May 2009 Archives

Trish has such an awesome give-a-away going on! She has a beautiful bag up for grabs with a pack each of Celebrity Millions, Tombstone Tracts, and Curved Illusions. She says there are a few other surprises as well. So, make sure you go check it out and enter!

You know sometimes when I am reading through the blogs I have in Bloglines or in my Google Reader, I realize that the enemy has declared a mighty victory against us. All you have to do is read blogs by Christians that have politics as a primary focus and you soon see that he has us so busy being ugly about partisan politics that there is no way we are doing what we are actually called to do ... which is spread the Gospel.

No where in the Bible are we called to be political commentators.

You can't bring anyone to Christ spending the majority of your time talking smack about every politician who doesn't subscribe to your personal political movement of choice. I am not saying that Christians should never discuss politics or blog about it, but it should be obvious you are a follower of Christ and not your latest political crush.

I just got notified that the July Ambassador's Academy has been cancelled. *pout* But, I am so in on the August Academy and have been informed by Tony Miano that they won't be cancelling it! So, California here I come!

If I can get my money together quickly, I may even save some big bucks on my flight. Whoo hoo!

A lot of things have been said today about Prop 8 being upheld. Some of it has been real ugly ... on both sides. I think the best comment I have heard and read came from Tony Miano ...

While I am glad the California Supreme Court has upheld Prop 8, I do NOT believe a single heart will be turned to God through legislation. And to any professing Christian who plans to take to the streets today to celebrate a political victory, remember this. God has commanded you to fight FOR the souls of people and to LOVE your enemies. Evangelize the lost. Don't politicize them. Preach the gospel!

Amen! Gloating and acting ugly does not become anyone nor does it endear you to those you are supposed to be reaching for Christ.

I am so pumped! Today I have $414.00 of the $1100 I need to go to Ambassador's Academy. That is not bad at all! I have only been taking donations for a week and I am just a little less than $200 away from being able to pay for my registration fee.

I am still taking donations, but I went back to the original PayPal donation button. The other one was too bulky, plus it wasn't always reliable.

You still have a chance to win The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort. Just post or tweet about the give-a-way and let me know you did. If you donate, you are automatically entered. :)

Well, I forgot to blog about my going to the doctor after my trip to the ER. I waited days for them to call me and let me know if all those tests showed anything and they didn't. All they would really say is that it looked like I had a kidney infection and they wanted me to come in.

I went in and they checked me out. My blood pressure was low and I wasn't feeling really well at all. But, they said I did not have a kidney infection and they couldn't find anything wrong. So, I went home a bit depressed. The episodes weren't going away and I was feeling like the doctor wasn't taking me seriously at all.

Suddenly, it dawned on me that I had read something about blood pressure issues and chest pain being a side effect of my newest anti-inflammatory, Relafen. I called my Rheumatologist and they confirmed that it could have me feeling that way and suggested that I stop taking my meds for two weeks. No meds at all. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but figured it was going to be the only way we would know if it was my medicine.

And, it is.

The episodes have stopped. My blood pressure has returned to normal and the chest pain has went away. Unfortunately, I am stiff as all get out and in some serious pain. I am tip-toeing again for the first hour of the day and my body has stopped cooperating with me. It totally and completely sucks.

I am going to call my Rheumatologist and let him know tomorrow and see what he wants to do. I really liked that anti-inflammatory. It really had a handle on my inflammation and I was feeling more flexible and able to move normally on it. Hopefully we will be able to find another one that works just as good but doesn't create havoc in other ways.

I got $100 towards my trip! It wasn't through PayPal so it doesn't show on my counter, but that puts me that much closer. I am so excited!

I keep getting emails asking about amounts ... believe me, $5 donated is $5 I don't have so I will not complain. I am just as appreciative of $5 as I am $100. Plus, there is no donation minimum to win Ray's book. And, if you blog about the give-a-way, you are in the running for the book as well. Just make sure you include the link to that entry. :)

To My Friend,

We have been friends far too long and we have been through so much together ... so you know I love you. I know I can always call you. I know you will always be there for me. Just as you can always call me and I will always be there for you.

