January Photo A Day/Writing Assignment 1/13-17/2013

1.13.13 CIRCLE

Circle. Circle mug with fresh mint tea. Darryl and I had a rare Sunday afternoon without kids. When this happens we like to go eat so we can rub it in the kids face that we ate out and they didn't! Of course I am joking, well, half way. What we like to do is go to a new place. This Sunday we tried The Hummus Mediterranean Cafe in Moore. We had the Royal Platter, which is a combination of Kofta, Shish Tawook and Beef Kabab with rice, grilled onion and tomato and jalapeno hummus. We really liked the beef kabab. It was so flavorful. The chicken (shish tawook) was too dry for us and the kofta looked like it did not belong on a plate, but was good; our favorite by far was the beef kabob. They did have a hamburger on the menu if you don't like greek food.

1.14.13 SOMETHING YELLOW

Something yellow. A moderately painful yellow face. A visit to Tinker Pediatrics really kind of put me in the severely orange range simply because we had to wait an hour, saw the doctor for about 3 minutes to get a script for Jayden's eczema. Even more painful was the pharmacy no longer carried the medicine that works best on his eczema, which led us to an off-base pharmacy where we discovered that our co-pay had gone up 100%! Yes, that is correct 100% increase. Okay, now I am at the red face!

1.15.13 AN ORDINARY MOMENT

An ordinary moment. Ordinary meeting with ordinary folk planning to collaborate in meaningful ways to bring some extraordinary training to some ordinary people who provide exceptional service to ordinary people in our communities. Top left - Oklahoma Area Association of CHRs President Cyndi Gilks, top right Oklahoma State Department of Health Dr. David Lee, bottom left Kickapoo of Oklahoma Andi Ponce, LPN/CHR Supervisor and me! Training: Stanford University's Chronic Disease Self Management Education.

1.16.13 TWO THINGS

Two things. Two piles of clothes ready to go to Goodwill or a Clothes Closet. I was inspired to weed through my closet by a friend on Facebook. She actually is doing a Project 333 Experiments in Living with Less where every 3 months you select 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes. What a woman! She posted a picture of her closet and what was remaining in there, trust me there was lots of empty hangers crying and empty space screaming, fill me up! Then she posted and said by the end of the week there would even be less! It was quite traumatizing. I was shamed out when I went in my closet, especially since I wear a uniform five out of seven days of the week. One would think it would be a relatively simple process, but I think I suffer from great depression mindset. While I didn't get anywhere down to 33 items, I did manage to get rid of two piles! It's a start.Why do I have to be competitive?

1.17.13 READY

Ready. Ready, set, go...what is this employee doing? Did she fall on the treadmill? Perhaps she was taking a nap on the treadmill? Possibly she has reverted back to toddlerhood and thinks she is hiding and nobody can see her? Actually, we had a fitness room meeting this week and were asked to begin cleaning the entire equipment and not just where we put our hands, so here is proof, look Admiral Meeks, Lindsey is cleaning the entire equipment. So this employee is actually cleaning!

January Photo A Day/Writing Assignment 1/11-12/2013

01.11.13 WATER

Water. Refreshing, cold water to splash on your face, to brush your teeth with or drink. I drink tap water, doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, as a child, I drank out of the water hose outside. Too bad the water picture didn't fall on Sunday, when we had a water baptism - perfect in my opinion - but instead you get a picture of my bathroom faucet pouring out water - quite practical.



01.12.13 SURPRISE

Surprise. Grandbaby visit on Friday. Which means pictures! Surprise, I know! Maddex loves to sit at the window and gaze outside, especially on windy days when he can watch the limbs and leaves blow on the tree and bushes. It is mesmerizing and perfect for a lazy morning in the neighborhood. The real surprise is that Maddex will finish the rest of today's post.

Life at NaNa's and PaPa's

As you can tell I am minding my own affairs, just gazing out the window intently thinking of apple juice, milk and bananas. Hey! No jokes about my ears and bananas! I know they are big and stick out, but that is how I was created and my family loves me just the way I was created.



Like I said I was taking in the scenery and having some infantile day dreams when someone else with bigger ears than mine showed up and joined me! It was my Fur Uncle Senor Harjo! He asked if I wanted to join him in a special duty. I said my mom says I do special doo-dee all the time! Count me in! He said, I had the ears and that was a very important physical feature to the job and not everyone has the right sized ears and they can't even acquire them if they wanted to, so I have been blessed!

