Yesterday, I got Breaking Free by Beth Moore which was the April offer from BGEA. I still haven't received the March offer of Why the Resurrection? by Greg Laurie though. The site says to give them 4-6 weeks for delivery and it hasn't been that long yet. I am hoping I will receive it soon.
As for Breaking Free, I will probably save it for a Bible study. I skimmed it as soon as I received it and it appears quite interesting. It even includes discussion questions.
Because it is very important:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. ~Romans 3:23
Not just your neighbor or the person you don't like. But, you. You have also sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You are no better or worse than anyone else in this regard. You are not even better than the man who has sinned and is not saved. By grace, you will not die in your sins and by grace, he may still be saved before he dies.
David now has a host and will have a new blog up as soon as his site propagates and I can install MT. Stay tuned!
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:1-11
I found this article today and have been enthralled by it's pointed commentary this morning.
Left, Right, & Wrong
by Garret Keizer"To be honest, I have begun to lose patience with "compassion," be it the conservative version that sees poverty as a moral disease to be cured with a benevolent dose of 19th-century rectitude, or the liberal version that views poverty as an exotic culture to be scrutinized through the kindly lens of tolerance. Poverty is not a culture to be understood; it is a condition to be eradicated. The only people who think otherwise have never sat down in the places where I've sat down, including the house with all the dogs (and the mold and the burns and the bruises and the blank-eyed toddlers and the interminable cough).
But "compassionate conservatism" is now the ascendant and thus the more insidious form. Like other kinds of demagoguery, it is based on a partial truth: the idea that individuals and civic groups can meet needs that no government can. This is a claim guaranteed to resonate in any place where the fire department is staffed by volunteers.
But none of us lives entirely in a small town (no more than a city dweller lives exclusively in Chicago or New York). We live as beneficiaries of a society that is complex, affluent, centralized, and -- when it operates as intended -- democratic. This is the level on which compassionate conservatism becomes completely disingenuous. It is also the level on which it wouldn't hurt to borrow some "faith-based" language. How can you practice the Golden Rule or obey the injunction to "love your neighbor as yourself" without wishing your neighbor a standard of living on a par with your own, a standard that can be achieved only through the apparatus of the state, including the apparatus of progressive taxation? Once the Good Samaritan starts to vote and his money starts to earn interest, his charity must become either political or quaint. He may still choose to engage in freelance philanthropy, and we hope that he will, but he cannot relegate the welfare of his neighbor to the whims of good-hearted volunteers without loving that neighbor considerably less than he loves himself. The privatization of social welfare advocated by the right is not compassionate conservatism; it is anemic compassion.
The challenge is to make this point both forceful and clear. This is where the left may be at its greatest disadvantage. Reactionary politics work well with electronic media because reaction is electric; that is, immediate, automatic, and superficial. Revolutionary politics, on the other hand, have always been tied to a dogged willingness to teach: to raise consciousness, to show how the ties that bind include those invisible economic cords that bind the disadvantaged to their fates. You may ask who would go to the trouble of writing up the lesson plans; it might be better to ask who's writing them now."
----
"THE ESSENTIAL PROBLEM of the American left is not that it uses the wrong language or doesn't read the Bible or doesn't know how to relate to just-plain folks. The essential problem of the American left is that it has been displaced. Its current position in the liberal imagination is that of a dumped first wife.
What now sleeps on her old side of the bed is a purportedly leftist solution to the same bourgeois conundrum that faces the right: namely, how to maintain a semblance of moral decency while enjoying the spoils of a winner-take-all economic system. Or, put another way, how to maintain the illusion that you can be a good person and want a good society without either kind of goodness costing you a dime."
To read the complete article, go here and enter code MJJ9AK.
David has set up temporary digs. You can find it here. He is talking about maybe giving up his blog. I would really hate to see that happen. He has the only blog I have seen where Republicans and Democrats come together, comment together, post together, and get along reasonably well. I would really hate for us to lose that.
And, after all the help I have offered, well ... I would just hate to have to go kick his butt. But, I will. :)
You know, not long ago David started having a really hard time with his host. They kept messing with his MT installation eventually refusing to allow him to have trackbacks on his blog. So, David moved his site. He took an offer of help from a guy who set him back up and everything was good.
Until his site disappeared last night.
And, he heard today that his whole site was lost. Gone. Never to be seen again. Be careful who you trust and always backup your site. You never know when your blog could just disappear ... or your business presence. He told Boyd and me earlier that he thought it was just a temporary issue, but unfortunately it wasn't.
But, ISOU fans don't have to worry. Not all is lost. The posts and templates may be gone, but a new host can be found and a new blog can be created. :)
Stay tuned. ISOU will be back!
While surfing the web today, I came across this:
"And second, genuine Christians know who Jesus really is. And then they surrender every corner of their life to Him. So many people in the modern church don't really know who Jesus is. Some Christians worship Him as God and Savior and then forget that He was the liberator of the poor, a daring peacemaker, and a friend of prostitutes and marginalized women. Other Christians claim to follow Jesus as the world's greatest ethical teacher, but they forget that He is true God, as well as true man, and the only way to salvation. And most Christians, no matter what they say they believe about Jesus, don't practice what they preach. So many Christians today mimic the world. So many are almost as self-centered, sexually promiscuous, racist, and materialistic, as their unbelieving friends. So many Christians worship idols, commit adultery, file for divorce, and destroy the environment, just like their sinful and unbelieving neighbors.Mahatma Gandhi was surely the greatest Hindu of the last century. As a young man he seriously considered becoming a Christian. He loved the Jesus of the Gospels, but when he compared what Jesus said and did with how Christians lived, he turned away in disgust. Jesus was a radical God. He gently ministered to lepers, prostitutes and other marginalized women. He commanded his followers to love even their enemies. He warned that those who don't feed the hungry and clothe the naked depart eternally from the living God. He also claimed to be the only Son of God. He died for the sins of the world. The early Christians taught that Jesus wanted them to live the same way that He had lived. And they claimed that the risen Jesus was at the center of their lives and gave Him the power to be there. That's why the early Christians were so different and amazed their Pagan neighbors. II Corinthians 3:18 sums it up by saying, "All of us with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another daily." In other words, St. Paul is saying, "Genuine Christians look directly into the face of Jesus Christ and they reflect his glory as in a mirror and day by day we are in a process of being changed, becoming more and more like Him." Genuine Christians live like Jesus."
