Sun Stand Still

Our pastor, Edgar, has been teaching from the book of Joshua, regarding the praying of audacious prayers. If you recall the story, or if perhaps you have never heard it, Joshua looked up at the sky before going to battle with the Canaanites in the Promised Land and basically asked God to allow the sun to stay in one place until they had won the battle. God heard his prayer and the sun stayed overhead until the Israelites were victorious.

What this is teaching us is that we don't always have to have all the facts. We don't always have to have all the right words or sound like a professional orator for God to not only hear our prayers but come through for us in incredible, mighty ways. Sometimes you can ask God for something or ask Him to work for you and you can ask Him boldly!

I went to Baptist school as a kid. We were not taught to pray audaciously. In fact, the phrase "If it be Your will" was standard in every prayer. I'm not an audacious person anyway - I'm actually fairly quiet and my relationship with God tends to be more in a whisper than out loud. But I decided to put this to the test!

I've been struggling at work with a few things. It's better than it was, but it isn't my cup of tea. Being a bank teller requires a lot of thought, attention to detail, routine and thick skin. I pretty much lack ALL of these things. But one thing that I need to 'earn my keep' as they say, are referrals. Referrals are my point of contention! My view is that people are coming into the bank to do specific things and they don't feel like being coerced into a new benefit, product, savings or checking account or whatever! This is difficult for me! I hate asking people to sign up for a new credit card, or ID protection, or trying to convince them that they really need to upgrade that checking account to a different one. It is NOT in my personality to 'sell' things to others. I'm not convincing.

Since April, I have averaged about 3 referrals per week. Yesterday I was inspired to ask God boldly to bring me the right people. I told him I would ask EVERY customer about something, but I needed Him to bring me the right customers. The funny thing is that I did this on my break, right in the break room. I actually said it OUT LOUD - "God! I need referrals this week! I need LOTS of them!"

You know what happened? I got more referrals yesterday than I did in 5 days last week!

Now, this may not sound like something really urgent, like being healed from cancer, or having a relationship miraculously restored, but I really needed God to come through for me at work. It's hard working at a place that views you as being nice, but not really doing 100% of your job. My manager even told me that I definitely earned my keep yesterday.

Big thanks to my Big God, who cares enough about me not to leave me hanging on by threads at work!

The Keeper of the House

Things have perked up at my bank job. I've settled into the expectations and I've made my peace with the parts of the jobs that I hate - for now. My referrals have even picked up. I have had 3 referrals so far this week - making it my best week ever. But do know this - I am just settling for now. I am working to make money to pay off debts so that I can later pursue much better things.

It's my day off - obviously. I don't seem to be able to post very often unless it is my day off. With the bedsheets in the wash, and the rented Rug Doctor sitting by my side, it's pretty clear what my day will consist of. I've given myself 20 minutes until I get up and put on the trash clothes and get started. With any luck, maybe a friend will drop by and give me company and decorating tips. I even thought about inviting my mother in law over, but I have a feeling we would start talking and then she would talk me into a shopping trip. Not that I wouldn't love it, I just have too much to get done today.

The corn has tassles, and there are 3 green beans! The beans are so small and thin that they look like inchworms. I am sorry to say that the earwigs have completely obliterated my sunflowers. It was a good try, and I will try again next year, but I will be more prepared for those wretched things of Satan than I was this year. I put on a good show for my piano students though when one of them found an earwig on the dining table. I shrieked, ran to get a shoe and started slapping it against anything that slightly look earwiggish. HATE those nasty things.

We have plenty of tomatoes, as I knew we would, but waiting for them to be anything but green is driving me insane. My ultra-earlies, Northern Delights, have sat for 2 weeks, barely getting any bigger and staying green. They are multiplying though. One plant has approximately 25 little green spheres so far. I regret not labelling any of my tomatoes. I just planted seeds and happily let them grow. Now I haven't got the slightest CLUE as to which plants will produce which types of tomatoes. I only know the Northern Delights because they were the first to fruit, and I have identified a Pink Accordion heirloom because it has one single, solitary fruit on it - about an inch in diameter. The tomatoes in the front garden have not grown as well as the ones in the back. This winter I will need to be sure that I mulch the soil well and put some organic plant food in.

I also found a pattypan squash - cutest little thing. :) Planted autumn beets and more beans. As expected, the melons are tiny and weak. Partially because of where they are planted and partially because I simply planted them too late. The autumn peas are vining away and the cucumbers are sprouting new leaves every day.

I searched the internet for some vintage prints of WWII Victory Garden posters and I'm so pleased with what I found on Amazon! I'm going to get at least 3 prints and frame them for the kitchen.

Remember American Girl? Before Disney bought them out, I was a huge fan. My American Girl was Molly - the 1945 WWII era doll. The family's victory garden was mentioned in every story. So now you know where I got my strange adoration for these vintage prints from!

Well, my 20 minute allotment is up. The sheets have finished the spin cycle and the Rug Doctor is beckoning me get up and get to work! I've only got until 4 today.

It's so rewarding to be the Keeper of the House.

Does anybody know what time it is??

I am referencing the Chicago tune, not that stupid show with Tim Allen from the 90's.

I have been reading some guides to help improve my writing skills and thus far I have been irritated and disappointed that I simply have not found the time to dedicate myself to it. I'm lucky if I manage to get a one-page journal entry put down every three days or so. It makes me feel like I am completely unable to properly prioritize. Working my job is, strangely enough, not a priority to me, but getting out of debt is one of our highest priorities, and thus, the conundrum.

Two days until July 1, and so I've been sitting at the computer, pulling up my share of the monthly bills, getting them scheduled and budgeted. I feel proud that we paid off 3 small debts last week, and proud that my individual debts are decreasing. One student loan is going to be under $3000 soon. I owe less than $7000 on my car now. We owe less than $2000 on a credit card that almost had $10,000 on it 3 years ago. I am proud of our efforts, but it's discouraging to have to set aside my passions in order to continue working on these goals.

I've been reading "If You Want To Write" by Brenda Ueland, which has been a beautiful read, but sadly, I fear I' haven't had the time to do any actual writing. It's been more like "I want to write, but I barely have the time to read!" I love her imagery and the way she reminds me that really, there is nothing wrong with ME. It's the rest of the world that simply cannot understand where I am thinking from. It's hard being a right-brained person in a society dominated by left-brained pragmatists who value productivity over creativity.

It is now about 8:22 in the morning, and I am due in at work in 2 hours. I will commence my usual morning routine at this point, showering, makeup, dressing, trying to fit in a load of laundry or wash a few dishes before I leave for the day. All the while, my right brain is begging me to call in sick (which I won't do, and never do), sit in the chair for awhile with everything silent in the house and wait for something beautiful to flow from mind to pen and paper. Then maybe drive downtown to that empty coffee bar and see how much they are leasing it for. Then go to a farm, or an orchard somewhere, and breathe in the smells of fresh fruits and earth. 

When my thoughts are full of these things, it's no wonder I'm a total failure by the world's standards.

Fortunately, I don't listen to the world. I value what God has created in me. :)