Meme. HSM. AI......

MEME *****UPDATED*******

I am completely meme-alicious! I was tagged yet again- this time by Luann . I am supposed to write a six-word memoir. So here it is:

Tired, definitely waiting for the shout.

If any of you would like to do this as well, consider yourself tagged by me.

Okay, I have been tagged by Cassie for a "3 Random Things Meme". She said it is because I am good with 'randomness'. What Cassie doesn't know is that random posts are my way of throwing you off by rambling on and on about things that don't matter so that you won't catch on to my lack of intelligent blog posts. Guess my secret's out.


Somehow this turned into a "random things from your college days" list.......who knew?

Here are the rules:1. Post three random things about yourself.2. In your post, link to the person who tagged you.3. Tag at least five other bloggers. Let them know you've tagged them by commenting on their blog with an invite to participate

#1

My first 2 years of college were spent at ETSU. I lived in the dorm. Many nights instead of studying, we would put panty hose on our heads and knock on other girl's doors to scare them. We would laugh until we cried (or lost all bladder control). I know it doesn't sound that funny to those of you who have never looked at yourself with pantyhose on your head, but trust me, it is funny - really funny. To get a good idea of just how funny, go get a pair of pantyhose, pull them over your head, and go immediately to the closest mirror. I promise you will laugh (if you don't then you have no sense of humor and are not welcome to visit this blog again). Nude pantyhose work best, but if suntan is all you have, then they will do as well. Then picture going to someone's door and seeing them jump back and scream for dear life when they see you standing there in all your pantyhoed glory (yes, I just used the non-word pantyhoed - my blog). Those were the good old days. Memories, like the corners of my mind, misty water colored memories of the way we were...............

#2

My final years of college were spent at Virginia Intermont where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.98 gpa. There were no panty hose incidents during my time there. It's amazing what a person can do when they take the hosiery off their head and truly study.

#3

I am not at all proud of this (okay I am kind of proud but pretending not to be): There was a girl who lived down the hall from me in the dorm. She was there on a full paid scholarship - got her own room - no room mate - everything paid for - she didn't have to work like some of us did - she was loud and obnoxious - not a very nice person, but the worst part was that she was a thief. We would lose things and she would 'find' them, if you know what I mean. One of the things she loved to steal aside from clothing was food. The girl had a free meal ticket - I didn't even own a meal ticket!

Anyway, all the people on our hall shared a common refrigerator - we simply put our name on our food so no one bothered it. No one except her. For months we lost over half the things we put in the fridge. So, several of us got together and decided to take matters into our own hands. This is the part I am semi-not proud of ......we bought some chocolate ex-lax and made a huge bowl of pudding. We put in the refrigerator with my room mates name on it and waited. My room was closest to the restroom so we all piled into it and left the door open to see what happened. Sure enough, within about 2 hours the trips to the bathroom began and every time she passed by we all hi-fived.

As I said, I am semi- ashamed of myself. You who are without sin cast the first stone. Even more ashamed now than then, because then I was not even semi-ashamed - I was proud. Doesn't Proverbs tell us that a girl who will not work will not eat?

#4

Okay, I know that this meme only asked for 3 things, but I thought I would throw in a bonus. Many of you may not be aware of this, but back when I lived in Vegas, I made a living playing poker. ..........................okay, that's a lie, but doesn't it sound more exciting than "I put ex-lax in someone's pudding"? Just trying to spice things up a bit.

Okay, now I have to tag some people, so I am going to tag people that most of you have not read much about...........I tag Luann, Patty, Amanda, Anna, and Jenny.

HSM

On to other news........

What time is it? Summer time.

If those words don't mean anything to you then you will think I am crazy for paying an arm and half a leg for tickets to take the boys to see High School Musical on ice. I have been assured that it is a wonderful, wholesome show that kids and parents will enjoy.

Attention grandparents, we are now taking donations for the purchase of souvenirs at the show.......you wouldn't want your little grandsons going around without a High School Musical t-shirt and flashing necklace light and those things cost money ya know (don't worry, I know you guys have short memories so I will call and remind you of your monetary obligation).

AI

I fear that the ludicrous and unkempt state of Jason Castro's hair may become a trend. I was sitting at a red light yesterday in our small town and was shocked as I looked to the car beside me. There in that little 1988 Toyota Camry was a young man with the same skanky hairdo as Jason Castro. So at this time I would like to send out a plea to all men young and old:

Attention all crunchy granola, hemp necklace wearin', sandal sportin', Goodwill shoppin', no deodorant guys: The dread locks you see on American Idol are not cool. They are in no way environmentally friendly. They are nasty - no seriously nasty - that hair cannot be clean. I know it is tempting when you think of never having to actually wash your hair, but resist the temptation. Besides the fact that it is unsanitary, you will never get a job with hair like that. It is all well and good to be a tree hugger I suppose, but let's not look and smell like one. Go ahead and drive your Volvo station wagon woody, go ahead and wear shirts that urge us all to save the planet, go ahead and eat your natural soy foods, but in the name of all that is good and green, please cut and detangle your hair!!!!!

For those of you who did not see AI last night, let me fill you in. The singing was okay, the show was semi-boring, and Paula Abdul proved that she is in fact a drug addict. Actually, you didn't miss anything - just another night on the AI stage. I could go on and on about the freakiness that IS Paula, but instead I decided to go about it another way..........

I would now like to send a message to Paula Abdul.

Dear Paula,

After the disaster that WAS American Idol last night, any doubts America had about your crack addiction have been laid to rest. We all watched in horror as you made a complete fool of yourself. We cringed when an embarrassed Simon came to your rescue. We all know - America knows. Straight up now tell us the truth, Paula, it's time to face up and fess up. As soon as this season is over, please run, don't walk to your nearest rehabilitation center. What better way to spend your hiatus from AI than getting clean? There is no shame in asking for help.

