Another day, another thunderstorm...

It rained again today. While the rainfall was brief, it was enough to really annoy me. We have had about a foot of rain this month, most of which fell in the past week. That's almost three times the average for June here in Endicott and only two inches less than the annual average for where I grew up. Tomorrow is supposed to be mostly sunny, but then tomorrow is the start of a new month!

My supervisor stopped by this evening with my paycheck for the week I worked at the Boys and Girls Club. While hand delivery is not normal, she happens to be a friend from church and this was the fourth time she's been over here in the past week. She told me that the summer program will relocate to an elementary school. They will be talking to the parents to find out how many of the kids will continue in the program and then assess staffing needs. At this point I may or may not have a job. I would be very sad indeed if I could not return to working with the kids. I feel like they have been let down by this disaster as much as any of us who were paid to be there!

This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD

Shoes Off at the Door, Please: This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD

Our award to countries in which removing shoes in homes is customary. Come read why this is the only reason I would ever give this country an award!

'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

Refrain

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
O for grace to trust Him more!

O how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Refrain

Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.

Refrain

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Refrain
________________________

Isaiah 43:1-3a
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour

A bright spot in the storm

Nicole and I stopped by Lowe's this afternoon on our way home from running a few errands. The traffic was horrible, so we went down a little side street and ended up by Lowe's. We were going to turn around in the parking lot, but I recommended that we stop and buy some flowers for our patio while we were there. I had in mind getting some hanging plants, but we opted for two pots of double impatiens instead. I think they are lovely. We just potted them a few minutes ago. We have yet another thunderstorm outside right now, so it is nice to have a little bit of extra color. Flowers help me feel better and see the brighter side of things.

It is interesting that part of the process of re-potting a plant is breaking up the soil around the roots. You do it to help the roots spread into the new soil better. Sometimes God has to break up our soil to help us grow stronger and deeper roots so we can grow more than we ever could before. The result is beautiful.

The news is not good

I just got a phone call saying that I may be out of work for the summer. "The Boys & Girls Club is devastated and may not reopen." I think I can probably make my rent payments and insurance payments and at least the minimum payments on my credit card to survive until I start getting paid in the fall for the GA position. If things get too tight I'll be calling my parents and begging. I know that God is in control, but this is not fun. Lesson in trust ahead!

Quick update

Apparently the flooding is not just here. The Northeast in general is suffering from flooding rivers. The river has not yet crested according to forecasts, although it is not supposed to rise much more. We are in an area of voluntary evacuation, but Nicole and I have no real intention of leaving unless the evacuations become mandatory, which we don't think will happen. A lot of roads are closed and some areas are above the water level but completely isolated because all of the access roads are flooded. So far they expect the water to recede below flood stage late this weekend. We are going to get more rain, but it should not impact the water level too much. The Boys and Girls Club is closed for the rest of the week, but so are many other services and businesses. It does mean that I don't have work tomorrow or Friday. Tuesday is Independence Day, so there's no work for me that day, either. This whole situation is weird and somewhat surreal!

The Waters of Endicott

Nicole and I took a little walk down to the Boys and Girls Club to take a look at the river. It looks like a lake. The pictures below are of the Club and the field at the high school next to it. I would recommend clicking on the pictures to view them full size - you will be able to tell just how much water is there. We continued our walk around Endicott a bit (I wanted to make a little stop at a certain kind of beverage store) and I saw the sign above. It is for a nursing home, but it seemed rather apropos given the situation. We got about 7 inches of rain since Monday morning (although it is lovely outside right now) and we are officially in a state of emergency. The river water is still rising. It would have to rise another 10 feet at least to get up to where we are, which I seriously doubt it would do. We have a couple of girls coming to stay with us, since they were evacuated. I'm glad we have a place to put them!

Flood!

I got a phone call 30 minutes ago, just after I got up, to say that the river is indeed flooded. Apparently one of my coworkers arrived this morning and said that flooding doesn't begin to describe what it looks like at work. My roommate is also off today since non-essential travel is restricted. It is supposed to get really bad! I am so glad I moved, since I lived one block from the riverfront in my old apartment. We're on slightly higher ground here and I don't think the water is expected to get this high. I think we'll make some preparations anyway. If the river floods enought to get over here we'd be in big trouble since our apartment is partly below ground level! Thankfully the rain has stopped today. It is supposed to rain a little bit, but not much. Nicole and I are probably going to walk down to the river and check it out. We're really only a couple of blocks from the river, so we won't have to go far.

God said, "Go," and He came, too

One of the questions Tim asked me has caused me to reflect again on what God has taught me since I came out here to New York. It is something that is constantly with me. I am not from this area. I really can never forget that. Everything from the weather to roads to the people I meet reminds me that I'm not a local. I live here and may even thrive here, but this is not where my journey began!

I felt called to come here. It seems strange, but I really think that God wanted me here and let me know that. Sometimes I wonder exactly what it is that I am supposed to do while I am here. I am here for a reason, and God knows what He has for me here.

While I was still considering moving across the country, Mrs. G. told me, "If God can take care of Adriana in London, He can take care of you in New York." (Adriana is her granddaughter and one of my best friends during our teenage years.) Of all of the things people told me, that stuck in my brain. It is true, and God has shown me that He will take care of me wherever I go. Sometimes I think that my life will be somewhat transient. I like where I live now, but I am not sure how long I will be here once I finish school. Where I go next is of relatively little importance to me. I gave my career to God and He has taken me on a path that I never imagined traveling. I have given my geographic location to God, too, and so far He's moved me 2,800 miles. He told me to go, and He came with me. If He tells me it is time to move on, I will go again, and trust that He will come with me again. If God can take care of me in New York, He can take care of me anywhere!

Pray for rain

After today I kind of hope it rains all evening and all night - and rains hard! The river is in some danger of overflowing its banks, and since the Boys and Girls Club is right on the river it might flood the parking lot and lobby of the building. If that happens the Club can't exactly open, which means that I could have a day off. Most likely it won't happen overnight, but it is possible. It is supposed to continue to rain for the rest of the week, so there might still be flooding later. They talked about moving the summer program to a park in the area for a few days. I really hope that doesn't happen, so perhaps it will just be better to work tomorrow and have no flooding.

