Isnt it funny that by the miracle of modern technology, I can be partying at Disney while still rockin' the blog at home? I have tried to come up with a few things to post while I am gone.....here are a few quotes that I found interesting.
Here, then, is the real problem of our negligence. We fail in our duty to study God's Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. R. C. Sproul
A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.C. S. Lewis
I believe in Christianity as I believe in the rising sun; not because I see it, but by it I can see all else.C. S. Lewis
I am sure that never was a people, who had more reason to acknowledge a Divine interposition in their affairs, than those of the United States; and I should be pained to believe that they have forgotten that agency, which was so often manifested during our Revolution, or that they failed to consider the omnipotence of that God who is alone able to protect them.George Washington
Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them; and he proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires. Let us trust his skill and thank him for his prescription.Isaac Newton
Our brains are no longer conditioned for reverence and awe. We cannot imagine a Second Coming that would not be cut down to size by the televised evening news, or a Last Judgment not subject to pages of holier-than-thou second-guessing in The New York Review of Books.John Updike
God made us to run in the field of Himself. CS Lewis
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Cheesy Survey for Your Reading Pleasure
Yes, I am still partying with the mice, but I still thought it appropriate to show some blog love to my peeps! So, because I love you guys, I am posting this awesome and informative survey. Go ahead and read with a tear in your eye -I know you will be blessed (give a girl a break, I can only come up with so many posts on such short notice). Also, I am sure many of you will feel led to copy this same survey on your blog (I copied it from someone else) - feel free to do so, friends, feel free indeed.
A is for age
25 (okay 25 +10)
B is for burger of choice.
I dont eat burgers, but if I did I would eat one from here.
C is for what car you drive
2002 Cadillac Escalade that I will be still driving in 2012, 2022, AND 2032 assuming Jesus doesnt come back before then in which case I will be driving something totally cooler
D is for Dog's name.
I dont have a dog, but if I did I would name him Baby
E is for essential item you use every day.
Makeup. Makeup is very essential for me and those around me - you do not want to see me without it.
F is for favorite tv show at the moment.
H is for Hometown
Blountville, TN (aka Blount-vegas)
I is for instruments you play.
I play air guitar and the kazoo
J is for favorite juice.
Juice? V-8?
K is for who you'd like to kiss
The person who invented the dishwasher
L is for last restaurant you ate at.
Pizza Inn
M is for your favorite Muppet.
Kermit (and Miss Piggy because I can feel her pain)
N is for number of piercings.
5 not counting my eye and belly button (just kidding about the eye and belly button)
O is for overnight hospital stays
Is that consecutive or how many actual nights I have spent in the hospital? I need some clarification in order to provide accurate answers. (I spent 5 nights in the hospital with each child, so 10 actual nights in a medical facility)
P is for people you were with today
Lake, Kaden, hubs, and the t-ball team
Q is for what you do with your quiet time
Truly quiet time is not possible at my house (even in the middle of the night because my men snore) but in my semi-quiet time I like to read the Bible, read Christian fiction, blog, read blogs, or weave baskets. (one of those is actually not true - I'll let you guess which one)
R is for biggest regret.
That I didnt develop my excellent singing voice and that I turned down the modeling contract. (umm, for the record, neither one of those is true)
S is for status.
Married
T is for time you woke up today.
1:30 am, 4:18 am, 7:20 am (since this is actually a post dated post - I cant answer that correctly, but these are the times I woke up on July 22nd ----like you care!)
U is for what you consider unique.
My ability to pick things up with my toes
V is for vegetable you love
Cucumbers? Onions? Cucumbers and Onions together preferably in a mixture of salt, vinegar and pepper - its a southern thang --- I also like 'killed' lettuce - if you know what that is, I will be impressed - when I get back I will elaborate on this southern delicacy that my grandmother perfected
W is for worst habit.
I have way too many bad habits, but one of the worst might be saying what I think before thinking about what I am saying
X is for number of x-rays you've had
I have absolutely no idea and I happen to know that no one cares how many x-rays I have had
Y is for yummy food you ate today
Heath bars made by moi. Pizza. Salad.
Z is for zodiac sign.
Scorpio, not that I believe in all that junk. Who ever came up with that stuff anyway? And why would the person that made it up use the word cancer to name one of the signs? Whatever........
Okay, wipe your eyes, and thank you for being so touched by my beautiful words....... more later and hopefully it will be much more interesting than the A-Z survey ---- hopefully.
A is for age
25 (okay 25 +10)
B is for burger of choice.
I dont eat burgers, but if I did I would eat one from here.
C is for what car you drive
2002 Cadillac Escalade that I will be still driving in 2012, 2022, AND 2032 assuming Jesus doesnt come back before then in which case I will be driving something totally cooler
D is for Dog's name.
I dont have a dog, but if I did I would name him Baby
E is for essential item you use every day.
Makeup. Makeup is very essential for me and those around me - you do not want to see me without it.
F is for favorite tv show at the moment.
It's summer, I dont watch TV in the summer (with the exception of a few late night episodes of House Hunters International)
G is for Favorite game.
Mrs. Pac-Man???
H is for Hometown
Blountville, TN (aka Blount-vegas)
I is for instruments you play.
I play air guitar and the kazoo
J is for favorite juice.
Juice? V-8?
K is for who you'd like to kiss
The person who invented the dishwasher
L is for last restaurant you ate at.
Pizza Inn
M is for your favorite Muppet.
Kermit (and Miss Piggy because I can feel her pain)
N is for number of piercings.
5 not counting my eye and belly button (just kidding about the eye and belly button)
O is for overnight hospital stays
Is that consecutive or how many actual nights I have spent in the hospital? I need some clarification in order to provide accurate answers. (I spent 5 nights in the hospital with each child, so 10 actual nights in a medical facility)
P is for people you were with today
Lake, Kaden, hubs, and the t-ball team
Q is for what you do with your quiet time
Truly quiet time is not possible at my house (even in the middle of the night because my men snore) but in my semi-quiet time I like to read the Bible, read Christian fiction, blog, read blogs, or weave baskets. (one of those is actually not true - I'll let you guess which one)
R is for biggest regret.
That I didnt develop my excellent singing voice and that I turned down the modeling contract. (umm, for the record, neither one of those is true)
S is for status.
Married
T is for time you woke up today.
1:30 am, 4:18 am, 7:20 am (since this is actually a post dated post - I cant answer that correctly, but these are the times I woke up on July 22nd ----like you care!)
U is for what you consider unique.
My ability to pick things up with my toes
V is for vegetable you love
Cucumbers? Onions? Cucumbers and Onions together preferably in a mixture of salt, vinegar and pepper - its a southern thang --- I also like 'killed' lettuce - if you know what that is, I will be impressed - when I get back I will elaborate on this southern delicacy that my grandmother perfected
W is for worst habit.
I have way too many bad habits, but one of the worst might be saying what I think before thinking about what I am saying
X is for number of x-rays you've had
I have absolutely no idea and I happen to know that no one cares how many x-rays I have had
Y is for yummy food you ate today
Heath bars made by moi. Pizza. Salad.
Z is for zodiac sign.
Scorpio, not that I believe in all that junk. Who ever came up with that stuff anyway? And why would the person that made it up use the word cancer to name one of the signs? Whatever........
Okay, wipe your eyes, and thank you for being so touched by my beautiful words....... more later and hopefully it will be much more interesting than the A-Z survey ---- hopefully.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Reassurance, Encouragement, and Comfort
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (The Message)
And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master's word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence—we have the Master's word on it—that when the Master comes again to get us, those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind. In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us. The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (New International Version)
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (King James Version)
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (Amplified Bible)
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.
Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!
Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first.
Then we, the living ones who remain [on the earth], shall simultaneously be caught up along with [the resurrected dead] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord!
Therefore comfort and encourage one another with these words.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-24 (The Message)
God's loyal love couldn't have run out, is merciful love couldn't have dried up.They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.
Isn't it awesome that God's mercies are new every morning? That means that when we ask forgiveness (and mean it), He is faithful to forgive and we can start over with a clean slate. Do you ever get bogged down by life and worry? Or do you ever feel like you are far, far away from God? Was there a time when you loved God more than you do today? Maybe its time you re-read Lamentations 3:22-24
Lamentations 3:22-24 (King James Version)
22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Now let us all stand and sing Hymn #232 "Great is Thy Faithfulness"..... in case you have forgotten the words.....here they are............
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Church is dismissed.
God's loyal love couldn't have run out, is merciful love couldn't have dried up.They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over). He's all I've got left.
Isn't it awesome that God's mercies are new every morning? That means that when we ask forgiveness (and mean it), He is faithful to forgive and we can start over with a clean slate. Do you ever get bogged down by life and worry? Or do you ever feel like you are far, far away from God? Was there a time when you loved God more than you do today? Maybe its time you re-read Lamentations 3:22-24
Lamentations 3:22-24 (King James Version)
22It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
24The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.
Now let us all stand and sing Hymn #232 "Great is Thy Faithfulness"..... in case you have forgotten the words.....here they are............
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.
Refrain
Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Refrain
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Church is dismissed.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A Few Friday Thoughts
First off, I would like to thank Stephanie for giving me this. I dont know how brilliant my blog is, but I sure thank her for the kind words and vote of confidence. If you know Stephanie, you know that her blog is brilliant and she is a sweetheart. So, thank you Stephanie. While I am on the subject of Stephanie, can I just say that I am more than a little jealous that Stephanie, Fran and Jennyhope are rooming together in San Antonio for the Siesta Fiesta? And I do mean MORE than a little jealous!
So, I have been looking forward to this time and not looking forward to it. I have been anxious about going to Disney,but not anxious about what happens when we come back - Lake goes back to school on the 15th,which is a Friday. Why not wait until Monday? Stupid if you ask me. I know all you educators will disagree with me, but why on earth cant we wait until at least Labor Day to go back to school? It seems like there should be plenty of time to teach kids what they need to know between Labor Day and Memorial Day, I could go on an on, but I probably shouldn't.......
A good friend of ours sends us this twice per year. Sometimes he sends 12 pints, other times he sends 6. We would be thankful for one (don't tell him that though), but he goes above and beyond the cold and creamy call of duty...to God be the glory. This dry ice packed, UPS man delivered shipment came this morning and it included: Mocha chip, chocolate chip (2), black raspberry chip, cookies and cream, and toffee chip. This stuff is GOOD. I mean "hide it in the back of the freezer so no one else can find it" good. "Make a tadpole slap a whale" good. Only give guests one small scoop good (my family knows what I mean by that ;-). If you have never been privileged enough to taste this delicious handmade french pot confection, then I suggest you hop right online and order yourself up some heaven in a pint jar or make a trip up to the Cincinnati area where it is sold in Graeter's Ice Cream Parlors. Warning: this stuff is not cheap, which is why we wait for our friend to send it to us instead of actually purchasing it ourselves. The ice cream is not cheap, but we are...............
