OK. I’ve almost cleaned out all the Starbuck’s receipts. Don’t even mess with me about my lipstick. As our sister said, it’s not like we’re talking about peace in the Middle East here. It was just a garage. I may consider putting my lipsticks in alphabetical order, however. They all start with “P.” My hair is wrecked from having my head in my purse. Seriously. I wasn’t THIS inspired.
I think I’ll do something I like better. I think I’ll start researching Esther.
Our fellow blogger, Jackie, asked a good question after our lesson last night in Houston on friendships: BETH…… Okay tonight at Bible study we learned about calling our relationships by the right name.. we have friends, acquaintances, mentors, counselors, etc. SOOOO…. what do we call all these crazy ladies that have become an “online family”? They are a new sort of relationship.
I’ll tell you what we call us: SISTAS!!!!! Blood-kin in Jesus’ Name.
Thanks for having such a stinking blast with us over that ridiculous celebrity look-alike thing. You guys made me laugh until I nearly choked and threw up in my mouth. Here’s what it was about: I was teaching what I consider to be a pretty profound truth out of Proverbs 14:10. It says “Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.” Scripture doesn’t contradict Scripture so, needless to say, it doesn’t mean we can’t sympathize and even empathize with one another and bear each other’s burden. In fact, we are commanded to do exactly that. We’re told to laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)
In Proverbs 14:10, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Solomon was giving us insight into something we’ve all experienced but perhaps never quite understood. Two women of exactly the same spiritual maturity, marital status and age can get the same diagnosis and their hearts process it in completely different ways. Two believing women with nearly identical circumstances could have miscarriages at exactly the same point in a pregnancy and yet respond to it as polar opposites. Two women can make exactly the same salary and be exactly the same age and go to exactly the same church and have exactly the same friends yet respond to their singleness at 38 years of age profoundly differently. The point of the look-alike illustration is that we could Google every single bit of our physiological and psychological data, life traumas and challenges and perhaps come up a dozen other Americans that should match us then meet for lunch, hash it all out, and walk to our cars thinking, “I don’t even think SHE gets me.” And you’d probably be right. You see, somebody may have all your same circumstances but nobody has your heart. It is completely singled out before the One who formed it in His hands and said, “Let there be life.” And there was.
If we’re blessed indeed, we can find people who can relate but the more we come to know them, the more we’d see our differences and only be left with a deeper sense of isolation. There is ONE who totally gets you. Just one. Yes, we need human support. And, yes, hearts were created to be shared horizontally as well as vertically but no one can see into the grand canyon of your emotional being but God. That’s why we’ll never be okay if, in our deepest, most riveting hurts, we do not turn to Him and let Him completely and intimately tend to us. I am a firm believer in Godly counseling but the best of counselors should point you to the only One who is still there at 3:00 AM when you toss and turn and think you may not live till morning. St. Augustine described God as “interior intimo meo.” Deeper in me than I am in myself. God gets you when YOU don’t even get you. He doesn’t just love you. He loves your heart. Your broken, misshapen, road-weary heart. And mine. Let Him in. Let Him tend. There is SomeOne who really does understand. He is the Lord who heals us.
My mom should be on her way to Bible study right now. She and Sabrina, our ministry director, are probably in the car together singing praise music at the top of their lungs. I’m in the same boat with some of you who live too far away from Houston – I SO WISH I COULD BE THERE!
Someone posed an interesting question today under the celebrity look-alike post. Which saints or fellow members of the body of Christ would you choose to “look like”?
I’ll leave my answer in a comment and I’ll look for yours there, too. Not that you were going to, but you can’t say Beth!
Well, I’m off to the post office to mail out my son’s first birthday party invitations (sniff, sniff).
Happy Monday, everyone! I thought I would give a little update on my Five Pounds. I’ve been going to my aerobics classes, eating Lean Cuisines for lunch and sometimes dinner, and cutting out the fast food except for my once-a-week Chick-fil-a. For better or worse, I don’t own a scale, but I think the five pounds are gone or are pretty close to being gone. My clothes fit right again, but what’s better than that is I don’t feel guilty about my eating habits. Sweet freedom!
Yesterday I had some french fries and – I won’t lie – they were very, very, very delicious. My mouth was elated. But this morning I woke up with a stomach ache and I realized it was because I had eaten fried food for the first time in a while. I think my system is happier not having to deal with that and my mind is happier knowing I’m not being mastered by food. It’s a win-win situation!
