The World Gets Smaller

What a week.

I started out by talking about the meaning of being needy, about the kind heart of my friend Matthew who is on his way to Uganda for a mission trip as we speak. I talked about how a tweet from a friend in Australia kept nagging at me: “The poor aren’t on earth for us to think, ‘Phew, how blessed am I that it’s not me.’”

And then I wrote this:

Ugh. Instead of making that statement, I should be asking a question. What am I doing about all those who aren’t me? Those who don’t have family and friends and disability payments. It’s not enough to be grateful and go about my business…

And then an earthquake hit Haiti. And reports are saying 100,000 people are most likely dead. That 3 million people are wounded and homeless. I watched CNN as they tried to free an 11 year old girl from the wreckage, debating whether or not they could get her out or if they had to cut off her leg. The people deciding this were not rescue workers… they were her neighbors, her family, her friends. They were strangers who were in the same desperate situation.

I listened to the President say in a press conference Thursday morning, “For the sake of our citizens who are in Haiti, for the sake of the Haitian people who have suffered so much, and for the sake of our common humanity, we stand in solidarity with our neighbors to the south, knowing that but for the grace of God, there we go.”

And again I found myself saying, “What am I doing about those who aren’t me?” Some are able to go and assist, some are able to give money, all of us are able to pray. Whatever you want to do, I just wanted to make sure you have the resources that will directly help those in need…

World Vision

Compassion

Texting “Haiti” to 90999 will allow you to donate $10 to the Red Cross.

Texting “Yele” to 501501 will donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Campaign.

Both text options will put the charge on your next phone bill.

Blog Peep Questions: Christmas Edition

How was your visit with the Turner’s? When are you going to post about it?

I’ve gotten this question from a number of you through email… I guess after the big lead up to them coming, people are wondering when in the world the blog post about their visit is going to be published!

Well, the blog post didn’t happen because their visit has been delayed. Yes, a normal person would say that we had to cancel their visit, but because I not only have a long history of experiencing Catholic guilt but am adept at inflicting it on others, I’ll be guilting them into coming eventually.

I’m just kidding!

Kind of.

They were all set for their road trip to Wisconsin, but after taking off they found themselves stopping every 15 minutes so poor Matthew could throw up. Really bad timing to take a kajillion hour drive when you have the stomach flu. They turned around and headed back to Nashville, but were thankfully able to get plane tickets and still spend the holiday with Jessica’s family. Since they didn’t drive they obviously couldn’t detour here, but it really worked out better anyway. It would have been bad having Matthew visit after just getting over the flu, and Jess ended up with a bad cold the day before they would have come anyway.

Not to mention the blizzard we had all of Christmas week, in which they shouldn’t have been driving.

In the end, my whole Christmas was more on the quiet side this year, as my parents were snowed in and unable to make it for lunch on Christmas day as well. But I guess 18 inches of snow will do that to people, so I let them off the hook. :) Let’s just say that Santa had no problem landing the sleigh in Iowa this year.

However… my friends Mark and Susie dropped by quick on Christmas Eve before they went home to celebrate with their boys. They had just been to Mass and surprised me by videotaping it. I’m telling you guys, there is no greater gift than to feel a part of something, even from a distance. I put in the DVD and watched, participated and smiled a lot. The camera was placed perfectly so when people walked up to communion I could see them… I’ve never had such an urge to jump through the computer and hug people in my life. There were people I expected to see, people back visiting and people I simply forgot about until the camera caught their profile.

It was like going home.

On the other end of the spectrum, I spent a portion of my Christmas Day on the computer listening to my friends who had gathered at Brent and Tam’s house in Oregon sing Christmas carols… they shared their morning with me before heading out to family activities. How amazing is that? I’m stuck here, my family is snowed in, the Turner’s are detoured and yet I still manage to be surrounded by love because of this fantastic technology. Computers may seem like a cold way to communicate, but when you have the warm hearts of caring, considerate people feeding it, the computer can turn into the heart of Christmas.

