Thursday, July 31, 2008

100 Quotes for My 100th Blog Entry!

My 100th blog is being celebrated by 100 quotes.

ALBERT EINSTEIN

1. The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

2. As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality.

3. Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

4. The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.

5. If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.

6. I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

7. Ah, women. They make the highs higher and the lows more frequent.

MARK TWAIN

8. Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.

9. Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

10. I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.

11. I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

12. The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.

13. “Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?”

VOLTAIRE

14. Every man is guilty of all the good he didn’t do.

15. No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

16. The true triumph of reason is that it enables us to get along with those who do not possess it.

17. It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.

18. There are men who can think no deeper than a fact.

19. Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.

20. Anything too stupid to be said is sung.

21. By appreciation, we make excellence in others our own property.

22. Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers.

PLATO

23. One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.

24. No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern.

25. This City is what it is because our citizens are what they are.

32. Courage is knowing what not to fear.

26. The measure of a man is what he does with power.

CHURCHILL

27. A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

28. If you are going through hell, keep going.

29. The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

30. It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

HISTORY

31. Veni, Vidi, Vici." (I came, I saw, I conquered) -- Julius Caesar.

32."The military doesn't start wars. Politicians start wars" -- General William Westmoreland

33."A young man who does not have what it takes to perform military service is not likely to have what it takes to make a living." -- John F. Kennedy

34."I feel that retired generals should never miss an opportunity to remain silent concerning matters for which they are no longer responsible." -- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (a piece of advice Wesley Clark should have followed).

35."Blood is the price of victory" -- Karl von Clausewitz

36."The art of war is simple enough. Find where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on." -- General Ulysses S. Grant

37."In the absence of orders, find something and kill it". -- Erwin Rommel

38."War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The ugliest is a man who thinks nothing is worth fighting and dying for and lets men better and braver than himself protect him." -- John Stuart Mill

39."Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism" -- George Washington

40."You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.” -- Winston Churchill

41.You'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!" -- Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe, USMC, Guadalcanal, 13 January 1943

42."If you leave here with the word DUTY implanted in your mind; if you leave here with the word HONOR carved in your soul; if you leave here with love of COUNTRY stamped on your heart, then you will be a twenty-first century leader worthy...of the great privilege and honor...of leading...the sons and daughters of America..." -- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf to the Corps of Cadets on 15 May 1991

43."There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure." -- Colin Powell

44...and this from December 9, 2005, while interviewing an anonymous US Special Forces soldier, a Reuters News agent asked the soldier what he felt when sniping members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The soldier shrugged and replied, "Recoil."

45. "Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

46."Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever."
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

47."Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower (1887-1956)

49."Don't be so humble - you are not that great."
- Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

50."His ignorance is encyclopedic"
- Abba Eban (1915-2002)

51."If a man does his best, what else is there?"
- General George S. Patton (1885-1945)

52."Political correctness is tyranny with manners."
- Charlton Heston (1924-)

53."I can write better than anybody who can write faster, and I can write faster than anybody who can write better."
- A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)

54."People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid." - Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

55."Give me chastity and continence, but not yet."
- Saint Augustine (354-430)

56."Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

57."Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

58."A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

59."The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."
- Emile Zola (1840-1902)

60."This book fills a much-needed gap."
- Moses Hadas (1900-1966) in a review

61."The full use of your powers along lines of excellence."
- definition of "happiness" by John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

62."I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart."
- e e cummings (1894-1962)

63."Give me a museum and I'll fill it."
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

64."Assassins!"
- Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) to his orchestra

65."I'll moider da bum."
- Heavyweight boxer Tony Galento, when asked what he thought of William Shakespeare

66."In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is."
- Yogi Berra

67."I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826)

68."Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650), "Discours de la Methode"

69."In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

70."Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
- Henry Ford (1863-1947)

71."Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."
- Yoda ('The Empire Strikes Back')

72."The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

73. "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)

74."A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems."
- Paul Erdos (1913-1996)

75."Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by fighting back."
- Paul Erdos (1913-1996)

76."Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."
- Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895)

77."The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not mad."
- Salvador Dali (1904-1989)

78."If you can't get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you'd best teach it to dance."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

79."But at my back I always hear Time's winged chariot hurrying near."
- Andrew Marvell (1621-1678)

80."Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
- Plato (427-347 B.C.)

