Bees in My Bonnet

(If you missed Part 1, click here to go back) After some of what I picked up from Monet, I then circled back to the previous gallery where I'd missed the works of Toulouse-Lautrec.  I knew very little about him, but I saw a crowd sitting and standing around a huge painting and a guy talking about the artist and this work.  I was curious, so I began to eavesdrop, as I am apt to do. He was in the middle of showing how Lautrec had initially cut out the part of the painting with the green-faced woman in it.  She is off to the side, with a distressed look on her face, and not exactly an attractive part of the painting.  One could understand that he wanted her out of the image.  Then he went on to tell the story of who this woman was and what we know of her.  I found her story fascinating. She was a kind of show-girl - dancer, singer - stage performer, and she was out to make it and become someone - maybe sought fame or applause.  He said we really kn...

Someone recently posed the question about if animals go to heaven.  I'm not a huge animal lover - but I used to be, so there are remnants of that in me.  Here's my answer: I think animals have souls, but not souls like we do. The Hebrew word for soul is Nephesh, found in Psalm 23 'He restores my soul.' This word is also used to refer to animals in other parts of Scripture. However, in 1 Thess 5:23 there are 3 greek wo rds used in defining us: soul (psyche), spirit (pneuma) and body (soma) - In John 4:24 it says we worship in Spirit. Therefore, the part of us that is connecting to God, where worship occurs, where we meet with Him, is in our very spirits. Our souls are redeemed (see 2 Peter? or is it 1st - 'for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.') I don't believe animals sin or need redemption - they have an immaterial part of them that is soul-ish, but they are not part of humankind that experience rebellion or grac...

I didn't forget about this exercise.  I merely lacked the wherewithall to catch a few uninterrupted moments at the computer.  So I have many more than 30 specific entries to tabulate here...to transfer from handwriting to computer writing.  Thank you for your patience. So, when I use the term 'today' you may need to realize that that was many days ago...and I am just now able to put it down here. Today I am thankful for: Kaluvi's Chicken Okay, now I am sure you are wondering who Kaluvi (said, "Kah-Loo-Vee") is and what's going on with her chicken. I'm so glad you asked.  Kaluvi is the woman I met in Zambia about 12 years ago.  She was the house-keeper/helper for Sam's family.  I don't know her well, or hardly at all.  What I do know is she is a local Zambian woman who lives in a village hut with various family nearby.  We would consider her poor perhaps because of different standards of living and wage-earning.  I consider her quit...

Natasha. She's a friend - a classmate from my Hong Kong school days.  I haven't seen and known her since then - so it's not like we really know each other well.  But since the dawning of facebook and how that seems to connect us all in certain ways, she's come back on my radar (Hi, Natasha!!).  So, today I'm grateful for her because she asked this particular question, and I couldn't just blow it off...so I am doing an entire blog post to try to answer it.  Here goes. Her question: How do you measure your worth? This is a random and very general question....but I look forward to reading your answers. Do you measure your worth by your paycheck? The friends and family in your life? Academic achievements? Opinions of others? There are certainly a number of ways this could be addressed.  Instinctively, I think, we all need or long to know or have a sense of our own worth - if only to our selves.  If I value, say, independence, I'll value my worth by the...

Unanswered Questions. Today I am thankful that many of the questions we face in life remain unanswered.  Why would I ever be grateful for such a thing?  Glad you asked. If every struggle were met with a pat answer - a manual of 'here's the how and why and what of every question ever' - the inquisitive side of me might lose vigor.  I might fall flat, mope about, unmotivated to seek, to discover, to find.  I'd have all the answers, and I'd live blinded to the journey of discovery. That's why. Because unanswered questions invite trust, faith, learning, engagement, hope, surrender, joy, peace.  The unknown can be scary.  The unanswered questions can cause tension, confusion - pain, even.  To me, the unanswered questions sit, not begging an answer (though on the surface, that's how it seems - but need I remind you, things aren't always what they seem?), but begging to be noticed, heard, pondered.  What do my questions say about me?  What...

At Church we are doing a series on Jonah.  And so my mind has wandered, straight to the text, of course, and I have begun to think I can be just a bit inside Jonah's head.  With smug arrogance, I often (too often, I admit) have told my kids I can read minds.  And here I am, centuries after Jonah lived, and thinking I can somehow get inside his mind.  So, pardon my over-confidence here, but I'm just going to take a stab at what was going on with him. I'm going to use some sanctified imagination, and go out on a limb and fill in the gaps with my musings. I imagine that Jonah was raised by godly, somewhat rigid, well-meaning, devout, circumspect, righteous people.  He was probably a first-born: cautious, wanting to please, high-achieving, with keen insight and greater burdens of responsibility.  He took his upbringing well, I suppose, as we can guess because he went on to invest himself in full-time kingdom work as no less than a prophet.  I'll bet h...

