My parents are coming to visit later this week, so I have been doing some pre-visitor cleaning. While working on the bathroom I was reminded of when I was younger doing my weekly chores. Every Saturday was chore day, and my job was always the bathroom. One Saturday when I was in jr. high my dad came in to check my work and almost immediately said, “Nope, not done. You know how I can tell? The mirror isn’t clean. The mirror is always the last thing you do, and it’s not clean, so the bathroom isn’t done.” Ever since then, to this day you know what the first thing I do in the bathroom? That’s right, the mirror. Back when I was less concerned about whether it was really clean or not and more concerned about going out to the mall, I would clean that mirror spick and span, half heartedly wipe off the counters, move a few things around, and get outta there! I don’t recall getting in trouble for not getting it done right after that, at least not from Dad.
Just cause I know someone is thinking it (most likly Sharon)- NO I don't do that anymore!! =)
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Shack by William P. Young, a book review.
The back of the book:
(They do a much better job in summarizing than I would).Mackenzie Allen Phillip’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgement he arrives at The Shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
My review in short:
Read it. Good book.
My review with a bit more detail:
I am not going to lie to you, this book was a little hard to swallow (even hard to read at times), and I am sitting here trying to think of how I can explain this without turning you off from the book. In order to do that, I will give a few more details about the book but will leave out any vital details. When Mack makes it to the shack, he finds himself with God, literally. He is not the god he expected to see, and certainly not the one I would ever expect either. Again, I’m being honest here, I struggled through the book for this very reason so I am telling you, get past it- listen to WHAT is said, and try not to let the big black lady throw you. God is who He is, He is the I Am; if he were trying to reach you or me, he would choose to put himself in the best form to do just that.
Another reason I struggled with this book is its basis of fact. The preface clearly states that Mack swears by the truth of the story. So that begs the question, do I believe it? Well, I want to. I do believe that God still reaches people in ways that are beyond us. Also, I don’t want to be putting God in a box by saying that He couldn’t have done all this exactly as Mack said that it was done. Truth is, God is above time and space and all things physical so, yes, I want to believe it.
So far all of this seems like I was put off by the book but on the contrary, these are some of the reasons I LIKE the book. Christians, or anybody for that matter, don’t need another book that we can passively read about God and let it go in one ear and then out the other. This book will stick to you for awhile, you will have to chew over parts of it, and you will most likely find it difficult to swallow. If you are a church go-er like me, you “know all about God” too. This book takes all of those little bits and pieces that you know about God and puts them together in a larger picture. As soon as you see that big picture, God may not be the god you thought he was. On that note, I challenge you to fact check what you find in The Shack with the Bible, which IS truth.
I think that there are so many lessons to be learned from The Shack, and the lessons you learn may not be the same as the ones I did. Some of the lessons that are still fresh in my mind are the consequences of free will and choices, why God “lets” bad things happen, and the fact that you don’t need a lake house to have a real, tangible relationship with Him (although I would LOVE to walk on the water with Jesus).
Read it. Then tell me what you thought. Hang in there with the big black lady; He has some great things to say. Don’t be lazy, read the preface and after words. Maybe before you read it, think about what form you think that God would choose to appear to you in. If you know anything about God and how he does things, I would guess that he would appear to me in a way that I would least expect it.
(They do a much better job in summarizing than I would).Mackenzie Allen Phillip’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in the midst of his Great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgement he arrives at The Shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
My review in short:
Read it. Good book.
My review with a bit more detail:
I am not going to lie to you, this book was a little hard to swallow (even hard to read at times), and I am sitting here trying to think of how I can explain this without turning you off from the book. In order to do that, I will give a few more details about the book but will leave out any vital details. When Mack makes it to the shack, he finds himself with God, literally. He is not the god he expected to see, and certainly not the one I would ever expect either. Again, I’m being honest here, I struggled through the book for this very reason so I am telling you, get past it- listen to WHAT is said, and try not to let the big black lady throw you. God is who He is, He is the I Am; if he were trying to reach you or me, he would choose to put himself in the best form to do just that.
Another reason I struggled with this book is its basis of fact. The preface clearly states that Mack swears by the truth of the story. So that begs the question, do I believe it? Well, I want to. I do believe that God still reaches people in ways that are beyond us. Also, I don’t want to be putting God in a box by saying that He couldn’t have done all this exactly as Mack said that it was done. Truth is, God is above time and space and all things physical so, yes, I want to believe it.
So far all of this seems like I was put off by the book but on the contrary, these are some of the reasons I LIKE the book. Christians, or anybody for that matter, don’t need another book that we can passively read about God and let it go in one ear and then out the other. This book will stick to you for awhile, you will have to chew over parts of it, and you will most likely find it difficult to swallow. If you are a church go-er like me, you “know all about God” too. This book takes all of those little bits and pieces that you know about God and puts them together in a larger picture. As soon as you see that big picture, God may not be the god you thought he was. On that note, I challenge you to fact check what you find in The Shack with the Bible, which IS truth.
