MUST MUST MUUUUUUST LISTEN

I just finished listening to God is Strong. Am I? By Francis Chan from their service on 5/10.

It is a must listen (I'd recommend watching if you can). I'm sitting here at my desk ready to cry.

POWERFUL STUFF.

http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/special/media_player.html

Life

Monday morning I was getting ready for work. I chose my outfit and then looked in my closet for my brown flats.

They weren't in there so I figured I must have left them downstairs. I looked by the chair I normally would have left my shoes by and they weren't there either so I headed into the kitchen to make my chocolate Ovaltine milk. There is nothing like rich, chocolatey Ovaltine. I love it so much. It's way better than Nesquik or Hershey's syrup.

Why is her doll - now I'm confused here because first I typed 'black' but I was thinking maybe I could just write 'African' but then I thought well I wonder if 'African' is offensive because I didn't say 'African-American' so then I typed 'black' again but then I thought maybe I should capitolize it the 'B'? Why is her doll black? Why is her doll African? Why is her doll African-American? Why is her doll Black? Which do I use?

Anyway-- Digression.

Shoes. They were not in the living room either. In my closet, by the chair, or in the living room were my only options (unless maybe they were in my car but for some reason I knew they weren't). So I ran back upstairs. Looked once more for the shoes and grabbed my purple wedges. They are so cute. When I got to work. I sat in my chair and proceeded to turn on my computer etc. At some point I happened to glance down. I saw this:

Right. You're right. I somehow left work on FRIDAY without my shoes!? Turns out. I had my flip flops in my purse Friday. I was hot when I got off work so I switched to my flip flops and accidentally left my flats behind.

Things

• I always flush public toilets with my shoe. Every time.

• Suzi P - A guy from work showed up yesterday with a new haircut and it was a MULLET. It made me think of you! It's like FULL on mullet. =) At first I thought he had hat hair. Today it's pulled back into a short puffy little ponytail. Hehe!

• I got a new gingham skirt from the Wal*Marts. It catches the wind very easily and I feel like I'm Marilyn Monroe. Today when I was walking out of In-n-Out with Susan and the girls my hands were holding drinks and misc items and I prayed aloud, "Dear Lord, Please don't let my skirt fly up."

• California bugs me. Specifically today in light of all of their legal requirements. The place at which I am employed goes through so much rigmarole (People probably think I spelled that wrong. I didn't. I googled it. Even though we say Rig-A-marole it is not spelled with the 'A.') just to stay on top of the most basic things. And EVERYTHING is some sort of HUGE legal thing with an attached law or twelve. It's beyond petty and ridiculous. I understand it has to happen because someone at one point was able to sue for a lot of money. But lame-o.

• John Jacob Jingleheimer-Schmidt is stuck in my head. You know what put it there. Seeing John Murray Plumbing in my contacts folder. Not much in common. Can't get it out.

• Check out imeem. I love this site. For those who are familiar with Pandora I just want to say that I like this better. Pandora ends up branching WAY too far from my taste and then I want to skip songs and it only allows you to skip so many in a designated time. So I just end up closing Pandora. Imeem I leave open. Upside to me: It sticks with only the artist you type in. No branching. And I can skip or repeat all I want. Love it. Thanks Adam for introducing me and imeem.

Work

We had a safety meeting today. I learned all about Blood Borne Pathogens. I'm so cool.

Bullets

- Ever since I was on all the meds from the swine flu (ok ok bronchitis) that I had, my nails have been soooooo brittle. It’s surprising to me because I have pretty strong nails - but I believe that is only in light of the fact that I cut them all the time because of the violin.
- Today we have health screenings at work. They will check our blood pressure, pulse, height/weight/BMI (which I already know I’m in the 26% for that which means I’m in the overweight/obese category) and our blood sugar for diabetes. 'Twill be interesting.
- In light of the health screenings we had the option of fasting for 9 hours to get more accurate results and to be able to do one of the cholesterol tests.
- In light of fasting I’m thankful for my Christian roots. I’ve done many fasts over the years. When I used to work at Term101 I would be in charge of calling clients the day before their medical exam and giving them ‘tips.’ When I would tell them it was recommended but not required that they fast for 8 hours before the exam some people would FREAK out.

