Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Some nights my prayers feel like I’m listening to a Ken Nordin radio show.

This is a post that I wrote on Mon 13th, of March 2006
I was visiting Pearlie and discussing prayer.
"why-bother-to-pray"

"wordjazz"
I’ll be in bed talking to God then a noise will interrupt me, and I’ll wonder what it was . . .Is it the children? No. . . . Where was I? Praying, that’s right praying. The husband is snoring, . . .That noise again . . . Is it the dog? No . . . Here we go . . . Lord please . . . My husband had garlic for dinner, I’ll roll away from that odor. There goes the dryer. I need to fold those now so they don’t wrinkle. Does my son have clean jeans? That’s it now focus! I’ll yell in my head. Lord please forgive me for my lack of focus. I know that you want me to keep my . . . Was that the toilet flushing? Is someone sick? Lord Please forgive me of my sins . . . Did my son pack all of his stuff for school?

Ah hh . . . Why can’t I relax?I need to sit in front of my Bible open it and pray that God puts the scriptures in my brain so that on those garlic laced, toilet flushing, dog growling, dryer buzzing nights I can Be Still And Know That He Is God.

I whisper to myself just relax God is waiting for you to relax and talk to Him. I try again. Lord please keep my children safe at school . . . and so on.

Sometimes I have to admit I end up falling asleep before I have even finished my chat on what I want and /or need.. Some days I realize I haven’t taken the time to talk to God. I love the Sara Groves song “How Is It Between Us?” It’s not that I’ve forgotten Him. It’s that I have forgotten to go to Him today. No, I don’t believe it’s the same thing. I believe it’s us not stopping, not being still, us being Ken Nordinish, Music playing, someone talking, more music a different tune, water, more people talking someone whispering all at the same time. . . .

. . . .And standing with a smile and incredible smile is GOD being still and waiting for us to be still and talk to Him.
How it is between us
Album: Conversations
Artist: Sara Groves
Woke up on the wrong side of the bed,the wrong side of the room,the wrong side of the world.
Can’t put my finger on the mood.It’s not melancholy, anger or the blues.
I love my husband, my house, my job.
Couldn’t be any better,and really what else is there?
Then I realize I’m forgetting God,and that’s the root of all my misery.
Lord, first of all, how is it between you and me?
Chorus:
How is it between us?
How is it between us?
When did I talk to you last,and what has happened since?
How is it between us?
How is it between us?
When did I talk to you last, and what has happened?
When I wake up I am on my way,reinventing the wheel and saving the day.
I have learned this lesson a thousand times,I am the branch, and you are the vine.
Apart from you we are mice and men,with our fancy dreams of grandeur and no way to get there.
Oh I can think about you now and then,or I can make a mark on eternity.
Lord first of all, how is it, between you and me?
Chorus
So let the wicked prosper, let the oceans roar,let the mountains crumble, and fall into the sea.
There’s something more important weighing on my mind.
Lord first of all, how is it between you and me?

Help. . . . I need some tech help. . . .Please

Three post behind and counting. *-*
I need some tech help and yes I still have Codepokes helps saved. How do I put that nifty link thing in a post? If I wanted to say Codepoke had this to say you could click on the word this and go to his site. Some of my latest stuff screams for this.

Gotta heat up the shrimp for Miss Little beg the boy to eat something and fix my lunch before work and I think I need to check the laundry. I think the kids are going to visit Uncle Mark this week. I also need to hear why they are killing sharks just for the fins and that makes Miss Littles sad. Me too.

Monday, July 30, 2007

P&W is it a good thing?

It seems that once in a while someone has to discuss the P&W songs out in the blogdom so here’s my discussion.

I like some of the praise and worship songs. I really enjoy the ones that get our teems going. It’s great to hear them sing out.

What do you think of this song?


Is it a good thing to sing songs that have a bit of creative license if you are doing it to love the Lord?


I’m Trading My Sorrows
By Darrell Evans

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Amen

Chorus 1
I’m trading my sorrows,
I’m trading my shame,
I’m laying them down
for the joy of the Lord.
I’m trading my sickness,
I’m trading my pain,
I’m laying them down
for the joy of the Lord.