Lucky me. :)

[I was going to close with that, but Riley just gave me the evil eye. Of course the pup keeping me company was the best part of Christmas. As always. :) ]

Gitz Bits 2010: Week 1

If you’ve been around the blog scene for long, you’ve probably heard of Project 365… where people take a picture each day of the year to document their lives. Some scrapbook the photos, others have entirely separate blogs dedicated to the project. I’ve done neither of those things.

Until now, of course.

I know a couple people who have done this and they, along with other friends, [*cough*Robin*cough*] have been twisting my arm to do it. I have had reservations for one reason only…

…nothing in my environment changes for 365 days out of the year.

But then I thought, you know, this might make me stretch my imagination a bit. And if all else fails, at least 350 of the pictures will be of Riley. But you all don’t mind, do you? :)

My friend Jessica is hosting “Project Life Tuesdays” on her blog where anyone who posts their week of photos can link to her blog… so I’m now declaring Tuesdays to be Gitz Bits days… where you see little bits into my life, even if they are mundane and duplicating. Doesn’t that sound exciting?!?!

The photos will be of the previous Friday through Thursday… and my only reasoning for that is January 1st was on a Friday. So, here it is. The big moment you’ve all been waiting for. The first Gitz Bits of the year…

Friday, January 1, 2010

I thought I’d capture a bit of Christmas while it was still up in the house. But considering I had a tree up until June this past year, I’m thinking it wasn’t an emergency.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

One of the things I love most about technology is that I get to go to church on the weekends with friends. Brent and Tam are on the worship team at TRF in Oregon and they broadcast live every weekend. I love it.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Ahh… the first gratuitous Riley shot. It was well below zero here for quite some time, and since I wasn’t cold enough to turn on the furnace, we gave the Snuggie a break and let him sit in front of a fire. If you look close, you’ll notice the back end of him is blurry because he started to move. I thought I had snuck up on him, but he opened his eyes… and right after this shot he was up and posing like the Blog Mascot he is.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Now this was fun. I took the time to make my own sweet and sour sauce, then proceeded to spill half of it on the floor when I shook the container and realized the lid wasn’t on tight. It screwed Riley up for days because some of it spilled ON HIM and he couldn’t figure out how to lick his own back. Score one for keeping me entertained.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

In case you can’t read that screen, it says Iowa 24, Georgia Tech 14. It says that because we won the Orange Bowl. And Georgia didn’t. Just sayin’

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

If you look closely, you can see how sparkly the snow was at the start of one of the snowfalls we had last week. I’ll have to write about that sometime… I loved sparkly snowfalls at the farm when I was growing up.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

And this is one of my nurses, Dawn, who Riley may actually love more than me. Well, ok, that’s an exaggeration, but he likes her a lot. It might have something to do with the fact that he has her trained to get him carrots from the fridge. I’m not saying his affections can be bought, but… well… he does love a good carrot. Just look how he’s licking his chops.

Now, since I forgot to mention it at the end of yesterday’s post… please leave an [O] topic for next Monday’s A 2 Z post in the comment section!

Thanks :)

Brought to You by the Letter N

Needy

We’ve all been there, right? We have a needy child or spouse [well, I don’t, but you might], a needy boss or neighbor [ok, I might be the needy neighbor]. We feel needy when we think we’re neglected. We need new technology, just the right outfit, a long overdue manicure, the bigger house that suits our idea of success.

We are needy, needy people.

Except, we’re not. Even in this economy, most people reading this have a roof over their head, food in their fridge and clothes on their backs. At the very least, you’re in a place that has a computer and internet access. Which means we are spoiled rotten rich.

This isn’t one of those “guilt you into appreciating your life” posts. I swear. It’s just a reality check post.

Tonight on Twitter @machroi posted this: “The poor aren’t on earth for us to think, ‘Phew, how blessed am I that it’s not me.’” I’ve got to tell you, it hit me in the gut. I am the first to tell you I realize how blessed I am. I have everything I could possibly need and then some, despite my health and disability status. There are so many who struggle more than me.

Phew. How blessed I am it’s not me.

