tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80057150879275269132024-02-07T16:46:08.857-08:00Musings from a Proverbs 31 WannabeThis is a place for anyone to come who wants to share the daily struggles and joys of being a Godly woman. My beliefs will be obvious, and I won't be ashamed of them! :) Please come share my walk with me, and feel free to share YOURS, too!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger257125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-53936042768535332802013-05-16T08:40:00.000-07:002013-05-16T08:40:38.078-07:00Mighty Waters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4h4b3ERI0w6XEagwAsCtHLsOQPZnZBmW0O31JFfYeeRguo6USyZHEpJg4gGVt6pg2VfvRLLsx1CJs_r9pce5V2OEMhPqU5IVpai4NMIdTyhYu4sgRsD3zBJq3nR216q4pw19pqze6WH/s1600/waters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXa4h4b3ERI0w6XEagwAsCtHLsOQPZnZBmW0O31JFfYeeRguo6USyZHEpJg4gGVt6pg2VfvRLLsx1CJs_r9pce5V2OEMhPqU5IVpai4NMIdTyhYu4sgRsD3zBJq3nR216q4pw19pqze6WH/s400/waters.jpg" width="350" /></a></div>
<br />
Good morning! How are you today? Are you doing well? :)<br />
<br />
As most of you precious friends know, Kenn and I were planning on spending about five months in Oregon; God's been working in Kenn's heart, however, and he is SUPER homesick. I'm home for a couple of weeks because of needing insulin.<br />
<br />
God was speaking to me the day I took this photo, but I didn't clearly hear what He was saying until I was at church Sunday, and Pastor Barbie was speaking about dehydration. (If you want to hear the teaching, <a href="http://springhousesmyrna.com/2013/05/the-drenched-life-dehydration.html" target="_blank">please click here!</a>) It was a wonderful teaching - and while she was explaining the way God teaches us about spiritual things is through His creation many times, things CLICKED in my brain. :D<br />
<br />
So. His Word is water - water for our souls, for our cleansing, to drench our thirst. We <i>know</i> it, but is it still just in our brains, or has it made its way to our HEART knowledge, too? I'm afraid it hasn't for many of us - or it keeps going back and forth. :)<br />
<br />
That's the way I am. I thirst for His Word, then life happens - and I allow it to distract me. And then it takes a LOT of discipline to get back to where I'm thirsty again. And I really hate that cycle.<br />
<br />
Now, on to what God showed me! :) If you can stand to watch this wiggly home video (I think the first couple of seconds are the worst!) I shot on the beach, it shows pretty well what I'm trying to explain:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM3v5gqjXzQ" target="_blank">Ocean erosion</a><br />
<br />
See, I'm the rock. I'm very set in my ways, not going anywhere, resisting everything - even if I don't realize it. My heart is seemingly made of stone.<br />
<br />
What can change me? The water.<br />
<br />
As you can see, the waves are never-ending. They continually beat on the shore - and if that's rock, that's fine. They crash in places, sending up great BOOMS as the water disperses into the air. And it doesn't look like anything happens to the rock.<br />
<br />
But it does! And although I may not be able to see the change taking place in a day, or even a week, I can tell you from my many times visiting this place (This is our favorite place we've ever found together, Yachats, OR.) that the breaking up of the rocks, the changing of the landscape, is really happening quickly. It's surprised me how quickly, actually; the volcanic rock looks and feels SO solid, but in only 15 years, I've seen HUGE rocks reduced to small chunks by the ocean.<br />
<br />
The water is relentless. It is steady. And it is altering everything in its path in one way or another.<br />
<br />
This new cave formation simply fascinated me. SO much energy is being created in its formation.<br />
<br />
I have more to share. But I think this is enough to chew on for a bit. :)<br />
<br />
Please let me know if you have comments, questions, or prayer requests!! I miss you guys! :) BE BLESSED, dear ones!!!!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-2234392377590347572013-01-23T13:58:00.003-08:002013-01-23T13:58:51.863-08:00Permissible? Yes. But is it BENEFICIAL?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WjlDvVcWXgfObskOGLaZ_xqLDpnibM4vIfEbv7_oX2MQdP3u07Kc3aR7O4U6kTX7f0UCaTRsUIZWS11Pr8vP95Df-rugD-inzzzNKIqO3_EEx7mWrwOUixyHyGEZvmXqbeVGwP6-NFFn/s1600/peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WjlDvVcWXgfObskOGLaZ_xqLDpnibM4vIfEbv7_oX2MQdP3u07Kc3aR7O4U6kTX7f0UCaTRsUIZWS11Pr8vP95Df-rugD-inzzzNKIqO3_EEx7mWrwOUixyHyGEZvmXqbeVGwP6-NFFn/s400/peace.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
Hello, dear friends! How is your new year going? Can you believe this is the last full week of January?<br />
<br />
There's
something weighing heavily on my heart that I need to share. I'm going
to share briefly how I feel about a specific subject, then give you two
things I really hope you'll read.<br />
<br />
There's yet another
subject that has caused people to have knee-jerk reactions in our
country: gun control. Now, I'm not taking sides. I'm sharing what I
feel, in my heart. But I want to share something that I recently
experienced....<br />
<br />
Some of you know that Kenn and I did a
show a couple of weeks ago; it was written by a friend, Frank Fox, as a
follow-up to another show he'd written. The first show was call PHISH
CAMP, and the second GIL'S GIFT. Fun, lighthearted stuff. But I wasn't
associated with the first play.<br />
<br />
GIL'S GIFT had two
different characters who had to use firearms. And because we couldn't
find realistic-looking props in such a short amount of time, the
director got the two grown men real firearms to use.<br />
<br />
As
stage manager, it was my job to make sure all the props got to where
they needed to be. This SHOULD have included these firearms. But when I
tried the first time we had them, I couldn't carry one of them twenty
yards. When I picked it up, not only could I feel the physical weight of
it, but also the responsibility weight associated with it. I mean,
think about it: for what end purpose would you use a gun? You might go
to the range to practice, but practice to do what? Use that deadly force
against someone. Even though I had no intention of doing anything but
carrying that firearm, in its holster, to another place to be given to
someone else, I couldn't do it. I had to allow the firearms guy to be in
charge of them completely - and he was fine with that. It's the first
time I've not been able to do a part of my job. But it wasn't that I
wouldn't. It was, indeed, that I could not.<br />
<br />
My dad had a
rifle in the house while I was growing up. He might still have it
upstairs in his closet; I really don't know. Nor do I want to. If he
feels he wants it, just in case, it's his RIGHT.<br />
<br />
Yes. It is a RIGHT. But I'll stick with this Scripture:<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-23">“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">~I Corinthians 10:23-24</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">The Message puts it this way:</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592"><span class="text 1Cor-10-23-1Cor-10-24" id="en-MSG-12212">Looking at it
one way, you could say, “Anything goes. Because of God’s immense
generosity and grace, we don’t have to dissect and scrutinize every
action to see if it will pass muster.” But the point is not to just get
by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help <i>others</i> live well.</span> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">Please
truly think about and pray about your stance. Don't just say what I've
heard too many say - "It's my right, and no one's gonna stop me." We're
supposed to do EVERYTHING for God's glory, dear friend. EVERYTHING.
