A personal heater

This morning I started reading in 1 Kings and the very first story that is told there is of a virgin girl named Abishag. This story has always stuck out to me because I have always wondered what it must have been like for this girl to snuggle up to a strange old man every night. The bible states that she was beautiful and a virgin so I am sure her social life wasn't left wanting and then she gets the job hire of personal heater. What must it be like to be a personal heater? I am sure the Giant could answer that question because he is my own personal heater. Sometimes in the winter my feet get so cold they are numb and then it is only when I get them close to Mo's feet that I am reminded that I have feet. Anyway, enough about us playing footsies. I really thought about this differently though this morning. I wondered if this girl may have realized who it was that she was asked to care for and warm. I wonder if she realized this was one of Israel's greatest kings, and a man after God's own heart. Did she realize the job she was asked to do was a blessing, or did she just think it was her duty and that she had no other choice? Did she realize her placement and the great wealth of wisdom that was within that man she was warming, or did she resent this position because it was her job. Clock in . Clock out. Clock in. Clock out.
I often think that in America especially we take our elders for granted. We don't glean nearly as much wisdom as we should from them. We don'tthink we have the time to hear thier life stories and listen to what they have learned so that we might learn from them. This is truly a shame in my opinion and something that shouldn't be.
This story made me think two things. First, never to take for granted the place that God has put you in or the people He has surrounded you with, and two that those older than us have a wealth of wisdom to give if we have the time to listen.
1 Kings chapter 1

A picture played out right before my eyes

The other night on my way to TMCC I turned onto Sullivan off of McCarran, and looked to the left to see the sun shining on this beautiful home that is literally built on a rock. This house must have a gorgeous view of the city of Reno, and was probably very difficult to build. I don't know much about construction, (that's the Giants job) but I imagine they must have had to cut into this big rock in order to build this house.
Then as my eyes wandered off to the right I noticed these other houses that I never really payed attention to before, but my sister Gina and her husband Izzy are currently house shopping and this group of houses were all up for sale and for a great price. My sister Gina wanted me to take a closer look at these homes the other day because she really liked them, and you couldn't beat the price, but what she didn't realize at the time was that their foundation is shaky. Brand new homes, very nice , in town, great price, but not built on solid ground.
It was a picture from the bible that is played out right before my eyes on my weekly route to school.
Now, here is my thought, it took just as much time, energy and money to build both of these houses. I would say that the one on the rock probably cost more but the outcome is evident. That house is a way greater value than the other homes and it is noticed just from looking at it from afar. Still, the other homes took as much energy and I am sure the owners love them just as much, at least until they find out theirs was built on a shaky foundation. When you start to realize that your home is not structurely sound most people start looking for another place to live,(hence all the for sale signs in that neighborhood) and probably start suing left and right.
It takes the same amount of time (life that we are all given here) to build your house on either the sand or on the rock. I am so glad that my life starting building on a firm foundation from a young age and that when the winds of life have come my way I didn't come crashing down.
I feel sorry for those people stuck in those houses that are going to be very hard to sell now, and the value is probably no longer as good as they thought. It makes me think that when I look back on my life what will really be of value. What is really important to build on, and what could stand to be washed away like sand on the seashore?
Matthew 7:24-27 "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise .Llike a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on the rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."

A quote that has been lingering....

"Success will take you where character cannot."
I cannot remember where I heard this quote or even who said it but I wrote it down in my journal a long time ago and came across it the other day.
When I first heard this quote I thought of how famous successful people seem to fall by the waste-side in character issues all the time. The truth of this is quite obvious when you look at the cover of any People magazine . The covers are plastered with divorce or drug and alcohol abuse. This is an example that makes this quote easy for me to understand.
After some thought though I started to think about how this quote could be applied to Christians who think they are achieving spiritual success. I don't know what many of you would define as spiritual success but there was a time when for me it meant being used by God in the Billy Graham sort of way. Now, I don't think that way anymore. A long , long time ago this was what I thought it meant to be spiritually successful; to read your bible every single day without fail, to pray for everyone, help everyone, go on as many mission trips as possible, prophesy, sing prophetically, read one or more books on being a good Christian, go to every bible study available at the church, pray prophetically, you get the idea. If you weren't living this way you weren't a successful , victorious Christian.
When you apply this quote that way it makes me think of how many Christians I have known over the years who were living this way, constantly looking for the mountaintop moments to affirm their salvation, and now they are not even going to church. All of them having these Billy Graham sort of moments on a daily basis. Used to perform miracle after miracle. Now a few years later when I look back on them I see that the core issues of their lives fell apart. Why? I think because they thought that what they were doing was for God so how could it not turn out good. Sometimes we put the God-tag on things that He isn't behind.
Now, I realize that the day to day life is where it is at. The little victories in my character that are changing but have taken a very long time to get there. Sometimes God heals and miraculously we are changed overnight , but more often than not it is an every day choice in my life where I get to obey or not obey.
It has made me appreciate the times when I know that Jesus is working on me and my character issues . I don't embrace these times when they are happening but when I look back I realize their necessity. I realize that it is because Jesus loves me that He corrects me.
I want to obey in every area . I want to have the character that comes along side the miracles.

