Moving On/Servolution

My thanks to everyone who has prayed for me these recent weeks. It's humbling to feel so loved and cared for!

So I'm trying to get back to normal, including blogging. I realized I was feeling overwhelmed by the fact that I'm so behind on the blogs I like to read, overwhelmed by the idea of reading EVERYTHING I've missed. So I decided to give myself permission to just read everyone's latest entry, or maybe a little more. I really doubt anyone will notice I'm not going back a month and a half. But I've really missed it!

I'm starting a new job on Monday at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. Thank you, Lord! At least, provided I pass the drug test. I'm fretting that the Sudafed I took last week or the poppy seeds Mike recently put in the beef stroganoff will result in a positive drug screen. Well, those are some of the reasons I've heard claimed for a positive test... 

But more important, I'm now the designated prayer person for Servolution. Arrrggghhh!! What have I done!?!? What have I agreed to? No, seriously, I've received such encouragement and confirmation, for which I'm most grateful. This is God's project, not mine! Also I've been reading "Messy Spirituality" lately, and I'm encouraged. I guess maybe it's just possible that my extremely messy version of Christianity can contribute something. Or rather God's version in me. 

Isn't it awesome how God so uniquely re-creates His Son in each of us?

So I'm moving on, growing up, and generally getting on with the details of life. Balancing my checkbook after two months. Starting a new job. Gearing up for Servolution. 

Nothing stays the same, everything changes... Everything except our Lord, Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knew every nanosecond of my life and of your life, and the lives of all who will be touched by Servolution from the foundation of the world. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing comes as a shock. Nothing changes His incredible love for the world. To think He wants to shine forth His love through us on May 10th (and every day)... I can't wait!

God bless!

It's "Servolution" time!

Did I spell it right? Sure hope so. I have great admiration for those who are able to come up with unique words like that. And I pray (join me now) that "servolution" becomes a concept that gets us (NLCC) SO fired up, it starts a ripple effect that goes on and on, and ON! And that because of it, the word "servolution" will actually be in a semi-normal dictionary no more than 10 years from now.

Hey, God's BIG... It could happen!!!!

Our culture already knows the concept, of course. We hear phrases like "puttin' your money where your mouth is" and "walkin' the talk." Unfortunately, we also hear things like, "Hell no, I'm not going to church! Those church people are all hypocrites! They want ME to obey a bunch of rules that THEY don't even follow!" And how sad that sometimes that assessment is truer than we'd like to admit.

So what I'm saying is, let's take church (God's doings) outside of the church (an inanimate building). Let's change the stereotype some people have of "church." While we're at it, let's change THE WORLD. Jesus did. And we are His agents of change today.

"Change you can believe in"? We already have a Messiah, thanks very much. His name is Jesus. Know Him.

Pray, pray, PRAY! Get ready for SERVOLUTION! Get ready for God's move!

Doing My Work Heartily...

I haven't had anything interesting to say since losing my job... not that I ever did! And I STILL don't! I've worked more and harder since being let go than I have in a long time. I'll explain: For at least the short-term I got picked up by the company that Emanuel is outsourcing to, primarily to work on the Radiology module which isn't "going over" to the new company for reasons I don't know enough "computer geek" to explain or even understand myself. So I'm still at my old workstation doing Radiology, while not having to answer phones or do any of the other troubleshooting I used to help with, since I DON'T REALLY WORK THERE! In the meantime I'm trying to learn their main systems, which so far don't strike me as very user-friendly, but it's probably too soon to tell. Since being "canned" (I love using that word! It sounds so dramatic!) I have worked every single day except last Sunday. And I'll be working today, as well. I think they may have underestimated the volume of work that'd be coming from Emanuel.

This morning I feel like I've been run over by a truck; the fibromyalgia is screaming at me, with my dirty house chiming in. So why would I want to do this to myself, while seemingly helping out an employer who maybe didn't show a lot of loyalty to me (and others)? For the very simple reason that I felt like the Lord asked me to. With several Bible verses to reinforce the idea. Didn't tell me... He asked me, very lovingly and graciously. He's my very life... How could I refuse Him?

No one asked about the dentist, but I'll tell you anyway. I have a big phobia about going to the dentist. I needed two fillings redone on opposite sides of my mouth. In a seemingly nonsensical move I decided to have them both done at the same time just to get the whole thing out of the way. Guess when I got that done? You guessed it... on the very last day of my dental coverage. Go figure... "more than coincidence"!

Still no word on the COBRA insurance, but Elizabeth is finally improving now on steroids.

Thanks for all the prayers, and for all the words of encouragement. The Family of God rocks!!!

Bla Bla Blog!

As people always seem to say on their new blogs, "everyone else is doing it, so I am, too!" or words to that effect. Sometimes just for fun I hit the "next blog" button on my blog (with parental controls in place) just to go to random blogs, and it seems like everyone IS doing it! I'm fascinated by how smart, beautiful, funny, talented, unique, and (sometimes) "not from around here" people are.

("Not from around here" is a euphemism my friend and coworker Beverly and I put into use. Whenever we'd get a new doctor at the hospital we'd ask, "how's his [or her] dictation?" If a thick accent was involved we'd simply say, "Well, he's not from around here.")

I know God knows and loves every single person on Blogger. And beyond. (I love the line from one of my favorite movies, "Galaxy Quest": "To infinity, and beyond!") It's kind of staggering to consider.

Like prayer. The question, "How can God hear everyone's prayer at once?" used to be a real stumper for me. I can remember making the choice not to pray many times because I didn't want to "bother" God with yet one more prayer. I think that may still be an issue for some, and another example of how we limit an infinite God with our finite thinking.

Philip Yancey says, "A God unbound by our rules of time has the ability to invest in every person on earth. God has, quite literally, all the time in the world for each one of us. The psalmist exclaimed that 'a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,' and the reverse also applies: to God, one day is like a thousand years. The common question, 'How can God listen to millions of prayers at once?' betrays an inability to think outside time. I cannot imagine a being who can hear billions of prayers in thousands of languages because I am stunted by my humanity. Trapped in time, I cannot conceive of infinity. The distance between God and humanity -- a distance that no one can grasp -- is, ironically, what allows intimacy."

I so love that. All the time in the world. For me. For you!