Not that 2010 was such a horrible year. It really wasn't too bad for me and mine. However, I know soooooo many people who have experienced yet another heartache, another financial struggle and loss, another sense of hopelessness and despair, another illness, and yet another death. This year has been devastatingly cruel to some people, it seems. :( For those suffering so greatly this year, I am truly sorry. I pray that 2011 marks a turn-around and breakthrough and true recovery for their lives.
I am thankful for 2010. Not that everything went hunky-dory or anything like that, but I have grown in some ways that could not have happened otherwise. Previous years have been trying for me, and 2010 has given me a step in a better direction. I have developed some better habits in 2010 that I believe will carry me into 2011 and beyond.
New Year's Resolutions.....
Hmmm, I'm not really one to make New Year's Resolutions. I've been out of that habit for years b/c it seems like I break most of them them no later than the complete month of January. It should be called New January Resolutions, y'know? ;)
Having said that, I DO have some goals that I want to accomplish for 2011. In Habakkuk 2:2-3, this minor prophet was encouraged to write down his goals/vision and, while it will take some time for it to come to pass, it WILL come to pass. Pastor John Hagee used this message for his sermon: Write it down and make it happen! It is a practice that I have developed over the last couple of years, and I must say that it has been helpful to me. :)
Some goals I'd like to meet in 2011.....
I will read the Bible from cover to cover. While I've read the Bible almost every day, and have indeed read almost all it, I've never consecutively read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that I've missed over the years b/c I've yet to truly read those words. The only reason I've gone past those words before is b/c I was focusing on whatever study I was engaged in at the time. I've found that when I'm "casually" reading (lacking better word here~~reading w/o it relating to a specific lesson) the Bible, some words just jump out at me and it fits a situation I've discovered within the past week or so.
I see a much smaller version of myself. I've allowed last year's excessive heat get the best of me. My food choices have been not-so-great lately, and I've been sick b/c of it. I've got goals in mind and print for this year, and I'm already putting plans into practice. I had almost reached my goals a couple of years ago, and I've virtually undone all my work just last year. This is one of those areas in which you just gotta do it. Creflo Dollar says when you're "gonna do" something, you're really not ready for the change yet. When you are truly ready to make changes, you start changes right away. I admit I've spent a lifetime with "gonna do" and rarely stick to my goals to completion. I've started changing that last month and will continue into and through this new year.
I see myself with a new and better job. This is not to say that the job I have is bad or that I don't like it, but it's changing in ways I'm convicted I can't continue. The Lord has nudged me at my back here in 2010 that I need to do something else, but I've hem hawed about it to the point that situations have changed, and I'd better change with it to remain in the growing direction I need to be! Here's to a new and better job in January 2011 and beyond!!
I see more quality time and opportunities spent with my family in 2011. I shamefully admit that I've let the digital distractions of this day and age overwhelm me these last couple of years. My boys are not growing younger. They need me, even now more than ever. Not necessarily in the sense that I've got to be there to make things work or make them do anything, but I want to be more available for them as they grow. My J8 is a game player, and I want to bring out his best characteristics he possesses when he does play games. My T13 is not a game player, but there are other avenues to explore with him. He's turning into a young man before my eyes, and our times together have become more detached than I'd like. I'm very proud of him, but I admit I've not been very good at expressing that lately. He needs to know. I am also trying to get Hubby to remember his relationship with his dad and re-awaken his desire to make his relationship with his boys better.
I've not made plans for celebration or tradition for bringing in the New Year. Hubby bought a beautiful bottle of wine for a cozy toasting in the New Year. Crowds of unruly people are not our thing. I do have a prayer that all of my family and friends remain safe and healthy through yet another year.
LOL, I still do not know the words to Auld Lang Syne, but I think it's a neat song steeped in traditions from long ago, especially from my ancient heritage. I do love reading about traditions from around the globe, from the greeting to why they do the things they do. It's much like Christmas to me, fascinating! :)
Whatever you do to celebrate the New Year, I pray that you have a most blessed one! I wish you a most prosperous 3John2 New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me
Today is December 13th. There are 12 more days 'til Christmas. This is a time when my boys and I get a kick out of singing this song. I'm not sure what the real meaning of this song truly is (if there are literally 12 days to celebrate Christmas like there are 8 days to celebrate Hanukkah, for example). I think I remember something about January 5th is considered the 12th day of Christmas but still don't know details because I've not looked it up just yet, but with my boys I treat this kind of like telling time...a quarter "of" 6 means it's 15 minutes before 6 o'clock~~like a "countdown" to Christmas. Either way, it's a fun time in MY family.
I received in an email one time some early Christian coded meanings of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and whether it's true or not, I'm not too concerned, I think it's pretty neat and can easily see the application. :) Evidently, I'm not the only one. An article about this was written by Dennis Bratcher. I'll summarize below. I hope you'll read his article, tho. I found it was a good read. :)
A Partridge in a Pear Tree symbolized Jesus.
