Clatterbang and other Perils of Wisdom

Today's challenge: function on 2 hours of sleep. I guess I could have qualified things when I prayed not to be sleepy. Something short of insomnia would have been fine. Funny, I used to function fine without sleep before I got old. Wait, maybe I got old so quickly because I didn't get enough sleep?

Aging. Bah! Stuff creaks and other things rattle. My body is proof that gravity works. I move like one of those carts with the funky wheel. You know, the one you hope you won't get and when you do you try to pretend that your above noticing or being bothered by it as you force/guide it around the store? Yeah, out of a hundred good solid carts in any given store I normally get the one with the funky wheel. Thunkity thunkity, clatterbang! I guess it stands to reason that I would end up a little off my trolley in more than one way.

Speaking of shopping. Years ago in a land far from here I was shopping at a Home Depot. I was in the garden center where two cashiers worked diligently to check folks out. What is it that makes herds of people have the sudden urge to purchase their perennials and garden supplies all at the same moment? It's like we're Eloi answering a siren call. Anyway, after observing the lines for a minute it was clear which checker was the quicker and more efficient. I chose his line. That's when the other checker closed down and the person in front of me had a problem with his purchase. There I stood, next in line, waiting patiently. Ten or more minutes later patience gave way to irritation. My mother was right when she said I was a "Murphy's Child." No point in being angry I decided to amuse myself. I turned to the woman waiting in line behind me and pointed to myself. "Ma'am, you see this face? Study it carefully and if you ever see me standing in a checkout line somewhere, get in the other line." She and the others in line laughed. "I am trying to save you all. It's OK."

Later in the same day I was standing in the checkout line at Walmart when someone gently grabbed my shoulder. I turned and there she was. Without saying a word she smiled and moved to a different line. We both giggled and yes she was done before I was. If you have to be in the line that doesn't move and drive the cart with the funky wheel, it's best if you can laugh about it. Aging has mellowed me that way and made me see the foolishness in most of my angry moments.

Wisdom is a good part about getting old, probably the best part and I guess it's not a bad trade off really. Think of all the stupid things you've done and bad choices you've made for lack of it? How many times have you heard someone say, "If I only knew then what I know now!" Then riddle me this, why do those same people chase appearing young? Their actions betray their professions of valuing wisdom.

People baffle me and why God wants a single thing to do with us is really beyond me. That's a topic that requires more moving parts and firing synapses in my brain than I currently possess. Forgive me while I ramble out to the recliner for a nap. Thunkity, thunkity, clatterbang!

Character Flaws, Sin and Remediation

I have been thinking about my last post in which I offered to talk about how having a job has shown or magnified my character flaws. Before I do though, I want to distinguish between character flaws and sin. My character flaws predispose me to sin in certain areas more readily than in others. Indulging in my character flaws is sinful. Entertaining the idea of indulging my character flaws is sinful. They are the weaknesses in me where my flesh makes itself known by screaming, "You know you want to!!" Too often I hear Christians lamenting that they "make mistakes" or are victims of their genetic make-up and intimate that they should, therefore, be excused from culpability for being prone to certain activities. Our cultural dependence on a medical model to define our behavior has given many what they see as a plausible excuse for sin. I don't see that caveat in the Word. For Christians, the Word is always our standard. It is the standard by which all will be j

Fear Down, Hope and Peace to Go!

Last night I had the honor and privilege to present some information to the women of my church. I cannot begin to tell you how much I love and appreciate them. The seminar I did was on fear. God is clever and He had me present the information to them because I needed it. It's not that I don't want to study things for my own benefit and growth, but whenever I do a topical study to teach it, I see how badly I needed it and how much more I have to repent of than I realized. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know. That's a topic I want to return to in another post. I want to talk about the ladies for a moment. They are an incredibly loving group of women. Women who seek God and are teachable. They have gone out of their way to include me and love on me, which speaks volumes of their characters because I am not all that lovable. I am not being self-deprecating here. I am a mix of endearing and maddening qualities like anyone else. What I am telling you is

Super Church a song for the Emergent-sy

In the early 70s I was in a youth choir at my church. Our youth pastor was a musician and his way of connecting with us as a group was through the choir and music. Somehow there was an affiliation between him and The Continental Singers, New Hope and Jeremiah People. He was worked with Moishe Rosen of Jews for Jesus too, I think. Are any of these names familiar to you? Though I remember the church fondly I was a profoundly lost and troubled young woman during my years there. That and time have muddled the memories quite a bit. Today I was digging through some old paperwork and one of the books to the musical we did. It's Getting Late For the Great Planet Earth, a folk rock oratorio by Cam Floria. Yes, that's right. Cam Floria put Hal Lindsey to music. There's a lot to laugh about and some to groan about but as I was looking through the songs and remembering, I found this little ditty and I only wish I could sing it for you. Just remember that this is circa 1972 and even th

rambling rosemarie

Search This Blog