The Long Way Home

by: Marianne Coyne

Two weeks ago I decided to start walking. I'm not a fan of exercise for the most part, but walking is something I can actually do without feeling like I'm torturing myself. I like the distraction of the chirping birds, the sound of the breeze in the trees, and the cool air caressing and encouraging me along. Since I had been sedentary for most of the past summer and autumn, I thought walking would be a good way to build up my depleting stamina and muscle tone. So off I ventured with vim and confidence into the fond world of mazes called the "subdivision". I even decided to explore parts of the new neighborhood I hadn't in previous walking ventures. On my return home I was thrilled and proud of myself to discover I had walked for forty-five minutes the first day (It doesn't take much to thrill me). I was on my way to better health!

On the third day, however, while returning home, my confidence level and rare sense of adventure tempted me to try a different road. It seemed logical to me that it would take me to my destination, until I realized that I was headed in the opposite direction. I decided not to worry (another rare moment). I'll just turn here and I'll be back on the right track. I couldn't have been more wrong. I ended up in a maze of winding streets, most of which were labeled "no outlet". I walked and walked, trying my best to keep my composure, but to no avail; each street I turned down seemed to mock my efforts. My body was "telling" me it was long past my forty-five minute jaunt. I was tired, thirst began to rear it's nagging head, and I had not a hint of being closer to home. At this point I started to - how should I say this; oh yes – panic! "I don't know where I am", I let out in a voice of despair. Then I caught hold of myself and said, "You don't know where you are, but God does, and so does that vulture flying overhead". And for some bizarre reason it comforted me to know that Someone and something could see the bigger picture that was hidden from me. Pulling on that strength, and walking a bit longer, I finally came full circle to the street which led home. As I approached my destination I was tempted to look back - and I thought, "No, don't be like the Israelites in the desert. Don't look back. Just keep looking forward".

As I walked in faith that day, I was reminded how similar my situation was to Life. Walking along our merry way through life we may become over confident with ourselves and take a wrong "turn"; or perhaps we decide to take a risk we normally would never take, only to find ourselves on an unknown path which seems to take us farther and farther from our original purpose and perfect goal. Our own recovery efforts seem to fail, leaving us with the "I don't know where I am" sick feeling in the pit of our being. But God always knows where we are. He never loses sight of us or our purpose in life. He's patient enough to wait for us to reach out to Him, and loving enough not to gloat over us in our eventual humbled state. Once we remember that and make the decision to call upon Him, He is more than able to put us back on the right path. We may be worn out from the ill-guided journey, but even in that, our beloved Father is able to renew us back to strength and confidence; a confidence in ourselves through Him. Though once we're returned onto the right path in life, we mustn't keep looking back. Let's just be aware we've come a long way without the temptation to turn our heads. Keep looking ahead.

Now when I walk, I think of it as I would life's journey. I don't look back to see how far I've come, (at least not more than once), and I don't look too far up the road that I become overwhelmed. I just look far enough ahead where I'm still in the present. It keeps up my stamina and it's so much healthier in every way. Oh, and if I decide to be a little adventurous, I read the signs more carefully before turning down an unknown road, and I make sure I take along my Supreme Compass.

Copyright©2008Marianne Coyne

Minnie Pauz; If you don't get it, you ain't there yet!

GET THE HUMOR HERE!

Dr. Erika

Listen to your body, take responsibility & live healthy.
DrErika knows that women can be strong, smart, and healthy. Thirty years of clinical experience has taught her how to be a true healer through education, solid science, kindness to her patients and giving them the power.

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Deep Thoughts

Mud Pie

Look for Some Laughter

"Look for some laughter in your days, and that, along with God's strength, will give you a reason to smile even during the gray days...."

Carla Foote
Executive Editor, MomSense Magazine

Beware of Farm Animals!

Sometimes we just have to laugh at what our children say in public settings. Elaina Ramona recounts an amusing incident at the bank, when the word her toddler kept repeating loudly sounded like "bomb".

CLICK HERE TO READ HER STORY!

5 Stepmom Tips for Staying Sane

by: Rose Alexander

With the divorce rate hovering around fifty percent, more families than ever before will have to adjust to new stepmoms as divorced singles enter second marriages with children from their first unions. This role can be challenging, as many women will admit. Raising another woman’s children is often considered a thankless task and stepmom tips from those who understand may be needed. Trying circumstances and confused loyalties may lead the fragile new family to the brink of divorce. The five guidelines outlined in this article offer practical suggestions to help new stepmoms come to terms with their expanding family dynamics. While it may seem as though anyone can become a stepparent with ease, the truth is that a majority of new stepmoms require and appreciate guidance in acclimating to their new parenting role. These five stepmom tips will help.

READ TIPS HERE!

