Ask and you shall receive…
My friend Darla is a sweetie. She is known as the Princess here in the blogosphere. You can get to know her here: http://4evrhis.wordpress.com/
Monthly Archives: October 2008
Katrina Gets a Gold Star
Congratulations to Katrina for finding the definition of the word ‘antidisestablishmentarianism’ from my previous post. As promised she receives a gold star:
You can get to know Katrina by going to: http://ladybuglady.blogspot.com/
antidisestablishmentarianism
antidisestablishmentarianism: a nice political word that has nothing to do with my post but is fun to say and a word I have always wanted to use. I will give a gold star to anyone who can tell us the definition of the word.
I have been old enough to vote for four presidential elections including this one. I have been registered and voted for two of those four. Really I find it thrilling to participate in the political process of my country. And I brought my husband along with me in my passion. This is the first presidential vote that he participated in. I feel so proud that I played an integral part in that fact.
The state of Missouri takes very good care of their absentee voters. From getting registered on line so many months ago to getting us our ballots on time last week they have been very helpful.
The second line on the yellow card reads: To vote your ballot use only the pen provided. Sure enough the pen was taped to the card.
DaRonn’s envelope was a bit beat up. I wonder what would have happened if both of ours has arrived without the official pen. We shared the pen that mine came with. I hope his vote still counts.
Here is a video I found that humored me. It is about 5 minutes long and the cut off date for registering mentioned therein has passed. Still, I liked it. I liked that my generation was targeted and defined by the attitudes displayed here. There are some edgy bits. Sensitive viewers have been warned. I would very much like to know what you think of it.
And what would a post about voting be without the opportunity to vote?
Want my voting advice for this presidential election? Inform yourself. Pray. Vote. God Bless America!
Trail Mix
On with the nutty, mixed-up, crunchy, munchy life I lead…
- I am having coffee with the gals (my Caffinaries) this morning. Fun!
- I started back walking. I want to be running but my body says we need to ease back in.
- A fellow missionary friend left for the States for a month this week. She is bringing me back whitening strips. That’ll be good.
- A Magic Envelope arrived from my sister and my mom last week on Timothy’s birthday. So fun!
- Speaking of my sister, she had her second baby! Another girl. Congrats, again, guys. xo xo xo xo
- DaRonn (my husband) was selected to play for the city of Cochabamba in the national bowling tournament held in Santa Cruz at the end of this month. The bowling league is covering his transportation to and from S.C., hotel stay, food and tournament fees for the four days. So fun! I am going to be going with him and we will probably be taking the kids.
- That means that we will be celebrating our seven year anniversary for the day we came to Bolivia in the city that we started out in. Interesting.
- School year is winding to a close. It was a good year.
- We voted by absentee ballot and sent it in this week.
- ATTENTION FELLOW BLOGGERS: I have a blog roll. It is really cool; deluxe! It is on a page of its own called ‘RIDES‘. If you want to be on it then leave me your info. and I will add you (screen shot and all). Also – if my site is on your blog roll I want your site on mine. PLEASE tell me if I am on your roll so that I can include you on mine. ‘K? Thanks!
Interrogative
It is Thursday again! Time to play!
Here are the rules: answer the question the last comementer left and leave a question for the next person. Play as much as you like throughout the day / night. Comments will be open for 24 hours, more or less. Have fun!
To spice things up this week I am going to let the first commenter start the game with the first question.
Green part 5 the end
Links to the other parts: one, two, three, and four.
Green Free
There once was a girl
Who forgot about grace
She let envy in
And it ruined her face
In place of a glad smile
She spread a grim grin
Could coveting others
Actually be sin?
A twinge she did feel
Encroached by the green
Of hurt in her heart
When successes were seen
Action was taken
She prayed, read and wrote
Healing began
Vines of envy were smote
Made aware of the change
She sprouted a new attitude
Where envy once was
Grew now gratitude
By the fresh grace poured out
She was greatly inspired
To begin to write thanks
The sighs she retired
Grabbing a pen
And a fancy notebook
A title was inscribed
For a prolonged outlook
On the grace and goodness
That actually steered
To a kind, loving Father
Who to her had appeared
Instead of “the end”
A new start has ensued
Free from envy we finish with
To NOT be continued.