Sincerely,

AI Watchers Everywhere

A Little Rambling

It is another rainy Monday, which means it is a great time for me to do some much needed housekeeping ('much-needed' - that is like the biggest understatement EVER!). We had a great weekend -----Knoxville on Friday (ate here), t-ball and looking at open houses on Saturday (ate here), and Sunday began our Missions Conference at church (after church went here and bought the boys some shorts and sandals and for me ---- these -only mine are brown because you can NEVER have enough brown flip flops and then we came home to eat leftovers from the night before). Have you noticed that I included what I ate every day this weekend? Pray for me, my name is Beth and I am addicted to food (they say admitting it is the first step).

As I mentioned earlier, our church began its annual Missions Conference this weekend. We bring in missionaries from all over the world and give them some really special treatment for a few days. (By special treatment I mean people take them out to dinner - each Sunday School class raises money to buy them something they need - our class bought our missionaries a satellite phone). On Sunday morning, our pastor introduced them and tells where they are serving. They walk down the aisle, some dressed in the native dress of the country they minister to. It always makes me cry to see them walk down that aisle......I suppose because I know that one day I will see them walk down another aisle and hear "Well done good and faithful servant". It always humbles me to see people who have given up their comfortable lives to share the gospel. Makes me think "What am I doing to spread the good news?". The answer is NOTHING! I have said before that my mission field is the school, the park, the ball field, etc. But compared to these people, I do nothing for the cause of Christ.

Well, time for me to go and vacuum the rugs and clean some toilets. This morning I was trying to remember what I titled a post from long ago and after much searching, I found it (I really need to tag these posts). The post is linked below the follwing verses which are my favorites..........


Isaiah 43:1-7
But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."


Now you might want/need to read this. Or maybe I am the only one who needs to read it again (and again and again).

indiscriminate thoughts and pictures

I am always using the word 'random' in the title of my posts, so I thought I would find a synonym to keep you interested in my arbitrary posts. I used my handy dandy thesaurus and came up with the above title. Are you interested yet? Probably not. This is where those of you who are here to read something spiritual in nature click onto another blog and the rest of you simply read out of boredom. So, for those of you who are leaving, I don't blame you in the least and the rest of you, I am sorry for the stream of consciousness ahead.

*First, let me get something off my chest about the train wreck that was American Idol Broadway Edition (Jennifer Partin, I am sorry for the Idol chat - I know it isn't a hit in Japan - skip to the next * assuming, of course, you are still reading). I have always heard of Andrew Lloyd Weber. I knew that he was famous; however I did not know what he was famous for. Now I know and I realize I was more impressed before I actually knew (don't worry, it makes sense to me). I fail to see how Broadway tunes fit in with vying for the position of hottest rock star in America.

I admit that when it comes to Broadway, I just don't get it. Maybe it's my Appalachian roots (aka hillbilly) or maybe I am just way too uncultured, but I hate all things Broadway. When I think of Broadway, I think of Sodom and Gomorrah - sorry, but I do. I went to see Cats in New York and was sick that I wasted my money to watch a bunch of adults prowl around in leotards acting like felines. Is that really entertainment? If so, I am proud to be a redneck.

As far as the performances, the boy with the unfortunate hair gets on my last nerve. He looks just like a girl I went to high school with (only her hair was clean and untangled). His facial expressions are horrendous and his performances are (in the words of Simon) abysmal (my opinion of course). Maybe it's because he looks like a crunchy granola, hemp sandal wearing, tree hugger --- I might be relating him to Al Gore in my mind and you all know how I feel about Al Gore (not that I am judging him - you know I am not one to judge!).

This is not going to be a popular opinion, but it's mine and I claim it---David Archuleta has a nice voice, but he needs to go back to his middle school already! He is so painfully awkward to me....in a few years and after he finishes puberty, he will rock the stage, I am sure, but now.....ugh. I feel sure that he will continue to get votes as long as 12 yr old girls and grandmothers have access to phones and text messages. He seems to be a hit with the under 13 and over 65 crowd in the contiguous United States as well as Alaska and Hawaii.

If David Cook wins and Brooke White comes in second I will be happy. I, of course, want Brooke to get a recording contract, but I think David Cook IS the American Idol

* Now with that out of the way, let me move on to another subject that is causing me pain. Like my feet, my back, my arms, legs and fingers that are splintered. Yes, folks, you read me right - I hurt. Yesterday, I spent hours in the hot sun loading a huge dumpster (is there a 'p' in dumpster?) with scrap building materials. I don't mean a little dumpster like the ones behind your local McDonald's - I mean a tractor-trailer size dumpster! Some of the things these people call scrap are extremely large and cumbersome for an out of shape 35 year old person (even though I AM freakishly strong). I have splinters in almost all my fingers - it ain't pretty.
I know what you are thinking, "Why didn't you wear gloves?" Because apparently a load of sheet rock was placed on top of my gloves. Unfortunate to say the least.

*Its almost Bible School time again. For the past several years, I have been in charge of preschool crafts. So, its time for me to come up with some Western (that is our theme this year) crafts for the 5 and under crowd........any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

*I have a blister on the bottom of my foot - on the bottom!!!! What up with that? Yesterday was Relay for Life at my son's school. They raise money for our local Ronald McDonald House by collecting pledges and walking for them. I walked in my new comfortable sandals. Apparently they aren't as comfortable as I thought, thus the unsightly blister on the bottom of my already aching feet.....that is how things tend to go for me, people.

*Lake starts guitar lessons next week. Says he really wants to learn. He spends much of his time with the toy guitar we bought him a couple of years ago for Christmas writing songs (the guitar only has 4 strings left - my boys are hard on instruments I think). I will try to video his latest hit and post it soon. It is entitled, "Jesus is Good all the Time". He may not be the next guitar hero, but at least he knows what's important in life.

* Hey Jenny, I know it's late but are you really STILL awake?

