Listen to the Kitchen Lady...

So here is a more substantial post.

1. The Big Ticket. As I was standing with the many other Jars of Clay and News Boys fans I was thinking about how much I needed that time with other Christians in our community. It has been so easy to see life from our little corner of the Gaylord map. And even though it has been hard for Paul and I to really spend time being young kids in our 20’s here, I need to remember that our place in Gaylord is not the same as every one else’s. Paul and I struggled so much when we first came here. We had it in our heads how faith should be and what following Christ at this point in our life was supposed to be like. We were so frustrated at the slow attitudes of our church, the change in teaching, the lack of youth and life in worship and church family. It wasn’t long before we were spending more time judging and thinking that we knew how worship and Christian life was supposed to be, measuring it up against our old church and the way things were run when we were in Intervarsity in college than we were actually coming to God himself and worshiping him. It took time for us to see that there are some awesome people of God in our church just like in other churches, that God is pleased by the good works and the heart of our church, even if it isn’t just like most contemporary churches. It isn’t our church that makes us have great time with God, it isn’t a pastor, a small group bible study or even your best friends. It is me. I need to stop, take time to come directly to God and get my filling from God himself – directly – not seeking him through other things. Now church, friends, bible study, mission trips…etc, they are all great and good and God has them in our lives for a purpose…but I was using them as a substitute and getting angry when they were not meeting my needs how I wanted them to. Things started to change when I started going to God directly, worshiping him alone in my living room, having a bible study with him alone or with Paul, I started talking to him how I would have talked to my best friends. Now The Big Ticket reminded me that God provides what we need when we need it. Paul and I do need to have rich and fulfilling time with others in an environment that we are used to and he provided that at the Big Ticket. I was reminded of all the ways that God provides the things that we need in other ways than the ways that I originally was looking for them to be filled when I moved here. God is clever and creative. I am sorry that I put him and the life that he wants us to lead in a box. I was also so moved by the experience of worshipping with people in my community. There were so many people of all different ages at the event. It was awesome to be singing about God and up in front are all these parents (a lot of Dads) with their young children up on their shoulders singing. Awesome. It was filling and refreshing and brought a lot of peace to my heart to be there. Thanks God.
2. Working Out. Today was my first day at Nautilus using my free three month member-ship. Nautilus is a gym that focuses mainly on weight training. So…I went today and was taken through my work out to set my weights and my seat heights etc. I have not done a real weight training work out since Paul and I were first married and were a member of a gym near our apartment. When I was finished I felt like my limbs were jelly. I spent 5 minutes having a laugh ay my attempts to hit Paul (which was more like hitting him with a feather since my arms were like jelly) and when he said “what are you doing?” I replied “I am giving you the beating of your life.” – a Simpson’s reference – season 5. Anyway, I will let you know how things go.
3. Our New TV. We got a new TV this weekend from my parents who are moving and didn’t need it anymore. It is a 37 inch television which is massive. Simply massive. You see we had a 19 inch before and I had no idea how small that is in TV land. It met our needs so we never really talking too much about getting a new one…well now that we have this one, we wonder how in the world we were able to watch TV and see what was going on from all the way over at the couch! Pictures below..
4. Jacob Russell Talmadge. Jacob is due in 10 days. Angela called today to say that she had a couple contractions today but didn’t have a watch (Jonathan, her husband promptly wet to get one after) to time them. But they were sporadic and didn’t amount to much. It is kind of exciting to know that the baby could come any day. We are going out to see him be baptized in August (it is now a sure thing) for about 12 days. That too will be exciting as I get to spend time with my God son, see my sister and brother-in-laws home for the first time and see California for the first time…you know me and my travel addiction. So that means that Paul and I will be going to Cincinnati this fall for the National Youth Workers Convention.
5. School. I am going crazy…I have two more weeks after this one…I hope that I make it…I am going crazy.