These seem to be popping up everywhere

Well, here's another one of those "Who/what are you like?" things. I thought this one was fun. I would add, that I am getting better at accepting help from others. Let me know what fairy tale archetype you turn out to be!


So which fairy tale archetype are you? Hmm??
made by Michelle at EmptySpace.

How sweet!

In case you were wondering...this is what flavor of Ben & Jerry's ice cream I am! Thanks to Rich for this link. You can see the credit list on his page as to where he got it.


you are peanut butter me up !!!
you're so sweet that Im getting a cavity !
your loving personality always makes those around
you feel special!


What Ben and Jerrys ice cream flavor are you ?
brought to you by Quizilla

Life is short

Today I attended the funeral of a gentleman from our church. I had never met the man himself, but I do know his family. It was amazing to see the number of people who came to show their love and support to the family. This man was surely good and had touched the lives of many.

As I sat there through the funeral, looking at some of my own family in attendance, I began to think about life and death, how we deal with it and how would I be dealing with it if my father were the one being buried today. I realized that too often, I don't tell those around me how much I appreciate them. How much I love and cherish them. Even those folks who get on my nerves have some impact on my life - do I look for the good in them and encourage that goodness? Have I given praise where praise is due?

I remembered hearing a quote one time that included the phrase "give me the roses while I live". So, I did a search on Google and found the lyrics to this song, written by The Carter Family:

Give Me The Roses While I Live

Wonderful things of folks are said
When they have passed away
Roses adorn the narrow bed
Over the sleeping clay

Give me the roses while I live
Trying to cheer me on
Useless are flowers that you give
After the soul is gone

Let us not wait to do good deeds
Till they have passed away
Now is the time to sow good seeds
While here on earth we stay

Kind words are useless when folks lie
Cold in a narrow bed
Don't wait till death to speak kind words
Now should the words be said.

Recorded 6/17/33 Camden, NJ

I hope that I will remember to let people know how much I love and appreciate them. Life is too short to think I will have time to do that later. We are all just a breath away from passing from this life into the next. I hope you all know I appreciate you. I also hope that you know the One who makes this life worth living and provides real Hope for the future.

My pastor said in his sermon today, that he read where someone said "Write your epitaph while you're young and spend your life living up to it." I imagine if everyone in the world were to write out their epitaph, and then live up to that, this world would be different. Maybe it is a trend we can start.

It's been a long week

Well, we made it through our banquet (which over 800 people attended)! It was very successful and we had a good time. Unfortunately, now I am sick. :-( But - I'm getting better!

Anyway, just wanted to post something since it's been a while. I hope to get back in the groove and have something interesting to say really soon. Be sure to check out some of the other links I have on my blogroll. I think they are all very good and maybe you will too. Thanks to all who have linked to my page.

Before I go, here is something cool.

This is awesome

Ok, last post for today -

My uncle took this picture the day before the war started. Click on the picture to go to his website.

The last seven sayings of Jesus

As you all know, Easter is this weekend. What an awesome celebration in the life of any Christian! Well, I found this site in my reading online. Take some time to go through these. They are really intense. (Click on the picture and it will take you to the site. Then, click the numbers at the bottom of the picture to hear each saying.)

Alone in the crowd


Have you ever been there? You have a lot of people with whom you spend a good deal of time (friends and family), yet, when it comes down to it - you feel alone. It stinks. It's.....lonely.

Different things can trigger this sense of loneliness - a change in job, a new home in a different city, friends getting married or having children, friendships coming to a close for various reasons, friendships you thought were going somewhere not going anywhere, or just plain being too busy to be around folks. It can really be tough when several of these things hit at once.

I found some really good reading on the topic. A few things that really spoke to me were:

1. You are vulnerable when you are lonely - and you can easily make some major mistakes.
   
2. Feeling lonely is unavoidable, it's part of being human. But staying lonely is a choice.
   
3. People may let us down. Friends may disappoint us. Families sometimes fracture. But Someone is always with you.

It seems so much easier to be "alone in the crowded room" than to do something like reaching out to God or others who have walked this path before me. Isaiah 52:2 says:

Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, O captive Jerusalem; Loose yourself from the chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Matthew Henry's commentary says about this passage of scripture:

Here, God’s people are stirred up to appear vigorous for their own deliverance, v. 1, 2. They had desired that God would awake and put on his strength, ch. 51:9. Here he calls upon them to awake and put on their strength, to bestir themselves; let them awake from their despondency, and pluck up their spirits, encourage themselves and one another with the hope that all will be well yet, and no longer succumb and sink under their burden.

