Thursday, October 26, 2006
Taking Quizzes
Okay, so it's a slow day at work. Between breaks in phone calls I've taken a quiz or two online. I've posted the results of my favorite two quizzes.
The first quiz shows the results to where my European city would be. It says that my European city is Amsterdam. Though I've never been to Amersterdam personally I think I'm going to have to take issue with that quiz result. Come on, I've heard about the naughty things that are allowed in Amersterdam. I'm not to sure I'd feel comfortable there. Then again I don't want to be prejudice against the city, because of the actions of some residents. Maybe I will have to visit Amersterdam sometime during my life time.
The second quiz was one to take to see if you could pass 8th grade math. HA! I CAN PASS!!! and with flying colors. I got 10 out of 10 correct. Take that everyone. And this is from someone who was placed in a lower level math class in 8th grade.
A little more housekeeping here, I wanted to say I hope you all are enjoying my reading of J.A.C. Redford's book, Welcome All Wonders. I'm sorry that my reading of his book is so full of mispronunciations. I can't seem to wrap my tongue around some of his vocabulary. I do love his story though, and I hope each of you are enjoying it as well.
The first quiz shows the results to where my European city would be. It says that my European city is Amsterdam. Though I've never been to Amersterdam personally I think I'm going to have to take issue with that quiz result. Come on, I've heard about the naughty things that are allowed in Amersterdam. I'm not to sure I'd feel comfortable there. Then again I don't want to be prejudice against the city, because of the actions of some residents. Maybe I will have to visit Amersterdam sometime during my life time.
The second quiz was one to take to see if you could pass 8th grade math. HA! I CAN PASS!!! and with flying colors. I got 10 out of 10 correct. Take that everyone. And this is from someone who was placed in a lower level math class in 8th grade.
A little more housekeeping here, I wanted to say I hope you all are enjoying my reading of J.A.C. Redford's book, Welcome All Wonders. I'm sorry that my reading of his book is so full of mispronunciations. I can't seem to wrap my tongue around some of his vocabulary. I do love his story though, and I hope each of you are enjoying it as well.
Yippie...
| You Passed 8th Grade Math |
 |
Could'>http://www.blogthings.com/couldyoupasseighthgrademathquiz/">Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?
Interesting...
| You Belong in Amsterdam |
 |
What European City Do You Belong In?
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Something Profound...
Again, my sister sent me this email (a forward). I found it deserving of publishing, I hope you agree.
This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen. It's an explanation other people will understand.
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."
"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.
"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."
The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.
The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."
"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"
"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."
"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."
"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."
Monday, October 23, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
Something My Sister Sent
How to stay safe in the world today.
1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.
5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in Hospitals. So, ... above all else, avoid hospitals.
BUT, ... You will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church!
And....Bible study is safe too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less. So,...for SAFETY'S sake - Attend church, and read your Bible IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!
1. Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents.
2. Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians.
4. Avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation.
5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in Hospitals. So, ... above all else, avoid hospitals.
BUT, ... You will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at church!
And....Bible study is safe too. The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even less. So,...for SAFETY'S sake - Attend church, and read your Bible IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Going Back in Time...
So, yesterday was a completely frustrating work day. Nothing went my way. All morning into the early afternoon our company website was experiencing some technical difficulties. That even went on to include our email system.
When something of that nature takes place it makes it near impossible for me to get any real work done. Any time I started updating information in our system I would lose my information when our connection was lost.
Later in the afternoon the problem was compounded when we lost internet access completely on several random occassions.
Since getting productive work done was at a standstill yesterday I spent some time reading back into my blog (for some reason in the morning I had easy access to other sites available on the website just not my own company website).
I enjoyed going back in time and reading through those old blog posts. When reading the entries I wrote a year ago it was almost as if I had written them just yesterday. The incidences of the entries were so vivid to my mind. It's simply amazing how time flys by.
Reading through my old entries wasn't just a spur of the moment idea. I've been thinking recently how I should go back through and refresh myself with past life events. I actually get this idea to reread whenever I encounter someone who says they've come across my blog and are reading through it for themselves.
It's in those moments that I ask myself how much have I really shared in my blog. I know when I first started writing in this thing I was real open and out there. At the time I thought my blog could never really interest anyone but my a small handful of my family and friends. I'm learning all the time that more people are interested in the random tidbits of my life than I ever expected. Oh well I'm happy to keep them entertained.
