3am in the morning and I'm out in the cold rolling newspapers into bags. It's not bad work (especially since I'm a big fan of the extra cash it brings in), but it's not exactly the highlight of my morning. So, I'm never Ms. Happy Joyful when I'm doing this. That might be the reason why when I saw this I began formulating possibly my longest tirade yet. Since I'm trying to restrain myself somewhat, I believe that my tirade against Burger King taking away their ketchup dispenser and keeping all ketchup packets behind their counter so you had to ask for each and every one was a bit longer that this one. Who can figure my priorities?
Anyway, I was rolling a newspaper, so I was looking at the articles as they pass by me. It was this article that caught my attention.
In case you're not going to take the time to read it, I'll tell you about it.
This church is doing sunday school lessons on the spiritual... ok hold on... that word is worth repeating the s p i r i t u a l lives of....... The Simpsons. OH COME ON!
Now you know where my title came from.
Ok ok, my old church did a sunday school series on Bonanza? No wait, it was Little House on the Prairie. Based on those.. I'm getting just a little frustrated. Granted, the last line of the article I actually agree with, it says "No matter what TV or movies you watch, there's God in it," Mr. Reinarz said. "You just have to learn to apply it."
I just think we shouldn't be trying all this 'hype' to get people into our church. We've wandered SO far from where we could be. The signs and wonders God said we could do....the FIRE of the Holy Spirit that we are suppose to use....the GOSPEL that we're suppose to preach. Where is it? When is the last time you heard a preacher actually say, THIS, see this , it's sin! DON"T DO IT. Farther down those lines, when is the last time you ever heard some one preach as though if he didn't get his point across, someone might go to hell. Ok, let's take this a bit further and make this personal. When is the last time YOU approached someone as though if you didn't tell them about God they might end up in hell?
When is the last time you read your bible? memorized scripture? spent serious (not just praying over your meals) but serious time in prayer? We're bad examples. The self that we're working towards this entire life through will return to nothing, the soul that we will of left unattended to except for Sunday morning services will live on. The crowns and glory we receive in heaven is based off what we do on earth.
What are you doing? Me? I'm typing a blog. Is God going to claim my blog as a witness and give me credit for it? I don't know. Does God care that I think studying the Simpsons instead of HIM is wrong? Well, I doubt He's concerned about the simpsons at all. Does anything happen when I blog? No. But you know what happened when I prayed? It wasn't one year later that the Burger King that withheld it's ketchup from me went out of business. Coincidence?
Friday, October 28, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Why don't we?
I've been thinking this past week about how few people read their bible through each year. Until recently I wasn't on a plan myself. So technically I would just keep reading the books that were more 'normal' until I finally decided that wasn't enough.
When is the last time you read the book of Ezekiel? or 1 and 2 Chronicles? or Obadiah? If you're still thinking then, it wasn't often enough. Granted, I don't think we're going to lose our salvation because we haven't read His book. But the Bible does instruct us to read it. So the fact that we're not puts us in disobedience. 3 chapters a day is 15 minutes worth of reading. Come on, through our busy lives if we can't find 15 minutes to sit down and read God's word something is wrong. And I think it starts with our priorities. We don't want to read, and in todays society, that means we don't. Study to show yourself approved. Hide God's word in your heart so you won't sin against Him. Make His word a lamp to your feet, so you won't go astray. Join with me, read the bible through in one year. Start reading on your own now! We can do it!
When is the last time you read the book of Ezekiel? or 1 and 2 Chronicles? or Obadiah? If you're still thinking then, it wasn't often enough. Granted, I don't think we're going to lose our salvation because we haven't read His book. But the Bible does instruct us to read it. So the fact that we're not puts us in disobedience. 3 chapters a day is 15 minutes worth of reading. Come on, through our busy lives if we can't find 15 minutes to sit down and read God's word something is wrong. And I think it starts with our priorities. We don't want to read, and in todays society, that means we don't. Study to show yourself approved. Hide God's word in your heart so you won't sin against Him. Make His word a lamp to your feet, so you won't go astray. Join with me, read the bible through in one year. Start reading on your own now! We can do it!
Friday, October 21, 2005
Blog Surfing
I regularly stop by the blogs I've linked to on here. I really enjoy them or I wouldn't link to them. So when I dropped by gratitude & hoopla I found myself face to face with a topic that I enjoy the most, "Passion!", I was very pleased. I thought I'd share some of it. Hope you don't mind Bob. :)
-----The following is an excerpt from gratitude & hoopla
Are You Whole-Hearted?
Are you whole-hearted? I know I'm not. Seldom even close. In fact, I can say in all truth that the most whole-heartedness I have ever known has been has probably been with regard to sin. I have been pretty-near whole-hearted about that at times? Not going into details, mind you.