Chorus 2
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Amen.

Verse 1
(Solo)I’m pressed but not crushed,
persecuted, not abandoned,
struck down,
but not destroyed;
I’m blessed
beyond the curse,
for His promise will endure,

(All)
that His joy’s gonna be my strength.

Bridge
Though the sorrow
may last for the night,
His joy comes with the morning.

Chorus
I’m trading my sorrows,
I’m trading my shame,
I’m laying them down
for the joy of the Lord.
I’m trading my sickness,
I’m trading my pain,
I’m laying them down
for the joy of the Lord.

Chorus 2

Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Amen.

Chorus 2

Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord
yes, yes, Lord;
Amen.

Bridge
Though the sorrow
may last for the night,
His joy comes with the morning.

Chorus
I’m trading my sorrows,
I’m trading my shame,
I’m laying them down
for the joy of the Lord.
I’m trading my sickness,
I’m trading my pain,
I’m laying them
down for the joy of the Lord.

Ending
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Amen

La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Amen

Oh-Oh, Amen
Oh-Oh, Amen

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Little Swimmer

Today while I watched Miss Littles swim I realized that we have to learn to swim. Sure you can put a baby in the pool and it will instinctively hold it’s breath but only for a short time then it will drown. I watched her as she swam across the pool smiling with pride at her accomplishments of learning to breath at just the right time in just the right way with her arms and legs working together as one great little fish making the water its home.

Watching her made me think of God and how we are born with Him in us. He knew us before we were born heck He knew us before our parents knew each other, we were His. So as children we might have realized that God was God and we might have thought we knew who He was but we didn’t really know because we hadn’t learned yet how to love. Sure on a basic level we knew love like Miss Littles knows love for Uncle Mark and those around her but she has yet to test that love. She hasn’t learned all of the moves of love. The heart breaks, the highs, the lows, and the wonders. She doesn’t know to put this arm here, that foot there, paddle, and breath. She hasn’t learned to read this and pray and to ask for forgiveness of sin. She doesn’t know yet of God’s endless love. She hasn’t been tested nor has she tested it.

I do believe that we are tested.

I knew a woman who said that she was nearer to God when she lived in another country with maids and didn’t have an autistic child. She had lots of time to be with God. I believe that she was further from God, living without the struggles of life. At seven Miss Littles has faith that she is safe in that pool because she can see the instructor. If she starts to sink an arm is there ready to pull her up. If we as adults start to sink we must swim our way back to Him, sure I believe He gives us the ability to get to Him but we must do some of the work to find the safety of His arms.

We swim by faith.

Now I know that you science smart types can explain exactly how we can swim without sinking and how we can rest on our backs without finding the bottom of the pool. However, it’s by faith that we enter that water. And once we figure out that we can stay afloat then we are fine with the diving board and the big slide we know that the water can be mastered. We learn to have faith in God because we know the world around us can be mastered.

Sometimes we all go under and we take in a bit of water but because we’ve learned how to have faith and love in God we can stay afloat.
So tonight I take a big breath of air and just keep swimming.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Feel the chages

I have to admit that I haven’t been in church in the last two Sundays. Part is because I’ve been in need of sleep and part because I’m just not feeling it. Saturday night I didn’t get home from work until after 11pm. By the time I showered and relax it was after midnight. I tried to sleep but it seemed that the clock was taunting me. You now will only get four hours of sleep and so on. I had to be up at 4:30 am for a meeting. Naturally I was awake before the alarm sounded a Michael W. Smith song so I got up early and drove to work. Now what on earth was I thinking? No way was anyone going to be there to open the doors for me so I drove by my grandmother’s old house. We spent an endless amount of hours there when we were kids sliding down the hills, jumping off the porch over the bushes, walking to the little store for Chocolate Soldiers, running to the gas station for Mountain Dew, granny always kept change in a little clear change purse for us. That was a time before parents worried about how much sugar and caffeine their children had. You could play outside in that neighborhood without the worry of what some stranger might do. Heck the biggest worries were us disturbing the neighbors, rubbing the grass off the ground with the seat of our pants as we slid down the little hills, and wearing holes in our pants.


