tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273372162024-03-07T02:42:00.008-06:00Adventures in DomesticityMy life as a chronic migraineur trying to keep the domestic stuff in order.Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.comBlogger1335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-81342601453577835612017-01-01T20:45:00.000-06:002017-01-01T20:45:09.330-06:00Change of venueI have been blogging here on Blogger for 10 years and it has been a great platform for me. However, I'm moving on. My new blog is at www.walkjesus.org. Come see me over there! <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
CCM</div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-50367435618802920522016-12-17T15:35:00.001-06:002016-12-17T15:35:20.234-06:00The "world peace" of Christmas gifts<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When my family asks what I want for Christmas, my answer lately is, "Just to have my kids home." And that is totally and completely honest and true. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, it feels like when the host of a beauty pageant asks a contestant what she wants most in the world and she answers, "World peace." Canned. And trite. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone wants world peace. Of course. And, every mom wants their kids home for Christmas. But, after a certain stage in life, you can't assume that all of your kids will be at every holiday every year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My kids are 18 and 21 and they both have significant others. One of these days, they're going to want to start dividing holidays between families. They might even get married (EEK!). Grandchildren might be involved (double EEK!). Or they might move (Ouch!). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I take these holidays when both kids live close by and can be here for Christmas Eve and Christmas day very seriously. I won't have it forever. But, I have it this year! And I'm going to totally enjoy it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, yes, my Christmas gift request is like the "World Peace" of Christmas gifts. But, it's not trite. It's real and honest. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, I'm getting it this year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, If I'm on your list this year, I want books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-42098681825926105222016-12-04T22:18:00.002-06:002016-12-05T07:26:21.188-06:00Cousins Mary and Elizabeth and Advent<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first chapter of the book of Luke tells the stories of two cousins, Mary and Elizabeth. The prominence of women in the Gospels is part of what makes Christianity believable to me. In the first century, women had a low status in the very patriarchal society. They had no role in public life. Yet, here they are, playing such important roles in Jesus' birth.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-5" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">In the time of Herod king of Judea<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24899I" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24899I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah;<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24899J" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24899J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-6" id="en-NIV-24900" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">6 </span>Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24900K" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24900K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-7" id="en-NIV-24901" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">7 </span>But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-8" id="en-NIV-24902" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">8 </span>Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24902L" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24902L" title="See cross-reference L">L</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-9" id="en-NIV-24903" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">9 </span>he was chosen by lot,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24903M" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24903M" title="See cross-reference M">M</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24903N" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24903N" title="See cross-reference N">N</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-10" id="en-NIV-24904" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">10 </span>And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.<br /><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24904O" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24904O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-11" id="en-NIV-24905" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>Then an angel<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24905P" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24905P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24905Q" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24905Q" title="See cross-reference Q">Q</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-12" id="en-NIV-24906" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24906R" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24906R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-13" id="en-NIV-24907" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">13 </span>But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24907S" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24907S" title="See cross-reference S">S</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24907T" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24907T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-14" id="en-NIV-24908" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">14 </span>He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24908U" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24908U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-15" id="en-NIV-24909" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">15 </span>for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24909V" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24909V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24909W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24909W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> even before he is born.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24909X" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24909X" title="See cross-reference X">X</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-16" id="en-NIV-24910" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">16 </span>He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-17" id="en-NIV-24911" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">17 </span>And he will go on before the Lord,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24911Y" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24911Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> in the spirit and power of Elijah,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24911Z" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24911Z" title="See cross-reference Z">Z</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to turn the hearts of the parents to their children<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24911AA" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24911AA" title="See cross-reference AA">AA</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”<br /><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24911AB" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24911AB" title="See cross-reference AB">AB</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><span class="text Luke-1-18" id="en-NIV-24912" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">18 </span>Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this?<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24912AC" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24912AC" title="See cross-reference AC">AC</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-19" id="en-NIV-24913" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">19 </span>The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24913AE" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24913AE" title="See cross-reference AE">AE</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.</span><span class="text Luke-1-20" id="en-NIV-24914" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">20 </span>And now you will be silent and not able to speak<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24914AF" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24914AF" title="See cross-reference AF">AF</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-21" id="en-NIV-24915" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">21 </span>Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-22" id="en-NIV-24916" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">22 </span>When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24916AG" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24916AG" title="See cross-reference AG">AG</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to them but remained unable to speak.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-23" id="en-NIV-24917" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">23 </span>When his time of service was completed, he returned home.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-24" id="en-NIV-24918" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">24 </span>After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-25" id="en-NIV-24919" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">25 </span>“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24919AH" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24919AH" title="See cross-reference AH">AH</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> among the people.”</span></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Elizabeth is the perfect person to meditate on for Advent. She was waiting. In her society, a woman had no status without children. (Yes, I realize such a society is unjust, but that's the way it was.) Luke tells us that Elizabeth and her husband waited for years. They remained faithful to God, but God hadn't answered their prayers for a child. Zechariah got up and went to the temple when it was his turn. Elizabeth did whatever work she did. And then, all of the sudden, they find out that they are going to have a baby!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The scripture says that Elizabeth remained in seclusion for five months. Why? I think part of it may have been because she didn't want everyone to know that she was pregnant if she miscarried because then she'd have to deal with all the explanations and sympathies that are always so awkward. She may also have been doing everything possible to keep her pregnancy calm. Every society has it's own traditions about what expecting moms should and shouldn't do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-26" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span>In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24920AI" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24920AI" title="See cross-reference AI">AI</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to Nazareth,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24920AJ" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24920AJ" title="See cross-reference AJ">AJ</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> a town in Galilee,</span> <span class="text Luke-1-27" id="en-NIV-24921" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">27 </span>to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24921AK" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24921AK" title="See cross-reference AK">AK</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-28" id="en-NIV-24922" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">28 </span>The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”</span><span class="text Luke-1-29" id="en-NIV-24923" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">29 </span>Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-30" id="en-NIV-24924" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">30 </span>But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24924AL" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24924AL" title="See cross-reference AL">AL</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>Mary; you have found favor with God.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24924AM" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24924AM" title="See cross-reference AM">AM</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-31" id="en-NIV-24925" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">31 </span>You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24925AN" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24925AN" title="See cross-reference AN">AN</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-32" id="en-NIV-24926" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">32 </span>He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24926AO" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24926AO" title="See cross-reference AO">AO</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24926AP" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24926AP" title="See cross-reference AP">AP</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-33" id="en-NIV-24927" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">33 </span>and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24927AQ" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24927AQ" title="See cross-reference AQ">AQ</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> will never end.”<br /><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24927AR" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24927AR" title="See cross-reference AR">AR</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span class="text Luke-1-34" id="en-NIV-24928" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">34 </span>“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”</span><span class="text Luke-1-35" id="en-NIV-24929" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">35 </span>The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24929AS" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24929AS" title="See cross-reference AS">AS</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and the power of the Most High<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24929AT" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24929AT" title="See cross-reference AT">AT</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> will overshadow you. So the holy one<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24929AU" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24929AU" title="See cross-reference AU">AU</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> to be born will be called<span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NIV-24929b" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-24929b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=NIV#fen-NIV-24929b" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b34b2c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> the Son of God.