My oldest son (7) is becoming more and more mischievous. The other morning hubs and I were working outside while the kids were in the house eating breakfast. When I came back in Kaden (4) said, "Mommy I have been talking to you into that thing" and he pointed to the security system sensor on the wall. I said, "Honey, why were you talking into that thing". He said , "Because you can hear me from outside if I talk into it". Before I could ask where in the world he got that idea, I looked behind him to find his brother standing there with a smile on his face. I just hope Lake never makes him eat dog food like my sister did with me. (Nope, never gonna forget it)...............
Then yesterday, Kaden came to me and we had the following conversation:
Kaden: Mommy, Lake is lyin'. (which coming from K sounds like "Wake is wyin')
Me: Lying?
Kaden: Well, I thank (think) he is lyin'. When I talk to him he says he cant hear me and I am talkin' real loud. Ya thank (think) he really cant hear me?
Me: Nope, I think he is lying.
Do ya'll ever click on a blog and get this weird thing where it only displays the text of someones blog? What up wit dat?
When I was younger, it was no big deal for me to play baseball or kickball for hours on end. It has come to my attention that 2 hours is way too long for a 35 yr old woman in my condition (out of shape) to play baseball or kick ball.
Did I mention that my kids have placed an American flag on our mantel and the other day, I came into the living room to find them standing side by side saying the pledge of allegiance in their underwear???? Yes, we take patriotism to a new level here.
The Hannah Montana concert comes on Saturday night. The kids made me go to Wal-Mart (okay, no one has to MAKE me go to Wal-Mart, but whatever....) to get their 3-D glasses. They have been waiting for this concert for 3 weeks. The problem is that we are celebrating hubs mom's b-day that night.........this could be bad.....really bad. Do ya think Mammaw will understand coming home early from her 80th b-day celebration to watch Billy Ray's daughter in 3-D?
Do ya'll think I should get out the leash for Kaden at Disney? I remember when I was little, we would go to Disney and talk bad about the Indian people who had their kids on a leash, but desperate times call for desperate measures, people!
FYI to those of you who have a home security system. If you leave the house with a helium balloon floating around inside, the alarm may go off thus alerting the authorities and a deputy sheriff might just show up at your house thinking that there is a break in. Just warning you that this COULD happen.........
Did you see where minimum wage is going up to $6.55 and then to $7.25??? Where were these lawmakers when I was 16 and making $3.58??? Since the price of oil affects EVERYTHING, maybe we should just get gas prices under control and then we could bring minimum wage back to a normal level. Have you ever noticed that the people we elect do everything backward? I could go on about how we are hurting the small business owner, how we are pricing ourselves out of jobs, how the world is going to hell in a handbag, but I wont.....this time, I wont.
I am ready for a couple of weeks in sunny (hopefully) Orlando. I have my pony tail holders, head bands, my faux Vera Bradley backpack, sunscreen, anti-bacterial hand gel, anti-bacterial hand wipes, kleenex, wet-ones, band-aids, mini-hand-held fans, new memory card for the Easy Share, Chap-stik, lip gloss in all shades, sewing kit, new Nikes, Chaco's, plastic ponchos in the event of rain, travel papers straight from Disney in a plastic pack shaped like Mickey ears, and several outfits mostly consisting of tank tops and shorts.......ya think Mickey will like us??????
A good friend of ours sends us this twice per year. Sometimes he sends 12 pints, other times he sends 6. We would be thankful for one (don't tell him that though), but he goes above and beyond the cold and creamy call of duty...to God be the glory. This dry ice packed, UPS man delivered shipment came this morning and it included: Mocha chip, chocolate chip (2), black raspberry chip, cookies and cream, and toffee chip. This stuff is GOOD. I mean "hide it in the back of the freezer so no one else can find it" good. "Make a tadpole slap a whale" good. Only give guests one small scoop good (my family knows what I mean by that ;-). If you have never been privileged enough to taste this delicious handmade french pot confection, then I suggest you hop right online and order yourself up some heaven in a pint jar or make a trip up to the Cincinnati area where it is sold in Graeter's Ice Cream Parlors. Warning: this stuff is not cheap, which is why we wait for our friend to send it to us instead of actually purchasing it ourselves. The ice cream is not cheap, but we are...............
My oldest son (7) is becoming more and more mischievous. The other morning hubs and I were working outside while the kids were in the house eating breakfast. When I came back in Kaden (4) said, "Mommy I have been talking to you into that thing" and he pointed to the security system sensor on the wall. I said, "Honey, why were you talking into that thing". He said , "Because you can hear me from outside if I talk into it". Before I could ask where in the world he got that idea, I looked behind him to find his brother standing there with a smile on his face. I just hope Lake never makes him eat dog food like my sister did with me. (Nope, never gonna forget it)...............
Then yesterday, Kaden came to me and we had the following conversation:
Kaden: Mommy, Lake is lyin'. (which coming from K sounds like "Wake is wyin')
Me: Lying?
Kaden: Well, I thank (think) he is lyin'. When I talk to him he says he cant hear me and I am talkin' real loud. Ya thank (think) he really cant hear me?
Me: Nope, I think he is lying.
Do ya'll ever click on a blog and get this weird thing where it only displays the text of someones blog? What up wit dat?
When I was younger, it was no big deal for me to play baseball or kickball for hours on end. It has come to my attention that 2 hours is way too long for a 35 yr old woman in my condition (out of shape) to play baseball or kick ball.
Did you read this story? Yeah, don't really know what to say about that....I guess it is none of my bidness what people name their kids.....If I ever have a daughter, I think I will name her Elana Does the Macarena.
On a similar note, do you remember when you were little and you never worried about how hot it was outside? We would play all day in 98 degree weather and never even consider the heat. Now when out in the heat for hours, I find myself wondering what is the proper procedure for taking care of myself in the event of a heat stroke. I guess that's the difference in between age 12 and age 35........at 12 your biggest worry is having to go into the house and at 35 your biggest worry is having to go into the hospital.........what a difference a few years makes.
Can stress kill you????
Remember those commercials where Sally Struthers told us 'for the price of a cup of coffee per day we could feed a starving child in Africa"? I wonder if she has checked the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks lately......I bet I could feed 50 starving kids for the price of one cup of Starbucks coffee. No wonder they are closing so many stores....it is coffee,people, not liquid gold.
Yesterday, Kaden had a funny look on his face (could have been the "I have to go to the potty and I have held it too long" look) and so I asked him what was wrong and he gave me a one-word reply "ARMPIT" and then he laughed so hard he was rolling in the floor. I wonder when the novelty of that word will wear off? When will the word 'armpit' cease to make him laugh uncontrollably? I hope not too soon, because it gives us a laugh just watching him.
Did I mention that my kids have placed an American flag on our mantel and the other day, I came into the living room to find them standing side by side saying the pledge of allegiance in their underwear???? Yes, we take patriotism to a new level here.
The Hannah Montana concert comes on Saturday night. The kids made me go to Wal-Mart (okay, no one has to MAKE me go to Wal-Mart, but whatever....) to get their 3-D glasses. They have been waiting for this concert for 3 weeks. The problem is that we are celebrating hubs mom's b-day that night.........this could be bad.....really bad. Do ya think Mammaw will understand coming home early from her 80th b-day celebration to watch Billy Ray's daughter in 3-D?
Do ya'll think I should get out the leash for Kaden at Disney? I remember when I was little, we would go to Disney and talk bad about the Indian people who had their kids on a leash, but desperate times call for desperate measures, people!
Am I the only mother in the world who occasionally cooks meals that no one will eat? I hope not.
Someone in my mom's family, who shall remain nameless, actually went to the neighbor's house to get a 'start' off of one of their plants that she thought was pretty.....when her son who works in a drug task force type job came to visit, he said ,"Mom, did you know that there is marijuana growing in your flower bed"? I find that hilarious.
Well, that is about enough for today. Just because I am in Disney, don't let that keep you from checking the blog. I have left a few very interesting thoughts for your viewing pleasure while I am away, so keep checking back.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Something Burning on my Mind
Ya'll I am so busy today, but there is something burning on my mind (yes, I just said the phrase 'burning on my mind'). I just have a minute (literally) to type out my thoughts, so bear with me - this may be difficult to follow. I can't promise this will make ANY sense, but hopefully I can expound on this later. I have been thinking about how we let other people tell us who we are instead of listening to what God says about who we are. The world (and sadly, other Christians) tell us we aren't good enough, aren't smart enough,aren't good-looking enough, aren't spiritual enough, or sweet/kind enough. God says we are a 'royal priesthood, a chosen generation, joint heirs with Jesus, children of the King, etc'. Don't we tend to listen to the world's opinion of us instead of God's? We forget that God's opinion of us is the only one that matters and we let the opinions of flawed humans take over and get us down.
Maybe one of the many reasons the Bible tells us to be in the world and not of it, is because the world will bring us down, after all, we know who the prince of this world is, right? The world tells us we are worth nothing. God says we are worth the life of His only Son. There is nothing satan loves more than a child of the King who sees himself as a pauper. The world will not let us realize our full potential as children of the Most High. The world hasn't heard the famous Beth Moore phrase "There ain't no high like the Most High". The world looks at us and sees hypocrites, failures, and losers. God looks at us and sees the blood of His One and Only.
Sometimes it is like our spiritual tuners are in between stations ---- we hear white noise and the faint sound of Jesus on one station and satan's ugly voice mingled with some rock music on another. We cant have our ears tuned to the world and keep our eyes on Jesus at the same time. He needs our eyes AND ears directed toward Him in order to help us realize our potential in Him. If we don't see ourselves the way Christ sees us, we cant see others the way Christ sees them. Time to get our spiritual radios tuned to the proper station and have it set so we can hear the Announcer loud and clear.
Maybe one of the many reasons the Bible tells us to be in the world and not of it, is because the world will bring us down, after all, we know who the prince of this world is, right? The world tells us we are worth nothing. God says we are worth the life of His only Son. There is nothing satan loves more than a child of the King who sees himself as a pauper. The world will not let us realize our full potential as children of the Most High. The world hasn't heard the famous Beth Moore phrase "There ain't no high like the Most High". The world looks at us and sees hypocrites, failures, and losers. God looks at us and sees the blood of His One and Only.
Sometimes it is like our spiritual tuners are in between stations ---- we hear white noise and the faint sound of Jesus on one station and satan's ugly voice mingled with some rock music on another. We cant have our ears tuned to the world and keep our eyes on Jesus at the same time. He needs our eyes AND ears directed toward Him in order to help us realize our potential in Him. If we don't see ourselves the way Christ sees us, we cant see others the way Christ sees them. Time to get our spiritual radios tuned to the proper station and have it set so we can hear the Announcer loud and clear.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Countdown to Disney
UPDATE: By popular demand, I am adding my Heath Bar recipe at the bottom of this post.
