Ahhh…it’s finally February!
For the record, I HATE January in Chicago! It’s cold, the weather is dreary, the trees are bare, brick walls are ugly, and I can’t get a parking place at the gym that isn’t a mile away! If we had some decent snow the month could be more interesting. At least then we’d be calling ‘dibs’, shoveling walks, and bribing the snowblower guy in the alley to do ours too.
And if all that wasn’t enough, every christian church on the planet is,
FASTING!
As if January didn’t have enough strikes against it, now they want me to give up a vice so I can draw closer to God? Get more vision for my life? Dig deeper into breaking the strongholds that keep me stuck?
Sheesh!!
Oh I know, everyone wants to take off the xtra lbs they gained over the holidays and this is a good way to ‘start the new year’. I long ago gave up on new year resolutions, decided the best one was to not make one. It seemed to always set me up for failure which led to a guilty mindset and a lot of personal condemnation that I couldn’t even keep one single commitment to myself.
Let freedom reign!
That being said, couldn’t we do this fasting thing in June when life is more vibrant?! It simply seems to me that if every Christian church is doing this, it must be a fad, one that in time will hopefully fade. My protest this year, giving up Starbucks. I’d already boycotted them because of cost, win/win for me. You can label me rebellious if you dare,
But my self-righteous smugness is in high gear
I’m a believer of fasting, I have done it for specific purposes and it’s made a difference. But the kind of fasting going on in January among churches, just seems too open ended. I’ve heard of people fasting social media, phones, tv shows, fast food, dessert, meat, gluten (did that once, it was interesting), and various pleasurable activities.
Biblical fasting always required food…
Which brings me back to my original rant…why January!? Such a frustrating month of the year and fasting only makes it harder.
Nuff said
We are in a HUGE state of transition over here in Shaverland. We’ve recently become a one car family for the first time in over 30 years. We are planning to escape Illinois by the last week of April. We have looked online at housing in our next town of choice and decided to wait before making our next purchase. And to top it all off,
We went to an RV show…
Yes, we have pretty much decided to become RV nomads for a season. Possibly to wait for the right house to come on the market, or to consider building one. And with the idea of escaping the cold weather in winter for a few weeks each year.
It’s a big step for us. It sort of came about organically. I had an idea about it but didn’t say anything and once we put the house on the market Bruce said,
“And once it sells we’re buying a motor home and hitting the road”
I got excited…
RV life is nowhere in my family history. My dad would have lost his spleen if faced with RV life. His idea of an overnight trip is a drive across the city of Fremont (all 10 miles). Going on vacation meant working in the yard, watching ballgames and cooking on an expensive grill in the backyard.
Poor mom…
She loves new places and experiences. She’d have been an ideal candidate for the ladies cruise circuit if she’d had the independence to try it.
Not Bruce’s folks. His mom and dad owned a few RV’s over the years and saw the country 2 or 3 times. They managed the mail and phones before there were mobiles and internet. Bills were paid by a 3rd party. They always had a home base, but the road was their oyster. Mom said that all Pop had to do was jingle his keys and she was ready to go.
With retirement looming, we’re planning how to navigate life in the future. There is no way Bruce will entirely quit working, (he’d drive me nuts). But winding down, working less and easing stress are high on his list of priorities. Eventually we’ll succumb to all those government entitlement dollars with medical benefits and such, but adding to that income is a big consideration.
The joys of aging well…
Bruce’s passion is and always has been for people in need of family. He’s a constant challenger of the mentality that says retirement means retiring from everything, including ministry. His idea of extending God’s kingdom doesn’t end with social security benefits. So I don’t see us ever walking away from those things.
So to that end…
I’ve been toying with the idea of starting some kind of sewing school/micro business from home. Still doing a lot of research and practicing patterns and skills that might enable that to happen.
And…
Bruce’s current job has him doing a lot of Microsoft training, something he’s absolutely loving. He’s checked into becoming an adjunct teacher in a university and it’s not a big stretch. Lonely college students speak to him.
Once again life has taken a turn for the unimaginable! Never did I picture myself living the life of a nomad. Taking into consideration all the various surprises life has given, it seems natural that this one would come about, but it’s not…not really.
Maybe it’s because of the independent spirit of Americans or maybe it’s simply human nature. But controlling the outcome of my future has been a lifelong tug of war with God for me. He continually surprises me with deviations, rabbit trails, unexpected emotional upheavals, new ideas and unexplored opportunities. Some are exciting, others painful, all are healing.
Cuz that’s simply how God rolls
He has all of eternity to make me into the image of his son…
And I’m beginning to believe it will take all of it!
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