"Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, you and your household" (Acts 16:31).
It's funny how we think we know how God thinks. I remember the night I realized that I was going to have to file for divorce in order to get on with life. It was Thanksgiving weekend 2000. I sat in the basement of my rental house and thought back to a time, earlier in my marriage, when I claimed a promise from God. It was during my daily quiet time when I was studying "Experiencing God". I remember so clearly, sitting at the end of the table, by the window, in the tiny kitchen of our old rental house. I was concerned about my husbands need for salvation. I had been thinking about a message that I had heard about God only knocking for so long before he stops dealing with our hearts regarding salvation. I questioned God in prayer as to whether or not he had stopped dealing with my husband. I was praying with tears streaming down my face. After praying, I went back to studying "Experiencing God" and got this rhema from Acts. (A rhema is a verse that jumps out at you and answers a question...it's like a kiss from God!) I claimed this scripture as a promise from God.
For several years I waited for God to fulfill His promise to me and there I sat, at the bottom of the basement steps. As I wept bitterly, from the bottom of the pit of my life, I cried out, " YOU PROMISED ME! YOU PROMISED!!!!!!!!!!" Susan came down at that point to offer me comfort. I have tears in my eyes as I sit here and reflect on the compassion and wisdom in her voice as she told me......."Katie, everyone in this household is saved."
God didn't work things out the way I had hoped, but He did fulifill His promise. This was a time in my life when I was once again reminded that His thoughts are not like mine and neither are His ways.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD" (Isaiah 55:8)
Thursday, July 31, 2003
I Am the Most Blessed!
Okay, so when will they erect a statue in my honor? LOL. Oh brother! Susan makes me out to be some kind of saint! She deserves better than what I am able to do for her. What I do comes natural. It's like she said.......a mom thing. It's just what I do. Doing Sue's laundry and cooking meals seems small compared to what she does for me. I KNOW God put her in my life. I'm always telling people that I am super blessed because I not only got to meet my guardian angel in the flesh, but I get to live with her too! [(A message to Susan)...."I am the most blessed!" Ha!] LOL.
If you've been to the Sisters' website, you probably know a little about our testimony as friends. It truly is a God thing. When I left my marriage of 11 years, I had no place to go and I don't think I would have come this far if God hadn't put us together. I don't know of anybody in the world that would have been more perfect for God to put in our lives (the kids' and mine) than Susan. This awesome friend of mine has been blessed with the gift of giving. She is so unselfish when it comes time to spend her money. She could buy a new 'puter, cd's, clothes, a dvd player, movies, and who knows what else. She sacrifices alot of her personal wants and needs to see that my children and I have our needs met.......as well as our wants.
I am so grateful to God for Sue because she has made herself available to be used by Him and through that my cup of blessings overflows. She truly believes that I need to be in school. Because of that, and the recent lack of child support, I must confess that I contribute very little in the area of expenses. She carries my financial burden as well as her own.......and with such grace. I can't believe how she cares for my family.......she has no obligation to us. She not only provides for us financially so that I can go to school, but she also shares her heart with us. She loves my kids as if they belong to her (even with their new trend of hormonal imbalances that sometimes causes them to lash out irrationally)!
If she were here right now she would simply say, "I have an obligation to God." She feels like this is a calling God has on her life. I feel like God placed her in my life because she is the tool that He is using to fulfill His purpose in both of us. I also think it's cool that our differences compliment each other. I do feel like sometimes she takes on more than she should. Like when she thought I needed a crown for a bad tooth (it was literally falling apart kinda like in my teeth dream) more than she needed a crown for her new root canal (which she STILL hasn't gotten YET!). She wants to do more than God asks of her and gets upset when she doesn't have the ability. I have to keep reminding her that God will provide as He sees fit to. We have a testimony at our website called "God's Gift". Our house is a gift to both of us from God but she is an even greater gift...to my family. God has provided more than I have time or space to write. He will continue to provide because I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). I don't know why He's doing all of this. I only know that he must be very serious about His plan for each of us. I am excited to see what will come of it all!
I don't know what I ever did to have been blessed by God so big with my friend, Susan. But grateful is a small word compared to how I feel about her being a part of our lives. God has truly revealed Himself to me through people like Susan and others who have been tools in His hands throughout my life......especially the past few years. I don't tell Susan often enough how much I appreciate all she does for us. I am truly undeserving....God's grace truly is sufficient. Thank you God for blessing me and for deeming me worthy through the death and ressurection of Your one and only begotten Son.
"For God so loved the world that he sent His one and only begotten son that whosoever (me) believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:31).
If you've been to the Sisters' website, you probably know a little about our testimony as friends. It truly is a God thing. When I left my marriage of 11 years, I had no place to go and I don't think I would have come this far if God hadn't put us together. I don't know of anybody in the world that would have been more perfect for God to put in our lives (the kids' and mine) than Susan. This awesome friend of mine has been blessed with the gift of giving. She is so unselfish when it comes time to spend her money. She could buy a new 'puter, cd's, clothes, a dvd player, movies, and who knows what else. She sacrifices alot of her personal wants and needs to see that my children and I have our needs met.......as well as our wants.
I am so grateful to God for Sue because she has made herself available to be used by Him and through that my cup of blessings overflows. She truly believes that I need to be in school. Because of that, and the recent lack of child support, I must confess that I contribute very little in the area of expenses. She carries my financial burden as well as her own.......and with such grace. I can't believe how she cares for my family.......she has no obligation to us. She not only provides for us financially so that I can go to school, but she also shares her heart with us. She loves my kids as if they belong to her (even with their new trend of hormonal imbalances that sometimes causes them to lash out irrationally)!
If she were here right now she would simply say, "I have an obligation to God." She feels like this is a calling God has on her life. I feel like God placed her in my life because she is the tool that He is using to fulfill His purpose in both of us. I also think it's cool that our differences compliment each other. I do feel like sometimes she takes on more than she should. Like when she thought I needed a crown for a bad tooth (it was literally falling apart kinda like in my teeth dream) more than she needed a crown for her new root canal (which she STILL hasn't gotten YET!). She wants to do more than God asks of her and gets upset when she doesn't have the ability. I have to keep reminding her that God will provide as He sees fit to. We have a testimony at our website called "God's Gift". Our house is a gift to both of us from God but she is an even greater gift...to my family. God has provided more than I have time or space to write. He will continue to provide because I am confident of this, that he who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). I don't know why He's doing all of this. I only know that he must be very serious about His plan for each of us. I am excited to see what will come of it all!
I don't know what I ever did to have been blessed by God so big with my friend, Susan. But grateful is a small word compared to how I feel about her being a part of our lives. God has truly revealed Himself to me through people like Susan and others who have been tools in His hands throughout my life......especially the past few years. I don't tell Susan often enough how much I appreciate all she does for us. I am truly undeserving....God's grace truly is sufficient. Thank you God for blessing me and for deeming me worthy through the death and ressurection of Your one and only begotten Son.
"For God so loved the world that he sent His one and only begotten son that whosoever (me) believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
"Believe in the Lord, Jesus Christ and you will be saved..." (Acts 16:31).
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
My Best Friend
My best friend takes good care of me. I do not know what I ever did right to have been blessed by God so big with my friend Katie. She's a mom. A super mom! She's got that "mom" thing going on that makes her want to take care of everyone that is around her, and I am enjoying that gifting!
She does so much for me. She asks for nothing in return. I dont' really ask her to do the things she does for me, she just does. She makes wonderful meals for me, and I really appreciate it a lot because I am a very picky eater. She often goes out of her way to make a meal that I will not only eat, but enjoy. She made a great breakfast for me this morning. We usually go out for breakfast on Wednesdays, but money is a bit tight, so we didn't do that today.
She did the laundry today...including mine. :-) Not only did she wash and dry it, she folded it and put it on my dresser for me to put away. That was way out of her way to do and it took a lot of time and energy. I don't know where she finds the energy!
She is vacuuming right now. She is like the energizer bunny! I really don't get what makes mom's tick? I don't think God gave me that gene or whatever it is that keeps a mom go go going! This might explain why I am not the mom!
I am so blessed. God has put we two people together for this season of our lives. I am sometimes amazed that with our very obvious differences, our friendship works. It is totally a God thing. We always say that if we had met in person first, we probably would not have become friends and God knew it, so he connected us over the Internet!
I am not always the most fun person to be around. Sometimes I can be, but I haven't been lately. Katie continues to put up with me and loves me with a Godly love that just doesn't condemn. She is nice. That's sounds so cliche', but it is true. Katie is a kind and compassionate woman and uses her gifts to take care of this framily. I feel so inadequate at times, so undeserving of such a friend. I am thankful to God that he gave me time with Katie and her kids. God is using them to grow me in ways that I didn't know I needed growing. It is all for a reason and I anticiapte discovering what it is all for.
Each night Katie and I read the bible together. We sometimes keep each other awake long enough to get through it! LOL But, many times, we discuss what we are reading and learn together. It can be such a fun time of worship and learning. I love my dear friend and I am forever grateful to God that he saw fit to put us two together, at least for now.
God shows me that he loves me through my friend.
She does so much for me. She asks for nothing in return. I dont' really ask her to do the things she does for me, she just does. She makes wonderful meals for me, and I really appreciate it a lot because I am a very picky eater. She often goes out of her way to make a meal that I will not only eat, but enjoy. She made a great breakfast for me this morning. We usually go out for breakfast on Wednesdays, but money is a bit tight, so we didn't do that today.
She did the laundry today...including mine. :-) Not only did she wash and dry it, she folded it and put it on my dresser for me to put away. That was way out of her way to do and it took a lot of time and energy. I don't know where she finds the energy!
She is vacuuming right now. She is like the energizer bunny! I really don't get what makes mom's tick? I don't think God gave me that gene or whatever it is that keeps a mom go go going! This might explain why I am not the mom!
I am so blessed. God has put we two people together for this season of our lives. I am sometimes amazed that with our very obvious differences, our friendship works. It is totally a God thing. We always say that if we had met in person first, we probably would not have become friends and God knew it, so he connected us over the Internet!
I am not always the most fun person to be around. Sometimes I can be, but I haven't been lately. Katie continues to put up with me and loves me with a Godly love that just doesn't condemn. She is nice. That's sounds so cliche', but it is true. Katie is a kind and compassionate woman and uses her gifts to take care of this framily. I feel so inadequate at times, so undeserving of such a friend. I am thankful to God that he gave me time with Katie and her kids. God is using them to grow me in ways that I didn't know I needed growing. It is all for a reason and I anticiapte discovering what it is all for.
Each night Katie and I read the bible together. We sometimes keep each other awake long enough to get through it! LOL But, many times, we discuss what we are reading and learn together. It can be such a fun time of worship and learning. I love my dear friend and I am forever grateful to God that he saw fit to put us two together, at least for now.
God shows me that he loves me through my friend.
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Mom Sent Some Pics
YAY! I hope to go home at the end of next month to visit my family! Mom sent me some pictures so I will recognize them when I get there. LOL
Dawn, my other sister and Connie and Amber
Connie and my nephew Cory
Hey! Mom must have taken the pictures too! How convenient that she's not in them! If you want to see more go to My Family page where I have a few more pics posted.
Hey! Mom must have taken the pictures too! How convenient that she's not in them! If you want to see more go to My Family page where I have a few more pics posted.
When I Need Moral Guidance, I Turn to Hollywood
Hollywood launches a campaign to fight piracy of movies on the Internet. I found this especially interesting:
Did I read that right? Hollywood is going to teach about moral implications?
"The campaign will also include a Web site that outlines the moral implications of illegal downloading as well as the legal and practical consequences."
Did I read that right? Hollywood is going to teach about moral implications?
I Sit in the Chair of Commitment
Since I heard the young man speak on Sunday, I have been thinking about what he said and determining what chair I sit in. The Chair of Commitment, Compromise, or Condemned.
At first I believed I sat in the Chair of Compromise. I started writing down ideas that support that statement and I realized that with the criteria I was giving the Chair of Commitment, that no one could possibly sit in that chair but Christ himself!
I started to look at myself and try to see myself through the eyes of people who know me. I thought about how the people at work see me and how my family sees me. I thought about how my brothers and sisters in Christ see me and how God sees me. It was an interesting excercise. I also thought about where my own heart is at most of the time. I thought about my spiritual walk and where it is and where it is going. I though about a lot of things since that young man shared what he had learned and I have come to the conclusion that I am in the Chair of Commitment.
I sit in the chair of Commitment because I am pursuing a closer relationship to God. Sure, I attend church regularly and read my bible. I pray and I do "good deeds". None of those reasons alone are why I sit in the chair of commitment. Those are things anyone can do! The reason I sit in this chair is because God has given me a heart that seeks Him constantly. I study God's Word and have a desire for others to know God as I know Him. I can't get enough and just want to share!
The life I lead is a testimony to the fact that I am a God follower. (At least I hope it is!) and people at work have noticed that I am "different". They notice that I make decisions differently than many people. The decisions I make are based on what is Godly, or biblical, and may at times go against popular public opinion; decisions like what music I choose to listen to, or movies I choose to watch. Maybe even decisions on how to handle certain personnel issues that arise at work, or how I choose to react to defiant and rude customers. In everything I do, I try to find a way to give credit to God and glorify Him. Without Him I am nothing.