Today I had a kid throw a ping-pong ball out of one of the windows upstairs. That kind of ticked me off. I made all of the kids, regardless of what they were doing, sit against one wall. It successfully got the noise down. It was hot, stuffy and extremely boring in there. The smell of the body odor was really starting to get to me. I was hungry and the kids were whining. When the ball went out the window I just had enough. I only made them sit there for a short time while I told them to never ever do that sort of thing again. Why does that stuff only happen while Brad is at lunch? The kids have to know by now that I will be firm and there are some things they just can't get away with. We had some fun playing a game in the gym in the afternoon. We were all running around and getting hot and sweaty. If nothing else I am guaranteed exercise for the summer!

Still alive

I survived my first day. We had 14 kids today. Most of the time they were decently well-behaved and overall I think we have a great group of kids. Brad was telling one of the unit leaders from the other 10-12 year-old group that we had great kids when one of them piped up and asked if we could have a mosh pit. That gave us all a good laugh! The other group has an autistic kid in it, so I'll take requests for mosh pits in stride and just tell him no. The bi-polar kid in our group seems like any other child, so I assume that he's on medication. If I didn't know I wouldn't suspect that he had any such condition.

This week's special activity is to invent a sport. The kids are supposed to take elements from two sports and combine them. Guiding the discussion was a headache and a half. I am sure we will have to try several times before we get a really good idea of what our sport will look like. We as leaders already had a chance to try inventing a sport of our own. It was a rainy day today so we couldn't go to the pool like we were supposed to and ended up in the parking structure below the building. The other 10-12 group came down there not long after we did, so Brad and one of the other leaders and I got together and started to invent our own version of human foosball that morphed into a combination of human foosball and water polo. We had fun coming up with the game and some of the kids really seemed to like it.

I was a bit apprehensive about working with kids all summer, but I like the kids overall. They are in some strange years. We've got a few really small kids and one who is about as big as I am. They are in that age when they should probably start wearing deodorant and don't yet, so after some time in a hot room it starts to smell like pre-teen sweat. Nice. I talked to them, played games with them, and raised my voice with them when they were having some trouble listening to what I told them to do. I think it is going to be a good experience for me.

Tim's interview with me

You have probably seen this on other sites; now it's on mine. Here's how it works.
1. Leave me a comment saying, "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to those questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.

This was on Tim’s blog and I thought it might be interesting to be interviewed. I think Tim came up with some particularly excellent questions for me!

1. What have you enjoyed most about your experience in graduate school that is different from your undergraduate experience?

There are so many differences between my experience in graduate school and my undergraduate experience that this question is a little bit difficult to answer. I think as far as school itself is concerned I appreciate how helpful professors are to graduate students. Otherwise I really enjoyed the academic aspect of school a lot better as an undergraduate. If there is one thing that is better (not necessarily more enjoyable) about my experience now it is probably how God has taught me to trust Him. He has been very faithful to me in so many ways and has provided for me abundantly. There was no real “need” that I perceived to trust God for material provisions when I was in college. If nothing else moving almost 3000 miles from home to start a new life forced me to trust in a way that I never had to before. Everything about my life changed except for the God who takes care of me. I enjoy knowing that I can trust my God. It was academic before, but now I know from experience. That’s the biggest thing.

2. What cultural differences have you noticed moving from the west coast to the east coast? What do you think we Pacific coasters could learn from our New England counterparts, and vice versa?

I am going to have to work from just the area in which I live now and not the east coast in general. I have experienced east coast small town culture here, which I am sure is quite different from the culture in the bigger cities. I’ve noticed silly things like how people drive more slowly here and just expect the produce in the grocery store to look less than impressive. The biggest difference is in how people look and behave in public. Southern Californians are extremely materialistic. They have to have a nice car and fashionable clothes. People here care less about appearance and generally do not place a lot of value on external displays of wealth. People here are more likely to be overweight, but it is not a big deal to other people. Life moves more slowly here in general. People in California are more likely to acknowledge strangers in public places, but are much more superficial in their interactions. While they care less about appearance here, things are a bit more formal at the same time. It’s a rather strange phenomenon to attempt to describe how they are different because some of the differences seem somewhat counterintuitive to me. Apparently I fit in better with the culture here than I did in the culture in which I was raised.

I would say that those on the Pacific coast could learn to care less about the external things. People are more likely to remove their shoes when entering someone else’s home here than in California. Californians could learn that kind of courtesy. West coasters could also learn that New York is not in New England. ;) I think people on the east coast could learn to be more friendly with strangers. It is okay to smile and say hello to someone passing by in a grocery store aisle. They could also learn to stock public restrooms with toilet seat covers. That would be nice.

3. Using only analogies to characters found in Jane Austen's novels, describe your ideal man.

This is both my favorite and probably the hardest question of the five to answer. Mr. Knightley is our first model. If I had to choose just one Austen hero, he would be the one. He loved Emma, though he was painfully aware of her faults. When Emma stepped out of line he was there to tell her that she had behaved badly. Above all he was Emma’s friend. He probably also made the best speech in declaring his love for Emma:

"I cannot make speeches, Emma," he soon resumed; and in a tone of such sincere, decided, intelligible tenderness as was tolerably convincing. "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more. But you know what I am. You hear nothing but truth from me. I have blamed you, and lectured you, and you have borne it as no other woman in England would have borne it. Bear with the truths I would tell you now, dearest Emma, as well as you have borne with them. The manner, perhaps, may have as little to recommend them. God knows, I have been a very indifferent lover. But you understand me. Yes, you see, you understand my feelings -- and will return them if you can. At present, I ask only to hear, once to hear your voice."

I love the role that Henry Tilney plays as Catherine’s patient teacher in Northanger Abbey. Catherine is just downright silly regarding many things and Henry teaches her about life and brings her more into reality. He knows a lot more than she does and does not hold her ignorance against her, using his own knowledge and wisdom to help her grow.

Edmund Bertram is a good man at heart, and while I find him rather frustrating, I do appreciate how he chose the church above other professions that might gain him higher esteem or pay more money. I think because there is a greater sense of genuine spirituality in Mansfield Park than in the other novels I take his choice of profession as an indication that he took religion seriously and was placing himself in a position of spiritual leadership. He was also a wonderful friend to Fanny, and that is commendable, stupid though he may have been in pursuing Miss Crawford.

