| Just give me Jesus |
The second worst table in my life..............It went like this:Good evening, welcome to _____ my name is Laura and I will be taking care of you tonight. May I get you a cocktail or glass of wine to start? No. We will order wine when we order our meals.(4 people at the table, 2 couples, mid 60's, well dressed, aquaintences of the owner) Excellent, let me tell you about our dinner specials that are not on the menu (tell them about the specials). I will put some bread in the oven and I will be right back. Um, I want a glass of _______ to drink. Excellent! I will be right back Get the wine........take it to the table. Run to the kitchen, get hot bread out of the oven and take it to the table. I also have 4 people at another table, and 3 at another table, 2 at a forth table. So while this table is 'deciding' I attend to my other tables. My 2 ladies are finished and leave. After about 10 min I return to the table Have we made a decision on dinner tonight? Yes, we want _______ and _________ as an appetizer. Great! Have we made a decision on a wine? Go get the appetizers, then we will order wine. Ok Bring the ap's. Have we made a decision on the wine. Yes we will have the ________. ((Our CHEAPEST red wine)) I bring it and 4 glasses back to the table. I pour the wine. Um, don't you have big bowls? ((A. we don't serve the crystal bowls with the lesser expensive wine. B. we don't have 4 that match because last week a guest broke 3 of them.)) No sir, I don't have 4 that match, and they are all out on tables. THEN THE NAME DROPPING BEGINS.........he tells me how he knows the owners wife, and how he knows the owners wifes sister, bla bla, and how last time he was in he got the big glasses........... So, I go to find, big glasses.......... I find 4 large white glasses.....you can use red or white in them, but tradionally, they are white glasses. I brought them to the table and asked if these would be acceptable. He snorted "that's more like it".....acting like his "name dropping" got him what he wanted. So the rest of the evening was like this. Shoving dirty plates in my face, shooing me off like a fly.........generally treating me like refuse on the bottom of his shoe. I tell my boss. I am T I C K E D off. Boss says "he's gonna leave you a big fat tip". Yeah, they split the bill $70.60 each One tipped me $12.00, the other, $13.00. My boss was so embarrassed he used foul language. I am a server. Not serVANT. I am not your indentured slave that you can humilate, degrade, and talk down to. I am a human being. I am not a fly to be shooed away. I am not your puppet to run all over the restaurant to flex your power and muscles............... I am ALSO the last person to touch your food before you eat. I have waited tables for 26 years and never have I touched a persons meal, reguardless of how horrifying they have treated me. But. I have seen others do terrible things. The worst I have done is serve regular cappuccion's and coffee when decaff was asked for........... But I am the exception to the rule. 09:49 - Sunday, September 7, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentTornI know everyone has seen the Tom and Jerry cartoons, where the devil is on one shoulder encouraging Tom to chase Jerry, and the Angel is on the other shoulder discouraging the chase.I am having a Tom and Jerry Day and it's not even 9:00! What I should do: Take a shower, put on nice clothes, fix my hair and make up, put on a smile, and a cheerful heart, get downstairs, make breakfast for my family, clean up the mess, set out lunch and dinner, begin laundry, sweep mop vacuum, wash the windows, get out in the garden pick clean and can my tomatoes, seed my sunflower heads, apply mulch around my fruit trees, put in my flower bulbs for next year, make lunch for my family, clean up the mess, wash my apron in the laundry, go out to the grocery and buy next weeks food, put it away, sort thru the bills, start dinner, make dinner for my family, clean it up, sit with my dh and listen to him-encourage him-etc., serve desert and clean it up, tidy up the house before bed and the head upstairs for the night................ What I want to do: Tear out the dead in my east gardens and plant bulbs, remulch my trees and tie them up, pick all tomatoes and can, remulch the raspberries, take a shower and then lay on the couch and watch football all day. What I will end up doing today: Making a menu-grocerylist-then shopping. Pet store to exchange leash and get dog treats. Exchange broken cheese grater at another store. Pick up paint samples at the hardware store. Come home. Put away groceries. Set out dinner. Clean off back deck Pick-can all tomatoes Pull out dead stuff in east flower bed Get bills out, write checks Clean house (this is about a 3 hour job) Empty trash - take to curb Make dinner Make lists of what I didn't get done and carry it over to the next days list. Which is full of running too.............. *sigh* I just want to be a mom and wife when I grow up.......... 09:34 - Sunday, September 7, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentSarah PalinAs a hockey mom myself, she is dead on right when she says:"The difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom is lipstick". So I was gonna pull the R anyway.....just with my nose held. NOW I can pull the R with a smile on my face. She is a snapshot of the 'typical American family'. She was a PTO mom 10 years ago. ONLY in America can you be a PTO mom and 10 years later, be the Vice President of the United States of America! Her dh is a blue collar. Her son is joining the Armed Services. Her youngest has Downs. Her teenaged daughter made a wrong choice and is now dealing with its consequences. She didn't run to the dr. to have her baby slaughtered. She chose life. She hunts. BIG game. She's got spunk. Something America has been robbed of. I am sure, just like me, old girl has some skeletons in her closet. I am also pretty sure, it isn't that she is tied to terrorist. I am pretty sure her preacher doesn't hate white folks AND America. I am pretty sure she's not a muslim, or comes from muslim decent. I am pretty sure she's not a socialist or communist. She may have bones in her closet, but I'll bet they are bones like mine or the gal down the street, not like the "big politicians" running against her!! In a perfect world, where there was no sin and we all followed God's Word.........she'd be home. Adam and Eve did a bang up job in the garden making sure that didn't happen. It is a refection of our public education (primary, and secondary) that there are NO MEN worthy of the VP nomination. It is the product of the 'feminization of our sons" in pre-school, cub scouts, boy scouts, Sunday School, Youth Group, public and private schools, colleges and so on. It is also the product of the elevation of women over men. We can sit back and point our 'Holy' finger at everyone, but guess what............what are we doing?? Sitting at our computers whining and crying about how wrong it is. Sure. But what are we doing to 'change' that direction. I mean, in the real world? Are we teaching a class? Are we mentoring? Are we reaching out to a lost world? Or are we sitting in our Holy Huddle of 'like minded ones' pointing fingers??? She's a hockey mom. I know what a "good" hockey mom is made of. She's got my vote!! 08:10 - Friday, September 5, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentBlurts, Outbursts, One Liners, Vomit Stories, and Verbal ThoughtsI just don't have it in me to write out an eloquent blog. So this morning, I am going to jot down my heart and mind as it comes to me and revisit it later........I just don't like people anymore. Well, not all of them. Just most of them. It is so very few and far between that I have encountered someone with integrity and work ethic. That is so frustrating. Years ago I had a goal. At 40, I could retire. At 40, I had worked 27 years, and thought that was a sufficient amount of work.Well, here it is, 3 years PAST my goal, and not only can I NOT retire, but I now have a SECOND job. Actually, I have 3 jobs. I work part time from April to September at a 3rd location. How many years will my back, hips, shoulder and elbow be able to throw a tray? I guess we're about to find out. Yeah, I am bitter about this. I am trying so hard not to be. Thanking the Lord for my health, my strength, my ability to work.............but deep in the pit of my heart, I am bitter. I want to stay home, cook, clean, do all that mom / girl stuff. Yeah, I DO do all that stuff now......cook, clean, take care of the finances, make all the phone calls, handle all the problems that arise, home school 3 high schoolers.....oh, and now, work 2 jobs outside the home. Yes, I am married. My oldest has registered to vote. This election year is sickening. I will hold my nose when I pull my R. As will everyone in my family. It is sickening to see how many people DO NOT remove their hats and face the flag when the National Anthem is played.........sickening. And it's only going to get worse. Whoever gets in office, I hope the economy rebounds long enough for me to sell my house for what its worth............. Nightmares.........what's that all about. My sleep is poor enough. Maybe I will cut my hair, color it blonde, hit the tanning bed and buy a new outfit and take myself out.........oh, that's right, I am broke! HA HA What is it about the 20 year itch? Why do so many couples get divorced at 20 years? Ok, I can see the 7 year itch. They are still young, in shape, bla bla bla...........but 20 years?? What's the deal with 20 years in a marriage and all the sudden someone wants to bail out? How do you put on a smile, when you don't have one laying around to attach? Why is it what you want is almost exactly the opposite of what you get? You want to be a joy, a helper, a pleasure to be around, and what you end up being is quite the opposite... What is that all about? Days and days go by and I just don't wana. I don't wana talk to God. I don't wana read His Word. I don't wana talk