Next he told me I had to have guts! I got those too! Then he said I had to have special abilities like being flexible with the ability to make moves like his very quickly and on command. He called this move "the duck". I am going to have to practice this one! 

The next skill he taught me was to cover the territory by watching in two directions. He looked one way and I looked the other. I think we covered this one pretty well.

There's a good reason why they've called spying "intelligence". You need to learn many skills and abilities, and fast! Each new operation calls for different skills, cover and legend, and you must be able to learn and internalize them in days. Na Na and Pa Pa say I have the best teacher in my Fur Uncle Senor Harjo because he is the President of the neighborhood watch program.



I can't tell you any more of our secrets because it would compromise the integrity of the neighborhood watch program. I hope I haven't told you too much already. I leave you with a good Word that "whatever I do, whether I eat bananas, drink apple juice, or serve in the special doo-dee forces, whatever I do, I need to do everything for the glory of God." Look it up yourselves, 1 Corinthians 10:31- well, it might not say bananas, apple juice and special doo-dee forces, but it does say whatever you do - do it for the glory of God!

Quiet time with Nana and Papa, I have my own Bible!

January Photo A Day/Writing Assignment 1/9-10/2013

01.09.13 PAPER

Paper. I love writing on paper in blue ink. Old school, I know, with all the technology we have today, but I love the feel of pen on paper. I love the freedom of creativity in writing on paper. I enjoy mixing up my writing - all caps, printing, cursive, adding dots and icons. This is my government green journal record book. I start one at the beginning of every calendar year. I keep my to do list in it, along with notes from tele-conference calls, webinars, and meetings. This is my January 2013 to do list, nine days into this new year. When I complete the task it gets marked off or highlighted. I even write things down that I've already accomplished just for the thrill of highlighting or marking it off! For Christmas this year, I received a journal from my Mom. I was thrilled to have fresh new pages to write on, the pages are watermarked with turquoise designs.

I like to keep a journal to record thoughts, verses, sayings, or anything else I want to reflect on and remember. One of my favorites just nine days in to this new year is "The problem has been we believed in the power of chains more than in the words of our Liberator." Isn't that true? This year I don't want it to be true for me. I want to believe fully and completely in the words of my Liberator. The One who died to set me free. I am going to dare to believe and throw my chains off and let Jesus hold me, not those nasty chains. Do you see my word and definition in the background? It is even laminated, because months ago, maybe even a year ago, God pinpointed that word in my life in several aspects. To me, what that meant was write it down, look up it's definition and look up the verses associated with it, that which I have done. They are posted all over work and my vehicle and I am excited to see His truths manifesting in my life. The word? Steadfast. 'Therefore,' says Paul to the Corinthians, 'be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.'

01.10.13 ONE O'CLOCK

One o'clock. I just knew I was going to miss this totally today. I cringed when I saw it on the Photo A Day list, but thanks to the IHS Clinical Rounds Webinar beginning at one o'clock I managed to get a picture of one o'clock today, see it on my phone? I felt accomplished today. Doesn't take much!

January Photo A Day/Writing Assignment 1/6-8/2013

01.06.13 MINE

Mine. Meet Mine. Mine is my pet Seagull that was given to me from one of our former youth. Okay, it was Syd, not Sid like on Toy Story, but Syd-nay! Mine traveled all the way to Oklahoma from Maine and now he is perched in our back bedroom. Mine is very famous as he appeared in the Walt Disney film "Finding Nemo".

01.07.13 STREET

 

 

Street. I am a goober. I thought it meant Street Sign. Waiting all day to take a picture of the street probably isn't the best idea, I barely got this one picture, as you can see the sun is setting. If you look at the bottom of the picture under that car there is the street. I am an amazing photographer, I know.

 

01.08.13 SOMETHING THAT STARTS WITH 'T'

 

 

 

Something that starts with 'T'. That would be my Teenage daughter. I thought she would have one of her 50 gazillion Thunder T-shirts on, holding her telephone in it's new Thunder phone case, eating my delicious Tuscan soup, that would have been five "T's"! I could have been an overachiever, but no I was wrong on all accounts. Well except she is holding her phone. That is a really hard prediction and I know you are impressed. At least she is doing her homework, or it appears that way, so Momma is impressed.

