Did you know that God cares about groceries?
I used a small portion of spaghetti sauce last week and just stuck the can in the fridge to use later. Several times I noticed the open can and told myself I needed to do something with the sauce before it went bad, but nothing ever came of it.
Well, I think at least a week has passed now and for the last few days I’ve received strong promptings from the Lord to do something about that can and not let it go to waste. This week I’ve even gone so far as to smell it once or twice to make sure it wasn’t bad yet, but still lacked obedience because I hadn’t made up my mind on how I would like to use it. God told me just to freeze it if nothing else but I argued about how much trouble it is to thaw and use.
Today I again heard the voice of God in my soul to preserve that can of sauce and I had the intention of doing it but one thing after another came up – clearly God’s direction was not my priority.
I write this after obedience – I just put a container of sauce in the freezer, reserving a little to make pizza omelets tomorrow for breakfast.
Why did it take me so long to follow this simple direction from God? Why was he so gracious in not letting the item spoil? We are learning about being a good steward in a Bible study and I was convicted with the fact that I wasn’t being very faithful with a very little thing. Will God entrust me with more?
7-Mar-2007
6-Mar-2007
We were going through some of our childhood stuff yesterday and I came across an old diary, written when I was nine and ten. I thought some of the entries were really cute and funny so here is a sampling – spelling, grammar and all:
March 14 I just lost two games of soccer and a crokay game. My
heart broke, it was fun except I lost. I was almost mad dog but Michael got me
out. I also got hit with the soccer ball. I had a hard day.
May 3 Today
was David’s Birthday. I got a spaken, I got this diary today. I saw a snake .
Dec.2 Today we are deep cleaning our
room. I locked this diary and we couldn’t get it open. Lori finally got it
open. It’s taking a long time to clean our closet (it’s very messy) We’re going
to have a picnic with Promise and Cecilia.
Dec. 3 Was in a King’s entoroge and
paraded in front of the church, it was a lot of fun. Tonite we had a prayer
service that ran an hour and twenty min. overtime. It got boring! But Stacie
and I made up poems.
Dec. 4 I taught Timothy to “honk” his nose with a kleenax.
Tonite we had a song rehersal, it was really fun and the chicken song was
hilarious!
Dec. 12 I HATE !!! Sandwhiches. I
really really hate them! I can’t wait till I’m lunch then I can make whatever I
want!
Then one entry several years later:
July 29 We are cleaning our room. I found a
piece of paper and here is what’s on it: “I want to be a good farm wife and I
want to know about different animals. But most of all I want to know God in a
personal relationship.”
We’re going to slaughter rabbits today and try to
preserve the pelts.
Those were some of the trials, triumphs and thoughts of my childhood.
1-Mar-2007
ALERT Server Move – ACT II
SCENE I
Setting: 3:00am Saturday morning, Cahill residence.
CAHILL: Get up, get up! The time is at hand – let us venture out while the world is sleeping and work our magic.
PA (Pretty Associate): Mmmmm…….
To be awake, or not to be awake: that is the question.
CAHILL: Let me tell you what we have ahead of us!
PA:
Mmmmmm……Men of few words are the best men…..
ACT II SCENE II
Setting: Basement of the Administration building – 3:30 am
CAHILL: Here is our present situation
PA: Hmmmmm……..
CAHILL: See what you can do with it.
PA: Hmmmm?!!
CAHILL: Worry not! Each computer hath a name and each cable is labeled as such – I am sure thou shalt do well.
PA: ….what’s in a name……
PA: O Jonathan, O Jonathan, for that is thy name, wherefore art thou O Jonathan?
Deny thy server and refuse thy name! What’s in a name? Only my partner doth know.
A wire by any other name, in your place would not work as sweet!
Ah, see how the end doth fit so well into the port – Oh that I were that end that I might not confuse that port.
CAHILL: (mutters) soliliquizing again.
ACT II SCENE III
Setting: Basement of the Admin. building; 7:30am
CAHILL: Well, my young apprentice, thou doeth well! All seems to be in order. Let me check…..
CAHILL: …but hark! What light through yonder panel breaks?
