An "Aha!" moment...

This really struck me in an interview I was reading today. I've been thinking off and on over the past few weeks about have a "gentle and quiet spirit" and about how "gentleness" is to be a characteristic (ie. fruit) of anyone growing to be more like Christ through his Spirit.

Gentleness implies tempered strength. Babies aren't gentle---babies are weak. But when an adult who has the strength to crush the baby instead cradles them in their arms, that's gentleness.

The person being interviewed goes on to say, "That's what God has called us to be as women. Strength under God's control."

I'm a strong woman. And most people know that about me. In fact, I have made far too many people far too painfully aware of my strength. Strength is a tool, and it is something to be cultivated, appreciated, valued and admired. But much, much too often I am prone to (wo)man handle rather than cradle.

By God's grace, may this fruit of gentleness be as, or more, prominent in my life than my strength.

The time has come...

Even though our church is theologically reformed and Baptist by denomination, we do highlight the Lenten season. We had an Ash Wednesday service early yesterday morning in which we focused on confession and repentence.

Our pastor said that usually people give up something relatively trite for Lent---chocolate, or sugar, or caffeine---and complain about doing without them for the full forty days of observance. And, for some people, perhaps those things are valid and meaningful sacrifices. I know I, personally, have used Lent in the past to make lifestyle changes that I should have made regardless. And, again, not that that's a BAD thing... But Daniel encouraged us to think hard and seriously about what we can sacrifice that is keeping us from seeking God. I was struck by that and something immediately came to mind.

Therefore, for the next forty days, I am abstaining from my TV shows*. Those of you that know me well will understand how much of a sacrifice that is---two whole week nights and multiple hours of escapism and vicarious living. But that loss is nothing compared to finding and knowing more of the lover of my soul, and generally being more productive and able to invest in the lives of other people.

In no way, shape, form, or stretch of the imagination does this Lenten fast make me more or less spiritual than anyone else. And I'm sure that I will need to remind myself of that when I start to feel smug (because that's just how I am). But I do want the accountability of having people know of my commitment. I look forward to sharing with you what God teaches me and does in my life during this season!

Are you giving up anything for Lent?

_____________
*I am, however, continuing to watch LOST because it is a weekly social event hosted at my house. It's kind of a community-building event.

A few tidbits...

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

What Color Is Your Brain?

You Are Not Scary

Everyone loves you. Isn't that sweet?

How Scary Are You?

Whew!

You Failed Your Driver's Test

You only got 6/10 correct. If you have a driver's license, it needs to be revoked!

Are You a Good Driver?

Uh-oh.

What's love got to do with it...?

(If you're in need of some last-minute ideas, check out this post.)

The Way of Love

If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love,
I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.
If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries
and making everything plain as day,
and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps,
but I don't love,
I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor
and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr,
but I don't love,
I've gotten nowhere.
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do,
I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
Love never dies.

(1 Corinthians 13, The Message)

You gotta eat...

So apparently some "Organizers" at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailand have decided to throw a little dinner party for epicureans everywhere. "The meal of a lifetime" with 10 courses. The price (per person)? $25,000.

Here's the menu:

First course:
- Creme brulee of foie gras with Tonga beans
- 1990 Louis Roederer Cristal

Second course:
- Tartare of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belon oysters
- 1995 Krug Clos du Mesnil

Third course:
- Mousseline of “pattes rouges” crayfish with morel mushroom infusion
- 2000 Corton-Charlemagne, Domaine Jean François Coche-Dury

Fourth course:
- “Tarte fine” with scallops and black truffles
- 1996 Le Montrachet, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

Fifth course:
- Brittany Lobster “Osso Bucco”
- 1985 Romanee-Conti, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

Sixth course:
- Ravioli with guinea fowl and burrata cheese with a veal and truffle sauce
- 1961 Chateau Palmer

