Sweater Season

Guess what? Sweater season has arrived! Well, if you live anywhere north of FL that season has been in place for a while. Bits and pieces of cold have come and gone as we are stuck in a roller coaster weather pattern. But now that Thanksgiving is over, the time has come for sweaters to emerge from the closet since Winter is on the mind. I pulled these sweaters out of my closet while visiting home last weekend, hoping it would soon be time to wear them. This, of course, coincides with Christmas season, presumably getting people excited about some of the materialistic aspects of Christmas. Did you go out at midnight for crazy sales after Thanksgiving? Did you battle crowds to go shopping?

I did not. I played tennis the morning after Thanksgiving with the siblings and we stopped at the craft store for supplies afterwards, which was busy, but I would not constitute that as a crazy shopping experience. That scene isn't really for me. The consumerism aspect of Christmas is the least important part of this time of year, and yet it quickly jumps to the top of people's to-do lists. What if everyone rearranged their priority list? 

Abide in Me

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
-Colossians 3.17

God says "abide in me". Could that mean we are to devote everything we say or do in the name of the Lord? Everything? Even getting ready in the morning, walking downtown, or grocery shopping?
Abide in me.

Paul reiterates this in his letter to the Colossians, reminding them that in order to abide in Christ they are to devote everything they do and say to God. What has hit me lately in my musing, is how these early Christians turned the world upside down, toppling the Roman Empire that crucified Jesus by way of changing their lifestyles and being bold about going against the grain of the world.

Jesus' teachings taught them this, and we are to do the same. They made sacrifices and looked foolish sometimes, in ways that people did not understand. The kindness of the early Christians astounded people. Their actions caused people to ask why they chose to live that way. They shared the life of Jesus without fear because they knew what Jesus did and how it fulfilled prophesy and changed everything. Do we dare follow suit?

Psalm 16

Read all of Psalm 16

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

-Psalm 16.5-6

In the midst of the stress, uncertainty, and worry that swirls around me, I realize how it could all easily take a hold of me. I am slowly learning to let God take all that I have, and all that I am, and mold me. What ever I am made to do I am ready to do for the glory of God.

As Psalm 23 says, I am in want of nothing. Really, I don't need anything because Jesus is in my heart, and He has given me all that I need. I have nothing to worry about. Nothing to fear.

"The Lord is my chosen portion" means that we all have the choice to believe in God and let Him into our hearts. We are not forced to love Him. God gives us the free will and with that we could reject Him. He knows that if the loved were forced it wouldn't be real. That means that love freely given is the most precious. C.S. Lewis explains it best:

God has made it a rule for Himself that He won't alter people's character by force. He can and will alter then, but only if the people will let Him. In that way, He has really and truly limited His power. Sometimes we wonder why He has done so, or even wish that He hadn't. But apparently He thinks it worth doing. He would rather have a world of free beings, with all its risks, than a world of people who did right like machines because they couldn't do anything else. - C.S. Lewis

Cuppa

Steam streams above the cup
And the scent of tea rises
Orange bergamot to my nose
A dash of sweetness added
with a vanilla smooth
Comforting my afternoon
making me think English thoughts

When I feel under the weather, as I have been over the last week, a cup of tea is pretty much the only soothing drink I crave. Earl Grey with honey is the best. So this is what I have been indulging in this week as I have been snifffffling and sneeeezing. Carrying a handkerchief around with me in my bag has become essential.

Gladly, the sniffles are leaving and I may be able to resume my short runs when I get home from work. You don't appreciate certain things until they are gone for while. Like being able to breath normally. I am finding myself cultivating a deeper appreciation for the little things in life. Every day has gifts, and I am trying to notice them, really look at them, and let them sink in. The rushed, frenzied outlook is leaving me and it is being replaced by an observant, thoughtful creature who wants to see God in every aspect of the day.

Now I am just babbling, and letting my words spill out like a fountain. Sorry if I got you wet with my musings....But I may be onto something. Something worth a second thought. Or a third.

