2009-12-01: Free e-day!: Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Mircles and Angels
A few days ago I was listening to a new program on WMCU, which focuses on the Miami Rescue Mission and the Broward facility, giving information on the work of this ministry. They also interview persons who have been through the program telling how their lives have been changed and how they them give back to others.
On this particular day, the man they interviewed was at a very low level; he had lost his family and was virtually homeless. He stopped in a place to get something to eat and met a man who told him he knew what he needed and would take him to the Miami Rescue Mission where he could get some help. The man rejected his offer of help and left the shop. Even though he rejected the offer of help, the man drove himself to the Mission. When he arrived, the same man who had offered to help him was standing outside the mission. The man came up to him and offered to take him inside, and this time the man accepted the offer of help. After going inside the mission, however, the man had a change of heart and left without talking to anyone.
When the man returned to his car, he found that his tires were flat and the car would not start. He then went back inside the mission and spoke with someone in the "in-take" area. He asked if they knew where the man was who had come inside with him a few minutes before. The persons there said that they had seen him (the home- less man) enter, but that he had been alone - no one was with him. The man allowed himself to be processed into the program and then went back outside to his car. The tires on his car were no longer flat, and the engine started immediately.
I'm sure you have figured out what really happened just as I did as I listened to the story - the man who met the addict in the shop and in front of the mission was an angel sent to give him the help and the direction he needed.
These events happened in the early 1990's, and the man's life was completely changed. He turned his life over to God shortly after entering the program, and over time his dependence on drugs/alcohol ended and he has gone on to live a productive life.
Undoubtedly, everyone who goes through the program does not achieve the same success as the man interviewed for that day's segment, but it was encouraging to hear his story. I've listened to other stories, where people have come to the Mission after being in treatment programs then relapsing into drug/alcohol use; at the Mission, they also have found success. Entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ seems to be a major component of the Mission's work, which of course makes perfect sense. God changes lives today if we allow Him to, just as He changed Saul's life so many years ago.
I hope you have benefited in some way by reading this story. Blessings to all!
On this particular day, the man they interviewed was at a very low level; he had lost his family and was virtually homeless. He stopped in a place to get something to eat and met a man who told him he knew what he needed and would take him to the Miami Rescue Mission where he could get some help. The man rejected his offer of help and left the shop. Even though he rejected the offer of help, the man drove himself to the Mission. When he arrived, the same man who had offered to help him was standing outside the mission. The man came up to him and offered to take him inside, and this time the man accepted the offer of help. After going inside the mission, however, the man had a change of heart and left without talking to anyone.
When the man returned to his car, he found that his tires were flat and the car would not start. He then went back inside the mission and spoke with someone in the "in-take" area. He asked if they knew where the man was who had come inside with him a few minutes before. The persons there said that they had seen him (the home- less man) enter, but that he had been alone - no one was with him. The man allowed himself to be processed into the program and then went back outside to his car. The tires on his car were no longer flat, and the engine started immediately.
I'm sure you have figured out what really happened just as I did as I listened to the story - the man who met the addict in the shop and in front of the mission was an angel sent to give him the help and the direction he needed.
These events happened in the early 1990's, and the man's life was completely changed. He turned his life over to God shortly after entering the program, and over time his dependence on drugs/alcohol ended and he has gone on to live a productive life.
Undoubtedly, everyone who goes through the program does not achieve the same success as the man interviewed for that day's segment, but it was encouraging to hear his story. I've listened to other stories, where people have come to the Mission after being in treatment programs then relapsing into drug/alcohol use; at the Mission, they also have found success. Entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ seems to be a major component of the Mission's work, which of course makes perfect sense. God changes lives today if we allow Him to, just as He changed Saul's life so many years ago.
I hope you have benefited in some way by reading this story. Blessings to all!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
"Marked"
Some time ago I wrote a post entitled, Convicted and Marked. I felt deeply about what I wrote then, and I still feel that way.
This morning, while driving in my car, I heard a portion of a Focus on the Family radio program on WMCU 1080AM and was strongly affected by what I heard. Phil Downer brought a message about the change God made in his life; here is a summary of what he said.
"At nineteen, Phil joined the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, and was shipped to South Vietnam. He saw death all around him, and it was not easy to deal with. At one point, he was an "ammo humper" - the person who carried the ammunition for the machine gunners. He received several promotions; one of these promotions moved him from "ammo humper" to machine gunner. For about two months, he carried the machine gun in heavy combat until he was promoted to Machine Gun Team Leader, which meant that the guy behind him now carried the machine gun. One of Phil's best friends, John Atkinson from up-state New York, was "the guy behind him." He became Phil's gunner and took over the responsibility of carrying the machine gun in battle.
One day, the men in Phil's group had to charge across an open field and make a left turn. Several men did this before Phil; then it was his turn. Phil's team, with his gunner leading the way, now had to make the same maneuver. Just as John made the left turn, two enemy snipers fired on them. Phil dove to the ground and returned fire. As he was falling, a bullet went through the pack on his back from bottom to top. At the same time, he felt a heavy weight fall on him; the weight turned out to be his friend John and Phil's old machine gun. All of the bullets, except the one that went harmlessly through Phil's pack, had hit John, and he was dead.
This was a very painful experience for Phil - to see his good friend dead on the ground. You can probably imagine his thought at this time - at least some of them. One of the first things Phil thought about was that John had just received a letter from his wife telling him that she was carrying their first child; John would never see this child. Then Phil realized that not only was John dead, but that John had died in Phil's place. Until the recent promotion - only three days earlier - Phil had been the machine gun carrier. You see, the snipers had let everyone go by, waiting for the machine gunner. Had the promotion not taken place, Phil would have been dead on the ground; and John might still have seen his child. Phil said that that moment "marked" his life.
When Phil's thirteen month tour was up, he went home and attempted to restart his life. He got back into college (though this was no easy task since he had flunked out of college before going to war), but this time he was successful; he became a lawyer. While in school, he met and married a young woman who also became a lawyer. They both found good jobs and were on their way to the life they dreamed of.
Earlier in his story, Phil had said that John Wayne's portrayal of war as a positive or noble experience was a lie. He mentioned John Wayne (I'm a big John Wayne fan) again at this point. He said that John Wayne's portrayal of true happiness coming from success, position and family was a lie. Phil seemed to have everything, but he was not happy. On the surface, everything was fine; deep inside, he was empty, restless. Nothing brought real fulfillment or joy even though he seemingly had it all. Phil said that he went from "hero to zero."
The pressure of his work got to him. As a trial lawyer, there was a lot riding on what he did; businesses and livelihoods depended on the outcome of the trials, and the responsibility of it affected him. He began to bring his problems, fears, frustrations, and anxieties home with him, and he took them out on his wife. He began to break all of the commitments he had made to his her. His temper was out of control; he broke furniture, punched holes in walls, and slammed the phone against the walls in anger. He never struck his wife, but he crushed her; he broke her heart.
At this point, he was invited by a fellow lawyer to go to a Christian retreat, but he said no. About a month later, his wife (who had never asked him to do anything just for her) asked him to go on the retreat. He agreed through he did not want to be there.
Initially, he did not participate in the retreat; he just sat at the back doing nothing. As the meetings progressed, the men began to share about the real issues of life, and this got Phil's attention. These men had gone through the same things Phil was going through. Then they explained to Phil that God love him, that God knew all about him and still loved him enough to send His Son to die for him. Phil had heard this before; but this time it meant something to him; it broke his heart, and he received Christ as Lord and Savior. Phil found a peace, joy and contentment beyond all description - a contentment that he had never known before.
The change in Phil was so complete that his wife immediately saw it, and she became a Christian as well. Despite his change and her conversion, his wife was not interested in being married to him any longer; she had been planning to divorce him for a long time and no longer loved him. As a new Christian though, Phil's wife began to pray that God would give her a new love for Phil; and over about a year and a half, God gave her that new love, and they rebuilt their marriage. Out of this change that they both experienced grew a ministry called DNA - Discipleship Network of America http://www.dnaministries.org/."
Phil had been on a road to nowhere, but God was watching and directing his path. For reasons we cannot understand, God spared Phil's life by allowing John to die in his place; thus leaving a mark on Phil that would eventually drive him so low that he would finally be able to see God and surrender to Him.
If we are marked by God, that is a good thing. Thank God for His love and forgiveness.
Blessings to all.
This morning, while driving in my car, I heard a portion of a Focus on the Family radio program on WMCU 1080AM and was strongly affected by what I heard. Phil Downer brought a message about the change God made in his life; here is a summary of what he said.
"At nineteen, Phil joined the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, and was shipped to South Vietnam. He saw death all around him, and it was not easy to deal with. At one point, he was an "ammo humper" - the person who carried the ammunition for the machine gunners. He received several promotions; one of these promotions moved him from "ammo humper" to machine gunner. For about two months, he carried the machine gun in heavy combat until he was promoted to Machine Gun Team Leader, which meant that the guy behind him now carried the machine gun. One of Phil's best friends, John Atkinson from up-state New York, was "the guy behind him." He became Phil's gunner and took over the responsibility of carrying the machine gun in battle.
One day, the men in Phil's group had to charge across an open field and make a left turn. Several men did this before Phil; then it was his turn. Phil's team, with his gunner leading the way, now had to make the same maneuver. Just as John made the left turn, two enemy snipers fired on them. Phil dove to the ground and returned fire. As he was falling, a bullet went through the pack on his back from bottom to top. At the same time, he felt a heavy weight fall on him; the weight turned out to be his friend John and Phil's old machine gun. All of the bullets, except the one that went harmlessly through Phil's pack, had hit John, and he was dead.
This was a very painful experience for Phil - to see his good friend dead on the ground. You can probably imagine his thought at this time - at least some of them. One of the first things Phil thought about was that John had just received a letter from his wife telling him that she was carrying their first child; John would never see this child. Then Phil realized that not only was John dead, but that John had died in Phil's place. Until the recent promotion - only three days earlier - Phil had been the machine gun carrier. You see, the snipers had let everyone go by, waiting for the machine gunner. Had the promotion not taken place, Phil would have been dead on the ground; and John might still have seen his child. Phil said that that moment "marked" his life.
When Phil's thirteen month tour was up, he went home and attempted to restart his life. He got back into college (though this was no easy task since he had flunked out of college before going to war), but this time he was successful; he became a lawyer. While in school, he met and married a young woman who also became a lawyer. They both found good jobs and were on their way to the life they dreamed of.
Earlier in his story, Phil had said that John Wayne's portrayal of war as a positive or noble experience was a lie. He mentioned John Wayne (I'm a big John Wayne fan) again at this point. He said that John Wayne's portrayal of true happiness coming from success, position and family was a lie. Phil seemed to have everything, but he was not happy. On the surface, everything was fine; deep inside, he was empty, restless. Nothing brought real fulfillment or joy even though he seemingly had it all. Phil said that he went from "hero to zero."
The pressure of his work got to him. As a trial lawyer, there was a lot riding on what he did; businesses and livelihoods depended on the outcome of the trials, and the responsibility of it affected him. He began to bring his problems, fears, frustrations, and anxieties home with him, and he took them out on his wife. He began to break all of the commitments he had made to his her. His temper was out of control; he broke furniture, punched holes in walls, and slammed the phone against the walls in anger. He never struck his wife, but he crushed her; he broke her heart.
At this point, he was invited by a fellow lawyer to go to a Christian retreat, but he said no. About a month later, his wife (who had never asked him to do anything just for her) asked him to go on the retreat. He agreed through he did not want to be there.
Initially, he did not participate in the retreat; he just sat at the back doing nothing. As the meetings progressed, the men began to share about the real issues of life, and this got Phil's attention. These men had gone through the same things Phil was going through. Then they explained to Phil that God love him, that God knew all about him and still loved him enough to send His Son to die for him. Phil had heard this before; but this time it meant something to him; it broke his heart, and he received Christ as Lord and Savior. Phil found a peace, joy and contentment beyond all description - a contentment that he had never known before.
The change in Phil was so complete that his wife immediately saw it, and she became a Christian as well. Despite his change and her conversion, his wife was not interested in being married to him any longer; she had been planning to divorce him for a long time and no longer loved him. As a new Christian though, Phil's wife began to pray that God would give her a new love for Phil; and over about a year and a half, God gave her that new love, and they rebuilt their marriage. Out of this change that they both experienced grew a ministry called DNA - Discipleship Network of America http://www.dnaministries.org/."
Phil had been on a road to nowhere, but God was watching and directing his path. For reasons we cannot understand, God spared Phil's life by allowing John to die in his place; thus leaving a mark on Phil that would eventually drive him so low that he would finally be able to see God and surrender to Him.
If we are marked by God, that is a good thing. Thank God for His love and forgiveness.
Blessings to all.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
"Inside My Head "
I DID NOT write this post. I wish I could write something as powerful as this, but I cannot. I came across the post this morning and wanted others to have the opportunity to read it as well (this would be in the dream world were multitudes would have the opportunity to see this; however, I am very aware that virtually no no one reads what I post (which may be a good thing) except my mother and sister, which means I can write what I want (to some degree) knowing that I am relatively safe - I do not want any comments on this post - that will just drive me further downhill.
The title of the blog is "Inside My Head," and it is written by Mary Hess. I can relate to what she has written because I know that for a major portion of my life I have had to "hold on to myself" to try to keep myself together - afraid that if I "let go," I may not be able to "put the pieces back together again." It takes a lot of energy to hold one's self together for years on end, and sometimes I am not sure if I can continue to do it. I have been on a downward spiral since returning from my trip this summer to where I live. I am finding it more and more difficult to "hold myself together" at work (and other places as well) - things are frustrating me to the point that I feel I may just "explode" though I will continue to try not to do this. I should probably
retire; however, that is not an option.
I too read a book a number of years ago that helped me when I had my first semi-serious bout with depression - I have been plagued with problem since my early teens - maybe even before that. The book was by Tim LaHay entitled How to Win Over Depression. Mind-thought were certainly a part of my problem since I replayed things over and over in my head, which only made things worse. After reading the book, I made an agreement with myself that when these thought came, I would give myself a few second to feel sorry for myself, and then push the thought aside and move on. I was successful to a significant degree using this technique; however, I have had some major depressions since then, unfortunately.
Please read what Mary has to say. You may not need this information for yourself, but it may help you to assist someone else.
Carolyn
Inside My Head (http//networkedblogs.com/p14588702)
Stressed
Phil. 4:8,9 - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - I will think on these things.
Ephesians 4:23, 24 - I will be made new in the attitude of my mind. And I will put on my new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
You know, so many of us - well, let’s be honest - ALL of us battle something in our minds -insecurities, trust issues, lust, lying, fear, negativity, depression - you name it, I bet we have each battled one, if not more of these things. And I’m sure I’m leaving the list way too short.
A few years ago, God really changed my life. It’s too much to type here but suffice it to say that the enemy had major control of my mind - to the point that I felt like I was going insane. How’s that for being real? ;) A friend of mine introduced me to a wonderful book by Joyce Meyer called The Battlefield of The Mind and I read it. And quite honestly, the book ticked me off. How dare someone tell me that I had control of my thought life? She obviously didn’t know what she was talking about. But the more I read, the more I saw that Joyce had been exactly where I was. And she did know what she was talking about.
It took a lot for me to push through my urges to make excuses as to why I couldn’t possibly get control of my own thought life - and a lot of prayer from close friends and my wonderful husband who had to endure a lot of attacks from the enemy - through me - because of the battle I was going through. But God’s grace prevailed. And so I chose - look at that word - I chose to change. I wrote down scriptures dealing with our minds and memorized them.