*So, the official Disney Countdown has begun. In 6 days, we will be leaving for our 10 day trek to see Minnie, Mickey and the gang. My dad always says things like, "I will never understand why people think they deserve to get to take a vacation" and I agree. A preacher that visits our church occasionally to preach says, "Anything above hell is grace". So, I agree that I don't really DESERVE a vacation, but I sooooo NEED one. Our lives are a little stressful right now and we need a break. Pray that we can relax and leave the house building to the people who are actually building it while we are gone. Oh, and we are taking any and all donations for gas - make your checks payable to me.
*It is pretty late and unfortunately, I cannot sleep. Even worse, Kaden cant either. I decided to bring him here in the den so that we wouldn't keep everyone else awake. Even worse than that....he is sitting on the couch behind me watching TV and saying, "Mommy, can you fix me some pancakes?" It could be a long night.
*Anybody know how a girl could make money by publishing random blog posts? Just curious.
*Last week, the boys were outside (if they are awake they are outside) riding their bikes. Kaden was the policeman, Lake was the bad guy and I was the judge. Lake sped ahead of Kaden and said, "You'll never catch me, Copper!" Copper? What in the world? Then Kaden brought Lake to the judge (me) and I asked him what the violator was being charged with to which Kaden replied, "Speeding and Abetting". Huh? Where do they get this stuff?
*It makes me soooo mad when I am excited about something and other people burst my bubble.......that's all I am gonna say about that.
*Anybody know how to write a blog post and set it to publish while you are not at home? Me neither. It would be nice to have a laptop, but then that really wouldn't be a vacation, would it? So, please don't hate me when you click on my blog and see the same title for several days......
*I'm looking for some gold bronzer - like really GOLD. I had some a while back and it really made my skin look 'dewy'. If you know of a good gold bronzer (not bronze, but gold) please let me know. Men need not reply. Thank you.
*When I was a teenager and getting ready to go out with friends, my mom would say "Don't go anywhere you wouldn't want to be when the Lord comes back". I know a lot of people that should hear and heed that advice......
*She also told me to wake her up when I got home at night because she couldn't sleep until she knew I was home safely..........huh? I don't really even understand that advice.
*You know that piece of furniture in your bedroom that is tall and has drawers in it? Yeah, well I know you thought was called Chester Drawers, but it is really a Chest of Drawers. Makes perfect sense now that I explained it to you, huh? It's okay, it's probably a common mistake. Don't feel stupid. Could have been me that called it Chester Drawers.
*Sometimes someone says something to me or something happens that irks me and I just cannot let it go......that happened to me today. Is anyone else like that or am I the only one who needs counseling?
*Why do I get so many hits on this blog and so few comments? Could be because people like Angela and David (you know who you are) and so many others that shall remain nameless are lurkers instead of commentors.........Anyone out there want to raise your hand and proudly say, "I read Bethanne's blog"? Come on, come out of the closet.........well, you know what I mean. Come out of the closet unless you are gay......and if that is the case, stay in the closet, please! (Yeah, I went there).
*I might have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I was behind a lady at Wal-Mart the other day and she asked the clerk for a carton of some type of cigarettes. The clerk handed her the carton and said, "That will be $38.96". I thought I was hearing things - $40 for a carton of cancer sticks? People are complaining about the price of gas while paying $40 a week to kill themselves slowly????
*I have rolled $11 in nickels since I have been typing this post. The loose change in this house has gotten completely out of control.
*I still dont have all my paint colors picked out. I am waiting for the paint fairy to come and paint each wall a different color so I can see which colors I like best. I hope the paint fairy is real unlike that dern tooth fairy. And for the record, I hope the paint fairy is not as cheap as the tooth fairy either. (If this statement applies to you, then own it - you know who you are).
*Do you ever wonder why people do stupid things? Or why they dont think the stupid things they do are actually stupid?
*Do you think perms will ever come back in style?.................. Just askin'.
*This morning in church I was soooo sleepy. I dont know why, but my eyes would not stay open without work. In case you were wondering, the message was not boring and our pastor raises his voice quite often, but I just couldnt keep my eyes from closing. The only thing that kept me from actually falling asleep was the fear that I might do that little thing where I wake myself up snoring OR I might have that dream that I am falling and jump out of the pew. I really should get more rest on Saturday nights.
*My sister made me eat dog food when I was little. I know I have mentioned that on this blog before, but I think it deserves a second mention. Did I also mention that I have a little trouble letting go of some things?
*The same sister that made ME eat dog food, now requests that I make her batches of no-bake oatmeal cookies every time we get together. What is wrong with this picture?
*I made a batch of homemade Heath bars to take to my mom's on Saturday night......many of those that were leftover have been eaten today...............mostly by me.
*So, do ya'll think Jesus will come back before Lake starts 2nd grade on August 15th??? That's what I am hoping for......
Well, Kaden has fallen asleep and is snoring in my ear. Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to get out the Pancake Mix and the Aunt Jemimah!! Better go and put the little turkey in bed.
Beth's Heath Bars
Club or saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks butter (do not use margarine - it makes the cookies stick to the foil)
12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips (I use 1 and a half pkgs chips)
1/2 pkg Heath chips
Preheat oven to 400. Line bottom and sides of regular sized cookie sheet with tin foil (that's aluminum foil for you non-southerners). Do not grease foil. Cover the bottom of cookie sheet with unbroken crackers. Combine butter and brown sugar - bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 3 minutes. Pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes exactly. Immediately after removing from oven, pour chocolate chips over cracker base and allow to melt. Spread the chocolate until smooth and then sprinkle Heath chips over chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firmly set. Break apart after completely cool and store in airtight container in fridge.
*So, the official Disney Countdown has begun. In 6 days, we will be leaving for our 10 day trek to see Minnie, Mickey and the gang. My dad always says things like, "I will never understand why people think they deserve to get to take a vacation" and I agree. A preacher that visits our church occasionally to preach says, "Anything above hell is grace". So, I agree that I don't really DESERVE a vacation, but I sooooo NEED one. Our lives are a little stressful right now and we need a break. Pray that we can relax and leave the house building to the people who are actually building it while we are gone. Oh, and we are taking any and all donations for gas - make your checks payable to me.
*It is pretty late and unfortunately, I cannot sleep. Even worse, Kaden cant either. I decided to bring him here in the den so that we wouldn't keep everyone else awake. Even worse than that....he is sitting on the couch behind me watching TV and saying, "Mommy, can you fix me some pancakes?" It could be a long night.
*Anybody know how a girl could make money by publishing random blog posts? Just curious.
*Last week, the boys were outside (if they are awake they are outside) riding their bikes. Kaden was the policeman, Lake was the bad guy and I was the judge. Lake sped ahead of Kaden and said, "You'll never catch me, Copper!" Copper? What in the world? Then Kaden brought Lake to the judge (me) and I asked him what the violator was being charged with to which Kaden replied, "Speeding and Abetting". Huh? Where do they get this stuff?
*It makes me soooo mad when I am excited about something and other people burst my bubble.......that's all I am gonna say about that.
*Anybody know how to write a blog post and set it to publish while you are not at home? Me neither. It would be nice to have a laptop, but then that really wouldn't be a vacation, would it? So, please don't hate me when you click on my blog and see the same title for several days......
*I'm looking for some gold bronzer - like really GOLD. I had some a while back and it really made my skin look 'dewy'. If you know of a good gold bronzer (not bronze, but gold) please let me know. Men need not reply. Thank you.
*When I was a teenager and getting ready to go out with friends, my mom would say "Don't go anywhere you wouldn't want to be when the Lord comes back". I know a lot of people that should hear and heed that advice......
*She also told me to wake her up when I got home at night because she couldn't sleep until she knew I was home safely..........huh? I don't really even understand that advice.
*You know that piece of furniture in your bedroom that is tall and has drawers in it? Yeah, well I know you thought was called Chester Drawers, but it is really a Chest of Drawers. Makes perfect sense now that I explained it to you, huh? It's okay, it's probably a common mistake. Don't feel stupid. Could have been me that called it Chester Drawers.
*Sometimes someone says something to me or something happens that irks me and I just cannot let it go......that happened to me today. Is anyone else like that or am I the only one who needs counseling?
*Why do I get so many hits on this blog and so few comments? Could be because people like Angela and David (you know who you are) and so many others that shall remain nameless are lurkers instead of commentors.........Anyone out there want to raise your hand and proudly say, "I read Bethanne's blog"? Come on, come out of the closet.........well, you know what I mean. Come out of the closet unless you are gay......and if that is the case, stay in the closet, please! (Yeah, I went there).
*I might have mentioned this in an earlier post, but I was behind a lady at Wal-Mart the other day and she asked the clerk for a carton of some type of cigarettes. The clerk handed her the carton and said, "That will be $38.96". I thought I was hearing things - $40 for a carton of cancer sticks? People are complaining about the price of gas while paying $40 a week to kill themselves slowly????
*I have rolled $11 in nickels since I have been typing this post. The loose change in this house has gotten completely out of control.
*I still dont have all my paint colors picked out. I am waiting for the paint fairy to come and paint each wall a different color so I can see which colors I like best. I hope the paint fairy is real unlike that dern tooth fairy. And for the record, I hope the paint fairy is not as cheap as the tooth fairy either. (If this statement applies to you, then own it - you know who you are).
*Do you ever wonder why people do stupid things? Or why they dont think the stupid things they do are actually stupid?
*Do you think perms will ever come back in style?.................. Just askin'.
*This morning in church I was soooo sleepy. I dont know why, but my eyes would not stay open without work. In case you were wondering, the message was not boring and our pastor raises his voice quite often, but I just couldnt keep my eyes from closing. The only thing that kept me from actually falling asleep was the fear that I might do that little thing where I wake myself up snoring OR I might have that dream that I am falling and jump out of the pew. I really should get more rest on Saturday nights.
*My sister made me eat dog food when I was little. I know I have mentioned that on this blog before, but I think it deserves a second mention. Did I also mention that I have a little trouble letting go of some things?
*The same sister that made ME eat dog food, now requests that I make her batches of no-bake oatmeal cookies every time we get together. What is wrong with this picture?
*I made a batch of homemade Heath bars to take to my mom's on Saturday night......many of those that were leftover have been eaten today...............mostly by me.
*So, do ya'll think Jesus will come back before Lake starts 2nd grade on August 15th??? That's what I am hoping for......
Well, Kaden has fallen asleep and is snoring in my ear. Thank goodness, I thought I was going to have to get out the Pancake Mix and the Aunt Jemimah!! Better go and put the little turkey in bed.
