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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
A Clear And Durable Finish
All of a sudden, I am just not very sleepy. It is past my bedtime and it would be best to not stay up so late. It has just been gnawing at me that this blog has been pretty much neglected. In fact, I need to go back and proofread my last entry. I hate typographical errors. There have been a few entries but nothing of great depth.
Perfectionism usually paralyzes me so it has been keeping me away from blogging. If I don't think I can spend an ample amount of time on it to do it justice, I procrastinate. It has been difficult to really zero in on what I want to share. There's no shortage of newsworthy stories to report but if I don't think I can do a good enough job to do justice to it, then another day goes by without blogging. Generally, blogging is not a 10 minute deal (unless I am posting only a video and even then, with computer difficulties it can stretch into a bigger ordeal....always when I have to be somewhere).
Also, it has been a rather strange couple of weeks as far as time and activities are concerned. It hasn't been a set schedule. I liken it to a kaleidoscope. All the specks of color are the activities and as the kaleidoscope is turned, the same specks of blue, green, purple, red and yellow, etc. just turn into new patterns. Some are reminiscent of a previous pattern and the same colors repeat....so it is with my life. Some weeks are familiar with the same specks and colors....some slight variation but others are drastically different. There's no prediction as to how the next configuration will look.
Maybe your life is like this too? Lately, my kaleidoscope has been spun at a very rapid rate. Wait....I liked that pattern! Go back! Slow down! Ahhh....that design was soooo exquisite! Sigh. It's okay....more eye-pleasing arrangements will be arriving at a millimeter's turn. Seriously, I am truly blessed.....abundantly so. I am not referring to material blessings although, that's true as well. The days have flown by in a blur.....or a spin. Now that some projects are done and the deadlines have passed....it is my prayer to sit down and truly concentrate on a few blog entries with more depth.
I was driving to my Bible study this morning and all of a sudden I was struck with waves of gratitude....mind racing of all the blessings God has poured out on me and my family. Do we have our concerns and letdowns? Of course. Do I have my moments of cynicism? Yes, indeed....I have more moments of that than I care to admit (a common symptom after catching up with the morning news). I cried out to Him, "I MUST get over myself and I admitted out loud "I am so tired of myself; You must be too!! You won't work in me if I am so full of myself". Yet, even in my confession as I made my way to church, He reminded me how much He loved me in spite of all of my faults and idiosyncrasies. Nothing surprises Him. He knows (and has known...and will know) my thoughts, actions, deeds and my very wicked heart (which is both disconcerting AND comforting). With this in mind, I have fallen in love with a song we have been singing at our Bible study worship time. It's called "The Same Love" by Paul Baloche. Please check it out! I can't wait to purchase it (I am not so very techie as you all have noticed by now).
In the past, I have compared this process of transformation to furniture refinishing. One must take off the old laquer first. There are varieties of ways such as sanding or chemical removal. Sanding starts out with a coarser grain of sandpaper and then graduates to the finer grit. While I am not a tool girl, I have operated a sander a few times. This operation generates heat and a lot of vibration. I remember how funny my hands felt after sanding a porch over an hour. :) I have experienced that in my Christian walk too. There's also the liquid removal....the gentle emulsion that produces soft bubbling and wrinkling and there are the harsh and acrid chemicals. Let's not forget dipping furniture too. You get the point. The old must be stripped, smoothed and prepared before the furniture is restored.
These are all sequential and as my husband pointed out recently....our walk isn't really quite like that. We are constantly in a process of dealing with our weak flesh and renewing the mind. In furniture refinishing, we would not put new varnish on a chair that is still sporting old finish. Yet, even when we are saved and cleansed by His blood, we still have to deal with our daily varnish and He still applies heat and vibration to strip the old stuff off. My main premise is no matter the order of it all.....He uses a variety of means to get His desired results. Maybe this is a silly analogy. It is. Although, I still think of myself sometimes as that chair that needs so much help. All the imperfections are showing, and everyone sees them but there's a false sense of security thinking my varnish is covering up all the nicks and gouges. God's word is that sander, chemical stripper and the different sandpaper grits.
