CHRISTmas Music

Hmm..there's a song in the air!
I think I need to review my favorite Christmas music list and see what I've liked best.
Big Chili pepper likes to claim Christmas music can be played after September. Even though I say "all year long"....like P&W, in reality, actual holiday music doesn't show up until December, unless Big Chili Pepper is around to play it in September.

hmmm...
I have some old CD's still that I have loved......
BeBe and CeCe Winans have a great Christmas CD.....mine has got to be like over 10 years old.

And then there is Frank. Frank plays it both Christian and secular, but Frank is Frank and has always been part of the family. And with him arrives Bing too. Does Bing have a REAL name or was it really Bing. Either way, in music, Frank is Frank and Bing is Bing and you don't have to say the last name to know who they are, at least in the households of my relatives.

What ever happened to all the real LP records we played as kids....over and over and over in the playroom back when it had green carpet laying over the concrete, and we played dodgeball, set up the Christmas train on the sawhorse platform, and played with our little manger scene that was so so cool bc it had that hole to insert one big giant Christmas bulb to light up the manger....and we'd change out the various Christmas bulb colors. It is hard to believe that room is as small as it is considering how we, as kids, transformed the place in our minds.

Piano Christmas music.....nothing better than just playing it myself.

David Klinkenburg.......the best violinist Christmas music + add his "Jesus Loves Me" to his Christmas list.

okay, so we've got lots of other CD....various musicians, various groups....Christian, Country, Christmas movie soundtracks like "Home Alone".....but the best is going to a church on Christmas eve, hearing and singing "Silent Night" while holding REAL CANDLES, and then walking outside at midnight while the snow is falling...and then of course you have to listen to Christmas music on the radio as you drive home on round-about routes as you look at all the Christmas lights while the kids get sleepy and fall asleep too. Yep, that is the best Christmas music that gets played.....not the individual song, but the music that reminds you of why it is Christmas and the message of Peace that it brings--the peace of being reconciled to God through Christ Jesus.

Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
It is only appropriate that if I show up back in the blogworld, that I start by saying "Merry Christmas to celebrate the arrival on earth of the greatest love ever--My savior--Christ Jesus.

This has been quite an 'odd' unique year.....very good...but ...hmmm....odd.
And while giant chili pepper got me bloggin' earlier in the summer when I had time, I haven't had time lately at all. I was getting into checking out blogs of great people and old friends and some people that I don't even know. My favorite ones were some pages of some wives of chaplains across the country......people that live and breath similarities in life and yet are unperfected, honest, and encouraging examples.

And then there are just the fun ol' blogs. But typically, if I'm looking at blogs, I like to look at Christian resources for ministry, fun pics of old friends, and then...the politically incorrect things of the political world that I hope never become politically 'correct'.

Big chili pepper didn't get to keep up with my blogs bc I didn't blog. But I'm back and here to say
Merry Christmas!

I love Jesus and chili peppers!

Vicious Dog Battle Ends in Surrender

We are coming to you LIVE from the home of vicious "Watchdog". Yet another day has begun where "Watchdog" insists on asserting her sassy personality to control everyone around here.
Here is the latest from this morning's report.

It is reported that Watchdog was let outside this morning for her morning routine.....
" Upon wondering what she was up to this time, I stood on the porch staring to assess the situation. There she stood beneath the maple tree asserting herself ,probably due to sporting her new sassy haircut, as if she ruled the place. (Well, she does.) I couldn't quite make out the situation up in the tree, but I instantly spotted the big brown blob in it. Poppy's take was that she must be after a bird. (Not my baby bird?!!) I decided to investigate, so me and my pj's and my bare feet walked across the yard to stand beside her under the maple tree. Can you see it now?--both of us just standing beneath the tree staring intently upward into the tree to look for the bird. Except.......the brown blob was not a bird and it was not a bird nest. Now, don't get me wrong, there is a bird nest in that tree( and like every tree in the yard), but that one was up higher above the blob. The lack of birds chirping indicated she was waiting patiently NOT for the bird to fly but for the brown blob to move. No, this brown blob was not going to move. It sat as still as she did beneath it......her staring up;blob staring down. I wondered who was going to win this battle, and which one in the end could be more vicious to the other. hhhmmm......I had enough already and walked back to the house to go get my shower before church. If figured that in the end, the squirrel sitting perfectly frozen thinking we could not see it would be the winner. I knew as soon as I opened the door or called "Watchdog" in, she'd listen and surrender.....listen? no. Surrender? yes....if it meant she'd have our full attention on her to lavish her even more with attention to spoil her into an even sassier dog, well, then I knew she'd leave the big giant squirrel alone. "

Her hair cut is of the latest style--summery and cute; the fleas weren't, so if you don't like the haircut, well, I don't care. The fleas are gone with all the hair. She thinks she is cool(especially when she gets grooming attention for 2 1/2 hours), and since she knows she is the big kahuna around here, she continues to drag all her dogfood onto the carpet to eat it or to just leave it there all over the place. She might have surrendered to the squirrel, but not to me telling her to keep her food in the kitchen this afternoon.

So if you think you have problems with your little tots wanting to carry food around instead of eating it at the table, well, at least you don't have "Watchdog" staring you down with a pout when you tell her to go eat in the kitchen. For today, I'll keep my sanity and surrender and continue to kick dogfood across the floor back into the kitchen.

THE COMFORT ZONE

Lord, I give thanks for this day and for the fresh breeze that blew through my life tonight to refresh my spirit with gratitude for Your creation and for the simple things in life that show me Your love. You are so awesome, and I know You are always with me. It has been frustrating these past few days for me, and I have forgotten to find my comfort in You. Forgive me for losing my patience with myself and others as I try to 'plan my life' forgetting You have a plan for me. I have forgotten so quickly even again today to remember that You will guide my life and keep Your hand upon me and my family. Thank you for the gentle reminders. Thank you for giving me Your strength and peace. Thank you for giving me comfort that I forget to seek and find in You many times too often. You are my Father looking out for me. I know that and need to remember that more. Thank you for ending today without worries about tomorrow --for the evening filled with peace.
And God, if You wish....send a little rain to refresh Your beautiful trees and grass and flowers. But even so, the dry grass and trees remind me that I will wither without continuously seeking your refreshing Spirit. Your are my Fountain--my continuous source of life and peace through the ups and downs.

sshhhpprrrr................sshshhshshppprrrrrpprpppshprprr....

