My family adopted our dog Charlie from Animal Control in West Richland.  The guy there mentioned that this was not Charlie’s first go around with them.  Apparently every time he got adopted he ran away (what do you expect if you don’t have a fence?) and this was Charlie’s third time there.  He also mentioned that his days were numbered.  When we first got Charlie he was a mess- he needed a bath and a haircut.  Here is what we call his “baby picture” (even though he is probably about a year old) because it was taken right after we took him home from the pound. 

Charlie on Adoption Day

We have always described Charlie as kind of a “Benji” dog, because he reminded us of Benji from the movies.  The papers from the pound called him a “Terrier Mix” and our vet concurred.  (Better sounding than just “mutt” I suppose.)  Actually, out of any one kind of terrier breed, he seems the most similar to a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, but that’s just a guess.  Anyway, he has turned out to be the best dog ever.  He is extremely smart, the sweetest creature I have ever met, and he makes us laugh all the time.  I could list a bunch more of his wonderful qualities, but I don’t want to embarrass myself.  We have had him for 8 years now, and I can’t imagine life without him.  He really is part of the family.  So, here is what made me sad when I was looking at that ad in the paper:

Benji's Mug Shot

Benji looks just like Charlie.  Benji’s little mug shot is seared into my brain now and I literally couldn’t stop thinking about him all day.  I know how much Charlie hated “jail” and what a rascal he seemed like when we first took him home, but the gamble sure paid off.  I know that we can’t adopt Benji, but that doesn’t mean I can forget about him.  I don’t know if Benji is the same kind of dog as Charlie, or if he would have any of the same characteristics as Charlie does, but come on-  don’t you think the odds are good?  So… Anyone need a best friend?  Anyone ready to own the best darn dog they will ever have?  Benji needs a home.  Benji needs to get rescued (for which he will be eternally grateful). Benji is waiting for someone to love him… is it you?

1.  What I was doing ten years ago

Ten years ago I was in France, spending the first three and a half weeks of my summer vacation visiting a dear friend of ours who lived in Nantes.  She had been an exchange student and lived with us the previous school year.  That was a wonderful trip, one of those once in a lifetime opportunities.  Touring a country is always good, but to be able to stay with a family and experience a true slice of their culture is the best way to travel, I think.  Being able to have such an experience at such a young age (barely 15) was a real blessing, and as I look back I realize it was definitely a defining moment in my life.

2. My favorite snacks

blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, boysenberries, cherries, blueberries… get the idea?  Chips.  Lattes.

3. 5 things on my to-do list today

Well, it’s Sunday, so not a lot to do.  Go to church.  Read, start homework.  This.

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire

I would really love to take my grandmother (and anyone else who wanted to go) to Israel and hire our own private tour guide, so that she could set the pace.  She turns 85 this July 4th, and with as much love as she has for Israel (and has passed down to us) you would think that she had already been there; but she hasn’t, and I would love to change that. 

I would also buy a house on the Oregon Coast, probably in Lincoln City, on Road’s End.  We used to go there and rent the same house every year for all of my childhood.  I think I have wanted to own my own house there since I was about 5.

Of course I would love to find creative ways to give it away and bless people.  There are so many worthy (and sometimes unexpected) causes and ministries out there.  Check this one out.

And travel travel travel.  I love going places and seeing what the world is like for other people.

5. Five jobs I have had

share draft clerk (credit union), teller (credit union), checker (Winco), teller (bank), retail (clothing store)

6. Five bad habits of mine

procrastinating!! sleeping in too much, being late everywhere, driving too fast, over-thinking things

7. Five places I have lived

I only have three: Kennewick, Bellingham, Yakima

8. Five random things people don’t know about me

My first word as a baby was (an attempt at) my brother’s name.  I only like to play the piano when I am alone.  I took Spanish for 5+ years in school.  When I worked at Winco I had not one, but two stalkers. Sometimes I dream I am doing math problems that never end.

9. Five cd’s that I’d have to have on a desert island

Incubus (S.C.I.E.N.C.E.) - my favorite band

Jewel (Spirit) - my favorite singer

The Big Scoop - my brother’s old band

Chopin (24 Etudes performed by Murray Perahia) - my favorite composer

 John Paul Jackson (I Am) – for comfort and atmosphere

10.  People I’d like to know better (tag you’re it)

If you read this, you haven’t done it yet and you want to, then do it.  And then tell me. 

I came across this poem a while ago and it was one of those things that really stuck in my head.  One thing I like about it is it reminds me of something that Pastor Tom says, which is to dream God sized dreams not man sized dreams.  Oddly, when I googled it, the only sources that I could find were other people’s blogs.  Oh well, now it’s on mine too: 

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Attributed – Sir Francis Drake -1577

  A message for the ages, I think.