Another clergyman who shows admirable qualities is Edward Ferrars. His greatest quality is that he is a man of his word. He made a stupid, youthful promise to Lucy Steele, but he intended to honor that promise until he was most happily released from it. He was not the first man that many women would fancy, but he suited the very sensible Elinor well. He was shy, and that was the only reason that the world did not know what a good, intelligent man he was.

One cannot engage in such a discussion without bringing up Mr. Darcy. He was a man of principle and took responsibility for the decisions that he made regarding Mr. Wickham and their repercussions. He valued Elizabeth for her good mind and quick wit, and took great pleasure in her musical performances. I really do want a man who values my mind and my humor and loves to hear me sing. :)

The question asked for ideal, and this is quite ideal, but these are the things I value in Jane Austen’s heroes.

4. How has your vision of your future career changed from high school until now? What are some of the things that made you reconsider your future, and what, would you do differently if you had the chance?

Well, when I graduated from high school I wanted to be a high school history teacher. By the time I graduated from college I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself, so I took a job and looked for career opportunities there. While working as a computer tech I had the chance to teach classes on how to use Microsoft Office applications. I really enjoyed developing the materials for the classes and teaching, so I began to reconsider a teaching career. I decided that I wanted to teach college because I enjoyed the adult audience of my computer classes and I have always wanted to be highly educated. I later discovered that I wanted to teach college partly out of pride. I wanted a prestigious position. High school teachers are common, but college professors are really something! After starting graduate school I realized that the ivory tower is really not for me, and I re-evaluated my priorities and decided that a job that I enjoy and the chance to teach high school students that history can be interesting were much more important than impressing people when I told them what I did for a living. The ideal career for me has always been a wife and mother, and I would love to stay home and homeschool my children. In many ways what I do to support myself is a contingency plan as God has not seen fit to put me in a position in which my ideal career is even remotely feasible. I really don’t regret any of the career decisions that I have made, as God has guided me along this path and has proven faithful to use my past experiences in my present endeavors. If I could do anything in a “career” sense I think I would like to pursue women’s ministry and teach the Bible to other women. That is something that can be done with or without a “full time job” in another field, however.

5. Do you want to have children? What is your motivation? When, and how many? (I realize you're waiting at least until you find Mr. #3.)

Yes, I do want to have children. My motivation is an interesting thing to assess. I think it is something that I always just assumed would happen. I love to teach and I can think of no better audience for teaching than my own children. I think some of it is just mothering instinct and a desire to nurture. The when is a hard question to answer. I don’t like the idea of being an “old” parent. I have said for quite a number of years that if I am 35 or older when I get married that I probably would not want to have children. Energy lessens with age, complications in pregnancy increase and I just don’t like the idea of starting a family half-way through life here on earth. I think it would be better to wait at least a year or two after marriage before having children, however. I used to think that I wanted four kids, but now I think two sounds nice. I would rather not just have one, because I think that kids benefit a lot from having siblings, but I don't necessarily like the idea of a high child-parent ratio. Ultimately God is the one who determines these things for us, and His plan is best.

Late night clean-up

Nicole called me to come help her clean up more after my nap, so I left home to go back to the reception site around 8:00, then it was to the church just after 9:00. We were there until past 11:00, cleaning up and exploring all of the staircases throughout the church. That place is a labyrinth! It has paths and stairs leading to various interesting places. That was kind of fun. Setting up all of the chairs in our Sunday School room and taking out all of the garbage was not. When we were done we came home and had a little time to unwind with leftover food from the bridal party's lunch and some Smirnoff Ice. We're both having some trouble staying awake, so it's time for bed now. It has been quite a long day!

Long afternoon

My roommate was coordinating a wedding this weekend, so of course I got roped into helping. Originally I was just going to help set up some stuff at the reception site that needed to be done right before the guests arrived. That turned into helping set up, greeting guests, serving sparkling grape juice for the toast, then staying to help clean up. After 5 hours on my feet doing all of that stuff I decided I had enough and left. They weren't done yet and I know they have to clean up at the church, so I told Nicole to call me tonight at 8:oo if they are still at the church cleaning up and I will come help more then, but I needed a break. I had to change my shoes if nothing else. It felt SO good to take my shoes off when I walked through the door a few minutes ago. I think I'll take a nap, since I am rather tired. I cannot imagine how exhausted my poor roommate is right now, and I left her there to work. It's times like these that remind me why, someday, I want a small and simple wedding. Maybe when the time comes I'll just elope. After planning my sister's wedding several years ago my mom decided that eloping is really the way to go. It would certainly be cheaper and require a lot fewer good friends! ;)

All go for launch

We completed our training today. I got my official ID and lanyard, which I have to wear at all times when I am working. We took a tour of the building, and I found out that they have a sauna. That's probably the only part of the facility that I find tempting, although I kind of doubt that I will actually use it. We planned out the activities for the first week, which seemed rather daunting at first but actually wasn't all that bad. We (Brad, my group co-leader, and I) also got our roster of kids. Apparently we have the kid who won't shut up and a really challenging kid and another one who is a new kid to the program who happens to be bi-polar. I really hope he's on medication, but I am glad we know either way so we can keep an eye on his moods. Overall we have 17 kids in our group.

One of the things mentioned in the training today was swimming. There was a suggestion that we should be in the pool with the kids. I don't actually have a swimsuit right now and really prefer not to swim! I am going to have to ask what the expectations are for that. Part of me thinks that I should probably get a suit and wear it under my clothes on days with extended pool times in case of emergencies. It shouldn't be necessary, though, since there are lifeguards!

Training Day Two

I had my second day of training today. We talked about discipline, which I found rather interesting, even though a lot of it was really designed to work well with the really young ones. I have to admit that I actually enjoy learning what they have to tell us in training, since this is a new venture for me. We also talked about how to spot signs of child abuse, since we are required by law to report anything that we think is suspicious. Sitting there and listening to what to look for was really starting to upset me. I believe in discipline, and I think I am better for the spankings I received as a child, but I really hate abuse. Hurting children is just not okay! Especially sexual abuse. That really makes me angry. Moving right along...