God is Your Loving Father and Helper; Blending A Family Ministry

Regardless of how difficult, or how many issues your family may be facing, God is with you and is on your side! Consider these scriptures: John 1: 12-13 states, �Yet to all who received Him (Jesus), to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent,[3] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (Though we all fall short of God�s glory, Jesus redeemed us back to our loving Father!) John 10: 10 reads, �The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.� (Jesus came to show us how to overcome and have abundant life!) Deuteronomy 20: 4 says, �For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." (You are an OVER COMER when you follow God�s leading!) Jeremiah 29: 11 states, ��For I know the plans I have for you,� declares the LORD , �plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.�� (He has a plan for you and your new family � it is a plan of success!) Hosea 4: 6 says, �My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.� (Our families fail for the same reason!) Luke 3: 23 reads, �Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph� (Jesus grew up in a stepfamily environment�Joseph is a role model for us today!) Colossians 3: 21 (Amplified Bible )states, "Fathers, do not provoke or irritate or fret your children [do not be hard on them or harass them], lest they become discouraged and sullen and morose and feel inferior and frustrated. [Do not break their spirit.]" (Parents can overwhelm and overburden their children - expecting too much too soon, and cause them to pull away from them, and the family.)

Are There Dry Bones in Your Family?

by Moe Becnel

One of the most intriguing passages to me in the Old Testament is found in Ezekiel Chapter 37. It is when the prophet Ezekiel has a spirtual encounter with God, and God takes him to a valley of dead, dry bones.

READ MORE HERE!

Step Families

Beverly Bliss, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist, Madison, WI

---

Statistics

The Statistics Are Staggering:

One out of two marriages ends in divorce. Sixty percent of second marriages fail, according to the U.S. Census Bureau 66% of marriages and living together situations end in break up, when children are actively involved, according to Stepfamily Foundation statistics. It is predicted that 50% of children in the US will go through a divorce before they are 18. Approximately half of all Americans are currently involved in some form of step relationship. By the year 2000, according to the Census Bureau, more Americans will be living in step families than in nuclear families.

In his 1994 study, "The Changing Character of Stepfamilies," Professor of Sociology Larry L. Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin challenges the common perception that the stepfamily is defined by marriage. His research states that:

• About half of the 60 million children under the age of thirteen in this country are currently living with one biological parent and that parent's current partner.
• Nearly half of all women, not just mothers, are likely to live in a stepfamily relationship, when we include living-together families in our definition of the stepfamily.

Therefore, we have already become a nation of step-relating individuals.

However, most graduate schools of psychiatry, psychology, and social work provide no specific training in dealing with these particular dynamics of stepfamilies. Often, the methods and information appropriate to the nuclear family can be destructive . . . if applied to the highly specific dynamics of the stepfamily system.

According to Elizabeth Carter, ACSW, Family Institute of Westchester, "Our culture provides no guidelines . .. It is our experience that this is one of the most difficult transitions for families to negotiate." Carter continues, "Our cultural forms, rituals and assumptions still relate chiefly to the intact, first marriage family, and the most ordinary event, such as filling out a form or celebrating a holiday, can become a source of acute embarrassment or discomfort for members of remarried families."

GOOD INFO HERE!.....CLICK.....

Stepparenting Without Guilt Tips

by: Maurine Doerken, MS, MA, MFT

1) Be prepared from the beginning that stepfamilies do not function the same as intact, nuclear families. There can be a lot of adjustments to work through, both practical and emotional.

2) Good stepfamily relationships can exist without love. They do, however, require consistency and trust. Fairness goes a long way toward earning respect.

3) Question the natural parent when he or she promises “to take care of everything.” No matter how sincere and well intentioned your future spouse may be, it may not work out that way in day-to-day stepfamily reality.

4) Stepparenting (and biological parenting) are not about winning a popularity contest. They are about doing the job that is called for, and sometimes that job is tough.

5) Know the virtue and necessity of accepting what you cannot change and work from there. Do not try to “fix” everything all at once. Sometimes with stepparenting less can be more.

6) Playing “Who’s to Blame?” is a no-win situation in stepfamilies. It only serves to fuel further antagonism between stepfamily members rather than fostering mutuality and compromise.

7) Your stepfamily may experience a lot of emotional reactivity because members can hurt in a lot of places. Often it is both useful and important to take a deep breath and count to ten before responding.

8) There is a point where your biological children come first, and this has nothing to do with being a “mean” or “wicked” stepparent. You do not have to save your stepchildren at the expense of your own off-spring.

9) If you honestly and sincerely cannot deal with your stepchild, do not lie to yourself that you can. Accept your limitations and work from there.

10) The greatest gift you can give your stepchild (or child) is permission to be happy in both homes. We do not all have to act or think the same way, and learning how to honor differences is vital to this way of life.

STEP-FAMILY INFO!

CHECK OUT THIS SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Some Questions and Answers Concerning Step-Families

1) Even though you may not be able to be fully available to your children,
as a couple, you should establish regular private time together away from
the children.

This is TRUE because the surest way to make your stepfamily strong is to make your
relationship strong. You need to nurture your relationship so it can weather the storms of
stepfamily life.

2) It is advisable not to talk too much with children about the pre-divorce
family since this arouses sad feelings.

