e-Vent

Posted on January 3, 2009 by tam

periodically i’m going to be posting on things that might be controversial. i love a good debate – but i don’t like where debates often lead to. here at inProgress you, the fabulous readers, are one of the most respectful groups of people i have ever seen in blogdom. so, i know that even in a debate or disagreement, you would be respectful.

however – i am beginning a little diddy called eVent.

i will put a subject matter out there for us to consider, be it political, moral, personal, financial, whatever. then – i want that comment section to be a place where you can vent ( eVent ).

but there’s one rule. only one. and it must be respected. you are not allowed to comment on, or to, someone elses vent. period.

if you don’t agree, fine. don’t agree. but do not address or attack another person here. if i see a comment is disrespectful or aimed at another commenter, that comment will be removed. vent all you want, but please do not attack someone else here for their opinion. they’re venting. i will be monitoring closely. also…you are welcome to take your vent back to your place and discuss more there if there’s more you’d like to say about it. fair?

but i still would expect, even in a vent, for you all to speak like mature adults as well. even if at times we do throw out words like…poo and hoo-hoo.

what i’m aiming at here, is allowing there to be a place to come and let it out. knowing that you are not gonna be ridiculed for it. i see that happening way too much. and if attacking, or being attacked, is your thing – then i’m sure you know where else that kind of behavior can be found.

this idea might bomb and i may have to scratch it all together. and that’s ok. i have lots of ideas in my head that i don’t attempt. its time to change that…

so…first topic on eVent is – GAS TAX

in short – government wants more of our money.

beings we are driving 50% less – they are losing money to repair roads. um…question? (don’t answer. i’m venting remember) if we’re driving 50% less then aren’t our roads being used 50% less?

a gas tax outraged voters before and it was shut down. in stead they may tax you on how much you drive. how on earth will they know how much you drive? like most Americans are gonna report an honest mileage figure on their taxes each year no, the government would require each vehicle to be installed with a GPS system that tracks where, when and the miles you drive. yay! more govt. in my life!

i don’t know about this folks. it just doesn’t settle well with me.

what about you?

eVent

peephole perspective

Posted on December 27, 2008 by tam

i’m gonna let this post sit here a couple days, cause i believe it should.

have you ever blamed God? have you ever been angry at Him?

i’m sure the answer is, yes. i think our emotions are natural and i believe God appreciates an honest heart. i also believe that sometimes our emotions are misguided.

i read this tonight and it pierced me to the core!

taken from In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson

“Most of us blame our circumstances when things aren’t going well just like we blame the ref when a game isn’t going well. We look for some external scapegoat. But maybe our problem isn’t our circumstances. Maybe our problem is our perspective.

…God has a three-hundred-and-sixty degree perspective on everything. He considers every contingency. He sees all the way around everything-every issue, every person, every experience, every problem. Most of us see a very narrow slice of reality. The best and brightest among us might have a one-degree angle of vision. It’s like we’re looking through a peephole. So why do we assume that what we pray for is always what’s best for us? If we could see what God sees, we would pray very different prayers.”

yah.

just let that soak in for awhile.

walking on broken glass

Posted on December 16, 2008 by tam

“I’m tired of holding back so that I won’t outshine you.”

i was flipping through channels yesterday morning and paused long enough on one to hear a lady speak these words to her friend.

think about that statement for a second.

i had a couple thoughts go through my head on it. my first reaction was…you shouldn’t hold back. is that truly in your friends best interests? aren’t we suppose to give everything our everything? then again, is that a selfish statement to make? is it selfish for the friend to hold back the other?

i’m kind of resting now on the feeling that we cater too much. i don’t mean to sound harsh, but it’s true. i don’t know the context in which this statement was said – it can be looked at many different ways. what if the friend is attempting to achieve something she is not qualified to do, but the one speaking is qualified? i don’t want to hurt so and so’s feelings, so i’ll just not do such and such. but is that really beneficial? to either party?

“I’m tired of holding back so that I won’t outshine you.”

your thoughts?

let the chase begin!

Posted on December 10, 2008 by tam

alright people. i don’t know if you’ve read “in a pit with a lion on a snow day” by Mark Batterson…i don’t know if you liked it or not, but pages 55, 56 and 57 are rockin’ my world!

this is the deal…benaiah chased a lion. on a snow day. into a pit. if you wanna know more, get the book!

but the crux of these pages is fear. what benaiah did took courage. and really, you can’t act on courage without there first being fear, right?

the writer explains how in life, “the greatest experiences are often the scariest, and the scariest experiences are often the greatest.” for instances…he gives his kids rocket rides and elevator drops. the kids love it! he asks if it was scary – they say, yes! but it was also fun. fear, then fun! yay!

i am one who can let fear cripple me. i’m not talking about the kind of fear that “perfect love casts out”. i’m talkin about the moment you’re faced with something that is bigger and way beyond you, yet you know you’re to tackle it with everything you’ve got kinda fear! you know what i’m sayin’, dontcha?

one of the many things my thoughts were plagued with when i hit my mid/late 30′s was wanting not to look back on my life and kick myself for not taking more risks.

risks don’t scare me. failing does. but failing to try…that’s even worse.

so i sit here, with a few lions roaring in the distance. i can hear them. i can smell them. i can see them. they’re ginormous. they can swallow me whole. but only if i’m running away from them with my eyes peered for “safer ground”.

some of the greatest stories i have ever heard involved risks, fear, courage. why do i think i should be excluded from that?

the author said, “the alternative to fear is boredom.”

yup. i have had my eyes off my lions for so long, i’ve become bored.

so…lions? bring it on. let the chase begin. but don’t be surprised by who’s chasing who!

you got any lions?

your thoughts…

Posted on November 13, 2008 by tam

“Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God’s glory.” ~ Mark Batterson from In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day

thoughts…

full body search!

