Water a la Rubber Band

Yesterday I woke up with a headache.

Last night, I realized that the only liquids I've put in my body in the last three days are coffee & diet coke.

And I'll just put a heavy emphasis on coffee. (As in, a friend came over to visit, and I was so caffeinated that I couldn't sit down or speak a complete sentence.)

In an attempt to remedy that, I gagged down drank a glass of water.

It (the water) tasted like I had left it outside all day in the hot sun, marinating rubber bands in it. So obviously, this morning, I woke up with a taste in my mouth like I had spent the night outside chewing on my tire.

I instantly regretted it, as the taste refused to go away even after brushing. Then I thought,

I wonder if something was wrong with that water...


I bet there was a boil notice and I didn't see it...


I bet it had anthrax in it...


That's absurd...


I'm probably just going to get bacteria in my stomach...


If something happens to me, my children will never be made to brush their teeth again...

Then I took a step back and looked at myself in disbelief. Something is wrong with you,  I told myself.

Then I thought,


It's probably more likely, that it has been so long since I've had a glass of water, that I've just forgotten what water tastes like. 

Perhaps all water tastes like rubber bands...




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Riddles

It's funny (isn't it?), that the group of believers, who are calling out others as wicked deceivers, are doing so by voicing their disdain for religion by narrow-mindedly putting them in a pigeon---hole.

See, I can do it too, I passed eighth grade English. But just because I rhyme doesn't mean I distinguish my point of view in a way that elevates my reason. I'm frustrated that you, zealots, are giving birth to a season--of division.

It would seem those ole boring church folk who "preach grace" are practicing hypocrisy and giving some space to the needy, the broken, the humble and meek, but tell me homeboy...what is it you seek? Tell you what I've learned, in regard to the humble...they aren't out on street corners trying to mumble words about the "true Christians who are tryin". They're sittin at the nursing home with the widow who's cry in.

You want to truly make a difference in the church? Get out of the spotlight and do some Kingdom work.

You got problems with my preacher cause he's not reinventing? Well I guess you would, but know what? He's too busy preventing the sheep in his care from being led astray by bigots and zealots and those who would say that being a Christian doesn't come with a rule book...But take out your Bible with me, take a good look: 1 Peter talks about being sober-minded. Let's look at the next verse together and be reminded...that "He who has called you is holy, you ALSO be holy in your conduct" I'm sorry if sin blinded... you.

I get it that the church and it's people have their issues, what I don't understand is why you choose to misuse your strength to attack those who are sinners just like YOU, when you could be encouraging the burnt out to renew the Faith that the Lord Jesus Christ has gifted them too. Do you really think it's as easy as sifting them through the "new order" of Christian expectations written by you?

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Heart to heart

Can I just confess something to you right now??

This song makes me want to break out the tinsel, cut the lights down low and munch on some yule log...

Really.

I definitely don't have the Bieber fever, or flu, or whatever, but this song is Cuuu-uuu-uute.

You know it is, don't lie. :)

It is holiday time at the Morgan house right now! The lights from our beautiful tree are blinding me as we speak, my tummy hurts from all the sweets I've been nibbling, and the Christmas music is on auto-play...as in, it never stops. It's wonderful. My heart is glad.

Another confession: I am a more lovable loving person at Christmas time. I get all giddy and thankful, and I start itching to help people and spread cheer. I become nauseatingly dramatic--like Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life. (Love that man.) Ohh the moralistic do-goodery that consumes me at Christmas...it's a strange thing really.

Did you know... we celebrate Christmas in a very different way than most people- certainly different than most Christians. I'll tell you what Morgan Christmas is like in a minute, but first I just have to wring out my heart. :)

Christians struggle with Christmas. Really. It is a time of internal conflict- a fine balancing act. The question: How do I celebrate Christmas in a way that both glorifies my God, and reconciles my desire to blend in and adapt to the holiday tradition that exemplifies my culture?

The line is always crossed. Families either 1.) overspend, overbuy, and overeat-- then feel guilty that they've taught their children gluttony and materialism and neglected the "true meaning of Christmas". or 2.) deny worldly pleasures, teach their children "the true meaning of Christmas" and spend one day a year worshiping baby Jesus and feeling like an organic apple in a MnM/fried twinky kinda world.

We love Christ. And we love Christmas. So when our family was created and we began celebrating holidays on our own, we had to ask the tough questions, like why? and how?

What is the true meaning of Christmas? Well, to find out, we obviously looked first in the place that matters most: the Bible. But oddly enough, Christmas isn't in there! So we did a little research...and turns out, Christmas, like several other Christian holidays, has a pagan origin. It was adopted and adapted by the Catholic church to coincide the winter solstice. So the Christians decided that once a year they would use this day to celebrate the birth of Christ. And that is okay, but...

Thing is, we didn't want to do that. We don't want to celebrate once a year, but every Sunday! And we don't just want to focus on the baby Jesus...He's so much more than that! We want to celebrate Jesus the warrior, the conqueror of sin and death, who brings LIFE to those who He has called according to His purpose. A King that right now sits at the right hand of God the Father!! There's power in that Jesus!

Alright, got that figured out, but what is all the Santa fuss about? Who brings the gifts again? The real gift is Jesus? But then why do I still get presents?

It's all so confusing. The Pagan- Christian mix is exhausting. So what did we decide?

The true meaning of Christmas (for us) is this: We celebrate life. We celebrate love and the good, fruitful gifts that our Lord has given us. We celebrate food and lights and music. And we give thanks to God for all these things. We open presents and eat good food and watch movies about a pretend guy named Santa and we enjoy life. And each other. We don't confuse that which we want to do (Christmas) with that which we're called to do (Worship). And we do both...separately.

Oddly enough, Christmas falls on Sunday this year, so what will we do then? The same thing we do every Sunday. We will rest. We will give honor and glory to Christ. We will join with God's people and we will Worship. We will sing, and pray, and hear the preached Word of God. And we will rejoice over the Truths of the Gospel. And later, we'll eat and play and open presents and give thanks to God for giving us fun and family. :)

It may not be perfect, but it's the best we've got.

Is Christmas a time of celebration for you? How do you celebrate?

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The Almys

Karis and her little sister Kales

Hey dear friends!

A couple of days ago, our friends, and fellow-seminarians, Trevor and Katie Almy, admitted their 29 month old daughter, Karis, into the hospital for pneumonia.

Karis is an amazing little girl, and a fighter like you have never seen! When Karis was a few months old, she was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called Krabbe.

To quote from Karis' blog, "Krabbe is a progressive disease and as Karis gets older (barring a cure or a miracle) more and more muscles will become affected. Most babies who are diagnosed with Krabbe at the same age as Karis do not live past 13 months."

As I said earlier, Karis is now 29 months old-- Praise the Lord! He is at work!

I tell you all of this so that I may now beg you to join me in prayer for this sweet little girl and her family. They have been through so much! And they still have a long journey ahead.

God has been so good to work a steadfast faith in them. Please pray with me that God would continue to sustain them, to encourage them,to give them hope and to dwell with them so they might see and taste His goodness, love and mercy!

Please pray that Karis would be strengthened and that she might recover completely from this battle with pneumonia---and more than that, pray for healing! For a complete miracle! Join their family and me and many others in praying that the God who knit this child together, would now be glorified in restoring her to complete health!

We know that with God all things are possible. And we know that He works all things to His glory and our good. All praise and honor and glory to Him!

Here is a link to Karis' story. There is also a page on their site, where you can go to help with other needs they may have. If you are feeling compelled to spread some holiday spirit this season, you can spread some in their direction! ;)

http://www.karisalmy.com/


Love you all!

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