But just know people I'm more aware of you out there, and don't start to expect too much at my expense : )
When something of that nature takes place it makes it near impossible for me to get any real work done. Any time I started updating information in our system I would lose my information when our connection was lost.
Later in the afternoon the problem was compounded when we lost internet access completely on several random occassions.
Since getting productive work done was at a standstill yesterday I spent some time reading back into my blog (for some reason in the morning I had easy access to other sites available on the website just not my own company website).
I enjoyed going back in time and reading through those old blog posts. When reading the entries I wrote a year ago it was almost as if I had written them just yesterday. The incidences of the entries were so vivid to my mind. It's simply amazing how time flys by.
Reading through my old entries wasn't just a spur of the moment idea. I've been thinking recently how I should go back through and refresh myself with past life events. I actually get this idea to reread whenever I encounter someone who says they've come across my blog and are reading through it for themselves.
It's in those moments that I ask myself how much have I really shared in my blog. I know when I first started writing in this thing I was real open and out there. At the time I thought my blog could never really interest anyone but my a small handful of my family and friends. I'm learning all the time that more people are interested in the random tidbits of my life than I ever expected. Oh well I'm happy to keep them entertained.
But just know people I'm more aware of you out there, and don't start to expect too much at my expense : )
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
From Past Generations...
Below is an email sent to myself and others in my family from my Mother's cousin Jackie. Jackie has gone through the trouble of sorting through many of the older papers saved my ancestors. I say ancestors, but that makes the relation seem so far removed. Really, what cousin Jackie is sorting through is papers belonging to my great-grandmother.
Personally, I was touched by the poems that Jackie found and sent to us and wanted to share them with all of you. Some of these written words made me laugh, others were a little more sobering. Mostly I was interested by their styling and how it reflects a period of old.
I'll start by sharing the email Jackie sent to indtroduce these works (I think it'll give you some important background).
Jackie's voice Still weeding through things and today's found things Irene and Beany (my great aunts on my mother's side) had separated for me from Grandmommie's (my great-grandmother) trunk. I think some of the little thoughts/poems she saved show a lot about her character and I want to share them with you all. We are all blessed to have her as part of ourheritage. The newspapers are all clippings, yellowed and brittle, no dates on them but something in each one made her cut it out and save it. It gives us all glimpse into things that mattered to her.She saved longer ones also and liked religious thoughts but the sampling below I think shows how she felt towards her family and others. I never heard her say anything bad about others and she loved her children and grandchildren so very much. A nice legacy of caring and love. The first one is a good example of being non-judgmental and seeing the goodness in others, and I know from memory she lived that.
Love you all,
Jackie
By Robert Louis Stevenson
In men whom men condemn as ill,
I find so much of goodness still.
In men whom men pronounce divine,
I find so much of sin and blot,
I hesitate to draw the line
Between the two where God has not.
God's Favored by Katherine Edelman
God gave to some of us below
Some special gift or grace:
A skillful hand, high intellect,
Beauty of form or face.
But to the greatest number,
(These He must love the best)
He gave the happy, trusting heart
And courage for Life's test.
No author listed, old cracked newsprint
This morning he tracked up my kitchen
Which I had cleaned all spick and span,
And never once said he was sorry--
When I scolded he chuckled and ran.
He took my best shoes from the closet
To use in constructing a train,
And hammered the lid of a kettleTill
I never can use it again.
He captured the switch on my dresser
For his horsie that needed a tail,
And I'm sure he's been into the sugar,
For it's scattered 'round outside the pail.
But now as I sit by the firelight
With his drowsy head close to my breast
I know I should still love him madly
Tho' he battered up all I possessed.
The Three Old Ladies by Mary Mapes Dodge
There was an old lady all dress in silk
Who lived upon lemons and buttermilk;
And, thinking the world was a sour old place,
She carried its acid all over her face.
Another old lady, all dressed in patches,
Lived upon nothing but lucifer matches;
So the world, it made her strangle and cough,
And sure as you rubbed her you set her off.
Another old lady, all sunny and neat,
Who lived upon sugar and everything sweet,
Exclaimed, when she heard of their troubles,
"I never!For the world is so nice I could live on forever."
