The silly and the sacred...questions that have me thinking! (Part 4)

Why do people bend their bodies along with their ball when bowling as if to tell the ball how to travel down the lane?


You know Jesus wasn't white right?  (this one isn't a question that has me thinking but is more meant to get you thinking in case you never thought about it before. :) )


Does the kind of grape you prefer to eat also indicate the kind of wine you prefer to drink?



Why does a black skinned (or darker skinned as in the case of Hispanics) person threaten the white skinned population?  (Don't think the whiteys - hey, I'm one so I can say it - are threatened?  *Then explain the Civil Rights Movement here in America, or the Apartheid movement in South Africa, or the clamp down on the Aborigines in Australia, etc etc etc) 


How is it possible to love someone/something so much and yet dislike them/it just as much at the same time?

If smokers could smell themselves would they quit smoking? 

Do people who wear skinny jeans wear them to look skinny?  And do skinny people know that they don't look good in skinny jeans?!?

Has the line between God's gift of grace and abuse of said grace been blurred, or even abused, within the Church? 

What does it say about the direction of mankind when a car becomes worth more to someone than a human life? (Haven't heard this story yet?  Click on the question and read about the horrifying event that I drove past on my way to work Wednesday, February 23 - the update to the story is that a 34 year old woman has been arrested.)
*I've included some links for each of the events I mention by name.  Click on the named event/person group and the link will pop up!  And...just for the record the abuse and devalument that whites have heaped upon the black population is completely sickening to me.  I praise God that he is the God of vengeance and I don't have to go and do anything stupid to the white population out there that has participated or still participates in these disgusting ways.

Really. I'm not TRYING to be a nuisance! :)

So here we are in this same old spot



Knowing something needs to happen but our mouths are locked


Tongue tied, closed tight, sealed shut, yup


I tried hard but it just wouldn't come up


It's on the tip of my tongue, it's in the front of my mind


Yet the words were still so hard to find


Finally the reality of things to come pushed me to the edge


I jumped off the cliff into the abyss as I said

[Chorus]


I'm not trying to be a nuisance


I just think we can do better than this


That was simply my two cents


You can, you can take it or leave it

The conversation lingered on and on and


Before I knew it night had turned to dawn and


Were we searching for the truth in all of it?


Or are we debating just to win the argument?


'Cause none of us want to hear about where we go wrong


This song could easily be from me to you or me to John


'Cause I have the potential to be the guiltiest

My greatest strength is also my strongest weakness
Let's think about this path that we're taking


Let's think about this future we're creating


Let's think about this life that is fading


Think about it, come on, think about it now


Let's think about this time that we're spending


Investing in monetary things that are ending


Let's think about it and let's think together


And let's think about what we can do to make it better


We can and we will do better than this.

The silly and the sacred...questions that have me thinking! (Part 3)

Why does an Improv group practice/rehearse?


Shouldn't a Christian college believe that God and his Word are infallible?


Does anyone else think that getting an American Doll that looks just like you is creepy?


In our efforts to be profound/philosophical have we lost our message and the simplicity of it? 


What is Lady Gaga trying to do or to prove?


Why do companies focus so much on education and/or skill and not at all on character?  It is a better employee in the long run that has good character and has to be taught a skill rather than an employee who has no character but the skill.

Why is it that wherever we are at in the grocery store and we park our cart that is the exact place where people need to be?  Who actually needs a 5 gallon jar of sauerkraut?!?  I always put my cart in front of some obscure item to stay out of the way and someone always wants that exact item. 


Why can't we respect the wishes of the people we respect and admire?  (*i.e. Martin Luther he asked that no church/peoples be named after him - um, hello LUTHERANS :)  - Mother Teresa asked that her diaries not get published - they did. I think you see what I'm saying.)


Why can't Christians be creative and think of their own marketable products rather than rip off someone else's and label it with the word "Bible" or some other biblical term?  (i.e. Apples to Apples - there's a Bible Apples to Apples...WHY?) 

Do all parents at some point wonder what action they do will push their kid into therapy at some point?  :) 

___________________________________________
*Martin Luther - "I ask that people do not make reference to my name. Let them call themselves Christians, not Lutherans. What is Luther? After all, this gospel teaching is not mine. Neither was I crucified for anyone. In 1 Corinthians 3, St. Paul does not allow Christians to call themselves "Pauline" or "Petrine" but only "Christian." How then should I-the poor, stinking bag of maggots that I am-come to have people call the children of Christ by my wretched name? Let it not be so, my dear friends. Rather, let us abolish all partisan names and call ourselves Christians, after him whose teaching we hold." (From A Sincere Admonition from Martin Luther to All Christians, 1522)
*Mother Teresa - "At one point, a former archbishop of Calcutta wanted to share some of her letters with a struggling founder of another religious congregation, Father Kolodiejchuk said.  Mother Teresa begged him not to and asked that all her letters be destroyed.  Father Kolodiejchuk said she told the archbishop, "When people know about the beginning, they will think more about me and less about Jesus."

