In "Dixie" as it's sometimes called, there is an abundance of outdoors activity from airboating down backwoods bayous in Louisiana and everglade in Florida, to hunting the wild game across the Appalachian foothills of northern Alabama. Anywhere you go across the south, camping is a regular activity throughout the year. I'm sure it's a common activity in the North too, but all you "yanks" can go to hell.

The camping activity is commonplace throughout the country. "But, I thought this was a restaurant blog, not an outdoors blog" you ask? Ah ha! You'd be correct, sir. Unfortunately, camping in a restaurant is not a serene weekend destroying the lives and families of small critters and wild game with large guns, or basking in the starlight beneath the forest canopy. Camping in a restaurant is rather a nuisance that should be dealt with swiftly and with a blunt object (okay, maybe not swiftly... or with a blunt object).

Camping in a restaurant is explained as when any number of people at a table get caught up in conversation, reading a book, or just plain boredom that they occupy a table longer than the desired time during a lunch or dinner shift. Camping can occur before or after the meal has been ordered and eaten. "Pre-campers" enjoy chatting each other up before ordering the entree. Often times, business meetings held over lunch fall into the category of pre-camping. People will occasionally break out the ledger books or maps of architectural engineering before even ordering an appetizer, "water is fine for now". Only after the third or fourth visit in a 30 minute time period will they realize that they've been sitting there for a while and order at least the first course. What these people don't realize is that at lunch, we as waiters rely on the ability to get people in and out quickly and happily. "Turn and Burn" as we say. Because PPA (Per Person Average) is lower at lunch, being that most people don't order alcoholic beverages, coffee, or dessert, our tips are lower per table. So, we rely on volume to make our money. When a table sits there for longer than normal, we lose the ability to turn that table, meaning less money for us.

It can sometimes be even worse at dinner. At least during lunch, people have somewhere to be, whether it's back to work or to an appointment. At dinner, people feel that because their work day is over, they can sit and enjoy a nice, long dinner. That's great and all, but again, we're still at work trying to pay our bills while you're enjoying that nice, long dinner (sarcasm is expressed in italics here). Even if a PPA is on the higher side, I still could have made a little bit more money if those customers had gotten up 25 minutes earlier.

On one occasion, I had two groups of ladies come in for a dinner shift. One came in at 5:30 and was waiting for a few more people to arrive at 6:00, and the other group came in at 6:00 on the dot. Now, mind you, I had a three-table section. So, I was encouraged because I was ready to turn and burn these tables, but to my chagrin, I was sadly mistaken. Both of these groups of ladies decided to sit, and occupy these tables until 9:55, a whole five minutes before the restaurant closed. So, for an entire busy Friday night, I had one table that I could use. The best part is that neither of these groups of ladies ended up spending more than a combined $70. That means that between two tables, I made $15 on a Friday night. I could have easily turned those tables over three or four times in the course of the four hours they had been sitting there and made five times that. What's the cherry on the sundae is that one of the women sitting at that 5:30 table was so heartless that she had the nerve to ask me "are you in a rush or something?" when I brought them the bill at 9:45. No, sorry, I was in a rush three hours ago, but now since we're about to close, I don't really give a shit.
The point of all this is to hammer in the point that those tables that you sit at are our bills we pay, the food we eat, and the gas we put in our car. If you sit there and take up one of those tables for longer than the time it takes to eat your meal, have a short conversation and leave, it hinders our ability to pay for all those things. If we can't turn those tables over, we don't make our money. So, you should feel somewhat guilty that you are basically taking money out of our pockets every minute extra you sit there (but obviously you don't, since you are the paying customer and you've "bought the table" for the time). Here's what I'm getting at: if you're going to sit there and take up the table, you need to compensate your waiter for the extended period of time you sat there. If you feel like you've been sitting there for a while and say "gosh, how long have we been here?" then you should leave an extra tip that says "I'm sorry for taking up your table". A few extra dollars on top of what you're already leaving is enough. We get the sympathy.

Otherwise, keep the camping in the wilderness.

Waiting for buses is a pain.  Public Transit in San Francisco is pretty good coverage-wise, but not so great predictability-wise.  Recently, SFMTA put up a couple of different types of electronic signs and screens to tell people when the next bus or light rail was coming. 

