Do you ever play this game in your head and ask yourself 'what if' about certain matters? I do it all the time. It is probably the singlemost thing I do that keeps me on my toes as far as how I treat others, my husband most especially, and how seriously I take my commitment to the Lord. It has everything to do with my not wanting to live with regrets.
What if I never got to see my husband again? Not to sound like the Garth Brooks song, but did he know how much I love him? Was I as good a wife as I could be to him? Was I an encourager to him? Did he love spending time with me or did he dread being in my presence?
What if I never got to see my friends and family members ever again? How did I treat them? I know I'm not perfect, but was I a good example to them or a bad one? Did I cause their faith to stumble? Was I hateful to anyone? Do I need to apologize to anyone? Was I fun to be with? Did they enjoy having me around?
Finally and most importantly, if this were my last day on earth, am I ready to meet the Lord? As for right now, am I where I would want Him to find me if He were to come this very instant? Have I been as faithful as I could be to God by putting Him first in my life? Is my name still in the Book of Life or has it been blotted out because I just couldn't be bothered when it came to spending time worshipping Him?
I decided some time ago that it's best to just act as if TODAY is my last day on earth; that the Lord is coming TODAY. If you preface your decision making with that in mind, you'll make the right choices. Anyway, we can't know, can we, if we'll ever see our loved ones again or if we'll have time to make things right with God.
To my husband, I should always be his wife of noble character (Prov. 12:4).
To my friends and family members I must remember: "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." Heb. 3:13
To my Lord, I must seek him first (Mt. 6:33) and be faithful to the point of death (Rev. 2:1) because He will come when I least expect it (1 Thess. 5:2; Rev. 16:15).
Friends, I hope you will do the same and not live with regrets.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Post #100! -- But I'll Admit It's Stupid
I didn't mean for this to be a brain-damaged post. I really didn't; but have you ever had so much goofy stuff rolling around in your head that it keeps getting in the way of constructive, rational thinking? I'm so there. Junk, I tell ya! Dumb stuff like this eventually has to be vocally expressed or put on paper, so here it goes:
1. I have a theory that you can silence a teenager by duct-taping their thumbs down so they can't text. I wonder if any of you moms out there will test my theory and get back to me on your findings.
2. I was reading the account of the births of Jacob and Esau. It said Esau was the firstborn and that he was covered all over with reddish hair. What a strange thing to say about an infant. Did that mean he was such an ugly baby that you had to hang meat around his neck just to get the dog to play with him? Or, did he have hypertrichosis--like Jo Jo the Dog Boy that used to be in the circus? Reddish hair too. Bet he looked like Chewbacca. Instead of crying, did he do that Chewie "Aaaauuuuggghhhh" sound? Esau was a wookie!!
I've got more, but I'll dump those on you later. Thanks for indulging my silliness.
Love Ya,
God Bless
1. I have a theory that you can silence a teenager by duct-taping their thumbs down so they can't text. I wonder if any of you moms out there will test my theory and get back to me on your findings.
2. I was reading the account of the births of Jacob and Esau. It said Esau was the firstborn and that he was covered all over with reddish hair. What a strange thing to say about an infant. Did that mean he was such an ugly baby that you had to hang meat around his neck just to get the dog to play with him? Or, did he have hypertrichosis--like Jo Jo the Dog Boy that used to be in the circus? Reddish hair too. Bet he looked like Chewbacca. Instead of crying, did he do that Chewie "Aaaauuuuggghhhh" sound? Esau was a wookie!!
I've got more, but I'll dump those on you later. Thanks for indulging my silliness.
Love Ya,
God Bless
Monday, February 16, 2009
SHHHHHH!!
Psa. 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
At some point this past weekend, I simply shut down. Whether it was brought about by stress or fatigue, I cannot say; but outwardly I went mute for awhile. I couldn't tolerate noise pollution and didn't want the TV or radio on. I may have been quiet on the outside, but on the inside I was processing data and my brain was screaming out loud. This often leaves me unable to fall asleep at night because I cannot shut off the chatter in my head. I've discovered this happens when I've suffered a media overload on issues about which I have very strong opinions which may not be acceptable to others. Also, it happens when I have too much on my plate mentally to deal with. Anxiety sets in and vexes my spirit.
