Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Top 10 Dumbest Trends I've Taken Part In


We were riding in the car home from IKEA and I thought about a really stupid trend from jr high...which got me wondering...What are the dumbest trends I've taken part in. Here they are. Don't judge me.

1. Pillsbury Dough Boy Shirts. Who came up with this??? Great for Pillsbury, bad for everyone one else. I honestly don't know why this had such mass appeal, but I had one. I wore it often with my wide leg pants. It's such a wonder I didn't have a boyfriend.

2. Long chains hanging from jean pockets. Okay, I didn't personally have this, but I dated several guys who sported this look. Which means I was attracted to this trend, and that is far worse. Point? Whats the point? Maybe they were supposed to look tough, but I doubt James Dean would have worn one.

3. Beanie Babies. Why did we believe that these were going to be super valuable and we should all collect them? I didn't exactly collect them, but I did get some as gifts. I kept them because they were supposed to be worth millions by 2025 or something. Obviously, that didn't quite pan out.

4. "You Go Girl". I think that I may have said this phrase a few times in 2001. A decision I deeply regret. Thankfully, this phrase is no longer in use with the exception of a few middle-aged white women.

5. Spiral Perms. In elementary school, my parents had a brief lapse in judgement. This included letting me get a perm. A spiral perm. Permanent spirals are never good...its very similar to vertigo. Which, is what you would get if you saw pictures of me in first grade.

6. The Macarena. Apart from the 'Bunny Hop' this is the dumbest dance. I proudly danced the macarena. I think it is because it is one of the only dances I could do. Still, this whole macarena thing should never have happened.

7. Rope Sandals. Yes, it is what you think. Sandals made out of rope. Perhaps you don't remember this trend. I'm not sure if it was a wide spread thing, but at Midway High School or Highland Baptist Youth Group...it was. I had them & I looked like a hippie...which isn't my best look. And they smelled.

8. Brick colored lipstick. I don't know why all lipstick in the late 90s was the color of a faded brick, but it was. Including mine. The cast of 'Friends' pulled it off...but no one else. Actually they didn't either, but their haircuts carried them through.

9. Uggs with all day gym wear. The only person who need this outfit is an aerobic eskimo. I did this a few times in college...hey, I was in a sorority. What do you expect?

10. AOL Chatrooms. Ha! Yes, I did on occasion visit chat rooms. Thankfully Facebook came along and put an end to these. I hope.

Okay, those are my top ten. Feel free to write yours in the comments.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Limitations vs Boundaries


This is an incomplete thought, but it is something that has been stirring in my mind for a few weeks now. I referenced some of the longing felt in different seasons in a blog post a few days ago. In my journey of dreaming with God I have found that longing and frustration are often interwoven. Wanting so badly for something, but hitting barriers in the actualization of those desires.

Disappointment is a heavy weight to carry...and most of us don't even notice how heavy we have grown. I have had many angry tears shed processing with God about things that I am not able to do or see happen...yet. I say 'yet' because God has a plan. As I have been pondering this issue over the past week I came upon a great realization. One that has brought me peace.

Limitations and boundaries are not the same things. Limitations are based on what cannot happen. My lack of capacity, my weaknesses or the natural restrictions I face. Boundaries are based on God's great strategic plan. They are directional and keep us from wandering around in aimlessly. Limitations are based on deficits. Boundaries are based on love.

Every season of life has boundaries. I can't do everything all the time. I would burn out and be impactless. God has paced my life so that I can run in such a way as to win the race He has set out for me. (1 Cor. 9:24) Cattle are moved from field to field based on which fields have food, which field has the terrain needed to keep the cattle safe and healthy...thats what God does. My boundary lines right now are to be a support leader at All People's Church instead of a senior leader. I can write on a blog instead of speaking to large groups, and I have to store up in prayer for big dreams in my heart rather than act out on them.

My natural inclination is to see through the lens of limitation. I can't be a leader. I must not have been doing a good job at it. Only a handful of people are interested in my life...those few who read my blog. Not large masses. No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to make some of the big dreams happen...Limitation. Heaviness. Disappointment.

Psalm 16:6 " The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places..."God knows all the things seen and unseen. He knows what the next field holds for me. The healthiest thing for me is to live inside of the boundaries I am in. I usually don't know why, but I know Him. He is good and He doesn't hold back on me. Jesus always gives me the best, not the scraps.