There is really only one thing that concerns me about our relationship, but it is a very big thing. While I know that I can always count on you ... I worry about what will happen when we die. See, I can't imagine my life without you in it and I know one day you aren't going to be in my life any longer ... not at least unless something changes. And, that breaks my heart.

See, I know that you believe in God and I know you think that "doing good" will save you from the wrath to come, but that is not the same as repenting and placing your faith in Christ. Even Satan believes in God and no number of good works will ensure your place in Heaven either. Deep down, I know you know this is true.

I know you don't like to talk about this. I know it makes you uncomfortable. I notice how you change the subject every time the subject comes up. There is a reason for that. You know that you are dead in your sins and that you can't live the way you are and be "right" with God. God gave you a conscience and it starts talking to you when this subject comes up.

I know you think you are a good person and one day you may change things, but you are not guaranteed a tomorrow. Neither am I! Plus, the goodness you think you possess is mere filthy rags in comparison to the righteousness of Christ ... and you aren't good. I am not good. We cannot count on our own "goodness" to save us because it won't.

I can no more think of spending eternity without my husband and my children than I can think of spending it without you. I don't want to see complete strangers go to Hell, so you know I don't want you to go there either and I am so afraid for you. Please, consider what I am saying to you. You know I wouldn't lie to you. You know that I am saying this because I love you. Turn from your sin and place your faith in Christ. I will be here for you every step of the way. I promise.

I love you!

Angel

As my last post stated, I have been accepted into Living Water's Ambassador's Academy and I need a little help getting there. I only have a couple of weeks to send in my registration fee of $600 and then I will have to pay for my ticket to and from Southern California. I will also need cab fare and some money for meals. The hubby and I are doing everything we can to make the money as fast as we can, but we do need a little help.

This is such an awesome opportunity for me and I really don't want to miss it. I know that God is totally in this, as I wouldn't normally even have the courage to apply for something like this. I was beyond surprised when I was accepted! But, we do have eight kids and four dogs and that is a lot of money to come up with in a very short amount of time. Ha!

So, I have decided that I am going to have my very own give-a-away! If you will make a donation (in any amount) to help cover the cost of my trip, your name will be put in a drawing to win a copy of The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort. It was his ministry with Kirk Cameron that caused me to take a good, long look at myself spiritually and realize that I was not a good person and that I was also a false convert. It is an awesome book! I have read it myself and my poor copy looks pitiful. It is full of folded pages and highlighter marks ... so I have a brand new copy for the winner.

Also, if you will post about my give-a-away on your own blog or even tweet it ... you will get a double chance of winning. Just leave me a comment and let me know which you did. Trackbacks are also welcome. :)

No, really ... I am! :)

I just got accepted for July's Ambassador's Academy in California! I have wanted to do this for so long and have been too afraid to want it or even step out of my comfort zone and apply. Well, the Lord has been prompting me for sometime now, so I took a big leap of faith and I got in!

I am so excited! You just have no idea. Plus, I am nervous as all get out. Poor Tony Miano had to listen to me talk 90 MPH (because that is what I do when I am all excited and nervous at the same time). Thankfully, he did not hold it against me or run from fear that I would talk him to death once there! LOL

This is an awesome opportunity for me and will totally take me out of my comfort zone, so I ask that you please pray for me as I answer the call the Lord placed on my heart.

Also, if you would like to help with the cost of the trip, I would so appreciate it. Registration is $600. I will also have to purchase a round-trip ticket to California. I have placed a donation widget in my sidebar and would appreciate any help you can give me. That is a lot of money and I will need to have it in the next few weeks and with eight kids ... I am going to need all the help I can get!

Did I tell you I am excited? :)

Addendum: There are still openings for July. If you haven't applied, do so now!

I can't help but find it a little weird when I am all on fire for God and what He is doing in my life ... and my fellow Christians start acting like I'm the one who is strange. It is also a little unnerving.

On a totally unrelated note ...

I have a ton of work to do. I need to edit more sermon files. Plus, I have a team leadership meeting at church tonight ... during The Biggest Loser finale! I would call in sick but I don't think God would appreciate me putting my favorite TV show ahead of my responsibilities. Hmmph.

