It seems to me …

It seems to me that …

1. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
2. Time is nature’s way of preventing everything from happening at once.

3. The school should always have as its aim that the young man leave it as a harmonious personality, not as a specialist. This in my opinion is true in a certain sense even for technical schools… The development of general ability for independent thinking and judgment should always be placed foremost, not the acquisition of special knowledge. – Albert Einstein
4. Tobacco is a nauseating plant consumed by only two creatures: a large green worm and man. The worm doesn’t know any better.
5. Tolerance gets a lot of credit that belongs to apathy.
6. Truth is often violated by falsehood, but can be equally outraged by silence.
7. Maybe we were better off when charity was a virtue instead of a deduction.
8. We need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure. - Oliver Wendel Holmes II
9. Do it now! Today will be yesterday tomorrow.
10.Smooth seas do not make good sailors.
11.Part-time faith, like a part-time job, cannot fully support you.
12.Were it not for the doers, the critics would soon be out of business.
13.It is especially hard to work for money you’ve already spent for something you didn’t need.
14.The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies — probably because they are generally the same people. – G.K. Chesterton, 1910
15.It’s extremely difficult to sell anyone a product you’ve never used — or a religion you’ve never lived.

The Bigot’s Creed

Believe as I believe — no more,
no less;
That I am right, and no one else,
confess;
Feel as I feel, think only as
I think;
Eat what I eat, and drink but what
I drink;
Look as I look, do always as I do;
And, only then, I’ll fellowship
with you.

That I am right, and always right,
I know,
Because MY OWN CONVICTIONS tell
me so;
And to be right is simply this:
to be
Entirely and in all respects
like me.
To deviate a jot, or to begin
To question, doubt, or hesitate,
is sin.

Let sink the drowning man, if he’ll
not swim
Upon the plank that I throw out
to him;
Let starve the famishing, if he’ll
not eat
My KIND and QUANTITY of bread
and meat;
Let freeze the naked, too, if
he’ll not be
Supplied with garments such as made
for me.

‘Twere better that the sick should
die than live,
Unless they take the medicine
I give;
‘Twere better sinners perish than
refuse
To be conformed to my peculiar
views;
‘Twere better that the world stood
still than move
In ANY way that I DO NOT APPROVE.

(Author Unknown)

Rapture thoughts

“If I ever reach heaven I expect to find three wonders there: first, to meet some I had not thought to see there; second, to miss some I had expected to see there; and third, the greatest wonder of all, to find myself there.”

ATTITUDE

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.

The remarkable thing is, we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.

from Strengthening Your Grip
by Charles Swindoll

It's My Party!

This is the follow-up post from "Who Am I?"

It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to
Cry if I want to, cry if I want to .......... You would cry too if it happened to you

Everybody remembers these lyrics to the song sung by Lesley Gore from 1965. The song depicts the humiliation of a teenage girl at her birthday party when her boyfriend (Johnny) disappears only to arrive on the scene a short time later with Judy, another girl, who is "wearing his ring" which seems to imply Judy has now replaced the birthday girl as Johnny's love interest.

The chorus, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to... You would cry too if it happened to you," became a part of American pop cultural language as a phrase that was used to describe being utterly humiliated and miserable during an experience that should be a joyful circumstance.

Well, during the past 24 hours I have surely experienced the feelings of humiliation, dejection, rejection, disappointment, and so much more. My pity party is over (for now!) but I still want presents!

So, here's my thought. (You ever wonder what kind of gift you can give someone who is so totally down on themselves that would cheer them up? I've got the perfect thing!) I need some -Encouragement - this

(To read the rest of this post, go to: Barefootpreachr.org)

Keep on Kickin’ On!

I’m not a big fan of slimy things. This includes lizards of any kind ~ just ask my kids how fast I can run if one of those show up while I’m cleaning in the garage (or maybe the aversion to the garage cleaning came first?). I put frogs, snails, worms, snakes and a whole bunch of other creatures into that category of “slimy” things.

Truthfully though, I have no idea if they are slimy at all! I’m just going by the way they look and the fact they are in a class of animal species that has freaked me out since 9th grade Biology and we had to dissect a frog. Turned out, that frog may have been dead, but he was going to get the last laugh. After donning all sorts of protective gear and practically bribing a lab partner to do the actual slicing, when the first cut was made that frog let loose of his bodily fluid in a stream meant to soak a heavy-duty cello sponge! And guess who was standing in the middle of that stream.

Oh well. Those days are gone and can’t be relived (except in my own little mind) so maybe there is something I can learn from the little fellas. In fact, I kinda like the attitude of one in this parable.

There were two frogs that had become bored with life in the River Torrens, so they decided to go on an adventure to a neighboring dairy farm.

