Little Weeds

A few people think I need to be better about writing on my blog, so I'm going to try.  It's an interesting thing, this idea of putting your thoughts on the internet for anyone to see.  It's like letting other people into your mind and not knowing who is in there.  Maybe I should stick to crafts. *winks*

Today I spent an hour in a garden with my mom and brother.  We were pulling weeds.  Some of them were thin and dry and came out of the ground when you touched them.  Other weeds were not even coming up when we yanked and pulled.  I started thinking about weeds.

Want to hear what I think about weeds?

I have a garden.  We actually have a number of gardens.
We water those beautiful gardens so the plants will grow. 
The problem is, that the plants are not the only things that grow.
Weeds grow, too.
I don't want weeds.

The weeds start out small, like the plants that I want to grow.
Seedling weeds look a lot like intentional seedlings.

The thing about weeds? They don't stay small. 
If you don't take the time to pull them out by the roots they get bigger....and bigger... and BIGGER.
If you catch a weed even when it is getting a little bigger, you are able to pull it out.
But, eventually, they will get too big.
Too big to pull.
Too big to handle.
Too big.

This weed that is "too big" will eventually go to seed.
These seeds will fall.
Those seeds will grow.
It is a vicious circle.

The way to solve this problem?
Stop.
Take time to pull those little weeds before they have a chance to take root. 
To grow.
To get out of hand.

There's more to this whole topic than you think.

Sins are a whole lot like weeds.

Sins start out small. Good actions start out small.
Habits. Actions. Words.

If these little sins are not caught while they are small.
If these sins are given a chance to grow, unchecked.
If these sins get any larger, any more ingrained, they continue to grow.
They will get so large, that it will be even harder, and take more time and work, to extract them.

The "trick" is, catch them while they are small.
Keep working.
Never stop.
Always pull even the smallest weeds, or they will grow.
They will grow out of hand.

We need to work.
We need to strive.
... ... ...
We need to weed.

Proverbs 24:30-34
³⁰ I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
³¹ thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
³² I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
³³ A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
³⁴ and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.

We will be ruined if we sit and let the weeds grow.


(Just a note: I had a hard time trying to figure out what scripture went best with this idea I had.  I had the idea, but it wasn't so much with a scriptural application as much as a spiritual analogy.  These verses had the same idea, of the laziness, and not weeding out those sins in your life, so I chose Proverbs.)

Partying

Quotable Quotes:

"I'm the church guy!" *starts crushing chips on his plate* "I mean the pastor of course." - Jonathan

"If you could be any fish, what would you be?" - Tim.1
"A mermaid." - Tim.2

"What are you guys? Hummingbirds?" - Joe (referring to our love of Icees)

"Where are my brothers?" - Me
"I ate them." - Tim
"All three of them?" - Me
"I ate four hot dogs last night." - Tim
"Oh...well then." - Me

"Are we lost?" - Joe
"Did I take a wrong turn?" - Nick
"I psyched him out." - Nick

"You're going all vintagey on me!" - Hannah

Tattoos

Tattoos.  I've never been a fan.

Not that there's anything wrong with tattoos I guess, but I just wouldn't get one. 

I was reading a blog post about tattoos.  The writter was expounding on how she was dating this "great" guy for a bit, but it never went anywhere, and she found out it was because he didn't think his family would approve of her tattoos.  Here's what she said:

If a few illustrations on my body were enough to detract from my intelligence, great legs, and winning personality, then there probably wasn’t a deep and meaningful connection there anyway. And honestly, as much as I’d like to judge him as being a materialistic, nitpicking, backwards conservative snob, I can’t fault him for feeling turned off. Getting to know and judging someone are parts of dating, and if my handful of tattoos was the catalyst to dooming our romance, that’s fine by me.

 Funny thing was, it really made me think.  Everyone has their own sort of "tattoo" in a way, to at least one other person.  Jim might not date[1] Colleen because she has red hair.  Garrett might not date Georgina because she is a vegetarian.  Bella might not date Jacob cause he's a warewolf... vampire... no, he was the warewolf, whatever[2]. A conservative young man might not date a less conservative young woman who dresses immodestly, no matter how nice or funny she tends to be.  Nor is he going to date that girl that flirts with all the guys.

Here's the thing.  There are a lot of people that aren't dating a lot of other people for some reason or another.  Some for really good reasons (*cough* warewolf *cough* vampire *cough*) but others are just preferences.  We all judge our friends to some extent, wondering if they are spouse material or not, and in most cases, for some reason or another, we decide it's a "no".  It's not Colleen's fault that she has red hair, and she might have an amazing personality to go with it. 

