tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91351569454362695732023-11-15T23:44:10.632-08:00Blessings From the Sun PorchLinda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.comBlogger425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-90607939233055924972020-08-02T12:01:00.003-07:002020-08-02T12:03:21.421-07:00A heartfelt tantrum from a Jesus follower<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OFR7UxkZ0eZn_csfLxOE4heoh5kWBwoRzwsq4GCyqD14UrKODVvGaP8-tdEQoX2dhwTkB6CS-9Jr4P3m2BgAvjqZ8jM5AdT1ni18BS0pt9Ns5oA9l10bRed7WUpw_Z_QtZ65gz5NGys/s2048/Hebrews+7-25.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OFR7UxkZ0eZn_csfLxOE4heoh5kWBwoRzwsq4GCyqD14UrKODVvGaP8-tdEQoX2dhwTkB6CS-9Jr4P3m2BgAvjqZ8jM5AdT1ni18BS0pt9Ns5oA9l10bRed7WUpw_Z_QtZ65gz5NGys/w262-h262/Hebrews+7-25.PNG" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hello Friends,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm doing something a little different this Sunday afternoon. I am having a little mini tantrum and am a bit fired up. God's helping me work through some questions today. I made a little video that will explain everything. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am NOT a pastor or have any seminary training, so my thoughts and ideas may not be theologically sound. I'm just a follower of Jesus who is trying to figure out why two of my beloved devotionals are in such stark contrast today, and how this fits in with everything that is happening in our world today.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JstVwlcftXI" width="320" youtube-src-id="JstVwlcftXI"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, if you are interested in my thoughts, watch this 10 minute video of me talking to you about what is going on in my heart and head today. If you aren't interested, that's fine too. I'm not pushing my beliefs on anyone. Just staying true to who God made me to be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Stay safe. Stay kind. Know that you are loved. đź’—</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-85223711238350991342020-04-24T07:31:00.000-07:002020-04-24T08:00:14.575-07:00Truth Setting Me Free<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaza4Y_Oj-uAwMg_mPS-swfTLHyNt7U3VZydVo48CCOUGDFpDLMm9gFD7ld8_e4LjjTaIA1yH5TdYo5clelHCCqR0i4m5uzWzN0tmcrc-DNpkMXi5MflipGRVdmhyPMWHKNqK4fPQ8dhQ/s1600/IMG_8316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaza4Y_Oj-uAwMg_mPS-swfTLHyNt7U3VZydVo48CCOUGDFpDLMm9gFD7ld8_e4LjjTaIA1yH5TdYo5clelHCCqR0i4m5uzWzN0tmcrc-DNpkMXi5MflipGRVdmhyPMWHKNqK4fPQ8dhQ/s400/IMG_8316.JPG" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-wac-het="1" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-wac-het="1" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-wac-het="1" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'" ~ John 8:31-32</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></h3>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">During this past year, I have been working with college students, helping them to discover who they are and what they want, all leading toward developing meaning and purpose in their lives. As always when I teach others, I end up getting more out of the lessons than the students. At 51, I am FINALLY discovering who I am, what I want, and learning how to use this knowledge to help myself and others have a life worth living. I also am currently reading <i>Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You</i>, by Jen Hatmaker. This book has me excited and truly full of fire!</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">This morning, during my devotional time, I had a conversation with Jesus, who is at the heart of my journey of discovery. Many times, my daily journal tends to be a personal letter between me and Jesus. I don't think He would mind if I shared it with you today. (For my friends who are not Jesus followers and think this is a little weird, bear with me.)</span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">You know me - the real me - <u>everything</u> about me, but you love, protect, nourish, forgive, and give grace to me anyway. You forgive me of my laziness, my lies to myself and others to make myself sound better, my anger, my greed, selfishness, self-centeredness, spite, and childishness. You forgive all that and other sins I may not even be aware of. Besides being thankful and grateful for this blessed forgiveness, it sets me free - not free to continue sinning on purpose, but free to love myself, despite all the bad things about me. <u>You</u> love me. <u>I</u> should love me. I was created in <u>your</u> image, right? </span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="EOP SCXW95533890 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" data-wac-het="1" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.425px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Loving myself and accepting myself as I am allows me to want to improve my bad traits. That doesn't mean I am working for your love and acceptance. I already have those. I can't earn your love, or my salvation by trying to be better. This work is for me. I want to be less selfish and more giving. I want to get rid of the childish ways I behave, especially when I am hurt. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">I want to be better, for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">I want to be free to use my softness, creativity, enthusiasm, connectedness, positivity, and desire to learn, to be a better wife, mother, friend, coworker, employee, advisor, and leader. Instead of apologizing for those things, which I have often found myself doing, I should be <u>proud</u> of who you made me to be and use those strengths and values to make my world a better place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">It has taken me almost 52 years to figure out that this is who I am and need to stop apologizing and love myself! I have one life and one body. I need to use the gifts and talents I have been given for good. This body may be soft and squishy, (yes, I need to take better care of my body, and I am working on that!) but it is still powerful. My heart is also soft and squishy, but I have observed that the world <u>needs</u> a little more soft and squishy love, for there are far too many hurting and broken people out there who need loved on and accepted for who they are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">Thank you for continuing to help me and encouraging me to grow and learn. It is never to late for that. I am discovering that knowing, loving, and accepting the person you made me to be is in itself a superpower. I will use this power for good. This truth, your truth, has set me free to be ME!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;">If you are interested in getting fired up and ready to discover the Glorious You, you should read this remarkable book by one of my favorite authors:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "times new roman_embeddedfont" , "times new roman_msfontservice" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Free-Full-Fire-Glorious/dp/071808814X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RBMOJQYWJW5D&dchild=1&keywords=fierce+free+and+full+of+fire&qid=1587736361&s=books&sprefix=Fierce%2Cinstant-video%2C186&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVU4wMlQyQ0xTM0g1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODgyMTI4M01FVEtMWDlZU04zVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE4NzkxM0s3U0k2M0xKSzdLWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=">https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Free-Full-Fire-Glorious/dp/071808814X/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2RBMOJQYWJW5D&dchild=1&keywords=fierce+free+and+full+of+fire&qid=1587736361&s=books&sprefix=Fierce%2Cinstant-video%2C186&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVU4wMlQyQ0xTM0g1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODgyMTI4M01FVEtMWDlZU04zVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzE4NzkxM0s3U0k2M0xKSzdLWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=</a></span></div>
Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-71625413575245942172020-01-24T09:35:00.000-08:002020-01-24T11:16:35.245-08:00Be an Encourager and share hope<div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Therefore encourage one another and build each other
up, just as in fact you are doing." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11 </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You might remember (or not!) the old Dr. Pepper commercial: "I'm a Pepper, she's a Pepper, he's a Pepper, we're a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" (HA! Now that song will be in your head all day long!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I would like to change the words: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"I'm an encourager, she's an encourager, he's an encourager, we're encouragers, wouldn't you like to be an encourager too?" </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encourager many not be a real word, and it may not fit the old tune as well, but it does remind us we should ALL be encouraging each other every day, instead of arguing and trying to get our own way and claiming we are right all the time. We all need encouragement from time to time. I know I do. I am lucky to have very loving and caring friends and family who do encourage me every day. Do you ever think about how many people in this world don't have ANYONE in their lives to encourage them? No wonder there are so many sad, angry and discouraged people in the world!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being an encourager comes easily to me, but sometimes my own issues makes lifting other people up much harder. I look for inspiration on how to encourage others in many places, including the Bible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In Timothy 1:3-13, Paul, who is in prison with little hope of being released, writes a letter to his friend Timothy. It is a letter of hope and encouragement. Paul does a few things in this letter that we can use as examples of how to encourage others. (The person being encouraged is the encouragee, which is another word I just made up, but it fits the bill.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>1.</b> <b>Give God the glory and give a compliment</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, Paul thanks God for his own life (even though he is in prison!) and then compliments Timothy on his work. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It's a good place to start. P</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ut God first. Then, the compliments. What person doesn't like a good compliment? Make the encouragee feel confident about their skills. This will help them realize they have the strength to walk through this situation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>2. Boost their confidence</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paul then goes on to give Timothy instructions - to go fan the flame of God's word by telling others about God's plan through Jesus Christ. This is a big job, and an important one. Paul reminds Timothy of the gifts that God has given him: a spirit of power, love, and self control. In order to get through the hard stuff, the enouragee needs to know they are not alone and they have what it takes to do the work. Fortify their courage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>3. Let them know you understand it's hard </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Paul then tells Timothy he should join in "suffering for the gospel." </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I believe Paul knew Timothy would face jeers, disbelief, anger, prejudice and probably danger by telling the good news of the gospel. Paul knew some people would not understand the message of blessings that Jesus had to offer. Misunderstanding can lead to anger, prejudice, hatred and other dangerous acts, as we see today. Paul had already experienced this. He was preparing Timothy. A little empathy can go a long way to producing hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That is why Paul's message to Timothy holds so much meaning and promise for us today. There is so much going on right now in our world that is DISCOURAGING. People are angry, divided, frustrated, stressed, and scared. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People are suffering. It is easy for us to feel sad, depressed, and overwhelmed in our own situations. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Encouragement from a friend reminds us we are not alone, and when that friend walks with us in these hard times, we can hold on to the strength, courage, and hope they are showing us and get THROUGH the suffering. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, sometimes we are the encouragee and other times we are the encourager. There are benefits from both, reducing a little bit of suffering in the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who can YOU encourage today? It's not that hard. Give a smile. Talk to a stranger. Talk with a friend who is struggling. Send an encouraging text. Not only will you be lifting them up, you will be lifting your mood as well. Wouldn't YOU like to be an encourager too?</span><br />
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-89411426937983893532020-01-22T07:41:00.001-08:002020-01-22T07:41:30.285-08:00What we have here is a failure...to PLAN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have heard it said, <i>usually by those who don't like to plan</i>, "You can't plan your life away." While there is some truth to that, and there needs to be some spontaneity to life, there is room for planning as well. I am a relatively good planner, but I plan to be even better.<br />
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Each year, I buy a good planner and work on scheduling my time so I can get all my things done. I make lists, keep track of my progress, and I LOVE to cross things off that list. However, am I putting the right things on my list? Am I planning the right things that will get me closer to my goals?<br />
