There have been two events in the last week that have made me think about TIME, and how I view giving my time to God. Thought I'd take a moment or two of my time and write the events out for you, and some of my thoughts. You can decide if this is something that resonates with you, or maybe you'd even have something you would like to add.
My thoughts about time originated at a wedding I attended recently. The wedding was for my second cousin Julie and her now husband David (who I am also related too - I won't get into that, but will say it's a mennonite thing). Julie and David are part of the same Mennonite Conference (Southeastern Conference) that my grandparent Heatwoles were part of (the church of my Dad's youth). It is typical of that more conservative mennonite conference to include a sermon as part of the wedding service. The sermon for Julie and David's wedding was surprisingly VERY short. I had been expecting something considerably longer (atleast 20-30 minutes in length), what we got was at most 8-10 minutes.
I wasn't the only one surprised by the brevity of this particular sermon, and whispered comments were shared by those in seats surrounding me. That is when I first noticed the clock that hung above the pulpit facing the congregation. Without even realizing it I (and I believe maybe most of the congregation) had been timing the service with the use of this clock. The thought hit me that I had been VERY aware of the time during the whole of the service and how that had been unconcentiously distracting.
I had these same thoughts when a week later I was back in the same pew of the same church where my Grandmother's funeral was being held. This time the sermon was considerably longer, and I have to honestly admit I was frustrated by that and the clock that hung over the pulpit. Though I knew how important my Grandmother's faith was to her, I wasn't interested in hearing a sermon from Romans, so the time dragged on. In the effort of full disclosure I was more interested in remembering stories of my grandmother, a woman of faith. I wanted to remember with others how her life had been a reflection of God's Word.
In the last week since the funeral I've asked myself a couple of times why I had been so frustrated by that clock staring me in the face. A couple of days ago the answer struck me very plainly, I simply wasn't use to following time in church. In every church I've ever attended the clock is also in the back of the sanctuary, and your back is to it (uncless you are behind the pulpit then you get to face it). And since I don't like wearing watches, I simply don't follow the time during a service. I don't keep a measure of how long we've been singing, praying or preaching, I simply give my heart over to the worship and I follow the spirit.
I even questioned why we keep a clock in the church period, if most of the congregation doesn't even see it on a given Sunday. I laughed to myself when it hit me that the clock was obviously positioned at the back of the church for a purpose, the person who needs it the most is able to view it there. For all those long-winded preachers :) Or maybe it would be better to place the clock at the front of the church where the pastor would not be able to see or be distracted by its presence? Or just maybe we should do away with clocks in church all together?
Should we be concerned with time when we gather together as the body in worship and praise? Or maybe I'm just overthinking this line of thought?
Friday, November 6, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
An October Synopsis
I am hardly able to believe that the month of October is almost here and gone, and I haven't even bothered to blog. To make up for lost time I intend to write a month in review blog for you now, so sit back and enjoy.
The month began on a frantic note as I worked hard to prepare my home for a temporary roommate. I still hadn't unpacked all my belongings from moving, and had been using the second bedroom as a storage room. Having someone move in with me was the catalyst I needed to finish my unpacking and organzing. That doesn't mean I've finished all my home projects, but I am getting closer to being done. Some of the bigger jobs I need to finish include outdoor gardening, painting the back porch, and finishing the shoemolding. One of these days :)
My temporary roommate came and went within two weeks time, but it was nice having some time to get to know her a little better. She is the girlfriend to an old friend/cousin of mine, so having a chance to get to know someone he considers important in his life was nice.
In other news this month I traveled with some of my good friends down to Floyd County, VA to the Floyd Country Store and their Friday Night Jamboree. I've been there before, and like the first outing I had a wonderful time. I enjoyed the great bluegrass music, the flatfoot dancing and just meeting the regulars. Two of the regulars stood out to me the most. First was Kay, she's a 70 something year old lady who is fiesty as can be. I first met her six months ago when I went to the jamboree, and when I saw her again this time she remembered me.
