Barkley

Yesterday I was called Barkley. It hasn't happened in quite awhile, but it has happened most of my life. I just walked off laughing because there was actually something a tad familiar about being called the wrong name. I grew up with a girl named Barkley. She was my sister's age. We went to the same church, swam on the same swim team and our parents were (are) BFF. So you can understand how many people would confuse Blakely and Barkley, although I don't ever recall anyone calling Barkley by my name.

There was one person in particular who spent my whole life desperately trying to get it right. He would look at me, think hard committed to not mess up this time and confidently say..."hello Barkley." I would laughingly say, "so close...Blakely," and he would seem defeated by the challenge and move on. Once I'd gotten to high school his daughters, embarrassed, could hardly bear to watch the process and would just tell him before he said hi that my name is Blakely. Eventually he stopped trying and would just say hello. I would say Blakely and he would say thanks.

It made me wonder how often I'm calling God by the wrong name. He's wishing we'd call him by Loving and Faithful or Good and Merciful or Abba and Shield. Instead, I think too often I'm calling him Maybe, Almost or If.

I'm pretty confident things would be different if we called him by his real name instead of his almost names.

Radio Shack Take 2

So I published a post earlier today called Radio Shack. I was editing something, and I deleted it accidentally. Here's the part that was so awkward and funny during my trip for new headphones. The rest wasn't really necessary, but without this part, you wouldn't have any new ideas for small talk at Christmas parties.

RS: Enjoying the great weather? (sarcasm)
Me: Actually, I really love the snow
RS: Well, I race motorcycles so it cramps my style
Me: True, I'd like to be road biking
RS: That's hot
Me: (no comment) shrug, type in pin for debit card
RS: Is that a right handed ring?
Me: (thinking: it is on my right hand) Umm, I guess so but it's just from my parents
RS: Oh, well I heard about right handed rings one time and I wondered if that was one.
Me: OK...
RS: I heard of like mothers giving rings to their daughters with diamonds in them to use for their engagement ring or something like that.
Me: Oh, well not this one...
RS: OK cool.
Me: Have a good day.
RS: Yeah, you too.
(Exit Radio Shack thinking: what was that?)

Still don't know...

IBID

Some people work hard to hide their ignorant moments and I admit, I don't mention plenty, but this friends, is worth sharing.

I tend to read books that have to do with God, religion, church, spiritual things, etc. Recently I've been proud of all the footnotes I've read. I've been noticing them, using them as further reading or resource, or to better understand a word/concept. In the past few books I kept noticing the source of "Ibid." Some of you are already laughing and others of you will have to keep reading to get it, but we won't tell. Anyway, as I came across this consistency in books of somewhat ancient text, my uninformed assumption was that Ibid was some profound, fundamental text that I am ignorant for not knowing about. I mean the kind of text that is so old and significant that it doesn't need any further explanation. So, in the most recent book I began, I saw the fateful reference of Ibid and thought "seriously, what's the deal with this?"

Of course, the most appropriate thing to do was to google it.

This is what I got:

Ibid. (Latin, short for ibidem, "the same place") is the term used to provide an endnote or footnote citation or reference for a source that was cited in the preceding endnote or footnote. It is similar in meaning to idem (meaning something that has been mentioned previously; the same [1]) abbreviated "Id.," which is commonly used in legal citation.

To find the ibid. source, one has to look at the reference right before it, and so ibid. serves a similar purpose to ditto marks (〃, ", do.).

WOW! I am amazing. If only my English teacher could see me now! Did I mention I tested out of college English? Obviously, I missed some things!

He Would...

So yesterday I woke up feeling frustrated and urgent towards people who needed to be prayed for. This isn't an overtly common theme for me (unfortunately) so I was paying attention. Frustrated in the sense that I didn't feel like my prayers alone would avail much and felt this needed to be a group effort on their behalf and wasn't sure that would have a place in the day. Urgent in the sense that this is part of the Kingdom that is here and a chance for the Kingdom not here yet to meet it...that there be someone to fight for them. It just seemed that these people needed to be bolstered by community. It somehow didn't feel right or enough for me just to wake up and offer heartfelt sentiments on their behalf, but a group coming together directly on behalf of this interesting combination of people I vaguely refer to never formed throughout the day. That might have been a reflection to my lack of gumption in the matter, but it also occurred to me that God had potentially ordered the whole day for these few. From the moment I woke up in having an urgency toward prayer, to it being the central theme at 61, to a dear friend expressing her desire to just be with God, and on to time at a coffee shop with a friend who is beautifully anticipating meeting God in prayer in a totally new way this week, to Amy's pressing into the ideas of asking at The Gathering all the way through to this morning. In looking back, the way God ordered it all seemed like He is fighting for them most definitely, as it appears there was much more community gathered, bolstering, praying, hashing out the ideas of fighting for people than I realized or anticipated. I'm thankful for what God is building into the community around me and as an extension of the vision for what a people who pray would accomplish in the Kingdom. And then there's this....