I found out for sure that I am working with 10-12 year olds, and am very glad that the guy I will be working with has a lot of experience. That makes me more comfortable! He's getting married in two weeks, so he'll be gone for a week early on in the program. That should be a challenge, but at least by then I should have some idea of what works and what we can do to keep the kids entertained all day and they will have some substitute for him, I am pretty sure. I think tomorrow we will work on planning the first week's activities. I am trying to remember what I liked to do at that age, but I was hardly a "normal" kid! I don't think that we end up in these positions by mistake, so I think it will all work out well. I need to love them first and foremost and provide a positive example for them. That is what is most important.

My sister called me tonight. I have spoken to her twice in the past week, and I usually don't talk to her more than once every month or two. That was nice. :)

I would like to thank...

I would like to thank Shieryl publicly for making my evening by sending Nicole and me a box full of stuff for the kitchen! I cannot remember if we ever had French Berry Lemonade together, so I don't know if she knew that I really like it or if she just chose really well. I think we might have had some at some event, though, so it was probably something she knew I liked. I appreciate it either way! This stuff is from Trader Joe's, which I really wish we had around here. I think the particular brand I used to buy I got at Cost Plus World Market, which we don't have here, either. Nicole was a bit disappointed that it wasn't alcoholic, but I am sure she will like it anyway ;). We'll have to drink it out of wine glasses and pretend. The oven mits are really nice, too, and fit my hands a lot better than the ones Nicole has. Shieryl, you are very thoughtful and sweet! Thank you so much!

P.S. - We're not planning on having any furbabies.

Another summer employee

I was rather surprised, and pleasantly so, to see a guy from school at the Boys and Girls Club this morning. He will also be working there for the summer. He is not a believer but is very interested in the person of Jesus. He apparently has a Catholic background and was turned off by what he perceived as little more than a social club. We started to have a really good chat (in which I learned these things about him) during the Fall semester. He had to leave and said that we would have to continue the conversation, but I really didn't see him last semester at all, so we never did finish that conversation. I would love to continue it and tell him what I believe about Jesus Christ. Perhaps this summer job will provide opportunities to continue talking to him.

Mallard Fillmore - 21 June 2006

Training Day One - Complete

Today I had first aid and CPR certification training. The trainer was cool, so it wasn't as dry and dull and sleep-inducing as it could have been. We learned adult & child CPR, which are almost the same. It included fun stuff like how to clear airways and remove obstructions. Yay! We were also told great stuff like what to do if there is a broken bone that breaks through the skin - don't push it in. Like I'm going to try to do that anyway. Sure. I really hope I don't have to use any of this stuff that I learned, but it is certainly useful knowledge and I am glad that we are required to get certified!

More difficult times

Tonight my roommate got the final word. Her boyfriend put their relationship "on hold" three weeks ago and tonight they had a talk to discuss what he had decided. Nicole came into my room sobbing. I knew what the decision was. As we sat on the floor for a long time it occurred to me that this was the second time I sat and just listened to someone cry in the past four days. And for the second time I had no idea what to say, so for the second time I just listened. I think what was important was that I was there.

I know it is not by mistake that I am in the position of listening. With the call on Thursday night from the man who told me about some of the trials in his life and with a call that I made to someone who did a good job of listening to me when I needed to talk, I think I am learning about what it means to be there for someone by listening.

God also seems to be telling me in so many ways to hold all things with an open hand. The LORD gives and the LORD takes away, and that's okay, because He always does what is best for us, even if it hurts. The branch that produces fruit is pruned so that it may produce even more fruit. Pruning hurts, but it is what is best for the branch. Blessed be the name of the LORD.

A Christian Home

"A Christian Home" is a hymn that I particularly like. I think I first discovered it because it is sung to Finlandia, which is the same tune used for "Be Still My Soul". It is one of my favorite hymn tunes. Although I like the hymn, I think it is one that is probably a hymn for use on special occasions. I personally think it would be great for weddings. I think I like it because it describes what I would want my home to be. It strikes me as very idealistic, but why shouldn't we strive for the ideal?

O give us homes built firm upon the Savior,
Where Christ is Head and Counselor and Guide;
Where every child is taught His love and favor
And gives his heart to Christ, the Crucified:
How sweet to know that, tho' his footsteps waver,
His faithful Lord is walking by his side.

O give us homes with godly fathers, mothers,
Who always place their hope and trust in Him;
Whose tender patience turmoil never bothers,
Who calm and courage trouble cannot dim;
A home where each finds joy in serving others,
And love still shines, tho' days be dark and grim.

O give us homes where Christ is Lord and Master,
The Bible read, the precious hymns still sung;
Where pray'r comes first in peace or in disaster,
And praise is natural speech to every tongue;
Where mountains move before a faith that's vaster,
And Christ sufficient is for old and young.

O Lord, our God, our homes are Thine forever!
We trust to Thee their problems, toil, and care;
Their bonds of love no enemy can sever
If Thou art always Lord and Master there:
Be Thou the center of our least endeavor -
Be Thou our guest, our hearts and homes to share.

The police station

I sat in the police station this morning, waiting, with an officer keeping an eye on me. Finally another officer came and escorted me to the back of the station and took my fingerprints. As he escorted me back to the front, the officer apologized to me and I walked out alone.

Okay, so I had to get my fingerprints taken for my job at the Boys and Girls Club. But I really did sit in the station and wait, and the apology was for the amount of time that I waited, since that officer apparently was never notified that I was there. The officer at the front desk called back twice to let them know I was there, so somebody just didn't pass the message along. The fingerprinting process took about 5 minutes and within 10 minutes of leaving the police station I was back home, prints delivered to the proper people at the Club. I think I waited for 45 minutes. At least it is somewhat interesting to observe what the local police do with their time.

How I hear the news

I found out today that Houston had flooding yesterday from heavy rain. I found out about it by reading someone's blog. What a news source! When I was teaching a class that made use of current events last semester I had to keep up with news regarding immigration throughout the world, but now I don't even know what's going on with that. Help! I live in a bubble!

In other news, the family drama is improving. Someone actually apologized and fessed up to their role in the situation. People are once again on speaking terms at least. That is good.

Update on the family drama

I thank you all for your concern and prayers regarding the family situation. It really involves some extended family and I think has proven to pull my immediate family together more than we were before. I certainly appreciate them all more now!

