View from the Prairie Box

Not your shiny bike or walker.
Not your expensive Leapfrog toys.
Not the myriad stuffed animals you own.

What are the most fun things to play with when you’re 16 months old?

Folded laundry representing hours of Mommy’s work.
Daddy’s big clunky shoes and Mommy’s sandals.
Any minute piece of lint, plastic or dirt on the living room rug.
Neatly organized and boxed MTG cards.
Magazine racks.
DVD, VCR and stereo buttons.
And finally, horror of horrors, the kitchen trashcan.

Hmmm… And she’s not even walking yet. : /

God of nature, at whose voice the waves and winds must now obey,
Give your people words of comfort, acts of grace to share today.
Yours the pow’r of devastation, yours to gather, help and heal;
We know not your ways of wisdom; let your light our paths reveal.

Shelter Lord, the homeless, helpless, young and old with pity see,
Give their daily food, supply their needs with perfect equity.
Grant protection, strength and patience to their rescuers, we pray;
Fill with hope the laboring workers, grace to serve both night and day.

Bring your people ever closer, sharing pain of grief and loss,
Motivate us, loving Savior, with the love shown by your cross.
We, your Body, long to serve you, serving others in your name,
And when sorrow washes o’er us, Gracious Spirit, heal the pain.

Call our nation to repentance; gather us to finally see
You’re the God of love and mercy; rescue us and set us free.
Let our deeds announce redemption, saving grace for all our days.
Let your song go forth to cheer us, lifting heart and hands to praise. Amen.

Beach Spring, 87.87.D (Come All Christians Be Committed)
Nettleton, 87.87.D (Come Thou Fount)

© 2005 Stephen D. Lawton, all rights reserved.
Permission is hereby granted for credited use, unaltered, only in public worship.

Offered in response to Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing disasters in the gulf coast states, August 29, 2005. Mr. Lawton is Director of Music and Worship, Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC. (PCA)
______________________________________

**My Uncle Steve emailed me the hymn he penned and I do believe it’s being sung all over the United States now. Yesterday we sang it at Zion — it was a pleasant suprise to me. Uncle Steve wasn’t so much touted as “The Director of Music and Worship at Mitchell Road” as he was for being “David Lawton’s brother.” ; )

…that bandaids are discriminatory? (There is a little tongue-in-cheek involved in this post, by the way, so nobody get crazy with the comments.)

I never once thought about this notion until Buffy fixed Principal Wood’s forehead cut on Season 7 of Buffy. The peach-toned bandaid looked like The Shining Beacon of Boo-boo’s on Wood’s dark skin (very handsome dark skin, I might add). Most of us want to minimize our owies with bandaids, not maximize them or draw attention to them. Funny, I never thought of bandaids like this before. Apparently, others have.

I’m experiencing major brain-freeze when it comes to blogging these days. As always, there is plenty to write about, but I’m feeling more than a bit sluggish about actually writing. My apologies to you who run a blog roll each day and are bored at the sight of the Prairie Box… I’ll try harder, I promise.

Random Thoughts:
Baby clothes are kind of expensive. And I’m not even sure what size my daughter will be wearing this fall. She is quite tall and quite slender; sometimes 12 month shorts fall off her teeny waist. Hmmm…

I made my first eBay purchase the other day under my tutor’s experienced guidance (Jeremy knows the in’s and out’s). MAC lipstick in Lame. Girls, I am telling you, MAC is the best of the best, the cream of the crop. Long-lasting, perfect color. Glosses or lipsticks, take your pick. (Man, they should pay me for this recommendation!)

When you’ve given your life to God, things don’t really get stagnant. Sometimes I think my spiritual life is ho hum – but this is only due to my lack of prayer. When I ask for insight, boy, do I get it. Right now the depth of my pride, or perhaps the sheer height of it, is blowing me away. I’m in need of all sorts of grace.

Another thing I’m learning about is that my discontent (of life) is sin, plain and simple. I tend to be a “grass is greener” kind of girl, falsely believing that the life I don’t have is better than what God’s given me. When I was in school I couldn’t wait to be a stay-at-home mom. And now that I’m at home, I find myself thinking about taking classes or working – and how these things may make my life more fulfilling. I’m slowly learning to cover my ears, ignore these lies, and thank the Lord for the ability to be fully at home right now.

Okay, enough of the heavy stuff… Our garden’s not looking so good. Between a small hailstorm and late planting, I think it’s almost done for.

Anaheim peppers, at least the ones in our garden, are H-O-T. Note to self: next time you make teriyaki skewers, make sure to remove the seeds from the peppers. And then after you sample a terrifically hot piece of pepper, make sure not to rub your eyes. And if you do rub your eyes, make sure to have some Visine on hand.

I want to write about the devastation in Louisiana and Mississippi. And yet I don’t want to as well. So much death and destruction, so much heartache and loss. We continue to pray…

I feel like I should mark this moment in history by making some comment on Hurricane Katrina. But honestly, I’m not sure what to say.

May God’s mercy reach down and rescue the helpless today. Amen.

This song gets to me every time I hear Johnny Cash sing it (American IV: The Man Comes Around). Lyrics by Roberta Flack.

The first time ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
And the moon and stars were the gift you gave
To the dark and empty skies, my love,
To the dark and empty skies.

The first time ever I kissed your mouth,
I felt the earth move in my hand,
Like a trembling heart of a captive bird
That was there at my command, my love,
That was there at my command.

The first time ever I lay with you
And felt your heart beat close to mine
I thought our joy would fill the earth
And last til the end of time, my love,
And last till the end of time

(Wait, don’t answer that!)

Exerpted from a credit card offer in today’s mail:

It’s easier than you think to earn your valuable reward. Simply use your card to make purchases totalling $1,300 or more each month from September 1 through October 31, 2005. Once you do, you’ll earn a $100 [Nice Hotel Chain] Bonus Bucks Coupon which you can use at most [Nice Hotel Chain] hotel brands. Pay for your stay, enjoy a facial at a luxurious spa or dine with your colleagues. So, start using your card and earn towards your $100 [Nice Hotel Chain] Bonus Bucks Coupon today.

What a joke! Spend $1,300 in order to receive a coupon I may or may not use at some hotel? It’s madness I tell you…

The other credit card info in today’s mail was legit. At first I had a bit of trouble activating our new cards on the credit company’s computerized telephone line. For some reason I ended up deep in Spanish dialogue, way over my head considering my fading Spanish 4 skills from high school. The second time around I dialed a completely different company’s phone number. Finally, on the third call, things went well… Over my speakerphone, when the computerized voice said “Press 1 or say 1 for English,” Livia loudly pronounced something serious in Baby Babble. Whatever she said did the trick and within moments our cards were activated. What would I do without that kid?

Livia just said, “Ay-ai! Mama?” (rough translation: “I’m in a bit of a pickle. Help, please, Mom?”). I agree with you, Michelle… That word from a baby’s mouth definitely makes a mom’s heart go pitter-pat.

What is the album (or two albums, or three or four) that you simply cannot live without at this moment? Tastes will change and tomorrow you may have new favorites. But for now, what do you love listening to, what do you highly recommend?

Also, what do you think about the following bands? And, if you like them, which albums are the best to own?

• The White Stripes
• Sufjan Stevens
• Interpol
• Franz Ferdinand