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Today I was reminded failing to plan can be detrimental to your future. I work with college students. Not only am I an academic librarian, but I also advise and coach first year students and some students who are struggling academically. I had a light bulb moment this afternoon while meeting with one young man. He showed up on time, sat down respectfully and looked ready to talk and work through some stuff. When I asked him for the success plan worksheet he was to put lots of thought into and bring with him today, he looked at me blankly and said, "I totally forgot about that!" (Signal the facepalm that was happening in my brain.)<br />
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I smiled, and sweetly said that was the reason for our meeting today, so we could work through his concerns and create a success plan for the semester. He apologized. Then we spent some time talking about how this was one of his problems last semester. He didn't do well, not because he couldn't do the work, but because he didn't turn things in. We talked about putting assignments in a planner. He said he did that. Hmmm. He has this problem in all his classes. He then seemed pretty frustrated at himself and huffed out, "These assignments aren't that hard. I just can't seem to remember what to do and I wait too long to get s*%# done!" Forgiving him for the language, that was when the light bulb went off above my head!</div>
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He was never taught how to manage projects or how to PLAN ahead! Many of my students struggle with the exact same thing. In the testing culture of today’s public schools, students aren’t prepared to PLAN.<br />
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I am meeting with this student later this week and I am going help him use an online calendar to input all his due dates and tests, and then PLAN how long it will take to write the papers, study for the tests, and do the reading assignments. I’ll show him how scheduling time for those things on his calendar and setting it up to send him reminders on his phone can help to keep him on track.</div>
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I tell you all this because it has been a good lesson for me as well. I have been struggling to keep motivation going on dream board and healthy-living goals. The reason I'm having trouble...I'm failing to PLAN.</div>
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Putting time in MY online calendar for yoga and walking is a good idea so I get those annoying reminders popping up on my phone. I want the reminders so stop, so I go DO the thing. Thinking ahead to possible reasons for not being able to do the thing is also important. What if I am too sore to do yoga one morning? I could ALREADY have another lighter, less strenuous workout planned for those times. Then, I am still doing SOMETHING in that time slot, but I'm not doing something that will cause me more pain. Forget "no pain, no gain!" Ain't nobody got time for that! That will make me quit on my goals faster than anything.</div>
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What about healthy eating? I need to think through those situations that cause me to eat badly and come up with alternatives and strategies for dealing with those temptations ahead of time. This will help me have the tools I need to avoid those circumstances or make better choices during them. Looking at restaurant menus ahead of time will help me PLAN what I will eat when going out with friends instead of leaving it to my willpower alone in the heat of the moment. </div>
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Speaking of willpower...mine is very weak. I know that. That is why I am working on taking some of the curve off my curves. My willpower, or lack thereof, has allowed the curves to get a little wider than I would like. Willpower alone is not going to get me to my goals. I need to plan and give it a little strategic help.</div>
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The Bible is full of verses about planning. In my life, experience has shown me that when I get the Lord involved in my plans and pray about them, I am more able to stick to them. Obviously, prayer doesn't always result in me reaching my goals, but it keeps me connected to God and I think that is THE goal, right? Including God in my daily life and plans helps me remember that He loves me. </div>
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"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." ~ Psalms 37:4</div>
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I don't believe this means that praying will give you exactly what you want. My experiences are evidence of that. However, delighting in prayer and a higher power blesses my heart every time, even in times of stress and pain. </div>
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So, building prayer into my plans is important to me.</div>
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I am thankful for those times when coaching my students reminds me and teaches me as much as it does them. Perhaps someone is PLANNING situations on my behalf...</div>
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-30008587012609166532020-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:002020-01-04T09:27:21.287-08:00Change --> Joy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy New Year friends! This has been the first week of a brand new year. This is the time when people around the world make resolutions and are excited about starting over with a clean slate. I have been there too. The problem is keeping that new year excitement going. In the past, I found myself giving up on riding my stationary bike every morning about 4 weeks into that hopeful resolution. Giving up leads me to feel bad about myself and adds to the cycle of disappointment and depression.<br />
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Last year I did better. Instead of making resolutions, I made a dream board. I cut out pictures of things I wanted to happen in 2019 and pasted them on a board. I put a picture of that dream board as the wallpaper on my phone so I would see it all the time. Honestly, I made almost everything on that board happen and I was pretty happy with myself. Can you guess what the only thing on my dream board that is still a dream and not a reality? You got it! Losing weight! Even though I made other good things in my life happen, I still found myself unhappy.<br />
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Friends, in the last several months and even years, I had lost my joy. I could hold it for a few moments, but it slipped through my fingers quickly and I found myself struggling with sadness and mild depression. Whatever the reasons for this circumstance, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to DO something about it!<br />
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So, this year, I am building on the success and failure of last year. I made another dream board. I pasted WORDS relating to the things I want to make happen this year. There are things on that board about writing, staying connected to God through daily devotion and meditation, traveling, and spending time with the people that mean the most to me. Instead of making a goal to lose a certain number of pounds, I am going to work toward leading a healthier lifestyle. Being active, and being mindful of what I put into my body, including more water and less sugar, are the things I am going to focus on. I need to change habits that have been with me my whole life. So I am also focusing on two words, one that leads to the other: CHANGE --> JOY.<br />
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I created my dream board last Sunday and began thinking of action steps to make these things happen. Monday morning I began a 30 day yoga challenge. I found an online video and jumped right into it. I completed day 5 yesterday. There are several poses this big, out of shape body just cannot do, so today I went back to day 1 and began again. So what if I can't go directly from downward facing dog to rag doll? I want to get stronger...and I am beginning to be!<br />
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CHANGE -->JOY<br />
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It's working! The endorphins that are released during the yoga are making me feel better. I haven't cried in almost a week and that is a BIG improvement! I have been journaling every morning as well which is helping me put my feelings into words. This is all improving my joy quotient and making me feel like Linda again.<br />
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Renew my strength.<br />
My daily devotional verse today was from <b>Isaiah 40:31 "...but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." </b><br />
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My knees may crackle and hurt and my lower back may ache. I may get shaky and wobbly when trying to hold onto half moon pose and not want ANYONE to see my downward facing dog, but I feel myself growing stronger!<br />
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This is the YEAR the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it. Come rejoice in it with me! There is SO much to be worried about these days! Let's focus on the things we CAN change. I'm just at the beginning of my CHANGE -->JOY journey. Want to join me? Message me and we can do this together! We can compare notes, encourage each other and hold each other accountable. I promise I won't laugh at your downward facing dog if you don't laugh at mine! ;-)<br />
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Peace and joy my friends!Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-47260624459482674912019-12-23T08:25:00.000-08:002019-12-23T11:02:50.212-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas
morning and not be a child." ~ Erma Bombeck</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“When anxiety was great within me, your
consolation brought me joy.” ~ Psalm 94:19 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>I </b></span>can remember being a college student and having quite a bit of sadness at Christmas time. The hard part was I didn't understand at the time why I was sad and that upset me most of all. Looking back with the wisdom of my adulthood, I can see that I was grieving my childhood. Christmas loses part of its magic when the kaleidoscope lenses of childhood are removed. It didn't matter how many silly Christmas songs I sang with my college roommate, or how many cocktails I enjoyed with my friends, Santa and his magic had left me behind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I became a mother, I picked up those lenses again. The charms of Christmastime returned through the eyes of my daughter as I watched her joy at the lights, special wrapping paper, presents and songs. Holiday stresses of adulthood dulled the joy a bit with money worries and struggling to get everything done, but the sadness I had experienced a few years before wasn't there. I found joy in dancing around the living room with my daughter to the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack and seeing her eyes light up in the glow of the candles during "Silent Night" at church on Christmas Eve.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This year, the old Christmas melancholy has returned with a vengeance. My daughter is grown, married and on her own and not able to come home to help with the decorating. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Had I not had a meeting at my house a few weeks ago, I don't know if I would have decorated my house at all. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Old treasured holiday traditions are changing and I can't even find the box where I kept those magical kaleidoscope lenses. There have been many days in the last month that I wanted to just skip Christmas altogether. Listening to Christmas music has always brought me joy in the past, but this year, I find that it grates on my nerves like listening to someone chewing gum with their mouth open. (Does that not drive you crazy?) I have shed more tears in the past few months than I have this entire year. Of course, the good ole "change of life" and the horrendous hormones that come along with it might be mixing with all my worries and have something to do with the "great sadness of 2019."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am a pretty happy person most of the time, so crying at the drop of a sappy Christmas car commercial, or bursting into tears the moment your pastor asks you if you are ready for Christmas is pretty upsetting! So...how to fight this great yuletide sadness? (Besides a good bottle of Carbernet!) Human interaction! Laughing with friends is the ONLY thing that is keeping me from falling apart this Christmas. I truly think that God is consoling me and my anxiety THROUGH the love of my friends. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, I am taking this time to thank all the people who have spent time with me, hugged me, prayed with me, laughed with me, cheered me up and brought me a little bit of allusive joy. I am forever grateful to you all because without you, I would be in a puddle on the floor like Frosty the Snowman inside the greenhouse!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are YOU struggling this Christmas? Are you feeling sad and melancholy? Find some humans to interact with! God gifts us with friends for a reason. Don't have any friends? Step out of your comfort zone and make some! There are so many lonely people in the world today. We are not meant to do this life alone, so put your phone down and reach out to someone and let them know you care about them and find a reason to laugh. It really does help.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Merry Christmas, my friends! Be blessed!</span><br />
