Grice Journal

Friday, January 8, 2016

I'll Never Forsake You

This song has been a huge blessing to me through some of my darkest moments while Dad has been sick.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

How to Stop Procrastination: What to do when you don't feel like doing anything

What do you not feel like doing today?

You know what I mean. It’s that nagging thing weighing on you.

You know you should do it.

If you did it, it would honor God because it obeys his law of love (John 15:12), or it’s a work of faith (2 Thessalonians 1:11), or it puts “to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13).

You know it would be good for your soul or your body or your family or your vocation or your neighbor or your church.

But you don’t feel like doing it.

At all.

You know that God promises you more blessing if you do it than if you don’t.

But you’re struggling to believe that promise because it feels difficult.

It’s like you have weights on your ankles and wrists. You don’t want to muster the energy it’s going to take. And every distraction glows with attraction.

The Strange Pattern of Progress

While it’s true that this feeling has its roots in our remaining sin nature and is a weight we must lay aside (Hebrews 12:1), the experience of “not feeling like it” also can become for us a reminder of a gospel truth and actually give us hope and encouragement in this battle.

Think about this strange pattern that occurs over and over in just about every area of life:

Healthy, nutritious food often requires discipline to prepare and eat while junk food is convenient, tasty, and addictive.
Keeping the body healthy and strong requires frequent deliberate discomfort while it only takes moderate indulgence to go to pot.
You have to make yourself pick up that nourishing but intellectually challenging book while flipping on the TV or popping in a DVD is as easy as coasting downhill.
You frequently have to force yourself to get to devotions and prayer while sleeping in or cleaning that clutter or checking Facebook just has a gravitational pull.
Learning to skillfully play beautiful music requires thousands of hours of tedious practice.
Excelling in a sport requires monotonous drills ad nauseum.
Learning to write well requires writing, writing, writing and rewriting, rewriting, rewriting. And usually voluminous reading.
It takes years and years of schooling just to make certain vocational opportunities possible.

You get the idea.

The pattern in everything is this: the greater joys are obtained through struggle and difficulty and pain—things you must force yourself to do when you don’t feel like it

—while brief, unsatisfying, and often destructive joys are as inviting as couch cushions.

Why is this?

Why the Struggle and Difficulty and Pain?

Because God, in great mercy, is showing us everywhere, in things that are just shadows of heavenly realities, that there is great reward for those who struggle through and persevere (Hebrews 10:32–35).

He is reminding us almost everywhere to walk by faith in a promised future and not by the sight of immediate gratification (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Understood this way, each thing we don’t feel like doing, great or small, becomes an invitation from God to follow in the faithful footsteps of his Son, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Those who are spiritually blind only see futility in these struggles.

But for those who have eyes to see, God has woven gospel hope right into the futility of creation (Romans 8:20–21). Each struggle to overcome becomes a pointer saying, “Look ahead, past the struggle itself, past the temptation of the puny, vapor joys to the great, sustained, substantial Joy set before you!”

Endurance, Not Indulgence

So, back to that thing you don’t want to do today.

Don’t let “not feeling like it” reign as lord (Romans 6:12). It’s not your master; you don’t have to obey it.

And even though it’s counseling comfort for you, it’s not your friend either. It’s a whiny, lying joy-stealer. It’s pointing you to feeble joys and away from deep delights.

Instead, through this feeling see your Father pointing you to the reward he has planned for all who endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). Transpose it from reluctance to a reminder that God is calling you not to indulgence but endurance.

Then lay this weight aside and run with faith the race he has set before you. God will meet you with the grace you need (2 Corinthians 9:8).

And the thing is:

This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:17–18)

Do it for the joy!

~Jon Bloom

Source: A Holy Experience

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Caroling in Axtell

All of us but Nate, Abi and KK travelled west to go caroling with the Smiths and friends. It's always a highlight of our holiday season!

In years past, Aunt Annette would arrange to have a flatbed trailer pull us around town, just like what we do here at our church. Last year, she didn't feel ready to deal with trying to arrange it all so we just went to sing carols at the Mosaic's chapel. The Mosaic is a residence for mentally handicapped individuals. They decided to keep doing that and to scrap the flatbed caroling. After we finish at the Mosaic, we drive over to a nursing home and sing several carols. When we get back to the Axtell community building, there are usually lots of different games going on. My favorite is Catch Phrase. :) The boy team won this year... :) Just you wait guys!

Since Dad was along we had to leave early so we weren't able to help with the clean up. Its always a tradition for everybody to pitch in and help get the place cleaned up. After the clean up is finished, those who wish may join in a vicious game of football throwing. :)

It's always so much fun!

Our new van has ear phone jacks in the back seat so while I read a book, three people's ear bud cords were stretched over my lap. :)

Gavins went with us again this year. We all stayed at the Mosaic's guest house. We can get it for about $20 a night!

The incorrigibles discovered these trash can wheel things. They were buzzing all over on them. :)

They also found a wheel chair. :)

The Mosaic chapel

Serena Draves had brought her violin along so Aaron and she played different songs while the residents were being brought in.

The singing sounded so good!

Sorry, I asked Mom to take shorter videos, which she did, but they extremely short now! :)

Mr. Smith (not Mark) read the story of Jesus' birth in between songs. It was very beautiful!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... We stayed up late that night and slept in Sunday morning. We ended up just having a mini church right there as Dad wasn't feeling up to driving to Smith's church. It was a sweet time, though! Since Smiths were coming out for our family Christmas we weren't too disappointed.

Coffee! Mom and Aunt Carol also bought a bunch of yummy snacks.

Breakfast!

This place is creepy at night! Aunt Carol, her girls and I stayed in the same room. None of us wanted to sleep alone. :)

There is a medical dummy in a locked room. You might remember it from a previous post. Well, Lucas, the Collisons' son in law, (he's the one that gets the Mosaic for us) told us that next time we stay there he'll give us the key to that room. :)

We have to leave the place as clean or better than it was.

We spotted this "possum" camper during a lunch break on the way home. :)

Saturday, January 2, 2016

First Half of December

December has been quite the busy month! Right now, I'm having a hard time remembering what all went on, so, per usual, I will let the few pictures that I have tell our story...

Eugene and Kara sent Dad this gorgeous bouquet. It brought us a lot of enjoyment while it lasted.

The Fantons from Colorado sent us a sunshine box filled with fun goodies. We were so touched! It added that burst of sunshine to our days! Thank you so much, Fanton family!

Of course, the inevitable baby pictures... Sam made cheesy Raman Noodles for lunch one day. Lynna didn't particularly care for them, so, she played with them. :)