Man and Wife Living Life

Vlog Catch-Up: Days 18-19 (We're Done!)

2012-05-13T13:42:00.003-04:00

Well, we're now 19 days into the 31-day vlogging project for Man & Wife Living Life. Annnnndddd... We're done. I needed to prioritize and let's just say this project was... expendable. ;-) It's not the end of vlogging, just the end of "31 consecutive days". Make that 19 consecutive days!

Day 18

Top 5 TV Shows - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 18: Holy crappy lighting Batman! Nope, Batman isn't in my top 5. But is YOUR fav TV show in my top 5? Watch and see.

Day 19

Meh, I'm done! - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 19: Well, I... Don't have much more to say! 31 days isn't in the cards. Remember the need to simplify? Yeah well, that's what I'm opting to do. I came across two projects that need my attention so I'm spread too thin! So be well and good luck!

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

Vlog Catch-Up: Days 15-17

2012-05-12T07:20:00.000-04:00

Well, we're now 18 days into the 31-day vlogging project for Man & Wife Living Life. I'll be posting catch-ups every three days and a wrap-up on day 31.

Day 15

The Coffee Incident - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 15: Be careful what you put in your body, folks. Let me tell you about my extreme Panera incident.

Day 16

Get It Over With - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 16: I'm tired, sick and ornery. No fancy titles, just an iPhone video. Let's get this over with for the day, shall we?

Day 17

Super-Quick Massage School Tour - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 17: Here's a super-quick tour of the school where I teach massage on Thursday nights! Unedited and voila! Now you see a bit of where I spend a good part of my days.

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

Vlog Catch-Up: Days 12-14

2012-05-08T16:11:00.004-04:00

Well, we're now 15 days into the 31-day vlogging project for Man & Wife Living Life. I'll be posting catch-ups every three days and a wrap-up on day 31.

DAY 12

Postitively Pit Bulls - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 12: Carrie talks bluntly about the awesome and cautionary things about owning a pit bull or "bully breed". There are some things you have to be cautious of, just like many other dogs, but pit bulls really are awesome family pets! (PS: RESCUE!)

DAY 13

Cinco de Mayo Asian Tacos - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 13: Yes, you read that right. Cinco de Mayo Asian Tacos: A testament to flexibility! ;-) The recipe is included.

DAY 14

Dog Hair Explosion - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 14: Bruce's hair explodes on our front lawn. See what I mean...

Make Life Easier On Yourself

2012-05-05T09:16:00.000-04:00

There are seasons when your business (personal, professional) seems manageable. There are seasons where business makes you feel stressed and your life fully unmanageable. These are the times of overwhelm, of down thoughts, of "the grass is always greener". Thank God, I think I'm finally coming out of that one.

Day-to-day life is still busy, but I think it's more manageable. I believe this is true in part because of some things I have set aside (too much TV, difficult clients, reading negative comments online) and in part to some things I have taken on (TeuxDeux, time with acquaintances and friends, a faith-based program designed to overcome an area of struggle). The more I seek genuine connections and allow myself to let go of the things that aren't enriching or affirming, the more I find myself in a better spot.

Daily evaluation and re-evaluation of the Most Important of Important Things (Habits, Thoughts, Feelings, etc.) helps to identify and refine life priorities. Ruthless honesty helps to cut the unimportant things from your To Do list. Life gets easier. You can manage your business. Sometimes being so deliberate as to make a list of things you feel compelled to do each day, week, or month and cross off the ones that don't resonate is the one thing that lets you actually set yourself back on the right track. Even if you can't eliminate it, you can examine when it isn't making you joy-filled. When the time comes, eliminate it. Decide that if you must do it, you will do it as a meditation and personal testament to responsibility. Or just pay to have it done. Or decide you don't need it. Get to the Letting Go place.

~ ~ ~

The image is a drawing I made for Kelvin, my sponsored child in Tanzania.
He asked me to draw him a friend, so I did.

~ ~ ~

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate, life would be happier."

Gratidues #365 - 378

365. Husbands sleeping 13 hours

366. Walk-in appointments

367. People giving you a chance

368. Connecting through a game

369. Jason teaching me to draw better all those years ago

370. Toni

372. Students being honest, even if it hurts

373. The challenge of daily vlogs

374. "How to Make a Salve"

375. The entire book of James - Faith and Works

376. The Journaling Bible that came in the mail

377. Thank You notes from beloved aunts

378. Someone to love and enjoy a painting I didn't have room for

Vlog Catch-Up: Days 9-11

2012-05-04T16:53:00.005-04:00

Well, we're now 12 days into the 31-day vlogging project for Man & Wife Living Life. I'll be posting catch-ups every three days and a wrap-up on day 31.

