my excuse...

I've been terribly slow at posting here lately....life has been crazy!! Here's a few things that have been keeping me preoccupied:

• The weather -- my goodness I've never seen so much snow and ice and drifts in my entire life! Ok, maybe that's not exactly true, but it sure has been a doozy of a winter! Good thing I like snow! :)
• My job -- the last 2 months at my job have been awful. We lost one employee (she found a better job) and another injured her ankle in a freak sledding accident. And she's 60 years old. Weird. This normally would not have been a huge problem, but our other three branches were experiencing deaths in the family, and another girl got in a bad car accident where she broke her leg, a rib, and her 4 year old also broke his leg. Craziness!! So we've been running our tails off, to say the least. But they hired a new girl last week, and my aged sledding friend is back at work, so things should start looking up... :)
• Sickness -- two weeks ago, Joe had an awful cold and lost his voice, so we dealt with that. And now this week, I've been battling a horrible cold and just found out today that it's the beginning of walking pneumonia. Joy. So that's been.....exhausting...
• Everthing else -- meanwhile we've been continuing with our normal activities -- youth group adventures, visiting friends, sledding parties, etc. etc.

Hopefully now life will slow down a little so I can post more regularly!

Loans and the grace of God....

Today I overheard my boss talking to another co-worker about a customer's loan. He mentioned the 10 day grace period that all of our loans have, and it got me thinking about God's grace toward us...

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
~John 1:16

Isn't it amazing how the Lord continues to offer us grace for every moment...even when we least deserve it? I was talking about this with Joe, and he mentioned King David. What a great example of a person God was gracious towards. Even when he had done the worst of the worst -- lusted after a married woman, committed adultery with her, lied about his adultery, and murdered the husband of the woman he had an affair with -- the Lord still chose to use him as King over Israel and it was through his descendants that Jesus was born. Not that he didn't suffer consequences, just as the Lord allows us to undergo consequences for our actions. But that doesn't nullify the grace that He extends to us, it just makes it more incredible!

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
~II Corinthians 9:8

Check out the number of times "all" is in that verse!! And think about what it means....we are able to have all of God's grace overflowing and filling us....just that is enough to make me jump and shout praises to the Lord God! All of God's grace...ALL of God's grace! Wow!

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
~II Thessalonians 2:16-17

To top it all off, not only do we have all of God's grace available to us to provide us with blessings and our every need, but God's grace will also give us eternal encouragement and good hope. Not just encouragement, like what we are able to have when in fellowship with believers, but eternal encouragement. The kind that never dies and instead strengthens you each day for whatever needs to be done or said. Amazing...

And finally:

...because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
~Ephesians 2:4-5

As the old hymn says, "I once was blind, but now I see". God has taken us from the position of death -- where there wasn't a hope in the world -- to the position of eternal life with Jesus Christ...all because of His grace. And I am so thankful....

I will proclaim the name of the LORD! Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.
~Deuteronomy 32:3-4

Amen!

an abnormal week...

I haven't been posting much about what's been going on in our life, mainly because it's been so typical from day to day: get up, work, eat, sleep, etc. Nothing too interesting. But this past week has been spiced up a little bit from the humdrum of normality. Let me share a few of the tidbits with you, starting with a week ago, Sunday...

sunday-tuesday:
I was blessed with the delightful opportunity to spend 2 days with my mom, who came up to visit me. We had a grand time, did loads of shopping, ate at great restaurants, soaked in a hot tub, and talked on just about everything. It was great. I love my mom... :)

tuesday:
My husband, Joe, had been experiencing an upset stomach for about 2 weeks, so he went in to the doctor to have it checked on. It turns out he had an ulcer! Weird. But at least we found out the source of the problem....he was assigned meds and suggestions on a milder diet, so we'll see how well he sticks to that. He's looking forward to an excuse to moan and complain about his ulcer...so watch out! :)

wednesday:
Joe, in retaliation to me leaving him for 2 days, left me for 2 days to go pheasant hunting with his dad and brother-in-law. Not really...they had it planned even before Mom and I had our plans, it just seeemed like retaliation to me. :) They spent two days in crazy winds and cold weather, and came back with only 1 pheasant. Sad for them. But they had a good time and great conversations.

