Monday October 31, 2005

Dealing with Vermin…
Inspiration credit ===> TizzyAlexander

(I’ve been enjoying a sister’s writing style and this is my attempt to emulate it. Hopefully she’ll be flattered and not embarassed at my imitation. 🙂 )

     Mice are kinda cute to look at, but I don’t think anyone likes the sounds of little critters scurring and skittering around their house at 1 in the morning. We have been having trouble with mice for awhile now and couldn’t understand why there seemed to be so many in the house. We figured it had something to do with the college students next door. (It’s always easier to blame someone else.)

     I was rearranging the family kitchen about 2 weeks ago and I happened across a flour bag that someone accidentally left out in the open. I don’t think I need to go into a lot of detail, but let’s just say there were lots of little white prints and little black pellets, My mom calls them “mice rice”… but anyway. They also managed to gnaw a hole in the kitchen wall and after some more investigating, we found they had managed to climb and perform some acrobatics to get all over the kitchen workspaces. Clorox was the hero for the day.

     After we had done some cleaning, we made it impossible for the mice to get to the workspaces and then proceeded by laying down mouse traps. I didn’t think it was possible to catch over 5 mice in 1 day with the same trap. But it happened… it’s all about location, location, & location. We don’t have any more trouble with mice, but after co-habitating with half a dozen or more rodents… I’m thinking about getting a pet now… a cat or dog? or maybe something offbeat… like a rabbit/ferret?

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     In lots of ways, I see parallels between how I relate to God and my little experience with the mice. Each time the master of the house comes in, I’d go running all over the place. God’s kinda big and His plans for me… well, they’re a bit big as well. Go witness to an entire nation? How about loving those who hate and persecute you? Those are as big as any BHAG’s (Big Hairy Audacious Goal), I’ve ever heard of. How I live my life… I feel like I don’t really contribute to God’s house. That all I really ever do is chew at His walls and poop on his nice spotless floor. What good can mice do?

     But I remember, I’m not a mouse. I’m a man. God does have some big purpose in my life, but I’m not the one who provides the resources… I’m not the one who can make it happen. I’m just the one who’s going to follow in His steps…watch the smackdown unfold… and then bear witness. I’m not supposed to crap in God’s temple. I’m supposed to bring Him the glory. To show off all that the Creator has given to me and to see God’s hand in our lives… No more just eating from God’s table, but actually making use of what God has given to me. To act in such a way that will bring glory to a King of kings. Not to give in to earthly things, but to remember that I am a part of God’s temple… and to build up God’s kingdom… not of brick or stone… but made up of His people.

P.S. For those who insist upon being mice rather than men… beware when God comes to clean out His house. I hope & pray that God will not find you a waste of grace… I pray that He will come with discipline rather than wrath.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

— Matthew 25:31-46 (NIV) —

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So I’ve been tagged …by Exit39!

The Rules: List five songs that you are currently loving. It doesn’t matter what genre they are from, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying right now.  Post these instructions, the artists, and the songs in your blog, then “tag” five other bloggers/friends to see what they’re listening to.

1.  Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)
2.  By your side (Sade)
3.  Everyday (Hillsong United)
4.  Cotton Eye Joe (Rednex)
5.  Can’t Hold Us Down (Christina Aguilera feat Lil’ Kim)

Septa is currently on strike. Pray for a quick resolution. It’s really the low income people who are most affected by this. And if you can… give someone a ride.
http://wb17.trb.com/wphl-102905-septastrike,0,6983278.story?coll=wphl-home-3
http://www.fox29.com/news/index.shtml
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=business&id=3588611