Names

Have you ever paused to consider what a name says?
Of course we all have considered what names say when they are ones like:
stupid
idiot
moron
dumb
etc
I'm not talking about those names.
I'm talking about YOUR name.  Yes, you. 
I'm talking about MY name.  Yes, me too. 
Ever consider what your name being said communicates to you?
Ever consider what the name of the person you are speaking to communicates to them?
Oh, I'm not talking about the meaning of names either. 
I'm simply talking about what it says. 

In my job it is expected that I know the names of my fellow co-workers.  And until now I haven't really ever considered the value of a name. 
When I call people by their name I am telling them that they:
*exist
*have worth
*hold value
*are important enough to commit to memory
*are unique and not a "cookie cutter" human

WHAT?! 
"Beth, this time you are really reaching." 
It's okay if you are thinking that. 
Maybe I am reaching.
But maybe I'm not. 

I've seen the faces of my co-workers light up when I greet them by their name. 
I've seen them pause and greet me back when they were going to blow right by me.
I've had them visit my desk and begin conversation with me and all because I used their name.

I know how much it means to me.  In fact, one of the first things that impressed me about my workplace was the intentional use of my name by my new co-workers.  Even the President and CEO have committed my name to memory and they don't need the reminder of my nameplate or badge!  :)  That's impressive and it meant a lot to me that people set out to let me know that I was more than a presence at the Front Desk but I had value, a personality, I was a person with feelings.  It still means a lot to me.  In fact, our President was walking out for lunch today and inquired about me and my comfort level at the Front Desk.  And he used my name to start off the conversation. 

Whether we admit it or not, whether we have even considered it or not we like it and we appreciate it when we are called by our name.  That is when it is spoken with respect, love, compassion, and kindness.

So.
Where do you fall in this?
Is everyone you meet up with a "there" or a "you"? 
(Hey there or Hey you)
Or do you purpose to call others by their name if you can?

I'm just sayin' that a name purposefully committed to memory and then used speaks more to that person than you may ever realize. 

Oh, and if by chance nobody ever calls you by name again I know of One who will always call you by name.  He named the stars in the sky and he named YOU as he formed you (Psalm 139). 

My 90 Day Review of being a Front Desk Receptionist

Well, it’s been 90 days. Time flies when you are having fun at the Front Desk!



The Name Update:


Out of approximately 203 Service Center (Headquarters) Employees I don’t know 31. In my defense about 25 of them don’t work in the same building and so I literally never see them, some of them I have never seen! Not bad for 3 months, I have memorized roughly 172 names! Impressive for this aging brain! :)  I actually know more employees than most of the other employees know.


The Task Update:


In an effort to keep me from being on Facebook for 5 ½ straight hours, haha, my boss has scared up some work for me to do. It keeps me occupied enough. I sign off on purchases, I request checks to be cut, I monitor our visitor badges, I maintain the company soda machine, and I make conference room, transportation, and guest lodging reservations. (We own a house that we allow people to stay in and use, comparable to a hotel and more comfortable!) I have also created tasks for myself. Between the morning person and myself we keeping thinking of things to keep us busy looking!


The Behind Update:


HA! See my last update about Front Desk receptionists!


The Inner Office Mail Update:


The tootsie rolls ran out so I upgraded to individually wrapped Lifesavers (eyes and nose) and Twizzlers (smiles). I’m hearing rumors of recipients hanging them up in their cubicles. I don’t sign my name because it isn’t about me; it’s simply about putting a smile (hopefully) in their day.


The Co-Worker Update:


No more requests for assistance on personal hygiene issues, thank goodness! But observing my co-workers has given me A LOT of material for writing. A LOT. :) 


The morning Front Desk woman and I complement each other well and I think we are both a great fit together for the Lobby and being the “faces of Young Life”.


The Lobby Music Update:


The differences between my direct co-worker and I are obvious even in our music choices! She covers the morning and plays more mellow music and then I get in there and pop in more upbeat music!


