Clovis Botanical Garden

I went looking in the phone book for the Clovis Library and found the Clovis Botanical Garden instead. Kyle and I decided to check it out today. It is pretty small, but we had a great time taking some cool pictures. Kyle took this one. I'd like to go back in the spring. If you are looking for some plants, you might want to check it out. They sell a variety of plants there.

Because I’m Married to a Global Man

I went to a conference for school and heard Cynthia Tobias. Among the many cool things she talked about was the topic of global and analytical people. If you know me well, then you know that I am very analytical. If I’m doing a project I like to have all of the specifics of how to do the project. I think of multiple ways to do the project including all of the worse case scenarios. I like to think inside the box, because I know what is expected in my “box.” I like order and routine.

Funny though, God in His ultimate wisdom, didn’t give me an analytical husband. Kyle is what you call global. He doesn’t think in a box, because well, he doesn’t even know there was a box to begin with. He uses very creative and sometimes very odd tactics compared to my analytical mind ideas to accomplish the same thing that I do. He likes to think in a big picture way. Be careful in giving to many requirements for his project, because you stifle his creativity. Plus he already started thinking outside the box when you gave the first instruction, so he might not have heard them all.

Case in Point:
When I put the dishes away there is a certain place where they go. Every time I put them away they go in the same place so that I know where to find them later. Mind you this is done with a purpose so that I save time and sanity.

When Kyle puts the dishes away he is seems to often be thinking, “Now how can I make this better.” So he has on several occasions decided there are better places for say the strainer. Last night I was making pasta, and low and behold the strainer had moved from its spot. I looked where I had for the past 3 months, and instead found it on the other side of the kitchen where Kyle thought it should be. He is very creative, it just always isn’t communicated that the “routine” of putting the dishes away has altered. Now that it moves, I agree, it is a better spot.

Even Better Case in Point:
Like I said, I am a woman of routine. I have my morning routine down to a science. I know how much time I need, and I can tell you at any point in my morning routine if I am off schedule. If I am running late, do stay out of my way because I am working on over drive to catch up so that I am not late.

This morning I am just making it on time. I’d rather have a little extra time, but I had already had to cut one thing out of my routine to be done at a later time. As I grab a water bottle, the last thing I need before I leave, I notice something.

Now let me back up just a bit. Last night I noticed that Kyle had cut a square out of the plastic that holds the 24 water bottles together so that when you get them from the grocery store they stay packaged together. I’m thinking, “Oh I love how brilliant my husband is. This is a much easier way to get the bottles out than the way I was trying to scoot one out at a time from underneath the strong plastic.” We put the recycling container right below the counter where the water bottles are. So, drop off an old one, and pick up a new one.

Okay, now back to this morning. As I pull one of these very accessible water bottles out, the craziest thing happened. It was empty!!! I think in my analytical mind, "now why in the world would you put an empty bottle with all of the full ones? You would waste time everyday searching for a full one, especially if you have 23 empty bottles and only 1 full one." Remember, this is messing up my morning routine. I should be out the door by now. So I look at Kyle with an “I can’t even believe you” look as I say, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” and threw the water bottle at him. Then I grabbed three more bottles that happened to also be empty. They too were tossed in his directions. All the while he is laughing tearfully. Through his laughter he is trying to explain that he didn’t do it to frustrate me. In his mind it made sense.

So, stay tuned. He said that I could write this up, and then he’d tell his side of the story.

Get Real

I wrote this in my other blog, the-daily-Word.blogspot.com but I wanted to post it here too because I think that it is important. God is really showing me some new things and I am really excited about them. Comments are always welcome and much appreciated. :)

Genesis 2:21-22, 25
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to the man… The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Okay, here we go. Let's think about this. Are we content in our relationships? Is there something missing in them? Do we find ourselves with more acquaintances than friends, and more friends than bestfriends? Obviously we are going to have fewer bestfriends but how deep are those bestfriend relationships? Could any of the other relationships become bestfriend relationships? What is keeping them from becoming closer, deeper, more sincere?

Here's what God has been teaching me. It is ultimately fear that limits the closeness of our relationships. What if they knew my past? What if they knew my struggles? What if I was honest about my feelings? We wear so many layers of superficiality that no one really knows who we are. They only see who we want them to see. But if we strip off these layers then we could experience true relational intimacy. Wouldn’t it be an amazing feeling to know that you can go to someone and be fully yourself, flaws and all, and yet still be fully accepted?

I love this quote from Shirley MacLaine, "Fear makes strangers of people who would be friends." Who do I, who do you need to be real with? How can we accomplish friendships without fear, open friendships that we can share anything and still be accepted? Perhaps doing this is harder in action than in word. To this I would agree.

Sanctification

This morning I was ironing. It doesn't take much brain power but I wasn't fully awake either. Before I realized it, I had put a pretty firm crease in the fabric that I did not want to be there. I stretched the fabric and ran the iron over it to try and remove the crease. No luck. So I pumped some stream into it. No luck. Then I pumped a lot of steam and held it there firmly. It was a stubborn crease. I didn't get it out all the way but who was going to look closely at it like I was.

