Potatoe Chips

We sing a song at Church, it's by Matt Redman.

Here are the words & chords:

You Never let Go, by Matt Redman
Capo 4 
 
Verse 1: 
              G  
Even though I walk 
G 
through the valley of the shadow of death, 
     C9 
Your perfect love is casting out fear. 
                  G 
And even when I'm caught 
G
in the middle of the storms of this life, 
  C9 
I won't turn back, I know You are near. 

Verse 2: 
And I can see a light 
that is coming for the heart that holds on 
A glorious light beyond all compare. 
And there will be an end 
to these troubles, But until that day comes, 
We'll live to know You here on the earth. 
 
PreChorus: 
                   Em7  D  G 
And I will fear no ev   -  il, 
              Em7  D  G
For my God is wi - th me. 
                 Em7  D  G
And if my God is wi - th me, 
                  D 
Whom then shall I fear? 
                  C9 
Whom then shall I fear? 
Chorus: 
G 
Oh no, You never let go, 
G 
Through the calm and through the storm 
Em7 
Oh no, You never let go, 
Em7 
In every high and every low 
D 
O no, You never let go 
D                            G   D     C9
Lord, You never let go of me. 
(2nd ending) 
    G                                  D     C9 
You keep on running and you never let go 
        C9                         G 
Singing Lord You never let go of me 
 
Bridge: 
G 
Yes, I can see a light that is coming 
G 
for the heart that holds on, 
                     Em7 
And there will be an end to these troubles, 
Em7
but until that day comes, 
D 
Still I will praise You, 
C9                     G D     C9

I'm not one really for his voice, the whole affectation on top of the note is off- putting, It's like, listen you have a beautiful voice, just stop diva-ing it up...haha. Digression. “Still I Will Praise You”- still I will praise You. Really hits the nail on the head. Over the next couple of seasons of my life there will be a massive change/transition in the world. A massive overhaul in the way the world operates, and the way we operate with each other. There are no more sides. There are no parties. There are no more blames. We are too far past that to continue to pass the buck, and when everyone is frustrated with a situation- that situation has no choice but to change. The situation is frustrated, and we're on the brink of that change. If your concern is about getting yours in the end you will fail because you have lost sight of what is most important. You've been stocking up on junk food. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat? You, yes you, ladday.

I was raised to remain relatively unbiased in any situation, for the specific reason that all arguments can be argued- you generally don't have all of the facts, if you do have all of the facts- more than likely your understanding of the surrounding circumstances is biased based on your upbringing, ideals, & the source. Have opinions, hold onto your values, make decisions based on intuition, prayer, & wisdom. So, each situation- however grandiose or hair raising I generally allow to play out in front of me like a movie. I choose, specifically, the things in which I involve myself because it's A) not about me & I can do more when i'm well, not boxed into some social freaking box.

This whole Occupy movement is almost one of these things. I know that our economy is going to collapse, & that life as we know it is going to revert back to that mighty fine much simpler time. (& the juxtaposition of I grow my vegetables & trade my wool w/ the ever continuing growth of mainstream technology fueled by the greed that got us into the mess in the first place is going to be hellarious). I know these things. I get it. Got it. Old news. Now though, we have a movement & it's getting bigger & stronger, and by God there are people who are finally listening who should have had their ear to the ground years ago. However, I do not feel, in my limited opinion, that the party who drinks tea & the party that occupies are ready for what's about to actually happen. I refuse to choose sides, & I refuse to get involved in a battle that is just leading up to a war that I will have no choice but to be involved with. SURE I can stand on the corner & hear the stories, and I did a couple times, but that is not where I need to be. Where I need to be is where I am, preparing, learning, and getting a full grasp at the BIG PICTURE.

There will be a definite core distinction in the way we live & operate. This is no longer a class, money, race, status, occupation, discussion- this is now beyond that, what we are going to be dealing with when the walls come collapsing in on themselves, are people. Wake up and smell the coffee that only the elite will be brewing.

I nanny part time. It's an awesome blessing to see the joy in children & it reminds me of who God is & what love is. One of the families I nanny for has a 10 year old girl named Anna. Anna has downs syndrome. She's pretty high functioning & really creative & really funny & a tad bit too sassy on some occasions...like all 10 year old girlfrenz. Last Friday we were coming in from playing outside (chick blew through her homework, nanny proud) – and she saw these bags of potatoe chips fresh off the grandma & grandpa boat from Iowa. “I'm thinking potatoe chips” she said, to which I responded- well, let's try this first. I pulled the clover honey out of their fridge, diced a granny smith- wam bam, and delectable feast of granny smith apple slices drizzled with clover honey. She was hesitant, “i'm thinking potatoe chips” she kept saying. I put a dollop of honey on her finger for her to taste, she liked it, we made progress “i don't know” she said, “i don't know, maybe”. Downs kids by default have a tendency to be drawn to more salty foods- I don't know why, but it's important to make sure- like all kids, but more so with Downs that their diet is healthy.

