How it started

I thought I'd elaborate a bit more on my previous post. Teo was in town this past weekend, so in addition to working a generous number of Sudoku puzzles, we rented the first DVD of the television series "24." For those of you who are unfamiliar, each episode occurs in real time. So, the first DVD documents the first four hours (midnight to 4 AM) of the first day of the series. After watching just the first episode or two, I could tell I was hooked. In fact, we couldn't find the 4 AM to 8 AM DVD, so we had to purchase the entire first season at Target! We still only made it through the first eight hours! So... I have a long way to go. To give you an idea... I'm up to 8 AM the first day. The series is currently in season 5 (i.e. - the 5th day), about 4 AM or 5 AM. So, I'm basically four whole days (92 hours) behind. But, after looking at the current season website, I've determined it's not best to view them out of order. So, I won't start watching the current season until I get caught up (if I actually get caught up).

24

Yes, I'm addicted.

The Plans

You may recognize this verse, and maybe you find some comfort in it like I do...

Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

Well, I've been reading through the book of Jeremiah, and I thought the context of the verse above to be particularly interesting. Basically, the Israelites had been taken into exile - into Baylon - by King Nebuchadnezzar. Well, a young punk-prophet speaks up one day (in front of Jeremiah and other priests/people) and says, "the LORD says that within two years, the Israelites will be free and be able to return to Israel." Jeremiah gives him a warning that peace and prosperity sound good and may gain him some momentary popularity, but he won't be believed unless it actually comes true. Long story short, The LORD reveals something different to Jeremiah, and he tells the people that they will spend seventy years in Babylon...

"When seventy years are completed... I (the LORD) will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place (Israel). For I know the plans I have for you..."

Isn't it funny that when we think of that verse or quote that verse, we always imagine that promise in the near term... next week, next month, next year. God was telling the Israelites that he had good things planned for them... but they were going to have to be patient. In effect... "you might as well get comfortable, because you're going to be here awhile." Apparently they had some lessons to learn first.

So, it makes me wonder... how many lessons do I have to learn? I guess I better get comfortable. :)

Cozy feet

I thought I'd include a picture for you of what I have on my feet as I'm blogging here. They're very warm and cozy... a bit challenging to walk in. But, I suppose they're really not made for walking. So, instead, I'm relaxing in them. :) They were a Christmas gift from a good friend, who obviously cares about the comfort of my feet.

Foot duvets 

Well, it's official...

The Gathering is becoming its own church! It's been a long-time coming, but we're moving forward. Up until this point we've been a ministry of Southern Hills Baptist Church, the church I've been a member of for nearly seven years now. But the church voted unanimously this past week to support us as a new church plant. There are so many questions yet to be answered, but it was officially announced tonight at The Gathering. So... it's now public knowledge.

It means a lot of work ahead, but I'm excited to see where God will lead us and who he will bring along side of us in this adventure!

I'm sure you'll be hearing more on that later.

Divine Intervention

Okay, I know it's kind of an odd time of the morning to be blogging. And, I'm still half asleep, so I won't promise this will make too much sense. But, I'm going to blog about a dream I juust had. If I wait, I'm guessing I won't remember it. And, yes... I'll be crawling back in bed when I finish blogging. I probably wouldn't have woken up or gotten out of bed except that I must have dreamed my cell phone rang. So, I got up to check that. :)

I don't recall all of the details of the dream, other than I was out and about in my car. In the dream, it was a very small car. (Okay, seriously people, I'm typing here with my eyes closed. How funny is that?) I was in kind of a rural area, so there wasn't a lot of traffic. I came upon an area where some road construction had been taking place, but the roads were open, but the survace was like this extremely thick, soft mud... maybe something like 6 or 7 inches deep. I didn't realize until it was too late that other cars had apparently been slipping in the mud. I think it was a bit like hydroplaning... everything was fine until I tried to slow down or stop. So, when I hit the brakes, I sunk down into the mud and began to swerve. Fortunately I avoided hitting anything, but I ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. By the position of the car, I knew there was no way I could pull it out or get it out on my own. In the dream, I either didn't think I would be able to find anyone at home who could come help me, or maybe I didn't have my cell phone (though, as mentioned above, I dreamed shortly after than it rang). Anyway, I was there fretting over how I'd get the car out. It seemed just beyond my reach... like the car was small enough that it was nearly possibly (yet I knew it was impossible) for me to get it out myself. I'm not sure what took my attention from the car, but when I turned back around, the car was no longer in the ditch. It was sitting just out of the ditch, slighty disassembled (though easy enough for me to re-assemble) and all clean. I remember being so thankful and believing it a true miracle... that God had been my rescuer.

What do you think it means? I'll give it some thought and blog about it later. In the meantime, I'd be happy to hear YOUR thoughts. :)

Okay... I'm going back to Zzzzzzzzzzz....

Rollercoasters

Seems strange that something I love so much in a tangible form can be so unpleasant in metaphorical terms. It's been that kind of week. I'm just tired... and yet can't sleep. I'd like to tell the operator to kindly stop the ride so I can get off.

Reminds me a bit of a clip from one of my favorite movies...

The Country

This is a poem by one of my favorite poets, Billy Collins...

The Country

I wondered about you
when you told me never to leave
a box of wooden, strike-anywhere matches
lying around the house because the mice

might get into them and start a fire.
But your face was absolutely straight
when you twisted the lid down on the round tin
where the matches, you said, are always stowed.

Who could sleep that night?
Who could whisk away the thought
of the one unlikely mouse
padding along a cold water pipe

behind the floral wallpaper
gripping a single wooden match
between the needles of his teeth?
Who could not see him rounding a corner,

the blue tip scratching against a rough-hewn beam,
the sudden flare, and the creature
for one bright, shining moment
suddenly thrust ahead of his time -

now a fire-starter, now a torchbearer
in a forgotten ritual, little brown druid
illuminating some ancient night.
Who could fail to notice,

lit up in the blazing insulation,
the tiny looks of wonderment on the faces
of his fellow mice, onetime inhabitants
of what once was your house in the country?

Happy New Year, Folks!!

Well, I think I've been blogging about a year now. I'll have to check that out when I finish here. :)

I slept in NYE... until maybe 8:30 or 9 AM. We were hosting a NYE party at Matt's house, so Matt and I hit the grocery store by 10:30 or so and spent the rest of the day baking and preparing food, save the short break we took to take lunch over to our friends, Jim & Babs. Luke was there, too, but we didn't take him any food. However, we did get to see him eat baby oatmeal for the first time. (Go Luke!)

We were hoping to have time for a break, but that never happened. We worked up until it was time for the evening's activity - The Amazing Race!! Tim & Laurel put together an "Amazing Race" for twelve two-person racing teams. It was quite a site, I'm sure. We were running all over Tulsa... finding clues and performing strange tasks. I have a video that I might be able to attach (with some help from David...). Anyway... Matt and I ended up winning the race!! It may have helped that the race ended at his house, so we had a certain advantage when we left the final stop with the (eventual) second place team. :)

Then we just partied down the rest of the night. Sounds like most everyone was sore from the race! Or... I could've been sore from laughing so much at the party. Mainly I laughed at JW for trying a bite of bleu cheese and gagging on it. :)

There are probably more details to share, but I'll have to do that in person. I'm tired and need to get in bed.

Happy New Year!!