possessing nothing

In reading Tozer, I have enjoyed his take on this "possessing nothing" issue. It can encompass a worldview.

Tozer (in the Pursuit of God) says, "I have everything, but I possess nothing." If this is the perspective, nothing possesses us. We are not "other possessed", but have no chain to anything, and then can be given, or shall we say, released, to God.

I think the image here isn't that of apathy toward things. We may care quite deeply, and engage fully, love fully, even lay our lives down for friends and enemies. The difference I see is that we do not clutch anything.

So, I may love my child, my spouse, my friend, with all my heart, but I know that God gave them to me. They are God's, not mine to clutch. I possess nothing. (I don't contend I have this mastered, but only that I'm beginning to understand this as working as such!)

Your comments are welcome!

Porcupine Traits

Porcupines are SOLITARY creatures.
They live ALONE. They are not like other rodents like mice or squirrels who live together in colonies.

Their spiny quills dislodge into anything they touch and can cause agony, infection, and even death.

With these qualities we would think they would be extinict long ago. But actually they flourish very well.

How?

Simply put, porcupines DANCE.

They flatten their pain inducing quills and two-step.

That's right, dance! It's a delicate balancing act to make things work out, when you have the ability to hurt others.

On cold nights they have even been known to snuggle down together in what is termed as "a prickle".

If these barbed creatures can overcome their prickly tendencies, we humans can learn to get along.

We can be agreeable even when we disagree.

We are porcupines too, but we can all learn to flatten our quills and dance.

SLR camera collection

My husband and I have accumulated 4 SLR cameras at this point. It's funny to be sitting on all this old technology. They are worth very little on ebay.

We both had to buy them during our years in college for Photography class. Tim was given two that belonged to his grandmother. we thought of selling them to get a cheap digital, but they will hardly cover the expense.

I've always loved taking B&W shots with my camera. Our current digital just doesn't do it for me. It's bulky too.

I think the best scenario might be to get a small pocket sized digital, a nice digital SLR, and keep one of the traditional SLRs.

But the big thing is we're rather poor to consider such luxuries, so these are dreams, for now.

un-spooky

Success-

The kids had fun for Halloween. Meaning: After about 20 houses we could be done. It's not a big deal at our house--not hushed up, nor hyped. We carve two pumpkins about a week prior, roast seeds (YUM) and then throw together costumes from the costume bin about 15 min before it's time to go. That's about all the thought and prep. that goes into the night.

Other potential spooky situations seemed averted and turned out positively. Very relieved.

the next crazy thing will be....

the whacky ELECTION! ugh.

My boy wants a beard

Tonight I get to draw a beard on my 8 year old. It's very important that he be an engineer and have a manly beard. It's key to the outfit for Trick-or-treating too because he doesn't really have a fantastic costume. We have to rely on good make-up.

Facial hair is a funny thing. When Nathan couldn't find the word for "mustache" in his language testing this summer, he used hand motions on his lip and said, "It's on a man's lip and it tickles." You can tell his daddy has a beard and mustache and gives kisses. Maybe that's why obtaining a beard is so important. Whatever it is, it helps get candy.

October madness

I've noticed lots of spooky things recently... decorations, clothing, pumpkins, people, surprising turns in conversations...

Our car got egged. I loved it because our car is 16 years old. It's a wonderful piece of junk car. It's beautiful to us because somehow it manages to still run. But it's about as ugly as cars get. The egg didn't really matter. The YOKE was on them really. HA!


It's been madness lately for several big reasons, and several small ones, and several odd ones, and one or two that should stop making my radar, but do.

Besides that, when it's the worst, the good news is, the (so-called) "worst" HAVE gotten less irritating ... practicing the presence of God DOES work.

Will "the madness" stop by Halloween?

hum...
I'll have only to wonder.

God's sufficiency

It seems my most fitful times are all rooted in doubts of God's sufficiency for me.

They often do not appear this way though. They might present as symptoms of just being too stressed out, wanting to pack up and leave, the feeling of losing faith in humanity, of just a proverbial "temper tantrum".

If I let God calm me down, it usually ends up with him sort of asking me some tough questions about where I am placing my trust.