Put a bow on it…

The first of this month about 15 of us from RPC went to the Catalyst conference in Georgia.  Awesome doesn’t seem to be a big enough word to describe the experience I had there.  I am working on some blogs with highlights.

On the first evening during one of the worship sessions the person leading worship made a statement that at first I thought was cool.  But, as we kept singing, I couldn’t get it out of my head.  As the next speaker came up, I kept thinking about that statement.  I had to write it down.  Then I just stared at it.  Then it hit me.  There it is!  Here is the whole Christian package; what we believe, why we believe, everything, all in a nutshell.

“The Son of God became the Son of man, so that the sons of men could become the sons of God!”

There it is, wrap it up and put a bow on it!

Awesome!

Short Bus…

I often kid people at work that I rode the short bus to school.  When they are teasing about people saying “they are just short bus people”, I always say “hey, don’t knock the short bus, we had lots of fun on the short bus!”  It is really fun to see their expression, they aren’t sure if I’m kidding about it or not. 

Well, yesterday on my way home from my mom’s house, I actually saw a short bus in front of someone’s house.  For a split second, I had the urge to stop my car and hop on it and take pictures. Ha!  If I had not been by myself, I probably would have actually done it.  I would have had someone take my picture on the short bus!  Oh what fun that would have been.

Although the way people are these days about trespassing the outcome probably would have been one of two things: 1) I would have been shot or 2) I would have been arrested!  Hmm, would a photo op really have been worth that.

Well, I got a really big laugh out of seeing the short bus anyway!

On the lighter side…

I thought we could all use something on the lighter side of things.  Here are some parenting excuses I just ran across that I just had to share:

• That kid?  Never saw him before.
• That trait must have skipped a generation.
• He loves cars – that’s why I let him sit out here in the parking lot while I visit the casino.
• Ritalin? Chewable vitamins?  They’re easy to mix up!

Hang in there..

To my few devoted readers – ha!  Hang in there.  I have not forgotten you.  There has been a lot going on in my world over the past month.  I am working on some posts as soon as I can catch my breath and get my head back on straight.  Things have been a little more scrambled than usual.

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday to my big guy.  Today my baby is 6 years old.  Seems like only yesterday he was a little baby.  Here’s to you Satchmo!

Left Behind

The other day I was in a drive thru and as I was stuck staring at the bumper in front of me I happened to notice this bumper sticker on the car:  Warning: in case of rapture this car will be unmanned.

At first I thought, cool sticker.  Then I thought what a really freaky event that is going to be.  I mean we have all heard the scriptures about two working in the field and one will be left behind, etc.  But, put it in modern day scenarios and think of the chaos that will happen.

Cars careening down the interstate with no-one at the wheel, as other cars driving by try and swerve to miss these unmanned vehicles.  Thousands breaking through airport security barriers because there are no screeners to check their bags for banned items.  Millions of dollars of home improvement items stolen from stores as no cashiers or security personnel are in the store.

I thought about the drive thru I was in, that would be a perfect example.  There’s some person in a car waiting to pick up their order; probably on their cell phone and not noticing the event happening around them.  After a few minutes, they notice that the pickup line hasn’t moved.  They begin to honk their horn, but nothing happens.  They finally notice that no-one is in the car in front of them.  Strange, they think to themselves.  So they get out and go up to the pickup window, only to discover that there is no employee at the pickup window either.  In fact there are only a couple of people in the restaurant.  Where did everyone go?  They were here just a few minutes ago.

It’s an eerie thought isn’t it?  To think that it could happen just that fast.  One minute someone you love is here and the next you’ve been left behind and they are gone.  They have been taken to live forever with their heavenly father and you are the one who has been left behind to suffer the consequences of your actions.  I don’t know about you, but I am glad that I know that when this wonderful day comes, I won’t be the one left looking around wondering where everyone went!

Here’s You Sign…

I’m sure you have heard the “Here’s Your Sign” jokes before.  Well this weekend I came face to face with a real live “Here’s Your Sign” moment.

I was in Lakeland at a popular Italian restaurant on my way to be seated, when I heard the following conversation between the hostess and a customer:

Hostess:  How many in your party?

