The other day I was talking to one of the other ladies in the office. The conversation ranged all over, but when I mentioned that I was newly married she got a concerned look on her face and said, "Wow, how old are you?" I responded that I was 23 and my husband 22. She proceeded to tell me that her divorce was just finalized. She was married at 22 to a man who claimed to be "born-again" (she mentioned this because I mentioned that I am a born-again Christian). Despite the fact that she had told her ex-husband that she was Buddhist, they both decided that religion would not play a part in their marriage. It didn't take long for her to realize that he was a lazy drunkard (those are her words) and she filed for divorce. She is now 26 and determined not to get married again. She also was really scared to offend me by things she was saying.
I've thought about that often as I've gotten to know this woman a little better. Sometimes I think how hard it must be to be married and divorced by the age of 26. Most times I think, why in the world would this guy want to marry a woman who didn't share in his faith? And then after he married her, how could he profane the Name of the Lord by living the way he did? Not only has he pushed this woman away from Christ, but he has made it that much harder for anyone to be a Christian around her. What was he thinking???
But then I catch myself. I catch myself thinking I would never do that. And I realize, I may already have pushed someone away from Christ. If I haven't, I'm sure that I will at some point because the simple fact is, I'm still a sinner. I still choose the wrong, even when I know the right thing to do. I am not perfect and won't be for as long as I'm living on this earth. I am not above doing exactly what this man did.
So I ask myself, how am I different from any other person in this world? From those who don't know Christ as their Savior, I can say that I am truly blessed to have the Holy Spirit living inside me, giving me the ability to choose to do what honors God. I have forgiveness by the blood of Jesus Christ and I know that I will be in heaven when I die because of His atoning death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. I will not gain salvation by bringing food or clothing to the homeless or by donating money to charities or by being a good person. These things mean nothing in the face of a Holy God who can see right through my "good" deeds. I am forgiven of all my sins by God's amazing grace! Every day I should be humbled by these truths and so many more from the Bible. Every morning I should awake and praise God that I do not live in fear of death. I live knowing that this world is not my home. No matter what happens to this body, my soul will live on in heaven, praising Him for all eternity. What an amazing thought!
Yet I'm still left with some questions. How will I live my life today to show that I am different? How will I show that Jesus Christ does make a difference in my life? Will I work hard for the glory of God rather than to obtain more things? Will I maintain joy in the face of trials? Will I praise the Lord when He gives much or little? Will I be generous and loving to those who have great physical need? Will I be equally loving to those who seem to have everything together, but lack the one thing that really matters?
I wonder sometimes how non-Christians see Christians. Do we appear as though life is easy and things are always good? Do we come across as judgmental, always pointing a finger at someone doing something wrong? Do they see love in our eyes when we realize that there are so many in this world who are perishing and don't know or don't care? Or do they see pity, pride, arrogance? Are we just voices in an angry crowd or do we truly know how to live the lives that Jesus told us to live--the life He modeled for us?
8.24.2006
8.23.2006
Boring me
We are supposed to have a working phone line in our home TODAY! I hope it actually happens :-)
Um... I'm boring today. No, not bored, boring. Yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies and read almost all night. It was lovely and I've almost finished my book!
Pretty soon I'll be helping stuff envelopes with paychecks, which means I won't be boring anymore. YAY! But for now, I'm going to code invoices. Someone needs to get Happy to post on here so it's not so boring reading what I write all the time...
Um... I'm boring today. No, not bored, boring. Yesterday I made chocolate chip cookies and read almost all night. It was lovely and I've almost finished my book!
Pretty soon I'll be helping stuff envelopes with paychecks, which means I won't be boring anymore. YAY! But for now, I'm going to code invoices. Someone needs to get Happy to post on here so it's not so boring reading what I write all the time...
8.22.2006
They're here!!!
Here are the long awaited wedding photos: http://lukasinla.com/photos/Gilmore/index.htm
I actually haven't looked at them yet because for some reason there is an error with the Flash Player on my computer... At lunch I will try a different computer :-) Enjoy!
I actually haven't looked at them yet because for some reason there is an error with the Flash Player on my computer... At lunch I will try a different computer :-) Enjoy!
8.21.2006
Our copy machine gun
I've noticed that our copy machine (which is in the room right next to the front lobby where I sit) makes this really strange noise whenever it is out of paper. Most days I think nothing of it, although it is a little annoying when it happens. However, this morning two of the older men who work here (they're in their 60s I'd guess) were in there when it happened. Apparently this was the first time they experienced it because one of them shouted out "What the? Take cover!" That's right, when the copy machine is out of paper it converts to a machine gun. Who says nothing exciting ever happens in an office environment? Seriously. It can get downright DANGEROUS!