That was the peaceful sound of the FOUNTAIN hose pouring its water out onto the dry brittle grass this evening. Who turned on the heat around here? Tonight was the 1st evening I really enjoyed outside since I last looked for lightning bugs while cutting the grass. It has been HOT! Did I say 'really hot!" Its a 'furnace baking me like an oven melts chocolate in chocolate chip cookie dough'! Except....I don't turn into something very good like cookie dough turns into! In all this heat, I feel like cookie dough long-forgotten in the oven! Except, I wasn't being forgotten! I was the one doing the forgettin'!

So anyway, I was outside this evening before dusk. We decided to let the dishes sit unfinished in the kitchen to get outside for some needed fresh air. Despite the lingering warmth, the humidity had dissapated and there was a beautiful warm evening breeze. Noticeably, all the pesky bugs were gone too --which is a rarity--guess they have hidden away from the heat lately like the rest of us! So my wonderful husband and I walked about the yard enjoying the evening. I think he is a little more like God in the yard---he loves to walk about and look at each of the trees and bushes he has planted to check on them to make sure they are doing okay. While he was caring for them, I was watering them. It was a luxury to pour water on very thirsty plants and grass and then be able to watch them spring back with energy in them. Even the birches and oaks were drying up with leaving browning and falling. Who rakes falling leaves in mid-August???(not in SC!) A gently steady fountain of rain is needed right now in many places.

It was very peaceful to walk about just enjoying the sun set to dusky skies and watch the moon come out. (Tonight it was a sliver of a moon but very bright yellow with an orangy-yellow hugh to it.) As I continued walking about with the hose, I noticed a bird sitting on the fence--not on top of in but squeezed in in the middle of a hole. As I took note of its peculiar stance, I realized this was a BABY BIRD! Oh! A Baby Bird right here in my back yard too now for me to see it trying to fly! I think that just before I had detached the hose from the sprinkler, the water must have hit its nest hidden up in a thick evergreen. Poppy quickly saw big mama bird fluttering about as I approached the little bird, so I kept my distance. But there it was, just sitting on the fence and I was standing 2 feet with my hand outstretched towards the dear little bird. It then fluttered unsteadily off the fence and attempted to land on top of the truck's tire, but it then fluttered to the ground and then to a small tree in the front yard. It was apparent that it was struggling. My husband watched too and commented that it was learning to fly. Oooh...another little bird learning to fly. Oh my! How I would have loved to just pick it up and hold it in my hands to love and protect it from everything. But, it needs to strengthen its wings to fly.

Watching that little bird struggling made me look about to make sure there was no cat prowling about...an odd flashback to our kittycat made me recall his zest for chasing birds when he was living. Oddly, somewhere in my imagination there always seems to be prowling cat somewhere in the shadows. So I hoped there weren't any cats about and noticed that the 2nd time the baby landed on the fence, that our big vicious dog who is afraid of cricket noises did not remotely notice the bird sitting on the fence right next to where he stood. So then I looked about for "Watchdog"; she wasn't concerned with the bird's presence at all which is rare because nothing usually gets past her territory! So, it appeared that if no critters could get to the baby bird, she would be able to flutter and flit about learning to spread her wings to obtain full flight. Wow. Just like the other baby bird is still doing.

Isn't it amazing how things learn to grow and live and live and grow? Matthew 10 says "Are not 2 sparrows sold for a penny? Yet, not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." It promises us that God knows what is happening to each little sparrow, and that even so much greater, He knows what is happening with His Children, so well so that He knows each of the hairs on our heads! This is a reminder I can be comforted knowing He is watching over my family and that He is taking care of us. He knows when we stumble or are sick or are having a hard time flying. He knows when we are happy, ready to move, ready to be challenged with the next level of flight. This is so cool....to watch this baby bird and think of the other little bird whose wings are getting stronger for flight, so that when she is ready, she will soar like an eagle! We all need to do that, but too often we forget!

Our value in Christ as His children --above even the sparrows that He created and values--is meant to remind us of our place in Him because Matthew 10 talks greatly in depth about conflict that will arise because of our faith in Christ. Like a cat out prowling for a bird being hindered in its flight, Satan 'prowls about like a roaring lion here on earth', looking for someone he can consume. God reminds us of our value as His child to remind us that no one can take away from us what God has given us through Christ--even if our bodies our destroyed by prowling evil. The great thing about God is that God is OMNISCIENT

and OMNIPOTENT

and OMNIPRESENT!!!

satan is NOT. <

So in the Gospel of Matthew 10, we hear how God knows all about His creations and if they are 'falling'. 2 Gospels later, we see in Luke 10 that Jesus says " I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Jesus goes on saying, " I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you; however, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." !!!--my exclamation points!!!!

This is where our comfort zone is! Not the comfort zone we are seeking on our own during the present worries or present situations, but in knowing that we are reconciled with God and have a place in heaven because He has blotted out our sins and 'falls' through Christ's death on the cross. No one can separate us from God's love if we have chosen to accept God's gift of love which is Christ Jesus's death and resurrection to conquer eternal death for us.

So have you found your comfort zone yet?

No? That is okay because you are not too late! It doesn't take all kinds of "this's and thee's and thou's nor do this's, do these, nor do that for thou"! All you have to do is be willing to grab hold of the hand that was pierced for your sin and your death. Jesus is standing there just waiting with His hands outstretched to you. How do you take His hand, you wonder, to cross over a threshold of death to a life filled with love and eternal life? It is not hard unless that prowling cat is being a menace to bother you. Just give Jesus your heart in a way that He speaks to your heart with love....you can pray something like this to give your heart over to him to let Him be your Savior.

......Dear God, I have no idea of what to say or do. I don't really know You well. But I hear that you took my life filled with falls, and everything I've done wrong, upon yourself to trade places with me to show how much You love your Children. You gave this gift of love for me when I didn't even ask or understand it. You've let me make my choices freely, and my choices haven't always been so great. So I want to get to know you more and I want You to be part of my life. I want to trade in a life of death and have a life filled with life and love! I don't know how to do this, so I just say "thank you" for what you have done already for me. Thank you for stepping down into our world to show us how to love You, others, and ourselves. Forgive me for the things I know I did wrong and the things I didn't realize were so wrong. Jesus, thank you for your suffering and death and resurrection to life to take away my eternal death and shame. Thank you for the promise that You give me a place in heaven forever--not because of anything I can ever do but just because You already did this for me to save me . Thank you for helping me find comfort through Your gift of love on the Cross. You promise You are here with me. Help me to remember that when I don't believe enough.