Two Turtle Doves symbolized the Old and New Testaments.
Three French Hens symbolized the Three virtues: Faith, hope and love.
Four Calling Birds symbolized the Four Gospels
Five Gold Rings symbolized the first Five Books of the Bible/The Books of Moses/The Pentateuch.
Six Geese A-laying symbolized the Six Days of Creation (God rested on the seventh).
Seven Swans A-Swimming symbolized The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Eight Maids A-milking symbolized The Beattitudes.
Nine Ladies Dancing symbolized The Fruit of the Spirit.
Ten Lords A-leaping symbolized The Ten Commandments.
Eleven Pipers Piping symbolized the Eleven FAITHFUL Disciples/Apostles of Jesus.
Twelve Drummers Drumming symbolized the twelve doctrinal points of the Apostles' Creed.
I hope you find this as fascinating as I did. It's definitely a great tool to share with young Christians today. :)
In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I received in an email one time some early Christian coded meanings of the Twelve Days of Christmas, and whether it's true or not, I'm not too concerned, I think it's pretty neat and can easily see the application. :) Evidently, I'm not the only one. An article about this was written by Dennis Bratcher. I'll summarize below. I hope you'll read his article, tho. I found it was a good read. :)
A Partridge in a Pear Tree symbolized Jesus.
Two Turtle Doves symbolized the Old and New Testaments.
Three French Hens symbolized the Three virtues: Faith, hope and love.
Four Calling Birds symbolized the Four Gospels
Five Gold Rings symbolized the first Five Books of the Bible/The Books of Moses/The Pentateuch.
Six Geese A-laying symbolized the Six Days of Creation (God rested on the seventh).
Seven Swans A-Swimming symbolized The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Eight Maids A-milking symbolized The Beattitudes.
Nine Ladies Dancing symbolized The Fruit of the Spirit.
Ten Lords A-leaping symbolized The Ten Commandments.
Eleven Pipers Piping symbolized the Eleven FAITHFUL Disciples/Apostles of Jesus.
Twelve Drummers Drumming symbolized the twelve doctrinal points of the Apostles' Creed.
I hope you find this as fascinating as I did. It's definitely a great tool to share with young Christians today. :)
In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS!
O Christmas, O Christmas. How Do I Love Thee? Let me Count the Ways!
No, I am NOT Elizabeth Barrett Browning nor William Shakepeare. I don't have the gift of poetry...not that I've tried to develop, anyway.
My only qualification to write this particular post is that I DO LOVE CHRISTMAS. This is my most favorite holiday and time of year of all.
There's no exact telling when Jesus, The Christ, was born; but this is the day that early Christians chose to celebrate His birth. No matter the original reason for choosing this date, I believe that God has truly made this day to be a magical time for humanity. Joseph of the Old Testament told his brothers, upon forgiving them, that what they meant for evil for him, God made into a blessing for His people. I believe it's time to put aside the bickering about why early Christians chose this particular day (including the encroachment of Pagan celebrations in order to win converts to Christianity), at least for one day. No matter what mankind does in God's Name, His Power cannot be diminished or contained when it is, or becomes, His Will and Purpose.
My perception of Christmas has changed over the years and, I must say, it's for the better. It's easy to lose sight of what Christmas is all about when we become overwhelmed with the commercialism and materialism of this holiday. When all is said and done, what DOES Christmas mean?
My pastor preached a wonderful sermon this past Sunday about John's Gospel and it's perception of Jesus' birth. The other Gospels come from various human perspective, but John's comes more from how God sees the picture. What God saw was a world of darkness. A world enveloped in sin and its consequences of that sin. God shined the Light upon this world through His Word, the Creator, the Man. Some knew Him, others did not. Some received Him, others did not. Of those who did receive Him, tho, they became sons of God, even those who believed upon His very Name. As children of God, Christians are able to become and continue to be that salt and light of the world through Him. He lived so that when He died and rose again, we may live eternally from the consequence, guilt, and condemnation of sin...it is free to anyone who asks Him into their heart, in faith believing, that He is their Lord and Saviour. God's love is complete in Jesus.
This is a very abbreviated summary such that I've not done it any justice, but that sermon spoke to me. Working in a materialistic and commercialistic atmosphere for so many years has jaded my spirit in times past. Other retailers know precisely what I mean here. I am happy to be reminded how to return to my roots and better enjoy my moments of Christmas no matter what anyone else is doing.
The Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke proclaim wonderful news as prophesied by Isaiah. The King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Govenor, etc. The magnificence of God was embodied into that of a human being. What a glorious celebration! No wonder the hosts of heavens were said to have sung as they welcomed His birth! :)
M-A-N-Y traditions have come along in the annual celebration of Jesus' birth. Many of those traditions have roots in pagan worship or observations. However, just like there's a version of a flood story in many religious cultures, there's a special view of some of these traditions that make them Christian.
