Horse Cookies

Jan11

Whew, glad I got that out of my system.  Once of my favorite desserts is chocolate oatmeal cookies.  They are not Jimmy’s favorite, so I rarely make them now that the kids are on their own.  But I’ve been thinking about them–their fudginess, peanuttiness, just the right crunch with the oats–heaven with a big glass of milk.  And how bad could they be–oats and milk, with just a coating of fudge.  Yes, I’ve been thinking of them and decided that I would treat myself Friday night.  I made a half recipe, and yes, I ate half last night while watching Chariots of Fire, and finished them off today.  I think I am done with chocolate oatmeal cookies for awhile.

All day today I kept thinking about leaving the house.  I could visit Mom and Dad, go to the bank, grocery, for a walk, Starbucks.  But then I thought:  I can meet Mom and Dad for lunch after church on Sunday, don’t need to go to the grocery just yet, don’t need to spend gas money just to go to the bank and Starbucks.  And I could walk here.  So I stayed at home.  Thoroughly cleaned the kitchen including the oven, piddled, read, watched five Duck Dynasty’sand about that many Jeopardy’s, and in between everything on the Food Network–every kind of “chop” imaginable.  I am over halfway done with my 1000-piece puzzle, and then after all that stayed up until the wee hours working on our budget.  I track all of our expenses for tax purposes, so I have a handy analysis, which is especially handy since we have had such a change in income.  Now I have to remind myself that this financial setback is just that, a financial setback.  God will provide, but we need to do our part.  We need to be very intentional not to waste any money, and I mean any money!  We have it to spend on what we really want, but we should be sure we really want it.  This will take some real effort on my part to have the right attitude.  I don’t want to constantly be thinking about what I can’t do, but more about how blessed we are and how God provides.

Teacher’s Pet

Jan10

Good day at work.  Our “Choice” teams met in Franklin at Scarlett Leadership Center for some goal setting.  Then Norman, Glenn, and I met with the Board HR Committee Chair to review a full slate of Benefits Recommendations, in preparation for a full HR Committee Meeting on Monday.  Both events went well.  In earlier similar meetings, Glenn would brag on me and Carolyn to the rest of the assembly, kind of the halo effect–newest kids on the block, about how lucky the Mission is to have us, etc.  It’s been over a year now, and he continues to do this.  I’m so pleased that he feels this way, but it reminds me of high school when my teachers would commend me to the class and it made me wonder if the rest of the class would resent me.  In truth, I do a good job there, and I have a lot of great experience and knowledge and wisdom to offer.  However, I am indeed the lucky one to be working around so many selfless saints.  I am only being obedient and taking advantage of a God-sent opportunity.  Perhaps they are as well, but they have devoted their lives to this work to the detriment of their own physical and financial well-being, and I am just a relative new-comer.  I can’t brag on my co-workers enough.  Thank you Jesus for making the way.

Bowling Birthday

Jan9

Celebrated my birthday at the bowling alley with Jim, my sons, Molly (who made me a death by chocolate cake!), Annie (who gave me one of her precious quarters), Judah, and Lincoln and Audrey who each drew me a beautiful picture.  We had fun bowling and just being together.  So sad that Sara Beth and Ella had to miss because Ella has a fever.

After Jesus, my family is everything.

Oh, and I actually bowled four strikes in 1 1/2 games–a career high!!!

Coming Home

Jan8

Jim’s last day in Paris.  Not planned, but it is past time for him to come home.

Give thanks in all things, for that is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 thess. 5:18.  This was what I prayed all the way to Paris to pick Jim up.

More Arctic Blast

Jan7

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/24360880/single-digit-temperatures-persist-in-mid-state

Still cold.  I’m sure it’s because I’m more in tune with it, and God has given me a heart to care more about it, but I am hearing more about what good people are doing to reach out to the homeless, especially in this bitter weather.  Police, cab drivers, churches, as well as the volunteers serving at the agencies are all going out of their way into the cold spending their own money and time to take care of the homeless.  Such a blessing to see God at work.

Today I led a morning and an evening session of Bible study at the Transitional House.  We talked about the Ebenezer stone, a riff on Paster Tim’s sermon.   To get there, I talked them through a high level overview of Bible history up to the time of Samuel.   They were forthcoming in saying that they loved hearing the stories in the Bible, which is a very healthy thing to want that kind of study.  I’m getting to know some of these ladies better.   It’s another world than the one that I was privileged to be raised in.  It’s a fallen world for sure, and a flat out miracle that these ladies have survived and now are so full of joy and gratitude.  They are the blessing for me, and such evidence of God at work.

Arctic Blast

Jan6

Wore long underwear today.  Took coats that a friend from church brought for the Mission.  Let a man into the shelter to wait–wasn’t supposed to let him into that particular area, but I didn’t care.  He needed to be inside, not outside, the shelter.  We fed people stranded at the bus station–another good work that NRM does when needed.  I’m finding out neat things all the time.  Nashville Rescue Mission is on the news every night because our staff and volunteers go out and try to get people to come in off the park bench and doorway to get a warm bed and hot meal.