Other excitement... The phones stopped working on Friday afternoon so I got to leave a little early. I got home at 5:05. I wanted to come in and say to Happy's dropped jaw, "Wow, traffic was really great today!" But, he wasn't home when I got there and didn't get home until about 5:45. It worked out just fine though. I had dinner mostly ready when he came in and we ate earlier than normal.
Today when I came in, the phones still weren't working. After about two hours of me sitting here coding and checking invoices, our IT guy, Erik, brought out a cell phone and said that all the calls were being forwarded to the cell phone until the fiasco was sorted out. I learned a little today how to use a Verizon phone, which was a great bonus to the lack of a working phone in the office; but alas, the phone is back in working order. Actually, I'd much prefer the phone to work properly than to use the cell phone. As it turns out, AT&T turned off the WRONG phone line and put ours back on once they figured out their mistake (without any sort of apology or compensation). I'm wondering if I'll ever trust AT&T again...
Well, since it's nearly 4, I'm going to get some reading in! I'm a little over halfway through Munich Signature and am loving it! I think I'll finish it this week :-) Have a lovely Monday evening!
Other excitement... The phones stopped working on Friday afternoon so I got to leave a little early. I got home at 5:05. I wanted to come in and say to Happy's dropped jaw, "Wow, traffic was really great today!" But, he wasn't home when I got there and didn't get home until about 5:45. It worked out just fine though. I had dinner mostly ready when he came in and we ate earlier than normal.
Today when I came in, the phones still weren't working. After about two hours of me sitting here coding and checking invoices, our IT guy, Erik, brought out a cell phone and said that all the calls were being forwarded to the cell phone until the fiasco was sorted out. I learned a little today how to use a Verizon phone, which was a great bonus to the lack of a working phone in the office; but alas, the phone is back in working order. Actually, I'd much prefer the phone to work properly than to use the cell phone. As it turns out, AT&T turned off the WRONG phone line and put ours back on once they figured out their mistake (without any sort of apology or compensation). I'm wondering if I'll ever trust AT&T again...
Well, since it's nearly 4, I'm going to get some reading in! I'm a little over halfway through Munich Signature and am loving it! I think I'll finish it this week :-) Have a lovely Monday evening!
8.17.2006
Wedding pictures
I forgot one thing... I was going to mention that my wonderful and talented sister-in-law has posted some of our wedding pictures on my brother's website. If you are interested in checking them out go here.
Little Onion
That's the name of the place we went to for lunch. It was really good, just as I was told by several people in our office. Then again, I might have guessed that by the fact that it was PACKED. I was told it was "A hole in the wall with really good food." They fulfilled my expectations :-)
It was pretty cool that Happy came to see where I work. He didn't really get a grand tour, but he did get to see "my" desk in the very front of the whole office. VERY exciting!
Ok, it's a really quiet and boring day here in the office and I'm feeling particularly boring so I'll end before I babble on about nothing, trying to fill up space. Have a lovely afternoon!
It was pretty cool that Happy came to see where I work. He didn't really get a grand tour, but he did get to see "my" desk in the very front of the whole office. VERY exciting!
Ok, it's a really quiet and boring day here in the office and I'm feeling particularly boring so I'll end before I babble on about nothing, trying to fill up space. Have a lovely afternoon!
Alas, No Pictures
So I keep trying to post engagement pictures through the wireless network that I'm picking up from someone else, but for some reason, I can't do it. The new date for our phone working is Wednesday, August 23. Then, our DSL should be ready to go a few days later. So I promise that before September there will be pictures on this blog.
This morning, I got up at 5:15 with Amy and got ready for the day. Recently, I've been getting up about an hour after Amy wakes up. But this morning I tested out my route to work (school). I rode my bike (donated by my dad) to the bus stop at Chapman and Beach. When the bus showed up, I pulled the bike rack on the front of the bus down to place mine in it. I had seen some other people do it, but had never done it myself so I had trouble figuring out how to secure my bike. I looked up to see that everyone had boarded the bus and the driver was shaking his head in frustration at me. He came out, showed me how to secure it, and then I got on the bus, trying to keep my head down to avoid the glares I knew were being thrown my way (question: Can you throw a glare? Was that a terrible figure of speeck? I think so). It was 6:54
I got off the bus at Warner and Beach, disengaged my bike (successfully) from the rack and rode the short way down Warner to school. I showed up just before 7:30. 7:30 is when I will need to be at work every morning, so I think I will try to catch the bus a little earlier and show up with more time to spare next time.
Later today, I'll be taking a few routes to get to Irvine and meet Amy for lunch. That ride should take about an hour.
In other pertinent news, I just started J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism. Scott gave it to me for my birthday. I'm only 17 pages into it but it's very interesting that many of the things challenging orthodox theology then are the same things challenging it now. This book is still relevant. Thanks, Scott.
Okay, I'm gone.
