Friday, February 13, 2009

S.A.D.


Tomorrow is “Singleness Awareness Day.” And for all you singles out there – BE GLAD! Below is a list of why I’m glad I’m single (though I PROMISE you, if the opportunity arose, I’d get married!). Feel free to add yours.

Top Ten Reasons I’m Grateful To Be Single

(no particular order)

  1. I can watch what I want, when I want and I can channel surf as much as I want. And if I happen to land on an old episode of "Mad About You" and want to watch it, WHO CARES? The remote is mine. The TV is mine. (Unfortunately so is the cable bill, but that’s ok.)
  2. I can eat the exact same breakfast/lunch/dinner for days if not weeks on end and no one cn stop me!
  3. I can have a bowl of Captain Crunch Peanut Butter Cereal for dinner.
  4. My car can be as clean or messy as I want it to be and no one can complain about it. (Of course no one cleans it for me either.)
  5. Same thing goes for my house.
  6. My cell phone minutes are MY CELL PHONE MINUTES. I don’t have to share them with ANYONE!
  7. The ENTIRE closet and every single dresser drawer, MINE!
  8. Toilet seat… enough said
  9. If a friend calls me and asks me to meet them at (enter Mexican restaurant here) in 10 minutes, I can go without having to consult anyone.
  10. If I want to spend money on clothes, funky household stuff or just give it to someone who needs it, I can do it without having to ask.
Ultimately I’m glad to be single because for right now this is where God has me. And for whatever the reason or how ever long the season, I hope to live it like I mean it and do it all for His glory.

Happy Valentine’s Day my friends.

(Oh, TEN DAYS!!!)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Kleenex Says, "Bless You"

Just when I thought it was safe to wallow in uncertainty and despair (ok THAT’S not an exaggeration, is it?) God has stepped in AGAIN and shown me how much He loves me, how much HE is in control of all of this, and that YES ALICE, THIS IS MY WILL FOR YOU!

Let me ‘splain (no let me sum up).

Since last I updated anyone here on my bro, David much has happened. And things change on a daily if not twice-a-day basis. Every time I’d start to update folks, something would change and finally I gave up trying to keep the masses informed. As of today, my brother is getting moved back to the Cardiac Critical Care Unit at Allegheny General Hospital to await a heart/kidney transplant. If one does not become available at the end of two weeks the doctors will be forced to give him an artificial heart. Without either of these, they suspect that he has about a month to live.

And my brother still does not want to see me.

Nor does he want my kidney (turns out the transplant team doesn’t want it either, but their rejection is easier to take).

I found out a majority of this information on Friday afternoon. On my drive over to my friend Mark’s house for bible study, I had come to the conclusion that there was no way I was going to Belize. How could I? At the same time I thought of all the things that God had orchestrated (as only He can) to show me how this was His will. I was at the point where I just flat out needed someone to tell me what to do. I no longer felt like I was being objective or anything. Enter my dear friend, Greg Stuckey, who without hesitation said, “You are to go to Belize.”

Greg completely brought me down to earth when he said, “Alice, this trip has nothing to do with you. God obviously has a plan. God obviously is in control. This is not about you. This is all about God.” WOW! Gotta admit, this way of thinking was totally foreign to me!

Then last night my uncle tells me that sometime within the next two weeks that he (my uncle) will be having at least double if not triple by-pass surgery. SERIOUSLY? No, I mean SER-I-OUS-LY???!!?????

Oh yeah, and by the way, HE DOESN’T WANT ME COMING TO SEE HIM EITHER!

Sigh.

So there I was last night, sitting in the middle of my bed, crying, not sure what to think, what to do, who to call, were to go. My mind and heart were a jumbled mess of BLAH! I couldn’t pray, I couldn’t think, I just wanted to curl up into a ball and wake up sometime in the middle of March.

I proceeded to do what any normal, red-blooded American girl would do, I shopped online for shoes. I remembered getting a postcard in the mail about some place having a sale, went to find said postcard and instead found an envelope from a sweet friend in Florence. Inside was a note telling me that she was praying for me and my brother. She also sent a donation for my trip.

So I’m going to Belize. In 11 days, I’m going to Belize. My family needs your prayers tremendously. John, Margaret, Everett & I need your prayers, as well.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Steelers vs. Evangelism

I’ve been a Steeler fan since the day I was born. And no, not just because I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. And I can probably count on 1 hand the number of times my entire family sat down and watched a game on TV together. My family was more of a “Breakfast At Wimbledon” family. When the Steelers were on TV, I was generally in another room watching the game by myself. And though I’ve lived in several states with fairly decent NFL teams, I still bleed black and gold. Always will. Deal with it.

Anyhow, as an adult I’ve realized that I can’t watch a Steeler game with anyone else. It annoys me if there are others around while I’m watching. And unless there’s blood spurting from your head, don’t call me (unless it’s commercial time). I’m vocal. I’m loud. And like any true Steeler fan, I have my very own set of superstitions that I rarely veer from.

Can you imagine how different my life would be if I felt the same way about telling folks about Jesus? (Well maybe minus the vocal, loud and superstition part.) Actually I guess the correct question would be can you imagine how different others lives could be if I felt the same way about telling them about Jesus.

Why is it I can talk to a total stranger about James Harrison’s miraculous interception and 100 yard return for the touchdown? Or Santonio Holmes AMAZING catch that put us in the lead with just 35 seconds left to the game? But tell me to talk to that same stranger about Jesus?!

Oh yeah, and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today. No problem with that one either.

I don’t have an answer to why I can’t talk about something that’s of far greater importance than the Steelers or a groundhog. I’ll blame it on the fear of rejection.

Lame.

Oh and incase I haven’t mentioned it yet… 21 DAYS!!