This is FALSE because kids need to be allowed to grieve for the biological family. Grieving entails feelings of both sadness and anger. The more kids are encouraged to feel these feelings, the sooner they will move past grief and open to accepting the new family.

3) It is advisable for stepparents, right from the start, to begin to participate
in the discipline of their stepchildren.

This is FALSE except where very young children are involved. A child is more likely to accept a stepparent if he or she starts out acting like a kindly aunt or uncle- supportive and helpful.

4) Children often misbehave when they return from being with their other biological parent and this is normal.

This is all too TRUE. Allowing the kids “space” to adjust to the changes works best.

5) It is important for family members to do most things together so as to
develop a strong family bond.

This is FALSE. While it is good to do some things together, strong stepfamily bonds are forged when stepparents and stepchildren spend alone time together and the couple enjoys alone time, too.

6) It is difficult for a stepchild to bond with a stepparent if their biological parent disapproves.

This is unfortunately TRUE. Children are most concerned that they don't lose the love of a biological parent.

7) After an initial adjustment period, family members will begin to love one another.

This is FALSE because family members may or may not eventually love each other.
Love sometimes comes at the beginning but it just as likely may take a long time, if at all.

8) The average time it takes for a blended family to develop a sense of family is about one year.

This is FALSE because the average time it takes runs anywhere from 3 to 7 years.

9) A good rule of thumb is to keep standards for behavior high but expectations, low.

This is TRUE. Keeping standards for behavior high means that you let the kids know that while you can't force them to love the stepfamily members, you can insist that they treat them with respect. Expectations refers to expecting the kids to open their hearts.

10) If you have different house rules from your ex, this will hurt the children.

This is FALSE because the children need good solid discipline. If they aren't receiving it at the other parent's house, at least they can receive it at yours.

Raising Great Kids: Kids can Thrive in Blended Families

My family is a blended family; His, Mine, and Ours!! I found it important to love my stepchildren as if they belonged to me. And each has their own personality and way of looking at things; so keeping all of this in mind plays a big role in how to be with each one. But LOVE can be THE big factor in blending it all together. Well, it was for my family. I suppose every blended family is different.

I'll never forget the day when my youngest son was about 3 years old and had just discovered that his older brother had a different mother. He said to me with this concerned look on his face, "Are you not mommy anymore?", like I wasn't going to be his mother anylonger either. That was when I sat him down and explained everything to him. His next reply; "I WANT A STEPMOM, TOO!"

Here's an article that might be of assistance.
CLICK HERE!

Sunrise taken by Brenda while driving on Freeway, June 2007

Sunrise taken by Brenda while driving on Freeway, 2007

Sunset taken by Brenda June 2007

I'd put on some lipstick, BUT

Please Do, and Please Don't

Suggestions for encouraging widows.

by Miriam Neff

Apart from the outreach of the church, there are many ways individuals can encourage widows on their journey. But it's often hard to know what to say, for fear of making things worse. So let me offer some "Please do" as well as some "Please do not" suggestions.

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The Widow's Might

My husband's death forced me to change in ways I never wanted to.

by Miriam Neff

I am part of the fastest growing demographic in the United States. We are targeted by new-home builders and surveyed by designers. We are a lucrative niche for health and beauty products, and financial planners invite us to dinners. It's no wonder the marketers are after us: 800,000 join our ranks every year.

Who are we? We are the invisible among you—the widows.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!!!

You Can't Say Your Tax Dollars Weren't Put to Use...

You Can't Say Your Tax Dollars Are Just "Wasted"

Absent God

by David Barshinger

"I had faith until I got to Iraq.... I haven't gotten it back since. Once you get there, you wonder how God could allow anyone to go through that."¹

Those are the words of an Army specialist after serving two terms in Iraq, a man who weighs honestly his observations of war and faith. How do you reconcile mass bloodshed with a loving God? God seems absent at the very time when His intervention is most needed.

We've all heard this question in one shape or another, and if we're honest with ourselves, most of us have asked the question too. Like the Army specialist, the mass evil we see in our world — such as Hitler's genocidal program, the Darfur crisis, and heartless terrorism aimed at innocent civilians — disturbs us to the core. We cry out, "Where's God? I see no signs of Him anywhere."

If you've asked the question, you're in good company. King David, the man after God's own heart, posed the question too:

Why, O LORD, do you stand afar off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Ps 10:1)

Questioning God's presence isn't wrong. It's human.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!!!

Happily Ever After

by George Halitzka

Once upon a time there were two kids who learned the hard way how much birds like breadcrumbs. While wandering in the forest, they almost got eaten by a candy-loving witch! But thankfully there was an oven handy, and before the witch could make Hanselburgers, Gretel toasted her golden-brown.

Then there was the princess who fled from her mirror-gazing stepmother — seems the old bat wanted Snowy-Girl's heart on a plate. There were complications involving seven midget miners, and she almost got poisoned by a magic apple, but everything turned out OK thanks to True Love's Kiss.

