(xaris and shalom)

It took me by surprise This old house and these old feelings Walked round and looked inside Familiar walls and halls and ceilings... Hadn't given it much thought Hadn't been back here in a while Everything looks so small Seen through the memories of a child Who would dream and stare From that second story window That was my whole world It was all I knew Like the hull of a seed This old house cracked wide open And I flew Memories for miles and miles Summers, falls, winters and springs... See, He's withheld no good thing (From This Old House  by Sara Groves) It did take me by surprise. I didn't know that merely standing in the sanctuary of my home church, going through the familiar liturgy, would be enough to trigger ocean rushes of memories.  My sister and I talked about it some; I didn't realize, when I was a kid (because how I have the perspective to be able to do so?) how much I took for granted.  I didn't think about that some day there will be rifts that I

There are disadvantages to not driving and not having a car.  These are fairly obvious, but I'll list a few: public transportation in America doesn't have great infrastructure, waiting for a bus can be nerve wracking when you need to get somewhere on time, and it can just be inconvenient.  There are more serious disadvantages, like being dependent on some else's schedule especially  if an emergency situation comes up.  (I thought about this the other week when there was an accident involving a mandolin.  What would I have done if it had been more serious?  Probably called one of my coworkers or someone from church.) However, there are also a lot of advantages, which I've been thinking about these past few months.  (Mostly to the not having a car part.) Here are a few. Cars are expensive.  Gas is expensive.  Insurance is expensive. When it's cold, I don't have to try to get the car to start.  (Granted, if the buses are not running, that's another issue...) I

What about good criticism? The question caused a bit of a ripple in the women's Bible study.  After all, we were talking about things like bashing someone versus building them up, criticism versus  encouragement... so good criticism?  What what? I get that.  I totally do.  Because I strongly dislike hate being criticized.  The book we're using says it takes eight positive things to counteract one negative statement and I recently ran across the graphic below -- not exactly the same ratios, but you get the impression -- humans apparently are much more susceptible to criticism than to praise.  (Unless your hubris is the issue at stake, but that's sort of a different topic entirely.) I know that when I'm criticized or rebuked it feels to me like that's all I can see at the moment.  Even if I know you care about me.  And I cry.  (Ask anyone from my mom to my team leader.  Anyone who has really directly rebuked me from, oh, when I was a year old on up to the present day