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24929AV" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24929AV" title="See cross-reference AV">AV</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-36" id="en-NIV-24930" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">36 </span>Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24930AW" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24930AW" title="See cross-reference AW">AW</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-37" id="en-NIV-24931" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">37 </span>For no word from God will ever fail.”<br /><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24931AX" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24931AX" title="See cross-reference AX">AX</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><span class="text Luke-1-38" id="en-NIV-24932" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">38 </span>“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mary was in a very different situation. She was young, probably a teenager, who was engaged to be married. Now an angel comes to tell her that she's going to have a baby even though she's not married. Yes, this is highly inconvenient. Her time of waiting is the time between when she finds out she's pregnant and when the baby is born. Mary was obviously on God's side of things because she doesn't seem to hesitate and says, "I am the Lord's servant." (BTW, the angel talks to Joseph in Matthew's Gospel and Joseph agrees to marry Mary and give Jesus an earthly father.)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-39" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">39 </span>At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24933AY" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24933AY" title="See cross-reference AY">AY</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-40" id="en-NIV-24934" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">40 </span>where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.</span><span class="text Luke-1-41" id="en-NIV-24935" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">41 </span>When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24935AZ" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24935AZ" title="See cross-reference AZ">AZ</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span> <span class="text Luke-1-42" id="en-NIV-24936" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">42 </span>In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24936BA" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24936BA" title="See cross-reference BA">BA</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and blessed is the child you will bear!</span> <span class="text Luke-1-43" id="en-NIV-24937" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">43 </span>But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24937BB" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24937BB" title="See cross-reference BB">BB</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> should come to me?</span> <span class="text Luke-1-44" id="en-NIV-24938" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">44 </span>As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.</span> <span class="text Luke-1-45" id="en-NIV-24939" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">45 </span>Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her</span></span></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Pregnancy involved lots of waiting. Waiting to feel the baby move. Waiting for nausea to get better. Waiting for the day when you can see your feet again. And on and on. Mary took a trip to see Elizabeth while she was pregnant. Elizabeth felt her baby, John the Baptist kick in her womb, which she interprets as God favoring Mary and her baby.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">And Mary said:</span></blockquote>
<div class="poetry top-05" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em; padding-left: 2.6em; position: relative;">
<div class="line" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Luke-1-46" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">“My soul glorifies the Lord<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24940BD" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24940BD" title="See cross-reference BD">BD</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Luke-1-47" id="en-NIV-24941" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">47 </span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span>and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24941BE" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24941BE" title="See cross-reference BE">BE</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-48" id="en-NIV-24942" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">48 </span>for he has been mindful</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-48" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">of the humble state of his servant.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24942BF" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24942BF" title="See cross-reference BF">BF</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-48" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">From now on all generations will call me blessed,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24942BG" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24942BG" title="See cross-reference BG">BG</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="text Luke-1-49" id="en-NIV-24943" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">49 </span><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span>for the Mighty One has done great things<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24943BH" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24943BH" title="See cross-reference BH">BH</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> for me—</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-49" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">holy is his name.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24943BI" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24943BI" title="See cross-reference BI">BI</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-50" id="en-NIV-24944" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">50 </span>His mercy extends to those who fear him,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-50" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">from generation to generation.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24944BJ" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24944BJ" title="See cross-reference BJ">BJ</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-51" id="en-NIV-24945" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">51 </span>He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24945BK" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24945BK" title="See cross-reference BK">BK</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-51" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24945BL" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24945BL" title="See cross-reference BL">BL</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-52" id="en-NIV-24946" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">52 </span>He has brought down rulers from their thrones</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-52" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">but has lifted up the humble.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24946BM" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24946BM" title="See cross-reference BM">BM</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-53" id="en-NIV-24947" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">53 </span>He has filled the hungry with good things<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24947BN" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24947BN" title="See cross-reference BN">BN</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-53" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">but has sent the rich away empty.</span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-54" id="en-NIV-24948" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">54 </span>He has helped his servant Israel,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-54" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">remembering to be merciful<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24948BO" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24948BO" title="See cross-reference BO">BO</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="text Luke-1-55" id="en-NIV-24949" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: "arial"; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">55 </span>to Abraham and his descendants<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-24949BP" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-24949BP" title="See cross-reference BP">BP</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> forever,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Luke-1-55" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">just as he promised our ancestors.”</span></span></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mary's song, the Magnificat, is one of the best pieces of poetry in scripture. As Mary is waiting for her child, the Messiah, to be born, she is remembering the things that God has done for the people of Israel in the past and claiming his promises for the future.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Elizabeth waits for many years to have a child. Mary waits through her pregnancy to deliver her baby, Emmanuel. These are both pictures of Israel's waiting for it's Messiah and for the world waiting for it's deliverer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God used these women as crucial players in his plan for bringing his kingdom to earth. Meditate on this during this Advent season.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">CCM</span></div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-36749254511666995542016-12-02T23:21:00.000-06:002016-12-02T23:21:13.899-06:00Advent and Chronic Pain<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Advent. It means "the arrival of a notable thing, person, or event." In the Christian calendar, it is the beginning of the Christian year, the four Sundays that lead up to Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Advent is waiting. We spend this time knowing that we need a Savior and knowing that God has promised a Messiah, but he hasn't yet come. But, he will.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grew up in a non-liturgical church, so we didn't observe Advent. Right after Thanksgiving, we were in full Christmas mode. And I still enjoy my Christmas tree and lights and Nativity sets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, I also understand the need to be still and wait. To remember how much I need Jesus. To feel the brokenness and pray for healing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's the time of year to remember the promises that God made about his coming Messiah. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="text Isa-9-6" id="en-NIV-17836" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">For to us a child is born,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836P" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">to us a son is given,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836Q" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836Q" title="See cross-reference Q">Q</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and the government<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836R" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836R" title="See cross-reference R">R</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> will be on his shoulders.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836S" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836S" title="See cross-reference S">S</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-9-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">And he will be called</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Wonderful Counselor,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836T" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Mighty God,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836U" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Everlasting<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836V" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Father,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836W" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Prince of Peace.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17836X" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17836X" title="See cross-reference X">X</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-9-7" id="en-NIV-17837" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; left: -4.4em; line-height: 22px; position: absolute; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">7 </span>Of the greatness of his government<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837Y" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and peace<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837Z" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837Z" title="See cross-reference Z">Z</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">there will be no end.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AA" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AA" title="See cross-reference AA">AA</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">He will reign<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AB" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AB" title="See cross-reference AB">AB</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> on David’s throne</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and over his kingdom,</span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">establishing and upholding it</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">with justice<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AC" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AC" title="See cross-reference AC">AC</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and righteousness<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AD" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AD" title="See cross-reference AD">AD</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">from that time on and forever.