81."The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don't have it."
- George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

82."Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called 'Ego'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

83."Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger (1947-)

84. "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
- Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821)

85."I think 'Hail to the Chief' has a nice ring to it."
- John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) when asked what is his favorite song

86."I have nothing to declare except my genius."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) upon arriving at U.S. customs 1882

87. "Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe."
- H. G. Wells (1866-1946)

88."Talent does what it can; genius does what it must."
- Edward George Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

89."The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'."
- unknown

90."He who has a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

91."Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

92."I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters."
- Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

93."Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go."
- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

94."He is one of those people who would be enormously improved by death."
- H. H. Munro (Saki) (1870-1916)

95."I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

96."I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them."
- Ian L. Fleming (1908-1964)

97."If you can count your money, you don't have a billion dollars."
- J. Paul Getty (1892-1976)

98."Facts are the enemy of truth."
- Don Quixote - "Man of La Mancha"

99."When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."
- George Washington Carver (1864-1943)

100."I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
- Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

A New Dog

We are getting a dog! It's a fairly large chihuahua mixed with something else. It's red with eyes that are the same color as his fur. My husband and I picked him out on Saturday, but then we couldn't buy him because we didn't have a note from our duplex owner saying we could have a dog in the house. We received that note today by fax and now we are getting the dog.

Tomorrow afternoon we are going to pick him up after he has been "fixed." He will be pretty uncomfortable for a while. We have church on Thursday night, so we won't be home with him in the evening. Our son will be here, so that will be good. Then the next day we all will be gone to work. I wish we could have gotten him Friday evening, but that didn't work out.

He's very cute. We really didn't get to spend much time with him, but I think he has a good personality. He's an adult dog--it seems like he was about three years old. Our lives will change. It makes me a little nervous. (;>

Monday, July 28, 2008

How Entertainment Can Influence Thoughts and Actions by Focus on the Family

This is part of an article from Focus on the Family about the influence of the media on people and especially on young people and adults.

"It's just entertainment. It doesn't affect me." That common viewpoint — especially among young people — is naive at best. While it almost goes without saying that few people will allow something they see or hear in media to turn them into killers or rapists, for better or worse, it's clear that media does have the power to influence our thoughts, actions and behaviors. Consider a few examples:

The Harry Potter series has cast a spell worldwide. In Britain, a broom maker reported a spike in sales, explaining, "Children have seen them in the film and ask their parents to buy them one." The Hexenschule, a European school of witchcraft, credits J.K. Rowling's boy wizard with increased enrollment. Elsewhere, American schools have adapted the high-flying game Quiddich for use in gym class, and a young woman in Spain burned her house halfway to the ground while attempting to brew a potion like her Hogwarts heroes.

In June 2006, the Journal of Adolescent Health reported that teens who absorbed sexually explicit entertainment the most frequently were up to 2.2 times more likely to have had sexual intercourse by ages 14 to 16 than those who had been exposed the least. medialifemagazine.com, 3/22/06; Journal of Adolescent Health, 3/06; Reuters, 4/3/06]

In December 2003, the legal defense team of Lee Boyd Malvo (the 18-year-old convicted as one of the Washington-area snipers) argued that violent media was used to desensitize the teen to killing. Lawyers showed the jury clips from movies and video games that were allegedly used to "brainwash" Malvo. They included a scene from The Matrix wherein characters Neo and Trinity gun down policemen. Dewey Cornell, a clinical psychologist, testified, "Exposure to entertainment violence desensitizes people to violence, makes it seem more acceptable. These people have more violent thoughts and actions." This phenomenon occurs in millions who feast on violent fare, even if they don't take that desensitization to murderous extremes.

During the Jack Nicholson film About Schmidt, audiences were shown the photo of a 6-year-old Tanzanian boy cared for by Childreach, an actual nonprofit organization. Donations to Childreach soared. The humanitarian group, which recruits U.S. sponsors for children in developing countries, had been receiving three sponsorships per day on its Web site. When the film went nationwide, that figure rose to 80.