I live my life as an open book. I am not intentionally living in sin. I am diligently seeking God and He is changing me. He is sitting in the chair of commitment with me, because He is committed to finishing the good work He started in me.
Does this mean I always do the right thing? Heck NO! That's the thing about God's Grace...and Jesus Christ...I'm covered! It would be a different thing to live in open rebellion and ignore God's Will for my life. Those who adjust their life to scripture are in the Chair of Commitment, those who adjust scripture to their life are in the Chair of Compromise. I think God keeps me in the chair of commitment because I am so commited to staying out of the chair of compromise. I am committed to living life for God, and there are no perfect people sitting in the Chair of Commitment.
I thought about some bible characters as well, determining what chairs they sat in. I see King David in the Chair of Commitment. He faltered, yet his heart always yearned for God and His Law, and repentance always followed. I thought of Jacob and his misdeeds, who I believed moved from the Chair of Compromise to Commitment. There was Judas, who definitely lived more for himself than for God, and that kept him compromising until the end when he moved into the Condemned Chair. I thought of Solomon who though he was committed to God in his youth, did an awful lot of compromising later and wrote a book teaching us about what will happen if we are not diligent in keeping our love relationship with the Lord alive. Solomon taught about what happens if a Christian chooses to sit in the chair of Compromise.
A Christian in the Chair of Compromise would feel comfortable sitting there. Think about it.
At first I believed I sat in the Chair of Compromise. I started writing down ideas that support that statement and I realized that with the criteria I was giving the Chair of Commitment, that no one could possibly sit in that chair but Christ himself!
I started to look at myself and try to see myself through the eyes of people who know me. I thought about how the people at work see me and how my family sees me. I thought about how my brothers and sisters in Christ see me and how God sees me. It was an interesting excercise. I also thought about where my own heart is at most of the time. I thought about my spiritual walk and where it is and where it is going. I though about a lot of things since that young man shared what he had learned and I have come to the conclusion that I am in the Chair of Commitment.
I sit in the chair of Commitment because I am pursuing a closer relationship to God. Sure, I attend church regularly and read my bible. I pray and I do "good deeds". None of those reasons alone are why I sit in the chair of commitment. Those are things anyone can do! The reason I sit in this chair is because God has given me a heart that seeks Him constantly. I study God's Word and have a desire for others to know God as I know Him. I can't get enough and just want to share!
The life I lead is a testimony to the fact that I am a God follower. (At least I hope it is!) and people at work have noticed that I am "different". They notice that I make decisions differently than many people. The decisions I make are based on what is Godly, or biblical, and may at times go against popular public opinion; decisions like what music I choose to listen to, or movies I choose to watch. Maybe even decisions on how to handle certain personnel issues that arise at work, or how I choose to react to defiant and rude customers. In everything I do, I try to find a way to give credit to God and glorify Him. Without Him I am nothing.
I live my life as an open book. I am not intentionally living in sin. I am diligently seeking God and He is changing me. He is sitting in the chair of commitment with me, because He is committed to finishing the good work He started in me.
Does this mean I always do the right thing? Heck NO! That's the thing about God's Grace...and Jesus Christ...I'm covered! It would be a different thing to live in open rebellion and ignore God's Will for my life. Those who adjust their life to scripture are in the Chair of Commitment, those who adjust scripture to their life are in the Chair of Compromise. I think God keeps me in the chair of commitment because I am so commited to staying out of the chair of compromise. I am committed to living life for God, and there are no perfect people sitting in the Chair of Commitment.
I thought about some bible characters as well, determining what chairs they sat in. I see King David in the Chair of Commitment. He faltered, yet his heart always yearned for God and His Law, and repentance always followed. I thought of Jacob and his misdeeds, who I believed moved from the Chair of Compromise to Commitment. There was Judas, who definitely lived more for himself than for God, and that kept him compromising until the end when he moved into the Condemned Chair. I thought of Solomon who though he was committed to God in his youth, did an awful lot of compromising later and wrote a book teaching us about what will happen if we are not diligent in keeping our love relationship with the Lord alive. Solomon taught about what happens if a Christian chooses to sit in the chair of Compromise.
A Christian in the Chair of Compromise would feel comfortable sitting there. Think about it.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
The Three Chairs
No, not bears. The Three Chairs.
Well, I did get convicted at church this morning. It wasn't during worship. It wasn't during the message.
It was while listening to a young man share about his experience at Student Life Camp a few weeks ago. He shared what he learned from a message he heard there. It was about three chairs.
Commitment is the first chair on one end of the row and represents the Christian who lives for God. This is the Christian who prays diligently, uses his gifts to edify the body and glorify God, and has a servants heart. This is a Christian thoroughly commited to pursuing God and living life in His Will.
The chair on the other end of the row is Condemned. The person who sits in this chair is a person who lives in the world. He has little regard for God's Will and chooses to live a life pleasing to himself.
In between these two chairs is the chair of Compromise. This is a Christian who goes through the motions, attends church regularly, prays and reads the bible. This person can practice the principles that Jesus taught and can just as easily push all that aside if something in the world tempts him, and wins him over. This is a person who can live comfortably in the world. This person is a chameleon.
What chair are you in? I'm thinking about some things and plan to post my answer later.
Well, I did get convicted at church this morning. It wasn't during worship. It wasn't during the message.
It was while listening to a young man share about his experience at Student Life Camp a few weeks ago. He shared what he learned from a message he heard there. It was about three chairs.
Commitment is the first chair on one end of the row and represents the Christian who lives for God. This is the Christian who prays diligently, uses his gifts to edify the body and glorify God, and has a servants heart. This is a Christian thoroughly commited to pursuing God and living life in His Will.
The chair on the other end of the row is Condemned. The person who sits in this chair is a person who lives in the world. He has little regard for God's Will and chooses to live a life pleasing to himself.
In between these two chairs is the chair of Compromise. This is a Christian who goes through the motions, attends church regularly, prays and reads the bible. This person can practice the principles that Jesus taught and can just as easily push all that aside if something in the world tempts him, and wins him over. This is a person who can live comfortably in the world. This person is a chameleon.
What chair are you in? I'm thinking about some things and plan to post my answer later.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Things We Haven't Heard
Tip of the Hat to Inoperable Terran for the link to FOXNews.com for an article entitled What It's Really Like In Iraq.
T-shirts and Email Attachments
I saw some interesting T-shirts on people today as they came into my store.
The most humorous was a blue T-shirt, police-blue, with this written in yellow across the front of it: Undercover Police I thought that was great! LOL
Then I saw a very disturbing one on a young girl, a teenager. She was dressed gothic and was wearing mostly all black. The back of her black T-shirt had huge bold white letters that read: JESUS IS A CU_T (insert an "N") I just couldn't type what is really said! I couldn't believe it. That was a very vulgar thing. Very disturbing. So I prayed for her.
Then Brian, my associate turned computer tech guy for the city recently told me how one of the women in charge over there emailed some attachment that backed-up their systems for a couple of hours. She was complaining that the system wasn't handling a large file attachment. Matter of fact it caused the city to have to shut down there network and get started back up again. You won't believe what she tried to attach and send to her home computer. I about died laughing! She emailed her C: drive! She attached a 6G hard drive as an attachment! LOLOLOL
Did you get the part where I said "one of the women in charge"? Yep! She, at one time was head of the department in the computer lab of the city...they took that position from her recently. Gee, I wonder why? She said "I wondered why it took 2 and a half hours to attach."
The most humorous was a blue T-shirt, police-blue, with this written in yellow across the front of it: Undercover Police I thought that was great! LOL
Then I saw a very disturbing one on a young girl, a teenager. She was dressed gothic and was wearing mostly all black. The back of her black T-shirt had huge bold white letters that read: JESUS IS A CU_T (insert an "N") I just couldn't type what is really said! I couldn't believe it. That was a very vulgar thing. Very disturbing. So I prayed for her.
Then Brian, my associate turned computer tech guy for the city recently told me how one of the women in charge over there emailed some attachment that backed-up their systems for a couple of hours. She was complaining that the system wasn't handling a large file attachment. Matter of fact it caused the city to have to shut down there network and get started back up again. You won't believe what she tried to attach and send to her home computer. I about died laughing! She emailed her C: drive! She attached a 6G hard drive as an attachment! LOLOLOL
Did you get the part where I said "one of the women in charge"? Yep! She, at one time was head of the department in the computer lab of the city...they took that position from her recently. Gee, I wonder why? She said "I wondered why it took 2 and a half hours to attach."
The Digital Quilt
Go add your square to The Digital Quilt.
Purpose: A creative way of celebrating and giving thanks - individually and jointly - to God for community found online.
I say the bigger the better! Just do it!
Purpose: A creative way of celebrating and giving thanks - individually and jointly - to God for community found online.
I say the bigger the better! Just do it!
Let's Give It Another Shot
Not So Serious Bible Trivia
Ok, I fiddled with my template colors because in some browsers this didn't work. I'm trying again...if you can still see the "answer" without highlighting, let me know please, and I'll fiddle some more.
What kind of lights did Noah use on the ark?
Put your answer in the comments, then come back here and highlight below for the answer.
Flood Lights!
Ok, I fiddled with my template colors because in some browsers this didn't work. I'm trying again...if you can still see the "answer" without highlighting, let me know please, and I'll fiddle some more.
What kind of lights did Noah use on the ark?
Put your answer in the comments, then come back here and highlight below for the answer.
Flood Lights!
One of These Things is NOT Like the Other
Sand Sculpture, Cake Decorating, Ice Sculpture
When your roommate is a cake decorator, make sure you have enough Rolaids, and possibly a dental appointment.
All of the above mentioned works of art aren't complete until they are destroyed. You can digest cake and ice, but I'm thinking sand wouldn't do well in the intestine.
When your roommate is a cake decorator, make sure you have enough Rolaids, and possibly a dental appointment.
All of the above mentioned works of art aren't complete until they are destroyed. You can digest cake and ice, but I'm thinking sand wouldn't do well in the intestine.
Amazing Facts
I found something interesting while surfing tonight at MSNBC 101 amazing facts about the earth. It was fascinating to learn that thunder is caused because "The air around a lightning bolt is superheated to about five times the temperature of the sun. This sudden heating causes the air to expand faster than the speed of sound, which compresses the air and forms a shock wave; we hear it as thunder." FIVE TIMES the temperature of the sun! WOW! THAT'S HOT!
I also learned that I want to move to Mars. I would weigh 38% less...just like that!
The state of Louisiana is losing 30 square miles of land a year due to erosion. Might have to start referring to it as "Losing-ana"!!
There's some pretty neat stuff in the list, check it out if you enjoy that trivia stuff.
I also learned that I want to move to Mars. I would weigh 38% less...just like that!
The state of Louisiana is losing 30 square miles of land a year due to erosion. Might have to start referring to it as "Losing-ana"!!
There's some pretty neat stuff in the list, check it out if you enjoy that trivia stuff.
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Thinking About Going Home
I'm thinking about a trip to Medina, Ohio at the end of August. I grew up in Hinckley, OH in Medina County which is a community about 30-40 miles south of Cleveland. My parents moved to Medina, the city, a few years ago, so I consider that home now. Home is where Mom and Dad are.
I'm so tired from work and the busyness of life so I'm not sure I want to be running around on my vacation, but I sure would like to get home to see my family. I would also like to visit with some friends while I'm there...especially a good friend in Amherst.
Also, my youngest sister Connie is due to have her first child at the end of August and I may just get to see my new nephew?...niece? THAT would be cool if it all timed perfect! I also want to see my ailing grandma who may or may not even remember I came home to visit. I still want to see her and spend some time with her.
Should I drive? or fly? A drive sounds nice...solitude, my music, my thoughts, but if I fly I would get a few more hours at home. Hmmmmmmm, I'm thinking on this one.
I'm so tired from work and the busyness of life so I'm not sure I want to be running around on my vacation, but I sure would like to get home to see my family. I would also like to visit with some friends while I'm there...especially a good friend in Amherst.
Also, my youngest sister Connie is due to have her first child at the end of August and I may just get to see my new nephew?...niece? THAT would be cool if it all timed perfect! I also want to see my ailing grandma who may or may not even remember I came home to visit. I still want to see her and spend some time with her.
Should I drive? or fly? A drive sounds nice...solitude, my music, my thoughts, but if I fly I would get a few more hours at home. Hmmmmmmm, I'm thinking on this one.
Grace and Blessings
God. I just don't understand God. My behavior today warranted no blessings.
This morning was one of those mornings that just make you want to scream at the top of your lungs like a wild banshee woman in the Amazon. Simple things were made difficult. I spent half the morning picking up stuff that I dropped. Finding papers I lost that I just had in my hand. Running to answer the phone and nobody was there. That kind of morning that was irritating the last nerve that I am surviving on at work these days.
