Is it possible??

Have I not had a thought worth sharing in over a month? LOL!
Perhaps it is. My brain feels strained and tired. Perhaps I need to coast in the rest of the year.

We will be moving the 1st of January and I am reattempting two courses I did poorly in the last time around, so I don't expect to be back until April 1.

I've updated my blog for winter...that will hold us through April, right?

Until then, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Valentine and Easter...please include any other holidays you observe-- Presidents, MLK, Saint Pat....

Oh, WAIT!!! I will probably pop in for my birthday month!! If you don't hear from me by then, come by and check on my breathing!

Blessings to all

Root fun!!

I love me some roots!!

A.Word.A.Day 10-25-10 email described this week's theme:

Here's a week of words made with various combining forms to expand your verbal repertoire. Feel free to mix and match them; try various combinations and permutations to bring a little variety, a little zest, to your lingo. The combining forms we are using this week are:
ventr- (belly), poso- (what quantity), onoma- (name), hagio- (holy), miso- (hate)
-logy (study), -mancy (divination), -latry (worship), and -gamy (marriage).  

I read this and immediately began wondering how I could use my new word, ventrilomancy, in a sentence. J 

• "A mother's ventrilomancy can spare her children much suffering, if she chooses to act on it." 
• "The doctor chose not to record his ventrilomancy on the record, even though his gut feeling had saved the patient's life."

Share your ideas--using this word or your own creations!

~Diane

Looking for a reason not to celebrate Halloween?

I'm not looking for controversy, but offering a resource. (I could ironically cackle here, but don't want to add to any offense.)

Dressing up is fun and many activities can be harmless. But danger lurks in this world--seen and unseen.

I encourage families to bypass 31 Oct as a celebration. Dress up and play another day. Avoid the affiliation with groups who attribute more significance to the unholy-day. There are too many for whom this is not a night of fun and games, but intentions much more serious.

...he will give out candy to his neighbors when they trick or treat. When the doorbell stops ringing, 25 of his followers will accompany him into his backyard, light torches and a bonfire, and set up an altar for prayer. "We'll call the spirits of the dead and invite them back to our house for one night of remembrance," he said.


As they speak to a mirror and whisper into a crystal ball, trying to reach their dead ancestors, their actions will be motivated by love. "We get messages from our loved ones," said Poirer. "Our ancestors give us strength for the new year."

Steven Rosenberg, GLOBE STAFF CORRESPONDENT. "THE WITCHES IN OUR MIDST THIS MECCA ATTRACTS TOURISTS, ACOLYTES ALIKE." The Boston Globe (Boston, MA). 2002. HighBeam Research. (October 20, 2010).  http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-7756209.html

Foggy perspective

Just thinking about my outlook on life. I need to bring in into better alignment with God's plan for my life, I believe. I find myself wishing that I could restore the past--health, physique, mental acuity, even relationships--when I should be looking forward and focusing on the spiritual.

Perhaps it relates to being 40 this year. It is most likely that most of my earthly life has been lived. I feel, sometimes, like I am now batting cleanup. Certainly, I have not done all that I'd set out to, or hoped to, or could have done. And with my current (meaning during the periodic funk in which I find myself) outlook, that frustrates me. I know that I need to adjust my thinking (take every thought captive)--I know that God has led my life and He has given me blessings beyond number and still has purpose and blessings in store.

When I consider the past 40 years, I am overwhelmed with all He has done. I need to appreciate that more and stop focusing on how little I have done. How silly am I to compare my achievements with His?? Duh. Of course, I am not really. I am comparing what I have accomplished with what I think He wanted me to accomplish. But again, I will decide to humble myself and submit to His judgement, not my own.

I am coming off a week-long cold which has added to the foggy thinking. Rejoice in the Lord with me, my friends, for He has done great things! I woke up singing the First Song of Isaiah (tune by Jack Noble White). It is a great song to 'put on' in the morning before facing the day's warfare.

Chorus:Surely it is God who saves me;
I will trust in him and not be afraid.
For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior.
V1Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing
from the springs of salvation.
And on that day you shall say,
give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name.
V2Make his deeds known among the peoples;
see that they remember that his name is exalted.
Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things,
and this is known in all the world.
V3Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion; ring out your joy,
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One
of Israel.


My meditation verse for the week (1 Tim 4:8--with parts from v7)...
Train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and for the life to come.

...leads to this prayer
Lord, help me to have a godly perspective. Help me to want to have a godly perspective and to strip away everything else. Thank you for the blessings of this life and the promise of the life to come. Show me the way, and help me to follow. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Condemnation from the book of Isaiah

I think I enjoyed Chronicles more than I am enjoying Isaiah. It is like being scolded and lectured forever. The 'high points' seem mostly prophecy that has not been fulfilled yet. I know a time of joy and no more tears is coming, but when I read passages like this, I worry that I might not make it!