How do you spike popular interest in battered, broken, bloody corpses? Make them the centerpiece of a TV show. Since the 2000 debut of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," colleges and universities have noticed a large increase in the number of students taking forensics classes. And some insiders are fingering CSI as the inspiration. A representative from Manhattan’s Pace University credits the CBS series as a “major force” in its decision to add new undergraduate and grad-school degree programs in the field. And The American Academy of Forensic Sciences says that 25 people per week are calling regarding forensic careers, a five-fold increase. [EW.com, 8/14/02]

A study funded by the nonprofit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine has found that the more cigarette marketing teens see in retail stores, the more likely they are to pick up the habit. Sandy Slater, who led the study, dogmatically commented, "Restricting these marketing practices would reduce youth smoking." Researchers evaluated the effect of point-of-purchase advertising on a nationally representative sample of 26,000 8th, 10th and 12th graders from 1999 to 2003. [AP, 5/8/07 c&e]

The scene in Mission: Impossible 2 of Tom Cruise’s mountaintop experience involving instructions received via his sunglasses caused Oakley sunglass sales to soar to $100 million in the quarter following the movie’s release — up 39 percent from the same quarter the previous year. Not a bad return on a $100,000 product placement investment! (Robert Smithouser. Movie Nights, Tyndale House, 2002)

In 1988, a Dallas morning deejay asked his listeners to send him $20, without giving them a reason. Within a week, the radio station had received over $240,000. (Stan Campbell and Randy Southern. Mind Over Media, Tyndale House, 2001)

"All too many people read novels or see films and think they're experiencing reality. ... According to the Barna Group, 24% of those who read The Da Vinci Code said it 'aided their spiritual growth and understanding.' In other words, one in four of its readers believe the book's thesis (as opposed to its story line) is true." —columnist Don Feder, referring to how Dan Brown's controversial book has influenced some readers [grasstopsusa.com, 5/16/06]

A brief candy cameo in E.T. — The Extraterrestrial immediately sent sales of Reese’s Pieces into orbit. Sales increased 65 percent after the film’s release. (Robert Smithouser. Movie Nights, Tyndale House, 2002)

Wham-o, Inc. is convinced that movies can have a powerful influence on children. That's why it sued the makers of Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star for irresponsibly depicting its Slip 'N Slide toy in the movie. A character throws himself onto a dry Slip 'N Slide, leaving his chest covered in welts. Later he greases it, causing him to slide uncontrollably into a fence. A Wham-O spokesman expressed concern that children might copy that "reckless" behavior and severely injure themselves.

My own note: We should be very concerned about what our young people (and we adults) are exposed to. I think that the Internet, email and other kinds of technology also have great influence in lives. I think if I were raising my children today, I would be so very careful of the Internet. I probably wouldn't let them go to other people's houses unless I knew for certain there was very controlled access to the Internet and that the parents in the home supervised the use and that they had the same concerns we did.

Friday, July 25, 2008

The Bad News

Well, the Larimer County commissioners are requiring that the Sheriff's Office cut its budget by over a million when it's all said and done. It has been determined that public safety is only of mid-level concern when compared to other county agencies in Larimer County. We just heard that no more people will be hired for the Sheriff's Office and that the twenty positions that are open will not be filled. Some positions are going to be cut. However, our supervisor said that no jobs will be cut in the Records Department.

We in the Sheriff's Office question the wisdom of supporting other county agencies/programs ahead of public safety and crime prevention. If monies are not made available, the public may (will) have to pay a higher price in crime, overcrowded jails, fewer deputies on the roads, less training to do the law enforcement jobs, and less involvement in important programs (already LCSO will no longer be involved in the Drug Task Force). At least two of the commissioners have indicated they are going to be causing problems for the Sheriff (and his office) because they have had conflicts with the Sheriff. It seems very shortsighted to me.

My personal good news is that I will be working a while longer!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

13 Thursday Malapropisms

Definition of malapropism: ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound—sometimes done purposely and sometimes done accidentally.

Good punctuation means not to be late.

He's a wolf in cheap clothing.

My sister has extra-century perception.

"Don't" is a contraption.

"Listen to the blabbing brook." Norm Crosby

"This is unparalyzed in the state's history." Gib Lewis, Texas Speaker of the House

"The police are not here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder." Richard Daley, former Chicago mayor

"He was a man of great statue." Thomas Menino, Boston mayor

"Well, that was a cliff-dweller." Wes Westrum, about a close baseball game

"Be sure and put some of those neutrons on it." Mike Smith, ordering a salad at a restaurant

"It's got lots of installation." Mike Smith, describing his new coat

Damp weather is very hard on the sciences.

The death of Francis Shaw was a major turning point in his life.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I Talked to a Horse

Yesterday when I went to back out of my parking space at work to go home I suddenly heard a loud whinny of a horse. It sounded like he was right behind me. I stomped on the brake so I wouldn't hit him if he was behind me. I turned around and looked and he was in a horse trailer about 25 feet away. The windows in the trailer were wide open and the head of the horse was sticking out of a window about as far as it could go. I'm pretty sure he was trying to get my attention.

