Truth

I haven't had much to blog about the past week or so, due to zero interaction with the outside world. I had my tonsils removed last Thursday, and by Dr.'s orders, I have remained indoors. Thankfully, I am one of those types that can be perfectly entertained staring at a blank wall, or watching HGTV, or countless episodes of What Not To Wear. This is not the topic of my blog, just a preface to what has happened in my rural farm town this week, and the thoughts that have been simmering for the past few days.

On Monday, 3 houses down from my Queen Anne style cottage/farmhouse, a young man was murdered... in cold blood... in broad daylight. I have lived in a city before, many cities, and was accustomed to hearing about the latest violence or other criminal activity on the nightly news. Somehow I was sheltered then, because I never knew the people, nor their families, or even the sub-communities within the city scape where these events took place. But here, it's quite different. I know the murderers family, in fact, my husband and I have sort of taken his cousin under our 'wing' since moving here. I am a regular at the gas station that this heartless act was committed. Last week, as I was laying in a bed wanting a coke, I thought I could give my son some money to ride his bike to this same convenience store to get some for me...four days later, there is no way in the world I would allow him to run a simple errand like that for me. The victims family is now threatening violence in retribution for one of their owns death.

Even though I haven't been out in the community since this happened, I have felt a significant change in the atmosphere. I began to pray, and ponder what truly lies beneath the seemingly calm surface of my area. Lurking there is generations of racism, fear, powerlessness, greed, lust, and pure hatred. Many here have only known lives of poverty, stuck in a system that prevents them from discovering life, victory, and independence. The schools are failing to properly educate the children, and the community, by and large, has stood by without providing a nurturing, safe environment where kids can be kids and learn to interact with one another in a healthy, respectful way. This brings me then to the Church. Out of 10 churches within a 5 mile radius of my home, not one is inter-racial. Not one of them, that I know of, extends beyond the racial, denominational, or socioeconomic barriers that permeate our society. Don't get me wrong, there are individuals that do what they can to alleviate the burden from some of the down-trodden, but I believe that the Church, the Body as a whole, has been paralyzed... disconnected from the head.

I want to see a miraculous healing in the Church here. I want to see individuals rise up to connect with Jesus to receive the Father's heart for his people. Then I want to see the Church present the only message of hope and freedom that is needed to set the captives free. Jesus. It seems to me that we all want to know what the truth is, how to discover what that truth is, but sometimes we forget that truth came in bodily form. Jesus. Ultimately, what Truth as a Person offers us, is all that is needed. To know Truth, to have Truth living and breathing inside, to have our minds transformed into the image of Truth, is what will set my town ablaze.

So, that's what I've been thinking these past few days lounging in the safety of my home. That's what I have begun to pray for my community... and beyond.

Wise beyond years?

I'm writing this so that I will not forget it.

Isaac make a comment only knowing a small portion of the bigger picture. Ben replied with, "A little knowledge is dangerous."

Isaac answered back, "It is more deadly to the one who wields it than to it's opponent."

What? My nine year old just said that? My question is what movie he heard it in, but Isaac insists it was his own thought.

Quite profound, excellent clarity, and full of truth.

Passport

My birthday is Friday. For the first time, I am beginning to feel old.
I probably wouldn't be feeling this way had I not needed to renew my passport. My old passport had been expired for over a year, meaning the picture of me was of a bright eyed, smooth skinned nineteen year old. A picture that I actually liked. Well, a few weeks ago, I realized that my up and coming trip to Greece and Bulgaria was going to require a current passport, so I headed to the local Walgreens to have my picture made. I took the time to blow dry my hair, run the flat iron over it, and did my normal make-up routine. All this, just to be sure the picture would be decent.

The young teenage photo boy took my picture, then loaded it onto the computer... right in front of me. As the picture slowly appeared on the screen, I gasped, nearly choking on my gum, and exclaimed in horror, "That is so not me, I am not that old!" The boy glanced at me and snickered. I had these horrible bags under my eyes, which I am attributing to the poor fluorescent lighting, with crows feet almost an inch long coming from the corners of my eye. Unfortunately, I cannot attribute that to anything other than maybe I smile a lot? Not so sure. The clincher though, is that my nose looked twice as big as it actually is. I have no idea how that happened. I always liked my nose with the little ball at the end of it, and always believed that it fit my face. But oh no, not in this picture. For the first time in my life, I looked at myself and felt very unattractive. Vain, I know.

It's taken me weeks now to process through this ordeal, and I am still having some trouble with it. I have to have this stinkin picture for 10 years. Then it hit me, when I have to renew this one, the next one will surely be worse, unless I have a chin tuck, an eye lift, and a nose job. Don't noses continue to grow? Dear Lord, help me.