Fall is in the air around here, and it's about time.

I am so happy that fall is finally here. This is my favorite time of year. Today was a perfect weather day in my opinion. I sat outside and the air was cool but the sun was warm and it made me thankful for season changes. I might not like other changes so much but the season changing is something that I can really enjoy. One thing that I will give credit to Nevada for is the fact that we get a pretty good dose of every season. That's about all that I can say that is positive regarding the state of Nevada. More times than not I wonder why I live in this state, but that is a topic for another blog on another day.
Every year when the leaves start to change it makes me remember that changes are good.

1 year ago today and then 5 years ago.....

One year ago today my beloved grandmother Joan LeSage passed away from this earth to go home. I loved this woman so much and it hurts to think of her not being here anymore but I am thankful that the sting of death is not all that I feel on this day. I know in my heart that I will see her again and so this time apart doesn't hurt as bad. I know that I will see her smiling eyes again. I know that her hug will warm my spirit again. I know this like I know that my name is Noel, or that my hair is brown, or that I have 4 children. I know this.
This makes me think of the other saddness of this day. All those lives that were lost 5 years ago. They were taken way before the long full life that my grandmother was given. Thier deaths were not nearly as peaceful. She died in her sleep , they died in terror and fear and long before they should have. Thier families didn't get to say goodbye and many of them don't have the assurance that they will ever see them again. That assurance is a gift. It steals the pain away from the sting of death like nothing else can. It is I believe what we are here to realize . That we are eternal beings and that one place or another we will live on.
This was a strange day for me with mixed emotions. A visit from my brother and then from my dad and then with a close friend. I am left feeling sad for those people who are still in fear of death and happy about my grandmother's beautiful long life lived. Mixed emotions. Trying to make sense of it all.

What a face!!!

Isaiah says,
"Je yes!" to all things. It's good to be 2.

Always have time for a friend

This article was about a college professor who started his philosophy class by presenting his students with a large empty mayonnaise jar. He then proceeded to fill it with golf balls. "Is this jar full?" he asked his students. They nodded in agreement. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles under the table which he dumped into the jar, which he shook to allow the pebbles to roll into the open areas. "Is the jar full now?" he asked again. And again the students agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of sand, also from under the table, which he poured into the jar. The sand filled up what little space there was left. "Would you say the jar was now full?" he asked. The students responded with a loud "Yes!" This time they were really sure. The professor smiled and then produced two cups of coffee which he poured into the jar filling the empty spaces in the jar. When the professor announced that the jar was now full, the students laughed. The professor then told his students that the jar represents each one's life. The golf balls are the important things -- your God, your family, your health, your community, your friends -- whatever you consider to be the most important things in your life. "Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full," he said. The pebbles, on the other hand, represent the other things that matter to you such as your job, your house, perhaps your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff -- like your computer, your cell phone, your HDTV, your DVDs, your shoes and clothes. If you pour the sand into the jar first, the professor told his students, then you won't have space for the golf balls and the pebbles. "If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff," he said, "then you will never have room for the things that are truly important to you." The professor told his students to pay attention to the things that are "truly critical to your happiness." You should make time to spend with their family, he said. You should go on vacations together. You should take time to get your medical check-ups. Play golf or tennis or go swimming at the YMCA. There will be time enough to clean the house or buy another shirt or skirt. "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand." As his words sank in to his students, one of them raised her hand and asked the professor "What about the cups of coffee?" "I'm glad you asked," he said. "It just goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room to share a cup of coffee with a friend."
I just thought this was really great and very true. Thought I would share it with my bloggin friends.

Labor Day, and some ponderings about sleep

I slept in til 11:30. The giant got up with the kiddos and I can hardly believe myself that it is still possible for me to sleep that long. When I looked at the clock I had to rub my eyes to see if it was really almost noon. Haven't slept that long since I was a teenager. Do you know what is so wierd though??
I am STILL tired!!!!! Someone tell me please why it is when you get more sleep than usual that you wake up feeling more tired?? How can this be?? Just doesn't make sense.
Also, someone told me once that all the nights that you don't get a full 8 hours sleep you will have to catch up on all those lost hours later in life when you are older? That can't be true. Most older people I know require less sleep. Why is that?

LAME

I feel pretty lame today. Last night we recieved back our first lil writing assignment that I shared with you all in the previous post, and well it turns out that I didn't read the article correctly and so therefore my lil arguement that I was feeling oh so proud about was null and void.
LAME. LAME. LAME.
I don't feel as stupid only because so many other students in the class misunderstood the very same thing that I did, and therefore it is partly the writers problem BUT all the same I feel pretty LAME.
Apparently , I will be learning some things in college , like how to read :)