Ok....enough is enough!  We can sit back on the sidelines and make pot shots OR we can actually do something about the world's current financial situation.  I have followed these steps and they are incredibly easy!  This is not a Republican thing or a Democratic thing...this is an American issue and if this issue matters to you, voice your opinion!!!!! 

Please, take a second to let your voice be heard~!

Passionately,

Jill

..TR>

..TR> ..TABLE>..:namespace prefix = u1 /> ..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> ..TR> ..TABLE>..TABLE>  1:27 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate We are at a crucial time in our country's financial history. Congress defeated the $700 billion bailout plan on Monday. However, they are revising it and trying to push it through again. I'm supporting an alternative plan that will keep our nation from going even deeper in debt, and I've been on TV and radio all week telling people about it. We need everyone's help! Follow the instructions below. Together we can change history. Pray for them to resist a spirit of FEAR and to embrace WISDOM. Even if you don't like them or agree with them, pray for them and tell them you are praying for them. There is a spirit over this problem that must be broken. Also, most of the media personalities are afraid as well and that is affecting their reporting. Pray for fear to be removed from them; they are making this worse. Send The Common Sense Fix to your Representatives and Senators and tell them how you expect them to vote, and that if they put this nation in $700 billion of debt, that you will vote them out. It's their job to listen to us! (Whichever presidential candidate or political party that champions this plan from their leadership down will likely become the next president. That is because this plan fixes the crisis while going along with the wishes of the vast majority of Americans.) First, read this page (PDF) Next, copy the info on this page (text file) Send it to your Senators and representatives by copying and pasting the text in the web form you're sent to. *Note: If their websites are down, that means we're making a difference! Keep refreshing the page until you get through. You can also go through Congress.org, though we don't endorse this site. Forward this email to everyone in your address book and tell them to urgently follow these 3 steps TODAY. The more people we have supporting this and contacting their elected leaders, the more likely we can turn our economy around! Get a list of Dave's media appearances this week.   Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese

Thursday, October 02, 2008  VOTE! I received this email and it moved me.  Sometimes, in order to know where we're going, we need to understand and appreciate where and how far we have come.  Please take a minute to read this and understand the privilege we have as women to vote.  Try to comprehend a "land of the free" where women were not freed yet, to have a voice.  Understand that our Grandmothers and great-grandmothers fought for our freedom.  Know, that this is probably thee single most important election, yet to date. So....knowing we have a voice, will we chose to use it? VOTE!  Encourage other women to VOTE! Hillary Clinton is not in the election (Thank Jesus!) but we have a spirit-filled, Christian woman running for office.  Let's watch history be made and know we had a part in this.  Pray for Sarah Palin!  Pray for this election and pray for our country!  There is power in a united front of women. Lord, we ask that, "Your Kingdom come and YOUR will be done." Love to you all! Jill   ..TR vAlign=top> A Message for all women     ..TR> ..TABLE>..TABLE> 1:25 AM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate  THIS IS MOVING.  HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET.....IF ....WE EVER KNEW......   WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920   that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.' (Lucy Burns) They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging fo! r the ni ght, bleeding and gasping for air. (Dora Lewis) They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women. Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. (Alice Paul) When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf   So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining? Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder. All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient. My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought what would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.' HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywh ere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.' Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote. History is being made. Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Tuesday, September 23, 2008  Interesting from Ben Stein! I don't forward a lot of things on.  Lately, I've been so busy with real life and wife and mom things that I've neglected my role as an artist. I decided to take what little influence I have in this big world, and to post a great email that someone recently forwarded on to me.  Please read with an open mind!  Many thoughts are swirling in this little head of mine....I'll blog soon, I promise!  Be blessed! From BEN STEIN: My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish.  And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees..  I don't feel threatened.  I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are:  Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.  I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it  It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu .  If people want a crïeche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians.  I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.  I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country.  I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him?  I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too.   