Roasted honey red stretch

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Monday, October 20, 2008

You Made me alive

Today's first reading for mass from Eph 2:1-10 reminded me of a favorite song, and therefore i uploaded my playlist. But I could NOT find the song that I really now have on my heart, from this scripture. And I cannot recall the artist.

here are the lyrics:

As for me I was dead in my transgressions,
I was bound to my sin,
bound to condemnation,

As for me I was the object of His wrath,
Fully deserving of death,
Fully deserving of death,

But you saw me there,
because of Your great love,
You saw me there because you're rich in mercy,

You saw me there
because of Your great love
You saw me there because you're rich in mercy,

And you made me alive,
when I was dead,
You raised me up,
and seated my with Christ,
And By Your Grace,
I am saved,
and its through faith
Its the very gift of God.
Yeah oh yeah

repeat all....

update: this song is called Gift of God by Justin Rizzo! I will get it on my playlist As soon as available
.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

An Unfinished Life

The shimmering moon slips quietly past the
Pale ocean of clouds
As he ponders the earth beneath
He looks thoughtfully down
On those of us who struggle
To carry on with our lives
Putting things away

Setting things aside for someday

Someday when we can
Be who we want to be
Someday when we can rest
Time for reading and thinking
For love

Love is an illusive thing

If you grasp onto it once
It may slip away and cheat you
Or it may show its true colors
Interrupting you with the gray
Of reality

Once in a lifetime or less
The perfection of consummation comes
When souls meet that soar together
And make the music that stirs hearts
Inspiring those around it to hope.

Sparks

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Blog Action Day tomorrow OCT 15

I'm starting early because on the subject of poverty I have a lot to say. According to Pam Stenzel the greatest indicator that a person will live in poverty is if they live in a single parent family.

I started out my Adult life as a sold out, on fire Christian. I was very careful who I chose to marry, I thought. But I ended up divorced. With two children.

Financially we have been places that I never thought I would go. I have stood in lines and sat at agencies with hat in hand to my great embarrassment a number of times.

I WAS a giver, I have always been a hard worker, I like being independent. I enjoyed giving to the St. Vincent De Paul Society or helping my group at work sponsor a family at Christmas. It was very humiliating to be called by St. Vincent De Paul and Asked how they might help ME. It was also very humiliating to have a group sponsor me at Christmas one year when the kids were little. I put a few things for me on the list they asked for because they said I should, thinking that I would give them a few choices, a pair of boots for me, some bubble bath(my only get-away), and a few other small items I could think of. Whoever the anonymous group was that sponsored me got every single thing that i put on the list for me and the kids! I cried and cried--they did discreetly deliver things in the evening and hid them on the porch so that I could play Santa Claus.

Now I don't really advocate jumping on the band wagon for toys-for-tots since i have heard that some kids get sponsored by so many groups they sell their extra toys at school. But groups like the Old Newsboys group, buy winter coats, boots and hats for your kids--they are great, you get a voucher and go to the assigned stores, like Sears or Burlington Coat factory and you can get the assigned items with a reasonable price tag, all paid for by their donors. I thank God for these type of programs.

Even more helpful for poor single moms is to be noticed by a friend or family at church, who get to know them and take them shopping for their needs. I say this because most agencies require so much paper work to get help, and it is demeaning and frustrating, you often get sent away to research more paperwork before you get help, you must expend a lot of time to drive around getting forms and certificates for every family member.

However, the personal touch of getting to know a single mom helps her emotionally too. She sees that people care about her needs. She isn't given the standard care package with the requisite 6 boxes of Mac and Cheese and 1 can of peas and 1 can of fruit cocktail.

What if you really need toilet paper? or cleaning supplies for the house, or deodorant? Those are things you can't buy with food stamps. You can't buy garbage pick up or gas with them either.

The times that a friend took me to the store and she could see that everything I bought was a necessity, and then urged me to get a few things for me, were unforgettable. They were healing, when the man that committed his life to me forever, kicked me to the curb like a used Kleenex, it is very healing to have a friend say, "Hey I will always be here for you, lets go out to lunch or a movie, my husband will watch the kids."

Thank you to all those heroes in my life who made it bearable along the way. Thanks to those of you who watched my kids for peanuts while I went back to college. They are now 18 and 21 and they are not on drugs they have not gotten pregnant, or gotten anyone pregnant and they attend church regularly. Thanks most of all to the God who made us and watches over us faithfully.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Paradigms

Ever meet someone who is stuck in a paradigm? If that is all a person knows it is far easier for them to fall into the groove of their lives and continue with what they are accustomed.

For instance one young lady that i know is stuck in rebellion. If life is too calm for her, she rebels, and it is not turning out well for her at all. She has kicked the proverbial door too many times and it is all coming down around her.

I also know a man who is so used to failure and rejection that he cannot seem to pull up out of that rut. My image is of the pilots in that first star wars movie making their bombing runs at the death star, one of the wing men informs the other fighter that the enemy is on his tail, and yells "pull up! pull UP!" but the man is already in the furrow and already has set in his mind the mission and he dies trying.

It is good to keep your eye on the goal, and even to die trying, for a noble purpose. However it does not bless God to refuse His love, or His gifts, in fact in the long run many good things for the kingdom are probably not accomplished because people refuse God's gifts or refuse to use them.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Here is how I feel, God






I need you Jesus, I am a sinner and I am so glad that you are there for me, to wrap your arms around me every night when I sleep, when I loose myself in weariness.

I am yours Jesus, pimples and all, I am not sure why you made me, but perhaps together, You and I can sing a few songs and heal some hearts.

Sparks

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Insights

Had some insights that I thought i would put down here.

In my studies recently(current class is on marriage and family), I read some information that particularly made sense to me.

Apparently women in a dating or marriage relationship need primarily to feel secure in the relationship. This explains a lot to me. It explains why women are distressed by men's silence. It also explains why a woman who normally has no trace of jelousy in her is extremely threatened by other women when she is involved in a relationship that is very tenous.

In a video series that we were watching the other night by Gary Smalley, he encouraged husbands to always do little things to make thier spouse feel secure in thier relationship. Just little things like calling from work daily or always letting thier spouse know where they will be and who they are with. Though Dr. Smalley recognized that it is difficult for him, as a man, to share about his day, he forces himself to do this becuase it is something that his wife values she reports that it makes her feel more a part of his life and ministry.

I hope that in my capacity as a family life educator that i get some opportunities to strengthen and encourage good healthy marriages and even help to save marriages in distress. I believe that it pleases the heart of God to help support the marraige covenant.

The Big Mac