Only one problem ... they aren't accurate.  The ones in the bus shelters are just on written schedules it would seem, and have no insight into the actually timing of the bus in question.  The big screens that are in the underground stations often have cars listed as. say, "K" when they are they are actually "S" trains. 

So, I wait.

Last week, I waited for contracts.  They came Friday and Monday.  I chose one and accepted. 

Now I wait for confirmation and final paperwork to be signed.  At any point, this could all change.  It's happened twice this year already - contracts go POOF ... and gone.

So, I wait.

I hate waiting.

A turtle family decided to go on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outing. Finally the turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found a place ideal for them at last!

For about six months they cleaned the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements. Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell. He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left.

Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years...six years... then on the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and begun to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, 'See! I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt.'

Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.

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The Frogs

A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man where he could get so many frog legs! The farmer replied, 'There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs - millions of them. They all croak all night long and they are about to make me crazy!' So the restaurant owner and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant, five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. The restaurant owner said, 'Well... where are all the frogs?' The farmer said, 'I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!'

Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember, it's probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

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The Pretty Lady

Once upon a time a big monk and a little monk were traveling together. They came to the bank of a river and found the bridge was damaged. They had to wade across the river.. There was a pretty lady who was stuck at the damaged bridge and couldn't cross the river. The big monk offered to carry her across the river on his back. The lady accepted. The little monk was shocked by the move of the big monk. 'How can big brother carry a lady when we are supposed to avoid all intimacy with females?' thought the little monk. But he kept quiet. The big monk carried the lady across the river and the small monk followed unhappily. When they crossed the river, the big monk let the lady down and they parted ways with her.

All along the way for several miles, the little monk was very unhappy with the act of the big monk. He was making up all kinds of accusations about big monk in his head. This got him madder and madder. But he still kept quiet. And the big monk had no inclination to explain his situation. Finally, at a rest point many hours later, the little monk could not stand it any further, he burst out angrily at the big monk. 'How can you claim yourself a devout monk, when you seize the first opportunity to touch a female, especially when she is very pretty? All your teachings to me make you a big hypocrite The big monk looked surprised and said, 'I had put down the pretty lady at the river bank many hours ago, how come you are still carrying her along?'

This very old Chinese Zen story reflects the thinking of many people today. We encounter many unpleasant things in our life, they irritate us and they make us angry. Sometimes, they cause us a lot of hurt, sometimes they cause us to be bitter or jealous .. But like the little monk, we are not willing to let them go away.We keep on carrying the baggage of the 'pretty lady' with us. We let them keep on coming back to hurt us, make us angry, make us bitter and cause us a lot of agony. Why? Simply because we are not willing to put down or let go of the baggage of the 'pretty lady'. We should let go of the pretty lady immediately after crossing the river, that is after the unpleasant event is over. This will immediately remove all our agonies. There is no need to be further hurt by the unpleasant event after it is over.

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.

I think Little Boy G knows that he may or may not get a brother and he's told me that he's okay with that. Bless his little four year old heart. While I'm sad that circumstances lead this little boy to need a home, I'm happy that we would be able to give him one. Now I wonder that if we don't adopt him, will someone else? So few people want older children. Older children will still be adopted in Vietnam by other countries, I'm sure. But will this little guy? It's very hard to tell, but my guess is the odds aren't good. That too weighs heavy on my mind. In a matter of days we will have no more chances. 1 September looms for us and for him.

I've put all my faith in God in this adoption, as I did the last one. What will be will be. I know that much by now. I just wish the wondering, the waiting, and the worrying would let up some. Maybe we'll hear next week--on Tuesday the 22nd. 22 is our lucky number. My husband and I met, got engaged, and were married on the 22nd day of various months. Unplanned, of course. There has been other luck associated with the number 22 in my life, so maybe that's the day it will happen. We'll see the referral and say "yes."

My mother told me that during World War II in Germany, many women turned to fortune tellers to tell them if their husbands were still alive. Tarot cards, palm reading. They tried them all. My German grandfather was captured by the Russians and held as a prisoner of war for seven years. For the first two years, my grandmother had no idea where he was or if he was alive or dead. Talk about wondering and waiting. She finally did hear, and he came home five years later, two or three years after the war had ended. Maybe he came home on the 22nd.