Male Customer: Two

Hostess: It will be 5-10 minutes.

Male Customer: Man, it is really hot outside.

Hostess:  Yeah, it’s the sun.

 Seriously!  Did she really just say that?!  Did I just hear that come out of her mouth? 

All my life I have wondered why it gets so hot, and that day in Lakeland I found the answer.  It’s the SUN!  I am so glad I came to this restaurant!

Believe me it took all of my strength not to turn around and say “hey lady, here’s your sign”!  I mean, duh!

Trip to Wal-Mart

Have you ever just sat and watched people in Wal-Mart?  It’s a very eye opening experience.  People watching just happens to be one of my hobbies.  Here are a few observations from a recent trip:

• Lots of arguments seem to happen at Wal-Mart.  Some arguments are expected: what to buy, what not to buy, who’s getting more stuff, who’s not getting anything if they don’t behave.  But some are just weird- “if I’m spending MY money I want a chocolate bar, if it’s YOUR money we’ll get chocolate. Cause that is what I want.”
• Kids are everywhere – crying kids, screaming kids, running kids…. are these orphan kids?  Where are there parents? 
• Babies in buggies, babies in strollers… is there a sale on babies today?  Some of them are so cute.   Some, well let’s be honest, not so much. 
• People on cell phones- I just love to catch partial conversations as they walk by.  Those bits and pieces are always so entertaining.  “Well I told him, he ain’t no good anyway, so that’s all I got to say” as she walks on and keeps talking about him.  You can’t help but hear them because they talk so loud as they walk by.
• Oh the outfits you see.  I wonder, really wonder, if some of these people actually ever look at themselves in a mirror before they leave their house.  Surely they can’t intend to look that bad when they leave the house.  Oh and please for all our sakes, would you guys pull up your pants, I for one am sick of seeing your boxers!
• Macho weightlifter guy pushing shopping cart with busted front wheel that just spins around in a circle wildly as he goes by.  Oh the look on his face.  All the cool has just been sucked right out of him by this little metal object.  Such a shame.
• What is it with people who won’t get a buggy?  They walk by the first time with two items.  Okay, I can see not getting a buggy for that.  But, when they come back by, they have their arms full with about 10 items, struggling to carry them to the checkout.  At least get a basket for crying out loud.  What is the deal?
• I think the strangest thing I have ever seen – and that is quite a contest my friend – happened about a month ago.  There was a lady taking her three wheeler bicycle for a test drive through the store.  Honestly, it was hilarious.  She rode it up and down the home section of the store.  I wanted to tell her she had better put on her bike helmet so she didn’t get in trouble, but I didn’t.

So, there you have it, just a few interesting tidbits for you.  Next time you venture to our favorite supercenter take a look around.  If nothing else, it might make you feel better about yourself!

Dreams vs. Reality

I’m not one who usually remembers anything I dream at night.  I’m not sure why.  I know that I dream; I just don’t remember them the next day.  I am envious of those people who always tell stories about the cool dreams they have.  They are always about neat places, famous people, and really funny situations or stuff like that.  I just look at them and say “that’s cool; I don’t remember any of my dreams.”  They look at me all pitiful.

But for whatever reason this past week – I think it has something to do with a combination of the pain pills and sleeping on the couch from the previously blogged about toe surgery – I have been having very vivid dreams.  Some have just been really weird, but some have been interesting.  The strangest thing to me was that I had one that really blurred the line between dream and reality.

I had a dream where I was talking to a bunch of my friends.  I was telling them a story about something that had happened to me.  It was an event where I was stuck with another group of people in a room and we couldn’t get out for some reason.  While we were stuck in this room one of the people with us began to carve a way out through the wall.  Just as he did, we were rescued.  Good story right.  Well in this dream my friends thought it was a good story too, but I was insisting to them that it really happened. It wasn’t a story it was real.  I even took them to the place where we had been trapped and showed them the small carved hole in the wall.  It was an intense back and forth discussion of me convincing them it really happened.

