inProgress

community confessions

April 28, 2010

lets try this again. this will be another men/women confessions post.

🙂

the last post listed 10 things that annoy men about women. i thought the list was great and the discussion, when on topic, was fun and light hearted.

its important for us to take responsibility and be willing to admit we can be a nuisance to the opposite sex.

i know. shocking. but true.

honestly…i didnt find many lists from the womens side. and none i found were deep or personal or attacking the mans character. most were annoyances over household issues.

so, i ultimately settled on a list written my men. its fun! i loved it! here are their top 10 admitted nuisances along with some excerpts. to see the whole post, go here.

10. we leave a wake of empty containers – We’ll pour water into near-empty shampoo bottles to maximize whatever’s left; we’ll leave behind a thimbleful of milk in the carton instead of throwing it out. Heck, we’ll even leave a toilet paper roll with one square remaining and wipe with our shirts if we have to. So long as there’s just a teeny, tiny bit left, we won’t be the ones responsible for disposing of it and, more importantly, buying a replacement.

9. we splash the mirror when we brush our teeth – Let’s face it: We’re territorial creatures at best. Therefore, leaving behind a little white glob of toothpaste after we’ve brushed is just our way of marking our territory. It says, “I’ve been here and I’m cavity-free.

8. we leave hair in the sink after shaving – All men hate the actual process of shaving. It’s time-consuming, painful and a miserable way to start the day. Therefore, as a sign of protest, we elect to leave our pesky little beard trimmings in the sink to show ’em who’s boss.

7. we use 10 drinking glasses a day instead of one – Why use the same dirty, germ-ridden glass time after time when you could enjoy a crisp, sanitized one whenever you like? Besides, what fun is there in having possessions if you never use them?

6. we pee on the toilet seat – Granted, this is one of our least pardonable offenses, but it wouldn’t have to be if women simply left the toilet seat up in the first place. Since women need to sit down to relieve themselves, it’s easy for them to bring the seat down with them in one fluid motion. We men, on the other hand, have to bend down, lift the seat, begin peeing, and then bend down again to return the seat when we’re done. We go to the washroom to pee, not to perform calisthenics.

5. we litter the ground with laundry – It’s far more fun to throw our clothes here and there as if a bomb went off in our closet.

4. we dont do housework – When it comes to home repairs and renovations, men are king. Hey, if God had wanted us to sweep and dust, he would have given us feathers instead of fingers.

3. we burp and fart indiscriminately – Scientists and academics often comment upon what a shame it is that we use only 10% of our brains. For most men, the same reasoning applies to our sphincters and throats. Like any other part of our body, these muscles need to be kept in shape. They [women] should be flattered that we’re comfortable enough around them to risk sharting ourselves. At the end of the day, isn’t that what love is all about?

2. we develop a martyr complex when we get sick – When men get sick we go into a Shakespearian death throe, certain we’re on the verge of sputtering out our last breath. We collapse wherever is convenient… It’s not subtle, but more often than not it gets us the attention we crave.

1. we channel surf rapidly (and seemingly aimlessly) – As King of the Castle, we consider it our right to rule the remote control with an iron fist. Making matters worse is the lightning-fast speeds at which we flip through the channels — so fast as to trigger epileptic seizures seven households away.

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i seriously found this list so funny. it almost makes their annoyances charming when you read their explanations.

see? communication is key 😉

well, women of this fine community…do you agree with this list? what would you add?

how about you, you charming fellas…do you agree with these men? are there any other annoyances youd like to confess to? 🙂

uuuhhhhh…..

April 27, 2010

UPDATE **** my response to the post yesterday. chime in if you wish.

wow. so, today i was gonna post 10 things that annoy women about men. but, honestly, i need a little break from it all.

seriously…i had no idea the last post would take the turn it did.

so instead, i thought id share with you that my lil bro, joshua white – not my actual lil bro but i adopted him and he should feel lucky to have me as an ~~older~~ sister – is working on my new site.

yes. my new blog is finally on its way. this will mean a brand new address now, folks.

😕

i hope that wont bug y’all.

but im really excited about it. i think you’ll enjoy some of the new features.

now, because the last post ended up pretty heavy 😯 …lets give ourselves a mind vacation.

im gonna post a word and youre gonna post the first word that comes to your mind from it.

then the next person will post the first word that comes to their mind from your word and so on and so on.

clear as mud. as always. 😉

should be one word per comment.

alrighty… first word is –

freezer

community confessions

April 26, 2010

ran across this write up on men confessing 10 annoying things women do. thought it was very interesting. and i must admit…i am guilty of some on this list.

and here ya go – what the men have to say…

10. Pretend to be virtuous – “women should stop trying to water down their past. Women are allowed to have just as much fun as guys, and they should find a man who can appreciate that.”

9. Criticize other women – “Why is it that many women can’t make a simple compliment toward another woman?”

8. Act jealous – “…when another female enters the equation in any way, shape or form, she tenses up. If you’ve given her reason to doubt you, then her paranoia is likely justified.”

7. Become needy – “They turn men into their emotional crutch and look to us for moral, mental and emotional support.”

6. Speak in code – “They hurtle obscure, theoretical questions at us that, according to them, we’re supposed to know the answers to”

5. Invade our personal space – “Women have this instinctive tic that makes them want to groom us anytime they want and make our personal belongings theirs.”

