Thank You For Your Service

To all the men and woman who have served, do serve and will serve our country ... Thank You.

There are no words that can fully grasp the scope of my appreciation for the sacrifice of those that serve in our Military.

Whether you support a war or not, you should always support those who fight and have fought for our freedom.

I Don't Have Time to Maintain These Regrets

There is a worship song that has definately become one of my favorites ... "He Loves Us" written by John Mark McMillan.  You may have heard it performed by Hillsong United or by Jesus Culture or by David Crowder.

Here is the song, performed by John Mark McMillan. He is jealous for me Loves like a hurricane I am a tree Bending beneath The weight of his wind and mercy When all of a sudden I am unaware of these Afflictions eclipsed by glory And I realize how beautiful you are And how great your afflictions for me Oh how he loves us so Oh how he loves us How he loves us so Yea He loves us Oh how We are his portion And he is our prize Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes If grace is an ocean we're all sinking So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss And my heart burns violently inside of my chest I don't have time to maintain these regrets When I think about the way He loves us Oh how he loves us so Oh how he loves us How he loves us so Yea He loves us Oh how I thought about you The day Stephen died And you met me between my breaking I know that I still love you God Despite the agony See people they want to tell me your cruel But if Stephen could sing He'd say its not true Cause your good

The main reason I love this song, is that it puts into the forefront of my mind the reminder that God loves us.  That He loves me.  I know, I know ... you are probably thinking you want to ask me, "Paul have you ever read the Bible?"  The Bible is wrought full of how much God loves us ... In fact, He loves us so much, He sent His one and only son ... ... and I believe it.

The problem isn't so much with believing that God loves me, but living like God loves me.  My favorite line in this song is, "I don't have time to maintain these regrets".  For me, this sums up where my problem lies.  I have shared before that I have issues with my "worth" (or rather worthlessness) and wondered from where it stems.  This lyric puts into words that very thing I have been wondering.

I first heard this song at East Lake Community Church when we were visiting for a baby dedication (almost 2 years ago?).  I loved it from the get go.  They sang it loud and we were singing a worship song with lyrics about a sloppy wet kiss.  Then a good friend of ours burned a CD of worship songs for my wife (who has her own blog) with this song on it.  The kids and I love to belt out "He loves us" when singing along around the house.  Our church also sings this song fairly regularly during our worship.  I have heard and sung this song countless times.

Recently, when singing this song at church, I had an epiphany while singing my favorite line.  It literally caused me to stop singing and contemplate my thoughts.  As I was singing that line, I heard my own voice casually telling me, "No, you have time."  I stopped singing.

:: reenactment ::
"What?" I asked.
"You have time," I replied.
"I don't understand."
"You were just singing how you don't have time to maintain your regrets, but you do," I explained
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you make time. You maintain your regrets quite well, in fact."

What do you do with that?  I mean besides the fact that I was having a conversation with myself.  In essence, that conversation summed up a core part of my shame, guilt and worth issues.  I maintained my regrets.  As long as I am maintaining my regrets, there is not much room to walk in forgiveness.  If I am not forgiving myself, how can I begin to accept God's forgiveness?  And ultimately, how can I live like God loves me?  I believe it (in my head), but I don't live it (from my heart). 

::prayer:: Lord, help me understand myself and continue to show me why I am the way I am and how I can be who you want me to be. ::endprayer::

Who Are You?

You may have noticed, I recently added a "badge" to my blog.  Over to the right hand side are different things you can click on: 

• my profile (which is lacking)
• post archives
• post labels
• other bloggers I am recommending
• my nerd score (Uber Cool Light-Weight, if you never noticed)
• etc.

The newest one I added is "Visitor's Map".  I'll willingly admit, I am ever curious about who may be reading my posts.  My sister (who has her own blog) informed me about Google Analytics, which lets me see how many times my blog is viewed and how many "unique" people are viewing.  It doesn't tell me who you are though.  Of course, I know a few of you: 

• My wife (who has her own blog)
• My mom (but I had to set her up to receive new postings via email so she would read them)
• My sister, Cheryl
• My sister, Laura (who leaves the most comments) (thank you)
• My wife's mom and dad (But I think that was because they found out I wrote about them)
• My best friend (who lives in Wisconsin, Reno, Maui!!) and his wife
• A friend from work (who I asked to log in from a different state they were travelling to)

Other that that, I would like to think I know who a couple of the silent viewers are, but I don't know for sure.  There are, however, 24 unique visitors (at some point).  Although, that is information tracked by a cookie, so if you toss your cookies, you will be registered as a new visitor (again).  And then there is the fact that I, personally, have viewed from a couple different computers, so maybe I am a couple of my own unique visitors.

