Just

I love my prayer group. 

We laugh, cry and lean on one another.

We are a group of high school moms who gather once a week to pray for our kids, the school, the community and each other.

There's been a lot to pray about in the last two weeks.

While we were praying this morning, one of the ladies got a text from a friend asking for prayer because her son's school was on lockdown due to a threat. Her friend's son texted her that they'd moved a heavy cabinet in front of his classroom's door and he thought he was safe.

Thought he was safe?!

We immediately redirected our prayers.

We usually pray around a different attribute of God each week.

This week was "Just".

As in, God is just.

One who is right or fair, impartial, 

correct, true and upright.

In a climate where a teenage boy "thinks" he is safe locked in a classroom with a cabinet in front of the door,

where parents have to get panicked texts from kids huddled together in a classroom closet,

and some who don't 

because the worst has already happened,

it is hard to find the fairness 

or right of it all.

But we kept praying.

When we finished, one of our dear sweet friends pointed out that the word "Just" is the 'J' of Jesus and the 't' is the cross, with us in the middle.

I jumped up to write it down so I wouldn't forget.

God knows this is all too much for us to understand.

That's why He sent His son.

He sent him to die for us on the cross 

so we could be forgiven of our sins 

and have eternal life.

Jesus is for us.

He's with us.

And He is Just.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

25-26 God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public—to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it’s now—this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness."

Romans 3:23-26 MSG

* The teenage boy we prayed for is fine and a juvenile is in custody after the incident.

Stranger Things Have Happened in a Waffle House Parking Lot I'm Sure

I met a friend for breakfast this morning at Waffle House.

As I was heading to my car afterward,  

I noticed a plastic skeleton hand lying in the parking lot 

next to a cigarette butt.

It seemed to tell a complete story.

I wanted to take a picture of it 

but it was raining hard

and the point was pretty much already made.

Although I still have a few follow up questions.

Why just the skeleton hand?

Is there a full skeleton sitting in the passenger seat of a car 

RIGHT NOW missing its right hand?

Why the skeleton in February?

Is this about more than cigarettes and Waffle House?

Anyhoo…

I thought I'd mention a few things I've been digging lately.

1. Stranger Things

Ellie suggested we watch this as a family back in January. My brother told me I'd love it since it's set in the 80s and a small town in Indiana. (So basically, my life.)

It's soooo good! 

Like E.T. and Goonies good, except Ellie likes it. 

(We could never get our girls interested in 

watching The Goonies and they HATED E.T.)

The writing is funny, thrilling and just flat-out entertaining. And it has the best theme music EVER.

I will warn you:  this isn't for kids. There's language and situations that's intense. It's not horror scary; it's suspenseful. There's some jump moments and I had to watch the next to last episode of season 2 alternating between crouching down behind my kitchen island and hiding behind the living room French doors. (Because I'm THAT brave.)

But it's SO WORTH IT. You will love the cast. 

I'm not sure how we are going to be able to wait 

until the next season comes out 

since they haven't even started filming it yet!

CONS: Monte and I did have a few nightmares and we've become super suspicious of a few buildings near our house that we've never really paid attention to before. But I always have crazy dreams and maybe it's high time we start wondering what those satellites are for by that building so close to our house. And maybe that skeleton hand in the parking lot of Waffle House was a signal to me from the Upside Down.

2. The Crown/Victoria

Monte and I started watching both of these shows before Ellie suggested Stranger Things. Our viewing was almost exclusively Victoria on PBS and The Crown on Netflix when I started dreaming in a British accent.

First of all, both of these shows prove how little we know about global history--especially the history of the monarch. 

And boy, England didn't like Ireland much.

The acting in both shows is superb. Both queens are young when they take over the throne and until recently, Queen Victoria was the longest reigning monarch in the United Kingdom's history. Now it is Queen Elizabeth.

It's so interesting how both characters, almost a century apart, struggled with the sovereignty of their position and the submission of being a wife. Neither of their husbands handled that well--especially Phillip. What a cry sack! 

John Lithgow as Winston Churchill in The Crown is fantastic!

 I actually might seek out a biography to learn more about Churchill.

We haven't finished season 2 yet of The Crown because, THE OLYMPICS, but hope to soon. We are all caught up on Victoria as it is on PBS and we have to wait a week between each episode like we are Neanderthal man.

CONS:  The Crown seems hopelessly slow after Stranger Things. Victoria is slightly more fast paced. But my heart (and my dreams) needed the slow down. The accents make some of the dialogue tough to keep up with so we finally started using closed captioning so we could read what they were saying. Game changer. Again, it has helped our lessons in history. For example, the potato famine was a real thing!

3. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

This is an Amazon series with only one season currently out. Monte and I blew through the first season very quickly. It's that good! It's set in 1950s New York with a young Jewish mom who's husband just left her. She quickly realizes her college degree in Russian literature probably isn't going to get her a lucrative job so through a series of interesting events, she tries out stand-up comedy. 

It's very interesting how they show what was happening in comedy at the time. Comedians were getting arrested for language and certain topics. And the idea of a female comedian was not well received. 

This show is very funny. The main character is so charming and her quick delivery of lines is perfect. Her wardrobe is the stuff Barbie dreams of.

Tony Shalhoub plays the father and steals many a scene.

CONS:  This has some serious language in it. It's so not necessary and I hope there's less of it next season. Because of course I'll be watching.

4. Hart of Dixie

Ok. I have to just call this what it is. And this is a slightly racier version of a Hallmark movie except in a series format. 

There's a city slicker New York doctor who finds herself in a small southern town called Bluebell. There's tons of town festivals and traditions. There's likable quirky characters like the southern belle snot named Lemon and an ex-NFL player mayor who also just happens to own an alligator named Burt Reynolds. Hilarity ensues.

It checks a lot of boxes for me. 

Mainly that I don't have to hide behind the kitchen island to watch it. Ever. 

And I don't have to worry about learning a lesson in history. 

Unless you count that Bluebell celebrates Planksgiving instead of Thanksgiving 

because of their rich pirate history, frying up a bunch of fish in the town square 

instead of the traditional turkey.

Except you really shouldn't.

CONS:  It's cheesy. We are two seasons into the 4-series show and we still aren't sure we like the main character. But, just like a Hallmark Christmas movie, you keep watching to see what happens because it's relaxing in a mind-numbing non challenging way. 

Just to prove that I haven't been exclusively watching television, I want to mention some movies and books I've enjoyed too but I'll have to save that for another post since dinner isn't going to make itself. 

That's Love

This isn't about Valentine's Day.

Or sappy songs.

But this notion that we can love 

yet not accept God.

We are in a season where I think we all need to just take a minute and remember to love.

Not because it's February.

But because we were first loved.

God IS love.

Not just, God is loving.

Or God is a great example of love.

GOD. IS. LOVE.

His entire being is wrapped up in and all about love.

Therefore, we cannot love anything or anyone apart from Him.

He is the source.

He is love.

"We love because he first loved us."

1 John 4:19

My study notes in the NIV bible says about this verse that all love comes ultimately from God; genuine love is never self-generated by his creatures.

So, whether you want to acknowledge God or not, 

love comes from Him.

"And now these three remain:  faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

Since God IS love, it stands to reason that love will outrank and outlast anything else.

It is the guiding principle of EVERYTHING we are called to do.

When we let fear, anger or pride take the wheel, things take a turn and we end up somewhere we never intended to go.

We can speak eloquently,

possess incredible intelligence 

and have powerful faith 

but if we do not have love?

We are a just a loud clanging noise.

We are NOTHING. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Because the greatest thing we can do is love.

How do we love?

Get to know the source.

Read God's love letter to us in His word.

Talk to him through prayer.

Accept his love for you 

and feel it overflow in your heart so it spills over into 

how you love those around you.

If you haven't noticed, the world is filled with evil.

People are hurting.

People are shouting.

People are angry.

I actually read today on social media that someone was demanding others to stop saying to hurting people that they are in their "thoughts and prayers."

Because it didn't "do anything."

"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

James 5:16b

Please join me in praying for all those involved in the school shooting in Ft. Lauderdale AND for those who want us NOT to pray. 

Not to be spiteful

but to be loving.

Whether you love God or not, 

He is already, 

right now, 

loving YOU.

In fact, He loves you so much that he's engraved your name on the palms of his hands. (Isaiah 49:16)

And he delights over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

And he loved this crazy world with you in it so much that he gave his only son to die for us so we can have eternal life. (John 3:16)

That's forever.

That's love.

SOURCE

My Eye and the Lamp

I came home from church last Sunday and got all set to read on the couch. My eye started to bother me so I decided to take my contacts out.

Even with my contacts out, my right eye felt like there was something in it.

Something like glass, 

jagged rocks 

or gasoline.

My eye would not stop tearing up.

It hurt to open it and it hurt to close it.

I would like to go on the record to say that pain in the eye is STOP THE WORLD pain.

I couldn't do anything. 

I have tennis elbow and it hurts CONSTANTLY.

But I still live my life.

This eye situation had me at a standstill.

Luckily, we have an eye doctor for a neighbor but she wasn't home. She was able to tell Monte a type of natural tears eye drops to purchase at the pharmacy.