PA: It is the cable, and Jonathan is the source.
CAHILL: Boot up fair Jonathan and show your stuff!
PA: Methinks he is jealous that he recieves not a new name.
CAHILL: Ah yes, Peter must be renamed, what shall we call our new friend, Ceasar?
PA: Brutus.
CAHILL: Then fall Ceasar?
PA: It’s not that I loved Ceasar less, but that I loved Brutus more.
CAHILL: This was the unkindest cut of all!
PA: Alas,
Love is blind, and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that they themselves commit.
CAHILL: Alas, poor Peter, I knew him.
ACT II SCENE IV
Setting: Basement of Admin., 10:30am
CAHILL: Ahhh, success at last! We have moved the whole computer department in one fell swoop!
PA: The sweet taste of success!
CAHILL: Sweets to the sweet!
CAHILL: Look at all the beautiful lights, winking and blinking as their motherboards hum away.
PA: Not all that glitters is gold.
CAHILL: No, and treasure isn’t always owned by pirates….I love you, my pretty associate!
And thus ends this short comedy (called such by default though the hero and heroine were already married). All is now well in the state of Big Sandy. Cahill and Cahill wish to dedicate this to…well, each other. And so, all good things must come to an end for “brevity is the soul of wit.”
28-Feb-2007
ALERT Server Move – ACT I
SCENE I:
NARRATOR: ALERT had a problem; all the computers that kept the offices alive and humming were tucked in a
small, out of the way closet in the basement. A new piece of equipment had just come in and space in the old
room was limited. There was a solution but it would involve quite a bit of work. Looks like a job for Cahill and
Cahill.
ENTER: Cahill and Cahill
CAHILL: Methinks, dear partner, that a move is in order, could you possibly render service?
PRETTY ASSOCIATE (PA): Wherever thou goest, I shall go. Whatever thou doest, I shall do. Your work shall be my work, and your schedule my schedule.
CAHILL: Right then, let us be off!
<Exuant.>
ACT I SCENE II
SETTING: ALERT Basement.
PA: Painting, painting, painting. The job started as just one wall an now becometh the entire room!
CAHILL: Thou doest well in thy task
PA: Yes, but when comes the real work?
CAHILL: Soon. When all has been made ready then we two shall meet, in thunder lightning or in rain.
PA: Double toil and double trouble.
ACT I SCENE III
SETTING: Basement
CAHILL: Bear but a short time more for there is yet work to be done.
PA: More painting?
CAHILL: Nay, methinks you are ready for an upgrade – wiring.
PA: Tell me, how goeth it?
CAHILL: Orange-white orange, green-white, blue, blue-white, green, brown-white, brown.
PA:
It’s Greek to me, but familiar in his mouth as household words.
CAHILL: All is now in readiness. The hour is late and nothing can be done till morning…let us to bed. There we shall wait with bated breath…
PA: I knew tuna fish was a bad choice for dinner.
<Exuant>
End of Act I
23-Feb-2007
Our alarm clock is set to softly play music for about 15 min. before the alarm goes off each morning.
Brian has been getting up at four or so every morning to do some work. (He does this so we can spend time together in the evenings).
At first I used to wake up to the alarm even before he did and then had to fall back asleep after he left.
Gradually I got to the point where I never heard the music – only the alarm.
Then I barely rose to consciousness as he left the bed.
Now I hear and know nothing.
Yet….even after several months of disuse, if my watch alarm went off – a quiet little beeping for 30 sec. I would snap awake.
Our response is all in what we are conditioned to hear.
I slowly conditioned myself to not respond to Brian’s alarm with a response of rolling over and going back to sleep – I ignored it’s call. I could not use that alarm to get me up if I needed to. To wake up by that alarm I would have to change things a bit and make the alarm more drastic and then discipline myself to get up as soon as I heard it. Gradually I would come to the point of being alert when the first few bars of music sounded forth.
Attentiveness is trained through action.
Listening for God’s voice is the same. If we are in a habit of ignoring it, soon we will cease to hear it even when we want to. God has to speak in a more drastic way and we have to respond consistently in order to come once again to the place where we can hear the still small voice.