Early Winter Chill

Oxford, England

And often when the brown leaves
Were brittle on the ground,
And the wind in the chimney
Made a melancholy sound.

-Edna St. Vincent Millay

I have been a bit under the weather since last weekend. Going out of town to Savannah I think caused some sort of lingering cold to catch up with me. Savannah didn't give me the cold. It was cold there, which made me giddy with excitement. Jen and I took a walk with baby Liliana and we had to bundle up with hats and scarves! We had fun.

The chilly air (gladly) has been in Florida too, not cold, but nothing I will complain about. My little cold isn't from the chilly weather. It can't be. The chilly air and I get along famously. There's no chill between us (pun intended).

I have been distracted lately. Busy. My challenge is to focus on God and prayer, and to keep that as my centre. It is hard, but this week it can be done. It can be done anytime if I choose to make it happen. It's all about setting priorities. Training my mind in obedience. The more I focus on the God, the more I focus. The less I focus on God, the less and less I focus. It's a slippery slope if I lack and a good habit formed when I focus.

(In) Efficient Thoughts

On this day after Thanksgiving, I have a treat for you that doesn't include turkey, dressing, or pumpkin pie. It's more reading material for your viewing pleasure! So, as you digest your food from yesterday, chew on these new articles from Catapult Magazine, including a new article I wrote called "Call Me Old Fashioned".

Click here to go to my article
Click here for Catapult's homepage

Happy Friday! Hope you are all spending time offering thanks to God for the gifts that we have in life.

Thanks (I am) Giving

Just a tiny list of thanks for today:
Giant leaves
Autumn
Cool days
Time with close friends
Chilled nights
Chai
Family
Glittering stars
Warm scents baking
Homemade Wassail
Scarves
Games with family
Long walks
Crocheted lap blanket
Travel
Cozy socks
Reading outside
Sweaters
Scent of brewing coffee
Watching the clouds drift in the breeze
Cinnamon
Friends
The longest table full of friends at Thanksgiving
Boots
Deep talks
Laughing
Spreading cheer
Taking photographs
Yard sales
Homemade soup
God's gift of love
What is on your list today?
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. -Colossians 3.15

Practise and Fail

In that sense there are no practising Christians, but only Christians who, in varying degrees, try to practise it and fail in varying degrees and then start again.
-C.S. Lewis

Soundtrack for this post: Bebo Norman, Collide. From his new album, this song is my favorite (especially this acoustic version)
Listen here

Do you ever feel like you have failed with anything? It hits me every now and then, which I know is only going to bring me down if I focus on it, but I can't help but feel it sometimes. Missed opportunities come to mind, periods of complacency, days lacking in prayers, not loving others like I should, etc... Efforts to pray more always start well, then wane. My prayers should be more focused and frequent. Every day should be full of prayers all day long. Pray without ceasing, right? I do well one day, but then the next day the distractions or frustrations get to me and make me forget about praying. Of course I am leaning on circumstances as excuses for my own forgetfulness and self-sufficiency. 

So I try again. This new book I got (full of Lewis' essays called God in the Dock) is quickly becoming full of ink marks, underlines, and paragraph highlights. This line from C.S. Lewis was the news I needed to read, knowing that each moment we can start afresh, because I am going to fail. I feel like I need a sign in front of me all day that simply says "Pray" so I will make sure my focus is in the right place.

What a sorry excuse it is to forget to pray. Do we forget to eat? Or sleep? Why then do we forget to communicate with our Creator? It's about putting our focus on Him instead of ourselves. For the next week, I will be focusing on this. Maybe the week after that too. I will practise, and if I fail, start again.