Are you genuine? Does your actions reflect the Messiah, Jesus Christ? Do you live as He taught you to live? Or are you just another Christian that claims the Name, but doesn't live by the Name?
For all who have wondered, ISOU is down. At this time David does not know why, though he is trying to reach his host to no avail. The man just has no kind of luck when it comes to hosts, let me tell ya!
Upgrade to MT 3.16 at your own risk. It has serious bugs. One that kept me way busy this morning after I upgraded last night. It wouldn't let me save a post, import/export, or do anything else. It kept telling me that I had changed my password and needed to login again. But, I didn't change my password and a new login didn't help. I had to go back to 3.15 as the only solution Six Apart has offered so far is to move your MT installation to a subdirectory, which I tried and it didn't work. Though, it has worked for some according to the BBS.
Just so you know.
Why haven't we seen this all over the blogosphere? Why haven't the Republicans been talking about this? They are so vocal on everything else and have so much fun calling Democrats heathens who just want to kill babies, sick people, old people, etc. Why not discuss Democrats who are looking to reduce the number of abortions through alternatives instead of just telling women they can't have them?
A national group of pro-life Democrats has joined pro-life Democratic members of Congress, adoption agencies and pregnancy centers unveil a package of legislation designed to significantly reduce abortion in the next 10 years.Democrats for Life of America joined Reps. Tim Ryan (Ohio), Bart Stupak (Michigan) and Lincoln Davis (Tennessee) at a press conference Friday to announce the "95-10 Initiative" -- a plan to reduce abortions 95 percent in the next 10 years.
Kristen Day, director of DFLA, said the plan was "a legitimate policy initiative that will actually reduce the number of abortions." She said it "has been met favorably by both pro-life and pro-choice advocates and elected officials."
The initiative outlines 17 different policy programs designed to empower and promote women as well as protect unborn children.
Some of those include a national toll-free number for pregnancy support, studying why women have abortions, funding daycare on college campuses, increasing funding for domestic violence programs, and making adoption tax credits permanent.
Day's group has several Congressional lawmakers on board with the idea, including Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson, the only pro-life Democrat in the Senate.
"The plan outlined today is a good first step to successfully reduce the rate of abortion by offering alternatives that promote family, promote adoption, and provide education and support for new mothers," Nelson said.
Found via LifeNews.
Blatantly stolen from Shylah. :)
Name four books on your bookshelf:
Jesus
God Will Make A Way
Speaking My Mind
The Truth Behind Left Behind
Name four DVDs in your collection:
The Gospel Of John
Shark Tales
Mary Poppins
Ray
Name four things on your walls:
A picture of my Daddy and two of his brothers
A huge portrait of my girls
A large collage frame full of family photos
The Purpose Driven Life calendar
Name four things in your wardrobe:
My favorite gray slacks
My favorite sports pants
My black t-shirt
The african skirt my Aunt gave me
Name four artists in your music collection:
Shirley Caesar
Kirk Franklin
Matchbox 20
Joe
Name four real life stores you shop at regularly:
Super Wal-Mart
Christian Book Store
Advance Auto
Save-A-Lot
Name four things in your bag:
Wallet
Pen
Gloves
Tic Tacs
Name four things in your cupboard that are in cans:
Green Beans
Corn
Lima Beans
Enchilada Sauce
The following quote is from the devotional, Day By Day With Billy Graham:
"Satan does not care how much you theorize about Christianity, or how much you profess to know Christ. What he opposes vigorously is the way you live Christ."
Does Christ show in your actions? In what you say to others and what you do?
I think I am tired of this design, y'all. I want something lighter. With some white. Lots of white. Maybe some brown accents. And, some tan. A little black. Something classy. More me.
What do you think?
Well, the flu is gone. Now the sneezing begins! I think I am allergic to something or someone. I just keep sneezing and sneezing and sneezing. I should be very well blessed for the next ten years with all the sneezing I have done in the last few days! :laugh:
I kept my great nephew last night and had a wonderful time with him. :Lady: has been here since yesterday as well. She is getting so big! She is six months old now and her intelligence has really developed. Other than that, the weekend has been really quiet.
I got a new cup too! I love it ...
"Good Morning, this is GOD! I will be handling all your problems today. I will not need your help -- so, have a good day. I love you!"
Then it gives scripture on the rim:
"1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. (KJV)"
I have a lot of pictures I have to take today for LM, so I can't sit around here long. I may have my great-nephew back here in a bit as well. His mom thinks she may have to go to the ER. She isn't feeling too well. I also need to get a roast on. Beef roast with onions, potatoes, carrots, gravy and biscuits on the side is on the menu tonight. Yum!
Today, as I was looking at various NIV Bibles online, I came across Zondervan's Breakfast Club. The description of the club says:
Join our Online Breakfast Club and every day we'll email you a free sample from a book. Get sneak previews, win free books and decide for yourself if a book is right for you. Join the club today and take a 5-minute reading break tomorrow. You deserve it!
I thought, "Now that is cool!" I signed up. But, what was even better, was when I got an email from them telling me to tell a friend about their new reading club and then email them a note, include my mailing address (must be within the United States), and
they would send me a free book as a thank you.
That is really cool. :)
And quickly:
Filibustering People Of Faith?
by Jim WallisDuring the 2004 election campaign, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson virtually said Christians could only vote for George W. Bush. Many of you, along with other Christians and people of faith, responded with letters to the editor, newspaper ads, and even bumper stickers reminding America that "God is not a Republican...or a Democrat." Then the Republican National Committee circulated lists of "duties" to local churches, which included turning over their congregational membership lists. The RNC also sent postcards to voters in some states with images of a Bible being banned and a man putting a wedding ring on another man - warning that this was what "liberal" politicians planned to do.
