Hey, I don’t smell!

No really, I don’t. And most likely it is a result of some very effective, albeit overzealous, Zycam swabs I used once for a cold during college. Much of my sense of smell was obliterated. After college I moved to the country in Arkansas and finally lived a dream of a home in the woods…only to be unable to smell the trees.

But it depends, it’s a blessing and a curse. For example, it was a blessing last Saturday when, in a thoroughly well-used port-a-potty, I smelled nothing. It was not such a blessing in my kitchen that night, when my toast burned to a crisp as I stood two feet away. I noticed nothing until I turned to see  it pop up, black as coal, a few discouraged-looking plumes of smoke issuing from the slots.

When confronted with flowers, I won’t get a whiff unless my face is an inch away and I take a good deep sniff. At that point something faintly floral makes it’s way inside and applies for recognition as a beautiful fragrance. Unfortunately it is often lost in translation.

It’s also difficult to pick up the full flavor of food. Again, with deep and fast inhale while I chew, the flavor will hit momentarily and remind me what it’s supposed to taste like.

There are many unpleasant smells I get right away, of course. Popcorn, skunks, feta cheese, etc.

But hey, I can’t complain! Of all the senses with which to have trouble, this is by far the best. I am so grateful to still be able to see amazing things and read, hear music and the voices of people I love, and feel the soft skin of my friends’ babies. God is good =)

“Anxiety Attacked”

In October of 2011 a guest speaker came to The Bible Church of Little Rock and I was blessed to hear a message from an old acquaintance from California, an Irish chap by the name of Philip DeCourcy. A powerful message on the topic of worry could not have come at a better time in my life. Here is a quote taken down in my notes that morning; hopefully it will challenge and encourage you as they did me.
He taught from Matthew 6.
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“The only thing the worrier has to look forward to is the worst thing that could happen actually happening.  Worry is practical atheism, an affront to God, and therefore the Christian must desist from it immediately.

‘Worry’ comes from two Greek words meaning ‘to divide the mind’. Divided, distracted, diffused, debilitated, and ill-equipped for life. In this state you can only bring a part of yourself to the problem before you. When genuine concern becomes knots in your stomach and in your soul that don’t glorify God, it becomes sinful worry. Your energies and thinking are dominated by this one thing.

Stop! It is inappropriate for a believer who lives in the presence of God, and it is not a malady to be cured with a pill.

Worry is not a solitary sin. It fathers others, such as discontentment. It’s a lot of work for nothing, and it unfits us for life.”