Walks

A slight aching in the legs as we climb into bed after a good day's walking is, in fact, pleasurable.
-C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis loved his daily walks. When he lived in Oxford, there were ample opportunities, his favorite being Addison's Walk, which is a one mile circuit passing by his home of Magdalen College. Oxford is such a walkable city, and each time I have been there several miles were walked each day, all resulting in some tired legs and feet. But it is a good thing, for Oxford charmed me from the first encounter, and I will gladly go back and spend time walking all those historic streets again. Tired feet and all.

The photo above is taken from just outside the side gate of Magdalen College. This is Addison's Walk, which is a nature trail. The building in the photo is where Lewis' rooms were. He would meet there with friends to talk about their writings, or at the Eagle and Child Pub.

I love going for walks, especially when the weather is cool and you have a good companion with you. There is something energizing about getting fresh air and getting out of your own little zone to the rustling of trees and the sound of your feet crunching on leaves or gravel. This is the time of year when walks outside are highly appealing.

In Pride and Prejudice there is a line spoken by Caroline Bingley (I believe) about how refreshing it is to get up and walk around after sitting in one attitude for so long. And it's true!

Here Comes the Sun

After the rain when clouds begin to depart

I think of you because a song is about to start

Fresh from rain the sun's rays dance for fun

Meanwhile I hum the tune "Here comes the sun"

It's not the rain that reminds me of you

It's when clouds push away and the sun's debut

Shines brighter than your memory recalls

As life's persistent rain continuously falls

The visual reminder that darkness won't last

And life is full of blessings that move by fast

So in the midst of a dismal day

Look up and think this rain will soon go away

This poem is for my Mom. When I was little she would always hum The Beatles song "Here Comes the Sun", especially after a rain or if a cloudy day was clearing up. Sometimes, even now, I find myself humming the tune when the rain departs. When I was home last weekend to help with the yard sale, Mom pulled these old photos out from her closet. The photo on the left is me. The photo on the right is my Mom. And we all laughed at how we looked so similar at that age.

Be A Light

Wishful hoping for good things to come
Longing for the promises of God in sum
All together we are here, in this time
Why would we harm others as if it were fine?
When we're called to love, we tend to flee
Our selfish nature lacks compassion, we can see
But at this moment, we can change our mind
And be a light for God that others will find

For many many years my favourite verses have been Matthew 5.14-16. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

These verses have always said to me that I am supposed to be a light in this dark world, in my actions, deeds, and words so that others will see and give glory to God. In just a few sentences I am reminded to be a light, which means do not give into the darkness in this world, and take no credit or glory for myself. Everything is for the glory of God. All goodness and light is His. None of it is possible apart from Him. 

Hot Drinks and Red Cups

This is the season for hot drinks. Nothing is better than to come into a coffee shop or your home and have the scent of brewed coffee greeting you from the chill. In the summer I just do not crave hot drinks because it is so hot outside. Though, I still make tea and coffee because I prefer them hot (and I cannot resist them). Don't you? Or do you like iced tea and iced coffee?

As a side note: For all of you who go crazy for the pumpkin spice latte, I urge you to veer from the norm and try the gingerbread latte. I must say, I think it is better than the pumpkin spice.
Venture out there, next time you order a coffee at Starbucks, you won't regret it.

The red cups are back for the holidays, if you haven't noticed, and when I see one I am automatically transported, in my mind, to a place of snow and icicles. Somehow a little red cup can do that. A place where a cup of coffee in your hands warms them as you stroll down the sidewalk looking at store windows adorned with twinkling lights and holiday decor. Where you can see your breath as you walk outside and a scarf is wrapped around your neck. Only in my dreams is there some snow, since it's been nine years since I have been in snow. That is too long! I didn't think about how long it's been until I sat down to write this. Oh my. I must do something about that pronto. 

Tech- No

Tech- no or Tech-yes?
We are riding a wave of continuous technology advances and integration for communication. Does this cause us to keep in touch better with people, or lose touch in a meaningful way?