*Luann, I tried to comment on your blog today, but I got an error message in the comment box..........my computer is messed up. Those people at Norton keep sending me pop-ups that say my account expired three days ago.......guess I should take care of that.

*Dust bunnies are real. I know because they are everywhere in my house and they just keep multiplying.

*We have to go to Knoxville today to pick up some brick that will finish the brick job on our house. It is an hour and a half drive. We had to go a couple of weeks ago and we ended up eating here and shopping here, so it's a pretty good deal for everyone involved.

*Did I mention that I am sunburned?

*Yesterday while I did man's work at our new house, my boys played in the mounds of dirt behind the house. When we got home at 9 pm last night (yes, I know it was a school night) all you could see was their teeth and eyes. No amount of cleaner could help my bathtub. When we move, I am going to tell people that the bathtub is SUPPOSED to be tan.

*I went to Verizon wireless to see about getting a new cell phone the other day. Kaden went with me. Kaden has issues with constipation and a general dislike for all things relating to poop. He had to go to the bathroom, but wouldnt - he just kept walking around with his tail sticking out. I pretended like there was nothing wrong while I talked to a nice man named Ty. Finally Ty said, "Does he have to use the bathroom?" I said, "Why yes, I believe he does". I have learned that when all else fails act like you are oblivious. This is a small store - 2 desks a few phones and a restroom. So Ty directs me to the restroom which is approximately 3 feet away from his desk and 4 feet away from the other 4 people in the store. We get into the bathroom and I set Kaden on the toilet. He starts crying and he screams "You're hurting me". I wasnt touching him, but he means that I am hurting him by making him go to the bathroom (told you he has issues). Over and over he screams "You're hurting me!". He will not go. Finally, I pull his pants up and make my way out to where all the people are staring at me as if I just beat my child in a horrific way. I continued to talk to Ty for a moment and then made a ladylike exit (as ladylike as one can be in that situation). We decided to keep our account with Sprint (we thought it might keep Child Protective Services from being able to locate us)

*I love to read Christian fiction (you know, like Redeeming Love, etc). I would love for you guys to tell me your favorite Christian fiction books......I might actually get to read one this summer between moving, VBS, swimming lessons, guitar lessons, vacations, etc. etc..........okay, maybe not, but still tell me your favs so I can buy them and place them on my shelves to read when my kids are grown up or when I am in the nursing home whichever comes first.

The welcome sight of the boom truck carrying our sheet rock and loading it into the upstairs.

View from kitchen to family room - I need a maid - sadly I AM the maid.

View from living toom into foyer - those are stairs covered in black plastic so no one walks on them yet

Kaden on his daddy's tractor - yes that is a porta-potty in the background - the guys who are building our house have to go somewhere.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Last week in Bible study, I asked the question, "Have you ever mourned over sins you have committed"? A lot of women nodded their heads indicating that they had. I am not talking about tearing your clothes and heaping ashes on your head, but I wonder if we really mourn over our sin.


I suppose the answer to that question depends upon the sin committed. Maybe murder would cause you to mourn, but a lie wouldn't really make you break out the heaping coals. Maybe if it were sexual in nature, you might become sin-sick, but what about coveting your neighbors 'stuff'? We love to put tags on sin - we like to grade sin as if we were the teacher holding a big red marker. You committed adultery? You get a big fat ZERO! And not only do you fail, you will spend the rest of your life in detention and bondage. So, you told a little white lie? That will get you a 98 - don't worry it's still an A so you can still feel good about yourself (after all its not like you committed adultery or anything). Next time try not to lie and you will get an A+.



Some of you might be thinking that this doesn't apply to you - that you don't assign degrees to sin. Don't we punish our children according to the infraction? In other words, when little Johnny lies, he gets a spanking with the spoon (or is that just at our house?), but when he hits his brother, he gets a verbal warning. If you don't place degrees on sin, then little Johnny would be getting that spoon spanking every time he did something wrong.



Do you see what I mean? We SAY that we don't place degrees on sin, but don't we judge others by the severity of their sin? All of us have sinned. Jesus died for all those sins - the ones we think are minor and the ones we think are major. He died for all of them. Since He had to give His life for those sins, in a bloody, shameful, horrible way, I daresay He doesn't see any of them as minor. Psalm 51:4 says, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge". The point here is that we are not the judge of others. More times than I care to recall I have placed myself in the position of judge and more times that I care to recall I have been judged by others.



There is another side to the judgement coin. Sometimes Christians mourn too much over sins they have committed. For some reason, when we take a good look inside ourselves and see the ugliness that lurks within us, it makes us beat ourselves up. Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.." God does not condemn us if we are saved, we condemn ourselves. It is easy to think of God as a loving, caring, forgiving God when things are going well, but when we sin intentionally (or BIG), we think that God could never forgive us. The problem with beating ourselves up over our sin is that others see our torment and it taints our witness. They think that if God isn't big enough to forgive our sins, then He could never forgive theirs (which is satan's ultimate goal - to ruin the witness of Christians so that others will not be influenced for Christ through us).



The devil is at his best when we are at our worst. When he sees our wrong attitudes toward God's forgiveness, he takes the opportunity to pounce. If you don't know it already, satan is the biggest opportunist ever. When we have even the slightest thought that God may not forgive our sins, satan is there to whisper "You have done this so many times, God is through with you" or "Do you really think that God is going to let you by with that simply by asking forgiveness?".



The liar has been doing his job for thousands of years and he is good at what he does. On our own, we are powerless against satan. His lies are truth to those who don't know Jesus personally. His lies are truth to some who know Jesus, but aren't walking with Jesus. His lies are truth to those Christians who are living in a season of sin. His lies are no match for the power of God that lives inside you no matter what satan whispers in your ear. God does not condemn us even though we condemn each other (or ourselves). He wants the glory for our restoration and repentance from sin. In fact, in everything we do, God's goal is for us to bring Him glory - even through our ugly sins.