1. Not required.

2. Make your appt for the MORNING.

3. It’s just 8 hours. You are not gonna DIE.

-As Americans we aren’t very familiar with the feeling of having our stomach rumble and not be able to immediately eat.
-In light of that, this is me inserting a plug for Children's Hunger Fund.
- Tonight is graduation for The Master’s College. Tell Lauren congrats.
- Tomorrow I’m going on a hike with Adam and I’ve been looking forward to it all week. I’m:

1. Hoping to get some color.

2. Hoping to burn a lot of calories,

3. Looking forward to enjoying creation,

4. Excited to have all that time with Adam.

- I don’t like my job much right now. For so many reasons. But I am thankful for it.
- In light of that I’m so glad to have this job because I’ve had so many opportunities to share the gospel. This week alone has been amazing. I shared with 4 of the guys (not for the first time) and an opening was started with my new supervisor. I haven’t given him the gospel yet, but he was saying that Catholicism and Christianity are the same and I was able to say that they are not. We chatted a tiny bit but none of the differences were talked through. But I have hope for it, because I didn’t even know how I was going to be able to share with the supervisor and now this came up.
- Pray I’d be faithful with the opportunities the Lord gives and that I would have answers for the questions I am asked. Sometimes they’re tough! =) But it’s such a great challenge and opportunity for growth.
- I still am considering moving out. Found a possible place just waiting to have a chance to check it out.
- I find myself thinking of Jackson Hole all the time. I’m privileged to be able to pray for the team there. I’m excited for all of that.
- I’ve been listening to a rap/hip hop cd by the artist Shai Linne. The lyrics are SO solid. Seriously. I wouldn’t have bought it otherwise, because I don’t even care for rap/hip hop. But when I had a chance to read through the lyrics I was stoked and wanted to buy the CD so I could memorize the songs and fill my head with all the truth. Check out his blog. Not to mention that this guy came and gave a concert for free because he just wants to get truth out - to get the gospel out. Adam and I had a good talk about this. It really makes me think of the Christian artists and how they are willing to charge SO much money. I'm a simpleton. I hate that they do that and it makes me wonder where their hearts are truly at. This is not necessarily an overarching blanket statement so please don't take it that way. I'm just saying I really appreciated that Shai Linne was one of the most solid - maybe THE most solid lyricist I've ever heard and he came out for free. As Christians it really is all about the gospel. Shai gets that.
- Speaking of music and filling my/your/the head with truth, if anyone knows any music groups who put scripture to music like Hillsong or Shai Linne. ALWAYS tell me about it. I’m so interested in that.

Snails

I'm going to admit something... Ready?

I think snails are really cute. I'm not sure where this mindset came from but I have a guess.
When I was 4 I was in Master's Kids - The very first one - EVER. I still remember the song and even now, I'm singing it in my head. Here is the memory. We had a craft time. All of us kids were at a table. In front of us was a sheet of plain white paper. In the middle of the table there were Cool Whip containers. Inside the Cool Whip containers was a little bit of water with food coloring and snails! Our craft project was to pick the colors we wanted and put the snails on our piece of paper and let the snails make a trail of color. I wish I had a picture! Combine that with AGAPELAND!! Anyone? Anyone? I had a book (well I guess maybe a movie.. Mom? Which was it?) when I was growing up about Herbert the Snail.

Synopsis: Patience: In HurryTravel with Herbert the Snail and his family they go to the circus! During the trip, they talk about the exciting things they want to see. After they arrive, there is a long line for tickets! Some snails want to sneak in, but Herbert decides to be patient and wait his turn. All the snails learn waiting is the right thing. Two sing along songs on Patience are included in this touching episode.

(OR perhaps it was when I was a child and we were at my grandparents house and my dad showed me what happens when your pour salt on a snail.

OR maybe it was because I grew up with all boys and probably used a magnifying glass to scorch a snail inside it's shell in the late afternoon Southern California sunshine.

BUT I don't think so.)

Since then, of course, I've had many encounters with snails. I'm not an avid gardener and so I don't have plants that are being eaten alive by the snails, therefore, I have no reason to hate them. To me they are so simple. They carry their home on their back. They live off of flowers and leaves (and rabbit poo). They're plump and scoot slowly and lazily along.

