I have issues with saying the blessing at meal time.
I know this is such an unpopular opinion to have, but I just have to get this off my chest.
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE (myself included, sometimes) SAY A "BLESSING" AT MEALTIME.
I'm not confused by the concept of being thankful that God gave us food. I AM thankful that God gave me, and my family, food. I really am. Not just in a "yeah yeah yeah, I'm thankful God gave me food. Whatever" kind of way, but in a legitimate, "I get that there are lots of people who DON'T have food, and I get that it's ONLY by God's provision that I DO have food" kind of way.
But....
Saying the blessing to me seems like so much more of a formality, or an obligatory, or an "expected" thing to do.
Why, for example, do you not say the blessing when you drive through McDonalds and order a fry, or an ice cream? Are you not thankful for that?
How come, if you get hungry at work, and you munch on the granola bar that you brought, do you not close your eyes and say a blessing for that? Didn't God make that granola bar available to you as well?
For that matter, why don't you say a "blessing" when you are at your gas pump? Aren't you thankful that God gave you gas? How about when you drink a bottle of water? Thank GOD we have clean water to drink...seriously...but no one says a "blessing" for that.
If your toddler goes out in the backyard and has a popsicle, do you remind them to say the blessing first? Or is it only if they're sitting at the table, that a blessing is "required"? OR is the rule "only if it's a substantial meal, do you need to say the blessing first?". Or is it like a "we say the blessing three times a day, no more no less" kind of thing?
One quick disclaimer...
We DO say the blessing with Gunnar, but that is because I feel like at two years old, any possible opportunity where I can make God real, and relevant, and practical to him, I'm going to take it. I want him to understand that God is loving, that God provides for us, that every gift we have is from God, and I feel like when we thank God, our loud, for what's on our plate, it drives the point home to GUNNAR that God gave us our food.
But here's what annoys me....
I hate anything that people do, especially "spiritual" things, that they're ONLY doing because,
a) its just what you're "supposed" to do
b) it's what other people think you should do
when in reality, you personally, have no idea why you're doing it. Its simply rote, routine, robotic.
Another disclaimer..
I DEFINITELY am guilty of doing this. I'm not calling anyone else out with this rant. I'm calling myself out. I do not always say the blessing before every meal, and I don't feel guilty about it. I ALWAYS say it though, when I'm around other people who I know expect it. In the pre-Gunnar days, Nason and I did NOT always say the blessing before every dinner, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if we had people over who we knew DID say the blessing before every meal, we'd FOR SURE be saying it that night. Fake!!!! Phony!!!!
I'm not opposed to saying a mealtime blessing. I guess maybe it's a good way to ensure that, if nothing else, at least three times a day, you are reminding yourself of where your blessings come from. I would just like to think that I could somehow maintain a thankful heart and attitude throughout the day without having to spew out a canned prayer, at designated times, whether my heart and mind truly were aligned with what I was saying or not. I would like to think that my relationship with God is such that He and I are communicating ALL throughout the day, and that prayers of thankfulness are just intertwined throughout my regular conversations with Him.
But who knows? I'm probably totally in the wrong here.
My blog posts are nothing more than my opinion, and the random thoughts that bounce around in my head. They are definitely not meant to sway anyone else's opinion (well for sure this one isn't, anyway), and I'm sure they're often times totally off base.
I guess I could have added this to my "Things I Don't Do" list.
"I do not say the blessing at every mealtime" (except [disclaimer #1] with Gunnar and except [disclaimer #2] when I'm trying to impress people by how Godly I am])
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opinion. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Martin Bash-ing
All My Children used to be the show that I ALWAYS had on during Gunnar's naptime, that I would watch while I ate lunch, or folded laundry, or did whatever household chores were on the to-list for the given day. Sadly, and despite all logic and reasoning, AMC came to an end this year. So did Oprah, AND the Regis- half of Regis and Kelly. Not that I'm wallowing in my TV show sorrows or anything.
Anyway, I needed a new "show". Couple this, with the fact that one of my goals for the year was to reacquaint myself with politics and current events (there was a time, not so long ago, where I actually could have contributed, SOMEWHAT intelligently, to a conversation about politics, government, and world events, but then I became a mom, and my time was spent on other things, and my brain became mush) and I decided to start tuning in to MSNBC during Gunnar's naptime.
Now it just so happens that Gunnar is typically snoozing right around two o'clock, which is exactly when a certain Martin Bashir spews his nonsensical opinions on the air, and I'm therefore forced to listen to them. Or, I could just change the channel, or turn the TV off. But I've found that it's actually quite fun to yell out loud, or in my head, at him (and his nonsensical opinions). Anyway, he said something this week that really just annoyed me. He expressed that, in his opinion, birth control is the best way to ensure that a woman doesn't "have to" have an abortion.
Now, I'm not opposed to birth control. At all. What I am opposed to though, is people who have no concept whatsoever of personal responsibility. Well that, and people who have no regard for human life in general.