My cousin and her husband wanted to buy the old place for a rent house. I’m kind of glad they didn’t. It wouldn’t look or smell the same. The smell of those pears she ordered seemed to welcome us to the back porch room.


No, things are made to change.


I think that’s why I’ve not been feeling it. Things have changed and I’m not ready to except those changes.


I had to be back at work this afternoon so I headed home after the meeting. My husband called me to see when I might show up to see our son off for his next adventure. His sister told him not to get dehydrated this time. I had to laugh at that, she zinged him and good. I had lunch with my family told everyone goodbye and headed off to work. It wasn’t too bad tonight only one rude man and those are his issues not mine.


The changes are just changes and I know that I shouldn’t let those things stop me from worshiping God but I’ll be darned if I don’t find myself thinking about them as I walk in the building. I know that I need to take it apart and flip it around to see what I might do to stop this road block between me and God. I’ll need to accept the church changes. That I can do, it’s not about where you sit it’s about where your heart is.


The change in a friendship, in a heart, now that’s another thing and that is something a bit harder to do. I’m not very good at being direct when it comes to saying to others exactly how I feel. I tend to try to act like nothing is wrong and pray that it heals itself. This wound is so big now that it won’t heal on it’s own. I just don’t know how to start the healing process.


I pray for wisdom and healing. God will guide me, he always has.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Our Finial Scene

In the video below we see Don Giovanni going to hell.

Distraught, Elvira enters and begs Giovanni to repent, but he dismisses her contemptuously. As she leaves, she screams in terror — the stone guest has arrived. Leporello hides. The statue speaks: "Don Giovanni, you have invited me to supper." The statue invites Giovanni to supper in return, which Giovanni accepts by giving his hand to the statue. The moment the statue seizes his hand, Don Giovanni feels pain and terror, and eventually is dragged down to hell. The other principals appear and sing the moral of the story: As you live, so shall you die.


I’ve heard several Christians say that they don’t believe in hell that God just wouldn’t do that to his children.

I’ve read several passages that make me believe that there is a hell and it ain’t a place that I ever want to be.

Do you believe in hell?

Do you think that those who don’t believe in hell are tender hearted or afraid?

Monday, July 16, 2007

Don Giovanni: The Commandatore Scene

Bryn Terfel.
Some day I want to hear him in person.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

I try

I try I honestly try to be a nice person. Lately it’s been taking a bit more effort then usual. You know I love how people are for the most part. They tickle me with the way they can act at times.


It seems lately that I’m being tested. Earlier this month I was training a woman that the crew dubbed "Twitchy" she’s called that because she acted as if she were tweaking, you may not know what that means, she looked like she was in need of a score of her drug of choice. I was training for the second day and she was twitching and not understanding it very well, I work in a high stress area so I understand that it may take a bit to be on every need quickly. I sat behind her watching and helping one of my bosses was standing next to me and we were talking. I look at this wiggling woman and told her to try to anticipate what the needs of the customers are. Keep an eye out for those with heavy or bulky items. She looked at me and said it’s too much she quit. The boss and I said ok. She then preceded to tell one of the other newbees that she was left there alone. I was about a two feet or so away from her. Had she shown any amount of potential I would have tried to convince her to take a break and try again.


This weekend I had a huffer trying to score a can of silver spray paint. No big thing, they pay and go and I say a prayer in my head that they stop. This one was hard he had trouble counting his money and preceded to ask folks for money. I had no choice but to tell him sternly that he couldn’t do that. I then called my MOD to escort him out. He paid and escorted out. How far this man has fallen from his moments. I was a surprised at how hard that hit me. I was so stern with him I felt as if I gave him no grace at all, I know it’s my job to stop him from bothering people but he is a man.


The doctor’s office called and left a message for me to call back. I knew when my husband told me to call his nurse back that something wasn’t good about my x-rays. Now I get to see another doctor. I also get to take several pills a day for pain.


