March 2004 Archives

There will never be unity amongst humans of any race or ethnicity until the "us against them" mentality is destroyed. We cannot change anything with that mentality ... we can only perpetuate what already exists.

This weekend I rented Honey, Boat Trip, and The Missing.

Honey is so good! I was expecting your typical hot pants movie ... but instead it is one I am buying for my kids. The movie is about making it, believing in yourself and your dreams. And, no sex at all ... but lots of cute kids dancing their hearts out.

Boat Trip is hilarious ... and Cuba's dancing totally floored me. I loved his drag show! It was da bomb! The movie is so funny and really made me smile. It also has a character that totally borderlines being a gay-basher ... but learns to love and accept ... and be friends.

The Missing is awesome. The movie was everything I thought it would be and Tommy Lee Jones kicks butt. The visuals are amazing, the storyline is too good, and the character interactions are real. Loved it, loved it, loved it!

It is that time of year and what has been keeping me busy for the last few days. It has been slow going, but I am getting there. It would help if I wasn't so anal, but when I spring clean ... even the ceilings get a wash.

Time to get back at it!

I got this quiz from Sis :)

You have an entrancing kiss ~ the kind that leaves your partner bedazzled and maybe even feeling he is dreaming. Quite effective; the kiss that never lessens and always blows your partner away like the first time.

What Kind Of Kiss Are You?
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I got this from Iki ...

Your Energy is Pink. You have achieved a perfect balance between spiritual awareness and material existence. You are usually affectionate and warm, showing compassion and love for others. Others find you genuine, cooperative and friendly. You are a humanitarian and you possess a deep understanding of life. You may aspire to philanthropy, or you may find yourself heading or volunteering for agencies that create change for the good of the whole. You are a leader and are willing to take on much responsibility.

What Color Is Your Energy?
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I got this from Shylah ... :)

Name: Angel
Piercings: Ears. I let my tongue and nose grow back up
Tattoos: Two
height = 5' 4"
shoe size = 8 1/2
hair color = Brown
siblings = 3 sisters, 2 brothers, 3 step-siblings

What's Your Sexual Appeal?
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I also got this one from Deb. :)

You should be dating a Taurus.
20 April - 20 May

This gentle creature is dependable, artistic, and very calm and patient. Though Taurus has the tendency to be self-indulgent, stubborn or materialistic, this bull naturally enjoys a roll in the hay!

What Zodiac Sign Are You Attracted To?
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I got this from Deb ...

You remember when alt.lemur.frink.frink.frink and alt.2eggs.sausage.beans.tomatoes.
2toast.largetea.cheerslove was distributed on reel-to-reel tape strapped to a carrier pigeon.

What Kind Of Social Software Are You?

This is just too funny!

Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
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A quiz to pass the time ...

You are naturally born with a gift, whether it be poetry, writing or song. You love beauty and creativity, and usually are highly intelligent. Others view you as mysterious and dreamy, yet also bold since you hold firm in your beliefs.

What Type of Soul Do You Have?
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I woke up this morning and fixed a huge breakfast. We had bacon, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, biscuits, and gravy. And plenty of it! :) My friends, T and Lewis, came in and ate as well. It was a nice breakfast ... even if Lewis had an allergic reaction to Jasper and I had to give him some allergy medicine to help him out.

Tonight, I am cooking chicken and dumplings, green beans & potatoes with bacon, and yellow cake with chocolate icing. T will not be here for that though, as he hates chicken. He swears I cook it just to keep him from coming over to grab a free meal! LOL

I am feeling pretty good today though. I have been jammin' on some soul music and dancing around the house. My babies will be home from Fulton here in a little bit as well. I have missed them ... a lot ... even though it is good to get a break from them now and again.

I may just do some quizes today. :) I am definitely in the mood for them.

The Friday Five

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?
   Italian, of course :)
2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?
   I would love to have a book store with shelves upon shelves of wonderful books in hardbound covers.
3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?
   Autobiography or urban/interracial fiction.
4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?
   It would probably be for white women that date black men on how to be happy with the fact that they are white. I get really tired of seeing white women with grease in their hair. It looks gross and stupid. Really.
5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?
   Soul/Contemporary Gospel

Do you Friday Five?

I was cleaning the kitchen when I got a call from my youngest daughter's school. She passed out again today. Her teacher said she walked up to her and told her she did not feel good. Mrs. M bent down to ask her if she wanted her to call me and she told her that she couldn't see, then went over like a bucket of rocks.

I rushed her to the ER. The doctor there checked her out and asked me how many times this has happened. I explained to him that this is the eighth time in the last six months. I also explained to him that Dr. Z thinks she has asthma, as the last time this occurred, her oxygen level dropped dramatically.

Well, Dr. R said he did not see any signs of asthma. He asked me some questions about what happens when she passes out and then told me that he wanted to schedule her an EEG. He did so for March 30th.

My day started with a bacon, cheese, and onion omelet ... which was a very good thing. :) From there, it was time for laundry, cleaning the house, and mopping all the floors. I have no carpet in my three bedroom house ... so that is a lot of floors to mop.