The best way to not "have to" have an abortion, is to remind yourself that sometimes having sex results in making a baby. Having reminded yourself of that, if you still want to proceed, accept responsibility for the life you create, if you create it. Grow up, and raise your child, already! If you're unable to do that...NEWS FLASH! There's other people who ARE willing to give your child a loving home...it's called "adoption". Uh-dop-shun. Why in the world would anyone ever "have to" kill their baby? I seriously can't wrap my brain around it. But thanks for making throw up in my mouth a little bit, Martin.
Anyway, I needed a new "show". Couple this, with the fact that one of my goals for the year was to reacquaint myself with politics and current events (there was a time, not so long ago, where I actually could have contributed, SOMEWHAT intelligently, to a conversation about politics, government, and world events, but then I became a mom, and my time was spent on other things, and my brain became mush) and I decided to start tuning in to MSNBC during Gunnar's naptime.
Now it just so happens that Gunnar is typically snoozing right around two o'clock, which is exactly when a certain Martin Bashir spews his nonsensical opinions on the air, and I'm therefore forced to listen to them. Or, I could just change the channel, or turn the TV off. But I've found that it's actually quite fun to yell out loud, or in my head, at him (and his nonsensical opinions). Anyway, he said something this week that really just annoyed me. He expressed that, in his opinion, birth control is the best way to ensure that a woman doesn't "have to" have an abortion.
Now, I'm not opposed to birth control. At all. What I am opposed to though, is people who have no concept whatsoever of personal responsibility. Well that, and people who have no regard for human life in general.
The best way to not "have to" have an abortion, is to remind yourself that sometimes having sex results in making a baby. Having reminded yourself of that, if you still want to proceed, accept responsibility for the life you create, if you create it. Grow up, and raise your child, already! If you're unable to do that...NEWS FLASH! There's other people who ARE willing to give your child a loving home...it's called "adoption". Uh-dop-shun. Why in the world would anyone ever "have to" kill their baby? I seriously can't wrap my brain around it. But thanks for making throw up in my mouth a little bit, Martin.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Gunnar is Awesome/A Turd
Seriously, he is.
Here's my Big Thought on kids, and on being a parent:
There is no "easiest" stage, and there is no "hardest" stage.
As soon as you get the hang of one thing, you become clueless about some new thing.
As soon as one easy thing starts to become harder, one harder thing starts to become easier.
As soon as one new habit/disciplinary problem begins, one totally cute/fun aspect of their personality emerges.
I could go on and on about the ironies of parenting. Oh, here's another one. There are some days, when all day long, all you can think about is, "I cannot WAIT to drop this kid off at his grandparents for the night, and have a break..and then the second you drop him off, you think, "Oh man. I'm gonna miss him so much! I can't wait to go pick him up in the morning". (well, and then you have a margarita, some queso, and an actual conversation with your husband, and you think, "I DO miss him, but I think I CAN wait until the morning to pick him up ;) )
Anyway, the last few months, Gunnar has tried our patience possibly more than he ever has before. He is strong headed. He is insistent. He is bound and determined to do what he wants to do. (He is his daddy). He is fussy. He is whiny. He is defiantly disobedient many times. He develops some new and random fear every week (this week it is "cats"), messing up his bedtime and naptime, and causing us to constantly revamp our plan, our strategy, and our rules of what he can and cannot watch, read and listen to.
But....
He is the most fun he has ever been. He is TOTALLY a REAL member of the family now. What I mean is, he's not just a baby that gets taken care of, but doesn't contribute much to what goes on. Nope. He has a personality, and he has opinions, and he has things to talk about. He has things he wants to do, and asks to do. He has people he likes, and people he doesn't like. He has a sense of humor...he can intentionally tell jokes, and kid around with us now, and we love it. He says funny little phrases and expressions like, "Oh wait, actually...nevermind" (that's a mama phrase, by the way), and,"hey, let's hang out for a bit", and, "I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!". He can be reasoned with. He understands a LOT more about the world, and how it works. He remembers things that he is taught. He uses words like, "stupendous". He pats my hair and says, "it's ok mama, it'll be alright", when I discipline him about something, which is kind of condescending, but still pretty funny.
Anyway, I just love that little guy to the moon and back, and have become so aware lately of what a NON-baby he is, and what a KID he has become, and while in some ways I mourn that a bit, I mainly just love it. I could kiss on his chubby cheeks and fuzzy little blonde head all day long, and mostly, I do.
And I also still think that he's a total turd.
Here's my Big Thought on kids, and on being a parent:
There is no "easiest" stage, and there is no "hardest" stage.
As soon as you get the hang of one thing, you become clueless about some new thing.
As soon as one easy thing starts to become harder, one harder thing starts to become easier.
As soon as one new habit/disciplinary problem begins, one totally cute/fun aspect of their personality emerges.