Now the Religious Right is saying that supporting the president's judicial nominations is a test of orthodoxy. This is a dramatic new and serious breach in the relationship between faith and politics.
Not that I want to sound dumb or anything, but I would like to know what Neo-Liberalism is. I know I should be able to figure it out, but for some reason my mind will not wrap around it. Maybe it is because of the context in which I heard it. I don't know. But, if any of you could be so kind I would appreciate it. :)
I found this over at The Light Is Sweet:
The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.- Soren Kierkegaard on Being Obliged To Act
So true.
Do you ever have days that you just wish was rainy and nasty. You know, the kind of day that you can curl up to your favorite crying, tissue needing, chick flick with a bunch of comfort foods ... look like total crap ... and let the world go away for a few hours?
Yeah, me too. I wish I could have one of those days today. I think I need it.
I just wanted to take a minute and let you know that I started two new webrings. One is for Christian Bloggers and one is for any site that is Evangelical in nature. The code for them is simple. No graphics, just text. They don't take up a lot of room and can fit in most sidebars with no problem. An example can be found in my sidebar.
To join the Christian Bloggers ring, click here.
To join the Evangelical ring, click here.
Please read the instructions before joining!
People Around the World Mourn Marla & Faiz's Tragic Deaths
Dear Friends of Marla and CIVIC,
It is with deep sadness and regret that I am writing to inform you that Marla died on Saturday at the age of 28 in a suicide bomb attack. Faiz, CIVIC's Iraq Country Director, was also killed. It is tragically ironic that two beautiful people who devoted their lives to helping innocent victims of war have now become them.
The attack occurred on the Baghdad Airport road as she traveled to visit an Iraqi child injured by a bomb, part of her daily work of identifying and supporting innocent victims of this war.
Only a few hours before her death, Marla sent me this photo of Harah. She was 3 months old when she was thrown from a vehicle just before it was destroyed by a U.S. rocket attack. Her entire family was killed. Hers just one example of the hundreds of lives Marla and Faiz touched with their heroic work.
Their deaths are profound losses not only for their family and friends, but for the entire world. There are precious few who have the courage to stand up and demand justice for all the victims of conflict wherever they may be. This troubled world cannot afford to lose people like them.
Marla overflowed with passion and had an incredible sense of obligation to help those less fortunate. She worked tirelessly to push the US military on its responsibility to keep a proper accounting of the consequences of military action on civilians in Iraq.
While her incredible passion and courage never faded, she was often torn between concern for her personal safety and a fervent desire to be in the field. She recently moved to New York City and was eager to establish a base after spending so many years living out of her suitcase and on the couches of friends, including mine.
While she was serious about her work, Marla never forgot to have fun and was always the life of the party. She had an incredible knack for making friends everywhere she went. Human rights workers, journalists and many others have been bolstered by her spirit and drive.
It is crucial that Marla and Faiz be commemorated and that their work continue. We will continue to shine a spotlight on innocent victims of war and ensure that their crucial work is continued. CIVIC will go on and we will need your support. Please make a donation and host or attend a vigil in Marla and Faiz's honor for victims of war around the world.
Thank you all for your support.
with love and peace,
April Pedersen
april@civicworldwide.org
"There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a 'just war.'"- Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, May 2, 2003.
Found here.
Well, I woke up feeling hungry. Real hungry. I was really hungry last night too, so I guess this is a good sign that my body is feeling a bit better. I am still achy, my head is all stuffy, and I still sneeze a lot ... but, I have an appetite.
I haven't hardly eaten in the last few days, you can imagine. Last night ... I ate two bowls of beef veggie soup and three pieces of cornbread! And, I felt like I could eat even more, but I didn't. I figured that was entirely enough! LOL
Today, I got to work on LM's new site. He is bringing his antiques online. And, thanks to :Shylah: he has some snazzy graphics that I was just too lazy to work on! :) Of course, he has been on my tail for days to work on this and I really haven't gotten much done on it either. I have a ton of items to put up there, but I just don't feel much up to it yet.
For now, I am off to nap. I am still really tired from all this and just can't seem to get myself much together yet. Oh, and :Bo:, I know I owe you a response. I know it is taking entirely too long and I haven't forgotten you. I just have been so busy and ill lately. I don't feel my mind can wrap around too much and your comment really deserves a well thought out response. I hope you understand.
Sleep calls! Lata!
This is from the devotional, Day By Day With Billy Graham:
"Be full of love for others,
following the example of Christ..." Ephesians 5:2 (TLB)There is no doubt that we need social reform. If success is ever to be realized, our generations must work together and listen to each other, which is one of the first requirements of cooperation. At this point, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is relevant as the great reconciler. The Apostle John, in his first epistle, declared, "To you, young men, I have written," and, "To you, fathers, I have written." This is to the young activists and to the old guard, "It is by this that we know what love is: that Christ laid down His life for us. And we in our turn are bound to lay down our lives for our brothers. But if a man has enough to live on, and yet when he sees his brother in needs shuts up his heart against him, how can it be said that the divine love dwells in him? My children, love must not be a matter of words or talk; it must be genuine, and show itself in action. This is how we may know that we belong to the realm of the truth" (1 John 3:16-19, NEB).
The link to the scripture included is automatically to the NIV. I use a plugin that automatically links scripture to that translation.
From The Call e-infoletter:
Everywhere Jim Wallis travels on his God's Politics book tour, he is constantly encouraged by the outpouring of support for a renewed vision of economic and social justice in America. From Louisville to San Francisco, across the heart of "red and blue" America, our message is resonating: God's call to stand up with the least of these is being heard louder and clearer everyday.We invite you to stand up with us.