Now, children, take your choice
Of the food your hearts shall eat;
There are sourish thoughts and brimstone thoughts,
And thoughts all good and sweet;
And whatever the heart feeds on,
Dear children, trust to me,
Is precisely what this queer old world
Will seem to you to be.
When All the World Forgets You - author unknown - for a mother with 8 children I found this sweet (it was my great-grandmother who had the 8 children).
When all the great lights beckon to you,
And you seek the bright and gay,
When new friends and fancies call you
As you drift along the way,
You know not what the world may see,
You never have a care,
You never think of home, sweet home,
Or the one who's waiting there.
When all the world forgets you,
And you find yourself alone,
When all your friends desert you
And you are far from home,
Remember, there is someone
Who loves and always will--
When all the world forgets you
There's a mother waiting still.
There comes a time to each one,
When your greatest hope will fail;
When your friends you thought the truest,
Leave you far beyond the trail.
'Tis then your thoughts drift back again
To the home you once held true.
And the lonely heart that's watching there
And waiting still for you.
The Mother - author unknown
Yes, it's hard labor to cook for 'em,
Read up new things in the book for 'em,
Beat things an' stir 'em an' baste for 'em,
Hurry and flurry an' haste for 'em,
Get all excited and "het" for 'em,
Sizzle and sozzle an' sweat for 'em
Still, when the job is all done for 'em,
Eatin' the dinner's such fun for 'em,
Why, I just love to be near 'em,
Seein' how good things appear to 'em,
Father's as bad as the rest of 'em,
Eating as much as the best of 'em.
Thankful--dear God for the whole of 'em,
Body an' breath and' the soul of 'em,
Nothing, I say is too fine for 'em,
Darlings-- the whole lusty nine of 'em,
We have to work for the keep of 'em,
But, ah--the reward that we reap of 'em!
Who is Richer? Author unknown
Who is richer than the farmer?
Who has nobler work to do?
He, whom all the world depends on
Owns, a treasure known to few:
Owns the sky and all the sunshine.
Owns the hills, the woods, the creek;
Owns the landscape all about him
Far as searching eye can seek.
No, 'tis not in gold and silver
That the farmer marks his gain
'Tis the joy and wealth of freedom
As he tills his field of grain,
As he gathers in his harvest,
As he sows them out again .
In his work he finds his sermons
Learns from Nature's book that God
In the eternal round of seasons,
Brings fulfillment for His Word.
Too Busy to Live (Commended to Persons Afflicted with Hurryitis) by Grenville Kleiser in the Detroit Free Press
He hadn't time to greet the day,
He hadn't time to laugh or play;
He hadn't time to wait a while,
He hadn't time to give a smile;
He hadn't time to glean the news,
He hadn't time to dream or muse;
He hadn't time to train his mind,
He hadn't time to just be kind;
He hadn't time to see a joke,
He hadn't time to write his folk;
He hadn't time to eat a meal,
He hadn't time to deeply feel;
He hadn't time to take a rest,
He hadn't time to act his best;
He hadn't time to help a cause,
He hadn't time to make a pause;
He hadn't time to pen a note,
He hadn't time to cast a vote;
He hadn't time to sing a song,
He hadn't time to right a wrong;
He hadn't time to send a gift,
He hadn't time to practice thrift.
He hadn't time to exercise,
He hadn't time to scan the skies;
He hadn't time to heed a cry,
He hadn't time to to say good-bye;
He hadn't time to study poise,
He hadn't time to repress noise;
He hadn't time to go abroad,
He hadn't time to serve his God
He hadn't time to lend or give,
He hadn't time to really live;
He hadn't time to read this verse,
He hadn't time -- he's in a hearse.
Personally, I was touched by the poems that Jackie found and sent to us and wanted to share them with all of you. Some of these written words made me laugh, others were a little more sobering. Mostly I was interested by their styling and how it reflects a period of old.
I'll start by sharing the email Jackie sent to indtroduce these works (I think it'll give you some important background).
Jackie's voice Still weeding through things and today's found things Irene and Beany (my great aunts on my mother's side) had separated for me from Grandmommie's (my great-grandmother) trunk. I think some of the little thoughts/poems she saved show a lot about her character and I want to share them with you all. We are all blessed to have her as part of ourheritage. The newspapers are all clippings, yellowed and brittle, no dates on them but something in each one made her cut it out and save it. It gives us all glimpse into things that mattered to her.She saved longer ones also and liked religious thoughts but the sampling below I think shows how she felt towards her family and others. I never heard her say anything bad about others and she loved her children and grandchildren so very much. A nice legacy of caring and love. The first one is a good example of being non-judgmental and seeing the goodness in others, and I know from memory she lived that.
