Lesson(s) Learned

Fish Bowl Christianity Unlike many people, I never had a "family pet" as I was growing up. Never, ever. My mom was (and very-much-so still is) allergic to everything under the sun. Aaaand I had more siblings than your average American family, but without quite reaching Dugger-family-status. (or coming anywhere even close, whew!… side note: could you even imagine?!) These factors, added in with the fact that my parents spent every extra dime they had on private education for all five of us kids, really just weren't all-that-conducive to including a family pet of any sort. But don't feel sorry for me. I don't feel like I was jipped or anything. I love my family, and the memories I can still recall from my childhood are nothing short of classic. Pet or no pet. When I "grew up" and moved to Lynchburg about four years ago, I tossed around the idea of getting a pet. You know, just to see what it would be like. Nothing huge or fancy or gross or high-mainte...

Why are people so afraid of the truth? We live in a day and age where people are plain-out scared of the truth.  Scared to speak it (for fear the of other people's response).  Scared to hear it (for fear of how our lives must change as a result of it).  Scared even to watch it being spoken on behalf of the lives of others. (Really, what's up with that?!) I think Satan loves nothing better than lackadaisical Christians who lay around in lounge chairs of lies. While we church-goers may not be prone to wear an infamous blue-and-white visitor's sticker that reads "Hello, my name is …. pathological liar," our lives (in a very subtle way) sometimes suggest this much is true.  Before you get your feathers ruffled, listen to me when I say this: A liar isn't just someone who tells lies. A liar could be a person who simply neglects to speak the truth.  Why no, I'm not prone to lie about people, make up stories about them, or add faulty details...

Free Up Some Space So  I just bought a Mac computer a couple months ago and finally (with the help of my brother) figured out how to transfer all my iTunes from my PC to my Mac. Then came my next feat. Syncing all that music to my Iphone, so my ringtone would stop being that embarrassing marimba sound. What is a marimba, by the way? By the sound of it, I'm thinking some kind of xylophone. Anyway, all of that to say, as I was syncing up my iTunes with my iPhone, I realized something. I've got way too much music on my computer. So much in fact that I may have to free up some space for other things if some more is added. Speaking of freeing up some space…. If you took inventory of your life right now, what is it that you'd need to free your life from so you'd have space for the things that matter more? For the things that matter most. Think about it, free up that space, add things more important than the marimba ringtone, and sync yourself up with what matters the mo...

What ever happened to Orpah? No, I'm not talking about Oprah. The television talk show goddess. That so many women (ahem, people) adore and talk their socks off about. I'm sure if someone really wanted to know about her, they could Google her, or Facebook her, or follow her on Twitter, or buy her magazine, or join her book club, or something… But the woman I'm referring to Orpah. The girl mentioned in the Bible in the book of Ruth. And it's  100% doubtful that if the Bible doesn't tell us where exactly she went and what exactly happened to her, then we won't be able to find out the hard-and-fast truth of her whereabouts. At least not one with a Holy Spirit backing,stamp, seal, and inspiration packaged around it. At first glance, you may be like I was. You think Orpah's just a supporting character. She's in the shadow of the spotlight. She's on the sidelines, riding the bench during the most exciting parts of the game. She's the back-up singer ...

Quite a few years ago, I wrote a list of "things I'm learning…" It contained advice, quotes, and sheer observations about the life I was living and the life that was carrying on all around me. Well, today, I thought about that list for the first time (in a very, very long time) and thought perhaps I should re-create it, in a sense, based on where I find myself in life right now. at this very moment. Nothing came from quote websites or the like… it's all fresh from my little Rosemary brain. Hope you enjoy it, and it brings some encouragement and comfort and COURAGE your way - no matter where you find yourself along life's journey today. :) Things I'm learning... 1. Assume that everything has nothing to do with you, until directly told otherwise. Even then, know that you can't possibly know the full story. There's always something going on behind the scenes. 2. Don't try to please people. Please God. He'll deal with the people. 3. Sometimes k...

Dollar Stores, Deals, and a Deeper Understanding of Resiliency Today, I went into the dollar store to pick up some toys for my kids' treasure box at school. And the sights I saw are probably much of the same you experience when you visit the dollar store. Let's see if our lists can compare: Half-homeless-looking man sitting shirtless out front? Check. Stressed-out mom with a handful of barefooted kids screaming at the top of their little lungs for lollipops that she simply can't afford? Check. Store clerk who looks like they've never given a smile in their lives and (if they were to receive one) absolutely wouldn't know what to do with one? Check. As you can see, all of the regularities about a dollar store experience were ever-present  for me today. Though today's dollar store experience was much the same as ones before it, it was also quite different. Today, as I walked down the toy aisle, I began to understand a part about life that I'd never qui...

Love makes black and white go color, Love doesn't make things dim. Whitewash makes picket fences look whiter, but what's underneath all the trim? Some things aren't alway surface-level. Real things in life go deep. Remember this in the valleys low. Remember this on the steppes. Some days you'll wake up wondering, what else you could have done. Ah, but one day, Oh, one day you'll wake up knowing, Knowing if it's "the One." Don't go looking for perfection In the end, it can't be found. Look for a man who loves Jesus More than anything else around. Sometimes "these things take time," So be patient. Take heart. Within the time you're waiting, Don't get lost in games of the heart. Rather, become the girl, woman, lady Whose life simply can't be the same. You know His heart, you see His face, you know more than just His name. God's plan for you is all-consuming He's the end, the su...