Tuesday, November 25, 2008

who knew

sometimes romance comes in the form of shrimp scampi, crusty bread and lemon cake brought home from a night out to the babysitter who was drying baby tears, coaxing a cranky toddler to eat, administering medicine and cleaning up barf all while singing happy songs and answering the phone.

hmmm....

i bow to the formerly unobserved powers of observation in the female teenage mind.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

finding the obvious - or is it

Question for week 2...

Are you for real?


"Pull Me Out"
by Bebo Norman | from the album Bebo Norman

Tell me now, when does this start feeling
Like I understand everything I’m dealing with
First I was young, now it’s all just happening
And what about the way I said that
Made you turn around and shake your head
Like I don’t even know what I’m asking for

This could be all about just letting go
Or this could be all about just holding on

I can’t get my feet off of the ground
I wanna run but I don’t know how
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out, yeah
I wanna scream but there’s no sound
I wanna fly to you somehow
Can you reach me here and pull me out, can you pull me out

Remember when I was young and hungry,
I could take it in, without much money,
I had nothing at all but dreams and time to kill
And now I feel like I’m treading water
And I’m hardly real - I’m just trying harder
To make my way on the earth by standing still

This could be all about just letting go
Or this could be all about just holding on

I can’t get my feet off of the ground
I wanna run but I don’t know how
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out, yeah
I wanna scream but there’s no sound
I wanna fly to you somehow
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out

Not a moment too soon You will be my rescue
But tell me how long will it take?

I can’t get my feet off of the ground
I wanna run but I don’t know how
Can you reach me here and pull me out, can you pull me out
I can’t get my feet off of the ground
I wanna run but I don’t know how
Can you reach down here and pull me out, can you pull me out, yeah
I wanna scream but there’s no sound
I wanna fly to you somehow
Can you reach me here and pull me out – can you pull me out
Can you pull me out?
Can you pull me out?
Can you reach down and pull me out?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

loves me...loves me not....


This topic of romance gets people talking.
Welcome to the journey, Keri.
I went out to breakfast this morning.
My favorite coffee shop.
I can almost feel you leaning in for the details.
Ordinarily special.
Possible?
I 'spose.
Can I use this to describe time with God?
My verbal limitations hold me there.

Despite the pouring rain the Coffee Co. was packed. One small table near the back was free. Perfect. The owner hurried to wipe it down. I nudged the morning paper over and settled in.
Coffee?
Of course.
Did some people watching while we waited.
Noticed hair syles for some reason. Must be Leah's influence. Talked about her for a couple minutes. Fell silent.
Ah, coffee.
Hmmm. Tastes cheap today. Their lattes are better.
Oh well. It's hot.
The warmth slowly spread toward my cold appendages.
The smells and chatter surrounded me like a blanket. Swing music edged in among the lulls in conversation and kept time with the clatter of dishware.
Sigh.
Time to breathe a little.

I read some thoughts from this guy named Craig Goeschel who wrote Chazown.
Got us talking about what I want out of life. How things so far have shaped who I am. Craig's ideas weren't new, necessarily. Not to me. Just gave some structure to look at things visually, logically track the patterns and put on paper and think about what dream or vision God has given me for my life.

Breakfast arrived.
Topic changed to the paper. Looked at the CMA awards, the up and coming trends in the crafting world, some area prodigies doing big things with their life....

So, the hour was just quiet, mellow, natural. A great time to step away from the usual scenery and visit together. It made me want more. Isn't that what a great date is for? I think I might do this every other Thursday.

Summary:
No weird expectations. No awkwardness. In restrospect I feel like the morning revolved around me. In a good way. God focuses on me. On His presence in my life. And he is present in the day to day whatever I do.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

in the mood....


This time of year puts me in the mood for romance. The colors. The music. The foods. The holidays. One problem. There's no one to share it with. Ok. Clarification. No guy.

I love my girlfriends. Like most, I would assert that mine are the best. Each one shares a unique part of who I am. I shared a delightful evening with two of my favorites last Thursday. We ate at Panera and people watched and told stories and laughed and analyzed to our hearts content. We got to discussing this very topic.

I thought about how our longings are echoes of what could have been in Eden, but also what is possible when we live well and wholly. We decided that instead of sitting around moping, binging on chocolate and missing the beauty of this season, we were going to discover our own romance. We are loved by the Creator of the universe. The guy who commands nations with his word, brings life with his touch, and died to set us free.

I read this in my Bible a few minutes ago.

"God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors (and boy are my parents are a living exhibit of this). And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. He paid for you with the precious life blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now, in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you."

A few paragraphs back it says, "You love him even though you have never seen him, you trust him; and even now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressable joy. Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls."

He (the guy writing, Peter) is so right. Ever love someone for no reason? You just can't help yourself? I have. I also love this being I have never seen. Most days probably couldn't give a succinct answer why. I just do. I keep talking to him. I want to figure him out. I get frustrated when I can't but at the same time love the mystery it offers.

So my girls and I made a plan. In the retelling, it sounds odd, corny, for lack of better description. But when you want something that's unavailable, you either waste time in the wanting or you replace the desire with something viable. We decided to wait well for our guys. We decided to hope with joy. We decided to find romance in the One who knows us best. Over the next weeks until the end of the year, we are going to do one thing per week to pursue romance.

week 1 - this week) Go on a date. Go to a coffee shop, or park, anywhere different than usual. Just sit and be with God in that new place.
week 2) Ask a new get-to-know-you question. Write it down and listen for the answer.
week 3) Write a love letter or poem to God describing all the things you love best.
week 4) Call another girlfriend and tell them all the things you've discovered so far.
week 5) Reread one of his love letters - the same one - every day.
week 6) Go for a walk together either in a crowded city or alone in the country.
week 7 - Christmas) Do something together for someone else. Ask God to reveal his heart for someone in a specific way then make them something or do something unexpected for them that reaches that need.
week 8) Create something (art/photos/food) to represent the aspect of God that He revealed over these last couple months.

I plan to do this with my friends over hot drinks and of course, chocolate.
Save the date girls.
Saturday evening. January 3. 6pm-?
God. Love. Art.

Friday, November 7, 2008