I was following up with some comments about my recent Forgiveness rant, Part 1  and  Part 2 ...  And there were parts I left out that I need to mention.  My source said not to quote him, so I will quote him without citing him.  He said that there are only five words that apply to this discussion. 5 Words. What are those words?  Scroll down please.... WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Yup - What does the Bible say? I said, 'What about if I'm not sorry enough - or if I'm really sorry and trying to enter into the other's pain that I have somehow caused, and they don't feel my genuine sorrow or remorse?  What then?  Am I beholden to the yoke of their anger and unforgiveness?'  He said, 'No - you forgive them for not forgiving you and move on.' "But what if I'm not sorry enough?  What if I come across as ingenuine?  What if they can't feel my repentance?" "It doesn't matter ...

I hear the term 'situational ethics' thrown around with scoffing tones.  And I'm sure there's good reason for this.  But I'd like to highlight something that is far more common, more subtle and more agreeable to our collective palates.  Situational Contentment.  That contentment, shalom, peaceful calm, serenity, blissful reverie that finds it's joy in the situation at hand.  I don't want to knock it - no, we can rightly enjoy the stuff of life - money, houses, land, nice weather, vacations, health, well-being, relational harmony - because they simply ARE enjoyable.  The problem comes when we can only  be content if these things are all fine and dandy.  When we can define each area of our lives with glowing, gushing, delightful phrases that make people wonder if we live the realm of normal. Today I read Psalm 16.  Let's go through it together, shall we?  (It's the cure for the common contentment disorder.  Otherwise known as CCD, ...

In the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you that what you are about to read isn't my normal attitude.  But it is, for real, one I had today.  It is all well and good to write when I have nice things to say.  When my words will challenge, convict and inspire.  The words I wrote in frustration today I will put below so you can enjoy my full-blown honesty.  This may give you a glimpse into my 'not-so-rosy' days.  It may discourage you.  I don't know.  Take it or leave it. So I had arranged all the kids to be doing something that might keep them occupied (and it didn't work).  I decided I needed to catch up some on my reading through the Bible AGENDA.  Yeah, I put 'agenda' in CAPS because that's all it seems to be - some lofty goal and virtuous aspiration.  Bible reading can't hurt, I muse.  So why not?  Maybe this could help my soul.  Maybe I will change.  Maybe I will become more...inspiring?  Graci...

Oh Lord, I thank You for the redemption I now have which, though a gift from You, came by my choosing.  I am so glad I was able to see the light and have chosen well. Others aren't as blessed as I am.  I thank You that I can live at peace knowing I have crossed every 't' and dotted every 'i' in the realm of spiritual living. Thank you for my freedom which I use so wisely and that I don't live as a slave to my job or to money or to my hobbies but that I give myself to much worthier pursuits...unlike SO many others. Thank you for helping me to see the better way and please help me to instruct others accordingly, because I know they will be so blessed by my superior knowledge. For these things I thank you, Amen... Do I need to comment on the above?  I hope not.  I hope it is apparent what I mean by putting this out there.  Don't our prayers smack of this sentiment sometimes?  Instead, let our prayers reflect the sentiment of the tax-collector w...

Do you ever wonder why you have been given the name you have?  If we really believe God is sovereign over all things, then I suppose we must assume the name we have been given is under His auspices as well.  Maybe you have been named for something silly that has no meaning to you.  No matter - perhaps it was only to teach you to be more thoughtful in your name choices for your children.  See - I like to find a reason behind everything and in everything.  Nothing is meaningless.  Unless you are Solomon writing Ecclesiastes who says, 'Everything is meaningless - there is nothing new under the sun!'  But I digress. I haven't had to wonder very long why my name is Sarah.  I have given her character a lot of thought through the years but the one line that stands out to me is this from 1st Peter: "You are her daughters [referring to Sarah] if you do what is right and do not give way to fear..."  My guess is that with all that Sarah had to endure...

Psalm 23 Because The Lord is my Shepherd My Father-figure, my guide, I shall not want. I shall not lack anything – for the Lord will provide all I need. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He gives sweet rest and comfort in Him. He leadeth me beside the still waters. He calms my heart with the refreshing water of His Word. He restoreth my soul. Where I have been broken – He healed, and heals. Where I had lost touch with Him, He brought me back. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness He keeps me from sin and leads me in the way I should go, as a father does for His son, and as a Shepherd guides His sheep. For His name’s sake. So that I cannot take any pride in my own righteousness, but that in all I do, My Shepherd would receive all glory. Yea, though I walk through the valley The dark, lonesome valley Of the Shadow of Death Though death threatens my very being, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Because my Shephe...