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-33346980641012678942018-12-25T08:26:00.000-08:002018-12-25T08:26:29.890-08:00An ode to Larry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At Christmas, I sometimes sit back and think of all the gifts I have in my life...people are the best gift of all and God has blessed me with a LOT of those gifts. One of those gifts was Larry Miller. He is in my mind and heart especially today because he passed away a couple of days ago. One thing Larry and I had in common, besides singing, was poetry. He used to email me poems, or just hand me one at church. They were usually silly...sometime a bit naughty, but they were so special to me and made me smile. I have kept them all in a little book of poetry I keep near to me. I told Larry that I was going to publish a book of his poetry someday. He liked that idea and even asked me about it a few weeks ago. While I have not accomplished that yet, I thought I would share one of Larry's poems with you, and one of the ones I wrote for him a few years ago.<br />
<br />
<u>What is Christmas?</u><br />
By Larry Miller (Sent to me and my husband - 2010)<br />
<br />
Christmas is a time for giving.<br />
It's also a time to share.<br />
It's a time for family.<br />
It's a time to care.<br />
<br />
People always wear a smile.<br />
They are as happy as can be.<br />
What a beautiful holiday season.<br />
What can be the reason.<br />
<br />
We celebrate the birth of Christ<br />
On this December day.<br />
So, let us keep remembering<br />
To give thanks and to pray.<br />
<br />
We love you, God.<br />
We love your Son.<br />
Merry Christmas to you both,<br />
And peace to everyone.<br />
<br />
<br />
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Ode to a great man named Larry</div>
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By Linda Hatfield (2016)</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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Have you ever known a man </div>
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Who touched your heart and made you smile?</div>
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A man whose heart is open wide</div>
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And always goes the extra mile?</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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Well, I know such a man</div>
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Who is as ornery as can be.</div>
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Uncle Larry, he is known by some.</div>
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And he is very dear to me.</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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He has a song on his lips</div>
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And God in his heart.</div>
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He puts his words into rhymes,</div>
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He's just that clever and smart.</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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I have collected his poems</div>
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And put them in a book.</div>
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I pull them out sometimes</div>
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When I need a more positive outlook.</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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Larry is loved by his family</div>
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And the rest of us do adore.</div>
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His jokes and cards can be a bit naughty,</div>
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But laughter always has us on the floor.</div>
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<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>
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Speaking of cards, he sends them,</div>
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No matter the day or season.</div>
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It's a joy to open and read them,</div>
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And possibly hide them for some reason!</div>
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I wanted to write this poem</div>
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In honor of my friend Larry.</div>
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He makes me smile and I love him.</div>
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In my heart his joy I will always carry.</div>
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My dear friend, Larry, I know that you are breathing freely, singing, cracking wise, and making up some heavenly poetry now. That thought makes me so very happy. But, I will miss you and will hold your poems even more dearly. Thank you, Lord, for bringing Larry, and his wife Kay, who is also my dear friend, into my life. They are truly gifts to me.</div>
Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-10079594109987034422018-09-08T07:03:00.000-07:002018-09-08T07:03:11.060-07:00Kindness Connector<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRSYFFZthjEoLjb4QPIrHGyQLanwl4RkwX6NVuVL4PQ0_O10bVkm9t4siXbS4BRE5OnHzS1qFUb4jr_4cHddLzzoEGkJlc7h74yIxesJfB4Yuw-HZoSZAegu1nLLoGycHwoRyEQPMEYU/s1600/Image+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRSYFFZthjEoLjb4QPIrHGyQLanwl4RkwX6NVuVL4PQ0_O10bVkm9t4siXbS4BRE5OnHzS1qFUb4jr_4cHddLzzoEGkJlc7h74yIxesJfB4Yuw-HZoSZAegu1nLLoGycHwoRyEQPMEYU/s200/Image+%25282%2529.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbbtzQuh_Fsb58m8z7Aw6uiwcge56FHjuLsfj1GAjxAoTGE-OsjL48v0C3UD0wO2rOx00AwFnwqVWbWDNrZ02-Ez_l8ZBS1AzGPdpsjcPPR8VNVUdLAvZVj7vVIxS71i1-GMFlt3ldMg/s1600/Image-1+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbbtzQuh_Fsb58m8z7Aw6uiwcge56FHjuLsfj1GAjxAoTGE-OsjL48v0C3UD0wO2rOx00AwFnwqVWbWDNrZ02-Ez_l8ZBS1AzGPdpsjcPPR8VNVUdLAvZVj7vVIxS71i1-GMFlt3ldMg/s200/Image-1+%25281%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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I've been thinking about my purpose lately. I mean my divine purpose. Why am I here? Why did God place me on this earth, at this time, in this community with these people? </div>
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Some of my friends call me "The Connector" because I know a LOT of people and like to connect the right people together for the right reasons. A student with a friend of mine who could be a career mentor. A friend is looking for someone to help them with a project and I know the exact right person for that project. Connecting my friends is something that I enjoy doing.</div>
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This week I did a "Kindness is cool" lesson for my first year college students. We talked about how being kind to each other is as important for their college success as learning new study skills. I sensed that several of my mostly male athlete class were skeptical of my kindness lessons for that day. But, I pushed on with activities from complimenting and shaming apples to a "string theory" lesson where they had to compliment each other to see how connected we really are to the kind things we hear about ourselves.</div>
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Not all the First Year Seminar instructors would do this kind of lesson. It is probably not academic enough. However, I hear things students say to and about each other around campus. I hear and see the mean and demeaning things that humans say to each other in social media and even walking down the street every day. Like the apple that was insulted and dropped on the floor several times, our insides get pretty brown, bruised, and ugly after hurtful things are said to us. </div>
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So why was I compelled to teach my mostly masculine class about kindness and risk them thinking I am some wack job, cake professor they don't have to take seriously? It is my purpose. I am a connector. I am a Kindness Connector. Instead of fighting and being embarrassed at who I am, I am going to begin embracing the soft-hearted person God made me to be and TRUST God's purposes and plans for me. Being soft-hearted doesn't make me weak. It takes courage and bravery to be soft in this hard world. It takes perseverance to get back up and stay kind when tough things happen. And tough stuff HAS happened. But, I stay connected to God...every day. He encourages me and makes me see that He is with me, pushing me and walking with me through the tough stuff. This makes it easier for me to stay connected to my purpose on this earth. The world needs a little softness to take the edges off the hard, </div>
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I am a connector. A kindness connector.</div>
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<br />Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-73356624982647837032018-07-06T06:53:00.000-07:002018-07-06T06:59:31.800-07:00A 50 year old's birthday gift from Mr. Rogers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFUooGXmmnxdTcC2pdR0fZ6z3rl_kZ67UQlnmk0wCcH2lNzdGtxY1hsbAoxM_PAeW8FgaoR1JVHbhXWGCUf9nlUbgzQIawOu3Ggq5HaL1ovEuLia1sjyPvXKWUzJpcCiWcDYlopq9jLQ/s1600/Image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="369" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPFUooGXmmnxdTcC2pdR0fZ6z3rl_kZ67UQlnmk0wCcH2lNzdGtxY1hsbAoxM_PAeW8FgaoR1JVHbhXWGCUf9nlUbgzQIawOu3Ggq5HaL1ovEuLia1sjyPvXKWUzJpcCiWcDYlopq9jLQ/s200/Image.png" width="178" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbwBzvCZTejxKCvxxwtIhP6ETHbJxAA6QwXE-tNyx2vvK4W3QGSqyuqXKrYZUQT3KJ95tTVXlV247Joxtp-IaerbJ-cfJwNWtRqjKeGQlFuAd_wx4Qu9_deKSQ9s-Xz3LvjZtqAXDbEo/s1600/Image-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1433" data-original-width="1600" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbwBzvCZTejxKCvxxwtIhP6ETHbJxAA6QwXE-tNyx2vvK4W3QGSqyuqXKrYZUQT3KJ95tTVXlV247Joxtp-IaerbJ-cfJwNWtRqjKeGQlFuAd_wx4Qu9_deKSQ9s-Xz3LvjZtqAXDbEo/s200/Image-1.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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I'm 50 years old today. I am tempted to post a picture of "Sally O'Malley" from Saturday Night Live and say something funny like "And I can KICK!" But, this morning, I am thinking deeper thoughts. (Which brings to mind another SNL reference I will let pass..)<br />
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My birthday present to myself this morning was an early morning visit to the sun porch and I watched "Mr. Rogers & Me." I loved Mr. Rogers when I was a kid and now as an adult, I value his kindness, his softness, and his lessons even more than I did then.<br />
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I have been working on "ruthlessly eliminating hurry from my life" which is advice from another favorite author of mine, Dallas Willard. I am SO busy all the time, with good things, of course, but so many things that I don't have time to write or think as I would like to. When I am so busy, I don't take time to look around me and be moved or touched by something I think is beautiful, noble or sacred. Mr. Rogers said that he thinks many of the problems we have in this world today happen because people don't take time to do that. When we can't see the beautiful, noble and sacred things around us, we don't see the value of this life, so we don't treasure and value life at all. We just rush from day to day, from task to task, throwing things and people away left and right.<br />
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For example, as I sit here and type these words on my sun porch, a rain storm is brewing. I am enjoying the refreshing, cool breeze and observing the contrast in the sky from the blue and sun that was there a moment ago to the dark, brooding clouds that have covered everything. I used to love storms when I was a kid, especially sitting in the old barn on the farm, listening to the rain hitting the old tin roof and watching the storm come and go. I rarely take time to observe and enjoy things like that anymore because honestly, I am either rushing to get somewhere or have my face in my phone. I don't appreciate the beauty that is around me everyday.<br />
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I have written before about how I don't enjoy silence. I don't know why it scares or bothers me so. It seems I always have some sort of music or other noise playing around me, distracting me and pulling for my attention. What do I miss by not listening to the silence?<br />
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"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 Why does God want me to be still in order to know that He is God? I believe it's because He speaks to us in the silence. With so much noise and distraction in our ears and in front of our faces every day, no wonder the world believes there is no God. They CAN'T hear Him!<br />
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Fred Rogers understood. He practiced being silent from time to time and allowed God to speak to his soul. From that understanding he said, "Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex." How true. When we give ourselves the time and the silence to go deeper into our own hearts and simply BE, we open our souls up and this allows us to see the beauty within ourselves. "Treat others the way you want to be treated" only works if you value and love yourself first. I don't mean a selfish kind of love for yourself, where you only want what you want...but truly loving and appreciating who you are. When you can do that for yourself, you can do it for others too.<br />
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My 50th birthday has been bothering me for months. Why? It's not really because of the menopause, wrinkles, gray hairs and aches and pains that have been hitting me recently. It's really because there is SO MUCH more I wanted to do with my life and I am running out of good years! I have wasted so many years trying to figure out who I wanted to be when I grow up. It has taken me 50 years to figure out that I just need to be me.<br />