Every time a thought would come over me that wasn’t supposed to be there, I would say my scriptures out loud. I would sing songs - even if I had to make them up - that would lift up Jesus. I would choose to respond positively and not negatively. I kept myself accountable to my husband and to a few close friends. They would keep me in check if I started going down the wrong road again.
I hated having to do so much work to become free from this negative thought pattern. While I hated it, I loved it. Being broken and admitting there was so much junk in my life wasn’t fun. But it was necessary. And I’m thankful I did it. Many, many days all I could do was say, “Jesus, please give me strength to do this.”
You see, we live in a time where people expect to get everything quickly. We forget that some things we really have to work for. When you work for something, chances are you appreciate the end results even more than if it was just handed to you, right? God knows that about us of course! He created us! So, there are times in our Christian walk we have to push through on purpose to get the victory in a battle. And it isn’t easy. And there will be battle wounds - wounds that turn into scars. But those scars will definitely remind us where we came from and help us to toughen up for the next battle!
So I encourage you today to take inventory of your thought life. Are there things you allow to dwell there that aren’t pleasing to God? There’s a saying I’ve heard my entire life: “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you sure can keep it from building a nest in your hair.”
While that sounds silly, it’s very applicable to what I’m talking about today. I can’t stop a thought from going through my mind, but I sure can keep myself from dwelling on it. The enemy places the thought there and then waits to watch for your reaction to it. If he continually sees you reacting the opposite of that thought he’ll move on to some other tactic.
Even today, I still have times where it will try and trip me up again. I haven’t reached perfection in this area of my life. But I make sure to keep quoting those scriptures (I carry index cards in my purse with them written on it), sing those songs, pray those prayers and hold myself accountable to those I’ve entrusted with my life. Together we make a GREAT army for God! And we need each other!
Here are a few scriptures (taken from NIV) that I have used to help me. I’ve tweaked them a bit to be more personal but the overall theme is there. I hope they help you as much as they have me.
Ephesians 4:23, 24 - I will be made new in the attitude of my mind. And I will put on my new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep me in perfect peace because my mind is steadfast and I trust in You.
I Corinthians 2:16b - I have the mind of Christ.
Romans 12:2 - I will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind.
I Peter 1:13 - I will prepare my mind for action. I will be self-controlled. I will set my hope fully on the grace to be given to me when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Phil. 4:8,9 - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - I will think on these things.
I Peter 5:8, 9 - I will be self-controlled and alert - the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour me. I will resist him and stand firm in the faith.
I Corinthians 14:15 - So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
Ephesians 6:12 - My struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers to this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
II Corinthians 10:4, 5 - The weapons I fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. I demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God . . . and I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
About the author of this "posted post"-
Hess,Mary - Mary Hess is a thirty-something mom to 2 beautiful girls (13 & 2) and wife to an amazing man! She has been involved in ministry for most of her life teaching, leading worship and serving wherever needed. She and her husband own Purses and Such and have been enjoying learning how to run a successful business of their own. Her most recent adventure has been to re-enroll in college to finish her degree in Psychology: Christian Counseling. Hopefully by the time her youngest daughter is in school she will have her Masters Degree and be on her way to completing her doctorate. While all of these things are important to her, Mary stresses that her main purpose in life is simply to pursue God. Wherever He takes her and whatever He wants her to do is her ultimate desire.
Blessings to all - Carolyn
The title of the blog is "Inside My Head," and it is written by Mary Hess. I can relate to what she has written because I know that for a major portion of my life I have had to "hold on to myself" to try to keep myself together - afraid that if I "let go," I may not be able to "put the pieces back together again." It takes a lot of energy to hold one's self together for years on end, and sometimes I am not sure if I can continue to do it. I have been on a downward spiral since returning from my trip this summer to where I live. I am finding it more and more difficult to "hold myself together" at work (and other places as well) - things are frustrating me to the point that I feel I may just "explode" though I will continue to try not to do this. I should probably
retire; however, that is not an option.
I too read a book a number of years ago that helped me when I had my first semi-serious bout with depression - I have been plagued with problem since my early teens - maybe even before that. The book was by Tim LaHay entitled How to Win Over Depression. Mind-thought were certainly a part of my problem since I replayed things over and over in my head, which only made things worse. After reading the book, I made an agreement with myself that when these thought came, I would give myself a few second to feel sorry for myself, and then push the thought aside and move on. I was successful to a significant degree using this technique; however, I have had some major depressions since then, unfortunately.
Please read what Mary has to say. You may not need this information for yourself, but it may help you to assist someone else.
Carolyn
Inside My Head (http//networkedblogs.com/p14588702)
Stressed
Phil. 4:8,9 - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - I will think on these things.
Ephesians 4:23, 24 - I will be made new in the attitude of my mind. And I will put on my new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
You know, so many of us - well, let’s be honest - ALL of us battle something in our minds -insecurities, trust issues, lust, lying, fear, negativity, depression - you name it, I bet we have each battled one, if not more of these things. And I’m sure I’m leaving the list way too short.
A few years ago, God really changed my life. It’s too much to type here but suffice it to say that the enemy had major control of my mind - to the point that I felt like I was going insane. How’s that for being real? ;) A friend of mine introduced me to a wonderful book by Joyce Meyer called The Battlefield of The Mind and I read it. And quite honestly, the book ticked me off. How dare someone tell me that I had control of my thought life? She obviously didn’t know what she was talking about. But the more I read, the more I saw that Joyce had been exactly where I was. And she did know what she was talking about.
It took a lot for me to push through my urges to make excuses as to why I couldn’t possibly get control of my own thought life - and a lot of prayer from close friends and my wonderful husband who had to endure a lot of attacks from the enemy - through me - because of the battle I was going through. But God’s grace prevailed. And so I chose - look at that word - I chose to change. I wrote down scriptures dealing with our minds and memorized them.
Every time a thought would come over me that wasn’t supposed to be there, I would say my scriptures out loud. I would sing songs - even if I had to make them up - that would lift up Jesus. I would choose to respond positively and not negatively. I kept myself accountable to my husband and to a few close friends. They would keep me in check if I started going down the wrong road again.
I hated having to do so much work to become free from this negative thought pattern. While I hated it, I loved it. Being broken and admitting there was so much junk in my life wasn’t fun. But it was necessary. And I’m thankful I did it. Many, many days all I could do was say, “Jesus, please give me strength to do this.”
You see, we live in a time where people expect to get everything quickly. We forget that some things we really have to work for. When you work for something, chances are you appreciate the end results even more than if it was just handed to you, right? God knows that about us of course! He created us! So, there are times in our Christian walk we have to push through on purpose to get the victory in a battle. And it isn’t easy. And there will be battle wounds - wounds that turn into scars. But those scars will definitely remind us where we came from and help us to toughen up for the next battle!
So I encourage you today to take inventory of your thought life. Are there things you allow to dwell there that aren’t pleasing to God? There’s a saying I’ve heard my entire life: “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you sure can keep it from building a nest in your hair.”
While that sounds silly, it’s very applicable to what I’m talking about today. I can’t stop a thought from going through my mind, but I sure can keep myself from dwelling on it. The enemy places the thought there and then waits to watch for your reaction to it. If he continually sees you reacting the opposite of that thought he’ll move on to some other tactic.
Even today, I still have times where it will try and trip me up again. I haven’t reached perfection in this area of my life. But I make sure to keep quoting those scriptures (I carry index cards in my purse with them written on it), sing those songs, pray those prayers and hold myself accountable to those I’ve entrusted with my life. Together we make a GREAT army for God! And we need each other!
Here are a few scriptures (taken from NIV) that I have used to help me. I’ve tweaked them a bit to be more personal but the overall theme is there. I hope they help you as much as they have me.
Ephesians 4:23, 24 - I will be made new in the attitude of my mind. And I will put on my new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep me in perfect peace because my mind is steadfast and I trust in You.
I Corinthians 2:16b - I have the mind of Christ.
Romans 12:2 - I will not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but I will be transformed by the renewing of my mind.
I Peter 1:13 - I will prepare my mind for action. I will be self-controlled. I will set my hope fully on the grace to be given to me when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Phil. 4:8,9 - Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - I will think on these things.
I Peter 5:8, 9 - I will be self-controlled and alert - the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour me. I will resist him and stand firm in the faith.
I Corinthians 14:15 - So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
Ephesians 6:12 - My struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers to this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
II Corinthians 10:4, 5 - The weapons I fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. I demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God . . . and I take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
About the author of this "posted post"-
Hess,Mary - Mary Hess is a thirty-something mom to 2 beautiful girls (13 & 2) and wife to an amazing man! She has been involved in ministry for most of her life teaching, leading worship and serving wherever needed. She and her husband own Purses and Such and have been enjoying learning how to run a successful business of their own. Her most recent adventure has been to re-enroll in college to finish her degree in Psychology: Christian Counseling. Hopefully by the time her youngest daughter is in school she will have her Masters Degree and be on her way to completing her doctorate. While all of these things are important to her, Mary stresses that her main purpose in life is simply to pursue God. Wherever He takes her and whatever He wants her to do is her ultimate desire.
Blessings to all - Carolyn
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Caterpillar Turned.......
Finally, I have something new to write about the beautiful caterpillar I wrote about some time ago. He formed the chrysalis about three weeks ago, and all we could do was wait to see if he would become a butterfly or die from trying to complete the metamorphosis in captivity. According to what I could learn via the Internet, the change should have taken about two weeks.
Well, two weeks came and went, and I had just about given up hope when I got word that the new creature was here. Since the caterpillar was so beautiful, I assumed the butterfly would be fabulous as well - a true thing of beauty. Well, he is beautiful; however, not at all what we expected.
The butterfly is not a butterfly; he is a moth - a big, grey one. He is still beautiful though - just not what we expected. Have a look -
This was a good experience; I'm glad I was able to have a part in it.
Well, two weeks came and went, and I had just about given up hope when I got word that the new creature was here. Since the caterpillar was so beautiful, I assumed the butterfly would be fabulous as well - a true thing of beauty. Well, he is beautiful; however, not at all what we expected.
The butterfly is not a butterfly; he is a moth - a big, grey one. He is still beautiful though - just not what we expected. Have a look -
This was a good experience; I'm glad I was able to have a part in it.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Just What I Needed
This will be a multifaceted/disjointed post, but one that makes sense to me.
First, our Bible study group is going to take responsibility for the Sunday evening service just after Thanksgiving. Each of us is supposed to select a hymn or chorus, tell why is it meaningful to us and, I hope, tell something special we got from the study on Philippians that we will complete this coming Thursday.
I have two songs I want to share. The first is El Shaddai, which I think is beautiful. I want to be sure that everyone knows what the words to the song really mean. The second one is "Shout To the Lord," which I also think is beautiful. I found the words to the song yesterday but wanted to find the music as well; I thought I knew exactly where it was but I was wrong. I couldn't find it.
I had a really bad day today. That is an exaggeration, of course; though I quickly became out of sorts as the day wore on and one problem/complication after another reared it ugly head. I would love to have packed my bag, hopped a plane, and gone somewhere - almost anywhere - but wait, that's how I feel most days. I didn't go anywhere, of course, though I did take my bad mood home with me.
Since I didn't have to fix dinner - Franklin had decided to eat cereal before I got home - I started looking for the sheet music again and actually found it pretty quickly. I found something else as well, and that is what I want to share in this post. What I found is really silly, but it made me laugh. I hope you will get a laugh from it as well.
The following is an email I received in April of 2001 from "Mikey's Funnies."
Medical Daffynitions
Artery: The study of painting
Bacteria: The back door of the cafeteria
Barium: What doctors do when their patients die
Bowel: A letter like A, E, I, O or U
Caesarean Section: A neighborhood in Rome
CAT Scan: Searching for a kitty
Cauterize: To make eye contact with a girl
Coma: A punctuation mark
Enema: Someone who is not your friend
Fester: Quicker
Fibula: A little lie
Labor Pain: When you get hurt at work
Nitrates: Cheaper than day rates
Node: Was aware of
Outpatient: A patient who fainted
Pelvis: An Elvis impersonator
Recovery Room: A place to do upholstery
Secretion: Something you don't want anyone to know
Seizure: A Roman emperor
Tablet: A small table
Terminal: Where the planes land
Urine: Opposite of "you're out"
Varicose: Nearby
Vein: To be conceited
Hope you found something in this funny enough to make you laugh!
First, our Bible study group is going to take responsibility for the Sunday evening service just after Thanksgiving. Each of us is supposed to select a hymn or chorus, tell why is it meaningful to us and, I hope, tell something special we got from the study on Philippians that we will complete this coming Thursday.
I have two songs I want to share. The first is El Shaddai, which I think is beautiful. I want to be sure that everyone knows what the words to the song really mean. The second one is "Shout To the Lord," which I also think is beautiful. I found the words to the song yesterday but wanted to find the music as well; I thought I knew exactly where it was but I was wrong. I couldn't find it.
I had a really bad day today. That is an exaggeration, of course; though I quickly became out of sorts as the day wore on and one problem/complication after another reared it ugly head. I would love to have packed my bag, hopped a plane, and gone somewhere - almost anywhere - but wait, that's how I feel most days. I didn't go anywhere, of course, though I did take my bad mood home with me.
Since I didn't have to fix dinner - Franklin had decided to eat cereal before I got home - I started looking for the sheet music again and actually found it pretty quickly. I found something else as well, and that is what I want to share in this post. What I found is really silly, but it made me laugh. I hope you will get a laugh from it as well.
The following is an email I received in April of 2001 from "Mikey's Funnies."
Medical Daffynitions
Artery: The study of painting
Bacteria: The back door of the cafeteria
Barium: What doctors do when their patients die
Bowel: A letter like A, E, I, O or U
Caesarean Section: A neighborhood in Rome
CAT Scan: Searching for a kitty
Cauterize: To make eye contact with a girl
Coma: A punctuation mark
Enema: Someone who is not your friend
Fester: Quicker
Fibula: A little lie
Labor Pain: When you get hurt at work
Nitrates: Cheaper than day rates
Node: Was aware of
Outpatient: A patient who fainted
Pelvis: An Elvis impersonator
Recovery Room: A place to do upholstery
Secretion: Something you don't want anyone to know
Seizure: A Roman emperor
Tablet: A small table
Terminal: Where the planes land
Urine: Opposite of "you're out"
Varicose: Nearby
Vein: To be conceited
Hope you found something in this funny enough to make you laugh!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
As I See It
As I pulled into my parking space after lunch today (after church), the Don Moen Show had just come on the air, and an interview between Don and one of his band members was starting. Just before the interview began, the announcer mentioned how close the band members were and how they supported one another through difficult times. The man Don was interviewing had just lost his fourth daughter and was telling about the circumstances of that loss.
The family had three daughters - six year old twins and a three year old. They had learned of the new pregnancy and that there might be some complications - a small possibility of Down Syndrome. As they were on their way to see the doctor, the man's prayer was, "Please don't let her have Down Syndrome."
Upon arriving at the doctor's office, they learned that Down Syndrome was not the problem - something much worse was going on. The prayer then was no longer, "Please don't let her have Down Syndrome"; now it was, "Please let our daughter live." There was a problem with the baby's kidneys, and amniotic fluid was not being produced. The parents were told that the baby could not survive; without amniotic fluid, she would be crushed. If she were delivered alive, she would take perhaps one breath, gasp, and then die very painfully.
The parents were torn; they did not know what to do? They wanted to do what would be the most humane. The doctor was very kind. His nurse, who had lost several babies to very serious health problems and to abortion as a result of health problems, was in tears and very sympathetic to their plight. The man asked the nurse what she would do in their situation, and she said she would choose abortion.
