From then until now
there remains no difference
between those of the past
and we today
For in any place on our path
we are them
and they are we
the woman at the well
or David the King
denial like Peter
faith like Ruth
doubt like Moses… and the anger, too
Highs and lows
pain and joy
from death to life
He came for them
and for me and you
God is as faithful to us, today
as He was for them so long ago
He is timeless and unchanging…
there is no difference!
Any time that I can use music to answer a question, I’m going to do it…
Cookie?
Flowers come in every color, shape, and size that one can imagine… but, when the weather changes they die, leaving little or no trace of their presence.
The bible speaks on more than one occasion about how, if God takes such care in their details, how much more precious we are to Him. I mean, after all, we are all made in the image of God, by God, and for God’s pleasure.
If God didn’t love us so much, why would the bible say that He is a jealous God, wanting nothing more than for us to believe in Him, follow Him, love Him, and walk in paths of His righteousness?
All those glorious flowers that spring up in such breathtaking arrangements, wilt and die off without a thought to Him that gave them life… and yet, in each new season, God brings them back again, with such loving faithfulness.
Whenever my eyes come to rest upon a delicate and lightly scented flower, it is a constant reminder of how much my Lord values me… me! Why?
I have sinned many times…
Many times have I been sinned against…
Sometimes, forgiveness between humans is there and sometimes it is not…
My childhood was torn from me, violently… I have to lay that down on the alter, each and every day!
I tore my three children’s lives apart, when I divorced their father… I have to lay that down on the alter, each and every day!
Why on earth does He tell me I’m forgiven, loved, and of use to Him… each and every day? And, He does this faithfully, for me… little ole me… the one that I just told you about. The woman who was abused as a child, became a runaway, became a Christian, became a wife and mother… only to become an adulteress! I single handedly destroyed my daughters lives, and I shall bear it all the way to the gates of heaven. Why does He want me?
Why? Because God chose me before the beginning of the world… because He knew what was to come… because He knew I would be abused, knew that I would run, knew the very day I would commit my life to Him, knew of my marriage, children, several affairs, divorce … God knew that I would be an adulteress… He knew!
And, here I sit typing to you this morning, still breathing, still getting up and dusting myself off again, and going back to the one place that answers that why I was just asking… Scripture! God tells me why He chose me, on each and every page that I read… it’s all there!
One just has to look. Reading is fundamental, as they say.
I was born in the late 60’s, spent my earliest years on a farm with only a single Black and White television that was encased in wood that came from Atilla the Hun’s battlefields… nothin like stubbing your toe on the corner of a 300 lb block! While I understand that my numbers are, in most probability, grossly over exaggerated, are they really… really?
Anyway, my point is that I’ve lived in both non-computer days and the current computer age, so yes, things looked different.
But is that different a good or bad thing… or is it just the times, or progress, if you will.
I remember taking typing classes in high school, and excelled at typing, matter of fact… I got skills! The thing was though, outside of a class at school, or my part-time job at an insurance agency, I never used a typewriter. In fact, I’d wager that most of the other student’s parents didn’t buy them one for personal use at home. Could you imagine having to bring your own typewriter with you, packed up in your backpack, or better yet, stuffed in your school locker? Nowadays, you can wear it on the right lens of your glasses. That’s only if you’ve the pocket change for one… their ridiculously expensive!
While I fully miss talking to others out loud, instead of texting, and writing letters on paper and sending them in the mail, one cannot deny the convenience and speed of using a computer. One single solitary box (in some instances, no bigger than a stick of gum), you can hold numerous differing translation of the bible, a building worth of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesaurus’, and past news publications from eons past. You can access a plethora of books on fiction, history, science, religion, and more… from your cell phone/smartphone/pda/tablet/kindle/ and of course, those glasses I mentioned.
It’s undeniable that computers have incredible uses in today’s modern society…
But, we all know that too much of a good thing can spoil it’s goodness, in the end.