DAY 9

31 Days of Vlogging - Find Your Silver Lining - Day 9: It's amazing how God can use us, even when we feel like we're doing everything wrong. So today is to say, "Stick it out. Keep going. You'll be amazed." I promise.

DAY 10

31 Days of Vlogging - Declutter Your Life - Day 10: Super-quick thoughts on decluttering and resources to get you started. It CAN be done!

DAY 11

How To De-Stress - 31 Days of Vlogging - Day 11: It's okay to let a few things go in order to preserve your sanity. Let's talk three easy, free things you can do to de-stress and get on with a happy, healthy life.

Vlog Catch-Up: Days 6-8

2012-05-01T16:49:00.002-04:00

Well, we're now 9 days into the 31-day vlogging project for Man & Wife Living Life. (PS: MWLL also got a great, new facelift. Check it out.) I'll be posting catch-ups every three days and a wrap-up on day 31.

Day 6

31 Days of Vlogging - My Magazine Rack - Day 6
Let's talk magazines for a moment, shall we? Have you heard of any of these?

Day 7

31 Days of Vlogging - Top 3 Desert Island Must-Haves - Day 7
Carrie discusses the top 3 things she "must have" on her desert island. And yes, her desert island has electricity. Heh.

Day 8

31 Days of Vlogging - I Need a Silver Lining - Day 8
Some days it's just hard to keep going, but sticking to the plan is my goal. This is probably one of the most honest vlogs I've ever done. There are some happy things. Stick around to the end.

Clipart via Microsoft Clipart Gallery

Play!

2012-04-28T09:17:00.003-04:00

When was the last time that you played?

Me? I played on Thursday evening for about five solid hours. The kicker? I got paid to do it! It was really beautiful to move around, explore the body God gave me, bond with my students, and just cut loose from the seriousness of adult living. My problems and worries were placed on the shelf, suspended for a few nice hours, when all it was my job to do was to play and encourage my students to do the same as an examination of movement in its many forms.

Often during "movement night," there are a few sticks in the mud who don't want to participate. I admit to being one of them when I was in school. I was stuck, stuffy and restricted; I was embarrassed to cut loose. But after being required to lead this class a few times, you learn to let it go. I was better able to prepare my students for the mindset that it was necessary to participate for credit, but also for their well-being. It worked! Gratefully, all of my students, backgrounds and baggage varying as widely as the sea, decided to go "all in" and participate fully.

We did a laughing exercise, a conga line (to the chagrin of the other classes), a mystery walk (one person closes their eyes while the other leads them around using voice direction), a limbo contest, Red Rover, many beach-type games with paddles, balls, cups, nets, and so forth, as well as using yoga balls in interesting way. I'll have you know this gal took a running start, skidded and bounced over four yoga balls and through a hoop waiting at the end... twice. (See this Youtube video for an example, though he's much more skilled than I!) It was exhilarating to throw caution to the wind. Sometimes a physical act shows you what you're capable of mentally and spiritually as well.

Aside from burning a heap of calories, it was so heartening to get to know these people as people, and not just as students to whom we must issue a grade. I was able to play with a student or two who are particularly challenging for one reason or another. It was good to connect without tension, which in turn can help break down those same tensions.

As we grow, we're called to "put away childish things", but due to the sheer joy that comes from playing a game or sport for a short time, I'm fairly certain that play, laughter and lighthearted amusements are ordained by the Lord. That in itself gives me great joy.

~ ~ ~

Also, here is a short, interesting article by retired professor Martin LeBar from Southern Wesleyan University discussing "play" in the Bible.

Photo © cuellar | Flickr Creative Commons

Vlog Catch-up: Days 1-5

2012-04-27T19:22:00.002-04:00

Where did the vlogs go? They are still here, every day for 31 days!

I decided not to post each daily vlog I'm doing at our blog, but instead post summary links to each one every five days or so. That was I feel like I can actually blog instead of just posting videos.

Day 1
31 Day Vlogging Project Intro - Day 1, April 23, 2012: A short introduction to the month-long project.

Day 2
31 Day Vlogging Project - Office Tour - Day 2: An office tour at home, where I spend 80+% of my home time.