Monte decided to go ahead and ask about an eye patch 

while he was there.

I totally would've worn it. 

I was that desperate and in pain.

Isn't it interesting that our first instinct in pain 

is to cover it up?

The pharmacist did not recommend the eye patch in case I had an infection and bacteria would certainly spread under the warm conditions of a patch over the eye.

The eye drops helped me stop tearing up constantly but my eye was pretty swollen and sore.

I went to the eye doctor in the morning.

He kept asking me questions trying to figure out what happened to me.

I couldn't help because I had no idea.

He asked me to number my pain.

I gave it a 10 and he reacted like I had just answered with a letter.

I dislike any question that seems like 

there are no wrong answers 

until you answer it 

and get a wrong answer reaction.

I wanted to point out that I'd had two babies and would gladly have 12 more to not have one more second of that eye pain.

But I wanted to move on to the part where my eye was going to get fixed.

It was determined that I had two divots in my eye.

"Like golf," the doctor explained.

Not good.

Especially since I CANNOT THINK 

of what whacked two holes in my eyeball.

He gave me a prescription for an antibiotic eye drop and told me to wear my glasses exclusively.

He told me to change out all my makeup just in case there was a reaction.

As I was leaving, he asked if I had prescription sunglasses, I said no but that I had big sunglasses and I'd just stick them over my glasses.

I got the wrong answer face again.

For the record, he was right about that not working. 

I pulled into the grocery store on a sunny day 

and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. 

My sunglasses didn't quite fit over my regular glasses and were pretty crooked.

I looked like I had either just had a liquid lunch 

or had been in a fight.

Or both.

When I went in for my follow up eye appointment I told the doctor the sunglasses over top of the glasses wasn't cutting it.

He gave me a role of sun blocking film to slide under my lenses.

He told me it wasn't a super great look 

but I was just going for something other than 

"drunken bar brawler" 

so it was all FINE BY ME.

During the follow up visit, the doctor was amazed at my progress. He commented that I shouldn't be this far along in my recovery and I fell in the 1% of people whose body healed quickly.

I was about to explain that 1% in my family's medical history meant something 

entirely different but I just took the win.

I walked outside this morning to see our street light looked a little different.

It was a post with no lamp on it.

The lamp was at the base of the post. I inspected to see if the glass was broken from a fall.

It wasn't.

It was then that I looked down the street to see ALL the lamp posts missing their lamps.

It was SO EERIE.

And not just because we've been watching Stranger Things.

But partly.

Clearly the city is doing some maintenance on the lamp posts but a street full of lampless posts is just, lacking.

[Anyone else humming "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine?"]

We depend on that light to guide us home and help light our way on dog walks.

Just like I depended on my right eye to, 

you know, 

SEE.

It's not until it doesn't that we notice.

I certainly have taken eyesight for granted.

And well-lit streets.

And many other things, 

I'm sure.

It made me think of the verse in Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

David had it right when he said in 2 Samuel 22:26, 

"You are my lamp, O LORD;

the LORD turns my darkness into light."

"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. when your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness."

Luke 11:33-34

["Hide it under a bushel? No! I'm going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine."]

Raising Red Flags

Happy New Year!

I just hung my Valentine's wreath on my front door so I realize the New Year greeting is almost a month too late.

I had a college student home until last week so I haven't had the house to myself for a full week yet.

There's been all manner of appointments for all the people and one dog in our house.

And multiple snow storms.

McDaniel cleaning off her car.

The girls playing in the snow.

Me driving home from school drop off not being able to actually see my street.

And everyone continuously needed 

to be fed every day.

In one week we had to pay for a new retainer for McDaniel, a hefty vet bill for Nigel and a new dishwasher.

I expected the credit card company to call and verify the charges.

They didn't.

A week or so after Christmas, we decided to make our Spring Break plans. We booked flights and a condo in Florida.

The credit card company called that night to make sure it was really us making the charges.

I came to the realization that Visa thinks we are SO BORING.

Orthodontia?

Dog expenses?

New dishwasher?

That seems consistent for that yawn-inducing family.

But FLORIDA?!

Hold. Up.

Something's not right.

Monte told me that algorithms are used by the credit card companies to track expenses and raise red flags that could be fraud.

I want to shake up our algorithms.

Make some red flag expenses 

that would be call-worthy.

Like a trip to Italy or an African Safari.

Or at least a shopping spree to Nordstrom--and not the sales racks.

But alas, I can't because in case you missed it,

we just bought a new retainer, 

a bunch of medical tests for the dog 

and a new dishwasher.

The Security of Eternity

I heard the end of a sermon on the radio about eternity last week.