I would say that both could be true. With the ease of taking digital pictures and uploading them, the quickest way to share those with others is online in some way (blog, email, posting), which can be beneficial to those who want to see the travel pictures or someone's wedding pictures. But it is also impersonal. The hilarious story behind the picture is lost. Even when there are captions, a person telling the story face to face cannot be replaced by digital postings.

I feel "connected" in so many ways, I can't even keep track and then I feel disconnected when I cannot keep up. Do you feel the same? Does it feel like we are being tracked by what we do online? We are. Companies try to get as much information about us as possible. That kind of sounds futuristic 1984- ish doesn't it? To think that all the computer/internet technology has gone from zero to what it is now in my lifetime is astounding. That's a pretty short period. Think about what the next 20 years will bring.

How do you feel about all the technology connections affecting your life? Are you attached to your technology? Do you think it is helping or hindering different relationships?

Coffee Break with C.S. Lewis

A quiet, cool day
has drawn me away
from worries of the world
thrown at me.

I settle at a table
and suddenly am able
to think clearly and write while
sipping on coffee.

It's a coffee break now
I take a step back somehow
with background chatter of the shop
reading C.S. Lewis.

Coldplay is playing from a radio behind the counter as I step into Mitchell's for coffee. It's quiet, because I came after the lunch rush. I buy coffee and some coffee beans to brew at home and sit near the back to read.

While sitting here at the table, I finished reading C.S. Lewis' An Experiment in Criticism, and it provided some interesting literary thoughts to expand my mind. As a true lover of reading, I nodded along with Lewis at many things. One thing he helped me realize was how the non-readers out there do not think like me. I get my daily adventures and stories from books, because I cannot travel all the time and to all these places. Non-readers have to get their adventure from somewhere else, and they don't want it to come from books. In addition, they might think me a little crazy that I love to read so much. We are all different and our differences help bring out interesting life discussions with one another.

These couple quotes were from the end of the book. Perhaps you will agree with Lewis' take on the matter, perhaps not. Either way, we learn something here about why readers love to read so much.

My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others (page 140)

But in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad eyes, but it is still I who see. (page 141)

Yard Sale

What could be more simple then throwing all your clutter and unwanted "stuff" out into the yard and making a few dollars? Clearing out space and getting rid of things we accumulate so easily feels great. This weekend, the family was all back at the house to help out with such an event.

If you have not done a yard sale because you think it will be too much work, you are mistaken. The hardest part is sorting all the clutter and getting all the items you want for the sale. Then, bring it out to the front yard early in the morning (and by early, I mean by 7 am). Place items on tables, or the ground, and drag out furniture. Don't price anything, but have figures in your mind for any big ticket items.

When people come, they will ask you for a price, and then you can start off with a figure, and barter from there.

Really, the whole point of a yard sale is to get rid of all those things you don't want or need anymore. So, if a customer is trying to knock down your prices several dollars less than what you were hoping, remember that it is better to have a few bucks and that item gone (because you don't want it anyway) than to be stuck with it or to give it away for nothing.

Our yard sale was successful. The weather was chilly and stayed that way all day until we cleaned up at 1:30. While I sat monitoring the sale I had a crocheted shawl covering my legs because it was chilly. We took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill and counted our earnings. We did well for the smaller items we had this time.

I was glad to help, and we had fun. The people you meet and talk to is really entertaining. You never know what interesting people and conversations you will have. 

Keeping warm by stealing a crochet shawl from the clothes table. I decided that it was too pretty to sell.

We sold LOTS of this stuff, including the annoying parrot (oh there's a story behind that one)! P.S. The white BMW is for sale.

Oxford Student

I am most excited to say that I am a University of Oxford student! I enrolled in an online literature class that starts in January, on the Brontës. The class will focus on the Brontë sisters, Emily, Anne, and Charlotte, and a little bit on their brother Branwell and their father, who all had published writings. They were a talented family. Living in Northern England, though, the sisters lived lives close to home and did not travel much (Belgium was the only country they traveled to). So, how did they come to write some of the most beautiful, interesting, and well-known stories? That is a little bit of what we will talk about in this class. Who hasn't heard of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? Even if you haven't read the books, you have surely heard the titles.