G.R.E.E.N. acronyms
Girl! Really! Envious? Even now?
Grace replaces envy. Eternity now.
Gratitude replaces envy, enter notes.
Green? Recognize. Eliminate. Eulogize. Note.
God is good. Read your writing. Eliminate the envy. Enter into eternity. Notice your niceties.
Scripture references:
Titus 3:3-7, “For we ourselves also were sometimes … living in … envy… But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
James 4:5-6. “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
In these seven verses I found my parts and God’s parts.
My Part:
- eliminate reliance upon works of righteousness
- eliminate pride
- be humble
God’s (God our Savior, Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ our Savior) Part:
- Kindness
- Love
- Appearance toward man
- Mercy
- Salvation
- Washing
- Regeneration
- Renewing
- Abundance shed
- Justification
- Grace
- Made heirs
- Hope
- Eternal life
- More grace
- Grace
Thank you for joining me in this process. As I hope you picked up I understand that outcroppings of envy will need to be kept in check from time to time so I have begun a gratefulness notebook. Writing is good for me. Writing down the good in my life is even better. Bless God for all His goodness and grace!
Green part 4
Links to the other parts: one, two, three, and five.
The spring day begged for the group of ladies to burst out of the living room where they were chit-chatting and romp on the lawn in front of the beautiful house where they had met. A discussion had begun about some topic but the mind of the outsider couldn’t stay put. She thought it was under her breath but quickly found out that she had indeed uttered the words loud enough for everyone to hear them for the room had grown suddenly quiet and all eyes were on her. She had only intended to observe and enjoy some conversation in English. She wasn’t going to be in town for long before she went back to the country where she lived as a missionary so she wanted everything to be as pleasant as possible.
Evidently not everyone had heard her clearly for some of the faces wore a curious look and one of the bolder mouths had already asked, “What did you just say?”
Squirming a bit in her outdated jacket she repeated her sentence dreading the response, “Sometimes I just wish I could be a nice little wife who keeps house and has a garage with a car in it.”
Disheartened she bounced her baby to distract the group. The shock and confusion of the ladies confirmed her fears. What she heard next was a searing surprise. Maybe at first it stung, but later the words would point her in a new direction.
“Well, sometimes I just wish I could hold orphans all day.” The frank words preceded a welcomed change in subject.
The girl had never even considered before that there might be other people who envied her. Years later as she looked back on the experience she could see that the condition of her life was not the determining factor for the operation of envy in her heart. Rather it was a choice of focus.
Webster’s has a great definition of the verb envy:
EN’VY, v.t. [L. invideo, in and video, to see against, that is, to look with enmity.] To feel uneasiness, mortification or discontent, at the sight of superior excellence, reputation or happiness enjoyed by another; to repine at another’s prosperity; to fret or grieve one’s self at the real or supposed superiority of another, and to hate him on that account.
Acts 7:9 says, “And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt…” What has envy moved me to do? What have I lost as a result of allowing envy in my life? And the most important question: what now? Through this exploration of my soul I am finding that an “envy free” life is possible. My next and final post on the topic of envy will attempt to paint an image of an envy free life-style.
Green part 3
Links to the other parts: one, two, four and five.
My favorite genre of movies and live performances is musicals which includes operettas and would probably include operas if I ever get to see one. “Little Shop of Horrors” is a musical that tells the story of an extraterrestrial plant in the possession of a dentist named Seymour. Upon arrival the plant is cute and endearingly convinces Seymour to feed it his blood. At first is it is just a drop but as it grows the demands become greater. Let’s be honest, a singing plant that would be a great addition to the baritone section of any choir is just downright irresistible in nature. And such was the nature of envy in my life. Little drops of my life were given to this sin. And because the practice was not checked the demand to continue became greater and simply irresistible.
I wouldn’t say that the wiles of the enemy have led me to envy the wicked, just yet. Glory to God that I have been made aware of this sin soon enough so as to be able to nip it in the bud before it flourishes into a choking, thorny vine crushing and corroding the walls of my heart. Why do I diminish in my heart the effects of envy? I envy mostly other Christians, thereby justifying self-righteous righteousness. As I am analyzing the roots and the seedling manifestations of this error in my life I am listening to my heart. Besides the belittling of this act I would also disguise it in a fanciful wish. I would never say outright, “I envy and covet that ministry.” Instead of using the biblical words I would whisper things like, “I really wish our ministry was as well funded as those other missionaries.” At first glance this is a seemingly harmless wish with overtones of goodness and righteousness. But as I think about the words they are fraught with ungratefulness and strong undertones of cynicism; not to mention the issue at hand: envy.
