Picture this.... It is 8:00 am on Sunday morning. Most people are sleeping, but not you. You wake up, take a shower, throw down some fast breakfast and go to....CHURCH? You walk in, feel joy as you enter a beautiful sanctuary and see friendly and familiar faces. You hug and laugh and even on a rare occasion, cry. It is wonderful. Then you pick up the bulletin.
Introit ... call to worship .... hymn .... passing the peace .... announcements ..... prayer .... hymn .... psalter ..... offertory .... doxology ..... sermon .... hymn .... benediction .... hymmmnnnn ...... hyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....................
Oh, it's over? You ask yourself, was I really drooling? Shew, my hour this week is done. Score!
I grew up in a Methodist church which held VERY liturgical worship services. What I termed, BORING snooze fest; only good for playing games, writing notes to your neighbor or thinking about what you plan to do for the rest of the day. And, as time went on, I really grew to hate them. So much so that when I eventually left that church, I went to a non-denominational contemporary mega church. And, I loved it. LOVED IT! The freedom to try new things and not get stuck in a silly routine which only made sense to people from 200 years ago did not appeal to me. And drums! Drums in church!!!! Rock on!
But, as is known to happen when we belong to God, He often has other plans for us. Not only did God move me from that church, He moved me from that time zone. I now find myself married to a wonderful man of God, who on August 1st will be starting a brand new career as a pastor in the United Methodist Church. A long awaited career that has been over 15 years in the making. And, have you guessed it, his (and the churches) first preference for worship? Liturgical. Ugh. Are you KIDDING me God?
This morning, I felt convicted during worship. Here I am, pouting and throwing an inward temper tantrum because I don't enjoy this particular style of worship. And with that, I am missing the point about corporate worship in general. It isn't about Sharon. It isn't about any specific style of music or how prayers or said or what specific songs are played nor on what instruments. It is about coming together to worship and praise God as a community. It is ALL about God, and only God.
So, will I enjoy liturgical services from this point on? Probably not. But it does not matter. I will worship with joy and thanksgiving anyhow. Period. Why bother? Because being a born again Christian requires discipline and is a reminder that Earth simply does not revolve around me. And like I think most of us, that is a wise reminder and kick we often need as human beings.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Crunchy Mama - Cloth Diapers
Picture this....
It is 3:30 in the morning. Your infant informs you it is time to get up and feed him and change his diaper. So, you get him something to drink and snack on. When that is done and sleepiness ensues, you go in for the diaper change. As you are removing those fancy disposable diapers, the smell of concentrated urine combined with the perfumes and plastic in the diaper hits you like a brick; only to be multiplied by thousands when you open that diaper pail to throw it and the wipes away. EWWWWWWWWWW..... I won't throw up, I won't throw up.....
As convenient as disposables are, they smell. At least they do on my son. So, my wonderful friend Nicole introduced me to the world of cloth diapers. I'm not going to lie, it took some convincing. But, once I got up the nerve, I immediately fell in love.
Did you know there are fabulous and easy options that do not include folding or pins? Washing them is no big deal. Now that I have figured out the right mix of detergent and such, it is a breeze and the diapers DO NOT smell after many uses. Once I learned and accepted that less is more in regards to detergent, we were on our way. The best part? They do not stink like disposables when they are waiting to be washed.
Lil' D is a heavy wetter. That kid drinks a lot of milk and water. So, we do have to watch that his cloth diapers do not get so wet that they leak through the outer PUL layer. Especially at night. He pretty much sleeps all night long. So normally, even with a disposable he is wet on the outside in the morning.
I tried several different kinds of cloth diapers to figure out what combo of diaper and insert will work best. And, thanks again to wonderful Nicole, we eventually tried the Fuzzibunz (FB's) Hemp One Size diapers.
As you can see, they are not in super fashionable colors. I guess to hang with the "green" look, they are a natural color. And, they only have one insert instead of the two that FB's normally come with. I will admit, I was worried at first. Is Hemp really that much more absorbent and will it really hold on to as much or more fluid than two of the thicker, cotton inserts?
YES YES YES!!!!!
