Funny how the Season that is most consciously tailored to draw our thoughts to the Savior of the world is possibly the least likely to allow us any time to spend with Him. This is no ones fault but our own, and I'm not pointing fingers - except at myself. I don't know if I get caught up in the busyness of the holidays and somehow think that Silent Nights and warm fuzzies are going to float me, like they are some limited-time-only substitute for digging into God's Word and hanging out with Jesus and talking with Him. But I do it almost every year. I run around, talking about Him, singing about Him, writing cute little phrases about Him in newsletters and cards - all the while ignoring Him. Sad.
I've been raised by Godly parents. I grew up in the Evangelical church. I've known the Christmas story for as long as I can remember, and have been an angel in too many Christmas programs to count. I've heard a hundred bazillion times about the irony of the King of Kings making his debut as a baby in a manger. And it never actually clicked in my brain until just a few days ago. I was making my regular Rapid-Hillville commute, just listening to Jars of Clay sing "Love came down at Christmas...", passing my favorite spot on Hwy 16, where you can see out over the Needles and Harney and so much of God's glory in the form of trees and stone and the thought occurred to me, (as if I'm the first person to get this, right?) "Wait a second...so the God that spoke this phenomenal landscape into existence is the same God that initiated His plan to save the human race in a barn in a crowded city in the middle of the night? How much sense does THAT make?" *ding! ding! ding!* Genius, Marci. Pure genius. And it only took you 25 year.
It is Christmas Eve. It is after midnight. It is snowing (a direct answer to fervent prayer.) And I have a two day old baby* to feed. Merry Christmas.
*Not my own baby. I thought I should clarify this for any newcomers, or people who were suddenly thinking, "Wow! It HAS been a while since I talked to Marc..."
Monday, December 24, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Winter Cleaning
It is the end of the year and with it comes my ever-increasingly-compulsive urge to "clean out" my life. As if it were a closet. Which, in a quite accurate analogy, it sort of is. While shuffling through piles of "things" I don't need or use anymore, I ran across this fairly neglected blog you are now reading. I thought to myself, "Hmm. I started that silly web page journal my senior year of high school. Life has changed a bit since then. I've changed a bit since then. I don't think I really have the need to keep a random, mostly anonymous, and probably very, very, small group of readers posted on the ins and outs of my life anymore. Besides, anyone that cares need only ask, and I'm happy to tell them what I'm up to, and what God is up to these days." So I added "Write minimally sentimental farewell entry and do away with blog/website for good" to my to-do list.
A few days later I was reading something. A newspaper article. An webzine essay. The back of the cereal box. I don't actually remember what it was, just that it was very well written. I realized that not only have I all but quit "reading" (for anything but necessity) but I've quit writing as well. I spent a good part of my childhood thinking I would be a writer when I grew up, and now I almost never write at all. Which then led me to remember that the whole reason I went out and got myself my own little corner of the internet when I was seventeen was simply so that I could have a little outlet for more writing (okay...well, that, AND I really had a crush on this guy that set up web pages...so that came in handy too). The fact that the page served as a bit of a news feed for my shenanigans over the last seven or so years was merely a latent function. As for the many poorly written entries, I apologize to anyone upset by this. (I know we all have to put up with poor writing, day in and day out -especially if you frequent myspace- ...and I strongly believe we shouldn't do it more often than absolutely necessary...)
All that to say that I've decided to keep the blog for the time being. (I moved it from the "throw" pile to the "find someplace to put it, and throw it out next year if I haven't used it more by then" pile.) I plan to reintroduce my original intentions to practice improved writing skills. A little personal challenge of sorts. What this means for you, is: if you DO continue to check up on the humble little blog, on occasion, I hope to be a little breath of fresh time-killer-reading air on a forum too often filled with bad grammar (wince) and emotional rants about online relationships gone bad, and so many other kinds of nonsense.
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and left-over Turkey.
A few days later I was reading something. A newspaper article. An webzine essay. The back of the cereal box. I don't actually remember what it was, just that it was very well written. I realized that not only have I all but quit "reading" (for anything but necessity) but I've quit writing as well. I spent a good part of my childhood thinking I would be a writer when I grew up, and now I almost never write at all. Which then led me to remember that the whole reason I went out and got myself my own little corner of the internet when I was seventeen was simply so that I could have a little outlet for more writing (okay...well, that, AND I really had a crush on this guy that set up web pages...so that came in handy too). The fact that the page served as a bit of a news feed for my shenanigans over the last seven or so years was merely a latent function. As for the many poorly written entries, I apologize to anyone upset by this. (I know we all have to put up with poor writing, day in and day out -especially if you frequent myspace- ...and I strongly believe we shouldn't do it more often than absolutely necessary...)
All that to say that I've decided to keep the blog for the time being. (I moved it from the "throw" pile to the "find someplace to put it, and throw it out next year if I haven't used it more by then" pile.) I plan to reintroduce my original intentions to practice improved writing skills. A little personal challenge of sorts. What this means for you, is: if you DO continue to check up on the humble little blog, on occasion, I hope to be a little breath of fresh time-killer-reading air on a forum too often filled with bad grammar (wince) and emotional rants about online relationships gone bad, and so many other kinds of nonsense.
Until next time,
Peace, Love, and left-over Turkey.
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