Jett’s first “play date”

I’ve decided that I am going to try to start writing again. It’s been a while since I have felt I had anything to say. I still don’t feel that I have anything to say…but I’m going to try to say it anyway, just for the fun of it all. I do enjoy writing about our journey, I usually learn a lot by sitting down and putting it to words. So,if for no one but me and my Creator, I’m going to give it another go.

Today Jett has a play date. Jett is our 4 month old puppy. He is a mix between Jack from Little House and Wishbone. This “play date” is with Cocoa and her family – a picnic in the park, the dog park. The boys however are not going with us – they have found a new family that think is super fun and would like to move in with them. Since that is not an option, they stick to jumping at every chance to go spend time with them. So, off we go.

(All of this while hoping i don’t have to work all night tonight. I am on call 7p-7a and actually it would be better, for everyone, if I didn’t have to work at all. I’m thinking only of the child who would have to have surgery in the middle of the night, of course.)

I am taking pics and will tell about it later! YEAH!

Jett and Cocoa :: ready to play

Jett: just checking things out

Cocoa defends Jett’s water bowl from Diamond, a “bomb dog” currently working with Homeland Security.

for fun…

I have been struggling for content lately. As it is with a site like this one, if you go too long between updates, you have so much to catch up on you don’t know where to begin. The other possibility for no content is that we have really not done anything that I thought blog worthy. I am learning the rules of a new culture and to avoid making faux pas us that may cause me trouble I avoid commenting too much about our socialization to the South. I am learning what it is to be a “Northerner” as they say I am and what I do know is that comes with some misconceptions that I’d like not to confirm by saying too much and knowing too little. Needless to say that eliminates much of what I would call blog worthy content.

One thing, if you are in the south and you get a call from the school telling you that your child is puny, it doesn’t mean that they think he’s small.  And, “bless your heart” is not always a good thing to have said to you…and that’s all that I will say on that topic.

I did find this little google fun thing – saw it on facebook and decided to go ahead and play along…we’ll use Gene’s name, that will be fun.

Here’s how it works: Google “[your first name] needs” and share the first 10 results.

Gene needs…

1. ….a Haircut.

2. ….a home.

3. … genetic tests to help decide which drugs to take.

4 .  …to be ’silenced’

5. ….therapy

6.   ….to take the Pringle approach.

7. ….3 locus genes to perform correctly.

8. …to be the definition or description of all of the properties of DNA.

9. ….advice, your help on Amana ACO 1860 AW

10. ….movable chairs.

and one more because I liked this one too….

11.  …more cowbell.

celebrating Gene today!

Trying new things.

inspiration

Today is a day for enjoying Nashville. First of all, it is December and it is in the 70’s. So, with the sun roof open, we made our way to the Country Music Hall of Fame where every Saturday there is a songwriter there sharing his/her music. For me (Juli) hearing the songwriter sing the songs that we hear on the radio is amazing – I would rather do that then go to a big concert any day. Songs are meant for the telling of a story. I love to hear the stories that led to the creation of a lyric and melody that then form a connection between many different kinds of people. Songs transcend proximity. I love that too. Songwriters inspire me. Yes, I know I live with one and while I don’t tell him this enough, his gift truly amazes me as well. It’s just a matter of time before his songs are heard too. On a side note, the song “International Harvester” gives me hope of this and convinces me of what one songwriter said is true, “it’s like this, my song is going to get cut before yours every time even if yours is better, because I know (George Strait)…”

Back to amazing talent… we heard from Skip Ewing today at the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Songwriter Session. Afterward he offered to teach Sam a little bit…something to work on besides Smoke on the Water. For taking the time, for sharing your gift, thanks Skip!

Skip is the writer of 25 top ten singles and eleven number 1’s, including “i Believe” (Diamond Rio), “You Had Me From Hello” (Kenny Chesney), “Something That We Do” (Clint Black), “Love, Me” (Collin Raye) and “Rebecca Lynn” (Bryan White). His most recent single, “Every Other Weekend,” co-written with Connie Harrington, was the CMA nominated “Vocal Event of the Year.”

Celebration.

Celebrating Advent, Wishing you Peace

“The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.”
-Frederick Buechner “Listening to Your Life,” Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 15

 

 

 

   ”Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience.

   “The world is not as just, not as loving, not as whole as we know it can and should be. But the coming of Christ and his presence among us—as one of us—give us reason to live in hope: that light will shatter the darkness, that we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices, that we are never alone or abandoned.