There they found a bucket of lovely cream, and decided it would be a wonderful experience to wallow in it. They hopped in. The first licked his lips with delight, and the two swam around with momentary joy. But cream is much thicker than water, and soon the frogs tired. It was time to get out and return to the Torrens.

The first frog kicked and kicked and kicked, but the cream was thick, and he couldn’t get out the bucket. Soon he gave up, licked his lips, and drowned in the bucket of cream.

The second frog was far more determined. He kicked and kicked and kicked and kicked some more. Eventually the cream turned to butter, and he jumped out of the bucket and returned to the River Torrens.

Attitude does make a difference to the outcomes of our lives. So, don’t give up on life ~ keep on kickin’ on!

Find more at: barefootpreachr.org

Teddy Bears and miracles (part 2)

Do you just love teddy bears? Those cute little button eyes and stitched noses? The little furry ears and puff tail always seem to be an extra handle to carry them along with by children’s hands that are too small to wrap around the full body.

For more years than I can recount I have been in love with these furry friends. Even today my bed is made up with one special bear sitting in the middle – a gift from someone I care deeply for. Scattered throughout the house are an assortment of these furry creatures. They range in size and color and texture and yet, I have never made a point of collecting a single one. They have each simply found their way into my home and into my heart.

Well, these little fur covered, over-stuffed objects of simple affection have been used again to perform another miracle. Since the article (found at the attached website) first went online and through the paper, I have begun receiving phone calls from folks who want to open their hearts and bless someone else with a cuddly stuffed animal.

Isn’t it amazing how easily a miracle happens when we respond with genuine love?

www.ngumc.org

Love is ... part 2

I like Necco wafers. For me there is excitement in the unwrapping of the end of the package and placing that little chalky-flavored bit of candy right in the middle of my tongue. Those little bits of flavor bring back special memories of childhood for me. One of my favorite recurring memories is of my grandfather sitting in his recliner, smoking his pipe and sharing his wafers with the grandkids. The rule was that Pop-pop would open the candy roll and take the first one, then each grandchild would receive one in order of your descending age, but … if you didn’t take the color that came up when it was your turn, you had to wait until it was your turn again during the next round. Sometimes one of the kids would choose to not take the little piece of candy that was offered and would try to get the next one that came up because that was his or her “favorite”. That never worked with my grandfather! He would remind us of the “rule” and how we each took our turn, and we each had a choice to take what we were offered. Then he would go to the next grandchild. There were many times we would take the little wafer when we didn’t care for that particular flavor! As I grew up, I wondered if we took it because we didn’t want to “miss our turn” or because we didn’t want to disappoint Pop-pop.

I learned a lot of life lessons from those rolls of chalky candies. I learned that life is good - even if whatever you are dealing with isn't your favorite part. I learned that when we are given the freedom of choice we must accept the consequences of our actions. I learned that as I grew older, there were more and more people I needed to share with in order to be able to enjoy the piece of life I was offered.

And then there were all the flavors! How could I not learn that life was about all of the flavors and experiences that we encounter? Some of were hard to distinguish between, but others were so rich and colorful that you could not help but want to savor them slowly and enjoy them down to the very ... last ... moment. ahhh...

I don't think my grandfather planned on teaching me or my siblings or my cousins all these lessons from a simple roll of candy. But I think it would please him to know that he taught us how to love life, to love others, and to love the simple things that memories are made from.

Miss you Pop-pop.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a

Another rainy day ...

These past few weeks have had an abundance of rain to share with us and frankly, I’m tired of the gray! In south Florida there is a term for all this rain, it’s called “liquid sunshine”. But here in north Georgia, the sun is not sunshiny during the rain. It’s making me tired of the gray.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for the rain. I am even grateful for the clouds and the cool temperatures. I’m just tired of all of the gray. Do you know what I mean? Have you ever felt the same way?

I have found that in life it is so much simpler when things are black or white, right or wrong, up or down … you get the idea. But when things start to blur, it is harder to make choices. Like when it rains. Do I really need to go out or can it wait until tomorrow? On one hand we need to balance the perceived need and on the other, our own wants. Sometimes it is easier than at other times.

While raising my young children if we ran out of milk or bread or diapers, that was an absolute need that far outweighed my wanting to stay at home where it was warm and dry. Now that I am older and my children do not live at home I can look in the fridge and think to myself, “Tomorrow is soon enough to pick up some milk.” My desire to stay warm and dry has won out against the need for milk. I’ll just change the menu for tonight.

Yet now I find that the choices aren’t as easy as they once were. Now I do not have the external guides that I once had and the choices, the decisions I must make are often more difficult. Now the choices and the issues I wrestle with are often blurred into matters that have the nuances of others lives besides my own. Now, I make decisions and choices on matters that have far-reaching implications. When I go out to the grocery store for my milk or bread I can not help but think – where did the food came from? who produced it? is the packaging recyclable? what of the child who is hungry tonight?