Judge Not

We have a friend at church who gets very defensive when someone asks the question, "What do you do for a living"? I suppose that some people actually are curious as to what his occupation is, but there are others who use that question to answer another --"How much money do you make"? I have never really thought much about it until lately, but the truth is that most of us judge people (at least to some degree) by what their job is, their education, and how much money they make. Aren't we all more impressed by someone who says they are a brain surgeon that by someone who is a janitor? It isn't that the brain surgeon is a better person, but we know that someone who has gone through medical school and performs intricate surgery on the brain is a pretty sharp cookie.



My husband is the only child born to parents who were almost 40 when he was born. He is now 41. His parents are retired of course, but they do own a car wash and some apartment buildings, which means he and I have to help them take care of their businesses. With a car wash comes a lot of trash. Unfortunately, the trash will not empty itself. I know you are jealous that I get to be the trash lady, but don't hate - it isn't as glamorous as it sounds. Anyway, lately I have noticed that when I am emptying trash, people treat me differently than they normally do. When I am 'Beth the Trash Lady' people treat me as though I work for them. They look at me with pity - I call it the 'poor girl has to empty the trash for a living -she should have gotten an education' look. Little do they know that I am college educated and I don't have to empty trash for a living, I do it to help my father-in-law.



Recently, while hubs was working at the new house, he decided to take a break and go to a furniture store in the downtown area of our town. He was wearing old boots and work clothes when he went in. He was checking on a price for a bedroom suite that we wanted to buy for our new house. The lady who owns the store apparently did not see him as a 'real' potential customer because of his attire. We ended up buying the furniture from a different store. Last week I went to this same furniture store just to look around and waste some time while I waited to pick Lake up from school. I was dressed in my "uniform" - blue jean capris, sandals, and a summer shirt. When I told her that my hubs had come in to price some bedroom furniture, she remembered him and she immediately 'wrote me off' as well. I have to say it gave me great joy to tell her that we purchased the bedroom suite from another store (I wanted to say "from a store who wanted our business", but I didn't).



These experiences have really made me think. Do I treat people differently because I perceive them to be 'more important' than others? Do I judge people by their outward appearance or by their profession? Do I assign more 'worth' to those who have more material possessions?



Most importantly, do I judge people outwardly when I really need to be looking at their hearts?

My point here is : Looks can be deceiving.

Sometimes, things are not as they seem. Sometimes people are not as they seem. Some people have the ability to mask their true inward feelings. There are people who go to church every Sunday, serve themselves into the ground, but are lost and on their way to hell. I daresay each of have friends that are not as sure of their salvation as we are. We see these people in the pews every week and we assume that they are saved, but maybe they are just dressed as one who is saved. Maybe their 'clothes' hide who they really are. Maybe they know all the right words and say all the churchy phrases we like to hear, but do they really know Jesus?



Or what about those women (and men) who don't go to your own church. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones who go to a church that you know holds to beliefs that are not Biblical (yes, that includes denominations that are very common - does your denomination's beliefs line up with the Bible?). Churches that support homosexuality, that allow gay women to stand in the pulpit each week, that don't believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, those who think its okay to go out drinking on Saturday night as long as you are at church on Sunday, those who tickle the ears instead of preaching the Truth, those that are more of a social club than a real God-honoring church.........remind you of anyone you know?

I think we all know people who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. Even the person who seems to have it most together can go to hell. Look at Oprah, for years she spoke of her Christian faith, yet now we see it was a fraud - - and who has it outwardly more together than Oprah?What we have to remember is that regardless of occupation, dress, appearance, intelligence, those who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ will split hell wide open.

Much About Nothing

The Lord has been teaching me some interesting things lately, but I need some time to work them all out in my mind....so in the interest of keeping the blog updated, here are some random facts (well facts might be too strong a word) and a couple of pictures of my boys. If you are here looking for some spiritual food, scroll down a few posts..........

~Finally, Christy Lee Cook (I'm not sure how you spell her name) has gotten the boot. I mean that in the nicest possible way of course. She is a pretty girl, but she has mistaken whining for singing one too many times. On the other hand, I completely LOVE Brooke White and David Cook - when they get voted off, I stop viewing. I feel somewhat sorry for David Archuleta - always looks like a deer in the headlights....just my opinion.

~Went to Sam's Club last night. Took the hubs - big mistake. We came home with $239.36 worth of things to stuff our faces with. Two of my favorites are the 15 lb bag of M&M's and the 25 lb bag of Hershey kisses. Okay that might be an exaggeration of how much the bags actually weigh, but it is no exaggeration as to how much weight I will gain after eating said candy. Unfortunate to say the least.

~I have been outside all day today. I love this time of year when it is cool in the mornings and hot in the evenings. I really hope Jesus comes back really soon because my skin is probably not gonna hold out much longer. I figure when I am 40 people will assume I am 60 (that is if I don't die of melanoma before the age of 40). I really need to use sunscreen, but I don't -- I just don't.

~Instead of college, I wish I had gone to aesthetician school. It is cheaper, it only lasts a year, and I could perform much needed beauty treatments on myself.

~Have I mentioned that I have foot issues? I have spent years squeezing my size 7's into size 6 and a halfs and now the time has come to pay the piper (or the podiatrist) UGH!

~I dreamed about snakes ALL night last night. If you don't already know about my fear of snakes, go back a few posts to read all about it. It's too painful to re-type. I have this dream where I go out in my yard and there are snakes everywhere I step. Do you think my fear goes back to the garden? I am thinking I might end up in one of those programs - you know the ones where they put you in that white suit and restrain your arms and legs?

~This morning I had 15 errands to run. For the 9 years that we have been married, hubs and I have had the same routine in the mornings. When he works dayshift, he gets up at 5:40 and when he gets out of the bathroom at 6:15, he wakes me up so I can get into the shower. This morning he came into our bedroom (and woke me up from a dream where he had bought a snake and placed it in a fish tank - pray for me) at 6:50 and said, "Are you just gonna sleep until its time to get Lake up?" Huh? What? Who are you and what have you done with the husband who knows the routine? When I asked him why he didn't wake me up he said, "I had my mind on something else." Yep, we will probably both be in a program before its all said and done.