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AE" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AE" title="See cross-reference AE">AE</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">The zeal<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-17837AF" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17837AF" title="See cross-reference AF">AF</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> of the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> Almighty</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Isa-9-7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">will accomplish this.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I realized today how much Advent is like having chronic pain. I'm waiting. Always waiting. I know that in the end, I'll be pain-free. God will either heal me or take me to heaven, but I have to live this life that I have right now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So I wait and I pray, like the people of Israel did for those many years. I read the words of the prophets that they heard or that they heard read in the synagogues. "The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." Yes. God will do this. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but He will.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What are you waiting for this Advent? Jesus is right beside you and ready to walk this life with you. He may not choose to physically heal you right now, but he'll walk through whatever is hurting you right now right with you. All he asks is that you trust him.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over these next few weeks, read your Bible, particularly the stories of the birth of Jesus and the prophecies that they reference. Anticipate the arrival of the Savior. Pray for Jesus to have a real impact on your life this Christmas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thoughts?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM </span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-37707485029771549952016-11-19T23:11:00.000-06:002016-11-19T23:11:15.558-06:00Lagniappe 11/19/2016<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been home for a week and I'm so content. I'm really such a homebody these days. My month with my parents was good. They are recovering from their surgeries well. It was great to see my brother and his family again, too.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I got back into Wisconsin exactly a week ago. I expected Patrick to pick me up from the airport, but actually, he and both kids picked me up!! Yay! I felt very loved!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Patrick signed up for Blue Apron while I was gone. He made several of the meals and liked them. He and I made the last one together on Thursday and it was delicious! The only problem is that we didn't make the beet-cranberry agrodolce because the beet was all squishy because we should have made it about four days earlier. Besides, something with both beets and cranberries would have been very "challenging" for my palate. After the first of the year, we'll be trying some more of the Blue Apron meals. And, it turns out that Patrick and I do a really good job cooking together!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chris got into Concert Choir for next semester!! He told me last week that the audition was last Thursday and then he let me know the audition results at the airport!! I'm so happy for him. He has worked really hard on his sight-singing and aural skills this semester.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lydia is now working full-time at her job. She spent the first three months technically working for the temp agency that got her the job. Now that she's officially working for the company, she gets next Thursday and Friday as paid holidays (something that never happened when she worked in hospitality). And, a couple of weeks ago, she got moved to a job that she wanted (doing inventory) in which she is not constantly on her feet and that starts at 8am instead of at 6am. And, it came with a raise! Overall, she's pretty happy with her work status.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lydia was also very excited this week because she got a turkey at work! Of course, she can't even think about cooking it in her tiny oven, but it's 12 pounds, so we'll just use it for our Thanksgiving turkey. One less thing for me to buy!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I spent my first couple of days at home not sleeping well and just getting a bit done here and there. Finally, on Wednesday, I decluttered part of the living room and cleaned the kitchen. I had major plans for the rest of the week, but I woke up with a migraine on Thursday that has not let loose since then. Ugh.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">LSU lost to Florida today. It's not good for me when Florida wins. So many of my high school friends are from UF (I grew up in West Palm Beach) that my FB feed turns blue and orange when Florida beats LSU. Not good.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm knitting my fingers to the bones. It's getting time for Christmas presents!! And I've chosen some lovely yarn, so it's fun for me to knit!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Big news: I got all seven of the Harry Potter novels on audio from Pottermore! Yay!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, I learned something while listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We learn about the vanishing cabinet in Borgin and Burkes, which I already knew about. But, we also learn about how the vanishing cabinet in Hogwarts gets broken! Harry gets in trouble with Filch and is taken to his office. To distract Filch, Nearly Headless Nick has Peeves cause a distraction, which is to drop the vanishing cabinet in a classroom directly over Filch's office. Filch exclaims that Peeves has now broken a very valuable vanishing cabinet! This becomes important in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when the Weasley twins stuff Montague into the cabinet. And, it's of major importance in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because Draco Malfoy repairs it so that the Death Eaters can enter the school. Wow. Rowling really planned this thing out.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Christmas Mint M&Ms are out!! I'm really trying to limit myself. Really.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next week is Thanksgiving, so I'll be cooking and cooking and even more cooking!! </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">More later about politics, books I'm reading, and things Jesus is teaching me. What are you up to? Comments are always welcomed!!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span></div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-13752401524899397462016-11-11T13:55:00.000-06:002016-11-11T13:55:06.134-06:00Post Election Thoughts<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm still trying to work out how I feel about Tuesday's election. I'm obviously unhappy that Trump won. And I have friends who are truly scared because they are part of a marginalized group.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other Christians are posting things like "God is still on his throne" and "Trump may be president, but Jesus is King". While that is true, it doesn't mean that there won't be consequences from the results of the election. God was still in control during the Holocaust, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In fact, we're already seeing racism and xenophobia already rearing their ugly heads. These are attitudes that were there before the election, but people are feeling more comfortable expressing these ideas. Check out this <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaunKing" target="_blank">twitter feed</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not the first to question how God can allow personal and corporate catastrophes to happen. Job (in the Bible) was one of the first and certainly not the last. But, the fact is that God does let this kind of thing happen. (I'm not a Calvinist - I think God lets them happen, not that he makes them happen.) I truly believe that Trump becoming president is a bad thing. Maybe he'll prove me wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first thing we can do is lament. Lament is a biblical response to any kind of tragedy. There are laments in the Psalms and the prophets. My go-to scripture is the Book of Lamentations traditionally ascribed to Jeremiah and written as a response to the exile of the Jews from Jerusalem. The author cries out to God asking why God could allow such a disaster to occur.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And right now, it's OK to just lament. If you are one of the marginalized groups of people that Trump has spoken against, you may need more time to adjust to the new reality. And that's just fine. Pray, meditate, be with people who love you and lift you up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When our time of lament is over, the time of work begins. That starts with prayer. Our foundation is always prayer. Micah 6:8 tells us, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.</span><br />
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">And what does the <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-numeric: normal;">Lord</span> require of you?</span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">To act justly<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-22657A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-22657A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and to love mercy</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">and to walk humbly<span class="footnote" data-fn="#fen-NIV-22657a" data-link="[<a href="#fen-NIV-22657a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">[<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Micah+6%3A8&version=NIV#fen-NIV-22657a" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b34b2c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: top;" title="See footnote a">a</a>]</span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-22657B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-22657B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> with your God."</span></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Justice, mercy, and humility start with God. After that, we each have our lives to live and our own work to do. What I do as a 49 year old woman with chronic migraine is going to be completely different from my daughter as a 22 year old dance teacher. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">And this, of course, brings us back to love. We must love each other. We must love the marginalized people who are understandably scared right now - immigrants, Muslims, disabled, LGBTQ friends, and even women. But, we also must love those who are acting hatefully - the KKK groups that are harassing the marginalized and putting out nasty fliers, the Confederate flag fliers who are scaring our African-American population, and all those who are speaking ill of anyone.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">So, love hard. It may not be easy. But, it's the only choice we have if we're going to put this country back together. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Anything you would add?</span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Mic-6-8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">CCM</span></span></div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-48894221426720331812016-11-09T21:25:00.002-06:002016-11-09T21:31:37.578-06:00 . . . And Moving On . . . .<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Election day is over. For the vast majority of us, that means we go on living our lives as usual. Barring any great catastrophe, the checks and balances placed on the branches of government by our founding fathers mean that there won't be any dramatic changes in our lives based on the election results anytime soon. I am so blessed to be in a family that believes in love, tolerance, and patience. But, one of my "adopted" daughters has received some hateful messages on Tumblr because of her sexual orientation. Please remember that there are some out there who are vulnerable to other peoples' rudeness, hate, and persecution; and pray for them when you can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My mom and dad are recovering well from their surgeries. Dad has his catheter out and had a very good visit with the urology clinic today. Mom has been able to drive since Monday, which is good since I've had an intermittent migraine for about five days. Mom still has some pain from healing, but she's managing. She likes to pick up things that are too heavy and doesn't do well with resting, but she never has . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mom bought a new microwave today at Home Depot. It was the last one of the floor model, so it came without a box. She had someone load it into the car at Home Depot. When she came home, though, I brought it upstairs, which wasn't very hard because it's not all that heavy. But, then, I moved the old microwave from the shelf to the floor of the living room. It was heavy. Then, I put the new microwave in it's spot and life was good! And my nephew gets to move the old microwave downstairs. Because I'm old. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been working on some knitting projects that I'm not at liberty to discuss because Christmas!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Speaking of Christmas, I made a Christmas music playlist on my phone!! I'll rotate between that and Hamilton when I want to listen to music. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was going to recruit my nephews and work on getting Mom and Dad's Christmas tree and a few decorations up, but I woke up with such a bad migraine yesterday that I couldn't do it. We might try again Friday after school. The stuff is up on a high shelf and I think I need my 15 year old and very tall nephew to help!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've also been reading. My brother loaned me <i>Disinformation</i> by Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J. Rychlak. It's a book about how the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc misled the West during the cold war, but particularly about how they tarnished the image of Pope Pius XII. It's a pretty good book, but I wasn't getting much reading done. I came across <i>Church of Spies</i> by Mark Riebling in Overdrive, which is an audiobook also about the Catholic Church's true role in WWII. I decided to listen to this one instead since I'm doing more listening than reading right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My other two books are <i>The King Jesus Gospel</i> by Scot McKnight which is excellent and <i>Seriously Dangerous Religion</i> by Iain Provain about reading the Old Testament which is also excellent. I also have <i>The Big Short</i> by Michael Lewis from Overdrive, but I haven't started listening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tomorrow, it's back to normal life. Hopefully, I wake up without a headache. Help Mom clean house. Do some knitting. Maybe check out a yarn shop. Love the people I come in contact with. Wonderfully boring. And I'm glad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How are things with you? Anything interesting? Do share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">CCM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-39697966865463336242016-11-09T21:25:00.000-06:002016-11-09T21:25:57.311-06:00 . . . And Moving On . . . .