In time out with God

I was enjoying some quality time last night with Tabitha, preparing for bedtime as she vehemently denied being tired. While I changed clothes, and she calmed down, she noticed me in the closet hanging clothes and decided I needed to stay there. Forever. Tabitha looked at me with the sweetest face, began to close the door, and exuberantly told me that I was “trapped forever, you’ll never get out.” Cute. As I was trying to explain to her that I might get hungry while trapped forever, Tabitha decided to join me in the closet, explaining now that we were “hiding from God”. This, also, is cute because Tabitha is remembering a lesson from a few months ago in Sunday school when they studied and acted out Adam and Eve hiding from God. But then, in her most stern and scolding voice, Tabitha declared “God, you’re in time out! You’re not being nice!” Ahh, how do you explain to a three year old that God, or a parent, is being good even when she isn’t getting her way?

But this made me question how often we might say/think/believe the same thing. How often have I seen others blaming God, seen myself frustrated with Jehovah, because things are not going quite as I would have liked? It's so easy to lose perspective and focus only on what I want. To put things back in perspective, I need to stop a while, take a deep breath (not just of air but of Spirit) and try to remember to first blame myself. I know, in my head and in my heart, that God is not to be blamed because He is working for me. If it is a problem of situation, then I must trust that the difficulty is of a purpose from God and will be a part of the path that takes me onward. If it is a problem of relationships, then I must find my own sin and failure in the conflict if reconciliation is to be found. Very rarely have I seen an interpersonal conflict that did not have all parties involved in causing and exasperating the problem. In my own life, I have never been so faultless.

So the question remains: who is in time out?

Where do I, we, and they go in times of crisis?

There is a very interesting blog going on over at Shlog. Through some recent work, Shaun Groves has been asking the question of where do "we" go and where do we say "they" should go when a crisis hits. His first post is here, and a follow up has just been posted here. He is posing some challenging questions. Check it out.

How to make a clear, relevant post

I've been wondering what I should use this blog for. Should I make this a rambling about the day to day activities of my life? Should I share something from my Bible studies or from speakers/classes that I have been in recently? The only two things I know for sure are:

1. I want this blog to be about doing something for Christ. I may be the one writting it, but I want it to be uplifting and encouraging, perhaps thought provoking and, above all, beyond me. I am not starting a blog just to post new pictures of my daughter (though she is a cuttie).
2. How do communicate in a delayed fassion and make what you are writting about clear, understandable, and relevant (interesting)?

I am a child of the modern era. I have never corresponded my mail. E-mail is, in general, very informal and often shallow. On top of that, it is most often between me and one or two other individuals. In blogging, I will be talking to unknow numbers of people. How do I communicate when one of the basic tenets of clear communication is broken (tell a person something, have them repeat it, and then you repeat what you said to clarify what you meant based on what they heard). Any ideas out there from more experienced bloggers?

I've added links!

Okay, so this is really no big deal. Everyone does it, so why not me? These are a few links to sites I visit on a regular basis.

Shlog - This is a blog by Christian musician Shaun Groves. Good stuff and some deep conversations.

Sara Groves - No, she is not Shaun Groves sister. Probably my favorite musician at the moment. I just happen to like the music of two people that share a not entirely common last name. Her writing is so sincere, so open and honest, you really feel that you can believe in what she sings about. Her music is not just about Christ but about living as Christ in everyday examples.

Luminous - A relatively new group, I discovered them through the tribute CD to aid Wes King. Check them out.

McGonigel's Mucky Duck - This is a traditional Irish pub in downtown Houston. They have an excellent menu and live music every night. Not a rowdy place, most shows are smoke-free. They have an enormous number of established and new artists come through, all of them good.

Check out some of these links. You won't regret what you find.

Look ma! I'm blogging!

Well, here is a blog. I may not update often, or ever, after this. We'll see what happens.