Once there was a person who answered to your name and looked strangely like you. You weren't asking for much — just a nice Prince or Princess to marry, a small castle in the suburbs, and a steady source of gold coins. Unfortunately, you soon realized that True Love is an elusive commodity, and Happy Endings are hard to find.

Sometimes, life has a way of discouraging belief in fairy tales. Just ask Heather.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE!!!

The Big Blog Collection

http://www.bigblogcollection.com

THE WEBS ULTIMATE COLLECTION OF BLOGS!

Free Will and the Fruit

by Marianne Coyne

Six days before Christmas, a little story I once wrote, about an empty, little Christmas stocking, came to mind. It had a simple message - being empty of our overindulged desires for temporal things, makes room for God to fill us up with Himself. Then I thought about how hard that is for most people. After all, the usual retort to such concepts is about free will - being able to have it and express it. Being bound to the will of another, especially God's, seems to violate the whole concept of free will; at least that seems to be a popular mindset. But what I have come to understand through the years is that that particular mindset really isn't as much about holding on to free will as much as it is about holding on to immediate sense gratification. In time sense gratification will produce fruit which we and/or others will have to harvest and consume. And that brings us to the ultimate issue - the fruit we produce.

Most of us run our lives on sense gratification. Some of it is good, but one only needs to read a newspaper, watch the news, or look into the mirror to see that we have a problem with it. From sexual depravity, mutilation, and murder, to not being able to say "no" to that daily dose of chocolate mousse, we utilize our "free" wills everyday. But the question remains, "What kind of fruit did it produce?". Because, you see, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.

Learning to look beyond our immediate gratification of flesh desires gives us a chance to see more clearly into the future of fruit production. The flower on the fruit tree is beautiful, but that isn't the end. The fruit is yet to be borne. Personally, I would rather eat and share fruit that is sweet, juicy, and nutritious than, bitter or rotten. I, for one, am grateful that I have a will free enough to choose to allow a higher Will to make It's home and plant It's Seeds in my heart. For I can't think of better fruit to bear than Kindness, Love, Mercy, Joy, Peace, Health, Hope, and all that God has to fill us with.

Everyday the choice is there to make. Little by little we can clear out the seeds of bitter fruit, and make room for the Seeds of Love. After all, we do have a free will.

More views on "The Golden Compass"

The Golden Compass
Question Whose Authority?

December 6, 2007

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

After months of controversy, the fantasy film The Golden Compass finally opens this weekend. Some fans of Philip Pullman's books have been tying themselves in knots over this. They have expressed their hope that the film will keep Pullman's original anti-God message. But at the same time they were declaring that Christians were being ridiculous for saying that there was any anti-God message at all!

So now for the $64,000 question: Is the movie openly anti-religious?

Hanna Rosin wrote in the Atlantic Monthly that New Line Cinema has "stripp[ed] out [Pullman's] theology and replac[ed] it with some vague derivative of the Force." In a sense, that is true. New Line, as Rosin recounts, has been keeping a "nervous" eye on the bottom line, knowing that blatant atheism in the movie would hurt sales. Besides, if the film would have delved fully into all of the complexities of the books' belief system, it would have come to a screeching halt.

In short, Pullman's anti-God, anti-religion message has been toned down a little in the movie. But it is still there.

The main villain in the movie is a mysterious organization called the Magisterium—a word that will be familiar to Catholics. The organization's headquarters bears a remarkable similarity to famous religious landmarks, and some of their buildings have pictures of saints on them. Their goal, we are told by various characters, is to "tell people what to do" and to put an end to "free will." The Magisterium tries to force obedience and stifle thought. And it goes to violent lengths to try to prevent children from reaching puberty and having what Nicole Kidman's character euphemistically calls "nasty thoughts and unhappy feelings."

The somewhat simplistic message that emerges is, "Question authority." But as the Ignatius Press blog points out, it comes across more like "Question authority. Just not our authority." That is, we are supposed to accept the film's assertions about what religion is like as, well, the gospel.

But it is just a story, isn't it? Of course, it is. But as Philip Pullman himself once wrote, "'Thou shalt not' might reach the head, but it takes 'Once upon a time' to reach the heart." That is exactly the point made in the new book The Pied Piper of Atheism, which draws the connection between Pullman's fantasy tales and the legendary figure who stole children away by playing music that appealed to their emotions.

No matter what the filmmakers meant to do, Pullman certainly intended to capture children's hearts and plant the seed of doubt there. And the film, watered-down as it may be, cannot help but reflect that—as will future films, for in the second and third books in Pullman's trilogy, the hatred of God is expressed much more clearly and strongly than in the first. (Despite the film's PG-13 rating for violence, which is justified, parents took younger children to the preview screenings, and more children will undoubtedly be going when the film officially opens.)

In fact, Christian parents are already being bashed by some for not wanting to take their kids to hear this anti-God message. To those parents I say, good for you. Keep questioning the culture's authority.

The Golden Compass; to view or not to view

With the release of The Golden Compass today (12-07-07), many Christians are looking for the truth behind this controversial movie. Adapted from the first book in a trilogy written by Philip Pullman, a self-described atheist, Compass has been accused of being anti-Catholic and pro-atheism. But how concerned should we be about the power of the film?

