Home is..where?

I've been thinking about this concept a lot in recent months as we've been making plans to move our house location (locally) and dealing with several changes in our work lives.  For me, I know my attitude and perspective can change so much when my environment changes, for better or for worse.  When its the latter, I try to center myself and think happier thoughts.  I can also think about when I feel most at "home": when I'm with the hubby, when we're hanging out with friends, when we're spending time with family, when we're enjoying the community of our church, when we welcome people into our home, when we choose to serve others, when we develop quality relationships at work etc. I hope you also have a good list of places you call home - and thanks for being a part of my home circle, we should have you over sometime soon! ;)

 

A Valentine's to remember

With our newly merged congregation, we now have (and love!) a number of older attendees who have continued to faithfully attend and serve the church.  Yesterday our pastor said that he and his wife would be treating the church's widows to lunch, unless others wanted to invite them, and that's how our little group ended up sharing a meal with two lovely ladies Wanda and Mary Lee.  Now we always manage to have good conversation and laughs over lunch, and this was no exception!  In fact, I might have had some extra laughs listening to Wanda lecture our friend Dave in a loving way (if he blames me I can accept that, but he still deserved it :).  But the opportunity to get to know some new faces, share our stories and ask questions of these longtime members of the former First Baptist of Royal Oak was simply priceless.  What a sweet gift!  

Winter follies

If it has to be cold, at least we can have some fun in the D!  Saturday afternoon we headed downtown to visit with our friend Jodi, take in the activities of the Motown Winterblast around Campus Martius and also stop by the Ice House in Detroit for some pictures.  Good times, indeed!

 

Now that's funny

Eight of us had a grand ole time last night at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak to see the comedian Sugar Sammy.  He even took a shine to my sister "hiiii Aimeeeee, poke me on Facebook!"...hee hee :).  There were 3 other comedians leading up to his headline act, but he was the funniest by far.   Especially amusing to us were his jokes about the Asian-filled city of Troy (where we just happen to live), holla!  What a nice way to end a drab winter week, thanks for the laughs, friends.

Happy birthday, Abe!

No, not my sister-in-law's husband, but the great president himself!  Needless to say I'm a big fan, and the Lincoln Memorial (preferably at night) is my favorite spot in DC.  Oh, and please don't send me any Lincoln-hating emails unless you can also name a president who was perfect :). 
 
Anyway, if you haven't read some of his speeches you're missing out!  Aside from the Gettysburg address, the "House Divided" speech that he gave upon his nomination acceptance by the Illinois Republican Party for U.S. Senator (which he lost)  became one of his best known speeches.  Why doesn't anyone write like this anymore?  While earlier versions of the same scripture referenced exist, his is probably the most quoted.  "A house divided against itself cannot stand" is taken from Matthew 12:25: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."
 
This has so many applications, from political parties, workplaces, churches, groups and even family life.  It certainly doesn't mean that we have to give up our beliefs and differences and always stand completely united in everything we do, but it's a treacherous position to turn against one another with the danger of losing it all.  So in the spirit of love in the shadow of Valentine's Day this weekend (do you like my farfetched transition? :), take a look at your own "house" and be mindful if there are any cracks in the foundation. 

This precious life

No doubt that this has been on many people's minds here at the office, as a former colleague passed away last weekend in an accident.  Tragedy always seems to push all of us to reflect on our own lives, and then the daily grind takes over and we are again consumed with life as we know it.  Just a little reminder to be grateful for this life we've been given, with a hope for something much more rewarding.
 
"..that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you."  1 Peter 1:4

Vote for: Crutch Performance!

My cousin Clarissa and her fiance Everett have joined Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest, please consider voting for this super cute couple! http://www.ultimateweddingcontest.com/entries/25781 

 

We're very happy for them, they were so nice to travel to Michigan from California for our own wedding during the weekend of their 2-year dating anniversary :)

 

In God We Trust

Yesterday I received one of those mass e-mail forwards from a former friend wanting me to go vote in an online poll to show my support for keeping the phrase "In God We Trust" on America's money to show the news organization sponsoring the poll how many Christians there really were in America. This e-mail made me ask several questions.

Does God even care about an online poll? Does he care more about what words we print on our money or does he care about the condition of our hearts? Is he honored more by having the phrase "In God We Trust" on our money or when we trust God with our money - and with our words, or our actions, our futures, and our lives? Are Christians supposed to encourage each other to vote in polls to puff ourselves up, or is the mark of a Christian the encouragement of others to live a more Christ-focused life?