How bizarre is my wife?

Let me tell you a story...

Last Friday morning as we were pulling into the small town of Harvard, on the Wisconsin/Illinois border, where we were to board a train for Chicago, we saw an interesting handmade sign posted on the wall of the Shell station. It said something to the effect of: "Lost Iguana". Looking around at all the corn fields this town boasted of, not to mention the Holstein cow panted on the side of the diminutive Harvard water tower, I couldnt' help but find it odd that such a town would be a Mecca for exotic animals.

Anyway, I soon put this out of my mind, and we boarded the train. We spent a wonderful day in Chicago and returned to Harvard late in the evening. Getting off of a train at a station that could easily have been in a Currier and Ives print, in a town that was hundred of miles away from the place I've called home all my life, and in the middle of absolute nowhere, certainly felt strange. As these thoughts were going through my mind, as we were driving away from the station, I turned to Krista and said, "This all feels so surrealisic." When all of a sudden, Krista starts ponting and screaming: "There it is! There's the iguana." Not seeing anything myself, but two or three of the local youths, looking down at the sidewalk, I pacified Krista by saying that it must be that the reptile's owner found him. Krista wasn't totally convinced at this point, and was sure to press her face against the side car window as we passed the Shell station, just to see if the "Lost Iguana" sign was still up.
Days passed and I had just about forgotten about all of his, when my shower was interrupted this morning by my hysterical spouse purporting to have seen on the news a young boy being interviewed by the media who had lost his pet Iguana--and sure enough-- he lived in Harvard. Krista had written down the boy's name, so she called directory assistance and asked for the number. There was only one listing in the town of Harvard for the last name she had, so she figured she had the right one. However, when she dialed the number, every time that she mentioned the Iguana part, the other party hung up on her. For the first few tries, Krista thought that maybe something was wrong with their phone, but then came to realize that maybe she really wasn't talking to the bereaved lizard lover.
Not giving up so easily, she then called the TV station--she actually talked to the anchorman-- and was able to ascertain the correct number. When the boy's father answered, in addition to realizing that the previous phone number had indeed been erroneous, she told him that she had witnesed a juvenile Harvard delinquent, walking around late at night by the train station last Friday with-- AN IGUANA!! Completely bursting Krista's bubble; however, the man told her hat they have aleady received several tips about this, and, it just so happens that some guy by the station in Harvard owns five or six iguanas that he frequently likes to exercise--and that they are indeed not the legitimate lost reptile.
Thus ends my tale. Is Krista weird or what?

A little off track is good sometimes...but how about most of the time?

Nevermind WHY I was in my crawl space at 7:45am. Not important? No... it WAS important, but just not why I'm here NOW, completely OFF track.
Perhaps "off track" is exactly where I need to be right now. Perhaps, I'm just trying to make myself feel better for being so rediculously ADD. ANYWAYS... as I was CRAWLING, I came across a loose piece of paper in desperate need of a home, along with an infinite number of relatives in that already cramped space. It was a piece of... "I'm fairly sure it's true..but I just don't really remembering DOING this at all", NON-fiction written by none other than MY literary genius husband. The subject matter was one that made me scrunch my eyebrows as I read through, admiring what an amazing writer my husband is, but wondering Am I serously THAT wierd? Nothing in this tale is something I would 'never do'... all of it is possible, and dare I say, probable. It's just that I totally don't remember DOING this, which makes me wonder how many OTHER stories like this could be written about all the OTHER strange things I know I've done,but just can't remember because I'm.....well.... 40.

Strange is in the eyes of the beholder though... I'll let you be the judge.

It will have to be its own post though.

Please Stay

I was studying the greek word "tereo" this morning. The word 'to keep'. Here's the definition in Strongs'.
tereo: a watch, to guard from loss or injury by keeping the eye on.

This same greek word is used in Jude v. 21 (but let me back up to vs 20)
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep, yourselves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

My friend Lorie posted a piece on the garden of Eden recently. http://morechipsmorechocolatemoregod.blogspot.com/2009/06/forbidden-fruit.html
It really has had me thinking.

The garden of Eden was not a place of total safety. Actually...... it was kind of a DANGEROUS place... where the devil himself was also allowed to roam, along with free will. Knowing this, the place of safety needed to be by His side.... even in paradise. It was a choice Adam and Eve had every day, just like to NOT eat of the fruit. I wonder if Eve had turned down a holy 'let's go for a love walk' invitation a half an hour before the juices of sin started to flow.

sobering.....and yet... inviting.

Great quote from Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

I've been reading an amazing book by Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, called Fresh Wind Fresh Fire.

A minister from Austrailia or New Zealand (he couldn't remember) was visiting the tiny church when it was in its infancy and went to the front to make just one comment.

"You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning."
"You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night."
"You can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeing."