An Actual Post about Actual Pens

Ok, ok...up 'til now the blog's been all about God & how cool He is. That's a big part, rest assured. But to answer the burning question...

"Hey Crazy Pen Lady, where's the pen talk?!?"

I have been lax and for that, my fellow Pen Geek brothers and sisters, I humbly do apologize.

The first in line in the drool-worthy list is the Ultra Violet from levenger.com. Not to be confused with the feminist Indian blog, the invisible rays that give you sunburn, the Sony scifi-martial arts-heroine film, or even a new entertainment platform, this pen is simply pretty. It has flecks of purple, two shades of blue and a pearly white and is available in ballpoint, rollerball and fountain pen. I've heard rumor that it uses an oil based ink that flows wonderfully and has a rich, dark color. Is it on par with Uniball's Jetpens? That remains to be seen. Either way, this is a functional piece of art you can hold in your hand.

Jetpens! Jetpens! Jetpens! This is a site I visit very often. Its a mecca of Asian pens and supplies. You can find just about anything you want here from some basic (but irresistibly cool) ballpoints to handblown glass dip pens and the ink to go with it.

I'm a sucker for multi-function pens. The Uniball Style Fit is my next pen. It feeds into my ADHD, plus it speaks to my need for flexibility. The cool part is being able to pick your own colors. Not the standard black-blue-red-green selection you get in the average American multi-function, but the choice of a mechanical pencil and non-standard colors (like brown) is an added selling point. Plus its Uniball, so how could you go wrong? The Style fit is sold in pieces; the barrel is purchased separately from the refills so you can customize it to whatever you need. How cool is that?!

The last cool pen for today is the Ultimate Geek Pen from x-tremegeek.com. A pure geek pen, it has a ballpoint pen (black ink), a stylus for the pda/DS, a laser pointer for presentations, adjustable gooseneck light for writing in those dimly lit library corners and, the piece-de-resistance, an ultraviolet light to detect counterfeit currency. Not exactly a pen I can see getting daily use, but the idea is fun. :-)

Rejoice in your pen geek-dom! Paul says in Romans 12:6 that God has given us gifts and we need to use them well. Don't fight your gifts, use them proudly and use them well!

Mammo done. If men had their *ahem* package squished yearly, there would be less gymnastics & pre-exam medication. Just sayin.

God Wants the Best for You...or...The Mother's Curse

Did you ever feel like God's got it out for you? Like a parent who seems to ride your...*ahem* bottom to make sure you always "do right in a do right zone"?

Discipline never feels good at the time. Quite frankly, when you're walking through the gloom of correction it sucks.

Nobody's perfect, particularly me. I joke to my husband that I was a model child who always listened and obeyed my parents. Closer to the truth, my mother said the oh so familiar Mother's Curse when I was the tender age of four..."I hope you have children just like you."

And God, having the biggest sense of humor, thought it would be funny to oblige her. Not only did I have children "just like me", I had four. God must have been laughing so hard He cried. Got the hiccups. Perhaps even chortled. Either way it took me becoming a parent to understand that when you correct your kids, you truly love them. Otherwise, you'd just let them do what they want and not care.

I love all my kids. None of them are perfect. They have faults and beautiful traits I could wax nostalgically on for hours ad nauseum. Simply put, when they mess up they get grounded. I love them too much to let them go down the wrong path. True to form, they appreciate it as much as I did.

God disciplines those He loves, too. Just like a mom...or dad as the case may be. What we do, how we do it, who we do it with...all that matters to Him. He tells us so in Proverbs 3:12.

He thought it was important enough he reiterates it in Hebrews 12:5-8. Paul checks in with the Hebrews and reminds them that God cares enough to discipline the kids He loves and calls His own. Read: YOU.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to sit down and have some chitchat (read: pray) with God. He loves you, He wants to spend some quality time with you. And just like Mom (or Dad) if you start hanging out with the wrong crowd...in comes some discipline to get you back on the path He knows is the best for you.

Nudged

Have you ever felt out of place at your church? I mean, not just the' I'm sitting in the back row because my usual third row seat is taken by a visitor' out of place but a 'I'm not meshing with other people who worship here with me and it's been five years' kind of out of place?

I've been there. And there's no t-shirt to go along with it.

It was a hard, strange feeling in the pit of my stomach when I realized I didn't fit and probably never would. Every church has cliques; we as a species crave societal order and cliques are a part of that need. Old Church was small-ish and I'm not here to bash Old Church. Old Church is just fine for a lot of people and I actively encourage those who fit there to keep going.

I wave and smile in the halls but would get a nod here and a grunt there. I didn't get calls for playdates for the kids like the other moms do; in fact I got turned down for them. I used to teach the elementary school girls small group at Old Church. I cooked dinners, donated food and did my share of volunteering; but when I needed the same help...the deafening silence was humiliating.

So...I left. I went church shopping. I finally just went to a church recommended by a friend and am feeling better about having a place.

I felt a nudge a while ago, the nudge that I needed to be somewhere else. Now, God knows me and it took a kick in the tush to get me on the path He wanted me on. The kick was the cancelling of the kids programs for the summer.

Are you feeling that nudge? Is God's whisper dancing on the breeze that drifts by your spiritual ear urging you on to better things?

Take a moment: put down your cell phone. Turn off the tv. Turn off the radio. Find a quiet place to be still with Him, so you can hear the words He whispers to you. Remember, God doesn't shout. He doesn't always use neon signs (although I for one, wish He occasionally would). In 1 Kings 19:12 we read about how God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%2019:12&version=NLT

That's the voice you need to listen for.

Six years ago today my sweet Em graced us. She's been a delight and a treasure ever since. She's a bundle of bossy, red hair and I wouldn't know what to do without her.

Sometimes I don't know what to do with her, but that's another story entirely.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Em. You're the best you I know. I love you!