Sermon in a Sentence

Humility isn't thinking less of one's self. It is thinking of one's self less.

Photo Hunters - Metal

POOR MAN'S GOLD

Sky Watch - The Burning Bush?

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Happy Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. -H. U. Westermayer


Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. -Brother David Steindl-Rast


At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. -Albert Schweitzer

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

A short list of what makes me thankful.

1. There is a God who loves me so much he sent His son to save me.
2. I have a husband who loves me - sometimes in spite of me.
3. I have children who love and respect me and who have, as adults, become my friends and who have given me wonderful in-laws.
4. I have a close family that is supportive and who are always there for each other.
5. I have an amazing group of friends who are just like family. We really do "do life" together.
6. I have two amazing, healthy, beautiful grandbabies and one more on the way.
7. I have a dog that makes me laugh.
8. I live in a country that allows me "the pursuit of happiness".
9. I have a job, a vehicle, and a home.
10. I have the ability to see, hear, smell, talk, walk and feel.
11. I have the ability to think and access to places for and instruments of learning.
12. I have a Bible in my own language that I can read whenever I so desire. (Actually I have several translations.)
13. I have a computer that allows me access to the world, to new friends and ideas, and reminds me that no matter how big the world seems, we all live under the same sky! (If you doubt that, check out just a few of the many Sky Watch Friday links here.)

Wordless Wednesday - 2000

Here is what it looked like this month eight years ago. This is our lot as we were clearing to build the house. More snow came as the day went on.

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Driving to work this morning I saw this bumper sticker:

"Legalize the Constitution"

Huh?

My mind goes so many different directions...

Is this guy a firearms enthusiast? Is he against judges making laws instead of enforcing them? Or is he just all about the "pursuit of happiness"?



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Black Friday

What are you doing on Black Friday? It is usually a day of crazy early morning shopping for me - not because I'm so drawn by the deals, but because I love the crowds and the craziness of it all. I know, I'm weird! I'll be working this year but may try to sneak in a few stores before I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m.

Wikipedia says, " Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit)."

So, what do you think the economy will do to the shopping? Are you changing your spending habits for Christmas this year? We certainly are.

Do you think the stores will reach that "in the black" zone? Even if they do, if this definition is accurate, what type of business principle has you operating in the red for 332 days out of the year and then trying to make up for it in the last 33 days? I've read that several retail companies have filed with the government of their intent to close, either a number of their stores or entirely, after the first of the year. Do you think they should be required to tell consumers ahead of time so they don't purchase gift cards that may be difficult or impossible to spend?

Sermon in a Sentence

Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting. Give Thanks!

Ten Years Ago Today

Having some technical difficulties - more photos soon...

Sky Watch Friday - Peeking Thru

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Thirteen Thirteens

Today I offer 13 random thirteens.

1. The local NBC station in our area is channel 13.



2. A Baker's dozen is 13.



3. There are 13 cards in each suit in a deck of cards.



4. The last sequel in the Ocean's movies in Ocean's Thirteen.



5. Thirteen is a character on the TV show House.



6. The recognized unlucky number since Roman times is 13.



7. Room #13 is missing in most buildings as is the 13th floor in most skyscrapers.



8. Thirteen is the year children become teens.



9. Talia Leman is a 13 year old CEO of RandomKid an organization that helps kids raise money for charities.



10. The number of original colonies was 13.



11. The 13th amendment is the one that outlaws slavery.



12. There are 13 siblings in our friend Norm's family.



13. Thirteen is the number of items that are supposed to be in your Thursday Thirteen post.

Wordless Wednesday - You Write the Captions

I'd love to hear how you'd caption these photos of baby Isaac meeting a new friend!

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Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

I wonder how much less stress/nerve/depression medication would be needed if Hollywood were banned from showing any violence and insurance commercials were only allowed in print media. What if, other than the news, the most upsetting things we saw on TV were Lucy pulling away the football as Charlie Brown tries to kick it or the Grinch weighing poor Max down with a reindeer antler?



I also wonder now much the availability of all the news all the time contributes to these ever increasing stress levels which then contribute to, among other things, addictions, overeating, and all types of physical ailments. How much do we really need to know? If you think that is a naive question, think again. The constant onslaught of news and its repetition numerous times a day has lead to many wrong perceptions.