And it is still raining. But I see a touch of sun shining through!

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13: 11-12

Thinking:10 Commandments or 10,000?

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17 NKJV)
1 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My Commandments.
3 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
5 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
6 “You shall not murder.
7 “You shall not commit adultery.
8 “You shall not steal.
9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”

For most people these are the standards to which we are called to live and conduct ourselves. For some, these constitute a set of rules that must be obeyed in order to earn the right to enter heaven. Others have found ways to make them "socially relevant".

GOD TEXTS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
BY Jamie Quatro

1. no1 b4 me. srsly.
2. dnt wrshp pix/idols
3. no omg's
4. no wrk on w/end (sat 4 now; sun l8r)
5. pos ok - ur m&d r cool
6. dnt kill ppl
7. :-X only w/ m8
8. dnt steal
9. dnt lie re: bf
10. dnt ogle ur bf's m8. or ox. or dnkey. myob.

M, pls rite on tabs & giv 2 ppl.
ttyl, JHWH.
ps. wwjd?

~~~~~~~
And then we have:
The Ten Commandments Southern Style
1. Just one God
2. Put nothin' before God
3. Watch yer mouth
4. Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
5. Honor yer Ma & Pa
6. No killin'
7. No foolin' around with another fellow's gal
8. No tellin' tales or gossipin'
9. No tellin' tales or gossipin'
10. Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

~~~~~~~~~
And then there is the following translation:
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
(Revised Plain English Translation)