~I think I am up to about 50 Hershey kisses today. Might be a record - anybody got a Guinness Book handy?

~Has anyone else noticed that Nick and Disney shows frequently use the phrase "What the....?" We all know some words that would naturally follow that, yet they insist on putting that phrase in cartoons. What is up with that?

~I am sick of seeing/hearing Hillary (and Bill) and Obama. I wish the election were over already. Sadly, I predict that we are about to see Obamanation win.............Better yet, let's all pray that Jesus comes back before the next Presidential Inauguration.

~This week has been TCAPS for Lake. That is the TN version of achievement tests. They are a big deal. Much bigger than anything we ever did in school. The other night, Kaden told Lake he had to go to bed early because he had to take 'handicaps' the next day.

~A haiku for today (I know it doesn't exactly follow the Haiku rules, but its my blog):
My father in law owns a car wash.
We live right beside it. My car is filthy.
I am lazy.

~And here is yet another Haiku that also does not follow the rules (again - its my blog):
My house is dirty,
I play outside until dark,
I need a maid.

~I might have a career in Haiku writing.

~My sister's husbands niece was on Jerry Springer one time. Its all fake in case you were wondering.

Time to go back outside and play ball with the family (because one can never get enough fresh air, ya know). 'Tis T-ball season, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la. But first I need to stop by the Hershey kiss bag and eat #51.

A Quick Thought Because I Have Very Little Time

A friend of mine has suggested to me several times that I need to compile a devotional book (she is a big cheerleader/encourager). After I quit laughing, I asked her "Who would want to pay money to buy a book written by me?" (You guys read this blog, but it's mostly because you are blog-addicted and need counseling - just kidding hahahaha- But truth be told, you would never pay hard-earned money to read my scribble! It's free here anyway). Then I proceeded with the following argument:

Have you ever noticed the amazingly HUGE amount of devotional type articles there are on the internet? Blogs are full of them. Ministry sites have tons of them. Church websites are laden with them. There are more devotions on the net than spam! (Praise the Lord) If you go to Lifeway Christian Book Store or any other book store, you will find hundreds of devotion books. The one that always cracks me up is "The One-Minute Devotional". What's up with that? If you can only give God one minute per day, you need more help than a 60 second quick-read pep-talk can give (just my opinion - remember it is my blog). My point here is that bookstores are flooded with devotional books already.



Anyway, after we talked I was thinking about this. Isn't it funny that there ARE so many devotional books? Isn't it funny that there are so many blogs where people share their Christian faith? Isn't it funny that there are millions of believers in the world and God speaks something different to each one?

God has billions of children living on the earth now and those who lived in years past. He has a different word for each of us - a different plan for our lives. Each one of us could write a devotional book and each book would be filled with different experiences, different struggles, different victories. So many people, so many unique lives lived down through the ages --it boggles the mind - makes us humble.

I cannot fathom the enormity of the universe - my mind is much too simple (the blog readability test DID say I am on a Jr. High level). I cannot picture infinite time. I cannot understand how God know each of us long before we were knit together. It is truly beyond me how He could create trillions of people, each unique - with unique experiences, unique fears, unique appearance..........He wrote the script of our lives (trillions of lives) long before we were born. Each one different, yet each one of us completely His. Completely sinful, yet completely loved.


I find it all unfathomable, indescribable, amazing.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Last week the weather here was so pretty. I wore shorts and t-shirts every day (did I mention that I heart t-shirts? I have a problem - pray that I will overcome my t-shirt buying/wearing addiction - I also have a similar addiction with flip flops/sandals - pray hard). Saturday, we played outside all day until about 5 pm when it was time for Lake's t-ball practice.

Here is a picture of Kaden watching his brother play t-ball

Here is a picture of Kaden pouting because he isn't the one playing

Actually, Kaden is old enough to play, but we thought that at 4 (just turned 4) it might be a little soon to expect him to actually be a productive member of a t-ball team. In other words, we are too busy this year to spend all day at the ball park with 2 kids playing t-ball. We thought he needed another year to 'mature' (at this point he would be playing in the dirt the whole time). I know what you are thinking: 'they are terrible parents', but I say "Judge not" people "lest ye be judged". Rest assured, he WILL be on a team next year and he will be ready to play (and we will hopefully not still be building a house at that time, but anything is possible).

Anyway, back to the difference a day makes.......after our week of wonderfully tropical weather (okay maybe tropical is a little strong, but humor me here) we woke up Sunday to freezing temperatures similar to Antarctica (again maybe a little exaggeration,but it IS my blog). My mood is directly affected by the weather, can ya tell?

Today is another cold one........I am sooooo ready for summer. Ready to eat popcylces outside while my kids play in the sandbox, ready to get out the Old Navy flip flops in every color, ready to go to Dairy Queen after church on Sunday nights and eat ice cream cones on their picnic tables, ready for play dates with church friends that involve little swimming pools and sprinklers, ready to smell freshly cut grass, ready for vacation, ready to wear my sleeveless tops (even though my upper arms are less than toned), ready to wear my shorts (even though they are all old and I have cellulite dimples on my thighs), ready to fire up the grill, ready to stay outside until it gets dark at 9"30 catching lightning bugs, ready to break out the slip n slide (hey, we dont have a pool, ready to don the capris, ready to move into this house

Too bad this house isnt ready for us...............

In other lame and boring news, I thought about doing a "100 things about me" post, but I was coming up with stupid facts like "I get paper clip and safety pin confused so I call them paper pins and safety clips" (it's true). I could think of some intriguing things about me, but they would mostly be lies, so in light of what the Bible says in Matthew 5:29 ("If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell"), its best for me just to forget that idea.

