99 Experiences - Please Share about YOU!

I'd LOVE to hear your responses to this, girls. I REALLY want to get to know YOU. There are only a few of you who seem to talk to me at all; I'd love to see the readership grow, as well as PARTICIPATION. :) Just copy and paste into an email to me, and bold the ones YOU have done! :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band/orchestra
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - I assume Disney World counts
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Gone without food or water for 24 hours or longer
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Stayed up for 24 hours with NO sleep at all
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Changed a lightbulb
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Mowed the lawn
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Tastefuly Simple Recipe for LIFE!

I received this from a friend a while ago; I wanted to share it with you! It's a GREAT checklist; I'm going to print it out and keep it in my bedside table.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings, you'll be smiling before you know it.

Neglected Awards

Hello, dear friends!! I hope you've enjoyed all the posts this week. :) I've received two awards that I need to post; one was during DECEMBER. I'm SO awful - but I'm so glad you love me, anyway. :D

OK, so both Karna and Becky gave this award to me on DECEMBER 10. :::::::::::::hanging head in shame:::::::::::::::

Part of the problem is, I don't know who else to give it to! :D Here's what the award says:

This award means that this blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY- nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming.These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

Isn't it a WONDERFUL award?? Thank you both, SO much, for granting this to me!!!!! You're so sweet, and it means so much to know I'm LOVED. :)

This one's hard for me to give away, because I REALLY don't bloghop as much as I should. I think I will give it to Jennifer, though. :) I've linked to one of her sites, but she's got another wonderful blog that you'd enjoy HERE.

If you think I should have given it to YOU, too, post a comment and tell me!!! :D

Here's the next award that I received from Ginny. :) Ginny is a dear online friend, and any prayers you can send her way would be awesome. I'll let her tell me if she wants to share with you!

ANYWAY. This is a sweet award, too; here's what it says:

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon's of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these kind writers. When you pass the award along please include these guidelines. I am to choose eight friends to share this with.

Yeah. Like I HAVE eight friends with blogs! :D Let's see. Of course Becky gets it, and Karna. And so does Jennifer, so SHE has two, also. LOL!!!! Let's see. Ummmm, Nancy, too! And AMY!!! :D She's got a blog now, so she's tagged! :D

That's all I can think of tonight. I'm starting to feel a bit of my hay fever coming on. I need that cold weather back! :D If you think you should have gotten THIS one - and it's QUITE possible, because I ALWAYS forget something or someone - please leave me a comment! :)

OK, girls. Thanks for coming and loving me!!! :) I love you all, dearly, even if I don't say much to you for a length of time. :) Please pray for us, too; the business Kenn's been freelancing with so much is gone. He's kind of excited about what God may be using this for, but it is still a shock! (To the wallet, too!!) But we know GOD is in control; those friends of ours who've lost their jobs there, too, are devastated. Please pray for them all.

BE BLESSED! Or rather, YOU ARE BLESSED! RECOGNIZE IT!!! :D Oh, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

37 Random Things About Me!

Erase my answers and put yours in and forward it to your friends. Kind of fun thing to do!