 



January Photo A Day/Writing Assignment 1/1-1/5/2013

Did 2013 arrive quickly or what? I have managed to take a picture a day and post them on Facebook for three years. I am going to take it a step further, follow this January Photo A Day and write about them here, hopefully totally different pics from what I post on Facebook. Hoping to revive this dying blog, kind of like a writing assignment. That being said, in no particular method, I may post once a day (not likely), but will post as I have time most likely in groups but will do my best to complete this January assignment.

01.01.2013 - TODAY

Today. New Year's Day - this is the first year that I can remember that I did NOT eat black eye peas. I'm not sure why, because I love black eye peas so we will see how this year goes. It was a low key day with just going to the movies to see Parental Guidance.

01.02.2013 - SOMETHING NEW

Something New. Turquoise shutter doors, green is actually my all-time favorite color, then blue, but turquoise is pretty close. I have the set and we will be adding them to our living room wall hopefully soon.

01.03.2013 - HEART

Heart. Heart Stress Reliever. Why? I love my new journal. Why? Journaling is a stress reliever to me and I don't get to journal often. Hence, trying this photo/journal assignment for January. It's been awhile since my pen has hit paper. This journal entry:

FAITH is not believing that GOD can, it is knowing that GOD will!
What will GOD do?
GOD will:
Forgive...and forget
Love...unconditionally
Heal...and restore
Redeem...fully
Remain..and never leave
Provide...all we need
Transform...totally
Comfort...completely
Hold...securely
"My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27-28

01.04.2013 THE VIEW FROM HERE

The View From Here. My office. Oh how I would love to have posted perfectly pedicured toenails laying on the beach with the waves crashing in behind them. A girl can dream, right? Instead my view is my boring office that I try to liven up with the Energizer Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Geeky Smurf and Rubber Ducky. However, shortly after I took this picture my keyboard stand and keyboard crashed to the floor! I hope this isn't the start of more to come because I didn't eat my black eye peas! Just for the record, I don't believe in luck or superstitions like this because "the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord" so that does not involve things happening by chance. I prefer to look at eating black eye peas on New Year's Day as a tradition, which I sadly broke this year.

01.05.2013 - MOVEMENT

Movement. Women's College Basketball. No. 21 Jaclyn Downs, USAO Drovers - played at my alma mater Oklahoma City University. She didn't get to play until the last five minutes. In our humble opinion, she is A LOT better than those that played the entire game. She is much faster, has stronger passes, has a good shot (we witness her make a half court shot once at Westmoore) and she can handle the ball well. Being a freshman is tough in college athletics, especially when you want to play so bad and don't get to play much. Try to stay focused on your education and see the game as a way to help pay for your education Jackie! #payingyourduesyourtimeiscoming#

Farts, Snot & Trash...Oh yeah!

The Faith Youth Group at Faith Crossing Baptist Church like Farts, SNOT and Trash, now wait before you throw your nose in the air, cast judgment and have to repent, keep reading and let me explain.

At Sunday School nearing the end I shared one of the verses the Lord used to work on my cold, hard heart in bringing me to Him…when out came a small poot! Followed by silence as all the eyes were directed in the direction of that small poot (thankfully, it wasn’t in my direction). Then as the eyes begin to look back and forth at each other, laughter erupted, students begin to bounce in their chairs, some tears were even present! It was such a moving experience! When the friend of the Pooter (who happened to be a guest) picked up his chair and moved away. No joke! I didn’t think we would ever stop laughing. Then the Pooter looked at my husband and said, “I’m sorry, I feel asleep!”. Which brought on a whole new wave of laughter, in which my husband said, “See what happens when you get comfortable?” Yes, when we get comfortable little things slip out. After we all quit laughing including the Pooter we did our best to assure him and make him feel okay; after all, we all poot! I am not sure what that says about this small piece of my testimony other than it puts people to sleep; but I’d like to think it was because I have such a soothing voice. God’s Word is true “laughter is good medicine” but as I have mentioned I have difficulty remaining focused for too long, so as our Pastor was preaching on the Cross, the pooting incident kept replaying through my mind resulting in me trying to hold in laughter…no I didn’t poot, but resulted in my shoulders bouncing up and down, somewhat uncontrollably. Bouncing so much, I had to have a talk with myself! This is what I said, “Dione! Pay attention! Stop laughing right now! We’re talking about the cross! Think about blood not pooting!”. Do you ever have to have a talk with yourself, a talk like what you would have with your 2 or 10 year old? Probably not, it’s just me.