I pulled around so my car window was facing the horse, and I started talking to him. He listened to me very carefully. Finally I put the car in gear and started to leave. The horse blew very loudly through his nose--lots of splatter--as if to say, "You're leaving way too soon. I need more attention." But it was time to go.

Later I told my husband that I needed to be around horses. He told me maybe I just needed a dog. And maybe I do. So when are we going to get one? I would like to have an English bulldog--but not likely. I would also like to have a miniature horse that I can keep in the house.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Random Thoughts

Some random thoughts:

1. My son went to the emergency room this morning with a very painful kidney stone. He has no insurance. My husband hasn't called me back to say whether they have been able to go home yet.

2. I just overheard a co-worker talking about how rude a clerk was in a store. When she and her husband went outside to unload their purchases, they realized that they hadn't paid for two things. Because they were so irritated with the clerk, they decided not to go back in and pay. This disturbs me.

3. We are getting a new shower stall today for our master bathroom. Yay! Gary had to leave the house to help the son with his kidney stone problem, so the two plumbers have been in our house alone. Hopefully all is going well.

4. I'm having a broccoli/cauliflower mixture for my lunch. My supervisor doesn't like the smell of it, so I took it to the break room to cook it. Now I'm eating it back at my desk. I don't know if cooking it somewhere else helps the smell or not since I bring it back into the work room.

5. Apparently I don't have any more random thoughts I want to write about. Just remember a zebra's stripes are as unique as fingerprints are. You will always be able to identify your zebra.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Potluck and Sandwiches

At my church we have a potluck once a month. I enjoy it because I sometimes make recipes that my family won't necessarily eat but ones that I like and I think others will like. For the potluck tomorrow I am making a Mexican casserole (Paula Dean's from a show I saw a couple of weeks ago) and pasta salad (curly pasta, olives, pepperoni, green onions, tomatoes, maybe cucumbers, low fat Italian dressing). I will make some especially for my husband because he doesn't like olives. And for dessert there will be brownies. Of course brownies are my son's favorite, so I will let him have one or two before I take them to church.

There is one man at church who usually likes at least one of my recipes...a lot. I really never think of myself as being a very good cook, but somehow what I make always appeals to him. Maybe his wife's cooking is bland.

One Thursday night this summer we had a hamburger/hot dog cookout at church and nearly all of the women brought beans as a side dish. They were all good, but we usually have more of a variety. For my beans I took canned Bush's Baked Beans and added 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa. Well, the man who likes my cooking thought they were really good.

I'm also slow-cooking a pork roast for our supper tonight. I've added a little barbecue sauce for flavoring. We will have pulled pork sandwiches. Sounds good to me.

Just a reminder that a blog is not just about writing things that are interesting to others. Sometimes I have to write about the mundane. But it makes me happy.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

13 Thursday Strange Laws

1. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle.

2. It is illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.

3. In California, bathhouses are against the law.

4. It is a misdemeanor to shoot at any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.

5. Women may not drive in a housecoat.

6. In Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.

7. It is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.

8. Men may not be seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown.

9. In Louisiana, it is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.

10. In New York, a fine of $25 can be levied for flirting. This old law specifically prohibits men from turning around on any city street and looking "at a woman in that way." A second conviction for a crime of this magnitude calls for the violating male to be forced to wear a "pair of horse-blinders" wherever and whenever he goes outside for a stroll.

11. The penalty for jumping off a building is death.

12. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk.

13. In Texas, The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

I Hear Things

I work with a group of about ten ladies. We have low (about 4 1/2 ft. high) divider walls between our desks, but we can still hear each other, and depending on where our desks are, we can see part of the group when we are sitting down.

This is what sometimes happens.

I'm sitting and usually working at my desk and most often at the computer when I hear what I think may be my name being mentioned across one of the walls. I can't tell for sure it's my name, but it could be.

Me: Is someone calling my name?

Several other voices in a whispery tone: Paula. Paula. Paula. Paula.

Me: So are you saying my name?

Others: Paula. Paula. Paula. Paula.

Me: Why are you calling my name?

Others: We're not calling your name. We're talking about something else.

Me: Well, it sure sounds like you're calling my name.

Others: You always think we're calling your name. We're just talking and you're just imagining things.

Some version of this story happens on a regular basis. We all laugh. Everyone enjoys making fun of others (me). The trouble is, I usually don't find out why they were saying my name in the first place. Sometimes I think they are referencing something I said earlier which could be good or bad as in, "Paula said Sue did it all wrong, but I think Paula is the one who doesn't know what she's talking about," or "Paula said we're going to have cake today. So where is it? Does she really know what she's talking about. Go ask the supervisor if we're having cake today and tell her Paula said we are."

