Due to moving into a newly constructed house on a newly constructed street, from February 3 - 21, we had no tv or computer service. I anticipated we'd be without it for a couple of days, but was not prepared for the long black-out.
At first we brought out the Bose radio, channeled to local stations for news, and enjoyed listening to unfamiliar pop radio. The shine of difference wore off quickly, however. The pop radio prattle began to hurt my ears. The evening hours from 6 pm on were a special challenge. Reading the newspapers filled in to a degree, but, the few sentences were absorbed into the quiet, and didn't give the in-depth answers I wanted.
I learned lots of things about my husband and myself during those strange days, though. First, we don't have the same taste in music. Well, I knew this, but it didn't matter before, because I keep my tunes in my car, as he does, and we didn't listen to music together because - we had the tv. Most of the time, though, I don't use the car radio, or listen to music at all. I enjoy the quiet when I'm in the house. He doesn't. So, he chose the music, right?
The second realization was our sleep habits. We're used to going to sleep with the tv. This many consecutive evenings without it brought restless, stop-and-start sleep for many nights. We'd crash early, about 7:30, and would have had enough sleep by midnight, be awake, he for an hour, maybe two or three for me. Time-lapsed tiredness was really tough on both of us.
After about day 9, I found that I really missed the news. And, I felt disconnected, almost like part of my brain was not working, a strange kind of knowing I was out of sync with myself. With no IPhone or blackberry device to fill in, I was stranded in my new house with only the radio link to the world news. This feeling surprises me, because I don't consider myself a news hound. Most of the day I don't even have the tv on.
It was the fact that I couldn't turn it on if I wanted to that made me feel cut off from society at large. Well, long story short, the cable guy was here, hooked us up, finally, and today I have the luxury of watching tv or not, whatever I decide, whenever I decide.
Things have turned around so much that having tv is basic, and living without it is not basic. Instant news is common, and being uninformed is uncommon. Is tv a necessity or a luxury? I guess it depends on what other electronic devices one has available, and if one cares about the world enough to want to know what is going on. I care. I am grateful to be back on cable, back on line, back to the basics.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Who do We Believe?
God gifted us with Jesus if we believe we will never be alone. This means we believe in Jesus' life, his death, and his resurrection. This also means we believe in God's eternal calendar.
Jesus took my death, (and your death if you believe) when he himself died. Some two thousand years ago, he took my sins on as his own. Isn't that a difficult thought? How in the world could that happen? I don't know. Except that I believe he did it.
It's not my job to wonder how it was done. All I have to do is believe he did it. He took those nails that should be on my hands, that whipping that was beyond horror, that suffering that is incomprehendable, and he took my death at His expense, His life.
If that wasn't enough love, God then resurrected Jesus, and gave us the Holy Spirit, to ensure we are never alone, not for a single breath of life are we alone, no matter where in this world we are, He is with us.
John 3:16 is salvation in it's purest description.
Looking at the news this week with the turmoil in Egypt and in China, with landmark blizzards week after week in the U.S. ( yesterday's blizzard stretching some 2,000 miles, unbelievable) and hurricanes in Australia. Then we have our country's growing unrest with our own government's behavior. These issues push me to think more in-depth about my faith journey, and how can I help others before judgment comes to earth.
There seems to be more and more urgency about weather, global civility, hunger and homelessness, illness, economic collapse, many things we used to talk about as possibilities are being played out before our eyes.
But, no matter how hard we try to escape Him, none of us can escape God's all-seeing eye. And yet, it's our all-seeing God who is the only one who can give us real peace and hope, and that is found only through Jesus Christ.
Even when things seem dark, as they surely appear grim this week, a light comes from God's grace that illuminates the deepest darkness.
That light is seen in the love gestures that are all around us, if we but look closely for them. Look through the rush of things and see a smile, a nod of understanding, sunlight through a window, freshly laundered clothes. There are so many points of light around us; blessings from God, examples of His presence.
We don't know the hour or day, but one day Jesus Christ is coming back again to take us to be with Him forever. The Scriptures clearly tell us how we should live each day as we wait for His coming.
Our citizenship is not on earth, but in heaven. And, we look forward to seeing our Savior who is from there.
I don't remember where I found this, but it help me remember why I'm a Christian:
GRACE = God's Riches at Christ's Expense.
Let's claim Romans 5:8 today, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Jesus took my death, (and your death if you believe) when he himself died. Some two thousand years ago, he took my sins on as his own. Isn't that a difficult thought? How in the world could that happen? I don't know. Except that I believe he did it.
It's not my job to wonder how it was done. All I have to do is believe he did it. He took those nails that should be on my hands, that whipping that was beyond horror, that suffering that is incomprehendable, and he took my death at His expense, His life.
If that wasn't enough love, God then resurrected Jesus, and gave us the Holy Spirit, to ensure we are never alone, not for a single breath of life are we alone, no matter where in this world we are, He is with us.
John 3:16 is salvation in it's purest description.
Looking at the news this week with the turmoil in Egypt and in China, with landmark blizzards week after week in the U.S. ( yesterday's blizzard stretching some 2,000 miles, unbelievable) and hurricanes in Australia. Then we have our country's growing unrest with our own government's behavior. These issues push me to think more in-depth about my faith journey, and how can I help others before judgment comes to earth.
There seems to be more and more urgency about weather, global civility, hunger and homelessness, illness, economic collapse, many things we used to talk about as possibilities are being played out before our eyes.
But, no matter how hard we try to escape Him, none of us can escape God's all-seeing eye. And yet, it's our all-seeing God who is the only one who can give us real peace and hope, and that is found only through Jesus Christ.
Even when things seem dark, as they surely appear grim this week, a light comes from God's grace that illuminates the deepest darkness.
That light is seen in the love gestures that are all around us, if we but look closely for them. Look through the rush of things and see a smile, a nod of understanding, sunlight through a window, freshly laundered clothes. There are so many points of light around us; blessings from God, examples of His presence.
We don't know the hour or day, but one day Jesus Christ is coming back again to take us to be with Him forever. The Scriptures clearly tell us how we should live each day as we wait for His coming.
Our citizenship is not on earth, but in heaven. And, we look forward to seeing our Savior who is from there.
I don't remember where I found this, but it help me remember why I'm a Christian:
GRACE = God's Riches at Christ's Expense.
Let's claim Romans 5:8 today, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
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