I could go on and on about the ironies of parenting. Oh, here's another one. There are some days, when all day long, all you can think about is, "I cannot WAIT to drop this kid off at his grandparents for the night, and have a break..and then the second you drop him off, you think, "Oh man. I'm gonna miss him so much! I can't wait to go pick him up in the morning". (well, and then you have a margarita, some queso, and an actual conversation with your husband, and you think, "I DO miss him, but I think I CAN wait until the morning to pick him up ;) )
Anyway, the last few months, Gunnar has tried our patience possibly more than he ever has before. He is strong headed. He is insistent. He is bound and determined to do what he wants to do. (He is his daddy). He is fussy. He is whiny. He is defiantly disobedient many times. He develops some new and random fear every week (this week it is "cats"), messing up his bedtime and naptime, and causing us to constantly revamp our plan, our strategy, and our rules of what he can and cannot watch, read and listen to.
But....
He is the most fun he has ever been. He is TOTALLY a REAL member of the family now. What I mean is, he's not just a baby that gets taken care of, but doesn't contribute much to what goes on. Nope. He has a personality, and he has opinions, and he has things to talk about. He has things he wants to do, and asks to do. He has people he likes, and people he doesn't like. He has a sense of humor...he can intentionally tell jokes, and kid around with us now, and we love it. He says funny little phrases and expressions like, "Oh wait, actually...nevermind" (that's a mama phrase, by the way), and,"hey, let's hang out for a bit", and, "I'm so excited, I can hardly wait!". He can be reasoned with. He understands a LOT more about the world, and how it works. He remembers things that he is taught. He uses words like, "stupendous". He pats my hair and says, "it's ok mama, it'll be alright", when I discipline him about something, which is kind of condescending, but still pretty funny.
Anyway, I just love that little guy to the moon and back, and have become so aware lately of what a NON-baby he is, and what a KID he has become, and while in some ways I mourn that a bit, I mainly just love it. I could kiss on his chubby cheeks and fuzzy little blonde head all day long, and mostly, I do.
And I also still think that he's a total turd.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Weekly Musings
It turns out that....
I can't eat whatever I want, in whatever quantities I want, and NOT gain weight. Who woulda thunk it? Mine and Nason's infamous vegan diet kind of tapered off in December, and we just haven't seemed to be able to get back on track. I think partly due to the fact that I'm running again, and try as I might, I can't seem to convince my subconcious that people who run a lot do NOT automatically have a license to consume 3000 calories a day. It's also partly due to the fact that I hate vegetables. I mean, I just really do. How in the HELL are you supposed to be a vegan when you hate vegetables? I was telling Nason this morning, here's the deal: I can pretty much starve myself (not that I've ever done that) and exercise like a maniac, and I'm capable of losing about 8 pounds total. That's pretty much the most I've ever lost. Or, I can live off of cheeseburgers and tater tots, and GAIN about 8 pounds total. That's pretty much the most I've ever gained. I never seem to notice a HUGE difference between the two extremes, except maybe having an indentation in my hips at the end of the day, from the waist band of my slightly-too-tight jeans digging into my waist, so I may as well just eat what I want, and forget about it. Then Nason reminded me, "yeah, but you can still get cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and premature aging". Oh yeah. There is that. Well crap.
It also turns out that...
I have the skin of of 14 year old kid. Oh wait...not in a good way. I don't mean that my skin is youthful and glowing. It's so not. I mean that I still break out like a teenager!!! I NEVER EVER EVER had pimples in junior high or high school, when most people get them. I'm serious...never. Then, suddenly, when I was 24, I started getting a bad case of pimple face. I actually had to start using Proactive. I've been using it ever since, but it's expensive, and honestly, it's a pain in the butt to haul Gunnar into the mall once a month to buy a new bottle, so this month, I thought, I'm 30 years old for crying out loud. Surely I don't need medicated face cream. So I quit using it, and guess what? I broke out! Oh my gosh. My self-esteem has taken a beating this month. Weight gain and pimples all in one month? Lovely. So, it's back to Proactive.
I feel justified.....
In cutting Gunnar's grapes and hotdogs in half. I have taken a lot of heat over the last two years, for how I cut Gunnar's food up into microscopic bites. Everyone can lay off me, because in the last 5 months or so, I have eased up a lot, and today, can proudly report that for the most part, Gunnar's morsels are about the same size as all of our his other buddies. However....I have a thing about grapes and hot dogs. They freak me out. Well, hot dogs just freak me out in general. Gunnar does NOT eat many of them. They just seem....icky. But when he DOES eat them, and when he eats grapes, I still cut those suckers up pretty small...and this week, I read an article in a parenting magazine, about how grapes and hotdogs are the NUMBER ONE thing that kids choke (to death!!) on, and that kids UNDER FOUR should NOT eat grapes or hot dogs that have not been cut up. So there. I don't want ANY lip, from ANYbody, ANYmore. When he's four, we'll reassess the situation.
You should...