Then, it was time to move the new DVD displayer out onto the sales floor. It's never a fun thing to do because it comes prepacked and when it is opened, inevitably a few DVD's fall out and I'll have to pick those up, but it doesn't really matter since I need to price them all anyway. It's a time consuming inconvenience. The display annoys me because it just seems like it should be easier to deal with than it is. So, I braced to pull the sleeve off from around the display. The display is pretty much a square tower and holds four DVDs to a row, with 5 rows stacked on top of one another. The other side holds the DVD's the same way. When this display is shipped, it has a cardboard "sleeve" wrapped around it to encase it, so all I need to do is lift the sleeve off and there is the display!
Things wouldn't be that simple today. Noooooo sirreee! I lifted the sleeve off and KABOOM! All the DVDs piled out onto the floor. I was NOT pleased! NOT IN THE LEAST! I pulled the remaining cardboard sleeve off and angrily threw it across the backroom and I WAS TICKED! It was not a pretty site! It was the last straw this morning and I really don't have time for that kind of stuff! I kept looking at the pile of DVD's everywhere, cardboard pieces strewn about, (because of the tantrum I threw! *I am now hanging my head in shame. Thank goodness I was alone this morning because it was before the store opened) and CURSING THE FOOL WHO SHIPPED THE DISPLAY UPSIDE DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Needless I say! Needless! I don't need to be wasting my time picking up all that stuff because some ignoramus shipped it incorrectly! DUH! Oh, I was livid!
Part of my stress stems from the fact that I am very understaffed at work and today was one of my employee's last day. She was a new member of my management staff who was catching on very well and helping to relieve some of my workload. Her leaving for another, better opportunity, it is not a good thing. My assistant is rather weak right now because he is inexperienced and though he tries VERY hard, he is not taking up much of my load yet. In two weeks, my other keyholder is taking a 15 day vacation and THAT HURTS! I have been trying to find good help and hire for my management staff, but wasn't having much success.
Then God blessed me. Even after my tantrum this morning. He does that sometimes.
This morning was one of those mornings that just make you want to scream at the top of your lungs like a wild banshee woman in the Amazon. Simple things were made difficult. I spent half the morning picking up stuff that I dropped. Finding papers I lost that I just had in my hand. Running to answer the phone and nobody was there. That kind of morning that was irritating the last nerve that I am surviving on at work these days.
Then, it was time to move the new DVD displayer out onto the sales floor. It's never a fun thing to do because it comes prepacked and when it is opened, inevitably a few DVD's fall out and I'll have to pick those up, but it doesn't really matter since I need to price them all anyway. It's a time consuming inconvenience. The display annoys me because it just seems like it should be easier to deal with than it is. So, I braced to pull the sleeve off from around the display. The display is pretty much a square tower and holds four DVDs to a row, with 5 rows stacked on top of one another. The other side holds the DVD's the same way. When this display is shipped, it has a cardboard "sleeve" wrapped around it to encase it, so all I need to do is lift the sleeve off and there is the display!
Things wouldn't be that simple today. Noooooo sirreee! I lifted the sleeve off and KABOOM! All the DVDs piled out onto the floor. I was NOT pleased! NOT IN THE LEAST! I pulled the remaining cardboard sleeve off and angrily threw it across the backroom and I WAS TICKED! It was not a pretty site! It was the last straw this morning and I really don't have time for that kind of stuff! I kept looking at the pile of DVD's everywhere, cardboard pieces strewn about, (because of the tantrum I threw! *I am now hanging my head in shame. Thank goodness I was alone this morning because it was before the store opened) and CURSING THE FOOL WHO SHIPPED THE DISPLAY UPSIDE DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Needless I say! Needless! I don't need to be wasting my time picking up all that stuff because some ignoramus shipped it incorrectly! DUH! Oh, I was livid!
Part of my stress stems from the fact that I am very understaffed at work and today was one of my employee's last day. She was a new member of my management staff who was catching on very well and helping to relieve some of my workload. Her leaving for another, better opportunity, it is not a good thing. My assistant is rather weak right now because he is inexperienced and though he tries VERY hard, he is not taking up much of my load yet. In two weeks, my other keyholder is taking a 15 day vacation and THAT HURTS! I have been trying to find good help and hire for my management staff, but wasn't having much success.
Then God blessed me. Even after my tantrum this morning. He does that sometimes.
How Do You Eat Your Oreo?
Sunk.
You see, I was dunking my oreo in the milk. I had drank half of the glass of milk already, so as I held my cookie perilously at the edge, it broke off and kerplunked right into the milk. The glass was too tall and narrow for me to reach my two fingers down in to grab the floating oreo. I asked Katie to get me a spoon. If you wait too long, the oreo sinks. It sunk. That's what happens when a dunk becomes a sunk.
Sunk...it's a cool word. I think I will add it to my cool words list: toast, moist cake, sunk
You see, I was dunking my oreo in the milk. I had drank half of the glass of milk already, so as I held my cookie perilously at the edge, it broke off and kerplunked right into the milk. The glass was too tall and narrow for me to reach my two fingers down in to grab the floating oreo. I asked Katie to get me a spoon. If you wait too long, the oreo sinks. It sunk. That's what happens when a dunk becomes a sunk.
Sunk...it's a cool word. I think I will add it to my cool words list: toast, moist cake, sunk
Inseparable Twins
I have recently been accused of lacking compassion because of the way I hold other Christians accountable to the Truth. So many Christians today are involved with a "New Age" type mentality of love and compassion. I recently came across an article when searching for a book at Lifeway.com. I decided it was worthy of a link from the Sisters so if you would like to understand why I do what I do, this may help explain a little.
Inseparable Twins
In most cases, Christians should compassionately display love and mercy when telling a lost soul about the saving grace of Jesus. However, there are those who are (or claim to be) believers who take the Truth and manipulate it into what is convenient for their lifestyle instead of what it is. It is those believers that we have to be bold with. When they refuse to listen, it is then that we must put into practice the tough love that was so displayed at Calvary. Oh the wonderful cross!
Inseparable Twins
In most cases, Christians should compassionately display love and mercy when telling a lost soul about the saving grace of Jesus. However, there are those who are (or claim to be) believers who take the Truth and manipulate it into what is convenient for their lifestyle instead of what it is. It is those believers that we have to be bold with. When they refuse to listen, it is then that we must put into practice the tough love that was so displayed at Calvary. Oh the wonderful cross!
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
My Day and Its Blessings
God just keeps providing! Not just needs, but wants...heck, not even wants, He supercedes that too!
Terry came to visit. She is a dear friend and so is her husband Chuck. We met them at Northbrook Church when we first started attending almost 3 years ago. They were new in town, we were new to the church. For some reason we clicked. Then, a little more than a year ago, our hearts were broken as Chuck found a job in Dallas. He was about to lose his job here because the plant was closing down, so he found employment in TX, and the whole family moved there. They are people that will always have a special place in my heart. Terry has a best friend who lives here, so when Terry takes her 3 week excursion (sure wish I could see Chuck again, but he can't get off work) around the Southeast/Midwest she is always sure to stop by and visit Katie and me. I think it is awesome that she has a best friend who isn't jealous that Terry spend time with us and all the other people she be-bops around to see. Her friend doesn't hog her so we can all share!
Terry and Chuck invited us to share Thanksgiving dinner with them one year and the whole framily enjoyed that time with their family so much that it became tradition. We shared Easter there the following spring, and one more Thanksgiving before they moved. I enjoy them so much because they are so intelligent and well-grounded in the faith. We could debate issues and just discuss God things, learning from each other and growing in our faith. I am so blessed to know them and doubly blessed that at least for now, God still keeps us in touch. Terry, Katie and I talked for hours and hours today. We discussed so many different things. Shared laughs and just enjoyed each other's company.
Then Dad called and asked "Are you online?" and then I hit a key to deactivate the screen saver to check and sure enough what I saw made me laugh out loud....Mom had IM'd me and all I saw in the window was
Hey!
Hello
Hello?
HELLO?
LOL! I explained to Dad that I had a guest over but asked if there was something going on that he called? He said well, I have a few questions for you and he said "Do you have a rack stereo system?" and when I told him no he continued "Do you want a rack stereo system?" and I said "Ummmmmmm, let me think about this YES!". Then Dad asked "Do you need a tv?" and I said I have a tv, but I'll take another and he said "It's a 27 inch" and I said "that will fit my entertainment center!" (the tv I am using is puny in my entertainment center and looks bizarre because it is so small) and then he asked "Do you have a DVD player?" and I said "no" and he asked if I would like one and I said "Ummmmm, let me think about that YES!" I never asked for any of this stuff and since Dad is souping up his home with a new surround sound super huge tv and all the works, he is passing along his "old" stuff. I am so blessed. His stereo has rarely been used. It's a great Technics system that makes my mouth water everytime I see it at their house NOT being used! UGH! (It should be a felony!) We don't watch tv much around here because we can't afford cable or anything, so we get one station, an ABC affiliate. I much prefer the computer! The DVD player will be nice because we do have a lot of "framily nights" and share evenings watching movies or Veggietales. Time to start my DVD collection. I want the Star Trek Next Generation Season box sets! Man, I better start saving!
Church tonight was great! Only one more week of the Parables of Jesus study and then we are moving on to something else. I enjoy this study to really dig into the teachings of Jesus and learn how to apply things to my life. Today we studied the Parable of the Rich Fool and that my DVD player, Technics system and tv are things I won't be taking with me when I die, and I shouldn't base my worth on stuff. The Parable of the Chief Seats teaches me humility, that I shouldn't assume the place of honor at the table belongs to me. I should take the last seat and know that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. God will exalt the humble. Humilty is an area that I have been working on...I have a pride problem.
That's my day in a blog...and I finally got the lawn mowed. It has been too hot recently and I noticed that the only people in the neighborhood who had their lawns mowed in the past few weeks were people with riding mowers. Our lawn and one other neighbor's yard was starting to look pretty overgrown. I am thankful for the beautiful sunshine and not too hot temps today. Thank you God for a great day! :-)
Terry came to visit. She is a dear friend and so is her husband Chuck. We met them at Northbrook Church when we first started attending almost 3 years ago. They were new in town, we were new to the church. For some reason we clicked. Then, a little more than a year ago, our hearts were broken as Chuck found a job in Dallas. He was about to lose his job here because the plant was closing down, so he found employment in TX, and the whole family moved there. They are people that will always have a special place in my heart. Terry has a best friend who lives here, so when Terry takes her 3 week excursion (sure wish I could see Chuck again, but he can't get off work) around the Southeast/Midwest she is always sure to stop by and visit Katie and me. I think it is awesome that she has a best friend who isn't jealous that Terry spend time with us and all the other people she be-bops around to see. Her friend doesn't hog her so we can all share!
Terry and Chuck invited us to share Thanksgiving dinner with them one year and the whole framily enjoyed that time with their family so much that it became tradition. We shared Easter there the following spring, and one more Thanksgiving before they moved. I enjoy them so much because they are so intelligent and well-grounded in the faith. We could debate issues and just discuss God things, learning from each other and growing in our faith. I am so blessed to know them and doubly blessed that at least for now, God still keeps us in touch. Terry, Katie and I talked for hours and hours today. We discussed so many different things. Shared laughs and just enjoyed each other's company.
Then Dad called and asked "Are you online?" and then I hit a key to deactivate the screen saver to check and sure enough what I saw made me laugh out loud....Mom had IM'd me and all I saw in the window was
Hey!
Hello
Hello?
HELLO?
LOL! I explained to Dad that I had a guest over but asked if there was something going on that he called? He said well, I have a few questions for you and he said "Do you have a rack stereo system?" and when I told him no he continued "Do you want a rack stereo system?" and I said "Ummmmmmm, let me think about this YES!". Then Dad asked "Do you need a tv?" and I said I have a tv, but I'll take another and he said "It's a 27 inch" and I said "that will fit my entertainment center!" (the tv I am using is puny in my entertainment center and looks bizarre because it is so small) and then he asked "Do you have a DVD player?" and I said "no" and he asked if I would like one and I said "Ummmmm, let me think about that YES!" I never asked for any of this stuff and since Dad is souping up his home with a new surround sound super huge tv and all the works, he is passing along his "old" stuff. I am so blessed. His stereo has rarely been used. It's a great Technics system that makes my mouth water everytime I see it at their house NOT being used! UGH! (It should be a felony!) We don't watch tv much around here because we can't afford cable or anything, so we get one station, an ABC affiliate. I much prefer the computer! The DVD player will be nice because we do have a lot of "framily nights" and share evenings watching movies or Veggietales. Time to start my DVD collection. I want the Star Trek Next Generation Season box sets! Man, I better start saving!
Church tonight was great! Only one more week of the Parables of Jesus study and then we are moving on to something else. I enjoy this study to really dig into the teachings of Jesus and learn how to apply things to my life. Today we studied the Parable of the Rich Fool and that my DVD player, Technics system and tv are things I won't be taking with me when I die, and I shouldn't base my worth on stuff. The Parable of the Chief Seats teaches me humility, that I shouldn't assume the place of honor at the table belongs to me. I should take the last seat and know that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. God will exalt the humble. Humilty is an area that I have been working on...I have a pride problem.
