My Dad sent me this and I just think it is beautiful....
What Love means to a 4-8 year old . . . A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?"
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.
He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an image)
Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.
The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How well do you know your celebrity gossip? Talk celebrity smackdowns here.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
156 Reasons to be Thankful
A friend, Tosha, emailed the following story. She has given me permission to share it with you:
Hey guys, Last Sunday, Sage was dragging her feet getting ready for church. I asked, ordered, begged, threatened, promised, and finally coerced her into getting ready. Her main complaint was that she had no socks to wear. So, on Monday during my lunch break, I walked to the store and bought a few new pairs for her. I suspected that her real complaint was that many of her socks were white rather than pretty. So I bought pretty socks for her. While I was walking back to the office, it occurred to me that I had done this errand more than once this school year. Where were all of those socks?
Last night I was going through Sage's room and I noticed that her sock drawer was full of stuff that did not belong there. I decided to clean the thing out with the hope that I could locate a few lost pairs. Sage & I dumped the drawer and started digging. When we finished, I counted the socks. I was shocked to find that she owns 78 pairs of socks. That is 156 socks!
I was thinking that, even though we hear about how bad the economy is, we are still wealthy. So wealthy that we do not even know how many socks we own. So wealthy that we buy more socks without even looking. I thank God that I do not have to worry that my kids might have to go hungry. They have food. They have clean water. They have socks: 156 of them! I still told Sage not to ask for another pair until college. Even then, I plan to check first.
Queen of the Sock Market Tosha
How do we as a society move ourselves and our children from a heart of entitlement to a heart of thankfulness? I struggle with this for my own children. I want them to be happy and meeting their needs is a step in that direction. But 'keeping up with the Jones' is a poor attitude. If only the line wasn't go gray. Do we need just two pairs of socks? Do we need 78 pairs of socks? What's the magic number in the middle that's sufficent for our needs but not overboard? So here's today's question.... what is an appropriate number of socks?
Hey guys, Last Sunday, Sage was dragging her feet getting ready for church. I asked, ordered, begged, threatened, promised, and finally coerced her into getting ready. Her main complaint was that she had no socks to wear. So, on Monday during my lunch break, I walked to the store and bought a few new pairs for her. I suspected that her real complaint was that many of her socks were white rather than pretty. So I bought pretty socks for her. While I was walking back to the office, it occurred to me that I had done this errand more than once this school year. Where were all of those socks?
Last night I was going through Sage's room and I noticed that her sock drawer was full of stuff that did not belong there. I decided to clean the thing out with the hope that I could locate a few lost pairs. Sage & I dumped the drawer and started digging. When we finished, I counted the socks. I was shocked to find that she owns 78 pairs of socks. That is 156 socks!
I was thinking that, even though we hear about how bad the economy is, we are still wealthy. So wealthy that we do not even know how many socks we own. So wealthy that we buy more socks without even looking. I thank God that I do not have to worry that my kids might have to go hungry. They have food. They have clean water. They have socks: 156 of them! I still told Sage not to ask for another pair until college. Even then, I plan to check first.
Queen of the Sock Market Tosha
How do we as a society move ourselves and our children from a heart of entitlement to a heart of thankfulness? I struggle with this for my own children. I want them to be happy and meeting their needs is a step in that direction. But 'keeping up with the Jones' is a poor attitude. If only the line wasn't go gray. Do we need just two pairs of socks? Do we need 78 pairs of socks? What's the magic number in the middle that's sufficent for our needs but not overboard? So here's today's question.... what is an appropriate number of socks?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Up at 2am again!