Love you all,
Jackie
By Robert Louis Stevenson
In men whom men condemn as ill,
I find so much of goodness still.
In men whom men pronounce divine,
I find so much of sin and blot,
I hesitate to draw the line
Between the two where God has not.
God's Favored by Katherine Edelman
God gave to some of us below
Some special gift or grace:
A skillful hand, high intellect,
Beauty of form or face.
But to the greatest number,
(These He must love the best)
He gave the happy, trusting heart
And courage for Life's test.
No author listed, old cracked newsprint
This morning he tracked up my kitchen
Which I had cleaned all spick and span,
And never once said he was sorry--
When I scolded he chuckled and ran.
He took my best shoes from the closet
To use in constructing a train,
And hammered the lid of a kettleTill
I never can use it again.
He captured the switch on my dresser
For his horsie that needed a tail,
And I'm sure he's been into the sugar,
For it's scattered 'round outside the pail.
But now as I sit by the firelight
With his drowsy head close to my breast
I know I should still love him madly
Tho' he battered up all I possessed.
The Three Old Ladies by Mary Mapes Dodge
There was an old lady all dress in silk
Who lived upon lemons and buttermilk;
And, thinking the world was a sour old place,
She carried its acid all over her face.
Another old lady, all dressed in patches,
Lived upon nothing but lucifer matches;
So the world, it made her strangle and cough,
And sure as you rubbed her you set her off.
Another old lady, all sunny and neat,
Who lived upon sugar and everything sweet,
Exclaimed, when she heard of their troubles,
"I never!For the world is so nice I could live on forever."
Now, children, take your choice
Of the food your hearts shall eat;
There are sourish thoughts and brimstone thoughts,
And thoughts all good and sweet;
And whatever the heart feeds on,
Dear children, trust to me,
Is precisely what this queer old world
Will seem to you to be.
When All the World Forgets You - author unknown - for a mother with 8 children I found this sweet (it was my great-grandmother who had the 8 children).
When all the great lights beckon to you,
And you seek the bright and gay,
When new friends and fancies call you
As you drift along the way,
You know not what the world may see,
You never have a care,
You never think of home, sweet home,
Or the one who's waiting there.
When all the world forgets you,
And you find yourself alone,
When all your friends desert you
And you are far from home,
Remember, there is someone
Who loves and always will--
When all the world forgets you
There's a mother waiting still.
There comes a time to each one,
When your greatest hope will fail;
When your friends you thought the truest,
Leave you far beyond the trail.
'Tis then your thoughts drift back again
To the home you once held true.
And the lonely heart that's watching there
And waiting still for you.
The Mother - author unknown
Yes, it's hard labor to cook for 'em,
Read up new things in the book for 'em,
Beat things an' stir 'em an' baste for 'em,
Hurry and flurry an' haste for 'em,
Get all excited and "het" for 'em,
Sizzle and sozzle an' sweat for 'em
Still, when the job is all done for 'em,
Eatin' the dinner's such fun for 'em,
Why, I just love to be near 'em,
Seein' how good things appear to 'em,
Father's as bad as the rest of 'em,
Eating as much as the best of 'em.
Thankful--dear God for the whole of 'em,
Body an' breath and' the soul of 'em,
Nothing, I say is too fine for 'em,
Darlings-- the whole lusty nine of 'em,
We have to work for the keep of 'em,
But, ah--the reward that we reap of 'em!
Who is Richer? Author unknown
Who is richer than the farmer?
Who has nobler work to do?
He, whom all the world depends on
Owns, a treasure known to few:
Owns the sky and all the sunshine.
Owns the hills, the woods, the creek;
Owns the landscape all about him
Far as searching eye can seek.
No, 'tis not in gold and silver
That the farmer marks his gain
'Tis the joy and wealth of freedom
As he tills his field of grain,
As he gathers in his harvest,
As he sows them out again .
In his work he finds his sermons
Learns from Nature's book that God
In the eternal round of seasons,
Brings fulfillment for His Word.