Day 3
31 Days of Vlogging - Massage Client Before & After - Day 3: A view of my spa office before and after a massage client, as well as thoughts on people who do business "by appointment only".

Day 4
31 Days of Vlogging - Scheduling Tools - Day 4: Talking about keeping schedules organized, "unscheduling" and more.

Day 5
31 Days of Vlogging - Books I'm Reading - Day 5: Just that... Books I'm working through currently.

Or you can just subscribe to my Youtube channel here: http://youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=thegirlburgan

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

31DOV - Massage at the Spa (Day 3)

2012-04-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

Today there is a before and after tour featuring what happens at the spa before and after a massage client. Also, some thoughts on the life of a "by appointment only" service worker. We see that in the world so much... What's behind that?

Update at 10 a.m. - Youtube did something WEIRD to the tracking. I'm trying to revert the video to the original so it's not so jumpy.

31 Days of Vlogging (31DOV) - Office Tour (Day 2)

2012-04-24T23:58:00.000-04:00

Today we take a tour of the place where I spend about 80% of my time during the day...

31 Days of Vlogging Project: Intro (Day 1)

2012-04-23T17:34:00.000-04:00

I "threatened" to do this a while back and now I'm making good on that threat. Let's see this through, shall we?

I Resolve...

2012-04-23T11:11:00.004-04:00

Today is Monday. Monday is typically considered a beginning. For me, my Monday is a day of resolutions.

1. Resolving Sadness

I am so pleased that the blogger I referenced in my "Love x3" post has explained more about her situation, shining a happier light on the subject.

I am pleased my family can get together despite blended families for a happy and faith-filled milestone.

I am pleased that husbands and wives can have amazingly important conversations and experiences all week long that shape their relationships for the better.

2. Resolving Dis-Ease

"You HAVE a body. You ARE a soul."

Honoring your temple often comes in waves for most of us. We have periods of great adherence and periods of reckless abandon. It's hard in this sin-addled world to be spot-on all of the time.

I'm entering a 21-day period of revitalization using "The Radiant Goddess eCourse," through Leonie Dawson's website. The course explores journaling, movement, self-observation and reflection, whole food nutrition, and the like.

For my sisters in Christ this is indeed a "secular" program and allows you to tailor the spiritual side. But it's not "Goddess" as in "Goddess-worship" but more so "Goddess" as a way to describe feeling radiant and feminine. Some may disagree and think it's not for them. It's not particularly a point of discussion, but I thought I'd put my two cents out here.

3. Resolving to Build Friendships

I love my friends, old and new. All friendships require maintenance.

It's nice to build up the newer friendships in life. This past weekend two girlfriends (Nic, Amy) and I, went to Douglas J in Royal Oak for pedicures. It was a fun adventure together and it really made me appreciate my female friendships.

I was happy that Nate was a full backer of the endeavors as well. I have a wonderful friend in my husband.

~ ~ ~

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate... life would be happier."

Gratidues #347 - 364

347. Pink, pink pedicures
348. Jayson's First Communion
349. Mastercraft Heating & Cooling, Redford, MI
350. Oolong tea in pink cups
351. Femininity
352. Restorative conversations
353. Lots of new endeavors
354. Soul shaping
355. The Encounter, film
356. The Bodywork Mentor
357. Affirmation, Grounding, Meditation, Movement - 21 days in a row
358. Exploring movement
359. Skirts and heels
360. Nicely-working heater and air conditioner, good for another season (God willing)
361. Women's group
362. Conversations while serving coffee at church
363. PT cruiser not leaking as much coolant as we thought
364. Early-morning insights

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

Resolution photo by jeff_golden | Flickr Creative Commons

Foot photo by Carrie, thegirlburgan| Instagram

Love x3

2012-04-20T07:58:00.002-04:00

Lately I've been thinking about love.

"I love your haircut!"

"I love God."

"I love you."

Love is a Very Loaded Word.

"I love your haircut!" I enjoy my haircut as well. I feel younger and fresher with a new spring 'do.

To quote Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, "You keep using that word. I do not'a think it'a means what you think it'a means." And so we "love, love, love" stuff and things and states of being. This isn't the love I'm after. I hope to change my verbiage as a result of this realization.

~ ~ ~

"If you trust God, and if you ask for His help, He can transform your health and your life. If you sincerely ask Him to help you, the same God who created the universe will help you defeat the harmful habits that have heretofore defeated you. So, if at first you don't succeed, keep praying." - Day 3, 365-Day Journal Food, Fitness, and Faith For Women , © 2011 Freeman-Smith Publishers

At times you would rather throw in the towel and say "Screw it," and then you do. And then you feel miserable, so you pray for forgiveness and you start over again.