This couple knew of persons who had been told by doctors that their child had no chance of life or meaningful life; yet when the child was born, there were no problems. In other situations, the problems were not nearly as serious as anticipated. They decided to allow the pregnancy to continue until the baby was viable, and she was born at thirty-two weeks.
The serious problems were there, and their daughter did die. However, they had two and one half very peaceful hours with their baby. Her three sisters were all able to see her and to hold her for a brief period of time. The baby did not suffer in her death as they had been told she would. She slipped away with her loving family at her side.
This story is both sad and happy at the same time. The family suffered a devastating loss, but they have beautiful memories of this little girl and no regrets about the part they played in her life and death. This story touched me, and I wanted to share it with you.
Blessings to all!
The family had three daughters - six year old twins and a three year old. They had learned of the new pregnancy and that there might be some complications - a small possibility of Down Syndrome. As they were on their way to see the doctor, the man's prayer was, "Please don't let her have Down Syndrome."
Upon arriving at the doctor's office, they learned that Down Syndrome was not the problem - something much worse was going on. The prayer then was no longer, "Please don't let her have Down Syndrome"; now it was, "Please let our daughter live." There was a problem with the baby's kidneys, and amniotic fluid was not being produced. The parents were told that the baby could not survive; without amniotic fluid, she would be crushed. If she were delivered alive, she would take perhaps one breath, gasp, and then die very painfully.
The parents were torn; they did not know what to do? They wanted to do what would be the most humane. The doctor was very kind. His nurse, who had lost several babies to very serious health problems and to abortion as a result of health problems, was in tears and very sympathetic to their plight. The man asked the nurse what she would do in their situation, and she said she would choose abortion.
This couple knew of persons who had been told by doctors that their child had no chance of life or meaningful life; yet when the child was born, there were no problems. In other situations, the problems were not nearly as serious as anticipated. They decided to allow the pregnancy to continue until the baby was viable, and she was born at thirty-two weeks.
The serious problems were there, and their daughter did die. However, they had two and one half very peaceful hours with their baby. Her three sisters were all able to see her and to hold her for a brief period of time. The baby did not suffer in her death as they had been told she would. She slipped away with her loving family at her side.
This story is both sad and happy at the same time. The family suffered a devastating loss, but they have beautiful memories of this little girl and no regrets about the part they played in her life and death. This story touched me, and I wanted to share it with you.
Blessings to all!
Design
I've just spent about ten minutes trying to pick a new template - a new look for my blog. It's not that I don't like the old one, I would just like to make some slight changes in it. I looked at, selected, and tried out several of the options available; however, I ended up going right back to my original. I like some of the templates that have a dark background; however, the light type on the dark background can be hard on the eyes; therefore, I discarded those options. Perhaps there are more templates available that I am not aware of; I'll keep looking.
Hypocrisy and the Church
I read an interesting article this morning by R. C. Sproul about the church and hypocrisy. Over the years, I've frequently heard persons complain that they do not want to attend church because it is filled with hypocrites. My basic response (non-verbal) to this is that this complaint is a convenient excuse. None of us is perfect; therefore, the church is filled with imperfect persons. I've also heard it said that if one finds a perfect church, he should not join it since it would then cease to be perfect.
A hypocrite is (in my opinion) one who is commits a particular sin and says he does not, one who lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while pretending he isn't, or lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while criticizing others for living that same lifestyle, or one who professes to be perfect while knowing that he is living a very imperfect life. The explanation could go on and on; however, I am sure you get the point.
Hypocrisy is a sin; there is no question about that, and because none of us is perfect, we sin. We do not all commit the sin of hypocrisy (at least not all the time or all at the same time); therefore, the church (while filled with sinners) is not necessarily filled with hypocrites. Christians are sinners who came face to face with Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and accepted His gift of salvation. This does not make us perfect; however, God now sees us as perfect, since He sees us covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The church is filled with imperfect persons who, if they are genuine Christians (saved by the grace of God and with Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives), join together to worship God, serve others, support and encourage (edify) one another as we grow in our faith and move toward sanctification (something I believe none of us will reach until God takes us home). The church can be a very good place to be, though one has to be diligent to find a church that follows Scripture. The church can be of great assistance to the individual, and the individual has a responsibility to be of assistance to the Church - the body of Christ. Fellowship with true believers, while not without risk since we are not perfect, can be a blessing to us as God (at least in part) intended it to be.
Blessings to all!
A hypocrite is (in my opinion) one who is commits a particular sin and says he does not, one who lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while pretending he isn't, or lives a particular (sinful) lifestyle while criticizing others for living that same lifestyle, or one who professes to be perfect while knowing that he is living a very imperfect life. The explanation could go on and on; however, I am sure you get the point.
Hypocrisy is a sin; there is no question about that, and because none of us is perfect, we sin. We do not all commit the sin of hypocrisy (at least not all the time or all at the same time); therefore, the church (while filled with sinners) is not necessarily filled with hypocrites. Christians are sinners who came face to face with Jesus Christ, repented of their sins and accepted His gift of salvation. This does not make us perfect; however, God now sees us as perfect, since He sees us covered by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The church is filled with imperfect persons who, if they are genuine Christians (saved by the grace of God and with Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives), join together to worship God, serve others, support and encourage (edify) one another as we grow in our faith and move toward sanctification (something I believe none of us will reach until God takes us home). The church can be a very good place to be, though one has to be diligent to find a church that follows Scripture. The church can be of great assistance to the individual, and the individual has a responsibility to be of assistance to the Church - the body of Christ. Fellowship with true believers, while not without risk since we are not perfect, can be a blessing to us as God (at least in part) intended it to be.
Blessings to all!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Timely Words
The following is an excerpt from -Andrew Murray, Humility. I found this on Beth Beutler's blog, which you can read at http://networkedblogs.com/p14547069
Something about...when trouble comes Beth Beutler
I saw this on DonnaPartow.com today and it is timely for me. Perhaps it would be for you, too. I hope it blesses you.
In time of trouble say:
First, He brought me here.
It is by His will I am in this place
In that, I will rest.
Next, He will keep me in His love
And give me grace to behave
As His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing
Teaching me the lessons he means me to learn
And working in me the grace he intends for me.
Last, in His good time
He can bring me out again
How and when only He knows.
Say: I am here
By God’s appointment
In God’s keeping
Under His training
For his time.
-Andrew Murray, Humility
Something about...when trouble comes Beth Beutler
I saw this on DonnaPartow.com today and it is timely for me. Perhaps it would be for you, too. I hope it blesses you.
In time of trouble say:
First, He brought me here.
It is by His will I am in this place
In that, I will rest.
Next, He will keep me in His love
And give me grace to behave
As His child.
Then, He will make the trial a blessing
Teaching me the lessons he means me to learn
And working in me the grace he intends for me.
Last, in His good time
He can bring me out again
How and when only He knows.
Say: I am here
By God’s appointment
In God’s keeping
Under His training
For his time.
-Andrew Murray, Humility
Thursday, October 8, 2009
A Post by Lucy Ann Moll
Licorice Lies, Truffle Truth
Got food issues? This is the second of three posts on food addiction. Let’s face it together.
The licorice lie: Food makes me happy.
Yeah, right. Food makes me happy for, like, ten minutes.
The truffle truth: God gave us food to enjoy.
Say what? I enjoy food too much. Too much chocolate, too many chocolate-chip bagels. I’m too depressed NOT to eat because at least for a few minutes I don’t have to feel. I’m sick of feeling hurt. I’m sick of feeling lonely. I’m sick of sick. I’m sick of me.
Does this sound familiar?
You may have swallowed licorice lies whole. Now they are worming their sticky sweetness into your thoughts and emotions. Not pretty.
Elyse Fitzpatrick writes in Idols of the Heart, “Let’s face it: we’re glutted on the joys and pleasures of the world, and our minds remain unconvinced that the joy of the Master is all that much better. ‘The attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things’ (Mark 4:19 TLB) crowd out love for God.”
So how do you become convinced to put food in its proper place?
1. Pray. Heart-humbling, Spirit-led and regular confession and repentance are the only weapons that weaken the stronghold of idolatrous thoughts and desires. When you or I confess our neediness and sin, God gives us grace. It’s a promise. The apostle Peter wrote, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Follow your confession with repentance. Think of repentance as a U-turn. You’ve been going in one direction, dangerously close to the edge of ice cream mountain. Now you’ve realized your error and confessed it. You turn the opposite direction and follow God into the spiritual Promised Land of abundant joy. Here you desire what God desires, and what he desires is your obedience because he knows what you need: Him.
2. Put to death your food idol. By the power of the Holy Spirit – you won’t be able to do it on your own – determine to honor God in your thoughts and actions.
An example: You catch your reflection in the mirror and begin to trash-talk (i.e., “you’re so ugly” or “you won’t succeed at loving yourself thin”). Say to yourself, “This is a lie. I am made in the image of God. I have beauty and value.” And, “With God’s help, I will succeed and love myself well. And if I slim down, great.”
Another example: After a stressful workday, you don’t feel like eating well. You want to pick up a carton of ice cream, turn on the TV and tune out. Though tempted, you can choose a route home that steers you clear of grocery stores. Once home, you can pop an easy meal into the microwave and enjoy it, guiltlessly.
3. Put on praise. Let me illustrate with another example. Julie ate when she felt lonely. The lonelier she felt, the more she turned to food for comfort. The comfort lasted a moment, then she felt mortified and desired more comfort from more food.
A Christian, she confessed her sin of turning to an idol (food) instead of God, who promises to be with her always. Then she did a U-turn and walked away from the pantry. Recognizing that she is not alone, even though she often feels lonely, she sang praise choruses.
While these three steps sound easy – a child can learn them – follow-through is tough. Old patterns hang on like stubborn stains. Satan tempts you where you are weakest. Your sin nature still wants its food NOW.
So what’s a girl to do?
Pray. Put to death your food idol. Put on praise.
As. Long. As. It. Takes.
In the end, this is the question you must ask: Whom do I love most? When you continually believe that God loves you and wants your very best, you will choose him over anything. . .even chocolate.
Lucy is a Christian counselor with a real love for hurting women. Check out her blogs. If the problem doesn't fit you, you may be able to help someone else by reading what Lucy has to say.
Blessings to all.
Got food issues? This is the second of three posts on food addiction. Let’s face it together.
The licorice lie: Food makes me happy.
Yeah, right. Food makes me happy for, like, ten minutes.
The truffle truth: God gave us food to enjoy.
Say what? I enjoy food too much. Too much chocolate, too many chocolate-chip bagels. I’m too depressed NOT to eat because at least for a few minutes I don’t have to feel. I’m sick of feeling hurt. I’m sick of feeling lonely. I’m sick of sick. I’m sick of me.
Does this sound familiar?
You may have swallowed licorice lies whole. Now they are worming their sticky sweetness into your thoughts and emotions. Not pretty.
Elyse Fitzpatrick writes in Idols of the Heart, “Let’s face it: we’re glutted on the joys and pleasures of the world, and our minds remain unconvinced that the joy of the Master is all that much better. ‘The attractions of this world and the delights of wealth, and the search for success and lure of nice things’ (Mark 4:19 TLB) crowd out love for God.”
So how do you become convinced to put food in its proper place?
1. Pray. Heart-humbling, Spirit-led and regular confession and repentance are the only weapons that weaken the stronghold of idolatrous thoughts and desires. When you or I confess our neediness and sin, God gives us grace. It’s a promise. The apostle Peter wrote, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Follow your confession with repentance. Think of repentance as a U-turn. You’ve been going in one direction, dangerously close to the edge of ice cream mountain. Now you’ve realized your error and confessed it. You turn the opposite direction and follow God into the spiritual Promised Land of abundant joy. Here you desire what God desires, and what he desires is your obedience because he knows what you need: Him.
2. Put to death your food idol. By the power of the Holy Spirit – you won’t be able to do it on your own – determine to honor God in your thoughts and actions.
An example: You catch your reflection in the mirror and begin to trash-talk (i.e., “you’re so ugly” or “you won’t succeed at loving yourself thin”). Say to yourself, “This is a lie. I am made in the image of God. I have beauty and value.” And, “With God’s help, I will succeed and love myself well. And if I slim down, great.”
Another example: After a stressful workday, you don’t feel like eating well. You want to pick up a carton of ice cream, turn on the TV and tune out. Though tempted, you can choose a route home that steers you clear of grocery stores. Once home, you can pop an easy meal into the microwave and enjoy it, guiltlessly.
3. Put on praise. Let me illustrate with another example. Julie ate when she felt lonely. The lonelier she felt, the more she turned to food for comfort. The comfort lasted a moment, then she felt mortified and desired more comfort from more food.
A Christian, she confessed her sin of turning to an idol (food) instead of God, who promises to be with her always. Then she did a U-turn and walked away from the pantry. Recognizing that she is not alone, even though she often feels lonely, she sang praise choruses.
While these three steps sound easy – a child can learn them – follow-through is tough. Old patterns hang on like stubborn stains. Satan tempts you where you are weakest. Your sin nature still wants its food NOW.
So what’s a girl to do?
Pray. Put to death your food idol. Put on praise.
As. Long. As. It. Takes.
In the end, this is the question you must ask: Whom do I love most? When you continually believe that God loves you and wants your very best, you will choose him over anything. . .even chocolate.
Lucy is a Christian counselor with a real love for hurting women. Check out her blogs. If the problem doesn't fit you, you may be able to help someone else by reading what Lucy has to say.
Blessings to all.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
He's Still Beautiful
Our caterpillar is still beautiful, but things are changing. We knew this would happen, but perhaps did not realize just how quickly the process would begin. Yesterday Bob was very active, crawling up, down, and around his living space. He even enjoyed crawling up and down one person's arm with no hint of fear. He seemed so alert, so alive!
Today, from the very beginning, things were different. When touched, he recoiled almost as if in horror; throughout the day he was almost completely inactive. We checked on him frequently, like good nurses checking on a patient in ICU. I gently moved the container once or twice (ever so gently) to make sure he was still alive since we couldn't hook him up to anything to check his vital signs, and he moved ever so slightly, letting me know he was still with us. One of our fears was that by keeping him in captivity, he might die rather than live out the appointed life God gave him in his natural environment.
Throughout the day he almost seemed to be "nesting." Despite his seeming inactivity, he managed to get his leaves situated as they needed to be, and by five o'clock I could see tiny, delicate strands that he apparently produced as part of God's plan for the change that has already begun to take place. I wanted to take a picture of him; however, my camera is really not designed for the type of close up I would need to take. Also, I was afraid of how the flash might affect him.
I don't know what tomorrow will bring; I don't get to babysit him at night. I think we'll see much more of a cocoon - maybe it will be complete or perhaps just partially complete by tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will bring, though I feel sad at what I perceive as the end of Bob's life. I know that he is really not dying, just moving on to a new stage in his existence.
Bob's story is really a miniature of our own lives as God has ordained them to be. God has created us; and throughout our lives, we will change. If we heed God's call, we will become new creatures while still in our earthly bodies. We will be changed, and some of those changes should be visible to others. As we near the end of our earthly lives (assuming we do not meet an untimely end), we will probably begin to slow down (though it will probably not be an overnight event as it was for the caterpillar), and people may even comment later that they saw signs of our lives drawing to an end, changes in our behavior. And just as the caterpillar will not die but will instead be renewed into a new life, we too will not truly die. We will move from our earthly life in our earthly bodies to a new body that will never die and life eternal with Jesus Christ in Heaven.
Isn't it amazing how God gives us this glimpse of his eternal plan for us in the life of a little caterpillar?
Blessings to all.