My dad has this theory that, as he puts it, “It’s better to be moving forward in any direction than sitting there spinning your wheels.”  In other words, it doesn’t really matter which road you take because the endpoint (your destiny) was set by God, and some routes may be better/quicker/more direct/less rough/whatever than the rest, but as long as you are moving forward and trusting Him, He will help you get where you are supposed to be.  Frustrating as it seems sometimes when we wonder if we are lost or even going the right way, it is actually kind of beautiful because God lets us choose our own way. 

And as easy as it would be to find the right path if we already knew where we were going, that would defeat the purpose of trusting God and having faith that you will get there someday.  Which brings me back to Matthew 4:35.  And of course this reminds me of my favorite Emily Dickinson poem, “Faith is the Pierless Bridge”, which I wrote about once before, and the message that if you could see to the other side of the bridge it wouldn’t take faith to walk across it.  I guess I haven’t mastered this lesson yet since it keeps coming up, but it seems like it might be one of those that we have to keep being reminded of along the way, because the further along that we get the more faith we are going to need to keep going. 

So, I guess my problem is that I know that I need faith to step out, but which direction should I step out in?  Back to that whole choices thing that is so hard for me.  I think in a lot of cases, I would rather obey than choose:

Show me the path where I should go, O Lord; point out the right road for me to walk.  Lead me; teach me; for you are the God who gives me salvation.  I have no hope except in you.  Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord!  Look at me instead through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting love and kindness.

The Lord is good and glad to teach the proper path to all who go astray; he will teach the ways that are right and best to those who humbly turn to him.  And when we obey him, every path he guides us on is fragrant with his lovingkindness and his truth.

Psalms 25: 4-10

These verses are my prayer right now.  Lead me, teach me, guide me, entice me with the scent of your goodness, Oh Lord.  As long as you are with me I will know I am going the right way. 

In last month’s Elijah Rain magazine, it seemed like almost every article was about the prophetic significance of the coming new year.  Of course we realize that in a few months we begin 2008, and 8 symbolizes new beginnnings.  But what caught my attention was that tomorrow (Sept 12) at sundown starts Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year of 5768.  In an article written by Chuck Pierce (read the whole thing here) he says:

The Hebraic year 5768, which will encompass the Gregorian calendar’s, Year of the Lord 2008 A.D., is the “The Year of Samekh Chet!” That means we are coming into “The Year of the Full Circle of Life–A New Beginning Is Yours!”  …

You are being positioned to make a transition into the next realm of glory. Here are eight key issues that we can look forward to as we enter the Hebraic year 5768 and mature through the year ahead! First of all, the last two years actually come together to form this year’s momentum. The two symbols of Vav and Zayin come together to form the symbol for Chet. In other words, the staking your claim and the sword with a crown actually join together to produce your new beginning.

You will begin something new! Even if you refused to shift into a visible new dimension, your present state is your new state. With God, He will meet you where you are and cause you to start new if you yield! You can catch up quickly and gain momentum even if you have resisted change. If you do not yield, your new place will be your old cycle with the old structures reinforced seven times.

The number eight is always linked with “new beginnings!” This Hebrew word is linked with life and being hot! We are entering into a year where we must choose to be hot, filled with passion, so we conceive our future! Choose the fire and the zeal of God!

1. This is a year of manifestation! There will be a physical manifestation of what you have been watching and waiting to see!

2. You can supernaturally transcend your limitations and begin your new era.

3. The land and the Heavens align to create a new Divine Presence in your atmosphere.

4. “Dominion” will be the key word for this year! Rule where you have been positioned. Rule or watch the “wild beasts” gain ground in your land.

5. This is a year that God’s people will have great authority over their enemies. The nations against you can be driven out of your land! All squatters must go from your inheritance or they gain “squatters rights” and their encroachment will remain another season. Land is equated to the state of our mind. Therefore, this is the year to transform the mind so we have a new victory mentality in the war season we are living in.

6. Subdue your “animal impulses.” Find your place of deliverance and do not let any wild beast enter your highway. Be aggressive to overthrow all poverty mentality! “A lion is on the road, I will hide myself,” should not be your theme. Stand firm and face any transgression so you can move down your path! Isaiah 35 is a key for us this year.

7. Exodus 23 is also key this year. God forms His covenant with us to advance into our future destiny. This applies to families, regions and nations. If we have forgotten and rejected His covenant in areas, that will not be a part of our future. We must return and review our covenant roots and realign now!