From June 4th-7th, Call to Renewal and Bread for the World will partner together in a historic gathering of Christians committed to overcoming poverty and hunger. This conference, called "One Table, Many Voices," will unite hundreds of community activists, lay leaders, clergy, and national heads of communion together in a common Biblical call to do justice, love, mercy, and walk humbly with God.
» Join us at the One Table, Many Voices Conference.
Moral Voices Against Iraq War Need Your Support
Put the National Bus Tour on the Road
Last week we told you about religious leaders from across the country who are beginning to raise the voice of their moral authority in a newly formed organization, Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq. Many of you have contributed to help put these leaders on the road in a national bus tour to begin building the sort of grassroots movement which ended the Vietnam War - if you haven't yet had a chance, please contribute today to get them rolling. We're more than halfway to our goal.
Representing more than 50 denominations running the gamut of Christians, Jews, Muslims and then some, Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq was launched with a major event at New York's Riverside Church on the anniversary of Martin Luther King's speech that he called "Beyond Vietnam," in which he said:
"I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies in rehabilitation of its poor so long as adventures like Vietnam continue to draw men and skills and money like one demonic, destructive sucking tube."
Substitute Iraq for Vietnam, and Martin's prophetic words of April 4, 1967, apply just as painfully today.
The group has planned a national bus tour of religious leaders, with the potential to capture the attention of the media and counter the influence of the religious right. It can be a catalyst that can turn the tide of our nation's drift to darkness instead toward the light of goodness. TrueMajority plans to offer a $50,000 challenge grant to these leaders to run the tour (that's about half of the expected budget).
Just since last week members like you have contributed more than $28,000 toward that total. If you want to stop this crazy war of choice, support our troops by bringing them home, and get our nation to spend its tax dollars in accordance with our values, please, please, please give what you can to reach the goal.
Thanks for all you do,
Duane Peterson
TrueMajority Coordinator
German Cardinal Elected New Pope
Joseph Ratzinger is Pope Benedict XVI
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany today was elected the 265th pope and took the name Benedict XVI. 'After our great pope, John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me, a simple, humble worker in God's vineyard," he said. After delivering his first papal blessing, the crowd in St. Peter's Square chanted, "Viva il Papa."
From CNN.
Jesus said:
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.Matthew 7:1-5
Could I have the flu in the spring? Is that possible? I feel like something is really wrong with me because my stomach is all yucky. My head hurts something fierce. And, I woke up this morning all sweaty and my body aches all over. My nose is now stuffy and I keep sneezing too.
That is the flu, isn't it?
I haven't had the flu in years and I don't want the flu now. Does anyone else want it? If you do, I will be happy to send it to you. It would be like a Freecycle™ thing. :laugh:
I wrote earlier about how sick I have been feeling and how I think I got this from my great-nephew. Well, it is definitely contagious. LM is sick now too and he has the exact same thing I have. I am hoping this is like a 24 hour thing. And, even if it is, it is 23 hours too long.
For real.
Bad sick. My stomach feels like it is going to reject anything and everything I try to put in it. I am bloated and feel all yucky. It has taken everything I have to sit here long enough to fix David's blog issue for him.
I know I got this from my great-nephew. I watched him again on Saturday night and he was sick. No one knew he was sick when my niece dropped him off, but I knew something was wrong because he would not stop crying. Well, except when I would put his stomach against my stomach and rock him. Then he would lower it to a whimper.
By 11 PM, we knew he was sick. It was kind of hard to miss when he projectile vomited across my couch. Everything he had eaten at 6 PM was still in a very recognizable state. The macaronies were still round and whole. Yeah. Real appetizing, I tell ya.
Yesterday, I felt okay though. I felt tired. I was busy all day trying to recover from all the people in the house over the weekend. I had to clean, do laundry, and cook. The kids went fishing with LM after church and I stayed busy the whole time. I wish I could have just sat here and chilled. But, no. I got a break from the kids and had to work my butt off instead.
Today, I worked until lunch time. I started feeling kind of bad, so I thought I had better eat me something. No. That was not the answer. I ate a sandwich and have been sick ever since. I can't stay away from the bathroom. I know I am going to hurl. TMI, I am sure. You will live. :)
Anywho ... I am going to lay down. I don't even have the energy to really write about anything important. And, goodness knows I have the fodder for it especially after reading a blog that basically took some scripture and bastardized it to claim that God didn't send His only begotten Son so that whosoever believed in Him would have everlasting life. No, He sent Him for the benefit of a select few, doncha know? The rest of the people that believe in Him won't have everlasting life. They will burn in hell.
Yeah, that's the way to bring people to Jesus!
You know what I always find funny about things like that, is the person that always says such things is a person who believes they are one of those "select" few people that get to benefit from salvation. They don't think they could be one of the ones that believes, but burns in hell. No, they are saved. It is just the rest of the "believers" that are wrong and damned.
Oh, well. I am off to bed.
By the way, this is the second anniversary of my Daddy's death. I already felt like crapola warmed over. That just makes it so much worse, ya know?
This article grabbed my attention today ... especially the part about Jesus. It is really nice to actually hear someone say it.
Barna Sees Challenges Ahead for Church to Remain Significant in People's Lives
"One of the greatest challenges facing any ministry, no matter what its form is, has to do with what do you define as success," he says. "And we've got to break the [current] mold ... which says that success is about church attendance, and church budgets, and church programs, and church staff, and square footage and buildings."Jesus didn't die for any of that stuff. He died to see people's lives completely transformed so they try to be more like Him every moment of every day."
Bringing about such change in individual lives, he says, requires "aggressive" church leadership that is willing to take risks. "Effective leaders must spearhead a thoroughly conceived and highly targeted plan that runs a significant level of risk and promises attractive returns on people's investment of themselves," Barna says. "Merely tinkering with the existing system is a recipe for irrelevance and abandonment."
Found here.
