Kem Meyer is Communications Director at Grainger Community Church and I have been following her blog recently. She has a lot of good stuff as I wrestle with performing the same duties she has (along with several others) at Calvary. I was both challenged and encouraged personally by her post today:
“This is a man with a history of duty and patriotism. Not as punch lines, but as core beliefs. Some people don’t know what to do when their belief system collapses. - Colonel Issac Johnson, Shooter
I actually hit rewind when Danny Glover’s character said this and listened to him say it again. It caused me pause. I reflected on so many examples that affect our world because of that reality. Some people don’t know what to do when their belief system collapses.
A core belief is something we accept as true, without question, without argument. Running in the background at such a discreet level, we are usually not even aware it is there. Many times our sense of reality can get so tied up, polarized and distorted it is almost impossible to see which beliefs are working and which are holding us back.
- People believe their work is their identity. What happens when that systems collapses?
- People believe they are worth something because of their accomplishments. What happens when that system collapses?
- Culture teaches us to not to show emotion, look like you have it all together and self-medicate to cope. What happens when that system collapses?
- People believe that our loved ones won’t disappoint us. What happens when that system collapses?
- Media tells us to accelerate sexuality. What happens when that system collapses?
- People believe if they are a good person, everything even outs in the end. What happens when that belief system collapses?
- Churches make promises they can’t possibly keep. Become a Christian and your troubles will go away…your daughter will be healed…your marriage will be saved…your addiction to alcohol will end…your struggles with loneliness and depression will be replaced with overwhelming joy…What happens when that belief system collapses?
- We believe if we go to church, stay married and attend church as a family, our children won’t radically rebel and hate us as teenagers. What happens when that belief system collapses?
- Expectations can be a belief system. But, then what we think is going to happen, doesn’t. What happens when that belief system collapses?
Why do I give my life to what I do? Not because I don’t have trouble. Not because I never mess up. Not because I think I’m better than everybody else. Not because I have all the answers. Not because the Church doesn’t disappoint me. And, not because I don’t ever have unhealthy belief systems.
I give my life to what I do because I know Jesus is the only hope when a belief system collapses.
But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going.
I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country.
I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch.
These are the things I’ll be doing for them—sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.” Isaiah 42:16
I am really glad I took Harrison to the Dr. again today. It ended up that he has the beginnings of an ear and lung infection, so they started him on an antibiotic. He’s only had a slight ear infection one other time, so this is only the 2nd time on an antibiotic. We’ll see how he reacts to it. We’re suppose to be leaving on Thursday for NE…we’ll see how everyone feels. I’m glad to know what is going on with him and hoping the medicine will work swiftly.
I went to the Dr. too…she checked for strep but it came back negative. So, I’ll just wait it out.
Unfortunately, this means that Harrison and Jack probably won’t be able to go trick-or-treating tomorrow night together. :( We may just have to put their costumes on quickly for some pics. 
I feel like we’re still recouperating. Kelly is doing a lot better, and has covered for me a lot in the last couple of days. He has taken care of Harrison in the morning on several occasions and let me rest longer. He even came home from church on Saturday early because I was miserable. I still have a bad sore throat and get achy from time to time.
Harrison seems to be doing better during the day, but still gets a slight fever at night and is still coughing, though the breathing treatments seem to help some. He’s got a really nasty runny nose, too. Sometimes I get the urge to call all the doctors who decided to recall all of the cough and cold medicine for kids under 2 and let them hear my son at 3 am…raising one end of the bed and the vaporizer just ain’t cutting it. I think it’s one of those issues where some people weren’t using it right, but all of us get to pay. I’m going to be calling the Dr. in the morning and seeing what else we can do. We’re going on 6 days Tuesday with Harrison having a fever, coughing and a bad runny nose (and really not much improvement) and I think that is too long! I just wish I could take it away from him. Hoping next post I will have some better news!
We are sick again. And this time Kelly has it, too. I took Harrison to the dr. yesterday. It was like a regular cold, except he was wheezing, too, and with everything that we went through last winter, I didn’t want to wait to get him to the dr. They are having us do breathing treatments, and he also has a fever off and on. Medicine seems to be working for that pretty good.
Kelly and I both have sore throats, bad headaches and are achy, and Kelly has a stuffy nose and all that stuff. I’m afraid of what the rest of the winter is going to be like if we’ve been this sick already, and it’s not even November. UGH!
My good friend Sara and I took our boys shopping on Friday. She took her camera and has some pictures on her blog of the two sharing lunch and a nap. Check it out…it is too cute!
Our good friends Brian and Dawn and their family got Harrison this little Husker outfit for his birthday. It is so cute…thanks guys! We can’t wait to see little Matthew!
I thought I’d better get this stuff down before I forget. Harrison has his 8th tooth now, and I think he’s started to get some mollars in too. He’s woken up twice crying really hard (once last night and once from his nap today) and nothing will calm him down, and he pulls on his ears. I’ve ended up giving him medicine and that seems to help it.
It is amazing what he is understanding now. I will tell him to go get a certain book and he’ll go get it from his book tote in the living room. When I say we’re going to go for a ride or bye-bye he’ll walk to the front door. When I say we need to go change his diaper, he’ll walk back to his room. And he’s starting to give these really slobbery, mouth-wide-open kisses to us. Just precious! And today he was playing with this stuffed giraffe (we named her Carmella because of her carmel coloring) and he sat her down over on the wood floor in the dining room. He went to look out the sliding door, then turned around and came back to her and kissed her on the top of the head. It was SO cute.
When mom and dad left on Tuesday, they said bye to Harrison before he laid down for his nap and they left while he was asleep. When he woke up he went out to the living room and looked around, then went to the kitchen, then the dining room, then back down the hallway to the room where they stayed…he was really looking for them! It was the first time he’s really looked for someone like that after they left.
I love this age- he is learning so much and is having so much fun. He will actually sit on my lap for a few minutes at a time now, too, and listen to part of a book or just sit and ‘talk’. He jabbers all the time and really tries to say words. He says ‘mama’ (more like ‘mamami’ and I think he’s starting to try and say ‘dada’ and ‘go’.