8. Fasten yourself to the Lord. Don’t let the enemy’s hook drag you off the stage of your future! Break your orphan spirit! Return to a place of innocence! The secret place calls you forth. Stay in the secret place so you can be sent forth on key missions. The book of John and all of his Epistles are key for our transition this year.

I know at our church many of us are looking forward to the fulfillment of a word over our church that this September we will begin a new season of having “William Branham” type manifestations of healing and prophecy.  I think Pierce’s article offers great encouragement for that.  Personally, I know for me that this time coming up is something that I have been waiting for and something that I have been being prepared for.  As Mr. Pierce says, we must yield to God and choose to be hot and filled with passion to bring forth what is coming, which is never bad advice.  So, Happy New Year everybody, or L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem which is may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

Charlie’s summer so far.  He misses his yard and playing football with Jeffrey, but he’s surviving.  They broke ground on our new house finally, so hopefully it won’t be too long until he can have a yard with room to play again.  He likes visiting Jeffrey’s house, but he decided he would rather be on the raft than in the pool.    

The next morning I called the Audi dealer in town to see if I could bring it down.  They politely told me that they didn’t have any available appointments until a week later.  It is not a good sign that the Audi dealer is so swamped.  (I forgot they work on VWs too, no wonder.)  The guy then had sympathy for me and told me to bring it down right away, they would fit it in.  Now I just needed to get it there.  We realized that our jumper cables were in my brother’s newest addition to his fleet, which is the truck that my dad just got rid of gave to him, and that truck is in his driveway 90 miles away.  So, I made a quick trip across the street and came back with not only some borrowed jumper cables, but that nice young man too.  He actually started to hand them to me and then took them back, saying something like “I better do this.”  Okay, go right ahead.  Now, mind you, when I absolutely had to take my car to the Audi dealer in TC, I had a horrible experience.  They quoted me $800 for something that I got done down the street for less than half that amount.  I later found out their nickname is “Overcharged.”  So, thats pretty much what I was expecting from this outfit, dreading the expensive part they were going to have to have shipped over from Germany (which is why “Overcharged” told me they were taking so long one time), not to mention the expensive labor.  I was praying that it would be something affordable, and not a major problem, something easily fixed. 

So guess what happened.  From the moment I left my car there that fan never turned back on.  They couldn’t figure out what was wrong, and when they plugged it into their computer thing it said that everything was perfectly fine.  They tried and tried, but could not get it to act up again.  They had written down on the bill that they worked on it for over an hour and a half all together, and the labor fee was something like $90 an hour.  Ouch.  Then the manager told me since they didn’t find anything he was only going to charge me $50 total.  I think this is almost funny.  I had asked for God’s help, specifically asking that the problem would not be anything big, and that I could afford the cost.  Obviously I noticed the favor I was receiving along the way, from the eager neighbor guy to the accomodating men at the shop, and I appreciated the help.  But this is what really affects me: I am positive that God is the one who fixed the problem, and find it interesting that He thought $50 was the amount that I could afford.  Lately I have been asking God to speak to me plainly and literally.  He has been.  He is showing me I need to do the same, that I need to choose my words carefully when I pray because he will give me the EXACT thing I asked for, and it shouldn’t surprise me.  Looking back at that same prayer, I think I phrased it like this, “Lord, please speak to me plainly and literally.  Please be specific with me.”  He not only honored what I asked for, but He also honored what I didn’t even know I was asking for.  I didn’t realize the impact of that last part.  Please be specific with me.  It’s like He said, “I know what you meant, but this is what you said, which is what I am giving you.  Trust me, it’s better this way.”  He essentially upgraded my request.  He took me literally and decided to specifically give me exactly what I would pray for.  I love it.  It makes me want to laugh, it almost feels like a little joke.  But I won’t take His point lightly just because He is gentle about it.  I am ever amazed by how faithful He is. 

A can of Coke alone has more than 10 teaspoons of sugar in it.  I would consume several Cokes a day.  According to some research I read online, the average American consumes over 150 pounds of sugar a year.  That seems unbelievable until you start reading labels.  Sugar is in everything, it is ridiculous.  Salad dressing, ketchup, bread, soup, pretty much anything that comes pre-packaged has sugar added.  Of all the various names they use for sugar in packaging, my favorite euphanism is the one found on organic food labels:  evaporated cane juice.  It makes me try to picture how they process that.  Anyway, for the first two weeks I was pretty strict on eliminating all sugar, so that left me with pretty much nothing to eat except natural foods.  Like Jack LaLanne says, “If man made it, don’t eat it.”  God made some pretty sweet stuff for us to eat, and one good thing about living here in Yakima is that there is an abundance of fresh local produce available, and they seem to grow every kind of fruit around here.  After the headaches finally stopped and the addiction seemed gone I kind of relaxed a bit, but I will never go back to how I was.  I don’t want any substance to have that kind of control in my life ever again.  (I also quit consuming caffeine for that first two weeks– I know, I’m a glutton for punishment.) 