There are a lot of lessons that I can take from this situation, and God has been faithful to use all things for my good as I have grown through this. Everything is by no means resolved and may take a long time to heal wounds, although some relationships will never be the same. It may change some plans that some of us were making together, but I trust that all will work out for the best.

My mom told me today that the situation has confirmed to her that her adult children are behaving responsibly. That's always nice to hear!

God can bring beauty from ashes.

No excuse

I was thinking about what I wrote in the previous post and this passage came to mind:

Exodus 4
10 Then Moses said to the LORD, "Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
11 The LORD said to him, "Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
12 "Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say."

Moses gave God an excuse, essentially saying that he was not good enough to do what God asked him to do. God’s response was that He is good enough to accomplish the work through Moses. If God calls us to do something He will give us what we need to accomplish the task to which we are called.

Content with who God made me

The sermon this morning was on serving God with our unique gifts. One of the things the pastor really emphasized was being content with who God made you. I think it's a very important lesson, and one that I have had to learn over the years.

For a long time I was not happy with who I was. I didn't like my personality. I didn't like the fact that I was not popular. I really think that I resented some of my weaknesses and did not appreciate many of my strengths. Through all that I still managed to be really arrogant. Go figure.

Things changed for me when I was in college. I grew a lot during that time and I think one of the best things that happened was simply in accepting who God made me to be. It changed my life. When I learned to accept myself I learned to accept other people as they are. My relationships with people have been so much better since then. My relationship with God has been better, too. He did not make mistakes when He made me and there are things He has for me to do that no one else could do in the same way. He made me the way I am for a reason, and if I follow Him He will be able to use me uniquely as I become more like Christ. That's really comforting!

Family drama

There is a lot of drama in my family right now. There were misunderstandings, then there was reconciliation. Now lies have been uncovered and trust severely broken.

God has not stopped blessing me. He is still faithful and good and true.

Final Free Friday

It was my last Friday before starting work. The weather was lovely and I think I had a decently productive day. I slept until almost 8:00, did three loads of laundry, went to the Boys & Girls Club to fill out employment paperwork (I really hate doing that stuff), took several trips to the recycling bins, researched some options for window coverings for my bedroom, took a 90 minute nap, went to WalMart with Nicole (I seriously think that I have been there 8 of the past 11 days) and bought some curtain rods, finished unpacking all of my clothes, then re-packed the winter stuff that I won't need for a few months, watched part of Shrek with Nicole (she put it on and I joined her part way through), organized my closet, and now I think I will go to bed.

A very strange 15 minutes

Tonight I spoke on the phone with a man whom I have never met. He was looking for a babysitter for one of his kids for tomorrow, but had found one and was calling to say that he did not need me to come (long chain of people, I said I was willing and able, so that's how he got my number). Fifteen minutes later I found out that his wife left him with four children. Three are his and the fourth is a step-daughter. He is trying to figure out how to find babysitters, since he has never really had to do this before. He has custody of his step-daughter, which makes her biological father angry, so the biological father is trying to get custody by accusing him of molesting her.

He just kept talking and telling me all of these very personal things. How very sad. How bewildered do you have to be to tell this to a stranger? If nothing else I know that a member of the body of Christ is hurting. He has a hearing on Thursday about the molestation charges. If I can do nothing else I can pray. But what an odd conversation...

The first guest

We are supposed to have our first guest come over for a bit tonight. Other than the three guys who helped us move nobody has been to our apartment yet. We really want this to be a place that people like to come to, so this is our first chance! :)

In other news I start training for my summer job on Wednesday, so I have less than a week of freedom left. It will be nice to make money again. Moving is expensive! It will also be good for me to get out of the apartment. Now I need to make the most of my time and actually get some stuff done for school. But there's still more unpacking to do...

The shortest verse

Jesus wept.

That's all it says. Why did He weep? I think John 11:33 is amazing.

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled.

I don't think Jesus wept because Lazarus died and He was dealing with grief. I think Jesus wept because it pained Him to see Mary and the others in such painful mourning. It hurts God when we hurt because He loves us.

That's the heart of our Father.

I have a bedroom!

This is my new bed. I tested it briefly. It feels great! My mother pointed out that it looks like the A/C is connected to the lamp. It's not - that's just the camera angle.


The dresser has a bunch of stuff on it, but I have not yet put anything in it!

The folding chair is approximately where I plan to put this chair, which is in the living room temporarily since it is the only "real" chair we have in the apartment right now:

I have a bedroom. That's quite comforting. My poor roommate has been without a "real" bedroom for over two weeks now. I'd be going crazy...

I kept finding more...

First of all, I would like to apologize for my unexpected disappearance. My internet was disconnected yesterday. The cable guy was coming this morning to make sure everything was alright for the transfer, so he was able to get it up and running again.

I spent my day putting furniture together. My new UPS guy is about on par with my old one. He carried all of the heavy boxes into my bedroom for me, which is, of course, the most inaccessible part of the apartment. As he was heading out after the last box was delivered, he saw the picture of my parent's dog on the computer monitor and asked about him. I mentioned that the dog is in California, so that launched a conversation about where I was from and whether I liked this area and what the cultural differences are. Anyway, the mattresses are due to arrive within the next hour, and when they do my room will be about 90% put together (not counting stuff that just needs to be put away).

Last night I loaded up the bookshelves that I put together yesterday. I own quite a few books, and I started to get a bit concerned after unloaded several of the boxes. I didn't know if all of my books would fit! This is what I ended up with:Eeyore belongs on the bed, not on the bookshelf (yes, I am 25 and sleep with a stuffed animal - you may scoff if you so choose). The books on top of the cases are not mine. Most are from the university library, a few from a friend and a few from a professor. The boxes on the floor contain papers of various kinds. I think those are all of the books. I thought I was done at least three times before remembering or discovering more, usually because I knew that certain books were missing! Now the big task will be to organize the books a little bit better, since they are only somewhat organized now. Sometimes I wonder how much money I could get if I sold all of my books...

I will post pictures of the room as soon as the bed arrives and I get it made.

I gave in...

My sister has some bit of sway. She always has. I remember several years ago when she was getting ready to go on a missions trip. She needed a large quantity of "coins" for a lesson and craft, so there we were cutting these things out for her as a family the night before she left. She's the only one in the family who could do that.

