Dave Barnes Rocks

Somebody give this guy a record deal!

I just gave blood, and when she stuck the needle in my arm, blood squirted out. I had a little fountain.

Snow all day today.

Mom's birthday. She's 60 but looks 55.

I need new work pants. My current boy A&F khaks are saggy in the seat.

Freezing...

Things I am obsessed with at the moment: Cooper Bold, Bookman ITC Bold, Brush Script, and every other ugly 70s font I can find.

My new Tiffany's ring arrived. It's so pretty! It's funny that it looks so much wider than the old one. My finger is so much smaller. :) And SHINY! What a crow I am.

Click here

Scroll down to "Close to You" (from Wing Sings the Carpenters)

Listen

Smile

Let it go. Whatever it is you're carrying around that makes you sad, hacked or otherwise out of sorts, just let it go.

:)

I put in a tape this morning and just didn't want to hear it. I don't know why. I have theories but they are best not expounded upon in blog.

Today I should be getting my Tiffany's ring -- my New, Size 7 ring, just like my old one from NYC, but 2 sizes !! smaller. I gave my old one to my mom. It fits her perfectly and a few years ago I got her the earrings that match it, so it all worked out okay.

It's my reward for losing 46 !! pounds. 46!! Though only 10 pounds since September. Only! Whatever.

Tif got me this book:

The illustrations are great and Micah is using them as inspiration for a project.

V funny!

Some of you have emailed me with questions about fellowship...I started at thread at PP about it, and I'm still thinking about your questions.

I don't think the fellowship issue is necessarily one of marrieds/singles. Or that I felt left out due to being single. That isn't the issue any more than a MWK might feel uncomfortable in a church populated primarily by singles. It's more the idea that we all need fellowship with people who are like we are. That meaning, it wasn't me wishing I was married or somehow harder to be single. It was simply me wishing for more singles to be around who have the same life experiences I am going through.

Colossians 2:9 -- For in Him the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily, and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

Paul is never one to mince words but this one had me a bit confused. So I'm picking it apart.

From verse 8 we see that the first "Him" refers to Christ, so: For in Christ the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily, and you have been filled by Christ.

So far, so good. The entire fullness of God lives bodily in Christ. We have been filled by Christ. So we have been filled with the entire fullness of God.

Now "...who is the head over every ruler and authority." Why would Paul include this? This verse falls in the middle of Paul refuting the heresy at Colossae, which was 'philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition and the elemental forces of this world rather than Christ.'

Is this to say that Christ is the authority over every human tradition? No, because Paul didn't say that. He said 'over every ruler and authority.' I think it's simply asserting the supremacy of Christ, and why we ought to listen to Him rather than listening to those who would deceive us.

But I am not sure.

---

I went to the "new church" bible study last night, a somewhat disappointing discussion of Revelation 21 that did not even bother to mention that "I will be their God and they will be my people" is the direct fulfillment of the New Covenant restated in Jeremiah 31. Or is it 32. It was presented as a discussion of how to study the bible but really covered more about using your imagination to grab onto the imagery John discusses. I don't get it. Why was it a study?

I realize not everyone studies the bible as I do, but what was anyone supposed to take away from a study like that?

I realize that I learned the most studying on my own and running after the truth. I quit doing that because my church was so darn good at doing it for me. God seems to have taken that element out to encourage me to study on my own.

That's all I can think of for right now.

I have had a migraine since Friday. It's not too bad, but then it's not too good, either.

Monday.

Have come to 3am realization that am now somewhat bitter and jaded about christians who don't seem to preach what the Bible says. 12:45am, actually, and have also come to the realization that they are not my responsibility. It does bother me that some things are being taught like "your healing is in direct proportion to your faith," when that wasn't always the case even when Jesus was walking around planet E. It was sometimes the case. But just as often, the healing of the person had nothing whatever to do with the person's own faith - it was the faith of a parent, or a couple of friends lowering him through the roof, or occasionally not faith at all that was given as the reason for the healing. The man at the pool of Bethesda didn't even ask for healing - only to be taken down into the water. If he had any faith at all, it was only that Jesus could carry a grown man into the pool. But Jesus healed him.

Anyway, that's still beside the point. God did not call me to be bitter. He called me to glorify Him, and bitterness does not do that. An angry, defensive Christian does not bring glory to God.

The obvious answer is -- let that go. Let go of need to criticize every other person out there. Critical thinking or analysis is not for the purpose of tearing down fellow believers.

Just not in a good mood today. But not in a bad mood either. 12:45am, insomnia when you've been asleep good and proper for a couple hours will do that. And then I dreamed my cat was drawing gridlines on the bathroom ceiling. Now where did that come from?

I watched The Pianist and Babette's Feast this weekend. I think I am one of those people sitting at the table, scowling and refusing to enjoy this masterpiece of dinner that God has placed before me. All that is mine has been given to me. All that is not mine, that has also been given to me.

I just need to calm down.

Well, I started a new bible study last night - Beth Moore's Believing God. It seems very good although its analysis of Ephesians 1 seems to miss the point entirely in favor of emphasizing responsibility. But enough about that; I'm not really interested in where it's wrong.

There is a product called BIOFREEZE which, if you have any neck problems at all, is totally worth the $10 you'll shell out for their little pain-relieving rollon. I love the stuff. Check it out.

I also did ear candles last night, two in each ear, and I kid you not - what came out of my left ear was three inches long and resembled a brown Twizzler. I think I can hear better today. My right ear feels much better as well. I'm going to read up on it today.

Anyway, not much else is going on.