Please don't make an exception here. And if you feel led differently
than I, then you follow what the Holy Spirit is telling YOU!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">OK. I got that off my chest. :)</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">Now, then. To the two resources I'd LOVE you to check out:</span><br />
<a href="http://subversive1.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-love-less-politics.html" target="_blank"><span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">My friend, Keith Giles.</span></a><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592"> I think you'll love what he has to say. It will at LEAST make you think.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.prodigalmagazine.com/guilty-of-quitting-too-soon/" target="_blank"><span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">Prodigal Magazine</span></a><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">I
absolutely LOVE this article. And it's what made me post this blog
post; too many times, I throw up my hands because I don't believe people
listen when it's a huge issue. But I have to still TRY. :)</span><br />
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span class="text 1Cor-10-24" id="en-NIV-28592">OK, my friend. <i><b>I
hope you can hear my heart in this post. Even if you disagree with my
position, the thing that I believe in more than anything in this post is
that there's NO reason we can't agree to disagree, that unity in His
Bride is more important than we realize and that we need to be able to
love each other through anything! And if you want to dialogue, I'm here.
And I love you. :)</b></i></span></h4>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-66933985334399277612013-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:002013-01-04T14:27:38.395-08:00Brokenness and Imperfections<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wdwh5U7TXVC_i9INW2noIvUMaFKqbjI8PxCzCUzTkbjfImLw-CGGhU9YxUS8HUCViCHlXNjjtzurH_orE5mwfa-FVbHiD-agx5kEZ3lt9Kbk-096ZFwme6qOOML9TZMb8tYzQkceeICJ/s1600/broken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wdwh5U7TXVC_i9INW2noIvUMaFKqbjI8PxCzCUzTkbjfImLw-CGGhU9YxUS8HUCViCHlXNjjtzurH_orE5mwfa-FVbHiD-agx5kEZ3lt9Kbk-096ZFwme6qOOML9TZMb8tYzQkceeICJ/s400/broken.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Happy New Year, dear friend! How are you? How's your 2013 so far? I don't know why, but this week has DRAGGED. It's not like I'm not doing stuff, but oh, well. :D<br />
<br />
If you're my friend on Facebook, you probably know all about what I've been up to. (If you're not, and you'd like to be, send me a request! LORI STILGER. :) ) But let me share a bit, anyway. I mean, that's why I started this blog, right? :D<br />
<br />
<a href="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/15604_4657471108435_1835211929_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="spotlight" height="200" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/15604_4657471108435_1835211929_n.jpg" style="height: 445px; width: 445px;" width="200" /></a>I spent two weeks in College Station, Texas, taking care of my then-three-month-old niece. This is my baby sister's baby. You know there are VERY few people in the entire world I'd take two weeks out of my December to do something like that for. :D But it was an honor. And hard work! LOL! Fortunately, the baby is SO easy to care for, not fussy at all, and such a beautiful baby. Here, I'll put a picture of us from that visit here!Isn't she beautiful?<br />
<br />
ANYWAY. :D<br />
<br />
While I was there, Baby and I made some presents for the rest of the family; they were salt dough ornaments, and we used ONE hand and ONE foot to mark the dough, then let them dry.<br />
<br />
Well, as you can see from my photo at the top of this post, mine is the imperfect one. When we first made this one, I thought, "Oh, no! It's ruined! Man, if only I'd gotten her hand straighter before we put pressure on the dough!"<br />
<br />
But you know what? The more I watched it dry, the more I started to cherish this plaque in particular. the rest might have been more "perfect", but THIS one, I understood. THIS one, her delight in the texture and feel of the dough are made evident in the way she wanted to FEEL it - first with her hand, then with her big toe!<br />
<br />
And it tied itself right into a lesson God's been developing in my heart over the last few months.<br />
<br />
See, many times we come to a place in our lives where we have to fight despising the brokenness and imperfections in our past (or current) lives. The cracks and chips that happen when we choose to go our own ways, to live how WE think we want to. When we allow God to put us back together, those aren't glossed over. They're still there; we may be held together by His grace, but we can still see every crack, still feel where the chips are glued back together.<br />
<br />
Dear friend, what He's been teaching me is that our brokenness and imperfections are SO useable by Him! Think about a candle holder (there's a really special one that I cannot find the info on, so I'll have to explain!!!) that's been cracked and broken. The owner puts it back together, and puts a candle into it. The light of the candle shines through the cracks, shedding light and warmth through where it couldn't shine through before.<br />
<br />
God's the One Who puts us back together again. The candle is the Holy Spirit, shining the light of Jesus through us to the world. What a MIRACLE that is. So, I try not to despise those things in my life anymore, but turn them over to the Father, so He can use them to shed His light into others' lives. And to not give Satan something to hold over me. If it's out in the open, he can't torment me with feelings of guilt and condemnation!<br />
<br />
I've been learning a lot. It takes a while to solidify into words, but I hope these words help you in some way. :) Be BLESSED, dear one. Know you are loved with an everlasting love, and that God does ALL things well! That includes creating YOU. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-20833039112575722492012-08-24T09:24:00.000-07:002012-08-24T09:34:47.160-07:00Life and Death<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG6M9dmwCjEC7iS-wKFmTUecDf3bRyGk2WrQ6Tr2Vqc-a9-eprJAySKMI4afgWpsG1S56z9HAUNQBisNgwvT2CWSSQVn_OKcAFbnju2Sd9Hy987koHzNJIPkA8SzhUJdqyp40DpoqY2dT/s1600/Naomi+Faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGG6M9dmwCjEC7iS-wKFmTUecDf3bRyGk2WrQ6Tr2Vqc-a9-eprJAySKMI4afgWpsG1S56z9HAUNQBisNgwvT2CWSSQVn_OKcAFbnju2Sd9Hy987koHzNJIPkA8SzhUJdqyp40DpoqY2dT/s320/Naomi+Faith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="chapter-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-1">There is a time for everything,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-1">and a season for every activity under the heavens:</span></span> <br />
<div class="poetry top-05">
<div class="line">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeipOSlRHKIFIr5GWCKW2t54BUS8EXNTjQaHUbAMwVbdXE_SWDk_VeiIxyBfoo1XisTAawzKnZs4d4gSZMUIp50jBfPXD_gJF8abO5lEEYAs9EREvGNqzGSCLlKqgpps3DvRrjockS6DZ/s1600/elijahweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWeipOSlRHKIFIr5GWCKW2t54BUS8EXNTjQaHUbAMwVbdXE_SWDk_VeiIxyBfoo1XisTAawzKnZs4d4gSZMUIp50jBfPXD_gJF8abO5lEEYAs9EREvGNqzGSCLlKqgpps3DvRrjockS6DZ/s320/elijahweb.jpg" width="231" /></a><span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-2" id="en-NIV-17362"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to be born and a time to die,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-2">a time to plant and a time to uproot, </span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-3" id="en-NIV-17363"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to kill and a time to heal,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-3">a time to tear down and a time to build,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-4" id="en-NIV-17364"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to weep and a time to laugh,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-4">a time to mourn and a time to dance,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-5" id="en-NIV-17365"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-5">a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-6" id="en-NIV-17366"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to search and a time to give up,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-6">a time to keep and a time to throw away,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-7" id="en-NIV-17367"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to tear and a time to mend,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-7">a time to be silent and a time to speak,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="text Eccl-3-8" id="en-NIV-17368"><sup class="versenum"></sup><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span>a time to love and a time to hate,</span></span><br />