Today she told me to get Skype. I've been hearing quite a lot about it lately, but didn't want to get the microphone required for it. Basically she told me to A) download the program and create an account to chat until I got a microphone, and B) to get myself to some store to buy a microphone or headset. So of course I did both. I must love my sister or something... ;)

So now I can talk to anyone else with Skype for free. I'll just be strapped to the computer the whole time. :)

I got a package in the mail today from my mom. She sent it on Saturday. I am most impressed! I also got a phone call to arrange delivery of my mattresses. They will be here on Wednesday. I am really looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again! I might be able to have the bedroom put together by the end of the week. That will be wonderful!

I said yes!

God is so good to me!

Angie, I am pleased to offer you the GAship with the Center that we discussed last week. I think you have a great deal to offer the Center, and I look forward to working with you in the 2006-2007 academic year.

The GAship provides tuition remission and health benefits, and it carries a stipend of $12,000.

I hope you'll decide to join us! Please let me know your decision.

One room neat

Today I worked on cleaning up the living room. It was probably the messiest room before I started on it. It is very temporarily arranged, as we are quite lacking in furniture still. I am now working on cleaning up the dining room and kitchen. Nicole is going to need to help somewhat with the kitchen since I have run into some questions about what should go where. My mother said that we would probably use all of our storage space. I didn't think it was even close to possible, but it is scary how quickly the cupboards are filling up! Once we finish in there I think I am going to start on my bedroom. I need to make room for the furniture that is coming.

I broke down yesterday and turned the heat on. It was so cold in the apartment! I set the thermostats (there is one in every room, which is quite nice) at 65 degrees, not high at all, and the heat turned on immediately. I have not needed it today.

Reasonable requests?

My roommate and I do not see eye-to-eye on all things. She cares a lot more about stuff like cleaning the apartment thoroughly every week than I do. This can only help me, since it will probably force me into better cleaning habits. I care a lot more about other things that will most likely annoy her a lot more than I am bothered by having to clean. For instance, she wanted to put on some music the other day. It was a secular artist with whom I was not familiar and I just didn't want to listen to it. This particular point is one that I have mixed feelings about. I listen to secular music from time to time, so I felt a little bit like a hypocrite when I asked if we could listen to something I own instead. She is more than welcome to listen to whatever she wants to listen to in her room and can play any of the music stored on my computer (somewhere around 75 CDs representing a number of genres) in the office or any of my CDs (and I own quite a few) in the common areas. I guess this is a bit of a control thing for me. I want to control what I hear.

She also asked about getting an antenna for the television. I really prefer not to have anything that would give us television reception. I would honest rather not have it. I gave it up as a measure of discipline with my time and have come to see it in a different light over the time I have spent without it. I cannot see any good coming from having it on. If she wants to watch something in the evening there are plenty of DVDs to choose from and I keep trying to tell her than a 2 hour running time on a movie does not mean that it has to be on for two hours. I will quite often put a movie on and then go in another room to work on something. I am not sure how much of a stick in the mud I am going to be on the antenna issue. I really don't want it, but is it that bad?

I am not sure whether her requests or mine are more reasonable, and I am sure that eventually we will find some kind of common ground, but I find myself growing more and more conservative all the time, so I really want her to see things more my way on the TV thing. I am willing to give more on the music thing, but I think ultimately it will come down to taste. She really likes some music that I don't particularly care for, and I am quite sure that she will not at all like some of what I listen to! Maybe we can agree on what is played in the other's hearing with that kind of approach.

Seeing the hand of God in the good things

Sarah said she could picture me on my laptop or in the office working on a post for my blog. Well, this is where you can picture me, Sarah:
This is the office, such as it is. We don't have a desk yet. ;)

My roommate and I ran into a crisis today. (Okay, so this was the second crisis. The first was not being able to find my electric toothbrush, deodorant and body wash this morning. I opened almost all of the boxes and finally found what I was looking for.) We had to decide where to put the dishes. There are so many different cabinets in the kitchen that it's not necessarily a simple thing. Fortunately we think similarly about where things should be logically, but we still had to discuss it and make our final decisions. We won't fill all of the cupboards, I am sure, but we are both rather picky about everything in the kitchen having a proper place, so it is a decision that had to be made!

I think about this kind of crisis, and it is a crisis of plenty. We have so much that it is hard to decide what to do with it. In my old apartment I had one small cupboard, so everything went in there or went some illogical place because I ran out of cupboard space. Here I am overwhelmed with options! This is proof to me of the goodness of God. He has provided for me so well recently. I know He always has provided, but I am so aware of how much I am blessed and how well He is taking care of me. I don't have to look hard to see something good that He has done. I am in a time of very visible blessing, and I sit here and know that the LORD is a great God! I am waiting to see how He blesses me next. But what if His next blessing comes through a trial? Will I see God's hand in the midst of it or will I wonder where the blessings went? It is easy to sit here when things are going well and rejoice. May I know the goodness of God when my heart cries out in pain and when my world seems to fall apart around me. May I know the goodness of God when I don't see material plenty. He is always good, regardless of where I find myself, and I never want to forget that!

Apartment

Apartment photos can be found here. I also put a link in the sidebar. The place is a mess, since we moved in last night and then didn't get back from cleaning the old one until 1 am.

This place is nice. I really like it. It has a lot of storage space and the rooms are all rather nicely sized. For those interested in this sort of thing, here are the approximate dimensions of the rooms according to my measurements this morning:

My room - 12x14
My closet - 12x2
Nicole's room - 11x12
Nicole's closet (not including space taken up by the water heater) - 2x7
Bathroom - 5x8
Bathroom (without bath/shower) - 5x5
Kitchen (wall to wall) - 8x9
Kitchen (walking space) - 6x5
Dining room - 6x9
Living room - 12x15
Patio - 8x10
Storage - 8x5
Office - 9x11

The approximate indoor square footage according to my inexact measurements (including extra closets, hallway, etc.) is 844 and the total square footage is 964.