Beth's Heath Bars
Club or saltine crackers
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks butter (do not use margarine - it makes the cookies stick to the foil)
12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips (I use 1 and a half pkgs chips)
1/2 pkg Heath chips
Preheat oven to 400. Line bottom and sides of regular sized cookie sheet with tin foil (that's aluminum foil for you non-southerners). Do not grease foil. Cover the bottom of cookie sheet with unbroken crackers. Combine butter and brown sugar - bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 3 minutes. Pour over crackers. Bake for 5 minutes exactly. Immediately after removing from oven, pour chocolate chips over cracker base and allow to melt. Spread the chocolate until smooth and then sprinkle Heath chips over chocolate. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firmly set. Break apart after completely cool and store in airtight container in fridge.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Randomness That Demands Some Pictures
So, have you ever had one of those days that you wish would just end quickly before any other bad things happen? Yeah? Well, yesterday was one of those days for me. I wont go into all the gory details, but let me just say that if today is no better than yesterday, I will be going to bed early---like 2 pm.
This last picture is a bonus. It is a picture of a non-tech savvy mom who is amazed that all those songs can fit into that little tiny iPod. If you wonder what that growth is on my back, it is a fold up lawn chair - we were on our way to a baseball game. Oh and that IS my actual refrigerator in the background. Those are magnets, child art, and pictures. Do yourself a favor and DON'T double click to see the larger image --- it ain't pretty.
T
his morning I was checking comments on my blog and noticed that I had a comment from Carol at Sheep to the Right. The comment said something like "Come on over I have given you some picante sauce". Immediately, I think "Carol is sending me some salsa!!! Woohoo!!". So, I go to her blog and wouldn't you know it, she has given me an award. It's the Artey Picante award (Greg, you will be glad to see it). Even though I do like me some salsa, I really appreciate this award from Carol. She is an excellent writer and has a wonderful blog. She is always getting book proposals ready and things like that --- you will see her name in lights one day (or maybe just on numerous book jackets), so you definitely need to check her blog out if you haven't already. Thank you, Carol!!! (Side Note: I am a little co-dependent so I am afraid to give out the award for fear of hurting someone's feelings --- I need counseling, Carol, help me!!!)
his morning I was checking comments on my blog and noticed that I had a comment from Carol at Sheep to the Right. The comment said something like "Come on over I have given you some picante sauce". Immediately, I think "Carol is sending me some salsa!!! Woohoo!!". So, I go to her blog and wouldn't you know it, she has given me an award. It's the Artey Picante award (Greg, you will be glad to see it). Even though I do like me some salsa, I really appreciate this award from Carol. She is an excellent writer and has a wonderful blog. She is always getting book proposals ready and things like that --- you will see her name in lights one day (or maybe just on numerous book jackets), so you definitely need to check her blog out if you haven't already. Thank you, Carol!!! (Side Note: I am a little co-dependent so I am afraid to give out the award for fear of hurting someone's feelings --- I need counseling, Carol, help me!!!)I have to wonder if it is only me, or do other mothers of boys find that their sons NEVER flush the toilet? Let me know. I am very curious as to whether this is something that is unique to my boys or if all others are non-flushers as well.
I have 2 sisters who have blogs. Neither of them have updated said blogs for a loooong time. So, imagine my surprise when I logged on to find that this sister actually posted something on her blog. I thought I might have to be hospitalized from the utter shock of it all.
As if it weren't bad enough that we paid an arm and 2 legs to go see High School Musical on Ice, now I find out that HSM 3 is only in theaters. So, yet another arm and leg --- we are running out of limbs over here, people!
My kids have been pestering me to get them Hannah Montana 3-D glasses. Finally they explained to me that there is a 3-D Hannah Montana concert coming on TV July 26th and you "have to" have 3-D glasses to watch it. Then, they told me that the 3-D glasses are free at Wal-Mart. Something free at Wal-Mart? Did I hear that correctly? So, I then said, "Get in the car, I want to see something free at Wal-Mart!" And you know what? Those paper glasses ARE free at your local Wal-Mart Supercenter. The bad part is that while I went to get our free 3-D glasses, I also remembered a few items from the "Health & Beauty Aids" aisle that I needed. (A girl can never have too many Beauty Aids in my opinion). So, my free trip to Wal-Mart actually cost me $70. Those marketing people at Wal-Mart are geniuses! (Or am I a sucker? Dunno.)
In related news, I would like to announce that I have officially become my mother. If it weren't bad enough that the whole time my husband was shooting firecrackers on the 4th (hey, we live in the south, we ARE ALL rednecks) I kept saying things like "You are gonna blow your hand off"....when they got the 3-D Hannah Montana glasses yesterday, I actually told them the following: "Take those glasses off, they will ruin your eyes!" Anyone know where I can get one of those throw pillows that says, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all"? (I also need one that says "Martha Stewart Doesnt Live Here" - but that is a whole other post).
On MSN, they list the "Most Popular Searches" each day. Today, Chess Boxing and Jesse Jackson were on that list. WHY? Don't people have anything better to do? And what in the world is Chess Boxing? I hope someone actually knows what it is, because I refuse to do a search.
I am somewhat depressed that Lake's summer vacation is almost over. The onset of clinical depression will start around August 10th - be sure to watch for clues in my blog posts. Intervention may be necessary. It makes me mad that they call it summer vacation. In the south, summer begins in April and ends in November, so they should really call it "Teensy, Tiny, Itsy, Bitsy Snippet of Summer" vacation.
The other night, hubs and I took our kids to a local Short A ball game (Appalachian minor league). We have several local teams in our area so there is no shortage of baseball around here. Anyway, we took a few pics and I thought I would share them (mostly because I am completely OUT of randomness)
This last picture is a bonus. It is a picture of a non-tech savvy mom who is amazed that all those songs can fit into that little tiny iPod. If you wonder what that growth is on my back, it is a fold up lawn chair - we were on our way to a baseball game. Oh and that IS my actual refrigerator in the background. Those are magnets, child art, and pictures. Do yourself a favor and DON'T double click to see the larger image --- it ain't pretty. After looking at my pictures, I realized that I have turned into one those people I used to make fun of - the kind who wear their hair in a pony tail every day. At least on Sundays I do actually fix my hair (most of the time). I really need a hairstyle...any suggestions?
Okay, for the one of you that is still reading, thank you. Go rest now. You deserve it.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Night Lights
So, I was going to post some pictures and make it a Wordless Wednesday, but Blogger is not allowing me to upload my very professional Easy Share pictures. Not sure what the problem is, but I will try to do it later in the day, because I know you guys are sitting on the edge of your swivel chairs waiting to see them.
I have been thinking about something lately, but have been having a hard time making it sound right in my head before typing it on the blog. (I know some of you are wishing I would do that more often). So, instead of trying to flesh it out in my head, I think I will try to flesh it out here, so bear with me......
As most of you know, we have been working at our new house a lot lately. Sometimes we are there until very late in the night. I have noticed that when we are there all day and stay late, my eyes adjust to the light and it is easy to find my way around even in the dark. Which is no small feat, since it IS a construction site and there are several places that a person could really get hurt (a couple where you could fall to your death).
Anyway, the other night as we were getting ready for bed, my husband remembered that the electrical inspector had come that afternoon so he left one of the garage doors unlocked. I wasn't completely ready for bed, so I told him that I would go to the house and lock it. Our new house is in a neighborhood (unlike our present home) and there are street lights, so I assumed that I would be able to see what I was doing. When I got there and walked back to where the basement is, I saw that the retaining wall was blocking all the light coming from the street. I was in complete darkness.
I couldn't understand because normally, when I have been there working all day, my eyes adjust to the light (or lack thereof), but having not been there as the sun went down, I simply could not see my hand in front of my face. I don't have a flashlight in my car (I know, I should always carry a flashlight - I was a Girl Scout - I know these things, yet I don't always do what I should - speaking of Girl Scouts, anyone heard about cookie sales this year?). ANYWAY, I got out my cell phone to see if it would help shed some light and it was very little help, I was standing in the dark with no light where I needed it.
I felt my way around and after several trips and bumps finally got the door locked. On my way home, I was thinking about how that situation is exactly how sin works. When we begin in a season of sin, we start out in the light and as we continue in our sins, the light dims slowly so that our eyes adjust to what we are doing and instead of seeing complete darkness, we can still see where we are going and we make adjustments and justify our actions because we haven't yet experienced complete darkness. Does that make any sense at all?
My point here is that sin can creep up on us like dusk and then before we know it, we are in complete darkness without even realizing the danger. I am not just talking about the big 10 HUGE sins, I am also talking about sins like ignoring prayer and Bible study, allowing bitterness to have a place in your daily life, laying out of church, flirting with someone you are not married to, watching movies/shows that are not appropriate for a Christian to watch, drinking, gossip, etc, etc, etc. These are sins that can start with isolated incidents and eventually lead to complete darkness. Over time, we get used to the idea of these sins and we begin to justify them to ourselves and to others. I know we have all been there, done that.
When we are accustomed to the light, complete darkness makes it impossible for us to see anything at all. When you are coming from bright light, complete darkness is an unwelcome contrast. But, when we allow the darkness to settle in slowly, it is much easier for us to adjust to the darkness and a Christian should never adjust to the darkness because we have been called to BE light.
I daresay most all of us are flirting with darkness in some form or another today -- like holding a grudge or hanging on to guilt from past sins or ____________(you fill in the blank). satan loves for us to start small and build our way up to where we don't even recognize our sins as wrong. he loves nothing more than a dull conscience because he knows that it leads to a lacking prayer life and neglect of relationship with the Lord. When we aren't worshipping God, that leaves room for us to worship other things giving satan a foothold in our lives. We have to catch those dim, dusky sins before they lead us into complete blackness where we cannot see God's hand before our face.
Okay, that about sums up my thoughts. I hope you could understand them (jumbled as they are). Now if you would all please stand as we sing Hymn #437 "There's Power In the Blood".
I have been thinking about something lately, but have been having a hard time making it sound right in my head before typing it on the blog. (I know some of you are wishing I would do that more often). So, instead of trying to flesh it out in my head, I think I will try to flesh it out here, so bear with me......
As most of you know, we have been working at our new house a lot lately. Sometimes we are there until very late in the night. I have noticed that when we are there all day and stay late, my eyes adjust to the light and it is easy to find my way around even in the dark. Which is no small feat, since it IS a construction site and there are several places that a person could really get hurt (a couple where you could fall to your death).
Anyway, the other night as we were getting ready for bed, my husband remembered that the electrical inspector had come that afternoon so he left one of the garage doors unlocked. I wasn't completely ready for bed, so I told him that I would go to the house and lock it. Our new house is in a neighborhood (unlike our present home) and there are street lights, so I assumed that I would be able to see what I was doing. When I got there and walked back to where the basement is, I saw that the retaining wall was blocking all the light coming from the street. I was in complete darkness.