In Christ I am free--and should not feel as condemned as I do reading this. Pray for my protection against the evil one. He is after me today.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%2028:14-30:11;galatians%203:23-4:31;psalm%2062:1-12;proverbs%2023:19-21

13 The Lord says:
       "These people come near to me with their mouth
       and honor me with their lips,
       but their hearts are far from me.
       Their worship of me
       is made up only of rules taught by men. [f]
 
14 Therefore once more I will astound these people
       with wonder upon wonder;
       the wisdom of the wise will perish,
       the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish."

 15 Woe to those who go to great depths
       to hide their plans from the LORD,
       who do their work in darkness and think,
       "Who sees us? Who will know?"

 16 You turn things upside down,
       as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!
       Shall what is formed say to him who formed it,
       "He did not make me"?
       Can the pot say of the potter,
       "He knows nothing"?

Got to give credit where credit is due...

Thank Sawyer Brown for this blog title. :)

I credit God with my life and health and salvation and hope and joy and peace...He made me an American and gave me to a wonderful family.

My parents get the credit for following up on God's blessings--life and health and salvation. They taught me the importance of a relationship with God; and they set the example. They also taught me to appreciate and value family.

God and my parents also get thanks for my intellect and passion. For my freedom to think and wonder; to act and to be. Also for my sisters...and that carries through to my nieces and nephews, too. I appreciate the love that fills my life---dad, mom, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, kids and David.

David, naturally, fills my heart. I owe him so much of who I am, and who I've grown to be. He gave up so much so that I could fill the role I felt called to fill. He is the picture of integrity and my inspiration.

Through David, I have an extended family of moms, dads, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and more to love and appreciate.

I have learned patience, grace, and how to be quiet. I can't take that credit--it goes to God and those who joined me in difficult situations. My dear friends.

I could go on and on...and I do in my prayers; but I needed to write some of it down.

I started to make a list of names, but it made me cry, so that is not included here.

Blessings!

Why do people follow me on Twitter??

I get messages updating me when someone chooses to "Follow me on Twitter." What a crazy thing to do...I neither twit nor tweet...and I don't know any of these people.

It is not a puzzle that I can figure out right now...more important things to do.

Bless those of you who stick with and follow me on blogger!! :)

Why fry??

25 foods you might not have considered frying

Psalm 127:1-2

Source: One Year Bible Blog


"Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good."  (v1)


     Are there things we are building or creating in our life that might be outside of God's will for our life?  Are we building these things on our own? If so, should we be building these things?  Will we take to prayer all that we build in our lives and seek God's guidance and blessing upon our work? Is God building our life or are we attempting to build with our own power? Is God protecting our life or are we attempting to protect ourselves with our own power?


 "It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones."  (v2)


     Great verse to combat our workaholic tendencies, no?  :)  Do you overwork yourself these days?  What for?  Is this pleasing to God?  Are you taking a Sabbath day of rest once a week to simply be in relationship with God?  To enjoy God's rest?

Degenerative Disc Disease

This link is more for my own future reference than anything else. ~Diane

From: http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/degenerative-disc-disease/pain-degenerative-disc-disease

Generally, the pain associated with degenerative disc disease is thought to stem from two different factors:

• Inflammation
• Abnormal micromotion instability

The proteins in the disc space can cause a lot of inflammation, and inflammation in the disc space can lead to low back pain radiating to the hips. The associated pain can also travel down the back of the legs.

If the annulus—the outer rings of the intervertebral disc - becomes damaged or worn down, it is not as effective in resisting motion in the spine. This condition has been termed “micromotion” instability because it is usually not associated with gross instability (such as a slipped vertebral body orspondylolisthesis).

Both the inflammation and micromotion instability can cause muscular spasm in the low back. The muscle spasm is the body’s attempt to stabilize the low back. It is a reflex, and although the body’s response of muscle spasm is not necessary for the safety of the nerve roots, it can be quite painful.

3 points on the LOST finale

Point 1:
    Loved the reconnections/awakenings. Emotionally fulfilling. Looked forward to each one, wished they'd gone on a bit longer. In my heart and mind, Lost was always about the love story--not Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Juliet, but Hurley/Libby, Rose/Bernard, Sun/Jin...even Desmond/Penny and certainly Charlie/Claire & Aaron.