Fall Break Weekend - Missing Alex and Aaron!

Fast forward to Sunday night when we remembered the FART and celebrated SNOT, don’t you wished you were in our youth group? I am not talking about the SNOT that is the gooey, gross, slimy junk that irritates us, but SNOT that sticks together, involves green and is healthy. What a great riddle! So what is SNOT? Ready? SNOT is an acronym that stands for Sunday Night Out Together, isn’t that obvious? I love that! So creative of the former Faith Family Youth Ministers (Scott & Kim) and it obviously fits perfect working alongside youth. SNOT is a time to break bread with each other usually at a mutually agreed on restaurant, green - because you need money to eat and healthy because assembling together creates unity and love for one another. Well unity for the most part, if you think trying to agree on a restaurant with your spouse is difficult, try 8 to 10 youth!

But after celebrating the FART and before indulging in SNOT, we went dumpster diving! Yes, literally. We (well some of us) dove in to the big dumpster. Why would anyone dive into the depths of a dark dumpster? Hellllloooo? Youth looking for unopened boxes of iPads! No, we didn’t tell them though we thought about it! Of course it was to get coupons!! Joking, again. One would think I have a lot of experience in dumpster diving, but actually my experience is being pulled out of the dumpster…that is the hellish dumpster of a corroded life of sin and death. Actually, our physical dumpster diving did have a purpose, which was to salvage unbroken bricks to either sell on Craigslist or build a fire pit on the land to sing Kumbaya Okie style of course. Fortunately, there was no rotting food or anything foul smelling; it was mostly dirt, tree limbs and bricks; but yet it was still a dumpster.

He huffed and he puffed but he could not blow the house down!

There is nothing more sexy (insert my kids saying “ewwwwwww”) than my husband sharing his heart and the Word of God with young people. On with the theme of Trash to Treasure, Darryl spoke about building our lives on the one and only true foundation. How Christ removes the dirt and filth of our sin, pulls us out of the dark pit of death and cleans us up and makes us into a new person with a new heart, new desires, new outlook, new future, new everything! While we abandon and throw things away that are broken, dirty and useless, Christ never abandons or throws away His creations. Rather, He continually is calling us to be a people who, have been reclaimed and re-made. Christ doesn’t waste anything, He doesn’t look upon us and see all our imperfections and discards us, but He sees possibility. He sees life. He sees hope – all because He loves us!

Just like Jesus’ calling of fishermen - stench, fish guts, and all, dumpster diving took me down that familiar path of memories and hurt of being looked down on and used. It brings to the surface a dark truth about the prevalence of perfectionism that shackles so many in our prosperous society. Living in a world that tells us often that our outsides don’t measure up…we don’t dress right, we aren’t skinny enough, we’re too dark skinned, not educated enough or not pretty enough is cruel, but even crueler is when the church jumps in on the attack. Judgment and criticism in the church is sung about often by Casting Crowns, a few phrases of their lyrics is proof that it is probably an epidemic “lofty glances from lofty people”, “judgment looming under every steeple”, and “plastic people under plastic steeples”, I know in the past decade I have been wounded and I have witnessed heartbreakingly others wounded by fellow “Christians”. Our challenge is not to find “a church that shows no favoritism”, but to become the church that extends favor to all through love and acceptance, by doing life together regardless of any outward appearances. Because with God, He shows no favoritism, but extends favor to us by His grace and because of His truth we should strive to live up to His character. He doesn’t look on the outward appearances, He looks at our hearts. I want to be that follower who sees the true value and worth of all that I meet, not tossing out any, because they don’t measure up to our idolatrous ideals. God doesn’t make junk. And He doesn’t promise prestige or prosperity, but He has given us the perfect gift of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

We are so excited for what God is doing within the Faith Family and the youth group. We agreed to serve as interim youth ministers for three short months and that time will be gone by the end of November. In the beginning the class was quite small, about four regular students and the past two weeks we’ve been running between 8 and 10 and Wednesday night we had 11, with no empty chairs. We’ve had visitors in the youth group every week. Students are inviting friends and the gospel is being shared. God is so good, I marvel at Him! Sure, there are still many students in the youth ministry and visitors that don’t know Him personally, yet; but, that is our calling to be fishers of people, and a true follower of the One and Only True One who did the ultimate dumpster dive from the heights of His throne to the earth, to the cross, ultimately to the grave, and back to His righteous position on the throne. All to rescue me out of my sin. To put a new heart, life and purpose in me. He has captured me and I am forever His.

