Who is in the driver's seat?

There is this sentiment among people of faith that we are committed to "following God." That we are no longer focused on seeking our own will, but instead we have decided to "put God first." This putting God first, it governs our thoughts, our decisions, our very way of life.

If you would have asked me 6 months ago if any of the aforementioned phrases were true for me, I would not have hesitated to answer yes. But if there is one thing this study of the life of Moses is teaching me, it is that God is not the leader in our relationship, particularly when it comes to my decision making process.

See, in order for God to be the leader, I would have to be the follower, and while that statement sounds fairly straight forward, it is something I have to remind myself of on a daily basis. I've realized that my decision making process does not allow God to be the pilot of the aircraft that I call my life. Instead, he is more like a co-pilot with clearance to take over only in the case of emergencies. Don't believe me? Let me show you how I generally make decisions.

We interrupt this post to bring you a very important PSA: I emphasize that this is the way I generally make decisions because there are more steps involved in the decision making process since I got married. Dan and I discuss pretty much everything, however since I'm the one that is putting all of my business out in the street on a blog, I've decided to focus on my part solely.
You may now continue with your reading about my decision making process

Step 1: Think of all possible options for the situation
Step 2: Weigh the pros and cons of each
Step 3: Based on the pros and cons, make a decision that sits well with me
Step 4: Verify the choice I've made doesn't require me to sin, or do something that goes against my conscience
Step 5: Pray that God blesses the decision that I have made, and throw in a caveat that if this isn't the path I should go down, for God to work his magic to make sure it doesn't happen.
Step 6: Take the steps to make my decision a reality


Now for years I've thought that this has been a pretty good way to make decisions.
It seemed to be very logical, it involved prayer, and I even did a check to make sure I wasn't doing anything that went against God's will, as I understood it. After taking a second glance, however, I'm beginning to realize that if I actually placed God first, my decision making process would look like this:

Step 1: Pray for God's direction and guidance in the situation
Step 2: Upon receiving God's instruction, take steps to make God's decision a reality

Can I tell you a little secret? That second approach to decision making, you know the one where God comes first, it makes me nervous. What would my life look like if I truly submitted to God's will on things like: what local church/denomination to be apart of, how many children to have, or not have, whether to work outside of the home, or be a stay at home parent, what church ministry I would be best suited for, if any; The possibilities are endless and the entire process can be quite intimidating.

Sometimes the things God guided Moses to do intimidated him. They weren't logical, and they didn't sit well with him, but he still did it. Moses just went about God's mission with faith that the choices made would be for his good and God's glory. I guess I need to find the courage to do the same.

Inauguration Day- 2009

To say I'm excited is an understatement

To say I'm in awe doesn't do this day justice

To believe Obama will solve all of this country's problems is naivete,

But to not acknowledge the significance of this day is foolishness

How logical are you?

During my blog hopping today, I ran across this quiz: Test your logic

As the name implies, it's a fun little quiz to determine how logical you are. The questions look something like this:

A. Mel is a woman
B. Mel scored 93% on the logic quiz
C. None of the men in Mel's office scored above 93% on the logic quiz

Conclusion:
Women are more logical than men, and as a result men should always comply with our wishes.

VALID or INVALID?

You be the judge ;)

Mel's Musings (and Rants)

It's that time again...

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Dear generic pack and play manufacturer,

I thank you for your nifty creation. It has served my family quite well, as we use it as a bed for my son while traveling. You have saved my husband and me countless beatings by my son's flailing limbs in the middle of the night.
I do, however, have a suggestion for improvement. The mattress for this delightful contraption makes a rustling noise whenever my kid changes positions. For the normal child this isn't a problem, but when you have a child that flops around like a bat out of you-know-where, this does not create an ideal sleeping experience. In fact, it causes said child to wake up earlier than normal since the sound of *crinkle, crinkle, crinkle* wakes him from his peaceful slumber. Not good. A tired toddler, equals a cranky toddler who gives you the evil eye because he was awakened before he was ready .
Please consider making future mattresses out of a less noisy material. The life you save may be your own.