They mentioned it might be over today, but it wasn't. They're saying Monday or Tuesday..which really, a weekend of waiting with nothing to occupy this brain is not good. I am stretched out so thin I am worried about the snap.

The stress is killing me.

Blank Paper, Blank Mind

I sit here staring
at the utter starkness
of both paper and mind.

What new words will flow
as the very life blood of my pen
oozes out to the world?

There is nothing new
under the blazing sun
so what can I say?

To me, the stillness of it all
is what gets to me
and the immutability of ink.

Climbing about gyres and gimbles
is a little like spelunking -
what new lands will be uncovered next?

Just hand over my pen now.
I'll write my own sentence
though it costs me life's blood.
~~~~
The next two go together.

Waiting for You

My love, though I know you not
I stand here at bay window
Waiting for you

My love, you've at last arrived
And now that I know you I no longer need to stand here
Waiting for you

My love, you've shattered me by leaving
As I stand here with shiny trails down my cheeks
Waiting for you

Waiting for my Love

I'm waiting for you, my love
in case you didn't hear me
without meaning to, stumbling over myself
the place I've found is with you.

All you have to do is turn your head
I'll be standing behind you
waiting for you to find me
be kind - tell me if you ever will.

My screams and shouts do go unnoticed.
Only the silent nights of peace
sometimes get your eye
What can I do . . .

but stand here . . .

wait for time . . .

wait for you . . .

still waiting.
love you.

To Christ: Before You Go

My dearly beloved friend,
You fill me with joy whenever I see you
I can never wait to see you
I can never get tired of you,
much as we sometimes disagree.

When I'm sitting here on a cushion,
looking up into Your eyes
and you stroke my hair with Your hand
I feel like I'm special, set apart
like a daughter adopted by a caring father.

Do you see me, see me here?
Your eyes say that You do,
the words tell me You're hearing
and the scars - oh, the blessed scars!

Not just hands, but feet, brow,
and whip marks on the back.
All Your body speaks
of Your heart beat's love -
Me.

I've only begun to make sense
of what might be termed love gibberish
and all Your other words.
How am I even to begin understanding
by the deeds You do?

The idea of God made man flesh
leads to either worship of the divine
or repulsion of the human.
What am I to make of His sacrifice?

You say that You're going now,
though You'll never truly leave me.
Why must You leave me now?
What will I do without You here?

All right, then, go for now
I know that You will be back soon
so I'll take a hug and holy kiss
and wait for Your return.

Fill Your Soul

Words as feathers brush
flippantly across your eyes
as heavy solid rocks
they bruise and break your soul.

Drink of any magic pool you wish,
nothing will slake your thirst like words,
they'll also abandon you on the side of the desert road
and leave your entrails for the buzzards.

So go on hunts and expeditions
to the deepest dankest darkest caverns
or to the highest aerial next
and take the longest hardest roads.

Pick only the ripest choicest words
prepare them carefully for consumption
sit down to the hearty banquet
and fill your soul with them.

Projecting

Light through glass gives prisms,
my energy's harnessed for so many things:
boring presentations, world maps, English.
I've learned so many things.

Bending the light through lenses
will show your genius or stupidity
and no one can save you
from the revelation to all.

Dust dances in my light
as a simple screen far away
is my unconnected partner,
and we can run among the stars of words.

My own wisdom and will
is forgotten in giving yours
I'm the perfect humble servant,
at your ever command.

Partner in Crime

My partner and I sneak down the street
careful to hide the rather loud squeak
that our soles make on the dirt
careful to balance so we don't get hurt.

You won't see us up on rooftop high
dressed in blue, we hide in the sky
and wait for nightfall to come
we feel the cold as our skin turns numb.

Stealthily we cautiously creep
out from hiding places in the deep
and purloin the sparkles, the jewels and rubies
we won't forget the fuzz-covered woobies.

When dawn arises, in dark we hide
my partner and I, we will bide
our time until the night once more
that's what real partners in crime are for.

Things my Mother Says

• The guy to pick is the guy who respects his mother.
• Clean your room.
• If you whine about it, I can't let you have it because then you'll think that whining will get you what you want in life and that's just not true.
• Life's not fair. Get used to it.
• It's still a man's world and don't you forget it.
• It may be a man's world, but the bathroom belongs to us women. [To my brother and dad: Put that seat down]
• Don't leave that there.
• Do the dishes.
• Do the laundry.
• Pick that up.
• No.
• Time out.
• Good job.
• I love you.
• I believe in you.
• I enjoy having you in my family.
• We should dye our hair at Christmas! Red and green. Oh, come on . . .
• Do the Santa/Easter bunny picture with me! Come on . . .
• You want to go where to do what with who? Okay, no problem. Go, go, go. Get out of the house. You haven't left for three days.
• Put that book down and pay attention to me.

Nothing

There was nothing in his pockts
nothing in his account
nothing up his sleeve
and nothing on the table.

He had nothing in the way of money,
nothing in the way of friends,
nothing in the way of looks,
and nothing in the way of smarts.

There was nothing in his cupboards,
and no one in his life to care
he had nothing for his supper
and his small apartment better.

But he walked around town
with a great big smile on his face
‘cause he had lots of nothing
to serve up on his plate.