Live near your parents and/or in-laws if you have kids. Well I mean, unless you just have a good reason not to. But seriously....having grandparents (who are willing and eager to keep your kids) nearby is just about the greatest thing ever. Lucky for us, BOTH sets of our parents live close, and volunteer to watch Gunnar for us often. This weekend, Little Man stayed Friday night through noon on Saturday at Nason's parents, and although we missed him (seriously, we did), we had the BEST time. We tried out Contigo, which we'd never been to before. Super cool. I had their "Moscow Mule" (vodka, ginger brew, and lime)...tasty. Go! Try it! We'll go with you! : ) We should be able to get a sitter pretty easy ; )
I found...
A few never-before seen pictures, on my phone. My phone is actually Nason's old phone, so I was scrolling through all the pictures, and found a few cute ones he'd taken, that I'd never seen before. Let's just call this "Picture Dumping for the Sake of Making My Blog More Visually Pleasing"...
I can't eat whatever I want, in whatever quantities I want, and NOT gain weight. Who woulda thunk it? Mine and Nason's infamous vegan diet kind of tapered off in December, and we just haven't seemed to be able to get back on track. I think partly due to the fact that I'm running again, and try as I might, I can't seem to convince my subconcious that people who run a lot do NOT automatically have a license to consume 3000 calories a day. It's also partly due to the fact that I hate vegetables. I mean, I just really do. How in the HELL are you supposed to be a vegan when you hate vegetables? I was telling Nason this morning, here's the deal: I can pretty much starve myself (not that I've ever done that) and exercise like a maniac, and I'm capable of losing about 8 pounds total. That's pretty much the most I've ever lost. Or, I can live off of cheeseburgers and tater tots, and GAIN about 8 pounds total. That's pretty much the most I've ever gained. I never seem to notice a HUGE difference between the two extremes, except maybe having an indentation in my hips at the end of the day, from the waist band of my slightly-too-tight jeans digging into my waist, so I may as well just eat what I want, and forget about it. Then Nason reminded me, "yeah, but you can still get cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and premature aging". Oh yeah. There is that. Well crap.
It also turns out that...
I have the skin of of 14 year old kid. Oh wait...not in a good way. I don't mean that my skin is youthful and glowing. It's so not. I mean that I still break out like a teenager!!! I NEVER EVER EVER had pimples in junior high or high school, when most people get them. I'm serious...never. Then, suddenly, when I was 24, I started getting a bad case of pimple face. I actually had to start using Proactive. I've been using it ever since, but it's expensive, and honestly, it's a pain in the butt to haul Gunnar into the mall once a month to buy a new bottle, so this month, I thought, I'm 30 years old for crying out loud. Surely I don't need medicated face cream. So I quit using it, and guess what? I broke out! Oh my gosh. My self-esteem has taken a beating this month. Weight gain and pimples all in one month? Lovely. So, it's back to Proactive.
I feel justified.....
In cutting Gunnar's grapes and hotdogs in half. I have taken a lot of heat over the last two years, for how I cut Gunnar's food up into microscopic bites. Everyone can lay off me, because in the last 5 months or so, I have eased up a lot, and today, can proudly report that for the most part, Gunnar's morsels are about the same size as all of our his other buddies. However....I have a thing about grapes and hot dogs. They freak me out. Well, hot dogs just freak me out in general. Gunnar does NOT eat many of them. They just seem....icky. But when he DOES eat them, and when he eats grapes, I still cut those suckers up pretty small...and this week, I read an article in a parenting magazine, about how grapes and hotdogs are the NUMBER ONE thing that kids choke (to death!!) on, and that kids UNDER FOUR should NOT eat grapes or hot dogs that have not been cut up. So there. I don't want ANY lip, from ANYbody, ANYmore. When he's four, we'll reassess the situation.
You should...
Live near your parents and/or in-laws if you have kids. Well I mean, unless you just have a good reason not to. But seriously....having grandparents (who are willing and eager to keep your kids) nearby is just about the greatest thing ever. Lucky for us, BOTH sets of our parents live close, and volunteer to watch Gunnar for us often. This weekend, Little Man stayed Friday night through noon on Saturday at Nason's parents, and although we missed him (seriously, we did), we had the BEST time. We tried out Contigo, which we'd never been to before. Super cool. I had their "Moscow Mule" (vodka, ginger brew, and lime)...tasty. Go! Try it! We'll go with you! : ) We should be able to get a sitter pretty easy ; )
I found...
A few never-before seen pictures, on my phone. My phone is actually Nason's old phone, so I was scrolling through all the pictures, and found a few cute ones he'd taken, that I'd never seen before. Let's just call this "Picture Dumping for the Sake of Making My Blog More Visually Pleasing"...
So yeah...you may not want to sit in that particular chair when you come to our house. That's a bit gross, I suppose.
The night we brought cupcakes to the Looper's at the hospital, for Benjamin's 1 Week Birthday
Ok, this is a weird one. My parents have a ping pong table at their house, and Nason and my brother, Josh, invented a game where they hit ping pong balls at each others backs. I think there's more to the game than that, but I can't remember the details. This is what a person's back looks like though, when another person hits ping pong balls at it.