Now, when I woke up guess what happened?  I was convinced that it actually happened.  I thought to myself, “Did that really happen?”  “No, there’s no way that happened.””But, it seemed so real”.  I don’t ever remember being trapped anywhere at any time, so I have no idea where that came from (I’m sure it was the drugs!), but in my dream I made it seem so real, that I had myself second guessing it in real life.

Isn’t the mind an amazing thing?

Oh, all you Dave Ramsey fans will love this one.  I had another dream that I taught the entire Dave Ramsey plan to a group of my friends.  I know this one was a dream, because half of it I yelled at them at the top of my lungs and the other half I whispered to them.  Ha! 

Have you ever had a dream that blurred the line between reality and the dream world?  What’s the weirdest dream you have ever had?

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?

Yes, for you few loyal fans of the Scrambled Mind, I’m sure you have been wondering what has happened to your faithful leader.  Well fear not, all is well here in my scrambled world.  Things have just been a little more scrambled lately than usual.  Here is just a quick snapshot to get you caught up.

• I’ve been in a little bit of a slump lately- mentally and physically.  Not sure why, but I think I am finally getting back on track and hopefully things will be on the upswing now.  Because of this, the creative juices have been a little slow to flow; and when they were flowing, I was not in the mood for it.  Hence the non-blogging periods.  Again, I think we are past this period and back on track.
• Work has been crazy busy.  This is both a good thing and a bad thing.  Good in the fact that business is good and in this economy that is a great thing.  Bad in the fact that I have been working a lot of hours (no extra pay when you are salary) and completely covered up with work.  But, I would rather be busy than not have anything to do – or a job period.  So, all in all I’m glad we are busy.
• There is a lady in my office that is driving me completely crazy.  I think she has been contributing to my mental slump.  For the last 3-4 weeks she has been planning her vacation to New York.  I know this because I have heard the details of it about 5 times a day for the last 3-4 weeks.   Thank heavens her vacation is next week and this will be over.  Wait, what am I thinking?  When she comes back, all I will hear about is her actual trip!  Oh, great.
• Okay, I am not a political person.  I really don’t care who you voted for or what party you belong to.  But, is it just me or do some of the events of the Obama presidency seem like they came right out of a West Wing script?
• Spent the July 4^th weekend recovering from a minor procedure on my big toe.  Wasn’t fun.  Hurt like all get out.  Spent the whole holiday weekend lying on the couch, with my foot propped up watching TV, sleeping, taking antibiotics and pain pills.  Thank heavens for pain pills!
• I love all the rain we have been getting.  Not only is it great to see everything so green, but I haven’t had to water my lawn in two months!  Great big win for my budget!
• Speaking of budgets.  7 more months and my credit card debt will be history!  Dave Ramsey rules!  I have taken up the motto of a good friend – “Dave says no!”  Ha!  Can’t argue with that.

Anyway, that about does it for now.  So, what have you been up to lately?

The Hole

I heard a story about a guy who fell into a hole.  Along came a doctor.  The guy in the hole cried up to him.  “Hey, can you help me get out of this hole?” The doctor took out his prescription pad and wrote out a script and threw it into the hole and walked off. 

Next a priest came by.  The guy cried out “Hey, I’m stuck in this hole, can you help me out?” The priest wrote down a prayer and threw it down to him in the hole and walked off. 

Next the guy’s best friend came by and saw him down in the hole.  He jumped down into the hole with his friend.  The guy said “Are you crazy? Now we are both stuck in here.”  His friend said, “Yeah, but I have been here before, and I know the way out.”

Okay, so cool story right. Happy ending we presume, the guy and his friend get out of the whole.  Everyone ends up happy in the end.  But, there is more to this story. 

Who are you in this story?  If you came across someone in need, what part would you play in their story?  Each person played a part.

The doctor- his answer to the problem was to cover it up with substances.  A lot of people do this.  Maybe it’s not drugs or alcohol.  Maybe it’s work, or activities, or family.  They will do anything other than dealing with the problem.  Sometimes these things are helpful to take our mind off the problem, to help us gain a little perspective on what we are facing, but we still have to face the problem.  Substances alone are never the answer.  We still have to solve the problem.