1. Do you like Blue Cheese? -- NO! AUGH!!!!!!
2. Have you ever smoked? -- nope
3. Do you own a gun? --nope
4. What flavor of Koolade is your favorite? -- Depends on my mood; grape or fruit punch, usually. :)
5. Do you get nervous at the Doctor? -- YES - and my blood pressure proves it!!!
6. Your thoughts on hotdogs? -- I really like Hebrew National, but as long as it tastes good!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? -- CHRISTMAS VACATION! Ohhh, the CAT!
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? -- soda. Water makes me nauseous!
9. Can you do pushups? -- The question SHOULD be, do I WANNA???
10. What is your favorite pc of jewelery? -- A pendant Kenn gave me on our second anniversary when we had NO money.
11. Favorite hobby? --stamping, reading, baking--I have too many!!
12. Do you have ADD? --nope!
13. Do you wear contacts or glasses? --yup
14. Middle name? -- Lynn
15. Three thoughts at this very moment? -- I should file all the crap on my desk. I hope everyone enjoys this post. I should really go put all the Christmas stuff back under the eaves.
16. Name three drinks you drink regularly. --Water, Diet Mtn. Dew, Diet Coke
17. Current worry. -- taking captive my fears about finances!
18. Current hate right now. -- Lima beans. :D
19. Favorite place to be? --PACIFIC NORTHWEST!! Second choice, at home
20. How did you bring in the new year? --Kenn & I watched the ball drop.
21. Where would you like to go? -- YACHATS, OREGON!!!!!!! PLEASE?!??!--------------------->>
22. (This was blank when I received it, have NO idea what it was supposed to be!!!)
23. Do you own slippers? -- yes, several pair. :)
24. What color of shirt are you wearing? -- white
25. Do you sleep on satin sheets? -- Nope. Who can afford 'em?
26. Can you whistle? --yes, but better in than out!
27. Favorite Color? -- For WHAT?? :D Black, white, red, pink, purple....
28. Would you be a pirate? -- YES, I love being on the water!!!
29. What do you sing in the shower? --depends on the day!
30. Favorite girls name? --Becca Joy
31. Favorite boys name? --Nathan
32. Whats in your pockets? --aint got none
33. Last thing that made you laugh? -- Kenn being silly
34. What vehicle do you drive? -- anything I can borrow!
35. Worst injury youve ever had? -- dunno!
36. Do you love where you live? --No, but it's where God has us right now!!!
37. How many tvs do you have in your house? --too many! 6, and there's only 4 of us in the house!! LOL!!!

REALLY??? Only FOUR people want to win????

Really??? Only FOUR of you want to win my blog candy??????

All you have to do is click on the picture, and leave me a comment. There are two ways to enter:

First, guess how many hearts are in the jar. :)

Second, tell me what you'd like to see on my blog. :)

That's it! Can't wait to read what you have for me!!!

BE BLESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad I'm a KEPT WOMAN! Are YOU?

You see, there were a few times when I thought I would lose my mind, But GOD kept me sane. (Isa. 26:3)

There were times when I thought I could go no longer, But the LORD kept me moving. (Gen 28:15)

At times, I've wanted to lash out at those whom I felt had done me wrong, But the LORD kept my mouth shut. (Psa. 13)

Sometimes, I think the money just isn't enough, But GOD has helped me to keep the lights on, the water on, the car paid, the house paid, etc.., (Matt. 6:25 -34)

When I thought I would fall, HE kept me up. When I thought I was weak, HE kept me strong! (I Pet. 5:7, Matt. 11:28-30)

I could go on and on and on, but I'm sure you hear me! I'm blessed to be 'kept.' I'm 'Kept' by the Love and Grace of God! God is AWESOME, share Him with someone you love !!!

This, that, and the other!

Well, it's been a mixed bag so far; so I guess I don't have any more direction from y'all than I did! :D It is nice to know that you do want to hear a little bit of personal stuff, that you care about Kenn and me! :)

The reason I haven't posted too much about sermons lately is that our pastoral staff has been sharing about how they were called, and what led to their calling in their lives. It's been really wonderful; such an eclectic group of people, all who love the Lord with their whole beings! Besides that, you can always download the sermons HERE. :)

We aren't going to church tonight; Kenn's fighting off a cold - just when he's starting to get a gig every now and again, FINALLY!!! SO. I'll share last Wednesday's notes with you. Again, Pastor Barbie's class is on being under pressure. Please note: All Greek spellings are entirely my fault. :D We don't have overheads or handouts, so I'm doing the best I can!

Text: II Corinthians 1:3-6:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

In the depths of your inmost being, we first need to re-establish God's sovereignty; God is bigger than everything, and we tend to allow everything else to become bigger than He. He created you to feel what you feel! "God, You created me to be able to stand in this place (under duress or pressure or crisis) to feel what I'm feeling."

The comfort spoken of here is "paraclexis" - to draw you near to Him, to take every single particle of what you're experiencing, and giving you comfort in its place. He's using that experience to shift you from one place to another.

Verse 4 shifts to "paracleo" - comfort not only flowing from Him, but flowing out to others now.

God even heals self-inflicted wounds! We refuse to let Him in close, because we defied God, and know we deserve punishment. It's in our minds!

