Yesterday, I was bored. I was tired. Nothing was on tv, and I wasn't feeling up to doing much of anything special. I thought: hey, I'll crochet and watch a movie. Problem: no movies to watch...none on tv, none on my shelf that felt right for the time. I know: Let's check out the OnDemand part of my cable! :) Sad realization: there's no (free) movies on here I want to watch...Except there are 3 that look slightly interesting... Sleeping Beauty (1988, I think), Snow White (1987), and You Can't Take It With You (Jimmy Stewart, awesome movie). But, I'm not really in the mood for Jimmy, fabulous as it is... sorry. Hmm...let's try Snow White.
OH MY WORD. You should have seen this movie...1987 shoulda tipped me off. It's "live-action," it's got random songs (which everyone sings slightly off-key), and it has bad costumes, to say the least. I watched 20 minutes and gave up.
I must be a glutton for punnishment, or at least for what most would term lame entertainment (I am a lover of most things Disney...), becuase after a friend left for the evening, I retreated to the couch to crochet...and watch Snow White. Lovely OnDemand picked up right where I left off. And I was actually excited to see that there was a digging song! The dwarves had random names (I suppose Disney did make up their own...) that were as strange to hear at the end of the movie as it was in the beginning.
Oh my. What have I become? Why is this how I spent Saturday night? Although, it was fairly entertaining... Maybe I'll have to try Sleeping Beauty next Saturday...
Alright, admission for those who may be worried about my old movie post: I am not Kim, but I do watch many old movies. However, no one could possibly surpass her in the realm of love of old movies that she has. So, this is not a trial to take over her throne, but rather an realization and embracing of that part of the reason we are friends; because we share the joys of these old films, even when they are slightly ridiculous. ;)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Fill it up!
A reminder from my devotions this week: fill yourself up with God! He is the one who made you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows how much you can handle, and wants to help you handle it! You overflow with what "fills your heart."
When you fill yourself with other things, you get all anxious and tied up. You begin to feel frustration, anger, even worse things. What you put into your heart is what comes out in your attitude, your facial expressions, your words. That includes laziness. That includes doing what you should be with a poor attitude. Sure, you get your stuff done, but the bad attitude brings you down - and everyone around you, too. But, when you strive for the positive attitude, when you ask God to fill you with Himself from the inside out, your positivity is infectious. Others feel better just having witnessed God through you.
This also means you can't depend on yourself. Because it's true: God won't give you more than you can handle. "I can do everything through Christ Who strengthens me." There is nothing I can't handle without Him. HOWEVER: there is much I can't handle if I don't let Him in; if I try to do it on my own strength, my own abilities. His power is perfected in my weakness. (See 2 Corinthians 12).
This is a fairly serious statement, but I believe if I keep my heart with Him, getting to know Him more each moment of each day through prayer and studying His Word, I can believe the promise that what comes out of me will be good, will be pleasing, and will glorify Him.
And that's the whole goal, isn't it?
When you fill yourself with other things, you get all anxious and tied up. You begin to feel frustration, anger, even worse things. What you put into your heart is what comes out in your attitude, your facial expressions, your words. That includes laziness. That includes doing what you should be with a poor attitude. Sure, you get your stuff done, but the bad attitude brings you down - and everyone around you, too. But, when you strive for the positive attitude, when you ask God to fill you with Himself from the inside out, your positivity is infectious. Others feel better just having witnessed God through you.
This also means you can't depend on yourself. Because it's true: God won't give you more than you can handle. "I can do everything through Christ Who strengthens me." There is nothing I can't handle without Him. HOWEVER: there is much I can't handle if I don't let Him in; if I try to do it on my own strength, my own abilities. His power is perfected in my weakness. (See 2 Corinthians 12).
This is a fairly serious statement, but I believe if I keep my heart with Him, getting to know Him more each moment of each day through prayer and studying His Word, I can believe the promise that what comes out of me will be good, will be pleasing, and will glorify Him.
And that's the whole goal, isn't it?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Traditions & the Like
I've been trying to think of a topic. I should really quit trying so hard. The topics worth writing about usually present themselves when I'm about as far away from thinking about it as possible...
With the holidays so recent, this will not come as a surprise, but it lends itself to expansion. I was listening to a cd this afternoon on my way home from one of my traditions (the ever-famous Omlet Fest - if you don't know, you may ask) and while listening to the music (very not Christmas related) in my car, I realized something: I have a tradition I didn't even realize that I have.