This is my favorite time of year as we get together with family and some friends. We've had some great years celebrating. We've had some not-so-great years celebrating Christmas. But by golly, we CELEBRATED Christmas!
LOL, I remember one Christmas when I was in my teens, we always got together with our neighbor/family friends. We always did an "all-day" thing when we got together for holidays. This particulary year we were ALL miserably sick. I mean A-L-L of us. We figured that we might as well all enjoy our creeping crud together, I guess. We all had various stages of colds and flu~~most of us couldn't stop sneezing and coughing. So we sit at the table, huddled in our blankets, robes and coats, trying to play some kind of game (I forgot what game we were playing~~bingo, Monopoly or Yatzee~~doubt we tried to play cards that day, but who knows), and Mom had several timers go off at various intervals as we passed the medicine around. Looking back, that was pretty insane, and I seriously doubt we'd ever do that again. However, also looking back, even tho none of us felt human, it was kinda neat that we were all sharing the misery together while trying to make light of it together. We don't get together much anymore. We've all kind of drifted apart into parts of town unfamiliar to the rest of us, but we do call each other up from time to time. :)
My favorite thing to do for Christmas is sing. I LOVE Christmas music!! I love the traditional hymns, the kooky hits, the hip and jazzy contemporaries, and the classic Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole types. My favorite Christmas carol to hear is Carol of the Bells. I honestly believe that I could never tire of that song. If someone gave me a CD recording of all the different versions of Carol of the Bells, I would be totally tickled pink, I love it THAT much! : D A few of my favorite songs to sing are Silent Night, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, many other hymns; Deck the Halls, Let It Snow, Do They Know It's Christmas Time, that crazy song that mixes greetings of Hanukkah and Christmas (think Adam Sandler did it??), and others. I have a Celtic Christmas CD that my late mother in law had that is incredibly beautiful to listen to, in my most humble opinion, of course! ;)
Is there such thing as too much baking during the Christmas holidays?? I haven't reached that point yet. :} Part of it is due to baking goodies is something I'm pretty good at (so I've been told, lol), and the other part is that the weather is FINALLY conducive to baking!! : D I avoid baking or cooking as much as possible when it's hot outside (which is almost 11 months out fo the year, lol), but when the winds blow that blue northern into my territory (it happens occasionally!), it's time to light up the oven! : D
I love to decorate for Christmas, but I am not seeking to be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens...it ain't that type of home! I've got Christmasy things going thoughout the house, and like most homes, the Christmas themes grow each year. My favorite decoration for my home, tho, is Love. God loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son to reconcile us back to Him, in a tiny baby who grew into His role as Saviour of the world. I've got a few nativities at home. Wouldn't mine more. I can probably find a place for them. :) The peace of the Christmas day is phenomenal to me. It doesn't really matter why this day was chosen, but I believe we can all enjoy this moment of peace and good tiding to man. Pray for peace, let peace begin with me.
There is much more I can write, but for now, this'll hafta do. It's at least a small glimpse into my Estelleworld. There is much I can write about different elements of Christmas that I enjoy. Perhaps I'll attempt to write them next Christmas. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, I wish every one of you a most wonderfully blessed and Merry Christmas! I pray that all of you experience a 3 John 2 New Year!
My only qualification to write this particular post is that I DO LOVE CHRISTMAS. This is my most favorite holiday and time of year of all.
There's no exact telling when Jesus, The Christ, was born; but this is the day that early Christians chose to celebrate His birth. No matter the original reason for choosing this date, I believe that God has truly made this day to be a magical time for humanity. Joseph of the Old Testament told his brothers, upon forgiving them, that what they meant for evil for him, God made into a blessing for His people. I believe it's time to put aside the bickering about why early Christians chose this particular day (including the encroachment of Pagan celebrations in order to win converts to Christianity), at least for one day. No matter what mankind does in God's Name, His Power cannot be diminished or contained when it is, or becomes, His Will and Purpose.
My perception of Christmas has changed over the years and, I must say, it's for the better. It's easy to lose sight of what Christmas is all about when we become overwhelmed with the commercialism and materialism of this holiday. When all is said and done, what DOES Christmas mean?
My pastor preached a wonderful sermon this past Sunday about John's Gospel and it's perception of Jesus' birth. The other Gospels come from various human perspective, but John's comes more from how God sees the picture. What God saw was a world of darkness. A world enveloped in sin and its consequences of that sin. God shined the Light upon this world through His Word, the Creator, the Man. Some knew Him, others did not. Some received Him, others did not. Of those who did receive Him, tho, they became sons of God, even those who believed upon His very Name. As children of God, Christians are able to become and continue to be that salt and light of the world through Him. He lived so that when He died and rose again, we may live eternally from the consequence, guilt, and condemnation of sin...it is free to anyone who asks Him into their heart, in faith believing, that He is their Lord and Saviour. God's love is complete in Jesus.