Checks and balances, moderation, and wisdom, should rule at the end of the day, wouldn’t you agree? Just make sure you don’t forget the old school days and ways, because you never know when we may need to use it again.
Take a moment to think on this…
If all our power grids went offline, indefinitely, how long might it take before the war over toilet paper returns?
Don’t forget your cookie…
Eustace watched Game of Thrones, and now he walks around the house dressed like he’s about to go hunting, whispering “winter is coming”, in the most ominous way… and then quickly adds, “so eat your vegetables!”
He seems to think that it’s hilarious, and has chosen to perform this little ball of apparent comical genius for the company’s Fall Festival Talent Contest.
Ok, maybe it is sort of funny, but I’m not so sure it’ll win him any prizes.
Is this one of those times when you tell your friend their fantastic, because you don’t want to hurt their feelings? You know, like they do for all those contestants auditioning for all those talent shows on television? I don’t want to mention the actual shows, since I think that American Idol and America’s Got Talent have legal teams that block people from using their names for things like this.
Anyway, I don’t know what to do, here. Should I let him do it, or should I try to talk him out of it?
He is a cheeky camel, as you know, so perhaps he really doesn’t care what others think. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be a hit! I mean, he did take an unscheduled summer vacation, and they welcomed him back with open arms. For all we know, he might actually win the contest and become an overnight star!
If you want to know the truth of the matter, I think this whole venture has more to do with retaliation, than any trophy or applause! You see, I think Eustace got his feelings hurt when the company turned down his idea for adding a fresh vegetable cart in the break room. They stated that with the Holidays right around the corner, there wasn’t enough **((time))** to add another venue to the company’s upcoming employee events…
Camel’s are stubborn, you know. I don’t think this is over, do you?
Well… nobody put a deadline or age limit, here. What’s a girl to do?
I thought about it and I thought about it, and then I came up with a somewhat usable list of possibilities:
A professional body builder, maybe…
Ewww, NO!
Perhaps, I could become an artsy Glass Blower…
Well, I could, ya know.
Hey, what about becoming a ball room dancer?
I love to dance! Mmmmm, better not! My ankles aren’t as strong as they once were.
You know, maybe I could go back to college and become a veterinarian, or something like that…
Nah! Homework stinks!
Now, it might be a hoot to learn how to build a house…
or even become a Marine Biologist…
But, the problem I’m having with most of these new skills is that they take more time and money than I got.
Besides, maybe I should focus on balancing a grandbaby and baking at the same time…
She’ll be here by Thanksgiving, I think. Now this is a skill I will thoroughly enjoy mastering!
Cookie?
You didn’t think I was going to make you eat the ones that fell on the floor, did you? I wouldn’t dare do a thing like that!
What you see on the outside isn’t quite what I look like on the inside. While time marches on, offering no free rides or even discount coupons for the journey, this body of mine has seen its battles… some only small skirmishes, while others were devastating battles, leaving costly scars.
On the outside, many of my scars have faded into wrinkles and laugh lines, to be forgotten, or simply overlooked by those that I encounter… but, there they remain, none the less.
On the inside, however, who I am is far different from what many are allowed to view. I am still that wild, and indestructible creation that my heavenly Father created with painstaking detail.
I was created in the image of God, which is nothing less than beautiful!
I am a warrior for God… me!
A life begun in wickedness and shame, transformed into that which reflects Grace, Redemption, and so, so much mercy!
You know, I’m glad for all my scars, as they remind me of where I came from, and all the lessons learned from the journey.
I believe that when we give all our hurts over to God, those bruises and scars transform into armor! Not just any armor, though, but the armor of God! Etched within all those scars will be found verse after verse of eternal truths, put there by the very hand of God.
Now, it is He that flows through my veins…
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
Cookie?
Today, let’s all try to Bee positive!
