Something about Beauty

There is something about beauty. It is something we all long for. We want to look beautiful. We want our yards mowed and edged contributing to the other beautiful houses in our neighborhoods (in my case we cant hang towels outside on the balcony cause it could look tacky). I even got wrote up in college for hanging a skeleton (my roommate's idea, of course I went along with it) because it took away from the decor of the building. The decor that consisted of peeling paint, mold, and cracked bricks (if anything we added decor).

I myself have always been captivated with beauty. Whether it is my wife, a landscape, or parent loving their child. It reminds me that beauty is not found just in concrete forms but also abstract. I have come to see that the abstract beauties are the most beautiful.

I have recently learned a new song at church. It's a song on how God makes us beautiful.

The chorus goes

"You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us".

We held a worship night the other evening built around this concept. Although I didn't walk away with any particular spiritual experience or an emotional high, but I did however walk away with comfort. And maybe comfort isn't even the right word. Because I haven't really been feeling that I am not made beautiful through God's grace. I know I am, and it is something that I am very grateful for and realize daily.

It's just that beauty is something that I have always loved equating with God. Obviously (maybe not so obviously for some) God is the master of beauty. I like to imagine God singing the universe into existence. Not really singing as a command telling the mountains to rise or the rivers to form, but more like because of the pure beauty coming from His voice land forms cannot resist coming to life.

Even if we look to His creation we realize that His creation is just a reminder of the true beauty He is, which is His flawless unconditional love that was the root of His ballad that creation couldn't resist.

So back to my original thought, when God makes us into beautiful things it doesn't mean that we are more appealing to the eye, it simply means that He is singing to us, love is pouring out of His mouth, and we can't resist but to come alive in Him and join with him in his chorus of love. Because love is the creator of beauty...and God is the creator of love. If the reminders of his beauty is captivating now, just imagine being enveloped by the real thing. But then again to be enveloped are ears have to be open to the music.

"Set your minds on things above, not earthly things.For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then also you will appear with him in glory". Colossians 3:2-4 (NIV).

Dear Blog, It's been awhile

I haven't updated in awhile and I am sorry. I know that you all have been dying to hear about what has been going on. Part of me wanted to write a blog to top our children/cat relation blog. I have come to the realization that some of our blogs will be boring. Maybe not this one though. I have been thinking a lot about marriage... particularly my own. I love being married, and I love my wife. I have mostly been thinking about the things that I have learned in just the short nine months Melissa and I have been married. If there is one thing that I have learned it's don't underestimate proportion sizes. Melissa is petite...I am not so petite. I'm sure this subject would be different if we were both the same size and ate the same amounts, but that also might be a little awkward (not that we wouldn't love each the same).

Both Melissa and I enjoy cooking, so we share and both cook for each other. Now when I cook I like big meals i.e. chicken fried steak w/gravy, mashed potatoes w/more gravy, green beans, salad, and of course a big glass of ice tea to wash it down. When Melissa cooks she likes small but complete meals i.e. a chicken strip usually marinated in some type of dressing, and a side salad.

Now both of us like both types of meals, except where I see an everyday dinner, Melissa sees a Sunday lunch (which are always big in OK). Needless to say, when I cook I have to finish off Melissa's meal, and when she cooks I'm usually rummaging through cupboards 30 mins later to fill in the empty spaces in my stomach.

I soon figured out that this lesson in marriage was about compromise, and we have done just that. Instead of cooking medium sized meals we'll usually cook something that can fill me up and then serve ourselves. The problem was never how much one of us prepared it was when we tried to be nice and prepare each others plates. So now I can have as much as I want, and she can eat as much as she wants (and then I can have the leftovers as well).

We have also compromised by buying Melissa sized items, and Ben sized items. This doesn't always have to deal with food either. I have posted some pics below to demonstrate what I mean by Melissa sized and Ben sized.






Me holding normal sized wine glass













Melissa holding the same glass
















Melissa sized watermelon











Melissa holding Ben sized pen










Ben sized calculator









Melissa sized glass (usually filled only half way)