ANYway, this Visitor's Badge is another way to show where a "unique" visitor is visiting from.  It shows a 2D image of the globe (a 3D option is also available) and puts a little orange dot (or another color of your choosing) from different locations visitors have viewed from.  Now, before you get all "big brother" on me, I assure you I know nothing more than your location.









Obviously, I would expect to see dots in Hawaii (me and my wife) and in Washington (other family), and of course, in Wisconsin (Gabe and Katie).  But Kansas? Or New Jersey? Or Spain?!?!  That's right ... look at the map.  There is a dot in Spain.  That means that somebody viewed my blog that had an internet connection in Spain!  Crazy.  Now, I understand that may not be that big of a deal.  I've clicked Next Blog of few times (I even have made a game or two out of it) and have viewed people's blogs that I don't know and maybe if they had a visitor's map thingie they got a dot from Hawaii.

It still begs the question, "Who are you?"  And was my blog interesting?

The Most Beautiful Woman ...

How did I get so lucky?

I know what many of you have thought over the years ... "Paul, how did you ever end up with a girl like Mandy?"  And, you know what?  I have no idea.  I often wonder about that same thing.  She doesn't know this (I don't think), but there are times when I will watch her and ponder my good fortune of having a woman like her settle with (for) a guy like me.

I remember my first "experience" with Mandy (who has her own blog).  Her brother, Philip, was in a youth group (AFG) my sister Cheryl (who has her own blog too) and I were responsible for.  AFG hung out every Wednesday night at the church (with the other youth groups).  Mandy was in the High School Group and was supposed to pick Philip up at the end of the night.  One time she never showed up and Phil said he couldn't find her.  So I looked around and, sure enough, she was nowhere to be found.  Someone suggested a group of people had gone to McDonald's and that maybe she went with them.  She had.  My impression:  Phil's sister, the irresponsible high schooler.

"Oops!  Sorry!  I forgot!"

Another time, all the youth groups were in charge of the "adult" service at church and she had offered to help hand out bulletins.  She had just had knee surgery, and I remember thinking she wouldn't be able to hand them out while on crutches, but she wanted to help.  I also remember thinking she should just go sit down and take it easy.  My impression:  Phil's sister, the I-won't-let-you-tell-me-I-can't-help high schooler.

"I am perfectly capable."

Mandy was "Phil's sister".  I really didn't know much about her except from my own experiences.  Then I went to a college retreat (from our church) for the purpose of recruiting some leadership for the aforementioned youth group (AFG).  For some reason, she was there (she was in high school).  I rembember, at some point in time, I was sitting with (Angie?) expressing my hope to find some people to help with AFG.  Mandy pipes up (I don't even remember her sitting there), "I'll help!"  My impression:  Phil's sister, not really the help I had in mind.

I would be great help!

"Um, well, er," I stuttered.  I couldn't say, "Yes."  I think, at the time, I didn't want to say yes, this was Phil's sister.  Being the quick thinker that I am, I stumbled on to say, "Well, it is your brother's youth group.  It needs to be OK with him."  I am not completely sure of the conversation that ensued between Phil and Mandy after the retreat, but she ended up helping.  I think that was the first weekend in May of 1996.  So she starts hanging out with the group and on May 22, 1996, she turned 18.  My impression:  Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Now, I'll admit, I have always struggled with that moment.  One minute she is Phil's sister the next she is Mandy and beautiful.  We (the youth group leadership) took her to Godfather's Pizza for her birthday and as she sat across from me there was this inner turmoil.  And then it happened.  She laughed so hard she spewed pop and pizza all over me.  I was in love.

I think it is important to mention that I was 23.  She just turned 18 and I was 23.  Before she was 18, I didn't really notice her ... she was just there.  After she turned 18, I noticed her because she was there.  I was worried.  I really really liked her.  But I was so much older.  What would everyone say?  What would everyone think?  How would her parents respond?  What about being in leadership at a church?  These questions consumed me.  I even tried to forget about her "in that way".  But I couldn't.  My impression:  Oh dear.

Oh dear.