Last week on Mari's blog, she posted a blog readablity test. It tells what grade level someone needs to have completed to read your blog. Mine came up Junior High. Posts like this are probably why. That and the fact I use words like YAY! and phrases like "cause that's how I roll". So, the good thing is you can be stupid and/or 11 yrs old and still enjoy my blog. YAY!

I have a meeting at church tonight. The email said "You don't have to bring anything. We will provide food and chocolate". Happiness is the hubs watching the kids while I go eat food and chocolate with some girls from church.

Yesterday at church, our pastor (who is hilarious without meaning to be) said something that cracked me up. He is preaching on heavenly rewards (so far I think I might be in line for the 'loves the idea of the return of Jesus' award, but I guess I will have to keep workin' on the others). He was talking about the subject of death for a minute and he said "People dont like to talk about death and dying. When was the last time you invited somebody over to your house for dinner and said 'okay, while were eatin' let's talk about death and dying'". I found it so funny (you had to be there). The funny part is that when I was little, the preacher at our church preached a series of sermons and the title of the series was "On Death and Dying" - it lasted for weeks and weeks (yeah, real fun times). Yesterday when he said that, I couldnt help but wonder if that old preacher didnt do exactly that....invite people over to dinner and talk about death. I know, its not really funny to you, but picturing that has made me smile ever since yesterday morning.

Oh well, I suppose that is enough boredom for you today. Feel free to move on to more exciting blogs - I dont blame you. Go ahead, move on,

nothing here to see, folks,

move along............

What Would You Have Done?

Okay, I have a question for you.

Is it easier for us to believe in Jesus as Savior today or was it easier for people who lived while He was on earth?

I have been thinking a lot about it. I even asked the question in my Wednesday night class and it seemed to stump a few people. I'm not saying that it is difficult for me to believe that Jesus Christ came to earth, God made man, and died to save me of my sins. It isn't hard for me to believe that at all - today. But, I wonder if I would have been so quick to believe if I had grown up in Nazareth. Let me set the scene and maybe you will see what I am talking about.

Go back in time with me for a minute:

It was hot outside in Nazareth that day. We got up even earlier than usual that morning so we could get to the synagogue before it got too crowded. My husband likes to get there early to talk to the men before the service starts and I love to fellowship with the women -- we are all so busy with our everyday chores we rarely get to visit with one another.

I was sitting with the ladies in the balcony when I heard the priest call everyone to order. The priest said a prayer and then he introduced Jesus. I looked down and saw Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. He adjusted his prayer shawl and began walking to the front. I hadn't seen him in a while. Some people say he has gone crazy, but I don't believe it, after all, I have known him since he was 2 years old. I've know Mary even longer - we grew up together. I even remember when Mary and Joseph left Nazareth. They said they were leaving because of the census, but we all knew why they really left.

Someone handed Jesus the scroll of Isaiah and he began to read:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on ME, because he has anointed ME to preach good news to the poor. He has sent ME to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

We all sat there dumbfounded. What did he mean that the scripture was fulfilled in our hearing that day? Surely he, Jesus of Nazareth, illegitimate son of Mary and Joseph, is not implying that he is the Messiah we have waited for so long! How could he mock us and our God this way? After that, the men drove him out of town. It's a terrible shame, but he had to be stopped. Poor Mary, I know she must be so embarrassed by him.

Okay, that was my feeble attempt to explain my question. At first thought, it would seem that it would have been easier to believe that Jesus was the Messiah if you could see Him in person. But when you take into account that these people knew Him from childhood and knew His family, maybe it would not have been so easy to believe.

My point here is that we read our Bible and think that the people who lived during Jesus' day had it much easier than we do today. They could see Him and touch Him. After all, don't most of us have a little Thomas in us (we need to see to believe)? People from Jesus' day would probably say that we have it much better because of the Holy Spirit. Sure, the people in Jesus' day could hear Him speak, but they didn't have the Holy Spirit living inside them. Today, we have the benefit of the complete Bible AND the Holy Spirit.

I think it's a blessing that I live today and not back then in Nazareth. Why? Because I would have probably never been saved. I like to think that I would have been the lone person to stand beside Mary in that crowd that and defend Jesus, but in reality, I would have probably been behind the mob that drove Him out of town. -- "He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." John 11:11

I wonder what would you have done?

Randomness and a Meme

I have a few Godly thoughts stirring in my head, but I need to flesh them out a bit before actually typing them here. So, I thought it might be okay to do a random post (you know I am all about updating the blog ;-). You guys know I'm always good for a little random nothingness. So here goes:

~I am not sure when, but at some point recently, our friend Jennyhope, wrote a post called "The This is a Tunic Not a Dress Memo" or something like that. If I had time I would link you to it (cause I'm linky like that, ya know). Anyway, her post mentioned how many women and teenage girls have mistakenly (or accidentally on purpose) worn tunics as dresses. I am seeing more and more of this as the weather gets warmer here in east TN. Let me reiterate Jenny's point. Apparently and quite unfortunately, tunics and leggings have come back into style. There are many versions of tunics in the stores now - THEY ARE NOT TO BE WORN ALONE! REPEAT: THEY ARE NOT TO BE WORN WITHOUT LEGGINGS! If you have a great body, that is wonderful, but the rest of us do not want to see all of said body when you bend over. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

~They start insulating our house today. We may actually meet our goal of moving in before Jesus comes back. (Just kidding, when Jesus comes back, I'll have a much better house than the one we are building - and I won't have to be concerned with decorating that one! Praise the Lord for He is good)

~All my shorts from last year (which were from years before) are completely 'unwearable' - is that a word? what word would you use there? This is probably for the best since the pasty whiteness of my skin and the unsightly cellulite could offend those who look at me.

