Email.

It's a bit late, I'm somewhat tired, and here's an e-mail I just wrote to my boss:

Subject: Man, It's Pretty Late.

I just got finished writing the devotionals and sent them off to... Hopefully they're what she's looking for. She said she would publish them regardless, which I guess makes sense because otherwise she'd have to write them herself or have no devotionals. But, I guess it's also dangerous in that she asked me to complete them...but she can't be faulted for that because she doesn't know me that well.

Anyway - I was on webmail and got the urge to write you, so here I am. I'm listening to John Mayer sing, very well actually, about how we suck a whole lot because all we do is wait for the world to change. Pretty deep stuff, if you ask me (and then stick around to hear my opinion on it). But, as of this moment, all I really have is opinions - so I guess I haven't done much to help the world to change, other than releasing hot air (from all my talking) - which might have contributed to global warming...which actually hurts the Earth.

Oops.

But, hey, in my defense they've done some studies that suggest that cow flatulence might actually be more harmful for the Earth (as far as global warming is concerned) than man-made things (like automobiles and Trevor's opinions).

Have a Great Day at Work, Buddy!

-tdurbs

Merry Christmas!

I probably won't get back into blog-mode until after Christmas, so I figured it would be nice to send this out beforehand.

(The reason the text looks funny on the post-it note is because I had to write everything backwards. No grief, please)

That About Explains It.

Unsolicited Advice.

How amazing would it be for someone much older and wiser than me to put things into perspective?

(Just thinking out loud).

5 Things.

To go along with the trend my two friends started with recent posts, I present:

5 Things You May (Or May Not) Know About Me:

1) I Love Office Supplies - I have no idea why, but I gather much joy from an outing to Office Depot, Office Max, or even the office supply aisle of WalMart. I love pens, paper, notebooks, organizers, little-colored-dot-stickers you put on things at a yard-sale. I like to have business cards made - it makes me feel important. I like to sit down at all of the desks and act like it's either my home office or I work somewhere really important where owning a metal-glass desk hybrid is acceptable.

2) I'm a Hypochondriac - I can't watch shows like E.R. or House because it freaks me out. One time, there was this patient on House who ate ham and contracted this crazy virus and almost died. I stayed away from ham for a little while after that (you can't avoid ham forever). I'm not insane about germs, but I do often self-diagnose illnesses that I "have" and often worry about diseases I'll probably never get.

3) I'm an Extremely Picky Eater - I can go to almost any restaurant and find something I like, but often times it requires specific instructions (no onion, no pickle, no sauce of any kind). I also avoid trying new foods because, sometimes, the very thought of it makes me ill. I have no idea where this developed from, because when I was a child I used to eat sticks (we have the pictures to prove it).

4) I Wanted to be an English Major - For as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of the written word. I used to write short stories, poetry, and works of fiction all the time. I even thought I would go to college to study English and become a writer. But, as time went on and I got more involved with technology, my focus changed. The creative spark is still present, though...so we'll see where it leads.

5) I Used to Live With a Pig - We've had countless dogs over the years (currently three), a couple hamsters, a ferret, five or so goats, and a pig. The pig's name was Pumba. He was a pot-bellied pig and he lived in our house. He was like a dog, except larger and not canine. He was potty-trained better than our current dogs and loved to roll over and have his belly rubbed (he would actually fall asleep/become paralyzed at times). He lived outside of our house for the last few years of his life and grew awesome looking tusks. He was an awesome pig until the end.

Doxology.

Thank You, Lord - for your gracious gifts to me.
Those tangible, those not seen.
Those received with thanks, the unfortunate forgotten.
Thank You for treating me better than I deserve.
For Your limitless patience and overwhelming love.
That I know You, and continue to know You.
Have mercy on me in my weakness.
In all things bless me with Your presence.
Help me to be forever Yours.

Make a Snowflake.

Want to support charity this Christmas but don't have the extra cash laying around? Just click here and you can have fun creating a snowflake which, as more and more people let loose creatively, raises the amount donated. So simple.

And just to help get those paper-cutting ideas flowing - here's my little masterpiece.

Lessons Learned.

I thank God that He uses the most mundane of situations to teach me great life lessons. The realizations are often spectacular, and teamed with the unexpected activity of the time, often collaborate for good story telling.

I get home tonight, drop my junk off in my room, and head back into the kitchen. Our three dogs (pug, pug, jack russell) are waiting eagerly for my return because, they are sure, it means lots of treats and hours of attention. The jack russell is "my" dog - which equates in this family to my giving her preferential treatment over the other dogs. She's a bit high-strung and often nervous, but I love her.

Anyway - we have a ton of those dog barrier gates set up to limit the location where our dogs can have accidents. Every time that I, or any person, gets close to a gate - our dogs jump up and run the other direction. Too many times my leg has kicked one of these over and scared the crap out of them - thus instilling for all future visits shear dog dread.

Once I get past the gate, I am free to instill upon the dogs all the love I can bear to release; no amount of ear scratching, belly rubbing, or other dog-related service is too much with these three.

But, tonight, as I am trying to use two hands to love three dogs the jack russell isn't cooperating...she's standing a bit too far off for reach - so I beckon her closer. As I reach out I say, "Come a bit closer, I can't love you unless you come closer."

And it hits me...God has said the same thing to me...to us. He beckons us to come close to Him to receive all that He is - all His love, compassion, mercy...Him. And I wonder why we wouldn't jump at that opportunity. And then I think of my dogs.

I don't come to God because I don't really trust Him. I mean, I do - but there is always that concern in the back of my head. Far too many times I've been scolded by God. Is He calling me close for love, or for discipline? Am I approaching Him correctly? What about these other dogs around me?

And no matter how many times I assure our dogs - they still run away when they see me coming from behind that gate - even when I hold out my hands in love and speak gently to them while crossing. That same cautiousness appears even in the most tender moments between us.

And so tonight I was reminded that God is calling out to me, telling me to come close to Him, to be embraced, to be loved - and to see my (oft) reaction to it. And I got a true taste of what it feels like to be rejected - to offer love to a response of reservation.

Neither was especially sweet, but both visions were very appreciated.

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.