The priest- his answer to the problem was prayer. Prayer is always the best way to deal with a problem.  But, prayer alone can’t solve every problem.  In this case prayer was not the only thing the man needed.  A prayer for strength would be good, but then action doing it is what he needed.  Every situation is different.  Prayer sometimes is just the beginning of the answer.

The friend- his answer was action.  Having been in the same situation himself, he put himself back into that same situation to help his friend pull himself up.  He sacrificed of himself to help another.  His friend could have just said, “Hey I know what you need to do.” Then told him and walked off, but he didn’t.  He wanted to make sure he made it out of the situation safely.  He could have waited above and talked him through, but again, he had been through this and knew the pitfalls ahead. 

So, who are you?  When someone faces a tough situation around you, what do you do?  Do you dive in and help them with your experience?  Or, do you stay on the outer edges, give them a little nudge and hope everything works out okay in the end?

I believe we all go through things in our lives as Christians for a reason.  Somewhere later on in life, we are going to come across a friend in a hole and we can say “Hey, I’ve been here before and I know the way out.”

The Good Old Days

Remember the days when you could turn on the TV and the only drug ads you would see were for things like Advil and Tylenol?  Oh, how I miss those days.  Now, almost every commercial break contains an ad for the latest and greatest drug for what ails you.  Is it just me, or are they all starting to sound the same?  And could they get any longer or more descriptive?  I mean by the time they get done, I think I have what they are talking about!

-          “Do you have a rumbling stomach?  Do your eyes water?  Does your hair grow?  Then you may have X disease!  But don’t worry, because now there’s PYstasis.  Yes, PYstasis, is just for the treatment of X disease.  Talk to your doctor about X disease and if you might be a good candidate for PYstasis today!”

Oh my gosh!  Yes, yes!  I have all those things.  I must have X disease!  I had better call my doctor today!  I had better get on PYstasis right away.  Oh, but then comes my favorite part of the whole ad, the legally required WARNING:

-          “Warning, PYstasis possible side effects include: runny nose; cough; hair loss; rash, bleeding from the nose, ears, eyes, mouth, and in some rare cases death.  But talk to your doctor about the benefits as they may out way the side effects.”

I’m sorry?  What benefit of a drug out ways death?!  Hmmmm, none that come to my mind.  Oh and I have a question.  What happens if I CAN’T sit or stand for 30 minutes after taking a medication?  Will I spontaneously explode if I lay down?  What aren’t they telling us about this one??

Then, about every other break you get the ones for those law suits.  I guess these are for the “rare cases of death” they warned us about.  I really love these. 

-          “Have you or a loved one been injured or died while using a pain patch? Call us, we can help.”

Why, yes.  Thanks for this ad; I did die while using a pain patch.  I’ll call right away! 

And could we please go back to the days when the raciest commercials on TV were for “feminine products”? I mean come on.  Growing up I thought these ads were pushing the limit, but oh man the ads these days.  Especially the ones for, I’ll just call them “male products” (you know what I mean) are so over the top!  If you happen to be watching a ball game or race, they are on almost every commercial break!  Please, please at least get rid of that jingle for the one brand, I hate it when it gets stuck in my head. 

Okay, so that is where I stand.  Thank heavens for my dvr is all I can say.  Most days I can fast forward through all of this stuff.  But sometimes I am forced to see it.  Oh wait, here’s one now.  Great, now it looks like I also have something called TQstoma?  Man, I hope this drug is cheap!

End rant.

Okay, I get it…

Isn’t it funny how when a message is trying to get through, it seems like things come at you from different angles and from strange places.

It all started with Timm’s messages on Cross Roads.  How the choices we make, even the ones that seem to be very small, really do determine where we wind up in life.  Add this to the fact that our small group is doing the Andy Stanley study Destinations which is about the Path Principle.  This is about how our destination not our intentions, determine our destination.  Seeing a pattern yet?  It gets better.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard little things that have jumped out at me.  Things that other people may not have given the time of day.  But to me they have had a double meaning or have really stuck out.

-          It’s a slow climb up but a fast fall down.  This was a comment on the news.  They were talking about our economy, but it hit me differently.  I said out loud to myself.  “Economy, heck that’s true in everything.”  Then I thought, yeah that’s right.  It really is.  You don’t notice the climb to where you are going, but you sure notice the fall.

