Sunday, June 19, 2011

Definitely a mind-bloggling day!

Late yesterday afternoon Muffin and I left our cozy home while the temperature registered 112 on the car thermometer and 108 officially.  We headed east just as a thunderstorm rolled into town, so we missed all the excitement of cooler temperatures and moisture for a brief time. Driving to Dallas we met our darling baby child for dinner at a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant and ate till we almost cried "Souvlaka!" or something like that.  Muffin and I spent the night in his apartment, and he drove me to the DAL airport early this morning for his Father's Day present.  Not really.  Well, I really went to the airport, but not for his present.  I flew to Kansas City, MO on my way to Ottawa, KS for  Early Childhood Education Suzuki training this week.

It should have been easy--arrive at airport with boarding pass, check in at curbside with giant suitcase (I had to pack bedding for life in the dorm this week.), go through security check and wait for plane.  Wrong. It took almost 50 minutes to just get to security.  The line had nine switchbacks with people standing in line the width of the building because there were only two people checking boarding passes and ID's.  By the time I got to the gate I had 10 minutes before boarding.  The flight was nice, with plenty of room in the seat and only 2 of us in a 3 seat row.  However, there were about 30 high school forensic team members returning to Kansas City as winners in the national forensics competition in Dallas.  And they were all carrying trophies and plaques and were pretty loud for the first part of the short flight.  When we arrived I went straight to baggage claim and waited, and waited, and w.a.i.t.e.d..... because each of the 30ish students had packed tubs and tubs of files for their debate events and they were slowly being spit out of the carousel pit onto the carousel with duct tape flying off, all mixed with luggage and golf clubs.  That only took 35 minutes.

Finally boarded the shuttle to car rental terminal where I expected to quickly pick up the car we reserved online--paperwork in hand. Entered the terminal and there was no line at all at the Budget desk.  In about 2 minutes I was out the door and packed into a spiffy red KIA and off to the kiosk to check out of the airport area.  That's when the worker found, for the first time today, that my TX drivers license had expired in April.  TX always sends notices for renewal and I never received one.  Budget refused to give me the contract and sent me back to the desk to see the manager, who also refused. BUT, and I do mean BIG BUT.... I had the key to their car and all my stuff locked in it!  So, I sat down and renewed my DL online and took screen shots on my iPhone and showed it to them.  And NO, still they wouldn't print it or write a contract.  They politely offered to take the key away from me and I refused until I made other arrangements, but did it very sweetly.  I called Muffin and he prayed. I went to the ladies room and I prayed. And on my way to the Alamo desk, the Lord said, "Go to the Enterprise desk."  And I did it!

At the Budget desk a very nice young man named J. told me I could email the screen shots to his personal email and he would print them for me.  I did and he did and he was nice enough to tell me to go back to Budget with their key in my hand and their paperwork in my hand.  The Budget manager still refused to write the contract. So, back to Enterprise.  They couldn't have been nicer.  Contract written, a very nice young lady, C., escorted me out to my silver Fiat that matches my hair, and pulled my giant luggage herself.  She even hoisted it into the teeny weeny trunk where it had to be turned "just so" to get the hatch closed.  Paperwork signed, more money spent, cell phone map app opened, I headed for lunch.  At 2:30ish I left a McDonald's in the area and drove southwest to Ottawa.

Arriving here I went to the building where I was directed by email for registration and room assignments.  Closed. Locked. Signs on door to walk to different place.  Arrived there and my name tag was literally the very last one at the bottom of the very last pile.  It had a key, an entrance badge, and a sticky note with the room number.  However, no one knew where to park the car or where my packet was.  I waited another 30 minutes while they made calls and learned that for some reason, I don't get mine until tomorrow.  Back to car. Drive to dorm lot. Unload all possessions, move in, only 30 minutes until dinner is served.

