Call Me Lolo

I faced a hurdle this week. I’m an endurance person, not a leaper or sprinter. But I faced a hurdle. Wednesday afternoon. I had a need for a person I love. And I prayed a very specific prayer and it had a pretty tight time line. Went to church Wednesday night and sang with the worship team. We sang “Healer” by Hillsong. One of my favorites.
You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
You heal all my disease
I trust in you
I trust in you
I believe you’re my healer
I believe you are all I need
I believe you’re my portion
I believe you’re more than enough for me
Jesus you’re all I need
Though often times I fail you
I bow my head in shame
You promised to forgive me
When I call out your name
I trust in you
I trust in you
Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
You hold my world in your hands

I stood there with my arms raised and felt the presence of God, like He was reaching towards me. Not in the way he was going to give me everything I asked for, that was the furthest thing on my mind. Not sure if it’s because I was with our worship team and I know many of them quite well, and know that they were truly in the presence of God as well, and where two or three are gathered…but it was a moment.
I believe God, no matter what. I trust God, no matter what. But moments like this are powerful (and rare) and special. So imagine my excitement when the next afternoon everything was taken care of. At first I was thinking God just made it all go away, until I realized that while he definitely showed up and answered my prayer, he gave me Lolo Jones skills. He turned me into a hurdler. I didn’t look down the track and try to remove the hurdle. I didn’t try to run around it. I trusted God and went forward. We hurdled. I understand not everything will happen this way, but I believe when it’s something in God’s plan, even though I don’t know how it fits, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. You hold my world in your hands.

Conversations with Whitney

A picture is worth a thousand words...

At Whitney's 8th grade formal someone took this picture. I found it on facebook. Denae's face in the background is priceless. I asked who these people are, and Whitney says "I don't know, like Gretchen's aunt and uncle or something?"

I have learned

1. At home microderm abrasion feels like you are rubbing ground glass into your face.
2. There is a serious disconnect in what a woman says and what a man hears. A woman can say “will you help me with the dishes” and a man will hear “there is a baseball game on, why don’t you go watch it while I do the dishes”.
3. Digging through dumpsters looking for your drivers license is better than going to the drivers license bureau to get a new one.
4. 42 is twice as good as 21.
5. I am scared of snakes and frogs. My behavior coming upon snake and frogs pales in comparison to the behavior of Steve when we ran by a bee farm.
6. A 17 year old boy will be very upset the first time he runs over (and kills) an animal. Bunny suicide. He actually has a bunny suicides calendar.

Square Pegs

Deadlist Warrior. This is one of Nate’s favorite shows. The premise is scientifically comparing two warriors that never faced each other in battle and comparing weapons and fighting skill to see who would have won in a competition (to the death). The few I happened to be home while he was watching were Ninja vs. Spartan warrior, Maori warrior vs. Shaolin Chinese Monks and the Taliban vs. the IRA. It was very interesting. Violent, but not bloody, and as they used human skeletons on a stainless steel support wrapped in some ballistic type gel to recreate the human body, they weren’t hurting anyone. In some cases they used pig carcasses. In addition, the show explains the background of the warrior and why they began to fight. The Taliban and IRA are basically birthed from religious wars. Ninja’s were actually farmers that became warriors to protect their farms from the Samurai. And some of the means they employed were brutal. They would take eggs and hollow out the shell and then fill them with ground glass which they would crush the egg in their hand and throw it in the eyes of the Samurai. The Shaolin Monks were peace loving monks, but they were prosperous so they became targets of thieves. They were never on the offensive, but if you attacked them, they also had some brutal weapons and methods of fighting at their disposal. Watching the difference in size and agility of the warriors, strength and quickness, and the types of weapons and how they played into the strengths of the warriors fascinated me. The Maori Warriors were large tattooed men. Big clubs, long spears. They were fierce and strong. The Shaolin Monk utilized speed and quickness and kung fu type movements, small razor sharp steel weapons that also played to their strengths. Some were offensive warriors, going into battle. Some only fought in defense. I’m more like that, less likely to attack, but definitely willing to defend. I kept thinking of the square peg in a round hole theory. If the Ninja had to wear Spartan armor and fight with their shield and sword, they would not have been effective. And I’m just guessing the Spartans didn’t use too many ninja moves.
I have always known I’m a square peg. The challenge is finding a square hole. There aren’t many. I gave up forcing my way into the round hole. I can’t do it. Whether it’s because I physically can’t or someone else in authority says, no, don’t think you’re going to do that, I don’t even try anymore. I have no trouble stepping in and helping out, filling a need where I can, when I can. But I’ve quit trying to be something I’m not. I haven’t quit trying to improve what I am. But if I’m a Spartan Warrior (this is the one I think I’m most like, they wear skirts and hide behind shields. They protect others with their shields. When attacked if they lose their weapon, they will hit you with their shield). I have to be the best Spartan I can be.
I can’t be a Ninja or Shaolin Monk, but I reserve the right to employ some of their tactics.