That's my day in a blog...and I finally got the lawn mowed. It has been too hot recently and I noticed that the only people in the neighborhood who had their lawns mowed in the past few weeks were people with riding mowers. Our lawn and one other neighbor's yard was starting to look pretty overgrown. I am thankful for the beautiful sunshine and not too hot temps today. Thank you God for a great day! :-)
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
Not To Be Taken Seriously Bible Trivia
Why was Moses buried in the land of Moab?
Comment with your answer then come back and highlight below.
He was dead
Comment with your answer then come back and highlight below.
He was dead
Hello Dolly
Rehearsal tonight was loooooooong. The keyboard for some reason wouldn't power up, so the guy directing the pit orchestra pulled out the ancient upright piano that hasn't been tuned since 1987. It's bad when the strings on one note aren't even in tune! It wasn't helping us sound good on our first night to run through the stuff!
Sunday, July 20, 2003
Underblogs
Darren at the LivingRoom >> A space for Life has started a campaign to recognize quality blogs that aren't yet "well known".
If you visit a blog that you read regularly and wish more people knew about it, go list it here.
If you write a blog that you wish more people read, heck! Go list yourself too!
If you visit a blog that you read regularly and wish more people knew about it, go list it here.
If you write a blog that you wish more people read, heck! Go list yourself too!
Internet History
The things you learn while surfing the Internet. I got interested today about the Internet. I was wondering what the very first website was. I never found out. Bummer. What I did learn from a site titled History of the Internet and WWW is that one of the earliest milestones in the Information Age occurred in....oh, go ahead and guess what year.
I guessed 1960ish because I was thinking Internet milestones, not Information Age milestones, but what I learned still fascinated me. One of the first milestones that kicked off the Information Age, which is a pre-history of the Internet, was The Atlantic Cable of 1858.
1858! As it turned out that cable was basically a failure, but it spawned numerous more cables to be spread across the ocean floor, thus information was traveling through cable and this is how it worked for about 100 years. Wow.
Then came the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which kicked off satellite technology, viable computer technology, and everything started to snowball from there.
So by this time communications and computer technology were areas being explored and built upon. During the 1960's Packet-switching networks developed and I have no clue what the heck that means, but it led to the birth of the Internet in 1969, as ARPANET. E-mail was invented in 1971, and I'm sure SPAM followed shortly thereafter. Throughout the 1970's the tools of the Internet advanced and grew and in 1982 the TCP/IP became standard protocol, and new stuff kept getting invented and perfected.
1986 brought to the forefront the great possibilities that the Internet could bring about, and the late 80's- early 90's saw the commercialisation of that. It was 1994, when along came the WWW that real commercialisation took off and BAM! Newsgroups, Websites, Browser Wars, Microsoft, Email...possibilities seem endless sometimes. Don't they?
So that is our lesson for today class.
Anybody know what the very first website was?
Forgive me Christopher, but it is just too appropriate right now to say "Class Dismissed"!
I guessed 1960ish because I was thinking Internet milestones, not Information Age milestones, but what I learned still fascinated me. One of the first milestones that kicked off the Information Age, which is a pre-history of the Internet, was The Atlantic Cable of 1858.
1858! As it turned out that cable was basically a failure, but it spawned numerous more cables to be spread across the ocean floor, thus information was traveling through cable and this is how it worked for about 100 years. Wow.
Then came the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which kicked off satellite technology, viable computer technology, and everything started to snowball from there.
So by this time communications and computer technology were areas being explored and built upon. During the 1960's Packet-switching networks developed and I have no clue what the heck that means, but it led to the birth of the Internet in 1969, as ARPANET. E-mail was invented in 1971, and I'm sure SPAM followed shortly thereafter. Throughout the 1970's the tools of the Internet advanced and grew and in 1982 the TCP/IP became standard protocol, and new stuff kept getting invented and perfected.
1986 brought to the forefront the great possibilities that the Internet could bring about, and the late 80's- early 90's saw the commercialisation of that. It was 1994, when along came the WWW that real commercialisation took off and BAM! Newsgroups, Websites, Browser Wars, Microsoft, Email...possibilities seem endless sometimes. Don't they?
So that is our lesson for today class.
Anybody know what the very first website was?
Forgive me Christopher, but it is just too appropriate right now to say "Class Dismissed"!
Driver
WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOO! OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! \o/
What's with all the screaming and jumping around? Hi-Fives and hugs? WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It's sooooooooooo exciting! YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Justin and I just FINALLY, after TWO years, made it through a very tough level to advance to the Driver finale!
YES YES YES!
I haven't tried every day for two years, but now and then we'd get that game out and give it a try. I had a good feeling at the beginning of the week and said "We are going to do it this week! I can feel it!" So we played a few hours a couple of days this week and last night....YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Justin was the navigator and would tell me where to turn and which direction to go and WE DID IT! I MADE IT TO THE RED ARROW WITH 7 SECONDS TO SPARE! WHEW! It was awesome!
OH YEAAAAAH! It must have been sight to watch a 36 year old woman and a 13 year old boy jumping around in celebration screaming at the top of our lungs and sharing hi-fives and hugs! Katie just said from the other room after we calmed down a bit "What was that all about?" and we just started our celebrating all over again! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Oh yeah! Uh-huh! Oh yeah! We rawk! Oh yeah! Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh! WOOOOOOOOOO! \o/
"The President's Run", the finale, looks like it may take us another TWO years! LOL
Only a gamer can understand the jubilation of conquering such an evasive challenge!
What's with all the screaming and jumping around? Hi-Fives and hugs? WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It's sooooooooooo exciting! YEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Justin and I just FINALLY, after TWO years, made it through a very tough level to advance to the Driver finale!
YES YES YES!
I haven't tried every day for two years, but now and then we'd get that game out and give it a try. I had a good feeling at the beginning of the week and said "We are going to do it this week! I can feel it!" So we played a few hours a couple of days this week and last night....YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Justin was the navigator and would tell me where to turn and which direction to go and WE DID IT! I MADE IT TO THE RED ARROW WITH 7 SECONDS TO SPARE! WHEW! It was awesome!
OH YEAAAAAH! It must have been sight to watch a 36 year old woman and a 13 year old boy jumping around in celebration screaming at the top of our lungs and sharing hi-fives and hugs! Katie just said from the other room after we calmed down a bit "What was that all about?" and we just started our celebrating all over again! WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! Oh yeah! Uh-huh! Oh yeah! We rawk! Oh yeah! Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Uh-huh! WOOOOOOOOOO! \o/
"The President's Run", the finale, looks like it may take us another TWO years! LOL
Only a gamer can understand the jubilation of conquering such an evasive challenge!
Saturday, July 19, 2003
Brass Quintet
Just got in a pic of the brass quintet from last night. We are a pretty sharp looking group! LOL
I am the trumpet player second from the right.
I am the trumpet player second from the right.
Finally Gave Up
I finally gave up. I decided that I just couldn't continue in the "Falling in Love with Jesus" study by Dee Brestin and Kathy Troccoli. It was too corny. It had a cheese factor of 10 (out of 10)! Dee Brestin has some interesting stories to share in her videos, and I enjoyed most of that, but the book part of the study just was out of this world. I found myself just forging through the study to be prepared for class, but that is dumb. I wasn't getting much out of it and actually started disliking doing it. Not healthy. So, I am putting that down in favor of other things.
Well, I am still enjoying my Bioethics class and the study on "Finding the Will of God". I received some new books in the mail today that I am looking forward to going through. Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" was recommended to me by a few people so I may dig into that first. I also got Beth Moore's "Jesus, the One and Only" book which supplements the study that I did last summer.
I am building quite a bible reference library and today added "The Complete Book of Bible Answers" by Ron Rhodes and the ultimate (so it is called) A to Z resource "Where to Find It in the Bible" by Ken Anderson. I also got "God Will Make a Way" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, and a tiny little devotional type book by Charles Stanley "God is in Control". Katie also was given a gift from a brother in Christ at church, "Kingdom Ethics", a book co-authored by Dave Gushee who has been instrumental in the ongoing recovery of Katie from a life of mental abuse and dysfunction.
Wow. Reading back over this post lets me see how ambitious I am! I wonder when I'll get through all of these books? or if I will! LOL
Well, I am still enjoying my Bioethics class and the study on "Finding the Will of God". I received some new books in the mail today that I am looking forward to going through. Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" was recommended to me by a few people so I may dig into that first. I also got Beth Moore's "Jesus, the One and Only" book which supplements the study that I did last summer.
I am building quite a bible reference library and today added "The Complete Book of Bible Answers" by Ron Rhodes and the ultimate (so it is called) A to Z resource "Where to Find It in the Bible" by Ken Anderson. I also got "God Will Make a Way" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend, and a tiny little devotional type book by Charles Stanley "God is in Control". Katie also was given a gift from a brother in Christ at church, "Kingdom Ethics", a book co-authored by Dave Gushee who has been instrumental in the ongoing recovery of Katie from a life of mental abuse and dysfunction.
Wow. Reading back over this post lets me see how ambitious I am! I wonder when I'll get through all of these books? or if I will! LOL
Friday, July 18, 2003
Band Concert
My band concert tonight went well. A few minor mistakes were made, and they were all spread around, but for the most part the audience sounded very appreciative of our efforts. It was nice to hear the applause.
It was a "crowd pleaser" kind of concert because it included "American" music...A Bob Hope Tribute, a couple of marches, Bugler's Holiday, and a Dixieland Jam. It was fun music and the audience loved it!
During intermission I played with a brass quintet in the lobby where refreshments were being served. As I sat to get started playing I said "where's my book?" (foler of music). The leader of the group didn't have it. He said he thought I took it. I said "no, you made it clear that you never let the original music leave your possession." (I had copies made to rehearse from.) Apparantly, the book was left in the band room at Union University where we last rehearsed. So, he handed me all the scores and I played from that when I didn't have a copy to read. It made it interesting, but it worked! Again, the audience seemed to love it.
After intermission it was time for the jazz ensemble to perform. They played a lot of big band favorites, you know....Glenn Miller stuff and the like. I'm not in jazz ensemble...YET! (Waiting for a trumpet player to die off or something....kidding!) They really sound great too!
Next week I have my first pit orchestra rehearsal for Hello Dolly and in a couple weeks...the Jackson Symphony Orchestra! Woooohooooo! My chops are going to definately be in shape after this summer!
It was a "crowd pleaser" kind of concert because it included "American" music...A Bob Hope Tribute, a couple of marches, Bugler's Holiday, and a Dixieland Jam. It was fun music and the audience loved it!
During intermission I played with a brass quintet in the lobby where refreshments were being served. As I sat to get started playing I said "where's my book?" (foler of music). The leader of the group didn't have it. He said he thought I took it. I said "no, you made it clear that you never let the original music leave your possession." (I had copies made to rehearse from.) Apparantly, the book was left in the band room at Union University where we last rehearsed. So, he handed me all the scores and I played from that when I didn't have a copy to read. It made it interesting, but it worked! Again, the audience seemed to love it.
After intermission it was time for the jazz ensemble to perform. They played a lot of big band favorites, you know....Glenn Miller stuff and the like. I'm not in jazz ensemble...YET! (Waiting for a trumpet player to die off or something....kidding!) They really sound great too!
Next week I have my first pit orchestra rehearsal for Hello Dolly and in a couple weeks...the Jackson Symphony Orchestra! Woooohooooo! My chops are going to definately be in shape after this summer!
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Friday Five
The Friday Five
1. When was the last time you cheated? Well, if it's in school, I can't even remember! I'll go with the fact that I fill out paperwork as though I've been keeping up with it all along at work could be considered cheating. You know, the old use different pens and colors, use different style handwriting, give it that "used" look, just in time for the store audit.
2. When was the last time you stole? Well, does it count if I "accidently" stole something? Way back when I was in a Spencer's Gifts. I picked up something (I don't remember what) and thought about purchasing it. I continued browsing around the store, but eventually left. I had wandered around the mall for a good while before I realized I still had that item from Spencer's! I immediately headed back to the store and put the item back. I didn't get caught, but I could have and now that I manage a store I realize how foolish I would've sounded saying "I forgot I had it."
3. When was the last time you lied? I'm basically an honest person, but I guess when people call to check on applications and I tell them "I'll pull it out take a look at it and get back to you if need be." Often, but not always, I do take their name, pull out the app.
4. When was the last time you broke or vandalized another's property? Well, I broke Katie's lamp one day kicking my shoe off my foot at the top of the stairs. So, it went a little further than I expected and in the totally wrong direction. It wasn't intentional or anything. The last intentional thing happened, when I was a kid I had a bad case of cranial rectal inversion (CRI) and took a stone to the paint on my dad's car. I drew some pretty neat designs I think. Dad didn't think so. I had to work that one off! I cried A LOT!
5. When was the last time you hurt a loved one? Probably today when I got snippy because of the chaos around the house. TVs, video games, kids singing, whistling and fighting while Katie and I try to have a conversation. It drives me crazy!
