B.C.
Christ changed absolutely everything...even time.
It's no secret that He changed me profoundly. I make no secrets about it and what saving faith in the One who is worthy has done in my life. I think that's why I make some people nervous. I am a 'Jesus Freak'. Somebody told me today that I'm a little over-exuberent at times. I can see that and I've tried to temper it down. I'm not gonna win anybody to the Lord by being a "nutjob". It's a lot of why I don't write too much these days.
i cannot help that I see things differently and see things I otherwise would have just dismissed as odd. I've learned that there are no coincidences and even in the chaos, God is still very much in overall control. These days, I've also learned that just because I saw it doesn't mean I have to SHARE it with everybody. I'm keeping secrets, but not the kind of secrets that shouldn't be kept. I'm not hiding anything, it's just that I'm not talking or blogging about all of it on a frequent basis. I have plenty to say. I just think it's best not to say it right now. I'm not doing anything I ought not, nor am I backsliding. My enthusiasm for y'all to know Christ is as strong as it ever was, but I think I'm maturing a little bit as a Christian.
I'm 50 years old and I've seen quite a bit and lived quite a bit but I think sometimes people forget that. I know what I'm doing. I made a choice to take the tough road and it wasn't made in a vacuum. I'm not stupid. I heard the Truth and at the time where it was my moment to believe or continue on the downhill spiral I was on, I chose "believe". You know, I've been a REAL Christ follower and not the Christian I would have claimed to be for five years now. I've been through a lot of new experiences in that five years that are shaping and molding me into what I ought to have been from the start.
I had to explain that the other day to someone. A lot of what I've been through is made by looking at circumstances and making choices about them. For a long time, I really felt led to try and patch things up with Wendi. I would have been happy to quit when I first got the divorce papers and found out she was pregnant. But I read the Bible and I made a choice to believe what it said and acted upon it. God hates divorce and I love God, so I gave it a shot. Jesus said to keep His commandments if I love Him and I do, so I gave it a shot. And when it was time for it not to work out, it was time. The ten days it took from filed to final for the divorce tells me it was time. What happened in the three years between the two events was God changing yours truly from the mess I was to the less messy me of today.
I was perfectly content to let go, but it required some cooperation from the ex and she was obviously busy. But the impression that left on some was that I couldn't let go. I had a little "thing" for someone earlier in my life where I was a bit obsessed. I admit that. But I had some good friends who helped me figure that out and get over it. I was 22 then. I'm 50 now and quite capable of making better decisions than I was. I also have a lifetime of experiences to help me. I spent 27 years in the military. If I didn't see it all, then all has some left in the tank, because I saw a lot of how cruel people can be toward each other in relationships.
Obsessed is something I'm not. Obedient, however, is something I'm striving to be. There is a huge difference. A lot of the time, it's saying "not my will but Thine". OK, sometimes that happens on an hourly basis.
So having said all of that, off to write about what I can.
My roomie, Miss June is still MIA and today, I decided to tackle the closet in the laundry room and the hallway and little bathroom that are between the house and the garage. There is a half-bath adjacent to said hallway and then the hallway itself. It's clean now, but it took a couple of hours. I also had to fix the toilet. I bought a new light for the room because the glass was missing. I had to take the first one back, which I'll get to in a minute. The second one is probably going to be returned too because I found the glass hiding in the closet in the laundry room, which I cleaned out today as well.
Who hoards apples? I found apples (not canned or bottled, but what used to be fresh apples) in that closet. Goo was part of cleaning today. I also found the bottom of the cupboards. And 19 quarts of tomatoes. And dryer sheets. I kid you not, about thirty used, crumpled up dryer sheets. I found a bag of baby clothes and a bag of loose (and thankfully unused) diapers. My kids are adults.
I found bags and bags of bags. And old expired coupons. And who-knows-what else is lurking in the boxes. I didn't go through them.
In the little bathroom, I found pots and pots of dead plants and a stack of empty boxes. There was crap everywhere. The handle to the toilet rusted off and broke, so the toilet has a new flusher. You can also use that toilet if you have to pee.
Drop by anytime.
