worry

Life is Good. Worry is bad.

~ Bev Parker ~ Leave a comment

I live with kind and undemanding folks, which sounds like a very good thing, right? But it can cause me to get a bit selfish and too into my own thing, which never seems to satisfy my soul. So, in my recent adventures in doing less and going my own way more, I am reminded of what I should KNOW by by: There is satisfaction in sharing, satisfaction in sacrifice.

And I am reminded of my mantra: A smart girl like you oughtta be able to figure this out. Of what am I speaking? I am speaking of the lack of shared meals happening of late at House of Parker.

We all have differing schedules, dietary preferences, and priorities–one person gets up at 3:30 a.m and is home any time between noon and 5:00; another gets off work at 11:00 p.m. The easy thing is to just say, “Who cares?”

The voice plaguing me says they don’t know or appreciate what it takes to put healthy meals on the table; it takes too much time; we’re in a new season and it doesn’t matter that much anyway. “Reason” continues: If I cook what they want it’s too hard to stay low-carb; let them cook their own–they know how.

And yes, they can and often do “cook their own” with the attendant continually messy kitchen, use of ingredients meant for other things, formation of unhealthy habits, and a general state of culinary chaos.

But that isn’t “the thing” really. The thing is that we no longer have “Table Share”. When I read a beautiful quote, or hear an amazing tale which simply must be shared for the joy and edification of all parties, for the common bond created via the ensuing good conversation, the best opportunity for doing so–while enjoying a meal–is unavailable.

What then shall a smart girl do? Give up? Sigh? Call someone and gripe (true friends share joys, not gripes)? No, she changes things here and there. She calls a family meeting first of all, enticing everyone with milk and no-bakes (chocolate oatmeal cookies cooked stovetop with plenty of butter, vanilla, salt, maybe some peanut butter and almond flavoring, and a bit more salt than called for).

In this meeting it is discerned that everyone is fine with her having more time to “do whatever” she wants, and that she should just “make herself happy”. And so . . . the hope that they will tell her what to do, how to solve this issue about which she is apparently the only one who cares, fades into more of the voices: It doesn’t matter; no one cares; you’re the only one bothered by this.

I own it. I am bothered by this, and that’s reason enough to do something about it, and I will find a solution.

So here it is: Breakfast together will be in the form of a weekend brunch; we’ll have dinner together (sort of–when it’s possible) and I will have beautiful times alone, as well as lovely times with only one of my beloveds at a time per their schedules, and on those marvelous times we’re all available, it will be all the more beautiful and lovely for the rarity.

And I will relax, and live in the unforced rhythms of grace given by my Creator. Because it always comes down to this: As smart as I am, He is smarter. He cares about what I care about, and He cares about me.

So rather than losing my creative juices via fretting, I will stop. Rest. And make my darlings happy by making myself happy. I will live each and every day without a plan or a goal, except to receive what God has for me–peace and love and joy–and pass it on. If that happens to be over a meal, so much the better.

Life is good. Worry is bad.

The Homefront Radio Show Wednesday, December 11 with Bronia Olivas Speaking On Tongues

~ Bev Parker ~ Leave a comment

I have a preliminary intro to Wednesday’s Homefront Show, and I’m sharing it here and now, but making no promises.  Because it seems that more I prepare for and nail down the Show just exactly how I think it should go, the more apt the Holy Spirit is to say, “No, don’t say that, say this.”  The very subject about which I’m most self-satisifed and sure my listeners will LOVE, is the one that at the last minute seems trite, boring and/or irrelevant.

So, again, here’s a possible line-up of the show coming up at 8:00 Mountain time (9:00 Central) Wednesday morning, December 11:

Hello and thank you for joining me today on the Homefront Show, where among many other excellent subjects, we’re going to talk about setting the tone for your home, about doing away with the pie sliver mentality –  we’re going to STOP with the lack thinking.  Enough with not enough! 

Rather than thinking about what we want and need we’re going to think about what we have and what we can share.  It is TIME  to stop sharing our miserliness and our misery (root word miser and it is a godless word), and start being a blessing to ourselves and others as well, especially those living in our houses.  We’re going from Households of Hate (I hate myself and I hate my life) to Households of Faith.  We’ve got some Faith ABC’s – Basics that any and all of us can get, today on the HFS.

But before we do anything else, let me ask this question:  Do I have a listener considering abortion?  I have been dreaming about babies, and about a young woman considering abortion.  So I want to ask this question, and tell you to stay with me – we’re going to talk about this.  And if you have an abortion in your past, and you’re still under that cloud, we’re going to talk about that as well (short, sweet and to the point).  Because there is one way, and one way only, to deal with that kind of cloud, that kind of weight.  So whatever your weight, your regret, your crippling past issue or issues (they seem to travel in packs) whatever. . . have I got a deal for you today on the HFS.

The subject of giving is on the roster as well.  And . . . the Power of Total Immersion.  And . . . Bronia.  Bronia Olivas – isn’t that a lovely name?  It’s for a lovely person, who will be talking about today’s controversial subject, and hopefully take us from controversy to revelation  (Bronia will do her part, you’ll have to choose whether to respond in stubbornness or faith)  – that’s what I call a battle, at least it is for me.

We were created for battle, and we need to wake up in the morning and gear up.  It is absolutely ridiculous for Christians to be worrying about what the devil’s up to. It is downright sin.  So we’re going to talk about the downright sin of worry today, and about the stupidity of disobeying our commanding officer’s commandments!

Opinions are also open for discussion today.  Everyone has an opinion, and very often we find no one is really interested in ours.  We think our opinions are soooo interesting, so important, but I don’t see much in the Bible about the  importance of my opinion.  There is no Book of Beverly.  We especially have opinons about other people.  So, speaking of other people, contact someone who needs a bit of revelation and maybe rerouting for their day, for their thinking, and get them to get with us today on the HFS.

I want to begin the Show with the opinion thing.  I read a devotion about the difference between going to Jesus and going to the telephone with opinions, and you can guess which one gives you the more harmonious, more victorious outcome:

LIMITLESS LOVE DEVOTION, December 8, 2019

(So there, Dear Potential Blessed Listener, is your list of reasons to tune in to https://1360khnc.com/ Wednesday, December 11, at 8:00 am Mountain Time.) 

And Thanks!