Posted on November 6, 2008 by tam

who alone can see the hearts of man? GOD.

can we? NO.

we also do not know HIS thoughts. so if we can not know the thoughts of God or see into the hearts of man – how on earth can we take HIS position and judge our neighbor?

im talking things like calling someone faithless. saying they really don’t know God. well, who really does?

i can not question someone’s personal relationship with the Lord. it’s not mine.

i will call them on behavior that is divisive and destructive to the church and is a bad witness. but i will also do that respectfully – remembering it is God who instructs and moves in the hearts of His children.

i will encourage them and speak lovingly in correction, IF needed.

but, i will not insult them for living the best they know how – i will love them. i will walk along side them and live by example and extend all the love i can. if received.

since the sermon on the tongue this last Sunday i have really been convicted of lots of things. so i just want to challenge you all, again - along with myself, people are watching. our behavior toward one another speaks volumes to the curious or searching. i pray my words toward another person, my actions toward another person, does not cause someone to not want to search out God. i pray it does not cause someone else to stumble.

Lord, search me. Know me. You are THE only One who can!

slack to the future

Posted on October 21, 2008 by tam

i have two children. there isn’t a day that goes by when i do not think about their future. take stock of where they’re at now; emotionally, physically, spiritually. sometimes my heart rejoices and sometimes it gets weary.

i look at the shape our world is in, our country, and it weighs heavy on my heart.

the other night i was talking about this with my FIL and i told him there are times i pray my children never have the desire to have children of their own. i worry about my kids future in these times and the thought of them bringing children into an even more disgruntled society and leadership deeply concerns me.

then i remember being a child myself, over hearing my family talk about how horrible the world was then. the wars. the famines. “evil leaders”. the world was ending. and here i am today. im fine. or at least, adapted.

is that what we do? adapt? grow accustomed to dysfunction to where it becomes our “normal”? is this how standards, convictions and expectations change because we adapt to a shift in times and feel powerless in it?

have we compromised too much?

do we have a choice?

danger in the title?

Posted on September 30, 2008 by tam

our daughter, kassidi, was elected princess of the freshmen class last week. we are so very excited for her. she is too, obviously. we’ve found a dress and will go accessory shopping this week.

cool thing is…kass told me she is aware of the importance of this position. she understands very well that she is an example. the child warms my heart!

but after my superficial impressions post on monday, i got to thinking about this princess, prince, queen and king thing.

we discussed on the blog yesterday the danger of favoritism and judging.

do you think there is a danger in elevating young ones like this “above others”? is it possible this fosters and encourages jealousy, judging, even bullying due to insecurities and immaturity?

thoughts?

superficial impressions

Posted on September 29, 2008 by tam

yesterdays sermon was straight talk on favoritism based on James 2: 1-13 “a warning against prejudice”.

man judges by the face, but God judges by the heart

“don’t judge by his appearance or height…The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. people judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

i was thinking of the many times i have judged others. snap judgments based on what i can see. how often have i missed out on something beautiful, beautiful inside, beautiful on a deeper-spiritual level all because my eyes called the shots. my mind wondered to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

then suddenly i recalled the many times i have been judged. the hurt and disappointment instantly filled my heart. as did conviction upon realizing the countless times i have inflicted this onto others.

“doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?” James 2:4

yes, James, it does.

it also illuminates my insecurities. and my arrogance.

one of the many things i love about blogging is, for the most part, i can’t see you. besides a tiny little avatar, you are simply black letters on a computer screen. and in those letters lies the heart behind the face.

i am working on looking beyond the surface these days. i am no longer interested in the outward. i am through with letting inner beauty pass right through my hands because my eyes have not yet met up with my heart. because my true intent is to have His heart. a heart guided by love.

“when you love another with Christ’s love you are always on eye level. not below or beneath them.”

a message from Kassidi

Posted on September 25, 2008 by tam

this is tam. kass and i had a wonderful talk tonight. i love that we can communicate. i love that she came to me with this. i love that we trust each other, and pray that will always continue. we, brent and i, should always be her safe place to land.

it takes a village to raise a child. and in this case…a blogging community. all your comments to the last post were amazing. thank you so much! i can safely say that we, and the Grandparents, definitely agree with your advice.

so below is a note from kassidi….

Hey everyone, this is Kass. I just want to thank you for the advise in your comments on my mom’s last post. It has really helped a lot!!! This is what we have come up with. Well, as you might’ve guessed, my mom obviously said no. She told me why and I back her up on it 110%.

Here is our plan:

I (and we) believe that I don’t need to be in a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship. Being b-friend and g-friend is preparing you for marriage and I’m not ready for that yet. I (and we) think that ANYONE in my age group isn’t ready for that. I think that maybe having him come to church with my fam every once in a while would definitely be better.

inprogress

…until I am done

Category Archives: Deep Thoughts