Sometimes it may be better not to know the truth.

My least favorite time to hear or maybe hear my name is when someone is telling the supervisor something that I said. That brings out my "run and hide" instincts. Survival in the work place is mostly being willing to take a joke but not give out jokes that are too harsh. Work friendships can change on a dime, but usually only temporarily. Good times.

I may hear things, but at least I don't see dead people.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Blessings from God

I've had blessings this last week. Last Monday or Tuesday I went to get my hair cut. My stylist was a talker and we talked about many things. I mentioned that I would like to have my hair in a spike sometime, but that I had to be careful not to cause any problem for the people in my church. She commented that she thought maybe those people needed to be stirred up. She told me when she became a Christian things were better for her. She also told me that she believed there were beings on other planets, and I told her I didn't believe that. We went on to talk about which church I went to, and I ended up inviting her to the services. She asked if I would be there and I said I would. When I left I gave her a tract and wrote the name of my church on the back.

Then today, I found out one of my sweet friends is leaving for good to go home and be with her parents. She was supposed to leave on July 31, but she just found out that her dad went back into the hospital and probably won't live to be released. So she is leaving in a hurry. I hugged her a couple of times. She's been very tearful about her dad. Over the years we have talked some about God and prayer. I don't know that she is a born-again Christian, but she does have some understanding of some things. She told me this morning that her dad was fearful because he doesn't want to leave his wife alone. I gave my friend a Gospel tract to read to her father. I told her that maybe if he had peace with God, he could have peace about other things as well.

If you are in a praying mood and mode, please pray for the hairstylist (Helga) and for my friend (Diana) that God will work in their lives, that my friend will have a safe journey home, and that her dad will live to hear the Gospel. God is good to give me these opportunities.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Thoughts in Church

I was thinking about something in church (yes, it was during the sermon). I read blogs from some of the rest of you, and you have pointed out that we are to love and accept people no matter their backgrounds, their spiritual states, their lifestyles, or their opinions. I totally agree with all of this. We are to love people no matter what, but we are not to love their sin. It's a difficult line to walk sometimes.

Well, then I had another thought. In my little church in Loveland, Colorado there are no homosexuals, no prostitutes, no atheists, no promiscuous people, no liberals. There are mainly very conservative, God-loving and God-serving individuals. Does that mean we wouldn't welcome other people? I don't think so and I hope it doesn't mean that. But the main idea I'm trying to get to is that maybe God produces the love in us for the ministry we are in. I can say I love all those other people, but I can't really prove it at this point.

I used to hear that when a Christian is put into a situation where he will be tortured or killed for his faith, God will provide the courage and the grace to allow a person to embrace the situation for the Lord. The Holy Spirit will enable a Christian to get through to the end.

So why wouldn't the Holy Spirit also enable us to love the way we should--love the people we should--be the witnesses we should--when those things are needed? In the Bible Peter wasn't the testimony he should have been when he denied Christ three times, but later in His life, he was the Christian he had to be when he was crucified upside down on a cross for his faith--God enabled him to do what had to be done.

May God make us able to be the Christians we should be in the circumstances He gives us.

What do you think about this?

Friday, July 11, 2008

Thursday, July 10, 2008

13 Thursday Old West Terms

I hope someday to write an Old West novel of some kind. These are some terms that could be useful.

1.Arbuckle's ~ slang for coffee, taken from a popular brand of the time. "I need a cup of Arbuckle's."

2.Between hay and grass ~ neither man nor boy, half-grown.

3.Big bug ~ important person, official, boss. "He's one of the railroad big bugs."

4.California widow ~ woman separated from her husband, but not divorced. (From when pioneer men went West, leaving their wives to follow later.)

5.Crowbait ~ derogatory term for a poor-quality horse.

6.Difficulty ~ euphemism for trouble, often the shootin' or otherwise violent kind. "He had to leave Texas on account of a difficulty with a gambler in San Antonio."

7.Dreadful ~ very. "Oh, her dress is dreadfully pretty."

8.Fetch ~ bring, give. "Fetch me that hammer." / "He fetched him a punch in the nose."

9.Flannel mouth ~ an overly smooth or fancy talker, especially politicians or salesmen. "I swear that man is a flannel-mouthed liar."

