She's What?

The Office, Season Four, "Goodbye, Toby":

Did anything in the above photo catch your eye? If you're a guy, you didn't see anything strange. If you're a gal, you noticed something. Angela Kinsey, who plays uptight accountant Angela Martin, is wearing a light blouse and a dark jumper. And wait! Her arms don't look right. Why would her arms be folded that way? It doesn't look natural... She must be pregnant. And she was for most of Season 4, but her pregnancy did not fit in with her character's life, so they used little tricks to hide it. On many occasions, she would hide behind her desk, the copier, a bouquet of flowers, another actor, or a door.

Sometimes they just shot her from the chest up.

If you're a guy and still don't believe me, take a look at the following photo. It shows Angela (and Rainn Wilson) at her onset baby shower. There's no getting around the fact that she is expecting.

While watching the later episodes of Season 4, my mom and I immediately picked up on Angela's pregnancy and would mention something about it, with my dad being oblivious: "What? She's pregnant?" Upon talking to other fellow Office fans, it seems the trend is strong: Gals were aware of Angela's pregnancy, while guys were clueless.

Never Arrive

Let me share someone else's wisdom:

If you put off getting married until you are completely ready to be the perfect spouse, you will never be married.

If you put off having kids until you are ready to be the perfect parent, you will never have kids (unless God intervenes).

If you put off sharing your faith until you are completely and utterly prepared, you will always be silent.

You will never arrive. Step out in boldness, trusting God to use you, weaknesses and all.

Closer to Fine - The Indigo Girls

Here's to friends.

I'm trying to tell you something about my life
Maybe give me insight between black and white
And the best thing you've ever done for me
Is to help me take my life less seriously
Its only life after all
Yeah

Well darkness has a hunger that's insatiable
And lightness has a call that's hard to hear
I wrap my fear around me like a blanket
I sailed my ship of safety till I sank it
I'm crawling on your shores

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
And the less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine

And I went to see the doctor of philosophy
With a poster of Rasputin and a beard down to his knee
He never did marry or see a b-grade movie
He graded my performance, he said he could see through me
I spent four years prostrate to the higher mind
Got my paper and I was free

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine

I stopped by the bar at 3 a.m.
To seek solace in a bottle or possibly a friend
And I woke up with a headache like my head against a board Twice as cloudy as I'd been the night before
And I went in seeking clarity.

I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains
I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains
Yeah we go to the doctor, we go to the mountains
We look to the children, we drink from the fountains
Yeah we go to the bible, we go through the workout
We read up on revival and we stand up for the lookout
There's more than one answer to these questions
Pointing me in a crooked line
The less I seek my source for some definitive
(the less I seek my source)
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine
The closer I am to fine

Disclaimer: (What's a good Emily post w/out a disclaimer?!) I believe there is Truth and an Answer. I like these lyrics in terms of the temporal life we have now.

Whole Wide World

In honor of the discussion on To Seek or Not to Seek?...

To Seek or Not to Seek?

I am single. I’m not going to say how much I love being single or how much I hate it. My feelings aren’t the point of this post. My aim is to convey the contrast in two kinds of thought regarding my singleness and to find out what you think.

I have two friends. Both of them are married, and I consider both of them to be more mature than me in the Christian faith. But they each have their own thoughts toward how a single person should live.

Friend A thinks that I should “get myself out there.” He believes single people shouldn’t merely pray that God bring them a spouse, but they need to be actively looking for someone who fits their requirements. (And if you’re female, you should not hide yourself in a closet, but make sure a large number of available guys know you exist.)

He has told me many times that I should church hop for this purpose. When I protest, saying I love the service I currently attend and would hate to go to another just to snag a guy, he says that it’s not a good enough excuse. He believes that asking God for something without actively doing your part is senseless.

Friend B believes that I should not concern myself with looking for a spouse. He thinks I should just follow God throughout my day and week, trusting that He will basically smack me in the face when the right person comes my way. I shouldn’t do anything differently just to find someone. For a guy or a girl to actively look for a significant other would be to take matters into his or her own hands and would be to tell God, “I don’t need you. I can do things on my own.”

Both friends seem logical in their own ways, yet they are just about as similar as night and day. So, what are your thoughts? Do you think one way makes more sense or is more biblical than the other? Or does it even matter which route someone takes?

The Dark Knight

I saw The Dark Knight on Saturday. I only went because a group of friends were going, and I wanted to tag along. I had heard it was going to be dark, but I was surprised by how dark it was. I didn't like it so much, that I have expressed to multiple people my disdain.

