The Square Peg

Embracing the mojo because cutting
corners seemed counter-productive.

9/30/2009

ice, ice, baby

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The weather over the past few days has been almost perfect here in middle Georgia. I've been going outside in the afternoons to sit by the pool and enjoy my sanctuary before it's time to cover it.

I was sitting there reading but the sounds around me were so distracting, I couldn't concentrate on my book. I put it down, leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. I sat there for several minutes listening to the birds, basking in the sunshine, and thinking how warm and wonderful it felt on my skin. I found myself talking to God and telling Him how nice it was and that my skin seemed to tingle almost in an effort to somehow soak up more rays from the sun. And I started listing some of the things God made that I'm thankful for (sunshine, water, wind and snow) when I suddenly found myself saying 'and thanks for ice'. Huh? That's right, ice. As in the kind you get in your cup at Sonic. I'm pretty sure that's significant or symbolic of something. Probably something weird.

So, how was your day? Anything weird going on in your prayer life? :-)


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9/26/2009

'Peace' of cake

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The only reason we have a kitchen is because it came with the house. :) I don't like to cook and I despise baking (except brownies). I do, however, like to eat.  Anybody want to volunteer to buy this cake mold and make something yummy for me? Pretty please? I'll say nice things about you in my blog if you do. :)




You can view this (and other cool stuff) at www.perpetualkid.com. Drew wants a box of the bacon bandages.

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9/24/2009

Veggie Tales

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So I was cutting up an avocado for my sandwich a while ago and noticed the sticker on it read "green acorn". After briefly wondering why an A.C.O.R.N. sticker was on my avocado, I realized what it was really from: the green acorn squash I bought at the store yesterday. Upon closer examination, I discovered the following:

My spaghetti squash had an avocado sticker on it
my green acorn had a "lite slimcado" sticker on it
my butternut squash had a spaghetti squash sticker on it
and my 'lite' avocado had a butternut squash sticker on it.

Based on my past experience with things like Aqua Reefer, Epileptic Testicles and Wordless Wednesday, I suspect this is the work of the inked and mischievous Drewby. If you see him, beware. He'll mess with your food & food lists. Don't say I didn't warn you. Oh, for those who don't know, here's what he looks like.




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9/22/2009

Great expectations

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This is kind of a piggyback to the character vs talent post.

I've been thinking about celebrities and the expectations we have of them and wonder if it's possible we might be a little off base. Take Michael Phelps, for instance.

A while back I heard a lot of people talking about how disappointed they were to find out he had used drugs. I'm not condoning his drug use; like so many others, I assumed he followed the rules set forth by the Olympic Committee and was drug-free. And I feel badly for the kid; he made a dumb choice, the public found out about it, and he'll probably suffer consequences for his choice for a long time. BUT...

I never heard Michael say he was anything other than a competitive swimmer.

So, now I'm wondering why do we often assign certain morals to a person who has a particular kind of gift or talent? Isn't that presumptuous? I'm not talking about drugs because in the case of sports, it's pretty clear why the standards are set the way they are. I'm talking about other moral issues. Is it fair to expect someone who is clean-cut, a certain age, highly disciplined, or interviews well on TV to have a particular moral code of conduct? I know we hope people have certain standards because many times we long for a hero, and are inspired by people who raise (or set) the bar. But isn't it true that we sometimes put things on people unfairly by expecting them to be at a place they're not?

What if instead of having great expectations of people, we put grace expectations on people. What do you think?

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9/17/2009

Q & A

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I'm part of a small group that meets regularly to discuss questions we have about all things religion. It's called (originally enough) "Q & A". Sometimes the questions that are brought up are really out there. Way out there. We don't always end with hard and fast answers (or any answers, for that matter), but the conversations are often lively and thought-provoking.

I'm typically a very results oriented person and this group isn't always about "getting" anywhere per se. Because of that, I don't think I would've enjoyed going to this group a few years ago. But I like it. A lot. Sometimes I have strong opinions or beliefs about the topics brought up; other times I don't. But what I like best about the group is the honesty and transparency. It's a refreshing break from the 'spiritual resume comparisons' I'm used to seeing when groups meet. And it takes guts to share some of the feelings, questions, doubts and beliefs about the topics that come up. Sometimes it's like "uh...did s/he just say that out loud?". The only rule regarding the group is that you must suspend judgment while listening to others talk. And we talk about everything. nothing's off limits.

While I don't always agree with the opinions expressed, it's good for me to listen to other views. It makes me examine why I believe the way I do (or don't) and gives me the opportunity to look at things from another angle. I want to dig deeper into the Bible, and I'm more interested in its history and the back-stories than ever before.

I recently came across this: Ecclesiastes 7:18 "It's best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it."

Great group. I hope to find or start something like it in Germany.

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9/13/2009

Today's Big Thing

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Actually, it's August 24th's big thing, but I wanted to put it up anyway. Enjoy...


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9/12/2009

My Saturday dates

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Several years ago when I worked day shift and Brian worked nights, we started going on a date every Saturday morning. Back then we'd drive to Starbucks in Macon (at 30 minutes away, it was the closest one) to enjoy some coffee and conversation before going to lunch. Since we were little more than passing ships during the week, this was a great chance for us to reconnect, refocus and re-energize our relationship. We'd tell each other the details of the week that got pushed by the wayside and talk about the things coming up on the horizon of life. Our boys were old enough that they didn't call us on the cell phone every 20 minutes (probably because they didn't care where we were or what we were doing) and the uninterrupted time together was heavenly.

Brian was eventually moved back to day shift but our Saturday dates had proven to be too valuable to give up. A couple years ago, my happy place opened a store in Warner Robins (I'm pretty sure my purchases pay Starbucks' electric bill.) and we changed our game plan a little: we started going to Hardees for breakfast and then to Starbucks.

We've invited Ryan and his girlfriend Sam to join us a few times and now it has turned into a regular thing. And Drew's scheduled has changed, so he's been hooking up with us too. And even though our Saturday date is bigger, louder, and more lively than when it began five years ago, it definitely still qualifies as heavenly.

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