This is a very abbreviated summary such that I've not done it any justice, but that sermon spoke to me. Working in a materialistic and commercialistic atmosphere for so many years has jaded my spirit in times past. Other retailers know precisely what I mean here. I am happy to be reminded how to return to my roots and better enjoy my moments of Christmas no matter what anyone else is doing.
The Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke proclaim wonderful news as prophesied by Isaiah. The King of kings, Lord of lords, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Govenor, etc. The magnificence of God was embodied into that of a human being. What a glorious celebration! No wonder the hosts of heavens were said to have sung as they welcomed His birth! :)
M-A-N-Y traditions have come along in the annual celebration of Jesus' birth. Many of those traditions have roots in pagan worship or observations. However, just like there's a version of a flood story in many religious cultures, there's a special view of some of these traditions that make them Christian.
This is my favorite time of year as we get together with family and some friends. We've had some great years celebrating. We've had some not-so-great years celebrating Christmas. But by golly, we CELEBRATED Christmas!
LOL, I remember one Christmas when I was in my teens, we always got together with our neighbor/family friends. We always did an "all-day" thing when we got together for holidays. This particulary year we were ALL miserably sick. I mean A-L-L of us. We figured that we might as well all enjoy our creeping crud together, I guess. We all had various stages of colds and flu~~most of us couldn't stop sneezing and coughing. So we sit at the table, huddled in our blankets, robes and coats, trying to play some kind of game (I forgot what game we were playing~~bingo, Monopoly or Yatzee~~doubt we tried to play cards that day, but who knows), and Mom had several timers go off at various intervals as we passed the medicine around. Looking back, that was pretty insane, and I seriously doubt we'd ever do that again. However, also looking back, even tho none of us felt human, it was kinda neat that we were all sharing the misery together while trying to make light of it together. We don't get together much anymore. We've all kind of drifted apart into parts of town unfamiliar to the rest of us, but we do call each other up from time to time. :)
My favorite thing to do for Christmas is sing. I LOVE Christmas music!! I love the traditional hymns, the kooky hits, the hip and jazzy contemporaries, and the classic Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole types. My favorite Christmas carol to hear is Carol of the Bells. I honestly believe that I could never tire of that song. If someone gave me a CD recording of all the different versions of Carol of the Bells, I would be totally tickled pink, I love it THAT much! : D A few of my favorite songs to sing are Silent Night, Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Holy Night, many other hymns; Deck the Halls, Let It Snow, Do They Know It's Christmas Time, that crazy song that mixes greetings of Hanukkah and Christmas (think Adam Sandler did it??), and others. I have a Celtic Christmas CD that my late mother in law had that is incredibly beautiful to listen to, in my most humble opinion, of course! ;)
Is there such thing as too much baking during the Christmas holidays?? I haven't reached that point yet. :} Part of it is due to baking goodies is something I'm pretty good at (so I've been told, lol), and the other part is that the weather is FINALLY conducive to baking!! : D I avoid baking or cooking as much as possible when it's hot outside (which is almost 11 months out fo the year, lol), but when the winds blow that blue northern into my territory (it happens occasionally!), it's time to light up the oven! : D
I love to decorate for Christmas, but I am not seeking to be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens...it ain't that type of home! I've got Christmasy things going thoughout the house, and like most homes, the Christmas themes grow each year. My favorite decoration for my home, tho, is Love. God loved us so much He sent His only begotten Son to reconcile us back to Him, in a tiny baby who grew into His role as Saviour of the world. I've got a few nativities at home. Wouldn't mine more. I can probably find a place for them. :) The peace of the Christmas day is phenomenal to me. It doesn't really matter why this day was chosen, but I believe we can all enjoy this moment of peace and good tiding to man. Pray for peace, let peace begin with me.
There is much more I can write, but for now, this'll hafta do. It's at least a small glimpse into my Estelleworld. There is much I can write about different elements of Christmas that I enjoy. Perhaps I'll attempt to write them next Christmas. Only time will tell.
In the meantime, I wish every one of you a most wonderfully blessed and Merry Christmas! I pray that all of you experience a 3 John 2 New Year!
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Scroungier You Are...
...the more likely you'll hafta interact with other people. Why, oh, why have I not learned this yet?? Ugh. You guessed it, I did it again. :O
Don't tell me that I'm the only one on this earth who has done this, either. Most of you would be lying.
I am not particularly a morning person. I'm more of a night person. Therefore I tend to stay up most nights later than I should. This pushes my wake up time a little later the next morning, obviously, lol. Most times I don't need to be at work until later in the morning, so typically I think I'm doing good to have clothes on, shoes on, and maybe swipe a brush thru my hair.
