I've heard it said somewhere that the distance between my head and heart is only 18 inches. An 18 inch journey. So why does it seem so much longer? Why is it so hard for information clearly known in the head to penetrate the heart? Perhaps there's a clog somewhere.
Recently, the blower furnace where I'm living started to fill with water. I figured the sound I heard wasn't normal. I worked with my dad and brother to try and figure out the problem. It turns out the problem wasn't within the furnace, but in the pipes once the condensate left the furnace. Somewhere in the 40 feet of pipes between the furnace and the basement drain there was a clog.
Because the pipes made many twists and turns at the top of the journey to the basement, we were unable to resolve the clog from the top, even with using draino. The next step was creating a better access point from the basement which allowed us to insert a snake in the pipe and ultimately to resolve the issue. Initially the water coming through the pipe was black, full of suspended crud and dragging along more solids. We filled a spaghetti sauce jar with the sediment from the pipes. Icky black stuff that clearly wasn't good for the health of the pipes.
I think the same thing often happens in our lives. There's so much we know floating around in our heads that doesn't get down and impact our hearts. We know the truth, but we struggle with accepting it and allowing that truth to transform our lives. It leads me to conclude that I need some serious plumbing help. I need to cry out to God asking that he clean out the path between my head and heart allowing his truth to pentrate my heart and radically affect my life. Perhaps there are lies deeply embedded that need to be uprooted or sin that needs to be confessed and forgiven. I'm sure my heavenly Father is excited to get started.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Laura's Literary Development
During my birthday this week, I pulled out photo albums and scrapbooks from elementary school. It was neat to flip through the pages looking at pictures I'd drawn, stories I'd written, and a variety of thoughts about life. It made for lots of laughter:)
1st Grade:
The Blue Butterfly
Ond day I was sitting in the grass and I saw a butterfly in the sky. It was cute and blue. I tried to catch it but I missed.
The Day With Santa
One day I rode with Santa in his sled. It was so fun. I almost fell out. But Santa grabbed me. It was a close one. I loved that day.
One day Ted went to the fridge to get some grapes. But there were no grapes left. He went to the store to get some grapes. The store was out of grapes. So he had to wait a week. Then he got to eat all the grapes.
2nd Grade:
A Star Story
It looks like it's sort of squished up there. It looks like there's not enough room for 1 million stars. I wouldn't like to be a star because it would be squished. I think it would be fun because yu might see a lot of things. You might get sort of bored though.
The Castle of Gold
Once there was a castle of gold. It was beautiful. You would love to live in it. The king and queen held a lot of parties. You would have a marvelous time. I probably would too. You would love to own it. So would I. But in those days you would have your head cut off. You would be sorry. The End
3rd Grade:
I've Got the Touch
When I went to school I nibbled on my pencil while I was doing my homeowkr. It began to turn to ice cream. I was so surprised I almost ran back home to tell my mother. I did not finish my homework because I did not have a pencil. So I had to borrow one frmo my friend. I went to band and started to practice my lesson but my flute turne to ice cream! I ran out of the room and put my teeth o the handle of the door. Oops! I forgot about my touch. The door started to turn to ice cream. Oh, no! I ran back to class. It was time for lunch. I ate my lunch in the classroom. I went home early because I did not want to find out what would happen next.
(written after reading The Chocolate Touch)
1st Grade:
The Blue Butterfly
Ond day I was sitting in the grass and I saw a butterfly in the sky. It was cute and blue. I tried to catch it but I missed.
The Day With Santa
One day I rode with Santa in his sled. It was so fun. I almost fell out. But Santa grabbed me. It was a close one. I loved that day.
One day Ted went to the fridge to get some grapes. But there were no grapes left. He went to the store to get some grapes. The store was out of grapes. So he had to wait a week. Then he got to eat all the grapes.
2nd Grade:
A Star Story
It looks like it's sort of squished up there. It looks like there's not enough room for 1 million stars. I wouldn't like to be a star because it would be squished. I think it would be fun because yu might see a lot of things. You might get sort of bored though.
