One Difference Between Men and Women

Today one of the differences between men and women was highlighted in my office. This came in the form of the women worrying about what to wear tomorrow and the men just rolling their eyes when they overheard what we women are discussing. Tomorrow's attire is causing concern because the company is taking us white water rafting which means the problem of wearing bathing suits and of course what else to wear over the top of them to cover up. The issue is complicated by the fact that the water is currently 48 degrees so the rafting company is recommending wetsuits which of course hide nothing.

As I was just in bedroom trying to decide what to bring with me this image came to mind of the 4 women of the company standing in huddle staring at each other with the expressions of "What do we do? I don't think I want to do this." This was very humorous and ridiculous to me but somehow I will think it will occur, or at least in some part. And I find myself not wanting to care but I do. For example I had been planning on wearing shorts and one of the women said, "I know one thing, I am not wearing shorts." I have now spent the rest of the day wondering why, still haven't figured that one out but I am now questioning if I should wear shorts. So I obviously have not decided what to wear.

One last thought, at the end of one conversation about the attire issue of one the women said, "I will have to talk to the guys about coming up with a company outing that doesn't cause all this stress for the women about what to wear." My thought was, "I don't think one exists." I didn't say this out load but I believe that anything outside the office with coworkers is going to cause stress to women when deciding what to wear.

Jane Austen & Singleness

I was recently talking to the woman who runs the book club at church, Kathleen, and she was retelling a conversation she had with another woman who was single and really not happy about being single. The woman asked Kathleen if she thought God had a man in mind for everyone and Kathleen responded, “No but I think Jane Austen does.” And the woman didn’t know who Jane Austen was. How sad to have never experienced “Pride & Prejudice” in any form.


And speaking of Jane Austen I have to point out that 5 weeks from today I will be visiting Bath where anybody who was anybody in a Jane Austen book visited so I guess now I could be someone in the eyes of Jane Austen.

Reflections on Romans

Last Monday night was share night at BSF with the completion of the study of Romans. (For those who have never done BSF - share night is the when we stay together as one large group rather than dividing into our small groups and you have the oppertunity to share what God has taught you through the study and your personal life together.) As a leader I have to share what I learned through the study at the leaders fellowship which was last Friday night. I spent the week leading up to to the fellowship and the week following it trying to pinpoint what God has taught me through the last 9 months while doing this study. I came up with an answer for Friday night but I didn't love my answer nor did I really feel that I loved the study of Romans.

So after two weeks of contemplating I think God was trying to squish me like a bug. Or said differently - teach me humility. Let's review the last 9 months:

• I tried to do a career change which failed.
• I lost my job which then forced me back to the career I was trying to leave (although I must admit that I enjoy the new engineering much more than I ever thought possible).
• While I enjoyed all the individual girls in my BSF group they were challenging group in that they were quiet and inconsistent.
• I had to put my dog to sleep.
• My bathroom flooded.
• All while studying Romans.

In considering the BSF studies that I have completed and loved I could see a consistent theme in what God was teaching me. All the way through Genesis no matter the scripture I walked away with the lesson to trust in God no matter how things look (not sure how well I applied that this year). The only lesson I walked away with consistently from Romans was that I suck as person and in my walk with Christ. Even when we got past the first several chapters of Romans and Paul was trying to be encouraging I didn't really feel encouraged. Not that I wasn't encouraged by Romans 8 but not in the same proportion that I was feeling squished.

The very last question of the year was "How will you give glory to God for all He has done in history and in your won personal life this year?" And to be honest that was a really hard question for me to answer because I didn't really feel praising God for this last year. I sat on that question for days and in the end I wrote down "I don't know - I have been feeling uninspired recently" and went into leaders meeting praying I wouldn't be asked to share on that one.

So now looking forward I hope this grows into realizing that despite that I suck He still loves me and I would learn to experience the freedom I have in that love. And also see and be able to praise Him for all amazing ways He has provided for me. Some of them being my friends and family, that I do love the new job, I am going to Europe for the first time next month, I have some new friendships that will continue to grow from my group of women, etc. I am not all the way there yet but I can feel it starting to grow.

"All of our praise rises to the One is strong enough to make
you strong, exactly as preached in Jesus Christ, precisely as revealed in the mystery kept secret for so long but now open book through the prophetic Scriptures... All our praise is focused through Jesus on
this comparably wise God! Yes!"

(Romans 16:25, 27, The Message)

Laptop verses Desktop

Due to problems with my current computer I have decided to buy a new one. As I started looking one of the first questions I had to decide was a laptop versus a desktop. I currently have desktop and don't really image myself really carrying a laptop too far outside of my home so initially I didn't see any reason for a laptop. But recently this idea that somehow having a laptop to able use anywhere within my home would greatly enhance my life.

For example, I am sitting upstairs in my guest bedroom doing this, booking hotels for my upcoming trip to Europe, verifying the computer I want to buy, etc while the Wings are playing and therefore I can't watch the game and get all this done. So instead I have a second window open with the score that I check compulsively. (They are currently ahead 1-0 with 17 minutes left in the 3rd period.) And I believe it was last Sunday night the Wings were in overtime and I was upstairs on the Internet, the TV was on downstairs and at one point I thought I heard the announcer say someone scored so I go racing down the stairs only to find that nothing had happened (the Wings later lost). And then on Tuesday I was again working on the Europe trip and by the time I got around to turning on the game it was 4-0 Wings, which is great I just wish I could have seen some of it. Thursday I did nothing on the Europe trip so that I could watch the game.

So I think you get the point, so I have decided to buy a laptop. And I realize that is won't change my life but maybe I will be a little better about corresponding and help this blog to be a success.