Ten on Tuesday

Every week Chelsea at Roots & Rings hosts a 10 on Tuesday. I think its great cause it gives me an idea of what to blog about! So here is my first attempt at joining in:

1. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
            I first wanted to be a horse trainer, like my mother. Then I switched over to being a veterinarian in Kentucky for racehorses. After I gave up my fixation on horses, I switched over to wanting to be a marine biologist focusing on orca whales. Eventually I gave up on my animal fixation all together and switched to wanting to fix humans.

2. Name 3 of your irrational fears.
            1. a snake ending up in my sewer pipes and coming up through my toilet
            2. closing my bathroom mirror and being able to see an intruder standing behind me, ready to attack
            3. i have been thinking and thinking and can't come up with another one that i can verbalize

3. If you had a $200 gift card to any store, what would you want it to be? (Nothing responsible allowed. Can’t be used for groceries or anything)
            Williams/Sonoma or any other kitchen store

4. What is your most (blog-friendly) embarrassing moment?
            So many to choose from, but I think I will go with one from high school: I was a junior attending a private Christian high school and we had a somewhat big name coming into town to do our Homecoming concert. They asked for volunteers to help with the concert and I went up front to volunteer. All the students were just sitting on the floor of the gym, with their backpacks and whatnot strewn about and I tripped on someone's backpack strap. I did a faceplant in front of the whole school. So, I got up, took a bow and went up front where I got mocked.

5. If you were only allowed to eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
            I think Chelsea answered well with pizza, because there are so many variations! Otherwise, steak.

6. What was your favorite toy growing up?
            I had one of the long-haired Barbies, which was fun. But, I would have to say that my little fairy thing that flew was my favorites. I wanted one so so so bad and my best friend got it for me for my birthday. So excited!

7. Do you have a “go to” outfit? What is it?
           Jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and a scarf. Depending on where I'm going, I might add a vest.

8. Who was the best teacher you ever had?
           Elementary school: Mr Nelson (no relation!). He was my only male teacher in elementary and he was the best. He read the coolest books to us and had the funnest projects.
           Jr. High : Mrs. Dokter. She was kooky and fun
           High School : Mr. Risbrudt. He taught science and did an amazing job. He was hard and required a lot out of us, but did it in such a way that we were willing to put in the effort. Also, Mr. Undseth, because he danced along with Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof, even though he was tall and skinny and looked nothing like a Russian peasant.

9. If you could buy any car right now (something at least SORT OF within the realm of reality…so, you know, a Rolls Royce may not qualify), what would it be?
           Rav4. I drove my roommates last year a couple of times and loved it!! So fun. Especially if it had 4-wheel drive.

10. How do you reckon that Chelsea comes up with 10 of these questions every week? It was hard! What’s your theory on how she’s so creative? Are you going to help her?
          Excellent question. I will not conjecture how she comes up with such things and just rejoice in the fact that she (along with others help) does it, so I don't have to think about it :-)

Go check out everyone else's! Join in! It's fun. Promise :-)

i am fond of a clean house. there is nothing better than sleeping in clean sheets, looking in a dust free mirror and showering in a clean shower.

however, i NEED a clutter free house. so, while my house is mostly clutter free, it is not always clean. but, i want to get better about that! ideally i would like to spend the two hours it would take each week to clean my house, maybe on a saturday morning.

anyways, i have one question for all of you wise readeres out there :

HOW IN THE WORLD DO I GET RID OF ALL THE HAIR THAT KEEPS FLOATING AROUND MY BATHROOM??

i have hair that follows my rag all around my shower, my sink, my floors, my toilet. and i have NO idea how to get rid of it, so that my bathroom is truly clean. ideas? please???

knowing

there is an interesting discussion going on at hootenannie (a blog that I follow with great frequency because she's amazing!) and I am interested in your guys' thoughts because it is one of this cliches that always pops up. and as someone who was single for 24 years, it came up a lot.

did you know?

ministry

This weekend I came to a realization and I need to rant about it for awhile. Are you ready to hear it?

Ministry is not all about showing everyone around you how hard you work. Ministry is not about doing the dishes, cleaning the dining hall, running activities or cleaning the bathrooms.

Ministry is pouring into people.

That's what ministry is about. That's why I am a missionary.

Of course, washing dishes and cleaning cabins and answering phones are all important parts of making sure ministry can happen. It is no excuse to slack off, but I think we need to adjust our attitudes about that. There is NOTHING wrong with taking some extra time to talk with people and letting the dishes sit there for 1/2 hour. There is NOTHING wrong with letting the floor be a little bit dirty if it means the difference between a person's needs being met or not.

The reason I was thinking about this is because this weekend was the Ladies' Retreat, which means us staff ladies are not put on the schedule for dishes, for the kitchen or to really run activities (except for horses, just because its only ladies on staff that know how to do that job :-) ).

I went into the weekend with a terrible attitude. I am a bit of an agoraphobic and I don't really like being forced into group activities. I wanted to be where I am comfortable - in the kitchen or something else behind the scene. Or at least, able to choose the level that I interacted. I was whining to my boss and just being a pill and he told me to get out there and do ministry!

I did and I'm glad. I was blessed by my interactions this weekend and really did have a good time. But, at the same I was blown away by my perspective change. I was so busy being a Martha and proving my worth to be in the ministry by my works that I was missing my chance to be Mary and sit at Jesus' feet, listening.

There are a couple of reasons for this, one being what my job is. I am the secretary. I answer phones, print things, deal with the bookkeeping, etc, etc. Yes, I know my job is essential to the ministry. Yes, I know what I do frees others up to do ministry. But, at least let me be honest. This is a job that could be done at any corporation. There are times I have a hard time remembering what I do is for eternity's sake, because it feels very much like its for temporal sake.

So, then, because I am in full time ministry and my full time ministry position is working a "regular" job, then doesn't it make sense that work has become my version of ministry?

This weekend, as I sat at Jesus' feet and met Him through His people and His Word, I was reminded of how much of ministry is people. Without people, there is NO point to ministry.