On Sunday one of our youth, stepped up and asked if we could meet earlier on Wednesdays to pray! No joke! So arrive early and pray we did and we will continue with a goal to not grow weary in seeking His face. God is moving and we are praying that the Lord will indeed move in the lives of our students and church family in tangible ways that we can see and only attribute to Him.

“We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12 –

Good stuff!!

This past Sunday, my pastor used a term that took my mind down that familiar trail of…squirrel!

As I have confessed before these side trips happen often and it is only by God’s grace, I don’t bust out laughing, especially in the middle of church or at work meetings. If only you could live in my mind for a day (okay, an hour), I am pretty sure your empathy and prayers would grow for me! Oh, the word?

Glory Hog.

Isn’t that a funny word…initially? Ready for the side trip?

First, I went to motorcycles. Hogs! As I have heard them referred to, not sure why people or how motorcycles acquired the name hogs. I don’t come from a family that has had any dealings with hogs, either on two wheels or four hooves. Perhaps the name came from rolling around in the mud, maybe like the motor cross ones? If you know how they gained that name please share!

Next, I went to the Muppets Miss Piggy the prima-donna pig who is absolutely convinced that she's destined for stardom, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Glory Hog in the finest!

Then I finally landed with the truth of a Glory Hog as the word was being presented as a person who takes all the glory for themself. Which reminded me of conference calls; see, I told you I chase squirrels for a living. Professional squirrel chaser, that’s me; but I find value in these side excursions! Conference calls. I really *dislike* conference calls. This is bad, because the majority of my day is spent on conference calls. Listening to government officials fight for control of the presence of speaking, for the joy of hearing their voices heard. Interruptions galore and over talking each other…leave me begging for solitary confinement at the end of the day.

As frustrating as those calls are, isn’t it true that we all seek praise for something…anything? Paul David Tripp, the Executive Director of the Center for Pastoral Life and Care in Fort Worth, Texas, says “All of life is geared toward a warfare with idols of the heart.” In other words, we have to battle against life, the things in this life that fight to take our attention and love away from Christ. We human beings are good at making idols out of just about anything, jobs, pets, sports, social media, and yes, our children, families and ourselves. We don’t have to erect a golden calf in the wilderness to have our own golden calves.

Truth hurts. But, truth can also set us free. Yes, what we do or don’t do matters. Yes, God requires obedience and with obedience comes blessings; but it is more than “just doing right”. What matters more is what drives of our obedience. Obedience is necessary and crucial, but is our obedience driven to keep up with appearances or to gain praise? Or is our obedience driven by a heart of love and gratitude? Obedience that doesn’t come from a heart of love, is obedience that is rule driven for Glory Hog purposes of “look what I am doing”. It is usually masked by “I always… or I never…”it is legalistic. It is a sad way to live and it’s a lie, because we are human and we can never “always do” or “never do” anything.

I'm so indebted for the freedom of the gospel. Because I am saved only by grace through faith and not by works, I am free! I cannot earn or merit God's favor, nor can I un-earn His favor by forsaking my duties and responsibilities. It's all grace. My worth is not somehow tied to what I do, thank goodness, because then I would be in control…and that is a scary thought.

I loved what Pastor Craig shared, “God is not looking for people with reformed behavior, but people who love Him more.”  Simply put, when we love Him more our desires and behavior will follow.

Thank you Jesus that you came that we might have life and have it abundantly, but help me not to become comfortable in the abundance you have given me. I don’t want to set up idols in your rightful place or fall trapped to believing that I have to earn your favor. It’s grace. Nothing more.  All grace. All you Jesus. Your complete work on the cross, nothing of mine (I have none). It is finished and you did it all for the joy that was set before you and I was in that joy, thank you Jesus! I will strive to run, keeping my eyes fixed on you and your finished work on the cross. I love you!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” – Hebrews 12:1-3