-          People never crumble in a day, it’s a slow fade.  From the Casting Crown’s song Slow Fade.   I really like this song; it has so many good lessons.  But this line really hit me the other day.  Again, how true is this?  More often than not, it’s not an epic event that leads to a person’s collapse it’s a slow meticulous process.  One bad decision after the next or one bad decision that leads to a path that leads to the fall.

 So, here I am getting all these messages about paths and destinations and utter ruin, and I am thinking uh oh.  Am I headed for something?  Is that what this is all about?  Have I made some huge bad choice and God is trying to tell me to make a U-turn?  I don’t think so.  I think it’s a wakeup call, a reminder.  Something to cause reflection on my life.  Is there something going on that needs to be changed that isn’t getting me where I need and want to be headed.  There are things if my life I really would like to change and basically this is my wakeup call to get back on the wagon and get going. 

Even, the answer to this situation came from interesting places.

-          Andy Stanley gave us this verse in our last study group lesson.  He gave us the NIV version but I am going to give you the Message version because I think it really drives home his point.  I am putting this on my refrigerator and on my desk at work, just as a reminder for myself everyday to check my path:  Prov. 27:12 A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks; a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

-          Prayer- when life gets too hard to stand…kneel.  I saw this plaque in a store.  Enough said.

I am making some changes in my path to change my destination.  My walk is grounded in my faith, so we aren’t talking about any major changes to outsiders.  These are things I personally want to accomplish.  Things I have started and then stopped or just never started. 

 But, I am keeping my eyes open for what may lay ahead on the path.  I am prepared to duck!

Winging it…

Thanks to my DVR, I have rediscovered the West Wing.  I love this show.  I really had forgotten just how much I did until I started watching it again.  They show at least two episodes every day on the Bravo channel.   

The writing of this show was so great.  The cast and their characters were so well developed and it just worked so well.  Sometimes I wonder just how accurate things are, but for the most part it looks pretty clear that this is how things work to me. 

The story lines are so intriguing, ranging from lighthearted to serious.  There are times like when Sam “accidently” slept with the call girl and they all teased him about it for days; when they put the goat in Will’s office; pretty much Donna’s entire career; when CJ and Charley were having their “war” and playing pranks on each other; and just the day to day banter between the characters.  Then there are the times like the assassination attempt; determining whether to intervene in another country’s civil unrest; or nuclear accidents.  The writing for each of these story lines is just awesome.  The characters each played their parts and you get to see how the system is supposed to work from the inside out.

Although I have to admit I got the biggest laugh the other day when I heard a line from one of the early seasons.  It was the president and Leo (Chief of Staff) talking about a company run by a friend of theirs that was about to go bankrupt.  The president said something to the effect of this – we can’t just go bailing out companies when they are failing.  Oh, can you tell that this was an old show!  I just burst out loud with laughter.  If they only knew then what we know now, they couldn’t have written that line!

What is cool about watching this show this way is that I can tape all week and then watch all the episodes at one time one after the other.  It’s like spending a work week at the White House.

Because I have this experience at the White House though, I have found out a few things:

1.  I find myself fighting the urge to say “Thank you Mr. President” every time I leave a room or say thank you to someone.    I think it would be really funny if I did, just to see what their reaction would be.
2. In comparison to running the country, my job isn’t really as stressful as I thought it was. 

Just had to share my thoughts on it.

Sacrifices

Not long ago, I was reading the story of Abraham and Isaac.  No matter how many times I read this story it still amazes me how strong Abraham’s faith was.  Here he was willing to sacrifice his son because God told him to.  The son he had waited 100 years for! 

How many times have we complained about having to sacrifice some small thing in our life?  And let’s face it; it’s usually the small things we complain about the most.  Here Abraham was asked to make a tremendous sacrifice and he did so willingly without even a “But, God are you sure?”  Amazing. 

Through Abraham’s willingness to follow through on God’s command to sacrifice his son great blessings were given to Abraham and his family.  God rewarded him by sparing Isaac and blessing him greater than he could imagine.  It was the simple act of obedience, more than the sacrifice itself that brought the reward.

