Evil Eye

Someone sent me this random video...but it's funny ;)

Tim Hawkins update

Tim Hawkins (one of my new favorite comedians) updated his website....there are 2 new videos on there...my particular fav..."Cletus take the Reel"

check it our here

see ya tomorrow or sometime....off to do some holiday shopping!

I have stumbled on an interesting topic. For those of you who have time to read all this:

John Piper has an article here--It's titled "Tragically Widening the Grounds of Legitimate Divorce" He is commenting on an article by Instone-Brewer's Article in Christianity Today.
I found both of the arguments interesting but tended to agree with Piper on this one. Let me know what you think.

I found a loophole

I was reading my blogs and I came across a mom was on a trip and calling her husband at home she said:

"I called my husband yesterday and he started talking about he had installed some lights and a new mailbox. He must have talked for ten minutes about this before he asked me about New York. I kept thinking to myself, “Is this how I sound? Do I really go on and on like that about the mundane things I do all day?” The answer hit me as a resounding YES! I guess it’s inevitable. When you’re stuck home all day, dealing with kids, isolated from other adults, you sort of go crazy and given the chance, you talk your head off about any subject to any adult who will listen." (italics mine)

That made me laugh, because it is soooooo true!!!! So does that mean, I have some special privileges and actually you all have to listen to me?

Of course I am kidding.... but maybe my husband should--kidding again....I do want to strive in the listening area, but given my 'handicap' it may take longer *smile*

This is COOL!

Help

I don't think I should have posted the "Listening" post (see below).... I am realizing, what a huge amount of self-love I have! I heard this in my head very recently as I was listening to a conversation. I was thinking, "when is that person going to be done! I think, I don't want to talk, personally, I just want something else" O-WOW! what a huge lack of love for someone else! How could my heart be that ugly! I also am often finding myself anxiously waiting for the person to finish so I can talk, that is pretty common for me, but this seemed like my heart was even more deceptive. I wasn't interested in talking--therefore, I wasn't loving myself--right??? WRONG!

So I ask for your help... Tell me how to cultivate love for others and/or weed out self-love. I know that I need to read my Bible and Pray, but I wonder if there are some practical ideas as well. Feel free to tell me to read my Bible and pray...maybe I just need a kick in the rear end! This, by the way is not a time to encourage...just hit me with the TRUTH...
thanks!!!!

More seriously now....

Here is what has been on my mind a-lot lately. This is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, titled "Ears of God" The thing is he is addressing pastoral care, but I really think that it is applicable for all Christians and that we all have the responsibility to tell truth to other believers. That is why this is so convicting to me! I can see myself in the words that he is saying. So many times, I have been the person he is talking about and I can see myself (like a movie in my mind) in many of those times...--patiently waiting for the person to finish....

Ears of God

"For Christians, pastoral care differs essentially from preaching in that here the task of listening is joined to the task of speaking the Word. There is also a kind of listening with half an ear that presumes already to know what the other person has to say. This impatient, inattentive listening really despises the other Christian and finally is only waiting to get a chance to speak and thus to get rid of the other. This sort of listening is no fulfillment of our task. And it is certain that here, too, in our attitude toward other Christians we simply see reflected our own relationship to God. It should be no surprise that we are no longer able to perform the greatest service of listening that God has entrusted to us--hearing the confession of another Christian--if we refuse to lend our ear to another person on lesser subjects. The pagan world today knows something about persons who often can be helped only by having someone who will seriously listen to them. On this insight it has built its own secular form of pastoral care, which has become popular with many people, including Christians. But Christians have forgotten that the ministry of listening has been entrusted to them by the one who is indeed the great listener and in whose work they are to participate. We should listen with the ears of God, so that we can speak the Word of God.

I think that this has been on my mind since --Monday, November 19, 2007 as I had posted about this topic there as well...I do plan to revisit this subject with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, since I do NOT have this down and I desire to be a good listener. When I do take the time to listen, I have found it to be SUCH A BLESSING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp7DMynmORE

Interesting way to put it

Tag Team

I just finished reading this book. I have enjoyed reading a couple biographies lately and this was the 2nd one . The other one isn't worth mentioning :).... I enjoyed this book because it happened to tag team in my mind with a movie that we just watched ( "Home of the Brave") that talked about similar issues. The book talks about Bob Dole going to war, his injuries and recovery. The thing that I find interesting is his re-entry, so to speak, after the war and injury. The movie was basically about the re-entry as well, and several soldiers' lives after they came home from Iraq. This issue just hasn't been something that is on my radar screen to think about or care (till now). So I have appreciated having my eyes opened .

Why I Love Mercy

This song has been rattling around in my head and is a great follow up to yesterday!

Thy Mercy, My God

1. Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song,
The joy of my heart. and the boast of my tongue;
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last,
Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

2. Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here;
Sin would reduce me to utter despair;
But, through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive,
And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

3. Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart,
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;
Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground,
And weep to the praise of the mercy I’ve found.

4. Great Father of mercies, Thy goodness I own,
And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.
All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine.

©2001 Same Old Dress Music (ASCAP).

Why I don't love Mercy

Stay with me here..just trying to get your attention.... *smile*....I realized lately that I don't LOVE Mercy.... but as I thought through it, I realized there were reasons why. Mercy is making a comeback in my heart...and thinking and writing about it has helped me immensely! Here are some of the reasons :I think I have been expecting mercy. I think forget to realize what it costs. I think I decided that I am 'safe'. I think I made mercy about me.

As I think about it, I think if I remember that Jesus found me and that I still need daily mercy (as in forgiveness of my sin), than I would love and adore mercy. The truth is, I deserve to be punished for my utter disregard for who God is and my daily sins of anger, pride, etc, etc. So, I need MERCY! I believe the definition of mercy is: not being punished when I deserve to be punished....I need to let that sink in to my mind. Just a bit, or at least till I am mourning /sad. Because really, at the end of the day, I will still think it's about me! So as I let that sink in and see who I really am, what my heart really thinks..... my only hope is to look to Jesus and you know what I find?? Mercy, Love Kindness, forgiveness, etc.... And OH is it beautiful when I have seen where I came from and see his mercy and grace taking me somewhere :) Nearer to HIM!