<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Election day is over. For the vast majority of us, that means we go on living our lives as usual. Barring any great catastrophe, the checks and balances placed on the branches of government by our founding fathers mean that there won't be any dramatic changes in our lives based on the election results anytime soon. I am so blessed to be in a family that believes in love, tolerance, and patience. But, one of my "adopted" daughters has received some hateful messages on Tumblr because of her sexual orientation. Please remember that there are some out there who are vulnerable to other peoples' rudeness, hate, and persecution; and pray for them when you can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My mom and dad are recovering well from their surgeries. Dad has his catheter out and had a very good visit with the urology clinic today. Mom has been able to drive since Monday, which is good since I've had an intermittent migraine for about five days. Mom still has some pain from healing, but she's managing. She likes to pick up things that are too heavy and doesn't do well with resting, but she never has . . . </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've been working on some knitting projects that I'm not at liberty to discuss because Christmas!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Speaking of Christmas, I made a Christmas music playlist on my phone!! I'll rotate between that and Hamilton when I want to listen to music. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was going to recruit my nephews and work on getting Mom and Dad's Christmas tree and a few decorations up, but I woke up with such a bad migraine yesterday that I couldn't do it. We might try again Friday after school. The stuff is up on a high shelf and I think I need my 15 year old and very tall nephew to help!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've also been reading. My brother loaned me <i>Disinformation</i> by Ion Mihai Pacepa and Ronald J. Rychlak. It's a book about how the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc misled the West during the cold war, but particularly about how they tarnished the image of Pope Pius XII. It's a pretty good book, but I wasn't getting much reading done. I came across <i>Church of Spies</i> by Mark Riebling in Overdrive, which is an audiobook also about the Catholic Church's true role in WWII. I decided to listen to this one instead since I'm doing more listening than reading right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My other two books are <i>The King Jesus Gospel</i> by Scot McKnight which is excellent and <i>Seriously Dangerous Religion</i> by Iain Provain about reading the Old Testament which is also excellent. I also have <i>The Big Short</i> by Michael Lewis from Overdrive, but I haven't started listening.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Tomorrow, it's back to normal life. Hopefully, I wake up without a headache. Help Mom clean house. Do some knitting. Maybe check out a yarn shop. Love the people I come in contact with. Wonderfully boring. And I'm glad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">How are things with you? Anything interesting? Do share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">CCM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-75636082640496509072016-11-09T06:28:00.001-06:002016-11-09T06:28:44.518-06:00Congratulations, America!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Congratulations, America!!! You are 240 years old and have managed to elect the most incompetent, unqualified, and least temperamentally appropriate person to be our President for the next four years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'll spare you the pages and pages of how he is unqualified. Just a few instances will suffice. The New York Times listed all the people that he insulted on a two page spread. Numerous other newspapers chose to support Hillary Clinton. The KKK loves him and David Duke wants to be his buddy. But, no, America, you thought that putting the most misogynistic, homophobic, and bigoted candidate into the highest position of leadership in our country was a good idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the time you're hung over and reading this, you might have figured out that you made a major screw-up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, it's only four years. If you can keep him away from the nuclear codes and Twitter and keep him from insulting any foreign dictators, you can probably make it through. After all, most government stuff is run by bureaucracy anyway, right? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay. I'm done being snarky. It was the migraine talking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In reality though, we have a President who has marginalized many minority groups. We have to deal with this. People of color, LGBTQ friends, and immigrants have all been made to feel unwelcome during this campaign. They are scared. How do I know? Because some of them are my friends. It's now time for us to fix the damage that this campaign has done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We have to love hard. Love when it hurts. Love people you don't want to love (yes, even the homophobic bigot or the immigrant of questionable legality). Love like Jesus loved.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Give. Give till it hurts. Give your time. Give your love. Give whatever someone else needs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We aren't going to make it through the next four years if we let this administration keep dividing us. That means that people like me who see this election as a huge dumpster fire are going to have to put it behind me because many of the people I love in my family and circle of friends are happy with the outcome of the election. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We're all going to have to love hard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="text John-13-34" id="en-NIV-26665" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">34 </span>“A new command<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26665AR" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26665AR" title="See cross-reference AR">AR</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> I give you: Love one another.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26665AS" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26665AS" title="See cross-reference AS">AS</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> As I have loved you, so you must love one another.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-26665AT" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-26665AT" title="See cross-reference AT">AT</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span class="text John-13-35" id="en-NIV-26666" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">35 </span>By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35</span></span><br />
<span class="text John-13-35" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text John-13-35" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">CCM</span></span><br />
<span class="text John-13-35" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">As always, please let me know any thoughts or ideas you have in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!</span></span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-55378445874695132252016-11-05T23:44:00.002-05:002016-11-05T23:44:46.289-05:00Lagniappe 11/5/2016<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My poor blog. I really should take better care of it. I'm not a writer, though. I'm more of an intermittent journaller. I post things when I have a need to write, not really to build a following. And, it's nice to have other people to read along and comment and discuss things. (I keep my more private thoughts in a "real" paper and pen journal.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, what's been going on?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rhapsody is the kitten that I got this summer. She is a cute little thing who loves to sleep on my lap but isn't terribly cuddly otherwise. Rory, Wild Man's cat, is the affectionate one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm currently in the Atlanta suburbs and have been for three weeks because my parents both had surgery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My Dad had a carotid endarterectomy (had plaque removed from the carotid artery) almost three weeks ago. He had to have a catheter in his bladder for 2 weeks after surgery, but has otherwise recovered well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mom had some pelvic surgery (it was all benign stuff) two weeks ago. Miraculously, she has had no complications! Her recovery has been a bit slow, but that's not all that surprising given the extent of the surgery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been driving Mom and Dad around and I'm learning the area. I even took them to vote, despite the fact that they're not voting the same way that I did. I voted before I left Wisconsin.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also took care of cooking and other household things while Mom was down from her surgery.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mom and Dad just moved into this house in Georgia in early August. Not only do I not know where everything is, but they're still not sure where everything is! And, some things are in boxes until some painting gets done. Life gets a little confusing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am getting to spend some time with my brother and his family. I got my nephew to play Pokemon Go with my phone to hatch an egg for me! (I've got some plantar fasciitis so I'm not walking much.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On my first day here, I took the car and Google maps to find a Walgreens. Google said it was about 18 minutes away. It took me an hour to get there and then 30 minutes to get home. Suffice it to say that Google maps and I had a few disagreements on the way there. On the way back, I just made a couple of wrong turns!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wild Man's first choir concert at UWSP was the night before I left to come down here. The concert was wonderful! Wild Man was in the Choral Union and the Chamber Singers.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have many thoughts that I will probably write about in the next week or two. I will probably have many more after the election.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The headache situation since I left home hasn't been too bad. Last night and today I had a really rotten migraine. Last week I had another really unpleasant one. Otherwise, I've been able to manage around them and I only had to call my brother once to take Dad to a doctor's appointment for me. Not bad.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, that's life. It's a pretty good one. What's up with you?!</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-47446798181338159072016-08-15T19:15:00.001-05:002016-08-15T19:19:43.368-05:00What I'm Up To<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">School is about to start which means that Chris (Wild Man) is about to go off to college (although I expect he'll be home a lot of weekends) and Patrick (PWM) will be back to teaching. And, I'll be home with the cats during the day. What's someone with chronic migraine to do?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What will I do with myself? I thought about taking a seminary class on Genesis or New Testament Survey. The problem is that my headaches tend to show up at inconvenient times - like when papers are due or when online discussion groups are scheduled. I might try it another time, but I've got a few other things to keep me busy until then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It turns out that I have a bunch of books that I've purchased or that have been given to me that I haven't read (or started and haven't finished) yet. This fall seems like the perfect opportunity.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Jesus Creed</i> by Scot McKnight (almost done)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Hearing God</i> by Dallas Willard</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>A Fine-Tuned Universe</i> by Alister McGrath</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>C.S. Lewis: A Life</i> by Alister McGrath</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Confessions</i> by St. Augustine (Lydia and I are reading this together and getting together for discussions every month or so.)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The King Jesus Gospel</i> by Scot McKnight</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Serious Dangerous Religion</i> by Iain Provan</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Darwinism and the Divine</i> by Alister McGrath</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Ancient-Future Time</i> by Robert E. Webber</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>black and white bible: black and blue wife</i> by Ruth Tucker</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Heaven Promise</i> by Scot McKnight</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>The Epistles of St. John</i> by F.F. Bruce</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Now that I look at the list, it seems a little daunting. It might take more than the fall, especially since I plan to continue to reading some fiction from the library on the side. As always, friend me on Goodreads (Catherine Martin) to see what I'm reading and what I've thought of my recent reads.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, I'm going to knit. I've got a few projects planned for the next year or two.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Christmas presents - No, I won't tell you what they are. Some of the recipients read this blog.