simple observations

there is no point in cooking for just me, but when i do, there are leftovers. lots of leftovers. the thing with leftovers is that it helps to have a microwave.

i'm looking after a dog in a house that i've been in several times for at least 3 weeks (a week here and there). i've never seen a microwave, so i haven't cooked. soups and sandwiches get boring after a while.

a friend came for dinner last night, slightly taller than me...not much, but at least a couple inches. what does she find? the microwave. i saw it last night for the first time. it's one of those that rests 2-3 feet above the stove. it never occured to me to just look up.

why does this matter, and why am i even admitting this? it is kind of embarassing. however, it is one of those moments that illustrates how a moment, big or small, can transcend the moment itself. too many moments in one.

i associate that moment with god...with the church. how would that moment have affected you, and what in your life makes you perceive moments differently than me?

the teacher has a point: two are better than one, a cord of three strands is not easily broken.

it makes sense.

Let it Be...

as i was writing an email to my pastor back home, it hit me. i was asking the church to pray for God to send us some humble, excited, spirit-filled servants, and it really hit me: pray for workers, there are so few.

how many of us just "are"? just "are" what we were created to "be". God is. that's his name right? He just "is" always "was" and ever "will be". if we know him, and love him above all else, shouldn't we be able to just "be"? i'm confusing myself. it's raining here, and windy, the dog, is sleeping at my feet. one of my favorite songs is playing. it's a hymn by Francis Havergal written in 1874:


"Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.

Take my silver and my gold
Not a mite would I withhold
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;

Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every power as you choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee."

A beautiful prayer.

hmmm...

the stars are beautiful. every single one. and i can almost see them all. every single one.

i love walking in on sunday morning, having no idea how to get what's on the inside, outside. but some how it happens. it doesn't always happen, but yesterday, god had mercy on me...especially on the congregation. ha! honestly, they've had it bad some sundays.

we sang the song "unashamed love" by ten shekel shirt...one of my favorites. at one point i opened my eyes and looked at the congregation. my friend laura had her eyes closed and was singing the song word for word, feeling it as she sang. my friend candice read the words from the bulletin with her daughter savannah. candice's grandmother, lucille, simply sat with her eyes closed, not singing, but enjoying every word. this makes it worth it. surely, this is communion with the saints.

the words to the song are as follows:

"you're calling me to lay aside the worries of my day
to quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place,
worthy, you are worthy

open up my heart and let my spirit worship yours
open up my mouth and let a song of praise come forth,
worthy, you are worthy

of a childlike faith, and of my honest praise,
of my unashamed love
of a holy life, and of my sacrifice,
of my unashamed love"

lots of other interesting things going on, lots of sadness and deep joy. during the plane ride home, the sky was like something out of a fairy tale. really wonder-ful.

it's amazing and bittersweet how life moves. think of what you were doing a year ago, five years ago, twenty years ago. i was learning to talk. i'm still learning to talk. what will the congregation be singing a year from now?

a moment...

we saw so much history, all of which deserves respect and contemplation, but one thing overwhelmed me: walking through westminster abbey, past the tomb of queen elizabeth I, past edward the confessor, past mary queen of scots, the resting place of geoffrey chaucer. outside things moved slowly. inside a reverence reserved for god. his stories make me laugh, make me think, make me move. i barely know anything about the man. still, i feel like i just walked on holy ground. lovely.

small world...

ever since i was an undergrad at uga, i've wanted to visit england. not to shop, but to see the bits of the literary history that have been taught to me. so we get to atl, and guess who is on our flight? my english advisor from good ol' park hall in athens ga. she's going to teach a study abroad class at oxford this fall. weirdly encouraging.

today we simply walked around, familiarized ourselves with the tube, the buses, etc. we strolled bayswater st and portobello rd. and i notice the manpri's are quite trendy. capris, but for men. i like them despite what several of my male friends say. i think they're quite alright.

kensington palace and hyde park are beautiful (we visited these places as well). i could spend a whole day on the grass reading a book, but i can do that anywhere....with grass. parents taking their babies for a stroll, couples reading to each other under a tree, picnics in the grass, study groups, runners, dog-walkers, etc. all glimpses of reality taking place.

i felt like stieglitz or some photographer...not because i had a camera, but because i could see the value of a moment. not just this afternoon, but all day. the moment with my advisor in the airport: i picked the right major after all. the manpri moment: the memory of a manpri comment popped in my head, and i laughed. life just made sense in the manpri moment. i have no idea why, except for a bit of joy that shines in laughter. moments of reflection in a park where other people are having moments...alone, with ipods, with a book, with friends, whatever.

someone is making all things new. a small world suddenly becomes big again...in moments.