God Goes to Dance Recitals

As I write this I'm sitting at a dance recital that includes several friends and their kids. I go to these about once a year and love supporting my friends and their kids. They are always very good.

Anyway, I didn't realize until I arrived that this year's recital was dedicated to a little girl, a dance student, who died of cancer late last year. They are raising money for a charity in her name, which is very sweet.

We're about 3/4 of the way through when the emcee announces, her voice breaking, that the next little girl is dedicating her dance to her friend Brogan (the little girl who passed away) and that she is wearing the costume that Brogan had picked out for her next performance.

As she took the stage everyone got silent, and you could tell she had tears in her eyes. She danced beautifully to a song about a butterfly flying away. When she was done everyone stood and clapped, as she ran to her mom and hugged her and cried. It was a beautiful, bittersweet moment.

And yes, I cried too. Was there any doubt? It struck me though that this was a "God moment", one of those times when we as humans, even for a brief moment, can become aware of things beyond ourselves and feel God with us. It got me thinking, maybe God is with us all the time, like scripture says, but we are too caught up in ouselves/lives to notice. But then something interrupts us and makes us pause; we realize what matters and tap into our real emotions; and there He is. Then, we move on to the next dance and the moment is over. Hopefully though we are aware enough to recognize it and it sustains us to the next time.

This leaves me with lots to think about; too much for this blog. Suffice it to say this: try to be more aware of your God moments, and thanks, Brogan, for helping me see what matters.


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Taking Out the Trash

So I was taking the trash can to the curb tonight when I had a chuckle. You see, I was remembering how, when I lived at home with my mom, taking out the trash was my job. This also included taking the full cans to the curb the night before the garbage truck came. And I HATED it! I mean, every Tuesday night the conversation at home went something like this: 

Mom: David? David?! David Micheal, did you take the garbage cans to the curb? 

Me: No. 

Mom: You need to do it! 

Me: Mom! I'm 16, you don't have to remind me every week! Gosh (said like Napoleon Dynamite)!

Mom: David, just do it please.

Me: Mom! (Whining) I'm tired! I'll get up early in the morning and do it (cause I'm such a morning person).

Mom: Okay! You'd better not forget!

The next morning one of two scenarios occurred:

     1. I would sleep in and the trash would pile up for another week, making the trash cans even heavier, or

     2. I would hear the garbage truck coming up the street and would jump out of bed, throw on some clothes, and run outside in hopes that I didn't miss the truck.

So that was how it went EVERY week, LOL. The point is this; I STILL hate taking the trash to the curb, but who else is going to do it now that I'm on my own? So thanks Mom for teaching me to be responsible. Love you :-)

PS - Don't get me started on how much I hate washing dishes!

Why should Tiger apologize?

The other day I heard a news soundbite that said some of Tiger Woods' mistresses think he owes them an apology.
Hold up...huh? Say that again!? His mistresses, the women he cheated on his wife with, want an apology!? If ever there were an appropriate use of the phrase "WTF!?" this is it!
Seriously! Are these women delusional? Let's break this down:
1. You were dating a married celebrity who travels for his job. Did you REALLY think you were the only one?! I mean c'mon, he obviously had no qualms with cheating. Stop being so stupid!
2."But I loved him!" Yeah, and so do his wife and kids. Does it ever workout for the other woman (well, women)? NO! THE HUSBAND DOESN'T LEAVE! WATCH A FREAKIN' LIFETIME MOVIE ONCE IN A WHILE!
3."The heart can't help who it falls in love with!" Really? Well if your heart is constantly falling in love with married men then it is a slut!
4. And I just can't seem to get away from this point: you were sleeping with another woman's husband! You knew the score going in. You knew the risks! In my opinion that means that you get whatever you deserve, and that doesn't include an apology!
So no, I don't think Tiger needs to say sorry to these women. To his family, yes; to his girlfriends, no.

And PS: dear John Edwards' baby mama: just stop talking. You have already shown us you are a terrible person who just wants the limelight. You are about 5 mins over on your 15 anyway.

