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Grace is…the joy of being creative just for fun, extra hugs and kisses, appreciating the amazing ability of young children to learn and apply far more than we realize or intend, the beauty of red, orange, and yellow autumn leaves, incidents that couldn’t be explained any other way than that the Holy Spirit is involved, finding out about how others are living out their unique call to serve the Lord in courageous and inspiring ways…
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On the Wings of Glory Bees In memory and honor of Michele Morris and because I could feel that her prayers were with me on Monday when I gave a talk to the Women in God’s Spirit (WINGS) group at Church of the Epiphany, I wore the black and gold striped "glory bee" knee socks she bought me just days before she entered the Sisters by the Sea cloistered Carmelite monastery in Carmel, California. No one could see them because of the boots I was wearing, but I knew they were there, and they made me smile. Click here to read about how Michele and I developed a fascination with glory bees inspired by a novena to St. Thérѐse.
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Technology & the New Evangelization I’m now better able to appreciate how amusing it was that no member of the WINGS group present when I arrived early knew how to do the TV/computer set-up in the room we used. Fortunately, someone in the church office got it working, so I could use the PowerPoint I’d spent hours working on over the weekend. At the time, I was rather stressed that I’d be giving a talk about technology without using any evidence or aspects of it other than the microphone and sound system (which a WINGS member hooked up without assistance).
Above is a PowerPoint slide that appeared in my talk, and below is an excerpt from my talk: Each of us has a unique story, a special relationship with God that others can and want to learn from. There are many ways we can share what God has done in our lives and point out to others what we can see Him doing in, through, and around them. When it comes right down to it, the most important aspects of life we can share with others are those that stem from a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Participation in the Sacraments and how we live our lives are two of the most essential, powerful witnesses to God’s unconditional love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, peace, joy, and hope in our world. Because of technology and our ever-changing world, many people are seeking Truth, looking for answers, and learning about faith in new ways. To read more of my talk How Faith, Technology & You Can Be Part of the New Evangelization, click here.
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Kids Say & Do the Darnedest Things Kevin laughs at me when he offers me something, and I say: "I'm good for now, thanks," because he's heard Sunshine say the exact same thing in similar situations. Another thing she's picked up is something she hears me say numerous times a day: "You're perfectly capable of..." The other morning as I was bringing her downstairs, she informed me: "My daddy is perfectly capable of getting me a bowl of cereal." I smiled and agreed: "That's true." Reminder to parents, teachers, and caregivers: Just because a child comes up with a variety of appropriate uses for a phrase and/or idea he or she learns does not mean someone else gave them those specific combinations. Here’s another great example of this I guarantee will crack you up: Public Radio Reporter Interviews His Two Little Girls After Ones Gives the Other the ‘Worst Haircut Ever.’
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Grad School Barbie I was laughing hysterically reading this mock ad for Grad School Barbie, though some of it is frighteningly accurate for some people. Kevin and I are far enough removed from when I was getting my masters that we can both appreciate the humor of this. I think most of my friends who have gotten their Masters and the many who have gone on for a PhD are probably at the point at which they will find this funny, not nightmarish.
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A Word about Your Grammar I have a great deal to say on this topic and some absolutely hilarious examples of what happens when people publish books, magazines, newspapers, etc. without employing a competent copy editor to review the materials first, but because I’m working on writing and copy editing various projects, I’ll let this article on proper grammar suffice as my commentary for now.
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In Your Hands, Not Our Own Our hope is in the Lord, which is a good thing, because Kevin hasn't had anything promising come along in terms of his job search recently, and we found out this week when Kevin was already in the middle of having major dental work done that we've spent our entire allocated amount for our medical Flexible Spending Account for this year.
God is good. He knows where Kevin will be a tremendous asset to a company. Hopefully, we'll find out where that is soon. Lord, we put our lives in Your hands. Kevin's response to my prayer of surrender to the Lord's will and timing was a classic: "So speed it up."
Check out Jen Fulwiler’s tradition of 7 Quick Takes Friday at her tremendously popular blog Conversion Diary.