~~~~~

I debated somewhat about whether to show this next one, as it does somewhat relate to my unfinished poem . . . but it also works as a stand alone. Tell you what, when I finish my other poem (IF I finish it! The thing is a three page monster and I feel like I'm not even close to half done), I'll publish this one again.

Rapture

Her hair flew and flipped around her shoulder
as her foot followed the dance step through
the unheard music crackled in the background
and her shoes clicked against the tile.

Her arms were thrown over her head
as she became a study in blur
the gleam of gemstones in her eye
with the sheen and mystery of a
butterfly's wing.

The skirt bounced, her arms flew,
and her hair merrily billowed.
She threw her head back
and laughed, giggling like the stream

Afternoon sunlight sparkled on the floor,
as she followed the last dew drops
of sunshine left that day,
she slowed her steps and stopped to gaze
as the sun shed its last rays of light.

Lord help me believe that I am exactly where I am meant to be.

I am SO excited for August 4th as well....

Although much has been said about people who feel that they are overweight, often overlooked are people who feel that they are thin.

I could easily lose 10 lbs of weight by just skipping a lunch and a dinner while it would take me to four days just to gain back that much of weight. I remember myself, when I was in high school, pouring cooking oil on my rice, but to my dismay, the greasy feel of cooking oil mixed with rice didn’t suit my tastebuds. As soon as I engulfed the whole thing I immediately vomited everything on my plate.

In the pursuit of a heavier weight, I tried almost everything. Even to the point of drinking a whole adult dose of Anti helminthic drug thinking that I might have some intestinal parasites but nothing came out, nothing happened. So I visited a local clinic to take my Thyroid Profile.

And I finally got the result last Monday. Before the doctor can even say her diagnosis I have already discerned what her diagnosis would be. I had a glimpse of the lab result as the nurse waved it to my face as she beckoned me to the doctor’s little room. Her diagnosis was nothing more than just a confirmatory remark that I have indeed have the condition of Hyperthyroidism.

I told the doctor that I am BS Nursing graduate so she explained everything using the terms I am used to. My TSH (which is released by the Pituitary gland) is in normal level, but my T3 and T4 (both released by the Thyroid Gland) are significantly elevated. She suspected that there might be some growth of nodules or cyst or tumors in my thyroid. She let me palpate my thyroid with her. We didn’t feel anything but she wanted to be sure so she referred me to a hospital where she is affiliated.

YESTERDAY- I called the hospital and I was scheduled at 2PM. I texted everyone in my phonebook who were within the hospital’s vicinity to accompany me, but only Prinsesa Musang was kind enough to reply. I waited for her in our university since she was out dining with her family in a restaurant but I got really impatient so I left (texting her to just see me in the hospital) and went to the hospital at 1:30.

