faith

The Truth About Being Annoyed With God (It’s Helpful for Eye-Opening Transformation)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

You can learn that from me! You’re welcome! Good luck!

man holding telephone screaming

The worst, most terrible, awful part about parenting and homeschooling, is that God will want to transform your attitude, heart and motives and that STINKS!

I mean, think about it – you have always wanted to boss someone around, and now you have your little people to line up army style and pull rank on. YOU know what’s going on and YOU call the shots. You’ve been alive longer than they have, and so the world is in perfect order, thank you very much!

Then God steps in and messes everything up for you.

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At least that’s what happened to me every SINGLE DAY. Yeah, it stinks. For example, consider entitlement.

One day, I was looking down my nose in condemnation at my five-year-old because – WOW!- she wasn’t thankful!1

“How did she end up as such an unthankful little human?” I wondered with fear and trepidation. Would she be an unthankful little brat her entire life? THIS has got to be fixed!

I lectured her for half an hour on the benefits and joy of noticing the little things.

She looked at me blankly and continued to blame me for not buying her a third ice cream cone, stamping her little feet and yelling insults at me.

Yikes!

“What do I do now?” I wondered, finally looking up at God. “Can2 you please help me?”

And He did whisper to my heart that day as a gentle wind passed us.

And what He said was THE most annoying, infuriating and upsetting thing He could have mentioned to me right at that exact moment.

He seemed to whisper to my heart:

And how is your level of thankfulness, child?

His words were not harsh or condemning, but gentle, patient and full of the same kind of love I had for my daughter – I WANT her to find joy, and this is the path to it!

So it is for you, he seemed to remind me, turning the parent-child relationship on its head again.

How had I become the child again?

I wanted to be the parent, carefully explaining truths to my little mirrors of me.

And THAT was precisely the problem.

She WAS a mini-mirror of me on this issue.

Time for me to change.

Jesus held out his hand to me, and asked me to walk with him on this path towards a having a bit less gunk in my heart.

Would I follow?

Will you? He holds out his hand to you, too. Will you follow?

Yeah. I know. It STINKS to follow God sometimes because instead of changing THEM, He ends up changing US! I HATE THAT!

But Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Ancient Text

The song below is too humble for my taste. However, it contains some excellent thoughts about gratitude that are worth considering. As the song below plays, consider asking God how He may be a Shepherd to you, increasing joy through gratitude.

God, help us to figure out the (one or two places) where your plans for us are better than our ideas for how to run our lives, we pray.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – Someone ELSE (NOT me!) Being Annoyed At God by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

1 It is worth noting that whenever my children demonstrate excellence in virtue, they naturally reflect the excellent teaching, values, and confidence that I instill as a homeschooling parent. But whenever they do something naughty (WHAT?!), of course, that is because they didn’t sleep well or their stomachs were upset, as explained perfectly clearly HERE. (Yes. That article is about my dog, but the SAME THING is true about my kids, OF COURSE!)

2 Notice the verb “Can” which of course makes Jesus laugh and slap his knee, wiping the tears a tear from his eye because he is laughing so hard. The answer “Yes. He CAN help!” A valuable truth to remember, one I often seem to forget. Jesus IS helpful!

Loving Restored Cars Has 3 Hidden Secrets To Aging Better?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Would you like a little psychotherapy with that fresh coat of paint?

white and purple vintage car on green grass field during daytime

I had never TRULY appreciated those old vintage cars, all fixed up, that are driven and maintained by older men on the edge of mid-life crises (and sometimes insanity).

Their world revolves disturbingly around these cars, and they attend old, restored car conferences every year to show off their efforts.

They distract themselves by talking about old cars to try to forget they are headed for the scrap heap soon, too, and they pretend that by restoring an old car, they COULD also restore themselves.

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At least that is what is happening beneath the surface for them. However, we may not see a ripple of these neuroses on the surface as they talk incessantly about missing parts and how to help give the exterior another fresh coat of paint to cover over some of the rust and warped frames. In other words, they are actually talking about themselves.

They don’t know it deep down, though there is sort of a hint, an inkling way down deep in their souls, which suggests this may be true.

They would never admit it. (That’s okay, actually. The truly wise know that sometimes, burying neuroses is not SUCH a bad strategy!)

As for me, I had never appreciated old, restored cars when I was young.