The first time I met Kay I walked away with a memorable quote (now you have to say this with a pretty heavy southern accent to get it right), "Honey, I've seen Elvis". She was talking to us about her age at that time, and without giving us a direct age, this was her way of saying she was older than we thought she was. This past visit she made us all laugh when she stopped to share with my pregnant friend that she had no excuse not to be out there dancing. As Kay stated, "I learned to do the twist when I was pregnant." Again, coming from this adorable southern woman I couldn't help but wear a large smile at her comments.
The second regular I met was an older man named Rosco. If you wanted a steorotype I could give you one in sweet ol' Rosco. He was white haired with a long white beard, wearing old coveralls and a weaved hat with feathers. When he smiled, which he did often, half his teeth were missing. He was loveable, friendly sort and a hoot to dance with. He helped me to have a very fun time while at the country store.
Recently, I've had some more trying times, but even through those events I know God has been close providing His comfort. Last Thursday was particularly hard for me. The day started out alright, but certain announcements brought disappointment. First, in the middle of the afternoon I received an email saying that a job I had particularly wanted had hired someone else with more experience. Less that two hours later a friend of mine told me some equally hurtful news. Then as I was leaving her home my Dad called me to say my Grandmother had just passed away, though it had been expected it was still another hit.
As I said earlier God was with me through this all, so the next day when I was dealing with all the shocks of yesterday I had to laugh when the final straw came. Since God knows my sense of humor I wouldn't be surprised that he had specially arranged that a manure spreader happended to be spreading alongside the road as I came around the corner. It was all perfectly timed so that my car got spread with you guessed it...shit. I usually don't have a crude sense of humor, but the first thing that popped into my mind was, "I've officially been shit upon." I couldn't stop laughing, and was on the phone with my friend at the time, and she shared in my humor.
The funeral for my Grandma was a good time spent with my family, and remembering Grandma's many special gifts. All in all it was a good time of rememberance of a very wonderful woman.
This was the month in a nutshell and I still have one more week to go.
The month began on a frantic note as I worked hard to prepare my home for a temporary roommate. I still hadn't unpacked all my belongings from moving, and had been using the second bedroom as a storage room. Having someone move in with me was the catalyst I needed to finish my unpacking and organzing. That doesn't mean I've finished all my home projects, but I am getting closer to being done. Some of the bigger jobs I need to finish include outdoor gardening, painting the back porch, and finishing the shoemolding. One of these days :)
My temporary roommate came and went within two weeks time, but it was nice having some time to get to know her a little better. She is the girlfriend to an old friend/cousin of mine, so having a chance to get to know someone he considers important in his life was nice.
In other news this month I traveled with some of my good friends down to Floyd County, VA to the Floyd Country Store and their Friday Night Jamboree. I've been there before, and like the first outing I had a wonderful time. I enjoyed the great bluegrass music, the flatfoot dancing and just meeting the regulars. Two of the regulars stood out to me the most. First was Kay, she's a 70 something year old lady who is fiesty as can be. I first met her six months ago when I went to the jamboree, and when I saw her again this time she remembered me.
The first time I met Kay I walked away with a memorable quote (now you have to say this with a pretty heavy southern accent to get it right), "Honey, I've seen Elvis". She was talking to us about her age at that time, and without giving us a direct age, this was her way of saying she was older than we thought she was. This past visit she made us all laugh when she stopped to share with my pregnant friend that she had no excuse not to be out there dancing. As Kay stated, "I learned to do the twist when I was pregnant." Again, coming from this adorable southern woman I couldn't help but wear a large smile at her comments.
The second regular I met was an older man named Rosco. If you wanted a steorotype I could give you one in sweet ol' Rosco. He was white haired with a long white beard, wearing old coveralls and a weaved hat with feathers. When he smiled, which he did often, half his teeth were missing. He was loveable, friendly sort and a hoot to dance with. He helped me to have a very fun time while at the country store.
Recently, I've had some more trying times, but even through those events I know God has been close providing His comfort. Last Thursday was particularly hard for me. The day started out alright, but certain announcements brought disappointment. First, in the middle of the afternoon I received an email saying that a job I had particularly wanted had hired someone else with more experience. Less that two hours later a friend of mine told me some equally hurtful news. Then as I was leaving her home my Dad called me to say my Grandmother had just passed away, though it had been expected it was still another hit.