What can be better than receiving free books? The Rapture is pretty much the only thing I can think of that is better than free books. :)
Yeah, I know. I am a nut but I cannot help it. When I came across Dogwood Blue and read about how "Mind and Media coordinates with various Christian publishers, such as Baker Books and Bethany House Publishers, to get free copies of newly released books and then pass them along to bloggers." Well ... that is all I needed to read.
Of course, there is more to it. The bloggers have to read the books and write a review. But, how easy is that? I can do that! I have all kinds of space to do that! And, I love to read so we are two for two already! :)
If you are interested, go check it out. Even if you are not, the site is really interesting and you will find a lot of info on it.
Oh my goodness. Yesterday was the most tiring day. I am still tired today, it was so tiring. It started when my husband decided that he needed me to go with him to work. We went to this old building. The owner had once thought to make it a tool shop, but then changed his mind for some reason. But not until after he had bought all of his merchandise.
Anywho ... the building has been sitting for forever and the roof caved in. Rain, snow, and the elements have taken their toll on the place and what it has inside it. The owner is now elderly and his daughter asked my husband to clear out the building and he could salvage the tools. Not a bad deal, since the building has over $10,000 worth of tools in it. Of course, they are seriously damaged now and aren't even worth a tenth of what they used to be.
So, yesterday I spent hours going through mud to dig out the tools that were once in boxes. We were able to clear out about five drawers worth and clean them up (take them out of the plastic and rotted aprons). It was a muddy and totally disgusting job. I felt like I was a little girl playing in the mud again! LOL
Then we decided to go to the salvage yard. We had a truck full of lawn mower bodies, fridges, dryers, and various scrap metal. We got over half way to the next town, where the salvage yard is, when the gas gauge dropped to empty. It just shut down completely. We knew we had gas and it was too late to turn around. So, we kept going.
We arrived at the salvage yard, put the truck and trailer on the scales for weighing, and went to get in line. There were two people ahead of us, so LM stopped the truck and sat back to relax for a few minutes. The truck died and would not restart. He got out to see what was wrong and noticed that a tire had went flat as well.
We were out of gas and the tire blew ... and LM had taken the spare out to fit more stuff into the truck. Yeah. Big fun, let me tell you! Luckily, a wonderful man there had a tire that would fit the truck. He took our rim and his tire to get fitted and our gas can and filled it up. He was truly a blessing.
But, all that took time and we had kids getting off the bus. So, I called home from the salvage yard office ... trying to reach anyone that we knew that could get the girls. Luckily, my neighbor was home and he said the girls could sit with him and his wife until we got home. Later, my nephew Nikko, called down to the salvage yard and said he was going to our place and would get the girls and keep them until we got home.
We finally got home at 5 PM. I was so whooped all I could do was clean up and change clothes for about forty minutes. I was just too tired to do anything else! After a bit, I got to feeling better and the house was filling up with nephews, so I sent LM and Nikko to get some ribs and we grilled them and burgers. Two racks of ribs and about twenty burgers disappeared within twenty minutes! LM, four grown nephews, and a cousin tore the kitchen up! LOL
Then my great nephew Lathan came to spend the night with us. Oh, my! That child is almost two and I wish I had the energy he has. He ran me up the street, back down to the house, around the house about ten times, then around the porch about twenty more! LOL I had to push him on the scooter, then the bicycle, and that is not counting all the wrestling we did.
At midnight, shortly after I got Lathan to sleep, I fell out! I slept like a rock until about 3 AM when Lathan woke up and I had to put him back to sleep. Then LM work me up about 7 this morning and the house sprang to life quickly again. A nephew and a cousin had spent the night. Thankfully, they were going to work with LM today.
But, while we were outside this morning, LM said the sweetest thing. We were hugged up, kissing a little, before he left and he put his arm around me and told me that I am especially beautiful in the spring. He was looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world, smiling at me, and telling me how beautiful I am to him.
That made yesterday so worth it and really made my day today as well!
Have I mentioned lately that I am a very busy person? My husband doesn't seem to understand that I am a very busy person. When he leaves in the morning, well ... he leaves while calling back to me to give me about fifty instructions on what he thinks I need to be doing for the day. Like calling people for him and working on his antique stuff.
Now, that wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have anything better to do. But, I have lots of things to do and my days are pretty planned out. I mean goodness ... I work, study, work out, clean, do laundry, run errands, do web stuff for people, etc. Somewhere in there I want to blog and catch up on what y'all are writing about. At times I even want to stop and respond to my commenters (Hi, :Bo:!). And, I have to pile everything I want to do in between 8 AM and 3 PM. That is only seven hours ... and sometimes a bit less if he leaves for work at a later time.
Now, of course, his argument is that I can do what he wants me to do instead of blogging or reading blogs. I consider that my "me" time and I am a bit selfish about it. I don't get a lot of it, mind you. So, giving it up totally to call a bunch of antique dealers to see if they are interested in something he has gotten his hands on is just not what I want to be doing. And, he cannot stand me being online after he gets home, so it isn't like I can do what he wants and then later do what I want.
But anywho ... did you know that you should limit your coffee or tea to no more than three cups a day? More than that may increase your chance of cardiovascular disease and may cause calcium to leach from your bones. This got me thinking. Where does leached calcium go? Can it deposit in other areas of the body? If it can, then could that have caused the calcium deposits in my uterus? I was drinking a gallon of tea a day!
Oh ... and have I mentioned how much I am loving working out everyday? Oh my goodness! The amount of energy I have is amazing. I thought giving up cigarettes gave me excess energy! It didn't give me half the energy I have now. And, I have lost an inch and a half off of my waist and two inches off my hips. Yeah, I am so lovin' this! :)
I have spent too much time here already and I have so much to do. :Bo: ... I promise, if I don't get to you today, I will tomorrow. I know I keep saying that, but I mean it! :)
I am sure I am going to get a little, or maybe a lot, of heat for this ... but, I have to tell you what happened yesterday. I am still freaking over it and it is just too amazing.
So here goes ...