If you have prayed and invited Jesus into Your life and heart, you are Brother or Sister who has found their comfort zone in Christ Jesus. May His Spirit guide you each step and keep you from falling! When you feel like you are stumbling, just remember to reach out and hold on to Him. (Try to do that each day!--take it from me....I don't do well on my own!)

Baby Birds Leave the Nest

Nope, I haven't had a lot of time to log in the past few days. ...just this and that with back-to-school time and such. Sigh. Today a little bird was not feeling well. I wanted to wrap it up safely and watch over it. Tonight giant chili pepper said, "Mama, you just have to let the baby bird fly from the nest!" and he twittered his little? fingers and arms to demonstrate the little bird flapping wings and flying. Double-sigh. Do mamabirds fly 100 yards behind them to watch over them? Am I supposed to be like a mama linnet bird that sings a little song while sitting under the bushes to watch her nest... Triple sigh. I guess I'm just supposed to 'be' by singing. '..Be' that bird that is singing "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches o'er me"....and the baby birds too.

Get well baby bird so that you can fly with strength and peace!

LIGHTning Bugs

"A LIGHT shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it."




LIGHTNING BUGS--a.k.a. fireflies.....
Where have all the lightning bugs gone to? Yesterday evening, I spent the evening cleaning up a neighbor's yard down the street. At dusk, I moved on to my yard to tackle the tall pigears that were waving their sprigglyness about announcing to the world that we don't keep up with trimming the grass despite whatever truth exists. Darkness approached, and soon it came to be that my eyes had to search for those tall 'pigears' marking the path of my mower lines, for without them, I would have had to abandoned the rest of the yard until morning. Suddenly, it dawned on me, "Where are all the lightning bugs?"! There were NONE....nada....zilch...zero. This proposes a big problem.....gotta have lightning bugs. Why aren't they here? Maybe it is just SC terrain and weather? I do not know. Growing up in a beautiful fertile valley at the base of a mountain led to many dusk excursions of empty pickle jars of moist moss, lids with holes nailed into them, and, best of all--the addition of lightning bugs. Dusk signaled when it was time to head home from the creek, the trails, or the 'around the block' bike path that meant the ride around miles and miles of patch-work Amish fields was quickly coming to a close for the day. But lightning bugs signaled the one last activity of procrastination with me proclaiming "I want to catch some lightning bugs before I come in!" Picture a little, dirt-covered kid running barefoot through the yard reaching, jumping, and catching these little luminescent innocent creatures who had to suffer the fate of being put into a jar for an hour while the hunt was on to fill the world with light in a jar. Well, that would be me...always loving the roam of the outdoors in the valleys and the mountain as I would continuously search for some critter that was mesmerizing. Now, I wouldn't always put those little lightning bugs in a jar. Sometimes I would just cup one in my hands, stare in at it a bit, and then let it fly away--following its light path for as long as I could. Other times, I'd catch one and watch it light up on my hand, crawling to and fro' as it certainly must have been signaling out its love for me. And so, with another jar filled, and then emptied out to release those little lights back into the world where they truly belonged to light up my smile for the next time,those little creatures would announce "darkness is approaching yet the light shines"--and also the announcement of that nightly summer bathtime that proclaimed another day was ending along with the day's hard-earned dirt accumulated on me from enjoying nature at its finest.

I wonder where all the lightning bugs have gone. Maybe the chemicals that we, "world", use on our yards to kill the pesky bugs have reduced the good ones also? So if you find some lightning bugs to catch, make sure you keep them moist in the jar and then let them go to go shine some more so that their light doesn't dry up!

Don't keep your light stuck in a jar; may your light continue to fly freely and shine in the darkness to bring the Light and a smile to the life of another.

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."......The Gospel of John; John 1--

My EastFromWest friend...

......

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear HIM;

as far as the east is from the west

so far he has removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him........

--from Psalm 103

*Today's Thinking in 3s

Thinking in 3s right now. What jumps to mind from today?
hmmm.....old friend memories on my mind today.

Chocolate
* found an actual 'melting chocolate cake' recipe in the recipe magazine I always use but never knew that recipe was in the back! Uggh! Unbelievable! --can't wait to try it!
*it's not "death by chocolate"; its LIFE by chocolate. Think positive you people!
*HERSHEYS

more Chocolate, more Hershey
*hershey kisses
*hershey choco bars!
*Hershey our kitty cat that our MO neighbor found under the outhouse at the track and gave to us, and then he'd sit 5 feet out of reach of her chained dog and torment him with his presence to drive the dog nuts; Hershey was very street smart.

Living near Hershey
Hershey kiss street lights
Hershey built the Super Dooper Looper
Chocolate World & Chocolate Factory aromas!

Old Friends-MO
*Julie M.
*Colleen S.
*Cathie L.
(Fort Lost in the Woods friends all from Humphreys! good memories during hard times! Lost but not 'lost'...just wish they were ALL found by now! Maybe they are out hunting for dinosaur eggs still?)

MORE Old Old Friends--PA
*TereSA
*Wendy
*Angie
(hey, Barb in MD is technically from PA too!)
(always friends forever--like it was just yesterday when we talk!)

MORE FRIENDS GO ON!
SC, TX, PA,
MO, MD/DC
I wish I could bring all these wonderful friends to live right here in this town with some special friends here!

3 old gymnasts graduated in 2007
EMmo to USC
SAMmo to 'CO'
SAMmo M. to FL or FL STATE?

LOVE
Father-Son-Holy Spirit--it's all ONE

LOVE kids
chili pepper
giant chili pepper
big chili pepper

LOVE us
HE-
HE & ME-
He, me, and chili peppers

NOT so loving heart right now for ....
1.AC maintenance appt. today
2.AC did work fine until today
3.AC man left,
1.AC stopped working, 2.AC man came back, 3.very hot house irking me.

CARS
Black, White, Tan--and yes, that is a Nicole C. Mullen song too!

