It's that time of year again...

It's getting colder, so it's time to bust out my socklettes.

I love these things!

Expect the Unexpected

You may have read a previous post about troubles Amanda and I have had with recent yard work endeavors...well, here's another one.

One of our beds has been over grown with weeds ever since we moved in 4 years ago. So this summer me, Amanda, Blue, and the Hendrix's all spent several hours in the blazin' sun digging it out and making that bed look good. We did a little of this and a little of that, until it looked pretty darn good.


So far so good.



A few weeks later, we're out there pulling some weeds that had popped up, when we ran across several healthy shoots of a different ground cover than what we had planted. Now, we had seen this cover in other parts of the yard, doing really well and looking nice. So, we decided to let it grow and see what happens.





Big Mistake.



This morning, I found that this plant was not what we thought. Although it had indeed flourished and had taken a nasty turn towards the evil:



Stupid biology.


-Marcus, SGB

Thoughts on Patriotism

I've read several books by British author Louis de Bernieres, the author of Corelli's Mandolin, recently. I have really enjoyed all of them. I just started The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, which is the first novel in a trilogy, and I came across this quote about patriotism that spoke to me:

There are two types of patriotism, although sometimes the two are mingled in one breast. The first kind one might call nationalism; nationalists believe that all other countries are inferior in every respect and that one would do them a favor by dominating them. Other countries are always in the wrong, they are less free, less civilized, are less glorious in battle, are perfidious, prone to falling for insane and alien ideologies which no reasonable person could believe, are irreligious and abnormal. Such patriots are the most common variety, and their patriotism is the most contemptible thing on earth.

The second type of patriot is best described by returning to the example of General Fuerte. General Fuerte did not believe in "my country, right or wrong"; on the contrary, he loved his land despite the faults that he could so clearly see and that he labored to correct. It was his frequently stated opinion that anyone who supported his country when it was obviously in the wrong, or who failed to see its faults, was the worst kind of traitor. Whereas the first kind of patriot really glories in his own irrationality and not in his country, General Carlo María Fuerte loved his country as a son loves his mother or a brother his sister.

Half the Church

Here is a link to a podcast interview with several young women in the Churches of Christ who are called to ministry. The podcast was played in one of this year's Summit (Lectureship) sessions. One of the women interviewed is a new friend of mine. She's in our class at church and she finished her Master's of Divinity at ACU this past spring, worked as a Chaplain at a local hospital this summer, and is now teaching full time in the Bible Department at ACU. What the women have to say about their journey to ministry in a faith tradition that excludes women from visible ministry roles is both hearbreaking and inspiring.

Baby Elephant Walk

I really want a baby elephant.

That is all.

Don't Know Much About History

I just finished the book "Birds without Wings" by Louis De Bernieres. It was a wonderful historical novel set during the final decades of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of Turkey. My knowledge of the Ottoman Empire prior to reading this book was pretty close to none. I had no idea that it officially lasted until 1923. I wish I had known a lot more about it because the whole the assasanation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand being the thing that set off WWI, would've made a LOT more sense.

The Ottoman Empire

The older I get and the more world history I learn about, the more I realize how little is taught in history courses in the U.S. I recall going over the United States' involvement in both world wars in several different years (although I don't recall that we got into a lot more detail in the higher grades than we did in the lower grades). The other parts of both wars were pretty much ignored. I'm from Texas, so I remember a lot of my Texas history. I recall studying Mesopotamia, Egypt (FYI, Cleopatra was a Pharoah people, not a queen), and the Roman Empire, but not the history of China, Japan, the Sassanid Empire, Ottoman Empire, Byzantine Empire, or any part of Africa other than Egypt. Basically, the history of the majority of the people on this earth was never even mentioned in passing.




There's no real point to this post, other than that I find it appalling that there was so much left out of my education.

Bible Verses and the Misunderstood, Part 2

So, I've told you that there are some bible verses that I may not have fully grasped as a kid (READ); well, here's another one.

You probably know the parable of the Pearl of Great Price: a merchant who seeks fine pearls, finds one pearl of great price and sells all he has to purchase it.

In the same talk, Jesus also tells a parable of the Hidden Treasure: a man finds a treasure hidden in a field, so he sells all he has to buy the field.




Well, in my infallible grasp of Scripture, I thought these were the same parable.

When I told the story, it went something like this:

A man once found a pearl of great price (which in my mind was the size of a small boulder, that's why it's so valuable) buried it in a field, then sells all he has to buy the field.