Those pain pills knock me funny and loopy. Last night was movie night and we got to bed rather late. I took the pills and fell to sleep when I woke I felt like I was in a fog but still I had to be in church to help plus I needed to take the kids because my husband had to be in even earlier. I took the am pill after I ate and waited for it to level a bit. I was slow at the slides and a bit giggley. When I walked my daughter to class I noted that my sister wasn’t in class yet so I checked on her and began to set up for her. I then walked back to the booth my husband looked at me and said you look as if you’re going to pass out go home and sleep. That I did until it was time for work.


I arrived at work to find a huge mess and no one really caring. Then I had to train another new person this one wanted to read magazines and talk to the guys that were hanging around the pretty new girl. When she was working she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on and several times I had to ask her to stop pushing buttons. I did ask her to help at one point interrupting her reading I knew it was going to buy me time until I could get to the woman to actually help her. The girl walked away without a word and went on break, my boss called me to tell me she was in the break room. She told my boss I didn’t want her around. My boss told her I just needed her to help instead of reading a magazine. My mood got better once things were cleaner and the girl was gone. I even at one point apologized for the mood. I let her know I hated seeing a mess like that. Here’s a kicker this one was hired to me one of my bosses and as I asked her boss "How much respect do you think I have right now for her?"

"Oh none" was the answer

I had a couple of fun guys in tonight so that helped.

TGIM I’m ready for a better week.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Aerosmith Steven Tyler Singing Amazing Grace

When I was in high school my friends talked me into seeing Areosmith in concert. At one point I was within reaching distance of the guys, I honestly could have stopped them and asked for an autograph right before they took the stage but really didn’t care. The performance that night was horrible they were go drugged up that they couldn’t keep it together.

This one surprised me I knew that he has made some changes.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Where's the rock for the kids?

The church I attend has been doing something a bit different with VBS for the past two years. It has changed it to Wednesday nights through the summer. I volunteered when I could in the past and love being the snack lady. Once we did a lava theme I brought a chunk of lava that had Hawaiian diamonds in it and let them feel the rock to show how rough it is. If you’ve ever been snorkeling in the tide pools on the Big Island you’ll know that they can shred you. I then passed a container of green sand and black sand and showed then how smooth it is from the water. I most likely don’t have to tell you where I went with the illustration of how God makes us smooth with water.

When I was a kid I attended VBS and still have those memories in my head of felt Jesus. I’m so glad to see that the VBS of the past is gone and we now have puppets, music, theme based snacks and so on.


I do have a point to telling about our VBSs. A great deal of the children that attended in the past were from our community or kids that were at friends or families house for a visit during the summer. We were an outreach for the kids. Now it seems that I’m not seeing as many new faces. What happened to VBS being an outreach? I will say that many volunteer and put on a VBS in another area so that they can have what our children have so we do have folks reaching out to those around us.


I spoke to some folks who were gathering things for their churches VBS about reaching the community. They had some really cool ways that I’d love to see more of. A bag of popcorn placed in a bag and hung on a door with the saying "Popping in to invite you . . .. ." A Kool-Aid package with something about having Kool time at VBS put on doors to invite kids.


The church where my son meets for Boy Scouts has a concession stand and charges money. This is a huge church and from what I hear they seemed surprised to see kids for outside the church attend their VBS. Are they alone in this or is the trend to take VBS away from the community?


I also realize that some parents did the drop and go thing but at least the kids got a bit of God in that week. You never know if that young person will be sitting on a bench on campus, thinking of what path to take, might think when he sees a rock on the ground and think about how smooth God could make him with the water.


Does your church use VBS as on outreach?

A time to pray

I think it’s once again a time to pray for those in need please feel free to add to the list I will up date when I can.

The nice young man that has fallen away from God, I pray that my words and God will lead him back.

My friend who is working so hard to be a support for his children. Stay strong friend and know when to lay it at God’s feet. I’ll always be here to listen if you need me.

My friend who is stripping down her marriage so that they can be stronger.
KB and his wife.

KB’s son and his family. Being away is hard enough but to be in a war is unimaginable to some of us.