GUMMIES
orange slices
sour patches
gumdrops

FOOD
Breyers icecream
Homemade pizza
fresh fruit bowl

ULTIMATE ICECREAM
huge scoop o' chocolate
huge scoop 'o choco-chip-mint
all topped with HERSHEY's choco.syrup

SONGS I LIKE ALOT RIGHT NOW
-Hillsong's "Mighty to Save"--(Jesus is all that and more)
-Casting Crowns "East to West" (Tere, did you write their song for them?)
-Too many others-most of the time I don't even know who the artist is....I always love "Redeemer"; tons of P& W songs you won't hear on most radio stations; even country-B & D's "House We Built" is cool too.

TV SHOWS
The Unit,
Documentary channel, or old classic tvland types
CSpan
(no, I'm not boring--I like CSpan!), & sometimes CNN since I don't get FoxNews here.
(I really don't watch much tv, but I like finding a good movie and old classic movies too.)

RADIO
88.3
97.1 Calvary Chapel was all fuzzy today!
89.7

HOOAH Friends following each other state to state it seems
Us(DC, MO, DC, TX, now here still)
Rich(DC, MO,DC,dogs lived w/ us in SC while in Bosnia), TX after we left
Bonnie & Kevin(MO, DC, Korea ,TX right after we left, now here too)(WHEN WILL I GET TO SEE THEM???!)

BOARD GAMES(poppy, we haven't played many board games lately!)
Life on a Farm
Trivial Pursuit
Chess
--------------
Chinese Checkers
Parchesi
Splat!

Ways to get in shape...hmmm
BOOT CAMP or 6 hour football practices!
RUN! (do I have to?)
Stop drinking soda completely! (ice cream gives me my calcium!)
(running appears to be the only thing I might succeed at there in this day and age)

Who sent something in the mail today?
big chili pepper?
bills?
school?

MEMORIES that I've thought of today.....

1.Driving 16 hours basically straight thru home to MO where there is some total silence when I turn around to look at 6 & 4 yr. old chili peppers sitting there and giant 4 yr. old chili pepper is covered in BLUE, and I gasp bc he has completely covered himself --face, arms, hands--in blue magic marker, and all I can suddenly do is say "if you don't stop that you won't be able to ride your new bike when you get home ( bc that chili pepper taught himself to ride a PA friend's old banana seat bike--and he never even had training wheels--and he just loved riding it so much they threw it in our car to bring home to MO where little 4 yr. old would get home to instantly go ZOOM down the hill of Humphreys and give us all heartattacks!---and so 4yr. old chili pepper instantly stopped turning himself into a smurf and we didn't hear a peep out of him the rest of the way home/ Humphreys tornado sirens/ lost little boys who went into the woods to search for dinosaur eggs.

2.In 1999 inNew Mexico at White Sands and watching the 'stealths' and fighter jets practice at Holloman, and now I have a stealth magnet on my frig. bc a chili pepper thought she'd give me a souvenir magnet last year of what she wants to drive one day even though she doesn't want to drive cars. ???

3.Reading The STATE newspaper today and thinking of the people in Afghanistan and remembering when my husband came home each time from there.

Weather
-Hot, but not as hot as it could be as when our star, the sun, grows so big that it gets too hot to live.
-Too humid, but not a tropical rain forest, yet!
-Too buggy, but at least these bugs are 'normal' bugs and not extremely creepy like in rain forests, and we don't have malaria here right now.
SO THE WEATHER ISN'T ALL THAT BAD, I SAY!

BEACH
Walk for shells
Build sand castles
Glow lights

MOUNTAINS
*Missed my P.A. trip due to car repairs
*Cool mountain air, creeks & catching crayfish, PA patchwork Amish fields, Cowfield in the mountain on the way to the goat trail, crawling over reservoir watershed, winter snow and hiding under snow-covered hemlock branches, Upstate SC lakes, waterfalls, and hiking, LIGHTNING BUGS
*Kentucky Blue Grass and rich soil where you put a seed in the ground and spit on it and never think about watering it compared to the not-good soil here. William Penn knew what he was talking about when he wrote to England about the fertile land he had discovered. OBVIOUSLY HE DIDN'T ARRIVE TO S.C.! But hey, we got more rain this week TWICE!

In 3s.....OUTNUMBERED HERE 3 to me. (too much testosterone here!)

More than 3 minutes past my bedtime.
That is TODAY's THINKING IN 3s--July 31

*At the DRIVE-IN-Part 2....TRANSFORMERS

2 Corinthians 3.18--
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

TRANSFORMERS.... .finally at a blog appearing...near me! Okay, this movie was really neat. It was just different. I couldn't tell you anything about tranformers from years ago, but this movie was a fun movie for kids and parents together...maybe not young young ones, but elementary age and up for a family movie. It had a few obnoxious parts that could have been left out, but these days, most movies for a varied audience don't get much 'cleaner'....in this way, it was about on the level of "Pirates" regarding obnoxious stuff. This had comical toy characters, to action battles, to good guy/ bad guy quests, .....imagination, special effects, and a cool plot.

I don't know all the characters' names....there are....
THE HUMANS.....
THE GOOD GUY transformers....autobots....I know Bumblebee was the yellow car...he couldn't really talk but would play corny radio tunes that fit the scene.

THE BAD GUY transformers....megatrons/ decepticons...whateever they are really called....just calling them 'bad guys' works for me.

So the movie opens up with a desert like military scene. Bad guy starts attacking, then more of bad guys---giant scorpion creepy bad guy.....and he crawls under the sand to disappear too. All humans try to work together to overcome the 'bad evil that is invading the earth'.

Good guy scenes open with a teen and his dad shopping for a new car. Now, this is too funny bc the whole weeks prior to us hitting the drive-in, we have been looking at used and new vehicles. We've warned our giant teeny chili pepper to not use "my" and "truck" together in any of his sentences. Needless to say, we did find a vehicle but gave up on used ones knowing it had to make it down the highway if commuter vehicle dies.

So here they are looking for a new car...and the transformer Bumblebee comes and claims his owner and it becomes obvious to teen that he shouldn't refuse this 'car'. ... Meanwhile, teen owner happens to have some coded eyeglasses that all the bad guys and good guys are after bc that teeny chili pepper PUT HIS OWN IDENTITY ON EBAY to sell the glasses. (how many times do parents have to tell their chili peppers to keep easy visual identities OFF OF THE WEB! Habanero peppers, I declare! Grr.