I think that there are so many lessons to be learned from The Shack, and the lessons you learn may not be the same as the ones I did. Some of the lessons that are still fresh in my mind are the consequences of free will and choices, why God “lets” bad things happen, and the fact that you don’t need a lake house to have a real, tangible relationship with Him (although I would LOVE to walk on the water with Jesus).
Read it. Then tell me what you thought. Hang in there with the big black lady; He has some great things to say. Don’t be lazy, read the preface and after words. Maybe before you read it, think about what form you think that God would choose to appear to you in. If you know anything about God and how he does things, I would guess that he would appear to me in a way that I would least expect it.
Friday, January 16, 2009
COLD + Scrubs = Bad news!
It is COLD! Today it is about 10 degrees WARMER than it has been the past few mornings at this time, and it is -13 degrees out!! I'm talking COOOLLLDD!
So I went out to start the car this morning (this is a usual practice around here cause you must let your car run before you go driving off in this COLD). I work at a hospital, so I am wearing my usual attire of scrubs. This morning the dishes took me just a little bit longer than usual, so I didn't have time to throw my longjohns's on before I headed out to start the car. It is SO cold that immediately upon stepping outside in my THIN scrubs, I can't even feel my legs. Somewhere in the process of starting the car and unplugging it, I took off my mitten and reached to grab something and my hand brushed against my leg.... my bare leg. Yes, my scubs were no longer up on my waist where they belong, and I don't know how long they had been like that.
That being said, I am VERY glad that Josh decided to pull my car into the garage this morning, maybe that blocked some of the view.
So I went out to start the car this morning (this is a usual practice around here cause you must let your car run before you go driving off in this COLD). I work at a hospital, so I am wearing my usual attire of scrubs. This morning the dishes took me just a little bit longer than usual, so I didn't have time to throw my longjohns's on before I headed out to start the car. It is SO cold that immediately upon stepping outside in my THIN scrubs, I can't even feel my legs. Somewhere in the process of starting the car and unplugging it, I took off my mitten and reached to grab something and my hand brushed against my leg.... my bare leg. Yes, my scubs were no longer up on my waist where they belong, and I don't know how long they had been like that.
That being said, I am VERY glad that Josh decided to pull my car into the garage this morning, maybe that blocked some of the view.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Ever do this???
I just went into the kitchen for a quick refill of my water. The lights were off in the kitchen, but there was enough light from the hallway to see my way around. Right when I opened the fridge I noticed a small little crumb of what I thought was left over cookie dough, so I instinctively snatched it up and stuck it in my mouth (like a little starving mouse). Right as I did, I realized that probably isn't a good reflex to have- just sticking things in your mouth because you think it is cookie dough. It wasn't even a big enough crumb for me to tell what it was, really. So now I sit here and think.... what did I just put in my mouth, and why?!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Christmas
Josh and I had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year despite the fact that we were unable to travel or see my parents. We were planning to have a quite Christmas, just the two of us this year because neither of us could get the time off, but Josh's parents didn't have any visitors either, so they came up to see us! We would have been just fine on our own, but it is SO much better being able to celebrate with those you love. There was still a "hole" without my parents there, but we will see them at the end of the month.
Josh sure spoiled me this year! Oh boy did he!! You will be happy to hear he got me a new NICE mixer that is both on a stand and you can take it off for a hand-held mixer. If you recall from the divinity post, I was in dire need of a good mixer!! He also got me some other great kitchen items, but I do not need to go into detail.
I always kind of hate that describing Christmas always includes the gifts, but it is kind of unavoidable really. Christmas in our household is about Christ, not the gifts so before the gifts are presented or opened, we sit down together and read the story of the birth of Jesus. This is another of the great family legacies that will be passed on.
On another note...I really enjoyed having the in-laws here this year. They are the kind of people who don't really require to be entertianed, they can just enjoy being with you doing anything- or nothing at all. They are the best kind of guest to have at such a busy time of year!
Josh sure spoiled me this year! Oh boy did he!! You will be happy to hear he got me a new NICE mixer that is both on a stand and you can take it off for a hand-held mixer. If you recall from the divinity post, I was in dire need of a good mixer!! He also got me some other great kitchen items, but I do not need to go into detail.
I always kind of hate that describing Christmas always includes the gifts, but it is kind of unavoidable really. Christmas in our household is about Christ, not the gifts so before the gifts are presented or opened, we sit down together and read the story of the birth of Jesus. This is another of the great family legacies that will be passed on.
On another note...I really enjoyed having the in-laws here this year. They are the kind of people who don't really require to be entertianed, they can just enjoy being with you doing anything- or nothing at all. They are the best kind of guest to have at such a busy time of year!
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