Gender: Female
Status: In a Relationship
Age: 28
Sign: Gemini
City: Tulsa
State: Oklahoma
Country: US
Signup Date: 7/6/2006
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July 2, 2009 - Thursday
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Current mood:  loved
Lesson to all the boys on my myspace: This is what you should say to your girlfriend if she means anything to you:
"I hope our spark never leaves each other. I hope the spark never dies. That each day that spark gets stronger and drives us where we want to hold each other more and kiss more and embrace each other longer. I want us to have more of a spark than the first day we met. I am so much in love with you."
My love wrote this to me today...and he writes stuff like this to me everyday just because. Follow the example :)
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February 22, 2009 - Sunday
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Current mood:  hopeful
When You Speak, God Hearsby Max Lucado
Those who pray keep alive the watch fires of faith. For the most part we don’t even know their names. Such is the case of someone who prayed on a day long ago. His name is not important. He is important not because of who he was, but because of what he did.
He went to Jesus on behalf of a friend. His friend was sick, and Jesus could help, and someone needed to go to Jesus, so someone went. Others cared for the sick man in other ways. Some brought food; others provided treatment; still others comforted the family. Each role was crucial. Each person was helpful, but no one was more vital than the one who went to Jesus.
John writes: “So Mary and Martha sent someone to tell Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’” (John 11:3, emphasis mine).
Someone carried the request. Someone walked the trail. Someone went to Jesus on behalf of Lazarus. And because someone went, Jesus responded.
In the economy of heaven, the prayers of saints are a valued commodity. John the apostle would agree. He wrote the story of Lazarus and was careful to show the sequence: The healing began when the request was made.
The phrase the friend of Lazarus used is worth noting. When he told Jesus of the illness, he said, “The one you love is sick.” The power of the prayer, in other words, does not depend on the one who makes the prayer but on the one who hears the prayer.
We can and must repeat the phrase in manifold ways. “The one you love is tired, sad, hungry, lonely, fearful, depressed.” The words of the prayer vary, but the response never changes. The Savior hears the prayer. He silences heaven so he won’t miss a word. The Master heard the request. Jesus stopped whatever he was doing and took note of the man’s words. This anonymous courier was heard by God.
John’s message is critical. You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven. He takes you very seriously. When you enter his presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice. No need to fear that you will be ignored. Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one, it impresses God—and he listens.
Intently. Carefully. The prayers are honored as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord. “The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God” (Rev. 8:4). Incredible. Your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.
One call and heaven’s fleet appears. Your prayer on earth activates God’s power in heaven.
You are the someone of God’s kingdom. Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don’t need to. But this much is clear: Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth. What an amazing thought!
When you speak, Jesus hears.
And when Jesus hears, the world is changed.
All because someone prayed.
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February 2, 2009 - Monday
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Current mood:  blessed
All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow
but in disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I
have today: three almost-adults, two taller than I am,
one closing in fast. Three people who read the same
books I do and have learned not to be afraid of
disagreeing with me in their opinion of them, who
sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me laugh until I
choke and cry, who need razor blades and shower gel
and privacy, who want to keep their doors closed more
than I like. Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom,
zip up their jackets and move food from plate to mouth
all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for
the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the
baby is buried deep within each, barely discernible
except through the unreliable haze of the past.
Everything in all the books I once pored over is
finished for me now. Penelope Leach., T. Berry
Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The ones on sibling rivalry and
sleeping through the night and early-childhood
education, have all grown obsolete . Along with
Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are
battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if
you flipped the pages dust would rise like memories.
What those books taught me, finally, and what the
women on the playground taught me, and the
well-meaning relations --what they taught me, was that
they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
Raising children is presented at first as a true-false
test, then becomes multiple choice, until finally, far
along, you realize that it is an endless essay. No one
knows anything. One child responds well to positive
reinforcement, another can be managed only with a
stern voice and a timeout. One child is toilet trained
at 3, his sibling at 2.
When my first child was born, parents were told to put
baby to bed on his belly so that he would not choke on
his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies
were put down on their backs because of research on
sudden infant death syndrome. To a new parent this
ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then
soothing. Eventually you must learn to trust yourself.
Eventually the research will follow. I remember 15
years ago por ing over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful
books on child development, in which he describes
three different sorts of infants: average, quiet, and
active. I was looking for a sub-quiet codicil for an
18-month old who did not walk. Was there something
wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something
wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he
developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I
insane? Last year he went to China .. Next year he goes
to college. He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
Every part of raising children is humbling, too.
Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been
enshrined in the, "Remember-When- Mom-Did" Hall of
Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad
language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell
off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool
pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer
camp. The day when the youngest came barreling out of
the classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I
responded, "What did you get wrong?".. (She insisted I
include that.) The time I ordered food at the
McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away
without picking it up from the window. (They all
insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to
watc h the Simpsons for the first two seasons. What was
I thinking?
But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of
us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment
enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment
is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one
picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on
a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer
day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what
we ate, and what we talked about, and how they
sounded, and how they looked when they slept that
night.
I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the
next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had
treasured the doing a little more and the getting it
done a little less.
Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't,
what was me and what was simply life.. When they were
very small, I suppose I thought someday they would
become who they were because of what I'd done. Now I
suspect they simply grew into their true selves
because the y demanded in a thousand ways that I back
off and let them be. The books said to be relaxed and
I was often tense, matter-of-fact and I was sometimes
over the top. And look how it all turned out. I wound
up with the three people I like best in the world, who
have done more than anyone to excavate my essential
humanity. That's what the books never told me. I was
bound and determined to learn from the experts. It
just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.
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December 6, 2008 - Saturday
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Current mood: hopeful
Rescuing the Perishing
..TR>
 Kalpana walks home from the Bridge of Hope grand opening with the special gifts she received. She smiles from ear to ear because she has witnessed Christ's love in a tangible way. | ..TABLE>
With feeble, painstaking steps, Kalpana Adler walks back to her home. The open sores and mangled toes on her left foot—and the total absence of her right foot—make the short journey extremely difficult. Kalpana leans heavily on her makeshift cane, gripping it as tightly as possible with one of her fingerless hands.
Despite her decrepit state, Kalpana has a joyful glimmer in her eye and a large, toothless grin. Today, she is filled with hope.
That's because, tucked under her arm rests a small box and a piece of neon green cloth. The box contains a kerosene lantern, and the cloth is a mosquito net. Although these rustic gifts aren't flashy, high-tech or expensive, they will dramatically change her life.
Kalpana—devastated by leprosy—was cast out of her village after contracting the disease. Now, making her home in the only place where she is accepted, Kalpana lives in a tiny, clay hut with no electricity or running water. Her home is surrounded by many others, each providing minimal shelter for a feeble resident who's been struck with leprosy. Because their parents are infected with leprosy, the children do not have opportunities to attend school.
For these leprosy patients, life seemed dismal. They were shut out and forgotten by society. Unloved and rejected by everyone. Jobless and hurting, they couldn't imagine being valuable again. Then, Gospel for Asia native missionary Jiva Giri showed up.
..TR>
 The leprosy patients' children sing joyfully at the Bridge of Hope center's grand opening. They are thrilled to have the opportunity to attend school. | ..TABLE>
For the first time since contracting the destructive illness, the leprosy patients were treated like humans. Jiva, along with a team of other GFA missionaries, demonstrated Christ's love in the most tangible way—by cleaning their wounds and embracing them as friends.
And today, they were being even further touched by the love of Jesus. A Bridge of Hope center opened its doors for their children!
Kalpana and the other leprosy patients gathered at the new center to witness the beginning of an outreach that will change the future of many of their children. Because their parents are infected with leprosy, the children do not have opportunities to attend school.
The grand opening celebration warmed the hearts of the patients and gave them hope. The teachers and children sang songs, and GFA leaders spoke about Jesus. Then each patient was called up to the front to receive a special gift—the lantern and mosquito net—and among them was Kalpana.
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September 21, 2008 - Sunday
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As I write this I am holding back tears of joy and tears of sadness. If you know me well, you know my life has changed several different times in the past couple of years--Ivy, you know this better than anyone and I want you to know you are my sister and best friend in the entire world, finding you again SAVED MY LIFE, if I hadn't found you again I don't think I would be alive to write this today...
God is so amazing, you guys. He holds all of us in His hands and is alive and active in every detail of our lives. I am so humbled everyday that God has blessed me with amazing children and a wealthy means to take care of them in this country. More than anything, I cry to God everyday, literally cry everyday, and thank Him for loving me enough to show me intense and incredible pain, (yes, I thank Him for all the pain and strife I have experienced) knowing that in His plan He would create in me an awesome love and strength of wisdom that shines His light to the world. I thank Him with awe and reverence for saving me from being killed because of the choices I made, and recreating me into who I am today. Every circumstance, every relationship in life is intricately planned by Him with a specific purpose--even if they cause pain because the pain, if you let Him, He will use to burn off the negative things of us that so easily entangle us, so only His reflection is seen in us.