After a 2 day sleep over with my daughter and friends here I am wanting to sleep but finding myself awake aaarrggg! I suffer from insomnia sometimes so against my better judgement,(you can get some scary thoughts at 2am) instead of sleep I thought I would blog! This last Sunday in the kids church, a teacher mentioned the saying "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me". He was talking about how un-true that statement is. words can hurt immensley. I think about girls who are anorexic because one person told them they are fat and they believed it. Then there's the kids who were teased mercilously and go on to commit suicide. The havoc wrecked on relationships by gossip. Even "good words" can hurt like public prayers that convey way too much information that doesn't need to be said. I had read somewhere that emails are misconstrued 60% of the time. The receiver understands the message in a way the emailer never intended. As many women do, I have struggled throughout the years with gossip. My husband works to curtail a sarcastic sense of humor that some people just don't get. Now my kids and their friends are dealing with the same issues. I was talking with my young son, for what seemed like the millionth time, about his talking back and sarcastic sense of humor (I wonder where he got that from? LOL). I thought about an object lesson we used in church and it really seemed to hit home with him. Think of a watchdog. What does a watchdog do when danger is near? He barks, he growls. What happens if we don't listen to his warning? We get hurt, in trouble ect. We have a warning watchdog inside us that lets us know when we shouldn't say or do something that is wrong. We just have to pause for a moment and listen before we speak. He really seemed to grasp that. I asked him to pray and ask God to help his dog to bark loudly and for him to be able to hear. He needs a Pitbull not a Poodle(thanks Gretchen for that). I think this could work the other way too. On Sunday the kids were asked to think of how God sees them when someone says a hurtful thing. Listen for the watchdog to guard your heart against these types of attacks. Know that the words said aren't the truth as the warning bark sounds out. Hopefully this lesson will stay with my son and with me! I hope I didn't ramble too badly. I have to take kids to school and start my new workout this morning Eeek! I guess I had better try to get a few hours sleep.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Remember the crying American Indian?
Tossing ethical behavior out the window
Forward by Kira Brockman Lipe
This is an editorial by my dad published by his local North Carolina newspaper. It holds true for Lakeland and Polk County too. I have been driving behind someone who casually tosses out their fast food waste out the window. I have been to our local parks in Lakeland especially Lake Parker park and where my children play. I have found and picked up cigarette butts, fast food containers and even old socks. Eww! Most of the litter is just feet from an available trash can. In my yard off Kathleen Rd. I find trash daily, including a broken bottles and even a discarded condom! This is disgusting people. I don’t want to live in a pile of trash. Everyone needs to pitch in and put trash where it belongs. If you see someone littering they should be made to feel ashamed. I am not a big environmentalist, but I do believe that we have been given this earth by God and we should take care of our small portion of it.
Chris Brockman
There's been a lot of concern recently about trash along North Carolina roadways. Neither the concern nor the trash is new. I wrote about it on these pages as a newcomer to the Triangle a decade ago.
In the years since, in all the editorials, letters and news stories regarding roadside littering, I can't remember more than an offhand reference or two to the ethical and moral nature of littering.
The lax enforcement of litter laws, and the use of prisoners to pick up trash on a routine basis, suggest that we consider litter and littering relatively harmless. Ethical or moral analysis suggests otherwise. By not treating littering as a serious breach of the social contract, we put our society in line for much worse behavior.
Deliberately throwing trash along the highway, or failing to pick up the trash that blows out from one's carelessly loaded truck or trailer, exhibits ethical and moral problems with serious implications. The first is, literally, a lack of consideration. It's easy to imagine that many of the soda and beer cans and bottles and fast food bags and wrappers along the road were tossed out without a thought, without a care.
Such inconsiderate behavior is a complete abrogation of the responsibility we have as human beings to think about the harm our actions cause to others. This is amoral behavior of the kind that allows the mayhem of identity theft, the injustice of robbery and the ultimate harm of murder. Just don't think about it, and you can do anything to anyone. Our blinking at thoughtless littering creates a breeding ground for all kinds of anti-social behavior.
A litterer who is aware that his or her action is harmful breaks the most basic and most important of moral restraints: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Few of those who toss trash out their car windows, I suspect, or those whose trash blows out of the back of their trucks, would be happy if someone else's trash ended up in their yards. This would be especially true if they had to bear the burden of cleaning it up.
These people are simply immoral; they know what they're doing is harmful and don't care -- so long as they don't have to bear the consequences. Fortunately, in most instances those whose immoral behavior harms others do get caught and end up in jail or prison. Ironically, it is they who may end up picking up others' trash.