After dinner and a visit with old and new teacher friends I headed to Wal Mart to purchase bottled water, fruit, and a pillow.  Found everything quickly and headed for the express checkout where a couple was just finishing.  Their card wasn't just declined, it was making the scanners whine and cry and throw tantrums.  Seriously, it would refuse the PIN, then say it was waiting on the customer, then refuse the PIN again, then tell the checker to do something, then refuse the PIN.  I had already unpacked my basket or I could have moved to another line quickly.  Finally the lady ahead decided to write an electronic check and that required yet another out-of--the-ordinary process from the checker.  Trip to Wal Mart--almost 1 hour.  I'm headed for the shower.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Bloggles the Mind Again: Ready to pick a fight?

Bloggles the Mind Again: Ready to pick a fight?

Ready to pick a fight?

In Matthew 11:12, Christ Jesus states that the Kingdom of Heaven is established by both faith and force:
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."
We are to contend for the faith. This warning is addressed very specifically in the book of Jude:
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."
This Greek word epagonizomai, translated contend, occurs only once in the New Testament here in Jude. It is a term used by Greek historians to describe physical battles. The Lord is exhorting us to contend earnestly for the faith as if we were fighting a war.
From Elijah List, June 14, 2011 written by Bobby Connor

It is rare that I feel contentious.  Confrontation is unnatural for me and most of my family members.  Maybe it's the drought and triple digit record-breaking temperatures.  Maybe the time has just come. But I feel like standing my ground, and like David's men, defend my bean patch, however humble it is.  I have been looking at the sky and declaring that it WILL rain until we just don't need any more of it.  I have been looking at my personal life and declaring victory, even though I don't see it. I have been declaring that my joints, muscles, sinuses, especially my left knee and my hands, are healed, because I pray "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven" and there is NO injury and illness in heaven.  There is no plantar fasciatis,  no migraine headache, no Asperger's, no ADHD, no sensory deficit of any kind, no cancer, no big or little disease in heaven.  And Jesus didn't leave anything unfinished when He left the cross!  

Ready to pick a fight?

In Matthew 11:12, Christ Jesus states that the Kingdom of Heaven is established by both faith and force:
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."
We are to contend for the faith. This warning is addressed very specifically in the book of Jude:
"Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints."
This Greek word epagonizomai, translated contend, occurs only once in the New Testament here in Jude. It is a term used by Greek historians to describe physical battles. The Lord is exhorting us to contend earnestly for the faith as if we were fighting a war.
From Elijah List, June 14, 2011 written by Bobby Connor

It is rare that I feel contentious.  Confrontation is unnatural for me and most of my family members.  Maybe it's the drought and triple digit record-breaking temperatures.  Maybe the time has just come. But I feel like standing my ground, and like David's men, defend my bean patch, however humble it is.  I have been looking at the sky and declaring that it WILL rain until we just don't need any more of it.  I have been looking at my personal life and declaring victory, even though I don't see it. I have been declaring that my joints, muscles, sinuses, especially my left knee and my hands, are healed, because I pray "Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven" and there is NO injury and illness in heaven.  There is no plantar fasciatis,  no migraine headache, no Asperger's, no ADHD, no sensory deficit of any kind, no cancer, no big or little disease in heaven.  And Jesus didn't leave anything unfinished when He left the cross!  

Monday, June 13, 2011

Three years

Dear Dubbie,
It has been three years today since I watched you walk past that open gate in heaven to eternity.  So three years means nothing in eternity.  On earth it means that Gracie is almost three years old and never saw you. It means that Joy and Mike have now been married four years and will soon have a baby boy. Becky and Michael have been married 9 years, and Christel and Jamie 15 years.  It means that Jonah just finished a year in school, that Ruby and Emme are getting ready for Kindergarten, and they were barely talking well when you went through the gate.  Abigail finished a year of college, and she was still a child when you stopped looking back at us and started looking forward into heaven's glories.  I didn't know anything at all about Early Childhood Education for Suzuki babies that day and now I'm teaching them things that you and Nannie taught me and our girls.  Monte began conference calling with our guys tonight--just to pray with them each week.  I know you would like that lots.  Nannie is being brave and fighting a good fight, but she misses you terribly, as we all do.  Thanks for tending the gardens and keeping the watering holes company and please enjoy all the music that heaven has to offer while you're waiting for us.