I adore the “love” words he speaks over me.

Shaun is doing a very thought provoking image blog category while on this trip called Third World Dictionary.  Photographic images of everyday things you and I take for granted.  There was one image that really hit me especially hard.

It seems over the last year I’ve grown to hate doing laundry.  And that is only laundry for Shawn and I.  No children.  It just seems to be a bother.  Remembering to transfer it to the dryer and don’t even mention folding/putting it away.  Ahhhh.

That was until I saw this:

I’ve only had to do my laundry outside for a few months……and it was still done in a washing machine. I haven’t had to brave inclement weather to wash my clothes.  I’ve never washed my cloths in tubs smaller than a plastic kids swimming pool.  I’ve never washed my laundry in dirty water.

I felt convicted over my complaining when I have it so easy.  I printed out this picture and have hung it up in my laundry area.  A reminder of this advantage I have.  That I shouldn’t be complaining but should be grateful.

If you don’t want to be messed up.  Don’t want to be convicted or have tears streaming down your face, do not click the link below.

If you want to see lives that have been changed.  If you want to see hope in the eyes of beautiful people.  If you want to be a little uncomfortable click the link below.

http://compassionbloggers.com/trips/2010-kenya

For a few weeks now God has been laying on my heart that He wants me to be uncomfortable.  It is like that nagging little tickle in the back of your throat, seemingly always there.  The thing is, is that I WANT to be uncomfortable.  I’ve lived nearly 35 years worth of life being comfortable in church and not doing anything.  I want to change.  I want to make an impact on the world that God has placed me in.

­That – means I must be uncomfortable.

I’ve never been to Africa or South Korea but I’m pretty sure it isn’t comfortable to live or serve in a Christian ministry there.  It sure isn’t comfortable riding 3100 miles on a hard, skinny bike seat to raise money for Blood Water Mission – in the middle of summer – through PHOENIX.  Or smelling the constant reminder of death in Haiti as you dig through hundreds of pounds of concrete.

I realized yesterday that being uncomfortable is a hard thing to do (insert obligatory, “yeah duh” here).  But for me it isn’t the being uncomfortable, it’s the getting there.  Like I mentioned above I’ve had nearly 35 years worth of being comfortable.  My parents weren’t the type to live life spiritually uncomfortable.  We went to church, taught Sunday school, taught VBS day in day out.  That was my life growing up.  Now as of about a year or so ago God’s breaking the mold that has been my existence.  He’s given me a heart for the poor.  He’s made me to fall in love with India and long to see justice for the 50 million plus living in her slums.

I am praying now, with more fervor that God would continue to make me uncomfortable.  It is one of those prayers like praying for patience or humility.  It doesn’t come easily or without cost.  The end result though will be beautiful and for the glory of God alone.

Saturday evening I got to see a friend I hadn’t seen in six years.  In that time she has had four beautiful children.  Lately we’ve kept in touch via Facebook but unfortunately life and the responsibilities that go with it have prevented us from seeing each other.  It was wonderful to see her and visit.  And I am excited that she and her husband are going to be in town for a wedding of a mutual friend later this month and we are planning to do dinner.

After dinner Shawn and I gathered around his laptop and over a shaky wifi signal we watched Compassion’s Help Haiti Live Benefit Concert.  I was moved by the generosity of the artists that performed, and even more moved by the stories I heard.  I gave a mental shout out to my friend Alece who I knew was there.

I lived in Prescott for about two and a half years.  It is a nice little city nestled amongst towering Pine Trees and mountains.

On Sunday morning we woke up to snow.  I have a soft spot in my heart for a bit of snow.  I grew up in Northern Arizona and was accustomed to having snow in the winter.  The most we ever had was four feet.  Living in Phoenix you don’t get snow.  You may get the occasional snow flurry if it gets cold enough, but nothing like what I grew up in.  I miss snow and was extremely thrilled to be able to see and be in this.  Shawn was thrilled for me too.

This was probably the first time I actually felt relaxed and rested after a vacation.  I immensely enjoyed my time with Shawn.

Thank you for your prayers I am feeling better.

Photos from our hotel room and the one of us taken by Shawn.

]]> http://www.prudychick.com/2010/03/a-wee-bit-of-ahhhh/feed/ 2 http://www.prudychick.com/2010/02/when-pollen-attacks-2/ http://www.prudychick.com/2010/02/when-pollen-attacks-2/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:13:21 +0000 prudychick http://www.prudychick.com/?p=537 One of the first thoughts I had of the day was, “Thank God I bought Kleenex yesterday.”  It was actually Target’s Up & Up brand facial tissue, but it serves the same purpose at a fraction of the cost.