Today, from the very beginning, things were different. When touched, he recoiled almost as if in horror; throughout the day he was almost completely inactive. We checked on him frequently, like good nurses checking on a patient in ICU. I gently moved the container once or twice (ever so gently) to make sure he was still alive since we couldn't hook him up to anything to check his vital signs, and he moved ever so slightly, letting me know he was still with us. One of our fears was that by keeping him in captivity, he might die rather than live out the appointed life God gave him in his natural environment.
Throughout the day he almost seemed to be "nesting." Despite his seeming inactivity, he managed to get his leaves situated as they needed to be, and by five o'clock I could see tiny, delicate strands that he apparently produced as part of God's plan for the change that has already begun to take place. I wanted to take a picture of him; however, my camera is really not designed for the type of close up I would need to take. Also, I was afraid of how the flash might affect him.
I don't know what tomorrow will bring; I don't get to babysit him at night. I think we'll see much more of a cocoon - maybe it will be complete or perhaps just partially complete by tomorrow morning. I'm looking forward to what tomorrow will bring, though I feel sad at what I perceive as the end of Bob's life. I know that he is really not dying, just moving on to a new stage in his existence.
Bob's story is really a miniature of our own lives as God has ordained them to be. God has created us; and throughout our lives, we will change. If we heed God's call, we will become new creatures while still in our earthly bodies. We will be changed, and some of those changes should be visible to others. As we near the end of our earthly lives (assuming we do not meet an untimely end), we will probably begin to slow down (though it will probably not be an overnight event as it was for the caterpillar), and people may even comment later that they saw signs of our lives drawing to an end, changes in our behavior. And just as the caterpillar will not die but will instead be renewed into a new life, we too will not truly die. We will move from our earthly life in our earthly bodies to a new body that will never die and life eternal with Jesus Christ in Heaven.
Isn't it amazing how God gives us this glimpse of his eternal plan for us in the life of a little caterpillar?
Blessings to all.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Something Beautiful!
I know there is beauty all around us, but we (I) often do not take the time to notice it. The beautiful things of life are sometimes overlooked - sometimes until it is too late.
This week I had the privilege of seeing something that I found to be truly beautiful - breathtaking! I may have walked past it many times without noticing it, or past something very similar to it; however, fortunately, a little boy took the time to make sure that the busy adults took notice of this beautiful creature.
This is what I am talking about -
The coloring is so striking, so fantastic, that the caterpillar doesn't look real.
As you can see, the caterpillar has broad black bands with more narrow pale yellow stripes. Its head, tail (back end) and under parts (feet) are orange. It eats leaves and spends a lot of time crawling around among the leaves and up and down the strong stems/branches that are in the bottle He moves very quickly and has no fear of people.
I've always said that the miracle of a baby should be all the proof anyone needs to know that God exists. I think this little caterpillar is further proof that there is a magnificent God who created all living things. No big bang or theory of evolution could have set in motion the beauty and the wonder of life that we have on earth. Yes, we have messed it up; but God's creation was perfect and as we look around us we find glimpses of it to remind of of Him.
Blessings to all! I hope yo enjoy the pictures.
Look at this one -
this one -
and this one -
By the way, his name is Bob.
This week I had the privilege of seeing something that I found to be truly beautiful - breathtaking! I may have walked past it many times without noticing it, or past something very similar to it; however, fortunately, a little boy took the time to make sure that the busy adults took notice of this beautiful creature.
This is what I am talking about -
The coloring is so striking, so fantastic, that the caterpillar doesn't look real.
As you can see, the caterpillar has broad black bands with more narrow pale yellow stripes. Its head, tail (back end) and under parts (feet) are orange. It eats leaves and spends a lot of time crawling around among the leaves and up and down the strong stems/branches that are in the bottle He moves very quickly and has no fear of people.
I've always said that the miracle of a baby should be all the proof anyone needs to know that God exists. I think this little caterpillar is further proof that there is a magnificent God who created all living things. No big bang or theory of evolution could have set in motion the beauty and the wonder of life that we have on earth. Yes, we have messed it up; but God's creation was perfect and as we look around us we find glimpses of it to remind of of Him.
Blessings to all! I hope yo enjoy the pictures.
Look at this one -
this one -
and this one -
By the way, his name is Bob.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Competitive Spirit - Part II
I was in two other races that stand out in my mind (they may have been the only two other races I was in - I don't really remember). One was in Boonville - beginning and ending in Harley Park; the other one was in a near by town though I do not remember the name. The second one stands out because I won a medal in my division - over thirty or thirty-five. Of course, there were only a few of us in that category, but that was all right; I still won a medal. My grandson Julian has it now; I usually see the medal at some point during a visit to his home.
The Boonville race stands out in my mind because my dislike of being "put down" by men became evident during that race. One of my favorite songs in those days was "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" by Helen Reddy; I didn't like the chauvinistic attitude prevalent at that time.
The Boonville race was a relatively short one; probably about three miles. It's fairly common for persons to gauge their running by another person. One finds a person who runs at about the same pace and then tries to "keep pace" until ready to make a break for it if that is a part of the game plan. The person I kept pace with was a man I did not know. I didn't choose him deliberately; however, at some point, I did decide to make sure I did not lag behind him.
It became obvious at some point in the race that he was determined not to let me beat him, and I was equally determined to do just that. The race went on like that for quite a while; he would get out in front of me, and I would pick up my pace, catching and then passing him. As we neared the finished line, it was a battle; but I was either a little more determined that he was, or I was in better shape (or younger - I'm not sure). I won our little race (the one between the two of us), but I came no where near winning "the race."
I felt really good about beating him (for a while); then I felt guilty. I didn't have anything to prove; I already knew that he was not superior to me just because he was a man. Also, no one was going to make fun of me for being beaten by a man. I suspect his ego was more bruised by my beating him than mine would have been by him beating me; I also doubt that he was permanently damaged by his loss to me.
I stopped running at some point after that. In some respects, I wish I had continued with it (running) for the sake of getting adequate exercise, which I no longer get. On the other hand, I might be having serious knee problems at this point in my life from the pounding my knees would have taken over the years. Who knows? I enjoyed the running while I did it and the time it allowed me to spend with my son. I wouldn't have traded that for anything.
Blessings to all!
The Boonville race stands out in my mind because my dislike of being "put down" by men became evident during that race. One of my favorite songs in those days was "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" by Helen Reddy; I didn't like the chauvinistic attitude prevalent at that time.
The Boonville race was a relatively short one; probably about three miles. It's fairly common for persons to gauge their running by another person. One finds a person who runs at about the same pace and then tries to "keep pace" until ready to make a break for it if that is a part of the game plan. The person I kept pace with was a man I did not know. I didn't choose him deliberately; however, at some point, I did decide to make sure I did not lag behind him.
It became obvious at some point in the race that he was determined not to let me beat him, and I was equally determined to do just that. The race went on like that for quite a while; he would get out in front of me, and I would pick up my pace, catching and then passing him. As we neared the finished line, it was a battle; but I was either a little more determined that he was, or I was in better shape (or younger - I'm not sure). I won our little race (the one between the two of us), but I came no where near winning "the race."
I felt really good about beating him (for a while); then I felt guilty. I didn't have anything to prove; I already knew that he was not superior to me just because he was a man. Also, no one was going to make fun of me for being beaten by a man. I suspect his ego was more bruised by my beating him than mine would have been by him beating me; I also doubt that he was permanently damaged by his loss to me.
I stopped running at some point after that. In some respects, I wish I had continued with it (running) for the sake of getting adequate exercise, which I no longer get. On the other hand, I might be having serious knee problems at this point in my life from the pounding my knees would have taken over the years. Who knows? I enjoyed the running while I did it and the time it allowed me to spend with my son. I wouldn't have traded that for anything.
Blessings to all!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Competitive Spirit - Part I
When I was young, I never thought I had a competitive spirit (though in looking back, I did see a glimmer of it during a canasta game - it was a negative glimmer, unfortunately). Two events I participated in as an adult showed me, however, that I definitely have a competitive spirit.
Both incidents occurred while I was living in Boonville, Missouri. When I was in my mid thirties, I took up jogging. Over a period of time, I bought a number of runners magazines and read them faithfully (I think I actually wanted to run a marathon, though I never did). My son Franklin used to run with me; I really enjoyed that.
In addition to giving a lot of training advice, the magazines gave information on upcoming races; and when I found one scheduled for Kansas City, Missouri, (in November I think), we entered it and continued to train until just before race day. I knew I was not really ready for the race, but I decided that it was important to follow through with the event and hope for the best. This was a huge race (by my standards). Everyone lined us up according to the times we turned in; therefore, we were pretty far to the back though a lot of people were behind us.
When the gun went off to start the race, we just stood there; that was a very strange feeling since we went there to run. There was nothing else we could do except stand there enjoying the theme song from "Chariots of Fire," which was thrilling - everyone in front of us had to move out before we could take a step. It took several minutes - I don't recall how long it really was - but finally, we were running. I started off slowly - I had learned that from my magazine reading; if you start out too fast, you probably won't make it to the end. I had two goals for this race. One was to just finish the race (regardless of how long it took), and the other was to finish hard.
There were a number of times during the race that I wanted to give up; I had to really "talk" to myself in order to keep going. The day was cool, and I had dressed accordingly; but even on a cool day, it gets hot when you're running. Fortunately, I had layers to shed and did so as I ran. I mixed walking with running as the miles went by; the important thing was not to give up. There were people ahead of me and people behind me. I lost sight of Franklin early on (of course); he was around ten at the time, and he could certainly run faster and longer than I could.
I finally neared the finish line. I knew that the race ended on an "uphill" note, which didn't seem quite fair, and I reminded myself of my goals. Finishing seemed almost a done deal (unless I fell flat on my face); finishing hard was going to be a little tougher, but that was what I intended to do. A friend of mine had gone to the race with us, and she and her son were on the side lines cheering us on. I started running hard just before I turned the corner; I had calculated just the right time to put on my burst of speed so that it would look like I had been running that way all along. I wanted to finish the race looking good (despite my time, which I was actually proud of), and that is exactly what I did. I set my sights on the finish line and ran as if I had a chance to take first place (I think I also wanted to move ahead of the runners who were near me). I finished hard, and I finished well - I think I have a "kick." And then I thought I might collapse - I just wanted to lie down somewhere; pride, however, saved me as I took deep breaths and "walked it off." As soon as I no longer thought of was going to pass out, I found my son (who had been waiting for me for a while) and my friend.
I was proud of myself. Not a boasting kind of pride; just content with myself that I had finished what I had set out to do - I could hold my head up high and not be ashamed. It was a lot like when I finally graduated from college. At one point, I wasn't sure that I would finish or if I really wanted to. But once I decided that I was going to complete my education and get my degree, I didn't let anything stop me - not marriage, not having a baby, not even losing a baby and almost dying (all of that packed into two years while working and taking classes). Again, I could hold my head up and not be ashamed - not be a failure.
Since this "story" has turned out to be so long, I'll save the second competition for the next time I write.
Blessings to all.
Both incidents occurred while I was living in Boonville, Missouri. When I was in my mid thirties, I took up jogging. Over a period of time, I bought a number of runners magazines and read them faithfully (I think I actually wanted to run a marathon, though I never did). My son Franklin used to run with me; I really enjoyed that.
In addition to giving a lot of training advice, the magazines gave information on upcoming races; and when I found one scheduled for Kansas City, Missouri, (in November I think), we entered it and continued to train until just before race day. I knew I was not really ready for the race, but I decided that it was important to follow through with the event and hope for the best. This was a huge race (by my standards). Everyone lined us up according to the times we turned in; therefore, we were pretty far to the back though a lot of people were behind us.
When the gun went off to start the race, we just stood there; that was a very strange feeling since we went there to run. There was nothing else we could do except stand there enjoying the theme song from "Chariots of Fire," which was thrilling - everyone in front of us had to move out before we could take a step. It took several minutes - I don't recall how long it really was - but finally, we were running. I started off slowly - I had learned that from my magazine reading; if you start out too fast, you probably won't make it to the end. I had two goals for this race. One was to just finish the race (regardless of how long it took), and the other was to finish hard.
There were a number of times during the race that I wanted to give up; I had to really "talk" to myself in order to keep going. The day was cool, and I had dressed accordingly; but even on a cool day, it gets hot when you're running. Fortunately, I had layers to shed and did so as I ran. I mixed walking with running as the miles went by; the important thing was not to give up. There were people ahead of me and people behind me. I lost sight of Franklin early on (of course); he was around ten at the time, and he could certainly run faster and longer than I could.
I finally neared the finish line. I knew that the race ended on an "uphill" note, which didn't seem quite fair, and I reminded myself of my goals. Finishing seemed almost a done deal (unless I fell flat on my face); finishing hard was going to be a little tougher, but that was what I intended to do. A friend of mine had gone to the race with us, and she and her son were on the side lines cheering us on. I started running hard just before I turned the corner; I had calculated just the right time to put on my burst of speed so that it would look like I had been running that way all along. I wanted to finish the race looking good (despite my time, which I was actually proud of), and that is exactly what I did. I set my sights on the finish line and ran as if I had a chance to take first place (I think I also wanted to move ahead of the runners who were near me). I finished hard, and I finished well - I think I have a "kick." And then I thought I might collapse - I just wanted to lie down somewhere; pride, however, saved me as I took deep breaths and "walked it off." As soon as I no longer thought of was going to pass out, I found my son (who had been waiting for me for a while) and my friend.
I was proud of myself. Not a boasting kind of pride; just content with myself that I had finished what I had set out to do - I could hold my head up high and not be ashamed. It was a lot like when I finally graduated from college. At one point, I wasn't sure that I would finish or if I really wanted to. But once I decided that I was going to complete my education and get my degree, I didn't let anything stop me - not marriage, not having a baby, not even losing a baby and almost dying (all of that packed into two years while working and taking classes). Again, I could hold my head up and not be ashamed - not be a failure.
Since this "story" has turned out to be so long, I'll save the second competition for the next time I write.
Blessings to all.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
How Do You Live Your Dash?
I came across this poem a number of years ago and thought it made an excellent point. I think we lean toward those things that speak to us in a special way even if we will not admit what they are saying to us.
I used this poem with students at one point hoping they would give some thought to how they were living their lives before there was too much room for regret. I doubt though that they gave too much thought to it at the time, but perhaps they will remember it at some point through the years.
The poem is written here for your enjoyment and whatever you chose to take from it.
How Do You Live Your Dash?
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
Her referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1930-1999)
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who love her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars...the houses...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last awhile.
So, when your eulogy's being read
Your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
Author Unknown
I still enjoy reading this poem; I hope you enjoyed it too.
Blessings to all!
I used this poem with students at one point hoping they would give some thought to how they were living their lives before there was too much room for regret. I doubt though that they gave too much thought to it at the time, but perhaps they will remember it at some point through the years.
The poem is written here for your enjoyment and whatever you chose to take from it.
How Do You Live Your Dash?
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
Her referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning...to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears.
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years. (1930-1999)
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who love her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars...the houses...the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile...
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last awhile.
So, when your eulogy's being read
Your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
Author Unknown
I still enjoy reading this poem; I hope you enjoyed it too.
Blessings to all!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
And the Children Shall Lead Them
"Out of the mouth of babes..."
This morning was Youth Sunday, and a number of young people from age four to nineteen participated in the service. They did a lot of the usual things - read Scripture, gave various readings, led praise and worship, prayed, collected the offering, etc. There was a group of the youngest children who did the usual thing. They had a song to sing; and while in practice they sang out lustily, in front of family and friends they barely opened their mouths. Everyone thought this was cute, of course, which it was (except for the teachers who prepared them for their part) - even the singing that could barely be heard was appreciated.