Unfortunately, few people are caught or punished for littering itself, because we just don't take littering seriously.
Maybe the worst sort of litterer is the one who recognizes the ugliness of litter on the public landscape and hates having to pay taxes to clean it up, but still empties his car ashtray in public parking lots and leaves appliances along rural roadsides. This person doesn't have even the self-interest that keeps most of us acting in a cooperative way. This is the person who might drive drunk, killing himself or others. It's the tough guy who doesn't care if he gets caught.
Littering is at root an unethical and immoral action. As such it is highly anti-social and a starting point for much worse behavior. The society that accepts it is in trouble.
We need to recognize and deal with littering as the serious problem it is. Its prohibition needs to be part of a moral upbringing, the subject of Sunday sermons and treated as important public policy -- a matter of consideration, responsibility and self-respect.
(Chris Brockman is an English and developmental studies instructor for Vance-Granville Community College.)
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
Forward by Kira Brockman Lipe
This is an editorial by my dad published by his local North Carolina newspaper. It holds true for Lakeland and Polk County too. I have been driving behind someone who casually tosses out their fast food waste out the window. I have been to our local parks in Lakeland especially Lake Parker park and where my children play. I have found and picked up cigarette butts, fast food containers and even old socks. Eww! Most of the litter is just feet from an available trash can. In my yard off Kathleen Rd. I find trash daily, including a broken bottles and even a discarded condom! This is disgusting people. I don’t want to live in a pile of trash. Everyone needs to pitch in and put trash where it belongs. If you see someone littering they should be made to feel ashamed. I am not a big environmentalist, but I do believe that we have been given this earth by God and we should take care of our small portion of it.
Chris Brockman
There's been a lot of concern recently about trash along North Carolina roadways. Neither the concern nor the trash is new. I wrote about it on these pages as a newcomer to the Triangle a decade ago.
In the years since, in all the editorials, letters and news stories regarding roadside littering, I can't remember more than an offhand reference or two to the ethical and moral nature of littering.
The lax enforcement of litter laws, and the use of prisoners to pick up trash on a routine basis, suggest that we consider litter and littering relatively harmless. Ethical or moral analysis suggests otherwise. By not treating littering as a serious breach of the social contract, we put our society in line for much worse behavior.
Deliberately throwing trash along the highway, or failing to pick up the trash that blows out from one's carelessly loaded truck or trailer, exhibits ethical and moral problems with serious implications. The first is, literally, a lack of consideration. It's easy to imagine that many of the soda and beer cans and bottles and fast food bags and wrappers along the road were tossed out without a thought, without a care.
Such inconsiderate behavior is a complete abrogation of the responsibility we have as human beings to think about the harm our actions cause to others. This is amoral behavior of the kind that allows the mayhem of identity theft, the injustice of robbery and the ultimate harm of murder. Just don't think about it, and you can do anything to anyone. Our blinking at thoughtless littering creates a breeding ground for all kinds of anti-social behavior.
A litterer who is aware that his or her action is harmful breaks the most basic and most important of moral restraints: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Few of those who toss trash out their car windows, I suspect, or those whose trash blows out of the back of their trucks, would be happy if someone else's trash ended up in their yards. This would be especially true if they had to bear the burden of cleaning it up.
These people are simply immoral; they know what they're doing is harmful and don't care -- so long as they don't have to bear the consequences. Fortunately, in most instances those whose immoral behavior harms others do get caught and end up in jail or prison. Ironically, it is they who may end up picking up others' trash.
Unfortunately, few people are caught or punished for littering itself, because we just don't take littering seriously.
Maybe the worst sort of litterer is the one who recognizes the ugliness of litter on the public landscape and hates having to pay taxes to clean it up, but still empties his car ashtray in public parking lots and leaves appliances along rural roadsides. This person doesn't have even the self-interest that keeps most of us acting in a cooperative way. This is the person who might drive drunk, killing himself or others. It's the tough guy who doesn't care if he gets caught.