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So, on this 50th birthday, instead of lamenting about getting older, I am looking forward to the next phase of my life. I will strive to fill my life with a few more silent moments and enjoy the messages that I find there. I will learn to be still and just BE. I will surround myself with people I love and invite new friends into my life as well. I will be excited for the new adventures ahead of me. There are still good times to be had! Oh, and by the way, I CAN still kick! ;-)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NfxA3wUhYyQLu3VqMIvvK46_731tBo63Fn1Pr1B0D2DaTZoSYI7RzqHjvyJ3u4m4kjzV4VSQgxwhjBrUqnt_rchK_muribqKcvE9qcvqvEwXneZeiIH75R7-85k4xYKcFoToyLV_WFM/s1600/Image+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="640" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NfxA3wUhYyQLu3VqMIvvK46_731tBo63Fn1Pr1B0D2DaTZoSYI7RzqHjvyJ3u4m4kjzV4VSQgxwhjBrUqnt_rchK_muribqKcvE9qcvqvEwXneZeiIH75R7-85k4xYKcFoToyLV_WFM/s320/Image+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>"Often when you think your're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." -- Fred Rogers</b></span><br />
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Thank you Mr. Rogers!Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-39947908192149039002018-06-06T06:59:00.001-07:002018-06-06T07:17:04.929-07:00A deer story about worry...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YxzoSyxqOh5GaCoEhhWniB_Iq3DmzkpX6PRknpSuBDQFpHzh9oOli_dvPjqyOdItLaBGVyQMXaI0VNuCFmM-nhlhTckoL3V7I_N_pb4OWyzT5r2VPo8VvMLNAM0C1lbCJkEmr30kNT4/s1600/White-tailed_Deer_Crossing_a_Road_Kensington_Metropark_Michigan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YxzoSyxqOh5GaCoEhhWniB_Iq3DmzkpX6PRknpSuBDQFpHzh9oOli_dvPjqyOdItLaBGVyQMXaI0VNuCFmM-nhlhTckoL3V7I_N_pb4OWyzT5r2VPo8VvMLNAM0C1lbCJkEmr30kNT4/s400/White-tailed_Deer_Crossing_a_Road_Kensington_Metropark_Michigan.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Picture taken from: https://driversprep.com/when-you-see-deer-crossing-the-road/ </span></div>
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She sat behind the wheel of her car with the engine running
in her driveway. Her hands were on the wheel, 10 and 2, knuckles turning
slightly white from the pressure. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“What if I hit a deer too?” she thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What if I swerve and go off the road and
roll my car and die? Or, what if I hit the deer straight on and do a lot of
damage to my car? I HAVE to have a car to drive to work! I don’t have enough
money to get a new car and my insurance isn’t that great. Or what if I am badly
injured? I HATE hospitals!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Panic, fear, and worry had taken over her mind ever since
she got the call that the third person in her immediate family had hit a deer
in the last week. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She considered herself
a good driver, but with deer on rural roads, it didn’t matter if you were a
good driver or not, damage could still be done. She had just heard a story on
the radio where an insurance adjuster suggested that more accidents and
injuries were caused by people swerving to miss a deer or other animal in the
road. Swerving often times causes people to lose control and go off the road,
possibly rolling the car. Just hitting the animal would still do damage to the
car, but could avoid other, more serious consequences.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“What if I can’t think that fast and I swerve anyway and
roll my car?” Anxiety and fear seemed to have her frozen in her running car,
unable to back out of the driveway. “What if I swerve and hit another car? I
could not only hurt myself, but someone else!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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STOP!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Our “what ifs” can paralyze us, can’t they? The person in
this story sounds a little overly dramatic, but we do this kind of thinking all
the time. Worrying comes in all shapes and sizes, from how we are going to pay
the bills, get good grades, avoid health issues, or find someone to marry, to more serious ones like
weapons of mass destruction, world wars and the end of the world itself. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Jesus asked his disciples, “Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:27<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual, the wisdom of Jesus can speak to
us even today. Worrying and trying to avoid the troubles that are surely going
to come only gives us wrinkles and ulcers. It does nothing to stop the
troubles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Perhaps the suggestion of hitting a problem head on instead
of swerving to miss it is also good advice. In the past, I have run from
confrontation. I hate to upset people and have tried everything I can think of
to avoid hard situations. Yes, I even worry about causing other to worry!<o:p></o:p></div>
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In hindsight though,
avoiding the problem NEVER makes it go away and usually makes it worse. Like a
swerving car, I tend to get myself out of control trying to avoid or fix a
problem without really dealing it with it first. While Jesus said that worrying
doesn’t help, he told us what to do instead. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all
these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.” – Matthew 6:33-34<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, instead of sitting paralyzed behind the wheel, afraid to
pull out of the driveway, the woman in the story above should just say a little
prayer, let go of the worry and the “what ifs,” hit the accelerator and drive
on down the road. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There will always be deer on the road. There will always be
trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trusting God to take care of
you is hard, but it is better than letting worry paralyze you. Trusting can
bring you peace. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"></span>Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-31126393286527219472017-09-27T05:11:00.001-07:002017-09-27T08:37:10.818-07:00Listen to each other and talk about it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Why are so many people upset right now? Why are friends and relatives shouting hate at each other on social media, the same place where they share joy, vacation and kid pics with each other? This world and this country is a mess right now...because nobody is listening.<br />
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No one is listening but we are all talking, yelling, and cursing at each other.<br />
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The spirit of the Lord moved me to speak this morning, because I am listening and I hear all the hurt behind the yelling. Will you listen?<br />
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Last night, I had dinner with a friend. We have very different opinions on a lot of things, including the whole NFL kneeling thing. We spent a couple of hours talking and listening to each other's perspective. We didn't yell. We didn't call each other names. We probably didn't change each other's minds on how we think about these issues, but at least we now UNDERSTAND each other's perspectives a little better and can have a little bit of empathy for someone besides ourselves.<br />
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Listen up, America.<br />
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Why are those NFL players (and other athletes all over the country) kneeling? Have you talked to them? Have you listened to their interviews WITH AN OPEN MIND, to understand what is motivating them to protest in this very public and provoking manner? Or, do you only see what they are doing, disrespecting the flag and the country you love?<br />
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I did some reading, some listening and some research. Kaepernick knelt to protest the fact the black people...no matter who they are, where they live, their educational background, their socio-economic level...fear for their lives just driving down the road. While I can sympathize, I cannot empathize and really understand this fear because I am not a black person. I can drive in almost any neighborhood in this country without fear. I also can sympathize with most law enforcement officers, who just want to stop the violence and drugs that put all of our citizens in danger. There is a problem in our country. There IS racism in our country. There IS racism in my own hometown. The legal and judicial systems in this country are broken. If you doubt this, look at the statistics of who is incarcerated in our prisons. THAT'S what Kaepernick was kneeling for. He wanted to use his very public platform. His job gets him on national TV, which gives him that platform to call attention to the broken system.<br />
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His protest did get attention and publicity. People were talking. People all over the country were talking about how this privileged, black, wealthy NFL player took a knee during our national anthem. It was bold, it WAS disrespectful, but it got people talking. However, instead of listening to his plea for attention so we can FIX what's broken in our systems, we are only hearing and caring about the disrespect. This citizen of the United States of America is hurt and disappointed by what is going on in his country. What can HE do about it? He protested.<br />
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I have also been reading about the American Revolution lately. Why did these colonists fight for their independence? They fought partly so they could have the right to speak, believe and stand up for the things that were important to them, WITHOUT the fear of death or prison for speaking out against their rulers. We WON that revolution and I know that I can say what I believe without the fear of death or imprisonment.<br />
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Listen up, America.<br />
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Some of your citizens are hurting. Like the beaten man in the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible, some of our citizens are laying on the side of the road, bleeding and dying. They are doing what they can to get the attention of their neighbors, asking for help. Instead of passing by on the other side of the street and ignoring the problem, or hating them for speaking up and asking for help, we need to listen to how they are hurting. TALK to one another and work toward fixing the broken systems in this country. It will be very hard work. We will not agree. Instead of yelling and screaming at each other about the protest, let's listen to WHY they are protesting and do something about it. Calling someone a son-of-a-bitch for speaking out about what's wrong with the country is NOT solving the problem. It is only igniting more hatred, fear and making the broken parts of this great country worse.<br />
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Kaepernick and the other NFL players showed disrespect to the symbols of their country for a reason. It was drastic. It was irritating. It was disturbing. People ARE talking...LISTEN. Be brave and feel their pain. Work together to solve the hard problems.<br />
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The Spirit of the Lord is there...speaking through the hurting. Are you listening? If you hear and work with him, God WILL bring us freedom.Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-84256242032770787972017-08-05T07:18:00.002-07:002017-08-05T07:20:20.000-07:00Red letter Golden Rule...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Spending a cool, bright summer morning reading the red letter words of Jesus has been such a blessing to me today! I began reading chapter 7 of the Red Letter Revolution book, and one of the first things I read was the question, can any two of us have the same image of God and know who it is that we believe? Where do we get our own idea of who God is? The author, Tony Campolo, suggests that we look to Jesus, as He was the fullness of God. So, I went to Matthew, chapters 5-7, which is His sermon on the mount. Jesus had a LOT to say, and since He is the fullness of God, we can learn a lot about the the heart of God by listening to those red words.<br />
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I went even a little bit further, and I turned on the audio of my Bible app on my phone, so I could feel as though I was listening to Jesus speaking. Now, I realize that Jesus didn't speak in English, and this may be part of my overactive imagination, but in my mind I was sitting on that hillside with my legs drawn under me, hanging on each word my Savior was speaking.<br />
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Jesus spoke a lot about how we are to treat others, and He also gives us consequences for our actions, both positive and negative. I believe He was doing this, lovingly teaching us, so that we can have a better life here on earth, as well as in heaven. A parent lovingly teaches a child the ways to act so that they can prepare the child for life when they grow up and leave the protection of the home. Our Heavenly Father wants to prepare us as well. Jesus gave us stories and ways to understand what He was saying, so that we could relate to what He was saying.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."</span> (Matthew 7:12) This golden rule prepares us for every relationship we can possible have.<br />
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Chapter 7 of the Red Letter Revolution is a dialog about Islam. I was anxious to read this chapter, as I know several people who have strong feelings about how we are to treat and deal with Muslims. Because of the war and the other consequences of the terrorism attack of 9/11, there is much fear and hatred for Muslims, even in our Christian communities. I also have some friends from college who are Muslim, and I have always known them to be kind, gentle and peaceful, nothing like the picture of the terrorists I see in the media. The words of both authors in this chapter touched me deeply. Shane Claiborne tells of experiences he had while in Iraq, experiences that showed him that the core beliefs of Islam and the core beliefs of Christianity are really not that far apart. There were Muslims who risked their lives to protect this Christian person visiting this strange country. This showed me that perhaps the red letters of the golden rule are not just for Christians to follow. Perhaps the heart of Jesus and His teachings lives in the hearts of people who many not even know him.<br />