Every year this time of year I suffer from insatiable allergies.  The kind that knock me on my butt, and I end up missing a day or two of work.  This year I decided instead of trying to fight them off with over the counter meds that don’t cut it and then I end up going to the doctor anyhow, I was going to go to the doctor to begin with.  I see her tomorrow morning.

Usually my medicinal cocktail includes:

Zyrtec
Flonase (generic)
Singulair

We’ll see what she says tomorrow.

You can pray I feel/get better quickly.  Shawn and I are leaving Friday morning for a trip up north to escape some of the realities of life and get a change of scenery.  I really don’t want to spend my time gazing into a tissue, or worse not end up going.

Since I still have that itch to hit the escape button of the hohum, mundane, and stress of work I’ve begun opening up YouVersion and reading a Psalm or two.  That is how I stumbled across the verses I posted a couple days ago.  I can guarantee that I’ve read and heard these verses before, but the Lord has been bringing them up repeatedly in my mind.

I am at a place in life right now where all does seem to have fallen in pleasant places.  Yet, as sure as you have, I have experienced not so pleasant places. Hardships, trials, dry & barren seasons, times when the grass on the other side wasn’t greener because there was just no grass to be seen.  However, even during those times my portion and my lot was in His hand, and the lines were in pleasant places even though I couldn’t see it.

And my inheritance is quite beautiful:

Death to life!

Brokenness to healing!

Shame to glory!

Filthy rags to those white as snow!

I continue to relish in this.  In my adoption.  In my inheritance.

That He loves me that much!!!

Take time today to consider your inheritance, and know that even though you may not be seeing pleasant places God still holds your cup.

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

(ESV)

Have you ever felt that way?  One moment you’re enjoying the sweet companionship of Jesus and other believers and the next you’re sitting there wondering where the last few months (or in some cases years) went.  We’ve become so busy and preoccupied with doing that we fail to be moved.

We run through life.  Run through church.  Run through community – but we aren’t experiencing any of these things.  They are just things we do.

We may be even just running through times of intimacy with God.  We look up one day and we seem alone, exhausted, with the wolf howling at the door.

Picture again said sheep.  She frantically begins to look to her right and left turning around in aimless circles, the chilly wind cutting even between her voluptuous amounts of wool.  She sees a dark figure against the setting sun coming towards her.  Her little sheepy heart beats wildly.  Her master has come looking for her!!!  He lovingly scoops her up and carries her to the rest of the flock and the safety of his care.

No matter how preoccupied with doing, Jesus is always there to carry us back to the safety of His care.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do?  Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.” Matthew 18:10-14 (NLT)

So, where are you?

Since that first Sunday I’ve decided to leave Sundays social media free.  I don’t need it clogging my day.  It’s been sort of refreshing.

I mentioned yesterday that social media can control your life.  It can haunt you.  If you aren’t online people begin to wonder if you’re lying in a ditch or you wonder if others are.

I’ve allowed this to happen to me.  I feel out of the loop if I’m not checking my Twitter or Facebook.  I get that itch…you know the one.  The one addicts get.  After some prayer and leading from God…

I’m pulling the plug.

The next 40 days are known as Lent.  Being brought up in a protestant home I never really gave any thoughts to Lent.  To tell you the truth I was probably in in my 20’s before I’d even heard of it.  I knew Ash Wednesday was a Catholic observed day but that was about it.

The idea of Lent is Biblical.  We are called to fast and pray.  Jesus fasted and prayed.

For the next 40 days (actually 41 since I take Sundays off) I’m staying off Twitter and Facebook.  No updates.  No looking.  No Twitpics.  This will be difficult especially at work since these are sources of release from the stresses of – well – coworkers and work.

I will still be blogging during that time.  You can add me to you RSS feed to see new blog posts come across.

You can pray that I hear and listen to God during this time.

Here is one final quote from Anne, “The ultimate question, for the social media world as for every other world, is this: Is how I’m spending my time bringing glory to God? When the online world becomes our only source of communication or inspiration, it may be time to take a little breather and log off.”

All excerpts used with permission from and rights belong to Anne Jackson; FlowerDust.net and Adam Smith; JackalopeKid.com.