Today, we're going to play Mythbusters. More tidbits from the time here, quirky and serious. . .
Myth #1: Melted candle wax does NOT, I repeat NOT, enhance the flavor of Grandma Yordie's crumb cake recipe. hahaha! :) But what do you expect when you jam 100 of them into the top and try to light them all? A few of them are bound to melt all the way down. At least it made it colorful, and my beautiful Georgia was blessed by the sentiment.
Myth #2: You have to complain when the weatherman tells you there's only more 100-degree days in the future. Not true. You can drown him out by singing showtunes at the top of your lungs with your sister. It makes the prediction of heat and drought way more upbeat. No complaining when you're singing, "Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee..." while dancing around the kitchen.
Myth #3: Rural communities are poorer than big cities. (Is "poorer" a word?) Anyway, it's not true. It might be the case financially, but I can tell you that there is way more wealth in this little farm town than all of Overland Park, Mission Hills and Liberty combined. It just shows up in the intangible things like community, trust and love. As I ran today around my little town, I had no fear of being abducted or mugged; no anxiety about what a passing motorist might do if I didn't get out of his way; no thoughts about who would break into the house if I forgot to lock the door behind me (which I didn't). Instead, I got to enjoy passing familiar faces and homes, saying hello to the people I grew up with who were out for walks or watering their lawns. (Hi, Kathy and Jody!) I even got to holler a hello to Pastor Jack, who was sitting out on his front porch enjoying the south wind blowing away some of the heat. This isn't a poor small town; it's the richest place I know.
Myth #4: That a roll of toilet paper will last forever. Not true, though I sometimes think my family believes this. Does anyone else play this game? See how few squares you can get by with so that you don't use the last one and have to (*gasp*) change the roll. hahaha! I LOVE my family!! :) It's a cute quirk. And, I think they're onto me. My OCD won't let me leave the abandoned roll there, so I will ALWAYS change it (otherwise, I might literally go crazy). :) haha! They are so onto it. But, really? I love it. Gives me a chance to put my quirks to good use to bless them for letting me invade their space.
Myth #5: You're always 17 in your hometown. Again, not true. Sorry, Cross Canadian Ragweed, but I have to disagree. Thank GOD I'm not the same girl I was when I was 17. Thank God none of us are the same as we were back then. Back then I believed so many things that weren't true. That beauty came from the outside. That what people thought about you determined who you were. That life was all about getting famous. That the "shortcomings" of my family and my childhood were things I had to make up for. Ah, thank God for His truth!
Sadly, one of the things I believed when I was 17 was that I was a Christian simply because I was a "good" kid. I didn't drink, smoke, do drugs, sleep around, or steal things, so I MUST be a Christian, right? Isn't that what made someone a Christian? I certainly thought so.
I don't think I've ever shared my conversion story on my blog, but it's a really really cool story about how God used very divine circumstances to bring me to faith in Christ as a freshman in college. (Shocking that a girl would surrender to Jesus at a place like the University of Kansas, but it CAN happen!) :) Anyway, it involved my friend EE (if you haven't noticed, I'm trying to avoid using real names, because you just never know on here), Campus Christians, and the verse Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
After a very clear move of God's hand just weeks before, I had started attending a Bible study through CC with EE (ha! That's funny.), and this verse was part of the week's homework. And, when I read that, it was like everything made sense. I stopped the lesson and reread it. Then, I just sat there thinking, "Huh. It's not about me. It's about Jesus. Life is to be lived FOR Him and WITH Him. Life is about Him. I get it!"
Call it an ah-ha moment, I guess. But it was the biggest ah-ha moment of my life. It changed everything, praise God. I finally understood that being a Christian involved so much more than doing the "right" things and being a good girl. It involved a life that was lived in a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, who had loved me so much He died to save me. Wow. If that isn't the kind of Man (God) worth devoting your life to, then there really is no point in living at all. There's really no other way to put it.
Today, I want to encourage you so much. You're not who you were at 17 (unless you really are 17). You're not even who you were 5 minutes ago! Through Jesus Christ, you are being renewed moment by moment through His love and forgiveness. And, if you are willing to embrace Him, He will keep making you new each and every day. It doesn't matter what you've done, what you've believed, where you've been. It only matters that you accept His gift of grace and begin to walk with Him in the relationship for which you were created. The most wonderful loving relationship with your Heavenly Father.
Love and hugs to you all!
-Jill
P.S. Just so you can see it for yourself, this is the Hogoboom mug!! Isn't that fun to say? Try it. You'll love it!
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