Robin Patchen's Blog, page 7

Watching your Children Suffer

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about the suffering of our own children. Stop by and say hello.

 

A nearly empty room. The tap, tap, tapping of metal against rock, the skittering bits of stone across the hardwood floor. The scent of earth. Chips of marble scattered, ready to be tossed away.

 

And beyond the dust motes dancing in the streaming light, a huge, ugly chunk of marble.

 

And an artist. Creating a masterpiece.

 

It took Michelangelo more than two years to find David in that block of marble, but the David in the marble didn’t have a mind of its own. It didn’t resist the chisel.

 

You do. I do. And our children do, too.

 

To read the rest, pop over to Quid Pro Quills. I’d love to hear from you.

Contentment for the Moment

I’m blogging over at Life to the Fullest on contentment today. Here’s an excerpt:

True contentment is impossible.


I know what you’re going to say. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:8: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” It’s a command, so it must be possible. Right?


The Bible also tells us to be holy, but I look in the mirror, and I don’t see it. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to “go and sin no more.” Sounds like a command, but is it possible? To be sinless? To be holy? To be content?


Here’s my theory: Contentment goes against the human condition—as do holiness and sinlessness. Telling a human to be content is like telling my hairy mutt to quit shedding. Not possible for her, not possible for me.

- See more at Life to the Fullest.

Grace for your Spouse

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today on grace for your spouse. Here’s a sneak peek:

Ah, the family. When it’s your parents or siblings driving you crazy, you can roll your eyes and walk away. You didn’t pick your relatives. But what happens when it’s your spouse?

When people first get engaged, their joy is like high beams on an approaching car. Unsuspecting folks have to squint and shield their eyes. Those young couples don’t need grace. They’re walking around thinking, I picked him and he picked me! Aren’t we lucky?

Fast forward a few years down the road, and things are a little different. He looks at her spreading hips and winces at her nagging tone. She can barely get her arms around his Santa-sized belly and ducks from the toxic scents his body emits after a bowl of ice cream. And they look at each other and think, I picked you?

Stop by and say hello!

Grace for your Friends

Today I’m talking about Grace for your Friends over at Quid Pro Quills. Stop by and say hello.

You know that friend, the one you know everything about? The one who has the same problems for weeks, months, years on end and never does anything about them? Yeah, that one. My best friend has a friend like that: me. Here’s a snippet of a conversation you might overhear if you eavesdrop on our lunch conversation:

Friend: How’s your writing going?

Me: Ugh. Haven’t written a word in months. What I really need to do is start my writing first thing every day, and do everything else after that. I need to make it a priority.

Friend: Yeah, that would probably work.

Six months later:

Friend: How’s your writing going?

Me: Ugh. Haven’t written a word in almost a year. What I really need to do . . .

Read the rest at Quid Pro Quills.

Grace for the Church

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today. Here’s an excerpt:

You know that woman, the one at church who serves on every committee and attends ladies bible studies faithfully? The one who, with just the quirk of an eyebrow, will dish up the latest gossip faster than her own delicious apple pie. And what about that man, the deacon who never misses a Sunday, who serves as an usher—and cheats on his taxes. What about that teenager, the one who lifts his hands during worship, whom you saw in a not-so-innocent embrace with his girlfriend. You know the kinds of people I’m talking about. The church is filled with them. And we have words for them, don’t we? Gossip. Cheater. Immoral. Hypocrite.

I have another word I’d like to suggest for those people: Human.

Read the rest at Quid Pro Quills.

Grace for the Lost: When lost people behave like lost people

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today about offering grace to the lost. Here’s an excerpt. Stop by and say hello.

Once upon a time, a stranger arrived in town. With directions clutched in his fist, he set off walking toward his hotel. But after a little while, he realized he was lost. The hotel was not where he thought it would be.

He looked around and saw a pretty little white church, steeple and all, on the corner. The sign outside read, “All Are Welcome Here.”

The man climbed the steps, entered the church, and found three members inside. He approached the first church member. “Excuse me, ma’am, I seem to be lost.”

The woman ran away, screaming.

http://www.quidproquills.com/#!Grace-...

If They Could See Me Now

I’m blogging at Quid Pro Quills today. Here’s a preview.

You ever want to go back to somebody you knew in high school and blow him a great big raspberry?

Or is that just me?

It’s the person you think of when you hear the song, “If They Could See Me Now.”  Or maybe it’s your whole graduating class. Ah, if they could see me now . . .

Stop by and say hello!

 

Quid Pro Quills

I’m so excited to have joined with a handful of amazing, wonderful women in a new venture called Quid Pro Quills. At our website, you can find information about each of us and our writing adventure, as well as a lively and informative blog. I will be blogging at QPQ two Wednesdays a month, so stop by to say hello and meet my dear friends.

Faith, with Facts

I’m blogging over at Full Flavored Living today. Here’s a teaser:

I recently saw a movie with a distinct political bent, and I walked away…perplexed. Before renting the movie, I wasn’t sure where I stood on this environmental issue. And now…well, I’m not convinced of the movie makers’ opinion, that’s for sure. Not because the arguments weren’t sound, but because the writers never allowed the opposition to make a point. It was as though there were no counter arguments. For fun, I popped over to Google and typed in, “In favor of…” the issue, and Google returned 1.5 million page results.
 
Hmm.

- See more at: http://fullflavoredliving.blogspot.com/

 

Earthquakes

I’m blogging over at Quid Pro Quills today. Here’s a preview:

They came on suddenly. Sometimes, they were accompanied by a bang. Always, it felt like somebody picked up my life and shook it like a snow globe. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about the recent outbreak of earthquakes near my hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma. Over one hundred earthquakes have rumbled through central Oklahoma this fall, the largest hitting 3.9 on the Richter scale. The shaking and the bangs are unsettling, but they’re nothing compared to the tremors in my personal life.

Read the rest at http://www.quidproquills.com/#!Earthquakes/c1k17/EC2D0AEA-3655-480F-8428-1C876660BF55