How would you answer these questions?

1. Child abductions by strangers happen:

A) more often than in the past (ie. when I was growing up).
B) less often than in the past.
C) at about the same rate as in the past.


2. Violence in schools was at its highest in:

A) the last ten years.
B) the 80's and 90's
C) the 60's and 70's




Find the answers in the comments.

Sermon in a Sentence

What is right is often forgotten by what is convenient. - Bodie Thoene

Sky Watch - Sunrise Over the Fog

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Friday Fill-ins

1. Please feel free to visit my blog and comment - any time.

2. When I wear my leather coat I can't help sniffing it occasionally.

3. My favorite thing to cook is lasagna from scratch when I have time.

4. Free time is something I can't get enough of.

5. That's the thing I love most about being a grandparent, all the fun with half (or less) of the responsibility.














6. Constantly changing gas prices always makes me think to myself, what the heck?

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to some time to read, tomorrow my plans include visiting our friend in the hospital and Sunday, I want to go to church and later enjoy discussing The Shack with friends at Life Group!

FYI

***UPDATE***

Our friend is doing very well and recovering remarkably. Your prayers were and are appreciated. It was a very unique set of circumstances that led up to his surgery as he was experiencing no symptoms! Those of us familiar with the details see God's hand all over this situation. Trust that I am not exaggerating when I say that it is a miracle that our friend is still with us. We are very thankful to God and to those who acted as His hands.

I should be back to regular posts on Friday.



Hey bloggy friends,

We just found out that a very close friend of ours is having heart bypass surgery tomorrow morning (4-5 bypasses) so I probably won't be posting till later in the week. Any and all prayers would be appreciated!

Sermon in a Sentence -7 Sins

The Seven Modern Sins

Politics without principle.

Pleasures without conscience.

Wealth without work.

Knowledge without character.

Industry without morality.

Science without humanity.

Worship without sacrifice.

-Canon Frederic Donaldson

Photo Hunt - Together

This bird has a right wing....



This bird has a left wing...



It takes both wings, together, for this bird to fly!



Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt Participants

1. storyteller 2. june

3. Leslie in Australia 4. Alice Audrey

5. YTSL 6. jams o donnell

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Friday Fill-ins

1. My blueprint for success includes changing my definition of success.

2. A chocolate covered cherry was the last candy I ate.

3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is Oil of Olay Regenerist.

4. Holding a baby can be good therapy.

5. I'd like to tell you about my grandbabies. (I know, I know. I already do that.)

6. Determination is my strongest characteristic.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to , tomorrow my plans include going to a seminar and Sunday, I want to go to church and then flip back and forth between the NASCAR race and the Colts game!

Sky Watch Friday- Almost Neon

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Thurday Thirteen - Yesterday

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm day in Indiana so I took a day off from work - more accurately a day off from my job! Here is what I did do yesterday...

1. Slept in until 8:00 a.m.



2. Went out to breakfast with my hubby.



3. Moved some very heavy landscape blocks from around the mailbox so I can redo it in the Spring.



4. Arranged those landscape blocks to finish the edge of the garden (with a little help - did I mention that they were very heavy).



5. Put away torches, wind chimes, citronella candles, etc. off the deck.



6. Trimmed grapevine back.



7. Swept leaves out of outdoor kitchen area.



8. Forgot to eat lunch. How did THAT happen?



9. Drug limbs/branches/small trees back from the road to the fire pit to burn. (Hubby was kind enough to trim the edge of the woods back so it is easier for me to see to pull out or our driveway.



10. Pulled the last of the weeds (and some onions I'd somehow missed) out of the garden so hubby could till it up before winter.



11. Got online and paid bills and wrote a blog post.



12. Took a bubble bath.



13. Started a load of laundry which I just realized I forgot all about until now...oops!

Happy Birthday Janie

Today is one of my sisters' birthday. I am the youngest and Janie is the next older than me. As kids, I was the one always wanting to tag along with her and do what she was doing just like most little sisters. As far back as I can remember though, we were as different as night and day. Her hair was dark, mine was blond. She was neat, I was messy - and we shared a room! She was a "go by the rules" kind of girl, I was a rebel.