<span class="indent-1"><span class="indent-1-breaks"> </span><span class="text Eccl-3-8">a time for war and a time for peace.</span></span></div>
</div>
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8<br />
<br />
Hello, dear friends. My heart is full of "stuff" to share with you. Some of you know what my week has been like, and some of you will have no clue at all.<br />
<br />
First, I have to tell you - and proclaim it from the rooftops! - GOD IS GOOD. He has plans for all of us. And He works ALL things for His glory, for the good of those who love Him and are called, according to His purposes.<br />
<br />
A week ago today, my youngest nephew, Elijah David (right), died. It was a stunning blow for our family; his family had been here a week before! It was my time to meet him. So it was incredibly difficult to think he was gone<br />
<br />
But God had gone before us, and given us that time with him. We have wonderful, precious memories of him. And every one of us in my family has thanked God for the time we had with Elijah. No one has asked, "WHY?" I am so blessed to be a part of this family, who all have faith in the One Who holds it *all* in His hands.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you about God's timing. On Tuesday, the day that Elijah's temporary, earthly vessel was put into the ground, my other sister had her first baby, Naomi Faith (left, obviously!). My middle sister was so excited for our baby sister; she said she'd be able to remember the 22nd as a day of joy.<br />
<br />
It's been a difficult week, full of emotion - but also full of healing, of faith, of blessing, and of love.<br />
<br />
And I'm sharing this with you for several reasons. First, because I must. My heart is still hurting, and it helps to talk about it. :) Second, because I know some of you have experienced a loss of some kind, also. And I want you to know that God knows your hurt. He sees the pain you still feel. And He loves you. He wants to help you grieve. Not "get over it", but turn it over to Him and let the grief be what He wants it to be, not become bitterness in your heart.<br />
<br />
And third, because pain and loss are part of walking on this Earth. If you've not experienced a close loss yet, you will. And I want to encourage you: love Him now. Let Him grow you now. Experience how BIG God is now - and when something happens, you'll be able to trust His goodness, mercy, grace, and love without trying. You'll know He has plans for you, and that He will work it ALL for good.<br />
<br />
Thank you for reading this. :) Thank you for your love, and for your encouragement and support. I am SO blessed to have each one of you in my life. Please continue to pray for our family, as we continue to walk through this loss together. And REJOICE with us, in the birth of Naomi!!!!<br />
<br />
And if you need prayer, or to talk, or *anything*, please let me know! Be BLESSED, dear one. You are SO loved by the Father!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-84040811966816955142012-07-06T21:35:00.000-07:002012-07-06T21:35:37.769-07:00Sometimes in our lives....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
Hello, dear ones! I know I'm very sporadic over here; I'm sorry, but I'm glad you love me enough to come check once in a while. :)<br />
<br />
Tonight, I read <a href="http://blog.lproof.org/">Beth Moore's blog</a>, and had to come talk to you. :) Actually, to ask you a couple of questions.<br />
<br />
If you're over 39, do you have someone younger than you that you kind of mentor, or encourage, or love on? Do you feel like that's an important thing for you?<br />
<br />
If you're under 39, do you have someone in your life who does any of the above for you? Do you wish you had someone to do so, if you don't presently? How do you feel about approaching someone if you'd like that kind of relationship?<br />
<br />
The older I get, the more I know how important this kind of relationship is - one that allows us to see someone older's walk, to share ours with them. to gain insight into their understanding of God that can only come with walking with Him.<br />
<br />
I'm really blessed; I can look back on my life and see that I've almost always had that kind of person. Sometimes, they didn't have much choice - I was best friends with their son or daughter, I was appointed to them at church, I decided I liked them and they needed me to be around. :D<br />
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I'd love to hear what you're doing, what you think, how you FEEL. I'd also love to know where God's got you right now. Are you in a place where you really wish you could just let it all out to someone? Or are you in a place where you want to be His arms for someone, to help a younger person get through some of the - well, I'm going to call them "focus" issues. :D It's all where we place our focus, isn't it?<br />
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TALK TO ME. :D I love you! I really, really think this is an important issue, just as Beth does. I'd love to hear what you have to say!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-91434460199482188202012-06-05T09:45:00.000-07:002012-06-05T09:45:40.162-07:00Layers of my Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hello, sweet friends! I hope you're still out there. :) If you keep up with me on Facebook, you know that life continues to be interesting. First, we're planning on living in Oregon six months of the year next year; a lot has to do with our health. God continues to open doors, so we'll see what happens! :) Second, I really feel led to go into counseling - and God's been really, really specific about it. GRIEF counseling. I'm excited, because I want Him to use me in His Body, but at the same time, there's a lot of different options to consider, and it's a bit scary. However, I KNOW if He brings me to it, He'll bring me through it! :D<br />
<br />
I just felt led today to say that there are layers of me that no one but God knows. There are things I simply cannot share with another human being; not because I've done horrendous things to someone, but because the sharing of those things would be a breach of trust with someone else. And I will never do that. Still, those hidden layers get heavy sometimes.<br />
<br />
I cannot tell you how grateful I am that HE hears me. That HE hears my heart cry out when it feels too heavy. When what I'm going through would be so much easier if I could just TELL someone, I CAN. And then, He whispers, blows through with His Holy Spirit, and dusts me off and puts me back on the path in His ability. Not mine; I know better. And when those times are blowing away, I can't help but tell Him, again and again, how grateful I am that He is capable of more than I'll ever need.<br />
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If you're there, I encourage you: tell Him. He is steady. he is capable. Everything else is shifting sand. Especially what you can do in your own ability, my friend. Give it to Him.<br />