But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:  This is not intended to be a joke;  it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.  She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?' In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.  I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.  Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school.  The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself.  And we said OK. Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide).  We said an expert should know what he's talking about.  And we said OK. Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.  I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.' Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell  Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.  Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.  Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit.  If not then just discard it... no one will know you did.  But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.  My Best Regards,  Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein  1:45 AM  4 Comments (Add Comment) | 6 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Wednesday, June 18, 2008  Strategy I haven't blogged in awhile...but, it's coming!  God is doing great things, as always.  I recently wrote to a Pastor friend of mine and said, "I think God is doing something great here."  He wrote back kindly and reminded me, "God is always doing great things."  I had a little bit of a whoopin in that moment!  I have prayed and am currently fasting and detoxing my body, for clearer vision and direction from God.  After parting ways with a booking agent and my manager taking a change of careers, I have found myself in the position of handling my own career.  A bit stressful at times as first and foremost, I'm a wife and a mother to 4 wonderful, beautiful, incredibly talented, and creative children.  My family is my first priority.  So, as I transititon and find a healthy balance to life, you're prayers are more than appreciated.  We took the family to see Prince Caspian for my oldest son's Birthday last night.  It blew my mind.  (A must see for sure!)  I'm still processing all of the spiritual messages from the movie.  The greatest lesson I learned in the movie was during the battle scene.  Of course, we all know we are under constant spiritual attack...if you're not feeling it, you're not on the front lines!  The Narnians were completely out-numbered by the King's army and it was more than obvious.  However, they had a plan...they had a stragedy.  So, out-numbered say, 10 to 1, yet, never fearful because they all knew the plan of action and they implemented it.  It worked, they shouldn't have won due to the size of the army, yet, it did.  They worked together and they followed the plan.  I'm looking for a plan.  I'm looking for a team to go with me, though not great in numbers, but armed and ready for battle because we have a strategy, we have a game plan and we are not afraid to be on the front lines.  I say all of this because I need your prayers.  I can't do any of this alone.  I've contacted many women's conferences around the country and I've also signed up with a local booking company here in Nashville that books bands for bigger, mainstream venues.  I'm required to sell 30plus tickets to my concert at Rocketown on July 26th.  I don't know 30 people that would pay $10 to come and see me......not sure I would pay that much to go see myself!  :)  I need to sell these tickets in order to play more shows in venues downtown.  I've prayed for God to expand my audience.  I don't only need to play in churches....there are hurting people everywhere and I'm NOT afraid to let my light shine in some of the darkest places.  Please pray that God would give me strategy to sell the tickets needed! I have many ideas and am excited about the new path that I'm on.  I'm not going alone.  I'm grateful for each one of you that I'm able to call "friend, family, fan" or any other title you may wear!  Grab your sneakers, tie them up tight, bring a pair of sunglasses....the sun is out and it's bright! (I truly didn't mean to rhyme that)  Come armed and ready, there for sure is evil waiting to destroy us, but we are not afraid!  We are Narnian's, small in numbers but great in power!  We have a plan, we're fighting for a purpose.  Who's coming with me? As my husband always writes..... ONWARD, COMRADES!!!!! Jill   9:24 PM  3 Comments (Add Comment) | 4 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Monday, June 09, 2008  MUSICIANS NEEDED FOR AUDITIONS! Serious inquiries ONLY! Summer dates are filling in quickly!  Looking for local, talented musicians with a flexible schedule, extreme talent, passion for Jesus, their own gear, ability to practice and learn material quickly and dedication! Auditioning: *Lead guitar *Drummer Day and location of audition:  TBA privately Songs to learn: *Reach (on myspace page) *Ready to play 1 song of your choice to show your own personal style. Please submit: 1.  Name 2.  Picture 3.  Short paragraph of how long you have been playing, who you have played for 4.  Referal letter from anyone on your Pastoral staff. 5.  