This week, one of the ChristianityToday Movies critics offers practical advice about how we might respond to The Golden Compass, and answers some of the most common questions about the film in their feature article, "Fear Not the Compass."

Also, be sure to check out the rest of their coverage on the movie for some insightful commentary on Philip Pullman's writing and thoughts from their readers about the impact of the film on children.

Good Guilt or Bad Guilt

Learn MORE here!

AND here!

The History of Thanksgiving

Ever wonder what the pilgrims and their Native American guests really ate at the first feast? Travel back to Plymouth and discover some of the humble origins of Thanksgiving traditions we celebrate today and what the original celbration was actually like!

MORE!!!

i could be fit and trim if i wanted....

Gracism!

Practical ways to reconcile the racial divisions in our country and in the body of Christ.
"Gracism" is the answer to racism.

To learn more, hit the link below.

MORE! interview with David Anderson

MOTIVATION FROM JULIA HAVEY

A...always believe in your ability to succeed. This is important to success because if you do not believe that you can and will succeed in reaching your objectives...why would you try? I think that we give up and fail to reach our goals because we predispose ourselves to fail. We think negative thoughts such as "the last diet didn't work, so this one won't either" or we listen to others tease us for "going on yet another diet". Put those thoughts and others like them out of your mind. From today forward, believe in YOU. Believe in your ability to take control over your situation and to improve every aspect of your life.

B...always be prepared. Many people write to me and say that they intend on eating a healthy meal but end up pressed for time and utilize a fast food restaurant for their meal. You know your lifestyle better than anyone. I can not tell you what will work for you in each situation, but you can! If you routinely are pressed for time, prepare for this, anticipate this happening. Being prepared means packing food from home before leaving for the day, filling a cooler with everything you need for a healthful day, do what you can to insure that healthy food will be readily available to you when you are hungry.

C...care for yourself. If you have not taken the time to do the self-discovery survey on my website, do it today. Visit, www.Juliahavey.com to take yours. Or take out a piece of paper and do it non-cyber way! Write down ten adjectives right now that you would use to describe youself, or just think of them in your mind. What words do you select that best describe you? Are they positive words that signal a strong sense of self? Are they words that reflect the being that you are? Are the words that you chose negative and self-depreciating? Do the words focus more on the condition of your body than of your personality and soul?

I want you to think carefully about the words that you selected. No one else can read them, no one else can hear your thoughts, these are your private thoughts about yourself. Read them over. How do they make you feel? If you words are positive in nature, good for you. You will have a much quicker start on this journey. If your words are negative, ask yourself if you would ever use these words to describe a loved one or a best friend. If the answer is no, then you need to stop using them to describe YOU, the most important person in your life.

Now that you have your ABC's down, let's get to the 1-2-3's! To jumpstart your journey on the path of self-improvement through self-motivation all you need to do are three easy steps.

1. Identify the worst thing that you routinely do that is hindering your weight loss or self-improvement. Do you mindlessly eat chips or pretzels late in the day at work? Do you walk by the communal bowl of M&M's and grab a handful a few times a day? Do you drink regular soft drinks? Identify that which you know is the worst habit that you have and go about breaking it. Replace it with something positive. Are you a nibbler by nature? No problem. Nibble, but switch the unhealthy snack that you have previously chosen with something better for you, such as carrots, grapes, raisins, etc...

2. Work your body! Right now you may very well feel like the rusty, squeeky and hard to move about "Tin Man" from the Wizard of Oz. It may have been so long since you actually used your muscles that they now feel like the won't move, but move they will! With a little bit of oil (WATER intake, in our case!!!) and a little bit of movement they will respond and soon they will be as good as new and maybe even better than ever before. One of the best things about being human is that even if you have been overweight your entire life and have NEVER been in shape.....you can change! You can lose weight, you can get your muscles toned and tightened. You can realize the body that you have always dreamed of. All you need to realize is that dreaming and wishing won't produce results. Work your body and it will work for you!

3. Attitude is everything. If you mope around and feel sorry for yourself thinking that life will be a series of denials and deprivation if you adhere to your "diet", then you have already lost the battle. If you embrace change and believe that all the years that you endulged in unhealthy foods, didn't excercise and lived in a body that you didn't like, that THEN you were being denied and deprived of all that life has to offer...then you are on the road to change! Living life in a healthy manner is NOT deprivation, it is abundance. When you can run through the park with your children, fly kites, jump on trampolines, make love with out fear or shame, dance even when people may see you...this is the stuff that life is made of!