thursday:
We had an unpleasant surprise early in the morning on Thursday. As Joe left for work, he discovered that someone had stolen our cd player, cd player adapter, and our case of 200 cds from our car. Gr. It was quite unusual, especially since our cars sit under a street light in a church parking lot that is way out in the open....it would be difficult to do anything secretively without being noticed. But oh well. Though we are saddened by our loss of some of our favorite tunes, we are glad that the perpetrator ended up with a PILE of Christian cds -- many with a Christ-centered message that will hopefully convict his/her heart and help them to see their need for a Savior. We filed a police report, and they promised to keep an eye on our place...so we'll see what happens.

friday:
Every year, Joe receives a free turkey from his workplace as their Thanksgiving gift to their employees. This year, Joe ended up with TWO turkeys...due to a small mixup. But it actually works out great, because we're helping supply the turkey for our Thanksgiving meal. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, eh?

saturday:
I had the unique and not so pleasant opportunity to confront a difficult bank customer. It involved lies concerning a stolen (or not so stolen) checkbook and the process we needed to go through. I'm a very non-confrontational person, so this was......interesting, to say the least. But the Lord is gracious and gave me strength for the moment and wisdom to know what to say. And for that I am thankful.

sunday/today:
We celebrated Joe's sister's birthday with an AMAZING homecooked meal...though it tasted exACTly like something you'd eat at Olive Garden. Many gold stars go to Joe's mom and all the effort she put into making it taste Olive Gardenesque. Amazing...plus great time with my nephews, niece, and the rest of the family.

Though there were ups and downs this week, I am so thankful that the Lord blesses us with an abundant life - no matter how bland it might seem at the time. A perfect thing to be reminded of as we approach Thanksgiving. And in case I don't get a chance to post again before the holiday...have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!!

forgiveness

Today was a day where I just had to laugh. Or yell.... Isn't it amazing how people can refuse to forgive and move on? They think that they are pursuing a higher ideal of "making the world a better place", when really it's their own stubbornness that keeps it from being that way. *sigh* I'm so glad I have a Savior who forgives me. Unconditionally. I find great peace in that thought. Regardless of the number of times I do something stupid, belittle a friend, or act out in anger, He is always right there beside me. As the Bible says:

"...He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Colossians 2:13b-14)

Amazing...and speaking of amazing, this video is incredible! I know I'm stealing the idea from my brother's post, but it's too moving to pass up. I was in tears the first time I saw it. Watch and be blessed...

ahh...vacation...

Earlier this week I woke up to my hubby standing in the doorway saying, "Liz...??" I glanced at the clock and to my chagrin it said 7:32 am. I'm supposed to be at work at 7:45 am. And it's a 7 minute drive. And I hadn't showered for 2 days. Wonderful combo...and so I called work and told them I'd be late, then raced through my morning routine and managed to make it into the bank just as it was turning 8 o'clock. Apparently I work best under pressure. Good thing today was my last day of work for 9 days!

Yes, you read that right, I'm taking off 9 days from work -- a week long vacation (paid, mind you) so I can accomplish some things around our house -- like FINALLY painting our bedroom and stairway! It was so refreshing to walk out the door of the bank and know that I don't have to go back in to Monday's craziness after the weekend! I get a whole week off -- and I get paid for it!! I've never had a paid vacation before...but I know I'm going to like it. Especially not having to be anywhere before 8 am. :) Sweet sleep, here I come...

finances & felines

Although my last post concerned the banking world, I'm going to bring it up again in this post, just because we have added a new member to our staff. He's a black and white, 2-week old kitten. Here's how he joined our ranks:

A week ago, my boss, Big D, surprised us all by entering work with a scrawny, teeny-tiny, rodent-looking kitten - with its umbilical cord still attached. He had found it just outside his shed, a few blocks away from the bank, on a blistering hot August morning...on the concrete. Ouch. And so we did what any office of four women would do -- we nursed it back to health.