Did I mention how thoroughly excited I am?
If I cannot be at Oxford for the time being, then I will have a piece of Oxford in my apartment, and I can see this photo, and walk the streets by the Bodleian Library again in my mind, just keeping it fresh until I go over there again.
To study literature, especially English Literature, is one of my greatest joys. (I know I am a nerd, trust me.) To better myself as a reader, a writer, and analyzer of text is something I seek because of the passion I have for literature. To challenge myself and stretch my skills is the best way to grow, and I intend to grow much further.

I cannot wait for class to begin!

This Day

My legs wrapped in a blanket
Coffee right by my side
On a chilly day with the sun
Having no place to hide

I hear birds chirp as they fly
I smell coffee with cream
The air is still, the world is silent
As if I'd stumbled into a dream

Flannel shirt and jeans today
Making soup at noon
This is the day the Lord has made
Each moment the fairest bloom

I finished my crochet project of this lap blanket! It was a test to see if I was able to handle the chevron pattern, and I am glad to say it turned out very nice. I love how the chevron zig-zag looks in the blanket. So, it is now the perfect accompaniment to a chilly day (or night) as I read on the sofa. I have been drinking coffee and tea and making lots of soup as I am glad to say the chilly air has reached Florida again. Okay, by chilly, I mean it's not 80 degrees. I will gladly take 70 degrees as a high temperature!
This week, I am focusing on cherishing each moment of the day. Taking a conscious look at the good, and living in that moment. Once it passes, it's history. This day is a gift. Cherish it.

That Hideous Strength

"And this," said Ransom, ignoring the question, "is why we have no way left at all save the one I told you. The Hideous Strength holds all this Earth in its fist to squeeze as it wishes. But for their one mistake, there would be no hope left."
-That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

I am engrossed in this book. As I read on it gets more and more intriguing and eerie. This is the third and last in the series by C.S. Lewis. It is called the space trilogy, but I find it to be more about the spiritual forces of evil that are present everywhere than about space. I think part of the reason I had never read these books before now was because I thought it was going to be "sci-fi" but to me, it is not.

It is very intelligent and complex, that is for sure. Sometimes I feel like it is over my head, since C.S. Lewis had one of the greatest minds in the 20th century, it is no shock that I may not understand everything.

The story is about how evil can easily start out appearing as something good, and as it grows there is little to stop it from crossing all lines of what we know as civilized society. It takes place post- World War II in a small England town. A group of intelligent professors/scientists begin this organization called N.I.C.E., the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments. They begin in the community as a sort of experimental facility, but the evil that is being conducted there is largely unknown by outsiders until it is too late. By then they have spread their influences through the whole community, forming their own "police" and conducting grotesque experiments with humans and animals. But what the power of evil draws into themselves to conquer the good is actually used against them in ways they did not foresee.

I am getting close to finishing it, and I must say I have enjoyed this series much more than I thought I would. I was afraid it would be to sci-fi, but my fears were mistaken. The way that C.S. Lewis stabs the issue in the heart literally makes me sit back and muse over some passages I will read. This is how he writes his essays and other books, which is why I will read and re-read his writings. How well he understood the good and bad of man's heart and how even in the most dark of circumstances there is reason to hope and there is good to fight for.

Politics

I am not much of a political debater nor do I pay attention to the ads and hype about the election because they are full of skewed views. But voting is an important part of our country. The way each campaign brings out all the past decisions and events of the candidates is fruitless. They easily lose focus on what matters and only want to make the other person look bad. The power struggle is played like a game, and the media and ads get everyone so swept up in the moot points from the past that are only remotely important, at best.

I read the following quote last week and it just spoke of something so forgotten, even by Christians. So, I wanted to share it, in light of election day. I voted via absentee ballot, so my vote is in. Be sure to vote today!

