a family meeting, where she announced tearfully that she was pregnant.  She was a little nervous. After all, I was thirteen.  Holly was seven.  Mom was forty. 

 That  evening, Mom began calling everyone and telling them the good news.  She called Aunt Dana, who said she was heading to the doctor the next day... and Aunt Lisa refused to drink the water at Grandma Na's for a while.

So, fast forward seven months or so.  Mom had already scheduled her C-section for October 8th.  Nora wasn't due for two more weeks but she wasn't going to let Mom beat her.  She called to say she was headed to Lexington.  Alaxandra Gabrielle Hays was born into this world to that long name that we soon shortened to Al (which, by the way, is NOT a girls name... inside joke and a story for another time).  About two hours later Kami Elizabeth made her debut.  Nora had won the race and the two sisters were roommates. The Clemons Clan took over Central Baptist, or at least that room. 

The next morning, Jen and I were dropped off at Rupp Arena where we stood in line for Garth Brooks tickets.  We bought an extra one, and gave it to Nora for all of her hard labor (remember, we were 14 and 16 and needed a ride to the concert).  I don't know which I was more excited about... the tickets or my baby sister.

By Christmas time, Dana had Brayton and plans were made to knock down a couple of walls in Grandma and Grandpa's house. 

Yep, one of my favorite stories... and I'll probably tell it again next year.