Alabaster Box

A special shout out to my sisters in the gospel at the "As Sistas in Zion" and their blog posting "A Different Kind of Saint". PLEASE take a look at the article that accompanies this beautiful song and video.

A Different Kind of Saint

There isn't one of us who truly knows the price that has been paid by another to put our precious offering of oil into the Alabaster box of our faith which we present at the feet of our Savior and Redeemer.

Yet, we judge.

We condemn as if we had the right to do so.

We act as if the stench of OUR OWN sins in the nostrils of our Savior is somehow less offensive than the sins of our brothers and sisters who struggle to get through each day just like we do...

We act as if we are better, different and more precious to God than our siblings in Christ whom we claim to love.

Our traditions and our circumstances are different. But we are no less loved by Our Savior who poured out His very blood drop by drop for our sins. ALL of them. Not just the ones we care to talk about.

ALL of them.

Our secret shame. Our hidden sins. Our pride, our unjust judgment of another, our unwillingness to truly serve and love all of His Children as He does. We forget that everyone struggles to know their place in God's Kingdom.


One of my absolute favorite songs comes from the aching heart of a regular every day common old sinner seeking to know just how to make it right and become what Christ sees when He touches our lives with his cleansing blood.

"This is the Christ" ( Lyrics written by President James E. Faust)




They heard His voice, a voice so mild;


It pierced them through and made their souls to quake;


They saw Him come, a man in white,


The Savior who had suffered for their sake.






They felt the wounds in hands and side,


And each could testify; This is the Christ;






This is the Christ, the holy Son of God,


Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind.


This is the Christ, the healer of our souls


Who ransomed us with love divine.






I read His words, the words He prayed


While bearing sorrow in Gethsemane;


I feel His love, the price He paid.


How many drops of blood were spilled for me?






With saints of old in joyful cry


I too can testify; This is the Christ;






This is the Christ, the holy Son of God,


Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind.


This is the Christ, the healer of our souls


Who ransomed us with purest love divine!


I need to get over myself and start being what I have been asked, begged and pleaded with to become - that Child who can act as His hands when the Savior sees and hears the unspoken prayers from the heart of one who comes unworthily to receive His grace, love and forgiveness.

If I expect to receive of those same blessings, I need to act like they are for everyone, not just for li'l old me. And not as if the rules are different for me than for all of my fellow sinners who share this planet.

CeCe Winan's lyrics are right on the money - none of us could withstand the scrutiny if we had our lives laid bare for the vultures and jackals to pick through. Yet seeking the Master, we truly risk what we have and know to receive what He has promised to us if we will "come unto Him".

Alabaster Box (Cece Winans)

The room grew still

As she made her way to Jesus


She stumbles through the tears that made her blind


She felt such pain


Some spoke in anger


Heard folks whisper


There's no place here for her kind


Still on she came


Through the shame that flushed her face


Until at last, she knelt before his feet


And though she spoke no words


Everything she said was heard


As she poured her love for the Master


From her box of alabaster


And I've come to pour


My praise on Him


Like oil from Mary's alabaster box


Don't be angry if I wash his feet with my tears


And I dry them with my hair


You weren't there the night He found me


You did not feel what I felt


When he wrapped his love all around me and


You don't know the cost of the oil


In my alabaster box


I can't forget the way life used to be


I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound


And I spent my days


Poured my life without measure


Into a little treasure box


I'd thought I'd found


Until the day when Jesus came to me


And healed my soul


With the wonder of His touch


So now I'm giving back to Him


All the praise He's worthy of


I've been forgiven


And that's why


I love Him so much

Don't You Wish Your TV Was Hot Like Mine?

Deja vu is the operative moment here.

Reminds me of the last time a TV was sacrificed to the trash pile. Though the circumstances here were a little different... this one offered up it's picture tube to the lightening and thunder that stripped it of decent viewing and replaced it with a rainbow of nausea producing, migraine inducing and flashback juicing imagery that can absolutely leave you hunting for a garbage can to barf into.

The last time, the TV simply decided we had watched it long enough.

The saga was pretty pitiful. The normally vibrant circa 1980's technology faded to shades of blue and coneheadedness that left everyone looking like a Saturday Night Live skit run amok in regular prime time programming.

The strange part was what happened next.

 Carefully carrying the TV to the side of the road for pickup by 'the claw' and disposal in a garbage dump far, far away, we made sure that we didn't bust the picture tube and/or cabinet into splinters and giblets as we sat it down gingerly to await the trip to never-never land.

No sooner than I had turned to go back in the house than some people pulled up in their beat up old car and by the side of the road and said "how much this cost?"

I said, "It doesn't work!"

They said "How much this cost?"

I said, "It does NOT work!"

They said, "How much this cost?"

I said, "Fine, it's FREE!"

They loaded it up and drove away.

NO LIE!

I will never know if they found satisfaction in viewing the world through azure colored glasses or if they, too, discovered that "Smurf television" wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

But this TV, the current rainbow view one, it will not be accepted into the welcoming arms of someone cruising past on garbage day.

Technology has changed and people don't pull over for old TV's anymore. They barely pull over for anything. Including people on bicycles... but that is another blog entirely.

People want the 'new hotness'and we don't possess it. We still have rabbit ears TV and it's free. We don't have the latest and greatest and frankly, other than my sports obsessed self, I don't think anyone misses it.

Sure, it would be nice to discuss the latest giblety bits of technological goodness adorning our wall since that's where most televisions seem to be landing these days. But that isn't a high priority.

So we replaced the rainbow TV with the portable that used to be in Rick's old office. He was not amused, but dang it, the thing works just fine and it was FREE.

Hmmm.

I'm beginning to think like the people on the road... I pulled over because it was free!!

Oh well.

The screen may be small, but we are still broadcasting the airwaves of programming worth bringing into the home. Jared is happy. I'm happy. We're good.

Should I happen to win the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, I can assure you that after a hefty check for tithing and paying off all of our bills, I will be getting a wall mounted television that sings, dances and snows on itself all while making me a grilled cheese sandwich.

Until then, the 13 inch portable will do just fine.

Don't be jealous! It's so unbecoming!

A Penny Saved...

Oh, how I love to shop victoriously leaving the store having saved a boatload of money!!

It is truly a thrill!

Thomas is in need of a few shirts, so out on the great American clothes shopping trail I went.

My two favorite starting places are Goodwill and the Salvation Army. They had a fine selection in a variety of colors and none of the shirts cost me more than 4 bucks.

The best part is, they still had tags on them indicating that they would have set me back anywhere from $28.00 to $40.00 apiece had I bought them retail.

So I thank the people who are kind enough to donate, the stores that carry the merchandise priced right for my budget and the extra sale price cut for having the "right" color of discount sticker.

Oh, to save a penny!

It may not seem like a lot to some, but if everyone was more price conscious, it could start a revolution that could very well shake the retail sales industry to its core.

Finding the shirts I needed for Thomas - wonderful!

Finding them at discount prices - exciting!

Shopping victoriously and saving precious moolah - PRICELESS!