Littering is at root an unethical and immoral action. As such it is highly anti-social and a starting point for much worse behavior. The society that accepts it is in trouble.
We need to recognize and deal with littering as the serious problem it is. Its prohibition needs to be part of a moral upbringing, the subject of Sunday sermons and treated as important public policy -- a matter of consideration, responsibility and self-respect.
(Chris Brockman is an English and developmental studies instructor for Vance-Granville Community College.)
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published, broadcast or redistributed in any manner.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
God is always with us
Hi Everyone and Happy New Year! I love this story that my pastor's mom sent me. If you are going through a time that you are in need of God's reassurance I know he will let you know he is with you. All you have to do is ask and then look for Him!
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America "
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross
+ 3 nails
--------
4 given
You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the waterway, and cars costing more than her house
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband.
He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She casually mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words " United States of America "
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient..
The best mathematical equation I have ever seen:
1 cross
+ 3 nails
--------
4 given
Monday, December 24, 2007
It's Christmas Eve
Since I know that none of you want me to sing Christmas Carols for you, I figured I would let these guys do it.
Merry Christmas
January @ Journey
Journey will now be meeting in a new location! To say that we are super excited is an understatment. Starting January 6 Journey will starting meeting at Churchwell Elementary in north Lakeland. The school is located in a fast growing area in northwest Lakeland. We are really looking forward to serving the school and community. We have so many things that we would like to do, our future's so bright we gotta wear shades!
If you are a parent of a Churchwell Star or a teacher at Churchwell, let me know some of the things that you would like to see happen at Churchwell.
Working with Mrs. Fitsgerald (Churchwell's principal) has been a dream. If you would like to learn more about the decision that brought us to Churchwell, check out Adam Mayfield's blog. God is doing great things for us and with us. Come join us on Sunday, January 6 at 10:30 am for the next stop on our Journey!
If you are a parent of a Churchwell Star or a teacher at Churchwell, let me know some of the things that you would like to see happen at Churchwell.
Working with Mrs. Fitsgerald (Churchwell's principal) has been a dream. If you would like to learn more about the decision that brought us to Churchwell, check out Adam Mayfield's blog. God is doing great things for us and with us. Come join us on Sunday, January 6 at 10:30 am for the next stop on our Journey!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Kids....
I've been working lately as a substitute teacher in several elementary schools around Lakeland. It's very concerning to me the anger of some of these very young children. They come to school in the morning angry, they cannot remain on task so they are reprimanded throughout the day, and leave angry in the afternoon. These 5-10 year old kids are being robbed of their childhood. It just doesn't seem like anyone is going out of their way to make these dears feel valued and loved. We are raising a generation of children with members that have no emotional connection to anything or anyone. It's no wonder that our prisons are full to overflowing.
We need to find some way to support these parents and encourage them to value these precious children that they have been entrusted with. We need fathers to step up and assume responsibility for their families. It's not an easy job, but one that comes with immense rewards when it's done with love. Jesus loved the little children. We should too.
We need to find some way to support these parents and encourage them to value these precious children that they have been entrusted with. We need fathers to step up and assume responsibility for their families. It's not an easy job, but one that comes with immense rewards when it's done with love. Jesus loved the little children. We should too.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Halloween protection
Monday afternoon my youngest daughter came home from school asking if we had any garlic to protect her from vampires. I told her that we had some garlic but that she didn't need it because she had Jesus to keep her safe. She instisted that she also needed the garlic, so I allowed her to put a head of garlic on her dresser. When she woke up this morning, she told me that she slept really good last night, because Jesus and the garlic kept her safe.How often do we rely on things of this world, when all that we need is our Heavenly Father? My prayer this morning is a stronger desire for Christ and comfort when we need it.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Eve's Daughters
I just finished a great book by Lynn Austin called Eve's Daughters. Although it is a fictional story, it also asks the question 'Are you the wife that Christ called you to be?' We all observe the roles that our mothers played in the marriage between our parents and bring that influence into our own marriages. The story in Eve's Daughters dramatically shows how our mothers and grandparents mold us to become the wife we are today.