Ozz and his family. http://www.hoei.com/caden/blog/

Doug, we miss you and pray that all is well with you and your family.

Preacherman

Pinkakidion we are praying for you and your wonderful family


Karen

My cousin and his children dealing with divorce.

Missy said...
I'll join you in prayer for these people.Add a friend fighting colon cancer,a cousin in a bitter unwanted divorce, and so many lost children (in many different ways

Monday, July 09, 2007

Respect

I believe that each of us have different feelings on who gets our respect and how they earn it.
My bosses come with an amount of respect because they are my bosses. If they make a choice to do something to take some of that respect away then they naturally lose some respect from me.


I thought about the guys that I’ve been attracted to in the past and what attracted me to them and why.


My father worked and he worked hard. He didn’t job hop we never worried about what dad was going to have to do to keep us fed. Dad also worked odd jobs for extra money. He hunted and fished not just because he enjoyed those thing but to help keep his family fed.


When I look back at the guy I dated in high school he was a hard worker. BS was in college with a full time job. He was working on his pilot’s licence and loved jumping out of airplanes. He played french horn with the symphony, played basketball with the guys at his church, ran several miles every morning then went home and cooked breakfast for himself. Most of all he knew God.


Two of guys I dated in college worked one had a welding business in high school the other worked to help support his parents. Both knew God.


BK is a man with a brilliant mind he worked hard to get where he is today. He was a sweet man.
T worked a full time job, owned his own business, and was in the reserve. Yes he went to war. T hated not working it made him feel as if he wasn’t a man if he wasn’t working.


Then there is my husband a man who works hard. He was going to college and working when I met him. He got a job with the company shortly after we met, he got the job because he called them several times until they put him to work. The man would get up every morning go to work then come home shove food down, shower, and dash off to school. We spent weekends with me reading his text books and quizzing him. When we’d drive to my parents house I had the book in my hands reading them to him. He spends several hours a week in the church fixing things helping to set up for worship. He goes to friends houses to help them. He loves to have friends from church in our home.


See the man works hard something that my dad did.


But work isn’t enough is it a paycheck doesn’t listen to you children. That almighty dollar doesn’t tickle the giggle kids. It doesn’t lay in bed at night with me listening to my fears or my joys.


You must have balance he has to be a man who wants to seek God. He has to be a man who loves me, who respects me. One who will love and support in all ways his family.
That’s a man who has my respect.


I’ve spent some time reading some of you guys and I’ve gotten to know a couple of you you have my respect. Keep being good dads.

Casting Crowns-American Dream

This is one of my son's favs.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Ouch! I was tagged by KB.

I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here are the Milly facts:

  • Food: Yes I like food. Not too picky. I love Mexican, Chinese, and the brick oven pizza place.

  • Family: One teenage son, one seven year old daughter, one husband for nineteen years, one dog, one brother, one sister, one niece. Sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws and bunch of nieces and nephews, yes I’m a great aunt on my husband’s side.

  • Exercise: I so should do that

  • Profession: Home Improvement store

  • Obsession: Do we really realize we’re obsessed? Now that's gonna bug me for a good long time.

  • Faith: I believe in God and Jesus, I believe He put me on this path and I chose to stay on it or take a wrong turn. I want to stay on it.

  • Ailments: Migraines I can’t remember when they started I just remember always having them.

  • Games: Cards.

Now I need to tag others.
Byevad, Larry, Laymond, Ron, Pearlie, Missy, my brother Mark, and you who wants to be tagged.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Beverly Sills and Danny Kaye opera parody!

What a cherished memory I have of seeing Beverly Sills many years ago.

God Bless the men and women who have given so much to protect us.

Thank you for being caretakers of our freedom.

Peace to those families who have waited for loved ones to come home.

May all come home safely soon.


No matter what you believe about this war these are folks who have people who love them, these people aren’t numbers they are human lives, sons and daughters, moms and dads, some are our friends, some our past loves all of them need to come home.

As you watch those fireworks please take a moment to pray for peace.

Please pray that they all come home safely.