I like to call it beautifully broken :)
I most of all I thank God for a relationship and friendship that I have right now that has become most pivotal in my life in how I understand His true identity. We can never totally understand God's identity--He's God, we are human, His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Through this relationship, which I never expected, God has shown me what grace really means, that it is the movement, the rhythm, of His unfailing, unconditional, without pride, love. That it is in the depth of the heart that He lives, that that is what He sees when He looks at us, not the temporal actions and routines of this world that seem to engulf our lives. That love truely does cover a multitude of sins and "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things" as it says in His word...most of all that a bond can be felt between two people that can be so preciously intense that the distance between them doesn't matter, whatever life brings to either person, it doesn't matter, where they end up, it doesn't matter, because somehow they will always be tied together by the divine relationship God created between them to bring about His purpose in their lives.
I don't think I have ever felt so beautiful, so blessed, or so loved in my entire life as I do right now :)
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September 15, 2008 - Monday
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Current mood: blessed
A professor begins his school year with a lecture to the students, 'Let me
explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of
philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to
stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes.'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.
'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could.
Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does
he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to
Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent.
'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from
a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er...yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in
this world?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Evil's everywhere , isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes.'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything,
then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle
that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer.
'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible
things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks
away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,'
he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not.'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have
you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes.'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'
'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has
with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His
own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'
'Yes,' the professor replies... 'There's heat.'
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room
suddenly becomes very quiet.
The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat,
super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no
heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458
degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after
that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go
colder than the lowest -458 degrees.'
'Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits
energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is
only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold.
Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not
the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't
darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing
light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'
'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness
darker, wouldn't you?'
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be
a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start
with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you
explain how?'
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains. 'You
argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can
measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully
understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be
ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death
is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'
'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from
a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes,
of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?' ;
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where
the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot
even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching
your opinion, sir? Are you now not a teacher, but a preacher?'
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has
subsided.
'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me
give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is
there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The
class breaks out into laughter.
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the
professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears
to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical,
stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with
all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we
trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face
unreadable.
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I suppose you
have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with
life,' the student continues... 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it
everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in
the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does
not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like
darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of
God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man
does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that
comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no
light.'
The professor sat down.
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September 2, 2008 - Tuesday
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Current mood:  contemplative
..TR>
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, 'If I were any better, I would be twins!'
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, 'I don't get it!
You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?'
He replied, 'Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood.
I choose to be in a good mood.'
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
'Yeah, right, it's not that easy,' I protested.
'Yes, it is,' he said. 'Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.'
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.
I saw him about six months after the accident.
When I asked him how he was, he replied, 'If I were any better, I'd be twins...Wanna see my scars?'
I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
'The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,' he replied. 'Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live.'
'Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?' I asked.
He continued, '..the paramedics were great.
They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action.'
'What did you do?' I asked.
'Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,' said John. 'She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'.'
Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'
He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything
.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' Matthew 6:34.
After all, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
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..TABLE>
God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
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September 1, 2008 - Monday
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Current mood: hopeful
FOLLOWING THE SERVANT'S HEART
by
Bodie Thoene
Brock and I were in college when we first saw film footage on TV of the young American pilot held as prisoner-of-war in North Viet Nam. He lay broken and dying on a straw mat in his cell. His tormentors hovered over him; taunted him; but he would not betray his country or his God or his fellow soldiers.
His arms were broken; his shoulders dislocated by torture. Still,he would not betray his sacred oath.
At the time Brock said to me with tears in his eyes, "He is one of us. He is the hero we would want to be if we were locked in a prison cell and put to the test."
We recently saw the film of that soldier once again.
The soldier's name was John McCain.
He told us the story of a night when he was tortured and left tied up on the floor of his cell. His prison guard came in, loosened the ropes, and left him until morning. When the guard's shift was over, the guard came in and tightened the ropes again. Months later, John saw the guard, who came to him in line and drew a cross in the dirt with the toe of his shoe, then quickly erased it. The North Vietnamese guard was a Christian.
McCain said, "I cannot tell you what it meant to me even in such a place, to encounter someone who shared my faith and who risked his life to ease my suffering that one night."
We all know and have seen and heard the true story of John McCain's courage. He was willing to suffer and die for America and for what he knows is right. He was put to the test and did not fail.