Lynn Austin is a Christy Award winning Christian author. This is the third book of hers that I have read. Candle in the Darkness and A Light to My Path where also good, but Eve's Daughters was the most powerful.
Speaking of good books, is there anyone out there that is interested in starting a book club? I enjoy reading great Christian fiction novels and would love to meet with others interested in reading and discussing great books.
Lynn Austin is a Christy Award winning Christian author. This is the third book of hers that I have read. Candle in the Darkness and A Light to My Path where also good, but Eve's Daughters was the most powerful.
Speaking of good books, is there anyone out there that is interested in starting a book club? I enjoy reading great Christian fiction novels and would love to meet with others interested in reading and discussing great books.
What's your gift?
Last weekend I went through the Spiritual Gift class that Adam is conducting and I found it very enlightening. It highlighted some interesting aspects of my personality. I especially liked that the workbook asked us to become 'supernatural' instead of 'natural' and not 'normal' but spiritual.
How often are we afraid to show others our 'real' self for fear of rejection or disapproval? Once we have a better understanding of our own motiviations, it becomes easier to see what motivates others and understand where they are 'coming from'. With everyone striving to joyously serve God, without being wrapped up in who does what or who gets the credit for what job, we can become a better church, more in the image of Christ himself.
One of the over-arching premises of the personality study is there is no right or wrong behavior pattern. D, I, C, and S's are all loved and valued by our Father. Embrace who you are. God created you to be Uniquely You.
How often are we afraid to show others our 'real' self for fear of rejection or disapproval? Once we have a better understanding of our own motiviations, it becomes easier to see what motivates others and understand where they are 'coming from'. With everyone striving to joyously serve God, without being wrapped up in who does what or who gets the credit for what job, we can become a better church, more in the image of Christ himself.
One of the over-arching premises of the personality study is there is no right or wrong behavior pattern. D, I, C, and S's are all loved and valued by our Father. Embrace who you are. God created you to be Uniquely You.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Kindness
Have you ever experienced an unexpected kindness? The other day after one of my children "borrowed" my personal CD player, the CD that was originally inside disappeared. In it's place was High scool musical 2. Hmmmm..... no child was admitting guilt! The lost CD was part of a set of hypnosis sessions and I really needed it to make the set work. I called the company hoping to buy a replacement and the man said, " Sure we can get you a replacement. Where would you like it sent?" "Wait! wait! how much will that be?" "Oh, we don't charge for replacement CD's." he said. They didn't even charge for shipping! Now how often does that happen today? It was so unexpected. I was thinking if we could each give someone a totally unexpected kindness what a difference that would make. I am challenging myself to find a need for kindness each week and try to meet it. How about you?
Monday, October 15, 2007
I'm mad...
Let's start by saying that I live in a nice, middle-class house in an established middle-class neighborhood. It's full of retirees walking 'the loop' and kids riding bikes. The homes are well taken care of and we have an active homeowners association. I felt safe at home.
Thursday afternoon the Polk County Sheriff's office busted a grow house three doors down from my home. Three doors. Two houses in between. Our addresses are eerily similar. That's WAY too close for comfort.
My children, and all their friends, ride their bikes in our neighborhood. They walk from one house to the other. We sit on the front porch. We wash cars in the front yard and park in the driveway.
I know my neighbors. At Christmas time we have a cookie exchange. We wave and say hello when we pass on the street. We trade car pool duty and borrow eggs from each other. We live the American dream. But I'm not unreasonable. I have an alarm on my car and I lock my doors at night.
How can it be that my neighbor's are drug dealers? How dare they shatter my illusion of safety by growing marijuana three doors down from my house? A few weeks ago, at 9 am on a Saturday morning, drug dealers started shooting at each other in a neighborhood not too far from here. Saturday morning isn't for drug wars. It's for sleeping late, watching cartoons and making pancakes.