Light comes on! Wrinkles want to happen. A shirt never stays unwrinkled. You continually have to wash it, dry it, and iron it. I've got a lot of wrinkles and creases in myself. Some of those have come out pretty easy. Others have been creased so long that they are hard to remove. We get wrinkled in this world either by it or by ourselves. I wish there was spiritual starch. I'd never have to go through an ironing. But there isn't. Then we go to God and He washes us, dries us out, and irons us wrinkle free. Then we get worn and it starts again.

Geese

Geese are loud and mean. I can remember being chased by one as a kid. We were at Hart Park. My aunt and cousins were with us. My mom had brought a loaf of bread to feed the birds. One very large impatient goose didn’t think that I was tossing the bread quickly enough. I was chased, my aunt was snapped by its beak, and we lost our bread.

Anyway, we went running on Sunday. On our run we heard some geese flying loudly overhead. They are so cool to see them flying in formation. I mean, geese don’t go to flight school and learn that if they fly in formation then they can draft on each other. God had to teach them that. It is a natural instinct. This made me think bout how God created everything.

Then I noticed that this formation of geese were flying north, not south. They were going in the wrong direction. Then a little while later there was a larger group that was flying south like they were supposed to. I made me wonder if a small group going the right direction saw the group going the wrong direction and said, “Hey don’t go that way. Follow us.”

Aren’t we supposed to do the same thing? When Jesus called his disciples, he wasn’t just asking them to tag along. He called them and they left “their lives” and started a new life with him. When Jesus called my name I followed him. He used the Holy Spirit through my church, and my family to bring me to that decision. Now that I am a follower of Christ, I am supposed to be an active agent of the harvest.

What does this look like?
-Bring up spiritual things in conversations
-Talk about the bible study you attended or the worship service you went to
-Share a Christian music cd with someone
-Invite others to church get-togethers
-Pray for your coworkers, family members, and friends
-Do not just ask “how’s it going?” and keep walking. You asked a question so wait for an answer. Be genuine and authentic.
-Share a meal or a cup of coffee and get to know someone better
-Ask questions that relate to spiritual things and discuss them
-Ask someone how they are doing and give them your full attention

Spiritual Insight from an Appliance

Tasha and I found an electric dryer through the want ads yesterday. We brought it home; I hooked up the vent hose, plugged it in, and turned it on. Walla, it works. We started a load in the wash and then left the house for Life Group. When we got home I switched the loads and started a new load in the wash. About a half hour later I checked the dryer… the clothes were damp and cold. I switched the heat settings, checked the vent hose, and tried a different drying cycle. I sat and watched the heating element get red hot. Then after a few minutes it cooled down. After that, it never got hot again.

I decide to get ready for bed. I am mad because I am getting to bed late and I bought a lemon dryer. I couldn’t sleep. I laid there wondering if we should have just spent the money and got a new one. I was wondering if I went back to the guy and say that it doesn’t work, if he’d even give me the money back. Basically, I feel dumb and deceived.

I had weight training this morning. I was going to shower here at school but I forgot my towel. So, I had to drive back home to shower. When I walked into the house, I went over to the dryer. I knelt on the floor and began to pray. “God, is it too much to want this dryer to work? It is made to dry clothes but it isn’t doing that. Why can’t it just do what it was made to do?”

Then my prayer stopped. I reflected on what I had just said. I began my prayer again. “God, this dryer is meant to dry clothes. It is not working and it makes me upset. God, you created me. You designed me. How much more of a vexation am I to you when I do not the things you want me to.”

Psalm 29:2
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Noise - the beginning

Rob Bell, figure that if you read our blog then you'll hear his name a lot. Tasha and I are going through his dvd series called Nooma. Noom means "breath". If you want to know more then go to his site. CLICK

Tasha and I watched "Noise" on Friday night. I did not say much about it that night or Saturday because I was too busy thinking. Finally on Saturday night I asked Tasha if she'd join me in choosing not to listen to the radio, mp3 player, cd player, or streaming online music. If we had cable then I'd have added it to the list but we don't. She agreed to do it. Sunday morning we started and next Sunday we'll get to listen to a worship cd Sunday morning before we head off to church.

Why do this?
Because we surround ourselves with noise.

Why is this a problem?
Rob Bell poses that it makes hearing from God almost impossible.

"Why is silence so hard to deal with? Why is it so much easier for us to live our lives with a lot of things going on all the time than to just be in silence? We’re constantly surrounded with “voices” that are influencing us on how to think, feel, and behave. Movies, music, TV, Internet, cell phones, and a never-ending barrage of advertising. There’s always something going on. Always noise in our lives. But maybe there’s a connection between the amount of noise in our lives and our inability to hear God. If God sometimes feels distant to us, maybe it’s not because he’s not talking to us, but simply because we aren’t really listening."

Tasha and I will be posting our reflections during this next week.

Go watch Noise!

Opportunities

Background: September 1^st has been a day I have looked forward to for a month. The gals in my family got together and agreed with a plan I hatched. We would celebrate the September birthdays in the family on September 1^st in addition to my brother’s July birthday. My thinking was that this would be a way to gather everyone together and I would be able to celebrate with everyone. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to come down three times in September for birthdays.

