Book Quote - Clay Pots

An excerpt from 12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me), by John Fischer

2Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us"

"The brilliant light of Christ in a clay pot. This discrepancy is the reason for the whole arrangement in the first place. The incongruity of the vessel and the treasure is designed to make a statement - to acutally be something of a joke, so the that the obvious contradiction between the two will alleviate any confusion over what went on in our lives. We didn't pull ourselves together. We didn't follow some prescribed path to righteousness for which we can take any credit. We were granted mercy. For all practical purposes this shouldn't be happeing. Treasures are never put in such common containers."
"Like ming vases, impressive vessels such as the Pharisees, in their long robes, holy faces, draw attention to themselves. Jars of clay, even broken ones, are nothing special. They ususally draw attention to what's in them. Their usefulness is in what they carry. In Paul's day these vessels were a dime a dozen. Even the poorest family in Jerusalem had an ample supply of clay pots. There is nothing in us that would indicate why God would choose us over any other vessel. We can only be as amazed as anyone."

Questions

Studio 60 or 30 Rock?

ER or Grey's Anatomy?

Scrubs or . . . .ok, there is no other, it's Scrubs all the way.

Desperate Housewives or the Real Housewives of Orange County?

American Idol or Grease, You're the One that I Want? (I happent to know people on each show this season.)

East Coast or West?

Mac or PC? (I just saw the comercial)

Golden Globes or the Oscars?

Early Bird or Nightowl?

Ok, time to go do the dishes.

Am I Cursed?

Could be. I seemed to be cursed (or destined) to writing only one post a month. Life just seems to be takin' me on a crazy ride these days, and I just hang on for dear life. You know how sometimes you see a person out for a walk with their dog, only it's really the dog walking the person. My life right now is the Great Dane running down the street, and I'm still hanging on the leash - but I'm really being dragged along.

Parenting, on more days than I care to admit, is just simply alot of hard work. Case in point: little boy has a head cold. Head cold is code for 'no sleep'. Not much for little boy, and certainly not enough for mom. I was not blessed with one of those kids who sleeps off whatever illness seems to be upon them. (I have a friend who does - I'm SOOOO jealous). I'm in the process of learning to accept that this is who he is and what my life consists of when illness strikes. Things could be so much worse. Sometimes I can't believe I complain about the things that I do. Is it bad that I long for the days when he can completely put himself to bed? You know, undress himself/get jammies on, brush teeth, read himself a book, etc. The day will come when his sniffy nose from a cold won't frustrate him to the point of screaming bloody murder. He'll be annoyed, but hopefully not screaming - when he's 7.

Well, I wanted to write so many more witty thoughts on my life at it's breakneck pace, but I need to get to bed. I'm almost guarenteed that the little someone will wake up once, if not twice, in the night with this cold, so I best get the sleep when I can.

Do you ever have the expereince of being overjoyed at the wonderfulness of being able to hire someone to do alot of needed work on your dwelling, yet simultaneously dread the day they come since it will mean being tethered to the house while the work is done, enduring the pounding, drilling, noise, and did I already mention not being able to leave the house all day! Anyway, that will be me on Thursday. I will have new functional & fabulous shelving installed, so I'll be quiet and figure out a way to entertain an almost -4-year-old (with a cold) all day, while the work happens. Ok, now I've really got to go.

This and That

So, we're in the market for a new couch. I've checked out a few stores and found one that may work well. Even so, I'm going to another store today to do just a little more research (and drive myself a little more crazy in the process.) We've been using an interim couch since our move in June, and it becomes more apparent each day how much it's not working (read: uncomfortable). Also, the material just isn't made for the daily use of 2 adults and a kid - it looks, well . . .gross. We are deciding between a sectional, and a couch with a chaise. They aren't that different really, but the plan is that we'd have this couch for many years to come, so we want to go with what will work best.

Other news: my son is waking up multiple times in the night. Ugggh! Talk about poor sleep. He wakes up CRYING quite hard, and then wants one of us (usually me) to sit with him on his bed until he falls back asleep. Sometimes I just lay down with him, but it's a toddler bed, so there isn't much room at all. The last two nights we've just brought him in with us. I don't know, sleeping with a 3 yr old squished right up against your back doesn't make for some decent sleep. What on earth is waking him up?? I think he's having bad dreams, but we try to just quiet things down and get him back to sleep quickly, so I don't ask him in the moment. During the day he's been very creative and imaginative - moreso than usual. I'm guessing his imagination is in overdrive for a phase, and it means he has dreams, sometimes bad ones. And his room, that he usually finds so cozy, scares him in the dark when he wakes up.