I was sitting on my couch watching The Gospel Of John when LM called me at 4 PM to tell me that he had one more run to make. They had finally been able to get this antique conveyor belt out of the woods and were getting ready to take it to salvage and only had an hour to get there. I told him that I loved him and I would see him when he got home. I didn't think no more about it.
About thirty minutes later, I was still watching the movie when a vision of LM's truck losing control just popped into my brain. The conveyor belt was too heavy and was propelling the truck forward. I immediately began to pray, asking God to protect my husband and let him return home safely to me. A mean little voice popped up and said, "No he is going to die." And, I don't know why but before I even realized I said it, I said, "Get away from me Satan! Just go on!" I then asked God again to watch out for my husband and bring him home safely to me.
The thoughts immediately disappeared, as well as the vision. I became interested in the movie again and didn't think no more on it. About thirty to forty minutes later, LM came in the house and immediately told me he was sorry. I looked at him all confused and he started telling me how a man I had known for about 15 years had fallen out of a tree and died. LM was very upset because he had taken the man to the place where his death would occur before taking off for his run. He said that a guy that had been with him stopped him when he came back into town to let him know.
I told LM that he was not going to believe me and proceeded to tell him about those few minutes where I could see him losing control of his truck and my praying. I figured at this point, God was letting me know that LM had been closely touched by death ... though, I was wrong in whose death it was.
LM looked at me, his eyes wide, and said that he had lost control of the truck on his run, about halfway there. He said he went to stop and it felt like he had no breaks. He said the truck just kept moving, going forward, and he could not stop it. He said he lost control and the truck veered into the middle of the road. He said if the SUV that was heading for him had not been able to stop, he said they would have probably all died. The SUV was able to stop in less than 8 feet of space as LM's truck finally rolled to a stop as well.
I know some people will read this and declare I am nuts or that I am full of it. But, I promise you, this happened. LM would not lie about losing control of the truck and I know what came over me for those couple of minutes. After he told me that Roosevelt had died, I just thought it had to be about LM taking that man to the place he died and thereby being close to that death. I had no clue that LM had really lost control of his truck. He was going to tell me, but the news of the death was more important at the moment.
I had to take a few moments to give God some serious thanks on this. I don't know if He just allowed me to know what was going on so I could pray for LM or what. But, I truly believe that God was looking out for us.
I was so looking forward to spring break ending and the kids going back to school. I figured I would have more time to get everything done that I was wanting to do. My days are pretty full. I work out everyday except for Sunday. I cook everyday. I have my work to do. I have my classes. I am still working on a quilt. I have a pile of books that I am wanting to read. I work with my husband at times. I have laundry to do. I have kids to take care of. I have my Bible studies. I have my blog and am working on another for my husband. I haven't played my sims in forever. And, I have bought movies I haven't even watched yet! (Tired yet, Shylah? :laugh:)
Thankfully, I have the energy to do all this stuff. Unfortunately, I don't have the time! And, at some point I am going to have to squeeze in fishing and camping.
Right now, there are a few blogs I want to read and I need to do some commenting here and elsewhere. Unfortunately, I don't think I am going to get that done right now ... maybe not even today. I have some chores I need to get done. I need to take a shower. I am going to grill here in a few hours. I also plan on watching Billy Graham tonight on TV.
Yes, I love me some Billy Graham. I have since I was little. It is one of my little secrets that even some of my family doesn't know about. I am not big on TV Evangelists, but Billy Graham is a whole other story. If you have never watched him, you should try to do so. He is really inspiring.
Anywho ... I am outtie! This laundry is not going to get done nor is my other chores. I have a feeling I will not be getting any of my classwork done today either and that so sucks!
Oh, and did I mention that I am sleepy? I have no clue why, but I want a nap for some reason. I am not tired either. I am so strange.
David has been going on business trips of late and has been letting various people post on his blog. The authors last trip were mainly conservatives. This trip, they have mainly been liberals. The content has surely been interesting. As well as the comments.
If you haven't checked it out ... go on and do so.
I have been quit for 3 Months, 1 Week, 3 Days, 11 hours, 7 minutes and 12 seconds (100 days). I have saved $221.01. I have not smoked 4,018 cigarettes. I have saved 4 Weeks, 2 Days, 16 hours and 38 minutes of my life.
Can you believe it??? I woke up this morning and realized that I have not smoked a sickarette in 100 days!!!! Once upon a time, I couldn't imagine going ten minutes without one.
I am so da bomb! Now, I just wish I had bet people that I could do this and then I would be getting all manner of cash and gifts today. ;)
Today starts week two of Walk Away The Pounds! This week I continue to take my multi-vitamin and I also start drinking eight glasses of water a day. That is going to be a challenge, let me tell you. I am not much of a water drinker ... well, unless it is made into tea. :)
Anywho ... I got the 2 mile tape to assist me this week. While the book is great and is jam packed with information that is really helping me, I need to see the exercises. I am not that great at just following a book. Also, I like the music on the tapes and watching them work out too. It also keeps me going. If they can do it, I can do it! LOL
I cannot believe I am ready for 2 miles, though! Let me tell you, this ain't your "walk around the block" kind of exercise. I was doing 3 1/2 miles every other day and it was nothing compared to doing even 1 mile with Leslie. You don't just walk, there are all kinds of other movements too, plus you throw in some weights as well. When I am done, I am sweating my tail off!
Two different doctors recommended this program to me and I am going to recommend to anyone who wants to lose weight, get your body in shape, and get some "get up and go" about yourself. I don't want to sound like a commercial or anything, but I haven't felt this good in a long time. Seriously. :)
An epic in the spirit of The Passion Of The Christ, this widely acclaimed motion picture is a meticulous recreation of the turbulent era of Jesus and the events that changed the course of history! Narrated by Golden Globe nominee Christopher Plummer, it's the bold and powerful story of Jesus as told by his disciple John. The best-loved but least understood of the gospels, John presents a uniquely human portrait of courage and passion encompassing Jesus' entire three-year ministry, the final years of his life. Intimate and reflective, The Gospel Of John offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the incomparable life and times of Jesus Christ.