It talked about looking at an old epitaph from a headstone in a graveyard that read something to the effect of "Finally realizing his eternal promise."

The pastor pointed out that the epitaph had it wrong.

Once you accept Christ,

that very moment, 

you get the eternal promise. 

Eternity is realized.

I hope that poor guy didn't walk around not knowing that.

Thinking he was always just moments away from a backslide or lost salvation.

God isn't fickle.

What He says is done is done.

Once you truly accept that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, YOU. ARE. SEALED. 

There is nothing you can do about it 

so stop letting some false teacher 

bully you into a guilt trip 

that will cost you every ounce of joy 

and confidence 

and security 

you get once you accept the 

God gift of eternal salvation.

Eternal means without beginning or end; existing through all time; everlasting.

If some churches would just preach that, there would be far less sour faced people 

sitting in their congregations.

Sour faced because they are so caught up 

in their own keeping of their salvation 

(or someone else's) 

that they don't have the energy for joy 

or confidence.

God knew we'd make lousy sin managers so he sent Jesus to earth to take care of it once and for all-- on the cross.

So the department of Sin Management was eliminated.

Much to the Pharisee's chagrin.

You still see a few pop up every now and then.

Pointing fingers.
Shaming.
Bullying.
Trying to keep score.

But those of us that cling tight to our eternity,

could care less.

That's why the angels said to the shepherds,

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:10-11

The time of fear was over.

It was a time of good tidings and great joy.

A few years ago, I read a great blog post about The Charlie Brown Christmas episode.

When a frustrated Charlie Brown, trying to direct the Christmas Pageant, asks if anyone knows what the real meaning of Christmas is, Linus walks to the middle of the stage and quotes Luke 2.

When he gets to the part when the angels say, "Fear not," Linus drops his security blanket.

He quotes the rest of  Luke 2 without it.

If you remember, Linus is ALWAYS with his security blanket.

But God is awesome like that, sending his son to a people clinging to fabric for false comfort.

And the ones who truly "get it" drop their blankets 

for a security that has no end.

Here's the video of Linus if you've never seen it.

And here's a link to the entire blog post.

Greedy

We watched Scrooged the other night.

It's a movie with Bill Murray that came out in 1988.

I had never seen it until I married Monte.

It's a modern (1980s) adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" with the three ghosts and everything.

The Tiny Tim character won't speak 

after witnessing his father's murder years before.

Bill Murray is Frank Cross, the Scrooge character who is a successful TV exec bent on ratings and success rather than good quality programming.

The transformation of Frank Cross is pretty phenomenal.

He goes on live TV to explain to everyone listening exactly what he's learned.

The speech gets me every time, every year.

Here it is:






If you believe in this pure thing,

the miracle will happen and you will want it again tomorrow!

You'll get greedy for it.

I love how the writers used the word greedy for something good.

It makes me think of what I can be greedy for.

God's word

Prayer

Encouragement

Hospitality

Not what I can do for others in my own power but what God can do for others through me.

Now that's a reason I wouldn't mind being called greedy.

Sing in Exultation

As I was eating breakfast this morning, this sky happened.

Of course my phone couldn't capture just how pink and orange and bright the sky really was.

Little tiny snowflakes were falling as well.

I'm not sure why but the phrase from an old familiar Christmas song popped into my head,

"Sing choirs of angels, 

sing in exultation."

If color could be a song, this is what it would look like.

And choirs of angels would definitely be singing it.

I looked up what exultation meant and it is

"lively or triumphant joy, as over success or victory."

Not a bad way to start a morning.

1. O, Come, All Ye Faithful
   
   
   1. Oh, come, all ye faithful,
   Joyful and triumphant!
   Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem.
   Come and behold him,
   Born the King of angels;
2. Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him,
   Christ, the Lord.
3. 2. — Sing, choirs of angels,
   Sing in exultation;
   — Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!
   Glory to God,
   Glory in the highest;
4. Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him,
   Christ, the Lord.
5. 3. — Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
   Born this happy morning;
   — Jesus, to thee be all glory giv’n.
   Son of the Father,
   Now in flesh appearing;
6. Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him;
   Oh, come, let us adore him,
   Christ, the Lord.
7. Text: Attr. to John F. Wade, ca. 1711–1786; trans. by Frederick Oakeley, 1802–1880
   Music: Attr. to John F. Wade

Ginger and Spice and Everything…Lice?!

They're baaack!

Click here and here if you want to know how this isn't our first rodeo when it comes to lice.

A week after Thanksgiving, Ellie kept complaining about an itching scalp. 

I looked through her hair and saw nothing.

But to be fair, 

I wasn't using a magnifying glass.