1. When was the last time you cheated? Well, if it's in school, I can't even remember! I'll go with the fact that I fill out paperwork as though I've been keeping up with it all along at work could be considered cheating. You know, the old use different pens and colors, use different style handwriting, give it that "used" look, just in time for the store audit.
2. When was the last time you stole? Well, does it count if I "accidently" stole something? Way back when I was in a Spencer's Gifts. I picked up something (I don't remember what) and thought about purchasing it. I continued browsing around the store, but eventually left. I had wandered around the mall for a good while before I realized I still had that item from Spencer's! I immediately headed back to the store and put the item back. I didn't get caught, but I could have and now that I manage a store I realize how foolish I would've sounded saying "I forgot I had it."
3. When was the last time you lied? I'm basically an honest person, but I guess when people call to check on applications and I tell them "I'll pull it out take a look at it and get back to you if need be." Often, but not always, I do take their name, pull out the app.
4. When was the last time you broke or vandalized another's property? Well, I broke Katie's lamp one day kicking my shoe off my foot at the top of the stairs. So, it went a little further than I expected and in the totally wrong direction. It wasn't intentional or anything. The last intentional thing happened, when I was a kid I had a bad case of cranial rectal inversion (CRI) and took a stone to the paint on my dad's car. I drew some pretty neat designs I think. Dad didn't think so. I had to work that one off! I cried A LOT!
5. When was the last time you hurt a loved one? Probably today when I got snippy because of the chaos around the house. TVs, video games, kids singing, whistling and fighting while Katie and I try to have a conversation. It drives me crazy!
Jen Spoke
I "borrowed" this from Jen at Jen Speaks I just wanted to post it here as well because she took the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't have said it better myself.
"I saw a post about the delay of some troops' homecomings over at Thinklings last night and I posted the following as a comment in response. I had been thinking about writing my thoughts for a couple of days, then I heard about the ABC News video of some soldiers complaints about it, Rumsfeld, and Bush. On my way home, a local talk radio show was discussing it, taking phone calls from folks. Since I live in an area with a large military presence, I was interested to see what caller felt. To a man, every single caller said it was reprehensible for these soldiers to speak out like they did. I agree, but with that said, here's my two cents:
Yes, there's free speech for all Americans under the 1st Amendment, but those who wear the uniform are bound by the Military Code, which says that they NEVER speak disrespectfully of or to a senior officer and that includes the Secretary of Defense and the President. So those soldiers who complained to ABC were wrong on many levels. It's unfortunate, but they know those rules and they'll have to suffer the consequences. More than the DOD rescinding their home orders, their complaints to a news outlet harms morale for all of the troops. And it makes our position there politically precarious as the perception could be spread that we're waffling, whining, losing focus, giving up.
My additional comments come from my perspective as a Navy brat. My father was career Navy - he flew bombers. So...
They need to suck it up. This is what happens in war. It happened to the soldiers in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Kosovo, and now Afghanistan and Iraq. And it will happen to troops in future wars we may be involved in. War isn't pretty, it isn't predictable. Neither is the peace in the immediate aftermath of war. And so our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines need
to suck it up (even if they're reservists). This is their job. They signed up for it, they took the oath. And that means with no complaints.
On a personal note, and I may have mentioned this here already (and I plan to tomorrow when I post my thoughts at my own blog), my father was on deployment to the Indian Ocean during the Iran hostage crisis in '79-'80. He was on the USS Kitty Hawk, part of the Pacific fleet, which at that time had 9 month "cruises" as standard deployments (they're now 6 months, as are the Atlantic fleet). The KH was headed home when President Carter sent them back to the IO. So my Dad (and a lot of other dads) were gone for just about one full year - a year of missed birthdays, his wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, etc. But it was part of the job he signed on for when he took that oath. Did he like it? No. Did we? No. Did the families of the men who lost their lives that year (there were several fatal accidents on that ship in that year)? No.
And I know that's true today - those troops just want to come home. Their families want them home. So do Rumsfeld and Bush. But we need them to stay there for a little while longer. So it will take some patience and prayer to get them, their families, and us through these months/years while we (the US) try to get Iraq stabilized."
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
FiftyTwo
Debbie at FiftyTwo is wondering if there are any bloggers over the age 50 out there? I wanted to tell her to try looking at Ageless but she has no email addy or comments on her blog so I'm hoping she may just make a return visit here and read this. I do know that there are over 150 bloggers listed there that were born between 1940-1960. Hope Debbie comes back to see this!
Browser Security Test
Cool, I found this Browser Security Test via Dot Drivel. It leaves you with a lot of popup windows to close, but with a safe feeling when the test concludes you have a safe browser.
Could You, Kind Reader, Do Me a Favor?
Could you click on "comment" and tell me what you see? It should be black background with bright green text. I've heard from a reader recently that the boxes to put comments in had a white background. I want to work on getting the issue resolved for obvious reasons. Thanks so much and have a wonderful day!
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Stop Drop and Pray
It's time to stop complaining and blaming. Whether you are liberal or conservative it's time to stop, drop, and pray. As Christians we represent Christ to a lost and dying world. What kind of message are we sending by blaming and complaining? Why do we keep worrying and voicing concerns that fall on deaf ears? As Christians we are the Bride of Christ! The Holy Spirit of God lives IN US! We have access to the very power that rose Christ from the dead! Wow! Talk about authority! However, we can not tap into that power unless we are on our knees! Our president can't hear all of our cries. Congress can't answer all of our questions. The only One who has all the answers and hears our every cry is the one we seem to neglect talking to. Remember these words, "united we stand, divided we fall"? Rarely do I hear prayer requests for our president or our countries leaders these days. The only time I hear that is in the heat of crisis. Instead we complain and gripe and blame. We should pray for all of our leaders to have wisdom and discernment to do God's will. We should pray for protection over our leaders and our land. Remember the verse that became so popular after 911?
2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
I don't hear this as much anymore. I truly believe this verse to be a rhema from God. I believe that it is His special word to us in our time of Crisis. It was the first verse that jumped out at me after 911. Obviously, it was the same verse that came to other believers even some non-believers. Don't let it become cliche! This is a message from our Lord who loves us so much that He sent Jesus to suffer and die so that we might spend eternity in Heaven with God!
Sometimes, when I think of the prophets like Moses, Abraham, Noah, David, the disciples........and Jesus Christ Himself, I think about how Moses was mocked but God used him, one man, to free an entire nation! I think about how Abraham kept his focus when asked to sacrifice Issac......he did exactly as he was commanded because knew God would deliver him. God kept his promise to make Abraham the father of nations. What about Noah? Noah was laughed at. He had to wonder.....what if they are right? But he still perservered, keeping his eye on the goal for the prize set before him. David was laughed at when he took on Goliath. What about all the times God went before his people against an outnumbering army and gave His people victory...and plunder to boot? Then there is our Savior and Lord.....ridiculed, mocked tortured, humiliated to the point of death, even death on a cross. When I think about these things I can't help but see a pattern. What if God is using our government right now? What if we are too busy worrying about what seems to be or what might come to pass, that we are missing out on joining God in His work? He sees the whole picture. We should rest in that and trust Him to provide. Sometimes healing can be pretty painful.
All through the Bible, God's people sacrifice. Jesus never even had His own home. He who owns the cattle on a thousand hills didn't even have a roof over His head or a pillow to call his own. But he never did without, and he did accomplish what He came to do. His church is established. For all eternity He will reap the harvest from His sacrifice.
God promised a Savior and His promise was fulfilled.
God is in control and He will heal our land. But, His people must first humble themselves, pray and turn from their wicked ways. Only then will He forgive our sin and heal our land!
He has blessed us in abundance. We are the most powerful nation in the world. I truly believe it is because as "One nation under god" we are indivisible! But, we must continue to be "One nation under God". When we cut God out of the picture, we are no longer united with God or each other and therefore we fall.
Democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, weak or strong, we must unite as one with Christ before we will ever see victory or prosperity. So, let us stop blaming, back biting, bickering, and hurting one another with our words. America needs to stop, drop and pray pray pray in faith believing that our God will soon deliver us and He will use us to bless those who are less fortunate than we are.
Sacrifice? Yes. We may have to sacrifice a little luxury. Can we do this or have we become complacent and spoiled from our prosperity? When we give the controls over to God He will prosper us!
"Direct my thought, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit...Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ."
- George Washington 1st U.S. president.
.......'nuf said
2 Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
I don't hear this as much anymore. I truly believe this verse to be a rhema from God. I believe that it is His special word to us in our time of Crisis. It was the first verse that jumped out at me after 911. Obviously, it was the same verse that came to other believers even some non-believers. Don't let it become cliche! This is a message from our Lord who loves us so much that He sent Jesus to suffer and die so that we might spend eternity in Heaven with God!
Sometimes, when I think of the prophets like Moses, Abraham, Noah, David, the disciples........and Jesus Christ Himself, I think about how Moses was mocked but God used him, one man, to free an entire nation! I think about how Abraham kept his focus when asked to sacrifice Issac......he did exactly as he was commanded because knew God would deliver him. God kept his promise to make Abraham the father of nations. What about Noah? Noah was laughed at. He had to wonder.....what if they are right? But he still perservered, keeping his eye on the goal for the prize set before him. David was laughed at when he took on Goliath. What about all the times God went before his people against an outnumbering army and gave His people victory...and plunder to boot? Then there is our Savior and Lord.....ridiculed, mocked tortured, humiliated to the point of death, even death on a cross. When I think about these things I can't help but see a pattern. What if God is using our government right now? What if we are too busy worrying about what seems to be or what might come to pass, that we are missing out on joining God in His work? He sees the whole picture. We should rest in that and trust Him to provide. Sometimes healing can be pretty painful.
All through the Bible, God's people sacrifice. Jesus never even had His own home. He who owns the cattle on a thousand hills didn't even have a roof over His head or a pillow to call his own. But he never did without, and he did accomplish what He came to do. His church is established. For all eternity He will reap the harvest from His sacrifice.
God promised a Savior and His promise was fulfilled.
God is in control and He will heal our land. But, His people must first humble themselves, pray and turn from their wicked ways. Only then will He forgive our sin and heal our land!
He has blessed us in abundance. We are the most powerful nation in the world. I truly believe it is because as "One nation under god" we are indivisible! But, we must continue to be "One nation under God". When we cut God out of the picture, we are no longer united with God or each other and therefore we fall.
Democrat or republican, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, weak or strong, we must unite as one with Christ before we will ever see victory or prosperity. So, let us stop blaming, back biting, bickering, and hurting one another with our words. America needs to stop, drop and pray pray pray in faith believing that our God will soon deliver us and He will use us to bless those who are less fortunate than we are.
Sacrifice? Yes. We may have to sacrifice a little luxury. Can we do this or have we become complacent and spoiled from our prosperity? When we give the controls over to God He will prosper us!
"Direct my thought, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit...Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ."
- George Washington 1st U.S. president.
.......'nuf said
Ok
Ok, I think it is working, but I don't understand why past posts haven't justified. Well, some have, some haven't? I don't get that. I'm just gonna see what happens from this point on out. Hmmmmmmmmm...?
Justify
I am trying to learn to justify the text of the body of my posts. I want it line justified which means that text will be justified on the left and on the right. I dunno if the new tag I added to the template is going to work so that is why I am typing this very stupid post. This post is stupid but you can't stop me. I have to know if it is going to work. Do be do be do be do. wow, this is actually a good typing excercise! I am finding it to be very dull. I'm going to publish now.
Digital Quilt
Rachel at cre8d design journal - reflections from a 25 year old kiwi has yet another scathingly brilliant idea. She is creating a beautiful digital quilt and there is an open invitation for everyone to join in! I'm joining in. Here is my contribution.
It wasn't hard to come up with my square. My square is the "Woo". The Woo? Yes, the Woo!
The Woo "symbol" may not be original to me, but it does have a history with me. It is celebratory! It is joyful! It is also a reminder of how fulfilling it is to walk with God.
I chose a purple/royal blue background because it represents royalty. Jesus is my King! I also chose it because purple is a very nice color and one of my favorites, and it is bold so it stands out. Jesus is responsible for the many relationships I have developed since coming to know him, and this would also include those established online. (Including my friendship with Katie which started online from a few states away!) Upon my salvation, I frequently raised my arms in praise, which is reflected in the Woo. To this day I will celebrate a "victory" by shouting "Woohooo!", raising my arms to the heavens, and thus came the "Woo".
I often would sign my emails using the \o/ and so it sort of became a "signature" of mine. When I was trying to determine what might be a good "icon" for me, and the Sisters' Weblog, I racked my brain, then suddenly it hit me...the Woo! Duh! It's so me! So, I designed it!
It's a simple symbol, but it says a great deal!
Go add your own square to the digital quilt, I say the bigger the better! Here's what it looks like so far!
It wasn't hard to come up with my square. My square is the "Woo". The Woo? Yes, the Woo!
The Woo "symbol" may not be original to me, but it does have a history with me. It is celebratory! It is joyful! It is also a reminder of how fulfilling it is to walk with God.