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We fear what we don't understand. We rely on our own understanding of our beliefs. We seem to need to know who's in and who's out, in regard to heaven and our salvation. In our Christian belief, we know that Jesus said, <span style="color: red;">"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him."</span> (John 14:6) This verse has given me such peace and comfort, for because of it I know who I am, to whom I belong and where I am going. For many, though, this verse provides the weapon to keep others out of heaven. If you don't know Jesus, you won't go to heaven. Period. Who's to say, though, that God, who is more powerful than we can ever imagine, is not powerful enough to show Jesus to those who don't know Him, even without a human being there to lead them to Him? Could Jesus be working in the hearts of Muslims, even as they read the words of the Koran? Perhaps there are people who are becoming Christians without yet calling themselves Christians. I don't understand how this could be possible, but it doesn't mean it couldn't happen.<br />
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On the chance that it COULD happen, and Jesus teaches me to treat and love others the way I would want to be loved and treated...perhaps I should respect and show love to others who believe differently than I.<br />
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Tony Campolo ends Chapter 7 with these words, which sound like a wonderful prayer to me: "We can pray that the Spirit continues to draw us all - Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Atheist, and Christians - closer to God and all things that matter to Him."<br />
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Amen.<br />
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<br />Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-16446383778378124092017-08-04T07:13:00.002-07:002017-08-04T07:15:31.114-07:00A red letter lesson from St. Francis...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At my library, there is a beautiful statue of St. Francis. It stands in a small room on the main floor and has scared me out of my wits when I thought it was a person standing there. I am not Catholic, and do not know very much about the man or the saint. Today, however, I am intrigued and touched by his words. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francis of Assisi lived in a time of turmoil, much like today. In the culture of his time, there was a great gap between the very wealthy and the very poor and Christians and Muslims were warring with each other in dramatic battles and hatred was rampant. Francis longed to do something that would make a difference and heal the hate and hurt. He studied the words of Jesus, and actually took those words seriously. He gave up every possession he had and gave to anyone who was in need. He spoke out and wrote poetry and tried to make the world understand that in order to change the world, we have to love others and love the world we live in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Francis wasn't some hippie shouting "make love, not war,' he was on a mission from God. He heard God whispering to him to repair His church, which was in ruins. All he did with his life from that point on was to obey his heavenly Father. He left a legacy many years ago that you and I can pick up and continue today, by studying those <span style="color: red;">red</span> words of Jesus and putting them in practice every day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What does that mean? Love. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you." </span>John 15:12</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">"For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;">and you invited Me in;" </span>Matthew 25:35</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." </span>Matthew 22:39</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">St. Francis' prayer so many years ago is so very relevant today. May we all be instruments of His peace and do what we can to repair the church and the world, today and every day.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where there is hatred, let me sow love; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">where there is injury, pardon; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">where there is doubt, faith; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">where there is despair, hope; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">where there is darkness, light; </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">where there is sadness, joy.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to be understood as to understand; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">to be loved as to love; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For it is in giving that we receive; </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">-- St. Francis of Assisi</span></span><br />
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-76987727251007204612017-08-02T06:47:00.002-07:002017-08-02T06:47:50.400-07:00I need this community of hypocrites...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Chapters 2 & 3 of <i>Red Letter Revolution </i>(Claiborne and Campolo) have moved me to tears! At last! I feel like someone actually understands the things in my head and my heart! These two chapters were about the church and living in community. It made me think of my own family and church experience.<br />
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When I was in elementary school, something happened to my parents at the church we attended. The result of this event caused my father, who had been a leader in our church, to lose faith in the church. He left and never stepped foot in a church again until my wedding day when he walked me down the isle. He adamantly still believed in God, but he felt that the church was full of hypocrites only out for "the almighty dollar," and felt he could worship God just as well as he was driving the tractor or feeding the sheep. He felt this way until the day he died, which was way too early at the age of 46.<br />
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My mother, however, felt it was still important for their children to go to church and learn about Jesus as she and my dad had, in Sunday school. So, she took my brother and me to a different church, where we finished growing up and where I had a firm foundation of the love of God and the loving and saving grace of Jesus placed in my heart that has stayed with me all my life.<br />
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But, even though my faith has stayed with me, I have had many times when I questioned the church, no matter which church I was attending. Even today, I question God almost daily. I don't doubt Him or not believe in Him, but I question things that don't make sense to me. Many times, I don't get answers to my questions, and sometimes I still feel frustrated, but my questioning has also brought me closer to God. I look at this world and my heart hurts. There is so much pain, so many broken hearts, so much hate and violence. I want to do more to ease the hurt for others around me.<br />
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My dad felt the church was too full of hypocrites, and many young people I meet today feel the same way and don't want anything to do with church. In some of those red letters, in Matthew Chapter 23, Jesus talked about hypocrisy. He explained that many leaders and teachers of the word were too wrapped up in themselves, preaching the right way to go, but not doing it themselves. He called them on it as well, in a most forceful and emphatic manner, in fact. On top of calling them hypocrites, he calls them fools, blind guides, snakes, and a brood of vipers. WOW! This gentle Son of God spoke some serious words to these leaders!<br />
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A new church that was started in the name of Jesus, after his death - the church we read about in Acts - was the beginning of what I believe God saw as what he wanted for his people. People living in community, helping each other, lifting each other up, sharing what they had and living and doing life together in the name of Jesus. It started out well, but as is our human nature to do, they messed it up. As history shows us, many horrendous and despicable things have been done in the name of Jesus, and "the church" is really nothing like the first church we see in Acts. Today, many churches strive to be Acts churches, but still many people around the world have left the church behind them.<br />
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While I also get fed up from time to time with the hypocritical things I see in churches and Christians today, I also know that I am a hypocrite as well. As Paul says in Romans, 7:15, "I do not understand what I do. For what I WANT to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do." I find myself doing the things I hate! Instead of filling up self-loathing about this behavior, however, talking to some of my trusted friends from church has always helped me, for they too find themselves doing the same thing.<br />
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Jesus said,<span style="color: red;"> <span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-family: Arimo, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: justify;">"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."</span> </span>The church needs to be a place where we are honest about our hypocrisy We need to EMBRACE those red words and embrace each other in our hypocrisy. If we are honest with each other, we CAN live in harmony in our faith communities. As he was preparing to leave this earth, Jesus prayed for his disciples and prayed that <span style="color: red;">"they may as one as we are one." </span>That we, as disciples of Christ, could be like the trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three different entities, living as one in heart and mind.<br />
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I know my dad's heart was broken over the hurt he felt in the situation that happened to him in his church. He felt he was better off worshiping on his own. I know of so many other people who have felt broken hearted or lost because of hurt they experienced at church. What they don't see is that we NEED each other, hypocrisy, warts and all, to truly live and experience the wonder of Christ's love for us. <br />
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I long to see a red letter revolution of people who live out the words of Jesus and embrace each others failures, sins and trials instead of judging them and making them feel they do not belong in church because of the things they do. Instead of reminding people they are going to hell for doing things God tells them not to, SHOW THEM the loving and forgiving grace of Jesus. How are people who are sinning (EVERY ONE OF US!) going to find Jesus' grace if they feel they aren't worthy of even walking through our church doors?<br />
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I know I NEED my community off fellow hypocrites around me, who honestly and lovingly help me through life, even when I mess up. I'll let God worry about the sin and I will just show people His love. What if each of us did that every day?<br />
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<br />Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-28683715157369580182017-07-29T06:44:00.003-07:002017-07-29T06:44:40.780-07:00Peace - the Red Letter Promise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been a follower of Jesus my whole life. I don't even have one of those amazing stories to tell about my salvation moment, because I can't remember a time when I didn't know Jesus. Thank you Mom and Dad for making my faith a priority in my upbringing! Now, there have been times in my life when I didn't make Jesus a priority in my life and even times when I ran away from Him. There have been more times when I just didn't feel that close to him. However, I can tell you that I have always felt He was with me and I thank God for that fact.<br />
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Now, before you think I am just one of those "Jesus freaks" out to hound you about being saved and judging you for how you live and don't know Jesus, that is NOT me! While I am not opposed to the term "Jesus freak" and I am not ashamed of my relationship with Jesus, I am NOT going to judge you at all. Jesus himself said, "<span style="color: red;">Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you</span>." As a matter of fact, the words of Jesus are why I am writing today.<br />
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A friend of mine has loaned me her copy of the book <i>Red Letter Revolution </i>by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo and I have just finished the first chapter. While it is not yet telling me anything I didn't already know, oh man! It is re-awakening a fire inside of me! If you know anything about Bibles, you know that in most modern Bibles, the words of Jesus in the New Testament are written in <span style="color: red;">red</span>, so they are distinguished from all the other words. Years ago, I read a book that I KNOW was titled <i>Written in Red</i>, but I haven't been able to find that book when I have looked for it. I remember being moved by it as well.<br />
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I have TRIED to live my life the way Jesus lived his, loving others, treating others the way I want to be treated, helping the poor and the oppressed, telling others about my faith in God. While I don't even come CLOSE, that is the life I aspire to because those <span style="color: red;">red</span> words have always been so important to me. I have written in this blog many times that if only EVERYONE in this world lived a little more in the <span style="color: red;">red</span>, we would have a better and more peaceful world.<br />