The Castle of Gold
Once there was a castle of gold. It was beautiful. You would love to live in it. The king and queen held a lot of parties. You would have a marvelous time. I probably would too. You would love to own it. So would I. But in those days you would have your head cut off. You would be sorry. The End
3rd Grade:
I've Got the Touch
When I went to school I nibbled on my pencil while I was doing my homeowkr. It began to turn to ice cream. I was so surprised I almost ran back home to tell my mother. I did not finish my homework because I did not have a pencil. So I had to borrow one frmo my friend. I went to band and started to practice my lesson but my flute turne to ice cream! I ran out of the room and put my teeth o the handle of the door. Oops! I forgot about my touch. The door started to turn to ice cream. Oh, no! I ran back to class. It was time for lunch. I ate my lunch in the classroom. I went home early because I did not want to find out what would happen next.
(written after reading The Chocolate Touch)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
BCA 7 Years In Review
As I prepard to share with churches and supporters about my ministry at BCA, I thought it would be neat to compile pictures from my time in Romania. You can see the school years labeled. Some years are missing because the pictures are on CDs in Bucharest. It's amazing to think about each of the lives that has been impacted by BCA and by my life.
Many thanks to my dear friend Elizabeth Hunnicutt who gave permission for me to use her song, "Finally Feel Like Living".
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Doing Junkie
I'm a 'doing junkie'. It's not something that entered my conscious thought until recently. I like to be doing things, especially things that seem good. As I returned to the US this summer, I brought with me great ideas of what I would do during my time here. I looked forward to getting involved in a church and finding other service organizations that needed willing hands. I had a picture of what I thought this year in the US would look like, but my expectations have been very different from the reality of this year. (Isn't that generally the case with expectations though?)
From the first week I stepped into Hope, I knew I was supposed to attend church there. I got connected with a small group and started looking for other opportunities. As I explored different avenues, it was as if I would get to the point of expressing interest and then feel like God was asking me not to pursue that opportunity any longer. I was looking for ways to build relationships (a good thing, right) and serve (good, right) and felt a check in my spirit.
This kind of confused me. I had all this time to use and I was trying to use it well, trying to find places in which to invest. Why wasn't it working out the way I imagined?
As I drove home from church last week it was like I caught a glimpse of the gift of rest God is giving me in this season. It has felt sometimes difficult to accept and at the same time like a tremendous blessing. I'm the type of person who sees a need and often jumps to remedy the need. Feeling like God has called me to sit back and wait has been a challenge, but in that waiting, I've seen my tendency toward being a 'doing junkie' instead of turning to God. I've filled the time and space in my life to avoid confronting deep heart issues. In being 'forced' to slow down enough to hear my heart, I've given myself permission to listen and to begin to take steps to bring healing to areas that have been long ignored and neglected. Now that I've seen this need, how will God act next to help bring wholeness in my life?
From the first week I stepped into Hope, I knew I was supposed to attend church there. I got connected with a small group and started looking for other opportunities. As I explored different avenues, it was as if I would get to the point of expressing interest and then feel like God was asking me not to pursue that opportunity any longer. I was looking for ways to build relationships (a good thing, right) and serve (good, right) and felt a check in my spirit.
This kind of confused me. I had all this time to use and I was trying to use it well, trying to find places in which to invest. Why wasn't it working out the way I imagined?
As I drove home from church last week it was like I caught a glimpse of the gift of rest God is giving me in this season. It has felt sometimes difficult to accept and at the same time like a tremendous blessing. I'm the type of person who sees a need and often jumps to remedy the need. Feeling like God has called me to sit back and wait has been a challenge, but in that waiting, I've seen my tendency toward being a 'doing junkie' instead of turning to God. I've filled the time and space in my life to avoid confronting deep heart issues. In being 'forced' to slow down enough to hear my heart, I've given myself permission to listen and to begin to take steps to bring healing to areas that have been long ignored and neglected. Now that I've seen this need, how will God act next to help bring wholeness in my life?
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