Monday, February 20, 2006

I Want to Take my Glasses Off and Stop Being Clark

So Lex Luthor sidles up to Lois and whispers sibilantly: “It’s good for you. Makes you smart, a real woman.”

She bats her long lashes and blushes a little.

And before she knows what she’s doing, she opens the lead crystal case, the glowing light bathes her, and she places the pretty green stone in her mouth.

“I’m not sure, Lois,” Clark mumbles.

“Oh go ahead. It gives you a little ‘oomph.’”

So Clark puts one in his mouth also.


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Have you seen the movie “Because of Winn Dixie”? If you haven’t... well perhaps you should treat yourself. Don’t pass on it because it seems like it is a kid’s movie. There is a lot there for adults to think about.

A small element in that movie involves a hard candy... Littmus Lozenges are sweet, good, yet they taste strongly of their secret ingredient: sorrow.


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You know, I am an immortal... at least the part of me that belongs to my Lord. But my physical parts get rather tired.

This past weekend has been a strange journey of spiritual blessings, parental challenges, and physical weariness.

Jeremiah has had a series of nose bleeds, almost continual. One on Saturday was so bad it ruined six towels and three rags. Sunday he bled for most of the afternoon and into the night and I finally took him to the emergency room at 10:00 to have it cauterized.

I woke up this morning to that wet cough of his signaling another round of blood and tissues and towels.

I’m tired.

I want to focus on the message of yesterday’s sermon (you can read the sermon here).

I want to pray and think about turning all that I have over to Him, but I’m tired. I can’t hardly read (so why the heck am I writing?).

I was thinking about Superman.

I was thinking about being immortal. And I was thinking about my sin which causes me to be so tired, to be so weak.

I try to get the sin out of my life. I call upon my Lord to strengthen me. When I think about my sin I spit it out because it tastes of sorrow, and then, almost without thinking, I pick it up again and slowly suck on the poison that strips me of my strength.


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Heavenly Father... I am Your servant. Lead me where You would have me go. Tell me the amount you would have me pledge toward rebuilding our church and I will do it. Provide me Lord with the wisdom to raise my children so they will grow to honor You. Teach me how to better nurture my wife. Lord... make clear to me every next step You would have me take in this world, and grant me the faith to step out when I cannot see the ground. --Amen.



20 comments:

Anonymous said...

praying that jeremiah, will get better,

we can't get sin out of our lives
our self's we have to leave it at God's feet, so easy said, and do,but the hardest part is to leave it there!

I'm nothing with out him! :)

Anonymous said...

Amen, Amen, Ammmmen!

Jim said...

You don't have to be Clark all the time. I can tell you will follow God's will for you, your family, and your environment (church, school, etc.) by being yourself in prayer. God will lead.
..

Unknown said...

I pray in agreement with C.S., Lord and I ask that You would give Him much needed rest and a time of just soaking in You. Give Him Your strength Lord for all that You have in store for him and help Him to continually give it over to You. I lift up Jeremiah to You Lord and ask that You would heal this boy and restore him to health. Minister not only to his body but to his spirit as well. Thank you for this honest man with the huge heart. I pray that Your presence would be with him in a very tangible way this week and that You would pour out some unexpected blessings on him and his family. Amen.

Gigi said...

I pray with you and for you....His Grace....Be Drenched with His grace.....now and forever....

4evergapeach said...

There are times in my life I feel the same way. Today I am feeling physically under the weather. My children have been sick and I think I have the same thing, but being 'mom' I don't have time to get sick. Just taking it easy and resting.

My spiritual life sometimes goes through the same thing. When we are phyisically ill we go to a doctor, at times of spiritual illness we need to turn to God. He can heal us if we only ask. When we go through these lulls, periods of luke-warmness, it can be hard to turn to Him but it is when we most need Him.

You are in my prayers CS, as is your family.

God bless~

Kc said...

Brother you never fail to touch my heart and I am always humbled in your writing.

May God grant you strength and courage beyond measure and may His love comfort and secure you and your family.

Felisol said...

Very dear Curious Servant.
God is listening, the world is listening and so am I. I love the fact and the enigma that your friend Job was a favoutite of God. A man God was proud of, a man without sin. At least he was, until God sent him out on his horrible journey of torture, loss and pain. God for certain knew what was going to happen, but He never left his eyes away from Job, or for a minute abandoned him. He doesn't do that with you either. And He does not blame you for being a saved sinner. You know he's bought you for the highest possible price. Why don't you leave it up to him to judge about your sin problem. He alredy taken care of it, our God.
I grant you my all time favourite psalm:
Psalm 139
LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me].


Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.


Psa 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted [with] all my ways.


Psa 139:4 For [there is] not a word in my tongue, [but], lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.


Psa 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.


Psa 139:6 [Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it.


Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?


Psa 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou [art] there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou [art there].


Psa 139:9 [If] I take the wings of the morning, [and] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;


Psa 139:10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.


Psa 139:11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.


Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee].


Psa 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.


Psa 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well.


Psa 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.


Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.


Psa 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!


Psa 139:18 [If] I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.


Psa 139:19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.


Psa 139:20 For they speak against thee wickedly, [and] thine enemies take [thy name] in vain.


Psa 139:21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?


Psa 139:22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.


Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:


Psa 139:24 And see if [there be any] wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting

I have read the sermmon from your pastor and am looking forward to hearing about the result of 30 days of prayer.

Jeremiah is in my prayers.
(A probably unnecessary advise from an old nurse. A pack of ice wrapped in a towel placed back in his neck, might help stop the bleedings. Then again we don't know what cause him to bleed.)
God bless you all
From Elise

Curious Servant said...

Thank you for your kind comments and prayers, Elise. You are a sweet person.

II haven't forgotten about your suggestion of permiting my readers to contribute to our project of rebuilding our church.

I have always avoided asking friends and neighbors to buy things from my kids for Boy Scouts or whatever, and I don't wish to co0mmercialize this blog.

But I also wonder if the Lord wouldn't want others to be a part of this, and perhaps there is a mirical there.

But at this moment, at this time, I am going to just pray about it and consider what I should be doing personally to help our church, and I hope to kleep it on the level of being a member of this church and not do it out of guilt and a sense of being responsible for what my son did.

I have asked my pastor to read the comments and I will ask him to pray as well.

But I can't help but think that there might be blessings in this for those who step out in faith and try to do what they cannot do, and in that permit the Lord to do something wonderful.

But who knows? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we raised enough money that we not only rebuilt tthe building, but we fulkly stocked the food pantry and had enough to tithe 10% of the rebuilding funds to help other churches grow as well.

I don't know. I'm just some guy in the Pacific Northwest rying to hear his Master's voice.

Thank you for your prayers for Jeremiah. It has been such a long strange road and I get tired... I will remember the advice about the cool cloth on the back of the neck.

He only had one bloody nose yesterday.

I am already writing a new post about latest events.

God bless you.

God bless all of you.

--Will

Coco said...

Yes, it would be nice to have "super" powers...
to be able to do ALL that is needed at home, work, and at church. To have a "magic" wand- in order to remove all pain and suffering... Yes, it would be nice, but God's plan for us is different- to love one another as He loves us!

Blessings.

Joe said...

A wonderful prayer! We will pray, too.

David said...

Hate to tell you this - but you are NOT superman, you are mortal and you have the RIGHT to be tired. There is nothing wrong with that. We all get tired from our own struggles, but you have the faith and the relationship with GOD to overcome the tiredness and look to the future.

Hope the child is doing well now.

Curious Servant said...

Still has a bloody nose... still running a low fever. Probably keep him home all week.

Anonymous said...

Lord please put your loving healing hands on Jeremiah and make him whole,
thank you!
Amen

Unknown said...

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with you, Jeremiah, Brenda and all your family.

I am not strong, wise, nor magical, but I am here, at your disposal.

Bad Alice said...

We'll be praying for you and yours. There may be nothing quite as physically and emotionally exhausting as worrying about and caring for an ill child. Lack of sleep, anxiety, judgment calls, trips to the ER, more anxiety, less sleep.

Bethany said...

CS,

You and your family are still in my prayers. Just wanted to remind you!

Curious Servant said...

Thank you Bethany. Thank you, all of you for your kind words of encouragement.

jollybeggar said...

by the way, i love "bill's" comments in killbill2 about the whole superman/clark kent thing:
(loosely paraphrased, kindasorta)

"when peter parker wakes up, he's peter parker. he puts on his costume and becomes spiderman. when superman wakes up, he is superman... he puts on the costume to become clark kent. clark kent is superman's commentary on the whole human race. clark kent is superman's way of blending in."

we wear so many costumes and so many masks, most which are designed to hide our true identity and permit us to blend in.

i don't think that Jesus was about blending in. however, he was about advocacy- being there as a bridge between two worlds that are at odds with each other.

now, what socks to wear...

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work » » »