I'm not very good at drawing so whenever someone asks me to draw something I usually end up drawing flowers and snails and bees.

What I'm saying is, snails just stick out to me. I notice them. Not just 'live' ones but snail things, too.

At Rooms n Blooms they have wrought iron snail pot holders. They come in large and small and I always thought those planters were the cutest thing. In Pasadena there is a fountain outside of a church that has -you guessed it- a snail in the middle of it. Every morning as I walk up the pathway to work the snails (of all sizes!!) are out in full force. Eating flowers (and rabbit poop).

Once Adam and I were out for a really long walk. Adam looks up when he walks I gaze down (I have a fear of tripping). We approached a snail. I said to Adam, "Watch out for the **CRUNCH** snail." He stepped on it, but not fully because I was in the middle of warning him. The snails shell was cracked, though. I was saddened. Adam thought the snail would be fine. I thought it would die a torturous death. I proceeded to force Adam to squish the snail completely since I didn't want the little guy to suffer and since we didn't have enough snail knowledge to know if they can repair damage to their shells. (FYI they can, but with a break as bad as this one we would have had to use manual intervention (keeping the snail in a humid place, making a plaster mixture to cover the crack/hole etc) and we were unable to do so. In light of that we went with a different form of manual intervention.)

I think snails would be cute to decorate a child's room with. I've seen fabric/paper with snails and mushrooms that are so cute.

Again - the plants/plant holders.

There is just so much cute stuff. But I'll admit there is a very fine line between the cute and the gross/disturbing.

Cute:Disturbing:

And then there is AWESOME! Google is so cool.

May 6

Today is 1 year since I started my job.

Today is 8 years since I got baptized.

Today is Mark Grisanti's 25th year of life.

Today is also Anna and David's 3 monthiversary of their wedding day.

Encourage

This is so important. I thought this article had a lot of good points and challenges. I prob won't keep a journal, but maybe some of you will. Dwell on those scriptures and consider just how good you can be to someone else with your words alone.


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Encourage One Another. Say Encouraging Words Daily
(Encourage Others: Words of Encouragement Change People!)
(c) 2005 Doug Britton (Permission granted to print for personal use)

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Encouraging words make a difference.

Have you ever known someone who believed in you, someone who frequently spoke words of encouragement and praise? The kind of person who made you feel you could do it, whatever "it" was? That’s the kind of person God wants us to be. Paul gave a good guideline when he wrote that everything we say should build up the one who is listening.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (Ephesians 4:29).
I always am encouraged when my wife praises me. This truth came home to me once in a graphic, although silly, way. We used to take our sons to a video arcade, and I often played my favorite game. It soon became obvious that my scores were much higher whenever my wife watched and cheered me on. The book of Proverbs sums up the impact encouraging words can have when it says, "The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21). Your words have an impact.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (Proverbs 10:11).
Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers (Acts 15:32).
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2).
Therefore encourage each other with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25).

Follow God's example. Be an encourager!
You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry (Psalm 10:17).
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus (Romans 15:5).

Think positively. Look for things to encourage.
Do you bring sunshine or gloom into the room? If you are a negative person, don't say, "I'm just a worrier. I was born that way." Or, "It’s my nature to be depressed." God is in the personality-changing business. He wants you to "be conformed to the likeness of his Son" (Romans 8:29). You can change. You can become known for your encouraging words. Life is full of problems, and we need to deal with them. But if we aren't careful, all we see are the problems. There are lots of good things we can focus on.
1.Make your words a fountain of life.
2.Encourage one another. Ask God to help you develop a positive thought life.
3.Immerse yourself in his Word.
4.Pray.
Over time, you will discover that you can control the way you think, choosing to focus on some thoughts and to reject others. The following verse can be life changing. Write it out and post it where you will see it regularly, on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror or the dashboard of your car.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if any-thing is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8). When you wake up in the morning, ask God to help you look for and focus on the positive. Pray for this attitude throughout the day. Choose to meditate on the positive. Speak positively. Be an encourager. Encourage others daily.

When you talk, you make a series of choices about what subjects to discuss, what memories to bring up, and what points to make. There always are negative things you could say, but there also are positive ones. Choose the positive. Choose to specialize in encouraging words, not in critical comments. As Paul wrote, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification" (Romans 14:19). The following points give practical ways to be an encourager. (If you would like to dig a little deeper, buy a copy of "Encouraging Your Spouse," a book for married couples with advice that can help any relationship.)