And so it continued.  I was convinced I was "wrong" to like her, that it was inappropriate.  But I couldn't stop liking her.  In youth group, we played capture the flag, and I found myself performing amazing feats of rescue when she was captured.  In those few moments I could hold her hand as I saved her back to our side.  In those few moments time slowed and we were skipping across prairies of wild flowers frolicking in our love for each other.  /clear throat/ 

I remember, one night at my parents house, after they had hosted a college group party (that Mandy came to), I sat down and told my parents I thought I met the person I was going to marry.  This was how far my "obsession" had come.  I was going to marry her.  But we weren't even dating yet.  My impression:  Oh dear.

Oh dear.

Our church had a "Family Camp" weekend on July 19,20,21, and she was going.  I had decided I was going to let her know how I felt, once and for all (less the marriage part) that weekend.  Everywhere she was, I lingered, waiting for "the moment".  That weekend is really a blur for me.  I remember talking to my sister (Cheryl) about her.  I remember talking to someone else about her.  I remember being nervous and feeling awkward all weekend.  But, at some point, I found out SHE LIKED ME TOO!!!! /clear throat/ I found out she liked me too.  My impression:  Yahoo!!!

If only Paul would notice me.

That following Tuesday at TGIF's in Kirkland (where the college group went every tuesday), we went outside to "talk".  We knew we both like each other but I had to tell her some things first.  So we sat on a curb somewhere and I took her hand in mine and shared with her every "secret" I had.  Those things that she needed to know about me if we were going to be together.

And so we started dating (7/23/1996).  Apparently, she didn't hear anything I said.  To this day, she still says all she could think about was that I was holding her hand.  So much for confession.

Despite the fact that I was almost six years older, we had the blessing to "date" from everyone.  My parents, her parents, the church leadership, everyone.  In fact, a few people said that our "age" difference was of no consequence. Or, that we were perfect for each other.  My impression:  I really couldn't argue.

Rare AFG PDA.

It didn't take long for us to talk about marriage.  I don't know how it happened, but it was obvious we would be together forever.  I proposed to her on April 11th, 1998 (click here to read the engagement story) and on November 14th, 1998 we were married.

Best Wedding Ever

So that's how it happened, for those of you that have been wondering.  It really is like a fairytale.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Luckiest guy in the world.

What's Cool on the Internet?

Every once in awhile I find something cool on the Internet. As I have been pondering why I blog, I thought to my self, "Self, you should share some of those cool things." At the very least it would give me something to write about and share, and at the most enlighten you on things you may or may not have found on your own.

So I am continuing, what has become a regular feature on my blog:

(::disclaimer:: Obviously, this feature is subjective)

So what, you may ask, is worthy enough to be featured in this, er, feature?

David Dylan Thomas

Or more specifically, his review of the 50 greatest action sequences.

From DDT's "about" page:

David Dylan Thomas is a writer/filmmaker living in Philadelphia. He started out in the video world, making a documentary about all of the rock bands at his high school. As an undergrad at JHU, he completed a short doc about college life called Zoo JHU. After graduating with a degree in Writing Seminars (one year shy of Hopkins creation of a Film Major!) he began volunteering on numerous independent shoots around Baltimore. In 1998 he completed his first 16mm short, The Least Dangerous Game. Three years later he completed his first feature, All Night Thing. While retooling and generally pimping this effort, he created his first blog, “Confessions of an Indie Filmmaker.” Around this time he also began writing monthly movie previews, which were ultimately picked up by Freewilliamsburg.com. In 2003, Thomas completed his first digital short, Attack of the Bobbleheads. The next year, he began writing in earnest, delivering content to five different publications, not including his own blog: Filmcritic.com, Freewilliamsburg.com, Bigyawn.net, PAW Print, and Blogcritics.org. Today, Thomas continues to live, write, and film in Philadelphia. By day, he’s also the Coordinator of Multimedia Services at La Salle University.

I found David Dylan Thomas' blog when I was searching for an AT-AT image for my "Walking Tanks Are Too Legit" post.  Google Images found one I liked on his page.  Upon which I realized I had stumbled onto something cool.

The AT-AT image was in the midst of a list of 50 Greatest Action Sequences.  Mr. Thomas didn't just make a top 50 list though ... he gives detail and insight into each selection.  He provides interesting history behind the action sequence.  He includes many pictures and clips (although some have been removed due to copy right misuse).  He offers educated opines of the movie industry and what was involved to film the sequences.  He even notes the inspiration and challenges behind the sequences.

