Monday, June 20, 2011

I'm so confuuuuuused = /

I've actually witnessed two people go onto my blog and still no comments! After I pretty much begged y'all!
What the wha...?
Well. OK. Fine. Perhaps there's some sort of lesson here for me.
New post coming soon, no comments necessary! (See? I don't mind if you don't comment! Ha, ha! Doesn't bother me a bit, no siree. I'll just keep on bloggin'!)
Later, I'll post some good websites to check out. Here's one now:
Yes, I know I've posted it before, but they're the funniest site around. You should go there now and have a good chuckle. Just remember to check back with me later ;-)
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain." Ecclesiastes 3:1 and part of 3:5. (See, I'm embracing the fact that I have no commenters, and refraining from begging you to comment, lol.)

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

HEY! I'm talkin' a YOU!

Ahem.
It has come to my attention that there are several--and by several I mean perhaps a half-dozen--people out there (this would be you) who read my blog yet do not comment. This makes me really, really sad, complete with frowny-face. Come on. I comment on YOUR blog, don't I? (I don't? Well, I keep meaning to. And someday, I will. But right now, it's all about my blog. And your lack of commenting on it.) This is exactly the problem I had on Facebook, till I borrowed some of my buddy's Chatty-Cathy FB Friends and took care o' that little sitchy-ation (Hi, ZZ!). People: do you know how very discouraging it is for me to post something and see no return for my efforts? I'm not doing this for myself, folks! (Cue voice-cracking.) I'm not simply venting! I want to read your comments! I'm all about the instant gratification (or at the very least, eventual gratification) of virtual friendships!
OK. 'Nuff said. If there is a reason you're not commenting, please contact me at shakealeggirls@comcast.net and let me know what the heck is going wrong on my blog that is preventing you from actually posting those sought-after, lengthy and interesting comments ;-]
"The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly." Proverbs 15:2 (Just a little something to remember when you comment  ;-)

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Prayer: Scary or Doable?

I listened to a pastor giving a sermon on the radio the other day (http://www.csnradio.com/) and really liked what he was saying. I scrambled to grab a pen and paper (and this happens so often I really should keep some supplies by the radio, but keep deluding myself into thinking I'll just remember what I hear). Here's a quote I managed to get down before I had to remove the muffins from the oven, along with the gist of what he was recommending:

"Prayer is as easy as picking up the phone and as terrifying as finding out
God is on the other end."

Well. No pressure, right? I mean, no worries about whether I'm doing it "right" or not quite getting the whole prayer-thing. Heh-heh. Nope, I'm not at all concerned ... heh-heh. Not. At. All.
Fortunately, he went on to clarify a bit. He gave this acronym for using with the Lord's Prayer. I liked it, so I thought I would share:
C - Concentrate. (Our Father, Who art in Heaven,) Emphasis on Father. Abba. Not "master" or "friend", although God is certainly that as well. Father is to be used only when addressing God in one of His trinitarial forms, not when addressing men here on earth (save your own actual father, whom most people call Daddy or Papa {or Pa, if you're last name happens to be Ingalls}).
H - Hallowed. (Hallowed be Thy name.) Hallowed = Holy, separate from all other names.
R - Ruler. (Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.) God rules. Period.
I - "I need". (Give us this day our daily bread,) Pray only for what you need today. Food, shelter, clothes, healing, forgiveness, etc. Remember the Israelites and how they were provided for for FORTY years? Their clothes and shoes didn't wear out through decades of walking. They were provided adequate food and water and everything essential for life. Praying for what you need today--not tomorrow--shows faith and trust in God's providence for you.
S - Sin. (Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.) Sin--That word. That Christian word. The word no one wants to mention or hear. Sigh. Well, there it is. No one is sinless. Not you, not me. For "Kingdom Kids"--God's children, saved Christians--God forgives sin. For those who have rejected God, forgiveness isn't possible and neither is Heaven. It's pretty simple, but so many of us fight that, like a child fighting a parent. Forgive us as we forgive others--does that sound reasonable to you? Once I learned that I would be forgiven as I have forgiven others, it made it a whole lot easier to forgive others! I surely wouldn't want God to forgive me in the pathetically inadequate way I forgive my offenders. You reap what you sow, in other words. You want to be forgiven? Turn your life, heart and soul over right now for Christ to manage. He'll know what to do with you ;)
T - Temptation. ("Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.") Lord, protect me from the "traps" of this world. Keep me away from the wrong crowd, and lead me not into worldly things that will mean nothing to me .5 seconds after I die. Guide my feet away from situations You know I won't be able to handle.
There you have it. A nice little acronym, spelling the precious name of CHRIST. Hope it helps you the next time you talk to God. Be blessed!
"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."  Matthew 6:7-8

Friday, June 10, 2011

Why Would a Loving God Let THAT Happen?