Bring friendly speech into your relationships.
Don't start complaining as soon as you see your spouse, child, employee, neighbor or someone else. Ask about his or her day. Give a compliment. Share stories about your day, insights from Bible study, victories on the job, or other things they may be interested in..
Voice words of encouragement, appreciation, support, and respect.
Acknowledge others' abilities and efforts. If someone feels inadequate, encourage him or her.
Monitor your positive and negative remarks.
Learn to be self-aware and listen to what you say. Be sure you make many more positive comments than negative ones.

Respond to problems with hope and encouragement.
When someone talks about personal difficulties, do not respond with a "gloom and doom" attitude. Listen with compassion and avoid simplistic advice. Say something such as, "I know this is a tough time for you, but it won't last. Let me encourage you: God will see you through, and I'm here to help, too."
[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:4).And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Avoid subtle criticisms.
Watch out for subtle ways you may tear others down, such as pointing out how quickly you can mow the lawn when you know it takes them twice as long.

Discuss problems as a friend.
There are times in every relationship—in a family, on the job, or wherever—when people discuss difficult topics. When you do, speak in a courteous, friendly manner. The way you speak usually is more important than whether your opinions are right or wrong.
Personal application 1: Plan to say encouraging words.
(1) List the key people in your life.
(2) Beside each name, write how encouraging you are with that person.
(3) Pray for God to help you recognize the power of encouragement and to encourage one another—to say encouraging words, not discouraging words.
Personal application 2: Follow through and encourage others daily.
Make it a habit to encourage those around you. Consider keeping track of how you are doing on a day-by-day basis. For example, you could:
(1) Make a brief note on a calendar each day you encourage someone.
(2) Keep an encouragement journal or diary.
Click here for more way to encourage others.
Are you looking for practical, Bible-based ideas to encourage a family member, friend, or counselee? If so, these resources will help. Take a minute to read about these life-transforming studies on encouraging others with hope and solid biblical advice.

A Glimpse Into My Workday..

Here is a tale from 2 weeks ago:


My company is implementing a new system this fall. We are all in preparation now for that change. Our site hosted a training session last week and I was sent an email letting me know how many people would be participating and asking for me to please order boxed lunches for that day. There is only one shop I know of that produces boxed lunches, so I called them up. I spoke to a guy, placed the order, gave him the payment information and then gave him directions. From where they are located it is VERY easy to find our site. I confirmed a delivery time and was told there would be a delivery charge. I said, "Alrighty how much is the charge?" The response, "Ohhhh. I don't realllly know. Maybe 10 bucks, but no more than 20." Professional. I said that would be fine and we hung up the phone.

The next day I got a call from the gentleman. He wanted to let me know that he was going to be on his way. I told him that was great. Then he said, "I didn't really have time to charge the card so I just want you to know that I'm gonna drive the food over to you and then I'm gonna come back here and charge the card and then I'll come back over and have you sign the receipt." I responded, "Are you already on your way?" "No, I'm outside by the car." "Ok, well if you haven't left yet, it'll only take maybe 3 minutes to charge the card, we can spare 3 minutes, how about you go ahead and charge the card so you don't have to make another trip?" "Ok, I'll do that and be on my way."

5 minutes later my phone rings. I answer. He doesn't even identify himself. "Hi Suzanne. Can I get directions?" (In my head I thought 'Strike One.' I gave you explicit directions yesterday. And 'Strike Two' my name is not Suzanne.) So I gave him detailed instructions one more time.

5 minutes later my phone rings. Still doesn't identify himself. "Hi Suzanne. Do I turn by Del Taco?" I never said anything about Del Taco. I told him, "No. Keep going. It's the next light."

5 minutes later my phone rings. Again no name, he just blurts "Suzanne. How far up [a certain street] do I go?" I said, "No. You weren't supposed to turn. I said, 'Go straight.' You needed to go straight." He eventually got here. He was 20 minutes late (their business is like 7 minutes away). I told the supervisor as I saw him pull up that the guy had called me 4 times that morning and everytime he named me 'Suzanne' and judging by the way things were going I would NOT be surprised if he came in through the warehouse, through the back offices and around to the front. So as the gentleman pulled up and parked I said those words to the supervisor then headed outside.