Ugh. Instead of making that statement, I should be asking a question. What am I doing about all those who aren’t me? Those who don’t have family and friends and disability payments. It’s not enough to be grateful and go about my business…

This coming Sunday, my friend Matthew is going to be traveling to Uganda for World Vision. I love his heart and we are so lucky that we can take this trip with him… read his stories, see his pictures, get a real view of the need and what we can do to help. You’ll notice on the left-hand side of my blog there are two buttons you can put on your site to help promote his trip and open more eyes to the needs of these kids. Just copy the code in the box and paste it onto your own sidebars… they will connect people to his blog posts about the trip. It will be life changing for him, for us who read, and for so many kids who need us to listen, and then speak out.

I’m including a post of Matthew’s below so you can get more of a feel for what he’ll be doing.

A Needy Soul

There was a time when it was easy for me to look at pictures of children in need and become numb. Honestly, just writing that sentence makes me want to vomit. But for me, that's often been the case. Perhaps I'm the only one who's sometimes guilty of letting his "spiritual gift for cynicism" break into areas where cynicism is unwelcomed or incorrect or unhelpful.

But I doubt I'm alone.

We're inundated with pictures of little faces similar to that of Janet's. And because we've seen so many pictures and seen the commercials on television and heard everybody from Third Day to Bebo Norman to Margaret Becker to Amy Grant to many others stand on stages and speak about organizations like World Vision and Compassion International, maybe our numbness to the pictures is understandable.

But when the organization is reputable and good, which I know firsthand World Vision and Compassion International to be, every one of those pictures that we are numb to aren't simply ads or ways to generate collateral or cute/sad/curious/emotionless faces hoping to win our good graces...

Each of those little faces are souls.

Souls.

Like you and me.

Souls like Elias who I love and call my own.

Souls like my wife, pastor, and friends who I'd do anything in the world for.
The picture above is Janet, one of the needy souls from Uganda.

Jessica and I sponsor three souls: Carlos (from Nicaragua who's struggling through those awkward middle school years. I've had the pleasure of meeting Carlos, and actually wrote a little about that experience in Relearning Jesus), Shilpi (from Bangladesh who is almost 11 and has grown like a foot since we first began sponsoring her. She also shares a birthday with Jessica.), and Maya (from India who is 8 and has sent us many beautiful pictures that she has colored for us).

And because of Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya, I no longer look at the photographs on the cover of World Vision packets the same as I once did.

When Jessica and I got married in 2004, one of our goals as a couple was to live simply and to use what we have to serve other people in various capacities. Some months/years we have done that well; other times we've failed miserably. But so far, by the grace of God, we've managed to always somehow find our way back to that original goal.

While Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya don't in anyway represent "fulfillment" of that goal to us, they are a part of it--and a very significant part. Why? Because it's often their faces and letters and stories and the coloring pictures they send us that remind us of our prayer for simplicity and service.

Pursuing that prayer isn't always easy.

As some of you know, 2008 and much of 2009 were financially difficult years for Jessica and me. No threat of homelessness or somebody coming and taking our car away; however we experienced several months in that time frame when we wondered how on earth we were going to pay our mortgage or electric bill or for another can of Elias's formula.

While Jessica and I never mentioned this aloud to each other, I'd be lying if I didn't say that, on occasion, I wondered if we should de-sponsor Carlos or Shilpi or Maya. Selfish, I know. But thankfully, we didn't do that. Instead, we started thinking of ways we wasted money: so we dropped cable (haven't had it since), stopped eating out (and only rarely do it now), stopped daily trips to Starbucks (I might go once a week now), and we decided to keep Elias home a day or two a week to save on daycare. Also, Jessica began clipping coupons and began reading bargain blogs to learn new/better ways to save money; she also started using things like Swagbucks. It was still hard some months. But somehow it worked...

And I can't help but believe that once again God used the faces, stories, letters, and coloring pictures of Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya to help Jessica and I experience a more profound (harder perhaps) answer to our prayer to live even simpler...

Jessica and I know that our financial support helps Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya.
But it also helps Jessica and me.

Though I would never suggest that this is true for everybody, I do believe that, as much as Carlos, Shilpi, and Maya need us... we also need them.

Because like Janet, I am a needy soul...

And perhaps you are, too...