Speaking of that, someone did and was pleasantly surprised by the changes in the joint. First it was clean and didn't smell like a herd of cats lived here. I got the fuzzy ones an extra box and am keeping them cleaned out. I hate that chore, but someone's gotta do it. There's no Miss June around anymore so that someone looks a lot like me. There were no dishes on the counter waiting to be put away. I put them away last night. I didn't put tonight's away, but they're washed. The floors were swept and mopped. The house was dusted today. There are no smudges on the mirrors or toothpaste in the sink in the bathrooms. My laundry is done and put away. My bed was even made.
I used to let people take care of me. By doing that, I failed to notice things until they got out of hand. I failed to notice the extent of how out of hand they were until I started having to correct them. That stewardship class really helped me. I'm caring for relationships more. I'm taking better care of what God gives me. I've really made an effort about the house.
I even cleaned up doggie bombs today. I also kept my word and started re-designing the Men of Vision website. New year, and time for a change there, too. One of these days, they're gonna get someone who knows what they're doing though. Until then, they're stuck with me.
I read my Bible. I played with the dog. And I had to remind myself that I'm not in a position to ask the cute girl who helped me with my return at the Lowe's for a date. In the first place, I'm sweet on someone else. In the second place, although the young lady gave me a look and an extra smile, I'm sure if she knew I'm much older than I look, she'd have smiled at someone else. 35 and unattached, I'd have been all over that. At 50, I'm just thankful I remember what that look means.
And I'm thankful for the way things are going in my life.
Yes, I'm gonna talk about God again. I told you I'd temper it down, but not shut it off. God really is involved in my day-to-day life. Some days, it's with the right word of encouragement, on the radio, or a little Facebook meme. It's a Scripture verse that seems to light the path or just encourage me that He's still in charge. I heard a little something that reminded me that if I believe I'm following God, it will be to His glory, and in accordance with His word. Sometimes it's a word of encouragement from a friend, but He's there. My faith grows stronger every day and I really think some good things are gonna come out of the circumstances I'm in today. I have just enough. Not more, but thankfully, not less either. I feel good about the future and when the time is right, I'll share it.
I started this off by saying Christ changed everything, even time. And in time, He's changed me from Coop before Christ to Dale who died to that old self.
It's no secret that He changed me profoundly. I make no secrets about it and what saving faith in the One who is worthy has done in my life. I think that's why I make some people nervous. I am a 'Jesus Freak'. Somebody told me today that I'm a little over-exuberent at times. I can see that and I've tried to temper it down. I'm not gonna win anybody to the Lord by being a "nutjob". It's a lot of why I don't write too much these days.
i cannot help that I see things differently and see things I otherwise would have just dismissed as odd. I've learned that there are no coincidences and even in the chaos, God is still very much in overall control. These days, I've also learned that just because I saw it doesn't mean I have to SHARE it with everybody. I'm keeping secrets, but not the kind of secrets that shouldn't be kept. I'm not hiding anything, it's just that I'm not talking or blogging about all of it on a frequent basis. I have plenty to say. I just think it's best not to say it right now. I'm not doing anything I ought not, nor am I backsliding. My enthusiasm for y'all to know Christ is as strong as it ever was, but I think I'm maturing a little bit as a Christian.
I'm 50 years old and I've seen quite a bit and lived quite a bit but I think sometimes people forget that. I know what I'm doing. I made a choice to take the tough road and it wasn't made in a vacuum. I'm not stupid. I heard the Truth and at the time where it was my moment to believe or continue on the downhill spiral I was on, I chose "believe". You know, I've been a REAL Christ follower and not the Christian I would have claimed to be for five years now. I've been through a lot of new experiences in that five years that are shaping and molding me into what I ought to have been from the start.
I had to explain that the other day to someone. A lot of what I've been through is made by looking at circumstances and making choices about them. For a long time, I really felt led to try and patch things up with Wendi. I would have been happy to quit when I first got the divorce papers and found out she was pregnant. But I read the Bible and I made a choice to believe what it said and acted upon it. God hates divorce and I love God, so I gave it a shot. Jesus said to keep His commandments if I love Him and I do, so I gave it a shot. And when it was time for it not to work out, it was time. The ten days it took from filed to final for the divorce tells me it was time. What happened in the three years between the two events was God changing yours truly from the mess I was to the less messy me of today.