But recently (I think it was yesterday) I started to have positive thoughts and feelings toward the movie. Yes, I think I actually like it. But I don't know if my opinions of the movie have changed or if what I'm choosing to remember about the movie has changed. Maybe I'm blocking out the darker moments and focusing in on the parts I found intriguing.

Ummm...

I am indecisive. It is hard for me to make up my mind on many things much of the time. I'll lean one way, then another, and if a third or a fourth option arises, I'm just plain paralyzed.

But at least I'm gaining some company. There's someone I know who told me last month that she was leaning in direction A. Last week I asked her for an update, and she informed me of direction B, only a few days later to switch back to direction A. And this is someone who I thought was good at deciding and sticking!

Actually, if you look at it another way, I am decisive. I can decide on something. The problem is that it's hard to stick to that decision.

It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry thinks he had made a reservation at a car rental business only to find out they took the reservation but didn't hold it (emphasizing the holding being the most important part of the reservation).

But you know what I realized a few days ago? It's okay if I'm confused. I don't need to rush into a new decision. I can just be thankful for what I've got right now.

...or can I?

Making a Difference

What is "making a difference"? Who should/shouldn't do it? Why or why not? And how does one go about it?

Who I Am

I can get so caught up in contemplating where I'm supposed to be. But I've been reminded recently that the real question is "Am I who I'm supposed to be?" This directly ties to my relationship with God, and it trickles into all the little (and big) paths that I stress about. And the fact that I tend to stress about things makes me wonder if I'm truly trusting God...

Waiting in Expectation

The last poll's results show that we all feel we really need to talk with God a lot more. On one hand it is sad we feel this way, but at the same time, we're being honest. And no matter how closely we are walking with God, we've never really "made it." We can and should be confident that we will spend eternity in heaven if we have accepted Jesus Christ as the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. But we can never say, "Okay, I've done ____ so far. God doesn't expect anything else from me."

This is a reminder--for me and for you. Let's not rely on those around us, our routines, and our plans. We're bound to have routines, it's good to plan, and we should appreciate those around us; but let's not leave God out of the picture.

We need to really go to Him. However often or long we spend in His presence, let's confess to Him sins we've let come between us, thank Him and praise Him, pour out our concerns at His feet, and also... Listen for Him. Let's not just ramble without asking for guidance, without truly looking for what He's telling us.

In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (Psalm 5:3)

Annoyances

Why is it the things that get under my skin the most are the small things my family does? If some other person was nasty to me, it would probably bother me less than if one of my family members did "that" again. How silly is that?

Thankful

I'm thankful for my family. Not every moment, but most of the time. And this week I was reminded of how God has kept them safe. He doesn't promise that they will always be around, but so far they have been. That is something.

"There's still a tomorrow."

This is something I heard yesterday. The speaker was just thinking aloud how, yes, there will still be business going on today, Wednesday.

But looking at the quote, it's comforting, uplifting. Whatever you did or didn't do today, good or bad, there's still a tomorrow.

It seems there's no winning...

Say I am faced with an opportunity to do something good, to help someone. If I don't do that good thing, I will most likely feel guilty afterward and beat myself up about it for a while. If I actually do that something to some extent, even if it is something very small, I get all bloated with pride... And then I beat myself up about it.

Maybe it takes lots of prayer and a little growth.

Imagine That

Yesterday I brought a concern of mine to God. It's not that I hadn't mentioned it to Him before, but this time I truly talked to Him about it, instead of just venting in His general direction. As a result, I'm freaking out less and feeling more at peace about it, remembering that I am not the center of the universe. Imagine that.

Marriage: Is It Worth It?

I'm not asking if specific people should get married, but if marriage in general is worth it. Someone close to me thinks that people would be happier if they never got married, never had to deal with reconciling their own habits and viewpoints with those of someone else.

In general, I can see where he's coming from. The people who are closest to you can be the ones that get under your skin the most. And by marrying someone, you become very, very close to another human being with flaws.

But at the same time, most of us do want companionship. Yes, friends and family are nice. They can be very nice. But they don't fill a specific void that many of us have.

And then there's the whole issue of if no one is marrying (while keeping their hands to themselves), then we'll all die off! Obviously this outcome is not truly possible. But it would be the result if everyone followed this advice.

Let Me Be Content

I heard on the radio today that Jerry Seinfeld makes $60 million a year just from reruns. Wow. That's a sizeable amount of money.

I tried to imagine what I would do if I made that much each year. My giving would probably increase sizably (I hope). I'd put more money into savings and investments. I'd buy some nice things. But what about the rest of it?

I can get to wishing I had more of this or that, but when it really comes down to it, I'm probably blessed that I don't have a lot. It would probably mess me up more than it would help me.

But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that (1 Tim. 6:8).

I have food, and I have clothing. Let me be content with that.