I had to go get my oldest daughter at school, as she was not feeling well. Then, we had to go shopping, as I forgot I did not have milk and eggs. I needed them for the two chess pies I was baking ... and realized it as I was putting all the ingredients in a bowl. We also had to stop and get cigarettes, as it is not time to stop smoking yet ... but I am on Wellbutrin, so that day is coming soon.

Two of my female buddies came by, V and DeeDee, and brought their families with them. We had a good time together. While they were here I fixed fried pork chops, macaroni and tomatoes, stuffing, and mixed veggies for supper.

On the way home from Wal-Mart yesterday, I drove through "The Bottom." It is a part of town that is only five blocks long ... but it holds a lot of memories for me. And, yesterday, the city tore down four of it's houses.

"The Bottom" used to be my stomping ground when I was younger ... 18-21 years of age. It was primarily made up of black people back then, but now it has more hispanics than anything. Though, some of the families that I know still live there ... like the *local* Jackson 5, the Moss family, and B's grandmother.

One of the houses that went down was once the home of Momma Marie and Daddy Willie. I stayed there with them sometimes. This is the third house of theirs that has been torn down in the last five years. One, which was "Across Town," was the house that I spent most every weekend in. The other was just a few blocks away, from where I live now, and I used to visit them a lot there while I was going to college.

The other three houses, torn down yesterday, were party houses. I spent many an evening in those places ... being wild, young, carefree, dancing, and just having a good ole time. And, now they are gone.

Last night, while I was whining to my friend HARD about this, he told me they call it progress. If that is what it is, then why does it make me feel so sad? For me, it is the destruction of familiar places, roots, and home. All it leaves me with is my memories. The physical evidence of my life gets torn down and all that remains is what is in my mind.

It is like they destroy a piece of me when they destroy these places. And, while I know that time marches on ... and it most definitely marches on across our hearts and minds ... it is still sad to see what is familiar and full of memories become nothing more than rubble on the ground.

As I have said before, every day in my email I get God's Daily Promises. It is a newsletter from the Left Behind website.

Today's cracked me up!

This week's promise:
God comforts those who are persecuted.

Why are Christians persecuted?

"The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don't know God who sent me." -John 15:17-21 NLT

Persecution comes from those who are ignorant of God and his well."

His well? LOL

I guess I am ignorant too, as I did not know God had a well! :)

I got this from Deb during the transfer to MT, so I am just now getting it up ...

Your Political Compass:

Economic Left/Right: -6.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.44

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

Deb posted this (in italics below) on her blog and it has been on my mind ever since. Mainly because I cannot stand it when people take scripture from the Old Testament and try to use it against Christians on religious hot topics. This is partly because the Old Testament also consists of Jewish cultural law. The OT is a history for Christians, a prologue of sorts, to the birth of Christ. And, when Christ began teaching He more completely explained the laws of God and what was expected of His followers.

So take a look at what she posted, which by the way she did not write ... but got elsewhere ... and is supposedly in regards to why gay marriage should be acceptable, so you will understand what I am addressing.

I would like to note that this was one of the most redundant things that I have ever read. The author, Tom A. Trottier, really needs to read the whole Bible before making a fool of himself again. But, then my Grandma Belt always said, "When you use Scripture to try and make a fool of God, you show yourself a fool."

On to the Biblical assessment of his scriptural claims ...

1. Marriage shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. [Genesis 29:17-28; II Samuel 3:2-5]
   
   

   Marriage was instituted when man was still innocent [Genesis 2:18-24]. This [Genesis 2:24] is the original intent of marriage, which was taught by Jesus as the basis on which all regulations are to be framed [Matthew 19:4,5].

   Monogamy was the original law of marriage [Matthew 19:5; 1 Corinthians 6:16]. This law was violated when corrupt usages began to be introduced [Genesis 4:19; Genesis 6:2] to support beliefs in direct opposition of God's law. The prevalence of polygamy and having concubines became prevalent in the patriarchal age [Genesis 16:1-4; Genesis 22:21-24; Genesis 28:8-9; Genesis 29:23-30]. Polygamy was also acknowledged in the Mosaic law and made the basis of legislation, and continued to be practiced all down through the period of Jewish history to the Captivity, after which there is no instance of it on record.

2. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. [II Samuel 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chronicles 11:21]

   As stated before, the prevalence of polygamy and having concubines became prevalent in the patriarchal age. Concubines were females conjugally united to a man, but in a relation inferior to that of a wife.

   Among the early Jews, from various causes, the difference between a wife and a concubine was less marked than it would be amongst us today. The concubine was a wife of secondary rank. There are various laws recorded providing for their protection [Exodus 21:7; Deuteronomy 21:10-14], and setting limits to the relation they maintained in the household to which they belonged [Genesis 21:14; Genesis 25:6]. They had no authority in the family and could not share in household decisions.

   The immediate cause of concubinage might be gathered from the conjugal histories of Abraham and Jacob (Genesis 16 & Genesis 30). But eventually the custom of concubinage degenerated, and laws were made to regulate it (Exodus 21:7-9).

