(temporarily) lost and (eternally) found

i can't say i've ever thoughtfully considered the Body of Christ analogy, but several events of late have caused me to wonder at its elegance. one being an ongoing situation at my place of employment (yes, being cryptic on purpose), another being my obsession with hebrews 11 and 12 (11:39-40 in specific), and finally an unexpected (but oddly anticipated) phone call from a friend. i am amazed at how GOD works wonders in my life: He shows me a principle and then begins to reveal it's ramifications (both negative and positive). the harmony of the whole process makes my soul sing.

the principle: hebrews 11/12. this witness-cloud you see forming in the distance is cheering us on in faith. our faiths are made complete in each other thru the axis of Christ. the Body: all of us from adam to eternity! we are all currently and eternally in the Body of Christ. in every generation a new Body is not formed. nope, we're all there in one (pardon the expression) gigantic eternity-bound Body (that i like to imagine is never on a diet). so you, me, my grandmother, abraham and adam are all there. the cloud just keeps growing.

the ramifications: negative and positive. in the aforementioned cryptic situation i am reminded of how often the hand cuts the arm of the Body (but i digress). i can remember feeling pious in high school when i discovered the verses on the Body of Christ. the ones about how every part is needed, even the "uncomely parts." *especially* the uncomely parts (i think i fancied myself one of those--i've now come to believe i'm an eyebrow hair or some such nonsense). i realized on some level that every part was important, and we should all appreciate what each of us does in "service to the LORD" (read with reverberation). which brings me back to the arm cutting: when i choose to disrespect a fellow believer (note: i did not say disagree or lovingly truth-speak in order to restore) by making a mockery of him so as to make myself look better, i'm the cutter. i'm "dissin" the body. everybody from abraham to my grandmother. but here's where the healing enters. yesterday an old friend of the dearest kind called. we spoke of life and liberty and best of all our Savior-friend. of loss and perfect sight and miracles and willy wonka. there was no Body loathing that resulted in closet cutting (although there have been times when truth was lovingly
delivered to restore) just the reminder that there is no lost, only an eternally found. and this, i suspect, is the Body at peak performance.

the mystery which truly was no mystery

all it needed was water, light and love...presto!

thanks adam for the mystery message plant.


When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother
What will I be?
Will I be pretty?
Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me:


Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.


What will be, will be.

words pressed btwn. pages of white

1. One book that changed your life:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
any book i've enjoyed, but in order to not sound terribly predictable (ad nauseum): Wendy Shalit's A Return to Modesty

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
The Chronicles of Narnia with copius footnotes from The Message Remix

4. One book that made you laugh:
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamont)

5. One book that made you cry:
Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country (every time i read it)

6. One book that you wish had been written:
The Chronicles of Narnia with copius footnotes from The Message Remix or The Message Remix with copius footnotes from The Chronicles of Narnia

7. One book you wish had never been written:
Madame Bovary (yes, i *actually* finished it--there really is no need for this mess.)

8. One book you’re currently reading:
A. Scott Berg's Lindbergh

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Catching Light, Finding GOD in the Movies

10. Now tag five people:

justy
josh
caleb
cheryl
michele

11 today

if 50 is the new 30,
then 30 is the new 10.

today i'm 11.

what i did on summer vacation:

there are several accounts that are standard fare for vbs Bible story time: zaccheus and the tree, philip and the ethiopian, abraham and the potential isaac slaying, and noah's ark. whilst the kids and i were sloshing around in that big old boat with noah and all those animals, i couldn't help but think of the similarity of the ark and the cross. GOD used the ark to rescue His chosen people from a worldwide flood. He used the cross to rescue His chosen people from eternal damnation. you have to love the symetry of that! something else came to light in the midst of all this thought that i love even more. GOD's instructions deemed that the ark be a certain size. He obviously knew how many animals would have to be brought on the ark and how much room they would occupy, so the ark could have been *exactly* the right size. but it wasn't. it was too big! not just "we could put another animal there mrs. noah" too big, but "did i forget my other menagerie mrs. noah" too big! GOD provided a 120 year sermon with object lesson for noah's observers. He could have wiped them all out without warning or wooing, but instead there was this enormous gopher wood box that had the foreshadowing of "cross" written all over it. by faith noah...built a boat sans sight, became an object lesson for every generation, and as a result: "became intimate with GOD."

where do i sign up.

she's baaaack!

if you're still watching....