Despite the fact that the youth were participating in and leading the service, the pastor was to bring the message. Shortly before time for the message, a young men named Micah Carey came to the microphone to read a poem entitled God's Laws (I assumed it was a poem he had found somewhere). This is what he read:
God's laws are perfect;
If I obey them, I will be strong.
God's laws are always right;
If I obey them, I will be wise;
I will always know the right thing to do.
God's laws are fair;
If I obey them, I will be happy.
God's laws are better than gold;
They are sweeter than honey.
As I listened, I was touched by the words Micah spoke.
A couple of other items in the program occurred before the pastor took his place for the sermon. When the he stood up to speak, the pastor's first words were a comment on Micah's poem; he said how much the words of the poem had touched him. He went on to say that in seminary he had taken a course which dealt with simple things, simple words spoken that teach us life lessons - words that immediately touch our hearts without need for a lot of explanation or "sermonizing." The pastor then said that he was going to put his intended sermon aside and ask Micah to come back to the microphone to read his poem again in the hope that everyone would give his complete attention to the words of the poem.
The words of this poem are simple but powerful. God's laws are perfect, and they give us strength because if we follow them, we will not be debilitated by guilt and shame. God's laws are always right; a wise person knows this and follows them. Also, since God's laws are right, we don't have to wonder what to do in a situation. We know what is right, and we do it since we are wise. God's laws are fair. We all hunger for fairness in a world that is anything but fair. Since God's laws are fair, we will be happy when we follow them. God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey. There are many things that we seek after; but since God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey, what could we possibly value more than His laws?
After church I asked Micah about the words he had shared with us, and he told me that his mother Melita had helped him with it based on an article she had read on the Laws of God. I then told them both how much I appreciated their efforts and how important I thought those truths are.
I want my grandchildren to read the poem and to understand the rightness of and importance of following God's laws. If they will live according to the truths of Micah's words, they will be strong - wise - happy - and have the very best.
This was a great morning; I hope your morning was great as well.
Blessings to all.
This morning was Youth Sunday, and a number of young people from age four to nineteen participated in the service. They did a lot of the usual things - read Scripture, gave various readings, led praise and worship, prayed, collected the offering, etc. There was a group of the youngest children who did the usual thing. They had a song to sing; and while in practice they sang out lustily, in front of family and friends they barely opened their mouths. Everyone thought this was cute, of course, which it was (except for the teachers who prepared them for their part) - even the singing that could barely be heard was appreciated.
Despite the fact that the youth were participating in and leading the service, the pastor was to bring the message. Shortly before time for the message, a young men named Micah Carey came to the microphone to read a poem entitled God's Laws (I assumed it was a poem he had found somewhere). This is what he read:
God's laws are perfect;
If I obey them, I will be strong.
God's laws are always right;
If I obey them, I will be wise;
I will always know the right thing to do.
God's laws are fair;
If I obey them, I will be happy.
God's laws are better than gold;
They are sweeter than honey.
As I listened, I was touched by the words Micah spoke.
A couple of other items in the program occurred before the pastor took his place for the sermon. When the he stood up to speak, the pastor's first words were a comment on Micah's poem; he said how much the words of the poem had touched him. He went on to say that in seminary he had taken a course which dealt with simple things, simple words spoken that teach us life lessons - words that immediately touch our hearts without need for a lot of explanation or "sermonizing." The pastor then said that he was going to put his intended sermon aside and ask Micah to come back to the microphone to read his poem again in the hope that everyone would give his complete attention to the words of the poem.
The words of this poem are simple but powerful. God's laws are perfect, and they give us strength because if we follow them, we will not be debilitated by guilt and shame. God's laws are always right; a wise person knows this and follows them. Also, since God's laws are right, we don't have to wonder what to do in a situation. We know what is right, and we do it since we are wise. God's laws are fair. We all hunger for fairness in a world that is anything but fair. Since God's laws are fair, we will be happy when we follow them. God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey. There are many things that we seek after; but since God's laws are better than gold and sweeter than honey, what could we possibly value more than His laws?
After church I asked Micah about the words he had shared with us, and he told me that his mother Melita had helped him with it based on an article she had read on the Laws of God. I then told them both how much I appreciated their efforts and how important I thought those truths are.
I want my grandchildren to read the poem and to understand the rightness of and importance of following God's laws. If they will live according to the truths of Micah's words, they will be strong - wise - happy - and have the very best.
This was a great morning; I hope your morning was great as well.
Blessings to all.
Making a List
The information below was posted by Seth Godin; I received it via email since I subscribe to his blog. I though you might find the information helpful; since regardless of what one is involved in, having a "list" or "prioritizing" what needs to be done would undoubtedly be helpful. If you find this post helpful, you can go to http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ to view the complete blog.
What should you do next?
Is it better to email an existing customer, send a brochure to a prospect or improve your product a bit? Should you tweet or post a new blog post? Should you have a meeting to coordinate your team or spend ten minutes returning phone calls instead?
This is a unheralded skill, something successful people do really well and others struggle with.
How do you decide what to do next?
One of the challenges we have in reducing carbon emissions is that (as far as I know) there's no priority list. Which is worse: leaving your computer on all night or not having the windows weatherstripped? Which is worse: driving a car to Boston or going by plane with 200 other people? Is it worth driving across town to buy a pint of organic strawberries or should I get the ones from the nearby store that came from California? If you have a thousand dollars to invest in making a reduction in greenhouse gasses, should you buy new tires, switch to local foods or perhaps send $900 to help a factory in China switch away from coal and then use the other nine hundred to have a massage?
Without a list, you can see how making intelligent decisions is impossible, so we resort to confusing activity with productivity.
Back to your office: do you have a list? Have you figured out which metric you're trying to improve? Can you measure the impact of the choices you make all day?
I see this mistake in business development all the time. Assume for a moment that the goal of someone in this department is to maximize profit. Why then would this group spend most of its time tweaking existing deals (looking for a 3% improvement in yield) instead of spending the same time and effort doing new, game-changing deals?
From Carolyn: -While the thrust of this post is business related, the overall concept works for anything (or virtually) anything; I know this information can help me and can probably help others also. Seth's tip does not contain new information, but sometimes we have to hear something at the "right" time for us to finally make use of it.
Blessings to all
What should you do next?
Is it better to email an existing customer, send a brochure to a prospect or improve your product a bit? Should you tweet or post a new blog post? Should you have a meeting to coordinate your team or spend ten minutes returning phone calls instead?
This is a unheralded skill, something successful people do really well and others struggle with.
How do you decide what to do next?
One of the challenges we have in reducing carbon emissions is that (as far as I know) there's no priority list. Which is worse: leaving your computer on all night or not having the windows weatherstripped? Which is worse: driving a car to Boston or going by plane with 200 other people? Is it worth driving across town to buy a pint of organic strawberries or should I get the ones from the nearby store that came from California? If you have a thousand dollars to invest in making a reduction in greenhouse gasses, should you buy new tires, switch to local foods or perhaps send $900 to help a factory in China switch away from coal and then use the other nine hundred to have a massage?
Without a list, you can see how making intelligent decisions is impossible, so we resort to confusing activity with productivity.
Back to your office: do you have a list? Have you figured out which metric you're trying to improve? Can you measure the impact of the choices you make all day?
I see this mistake in business development all the time. Assume for a moment that the goal of someone in this department is to maximize profit. Why then would this group spend most of its time tweaking existing deals (looking for a 3% improvement in yield) instead of spending the same time and effort doing new, game-changing deals?
From Carolyn: -While the thrust of this post is business related, the overall concept works for anything (or virtually) anything; I know this information can help me and can probably help others also. Seth's tip does not contain new information, but sometimes we have to hear something at the "right" time for us to finally make use of it.
Blessings to all
Friday, September 18, 2009
Explosions, Fear, and Overcoming
Growing up in St. Louis and St. Louis County, I was aware of Mafia ties in the city - the Cosa Nostra. I don't think I heard about it often, but every once in a while a car was bombed, and the Cosa Nostra was named as the probably cause. I always had a horror of being in a car when a bomb went off - of losing body parts. That seemed worse to me that death.
Shortly before I turned twenty, I went to work for a small telephone company in one of the better areas of the county. It was a small, corporate office were I worked as a secretary. I did not work directly with the president of the company, though I saw him frequently; he was a family man with several children (12 or 13, I think) and was well liked by everyone.
I only worked there a year, and some time after I left the company to go back to college - a few years later, I think - my mother called or wrote me that Mr. L., the president of the company, had been killed in a car bombing in the sub-level parking area of the building in which I had worked. The news was shocking and sad; especially when it was determined that he was probably not the real target. His car, a dark, very upscale sedan looked just like many cars driven by other high level executives in that area. The bomb had been placed in the wrong car; it was intended for someone else.
A number of years later, my husband, children and I moved to a small town in the middle of Missouri. I had not particularly wanted to move there, though there was no concrete reason except that the town was very small and had a reputation for racial problems.
We moved into our new home on a Saturday in mid-June, and my husband had to leave early Monday morning to attend a meeting about 100 miles west of where we lived; he would be gone for several days. I probably got up to fix him coffee and breakfast before he left; however, when he was ready to leave, I was already back in bed since it was about 5:00 A.M. He said good-bye, closed the bedroom door, and left the house. About a minute later the bedroom door opened. He stuck his head inside and said, "Oh, by the way, I've been told there are people here who may try to hurt us." With that remark, he closed the door, left the house, and drove down the highway.
His statement came as a shock to me; I hadn't heard anything about threats against us though I knew this was always a possibility. I was home alone with three relatively small children wondering what might happen. No one saw anything of us for the next thirty hours or so except my left hand reaching out through a small crack when I opened the front door just enough to get my arm out to "feel" for mail in the box by the door. After quickly pulling my arm back inside the relative safety of our home, the door was closed and locked. I was just sure that someone had already or would put a bomb in my car; and that when I turned the key in the ignition, it would explode.
We stayed inside the house until the next afternoon. At that point, I had to decide how I was going to spend the rest of my life. I decided that I could not live in fear; I was not going to be a prisoner in my own home. We had to get out of the house and face the situation head on. Despite this decision, I was afraid as I got us all in the car, especially when I turned the key in the ignition. I was really afraid there was a bomb and that the car would explode. When I turned the key, there was no hesitation like there was in The Pelican Brief. The car started just like it always did, thank God. I backed out of the driveway and drove to Dairy Queen where we had a nice kids' meal, probably followed by ice cream.
While I never forgot what my husband said to me that morning, I don't think I ever really worried about our safety again. We did face some problems in that town, but I came to genuinely like living there and was very sorry when we moved away. It is one of the places I think of as "home."
Blessings to all.
Shortly before I turned twenty, I went to work for a small telephone company in one of the better areas of the county. It was a small, corporate office were I worked as a secretary. I did not work directly with the president of the company, though I saw him frequently; he was a family man with several children (12 or 13, I think) and was well liked by everyone.
I only worked there a year, and some time after I left the company to go back to college - a few years later, I think - my mother called or wrote me that Mr. L., the president of the company, had been killed in a car bombing in the sub-level parking area of the building in which I had worked. The news was shocking and sad; especially when it was determined that he was probably not the real target. His car, a dark, very upscale sedan looked just like many cars driven by other high level executives in that area. The bomb had been placed in the wrong car; it was intended for someone else.
A number of years later, my husband, children and I moved to a small town in the middle of Missouri. I had not particularly wanted to move there, though there was no concrete reason except that the town was very small and had a reputation for racial problems.
We moved into our new home on a Saturday in mid-June, and my husband had to leave early Monday morning to attend a meeting about 100 miles west of where we lived; he would be gone for several days. I probably got up to fix him coffee and breakfast before he left; however, when he was ready to leave, I was already back in bed since it was about 5:00 A.M. He said good-bye, closed the bedroom door, and left the house. About a minute later the bedroom door opened. He stuck his head inside and said, "Oh, by the way, I've been told there are people here who may try to hurt us." With that remark, he closed the door, left the house, and drove down the highway.
His statement came as a shock to me; I hadn't heard anything about threats against us though I knew this was always a possibility. I was home alone with three relatively small children wondering what might happen. No one saw anything of us for the next thirty hours or so except my left hand reaching out through a small crack when I opened the front door just enough to get my arm out to "feel" for mail in the box by the door. After quickly pulling my arm back inside the relative safety of our home, the door was closed and locked. I was just sure that someone had already or would put a bomb in my car; and that when I turned the key in the ignition, it would explode.
We stayed inside the house until the next afternoon. At that point, I had to decide how I was going to spend the rest of my life. I decided that I could not live in fear; I was not going to be a prisoner in my own home. We had to get out of the house and face the situation head on. Despite this decision, I was afraid as I got us all in the car, especially when I turned the key in the ignition. I was really afraid there was a bomb and that the car would explode. When I turned the key, there was no hesitation like there was in The Pelican Brief. The car started just like it always did, thank God. I backed out of the driveway and drove to Dairy Queen where we had a nice kids' meal, probably followed by ice cream.
While I never forgot what my husband said to me that morning, I don't think I ever really worried about our safety again. We did face some problems in that town, but I came to genuinely like living there and was very sorry when we moved away. It is one of the places I think of as "home."
Blessings to all.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
"Old Barns, Old People, Old Friends"
The following is from an email sent to me by a friend (he thought I was old enough to appreciate it). It had beautiful pictures with it; unfortunately, I could not copy them. I did, however, discover how to put my own pictures in this post. I hope you enjoy the message and the old barns.
Old Barns, Old People and Old Friends
A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.
I told him right off he was crazy.
He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.
Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.
Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.
That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there,
gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den (what a shame - the barn was beautiful) in a new country home he's building down the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun - only that can produce beautiful barn wood.
It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap.
But the Good Lord knows what He's doing. And as the years pass, He's busy using the hard weather of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce.
They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.
And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here... And just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.
May there be peace within you today. May you trust God that you are
exactly where you are meant to be.
And..................I do sincerely Thank God for my wonderful friends and
family who care about me even though I show signs of weathering.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. It is so easy to find beauty in old things; however, we often have trouble seeing beauty in ourselves as we grow old.
Blessings to all!
Old Barns, Old People and Old Friends
A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.
I told him right off he was crazy.
He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.
Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.
Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.
That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there,
gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den (what a shame - the barn was beautiful) in a new country home he's building down the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun - only that can produce beautiful barn wood.
It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap.
But the Good Lord knows what He's doing. And as the years pass, He's busy using the hard weather of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce.
They took the old barn down today and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house. And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven to take on whatever chores the good Lord has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.
And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then for the seasons we've been through here... And just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.
May there be peace within you today. May you trust God that you are
exactly where you are meant to be.
And..................I do sincerely Thank God for my wonderful friends and
family who care about me even though I show signs of weathering.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. It is so easy to find beauty in old things; however, we often have trouble seeing beauty in ourselves as we grow old.
Blessings to all!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
New Blog to Check Out
The article below is found on a blog titled "gifted for LEADERSHIP A COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIAN WOMEN"
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/giftedforleadership/2009/09/kyria_chosen_women_called_to_i.html#more
I decided to share this post with you, since I found it interesting and saw myself in it - the never fitting in part, at least. I've also searched for things through the years that I felt were truly interesting though I was often disappointed. A few years ago, however, I found a Christian magazine that really "lit" my fire - at least for a while (several years [I told everybody about it] - I even got a bulk shipment for the women in my church). I couldn't wait to get my hands on the by-monthly issue and literally devoured it (with my eyes and mind). Then they changed it - improved it(?). It went from simple (in appearance) yet deep in content to glitzy (in appearance) and no longer captivating for me. The problem may well be with me - not the magazine, but I felt that it had changed; and I felt guilty for giving it only a cursory read through.