I'm there. Again. But because I love, I have no choice but to keep trying. The more I see this pattern emerge concerning my health, the more I see it emerge in other areas such as marriage, business, and faith.

~ ~ ~

I've also been trying to wrap my head around a fellow woman blogger's posts about what readers can piece together only as her husband's impending and/or recent infidelity. They are both followers of Jesus. This pains my heart.

"Can I show [him] enough love to give him the freedom he needs to pursue that which he is passionate about? Even if that passion is another person?"

I've been running the scenarios over in my head and sometimes you have to trust your Gut and today it is telling me: "Turn back. This isn't right. This isn't God-ordained."

But on the other side of my head and my gut, I see her dilemma. I feel her pain. I feel her love. To react in love versus anger and violence... This is in higher regard, despite the circumstances. "But Carrie," my gut says, "Love and permission are two different things." Indeed they are.

And this takes me to my own marriage... A marriage that has been challenged over the last eight months or so by job circumstances, adaptations, new goals, and planned adventures despite the craziness. It has been hard and yet the difficult times have their way of knitting a couple together stronger than they were before, even if sometimes you can see the marital forest for the trees, so to speak.

My thought, based on a very recent heart-to-heart we've had is: God is Good, our marriage is strong. Thank you. I love you.

Love.

B&W Photo © Carrie Burgan

Plant Photo © Photography Freak | PhotoXpress

Let It Rain

2012-04-17T18:38:00.000-04:00

"April showers bring May flowers."

Unfortunately May's flowers were brought back in March for the most part. 2012 has been an odd year. But I thought I would share this gem from the archives with you. I ran it through Pixlr and touched it up a bit. I love this illustration and can remember drawing it at the Ticket Center at Whiting Auditorium for my then-boss Christina. I started to draw a short comic based on her but never finished. This little gem stuck around though. Enjoy!

Bertram the Bonsai Snail

2012-04-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

Today as I washed my hands in the kitchen sink, I glanced down and saw a teeny, tiny snail. His name is Bertram and he lives in my bonsai tree, which is named "Jim Too". He must've been hibernating in the moss I brought in from outside or in the bonsai dirt we potted Jim Too in last year.

The Pleasures of Hard Work

2012-04-14T07:44:00.003-04:00

"In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty." - Proverbs 14:23 ESV

I wish I had thought to take a "before" photo of our sparse, weed-addled garden and the mounds of dry, dead leaves in every nook and cranny in and around the porch. The underbrush was over grown and there was no harmony. I was embarrassed by our front yard, but I was "too tired" and "too busy" to do anything about it. Normally I hire out some relatively low-cost "spring clean-up" help around Nate's birthday as a gift to him, but since spring was here... all winter!... I figured I'd save some cash and do it myself.

Somehow I had a steely resolve to get out there and prove to myself that a big project could be tackled, leaf by leaf, and shovelful after shovelful. Earlier in the day I read Megan's article at A Blossoming Homestead about planting a large garden with her husband, and how much fun it could be after they got rolling. I'm sure that was part of my motivation! So just shy of four hours later, I have a clean front yard with tidy lavender bushes, relatively tidy shrubs, and a front garden that has promise, potential, and no weeds! I also love that you can see my "boys" in the door. They diligently watched over their "mama" as she worked outside, running from the front door to the back as I made trips to the garage.

What I realized afterward was the sincere satisfaction in completing several straight hours of manual labor. My body moved the entire time. Sometimes I grunted, breathed hard, and wiped my brow. Sometimes I got slivers from our aging rake. A few times I stopped to exchange pleasantries with our neighbor Gary (whose beloved "project" cars you can see off to the right). But it felt really good when I was done to just be thinking about the project at hand and to flesh out some thoughts I had been trying to process in my head for a while.

Work with your hands makes your mind clearer. I don't know why, as a massage therapist who works with her hands daily as a source of income, I didn't realize the connection. Maybe because in my mind massaging peoples' sore and dysfunctional muscles was a "higher calling" than digging in a garden. Maybe my priorities were askew. Probably so. But regardless, as I took a nice, hot shower after my work, I thoroughly enjoyed the pleasurable feelings that came from moving, working and doing. May I not forget.

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate... life would be happier."