Thankfully I wasn't at my most scroungy self, and thankfully my interaction with cheerful, casual-businessy dressed moms this morning was rather brief, but the horror still lingers for some time, lol. : }
I had just dropped the boys off at the front of the school, and I started to drive off when I hear a knock at my driver's window. I saw them b/f I drove up, but I thought they were in their own little meeting. They greeted me w/ their beautiful smiles, wishing me a cheerful good morning with a donut, while they hand me a flyer about the next PTO meeting this coming Friday night. I was utterly embarrassed. I mean, usually I can kind of stand off a bit so that I don't wipe out the entire parent congregation w/ my lethal morning/coffee breath. Not this time. They were literally face-level with my truck, and awfully close, too. I held my breath for as long as I could, tho I'm sure my noxious fumes reached them as I left. The exchange took place less than 30 seconds, but I'm sure my Medusa horror lasted them a lifetime. It's a good thing I didn't have last night's makeup on, too! That would've elevated me to a whole new horror.
As I drove away, I saw that the moms were still standing. But I wonder if they have my license plate memorized by now. My picture today could've easily made "Most Wanted" so they could lock me away...at least 'til I could make myself decent and fit for society again. :)
Don't tell me that I'm the only one on this earth who has done this, either. Most of you would be lying.
I am not particularly a morning person. I'm more of a night person. Therefore I tend to stay up most nights later than I should. This pushes my wake up time a little later the next morning, obviously, lol. Most times I don't need to be at work until later in the morning, so typically I think I'm doing good to have clothes on, shoes on, and maybe swipe a brush thru my hair.
Thankfully I wasn't at my most scroungy self, and thankfully my interaction with cheerful, casual-businessy dressed moms this morning was rather brief, but the horror still lingers for some time, lol. : }
I had just dropped the boys off at the front of the school, and I started to drive off when I hear a knock at my driver's window. I saw them b/f I drove up, but I thought they were in their own little meeting. They greeted me w/ their beautiful smiles, wishing me a cheerful good morning with a donut, while they hand me a flyer about the next PTO meeting this coming Friday night. I was utterly embarrassed. I mean, usually I can kind of stand off a bit so that I don't wipe out the entire parent congregation w/ my lethal morning/coffee breath. Not this time. They were literally face-level with my truck, and awfully close, too. I held my breath for as long as I could, tho I'm sure my noxious fumes reached them as I left. The exchange took place less than 30 seconds, but I'm sure my Medusa horror lasted them a lifetime. It's a good thing I didn't have last night's makeup on, too! That would've elevated me to a whole new horror.
As I drove away, I saw that the moms were still standing. But I wonder if they have my license plate memorized by now. My picture today could've easily made "Most Wanted" so they could lock me away...at least 'til I could make myself decent and fit for society again. :)
The Season of Thanks
"In every thing, give thanks."
As the year 2010 spirals to its end, we approach a particularly special time of year for many of us Americans. It seems like once Halloween is gone, we turn around and are making plans for Christmas! This is by far my most favorite time of year. :)
We have made it through another year with a roof over our head, food on our table, health in our bodies (nothing a little Claritin or Robitussin can't handle, anyway, lol), clothes on our backs (and fronts, lol), gas in our vehicles, paychecks in our bank, and a home for my spirit. I am indeed full. I am indeed blessed.
There are so many people experiencing some source of sorrow and pain this year, however. Some people have lost their homes, too ma-ny have lost their jobs which supported their families, some have lost their only means of getting to work, others have to decide whether to put food on the table or take medicine to help them function~~an inordinate amount of people feel their only choice is to live in pain because they have no insurance. Numerous others have lost loved ones in this world this year. Some of these precious people are fighting demons no one else can see; their symptoms cry out for help. Unfortunately, while many people are contemplating suicide, some have succeeded.
While this season should be a season of joy for most of us, obviously it's a season of pain and sorrow for far too many others. Looking back on our darker hours, I can't tell you how thankful I am for the people who reached out to us and blessed us with things we needed and leads to help us get on our feet. My boys have been blessed with Christmas presents from kind strangers when we could not afford anything for them. I am thankful for some neighbors who dropped off a bag of groceries for us so that we would not go hungry. I am thankful for doctors who had compassion on us and didn't charge us for needful medicines for the boys. I am thankful for my cyber friends who gave me a kind word right when I needed to hear them most. I am sorry to lose my parents-in-law, but God gave us the means, through their deaths, of getting us a wonderful home that we can call our own. I am thankful for my new neighborhood~~it is finally starting to feel like home. I genuinely believe God placed us here~~everything that we've gone through in our darker hours has led us to this place of hope, hope that I readily admit I didn't recognize at first.