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I love you! You are SO special. Be BLESSED today, dear one! Know He is holding you in His gentle arms!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-13892787124983711052012-02-22T11:08:00.002-08:002012-02-22T11:21:02.814-08:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgtyLHwvzit5GpOQaWK7zHKAYQ5XYgar3h3L-XAjkPqUctegkxVL-_kv_awbc9TsqI-sPhmOGBnQwoTkP2szZ6-cUakq7dEVsSray4_Ii9SPhWYuiYyzklKFjx97iSkO9edhZC9aMuM4V/s1600/seaweb.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 331px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgtyLHwvzit5GpOQaWK7zHKAYQ5XYgar3h3L-XAjkPqUctegkxVL-_kv_awbc9TsqI-sPhmOGBnQwoTkP2szZ6-cUakq7dEVsSray4_Ii9SPhWYuiYyzklKFjx97iSkO9edhZC9aMuM4V/s400/seaweb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5712041390079781858" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Days like today make it SO difficult to think about leaving this place. Some people consider the desert to be Heaven-on-Earth; some the mountains, some the cities. For me, THIS is it. It rained and was foggy early this morning; we really thought it was going to be like that all day, which is wonderful here, too. However, Kenn left to get some more wave photos, and it really turned beautiful. I'm sitting about five feet from the door onto the deck, which has a plexiglass insert so all I see is the floor, the top and side railings, and the ocean.</p><p>The tide must be on its way in; the waves are hurrying to get to the rocks and cover them. It's got to be in the mid-50s; the door is wide open, so I can hear each crashing wave, the rollin surf, and feel the little bursts of breeze. There's a possible cloud line out on the horizon, but the sky is blue with whisps of clouds. The water is a dark gray-blue underneath the whitecaps and foam.</p><p>What IS it that I love so much about the ocean? I didn't exactly grow up on the ocean - the last I looked, Indiana was landlocked. True, Indiana holds a close second in my heart, but here, where the Pacific Ocean meets the coast of the U.S., is where I feel closest to God, to who I *am*, and to where I feel His presence and peace the most.</p><p>It's not that I DO much when I'm in that place of His presence and peace. For the most part, I watch as each wave breaks; they're all so different, so unique. It's not that I see anyone special while I'm here; even Kenn is gone. And it's not like the ocean is peaceful; in my lifetime, I've seen it destroy countries, claim land back to itself, and claim countess lives.</p><p>So what is it? I keep trying to figure it out. I do think some of it is that the roar of the waves blocks out all other sounds. I have stupid cat hearing, for those of you who aren't around me much. Sounds bother me. I can hear something two blocks away if I don't have the TV on at home. :) So blocking out the everyday noises certainly allows me to hear God's voice better. So I'm sure some of it's that.</p><p>But not all.</p><p>We only have one week left in this place. It makes me incredibly sad to know that, but I am SO grateful for the time I've had here. For the absolute beauty God has surrounded me with here. For the photos I've been able to use to capture and share a tiny bit of His wonderful heart.</p><p>Now, if you'll excuse me, I think there's a wave to video.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-57035346837237147822012-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:002012-02-12T11:21:58.270-08:00Recipe Review: Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGkRGSixomgE3NoR2kn-kewuhK3y2RnnvUOpKjXEdxb_UP0MRxuzd2dsebutUW_79a337DGfS98zLwKB2GO6s2gfAOD34PC5Tt6-7lS_BUxjmsROH-UR0c2qKQ-uVgVI05TrU78BqGVxP/s1600/choc+cheesecake.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNGkRGSixomgE3NoR2kn-kewuhK3y2RnnvUOpKjXEdxb_UP0MRxuzd2dsebutUW_79a337DGfS98zLwKB2GO6s2gfAOD34PC5Tt6-7lS_BUxjmsROH-UR0c2qKQ-uVgVI05TrU78BqGVxP/s400/choc+cheesecake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708328135668182034" border="0" /></a><br />Hi, everyone! I'm on the central Oregon coast for another two weeks or so, and I'm having lots of time and company to try out recipes in and on! :D<br /><br />This cheesecake recipe is one I Pinned, and it came from this blog originally: <a href="http://www.mangiodasola.com/2010/02/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake.html">Mangio da Sola</a><br />(That link will take you directly to the recipe!)<br /><br />First of all, let me just tell you that this house, although it has lots of amenities, doesn't have all my cooking equipment. :D So I'm improvising where I can, and saying, "Oh, well" where I can't. :D<br /><br />Second, this cheesecake deserves lots of TIME to put it together in. I did it in one day; I HIGHLY recommend giving yourself time throughout two days - none of the steps is a real time-eater, but the time between steps should be increased compared to what I was able to do! :D<br /><br />With that being said, it is COMPLETELY decadent, and INCREDIBLY rich. The smaller the slices, the better - something I HARDLY ever say about cheesecake! :D It actually worked in my favor to not have everything I needed; I cooked off two mini-cheesecake bowls that were JUST the cheesecake mixture, and discovered a new cheesecake base that will be my go-to for a long time! I also had extra mousse, and put it into two wine glasses - and that was a snack a couple of nights later.<br /><br />If you like chocolate, you will have lots of it with this cake! Chocolate cookie crust, chocolate mousse, and dark chocolate ganache. Creamy, and really lovely. I asked Kenn's opinion: "I thought it was really good. Good texture, good taste. Lots of chocolate. And...RICH!"<br /><br />If you're looking for an impressive dessert for a dinner party, and want something that you can do well ahead of time, this is it! If you're looking for a light, healthy dessert to whip together, look somewhere else. :D<br /><br />If you try it, let me know!!! I'd love to hear your opinion, too! :D BE BLESSED! Look for more recipe reviews - I've done two others in the last two days! :D<br /><a href="http://www.mangiodasola.com/2010/02/chocolate-mousse-cheesecake.html"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-77688067091002005982012-02-05T11:37:00.000-08:002012-02-05T11:39:42.083-08:00From the Oregon Coast.... :D<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYmKM980twWAM2JnGoRPAMonl4k0o4NLjYHYI-e_4P7DNivOBRY9hwmyELo9fMLIodf4cqmTVGSysY1P21P52iJcEsiJmf07doknZone9lQOWDiSSA9ieuR1aqaN7cCKnZdDNlFiOL4kr/s1600/sonshine.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsYmKM980twWAM2JnGoRPAMonl4k0o4NLjYHYI-e_4P7DNivOBRY9hwmyELo9fMLIodf4cqmTVGSysY1P21P52iJcEsiJmf07doknZone9lQOWDiSSA9ieuR1aqaN7cCKnZdDNlFiOL4kr/s400/sonshine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5705738214040116786" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-60251447178911386522012-01-24T14:21:00.000-08:002012-01-24T14:57:42.986-08:00Book review: THE SCROLL<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuZvnjJ_ke_L4cNo6xcxNmcJG0_-LvlPpFOM5rv3I59ZcOwqBcDEgttaqcNYY8V5iGbH5KrIb9SGTbaNPh7TUUSMKykb3-OdH7tkFVnRXe11ZdP2TewsKAyMRmOWwq8toMRPptzwJB0F-/s1600/the+scroll.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuZvnjJ_ke_L4cNo6xcxNmcJG0_-LvlPpFOM5rv3I59ZcOwqBcDEgttaqcNYY8V5iGbH5KrIb9SGTbaNPh7TUUSMKykb3-OdH7tkFVnRXe11ZdP2TewsKAyMRmOWwq8toMRPptzwJB0F-/s320/the+scroll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701329282763575906" border="0" /></a><br />Hi, everyone! I was glad to be able to read this book, THE SCROLL, to review!<br /><br />You can read chapter one by <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/2011/02/17/sneak-peek-the-scroll-by-grant-r-jeffrey-and-alton-l-gansky/">downloading it here</a>; the book is a Biblical archeology novel, and is based on Dr. David Chambers and an elite team who are brought in by a secret group to do specific, secretive, very special digs in and around Jerusalem.<br /><br />Biblical archeology was a field I contemplated going into when I started college; the main thing that deterred me was the dig conditions - I hate sweating! :D I'm still very interested in the field, so when I got the chance to own and read this book, I jumped at it.<br /><br />I'm not going to give away any of the plot to you (although you can <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307729262">find an excerpt here</a>!); it's a VERY fast read, and the authors have really developed their characters and setting incredibly well. The intrigue keeps drawing the story forward; the archeological finds are the stuff of Biblical dreams, and the interpersonal dramas swirl around and draw you in deeper.<br /><br />Here is a link to author <a href="http://www.altongansky.com/">Alton L. Gansky</a>'s website! And if you click here, you can learn more about <a href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/author-spotlight.php?authorid=14455">Grant R. Jeffrey</a>.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this book. Although set slightly in the future, everything in the book is easy to believe could happen today. There was only one spot where the information the authors needed to get out to the reader came across as an unlikely dump to characters who would already know the information. (As a side note, I don't recall finding any typos in the book, which is highly refreshing!) If you enjoy a bit of a mystery, history, technology, relationships, and insight into Israel, you won't want to miss this book!<br /><br />In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book for free from <a title="http://www.waterbrookmultnomah.com/" href="http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/">WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group</a> for this review. I got it as an ebook, and it worked beautifully on my Kindle Fire!