On My Mind

 

So, this evening I have a few things on my mind. First off, the other day Bug picked some blackberries and dew berries so that I could make some dumplings for her daddy to eat with ice cream.  That brought up a memory of me picking berries and how God used it as a lesson in my life.  I wrote an entry about it in my journal back in '05.  I feel it was one of my best.  So if you are new around Caneyhead, you might enjoy reading it. 

 

Berries Among the Briars

 

 

Then I got online and was reading my email when I saw one from my friend, Rachel that was one of those jokes that is meant to make you think.  Here it is:

 

One day, God was looking down at earth and saw all of the bad behavior that was going on.  So he called one of his angels and sent the angel to earth for a time.

When the angel returned, he told God, 'Yes, it is bad on Earth.  95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not'.  God thought for a moment and said 'Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion'.

So, God called another angel and sent her down to earth for a time, too.  When the angel returned, she went to God and said, 'Yes, it's true.  The earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good'.

God was not pleased, so he decided to e-mail the 5% who were good because he wanted to encourage them and give them a little something to help keep them going.

You know what the e-mail said?

 

No?

 

Okay, just wondering.  I didn't get one either.

 

My first thought was "funny".  My second thought was "ouch".  Ouch because I wondered if God was really to do this, would I get an email?  After all, the joke doesn't say if you have accepted Christ as your savior.  Nor does it say if you call yourself a Christian.  It was if you are "being good". 

None, no not one is TRULY good accept for Christ.  But we who claim Him should be trying daily to be as good as we can.  We should be trying to follow the laws and commandments of the Bible.  Jesus said that "if you love me you will obey me".  That's pretty straight forward.  We should be being the "best we can be", as the old army commercial theme song used to say.  After all, we are in the Lord's army!  And Jesus is our General.  Are we following His "marching orders" or have we gone "AWOL"?

Or have the trials and trouble of this world left you feeling "shell shocked" and unable to proceed?  Are you lying in the "infirmary" of confusion and self doubt?  Have the enemy of worldly things taken your heart or mind "captive"?  "Missing in action" because you are afraid you won't measure up, don't trust your training.  Did you indeed become AWOL?  Are you "dodging" your calling and your "duty"?  Step up and get your "field orders" from the Holy Spirit!  "March" in time to His will!  "Enlist" in some soul searching and confession.  Get in "basic training" through the word and the church.

Present yourself "ready for action", one of the "few, the proud, the called"!

 

                   

National prayer day would be a good place to start.  Prayer for our misguided nation.  For our leaders.  For the world.  And most importantly, for yourself and His leadership, scrutiny, forgiveness and blessing.  For the only way to truly change anything is to change yourself.  

- Barbara 

 

 

Tags: berries, email, army, National Day of Prayer

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Challenging Myself

Have you checked out Magic Smoke lately?!?  You know, the AOL Journals Journal?  Always been there with technical advice and such about our journals and J-land.  But Magic Smoke is evolving and changing.  They are now inviting journalers all over J-land to post there.  And many are hosting games and weekly assignments there.  If you've never been, you should drop by.  If you were there a good while back, you should pop in again.  In fact, if you blog in J-land you should have it on alerts!  Just click on the Magic Smoke Icon and you'll be there!  ;o) 

Tonight, I'm participating in something totally new.  The author of Inspiration has posted a challenge on Magic Smoke.  The Challenge Yourself Challenge!  Now, I don't know her.  Wasn't aware of her journal until I read this.  But that's just one of the great things about connecting up at Magic Smoke.  And though this is a little different for me, I decided to give it a whirl. 

"Now for the challenge!  The last two weeks over at Inspiration we have been talking about that voice in side your head that convinces you that you can't succeed.  This week I asked my readers to spend two days and write down all of the negative things that their Gremlin said to them.  Now that you have a list, pick the top five things that your Gremlin says and re-write them.  Use your own words, and imagination as to what you would say to it."

Gremlin:  You're just a forgetful old lady.

Me:  Yeah, let's see you keep track of all I keep up with!

 

Gremlin:  You aren't the Christian you ought to be.

Me:  At least I'm no way near what I used to be, and praise God, He's not finished with me yet! 

 

Gremlin:  What a terrible housekeeper you are!

Me:  I do what I can.  There are four people in this house and I'm not going to work myself ragged all by myself.  Besides, I've learned all too well how brief the important things can be and I'm not going to miss any of them.  The dirt and clutter will be there any time I get to it.

 

Gremlin:  You've lost all your good looks and sex appeal!

Me:  Measure people by the outside if you want to.  I'm done and through with that!  Appreciate my mind, my humor, my heart. 

 

Gremlin:  You don't deserve ______.  (Fill in with Bubba or Bug.)

Me:  Maybe not.  But God saw fit to bless me with them.  And I'm gonna cherish and drink them in to the last drop of my life!!

 

"I would also like you to draw your Gremlin....Only you know what your Gremlin looks like."

 

 -  Barbara

Tags: Magic Smoke, Gremlins, Challenge

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Three Years

Three years ago I started on my adventure here in J-land.  It hasn't disappointed me.  I've been blessed to meet many friends here.  Many Sisters and Brothers in Christ.  I am always amazed when I go to sitemeter and see the many places around the globe that have visited my humble home. 

I've tried to remain true to my journal statement.  But I have ran a course.  I've done Bible devotions and I've shared simple tales about our lives.  I've bragged on my children.  I shared our adventures with Rita.  There's been entries just for humor.  There's been the meme's and games of J-land.  I've jumped up on my soap box and waved my flag a time or two.  Loved ones have been immortalized on these pages.  And I've tried to share some common sense advice. 

I remember Pete, his cousin Bill and I used to get together for the weekend and sometimes we'd start a pot of venison hash.  Deer meat cut in tiny pieces.  Potatoes diced very small.  In a pot, slowly simmering all evening while we played dominoes or shot pool.  Every time one of us would go into the kitchen for something, they'd stir the pot and put in a thing or two.  By the time the evening was over and we were ready to eat we had some really delicious food!  But none of us knew for sure just what was in it.  Couldn't have made it just like that again all by ourselves no matter how hard any one of us tried. 

In many ways this journal is like that deer hash.  It gets peppered with comments.  Others come by and add a meme or ask a question that prompts an entry.  Sometimes it's what is weighing on my soul.  Other times it is me just cutting up, feeling adventurous and ready to try something. 

It's my hope that when the porridge of these pages is served up that you enjoy yourself and leave feeling satisfied.

- Barbara 

Tags: AOL Journals, Sitemeter, Deer Hash

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An Oldie, but a Goodie

 The Plan!

 

What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and repeat this message. 

(Hard to argue with this logic!)

"I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace. So, here's one plan."

1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "in terfere" again.

2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany , South Korea , the Middle East, and the Philippines .  They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence.

3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave .  We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them.

4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers.

5) No foreign "students"over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby.

6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for awhile .  

7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.)

8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to 
the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.

9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.

10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH..learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?

"The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece of me?' "   -  Robin Williams