Still, He uses me and I am deeply grateful. He has given me a great family, great friends who really are also family. My church is also my friends/family. He has given me Himself, His Son, His Word and spiritual gifts. I often think if everything were to be taken from me....loved ones, health, material possessions and freedoms.....would I be so thankful? It's easy to say all this now having it all. When rubber meets the road, would I continue to be so appreciative? I would like to think so but in reality....there are days I complain about stupid stuff now (didn't I admit earlier I am so full of myself?)
So the chair is stripped.....I am forgiven, I am loved, He knows my name, I can't earn my salvation through works, I'll never be a good person but He thought me worthy to send His Son, His Son found me worthy to go willingly to the cross and I can't be snatched out of His hand. He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I am joyful.
So with all of my imperfections, I'll continue to share what I can in my simplistic and deeply passionate ways. It's daunting as I WANT to do my VERY best for Him. I don't know who reads this blog, who visits once or who stays. All I can do is be obedient, share Jesus and His love for life. Maybe it will change a heart and mind and ripple out to others. Even if it's just one who is affected ..it's still worth it to have this blog.
Psalm 73: 21-26
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
Perfectionism usually paralyzes me so it has been keeping me away from blogging. If I don't think I can spend an ample amount of time on it to do it justice, I procrastinate. It has been difficult to really zero in on what I want to share. There's no shortage of newsworthy stories to report but if I don't think I can do a good enough job to do justice to it, then another day goes by without blogging. Generally, blogging is not a 10 minute deal (unless I am posting only a video and even then, with computer difficulties it can stretch into a bigger ordeal....always when I have to be somewhere).
Also, it has been a rather strange couple of weeks as far as time and activities are concerned. It hasn't been a set schedule. I liken it to a kaleidoscope. All the specks of color are the activities and as the kaleidoscope is turned, the same specks of blue, green, purple, red and yellow, etc. just turn into new patterns. Some are reminiscent of a previous pattern and the same colors repeat....so it is with my life. Some weeks are familiar with the same specks and colors....some slight variation but others are drastically different. There's no prediction as to how the next configuration will look.
Maybe your life is like this too? Lately, my kaleidoscope has been spun at a very rapid rate. Wait....I liked that pattern! Go back! Slow down! Ahhh....that design was soooo exquisite! Sigh. It's okay....more eye-pleasing arrangements will be arriving at a millimeter's turn. Seriously, I am truly blessed.....abundantly so. I am not referring to material blessings although, that's true as well. The days have flown by in a blur.....or a spin. Now that some projects are done and the deadlines have passed....it is my prayer to sit down and truly concentrate on a few blog entries with more depth.
I was driving to my Bible study this morning and all of a sudden I was struck with waves of gratitude....mind racing of all the blessings God has poured out on me and my family. Do we have our concerns and letdowns? Of course. Do I have my moments of cynicism? Yes, indeed....I have more moments of that than I care to admit (a common symptom after catching up with the morning news). I cried out to Him, "I MUST get over myself and I admitted out loud "I am so tired of myself; You must be too!! You won't work in me if I am so full of myself". Yet, even in my confession as I made my way to church, He reminded me how much He loved me in spite of all of my faults and idiosyncrasies. Nothing surprises Him. He knows (and has known...and will know) my thoughts, actions, deeds and my very wicked heart (which is both disconcerting AND comforting). With this in mind, I have fallen in love with a song we have been singing at our Bible study worship time. It's called "The Same Love" by Paul Baloche. Please check it out! I can't wait to purchase it (I am not so very techie as you all have noticed by now).
In the past, I have compared this process of transformation to furniture refinishing. One must take off the old laquer first. There are varieties of ways such as sanding or chemical removal. Sanding starts out with a coarser grain of sandpaper and then graduates to the finer grit. While I am not a tool girl, I have operated a sander a few times. This operation generates heat and a lot of vibration. I remember how funny my hands felt after sanding a porch over an hour. :) I have experienced that in my Christian walk too. There's also the liquid removal....the gentle emulsion that produces soft bubbling and wrinkling and there are the harsh and acrid chemicals. Let's not forget dipping furniture too. You get the point. The old must be stripped, smoothed and prepared before the furniture is restored.