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Jesus made us a promise in those red words, that when He left this world, He was giving us HIS peace. He tells us not to be troubled and not to be afraid. Imagine what things we could do if we weren't worried and afraid all the time!<br />
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I am excited to read more of this book and learn and be inspired to find more ways to live out the red words. Even though I haven't been writing much in this blog, it is my goal in the next coming weeks to read and share my thoughts with you here. Perhaps we really CAN start a <span style="color: red;">red</span> letter revolution in our world!<br />
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Peace to you all today!Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-557603952618995292017-03-08T08:20:00.000-08:002017-03-08T08:20:01.817-08:00Final words that gathered people together....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">"For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” -- Matthew 18:20</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!” -- Psalm 50:5</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Our church is studying a book by Adam Hamilton, <i>Final Words,</i> this Lenten season. Today, because I had a vacation day, I took extra time to read, study, contemplate and let it all seep into my heart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This books teaches us and encourages us to look at the final few statements that Jesus said at the end of his life on the cross. As our pastor discussed this last Sunday, when hanging on the cross, speaking would have been very difficult for Jesus. So, why did He do this? Why did he voluntarily endure even more pain? I believe He did it to gather us together.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This thought brought back my own painful memory. My dad was dying. All the family were called home that weekend. We knew it was a matter of only hours, so we were all with him in that living room in his last hours. We were all trying to sleep, on couches, in chairs, on the floor, all the while enduring our own little worlds of despair. At a little before 3:00 am, my dad called out that he had to pee. Since he was so weak, it took several of us to help him with this simple bodily function. My brother and my uncle held him up, my mom helped him and I also gathered there in support. At the stroke of three, his hand dropped and he was gone. As I think back on this memory that ALWAYS brings me to tears, I think about my dad's final words. They weren't words of comfort. They weren't saying goodbye. They weren't elegant words we could treasure always. However, I believe he said those specific words to gather us all together. He knew that it took several people to help him with this simple task, so gathering us all together to help him allowed us all to be around him when he slipped away from this world. He was surrounded by the people who loved him most and whom he loved most. As we all realized he was gone, we clung onto one another. We were surrounded by the people we loved the most. We all supported each other in that moment and in all the difficult moments to come.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This memory is as fresh in my mind and heart as if it happened yesterday instead of 23 years ago. Even though it is a painful moment in my life, I will treasure it always. I believe that was my dad's final gift to the people he loved.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I believe Jesus endured the pain of speaking while hanging that cross as HIS final gift to us. He gathered the people who loved him the most and they listened to his words. The writers of the Gospels interviewed those around the cross and recorded those last few precious statements from Jesus so we could treasure them generations later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the coming weeks of Lent, as I study those gifted statements from my Savior, I will look at them in a different way. I will think of the gift my earthly father gave me and be honored by the gift my Heavenly father gave me on the cross. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you so much for the gift you gave the world through Jesus. In this world of division and frustration, gather people together and let us all feel your love through the gifts you have given us. Let us lean on the people around us. Help us to come together and work on bringing peace to a hurting world. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.</span></span></div>
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-41347801046443399132017-02-01T07:04:00.000-08:002017-02-01T07:04:33.614-08:00God will take care of me...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." -- 1 Peter 5:7</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">God is good! I know that is a saying we say, and perhaps it has become trite for some. However, for me, I have found it to be true. Yesterday was an emotional roller coaster ride! It began with a devotional moment in the morning. A verse I read prompted me to hit my knees. So many people that I love and trust have been telling me that my way of thinking is wrong. I am turning into some tree-hugging liberal, apparently, and I am wrong in God's eyes. If that was true, why did I feel so strongly about this? So, right there, beside my kitchen table, I hit my knees and asked...no BEGGED God to change my heart and mind if I was wrong. Later in the day, my pastor posted a message from a leader in the Methodist church that reinforced my heart and thoughts. You may not believe it, but in my heart, that was the answer from God I needed! I shared that post and started a heated debate among my friends and family. It breaks my heart that I seem to be so far away from where they are. But...I refuse to be hurtful or hateful...I COULDN'T be because I LOVE these people. I even love the person who was pretty hateful back to me.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">I was feeling both strengthened and disheartened yesterday after work, and emotionally drained. I didn't feel like sitting home by myself, as I figured I would spend my evening obsessed with what people were saying on Facebook (I WISH I could just give it up!!!) so I went to a movie. I had been wanting to see Hidden Figures, about the women at NASA who helped John Glenn get to space in the Friendship 7. I am currently working on a display for my library about these women and about John Glenn, as he is out very own hometown hero! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to the movie theater, I heard a song on the radio about how I should live like I'm loved. I listened to every word and felt reassured that I was right to feel like I feel. I watched the movie, and let me tell you...during the movie there were times when my leg got to shaking so much because I felt this fire building inside me! These women, who were told they had to use separate bathrooms, and that they weren't good enough, were using the brains God gave them and kept pushing until everyone saw what God created them to do! John Glenn, bless his dear, departed soul, saw their worth, treated them like the human treasures they are and TRUSTED them to do the math that was needed to figure out how to bring him home from space. He TRUSTED these women, who most of society were throwing away, with his life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I walked out of that theater feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and REFUELED! The radio played a song about asking God to bring these dry bones to life! I prayed on the way home that I could explain these feelings to my husband. He never understands my church and God feelings...When he got home from his day, we started talking and it all came spilling out! He listened! He may think I'm a little nuts, but he listened and encouraged me!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This morning, I woke up with the old hymn "God will take care of you" in my head! As I walked past the coffee table, I picked up my grandmother's old Bible that usually just sits there as a decoration. I opened the Bible and look what I saw:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a note, written by my dad when he was a teenager, that my grandma kept in her Bible. I have seen this before, but it has been a LONG time! My dad has been on my mind SO much this month. He has been gone for 23 years this month and I LONG to speak to him again. This note allowed me to hear his "voice" and see that even as a teenager, he was searching for how to live like Jesus. I SOOOOO needed this message today!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">So...God has taken care of me in the last two days! THANK YOU GOD! There is a fire in my belly! A refreshed spirit in my soul! I will not fight with those who think I am wrong, but I will speak love. I will try to live like Jesus each day. I will fall...I will sin. It's a good thing I have a Savior who will pick me up, brush me off , forgive me and breathe breath into these dry bones once again!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Corbel, Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you, thank you, Lord for taking such good care of me! Lord, I am here. I hear you calling. I will go where you lead me. I will hold your people (ALL PEOPLE) in my heart! Please open the hearts, minds and souls of others who know you and call out to them and let them hear you tell them to LOVE and not let fear hold them back. Amen</span></span>Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-7765306737654831022017-01-27T06:23:00.001-08:002017-01-27T06:27:04.989-08:00The Power of the Cross...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"The power of the Cross is the power of becoming one"</div>
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-- Chaplin Will Mullins</div>
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<strong>Romans 12:16</strong><em> Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.</em></div>
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Yesterday morning I had the opportunity to sing with the Campus Choir during our weekly chapel service at Muskingum University. This was good timing for me. I needed an uplifting and reassuring reminder of God's power as I have been having problems having hope and being at peace in the middle of the political, cultural and spiritual division that is currently happening in this country and world. We are SO divided and there is SO much ugliness. </div>
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The song we sang spoke hope to my heart. Here are some of the words:</div>
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<i>Gracious Spirit, dwell with me, I would gracious be.</i></div>
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<i>Help me now thy grace to see, I would be like thee...</i></div>
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<i>Truthful Spirit, dwell with me, I would truthful be.</i></div>
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<i>Help me now thy truth to see, I would be like thee.</i></div>
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<i>And, with wisdom kind and clear, thy life in mine appear.</i></div>
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<i>Mighty Spirit, dwell with me, I would mighty be.</i></div>
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<i>Help me now thy power to see, I would be like thee.</i></div>
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<i>'Gainst all weapons hell can wield, be thou my strength and shield;</i></div>
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<i>Let thy word my weapon be, Lord, Thine the victory.</i><br />
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Singing these words made me remember that God IS in control and He IS with me every day. I strive to be like Jesus each day. I fall short, of course, but it is my goal each day to let my words and actions show those around me the love that Christ shows me. They will know I'm a Christian by my love.</div>
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When I get frustrated reading people's hateful posts to each other, I need God's power living in me. When people judge others and not know the whole situation, I need God's gentleness living in me. </div>
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When I see our elected leaders throwing away people who need to be remembered and taken care of, I need God's patience living in me. When I am moved to take action against intolerance and hatred, I need God's strength, might, wisdom and boldness living in me. </div>
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I know that God created me to be a peacemaker. Those natural skills I have, which if not kept in check make me a people pleaser and make me weak, can also be used for good to help others. I have TOO much empathy sometimes, perhaps I have enough to spare. I just wish EVERYONE could learn to walk in someone else's shoes before they say and do hurtful and hateful things. Can I help people to learn to understand others and be more empathetic? Can live so that people can see Jesus in my heart?</div>
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During his message yesterday, our Chaplin spoke about how what Jesus did on the cross has the power to make us one. As divided as we are as a culture? Really? As divided as we are as Christians? Are you sure? YES! God IS that powerful! I think I forget that sometimes. I forget that he is the creator and ruler of the world. If we can harness God's power of what He did through Jesus on the cross, we COULD become one in body, mind and spirit. It seems impossible to me me right now. I have seen families split apart by politics. I have felt the angst of feeling like I don't fit in among my own church family. I have been part of heated political and theological arguments. It feels like there is no way we could all be one in ANY way.</div>