My hair is a little darker now and I'm a little neater (I think she might be a little messier...shhh! don't tell). We still look at all kinds of things very differently though. I would love to know how that happens when we were raised by the same two wonderful parents? Just the way God wired each of us I guess.

Regardless of all the arguments over the years about politics, labor, and dishes, I love her and her family dearly. So for her birthday, I wanted two share a couple of memories from when we were young.

Every Christmas Eve when I was little, just before bedtime, Janie would sit me on her lap and remind me that "in the morning when you wake up, wake me up first and then we'll go out to the living room together." It was a given that I'd wake up first. I don"t know if this little ritual started because she wanted to be sure we shared all of Christmas morning< because she wanted to be sure i didn't get to the presents first, or if Mom prompted this so they could get the official bleary-eyed, surprised picture of both of us together. Regardless, it was so much a part of Christmas to me that the last year we both lived at home (I was 17 & she was 22) I wanted to reenact it. Being a good sister, she indulged me.

I also remember getting to have my first official boy/girl birthday party. I was so excited and felt so grown up and was so scared no one would show up or no one would have fun. Mom told me Janie was going to take care of decorating for the party. I wasn't allowed downstairs all day! Finally, shortly before my guest arrived, they let me see what she had been doing all day. It was sooooo cool, the coolest. There were pink and purple little footprints cut out and placed down the stairway wall. There were more everywhere downstairs and there were streamers and even a big, hot pink shag rug in a footprint shape (ya, I know, I'm giving my age away). Her stereo was downstairs and her records (we didn't share those or shoes-hardly ever) so we could dance. The party went well. I remember people at school talking later about the "groovy" decorations and thinking I had the best sister ever.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JANIE!

It's Over, It's Over, It's Over (or The Polls Are Now Closed)

Well, it's all over except the "spinning" by the newscasters. By morning, hopefully(barring anyone named Chad voting in Florida), we will know who will be our next president.

It has seemed like an extremely long campaign season with much discourse and many opinions - both extreme and resonable ones. I have been at odds with some of my friends and family and on the same page as others.

Either way, it is now a done deal. Whoever wins, as Christians we have our instructions on how to respond:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

I Voted!

I voted!

It's done!

The campaign commercials are over tonight!

All these things are exciting to me!

We stood in line for about an hour and a half and most of the people I've spoken with here in Indiana are averaging 45 minutes to two hours. What are the lines like where you live? Leave a comment and let me know.

I also want to share what an awesome experience last night's online prayer meeting was.

This was the first time I had done anything like this and it was great! It was an amazing feeling to be praying with people from all across the country. Thanks to Carlos for thinking of and hosting it. If you're interested, you can see the video from last night by clicking below.



Hopefully you'll be visiting the blog party later...

Don't Forget to Vote!

"A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election." -Bill Vaughan

Food for Thought

We routinely disqualify testimony that would plead for extenuation. That is, we are so persuaded of the rightness of our judgements as to invalidate evidence that does not confirm us in it. Nothing that deserves to be called truth could ever be arrived at by such means. -Marilynne Robinson (author)

A personal comment - I am perplexed by how many people calling themselves Christians are rendering judgement on those who favor Obama in this election. They seem to feel they have some moral superiority by voting solely on the issue of abortion and, therefore, promoting the sixth commandment often while enthusiastically breaking the ninth. I have always been taught that all sin is an equal abomination to God. You might want to test the emails you send or read, the information you post and the campaign advertisements you hear through that filter.

This just in - I just heard a news report that people are stealing political signs right out of other peoples yards. The report said a man described as "around 70" was seen pulling up Obama yard signs and throwing them in the back of his truck! Regardless of whose sign it is, we clearly also need to review commandment eight.

Are You Red or Are You Blue?

I saw this on the way to church this morning and just had to share it.

Does that mean democrats pay $1.97 and republicans pay $2.07 ?

Sermon in a Sentence

As we approach the elections..... The most prominent place in hell is reserved for those who are neutral on the great issues of life. - Billy Graham

The Choice

To me the choice seems clear,
One man promoting hope-
One man promoting fear.

Photo Hunters - Blue

Here's hoping Indiana goes blue!

Okay, obviously I didn't take this picture - but I did hunt for it!

PhotoHunt