Why does God let bad things happen to anyone? This is a question that many non-believers ask. I asked this question myself and never seemed to get a satisfactory answer. I'm going to jump out in faith here and hope to answer this in a way that even I can understand :) and in the way that finally made it clear to me, before I came to Christ:
When God created the world and all that was in it, it was perfect. Humans then proceeded to mess it up and bring all kinds of problems into this paradise.
God doesn't make someone get cancer. Or get killed by a drunk driver. Or make someone's house burn down.  But sometimes God does allow those things to happen. The Bible says He has a plan that we may not understand this side of Heaven. (Now THAT is difficult for we humans to swallow, isn't it?) So God has this plan, and He knows that whatever He allows to happen to us, His creations or His children (Christians--yes, even Christians have problems), is for good--in the long run. We, on the other hand, are like foot-stomping, tantrumming 2-year olds who demand to know why bad things happen to us, and want to know RIGHT NOW! And if we don't get a satisfactory answer, we reject the very Creator who created us. The question we should be asking is, "Why NOT?". Have you been completely faithful to God? I know I've broken all the commandments (more on that in another post) and I'm betting you have, also. (ADD Moment: I know you're wondering about the "murder" one and feeling pretty smug that you haven't murdered anyone lately, so you're off the hook, right? Read Matthew 5:21-22. I'll wait. OK, for those of you who don't own a Bible, here it is: Jesus said, "You have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not murder...But I say if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of Hell'."  Whoa. I know I've done that and I'm betting you have, too.)  Back to the original question--Think of it this way: Have you let your child play at the park, ever? Even if there were a danger that he would trip and fall and possibly injure himself? Of course you have. And when he stumbles and falls--after your repeated warnings to not climb on the nearby rocks--you hold out your arms when he comes running to you, crying and with bloody knees. You hold out your arms because that's what a loving parent does. You comfort your child and murmur to him, and discipline him only after his tears have abided. Yes, he knows you told him not to climb on those rocks, but he really, really wanted to! And now he sees the result of that bad decision and will hopefully remember who advised him not to climb in the first place. In the same way, God is standing near us with open arms. He has told us how to live (in the Bible) and what not to do (also in the Bible). He's made it so clear even I can understand it. Yet for thousands of years, we continue to mess up, like that little rock-climbing child. Still, God's arms continue to be open to us. Will you run to Him when you blow it, make excuses for yourself, or drown your sorrows another way? I've tried all of these and I can assure you that Jesus is way better than a glass of Bailey's, and Bailey's is downright delicious, isn't it? :)
If we're honest with ourselves, we as humans have brought much suffering upon ourveryownselves. There is enough food on earth to feed everyone; so why hasn't that been done? Who built cities near active volcanoes or in seaports known for their hurricanes? Who is responsible when an innocent child is born with AIDS? It ain't God. Now think about this: if God ended all suffering, He would have to put an end to any act that causes any suffering. In other words, He'd have to end the lives of those who cause suffering: adulterers, those having any kind of sex outside of male-female marriage, anyone who's told a lie, anyone who's hated, anyone who's committed a crime, etc. At this point, it's not looking good for any of us, is it? I myself got a traffic ticket just last week. I'm a criminal, technically. I know I can go to traffic school and get if fixed up to satisfy human standards, but I still caused suffering, didn't I? (Yes, I did. Trust me.) We're all part of the "fallen world" in which humankind now lives, and that includes suffering. Wow. What a concept. And to think I'm a part of that--isn't it our very human nature to think of ourselves as only "good", or "human", and "still learning" and all that? Well, we are still learning, and we are human, and we have also caused a lot of suffering. Every. Single. One of us. You included. Me included. Instead of blaming God for humankind's suffering, I'm going to thank Him that He hasn't, in His mercy, wiped all of us off the earth. He certainly has the power to, yet He chooses to grant us mercy and extend compassion in all our failings. Thank you, Father. We certainly don't deserve it. But I'm glad you love us enough to believe we're worth it.
"You intended it for harm, but God intended it for good..." Genesis 50:20
(For more information about questions you may have, check out One-Minute Answers to Skeptics  by Charlie H. Campbell and Hard Questions about Christianity, Made Easy by Mark Water, which helped me with this post. Both are available from your local Christian bookstore, or my home library, along with about a dozen other "fast answers to tricky questions" books you may borrow :)

Thursday, June 9, 2011



Made. My. Day. AGAIN. Grocery bag, coffee AND purse. This takes real talent. And mad driving skills.
Made. My. Day.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Funny and true :)

From my buddy Eric:

"Some say there is no difference between "complete" and "finished", but there is.

When you marry the right person, you are "complete".

When you marry the wrong person, you are "finished."

This made my day! Thanks, Eric :)

Friday, June 3, 2011

Father's Day Idea

My online buddy Bethany posted this a while back and I loved it: www.bethany.preciousinfants.com




(Look for "100 Things Challenge" post)





You'll have fun searching around on her site, trust me. She's a fabulous lady. Now, I encourage you all to do the same--let's make it a fabulous gift for your husband (or father) for Father's Day! Can you think of 100 or even 50 positive things to write about your husband? Can you get your kids on board and have them write their own list? Imagine what a keepsake this would be for their dad, your husband. Check out this letter from another site:




www.thebestbeautifulmess.blogspot.com





(Look for "I am thankful" post)





Have fun with this and link your blog so we can see your lists! Check back soon and see mine ;)