Seeing through limitations is painful because it makes us look at ourselves as the problem. It makes single women ask 'what is it about me that is so unattractive.' It causes dreamers to wonder 'why is my capacity so small'. And it slowly convinces all of us that 'God isn't able to meet my needs and satisfy me.'

Our limitations and God's boundaries are not the same thing. Be at peace knowing that where you are is a pleasant place because the fullness of God is there with you.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

I love women.


I love women. This is no new realization, but I'll tell you what made me think about it again tonight.

Every week I put a conditioning mask on my hair. Tonight was that night. I glob this creamy stuff all over my hair and then wait for 10-20 minutes before rinsing it out. While I was waiting to rinse, I got kinda tickled about how odd it is. I want my dead hair cells to be shiny and soft...even though they are dead. Because I want to look beautiful.

I love this about women. We bring beauty. When the west was being settled, women came. Tough as nails. Birthing children and burying husbands along the way. Fighting for survival and hope. But most still brought china with them. Carefully wrapped so as not to break when their wagon breaks an axle. (if you ever played Oregon Trail as a kid, you know that this happens a lot) They did it because when they got to their new homes, they wanted to make them pretty.

My friend Erika is in Haiti right now. Daily life isn't beautiful, but dusty and generators going out regularly. Regardless of all that I bet she has decorated her home as close to Anthropologie as Haiti can get. Erika is beautiful and has a way of bringing hope to broken people through it. Beauty can help restore a nation.

In college my roomate Wright was great at this. She was an interior design major and her stuff always looked so cute. WAY WAY WAY cuter than my room. She'd paint her room a pale green and her bedspread was flowers on a teal background...when I walked in her room I felt whimsical and inspired. Wright is beautiful. And her spaces make you feel happy.

All women portray beauty in one way or another. It varies and looks different according to the lady...and I LOVE that. So many kinds of beauty are needed in the world. Beauty adds value to things.

In Russia they don't just have Mothers Day. It is actually Women's Day. You celebrate ALL women. The Russians are onto something. So, if you are a woman, "Cheers to you!". If you are a man....you are probably in love with a woman. For being clever enough to fall in love with a woman..."Cheers to you too!"

I think it has been 20 minutes now. I can rinse out my hair. Tomorrow I will have BEAUTIFUL hair.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Longing with Grace


On days like today I am so very thankful that I follow a really big God. When I was in college I dreamt of law school, prosecuting dictators for their war crimes, helping run political campaigns, planting churches by the hundreds...and lets be honest...we all secretly hope to be discovered for some deep wealth of gifting. Be interviewed by Oprah, have 100,000 followers on twitter, and run the circuit of late night talk shows.

This is what my day looked like. I cleaned the house. Picked up the dog poop that was on the floor. Went hunting for socks that were separated in the laundry. Did speech therapy with Tait and did homeschool with Sophie for her preschool. (This is just to finish out the school year b/c we couldn't get here in a preschool right now.) It is really easy to feel average on days like today. Who wanted to know my opinion and ask for advice? My four year old. Thats pretty much it. What did I run today? The vacuum.

On days like today there is a temptation to look back at all those dreams of potential and God's heart for this earth. Its so easy to feel like they are slipping away. Then I remember. I spent all day caring for people. Just like Jesus. I didn't learn law, but I learned how to be a speech therapist. I didn't use my skills at logic and deductive reasoning inside of a court room...but they did come in handy as I helped Sophie learn how to put things in size biggest to smallest.

I can end my day knowing that I was loved today and I gave love in return. What could be better than that? Really, all the dreams in our hearts are put there by God. Because He has dreams for us. I don't really have ambition to participate in war tribunals or run political campaigns anymore. But I still beat to see justice established in my generation. I want to scream at the top of my lungs for all those in the world who are trapped in silence. God knows that. He made me.

Life is full of seasons. Some people are running campaigns longing for the day that they have families. Its the nature of longing. Every season has it...until we get to heaven. In the midst of waiting for the promises of God to be fulfilled we have grace to thrive in our season. Resting in the truth that God is faithful. He isn't constrained by time limits, resumes, or people who feel hidden. He sees, He knows, He calls. I am at peace.

Now I am going to clean the kitchen. :)