I'll stop "talking" now and let you get to the meat of what I want to share with you. I hope you will enjoy the article and take a stroll over to kyria.com - I'm going there to see what it has to offer. Carolyn
September 3, 2009 |
Kyria: Chosen Women, Called to Influence by Caryn Rivadeneira
When a friend asked me recently what I knew about a certain ministry for children (that shall remain nameless), I sent back a scathing email about how much I hated it as a child. How ostracized I’d felt and how un-Jesus-y I found the whole thing to be, in hindsight. About five minutes later, however, I sent her back another email, apologizing. Because I realized after sending it that in my very cynical and strange walk of faith as a child, I never found a ministry that fit me—that ministered to who I was and what I liked to do. So, I told her, she probably she should ask someone else.
Fast forward to my life as a grown up: my view of many church ministries hasn’t changed much, frankly. I still find myself not fitting in to most places, I still feel like the misfit, and I still feel like I’m the only woman in the world who does not like crafts (though I know I’m not, since we’ve talked about this on this blog plenty before!). But it’s not only been in church ministries that I’ve felt this. So often, I’ve looked at the publications for Christian women and wondered who on earth they were for. What kind of woman reads (or watches) this? I’d ask.
Though every so often, something amazing happens: I come a resource that makes me say (to quote my 2-year-old), “Now we’re talkin’!” Which is what I thought when I first heard about GFL’s new sister site, KYRIA.
As Ginger Kolbaba, KYRIA’s founding editor, told me the things the site would include—a monthly digizine centered around topics that required some grappling and were intended to start conversations; a blog that addressed hot topics and reviewed products and did all things a blog should do; and articles throughout the site written by some of the best and brightest minds on topics ranging from practical tips to reflective essays—my heart started beating a bit faster.
Because KYRIA is for women who care about the world around them, for women who feel called by God to change the world they care about, for women like me and you. KYRIA gets its name from a word in the original language of the Bible. In Greek it means “honored woman.” The epistle of 2 John, for instance, is addressed to one such “kyria,” translated there as “chosen lady.” They chose this name because, just like the biblical KYRIA, it conveys something about the place of women in the life and ministry of the body of Christ, his church. We are chosen, called, and gifted for ministry.
So head on over and welcome our new sister site Kyria.com. Let us know what you think!
Caryn Rivadeneira, managing editor of Gifted for Leadership, is author of Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All That Mom. She and her family live in the western suburbs of Chicago. Visit her at her blog or The Mommy Revolution blog. Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on September 3, 2009
Reposted by me with full credit given to Caryn Rivadeneira
Blessings to all.
http://blog.christianitytoday.com/giftedforleadership/2009/09/kyria_chosen_women_called_to_i.html#more
I decided to share this post with you, since I found it interesting and saw myself in it - the never fitting in part, at least. I've also searched for things through the years that I felt were truly interesting though I was often disappointed. A few years ago, however, I found a Christian magazine that really "lit" my fire - at least for a while (several years [I told everybody about it] - I even got a bulk shipment for the women in my church). I couldn't wait to get my hands on the by-monthly issue and literally devoured it (with my eyes and mind). Then they changed it - improved it(?). It went from simple (in appearance) yet deep in content to glitzy (in appearance) and no longer captivating for me. The problem may well be with me - not the magazine, but I felt that it had changed; and I felt guilty for giving it only a cursory read through.
I'll stop "talking" now and let you get to the meat of what I want to share with you. I hope you will enjoy the article and take a stroll over to kyria.com - I'm going there to see what it has to offer. Carolyn
September 3, 2009 |
Kyria: Chosen Women, Called to Influence by Caryn Rivadeneira
When a friend asked me recently what I knew about a certain ministry for children (that shall remain nameless), I sent back a scathing email about how much I hated it as a child. How ostracized I’d felt and how un-Jesus-y I found the whole thing to be, in hindsight. About five minutes later, however, I sent her back another email, apologizing. Because I realized after sending it that in my very cynical and strange walk of faith as a child, I never found a ministry that fit me—that ministered to who I was and what I liked to do. So, I told her, she probably she should ask someone else.
Fast forward to my life as a grown up: my view of many church ministries hasn’t changed much, frankly. I still find myself not fitting in to most places, I still feel like the misfit, and I still feel like I’m the only woman in the world who does not like crafts (though I know I’m not, since we’ve talked about this on this blog plenty before!). But it’s not only been in church ministries that I’ve felt this. So often, I’ve looked at the publications for Christian women and wondered who on earth they were for. What kind of woman reads (or watches) this? I’d ask.
Though every so often, something amazing happens: I come a resource that makes me say (to quote my 2-year-old), “Now we’re talkin’!” Which is what I thought when I first heard about GFL’s new sister site, KYRIA.
As Ginger Kolbaba, KYRIA’s founding editor, told me the things the site would include—a monthly digizine centered around topics that required some grappling and were intended to start conversations; a blog that addressed hot topics and reviewed products and did all things a blog should do; and articles throughout the site written by some of the best and brightest minds on topics ranging from practical tips to reflective essays—my heart started beating a bit faster.
Because KYRIA is for women who care about the world around them, for women who feel called by God to change the world they care about, for women like me and you. KYRIA gets its name from a word in the original language of the Bible. In Greek it means “honored woman.” The epistle of 2 John, for instance, is addressed to one such “kyria,” translated there as “chosen lady.” They chose this name because, just like the biblical KYRIA, it conveys something about the place of women in the life and ministry of the body of Christ, his church. We are chosen, called, and gifted for ministry.
So head on over and welcome our new sister site Kyria.com. Let us know what you think!
Caryn Rivadeneira, managing editor of Gifted for Leadership, is author of Mama's Got a Fake I.D.: How to Reveal the Real You Behind All That Mom. She and her family live in the western suburbs of Chicago. Visit her at her blog or The Mommy Revolution blog. Posted by Caryn Rivadeneira on September 3, 2009
Reposted by me with full credit given to Caryn Rivadeneira
Blessings to all.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
YouTube and Me
I'll bet you never thought you'd see me on YouTube! Not interested in Efusjon, that's all right. There are some good Christian music videos there as well.
Blessings to all.
Blessings to all.
"The Flaw of a Woman"
A nice read for women to help us feel good about ourselves. We need to recognize our worth without exaggerating it. Find yourself in God; He will never lead you astray or let you down.
The One Flaw in Women
Shared via AddThis
Thanks, Lucy.
http://www.lucyannmoll.com/
Blessings to all
The One Flaw in Women
Shared via AddThis
Thanks, Lucy.
http://www.lucyannmoll.com/
Blessings to all
Monday, September 14, 2009
Whom Do You Follow?
Some people seem to be natural follows, but others may say that they do not follow anyone. On the surface, that may sound good - not being a follower, but is it?
First and foremost, we are to be followers of Christ; I want that to be perfectly clear. But God has provided guides for us to help us as we follow Christ. He has given us His Word, which tells us about the lives of persons who have found favor with Him.
Our ladies' group at church has been studying the book of Philippians for quite some time (summer break caused a two month extension) using Experiencing God's Peace by Elizabeth George. It is a simple book - very easy to follow, the the truths found in it are anything but simple.
As we study Philippians, we are learning more about the life the the Apostle Paul. I have always liked Paul, but now have a much greater appreciation for him, for his commitment to Christ, and for his willingness to give all - including him very life - in his walk with the Lord. Chapter 3:17 of Philippians says, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern."
Paul is definitely telling us to follow him; not because he considered himself anyone special, but because he realized that while in an earthy sense he had stood far above other men - Philippians 3:4-6 says "...circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" - despite all this, in any sense that really mattered, he was totally unworthy. I Timothy 1:15 says, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Paul called himself the "chief sinner," yet he had met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and was now willing to "follow" Him to death if necessary.
Therefore, following Paul's example and his teachings is a good thing since he was following Jesus. Paul then goes on to tell us to "note" or take note of those persons who "so walk" - those persons who are walking as Paul walked and to follow their example as well. We need to take note of those persons we know who are following Jesus, those persons who are walking as Paul walked and to be encouraged by them.
There is "nothing new under the sun." On our own, we are not going to come up with a better plan for how to live than what God has given to us in His Word. Since we have God's Word telling us how to walk, giving us examples like Paul to follow, we really have no excuse - those who profess to be Christians - to be walking as the world walks. We make life complicated, but it's just that simple; follow God's Word and the examples of those persons who found favor with Jo,, and we will bring honor and glory to Him. After all, that is why we are here in the first place - to glorify and honor God.
Whom do you follow, and who is following you? Something to think about.
Blessings to all. Scripture taken from the New King James Version
First and foremost, we are to be followers of Christ; I want that to be perfectly clear. But God has provided guides for us to help us as we follow Christ. He has given us His Word, which tells us about the lives of persons who have found favor with Him.
Our ladies' group at church has been studying the book of Philippians for quite some time (summer break caused a two month extension) using Experiencing God's Peace by Elizabeth George. It is a simple book - very easy to follow, the the truths found in it are anything but simple.
As we study Philippians, we are learning more about the life the the Apostle Paul. I have always liked Paul, but now have a much greater appreciation for him, for his commitment to Christ, and for his willingness to give all - including him very life - in his walk with the Lord. Chapter 3:17 of Philippians says, "Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern."
Paul is definitely telling us to follow him; not because he considered himself anyone special, but because he realized that while in an earthy sense he had stood far above other men - Philippians 3:4-6 says "...circumcised on the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, concerning the law a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" - despite all this, in any sense that really mattered, he was totally unworthy. I Timothy 1:15 says, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." Paul called himself the "chief sinner," yet he had met Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus and was now willing to "follow" Him to death if necessary.
Therefore, following Paul's example and his teachings is a good thing since he was following Jesus. Paul then goes on to tell us to "note" or take note of those persons who "so walk" - those persons who are walking as Paul walked and to follow their example as well. We need to take note of those persons we know who are following Jesus, those persons who are walking as Paul walked and to be encouraged by them.
There is "nothing new under the sun." On our own, we are not going to come up with a better plan for how to live than what God has given to us in His Word. Since we have God's Word telling us how to walk, giving us examples like Paul to follow, we really have no excuse - those who profess to be Christians - to be walking as the world walks. We make life complicated, but it's just that simple; follow God's Word and the examples of those persons who found favor with Jo,, and we will bring honor and glory to Him. After all, that is why we are here in the first place - to glorify and honor God.
Whom do you follow, and who is following you? Something to think about.
Blessings to all. Scripture taken from the New King James Version
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Stand by Your Friends
I've posted items by Lucy before. If you haven't visited her site yet, do yourself a favor today and do so.
Stand by Your Friends
Shared via AddThis
http://www.lucyannmoll.com/beautifulwarrior/
Stand by Your Friends
Shared via AddThis
http://www.lucyannmoll.com/beautifulwarrior/
Saturday, September 12, 2009
"Jumpin Jalopy" Revised
If you've already read this post and are now looking at it again, you will see that there is a slight change in the title. I'm fairly sure the title is "Jumpin Jalopy" - singular / not plural. Regardless of whether the word should be singular or plural though, I have never forgotten the song.
The church I attended for a significant portion of my life as I was growing up was a very large church - at least it seemed large to me. It would not qualify as a "mega" church by today's standards, but it was big.
The church had a lot of rooms, especially after they added on to the back of it. Most of these rooms were used for Sunday school classrooms (at least that is my recollection), and in a lot of these rooms were upright pianos. I always loved the piano even though I had never taken lessons and could not play. I could "pick out" songs by reading notes though, which I had learned to do through band/clarinet lessons, but I could not play for anyone's enjoyment. The only thing I could play at a moment's notice was "I Dropped My Dolly in the Dirt."
Since we (my friends and I) were at church frequently - Sunday school, Training Union, GAs, choir practice, visitation and Wednesday night dinners followed by an evening service, we were often in one or the other of the rooms by ourselves. Several (most?) of my friends could play the piano and often played a piece by the same name as the title of this post. I really liked that song; it was very upbeat/lively. It made me feel good just to hear it.
I have probably not heard that song since my senior year of high school (maybe even before that), and I do not recall any piano playing sessions in college. I still remember the song though and can "play" it in my head. Maybe, if I am fortunate, I will get to hear it next summer if a piano is available and if one of the girls - Deanna, Sharon, or June - remembers how to play it. I hope they remember, and I hope I get to hear it once again.
Blessings to all.
The church I attended for a significant portion of my life as I was growing up was a very large church - at least it seemed large to me. It would not qualify as a "mega" church by today's standards, but it was big.
The church had a lot of rooms, especially after they added on to the back of it. Most of these rooms were used for Sunday school classrooms (at least that is my recollection), and in a lot of these rooms were upright pianos. I always loved the piano even though I had never taken lessons and could not play. I could "pick out" songs by reading notes though, which I had learned to do through band/clarinet lessons, but I could not play for anyone's enjoyment. The only thing I could play at a moment's notice was "I Dropped My Dolly in the Dirt."
Since we (my friends and I) were at church frequently - Sunday school, Training Union, GAs, choir practice, visitation and Wednesday night dinners followed by an evening service, we were often in one or the other of the rooms by ourselves. Several (most?) of my friends could play the piano and often played a piece by the same name as the title of this post. I really liked that song; it was very upbeat/lively. It made me feel good just to hear it.
I have probably not heard that song since my senior year of high school (maybe even before that), and I do not recall any piano playing sessions in college. I still remember the song though and can "play" it in my head. Maybe, if I am fortunate, I will get to hear it next summer if a piano is available and if one of the girls - Deanna, Sharon, or June - remembers how to play it. I hope they remember, and I hope I get to hear it once again.
Blessings to all.
"Biggest Little Stressors" for Men
For an interesting article on things that create stress for men, by Mike Zimmerman of Men's Health, go to http://tiny.cc/ezNqs.
Blessings to all.
Blessings to all.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Writing Devotionals
If you are interested in writing devotionals and would like to have them considered for publication in Internet Cafe, read the section below taken from their blog/site.
Guidelines For Writers
The purpose of The Internet Café is to unite women of faith, regardless of our stage in life, our roles as women, our hair color, our political party, or the church we attend. We believe that one of the best ways to do this is to encourage each other in faith, by our spoken and written words accompanied by a short study each day to challenge and motivate you.
Most of our devotions are written by regular monthly contributors but we do accept submissions for use in guest spots. Also, from time to time a writer will step down to pursue other interests that God has placed on her heart and will need to be replaced. That is why submissions are important.
We are seeking devotions that will capture the interest of Christian women and inspire them to pursue the heart of our Father. Devotions should:
* be uplifting and void of condemnation.
* reflect a Biblical perspective.
* contain Bible verses (along with its reference and the translation it was taken from.)
* contain a short prayer.
* have questions to ponder at the end of the post that would welcome dialogue with our readers.
We are interested in inspiring devotions that share the God moments in day-to-day life; the honest transparency that brings you closer to the heart of Jesus; and words that guide readers into Biblical truth. We are not interested in publishing work that is written in an academic tone with the purpose to solely teach as though in a Sunday school setting. We must reach our readers and make the word relevant by using personal stories, experiences, and analogies. We also do not accept poetry. While we enjoy a theological type of writing, this blog is based around devotional material.
Devotions should be approximately 400-700 words in length, and should be well proofed for errors before submission.
Authors must own the rights to any works that are submitted.
Devotions must be submitted in a Google doc, Microsoft Word for Windows format or .pdf files with the author’s name, telephone number, URL, and email address marked at the top. Authors should also include a short bio and photograph.
We will try our best to consider all submissions, but unfortunately, we will not be able to include all devotions that are sent to us.
