Facebook silliness

Some people on facebook decided it is doppleganger week - which apparently means that you are supposed to post a picture of a celebrity who people say you look like. 

This is sort of ridiculous, since most of us don't have the advantage of airbrushed photography, personal trainers, and cosmetic dentistry - not to mention all the facials, massages and vacations they take to relieve stress and make them look beautiful.  Honestly though, to give them some credit, I love movies and think  they do great and often hard work!

Anyways - I don't think I look like any celebrities, but I did the match thing anyway - which I will not post on facebook because I think it's total crap.  But the results were funny, so here they are: David Schwimmer (a dude!) and Amy Adams.

Maybe I have David's face and Amy's hair!

If you have absolutely nothing else to do and want to waste some time - go to  myheritage.com to see your matches.

blog templates and creativity

I'm having fun changing the template and design for this blog.  It's like getting to design and decorate space in a new apartment, except with much more freedom to mess up and re-do...with just the click of a button.  I just realized that tumblr has some neat blog designs, but i'm already faithful to blogger, so i won't switch over right now.

Anyway - this is fun and it's also a way for me to be a little creative.

Creativity is something I haven't thought a lot about in the last year or so.  Living the everyday in survival mode doesn't really open up much room to be creative, but in the last few weeks I've been thinking more about it and feeling inspired.

I started knitting again (!),  and I got a new camera.
So I can start taking pictures again, which I LOVE to do.

I am discovering more and more that I need a creative outlet in my life to feel balanced and that God in fact created us that way.   

The sermon at The Orchard today is what helped me put all these thoughts together.  It was about redemption, creativity, and beauty - much more than just what I've mentioned in my ramblings. You can listen here.

Isaiah 61:1,3

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me...

(v3)to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion -

to bestow on them

a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

What I took home from this is a huge reminder that God is about making things whole and beautiful...and taking things like despair, mourning and ashes and giving them new life and meaning.   

Redemption. Continual redemption - not just one time or one chance for redemption, but ongoing.  There is hope for the mourners and the brokenhearted.  There is hope for God to make something beautiful out of our ashes and there is hope for you and for me to add to the beautiful work that He is doing with our lives.  This is good news for me. such good news.

A book I'm reading

First off, I just want to express my doubts about this blog actually lasting very long.  I really love reading other people's blogs.  Some folks are just good writers, but I may be more of a reader and less of a writer!

I also have some issue with journaling for the public.  I'm just saying to my one reader out there, that this blog might be short lived.

However, for now, I'm still trying to have more faith and less fear and do things that bring that thought to life - like blogging and trying to love people and myself, running races, and dreaming things for the future. 

So, on to the book....It's Simple Spirituality by Christopher Heuertz.  I bought this book at a missions conference I went to in December called Urbana.   It's hard to sum up what Urbana is about, but if you're interested, you should check it out here.  

So far, I have made it about half way through this book. Chris, the author, has worked with Word Made Flesh, an organization that supports and sends workers to some of the poorest cities in the world to serve and learn and live.

In the book, Chris discusses 5 main "practices" you might call them that help to cultivate a simple life of following Christ and "learning to see God in a broken world," which is the subtitle of the book.   They are Humility, Community, Simplicity, Submission, and Brokenness.

I think I have a general misunderstanding and romanticized view of community, not knowing what it truly looks like and not knowing what it means for my life...and also a little frustrated about how people throw the word around without clarifying what it actually means for day to day life.

I know some people living in urban neighborhoods and they share life together and reach out to their neighbors living in poverty, but what is community if it doesn't look exactly like that?  What does it mean for my life and how do I move toward living in community? 

Chris's book has helped clear some things up for me and broaden my understanding.  I'll just share a few lines and I'll keep reading.

"Often, community provides orientation and clarification for identity.  Both in intimate relationships such as marriage and in thriving and growing communities, who we are is accented and highlighted - the best and the worst of us. 

As simple as it is difficult, we must learn to see past the lies "I am what I have," "I am what I do," and "I am what other people say about me" to the truth that we are the beloved sons and daughters of the King.  Seeing our own belovedness will give us the eyes to see the belovedness of others.  Learning to recognize these truths about ourselves allows us to see these things for and in our community.  It creates space for the miracle of community to happen."

Tomato Soup, Running a Race, and some thoughts for 2010

Yesterday I opened a can of tomato soup for lunch, mixed in a little milk and added some cheese on top.  It was a nice meal for a cold day, but it was especially nice because it was the last bit of a "care package" my grandma sent home with me the last time we were together.  The package had jelly, peanut butter, some bread, a few other sundry items, and this soup.  For some reason, I was saving the soup - it reminded me of how of how thoughtful and intentional she was about taking care of me, even as an adult.  What a wonderful thing it is to have someone remember you and take care of some of your needs.  This little can of soup reminded me of all of this and reminded me of what I get to do for other people - give them love and cans of soup, or maybe not soup, but whatever I can give and whatever the need.  Great to share one last meal with my grandma.  


I have said for some years now that I want to run a race.  Probably not a marathon, but how about starting with a 10K?  I've always been afraid to sign up for one because I was fairly certain I would not run enough to be ready when the race came!   I'm not a runner by any means - my knees hurt, I'm slow, and I'm out of shape...but i'm hoping to change that as soon as the weather warms up a few degrees.  So this is just another small way that I can do something I have some fear about doing, and I'll probably get a t-shirt, so that's a plus.  The 10K is in April here in Oxford. 

I'm am indeed thankful for the start of a new year.  Not that time is really divided into neat little numbered boxes we call years - but, we humans of course need a way to mark time and to help us remember our lives!  So, I am thankful for a fresh start this year, and  I feel encouraged and hopeful.  Not much will be changing right now in the way of work and routine, but I'm really asking God to help me move forward and trust him to take some steps of faith very soon - probably this summer - which I'm hoping will include a job and moving away from Oxford.

Another goal for this year is to read through the Bible in a year, which i've never done.   I'm going to be using this website to help me.  www.youversion.com 

By the way - the snow is still here.  10 degrees here this morning.  crazy!

Snow in Oxford!

It's snowing today in Oxford, and I'm thankful for that snow because it gave me a much needed sabbath (aka "snow day" because we don't know how to deal with snow here - so the schools close!)  I haven't taken a day to do nothing since way before Christmas.  I ended up cleaning out my closet and hanging out online most of the day, and also giving the dog lots of romps in the snow, but I feel rested a bit too. The sun is out and the snow is melting already - pretty typical of a Mississippi winter.  Here's a picture of my snowy yard.