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Take Heart, I Have Overcome the World! — Jesus
I love the Hubble telescope pictures. If there’s anything that will put life into perspective, it’s these. (They’re free and downloadable in high resolutions.)
I promised myself that I would allow myself to play with Illustrator after I finished my last article. This is the result. I intend to hang it on my wall to remind myself that I don’t have to worry about overcoming all by myself.
Light
I have been reading some really good stuff lately. I ran across this idea this morning:
…this author recently saw a communication from christians asking people to pray over whether the husband ought to go back into the U.S. Army or work at some other job…they were ‘seeking God’s will for their life’. The basic “how to live one’s life” teaching of Jesus of “love your enemy” would prevent a disciple from joining a world’s military. Thus, there is no need to ‘seek God’s will’ on the matter of joining a world’s military since Jesus’ teachings clearly address that.
The type of thinking the author describes has always bothered me. I’ve wondered at how it is possible to even be a chaplin in the Army, you know? I continue to marvel at how people continue to ignore the basic teachings of Jesus. Jesus says he is “the way and the truth and the life.” Either people believe this, or they don’t.
Jesus says:
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
I am of the opinion that many people who are comfortable (unquestioning) in their religion and life are likely on the the broad road. I also think this probably applies more to individuals who are claiming to know God than it does to seekers, although I am not entirely sure. I know I have been granted an enormous amount of grace as I spent years denying the truth that was in front of my face.
I keep thinking that people who value authenticity, justice, equality and peace are being called by Jesus. That these things are markers that point to Him.
Just some thoughts.
And I’m thinking them before I go a church which I have been invited to help start, and which may not align entirely with my values about where God’s money should be spent. I keep thinking about how Jesus promises persecution, not popularity.
The fact remains, however, that I love these people and like spending time with them.
At any rate, it is a beautiful, beautiful day. It is only 60 degrees, and I am listening to some amazing sax music, live from the living room! 
Nevermind
I couldn’t do it. Posts will be all me after all.
Paid Discipleship
So I quit taking counseling classes. I haven’t dropped out of the program yet, but I intend to do so. One big reason is that I felt heavily convicted that becoming a Christian counselor and then charging for advice was simply wrong. It is basically charging for discipleship. Not calling myself a Christian counselor would be unthinkable, however. How could I ever advise someone and not tell them the true way to freedom? I coudldn’t. That would be just as bad, if not worse. We are supposed to “freely give” because we have “freely received.” Paul made tents. It doesn’t appear that he lived off of his converts. So I will keep on writing and hoping for greater success or that another profession is made clear to me, if that is God’s will.
Instruments in Our Home
Looking around our house, my eyes inevitably land on an instrument or two. Right now, we have an electric bass guitar, a regular electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, a mandolin, a harmonica, a tambourine, a violin, and a sax. We will have a bassoon once the orchestra season starts for band. We had a flute, but decided to sell it because it was the only instrument Sage has been unable to figure out. Oh, and I almost forgot. The piano!! I contemplated getting rid of it when I became frustrated at Sage’s disinterest in it, but I’m glad I didn’t. He uses it to figure out tunes he will play on one of the other instruments. Oh, and you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Middle Eastern music played on a mandolin!
Fur Elise
Fur E. got “fixed” yesterday. This morning, I picked her up at the vet, who told me that she was one of the only cats she’d seen who “hissed and bit” whilst asleep from the anesthesia. I asked the vet if she had gotten bit, but no, because she’s an old pro and knows how to handle cats. Fur Elise, of course, had to be handled carefully. I said, “So you were a bad kitty?” and the vet said, “Oh yes, oh yes I was!” It figures! I had a great time sharing this story with Greg and Sage. We knew that kitty was going to do something nutty…
Selling the TV
A few months ago, in a moment of insanity, I bought my husband a television. It promptly broke, and I have yet to get it fixed. I am taking it to the TV hospital tomorrow, and when it gets out, I am selling it — with his permission. He’d just as soon watch shows on the computer with the headphones on, which believe me, is fine by me! He wants one of those cameras you can mount on a bike helmet, like this one:
Is Greg going to ride his bike and film his adventures? I don’t think so. At this point, almost all of the discussion about this device has focused on how fun it will be to see what the dog is up to when he is out and about. I have a feeling that I am going to have some very funny videos to post soon! I suspect that the majority of the video is going to be of the back end of cats as they are fleeing.
What Is Important?
I’ve often been accused of “thinking too much.” Of course, I tend to think that many other people don’t think enough. Perhaps there is a balance. At any rate, the question occupying my mind these days is the matter of what is important enough to warrant my spending money on it, say, as opposed to supporting a needy child or an critical ministry. My living room is sparse. I have a couch, an old office chair, and an antique rocking chair. None of it goes together, yet compared to any Third World home, it is absolute luxury. Still, I keep thinking how nice the living room would look with two matching armchairs once I finish staining and waxing the floors. I feel frivolous for thinking these things.
Staining and Waxing
I’m about to undertake something that I find intimidating — staining and waxing our wood floors. They badly need it, as the raw wood is showing through. They have needed care long before now. I don’t know why I have been so flummoxed. I finally went to Lowe’s and bought some floor stain and wax. The stain is a lovely reddish oak color, and the wax is the old-fashioned and simple Johnson’s floor was. I tested a bit of the floor, and it is going to look lovely. The next task is moving the furniture and figuring out how to avoid the fumes from the stain. Why does a floor stain have to have fumes?