I stood there a minute or two and the gentleman did not surface. I turned to come inside and the supervisor was walking the gentleman out from the back offices and up to the front where I was headed toward them. I couldn't believe it! The supervisor had a huge grin because he KNEW what I had JUST said.

The gentleman was kind enough to remove the delivery charge for me.

In Theme of Giving Up Children..

I had a conversation with a fellow at work earlier today. Gospel sharing. He is the one I've talked to the most in my (nearly) year here. The conversation boiled down to this: Someone once said to him, "What would you say/do if God came to you and said, 'I need to take your child. His time here is up and so I need to take him with me now.'? Your response should be 'yes' because God has to be number 1 in life." The fellow then said to me, "But I'm telling you right now EMA, that that will not happen with me. My kids are too important. I love them too much and so there is NO WAY that I could put God first. It'll never happen. If He needs to be number one, I couldn't do that to my kids because they are too important to me. I love them." **Sidenote -- This is why it's so great for me to continue to share my faith, because what is the first verse that pops into your head when you think about witnessing to someone about Jesus? What is the first verse we memorize as children? What verse did NOT come to my mind? John 3:16.** The fellow told me if I could give him a good answer to that he would like to hear it. God gave up His ONLY child because He loves us that much. Pray for this fellow to be saved. We've had long talks about sin, hell, heaven, God, the Bible, truth, rejecting the truth, being 'good,' Catholocism etc. It would be great to see him come to salvation.


John 3:16 (Amplified Bible)


For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

Child Sacrifice

Moloch, the ancient pagan God of child sacrifice.



Moloch was one of the false gods that Israel would worship during its periods of apostasy. This false deity is associated with Ammon in 1 Kings 11:7, "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon."


One of the practices of the cult that worshipped Moloch was to sacrifice their children. Of course, this was forbidden by God's word: Lev. 18:21 says, "Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord." (See also Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5; 2 Kings. 23:10; Jer. 32:35).
In some passages the reference is clearly to a deity to whom human sacrifice was made, particularly in the Valley of Hinnom on the SW of the Jerusalem hill (2 Ki. 23:10; Je. 32:35) at a site known as Topheth (‘fire pit’ in Syriac).1


The ancients would heat this idol up with fire until it was glowing, then they would take their newborn babies, place them on the arms of the idol, and watch them burn to death. I can't help but compare today's abortion massacre to the sacrifice of children by these ancient pagans. In both, innocent life is destroyed for the gain of the parent.


1. The New Bible Dictionary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.), 1962.
Link to the online article.

Question:

How come, if my eyes are moist I can get dry crusty eye boogers in the inside corner of my eyes? My eyes are wet, how can something be so dry inside of it?

Facing the Book

Facebook. I got to thinking last night... We all are on Facebook. We all have a LOT of friends on Facebook. People that we used to know, people we met in 2nd grade, our 2nd grade teacher, friends from Jr. High, High School, Junior College and College, friends from our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd jobs, the guy we met through our friend because we all went out to dinner because there was a volleyball day the day before at church, my friends boyfriend's sister and mom. We seriously have so many 'friends.' Then my brain, scratch that, the Holy Spirit triggered this thought: Out of my 532 (number drawn at random) Facebook friends, would I love them all and be sacrificial for them - EQUALLY? Would I Acts 2 them? It doesn't matter how close I am to them, I am called to love them and to treat them as better than myself out of humility, because I love the Lord. Or would I have preferences and treat some better than others and some worse? It was convicting. Especially as I think about church planting with Adam. I need to continue to beg the Lord to help me love everyone and to set myself and my preferences and my material items and my comfort and my rights aside, for the sake of loving others. Whether they are believers or not, close or not, annoying or not, love is not an option; treating them as better than myself, is not an option (though the Bible does emphasize prioritizing believers).


Romans 13:8 - Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.


Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.


1 John 4:7-13, 19-21 - 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.


Matthew 22:39 - And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.


Matthew 5:38-48 - 38"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' 39But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.


Acts 2:42-47 - 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

A Great Reminder For Us All

It's nice to see something from the other side. If she lost the pageant because of her answer then God bless her.

