WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

:)

:)

:)

:)

my mind is drawing such a blank right now....

(20 minutes later)

hmmm. so here's a question off the top of my head. how many times a day do you pray? and for what do you pray for and why? do you pray for good health and prosperity?! or do you pray that some day you can give up your life for Christ?

.....hmmm....i guess that's more than one question. but it stands on the same context.
prayer. prayer is awesome!!! what kind of a God would allow His creation to pray to Him to the point where He actually listens. we're just chuncks of dirt and clay and mud formed from the earth running around doing stupid stuff. or at leaste that's....some way of seeing it. but God does listen, and He wants to glorify Himself through us...so answering prayers is one of His ways of doing that.

ok. that was a thought that just formed from the ground.

i was reading today, from the VOM magazine that i get once a month...(VOM is Voice of the Martyrs.) and it was discussing the Christian workers in India!!!! (my passion. :)

many amazing stories in this one magazine...and if you want to read them sometime, alls you have to do is ask...but for now i will just tell you one of the stories! now for those of you who don't have a basic understanding of Indian culture...bear with me or ask me later...

the story is about three youngue women who were Tonsured for Christ!
there church leader was dragged out of his house, with his mother, and beaten because he, in a two yeay period, converted 30 Hindu's to Christianity. his name is Subas (probably not his real name). the mob then proceeded to take him to prison. the police sided with the mob and ordered him to be beaten them put into prison, and once that was done they were to go and find all the male christians in the same village and beat them up and bring them to prison (this local police action is actually against the lasw in India). while the police and the mob were 10 miles away...and approaching...word got to the christians and the wives begged there husbands to flee to a nearby village 50 miles away, which they did. when the mob got there and found the men had fled they dragged out 9 christian woman and took them to the village center where 900 villiage hindu's gathered to see what was going to happen. one of the woman, Dolly, was sitting beside and grasping the hand of two of her friends, one of which she had led to Christ 5 years earlier. the nine woman made a plan that if they were asked a question, the woman who was being asked, would squeeze the hands she was holding and those that were squeezed would begin praying for the right answer from God. each woman boldly testified about her faith. they were told that they and there families would be banished from there village if they didn't re-convert to Hinduism. they then refused saying they would prefer living elsewear than to become Hindu's again. "Who is leading you to act in such a defiant way? who is your guru?" one elder asked. they all answered in unison "Jesus is our Guru"
because the woman were so steadfast in there refusing to convert, the elders ordered that there heads be shaved. this is a huge act of humiliation and is known as "tonsuring". it's considered a shamefull act and is usually reserved for woman who have commited adultry or prostitution. the heads of two of the woman were cut badly in the process. some of them began to cry. when dolly saw this she said that they shouldn't cry but rejoice that they were counted worthy of suffering for Christ! she then began to laugh...and soon all the woman were laughing while there hair was being cut off. this was puzzling for everyone watching and many in the crowd felt ashamed and departed from the proceedings. afterwatds the woman gathered in a house to pray, and the radical Hindu's decided to burn the house down and say "it was suicide". the woman though had escaped and crawled for a mile in the darkness through a rice field to a church van parked at the end that picked them up and reunited them to there husbands.
tonsuring is illegal in india but those responsible were not arrested, but were given a warning. and the girls were banished from there village. dolly and her friends are now living with a christian family but are still being persecuted. they cannot get jobs or use the village wells, and they also can't walk on some public pathways. 6 months later, there pastor was released after ministering to 120 prisoners!!! (i thought that was AWESOME!!:)

But that's that story! i loved it and it was enspiring. there determination to serve Christ even though they're being humiliated and hurt. scary times....if you don't have Christ on your side.

today and yesterday were good days. here's what i did. :)

1)played basketteball with lanelle TWICE. yesterday and today.
2)went to home group and socialized with grown up adults
3)sang happy birthday to my 50 year old pastor
4)got to spend the night with my dear friend joy
5)stayed up till like 2 in the morning watching random and funny videos and pictures.
6)also got to stay up really late and talk with joy about "stuff"
7)saw jason and drove around in lanelles car with joy!
8)went shopping with my mom and got sunburned extremely bad...(i'm a redhead, so i suppose that's inevitable)
9)spent some time with my parents watching some movies
10)joy gave me a really good ice cream cone and i also got to eat a grapefruit!

ahhh....yes. the joys that the Lord lavishes upon mine and everyone eles's lives. :)
it's enjoyable.

anyways. enough of personal experiences.

time to go to sleep. i'll talk of more important things later. :)

God Bless us....and may we live our lives to His Glory.

one of the greatest hymns ever written!!!