… even if the world stings, honey, life can still taste sweet if you work toward the good of the hive, pollenating those around you with the fragrance of goodness gifted you by the Master Bee Charmer, himself…
If someone were to ask if you wished to be either a Heffalump or a Woozle, I bet it would be a good minute before you could confidently answer. Well, maybe it’s just me, beings that I’m quite small and have only just begun reading through the Winnie The Pooh series.
Ok, so maybe I’m somewhat large for an ant, but I was only just born last summer, and it did take me all winter to learn my letters and sounds. If I’m to be any good at writing, I gotta figure a good many things out on my own… that’s what journalists do, you know.
We do a good amount of reading, interviewing, and gathering up the facts, before we put things down on paper… or keyboard.
Please don’t say anything, but I may have gotten in over my head with this Winnie The Pooh business. You see, I sort of made a big deal about being able to read books all by myself, and assured Mee-maw that I didn’t need her help.
Things were going fine, til I got to the part about Heffalumps and Woozles…
Are you kidding me? That’s not fair!
As I’ve been told, time and again, Google is my friend, so I went to said friend. But, now I’m more confused than when I started. I’ll try to explain.
Ok, so according to Google a Heffalump is like an adorably chubby Elephant that can fly, but only when you’re dreaming, I guess. A Woozle is apparently meant to be a Weasel, but cuter, and also flying like the Heffalump… and again, only seen when you dream them.
Time out! Am I the only one whose never seen them before, aside from these Winnie the Pooh stories? How come Google knows about them, and I don’t?
Or, better yet, when did Google ever get the chance to interview the dreamy little stuffed teddy bear, hmmmmm? Answer me that!
Ok, ok, ok… let’s say that I buy this whole Google meets Winnie the Pooh stuff. If I accept that Google got it right, after questioning the teddy bear, I am expected to believe that Elephants can indeed fly, as well as Weasels… but, apparently, only in my dreams. Or does that mean only the teddy bear can see them when he’s dreaming… this is so confusing.
What if I want to see them when I dream? Can I? And, more importantly, do I want to see them? Google says that they represent fear and/or anxiety, well, at least that’s what I think it’s saying. Here, I’ll show you…
What follows are the actual definitions from Google’s AI:
A heffalump represents a childhood fear of the unknown, an imaginary creature stemming from the word “elephant” as mispronounced by a child, often depicted as a large, monstrous, or scary beast. While first described as an unseen, dangerous “heffalump trap” in A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh books, the concept was later expanded in Disney’s adaptations to include the real, friendly, and less frightening Heffalumps and Woozles, ultimately becoming a symbol of overcome fears and prejudices.
A woozle represents the unknown, a manifestation of unfounded fears or anxieties, as depicted in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh where the characters chase their own tracks, thinking they are Woozle tracks. This concept extends to the “Woozle effect,” where weak, unverified evidence is repeatedly cited, leading to the mistaken belief in a fact or urban myth, such as in political or public health misinformation.
Wait a minute… how did we get from fluffy purple elephants and pink Weasels, to the White House?
I will agree that elephants can be easily frightened, and weasels ARE rather high energy and anxious creatures, but to compare them to a politician… that’s taking things a bit too far for my liking.
I did like the part about overcoming fear of a thing, and also about truth over here say, as far as the whole misinformation thing goes.
Me? I’m only an ant, and a young one, at that! Somehow, even if I hadn’t gone to all the trouble of looking things up, I think that the book does a fairly good job of helping me figure things out… and it didn’t need a politician to do it! Just sayin.
I better give you some goodies, like Mee-maw does when she gives her two-cents on a thing…
My family is here for a visit, so I hope you don’t mind sharing… they don’t!
Ummm… well? You know, if I were to take a guess, seeings as I’m only just having TODAY’s first cup of tea, I’m going with waking up as my answer to this mornings prompt about tomorrow mornings activities.
Sometimes, WordPress, you ask the silliest questions. By all rights, I shouldn’t, but due to my having such a charitable disposition this morning, I’ll allow you to share in the cookies… but, just this once!
Don’t make a habit of it…
Journey With Me! 