So there you have it. Loneliness comes to all people, but we (you and I) have to choose what to do with that. Stir yourself. Call out to God - He will answer. He is always there. We are never alone.

Imagination

According to this inkblot test I took at Emode.com, my unconcious mind is driven by imagination. Thought it was kind of interesting.

Woo hoo!

I just noticed this morning I've had 100 visitors to my site since I added my meter! Not a big deal to some folks, but a HUGE deal to me!!!

Now.....moving on towards 1,000!

Thanks y'all!

Just so you know . . .

The next couple of weeks are going to be crazy for me. We have a major banquet April 25, and I will be swamped trying to stay on top of all of that. We are hoping to have around 800 guests, so you do the math!

Anyway, I will try not to let too many days go by without a post - since I know you are all dying to hear from me! :) I've got some things rolling around in my head and hope to put them into words soon. I was thinking of doing some sort of poll to fill in for days I miss posting. Here's one to get started:

What is your favorite book of the Bible and why?

If you have any ideas for another poll, let me know!

God bless you all and thank you for taking time to stop by and read my ramblings. I'm very humbled that anyone would have an interest in something I say.

Right Now

I am learning a very hard lesson right now. I am not patient. I have never prayed for patience, either....well, not directly. I have a hard time waiting for things. You know, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, we live in a "microwave generation". We can have just about anything we want - right now. Most of us want what we want - right now. Think about it: you can go online and get news, recipies, clothes, food, purchase a house, vehicle or stocks, research, read books.....even find a spouse. There is no limit to what you can have - right now.

Well, here's my struggle - God's time is never my time. Don't get me wrong - His timing is always right - just not my timing! I want to know exactly what my purpose or function in this life is - right now. I want a glimpse of what my life is going to be like - right now. I'm not married, and don't have any current prospects, so I want to know how long I will have to wait before that comes about in my life - right now. I want to be financially stable and not have student loans to pay back- right now. I want God to let me see a little bit of my future - right now. I've dedicated my life to Him, and I want to know when it will be "my turn". I want it to be now! As I said, I'm not a patient person. But I want to be.

I want to be content. I want to be able to completely trust God with my future, even though I can't see how it will come out. I need to put my trust and hope totally in Christ.

Someone reminded me of a scripture last week that has been on my mind ever since. The scripture talks about wisdom from God and compares people who trust in themselves and those who trust in God:

"Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives. But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like a tree planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit." Jeremiah 17:5-8

I am struck by the description of the tree planted by the riverbank. Can't you see it? Here is a tree, right on the riverbank, with big limbs reaching out in every direction with beautiful green leaves and delicious fruit. It gets everything it needs to grow right there on that riverbank, next to the water. Even when it is very hot or there is a long period of drought, it's leaves are green and it still produces fruit. What a joyous picture that is. It almost brings a smile to my face. In contrast is the shrub in the desert. It is isolated, in a dusty, dry stretch of barren ground. How dreary a picture that is. How hopeless. I've got to let my roots go way down deep into the source of my life. I've got to draw my strength from the Living Water, Jesus, and grow in Him. Then, I will not be worried by the circumstances surrounding me and those long periods of drought will not phase me. Otherwise, I will be isolated, dry and without hope.

"The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I know! I, the Lord search all hearts and examine secret motives." Jeremiah 17:9-10a

This scripture sure puts another spin on trusting in ourselves doesn't it? If I can't even know my own heart, or trust in it, how can I know that what I want "right now" is what I need? I can let myself believe something to be truth and be led down the wrong path. I can want something so much and try to finagle my way to getting it and all of a sudden realize it was the worst thing I could have ever gotten. As I said, I need to trust in God. I am not dependable. I can mess up, big time! Or - I can choose to simply place my complete trust and hope in Christ and be like the tree - unphased by the circumstances around me, producing beautiful fruit and full of hope.

Sorry for the changes

My blog was messed up with the problems Blogger experienced over the past couple of days, so I upgraded to Blog*Spot Plus and am trying to get things as close to the way they were as possible. Hopefully it will be better.

The good news is this - I can now post pictures! Woohoo! Will post some when I find some good ones!

Anyway, y'all come back now, ya hear! I'll be working on this as I get the time!