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Is That Guy Dead?

I like naps, a lot. This is probably not a surprise to most of you. You may not know however that I possess a special ability: I can nap anywhere! If I were a super hero that would be my power, napping (ooh nice pun Dave)! I think my name would be The Sleeper.
I feel like I'm committing an injustice by even calling them naps. A nap is a twenty minutes or so rest; I take full on, messy hair, drooling sleeps that are measured in hours, not minutes!
So back to my original point: I can nap (sleep) anywhere. The floor, my desk, church (sorry Seth and PJ), on the toilet (seriously it has happened), in my car. You name it!
Take today for example: I just woke up from a nice hour long snooze in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I came out to get a few things but decided to listen to my iPod and rest for a few before
I went in. It is now an hour later and I just woke up. Here is a pic:



As I shook off the last remnants of dreamland I started to think to myself, "I wonder what people think when they see me sleeping here? Is that guy dead? Homeless, living in his car? Waiting for his wife to finish shopping? Wow, he is really drooling! Boy, he is really cute!"
So anyway you are now forewarned. If you see me sleeping peacefully in a strange place feel free to make sure I'm breathing and then have a chuckle at my expense. Don't wake me up though! Us cute supeheroes need our rest!

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Location:Tygart Valley Mall,Whitehall,United States

Music Speaks

Music really speaks to me. All kinds of music...Christian, rock, classical, oldies, anything. Some songs just have the power to speak to my soul; these are the songs that I can really relate to. I feel like the songwriter knows exactly what I was feeling. I was thinking about this the other day and I thought "you know, I should start sharing my feelings about certain songs". So here goes.

The first song I want to talk about is "Everything" by Alanis Morissette. Here are the lyrics:

Everything

I can be an asshole of the grandest kind
I can withhold like it's going out of style
I can be the moodiest baby and you've never met anyone
Who is as negative as I am sometimes

I am the wisest woman you've ever met.
I am the kindest soul with whom you've connected.
I have the bravest heart that you've ever seen
And you've never met anyone
Who's as positive as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

I blame everyone else, not my own partaking
My passive-aggressiveness can be devastating
I'm terrified and mistrusting
And you've never met anyone as,
As closed down as I am sometimes.

You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

What I resist, persists, and speaks louder than I know
What I resist, you love, no matter how low or high I go

I'm the funniest woman that you've ever known
I'm the dullest woman that you've ever known
I'm the most gorgeous woman that you've ever known
And you've never met anyone
Who is as everything as I am sometimes
You see everything, you see every part
You see all my light and you love my dark
You dig everything of which I'm ashamed
There's not anything to which you can't relate
And you're still here

And you're still here...

I Love this song. Let me start however by stating the obvious. 1.) I'm obviously NOT the funniest, dullest, or gorgeous woman that you've ever known.

2.)YES, I know the word "asshole" is in this song. It's okay.

 I can really relate to what Alanis is saying in this song. I can be all of these things (except the woman parts) multiple times in any given day. I love the chorus though, and when I hear this song I sing the chorus really as a song of worship to God. God, who sees all of me and loves all of me. 

Now I know, it may not be theologically correct to say that God "loves" our "dark", especially if dark refers to sin. But I do think we all have dark places in our being, our hearts, our personalities that God does love. I don't mean to say that God loves when we are assholes or are negative or mistrusting. But I do believe that he loves ALL of us, meaning who we are, good and bad.  He sees all parts of us and is still here. To me, this thinking allows us to stop trying to hide our dark from Him and bring it into the light. This is the point at which he can change and heal us. Oh, and the line "There's not anything to which you can't relate", WOW! I specifically think of Jesus, and how we know that he experienced everything we experience. I could go on and on about this song...really, I love most of what Alanis Morissette writes so I will revisit her several times I'm sure. In the meantime, if you get a chance to listen to this go ahead, and feel free to let me know what you think! Here is a link to the video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6kLbDHu0yc

 

Don't Even Get Me Started!