I was perfectly content to let go, but it required some cooperation from the ex and she was obviously busy. But the impression that left on some was that I couldn't let go. I had a little "thing" for someone earlier in my life where I was a bit obsessed. I admit that. But I had some good friends who helped me figure that out and get over it. I was 22 then. I'm 50 now and quite capable of making better decisions than I was. I also have a lifetime of experiences to help me. I spent 27 years in the military. If I didn't see it all, then all has some left in the tank, because I saw a lot of how cruel people can be toward each other in relationships.
Obsessed is something I'm not. Obedient, however, is something I'm striving to be. There is a huge difference. A lot of the time, it's saying "not my will but Thine". OK, sometimes that happens on an hourly basis.
So having said all of that, off to write about what I can.
My roomie, Miss June is still MIA and today, I decided to tackle the closet in the laundry room and the hallway and little bathroom that are between the house and the garage. There is a half-bath adjacent to said hallway and then the hallway itself. It's clean now, but it took a couple of hours. I also had to fix the toilet. I bought a new light for the room because the glass was missing. I had to take the first one back, which I'll get to in a minute. The second one is probably going to be returned too because I found the glass hiding in the closet in the laundry room, which I cleaned out today as well.
Who hoards apples? I found apples (not canned or bottled, but what used to be fresh apples) in that closet. Goo was part of cleaning today. I also found the bottom of the cupboards. And 19 quarts of tomatoes. And dryer sheets. I kid you not, about thirty used, crumpled up dryer sheets. I found a bag of baby clothes and a bag of loose (and thankfully unused) diapers. My kids are adults.
I found bags and bags of bags. And old expired coupons. And who-knows-what else is lurking in the boxes. I didn't go through them.
In the little bathroom, I found pots and pots of dead plants and a stack of empty boxes. There was crap everywhere. The handle to the toilet rusted off and broke, so the toilet has a new flusher. You can also use that toilet if you have to pee.
Drop by anytime.
Speaking of that, someone did and was pleasantly surprised by the changes in the joint. First it was clean and didn't smell like a herd of cats lived here. I got the fuzzy ones an extra box and am keeping them cleaned out. I hate that chore, but someone's gotta do it. There's no Miss June around anymore so that someone looks a lot like me. There were no dishes on the counter waiting to be put away. I put them away last night. I didn't put tonight's away, but they're washed. The floors were swept and mopped. The house was dusted today. There are no smudges on the mirrors or toothpaste in the sink in the bathrooms. My laundry is done and put away. My bed was even made.
I used to let people take care of me. By doing that, I failed to notice things until they got out of hand. I failed to notice the extent of how out of hand they were until I started having to correct them. That stewardship class really helped me. I'm caring for relationships more. I'm taking better care of what God gives me. I've really made an effort about the house.
I even cleaned up doggie bombs today. I also kept my word and started re-designing the Men of Vision website. New year, and time for a change there, too. One of these days, they're gonna get someone who knows what they're doing though. Until then, they're stuck with me.
I read my Bible. I played with the dog. And I had to remind myself that I'm not in a position to ask the cute girl who helped me with my return at the Lowe's for a date. In the first place, I'm sweet on someone else. In the second place, although the young lady gave me a look and an extra smile, I'm sure if she knew I'm much older than I look, she'd have smiled at someone else. 35 and unattached, I'd have been all over that. At 50, I'm just thankful I remember what that look means.
And I'm thankful for the way things are going in my life.
Yes, I'm gonna talk about God again. I told you I'd temper it down, but not shut it off. God really is involved in my day-to-day life. Some days, it's with the right word of encouragement, on the radio, or a little Facebook meme. It's a Scripture verse that seems to light the path or just encourage me that He's still in charge. I heard a little something that reminded me that if I believe I'm following God, it will be to His glory, and in accordance with His word. Sometimes it's a word of encouragement from a friend, but He's there. My faith grows stronger every day and I really think some good things are gonna come out of the circumstances I'm in today. I have just enough. Not more, but thankfully, not less either. I feel good about the future and when the time is right, I'll share it.
I started this off by saying Christ changed everything, even time. And in time, He's changed me from Coop before Christ to Dale who died to that old self.
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