~Gas prices are freakin' outrageous. Don't even get me started! I keep hearing people say things like "If everyone would just stay home for one day, they would have more oil than they would know what to do with and prices would have to drop". Can we all just do it already? Let's start a blogger's gas revolution - everyone stay home - stop buying gas and lets see if the theory is correct or not.

~I did not like "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as sung by the dude with the unfortunate hair last night on Idol. And what is up with playing a ukulele? I thought his performance was 'abysmal' as Simon would say and as Randy would say "I just wasn't feelin' it dawg, that wasn't good for me".

~ In other Idol news, did anyone notice that Paula had a little issue with her dress last night. Someone needs to send her the "That Dress is Way Too Tight for You to Wear in Public" memo. She was extremely uncomfortable in that awful garb. How do I know? She looked like me squeezing into the "girdle" (for lack of better explanation) that I wear with certain outfits. I've been there and it ain't comfy or pretty!

~Did you see the footage of the women and children they rescued from the polygamist compound in TX? I felt so sad for those girls boarding that bus in their homespun dresses. I hate to think what they have been through in the name of "religion". I wonder how people get that far away from reality. The moral of the story with these people is :When you add to the Word of God, you make a big mess. (yes, feel free to quote me on that - just be sure to give credit where credit is due ;-) hahaha To read about the false doctrine of the mormon church click here.

~Went to Mahoney's, local sporting/clothing/cool boot-shoe store yesterday to order some of these (ya'll I have feet problems) and I found a pair of Perlina heels that had been $90 on sale for $14. Have I mentioned that I love a good deal? And they are sooooo comfortable!

Okay, my friend Stephanie tagged me to do this meme - she loves me and she is my biggest fan, so she was eager to hear my answers to all these questions. Okay, that's really a lie, Stephanie IS my blog friend and we read each other's blogs, but the rest is pretty much false. The truth is that since I don't have a lot of time to work on a more spiritual post today, I thought it would be a great thing to do. Have ya'll noticed that I don't do Wordless Wednesday, I do "Wordy" Wednesday.

*What I was doing 10 years ago: (1998)
1. I was single and working for Sullivan County
2. I was dating different people - hubs and I went on our first date January 12, 1999 - got married June 26th, 1999
3. I was finishing my Bachelor's degree and went to the gym 5 days a week - I know hard to believe - people, this is what happens when you let yourself go!
4. I was getting my hair and nails done - massages - I had no children
5. I was living in a one bedroom apartment with little responsibility

5 things on my to-do list today:
1. Mop my kitchen floors
2. Paint my toenails - I am in serious need of a mani/pedi
3. Give Kaden a bath
4. Wash all the clothes in my laundry basket
5. Keep my sanity

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. Umm, Hello? I enjoy ALL snacks!
2. Claussen Dill pickles, popcorn, crackers, chips, all things salty
3. Dove dark chocolate - all other chocolate
4. Is pizza and breadsticks a snack?
5. Graeter's ice cream - Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay off my church's debt and pay for more expansion
2. Give to Life Today to drill as many water wells as they need
3. Call in to WCQR (local Christian station) during share-a-thon with a $5 million pledge
4. Pay off our new house and hire a decorator to do the whole thing
5. Give everyone in our families lots of money to use however they wish

5 bad habits:
1. I do not eat what I should
2. I can be judgemental at times
3. I have bad posture
4. I have little will-power
5. I am a little opinionated ;-)

5 jobs I've had:
1. Lenscrafters -sold glasses
2. Sears Telecatalog (Thank you for calling Sears Telecatalog, my name is Beth, how may I help you today?"
3. Sullivan County Engineers Office
4. Local High School - truancy
5. Mother/wife/taxi driver/referee/teacher/prison warden/carpenter/plumber---you get the idea. My degree, however, is in Organizational Management...........although I am not always organized and I get tired of managing.......such is life.

For the two of you who are still reading this (mom and dad), I thank you for your undivided attention!

A Soft Place

I just realized that I am, in fact, an adult. I don't like being labeled as an adult. When I was 15 I longed to be an adult. At 35, not so much. I remember when my parents were 35, I thought they were old (no offense, mom and dad). I remember thinking how terrible it would be to be 35 and my life be over. Being an adult means you have lots of responsibilities and people depend on you (that is a scary thought -people depend on me? - yikes!). I had a moment recently when I realized just how much my kids depend on me. My husband and I are their "safe place". Someone can hurt their feelings and they come to me and they are safe and everything is okay. They can get hurt and mommy's love and attention will make them feel better. We are a soft place to fall for our children.

I have noticed that my oldest son tends to worry about things more than he used to. He worries that people may not like him or that he didn't win first place at field day. Small worries in comparison to what many people face, but they are big in his life. I used to worry. A lot. I used to worry about everything. Little things, big things, anything. I used to worry if I didn't have anything to worry about. "How can a Christian worry so much?", you ask. The answer is pretty simple - lack of trust. I didn't see the big picture. I didn't refer to the back of the Book to see how it ends. I didn't allow God to be God and do what only He can do.

One of the biggest tools satan uses against us is worry. Why is worry one of satan's favorite weapons? Because worry is born out of fear, and when we fear there is lack of trust, and when there is lack of trust there is lack of belief, and when there is lack of belief there is lack of relationship, and when there is lack of relationship there is lack of worship, and when there is lack of worship God is not glorified - satan is. (Attn English Teachers: How's that for a run-on sentence?) The devil loves it when God's people are not worshipping Him. When we aren't worshipping God, then we are in fact, worshipping something/someone else (ourselves, our stuff, this world maybe?). That, my friends, is called idolatry. The devil loves for us to buy into his idea that God is not big enough, not able to take care of all our problems and concerns, because it taints our witness and hinders our worship.

