A female peacock is referred to as a pea.
365 Devotionals: Found Sheep
Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.
-Luke 15:6 NIV
I read this verse on the Our Daily Bread app today, along with this prayer.
Thank You, Jesus, for finding and loving me! Please send me in Your joy to another who needs You today.
No matter how lost I may feel, I return to the comfort of knowing that Jesus has found me.
Exodus
My study of Exodus is centered around Jordan Peterson’s roundtable discussion series hosted at Daily Wire.
Peterson’s series on Genesis was deeply informative on the journey to finding Christ in my heart. His academic approach to the text eased much of the resistance my over-thinking brain placed in my path.
This new roundtable format relieves a concern I’ve had that Peterson has created few original insights since his recent health troubles. In this group are Christian and Jewish scholars who do not shy away from the spiritual importance of the text. I’m on episode 5 and Dennis Prager stands out with his knowledge of the Hebrew language and the Torah.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who wants to understand the foundational stories of the major religions. They are behind a paywall and I have no affiliation with the Daily Wire. The app is easy to use and videos will continue to play when the phone’s display is off. I exclusively listen to content if I’m not sharing the experience with someone else.
There is a ton of content at the Daily Wire and I’m pleased with my choice to pay for a year of access.
Dirty Pants, Dirty Mouth
You know you’re a whack-ass Christian when you finally win a 3-day battle with standing water and say, “Now THAT’S some fuckin’ living water!”
Back into the Word
I haven’t been writing about this chapter in my faith journey, but I have been studying Exodus and the Old Testament.
I find myself without a place of worship. It’s a private part of my path, yet I believe it is important to share that I am trying to walk in Christ’s footsteps every day.
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Best Friends
2020 rearranged relationships. Abandoning your friends was normalized and individuals retreated in fear.
In the homeschool community, I had one friend stand by me. “Us,” I should say. Brooke and her family continued to meet with me and mine. We looked a little crazy as the only ones at playgrounds with our kids, then the only ones sitting together when people did come out of their homes.
Brooke wanted to find more crazies. I thought we were the only ones.
I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. We have collected the weirdest bunch of free thinkers in our expanding community. The variety of social, religious, political, educational, nutritional, and many more perspectives is unheard of in any other group. There are moments of contention, but the drive to support each other and our children keeps us close.
God has blessed me with these folks.
Pushing Too Hard?
Or just hard enough?
Soccer last night and jiu-jitsu tonight. My arm was in agony on the way home, I didn’t know how I blog tonight. But, I iced it right away and it already feels ready for action.
I reject negative tropes about aging. When we honor and care for our bodies, our bodies respond in kind.
Show Up
Westen had a challenging day at his jiu-jitsu tournment. He lost several very close matches. Three of the four were decided by the official.
Even so, not many kids showed up in his division and showing up counts for a lot. He walked away with two silver medals.
A Tough One
My sons challenged me with copying a movable piece of Lego art we watched come together on Youtube.
I’m not linking the video yet because it seems to be missing a key instuction. It may be that the omission is intentional as the creator does sell some of his products. If the omission is a mistake, I have reached out and look forward to clarity.
In the meantime, I have spent much of my day trying to solve the problem on my own. As frustrating as it is, I’m starting to better appreciate the complexity of the build.
Learning How to Quit
After a tough time in my gi matches, I decided to not compete in no gi (attire closer to wrestling gear).
It was not easy and it’s hard for me to decide how much fear was involved. I’m less confident in no gi and the wait between the divisions is intimidating for a body that likes to stay active.
However, I poured a lot into my gi matches. I deadlocked with two competitors (both resulting in losses by decision) ten years my junior and lost on points to another, but went each five-minute round without being forced to submit.
My arm was aching and didn’t have a clear reason to risk injury.
I suppose reason and fear shook hands on the deal.
Aside from all the doubt, I am happy I was home to watch movies with my boys and put them to bed. My thirteen-year-old wanted to snuggle and there may not be too many more nights like that.