June 2008

I’m not totally crazy… Really! But I will admit that I have some weird things I am pretty OCDish about. Like…

When I open up my till at Starbucks (or any other place I’ve worked in the past) I rearrange all the money. It must all face the same direction (face up with the top of the head at the right) and I must unfold and unwrinkle all the bills (as much as I can). It only takes a couple of minutes and it makes the day better! (I do realize how crazy that sounds!) But there are plenty of people like me who face all their bills before putting them in their wallets. I’m saving them the trouble! When I hand it to them, it’s ready! All the weirdos like me love that I’ve done the work for them! :o) And I know there are plenty who do this because I watch when people take their money out and put it in. It interests me to see people’s habits and I don’t understand why you’re not ALL like me and my OCD friends! :o)

And…

You know the Tazo teas at SBUX? About 3 years ago at my first store I put all the teas in rainbow order on the shelf… Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple!… I always fixed them if they got out of order at all and when I moved to TX I gave a lesson to some of the girls at the store… the yellower greens (Green Ginger) come first and then the bluest greens (Refresh) last… I’ve been gone for a year and a half now and I came back… They are STILL in order! I was so pleased! I’ve impacted the world one group of Tazo teas at a time.

Yeah, I’m pretty laid back about most things but I’m crazy about money and teas.

I’d say I’m quirky but others just call it weird…

Somewhere in the midst of my day today I realized…

I LOVE MY LIFE!

Rewind.

I came out to CA about a week and a half ago.  Though I did want to come for a visit, I didn’t like the fact that I was coming for a month, maybe two.  I wanted to get back to TX ASAP… Not because TX itself is an amazing place!  CA is far superior (I just had to say that in case any of my TX friends read this)… But because I love the life God has blessed me with there - friends, church, ministries.

Today, God reminded me what He’s given me… Time with my family, fun working with old friends, reconnecting with my “home church” and old friends, much nicer weather than in TX, the beach, a lot more down time than I’m used to because all I have on the agenda is work and hanging out with family and friends… and I have time to meet new people which I always enjoy!  

It’s a sweet time!  And it’s only for a time.  I’ll go back to TX before long (I still hope it’s sooner than later).  It really is awesome that I have the flexibility to do this right now.  I won’t have it forever… I need to enjoy it while I can.

Wherever you are, be all there!  AND  Wherever you are, share Jesus!

Okay… Let’s make the most of it!

Somewhere near Odessa…
CA here I come!
Mixed feelings…
When will I live NORMAL?
Stay in one place?
Am I destined for nomadic living?
Here for a time, there for a time
Following the Leader
The Son of Man has no place to lay His head…
Following Him, I need no earthly home
I will go where and when He sends me
More and more that is true
But some days the going is rough
Some days I just want to stay still
It seems He is preparing me for new kinds of going
New kinds of losing life to gain it
Life following Jesus is never dull

And I am going to steal my bro’s BlackBerry becausu blogging from the road is fun!

Tonight I was talking on the phone to one of my dearest friends.  She reminded me of stories of some really silly… okay, stupid… but highly entertaining moments I’ve had in life.  I’ve decided to share some of them, starting with the most recent.

I live with a couple from my church (Tawnia and Rich).  They just got back from a vacation so I was home alone for ten days.  The night before they came home I got out of the shower and was alarmed by a strange sound.  At first I thought I had somehow accidently turned on the fan on the bathroom counter and the motor was dying, but I looked and felt and the fan was not on!  Where was the sound coming from????

I opened up the cabinet and began investigating!  Was it the pipes?  How would pipes make the sound of a dying motor?  I was so confused.  I removed everything from the cabinet finding nothing that could be causing this sound.  “What in the world am I going to do?  It’s 11pm!  Who can I call?  My bathroom is going to explode!  Why did this have to happen when Tawnia and Rich are gone?”

I noticed that the walls of the cabinet were vibrating.  I felt around.  Then… I felt the bottom of the drawer that’s next to the sink.  Yes, lots of vibrating.  I opened the drawer.  Yes, somehow the electric toothbrush I never use and forgot I had got switched on while I was in the shower.  (Weird!)  The motor IS dying… nothing is going to explode!  I’m safe and so is the house.  What a relief!

My life is filled with moments like this because this is who I am!  Just a silly girl -  who doesn’t know what to do with noises and vibrations coming from her bathroom cabinets!

I finally realized the beauty of SURRENDER!  I suppose I had gotten my idea of surrender from war movies and other images that depict surrender as a moment of defeat, but surrender to Jesus is VICTORY! 

Jesus once spoke to a crowd saying, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me.  If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.”  (Luke 9:23, NLT)  Another time he explained,  ”If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, more than your own life.  Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.  And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me… No one can be my disciple without giving up everything for me.” (Luke 14, NLT)

I absolutely love that He said if we give up our lives for him we will find TRUE LIFE!  Surrender IS victory!!!  The more I live -  the more I follow Jesus, give up of myself, and delight in my God - the more I get it!  It’s not about me!  It’s not about my family.  It’s not about my friends.  It’s not about money.  It’s not about things.   It’s about Jesus.  Knowing that… No, knowing Him… and setting selfish ambtions, I’ve found TRUE LIFE!  And oh, it’s a beautiful thing. 

I’m waving my white flag confidently… proudly… VICTORIOUSLY these days shouting, “YES!  I give up!  Here I am!  Send me!  Take my life!  I don’t want it for me anymore!  It’s Yours!”   Scary?  Kinda, yeah.  Glorious?  Absolutely! 

Are you waving your white flag?  Do it!  See where it takes you!  Don’t wait until you have everything in order.  Take a step to follow Jesus… really follow Him… and He’ll lead you through all you need to “get in order.”  It won’t be ABOUT you, your family, your friends, money, or things… but it will CHANGE you, your family, your friends, your use of money, and your perspective on things.  You’ll find TRUE LIFE! 

:o)