It started with a call to the vet and a side trip to pick up a kitty bottle and some kitty formula. I had never heard of kitty formula, but apparently they need it. :) We designated E to take care of him overnight, as she already had 4 cats (what's another when you already have that many?!), and she also had a heating pad and the tender heart to fuss over it throughout the night.

Sure enough, the kittycat joined us at work the next day in an ice cream bucket with a soft and cuddly blanket to snuggle in. The day was spent waiting on customers, but more importantly maintaining a 2-4 hour feeding schedule -- during which everything stopped. If you were a customer, you were lucky you got waited on.

At this point, I mentioned that the kitty really should have some kind of a name...some suggested "Lucky", but that reminded me too much of 101 Dalmations. Then I had an "aha!" moment - I suggested "Moses", since he was "found in the bulrushes of King D's shed", and the name stuck. So today, when it was mentioned that he was possibly a she, my heart sunk. I've grown fond of the name Moses -- in fact, probably one quarter of our bank's customers have now been introduced to Moses and frequently ask how he's doing and ask to hold him or feed him. And they've all had the story of his name explained to them, so to change it now would be traumatic - if not for little Moses, at least for me! So we'll see what happens....but back to the story...

Moses has survived well. He's grown a bit and his eyes are now open -- piercing blue-gray eyes in a tuft of black fur. He's so cute. And I don't even like cats! Although I must admit that it's been entertaining to watch the way E dotes over him....she fusses and fusses, coaxes him to poop (as he was a little constipated at first), rubs his face and belly, feeds him, whispers to him, and is often blessed in return as he piddles down her blouse. Aren't little ones great? :)

So far, Moses has been kept a secret from the other branches of the bank....who knows what would happen if THE BOSS ever found out about it. We'd all be fired for sure, if not for violating the appearance of professionalism, then at least for all the times Moses has piddled on the carpet or stolen sweet E's time in feeding him. Because of this, we probably won't buy him a cute little sweater, nor promote him as our mascot. But as long as we can get away with keeping him in our little ice cream bucket as a secret attraction for our customers, we will.

To be continued....

Correction: Big D was not the one who actually brought Moses into work...it was E...my bad! I guess I wasn't actually there - I was on my lunch break, so forgive me for my ignorance...

What I've learned from working at the bank...

(Disclaimer: Note that these comments are all in fun, and a large part are inside jokes, so don't take them too seriously...)

When in doubt, "Lizzie did it"

When blamed, always claim, "It's not my fault"

No deviating!!

Don't pick out a wedgie in front of the security cameras

When Jacki (my co-worker) asks you to look at her -- DON'T. It inevitably involves broccoli in the teeth or a chap stick tube stuck up her nose. :)

Dark chocolate is the answer to all of life's problems.

When drinking that afternoon soda, always smack your lips and sigh "Ahhh!" loudly

Large amounts of money can always be split in half ;)

Don't yell at someone when they're in the soundproof room...THEY CAN'T HEAR YOU...

Never answer the phone by stating your address. ;)

Never plan on a pen being available when you need it.

The best way to avoid "grazing" at the "grazing table", is to get rid of the evidence by eating it. :)

Putting on lotion is a sure-fire way to cause customers to come in.

Never go to the bathroom in the guest bathroom if someone is in the employee bathroom. You're likely to get the feeling of a bidet.

Bank Teller's eat healthy: Diet Coke with vitamins & minerals, and dark chocolate with antioxidants. :)

"Initials" is pronounced: "Hinitials"

It's not right until it's "Zack-a-lack-ally" right.

We're "Jest Kitting" :)

...we just want a chance!

You can't see the customer's when you're craning your neck to see what's out the window...

When at the drive-thru, always plan on being shushed

"Wanna count?" "Sure....1...2...3..."