Even after losing 130 pounds, I was intimidated to do yoga. I have always wanted to try it, but felt that I would not be limber enough or coordinated enough to do it. Last week while at my gym later than usual, I saw the class assembling for 7PM yoga. I actually left the gym. I went to the car and threw my stuff in it, ready to retreat and go home, even though I had only done 45 minutes of my 60 minutes of cardio! Coward! I realized this and turned around and headed to the yoga class. I took off my socks and shoes and grabbed a mat. I looked around at the other ladies, most were in great shape, a few were not. I endured one hour of awkwardness. I was unfamiliar with the moves but NOT unable to do them. I actually thought that the workout was fairly easy, mostly stretching and holding in that position. The next day, I realized why yoga is so good for you. For one, I actually relaxed during the class (for those who know me, you know I am fairly hyper!). And unexpectedly, my muscles were sore. Yoga is a great from of exercise and toning that I had denied myself of for many years! I allowed preconcieved notions, bias and fear of the unknown keep me from doing something that I now love!

What is holding you back from realizing your dreams and goals? What is there in life that you want to do and have not been allowing yourself to realize? Attitude is everything.

Now, make a list of what you like about yourself, keep reading it each day to remind you. Figure out what you have been being denied and make a plan to realize it! It really is as easy as 1-2-3!

MORE!!!

Can you explain the Trinity?

Q: "What about the doctrine of the Trinity, the Holy Trinity?"

ANSWER

Towel Racks and Weightloss!!

Check out all the information on this website!
SURE to give you valuable information and MAKE YOU LAUGH!


MORE!

A group of alumni, firmly established and successful in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all his old students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it's normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it's just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything. Remember that God provides the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy your coffee! "

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

What God Fearing Means to Me!

What does it mean to be a “God-Fearing People”? Are we to fear God so much that we are afraid to approach Him? St. Paul has advised us to boldly go to the throne. (Hebrews 4:16 -approach the throne of grace with confidence). If we have FEAR of God, in the sense that the FEAR is so terrifying, then we can not “boldly go to the throne” or even believe that God is loving. Here is my explanation as to what “God-Fearing” means to me:

God has blessed me and my brothers with two wonderful parents. They both are firm as to what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. My father could just give us a look (not mean, not terrorizing, not hateful), but a look that told us he was the father and he knew what was better for us more than we did and we better not cross that. My father has never raised a hand against me or my youngest brother, but I did see him, only once, whip my oldest brother. That was all it took for my brother to change his behavior. My father never had to do that again. I believe that it was true for my father on that day, the saying, “It hurts me more than it does you.” My father did not like to do this sort of thing, but it was necessary at the time.

My father worked a lot. He made sure that his family was taken care of. He was always very loving to us. There were times that he would take us places and we would do things together. We always had a wonderful time. When I was a child, he use to let me stand on the tops of his feet and we would dance around the room. I loved him very much. He rescued me once from my mother’s old wringer washer. (A wringer washer was an old washing machine that the inside tub did not spin to wring the water out of the clothes. Instead, the wringer part was two rollers slipped together and the motor turned it and you used a stick to push the clothes in between the rollers to wring the water out.) My mother was washing clothes in the basement and when my mother left the basement, I decided to wash my doll clothes. When I used the stick to push the clothes in the wringer, the stick got stuck and I was holding on trying to pull it out. Before I knew it my arm was stuck in the wringer. I started screaming as loud as I could. The wringer just kept turning and turning on my arm. My daddy heard me and jumped the flight of the stairs. He did not run down them, he jumped from the top to the bottom. When He reached me, he unplugged the machine, popped the wringer, and got me out. He held me for the rest of the day. He was certainly my hero. I loved him with all my heart and I knew that I could trust him.

My mother cares deeply for her family. She was always very supportive of my father and they loved each other very much. I never saw or heard them argue. They seemed to have this magical way of working things out. My brothers and I are very thankful for that.

My mother always did wonderful things for us. She had beautiful dresses made for me. Easter was a special time for that. She would also let me invite friends over to spend the night. She would always join me and my friends. She told us some wonderful and funny stories. She would let me and my brothers invite our friends over when it snowed. We would go sleigh riding and she would make cookies and hot chocolate. She loved having our friends over. She is a wonderful mother.

My mother also had a way of letting us know that she knew what was better for us. She set no uncertain terms for using the “Rod of Correction”. I tell you, she did not have to use it often, but when she did, we knew we had better straighten up. At one time, when I was misbehaving, she had me bring her a switch. I thought that I would bring her a twig in hopes that she might find humor in that. SHE DIDN’T. I had to go get another one and it better be a good one. I did and got my little legs switched. I knew not to defy her.

My parents were not abusive people. They did not look for reasons to whip their children. They did not enjoy it. They would sit us down and tell us why they had to do that and that it was our responsibility to do what was right in order to live in a good world and to make a better world.

This was how my parents were taught to correct their children. Back then NO ONE was yelling abuse. And I tell you, that way for my parents was used in a loving way. It got our attention and we knew to listen. God says, “Spare the rod, spoil the child” and my parents truly believed that.

Pr 13:24 - He that spares his rod hates his son: But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

Pr 22:15 - Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Pr 23:13 - Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

Pr 23:14 - Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell

Pr 29:15 - The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.

(This is not saying to correct with hate in your heart or by loving and enjoying beating a child. This is abuse. There is a difference.)

