As of August 12th...

As you see, blogging has become less enthralling for me. Nonetheless...

Update on my last post: We did go to the Lyme doc in the closer town. LOTS easier than the usual drive - saved about 3 hours in the car. Changed my antibiotic. Panera has nice chocolate chip cookies. Not much else to tell.

We got the fish tank I mentioned last time. It'll be atleast 2 months before we put any water in it. After I divide all the boys and girls, I want to wait atleast a month to see who turns out pretty before I breed them. Not that I don't think they're all insanely adorable.

Meanwhile, the snails keep having babies - snail-shaped sand grains. (Conveniently, I had a random snail pic saved to my computer.)

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My little brother came to visit a couple weeks ago. It was great. We were able to spend a few days together while D was at work. Lots of good talking time - probably my favorite part of his visit. And one day of running around the city.

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It was just after that last post that I prayed for someone for the first time (by myself I mean) and saw them healed. Perhaps you're more nonchalant than I, but that kinda rocked me! I've seen people I prayed for healed before - but that was in group prayer. I'd always thought those crazy-amazing immediate healings were coming from other people's hands.

Since then, I've seen 2-3 more by my prayers, and 2-3 more through group prayers I was in. Tiiiight!

I don't understand a grace so big that God (of all people!) would want to work with me like this. But what I don't understand, I can still really dig! (I always thought comprehension was prerequisite to full enjoyment. Just mighta goofed there.)

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What's gone on in these last 5 or 6 weeks...

A weekend conference. Definitely fun. Two more coming up - the last weekend of this month and the first one of next month. The "last weekend" one involves a hotel! Oooooh!

I don't know for sure what it is about hotels I like so much. I think because I can play house. It feels like it did when we draped blankets over chairs when I was in elementary school.

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A certain somebody got a game as a Father's Day / birthday present. It's called Agricola - apparently popular among serious game-playing people. The idea is that you pretend to be a farmer and/or rancher - tending crops and critters, and periodically have to have enough crops/critters to feed your people... who shouldn't eat so much taking into account they're made of wood.

So guess which one of us is addicted to it, insisting we play every night, and getting grumpy when Other Player hogs all the critters?

What? It involves sheep. Cute little sheep. They even reproduce!

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I'm on chapter 21 or so of Job. It's been stunning to me how horrid his "friends" were. I'd always read it taking it literally. Never dawned on me the "friends," and often Job himself, aren't too credible. It's almost like reading a long, in depth, sarcastic conversation. Ya have to stay alert to know what's true and what's self-righteous.

Admittedly, I see myself in these people. But hey, let's leave out the details.

I'm not sure what my point was. It just interests me.

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The most profound thing going on in my life right now is getting to know God's love for me better. I've always known to say "God loves me." I was taught that that's what's correct. But it's making the jump from my brain to my heart - more than it has before I mean. It's become less about the fact (God loves me) and more about the person (God.) Less info and more experience.

I don't mean that I've started believing it. Believing it happened a long time ago. I mean that I've started feeling it - daily!

I'm finding myself so free of thinking he's keeping tabs on me that it's noticeable. I hadn't realized I ever thought that. But the freedom I now feel has made it clear I did!

I'm tasting what it is to stop living in a world where I do right and wrong. I'm tasting a world of grace - where there's right, and there would be wrong if grace hadn't gobbled it up. (If your jaw just fell open, re-read that.) Love is freeing me from guilt.

This has to be why Jesus so often said "Father" instead of "God."

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More is going on in our lives, but I'll save it for the not-so-public emails. Write me novels, y'all!