I couldn't understand because normally, when I have been there working all day, my eyes adjust to the light (or lack thereof), but having not been there as the sun went down, I simply could not see my hand in front of my face. I don't have a flashlight in my car (I know, I should always carry a flashlight - I was a Girl Scout - I know these things, yet I don't always do what I should - speaking of Girl Scouts, anyone heard about cookie sales this year?). ANYWAY, I got out my cell phone to see if it would help shed some light and it was very little help, I was standing in the dark with no light where I needed it.
I felt my way around and after several trips and bumps finally got the door locked. On my way home, I was thinking about how that situation is exactly how sin works. When we begin in a season of sin, we start out in the light and as we continue in our sins, the light dims slowly so that our eyes adjust to what we are doing and instead of seeing complete darkness, we can still see where we are going and we make adjustments and justify our actions because we haven't yet experienced complete darkness. Does that make any sense at all?
My point here is that sin can creep up on us like dusk and then before we know it, we are in complete darkness without even realizing the danger. I am not just talking about the big 10 HUGE sins, I am also talking about sins like ignoring prayer and Bible study, allowing bitterness to have a place in your daily life, laying out of church, flirting with someone you are not married to, watching movies/shows that are not appropriate for a Christian to watch, drinking, gossip, etc, etc, etc. These are sins that can start with isolated incidents and eventually lead to complete darkness. Over time, we get used to the idea of these sins and we begin to justify them to ourselves and to others. I know we have all been there, done that.
When we are accustomed to the light, complete darkness makes it impossible for us to see anything at all. When you are coming from bright light, complete darkness is an unwelcome contrast. But, when we allow the darkness to settle in slowly, it is much easier for us to adjust to the darkness and a Christian should never adjust to the darkness because we have been called to BE light.
I daresay most all of us are flirting with darkness in some form or another today -- like holding a grudge or hanging on to guilt from past sins or ____________(you fill in the blank). satan loves for us to start small and build our way up to where we don't even recognize our sins as wrong. he loves nothing more than a dull conscience because he knows that it leads to a lacking prayer life and neglect of relationship with the Lord. When we aren't worshipping God, that leaves room for us to worship other things giving satan a foothold in our lives. We have to catch those dim, dusky sins before they lead us into complete blackness where we cannot see God's hand before our face.
Okay, that about sums up my thoughts. I hope you could understand them (jumbled as they are). Now if you would all please stand as we sing Hymn #437 "There's Power In the Blood".
Monday, July 14, 2008
Monday Randomness
It is hard to believe the weekend is over already. Unfortunately it is over and we are one week closer to my Lake having to go back to school. YUCK! Guess I shouldn't let him hear me say that, huh? So, since he doesn't read my blog, I will say it here: School STINKS!
After church yesterday we attended an outdoor wedding (informal) and the bride was an hour and a half late. It was on the lake and it was hotter than blue blazes. Sweat - everywhere (oddly, my hair didn't fall though - thank you Tresemme -ooh la la). We waited in the hot sun for an hour and a half to watch a ceremony that lasted approximately 4 minutes. I think I might have sweated off about 3 lbs though - might have been worth it after all. The groom is one of the guys who hung the sheet rock in our new house. I kept inviting him to church (we have invited all the people who have worked on our house to church and only one has come so far) and he told me that if we would come to his wedding, he would visit our church. We kept our end of the bargain and we did it in the hot sun for 2 hours - I think he should get saved, baptized, join our church and work in the nursery for a year for that, don't you? Neither of them have ever gone to church so, pray that they will keep their end of the bargain........
When flushing public toilets, I have a fear that they will flush out on me instead of down. Yesterday at O'Charley's, I actually ran away from the toilet so it wouldn't flush out on me. I think I might need counseling.I wonder if I need counseling for my blog addiction. Maybe I could get a two for one deal - counseling for the fear of public toilets AND for being obsessed with typing random things on the internet for everyone in the world to see. There really is something strange about both those things, ya know. Oh yeah, maybe they could do something for my fear of germs, snakes, and clowns while I am there.
I am strangely obsessed with chicken cooked in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix --- even though Jennifer Partin says it tastes like vomit.
I never use dairy products that are out of date - even a little bit out of date. You will never see me eating yogurt on the 12th that expired on the 11th. Drives my husband crazy, but there is a reason for those "use by" dates! I also can never cook beef without thinking of 'mad cow' - I never cook chicken or turkey without thinking of "bird flu" ---- in case you were wondering, yes, I know I have issues. I figure the first step to overcoming my weird phobias is admitting them and who better to admit them to than to other people who have issues? ;-)
One of the favorite short trips hubs and I have taken was a trip to Pennsylvania Amish country. There is just something neat about the whole atmosphere there. We went to a restaurant called Miller's Smorgasbord and the food was wonderful. This restaurant overlooks huge fields that were being plowed and fertilized while we were there. The air outside the restaurant was permeated with the overwhelming smell of manure. When we were seated, we were surprised to find out that there was an outdoor balcony and it was full of people eating while watching/smelling men spread manure over the field. Maybe I am weird, but there is something about the smell of manure that kind of takes my appetite.
Is it girl scout cookie time yet? Because I am craving me some Thin Mints (preferably about three boxes of think mints).
My house looks like a tornado hit it, but it was just Lake and Kaden.
Crown molding, paint, tile, granite, light fixtures, switches, closet systems, -----they will make a young person old, a person with sight blind, and a sane person crazy.
Yesterday the big headline on MSN was "Twins for Brangelina ". Havent they already adopted like 40 kids? Anyway, I think the way that the tabloids put stars' names together (IE. Brangelina, TomKat, etc) is probably the most ignorant thing I can think of. I'm glad people dont do that in the real world, or hubs and I would have to be called something like "Steth" or "Stephizabeth".
Have I mentioned that I hate the invention known as the Blue Tooth? I think when you purchase one of those things, you should have to take a course in Blue Tooth etiquette. People should be taught that it is rude to have that thing in your ear and be talking to someone on it while you are looking at others who do not have Blue Teeth (tooths?) in their ear - people like me. Because if that should happen to me, I, of course, would think that you are talking to me and then I would answer you and you would look at me like I have three heads. Even the name Blue Tooth is stupid. Just my opinion, go ahead and walk around with that goofy thing in your ear and talk into the air like you are aboard Stargate 9 if you want.
My suggestion to you guys is not to drop a vacuum cleaner on top of your foot. I would say that it would cause a huge bruise and very much pain - not that I know, I'm just sayin'.......
Yesterday at church we sang the pumped up/tricked out/percussion-full versions of a couple of old songs I had not thought of in a while. One was "Brethren We Have Come to Worship" and the other was "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - love both of those songs. I also love the Amy Grant version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Those are songs we sang regularly in church when I was growing up and while we were singing yesterday, I noticed that Lake couldn't sing along because he didn't know the words. Funny how kids today only know contemporary praise and worship, but have no clue about the old hymns that we grew up learning.
The 4th of July is long past, yet people in East TN are still celebrating by setting off those loud firecrackers in the middle of the night. Just thought you should know how patriotic we are here.
If you will notice, this Monday Randomness post is posted twice - apparently if you publish your posts out of order, they show up in the order that they are in "edit posts". Now, I am sure some of you out there know how to correct that, but I dont know how. So, pay no attention to the fact that this is a duplicate post or my ignorance. Thank you for your understanding.
Well, time to go and get myself motivated. Pray that no Girl Scouts come to my door today, because I do not have the will power to say no to the Thin Mints.
After church yesterday we attended an outdoor wedding (informal) and the bride was an hour and a half late. It was on the lake and it was hotter than blue blazes. Sweat - everywhere (oddly, my hair didn't fall though - thank you Tresemme -ooh la la). We waited in the hot sun for an hour and a half to watch a ceremony that lasted approximately 4 minutes. I think I might have sweated off about 3 lbs though - might have been worth it after all. The groom is one of the guys who hung the sheet rock in our new house. I kept inviting him to church (we have invited all the people who have worked on our house to church and only one has come so far) and he told me that if we would come to his wedding, he would visit our church. We kept our end of the bargain and we did it in the hot sun for 2 hours - I think he should get saved, baptized, join our church and work in the nursery for a year for that, don't you? Neither of them have ever gone to church so, pray that they will keep their end of the bargain........
When flushing public toilets, I have a fear that they will flush out on me instead of down. Yesterday at O'Charley's, I actually ran away from the toilet so it wouldn't flush out on me. I think I might need counseling.I wonder if I need counseling for my blog addiction. Maybe I could get a two for one deal - counseling for the fear of public toilets AND for being obsessed with typing random things on the internet for everyone in the world to see. There really is something strange about both those things, ya know. Oh yeah, maybe they could do something for my fear of germs, snakes, and clowns while I am there.
I am strangely obsessed with chicken cooked in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix --- even though Jennifer Partin says it tastes like vomit.
I never use dairy products that are out of date - even a little bit out of date. You will never see me eating yogurt on the 12th that expired on the 11th. Drives my husband crazy, but there is a reason for those "use by" dates! I also can never cook beef without thinking of 'mad cow' - I never cook chicken or turkey without thinking of "bird flu" ---- in case you were wondering, yes, I know I have issues. I figure the first step to overcoming my weird phobias is admitting them and who better to admit them to than to other people who have issues? ;-)
One of the favorite short trips hubs and I have taken was a trip to Pennsylvania Amish country. There is just something neat about the whole atmosphere there. We went to a restaurant called Miller's Smorgasbord and the food was wonderful. This restaurant overlooks huge fields that were being plowed and fertilized while we were there. The air outside the restaurant was permeated with the overwhelming smell of manure. When we were seated, we were surprised to find out that there was an outdoor balcony and it was full of people eating while watching/smelling men spread manure over the field. Maybe I am weird, but there is something about the smell of manure that kind of takes my appetite.
Is it girl scout cookie time yet? Because I am craving me some Thin Mints (preferably about three boxes of think mints).
My house looks like a tornado hit it, but it was just Lake and Kaden.
Crown molding, paint, tile, granite, light fixtures, switches, closet systems, -----they will make a young person old, a person with sight blind, and a sane person crazy.
Yesterday the big headline on MSN was "Twins for Brangelina ". Havent they already adopted like 40 kids? Anyway, I think the way that the tabloids put stars' names together (IE. Brangelina, TomKat, etc) is probably the most ignorant thing I can think of. I'm glad people dont do that in the real world, or hubs and I would have to be called something like "Steth" or "Stephizabeth".
Have I mentioned that I hate the invention known as the Blue Tooth? I think when you purchase one of those things, you should have to take a course in Blue Tooth etiquette. People should be taught that it is rude to have that thing in your ear and be talking to someone on it while you are looking at others who do not have Blue Teeth (tooths?) in their ear - people like me. Because if that should happen to me, I, of course, would think that you are talking to me and then I would answer you and you would look at me like I have three heads. Even the name Blue Tooth is stupid. Just my opinion, go ahead and walk around with that goofy thing in your ear and talk into the air like you are aboard Stargate 9 if you want.