Contact information on how to best reach you Please submit SERIOUS INQUIRIES to: jillparr@jillparr.com or www.myspace.com/jillparr Thank you for your interest! Jill Parr 5:52 PM  0 Comments (Add Comment) | 0 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Saturday, May 17, 2008  What a night! What a great night at the BlueBird Cafe! I'll post more about it with pictures soon. Until then, enjoy this wonderful review that I received this morning! Jill Saturday, May 17, 2008 Brad Reynolds, Jill Parr, David Teems, Nathan Clark George, Bluebird Cafe 5/16/08 Almost one year ago, I went to hear Brad Reynolds at the Bluebird Cafe when he was in a round with Michael O'Brien, Morgan Cryar, and Sean Smith. As I noted in my post then, everyone was fabulous, but Brad and Sean, who I hadn't known of prior to that evening, took the night for me and their music had the most personally lasting effect. Thus, I'd been so looking forward to this evening for quite some time. This time, it was Brad along with Jill Parr, David Teems and Nathan Clark George at the Bluebird with an evening of mostly contemporary Christian themed music. It was a great, supportive crowd which included many family and friends and fellow artists from the Indieheaven network...it was fun recognizing and meeting a couple of them. Brad, who accompanied Jill Parr and played along with his friend David Teems, was as always excellent instrumentally and vocally, and humble and passionate in his faith. He did "The Locksmith" and "The Edge", which I remembered from last year, along with the title track of his fine "In the Real World" album. All night I thought to myself, "oh please, please, please, sing "Anyway" and "Choices". He didn't disappoint me...both those songs have found their way into my soul. "Anyway" most deservedly won Indieheaven's Momentum award for "Song of The Year" (and if you haven't heard it yet, go here and take a listen). "Choices" was co-written by Brad with Sean Smith--Sean will have it on his upcoming release. Jill Parr, like many of us in Nashville, is a transplant, hailing from Michigan. How I loved this gal...a riveting redhead with passionate vocals and a very expressive, transparent performer and songwriter. I related to her on a few levels, particularly on "County Line" which dealt with her feeling as if she didn't fit in and struggling for acceptance. I would most definitely go and hear her again. David Teems, a fine singer, songwriter, guitarist and author (of a devotional, "To Love Is Christ") provided much of the gentle humor of the evening. He joked about being ordained to marry couples but most of the marriages ended in divorce, and the challenge of being asked to write songs for weddings and coming up with them at the last minute (in the bathroom!). But when he got serious, he touched a lot of hearts with songs like "Love That Brought Us Here" and "There's Another Woman In My Life". Nathan Clark George is a self-described folkie at heart with an enviable lifestyle: based in Illinois, he and his family (with 5 children) travel all around the country. I particularly liked a thought-provoking song he did called "What If" which dealt with mistakes and observing Jesus, and a sweet love song called "You Make Me Smile". Some of the Indieheaven members who attended this show noted how powerfully these artists of faith impacted the audience just by being who they were and by willing to be transparent and honest about themselves. Amen to that. I've had some things to be thankful about this week...what was lost found again and this special evening of music. I love this town. 5:33 PM  3 Comments (Add Comment) | 4 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Tuesday, May 13, 2008  Reminder! Don't forget!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jill Parr plays the Blue Bird cafe this Friday....May 16th!  No cover charge...food and drink purchase required! Would LOVE to see you all there!     2:11 PM  2 Comments (Add Comment) | 2 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Tuesday, April 29, 2008  My poor fingers! This past Saturday, while trimming tree's at my house, I had an accident.  I was using the electric tree trimmers, thinking I am superwoman and that I can and should do everything that I need to, regardless of how safe or unsafe it is.  Needless to say, my hand slipped and my fingers got a bit mangled in the trimmers.  After my wonder twin friend, Gina, took me to emergency, I received some stitches in my hand and it's quite sore.  If you have emailed me and are yet to receive a response from me, please be patient.  I am only able to type very slowly and only when my hand is not throbbing.  Thankfully, it's my left hand and thankfully, I didn't lose any fingers or need anything sewn back on.  I will get to you as soon as I can as evey day, I feel a bit better and better. I have retired my Super Woman cape for now.  No fear, it will return as soon as my hand is healed! Thank you for your prayers!  I love you all, jill 4:03 AM  8 Comments (Add Comment) | 6 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Monday, March 24, 2008  Busy ness or business? I celebrated Easter yesterday with my family.  14 people crammed into my house that is entirely too small to entertain or host company, yet, company is always here and always welcomed! My husband is in India.  He’s on a mission.  He’s teaching students about music and introducing the Daily Audio Bible to India.  He’s an incredibly busy man.  He has always been and I’m sure he will always be.  He never complains, he rarely gets overwhelmed with all that is on his plate. He’s fiercely focused and quite passionate about all that he does. As I spent the day without him on Easter, he was never far from my thoughts.  My family was here with me.  They are busy people, always doing something.  Talking about boats that need tires replaced and cars that need to be washed and which GPS system is better.  I watched as we spent countless hours shopping for the perfect Easter outfit to wear on Sunday for the entire family, then there’s the candy for the baskets and then a day’s worth of time in the kitchen preparing dinner for all of us.  I was nearly stressed thinking about if there would be enough time to dip the strawberries in white chocolate to put on the cake but the cake had not been frosted yet, so I decided I would have enough time to accomplish this task while the kitchen was being cleaned.  Ahhhh....I found the solution to my problem so I could sleep comfortably knowing all would be done.  We would be dressed to kill and our belly’s would be filled with the most delicious food that I could create for my family. Our belly’s were full, all 4 children were gorgeous............Family had left, the kitchen was cleaned, the cake got frosted and we enjoyed the white chocolate strawberries!  Mission accomplished!  Yet, I sat at the table and felt empty.  