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A Fair Isle sweater from a kit from Knit Picks. I actually made this sweater several years ago in XL. Unfortunately, when I was washing and blocking it, I thought I could get away with spinning it in the dryer for a couple of minutes to get a bit of the water out of it. No. It felted. I ordered a couple more balls of yarn and I'm working on another sweater. I've got the sleeves almost done. I'm much more confident on this sweater now that I know how to knit and cut steeks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I love modular knitting. I found a cool pattern in a book that I have and I actually have enough yarn to make it!! It's a short sleeved sweater, so I'll probably try to make it for spring.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I'm working on a double-knit scarf. I wanted to enter it in the County Fair this year, but I've only got six inches done so far and the Fair is next week. I'm on row 70 out of 500. Yeah. I'll enter it in the Fair next year. But, I'll work on it this year.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For when my head aches and I don't want to think, I'm making a blanket that's mostly garter stitch.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I get another itch to organize something I'll organize all my works-in-progress (WIPs).</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Other things I want to do between headaches</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Coloring! I've got my coloring books and pencils that are great for a rainy day.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Pokemon Go! I am having a great time with this game. I've changed my walking routine so that I can stop by a couple of PokeStops for PokeBalls a couple of times.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Internet Monk (www.internetmonk.com) is doing a study on the book of James that I'm following along with.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clean out the basement. We have stuff that needs to be given away and stuff to be thrown away.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Clean the upstairs closet. This will take all of 30 minutes once I set my mind to it. I hope.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Re-organize my room. When we made Lydia's room into a room for our exchange student, we emptied her desk's contents into a box and left the box in our room. I need to deal with that box along with other stuff in our room.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Right now, though, the Olympics are on, so I am going to watch the Olympics and knit.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are your plans for the Fall? Anything interesting?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">CCM</span></div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-46099821903736772192016-08-11T18:58:00.001-05:002016-08-11T18:58:25.021-05:00Stray Thoughts About the Olympics<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once every four years, I, like much of America, become interested in sports that I otherwise care little about. Like diving and swimming. For two weeks, I'm glued to the TV. Eight years ago, both kids were being homeschooled, so we did a fun unit study on Beijing and sports. This year, it's just me. (PWM is at a conference for educational stuff and Wild Man is working a lot.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are some random observations from the first week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rugby is like football with fewer rules. But, if you already know about rugby, then you already know that. Or there are rules, but I don't know them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Fiji rugby team is very religious. A quick look at Wikipedia shows that 99% of people in Fiji are Christian, most of those Methodist, due to 19th century missionary work. The commentators said that the rugby players not only pray before and after matches, but before and after workouts. Individual players can be seen praying when they are on the sidelines during matches. As a Christian, I think this is cool.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, how about Katie Ledecki?! She is killing it this week!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Michael Phelps is cool, too!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm very glad that the commentators are finally talking more about Katinka Hosszu and her swimming than her husband. Yes, it's interesting that her husband is her coach and that she's improved since he became her coach and that he is a maniac at cheering her on, but SHE'S the one doing the swimming! Let's focus on the swimmer - like with all the other swimmers!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What the heck is with the diving pools turning green? There are some <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/10/sport/rio-olympics-second-green-pool-trnd/" target="_blank">interesting theories</a>!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was actually cool enough the other night that the beach volleyball players wore clothes! More than bikinis!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And, yes, the most amazing gymnast in the world was homeschooled! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Field hockey is an actual sport! I thought it was just something to keep us busy in middle school PE class.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Olympic table tennis is serious, people! I watched some of it yesterday and those athletes were working. No more jokes about ping pong!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those "cupping" bruises look painful, but they're supposed to help.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kinesio-tape industry must be making a fortune off the Olympics!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's all for the moment. There's more than a week left for more observations. What have you noticed?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span></div>
Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-49552904677869320302016-08-07T14:28:00.001-05:002016-08-07T14:28:40.723-05:00Affirming<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Since PWM is out of town for a conference, I figure I'll get myself into trouble. What's the topic du jour? Homosexuality. The Christian church seems to be unable to handle "the gay issue" without becoming downright hysterical. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Until recently, the Christian church has taught, across the board, that being gay, or, at least, acting on homosexual urges, is sinful. At the same time, the broader society has become much more comfortable with gays being out of the closet. Gay marriage is now legal. Many states have non-discrimination laws that include protections for those who are gay. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Churches have reacting differently to this "crisis". The Westboro "Baptist" congregations and their ilk are only interested in making sure that gays and lesbians know that these "christians" are sure that homosexuals are going to hell. I'm sure they're making lots of converts. Then, there are the churches that affirm gays and lesbians and welcome them into their congregations. Evangelicals right now are pretty clear that they don't believe that homosexuality is an OK thing and that any homosexual urges should be resisted as sinful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But, what about what I think and believe? The last several years have challenged me to sort out my own beliefs. It's not just academic for me. One of my "daughters" (she was an unofficial foster child for six months when she was five years old and has been close to me since) is gay and has been out of the closet for several years. And, she's getting married next year. I love Jesi and her fiance, even if I decide they are on the wrong side of the moral line. But, are they?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Two hundred years ago, my ancestors owned other people. And, they had scripture to back up the practice. Not just one or two verses, either. Paul's letters contain many references to slavery. Nowadays, though, we look at the Gospels and the life of Jesus and don't have any problem with consigning those references to slavery to the dustbin of history as an aberration of the times. Owning people is not a Jesus-shaped way to live (and I'm sorry anyone I'm related to every participated in it).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">How do we handle the issue of being gay? I'll make just a few points with some references since I don't want to write a book. The church has become hyper-focused on sexuality, but Jesus says very little about it. The Evangelical church of the last thirty years has made an idol of the nuclear family. Even Paul's letters spend far more ink on how to follow Jesus than they do on how to have the perfect family. Being like Jesus is the goal of the Christian life, not finding the perfect spouse or having the right kind of family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Leviticus bans homosexual behavior, but it does so in the same context as banning shellfish and having women marry their rapists. The Mosaic law was given as boundaries for the Israelite people to show that they were different from the other people living around them. Much of that law does not apply today - thankfully. (I love my silk/bamboo shawl. Why in the world did God forbid mixed fibers?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Paul's letters mention homosexuality in Romans and then in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy. The interpretation of these passages is difficult, but many agree that they don't forbid all homosexual activity, just exploitative or cultic sexual activity. I would encourage you to read <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/God-Gay-Christian-Biblical-Relationships/dp/160142518X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1465958676&sr=1-1&keywords=vines+matthew" target="_blank">God and the Gay Christian</a></i> by <a href="http://www.matthewvines.com/" target="_blank">Mathew Vines</a>. He does a much better job of explaining these scriptures and the pros and cons of various interpretations. (The <a href="http://www.gaychristian.net/" target="_blank">Gay Christian Network</a> also has some good references if you're interested.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another reason that I think the church should affirm gay relationships is that I believe it is what Jesus would do. As we read the Bible, God is gradually revealing himself to humans. In the early part of the Old Testament, God shows himself through the Old Covenant that requires sacrifice and adherence to the Mosaic law. As we get into the Exile and Second Temple period, God starts telling the people through the prophets that he wants their hearts more than he wants sacrifice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the New Testament, Jesus comes as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for our sin and to show us what sacrificial love looks like. After Jesus ascends to Heaven, Peter is shown that the Gospel is for both Jew and Gentile through a dream. Paul reminds us that we are all the same in Christ, Jew and Gentile, male and female. Almost 2000 years later, most of the Christian world has agreed that slavery is not a Christian ideal. As we continue on this trajectory of Christian history, I believe it is time for us to understand people who are homosexual can be integral parts of our Christian community.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Gay people are the poor and the marginalized of our society. They are the ones the Jesus came for. But, you know what's crazy? According to Matthew Vines, 48% of gay people are Christian, many of them actively participating in some kind of church. There are lots of gay people who want to know and serve Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The Bible is still clear that there are boundaries for sexual activity. The passages I noted above in Romans 1:24-32 includes a number of sexual activities that are forbidden because they are selfish and exploitative. Sex is still something special that should not be taken lightly and should be saved for marriage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I believe that gay people are loved by Jesus and can (and often are) important parts of our Christian churches. I can say this while still affirming the Apostle's Creed and the Nicene Creed. I still love and follow Jesus. Not only do I love Jesi and Steph, but I support their relationship. And I believe Jesus does too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">CCM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">P.S. If you have more questions on this topic, check out <a href="http://www.gaychristian.net/">www.gaychristian.net</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">P.P.S. While I agree that I may be wrong about this, I would rather err on the side of being too loving than being too legalistic.</span><br />