The Organization:


The more I work with and for Young Life the more impressed I am with their mission and how they go about fulfilling that mission. Coming from a Christian High School I have no previous history or experience with Young Life and so I’m totally new to this particular organization. I feel incredibly blessed to be working with and for the people here at the Service Center as they work for and with the 4000+ field staff that Young Life has throughout this Nation and in other parts of the world. I’m excited and grateful to be part of this team called Young Life. Want to know more about Young Life? Click here!


Conclusion of the 90 Day Review:


Since they decided to keep me I think I’ll stick around for awhile! We seem to have a mutual affection for one another. :) 

Memories of Mom

What the daughter does, the mother did.

(Jewish Proverb)

(My Mom and I, 1974.)

I looked in the mirror the other day and saw my Mom’s elbows. It made me pause. See, I look just like my Dad. But I saw that day that I have my Mom’s elbows. I’m so much like my Dad in both physical looks and giftings that what I have of Mom gets a little lost.  So many of the events and day to day things from my childhood have drifted to the dark parts of my memory bank. But every so often one of the memories creeps forward and makes itself present.  Here are just a few...


My Mom and I share a love of office supplies, specifically pens.  A few years back we walked into an office supply store together and as we walked through the door we both, without speaking, inhaled the smell of the store. We happened to notice that we did that, looked at each other and started laughing in astonishment. In that moment it became very clear to me where I got my love of office supplies and explained why I could, and have, spent hours browsing in office supply stores!

(Mom got her first Kitchen Aid Christmas 1983)

I love to bake. And I never thought much about it until one day the random memory came to me that my Mom, once upon a time, loved to bake! In fact, she spent one day a week in the summers baking all the needed baked goods for this Dude Ranch near where we lived. Along with this memory came a clear picture in my mind of her standing in the kitchen of this Dude Ranch working with their huge Kitchen Aid and baking all sorts of fantastic treats.

(Mom baking at Tumbling River Ranch Summer 1985)

My Mom taught me to read at a very young age. We share books and a voracious love for reading. She taught me so well that when I was four and my brother was two I taught him to read! She turned us into a family of readers.


One day when my hub and I were doing some deep spring cleaning I got the giggles. I was cleaning windowsills and was really into it. I was definitely putting some elbow grease into this project. I started giggling when I realized I most likely had the same expression on my face that my Mom does when she’s scrubbing and I looked up to see my hub looking at me and saying, “You look like your Mom right now.” She and I have the same intensity when deeply involved in a project.


As I age I have started to hit curbs when driving. So yeah beware. Anyway, guess who does this too? Yep. My Mom! My daughter frequently makes comments about my driving and the growing similarities to my Mom’s. There are certain driving habits that I told my daughter to never let me engage in however! Haha!


When I was in elementary my Mom and I got up early one morning and went to a friend’s to feed their St. Bernard named Bear. My Mom was wearing this long quilted coat, the style back then, and went out on the back deck to Bear. I stayed inside and watched through the sliding glass door. In the blink of an eye my Mom was screaming at Bear as he tried to make her his breakfast. Imagine a young girl staring out the window while her Mom is being attacked by a huge St. Bernard. He bit through her coat and got to her arm. At first he went for her neck as he pushed her face down on the deck but she somehow offered up her arm instead. I don’t really know. All I know is her screams, my screams, and Bear. I got my Dad on the phone and told him what happened and he raced over. The rest of the morning was spent trying to contain Bear, get a hold of his owners, and getting my Mom to an Urgent Care for stitches. That afternoon we participated in our annual Awana Olympics, my Mom was a trooper.


As I get older and my Mom gets older and we grow in our friendship I see things about her that I never saw when I was younger. For example...


My Mom has a wonderful way with older people. She has been a companion to many as they can’t get out of their homes or even beds any longer. She and a 90+ year old quilt together! She taught the lady when she mentioned a few years back that she had never learned!


She volunteers at an organization that does in home hospice care and I dropped by the other day and one of the Directors there couldn’t stop gushing about my Mom. I’m so proud of her and so proud to call her MY Mom.


She heads up the quilting ministry at our church. Each Christmas our church picks a nursing home to gift the residents with lap quilts. This is no small undertaking; it is literally a yearlong project!

My Mom may not know it or feel it or even hear it but God has been speaking grace over and in her life for 60 years now.  She's dragged some heavy baggage with her throughout life but as she ages she has learned to courageously put the baggage down and continue on her journey with a lighter load.  Philippians 1:6 says that the process God begins with each one of us he will complete and my Mom is a strong example to me of being brave enough and having the necessary endurance to allow God to put her through the processes. 


When I look in the mirror as the years pass, I hope that I see more of my Mother in me than just her elbows. :) 

(My Mom's 36th Birthday, February 4 1987.  I'm 36 right now!)