Yes, Pastor Dale’s message reminding us that our inheritence is here penetrated my heart, yes, the kid’s fully know that Easter isn’t about bunnies and chocolate but about the resurrection of a Savior who lives within them.  Yes, I was grateful to be with family and yes, I was thankful that my husband is safe and sound.  So, I thought about why I was empty.    I decided this thought, "BUSY-NESS DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE PRODUCTIVE."  I sat and wondered what I had truly accomplished.  How did I benefit the Kingdom of Heaven?  Did I invite anyone to church with me?  Did I seek out anyone who didn’t have a place to eat Easter dinner and invite them into my home to share this massive feast?   What did me being busy produce?  It hit me hard when later that evening, I spoke with my husband on the computer.  We are able to chat with each other and see each other while he is on the other side of the world.  He showed me his room, he showed me the local market where he rode his bike to get water and a bag of chips and then he showed me the nicest house that he could find that was not far from where he was.  In the picture was a little boy with pants too short for him, a shirt that was ripped and no shoes on his tired, worn out feet.  He wanted Brian to take his picture, so he did.  I wondered if he has ever saw a picture of himself or even knew what a picture looked like.  The "house" was made with whatever means of solid material that could be found.  A small wall built out of brick traveled up the side of the house that soon met the edge of a small hill.  I saw this "wall" was probably the only security measure that kept them from harm.  The little boy had a smile on his face and yet, I’m sure he has never ate ham or beef brisket or cheese potatoe casserole.  I’m betting he has never ran his finger over a red velvet cake’s cream cheese frosting or has ever bitten into a white chocolate strawberry to have it crumble onto your hand and then finish the last bite with the big peice of chocolate that is melting right before your eyes.  I doubt he has ever complained of his house being too small.  For a minute, I tried to imagine my life as that little boy’s.  My mind traveled for less than a few seconds before I decided, there was no possible way for me to do that.  In that moment, I decided my life is far from worrying about motorcycles or boats or even rebates that needed to be mailed the next day.  My focus on matching necklaces with new Easter dresses and worrying that the linens didn’t get ironed are beyond meaningless.  My fear of never having all that I feel my children need, is relentless.  It consumes me.  Then, I’m reminded of the scripture, "My God shall supply my need, according to His riches in glory."   I long for people that I love to go deeper, to look deeper.  To look beyond the artificial, candy-coated, layer of life that consumes us but tastes as good as the artificial white chocolate that coats the strawberries.  I desire us all to examine our human need to long for "more stuff" that piles in the basement, garage or attic, that at the end of the day, is just, "more stuff."   The Bible says, "Where your treasure is, there is your heart."  My husband and I are not wealthy people, by any means.  I believe society would classify us "middle class."  I’m not sure what exactly defines us as that.....I’ve just heard it said.  I don’t care what you classify us, to tell you the truth.  I care about the legacy that I will leave.  What will people say about me when I’m gone?  What will my children remember about me one day?  That we all looked pretty on Easter and Christmas?  That I cooked entirely too much food and got the cake frosted and strawberries dipped?  That I always had a lot of good "stuff"?  Or that I made a difference, some how and some way?  Have I taught them to love the unlovable?  Have I showed them grace and mercy that exceeds our simple minds?  I have 2 hands, I have 2 feet, I have a voice.  I have a mind.  I desire the mind of Christ.  I care to clothe the naked, I care to feed the hungry, I long to give away my "stuff" to those without.  When did we stop caring?  When did we become so self-absorbed with "stuff" that we forgot about the mission that we are all called to?   Several weeks ago,  I heard God speak to my heart.  He said it was time to "ruffle some feathers."  I’ve played my Christianity too safe.  I’ve colored too close inside the lines and have been too careful to not think too far out of the squared Christian box.  I’ve been really careful to not fully express my true feelings in interviews because that may offend someone.  I’m convinced now, more than ever, it’s time to blow up the box.  There is much more to do than we know.  I can’t sit idle any longer and feel sad in my heart that there are starving children in our own back yard but really truly worry about cakes, dresses and strawberries.  It is time.  The Kingdom of Heaven is counting on us.  The Kingdom of Heaven is here.......what are we doing with it? As Spring approaches, I encourage us all to Spring clean every aspect of our lives.  As we clean out closets, basements, attics and garages, clean out your heart.  Where is your treasure?  What makes us come alive?  If it’s chasing after "stuff" then run along in your pursuit.  I promise you, there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I’ve now saves you some time.  Pray with me for apathy to consume us again and to let busy-ness lead to productivity.  Let’s make a difference, one day at a time, one person at a time, one minute at a time. The plate where the cake with the strawberries was at, is empty............So is the tomb.  Jill 2:24 PM  7 Comments (Add Comment) | 8 Kudos Translate Powered by English Albanian Arabic Bulgarian Catalan Chinese Croatian Czech Danish Dutch Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician German Greek Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Latvian Lithuanian Maltese Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Turkish Ukrainian Vietnamese Older Posts