4. Become too emotional – “It’s not that we’re insensitive, but aside from saying, “There there, sweetie,” we don’t know the first thing about comforting a woman”

3. Shop till they drop – “what’s worse is that they have to take us along for the ride”

2. Talk incessantly – “it’s just that we don’t need to hear every minute detail”

1. Use sex as a weapon – “Oftentimes most women, in an effort to show their superiority, will attack men’s universal weak spot: sex. And while I applaud them for this gutsy tactic, they really should leave the basic human needs alone, don’t you think?”

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what do you say men? you concur? would you add any?

women…how do you feel about this list?

we’re all a mess

April 25, 2010

this weekend at church pastor tom shared something with us that surprised me, but also didnt surprise me at the same time.

apparently he has heard, as well as having been told by other leaders in the community, that our church, TRF, is a “messy church”.

dont you just love it?!

you can rest assured that when you walk thru the doors of table rock you can let your messy self all out.

no expectations. no heavy thumb. just come and be.

each time he shared this info in all four services there was collective laughter and amens!

i love that people know they can come as is but also know that they’ll be challenged to grow and be stretched.

iron sharpening iron, right?

as i wrote in our community prayer journal this week i was overwhelmed with the vulnerability of you all. the personal and painful admissions. the prayer requests im certain were written through many tears.

our messiness was exposed.

i feel that when a community, any community, can expose who they really are…they link arm and arm together – creating a bond that with each link becomes harder to break.

ultimately becoming a safe haven for authenticity.

i crave authentic company. realness breeds realness. it primes safe ground.

being honest with ourselves and others isnt only good for our own hearts but also for some who may need to know that others struggle too…that there are people out there who worry, who are scared, who are messy…giving them permission to link arms with people just like them.

and when we can create a mess together…we can help each other clean up the mess too…together.

what say you? are you a mess?

😉

a community journal

April 22, 2010

i have several prayer journals tucked away that ive not written in for quite awhile. [not to be read as i havent prayed in awhile] but at some point i stopped writing it all out.

so…i dug one of my journals out and have dedicated it to you. this community of friends. the ones who come here faithfully and read my nonsense, who cry with me, laugh with me, who ask and answer the tough questions. this is your prayer journal. i want to bathe it in requests and praises.

and this would be an honor for me.

if you would like… leave your prayer request in the comments. if it is something youd rather not share openly then please email me your request at tinprogress@gmail.com

its a girl

April 21, 2010

a repost from february 2008. thought it was fitting beings my little girl just turned 16….
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Monday April 18, 1994 5:52 p.m. I delivered a tiny miracle baby girl, one month early. There were no complications during the delivery. The only people in the room were my doctor, a nurse, Brent and me. It was quiet, almost too quiet. There seemed to be heaviness in the room something only I was aware of.
The minute she was delivered I looked to see her in my Doctors hand and I said, “Isn’t God good?” The doctor replied, “I was just thinking the same thing”. Immediately after those words I felt a tremendous darkness come over me. When I think about it even now I can recall very well that lost and frightened feeling. It was as if I wasn’t even there. That wasn’t me in that bed and that certainly wasn’t my baby next to me.

I’ve heard all through my life the minute you see your newborn child you instantly bond with her. There’s an immediate connection that is unlike any other in your life. I kept staring at my newborn while they cleaned her up, weighed her and exclaimed over and over how perfect she was, wondering when that “moment” would happen. But I felt nothing, at least nothing good. I wasn’t feeling the waves of overwhelming love and connection. I wasn’t anxious to take her home and dress her up in all her new little fashions. I didn’t even want to hold her.

Then they brought her to me and I thought, ok…maybe I’ll feel differently when she’s in my arms for the first time. The nurses propped me up, gave me a brief lesson in holding a newborn and then held her out to me. But I didn’t reach out for her. Finally they placed her in my arms. I could barely look at her. I don’t know if I resented her for being chosen, or if I was simply so burdened with guilt that I was too undeserving.

Certainly with her being early we ran the risk of complications and God could snatch her away from us. Surely I would have deserved that with having snuffed the lives of 2 other babies. I clearly had no concept of God’s love and forgiveness.

But through it all I never let on of any problem. I quickly became very depressed within hours of the delivery. I managed to hide it all. Nighttime was the worst. Anyone who has dealt with depression knows how dreadful the “dark” hours are.

After 3 weeks I couldn’t bear it any longer and had a “coming out” party. I just simply admitted one evening I was depressed. Post Partum Depression. I got some wise counsel from my in-laws and truly did feel a release. I know now that God was tenderizing my heart preparing me to come clean of my 2 little secrets. It was a small but monumental moment in my life. Although I still did not tell Brent about the abortions God began that night revealing Himself to me through my newborn daughter.

As the depression began lifting from me, I held Kass in my arms, and for the first time I really looked at her. How marvelous she was! So fearfully and wonderfully made! She smiled for the first time while I held her. Brent maintains it was gas. But as I looked down at her face it wasn’t her that I saw at all. I saw the face of Jesus. It was as if through her smile He comforted me. And I knew then, I was under construction. The transformation had only just begun. I spent the next several months praying and reading God’s word. Seeing things I’ve seen before for the first time! It was as if God gave me new eyes.