Of faith and fun

Of   FAITH  -  My friend and sister in the Lord, Trish, posted this quote at the Virtuous Women Group:

 

                                                   

 

                                      Wise Words,
               “Jesus is our advocate, satan is the accuser.        When talking about others, be careful who you team up with.”                        -Wayne Dillard   

 

As to the   FUN -  Another Arca Max jewel. This perfectly illustrates the difference between just doing your job and doing your job well!

 

                                       

 

 A woman calls an import parts warehouse and asks for a 28- ounce water pump. "A what?" says the confused parts guy. "My husband says he needs a 28-ounce water pump."

"A 28-ounce water pump? What kind of car does it fit?"

"A Datsun."

 

As the parts guy writes down "Datsun, 28 oz. water pump" the light in his head goes on. "Oh yes ma'am. We've got 28-ounce water pumps. We have 24-ounce and 26-ounce water pumps too."

"Finally," she says. "You're the first place I've called that knew what I was talking about." "Yes ma'am."

That's because we're a full-service parts warehouse; it's our job to have the parts you need, like a 28-ounce water pump," he says, smiling, as he jots down:  customer pick-up, Datsun 280Z water pump, part number... 

          

THE PRECIOUS BOOK

  Just had to share this!  My old Living Bible is falling apart at the seams.  There are notes scribbled all through it.  And pages from Daily Bread, and other devotionals stuck between it's own pages.   This copy of the Bible led me through my roughest time.....my greatest storm.  I love it and as a resource it is beyond measure.  This poem immediately put me in mind of  It and Him, the Light and the Comfort.   THE PRECIOUS BOOK                         Though the cover is worn And the pages are torn And places bear traces of tears, Yet more precious than gold Is the Book worn and old, That can shatter and scatter my fears.   When I prayerfully look In the precious old Book, As my eyes scan the pages I see, any tokens of love From the Father above, Who is nearest and dearest to me.   This old Book is my guide, 'Tis a friend by my side, It will lighten and brighten my way; And each promise I find Soothes and gladdens my mind As I read it and heed it each day.   Oh, wonderful, wonder Word of the Lord, True wisdom its pages unfold, And though we may read it a thousand times o'er, They never, no never grow old.   Each line hath a treasure, each treasure a pearl, That all, if they will, may secure; And we know that when time and the world pass away, God's Word shall forever endure.   God's Word is like a deep, deep mine, And jewels rich and rare Are hidden in its mighty depths For every searcher there.    By Bernice Peyman   From God's Work Ministry E-mail.   For Bible on-line try:  http://www.Biblegateway.com                                                  

Sunday Morning Shining Down

                                                       Hope everyone had a good Lord's Day today.  I have some reflections I want to share with you.  I had ran to the feedstore yesterday and on my way home as I listened to the Country Classics radio station, an old Johnny Cash song about Sunday Morning came on.  Makes no real difference if you are familiar with the tune or not.  It got me thinking is all.  How Sunday can be many different things to many different people.  How it has actually been different things to me  over the years.   It seems, that there are five basics groups in regards to Sundays.  May I elaborate?  Well, I suppose....after all it is my journal!  lol   There is what I call the Just Another Day  group.  These people view Sunday as just another name for a day of the week.  It is one more opportunity to shop, to clean, to play, to go about the business of life.  They tend to resent or at least view as an inconvenience the last few public concessions to Sunday.  They are the ones the Blue Laws were lifted for.  They may enjoy their Sunday, or they may not.  But it is just one more day in a sea of days.   Then there is the This is My Day Crowd.  These folks hold on to Sunday as their own.  My chance to fish, sleep late, do just as I please.  A perfect view of Sunday for the "Me" generation!  Sunday's often go their way, but does the satisfaction they get from it last at all?   There is a group for which Sunday is Recovery Day.  The day that they hug the toilets and swab their heads with cool rags.  When a little too eagerly they try to persuade everyone as to just how much fun they had the night before.  Some wonder what happened the night before!  The whole day is spent in sickness......tired and worn out, just hoping they are in shape for what lies ahead on Monday.   Common to every denomination and church is the Oh  What  A Big Chore  assembly.  These people faithfully, if only for a time, report to church on Sunday mornings......usually harried and rushed.  There have been numerous fights and arguments along the way.  They come out of a sense of duty......a duty they are either not fully committed to or one to whose allegiance they are wavering.  They want to do right, to be right......but it is such an effort!    Then there is the Joyous Day  remnant.  The redeemed.  The saved, born again.  Those who know Christ Jesus intimately.  Those who can't wait to hear the old, old story retold.  Those who want to hear their voice mingled in praise with the other saints.  Those who come with offerings......of their souls and from their hearts.  Those that can't wait to share a word of testimony or encouragement......or hear someone else's.                                                      Before you get in a huff......I have been a member of every group I listed!  Praise God, I have been in the last group for over a dozen years now!  Yes, we all may relapse to a former group from time to time.....hey, getting kids to church can make it a chore without careful planning!  I share these reflections to encourage you to reflect.......in all love.   In His word God tells us that one day is set aside to:   Rest. Worship. Benefit man. Assemble yourselves together. To do good.   Sure we can do these things any day of the week.  And that is good!  But as humans, we tend to push aside the things we do not schedule...even the good.  And before you know it we're not doing them at all.    That's my reflections upon one old country tune.  I pray they are a benefit to those who pass this way.                                                     