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Then I remember: "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)</div>
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<span class="p">If EACH one of us who believed in the power of Jesus would try to live LIKE Jesus in all we do, we could come to more of consensus more often. Maybe if we lived more like Jesus in all we did, others, who don't believe, would want to know more about how we live. Maybe if we STOPPED hating and arguing with the other side long enough to TALK to them, we might even learn to understand them better!</span></div>
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<span class="p">STOP hating liberals. Try to understand why they think and believe the things they do. TALK with them! Treat them like you want to be treated and listen.</span></div>
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<span class="p">STOP hating Trump supporters. TALK with them and openly and respectfully discuss why they feel so strongly. Treat them like you would want to be treated and listen.</span></div>
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<span class="p">STOP hating women because they are pro-choice. STOP hating pro-lifers. TALK with them. Learn to understand why they believe that way. Work together to discover ways to reduce the number of abortions.</span><br />
<span class="p">STOP hating Muslims and people of other or no religion. TALK to them. Listen to what they believe. REALLY listen. In my experience, we have more in common than we can even imagine. Even if you think your way is the only way to heaven, LISTEN and work together to solve problems. Are there extremists who are evil and want to part of peaceful solutions? Of course! But there are MORE people who just want to live in peace. </span></div>
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<span class="p">STOP hating immigrants. Not all of them are evil drug pushers or terrorists. Not all of them are out to steal our jobs and ruin this country. Most of them are just trying to escape a terrible way of life by coming to this wonderful land of opportunity. Of course there are those who are coming into this country for dishonest and hurtful reasons. Is it worth THROWING AWAY the people who genuinely are searching for a better life? If that was the case with our country a hundred years or so ago, I would be an Irish citizen right now. (Hmmmm...those of you that know me know that I am thinking that sounds like a good idea!) </span></div>
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<span class="p">STOP HATING...PERIOD!</span></div>
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<span class="p">Gracious Spirit, dwell in me and dwell in the believers in this country. Through the power of your cross, we can learn to be one and work together to show others the love of Christ, even if they don't believe in him at all. Lord, I am a dreamer and dream of a world where we can work together to solve the problems of our world. However, I am not naive enough to believe that this world will ever be perfect. Help me to be an instrument of your peace in the world around me. I love you Lord, and in YOU comes my hope. Amen.</span></div>
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<br />Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-46053451713646041822016-12-27T08:52:00.000-08:002016-12-27T08:54:27.572-08:00Somebody's knockin'...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJLormS8W_Ni0vm-ji5wDx_lLEJcfAFEvdjdPiWgwa6UXdLrWdRRlalaXYJFkuxTt1oZpdJqRzOxzEFAIe3YhTOTaiCRYnmzU4Qe0LPbuAIEIDR0wZdBSCzJAVDmj1PYUIz9mk_vjLSw/s1600/budding+door.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJLormS8W_Ni0vm-ji5wDx_lLEJcfAFEvdjdPiWgwa6UXdLrWdRRlalaXYJFkuxTt1oZpdJqRzOxzEFAIe3YhTOTaiCRYnmzU4Qe0LPbuAIEIDR0wZdBSCzJAVDmj1PYUIz9mk_vjLSw/s320/budding+door.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Somebody's knockin'...</h2>
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Yesterday, I was driving to the store, listening to the end of a very interesting audiobook, when I thought I heard someone knocking on a door. I turned off the audiobook and listened again. At first I didn't hear anything, but then I heard it again, a very quick and distinct knock, knock, knock, knock, knock. I started looking around. Was someone in the car with me? I didn't see anyone. Visions of "the little people" popped into my head. I kept listening but I never heard it again. I know it was probably just a sound my car made as it was warming up. Probably needs a tune up. But that sound has stuck with me.</div>
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After breakfast today, I was feeling a little restless, so I went for a little walk around the house on this pretty, late December morning. I started taking pictures of little things I saw as I explored. I have this white lilac bush at my front porch that I am considering taking out because it has hardly bloomed at all in the last several years. I noticed that it looks like it's getting ready to bloom. This crazy Ohio weather is confusing! I snapped a picture of a budding branch. Later, as I looked at the pictures I took, I noticed the buds against my front door. The knocking popped into my head again,</div>
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For several years I have felt...restless...expectant...unsatisfied...waiting for SOMETHING. I don't know why I feel this way. Like the picture above, I feel like I bloom at all the wrong times. Perhaps I have been in the middle of some sort of midlife crisis. I don't really know who I want to be when I "grow up." I don't WANT to feel like this...I try to feel content with my life. I am surely blessed with family, friends. a good job, a busy life. I just can't shake this feeling that I am supposed to be doing something...</div>
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Who was knocking? Who was trying to get my attention? God and I have always had a good relationship. I listen for God's voice in my daily life and I watch for his messages, like the crosses in the sky He sends me occasionally for encouragement. Is He trying to tell me something? How do I know?</div>
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As a new year approaches, many people search for a new beginning. Perhaps that's all it is. New beginnings are a good thing. 2016 has been a strange year. Maybe 2017 is knocking, enthusiastically wanting to come in a little early. That's fine with me. </div>
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Whether it's God, opportunity, a new year, my car needing a tune up, the "little people" living in my car or something I haven't even thought of, I'm going to keep an open mind and keep listening for that knocking and be ready to open the door. I'm ready for an adventure!</div>
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<br />Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-57207999824740610022016-07-08T06:21:00.000-07:002016-07-08T06:32:43.186-07:00Love every WHO...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmtn1b7NvYUuATvVVFgL7TTuif0gva4AeJYdTog471TOfQOy4Xaj9gAYjnVH2eQl5WpvAhzx_j3hWQle83zKd2SQyaCOIxcsUlm3UJYcDoSAkWFBrXfB798FKWvAlOgAhg8pZWZbcFMI/s1600/Love+is.....jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmtn1b7NvYUuATvVVFgL7TTuif0gva4AeJYdTog471TOfQOy4Xaj9gAYjnVH2eQl5WpvAhzx_j3hWQle83zKd2SQyaCOIxcsUlm3UJYcDoSAkWFBrXfB798FKWvAlOgAhg8pZWZbcFMI/s320/Love+is.....jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGr8as7pPBE" target="_blank">Lord, Give me your eyes for just one second...</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." -- Mark 12:31</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," -- Mark 5:4</span><span class="p" style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 13px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><b><u>LOVE EVERY WHO</u></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">WHO are you commenting about on Facebook-</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">complaining about they way they live?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">WHO are you angrily yelling about,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">refusing to forgive?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">WHO are you developing opinions about,</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">from only what you see on a screen?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">WHO are you learning to hate,</span><br />
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">from only what can be seen?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">WHO are you protecting yourself from</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">when you carry that gun in your purse?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">WHO do you openly fear?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">WHO do you openly curse?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Look at that those that make up your WHO,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">the ones your actions show that you hate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Look at WHO you complain about,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">the WHO your comments berate.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">These human beings that make up your WHO,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">the ones you treat with disgust,</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Are the neighbors Jesus talks about</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">when he says that love is a must.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Are you taking the side of the cop,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">and hating the WHO he shot?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Do you know about the WHO that died</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">when tempers were hot?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Or, do you talk with loathing</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">about the WHO in dressed in blue?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> "Black lives matter," and you want revenge,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But his life matters too.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Your WHO may be a politician,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">your opinions you love to share.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">There is venom in your speech, </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">but you don't seem to care.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">You are certain your opinion is right,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">everyone else is dead wrong!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">If people would just agree with you,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">this country would be strong!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Instead of speaking with hate</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">though the computer keys,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">we should follow the lead of Jesus</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">and fall to our knees.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Stop spewing your hatred</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">all over Facebook and Twitter.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Stop gossiping and complaining.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Stop being so bitter.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Our great country give us freedom,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">freedom to say what we want.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">But that freedom of speech</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">doesn't mean we should hate and taunt.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Love and care for your neighbor,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">as you would care for you.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Pray for your enemies,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">and love EVERY WHO.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Dear Loving Father,</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #001320; font-family: "arimo" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #fdfeff; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I thank you for this beautiful world, but I pray that you change hearts all over that world! There is so much hate, so much fear, so much needless and senseless destruction and death...It is sometimes painful to live in this beautiful world you gave us. Lord, please help people to learn to LOVE their neighbors and treat EVERYONE with care! I am sure your heart breaks at the hate you see in this world. I pray that you will break the hearts of those who carry so much hate, and open those hearts instead! I can't change the world, but I can live my life in LOVE! Please give me the wisdom, strength and HOPE I need to continuing to loving every WHO that I come in contact with! In Jesus' precious name, Amen.</span></span><br />
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"For I am the Lord your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord Almighty is his name." -- Isaiah 51:15</div>
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Standing in the ocean, not far from the shore at low tide, the water was only at my knees. These waves aren't so bad! I walked further out. I looked to my left at the pier and I was almost equal with the end of that pier. The water still only came up to my waist most of the time. The pull of the ocean at my feet was stronger. I could feel the tug of the current, which usually pushed me back to shore, but now seemed to be pulling me further out to sea.<br />