I chose a purple/royal blue background because it represents royalty. Jesus is my King! I also chose it because purple is a very nice color and one of my favorites, and it is bold so it stands out. Jesus is responsible for the many relationships I have developed since coming to know him, and this would also include those established online. (Including my friendship with Katie which started online from a few states away!) Upon my salvation, I frequently raised my arms in praise, which is reflected in the Woo. To this day I will celebrate a "victory" by shouting "Woohooo!", raising my arms to the heavens, and thus came the "Woo".
I often would sign my emails using the \o/ and so it sort of became a "signature" of mine. When I was trying to determine what might be a good "icon" for me, and the Sisters' Weblog, I racked my brain, then suddenly it hit me...the Woo! Duh! It's so me! So, I designed it!
It's a simple symbol, but it says a great deal!
Go add your own square to the digital quilt, I say the bigger the better! Here's what it looks like so far!
Sunday, July 13, 2003
Flip Flop Faith
Go read Megan's insights. Her response to Gooddogbaddog's Daily Biscuit on Describe Your Faith as a Garment is awesome! I was wondering how comparing her faith to flip flops in Florida was gonna work and she makes it happen! Great insight Megan!
Saturday, July 12, 2003
Ethics and Morals
According to Merriam-Webster Ethics is:
Ok, fine, but what about morals?
Ok, so none of this really helped me. I did help me understand why a professor at Princeton who advocates infanticide could win an Ethics award though. (See post below) Ethics/Morality...it's all relative. What is moral to one person, is not to another. Our world has the line so watered down, so shaded, so "gray", that in essence I wonder if anything is immoral?
It seems to me that people could, and do actually change their "morals" in different circumstances. Most people would agree that murder in cold blood is wrong, immoral and unethical. It is quite possible that a handful of those people would say, however, that abortion is not wrong. It is also quite possible that those who would still say abortion is wrong might change their mind if it were they that ended up with an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy.
So as I looked up the definitions of morals and ethics I learned that within the definition themselves, there is no measure. There is no basis for what is ethical or moral. What should one base their morality on? Whatever feels good? Feels right? What everyone else is doing? Whatever we can get away with?
I base my morality on what God laid out for me. I would challenge even those who believe in no God at all to live according to the Ten Commandments. Our governments are filled with thousands of "laws and regulations", wouldn't it be cool to live by only ten? The Ten? It seems to me we start adding laws to regulate those original ten because we couldn't adhere to them. If we simply obeyed His Law we would be moral, and ethical. I believe Truth is absolute. That God's Law is absolute.
God saw that we couldn't live by His Law, but He still expects us to give it our best shot. When we still fail, He forgives and gives us a way out of that cess pool of sin, immorality. Jesus adhered to His Law perfectly. Because He was perfectly obediant to the Ten Commandments, and to God's Plan, God allowed Jesus to take my place. Basically Jesus says, "since they can't do it, let me!" God granted that and because Jesus was perfect, and I gave my life to Christ, God sees only the success of His Son, and not my failure.
I don't have all the answers because I don't fully, or maybe even partially, understand the heart of God. I do know His mercy, His forgiveness, His Faithfullness and His Love and for all of Him I am thankful.
There are ethics/morals that man creates. There are ethics/morals that God created. I choose God. I choose Life.
"1 plural but singular or plural in construction : the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation
2 a : a set of moral principles or values b : a theory or system of moral valuesc plural but singular or plural in construction : the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group d : a guiding philosophy "
Ok, fine, but what about morals?
1 a : the moral significance or practical lesson (as of a story) b : a passage pointing out usually in conclusion the lesson to be drawn from a story
2 plural a : moral practices or teachings : modes of conduct b : ETHICS
Ok, so none of this really helped me. I did help me understand why a professor at Princeton who advocates infanticide could win an Ethics award though. (See post below) Ethics/Morality...it's all relative. What is moral to one person, is not to another. Our world has the line so watered down, so shaded, so "gray", that in essence I wonder if anything is immoral?
It seems to me that people could, and do actually change their "morals" in different circumstances. Most people would agree that murder in cold blood is wrong, immoral and unethical. It is quite possible that a handful of those people would say, however, that abortion is not wrong. It is also quite possible that those who would still say abortion is wrong might change their mind if it were they that ended up with an unwanted/unplanned pregnancy.
So as I looked up the definitions of morals and ethics I learned that within the definition themselves, there is no measure. There is no basis for what is ethical or moral. What should one base their morality on? Whatever feels good? Feels right? What everyone else is doing? Whatever we can get away with?
I base my morality on what God laid out for me. I would challenge even those who believe in no God at all to live according to the Ten Commandments. Our governments are filled with thousands of "laws and regulations", wouldn't it be cool to live by only ten? The Ten? It seems to me we start adding laws to regulate those original ten because we couldn't adhere to them. If we simply obeyed His Law we would be moral, and ethical. I believe Truth is absolute. That God's Law is absolute.
God saw that we couldn't live by His Law, but He still expects us to give it our best shot. When we still fail, He forgives and gives us a way out of that cess pool of sin, immorality. Jesus adhered to His Law perfectly. Because He was perfectly obediant to the Ten Commandments, and to God's Plan, God allowed Jesus to take my place. Basically Jesus says, "since they can't do it, let me!" God granted that and because Jesus was perfect, and I gave my life to Christ, God sees only the success of His Son, and not my failure.
I don't have all the answers because I don't fully, or maybe even partially, understand the heart of God. I do know His mercy, His forgiveness, His Faithfullness and His Love and for all of Him I am thankful.
There are ethics/morals that man creates. There are ethics/morals that God created. I choose God. I choose Life.
Kill Infants, Win Ethics Award?
Tony at I Am Always Right pointed me toward this article,WorldNetDaily: Pro-infanticide Prof Awarded Ethics Prize and just recently I had blogged a bit about Peter Singer. Makes me wonder where the ethics of those who voted to give the award are?
Thursday, July 10, 2003
Boredom Can Kill
I'm not the only bored one here. Katie is at the table behind me cackeling like a rooster into an empty fruit-water bottle.
I captured this link from Rick because it spoke to my severe boredom today. Strange Things Boredom Does to Your Mind.
Now it's really bad! Katie is launching that bottle across the room. BAM! Hit the wall. Wow! What breath control!
I captured this link from Rick because it spoke to my severe boredom today. Strange Things Boredom Does to Your Mind.
Now it's really bad! Katie is launching that bottle across the room. BAM! Hit the wall. Wow! What breath control!
Look what I found!
While I was bored and out surfing, these were some of the sights I surfed onto. Most I found via Geoblog:
Jon Davis at the daily drivel drivels about carnal Christians.
At Deeper Motive I learned about some time travel experiments.
I found Southern Appeal when I clicked on a link located in Nepal. He is not blogging from Nepal...must have the ICBM Address wrong in his template. Anyway, this was a political kind of blog offering up some pro-Pryor writings and some insight on the Constitution. Very informative and intelligent.
I don't know why, but I clicked on the link to Beer Farts. I was curious to see what I'd find! I found some tongue-in-cheek polical commentary and very few updates. LOL
A day in the life of a bored person.
A day in the life of a bored person.
Boredom
I am so bored. There is nothing to do. Actually, there are some things to do, but I'm so bored I don't even want to do them. I could write some reviews for Crimson Light. I'm overdue for some, but I don't feel like thinking that much. I could do my Kathy Troccoli/Dee Brestin "Falling in Love with Jesus" study, but it's got such a high "cheese factor" I'm not too motivated to start into that at the moment. I could read a few of the books I've started into, but again, that would require brain stimulation. Gee, I am not at work. It is a day I have longed for. A day off and I am sitting here wasting it doing nothing.
It feels good to do nothing. I do so much thinking and working at my job these days, I need to relax my brain and my body, namely my feet since I am usually standing on them 8-10 hours a day.
I really want to go to the movies, but I'm watching the budget. So, I've been surfing this afternoon. I've been visiting a lot of sites I find from Geoblog. It's pretty cool to be able to watch people posting in pretty close to "real time" all over the world and even in your own "neighborhood". If you haven't checked it out, do it and sign up over at GeoUrl in order that you get "listed" as well. It just requires a bit of code added to the template of your blog to determine your longitude/latitude, but it's very easy to do. It's interesting!
Oh yay, some fun. The phone is ringing. Gwen left me a message for Katie who is at the doctor right now. Nothing serious, just her monthly shot in the butt. LOL (I'm not sure if she'll appreciate me sharing that! LOL)
Oh yay, some email just came in from Mom. She is excited because she just sent out her first email on her new CABLE service provider. Yay! Mom's got a high speed connection now! Woohooo! She'll love it!
Oh, life is getting interesting now! I'm IMing with a friend from Iowa. Deleana is online! YAY! Something fun...and cheap! Talking to a friend! She's going to the Central Iowa Fair which got me remembering Elephant Ears. YUMMY!
What? You never heard of Elephant Ears? It's fried dough. Really big and spread out, shaped like, you guessed it! An Elephant Ear! Sprinkled with your choice of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. It's a very low fat, low carb snack. NOT! I am not able to find them at fairs here in TN, so I'm wondering if it's a midwest thing?
Now for the next exciting thing on my agenda...walking to the fridge to grab and ice cold Coke. Ahhh...
It feels good to do nothing. I do so much thinking and working at my job these days, I need to relax my brain and my body, namely my feet since I am usually standing on them 8-10 hours a day.
I really want to go to the movies, but I'm watching the budget. So, I've been surfing this afternoon. I've been visiting a lot of sites I find from Geoblog. It's pretty cool to be able to watch people posting in pretty close to "real time" all over the world and even in your own "neighborhood". If you haven't checked it out, do it and sign up over at GeoUrl in order that you get "listed" as well. It just requires a bit of code added to the template of your blog to determine your longitude/latitude, but it's very easy to do. It's interesting!
Oh yay, some fun. The phone is ringing. Gwen left me a message for Katie who is at the doctor right now. Nothing serious, just her monthly shot in the butt. LOL (I'm not sure if she'll appreciate me sharing that! LOL)
Oh yay, some email just came in from Mom. She is excited because she just sent out her first email on her new CABLE service provider. Yay! Mom's got a high speed connection now! Woohooo! She'll love it!
Oh, life is getting interesting now! I'm IMing with a friend from Iowa. Deleana is online! YAY! Something fun...and cheap! Talking to a friend! She's going to the Central Iowa Fair which got me remembering Elephant Ears. YUMMY!
What? You never heard of Elephant Ears? It's fried dough. Really big and spread out, shaped like, you guessed it! An Elephant Ear! Sprinkled with your choice of powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. It's a very low fat, low carb snack. NOT! I am not able to find them at fairs here in TN, so I'm wondering if it's a midwest thing?
Now for the next exciting thing on my agenda...walking to the fridge to grab and ice cold Coke. Ahhh...
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Tweaked Template
I had been bummin' because the new blogger uses the "em" tag instead of "i" for italics. I fixed the problem by tweaking my template a bit. Before the "em" tags were coded to use a bold different color font, I changed that to simply italicize. All better now. I still don't understand why there is an "i" on the button, and when I click it I get an "em" tag, but either way I made it work. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Carnal Christians
Jon Davis, who is back from a blog hiatus, recently posted Carnality Is Not Immaturity on his blog. It is an interesting examination of Carnal vs. Immature Christians.
I am only four years old in Christ. My first year in the faith was such a blessing to me because God surrounded me with mentors and also provided opportunities for me to learn so much about Him in a very short amount of time. My spiritual mentors tell me that I have grown in the faith more in my first few years that many do in a lifetime. I don't know why God kindled such a desire in me to know Him, but for that "fire" I am most grateful!
When I first learned that God was pointing me to a major life adjustment four years ago I was excited. He was asking me to leave my job, my home, and the church I was "born" in. He was sending me to the "bible belt" and this was exciting! (Scary, but very exciting!) I envisioned a whole new community of believers to embrace me and guide me. I was starving to know God and I figured He was sending me somewhere that I would be able to learn about Him by watching and living among Christians who are very "serious" about their faith.
He sent me to TN and boy have I learned a lot! My whole first year here was quite educational about Christianity in general. I saw first hand that the "bible belt" is simply a term. I don't know where it came from, but what I have learned is that, just because there is a church on most every corner and a bible in the hands of many, it doesn't mean that Christ is living in the hearts of people.
Jon's blog brought back to me the term "carnal Christian". I have had discussions with some of the mentor's God put in my life here in TN, and that they disagree with me that there is such a thing as a "carnal Christian". Basically, I understand what they are saying, that "carnal Christian" is a contradiction in terms. A Christian lays aside carnality and once we cross over the line into the kingdom, we are no longer "of this world". We are "in" it but not "of" it.
Jon put it so well. He said that there is a difference between a carnal Christian and an immature Christian. I agree with him. I can be an immature Christian. I have been in the faith for four years and I am still learning more and more. I have a long way to go! I am always growing. I have great spurts of growth now and then, but I am continually growing in the faith. I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.