In my heart I had been telling myself things like, “It’s not that bad,” and, “No one knows so why even bring it up?” But I had also been thinking in my heart things like, “Come on, let’s deal with this,” and, “Don’t these pangs of older brother syndrome* bug you?” and, “You’ve been freed from lying, why not envy too?”
The two bits in Proverbs 14:30 and 23:17-18 talk about the heart. I thank God that he caused me to pause and really listen to the condition of my heart so that the envy can be stopped and a soundness of heart can be found. The question is, and should be throughout the day, what am I feeding with this drop of my blood: envy or a sound heart?
To be continued.
*See attitude of the older brother in the story commonly known as ‘The Prodigal Son’ found in Luke 15.
Green part 2
Links to the other parts: one, three, four, and five.
“Come, dear, and have tea with me. We can sit on the veranda, you on one side and I on the other. See, I have brought out my best. Oh, not all of it is here, of course, it would be too much to take in and would spoil before you could even have a taste. Here, try this one. I know; it’s one of my favorites too. More tea, dear? … Dear? … What is that you are looking at?”
The gaze of his wise ancient eyes follows hers over the fence and down the lane a bit. There is a patch of grass there tucked behind a grove of trees. He waits a moment then gently reaches out his weathered fingers and touches the soft curve of her jaw line. Startled as though awakened from her reverie she shamefully looks down at her lap and picks at a stain on her clothes. His kind hand had not yet been withdrawn from her face. Timidly she dares lift her line of sight and is immediately locked in an imploring stare with the man across the table.
Weighing his words and timing them to match the rhythm of her heart he begins to speak to her, “Don’t bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. In no time they’ll shrivel like grass clippings and wilt like cut flowers in the sun. Get insurance with ME and do a good deed, settle down and stick to your last. Keep company with ME, get in on the best. Open up to ME, keep nothing back; I’ll do whatever needs to be done: I’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon. Hush. Quiet down with ME here.”*
He continued to converse with the tender girl. His words reassured her that there was nothing to compare to the sweet presence of her Father. She began to stop the contrary ripostes and calm her heart. Validation had been cultivated and began to sprout in the rich soil of the truth of his affirmation. Quiet growth began.
To be continued.
*Excerpts from Psalm 37:1-6 of the Message version.
Green
A sense of pride would fill my heart each time I proved my toughness by rising from a tumble in the lawn with bright green stains on the knees of my jeans and a toothy grin on my face. The scents of broken blades of grass smeared with the sweaty summer skin of a young girl are forever embedded in my memory as pure bliss.
As a grown up now none of my jeans have grass stained knees. Rather the knees of my heart have become rubbed green as I have been tumbling into envy as of late. It is with bashful shame that I bring before you a part of my life that I am not proud about in the least. I desire envy to be eliminated.
Green is my favorite color. It will serve to remind me of a part of my character that I am bringing to the submission of Christ. I no longer want to be an envious person. I procure to be of a sound heart.
Envy, to me, means to covet what someone else has. It is mentioned in the Ten Commandments as something we mustn’t do. It is listed as a sin in the New Testament as well. Envy is a human trait not to be partaken of by the people of God.
The opposite of envy is a sound heart. As we fear the Lord we commit our way to him and find delight in him. Our trust in him allows us to have his kind of envy-free love towards others. His grace and mercy provide a way out of an envious attitude.
How to remove it from my life? Recently I have been noticing envy encroaching upon some of my attitudes. I have been envious of others’: talents, possessions, relationships, spiritual discipline, ministries, physical appearance and opportunistic tendencies. I want it to be eliminated.
These are the seven verses I will be studying in the coming days about envy: Psalm 37:1-6, Proverbs 14:30, Proverbs 23:17-18, Acts 7:9, 1 Corinthians 13:4, Titus 3:3-7, and James 4:5-6.
To be continued.
angie washington 