I was whole-hearted at the birth of my children. At my wedding? Well, mostly numb, I confess. I have on occasion been whole-hearted about the Red Sox (shallow me). Once, as a boy, running down an alley with a bully following close behind crying murderous threats, I ran with all my heart! Another time, I sat on my back porch and read the last pages of How Green Was My Valley, and cried with all my heart.
But the sad fact is, mostly I'm half-hearted. My fervor has a tendency to wane, and my passionate intensity is always accompanied by doubt. I take this to be "the human condition," more or less. That's why appeals to passion always fall short, or so it seems to me. Pep-rally fervor is followed by take-out-the-trash mundane reality. There is glow, then there is after-glow, then there is, well, hardly-any-glow-at-all. That's life. I find myself keenly empathetic with the fellow who cried to Jesus, "Lord I believe. Help my unbelief." [Mark 9:24] Yeah, that's me.
-----
Bob goes on to talk about how the most important part of actions isn't that passion so much as it is the right convictions. Which I agree with completely. May we all begin to pray for right convictions AND passion to fulfill them.
-----The following is an excerpt from gratitude & hoopla
Are You Whole-Hearted?
Are you whole-hearted? I know I'm not. Seldom even close. In fact, I can say in all truth that the most whole-heartedness I have ever known has been has probably been with regard to sin. I have been pretty-near whole-hearted about that at times? Not going into details, mind you.
I was whole-hearted at the birth of my children. At my wedding? Well, mostly numb, I confess. I have on occasion been whole-hearted about the Red Sox (shallow me). Once, as a boy, running down an alley with a bully following close behind crying murderous threats, I ran with all my heart! Another time, I sat on my back porch and read the last pages of How Green Was My Valley, and cried with all my heart.
But the sad fact is, mostly I'm half-hearted. My fervor has a tendency to wane, and my passionate intensity is always accompanied by doubt. I take this to be "the human condition," more or less. That's why appeals to passion always fall short, or so it seems to me. Pep-rally fervor is followed by take-out-the-trash mundane reality. There is glow, then there is after-glow, then there is, well, hardly-any-glow-at-all. That's life. I find myself keenly empathetic with the fellow who cried to Jesus, "Lord I believe. Help my unbelief." [Mark 9:24] Yeah, that's me.
-----
Bob goes on to talk about how the most important part of actions isn't that passion so much as it is the right convictions. Which I agree with completely. May we all begin to pray for right convictions AND passion to fulfill them.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Prayer
On Saturday my perfectly happy "look at the beautiful rainbows" attitude got stomped on. My joy left and I sat absolutely stunned the rest of the day. I turned to God and refused to speak thanks to the sudden impression that I was nothing more than an annoyance to Him. Even now I find myself torn between confusion of how on earth I could believe such a thing, to still not able to convince myself that it's not true.
Even now I wouldn't be able to logically explain how it's not true. BUT, the one thing I believe is that it was an attack from the devil. And sometimes you just have to act on faith *take note.. it's Tuesday, so I'm no spiritual super-woman... I've been struggling all weekend!*. But finally, after doing some questioning of friends on the subject of prayer, and finding some scriptures on prayer, AND then having nearly every radio preacher I happened on preaching on prayer, and then clicking on an innocent link, only to find myself face to face with all the greatest preachers I could think of to name, PLUS some - and guess what all the quotes were about? You guessed it, prayer.
The most interesting part in all this is, even though I can't logically explain that I'm not annoying the daylights out of God, and that my heart is breaking at the very idea... I want to pray more than ever. I wonder if the devil ever just punches a wall or something out of sheer anger that we're so unpredictable?
Anyway, I found the quotes here, and thought you might be interested in them. ALSO, since I like them so much, I'm going to link to this guys website, so if you ever want to check out his regular page you'll find his link there.
The following quotations and many more on prayer may be found at Eternal Perspectives Ministries.