"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" Psalm 30:5
This is one of my favorite reminders when I go through difficult times. Life as a Christian does not mean that we have no trouble, that all goes well for us all the time...but our response rests in the hope and trust that God is always, indeed, with us. Jesus said that when we are at our weakest, then is He made strong. Not that Jesus was ever "weak" but Jesus' strength for us becomes more evident in our lives. While we are sometimes authors of our own troubles, our troubles are not always for our benefit, but sometimes for the world to watch us give opportunity to demonstrate our faith. Our faith should be in action. Our faith produces blessings. Those blessings are meant to be shared with others. Our blessings should lift others out of their darkness. Our blessings just might be that seed of faith they need.
Let us remember those who are struggling this year. Let us see if we can help lighten their burdens, if only for a moment. Sometimes that moment is all we need to push through to our breakthrough. Sometimes a bag of groceries is what is needed. Have you looked in your closet lately? Is there something someone else can use now that you're not using? Sometimes a job lead is what will turn their lives around. Sometimes mercy and grace is needed to heal a broken heart. A sympathetic ear and an empathetic heart is the start of a beautiful healing. Let's not forget...a smile and a kind word can be the simplest and yet most priceless offering.
It is not because of the tribulation that we give thanks, it's because of the hope that can be borne out of that tribulation. Tribulation can be what gives you some of the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22) The time of trouble is indeed sorrowful, but if we can encourage each other to hang in there long enough, the results can be a more powerful faith you never knew you had. That faith is something to celebrate with joy. That joy is what we give thanks for.
"In every thing, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
As the year 2010 spirals to its end, we approach a particularly special time of year for many of us Americans. It seems like once Halloween is gone, we turn around and are making plans for Christmas! This is by far my most favorite time of year. :)
We have made it through another year with a roof over our head, food on our table, health in our bodies (nothing a little Claritin or Robitussin can't handle, anyway, lol), clothes on our backs (and fronts, lol), gas in our vehicles, paychecks in our bank, and a home for my spirit. I am indeed full. I am indeed blessed.
There are so many people experiencing some source of sorrow and pain this year, however. Some people have lost their homes, too ma-ny have lost their jobs which supported their families, some have lost their only means of getting to work, others have to decide whether to put food on the table or take medicine to help them function~~an inordinate amount of people feel their only choice is to live in pain because they have no insurance. Numerous others have lost loved ones in this world this year. Some of these precious people are fighting demons no one else can see; their symptoms cry out for help. Unfortunately, while many people are contemplating suicide, some have succeeded.
While this season should be a season of joy for most of us, obviously it's a season of pain and sorrow for far too many others. Looking back on our darker hours, I can't tell you how thankful I am for the people who reached out to us and blessed us with things we needed and leads to help us get on our feet. My boys have been blessed with Christmas presents from kind strangers when we could not afford anything for them. I am thankful for some neighbors who dropped off a bag of groceries for us so that we would not go hungry. I am thankful for doctors who had compassion on us and didn't charge us for needful medicines for the boys. I am thankful for my cyber friends who gave me a kind word right when I needed to hear them most. I am sorry to lose my parents-in-law, but God gave us the means, through their deaths, of getting us a wonderful home that we can call our own. I am thankful for my new neighborhood~~it is finally starting to feel like home. I genuinely believe God placed us here~~everything that we've gone through in our darker hours has led us to this place of hope, hope that I readily admit I didn't recognize at first.
"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" Psalm 30:5
This is one of my favorite reminders when I go through difficult times. Life as a Christian does not mean that we have no trouble, that all goes well for us all the time...but our response rests in the hope and trust that God is always, indeed, with us. Jesus said that when we are at our weakest, then is He made strong. Not that Jesus was ever "weak" but Jesus' strength for us becomes more evident in our lives. While we are sometimes authors of our own troubles, our troubles are not always for our benefit, but sometimes for the world to watch us give opportunity to demonstrate our faith. Our faith should be in action. Our faith produces blessings. Those blessings are meant to be shared with others. Our blessings should lift others out of their darkness. Our blessings just might be that seed of faith they need.
Let us remember those who are struggling this year. Let us see if we can help lighten their burdens, if only for a moment. Sometimes that moment is all we need to push through to our breakthrough. Sometimes a bag of groceries is what is needed. Have you looked in your closet lately? Is there something someone else can use now that you're not using? Sometimes a job lead is what will turn their lives around. Sometimes mercy and grace is needed to heal a broken heart. A sympathetic ear and an empathetic heart is the start of a beautiful healing. Let's not forget...a smile and a kind word can be the simplest and yet most priceless offering.
It is not because of the tribulation that we give thanks, it's because of the hope that can be borne out of that tribulation. Tribulation can be what gives you some of the fruits of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22) The time of trouble is indeed sorrowful, but if we can encourage each other to hang in there long enough, the results can be a more powerful faith you never knew you had. That faith is something to celebrate with joy. That joy is what we give thanks for.