   “May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives.” 

Life Is an Advent Season, CONNECTIONS, 11-28-93

REALly?

So, I’m reading this book Justice in the Burbs by Will and Lisa Samson. The description on the back is an encouragement to “kiss apathy and ignorance good-bye in favor of a life of concern and action. This book is one of many influences that God is putting in my path to keep me in a constant state of angst.

I don’t hardly know where to begin. What should we be doing, where should we be living and being so that we can live a life of concern and action. Where do we need to be directing our attention, spending our time so that we are not ignorant of what is is that Jesus is doing in our city. Who is He seeking to save, to free, to offer life to.

We are just beginning our journey here and for the most part, our experience has been encouraging.

This morning, as the above coffee sleeve that hugged my Starbucks coffee, that I think I may have stolen mistaking it for free coffee, I was gripped by a sense of grief. I sat in on a good concert and took communion with a group of people that once dismissed were too hurried, too busy to even make eye contact. As Spencer displayed his i.d. number and I matched mine to his, he proclaimed, “We didn’t learn anything or talk about God, but we had a bean bag fight, it was fun!”

I was gripped by the nagging sense that while we think we are doing well – our buildings are well built, clean, our coffee is good, our seats are comfortable, our tech team is tight…we do love God – we are being paralyzed by some idea that we can be, or should be safe. Good things happen, true. I wonder though, what could happen if we actually ever saw the people who get the angel tree gifts or live in the orphanage? What could happen in and through us, how much more could God’s love be made known if we gave our lives, our time…instead of just our money?

I gotta do something about this in my life. This one family has got to get better at this. Enough talking about it, how many more times does God have to speak to me about this?

Real People, Real Coffee.

i voted today…

…and with this i am pledging to myself to keep voting. every day we will be seeking opportunities to vote – with our words, our deeds…the way we live our lives. this vote will be one for the Kingdom of God. one of love, peace, restoration and truth. just like in this election, i don’t always know what to do – what is the best way to vote. i know so many of you were certain on how to vote in this 2008 election. i envy that. but, i have not been as certain, i just don’t know. and honestly, i just did not enjoy voting today. i didn’t feel that i had an option that lined up with all that i believe. i suppose this is why God tried to avoid the whole other king thing in the first place. oh, if we could only live the life we were truly created for…that what i am voting for. i cast my unsteady, uncertain vote at the voting booth today because of “peer pressure” -and my mom told me to- more than anything. to make up for that, i will be more proactive in my primary citizenship.

our first act will be to start each day reciting the pledge of allegiance:

We pledge our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God.

We pledge allegiance

to a peace that is not like Rome’s.

To the gospel of enemy-love.

We pledge allegiance

To the kingdom of the poor and broken

To a king who loves his enemies so much he died for them.

To the least of these, with whom Christ dwells.

To the trannational Church that transcend the artificial border of nations.

We pledge allegiance

To the refugee of Nazareth.

To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head.

To the cross rather that the sword.

To the banner of love above any flag.

To the one who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist.

To the one who rides a donkey rather than a war horse.

We pledge allegiance

To the revolution that sets both the oppressed and the oppressors free.

To the way that leads to life.

To the slaughtered lamb.

 

(taken from Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals, Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw.) 

We have traveled far, still there is far to go.

While we adjust to a new city and a new culture, as we seek to discern the details of our mission here, we pray. I have been praying for friendships and for understanding. What is our role with the local church? Where should we be placing our attention? To tell you the truth, I have been trying to figure it all out – you know, leaning on my own understanding…  Well about a week ago I ran across this prayer and began to incorporate it into my conversations with God. I admit too, that I have also been wrestling with my synicism and doubts, with my disbelief and defeatism.

Today I am starting to see that if I just give up, trust Him to put all things together, He will. Imagine that.

May God bless you
with a restless discomfort
about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May god bless you
with holy anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom and peace among all people.

May God bless you
with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish,
so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you
with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in this world,
so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

//St. Francis of Assisi

Gene and I were talking about the past 20 years of our journey. We have come full circle in some matters, we are so far away from where we started in many other ways. On some matters we are just beginning to see there is something there to explore. I think our conclusion was that  while we have traveled far, we still have far to go. We could pray this prayer, along with my other frequent conversation starters, “Help!” “Show me Mercy!”, and “Please, tell me you love me.”…for the rest of my life and still be relatively clueless. If I should vote or not should be the least of my concerns.