That Moment When….

…you realize that the reason the plug doesn’t fit into the socket is because you didn’t take the protective end-cap off the plug…..

Daily Prompt – Safety First

The Daily Prompt asks us to share a time when we felt unsafe.  Here’s a good one:

As a single mother of two growing teenage boys, it eventually became inevitable that I would be alone at night some times.  The boys would spend the night with their friends and I would just be at home with the dog and the cat.  Lots of company, no problem.  So one night I’m doing my thing, and I decide it’s time to go to bed.  I get all snuggled down under the covers, and I start to hear a noise.  A scratching noise.  It stops, then it starts.  Then it stops again.  Now, as a mother, I am able to identify most house noises, but this one, not quite.  Is it the back door?  What about the garage door?  Wait, there it is again.  I get my ax handle and start walking around the house.  The dog doesn’t seem a bit disturbed by this noise, but then she wouldn’t would she?  Not unless the intruder had a bag of french fries and some cheese paper to throw her.  This goes on and on for minutes, then an hour.  I’ve got myself worked up into an almost hysterical mess.  I’m thinking of calling someone; no – I’m the strong independent type.  There is no one in the house or trying to get in.  There’s that noise again..where is it coming from?

Finally, I have to calm down, breath, and realize that if this completely unidentifiable noise has not attacked me after an hour of looking for it, than it probably isn’t going to.  I sit on the edge of the bed.  I wait; I listen.  I follow.  It’s not in my room.  I walk to the doorway.  It’s in the hall.  I walk to the hall.  It’s all quiet.  Why won’t this noise sound-off when I get close to it?  Wait!  There it is again — the front bedroom.  I turn on the light; anything and anyone could be hiding under the mess in this room!  There, behind me.  ..it’s….it’s…..[sigh]…it’s the computer.  It’s the hard drive scratching.  Arghhhhh!!!  I’m an IT Support Person and I can’t identify the sound of a hard drive scratching in the night!!!

Haahhh…..okay.  Nothing to fear.  Everything’s fine.  See.  I knew it.  The dog looks at me like I’m nuts.  “Can we go to bed now?” she seems to be asking.  I calmly reach over and turn the computer off.  “Yes puppy dog, we can go to bed now.  Good night cat.  Good night house.  Good night silly computer.”

Shout-Out of Praise!

Thank you GOD — Thank you Abba — Daddy!  Thank you! 

HE’s just so faithful, isn’t HE?  I have to post a praise today.

Yesterday was my granddaughter’s birthday.  She’s 9 now.  And in case you’re wondering: Yes.  Nine does feel different from 8. [smile]  So I was talking to my husband on the phone last night; I told him I was getting ready to call her and wish her happy birthday.  He said, “Wait until you get home, then we can call her together”.  Awesome! I’ll wait.  So we get set up and I make the call – and my beautiful Moonbeam [that’s her love-name] answers the phone and I sing Happy Birthday and proceed to chatter up a storm, happily ‘sharing’ with my newly 9-year old granddaughter, when I notice she is distracted and giving me one word answers.  Then she suddenly says, “I have go, we’ve got people coming in.”  Okay.  That’s fine.  It’s her day.  I was just glad I got to call and talk to her.

This morning, my daughter calls and is telling me all about the big birthday social they had last night. So, unknown to me – Mom and Dad had sent out invitations to family and friends for the Birthday Social Gathering – everybody could meet them at DQ during a certain time.  SO, when I called last night [15 minutes later than I would have if I’d not listened to my husband (thank you husband)] They had just got settled into the DQ with their ice cream and were waiting for the first of their friends and family to arrive — and guess who was first?!  That’s right!!!  US — Mimi and Poppa!  We were the the first to “show up” at my granddaughter’s birthday party last night and wish her Happy Birthday!  So even though I missed celebrating her big day with her, I was still the first one to show up by Phoning It In!  How very cool is that?!  Thank you GOD.  Thank you Jesus!  You are so very rockin awesome – loving, kind, and faithful.  WOW Isn’t GOD faithful?!  It never grows any less amazing, blessing after blessing — how faithful GOD is.

My prayer and hope for you is that you can experience GOD in this way today, or maybe this week.  Just look around, at the little things – and see what HE’s doing for you each and every day.  You’ll find HIM right there – walking by your side, ever faithful.

Thank you Abba.

Giving

“As we draw on the grace of God
He increases voluntary poverty all along the line.
Always give the best you have got every time;
never think about who you are giving it to;
let other people take it or leave it as they choose.
Pour out the best you have, and always be poor.
Never reserve anything;
never be diplomatic and careful
about the treasures God gives you.”
                       –Oswald Chambers

Holy, holy, holy, holy,
Holy holy, Lord God Almighty!
And we lift our hearts before You
As a token of our love,
Holy, holy, holy, holy

Daily Prompt – Wicked Witch

The Daily Prompt from WordPress: Explain what you think it means to be wicked, something  evil.  Well, okay – they asked for it.