We had three young men from church helping us move and one of them brought a van from work, so we were able to get everything over in one trip, save the few things we left at the old one for cleaning. It made for quick work, and the van was especially nice since it was raining. We walked to Friendly's for dinner since it is about half a block from the apartment and Nicole and I treated the guys to thank them for their excellent help. By the time we finished dinner it was just after 9:00 and then we ran to WalMart to buy some things we needed ASAP (like a shower curtain!), cleaned the old apartment, had a midnight chat in the street with one of my old neighbors, and then got back here at 1:00. I didn't really like the idea of sleeping on the floor last night since my back was already talking to me and I was very much aware of my sciatic nerve, so I pumped up the air mattress and made the bed. Nicole slept on the floor. We were both dead tired, but very happy to be in the new apartment at last!

They put in tile just inside the front door, which is nice, so there's an area to take off shoes. We also arranged to have some people unloading stuff outside who then passed everything to people inside who were not wearing shoes. :)

Maybe I won't disappear...

So I just set up the computer and connected everything as it will need to be connected when the internet is up. Funny thing happened. I have a live internet connection. I'm happy! I'll post pictures and more on the move later, but for now, I'm happy to be here. I guess I can call the cable company and tell them not to bother coming over.

I will disappear after all

I just spoke to someone with the cable company. No internet until noon on Wednesday. The last guy I talked to apparently didn't know what he was talking about. Not so happy about this one...

Car stuff - all done!

I went to get the car inspected this morning. The guy still couldn't fit me in, so he recommended that I go to Kost. Okay, this is actually better, since I've still been driving around with the snow tires on my car and Kost is where I bought said snow tires. I killed two birds with one stone and got the inspection done and had my all weather tires put back on. The process is done and the next time I should have to do any car stuff will be in October when the snow tires go back on (they'll do it for free where I bought the tires, too). By then I might be due for an oil change. Anyway, the saga has ended.

For the record, the only reason not to leave snow tires on year round is that the rubber is softer and wears more quickly, and since I only put 2000 miles on the tires in 7 months I don't think I was in danger of killing them before their time...

Moving day has arrived!

Well, it's past midnight now, so it is officially moving day. I am very excited about this. I am less excited about the amount of stuff left to pack, but since we can't get into the new apartment until after 3:30 tomorrow I still have time. As for now I plan on going to bed very soon! Two young men from church are going to help out. They both have trucks, but I tend to doubt that we'll actually need both of the trucks. I think we could use their manpower more than anything else! It is supposed to rain while we are moving. That could be fun. Oh well. In the meantime, Nicole and I are both quite glad that this is our last night here in this apartment. I am not sure how quickly I can get the internet connection at the new place. I was told that I should be able to just call and have them activate it since I'm an existing customer. Let's hope that's accurate, or I could disappear for a few days.

I went to get my car inspected today. I called a place and the mechanic said to bring it in at 2:30, so I did. He was too busy, so I am going back again tomorrow at 10:00. Hopefully everything will go quickly and painlessly, since I have stuff I need to get done! While I was out I decided to stop by the DMV and get the driver's license taken care of. There was hardly any line and I waited about two minutes to be helped. I now have a New York driver's license and registered to vote at the new address, so the vehicle inspection is my last step in the process. It will be nice to have that done! I wasn't going to go to the DMV today because I wanted my picture taken with my hair down, but I went anyway, wet hair pulled back (hey, it was raining out today!). I've spent the last 9 years with a driver's license photo with my hair pulled back, so what's a few more? At least this picture wasn't taken when I was 16. My mom and I were talking about driver's license photos last night. They are notoriously unflattering, you see, and she said that they should look like you would look when a police officer pulls you over. My response: "Oh, that's what they're for? I thought they were for buying alcohol."

I managed to spray tuna and tuna water all over the front of my shirt this afternoon just before leaving to go get the car inspected. It's the kind of thing that really does require changing. Can you imagine walking around all day smelling like tuna? Not really my ideal perfume. Why does stuff like that only seem to happen to me when I have to leave to go somewhere in just a few minutes?

Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good!

This is the song that my heart sings today ~ Our God is good!

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. ~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. ~ Psalm 34:8

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. ~ Psalm 100:5

Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant. ~ Psalm 135:3

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. ~ Lamentations 3:25

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. ~ Nahum 1:7

Forgot a few things...

I was going to include some non-car related stuff in the previous post but completely forgot. Oooops. I seem to do that a lot these days.

Sigh

I went to school this morning to meet with the professor regarding the graduate assistant position. Our little meeting went rather well. I think he would like to give me the position, but he needs to get the approval from the co-director who is finishing up a year in England (at Oxford, I believe). There is a very good chance that he will give me the position. I will have to learn HTML (or at least HTML beyond simple hyperlinks and making text bold), but he's willing to teach me, and if I learn quickly and well and show some web design taste he said he might give the redesign of the website to me. Wow. Anyway, the job is 20 hours per week, pays full tuition plus a stipend that should cover most expenses (I can take out a small loan to cover the rest if it isn't enough) and comes with much better health insurance than I have now. I would share an office with another graduate student and have my own computer there. The office is in the basement of the library building, so it will have no windows and probably have bad cell phone reception, but because it's the library building it will be most convenient. I really hope this works out. It sounds so great!

More news on the new apartment! Keeping with the theme of out with the old and in with the new, the apartment will have a new refrigerator, new dishwasher, new stove and all new carpeting when we move in on Thursday (now late Thursday afternoon, but Nicole wasn't available until then anyway). Nicole just made a comment that because the carpet is all new we'll have to be more careful to keep it clean. Oh, I guess that means we'll have to take our shoes off at the door and ask our guests to do likewise. :)

Out with the old, in with the new

I went to the DMV today. I attempted to go to one office (where there are supposed to be shorter lines and nicer people) but could not find it. There is no sign outside of that particular office, so one really has to know what one is looking for, and since I didn't, I never did see it. I knew where the other DMV office was, however, so I went there. There were lines, but they were not horrific, and the wait was not terrible. The woman who waited on me was very nice, too. I successfully retitled my car and registered it. Unlike California, they hand you your new license plates in the DMV office when you register in New York, so my car now looks like a local.


Contrary to what people told me, I did not have to surrender my California plates to the New York DMV, so I still have them. I don't know if I will keep them or not. Methinks they may just become clutter, and I have enough of that as it is.

I have to get the car inspected in the next ten days, so I imagine I will do that tomorrow morning. I was not able to get my driver's license today, however, because the Social Security system they use was down and they could not process the license without that working. I have to go back, but it should not take long to do what I need done.

