Sunday, January 16, 2011

Oh My Word!

Hi Friends,

In recent weeks, two events have created a desire for me to make changes in my life. One was seeing my old house (check out last post). Seeing what happens when a house is neglected and not kept up-to-date caused me to look anew at my own home.

The other event was a conversation Zoie and I had that has left me stunned and disturbed. It started with a simple question that I asked her...really off-handedly. "What are some things you see in my life that point you to God?" Her answer sort of took the life out of me. "You teach me right from wrong." I sat there a minute processing her words. So I asked her, "That's funny, you didn't mention things like prayer and Bible study...Why?" She continued, "Mom, I know you do those things. I just don't see them...you asked me what I saw. I see you have devotions with the family. I see you pray with us every night. I don't see you do those things by-yourself."

OUCH!!!!!!!

If my own daughter does not see me reflecting God...then what kind of dull image am I reflecting of HIM to the World? I do pray and read HIS word...But I've been too private about it.

So.....

I have been busy updating my two dwellings. I am rearranging furniture in my home. I've looked at the space and taken the advice of some people who are good at this sort of thing...the one's who have designer's hearts...like my mom. Every room in my house is getting some sort of update. It may be as little as moving a picture or clearing a shelf to doing a major over-haul like in Zoie's room...every stick of furniture was moved.

This week, while looking through a dictionary for my class I teach, I came across a new word. The word is "Transmogrification."

It means changing something to the fantastic or bizarre.

To do this I am turning to another designer's heart...actually HE IS THE ONLY TRUE DESIGNER! The earth and everything in it is the only complete designer-original. Every other designer has to use HIS scraps! (giggle, giggle...)

That's what God is doing in the place where HE and I dwell...My heart. I am being Transmogrified into the fantastic and bizarre creation HE wants me to be. We are rearranging attitudes, cleaning out some self-centered issues...which like dust seems to collect everyday on the surface of my heart. We are de-cluttering my thoughts so that what is being stored there is more like HIS thoughts.

I want to be changed to the fantastic and bizarre because HE IS!

I want my house to look better and reflect the values and beliefs of my family....I want God to transmogrify my heart to reflect HIS values and beliefs.

My house will once again clutter up because people live there. So will my heart because my self lives there too. But here's the thing...as I lay out the plans, direct the ideas, and my family works together....we can continue to update, refurbish and rearrange so that our house will reflect us well. With my heart, I must work with God to do the same thing. HE will layout the plans. HE will direct the ideas. HE will complete the job. I must spend time with HIM, listen to HIM and obey HIM. The more it is all about HIM the more it will be all about HIM!

2 Corinthians 3:18 says "And all of us have had that veiled removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like HIM and reflect HIS glory even more." NLT


Why don't you grab a dust pan, a mirror, your Bible and let's get TRANSMOGRIFIED!

Love ya,
Pamela

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

That's Where I used to Live!

Hi Friends!

I grew up in only two houses. I lived in one till I was four and I honestly don't remember much about that one. The other house, I lived in from the age of four until I was 24! It is as Miranda Lambert sings about, "the house that built me." My parents moved from that house when I was in my early 30's. I love where they live now and it instantly became home. I'll tell you about my parent's home another time.

Mike, Zoie and I moved back to my home town almost seven years ago. As we drive by the old home place, I find myself saying, "I used to live there." Driving to my parents on Christmas eve this year, I looked at my old house and noticed a "For Sale" sign. I asked Mike to pull over and I jotted down the number of the agent on the sign. A couple days later, I called and asked to see the house. I was so excited! I knew there had been some add-ons made and I could not wait to see the changes on the inside. Even as we pulled into the drive, things felt familiar. I drew in a deep breath and for a brief second, felt like I had come home from a long trip. We walked to the front door and stepped into what had always been my favorite room...the formal living room.

CRASH!!!!!!!

I had expected the house to be a little run down, after all... it was over 50 years old! But this was heart breaking! There had been changes to the outside of the house...updates...some good...some not so good. But the inside of the house had not changed...It was stuck in the 70's and 80's era. I vaguely heard the agent talking about the hard wood floors, as I walked around what had once been an elegant, peaceful, GOD-filled room, that now stood half empty and discarded. The agent went on to explain about a very bad, brown and green carpet in the great room. I kind of snorted out a half laugh as I said, "It wasn't green when I lived here." Soon we were walking into the kitchen and my heart sunk further. Although it had been painted, it too had been neglected. Then into the dinning room... it was the only room that looked like with just a coat of wax on the floor....it would be as good as new. I looked toward the great room and a tear ran down my face. The green and brown carpet that the agent had talked about... WAS the same carpet that my parents had put in there...only then it had been brown, orange and beige. The rest of the house was no better. Where seeing the same carpets and layouts of the rooms should have brought back fond memories, it only broke my heart more to see that nothing much had changed. I was flooded with childhood memories...all good by the way...and I shared them with Mike, Zoie and the patient agent. After we left, I cried because of the neglect. Why had they not taken care of the house?

My parents would have never let that house grow old like that. They constantly changed it while I was growing up, to fit the times. They had added on, updated, redesigned the cabinets... every couple of years our house was freshly painted and something was changed. It was always a showcase and beautiful.

It made me think about my own house...not the building I live in...but my spiritual house. The one where CHRIST dwells within me. Have I just kept up the outside with neglect to the inside? Have I tried too hard to keep it as it was 20 years ago? I often think back to my days as a young excited seminary student, who wanted to witness to the world! How many times have I tried to "decorate" my spiritual house by using the same kind of old stories and disciplines? Our relationship with GOD should be ever changing...always being updated to what is happening now...not what worked in the past.

I don't want to ever go back and live in the house where I used to live...physically or spiritually!
UPDATE ME LORD!!!! I need a relationship with YOU that is HERE, NOW, TODAY and exactly right with the times!

I think it is time to UPDATE And REDECORATE! I've got some ideas...wanna join me and let the ultimate designer give us an EXTREME MAKE-OVER!

Love Ya!
Pamela