Seventh course:
- Saddle of lamb “Leonel”
- 1959 Chateau Mouton Rothschild

Eighth course:
- Sorbet “Dom Perignon”
- Supreme of pigeon en croute with cepes mushroom sauce and cipollotti
- 1961 Chateau Haut-Brion

Ninth course:
- Veal cheeks with Perigord truffles
- 1955 Chateau Latour

Tenth course:
- Imperial gingerbread pyramid with caramel and salted butter ice-cream
- 1967 Chateau d’Yquem

Which means that, for the price of a brand new (nice) car or perhaps the better part of a college education, these people get to eat a bunch of different mushrooms, raw beef and some odd sheep parts...and get drunk on "the good stuff." The dessert actually sounds quite scrumptious. But not $25,000 worth of scrumptious.

Good grief.

I'm with Rugrat, er, I mean, Rungrat:

“That is a waste of money,” said Rungrat Ketpinyo, 44, who sells Phad Thai noodles for 75 cents a plate from a street cart outside the hotel. “I don’t care how luxurious this meal is. It’s ridiculous.”

Time to get in shape...

Summer is right around the corner. Well, behind Spring, but still... It's coming. And if you're like me, you haven't just become a little more pasty over the winter months, you've become a little more Pillsbury Dough Boy as well.

SO...if you're interested in a great tool for helping you accomplish your goals, let me know and I'll send you a link. I'm HOOKED!

What are the things you've told yourself you'd do/wear/try if you were in better shape?

So you think you know everything...?

"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.

Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.

The words racecar, kayak and level are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

A snail can sleep for three years.

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

NOW you know everything

You're welcome. :)

It's all about LOVE...

(An article I wrote for Sojourn's Jan-Feb Travelogue. For locals, there are some date ideas.)

V-Day: It’s all about Love…Or it can be
By Lorie King

Whether you are looking forward to it in eager, starry-eyed anticipation or dreading it with a passion, February 14 is fast-approaching. And we all know what that means…it’s time to think about love.

Growing up, my brothers and I always looked forward to Valentine’s Day. Mom wasn’t the only one who got flowers and candy---dad would also choose something for each of us: flowers for the ladies, stuffed animals for the boys, and a round of candy for all! It was a way of celebrating the love that we shared for one another. I’ve since learned that not everyone has such fond memories and associations (thank you, Lonely Hearts Club members).

In the same way that we can’t escape the creepy Halloween masks in October or the fake snow and mistletoe around Christmas, we can’t escape the proliferation of pink and red hearts and the pervasive aroma of crème-filled chocolates that is soon to surround us. But we can set out in our minds and hearts to redeem it.

Let’s celebrate love. Our God is love. And he asks---and enables---us to love others. If you have a lover, fabulous. Enjoy each other. If you don’t, fabulous. Show someone else how much you love them.

Out of ideas?
Try some of these:
• Dress up as pirates and go parrot shopping at local pet stores.
• Go to Pizza King in New Albany for a fun-filled dinner (they bring your drink to you on a train). Buy each other bouncy balls.
• Go for a drive. You can only make right-hand turns. When you finally get stuck, turn around and then you can only make left-hand turns. Repeat until you find something interesting. Take pictures along the way.
• Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books.
• Walk around the city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras.
• Write a piece of fiction together at a coffee shop or café. Ask strangers when you get stuck.
• Do the lamest tourist thing in your area that you have both secretly wanted to do forever. Have an unabashed good time!
• Play hide and seek in the park. Find as many good climbing trees as you can, climb them and collect photographic evidence.
• Go for a drive with the passenger blindfolded, choosing directions at random and see where you end up.
• Rent a movie you've never seen before. Set on mute and improvise dialogue.