News! News!

                                                  

No, not news on the job front......just news about Bug and Bubba and from around J-land.

Bug came home all excited Tuesday.  She had gotten to make the walk down the hall to the nurses office to get her 1st lose tooth pulled!  She has seen so many kids take that walk and wanted so desperately to do it herself.  It's like a right of passage or status symbol among her peers.  The nurse puts on a latex glove, gently pulls the tooth and places it in a small plastic treasure chest that the kids can take home with them.

Bubba stayed after school yesterday for a club meeting.  Don't know the name of it, but they do stuff like paint the mascot, a Bengal Tiger on the field, etc.  After the meeting they had an ice cream social.  Good idea on a hot afternoon!

Got some tid-bits from around J-land I want to pass on.  You can find links to the journals I mention in the sidebar.   

First I want to encourage everyone to Praise the Lord and go by and extend a hand of Christian fellowship and encouragement to Racheal at What Can You Do?  She was recently saved!!  I am so happy for her! 

Then be sure to send congradulations to Jeannette on her new grandson!  You can see pictures at her journal:  Jeannette's Jottings.  He really is a doll!

Oh the thoughts I'd be thinking, I could be another Lincoln....if I only had a brain!  Donna has a neat little link to find if you think more male or more female, at Sweeping the Cobwebs of my mind.  Or if you prefer, go to Sorting the Pieces and Cynthia has a link to see if you are more right brained or left brained.  I did them both!  Seems I am 60% male, 40% female, and go the the left with 65% of my brain and 35% right.  Reckon that explains why I don't do a lot of girly things, and why I am as comfortable or more so working around and with men as women.

Oh!  Hunybea's Open Journal is Two years old!  Gee, she's been around!  So, be sure to pat Mary on the back and wish her a happy journal bithday when you see her.

I know you may not believe me, but this is NOT laziness!  I am not posting a word today because there is a word I hope you'll read over at Friends in HIM.  A very timely message that goes to the heart.

So I will leave you with a laugh I stole from ArcaMax.  It's a joke about a little girl and her Goldfish.......could be Bug!

Little Nancy was in the garden filling in a hole when her neighbor peered over the fence. Interested in what the cheeky-faced youngster was doing, he politely asked, "What are you up to there, Nancy?"

"My goldfish died," replied Nancy tearfully, without looking up, "and I've just buried him."

The neighbor was concerned, "That's an awfully big hole for a goldfish isn't it?"

Nancy patted down the last heap of earth then replied, "That's because he's inside your stupid cat!"

May God bless all who pass this way!

Odds & Ends

                                            

Hello J~land!  Hope everyone is having a good morning.  I wanted to make an entry real quick before I get caught up in the job-hunt thing again.  Since several folks have asked for an update on things here at home, here goes.