I also need to get some reading done, some housework and laundry completed, and a review written.

I plan to do all this on four hours of sleep, which has become the standard around here. NoNo is a night owl and guess who gets to stay up with her? That's right. Me. Unfortunately, I don't get to sleep in like she does.

I don't think the review is getting done today so scratch that. Lata, y'all!

Today has been something else. All day I have listened as Conservatives have cried that President Obama was ignoring the National Day Of Prayer. I even found a link about how the National Day of Prayer is in danger and it asks you to sign a petition asking the President to acknowledge the importance of it. Then I find out that not only did Obama sign the proclamation for the NDOP but White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he would do so on Tuesday.

So, why all the fuss?

Well, it appears President Obama went back to the days before President Bush and just signed the proclamation instead of having a big public ceremony ... so that makes him a bad, bad man.

I guess it doesn't matter that not only has the President asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, which claims the day violates the separation of church and state ... but that his administration has also argued that the group doesn't even have legal standing to sue since the tradition dates back to 1775 and that most presidents have invoked faith in God. No, that isn't enough. They wanted him to have numerous ceremonies costing even more money to show he cared about the day.

See ... it is all about priorities. Spending money to care for the poor is encouraging laziness, stealing money from taxpayers, and evil socialism. But, taking your money to spend on ceremonies showing how religious he and you are is just plain good stewardship.

I am glad we cleared that up. 

When Pastor is preaching, please do not blow your nose. It is also very bad manners to keep blowing it and blowing it and blowing it. Also, once you escalate to cleaning each nostril ... repeatedly ... you have really gone too far. Not only is it distracting to the Pastor, but it is also very distracting to those sitting around you suppressing the urge to die in hysterical laughter or smack you upside your head.

By the way ... there is a restroom where you can take care of such non-hygienic endeavors. You will find soap, water, and a sink to wash your hands when you are done. There is also a trash can in there so that you can throw your tissue away. It really has no place in your pocket ... especially after all of that.

This is the first edition of What Not To Do In Church (WNTDIC). I hope it has been of some service to you. :)

From Feeding America:

With one in eight Americans not getting enough to eat, hunger is a serious issue in our country.

On Wednesday, April 29, First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, and the spouses of 150 Members of Congress helped raise hunger awareness by spending the day packing lunches for hungry children at the Capital Area Food Bank.

This is a critical time to spread the word about hunger in America. Both American families and the food banks that help them are struggling with the economic downturn. In this tough time, Feeding America is working with those committed to ending hunger--like Mrs. Obama--to help those who are in need.

Feeding America greatly appreciates the First Lady's ongoing commitment to fighting hunger, and the President's commitment to ending childhood hunger by 2015. Will you join President and Mrs. Obama in this fight? To become a Feeding America Hunger Advocate, please visit our Hunger Action Center today!

Ending hunger, regardless of where it is found, is a worthy cause. Prayerfully consider partnering with an organization like Feeding America in this endeavor.

What will your choice be?

As many of you know, I joined the School of Biblical Evangelism last month and I have been enjoying it immensely. Today, in Lesson 15, I found this quote by A. W. Tozer and just had to share it ...

God's justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The vague and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day nearer and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings, we dare not so trifle with our eternal future. (The Knowledge of the Holy)

That is powerful and I remember when I used to hope the same thing. I would tell myself that God loves me too much to punish me for what I did. Wasn't it His fault I did those things, after all? He made me. He made me the way I was. If I wanted to have sex outside of marriage or be dishonest about something ... wasn't He ultimately responsible?

Of course, those were excuses. I see so many people who are just like I was. They think that when it comes down to it, they are going to ride it out and God is just going to look the other way. And, while God does love us and He did make us ... sin will destroy us if we do not repent and turn from it.

Well, I ended up in the emergency room Sunday night. I arrived at church feeling just fine at five o'clock and by six I was in a state. I could barely make it up the stairs to the balcony. I felt horrible. My chest, left shoulder and bicep were hurting. My chest was actually hurting all the way through me to my back and it felt tight. My head was pounding and I just wanted to get out of there and lay down.

