You are what people think you are. I am afraid that is true. No matter how much I tell myself differently, my opinion of me is based upon what other people think I am. Same goes for you. If they say you’re fat, you feel fat. If they say your stupid, you feel stupid. If they think you are a loser, you feel like a loser. He’s weird, then you feel weird. But why listen to them when you can listen to Him.
“But you are a chosen people. You are the king’s priests. You are a holy nation. You are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things He has done. He called you out of the darkness and into His wonderful light. At one time you were not God’s people. But now you are His people. In the past you have never received mercy. But now you have received God’s mercy.” 1 Peter 2.
Why listen to them when you can listen to Him!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Useful
I am competent.
It is difficult when people, either knowingly or out of not thinking through ones words, make you feel otherwise. Some people are energized when that approach is used. TV shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” or “The Apprentice” utilize that tactic. The idea is that you will rise to the occasion after a verbal thrashing occurs. For some it works, I suppose. Making one feel incompetent will charge them to action and success. For me, it is as if you have pierced my balloon skin and I am deflating. And it leaves you feeling that that you are not only incompetent, but also useless.
That is what happened the other day.
Being a believer means that you are useful. 1 Peter 2 says that we were chosen in order to “tell about the wonderful things God has done”.
There are several ways the enemy tries to thwart that.
1. Isolation. One of the great traps is to some how isolate believers from other believers. The church, or “body of believers”, is design for gathering. Large groups, small groups, groups of two, but gather. When isolation occurs, we begin to think that we are the only ones struggling, the only ones who don’t understand, the only ones who care. We feel like an outsider. Sometimes even in a large crowd. Isolation will take us down a road where our usefulness is stifled by self-guilt, self-doubt, and selfishness.
2. Incompetence. “You are not good enough.” “You don’t smart enough.” Growing up, it seemed like I was always the smallest. Not always picked because I appeared to be incompetent.
But yes, I was good at baseball. Yes, I could grab the basketball rim (10ft). Yes, I could throw a tightly spiraled football 40 yards. Yes, I could run the 100 yard dash in a little over 10 seconds. Yes, I could kick the top of a doorjam (6ft 8 inches). Yes, I could bowl. (177 average) Yes, I can teach. Yes, I can preach. Yes, I can write. Yes, I can take good photographs.
And yet, all it takes is one little dent in the armor and we become incapable. Because we felt we were looked upon as incompetent.
3. Ignorance. Ignorance is the feeling that you don’t know enough or you are not smart enough. And because of that, you need to be quiet. You don’t know how to lead a study. You don’t know how to speak. You don’t know how to share your faith. You won’t have the right answers.
But you are useful! You are not alone! You are capable! You know the truth!
It is difficult when people, either knowingly or out of not thinking through ones words, make you feel otherwise. Some people are energized when that approach is used. TV shows like “Hell’s Kitchen” or “The Apprentice” utilize that tactic. The idea is that you will rise to the occasion after a verbal thrashing occurs. For some it works, I suppose. Making one feel incompetent will charge them to action and success. For me, it is as if you have pierced my balloon skin and I am deflating. And it leaves you feeling that that you are not only incompetent, but also useless.
That is what happened the other day.
Being a believer means that you are useful. 1 Peter 2 says that we were chosen in order to “tell about the wonderful things God has done”.
There are several ways the enemy tries to thwart that.
1. Isolation. One of the great traps is to some how isolate believers from other believers. The church, or “body of believers”, is design for gathering. Large groups, small groups, groups of two, but gather. When isolation occurs, we begin to think that we are the only ones struggling, the only ones who don’t understand, the only ones who care. We feel like an outsider. Sometimes even in a large crowd. Isolation will take us down a road where our usefulness is stifled by self-guilt, self-doubt, and selfishness.
2. Incompetence. “You are not good enough.” “You don’t smart enough.” Growing up, it seemed like I was always the smallest. Not always picked because I appeared to be incompetent.
But yes, I was good at baseball. Yes, I could grab the basketball rim (10ft). Yes, I could throw a tightly spiraled football 40 yards. Yes, I could run the 100 yard dash in a little over 10 seconds. Yes, I could kick the top of a doorjam (6ft 8 inches). Yes, I could bowl. (177 average) Yes, I can teach. Yes, I can preach. Yes, I can write. Yes, I can take good photographs.
And yet, all it takes is one little dent in the armor and we become incapable. Because we felt we were looked upon as incompetent.
3. Ignorance. Ignorance is the feeling that you don’t know enough or you are not smart enough. And because of that, you need to be quiet. You don’t know how to lead a study. You don’t know how to speak. You don’t know how to share your faith. You won’t have the right answers.
But you are useful! You are not alone! You are capable! You know the truth!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Group
We had our small group meeting this week. Not only was it enjoyable, it is very encouraging to know that we all could share and discuss things and not feel like anybody was thinking bad or judging us.