This morning, I got up at 5:15 with Amy and got ready for the day. Recently, I've been getting up about an hour after Amy wakes up. But this morning I tested out my route to work (school). I rode my bike (donated by my dad) to the bus stop at Chapman and Beach. When the bus showed up, I pulled the bike rack on the front of the bus down to place mine in it. I had seen some other people do it, but had never done it myself so I had trouble figuring out how to secure my bike. I looked up to see that everyone had boarded the bus and the driver was shaking his head in frustration at me. He came out, showed me how to secure it, and then I got on the bus, trying to keep my head down to avoid the glares I knew were being thrown my way (question: Can you throw a glare? Was that a terrible figure of speeck? I think so). It was 6:54
I got off the bus at Warner and Beach, disengaged my bike (successfully) from the rack and rode the short way down Warner to school. I showed up just before 7:30. 7:30 is when I will need to be at work every morning, so I think I will try to catch the bus a little earlier and show up with more time to spare next time.
Later today, I'll be taking a few routes to get to Irvine and meet Amy for lunch. That ride should take about an hour.
In other pertinent news, I just started J. Gresham Machen's Christianity and Liberalism. Scott gave it to me for my birthday. I'm only 17 pages into it but it's very interesting that many of the things challenging orthodox theology then are the same things challenging it now. This book is still relevant. Thanks, Scott.
Okay, I'm gone.
8.16.2006
SO exciting!
My fish tasted good and the lemon pepper sauce came out great! I'm sure many were waiting to hear how it all turned out....
I ordered a set of four Tae Bo VHS tapes on amazon.com the other day. I remember my mom getting them a while back and paying more than the $9.99 I paid for them. Since these tapes came out in 1999 there have been others, but I like the old ones. You know when you just get used to one exercise tape and you don't want to switch? If not, trust me, it happens. I'm looking forward to getting them, except now I'll be making more noise in the morning :-\ Hopefully Happy sleeps through it!
Today is payday #2 in my office and I am the one that helps Rebecca (my immediate boss) to stuff all the envelopes. Something I appreciate about this office--I get paid every week for the following week of work. There is no one week delay and I don't have to wait every other week to get paid. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Angie went to Costco today and brought back approximately 800 lbs. of food. Maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but she had two guys bringing it all in on a rolling cart. There was a LOT. Angie is one of the few women in our office and she has been here almost as long as the company has been in business (since 1947). I think she has been here longer than any of the VPs. Actually, I was told that she changed some of their diapers! That has to be strange, but it does show that loyalty is important. I hope to be a part of this company for a while, Lord-willing, so I'm glad to hear that it is well established. Yep, this is a boring post so I'll end it now. Maybe something interesting will happen soon and I'll have a more exciting post for once...
I ordered a set of four Tae Bo VHS tapes on amazon.com the other day. I remember my mom getting them a while back and paying more than the $9.99 I paid for them. Since these tapes came out in 1999 there have been others, but I like the old ones. You know when you just get used to one exercise tape and you don't want to switch? If not, trust me, it happens. I'm looking forward to getting them, except now I'll be making more noise in the morning :-\ Hopefully Happy sleeps through it!
Today is payday #2 in my office and I am the one that helps Rebecca (my immediate boss) to stuff all the envelopes. Something I appreciate about this office--I get paid every week for the following week of work. There is no one week delay and I don't have to wait every other week to get paid. Yeah, it's pretty cool.
Angie went to Costco today and brought back approximately 800 lbs. of food. Maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but she had two guys bringing it all in on a rolling cart. There was a LOT. Angie is one of the few women in our office and she has been here almost as long as the company has been in business (since 1947). I think she has been here longer than any of the VPs. Actually, I was told that she changed some of their diapers! That has to be strange, but it does show that loyalty is important. I hope to be a part of this company for a while, Lord-willing, so I'm glad to hear that it is well established. Yep, this is a boring post so I'll end it now. Maybe something interesting will happen soon and I'll have a more exciting post for once...
8.15.2006
WAKE UP!!!!!
Time to take a break from coding invoices and reading because for some reason I'm somewhat sleepy today. I will say that I've been sleeping better though, which is WONDERFUL!
Last night's menu was BBQ marinated chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. I think it came out pretty good. One question, does parsley have an actual taste? I've always thought it's used for color rather than any flavor it adds. Anyone know? Tonight's menu is breaded fish with lemon pepper sauce (I think) drizzled over it. We're also having pasta salad and a mix of peas and corn. I'll let you know how the fish and sauce come out seeing as I've never actually done this before :-D
I must say, I do enjoy making dinner. Even though I come home tired and sick of traffic, I like playing around in the kitchen. Last night I made more salsa with the recipe my mom-in-law gave me. Tonight I'm going to make more guacamole. Yum... I like guacamole.