In full disclosure, Lil' D will still wet through them for an entire night's wear. However, they are more comfortable since they are only stuffed with one instead of two inserts. They still wash up great and the part of the diaper that is next to his skin is still super soft cotton.
It is a win/win for all. These FB's Hemp One Size diapers rock! With realistic expectations for what cloth diapers provide in terms of waterproofing, I don't think you will be disappointed if you tried them. And, Lil' D's clothes fit much better under them because they are not as bulky as the cotton inserts.
Want more information on cloth diapers? Check out http://clothconvert.com/ Nicole would love the opportunity to help you figure out the best options for your family.
It is 3:30 in the morning. Your infant informs you it is time to get up and feed him and change his diaper. So, you get him something to drink and snack on. When that is done and sleepiness ensues, you go in for the diaper change. As you are removing those fancy disposable diapers, the smell of concentrated urine combined with the perfumes and plastic in the diaper hits you like a brick; only to be multiplied by thousands when you open that diaper pail to throw it and the wipes away. EWWWWWWWWWW..... I won't throw up, I won't throw up.....
As convenient as disposables are, they smell. At least they do on my son. So, my wonderful friend Nicole introduced me to the world of cloth diapers. I'm not going to lie, it took some convincing. But, once I got up the nerve, I immediately fell in love.
Did you know there are fabulous and easy options that do not include folding or pins? Washing them is no big deal. Now that I have figured out the right mix of detergent and such, it is a breeze and the diapers DO NOT smell after many uses. Once I learned and accepted that less is more in regards to detergent, we were on our way. The best part? They do not stink like disposables when they are waiting to be washed.
Lil' D is a heavy wetter. That kid drinks a lot of milk and water. So, we do have to watch that his cloth diapers do not get so wet that they leak through the outer PUL layer. Especially at night. He pretty much sleeps all night long. So normally, even with a disposable he is wet on the outside in the morning.
I tried several different kinds of cloth diapers to figure out what combo of diaper and insert will work best. And, thanks again to wonderful Nicole, we eventually tried the Fuzzibunz (FB's) Hemp One Size diapers.
As you can see, they are not in super fashionable colors. I guess to hang with the "green" look, they are a natural color. And, they only have one insert instead of the two that FB's normally come with. I will admit, I was worried at first. Is Hemp really that much more absorbent and will it really hold on to as much or more fluid than two of the thicker, cotton inserts?
YES YES YES!!!!!
In full disclosure, Lil' D will still wet through them for an entire night's wear. However, they are more comfortable since they are only stuffed with one instead of two inserts. They still wash up great and the part of the diaper that is next to his skin is still super soft cotton.
It is a win/win for all. These FB's Hemp One Size diapers rock! With realistic expectations for what cloth diapers provide in terms of waterproofing, I don't think you will be disappointed if you tried them. And, Lil' D's clothes fit much better under them because they are not as bulky as the cotton inserts.
Want more information on cloth diapers? Check out http://clothconvert.com/ Nicole would love the opportunity to help you figure out the best options for your family.
Monday, July 04, 2011
The Difference A Month Can Make
Picture this.....
...you own a house and property located 5 miles from the Missouri River. 5 miles should be far enough away to keep you high and dry in the case of flooding, right? Well, most years, the answer to that question is yes. This year however, record rain runoff, huge snow caps that are melting slowly, untested levees at record level flooding and potential mismanagement of dams up north have changed the scenario.
Here is a video we took less than a month ago.The video starts off as we are heading east over the Hwy 2 bridge from Nebraska City, NE towards the I-29 interchange. Today, the bridge and the Hwy and the Interstate are closed and covered with water. The river was just too much for an earthen levee about 2 miles north of this area. All the buildings you see in the second half of the video? Well, the unprotected ones have about 4-5 feet of water in them at this point.
The water is not forcasted to fully recede until September or October. This kind of flooding is happening all over the area and up and down the Missouri River. Omaha for instance is fighting hard to keep it's airport dry as well.
**Don't worry mom. All will be well by the time you fly in come October.
Water is an interesting substance. We need it to live. And too much of it can destroy and even kill. I suppose my grandmother was right, everything in moderation. Too bad we can't tell the river that.
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