     Ok, so I went to see "Alice in Wonderland" tonight. This was actually my second time seeing it, it is so good, but that is another story. Anyway, directly behind me are two ladies with various young children with them. There was also a family with a young kid to my left. I'm talking 4-6ish.
     So the movie starts and I'm starting to see how things are gonna go with the two ladies behind me: "This is after she was in Wonderland before" "Oh, ok. Now who is that rabbit?" "Oh Helena Bonham Carter is in a lot of movies with Johnny Depp" "I don't think that is a good look for Anne Hathaway" blah blah blah BLAH BLAH!
     As the movie continues I get adjusted to tuning out the Chatty Cathys behind me when I hear (at a scene with heads floating in the moat around the Red Queen's Castle): "And this is a kid's movie!" I know that I heard at least one more time after that, I think during the scene with the scary dragon-ish Jabberwocky. By the time the movie ended the 4 year old to my left had to leave with her mom because she got scared (I am glad the mom knew to take her out but she did seem annoyed at her).
     The point is this: I wanted to turn to the talky talkersons and say "NO, THIS IS NOT A KID'S MOVIE!!!" I mean, read the ratings people! According to the MPAA Alice in Wonderland is rated PG because: 

     "Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary        images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar."


The smoking caterpillar reference makes me laugh. Anyway, the rating pretty much lets me know that I'm not going to be bringing my 4 to 6 year old to this movie! And here are just a few more clues: 

• I believe the previews show the scary Jabberwocky 
• Anyone who knows the story knows of the Red Queen's fondness for chopping off heads
• aaaannnd lastly: IT IS A TIM BURTON FILM! Tim Burton, you know, "The Nightmare Before Christmas", "The Corpse Bride", and "Sweeny Todd" just to name a few! C'mon people!! 

And don't say "But it's a Disney film!" Disney makes lots of films that aren't for kids. For example the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series. NOT FOR YOUNG KIDS! And yes, Disney does market to younger audiences, but again, not four year olds. Alice was marketed to kids probably at least 10 and up, as evidenced by the "Sunny with a Chance" commercial I had to sit through (a Disney Channel tween show). 

     So, the moral of this story? Parents, be responsible! Check movie ratings. See the movie yourself or talk to other parents before you take your kids!! Use common sense. 

And another thing...texting on your 1000 watt bright phone while I'm trying to watch the movie! Really!? Don't get me started, don't EVEN get me started! (Shout out to all the Molly Shannon fans!) 

While I was still a long way off...

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."
This is the scene from Luke 15 that Rembrandt painted in his 1669 work "The Return of the Prodigal Son". I recently heard a cool explanation of this painting. You see in Luke Jesus only mentions three, or maybe four main players in this drama. They are the Father, the Prodigal Son, the Older Brother, and "servants". It is interesting that Rembrandt chose to paint six people. There are of course the main three players. So who are the other three?
The first seems to be a servant. He finds himself right in the middle of this family drama, yet he seems disconnected, uninterested.
The second may also be a servant. She is standing behind the father, but is leaning in. She is interested in the situation unfolding in front of her. She is peering in from the outside.
The third person is a little harder to spot. S/he is in the top left corner of the painting, possibly unaware of what is going on. This person seems the most distant from the situation.
These thoughts on Rembrandt's depiction of the story in Luke made me wonder: which person am I in the painting? Am I the lost son coming home? The loving and accepting Father? The angry and jealous older brother?
Or maybe I'm one of the others (LOST anyone!). The servant witnessing the Father's great compassion and love but finding myself disconnected. Or maybe the one peering in from the outside, trying to get a better view. Needing, longing to see the outpouring of love. Or maybe I'm just a long way off, completely unaware.
As I was processing these thoughts it occurred to me: I am each one of these people, multiple times daily! I am the lost son, the jealous brother, the person willing to love and forgive. Sometimes I'm watching the scene but am disconnected; other times I'm actively looking for His love. And sometimes, I'm still a long way off.
The remarkable thing is this: regardless of the part I'm playing, God still runs to me and throws his arms around me and kisses me!

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