Bo wrote an outstanding response to some of the conversation going on in another post. His response is so big though that I have to answer it in a post unto itself. Even trying to address it all in comments was making me confused. LOL
I'm sure there are quite a few Christian liberals, under the impression that the liberal agenda is more compassionate, benevolent, and generous. There are deeper problems with liberal philosophy, problems that stand at polar opposites to Biblical teaching:
While I do believe that the "Right" has lost focus on the teachings of Christ and has taken on way too many facets of the "world" ... I cannot honestly say that I am a "Liberal" Christian. Not too long ago I went looking for a place for Christians like me ... not Republican. I found a few blog alliances/net ring kind of thingies for professed "Liberal" Christians and I found out real quick I am not one. I was surprised that some of them proclaim that Jesus didn't even die for our sins, that the Bible is a lie, and a number of things that directly oppose the Bible. If anything at this point, I would be called "Moderate" ... somewhere in the middle. I am definitely not a member of the "Religious Right" and I am definitely not a member of the "Religious Left." :)
1) Abortion - There's no way you can deem abortion to be a "personal right" in the light of scripture.
I have said before that I believe that abortion is a sin. I have also said that the Bible says that I am not to judge sinners. It is not my job or anyone elses ... not in that way. I can understand the position a woman can find herself in where abortion can feel like and actually be the best option for her. God gave us freewill and I believe the choice to abort is between a woman and God. It is her soul, not ours.
I believe if we want to fight abortion, we reduce the reasons why women would want them. We allow the morning after pill on the shelves. We tell pharmacists that if they don't want to dispense birth control, they need to find another job. We teach real sex education to our kids, instead of fluff. We know they should abstain, but we know most of them will not. We need to be realistic. We need to quit whining about welfare and then expecting women to raise kids with no funds to do so. We alter the tax code and the welfare laws to support families and reward them, not punish them. And, we need to promote marriage, raising children, and help people get to the point where they can be self-sufficient.
It is a beautiful day here, let me tell you! The sun is shining, the breeze is so nice, and I have a ton of stuff to do. I wish I could take the day off and go fishing or something, but I can't. I need to clean house, put up the laundry, finish my homework, and get a roast in the oven.
I don't think I mentioned this on the blog, but I have started taking some classes. I had my first quiz yesterday and was quite happy to make a 100%. I had really good grades in college too, so I am hoping I can keep that up with these continueing education classes I am taking. I am actually going to take quite a few of them and all are tied to my faith. They range from in depth study of the Old Testament to Christian living.
I am still working out too. :) I have finished a week of Walk Away The Pounds and I am so happy! Not only have I stuck to it, but I have really enjoyed it as well. I already got my work out for today under my belt and I feel really, really good. I may even try to fit a walk around the neighborhood in today just to enjoy some of the beautiful weather we are having. That is how pumped I have been feeling!
I also have some comments to address here on the blog. Whether I will do that this evening when I have more time or tomorrow, when I am just chillin' here around the house ... I am not sure. It just depends on how fast I get to everything.
I just hope tomorrow is as beautiful as today!
I love this ...
"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself." -- D. H. Lawrence
If you have never read D.H. Lawrence, then you may recognize it from G.I. Jane. :)
Verdict that Demands Evidence
It is Darwinists, not Christians, who are stonewalling the facts.
"It's an interesting question, considering the iron grip evolutionists have had over our educational institutions for a century. And at first glance, it seems odd that Americans - among the best-educated, most technologically advanced people in the world - would choose miraculous stories over scientific ones.But is there really so little evidence for biblical miracles, and so much for naturalistic evolution?
As historian Paul Johnson notes, Christianity is a historical religion that deals in facts and events. Among those facts is that Jesus, the Son of God, was born of a virgin, in a specific time and place. Johnson cites the mounting archaeological discoveries that have almost universally supported the biblical accounts. And the life of Jesus, he notes, is better authenticated than most other figures of antiquity, like Aristotle and Julius Caesar. As Johnson puts it, "It is not now the men of faith; it is the skeptics who have reason to fear the course of discovery."
I found an interesting article today that I wanted to share ...
Pope John Paul II and Evangelicals
Protestants admired his lifelong admonition to "Be not afraid! Open the doors to Christ!"
And, since everyone else was so chicken ... :laugh:
Have you ever:
(X) snuck out of the house
( ) gotten lost in your city
(X) saw a shooting star
( ) been to any other countries besides the United States
(X) had a serious surgery
(X) gone out in public in your pajamas
(X) kissed a stranger
(X) hugged a stranger
(X) been in a fist fight
(X) been arrested
(X) done drugs
(X) had alcohol
(X) laughed and had milk/coke come out of your nose
(X) pushed all the buttons on an elevator
(X) made out in an elevator
( ) slept in an elevator
(X) swore at your parents
(X) kicked a guy where it hurts
(X) been in love
(X) been close to love
(X) been to a casino
( ) been skydiving
(X) broken a bone
(X) been high
(X) skinny-dipped
(X) skipped school
I feel this so strongly, I could have written it myself. As a result, I am posting it all, minus the signatures.
Confessing Christ in a World of ViolenceOur world is wracked with violence and war. But Jesus said: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). Innocent people, at home and abroad, are increasingly threatened by terrorist attacks. But Jesus said: "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). These words, which have never been easy, seem all the more difficult today.
Nevertheless, a time comes when silence is betrayal. How many churches have heard sermons on these texts since the terrorist atrocities of September 11? Where is the serious debate about what it means to confess Christ in a world of violence? Does Christian "realism" mean resigning ourselves to an endless future of "pre-emptive wars"? Does it mean turning a blind eye to torture and massive civilian casualties? Does it mean acting out of fear and resentment rather than intelligence and restraint?
Faithfully confessing Christ is the church's task, and never more so than when its confession is co-opted by militarism and nationalism.