Now, I do for some reason that I can’t quite pinpoint.

I mean, the work!

And don’t you think those old cars are MUCH NICER LOOKING and therefore have MUCH MORE VALUE than those cheap imports? And SURE – the newer cars take a bit less work – but have MUCH LESS PERSONALITY?

I mean, I think so.

And so, what are the three hidden reasons why appreciating old cars helps us regain our sanity?

That’s easy:

  1. Appreciating old cars (and dragonflies) awakens us to remember that God is outside of our time line for our lives.
  2. Appreciating old cars reminds us that God loves to fix stuff, too.
  3. Appreciating old cars helps us expand our vision of WHAT God can do in the next season of our lives.

“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: . . . your old men [will] dream dreams.

The Message

And that’s all I have to say for today.

Oh, and did I mention that God loves to restore old cars, too?

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine on us [in favor and approval] . . .

Ancient Text

This is good news, friend!

As the song below sings, “Now is the time for restoration with repentance with transformation,” what do you sense God nudging in your heart? What old dream do you sense rising to the surface again? May you ponder your dreams in times of prayer with God, friend, and may He boldly guide your steps into your next season.

May you have exceeding joy as you drive your restored Corvette with the top down into this next season, friend.

I’ll wave to you as we pass each other!

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

What I’ve Learned About Being Amazing And This Is The way You Can Be Amazing Too!

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Ready to swap “BLAH” for “WOW” for your life, friend?

A cat sitting on a bed next to a window

I made this1 quilt.

Yup.

“Who made this quilt?” our friend asked, on visiting our lake cabin and seeing such stunning beauty in this fish quilt that her eyes could no longer focus on anything else, including the picturesque beauty trying to capture her attention outside the window, the sun2 glimmering on the water of the lake.

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“Oh, I did,” I mentioned casually, humbly.

“YOU?”

I tried not to be offended at her incredulous astonishment, as if it was IMPOSSIBLE that I could produce something like this.

“Of course!” I tried to divert her embarrassing incredulity with more of my humbly low self-assessment.

She stuttered and spat in an effort to talk, unsure how to respond.

Which brings us to THE POINT of today’s newsletter.

I’m amazing.

I am ALSO self-assured enough to admit, however much this admission is a drop in the ocean of my grandiosity, a BIT to my perceived or actual faults. (What my therapist called, “Neuroses.” Whatever!)

So that day, a few months later3, I let the judgments of other people affect my actual or perceived self-esteem.

You see, some people think that I waste every day of my life. For example, homeschooling our kids has much less value in our society than it could, as mentioned HERE, where every person I met at the party after I began homeschooling my children desperately needed to speak to someone ELSE at the party. When I had a culturally successful career, people gathered around ME (!) at the party to hear my stories. I will vulnerably admit to not being perfect soon (I’M GETTING THERE, OKAY?), but I’m still building myself up first.

It’s a well-worn strategy that works for me.

That day, about a year ago, I had been visiting a new friend’s house, and it was repleef4 with beauty created by inhabitants of the house who love to make things. There were improvements everywhere we looked, which spoke to the talent and eye for beauty of both of these remarkable people. You know the type – They’re sooo annoying that they make us feel immature! I’m sure you can relate!

My editor says I have to be specific here, so imagine this:

  • handmade railings with wooden details that a machine could never create
  • bits of driftwood carefully crafted into various animals as décor on the table (Made by THEM – the jerks!)
  • beautifully handmade curtains (I made curtains once! Just saying)
  • gorgeous quilts reminiscent of nature scenes and other indescribable beauty adorning every wall

And THE POINT of today’s Substack “Newsletter5.”

I found that my self-esteem had drastically plummeted after encountering this house.

“Why don’t I have quilts on every wall?” I wondered to myself.

My husband and I “do other stuff,” which is another way of saying we waste our time playing video games, and so our house doesn’t look quite as decorated with handmade beauty!

To add insult to injury, throughout the previous year and after this visit to the home, I continued to feel a nagging urge to write.

But at the end of every day of writing, I don’t have a beautiful new sculpture for my coffee table.

So, after I finished comparing myself to them and firmly grounded myself in a culture of competitively creating art (This is the culture that I personally value and gravitate towards), I was a lowly worm in the food pyramid of that worldview.

Until the next day.

Until I felt God nudging me to set my sights in the direction He was looking.