Pete still seems to have more bad days than good ones.  We still don't know what's wrong.  Now there is no insurance, but even if there was.....where would we go?  What would we have done?  He's trying to find something he can do close to home or even at the house.  Then perhaps he could work when he felt good and wouldn't have to when he didn't.  He's applied for his unemployment compensation.  I think this is only the second....no third....time he has ever used it.  But it will be at least 3 weeks before he gets a check, assuming everything goes smoothly.  He has been inquiring into the price of junk iron and such.  To see if we can sell something for some ready cash.  The money well is sure 'nough almost dry!

 

I have resumes out all over the place.  Texas does have a wonderful site run by the workforce commision.  Was supposed to interview for a job last week, but me and the guy played phone tag all day instead.  It is not as close to home as I would like, but it sure sounded like my kind of job.  I've even completed a form for emergency aide.  But there are only four people running the office for all of our county, so that will take up to two weeks for and answer!  So we'll probably get an answer from everywhere all at once and then have to go about changing/updating everything we told everyone based on the new info and will probably then have nothing?!?!   lol 

 

Okay, so now I don't know about you, but I need a good laugh.  I much prefer David Letterman over Jay Leno.  (Dave's voice greets me when I sign on or get e-mail!)  Pete is a Leno person, though I am slowly swaying him toward Dave.  But Jay did have a good one-liner here:

"Today is the 24th anniversary of the IBM personal computer. Experts say it revolutionized work and made people more pro- ductive at the office. Except for the six hours a day they are emailing friends, sufing the Internet, and playing solitaire!" --Jay Leno

And borrowed from ArcaMax, don't you just love it when.....

You can never put anything back in a box the way it came.

Your tire gauge lets out half the air while you're trying to get a reading.

A station comes in brilliantly when you're standing near the radio but buzzes, drifts and spits every time you move away.

You wash a garment with a tissue in the pocket and your entire laundry comes out covered with lint.

You set the alarm on your digital clock for 7pm instead of 7am.

The radio station doesn't tell you who sang that song.

You rub on hand cream and can't turn the bathroom doorknob to get out.

You can't look up the correct spelling of a word in the dictionary because you don't know how to spell it.

You had that pen in your hand only a second ago and now you can't find it.

You reach under the table to pick something off the floor and smash your head on the way up.

Yep!  I am guilty of all of the above.  What about you?

Now let's get serious and see what word the Word has for us today.  Lord knows I need it.  The book of James is considered to be the "proverbs" of the new testament, for it is full of moral precepts.  James was the brother of our Lord and apposed his claims while he lived on earth, but came to believe in Him after the resurection.  "Dear brothers, don't ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry, for anger doesn't make us good, as God demands that we must be."  James 1:19 & 20 TLB  It's not a sin to be angry.....but it is hard to be angry and not sin!  Miscommunication can cause anger and hurt.  Let us communicate accurately with one another, never be vague and don't jump to conclusions.  Say what you mean and mean what you say, but wrap it all up in the context of love.  Four little words from this verse can go a long way in helping us to avoid anger......listen much, speak little.

May God bless your day in Abundance!

(graphics from Peachtree Accounting software)

Something wonderful!

No pictures or graphics.  Just a quick note to tell you about something I found.  Totally new to me.  I had received an e-mail telling me to go check out Parent Central.  While I was there looking around I found a site I am  excited about!  Ever since we have been on-line, about 10 months now, I have looked and searched for educational games....especially for Bug.  I have found some good links and fun sites.  But some were very educational and little fun.  Others were tons of fun and very little education.  Well, let me tell you about http://www.aolatschool.com/!  Man, this place is both!  All the way!  And perfectly divided into age catagories.  If you have never been there, and you have kids of any age....go and check it out!  My only perplexing question is why on earth AOL isn't making more noise about this place!  Why didn't it ever come up in a search?  Why isn't it listed on KOL?  Why don't they ever advertise it on the first screen you see when you sign on instead of some of the lame stuff you see there?  I sent them a message to be more vocal about it.  And let them know I'd do my part.....and this is it!  Use the link I provided or go to keyword:  AOL@School.