These are all sequential and as my husband pointed out recently....our walk isn't really quite like that. We are constantly in a process of dealing with our weak flesh and renewing the mind. In furniture refinishing, we would not put new varnish on a chair that is still sporting old finish. Yet, even when we are saved and cleansed by His blood, we still have to deal with our daily varnish and He still applies heat and vibration to strip the old stuff off. My main premise is no matter the order of it all.....He uses a variety of means to get His desired results. Maybe this is a silly analogy. It is. Although, I still think of myself sometimes as that chair that needs so much help. All the imperfections are showing, and everyone sees them but there's a false sense of security thinking my varnish is covering up all the nicks and gouges. God's word is that sander, chemical stripper and the different sandpaper grits.
Still, He uses me and I am deeply grateful. He has given me a great family, great friends who really are also family. My church is also my friends/family. He has given me Himself, His Son, His Word and spiritual gifts. I often think if everything were to be taken from me....loved ones, health, material possessions and freedoms.....would I be so thankful? It's easy to say all this now having it all. When rubber meets the road, would I continue to be so appreciative? I would like to think so but in reality....there are days I complain about stupid stuff now (didn't I admit earlier I am so full of myself?)
So the chair is stripped.....I am forgiven, I am loved, He knows my name, I can't earn my salvation through works, I'll never be a good person but He thought me worthy to send His Son, His Son found me worthy to go willingly to the cross and I can't be snatched out of His hand. He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I am joyful.
So with all of my imperfections, I'll continue to share what I can in my simplistic and deeply passionate ways. It's daunting as I WANT to do my VERY best for Him. I don't know who reads this blog, who visits once or who stays. All I can do is be obedient, share Jesus and His love for life. Maybe it will change a heart and mind and ripple out to others. Even if it's just one who is affected ..it's still worth it to have this blog.
Psalm 73: 21-26
21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
24 You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
26 My flesh and my heart fail;But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!
Honoring all the father's out there! Happy Father's Day! I am very blessed to have a great father and to be married to a man who is a great father as well. Thankful and grateful to God, my ulitmate and perfect Father in Heaven for life and for His Son who has heaped blessings on me every day. Most importantly, He has given me ETERNAL life! :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Will They Be Shut Down?
Here we go again! Only this time the abortion facilities are located in the state of Arizona where it is illegal to abort based on race or gender.
It is my belief that if you see one or two termites or one or two mice, there's most likely an infestation of more hidden in the recesses of the walls, attics and basements. I would not be surprised if this is standard practice in many places, including the states where it is expressly forbidden.
In my pro-life journey, I have definitely learned abortionists don't respect or follow laws. If one were to really scrutinize the facilities and shut them down based on their refusal to adhere to laws, they would all disappear. By the way, a facility in Columbus, Ohio has been shut down. I praise God that enough people in the right departments actually followed through on violations and reports of botched abortions taking place.
After the Kermit Gosnell debacle, maybe there are more state officials getting nervous that their own states might be highlighted for such gross oversights, callous regard and incompetence. We know there are more out there...they just haven't been caught yet. Good job, Ohio (and Alabama). Keep up the scrutinizing and keep shutting them down. Abortion mills are a public menace and a total blight on our society.
Read here: http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/columbus-abortion-clinic-with-troubled-history-will-close/
More later.....it has been a crazy and busy month.
It is my belief that if you see one or two termites or one or two mice, there's most likely an infestation of more hidden in the recesses of the walls, attics and basements. I would not be surprised if this is standard practice in many places, including the states where it is expressly forbidden.
In my pro-life journey, I have definitely learned abortionists don't respect or follow laws. If one were to really scrutinize the facilities and shut them down based on their refusal to adhere to laws, they would all disappear. By the way, a facility in Columbus, Ohio has been shut down. I praise God that enough people in the right departments actually followed through on violations and reports of botched abortions taking place.
After the Kermit Gosnell debacle, maybe there are more state officials getting nervous that their own states might be highlighted for such gross oversights, callous regard and incompetence. We know there are more out there...they just haven't been caught yet. Good job, Ohio (and Alabama). Keep up the scrutinizing and keep shutting them down. Abortion mills are a public menace and a total blight on our society.
