I'm Just Sick

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Although I did spend 4 days at Disney World, and that is kind of like the same thing, isn't it?

I'm back now, but I'm plain, old-fashioned sick. Like, really really sick. I have a sinus infection that is the stuff of urban legend. I even had to go to the doctor yesterday, which I hate, and get a shot, which I hate, and get on some antibiotics, which I really hate. But hopefully I will see some light at the end of the tunnel soon.

So, since I don't have anything profound or spiritual to say in my current state of health, I will just wait until I feel better to even attempt a real post.

In the meantime, I hope all of you, dear readers, are feeling much better than I am. And that's all I've got to say about that.

Two for the Time of One

In lieu of a real post, today you are getting treated to two mini-posts, because I am thinking through what I hope will be a real post in the next few days; but in the meantime I want to share two brief things.

First, have you ever been curious about this scripture, and what on earth it means?

Psalm 24:7-9

"Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up you heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of Glory shall come in."

I have a CD of Celtic Psalms that includes a hauntingly beautiful song based on this very passage. And I just bought another CD of scripture set to music last week that included these verses too. I always kind of wondered what they meant with all those doors and gates being lifted up. I just figured that maybe it was an allusion to the doors and gates of our heart needing to be "lifted up" in order for God to come in.

But the following footnote from my Bible has helped me immensely:

heads-the city or temple gates are personified.

shall come in-The return of the King of glory implies that He has gone out to battle and returns in victory.


OOOOOOHHHHHHH! So next time I have struggled (gone to battle) with a sin, and returned victorious, I can say this verse to myself.

For example: I really wanted to repeat that salacious rumor that another woman told me (before I could stop her of course!) It was a great battle with myself, and believe me, without the help of the LORD mighty in battle, I could never have been victorious over my own desire to gossip. But, because the LORD is strong and mighty, He made me victorious, and I kept my big mouth shut!

Now, que the music, I'm going to sing Psalm 24:7-9 in my heart.


And second, I took a gamble in the kitchen last night and it paid off.

I love beef stew. It is one of my favorite dishes when it is done properly. But, I'm trying to lose those five pounds I gained during my pig-out at the end of 2007. (Most of you would call this the holidays, but in retrospect, I think it was just one long culinary indulgence for me.)

And those potatoes that are traditionally included in beef stew? Well, they are not on my diet. So what to do? I have used rutabagas in place of potatoes before, with delicious results. But my local grocery store has an annoying habit of running out of rutabagas (of all things! really! are they that popular?) So I gambled and diced up some turnips instead. I highly recommend it--turned out tasty.

Hmm, for those of you who have read my Hot Pot post, we really do eat things besides beef around here, I promise.

Hot Pot!

This is not going to be a real post. And there is nothing spiritual about it in the least. I just want you to know that after almost 9 years of marriage, and many extremely mediocre attempts, I have finally, finally made a delicious pot roast. It was fall apart tender, moist, glossy, perfectly seasoned, and plain old scrumptious. Even my notoriously blase (when it comes to food) husband, pronounced it to be "really good." If you knew the man, you would realize what high praise that conferred. And I also made turnip greens for the very first time. They were excellent. Figures.

Hail to the Chief!

I took an online personality test. I was so shocked by the outcome, that I am going to post my results here.



Apparently I am a Chief personality, along with only about 1.5% of all women, and only about 4% of men. I suppose that makes me special! (Oh, I just love to be special!) Especially in the eyes of an unthinking and unfeeling personality profile program!

I have never thought of myself as a Chief. But I can see that I have very strong convictions. And I am comfortable leading a group. And I am quick to advocate my point of view (but only in a ladylike and genteel way, mind you!) So I suppose it might be right. I guess its just shocking to have someone show you a picture of yourself. Particularly when you didn't expect the given outcome.

By the way, a shout out to Classic Mama for pointing me in the direction of the personality test!