Single, or just wanting to spread the love?
Try these:
• Surprise your parents/grandparents/brother/sister/best friend with a call. Tell them that you love them (or at least that you're thinking about them).
• Choose someone and be their secret Valentine (not stalker).
• Invite another single friend over for dinner and go all-out as host.
• Call the local hospital or nursing home and arrange to take Valentine’s Day cards to patients.
• Treat it like Thanksgiving---make a list of all the things you personally have to celebrate about being single this year, or how you’ve experienced love in your life this year.
• Babysit for some married friends or a single parent with a hot date.
• If you are a single parent, ask your child what would make this Valentine's Day special. Listen to the answer without trying to change it. Then do it.

In the mood for a little culture?
Here are some local happenings:

Valentine’s Day Romantic Retreat
A romantic candlelit hike through Jefferson Memorial Forest that ends with a beautiful view of the lights of Louisville. The hike’s destination is the Forest’s beautiful Manor House where you’ll be greeted by a roaring fire to warm you up, hot beverages and desserts provided by local bakeries. Meets in the Horine Reservation.
Wednesday, February 14, from 7:30 pm to 10 pm
($20.00 per couple - reservations must be made by Friday, February 9; for more info, call (502) 368-5404)

Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure
A chilling mystery involving a kidnapped damsel, scandalous letters and London's seamy underworld finds Master Sleuth Sherlock Holmes pitted against his two most perilous foes: certain death and impassioned love.
Actors Theatre of Louisville, from January 30 to February 24
(http://www.actorstheatre.org)

Uncharted Realms- Louisville Ballet
From the melding of classical music and dance with that of West Africa to a pair of world premieres, this triple bill promises to be quite an adventure in dance.
Kentucky Center, Whitney Hall
Friday, 2/16 at 8pm; Saturday, 2/17 at 2pm and 8pm
(www.kentuckycenter.org)

Building Books: The Art of David Macaulay
Author and artist David Macaulay has demystified the workings and origins of everything from simple gadgets to elaborate architectural structures. This exciting exhibition that takes an in-depth look at Macaulay's artistic process and extensive body of work, including The Way Things Work, Castle, Cathedral, City, Mill, Ship, and Mosque.
Speed Art Museum, from February 6 to May 13.

Itching to spend your hard-earned dollar to show a little love?
The most treasured gifts and ways to show love come in all shapes, sizes and price tags. From the horse’s mouth:

Dream gift:
A beautiful, thoughtful surprise
A cabin getaway weekend
A puppy
A trip to Paris
Flowers and a really big hug
A bonsai tree
A girlfriend
A Mediterranean Cruise
An actual date

Best thing you’ve done for someone

My guy friends and I anonymously dropped off flowers, chocolate and cards for our single female friends.

The best gift I’ve given was probably a video game he wanted, because I knew it would mean I would see much less of him for awhile but that he would love it.

Every year, I choose a Valentine to write mushy letters to and give a stuffed gorilla.

We have spent the past 30 years celebrating Valentine's Day together! Valentine's Day isn't really a "more special day" for us because we try to live EACH day as if it were Valentine's Day. We pray that with the close of each day, we have celebrated our love for each other and have shown love in a special way to our "gift from God" daily.

One year I made fortune cookies for a single friend and stuffed them with verses of encouragement and hilarious “proverbs” to make them smile and feel loved.

Best thing someone’s done for you

My husband told me he loved me for the first time around Valentine's Day last year. He made me a mix CD chronicling our relationship from beginning to its then present state, and entitled it the name of the very song that would later be in our wedding.

A few years ago, my husband was out of the country on Valentine’s Day but had arranged to have my roommate at the time have a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my bed with about 100 of those kiddie Valentine cards spread out all over--he had written a different message of reasons he loved me on each one.

My mom put together a "he-man woman-haters" dinner (see the movie Little Rascals) for my single guy friends and I.

My now-husband wrote down a diary history of how we met and fell in love. He then typed it up with poems and songs that were special to us and made it into a book and made me a CD with special songs.

My high school sweetheart had a star named after me in the Official Star registry.

I don't think I could ever top 'I love you' for the first time. Definitely not with flowers or chocolate or stuffed animals.