But that conversation is for next time.

THE POINT is that sometimes we don’t set our sights for ourselves in quite the right place.

And so, how do we become amazing? We trust God and follow Him on the adventure He has for our lives. True, we may not be amazing according to how others (I.e., quilt culture) see us, but if God and our Mom like us, isn’t that what matters, friend?

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

As the song below sings “show me who I am and who I’m made to be”, consider asking God how you may have inadvertently aligned your perceived value with what our culture values. How does God see you, friend? And in what direction, even if it’s a bit off-center, is He asking you to travel?

God, help us all to have eyes for you alone, we pray.

You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever

The Message

Photo Credit – A Quilt! (Not My Quilt – See Footnote 1) by Linus Belanger on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 Actually I can’t find the picture I took of the quilt I made but who says I’m NOT organized?

2 Or Son – This type of beauty reminds me of its Creator

3 Unlike every other day when I am full of wisdom

4 Fancy word! – Wait, my editor says that’s NOT a word? What does she know! I like that word so it stays!

5 Ha! This is news? Haha!

Despairing? Focus On Cleaning Your Teeth (And More Right Thinking) To Be Surprised By Hope!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

Get our teeth cleaned or throw out everything good with the bathwater?

man in blue polo shirt smoking cigarette

Sometimes the bad things that happen to us (1) have a more straightforward solution than we realize, or (2) there is a silver lining of hope surprisingly close.

For example, that time I came back after three months in India and Nepal, my FRONT (!) teeth had a growing blackness to them. “Oh my goodness,” I thought. “I am rotting from the inside out!”

“Tea stains,” said the dentist.

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I did have a profound appreciation for Chai tea.

And so sometimes things aren’t as bad as we think.

Another time, I suddenly developed tooth sensitivity. My dentist had been warning me, asking me, “Do you feel sensitive yet in that particular area?” He told me I had root recession and that I would start feeling sensitive soon.

“There it is,” I thought that day. I didn’t bother going to the dentist because I knew this was coming. I thought, “Well, I guess I’ll have to suffer with this until I die!” I drank hot and cold drinks, and then most foods on one side of my mouth. When I finally went to the dentist months later, he said, “Oh wow, your filling fell out!”

He even repaired it for free because, I guess, it shouldn’t usually happen.

This filling was the best gift I ever got. A free filling! Well, the free filling wasn’t the gift.

The gift was a new lease on life.

I didn’t have to suffer for the rest of my life just because I was suffering a little now.

Older age wasn’t necessarily a slow march through increasing pain and suffering until we fall off the cliff.

We may need a new filling! Or we need the tea stains cleaned off our teeth! How can I not assume that my body is running towards hell and taking me with it as I get older?

What new aches and pains must be accepted, and which ones must be fought (or repaired or cleaned?)1

We may need to get our teeth cleaned or have a new filling placed. Or perhaps God will reach out his hand to heal, as many thousands have attested. But if the pain must be accepted, there’s always a hidden redemption in the pain if we know where to look.

That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

The Message

As the song below sings “This is the refreshing”, consider asking God, Where have I allowed despair to cloud my judgment? Do I need to get my teeth cleaned, or find an alternative solution to this seemingly oversized or insoluble problem? How do You see this challenge that I am facing from Your heavenly perspective?

Will you give me the strength to weather the storm, Jesus?

(His answer is always yes.)

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.

The Message

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Photo Credit – Guy Choosing Easier Way Out Of His Problems by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

1 As a not-unrelated aside, Canada has got it wrong with its steep descent into killing each other as the new, favorite way out of the pain.

Does Your Heart Long For A Wonderful Gift? (Hope)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a small tree growing out of a large rock

Ah!!!

All of it – yuck! It clings to me, like a slime mold, slowly advancing. It climbs up my feet and legs, though I protest, holding my arms high in an effort to keep it away. I try to push it back, frantically, but it advances. The yellow goo, unfeeling, is slowly encapsulating me.

Click HERE to continue reading.

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Know You Need To Soar Instead Of Simply Watching Others Fly? 5 Tips When You Transition

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
a close up of a chicken with a blurry background

Recently, my husband and I took a course on transitioning with intentionality as we shift our priorities in a different life season.