My suggestion to you guys is not to drop a vacuum cleaner on top of your foot. I would say that it would cause a huge bruise and very much pain - not that I know, I'm just sayin'.......
Yesterday at church we sang the pumped up/tricked out/percussion-full versions of a couple of old songs I had not thought of in a while. One was "Brethren We Have Come to Worship" and the other was "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - love both of those songs. I also love the Amy Grant version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Those are songs we sang regularly in church when I was growing up and while we were singing yesterday, I noticed that Lake couldn't sing along because he didn't know the words. Funny how kids today only know contemporary praise and worship, but have no clue about the old hymns that we grew up learning.
The 4th of July is long past, yet people in East TN are still celebrating by setting off those loud firecrackers in the middle of the night. Just thought you should know how patriotic we are here.
If you will notice, this Monday Randomness post is posted twice - apparently if you publish your posts out of order, they show up in the order that they are in "edit posts". Now, I am sure some of you out there know how to correct that, but I dont know how. So, pay no attention to the fact that this is a duplicate post or my ignorance. Thank you for your understanding.
Well, time to go and get myself motivated. Pray that no Girl Scouts come to my door today, because I do not have the will power to say no to the Thin Mints.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
I AM IS ABLE
Who is able to make sense out of your confusion
I AM
Who is able to quiet your soul when there seems to be no peace
I AM
Who is able to bring you out of a season of despair
I AM
Who is able to make order out of your chaos
I AM
Who is able to forgive you when you cant seem to forgive yourself
I AM
Who is able to make beauty rise up from the ashes of your past
I AM
Who is able to see your future even when you cant see past today
I AM
Who is able to love you completely when no one else would dare to try
I AM
Who is able to understand you when you don't even understand yourself
I AM
Who is able to redeem your past, your time, and your soul
I AM
Who is able to bring justice out of a life that is unfair
I AM
Who is able to turn deep grief into overwhelming praise
I AM
Who is able to make you smile when your circumstances warrant tears
I AM
Who is able to give you words when no words will come
I AM
Who is able to pick you up when the world knocks you down
I AM
I AM is MORE than able.
John 8:58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'
Ephesians 3:20
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
I AM
Who is able to quiet your soul when there seems to be no peace
I AM
Who is able to bring you out of a season of despair
I AM
Who is able to make order out of your chaos
I AM
Who is able to forgive you when you cant seem to forgive yourself
I AM
Who is able to make beauty rise up from the ashes of your past
I AM
Who is able to see your future even when you cant see past today
I AM
Who is able to love you completely when no one else would dare to try
I AM
Who is able to understand you when you don't even understand yourself
I AM
Who is able to redeem your past, your time, and your soul
I AM
Who is able to bring justice out of a life that is unfair
I AM
Who is able to turn deep grief into overwhelming praise
I AM
Who is able to make you smile when your circumstances warrant tears
I AM
Who is able to give you words when no words will come
I AM
Who is able to pick you up when the world knocks you down
I AM
I AM is MORE than able.
John 8:58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'
Ephesians 3:20
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
Monday Randomness
It is hard to believe the weekend is over already. Unfortunately it is over and we are one week closer to my Lake having to go back to school. YUCK! Guess I shouldn't let him hear me say that, huh? So, since he doesn't read my blog, I will say it here: School STINKS!
After church yesterday we attended an outdoor wedding (informal) and the bride was an hour and a half late. It was on the lake and it was hotter than blue blazes. Sweat - everywhere (oddly, my hair didn't fall though - thank you Tresemme -ooh la la). We waited in the hot sun for an hour and a half to watch a ceremony that lasted approximately 4 minutes. I think I might have sweated off about 3 lbs though - might have been worth it after all. The groom is one of the guys who hung the sheet rock in our new house. I kept inviting him to church (we have invited all the people who have worked on our house to church and only one has come so far) and he told me that if we would come to his wedding, he would visit our church. We kept our end of the bargain and we did it in the hot sun for 2 hours - I think he should get saved, baptized, join our church and work in the nursery for a year for that, don't you? Neither of them have ever gone to church so, pray that they will keep their end of the bargain........
When flushing public toilets, I have a fear that they will flush out on me instead of down. Yesterday at O'Charley's, I actually ran away from the toilet so it wouldn't flush out on me. I think I might need counseling.
I wonder if I need counseling for my blog addiction. Maybe I could get a two for one deal - counseling for the fear of public toilets AND for being obsessed with typing random things on the internet for everyone in the world to see. There really is something strange about both those things, ya know. Oh yeah, maybe they could do something for my fear of germs, snakes, and clowns while I am there.
I am strangely obsessed with chicken cooked in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix --- even though Jennifer Partin says it tastes like vomit.
One of the favorite short trips hubs and I have taken was a trip to Pennsylvania Amish country. There is just something neat about the whole atmosphere there. We went to a restaurant called Miller's Smorgasbord and the food was wonderful. This restaurant overlooks huge fields that were being plowed and fertilized while we were there. The air outside the restaurant was permeated with the overwhelming smell of manure. When we were seated, we were surprised to find out that there was an outdoor balcony and it was full of people eating while watching/smelling men spread manure over the field. Maybe I am weird, but there is something about the smell of manure that kind of takes my appetite.
Is it girl scout cookie time yet, because I am craving me some Thin Mints (preferably about three boxes of think mints).
My house looks like a tornado hit it, but it was just Lake and Kaden.
Crown molding, paint, tile, granite, light fixtures, switches, closet systems, -----they will make a young person old, a person with sight blind, and a sane person crazy.
Yesterday the big headline on MSN was "Twins for Brangelina ". Havent they already adopted like 40 kids? Anyway, I think the way that the tabloids put stars' names together (IE. Brangelina, TomKat, etc) is probably the most ignorant thing I can think of. I'm glad people dont do that in the real world, or hubs and I would have to be called something like "Steth" or "Stephizabeth".
Have I mentioned that I hate the invention known as the Blue Tooth? I think when you purchase one of those things, you should have to take a course in Blue Tooth etiquette. People should be taught that it is rude to have that thing in your ear and be talking to someone on it while you are looking at others who do not have Blue Teeth (tooths?) in their ear - people like me. Because if that should happen to me, I, of course, would think that you are talking to me and then I would answer you and you would look at me like I have three heads. Even the name Blue Tooth is stupid. Just my opinion, go ahead and walk around with that goofy thing in your ear and talk into the air like you are aboard Stargate 9 if you want.
My suggestion to you guys is not to drop a vacuum cleaner on top of your foot. I would say that it would cause a huge bruise and very much pain - not that I know, I'm just sayin'.......
Yesterday at church we sang the pumped up/tricked out/percussion-full versions of a couple of old songs I had not thought of in a while. One was "Brethren We Have Come to Worship" and the other was "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - love both of those songs. I also love the Amy Grant version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Those are songs we sang regularly in church when I was growing up and while we were singing yesterday, I noticed that Lake couldn't sing along because he didn't know the words. Funny how kids today only know contemporary praise and worship, but have no clue about the old hymns that we grew up learning.
The 4th of July is long past, yet people in East TN are still celebrating by setting off those loud firecrackers in the middle of the night. Just thought you should know how patriotic we are here.
Well, time to go and get myself motivated. Pray that no Girl Scouts come to my door today, because I do not have the will power to say no to the Thin Mints.
After church yesterday we attended an outdoor wedding (informal) and the bride was an hour and a half late. It was on the lake and it was hotter than blue blazes. Sweat - everywhere (oddly, my hair didn't fall though - thank you Tresemme -ooh la la). We waited in the hot sun for an hour and a half to watch a ceremony that lasted approximately 4 minutes. I think I might have sweated off about 3 lbs though - might have been worth it after all. The groom is one of the guys who hung the sheet rock in our new house. I kept inviting him to church (we have invited all the people who have worked on our house to church and only one has come so far) and he told me that if we would come to his wedding, he would visit our church. We kept our end of the bargain and we did it in the hot sun for 2 hours - I think he should get saved, baptized, join our church and work in the nursery for a year for that, don't you? Neither of them have ever gone to church so, pray that they will keep their end of the bargain........
When flushing public toilets, I have a fear that they will flush out on me instead of down. Yesterday at O'Charley's, I actually ran away from the toilet so it wouldn't flush out on me. I think I might need counseling.
I wonder if I need counseling for my blog addiction. Maybe I could get a two for one deal - counseling for the fear of public toilets AND for being obsessed with typing random things on the internet for everyone in the world to see. There really is something strange about both those things, ya know. Oh yeah, maybe they could do something for my fear of germs, snakes, and clowns while I am there.
I am strangely obsessed with chicken cooked in the crock pot with cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix --- even though Jennifer Partin says it tastes like vomit.
One of the favorite short trips hubs and I have taken was a trip to Pennsylvania Amish country. There is just something neat about the whole atmosphere there. We went to a restaurant called Miller's Smorgasbord and the food was wonderful. This restaurant overlooks huge fields that were being plowed and fertilized while we were there. The air outside the restaurant was permeated with the overwhelming smell of manure. When we were seated, we were surprised to find out that there was an outdoor balcony and it was full of people eating while watching/smelling men spread manure over the field. Maybe I am weird, but there is something about the smell of manure that kind of takes my appetite.
Is it girl scout cookie time yet, because I am craving me some Thin Mints (preferably about three boxes of think mints).
My house looks like a tornado hit it, but it was just Lake and Kaden.
Crown molding, paint, tile, granite, light fixtures, switches, closet systems, -----they will make a young person old, a person with sight blind, and a sane person crazy.
Yesterday the big headline on MSN was "Twins for Brangelina ". Havent they already adopted like 40 kids? Anyway, I think the way that the tabloids put stars' names together (IE. Brangelina, TomKat, etc) is probably the most ignorant thing I can think of. I'm glad people dont do that in the real world, or hubs and I would have to be called something like "Steth" or "Stephizabeth".
Have I mentioned that I hate the invention known as the Blue Tooth? I think when you purchase one of those things, you should have to take a course in Blue Tooth etiquette. People should be taught that it is rude to have that thing in your ear and be talking to someone on it while you are looking at others who do not have Blue Teeth (tooths?) in their ear - people like me. Because if that should happen to me, I, of course, would think that you are talking to me and then I would answer you and you would look at me like I have three heads. Even the name Blue Tooth is stupid. Just my opinion, go ahead and walk around with that goofy thing in your ear and talk into the air like you are aboard Stargate 9 if you want.
My suggestion to you guys is not to drop a vacuum cleaner on top of your foot. I would say that it would cause a huge bruise and very much pain - not that I know, I'm just sayin'.......