10.Get a wiggle on ~ hurry.

11.Gospel mill ~ a church.

12.Hobble your lip ~ shut up.

13.See the elephant ~ originally meant to see combat for the first time, later came to mean going to town, where all the action was.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Training Up a Child

The Bible says to train up a child in the way he should go. The problem with doing this is that no matter how parents train up a child, we never get it quite right.

I mean that even if parents were always in the Lord's will, obeying God's directives, praying constantly, teaching correctly, and nourishing each tiny child in the right way, the child at some point would question the parents' actions in raising them. I am not wanting to be critical of the child. I think every child has to come to his own conclusions about how he was raised: whether he was taught the truth, whether he was taught correctly and whether parents had the right motives and knowledge. The main truth of a parent's life is that it ain't easy raising children.

I wasn't even close to being a perfect parent. I didn't conscientiously or consistently work at teaching my kids God's Word. I did fairly consistently teach God's precepts. My husband and I had our children in Christian schools all their lives where they learned of God and His Word, and we had them in church two to three times a week where the Word of God was taught regularly. And we taught them at home.

I wasn't always a good example to my children. I should have read the Scripture and prayed more myself and with them. I wish I had taught them God's precepts line upon line more diligently. I wish my Christian walk and inner life had been more consistent.

I understand that grown children must make their own decisions concerning their beliefs, their understanding of God's Word, their understanding of God and willingness to obey Him, and their relationship with Christ and His church. I hope that for all of us, the truths of God's Word and the leading of His Spirit in our lives will be the guiding factors for all of our lives.

How we train our children when they are young, in every aspect of their lives, is a living testament to our love for them and for their future. Would I do many things different if I could? Definitely. Would I change everything? Not at all.

And, in spite of everything, may the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ truely be with us all.

p.s. I am not totally satisfied with this post. I didn't write it to be critical of any of my 10 or 15 children. These are just some of my thoughts.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

See Ya in Church

The whole New Testament is about the Church in some form or another. The Gospels were about the life of Christ who is the foundation, life and savior of the church and about the disciples who spread the Gospel. Acts reports the actual beginning of the church and the early history of it. Most of the epistles were written to churches, pastors and individual members of churches. Revelation is in part about the seven churches and tells of future events for the Church and Christians as the body of Christ.

We should be attached to the Bible-believing, Scripture-functioning church as if by an umbilical cord. To live the Christian life totally away and without being involved in church means we are trying to live the Christian life outside God's will and provision.

If you doubt this, try doing a word study in the New Testament on the Church. Try to find a book in the New Testament that doesn't talk about church or about its members. God loves the local church. He didn't expect us to function outside it. What a wonderful support system and place of service God has set up for us as Christians.

Friday, July 4, 2008

The 4th of July, 2008

We had planned on going somewhere to have a cookout or a picnic today, but it's going to be 95+. Too hot to stay in town and be outside. We could go to the mountains, but maybe we'll do that tomorrow. So today we are going to cook hamburgers and sausages on the grill. I already have jello salad (homemade), pasta salad (homemade), potato salad (from store), and beans (from store). This way we can stay in the air conditioning, which is a really good thing.

I have wondered a little today how England feels toward us on the July 4th. Do they care that we have such a huge celebration of our independence from them? Do they feel like parents whose children flaunt their rebellious attitude right in their faces? Or do they think of us at all?

We as Americans are glad of our independence and are appreciative to all the early fathers who penned and supported these words in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness...."

These words are a wonderful beginning of one of the greatest documents ever written. God Bless America!

Thursday, July 3, 2008

13 Thursday Thoughts on the English Language

Some thoughts on the English language (copied from someone who had thoughts on someone else's thoughts).

1. There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.

2. We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

3. If writers write, how come fingers don't fing?

4. If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth?

5. If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught.

6. If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

7. When the stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible.

8. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

9. Why are wise men and wise guys opposites?

10. Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

11. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

12. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times,does he become disoriented?

13. If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

A Dog's Life

We sometimes comment on a dog's life and what a great life it would be. Here are some good things about a dog's life: no need to work to get fed; a lot of attention and petting; playing; being uninhibited; enjoying almost everything; no bills; no worry.

Here are some bad things: no satisfying work; no power to decide; no other food than food supplied by owner; sometimes torturous treatment; limited horizons.

Some other things: can't read, can't know God, can't eat what he wants; can't go anywhere; can't get away from people.

I think overall I like being a person instead of a dog. But there are definitely some things I like about a dog's life.