Read here: http://www.operationrescue.org/archives/columbus-abortion-clinic-with-troubled-history-will-close/
More later.....it has been a crazy and busy month.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
An "Isolated" Incident?
Not once when I was carrying my babies did the medical personnel call either one "the sex of the pregnancy". I was asked for both babies if I wanted to know the sex of my baby. NOT did I want to know the "sex of the pregnancy". This is typical of the abortion industry though, to dehumanize the human in the womb. Terms like "clumps of cells" and "blobs of tissue" are used. By the way, we are ALL clumps of cells and blobs of tissue if we really want to get technical. I never stopped being either of those terms above just because my location changed, my development is different, my dependency status (my mother doesn't provide my nutritional or shelter needs) is lessened and my size is greater than when I was in my mother's womb.
However, it's the modus operandi to make sure any woman or girl who steps into an abortion facility to persuade her that she is not carrying a baby but only "potential life" or nothing that resembles a human being whatsover. As one girl was told at an Appleton, WI Planned Parenthood center, her baby "had no arms, no legs, no head and no brain".....which at 8 weeks, they clearly do.
Last night, I was watching "The Five" and of course, Bob Beckel had to repeat the lies of Planned Parenthood that only 3% of their services are abortion. First of all, those numbers are more like about 11%. http://www.lifenews.com/2012/03/15/the-numbers-planned-parenthood-doesnt-want-you-to-know/?pr=1 Either they are lying or they can't do basic math with the numbers they provide from their own records. They have some fuzzy numbers anyway when it comes to their claim of healthcare for low-income women as Bryan Kemper has highlighted here: http://bryankemper.com/2011/04/13/the-fate-of-women-if-there-were-no-planned-parenthoods-in-ga-planned-parenthoods-fuzzy-math/
Then, Beckel went on to say that this first video is only an isolated incident. Anyone who knows Lila Rose's work knows by now that there is NEVER just one video. Since she knows the Planned Parenthood M.O. inside and out, she's always prepared to answer that "it's a hoax" and "it's an isolated incident" with more videos to prove them wrong.
There are sure to be more around the corner. I am always curious in what areas she visits when she does these undercover operations. She canvasses different regions which helps the credibility even more for those so-called "isolated" episodes.
Another undercover operation that preceded Lila Rose's work was Mark Crutcher's (of Life Dynamics), Child Predators. His team called all the Planned Parenthood centers in the curiosity of finding out how they would answer a statutory rape situation. Over 91% of the workers coached the girl to get around the laws of their state, instead of mandatorily reporting as they are required by law. All the audios of the tapes can be heard at this link.
Many from the abortion industry could try very hard to say that these stings of Crutcher's and Rose's are just set-ups. However, Crutcher and Rose both just expose what is really going on in these centers. We have to remember that there are real, documented court cases of real victims of sexual abuse. There are girls out there who have been forced into abortions by their stepfathers, fathers, older brothers, abductors, and their teachers/coaches. Instead of reporting to the police like they are required to do, Planned Parenthood sent the girls back to their abusers to repeat the abuse.
No, this isn't an isolated event....it's an infestation!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Where Have All the Young Girls Gone? Long Time Passing....
This is the latest video by http://www.liveaction.org/ with Lila Rose. While we see most of the gendercide of females taking place in Asian countries (163 million in Asia alone), it is also taking place in the United States as well.
Arizona, Oklahoma, Illinois and Pennsylvania all prohibit this sex-selection choice (sickening to think that 46 states do not prohibit this). Of course, even in those states, we can't trust or guarantee that Planned Parenthood isn't skirting the law. After all, they defy the laws on mandatory reporting of statutory rape so it only stands to follow their logic in other areas as well.
No mystery to the Christians who see this pretty plainly....we are all equal in God's eyes no matter what our skin color is, what our gender is and what our age is. While He certainly designed our outside appearances, He weighs what is in our hearts (and we Christians know how desperately wicked those are!).
The blog title is a song (changed a bit) from the 1970's. My dad sang it on his guitar and it popped into memory at this subject. However, the end of the song asks the question..."When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn." That last question can be directed to not just the abortionist industry but all who allow it to happen.