So anyway, the best way to describe the rest of the movie in as few words as possible is good guys try to save teen chili pepper while bad guys try to capture him. Good guys battle bad guys. Good guys win, so humans do not get destroyed. (Yea!). The End. ...well, not really.

We liked how the good guys transformed into these cool, powerful, strong, super-hero 'bots. My favorite part was when the bots had to go to teeny chili pepper's home to help him retrieve the eyeglasses. The parents would hear noises and peek out the windows. Meanwhile, the 'bots were trampzing all throughout the yard that the dad happened to be overly anal about. But the 'bots tried to be quiet and would try to hide (which was impossible bc they were as tall as the house.

So anyway, we all enjoyed our family evening together. I was even surprised with my gift of gumdrops and orangeslices as part of the outing....(yeah, they still got their red twizzlers though!)

I figure there is only one way I can ever become like some super-hero transformer( stop eating orange-slice gumdrops and more gumdrops???)....and that is to just live my life for Jesus by striving to grow to become the person I was created to be in Christ. I have a long way to go. I hope I grow giant like Bumblebee to have the perseverance and endurance he had when he couldn't speak and then he even lost his legs but still kept on going! Only Christ can transform me into this new identity, but first I have to be willing to even begin to take a step...which I am willing though not always courageous! Now, I'm sitting here talking about some interesting earthly-worldly movie, & at the same time I do realize I am surrounded continuously by these types of things--including this computer I tiddle away on, but.... I find my peace(or try to) on setting my mind on Christ. Just like the 'bots, "my citizenship isn't really here on earth but of another place(no, I'm not an alien from Mars), but "my citizenship is in heaven. And our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has the power to transform my lowly being and body to one day be glorious like He is glorious."

When you are ready to become 'slowly transformed by Jesus into a "transformer"', just call on Him and He is right there waiting for you to claim Him.
Bumblebee was like Jesus, I say! ..okay, well not really technically, but consider the mind of the movie, please!...................
Before the boy could recognize that he should choose Bumblebee, Bumblebee chose him!
If he hadn't then in return chosen Bumblebee when he did, he might have been deceived BY THE DECEPTICONS and given in destroying mankind with the evil bad guys!
JESUS LOVES YOU, and ME! Which likeness are we choosing to be transformed into? ...Jesus, or the bad evil one that wants to take EVERLASTING LIFE away from us humans???!!!!

*YES, I'M KICKING MYSELF!

Okay, I know I've got to finish my "At the drive-in part 2!"(TRANSFORMERS ROCK!)
But I just tend to plop down to check messages. Some people won't be here for dinner tonight it turns out, so it looks like chili peppers' favorites of 'wings and whatever'. I love to live simple! --especially when I have to run in the door, and out the door, and in the door, and out the door, and in the door to cook, and out the door, and in the door....etc. etc. etc.
One chili pepper is stomping around here in some football uniform. Hmm...he must be a little geared up for football season??? The other chili pepper finished 6 hours of it already and is over yonder with the jaybird probably playing "guitar hero". OH OH.....the big teeny chili pepper has returned from 2 fun? weeks of 'camping out'. Ha! She reports she is "sick of her and everyone else too of being sick along with everyone having some kind of bodily ailment resembling injuries. But she had fun! ??? Well, the videos sure look fun. (if you aren't the one crawling around in dirt and flailing through the air only to drop off the rope too early to land in muddy water. )??? So it was fun and hard at the same time she reports. But they all have 'jack hack' from the dust there she says. At the time the letter was written, they had one day left there and then she said she thought she'd be able to call during a picnic??????(Well, that time has way-passed and I'm wondering when we get a call!!!) I'm sure she'll be looking forward to finding a computer one day to read my blog. Teeny chili peppers yell at me for having a blog. Well, they rubbed their habanero juice off on me I guess( or me on them?). But I don't plaster my name and pic all over mine for them to have to raise their pepper juice temperature on me like I have to with them!

Okay, where was I in the first place? always rambling on about something! oh yeah, I still have to finish my other blog. It's just that for a long time, I was in the middle of a really cool Bible study I began months ago and then one day, this computer crashed and had to go to the geek squad for the almost 3rd time --yet to be declared a lemon, I declare! Well, as far as this computer, it has been around the world and back, through dust and wind--y0u name it. We should have just shot it and then maybe it could have been declared a lemon (but that would have been abuse and neglect of the computer). Oh well, it no longer has to be covered with saran wrap and rubberbands! Oh yeah....the blog....well, anyway, that cool Bible study --all the notes I had typed and saved and some web links from research and such had gone 'poof'. (At least the computer is under warranty but that study was probably worth more than the computer.) Anyway, it was GATES in the Bible....began off a study of "I AM"....when 'the GATE' turned into an amazing OT picture in my head of a different kind of gate...and hence, began the 'gate' study. ...which then led to a more in depth kind of 'brick dropping on my head' thought of Nehemiah's gates....which led to me having to think and research more on those gates. And just when I was half way through all those gates, like I said, the gate to this laptop closed and went kapoof. So, about a month ago, after getting the computer back and beginning to start all over again, I've been back to reading about gates and trying to restore my notes. Even when I was in Mexico, I was asking Guido--our Italian-Mayan guide--about some Mayan gates out of curiosity of the purpose of those gates he was showing us. So when GATES get on my brain, I don't always get around to giving other topics much serious thought. But hey, TRANSFORMERS is so cool. You have to see the movie. Maybe I need to figure out which character is the favorite here in our house. Somehow I BET that giant teeny chili pepper likes Bumblebee. I know chili pepper likes the 'purple guy' but I forget his name. I like all the good guys and hate all the bad guys. The bad megatron scorpion was horrible. I hate freaky critters like that. I've only ever found 2 of those here in my house thankfully. (no, they weren't transformers either; they were real; however, they did transform me into some spastic person when I saw them in my house each time.)

The rain is heading this way. ...sounds like a peaceful, simple evening in store for us.
Must go write to the big chili pepper now! We all miss her!