Before the throne of God aboveI have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

those three vereses depict the walk of a Christian. whenever i hear the first verse, i alway imagine me falling before God on His throne, beaten...bloody, full of sin. and a person with sin can't be in the presence of God! He's is perfectly Holy, completely opposite of me. But that's why Jesus stands by His side, to intercede for my sinful soul, to tell God that He died for me. That He was crucified on the cross so that my sins would be forever thrown away! God would look on Christ and pardon me. (For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me!) and then the most exciting moment in my Life!!! to stand before my risen Lord and worship Him. that's what i'm looking forward to! to meet God in His glory and Holiness and be able to physically bow before Him and worship, that blows my mind. and it gives me a spiritual excitment. that this world is not eternal, it's slowly dying in preparation for my Life with Him! wow...I'm excited! :)

today i almost just almost completed a pair of pajama pants that i have been sewing. it's been fun and alls i have to do now is Hemm one leg and i'm Good to Go!! :) and i've been doing all this with a dear friend and joys boyfriends mom. it's been fun. she is a fun woman to be around. :)

we ate this bread spread stuff made with shrimp. mmmm....good stuff. :)

anyways. the pants are silky and SweeT material!!!! :) maybe i'll post a picture of me in them someday....yah....that'd freak everyone on cyber-space out!!!! hahaha. seeing me in pajama's isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but who notices and keeps score....???

anyways. my dog is going crazy. she keeps running back and forth through our doorway!!! :)

MAN!!!! no matter how much i try to keep my mind off the subject of India i keep reverting back to it!!! I WANT TO MOOOVE THERE!!!!! maybe i should. throw away this materialistic life behind...because if i were to move there i would probably only have a few spare clthes and the soap to wash my back. yah, that'd be about all i'd take. but i guess it doesn't matter what i want...it is all up to God. :( sad times. At least He know's what He's doing. :)

THIS handsome man goes by the name of TiM! i got this awesome (view) shot, while we were visiting Steven and his sons in RajPur. I love this picture...i don't know how many times i can say it!!! :)




anyways. life is going good. :)

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a Refiner and purifier of silver."This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has HIS eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

i like that story.

whenever i see someone in church or in my life going through something hard or difficult, it's like i'm standing behind one of those two-way mirrors. all that they see is there troubles. how it's hurting them. they think they will never get past it. but what i see...and they can't see...is that God will use that very moment of pain and suffering to make that person More beautiful and more glorifying than when He had first begun His work in them. it's exciting for me to see that. and to know how God works. His creative mind. it's like when i work in the ceramics department. i have a cold slab of clay that i have to bend and shape and warp and smother in slip. i also have to put it through many processes of heat and glaze before it turns into the most beautiful work of art. or the most ugliest thing you could ever see. at that point i decide either to throw it away and try again or keep it and admire it and show it to my friends!!! :)

anyways. enough of me blubbering about art and stuff. the point i'm trying to get accross is look past the pain that's inflicting you right now. God has a deeper purpose for you than what you actually think. pain blinds a person. and until they can drop they're burdens and look to God they're still going to go in a circle of Man i wish This hadn't or wern't happening to me!

that's what my thoughts are anyways.

my Jesus would never be accepted in my church.The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

that's a stanza...or sentance sung in a song i was listening to. it's a fascinating statement and horribly true.

here's the rest of the song. it's amazing. i like it. :)

Which Jesus do you follow?

Which Jesus do you serve?I

f Ephesians says to imitate Christ

Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant

So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness

Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins

He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the rich

So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow

This picture of the American dream

If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side

or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion

Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins

But the Word says He was battered and scarred

Or did you miss that part

Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and the least of these

He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable

So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church

The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud

I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd

And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud
I want to be like my Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!
Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus

You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means

to be like You Jesus

Cause You said to live like You, love like You

but then You died for me

Can I be like You Jesus?I want to be like my Jesus

i like that song.

it's awesome.

i'm only going to (copy and paste) two things today. they're a little long, but read them anyways. they're neat!!! :)