I meant to follow up with another friend whose son is in jail for a DUI, but forgot because I called Dad first, only to find that their furnace is going out–on a night when it’s supposed to drop to zero!  I went over there, thinking that I would take them home with me, but Mom was already in bed and Dad had heaters going and was manually keeping the furnace going so it was actually in the mid-60’s.  He didn’t want to move her.  Then the next door neighbor came over to check on them which also made me feel better.

So I went home and worked on a Bible Study for tomorrow, using content from the sermon on Sunday.  I also worked on my annual jig saw puzzle.

Ebenezer

Jan5

Fantastic service today.  In fact, we had so many in Sunday School that Jim and I didn’t get to sit in our “assigned” seats, a great situation to find ourselves in.   Then Pastor Tim blew it away with a sermon on “Rearview Mirror.”  He interrupted the song, “Come thou fount of many blessings” when we got to the part about “here I raise my Ebenezer….”  He asked if we knew what it meant, and when we all responded with blank looks, he told the worship team to sit because he had a sermon to preach.  Needless to say he had our attention.  Without restating the entire sermon, although I took copious notes, he related the events in 1 Samuel 7, and then exhorted us to revelation (a vision of God’s faithfulness and what can be), repentance (turning away from our old habits and making the changes we need to make, and remember as in remember the victories we have through God.

We have enjoyed the rest of the day, knowing that it’s the last day of Jim’s vacation, and also knowing that the temperature is going down from mid 40’s at church time to single digits.  In fact, it’s already a winter wonderland as we get ready to dig into a bowl of chili.

Circle Christmas

Jan4

My Circle 5 Sisters and I celebrated Christmas today with a brunch, dirty Santa, and rousing game of Hollywood Dominoes at Kristine VanVondoren’s house.  Marilyn, Renee, Teressa, Wilma, Debbie, Kristine, and me.  We all brought food (and we are all good cooks!), Kristine served mimosas and pumpkin spice coffee.  Yum!

We started at 9:30 am and reluctantly stopped around 2 pm.  It was fun, refreshing, and blessed (I love any social event that starts with prayer.)

When I got home Jim was working on Hawaii reservations so we got it booked (yay!), then after not being able to decide what to do about dinner, I cooked and we had a very nice quiet evening.  Watched Batman–Dark Knight Rises.

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Waffle House

Jan3

Went in to work late today so that I could (1) recover from staying up too late and then consoling Audrey from 2:30 to 4:30 am and (2) accompany Jim, Lincoln, and Audrey to Waffle House.

Didn’t feel very productive today. I worked on a training presentation, scheduling–lot’s going on in January, and attended a memorial service for Sam Hollis in the Chapel. I’ve been thanked by other employees for attending Sam’s funeral and this service.  That’s really nice, but I didn’t think I needed to be thanked.  Getting thanked was surprising to me actually, and as I pondered that I realized that it’s really more that I appreciate the opportunity to have served along side these saints who are doing as good a work as anyone is in the world.  We are serving 7-800 homeless, helpless, and hurting people every day, and there are so many at NRM who have done this work selflessly for years.  What an honor to know them and have some small part in helping them do what they do.

On a sad note, when I called Mom and Dad to check in, Dad handed Mom the phone so she could talk to me and she didn’t know what to do with it.

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Waffle House with Lincoln and Audrey

Waffle House with Lincoln and Audrey

Goal Setting

Jan2

Back to work, and I must say that I have not yet improved upon my self-discipline.  Maybe I have a good excuse since we had dinner at Wes and Molly’s and got home late, but I was tired, not prepared in the morning to get to the gym until late, quick workout, got to work about 8:20, and just tired all day.    Workwise it was a good day.  I finished a presentation, but had time for the several employees who stopped by with questions and concerns.

Great word from Rick Warren:  Goal setting isn’t just a good idea for productivity. It’s a spiritual discipline, like prayer, fasting, giving, and reading your Bible.  In fact, goal setting can be an act of stewardship as you attempt to make the most of all God has given you. You can waste your life. Plenty of people do it. To make the most of your life and invest it in a way that outlasts you, you’ll need goals.  You’re either someone who makes things happen or watches things happen — or maybe you have no idea what’s happening! Those who make things happen are the people who change the world.

Even God sets goals. The Bible says, “[God] planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.” Ephesians 1:10 (GWT). God didn’t sit around and let the history of the world unfold in a way he found appropriate. He planned history. God has goals for the Church. God has goals for every facet of the universe.

My goals are to love God more, to love my family more, to love my friends more, and to improve my health so as to be as good a steward of my abilities as possible.

Jim is still off this week, so he met up with the Wes Cline’s to get the kids so that Wes and Molly could have a date night.  It is such a joy, not to be taken for granted, that Lincoln and Audrey have learned to want to stay with Nannie and Poppa.  They love to come to our home, they like to play, they are fine to play on their own or to hang out with us–I think they are comfortable with us.  They ate a good supper, the only problem is that they are so hard to get to sleep.  We don’t have to lay down with them, but it requires several, no, many trips back to the bedroom to deliver drinks of water, dispel monsters, negotiate bedspace, scold one for touching/hitting/scratching the other, and offering general comfort before they finally give it up and go to sleep.

And oh how precious they are when they are asleep.