Friday, October 29, 2010

Shameless Self-Promotion

I have been in therapy for the past seven months.  One of the things that drove me to therapy was my desire to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  I have had many incarnations of Me in my adult life, from working at jobs I wasn't passionate about just to pay the bills, to being an isolate stay-at-home mom with infants and toddlers demanding all of my attention and then later being an avid-volunteer-for-everything-in-sight mom of elementary school kids.  I have, if not loved, at least found satisfaction in each stage of life and now it is time to move on to the next one.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

His Mercies are New Every Morning

One of the things I love best about my God is that his compassion and mercies are new every morning.  Every morning.  What a tremendous promise that is to me.  I often have to sit and just reflect on that (see Lamentations 3) and allow it to sink in.  Every morning I wake up and God’s mercy for me, and my failings, is new.  Not on-going and cumulative, but new.  The slate is sparkly clean every day, nothing from yesterday counts against me.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Bullies Suck

Sticks and stones will break your bones but words will never hurt you.  We have all heard it, right?  What a crock of crap that is!  Words hurt.  Oftentimes the hurt is longer lasting than sticks and stones.  Physical wounds heal, but psychological wounds stick with us for a very long time.  Harsh words are especially lasting when spoken to a child.  Children struggle to find their identities and develop themselves, to find out where they belong in the world and harsh words, if repeated often enough, start to define a child.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Christian Example of Love - FAIL

The word sin, as used in the bible means - to miss the mark and this is what we are doing.  We are missing the mark, failing the first and greatest command that Jesus issued.  In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus clearly states that our duty to him, as his followers is to love.  That’s right; his command doesn’t come in the form of a Thou Shalt Not.  He does not waste a lot of time telling everyone what he or she should not do.

Friday, October 15, 2010

I'm In Love with Jesus

I know, I know, I write about music a lot.  Some of you are probably thinking - get a new subject, would ya!, but I can't help it.  I just find so much inspiration in music.  I wish I could write music, or even poetry, but alas, I have no talent for it.  I have a brother who is very talented in this arena and I admire that in him very much, but I have no musical abilities of my own.  

Monday, October 11, 2010

These are God's Words, Not Mine

I have nothing against fat people.  Really, I do not.  Some of my best friends are fat.  That does not mean I have to condone their lifestyle.  They should know how I feel about it and should avoid overeating in front of me.  Who cares if everyone else is enjoying a good meal in a restaurant?  Those people aren’t fat.  They are like me, so watching them enjoy their food is not repugnant to me.  Fat people should remember that they chose to be this way and they keep living a lifestyle that supports it (overeating, which equals gluttony).  

Sunday, October 3, 2010

What Makes a Song a Worship Song?

Singing praise to God is not a new idea.  I could recount verse after verse in Psalms alone that point us toward praising God in song.  We should be just as eager today to praise the Lord with our voices as David was in his time.  However, that doesn't mean we must sing in the same fashion as David did in order to properly praise God.  Neither does a song need to be slow, melodic or morose in order for us to feel the gravity of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.  Heck, we don't even know what David's praise music actually sounded like.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

These are a Few of My Favorite Books.

Almost every time I join a new Internet social network site, there is a space on the profile page to list my favorite books.  I guess it is for those who happen by my page to, perhaps, glean a bit of insight into my personality by reading this little tidbit.  I have to be honest with you, that question always stumps me to the point near paralyzing.  Why?  Because I have so many favorites that I fear leaving any of them out would be a huge oversight and almost an affront to the author of the books I leave off of my list.