James 1:27

I wanted to share a quick thought with you, Bloggy, about James 1:27. Here is the verse:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. 

Now don't think I am trying to downplay the importance of the beginning part of the verse or any such thing, but I have found it interesting how often the second part of the verse is overlooked. 'To keep oneself from being polluted by the world'. 

This has really hit me. First, through a friend telling me about a dream she had recently that involved a shopping mall and her trying to resist buying stuff while me and some other friends dove right into the racks and got lost. 

Oops. Its true. I love to shop when I get the opportunity. 

But I am also reading the book called 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. For seven months she focused on seven areas of her life; food, clothes, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress. For example, with clothing, for 31 days she only wore seven articles of clothing and documented how she felt and what she discovered. This book is really forcing me to look at my own life and how I might be becoming polluted by the world. I don't have that many items of clothing, but I do use them to hide behind, and a lot of what I have I hardly wear. I waste too much food and take so much of it for granted. I went a week without Facebook once, but email and Netflix?? Yikes!! 

I don't know where 7 will lead me or where James will lead me, but I know Jesus WILL lead me (pull me, or even drag me) to where I need to be. I want more and more possessions, but I also want more and more quality time in my life. I don't think I can have both. 

The result?? I still have no idea. 

But I hope you will at least stop to consider the second half of this verse. Stop and think about how immersed you are in this world, and how the Church is immersed in this world. And try to think of at least one, itsy bitsy thing to do about it. 

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:...to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Back Again.

Hello Bloggy World.

Sorry for the hiatus, but I had a lot of busy stuff going on in life and blogging got pushed into the shadows. Even still this blog might not be that interesting for everyone. This is the blog in which I complain about my dog.

We bought Jade from the Animal Humane Society, probably about three weeks ago now. We were torn between her and an adorable puppy, but Hubby went with Jade figuring she was probably potty trained at the very least. She is one year old black lab/retriever mix. She also weighed 52 pounds already when we adopted her, which is close to my ability to manhandle her when needed.

She has tested and broken through my patience limit about a zillion times. I think for the first five days I had to spend the day with her alone (while Hubby is at work), I sobbed. Like a baby. She was just too obnoxious and mean to me. And I felt horrible because I didn't want her because I was the person who wanted a dog the most. I wanted a dog for MONTHS. YEARS. But Jade just isn't quite the dog I was looking for. Jade has always been pretty much an angel for Hubby, she loved him from the beginning. Me on the other hand.....she barks and challenges me constantly. Only for the last two days have I been able to use the computer and not have her bark at me, or me having to lock her up.

My mornings are shot. Instead of nice, relaxing mornings where I get to read, watch the news, drink a little coffee, check my email....I now have to be outside with her or she will bark at me while I eat breakfast, I have to supervising her constantly or she will bark at the empty street, I have to play with her to keep her occupied and out of the bathroom garbage (her new favorite sport). I usually wake up at 8, deal with the dog until about 9:30 and then get ready to go somewhere, anywhere out of the house. I find excuses for errands now just to get away from her. Sometimes I take her with in the car because it is the only thing she does very well. Jade can sit in the back seat of the car and just chill. Plus she doesn't care if I leave and go into Target for awhile.

Romantic evenings in with the Hubby? Forget about it. We can hardly get through dinner much less a movie without Jade barking or crawling all over him. Cuddling is now non-existent in this household. Oh, and have I mentioned she has now run away 3 times? Only returning because we had her squeaky ball?

Even though I have started to like her a little more now, I still don't think I would be heartbroken if someone wanted to take Jade from us. Within days of having her, I wanted to bring her back. But now we have put so much money into her (vet, toys, obedience classes) that I can't justify just giving her up. However! If someone wanted to BUY her, I would be all over that!! Hubby would probably disagree because Jade has liked him from the beginning.

Sigh. So again probably not the Blog the Bloggy World wanted. But it is the one you are getting.