AS I was plating her snack she dropped the bomb, “i'm going to grandma”. Boom. I listened closely to the conversation in the next room (not that hard as it's 10 feet from the kitchen counter) & heard her grandma say much to my dismay “You have to ask Gabbie, but I think a few chips would be ok” Thanks, VISITING GRANDMA. So sure, yes, ok, I caved, plopped a few chips on the plate not thinking and went to pour some Kefir then it hit me & of course when I went to meet her in the dining, she had scarfed down the potatoe chips and the honey glazed grannies stood alone.

I ate the other half of the apple, delicious. In hopes she'd see- it works with toddlers, but no, “i'm thinking more chips”. And thus began the battle royal. There was no convincing her the apples were good. There was no way in high water she was touching the snack. There were phases, a- “HEY PUNK EAT IT” *not voiced of course, and a- “you'll like it, it's good- do you remember how we didn't really care for peaches, and you love peaches now” “i don't really care of apples”, “i told you I don't really care for apples”. The best part is Grandpa & Grandma were in the adjacent room, napping on the couch the whole time. Eventually I got her to cheers me, and we popped them in our mouths. It took about 20 minutes, but we got around to it- she tried to get away with just licking it, & we talked about being ladies...

On the way home, as always, the grander application of the situation hit me, Praise God. We live in a world of potatoe chips. Nothing has value, or meaning- I can throw it out in a heartbeat- I can change the channel, I have so many glorious options that amount to beans, & it is difficult to cleanse your pallet. We spoil our suppers, and miss out on the chance of real, full meals because that bag of lays-yes a pun, is easier to grab, & fills us faster. But as it has no substance, it also depletes us faster- and we are ever thrust into a cycle of unhealthy eating. I do hope, dear reader, you are recognizing the dual concepts i'm referring to here- you ARE what you eat.

We have tv, the internet, media, jobs, society, lovers, friends, entertainment, we have everything around us & the honey drench nutritious granny smiths are there- but overlooked. It makes me sick. Too much candy, not enough substance. Recently, I was coming home from work & there were two people sitting next to me waiting for the brown line. They were on their cell phones. I wanted to say hello-to say hi to them-to talk to them about the weather, the train that was coming , the silly silly silly rush hour, the HUGE windows showing off the privacy of some office- with really funny wall greetings like “Google it”...BUT, they were on their phones, and as I looked around-I saw that everyone was on their phone.  "Throw the pumpkin at the tree unless you think that pumpkin holds your destiny"

I'm really bad with the phone- really bad with the phone- I enjoy human interaction but my phone etiquette usually makes me look needy or desperate- which I am neither, just genuine & mildly anxious. It made me think though, how would we be talking to each other- how do I talk to the person across who's staring at a screen – then it hit me, OH, facebook, OH missed connections, OH THE FREAKING SCREEN they're starting at. I have no idea who these people are yet I will probably see them everyday and they have no idea who I am because they are so plugged into their system that they're missing out on the one thing that matters the most. Real. Substance.

This past weekend in service, the sermon talked about John 3:16- go to parkcommuintychurch.org and check out the podcast- but it was about Love, most importantly God's love- and how it meets us where we are, comes to “wherever our starting point is”, and not where we want to, or should be. It's unconditional. Anything that is done out of love SHOULD be unconditional, God's love was described as “selfless, costly, redemptive”. It's a love I try to mirror daily, and through practice grow – but only because of God's grace.

Everything is ancillary to my relationship with God, & here is why. GOD made the Universe-if you don't agree with me on that one then, well hey, we should talk sometime but go with me for a sec to follow the logic & understand, please. Let's say God made the Universe ;) and so all that is created around me, the food I eat, the people I meet, the feelings I feel, the things I see- everything in this whole world around me is good, and from communion with the Creator of all of this jazz, I am able to better understand it, & therefore more apt to enjoy it. Which I doooooo :) Those things around me, things that have been created by the people that God made- the creations, AWESOME-AWESOME creations that people make, invent, do, love, are as we all are, fleeting. They are, more or less, dessert, snacks, manufactured- while awesome & delicious, I cannot, and will not be swept up in them and miss the main course. Later on in the same message it was said that “as broken, damaged, individuals we will never want to seek the true God, we will always make our own gods”. We will always manufacture distractions. That desire to seek God is something we have to ask for- it takes effort. Ya feel me?

So, as we are going to see happen very soon- those distractions around us are going to crash, they are built on a ground that is not solid- greed is an out course of pride, and pride & greed are unforgiving blackholes that continue to collapse, and I am curious to see what exactly is going to happen. Of course, I do NOT want people to be hurt- the majority of the population is so hyped on junk food that they won't have any idea what to do with the meat & veggies of this beautiful universe, and they will die.

No more potatoe chips. They're really not good for you. Choose what you intake.