Ironic

Does anyone else find it ironic that the church universal is referred to as the Body of Christ while that is the very thing that was nailed to the cross on our behalf.

Is it no wonder than that we should sacrifice our self, our selfishness, our boasting and pride in response to His taking our sin through the punishment it deserved on the cross.

Ironic isn't really the word, then.

Who's Your Look-Alike??

I'm not sure about that last one but the first seems pretty close.

But in the end none of them are close enough for people to mistake me on the street.

I'm not sure what to say about this one.

Make Your Own

Maybe Wynonna Judd isn't in their database.

Sepia Sense

I went even more upload crazy yesterday. I have this frame which at one time had a mirror or something in it but now it's just the frame and a backing. My project is to fill it with pictures, cool pictures, pictures of friends and family, kids I care for, really just stuff that makes me happy. I want most of the pictures to blend together, look like they should be there. So... I turned a lot of pictures sepia this weekend to accomplish some sense of continuity among them. So it's all part of a project, not just crazy uploading.


So... visit if you like.


If not... then don't.


Have a great day!!

Switch - A - Roo

Switched the colors around a bit today.



The picture at the top is composed of two cameraphone pictures I took while visiting the San Francisco Bay. I went with one of my favorite boys (his are the smaller feet) to the beach at the Presidio while his mom was teaching an engineering class. We then picked up lunch on one of the peirs.

A Good Day.

I went upload crazy on my flickr page today.

Have a look,

or not.

Lots of memories there.

Cruisin' - Crazy-Like

Perhaps I don't know enough about scientology but this seems like a waste of tape to me.

What exactly is he saying?

Is this man serious?

Is he seriously demented?

Again, maybe I'm not "informed" enough to get it.

Does the Thought Count?

I was thinking this morning that a great act of love for someone to show me would be to scrape the frost from my windscreen some morning, preferebly one that requires my going to work. Then I thought I should do that for someone else. There is a van which is usually parked near my car that belongs to a single mom. I thought that would be a good one to start with.

I thought that...Is that enough?

Maybe tomorrow.

An Enemy Within

I think that I have explained the title of this blog before. I think that the first two posts told about the meaning of the Greek word "helos." The word simply means "nail" for those of you who have not read those posts. I am revisiting this topic because of an addition that has been made over the past few months, that is the phrase "changed daily" which is seen within the blades of grass at the top of this page.

In considering these two things together I was also contemplating what it was that held the perfect Sacrifice on the cross. It is said that it was not the nails but rather His willingness, His love and mercy that did so. I understand that to be the case, knowing that apart from His will to participate in the perfect plan of redemption laid forth before the foundation of the world, the Son of God could not be crucified. That is why the Lamb of God is now seated on the throne. He deserves it first for who He is and because of who He is, He has done that which only God/Man could do, give His life as a ransom for many.

The reason that I named this blog "helos" is so that I would not forget who Jesus is and His work on my behalf. The site is http://www.whenisurvey.blogspot.com/ to remind me that all is to be considered in light of God's grace and mercy shown to me upon the cross. Apart from Him life and all that it intails is vainity and should I try to keep this thing going apart from Him it will be that as well. I sometimes post "mindless raging rants" and just stuff that is going on. I pray that even these would not be done in vain but to show that I am still human and am living in the world, seeking to not be of the world.

I don't think that I can express just what God has done for me, what He has relieved me from in taking the shame and punishment for my sin. Partly because I don't have the words to express it and even more so because I don't fully understand just what has been done. I have been given a gift of eternal life in communion with God. Although I know and have experianced many benefits of this gift there is so much more that I have been promised and am sure of because I know that God is faithful to keep His promises.

I also have difficulty in knowing just what I have been saved from. I know what it is to recieve earthly consequinces for sin and I know what it is to wrestle with temptation from the outside and from within however I cannot empathize with complete divorce from God, His general grace and provision which I have always had as a creation of His. I cannot imagine the depths of Hell.

Salvation seems such a simple word but its complexities I know I will not understand upon earth. This truth, however does not excuse me from the study and meditation of His great and awesome work on behalf of those who would call out for the blood of Christ to wash away their sin and bring them into fellowship with God.

I was recently challenged by the Spirit to share something from my past with a dear friend. We were in the midst of a rather intense discussion concerning sins that were brought to mind during a sermon we had sat under that morning when a particular sin was made the forefront of our conversation. I stated that it was indeed sin and sighted scriptures which show it to be such. There was then a great pause in the conversed and contraversial topic as we watched the kids play in the hall of science we were visiting that afternoon. There wasn't much said between us for the next half hour as we made our way through the building and into an outside display which overlooked the bay. As we observed the scene and the children made their way back to the hands on learning of the displays the need to share my heart was too much and I told a secret that still remains such today.