Thankfully, my husband is doing this with me. We take turns being tempted by McDonald’s, but the other talks some sense into the weaker brother or sister. Then we do a fist-bump and congratulate ourselves on resisting. Curtis has definitely lost his five pounds. I know some of you were hoping to see his picture, but he wants to wait until April, which is when his Biggest Loser contest at work is over.
So yesterday I went to the Lean Cuisine web site to see if there are any good meals I’ve been missing out on. (Here’s my hit list: chicken carbonara, sesame chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, roasted garlic chicken pizza, and the southwest style chicken panini.) Let me just say that Lean Cuisine has got it goin’ on. You can send motivational e-cards to your friends dealing with their five pounds. Check this one out.
Is that perfect, or what?
I just got home from Seattle and I am so full of praise and thanksgiving to our God who mercifully met with us. I walked in the door and got face down on the floor and thanked Him. If anything of value happens, it is all Him. If He doesn’t come, it’s a miserable waste of time. I absolutely LOVED the group. Totally loved them!!! So engaged and so anxious to throw themselves on the pages of Scripture. What more on the earth could I ask??? I will tell you more about it in a few days. I just got home from a LONG flight and a time change and I am about to jump through the tub and fall in the bed. HOWEVER, Amanda told me I’d want to check your comments after she posted the celebrity “look alikes” (seriously??) and trust me when I say it was not a disappointment. I am so poured-out from the conference that I was either going to cry really hard when I got home or laugh really hard. When I read Salty Sister’s comment about Howard Dean coming up on her search, I did both. (I’m about to do it again.) I laughed so hard, the tears were squirting out of my eyes. All I could do is squeak when Keith asked me what I was so tickled about. I’m not kidding. Y’all make my day. What a wonderful homecoming. Maybe now I’ll just cry. What mercy God has had on this poor, pitiful mess. I love you guys. Don’t worry. I won’t forget to let you know what I used those ridiculous lookalikes for. I’ll let you guess for a day or two and if you were there, don’t let the cat out of the bag!
I thought I’d share a visual aid that my mom used at Tuesday night Bible study and in Seattle this weekend. Any guesses as to the application?
I must say, I’ve never looked at my mother and thought of Paris Hilton. She has been mistaken for Judith Light a time or two, which is funny because when I did my celebrity look-alike collage it gave me the one and only Tony Danza! (Don’t get the connection? Think Who’s the Boss.) I’ve always admired Avril Lavigne’s hair, so way to go on that one, Mom! She’ll be posting another visual aid for your amusement in the next couple of days. If you were in Seattle I’m sure you know what it is.
I just got home from work and Keith and I were just sitting here laughing our heads off at you silly things. Every one of your entries bring me joy and touch my heart. That one on the group that made the lifesize picture out of their Bible study teacher for the group shot then accidentally left her (me) in the car nearly killed Keith and me. You could have heard us howl all over the Lonestar State. I think Linda summed us blog-sisters up best: “a whole new big, wonderful, delicously ditzy family has opened up” to us! See? It’s not just Blonder Than She Pays To Be. You guys bring your own ditz to this mix. Oh, Jesus is so good to us, isn’t He? Isn’t He a Wonder? Such a blast? The more we love Him the better we’ll love one another.
I’m off before dawn to Seattle. I’m looking so forward to the handpicked group God has invited to meet Him there. I know He has a word for me, too. Pray for God to fall on us like crazy. I’ll let you know how it goes. Amanda will keep an eye on you till I get back. Isn’t she precious? She and Melissa make me so much cooler than I’d be. Love you!
You guys are the most fun. Thank you for all the sweet and funny notes you wrote in response to the pics of my man and his two best home-girls. I loved every single one of them and will share with Keith what the intercession I mentioned in Patriarchs has meant to many of you. If you didn’t read Lucy’s comment (I think it was the 11th one or so), take another look because it is so funny. I’m sure that has happened to me, too, at one time or another, particularly since Beanie sleeps right next to me. And we have a similar profile. I LOVE OUR BLOGGING! By all means, let’s celebrate our blog with a new up-do! Be looking for that over the coming weeks. Great idea, Darlin’ Child of mine.