#1
Helpful Things---who knew?? =========================================== Sealed envelope - Put in the freezer for a few hours, then slide a knife under the flap. The envelope can then be resealed. (hmmmmmm...) ============================================ Use Empty toilet paper roll to store appliance cords. It keeps them neat and you can write on the roll what appliance it belongs to. ==================================! ========== For icy door steps in freezing temperatures: get warm water and put Dawn dishwashing liquid in it. Pour it all over the steps. They won't refreeze. (wish I had known this for the last 40 years!) ================================================== Crayon marks on walls? This worked wonderfully! A damp rag, dipped in baking soda. Comes off with little effort (elbow grease that is!). ============================================ Permanent marker on appliances/counter tops (like store receipt BLUE!) rubbing alcohol on paper towel. ================================================== Whenever I purchase a box of S.O.S Pads, I immediately take a pair of scissors and cut each pad into halves. After years of having to throw away rusted and unused and smelly pads, I finally decided that this would be much more economical. And now a box of S.O.S pads last me indefinitely! In fact, I have noticed that the scissors get sharpened this way! ============================================ Blood stains on clothes? Not to worry! Just pour a little hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and proceed to wipe off every drop of blood. Works every time! Now, where to put the body? ======================== ======================== Use vertical strokes when washing windows outside and horizontal for inside windows. This way you can tell which side has the streaks. Straight vinegar will get outside windows really clean. Don't wash windows on a sunny day. They will dry too quickly and will probably streak. ================================================ Spray a bit of perfume on the lightbulb in any room to create a lovely light scent in each room when the light is turned on. ================================================ Place fabric softener sheets in dresser drawers and your clothes will Smell freshly was! hed for weeks to come. You can also do this with towels and linen. ================================================ Candles will last a lot longer if placed in the freezer for at least 3 hours prior to burning. ================================================ To clean artificial flowers, pour some salt into a paper bag and add the flowers. Shake vigorously as the salt will absorb all the dust and dirt and leave your artificial flowers looking like new! Works like a charm! ================================================= To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a! drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on stovetop. ================================================ Spray your TUPPERWARE with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato based sauces and there won't be any stains. ================================================ Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it Will keep for weeks. ================================================ When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help! bring out the corn's natural sweetness. ========================= ======================= Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away. ================================================ Don't throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces. Left over wine? What's that?! :) ================================================ To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area And you will experience instant relief. ================================================ Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself. ========================== ====================== Use air-freshener to clean mirrors. It does a good job and better still, leaves a lovely smell to the shine. ================================================ When you get a splinter, reach for the scotch tape before resorting to tweezers or a needle. Simply put the scotch tape over the splinter, then ! pull it off. Scotch tape removes most splinters painlessly and easily. ================================================ Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer. Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets,wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous China. ================================================ Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka Seltzer tablets. ================================================ Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two! minutes. ================================================= Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary). ================================================ Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka Seltzer Tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water. =============================================== Do your friends a favor. Pass this timely! (and some not-so-timely) information on to a friend! I just did. Makes you wonder about ingesting Alka Seltzer, doesn't it?

#2

MEMORIESA little house with three bedrooms and one car on the street, A mower that you had to push to make the grass look neat. -In the kitchen on the wall we only had one phone, And no need for recording things, someone was always home. We only had a living room where we would congregate, Unless it was at mealtime in the kitchen where we ate. We had no need for family rooms or extra rooms to dine, When meeting as a family those two rooms would work out fine. We only had one TV set, and channels maybe two, But always there was one of them with something worth the view. For snacks we had potato chips that tasted like a chip, And if you wanted flavor there was Lipton's onion dip. Store-bought snacks were rare because my mother liked to cook, And nothing can compare to snacks in Betty Crocker's book. Weekends were for family trips or staying home to play, We all did things together -- even go to church to pray. When we did our weekend trips depending on the weather, No one stayed at home because we liked to be together. Sometimes we would separate to do things on our own, But we knew where the others were without our own cell phone. Then there were the movies with your favorite movie star, And nothing can compare to watching movies in your car. Then there were the picnics at the peak of summer season, Pack a lunch and find some trees and never need a reason. Get a baseball game together with all the friends you know, Have real action playing ball -- and no game video. Remember when the doctor used to be the family friend, And didn't need insurance or a lawyer to defend? The way that he took care of you or what he had to do, Because he took an oath and strived to do the best for you. Remember going to the store and shopping casually, and when you went to pay for it you used your own money? Nothing that you had to swipe or punch in some amount, Remember when the cashier person had to really count? The milkman used to go from door to door, And it was just a few cents more than going to the store. There was a time when mailed letters came right to your door, Without a lot of junk mail ads sent out by every store. The mailman knew each house by name and knew where it was sent; There were not loads of mail addressed to "present occupant." There was a time when just one glance was all that it would take, And you would know the kind of car, the model and the make. They didn't look like turtles trying to squeeze out every mile; They were streamlined, white walls, fins, and really had some style. One time the music that you played whenever you would jive, Was from a vinyl, big-holed record called a forty-five. The record player had a post to keep them all in line, And then the records would drop down and play one at a time. Oh sure, we had our problems then, just like we do today, And always we were striving, trying for a better way. Oh, the simple life we lived still seems like so much fun, How can you explain a game, just kick the can and run? And why would boys put baseball cards between bicycle spokes, And for a nickel red machines had little bottled Cokes? This life seemed so much easier and slower in some ways, I love the new technology but I sure miss those days. So time moves on and so do we, and nothing stays the same, But I sure love to reminisce and walk down memory lane. Much credit to the person who put this together, whoever it was.