Every kid dreams of being invisible. The power of invisibility is the stuff of science fiction and superheroes. Wouldn’t it be great to enter a room without anyone knowing you’re there? Or would it?
As the newcomer in town, I feel a bit like the Invisible (wo)Man. I walk into my children’s schools, the YMCA and yes even my church and I feel invisible sometimes, as though I’m out of phase with the world around me. It’s not that people intentionally shun me. No, it’s more that their patterns are set, relationships formed, and schedules booked. It’s hard to break in.
It seems there’s profound truth in that Cheers ditty, “Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name . . .” The thing about being invisible is that I'm the only one aware of the problem. Thus, I'm the only one who can fix the problem. That’s the tough part.
Yet as I wedge my way in, I find I’m really not alone. Other invisible souls gradually enter my view. Though I’m out of phase with the mainstream, I find I’m in phase with others I might not have noticed otherwise. So my invisibility is a gift, an opportunity to cling more tightly to my Savior, who is my comforter and who in turn challenges me to comfort others.
~Joyce
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Read with Discernment
Walked into a Christian bookstore last week and noticed Blue Like Jazz (Donald Miller) had a tag sticking out from under it. Never one to pass on a sale, I strolled over to check it out. Instead of a 20% off deal, I found a warning label that said Read with Discernment. It read:
I start looking around to see who else got nailed. I notice a few other titles I’d definitely consider “inconsistent with historical evangelical theology.” Funny thing though, none of these books sport a Read with Discernment sticker.
Now I’ve read Miller’s book and have to admit he’s not a precise theologian. His expressions are raw, which I concede might warrant a caution to readers accustomed to sanitized language. But I have to wonder – what is it that people find offensive about this book, really?
I don’t always agree with Miller’s conclusions or the ways he tries to flesh out his faith, but there’s one characteristic of this book that I can’t overlook. Miller writes with transparency and an attitude of repentance. The book is not instructional, but rather introspective. He draws us into a world of thought and emotion, not so foreign as many of us would like to pretend. As he lets us into his private musings, we see both the ugliness of the human condition and the enormity of God’s mercy. Perhaps, this reality is what some find offensive. Maybe the problem is not so much theology but that unpleasant issue of repentance.
After all, isn’t repentance what offended the Pharisees? They attacked Jesus for his failure to embrace their rules and traditions. His response was to forgive prostitutes and tax collectors. The Pharisees fought back with a murder plot.
People don’t like others telling them they’re wrong. But they really hate it when those they’ve condemned find restoration. We find such security in superiority. In the end, I guess we should read everything, including warning labels, with discernment.
~John
We want you to know that the author may have espoused thoughts, ideas, or concepts that could be considered inconsistent with historical evangelical theology.
I start looking around to see who else got nailed. I notice a few other titles I’d definitely consider “inconsistent with historical evangelical theology.” Funny thing though, none of these books sport a Read with Discernment sticker.
Now I’ve read Miller’s book and have to admit he’s not a precise theologian. His expressions are raw, which I concede might warrant a caution to readers accustomed to sanitized language. But I have to wonder – what is it that people find offensive about this book, really?
I don’t always agree with Miller’s conclusions or the ways he tries to flesh out his faith, but there’s one characteristic of this book that I can’t overlook. Miller writes with transparency and an attitude of repentance. The book is not instructional, but rather introspective. He draws us into a world of thought and emotion, not so foreign as many of us would like to pretend. As he lets us into his private musings, we see both the ugliness of the human condition and the enormity of God’s mercy. Perhaps, this reality is what some find offensive. Maybe the problem is not so much theology but that unpleasant issue of repentance.
After all, isn’t repentance what offended the Pharisees? They attacked Jesus for his failure to embrace their rules and traditions. His response was to forgive prostitutes and tax collectors. The Pharisees fought back with a murder plot.
People don’t like others telling them they’re wrong. But they really hate it when those they’ve condemned find restoration. We find such security in superiority. In the end, I guess we should read everything, including warning labels, with discernment.
~John
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Adventure Continues
Today, we celebrate our one month anniversary in RDU, as many call it. We decided to rent a townhome in Morrisville until we feel confident the schools will work out for our children. Question: How do you fit furniture from a 2400 SF, two car garage single-family home into a 1700 SF, no garage townhome? Answer: When you figure out how to fit a gallon of milk into a quart jug, be sure to let us know. Until then, the answer is storage. At least, we didn’t have to unpack all our boxes.
We love North Carolina, but the move was a little more bumpy than expected. Our plan was to rent a furnished place until we saw the price tag. Yikes! We decided we could pay movers to pack and move our furniture again with the money we’ll save from one month’s rent! We moved into our unfurnished townhouse on August 8. On August 13, we learned our furniture was still in Seattle do to a snafu in scheduling. After several more delays and too many nights on air mattresses, our crates were finally delivered on August 28, just in time for the muggiest day since our arrival in town.
John is working hard to establish our business, Team Momentum, in the Raleigh Durham area. So here’s the honest truth – moving is tough. Finding a dentist, a good hair stylist and my way around the grocery store leaves me a little cranky at the end of the day. Have you moved lately? How did you smooth the transition? I’d love to hear!
~Joyce
We love North Carolina, but the move was a little more bumpy than expected. Our plan was to rent a furnished place until we saw the price tag. Yikes! We decided we could pay movers to pack and move our furniture again with the money we’ll save from one month’s rent! We moved into our unfurnished townhouse on August 8. On August 13, we learned our furniture was still in Seattle do to a snafu in scheduling. After several more delays and too many nights on air mattresses, our crates were finally delivered on August 28, just in time for the muggiest day since our arrival in town.
