Israel in the Desert

My church is doing a three year study through the whole Bible. We recently finished part 1: Genesis - Exodus. One thing the study focuses on was Israel's tendency to complain and doubt God after all they had seen. When I read thought these books as a kid I would always get frustrated with Israel and think they were really dumb.

However, the more I read through this section of the Bible as an adult, the more I see myself in this faithless complaining. The more cause I have to wonder at the purposes God could have in not instantly granting all my wishes. Or what purpose He could have in giving other people things that He hasn't given me. Does lack hold a secret blessing? Is this also one of the "good and perfect" gifts from God? I wrote a poem about these musings:


Wandering the desert
My whole soul aches
Hungers for something
That I haven't been given
That I can't live without
Complaints churn within
As I wait impatiently
For Your provision

Where is my hunger?
What is my thirst?
What drives me to complaint?
These are my idols
Sin's strongholds and lies
Gripping my heart and mind
Luring me away from real needs
To disposable distractions

Teach me to trust You
To wait when I'm thirsty knowing
That need teaches me hunger
Life's little wants can't fill me
But their absence teaches me longing
Shows my heart only You can satisfy
There's no other for my desperate soul
I will wait in thirst and hunger

Oh Lord bring me to
The only well of Living Water!
The only Bread of Life,
The only Love that can fill me!
You are endless and I am empty
Overflow me till I'm lost in You
Then I can pour on others
The love poured out on me

First Video Post

One of the exciting things about my job is that it is not unusual for me to have a new challenge thrown at me, such as learning to podcast last year, and find out that the skill I need to learn is needed later that same week.  As was the case with podcasting I found out the church was going to get a podcast, had to learn about podcasting, and be able to do it all within a week.  Not much time to learn a new skill.

Lately I've been thinking that I'm overdue for one of these exciting episodes.  My theory is that one of these days I will be called upon to make a video for the church.  Being someone who, up to this point, has had no interest in making videos, the prospect of being called upon to suddenly find out how is not very appealing.  So I have decided to think ahead and begin learning to make videos before life hits me with the sudden need to be good at it.

My plan is to post video book reviews (is that an oxymoron?) here on my blog and possibly on YouTube if it turns out to be easier that way.  Thus I can learn video-making at my own pace, and at least have some experience under my belt when the day comes that I actually need the skill.

The video below is a completely unedited first take.  I just want to see how hard it is to post videos here on Blogger, because I was told it's not easy.  Here goes, prepare to be very unimpressed...

Playing a Professional

Today I spent most of my time feeling like a little girl who'd raided her mother's clothset, was attending a business meeting in said attire, and was hoping desperately that no one noticed she didn't belong there.

Why feel this way? I went to a seminar on social media marketing in Denver. I tried extra hard to dress professionally so that people wouldn't think I was under 19. This preoccupation made me feel more awkward than usual. I tried arriving in Denver early and shopping the blues away, but looking for clothes only made me feel more inept at choosing clothes. Finally I gave up and went early to the library where the seminar was to be held. Ah, books. So much better than shopping.

P.S. Despite the awkwardness I never quite managed to shake (Why didn't I just wear jeans and let them think I'm a kid? Not like I'll see any of them again anyway.), I did have a great time and learned a lot. :D

Do Blogs Ever Die?

Once again it's been more than a year since my last post.  My vast reading audience must be wondering why I don't put this blog out of its misery and delete it.  That's a fair question.  I keep having this dream that someday I will be motivated again, and have time. 

Today I'm stuck between printing Bible study books on my office printer and planning the middle school girls' housechurch for tonight.  There's not much else I can do with this poor old computer while I print.  I keep thinking, "This time, this time will be different. This time I'll make this blog live again."  Who knows?  Maybe I will one of these days.