Grammy and Poppy's gift to Gunnar for his birthday
Skyping with the Box's while they were in Uganda!
Aww. I like this one. Dancing at the Domain with my (little) man.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Initial Thoughts on "Radical"....
First of all, a warning. If you haven't read "Radical", you're going to be super bored, or confused, but mostly just bored, by this post. You really really are. So if you don't fall into the category of people who have read the book, I suggest you stop reading now.
Also, I'm kind of laughing at myself right now, because I'm thinking, if you take the 20 or so people who read this blog, then subtract the number of people who HAVEN'T read "Radical", you're probably down to about 3 people, and then if you subtract the number of people who HAVE read it, but who DON'T care about my opinion and thoughts on it, you're probably down to 1 person. And that person is probably Krista, who is my best friend, and whom I could just discuss the book with in person any 'ole time.
So anyway (Krista) here are my thoughts, thus far ; )
Things I Definitely Totally 100% Agree With From the Book:
I definitely, totally, one hundred percent agree that God asks us, as followers of Christ, to be "radically" obedient to Him, and I definitely, one hundred percent agree that many of us, probably MOST of us, myself for sure included, are not. I think that "radically obedient" means that when God asks us to do something, we do it. EVEN IF...no, ESPECIALLY IF... it doesn't make sense, isn't comfortable, isn't logical, goes against what everyone else is doing, seems impossible, seems crazy. I believe that it is safe to assume that God OFTEN times DOES ask us to do things that fall into that category. I believe that God SERIOUSLY is not concerned with what we find to be comfortable, safe, and logical, but that He IS concerned with reaching a very lost, very hurting, very needy, very desperate world, for Him, and that in order to please Him, and truly live for Him, anyone who claims to be a Christian needs to be primarily concerned with the same thing, AND (I know this is a huge run-on sentence) that "being concerned with the same thing" often times will mean that we HAVE to do things that are crazy, uncomfortable, and "radical", because how in the world else are you going to, for example, love on and care for orphans and AIDS victims in Africa, other than to do something a bit crazier than sit in your living room and watch American Idol every night? Oh wait...I just remembered....there IS that "Idol Gives Back" episode, where you can call in and donate money to charity. That's pretty radical, right?? ; )
Things That Fall Into the.."I'm Still Chewing on This, and Not Sure What My Thoughts Are" Category:
Well, there's only one, so far. As my small group continues to go through this book, I intend to post more thoughts in this category. Things that I haven't fully decided I agree with, but definitely haven't thrown into the "this is crap" pile. This is the category that, if there IS anyone still reading this post, I'd definitely love your feedback on. Or....Krista....we can just discuss at accountability.
The author, David Platt, seems to go on and on about how it is hard for us, as Americans who have so much "stuff" (entertainment, wealth, resources, education, etc) to be truly dependent on God. We are so self-sufficient, or at least we think we are, that often times we feel like we don't even need God. Because of this, Platt challenges all of us to intentionally strip ourselves of many of the "extras" we have, that contribute to these feelings of self-sufficiency....basically, to intentionally simplify our lives, for the purpose of being able to better recognize our need for God.
I'm not so sure about this point. I'm not saying I'm opposed to stripping ourselves of extras, or simplifying our lives (in fact, I'll discuss that more in a bit), but it seems to me that if we have to DO things in order to make ourselves dependent on God, we're almost manipulating the situation. The whole point is supposed to be for us to recognize our need for God, and our insufficiency on our own, but if we are orchestrating situations....purposely MAKING our lives more difficult, less comfortable, etc, just so that we can experience a FEELING of needing God, it almost seems to me that that is belittling God. It's like, God isn't big enough or powerful enough to just, by His very nature, COMMAND our dependence and worship, or, God isn't capable of putting us in situations where we are required to depend on Him, so therefore we need to "help Him out", and take control, and DO things in an attempt to manufacture a feeling of dependence on Him.
I'm pretty sure that I am not expressing this point in a way that makes much sense. It makes a lot of sense in my head, but I wasn't really able to verbalize it very well to our small group last week, and I thought I'd have better luck WRITING it out, but I'm still having a hard time translating my thoughts into words. Anyway, maybe I just need more time to ponder that point.
Things About the Book That I Don't Like
So, I've already stated above what I think "radical obedience" means. However, I wonder if sometimes books like "Radical", and even "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan, don't possibly result in people being "radical", but missing the "obedient" part. Here's what I mean...
