Electronics, The IT Crowd, and Mama Mia

I'm on a visa run. Laptop is in the shop. It miraculously came alive again after crashing a couple weeks ago, but just to be safe, I took it in to have a diagnostic run on it. As I backed up my data in the shop before turning it in, it ran slower, and slower, and slower. They are going to downgrade me to Windows XP, which should speed things up. I am excited! Gone are the days of vista. Apparently Singaporians downgrade to XP as soon as they buy a new computer, since Vista is the only thing available on new computers nowdays. My ipod was having issues, too, and the shop guy had it working in less than 2 seconds. Yay!!!

I am addicted to The IT Crowd. My rommate got me hooked. If you haven't ever watched any, check out this clip for starters. Ha ha! I love it. Jen has been hired by a flaky boss as manager of the IT department, knowing nothing about computers. The show is about her and the IT guys, them playing on her ignorance, and her dying social deaths with the geeky guys. British humor, so if you're not into that sort of thing, don't bother. I haven't ventured into season 3, as it looks to be a bit dodgy/raunchy. I am only recommending seasons 1 and 2. The episodes get funnier every time I repeat them.

Last night I watched Mama Mia. I felt like I needed a cleansing after watching it. The story line had potential, but Eeewwww! A bunch of old ladies trying to be cool. Who says old ladies aren't cool? Why try so very hard to act that way? Sorry if you loved it. I don't think I'll be watching it again. I wonder what the critics have said about it....

One Master

I have slowly been working my way through a book titled, Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. It has given me some great things to think about. This week I read through Lie #18: “I don’t have time to do everything I’m supposed to do.” Interesting quote from that:

Years ago, I read that the average woman today has the equivalent of fifty full-time servants, in the form of modern, timesaving devices and equipment. That figure may or may not be accurate, but we certainly have many conveniences available to us that were unknown to women of past generations. Imagine going back to the days when there were no dishwashers, microwaves, washing machines, dryers, or automobiles—or even further back to a time when people had never heard of indoor plumbing or electricity.

Hello. Yeah, tell me about it.

Last week I was really struggling through guilt--again (not sure that one ever really goes away for me, but hopefully one day it will!)--and realizing that I have been living my life in a state of mind that focus on everything that is not. What I have not been doing and wonder if I should have been, what village I have not been spending time in and wonder if I should, etc, etc...

As I journaled, I quickly came up with a list of 8 different sources/entities I feel the need to please/appease, and processed through the stresses I felt from each of those. I cried out, "Jesus, you said your yoke is EASY and your burden LIGHT!" Then out of the blue these words came to me:

No man can serve two masters.

It struck me like a blow: I am trying to serve at least eight!

...Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other" (Mat.6:24).

I generally have thought of God in terms of being my Heavenly Father, but seeing him as Master and me as servant really spoke loudly to me. It's an obvious relationship, not a new concept to me or anyone else, and I wondered why it hadn't occurred to me before. In print, it seems cold and impersonal, but to my heart, it is special and intimite. Why? Because acts of service is my strongest love language, and serving others is a passion with which God has gifted me. Over the last several years I have also discovered something about myself: I love being given specific, and direct instruction. So, to decide that God is my One and Only Master is freeing, liberating. Who knows me better? Who knows my limits? What I can do? The areas in which I need to grow? Who loves me more? Who has my best in mind? He is the One I want to serve, from whom I want to take all marching orders.

A current lesson being learned in the life of SJ.

Personal daze

I think I've mentioned before that I try to take a personal day each week--one where I get away by myself with some of my favorite items and just sit. Journal, take pictures, try to write a song, whatever. It's been more than a week since my last

personal day, and I'm not sure when I'll get my next one, but I think I'm ready.


On this particular day I read the story of Jonah, and when I read the end about his little vine that gives him shade, my little spot I had chosen of made me feel like I could have been Jonah. :)



Crabs crack me up! I know I am always posting pictures of them, but it is so amusing to me all the kinds of homes they come in. When I take time to be alone on the beach, no matter where I sit, the ground comes alive with little hermit crabs--crawling in my shoes (yes, they probably should be replaced), my camera case, and desperately trying to get away from my scrutiny....

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

P.S. Happy Independence Day to Indonesia, land of my birth!

Silence

So, I've been running around a bit, and running myself down a bit, and now I'm catching a cold and the yuckiness is starting. A whole lot of things up in the air at the moment affecting the next few months--and even years?--not sure when I'll have a moment to blog some more, but that's the brief rundown on the lull.

Speaking of brief rundown... I hope this one is brief.