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I became emboldened and faced the waves. Here at the "breakers" where larger waves would boil and roll up in front of me, it was like seeing the birth of a wave. My writer's mind thought of my ocean/life analogy and I decided to pretend I was fighting with the ocean. It was throwing bad stuff my way. I jumped over waves, dived underneath, let them crash into me...never had I felt so powerful! No wave was going to take me down! I walked on a little farther, not listening to my husband calling for me not to go too far. I yelled at the waves, "Come on! Is that all you've got?!" I laughed at the next wave that slapped against me and knocked me back a few steps. I wiped the salty water from my eyes and enjoyed the powerful feeling! What fun! How exciting to feel like you can take on the world! I let a few more bigger waves hit me! I pretended to be Muhammad Ali, dancing around the waves. "Come on waves! I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" I laughed at myself, dancing in the waves...and then it happened.<br />
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I had gotten too cocky. I took my eyes off the oncoming waves in my little dance of power and a huge wave hit me from the side, knocking me off balance. I fell backward, just as another large wave rolled on top of me. I went under. I could feel the sting of salt water in my nose and throat. I felt myself flailing around, trying to get up. I thought I was drowning! It caught me so off guard that I couldn't think straight. Then I remembered it wasn't that deep and I stood up. I coughed and sputtered and got my feet planted firmly in the sand. As I got my bearings back, the waves kept coming and I knew I had the get back to shore. I turned my back to the waves and walked as quickly as I could toward to the warm sand. My husband just thought I was taking a break, waved and kept swimming. He had no idea I had just cheated death.<br />
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Well...cheated death might be a bit dramatic. But at that moment, lungs full of salt water, eyes and nose stinging, and legs like jelly, I felt near death. Each step felt like a mile and my chair on the beach looked so small. I HAD to reach it! I kept trudging along, the current pulling me, taunting me, making fun of my weakness.<br />
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When I did make it back to my chair and my towel, I plopped down, blew my nose and laid there for several minutes, thanking God for saving my life. My cockiness and greed for power took me under. It's addictive, that power. Once I conquered one big wave, I wanted more. I fought the waves instead of respecting them. I taunted them. I do not want to be that drunk with power again, even if it is a make believe battle with the sea.<br />
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Dear powerful Father,<br />
Thank you for this lesson in humility. I am but a speck to your power. When I learn to respect that power and rely on it, instead of letting a little power make me cocky and stupid, you will use that power to protect me and support me. That is a good lesson for anyone on this earth. Thank you for your amazing and wonderous creation. Amen.Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-47766783407996797162016-06-15T04:14:00.000-07:002016-06-15T04:14:13.680-07:00Life Lessons from the Ocean - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #23221f; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, "Century gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">"Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me." -- Psalm 42:7</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #23221f; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, "Century gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">When you are standing in the ocean, enjoying the coolness of the water and and the warmth of the sun upon your skin, there are times you feel strong enough to face the on-coming waves head on. You walk toward them and feel like you and take on the tallest wave. You see the waves coming...the small ones that break past you and the big ones that try to take you under. You think, "I've got this!" It's a powerful feeling to be that strong and prepared!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #23221f; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, Century gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Sometimes the really big waves come together. A strong one almost knocks you down, but you stay strong. But before you've had a chance to wipe the salt from your eyes another wave is right on top of you. This one might take you down, but your reaction time is pretty quick and you pull yourself right back up. And then yet another wave is right behind it, ready to devour your weakened spirit. The undertow is too much for you at that moment and you go under. Salt goes up your nose and burns your eyes and throat. You feel like you can't fight anymore and you want to give up. But you grasp onto whatever fighting spirit you have left and you stand up.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #23221f; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, Century gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">In these times, you are too weak and recovering to feel strong enough to face the waves. You turn your back to them and deal with them as they come. The small ones might break around you with little trouble, but the big ones still come and beat you up when you don't see them coming. You aren't prepared and just to weary to care.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #23221f; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, Century gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;">Sometimes the ocean gives you moments of rest in between the waves. Those moments are peaceful and you can catch your breath and just float along. You watch the waves crash around you, maybe taking others under, but your area is calm and peaceful. This peace doesn't last long, but it gives you rest so you can prepare for the next round.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #23221f; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, Century gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">It is important to remember to never go swimming in the ocean alone. When multiple waves have weakened you, a friend will lend a hand and help you walk to the safety of the shore. That friend will help you walk across the painfully sharp rocks and shells that come right before the soft sand and will get you a comfortable chair on the beach so you can rest up for your next swim.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #23221f; font-family: Open Sans, Arial, Century gothic, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></span>Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-34717205419026307292016-06-14T06:35:00.003-07:002016-06-14T06:35:58.367-07:00Life Lessons from the Ocean, Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #23221f; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, "Century gothic", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">"The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land." -- Psalm 95:5</span></div>
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Today I am blessed to be sitting on a balcony outside my hotel room, looking out on the beach and listening to the constant crashing of the ocean's waves. I am working on writings that I began last year at this time about how the ocean is like life. Over the next few days, I will share some of those words with you. <div>
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1. What you see when looking at the ocean is never the whole story. There is so much going on beneath the surface of the ocean. Creatures live their lives under water that we never see by only looking at the waves. Don't we do the same thing with people? We only look at what we see on the surface and judge them. We have no idea what's going on in their hearts and minds. </div>
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2. Looking at the ocean, you see the waves coming from all angles, and not always straight on. The waves of life - the trials, problems, frustrations and challenges come at you from all directions. Just when you are looking and waiting for something to hit you from one direction, something you are not anticipating at all hits you and takes you by surprise.</div>
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3. Sometimes those waves coming at you are small or even medium sized and you can just jump right over them and enjoy the feeling of weightlessness in the process.</div>
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4. There are times, however, those waves are big and knock you down. The thing is, you KNOW there are always going to be big waves. When you get knocked down, you don't have to drown...STAND UP! When you are near the ocean shore, the water isn't that deep. Remember that when you are going under and pull yourself back up.</div>
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More of my thoughts tomorrow...Blessings, by friends!</div>
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Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-35152570613933054072016-05-31T06:14:00.001-07:002016-05-31T06:14:16.968-07:00Cicada Lessons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Samuel Orr, a filmmaker. Published May 28, 2013, Youtube.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">"O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures." -- Psalms 104:24</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">They were crawling all over me yesterday at two outside parties I attended on Memorial Day, and they creeped me out! I had flashbacks of when I was 15 and Doug Trout and Darren Cummings put a shell down my shirt and scarred me for life! Yesterday,as we sat in the shade of a large tree, there were times the song of these creepy creatures were louder than our conversation. They really are strange critters, with their weird red eyes.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">As we sat there complaining about them, a friend said that he thought they were a tribute to the power, mystery and reliability of God. Those bugs KNOW to crawl out of the ground every 17 years...not 16, not 18, not 12, but 17 years. You can COUNT on them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">Contemplate the mystery. People across the world and over thousands of years have also contemplated them. The cicada is a sacred animal in their Chinese culture, and they are considered to be a symbol of resurrection and rebirth. An Italian myth describes a story of a young woman with a beautiful voice. It is said that her voice was so beautiful that when she died, the gods missed her voice so much, they allowed her to return to earth every so often as a cicada so she could continue to sing to them. There is also an ancient Greek ode to the cicada that says, "We call you happy, O cicada, because after you have drunk a little dew from the treetops you sing like a queen."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">Puts a little different spin on the creepiness of them, doesn't it? I watched the video I posted above, and was also touched by the life cycle of the cicada. They live underground for 17 years and emerge with one purpose...to hatch, mate and continue the life cycle. I love the picture of thousands of them marching UP the tree...reaching up as far as they can. Some die before they reach their goal. Some never make it out of their shell. But...some make it out and spend the rest of their short out of the ground lives searching for their purpose and sing, sing sing!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17.3186px;">I have seen the cicada phenomenon twice before in my life, but this year it has come to mean more to me. Maybe because I realize I have less time left in my life, or maybe I just think too much. But, I want to use the example of that weird, creepy little creature in my own life. I want to keep searching for my purpose, march onward and upward, marvel in the mystery, power and reliability of God and sing, sing sing!</span></span></div>
Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135156945436269573.post-78563745252227101782016-05-29T04:35:00.000-07:002016-05-29T04:35:04.611-07:00An invitation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"There I will go to the altar of God, to God - <i>the source of all my joy.</i> I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God." -- Psalm 43:4<br />
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My practice in the morning is to turn on my music to get me going. I listen in the bathroom as I get ready. I listen as I eat my breakfast, and I even listen as I am doing my devotional time. In the morning, it is always inspirational music that calms my soul. However, this morning, I am again thinking about quiet...and focus.<br />
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I had a conversation with a friend last night about Sabbath...the need to rest. This morning I am again thinking about fasting from social media for at least one day a week...it is such a distraction for me! I know that I know this, but I can't seem to do anything about it! My morning devotional had me look up the verse from Psalms above. As I read it, it seemed like an invitation to me. So, I turned off the music and just remained QUIET for a few minutes.<br />
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In that moment of quiet, God gave me the sweetest music I could need, a bird was right outside my window singing boldly in the early morning light. It was beautiful! I was reminded that I don't need social media or my Pandora music station to get me going! God provides what I need! <i>He is my source joy!</i><br />
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Oh, Lord, thrill my heart with you today. Be my joy and delight! Please help me clear my life, my mind, my heart and my soul from all the many distractions I allow and I create in my life. Encourage me to be QUIET once in a while...more often...and know that you are God and give me everything I need! Thank you Lord for the invitation you sent me this morning! It has been gladly accepted! Amen.Linda the Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01213344238331825302noreply@blogger.com0