So, in those times when I am asked to sacrifice something even something so seemingly unimportant, I have to ask myself – is it the sacrifice or the act of obedience that is going to bring me the most reward?  

Something to think about.

Intervention Update

Well, here we are another day and progress is well… let’s just say there is no progress.  In case you need a refresher on my addiction here is the short version.  I am addicted to crossword puzzles.  It started small, just helping others, and has now grown into a full blown obsession. 

At work we began with just a couple of us doing them at break and at lunch; now there is a team of us working on them. In fact, you might call us a gang.  We are thinking of getting matching shirts and coming up with a secret handshake.  We have even gone the extra step of buying books to work on in case the worst happens and we don’t have a newspaper one day, or for the rare occasion that we actually complete both the puzzles in the paper for the day. 

We have even drawn people into our circle that swore they would never help us.  We are sneaky like that!  But, we have shown them that they are a lot smarter than they thought they were.  So, I think it is a win-win situation.  If we are stuck on a question, look out.  Anyone who comes into the break room is fair game.  We will just yell out the question to them as soon as they walk in the door.  They look like a deer in the headlights sometimes.  The other day even the guy who refills our coffee supplies was helping with one. 

My addiction has gotten so bad and become so well known, that I received two books as Christmas presents this year.  Those enablers! 

So, if you hear of a new gang that has taken over Auburndale anytime soon, just hope it’s us and not a bunch of teenagers.  Now, we just have to come up with some cool names.  Any ideas?

Could it be Satan?

Remember the Church Lady segment from Saturday Night Live?  That was one of the catch phrases for that character.  But lately I’ve been thinking about this in a different light.  You know how they say whenever a church is doing things right, Satan comes in to try and destroy it.  Well I think that works for people too.  I have seen this first hand and lately in the lives of my friends.  I will give you a personal example from my life that all happened over a three month period a year and a half ago.

It all started with a broken tooth.  This broken tooth led to a crown, which led to having to have a root canal on that tooth before the crown could be finished.  Then during this time I had the shingles – fun stuff.  Shortly after recovering from these two wonderful things, I broke my little toe.  Let me tell you just because it’s the little toe, there’s nothing little about the pain.  Then my a/c compressor went out and I had to replace the a/c unit at my house.  All of this was over a two month period.  Once the next month started I just knew things would get better, I had a vacation scheduled and I was looking forward to working around the house.  Well during that vacation I had the worst case of the stomach flu I have had since I was in High School.  Needless to say these three months were costly – monetarily, days missed at work, and pain wise.

Now, I know you are asking what does this have to do with Satan.  Well here it goes.  I believe that all these things at once were a form of attack by Satan.  Why?  Because I had been living for God.  Over the last three years I have completely given my life back to God, in ways I never did before.  Oh I have been a Christian since I was 12 and in church since I was 4 or so, but I will admit that I strayed away from church, not from God, but from the Church for a few years a while back.  But even during the years when I was in church and as I have followed God there were things I just kept control of; as I am sure we all have from time to time.  But, since I have been back in church I have completely turned over things to God, and believe me I feel so much better for it.  I tithe the way I should, I pray more, I worship more and more deeply, I feel His presence more during my day because I’m more aware of it.  I am seeking His will instead of my wants in things I do and I find the pressure of things is less.  Satan doesn’t like it when we do these things.  I think that these months were Satan’s attempt to turn me away from my newfound peace.  I will admit I started to waiver a time or two, but then I would pray for strength and God would help me get through it. 

Anytime you rely on God, Satan is going to come at you to try and pry you away from your stronghold.  Don’t worry; God is there to help you.  Just as the song says – He never lets go, through the calm and through the storm, He never lets go of you.  I know that there are those going through times right now that seem unbelievably hard: financial, physical, emotional, even spiritual.  Hang on.  He is there for you.  He never leaves us; He is there to uplift us and help us through these times of trial.  No matter what they are, He will be there with us to help us carry these burdens.  Pray for strength; lean on your fellow Christians. Odds are they have been there before.  Satan doesn’t mess with someone who isn’t doing something right for God.  But, God will never leave you. He will never let go.