 

Just for Fun

Just gonna have a little fun today.  With the headlines the way they have been, I think we could all use a few good laughs.  And here's some I got from ArcaMax.  (See their link in side bar if you'd like to get them e-mailed to you.)   I have done a little editing and graphic enhancement.  Hope they don't mind.

I love you all, and I love e-mails.....but we all know that sometimes they go too far:

I want to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me your chain letters over the past two years.

Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy. Because of your concern.......

 I no longer can drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our troops.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a stupid number for which I will get the phone bill from hell with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

 Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an email to 7 of my friends and make a wish within 5 minutes.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who has been dying for the past seven years.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

---

Now to Return the Favor:

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 1200 people in the next 60 seconds, a large bird with diarrhea will fly over your head at 5:00 PM and the fleas of a thousand camels will infest your armpits.

I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of a friend of a friend's neighbor's cousin, and he's a lawyer. So you'd better get going on that e-mail!!!

Okay......now to pick on hubby.  lol    This next one really hits home around here.

I have changed my system for labeling homemade freezer meals. I used to carefully note in large clear letters, "Meatloaf" or "Pot Roast" or "Steak and Vegetables or "Chicken and Dumplings" or "Beef Pot Pie."

 However, I used to get frustrated when I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner because he never asked for any of those things. So, I decided to stock the freezer with what he really likes.

 If you look in my freezer now you'll see a whole new set of labels. You'll find dinners with neat little tags that say: "Whatever," "Anything," "I Don't Know," "I Don't Care," "Something Good," or "Food." My frustration is now reduced because no matter what my husband replies when I ask him what he wants for dinner, I know that it is there waiting.

I don't know about where you live, but here in Texas it is so HOT that...

The birds have to use pot holders to pull worms out of the ground.

Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.

The cows are giving evaporated milk.

The trees are whistling for the dogs.

You eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.

The temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.

 
You notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.

Hot water now comes out of both taps.

You can actually burn your hand on the steering wheel.

No one would dream of wearing shorts and sitting on a vinyl seat!

You realize that asphalt has a liquid state.

Now that your yard has burnt, you do not have to spend time mowing. 

You have to chew the air properly before you can swallow it.

The next person to ask you "Hot 'nuff for ya?" WILL receive a black eye. 

And just because it's a good one:

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."

 The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, "Which do you want, son?" The boy takes the quarters and leaves.

"What did I tell you?" said the barber. "That kid never learns!"

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. "Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?"

The boy licked his cone and replied, "Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!"

 

God bless you with a lighter heart today!!

 

Good Morning to You!

                                              

Good Morning Friends!  I love this little graphic.....there are so many among you that I count as a real and good friend.  It never fails to amaze me how connected you can feel to folks you have never met, some you've never even seen a photo of.

We had a good weekend.  Pete received his final check in the mail Friday.  Now it's the "what do we pay....what do we let slide?" game.  We had lots of company.....family.  Some of Pete's nephews thier wives and children.  Bubba had a fun time on a church trip to Artesian Springs.  And I had a good and refreshing Sunday in Children's Church and then in "Big" Church Sunday night.  And would you believe I finally made a round by all the journals!  I may not of commented.....or only left one, but I made it by all of you and read myself up to date.  You are more work than job-hunting!  lol   ;)

Today I have a busy day.  I got a call regarding a resume I submitted.  Need to turn in an application for jobs at a local hospital (clerical).  Fax a resume to another lead.  Too much to do in one day when you factor in the housework and the supper cooking, etc. 

 

Let me introduce you to a good journal.  The journal is Friends in HIM.  I absolutely loved her August 11th entry!  Angel Rose almost always has something to uplift you......or to get you pumped up!  Go by and visit, and be sure to read the August 11th post.  

So, I'll get to the Word.  Today we are in 1st Timothy, Chapter 2, vs 8.  "So I want men everywhere to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from sin and anger and resentment."  TLB   A man, or woman, can believe the Word of God completely, yet live a life far from it's Truth.....Beware!  Cleanse your heart with confession and admission of sin....then bring your praise and petitions before the throne of God.  Sin, anger and resentment hinder our relationship with God....not just our relationships with others.  If you feel like your prayers are hitting the ceiling, spend a little time in the "confessional".