John is working hard to establish our business, Team Momentum, in the Raleigh Durham area. So here’s the honest truth – moving is tough. Finding a dentist, a good hair stylist and my way around the grocery store leaves me a little cranky at the end of the day. Have you moved lately? How did you smooth the transition? I’d love to hear!
~Joyce
Wallace Family Hits the Road, Parts 3-5
Finally. I'm posting the conclusion to our cross country trip (two months after the fact) for those who wanted to know. We'll get caught up soon.
Wallaces Do Whitewater?!
Call it a midlife crisis. I was looking for boat rides, nice scenic boat rides when it hit me. I’m not that old yet. I’m not ready to retire to Jungle Cruise status. Let’s go whitewater rafting. So in a moment of unbridled optimism, I made the reservation. The four of us would go rafting down the Colorado River through Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. Not the half-day trip. Nope. We want the full day adventure. Non-refundable . . . we know what that means.
As it turns out, this gamble paid off. We had the time of our lives. Samuel even swam in the 55 degree water. The scenery was breathtaking and the high water level meant we didn’t even have to paddle that hard. Samuel’s ready to make whitewater an annual tradition. We’ll see about that…
The Midwest
We headed for Denver where we celebrated the 4th of July with a day at Water World. “Didn’t you see the warning sign about whiplash?” John asked as I got off the Zoomerang with Hannah.
“What sign?” I answered trying to calm the muscle spasms seizing my neck. Who knew? The ride looked pretty harmless. I decided to watch televised fireworks from a horizontal position while John and the kids enjoyed the live version.
Next, we drove onto Kansas City where we experienced barbecue!! I do mean experienced. The aroma from the smoke drenched building spilled into the parking lot drawing us like ants to a slice of pie. During our tortuous wait for a table, we salivated as plates loaded with steaming piles of beef whisked past. I closed my eyes to enjoy the feast of smells while my stomach moaned, Oh, Seattle you were a desert wasteland when it came to barbecue but relief is two parties of four away!
Our waiter recommended burnt ends. The name and the description didn’t sound particularly appealing but when in Rome . . . What a taste sensation! Add the smoky hickory pit baked beans and my bliss was complete. John and I declared a new life statute. “Thou shalt not enter Kansas City unless thou feasteth on burnt ends.”
The kids enjoyed the day at Worlds of Fun amusement park and we loved the beautiful fountains. But for me, it was all about the beef.
Continuing eastward, we hit St. Louis where we toured the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis Zoo . I’ve never seen penguins so close. We capped off a wonderful day by visiting the Iron Barley. If you’re a fan of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, you may have seen the Schnitzel & Spaetzle episode. No joke, the Schnitzel is to die for. We’re with Guy on this place. A big thumbs up!
Roots
From St. Louis, we headed for my old stomping grounds in Nashville. We toured the campus of my alma mater, Vanderbilt University, where my kids asked, “Why don’t you remember your way around Mom?” Something about twenty years and numerous new buildings left me a little befuddled. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the scenery and a trip to the Grand Ole Opry before heading to Atlanta.
It was the trip of a lifetime but good to finally unpack our van for a week.
Call it a midlife crisis. I was looking for boat rides, nice scenic boat rides when it hit me. I’m not that old yet. I’m not ready to retire to Jungle Cruise status. Let’s go whitewater rafting. So in a moment of unbridled optimism, I made the reservation. The four of us would go rafting down the Colorado River through Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. Not the half-day trip. Nope. We want the full day adventure. Non-refundable . . . we know what that means.As it turns out, this gamble paid off. We had the time of our lives. Samuel even swam in the 55 degree water. The scenery was breathtaking and the high water level meant we didn’t even have to paddle that hard. Samuel’s ready to make whitewater an annual tradition. We’ll see about that…
The Midwest
We headed for Denver where we celebrated the 4th of July with a day at Water World. “Didn’t you see the warning sign about whiplash?” John asked as I got off the Zoomerang with Hannah.
“What sign?” I answered trying to calm the muscle spasms seizing my neck. Who knew? The ride looked pretty harmless. I decided to watch televised fireworks from a horizontal position while John and the kids enjoyed the live version.
Next, we drove onto Kansas City where we experienced barbecue!! I do mean experienced. The aroma from the smoke drenched building spilled into the parking lot drawing us like ants to a slice of pie. During our tortuous wait for a table, we salivated as plates loaded with steaming piles of beef whisked past. I closed my eyes to enjoy the feast of smells while my stomach moaned, Oh, Seattle you were a desert wasteland when it came to barbecue but relief is two parties of four away!Our waiter recommended burnt ends. The name and the description didn’t sound particularly appealing but when in Rome . . . What a taste sensation! Add the smoky hickory pit baked beans and my bliss was complete. John and I declared a new life statute. “Thou shalt not enter Kansas City unless thou feasteth on burnt ends.”
The kids enjoyed the day at Worlds of Fun amusement park and we loved the beautiful fountains. But for me, it was all about the beef.
Continuing eastward, we hit St. Louis where we toured the Gateway Arch and the St. Louis Zoo . I’ve never seen penguins so close. We capped off a wonderful day by visiting the Iron Barley. If you’re a fan of “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”, you may have seen the Schnitzel & Spaetzle episode. No joke, the Schnitzel is to die for. We’re with Guy on this place. A big thumbs up!
Roots
From St. Louis, we headed for my old stomping grounds in Nashville. We toured the campus of my alma mater, Vanderbilt University, where my kids asked, “Why don’t you remember your way around Mom?” Something about twenty years and numerous new buildings left me a little befuddled. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the scenery and a trip to the Grand Ole Opry before heading to Atlanta.It was the trip of a lifetime but good to finally unpack our van for a week.
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