It's tough out there....we know there are already plenty of people who are living a life of debauchery proudly. The Bible tells us not to be surprised by them....that's to be expected. However, what about the believers? When
will THEY ever learn? I also know and meet plenty of people who proclaim Jesus as their Savior and claim to love him but they do not learn. Abortion is permitted by the silence of the church. This comment has been made repeatedly on Facebook pro-life pages. I wince because it's true and I never want MY church to be silent. I pray it never does
I have been working on a project of late. It's all God's timing and ways as to how this will all go. As I do my work, the thought never leaves my mind that if all the churches of my city were to be involved, abortion would be a distant memory in a quick fashion. It would be a pretty instant change and babies, moms, dads, and families would be saved. But it's not just my city.....the whole country could be rid of the heinous, barbaric act of child sacrifice overnight if the churches would take a stand and not be silent. Not at all different from the churches who stayed silent on the Jews' disappearance and extermination in Germany.
As the story goes, the churches there heard the trains carrying the Jews and heard the cries of those whisked away to suffering and death. These churches knew but instead of dealing with it, they covered up the cries by singing a little louder. We don't want any child to be aborted.....no matter what the gender, color or physical and mental state might be....but we need to spread this word farther, wider and louder to the corners of the earth....no more targeting the "least of these".
When will WE ever learn? Even better than this song lyric is God's Holy and Perfect, uncorrupted Words ...
Arizona, Oklahoma, Illinois and Pennsylvania all prohibit this sex-selection choice (sickening to think that 46 states do not prohibit this). Of course, even in those states, we can't trust or guarantee that Planned Parenthood isn't skirting the law. After all, they defy the laws on mandatory reporting of statutory rape so it only stands to follow their logic in other areas as well.
No mystery to the Christians who see this pretty plainly....we are all equal in God's eyes no matter what our skin color is, what our gender is and what our age is. While He certainly designed our outside appearances, He weighs what is in our hearts (and we Christians know how desperately wicked those are!).
The blog title is a song (changed a bit) from the 1970's. My dad sang it on his guitar and it popped into memory at this subject. However, the end of the song asks the question..."When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn." That last question can be directed to not just the abortionist industry but all who allow it to happen.
It's tough out there....we know there are already plenty of people who are living a life of debauchery proudly. The Bible tells us not to be surprised by them....that's to be expected. However, what about the believers? When
will THEY ever learn? I also know and meet plenty of people who proclaim Jesus as their Savior and claim to love him but they do not learn. Abortion is permitted by the silence of the church. This comment has been made repeatedly on Facebook pro-life pages. I wince because it's true and I never want MY church to be silent. I pray it never does
I have been working on a project of late. It's all God's timing and ways as to how this will all go. As I do my work, the thought never leaves my mind that if all the churches of my city were to be involved, abortion would be a distant memory in a quick fashion. It would be a pretty instant change and babies, moms, dads, and families would be saved. But it's not just my city.....the whole country could be rid of the heinous, barbaric act of child sacrifice overnight if the churches would take a stand and not be silent. Not at all different from the churches who stayed silent on the Jews' disappearance and extermination in Germany.
As the story goes, the churches there heard the trains carrying the Jews and heard the cries of those whisked away to suffering and death. These churches knew but instead of dealing with it, they covered up the cries by singing a little louder. We don't want any child to be aborted.....no matter what the gender, color or physical and mental state might be....but we need to spread this word farther, wider and louder to the corners of the earth....no more targeting the "least of these".
When will WE ever learn? Even better than this song lyric is God's Holy and Perfect, uncorrupted Words ...
2 Timothy 3:6-9
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Happy Mother's Day!!!
Happy Mother's Day!
There's a lot of pro-life news to cover which I am sorely behind in sharing. However, Mother's Day is now upon us here in the U.S.A. In celebration, here is a video that may touch your heart and inspire you to share with others!
There's a lot of pro-life news to cover which I am sorely behind in sharing. However, Mother's Day is now upon us here in the U.S.A. In celebration, here is a video that may touch your heart and inspire you to share with others!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!
Thoughts, anyone?
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