We all have different stories. Some of us have gone to church all of our lives and became believers at an early age. Others of us weren’t raised in that atmosphere and became believers as teens or adults. And yet, through those differences we come together for one purpose. And that is to love one another and to grow in faith.
It was a good night.
We all have different stories. Some of us have gone to church all of our lives and became believers at an early age. Others of us weren’t raised in that atmosphere and became believers as teens or adults. And yet, through those differences we come together for one purpose. And that is to love one another and to grow in faith.
It was a good night.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Falling into fall
As fall sets in, I am realizing that it has been two months since I quit my job. I would like to be able to report that it has been amazingly successful with wondrous events that have occurred. That simply is not the case. It has been good. Just a little different.
I knew that it wouldn’t solve all of the issues and I knew I wouldn’t be all roses and rainbows. It is just a little different than I have thought.
I do not regret leaving off-price retail. It is a strange creature. Very unique and unlike department store retail. And there are challenges in being management. You are to manage the store, product, policies, associates, and customers in a smooth fashion. The challenge lies in never having enough payroll, corporate making constant changes, and the pressures of not only turning a profit but a good profit.
It has been good to have some time off. I enjoy I. and we seem to be doing okay. It is nice to see the growing up side of childhood. I missed out on the day-to-day last go around. I love seeing him soak in knowledge and experiences and then process it into life skills.
I am still behind on my self-made schedule as far as the photo website and pursuing the photography business. But it is proceeding. This week I am going through all of my notes and thoughts and finalize pricing and marketing strategy.
It looks like October will be the first month we will have to use some savings to pay the bills. It is a weird feeling and a little scary, but originally I had thought we would have tapped into that area in August. So I guess we are ahead in that sense.
I knew that it wouldn’t solve all of the issues and I knew I wouldn’t be all roses and rainbows. It is just a little different than I have thought.
I do not regret leaving off-price retail. It is a strange creature. Very unique and unlike department store retail. And there are challenges in being management. You are to manage the store, product, policies, associates, and customers in a smooth fashion. The challenge lies in never having enough payroll, corporate making constant changes, and the pressures of not only turning a profit but a good profit.
It has been good to have some time off. I enjoy I. and we seem to be doing okay. It is nice to see the growing up side of childhood. I missed out on the day-to-day last go around. I love seeing him soak in knowledge and experiences and then process it into life skills.
I am still behind on my self-made schedule as far as the photo website and pursuing the photography business. But it is proceeding. This week I am going through all of my notes and thoughts and finalize pricing and marketing strategy.
It looks like October will be the first month we will have to use some savings to pay the bills. It is a weird feeling and a little scary, but originally I had thought we would have tapped into that area in August. So I guess we are ahead in that sense.
Monday, September 13, 2010
“This is my morning the best as I can remember it”
Series of events from 9:00am to 9:30 am.
9:00 am So, I am up and checking out the computer and I hear the I. has woken up and appears to be playing and talking in his crib. This is a frequent occurrence so I just let him be. Normal morning.
As I go into his room, I am greeted by the all to familiar odor that diapered toddlers have. Looking into his crib, I noticed that he has burrowed himself in between the mattress and his bottom sheet. He took with him his bear and blanket.
“How cute”, I thought, “he has a little fortress”. I proceeded to take some pictures to document this event. As he finds his way out of the sheets there was confirmation that he definitely needed a change as the stale smell of toddler pee re-filled the room.
As I unzip his green-blue footed pajamas that are too small for him and this was to be the last time he would wear them before they went into retirement, I notice that there are small rice like particle on his chest and stomach. I didn’t recall having rice recently. As I continue to unzip him, I realize one side of his diaper is undone and there are more of this substance all over him and in clumps. Apparently not only did his diaper come undone, the little beady things that soak up wetness in a diaper have escaped. There was a tear, and these, full to the limit, beads were congregating his stomach and down into the legs of his pajamas.
I take his pajamas off and walk him to the bathroom where we will have a morning bath. As I turn the water on in the tub, I glance and my little naked I. standing in the bathroom starts to go potty. Thinking quickly, I determine there is no time like the present to start potty training. So I move him in front of the, lift the bowl, and tell him to go potty in there. I turn to check the warmth and the level of the bath and suddenly realized that the height of the toilet bowl and the height of my boy’s area are a few inches different.
As I notice the puddle in front of the toilet bowl I also notice that my kneeling position to check the bathtub level has left my right foot and right pajama leg (mine are without footies) vulnerable and are currently getting soaked from said puddle.
Placed I. in the tub, wiped up the puddle, wiped my foot off, changed pajamas, and gave I. a quick bath. And we still had time to watch the last half hour of Sesame Street. 9;30am. Now I shower.
9:00 am So, I am up and checking out the computer and I hear the I. has woken up and appears to be playing and talking in his crib. This is a frequent occurrence so I just let him be. Normal morning.