Yesterday at church we sang the pumped up/tricked out/percussion-full versions of a couple of old songs I had not thought of in a while. One was "Brethren We Have Come to Worship" and the other was "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - love both of those songs. I also love the Amy Grant version of "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Those are songs we sang regularly in church when I was growing up and while we were singing yesterday, I noticed that Lake couldn't sing along because he didn't know the words. Funny how kids today only know contemporary praise and worship, but have no clue about the old hymns that we grew up learning.
The 4th of July is long past, yet people in East TN are still celebrating by setting off those loud firecrackers in the middle of the night. Just thought you should know how patriotic we are here.
Well, time to go and get myself motivated. Pray that no Girl Scouts come to my door today, because I do not have the will power to say no to the Thin Mints.
Oh Ye of Little Faith
Here are "snippets" of two conversations that I had with my four year old yesterday.
Conversation #1
Me: Lake, turn that Monsters Inc. movie off, you know your brother is afraid of it.
Kaden: No, mommy, I'm not afraid of it anymore, because I believe in Jesus and He helps me not be afraid.
(about 5 minutes later) Conversation #2
Kaden: Lake said that we are gonna go to heaven and then come back here with Jesus on big horses to fight the devil. Are we gonna come back here on big horses to fight the devil?
Me: Well, yes, the Bible tells us that we will come back with Jesus and He will fight satan.....
Kaden: (almost in tears) But I'm afraid I might fall off that big horse!!!
Me: But you just said that you believe in Jesus and He helps you not be afraid............
Does this remind you of anyone? First, it reminds me of myself. I hope Kaden didn't learn his unbelief from his mommy! UGH! Secondly, it reminds me of a Bible story I first learned when I was in first grade.
Conversation #1
Me: Lake, turn that Monsters Inc. movie off, you know your brother is afraid of it.
Kaden: No, mommy, I'm not afraid of it anymore, because I believe in Jesus and He helps me not be afraid.
(about 5 minutes later) Conversation #2
Kaden: Lake said that we are gonna go to heaven and then come back here with Jesus on big horses to fight the devil. Are we gonna come back here on big horses to fight the devil?
Me: Well, yes, the Bible tells us that we will come back with Jesus and He will fight satan.....
Kaden: (almost in tears) But I'm afraid I might fall off that big horse!!!
Me: But you just said that you believe in Jesus and He helps you not be afraid............
Does this remind you of anyone? First, it reminds me of myself. I hope Kaden didn't learn his unbelief from his mommy! UGH! Secondly, it reminds me of a Bible story I first learned when I was in first grade.
Remember in Mark 9, when Jesus healed the boy that was possessed by an evil spirit? The boy's father brought him to the disciples and they said they couldn't heal him even though they had been given the power and authority. After Jesus rebukes the disciples for their little faith, Jesus asks the boy's father how long the child had been possessed and he tells Him that he has been this way since he was a child. Then the father basically says to Jesus, "If there is anything you could do for my son, we would appreciate it". If there is anything Jesus can do????? IF??? You are talking to Jesus and you say "if you can"? Unbelievable.
'If you can' seems like a silly thing to say to the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of the God of the Universe, the Man who IS God and is a known healer, right?? Right. But, don't we use the Word 'IF' when we talk to God? Oh, we may not actually say the word, but sometimes we pray as though we are talking to Someone who may not have the ability to accommodate our requests. Or maybe we pray as though we are talking to Someone who doesn't care enough to help us when we ask.
The next thing the father says in this story is quite interesting (probably because I have said it before myself - A LOT). Standing before Jesus, who is God made Man, the father says ""I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!". I wonder why Jesus didn't say, "What? Either you believe or you don't, which is it?" But He didn't question the man, He simply healed his son. Leaving no room for doubt about the "If you can" -- He can and He did. He is able.
This father was apparently someone who had just heard about Jesus, someone who had heard about the miracles and knew his son needed a miracle of his own. The disciples who had followed Jesus for most of His earthly ministry, had seen him raised from the dead, had seen all the miracles, had been given authority and power to heal in His name--- did not have enough faith to use those powers effectively. You would think that the men who had been witness to the power of Jesus, would not have a problem with belief, but they did. As we do.
In this story, Jesus rebukes the disciples for being an 'unbelieving generation' and then says "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." Jesus was basically saying, "I have given you my power and you are still an unbelieving bunch, how long do I have to baby you and prove Myself to you people? If you cant heal this boy, I can!" I cant help but believe that this is how Jesus feels about us. He has proven Himself to us over and over, yet we still struggle with issues of faith and trust.
I know the same words He spoke to the disciples are meant for us today - those of us who have followed Him for years, yet still don't trust that He has the power to do miracles in our lives - "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?" Yet when we ask "If you can, God" or when we say "I believe" and in the next breath say "Help me overcome my unbelief" -- He understands and He shows us that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Praise the Lord, We Are Boycotting McDonald's
Before boring you with a laundry list of random facts, I would like to send out a special 'thank you' to Don Wildman of the American Family Association for giving me a valid reason to stay away from McDonald's. My children, like most others, would rather eat a Happy Meal than breathe clean air. Unfortunately, there is a McDonald's located about a mile from our house. The most unfortunate thing of all is that the employees of our McDonald's do not know what the term 'fast' food means. Of course, I realize that the employees are mostly minimum wage, high schoolers who do not enjoy the flipping of burgers, but it is not unusual to sit in that drive-thru for 20 minutes or more at this particular establishment. If you go inside, it takes even longer.
So, while paying for almost $4 a piece for Happy Meals, we also pay for 3 gallons of gas that we burn while waiting for them to give us the wrong order. If you look at things in that light, a trip to McDonald's can easily cost us $40. So, thank you to the AFA for helping me steer clear of the money pit that is McD's. Oh, and lest you think I am simply boycotting for the sake of boycotting (or for the sake of not having to eat another ranch crispy chicken wrap), I completely agree that McDonald's should not market to or support the homosexual agenda/organizations. Did you know that McDonald's sponsored last year's gay pride parade? (Isn't "gay pride" kind of an oxymoron anyway?) If you will remember, the AFA asked us to boycott Ford Motor Company a few years ago and Ford sales dropped 20% shortly thereafter. Ford finally agreed to the demands set by the AFA and stopped sponsoring gay pride events and also stopped their homosexual focused advertising. The AFA is proof that when Christian people stand together for what is right, we can change things.
And now the randomness........for those of you who are not interested in my random thoughts, now would be the time to click the little left facing arrow in the upper left hand corner of your screen. For those of you who are interested in my random thoughts (mom,dad), I am sorry that you have nothing better to do.....;-) Just kidding - kinda.
Last week satan tempted me (he always shows up in the candy aisle of the Wal-Mart) and I fell. I purchased a large bag of peanut M&M's and ate the whole thing by myself (with the exception of three that I let Kaden have only because he caught me eating them - I know I have a problem). The bag said the M&M's weighed 28 oz. My scale says I have gained 3 lbs. What is up with that? Dern the devil - don't be deceived, he really is here to kill, steal, and destroy.
My dad was here visiting from Woodstock, GA this past weekend and I did absolutely nothing while he was here. Why did you leave me, daddy? Why? Now I am doing laundry and cooking dinner and picking out paint.....please come back.
So, since we are going to Disney in a couple of weeks, I have been doing some shopping. Why? Because I had no shorts. None. Zilch. Zip. Nada. All my shorts are either too small for my ever expanding rear end or they have holes in them and stains on them from doing man's work at our new house. Come to think of it, all my shorts are socially unacceptable. I cant go to Disney in too-tight shorts or looking like a construction worker.
I went to Kohl's yesterday to buy some shorts, etc for me and the boys. (I heart Kohl's 4-evr). I went by myself which means I spent hours looking. My sister says I have to touch everything in the store, but that isn't true, because I didn't even visit the housewares or the men's section. Anyway, most of the clothes I liked were made by Vera Wang. I'll tell ya, that Vera Wang sure is proud of her stuff. Is she kidding about $65 for a shirt? It's Kohl's for goodness sake, not Saks Fifth Avenue.
In other fashion news, you will all be excited to hear that I have received several fall catalogs and the fall fashions, like the spring and summer fashions, are still inspired by the designers from Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod. What is up with everyone wearing maternity clothes? I, myself, have had to resort to wearing maternity inspired tops because that is all that is available in stores right now. I am the person who could not wait to get out of maternity clothes and back into my regular clothes (although sadly, I did HAVE to wait for a long time, but that's another story of edema and weight gain that is not pretty and should not be shared in mixed company).
Night before last, I dreamed that I got married on my middle school softball field while wearing a red vest and tight jeans with diamond studs on the seams. People watched the wedding while sitting in the old-timey lawn chairs they had brought. I think I will skip the pizza before bed from now on.
Last night, I dreamed that I was pregnant with my third child and everyone was mad at me for 'getting myself into such a mess'. For those of you who were thinking about eating a Hershey bar before going to sleep---don't.
After church on Sunday, we ate here and then we went shoe shopping. I have worn my good tennis shoes, which are my only tennis shoes, to work in the mud at the new house and I now consider them to be socially unacceptable, much like my shorts. In other words, mama needs some new shoes. Anyway, I tried on a pair of black heels and when I turned to show them to hubs he said, "They're all right, but they accentuate the crookedness of your toes".
Remember last week when the insurance company sent a lady (who was hopefully a nurse of some kind) to take blood out of my body? I told you that she weighed me (her scales lie, by the way). She also measured my height. I have always been 5 ft 2 1/2 inches. I have been that height since high school. This lady measured me and said I am only 5ft 2 in. Where did that 1/2 inch go? Dern that early onset osteoporosis!
While trying on shorts yesterday, I noticed that shorts come in 2 lengths. #1 "Way Too Short I am 35 trying to look like I am 18" length AND #2 "Bermuda Way Too Long - I have completely given up" length. Being 5ft 2in means that I cannot wear Bermudas, because they look like capri pants on me and I cannot wear the short shorts, because, well, no one wants to see me in those. So, I can either look like Daisy Duke the latter years or like Bea Arthur of the Golden Girls.
Picking out paint colors might very well be the death of me. It is almost painful for me. I have come to the realization that I could really mess this house up. The wrong paint colors can make an otherwise beautiful home look like an episode of Trading Spaces gone wrong.
My four year old's favorite word is "armpit". He says it all the time and then laughs uncontrollably.
I have heard many reviews of a book called "The Shack". Some good, some bad..........I was a bit confused until I read this.
Okay, I guess that is just about enough randomness for one day. I am a little behind on my blogging/blog reading.....things are just really busy for me right now. Hopefully, I will catch up on all your blogs sometime today - hope all you 'internets' have a great day!