After worship, a number of people stopped me to ask me if I was alright and I figured I might want to head to the ER. If I looked as bad as I felt, and obviously I did, I thought it might be in my best interests. I stepped into service and told my husband and we headed out. I really didn't want to go, but I did feel really bad.

After an EKG, chest x-ray, blood gas, labs, and urine specimen ... I was told that I was fine and that the pain in my chest was most likely ... you guessed it ... Fibromyalgia! You know, because everything is Fibromyalgia. My blood pressure was high and I don't have high blood pressure ... but it was still ... FIBROMYALGIA. They said I had inflammation in my chest wall.

Funny thing is ... I have been having these episodes for about two weeks and I have never had anything like it with Fibromyalgia. I can feel just great and then suddenly, I don't. My head hurts, my eyes hurt, I get hot (and I mean HOT!), I feel horrible and all I want to do is go to sleep. I get really irritated too and wherever I am ... I just want to get out of there and quickly! My husband tells the doctor this and he says that it could be hormones or my thyroid. He says it could even be that my sugar is bottoming out or going high and that I need to check my sugar for a few days.

Well, I checked my sugar yesterday and and it was 104 (fasting), 114, 100, 105, and 109. It definitely is not running high. So, I am going to check it next time I have an episode and see if it is low. In the meantime, I am waiting for the rest of my lab results to go to my regular doctor to see if there is anything going on with my thyroid or adrenal gland.

Just to be on the safe side ... the next time I have an episode we are going to Wal-Mart to have my blood pressure checked. I have had low to normal blood pressure all my life. The only time it has ever run high was when I was giving birth to NoNo. I was not happy at all to see that it was running high Sunday night and it concerns me that the doctor really wasn't too concerned about it.

I get it that I have Fibromyalgia and the pre-cursory conditions for Rheumatoid Arthritis. I get it that I deal with high levels of inflammation and probably will for the rest of my life. I get it that my C-Reactive Proteins stay abnormally high all the time. I even get it that all of it is chronic and that it is hitting me young. I do. I get it. But, I don't get that everything ... and I mean everything ... is explained by Fibromyalgia.

Every pain. Every symptom. I tell you ... it is frustrating and it makes me not want to see a doctor at all.

Let me say a couple of things upfront. One: I haven't read a romance novel in over fifteen years. Two: I was not aware that there were Christian romance novels. I had never read one before now and after reading Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander, I wrote Bethany House Publishers and asked for the first book in the Timber Ridge Reflection Series. Beyond This Moment is #2.

Yeah. It was that good.

Tamera Alexander has a way with words and her characters have a way of drawing you in. I instantly fell in love with their depth and richness. I was so enthralled by them that I hated having to put the book down and sat up far too late on a few occassions to continue reading when I should have been asleep. I also found myself hoping that she will continue to write about many of the characters and give them their own stories.

The book is set in the Colorado Territory during the late 1800's and is about the life-changing journey Dr. Molly Whitcomb takes to the Colorado Mountains, the choices she makes, the people she meets along the way, and the love she finds ... in more ways than one. I give it 5 stars and highly recommend it.

- Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander was reviewed by me and I was not paid for this review.

Every now and again I get asked where did I get my blog name and why that name? Some people can't seem to mesh that I am a Christian and that my blog name is also the name of some sci-fi novels. Then there is the whole thing about "rogue" angels being cast into hell and being Satan's demons.

My blog name has nothing to do with either. Believe me. :)

I had this name before those books were ever written and it has nothing to do with fallen angels. I was actually given the name "Rogue Angel" online by an ex-boyfriend. I was looking for a new online name and he decided to combine my "real-life" nickname and my favorite X-Men character. Yes ... I am an X-Men fan! Big time! I love the comics and the movies.

He felt that it fit perfectly and I liked it. So there you have it. That is how The Rogue Angel came to be and why I have kept this name online for almost ten years. And, believe it or not ... a lot of people used to call me "Rogue" online and off. Sometimes, they still do.