Point 2:
    The explanation at the end has been panned by many, but I say, "eh, whatever." I mean, what did we expect? Philosophy, fantasy, religion, and culture combined cannot deliver more. Given a choice between a reward created by those I know and love combined with the best of our ideals or an eternity designed by a creator I can't comprehend, I'd personally choose the later.

Point 3:
    Fun topics for further discussion: What was it like on the Island with #2 Ben working with Hurley's #1?? That might have led to some cool stories... Where was Mr Eko? (I know there were others unaccounted for, but I really liked Eko.) ... Will there be a cartoon series following the flash-diagonal reality following those left on the island (Hurley, Ben, Rose, Bernard...) and those who flew away?

GREAT CAUSE

I love this club anyway and am a power user. :) However, I became so excited today when I learned that they are supporting one of my favorite causes!! Please consider donating to "United Through Reading," either through http://www.paperbackswap.com/donations/military.php or directly to http://www.unitedthroughreading.org/

Thanks!!

Food for thought--takes a lot of chewing... Where Were the Dissenters? Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?" All of them condemned him as deserving death. --Mark 14:63-64 Mark tells us that Joseph of Arimethea was a "respected member of the council" (Mark 15:43). John tells us that Nicodemus was a "leader of the Jews" (John 3:1), which likely meant that he too was a member of the Sanhedrin. Both men were sympathetic toward Jesus. In John 3 we read that Nicodemus met Jesus at night for a conversation in which Jesus told him that he must be "born from above" (John 3:3). Nicodemus came to Jesus at night for fear of what the other members of the council would say about his interest in the teachings of Jesus. John notes that Joseph "was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews" (John 19:38). Presumably, these two men were at the trial of Jesus early Friday morning. Although Luke does report that "Joseph...had not agreed to their plan and action" (Luke 23:50-51), none of the four Gospels records dissenting arguments by any of the seventy-one Sanhedrin members. Why didn't Nicodemus or Joseph speak up for Jesus?

Several years ago a man sent me an e-mail detailing a sermon he had heard as a boy some forty years before but had never forgotten. He had attended a small, rural church where the preacher that day had been the lay leader, a big man with a booming voice and a gentle spirit. The sermon was called "Standing on the Edge of the Crowd." In it, the lay leader described an experience he had had in the 1920s. A crowd had gathered on the edge of town, and he had gone to see what was happening. In the center of the crowd was a young black man who was about to be hanged. In his sermon the lay leader described his feelings as he watched the lynching, repulsed by it and knowing how wrong it was, yet too afraid to stand up against the crowd. The image of the young man being hanged and the memory of his own silence haunted this man forty years after the event. Joseph and Nicodemus were respected leaders who were afraid to let others know they were sympathetic to Jesus and who seem to have stood by in silence as he was condemned to die. Are you willing to stand up and speak out when you see something you know in your heart is wrong? Or do you silently acquiesce to the crowd? Lord, forgive me for the times when I have gone along with the crowd rather than stand up for others or for what I believed was right. Give me the courage to speak up when injustice is being done. Amen.

Devotion from CBD: http://www.christianbook.com/lent_devotional?p=1148493%20&p=1154497
excerpt from 24 Hours That Changed the World Daily Devotions by Adam Hamilton

I needed a laugh today

An elderly Italian man lived alone in the country. It was time to plant his tomato garden, but the ground was to hard for him to dig.  

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

----

Dear Vincent,

I am feeling pretty badly because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I know if you were here you would be happy to dig the plot for me. 

Love, Dad

----

A few days later he received a letter from his son:

----

Dear Dad,

Don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the bodies. 

Love, Vinnie.

----

At 4 am FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area.

Since they did not find any bodies, they apologized to the old man and left. 

Later that day, he received another letter from his son:

----

Dear Dad,

Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. 

That's the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love you, Vinnie

----


http://mistupid.com/jokes/page096.htm

The Family Room archives - FamilyLife.com

The Family Room archives - FamilyLife.com

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Christmas & New Year's Post

I hope everyone had a safe and blessed holiday--I enjoyed seeing updates on Facebook and talking with many of our family and friends. There seemed to be a plan this year for sending out photo cards---we've never received so many!! They are arranged on the large mirror in the living room and I am loathe to take them down. :)

I will send out an update on our impending PCS to Alaska when we get more information. Until then, please pray with us on these issues--

1. Housing (including Buster being allowed to live with us on post or in a rental)
2. Vehicles (we will likely need to sell the truck and Kiso's car AND purchase a 4WD)
3. Travel (note issues with vehicles and Buster--and Michelle)
4. School (both kids were considering a 4yr college here in Texas Fall 2010)
5. Finances, Church, Friends...

Bless you and thank you for praying!!