As I said earlier God was with me through this all, so the next day when I was dealing with all the shocks of yesterday I had to laugh when the final straw came. Since God knows my sense of humor I wouldn't be surprised that he had specially arranged that a manure spreader happended to be spreading alongside the road as I came around the corner. It was all perfectly timed so that my car got spread with you guessed it...shit. I usually don't have a crude sense of humor, but the first thing that popped into my mind was, "I've officially been shit upon." I couldn't stop laughing, and was on the phone with my friend at the time, and she shared in my humor.
The funeral for my Grandma was a good time spent with my family, and remembering Grandma's many special gifts. All in all it was a good time of rememberance of a very wonderful woman.
This was the month in a nutshell and I still have one more week to go.
Friday, October 2, 2009
A Course in Tractor Identification
In the fairly close knit community where I live it's not uncommon (though not necessarily frequent) to recognize vehicles belonging to acquaintances either on the road in a parking lot. So, more than likely while I'm out and about I'm not just aware of my driving, but also on recognizing people I may know.
The other day I pulled into the parking lot of a local restaurant in town. I parked next to a red cab-less tractor and immediately knew it belonged to one of my two Old Order Mennonite neighbors. When I walked inside I wasn't surprised to see Gerald sitting a table eating his lunch. I joined him briefly to visit, but then went on my way.
This week as I've been thinking about what happened (recognizing a tractor and knowing who it belonged too) and the whole incident has struck me as funny. It seems to me that there are probably very few places where you need to be able to identify tractors as a means of knowing who might be dining in a restaurant. I've lived in several cities where the idea would be laughable, yet here in my hometown the thought is somewhat normal. Just goes to say, what some find as normal others will most likely not :)
The other day I pulled into the parking lot of a local restaurant in town. I parked next to a red cab-less tractor and immediately knew it belonged to one of my two Old Order Mennonite neighbors. When I walked inside I wasn't surprised to see Gerald sitting a table eating his lunch. I joined him briefly to visit, but then went on my way.
This week as I've been thinking about what happened (recognizing a tractor and knowing who it belonged too) and the whole incident has struck me as funny. It seems to me that there are probably very few places where you need to be able to identify tractors as a means of knowing who might be dining in a restaurant. I've lived in several cities where the idea would be laughable, yet here in my hometown the thought is somewhat normal. Just goes to say, what some find as normal others will most likely not :)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Humming As I Work...
This morning I was humming a little tune as I worked on constructing my outdoor patio. The words to the song went a little something like this...
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
and the rains came a tumbling down!
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
and the house on the sand went whoosh!
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
This wise man built his house upon the rock.
and the rains came a tumbling down!
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
and the house on the rock stood firm!
Maybe your recognize this little ditty from your childhood days. Well, this morning as I was humming it my mind transposed a few words. My tune went a little like this...
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
and the rains came a tumbling down.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
and all the girl's work was for naught!
Here's hoping my patio stands firm against the rain! Next time I'll think my project through a little bit more before I get underway.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
The foolish man built his house upon the sand.
and the rains came a tumbling down!
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
and the house on the sand went whoosh!
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
The wise man built his house upon the rock.
This wise man built his house upon the rock.
and the rains came a tumbling down!
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
The rains came down and the flood came up.
and the house on the rock stood firm!
Maybe your recognize this little ditty from your childhood days. Well, this morning as I was humming it my mind transposed a few words. My tune went a little like this...
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
The foolish girl built her patio upon the sand.
and the rains came a tumbling down.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
The rains came down and the patio was destroyed.
and all the girl's work was for naught!
Here's hoping my patio stands firm against the rain! Next time I'll think my project through a little bit more before I get underway.
Friday, September 18, 2009
You're Going Down...
If you happened to live with me, which you don't because I live alone, the last two nights you would have gotten quite a show from me. I had had it up to here (I'm pointing way above my head) with the infernal creatures known as crickets. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to keep them outdoors here of late they've found little ways to make it inside.
I love them beautiful sound of crickets chirping when it's outdoors (adds to the "country" atmosphere), but the shrilly sound amplified indoors is too much, especially at night when I'm tired and sleep is most at mind.