<br /><br />Be blessed, dear friends! I'm going to be doing lots of reading this trip! :DUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-47407395391226128822012-01-19T18:27:00.001-08:002012-01-19T18:43:42.357-08:00Getting ready to GO!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0O3lW1kpy41Nt7gZrN5jVkgXXbBi8Ckih6In6R_jBASt1hDhpLs2m1wvG0fMcxpoNa6b9OAiSzYoizUc3fRksecakQKn41YPECs7LUAgeMmpGfxfWz5jUOfjHT9gRF2fWN8xzcr7WwHIA/s1600/IMG_4426a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 382px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0O3lW1kpy41Nt7gZrN5jVkgXXbBi8Ckih6In6R_jBASt1hDhpLs2m1wvG0fMcxpoNa6b9OAiSzYoizUc3fRksecakQKn41YPECs7LUAgeMmpGfxfWz5jUOfjHT9gRF2fWN8xzcr7WwHIA/s400/IMG_4426a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5699535320272903554" border="0" /></a><br />It's almost time! We're taking a LONG vacation, going to Oregon for six weeks. But it's been a long six or seven weeks past already....<br /><br />I got sick for the first time right after Thanksgiving, and I just can't seem to kick this lung/throat combo all the way out. Kenn, as you can see, has also been having a hard time with it. With his asthma, we try not to keep passing it back and forth because of how difficult it is for him. He's still coughing, but I think he's feeling better. He kept his good spirit throughout, for the most part - look at the sparkle in his eyes! He's enjoying my reaction to his new hat. LOL!<br /><br />Preparation this week has meant getting lesson plans done - and trying to figure out who, exactly, is going to substitute for me! It's been kind of stressful, but I think it's going to be OK. And you know what? I'm still going to get on that plane Saturday! LOL<br /><br />Please pray for us, for healing, for rest, for traveling mercies, for divine appointments - that whatever He's got for us on this trip, that we'll keep our eyes open for His hand!<br /><br />I'm planning on blogging from the beach a bit. I can't wait to see MY ocean again, to rest to the rhythm of His heart. :D<br /><br />Be blessed, dear ones! Know you're in my thoughts and prayers! I appreciate you, so much!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-21372001978103241622012-01-13T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-13T13:52:06.193-08:00A Recipe for You!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCzd3xHO2yRepdPqK7-Kv4QKSPmKh9Zw7pW7Wveo7SoShlBdgPQ1gnN7JvgDZyKBKJd-RbP4kE1-8zWnvMlB_l2aZ1h5IK4VUJPjjVWvtOUdCUQlyTR7EAKTqq5nsFOA2eg96WCH6DLzt/s1600/cookiemixverse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCzd3xHO2yRepdPqK7-Kv4QKSPmKh9Zw7pW7Wveo7SoShlBdgPQ1gnN7JvgDZyKBKJd-RbP4kE1-8zWnvMlB_l2aZ1h5IK4VUJPjjVWvtOUdCUQlyTR7EAKTqq5nsFOA2eg96WCH6DLzt/s400/cookiemixverse.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697234419589385378" border="0" /></a>Hello, my friends! I'm procrastinating what I should be doing - getting lesson plans together for my sub for while we're on vacation - and posting this recipe. :D It's one of Kenn's absolute favorites, and I want to make sure I can locate it while we're on the beach, so I can make it for him. :) Isn't that a great way to show him some love? (I've already decreed that we'll be eating clam strips at our favorite restaurant for Valentine's Day! :D)<br /><br />It's a Taste of Home recipe, but I can't find it again online so I can link you. I did change a little of the direction, so now it's OK to call it my own, according to recipe law. Did you know that?<br /><br />Anyway. :D I hope you try it - let me know what you think!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sour Cream Coffee Cake<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar<br />2 eggs 1 cup sour cream<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Topping:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span>1/4 cup sugar 1/3 cup packed brown sugar<br />2 teaspoons cinnamon* 1/2 cup chopped pecans<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></div></div><br />In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and beat until combined.<br /><br />Pour half the batter into a greased 13x9 pan. **<br /><br />In a small bowl, combine topping ingredients; sprinkle half of the topping over batter. Add the remaining batter and topping. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Cool completely.<br /><br />* I always at LEAST double the cinnamon. It's really good for you, and we love cinnamon around here!<br /><br />** When I make this at home, I make it in 2 8" square pans, and double the topping mixture. I usually end up with SOME topping mixture left, but it freezes well! That way, I have a cake for now, and a cake to wrap and freeze for future sweet tooth consumption or company!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-85841244419238384822012-01-09T09:50:00.001-08:002012-01-09T09:59:58.870-08:00Happy New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwuqs7iS7DYFc8eRXDPyOsbeCLQ_WFV8m8RKar9ZIFuCcPyurr7hv3pp_ZOe4HMrHYsWe-kQ7rXg-A5ev2qOEG34uHf6SgtmBQrUoZU2eB5dnugMGDWSftsaQWEeI5KOMHdyqNl_yVhTu/s1600/KenLorismaller.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVwuqs7iS7DYFc8eRXDPyOsbeCLQ_WFV8m8RKar9ZIFuCcPyurr7hv3pp_ZOe4HMrHYsWe-kQ7rXg-A5ev2qOEG34uHf6SgtmBQrUoZU2eB5dnugMGDWSftsaQWEeI5KOMHdyqNl_yVhTu/s320/KenLorismaller.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5695691414050802498" border="0" /></a>Hello, dear friends. I hope 2012 finds you trusting even more in His goodness and grace!<br /><br />I know that many of us are going through trials - whether it be our own or a loved one's health, financial problems, or a prodigal's being away from you and the Lord. But that doesn't give us an excuse to not have a grateful heart!<br /><br />Here's how I Thessalonians 5:16-18 puts it:<br /><br />Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);<p> Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];</p><p> Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].</p>This, then, is my challenge for the new year: no matter what happens, no matter what trials may come my way, I will continue to have a heart of gratitude, knowing that I'm His and that He has nothing but good planned for me.<br /><br />Will you join me in this challenge? :) I'd love to hear from you! I am hoping to do a better job of writing this year; I want to continue to share what God's challenging me with, teaching me, and how He's continue to revealing Himself to me.<br /><br />Let me know how to pray for you! Kenn and I are leaving on the 21st for five weeks in Oregon; I'm planning on writing some while I'm there!<br /><br />Be blessed, dear one. Know He loves you more than you could ever imagine. Rest in that!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-53392474524487466532011-08-24T21:54:00.000-07:002011-08-24T21:58:25.244-07:00A Cheerful Heart!Hi, sweet friends! I don't have any photos to share right now; I'm waiting to see if my hard drive comes back to me. I've been working on a laptop for three weeks now!! :D
<br />
<br />I did want to share a really fun Biblical humor email I received - we all need more laughter in our life! :)
<br />
<br />BIBLICAL HUMOR
<br />
<br /> Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
<br /> A. Ruthless.
<br />
<br /> Q. What do they call pastors in Germany ?
<br /> A. German Shepherds.
<br />
<br /> Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
<br /> A. Noah - He was floating his stock while everyone else was
<br /> in liquidation.
<br />
<br /> Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
<br /> A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile
<br /> and drew out a little prophet.
<br />
<br /> Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
<br /> A. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also,
<br /> probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one
<br /> Accord.
<br />
<br /> Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
<br /> A. Samson. He brought the house down.
<br />
<br /> Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no
<br /> longer lived in Eden ?
<br /> A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.
<br />
<br /> Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in
<br /> the Bible?
<br /> A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
<br />
<br /> Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
<br /> A. The area around Jordan. The banks were always overflowing.