He wants to protect you from you!

He wants to heal you from you!

He want to RELEASE you from you!

Everything God has FOR us, He imparts into us.

"We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY!" but how OFTEN we refuse to share! We want to forget where we came from! But if I can comfort someone with ANY part of my testimony, how DARE I withhold that?????

Romans 6:21-22: What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Verse 5: Your suffering will never outweigh His comfort and grace.

Peace comes in your life when you realize you control NOTHING!

We have to participate in order to GROW.

Sometimes, God will allow you to go through something (SUFFER) in order to affect the lives of those around you.

Verse 6b: The only other time this phrase is used is in Revelation 1:9, "patient endurance". It refers to a person who is NOT swerved!

Girls, I'm doing a Bible study with Amy and Cris P. on ESTHER. I HIGHLY recommend it, if you ever get a chance to go through it!!! But a LOT of what Beth's been saying on the video is what God's been showing me at church. :) I'll talk about that more later. In the meantime, don't forget to enter the giveaway! :)

Giveaway to share!

Besides MY BLOG CANDY, I have a new giveaway from another blogger to share with you. Her blog is AWESOME, so spend some time over there!

And here's another giveaway - Lori's been seeking the truth about God. :) I receive her blogs daily - she's a LOT of fun!

BE BLESSED!!! :)

25 Things About Me!

Those of you who are my friends on Facebook may have already read these. :) Just wanted to post here - I'm not picking 25 people, but PLEASE let me know if you decide to play! :D

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you

1. I live for Christ alone!

2. I did meet my husband, Kenn, online - but in a Christian chat room NOT called MIRACLE WHIP. :D

3. This year will be our 13th anniversary.

4. I hold a speech communications degree from the University of TX, El Paso.

5. I haven't done anything official with that degree since I graduated!

6. I was a substitute teacher for 18 months after I graduated - and I can still give THE LOOK. :D

7. I've lived in six different states: PA, IN, TX, OR, WA, and TN.

8. If I could choose to live anywhere in the continental US, I'd choose the Pacific Northwest.

9. I'm really a very shy person!

10. I am a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! - here is my blog http://www.poohisstamping.blogspot.com/ and here is my official site http://poohisstampin.stampinup.net/ - and I LOVE what I do!

11. I struggle daily with my blood sugars - but I know Who has them in control!

12. Kenn and I have our own photography business called HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY. If you'd like to see some of our work (or even better, OWN some!), please check out http://heavenlyperspective.shutterbugstorefront.com

13. We have a daily email ministry we call SOME GOOD NEWS. It's a photo with a bit of Scripture, then some GOOD news. :) If you'd like to try it out - you can unsub at any time! - just email me at HeavnlyPhotos@aol.com.

14. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! It's my absolute favorite time of the year. I think part of that is that you can give something to someone without them wondering WHY. :)

15. I've done a LOT of different work over the years - Jack of all trades, you know?

16. My nickname is "Pooh". My family has called me Pooh for YEARS, and still does. :)

17. I LOVE to read. Books are my best friends, have been since I can remember. Nowadays it's mostly fiction, sci fi, etc. :)

18. I'm currently in a Bible study on ESTHER by Beth Moore. I've always loved ESTHER and RUTH, but Beth's breathing new life into this study for me!

19. We had a dream, a long time ago, of my making a CD. But contemporary Christian is NOT where my voice was, and my voice is getting past its prime, for sure. If only I'd been a little older during the Sandi Patti era! :)

20. We are SO blessed - we are able to share a beautiful house with my parents. We all get along well, and Mom's decorated the house beautifully. Kenn and I are able to have our own suite of rooms, and I have the great room downstairs for my business/studio.

21. I believe that, no matter how little we possess, we are still blessed. We should share our blessings with others! Pass it on - not to receive, but to BLESS!

22. I have two sisters. One is pregnant with #7, and her husband is in the Army. My youngest sister is a G&T teacher in Texas; her husband is a college professor.

23. There are four years between each of us; there are three years between each marriage. Kinda wierd, huh!

24. I've been contemplating going back to school for a while, but don't know what I'd like to do if I did.

25. I stress more over people being upset about things than I do almost anything else!