I think it's possible, after reading "Radical" to walk away and conclude that, the way to truly please God, to truly be obedient, to truly impact the world for Christ, to truly be holy, to truly WHATEVER, is to sell all your stuff. Or to be poor. Or to be as uncomfortable and unhappy as possible. Or to move to a third world country. Or to frown upon any and all comfort, luxury, and entertainment. To do those things, and then think, "Ok, now I'm for sure being obedient to God". What I'm saying, is this: Radical OBEDIENCE, requires being OBEDIENT to what God is specifically asking YOU to do. It's not about just being radical for the sake of being radical. Being radical just to say you are radical isn't necessarily being obedient to God. Are you purposefully, prayerfully, EARNESTLY, daily seeking God, and His will for your life? (and by the way, I'm not claiming that I do an awesome job at this, because I don't) Through that, do you feel Him leading you to sell your stuff? Give up some or all of your comforts and luxuries? Move away and become a missionary? He might be. He really might be. If so, you've got to do it. You have to obey, even if it seems radical. BUT, are you NOT purposefully, prayerfully, earnestly and daily seeking God's will, and you just think that by acting radically on a whim, you're obeying God? I don't necessarily buy into that. In a roundabout way, I guess what I'm saying is that I think after reading this book, it would be easy to take our eyes off of God, and what he is specifically asking us to do. It would be easy to forget about the whole POINT of being radically obedient, which is to reach people for God. In fact, it could be easy to forget about the PEOPLE completely... lost and hurting PEOPLE who don't know God are the FOCUS of what we're being radically obedient to DO. I think it could be easy to get swept away in the idea of just giving stuff away, and stripping ourselves of stuff, without even remembering that it's for the PURPOSE of being able to GIVE to others. Here's a good way to summarize what I'm trying to say:
There are three "camps" a reader could fall into, after reading this book:
1) Whoa, that's way too radical, and I don't believe God is asking me to do ANY of that stuff (this, for the record, is a bad camp to be in)
2) I need to go sell all of my stuff now, because David Platt insinuates that I should (and I personally feel like he DOES insinuate that)
3) I need to start praying, "God, what is something you are calling ME PERSONALLY to be radically obedient to? Show me what it is, so that I can do it" (that is the camp I would like to be in)
Gosh, the more I keep writing, the more thoughts start swirling through my head about this book, and the more rambling and confusing I become. That's ok though. This is kind of one of those posts that is more for my own benefit than for my legions (ha ha) of readers. My hope is that as we continue to go through this book, God will be more and more clear with me about what He wants me to understand from the book. Maybe at that point, my thoughts on this will get more concise.
Thanks for hanging in there with me through this extremely long and rambling post. Krista ; )
Also, I'm kind of laughing at myself right now, because I'm thinking, if you take the 20 or so people who read this blog, then subtract the number of people who HAVEN'T read "Radical", you're probably down to about 3 people, and then if you subtract the number of people who HAVE read it, but who DON'T care about my opinion and thoughts on it, you're probably down to 1 person. And that person is probably Krista, who is my best friend, and whom I could just discuss the book with in person any 'ole time.
So anyway (Krista) here are my thoughts, thus far ; )
Things I Definitely Totally 100% Agree With From the Book:
I definitely, totally, one hundred percent agree that God asks us, as followers of Christ, to be "radically" obedient to Him, and I definitely, one hundred percent agree that many of us, probably MOST of us, myself for sure included, are not. I think that "radically obedient" means that when God asks us to do something, we do it. EVEN IF...no, ESPECIALLY IF... it doesn't make sense, isn't comfortable, isn't logical, goes against what everyone else is doing, seems impossible, seems crazy. I believe that it is safe to assume that God OFTEN times DOES ask us to do things that fall into that category. I believe that God SERIOUSLY is not concerned with what we find to be comfortable, safe, and logical, but that He IS concerned with reaching a very lost, very hurting, very needy, very desperate world, for Him, and that in order to please Him, and truly live for Him, anyone who claims to be a Christian needs to be primarily concerned with the same thing, AND (I know this is a huge run-on sentence) that "being concerned with the same thing" often times will mean that we HAVE to do things that are crazy, uncomfortable, and "radical", because how in the world else are you going to, for example, love on and care for orphans and AIDS victims in Africa, other than to do something a bit crazier than sit in your living room and watch American Idol every night? Oh wait...I just remembered....there IS that "Idol Gives Back" episode, where you can call in and donate money to charity. That's pretty radical, right?? ; )
Things That Fall Into the.."I'm Still Chewing on This, and Not Sure What My Thoughts Are" Category:
Well, there's only one, so far. As my small group continues to go through this book, I intend to post more thoughts in this category. Things that I haven't fully decided I agree with, but definitely haven't thrown into the "this is crap" pile. This is the category that, if there IS anyone still reading this post, I'd definitely love your feedback on. Or....Krista....we can just discuss at accountability.
The author, David Platt, seems to go on and on about how it is hard for us, as Americans who have so much "stuff" (entertainment, wealth, resources, education, etc) to be truly dependent on God. We are so self-sufficient, or at least we think we are, that often times we feel like we don't even need God. Because of this, Platt challenges all of us to intentionally strip ourselves of many of the "extras" we have, that contribute to these feelings of self-sufficiency....basically, to intentionally simplify our lives, for the purpose of being able to better recognize our need for God.