<br />
<br /> Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
<br /> A. David. He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
<br />
<br /> Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
<br /> A. Joshua, son of Nun.
<br />
<br /> Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ?
<br /> A. Because Noah was standing on the deck. (Groan .....)
<br />
<br /> PS. Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee? Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . .. . "He-brews"
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-36868832016593842412011-08-12T13:02:00.001-07:002011-08-12T13:11:56.797-07:00Got to try Dr. Scholl's Gel Insoles for FREE!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.Drugstore.com/prodimg/14263/200.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.Drugstore.com/prodimg/14263/200.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>
<br />I just wanted to share with you friends that I'm part of an online group called BzzzAgents; every once in a while I get to try some product for free, and these were my latest freebie.
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<br />I really like them! I can put on my shoes, and be able to stay on my feet a lot longer than without them. The only thing I don't like is that they shift in my shoes, and I have to re-place them whenever I put the shoes back on.
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<br />I have COUPONS to share, too! :D If you want one, leave me a comment - and make sure I have your address (you can email it to me at Pooh0612@aol.com), and I'll send out a coupon until they're all gone - but I have a lot to share. :) I LOVE being able to bless people with them!! It's a $5 off coupon! So, just let me know.
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<br />Be BLESSED today, my dear friend. You're constantly on my heart, even though I haven't been posting much. I'm thinking about what God wants me to post next. :) Leave comments with prayer requests, answered prayers, and just how you're doing!
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-45106391190748253782011-07-12T14:57:00.000-07:002011-07-12T15:00:59.455-07:00Freebie for you!Hi, y'all. Just wanted to tell you that I just joined a new site that looks promising. IF things go well, I'll probably be blogging a little bit about stuff I get to try. :D YOU have a chance to get a coupon for <a href="http://vocalpoint.com/FreshSavings">FreshExpress Salad</a> - just click on that link! :D AND to join the site, too. Hey, free groceries are GOOD - I know most of us are really strapped. And our local newspaper said the recession ENDED two years ago. HA! Being more conscience of available discounts is a great way to be a good steward of what we DO have, don't you think? :D Good luck getting your coupon! (The site's a bit slow....)<br />BE BLESSED!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-88963773307471860802011-07-05T12:59:00.000-07:002011-07-05T13:15:47.591-07:00Bound to come some troubles!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZVv_aEQkpUD94y-DyFefPcw4Ej0efImGbKz93AgTU2CuFbXkdzCWFggxeRdRrDWSDU0bXnY2wmCARkh9owf1iJFw2L-AWwMeI82zlYGys5VJAD8zWeeSOQr-wJ5MTgfyg54OK0zb5Ow0/s1600/pooh.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZVv_aEQkpUD94y-DyFefPcw4Ej0efImGbKz93AgTU2CuFbXkdzCWFggxeRdRrDWSDU0bXnY2wmCARkh9owf1iJFw2L-AWwMeI82zlYGys5VJAD8zWeeSOQr-wJ5MTgfyg54OK0zb5Ow0/s400/pooh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625960538072138818" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">(Don't forget: you can see the picture at its original size if you click on it. :) )</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">I know it's been a long time since I really </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">said<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">much about anything. Honestly? I know that there are several of you who don't agree with me about some things, and I don't want to become a stumbling block to you. The truth is, the Holy Spirit has us all at different places in our lives, learning different things - and sometimes, taking a belief out of "storage" and really examining it to see WHY we believe it is painful. But that same Spirit that's in me is in you; there's a love that cannot break. So, when I need to post something, I will. :)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">Many of you are my friends on Facebook; at this moment, there's a huge outcry over the Casey Anthony verdict. Now, I didn't follow the trial; no matter the outcome of the trials, those sorts make my heart sad, and it is hard to remember Where my JOY comes from and reclaim it. But I understand that everyone </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">watching</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;"> the trial seems to not doubt her guilt.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">There are so many different reasons why the outcome was what it was. The truth is, it's all in God's hands now. Don't expect the justice system to get any better; as our pastor says, it's a system OF THIS WORLD. And as such, it cannot help but be flawed. It's run by humans for humans and about humans. As we all know, being human is pretty much the example of "flawed"!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">I don't know how many of you know of Rich Mullins, of his life and his music. I had a personal connection with Rich, and Kenn started his Christian life listening - devouring, almost! - all of Rich's music. </span><a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIVX1RHpkrE">If you will listen to this song, and watch the slide show</a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">, I hope and pray the peace of the One Whose love you can always, always trust in will comfort your heart and surround you.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: verdana;">I love you. I will always love you. Turn your eyes to Him, dear one, no matter what your situation or circumstance - He loves you more than anyone can fathom. BE BLESSED.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-74335784254327252422011-06-29T13:25:00.001-07:002011-06-29T13:33:57.342-07:00If this doesn't touch you...!Hello, dear friends! I know I haven't posted much recently, but I'm HOPING to change that. We're down to only two cameras, so I don't have one readily available - and I only like to use MY photos. :D<br /><br />Anyway. Today it's not about MY photos, but about a new BBC documentary that's in process. And although it's not Christian-based, I can't help but be touched and moved to tears by the absolute beauty in these images. Not only at the stunning scenery, but by the beauty of the people. God is an AMAZING Creator; I pray that you'll see the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12618167">TRUE beauty in the slideshow</a>. Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-44235310828694901882010-12-09T04:53:00.000-08:002010-12-09T04:55:05.923-08:00Please go read this!You really need to read <a href="http://subversive1.blogspot.com/2010/12/way-of-cross.html">this post on my friend Keith's blog</a>. Perspective is everything!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-71836447548546606002010-08-25T05:17:00.001-07:002010-08-25T05:57:58.530-07:00Romans 1:12<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">Good morning, dear one. I'm so glad you came by to see if I'd posted today!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">I know I've shared my struggle about what I want this blog to be. Today, God gave me another clue that I'd like to follow with you. :) Romans 1:12 says, "That is, that we may be mutually strengthened and encouraged and comforted by each other's faith, both yours and mine." (Amplified)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">THAT is what I want! I'm not strong on my own. I need to be encouraged, too - that's why I treasure your comments. :) And when we pray for each other, we're not only strengthening each other, but comforting one another, too. And when I get encouragement from a sermon or lesson or book, and share with you - THAT is ALL what I see this blog for.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">Now, I know that we're a small group. But I believe that God has helped us find each other for this reason!!! PLEASE, continue to put your prayer requests in - you can either email them to me, or leave them in the comments area. And be sure to read and pray for each other when you get a chance. If there's something REALLY important, I'll post it in the blog. Update us when you get an answer, so we can ALL be encouraged and comforted. You don't have to give lots of details, if you don't want. Let us know praise reports! Blessings shared are AWESOME things - they encourage us to remember that God is working on our behalf, even if we can't SEE it!