*My 1st GUITAR lesson

Today was a really nice day--well, at least I thought so! I felt some great peace and just filled with worship this morning at church. There were some memorable things too that were part of the morning.
1st, a friend's family returned from overseas last night with their new daughter. After 2 days of traveling and airports, I couldn't believe they made it to church this morning! But then again, what better way to celebrate a homecoming--by going to worship with church family to give thanks for God's gift of another child in their lives and thanks for smooth processing and travels. We are praying that God will fill all members of this family with a special kind of love between each member as He helps them bond with each other.
2nd, the P&W leader and his wife are relocating where he will be leading P&W at a newer church that is rapidly growing. They were a gift from God on loan from GOD to our church temporarily; now God has something planned for them to do in a new location. So thankyou Lord for that "loan". As we worshipped this morning, we were thankful for the brief time our church had them here.
3rd, another church group was visiting our church this morning as they prepare to start a churchplant in another corner of the city. This is always exciting to see. Sometimes I wonder if our church needs to spread out and church-plant instead of trying to contain everyone in one place. Anyway, today, our church was looking a little more like heaven might look like. As one of the worship songs was closing, during its last 30 seconds I could hear this wonderful blend of tones of voices that sent me back to a place of worship outside DC where the congregation was diverse and the beauty of each of God's people reminded us that God has quite an eclectic group of Children. So as our church grows, it is starting to look more like all the 'tongues, tribes, and nations' that will be in Heaven as God's children gather there. So that was like an answered prayer today in several ways....the blessing of a new child, the blessing of finding one of our son's hispanic friends visiting, and the blessing that our church is willing to welcome EVERYONE.

hmm...okay, what else...after church, OH, I HAD MY GUEE-TAR LESSON!!!! My 1st lesson went great. I was taught several chords, and my teacher tried to teach me my 1st song, but I needed more practice getting my fingers into position. His hands are so much smaller than mine! so I don't know how he stretches his wrist and fingers to place them 'just so' on the strings. After my 1/2 hour lesson, I practiced the chords enough that I was able to turn the page of his notebook and play the song. It had ...hmm...a G chord, an E.m., D, A, and oh, C2. So I was able to trod through "Amazing Grace" even though it would take like 100million seconds for me to switch to the next note. But is it a start. Thank goodness for God's 'amazing grace'! I'll need it while learning more, that's for sure!

After that, we went to a church family picnic for the young couple that is moving away. It was nice. The kids--mostly teens there--hung out enjoying the lake. Parents sat, chatted, and ate. And at some point we somehow got in some boat time. The kids must have come off the water in search for food for us to be able to get out on the boats! Anyway, it was a nice sendoff for 2 really sweet people. That's the way things should be for family in Christ.

oh, and also today during worship, the song "Mighty to Save" started being played. My son looked over at me with that look of a silent conversation going on silently between 2 people. He knew what song had just started being played bc of the guitar part....bc we love the yoUtube guitar clinic on that song. We have the worship song available below toward the bottom of this blog(at least it is still there as of today). My son knew it was posted here. So as we sang this song again, we chuckled about how we had been looking at the guitar clinic on it.

Did I mention how 'cute' my guitar teacher is???!!!!! He is so handsome. Just as handsome as my husband but in a different way! ....same hair color, eye color, similar features......

p.s.......I said to my husband "hon, can I have $5 to pay my guitar teacher?"
He said, "I don't have any cash! Go borrow it temporarily from your son."
( I knew he was referring to our youngest child and he was chuckling as he said this.) So I said to our youngest,
"Can I borrow $5 to pay my guitar teacher in cash?!"
He said, "Mom! I'm not giving you $5 to pay ME $5!"

okay, so I was pulling his leg. And yes, our youngest is my guitar teacher....a 1st for both of us....I couldn't play one chord on the guitar at all before today(other than that natural strum of all the strings and no fingers!) and it was his 1st time giving a lesson to someone. Gotta start somewhere, right? Well, he was fabulous. And he promptly told me when a 1/2 hour was up! And he gets paid $5 a lesson. We had an awesome time during our guitar lesson. My husband thought I must have learned a little before today! I said, "No! Our son taught me ALL of that today!" He was very surprised. Now I had better practice each day this week for my lesson next week!

*Neocounter

Okay, I'm back, but briefly....I've got a guee-tar lesson in a few secs. And yes, I still remind myself I want to write about TRANSFORMERS! b/c that movie was just more than great....way cool....

Anyway, last night I found this 'neocounter' thing on a blog and thought it was cool...even the free version was cool. So, I added it to my blog to try it....except?, I haven't given my blog really to anyone else other than some family, so only people flipping the blog page will read it anyway.

Okay, my guee-tar teacher is waiting for me. I shall go learn an E chord maybe? I don't know; it is my first lesson and my teacher's 1st lesson teaching too. I want to learn how to play "Mighty to Save" bc that is cool guee-tar.

Yes, I promise you, (which is myself), to get to writing more again.

*TRANSFORMERS...coming soon to a blog near you.

*AT the DRIVE-IN-Part 1.......Harry Potter

Harry Potter.....Transformers....hmmm....we took the boys to the drive-in to see a double feature of the latest Harry Potter movie and also the Transformers. I actually liked this Harry Potter movie for most part. I liked the 1st one too, but since then, I wasn't so crazy about the rest of the HP movies. But in this movie, the story line is coming to action. The battle of good vs. evil is prevalent. Here we see Harry growing up, and like in the real adult world, Harry begins to realize that life isn't always fair. People who are in a power- position to be good leaders aren't really being 'good' and are using their authority for their own purpose. Harry gets picked on by the so-called "good" leaders who refuse to listen to Harry that the Evil One is back. We watch Harry go through various obstacles of having to choose the path less traveled...paths that are harder than easier but that he knows he must live by a higher standard by taking the high road. As the movie progresses, the Evil One tries to take over Harry's mind; Harry must learn to guard his thoughts and emotions. As evil tries to take over Harry, Harry realizes that there is strength in bonds of love he has with friends who have chosen to stand by his side.

Hmm...a teeny chili pepper here is reading the final book. I dare say I threaten to read only the end and tell him whether good triumphs over evil.