Those who know me a little more than at the acquaintance level know: I LOVE Christmas. And the music that comes with it. I always tell myself it won't come out until after Thanksgiving dinner has been consumed, but it always is out long before that day- often, long before November has begun. I just can't help it. I love it when the air turns cold, when you can smell the snow coming, when you practically live in sweatshirts (as soon as you get home from work), and drink hot chocolate all the time. These are the things that make me - in small, silly ways - happy.
My realization came: I quit with the Christmas music pretty much on the 26th of December. It just feels wrong to hear it after that. Why?? (Maybe this can explain my longing for it in September. I need enough time to really enjoy it, to get it all in before my brain shuts off the part that will allow it to be enjoyed properly...) I was listening to something in my car that was fairly upbeat (ok: rock, loud, big drums, harmonizing vocals, the type of music which would drive my parents crazy, and only sounds all the better when you crank the volume), and a 'left-over' Christmas cd caught my eye from the dashboard, and my thought was "oh my, I need to take that stuff out of here." I instantly was surprised at my complete lack of interest in those wonderful tunes, but, as I thought about it, there was no denying- Christmas music time has passed. The lights, sure they can stay up through January, maybe even early February sometimes, but the music must go now. Huh.
Also, as I thought about that in conjunction with leaving the afore-mentioned Omlet Fest activities, I got into the whole traditions question. Who comes up with this stuff? I mean, I know where Omlet Fest came from, and it's great, and I hope to attend for years to come, but the rest of it? Sure, you could go online and search for Christmas or New Years or Valentines or even birthday traditions (or pretty much anything else) and I'm sure you'd find a wealth of information. But there are always those that will come back with vauge or gray beginnings. "We're not entirely sure how this started but by such-and-so a date this was solid and here's your tradition."
Some are merely traditions within a specific family group. One of my friends and I discussed one such difference: I can't imagine Christmas Eve without a church service of some sort; she can't imagine one with - her family is so all over that they simply read the story together at home. These things intrigue me this afternoon...
Care to share a tradition? You'll find them in more places than you think!
With the holidays so recent, this will not come as a surprise, but it lends itself to expansion. I was listening to a cd this afternoon on my way home from one of my traditions (the ever-famous Omlet Fest - if you don't know, you may ask) and while listening to the music (very not Christmas related) in my car, I realized something: I have a tradition I didn't even realize that I have.
Those who know me a little more than at the acquaintance level know: I LOVE Christmas. And the music that comes with it. I always tell myself it won't come out until after Thanksgiving dinner has been consumed, but it always is out long before that day- often, long before November has begun. I just can't help it. I love it when the air turns cold, when you can smell the snow coming, when you practically live in sweatshirts (as soon as you get home from work), and drink hot chocolate all the time. These are the things that make me - in small, silly ways - happy.
My realization came: I quit with the Christmas music pretty much on the 26th of December. It just feels wrong to hear it after that. Why?? (Maybe this can explain my longing for it in September. I need enough time to really enjoy it, to get it all in before my brain shuts off the part that will allow it to be enjoyed properly...) I was listening to something in my car that was fairly upbeat (ok: rock, loud, big drums, harmonizing vocals, the type of music which would drive my parents crazy, and only sounds all the better when you crank the volume), and a 'left-over' Christmas cd caught my eye from the dashboard, and my thought was "oh my, I need to take that stuff out of here." I instantly was surprised at my complete lack of interest in those wonderful tunes, but, as I thought about it, there was no denying- Christmas music time has passed. The lights, sure they can stay up through January, maybe even early February sometimes, but the music must go now. Huh.
Also, as I thought about that in conjunction with leaving the afore-mentioned Omlet Fest activities, I got into the whole traditions question. Who comes up with this stuff? I mean, I know where Omlet Fest came from, and it's great, and I hope to attend for years to come, but the rest of it? Sure, you could go online and search for Christmas or New Years or Valentines or even birthday traditions (or pretty much anything else) and I'm sure you'd find a wealth of information. But there are always those that will come back with vauge or gray beginnings. "We're not entirely sure how this started but by such-and-so a date this was solid and here's your tradition."
Some are merely traditions within a specific family group. One of my friends and I discussed one such difference: I can't imagine Christmas Eve without a church service of some sort; she can't imagine one with - her family is so all over that they simply read the story together at home. These things intrigue me this afternoon...
Care to share a tradition? You'll find them in more places than you think!
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