On a more positive note, I had a GREAT hair day yesterday. Yes, this is worth noting because I'm incredibly overdue for a haircut and color so it's been looking a little ragged lately. I had such a good hair day, that it still looks pretty darn good today. I may have to just go with it, rather than washing it and risk trying to recreate it and being very frustrated. Ahhh, the things that can make or break a day. I wish all my readers a wonderful hair day! (He ,he . . all 3 of you.)

What's New In My Corner of the World

One of my favorite bloggers, Judy, asks "what's new . . .?" so I"m replying - even though the post was not for me directly. It still works.

The sun is setting earlier, and since I live in SoCal, this becomes the marker of fall's approach, much more than a change in temprature. Often September can be one of the hottest months of the year round these parts. However, the angle of the sun on our house, and the shorter days are reminding me of the changes to come. Although, once it is officially fall, it won't really be fall-like until November. The nights get cooler, and I do enjoy that part.

My little guy was all set to go to preschool. We enrolled him, had the pile 'o paperwork filled out, and he even had attended their summer camp as a way to get him accustomed to the place. But, when it was all said and done, we decided to keep him home one more year. He'll be 4 in December, and even with staying out this year, he'll get a full year of preschool next year before he in enrolls in Kindergarten in '08. That's plenty for us and it's all working out fine. (Plus we're saving money, so that part is great, too). I felt great about the decision - making it, talking to the school, talking to friends and family - it all went great and I've had tremendous peace about the whole thing. But, now I'm living with the day-in-day-out life of no preschool. Read: no break for mom. Some days it is tough. (As I told my spouse the other day, "I don't like my job today.") You know, it's all moving forward and the days of him being home for the whole day are numbered, so while I do long for a break at times, I know it's comming in a year, so it's ok. Two days after our decision we read this.

I don't really know what to do about this whole blogging thing. I like it - I really do. And I think of posts all day long in my head, but my life demands that I do other things right now. To sit at the computer and really bang out a great read on my ponderings of . . . .well, . . so many different things (where do I start?!). I think the reason writing is referred to as a 'craft' is that it is one. And in trying to craft something relevant, thought provoking, with good punctuation and no spelling errors, with a good flow and a nice variety of vocabulary to keep it interesting - well . . . , it just requires more time and concentration than staying home with a 3-year-old will allow. Yes, I do have the nights, but frankly I'm so tired by the end of the day that a post just becomes work for me - and not very enjoyable. Serious writers would be quick to remind me that wrtiting is work, and good writers have to work at it everyday. I'm sure they do. I'm sure the time already put in by this writer is a reason why his work seems so effortless, beautiful and enjoyable to read. Man, the man can write! And I KNOW that what I put out -even with a lot of work, focus and concentration - doesn't even sound half as good. Well, if I compare myself to every great and established writer, nothing - blog or otherwise - will ever get off the ground for me. If nothing else I appreciate the platform this blog gives me to think aloud on such matters. (Even as I write this, the young child is summoning me to 'come play Star Wars'. How many more times can I say, "In a minute sweetie"?)

Ok, anything else going on here in my 'corner'? Maybe I should refer to it more as my 'backyard' since I'm kind of going on and on here. One of my ponderings the other day had me questioning ideas of what christian women do, and how they link that to their faith. Care of the home, or "keeper of the home" to use the quote that so many Christians refer to, gets raised to a level that just isn't addressed in the Word. How clean one's home is, and how organized a gal might be in how she carries out the tasks of cooking, cleaning and caring for children, becomes in many circles the standard by which women are measured. Not only are they measured, but measured by each other, no less. The place where I heard the most said on this subject in the past was in the women's ministry circle at my local church. Well, much better things have been written on this, so I'll defer to Chewymom. I just know that some of my lowest lows in my spiritual jouney came when I was trying to live and measure myself according to such standards. Two words come to mind: legalism & pharisee. Why are we so darn prone to those things? God offers grace, and we want to come up with the yardsticks and standards to measure others by. If I ever even came close to attaining the 'standard' that we set out for ourselves, would I even need the grace of God? We receive his grace and then try to work ourselves out of needing the very thing Christ offers us .

Well, I began this post in the mid-day hours, and have tried to continue it into the evening, but I've hit the wall. Exhaustion mixed with fatigue and throw in some yawning, and that's me right now. Done.

