Beer Bloggles

Have you ever heard of beer goggles? When someone drinks to much and all of a sudden they start seeing things that aren't there? They are attracted to someone they normally would walk right by. They are acting like a fool, but they feel like they are the funniest guy/girl on the planet. They are monopolizing the conversation with musings that make no sense, but they think they sound extremely intelligent?
Boy do I remember those days before I was a Christian. I had too many nights when some sort of goggles from some sort of chemical substance I shouldn't have ingested made me feel like the worst of decisions were a good idea.
Actually before I was saved it was kind of like I was wearing beer goggles all the time. I just couldn't see CLEARLY. I thought things that could hurt me and ruin my life were the things to strive for.
I still remember the day my boyfriend and I (who were living together and pretty miserable with all the fighting) visited a church. We had been wanting to go for awhile and finally one night we walked a half an hour through the streets of Brooklyn, NY in the freezing cold to this church we had heard of. We argued the whole way!
When we finally arrived we pushed open the double doors thankful to get out of the cold, but we got a whole lot more than we bargained for. That was the night I finally took my beer goggles off! That night I became a Christian. It was amazing! The next morning everything seemed brighter, even the dingy NY subways!
I have realized over the past few weeks that without even knowing it I had allowed a different sort of goggle to cloud my eyes. Religion goggles. And similar to beer goggles you don't even realize they are there until you take them off.
What are religion goggles? Well, for one things had stopped looking so bright. Nothing seemed hopeful in my life anymore. I realized I had become known for what I didn't believe in rather for what I did believe in. I was feeling a contant sense that I was never doing enough. In my own mind MY LIFE had become SO big and God had become rather small...or maybe not small but just SO far away!
Recently, God in his mercy helped me to see, the same way He patiently led me to a place where I could take off the things that blinded me the first time.
Again things seemed bright. I have a hope and a future. I am reminded what I was created for, but also I am finding comfort in the fact that I am a small piece of a giant puzzle that HE is orchestrating together. My own life and it's troubles aren't SO HUGE. I am not just a part of a small church plant I am a part of the body of Christ! I can celebrate the successes of all my brothers and sisters all over the world because we are working together to glorify His name.
So are you wearing any goggles?
Here are some signs-

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you are feeling a heavy weight on your shoulders or all you can think about is your troubles and hardships.

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you find it really hard to rejoice in the blessings of others or your feel jealous every time you see someone with a bigger church, better car, nicer house, more friends, more talent....etc.

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you feel trapped in your life and don't feel the freedom to just be who God made you to be.

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you know what you don't believe in, but you're having a really hard time finding what you do believe in.

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you think are your problems are stemming from another person or a circumstance like money, resources etc.

• You might be wearing Christian beer goggles if you think a person or money or a resource is the ANSWER to your problems.

I am sure the list could go on and on. If you want comment and let me know what your Christian beer goggles have been!

yes, I am blogular...

Stolen from a friends blog...wanted to post it here so I could meditate on it.
A Prayer For the Day
"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
St. Francis of Assisi

PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! Itty-bitty blog

Today I am thankful that God cares about the small things. There so many big things in my life that are up the air. SO many, really big things. God has pretty much been silent on all of them. In my finite mind I think it is because He wants to grow my faith, to teach me trust, maybe to teach me to rejoice in my sufferings and not let my feelings dictate everything. Of course I am still in the middle of the lesson so it could be about something completely different!
This week sort of culminated in a crisis of my faith. I hadn't been in a service for awhile due to the blessing of teaching Sunday school, I got sick, and a few other natural things that were out of my control hit this week. The physical, emotional, and spiritual battles all came together in one week and I felt like I had a ginormous weight on my shoulders pushing me into despair.

To top it all off I lost my favorite necklace. I searched everywhere and could feel my temperature rising every time I looked a new place and came up empty handed. Everything became so overwhelming that I just had to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE!

I drove around praying and listening to worship music feeling completely defeated. I prayed about everything that has been bothering me lately and still didn't feel much of an answer from the Lord, but when I started praying about my necklace the flood gates opened. It's not just any necklace. It is a necklace that my husband bought for me last time we were living by faith. He worked a secret extra job to afford it and the necklace is a constant reminder to me that I am loved not only by my husband, but by God because at a time when all our money should have gone for PRACTICAL THINGS they both worked together to let me know I was treasured and important.
I prayed with all my heart that God would help me find my necklace. I got an image of an obscure place in my bathroom and quickly dismissed it because I believed I would never have put it there. After calming down and running some errands I came home feeling a tiny bit refreshed, but still pretty fragile in the faith area.
This morning I remembered I still hadn't found my necklace and started to feel upset all over again, but I remembered the image I got while praying and decided to check there. Sure enough THE NECKLACE was there!
This has encouraged me so much. That the God of the universe cared enough to help me find my necklace. It has reminded me of my assurance that surely if he cares enough to help me find my necklace then HE WILL NOT ABANDON ME in the other big areas I am leaning on Him.
My future, my family, my walk with Him are all secure.

Blogging hot air, but sounding pretty Godly while doing it. ;)

I hope not all of these are true, but some of them are pretty funny. My faves are in BOLD. :)

Translating Christianese
The Evangelical Press Association (EPA) website recently shared the following: Christianese is a language used in the Christian subculture and understood easily only by other practicing Christians. As Christian communicators it's important to avoid words in our writing that could be misunderstood or fail to communicate — terms that have meaning only in the Christian subculture.
As a public service, here are some common phrases used in the church, along with their English-language equivalents:


Christianese: "If it be God's will."
Translation: "I really don't think God is going to answer this one.
Christianese: "Let's have a word of prayer."
Translation: "I am going to pray for a long, long, long time."
Christianese: "That's not my spiritual gift."
Translation: "Find someone else."
Christianese: "Fellowship"
Translation: "Organized gluttony."
Christianese: "The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Translation: "I'm totally clueless."
Christianese: "Lord willing . . ."
Translation: "You may think I'll be there, but I won't."
Christianese: "I don't feel led."
Translation: "Can't make me."
Christianese: "God led me to do something else."
Translation: I slept in instead of going to church.
Christianese: "God really helped me with this test."
Translation: "I didn't study but I guessed good, so I'm giving God credit in the hope that He helps me again."
Christianese: "She has such a sweet spirit!"
Translation: "What an airhead!"
Christianese: "I have a 'check' in my spirit about him."
Translation: "I can't stand that jerk!"
Christianese: "I'll be praying for you."
Translation: "There's an outside chance I'll remember this conversation later today."
Christianese: "Prayer concerns"
Translation: "Gossip"
Christianese: "In conclusion . . . "
Translation: "I'll be done in another hour or so."
Christianese: "Let us pray"
Translation: "I'm going to pretend to talk to God now, but I'm really preaching at you."
Christianese: "You just have to put it in God's hands."
Translation: "Don't expect me to help you."
Christianese: "God wants to prosper you!"
Translation: "Give me all your money." (Author Unknown)

Tennis Blogs

Blogonade and Cupcakes!

The Light House Sunday School kids (with the help of everyone else at The Light House) had a bake sale and lemonade stand to raise money for an orphanage in Haiti. We raised just over $200.00 and were able to send 465 lbs of food this week!

taking a break!

Omaha, Neblogska

An afternoon in the garden of Grams and Gramps house. :)
(please, please click on the funny face pictures to see the full ridiculousness of then close up!)

watching bloggerflies...

Auntie Shannon and Micah watching the butterflies in the garden...