Gratidues #321 - 346

321. A clean, tidy, presentable front yard

322. Krispy Kreme decaf with Nate... and a donut!

323. Bruce and Winston cleaning each other's ears

324. Running out of business cards because I networked well!

325. New gift certificate orders

326. Very honest veterinarians (Berkley Animal Clinic)

327. Dave Ramsey - Budgeting all these years later!

328. Grace periods

329. Grace, period.

330. Silly songs about How To Load a Dishwasher

331. A women's group understanding when life gets crazy

332. Friends on a medical mission trip to eSikhawini, South Africa - Africa Christian Ministries

333. The body's signs that it is out of balance... and heeding those signs

334. Tulips plucked from my garden

335. Blazing white and pink budded trees... proof that God loves beauty and art

336. Remembering our Painting With a Twist night each time I see my painting

337. A very quiet home in the morning

338. Flowing thoughts

339. A little girl I never knew, but who fought hard and passed on yesterday

340. Substitute teaching new classes

341. Putting faces with names

342. Saying "yes" and "no" at all the right times

343. Friends who will massage you for free <3

344. The old, crusty lawnmower our neighbor Gary fixed up and gave to us five years ago

345. Gary, whether crotchety or jubilant

346. Gary's sister for helping him

New Look

2012-04-08T20:31:00.002-04:00

I gave Man & Wife Living Life a new look with an updated page layout and a new logo. The new logo reflects our newest addition... Winston. (He's now about 7.5 months old and growing out of major puppy issues speedily!) No other "new additions" to report on the horizon, but you never know what the future may bring!

BFFs

2012-04-08T14:22:00.005-04:00

There is a time in a girl's life where she realizes the friend she plays with is truly her best friend. She may be six and they may keep plastic heart necklaces that say "Best Frien / ds Forever". She may be twelve as they take their Very Grown-up Purses to the corner store for soda pop and candy. She may be sixteen as their boyfriends play video games in the background while they catch up on lunchroom gossip and paint each other's nails. Regardless of when it happens, a girl has a defining moment where she knows that This Girl is her "BFF". Sometimes if a girl is lucky, she might even have two.

And then time passes. It's harder to remember why they're your best friend. Distance happens, children happen (or don't happen). Marriages, careers, decisions, politics, and time all march on and you're left with a fondness in your heart and longing for what you both had yesterday. You keep in touch loosely through Facebook, e-mail and the occasional posted card or letter. You pray for her and her loved ones. You wish only the best. The spark has faded from blue to orange to yellow and some days there is no spark at all. You momentarily forgot she shares valuable space with you on the planet.

Then you get together for a magical afternoon or even a couple of days. You pick up right where you left off and you catch each other up on life. You tour each other's homes and see what new things the kids and pets and husbands can do. You talk about new hobbies, new friends, new jobs, and new aspirations. You share new, grown-up fears about jobs and finances and making the best decisions for your family. You share a meal and the warmth is rekindled, blue and burning, until you part. Driving away, you wish that could happen every day. You wish the flame would stay blue and the conversation wouldn't stop. You realize you've each changed quite a bit but that you still wish the Very Best for your best friend.

"Best friends" changes as we age. Few of us are really able to maintain a constant bond with dear friends from our girlhood. I admit to jealousy of those who are able to do that. The ones who fight like sisters and play like angels, must like a marriage, until Death Do You Part. But somehow the rest of us forge a friendship that remains, more like a spiderweb held together at various joints by glistening dew. Even after the spider is gone, it hangs in the corner. You don't take it down because you love it. You love your best friend. And you hope she is forever well, cherished, loved and content. And you hope she wishes the same for you until the next time you're able to see her, picking up where you left off.

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

Photo © MichaelTyler | Flickr Creative Commons

But I Am Paying Attention

2012-04-01T08:09:00.002-04:00

There is a crack in the yellowed vertical blind at my shoulder. I am on the fifth floor so I have a top view of the roof of the theater. The roof is surprisingly white. From here it looks chalky.

The professor is discussing Galileo and Descartes with the class and true to form, my thoughts have wandered. I'm concentrating on the chalky cement roof. Moreover, I am concentrating on a man working on the roof. He's all in black, and his face is shadowed in the gray late-morning light. He is bent over with his head pointed toward me, working on a pipe. I notice that another of the vent pipes looks like it towers over him from my perspective, but he is probably taller than it by five or six inches. He disrupts my comparison when he suddenly looks up at the windows with a smile.