Daily Light: December 3, morning reading-
I would seek God and to God I would commit my cause.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Case all your care upon Him, for he cares for you.
Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. The Hezekiah prayed to the Lord.
"It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear." The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon him as long as I live.
Job 5:8;Gen 18:14; Psalm 37:5; Phil 4:6; 1 Pet 5:7; Isa 37:14-15; Isa 65:24;James 5:16' Psalm 116:1-2.

He would be just that lavish enough to take us on a grand journey even though just another Sunday... and I didn't even have to ask.

Kona Ironman

I'm watching the Ironman...I told Sara I'd meet her at Leawood City Park to play in the rain with some others but I haven't been able to stop watching. It just so happens that for the past 3 year's I've happened upon the Ironman race in Hawaii on TV. I always cry. Without fail, I always cry when I'm watching it. I am totally captive to the commentator telling of their stories and the writers who celebrate these people's stories and accomplishments. One of the best parts is they give the same if not more attention to the incredible stories of the "age groupers" as they do the professionals. And then, as if it wasn't good enough already Gumption from The Holiday soundtrack starts playing in the background. Of course that beautiful creation by Hans Zimmer should be the soundtrack to such a race.

2.4 mile swim
115 mile bike
26 mile run

I only know the parts written into the script of this event, and there's thousands of stories that aren't getting told that we'll never know. I'm going to tell you about the ones they did tell and you I hope you can feel better about the world when you finish reading.

The winner was Chris McCormack. He placed 2nd last year and has had quite an ego battle with his main competitor, last year's champion. I can't even remember his name but he was not my favorite person. I liked Chris better. The other guy unfortunately couldn't keep any fluids down and was out during the bike.

Chrissy Wellington placed 1st for the women. This was her first Ironman.

Last year's winner from Switzerland had a bike wreck and broke her collar bone. She was so strong and beautiful. I was sad for her. Her coach was also her life partner and made her stop racing.

Charlie Plaskon is blind and in his 60's he crossed the finish line with his guide and 4 grandchildren. In one of the interviews he said,"you can stay secure in your job or in your retirement or you can go pick up a challenge." Get it Charlie!!

Lolly Rodgers 65 years old, a great grandma who won her age group. Her doctor told her she had to stop running due to arthritis, but she said she plans to beat her time next year.

Scott Rigsby lost both his legs in a car wreck about 15 years ago. He's got double prosthetics. The commentator plays up the drama by repeating again that you have to finish by midnight to be an Ironman. Scott is an Ironman.

Lisa Bentley has cystic fibrosis and chooses Carter to cross the finish line with her. Carter has CF too and they met through Make a Wish Foundation.

Brian Boyle was in a car wreck with severe injuries taking months, actually years to heal. He's in his 20's. At one point in the hospital he was ready to give up and his family was afraid he would. His dad talked him out of it and things started to turn around. But this race to Brian's mom will confirm for her that Brian is back and will not give up on life.

Rutger Binky is a professional who placed 4th last year. This year he's been walking for 4 hours of the marathon. Most professionals drop out when they know they will not finish in good time to avoid embarrassment. The winner is showered and having dinner but Rutger "doesn't think it's respectful to the age groupers to quit when it's just not going your way." He finishes 898th.

If you don't get off your bike by 5:30 you are not able to start the run. That means someone has to be there to enforce the rules and tell people they are finished. I don't know the name of who that man, was but I appreciate him. He was so sweet and caring and gave such patient hugs when he had to disappoint the 57 year old teacher from Japan who misses the cut off by 3 seconds and the 70 year old woman who misses it by less than 1 minute. She is absolutely precious and it seems she is disappointed but grateful for that sweet man standing there with her. It is obvious from her demeanor that she is a combination of gumption and deep heart.

These are all the stories I can remember. These people are amazing. I no longer feel like complaining about being tired.