Matthew 5:10 - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

John 15:20 - Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

2 Timothy 3:12-13 - In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

And shame on Perez Hilton. His judging isn't surprising but to follow it up on his blog. Shameful.

Proverbs 24:23-25 - These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever says to the wicked, "You are in the right," will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.

This Pic Makes Me Happy..

Because Hillsong Changed My Life.. #3

This song. This song has encouraged my heart countless times. I've wept to it. It is, by far, one of my all time most favorite Hillsong songs.


Son of God



Hold my hand and walk with me.
You’re the light that makes me see.
On this path my soul You lead
Oh, my Shepherd, walk with me.



I need You more than breath.
You’re my hope. In You I live.
Angels worship at Your throne.
Power and glory to You alone.



My Savior, Glorious One.
My Redeemer. Living in my heart.
Now and forever, Your kingdom come.
Jesus, Son of God.
Jesus, Son of God.




It's long. But when you are just soaking it up, 9 minutes pass in a flash and I find myself pressing the repeat button.

Always a Kid with Grandma..

Date night last night. It was the best date night in a while. (And the first date night in a while too since I've been so sick.) For Easter, Grandma had made the best strawberry pie. They left some at our house but I didn't get a chance to eat any of it.

When I got to the grandparents last night, Grandma asked if I got to have any pie they left and I said, "No."

Grandma had more strawberries and still had some whipped cream and cream cheese and leftover strawberry glaze and so she was VERY grandmotherly and whipped up a batch of the berries and cream for us (no crust). Isn't that so nice? Because her granddaughter didn't get leftover delicious pie she just made another one! So we stood in the kitchen cooking dinner and mixing up pie stuff and when she was done whipping the whipped cream/cream cheese mixture she pulled the beater out of the bowl and handed it to me and said, "You wanna lick?" and I said, "Yes!" I haven't really licked a beater in years, but there is just something about your inner child that will always come out when you are at Grandma's house.

Hot Fudge Sundae

I got to have one of THESE at work yesterday and it tasted soooo good. As I'm typing this I'm wondering why it is spelled Sundae? Let me google.

Excerpts:

It is spelled s-u-n-d-a-e so as not to disgrace the meaning of Sunday as a treat. A sundae is called a sundae because most local laws banned Ice Cream sodas to be made on Sunday, so this treat was made to be eaten on a Sunday. It was stated that ice cream sodas were too "sinful."

Sundae:


1897, Amer.Eng. thought to be an alteration of Sunday, perhaps re-spelled in deference to religious feelings; but the reason for the name is uncertain; perhaps "ice cream left over from Sunday, on sale later." For a fuller account of the speculations, see H.L. Mencken, "The American Language," Supplement I (1945), pp.376-7.

Then I Found This:

World's most expensive dessert: $1000 sundae


Posted by Cory Doctorow, February 14, 2006 12:38 PM permalink
The Daily Olive site documents the $1,000 "Grand Opulence" sundae sold by New York's Serendipity restaurant:
Made with "5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world's most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested by the Caribbean Sea on Venezuela's coast. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, known for its sparkling golden color. It's sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon to partake in the indulgence served with a petite mother of pearl spoon and topped with a gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel."

Then This:

But what's really impressive is the $60,000 "World's More Expensive Most Expensive Ice Cream Sundae." If you buy this you get to travel to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro where Three Twins Ice Cream founder will handchurn a batch of ice cream using the glacial ice found at the summit. The mountain's glaciers are expected to disappear in 10 to 15 years and the purchase will bring awareness to climate change (the company will also make a five figure donation to an African environmental nonprofit.) The cost includes first class airfare to Tanzania, five-star accommodations, a guided climb, an organic T-shirt and all the ice cream you can eat.

Easter Tears Me Up

It happens every year. This year I'm really sick and I'm always more emotional when I'm sick. That's just the way it goes. But when it comes to Good Friday/Easter it is hard! Just thinking through Isaiah 53 and other related passages. Words that say he was beaten beyond any recognition. That Jesus did that when He was innocent because He loves me .. breaks my heart. Words that say that He drank the entire cup of God's wrath so that I don't have to thirst in separated hell forever .. tears me up. I am so thankful and so emotional. This video only brought the tears to the surface further. It is just impactful. Think about Him. Imagine being unrecognizable because you've been so badly beaten all the while knowing you were innocent. Think of what you are saved from. Thank the Lord. Thank You, Jesus.