I wanted my friend to know, as I pray all will, that I'm not a sin-o-phobic Bible thumper who blindly makes statements concerning the eternal effects of sin. I expressed to her that this sin we were previously speaking of was indeed a sin that I have wrestled with. God alone has victory over it in my case, this I know because when I am weak in my fellowship with Him it's ugly head resurfaces to show that it is not my efforts which keep it at bay but His own. After the kids were put to bed and sudoku was in progress I was asked to share more about my salvation from the effects of this sin in which I was blessed to say that the depression and internal anguish that it brought has been washed away. The grace of God cannot be measured just as God Himself cannot be measured.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) "He gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people for His own posession, zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:11)

We try to place degrees on individual sins so that we can say "It was just a little lie." or "I only did it once." We want to rationalize with human standards so that we don't have to face the reality of how much God hates sin but it doesn't line up with Scripture. Our measures and standards are just that "ours" and we cannot expect God, whose "ways are not our ways," to follow our rule.

I'm not sure what all of this is to say except that God is more than we can imagine in every part. He is more just, more gracious. He is more loving, more wrathful. He is more faithful, more forgiving than any one you've ever met because He is God. God is more by definition. He is perfect by definition. He is the Rule and the Ruler.

Storm Damage

So the flight home wasn't so uneventful. The first leg of the flight consisted of my waiting to see if I could even get on the plane because I had an unassigned seat on an over-sold flight to Dallas...Fun Stuff. But the guy at the gate was extremely patient and some people took direct flights to Austin, where they were going any way, so it wasn't too bad. but the final part of the flight was a scene straight out of "Twilight Zone" the movie, minus the creepy gremlin and the crazy passenger. The pilot flew through the beginnings of the storm which caused this damage at the home I work in. I've seen trees twisted and mangled like this before, in Lousiana, after Hurricane Katrina, when we went to help clean up the damage.

I took some pictures of the lightining in the clouds from the plane window but they'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Glad to be home in my bed, but miss the family I visited as always.

Stoked

Perhaps there are some of you who do not know what the word stoked refers to. It basically means that I am very, very, very happy and very, very, very excited about the situation right now. You may be asking why, but if you are not, brace your self because I'm going to tell you any way.

Tonight I am here in the home of my California hosts with one of my favorite 4yr olds. Mom and sister stepped out to enjoy a hockey game and that leaves the boy and myself to just be. And that is exactly what I love to do with the people I love, just be. So I am stoked. It doesn't take much. Popcorn and a movie; Board game and peanuts; Innocent tangents on youtube; Dinner and a little conversation. I'm easy to please.

Freak of Design

Taking a general look at me you may never guess that I am indeed a freak. My freakiness would not constitute my own spot in the circus or anything. It's really not that noticable to the casual eye yet it is indeed unusual among many that I am associated with. This physical oddity usually isn't too troubling and I don't pa much attention to it most of the time. The instances in whichit has had the most impact it has had the most impression upon daily or casual life are 1. buying a car 2. riding in a kiddy coaster with a child who may require adult participation according to height guidelines 3. Buying a car 4. Riding economy class on an airplane. 5. Purchasing clothing.

You may have already guessed that I have long legs. I know that there are people with longer legs and that this is not so freaky as I make it sound but #5 on this list reveals another aspect that is odd. My torso is quite short. I have a friend who is a half foot shorter than me and yet when we sit side by side she is the same height. My torso's short, her's is long. I have another friend that I am about an inch taller than, we have similar body types and yet her torso is indeed longer than my own.

In short I am a long legged, long armed (fuel for another post) FREAK.

Uneventful

The trip was good, no missed flights or sneeky gate changes. The first flight had only 22 passangers so it was very laid back and we could just about sit where ever as long as someone wasn't actually in it. Unfortunately it was only the 45min leg of the journey. The second flight was completely full, over sold in fact and there were actually people with tickets who didn't get to take that particular flight. The family I'm visiting, their doing well and yes it is supposed to rain every day that I'm here. So, we'll be spending lots of time in museums, go to a movie or two and hang about the house. That's much more relaxing to me than theme parks so I'm happy but the kids will need entertaining today so I'd better get going. More posts about long legs on airplanes and morning devotions to follow.

Goin' On Holiday?

Yep!

I'm sure there will be tons of pictures and some stories to share.

Shooting the Family

My cousin asked me to take some family photos for her so that she could give them out for Christmas. Some of them turned out pretty decent. I think it was the adorable subjects. Here's some samples. You can click on them to get a better view.

Here are some with my charges. I am, after all, a nanny with a camera. Again with the adorable subjects.