2.22.2008

a petition

I'm starting a petition.
it's a petition for spring.
anyone want to sign it?

I've never been so ready for spring in my life.  has it been a longer winter?  a colder winter? 
I'm not sure what the deal is, but I do know that I've had enough of the cold weather!
come on, warm breeze, green grass, and no coat!

2.19.2008

so I was doing my lunch supervision at the school today. I watch 8th graders, even though I'm normally with 7th graders.
I'm leaning against a table when a couple of 8th grade guys who I've maybe seen once walk by and say, "hi, favorite teacher in the world!!".
I respond by saying "Why are you calling me that? You don't even know who I am!"
and in response to me, "Because you're standing there looking all cool and happy. All the other teachers always look bored and tired".

I'll take that compliment.
funny thing was, I WAS bored and tired at that moment!

2.16.2008

new addition

Matt wants to post on my blog every now and then.
so we made it "our blog" instead of "my blog".
I'm not sure who will end up posting more often; only time will tell.
and if you want to know whose writing you're currently reading, you'll just have to look at the end of the post.
the choices: sarah beth or matt k.
how original. :)

It's never too late...

2004 called and asked me to start a blog. Instead, I chose to share my wife's. It is my hope to decrease the average amount of estrogen in our reader base by sharing this with some dudes. Thank you.

2.14.2008

two side notes

first side note, I really don't hate holidays. really, I don't. I know it may seem like it, especially since I had a pretty skeptical post around Christmas.
I don't hate holidays. I just hate what commercialism has done to them. that's all.

second side note, I have a confession to make.
I just finished putting away our Christmas decorations.
it's the middle of February, people!! seriously.
I think I had a pretty good excuse. if you had seen my calendar the last couple of months, you would have pitied me. but still. at least they're put away in their cozy little storage place now!

happy February 14th!

Happy Valentine's day!!

some thoughts, though. if you'll humor me.
where did Valentine's Day come from? I'm sure it does have a history; I should look it up.
no matter where it came from, I feel it's turned into a rather annoying holiday.
it's a day when people (especially poor unsuspecting men) pay astronomical amounts of money for wilted flowers, and 99.9% of the population (okay, I'm exaggerating. but seriously!) go out to eat. and for those without a significant other (SO), it's depressing. at least it always was for me and for those around me.
so it seems.... it's a day for those with a SO to spend too much money, and for those without to feel down about life.

so I have to ask, what's so special about February 14th?
I told Matt after our first Valentine's Day together to never buy me flowers again. I would rather receive them on different days throughout the year. that way, it shows "I was thinking of you, and I love you" instead of "I paid a ridiculous amount of money for these low quality flowers because the media said I should, and I would've had to have paid half a year's salary to get better quality flowers."

for my part, no thank you!

the first year Matt & I were dating, he had flowers sent to me at work. they were nice, but not spectacular. they were a little wilty. don't get me wrong, they were very pretty. I think they were some kind of daisy, and I liked them a lot. but they looked close to their expiration date. I couldn't understand why Matt was so upset at their condition - I mean, it's just flowers, right?
about a year later, the truth finally came out. he paid $70 for those sort-of nice, wilted flowers! all because it was February 14th.

again, no thank you!

you could buy those exact same flowers, and probably better quality, for less than $20 any other time of year.

that same year, Matt had a big plan to take me to a nice restaurant. little did he know that every other guy had the same idea. we got to Charleston's and were told there was a two-hour wait. "heck no!!!" both of us decided. we ended up at Zio's. we had a marvelous time, the pizza was great, and it wasn't as crowded.
we got a table right away, spent less money, and had a wonderful time. can't beat it.
since then, it's become a tradition; this will be our third anniversary of eating at Zio's for Valentine's Day.
I love it.
although, last year, people seemed to have caught on. maybe it was because they started to make heart-shaped pizzas for the occasion. we ended up being some of the last people they served.
why, you may ask?

because they ran out of cheese!!!!!

2.13.2008

Matthew 6

I've been reading Matthew for the last few days.
isn't it funny how you can read the same thing dozens of times, and it still feels new when you read it again?
I love that about the Bible. it never gets old. it's always relevant.