- A "theology of war," emanating from the highest circles of American government, is seeping into our churches as well.
- The language of "righteous empire" is employed with growing frequency.
- The roles of God, church, and nation are confused by talk of an American "mission" and "divine appointment" to "rid the world of evil."
The security issues before our nation allow no easy solutions. No one has a monopoly on the truth. But a policy that rejects the wisdom of international consultation should not be baptized by religiosity. The danger today is political idolatry exacerbated by the politics of fear.
In this time of crisis, we need a new confession of Christ.
- Jesus Christ, as attested in Holy Scripture, knows no national boundaries. Those who confess his name are found throughout the earth. Our allegiance to Christ takes priority over national identity. Whenever Christianity compromises with empire, the gospel of Christ is discredited.
We reject the false teaching that any nation-state can ever be described with the words, "the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." These words, used in scripture, apply only to Christ. No political or religious leader has the right to twist them in the service of war.
- Christ commits Christians to a strong presumption against war. The wanton destructiveness of modern warfare strengthens this obligation. Standing in the shadow of the Cross, Christians have a responsibility to count the cost, speak out for the victims, and explore every alternative before a nation goes to war. We are committed to international cooperation rather than unilateral policies.
We reject the false teaching that a war on terrorism takes precedence over ethical and legal norms. Some things ought never be done - torture, the deliberate bombing of civilians, the use of indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction - regardless of the consequences.
- Christ commands us to see not only the splinter in our adversary's eye, but also the beam in our own. The distinction between good and evil does not run between one nation and another, or one group and another. It runs straight through every human heart.
We reject the false teaching that America is a "Christian nation," representing only virtue, while its adversaries are nothing but vicious. We reject the belief that America has nothing to repent of, even as we reject that it represents most of the world's evil. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
- Christ shows us that enemy-love is the heart of the gospel. While we were yet enemies, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8, 10). We are to show love to our enemies even as we believe God in Christ has shown love to us and the whole world. Enemy-love does not mean capitulating to hostile agendas or domination. It does mean refusing to demonize any human being created in God's image.
We reject the false teaching that any human being can be defined as outside the law's protection. We reject the demonization of perceived enemies, which only paves the way to abuse; and we reject the mistreatment of prisoners, regardless of supposed benefits to their captors.
- Christ teaches us that humility is the virtue befitting forgiven sinners. It tempers all political disagreements, and it allows that our own political perceptions, in a complex world, may be wrong.
We reject the false teaching that those who are not for the United States politically are against it or that those who fundamentally question American policies must be with the "evil-doers." Such crude distinctions, especially when used by Christians, are expressions of the Manichaean heresy, in which the world is divided into forces of absolute good and absolute evil.
The Lord Jesus Christ is either authoritative for Christians, or he is not. His Lordship cannot be set aside by any earthly power. His words may not be distorted for propagandistic purposes. No nation-state may usurp the place of God.
We believe that acknowledging these truths is indispensable for followers of Christ. We urge them to remember these principles in making their decisions as citizens. Peacemaking is central to our vocation in a troubled world where Christ is Lord.
Found here.
Since I changed hosts, I cannot get my Radio.Blog to work. I do not understand it. I have to be missing something. Same with "comment leaders" ... I can't make it work again either.
It is really starting to aggravate me.
In the last week I have read one member of the "Right" insult Christians, calling them ignorant, because you know ... we believe God created the world. I have also read another member of the "Right" doubt the salvation of Pope John Paul II. She even links to another misquided individual to support her reasoning. Neither, obviously, knows much about Catholism because Catholics believe Jesus died for their sins and Pope John Paul II has been quoted as declaring, "Christ, Christ is the answer." Which he truly believed and was evident by his actions and his words.
What really gets me is that these people are members of the "Right" who behaves as if they have some kind of mandate on morality and all things Christian. I mean, really, the second person has even went so far as to declare that Liberals can't be Christians ... yet, she is a Christian and I believe Matthew 7:1-5 covers these statements beautifully. Also, the last time I checked no one could speak for God. It is not our place to determine who is and is not saved.
Maybe it is just me, but I just don't get it. Maybe too many people are confused about what Christianity is and what Christians are supposed to strive for. Maybe I need to stop reading certain blogs and letting what others say bother me. Especially when they are speaking about things they obviously know nothing about.
I am finally starting my exercise regimen today. After a couple of people recommended, Walk Away The Pounds, I bought it a few weeks ago and it is the exercise program that I will be utilizing to take off twenty pounds. And, I am very hopeful after my first workout. It kicked my tail, but not in a drop dead kind of way and I was able to make it through it without giving up or passing out.
So far, so good. 
Beautiful ...
"When the moment of our definitive 'passage' comes," John Paul II wrote a few years ago, "grant that we may face it with serenity, without regret for what we shall leave behind. For in meeting You, after having sought You for so long, we shall find once more every authentic good which we have known here on earth, in the company of all who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and hope."
MSNBC has a wonderful presentation of the life of Pope John Paul II.
Billy Graham has a free offer this month for Breaking Free by Beth Moore.
"This book delivers practical advice on removing spiritual obstacles that can keep you from fully enjoying your relationship with God."
Click here to take advantage of this free offer.
I recently purchased this book and am only half-way through it, but I am loving it. It is making me relook at a lot of the science that made me doubt God when I was in middle school and high school. It is also answering a lot of the questions I had back then and making me realize that I was right about a few things as well. It is definitely an interesting and informative read.
After spending the day in bed eating a large order of nachos with beef from Los Amigos ... the world looks a little better. Not much, but a little. It is just one of those days, ya know?
And, today is my three month anniversary of being smoke free. Yeehaw for me! Let's have a cigarette and celebrate!
No, I am not going to. I have finally learned to deal with stress without smoking. I just cry until my nose feels like it is going to explode through the back of my head from all the snot and pressure. Nice visual, eh?
Yeah, I thought so. :)
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