Dr Saucy Says...

     This is a picture of Dr. Robert Saucy, Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology.  I'm currently taking Theology IV from him, and really find him to be wise and thoughtful.  I enjoy the class a great deal and find his lectures fabulous.  The homework, on the other hand...  *sigh*

     The other day Papa Saucy (his son is also a Dr. who also teaches Theo IV, so I have to have a way of telling them apart in conversation, hence "Papa" Saucy) launched off on this short but golden nugget.  He stated that our discouragements and negativity should be short-lived because as a Christian we ALWAYS have hope.  There is something promised us that will be eternal and good beyond our imagination.  Let me challenge you for a little bit:  are you perpetually discouraged and/or often negative?  Think about this-

"So we're not giving up.  How could we!  Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.  These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.  There's far more here than meets the eye.  The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.  But the things we can't see now will last forever."

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 MSG

I read that last night for Theo IV and thought about how right Papa Saucy is.  He doesn't deny that there are hard things and issues we'd rather not experience and pain does in fact enter our life.  But life is so much more than that.  We have a hope and a promise that outweighs it all-even the best of our experiences.  For that reason we can have a temperament of optimism and anticipation!  Hooray!

I really wanted to take another picture of Dr. Saucy while he was lecturing in class, but I'd have to use my computer to do that and it's a little awkward...  I'm brainstorming on a stealthy way to snap his picture.  Look for it when it comes...

This past weekend in Mammoth!

     This past weekend I went on retreat with our post-college crew, "The Gathering."  Honestly I can say that I hope there comes a time when I can go on retreat without being in school.  The past three retreats I've attended have been during the semester, and as much as I enjoy the time "retreating," there is always the ever-lurking knowledge that I have a pile of work waiting for me that is as high as my eye-brows.  That fact is still there even when I escape for a few hours.  I have to admit that school is a pretty good stressor for me-after all the work is never really done, it just comes due.  There are classes I tolerate, and classes I love.  The intensity level is ramped up quite a bit-definitely moreso than I remember in undergrad.  It becomes especially challenging to me to hear people downplay the work I had to do with "why don't you wait til later?"  Believe me, I wish that could happen!  And there will in fact come a time when I will not have these restrictions, and I'm so looking forward to it!  So there is my bittersweet comment about retreating...   If I had the chance to go back and rethink if I would go or not, I'd go.  Even as I did homework in the morning it was great to put it aside at night and connect with people.  Not to mention the scenery was lovely and breathtaking and an awesome display of God's handiwork.  

  

Lest you think I have nothing but complaints about homework, I'll assure you the trip was a good thing.  I got to spend the weekend with some of the dearest people to me-totally worth going on retreat!  I also enjoyed meeting some new people and spending time getting to know them a little bit better.  The result of spending time with these people is that I'd like to continue spending time with them.  For the friends I've had for a while-I'm so glad you're in my life and know that I value you and treasure time spent with you and hope to continue that for decades.  For the ones I just met, I enjoyed hearing bits and pieces about you and seeing part of what makes you tick.  I'd like to continue down this path we've started.

And I'd like to play board games and card games after doing awesome devotionals every single night until I'm 42!  And even though I'll still be in school for the potential Winter 2010 retreat, I'm going to tell you right now that I plan on rocking the 2011 retreats!

Night Time at Talbot

Now that I've survived the first two weeks of school safe and sound I know a few of you are waiting for a new blog post. Might even have been expecting this one! Sit back and revel in story time...

This story starts a week and a half ago, no, further back. I have this school schedule this semester of attending classes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Technically I have a class on Monday too, but I only had to attend the first day of class and then just email in the assignments ('cause that's a lot of commute time for a 50 minute class...). My wonderful friend Christine told me that I could stay in La Mirada on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in their spare room for the entire semester. I was so happy I did a heel click when she told me that late last December.

Well, classes started a week and a half ago, so I packed my bags and early Monday morning made the trek up to school. Some of you have now started putting a few pieces together... No, I didn't have "official" reservations with anyone anywhere to sleep that night. I had a couple of emails out to folks, and there were a few others that I simply didn't want to bother knowing that they already had a lot on their plate. So, just in case I couldn't find anyone to put me up Monday night I was mentally prepared to camp out in the car. After all, I had all the goods with me for Tuesday and Wednesday night (pillow, blankets, teddy bear, toothebrush, deoderant...) I figured there was no harm. I'm resourceful. Sometimes you've just got to do what you have to do.