I went straight to the ultrasound room and knocked. The door was opened by a former classmate in RedCross training. She is the nurse. I smiled at her; she didn’t seem to recognize me so I said, “Remember, RedCross?” I showed her my RedCross Tshirt which I was wearing, “and I think we are friends in Friendster.” She looked at me inquiringly then looked at the referral I gave her; she saw my name and brightened up. She remembers my name but not my face (I remember her face but not her name). She asked what was my schedule so I said 2PM, she smiled yet again and said, “Of course you know how it is really is here, right. I know you are already aware that when the doctor says 2, that doesn’t mean that you’ll have your turn when the clock strikes two.” Memories of a child puking a bloody vomit on my face and a doctor that wouldn’t come came spinning back from my memories, I smiled back and said, “Of course, I do.”

I waited, and waited. At exactly 2 PM a doctor came from the ward and called a 12 or 13 years old girl inside. I was like, “wow, he was early.” I texted Musang to hurry up since the doctor was already there. I waited for my turn and for Musang.

Musang came at 2:32, the same time when the doctor has finally made the first sign of leaving. I was perplexed. Didn’t the nurse tell him that a patient was still waiting for him outside? Musang berated me that she still has a class with Maam Lugtu, our adviser in the only organization that we both joined in college. She called her and let her talk to me. I remember answering her question why it should be Musang who has to accompany me with a joke, “Para tumibay ang aming pagkakaibigan.hahaha” (To strengthen our Friendship)

And our friendship grew stronger as our asses finally take roots on our seats. Boy, I could have sworn seeing some leavessprouting out from our hair as we waited in eternity for my turn, until the doctor finally opened the door, carrying with him his little bag. He looked at me and walked straught to the exit. Now that really confused Musang as well, she told me to ask when my turn will be so I went inside the little room and asked. They said that my doctor has not come yet, and the doctor who looked at the 12 years old girl was an OB. It seemed that we were waiting for another kind of doctor, the kind of doctor that will kill an emergency case patient, not because of hemorrhage or complication, but of the long wait. It was already 3:15.

We waited and waited and waited until the doctor finally came at 4:00. The doctor seemed like in a hurry. He didn’t even say anything. He proceeded with the whole procedure which lasted for only 30 seconds. I paid the bills then they printed the result. The result was:

ULTRASOUND OF THE NECK

The Thyroid is normal in size and echopattern. The right lobe measures 3.6x1.2x1.0 cm while the left lobe measures 3.3x1.3x1.0 cm. No solid or cystic nodules evident.

Isthmus is unremarkable.

Both carotid and jugular vessels are unremarkable. No enlarged lymph nodes evident.

SUMMARY

Normal study.

That’s it! I waited for 2 and a half hours just to undergo a procedure that lasted only for 30 seconds. And I paid 700 Pesos for a result that is summarized by the phrase “NORMAL STUDY.” Anak ng putik, I NEED SOME JUSTICE!!!! Yes, I should be glad that the result is “NORMAL STUDY” but c’mon… I mean C’MON!!!

TODAY- I went to my doctor and gave her the Ultrasound result. She asked me if I was treated well, I said, “NO the doctor took ages to come.” She was quite embarrassed, especially she knows that I know what I am talking about – HELL I AM A NURSE.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret--it leads only to evil.  Psalms 37: 7, 8.

I've waited for many things I still have yet to receive.  One thing about not receiving I have learned is that stillness brings a certain amount of security to my head no matter what happens around or to me.  Ok, I know some will think I'm a fool for continuing to believe when my requests aren't granted but I won't stop just because I don't get my way.  That would be childish and foolish.

The thought that we should refrain from anger and fretting leads me to think there's a purpose to the waiting period.  The fact that both of these emotions and the state of mind they encourage leads to evil also impresses me to be think that being made to wait is also a part of the teaching.

I don't do well with waiting.  I bring a book or entertain myself somehow someway.  This evidence of impatience makes me wonder whether or not I just need to suck it up or there's something in the way of my finding whatever is in front of me.  Sometimes we just blind ourselves by being preoccupied with our thoughts and obsessions.  Ever been driving and had to slam on the breaks because your thoughts put you in another world so much you weren't paying attention to the traffic?  Or missed that turn off and had to backtrack a couple of miles or more just to get the exit?