As I go into his room, I am greeted by the all to familiar odor that diapered toddlers have. Looking into his crib, I noticed that he has burrowed himself in between the mattress and his bottom sheet. He took with him his bear and blanket.
“How cute”, I thought, “he has a little fortress”. I proceeded to take some pictures to document this event. As he finds his way out of the sheets there was confirmation that he definitely needed a change as the stale smell of toddler pee re-filled the room.
As I unzip his green-blue footed pajamas that are too small for him and this was to be the last time he would wear them before they went into retirement, I notice that there are small rice like particle on his chest and stomach. I didn’t recall having rice recently. As I continue to unzip him, I realize one side of his diaper is undone and there are more of this substance all over him and in clumps. Apparently not only did his diaper come undone, the little beady things that soak up wetness in a diaper have escaped. There was a tear, and these, full to the limit, beads were congregating his stomach and down into the legs of his pajamas.
I take his pajamas off and walk him to the bathroom where we will have a morning bath. As I turn the water on in the tub, I glance and my little naked I. standing in the bathroom starts to go potty. Thinking quickly, I determine there is no time like the present to start potty training. So I move him in front of the, lift the bowl, and tell him to go potty in there. I turn to check the warmth and the level of the bath and suddenly realized that the height of the toilet bowl and the height of my boy’s area are a few inches different.
As I notice the puddle in front of the toilet bowl I also notice that my kneeling position to check the bathtub level has left my right foot and right pajama leg (mine are without footies) vulnerable and are currently getting soaked from said puddle.
Placed I. in the tub, wiped up the puddle, wiped my foot off, changed pajamas, and gave I. a quick bath. And we still had time to watch the last half hour of Sesame Street. 9;30am. Now I shower.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Rats!
We have rats! Okay, maybe rat and mice. Or just mice, but there is a really big one. They use our back fences as an interstate.
T. saw this big one a couple of times before I got to notice it. I then proceeded to set out a trap. Because there are two dogs on the other side of the fence next to us and there are many birds that like to flock to the grapevines, it was decided that D-con was not an option. So we went with the old fashioned type of traps.
The first catch was not the big guy. It was a smaller mouse. That is why we knew we were dealing with a “pack”. Or is it “herd”? Let’s just say a “bunch”. So, after three more mice, I was attempting to reset a sprung trap and place it onto the fence top when I jiggled it and caught my thumb in the trap. Yes, it hurt.
To add insult to injury, after the trap was reset, a mouse just walked right over it and nothing happened. It was then that I decided that we are dealing with extra-intelligent mutant type of mice. They live in a wooden shed that is on the neighbors’ side. The one with the big dogs so there is plenty of half eaten dog food for them to enjoy.
I now set up four traps all in a row because, of course, this is now war. The next morning as I was assessing the battlefield, I noticed that there were only three traps. To this day, I have not been able to locate the fourth trap.
Might have to rethink my strategy.
T. saw this big one a couple of times before I got to notice it. I then proceeded to set out a trap. Because there are two dogs on the other side of the fence next to us and there are many birds that like to flock to the grapevines, it was decided that D-con was not an option. So we went with the old fashioned type of traps.
To add insult to injury, after the trap was reset, a mouse just walked right over it and nothing happened. It was then that I decided that we are dealing with extra-intelligent mutant type of mice. They live in a wooden shed that is on the neighbors’ side. The one with the big dogs so there is plenty of half eaten dog food for them to enjoy.
I now set up four traps all in a row because, of course, this is now war. The next morning as I was assessing the battlefield, I noticed that there were only three traps. To this day, I have not been able to locate the fourth trap.
Might have to rethink my strategy.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Guest room
It had an ugly 70’s indoor-outdoor brown and orange carpet that was quite stained. I removed that in 2006 and put Kilz primer on the floor. And there it sat and became a giant catch-all room.
The walls are a six-inch wide wood panel that had so many scratches, scrapes, and nails in it that we thought best to putty the holes and paint over instead of sanding. So we puttied, primed, and painted the walls. We used a yellow cream for the walls and white for the trim and shelves. A rock vinyl tile floor we installed and painted the ceiling. We put a new ceiling light and the decorated in an ocean theme. The books are novels, travel books, poetry, and game books. We are hoping it gives a rest and relaxing ambiance.
It has a definite Cape Cod or east coast feel to the room and it s very inviting.
Those who helped: (my brother in law, my daughter in law, my son in law, my wife in. . . err, I mean my wife, and me)
Now for guests.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Small Provision
So I know that it is a small thing, yet it is significant to me. I had done seven photographs for a friend to put up in his new office. It was a patriotic theme. Kind of pro bono work for some free advertisement as such. My friend, for his appreciation, gave me a gift card. I did not ask for it or expect it, but the gesture made me feel good. In a small way, it was provision. Thanks.
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