Please note that all writing is done on a volunteer basis.
Please email your submissions to:
lori@internetcafedevotions.com
http://www.internetcafedevotions.com/2005/01/guidelines-for-writers.html
Hope this is of benefit to someone.
Blessings to all!
Guidelines For Writers
The purpose of The Internet Café is to unite women of faith, regardless of our stage in life, our roles as women, our hair color, our political party, or the church we attend. We believe that one of the best ways to do this is to encourage each other in faith, by our spoken and written words accompanied by a short study each day to challenge and motivate you.
Most of our devotions are written by regular monthly contributors but we do accept submissions for use in guest spots. Also, from time to time a writer will step down to pursue other interests that God has placed on her heart and will need to be replaced. That is why submissions are important.
We are seeking devotions that will capture the interest of Christian women and inspire them to pursue the heart of our Father. Devotions should:
* be uplifting and void of condemnation.
* reflect a Biblical perspective.
* contain Bible verses (along with its reference and the translation it was taken from.)
* contain a short prayer.
* have questions to ponder at the end of the post that would welcome dialogue with our readers.
We are interested in inspiring devotions that share the God moments in day-to-day life; the honest transparency that brings you closer to the heart of Jesus; and words that guide readers into Biblical truth. We are not interested in publishing work that is written in an academic tone with the purpose to solely teach as though in a Sunday school setting. We must reach our readers and make the word relevant by using personal stories, experiences, and analogies. We also do not accept poetry. While we enjoy a theological type of writing, this blog is based around devotional material.
Devotions should be approximately 400-700 words in length, and should be well proofed for errors before submission.
Authors must own the rights to any works that are submitted.
Devotions must be submitted in a Google doc, Microsoft Word for Windows format or .pdf files with the author’s name, telephone number, URL, and email address marked at the top. Authors should also include a short bio and photograph.
We will try our best to consider all submissions, but unfortunately, we will not be able to include all devotions that are sent to us.
Please note that all writing is done on a volunteer basis.
Please email your submissions to:
lori@internetcafedevotions.com
http://www.internetcafedevotions.com/2005/01/guidelines-for-writers.html
Hope this is of benefit to someone.
Blessings to all!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Childhood Memories of Special Treats
One of the(many)things I remember from childhood is the white icing we usually made for cakes. The icing was made from powdered sugar, Milnot(canned milk) and???? Was there some butter in it (I think so)? Maybe a pinch of salt? Vanilla? (I think we added Hershey's Cocoa to make chocolate icing.) I haven't made this icing in years; and since I can no longer get Milnot, it probably wouldn't be quite the same.
I liked the icing on cakes, but I liked it even better on saltine crackers (we made certain to make enough for leftovers). Now, eating icing on regular (or any other kind of) crackers may sound strange to you, but I loved the salt and sweet taste together. When my children your young, I made sure to let them have this treat occasionally so that my(fond) memory from childhood would be a pleasant memory for them also.
I think the icing made for carrot cake today is fairly close to what we made - minus the cream cheese, of course. The icing is my favorite part of carrot cake; sometimes I select this cake for desert (even when I would really like to have something else) just to taste the icing.
Another treat we had (I don't think my children had this) was a slice of bread with sugar sprinkled over it (heavily, sprinkled if I remember correctly) and then drizzled with Milnot. I think this was a kind of poor man's cake. Anyway, it was very good. We didn't have it often, but I always enjoyed it. I think this might be comparable to pouring condensed milk on bread, though I doubt that it would be as good.
One last food memory (for today). When Mother made pie crust, we (my sister and I) always waited for the left over pieces of dough to make cinnamon rolls. Now, these cinnamon rolls were not like the cinnamon rolls of today. We formed the leftover dough into a ball and then rolled it out (fairly thin), dotted it heavily with butter, and sprinkled it with (quite a lot of) sugar and cinnamon. Beginning at one edge of the dough, we carefully rolled it into a long strip. This strip was then cut into slices and placed on a cookie sheet or pie pan (depending on how much dough was left over). The slices were then baked for a few minutes until done. I don't know if other families used leftover dough this way, but it made a delicious treat.
What I would like to do right now is to eat some "icing crackers" or have an old-fashioned cinnamon roll; however, since I gained weight over the summer and I have neither powdered sugar nor pie dough on hand (thank goodness), I will resist the temptation. The next time I'm with my Miami grandchildren, I'm going to try to get the boys interested in making old-fashioned cinnamon rolls and eating "icing crackers."
Blessings to all.
I liked the icing on cakes, but I liked it even better on saltine crackers (we made certain to make enough for leftovers). Now, eating icing on regular (or any other kind of) crackers may sound strange to you, but I loved the salt and sweet taste together. When my children your young, I made sure to let them have this treat occasionally so that my(fond) memory from childhood would be a pleasant memory for them also.
I think the icing made for carrot cake today is fairly close to what we made - minus the cream cheese, of course. The icing is my favorite part of carrot cake; sometimes I select this cake for desert (even when I would really like to have something else) just to taste the icing.
Another treat we had (I don't think my children had this) was a slice of bread with sugar sprinkled over it (heavily, sprinkled if I remember correctly) and then drizzled with Milnot. I think this was a kind of poor man's cake. Anyway, it was very good. We didn't have it often, but I always enjoyed it. I think this might be comparable to pouring condensed milk on bread, though I doubt that it would be as good.
One last food memory (for today). When Mother made pie crust, we (my sister and I) always waited for the left over pieces of dough to make cinnamon rolls. Now, these cinnamon rolls were not like the cinnamon rolls of today. We formed the leftover dough into a ball and then rolled it out (fairly thin), dotted it heavily with butter, and sprinkled it with (quite a lot of) sugar and cinnamon. Beginning at one edge of the dough, we carefully rolled it into a long strip. This strip was then cut into slices and placed on a cookie sheet or pie pan (depending on how much dough was left over). The slices were then baked for a few minutes until done. I don't know if other families used leftover dough this way, but it made a delicious treat.
What I would like to do right now is to eat some "icing crackers" or have an old-fashioned cinnamon roll; however, since I gained weight over the summer and I have neither powdered sugar nor pie dough on hand (thank goodness), I will resist the temptation. The next time I'm with my Miami grandchildren, I'm going to try to get the boys interested in making old-fashioned cinnamon rolls and eating "icing crackers."
Blessings to all.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Sororities and Me
My first introduction to sororities was not a good one. I came in contact with a sorority when I was in junior or senior high school. I found the idea of being a part of one of these group intriguing; after all, these were the "popular" girls and being invited to be a part of their group was at least momentarily appealing.
I only remember the name of the group that asked me to join - the Aphrodites. I don't know if this was a true sorority or just a "wannabe" - a group of girls trying to play grownup. Anyway, I attended a meeting or two and went to one of the outings - a kind of initiation or hazing. I didn't like what went on at that outing and quickly decided that being popular was not all it was cracked up to be if I had to behave foolishly in public in order to be accepted. They didn't ask us to do anything wrong, but I still was not comfortable with their expectations.
My second exposure to sororities was through a book I read while in junior or senior high school. I do not recall the name of the book (though I wish I did). It was about three young girls who had been best friends for years, and who had mapped out the future they wanted for themselves. They would attend the same college, join the same sorority and, I think, marry and live on the same street where the couples and their children would all share their lives. Sounds nice!
Initially, things went as planned. The girls attended the same college; and during Rush Week, they made the rounds of the various sororities. They knew which sorority they wanted to pledge and did all they could to make a good impression on the girls in the sorority of their choice in the hope of being asked to join.
When the sororities made their decision and sent out invitations to the girls they hoped would join them, two of the three friends were asked to join the coveted sorority - the third girl did not receive an invitation. I don't remember the details of how they learned the reason why the third girl was not invited to join, but the reason she was rejected was because she was Jewish. The sorority was interested in smart, attractive, white, Anglo-Saxon pledges - if you didn't fit that category, they were not interested in you.
The girls now faced a problem - the dream for their future had hit a serious snag. The Jewish girl told her friends to go ahead and pledge the sorority. After all, this was the sorority they had all hoped to join; and she did not want them to give up their dream because of her. Her two friends were torn; they wanted to be a part of this sorority, but they did not want to join without her.
The two friends finally made their decision. One girl decided not to join; she did not want to be a part of a group that discriminated against persons because of race or religion. The other girl decided to join the sorority and to work from the inside to change the sorority's attitude and stop the discrimination. The ending of the story was not clear; there was no way to know what lay ahead. It was clear though, that the future they had envisioned would be altered, and the relationship between the three girls would never be the same.
When I went to college, I had no plans to join a sorority. Even if I had wanted to, sororities were expensive, and I could not have afforded to join. If the money had been there though, I still would not have joined. I was "courted" by one or more of the sororities including the most popular one, but I was not interested. While still in high school, I had decided that I did not want to be a part of any group that barred some persons from membership. The reason behind the exclusiveness really did not matter to me - not smart enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not wealthy enough, not the right color, not the right religious affiliation, etc. I did not want to be a part of a group that refused to let some persons join.
It is not my intention to make an indictment against sororities or to offend anyone; I am simply explaining how I felt about things in those days and how I came to my decision.
Blessings to all.
I only remember the name of the group that asked me to join - the Aphrodites. I don't know if this was a true sorority or just a "wannabe" - a group of girls trying to play grownup. Anyway, I attended a meeting or two and went to one of the outings - a kind of initiation or hazing. I didn't like what went on at that outing and quickly decided that being popular was not all it was cracked up to be if I had to behave foolishly in public in order to be accepted. They didn't ask us to do anything wrong, but I still was not comfortable with their expectations.
My second exposure to sororities was through a book I read while in junior or senior high school. I do not recall the name of the book (though I wish I did). It was about three young girls who had been best friends for years, and who had mapped out the future they wanted for themselves. They would attend the same college, join the same sorority and, I think, marry and live on the same street where the couples and their children would all share their lives. Sounds nice!
Initially, things went as planned. The girls attended the same college; and during Rush Week, they made the rounds of the various sororities. They knew which sorority they wanted to pledge and did all they could to make a good impression on the girls in the sorority of their choice in the hope of being asked to join.
When the sororities made their decision and sent out invitations to the girls they hoped would join them, two of the three friends were asked to join the coveted sorority - the third girl did not receive an invitation. I don't remember the details of how they learned the reason why the third girl was not invited to join, but the reason she was rejected was because she was Jewish. The sorority was interested in smart, attractive, white, Anglo-Saxon pledges - if you didn't fit that category, they were not interested in you.
The girls now faced a problem - the dream for their future had hit a serious snag. The Jewish girl told her friends to go ahead and pledge the sorority. After all, this was the sorority they had all hoped to join; and she did not want them to give up their dream because of her. Her two friends were torn; they wanted to be a part of this sorority, but they did not want to join without her.
The two friends finally made their decision. One girl decided not to join; she did not want to be a part of a group that discriminated against persons because of race or religion. The other girl decided to join the sorority and to work from the inside to change the sorority's attitude and stop the discrimination. The ending of the story was not clear; there was no way to know what lay ahead. It was clear though, that the future they had envisioned would be altered, and the relationship between the three girls would never be the same.
When I went to college, I had no plans to join a sorority. Even if I had wanted to, sororities were expensive, and I could not have afforded to join. If the money had been there though, I still would not have joined. I was "courted" by one or more of the sororities including the most popular one, but I was not interested. While still in high school, I had decided that I did not want to be a part of any group that barred some persons from membership. The reason behind the exclusiveness really did not matter to me - not smart enough, not pretty enough, not thin enough, not wealthy enough, not the right color, not the right religious affiliation, etc. I did not want to be a part of a group that refused to let some persons join.
It is not my intention to make an indictment against sororities or to offend anyone; I am simply explaining how I felt about things in those days and how I came to my decision.
Blessings to all.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Things Change but Nothing Really Seems to Change
In January of 1970, I had surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. Since the doctor was "in the neighborhood," he also removed my appendix. He must have considered the appendix unnecessary or thought the possible risk of my having to go through another surgery (for a ruptured appendix) before fully healing from the first surgery too much of a risk for me to take. Shortly after the surgery - probably within a few month, I heard that the medical community had changed its mind and now thought that the appendix really had an important part to play in our health. I regretted that my doctor had removed my appendix; however, I knew he had done it with my safety in mind. Also, I was and am still firmly convinced that with God's help, he had literally saved my life; I could not hold the removal of my appendix against him.
Today on the Internet, thirty-nine years later, I saw an article titled: The Appendix: Useful and in Fact Promising. You can read the entire article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090824/sc_livescience/theappendixusefulandinfactpromising/
Since I heard about the importance of the appendix sometime during 1970, how is it that this article shows up today as if the information has just been discovered? I find this amazing.
In the article, Charles Darwin is mentioned as being one of the persons who held the opinion that the appendix was unnecessary to our health. Since I do not agree with Darwin's theory of evolution, it does not surprise me that his ideas about the appendix are also wrong. Don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that we cannot get along without our appendix - obviously we can since many persons, including myself, have had to have theirs removed yet live very normal lives with no apparent negative affects. I do think that the appendix has a purpose; but for many of us, the body either does not suffer an injury or illness where the appendix could be of help or our body has to work to overcome the problem without the aid of the appendix.
Blessings to all.
Today on the Internet, thirty-nine years later, I saw an article titled: The Appendix: Useful and in Fact Promising. You can read the entire article at http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090824/sc_livescience/theappendixusefulandinfactpromising/
Since I heard about the importance of the appendix sometime during 1970, how is it that this article shows up today as if the information has just been discovered? I find this amazing.
In the article, Charles Darwin is mentioned as being one of the persons who held the opinion that the appendix was unnecessary to our health. Since I do not agree with Darwin's theory of evolution, it does not surprise me that his ideas about the appendix are also wrong. Don't misunderstand me; I am not saying that we cannot get along without our appendix - obviously we can since many persons, including myself, have had to have theirs removed yet live very normal lives with no apparent negative affects. I do think that the appendix has a purpose; but for many of us, the body either does not suffer an injury or illness where the appendix could be of help or our body has to work to overcome the problem without the aid of the appendix.
Blessings to all.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Discipline
Discipline is such an important part of life, but we sometimes avoid it because we do not look at it in the right light. There are also different types of discipline, though they are connected.
When you hear the word discipline, what thoughts comes to mind? Are these thoughts positive or negative?
One type of discipline comes when we are in trouble. As children, we often need to be disciplined or corrected for misbehavior. No one enjoys this discipline; however, it has its place.
Then there is the discipline that most of us build into our lives (to varying degrees) that enables us to function in various aspects of our lives. For some of us, discipline seems to come more easily while for others, discipline is very difficult to achieve.
Discipline or lack of discipline can impact us in all areas of life. A lack of discipline in our personal life may lead to problems with friends or spouses. A lack of discipline in our work life may lead to a lack of success on the job or loss of employment. A lack of discipline in our school life may lead to low grades, which may prevent us from getting a high school diploma, getting into college (or the college/university of our choice) or into a particular field of study (medicine, for example) where top grades are required. A lack of discipline in our spiritual life is, in my opinion, the most serious, since this may limit our usefulness to God.
This summer been wonderful for me in many ways; however, the discipline in my spiritual life has been neglected. Being away from home for almost three weeks and then having additional responsibilities for almost three weeks after returning home has thrown everything out of kilter. Of course, it is my lack of discipline that has caused this to happen. Regardless of where I have been and any added responsibilities I have had, I did not have to place my spiritual discipline on a back burner.
All of my excuses now must be put aside; I must return to my 5:00 A.M. schedule and begin the process of rebuilding the discipline I let slip away over the last few weeks. I am looking forward to this since I have missed the very important benefits which have come from being disciplined.