So, the last two nights I went on a cricket hunting expedition in my home, each night around 1-2 a.m. In the last two nights I've managed to dispatch atleast ten crickets, and I believe that as of this morning only two more remain in my house. They are both in serious hiding, but I have their number and it's only a matter of time.
I'm hoping with the oncoming cooler weather that the crickets will start to disappear naturally, until then here's what you'll be hearing at my home in the wee hours of the morning, "You're Going Down Crickey Crickey Crickey...just keep on chirping I'll find ya!"
I love them beautiful sound of crickets chirping when it's outdoors (adds to the "country" atmosphere), but the shrilly sound amplified indoors is too much, especially at night when I'm tired and sleep is most at mind.
So, the last two nights I went on a cricket hunting expedition in my home, each night around 1-2 a.m. In the last two nights I've managed to dispatch atleast ten crickets, and I believe that as of this morning only two more remain in my house. They are both in serious hiding, but I have their number and it's only a matter of time.
I'm hoping with the oncoming cooler weather that the crickets will start to disappear naturally, until then here's what you'll be hearing at my home in the wee hours of the morning, "You're Going Down Crickey Crickey Crickey...just keep on chirping I'll find ya!"
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Natural Beauty
This summer I've spent some time behind my camera, and here are a few of the photos I've managed to come away with.
This was taken as the sunset through the veritable jungle that my yard had become. You'd be happy to know that I've found some time to mow since I took this picture.
Beautiful sunset horizon over the corn fields. Since I'm surrounded by cornfields, they're usually in my photo composition.
More cornfields, sunsets and a hint of the moon.
This last photo is my favorite of the summer. Though the flowers are giving way to Fall weather the colors are incredibly vibrant and beautiful.
This was taken as the sunset through the veritable jungle that my yard had become. You'd be happy to know that I've found some time to mow since I took this picture.Beautiful sunset horizon over the corn fields. Since I'm surrounded by cornfields, they're usually in my photo composition.More cornfields, sunsets and a hint of the moon.This last photo is my favorite of the summer. Though the flowers are giving way to Fall weather the colors are incredibly vibrant and beautiful.Friday, August 28, 2009
Playing in the Rain
If you happened to be driving by Airport Road today around 2 p.m. then you might have witnessed a peculiar sight. Some crazy woman was standing outside her house with her arms and face lifted to the sky, and laughing while the rain came down in sheets. For those of you who aren't aware I live on Airport Road, and on occassion I've been called "crazy".
The spontaneous action to run outside into the storm gripped me when I first heard the rain on the metal roof. It reminded me of so many other storms during my childhood, and I LOVE a good rain storm. I also flashed back to several early memories I have of standing out in those storms fully clothed and feeling the clean rain soak me through.
As I stood inside my home watching the rain through the windows and being reminded of all those times I use to play outside during the rainstorm the only thought in mind was, "why not now?" Just because I'm an "adult" now doesn't mean I have to give up the pleasure of playing the rain. Sure, I certainly have plenty of obligations that don't leave me much time to soak myself in a good rain storm, but for those times I don't, why not!
So, just like that I walked out my front door and into the pouring rain. The rain was cool, the air smelled cleaned, and the grass was squishy between my toes, it was absolutely WONDERFUL! I promised myself this afternoon to not let it go so long again until my next walk in the rain.
The spontaneous action to run outside into the storm gripped me when I first heard the rain on the metal roof. It reminded me of so many other storms during my childhood, and I LOVE a good rain storm. I also flashed back to several early memories I have of standing out in those storms fully clothed and feeling the clean rain soak me through.
As I stood inside my home watching the rain through the windows and being reminded of all those times I use to play outside during the rainstorm the only thought in mind was, "why not now?" Just because I'm an "adult" now doesn't mean I have to give up the pleasure of playing the rain. Sure, I certainly have plenty of obligations that don't leave me much time to soak myself in a good rain storm, but for those times I don't, why not!
So, just like that I walked out my front door and into the pouring rain. The rain was cool, the air smelled cleaned, and the grass was squishy between my toes, it was absolutely WONDERFUL! I promised myself this afternoon to not let it go so long again until my next walk in the rain.
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