Too Busy to Live (Commended to Persons Afflicted with Hurryitis) by Grenville Kleiser in the Detroit Free Press
He hadn't time to greet the day,
He hadn't time to laugh or play;
He hadn't time to wait a while,
He hadn't time to give a smile;
He hadn't time to glean the news,
He hadn't time to dream or muse;
He hadn't time to train his mind,
He hadn't time to just be kind;
He hadn't time to see a joke,
He hadn't time to write his folk;
He hadn't time to eat a meal,
He hadn't time to deeply feel;
He hadn't time to take a rest,
He hadn't time to act his best;
He hadn't time to help a cause,
He hadn't time to make a pause;
He hadn't time to pen a note,
He hadn't time to cast a vote;
He hadn't time to sing a song,
He hadn't time to right a wrong;
He hadn't time to send a gift,
He hadn't time to practice thrift.
He hadn't time to exercise,
He hadn't time to scan the skies;
He hadn't time to heed a cry,
He hadn't time to to say good-bye;
He hadn't time to study poise,
He hadn't time to repress noise;
He hadn't time to go abroad,
He hadn't time to serve his God
He hadn't time to lend or give,
He hadn't time to really live;
He hadn't time to read this verse,
He hadn't time -- he's in a hearse.
Monday, October 09, 2006
On a Crusade...
I'm going to tirelessly vent this subject until I'm happy that everyone across this great nation is being treated fairly. On that note, let's talk GAS PRICES again. Yes, I know I mentioned my ire at gas prices a week or so back, but I'm still irate, so let's talk about it again.
Last night while watching the news the reporters shared with glee at my overpriced gas predicament that they found gas priced at $1.87 in Fredricksburg, Virginia. UGH, and here I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah where gas is at the average price of $2.54. Where's the fairness in this??
Okay, now before some of you get your knickers in a knot. I realize that gas prices here in Utah are cheaper than some other states. And I'm certainly aware that gas prices in the United States are generally cheaper than many other countries. I realize it's a gross unjustice to anyone living in the those areas and you're thinking I should be grateful for my current gas price.
Now that we've gotten through some of your arguments let's talk about the unfairness that I'm experiencing here. I'm talking about a whole $.67 difference between Virginia and Utah, WHY??? That's my big question, why is there such a discrepency between the prices? Why can't Utahns get their gas for $1.87 if Virginians are? Would it help if the people in charge knew I was really just a Virginian living in Utah?
All I want is to be about to save $6.70 the next time I buy 10 gallons of gas for my car. Really is that too much to ask? I think not!
Last night while watching the news the reporters shared with glee at my overpriced gas predicament that they found gas priced at $1.87 in Fredricksburg, Virginia. UGH, and here I'm in Salt Lake City, Utah where gas is at the average price of $2.54. Where's the fairness in this??
Okay, now before some of you get your knickers in a knot. I realize that gas prices here in Utah are cheaper than some other states. And I'm certainly aware that gas prices in the United States are generally cheaper than many other countries. I realize it's a gross unjustice to anyone living in the those areas and you're thinking I should be grateful for my current gas price.
Now that we've gotten through some of your arguments let's talk about the unfairness that I'm experiencing here. I'm talking about a whole $.67 difference between Virginia and Utah, WHY??? That's my big question, why is there such a discrepency between the prices? Why can't Utahns get their gas for $1.87 if Virginians are? Would it help if the people in charge knew I was really just a Virginian living in Utah?
All I want is to be about to save $6.70 the next time I buy 10 gallons of gas for my car. Really is that too much to ask? I think not!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
What I Want...
Ever struggle with wanting something so bad, only to have it sift through your fingers? Of course you have...and if your answer is still "no" after my emphatic "of course you have" then we need to talk (I want to learn your secret).
Without going into all the juicy details I'll admit that I lost something this evening that I've wanted for quite a while. I also don't see much hope in ever regaining what I thought I wanted (even still do want).
I'll let you all know, that I realize the problem I'm facing is my own darn fault. I know that in order to make it all better I've got to be looking for a different answer. It just so happens that I've got that answer staring me right in the face (at this very moment).
Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Now I'm sure you'll be wanting your explanation. Well here goes, to the best of my ability I'll try and explain my random thought process.
I'll start by saying we all have this tendency to read, pay attention, or hear just what we want to. I for one have read the above passage more times than I could possibly count and each time my attention always focused on the line, "...to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." That was like my "genie in a bottle" passage. I'd ask for the deepest desire of my heart and if God didn't come through with it, I could take that as a promise that He was going to one up me with something even better.