I thank God for His grace and mercy and for the opportunity to begin anew after having gotten off track.
Blessing to you all.
When you hear the word discipline, what thoughts comes to mind? Are these thoughts positive or negative?
One type of discipline comes when we are in trouble. As children, we often need to be disciplined or corrected for misbehavior. No one enjoys this discipline; however, it has its place.
Then there is the discipline that most of us build into our lives (to varying degrees) that enables us to function in various aspects of our lives. For some of us, discipline seems to come more easily while for others, discipline is very difficult to achieve.
Discipline or lack of discipline can impact us in all areas of life. A lack of discipline in our personal life may lead to problems with friends or spouses. A lack of discipline in our work life may lead to a lack of success on the job or loss of employment. A lack of discipline in our school life may lead to low grades, which may prevent us from getting a high school diploma, getting into college (or the college/university of our choice) or into a particular field of study (medicine, for example) where top grades are required. A lack of discipline in our spiritual life is, in my opinion, the most serious, since this may limit our usefulness to God.
This summer been wonderful for me in many ways; however, the discipline in my spiritual life has been neglected. Being away from home for almost three weeks and then having additional responsibilities for almost three weeks after returning home has thrown everything out of kilter. Of course, it is my lack of discipline that has caused this to happen. Regardless of where I have been and any added responsibilities I have had, I did not have to place my spiritual discipline on a back burner.
All of my excuses now must be put aside; I must return to my 5:00 A.M. schedule and begin the process of rebuilding the discipline I let slip away over the last few weeks. I am looking forward to this since I have missed the very important benefits which have come from being disciplined.
I thank God for His grace and mercy and for the opportunity to begin anew after having gotten off track.
Blessing to you all.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Healing and Deliverance
Here is the teleseminar on strongholds and deliverance by Deanna Allen on August 17, 2009.
Healing and Deliverance
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Healing and Deliverance
Shared via AddThis
Fasting
Just below this post is a link to a teaching by Donna Partow on fasting - done on August 10, 2009. This teaching is a part of Donna's study on Facebook based on her book - Becoming the Woman I Want to Be. There is a charge of $27.00 to be a part of the group (plus the purchase of the book), but I think it is well worth the cost.
I am also going to add the link for today's teleseminar, which was done by Deanna Allen since Donna is on a mission trip to Bogata, Columbia. This teleseminar (part one of a two-part series) is on strongholds and should finish next Monday, August 24th. You may not have a problem with strongholds in your life, but you may know women who do and these teleseminars may enable you to someone else.
Let me know if these seminars are helpful to you.
Blessings to all.
I am also going to add the link for today's teleseminar, which was done by Deanna Allen since Donna is on a mission trip to Bogata, Columbia. This teleseminar (part one of a two-part series) is on strongholds and should finish next Monday, August 24th. You may not have a problem with strongholds in your life, but you may know women who do and these teleseminars may enable you to someone else.
Let me know if these seminars are helpful to you.
Blessings to all.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Routine Begins Again
I cannot believe that it has been two weeks since I posted anything to this blog. On another blog, I just entered a post on discipline and the fact that I have been very undisciplined during the last six weeks. My lack of discipline is certainly evident here.
I think discipline has always been a problem for me. I tend to procrastinate and then have to work under pressure. Procrastination and working under pressure are, however, very stressful; and the older I get, the more negatively stress effects me.
When I was in high school, I did not have to do a lot of studying to make (what I considered then) acceptable grades. I could have, and should have, done much better than I did. When I entered college, I discovered that my study habits were not really adequate for the grades I wanted to make. If I had been more disciplined in high school, I would probably have been much more successful in college.
When I was in fifth grade, I was diagnosed with Amblyopia (also called "lazy eye") and had to wear a patch over one eye for about a year. I had very little sight in my left eye, and it was very difficult for me to do my school since I could only use my "bad" eye. My mother had to help me a lot with my school work until my "bad" eye gradually improved and became at least adequate. To my amazement, I made some of my best grades during that school year. I was so afraid of failing that I worked harder than usual with greater success than usual.
After taking a year off from college between my sophomore and junior year, I returned to school determined to be successful and get my college degree. At the end of my first term back, I earned the best grades I had ever gotten - I believe my GPA was a 3.66 (or higher - not lower). I did well the next term too though my grades were not quite as high. The last term of that year was also good, but I was engaged by that time and planning to get married in August - my focus was not quite the same as it had been in August/September of the previous year.
Discipline is very important, and I will begin tomorrow to rebuild some of the discipline that has been lacking during the last six weeks.
Blessing to you all.
I think discipline has always been a problem for me. I tend to procrastinate and then have to work under pressure. Procrastination and working under pressure are, however, very stressful; and the older I get, the more negatively stress effects me.
When I was in high school, I did not have to do a lot of studying to make (what I considered then) acceptable grades. I could have, and should have, done much better than I did. When I entered college, I discovered that my study habits were not really adequate for the grades I wanted to make. If I had been more disciplined in high school, I would probably have been much more successful in college.
When I was in fifth grade, I was diagnosed with Amblyopia (also called "lazy eye") and had to wear a patch over one eye for about a year. I had very little sight in my left eye, and it was very difficult for me to do my school since I could only use my "bad" eye. My mother had to help me a lot with my school work until my "bad" eye gradually improved and became at least adequate. To my amazement, I made some of my best grades during that school year. I was so afraid of failing that I worked harder than usual with greater success than usual.
After taking a year off from college between my sophomore and junior year, I returned to school determined to be successful and get my college degree. At the end of my first term back, I earned the best grades I had ever gotten - I believe my GPA was a 3.66 (or higher - not lower). I did well the next term too though my grades were not quite as high. The last term of that year was also good, but I was engaged by that time and planning to get married in August - my focus was not quite the same as it had been in August/September of the previous year.
Discipline is very important, and I will begin tomorrow to rebuild some of the discipline that has been lacking during the last six weeks.
Blessing to you all.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Back In Nassau
I left on Wednesday with a very handsome young man to keep me company. Clayton, Rachel's fifteen year-old son, came to visit for about two and a half weeks. I hope he won't be too bored. So far, he has visited my school, spent time with his grandfather at the church, worked on "the lot" - his grandfather's favorite place (I can't take the heat or the sun), taken a dip in the pool (not our personal pool), and I hope to take him out for cracked conch and maybe conch salad this evening. We have also done marathon movie watching; we have some old movies Clay has not seen.
On Monday, a holiday here, I hope to take him to see some sights. I hope he enjoys himself; I would like for him to take good memories home with him.
Blessings to all.
On Monday, a holiday here, I hope to take him to see some sights. I hope he enjoys himself; I would like for him to take good memories home with him.
Blessings to all.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Things End
I'm at my usual spot. The vacation has been great, but now it is time to leave my home. This is always a difficult time; but this time, it seems more difficult than usual. I have put off making my return reservation as long as I can - longer than I should have, but it has to be done.
Depending on what I see when I check the computer tomorrow, I'll probably be leaving on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll be all right once the plane takes off; but until then, each minute will be bitter sweet.
Depending on what I see when I check the computer tomorrow, I'll probably be leaving on Tuesday or Wednesday. I'll be all right once the plane takes off; but until then, each minute will be bitter sweet.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Some Would Say It Is Amazing
I am now following my mother's blog; and as soon as I sign in on Twitter, I will follow her on that as well. Life is really something, isn't it?
Friday, July 24, 2009
Renewal
On Monday, July 20, 2009, I had the privilege of spending time - about four hours - with a friend I had not seen in forty-one years. Amazing - that forty-one years could have gone by without having had some kind of contact, especially considering that we were good friends.
There was no rift, no problem; it just happened. I referred to this time as my forty (one) years in the wilderness. If I could go back and change things, would I? Absolutely! But, of course, we cannot go back and change anything, and there are reasons why things happen as they do.
We had a great lunch, and there was so much to talk about. I could easily have stayed much longer, but we both had other commitments. I hope very much to get to see Deanna again and to see the other friends I missed during those forty-one years. If God allows (and I hope He will), I will get to see some of those friends next summer. While I hope I enjoy the months between now and then, I will be looking forward to that reunion - to the renewal of friendships.
Thank you, Deanna, for the time you spent with me. It meant more than you can know.
Your friend.
Carolyn
There was no rift, no problem; it just happened. I referred to this time as my forty (one) years in the wilderness. If I could go back and change things, would I? Absolutely! But, of course, we cannot go back and change anything, and there are reasons why things happen as they do.
We had a great lunch, and there was so much to talk about. I could easily have stayed much longer, but we both had other commitments. I hope very much to get to see Deanna again and to see the other friends I missed during those forty-one years. If God allows (and I hope He will), I will get to see some of those friends next summer. While I hope I enjoy the months between now and then, I will be looking forward to that reunion - to the renewal of friendships.
Thank you, Deanna, for the time you spent with me. It meant more than you can know.
Your friend.
Carolyn
Thursday, July 16, 2009
A Way of Escape
Go to http://wwwefusjon-life-carolyn-lynnked.blogspot.com/ to read a post from our past. My daughter's computer won't let me copy and paste from one blog to the other, and I am too tired to retype it. Do you remember the situation?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Vacation
Vacation is great, but it is not easy to keep up with blogging, twittering and Facebook (none of which was a part of my life before January of this year). I need to get my own laptop to keep up with this part of my life. That's my plan (the laptop - though I have to have a mouse); I'll have to see how long it will take.
I leave for St. Louis on Friday to see family. This time I will also get to see an old friend. I am really looking forward to that.
It is so good to be with my children and grandchildren. This is where I would like to stay (where they are). My son, his son, and Rachel's son took a vacation to the Midwest spending time in Boonville (our last home in Missouri), Kansas City, Jefferson City, St. Louis/St. Peters, Chicago - and Atlanta though Atlanta is not the Midwest. Baseball was a BIG part of the trip - Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago and Atlanta. They had a great. We would all move back to Missouri I we could. Who knows?
Will try to write again soon.
My best to you all!
I leave for St. Louis on Friday to see family. This time I will also get to see an old friend. I am really looking forward to that.
It is so good to be with my children and grandchildren. This is where I would like to stay (where they are). My son, his son, and Rachel's son took a vacation to the Midwest spending time in Boonville (our last home in Missouri), Kansas City, Jefferson City, St. Louis/St. Peters, Chicago - and Atlanta though Atlanta is not the Midwest. Baseball was a BIG part of the trip - Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago and Atlanta. They had a great. We would all move back to Missouri I we could. Who knows?
Will try to write again soon.
My best to you all!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Lack of Faith - Part 2
A lack of faith is something I've always struggled with; though for a long time,I did not realize that this was my problem.
A few days ago, I wrote about losing a baby; but since I had "done battle" with God recently over my relationship with Him, I was able to come through this in surprisingly good shape. I thought the fear I had lived with for so long was no longer a matter of concern; after all, God had been gracious to me. Little did I know that my fear was real, and it would come crashing down on me.
About twenty two years later, my life fell apart. I won't go into details, except to say that one of my children walked out of my life, and I did not see that child for about three years - did not know for certain where my child was. That was more than I could deal with.
I could have and should have put the matter into God's hands knowing that sometimes a person has to go through difficult times in order for him or her to turn to God - in order for God to get his or her attention. I did not do this though. I fought to make things go the way I wanted them to go because I didn't want anyone to have to go though something terrible even if God was going to turn it into something good later. All of my efforts were unsuccessful; however, and I found myself in a very serious depression. I had fought with depression since I was a young teenager (though I did not have a name for it at the time), and had gone through a mild to moderate period of depression in my mid to late twenties. I found Tim LaHay's book titled How to Win Over Depression at that time, and it helped me a great deal.
When my child left, I went into a very serious depression. I was on medication and in counseling for quite some time; and while this helped to some degree, there were issues I still did not deal with. It has only been in the last five to ten years that I came to realize that my problem was a lack of trust in God. I did not feel that I could trust Him with my children. I did not believe that He really cared about me; I did not feel (and had never felt) that I was worthy of His love. I am not, of course, "worthy" of his love, but He loves me anyway.
The minister at our church when I was between nine and twelve said in a sermon that if only one person had ever lived on earth, God would still have sent His Son to give His life for that person. I remember thinking to myself that I could believe that about any of my friends, but not about me. I don't know why I felt that way. I was a pretty well-behaved child (though my mother might disagree), but I just didn't feel worthy of God's love. This all goes back to that "lack of faith," which is really a terrible thing because it says that God is a liar. God's word says that He loves us; therefore, to think that He does not is to say that He is not telling the truth. That is not a good way to think.
I'll end with this. The fear I had since I was a young child happened, and it went the way I feared it would. I lost my child, and I could not handle it. I blamed God, became very depressed, and this did not have a good impact on my family. I did survive though and my child came back into my life. My relationship with God is good today; I am growing in my faith in Him and can now believe that He does love me (though I still do not deserve His love). I have a long way to go, but things are good.
The Journey continues...
P.S. I am going to Bible study in about an hour, and I just sat down to look over tonight's lesson - we have been studying Philippians and Paul. Philippians 3:13b - 14 reads: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I think those are very good verses for today.
A few days ago, I wrote about losing a baby; but since I had "done battle" with God recently over my relationship with Him, I was able to come through this in surprisingly good shape. I thought the fear I had lived with for so long was no longer a matter of concern; after all, God had been gracious to me. Little did I know that my fear was real, and it would come crashing down on me.
About twenty two years later, my life fell apart. I won't go into details, except to say that one of my children walked out of my life, and I did not see that child for about three years - did not know for certain where my child was. That was more than I could deal with.
I could have and should have put the matter into God's hands knowing that sometimes a person has to go through difficult times in order for him or her to turn to God - in order for God to get his or her attention. I did not do this though. I fought to make things go the way I wanted them to go because I didn't want anyone to have to go though something terrible even if God was going to turn it into something good later. All of my efforts were unsuccessful; however, and I found myself in a very serious depression. I had fought with depression since I was a young teenager (though I did not have a name for it at the time), and had gone through a mild to moderate period of depression in my mid to late twenties. I found Tim LaHay's book titled How to Win Over Depression at that time, and it helped me a great deal.
When my child left, I went into a very serious depression. I was on medication and in counseling for quite some time; and while this helped to some degree, there were issues I still did not deal with. It has only been in the last five to ten years that I came to realize that my problem was a lack of trust in God. I did not feel that I could trust Him with my children. I did not believe that He really cared about me; I did not feel (and had never felt) that I was worthy of His love. I am not, of course, "worthy" of his love, but He loves me anyway.
The minister at our church when I was between nine and twelve said in a sermon that if only one person had ever lived on earth, God would still have sent His Son to give His life for that person. I remember thinking to myself that I could believe that about any of my friends, but not about me. I don't know why I felt that way. I was a pretty well-behaved child (though my mother might disagree), but I just didn't feel worthy of God's love. This all goes back to that "lack of faith," which is really a terrible thing because it says that God is a liar. God's word says that He loves us; therefore, to think that He does not is to say that He is not telling the truth. That is not a good way to think.
I'll end with this. The fear I had since I was a young child happened, and it went the way I feared it would. I lost my child, and I could not handle it. I blamed God, became very depressed, and this did not have a good impact on my family. I did survive though and my child came back into my life. My relationship with God is good today; I am growing in my faith in Him and can now believe that He does love me (though I still do not deserve His love). I have a long way to go, but things are good.
The Journey continues...
P.S. I am going to Bible study in about an hour, and I just sat down to look over tonight's lesson - we have been studying Philippians and Paul. Philippians 3:13b - 14 reads: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." I think those are very good verses for today.
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