My parents chastised us as children and we feared that as we were growing up, but it never caused us to hate them or resent them and it never caused them to hate or resent us. Instead we knew that they loved us and they certainly cared for us. Their chastisement caused us to be better people.

My brothers and I love our parents with all our hearts and we often thank God for giving them to us. Although we loved them, we also feared them and respected them. You see, my parents loved us enough to care what kind of people we should be that they were willing to chastise us and cared enough for us to SHOW they loved us in many wonderful ways.

My parents also taught us that we have a loving and caring God. He created us and we are His. They also taught us that God will lovingly chastise his people that do not obey His word. He is our Father; we are his Children. By fearing His chastisement, has caused us to be “God-Fearing People” and in looking at Him as our Father, helps us to respect, love, and honor Him. By fearing the Lord will help us to be better people, to live a better life, and to help make this world a better place.


Copyright © Brenda L. Stevens

DESIRE HAPPENS!

You see, you want. Then what?

Agnieszka Tennant | posted 3/29/2007 08:33AM

There are times in the lives of most Christians when a vital force inserts itself into our consciousness and demands to take over. We see someone, and we crave.

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The EPOCH Commentary

“Evangelical Perspectives On Current Happenings”

AMERICA'S QUADRICENTENNIAL: AN

"OBSERVANCE" NOT A "CELEBRATION,"

A VICTIM OF "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS"

400 years ago, on April 26, 1607, three small sailing ships, the Susan Constant, the Discovery and the Godspeed, landed at what is now known as Virginia Beach. They had been at sea for just over 3 months, and the minister assigned to the voyage, Robert Hunt, declared 3 days of fasting and prayer. Then on April 29 they stepped ashore, and their first act was to erect a cross as they claimed this new land in the name of God.

A few days later they traveled up what is now known as the James River, and there they established Jamestown as the capitol of the new colony, and "began thereon in the name of God to erect a fortresse." One of the colonists, Richrd Hakluyt, wrote concerning their purpose, "Wee shall by planting there inlarge the glory of the Gospel, and from England plante sincere religion, and provide a safe and a sure place to receave people from all partes of the worlds that are forced to flee for the truthe of God's worde." In those few words he set forth the principles upon which the future United States of America would be based to provide a safe and secure haven for all who would seek to worship God according to His word.

Robert Hunt, the first minister of Jamestown, prior to his untimely death just about a year after landing, conducted regular church serrvices and daily prayer meethngs. It was upon the principles established by those hardy colonists that this nation was founded, and grew to become a world-wide symbol of freedom, a nation built upon these truths, that "all men are created equal, and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights."

The 400th anniversary is surely something to celebrate, but through the intervening years something has happened to the original American ideal. In earlier years, each anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown colony was celebrated: the Centennial, the Bicentennial, even the Semiquincentennial (250th) . . . but this year the officials in charge of "Jamestown 2007" have banned the use of the word "celebration," and have substituted the word "observance." They have admitted to being ashamed for what was, in their minds, an "invasion." The new Virginia Governor, Tim Kaine has declared that the previous celebrations "did not tell the whole story." To make sure the revisionist story is told he appointed a panel including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Otis Moss, who said that America needs to fix "the propaganda of history," and that the Jamestown colonists were guilty of "a holocaust and lynchings."

In other words, America's 400th annivrsary celebration has been made subservient to the present day cult of "political correctness." The nation's liberal media has been quick to join in the denigration of these Christian founding principles. The New York Times in speaking of the swampy land where Jamestown was built, described settlement as "a town which disappeared into the mud," and the Virginia Gazette wrote, "For a whole year or more we shall celebrate the fact that a bunch of British buffoons who knew nothing of what they were doing colonized a swamp for the sake of Christianizing Indians."

One wonders if we should send word to Her Majesty Queen Eilzabeth II, who is planning to come to America to join in the celebration ("observance") of the founding of the first permanent English settlement in North America, and the beginning of the American nation. And one wonders if the U.S. Congress should be chastised for having passed the Jamestown 400th Commemoration Commission Act in the year 2000. And perhaps President Bush should rethink that document he signed, proclaiming the year 2007 as the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown . . . the portion of that Proclamation reproduced here is indicative of the importance the President attaches to this 400th Anniversary of the initial settlement in what was to become the Unted States of America:

<>Four centuries ago, after a long journey,a small group of colonists stepped boldly onto the shores of the New World, and established the first permanent English settlement in North America. During the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, America honors the early pioneers whose epic of endurance and courage started the story of our nation.

<>Much has changed in the 400 years since that three sided fort was raised on the banks of the James River. Today we are a strong and growing nation of more than 300 million, and we are blessed to live in a land of plenty during a period of great prosperity. The long struggle that started at Jamestown has inspired generation s of Americans. Advancing the right to live, work and worship in liberty is the mission that created our country, the honorable achievement of our ancestors, and the calling of our time.

<>NOW,THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim 2007 as the 400th Anniversary of Jamestown. I encourage all Americans to commemorate this milestone by honoring the courage of those who came before us, participating in appropriate programs and celebrations, and visiting this historic site with family and friends.