During this time the I came across Psalm 46:10 in my Bible study. Talk about timely! I read it silently, but it was as if I could actually hear God's thundering voice behind it--His majesty and omnipotence. The passage is both powerful and quietening to me. Mentally, I said, "Yes, Father." He was reminding me that I shouldn't let things get under my skin so; that He is still in charge no matter what mankind thinks.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
At some point this past weekend, I simply shut down. Whether it was brought about by stress or fatigue, I cannot say; but outwardly I went mute for awhile. I couldn't tolerate noise pollution and didn't want the TV or radio on. I may have been quiet on the outside, but on the inside I was processing data and my brain was screaming out loud. This often leaves me unable to fall asleep at night because I cannot shut off the chatter in my head. I've discovered this happens when I've suffered a media overload on issues about which I have very strong opinions which may not be acceptable to others. Also, it happens when I have too much on my plate mentally to deal with. Anxiety sets in and vexes my spirit.
During this time the I came across Psalm 46:10 in my Bible study. Talk about timely! I read it silently, but it was as if I could actually hear God's thundering voice behind it--His majesty and omnipotence. The passage is both powerful and quietening to me. Mentally, I said, "Yes, Father." He was reminding me that I shouldn't let things get under my skin so; that He is still in charge no matter what mankind thinks.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Babies--Eight at Once!!
The birth of a baby is a wonderful occasion. Although I haven't wanted any myself, I'm ecstatic for friends and family that have successfully conceived and carried a baby to term. I have friends and family who are fertility impaired. They're all in happy marriages and deserve to be parents. Some were eventually successful. Others were not.
Skip to the news story of the last couple of weeks. A 33 year-old unmarried, unemployed woman who already has 6 children and lives with her parents had 8 embryos implanted in vitro and gave birth to all of them. According to one report I read, the prenatal-care, births, and post-natal care of these children, pending their eventual release from the hospital, will already be 1.3 million dollars, to be borne by the taxpayers, of course. How's that for a jaw-dropper!? I am personally repulsed and incensed by this. This was done on purpose. The doctor who implanted these babies in this irresponsible woman should lose his license. He's no different from Dr. Mengele. The babies should be adopted to people who are able to support them and give them good homes. God cemented this woman's fallopian tubes shut for a reason, apparently, but science found a way around it. People have multiples implanted on purpose, it would seem. It's unhealthy both for the woman and the babies. They're usually low birth weight babies and prone to birth defects. I believe abortion is morally wrong because it is murder. When these women are told they should selectively abort some of these embryos, they say they don't want to play God. Well, excuse me, but how is implanting several fertilized eggs not also playing God? I would really love for some of you to comment. I agree with the Scriptures that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa. 139: 13-16), but human insanity never ceases to amaze me. Please, please, weigh in on this matter and tell me what YOUR take on this is.
Skip to the news story of the last couple of weeks. A 33 year-old unmarried, unemployed woman who already has 6 children and lives with her parents had 8 embryos implanted in vitro and gave birth to all of them. According to one report I read, the prenatal-care, births, and post-natal care of these children, pending their eventual release from the hospital, will already be 1.3 million dollars, to be borne by the taxpayers, of course. How's that for a jaw-dropper!? I am personally repulsed and incensed by this. This was done on purpose. The doctor who implanted these babies in this irresponsible woman should lose his license. He's no different from Dr. Mengele. The babies should be adopted to people who are able to support them and give them good homes. God cemented this woman's fallopian tubes shut for a reason, apparently, but science found a way around it. People have multiples implanted on purpose, it would seem. It's unhealthy both for the woman and the babies. They're usually low birth weight babies and prone to birth defects. I believe abortion is morally wrong because it is murder. When these women are told they should selectively abort some of these embryos, they say they don't want to play God. Well, excuse me, but how is implanting several fertilized eggs not also playing God? I would really love for some of you to comment. I agree with the Scriptures that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made (Psa. 139: 13-16), but human insanity never ceases to amaze me. Please, please, weigh in on this matter and tell me what YOUR take on this is.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
EXCUSES!