<br />Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-18796781007113760142016-08-05T14:33:00.001-05:002016-08-05T14:33:56.241-05:00Telling People About Jesus<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you ever seen a street preacher yelling about how you need to confess your sins to go to Heaven? Or you've probably seen the Westboro Baptist (using that term loosely) folks protesting at funerals or public events. They are usually telling people that they are going to Hell and less often encouraging people to convert. But, it's the same idea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I grew up in Southern Baptist churches where we were admonished regularly about "witnessing" or "sharing our faith". It's a scriptural idea - Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Peter 3:15. At the time, "evangelism" was usually done on visitation nights when the adults would visit people who had visited the church. When I became a teenager, we would do beach outreach and try to talk to strangers in parks near the beach. Awkward!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are a couple of different approaches to evangelism. First is the "scare 'em in to Heaven". I have heard more sermons based on this than I'd care to recall. This kind of evangelism is used particularly by the "end of the world" people. Read Left Behind, the first book of the Left Behind series by LaHaye and Jenkins. In this eschatological scenario (which I don't buy into), Christians are bodily removed from the earth, after which a seven year period of "tribulation" ensues before Jesus comes back to earth. In the book, the people "left behind" are frightened by the rapture and by the terror that is about come that they become believers in Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even those who don't believe in Premillenial Dispensationalism (rapture theology) may use the "scare 'em into Heaven" approach. These people use the threat of eternal conscious torment for non-believers as a good reason to repent and put their faith in Jesus. Of course, the fact that the theology of eternal conscious torment is disputed (i.e. limited conscious torment, annhilationism, and purgatory) isn't really brought up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Being a child of modernism, I was taught the apologetics or intellectual technique of evangelism. Specifically, I was taught Evangelism Explosion. This is a guide for leading a person through the logical reasons for placing their faith in Jesus that was developed by Coral Ridge Church. Actually, the logical part of my mind really likes it, and for many people it has been successful. While I was in college, I also was in some other classes that taught some of the other approaches using apologetics. Being rather intellectual, I just ate it up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a real downside to the intellectual argument for faith. I can start with the two questions for Evangelism Explosion - If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that you would go to Heaven? If you were to stand before God and he were to say, "Why should I let you into my Heaven?" what would you say? - but in today's culture I'm rather likely to hear, "What's Heaven and why would I want to go there?" There are some people for whom this approach works well, but they are already curious about the Christian faith and generally need some help getting past some of the intellectual hurdles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another approach is much more difficult, but is the way that Jesus did things. Jesus lived with his disciples. They didn't understand his message immediately. Peter was still fighting the way of love, even up to the night of the crucifixion. Matthew 28:20 also tells us that we are not to convert people, but to make disciples of all nations. It's our job to help people meet Jesus but also to walk with Jesus. And this requires more commitment than just street preaching or going through and Evangelism Explosion. To be fair, many churches using those programs follow them up with robust discipleship programs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How do we help people find Jesus? We do whatever it takes. I've found that love and prayer and patience works. Fear isn't helpful. Sometimes, intellectual answers are important, so it's good to have them available. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is sometimes called "friendship evangelism". But, really, we don't want to make friends just for evangelism purposes. God doesn't want us to use people. Rather, we are to love the friends we have and to share our faith when it's appropriate.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We must not be Westboro Baptist or the street preachers at Free Speech Alley at LSU. Jesus did not come to condemn anyone (see John 3). He came to give himself for us. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us to repentance. God is love, not hate. So, too, should our discussions about our faith be filled with love and grace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The world is in rotten shape and people need to hear about Jesus. How we do it is important. The church must not be afraid to be in the public square and take care of the poor, the widows and the orphans in Jesus' name as instructed in the Bible. I came across a great saying by John Wesley (which is probably misattributed, but it's still a good saying) - Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you ever can." I would add that we should do it all in the name of Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Be Jesus to someone today. Love them and be prepared to tell them about your walk with Jesus. Good stuff is important. But, Jesus is more important.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your thoughts?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span><br />
<br />
<br />Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-12468915389457115752016-07-26T22:06:00.000-05:002016-07-26T22:06:22.989-05:00What I've Been Up To<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, here's your basic update on life since I've been neglecting my blog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Family Camp. It was super fun, as always! I had two bad migraine days and one moderate migraine day. The weather was gorgeous except for one storm - see above re: migraine. The speaker this year is from the Milwaukee area and spoke about love. His whole week's worth of talks is summed up in this: Love. One. Another. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Kids' Family Camp Stuff. We took Wild Man's girlfriend, J, to camp with us again this year. For the all-camp fun day, they did a bunch of station games with a talent show in the evening. Wild Man sang "America" while J did her flag routine. They were a rousing success! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wild Man, Rosie Girl, and J did a rap that I can't begin to successfully explain. Wild Man did the beat-boxing. Rosie Girl and J were Peter and Paul having the argument in Galatians 2:11-21. It was beyond amazing. And frighteningly theological.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wild Man did music stuff (of course), playing bass one day and drums one day. And, he won the carpetball tournament!! They didn't have the archery tournament because of rain - if he had placed in that tournament (which he has for the last few years), I would have tried to get some of his ice cream!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Migraines. Yes. I still have them. No, I don't enjoy them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. Books. I have discovered the author <a href="http://terrybrooks.net/" target="_blank">Terry Brooks</a>. I am loving his Word and Void series and am getting started on one of his Shannara novels. Friend me on Goodreads to see what all I'm reading these days. (I think it's mostly up to date!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">5. Knitting. The Waupaca County Fair is coming up! I've got two items completed and two yet to go. The hardest thing is remembering my form - due this week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">6. Pokemon Go. Are you playing? Rosie Girl thought Christmas had come early when she heard that I signed up. I love collecting the critters and evolving them. But, I'm a lover, not a fighter, so I haven't gotten into a gym. We'll see how that goes. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We live right by a Pokestop, so I collect a couple of Pokeballs from my living room every few hours. And I got a Meowth while sitting in my rocking chair last night!!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7. Sophie. We took Sophie, Rosie Girl's cat, to live with her in Stevens Point last week. Sophie is undisputed queen of the roost, right where she belongs. On that same day, Rosie Girl, PWM, Wild Man, J, and I went down to the park in Stevens Point right on the river to hunt Pokemon. Some people had practically set up camp. Of course, I was kind of tempted to join them when I realized how many magicarp there were! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">8. Rhapsody. This is my new kitten. I got an adorable 8 week tabby from J's family. Rhapsody and Rory are still separated. Rory isn't too thrilled with having a kitten around. As soon as I clip Rhapsody's claws and put her claw covers on (hoping to prevent declawing), she should be ready to hang out with Rory. Rhapsody is totally adorable in all her kitteness! She plays until she's completely tuckered out and then goes back upstairs to the closet where she's been sleeping and lies down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">9. Rosie Girl. Started a full-time job!! And it's a job that will offer benefits after a certain period of time! And it pays tolerably well!! And she likes it! Yes, we're all pretty excited. Rosie Girl is feeling like her choice to not return to school was a good one. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">10. PWM. He's starting to feel the impending start of school. But, first, he does two weeks of training at Milwaukee School of Engineering. Yay! NOT! The training is important for the new class that he's teaching, but I'm not thrilled about him being gone for two weeks. In any case, he's getting lots of walking in with Pokemon Go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11. Wild Man. He's working at a grocery store and can work some shifts at the same chain when he starts school at UWSP. Hopefully, he can handle a few work shifts along with school. We also have to finish up his school shopping. And, I told him he gets to make his own doctor and dentist appointments before school starts - his schedule is too complicated for me to sort out. Besides, as he likes to point out, he's an adult.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That's what's up in our little corner of the world. I've got lots of stuff in my brain that wants to come out. I'll try to let it out in bits and pieces that make sense. Fat chance!! Stay tuned for the crazy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-44555536588393976072016-07-01T22:51:00.002-05:002016-07-01T22:51:43.951-05:00Spiritual Growth<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Let's start off with the fact that I'm not an expert in spiritual growth, OK. I'm trying to walk with Jesus the best that I can, but I'm pretty sure that there are times that he's dragging me along and shaking his head. But, a couple of things about spiritual growth came up that I want to explore. So, here we go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Al Mohler is quoted as saying, "Our spiritual maturity will never exceed our knowledge of the Bible" by Tim Challies (which I saw on Twitter). On the face of it, this seems like a reasonable statement. After all, the Bible is how we know about Jesus for the most part, so it seems like it's needed for spiritual growth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On closer inspection, though, the argument breaks down. From a logical and historical point of view, there are problems. It follows from this statement that seminary professors and other well-educated people would necessarily be spiritually wiser than those less able to avail themselves of such knowledge. Yet, I dare say that we all know that this is just not the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It also doesn't work biblically. According to scripture, the way to grow spiritually is through trials. James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (See also Romans 5. And Job. And Lamentations.) Our walk with Jesus becomes closer and deeper with the more life that we live, particularly the hardships of life.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This brings me to the other quote I came across this week. "It is spiritually formative to be dissatisfied and unable to resolve it." Dallas Willard. Stop and read that again. He doesn't say that we learn something through resolving it. Rather, his point is that the very state of being stuck and not being able to fix it is the place where God wants us to be. That is the point where Jesus meets us. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yes, the Bible is the foundation of our faith. Yes, we study and learn as much as we can about Jesus. But, our spiritual maturity comes not from books and computers; it comes from experience and time with Jesus. When we are dissatisfied and can't do anything about it, it's time to get real with Jesus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is why that statement by Mohler was so elitist. It assumes that every Christian has unlimited access to scripture. Many believers have limited access to Bibles and even less to commentaries, etc. Yet, they are not lacking in faith. They are living their faith and walking with Jesus with the scripture they know. I have a feeling that God's OK with that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">CCM</span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-54267208466238228062016-06-20T23:58:00.002-05:002016-06-20T23:59:23.262-05:00Theistic Evolution and the Authority of Scripture<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Does theistic evolution undermine the authority of scripture? First of all, why do I even ask the question? It came up during a conversation on Facebook. Where all good questions come from!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The answer to the question is NO. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Why doesn't theistic evolution (or evolutionary creationism) undermine the authority of scripture? Because the Bible is not a science book. Genesis one was never intended to tell us about how the universe was created. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The Bible is a reliable source of information about God and his plan for humanity. The first chapter of Genesis is a creation hymn of the ancient Israelites that was intended to differentiate them from the rest of the Ancient Near Eastern World. It was to show that one God created the world instead of the pantheon of gods that other civilizations claimed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even though I firmly believe in evolutionary creationism, I take the Bible very seriously. The Bible was inspired by God. It is not to be taken lightly. But, neither is it to be always read literally. Every portion of the Bible was written in a certain time and place and to a certain people. It is our responsibility as readers of the Bible to learn all we can about the context of the text so that we can make a reasonable interpretation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So, when we read the first chapter in Genesis, we see that it is a poetic hymn written by a pre-scientific people. (Note: Calling ancient Israelites "pre-scientific" is not intended to be disparaging. These people were intelligent, but their culture had not yet developed the scientific method so their understanding of the universe was different from ours.) Reading the Bible this way is not frivolous or "loose". It is trying to understand the text for what it is.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For more reading on this topic, I would highly recommend anything on the <a href="http://biologos.org/" target="_blank">BioLogs</a> website or anything by <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/~dlamoure/" target="_blank">Denis Lamoreux</a>, a theologian and biologist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Your thoughts??</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">CCM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-35936114377175246632016-05-30T16:33:00.002-05:002016-05-30T16:34:57.126-05:00Men and Women and Jesus<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm a Christian Egalitarian. I would also claim the name of Feminist. Men and women are equal in God's eyes. We were created equal from the very beginning. Patriarchal and hierarchical social structures were created by human societies early on. In the Bible, we see that hierarchy of men over women occurred after the Fall (Eve and then Adam eating the fruit in Eden).