I feel like a doofus - and a vacation....

So, my other posts about being nervous about the upcoming events were just silliness manifesting itself. Those posts left no room for God to do His thang! My reluctance to see His Hand at work and to trust Him always sometimes dumb-founds me, especially when I've seen His Glory in my life over and over.

The first of my meetings went well, it was small and easier to handle than I expected. So, today's - should - be fine. The first of the Wednesday programs was a-ok, too. I had said we'd have 4 or 40 kids and had neither. There were 7 and 8 adults were in and around and about to tend to them. That was better that 1:1 ratio. We had one technical difficulty that took up enough time to put me back on track time-wise. I was running early and ended up being right on time. (Thank you, Jesus!). The group, being so small, was diverse in ages from 4yrs to 4th grade - so there were virtually NO discipline issues (Thank Goodness!). And - there was always someone right there to offer a suggestion as to how to transition the time better (Praise the Lord!). No one got lost or injured and no one died! SO, all in all, I would say it was a success.

After this crazy week, we are blessed with the opportunity to go out of town fr the weekend. It's our annual trip to Galveston. We go for a weekend every year and never on the same weekend and rarely in the same month each year. It is much needed - by all.

My husband has some sort of mysterious soft-tissue-issue in his neck and we had to take him to the urgent care clinic Tuesday. I made him go there because as we were eating dinner Tuesday, I watched him wince and grimace all throughout the meal as if the food smelled bad or tasted funny. (We know that could "NEVER" be true, so off we went.) They've given him some anti-inflamatory med's and told him there's not much to be done, but wait. (How fun!?) It looks like it will be a beach-lounging kind of weekend. Whoopie!!

Anyway, it's Another Day in Montgomery and I appreciate your willingness to read my ramblings, and otherwise indulge my ridiculousness! Here's to the promise of a new day and long weekends at the beach!

Two posts in as many days (Wowie-zowie)

Well, I am not blogging from the bottom of the pond. (We're all relieved, I'm sure.)

Today, I am going to date myself, but not in the traditional way by taking myself to dinner and a show. I am going to spell out how old I am.

T-H-I-R-T-Y E-I-G-H-T

There. I did it. It's not all that bad and looks worse than it is. But it's crazy-wild all the same.

Last Sunday was my birthday. June 1. The beginning of hurricane season (every year). And that alone should explain itself and my life thoroughly.

Last Sunday also happened to be the EXACT 20-year anniversary of my graduation from high school. Yes, I turned 18 and graduated from high school at the same time. It was a banner year, to be sure.

Now, 20 years later, I am here. And, frankly, I am less certain of my impending future here on earth than I was at that time. It's probably because I've seen that none of the things I thought I'd do were done and I'm not really anyone I ever thought I'd be. Which, in and of itself, is not entirely a bad thing...just weird - as per usual for me.

My 20-year reunion is this coming August. And I'm faced with a decision of going to that or staying here and performing in a little dinner-theater at the church. I've been thinking (uh-oh) - Do I go to reunion and show off that I've not done much with my life? (You see, I was voted along with my best friend, Brian, to be the most likely to have my name up in lights.) Or do I ignore the reunion, wondering how it was and staying in my little coccoon and begging off from the reunion because "I'm in a show." (Ha...can anyone say vanity?)

I've been in contact fairly recently with a few friends from long ago and most of them duck and run after I tell them I've been with the same man for 19 years, have two kids and am involved at church. I don't know if it scares them that I am involved with church, or troubled about my marriage (since most of them are on their 2nd+ ) -or- if it is just that I didn't mean as much to them as they did to me? (can anyone say insecurity?)

Anyway, it's Another Day in Montgomery and I say:
Here's to finding out 20 years later that you're insecurely vain! Lest we not forget the "bliss" that is being utterly confused!

What was I thinking?!?!