I think there is room for stillness, patience and waiting on the Lord.  While I don't believe our lives are micromanaged by Him, I do believe in guidance and roadsigns along the way telling us,  "This is the way, walk in it!"  God isn't gonna' make our choices for us so we better listen up to the advice He does give or we might end up in  a world of pain or bogged down.

"In repentence and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..."  Isaiah 30: 15.

Nat is a five year old boy in Thailand, & has been waiting for over six months for a sponsor. For only $32/month, you can contribute to showing him God's love. Your letters to him will also show him how much God cares. Is God leading you to help Nat?

Nat lives with his father and his mother. His father is sometimes employed as a farmer and his mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. Nat works at home caring for animals, running errands and cleaning. There are 2 children in the family.

Soccer, playing with cars and singing are Nat's favorite activities. In kindergarten his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities.

Please remember Nat in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop. (from Compassion.com)

Sponsor Nat now, or search for other children in need.

My wounds will never heal

Who's the asshole who said:
All good things come to those who wait

I'm still waiting

Who's the asshole who said:
Patience is a virtue

My patience has run out

I ventured out this evening in search of dinner and some munchies for later, but since there's a fairly rowdy festival going on in the centre of town I decided to opt for a smaller, closer to home store. Less choice and bigger prices, but a small sacrifice when compared to elbowing my way through intoxicated youths and their red-faced parents who adamently chant how "it's better they get a taste of the drink when I know about it than down some alley or at the beach with god-knows-who". Honestly, people really confuse me sometimes.

In any case, off I went to the store, dodging traffic and gangs of black-hoodied merrymakers. I picked up a few bits for dinner and made my way to the checkout, the only one out of three which was manned. The queue was suitably oversized since everyone was purchasing alcohol as though it was becoming illegal tomorrow, and the air was stifling. When I finally made it to the top of the queue, all I wanted to do was buy my groceries and run home, away from the noise and smells of twisted humanity. I do not waste time in stores, because they annoy me, so you can imagine my outrage as a large sweaty woman reached over me as I threw the last few items into my bag, and proceeded to shout out a barrage of cigarette brands over my head!

I didn't dare turn around, in case I ended up embedded in her chest like an ice-pop mould, so I took a deep breath instead and scurried out of the way. The woman, ofcourse, paid no attention whatsoever, as did the shop assistant. It never fails to amaze me how ignorant people can be in the face of their own greedy wants. Speaking of which, I want my new pc! Haha.

What are some examples of this plague called impatience?  According to a recent AP poll conducted by Ipsos, 60% of Americans can wait no more than 15 minutes in a line before getting frustrated; 54% can wait no more than 5 minutes on hold while on the telephone before becoming impatient; only 7% could wait as long as 20 minutes while on hold without “losing it.”  Notice that we measure our impatience in terms of minutes - not years, months, weeks, or even days as in times past.  Although this poll did not address our impatience on-line, I know that from my own personal experience I tend to become impatient when I have to wait extra seconds for something to download on a dial-up connection when DSL is not available. 

And where is it that Americans are losing their patience?  The respondents to the poll said waiting in line at the following places tried their patience: store check-out lines (especially grocery stores), government offices, medical facilities (Hey, why do you think they are called patients?), banks, restaurants, traffic, airports, bathrooms, gas stations, and amusement parks made up the list in descending order of aggravation.  Notice that amusement parks are at the end of the list.  I guess we go there better prepared to wait.  Only 2% of Americans were not bothered by standing in any lines, but there was a 3% error factor.  So it is certainly possible that there are not really any more patient Americans left after all.  One article commenting the poll said, “Americans want it all NOW.  Or awfully close to now.  ‘If you ask the typical person, do you feel more time-poor or money-poor, the answer almost always is time-poor.’”  Isn’t it ironic that with all the time-saving devices found in today’s technology we still feel time-poor?

Add unfulfilled dreams and health problems to the places where we are impatient you will have a pretty comprehensive list of examples of delays which we find difficult in our lives.  Obstacles, opposition, hardships, health problems, and even our day to day tedious tasks are all examples of things which weigh heavily on us.  All of these things require that we wait patiently, expecting to see something different – something better. 