<>IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand and seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

The indisputable fact is this, regardles of what the liberal theories of political correctness would have us believe, America was founded as a Christian nation. The initial colony in Jamestown made its first act upon stepping ashore to erect a cross and to kneel in prayer. Thirteen years later when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth they declared in the Mayflower Compact their goal of establishing a colony for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. In the Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers affirmed that their purpose was to conform this new nation to the guidance of God and to accept His will and plan for His people. The recently promulgated theory that America was founded as a secular nation is not true. In this year 2007 we should give thanks to God for the faith and determination of men of God who, in the Declaration of Independence, based upon their firm reliance on Divine Providence, pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish this nation . . . and let us honor those Jamestown colonists who 400 years ago, despite all hardships, planted the settlement which grew into today's United States of America.

Afterthoughts . . .

A word from the Vatican: there is no question that since the days of the Reformation there has been a wide gulf between Protestantism and Catholicism on certain Theological matters, and this is not to suggest that gulf is not justified. But on certain issues the Vatican holds to positions in which Conservative Evangelical Christians can rejoice. This past week Archbishop Angelo Amato, who heads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, spoke in no uncertain terms about evils which are presented by the media as "expressions of human progress," and listed among those evils abortion clinics, which he termed "slaughterhouses of human beings," euthanasia and same-sex marriages, linking them to "parliaments of so-called civilized nations where laws contrary to the nature of human beings are being promulgated." Amato is the second highest doctrinal official for the Vatican, and is said to be very close to Pope Benedict XVI.

SEX from Lustfulness?

by Marianne Coyne
Copyright © 2007 Marianne Coyne

Some people prefer to say that sex is really from lustfulness. I have to agree. It is the natural base response to the attraction to another person, the desire to reproduce, or the response to a lustful feeling within us. It's natural, that is from nature - every animal has sex in one form or another. There really isn't anything special about it for humans. Some prefer to say it is a gift from God. Is it? I suppose so, in as much as filling your stomach with food when hungry, or drinking cool, clear water when thirsty is a gift from God. But let's not make more of it than it is just so that we feel better about engaging in it for any other purpose than to have children.

But, on the other hand....even eating or drinking can be a holy experience. We can make a base need holy by our reverence toward it - we bring God to eating or to sex. Imagine sitting at a table alone or with family, food prepared on the table ready for consumption. You take a deep breath, relax, say a prayer of thanksgiving, preparing your mind and body for the meal. You may think briefly of all that it took to put the food on your table: the farmer's hard work, the rain, the sunshine, all who harvested, perhaps even the animal which gave its life for your benefit. You are grateful for all of these blessings. If your family surrounds you, you may enjoy quiet encouraging conversation, or laughter. We have the ability to bring the Divine into every natural act or need, making it a holy experience.

Yes, even sex can be treated with reverence - and in doing so be enjoyed beyond one's expectations. Then it is called "love-making". This changes the meaning, the context, the reason why we make love - and changes what we bring to and take from the experience. It changes how we view the lover. The term 'making love' should be understood.

To 'make' means to 'create'. We are creating love - two people coming together with a holy aura, seeing the divine within the other, create something holy - Love. That is the Gift of God - Love.

I once read that while urinating, Benjamin Franklin was joined by one of the neighborhood dogs. As they stood side by side relieving themselves, Mr. Franklin was struck with the humility of his own base nature. Determined to spiritually elevate his position, in order to separate his act from the dog's, he decided that from then on whenever he relieved himself he would say a prayer.

It all comes down to choice. Benjamin Franklin chose to do what the dog couldn't - bring divinity and dignity to an otherwise base need. We can choose to keep sex as lust, where it will eventually lose its power to satisfy, or we can bring divinity and dignity to it, thereby creating a loving experience of mutual satisfaction which can last a lifetime. Only we have the power to choose whether or not we will be a true human being; the whole human being God intended us to be - in which our flesh and spirit come together to make the true perfect man; that is Anthropos.

Remember, what we commit ourselves to we become a slave to. Let us commit ourselves to the Divine. Let us do what God intended us to do, which is to bring the kingdom to dwell in this realm. May God bless you.

Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard.
My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

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In GOD We Trust!

We need to thank God that he has blessed America and we hope that He continues to do so.
Listen to the voices in the past. There is wisdom there!




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Christians and Unbelivers; Challenges and Rewards!

Discover the challenges and rewards Christians have faced in friendships with unbelievers.

Fight the "GOSSIP BUG"

Marian Liautaud suggests that those who gossip aren't necessarily doing so to be malicious. By gossiping we're looking for a shared connection with others. We all want to feel valued and like we're part of the "in" crowd—no matter what our age. Marian suggests concrete ways to fight off the gossip bug and nip it before it even gets started.




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The Horse that Helped Save a Fawn

By Bob Muth









This year we had a coyote den along the edge of our field under an upturned aspen. It seems only one pup survived, and they stayed around our field as it is full of ground squirrels.





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