to anyone. I don't wana get up. I don't wana do anything. I just don't wana. I am tired, worn out, used up. I just don't wana. 08:10 - Thursday, September 4, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentI want to hide!Have you ever been so over obligated, you just wanted to hide?You know the old "fight or flight" syndrome? Where the light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train and you are tied tightly to the tracks? When you smile, you can feel every inch of your face cracking, because you have had to dig in so deep to muster it up that it hurts? Where you are really afraid to speak, because you know in your heart it is bitter, and angry, and you fear that it will boil up out of your mouth? When you sit down, and check yourself, and say "I don't want things to be like this" yet they continue to spin out of control? Then you have no one IRL that you can confide in. No one that you talk to can provide you with any sort of advice / direction. So you sit and stew..............just not good. I want to head for the hills of North Carolina. Somewhere about 30-45 min east of Asheville. The foothills ya know. Find a nice spot of land, cute little cabin........in the middle of hundreds of acres. And just breathe. 07:26 - Monday, August 25, 2008 - comments {4} - post commentMy garden, is in shamblesSpring in Indiana was cold and wet.It killed my first 100 tomatoes. It diseased my second round of 100 tomatoes. Finally, I am getting "some" fruit. The tops are cracked ((due to a lack of water, then too much, then a lack there of)), and they have spots ((that peel off when I blanch)). They are small. About 1/2 the size they should be. And for every 5 ripe tomatoes, 2 are rotten. Can you recommend a good fungicide that will cover a 36 x 36 area? My peppers grew weird. My cucumbers are long and odd shaped. My onions are about 1/2 the size they should be. My egg plants are JUST NOW coming on. My pumpkin vine is dying already. But my herbs?? They did amazing. Too bad you can't live off of basil and sage! HA HA I am so sick about this garden. Sick. It's heartbreaking to look out the window. 07:18 - Monday, August 25, 2008 - comments {4} - post commentSo, what do you want to do when you grow up?You hear adults ask little kids this question all the time.I was asked recently "when you were a kid, what did YOU want to do when you grew up"........ My answer? I wanted to be a Las Vegas Show Girl. Really. With the big feathers on her head and the sequined outfits! Either that, or a Rockette........ Now, today, at 40+, what I 'want' when 'I grow up'? I don't want to work anymore. I don't want to be in debt. I want to cook, clean, take care of the kids and our house. I want to spend as much time as needed in the garden. I want to have free time to give if it's needed. I want to breathe. I am too old to be a Las Vegas Show Gal, but.........hopefully, soon, I can achieve my second goal! 07:09 - Monday, August 25, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentBoltbabe...............Another excellent blog!I just haven't had much to say in days, but have read some great entries this morning."Journey to Simplicity" has a series of blogs about teaching kids responsibility. As a mother of teens (and I think these articles are really geared for littles) I would like to share our experience........ From the time the kids could drag a laundry basket behind them, they were taught that they were 1/5 of a family equation. They were taught that it takes all 5 of us working together, to function. We tried the colorful charts, the prizes, the money, the stickers and glitz and glam. It all lead me back to this: I was bribing them to be part of the family. I was paying them to perform family duties........that I had to "remind them" to do!! Not only that, I was teaching them that only X was their job, and I was robbing them of the ability to take the initiative. Side note / Left field comment. I am seeing in the generation of kids age 16-30, that they cannot function unless someone is telling them what to do. If it's not written down, or you are telling them what to do........they stand still, or worse, horse around. They have no idea how to "see that a table is dirty, therefore it needs cleaned up" reguardless if it's in their section or not". They have little or no idea or concept of team work. They have little or no idea of work ethic. They really have no idea of 'service'. I know every generation says "Kids these days......" but I am here to tell you as someone who works in the service industry........that generation has no manners, no work ethic, no concept of service, no ability to take the initiative they can only function if someone tells them what to do or they work off a list.......they have no ability to free think. And to boot? Don't expect any above and beyond the call of duty type behavior. If they ain't gettin' paid extra, they ain't doin' no extra...........It is sad, and frustrating when you try to hire them to work, you set an appointment for an