The professor was Dr. Gordon Smith, who also writes on Substack HERE. However, please don’t mention that I sent you over there to him, as he may not agree with EVERY one of my life applications in this Newsletter, as I reflected on some of his comments. Plus, I wouldn’t want him to feel like I was showing him up! (I should humbly hint at.)

So if we want to live with intentionality, one thing we can do is read a book like this, which was required reading for our course. This book is entirely different from what I usually read. I typically read books on how to do things fast and faster!1

This book is different!

In one of the chapters (I forget which), Awakening Vocation hints that the book is intended for individuals seeking to discover meaning, purpose, and other similar goals. “Hey, sounds like me!” I thought. I’ve been trying to find meaning in life since the day I was born, but every time I pick up some old fluff on he ground that might be “meaningful,” it flies away on the wind again!2

And so, what did you learn, you ask us?

Oh, that part is easy!

Here are some of my scribbled sentences as I reflected on the content of that course:

  1. Our work is a participation in God’s work. Look around and ask, “What in the world are you up to, God?” (Application: I ask God that question a lot, so I am obviously very good at this! Just saying!)
  2. The more we do, the greater the impact we can make! (Application: The Professor may have meant this sentence as irony, but I forgot, and if so, I don’t fully understand what he’s getting at.)
  3. YOU are invited onto the stage into the drama of God’s redemptive work in this world. (Application: This part made me cry, but maybe that’s because I have always wanted people to clap for me on a stage and appreciate me and so forth. Wait. This tip is about God, I think, but it’s easy to mix up our ego with some of “God’s priorities” if we’re honest, don’t you find?)
  4. Let go of the need to control the outcomes of our work or endeavors. (Application: I’ve tried to let go of the need to control, but this is a LOT harder than it seems. So, if you skip this point, I don’t blame you.)
  5. We are always endeavoring to be in sync as much as we can with what God is calling us to do. (Application: YES! I GET this point! And God is calling me to write for some reason, and I am so excited to have coffee with you and get to know you better are we explore these ideas together – We will announce a regular Zoom connection time as soon as I am not so disorganized that I remember to look at my calendar and the commitments I’ve made, or at least when I stop watching so many movies at night!)

So friends, join us as we link our heads, hearts and spirits to the new priorities God is calling us to.

As the song below sings, “And I’ll search, I’ll search here for answers,” consider asking God, “Is the horizon of where you are asking me to walk towards further than I can see? Can you show me the next step?”

God, I pray that you help each one of us slow down and listen and then have the courage to fly into everything you are calling us to become as we press onwards, warmed by the light of the Son, we pray.

worms eye view photography of eagle flying across the sky

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles

The Message

Photo Credits – How Does One Soar? by César Ardila on Unsplash, Eagle Shows Us How by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 In fact, the best advice I ever received is that rather than trying to read a book fast, decide whether you should read it at all! Now, I don’t bother reading so many books, and that’s how I know I’m efficient!

2 Anyone else feel this way? No? SHOW OFF!

Eyes And Mind More Open To The Surprising, Wonderful Gift Of Remembrance Day / Memorial Day?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
white table and chairs on green grass field during daytime

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, also known as Veterans Day in the USA, and previously referred to as Memorial Day for a similar, earlier holiday.

The best thing about these days (all variations on the same theme) is that they force us to think about . . . wait for it . . . our own individual deaths.

(Sorry for saying it out loud. But good news follows! Keep reading!)

We are the Dead. Short days ago. We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flanders fields.

Canada’s famous Remembrance Day poem, In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

This thought is the one we close our eyes to and try to forget with movies, popcorn, and laughs with friends, and other healthy distractions.

This thought is one of the ones that bolts us awake at night just before we fall asleep with, “Oh yeah! I’m going to die!”

And then we frantically check our email and update our social media profiles to further distance ourselves from this thought.

“Oh! And what time is it?” Time to run off somewhere else and distract ourselves some more! But what if we sat with some tea and really had a good look at this irritating thing called “Death”?

For example:

  1. We are all rolling the dice every day, wondering if today is the day we meet our maker. Let’s add a little statistical reasoning to our end-of-life dice roll. Why not? What can it hurt? Try it HERE.
  2. Alternatively, we can wait until we are eighty-nine and a half years old to give the thought that “I will die someday” a little ponder, but I’m not sure that’s the best approach.
  3. A wise person thinks a lot about death. Why not swallow the fear and give end-of-life a little think-through, friend?