The little faces from Uganda that you will see when you click on the link below are all souls who need help on some level. And you're a needy soul who needs to help them...

CLICK HERE TO SPONSOR A CHILD FROM UGANDA

Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision wrote these words in his book The Hole in Our Gospel:
“Proclaiming the whole gospel, then, means much more than evangelism in the hopes that people will hear and respond to the good news of salvation by faith in Christ. It also encompasses tangible compassion for the sick and the poor as well as biblical justice, efforts to right the wrongs that are so prevalent in our world…The whole gospel is truly good news for the poor, and it is the foundation for a social revolution that has the power to change the world.”

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to read about this… if you want to follow Matthew’s journey next week, click on the button below, or the buttons on my sidebar anytime.

Flashback Friday: The Mental "Shhht"

I’m going to be honest with you. This week has kicked my tush. [Anyone who knows me knows I just refrained in that last sentence. :) ]

Anyhoo… we’ve had pretty consistent below zero temps and snow storms for awhile now and my body has slowly gotten more and more sick of it. Like, screaming-at-me kind of sick of it. I’ve been trying to tell my joints that it’s not my fault, it’s the snow, but they don’t seem to care much one way or the other. Apparently, joints are all stubborn like that.

While I was going to do a post all about our snow today, I decided not to give it so much attention since it’s obviously the cause of the current argument my body and I are having with each other. And since it’s a Friday, I thought it might be interesting to go back to January 8th of last year to see what I was doing and publish a flashback post.

Ironically, it was a good little reminder for me at the moment… hoping you get something out of it today, too. :)

The Mental “Shhht”
[originally posted: January 8, 2009]

You all had to read that title twice, didn't you? Admit it. I know you did a double take. But no, I wasn't swearing.

I was pulling that Dog Whisperer sound on myself.

So, I told you yesterday about my new obsession with that show... but as I was watching and listening to his philosophy on dog psychology (stop laughing... there is such a thing as dog psychology) I realized that what he was doing with his dog is what I've been doing mentally to myself for a long time.

Stick with me. I swear I'll start making sense.

Some of you have emailed and asked me how I got to this point of accepting where I am, and it's been hard for me to figure out how to answer that question. It's a process, and everyone is different in how they process things in their lives. But one thing I have always believed is that once you know better, you can't pretend to be ignorant anymore. I've told you all before that I've had my moments of exhaustion when I've wondered when it was going to be my turn to have the nervous breakdown I so deserve... but the breakdown never comes because I just can't pretend not to know better.

I can't pretend that God isn't going to take care of me. I can't pretend that I'm not going to have what I need when I need it. I can't pretend like I'm alone in all of this. I simply know better.

And that's when the mental "shhht" comes into play.

When the Dog Whisperer is trying to redirect a dog's focus, he makes his “shhht” noise and gives them a tap on their chest or their back leg to snap them out of the moment. When a dog is focused, he is blind to everything else but the object of his attention. The sound and the tap knock the dog's brain back into a normal state where the Dog Whisperer can then redirect.

As soon as the negative thoughts start coming into play for me... the whole, "I don't think I can do this for another day without losing my sanity and grip on reality" thing... my brain gives me a mental “shhht” and it's replaced with, "You don't have to do this for another day; God's doing this for you... you just have to keep showing up."

My friend Heidi recently asked me if I ever write a post, make it positive and think to myself, "What a load of crap... this just sucks and there's nothing positive about it."

While the question made me laugh, the answer is definitely no.

There is no doubt there are days I feel like this:

And while, in the beginning, I would have to consciously stop and remind myself of the good things, remind myself that God knows what He's doing... it eventually became an automatic “shhht” response in my head. The thought comes, the “shhht” happens and my thought changes. I don't know if that works for everyone. I don't know if that makes sense to you, but it's how it works for me. I made a choice at some point to remind myself of the good instead of the bad, and it eventually became an automatic response.

And now, after writing this, I'm seriously thinking of making t-shirts that say "Shhht Happens." Anyone want to buy one? :)

I Am Distressed About the Dalai Lama

Yeah, I’m guessing you might need some explanation about that title.

