Notes to Self...and whoever's listening

Once again I find my heart heavy after another tragic event in the country.  We hear the obligatory "Why did this happen?" and search for answers. But, even during my sadness this time, I found myself asking, "Why not?"   Our morality in this country is at an all-time low....so is church attendance and people even associating themselves with the term "Christian".  So, why not? I don't say that callously or to start some political rants.  I turned to myself first.  Then I got mad.  Tragedies are inevitable.  Acts of terror, regardless of where they come from, will continue to harm our citizens of this country unless we turn from our wicked ways...wait, I've heard that before... "... if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."  2 Chronicles 7:14 I was also to drawn th...

John 15:11-15 The Message (MSG) 11-15  “I have told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning.  No, I have named you friends because I have let you in on everything I have heard from the Father. Another beautiful moment the Lord used this week to speak to me, again through Logan, my dear, sweet nephew.... He awoke from his sleep about 10:30 last night, "pluking" as he calls it.  He was sick everywhere!  First of all, this is NOT my strong suit.  My gag reflexes kicked in in a big way!  Ick!  But, my sister and I worked hard to reassure him it was fine and he would be okay and tried...

Love when you learn a little something from a child and, in my house, that happens fairly regularly.  Yesterday I warned Logan that there was a patch of ice at the end of the steps and to wait for me to help him.  As I was closing the door, he went ahead and I turned around just in time to see his butt hit the ground.  As I rushed to help him, he said he was okay and that he should have listened to me.  Then he added that he guesses that his head didn't understand me very well and that's why he went.  That struck a chord with me and made me think about all of the times I've said to him and his brother, Why don't you listen???  Maybe, their still-forming, still-learning brains didn't understand exactly what I was saying or didn't understand the danger that lies ahead.  I expect them to listen because I spoke and I know better.  But, they don't know that I always do know better.  Why should they?  They haven't lived that long.  (Ple...

I love when the Lord speaks to me in an almost audible fashion!  No, it doesn't happen as much I would like it to, or it does, but I'm not always able to hear...or always listening. But, I "heard" Him last night and it brought tears to my eyes as I was driving.  My family and I all have been sick this weekend and took Sunday off from church and much of anything to try to rest and mend.  I had to leave the house in the evening to drive the truck to the mechanic's house and decided to stop by my parent's house to drop a few things off and see if my dad wanted to get away for an ice cream break.  (He did!) As I drove, I was in awe about how much rain had come down as I had been in the house all day and not realized how much it had rained.  I remembered something a meteorologist had said recently about the fact that we have had so much precipitation in the past few weeks that the drought rating in our area had been upgraded from "severe"...

I'm praying for you. How many times have you said those words to someone?  How many times have you been asked to pray for someone and promised without hesitating that you would definitely do so? I can't count.  First of all, it's the Christian thing to do, right?  Of course I'll pray for you!  It would be my privilege!  I always pray for you.... Second, what are we going to say?  No? Last night as I pulled out my Bible I will honestly tell you that I wasn't planning on doing any "heavy" reading.  I was really just going to satisfy my "duty".  I even opened to Hebrews where I had been gaining some encouragement for some things I've dealt with recently.  But, then I felt the "tug". I've been dealing personally with some decisions that are pretty big in my heart and life and trying to find some answers as to the steps to take.  And, I've felt kind of lonely in those decisions.  The Lord seemed to tell me to take a loo...

37...not a threatening number, right?   According to Wikipedia, the following things are related to such a harmless number: *The number of plays William Shakespeare i s thought to have written (counting Henry IV as three parts). * 37 is the only two digit number in base 10 whose product, when multiplied by two, subtracted by one, and then read backwards, equals the original two digit number: 37×2=74, 74-1=73, 73 backwards is 37. * The normal human body temperature in degrees Celsius. Harmless, right?  But, tonight, as I'm on the cusp of turning that number, it is causing me to reflect... This week I prayed with a dying woman...celebrated the joy of the birth of a family friend's baby...mourned the death of a dear friend's grandmother...and celebrated the birthdays of my sister, two of my nephews, my brother and soon my sister-in-law's birthday.  Kinda a lot to digest. The greatest conclusion I came to tonight:  It is unfair to measure a person...

Red Velvet Cake.....Never has been a favorite of mine......but it taught me a lesson this week. My sister LOVES Red Velvet.  She would give her right arm for it, I think. So, I told her I would attempt it for her birthday.  And, that I did.  I'm usually the type of person that follows recipes as "suggestions" and not "science", but this time I wanted everything to be perfect, so I followed everything exactly.  When it came out of the oven, I looked at it and wasn't sure.  It looked kind of sponge-y, but she said it is supposed to look like that.  I believed her.  Then she bit into it.  She smiled and said it was good.  Well, to a perfectionist like me, good wasn't the right answer.  I asked for clarification.  She looked at me, realizing her mistake.  What?, she asked.  I said it was good.  I asked if it was just good.  She wrinkled her forehead and slowly said it was good, but not the best she had ever had....