My favorite Ralph moment:
Chris: You have to exercise the cables once in a while so that the metal doesn’t corrode.
Ralph: Exorcise?
Chris: Yeah, exercise.
Ralph: Exercise or exorcise?
Chris: Exercise; like, wiggle them around.
Ralph: Oh! I was thinking you were wanting us to pray over them and ask God to send the demons out!
Your heart was so beautiful, and you will be fondly, fondly remembered, friend!
So there’s this woman named Jen Lemen. I don’t know much about her, except for what she writes in her blog. I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon it in the first place, I only know that she is a source of great encouragement and inspiration for me. You know that poster with the cat that says, “Hang in there, baby”? I imagine the person who created that concept is a lot like Jen Lemen. Optimistic, wise, and just oozing with love, except oozing is such an unpleasant sounding word. Radiating and percolating and flowing with love. Especially dear to me of late is this post. Particularly:
He leaned back now, letting his hands swing into the air like a preacher giving a sermon. “People have lost their minds. We forget we’re part of one family, that we’re all connected.” He put the emphasis on forget and family, driving the point home. “We act like we don’t belong to each other, like we’re not brothers and sisters.”
Heck YES.
An encounter with the cashier at London Drugs this evening.
“You have beautiful writing,” she commented as I scrawled my name across the credit card receipt (ran out of contact solution).
“Thanks!” I said, “I’m just trying to hold the pen; my hands are so cold.”
“Here, give them to me,” she grabbed my hands and began warming them with her own. I couldn’t help but beam at her.
“I can tell you’re a Mom.”
Her face broke out into a grin. “You betcha!”
A tourist came upon another tourist in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. They both were enjoying the view – just watching the sunset.
One looked at the other one and said, “What an awesome God.” Guy number one turned to him and said, “You a Christian?” The second guy said, “Yes, I am a Christian.” Guy number one said, “So am I,” and they shook hands.
Guy number one said, “Are you a liberal or a fundamental Christian?” Guy number two said, “I am a fundamental Christian.” Guy number one said, “So am I” and they smiled and nodded to each other.
Guy number one said, “Are you a covenant or dispensational, fundamental Christian?” The second guy said, “I am a dispensational, fundamental Christian.” The first guy said, “So am I,” and they slapped one another on the back.
Guy number one said, “Are you an early Acts, mid-Acts or late Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian?” Guy number two said “I am a mid-Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian.” Guy number one said, “So am I,” and they agreed to exchange Christmas cards each year.
Guy number one said, “Are you an Acts 9 or 13, mid-Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian”? Guy number two said, “I am an Acts 9, mid-Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian.” Guy number one said, “So am I,” and they hugged one another right there on the bridge.
Guy number one said, “Are you a pre-trib, or post trib, Acts 9, mid-Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian”? Guy number two said, “I am a pre-trib, Acts 9, mid-Acts, dispensational, fundamental Christian.” Guy number one said, “So am I,” and they decided to exchange kids for the summer.
“We believe in one high God, who out of love created the beautiful world. We believe that God made good His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left His home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and [humanity], and showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by His people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He was buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch Him, and on the third day He rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love, and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.”
Christ is risen and we are saved. Hallelujah!!! Happy Easter! And woot.
[Alternate title: "You are worth my time. I find you interesting and I want to know more about you."]
My grade 11 English teacher was from Russia, and I was privileged to hear her stories of her life there, the way the government took away her citizenship, and how she arrived in Canada “stateless.” One of the things she said she found most difficult in terms of adjusting to life in Canada was the “Hey, how are you?” Here, we say it in passing, as we’re zooming by someone, never expecting anything other than “Good, you?” She used to stop and say something like, “well I’m doing alright; I had a lovely evening last night; me and my daughter went to…” only to realize that the person was down the hall and out of ear shot. It’s become little more than an alternative to “hi” (or “sup” if you’re from da ‘hood, as I am :p). Is it a North American habit? Are we too busy on this side of the Atlantic to stop and see how our beloved fellow persons are?
But maybe it’s a generational thing? I work with a number of people who are really… well, old (hee-hee, forgive me ladies!). They’ve got it right. When they ask me how I’m doing, they actually want to know how I’m doing. They want to sit with me for two minutes and get caught up on my life, and then they want to tell me how they’ve been keeping since I last saw them. It’s so precious, and I don’t mean that in a patronizing way. It really is precious, and I think they’ve got the right idea!
I like the term, doing life together. I am practicing this! I am a student of doing life together. Woo hoo!