"God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it." John Wesley
"No one's a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it." Guy H. King
"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." D. L. Moody
"The main lesson about prayer is just this: Do it! Do it! DO IT! You want to be taught to pray. My answer is: pray and never faint, and then you shall never fail." John Laidlaw
"Prayer—secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness." Carey's Brotherhood, Serampore
"Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray." Edward Payson
"The devil is aware that one hour of close fellowship, hearty converse with God in prayer, is able to pull down what he hath been contriving and building many a year." John Flavel
"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things 'above all that we ask or think.'" Andrew Murray
"The devil is not put to flight by a courteous request. He meets us at every turn, contends for every inch, and our progress has to be registered in heart's blood and tears." Charles E. Cowman
"Pray for 'all men.' We usually pray more for things than we do for men. Our prayers should be thrown across their pathway as they rush in their downward course to a lost eternity." E. M. Bounds
"Great grief prays with great earnestness. Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases; it is the pouring out of the soul. What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze? They are the battles of the soul. In them men wrestle with principalities and powers..."The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul." Samuel Chadwick
"Where there is much prayer, there will be much of the Spirit; where there is much of the Spirit, there will be ever-increasing prayer." Andrew Murray
"What has hell to fear other than a God-anointed, prayer-powered church?" Leonard Ravenhill
"Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure." D. L. Moody
"As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray!" Martin Luther
"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." John Bunyan
"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." Martin Luther
"Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his." John Stott"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick"Rich is the person who has a praying friend." Janice Hughes
"Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men who the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer." E. M. Bounds
Even now I wouldn't be able to logically explain how it's not true. BUT, the one thing I believe is that it was an attack from the devil. And sometimes you just have to act on faith *take note.. it's Tuesday, so I'm no spiritual super-woman... I've been struggling all weekend!*. But finally, after doing some questioning of friends on the subject of prayer, and finding some scriptures on prayer, AND then having nearly every radio preacher I happened on preaching on prayer, and then clicking on an innocent link, only to find myself face to face with all the greatest preachers I could think of to name, PLUS some - and guess what all the quotes were about? You guessed it, prayer.
The most interesting part in all this is, even though I can't logically explain that I'm not annoying the daylights out of God, and that my heart is breaking at the very idea... I want to pray more than ever. I wonder if the devil ever just punches a wall or something out of sheer anger that we're so unpredictable?
Anyway, I found the quotes here, and thought you might be interested in them. ALSO, since I like them so much, I'm going to link to this guys website, so if you ever want to check out his regular page you'll find his link there.
The following quotations and many more on prayer may be found at Eternal Perspectives Ministries.
"God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it." John Wesley
"No one's a firmer believer in the power of prayer than the devil; not that he practices it, but he suffers from it." Guy H. King
"Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, the wonder that I made so little use of the power of prayer." D. L. Moody
"The main lesson about prayer is just this: Do it! Do it! DO IT! You want to be taught to pray. My answer is: pray and never faint, and then you shall never fail." John Laidlaw
"Prayer—secret, fervent, believing prayer—lies at the root of all personal godliness." Carey's Brotherhood, Serampore
"Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray." Edward Payson
"The devil is aware that one hour of close fellowship, hearty converse with God in prayer, is able to pull down what he hath been contriving and building many a year." John Flavel
"Beware in your prayers, above everything else, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. Expect unexpected things 'above all that we ask or think.'" Andrew Murray
"The devil is not put to flight by a courteous request. He meets us at every turn, contends for every inch, and our progress has to be registered in heart's blood and tears." Charles E. Cowman
"Pray for 'all men.' We usually pray more for things than we do for men. Our prayers should be thrown across their pathway as they rush in their downward course to a lost eternity." E. M. Bounds
"Great grief prays with great earnestness. Prayer is not a collection of balanced phrases; it is the pouring out of the soul. What is love if it be not fiery? What are prayers if the heart be not ablaze? They are the battles of the soul. In them men wrestle with principalities and powers..."The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul." Samuel Chadwick
"Where there is much prayer, there will be much of the Spirit; where there is much of the Spirit, there will be ever-increasing prayer." Andrew Murray
"What has hell to fear other than a God-anointed, prayer-powered church?" Leonard Ravenhill
"Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure." D. L. Moody
"As it is the business of tailors to make clothes, and the business of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray!" Martin Luther
"Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." John Bunyan
"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." Martin Luther
"Prayer is not a convenient device for imposing our will upon God, or bending his will to ours, but the prescribed way of subordinating our will to his." John Stott"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick"Rich is the person who has a praying friend." Janice Hughes
"Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men who the Holy Spirit can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not come on machinery but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer." E. M. Bounds
Friday, October 14, 2005
Movie tips
I spent last night watching Kingdom of Heaven. That movie was incredible (incredibly long also coming in at 2 hrs 24mins). I don't know much about the crusades, though this was quite informative. I know most of it was hollywood and not history, but some of the information like the Muslim King "Saladin". I enjoyed it. I'd definitely suggest watching it some time. Yes be careful with all the extra dvd features. There's so many, and a completely different way to watch the movie with the Pilgrims guide (I'd almsot suggest turning that on and watching it with that the first time) and the production grid that lasts forever. Get some popcorn and soda, be ready for a late night an a good movie.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Have you studied demons?
I've been doing something unusual. I've got a friend that has schizophrenia, and they kept saying they saw demons. So I began wondering if sz is a mental illness or a demon possession. If you have any information about demon possession from a Godly perspective feel free to e-mail me. I have no desires to take on any information about OUR perspective of demons. The one thing I understand in complete totality, is that they are stronger than me personally. BUT, 1 John 4:4 states - "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" Thank God for that!