Or even my reading glasses.

I told her it was just dry scalp and to use some Head and Shoulders.

The next week I found her crying in her room before school.

She said her head was still itching and she feared she had lice.

I looked again and saw nothing 

and sent her to school.

She texted me from school and asked for an appointment at the lice center.

I made an appointment after school but it was only for an assessment.

They were booked solid that day 

and couldn't fit in anymore treatments.

Lice is a demanding business.

Within minutes it was determined I did not have lice and that Ellie did.

They booked Ellie at a different lice center across town for the following morning.

Ellie did not like the idea that she would be sitting around 

the entire night KNOWING she had lice.

We stopped at a drug store to get shower caps and large garbage bags for all the pillows I planned to bag up that I couldn't wash.

Ellie was convinced the cashier would find our purchases revealing to her lice diagnosis 

so she threw in some sour gummy worms to "throw him off."

It's a pharmacy.

I have to believe they've seen far more personal 

and outright revealing purchases than 

a 3-pack of shower caps, 

a box of large garbage bags 

and a bag of sour gummy worms.

I called to update Monte.

Within the hour, he called back to say that he'd called around and found a lice place that could get Ellie in that night around 7:00 and that he'd drive her since it was near his office and he was familiar with the area.

Ellie felt better about not missing school and being "lice free" when her head hit the freshly washed pillow that night.

I told her to start contacting close friends that might want to get checked as well.

She'd just been on a Young Life weekend retreat the weekend before Thanksgiving.

And we had hosted family for Thanksgiving.

The list of lice possibilities was growing.

An hour later, one of Ellie's friends, Molly, suspected she had lice and we texted numbers and offered to take her to the lice place so they could go together.

Ellie was so relieved to be going through this with someone else. 

Her mood changed drastically.

Isn't that the cutest houndstooth shower cap?

She found the funny in it.

Molly cried.

Ellie told her she'd go through four distinct stages of lice acceptance:

1. Denial

2. Sadness

3. Anger

4. Humor

Molly was just beginning.

I made dinner and had frantically began the washing of sheets, pillowcases, comforters, blankets and towels.

My friend Beth stopped by while I was distracting myself in between loads by watching Facebook videos of large alligators and people falling down trying to walk on icy sidewalks.

It had clearly been a long afternoon

and I wasn't the best version of myself.

We were busy catching up when I received a few texts and pictures of the girls from Monte.

Ginger and spice and everything lice--that's what TRUE friends are made of.
Or something much less creepy and itchy than that.
You know what I mean.

It wasn't until later that I realized they were standing by a picture of Santa Claus with lice.

Not looking so jolly.

Beth and I were still catching up when in walked Monte, Ellie and Molly with oily slicked back hair.

They were all laughing and talking at the same time.

Molly had advanced nicely 

through those stages of lice acceptance.

Apparently this "lice place" Monte had booked was in a woman's house.

No sign.

No parking lot.

Just instructions 

not to use 

the front door.

Monte knew ALL OF THIS ahead of time.

Which is why he volunteered to take the girls because HE KNEW I'd say 

NO, NO, 

NEVER, NEVER, 

AIN'T NO WAY!

Greasy, sneaky Monte.

Monte asked lots of questions and learned the woman is a single mom and has a full time job. She and her pharmacist brother came up with a proprietary oil mix to smother the lice. 

She does the "lice thing" on the side for extra money.

She was leaving the next week for Disney World paid for by her lice business.

As it turns out, lice is a demanding AND lucrative business.

She was in the beginning stages of franchising her operation.

I saw where this was going and informed Monte that I would NEVER start checking heads for lice in our garage.

With Beth still here, the girls convinced me that I should let them put the proprietary oil mix in my hair "to be sure" I didn't have lice.

It wasn't going to be the dumbest thing I'd ever done, so I agreed.

Beth's husband texted to see where the heck she was and she said she couldn't leave.

Something to the general effect about this episode of "The Hartranfts" was getting good.

Ellie was right.

Going through something with someone else 

certainly does help change the mood drastically.

Beth became our photographer.

I sent this picture to McDaniel and my mom and they both asked,

"Who took this picture?"

I told them Beth was here.

We have lice.

Let's entertain!

Monte must be closing his eyes and dreaming of all that
franchise lice money he wants me to make.

McDaniel came home from college with friends for a concert this weekend. We tried to get her to let us oil her up.

She refused.

She's in the first stage of lice acceptance:

1. Denial

She'll be home in two weeks for Christmas.

The oil and Lice Santa will be waiting for her.

Monte sent this.
I realize that I posted it but
feel the need to point out
he found it.
And it's gross.