I think a lot of the time as Christians when we think of strongholds in our lives we don’t want to admit that some might be food issues.  Now, there is a whole can of worms I can open by saying that, and for the most part I don’t want to go there.  I just point it out to say that in my life it turned out that my sugar addiction was a stronghold.  My body’s dependence on sugar goes back to when I was a litte kid and my brother and I would get our Mega-Mugs (his was 44 oz, mine 32) and fill them with fountain pop at least once a day, every day during the summers.  Actually, all the kids in our neighborhood did this.  When I started all of this, I didn’t decide to do a sugar fast, it was something that I just kind of fell into.  I didn’t realize the impact it would have on me, and I really didn’t think that God cared what I ate or drank.  It fascinated me that God does take notice, apparently more than I do.  During week three of my fast I had a dream.  I dreamed that I was binging on candies, which even in my dream I thought was weird, and I knew that I was “cheating.”  When I woke up I suddenly realized that I had cheated.  The day before I had gone out to lunch with friends, and someone ordered a piece of pie for the table to share.  I remember thinking that it was amazingly good, but it never even occurred to me what I was doing.  Funny how I could obsessively read labels and be so careful one day, and the next day just blank out for ten minutes and eat pie.  I feel like God showed me a lot of things through that moment of weakness.  Honestly, it blows my mind that he would communicate with me about something like that.  I’m at a turning point in my life right now and I’ve been trying to figure out what direction to go in next.  I’ve definitely been seeking God about that, and here He is saying ever so gently, “Hey, I was there when you were eating lunch, I am there every second of every day, and I care about everything, even what you put in your mouth.”  It makes me realize that while I tend to focus on the endpoints, I should focus more on living in the moment, because God is there for every moment with us. 

When we arrived, and started our bus ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I remember staring out the window taking in the landscape and scenery.  I remember thinking that the landscape was not too different from around here, but at the same time very different.  It was desert-like, but instead of sagebrush it had palm trees.  I remember watching the other cars on the highway and the people in them and thinking it seemed kind of European, but then there would be these road signs with Hebrew and Arabic on them, and it was very clear that we were a long way from Europe.  It was interesting to think that though this was clearly the most foreign land I had ever been in, there was something in me that felt comforted and fulfilled.  This is the part that was hard for me to grasp at first, but it was like my heart was saying, “Finally!  This is what I have been missing all this time.  This is the missing piece, the thing that I longed for but didn’t know.”  It was like I had been homesick for Israel all of my life even though I had never been there.  Others on the trip seemed to feel this way too; “home” was a common description for what we were feeling.  John Paul Jackson described Israel as being like a really huge portal.  At any rate, the feeling you have when you are there is unlike anything else, very intense, and still somewhat hard for me to convey.  All I can really say is go there and find out for yourself, you won’t be sorry.  I’ll be back there someday, I just don’t know when yet.  Hopefully soon.  Until then I’m back to feeling homesick.     

Anyway, it was kind of a shock today when she knew exactly what I was going to tell her.  In my head I was having a completely different conversation, like “Okay God, what’s going on here?  Is she prophetic?  Or just perceptive?  What am I supposed to learn from this,” and that kind of thing.  Anyway, it went well.  I’ve been feeling guilty all week because I knew I had to tell her I am moving, but I was afraid that she would be mad.  When I interviewed for the postion, she asked me only one question:  “You aren’t going to be quitting in a few months to go back to college are you?”  At that time, that was the last thing on my mind, so I told her no.  And here it is a few months later and I am quitting and I might end up going back to school after we move.  Obviously she can’t hold that against me, because I had no way of knowing that, but that didn’t keep me from feeling guilty about it.  There was such favor and grace all over the place when I was applying for that job, and people were pushing me into it, things all kind of lined up, I felt like it was something I was supposed to do.  So now I wonder what the point of taking this job was if it was only going to be for five months.  Its kind of like I learned the dark side of banking, because we deal with mostly the overdrawn accounts, and we get a lot of people whining or yelling or making excuses.  Maybe the whole point was for me to have no good reason (like a job I like) to stay here.  I don’t know.  Maybe I will never know, but I have to trust that God had a reason for it.  So goodbye job, I won’t miss you too much.