Excuses are a personal pet peeve of mine. I've learned not to offer them for my own shortcomings because they sound so lame, and I don't like hearing them from anyone else. I appreciate a person's candor much more than I do some story they might concoct as to why they did or didn't do something. Even silence is better.
I know many teachers, and I wonder, on the average, how many excuses they hear from their students in the course of a work week. I expect young children and teenagers to try excuses because their character is still under construction. I'm sure some of the responses they give are very amusing. Excuses from adults are not funny though. They're a character flaw. It's far better just to man-up or woman-up, tell the truth and soldier on. It's a sign of maturity. I came to the realization many years ago, and although it can make you initially uncomfortable to tell the truth, you will gain respect from it in the end because people will know that you're being straight-up with them.
I did have one occasion on which my honest response angered someone. She was a telemarketer. I tried to interrupt her before she started her spiel, but she shouldn't let me get a word in edgewise to tell her I wasn't interested. I let her ramble on for what seemed like ten minutes and at the end she asked, "Are you ready to take advantage of our offer today?" By that time I was already irritated she had used up my time and hers and I simply replied, "no." "NO!? What not? Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of this offer?" She sounded angry and incredulous. I said, "because it's my prerogative to say no." Wow! That really set her off. She launched into a tirade of expletives and I simply hung up on her. I don't have to listen to that.
I recalled this while I was reading my daily devotional this morning. I noticed that excuses don't carry truck with the Lord either. In Luke 14: 16-24, Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet. In the Middle East in those times it was customary to send out an initial first invitation for a response--much like we would send out an RSVP today. The invited guests in this parable had already accepted the first invitation and committed themselves. However, by the time the second invitation arrived summoning them to the banquet, they reneged because they had changed their minds. They didn't tell the host they had changed their minds, but they all gave excuses. The host was furious! He cut off any future invitations to those people and called others to enjoy his feast.
There are no good enough excuses for not serving God, and verses 25 through 27 of that same chapter tell us that our commitment to the cause of Christ supercedes all other relationships--even those with our family.
Are we offering God excuses rather than our service? There are no "yes, buts" with Him. There's no straddling the fence. Jesus says in Luke 11: 23, "He who is not with me is against me...." Joshua urged the Israelites in Joshua 24: 15 to commit either way to whom they chose to serve. He declared that he and his house would serve the Lord. Be honest with Him and yourself and make a choice to go either direction.
Love ya,
God Bless!
I know many teachers, and I wonder, on the average, how many excuses they hear from their students in the course of a work week. I expect young children and teenagers to try excuses because their character is still under construction. I'm sure some of the responses they give are very amusing. Excuses from adults are not funny though. They're a character flaw. It's far better just to man-up or woman-up, tell the truth and soldier on. It's a sign of maturity. I came to the realization many years ago, and although it can make you initially uncomfortable to tell the truth, you will gain respect from it in the end because people will know that you're being straight-up with them.
I did have one occasion on which my honest response angered someone. She was a telemarketer. I tried to interrupt her before she started her spiel, but she shouldn't let me get a word in edgewise to tell her I wasn't interested. I let her ramble on for what seemed like ten minutes and at the end she asked, "Are you ready to take advantage of our offer today?" By that time I was already irritated she had used up my time and hers and I simply replied, "no." "NO!? What not? Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of this offer?" She sounded angry and incredulous. I said, "because it's my prerogative to say no." Wow! That really set her off. She launched into a tirade of expletives and I simply hung up on her. I don't have to listen to that.
I recalled this while I was reading my daily devotional this morning. I noticed that excuses don't carry truck with the Lord either. In Luke 14: 16-24, Jesus tells the parable of the great banquet. In the Middle East in those times it was customary to send out an initial first invitation for a response--much like we would send out an RSVP today. The invited guests in this parable had already accepted the first invitation and committed themselves. However, by the time the second invitation arrived summoning them to the banquet, they reneged because they had changed their minds. They didn't tell the host they had changed their minds, but they all gave excuses. The host was furious! He cut off any future invitations to those people and called others to enjoy his feast.
There are no good enough excuses for not serving God, and verses 25 through 27 of that same chapter tell us that our commitment to the cause of Christ supercedes all other relationships--even those with our family.