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">I saw a church sign a few days ago that REALLY impacted me: "God adds and multiplies. Satan subtracts and divides." Let's share how God is adding and multiplying in our lives, dear friend!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">I cannot WAIT to pray for you - and I know there are others that feel the same. I cannot WAIT to hear how God is blessing you! And I can't WAIT to continue to share what God is doing in my own heart and life. :)</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">Toward that purpose, I have put the video below. You don't have to use MY verse to meditate on when you watch this approximately two-and-one-half-minutes of the ocean, but fix your mind on whatever verse is yours for the day, and just bathe in God's creation. This is the Gulf Coast at Fort Walton Beach, where we were two weeks ago. Expect a little from Oregon, too. :D</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;">Be BLESSED, dear one. God has a plan for you, a purpose for your life. Expect to see Him move today. Keep your eyes open for all the little blessings He's sending you; they're gifts, letting you know how much you're loved, and how much He delights in YOU.</span><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw_CEGSBsC6VNnj4ikw53sVsbhIct9-Pzbe2fo8skVS1I21Dfh_F-61sXmpLElF-WER1vKaUWZHPhh6sjEL' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" >Psalm 148:7-8:</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" >Praise the LORD from the earth, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;font-size:130%;" > you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, </span><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153); font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> lightning and hail, snow and clouds,<br /> stormy winds that do his bidding, </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-19630224916827133152010-08-17T06:42:00.000-07:002010-08-17T06:51:11.841-07:00Rick Warren<table style="margin-left: 8.4pt; width: 348px; height: 10266px; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="padding: 0in;" valign="top"> <div> <div> <p><span style=";font-family:'Arial','sans-serif';font-size:24pt;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">I received this this morning in my in-box from a dear friend - Hi, Allison! :D - and wanted to pass it on to you.</span></span><b><span style=";font-family:'Arial','sans-serif';font-size:24pt;" ><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style=";font-family:'Arial','sans-serif';font-size:24pt;" ><br /></span></b></p><p><b><span style=";font-family:'Arial','sans-serif';font-size:24pt;" >I hope you will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California .<br />In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:<br />People ask me, What is the purpose of life?<br />And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.<br />One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.<br />I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity..<br />We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.<br />Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.<br />The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.<br />We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.<br />This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.<br />I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.<br />Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life..<br />No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.<br />And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.<br />You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:<br />If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.<br />We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.<br />You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life.<br />Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.<br />It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.<br />So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.<br />First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.<br />Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.<br />Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.<br />Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.<br />We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?<br />Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?<br />When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.<br />That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.<br /></span></b></p></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-719599633883922392010-08-16T12:45:00.000-07:002010-08-16T12:48:26.530-07:00What a weekend!<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Work and play, and getting to be on a beach that Kenn and I could share as our first time visiting. Fort Walton Beach was a lot of fun - and I've got future posts brewing from what He showed me. For now, I'll just share this photo I took yesterday morning just before a rainstorm came and chased me off the beach for the last time. :)</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLIDispW0sJjzuXPPA8EM-CRVs-fyLtJn4u47m3msJ2m2xFe1jQV6S9wnH1UQfhES8FSHLlomAYVqOQGnbP1WkAdUPYWjXafTM5Ua6Lw2kqyp6GoJQQZtjkedMjlMjBWlNVfelUOlEhyX/s1600/Destin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLIDispW0sJjzuXPPA8EM-CRVs-fyLtJn4u47m3msJ2m2xFe1jQV6S9wnH1UQfhES8FSHLlomAYVqOQGnbP1WkAdUPYWjXafTM5Ua6Lw2kqyp6GoJQQZtjkedMjlMjBWlNVfelUOlEhyX/s400/Destin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506096637696534034" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-27880189269593212252010-08-01T18:41:00.000-07:002010-08-01T18:44:52.716-07:00The indominatable Maya Angelou!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4G0V7d8mPSW1_fPYE7wn6V48n6qzV6fN2n8MCxuP7vQN-gxIFpyMQQs5D8O4iE_JzZMrer2GH1GHtuz9JqbzNI7rPigvPBq1MVyZPyKscVB3gnLL4aczqRh-SR5EYHhyphenhyphenjh7K93PG8s4l/s1600/mya.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4G0V7d8mPSW1_fPYE7wn6V48n6qzV6fN2n8MCxuP7vQN-gxIFpyMQQs5D8O4iE_JzZMrer2GH1GHtuz9JqbzNI7rPigvPBq1MVyZPyKscVB3gnLL4aczqRh-SR5EYHhyphenhyphenjh7K93PG8s4l/s320/mya.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500622352345852210" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't break the elastic!</span></i></span><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.<br /><br />And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting.'<br /><br />Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.</span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!</span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Maya Angelou said this:</span></i></span><span style="font-family: times new roman; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'<br /><br />'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'<br /><br />'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back..'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'<br /><br />'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.'<br /><br />'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.'</span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></i><i style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'</span></i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-76033921151560386562010-07-16T03:00:00.000-07:002010-07-16T03:00:05.632-07:00Another share from another friend!<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I really hope these all show up. I want to encourage you - and I know some of you have HUGE crosses to bear - but He knows, He cares, and He knows where YOU are going.