Hey Moses! Listen up!! This is God. I have some important stuff to tell you, and I want you to relay it to all of your people:
First of all, I am the best God there is. So don't go looking for a better one. For reasons you wouldn't understand I won't show Myself to you to prove it. I am just telling you.
You better believe what I just said! If you don't, I will persecute you and all your descendants, even your innocent great-grandchildren. You heard what I did to Adam and Eve; so you know what I can do to the innocent, but stupid, people I have created.
Don't try to tell Me what to do or what not to do. That isn't the way it works. The way it works is that I tell you what to do. I'll do what I want to do no matter what you say or pray.
Sunday is My day, and you better not forget it! I would appreciate a little bowing and scraping on Sundays to honor My vanity, but don't do anything to disturb Me.
Well, that's all the really important stuff; but here are a few more things you should know:
Be respectful to your parents. I'm not saying you have to love them, but you better show respect. Later I'll send Someone to talk with you about love and how to treat your children and neighbors and enemies. For now you'll just have to do the best you can.
I don't want you to go around killing people willy-nilly. I've created some enemies that I may need your help to deal with (such as heretics, witches, homosexuals, abortionists, etc.), but I'll give you specific instructions concerning them when the time comes. Meantime, don't kill anyone unless I tell you to. Until then, let Me do it!
Don't fool around with another man's wife. His daughters and sisters and other females are okay as long as they're not married.
Stealing another man's property is also out! If you can grab it first, okay. But once he gets it, it's his. Stealing a woman's property? Let Me think about that some more.
Lying about your neighbor is also out. Other lies, if they serve My purposes, may be okay. But watch it!
Don't sit around leering at another man's wife, and don't go slobbering over anything else he has. I'm not really concerned about your wife making eyes at your neighbor's husband. Since I intend you to be the head of your family, I leave that up to you.
(Yes, this is a facetious parody, so don't get all upset at the posting.)
~~~~~~~
I've seen them defined in this manner: "The Ten Commandments refers to a list of moral imperatives or standards from the Judeo-Christian tradition. They were written by God and given to Moses." And in this manner: "as the unattainable standard that does not describe who we are but rather who we should be."

But one of the questions that comes to my mind through all of these descriptions and explanations is, if we (humans) have such a difficult time with these 10, why have we made so many more "rules", "laws", commandments to follow? Although some people will say that these commandments are archaic and no longer relevant, these same people will oftentimes give a whole new set of rules for which others are expected to obey. If society as a whole, without regard to specific religious beliefs, have created a set of laws to help us coexist in harmony with each other, why are so many of us challenged by these relatively simple rules? I for one, think it is worth my time and effort to ask myself these questions and earnestly seek a truthful answer. For in that process I may be able to define who I am, who I want to be, and how I can make a contribution to the community for which I am a part.

How about you? Are you up for the effort?

Sheep and Goats

Found this and well, just couldn't say it better myself.

"Inward or outward?
By Allen Ewing-Merrill

If you want to see me get all worked up, talk to me about how we in the church need to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look outward.

This happened recently at a monthly interfaith meeting that I facilitate. We were brainstorming about joint community outreach projects when one of my colleagues spoke up. I’m sure he had no idea he was about to push one of my buttons.

“You know, we have to take care of ourselves before we can begin to look to the needs of others,” he said. “We’re a very busy church with a lot going on. We’ve got to take care of our own needs first.”

Oh man. I wanted to jump across the table. My first thought: Does this guy read the same Gospels I read? Are we following the same Jesus?

I spoke up with more passion than substance, letting him know that I totally disagreed. I think it surprised him.

But isn’t this why so many of our churches are struggling—or on the edge of closing their doors—because we’ve lost our bearings, because we’ve become little more than social clubs focused on institutional maintenance?

Does anybody really believe that when we’ve taken care of all of our own needs, when the institution is finally running like a well-oiled machine, when we’ve focused inwardly long enough, that somehow we’ll then have the resources to begin caring for needs outside our church? Does anybody really believe this?

Before we moved to Portland, I served a church that had bounced back dramatically from a place of dismal decline. The church, once strong, had declined over the decades, not unlike other mainline Protestant churches across the U.S. Worship attendance was such that in the winter, they’d move out of the sanctuary into a small adjacent meeting room because they couldn’t afford to heat the big, beautiful sanctuary and they were also small enough that they could. Their focus was inward. Morale was low. They wondered how long they’d survive.

But then over the course of a decade or so, this congregation experienced dramatic change. Worship attendance began to grow from a low of about 40 to close to 300. The church came alive with children, youth and adults of all ages. A growing spiritual vitality produced diverse programs of mission and ministry that enlivened the church and impacted the community. This church had experienced revitalization—new life!

I remember hearing a pastor from another church trying to understand what had led to such dramatic change. One of the church’s leaders described it this way: “We used to be a church that looked inward. We were most concerned that the bills were paid, and when money was tight, we worked harder to balance the budget. All of our efforts went into trying to keep this church afloat.” (How many churches could describe themselves this way?)

“But then one day, a newcomer stood up during the sharing of joys and concerns, and through tears, she shared her struggle. She had a parent back in Brazil who was dying, and she was desperate to make it home to see this parent before it was too late. It was hard for her to ask, but she wondered if there was anyone who might be able to help her financially.”

Presented with a challenge, the church’s members began to understand that they could help a sister in need. The tearful concern of an immigrant in their midst grabbed their hearts and took precedent over a balanced church budget. They began to work together to meet the need of the newcomer and it became their rallying cry. When they were able to raise enough funds to send this person to Brazil, they realized God could use them for powerful things.

“Our focus changed, from inward to outward,” said the church leader, “and that made all the difference. Once we began looking outward, we never stopped.”

There were many factors that led to this church’s revitalization, but the point was clear: When the focus is outward, some of the inward things begin to take care of themselves.

The Rev. Ewing-Merrill and his wife, Sara, co-pastor Chestnut UMC and New Light community in Portland, Maine. This was excerpted from his blog at forwardonthejourney.blogspot.com.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~ Matthew 25:31-46

Stinking Thinking

Tomorrow is trash pick-up day at our house and tonight is the night we spend some time cleaning out the fridge and gathering the scattered wastebaskets from around the house. Sometimes we have old smelly things that have been shoved into the back of a drawer or behind another container. We may have forgotten about that leftover and now it has turned into a smelly, moldy, unrecognizable mess.

Sometimes this also happens to our thoughts and affects our behavior towards ourselves and others. Have you ever found yourself spiraling into negative thoughts about yourself and/or others? Your day started all wrong - your alarm didn't go off at the right time, you were late getting out the door so you got stuck in traffic and were even later to your appointment. Then, while standing in line that woman in front of you kept asking a lot of questions, couldn't she just sit down and figure out the paperwork for herself? Finally you realize that she can't read and you are upset with yourself for acting like a fool so you mentally berate yourself until you are no longer upset with her, but are now upset with yourself. And the spiral of negative thinking has begun.

How do we stop this spiral of negative thinking? Oftentimes we don't even realize how our judgmental thinking is affecting our concept of God and of ourselves. God has given us the strength to live and grow in our relationship with him and has given us the strength to become more than what we are so we may become all of which we have been created to be. I have found that when I remember that we - this includes me! - are created in the image of God, I am able to accept my limitations and weaknesses so that God's strength can overcome my judgmental attitudes. I think this quote by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh says it quite well - "You are carrying a masterpiece hidden within you, but you are standing in the way. Just move aside, then the masterpiece will be revealed. Everyone is a masterpiece, because God never gives birth to anything less than that. Drop the idea of becoming someone, because you are already a masterpiece. You have only to come to it, to know it, to realize it. God himself has created you; you cannot be improved."

Oops ~ looks like it's time to remove the trash. Don't let trashy thinking litter your mind and ruin your life!

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." ~ Genesis 1:27