Have you ever said of something, “It was worth the wait”?  If you will think about that phrase for a moment, you will come to realize that we will only wait for those things which we really, truly want.  If we are unwilling to wait, we are saying that it is not worth the wait.  If you will not stand in a long line, you don’t think that the wait will be worth it.  If you will not engage in a long course of study, you are saying that the degree is not worth it.  If you will not committed to continue on through hardship in a calling God has placed on your life, you are saying that it is not worth it.  In essence you are saying that your time is more valuable than the thing for which you are being asked to wait.  Our willingness to wait ascribes worth to the thing for which we wait. 

but there are claims that US inflation appears to be retreating!

yay for us!

we'll just wait and seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 I'm not an expert nor am I writing about something that I can't relate to. The truth of the matter is, I've been just as bad at relationships than most people care to elaborate on, but it's when I learned the secret to the success of a fulfilling and satisfying relationship with God and learning to love myself that I learned to enjoy my "wait."

Okay, guys and gals, first things first. The book of Isaiah the 40th chapter and verse 31 says; They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Wow! The person that waits on the Lord gets renewed strength! Not only do they receive renewed strength, but they will be able to maintain their endurance in waiting on the Lord.

God has wonderful things in store for the Christian that trust him and leave the area of relationships (in addition) to other areas strictly to him. Not only will they find out God's perfect will for their lives, but they will also be able to do God's will and be willing to face whatever trials and tribulations that comes with the task. Isn't that great?

Three things that a Christian can benefit from in waiting on God:

• He builds, forms, and teaches us to lead
• Our relationship with him is strengthned
• We are taught how to lean and depend on him for all things

Psalm 127:1 says; Except the Lord build the house, they laboreth in vain that builds it.

Every true foundation (including Godly relationships) is built on Christ who is the solid rock.

Psalms 25:3   Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

Those that lean and depend on the Lord will never be put to shame. Regardless of what Sister Chair and Brother Cup is doing. They may have worldly advice that sounds good and they may even tell you that having multiple partners is cute, fun, and sassy. What that don't tell you is that, God NEVER intended for us to be in relationship after relationship and sharing our emotions with every Tom, Harry, and Betty that comes along to stroke our inner beings.

Let's see what the Lord's plan was for all of mankind from the beginning:

Adam and Eve were created by God to take care of His creation, to populate the earth, and to have a relationship with Him. Adam was formed "first," and before Eve was created for him, he had a relationship with God. A relationship wasn't something that Adam orchestrated, but rather God decided it for him. The complete biblical account of Adam and Eve can be found in Genesis 1:26 to Genesis 5:5. We all know the story of how the fall and the plan for mankind came about. (We will discuss more about this in later articles,) but for now, we can see the plan that God intended from the beginning. This is why we are to seek first the kingdom of heaven and everything that we need will be added unto us. Adam didn't seek Eve out, but she was created for him. Proverbs 18:22 says; He that finds a wife, finds a good thing and obtains favor of the Lord.

Most women today, have the roles reversed. They seek the man and in turn some of our male counterparts enjoy the idea of being pursued. This is not what God has orchestrated. Single women of God, let the man find you! You may say today, "I'm not getting any dates or phone calls so something must be wrong with me." or You see a nice looking brother coming in the church alone without a wedding ring and instantly your adreneline goes up as the desire to pursue him enters into your mind. Cast it down to the obedience of Christ, because when a woman becomes aggressive, it is a grave big turn off! The man is the pursuer and the woman is to be pursued. That's the order of God, so don't get it twisted. ((smiles)) 

Trust me sistah, the man that you are pursuing may not say anything for awhile and he may even act as though he enjoys your attention, but inwardly, he will get the feeling that you are "chasing him." Don't be surprised of the many men that want women to chase them so their ego is surged and explodes. (shudder)...It's true so what does one do in this waiting thing?

Jesus told us to present His gospel by preaching that the kingdom of God is at hand (Mt 10:7). He commanded us to seek first His kingdom and its righteousness and then everything else would be given to us (Mt 6:33). Whenever we pray, we should pray for His kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven (Mt 6:10). He gave His Church the keys of the kingdom (Mt 16:19).

(Lk 23:38). Jesus repeatedly emphasizes that the gospel is to be presented in terms of the kingdom.

