Big Shoes To Fill

I know that I've got some "big shoes to fill" coming on the heels of Lee Ann so I'd ask all of you to bear with me while we find our groove.

The Morning Blah's

I am amazed that even after years in the "adult" world it is still a daily struggle to pull myself out of bed at 6:00 a.m. just to make it to work by 9:00 a.m. Mornings, quite simply, are not my friends. In the hope that some of you are also "morning-adverse", I am going to try and post a little something every morning to help ease the pain. It may be a scripture, an inspirational quote, a funny anticdote, etc. Today for your amusement (admittedly a little late) a Calvin and Hobbes comic. In my oh so humble opinion, there has never been a better comic - sorry Garfield - or one more worthy of our time. So make sure to grab your Starbucks (pick me up a tall caramel macchiato please), prop your eyelids open with toothpicks if necessary and stop by for a little pick-me-up.

As the World Turns ... So are the Days of Our Lives

July left me feeling just a little overwhelmed by the world around me. Terrorists in London, terrorists in Iraq, random searches on NY subways in an attempt to deter terrorists, monsoons and massive flooding in India, the nomination of John Roberts to the Supreme Court, not to mention the whole Jude/Sienna and the Nanny debacle - horror of horrors (remember I warned you that I am a celebrity fiend and find their world to be an endless source of amusement and ridicule). I'll try to find time to discuss the daily news in our world and how it effects us. I'll also try to post any interesting links that I come across that I think you might enjoy. Like this one which has a million different solutions for things to do when you're bored. It is great for filling up the slow times at work (not that I'm advocating doing anything other than work at work, but . . .)

Single Christian Living in Sodom and Gomorrah

As I mentioned just briefly in my introduction I have recently relocated to NYC from Los Angeles. After five years on the West Coast it was time for a change and I think that I can safely state that moving to the East Coast was the right decision.

I will spare you all of the harrowing details of the actual move (suffice it to say that after in Amarillo, TX, I've seen more of that city than I ever thought possible, the Quarter Horse Museum was quite impressive though) and just try to bring you up to speed on life here.

When you move to New York they should give you a hand-book as you cross the bridge from Jersey. It would include all of the important things that you need to know in order to survive here. I have a couple of suggestions for things that should without a doubt be included:

1. When the posted sign reads "No Standing" it doesn't mean no standing it actually means no parking. This should not be confused with a "No Parking" sign which also means no parking. For those of you who are from anywhere else in the world where standing is standing and parking is parking it will cost you $185 to get your car back from the impound yard where it was towed and $115 for the parking ticket (I learned this lesson on day 3 in NY).

2. Buy comfortable walking shoes. Subways will take you only so far, and then you have to walk 13 city blocks to get where you really want to go. Ok, so it's not really that bad, but coming from LA where you walking anywhere is taboo, I thought I was going to die during the first couple of weeks.

Someday, I'll tell you about the 22 flights of stairs I walked down during my first week of work.

3. Speaking of subways, it should be noted that nobody speaks on the subway. Unless it is after 8 p.m. or on the weekend. Alternative acceptable methods of behavior during non-speaking times are: reading the paper, reading a book, listening to you iPod, or sleeping. Please do not disregard these rules or you will be subject to eye-rolling, and dirty stares.

Despite the fact that I just made NY sound horrible it is in fact an amazing place to live. I've yet to encounter any truly rude New Yorkers, I've visited the MoMA, the Frick Collection, I've had some of the best pizza in the world and I watched the July 4th fireworks as they exploded against the Manhattan skyline and over the Statue of Liberty - talk about feeling patriotic.

While I am working in Manhattan, I live in Brooklyn and attend church on Long Island, so I am getting to experience a lot of New York. And I'm loving every minute of it. Oh, and to those people that have called this great city Sodom and Gomorrah I just have one question. Have you been to L.A.?

Last But Not Least

For years I have had a fascination with the lesser known characters of the Bible. People who played a significant role in shaping Biblical history but that for one reason or another are mentioned only briefly and often overlooked or just skimmed over in sermons and by Christians in general. People like Jael, Gomer, Uzza, Zipporah, etc. Why are they overlooked? Why wasn't their story told in full? Can we fill in their stories based on what the Bible tells us or even from historical context?

Let'ss face it people, if they weren't important scripture would have never mentioned them. If we are going to claim that we truly believe everything contained inside of those 66 books is there for a purpose and is relevant to our lives, then we owe it to ourselves to at least consider the stories of these people. Twice a week I will try to take a look at the lives of these different characters. To peel away the layers surrounding their stories to see what lessons we can learn. If there is someone that you feel fits this category and you would like to open their story for discussion please feel free to e-mail me and give me your opinions.

P.S.

Lee Ann is no longer receiving e-mails at the 99blogger address so please send all correspondence to her personal e-mail. I look forward to getting to know all of you and reading any input you may have.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!