Some would say that evil is–as evil does.  And I was reading through other blog posts which mentioned that it’s really more of a concept than anything.  I believe that’s true; but evil and wickedness goes all the way back to The Garden of Eden.  The Tree of Knowledge gave Adam and Eve, and all their descendants, the knowledge and understanding to know the difference between good and evil.  And yet, scholars believe 950 years had passed by the time that GOD flooded the earth, saving Noah and his family – because the world had grown too evil.  More than 2,000 years after Cain killed Abel, Moses was telling the Hebrews

…But all of you who stayed with the LORD your God are alive today.  “I taught you the laws and rules that the LORD my God commanded me.  I did this so you would obey them in the land you are ready to enter and take for your own.  Obey these laws carefully.  This will show the people of the other nations that you are wise and sensible.  They will hear about these laws and say, ‘Truly, the people of this great nation are wise and sensible.'” (Deut 4:4-6)

And still, even after giving them “The Big 10”, which really isn’t a whole lot to ask of a person, even by today’s standards, Moses had to go on and give them more than 600 rules to live by, even restricting the sexual activities between self and …mother?? — “You must not sleep with your sister, mother, or your father’s wife”. Really?  People had to be told not to do that?  Well, that’s a good example of wicked, if you ask me.  And let me go ahead and get started, how about all through Chronicles, Kings, for thousands of years, we are told that the kings and  the Hebrews “did as they saw fit”, or “did as they pleased”.  Always repeating the cycle of serving, falling away, repentance.  Evil is all around us.  It goes back to the beginning of time.  I would that this fact of life, concept you may call it, did not exist, but it does, and it always has.   So…why are people so fascinated with it?  I don’t know.  Now, I don’t proclaim to be perfect by any means.  I am a miserable wretched sinner who is absolutely not worthy of the grace and the gifts given to me by my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  I’ve done bad things – evil, wicked things.  Did I mean for them to be so?  No.  I’ve never been the type of person who took delight in killing kittens, but evil isn’t always so ‘in your face’, is it?  I was carnal, earthly — and, recently I’ve learned a new, very accurate description — I was a “Daughter of Babylon”.  I’m certainly not proud of my past, certain points make me particularly ashamed; but I am grateful and thankful for the chance to be born again and to be saved by the precious Blood of the Lamb that was shed for me.  Where am I going with this?  I’m  not sure, but I know that it’s more important than ever to be able to recognize evil in all its forms so that we may avoid it.  Write GOD’s words on a stone and hang it around your neck; keeping GOD’s commands written on our hearts so that each decision, each response, is in keeping with HIS Word, HIS teachings, HIS way.  The Light! People!  The Light!  Avoid the evil things of this world and do not take joy in it.  Evil and wickedness is not a spectator sport.  It is abomination.

It’s really not that hard when you think about it — It’s really very simple…really – there’s just a few things that you must do:

I am the LORD thy God
Thou shalt have no other gods
No graven images or likenesses
Not take the LORD’s name in vain
Remember the sabbath day
Honour thy father and thy mother
Thou shalt not kill
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt not bear false witness
Thou shalt not covet.
       (Deut. 5: 1-21)

AND

There are six things the Lord hates, 
seven that are detestable to him: 
haughty eyes, 
a lying tongue, 
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes, 
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
 and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
    (Proverbs 6: 16-19)

No one is perfect, we will all fail at times; but what’s important is that when we do fall, we get back up, confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, make amends, and get back in the race.  In the end, it will be all I ask if I may hear “Well done, good and faithful servant”.  …See you there.

Fall in the Ozarks 2013

I think this is absolutely one of the most beautiful red trees I’ve ever seen!  Fall is almost over, here in the Ozarks.  The leaves are starting to turn brown and the rain and the wind is causing them to fall ever more quickly; but even that is inspiring to watch as the leaves fly across the air and fall like snow.  Winter is coming.  Indeed.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate….

Beautiful quote shared by my friend Robin; check out her Global Worship Facebook page.  Such an awesome family doing the powerful work of ministry!

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be ____ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that others don’t feel insecure around you. We are born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us, it is in all believers. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

What a Beautiful Morning

My dear husband is beside me, our feet are propped up.
Its warm outside this morning.
The dogs are lying quietly on the floor in front of us,
bellies full with special treats.  Its time for their snooze.
There’s a cardinal outside, chirping, and another bird whose song I don’t know.
He’s certainly enjoying the morning tho.
I watch the pink sunrise slowly burn off what looks like rain clouds.
The hedgerow gently sways in the wind.
The trickle of the fountain, the gentle scent of the candles,
the soft glow of the pink stones in the table lamp.
Life is good.

Daniel 2: 20-22
He said, “Praise God’s name forever and ever! Power and wisdom belong to him.
He changes the times and seasons. He gives power to kings, and he takes their power away. He gives wisdom to people, so they become wise. He lets people learn things and become wise.
He knows hidden secrets that are hard to understand. Light lives with him, so he knows what is in the dark and secret places….”

If You Do What You’ve Always Done….

Ewwwwww…oohhhh…Just had to post this one.  I like this one.  

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

.