   Concubinage is right up there with the sins of fornication and adultery (Matthew 19:5-9; 1 Corinthians 7:2).

3. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. [Deuteronomy 22:13-21]

   In the Old Testament, Jewish daughters were not to bring dishonor on their families. They were to obey the laws and the law said they were not to have sex without being married. Nowhere, that I have read, does it say the marriage is not valid if the wife is not a virgin ... it says that she will be stoned if her sin is told by her husband and proven to be true.

   Also, the penalty for many a sin in those days was to be stoned. That ended with Jesus [John 8:7].

4. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. [Genesis 24:3; Numbers 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Nehemiah 10:30]

   In the Old Testament, that was so. The Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel. The laws were to make the Israelites know how to obey and please God, to show them how to worship God, and to make the Israelites different from other nations.

   In I Corinthians 7:12-16, Paul explains to us that the believer and non-believer can marry. He says that the unbeliever is sanctified by the believing spouse and gives hope for the non-believers salvation.

5. Since marriage is for life, no government or law shall be able to permit divorce. [Deuteronomy 22:19; Mark 10:9]

   I honestly do not see how the writer decided that Deuteronomy 22:19 had anything to do with this, as in that particular scripture, the husband had insulted his wife and her family by claiming she was not a virgin when he married her. The law required him to be chastised and fined ... and she would remain his wife.

   Now, as for Mark 10:9, this is a most famous scripture and one heard at the end of most marriage ceremonies performed in church. Matthew 19:5-9 discusses divorce and gives the consequences of remarriage, except for those who divorced because their spouse committed fornication. So, we know that the Bible acknowledges divorce. It does not say that you cannot obtain a divorce, but it strongly suggests you not do so, unless your spouse has cheated on you, because you will be committing adultery should you remarry.

   What most believe Mark 10:9 to be saying is that no person should cause a married couple to separate from each other, as asunder means apart from one another (King James Dictionary).

6. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. [Genesis 38:6-10; Deuteronomy 25:5-10]

   This law was actually in effect to preserve lineage's ... the line of a family. But, once again, this is discussing the OT Jewish law. A lot of cultural law was added by the priests. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the bondage of that law [Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15].

7. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. [Genesis 19:31-36]

   The way this scripture was defiled amazes me. What Lot's daughters did was a sin, as the Bible forbids incest [Leviticus 18:6]. They got their father drunk and had sex with him, without his knowledge, so they could carry on his line. They also did not "tag team" him, but each did their thing separately ... one on one night and the other on another night.

   Also, when Lot gave up his daughters up as "sex toys" it was to prevent the men of Sodom from defiling (having homosexual sex with) the angels that were in his house [Genesis 19:1-8].

The truth is out there for those that wish to know it. It is called the Bible. Try actually reading it sometime.

I got this from Donna :)

Now who are you?

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately that have been covering the gay marriage issue. I have put off posting on the subject because I know that a lot of people will not like what I have to say and because most people who feel as I do are not as nice about it as me.

On another blog, it was written that they would like to see someone post about this in a civil manner. Well, I don't think I will have a problem with that. I tend to be a civil kind of person most of the time. :)

My feelings on this issue are complicated and they definitely have a lot to do with my faith. As a Christian, I am not comfortable with gay marriage. I tend to look at the laws of God before I do the laws of man ... even if I, at times, break them ... both. But, I do know that I am first and foremost responsible to God, even if man can punish me first.

Now, I am all for gay people having legal domestic partnerships. I think that a surviving partner should be able to be a beneficiary of their partner's estate. I do believe gay people should be able to adopt. I believe they should be able to be partnered together legally. I think they should have all the legal benefits of marriage.

I just have an issue with it being called marriage.

Late last year, I said goodbye to my waterbed. Well, at least the mattress. I did this because Sir Jasper ... the evil kitty ... decided to jump and play on the waterbed one day. He put seven holes in my bed. All were easily fixed, as they were just little pinpricks ... all but one. It turned into a hole about the size of a half dollar.

So, out the window my waterbed mattress went. Literally, as I was afraid it would leak water all over my house. :)

I was going to just buy me another bed. A regular bed. I figured that I would give up my waterbed days for good.

I have read a lot of questions lately about The Passion Of The Christ and wanted to share my answers:

"Why was there so much blood??!!"

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all give the account of the life of Jesus and His death. But, that death is foretold many times in the Old Testament and that is where it starts. In the OT, the atonement for sin was done by sacrifice. And, the Bible says that day after day the priests offered sacrifices but they could not ever take away our sins.

When Jesus died for our sins, He was dying for the sins of every person alive at that time and for all the people yet to come. He could have just cut open His hand at an alter and offered that sacrifice ... but He did not. Jesus allowed the Roman soldiers to beat Him almost to death ... to strip His body of skin and flesh ... to make Him bleed. A lot of atonement calls for a larger sacrifice and He was prepared to give that for us.

And it is through His blood that we are washed of our sins. All the people who lived then, have lived since, and will live. That blood is for the whole world.