Are we offering God excuses rather than our service? There are no "yes, buts" with Him. There's no straddling the fence. Jesus says in Luke 11: 23, "He who is not with me is against me...." Joshua urged the Israelites in Joshua 24: 15 to commit either way to whom they chose to serve. He declared that he and his house would serve the Lord. Be honest with Him and yourself and make a choice to go either direction.
Love ya,
God Bless!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Sound of Silence
Wasn't that a Simon & Garfunkel song? Anyway, I'm sort of bummed. Okay, no, I'm a lot bummed. I'm going through a valley right now--a valley of discouragement. The sound of silence I'm referring to is that I've yet to hear God's answer to a long held prayer. I'm undecided about whether I should continue praying about the matter or just stop altogether mentioning it.
I know that I'm not the only person who has ever become discouraged. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah was disheartened after fleeing from Jezebel after her death threats. He was hiding in the Kerith Ravine. He felt abandoned but God had not left him. God sent the ravens to sustain him with food. In Genesis 21, Hagar felt she had been abandoned with her son and left to die in the Desert of Beersheba. God provided her answers there.
I'm hanging on. I've examined myself and tried to repent of everything I'm aware of that could be hindering my prayer from being answered. Hopefully, He'll send word (through results) soon.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
I know that I'm not the only person who has ever become discouraged. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah was disheartened after fleeing from Jezebel after her death threats. He was hiding in the Kerith Ravine. He felt abandoned but God had not left him. God sent the ravens to sustain him with food. In Genesis 21, Hagar felt she had been abandoned with her son and left to die in the Desert of Beersheba. God provided her answers there.
I'm hanging on. I've examined myself and tried to repent of everything I'm aware of that could be hindering my prayer from being answered. Hopefully, He'll send word (through results) soon.
Love Ya,
God Bless!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Are You Free?
I'm certain my parents didn't plan it to be so, but I was born on the Fourth of July. God meant for me to be born on that date. He knew how much I would cherish my freedom. When I think of myself, I'm like a wild mustang running free, enjoying each lung-filling breath. When my husband proposed to me he said something that some would consider a contradiction. He said, "I want to marry you and set you free." He meant that he loved me so much that he wanted to claim me as his, but not squelch my spirit.
I am priviledged in many ways, none the least of which that I was born in a free country. I love my free time. It's a precious commodity to me. I enjoy doing what I want to when I want to unfettered by anyone or anything. I get really defensive if anyone plans my time for me. I enjoy speaking my thoughts when I feel like it without fear of being arrested, beaten or imprisoned. It's a charmed life, for sure. However, I am human and make many mistakes. Sometimes I sin...okay, often I sin. It is then that I turn to God the Father and ask His forgiveness (sometimes this requires my asking others to forgive me as well--sometimes not). He freely forgives when I "woman up" and own my transgressions (Psa. 32:5; 79:8-9; 86:5-7). My personal favorite verse about His removing our sins is Psalms 103: 11-12 which states, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." That is what makes us truly free for John 8: 34-36 states, "Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Galatians 5: 1 tells us, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Are you free? Do you want to be? It's yours for the taking if you'll but ask Him for it.
Love Ya,
God Bless
I am priviledged in many ways, none the least of which that I was born in a free country. I love my free time. It's a precious commodity to me. I enjoy doing what I want to when I want to unfettered by anyone or anything. I get really defensive if anyone plans my time for me. I enjoy speaking my thoughts when I feel like it without fear of being arrested, beaten or imprisoned. It's a charmed life, for sure. However, I am human and make many mistakes. Sometimes I sin...okay, often I sin. It is then that I turn to God the Father and ask His forgiveness (sometimes this requires my asking others to forgive me as well--sometimes not). He freely forgives when I "woman up" and own my transgressions (Psa. 32:5; 79:8-9; 86:5-7). My personal favorite verse about His removing our sins is Psalms 103: 11-12 which states, "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." That is what makes us truly free for John 8: 34-36 states, "Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Galatians 5: 1 tells us, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Are you free? Do you want to be? It's yours for the taking if you'll but ask Him for it.
Love Ya,
God Bless
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