When we live in constant worry, others sense the spirit of fear in our lives. A life filled with worry and fear is life lived walking in the flesh. What better way to keep people from Christ than to let them see you (me), a Christian, paralyzed by worry and fear? After all, satan's goal is to keep unbelievers from believing and to make the witness of the believer completely ineffective. I cannot think of a better way to ruin your witness than to constantly give in to a spirit of fear. The two of you who are left reading this are probably thinking, "I have heard this all before, this is not news to me." And you are right, you have heard it before, but have you ever really taken it to heart? Can you say that you have given up your habitual worry and fear? Sometimes we need to hear something over and over before it really sinks in. Sometimes a fresh word brings about change, but other times we 'get it' when we hear it for the hundredth time.

Romans 8:15 says, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." As you know, Abba means 'Daddy'. So, every time we feel that fear/worry creep in, we need to have a heart to heart talk with our "Daddy" so that He can remind us that we are not a slave to fear, He is in control, and He is our "Daddy" who loves us. We need to bring our rejection, fear, and bruised hearts to Him so He can put His arms around us and be our 'safe place'. We need to remember that, like our children, a soft place to fall and His name is Abba, Daddy.

The Power of a Word

A couple of days ago I posted a link to a video of Oprah that showed clips of her talking about her "spirituality" (or lack thereof). In that video, she mentions a time in her early twenties when she attended a church where the pastor was very charismatic. She recalls sitting in a service where the pastor was listing some characteristics of God - He is good, He is loving, He is omnipotent, He is jealous.......Oprah said that when she heard the pastor say God is jealous, a huge question came to her mind. In this video Oprah says that it was at that moment she said to herself, "God is jealous OF me?"


What Oprah didn't (and still does not) understand is that God is not jealous OF her but jealous FOR her. He is jealous for her to depend solely on Him. He is jealous for her heart to love only Him. He is jealous for her to give Him everything she has. He is jealous because He knows the other 'gods' or idols of this world can offer us nothing. But Oprah does not understand the difference between God being jealous FOR her and being jealous OF her. Although I am sure that there are many people who are jealous Of Oprah, God is not one of them.

Do you see the power of a word here? One word caused one of the most influential women in the world to question the God of the Bible. One word caused her focus to be shifted from God to what she wanted God to be in her mind. With one misunderstood word, satan has allowed millions to be misled through Oprah. There are people who will miss heaven because Oprah misunderstood the meaning of God's righteous jealousy.

That is how satan works. He uses the smallest, minute details to trip us up. He knows it doesn't take much for those who are weak in their faith to turn their backs on God. If Oprah had taken the time to study her Bible, she could have quickly learned the meaning of God being jealous FOR us. Instead of pulling out the Bibles, the concordances, and the commentaries and researching God's jealousy, she chose to conjure up a perfect god in her mind. Millions of people will be deceived because someone with huge influence did not study the word. Millions of people will bow down to Oprah's god because her god allows them to continue living the way they want to live. Millions of people have been and will be deceived by someone else's ignorance of God's word.

I know it sounds like I 'have it in' for Oprah, but actually I just wanted to use her as an example of how WE can be deceived and how WE can deceive others by not fully understanding God's word. I wonder how many of us have ever added to or taken away from God's word in order to fit our idea of 'a perfect god'.


Or how many of us have been deceived by pastors, friends, teachers, etc. that did not fully understand the Truth.


I have always wondered how the followers of David Koresh never realized that he was a false prophet. Did they not read the Bible for themselves? Or what about the followers of Jim Jones.....how did they not know that he was a liar? What would possess normal everyday people to throw common sense out the window and follow such people?

The simple truth of the matter is that people who do not know the word of God, who do not read the word of God for themselves are easily deceived. There are people who grow up in certain "Christian" denominations that refuse to acknowledge the false doctrine they have been taught all their lives. Or maybe it isn't that they refuse to see, but that it is easier to stick with what you know (even if what you 'know' is a lie).

There are so many different Christian denominations in our world that it would be difficult to even count them all much less decipher what each truly believes. There are denominations that claim the name of Jesus but deny His deity. Some churches call themselves Christian, yet say the Bible is filled with myths. Some churches claim to believe the Bible, yet ordain gay women as pastors. Others worship mere men over God. Some churches deny the Trinity while others say that Jesus was just a 'good man'. I could go on all day about false doctrine, but you get my point. This is why Bible study is so important to us. 2 Timothy 2:15 says it this way "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth".

If we do not study the word of God, we can just as easily fall prey to false doctrine as the people in Waco or the people who drank the red Kool-aid. Oh, I am not suggesting that any of us would go to those extremes (although I am not saying we wouldn't either). But when we do not know what the Bible says, we will never be able to discern false doctrine from Truth. I know most of us think we are way too intelligent to be taken in, but in reality, some of us are just a word away from buying into the lies of a false prophet.

Okay, now for some fun.......my bother-in-law and sister showed me the funniest guy on youtube.com last night. His name is Tim Hawkins (you may know of him - I am always the last to get word of things) and he is hilarious. You can go to youtube and type a serch for Tim Hawkins, but be sure to watch this particular video!

Until I Have a Chance to Post.......

So, I have been on the go all day (this is unfortunately not unusual for me anymore) I havent been able to blog today, but hopefully I will be back at it late tonight or tomorrow morning sometime (after dropping Lake off at school, making my daily Wal-Mart run, getting my hair cut, running errands for my husband, going to the cleaners, paying some bills for the new house, etc. etc).
AND, since I severely dislike visiting blogs that ARE NOT FREQUENTLY UPDATED (uh hmm you know who you are ;-) I thought I would place a link here to my dads blog. He is new to the blog world, but is an expert in the area of stewardship and is asked to speak at churches/conferences all over the world. Just thought you might be interested to read his latest entries on Materialism. (Daddy, I hope you found the spell check!)

The Church of Oprah Exposed

Mike Mickey at RaptureAlert.com has posted this YuoTube video on his blog. I have posted about Oprah's new age doctrine before and I thought this video to be a 'must see' for all of us.

http://rapturealert.blogspot.com/2008/04/church-of-oprah.html