interview, and of 10 calls, 8 no call no show..........so I will dismount now :-) I wanted to instill in the children they are part of a family, it takes 5 to make thing function properly, if you see a mess clean it regaurdless if it is yours or not. I would walk them thru a room and say: Whats wrong in here? We'd take notes, then fan out and work together on getting it cleaned. Now at 18, 16, 14 they know that before daddy gets home, the house is to be right. They know that before company comes, deeper cleaning is required. They know that before mommy comes home, just have the kitchen clean. When they see something out of place, they put it away. I don't have to make lists, I don't have charts, and I don't pay them a dime. Taking care of the home we live in is the least we can do for the blessing God has given us. I have no complaints when it comes to chores / cleanliness of my older teens. A good work ethic was instilled in them at a young age. And it shows today! 08:32 - Sunday, August 24, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentKeri Mae..........you hit the nail on the head!!Maybe it's just me.......But I was at "A Happy Home" and whamo. Like a 2 x 4 this hits me right between the eyes. "I wanted to say "yes". I want to be liked" Taking three steps back and applying this to myself and my obligations......... Why do I do 99% of what I do? I want to be liked. I sign up to do this and that for ___________. I want to be liked. I run a _______ why? I want to be liked. I am working two jobs why? I want to be liked. And on and on and on.......... Really.......who am *I* serving? ME. Me and my feelings. Me and my wants and desires. Oh I am doing work for others, but deep down inside, I am serving myself.......who am I kidding!! I *serve* on this committee or this ministry. Yeah right. I *serve* me.....oh I can sign up, volunteer, and look real compassionate. But guess what? When everyone *sees me* and says *awwww she is so compassionate, she is so _________* then I have received my reward. I got just what I wanted. Recognition for a job well done. What a selfish sick person I am. Romans 7:7-25 But what have I done "in secret" to please the Lord? How have I served Him in "secret" as He has instructed me????? Secret in the original Greek language? Means: Hidden Hidden means, no one sees. No one knows. No one hears. No applause, no atta girls, no "oh this is so nice". Nada, zip, zero. See Matthew 6. The first line says it all; ""Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Then it goes on and on about how you should not do things for show.Or, so that you "will be liked"............. Thanks Keri. I really needed to see this today. 08:12 - Sunday, August 24, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentParagraph by Paragraph: The InTangible August 20th, 2008Paragraph One
My Walk. Walk is a verb. Right now I am sitting. Sitting with my back to the Lord. Oh sure when I want something or need something I will talk to Him. But, my 'walk' is not. It's a sit. This just has to change. Paragraph Two Learn to say no. And mean it. I am too over extended. Too many irons in the fire. My mind, it is so busy I do not rest. Sinner, party of one your table is now available! This just has to change. Paragraph Three Give. Paragraph Four Change. Things just have to change. I just can't stand myself anymore. 08:59 - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentParagraph by Paragraph: The Tangible August 20, 2008Paragraph One
My crazy house I need to plan, once again, room to room. Start with the ceiling. Work my way down and get each room done. When the market rebounds this house is up for sale. Purge Purge Purge Neutralize Paragraph Two Prepare for winter. Winter should be a four letter word Wntr I do not look forward to winter. However, like it or not, it will come. So I must prepare. Again. Mr. List Paragraph Three Going along with Paragraph Two, I need to plan out my flower beds so that when the time comes I can place my flower bulbs. Not much I can do now.........I still have flowers blooming!! None the less, I do have to plan Not only for the existing side bed, but to expand into the front yard. The lady that appraised our home said if we put in flower beds, it would increase the value of the home almost 10,000.00 OK flower beds it is!! Paragraph Four My car. She is dead and I don't know how to fix her. I cannot buy a new one. Or a used one for that matter.. I love my car. I just don't know what to do. I really want to fix her. I need to sell my 4-runner. It just sits. Paragraph Five Clothes. I must buy myself some new clothes. It's not to 'update' a wardrobe. it's to have something to wear!! I have not bought myself clothes in years... Thank God that my size has not changed. Or I would be running around with only 2 outfits! Ha 08:30 - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentENTITLEMENTI am sick sick sick up to my *#($&@ eyeballs with people who have entitlement issues.How about this: I have worked for the same boss for 4 1/2 years. Every night, at the end of the shift, my boss buys each employee who has worked, dinner. He created a special button on the computer "employee meal". It's the WHOLE menu. He takes off the first 16.00. So if I get a steak dinner, it only costs me 5.00. Ok. My boss gives us dinner each shift we work. Let's look at the benefits he receives by giving away food. 1. We know what it tastes like so we can better describe it to customers. 