Ok, so it's been awhile since I posted and mainly it's because what little brain I do have has been swallowed up. Would that it were a giant fish; I might be inclined to just tickle his tonsils and have myself expelled. As it stands - what I'm in is up to my neck in guppies and how to deal with them.

I'm in the process of realizing just how much I have to learn about my new endeavor, how much the previous school-ers of fish knew about the endeavor and how big the pond is that I've been called to fill. It's humbling and humiliating at the same time. Ugh.

The fact of the matter is, I think that I have no idea how this is all supposed to work. I'm short-staffed (in my opinion) for an upcoming Wednesday morning program, running a skeleton crew for one of the years biggest events, and everyday being asked questions about things I never even imagined - forget about even having any suitable answers for them. (In other words, I'm low on bait, my pole's too short and I don't know what to do when the bobber dips.)

Then...I pulled a brilliant move and scheduled a training session the day before we start the Wednesday program AND the day after. Now, I've got two "big events" in the same week and I did it to myself. Ugh x's 2.

I've cold feet. There. I said it. I know people talk and love to do so. I'm nervous I'll be rich fodder for the gossip-mill. I'm concerned about the following things:

*They (being people/volunteers) are going to talk about how lame my meeting was and that I'll be under-prepared and miss things that everyone needs.
*They (being people/parents) will complain to the office about how stupidly run the Wednesday program is and that I will have to do most everything by myself.
*That I'll forget "THE" most important factor (if you know what that is, please let me know).
*That the people telling me, "Don't stress. You're doing a great job." are just saying that because they don't want to do it anymore.
*That everyone (yes, even you) will compare and contrast me against the last school-er of guppies - with me ending up at the bottom of the pond.
*That I'll be asked to leave before I even get through one thing.
*That I'm going to fail miserably.

I know part of this is because the same person who told me Sunday, about my new position, "congratulations...I guess." stopped by the office today and reminded me, "You're the one who chose to do this." (In case you were wondering, my clever replies to his comments were, "Um. Don't congratulate me, yet. I haven't done anything." and "Um. Actually I was called to do it. I just chose to say yes to it.")

Now, I know this person has never been one of my biggest fans - hence all the "ums" present in my vocabulary. But it got me to thinking anyway...and from past experience that's never a good thing.

It's Another Day in Montgomery and I just have to ask:
Can I do this? Will I be able to get through this without messing up God's plan? Is it God's plan for me to mess up? Will my next blog be from the bottom of the pond, shriveled and stinking like the used bait I feel like?

Not entirely appropriate for Sunday, but

here goes.

Don't blow your nose when you're going pee
Or something might happen
That no one should see
For the next time you blow
When you don't want to go
You just might find that you can't stop the flow


It's Another Day in Montgomery and obviously I'm functioning on too little sleep!

By the Way

Jude 1 :2



It's Another Day in Montgomery (ok - so the same day as the last post, but) I say:

always.

Everything is ok

Everything's ok. God is Good and everything has been completed. We're all just walking step-by-step through the the path set before us - seeing it play out around us and moving as we're asked to move. There's no need to fret. HE tells us so - and it is true. Every little thing is finished.

I live by this right now. When viewing the multitude of challenges, when asked all the how-to's and where-to-for's, when confronted with doubt. It's done. I only receive the information when it's necessary for me to know. (Same thing happens for you - if you'll recognize it.)

A twinkling of a vision comes and says, "Wait for the appointed time". A quiet peacefulness in the heart says, "Move now".

Whether it's logging off the computer, unloading the dishwasher, working over the curriculum, writing a letter, planning a dinner, getting to church on time...it all has it's appointed time and if we listen - only listen - everything will come off without a hitch.

How many times have I listened and found myself in perfect syncronicity with the movement of others in my life? How many times have I refused to listen and found myself not only out of sync with everyone, but frustrated too? How many times have I tried to throw my vision out there before the time and found it not only the wrong time, but ill-received, as well. How many times have I kept the vision hidden beyond it's appointed time and found there was no longer a place for it? How many times have I released the vision at it's own special moment and watched His Awesome Power come alive?

