the mall

It's like a drunk who forgets the agony he or she was in last time and goes right back to it. The mall that is.

I always assume: there's lots of stores in the mall and therefore the chance of finding the item (usually of clothing) is greater than say just going to Target, right? Except for the one time I went and found that GAP had 25% off everything even sale things, that has never happened. And almost without fail, I walk out of the place after 30 minutes or 90 minutes with nothing but a splitting headache. Whether that has to do with carrying one of my children or just bad fumes that permeate the place, I do not know.

The one good use of a mall however, I did notice yesterday. People watching.

Yesterday when we walked in, there were these 3 teenage boys in the sitting area behind Caribou Coffee doing handstand tricks. Yes, teenage not toddlers. I'll admit I was probably an abnormal teenager but I never thought of hanging out by the mall couches to practice breakdancing.

Later there was this kid, maybe 13, sitting on another mall bench with a person I would assume would be his "girlfriend"( if that's possible at that age when you take public transportation or your parent drives you in the minivan for a date) laying with her head on his lap. I had to do a double take mostly because he was still at the stage where he could pass for a gangly pre-adolescent girl or an awkward pre-adolescent boy.

Even college students trying to look cool were there strutting their stuff. I'm still getting use to the Scooby-Do Shaggy look where you have to constantly twitch your head to the side your hair is combed to maintain the look. That takes a lot of work.

As I was leaving the mall establishment, I also realized that it is not my imagination that styles that were in when I was a third grader are back. The hot pink spandex jeans and flats are just not the most flattering cut in jeanswear, but you could pick the girl I saw wearing this out of a crowd of a million.

fragile

Ten little chicks have survived 41 hours now under the watchful care of Priya and Sam. But they still have a long way to go. I

They've already had a colorful past. After I looked at the receipt where we purchased them, I noticed we HAD paid for the heat lamp, a heat bulb, feed and a watere but NOT paid for 10 chicks. Evidentally the two cashiers didn't notice Priya standing there holding a box of pepping chicks and I failed to remind them that we weren't just taking home a box because we liked the shape and construction of it. But they are paid for now. Now for no casualties due to cats, dogs, other varmits or the kids.

Yes, we do have style. And rubber boots work really great for puddles and shallow mud. They don't work well in deep garden mud or knee deep water. Good thing it cooled off and is windy today so the four sets of rubber boots the kids own can dry out.

relative

It is extremely easy to arrive at the conclusion that most everything in life is relative. What works for you is great. Something else works for me, so that's peachy too.

Some things are. Like diapers. You use cloth diapers and use lots of soap, water and energy but don't clog up the landfill. I'll use disposable and pitch them in a pile in the far corner of the farm and get rid of them with a match and some used oil. It's probably a toss-up who is being more environmentally friendly - you fill the landfill with burned-out washing machines, while I put toxic fumes into the atmosphere.

Some things aren't. I am not free to get drunk. I am not free to hate anyone. I am not free to steal or murder either.

Then there are those other things that I have a definite opinion on that I believe come from Biblical discernment, but if what if another person who claims to be a Christian comes down on the opposite end of the spectrum. Like voting. How about a candidate who seems to value my freedom to get rid of a child who isn't convenient, but doesn't value my freedom to spend my money where I choose, my freedom to raise my children as I choose or my freedom to express my faith as I choose? Am I wrong to say that it is wrong to vote for a character when his or her views are light years away from what my Guidebook says?

I have a theory that churches and leaders who are in a position to help people be discerning are so scared of offending some "seeker" that although they use the Scripture in their discussion, they end up confusing the same "seeker" with their lack of application of that Scripture. It seems to me that we just want to leave the application up to each individual to find what's right for him or her. I guess I don't see Hosea or Jeremiah mincing words. Certainly not Jesus. The woman caught in adultery was definitely seeking. Jesus offered grace in one hand and justice in the other.

What I'm trying to say is...I would venture that are a lot more things that are BLACK and WHITE than we would like to admit. That is if we are willing to go by the Bible and not by our own interpretation.

warm

Could it be, here on March 10 that we will see double digit temperatures for multiples days in a row? Amazing. And even more amazing is the fact that tonight, the wind is less than double digit m.p.h. too. I feel compelled to spend the night outside in case I wake up tomorrow to find it 6 below like it was two days ago.

Those folks who live in more temperate climates just don't know what they are missing. Such variety. Such thrill. Where else would you be grasping for five layers one day and two later find your thoughts drifting toward capris? Plus we here should never be want for a topic of conversation when the occasion arises for small talk.

living

This song is ...well, it just says so much...

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,

For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.

I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.

My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus Who died in my place,

Bearing on Calvary my sin and disgrace;

Such love constrains me to answer His call,

Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus, wherever I am,

Doing each duty in His holy Name;

Willing to suffer affliction and loss,

Deeming each trial a part of my cross.

Living for Jesus through earth’s little while,

My dearest treasure, the light of His smile;

Seeking the lost ones He died to redeem,

Bringing the weary to find rest in Him.

small

Just because we humans are petty doesn't mean that God is. Lent, for instance, brings out an about face for some people.

Does it really make sense that if we choose six weeks out of the year to do good deeds and follow a certain diet, God will look down and say, "Oh, that person really means well. He passed up grilled hamburgers at work today to eat a fake fish sandwich at McDonalds."

The other 46 weeks of the year, we can live like we belong to the devil and God is just going to overlook it because we took time to attend Ash Wednesday service and take advantage of the fast food industry's annual fish frenzy?

The idea of lent is terrific. Forty days, like Jesus did in the desert, to commemorate what Jesus did for us at Easter. But do we not completely bypass the point, by following a set of expectations for this season merely for the purpose of being religious?

My goodness, Jesus Christ let himself be treated like a traitor and be crucified like a horrific criminal, so we wouldn't have to be petty, marking off the measly few good deeds for the year off our lists, trying to be good. Of course, we can't be good on by ourselves. We are wretched to the core, just take a look at any two or three year old. We do what benefits us. God doesn't grade our behavior on a curve. Nobody makes the cut on how many fish sandwiches we consume during lent or old ladies we hold the door for or dollars dolled out to UNICEF.

Jesus fulfilled the law, strung out on a splintery cross, struggling with each breathe, so we could live excitedly all year long, our whole lives long.