Car insurance - what a pain!

Motor vehicle insurance is one of those things that you absolutely have to have if you want to legally drive. In fact you have to have it in order to register your car. My California insurance expires tomorrow and my vehicle registration expires on Thursday (my car's third birthday is on Wednesday), but Thursday is also my move date. To avoid having to go through all of the DMV paperwork and then go back and fill out more forms to get my address changed I put everything off until now. So this afternoon I waltzed over to the nearest insurance agent (chosen because it's the same company I have always used - the fact that it was so close was a bonus). I decided to walk since the office is only a block from where I live now. When I got there the agent told me that she had to have a release form filled out and signed by my dad because I was covered under my parents' policy in a different state from where I live now. After several phone calls back and forth it was determined that no such form was needed because that particular company policy does not apply in California, so we were able to proceed. Then there was determining coverage, taking pictures of the car (which was parked at the apartment, so I had to come back here to fetch it and drive it over), talking about renter's insurance and so on. The whole process took forever! I now, however, have proof of insurance in New York State so I can register my car.

Tomorrow I will go through the headache of dealing with the DMV to retitle and register the car, hope like everything that they accept my application for a sales tax waiver, and get a new driver's license (registering to vote in the process). I think once I do all of that I should be able to declare myself a resident of the state. Fortunately I know which DMV office to go to to find shorter lines and nicer people. I also have an appointment tomorrow to meet with the professor regarding the graduate assistant position, so it's going to be a rather busy day for me, but a good kind of busy, I think.

I, Isaac, take Thee, Rebekah

I read Ravi Zacharias' little book on a biblical approach to marriage last week. He is from India and has lived in Canada since his late teens (I think that's when they moved), so he comes from an Eastern culture and lives in the West. I think his cross-cultural perspective helps him to move beyond cultural assumptions about marriage. He married for love, but his older brother chose an arranged marriage to a woman whom he had never met. Some key points:

• There should be family involvement in the choice. Abraham sent a trusted servant, and Rebekah's mother and brother made the arrangements with the servant. In the end, however, Rebekah was given the choice to stay or go.
• The process of choosing a mate (regardless of whether you choose your own or one is chosen for you) should be bathed in prayer.
• Isaac married Rebekah, and he loved her. The marriage came first.
• Love is hard work and takes a lifetime of commitment. However, Zacharias would certainly imply that the hard work is well worth the effort.

He's got a lot to say that I think we ought to consider. I would put this on my list of recommended reading!

Terms I don't like

Sarah and I were chatting this morning and somehow the conversation turned to war, and then it was only a matter of time before the concept of "collateral damage" came up. I really dislike that term. I think it glosses over the reality that people die. We are talking about the weak and infirm, the young and the elderly, men and women in their "prime" years. Their friends and families bear a great burden of grief after losing them, so can we think of something less dehumanizing to say than "collateral damage"?

Another term that bothers me is "love child". Think of the implications of such a term. Are children born to married couples children of dispassionate morality? Is it love or lust that drives the unmarried couple to their deed? I suppose it would not be very "sensitive" to refer to such a child as a "lust child", but why do we feel the need to euphemize? I suppose this comes from an attempt to maintain polite conversation. In one sense I think it most unfair to a child to be labeled according to the sin of his parents. Perhaps we ought to refer to the parents as lust parents and call the child simply a child. Not all unmarried couples can be described as "in lust", as some really do love each other, but a major part of love to me is the commitment and what better way is there to show commitment than to get married? I suppose what bothers me most is the suggestion that only the "illegitimate" children are the products of love. That's just not true.

So there are my really random thoughts (from a very single person) for this Saturday night. :)

Pancakes and peanut butter?

Last night was sugar cookie decorating and a little Smirnoff Ice to wash down the fried chicken we had for dinner. I'm getting better at frying chicken. I think I almost have it figured out. Nicole said that it may soon become one of my specialties. I wouldn't mind that. :) Tonight it was pancakes for dinner, topped with syrup and peanut butter. Peanut butter on pancakes is something Nicole learned from a friend and she really wanted me to try it. I love peanut butter, so I found it a pleasant experience. We wanted to have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow morning but Nicole is going out with a friend rather early, so we decided to have them for dinner instead. I haven't made pancakes in a long time! Methinks I won't be making dinner quite as often once I start my job for the summer, so I should enjoy it while it lasts!

I spent part of the day on moving details. The big task was to update my address on a bunch of stuff. I also found a car insurance rate quote, since I have to have new insurance by early next week, and ordered mattresses for the new apartment. Between the mattresses and the new computer and airplane tickets (is it November yet?) the last few weeks have been marked by spending money. I remember when I thought $5 was a small fortune...

Jealous for what is not mine

This morning I was struck by my jealousy for something that is not mine. God is jealous for the worship of men. He is God, and man's worship inherently belongs to Him, so when man worships anything else, God has a right to be jealous. My jealousy is for something that is just not mine. I repented and now I have to let it go.

Seasoned speech

Earlier this week I overheard a conversation taking place on the patio next door. One man in particular could not utter three words without using profanity. It was terrible to hear and reminded me of how I am called to speak as a child of God.

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. ~ Ephesians 4:29

Unwholesome words include profanity, coarse jokes and the like, but we certainly cannot stop there. Unwholesome words are unkind words and untrue words as well. Speak when we can bless and build up those around us, with sensitivity to the situation. If commendation is in order, commend and encourage. If rebuke is in order, rebuke lovingly to correct. The objective is to give grace to the hearers.

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. ~ Colossians 4:6

Here is grace again. This is to be a key element of our speech. If we practice speaking always with grace I think responding to people appropriately will flow more naturally for us. The grace should be seasoning to our speech. This includes words but goes deeper, I think. Grace should be part of our demeanor when we speak. When I read that our speech should always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, I am put to mind of yet another verse.

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. ~ Matthew 5:13

If our speech is unwholesome or lacking in grace, has the salt become tasteless? How can we salt the earth if we are no different from the world in our speech? The way we speak is important not just for the benefit of the hearer. It is also important because we are trophies of the grace of God. If His grace is evident in our speech, He will be glorified. If it is not evident, where is our witness? Taming the tongue is a difficult thing to do, but we must endeavor to tame it for the glory of God.