This week Jimmy Carter mocked that courage, saying, "John McCain is milking his experience as a POW for all it's worth."
On television the liberal pundits mock McCain's body language.
"He doesn't communicate well. He's too stiff and awkward."
"He barely moves his hands when he speaks."
"He doesn't turn his head…"
Brock and I remember how the early church fathers, their bodies broken; their eyes blinded by torture; were carried on stretchers to meet at the Council of Nicea. They too, had endured and survived torture beyond our imagination for the sake of their faith. They knew what was important. Those men, broken in body, had earned the right to craft the statement of our Christian faith. They, who had suffered for Truth, crafted the Nicene Creed:
"We believe in One God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth…"
Christians affirm our faith in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each week by these words which were forged and proven through great suffering.
Recently at Saddleback church John McCain faced another test. He was asked when human life begins.
Without hesitation he answered with only two words, "At conception."
We all stood up and cried, "He IS one of us!"
Then, against all pressure to select a running mate who was pro-abortion and part of the establishment, John McCain chose a woman of tremendous intelligence, faith, and with the moral courage and conviction and strength to fight political corruption in her own state. Governor Sarah Palin has earned her right to govern her citizens by being willing to suffer for doing right. We also know that she is a woman who knows blessings come in ways we do not expect…
We live in a world where a Downs Syndrome baby is often not counted worthy to live; in a world where such precious and special little ones are aborted and left in broom closets to die. We all heard what Senator Obama said about the murder of the unborn at Saddleback. We know that Joe Biden, a so-called "Catholic" who left the church as a child, has proclaimed against the clear teaching of the Catholic church that abortion is acceptable and that the right of a woman to "choose" abortion is to be defended. The Catholic Archbishop in Denver replied to Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi that no one who believes and encourages this deeply evil lie is a Catholic.
Those who question the absolute authority of scripture and the teachings of the Church in this matter ask, "Does that mean we should not end the life of an unborn baby with Downs Syndrome? Even a handicapped child? You mean I am supposed to spend my life taking care of a mentally handicapped child?"
We all have now seen Todd and Sarah Palin's beautiful baby boy in her arms. He is a blessing, sent from heaven. He is her beloved son. His birth and life will save the lives of many, many little ones who are threatened by the politics of murder for the sake of convenience.
Sarah Palin is one of us!
Sarah Palin is a DEBORAH who says, "We will not accept corruption in our government! We will not discard a precious human life for the sake of ease!"
In the coming weeks there will be violent and vicious attacks against Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin…
We will hear accusations about McCain's "lack of judgment" and Palin's "lack of experience."
I encourage you, in the Name of the LORD…REMEMBER THIS:
Dear friends, John McCain and Sarah Palin have BOTH proven their right to govern America. They do not speak false and empty words about hope…THEY HAVE LIVED AND PROVEN THAT HOPE LIVES IN THEIR HEARTS! They both have walked through the fires of faith and proven that their convictions; their steadfastness to TRUTH is authentic.
They have personally suffered; risked everything, and come out the other side shining!
Stand up with them. If you live in another country, pray for them! If you are an American, vote for them, and encourage everyone you know to vote for them! Together with courage and faith, we may yet save our nation and help save our world!
This week's Parasha reminds us that throughout Biblical history, men and women have suffered slander and accusation for serving the Lord and for doing right.
Read this passage out-loud and ask yourself if you will join the mob and follow the big media spectacle of fire works over a football stadium or if you have the courage and faith to support the quiet example of strength found in true servants of God, Family and Country….
Reading 1
Jer 20:7-9
All the day I am an object of laughter;
everyone mocks me.
Whenever I speak, I must cry out,
violence and outrage is my message;
the word of the LORD has brought me
derision and reproach all the day.
I say to myself, I will not mention him,
I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones;
I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Reading II
Rom 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.
Gospel
Mt 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples
that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly
from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,
"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory,
and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
In the days and weeks ahead, challenge yourself and others with this query: "What is true Leadership? Who has demonstrated Courage? Who has shown devotion to Truth? Who is a living example of the Servant's heart?"
God bless you, and God bless America!
Bodie Thoene
www.familyaudiolibrary.com ..
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July 4, 2008 - Friday
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Current mood: blessed
Love Sonnet XVII
I do not love you as if you were a salt rose, or topaz
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
So I love you because I know no other way
than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.
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June 30, 2008 - Monday
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Current mood: blessed
One of my favorite comedians with an inspiring message:
A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
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