You can tell David Dylan Thomas loves movies.  He knows movies.  He considers himself a bit of an "action aficionado".  He used the following guidelines to write his reviews and wrote about movies made before 2007 (the reviews were written about once a week from 8/07 to 6/08).

I’ve judged these films basically on six criteria. Things I like to see in an action sequence. Some of my favorite action sequences are, at their core, exercises in creative problem solving under pressure. With that in mind, I’ve highlighted the following…
1. Originality of Concept - We’ve all seen a car chase, but what about a car chase on the moon?! Okay, that never happened, but if it did, that would be, like, a point.
2. Intensity - In many ways, this is the whole point of an action sequence. And, as we’ll see, it can redefine what an action sequence is.
3. Beauty - Eye candy, or at least good cinematography, counts.
4. Speed - Think of this as a strength of field category. Whatever is difficult to do, is more difficult fast, and usually more entertaining.
5. Unpredictability - Can I guess how the hero is going to get out of this situation? If so, I have much less reason to watch.
6. Realism - Note, this is an “ism.” If it feels like it could happen, the intensity tends to go up. Scientifically (or at least probabilistically), almost none of these sequences could actually happen.

I have yet to read each of the 50 reviews because there is so much information. And though I haven't seen all of the movies he is referencing, I have found I like and agree with his reviews and simply find them fascinating to read about.

I appreciate all the time and thought David Dylan Thomas put into his reviews of the 50 greatest action sequences (of movies before 2007).  So check it out .... it's what's cool on the internet.

I Have the Best In-Laws!!

(I know what you are thinking.  "Paul, aren't your in-laws coming to stay with you?  Is this a post to butter them up for their stay?"  And the answer is, "Perhaps slightly ...")

Pat and Jeanette = Best In-Laws

It is true that my wife's parents are coming to stay with us.  From May 18 to June 7.  Now, you might think that is a long time to have your spouse's parents stay with you, but ... this brings us to the purpose of this post.

Over the past couple months ... as this time has been approaching, it has become more and more a part of my everyday conversation.  It is not unusual for those of us who live in Maui, to ask each other who has stayed with you, is staying with you, or will be staying with you.  In our (my wife (who has her own blog) and my) first 10 years of marriage, we maybe had 10 nights* where someone had stayed "over" at our house.  These last 13 months living in Maui, we have had 70 nights**^,*** where someone has stayed "over".

Don't get me wrong.  Mandy and I love having guests.  We have always tried to express our hospitality to those around us, and living in Maui allows us to bring it to a whole new level.

So, living in Maui, we ask one another "Who was, is or will be staying with you?"

So recently, my answer has been, "My wife's parents."  Or, "My In-Laws."  And sometimes I would add they were staying with us for 3 weeks.  Inevitably, some people would gawk or respond negatively.  "Good luck with that," they would say.  Or, "Ugh, I couldn't handle that."  I have to admit, it caught me off guard.

"No, no.  It's not like that!." I would exclaim.  "I don't mind at all."  "Really!?" they would say in utter surprise.

Over the past couple months, and more recently ... er recently.  I have found myself saying, "I have the best in-laws."

  

Brothers and Sister In-Law too

When Mandy told me Pat and Jeanette were coming to stay with us, I didn't even think twice about it.  "It'll be for three weeks?" she asked.  "OK," I said (perhaps even with a shrug).  It really doesn't bother me because I have the best in-laws.  Of course, there is that weird ImarriedyourdaughterandIhopeyouthinkIamtakinggoodcareofher vibe, but that is mostly me dealing with my "issues."

There is a bit of a stigma regarding in-laws in our culture.  You often see or hear of negative portrayals of the family of those that we marry.  When I fell in love with their daughter, my biggest concern wasn't whether they were good parents-in-law, but whether they would accept me as their son-in-law! (I was [slightly] older than their daughter).  I am certain I got the better end of the deal.

Best wedding ever.

I love you Pat and Jeanette, you are my parents, my Mom and Dad.  Thank you for accepting me and for praying for me (your daughter's future husband).  Thank you for making me a part of your family.  You can stay with us anytime because you are the best in-laws.

I married into an awesome family.  A husband could not be any luckier.

____________________

*we never really kept track and 10 years is a long period of time to remember accurately.

**now we have a guest book, kind of.

***We have lived in Maui 391 days from April 21, 2009 to the date of this post May 16, 2010.  Cheryl has inspired me to figure the percentage of 70 nights to the time we have lived in Maui.  It is 17.9%**** (feel free to double check my math.  I, of course, did not make any sweeping assumptions). After Mandy's parents' stay, that percentage will increase to 21.8%.