So, enough of the debate of 'do we watch HP or not?'....I have; now, what can I set my mind on to learn from it? First, we know we have to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against Satan's tactics and schemes. In the HP movie, we watch the kids gather to learn how they can stand against the evil one...what's his name?...Voldimor? or something like that( they aren't supposed to mention his name and the adults don't want to admit his existence....hmmm...) So anyway, they ask Harry to teach them how to be ready to battle the bad guy. As we live our lives, we should be prepared to enter battle with all of our gear, just as a soldier hopes to be prepared if he has to go to war. List some of Satan's schemes he uses to get to you....think of the small things you might not necessarily notice...hmm...what happened to Harry in the movie??....evil invaded the minds of people around him and he felt alone and abandoned. Then he began to think that just maybe he was bad like they were saying. So, how do you prepare to stand in the spiritual battle going on around you? You need the Word of God.......
You need the BELT OF TRUTH. The belt helps hold up your 'clothes'. Keep those loose ends tucked in tight! Don't let your integrity and character fall out or you will lack effectiveness in this world as a witness of Christ's love!(( Poor HP...people in his life were trying to replace truths by just discarding them and pretending certain truths didn't exist!)) Now, that BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS!....That guards some very important organs! Unrighteousness and sin lead to exposing our heart and lead us to bondage with no peace and lots of fear....SHOES...gotta have shoes for battle....a Roman soldier would have been no good for battle in hot sand or rocky terrain. So shoes help us stand firm on the solid ground of the Gospel because our reconciliation with God through Jesus is what gives us peace. Satan would love to steal your combat boots to take away your peace.....
What else do you need to battle evil?...ah...3 more great things....The SHIELD of FAITH, the HELMET of SALVATION, and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT. That shield will block all the spiritual artillery getting shot at us....the shield will block those things so that we won't waiver in our faith. A Roman soldier had to shield himself from flaming arrows by soaking his shield in water to put out the flames. So hold up your shield of faith and keep on that helmet of salvation too. Don't let Satan get to your head to make you doubt or live in fear. Do not doubt your salvation. "He who began a good work in you promises to finish it until completion"! JESUS promises "my sheep will never perish.''For God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life'!" So keep on your helmet and block out all those negative needless thoughts. "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith!" Now ..this is very important... PRAY and keep that Sword of the Spirit so close by your side that it becomes a part of you. Pray the Word; take it in, learn it, and live it. Jesus fought off Satan in the wilderness using the Sword of the Spirit...THE WORD. Hey, even Satan could quote scripture. Scripture wasn't just a part of some people-group's history; it was part of Satan's life getting told too..go figure???!!!!.He knew how he got to where he was, so so should we!....so make sure YOU know it personally...don't rely just on someone else like a Bible teacher. You have to make sure the scripture is not out of context because it is your offense in the battle while also being your defense with the other armor. Memorize it. Understand it. Keep it in context checking scripture against scripture and scripture with scripture. Know it personally so that Satan cannot use the same scripture and twist it about to suit his needs. And pray it. Did I say that already? One of our pastors pointed out yesterday in his sermon that when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, Moses stood on the top of the hill with his arms raised to God while the battle was going on below him. When Moses lowered his hands, the Israelites started losing...when he raised them to God, they started winning again. And when he grew too tired to hold his hands up, his 'friends' stood by and helped hold him up. Here, the battle was being won up on the hill and not down below. So stay connected to God! "Remain in me, and I will remain in you", He says!...So do you raise your hands to God in prayer and victory for what you know He has already done and what you know He is doing for you right now? So while you guard your mind, and keep on the armor of God, don't forget to raise your hands to Him for the victory He has already given you through Christ Jesus. Stay connected to His Word!
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
"The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."
"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth."

Now....my review on the movie TRANSFORMERS....coming soon....it is still a work in progress!...(just like me!)

*3 Chili Peppers, Cheer, & Choco-Lava Cake

One is sleeping in the woods,
One is on the couch,
One is staying at his friend's,
Kids growing up--OUCH!

A FOUNTAIN was flowing yesterday! Well, okay, it wasn't a fire hydrant and it wasn't really a fountain,but it was definitely water works!
Our eldest child called home! BOO HOO! Actually, she is doing great! ...should be sleeping in a tent 'camping out' tonight. Despite some temporary hardship, she sounded enthusiastic. We are very proud of her. I saw a fabulous pic of her in the website the other day to see that she looks well. We miss her. So does the dog!

The one on the couch...well, I just didn't get the sheets all washed and dried like I thought I would when they got taken off the bed. The sound of his breathing is like a nice peaceful fountain as I type.

Teeny chili pepper went to his friend's who was supposed to come here but didn't then ran a friend home and said he'd be back but instead of hanging out here to play video games our teeny chili pepper decided to get picked up to go to his friend's house to play his games instead and to spend the night....and if you think that run on sentence and bad grammar spins your head well so did my teeny chili pepper tonight. But he is a great kid and hugged me before he left and said goodnight and so I still love him even when he is a teeny chili pepper that makes my fountain temperature rise and fall at times. sigh!

Another great note of cheer--some friends met their new daughter today. The pics are amazing. Their adoption process is almost complete.

So I go to bed on a peaceful note with much thanks...oh, but wait!..... not before I go put away the FOUNTAIN! cake....well, okay, it is really 'chocolate-molten LAVA cake. Well, CHOCOLATE will be flowing when I eat it! That's almost like a fountain! I had to buy this cake mix to try. On our vacation we had this scrumptous chocolate melting cake ( and I'd get it with vanilla icecream.) So I bought this cake mix just missing that dessert! And yes, I did get icecream at the store tonight. Ice cream happens to be my favorite food, and so I've had a problem lately. I'd buy the ice cream and not get the cake made to go with it, eat the ice cream, and then put off making the cake. That has happened for several containers of ice cream now. So tonight, I made the cake....and then ran to the store for ice cream...since I needed to get milk anyway of course! Really! And when I said I was going to go put it away before bed, I didn't mean put it away, as in my stomach...I meant put the little lava cakes in a container...and not my mouth container. I'll try tasting one tomorrow...with a bowl of ice cream.

Have you hugged your kids today?
No kids? Well, then go hug some military person today.
Hugs make the world a beautiful place.

*The "CURIOUS??? video

Okay, I keep watching this video wishing I could put it on a large-screen tv to watch the little boy in it. I'm taking a survey to see what you think. Send me your thoughts on it here. You'll find the video at the top right on the main page and labeled....you've got it!..."CURIOUS"!

*WATERING WONDERS!

A FOUNTAIN!

There is a fountain flowing! It is starting to rain! Yeah! We in SC need the rain. The weather has been very hot and humid....and buggy. This past week, we've been really blessed to get some brief, afternoon thunderstorms. Kinda of seems like the old days when people here could count on that watering. But the past years, these frequent showers have been absent it seems--but not this week! We have had several nice rains this week! And now, it isn't even the afternoon yet! Just a nice rain moving itself into our lives! Amen!