Can my children still play safely outside? What changes do I need to make to protect them? They think they are safe. Until a few days ago, I thought that we had made choices that kept them safe. We live on a cul-de-sac with nice houses with large yards. How was I to know that the same things that attracted me to this neighborhood would also attract drug dealers?
Part of me is still in denial. Things like this happen in seedy neighborhoods with run down houses full of litter and junky cars. Neighborhoods where young men with lots of jewelry hang out on the street corner.
How badly could this situation have turned out? How can I trust the next people that move into the subdivision?
Have you talked to your neighbors? Do they seem like nice people? What do they grow in their garden? Do they garden indoors or outdoors? For me, this is too close for comfort. As much as I want to, I can't board up my widows and hide from the unpleasantness in this world. But I can pray hard. Pray for my family. Pray for the drug dealers. Pray for the addicts. Pray for the law enforcement officers that work hard to keep this from happening in other neighborhoods. The Bible tells us to be in this world but not of this world. This is part of the world that I definitely want no part of.
Thursday afternoon the Polk County Sheriff's office busted a grow house three doors down from my home. Three doors. Two houses in between. Our addresses are eerily similar. That's WAY too close for comfort.
My children, and all their friends, ride their bikes in our neighborhood. They walk from one house to the other. We sit on the front porch. We wash cars in the front yard and park in the driveway.
I know my neighbors. At Christmas time we have a cookie exchange. We wave and say hello when we pass on the street. We trade car pool duty and borrow eggs from each other. We live the American dream. But I'm not unreasonable. I have an alarm on my car and I lock my doors at night.
How can it be that my neighbor's are drug dealers? How dare they shatter my illusion of safety by growing marijuana three doors down from my house? A few weeks ago, at 9 am on a Saturday morning, drug dealers started shooting at each other in a neighborhood not too far from here. Saturday morning isn't for drug wars. It's for sleeping late, watching cartoons and making pancakes.
Can my children still play safely outside? What changes do I need to make to protect them? They think they are safe. Until a few days ago, I thought that we had made choices that kept them safe. We live on a cul-de-sac with nice houses with large yards. How was I to know that the same things that attracted me to this neighborhood would also attract drug dealers?
Part of me is still in denial. Things like this happen in seedy neighborhoods with run down houses full of litter and junky cars. Neighborhoods where young men with lots of jewelry hang out on the street corner.
How badly could this situation have turned out? How can I trust the next people that move into the subdivision?
Have you talked to your neighbors? Do they seem like nice people? What do they grow in their garden? Do they garden indoors or outdoors? For me, this is too close for comfort. As much as I want to, I can't board up my widows and hide from the unpleasantness in this world. But I can pray hard. Pray for my family. Pray for the drug dealers. Pray for the addicts. Pray for the law enforcement officers that work hard to keep this from happening in other neighborhoods. The Bible tells us to be in this world but not of this world. This is part of the world that I definitely want no part of.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Desperate Housewife...
I have a confession to make. Please don't call me June Cleaver or Mrs. Cunningham when I tell you this. I still hang wash out on the line to dry. I inherited this gene from my mother who hangs everything outside. I have partically overcome my disability and only hang out heavy items like towels, jeans, blankets and sheets. I just can't get past the idea that the same clothes that can spend an hour in the dryer getting dry can spend that same hour outside and they come in warm, dry, and smelling so good. And, in case you're wondering, I don't wear pearls when I vacuum.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
busy busy busy..
I'm in a hurry to get things done and i
Rush and Rush until lifes no fun
All I really got to do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why...
(Roger Murrah-Randy VanWarmer)
Has this been life for you lately? Has the drive thru been your best friend? Is the house such a wreck that you could use a bulldozer to clean it? This has been my life lately. I need to slow down get back in balance.
Kira
Rush and Rush until lifes no fun
All I really got to do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why...
(Roger Murrah-Randy VanWarmer)
Has this been life for you lately? Has the drive thru been your best friend? Is the house such a wreck that you could use a bulldozer to clean it? This has been my life lately. I need to slow down get back in balance.
Kira
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