The interesting part is, once I started studying God's perspective on demons and how to recognize them, someone walked into my cyber space that seemed to HAVE a demon. Now that I think back on the event it brings so many questions that I don't have answers for. But I know Who does, and I'll have to content myself with that.
You might be wondering, how did this girl go from talking about how much she loves fall, to how she wants to study GOD'S perspective on demons? Well, I don't know. Live and learn? :)
The interesting part is, once I started studying God's perspective on demons and how to recognize them, someone walked into my cyber space that seemed to HAVE a demon. Now that I think back on the event it brings so many questions that I don't have answers for. But I know Who does, and I'll have to content myself with that.
You might be wondering, how did this girl go from talking about how much she loves fall, to how she wants to study GOD'S perspective on demons? Well, I don't know. Live and learn? :)
Monday, October 10, 2005
Good morning,
It seems like every time I take up a new hobby I lose and old one. So, I'm going to just have to work a bit harder to make sure that I keep posting regularly. I've been in a chat room lately. It's a old one for me because I've been cyber friends with the people that run it for the past 9 years or so now. It's Hands Around the World on Starlink-irc . It's a good place to hang out. I've noticed that I tend to head there when the stresses of life are getting a bit more than I want to tussle with. I guess this ended up as more of a commercial than anything else. But that's what I've been doing. I'll post more often. Promise. :)
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
What changes?
Reading the newspaper today, my co-worker, Lisa, and I discover that an old employee of ours committed suicide this weekend. She waited with a crowd at the train depot and then when it got closer she walked towards it and then stepped in the tracks. She was 23 years old.
She worked for us a year and a half ago. Didn't have a lot going for her, was a hard worker though. She was a good worker. She had a terrific attitude. She would come in, loud and vibrant, always laughing and smiling. She was tough.
But, the outside lies a lot.
I won't see inside to the hurt, I wish with all my heart I could. But if I could, I imagine it would be hard to stop crying. I can't imagine some of the hurts you carry. I can't imagine the pain and hopelessness. I've felt it myself, contemplated suicide myself what seems like ages ago. But, I found hope. And I want you to know that the hope is there for you too. I know it's hard and I know it doesn't seem like it, but you've got a purpose here on this earth. And God loves you, and He has an expected end in store for you. Look to Him, and I promise, if you trust in Him you'll never EVER be the same again.
Life is good on this side, there is hope, and peace and joy. And when you're broken and seemingly alone, you don't have ANY idea how those three things could feel. But they're out there, and available to you. Comment and I'll show you the way, Read the bible and you'll read the way, pray and you'll feel your way. Jesus IS the way. Don't give up, try one more time. It's not over.
She worked for us a year and a half ago. Didn't have a lot going for her, was a hard worker though. She was a good worker. She had a terrific attitude. She would come in, loud and vibrant, always laughing and smiling. She was tough.
But, the outside lies a lot.
I won't see inside to the hurt, I wish with all my heart I could. But if I could, I imagine it would be hard to stop crying. I can't imagine some of the hurts you carry. I can't imagine the pain and hopelessness. I've felt it myself, contemplated suicide myself what seems like ages ago. But, I found hope. And I want you to know that the hope is there for you too. I know it's hard and I know it doesn't seem like it, but you've got a purpose here on this earth. And God loves you, and He has an expected end in store for you. Look to Him, and I promise, if you trust in Him you'll never EVER be the same again.
Life is good on this side, there is hope, and peace and joy. And when you're broken and seemingly alone, you don't have ANY idea how those three things could feel. But they're out there, and available to you. Comment and I'll show you the way, Read the bible and you'll read the way, pray and you'll feel your way. Jesus IS the way. Don't give up, try one more time. It's not over.
Nothingness
I don't have anything unique to blog today. We had a great day at work yesterday. Difficult because we had 5 jobs to fill, and didn't have 5 people to fill them. But, we scrambled, did some cold calling and found 5 guys that wanted to go to work and we got all of the jobs filled. Excuse me while I shout "WE ROCK!"
Other than that, I just wanted to tell you if you are the experimental type, a neat little trick.
Buy a soda (preferably diet) and a pack of mentos. Set the soda on a level surface (not indoors) and dump the mentos in the soda. Jump back and watch the fountain.
It's pretty cool.
Other than that, I just wanted to tell you if you are the experimental type, a neat little trick.
Buy a soda (preferably diet) and a pack of mentos. Set the soda on a level surface (not indoors) and dump the mentos in the soda. Jump back and watch the fountain.
It's pretty cool.
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