So many things wrong.

It never occurred to me to ask the question of how the pearl got in the field.

But more importantly, how frighteningly huge must the oyster have been that created a boulder-sized pearl!

hmmm.....


-Marcus, SGB

One of These Things is Not Like The Other

Marcus and I did a lot of work in our yard this summer. The previous owners did a lot of landscaping, but they also left some areas bare that we finally took care of. One of those areas was alongside our super duper looooooooong driveway. I don't have a before picture, but basically is was full of nothing but knee high weeds and two trees. Here are some pictures right after we redid that spot in May:

Those three center plants are crepe myrtles, which are all labeled the same. Well, a couple of weeks ago they started blooming:

Here, let me give you a closer look:

Here are the first two. Aren't they a lovely shade of deep pink?

And here's the third one. Doesn't it match perfectly? Oh, wait. Stupid Lowe's.

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to pull my hair out. Instead, I'm just gonna make Marcus pull this one up and plant it elsewhere. He's really looking forward to that.

Marcus Says the Darndest Things

Marcus talks in his sleep a lot. Sometimes, if I'm awake, I like to converse with him. There is no telling what he'll say. This was our conversation from 3:00 am last night:

Marcus (Sitting up suddenly in bed): "What's that?!?!"
Me: "It's ok, you're asleep."
Marcus: "What are you?"
Me: "I'm your wife."
Marcus: "Hmmmmm."
Me: "What are you?"
Marcus: "I'm curious."
Me: "Why?"
Marcus: "Because you appear to have a shell."
Me (Laughing hysterically): "This is so going on facebook."

Parties, Butterflies, and Secret Shames

Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?

You might want to sit down, I've got something I need to get off my chest...a secret shame.


(stares at the floor wringing hands; a bead of perspiration appears on forehead)


Right now, if you were to look at my iPod, you'd find a Miley Cyrus album. I know...Miley Cyrus!

But it gets worse...I actually kinda like it.


It really all started with this scene from the office.



It was innocent enough; I thought the song was catchy and it had a nice little intro to it. So I spent some time finding out what the real song was.


Believe me, it distressed me to find out who sang the original.



I should have stopped there. Turned off the computer. Gone to Confession...but no. My curiosity was too strong...I had to hear the original.





It was catchy, and kinda fun. So, in a moment of weakness, I...I... *gulp* ...I downloaded it.


(hangs head in shame; a tear drops to the floor; stage goes dark)


-Marcus, SGB

Bible Verses and the Misunderstood

This morning at church, there was talk about a project that had gone on where the grade school kids made drawings of what the 23rd Psalm meant to them.

This got me thinking back to my years as a wee one.

Most of you know that I come from a long line of preachers and grew up participating in church activities 4 times a week. Although, just because I was immersed in the Bible, doesn't mean I always understood it.

In fact, I had some interpretations of bible verses that may or may not have been, but most certainly were, inaccurate.

One that I'm most proud of was:








I never understood...why would I not want the Lord?! I'm getting some very mixed signals here...



Trust me, there are more to come...



-Marcus, SGB

The Look

Ok, I'm warning you now: prepare to make fun of me because you have some Grade-A sap coming your way...

Last night, I was at a dinner party with some friends from church. It was good times: there was a potluck (I brought fried chicken, because a CoC potluck just isn't acceptible without it), fun with white elephants, and a little Wii time.

But none of that is important to my story, except maybe the last part.

At one point in the evening, when it wasn't my turn at an instrument, I was looking around the room watching other people. It was here that I noticed one of the women guests (we'll call her Noelle) wasn't watching the game like everyone else. Instead, she was staring elsewhere with an interesting little smile on her face. Curious, I followed her gaze and saw that her complete attention was focused undistractedly across the room on her husband (let's call him Kurt) who was, oblivious to the fact he was being watched, playing guitar and quietly singing to himself just for his own entertainment. I watch the scene for the few seconds that it happened, and was touched by it (I warned you). You see, that look only happens when a person (who I believe is unaware of it) catches a glimpse of the one person who makes them happier than anyone else can, for no other reason than because of who they are.

I like that.

I know this, because I have caught myself staring at Amanda from across the room with that same silly grin on my face, simply because she's Amanda.

I like that, too.

Oh, and for those of you who knew me from college, I was wrong...any Amanda WON'T do.

-Marcus, SGB