Scantily-clad men in church

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My pastors are on a much-needed vacation, but I think I ought to email them and explain an embarrassing situation, in case it is brought to their attention. Unbeknownst to me, I spent the entire church service with a scantily-clad man at my feet.

A dear friend brought some hand-me-down clothes from her son, and when she brought the bag in, I didn’t rifle through it; I just thanked her and set it on the floor. I was on the aisle, so I just set it next to the pew in front of me.

They are really nice clothes: like-new shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale, Hollister and American Eagle and a pair of Nike sneakers —  things I couldn’t afford (nor bear to pay for, even if I could afford) for my sons to wear. The boys aren’t very brand-conscious yet (thank God), so I explained to them that this was the motherlode of hand-me-downs, and they will be writing thank you notes this week.

Rewind back to church … I thanked the other mom profusely and went on about the worship service, as usual. It wasn’t until we were leaving … actually, we were already at the car when I finally noticed the bag. Um, yeah — it was an A&F bag with a hot bod plastered across the front. If you’ve seen any A&F storefront posters, you know what I mean: glossy, ripped abs, thumb tucked into unzipped jeans that were tugged down so far, you could almost see …

Oi vey.

Leave it to a church elder to offend visitors, LOL In all seriousness, I do hope that no one was offended! *blush*

Proof of citizenship (Prayer devotional for the week of August 14)

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Do you know which documents are acceptable as proof of citizenship in the U.S.? Birth certificate, passport or naturalization certificate are the commonly accepted items. Other government-issued forms of photo identification, such as driver’s license, military ID, etc., are useful to demonstrate that you are who you say you are, but they do not validate your citizenship.

We may have photo IDs to prove where we go to school or work, certificates to show that we’re married, framed diplomas to display our college degrees and notarized papers to explain legal matters … but none of those documents prove our citizenship.

In his letter to the Philippians (chapter 3), the apostle Paul gave a litany of his qualifications as a religious leader in order to drive home the point that none of it matters – not the accolades, not the bragging rights, not the pedigree. He went so far as to call his credentials “garbage” (verse 8) compared to the joy of knowing Christ. Paul, formerly known as Saul, was an unabashed weirdo; in fact, he embraced his peculiar testimony so that God would receive the utmost glory.

The thought of Paul’s former life as an “enemy of the cross” brought him to tears (verse 18) as he pleaded with the Philippians to focus their sights heavenward. Our worldly credentials pale in comparison to heavenly glory! Paul describes our true citizenship as being in heaven (verse 20) – will we embrace it?

Compliment

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I was cleaning the kitchen earlier when No. 1 walked in, patted my shoulder and said, “You look lovely, as ever.” And … he wasn’t even buttering me up for anything! He’s going to make a great husband for a special gal one of these days! 😉

Foodie Friday: Grilling

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I’m not quite a grill meister yet, but I am enjoying the learning process (ie, the eating part!). We have had 43 consecutive triple-digit days in Central Texas — not exactly the kind of record we’re keen on breaking, but we did it, nonetheless. Sweltering Texas summers are all the more reason not to turn on the oven!

Tonight’s dinner was grilled hamburgers, and I’ll chalk it up as a success, considering that the rave review was “Omigoshthisissogood!” I grilled asparagus last week (in a veggie basket, though a couple of pieces still fell through), and it was yummy. Besides the actual grill, I’m also learning how to use the smoker. Talk about yummy! I’ve fixed ribs, chicken leg quarters and a whole chicken that turned out delicious.

The bonus about grilling is that it requires rather constant attention, which means that Mom gets a few minutes of peace & quiet on the back porch while the boys refrain from killing each other play sweetly inside the house. 😉

P.S. I de-carbed my burger by eating two patties sans bread with blue cheese crumbles and picante sauce. Yum!