When feeling stressed, throw your head back and laugh deeply with no abandon -- similar to how the Cowardly Lion on the Wizard of Oz laughed.

Chanting "Baby Jesus lost & found" will always seem to help you find what is lost....if you look hard enough! ;)

When you leave the money in your trunk, you cannot be relied upon...

There's always a tip for the teller!

...and last but not least....you don't have to be crazy to work at the bank, but it sure does help! ;)

A "Smart Card"...and a blind heart...

Today I ventured out in a new area of sharing my faith: the "smart card", used by Way of the Master Ministries. I knew that my mom and Sarah had used them before, so I thought I'd give it a shot with my co-workers at work. This is how it went three separate times...

Take 1:

Contact: E - my very Catholic, but tenderhearted older co-worker. She understands so much of the truth of the Gospel, she just hasn't internalized it yet.

Situation: As E was getting ready to leave for her lunch break I snatched my smart card from my purse and asked if I could show it to her. She read it and held her thumbs on the center as it instructed her to do. When nothing happened, she laughed, asking if it was another one of my jokes. I encouraged her to flip it over and she did so, read the back, and then commented that she wanted to show it to her son (who has been demonstrating some wayward tendencies as of late). So far so good. No harm done -- no real gain in spiritual conversations, but that's alright. A seed was planted.


Take 2:

Contact: My Boss (also a strong Catholic)

Situation: My Boss and I were talking about various and sundry things, and I thought to myself: "Now's my chance to try out the smart card with him!" And so I did. I handed him the card and asked him if he would try it out for me, he said sure and proceeded to follow the instructions on the front of the card. When the square did not turn green, he smiled at me and I told him to flip it over and read the back. As he's reading, he's smiling, and then suddenly he comments:

"That's not true."

Me: "What's not true?"

Boss: "It's not true that if you hate someone, it's like committing murder in your heart."

Me: *flabbergasted silence*

Boss: "And it's not true that if you look at someone with lust that it's the same thing as committing adultery."

Me: *pause* "What? *pause* "How do you know that?"

Boss: "It's just not true."

Me: "But Jesus said that himself -- it's in the Bible. I can show you right where it is..." (for any curious to know it can be found in Matthew 5:21-29)

Boss: *gets up, not commenting on my last statement and procedes to change the subject to something about how Jesus' name has been proven to work powerfully even among natives in foreign lands who know nothing about God*

Me: *talks a little bit about the power in Jesus' name and then* "Hey, now, seriously, why do you believe that it's not true that if you hate someone it's the same as murdering and that lusting equals committing adultery in your heart?"

Boss: "It just can't be true."

Me: "Why?"

Boss: "You can't tell me that if I see some babydoll dressed up in a bikini on the beach and I react, that that's the same thing as committing adultery."

Me: "But that's what Jesus said Himself..."

Boss: "It just doesn't make sense."

Me: "So are you saying that you don't believe that you are doing wrong until you actually take action and DO something?"

Boss: "Well...yea."

Me: "So are you saying that you believe you're inherently good on the inside? That you aren't considered a 'bad person' until you've actually done something bad?"

Boss: "Yea...well....no."

Me: "So are you saying that you don't think your thoughts matter?"

Boss: ".....no....." *gets up and walks away, ignoring the subject*

This was a little more discouraging, but I suppose the fact that he was uncomfortable meant that God's Truth was convicting him a little bit...


Take 3:

Contact: S - my other co-worker who is generally closed to spiritual conversations

Situation:
After overhearing my conversation with my boss, she asks to see what I had given him. I hand her the Smart Card and she proceeds to try it out, holding her thumbs in the center. After 15 seconds she holds it up and says:
"There's green in there! Flecks of green!"
Me: "No there's NOT! It has to be ALL green. It is NOT green!" *laughs*

End of conversation.


Overall, I'd say the experience wasn't too bad, though I was shaking in my boots at various times. I just pray that the Lord continues to use me in my work place as a testimony of Jesus Christ and the Life He alone can give.