Peace…

I heard this on the way to work this morning and had to share it.

“Don’t take much for this crazy world to rob me of my peace…so I stand here lifting empty hands for You to fill me up again.”

Awesome words. 

Don’t let the world steal your peace today. 

W.O.O.

The Wizard of Oz is a classic movie that scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.  I can remember the first time I saw it.  I was just a little tike and watched it at a neighbor’s house.  They were a young couple without any kids at the time – guess they wanted to scare someone else’s kids – but they seemed to have a fondness for me.  Back then I was kind of a cutie if I must say so myself!  Ha!  Anyway, the memories of my childhood are kind of like an old movie that needs to be restored, they are a little spliced together.  This memory is like that, but some parts are very vivid – must be the trauma.  I don’t remember the couple’s name or much about the house, but oh I remember the movie. 

You have to admit that there are parts of that movie that to a kid say around 5 or 6 are terrifying.  First, you have the munchkins.  Now, they aren’t supposed to be scary, they are the good guys.  But come on, they are a little creepy.  You have the Great Oz, at first he comes off like a bad guy.  When you learn he’s just a man behind the curtain, the fear subsides.  Then you have the wicked witches.  Definitely scary.  You have the one you don’t actually see that long, who is killed by the house and then the main antagonist who is all throughout the movie.  Even though you find out that she can be killed by water, she is one scary lady. 

But the most horrifying part of the movie has to be those flying monkeys.  Man oh man; you have to admit that there is nothing scarier than a flying monkey.   I mean they were everywhere and they were ruthless.  Look at what they did to the poor Scarecrow!   They even took Toto!  Now that is just mean.  For days after seeing that movie I combed the skies for flying monkeys.  I wasn’t sure where they would come from, but I knew they were there somewhere.  There was nothing in the world worse than flying monkeys!

Eventually of course this fear passed and I realized there were no flying monkeys, wicked witches, or munchkins.  There was no Great and Powerful Oz.  It was all make believe.  But now that I am an adult, I kind of wish sometimes I had me some flying monkeys…

So, fess up, what movie scared the tar out of you as a kid?

Perfection

I’m sure by now that you have heard the song “Free to Be Me” by Francesca Battistelli.  From the first time I heard this song, I just embraced it deep down inside.

First of all, it’s really a catchy tune with a great beat and a chorus that is just fun to sing.  It’s one of those songs you find yourself singing without really realizing how deep it is the first few times.  I know I did.  But, once I started dissecting the words, the more I heard it, I realized just how amazing the tune was and how true it is for my life and probably for a lot of people out there too.

Sometimes I believe that I can do anything, yet other times I think I’ve got nothing good to bring. But You look at my heart and tell me that I’ve got all You seek.

How many times have we heard Timm say that we don’t have to have it all together before we come before God and say we are ready to be saved or that we aren’t expected to be perfect once we are?  How many times as a Christian have we been told that if we aren’t perfect we must not have been saved in the first place?  It’s so nice to hear that we don’t have to be perfect – we are human.   God wants us the way we are, He will work on us and make us better.  We will want to become more perfect to please him.  No-one comes to Him perfect.

I’ve got a couple dents in my fender, got a couple rips in my jeans, try to fit the pieces together but perfection is my enemy.

On my own I’m so clumsy but on Your shoulders I can see I’m free to be me.

We think we have to be perfect at what we do either because we are Christians or to become a Christian.  Well, we don’t and it’s a good thing.  If perfection were required, it would be one short list of saved people.  We put so much stress on ourselves, thinking we aren’t good enough, not perfect enough, that we miss the point.  We miss the blessing. 

A war is already waged for my destiny, You’ve already won the battle and You’ve got great plans for me.

It’s time to stop worrying about being perfect or about what is in our past.  It’s time to focus on the future and what God can do in our lives.  Let Him shine through us, let His plans for us be put into action.  By doing so our dents and rips and errors will become less noticeable and our inner light will shine more and more.

We aren’t saved because we are perfect; we are perfected by being saved.  We are all works in progress.