I am staring and wondering if he can see me watching him. I would like to think so, even though the blinds are barely cracked. He seems to belong on that roof. His black cover-alls are in perfect contrast with the white cement. I wonder what his name is and what he might eat for lunch later. I bet that he's someone's father. I wonder if he plays with his kids. He looks like he could be a friendly guy. I have no problem ignoring my professor in favor of trying to figure out who the man could be. I have a feeling of comfort as I continue to watch him work.

January 2003

If you enjoy this post, feel free to Subscribe in a reader or subscribe via e-mail. Follow @thegirlburgan on Twitter. ©2012 Man & Wife Living Life

Photo © Leafy | PhotoXpress

Spring In Michigan Is Not Like New Zealand, But God Lives Both Places

2012-03-29T13:53:00.002-04:00

Before you say, "Okay, Captain Obvious, of course Spring in Michigan is NOT like New Zealand," I say let me explain myself.

I have been reading a woman's blog called Sparking Adventures. Her name is Lauren and her husband is David. The couple and their children are a Jesus-following family in New Zealand who are unschoolers, unchurchers, caravaners, natural birthers, and community seekers. Basically they're Jesus-following hippies seeking to live an authentic life. I appreciate her stories from the road. I appreciate their zeal for life.

New Zealand is so far away. The grass is always greener. Today it is greener in New Zealand.

Actually, today the grass is pretty darn green in Oak Park, Michigan. Well, the parts that haven't been soaked in urine are green. Some small patches are extra green. Dog fertilizer.

You can run from your problems to Ohio or New Zealand or France or the Ivory Coast and they will magically be waiting for you on the other end of the plane ride. If not, other, newer problems will wait to jump in where the old ones left off. Even if the main problem is stuck in the place you left, some inkling will follow you, tucked into your baggage, freeloading its tickets safe with you.

My personal theory is that even if you manage to shake a "problem" without addressing it, the Lord will keep testing you with it over and over until you give up, admit you can't solve it alone or admit you cannot ignore it, then jump in and try to address it. Sometimes the results are disastrous. Sometimes they are short of a miracle. What we sow we shall reap.

“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” -Galatians 6:8-9

So no matter what my troubles are here on this gray Michigan spring day, I may as well suck it up, admit they're problems, and go about Doing the Next Right Thing. God lives here and God lives in New Zealand. God lives in a road caravan in the tropics and He lives in a brick bungalow just north of 8 Mile.

So today I'll simply appreciate the little things. A cat who wants attention, jumping into my lap. Birds building a nest on my neighbor's garage. Dogs sleeping next to me. A great meeting with a new business connection. Life is okay right where I am. And right where you are.

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate... life would be happier."

Gratidues #309 - 320

309) An amazing month of income
310) New business connections
311) Giving away my work with returns
312) Giving away my work with no chance of return
313) Keep showing up. "How bad do you want it?"
314) Birds and nests and cats
315) Children trained up well
316) Always rebuilding
317) Short poems
318) Postcards from friends
319) Super-friendly dry cleaners
320) Blog visitors from countries I've never heard of

Photo by Carrie

Inside Tuesday

2012-03-20T21:28:00.001-04:00

Welcome my friend Spring. It's been a while.

My head is in a flurry of business, blessedness, boldness, brashness, love, and conflicts. It's walking though a fog of sleep--my body is tired and needs to wake up again physically and mentally. Spiritually I am on a high and for that I sing praises. Off-key praises, but sure to please the Ears that matter most.

Praise the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. -Psalm 135:3 (KJV)

Part of me doesn't care what you think. "You" meaning the You who I encounter as naysayers to my efforts. Part of me wants to invite you out for coffee and figure out who you are as a person, why you might be so embittered in your dealings, and still express love, value, and respect to you. Part of me would like to kick you in the knees and run. Fast.

The other part of me, the part that will probably win out, involves me staying at home, minding my Ps and Qs, praying for you (prayer for our 'enemies' helps us and them), and being kind when we are face-to-face. Ideally this will lead to kind thoughts and actions when we aren't.

Business is good this week. Massages are rolling in and opportunities are sitting on a very accessible shelf, ready to come down, seemingly at my discretion. Last month I barely broke even. This month we're turning the ratio on it's head. That is very welcome; I embrace the positive change.

I look forward to the rest of this week. It's warm and it is imperfect. Like me. Welcome, my friend.

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate... life would be happier."