Opportunity: Kyle and I decided to leave on Friday, Aug. 30 due to the “lovely” aroma that a refinished bath tub disbursed throughout our home. We packed quickly, forgetting our tooth brushes in the process, and headed to grab a bit to eat. While at Wienerschnitzel we were greeted by a very thoughtful cashier. We noticed that she asked a question that pertained to each person as they placed their order. Kyle mentioned that she asked how tall one gentleman was. He and he three kids were all rather tall. I was fascinated by their height. I kept glancing at them wondering about their bone structure, and how God made us all different. In the process God prompted me to talk to them.

Problem: We are on our way to grab a quick bit so that we don’t get to my parents much later than 10. I don’t know these people. What if they laugh? What am I supposed to say anyway? So ignoring God I left. As soon as we got up to leave I knew that I was disobeying. In fact I knew before that. While driving away I talked to Kyle about it, and we decided to pray for them.

Prayer: Well, when you ignore God, you tend to not want to pray. Sure I prayed for the family then, but they kept coming to mind over the weekend. I still don’t know what I should have said, but what I forgot is that God can provide the words in those moments. So this morning I prayed for forgiveness and to trust and obey. Well, those are two things that you need to be careful about praying, because God is pretty cool about giving you opportunities.

Opportunity: Today I had an in-service. While eating a fantastic lunch someone across the table asked me why we moved here. Not too hard of a question, Kyle’s schooling. But I knew that wasn’t all God wanted me to say. My heart beat fast as I put away fear and doubt and possible rejection from my new staff and briefly explained that Kyle and I feel called to go overseas and tell other people about Jesus.

Purpose: Why is it so easy to tell people at church that your purpose is to glorify God and yet those same words get caught in your throat when an opportunity is set before you and isn’t in your comfort zone?

After Thought: Kyle and I watched the 4^th Nooma video last night. It is called Sunday. Wow, what a concept. Rob Bell, the pastor, asks if how church looks and feels is how God pictured it. Also, he directs the viewer to understand that church isn’t a building that you meet at every week for an hour. It is the people.

We want a pet

Tasha and I want a pet. We had a cat that came around our apartment but we haven't seen it in a month or so. We had named it Welfare. Our apartments charges a large nonrefundable fee for cats and dogs so we know we don't want either of those.

Here is what we came up with - newts.

FACTS (wikipedia)
Newts are not reptiles. They are amphibians. Amphibians are four legged vertebrates that can breath through their skin.
Newts release toxins through their skin which is their defence against predators. They are either aquadic or semi-aquadic. What is super cool is that "Newts have the ability to regenerate limbs, eyes, spinal cords, hearts, intestines, and upper and lower jaws."

Appearances (wikipedia)
1. In the novel Matilda by Roald Dahl, Lavender, Matilda's good friend, uses a newt to play a prank on the head teacher Miss Trunchbull.
2. The witches in Macbeth include "eye of newt" along with many other ingredients in a recipe for their potion.
3. In Monty Python and the Holy Grail a peasant claims that a suspected witch turned him into a newt, although admits that he "got better".

Caudatamedia Site
Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3

What are some good newt names? I am thinking of maybe getting three small newts, see if we are good newt parents, and then start a newt breeding farm. Okay, just joking about the breeding farm. Give us some name ideas though!

Week two at Pacific

It is pretty common knowledge that I don't like school. However, I am enjoying it so much thus far.

I am still getting used to my schedule.
Today I got out of my first class, Physical Science and went to find a table where I could work on my homework for the class. I was on the last problem when I remembered that I had math today also. I pulled out my schedule to check the time, looked at my watch, and screamed. I was 15 minutes late and my book was in my truck. I got there and listened to lecture for just 15 minutes until he said, okay that's all I've got for you today.

I have lab this afternoon. Usually I only have to show up for one 2-hr block. Today though I have to show up for both 2-hr blocks. The reason here is that I showed up at the wrong room last week and could not understand why I had missed it.

Prayer in class.
Before each lecture in both my Jesus and Christian Community and my Astronomy classes we open up with prayer. I had always gone to a public school. The only prayers I said were before I ate lunch, and before tests. I love my teachers recognizing God as creator, sustainer, and Lord.

Christian campus?
I was so excieted to be on a Christian campus. I am however also disappointed. I guess I knew that not all students would be Christian but it really bothers me by some of the language, behavior, and dress that I see. For example, last week some guy came to class wearing a Hooters tshirt "definetly tacky but delightfully unrefined". I've gotten angry at times from these instances but then God says, I love these people. Then I know that what I can do is shine His light around them and hopefully the Holy Spirit will alter thier insides. Please pray for "B" that she'll find her worth in God and not in the lustful eyes of men. Please pray for "A" that she'll discover the freedom of grace and mercy. Please pray for "C" that he'll put away the childish things he holds onto and become the man God wants him to be.

Question: Who is Jesus? Post a comment to this blog entry. I'll share more about the question later.

Love, Kyle