Politics offers powerful temptations to twist the truth and to distort the views of opponents and smear their character. Whenever that happens, it belittles and undermines political life. But when Christian activists do it, the name of Christ and the reputation of the Christian faith suffer great damage. Christians must be ready to lose politically rather than engage in dishonesty or corruption. Christians in politics should have the universal reputation of being the people whose word and action can always be trusted.

-Ronald J. Sider, Just Politics

Dreame

When thou knew'st what I dreamt, when thou knew'st when
Excesse of joy would wake me, and cam'st then,
I must confesse, it could not chuse but bee
Prophane, to thinke thee anything but thee.

-"The Dreame", John Donne

I have been waking up from some strange dreams lately. Every once in a while that happens. I will have such a vivid dream, one that I wake up from so it feels real, and it takes all morning to shake it. I tend to have dreams in categories like genres of movies. They are usually action/adventure, but in my dreams I am brave and do not fear whatever danger is lurking. I run a lot in my dreams, and I never seem to get tired. Are these dreams perhaps an exaggerated version of how I feel sometimes in my life?

I don't feel as brave in real life as I am in my dreams. I have dreams where I am chasing (or being chased by) bad guys who want to do me harm. I have dreams that are like puzzles, where I am lost in a tall building and every turn I take brings me to more turns and similar looking halls, but no way out. And the worst dream of all, where I was at the airport about to fly to London, and I got to the counter realizing that I forgot my passport at home. That is what I call a nightmare.

I just don't know what to make of dreams. Sometimes I will have a good, happy dream and I will wish that to happen in real life. But usually they are about bad guys trying to get me. Perhaps this is part of the spiritual forces of evil that can creep in anywhere to feed fear into me by whatever means. We are all exposed to the evil forces all the time, so why would we be perfectly safe in our dreams?

Paul writes to the Ephesians about wearing an armor of God at all times, so that we can stand up against those schemes of the devil because we are in a spiritual battle. He writes:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, stand firm. (Ephesians 6. 12-13)

Fill Me Up

Lord, I need You to fill me so there is less of me and more of You inside me.
I am guilty. Guilty of not loving others as Jesus does.
On my own, I lack wisdom, courage, and I am afraid of many things.
But in You, I am in want of nothing. I lack nothing and anything is possible. I trust You and Your ways. 

Fill me up with Your love so that it can overflow onto others. Open my eyes, mind, and heart to them. Use me, with the talents you chose to give me.

Help me show Your love to others in the smallest ways, like a root waking to form a bud that will grow into beauty, as John Donne wrote in the late 1500s:

Gentle love deeds, as blossomes on a bough,
From love awakened root do bud out now.

Roads: Let the Poet Speak

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

"The Road Not Taken", Robert Frost

Remember this poem by Robert Frost? Surely you read it in high school and had to analyse it, and determine if there was a positive or negative result from his choice of which road to take. I remember my high school English teacher discussing this poem with my class, and each student took this to be a positive poem, indicating that he took the road less traveled by and the difference it made was good. I remember the teacher crushing my assumption that I was correct when she suggested quite plainly that perhaps the poet did not intend it to have a positive connotation. Perhaps there was regret by the road he took. It is called, "the road not taken."

This completely changed my way of reading poems, which is probably what my teacher was hoping for. It taught me to open myself up to what the poet was saying, without bringing my own perspective and desires of what I wanted it to be. It taught me how to let the words of the poet speak.

This is how it is with God. He is the poet. We are always trying to make what we want out of His work. The truth is, I have a choice everyday. If I choose to give God glory in everything I do, whether it's encouraging someone, writing, or processing paperwork in the office, I am giving God the opportunity to use me how He chooses. When I open myself up to that, God's plan will unfold, not mine. That may not satisfy my own wishes, but I am moody, emotional, and easily swayed by the day's events. I can't always see what is best. But the Master Poet does.