 

Those who fix their eyes on Heaven will not be distracted by the things of the earth!

Back to School!

                                                         

Good Morning!  I hope ya'll have missed me like I have been missing you!  Sorry, but finding work is a full time job!  More of a job than working.  And getting the kids back in school was time consuming, also.  Running to stores.  Meeting new first grade teachers.  Picking up Jr. schedules.  Taking advantage of free school supplies.  And in the middle of it all, Bug asked me to take her to spend her Birthday money.  So I spent one afternoon in Wal-mart while she looked at every item on the toy isles.  Then on our way to the craft section we passed the fish aquariums.  Bug had to look at all of them.  She fell in love with a calico goldfish.  (Her Aunt Mary had given her a pair of goldfish last year on her birthday....but one is since deceased.)  So all this little girl with more money in her wallet than Mama bought was a goldfish! 

 She thought the one back home might be getting lonely.  Isn't she precious?!?

Since it is the season for going back to school, I thought I would share a little story that was passed to me by my friend, Monica.  Ladies, I had tears streaming down my face when I finished it!  Well, actually, by halfway through it.

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.



Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.



Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.."



His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."



His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."



Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."



By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."



After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become oneof the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.."



A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.



Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.



Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.



Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.



They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."



Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."



(For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is the Dr. at  Iowa State Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)

Isn't that amazing!  We truly never know what may be occurring in another's life or the difference a little kindness or respect might make. 

For our word on the Word today (or maybe I should say this week? lol) we will go to Colossians 3:8.      "...but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language."  TLB  The apostle Paul, who wrote this letter to the Colossians, had never actually been to Collossae.  The people there had a lot of worldly thinking mixed into their new Christianity....astrology and majic among them.  So Paul was writing from prison to encourage and instruct them on Christian living/thinking.  If we want to "put away" these rotten garments, then we have to focus on things from above....things of God:  peace, love, blessing.  Pure thoughts will go a long way to help us miss the hazard of these sins.

May God bless each one that passes here, until we meet again!

Jobsearch!

So, let me update you quickly.  We went for the results on Monday.  Everything in the CT scan showed to be fine.  No sign of tumors, past strokes, nothing.  So the ENT Doc said to use two sprays for 3 months and come back to see him.  We are exploring/researching on our own the long term effects of being on those pump inhibitors and the causes/effects of vitamin deficiency.  Pete still has good days and bad days.  Financially it is starting to get critical around here.

Took ol' Bubba to the High School to pick up his new JUNIOR schedule.  Looks like he got a good one.  The rest of the time this week I have been getting myself registered for work with the official state site and a great local source of all things classified.    Made a new updated resume.  Called some old contacts.  I spent a full day one day.  It is almost like I have gone back to work already around here......behind on laundry, messy kitchen, house in disarray.  By this time next week the little angels will be in school.  I think I am glad of that.....though I know I am wishing precious time and years away!

I hope to get around to some journals over the weekend, read, comment, catch up a little.  I sure miss you guys! 

 

 

 So let's go ahead and look into the Word for our word today.  Again in Ephesians:  "Let there be son sex sin, impurity or greed among you.  Let no one be able to accuse you of any such thing.  Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes - these are not for you.  Instead, remind each other of God's goodness and be thankful." 5:3 & 4  Many of us would never dream of telling an off color joke, of speaking foul language.....but do we accept it around us and in our midst?  Do we politely, kindly ask that those around us refrain from such things?  By "letting it slide" or being quiet are we not conferring our approval on such behavior.  I propose that we should so well mirror Christ to the world around us that most would be ashamed to even think of doing such things around us!  And for the few brazen enough to go ahead, we should ask them to refrain or seek to limit our exposure to them.  If you lie down with dogs you will get up with fleas.  If we tolerate the unacceptable, then we are one step closer to being unacceptable in our own behavior.  The pivital question is always......are we mirroring Christ or the world?