Monday night arrives and I realize I'm on my own for the evening. Around 9:45 I hop in my car, move it to the ideal, secluded spot in the lot and set up camp in the back seat. It took a little rearranging, but it was sort of comfortable. Except for the light shining from the parking lot lights. So just as I sat up to find a better position, or to move something to block the light, I saw a security car do a real slow drive by. I froze until they moseyed on and then snuggled back in. Five minutes later a large security SUV pulls up.

You know what I'm talking about. The huge ones with the spot light and the security logo and the reflective stickers and the officers in uniform that carry exceptionally large flashlights.

One of those.

And they were parked right in front of my car. I stayed down until the guy got out of the SUV and then I came to my senses and got out of my car.

Did I mention that I locked my car from the outside with my key and then hopped in pulling the door closed after me? It gets better. You see, when you lock your car that way, you need the key to unlock it or else the alarm goes off. So as I reach for the door handle to get out my alarm triggers and locks me back in. Oh joy. But I managed to get out and shove my key in the lock to stop the alarm. Meanwhile there's this officer at my right shoulder looking at me (in my socks-beige ones with little white rubber grippers on the bottom that are now black from the pavement.)

He asks me, "So, is that your alarm?"

"Yes."

"What's going on here?"

So I tell him I didn't have a place to spend the night that night so I was going to sleep in the car.

"Okay, we were just checking to make sure no one was stealing this car, Ma'am." (Ma'am? Oh yes, he did.)

I hand him my student ID and as he's doing his thing he asks me if my housing isn't set up yet. "Something like that. I'll have a place to stay starting tomorrow, Officer."

Thank goodness I'm a Grad student because I think the under 21 crowd would have gotten a different treatment than me, bless that sweet security guy's heart. After he calls in that I'm a grad student in x car with x student number, I asked him if it was okay that I was spending the night in my car on that lot. He said it was, buuuuut since I was a woman, he'd prefer that I move to a lot that was closer to the heart of campus rather than the one by the main road. He started to recommend a lot, but then came up with a better one. Mr. Officer asked me if I knew where Lot B was, which I did...its the one behind the bell tower...and other handy student services....

"Isn't that the lot next to Campus Security?"

"Yes. Yes it is. You should be all right there."

Now isn't that sweet? Not only was that officer considerate and kind, he did a nice job of trying to keep me safe. He remained oh-so polite as I started babbling about how embarrassed I was. He kept cool even with my annoying alarm going crazy. He never made any sort of face that indicated how crazy I might be, or how ridiculous he thought I might have been. He just took it all in stride.

Even the blackened beige socks.

Bless his heart!

Extend Deliberate Grace

     Here is a picture of my new sign for my sun visor.  I like the idea of being reminded to give grace to others, after all, who couldn't use some grace?  Sitting in my car is often the time when I get a lot of good thinking done, and one day it occurred to me that giving grace is a doable thing.  When I'm driving I can choose to not react to the driver with road rage, to let the car waiting to merge go ahead of me, to allow the pedestrian trying to cross mosey on in a snail's pace without my irritation rising.  Outside my car I can wait patiently in lines, to smile nicely at the little old ladies and gentlemen I see at Starbucks and Barnes & Noble, to simply be a real person instead of a self absorbed spoiled woman who thinks and cares only for herself.  

     Extend Deliberate Grace.  The word deliberate was also something I included because I need it.  I have a choice.  I can be intentional with my actions and attitudes, and this is an excellent area to be deliberate in.  There are times when I get wrapped up in thinking instead of being in the present.  I have a choice to continue in that manner, or to not.  So my little sign is a reminder to become someone who makes good choices.

    On a side note, in the bottom picture my boys decided to "help" model the new sign!  Bucky (Buckwheat) and Roosevelt looked so handsome in their new Springtime ribbons that I couldn't resist including them.  Roosevelt would like everyone to know that although he REALLY wanted Bucky's blue ribbon, he went ahead and let Bucky have it.  Isn't that sweet?!  Bucky and Roosevelt are bears from Sootheze and are filled with buckwheat seed and lavendar; they can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer to become hot/cold packs.  I've had Bucky for about 9 years, and Roosevelt came along last November.  So if you're in the market...  You won't be disappointed!

Early Spring Hellos!

     Here they are!  My Early Spring Hellos!  The lighting was absolutely wretched this evening, but I was too impatient to wait until morning to take pictures, so this is what we have...  I used a nice medley of golden oranges, creams, dark orange, and olive with pale yellow ribbon accents.  This reminds me of tender little green shoots coming alive under the pale gold sun that is the hallmark of late Winter and early Spring.  Late Spring has a little more color as blooms open and colors start intensifying... so this is the result!  I tried a little embossing on a few of the cards.  It was fun and something I look forward to perfecting down the road.  

     Happy end of January to you!  Spring is coming soon!