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The good news is that Jesus came to rescue us from sin, even the sinful social structures of hierarchy (and poverty and other kinds of injustice). You'll notice that Jesus never mentions that men and women are to follow him differently. He never says that women should do this or that while men do the other. Yes, his Twelve closest disciples were men, which isn't surprising in that day and time. However, he had a number of close women who supported him financially. Women were present with him at the very end, when he died on the cross. And, it was a woman who saw that the tomb was empty after his Resurrection, and "preached" that good news to the disciples.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Because of our tendency toward hierarchical societies, we've tried to impose them on Christian societies, despite Jesus' wiping away of sin. When Paul uses the Roman household codes to show how much further we are to show each other love, biblical interpreters have decided that they mean that men are to be rulers over women. When Junia was listed as an apostle, translators a number of years later couldn't believe that a woman could have been an apostle, so they changed her name to Junio, a man's name.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And, now, many Christians want us to believe that to be Christians, we must live in a hierarchical prison. I came across an <a href="http://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/why-complementarianism-is-crucial-to-discipleship" target="_blank">article</a> that I believe warrants a response. This article purports to help people disciple other Christians and show them the differences between male and female spiritual maturity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I could get down into the nit-picking details, but I don't think that's the real problem. The issue that I have is overarching: the author has to make everything complicated. There are not just the questions of how wifely submission looks at home (it's more convoluted than you think), but how does a single woman relate to the men in her world? How does a woman relate to the older teenage boys? Are they men? Should she submit to them as she would to her husband? But does hierarchy require that she submit to men other than her husband?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">None of this trying to nail down every detail is even necessary. Paul tells us that there is no male or female in Christ (Galatians 3:28). Jesus died to set us free from sin, and that includes the sin of spiritual and social hierarchy. Ephesians 5:21 tells us to "Submit to one another out of reverence to Christ." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This business of who is in charge of whom sounds suspiciously like when the disciples asked who would get to sit at his right hand in glory (Mark 11). Jesus first told them they didn't know what they were asking, but then made the point that anyone who wants to be first is to be a servant to everyone. This is the crux of the whole Christianity thing: love, service, sacrifice. It's the opposite of hierarchy and patriarchy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">That's why discipleship and complementarianism don't go together. Complementarianism is the height of legalism. It's human-made rules that make us feel better and more spiritual. And there are entirely too many rules. The author of the blog post even admitted that he was only getting the ball rolling on the topic. (Consider that Wayne Grudem made a <a href="http://cbmw.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1-2.pdf" target="_blank">list of 83 jobs</a> that women could perform in a church. Talk about overkill!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm not an egalitarian because I don't want to be oppressed by the patriarchy. I'm an egalitarian because it's what Jesus taught. It's not my job to be spiritually in charge of anyone (OK, my kids before they became adults). (Obviously, when I was working, I had people who were working under me, and I was working for my employer. But, that was clearly only a business relationship.) I'm to submit to everyone and not just my husband. Our faith is all about mutually submissive relationships.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-28036071753772762312016-05-10T22:28:00.000-05:002016-05-10T22:28:04.266-05:00Gonna be a Crazy Month!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ever since I quit working . . . OK, let's stop right there. Quit working just sounds so . . I don't know, like I just decided one day that I didn't want to work. How do I say that I stopped working because I was hurting all the time? That's pretty wordy. Now that I'm approaching 50 (but still only 48!), I could say I retired. I don't like any of those. Let's try again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ever since I left the practice of medicine due to illness (wordy, but precise), I've tried to keep life a little more simple. It's hard to make firm plans when I don't know what kind of pain I'm likely to have on any given day. Homeschooling was a godsend for us. We didn't have to work with the school's schedule; we made plans that worked for us. Even when Wild Man joined choir as well as band, it was just a few extra concerts. I've missed the occasional concert over the years, but the kids are understanding.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next month, though, is just ridiculous. We have graduation, dance recital, graduation party, going home dinner, my parents visiting, and I'm sure a few other things. Somehow, I have to remember to breathe. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br />Literally breathe. Meditation is one of the things that I do almost every day. When I have a bad migraine, my meditation is short. Otherwise, I do about 20-30 minutes of meditation and prayer. I start with the Lord's Prayer, then the Gloria Patri, then the Jesus Prayer for several repetitions and then everything backward. Then I just chat with God. Then I meditate on a piece of scripture or a prayer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other than that, I am going to keep anything extraneous out of our lives. I'm going to cook simple things. I'll make some casseroles or multi-day meals. And I'll give myself some grace when the house is a mess or things don't get done because we're busy or tired or I'm headache-y.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is a time for family and celebration. It's not a time for stress or perfectionism. We're going to love each other in spite of migraines and deadlines like God tells us to.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-70464485809682724172016-05-06T15:01:00.001-05:002016-05-06T15:02:17.611-05:00Tow Trucks, Sanders, and Jesus<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I came across this <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tow-truck-driver-refuses-to-help-bernie-supporter_us_572a75b4e4b096e9f090403f" target="_blank">article in the Huffington Post</a> the other day. I wasn't going to write about it, but I posted it on Facebook. A friend commented on it and then I commented on his comment and my comment got so long and I just decided to write an entire blog post on it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The basic story is this: A disabled young woman with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia (she's got other illnesses, but those are most pertinent) was in a car wreck. After the wreck, someone was able to move her car off the highway so she was safe. The tow truck arrived, but the tow truck driver saw the Sanders sticker on her car and said that he was a conservative Christian and that he, in good conscience, could not tow her. He said that she was safe in her car with the air conditioning on while she waited for another tow truck.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Folks, this is what happens when we can pick and choose who to serve based on "sincerely held religious beliefs." First it was bakers and photographers for gay people, now it is tow truck drivers leaving disabled women on the side of the road for having different political beliefs. We're going back to Jim Crow, but based on whatever the heck we want. This is wrong. And, it's not Jesus-like. Jesus would have baked the cake, taken the pictures, and towed the woman's car. And more. Because that's what he tells us to do. (Matthew 5:38-48)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span class="text Matt-5-40" id="en-NIV-23275" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-41" id="en-NIV-23276" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">41 </span>If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Matt-5-42" id="en-NIV-23277" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 24px;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">42 </span>Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:40-42</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Jesus is telling his followers that if a Roman soldier tells you to carry his load for a mile (which they were allowed to do), that they should not only carry it a mile, but carry it for two miles. We are to do more than is required, even for our "enemies". (The Jews weren't exactly friends with the Romans.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It's pretty clear to me, here that Jesus is telling us to do more than is required to be a loving neighbor. And to be loving to people with whom we disagree. In fact, to whom might even be our enemies. I don't consider Sanders supporters to be my enemies (my daughter is one!).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My friend commented the following: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.08px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And the people that won't do concerts or do business in NC? How about the mayor on NYC saying don't go to Click Filet? Do they get a pass on this?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.08px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; line-height: 16.08px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My response:</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59qtj" data-offset-key="9t3tc-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9t3tc-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="9t3tc-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Traditionally, it is the purchaser of services that chooses to whom they give their custom. This allows for competition in the marketplace. For example, we tried to entice people to purchase yarn from us by carrying different types of yarn than the yarn stores in Appleton and Stevens Point. But, in this country, a public establishment, like a business, is not legally allowed to discriminate in who they serve, hire, etc. (Note: this applies to public establishments, not private. So, churches are exempt and are free to choose not to hire women, or those with whom they disagree.) A business that is open to the public is legally required (and I would argue, ethically required) to serve anyone to chooses their business.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59qtj" data-offset-key="4cat5-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="4cat5-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="4cat5-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59qtj" data-offset-key="9qemm-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9qemm-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="9qemm-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When someone disagrees with a business's policies or stance on an issue, an individual or group of people can choose not to give their custom to that business. For example, the Southern Baptist Convention for years encouraged people to boycott Disney. Liberal groups have encouraged people to boycott ChikFilA. Conservatives are choosing to boycott Target. These are all legal and ethical ways to show one's lack of support for a business. No one can make you choose to shop at a particular business. </span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59qtj" data-offset-key="9dse2-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9dse2-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="9dse2-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="59qtj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yes, this is the opposite of businesses who can't choose who to serve. But, remember the sit-ins of the 60s when African Americans were lynched just for the right to be served in the same establishments as whites. Public accommodations are for everyone, no matter their race, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. </span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I can shop in any store I want. No one can turn me away because I'm a woman or a Christian. No one should be able to refuse to tow my car because I'm a Republican. The very idea of having to have a set of towing companies for liberals and a set for conservatives is laughable! It just reeks of Jim Crow! We won't stand for that kind of discrimination by race and we shouldn't stand for it for any other reason.</span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Back to the original post. A man used the argument that he should not serve a woman with whom he disagrees because he's a follower of Jesus. I just can't go there. Jesus was always hanging out with people with whom he disagreed. And there's no evidence that they always changed their ways and became his followers. He certainly didn't require him to become his followers before he would love them. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<br /></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And here's a radical idea. That Sanders supporter might be a Christian!! Is it so hard to believe? The tow truck operator used one little bit of identification to decide that she was his "enemy" without talking to her or learning anything about her. Who knows?</span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In any case, as Jesus followers, we are required to live in this world. We are to be lights shining in the darkness. We can't do that when we tell people that we won't associate with them. We have to know people, talk to them, love them. We can't do that when we label them from a bumper sticker and then refuse them service.</span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And, yet once again, we are back to LOVE!! Jesus wants us to love people, whether we like them or not. And to love them practically. Even when it hurts. So go love someone!!!</span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What do you think about all this??