Gratidues #292-308

292. 80 degrees on the first day of spring... in Michigan

293. Neighbors talking two doors down

294. Rescued dogs, returned home safely

295. "Doodle Jump"

296. Self-awareness; Body-awareness

297. Patience and a held tongue

298. $80 in sales at my first meeting

299. S.B., a business colleague

300. No Greater Joy

301. Jayne's honesty

302. Nervous men who persevere despite

303. Essential Oils

304. Free Kindle Ebooks

305. Post-work cuddles

306. Getting the hang of it

307. Junior Mints

308. Tax returns... with refunds

Downtown Saturday Morning

2012-03-18T12:59:00.001-04:00

The car is almost ready to hit the decrepit bricks downtown. I know that I will have to swerve once I get past the stoplight. The brick road is heavily patched and the patches need patching. The wheel swerves right, left, a slight right, and then the car hits a broken chunk of tar filler that stopped being a patch and started being an obstacle about two years ago.

Downtown actually looks sleepy for once, and for a few seconds my heart gets a bit sentimental. Nobody is on the streets yet today. The University looks all but abandoned. The neon signs are flickering. The ball is lit. Today it's red.

Things bustle here during the week. If it weren’t downtown it would just be another ghost neighborhood, or rather the central ghost neighborhood that connected the rest of the other ghost neighborhoods. But it’s downtown. It bustles by default. Sometimes you even find yourself taking pride in it.

Pride? Odd, when you grow up hearing that it’s the eight,fifth, third, first most unhealthy and crime-ridden city in the country. Michael Moore made three movies about it, and now the whole world knows, or thinks it knows, all of the troubles that we have here. It’s only partly true. Most people just exist here, and a lot of them do it pretty happily. Besides, if it’s really that terrible a place to live, you end up thinking that you could live anywhere just fine, thank you, because it’s really not that bad. It’s not that good either, mind you, but it’s possible to be happy here (even if half the nation saw those movies and think otherwise).

So I’ve gotten the car past the bricks I’ve made it around the corner. I realize that I know so many people in this town. I know people who know people who know people. But nobody is out walking around today, and nobody knows the people I know and the people they know. Nobody knows that my car has just over half a tank of gas, that I was with with my boyfriend last night, or that it’s my last day at my mediocre second job. The city is still. It’s gray, but it’s quiet. It almost looks like it has potential. Maybe it does. Nearly everybody knows someone who knows someone who knows me, but this morning, right now, nobody knows that I’m here.

14 December 2002

The Hole In My Gospel

2012-03-14T09:27:00.002-04:00

I haven't had a book, aside from the Bible itself, convict me as profoundly as Richard Stearns' The Hole In the Gospel. This one is a game-changer, folks.

As someone who sponsors two children and is involved in church, I thought I was doing "the right things". These aren't wrong things, but they're not enough. Basically I can sum it up by saying, "The little bubble we live in needs to burst.. daily." While we are saved by faith, we are saved for works, in response to the Great Forgiveness given to us and the Great Commission given by Him.

“Obedience to the Great Commission has more consistently been poisoned by affluence than by anything else.” - Ralph Winter

Stearns, the President of World Vision, first-responder organization the world-over as well as the organization through which we sponsor one of our children, felt compelled to radically change his life and, in turn, tell the story of a world in trouble. He brings the plight of poverty, famine, disease, war, unrest, and corruption running through the veins of this fallen world to light through stories, his personal journey, Bible passages, statistics, and most effectively through word portraits of individuals surviving through difficulty around the world.

Incessant bitching about how long the pastor "went over the time limit" and not being able to wax your car after a buffet lunch on Sunday afternoon is the American status quo. (Forgive my French, but "complaining" doesn't cut it.) We need to be slapped. I need to be slapped. I can't change all of America, but I can change myself.

“Can you imagine the impact on our own culture if American Christians began using there riches as if they belonged to God?” - Richard Stearns, The Hole In the Gospel

I am heartened and astounded when I see followers of Jesus doing what is right, piece by piece and step by step. Kensington Community Church, our church home, brought this up in a recent service. They challenged us to buy $5 empty jugs, fill them with water and carry them around with us everywhere as a reminder of the burden faced by the Pokot women each day, if only an iota of the actual burden. But what was more, at least at our Birmingham campus, was that the Holy Spirit moved a man to jump up and demand to speak (tough in a very organized service), to encourage people not to sit idly by. "This isn't right!" he exclaimed. He went on and added, "I'm in for $1,000, now who is with me?" A man left his Rolex on the stage. People gave. People pledged. They raised $24,000 in one service and $216,000+ in just over a week.