Here's another thing.  Just because Jim doesn't like Colleen's hair, does NOT mean that Jeremy isn't going to come along and love Colleen for her amazing laugh, mathmatical abilities, her heart for God, AND her red hair. 

I guess all of this is just to say one thing...with a caviate.

The "One Thing": Don't let the fact that one person doesn't like something about you make you try to change for them.  It might just be them.

The caviat: When someone (anyone, guy/girl you like or just a friend) gives you instructive criticism, really look at yourself and determin if it's true or not.  It might really be who you are, but it could be something you have put on because you're afraid someone won't like the "real" you.

Some of our traits are choices we have made, such as a red colored hair dye bottle or a tattoo, but many of our traits are birthmarks.  Something God created us with.

The end.

[1] By "date" I mean pursue a deeper relationship with the intention of trying to determine if the other person is going to be your spouse.  Another word options is courting (which in and of itself can have many meanings), another option is "dating with a purpose," and yet another option is "dorting" which is a mixture of dating and courting (whichever meaning for courting you choose).

[2] As you can see, I have never read the Twilight books.  Hence the confusion about whether Jacob was the vampire of warewolf.

Walk on Water

Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

I tend to think I'm pretty good at trusting God.  I trust Him to provide for my family. I trust Him to keep me healthy.  I trust Him with my future.  I just trust Him because He is my help and my salvation.

But every once in a while, I notice the wind.

I start to sink.

I see my dad working hard.  I see my mom's frustrations.  I see my brothers annoyed with each other.  I find myself annoyed with others, with my situations in life, looking at my future wondering when things will happen.

I cry out to God, "Why, Lord? Pull me from this ocean of worry and care and distrust. Lord, save me!"

And do you want to know something?  He does.  I remember verse 31 "Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'"

He may not give me calm waters, but I can feel His hand holding mine.  I know that He is in control.  God loves me and He allows trials, frustrations and tears because of His love.  I am God's child.  When a father loves his child he disciplines them.  I am reminded of a passage in Hebrews.

Hebrews 12:7-8 says: "It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children, and not sons."

When we are disciplined it shows that we are His true children.  Hebrews 12:9 talks about how we respect our fathers after they discipline us, then in verse 10 it says; "For they discipline us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness." When God disciplines us, it is for our best interest and helps us to grow in our maturity.

I just wrote a sweet little paragraph about how god holds my hands once I ask Him and all that, but I had to erase it.  You know why? Because not only does He hold my hand, but He also holds me.  I am in His tender loving care no matter what, and He continues to protect and watch over me even when I am completely distracted by the winds of life.  I am still His child.

A Legacy

It's been a while since I have posted on here, and it's probably because I haven't had much of anything to post about, but I have now.

This morning my grandfather passed away into glory to meet his Savior.

This past June all of us kids that are still living at home were able to take a trip with my parents to go visit some of our relatives on the eastern side of the US.  We made a point to see my grandpa and grandma while we were there.  Grandpa was doing pretty well and we all really enjoyed cracking up at his still hilarious "Grandpa" jokes.

Some of the things he said and did were so funny:

- "Kamatanah!" *slaps forehead*

- "He's a baaaad boy."

- *makes chair move up... then makes chair move down*


This morning, hearing he died, made me think more on his life and my memories of him.  My sister reminded me (all of us in an e-mail) of how much he loved the song "When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder."

Here are the lyrics

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder
By James Black

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

 

Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.


I remember the time when he was visiting and we were all sitting around having a hymn sing and he told us how much he loved that song.  The last verse in particular describes my Grandpa well.  He labored for his Master, raising his children to truly love God and furthering the kingdom of God.  He also spoke of God with reverence, sharing His love with almost everyone that he met.  Now, his work is done on earth and he has gone into glory. I am so happy when I think of how he is now safe from pain and cares with his Lord. 

Leaving behind Grandma Dorothy, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, Grandpa Parke has gone forward to meet his heavenly Father, to spend eternity praising God.

I am sorry for those of us that Grandpa leaves behind.  For the great-grandchildren that won't remember his smiles or his jokes or his sweet words of encouragement.  But I am excited.  Excited that my Grandpa Parke is finally getting to meet his Lord and Savior

Grandpa in uniform

 

Grandpa visiting in '92 I think

This was in '95 or '96

Our trip out to PA in 2010

Our trip this past June

Me with Grandpa and Grandma

"I'm one of those 'higher power' people."

"I'm one of those 'higher power' people."

Well, it's only week 3 of my Nutrition class and already I'm being asked why I think humans need to eat to survive and "why our nutrients aren't built in like plants."  I actually REALLY enjoyed answering this question and thought I'd share it with you.

