Monday, January 24, 2005

More cheese!

When Goethe lay dying, he called for "more light!". In the fictionalized version of my life, as I lay dying of some unknown disease, the writer might have me call for "more cheese!". Not because I'm such a fan of the pizza topping, but because it would go so well with my other excess: whine.

I'm a whiner. A perfectionist and a nit-picker, sure, but I don't keep my mouth shut about it. I share with the world (my wife) where the current event missed perfection. "Great meteor shower, sure, but there were only one or two a minute. If there could have been five or six a minute, that would have been fantastic!" "Yeah, I got the latest Supertones album for less than five dollars delivered, but I should have been able to get it months ago!"

"Six days? I don't know why God couldn't have done it in one day, giving me a six-day weekend."

No matter the level of perfection, I can see a way it could have been better. Yes, God had His reasons for taking six days to create the world, and I shouldn't take it personally that he didn't take my weekends into account (except that He probably did - six days of "rest" are not necessary for a day of work).

So last week I was sick -- sicker than I've been for a while. I took a day off work, and barely left the house for two days. I was trying all sorts of variations of cough/sneeze/blow. My head hurt, my muscles were weak, I wore out easily, and I was just generally yucky. I was truly sick.

But I didn't count my blessings. I still had a job I could call in sick to, and they would take me back when I got well. I had a warm house to recuperate in. I had a wife who was well and could help take care of me. I had a Great Physician who would heal me in His time. No fever, no delerium, no sleepless nights.

What I want is to have a little less whine, and to call for "more light!" while I can still share it with the world.

So help me God.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Tone deaf

2004 was the year I got interested in the Orange County Supertones. It was also the year they announced that they were disbanding. They'll be around for most of 2005, but they are on their way out.

I'd like to catch one of their concerts before they're gone. The energy they have and the Godly direction of their lyrics combine to make them my favorite group.

I have most of their albums, and their music is all that's loaded on my MP3 player. And when I have them cranked, I get the mowing done significantly faster. These boys rock!

I was just hoping for a little more Perseverance of the Saints. Sigh.