****as compared to .003% before we lived in Maui.

Walking Tanks Are Too Legit.

(but they fall down a lot)

There are few science fiction worlds that have the scope of imagination and creativity of Star Wars.  George Lucas' juggernaut has long reaching tentacles* into every facet of pop culture.  Even if you don't like or have never seen Star Wars, you have certainly been exposed to it. 

It really is no secret ... I am a Science Fiction fan.  It is one of my absolute favorite genres (of books, of video games, of movies, etc) and Star Wars is often revisited time and time again.  And, of course, my influence (and good taste) has rubbed off on my kiddos, who have seen the three original episodes of Star Wars more than their mom (who has her on blog) and quite possibly more than me.

This post is to share with you two videos from YouTube paying homage to the popularity of Star Wars.  (If I had a feature on my blog about "What's Cool on YouTube" these would both subjectively qualify).

First) This parody of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind" by collegehumor.com.







Second) This Lego Animation Summary of the original three episodes.



____________________
*see what I did there?

An Easy Bible Study in John

I have hidden your Word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11

Reading the Bible can be a daunting task.  When it comes to reading, picking up a great novel or reading my blog is so much easier.

Where to begin reading the Bible is only slightly less daunting.  Genesis (first book of the Old Testament) and Matthew (first book of the New Testament) are seemingly good places to start.  Randomly opening the Bible and reading where ever the pages lay can be fun and confusing.  Or following a reading plan can be helpful for those of us that need more direction. (I try to follow the LJRP.)

But if reading the Bible can be daunting, then studying the Bible can be intimidating.  Reading is one thing, understanding is something completely different.  Many of us feel ill-equipped to "study" the Bible let alone "understand" it.  So in an effort to be helpful, here is an easy Bible Study in John.

Jesus said, "I am ... " B.S. (Bible Study)

John is the fourth book in the New Testament of the Bible and is one of the Gospels.  Where the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on the humanity of Jesus, the gospel of John focuses more on the divinity of Jesus.

But first ... What is the significance of "I AM"?
In Exodus, the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush, and God said, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' " (Exodus 3:14).  The Hebrew word for "AM" is hayah, which has many meanings like "to become", "to be", and "to exist".  It is used in the verb pattern: qal, which is the "simple" or "casual" use of the word (hayah).

Mathew Henry's Commentary offers this good explanation of Exodus 3:14:

This explains his name Jehovah, and signifies, that he is self-existent; he has his being of himself, and has no dependence upon any other and that he is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, today, and for ever; he will be what he will be and what he is.

As John is relaying the divinity of Jesus he is linking Jesus' expressions of who He is to the cultural understanding of who God said He is.  In fact, John tells of an encounter between some Jews and Jesus where it doesn't get much clearer (John 8:53-58):

53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?"

54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad."
57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!"
58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

The Greek for "I am" is ego eimi used in the present tense meaning "to be", "to exist" or "to happen". Jesus not only claimed that He was greater than their father Abraham, but also used their language* and understanding of God to emphasize His identity.  They were so upset at His audacity to make such claims, they picked up stones to stone him. 

And now second ... Jesus said, "I AM ..." **
With the above in mind, we can understand John's purpose to parallel Jesus' claims about himself with the very nature of God himself.

As you read what Jesus said about himself (below), keep these questions in mind:

• What is Jesus claiming?
• What are the implications?
• Which one is the easiest for you to accept?
• Which one is the hardest for you to accept?

(You can Ctrl-Click on the scripture links to open a new window to read the verse in context)

I am the bread of life ... Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. (John 6:28-59)

I am the light of the world ... Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12-20)

I am the gate ... whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:1-18)

I am the good shepherd ... The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:1-18)

I am the resurrection and the life ... He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11:17-32)

I am the way, and the truth, and the life ... No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:4-11)

I am the true vine ... He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (John 15:1-8)


You may remember some or all of these statements made by Jesus.  I think you will find this can make for a quick and easy Bible study in John.  Print this out and read one of the above passages a day for the next week (there are seven).  As you read, you may find you have other questions like:  What does a shepherd have to do with me? Or, what is the resurrection Jesus is talking about?  If you do, you can go to a great resource sight StudyLight.org, or leave me your question in the comments.


___________________
*Note: Aramaic was the common tongue in Israel in Jesus' time.  The earliest transcripts of the New Testament are the Greek conveyance of Jesus' words.