A carnal Christian is someone who is not growing in the faith. Someone who is not allowing their mind to be renewed. They conform to the pattern of the world. They choose not to follow the decrees and laws that God set and have conformed to the standard of the nations around them. Unfortunately, I found that this is a major problem in the "bible belt". I see it almost daily at work when a Christian buys gospel CDs along with the latest gangsta rap CD. (I don't get that!) One day a woman was upset that we were out of stock on a certain gospel CD and believe it or not she said "I can't believe you are out of the G_ _ D_ _ _ CD!" I believe this is one reason why many who do not know Christ as their Savior get such a misconception about Christianity. They see the behavior of "carnal Christians".
As Christians we are called to be set apart from the world. This should be obvious by what we say and what we do. When it is not obvious, I question if that "Christian" is truly seeking Him. I wonder if that "Christian" is immature, or lost? A new Christian may not automatically put aside the ways of the world, but a carnal Christian is perfectly satisfied in the world and adheres to its patterns. Because of this, they are missing out on some of the awesome blessings God is just waiting to pour out on them!
There are times where my behavior is carnal. Katie has reprimanded me on more than one occasion about thinking "carnally", and then I can choose to put those thoughts away and "hold my thoughts captive to Christ".
There is a difference between an immature Christian and a carnal Christian. Although, I could argue that the carnal Christian is at a certain level of immaturity, one that that choose to stay at.
**Addendum**
Tony shared this at his blog I Am Always Right which touched on this same subject. The quotes are from "Revolution Within" by Dwight Edwards, a book he is reading in his small group:
I am only four years old in Christ. My first year in the faith was such a blessing to me because God surrounded me with mentors and also provided opportunities for me to learn so much about Him in a very short amount of time. My spiritual mentors tell me that I have grown in the faith more in my first few years that many do in a lifetime. I don't know why God kindled such a desire in me to know Him, but for that "fire" I am most grateful!
When I first learned that God was pointing me to a major life adjustment four years ago I was excited. He was asking me to leave my job, my home, and the church I was "born" in. He was sending me to the "bible belt" and this was exciting! (Scary, but very exciting!) I envisioned a whole new community of believers to embrace me and guide me. I was starving to know God and I figured He was sending me somewhere that I would be able to learn about Him by watching and living among Christians who are very "serious" about their faith.
He sent me to TN and boy have I learned a lot! My whole first year here was quite educational about Christianity in general. I saw first hand that the "bible belt" is simply a term. I don't know where it came from, but what I have learned is that, just because there is a church on most every corner and a bible in the hands of many, it doesn't mean that Christ is living in the hearts of people.
Jon's blog brought back to me the term "carnal Christian". I have had discussions with some of the mentor's God put in my life here in TN, and that they disagree with me that there is such a thing as a "carnal Christian". Basically, I understand what they are saying, that "carnal Christian" is a contradiction in terms. A Christian lays aside carnality and once we cross over the line into the kingdom, we are no longer "of this world". We are "in" it but not "of" it.
Jon put it so well. He said that there is a difference between a carnal Christian and an immature Christian. I agree with him. I can be an immature Christian. I have been in the faith for four years and I am still learning more and more. I have a long way to go! I am always growing. I have great spurts of growth now and then, but I am continually growing in the faith. I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind.
A carnal Christian is someone who is not growing in the faith. Someone who is not allowing their mind to be renewed. They conform to the pattern of the world. They choose not to follow the decrees and laws that God set and have conformed to the standard of the nations around them. Unfortunately, I found that this is a major problem in the "bible belt". I see it almost daily at work when a Christian buys gospel CDs along with the latest gangsta rap CD. (I don't get that!) One day a woman was upset that we were out of stock on a certain gospel CD and believe it or not she said "I can't believe you are out of the G_ _ D_ _ _ CD!" I believe this is one reason why many who do not know Christ as their Savior get such a misconception about Christianity. They see the behavior of "carnal Christians".
As Christians we are called to be set apart from the world. This should be obvious by what we say and what we do. When it is not obvious, I question if that "Christian" is truly seeking Him. I wonder if that "Christian" is immature, or lost? A new Christian may not automatically put aside the ways of the world, but a carnal Christian is perfectly satisfied in the world and adheres to its patterns. Because of this, they are missing out on some of the awesome blessings God is just waiting to pour out on them!
There are times where my behavior is carnal. Katie has reprimanded me on more than one occasion about thinking "carnally", and then I can choose to put those thoughts away and "hold my thoughts captive to Christ".
There is a difference between an immature Christian and a carnal Christian. Although, I could argue that the carnal Christian is at a certain level of immaturity, one that that choose to stay at.
**Addendum**
Tony shared this at his blog I Am Always Right which touched on this same subject. The quotes are from "Revolution Within" by Dwight Edwards, a book he is reading in his small group:
"We haven't given people the true gospel until we point out a Person to receive and fully trust, rather than a lifestyle to follow."
"We are no longer who we used to be, and, we are what we never were."
"The Christian life is simply the process of becoming who we are."
"We don't change our living in order to become godly; we change our living because we've already been made godly."
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Humanity or God
Joseph Fell has responded to my questions to ponder. This leads me to another question based on a quote in his comment.
"maybe instead of going to fight against homosexual marriage, people should aspire to live up to the words in this quote from Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (http://www.kucinich.us): 'I live each day with a grateful heart and a desire to be of service to humanity.'"
This sounds like a philosophy of the New Age movement to me. I believe that we should be of service to humanity and we should all live as this candidate believes........however, if it causes us to put humanity over the will of God.......what is the responsibility of a Christian? Besides......isn't God all about humanity? After all, He did create us! Aren't we doing a service to humanity by trying to preserve Godly principles? Isn't He omniscient? Doesn't He want what is best for us? Isn't His law the key to freedom for all humanity?
"maybe instead of going to fight against homosexual marriage, people should aspire to live up to the words in this quote from Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich (http://www.kucinich.us): 'I live each day with a grateful heart and a desire to be of service to humanity.'"
This sounds like a philosophy of the New Age movement to me. I believe that we should be of service to humanity and we should all live as this candidate believes........however, if it causes us to put humanity over the will of God.......what is the responsibility of a Christian? Besides......isn't God all about humanity? After all, He did create us! Aren't we doing a service to humanity by trying to preserve Godly principles? Isn't He omniscient? Doesn't He want what is best for us? Isn't His law the key to freedom for all humanity?
Monday, July 07, 2003
Questions to Ponder
What would the world be like if God removed every Christian and nobody left believed in God?
What kind of world would we be living in if the law was simply, "Do what ever makes you happy?"
What would it be like if everybody waited until marriage before having sex?
What if the expression "coming out of the closet" referred to hidden Christianity instead of hidden sexuality?
What would the world be like if every born again believer in the world today came "out of the closet" and stood firm for what they believed in?
If Christians and homosexuals really did hide in closets.........which of the closet would need to be bigger?
What would the world be like if every single person was a born again believer on fire for God?
Would there be a need for jails, abortion clinics, condoms, birth control, or drug rehab?
Would there be a need to fight to keep the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman?
What would it be like if the entire world lived according to God's plan and not our own?
What if all Christians in America today took a stand for the sanctity of marriage and fought the law being passed in Massachusetts permitting same sex marriages?
This is not a blog to bash homosexuals because God commands us to love. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. This is a blog to encourage all born again Christians to come out of the closet and proclaim your faith. It is to encourage you to pray and seek God's face as to what He would have you to do regarding this law that will make a mockery out of the institution of marriage. You can begin by praying and then visiting the American Family Association's web page to find out what you can do to keep the holy union of marriage...holy. Just because it is ordained by man doesn't mean it will be ordained by God.
What kind of world would we be living in if the law was simply, "Do what ever makes you happy?"
What would it be like if everybody waited until marriage before having sex?
What if the expression "coming out of the closet" referred to hidden Christianity instead of hidden sexuality?
What would the world be like if every born again believer in the world today came "out of the closet" and stood firm for what they believed in?
If Christians and homosexuals really did hide in closets.........which of the closet would need to be bigger?
What would the world be like if every single person was a born again believer on fire for God?
Would there be a need for jails, abortion clinics, condoms, birth control, or drug rehab?
Would there be a need to fight to keep the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman?
What would it be like if the entire world lived according to God's plan and not our own?
What if all Christians in America today took a stand for the sanctity of marriage and fought the law being passed in Massachusetts permitting same sex marriages?
This is not a blog to bash homosexuals because God commands us to love. We are to love the sinner but hate the sin. This is a blog to encourage all born again Christians to come out of the closet and proclaim your faith. It is to encourage you to pray and seek God's face as to what He would have you to do regarding this law that will make a mockery out of the institution of marriage. You can begin by praying and then visiting the American Family Association's web page to find out what you can do to keep the holy union of marriage...holy. Just because it is ordained by man doesn't mean it will be ordained by God.
Sunday, July 06, 2003
Human Being or Human Person?
In my Bioethics class we talked about abortion today. We talked about what a worldly view of it can be and what a Christian view can and should be. One thing that really stuck out in my mind was that a professor, Peter Singer, at one of our nations most esteemed University's believes that a human being doesn't become a person until they can reason and be self-aware. This concerns me because he thinks that it is not wrong to terminate the life of anyone who is not a "person" as he defines one. This could be an infant up to a month old, or even an elderly person who has lost their reasoning mental capacity. He makes a distinction between a human being and a human person. Does not this human being still have worth in God's eyes?
My grandma is elderly and nearing the end of her life. She has virtually no short term memory. Her memory is so bad in fact, that when she raises a glass to her mouth, she forgets why she did that and it takes her a very long time to take the drink. Is she less a person now that she can't remember well? Peter Singer might argue yes...although, he did NOT euthanize his own mother when she had alzheimer's disease. It's different when it's someone you love I guess.
As long as God gives breath, we shall live.
Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
I would have to agree with Dave Gushee when he said today when quoting some other author (I forgot who) that "any distinction between human beings and human persons is disastrous."
My grandma is elderly and nearing the end of her life. She has virtually no short term memory. Her memory is so bad in fact, that when she raises a glass to her mouth, she forgets why she did that and it takes her a very long time to take the drink. Is she less a person now that she can't remember well? Peter Singer might argue yes...although, he did NOT euthanize his own mother when she had alzheimer's disease. It's different when it's someone you love I guess.
As long as God gives breath, we shall live.
Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
I would have to agree with Dave Gushee when he said today when quoting some other author (I forgot who) that "any distinction between human beings and human persons is disastrous."
Friday, July 04, 2003
Celebrating Independence and Freedom
What better way to celebrate on the 4th than with the framily? including our church family! We were over at the ball park to watch the Diamond Jaxx play (and lose...bummer) and afterward we were treated to some fireworks. It was a great show. Fireworks exploding and coloring the night sky with sparks and brilliant lights, with background music provided by Neil Diamond (America), John Phillip Sousa (pick a march, most any march), God Bless America and of course the Lee Greenwood "Proud to Be an American" and a few other ditties thrown in like "Born in the USA" from The Boss.
It was a grand affair and it all brought a tear to my eye as I realized that I am so very ignorant of what it is like to be oppressed. I have no clue how it feels to not be able to own a home, or a car...in fact anything. I can't fathom not being allowed to worship my God in any church I please. I am blessed that I do not know what it is like to not have freedom.
I realize that I am free and that really struck a chord in me tonight. I am so blessed to live in a country that is founded on freedom and it works very hard to keep things this way. America may have her problems, but in the end, it is a great country to be born into.
Baseball, hotdogs, fireworks, Sousa and rock n' roll....WOW! What an Independence Day!
It was a grand affair and it all brought a tear to my eye as I realized that I am so very ignorant of what it is like to be oppressed. I have no clue how it feels to not be able to own a home, or a car...in fact anything. I can't fathom not being allowed to worship my God in any church I please. I am blessed that I do not know what it is like to not have freedom.
I realize that I am free and that really struck a chord in me tonight. I am so blessed to live in a country that is founded on freedom and it works very hard to keep things this way. America may have her problems, but in the end, it is a great country to be born into.
Baseball, hotdogs, fireworks, Sousa and rock n' roll....WOW! What an Independence Day!
Daily Biscuit
There are a lot of memes out there. I know a lot of people participate in the Friday Five. Friday Five is decent and obviously a lot of people enjoy using it as a "springboard" for topics on their blogs, but I have found the topics over at Gooddogbaddog more appealing. Owen creates an atmosphere that helps readers ponder their faith and other things about their spiritual walk. Sometimes it's serious, sometimes its filled with wit. I wanted to recommend that you take a look at Gooddogbaddog and bite a few Daily Biscuits.
Daily Biscuit for today, or *ahem* yesterday: Describe your Faith as a Garment
Your faith is a garment. It is any article of clothing. Put it on. Describe it; how it fits, how it feels, what is its substance, its appearance.
Looking in a mirror at you in your faith, what do you see? How do others see you in it?
I love this stuff...Owen always gives me something to ponder. I also get to excercise some creative writing and really think. so...here goes nothing!
My faith is a well-worn pair of faded blue jeans. There are no holes, the material is just soft because the stiffness of the cotton has been loosened from many washings. This is my favorite pair of jeans!
My faith is always with me, just like my favorite pair of jeans. Even though I don't always wear them, they lie waiting in the dresser drawer. My faith is always here, even though at times it may not be seen by others, and sometimes unfortunately, I may not put it on.
