Agape Love

I've spent the week studying Agape love. Love that acts and isn't just an emotion. Love motivated by need of the loved rather than my desire or the desire of others.....and that seeks the highest and best for that person. Love that sacrifices. Love that is demonstrated. Paul defines Agape for us well in I Cor 13. We can't Agape on our own. It's only as we surrender to the empowerment and temperment of the Holy Spirit that God's Agape flows from us to others. It's tough to love this way. Tough.

I've spent my tryst times all week on this word. Would you believe today I had a couple of chances to put it all into practice?

Someone who hurt me zipped into my life for a minute (technology is great LOL). I instantly tensed....I began to rehearse the past wrongs...and then I decided to let it go. Love doesn't keep an account of wrongs. I believe boundaries can remain, but I can authentically agape this sister in Christ.

This next is cool. We have a fellow chaplain with which we've kept in touch. Sporadically. Basically whenever one of us thinks "it's time". Well, for the past week I've been thinking "get in touch with Karen". I've not heard from her since Christmas. I couldn't find the email address. I've had her on the to do list all week....I began praying mightily for her last week.

I got an email from her today. Evidently, she assumed we'd been getting other emails. They are moving (which IS a surprise) to ENGLAND (which means we won't be) but the truck their things were in caught FIRE. All their belongings....a nightmare really. Karen shared meeting her dh at the truck and looking things over. They won't really see all the damage until it all arrives in England. I believe the company is salvaging what they can to repack and send on. THEN she shared her son (13/14) has an eye infection that has turned very serious. He may lose his cornea....please pray for Andrew. Specifically pray that the infection doesn't bore a hole in his cornea....I thought it so cool that God had laid her on my heart and that I now know WHY I was burdened to pray. I thought they were frozen in NM for another year. I hadn't a clue.

The thing is, and I blush to share this, I was jealous that they got orders when we were told all are frozen AND they got our dreamsheet orders. Isn't that ugly? Ugh. Immediately, I was taken back to this a.m. "Agape is not envious". Father, forgive me!!! How could I?

Don't you love how the Word convicts? I love it when He asks me to do something I can't do on my own - something as simple as love my friends can trip me up. He calls me to love my enemies. The only way it will happen is as I walk close beside Him and allow that Agape to flow through me to others.

Please do pray for Karen and her family. It appears that she will be staying with Andrew until they resolve his eye issues. Bryan and the other kids will be on their way to England. Thaks for your prayers for Ellie - she was here today and looked well.

©2008 D.R.G.

Ellie Update

The upper GI tests showed nothing dire. She's home now with a rx for liquid zantac.

In the last 18 hours Ellie has kept three meals down. Please continue to pray for her healing - and for DEJA who I'm sure is tired.

©2008 D.R.G.

PAID Author in the House

About a week ago the wife of Jamin's boss gave him the phone number of the editor of the local paper. She is big time into civic events and knows everyone. She told him not to tell Tim O - the boss - that she'd given him the number but she knew he was serious about writing. LOL Jamin called the editor and the editor passed his name to the city editor.

Jamin interviewed today and will be writing on community and church events. He'll have a blurb in the paper tomorrow and then an article on Sunday. He pitched the idea of covering the CAP rocketry event on Saturday. (Um.... JARED is organizing that. ::snort::) They'll pay him $35 a story at this point. They told him that would go up as his work needs less editing. He plans to juggle his SR year, college courses from Taylor University (great writing program), Chick Fil A, and this new job. Yes, he's the one that wanted to do 28 credits last year. BUT we've all learned to sit back and see how it goes....we can flex.

I told Jamin to wait until I got inside so I could take a photo of him telling Mike the news.

Unstaged

Staged

Jamin writes his first PAID blurb for the newspaper as others "hover".

We're proud of Jamin. I'm thrilled and amused at how it all worked out for him. The boys REALLY didn't want to do fast food when they began to look for work. We counseled them that a first job would teach them valuable skills (beyond grilling chicken) and that they'd be able to use the recommendation for future opportunities. Josiah confirmed he's a business owner at heart....Jamin was given a lead through a relationship built over a year that turned into a concrete writing lead.

Motto of the story: Don't thumb your nose at a Chick Fil A job! ::snort:: No, seriously...God knows our hearts and directs our paths.

©2008 D.R.G.

Prayer Requests

I haven't known just what to say. I thought of writing a fancy memorial; but haven't had the heart quite yet.

My Aunt Clara has gone home to be with Jesus. I know some of you prefer "died" and I really don't have a problem with saying she died, or with death, but for Aunt Clara this is LIFE. Aunt Clara was 81 years old and suffered from altzheimer's. Uncle Jim has been taking care of her. Please pray for my family this week.

Please also pray for Elle - daughter of Deja. She had what was thought to be a stomach bug and got dehydrated. She's been in and out of the hospital. She simply can't keep ANYTHING down and it's been 2 weeks. She is back in the hospital today. Please pray for this sweet girl. Hmmm....I can't remember how old she is....younger than 9 and older than 6. Pray as God leads....I'm praying for either quick healing or quick diagnosis of the problem. I miss Elle's spirit and spunk. She's Zander's female counterpart.

Things I did today!