2. It is his way of saying 'thank you' to his staff. A way for him to show his appreciation to us. But he receives no "benefit" for this gesture. Ok........that's it. ONE benefit. Now, what do we, the employees receive? 1. Free food. Not just any food, but really good food. Food cooked with the most expensive ingredients. Very good food. 2. We are the recipients of our bosses generosity. 3. The ability to taste everything on the menu at a HUGE fraction of the cost. 4. We know that we are appreciated. 5. We can take it to a friend or neighbor who has baby sat for us, or whatever. OK NOW LETS LOOK AT THIS: Boss buys us dinner. You have an employee that starts grumbling that boss should include a salad. That same employee is totally offended that boss charges .25 (that's right a quarter) for us to get it to go (um because we are using all of his to go boxes that cost money to buy, duh). This employee begins to "rebel rouse" and grumble about how unfair it is. She causes friction amongst the other employees. Do you know why? SHE has entitlement issues. SHE thinks she is entitled to whatever her heart desires. I have a question. What is wrong with people today? When you do something nice, when you go OUT OF YOUR WAY, to do something nice, when you go out of your way and receive little or NO BENEFIT YOURSELF to do something nice..................why is it that there is always someone RIGHT THERE to push it? Someone who just can't look at a situation and say "wow, thank you for what you have done?" What is wrong with people? It's no wonder I don't want to leave my house. Ge-ma-nee-christmas. 07:55 - Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - comments {5} - post commentThe Indiana State FairWhat am I going to do at the Indiana State Fair???Milk a cow Ask a 1,000 questions about cows. Ask a 1,000 questions about chickens. Ask a 1,000 questions about my garden. I will come prepared with a piece of fruit, effected leaves, and soil. I will have photos and temp charts. Oh yeah, I am loaded for bear. I will collect enough information that I will need a back pack to carry it. I will pet the piggys I will pet the pony's I will pet the goats (pu smelly goats!) I will go fishin' in the pond. Shoot a bow and arrow Shoot a 'virtual' shotgun Eat a ribeye sandwich, corn on the cob, an elephant ear, and anything else that is moving slow enough for me to catch!! I will take tons and tons and tons of photos. I am going next week and I simply, cannot wait!! 08:05 - Friday, August 8, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentCanned yesterdayDrum roll please..............I canned three, (3), trace, twa, dry, yes, THREE PINTS of tomatoes yesterday. Why only 3 pints you ask? Well of the 100 tomato plants in the ground, I only had enough ripe fruit to can 3 pints........... Those 3 pints are now little jars of gold, that will hold places of honor on the canning shelf in the basement. I think I will start going to the farmers market and buying tomatoes to can. I am crying on the inside. 07:59 - Friday, August 8, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentAre you in to mood to build something??The Pompeii Oven™: Plans to Build an Italian Brick OvenFree Brick Barbeque Plans07:13 - Sunday, August 3, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentIsaiah 58........Isaiah 58True Fasting1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back.Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. I am His. 2 For day after day they seek me out; This is me. "Seems eager" to know His Ways. "Seems eager to come near". The "seems" needs to be turned into an action word. 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, Oh yeah. Me. "Well Lord, I do xyz and didn't you see"? Like He doesn't SEE everything. Sometimes I am so dumb. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, I don't know what "quarreling and strife or wicked fists" is but I will tell you my 'fasting' will get the same results. Because its not good. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, For me God is saying "stop putting on a show and get real, knock off all the drama, and LISTEN to me" 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: This is a huge verse. I 'fast' for silly stuff (oh it may seem big to me, but compared to verse 6? SILLY STUFF) and He is showing me that He is SO much more........... 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry Hmmmmmm wow. No where do I see anything like what the 'world' tells me. No where in this verse does it say...."volunteer for this program, sign up to do this on Sunday, give X amount of money" It says........be ready, spot on. Be ready at any SECOND to give. 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, I love the word "then".......... 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry God says "ok, PAY ATTENTION........Verses 1-7, and now 8-12 He shows us our reward. It's all written down for me. How simple duh. 11 The LORD will guide you always; 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins 13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath 14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