At one point my faith was new. Colors were bright! (I posted something about that on a previous Daily Biscuit. As I settled into my new life in faith...colors, while still vibrant, tend to fade into everyday life. Not a bad thing...just different. Also, as I grow in the faith I am continually being renewed and washed daily through the Holy Spirit and God's Mercy and Forgiveness. This is why I compare my faith to faded jeans...well-worn, as is my faith, and needing to be washed a lot!
When I put on my jeans, they feel soft, and comfortable. Over the years they have comformed to my shape and fit perfect; (this means they have stretched! LOL) and like my jeans conformed to fit me, I, myself, am being conformed by my faith and hope to fit perfect someday. The bible promises in Philippians 1:6 "that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Sometimes I know that others see my faith in me and see how well it fits. Other times I am not so sure. Most of the time my faith looks good on me, but there are those times when my weaknesses show and my faith is in need of a good cleaning. Yesterday would be an example of that in the words I chose to describe a certain encounter with a rude customer to an employee. At that point my faith shone through a hole in my jeans and left grass stains!
I want to wear my faith like my favorite pair of jeans. Soft and comfortable and something that fits well. Oh, and has pockets too...someplace to keep all the treasures I'm storing up!
Daily Biscuit for today, or *ahem* yesterday: Describe your Faith as a Garment
Your faith is a garment. It is any article of clothing. Put it on. Describe it; how it fits, how it feels, what is its substance, its appearance.
Looking in a mirror at you in your faith, what do you see? How do others see you in it?
I love this stuff...Owen always gives me something to ponder. I also get to excercise some creative writing and really think. so...here goes nothing!
My faith is a well-worn pair of faded blue jeans. There are no holes, the material is just soft because the stiffness of the cotton has been loosened from many washings. This is my favorite pair of jeans!
My faith is always with me, just like my favorite pair of jeans. Even though I don't always wear them, they lie waiting in the dresser drawer. My faith is always here, even though at times it may not be seen by others, and sometimes unfortunately, I may not put it on.
At one point my faith was new. Colors were bright! (I posted something about that on a previous Daily Biscuit. As I settled into my new life in faith...colors, while still vibrant, tend to fade into everyday life. Not a bad thing...just different. Also, as I grow in the faith I am continually being renewed and washed daily through the Holy Spirit and God's Mercy and Forgiveness. This is why I compare my faith to faded jeans...well-worn, as is my faith, and needing to be washed a lot!
When I put on my jeans, they feel soft, and comfortable. Over the years they have comformed to my shape and fit perfect; (this means they have stretched! LOL) and like my jeans conformed to fit me, I, myself, am being conformed by my faith and hope to fit perfect someday. The bible promises in Philippians 1:6 "that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Sometimes I know that others see my faith in me and see how well it fits. Other times I am not so sure. Most of the time my faith looks good on me, but there are those times when my weaknesses show and my faith is in need of a good cleaning. Yesterday would be an example of that in the words I chose to describe a certain encounter with a rude customer to an employee. At that point my faith shone through a hole in my jeans and left grass stains!
I want to wear my faith like my favorite pair of jeans. Soft and comfortable and something that fits well. Oh, and has pockets too...someplace to keep all the treasures I'm storing up!
Prayer
Over at Insights, Megan offers her thoughts on prayer. I posted this comment below and though it worthy of posting here as well:
God is always on my mind, as I'm driving in traffic and see and accident, drive by the house of a friend or acquaintance, browsing through pictures, etc., things will come to mind and I can offer up prayers for certain people or myself at any time. This is the kind of praying that I believe the bible teaches about ALWAYS being in prayer.
Then there is the inimate, deep down, and all out abandoned prayer. Prayer that comes from a broken spirit and an open heart. It is this kind of praying that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of our days.
I equate it like conversations with a good friend. You might see a certain friend almost daily and you can joke around, share what's going on in life, and just small talk. But, every now and then, you and your friend have a "heart to heart" talk. The kind of talk that makes you lose track of time. The kind of talk that you don't want to end because it feels so good to empty yourself out. It is this kind of intimate prayer time that I sometimes lack. This is the kind of prayer time that all Christians should seek to make time for, but like that intimate talk with a friend...it isn't always something you can plan for.
God is always on my mind, as I'm driving in traffic and see and accident, drive by the house of a friend or acquaintance, browsing through pictures, etc., things will come to mind and I can offer up prayers for certain people or myself at any time. This is the kind of praying that I believe the bible teaches about ALWAYS being in prayer.
Then there is the inimate, deep down, and all out abandoned prayer. Prayer that comes from a broken spirit and an open heart. It is this kind of praying that gets lost in the hustle and bustle of our days.
I equate it like conversations with a good friend. You might see a certain friend almost daily and you can joke around, share what's going on in life, and just small talk. But, every now and then, you and your friend have a "heart to heart" talk. The kind of talk that makes you lose track of time. The kind of talk that you don't want to end because it feels so good to empty yourself out. It is this kind of intimate prayer time that I sometimes lack. This is the kind of prayer time that all Christians should seek to make time for, but like that intimate talk with a friend...it isn't always something you can plan for.
Thursday, July 03, 2003
Meremadness is now Super Blessed!
Super Blessed has been launched! Wooohoooooo!! Ganns Deen, one of my favorite bloggers from the other side of the planet (from my view in Tennessee) has moved from Meremadness to Super Blessed! YAY!
The site looks great while he is still working out kinks, and the blog rolls on. If you haven't had the privilege of visiting Gann's site, do it. It will be a blessing for sure! His journal is filled with wit and stories that will tickle your funny bone and will touch your heart. He is a man so in love with his new wife and his yet unborn baby (boy, baby boy, as he shared this week). He unashamedly shares his faith and always has something insightful to offer from lessons he's learned. I'm sure Super Blessed will be very successful in professing the greatness of God!
Way to go Ganns!
The site looks great while he is still working out kinks, and the blog rolls on. If you haven't had the privilege of visiting Gann's site, do it. It will be a blessing for sure! His journal is filled with wit and stories that will tickle your funny bone and will touch your heart. He is a man so in love with his new wife and his yet unborn baby (boy, baby boy, as he shared this week). He unashamedly shares his faith and always has something insightful to offer from lessons he's learned. I'm sure Super Blessed will be very successful in professing the greatness of God!
Way to go Ganns!
Ok, I don't get it.
cvbdfgh dfsfgagagas
Since switching to the "new" blogger, when I type a post and click the symbol to italicize...I get the tags "em" around the word instead of "i" around a word. In the post view of the blog the word is italicized...but not in the published view on the webpage. Does this have something to do with encoding and all that tech stuff I don't understand?
I have been switching all the "em" tags to "i", but it would be nice not to have to do that.
Since switching to the "new" blogger, when I type a post and click the symbol to italicize...I get the tags "em" around the word instead of "i" around a word. In the post view of the blog the word is italicized...but not in the published view on the webpage. Does this have something to do with encoding and all that tech stuff I don't understand?
I have been switching all the "em" tags to "i", but it would be nice not to have to do that.
Retail and the Christian
It is sooooo sooooooooo hard to work in retail on days like today. To top off my wonderful day at work, as I was walking up the aisle in the middle of the store, I noticed a woman standing at the counter at register #1. Register #1 doubles as the Ticketmaster counter. There was a line of 2 or 3 people checking out at register #2, so when I looked up at the counter and noticed the woman, I approached her and asked if she needed any help. She said very matter of factly and sarcastically to me, "Do I look like I need help?". My immediate thought was "you idiot", but I restrained myself and instead said "well, yes, you do look like you need help. You are standing at the counter and this is a counter we sell tickets from." (I have to admit I did say that rather smugly) She then said she was simply there waiting for her husband who was the one checking out at register #2. I said "fine" and walked away.
The whole encounter was unecessarily rude and filled with a lot of attitude. I kindly asked if she needed help and her response to that created a "mood". My response to her after that was not appropriate either. When I responded to the Daily Biscuit the other day about what the hard thing for me to yield control of? Well, it's moments like this. My thoughts turn completely human. I did NOT hold my thoughts captive to Christ. I should have responded with gentleness and respect, but instead I responded defensively like I had to prove to her that she was wrong in the way she treated me. What did I prove? I proved how much more growing I need to do. I proved how much this Christian needs to be forgiven daily.
The whole encounter was unecessarily rude and filled with a lot of attitude. I kindly asked if she needed help and her response to that created a "mood". My response to her after that was not appropriate either. When I responded to the Daily Biscuit the other day about what the hard thing for me to yield control of? Well, it's moments like this. My thoughts turn completely human. I did NOT hold my thoughts captive to Christ. I should have responded with gentleness and respect, but instead I responded defensively like I had to prove to her that she was wrong in the way she treated me. What did I prove? I proved how much more growing I need to do. I proved how much this Christian needs to be forgiven daily.
I Made It!
Auditioned and landed a gig with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. It wasn't my best audition, I'm very rusty. I've been keeping up my playing over the years in various ensembles, but nothing as serious as the symphony. Had a good conversation with the conductor and told him I'm willing to work very hard for him.
I'm excited to have this opportunity! Wooooohooooooo!
I'm excited to have this opportunity! Wooooohooooooo!
I'm Confused
Can someone please tell me why I ended up with comments like this on my post about signing up for the Do Not Call Registry?
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Hmmmmmm, I'm Gettin' More Gigs than Gideon
I've been a member of the Jackson Area Community Band for about 2.5 seasons. I enjoy playing in the group. We do the usual concert in the park kind of stuff around town.
Last year I was invited to play with the Lambuth Brass Choir which is a lot of fun and quite challenging for me. Enjoyed that a whole lot and had the opportunity to do some church services and various other stuff.
Today I was contacted to play in the pit orchestra of the Jackson Theatre Guild's production of Hello Dolly! That's gonna be fun!
Also, tomorrow I have an audition for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. Having the opportunity to audition is pretty cool. Hope I don't embarrass myself!
Last year I was invited to play with the Lambuth Brass Choir which is a lot of fun and quite challenging for me. Enjoyed that a whole lot and had the opportunity to do some church services and various other stuff.
Today I was contacted to play in the pit orchestra of the Jackson Theatre Guild's production of Hello Dolly! That's gonna be fun!
Also, tomorrow I have an audition for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra. Having the opportunity to audition is pretty cool. Hope I don't embarrass myself!
Daily Biscuit (in the morning)
From: The Daily Biscuit at Gooddogbaddog.
***
Describe your faith as a time of day.
Example: My faith is the morning. OR My faith is like the afternoon.
Now, talk about why your faith is or is like _________________ time of day.
***
My faith is like the morning. When my faith was brand new I would awaken each day with anticipation. My eyes would open and colors, I noticed, were brighter. A big contrast to the darkness of the night. There was a certain excitement about the day that was laid out before me. Looking out from the window I would see blue skies, even if they were cloudy and rainy, and immediately a smile would form on my face and I would thank God for this day and His mercies that shone in through the window. I would sit up in bed and be so happy that God's Grace found me. I was in love and I knew it and I savored every moment.
My faith over the past few years has grown. I still awaken each day with anticipation of what God will do in my life today. Some of the "newness" of my love has worn off, but I am still so in love with Jesus. I am reassured daily that He loves me, and that His Grace still falls over me. Each day there is a kid that wants to hug me. I have a best friend who makes me laugh and loves me despite all my faults. I have a good job (although these days it has been rather demanding) and I am respected by my crew. I was given a wonderful Church that teaches me more than I can take in about the wonders of God. It loves me and helps me grow even closer to my Father in Heaven. I am so very blessed and each day brings something new to my growth in the Lord. Everyday He finds a way to use me.
My faith is like the morning...renewed daily. Maybe it's those biscuits though?!
***
Describe your faith as a time of day.
Example: My faith is the morning. OR My faith is like the afternoon.
Now, talk about why your faith is or is like _________________ time of day.
***
My faith is like the morning. When my faith was brand new I would awaken each day with anticipation. My eyes would open and colors, I noticed, were brighter. A big contrast to the darkness of the night. There was a certain excitement about the day that was laid out before me. Looking out from the window I would see blue skies, even if they were cloudy and rainy, and immediately a smile would form on my face and I would thank God for this day and His mercies that shone in through the window. I would sit up in bed and be so happy that God's Grace found me. I was in love and I knew it and I savored every moment.
My faith over the past few years has grown. I still awaken each day with anticipation of what God will do in my life today. Some of the "newness" of my love has worn off, but I am still so in love with Jesus. I am reassured daily that He loves me, and that His Grace still falls over me. Each day there is a kid that wants to hug me. I have a best friend who makes me laugh and loves me despite all my faults. I have a good job (although these days it has been rather demanding) and I am respected by my crew. I was given a wonderful Church that teaches me more than I can take in about the wonders of God. It loves me and helps me grow even closer to my Father in Heaven. I am so very blessed and each day brings something new to my growth in the Lord. Everyday He finds a way to use me.
My faith is like the morning...renewed daily. Maybe it's those biscuits though?!
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