Fielded Produce calls

Submitted Produce co-op order

Emailed members

Gym

Study time

Took care of numerous PWOC Central Region "loose ends"

Reserved restaurant for Friday night - communicated details

Email about United

Library

Talked to Bre on the phone (heard Krista in the background)

Vacummed Pool

Adjusted chemicals

Sent photos of PWOC, RE, Unity Service and Contemporary service to Cheryl for chapel publicity

Added more blogs to Google Reader

Made slushies

Washed and folded two loads of laundry

drove Jamin to work

This is MAYBE 1/2 the list. Each time I crossed something off; three new things jumped on. Some days are like this and you can only "do the next thing". There you have it - prioritize early in the day and then do the next thing.

Now - I'm going to BED....I was up at 4 a.m. and I'm worthless now. The list will wait.

Weekly Fitness Goals (click button for more info)

Sadly......it appears the last write up I did was mid-June. ::snort:: I know that the past three weeks have been wash outs, really. Life got busy, routines shifted, our focus was moving Josiah, last week was preparing for trip and traveling...but THIS week! I'm back.

My goal will remain the same - work out "most" days of the week...so at LEAST 4. ::snort:: I did get in 2 days a week the past 3 weeks.....but it's not worth logging. It is worth writing THIS post as I need to be held to some sort of accountability - if only in my own mind.....and I spent the last few hours doing "not fun" things, posting a blog entry is a "fun thing". At this rate I'll get some LW photos posted soon. LOL

Re- Entry is TOUGH!

I always wonder after being gone for a bit if the change in pace is worth the craziness of catching up when I get back home. LOL I've not had time to send a "real" blog entry since I've been back.

Sunday was FULL and accomplished on little sleep as the plane was late on Saturday night. On top of the services and fellowships - we had a "little" house project pop up.

Monday, the majority of my focus was in preparing for our evening United co-op. I typed up a split's list and answered questions about totals and orders and such. I brainstormed a new "system" for sorting - it WORKED! LOL

Jared, the littles and I met the truck at 4:00. Heather and Niki were a great help sorting "stuff". Brian and Kim, members, blessed us GREATLY by bringing dinner for our family when they picked up their groceries. She'd noted when picking up late one month that I was starting supper at 8:30 p.m. ::snort:: We've decided next month we'll ask Dillon (a friend of Jared's whose family is in co-op) to join us to meet the truck. Our order continues to grow and my snarky wrists protested lifting.

Josiah came over and took Jared to his apartment with a couple of local friends. That's a blast for Jared.

Stacia was CONVINCED that Beatrix was COLD - it's 104* around here.

Jared went on a campaign to kill ants and found this guy when doing yardwork - these endeavors provided Zander and Nolan an hour or two of fascination.

Tuesday I made a LIST and accomplished about 50% on the list. That's a good start.

I made it to the gym - two days in a row. I can get back into a routine that includes the gym AND tryst time with Jesus. It's a challenge to do both during busy weeks and so I let the gym slide the past three weeks. This is a busy week and I'm determined to find time for both!

I was the acting recording secretary for the PWOC regional board meeting this weekend. I typed up notes and sent them on for review. I was asked to compile a roster with the contact info for all the local boards which was collected at Leadership Weekend. I got that done. I determined I must find a book on Excel for dummies. Thanks, Diane for setting up the format for me and entering many of the forms during LW. That helped.

I depostied all the United money from Monday night so the check written at pick up won't BoUnCe!

I began figuring out orders for Produce co-op on Friday.

I posted a book review that had to be done this week.

I began to organize a girl's night out for Chaplain's Wives. This is another one of "my lanes".

I had prayed Monday about finding time for "play dates" for the littles. It seems that we finished school, summer arrived, and I've been BUSY with moving Josiah, preparing for trips, completing tasks....and I need to be sure the youngers aren't shorted. They need time to play. I know God prompted that thought. Monday night Deja suggested a play date next week. Tuesday, Tammy L (new chaplain's wife) called and asked if I could watch her four while they ran to sign papers at the bank. The kids loved playing. I made slushies, Deja!

At one point I thought putting Emily in the sling would be a good idea. She wasn't totally at ease...and Stacia was really uneasy about this baby in "her" sling. (Yes, Stacia always wears this dress backwards and I don't make an issue of it...unless we are leaving the house...then I sometimes make an issue of it. ::snort::)

I ran to the commissary. This is my SECOND trip for produce this week. Milk was cheaper than Sam's where it has gone up to $4.04 a gal. I now have this LITTLE car and so gas expenditure isn't quite the deterrent it has been. I've had car adventures. For instance - tires squeal in this little car, and I'm MUCH smaller on the road - but faster, I couldn't get the windows down at the front gate (had hit some button)....all in all very fun.

A friend had asked me to do a few word studies for her. She wanted to see if I came up with the same things she was sensing in her quiet time and in her readings online. I was happy to do this. It was number 1 on my list and got done at 7 p.m. ::snort:: I am impressed, friend, at your heart to seek God's will and not simply your own or what you've been taught....Paul commended the Bereans - I commend you!

During the day there were numerous opportunities to lay aside the list and minister to those who called or dropped by. I'm learning to find a balance between dropping it all and staying on task. I think. ::snort::

It was 11:00 p.m. when I turned off the computer. Mike got a command post call that kept him awake. This kept me awake. I'm going to make that list again today and then PRIORITIZE it so that I can maybe get the rest of it done and have more time to PLAY. I must PLAY!

We learned this weekend that we should alternate things that "energize" us with the things we don't enjoy doing. SO....I began today with updating the blog as it DRAINS me to know that family are wondering WHY I've not updated and it ENERGIZES me to communicate with family and friends....AND I now realize I got a lot done the last two weeks...regardless of the length of the remaining list. ::snort::

©2008 D.R.G.