Here's a little secret about women, most single christian females view this passage as a promise when facing the heartbreak of another failed relationship. We smile through our tears and say, well that guy wasn't for me, that just means God's got someone even better for me. I'm not saying that we're reading this wrong, but it's just that WE'RE READING IT WRONG!! Why is the comment always, "God must have SOMEONE better for me"? Shouldn't it be more like, "God has got SOMETHING better for me"?
I don't want to limit God's power in my life by telling Him that it's better that I have someone and not something. In keeping with the real honest theme I've got going here, I can't say that it isn't hard to let go of an idea that it needs to be "someone".
Okay, now I'm just getting really off track from my original thought. As I was saying earlier we all have a tendency to hear just what we want to and to tune out all the rest. I realized this evening that I had been turning a blind eye to much of what the above passage said all these years. That passage was about HIM (God), not about ME (Jenn)!!! All these years I read it like it was about what God would do for me. Tonight for the first time I understood that it was about what I was doing for God (albeit through His power - hey I'm nothing compared to Him what did I think I could do on my own). Through His power in my life I'm to be bringing glory to God.
That's just the reminder I needed tonight. No wallowing in self-pity for Jenn over things I can't have. I just needed to remember that I'm here to be bringing glory and honor to God. I'm feeling better already!!
Without going into all the juicy details I'll admit that I lost something this evening that I've wanted for quite a while. I also don't see much hope in ever regaining what I thought I wanted (even still do want).
I'll let you all know, that I realize the problem I'm facing is my own darn fault. I know that in order to make it all better I've got to be looking for a different answer. It just so happens that I've got that answer staring me right in the face (at this very moment).
Ephesians 3:20-21
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Now I'm sure you'll be wanting your explanation. Well here goes, to the best of my ability I'll try and explain my random thought process.
I'll start by saying we all have this tendency to read, pay attention, or hear just what we want to. I for one have read the above passage more times than I could possibly count and each time my attention always focused on the line, "...to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..." That was like my "genie in a bottle" passage. I'd ask for the deepest desire of my heart and if God didn't come through with it, I could take that as a promise that He was going to one up me with something even better.
Here's a little secret about women, most single christian females view this passage as a promise when facing the heartbreak of another failed relationship. We smile through our tears and say, well that guy wasn't for me, that just means God's got someone even better for me. I'm not saying that we're reading this wrong, but it's just that WE'RE READING IT WRONG!! Why is the comment always, "God must have SOMEONE better for me"? Shouldn't it be more like, "God has got SOMETHING better for me"?
I don't want to limit God's power in my life by telling Him that it's better that I have someone and not something. In keeping with the real honest theme I've got going here, I can't say that it isn't hard to let go of an idea that it needs to be "someone".
Okay, now I'm just getting really off track from my original thought. As I was saying earlier we all have a tendency to hear just what we want to and to tune out all the rest. I realized this evening that I had been turning a blind eye to much of what the above passage said all these years. That passage was about HIM (God), not about ME (Jenn)!!! All these years I read it like it was about what God would do for me. Tonight for the first time I understood that it was about what I was doing for God (albeit through His power - hey I'm nothing compared to Him what did I think I could do on my own). Through His power in my life I'm to be bringing glory to God.
That's just the reminder I needed tonight. No wallowing in self-pity for Jenn over things I can't have. I just needed to remember that I'm here to be bringing glory and honor to God. I'm feeling better already!!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Weather Changes
Back on September 16th it snowed for the first time in the season here in Salt Lake City. Then it preceded to stay cold like winter there for about a week and a half. I was sure we had gone directly from Summer to Winter (mostly because the week before the snow it had been in the 90's).
I guess I was wrong. Last week it started to warm up again and this week has also been rather pleasant. It feels like Fall again : )
I love Fall!! I mean really what's not to like about Fall. There's the beautiful array of colors found in the trees. The nice crisp feel in the air.
I'm so glad we have Fall now in Utah!!
I guess I was wrong. Last week it started to warm up again and this week has also been rather pleasant. It feels like Fall again : )
I love Fall!! I mean really what's not to like about Fall. There's the beautiful array of colors found in the trees. The nice crisp feel in the air.
I'm so glad we have Fall now in Utah!!
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