**John relates over 60 statements and conversations where Jesus uses the phrase "I am".  You can click on this search at BlueLetterBible.com to read them.  They include, "I am not alone", "I am from above", "I am not of this world", and "I am going away".  The seven more known ones (included in this article) relate more to Jesus' claim of His identity.

It Was My Mom's Fault ...

When I was a baby, my mom didn't cut my hair.  As I recall, when I asked about past photos, my mom "loved" my long curly blond hair and didn't cut it until I was well past 2 years old.

"Mr. and Mrs. Halverson, you must be so proud to have another baby girl."

Now, as a parent, I acknowledge a parent's right to "parent" their children.  If my mom was proud of her baby BOY's long flowing locks, who am I to criticize?  I don't necessarily feel "scarred" by the fact I had long hair.  However, in the years that came after, my attempts at long curly hair was never received with the same adoration.

It wasn't meant to be.

Somewhere in me, however, was a longing to once again make my mom proud.  But if I was no longer able to do it myself, then what were my options?

Sorry Micah ... It was my Mom's fault.

When Caleb was born, I emphatically told my wife (who has her own blog) we were not cutting his hair.  After a short time though, it became apparent his hair was too "coarse" to "flow".  Then we had two girls.  And though I emphatically told my wife we were not cutting their hair, it was never quite the same.  Then we had Micah.

And although my wife emphatically told me that 3 years old was quite long enough, I feel "complete" knowing that I made my mom proud.  (You were proud weren't you mom?)

My Circumstances Don't Define Me

Many of us have had an "interesting" past couple of years.  We have had to change our habits and make adjustments in our life styles.  And it feels like there is no end in sight.

(calm down ... I'm not gonna say, "Consider it a pure joy ... ")

There are many different ways to respond to your circumstances.  And people around us can have suggestions on how we should respond to our circumstances.  It seems much easier to see an obvious solution to someone else's problems, than to recognize one for ourselves.

I was reminded recently of Naomi, from the book of Ruth in the Bible.  Naomi was the wife of Elimelech.  There was a famine in Israel, and Elimelech elected to move his family to Moab.  While in Moab, Elimelech dies, Naomi's sons marry Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah) and then her sons also die.  Naomi decides to return to her home and encourages her daughter-in-laws to return to theirs saying, "No, my daughters; for it is harder for me than for you, for the hand of the LORD has gone forth against me." [Ruth 1:13], but Ruth stays with Naomi.

William Blake (1795) - Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab

The circumstances of Naomi (which means, "pleasant; agreeable; my sweet" in Hebrew) were:  She had experienced a famine, was taken from her home, and lost her husband and only sons.  Her conclusion was that God was against her.  In fact, when she got back to her homeland,

She said to them, "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. "I went out full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the LORD has witnessed against me and the Almighty has afflicted me?" [Ruth 1:20,21]

Naomi allowed her circumstances to define her to the point of changing her name.  Mara means bitter.  Don't get me wrong, those circumstances are pretty rough.  But sometimes we get so focused inward, we can no longer see outward.  Or we are so caught up with the tree, we can't see the forest.  The story continues, that Ruth is "redeemed" by her husband's kinsman, Boaz and becomes the mother of Obed, who becomes the father of Jesse, who becomes the father of David ... King David whom Jesus is descended from.

How many times have we gone through a hard circumstance only to look back on it with a different perspective than when we were "in" it?  I am certainly not perfect, but I try hard not to let my circumstances define me.  Could you imagine if I asked you to start calling me "Bitter" or "Frustrated" or "Ican'tbelievetheydidthatthingagain!"?

I control what I control

and I go with the flow

'cause that's how I roll

and now you know.  What!?

::prayer:: Lord, help me remember that you are in control of all things and win or lose I will praise you ::endprayer::

Faith Should Be Like ...

Faith should be like .... sitting in a chair.

You have all sat down at some point.  Do you find that you give much thought about the process?  Every once in awhile, perhaps before sitting in grandma's old wicker chair, you may ease your weight into place.  But by far, most of us kerplump our backsides into a chair with the utmost confidence that the designer engineered the chair with it's purpose in mind.

I suppose, if you are like me, you have broken a chair (or two) after sitting in it (usually because I was tipping back).  But I have never said, "I will not sit again!"

Don't you suppose that our faith should be the same?  That we should be able to, with confidence, sit down? Or, if we break a chair, to sit again?

It is no wonder my legs get so tired sometimes.