So, while paying for almost $4 a piece for Happy Meals, we also pay for 3 gallons of gas that we burn while waiting for them to give us the wrong order. If you look at things in that light, a trip to McDonald's can easily cost us $40. So, thank you to the AFA for helping me steer clear of the money pit that is McD's. Oh, and lest you think I am simply boycotting for the sake of boycotting (or for the sake of not having to eat another ranch crispy chicken wrap), I completely agree that McDonald's should not market to or support the homosexual agenda/organizations. Did you know that McDonald's sponsored last year's gay pride parade? (Isn't "gay pride" kind of an oxymoron anyway?) If you will remember, the AFA asked us to boycott Ford Motor Company a few years ago and Ford sales dropped 20% shortly thereafter. Ford finally agreed to the demands set by the AFA and stopped sponsoring gay pride events and also stopped their homosexual focused advertising. The AFA is proof that when Christian people stand together for what is right, we can change things.
And now the randomness........for those of you who are not interested in my random thoughts, now would be the time to click the little left facing arrow in the upper left hand corner of your screen. For those of you who are interested in my random thoughts (mom,dad), I am sorry that you have nothing better to do.....;-) Just kidding - kinda.
Last week satan tempted me (he always shows up in the candy aisle of the Wal-Mart) and I fell. I purchased a large bag of peanut M&M's and ate the whole thing by myself (with the exception of three that I let Kaden have only because he caught me eating them - I know I have a problem). The bag said the M&M's weighed 28 oz. My scale says I have gained 3 lbs. What is up with that? Dern the devil - don't be deceived, he really is here to kill, steal, and destroy.
My dad was here visiting from Woodstock, GA this past weekend and I did absolutely nothing while he was here. Why did you leave me, daddy? Why? Now I am doing laundry and cooking dinner and picking out paint.....please come back.
So, since we are going to Disney in a couple of weeks, I have been doing some shopping. Why? Because I had no shorts. None. Zilch. Zip. Nada. All my shorts are either too small for my ever expanding rear end or they have holes in them and stains on them from doing man's work at our new house. Come to think of it, all my shorts are socially unacceptable. I cant go to Disney in too-tight shorts or looking like a construction worker.
I went to Kohl's yesterday to buy some shorts, etc for me and the boys. (I heart Kohl's 4-evr). I went by myself which means I spent hours looking. My sister says I have to touch everything in the store, but that isn't true, because I didn't even visit the housewares or the men's section. Anyway, most of the clothes I liked were made by Vera Wang. I'll tell ya, that Vera Wang sure is proud of her stuff. Is she kidding about $65 for a shirt? It's Kohl's for goodness sake, not Saks Fifth Avenue.
In other fashion news, you will all be excited to hear that I have received several fall catalogs and the fall fashions, like the spring and summer fashions, are still inspired by the designers from Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod. What is up with everyone wearing maternity clothes? I, myself, have had to resort to wearing maternity inspired tops because that is all that is available in stores right now. I am the person who could not wait to get out of maternity clothes and back into my regular clothes (although sadly, I did HAVE to wait for a long time, but that's another story of edema and weight gain that is not pretty and should not be shared in mixed company).
Night before last, I dreamed that I got married on my middle school softball field while wearing a red vest and tight jeans with diamond studs on the seams. People watched the wedding while sitting in the old-timey lawn chairs they had brought. I think I will skip the pizza before bed from now on.
Last night, I dreamed that I was pregnant with my third child and everyone was mad at me for 'getting myself into such a mess'. For those of you who were thinking about eating a Hershey bar before going to sleep---don't.
After church on Sunday, we ate here and then we went shoe shopping. I have worn my good tennis shoes, which are my only tennis shoes, to work in the mud at the new house and I now consider them to be socially unacceptable, much like my shorts. In other words, mama needs some new shoes. Anyway, I tried on a pair of black heels and when I turned to show them to hubs he said, "They're all right, but they accentuate the crookedness of your toes".
Remember last week when the insurance company sent a lady (who was hopefully a nurse of some kind) to take blood out of my body? I told you that she weighed me (her scales lie, by the way). She also measured my height. I have always been 5 ft 2 1/2 inches. I have been that height since high school. This lady measured me and said I am only 5ft 2 in. Where did that 1/2 inch go? Dern that early onset osteoporosis!
While trying on shorts yesterday, I noticed that shorts come in 2 lengths. #1 "Way Too Short I am 35 trying to look like I am 18" length AND #2 "Bermuda Way Too Long - I have completely given up" length. Being 5ft 2in means that I cannot wear Bermudas, because they look like capri pants on me and I cannot wear the short shorts, because, well, no one wants to see me in those. So, I can either look like Daisy Duke the latter years or like Bea Arthur of the Golden Girls.
Picking out paint colors might very well be the death of me. It is almost painful for me. I have come to the realization that I could really mess this house up. The wrong paint colors can make an otherwise beautiful home look like an episode of Trading Spaces gone wrong.
My four year old's favorite word is "armpit". He says it all the time and then laughs uncontrollably.
I have heard many reviews of a book called "The Shack". Some good, some bad..........I was a bit confused until I read this.
Okay, I guess that is just about enough randomness for one day. I am a little behind on my blogging/blog reading.....things are just really busy for me right now. Hopefully, I will catch up on all your blogs sometime today - hope all you 'internets' have a great day!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Independence Day Pictures
So, my dad is visiting for the weekend and today is my father-in-law's 80th birthday, so there is a lot going on at our house. We had planned to spend the 4th with our Sunday School class like we do most every year, but we decided to go ahead and celebrate my F-I-L's birthday today instead of tomorrow. Eighty years is a long time!!!
Kaden asleep on the way to the championship t-ball game. Apparently he doesnt know how important championship games are.
Lake ready for balls headed to 
short stop.
Okay, so here are a few pics of the new house. There are ballustrades (it's okay if you have to look that up) that go across the porch at the top - they haven't been installed yet. When they are installed our house will look completely different.
This is a view from the breakfast room into the family room. The board on the left wall is covering up hubs saltwater fish tank and the other board is over the fireplace. Dont worry, the saw and the boards will not be staying and the walls will not remain snow white.
This is the view from the catwalk upstairs. That isnt our real door. You can see the spiral staircase, but it is covered with plastic........
2nd floor hallway.
Anyway, since I dont really have a lot of time to tell you about the crazy things that have happened to me over the past few days (I will do that in a day or two), I decided to post some pictures for your viewing pleasure (or displeasure depending on whether you like them or not ;-).
Kaden asleep on the way to the championship t-ball game. Apparently he doesnt know how important championship games are.
Lake ready for balls headed to 
short stop.We lost, but we lost to the best team. You guys know I love to win, but we didnt really mind losing to this team because they are good sports and we have several friends on the team.
Next year, Lake moves up to play pitching machine and Kaden will start t-ball. Which means that mom and dad will be spending every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from April to July at the ball park. Good thing we love baseball, huh?
Okay, so here are a few pics of the new house. There are ballustrades (it's okay if you have to look that up) that go across the porch at the top - they haven't been installed yet. When they are installed our house will look completely different.
This is a view from the breakfast room into the family room. The board on the left wall is covering up hubs saltwater fish tank and the other board is over the fireplace. Dont worry, the saw and the boards will not be staying and the walls will not remain snow white. 
This is the view from the catwalk upstairs. That isnt our real door. You can see the spiral staircase, but it is covered with plastic........
The theater room........
From the living room into the foyer. There will be columns seperating the rooms.
2nd floor hallway.
This is the view from our front yard......
Okay, that is enough boredom for this 4th of July. Hope you guys get to see lots of fireworks and eat lots of watermelon and homemade ice cream!!!!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Nothing New Under the Son
I decided to study Romans this summer. Why Romans? I don't really know, just drawn to it, I suppose. No formal study, just me reading and writing down my thoughts about what Paul was saying to his friends and what his words say to us today. This morning I decided to get out my Message Bible and see how the first chapter reads. You guys know I like to read different translations. So to all you "KJV only" people, do not be afraid, repeat, do not be afraid. I realize that the Message is not a literal translation, but I do like how some of the verses are worded. Take a look at this:
Romans 1:18-32 "But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.
Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!"
Remind you of anyone? Any country? YIKES! I thought I was reading the history of America when I read that. Sad, but true. If you don't believe me, you can go here or here and read some articles and headlines that will make you a believer. It all makes me wonder how much longer God will allow this to go on because we know the Bible tells us that these things will happen in the last days.
Mark 13 tell us "Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."
The beginning of birth pains? Seems to me that these birth pains started a long time ago. Wars? Yeah, hundreds of them and even the mightiest nation in the world (US) is involved in one right now.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 says "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Know anyone who fits the above description? Most everyone these days fits it quite nicely (dare I say even some Christians fit that mold?). If those are things that lead up to the last days, doesn't it stand to reason that we are living in possibly the very last days here on earth before the rapture of the church? (Because we know the rapture happens before Jesus second coming).
Which reminds me of this parable from Matthew 25:
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour".
We all know these verses, but I wonder if we get so busy with life and caught up in the everyday things that we lose sight of what is really happening all around us. Jesus could rapture the church today, He told us to keep watch, but are we really watching? The headlines are full of signs, according to the Bible when we hear of the things mentioned above they are the BEGINNING of birth pains. These things began long ago, like birth pains, they are happening with greater frequency and intensity...........I wonder if we all have our lamps trimmed and burning...............I wonder if we are all really watching.........or are we too busy to keep an eye here on earth and one toward the sky?..........................could be today.
Romans 1:18-32 "But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!
Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.
Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!"
Remind you of anyone? Any country? YIKES! I thought I was reading the history of America when I read that. Sad, but true. If you don't believe me, you can go here or here and read some articles and headlines that will make you a believer. It all makes me wonder how much longer God will allow this to go on because we know the Bible tells us that these things will happen in the last days.
Mark 13 tell us "Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains."
The beginning of birth pains? Seems to me that these birth pains started a long time ago. Wars? Yeah, hundreds of them and even the mightiest nation in the world (US) is involved in one right now.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 says "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Know anyone who fits the above description? Most everyone these days fits it quite nicely (dare I say even some Christians fit that mold?). If those are things that lead up to the last days, doesn't it stand to reason that we are living in possibly the very last days here on earth before the rapture of the church? (Because we know the rapture happens before Jesus second coming).
Which reminds me of this parable from Matthew 25:
At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour".
We all know these verses, but I wonder if we get so busy with life and caught up in the everyday things that we lose sight of what is really happening all around us. Jesus could rapture the church today, He told us to keep watch, but are we really watching? The headlines are full of signs, according to the Bible when we hear of the things mentioned above they are the BEGINNING of birth pains. These things began long ago, like birth pains, they are happening with greater frequency and intensity...........I wonder if we all have our lamps trimmed and burning...............I wonder if we are all really watching.........or are we too busy to keep an eye here on earth and one toward the sky?..........................could be today.
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