Pitter patter. Pitter patter. Thunder. More pitter patter.
That’s been what we’ve been hearing a lot of lately. Every day this week and apparently most of last week, rain has been pelting this area. I’ve walked through ankle-deep water most days on my way to the parking garage. Lawnmowers are silent as yards inch taller and grow a deeper green each day with the repeated rain.
And so I must ask, “Is this Texas in June?”
A typical Texas June has temperatures in the upper 90s and possibly the 100s. The word “rain” isn’t even spoken of on the news, except to say that some would be nice so that yards don‘t burn up and watering restrictions can be lifted. People’s thoughts are usually turned to water parks, watermelon, lemonade, homemade ice cream, and waiting for the long summer days to end so that the temperature outside becomes bearable.
Although these dark rain clouds have made night come earlier than normal, don’t take my comments as complaints. I would like a brief reprieve, but I’m looking forward to not having a huge electric bill or a hefty water bill. As long as the tornados stay away, I say, “Let it rain.”
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Monday, June 4, 2007
Enough Doubting
Do you ever doubt?
Usually I doubt the weather. But today, I found myself doubting a recipe. Not just any recipe. An add-one-ingredient-to-this-mix recipe.
Surely hundreds of people have tried this box mix before. Surely if it didn’t work someone would have told the company.
Despite knowing that, I still doubted that 2/3 c. of yogurt would be enough to moisten all of this dry brownie mix.
That got me thinking: Am I am enough Lord? Enough to spread your light in the darkness? Enough to handle mean people? Enough to encourage others? Enough to do the job you've asked of me? Enough to?????
Thank You Lord that You are always Enough. Enough to cover my doubts with Truth, Light, and Love.
Usually I doubt the weather. But today, I found myself doubting a recipe. Not just any recipe. An add-one-ingredient-to-this-mix recipe.
Surely hundreds of people have tried this box mix before. Surely if it didn’t work someone would have told the company.
Despite knowing that, I still doubted that 2/3 c. of yogurt would be enough to moisten all of this dry brownie mix.
That got me thinking: Am I am enough Lord? Enough to spread your light in the darkness? Enough to handle mean people? Enough to encourage others? Enough to do the job you've asked of me? Enough to?????
Thank You Lord that You are always Enough. Enough to cover my doubts with Truth, Light, and Love.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Let's Start with Semantics
For those of you who aren’t from Texas, a bluebonnet is a wildflower that appears alongside Texas highways every spring.
For those of you who are from Texas, snow consists of frozen water vapor that falls to the ground in soft, white crystalline flakes.
Normally, these two natural “objects” would not be found together for obvious reasons. But with Texas weather, anything can happen, including having a wintery snowfall in the midst of spring. And that’s exactly what occurred on Easter weekend this year.
But that wasn’t the only odd occurrence this spring. It was around that time that I felt God awakening in me the desire/need/urge to write.
But I didn’t immediately put pen to paper (my preferred way of writing). Instead, I did what comes naturally to me: I questioned God.
“Lord, is this really something that you want me to do? You know I had that idea a few years back to write a book, but I had to scrap that because my motives were wrong. Would you help me do this without making this about me?”
“Lord, you know I write all day long for work and often struggle with getting things to flow and sound right. Have you equipped me to do this? You know that I'm not humorous (or at least not on purpose). And my creativity, while it stuck around a little longer than my flexibility, has long since faded. And I think that most of my best writing was used up during college. So do I really have what it takes to write?”
“Okay, Lord, I’ve been reading all these books and blogs about publishing in the Christian genre, and it isn’t easy. It’s actually a LOT harder than I could have imagined. There’s a marketing aspect involved, and I’m not sure that’s part of my skill set.”
“Lord, it took me 6 tries to be able to get my little blurb accepted to join The Christian Writers’ View. Were you trying to block me or test my perseverance? This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
As I was struggling through this process, I decided to pray beforehand for once. (I’m really guilty of going into things and asking God to bless my decisions instead of consulting Him ahead of time.) And through those prayers, I realized that it was right to pray beforehand, and at the same time, I realized that no matter how much prayer I put into this, I still might never be published. And I have to be okay with that. I need to accept God’s leading might not be calling me to a life of fame.
So even after all the prayers and questioning, I still felt God tugging on my heart to be obedient and to write. I didn’t get a lot of clear answers to my questions, mostly just reminders. I was reminded that sometimes when things seem so much bigger than me, it is something that God wants me to do in order to require me to lean on Him. (All I have to do is think back to getting my job and how I said after my not-so-great interview that the only way I was going to get the job would be for God to secure it for me.) And sometimes, God strips me of things I depend on (MY creativity, MY abilities, etc.) to allow His creativity and His ability to shine through. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All writing comes by the grace of God.”
And so, I feel a little like a bluebonnet in the snow. I’m out of my comfort zone. But hopefully I will acclimate quickly and just enjoy the newness, the contrasts, and the opportunity to just hang out for as long as He allows in this world of writing and writers.
For those of you who are from Texas, snow consists of frozen water vapor that falls to the ground in soft, white crystalline flakes.
Normally, these two natural “objects” would not be found together for obvious reasons. But with Texas weather, anything can happen, including having a wintery snowfall in the midst of spring. And that’s exactly what occurred on Easter weekend this year.
But that wasn’t the only odd occurrence this spring. It was around that time that I felt God awakening in me the desire/need/urge to write.
But I didn’t immediately put pen to paper (my preferred way of writing). Instead, I did what comes naturally to me: I questioned God.
“Lord, is this really something that you want me to do? You know I had that idea a few years back to write a book, but I had to scrap that because my motives were wrong. Would you help me do this without making this about me?”
“Lord, you know I write all day long for work and often struggle with getting things to flow and sound right. Have you equipped me to do this? You know that I'm not humorous (or at least not on purpose). And my creativity, while it stuck around a little longer than my flexibility, has long since faded. And I think that most of my best writing was used up during college. So do I really have what it takes to write?”
“Okay, Lord, I’ve been reading all these books and blogs about publishing in the Christian genre, and it isn’t easy. It’s actually a LOT harder than I could have imagined. There’s a marketing aspect involved, and I’m not sure that’s part of my skill set.”
“Lord, it took me 6 tries to be able to get my little blurb accepted to join The Christian Writers’ View. Were you trying to block me or test my perseverance? This isn’t going to be easy, is it?”
As I was struggling through this process, I decided to pray beforehand for once. (I’m really guilty of going into things and asking God to bless my decisions instead of consulting Him ahead of time.) And through those prayers, I realized that it was right to pray beforehand, and at the same time, I realized that no matter how much prayer I put into this, I still might never be published. And I have to be okay with that. I need to accept God’s leading might not be calling me to a life of fame.
So even after all the prayers and questioning, I still felt God tugging on my heart to be obedient and to write. I didn’t get a lot of clear answers to my questions, mostly just reminders. I was reminded that sometimes when things seem so much bigger than me, it is something that God wants me to do in order to require me to lean on Him. (All I have to do is think back to getting my job and how I said after my not-so-great interview that the only way I was going to get the job would be for God to secure it for me.) And sometimes, God strips me of things I depend on (MY creativity, MY abilities, etc.) to allow His creativity and His ability to shine through. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All writing comes by the grace of God.”
And so, I feel a little like a bluebonnet in the snow. I’m out of my comfort zone. But hopefully I will acclimate quickly and just enjoy the newness, the contrasts, and the opportunity to just hang out for as long as He allows in this world of writing and writers.
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