</span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8i9k9-0-0"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-32954952668917251522016-05-02T23:41:00.000-05:002016-05-02T23:41:55.588-05:00Rambling On . . . <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is the third post in a row about illness. Blah. I just don't have much else going on inside my head right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We've been very busy around here. Grandma has been here to see the Aladdin, the school musical. Wild Man had the starring role! So, of course, it was a busy weekend with three performances of the musical. And Wild Man turned 18 yesterday, although we celebrated on Saturday afternoon with chocolate cake and friends and singing! We went to UWSP last night to hear their choir concert since Rosie Girl is in the Choral Union. It was amazing, of course.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I fought a migraine through the whole weekend. I skipped the Saturday night performance of Aladdin to get some extra rest. Overall, though, it wasn't too bad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The fibromyalgia pain is what is doing me in right now. I'm getting out and walking on the days that the migraine isn't bad, but I can still only get about 1/2 a mile. My calves hurt with every step. It was only a few weeks ago that I could do 2 miles without any excessive pain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The bright spot is that my antidepressants are working. As much as I hurt, my mood is staying pretty decent.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Other little tidbits of life: I knit on Fridays with another woman. She's in her 80's. She's been knitting since before my mother was born! But, her eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, so she has me cast-on stitches or pick up stitches or figure things out for her sometimes when I come over on Fridays. This week, she couldn't figure out the heel on some socks. I thought I had it sorted out, but when I was done, I only had 13 stitches where I should have had 32! Later in the afternoon when I was just sitting, I suddenly realized how to do the heel! I called my friend and told her to bring her knitting when I picked her up to take her to the play and I'd do them this weekend. I finished tonight with the correct number of stitches!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is certainly a well-constructed piece of writing! Talk about rambling! Well, I can vouch for the grammar at least.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Have a lovely night! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-57787956576196105572016-04-23T13:26:00.001-05:002016-04-23T13:26:34.801-05:00I Don't Like Being Sick<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's been a rough week. I thought I had a handle on my illnesses, but I don't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I kind of understand migraine. I know I can't control how or when the migraines or going to hit or how bad they are going to be.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, I thought I had some clue about the fibromyalgia. The flares usually only last a day or two and then I'm fine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not this time. Last Saturday I caulked the bathtub and I've been miserable ever since. All my muscles burn whenever I do anything. I'm unbelievably exhausted. PWM and I walked 1/2 a mile today and I was panting halfway through.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I suppose going to see Barry Manilow in concert on Thursday night didn't help my case. But, otherwise, I've been trying to balance rest with gentle exercise. (But, really, do you think I was going to miss going to see Barry Manilow in concert? Even if he is 70 years old?)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I don't like to think of myself as sick. When I was working, there was a prejudice against the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. It was called a "throwaway" or "garbage" diagnosis. Things are definitely changing. My current neurologist certainly believes it is real; he commented on studies that show parts of the brain that light up on fMRI during a fibromyalgia flare. Yay for really being sick!?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I guess I'm a little vain. I don't want to be sick when our society is telling us to be healthy and active. I shouldn't be spending my Saturdays inside reading a book or blogging. I should be outside, riding my bike or hiking in the state park or doing some other strenuous activity. I can't do that, though. Even if I were to manage some strenuous activity, I would pay for it dearly the rest of the week.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My counselor would have a field day with this. She would tell me that it's good to grieve for the life I used to have but that it's OK to be content with the life that I have. And we would pray. And Jesus and I already have an active conversation going about this.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today, I'll practice contentment, although it's really not easy. Paul ended his letter to the Philippians by thanking them for their gifts and explaining how he was content in any circumstances because of God's grace.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span class="text Phil-4-11" id="en-NIV-29454" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">11 </span>I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29454O" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29454O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> whatever the circumstances.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="text Phil-4-12" id="en-NIV-29455" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;">12 </span>I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-29455P" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-29455P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> whether living in plenty or in want.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wonder if I can practice contentment with ice cream? So, what about you? How do you deal with illness and things that interfere with life? How do you practice contentment? What kind of ice cream do you like?</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-3630569964133726112016-04-19T13:54:00.001-05:002016-04-19T13:54:48.363-05:00So Tired . . . <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm soooooo tired. I spent four years in medical school, so I thought that I knew what tired was. I mean, I would go days on not nearly enough sleep doing admissions and working in clinic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, I didn't really learn the meaning of fatigue until I developed chronic migraine and fibromyalgia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The fibro came first with the poor sleep and diffuse body aches. What's crazy is that I was diagnosed at a time when I had a gym membership and was exercising regularly. A medication to help me sleep gave me significant relief.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the migraines started escalating soon afterward. Once the migraines became chronic and I started having daily headaches, the fatigue kicked back in with a vengeance. I didn't know a person could be so tired without being sleepy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Right now the fatigue is particularly bad because I've had a busy week. I've been cranking up the distance and speed that I walk to 1-2 miles at about 20 minutes/mile. I also re-caulked the bathroom (a whole 'nuther story but suffice it to say that there's mold and we're getting a new bathroom soon!) along with doing lots of house cleaning. Parts of my body hurt that I forgot even existed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now it's time to rest. I have a migraine today, which makes it a resting day anyway, but I had already planned for today to be a rest day. My achy body (from all the working which has flared my fibro) is telling me it needs a break. I did walk to the library to stretch my legs, but it's only about 1/3 of a mile.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">God made us to rest. In the creation story, God rested on the seventh day and then He gave the people of Israel a commandment that they were to rest of the seventh day of the week. Even when we're completely healthy, we need some down time. And that's OK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For those of us with chronic illness, rest is a necessity. And I'm working very hard not to feel guilty about it. It's perfectly fine to give my body what it needs. Today, it's to sit down and write and look at knitting patterns and read. I can pray and meditate and let God speak to my soul. I can listen in ways that I can't when I'm spackling the bathroom wall. And I can just be quiet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What do you do when you just need to rest? How do you hear God? Do you prefer silicon or acrylic caulk ('cause I'm such an expert now)?</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-63928670279426595732016-04-02T18:42:00.002-05:002016-04-02T18:42:34.661-05:00What I've Been Up To - April 2, 2016<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, I've been away from my blog, as you might (or might not) have noticed. My absence was mostly for a trip with our exchange student daughter but then I needed a few days to recover!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ashley and I went to New Jersey to meet check out things for next year's school year. That actually didn't take long, so we spent the rest of the time hanging out and shopping!! Here are the fun things we did!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ate Japanese food. Ashley loved the sushi. I ate cooked food, but lots of new things. That's a big deal for me - I'm not an adventurous eater.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Got manicures.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Shopped at a mall in New Jersey.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Got Godiva chocolate!!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Went to Manhattan!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Almost froze to death in Manhattan! OK, it wasn't all that cold. But, we dressed for temperatures in the 50s, but it never got out of the 40s. I wasn't too bad after I got a pair of light gloves, but Ashley was cold all day. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Walked from Central Park to Rockefeller Center to Times Square with shopping and eating all spread out.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Got to see St. Patrick's Cathedral.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Went to the M&Ms store!!!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ate Korean food for lunch.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Saw and got jostled by a million people in Times Square.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ate Chinese food in New Jersey on Saturday night.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Got up at 4am for our flight out on Easter Sunday.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Waited in a security line that seemed a mile long in Newark. And I got patted down because I'm apparently a security risk.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Missed our second flight in Chicago and had to wait for two hours. We were so tired and sore by this point!</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, we made it home and Ashley still had Monday off for Spring Break. I made it through the trip without a migraine, but I had one on Monday for good measure. But, now I'm home and am back into a routine. I think. So, my blog won't be nearly as quiet.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background: transparent; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27337216.post-58686413581262444922016-03-22T14:53:00.002-05:002016-03-22T14:53:29.828-05:00Taking a Walk<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, I took my walk today outside. For those of you living down South, this is a big deal! It is 50 degrees outside, perfect for a walk with a jacket. And I much prefer outdoor walking to the treadmill.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I thought I walked faster outside than I do on the treadmill, but today that was not the case! My pace was about a 26 minute mile. Indoors, I do a 24 minute mile and think that's slow.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I can't get away with not walking far when I walk outside. I walk a certain distance and then I have to get back!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are a number of flower gardeners in our town and they have their beds ready and their rose bushes all pruned. Reminding me that I need to pull all the weeds out of my hostas so that I have a hosta bed instead of a weed bed this summer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A plain silver panel van slowly passed me when I was in one of the less occupied parts of town. I was ready, though. I had my hand on my cell phone, ready to throw it so the authorities would know where I was when I was kidnapped.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The van passed me and I saw two (TWO) Better Business Bureau stickers on the back. Nobody who belongs to the BBB would stop and kidnap someone, right?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I passed the big Lutheran church in town while I was walking. I occasionally considering converting to a liturgical church just for the great art and architecture. I'm shallow, I know. Jesus is dragging me again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's the time of year for apartment rental again. Nobody ever evicts people in the dead of winter around here (I think it might be illegal, but it's certainly immoral), so they start evictions in the Spring. So, the great apartment swaps begin! Living as we do on the "apartment row" of Weyauwega, we are witness to this great migration. And, it appears to be beginning soon, based on all the rental signs that I saw.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The sidewalk situation in this town is convoluted, to say the least. Some streets have sidewalks. Some don't. Some sections of streets don't have sidewalks. On one street, it looks like one house just got rid of their own sidewalk, so I walk on the street around their sidewalk-less house. The yard looks nice, though.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I thought there was still a bit of snow in our yard, but I realized it's actually a bit of cotton. Why is there cotton in our yard?? I still don't know, but I hope it's from a Halloween costume. </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What do you see when you walk about your neighborhood? Do you walk often?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On a more serious note, please pray for all those affected by the attack on Belgium. Pray that there will be no more terrorist attacks. Pray for ISIS, that somehow their hearts will be changed to peace, and that this horrible war can end for everyone.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54486/163/7AA172CE10E5BE9323D982630CA932F8.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none;" /></a>Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05977860195847730169noreply@blogger.com0