So no, you don't just sit, eat, wait, and rot. You get busy doing what the Lord has called and ordained you to do for him. There is plenty of work for you to do so pray and ask God what it is that he will have you to do and get busy doing it. You will find that the wait is more worthwhile when your mind is occupied with doing things for the kingdom of God. Come on you can do it! God has faith in you. There is a specific task that is created just for you to accomplish!

Many Christians don't think of Christianity as the building of a kingdom, but we are responsible for building up God's kingdom. Included in the building up of God's kingdom,  harbors the area of building up our relationships with one another. Many of us don't know how to relate to Christ so in turn we don't know how to relate to one another. We are brothers and sisters so therefore we should treat one another as brothers and sisters and not like one another's property. We should treat each other with the upmost respect.

There is so much advice out there from Christian experts that encourage singles to date and to even put themselves out there as though they are for sell, but the Godly benefits come from those that are willing to wait on God concerning the area of relationships. This way, we can avoid, pre-marital sex, getting emotionally attached with the wrong person, and giving bits and pieces of ourselves casually with people who God may have not have ordained for our lives. We are to seek God's will and find out what his plan is for our individual life. We should make sure that his desires become our desires. This is how we have the mind of Christ. Our minds should remain on Jesus and not on the cute brother on the front pew or the beautiful sistah singing in the choir. The devil is on the prowl seeking whom he may devour and what better way to come in and launch an attack on a person that is caught up harboring vain imaginations and thoughts that even the preacher is able to discern just by the look on their  face.

Let's get real! God's way is best. Yes, we were created to relate to the opposite sex, that's how God designed us, but when coming to Christ we should yield to him our minds, bodies, and spirits, so that we become more like him and become the instruments of righteousness bearing fruit and producing in his kingdom. So how does a Christian goes about waiting? By learning to seek God with everything they are and everything that will become and allowing the fruit of the spirit to be cultivated in their lives and they  will be on their way to receive everything that the Lord has in store for them!

Have a relationship question to ask? Please e-mail: birthofthetrueremnant@yahoo.com and put in the subject line: "Ask Evang "S"

Copyright©2008. Christian Author and Evangelist Shanetria Peterson. All Rights Reserved. Messages are securely copyrighted and protected.

Behind everything we construct, the things we raise up, the things in which we trust will provide for us, there waits, with millennia-tested patience, a Mystery that watches over us. And this Mystery observes all our striving and our vain reliance on human willpower and human provision and laughs at it all. Not a laugh that takes pleasure in suffering, but the kind of laugh we ourselves expel when we watch a stubborn child explore just how far he can get away with something before the parent undoubtedly will step in.

Leigh has been fond of quoting lately the old phrase, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." We are working hard to trust Him, and His timing, in all of this, but the eleventh hour is overtaking us, and we look at our current 44% of funds raised and struggle to shake the dread that we will not be in Germany by the date we are supposed to report (about 2 and 1/2 weeks). We find ourselves making plans for the next few weeks as it seems likely we will still be in the States, still striving to get our pledges up to 80%. What are we to do with ourselves? Should Leigh continue to work? Should we see fundraising as a full-time endeavor even while our own savings waste away? It is a very unsettling time ... but, then again, I don't assume God would have it any other way. While I believe in a God that desires to bless His children, I do not think He takes much thought to their opinions on what schedule this blessing should come, nor on their comfort while waiting. This is not to imply that God is vindictive or careless or out-of-touch with His people - I simply think He is more concerned with the blessing itself than the manner in which it comes.

It is at the eleventh hour God has been known to work. The check in the mail or the call from a relative or a surprise gift from someone you would never expect. God manifesting himself in a manner that causes us to cease trusting these assumptions and constructions we have set up to care for us. Job, in all his sorrow and suffering (and our situation is nothing compared to his), was at the end of his rope, surrounded by theological nitwits who had ceased caring for him the moment they decided to open their mouths and attempt to explain it all. Wasting away, all it seemed he had to look forward to was the approach of a violent storm, a perfect final bow from a horrible experience. That is, until God spoke to him out of the storm.

The eleventh hour. It is no fun. But, from God's perspective, it is oftentimes a necessary experience.

~ bo