It seems simple and yes, it's financial in nature, but don't look at it as "throwing money at the problem." (People from Kensington will be visiting to help build these wells personally.) The point of this story is this parishioner breaking the mold, scaring the daylights out of the campus pastor with an odd request, and starting a chain reaction to, in the course of one week, raise over $216,000 to build ten life-saving wells for over 50,000 Pokot people means access to education, farming, enterprise, and betterment of their community. If we only all trusted our guts and followed the Spirit daily. If we were awakened inside, in the core of our spirits and being, and took small steps. If we didn't feel the need to hit the water park or dump our glasses of water because they "tasted old". If.

I hope to turn my "if" to "as" and "do".

I'm still reading and processing The Hole In the Gospel. I'm still figuring the facts and finding out what I can do. The only conviction that I have is that it is not optional to do nothing, whether you're discussing the homeless downtown Royal Oak, Michigan (yes, there are homeless individuals in Royal Oak) or the AIDS-stricken orphans in Ukraine or the Pokot people in Kenya who walk hours each way to get dirty, feces-infested water to drink and use in the home.

Until they moment we die, we are all a work in progress. It's when we think we have it all figured out that we have to be broken again and rebuilt in the Maker's image. I can only hope that God can remold me and help me make my moments worth something very, very good. I hope to do.

“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” - Bob Pierce, Founder of World Vision

In closing, Richard Stearns quoted the Prophet Isaiah with regard to how we are to approach life. Isaiah tells us how the church is supposed to take care of the Church and how it is supposed to minister to others.

Isaiah 1:10-17

The Message (MSG)

10"Listen to my Message,

you Sodom-schooled leaders.

Receive God's revelation,

you Gomorrah-schooled people.

11-12"Why this frenzy of sacrifices?"

God's asking.

"Don't you think I've had my fill of burnt sacrifices,

rams and plump grain-fed calves?

Don't you think I've had my fill

of blood from bulls, lambs, and goats?

When you come before me,

whoever gave you the idea of acting like this,

Running here and there, doing this and that—

all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?

13-17"Quit your worship charades.

I can't stand your trivial religious games:

Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—

meetings, meetings, meetings—I can't stand one more!

Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!

You've worn me out!

I'm sick of your religion, religion, religion,

while you go right on sinning.

When you put on your next prayer-performance,

I'll be looking the other way.

No matter how long or loud or often you pray,

I'll not be listening.

And do you know why? Because you've been tearing

people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.

Go home and wash up.

Clean up your act.

Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings

so I don't have to look at them any longer.

Say no to wrong.

Learn to do good.

Work for justice.

Help the down-and-out.

Stand up for the homeless.

Go to bat for the defenseless.

New Skin

2012-03-12T09:10:00.004-04:00

Crying and whispers

I finally shed my skin

And grow yet another

Which will be shed again

June 2000

No Menu Plan Monday this week.

What Might Be

2012-03-08T13:30:00.004-05:00

The inability to get started.

The propensity toward procrastination.

The incessant feeling of confusion.

The unsure hesitations from What Might Be.

Too many things in your peripheral vision, unable to delete them from your environment due to social contracts.

Stress, illness, distress.

Even when feeling this way it is essential to express your gratitude. Even if pulling those gratitudes out feels like ripping a piece of your viscera out your ear, through your brain. So here are my gratidues on a day like today.

"Paying your gratidues" is all about publicizing what you're grateful for. If more people did that instead of complaining about what they hate... life would be happier."

Gratidues #264-291

264. Warm spring days in the middle of winter
265. Tulip shoots
266. Hot tea and cold cereal
267. Four more hours
268. No lesson plans
269. A working furnace
270. Letters to soldiers
271. Postcards from strangers
272. Nora, a Big Lots cashier, and her soft, kind voice
273. The offer of carryout for a large package
274. Old neighbors--sitting on the porch, shooting the bull
275. Six months left on the teaching contract
276. 1.5 hours' allowance weekly by your boss
277. Godly co-workers
278. Re-friending
279. Wives praying together
280. Honoring the absentee
281. Grace to try again tomorrow
282. Soft, warm scarves
283. A book accounting for every penny
284. Getting that albatross off your neck
285. Letters from Lesotho and Tanzania
286. Unexpected e-mails from Afghanistan
287. Care packages, Mili-pacs
288. The promise of NYE in 2012 with a dear friend
289. Cheap hot dogs with bad buns
290. Over six wells to be dug
291. Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters, too.

Photo © canonsnapper | Flickr Creative Commons