Happy August

So, does anyone else have favorite and least favorite months?? Well, I do and I'm going to share what they are. November and April are my favorite months. August and February are my least favorite. I really want October to be my favorite month, but it is still way too hot here to really enjoy the whole Hallowwen/fall is here/go to the pumpkin patch/ drink hot cider and wear sweaters that is depicted in most magazines in the October issues. (Which of course arrives Sept. 1 - when it's still well over 100 degrees in much of Southern California!) Now, why are August and February my least favorites?? Hmmm . . well, August is just so darn hot, and mentally one might think, 'Oh September is comming - cooler weather', but NOT SO! So, the heat is so hot, and you know there is at least one more month of it to go. The cute tank tops and shorts that I was so excited about wearing back in May are now getting faded and, darn it, I'm just tired of sweating so much already! But, February?? Well, not much happens in February, and even here in sunny Southern Cal it can be cold, wet and dreary so much of the month. (And windy too) People living in states that have 'real' weather are gonna read this and say, 'cry me a river - you live in the best weather on the planet for crying out loud'. And really I should not complain. Especially because I live at the beach, too. But really, it has been so hot and humid here - are you having any sympathy for me yet?? I didn't think so. So, I'll just endure August. Maybe with all the sweating I'll drop the few pounds I'd really like to lose. Mabye there is a good side to August after all.

I Have A Blog?!

Yes, almost three months have gone by and yet, my blog has been on hold. It's almost as if I'm going along in life, reading blogs - other websites - soaking in all the cool stuff to be read and commented on out there and I sigh wistfully, "Oh, how cool it would be to have a blog and post about . . . . . " (In my head when I say this, it's in the voice of 'Dory' from Finding Nemo: But then Albert Brooks, a.k.a. 'Marlin' answers back: "You HAVE a blog, remember?", but you know Dory, and the short term memory loss and all . . ) ANYHOW, I realize, remember that yes, I actually do have a blog. So if I haven't been blogging, what have I been doing?? Hmmmm . . oh yeah, we put the house on the market - it sold - we packed-up stuff, got rid of stuff - found a new place to live (an ordeal in itself) - MOVED (can I please never do that again?) - went from being homeowners to renters. While all the aforementioned things were happening, my 3 1/2 yr. old got head lice and missed the whole end of pre-school. In fact, the head lice story has a little irony to it, because I discovered it the day after my realtor called to say, 'we have a solid offer, there will be no more showings', and I was planning on getting a bit of a break from the constant upkeep and cleaning, But, not only did I NOT get a break, all the cleaning intensified! And, my poor little Dude was subjected to constant head-checking from mom and dad for 3 weeks, along with the shampoo, etc. ,etc. Such an ordeal. But, we survived head lice and have lived to tell about it!

Other details . . . . we moved from the San Fernando Valley to Venice Beach, CA . . yes, quite a change. I could do a whole series of posts on what we've encountered while in Venice for the past month. It's fun, it's different, and I'm not nearly as car-bound for everything. The house is mostly unpacked - our only set back lately in getting all set up has been a double ear infection for the little guy and a sinus infection for me. (lovely).
I don't know quite how to wrap this up, other than to say, gotta go. I"ll be back to post more . . .sometime.

I Have A Blog?!

Yes, almost three months have gone by and yet, my blog has been on hold. It's almost as if I'm going along in life, reading blogs - other websites - soaking in all the cool stuff to be read and commented on out there and I sigh wistfully, "Oh, how cool it would be to have a blog and post about . . . . . " (In my head when I say this, it's in the voice of 'Dory' from Finding Nemo: But then Albert Brooks, a.k.a. 'Marlin' answers back: "You HAVE a blog, remember?", but you know Dory, and the short term memory loss and all . . ) ANYHOW, I realize, remember that yes, I actually do have a blog. So if I haven't been blogging, what have I been doing?? Hmmmm . . oh yeah, we put the house on the market - it sold - we packed-up stuff, got rid of stuff - found a new place to live (an ordeal in itself) - MOVED (can I please never do that again?) - went from being homeowners to renters. While all the aforementioned things were happening, my 3 1/2 yr. old got head lice and missed the whole end of pre-school. In fact, the head lice story has a little irony to it, because I discovered it the day after my realtor called to say, 'we have a solid offer, there will be no more showings', and I was planning on getting a bit of a break from the constant upkeep and cleaning, But, not only did I NOT get a break, all the cleaning intensified! And, my poor little Dude was subjected to constant head-checking from mom and dad for 3 weeks, along with the shampoo, etc. ,etc. Such an ordeal. But, we survived head lice and have lived to tell about it!

Other details . . . . we moved from the San Fernando Valley to Venice Beach, CA . . yes, quite a change. I could do a whole series of posts on what we've encountered while in Venice for the past month. It's fun, it's different, and I'm not nearly as car-bound for everything. The house is mostly unpacked - our only set back lately in getting all set up has been a double ear infection for the little guy and a sinus infection for me. (lovely).
I don't know quite how to wrap this up, other than to say, gotta go. I"ll be back to post more . . .sometime.