"In every thing, give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Election Hangover 2010
Well, what can we say? No matter if your party won or lost, there is a sense of a hangover~~some made worse by anxiety about what this new election results hold for our nation now; others thankful by the results, but knowing full well that just means there's work to be done; hopefully they are thankful for the opportunity. Time to take that Alka-Seltzer and get to work. For those who have lost and are wondering just what went wrong...time to take that Alka-Seltzer and get to work.
I am thankful that we (Republicans) won the House. I am also thankful that, while we did not win the Senate majority, the loss is very shallow. I pray the Democrats realize that they are on the hot seat just as the Republicans are. I listened to President Obama today. As always, he's saying the "right things", but time will tell if he's blowing smoke or if he's truly finally realizing that the American people are fed up with the way things are currently going. What bothers me is that he keeps saying that he needs to "work harder" to find, reach, and implement solutions to the messes we are in as a nation~~it's my opinion that the problem is NOT how hard he's working, but who's agenda he's trying to implement to solving these problems.
Former President George W. Bush was accused of doing his own thing and not following the will of the people, especially regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but yet President Bush pushed forth his agenda because he thought it was truly the right thing to do based on the information he was given. However, it was incomplete or inaccurate information.
I feel like President Obama is carrying out his own agenda because he truly believes this is the right thing to do for this country. However, I feel like President Obama is receiving (consciously or unconsciously) incomplete or inaccurate information.
There are some good things that are in the "Obamacare" bill. Unfortunately, what good there is in the bill is overshadowed by the mysterious unknown and considerably painful aspects (costs and penalties) of the bill. This is why I feel like the Health Care bill needs to be repealed and started over again from scratch, reformulating the good aspects of the bill into a better one for the nation. I shook my head in utter dismay when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared that we need to pass this 2000+ page bill "...so we can find out what's in it." Saaaay whaaaaaat????????? American populace are warned not to sign anything without having read and understand the fine print. And yet, the majority of our government officials passed this spider web of a monstrosity without having a concrete idea of what all are in this bill. Left alone, it will only be a matter of time before Americans find ourselves in penalty traps and loss of freedoms we currently take for granted.
Having said all this, I must say that presumptive Majority Leader John Boehner has a really rough road ahead of him. He indicated that he understood that the Republican party is on probation by the American people, that it was not a case of embracing the party. I pray that remains on the forefront of his mind as he embarks on this journey. I pray he CAN find ways to work with not only the Democratic party, President Obama, but even other Republicans to get AMERICA'S agenda accomplished. For different reasons, Presumptive Majority Leader Boehner faces the same personal tenacity as President Obama, and I pray that, for the sake of our nation, they can at least put aside their differences, listen, brainstorm, and create a bill that is reflective of the benefit of the people~~no more, no less.
These past two years have revealed a runaway government left to its own device. That followed a few decades of mischievous underminings committed by the government to see what they could get away with. I'm thankful that Americans have awakened, come out and voted, and have demanded the beginning process of restoring the checks and balances of our government which was created "of the people, by the people and for the people."
I am thankful that we (Republicans) won the House. I am also thankful that, while we did not win the Senate majority, the loss is very shallow. I pray the Democrats realize that they are on the hot seat just as the Republicans are. I listened to President Obama today. As always, he's saying the "right things", but time will tell if he's blowing smoke or if he's truly finally realizing that the American people are fed up with the way things are currently going. What bothers me is that he keeps saying that he needs to "work harder" to find, reach, and implement solutions to the messes we are in as a nation~~it's my opinion that the problem is NOT how hard he's working, but who's agenda he's trying to implement to solving these problems.
Former President George W. Bush was accused of doing his own thing and not following the will of the people, especially regarding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but yet President Bush pushed forth his agenda because he thought it was truly the right thing to do based on the information he was given. However, it was incomplete or inaccurate information.
I feel like President Obama is carrying out his own agenda because he truly believes this is the right thing to do for this country. However, I feel like President Obama is receiving (consciously or unconsciously) incomplete or inaccurate information.
There are some good things that are in the "Obamacare" bill. Unfortunately, what good there is in the bill is overshadowed by the mysterious unknown and considerably painful aspects (costs and penalties) of the bill. This is why I feel like the Health Care bill needs to be repealed and started over again from scratch, reformulating the good aspects of the bill into a better one for the nation. I shook my head in utter dismay when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared that we need to pass this 2000+ page bill "...so we can find out what's in it." Saaaay whaaaaaat????????? American populace are warned not to sign anything without having read and understand the fine print. And yet, the majority of our government officials passed this spider web of a monstrosity without having a concrete idea of what all are in this bill. Left alone, it will only be a matter of time before Americans find ourselves in penalty traps and loss of freedoms we currently take for granted.