Question as posed by professor:
"After reading Chapter 3, I hope you come away with how amazing the human body really is.  And yet, there are some short-falls in our bodies which include the inability to produce many of the essential nutrients for ourselves.  Plants have us beat in that department.  Why do you think nature (or "higher power" if that is your belief system) has made us so reliant on FOOD in order for us to get so many of the essential nutrients needed to survive?  In other words, why can't our BODIES produce and provide these nutrients for us?  (Saying that the higher power simply "made us this way" will not suffice as an answer).  Realize this type of question does not have a right or wrong answer....the purpose is for you to really stretch your thinking to try and figure out why humans are built to be so vulnerable upon our environment."

My answer:
"I’m one of those “higher power” people.  I believe that the perfect world was created by God in 6 days and that He created everything exactly the way He did with a purpose.  God created man to work, to cultivate the ground and to eat the fruit of the ground for sustenance.  When we are comparing ourselves to plants and saying “in order to survive we need the right balance of nutrients from the food we eat, but plants don’t have to do anything,” we are incorrect.  Plants “soak up” nutrients from the ground as well as absorbing nutrients from the sun, they have to rely on another source just like we do.  Some plants even have to eat, such as the Venus Fly Trap and other plants of that kind.  Plants need different nutrients than humans do, because we are not the same.  I have always been in awe of how amazing the body is, and chapter 3 just served to uphold that belief.  If someone chooses to believe in evolution and that it is a matter of chance that our bodies work and function the way they do, that is their choice.  I, for one, am struck with how intricate our bodies work, and how we need specific nutrients to survive, nutrients that have been provided for us through plants.  We don’t even need to eat meat, but we can get protein and other nutrients from milk, eggs and beans.  It is my belief that we are built to rely so heavily upon our environment because by doing so we rely heavily on God to sustain and provide for us."

Interested to see what type of feedback I get, and praying that I can answer anything Biblically and without reproach. :)

Disobedience

Today in my bible reading I came across a section I hadn't really noticed before.  I mean, of course I had read it plenty of times, but for some reason it seemed like something I had never read before.

Romans 1:28-32 says "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.  They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do the but give approval to those who practice them."

Well, of course we are supposed to be obedient to our parents, I mean, not only was it one of the 10 commandments, but it is also repeated in the New Testament.  Obedience is implied in Matthew 22:39, "and a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself."  We are to love and respect others as we would like to be loved and respected or how we would love and respect (and treat) ourselves.  I personally feel that this would imply obedience to parents.

More clearly stated, we see that Ephesians 6:1-3 says "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother' (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land."  We are promised that if we honor our parents, things may go well with us.  Now, what exactly does it mean to "honor" our parents? Lets see what Webster has to say about it, shall we?  One definition is "a showing of usually merited respect," such as recognition. Another definition is "a gesture of deference," and the example was to bow. I personally liked how Bakers Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology put it, "While honor is an internal attitude of respect, courtesy, and reverence, it should be accompanied by appropriate attention or even obedience. Honor without such action is incomplete; it is lip service."

Back to Romans.  Most people would come up with many of these things if they were asked to make a list of things that were "sins."  Action sins are often rather obvious, while the internal sins of thought and attitude are a lot more difficult to perceive. I often don't even realize when I am sinning inwardly.  Fortunately I have learned to realize when I am having an inward attitude problem and check is for a better outlook. 

Wow, back to Romans again.  (I tend to think about way too many things at once, which leads me on a tangent around and I end up writing about those other random thoughts instead of what I set out to think about.)  Anyways... many people don't look at honoring and obeying their parents as important, or as something they need to put time into, but for me, it's really important.  I end up seeking my parents advice and council about nearly every big move I make in my like, and even though I don't always get the advice or instruction that I hope for, I know that they are truly seeking to help me make the most God honoring decision, as well as what's best for me.

Anyways, all that from reading a few chapters in Romans today for my devotions.  Funny how something so small as a verse can spark something as big as this thought tangent of mine.

The Scariest Thing

One of my relatives posted this on Facebook and I thought it was so good that I had to share it.  Now I want to read the book.

"The scariest thing a woman ever offers is to believe that she is worth pursuing, to open her heart up to pursuit, to continue to open up her heart and offer the beauty she holds inside, all the while fearing it will not be enough.

"The scariest thing a man ever chooses is to offer his strength without knowing how things will turn out. To take the risk of playing the man before the outcome is decided. To offer his heart of strength while fearing it will not be enough."

[from "Love & War" by John & Stasi Eldredge]