I'm not so sure about this point. I'm not saying I'm opposed to stripping ourselves of extras, or simplifying our lives (in fact, I'll discuss that more in a bit), but it seems to me that if we have to DO things in order to make ourselves dependent on God, we're almost manipulating the situation. The whole point is supposed to be for us to recognize our need for God, and our insufficiency on our own, but if we are orchestrating situations....purposely MAKING our lives more difficult, less comfortable, etc, just so that we can experience a FEELING of needing God, it almost seems to me that that is belittling God. It's like, God isn't big enough or powerful enough to just, by His very nature, COMMAND our dependence and worship, or, God isn't capable of putting us in situations where we are required to depend on Him, so therefore we need to "help Him out", and take control, and DO things in an attempt to manufacture a feeling of dependence on Him.
I'm pretty sure that I am not expressing this point in a way that makes much sense. It makes a lot of sense in my head, but I wasn't really able to verbalize it very well to our small group last week, and I thought I'd have better luck WRITING it out, but I'm still having a hard time translating my thoughts into words. Anyway, maybe I just need more time to ponder that point.
Things About the Book That I Don't Like
So, I've already stated above what I think "radical obedience" means. However, I wonder if sometimes books like "Radical", and even "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan, don't possibly result in people being "radical", but missing the "obedient" part. Here's what I mean...
I think it's possible, after reading "Radical" to walk away and conclude that, the way to truly please God, to truly be obedient, to truly impact the world for Christ, to truly be holy, to truly WHATEVER, is to sell all your stuff. Or to be poor. Or to be as uncomfortable and unhappy as possible. Or to move to a third world country. Or to frown upon any and all comfort, luxury, and entertainment. To do those things, and then think, "Ok, now I'm for sure being obedient to God". What I'm saying, is this: Radical OBEDIENCE, requires being OBEDIENT to what God is specifically asking YOU to do. It's not about just being radical for the sake of being radical. Being radical just to say you are radical isn't necessarily being obedient to God. Are you purposefully, prayerfully, EARNESTLY, daily seeking God, and His will for your life? (and by the way, I'm not claiming that I do an awesome job at this, because I don't) Through that, do you feel Him leading you to sell your stuff? Give up some or all of your comforts and luxuries? Move away and become a missionary? He might be. He really might be. If so, you've got to do it. You have to obey, even if it seems radical. BUT, are you NOT purposefully, prayerfully, earnestly and daily seeking God's will, and you just think that by acting radically on a whim, you're obeying God? I don't necessarily buy into that. In a roundabout way, I guess what I'm saying is that I think after reading this book, it would be easy to take our eyes off of God, and what he is specifically asking us to do. It would be easy to forget about the whole POINT of being radically obedient, which is to reach people for God. In fact, it could be easy to forget about the PEOPLE completely... lost and hurting PEOPLE who don't know God are the FOCUS of what we're being radically obedient to DO. I think it could be easy to get swept away in the idea of just giving stuff away, and stripping ourselves of stuff, without even remembering that it's for the PURPOSE of being able to GIVE to others. Here's a good way to summarize what I'm trying to say:
There are three "camps" a reader could fall into, after reading this book:
1) Whoa, that's way too radical, and I don't believe God is asking me to do ANY of that stuff (this, for the record, is a bad camp to be in)
2) I need to go sell all of my stuff now, because David Platt insinuates that I should (and I personally feel like he DOES insinuate that)
3) I need to start praying, "God, what is something you are calling ME PERSONALLY to be radically obedient to? Show me what it is, so that I can do it" (that is the camp I would like to be in)
Gosh, the more I keep writing, the more thoughts start swirling through my head about this book, and the more rambling and confusing I become. That's ok though. This is kind of one of those posts that is more for my own benefit than for my legions (ha ha) of readers. My hope is that as we continue to go through this book, God will be more and more clear with me about what He wants me to understand from the book. Maybe at that point, my thoughts on this will get more concise.
Thanks for hanging in there with me through this extremely long and rambling post. Krista ; )
Monday, February 20, 2012
Taking It Down a Notch...Or Up, Depending on How You Look At It...
This blog post is possibly a bit "heavier" than my normal posts are, but come on....things are typically pretty breezy here at "The Gunnar Show", so it won't kill anyone to have read something more serious. Mostly, I LIKE writing about fun and easy stuff, but I've been thinking about this particular topic lately, so of course I have to blog about it.
We have some friends...really, more like friends OF friends, who recently delivered twin baby boys at 22 weeks. One baby, Titus, did not make it, and passed away after 45 minutes. The other baby, Asher, weighing in at 1 pound, 6 ounces, is fighting for his life in the NICU. If you'd like to pray for them, that would be awesome. If you'd like to follow their blog, you can do so at www.bryanandrobynadams.blogspot.com.