Have a blessed day! Well, actually, the blessings have already been put in place for you, you just have to notice them!

*"NOT ON OUR WATCH"

I just finished this book, "Not On Our Watch". It is great for supplemental information to the other resources I have kept up with on the various situations of the Darfur/ Sudan genocide.
I read it since the actor Don Cheadle felt led to be a spokesman for Darfur after he learned so much from the making of "Hotel Rwanda"--one of my favorite movies with so many valuable lessons in it. It was such a horribly tragic event in history that should not have happened after what we had learned from the Holocaust. Don co-authored the book with John Prendergast. Though definitely not eloquent writers, that's okay. They had some great insight to be able to share their experiences in the field and in dealing with the political world. I respect them for standing tall in a situation that is so controversial; yet, is this really such a controversial issue? Shouldn't we all be standing firm? No matter who, what, or where, GENOCIDE is something atrocious that should not be tolerated. All people should be able to stand tall and stand firm for these victims.

Go to www.persecutionproject.org

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. (Let nothing change you.) Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain."
--1Corinthians 15.55-58

God's love and grace is more than enough to heal our lands.

*Gushing Fire Hydrants!

Yesterday( well, it got posted just after midnight this morning but it was 'yesterday'!) I wrote about what I learned from seeing that fountain of a fire hydrant just gushing water all over the place....Today, I opened up my email daily devotion for July 13, by Max Lucado, and boy, he's talking about more GUSHING FOUNTAINS!
Here is some scripture from the Word that Lucado was referencing....(He took his devotion from his writings in "He Chose Nails" also.

The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.--John 4.14

"If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person's heart, as the Scripture says."--John 7.38-39
Lucado's devotion goes on to point out at "water, in this verse, is a picture of the Spirit of Jesus working in us. He's not working to save us, mind you; that work is done. He's working to change us."

Have a great today. When you see those fire hydrants think of Him and not the dogdays of your life that made you feel unworthy. Jesus has already taken care of all that!

*There is a fountain...

A few days ago, I was on an errand and driving from CIU to USC. It had been awhile since I had been on this route, and so my eyes busily took in the scenery.

I continued on with my drive, and crossing a large intersection, I began down a tree-lined street of homes when I suddenly saw.....

A FOUNTAIN!

Well, okay, it wasn't really a fountain. It would technically be called a "fire hydrant". But, at this particular moment, I had a problem with this hydrant. It was gushing clear fresh water all over the place and I was thinking, "Why in the world do we waste so much water here in America when there are people all over the world who would love to have one drop of that water."

Hmm....more on that in a minute. God reminded me of something else first then.

There is a story in the book of Mark where Jesus is visiting a home in Bethany. Basically, he's sitting there, a woman approaches him, breaks open a sealed jar of expensive perfume, and pours it on his head. Everyone around them becomes judgemental (or so-called judges w/ a mental-case), and they let their criticizes start to fly.

"What a waste!"
"She could have sold that!"
"The profit could have fed the poor!"

....and so forth...Can you picture it?
They are missing the picture! She sees the value in this 'man' named Jesus. She KNOWS who he is. She pours out a sweet perfume to give honor to him. Meanwhile, Jesus rebukes the people and tells them how she is "preparing his body for his burial." So that means that at the same time she is anointing him with the perfume, He knows He is preparing a place for us also with Him for some day in heaven.

Back to that fountain...I mean "the fire hydrant".
Why do we let all that water gush out of fire hydrants? I don't know the exact answer, but as I thought of how that woman's perfume wasn't wasted, I kind of guessed why we flush hydrants. So I've decided that I have to look 'flushing fire hydrants' on my handy-dandy-googley internet.

Great gushing gallons of water! I found out why!
1. to flush out the old water to refresh the supply and drain out the junky sediment also.
2. to make sure it is prepared to work in an emergency of some unpredicted, unprepared for...fire!
3. to make sure things are maintained and working....sometimes they need to grease the wheels!

So......is it for some frivolous reason we just pour out this wonderful supply of ...water? No!

Now, is that water in the hydrant an exact parallel of the perfume that anointed Jesus? No, not exactly. But, in that moment, I saw what had seemed like what was a total waste of dumping water and it made me recall yet another lesson Jesus taught us in the Bible about a time when people thought something was a 'waste' ....but it wasn't! Now, I could say at this point, that maybe we should fill up a water truck with that still-good water and use it for some good purpose, like maybe in Richland County, bc the newspaper likes to write alot of stories lately about water restrictions in Richland County.....but that would be another topic for another day!

But as you can see, sometimes there is a purpose to what seems like a waste of emptying something out.

Has God ever tried to empty YOU to out?
Have you ever emptied yourself out to God?
Have you ever poured yourself out for God's purposes to bring Him glory?

In our lives, God allows things into our lives that will help us get rid of the old, stale stuff that is leaving junk in our lives. He doesn't want us weighed down and clogged up with unnecessary sediments. So somewhere he sifts us and helps us throw out the junk, but only if we are willing. We get to choose. Sometimes He empties us so that we can remember to rely on Him at all times--not just when there is a unplanned fire attacking us. He empties us a bit so that we can remember to keep greasing our wheels on His Word and relying on Him.

Daily--even continuously, we need to pour ourselves out to Him and seek His forgiveness for all the junk we've collected in whatever moment. When we "remain in Him, He remains in us."

We also need to recognize that if we hold on to 'all that old water' or keep everything for ourselves instead of pouring out that sweet perfume to honor Him, we will become stagnant water. We need to allow God's Spirit to empty us of that old stuff and then fill us...drop by drop...or with gushing gallons...so that we can allow all that wonderful Living Water to pour out from inside us to others. We need to pray that He will make us overflow with His love, just as He overflows with love, grace, and mercy.

Make sure you don't try to keep all that fresh water for yourself or you'll just go stagnant all over again. He has prepare a place for us with Him. Don't let your fire hydrant be an unflushed one. May the 'sweet aroma of worship' fill this room for Him today....and also everytime you see a flushing fire hydrant.

Thank you Jesus.

Welcome to Plynseas Fountain

Welcome to Plynseas Fountain!
Plynseas Fountain is a beautiful place. Ask me sometime if you want to know where it is!