Way way way to early

I don't know how my friend does this, but she can wake - DOES wake up like 4 or 5 am *naturally* every day.

Hmmmm

Not me.

But since I woke about 3:30 today and battled going to sleep until about 4am - I'd thought I'd start my day. Because after all - SHE was awake - right?

She had already started her day - mayhaps I should try it, eh?

Pues - no.

Not for me, thankyouverymuch.

I'm ready to go back to bed.

Beautiful

In the name of education.

We have a rule.

On Sundays we only watch things that are God honoring or Educational.

Tonight though - we watch 300. My husband loves epic battles.

So, I sit with the remote, finger at the ready to skip scenes.

There are kids running around here, after all.

I mention to my boy that the king Xerxes here is the king that Esther married from the Bible.  He gets excited and asks "So, this movie is 1% true?"

"Well, I'd call it more like 80% true with 20% guesswork and Hollywood!"  I go on to explain King Xerxes was real, King Leonidas, the Spartans, this battle, the odds, etc . . .

"OH!  So this is educational!  So we can watch 300 on SUNDAY!"

Hardly - my boy, but nice try.

I am an artificial friend.

Plank Pulling is a little thing we do every Thursday around here. The one day a week that we strongly resolve to ignore the multitude of specks and sawdust around us and pull one bona fide plank from our own eye. Matthew 7:3-5 style.  It’s intimidating and it’s embarrassing and it’s humbling and it’s therapeutic all rolled into one.

I'm kinda amazed at my group of friends.  They are some amazing women!  But it is amazing that they count me a friend at all.

See - I'm artificial.

And they know it.

Let me explain; most of my closest  friends are nature loving, tree hugging, organic,  home making, from-scratching, kombucha drinking friends.

And I have at least one set of "America sucks and so does the American church" dreads wearing hippies. (Hi! Hippy friends!*wave*)

And I'm not.

And I'm patriotic.  I tear up at 4th of July parades.  At patriotic songs, too.  (again, Hi, Hippy friends! Love you!)

Now, I appreciate nature, beauty, and doing good for the the ecosystem - Nevertheless, I prefer nature walks with trails, Camp sites with hot showers, indoor plumbing (LOVE indoor plumbing) foods made with fresh/organic ingredients that *someone else* grew.  I like my chickens already plucked  and packaged.

And I like hot dogs.  No matter the ingredients, what is ground up and in a hot dog never tasted so good.  And Twinkies.  I like Twinkies.

A few days ago I went to visit one of said friends who has here own chickens, and they were going to . . I don't know, *Something* with the chickens and the kids were telling me how much it stank.  "But, OH!" my friend said "You get fresh eggs every.day!" . .

To me the pay off is not worth it.  Not with cows, not with chickens, not with a major garden.

I might try growing a small herb garden.

As for environmentally healthy living - again, I can appreciate it.  But I really don't hold much hope of anything getting better.  I *do* believe that Jesus is coming back soon, and maybe the elimination of the ozone would be one of the major things that is spoken of in the Bible when the end is upon us.  So I won't say that all the disaster senarios environmentalist are dreading wont happen.  . .

Don't worry world, I don't just throw plastic bags out our car window while driving.  When at the beach I make sure to gather all my garbage and place it in it's proper receptacle, and I will buy "green" stuff if it's there at a good price.  But if it cost more to live better, I'll just die. Thankyouverymuch.

An optimistic cynic.  That's me.

When my friends talk to me about organic food, I can't jump on the bandwagon to believe it's better - Pesticides were created for a reason, and I am not buying that it was for population control.

That's what lick-able stamps were for.

If it's canned, packaged, instant, or boxed, it's OK by me.  I like preservatives that help the food I buy not spoil so fast and I'm willing to live with the consequences of hormones in my oranges that make them HUGE!

And with that last paragraph I'll probably have to go into witness protection program . . . .

Really - I love my peeps!  I can appreciate all they do and why.  Amazed they tolerate me.

But I only got the urge to drink kombucha *once*

Just a whole bunch of silly princesses . . .

I'm sure you've seen this one before: 

 and while looking for that picture I ran into this:

All because today, while going through my own pictures I found *THIS* very silly bunch of princesses . . . . . .

I *heart* princesses.

My boy, the warmonger.

My boy makes war on paper:     out of clay, 

*Out* of paper

legos and playmobil

  and even a doll - this one is dressed up as a knight.

of course, he himself is the most valiant of warriors!  

I think it's hard wired into him.

The one about prayer

Plank Pulling Thursday - I was going to do this last week.  Didn't get around to it and then Jessica posts *This* last week.

So - I'm gonna go with it.

I don't habitually pray before I eat.

There - I said it. I'm in ministry, I teach Bible studies, I take God VERY seriously and it is usually my hubby that walks in and asks "Did anyone pray?" While I mummble and swallow and  clasp my hands together.

I'd like my kids to give thanks before they eat.  I do think there is Biblical precedence for it . . .

I just don't follow through.

I take my relationship with Jesus very personal, it's not a religion for me - it's a relationship, and I think there is a fine line between familiarity and disrespect.

But really - does that mar my christian report card?  Does it? Really?

I might argue that saying thanks before we eat can get legalistic  . . . oooohhh and "legalistic" is bad in all christian-ese.

I mean, God and I talk all the time!  There has been more than one prayer that started in my heart and my first words where "I Know!" because God was giving me a spiritual nudge. And I will just start talking to Him.   My Abba, Father.

But consider - God is my Abba, and KING.  So, like - say the president's kids, there is a time for intimacy and yet also to remember their fathers position and the respect that is to be show to that.
Granted, I lean towards the intimacy.   Like the intimacy I have with the kids at my table.

And when they leave the table I do insist that they do two things - take the plate to the sink, and say "Thank you for the food" to whomever prepared that meal.

I guess I could see how God just wants the same consideration from me.

OK

I wonder, then, what the "take your plate to the sink" equivalent is?