Anyway, Robyn had a post the other day, that really resonated with me. I'm warning you...the post itself, and the following statements I'm about to make regarding the post, seem a bit sad, BUT really they're not, in the grand scheme of things, and what she had to say is so true. First, let me summarize what the post was about (for those of you who didn't click on my nifty little link above, and read it for yourself). Basically, Robyn was talking about how she's been hesitant to fully embrace being a mom. How she's been hesitant to celebrate. How she's held off on buying some fun things (like a diaper bag), and some necessary things (like a breast pump). How she hasn't been a full participant in some of the "little victories" that Asher has accomplished so far in the NICU. She's AFRAID to celebrate, AFRAID to enjoy. She's AFRAID to buy that diaper bag, and buy that breast pump, and then end up losing Asher (because yes, his condition is still pretty precarious), and have to have that mommy memorabilia lying around, unused, and serving as a constant reminder of what she lost.
However, she really felt God speaking to her, and changing her heart, and telling her that she needs to enjoy being a mom NOW. In fact, her exact words were, "But then, I felt like God was telling me I'm a mom right now. I need to enjoy it now- whatever version of it I get. And I can't live in fear." It doesn't MATTER what the future holds...good, bad, or something in between. What matters, is that God has given her THIS moment. He has blessed her with a child. He has blessed her by allowing her to experience giving life to little boy, and being his mom. THAT IS A BLESSING.
The reason this really resonated with me, even though I have a healthy child, is because I too spend a lot of time living in fear, when it comes to my child. Ummm, hi, my name is Hayley, and I have a worry problem. Have I mentioned that? Ha ha. Anyway, prior to even reading Robyn's blog post, God had really been convicting ME of the fact that Gunnar is a blessing. I know..duh, right? Of course he is. That wasn't necessarily news to me, or particularly convicting. But what WAS convicting was the realization that by spending SO.MUCH.TIME living in fear, worry, anxiety, wondering and worrying about what could be wrong with him/is wrong with him/might one day become wrong with him/seems like is wrong with him/heard of someone else that had something wrong with them and so does Gunnar have that wrong with him too?/etc/etc/etc, I'm basically turning something that was INTENDED to be a blessing, into anything BUT. It's downright shameful, really. God gave me this wonderful opportunity to be a mom, to have a beautiful child who brings so much joy into my life, and yet I rob myself of the blessing, by allowing that blessing to become a source of anxiety, thereby cancelling out the entire "blessing" aspect of it.
Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a blessing from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." Period. Bottom Line. Children are a blessing. They just ARE.
I'm blessed enough to have a child who is healthy. But even if he wasn't, or even if he someday isn't, or (moving away from the healthy/unhealthy aspect of it) even when he's a total pill, and drains me physically and emotionally, or whines all day, or disobeys all day, HE IS A BLESSING. I WAS MEANT TO ENJOY HIM.
I think it's so important that I (and maybe you too) realize this, about our kids, and just about God's blessings in our lives in general. We don't need to spend so much time..or any time, really...dwelling on what will BECOME of the blessings God has given us. We need to enjoy, and savor, and be thankful for those blessings, in those moment.
I just can't say enough about how convicting this is to me, and how much I need to apply it. Yes, for me, it mostly speaks to my worry issue. But it also speaks to the, "how many more minutes until naptime??" issue, and the "how much longer until daddy gets home, and he can handle you for a while" issue, and the "I cannot wait until the toddler years are over!!" issue.
I resolve to enjoy every blessing, in the moment, as they come, paying no mind to that Big Bad Bully called, "what the future holds".
The End
Sunday, February 5, 2012
3 More Thoughts on Tattoos...
1) When I think about OTHER people (that aren't me) getting tattoos, over the age of 30, it doesn't necessarily seem like a desperate attempt to cling to youth. It's only when I think of myself doing it....and even then, it's more that OTHER people will VIEW it as a desperate attempt to cling to youth. So all of you (several of whom I've talked to since writing this blog post) who are over 30 and thinking about getting tattoos...I don't you think you're dumb. Which leads me to my next point...
2) Krista Box...you're one of the coolest girls I know, and if you get a tattoo, even at the ripe old age of 32, I won't think you're lame. I promise. I was (and still am) the biggest supporter you have, of the half-sleeve idea. Plus, you look like you're 25. 18, even. If you get a tattoo, people may think you're too YOUNG to get one, and that you need your parents permission first :)
3) My sister, an Authentic Tattoo Person, has assured me that people in their 30's are most definitely NOT too old to be getting tattoos.
2) Krista Box...you're one of the coolest girls I know, and if you get a tattoo, even at the ripe old age of 32, I won't think you're lame. I promise. I was (and still am) the biggest supporter you have, of the half-sleeve idea. Plus, you look like you're 25. 18, even. If you get a tattoo, people may think you're too YOUNG to get one, and that you need your parents permission first :)
3) My sister, an Authentic Tattoo Person, has assured me that people in their 30's are most definitely NOT too old to be getting tattoos.
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