How many times have you?

It's Another Day in Montgomery and I say:
Thanks for all your prayers. Keep them coming and (please) don't ever stop. For it is by the power of your prayers, I am able to affirm this tenet of life, "Everything is ok. God is good and everything has been completed. There is no need to fret. Every little thing is finished."

The Matter at Hand (And OH is it a mighty big hand)

I've heard a lot of talk and read a lot of words lately about relevance - as pertaining to Christ. You know, making sure our teachings are relevant to the children or the congregation. To this I say HOO-HAH!! Seriously.

Perhaps it's best if if we breakdown the definition of RELEVANT.

American Heritage Dictionary defines relevant as:
Having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand.
Merriam Webster defines it like this:
1.(a) having significant and demonstratable bearing on the matter at hand. (b) affording evidence tending to prove or disprove the matter at issue or under discussion (c) having social relevance
2. proportional; relative

Synonyms for both indicate being "pertinent": which is defined as having a clear, decisive relevance to the matter at hand.

Now. Here's what I think of when I hear the word(s) relevant, relevance and pertinent:
Three dairy farmers are sitting around talking about Jersey cows (big ol' black-n-white, cud-chewing Jersey cows). They are discussing all it takes to raise the Jersey's. Where they let them pasture, how they keep them healthy and how they all believe they have found their own special mixture of feed they provide their stock to produce the best quality of milk. Then another farmer walks up and says (and I quote), "I like mayonaise on my bologna sandwich."
That last farmer offered up some interesting information (to be sure), but that is NOT relevant to the matter at hand.

Ok, so. Maybe the way I make relevance most clear in my mind is to define what it is not. But I think that knowing what something is NOT, can sometimes just a beneficial as knowing what it IS.

This is where my problem lies with making Christ relevant to our children and congregation at large. They way I see it, and correct me if I'm wrong, those speaking this brand of Christianese are trying to find creative ways to make Christ pertinent to the "world" we live in. I just don't see how that's possible. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He tanscends the "world" of yesterday, the "world" of today and the "world" of tomorrow. He is unchanging. He's always been the same as He is today and always will be the same as he was yesterday.

Now, please try to follow my logic, here. I COMPLETELY understand that there is a LOT of distraction from Christ. I COMPLETELY understand that a great multitude of us have to work VERY hard to find His still and gentle calling in the loud, hustle-n-bustle of this crazy world in which we live. I get it. I do.

What I don't get is how we try to dress Jesus up in parodies like:
Flava-Flav (yeah- I know) Finds a Virtuous Wife and Spongebob Squarepants goes to Bible-camp.

Why are we so busy trying to make Jesus relevant our lives? Where we can watch what we watched yesterday...where we can do the things we're doing today...where we can keep watching and doing the same things tomorrow.

Jesus is NOT relevant to the The Hills. So why try to make Him? Jesus is NOT relevant to Worlds of Warcraft. So, why try to fit Him in?

It's kind of like the last farmer coming in and saying, "Hey. I know you're talking about dairy cows, but did you know that ranchers feed their beef corn? And some of those ranchers sell their stock to makers of bologna? Have you ever eaten bologna made from beef parts of a cow fed with corn? I like to eat bologna from those cows. I make sandwiches out of it and when I eat them, I like to put mayonaise on 'em." (???) The last farmer able to make a connection between their discussion and his topic of importance. (That's pretty creative thinking by him.) But now, the dairy farmers will certainly talk about the guy who puts mayonaise on his bologna sandwich, but are they going to be compelled to try to find corn-fed beef bologna, stick it between to slices of mayonaise-coated bread and actually eat the sandwich?

It's Another Day in Montgomery and I ask:
Shouldn't we be more concerned with the importance of making OUR lives more relevant to who Jesus is and less concerned with trying to make Jesus more relevant to how we live?