It seems like most of my posting is about food. Change of subject. Does anyone know what sorts of indoor potted plants are really difficult to kill? I ask this because I would like to have a plant or two in our apartment, but I'm afraid I will kill it (since I've done so many times in the past... then again, most of the times in the past have been times that I forget to water it... hopefully now I'll remember). So, in light of this, does anyone have any recommendations of plants that don't need a lot of sunlight and don't die easily? I'd appreciate any input. Mom, I'm sure you could offer some suggestions...
We are getting a new phone number since we are switching to Verizon. Hm. I wonder if we are technically "switching" since we never really had a telephone line from AT&T that worked... Anyway, we should have a phone by next Wednesday and internet shortly thereafter, which means wedding pictures will be posted soon!!!! YAY!!! Well, there it is, my post for the day. Have a lovely afternoon!
Last night's menu was BBQ marinated chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. I think it came out pretty good. One question, does parsley have an actual taste? I've always thought it's used for color rather than any flavor it adds. Anyone know? Tonight's menu is breaded fish with lemon pepper sauce (I think) drizzled over it. We're also having pasta salad and a mix of peas and corn. I'll let you know how the fish and sauce come out seeing as I've never actually done this before :-D
I must say, I do enjoy making dinner. Even though I come home tired and sick of traffic, I like playing around in the kitchen. Last night I made more salsa with the recipe my mom-in-law gave me. Tonight I'm going to make more guacamole. Yum... I like guacamole.
It seems like most of my posting is about food. Change of subject. Does anyone know what sorts of indoor potted plants are really difficult to kill? I ask this because I would like to have a plant or two in our apartment, but I'm afraid I will kill it (since I've done so many times in the past... then again, most of the times in the past have been times that I forget to water it... hopefully now I'll remember). So, in light of this, does anyone have any recommendations of plants that don't need a lot of sunlight and don't die easily? I'd appreciate any input. Mom, I'm sure you could offer some suggestions...
We are getting a new phone number since we are switching to Verizon. Hm. I wonder if we are technically "switching" since we never really had a telephone line from AT&T that worked... Anyway, we should have a phone by next Wednesday and internet shortly thereafter, which means wedding pictures will be posted soon!!!! YAY!!! Well, there it is, my post for the day. Have a lovely afternoon!
8.14.2006
Cloudy morning
What a wonderful weekend! Saturday Happy and I went to help Heather move and got to see not only Heather, but Nick, Travis, Brian, Becca and Christie! Coming home made me realize how blessed we are to have friends who are willing to help in a moment's notice. Plus, it was good to see everyone after moving to a new place where we have yet to meet many people.
A random thing I've noticed about myself (which I'm sure Happy has noticed already) is that I almost always forget to put silverware and serving spoons on the dinner table. Actually, I usually forget them for every meal. I bring all the food out and sit down and then I realize that I can't move the food from the pot to our plates. Is this something I just need to get used to? I hope so!
Tonight I'm cutting Happy's hair. The other day he wet his hair and stuck it up in every direction (which he is accustomed to doing from time to time) and said "Whoa! My hair is REALLY long! Hey... can you cut my hair soon?" He's a funny one.
Bree called in to work today which means I don't have a whole bunch to do. That also means that I'm really glad I brought my book. I'm only about 60 pages in, but my friend Jeremy has been reading through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and asking some poignant questions that are making me want to read that book next. It's one of those books that I've always wanted to read and never gotten around to.
This is a seriously random post, but one more thing I wanted to mention. Happy learned this morning that apparently AT&T can't be our provider. He might write more on that, but now he'll be contacting Verizon and hopefully they will have much better customer service than AT&T! I wonder if that means our "home" phone number (which never actually worked for us) will change? I guess we'll find out! Back to work. Have a lovely day!
A random thing I've noticed about myself (which I'm sure Happy has noticed already) is that I almost always forget to put silverware and serving spoons on the dinner table. Actually, I usually forget them for every meal. I bring all the food out and sit down and then I realize that I can't move the food from the pot to our plates. Is this something I just need to get used to? I hope so!
Tonight I'm cutting Happy's hair. The other day he wet his hair and stuck it up in every direction (which he is accustomed to doing from time to time) and said "Whoa! My hair is REALLY long! Hey... can you cut my hair soon?" He's a funny one.
Bree called in to work today which means I don't have a whole bunch to do. That also means that I'm really glad I brought my book. I'm only about 60 pages in, but my friend Jeremy has been reading through Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and asking some poignant questions that are making me want to read that book next. It's one of those books that I've always wanted to read and never gotten around to.
This is a seriously random post, but one more thing I wanted to mention. Happy learned this morning that apparently AT&T can't be our provider. He might write more on that, but now he'll be contacting Verizon and hopefully they will have much better customer service than AT&T! I wonder if that means our "home" phone number (which never actually worked for us) will change? I guess we'll find out! Back to work. Have a lovely day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)