Matt & I have been talking a lot lately about money. about having enough of it or not. about wondering if we're going to be okay.
I think it's something everyone worries about, at least from time to time.
but sometimes, it just gets harder to trust. the Lord brings you to a new level, a level where more is at stake, and it's harder to let go and trust than it was before.
we talked at length about it last night.
then, this morning, I read Matthew 6.

first off, Jesus gives a teaching on how to pray. but before He does that, He says not to make your prayers long and flowery. keep them short and simple, like how I think of a conversation with a friend. personal. and when He gives a reason for keeping your prayers from being like the Pharisees, He says (in verse 8),

"So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."

He knows before we utter a word! how many of us, if we truly believed this simple statement, would worry just a little bit less? about money, but also about anything that's on our hearts.

I think all of us know the Lord's prayer. it follows the pattern that Jesus talked about, simple and to the point. and when it comes to provision, all He says is "Give us this day our daily bread." (vs.11).
this tells me a couple of things. He wants us to ask, and He wants to provide for us. it also tells me that He'll give us enough for today. not tomorrow, or next week, or next year. He'll give us enough for today. and He'll do that everyday. especially if we continue to ask.

moving on in the chapter, we come to verse 19-21:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

don't worry about building up wealth on earth. worry more about what truly matters, about what will last beyond the end of this earth. love one another.

and finally, the passage so many are familiar with, but I think so few of us fully grasp. it helps me to better understand when reading in context with all the above (and the rest of Matthew). it's not an isolated set of instructions. they interweave with everything that Jesus commanded us. the instructions? do not worry!!!

"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

I love the part where He says that you cannot add a single hour to your life by worrying.
isn't the opposite true? medicine tells us that stress can shorten your life. worrying is pretty stressful, if you ask me!
He says He will provide food and clothing according to our needs.
what more do we really need?

instead of seeking after the things that "Gentiles eagerly seek", what are we instructed?

(verse 33) "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

and finally, verse 34, "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I don't know about you, but this will keep me busy for a while. that is, figuring out how to do this.
but I'm willing to try. His promises are greater than anything the world has to offer. of this I am sure!

2.02.2008

why the emphasis?

a friend posed a question of me about a week and a half ago.
she also posted about it.

she asked why it was so important to be married. or even dating someone.
why has it become such an emphasis in the church? why can't we ask something of single people besides "is there a special someone in your life?".

it was a good question. and it made me think.
I was pondering one night, and I feel like the Lord spoke something to me. it was rather simple, and I don't think it's a complete answer. but it may be a start.

He said that we've missed it. as a culture first, and as a church second. we've missed the mark.
He made us for community. He made us to share our lives with those around us. to have intimacy in our relationships. to know one another inside and out. to live in such a way that nothing is kept secret, and our needs are taken care of.
our culture has become so independent and self-sufficient. the church has done the same (in many cases, and in my opinion).
we live separate, lonely lives. we have a need, and we take care of ourselves.
therefore, we've missed the mark. we've lost out on the way He's designed us to live.

except in marriage.
what the Lord designed for us to find in community with other believers, we find almost solely in our spouses. He designed us with many needs. and these needs should be fulfilled by the many in our lives. but it doesn't seem to work that way very often, in our culture or in the church.
Waypoint wants to change that.
but for now, it seems to still be that way.

could that be why there's such an emphasis on marriage? on finding "the one"?
we have unfulfilled needs. our hearts are longing for something, but we can't quite figure out what. so we look for it in a spouse. in a girlfriend or boyfriend.

if we truly lived in community, if we truly relied on one another, if we truly shared our lives in intimacy with one another - I have to wonder. would the emphasis on marriage lessen a little?

marriage is wonderful. I wouldn't trade it for anything. but maybe, if we were living the way He intended, it wouldn't seem so necessary to so many.

food for thought. I'm not saying this is the answer - it was just a little something that came to me!

a few words from a band called Watashi Wa:

We just need someone
We are more than wandering lives, or shadows in the dark
We all need someone to carry each other through it all
Everybody needs someone

Of all the things in the world
Of all the dreams in the world

We just need someone
We are more than wandering lives, or shadows in the dark
We all need someone to carry each other through it all

2.01.2008

for sure! (Firchau)

Happy birthday, my friend!! all the best. always.
I'm glad you're in my life!