A Church Burning

Zion Church burnt to the ground on June 9th, 2007.

Saturday is FoodNet day for me! I think I talked a little bit about FoodNet before but for those of you who are new it's basically a bunch of sites around Lincoln that stores like Trader Joe's, Panera, Super Saver etc. send the food that they can't sell anymore - it isn't bad necessarily, just past the 'shelf life.' I volunteer at a site and help set up and such and then anyone who wants to - college kids, homeless, single-mom, literally anyone can go through and get food. They don't have to be low-income, anyone and everyone is welcome. Waste not, want not. :) For you thrifty college folk - this is literally how I get the majority of my groceries and it is awesome.

Anyway! Today whilst working I was talking to two ladies who have been volunteering at FoodNet for years and they were remembering - "Remember that one Saturday that we had to move FoodNet across the street because the church was burning? We moved across the street into the park and kept handing out food we watched our church literally burn to the ground."

What!? Who are these crazy people who would keep doing what they were doing like everything was normal while their church was burning down!? I'll tell you! That building that burnt down? It wasn't the church. It was a building.

You know where the church was?

Across the street, handing out food to people who needed it. A church isn't about a building - it isn't about fancy windows or pulpits or organs or crucifixes. WE are the church - WE are the body of Christ. And I was extremely...moved by how obvious these ladies and the other congregation members (you can read more about it - I'll put some news links at the bottom of this post) knew that and lived that. Even when these two ladies talked about the fire, there was no sadness, no regret, in fact the one said - "I remember being so thankful that day because a whole bunch of younger folks showed up to help when we really needed them."

Remember that - your church isn't the building you worship in - WE are the church.

Read More:

NEWS: Zion Church Fire Started in Basement Kitchen
NEWS: Zion Church Growing in New Home After Fire
FoodNet Incorporation
10 Bible Verses About the Church

Bananas Suck

This is about two things: Something I HATE WITH ALL MY HEART and a lie.

Today marks the official  end of my first week as a nanny and I like it (sort of - more on that later)- it keeps me busy, definitely offers a lot of challenges (which I alternately hate but also thrive on), blah blah blah I can tell you all about that later or over coffee or the phone or whatever. What I really want to talk about from the nannying is the BANANAS.

I HATE BANANAS.
MORE THAN ANYTHING.

There is nothing good about them! Seriously! They LOOK gross, they smell gross, the texture is awful, the taste is worse, they also have those nasty stringy tendril things - bleh!!!! I can't eat bananas without gagging (banana bread is an exception sometimes) and in full disclosure I'm going on almost seven years without eating raw bananas. Minus one time two years ago I tried to force myself into eating one and liking it but I almost threw up, I might have even spit it out. I'm not kidding! Even in smoothies - I make the people substitute something else in there because a banana ruins an otherwise perfectly delicious drink!

Here's the thing about Thatcher - my little four-year-old I spend most of my nanny time with. He has some struggles and one of them is awful acid reflux and some developmental/cognitive delays which means that all his food has to be pureed and I spoon feed him most of it. He's pretty limited to fruit puree with protein mixed in so they put a banana (pureed) into literally ALL OF HIS FOOD. And he is a messy eater and food/spoon flinger so I end up being around bananas, feeding them, getting them on my clothes ALL. DAY. LONG. Sometimes Thatch also likes to put his fingers in his banana filled mouth and then GRAB MY HAIR WITH HIS BANANA INFUSED FINGERS. You guys - I had banana in my HAIR. My hair! I want to scream and throw up even just thinking about it.

That all being said, on to the lie. There are a few (okay, a lot of) things about my job and the couple I'm working for that have the start of what could be bitterness, anger, jealousy, apathy, a whole host of not so good things. There is a lot of potential for me to really water those seeds and encourage them to sprout and take over not just my job but my life. After the first full day on Monday I had a bad attitude about the job. And I mean bad. You might think I'm a sweet, usually happy person but it is not at all true. I would honestly say my personality is a lot more like a non-morning person who has been woken up by a morning person singing them a cheery song and bringing them breakfast in bed but ALL DAY LONG. I'm seriously a total crank with a bad attitude. The only reason that you haven't caught on to that is because I have to rely completely on Jesus to renew my strength and constantly be working and changing my heart and actions and thoughts so I don't kill people when I see them. :)

ANYWAY. So Tuesday morning I was at the kitchen table reading my Bible and such (still with a bad attitude from the day before) and flipping through my copy of 'Lies Women Believe' (which is really good, by the way) and stumbled onto Lie #36.

Lie #36 - If my circumstances were different, I would be different.

My reaction to Lie #36
because it was spot on.

Reading about this lie led me to Philippians 4:11-13. Something I struggle with a lot is being content (without being apathetic). I've always thought there should have been something in the Bible that covered that and I know I've read this section before many, many times but it didn't click until Tuesday morning while I was sipping my morning coffee through a straw.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Me: HOW DID YOU LEARN, PAUL. HOW!?

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

Me: I WANT TO KNOW THE SECRET! Is this FINALLY where the Bible

spells out what the magical secret is!?! 

I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Me: ......silence.....this is so simple, yet makes so much...

sense. How did I miss this for so long?!

- Paul the Apostle (a.k.a. Philippians 4:11-13), commentary by Me.

I drew this myself, FYI.

**Some background on this Paul guy - he wrote all this in a letter to a church while he was in jail being prosecuted. Whaaaaat?  What an incredible attitude! If you want to know a little more about this Paul character I watched a pretty neat YouTube video about it while I was brushing my hair yesterday. You can watch it, too, if you have lots of hair to brush as well - The Apostle Paul: His Life and Mnistry (Part 1 of 2)

THE LIE: If my circumstances were different, I would be different.

THE TRUTH:

• My circumstances do not make me what I am; they merely reveal what I am.
• If I am not content with my present circumstances, I am not likely to be happy in any other set of circumstances.
• I may not be able to control my circumstances, but my circumstances do not have to control me.
• Every circumstance that touches my life has first been filtered through His fingers of love. 

So there's that. If you identify, I strongly encourage sitting down with some coffee or other beverage of choice and your Bible and think about this and look at your life! Pray! Think some more! If you want to know if there's some other lies all up in your life, feel free to check out the other 39 lies in that book in a brief summary by clicking HERE!

Summer in Snapshots

Only eight more days until I officially begin my fourth and final year of undergrad at UNL. They aren't kidding about your time in college flying by! I figured before I dive back into school I should finish up the exciting adventure that was my Summer. 

Got the first family photo in forever with all 7 family members (plus both dogs!) in it. We learned to use technology - and by that I mean propping and Ipad on a stool. :)

Won a burping contest between myself and
two younger siblings. #pride

Finished up my summer of directing at Manna - got nice and sick right at the end but other than that it was wonderful (I'll explain more about the 'What I Learned' in my next post).

Celebrated Paty's birthday by going to the ZOO with her and Carol for the day - many adventures were had including purchasing the world's largest lunchable for lunch. :)

Visiting the largest bull

Attended the Iowa State Fair with Dad and Carol - yes, we ate food on a stick (I enjoyed a deep-fried pickle), saw the butter cow, went on the giant slide and got tattoos.

Tradition

Something on a stick.......ferret?

College send-off sleepover with Carol and our cousin Nicole - can't believe this but they start COLLEGE in a WEEK. What?!

 

And pimped out my ride to start my newest job - starting.....In 40 minutes. :) 

More details on that coming SOON!