</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;"><br /><br /></span></span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucVO4uzKZzoF2HJiBIpdCNAZrm5cV57dWNiuM55chmWI-uFhaxEauhM98i6iJwIqu0bcEgVjGYj5VTSZ0S15OhXctMAxWUy5XTNyfwyok_6m4A_eYdBXs4meAT8ASnJUISddwONhoCcPi/s1600/cross1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucVO4uzKZzoF2HJiBIpdCNAZrm5cV57dWNiuM55chmWI-uFhaxEauhM98i6iJwIqu0bcEgVjGYj5VTSZ0S15OhXctMAxWUy5XTNyfwyok_6m4A_eYdBXs4meAT8ASnJUISddwONhoCcPi/s400/cross1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887909196676754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHlD98Z2Bz60gEHFSmjB3j5Hbi0A_Hijs1Yu_udR8Ud-qfpVbyRFuYNVKqsqte5zSbmukmIIVWBB7rQ3Ah1XYFNnqTVk_zgywdDEuJIC9yDatn7O5THi2mrtftTJh_-dpsF-mWQZl06FJG/s1600/cross2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; 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display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 390px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWlWpzTYO80VQXJ5D6w8jtzNO6KP-yMlbnyyXg9Subrat0XNzMyREz2_mfbBydZ0Rds9FIntA4lVe-j7YywmTeYPOjdc_oouphimj0vpRUn5WnI-QsHxUw7LKV9k0GhlMdGYGPvVOjajh/s400/cross4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887533865013522" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDurCn-EQUw_tlSSLtJNEBFsAH4tUa0jRJ3Am10Lp1NMqvcuI-JvLIfhnvP7UrOoyBxDrZba7K0p5SFWSEZtwFgt0QBi4Iq6shZ98NKfm6LybdY7rVmn1kOGkyEGQVk_0XEwJxAyocJ4x/s1600/cross5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 388px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHDurCn-EQUw_tlSSLtJNEBFsAH4tUa0jRJ3Am10Lp1NMqvcuI-JvLIfhnvP7UrOoyBxDrZba7K0p5SFWSEZtwFgt0QBi4Iq6shZ98NKfm6LybdY7rVmn1kOGkyEGQVk_0XEwJxAyocJ4x/s400/cross5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887518135231858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8TmVCRH6_FhHhGk1IJNq4vuLUcbvLBmGMduBpRE72mhrMqO_3N-5RSpdvxDam0GIPjuGMh-MEZyNkGZYJgYmUlCtRZesS_EbCQ9I_A0kY3v4CiJ6qzqvGnL-0hirzVJwb-qaYd_wmIsT/s1600/cross6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 392px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm8TmVCRH6_FhHhGk1IJNq4vuLUcbvLBmGMduBpRE72mhrMqO_3N-5RSpdvxDam0GIPjuGMh-MEZyNkGZYJgYmUlCtRZesS_EbCQ9I_A0kY3v4CiJ6qzqvGnL-0hirzVJwb-qaYd_wmIsT/s400/cross6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887514016814274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy4FWwaxuL_3MKWUSGnGK0iSr1sS7k8GjliGjnUQ7snIduF8S9IvSynzxC3zTBcFa9EhXncZKPDUgN8qso8GaKR-ZRuEqK31GRWKa95SAe5b5_QzTv80Qr7MGwmLewxK_89v2nE0LkR4V/s1600/cross7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 377px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggy4FWwaxuL_3MKWUSGnGK0iSr1sS7k8GjliGjnUQ7snIduF8S9IvSynzxC3zTBcFa9EhXncZKPDUgN8qso8GaKR-ZRuEqK31GRWKa95SAe5b5_QzTv80Qr7MGwmLewxK_89v2nE0LkR4V/s400/cross7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887507716804530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLDX-lBsqdM4ZkaMrU8QeK_-xMlupm40HowXiMVgFTDOpErI2k_P98UyiE39WUr3OFLdoxz8QIVMfZ8weKXhc5WRCsOKnInrxsVaZG-PPzMgFqMTjpLe4U5IIJ-pv6J78ZAn-858KEart/s1600/cross8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPLDX-lBsqdM4ZkaMrU8QeK_-xMlupm40HowXiMVgFTDOpErI2k_P98UyiE39WUr3OFLdoxz8QIVMfZ8weKXhc5WRCsOKnInrxsVaZG-PPzMgFqMTjpLe4U5IIJ-pv6J78ZAn-858KEart/s400/cross8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887502776995810" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oJ0uu2f6ecYXsXf2u6Qn3JjVwDWkxnAeHSd-K9ae9kAObxPRf65kdjiiEunaoFuCR09aNGMbKPMuNdqaNKPyrQ97lT8_7LLlg_sshukFaWnJ4TogEuhtONUAtnU4e0WtGdgFe3GlThzD/s1600/cross9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oJ0uu2f6ecYXsXf2u6Qn3JjVwDWkxnAeHSd-K9ae9kAObxPRf65kdjiiEunaoFuCR09aNGMbKPMuNdqaNKPyrQ97lT8_7LLlg_sshukFaWnJ4TogEuhtONUAtnU4e0WtGdgFe3GlThzD/s400/cross9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887077258870210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7clMBaTQKP_ZnKmxNKR1bii5EcI3yX2LJfKciFycRNnqF9qcK7YwozB5KhB2h3tVA9K50EjwjVnPFADUuoaTfQ01V0To9HOoQd3c5uNT7JDK1OJ69vk6zQCGTDs3FdL3Wuym_mLiB3IW/s1600/cross10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7clMBaTQKP_ZnKmxNKR1bii5EcI3yX2LJfKciFycRNnqF9qcK7YwozB5KhB2h3tVA9K50EjwjVnPFADUuoaTfQ01V0To9HOoQd3c5uNT7JDK1OJ69vk6zQCGTDs3FdL3Wuym_mLiB3IW/s400/cross10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887076906976978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp44ljSr238QGMkrbUBPs2SvgBR8WrvBstROnEb9BiF9EoG-wqfeTLbdU_NYNhe-CFkRZK-V-3g8OLiJ1199fjuEdp6eeet2wPQZrik-uNji3vuVxJnYOjRVh6ThZeOvdlILHbmcjiwlp/s1600/cross11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjp44ljSr238QGMkrbUBPs2SvgBR8WrvBstROnEb9BiF9EoG-wqfeTLbdU_NYNhe-CFkRZK-V-3g8OLiJ1199fjuEdp6eeet2wPQZrik-uNji3vuVxJnYOjRVh6ThZeOvdlILHbmcjiwlp/s400/cross11.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887070975475714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig8x6en2NUwxlCf4R7wVj0y-waOZy-XtS3U2fTMXIch0VsY9Jhc0BgpYyDC6cUPWr-NMGzLY8GSVHVEawuV4NSTIPoZ_YOlkVIXEN-FSlv4-YiyJyS1DrDq7VO9znVHsVD3Avva_yGeGK/s1600/cross12.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjig8x6en2NUwxlCf4R7wVj0y-waOZy-XtS3U2fTMXIch0VsY9Jhc0BgpYyDC6cUPWr-NMGzLY8GSVHVEawuV4NSTIPoZ_YOlkVIXEN-FSlv4-YiyJyS1DrDq7VO9znVHsVD3Avva_yGeGK/s400/cross12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887065625199826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt657joNQI1rGz3C-Tvtulwb-6T_nnaOLKqId1welzfjCzfo5ydLxgMtYTa2hFj4gh2vRirJGDGxRDC1Xa-cKNKJX_0nbmv7xa9v8x7Suvo1Ni7dmHTsrmWIdtk3aVY6nuZCXKGJ4ydvjw/s1600/cross13.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt657joNQI1rGz3C-Tvtulwb-6T_nnaOLKqId1welzfjCzfo5ydLxgMtYTa2hFj4gh2vRirJGDGxRDC1Xa-cKNKJX_0nbmv7xa9v8x7Suvo1Ni7dmHTsrmWIdtk3aVY6nuZCXKGJ4ydvjw/s400/cross13.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493887058877282930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;"><br /><br />Awesome!! We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we can't. </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">Whatever your cross, whatever your pain, </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">there will always be sunshine, after the rain.... </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall; </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">But God's always ready, to answer your call..... </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">He knows every heartache, sees every tear, </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">a word from His lips, can calm every fear... </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night, </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">But suddenly vanish, dawn's early light... </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, </span></span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">to give you His grace, and send you His love... </span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:6px;" ><span style="font-size:24pt;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:180%;" ><span style="font-size:18pt;">God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8005715087927526913.post-38605788544837915002010-07-14T14:28:00.000-07:002010-07-14T14:31:23.706-07:00Think on these things! :D<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZrLpibw5w4uhkWvKFEn9gfi8R3ngQZhZvNChyPvJy4Iyp2BjSTrM7F08BN6W7H3wPRYakvrpXrFJujCzgOl6_HnIcIKdmCq4efYUK9TOMJ7txAuegRWlYW4dwh-G5fS95uNvdfOTuStG/s1600/mums+cu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZrLpibw5w4uhkWvKFEn9gfi8R3ngQZhZvNChyPvJy4Iyp2BjSTrM7F08BN6W7H3wPRYakvrpXrFJujCzgOl6_HnIcIKdmCq4efYUK9TOMJ7txAuegRWlYW4dwh-G5fS95uNvdfOTuStG/s400/mums+cu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493877174638059570" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hello, dear ones! Just a bit of light-hearted thought stuff today. I wanted you to know I'm thinking of you. :D</span><br /><br /><style type="text/css"> BODY,.aolmailheader {font-size:10pt; color:black; font-family:Arial;} a.aolmailheader:link {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal;} a.aolmailheader:visited {color:magenta; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal;} a.aolmailheader:active {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal;} a.aolmailheader:hover {color:blue; text-decoration:underline; font-weight:normal;} </style><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Love... and you will be loved.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* All people smile in the same language.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* A hug is a great gift, one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion and it's easy to exchange.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Everyone needs to be loved, especially when they do not deserve it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* The real measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Laughter is liquid sunshine.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* It's important for parents to live the same things they teach.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Happy memories never wear out. Relive them as often as you want.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated the best.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">* Patience is the ability to idle your motor, when you feel like stripping your gears.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3