Oh! And I almost forgot to say that there is joy after the fear!

You’re welcome!

Good luck!

Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

Jesus Christ – The Guy Almost 1/3 Of The People On Earth Claim To Follow1

Photo Credit – Me, Too, One Day? Right! I Almost Forgot! by Selena Morar on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 The guy might we worth listening to sometimes!

Are Your Spiritual Eyes Closed? (Open Them If You Want To Hear More Remarkable True Stories Like This One)

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
person closed eyes

So, this is what happened that day several decades ago when the curtain was torn for me between the physical world and the supernatural world, and I finally began to see.

Because I finally began to believe.

I was seventeen years old at the time, travelling in Europe with my friend.

That day began like many others during that season as we rolled up our sleeping bags and left the hostel with a wave to the other youth travelers and set off on another day of adventure. This time, we were in Paris, a place I had longed to be for a long time. Years earlier, I studied the “Tour d’Eiffel and the L’Arc de Triomphe” from our sanitized classroom in Canada, the frigid winds blowing on the monotonous, nearly black-and-white landscape.

Not today!

We hiked up our fat, well-worn backpacks higher onto our backs. We pushed up our glasses and squinted, staring at everyone and everything as we passed, innocently looking away when we accidentally caught their eyes. This was our ridiculous effort to blend in with French culture as much as possible.

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being “jubilant,” our combined average mood on this trip was a 10.5.

We were thrilled just to be there, and every crack in the sidewalk offered an opportunity to explore a new aspect of French culture.

Except for today.

Today, for some reason that I couldn’t pinpoint, my mood was objectively declining. From the people we passed, who seemed to glare at us menacingly (This definitely wasn’t the case, my friend worriedly assured me), to the landscape, which was donning hues more reminiscent of black-and-white, rather than the opulent, exciting colors that a new surrounding conjures, I was losing my exuberant mentality.

In fact, I was becoming downright weighed down by SOMETHING, some ominous feeling that grew heavier with each step towards the train station downtown.

Something was wrong.

What was going on?

My friend and I had carefully assured each other that if either of us ever felt the slightest bit uncomfortable while travelling, we would change course until we both felt at peace. No questions asked. In four months of travelling, feeling uncomfortable had never happened to either of us.

Except for today.

When our train pulled into the station, the feeling of ominous darkness grew within me until I finally blurted out, “I DON’T KNOW WHY BUT I CAN’T GET ON THAT TRAIN!”

“Okay, okay!” my friend assured me calmly, in a tone one would expect a Psychiatrist to use when talking someone down from a ten-story window ledge who plans to jump.

We sat in silence on the bench, watching our train depart. We didn’t speak, each looking in a different direction, my friend occasionally suspiciously glancing at me from the corner of her eye. Had I gone berserk?

After five, ten, and then fifteen minutes of sitting in silence, I felt the heavy feeling lift more and more.

After twenty minutes, I was about a seven out of ten on our “Jubilant Mood Meter” and climbing.

What had just happened?

“Look, I’m sorry,” I offered. “I have no idea what that was about.” My friend looked relieved that I had re-found my sanity and breathed an audible sound of relief. “Let’s just catch the next train.”

Which we did.

About one hour into that train ride, our train suddenly stopped mid-track. There were no stations for a long time. My friend and I looked at each other quizzically.

An announcement came over the train’s speakers, stating that the train ahead of us had been involved in an accident and that we would have to wait for a while.

Our eyes grew big.

But my heart also expanded that day, until it was big enough to fit God inside.

That experience was like a North Star within me, too precious to speak aloud. I shared this story with only a handful of people for the first few decades. Why?

Who would have believed me anyway?

(Except you, of course.)

Be prepared to hear many more stories like this, friend, as we open our eyes.

Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.

Saint Augustine in Confessions

As the song below plays, consider asking God how you may have accidentally let Jesus pass you by.

Photo Credit – Why Open Our Eyes? by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

Life Wisdom And Advice! Let Them Laugh At You Now So You Can Laugh At Them Later!

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment

He was still in his pajamas (I’m not even lying).1

He hadn’t yet combed his hair. He was sucking back coffee in the car on the way there. He didn’t have his water bottle. He had forgotten it. But he didn’t even realize that yet.

He was still waking up.

I, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

I drank no coffee, but pre-hydrated with lemon water, and I did everything else right (as usual). My pre-stretching routine began precisely fifteen minutes before we arrived. The checklist of items to be completed the night before was all checked off with my tidy little tick marks. My kale and mango smoothie was waiting for me in the fridge for a quick after-exercise snack. My day’s clothes were laid out and waiting, so I could make a fast transition from caterpillar to butterfly, as my husband said.

(Wait – what DOES that mean?! Caterpillar?! Now I’ll have to be mad at him to establish the power balance in the correct ratio!)

But we’re not talking about that.

We’re talking about people laughing at you. And by laughing at you, I literally mean “you” or “my friend” and definitely not “me”. Wanted to be very clear about that.

And now: the person to laugh at. My friend – we’ll call him Jim.2

He forgot his rain jacket, and we had to park away from the gym. So it was pretty rough that five minutes ago, he was asleep, and then he’s standing outside in the rain in his pajamas, waiting for the gym to open, and trying to slug back enough coffee not to accidentally murder those standing around us.

However, in six months, when he can do the fireman carry, which scientists have proven is directly correlated to overall well-being, and they can’t then who’s laughing now?

Or when he’s in a rocking chair, but he had two more years of being able to move a suitcase and put it in the overhead bin on a plane, and to stay in his own home longer (Yes, the goal as we age is to delay old folks’ homes); then who’s laughing now?

When we’re sitting next to each other in rocking chairs, but we’ve got one more year living at home because we worked out at the gym every morning for ten years, who’s laughing now?

Somehow, I’m already anticipating laughing at little (older) men and ladies in rocking chairs. How did I end up there? Well, let’s not think too much about the ethics of all of this or your maturity level to take this approach.

The point is, LET THEM LAUGH!

GO AHEAD! Show up at the gym in your pajamas with unkempt hair and having forgotten your water bottle! Let them laugh!

But when the rocking chairs come out, baby, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

My husband and I will laugh at you.

Guaranteed.

(Unless you, too, are willing to be laughed at with us now!)

Come on! Join a gym! Let them laugh at you!

And while you’re at it, there are other ways to be laughed at with similar benefits in later years:

Ask the hard questions you have about God.

Even though you assume NO ONE EXCEPT YOU has ever thought deeply about these issues, such as:

  • How can there just be only ONE true religion?
  • How could a good God allow suffering?
  • How can a loving God send people to hell?

You’ll realize that multiple groups of people have completed their PhDs on every one of your questions3, and there is probably a bit more to think about with each of these topics than you may have realized at first glance, which will make you feel stupid.

But remember what we learned!

Feel stupid now so you won’t feel QUITE as stupid later!

Be willing to look like an idiot now so you won’t look so stupid when you stand before God naked and without cultural gold stars after you die!

God is SO pleased that you are TRYING.

He’s holding out his arms and waiting for you.

(And He won’t even laugh at your mistakes, like I will!4)

Photo Credit – This photo is from Unsplash, but I couldn’t find the exact link at the moment. (I AM very organized of course! Read the FIRST BIT of this article to prove that!)

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!

1 To his credit, his pajamas looked a bit like sweatpants, but that ruins the point of this article if I point out EVERY detail like that! Also, he had his gym shorts on under his pajamas, but I didn’t notice that at first, so that doesn’t count.

2 (Because my husband was starting to go to the gym that day, so that’s why I called my husband “Jim”.)

3 For answers to 99.01% of modern people’s questions about God, try Tim Keller’s Reason for God. Every question listed here is discussed with unusual frankness and a disproportionate amount of depth of insight in this book, for example.

4 Don’t take it personally. Life is more fun when we laugh at ourselves and others. (Yes, at you, too). You’re welcome! Good luck!

Turning Over A New Leaf After An Eye-Opening Halloween?

/ Lori Lawe / Leave a comment
A small dog dressed in a halloween costume

So previously we talked about what parts of demonic culture we SHOULD TRY to incorporate into our lives.

So, this time, we’ll talk about  – EW! GET that Satanic stuff OUT of your life, for heaven’s sake! Why the back and forth of recommendations? Well, you never know what’s true anymore on the internet so it’s essential to use our critical thinking skills at ALL times!

Constant vigilance!

Click HERE to continue reading.

To Longtime Subscribers: A Note About Reposting This Month’s Demonic-Themed Newsletters (See the Bottom of this Newsletter)

Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!