The Musings of Marianna

-We bought a new coffee maker today.  Exciting!!

-Some people and friends have suggested to my sister, Dad and I that real estate is a glamorous job.  They're wrong.  Showing unairconditioned homes in triple digit temps, climbing through the occasional window, working for free most of the time, getting double crossed by the general public often, getting asked to reduce your commission, contending with the stereotypes of "rich Realtor" when nothing could be further than the truth for most, and getting portrayed in movies as the 'used car salesman' type, and much much more.  But, still, the job has it's high points... at least that's what Dad always tells me.  He's practically a real estate reference book with legs... he's been in it for almost 30 years!  He is valiant, I have to say.

-Sometimes in real estate you meet some really wonderful and sweet people... like the couple I showed today.  The husband has an incurable kind of bone cancer and wants to get the wife settled in a home so she'll be secure.  They are so sweet and gracious- no self pity at all.  It puts things in perspective should one start complaining.

-Tonight I taught "my" Chinese girls at the Fri night meetings in downtown... I'd been out for about a month when I was sick; it was good to be back.  There were two girls there, cousins; one had been in the US six months, the other just got here yesterday.  They spoke hardly any English and neither know anything about Jesus (at all!! that I could tell).  It's a struggle for me to present the Gospel to people who don't even, perhaps, know the first thing about anything spiritual.  The 'Christianese' terms go out the window along with any religious jargon you know, and you grapple with trying to find the words to tell someone they are in desperate need of a Savior and that One came.  For them.  Pile on top of that, they don't even understand much English...  it's hard.  I need to study up on a way to present it more clearly and in extremely simple English. Thank God for the two girls who are Christians and knew Chinese to boot- they helped!

-"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.  And they realized that they had been with Jesus."  (Acts 4:13)  That has got to be one of my favorite verses.   I read it this morning.  Reading it again tonight gives me hope that maybe the just-in-from-China girls could tell that I had been with Jesus?  I pray so.

-Did you know there are a whole sect of Muslim Chinese in China?  They terrorize there too... but with machetes; suicide bombs are just getting introduced there.  You don't hear it in the news, but some of 'my' girls mothers hear about it from the Chinese news and friends.  I didn't know about that...

-I'm thankful for:  perfect songs that come on the radio when I'm driving home alone at night... cell phones...  GPSs... God's provision that is never too late.. nice people to work with... bobby pins... banks that stay open until 6pm... safety...

-I'm tired.  The secretary of my mind is complaining of too much overtime and is refusing to pull any more data for me.  I am going to stop before I say anything disgraceful.  Besides, I have to get up early in the morning.