Ok........."IF you keep your feet from breaking Sabbath". That's huge. Understand this.........for 40+ years I have been conditioned, I have chosen, I have lived for Saturdays. I work on Saturdays (big money days) I do big projects on Saturdays. My kids play sports on Saturdays.................I do not honor "THE Sabbath". I do not honor it and the only "delight" in it is for myself. Not to honor or please God. I do what I want, go my own way.........I totally thumb my nose at God, and His Sabbath....... It's no wonder I am in the condition, I am in. Footnotes:
07:35 - Friday, July 18, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentONE REASON WHY I HOME EDUCATE!!!!Why Christian Manhood MUST Prevail
There is an alarming rise in effeminacy amongst young men in our nation. And the increase has nothing to do with genetics. The issue is moral, cultural, and, most importantly, theological. The collective social conscience of the meaning of Christian manhood is quickly becoming the stuff of story books. The abandonment of teaching on family orthopraxy from the pulpit, and the exchange of fundamental moral issues for short term political victories by too many Christians who are engaged in culture wars, has created an environment where there is precious little practical difference between the way the church and the world view manhood and womanhood. The fact is that our boys are confused because their fathers are confused. The gender-blending of the last twenty-five years is reaping an alarming toll on men, and the worst is yet to come. The answer to the problem of effeminacy in boys and leaderless men is not going into the forest and beating a drum. Nor is the answer found in psychologically driven behavior modification theory. Christian manhood must prevail. But for it to prevail we need a generation of men and women more concerned with the biblical vision of manhood than the prevailing view presented in the government schools, on MTV, and in too many pulpits across America. And we need men and women willing to stand — sometimes alone — against the wave of androgyny and social confusion. The good news is that feminism in women and male effeminacy are self-defeating. They cannot be sustained. They are ultimately doomed to destruction. But along the way to their own self-annihilation, they can leave a devastating toll in the lives of our sons and daughters. They can wreak havoc on an entire culture. And this is where things stand now. History is behind Christian manhood, which is why it must be studied both theologically and historically. In this important message, Why Christian Manhood Must Prevail, I explain the issue and seek to encourage fathers and mothers who aspire to raise their sons to stand against the tide of effeminacy and embrace a vision of noble manhood. May we about the business of recovering biblical manhood in our time. www.visionforum.com12:28 - Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - comments {1} - post comment40 evidences that we may have left our first love......I received this email this morning.........40 Evidences That You May Have Left Your First Love 1. You can go hours or days without having more than a passing thought of Him. 2. You don’t have a strong desire to spend time with Him. 3. You don’t have a strong hunger for the Word; Bible reading is a “chore” – something to mark off your “to do” list. 4. Spending time in prayer is a burden/duty rather than a delight. 5. Your worship is formal, dry, lifeless, merely going through the motions. 6. Private prayer and worship are almost non-existent . . . cold and dry. 7. You are more concerned about physical health, well-being, and comfort than about the wellbeing and condition of your soul. 8. You crave physical food, while having little appetite for spiritual food. 9. You crave human companionship more than a relationship with Christ. 10. You spend more time and effort on your physical appearance than on cultivating inner spiritual beauty to please Christ. 11. Your heart toward Christ is cold and indifferent; not tender as it once was, not easily moved by the Word, talk of spiritual things, etc. 12. Christianity is more of a checklist than a relationship with Christ. 13. You measure spirituality (yours/others’) by performance rather than the condition of the heart. 14. Christianity is defined more what by what you “do” than who you “are” (“doing” vs. “being”). 