Having said all this, I must say that presumptive Majority Leader John Boehner has a really rough road ahead of him. He indicated that he understood that the Republican party is on probation by the American people, that it was not a case of embracing the party. I pray that remains on the forefront of his mind as he embarks on this journey. I pray he CAN find ways to work with not only the Democratic party, President Obama, but even other Republicans to get AMERICA'S agenda accomplished. For different reasons, Presumptive Majority Leader Boehner faces the same personal tenacity as President Obama, and I pray that, for the sake of our nation, they can at least put aside their differences, listen, brainstorm, and create a bill that is reflective of the benefit of the people~~no more, no less.
These past two years have revealed a runaway government left to its own device. That followed a few decades of mischievous underminings committed by the government to see what they could get away with. I'm thankful that Americans have awakened, come out and voted, and have demanded the beginning process of restoring the checks and balances of our government which was created "of the people, by the people and for the people."
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day 11/2/10
Today was the day to vote for the House and Senate seats, along with state governors and whatever local positions need to be filled. I was very surprised that Texas (or my area, anyway) did not have any amendments or proposals to vote on this time around. Made me wanna check somebody for a fever or something.
I voted my candidates. I'm happy to see my congressman on the ballot.
I'm SURE he won his position. I don't remember a senate race in my area. Many of my local positions are held by uncontested incumbents, so there isn't much you can do there.
I'm disappointed in my neighborhood turnout for elections, tho. Coming from a neighborhood which was VERY politically active, I was stunned to see my voter count being so low. The demographics become painfully clear during election times here.
I've done my duty to remind everyone to vote today. Any message board I attended, I made mention of voting. I've come a long way, but I admit I've still got a long way to go in HOW I vote. I'm extremely thankful that I don't live in an area completely driven by negative ads and mud-slinging this time around. My friends in other states have lamented about the smear campaigns of some of their candidates, and it just makes it so difficult to be an objective judge for those elected officials. As soon as I hear a name, I try not to listen to the ads anymore and do my own research and investigation and vote from there.
I am a classic republican. I have very classic conservative views. I believe both parties in all branches of government have miserably failed America these last couple of decades. I greatly appreciate Marco Rubio's comment he made during his acceptance speech:
I voted my candidates. I'm happy to see my congressman on the ballot.
I'm SURE he won his position. I don't remember a senate race in my area. Many of my local positions are held by uncontested incumbents, so there isn't much you can do there.
I'm disappointed in my neighborhood turnout for elections, tho. Coming from a neighborhood which was VERY politically active, I was stunned to see my voter count being so low. The demographics become painfully clear during election times here.
I've done my duty to remind everyone to vote today. Any message board I attended, I made mention of voting. I've come a long way, but I admit I've still got a long way to go in HOW I vote. I'm extremely thankful that I don't live in an area completely driven by negative ads and mud-slinging this time around. My friends in other states have lamented about the smear campaigns of some of their candidates, and it just makes it so difficult to be an objective judge for those elected officials. As soon as I hear a name, I try not to listen to the ads anymore and do my own research and investigation and vote from there.
I am a classic republican. I have very classic conservative views. I believe both parties in all branches of government have miserably failed America these last couple of decades. I greatly appreciate Marco Rubio's comment he made during his acceptance speech:
"We make a great mistake if we believe tonight these results somehow
are an embrace of the Republican Party," Rubio said. "What they are is a
second chance, a second chance for Republicans to be what they said they
were going to do not so long ago."I pray the Republicans are listening, should they indeed
get their chance to regain control of the House as anticipated. America is
losing patience...and FAST.We are on the road to utter self-destruction if we do not heed the mistakes made by past civilizations and empires. There is a very real consequence to the unraveling the effects of the Constitution as our Founding Fathers based the government of this nation. Men are to be free, and the government is to be limited. BOTH parties have tampered with its foundation to the point that heightened awareness needs to be made, and our government elected officials need to be held accountable for them.
We'll see what happens. In the meantime, America has its eye on the government. The jobs need to come back. The tax rates need to be subdued, and the entrepreneurs need to be able to redevelop our capitalistic economy. I believe the entire health care bill needs to be scrapped and started over...I don't care WHO has the solution, but the better solution needs to be implemented if we're to turn this country back around.
I have a book that I've not read yet, but it's frequently referred to by quite a few Christian evangelists. I do need to read it, as the reason I acquired it was because I figured it was rather insightful into how our lives are observed today, over 200 years later. The book is THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE by Edward Gibbon. Is history truly destined to repeat itself? If we are not observant of history, then yes, we are in big trouble and just may live long enough to see our own deline and Fall of the American Empire.
I hope that you voted. If you don't vote, you have no right to complain about the affairs of this country, which is still the greatest nation of the world.
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