Signed,

Sleeping with one eye open

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Why is it now popular to make H's silent in the words that begin with the letter? Instead of Huge, it's Yooge; Instead of Houston, TX, it's Yooston, TX; And the one that makes me want to pull my hair out strand by strand, instead of Human, it's Yooman. Hey you, silent H guy! Not pronouncing the letter H doesn't make you sound smart, it makes you sound silly. Oh, and you can save sending me a link to an online dictionary giving alternate pronunciations to prove these are valid. These are the same people that added the word bling to the dictionary. BLING! Ugh, idiocracy has begun.

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While we are talking about language, has anyone else noticed that, beginning at the height of election season and continuing through now, everyone has started using the word fundamentally more often? During the debates both Obama and McCain (although I noticed it with Obama more often) would pinpoint a particular issue and then describe how they were "fundamentally different" from their opponent. Now you hear the word fundamentally everywhere:
"This is how the Zone diet is fundamentally different from Atkins", "This is how satellite is fundamentally different from cable", "This is how salmon is fundamentally different from tuna ."

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I know it's a little early, but say it with me: Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day, Valentine's day, NOT Valentime's day. There's no M in the word people. Every year, in early February, I hear good, law abiding, tax paying citizens slash the second N and replace it with a M. I'm sure the N doesn't appreciate it. What did the N ever do to you to warrant this behavior?
Don't worry, now that I've pointed out this bold misuse of the letter M, you'll notice it too. You'll notice it just like you notice nails on a chalkboard.

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While we're on the subject, why is Valentine's day even a holiday? I know I'm a woman and I'm supposed to love Valentine's day, but, not so much. It's too forced.
Every year people try to find some new, unique, and outlandish way to show their love on that particular day, and they do it simply because the media told them to.
I'm all for romance, and I won't turn down a date with my hubby, even if it is on February 14th, but really, it's just another day. Dan and I have spent several Valentine's days doing absolutely nothing. I don't understand why some people get upset when their significant other doesn't do anything "special" on February 14th. You'll win more points with me by doing something romantic, just because you feel like it, one of the other 364 days of the year. This is why my husband is perfect for me. Most men would think Valentines day would be the perfect day to propose, but not my Dan.
Oh, what's that? You're asking me the date Dan proposed? February 15th. *Blissful Sigh* He sooo gets me.

In need of repair

I think my filter on the things a good Christian is supposed to say (or better yet, not say), is totally broken. A prime example is an incident that occurred in the international bible study that I am apart of.

This year we are studying the life of Moses, and we came to the passage where Moses tells the Levites that, according to God, they should kill 3000 Israelites because they were worshipping an idol (I'm paraphrasing, but you can read the exact text in Ex.32:25-29). Well to make a long story short, I had a brief, yet spirited outburst on how it was ridiculous that we were expected to gloss over this story and it's outcome as perfectly normal. I then posed the question: "If someone killed your family member today, but then explained that it was only because God told them to, how would you feel about it? You would probably say they were insane, right?" I got a few people that agreed with me, and it was immediately followed by an awkward silence (I'm sure the group discussion leader was horrified..sorry).

Just today I was talking with my father about a friend of the family that flew to Amsterdam because he says God told him to go there to pray for a particular man. My dad said he believes this friend is mentally ill, but if this same story were in the Bible our family friend would be praised as a man of faith. What gives?

In my mind, it seems the spiritual insights of the Bible are very much intertwined with the customs, traditions, and legends of the time period in which it was written. Combine that with the fact that we are reading this book through the lens of the particular time period we are living in, and we get to the point of why I'm not fond of using the Bible as an all inclusive "rulebook," for lack of a better term. In today's world we write off God ordained murders and hearing a literal voice of God as mental illness, yet when we read the same stories in the Bible it is perfectly OK.

If you are ever in a room with several Christians and a discussion about -oh I don't know- women holding leadership roles in church, or even actively participating in a worship service surfaces, many Christians (the denomination I grew up in included) condemn it saying that God forbids it, and will then use the same Bible to prove their point. It just seems to be a bit inconsistent.

Why aren't we as Christians allowed to say, "You know, some of the things in the Bible don't make sense to me and may not gel with my experiences and understanding of who God is, but that's OK. And it's OK because my faith is not confined to a book (no matter how inspired it is). My faith is in a Spirit; My faith is in a God that is inspiring me, shaping me, and molding me into a person of Truth, and a person that gives and reflects Love."

What's so wrong with that?

Happy New Year

Photo courtesy of Dekuwa

I hope your 2009 is filled with Love, Peace, Joy, and plain ole' fun!