15. Your obedience and service are motivated and fueled by expectations of others or a desire to impress others, more than by passion for Christ. 16. You are more concerned about what others think and pleasing them, than about what God knows and pleasing Christ. 17. Your service for Christ and others is motivated by a sense of duty or obligation. 18. You find yourself becoming resentful over the hardships and demands of serving Christ and others. 19. You can talk with others about kids, marriage, weather, and the news, but struggle to talk about the Lord and spiritual matters. 20. You have a hard time coming up with something fresh to share in a testimony service at church or when someone asks, “What’s God been doing in your life?” 21. You are formal, rigid, and up-tight about spiritual things, rather than joyful and winsome. 22. You are critical or harsh toward those who are doctrinally off-base or living in sin. 23. You enjoy secular songs, movies, and books more than songs or reading material that point you to Christ. © Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. www.ReviveOurHearts.com 24. You prefer the company of people who don’t love Christ, to the company and fellowship of those who do. 25. You are more interested in recreation, entertainment, and having “fun” than in cultivating intimacy with Christ through worship, prayer, the Word, and Christian fellowship. 26. You display attitudes or are involved in activities that you know are contrary to Scripture, but you continue in them anyway. 27. You justify “small” areas of disobedience or compromise. 28. You have been drawn back into sin habits that you put off when you were a young believer. 29. “Little” things that used to disturb your conscience, no longer do. 30. You are slow to respond to conviction over sin – or you ignore it altogether. 31. You enjoy certain sins and want to hang onto them. You are unwilling to give them up for Christ. 32. You are not grieved by sin – it’s no big deal to you. 33. You are consistently allured by certain sins. 34. You are self-righteous--more concerned about sin in others’ lives than in your own. 35. You are more concerned about having the right position than the right disposition. 36. You tend to hold tightly to money and things, rather than being quick to give to meet the needs of others. 37. You rarely give sacrificially to the Lord’s work. 38. You rarely have a desire or burden to give, when you hear of legitimate financial needs within the Body, your church, or a ministry. 39. Accumulating and maintaining material “things” consumes more time and effort on your part than seeking after and cultivating spiritual riches. 40. You have broken relationships with other believers that you are unwilling or have not attempted to reconcile. 1"To the angel of the church in seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2"'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. . . . 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' CHILLING! 08:23 - Tuesday, July 15, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentBitternessAt Dictionary.com, this is the English explanationDictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This bit·ter 
![]("http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/speaker.gif") Audio Help [bit-er] Pronunciation Key adjective, -er, -est, noun, verb, adverb –adjective
MAR is the root in Hebrew that means "bitter". Exodus 15:22-24 22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. [a] ) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Footnotes: Exodus 15:23 Marah means bitterNow for the Greek!! Pikros: it is the word that defines 'taste' Pikraino: in an active voice, "to be bitter" "to embitter, irritate, or to make bitter. In a passive voice: to be made bitter. Pikria: Metaphorically: condition of extreme wickedness, "gal of bitterness' or 'bitter gal'. evil speaking. hatred. root of bitterness produces bitter fruit. Pikros: (long o) bitterly is used of the poignant grief of Peter's weeping for his denial of Christ, Matthew 26:75 07:58 - Saturday, July 12, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentJudge?GLEANINGS FROM THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENTby Dr. Philip Bryan Wordplay: Judgment and CondemnationA Common Literary Device"Wordplay" or "punning" is a favorite literary device utilized in the Old and New Testaments, especially in Paul's letters. English often cannot communicate the force of a passage by means of wordplay in corresponding English words. Sometimes the most familiar English version even gives a false impression of the meaning. For example, because of wordplay and changes in English usage since the 17th Century, the English words "judgment" and "condemnation" (or "damnation") often are interpreted in certain passages to mean something other than what the author intended, and at the same time something of the subtle "flavor" is lost. A typical example appears in 1 Cor. 11:29, which some have interpreted to teach that "eating unworthily" at the Lord's Supper will send a person to Hell: "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." To the contrary, Paul in this passage states that God judges a believer for eating and drinking unworthily so that he will not be condemned! Paul is very careful in his usage of the words translated "judgment" and "condemnation." Basic Meanings Three variations for judgment (and their cognates) are regularly employed by Paul in the New Testament: (1) krino, (2) diakrino, and (3) katakrino. The basic word krino includes primarily the ideas of "separating," "judging," and "reaching a decision." Sometimes this "judgment" may be a form of "condemnation," but that is not the basic meaning. Clearly related to krino is the word diakrino, with the ideas of "separating," "differentiating," "judging correctly," "discerning," etc. This word emphasizes proper judgment. The third pertinent form, katakrino, carries the related ideas of "condemning," "punishing," "damning," etc. Clearly, all of the ideas are closely related, both in Greek and English. Detailed analyses of these words are contained in the standard Greek lexicons. Comparison and Contrast In a number of New Testament passages, Paul uses two or more of these words (or their cognates) to compare and contrast different ideas and shades of meaning. See Rom. 2:1, 5:16, 18 for usage of krino and katakrino. Rom. 14:23 includes diakrino and katakrino. Analysis of 1 Cor. 11:27-34 gives some of the most fruitful benefits when distinction is maintained between all three words. Analysis of 1 Cor. 11:27-34 These controversial verses in Paul's discussion of the Lord's Supper may be translated and interpreted as follows: "(27) The result is: whoever should eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord unworthily, will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord." Unworthy behavior at the Lord's Table is a serious matter because of what the elements represent -- the Lord's body and blood. "(28) But let a man prove himself [or, show himself approved?], and so let him eat of the bread [or loaf] and let him drink of the cup; (29) for the one who eats and drinks eats and drinks judgment [krima, a cognate of krino] to [or for] himself, when he does not discern [diakrino] the body." Failure to "discern the body" (i.e., the church; see v. 31) brings God's judgment (not damnation on that person (a believer, see v. 31). "(30) Therefore, many among you are weak and feeble, and a number are sleeping." God's judgment ("therefore") is illustrated by the fact that many of the Corinthians are "weak and feeble" (physically sick?) And not a few are "sleeping" (i.e., they are physically dead?). "(31) But if we had discerned [diakrino] ourselves, we would not have been judged [krino]; (32) but when are judged [krino] by the Lord, we are chastened lest we should be condemned [katakrino] with the world." So, if we discern (diakrino; judge correctly) ourselves (the body) we will not be judged (krino) by the Lord. He will judge (krino) His people when they need it (e.g., when they do not "discern the body"), but He does not condemn or damn (katakrino) them. It is "the world" that will be condemned (katakrino)! "(33) The result is: my brethren, when you come together [or, assemble] in order to eat [the Lord's Supper], wait for one another. (34) If anyone should be hungry, let him eat at home, lest you should come together [or, assemble] for judgment [krima]. And the remaining things I will arrange whenever I come." Proper discernment (judgment) of the Lord's body (the church) is evidenced by waiting for one another at the Table. Since the purpose of assembling is not because of hunger, observance of the ordinance will bring God's judgment (krima) if the participants eat and drink in an unworthy manner by not regarding one another. These verses probably explain why the Corinthian supper was not the Lord's Supper (v. 20). It was their own supper! 09:10 - Friday, July 11, 2008 - comments {0} - post comment
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Description 1 Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Home User Profile Archives Friends National RIGHT TO LIFE Holy Days or holidays? Are you Pretending? ONCE SAVED.........ALWAYS SAVED!!!! Recent Entries - The second worst table in my life.............. - Torn - Sarah Palin - Blurts, Outbursts, One Liners, Vomit Stories, and Verbal Thoughts - I want to hide! Categories BEING HEALTHY HOME SCHOOL LISTS! OH! THE GARDEN Politically Incorrect & Potentially Offensive :-) THE HOMESTEAD THE KITCHEN WHO IS THIS JESUS? Friends BackyardTreasures Roberta67 NewHarvestHomestead motherearth HandsNHearts homesteadinthemaking borderling smmagers glenda Daisyblend Jonash2004 morningsunshine Cindeerella Pattisea happymama CarolinaWren MommyG oklamouse mdonohue PattyMarie LivingSimple 4byGodsgrace farmgal35 Sweetmama2 HuberHof boellner naturalmama a1health Lorraine GoofyMamma Rhen Chas chimicole jennikl9 Isabella birdlady canadianmom naturemama sonpops melaniedawn 1ladybeale faithfarm short countrylivin Talysa toby0131 mamato8 |