Still in La La Land..

This has been my life and I can't remember the last 10 days of it. I'm almost back though.

Annoyance vs. Gospel vs. Love

Chipotle:


Situation Number 1:


It was pretty crowded. We got seats along the low wall next to 2 moms and their 3 little kids and a baby. The little girls kept coming over to us and looking at us.. and ..the moms were doing nothing about it. They were in their own worlds eating their lunches. The kids would go over to other tables and also were giving high fives to some fire fighters in line. Some Petco employees came in and sat down at a table on the other side of the moms and kids. The littlest girl went over there and she leaned on the lady and then was resting on her shoulder and it was like.. these kids had NO SENSE of personal boundaries. I was really looking down my nose at those moms. To allow their kids to continuously invade our space and interrupt us and others and for the moms to not care. To me it was wrong and inconvenient.



Here are my thoughts:


I had heard once that America does a bad job of applying "Love your neighbor as yourself." We teach our kids not to talk to strangers (and while I understand the reasoning.. There are two sides to be considered). We say, "Hi. How are you?" and all responses are "Good." We are offended when someone invades our personal space. We are unfriendly. We do what is convenient for ourselves. We cater to ourselves and please ourselves. We do not reach out. Was it really that big of a deal that the kids were by us while we ate? Was it really wrong for them to go visit the Petco people? Was it wrong for the little girl to lean on the Petco lady? Was it wrong that I got offended? Why was I convicted? Was it wrong for me not to say "hi" to the kids as they stared? When I choose to get offended or even not so much offended but ANNOYED I begin to one by one shut down my opportunities to give the gospel. The gospel is about strangers. The gospel is uncomfortable. If I'm bugged by a 3 year old while I eat my tacos something is WRONG. I prayed and asked the Lord to forgive me. I will do better next time loving strangers. I will do better to not fall into the American Dream. I will choose to love my neighbor. I want to make sure I see them in Heaven and not worry about such petty things as having a bad lunch experience.


Romans 13:8 - 10


Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Menchie's

Here is where you start:

Grab a cup..

Pick 1 or 2 or 3 or 12 of their 12 flavors: I chose cake batter only. So good. Adam got cake batter swirled with cookies and cream. There is also a little chilled bar that has fruits and refrigerated items..

Mix it together with the 'snackage.' I got heath bar pieces, oreo pieces and fruity pebbles. Adam got cookie dough, cheesecake and oreos.

Then you eat it and when you are all done you get on a scale and they weigh you. If the scale rolls around to YUM, then you get your yogurt for free. Ok not really, but that would be really cool. You place your concoction on the scale...

and pay 39 cents per oz.
Adam after he ate his yogurt.. It was THAT good.

Lauren got a free tatoo that Jeff kindly helped her put on. It was her first one ever.

Then a Dad and his daughter(s?) and his daughter(s?) friends came in carrying this little "dog." They were stopped right away and told their "dog" would need to wait outside. The girls were young-ish and we could see that that was gonna put them in a predicament so I offered to hold their "dog" while they got their yogurt. Adam protected me and kept me company. The "dog" trembled in my arms the entire time.

This is the bonding between the "dog" and the girls. And my cool new zebra purse. See it?

Why Do I Do This to Myself?

Drywood Termite fecal pellets, the corn nuts I'm currently eating and Australian Stick Bug eggs. I am way grossed out. They all look way too similar?!

Proverbs 27

This speaks to my heart in so many ways:
Proverbs 27 (English Standard Version)



1Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.



2Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.



3A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.



4Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?



5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.



6Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.



7One who is full loathes honey,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.



8Like a bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.



9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.



10Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.



11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
that I may answer him who reproaches me.



12 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.



13 Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.



14Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.



15 A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;



16to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.



17Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.



18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who guards his master will be honored.



19As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.



20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and never satisfied are the eyes of man.



21 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.



22 Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.



23 Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,



24for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?



25 When the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,



26 the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.



27 There will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.

I want to make art like this:

I see it and I'm inspired. I love when paper and fabric is used together with paint.