Here’s the thing. I think I’ve been pretty darn good about this whole I’m-never-leaving-the-house-again-for-the-rest-of-my-life situation. Stuff comes up all the time that I’d like to be at, and I’ve already imagined future events that are going to be brutal to have to miss. Regardless, though, I’m totally dealing with it.

But what we have to remember is that the universe likes to test me.

Tell me something: What are the odds that the Dalai Lama would come to my town and give a talk, mere miles from my house?

Let me answer that for you: The odds are really freaking good.

Tickets to see the Dalai Lama at my alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa, go on sale Friday. Because he’s going to be here on May 18th. Just five days after my birthday. Here. In Iowa. Just down the road.

Guess who won’t be seeing him?

The woman who has this book on her side table, that’s who.

Doesn’t his smile just exude the happiness he possesses?

Anyway, in my most subtle way, I’m posting this for everyone in my town who reads this blog: PLEASE DON’T MISS SEEING THIS MAN SPEAK! And then please tell me all about it. In detail. Like, take copious notes and then recite his speech to me word-for-word.

See how gracious I’m being about the fact that he will be here and I won’t see him? I knew choosing that as my word for the year would trip me up somehow. :)

The Dalai-freaking-Lama. In my town.

What are the odds?!?

[Yes, I realize referring to him as the Dalai-freaking-Lama pretty much means I don’t deserve to see him… but SERIOUSLY.]

Brought to You by the Letter M

Mind Over Matter

I’ve never really cared for that phrase, to be honest with you [but I'm still glad you suggested it, Tam :)]. It’s always seemed a bit arrogant to me.

When people say “It’s mind over matter” they usually follow it with declarative statements like:

“I don’t get sick. I just decide not to.”
”Just push through it… you can make it if you really want to.”
”If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen.”

I hate to be the one to break it to you, people, but none of us has that much control. I am all about the power of positive thinking, but I have a bit of a different take on it.

Maybe instead of looking at mind over matter as a way for us to control our environment and create desired outcomes, instead of looking at it as a way to force the universe to conform to our wants, we could see it as an opportunity to use our minds to make good choices regardless of the “matter.”

Instead of it being a super natural power to create our destiny [the right job, the right house, the right appearance, the right outcome], maybe it’s a natural power to create our response. If mind over matter was a physical choice, I can guarantee you I’d be dancing and singing and travelling the world. Outside. Breathing fresh air. But my mind has instead made a mental and emotional choice to live well within the matter at hand. My mind has chosen, regardless of circumstance, to find joy in the little things. I can’t control the physical, I can’t control the outcomes, I can’t control others’ actions… but I can control my response.

I guess that’s my version of mind over matter.

Even the cases where the byproduct is a physical result, I think it all starts with embracing our realities rather than pretending we are above them. When Lance Armstrong is tired, straining to ride up that last hill, I wonder if he’s screaming at his muscles to do what he wants them to do, or if he’s acknowledging the fatigue and deciding his response. Choosing to be grumpy and defeated will tire him out faster. Choosing to be hopeful and positive may give him a boost of energy. Physically, once his muscles give out, they give out. His mind has no control over that… lactic acid does. But his energy? That comes from his attitude. His mind decides how he responds to the matter at hand.

I had a number of times this past week where my exhaustion and pain has hit hard. It puts me in what I call a “coma sleep,” where I'm aware of what's going on around me but just can't move or open my eyes for the life of me. I will literally say in my mind, “Open your eyes!” and nothing happens. My mind has no physical control over the matter.

But my mind does have the choice to stop struggling and fighting against it, which only exhausts me more. My mind has the choice to not be frustrated by all I couldn’t do in those hours, but instead be grateful during the times when I am rested and my energy comes back.

My limitations continue to teach me valuable lessons. I’ve learned not to live under the illusion that I have control over any part of my life… I’m happy to leave all of that to God. But I will continue to choose to be grateful, to be happy, to be content in my earthly dwelling.

I do this because my mind, and everything else in my life, is a gift from Him.

And that matters.

Can’t wait to see what you all want to hear about next week… give me some suggestions in the comments for an [N] topic!