Archive for the 'Misc' Category

Kill the Messenger

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Cases of Kill the Messenger:

I don’t like the message. Ignore the message. Kill the messenger.
I don’t like the messenger. Who cares about the message. Kill the messenger.
I like the message, but don’t like the messenger. Miss all further messages. Kill the messenger.
I like the message and this messenger best. Accept only these messages. Kill all other messengers.
I like this messenger. Who cares what the message is. Kill all other messengers.

Which category do you fall under?

There is of course the option to take the message as delivered. Study the merits of the message yourself. And who cares how tall or short the messenger is. What color clothing he is wearing. His shoe size. His tone of voice or eye color. After all, he is just the messenger…

Men and Women

Friday, May 16th, 2008

The more I am around (the majority of) women the more I prefer the company of men. What do I mean by that? Most men. Those that have not been feminized by public schools, psychology, medication, overbearing mothers or controlling wives:  

They say what they mean and mean what they say.
They don’t drop hints or expect you to read their minds. They say what they expect or want.
They don’t read extra meaning into the words you say. They accept them at face value.
They don’t get upset or offended just because someone holds a view contrary to their own. They don’t get angry just because you defend that view to them.
They don’t walk into a room, look every man over, and make sure they are the better dressed and better looking male in the room…and if they aren’t make sure their wife never leaves their side.
As far as I know, and I’ve been the only female in the group a lot of times, they don’t sit around eating chocolate and bashing the women in their lives.

And when you ask them if something is wrong and they say, “Nothing.” They really mean NOTHING is wrong…

Women on the other hand:
Say things they really don’t mean. To be nice or mean.
They drop hints or expect men to read their minds. Then get upset when they do/get the wrong thing.
They read “hidden” agendas and remarks into anything and everything.
Get very offended if someone thinks things other than they do because that has to mean they think they are doing wrong. (Notice a trend of circular thinking here?) 
They walk into a room and size up the competition.
I have never understood the habit of bonding over husband/men-in-general bashing that women do…

And when you ask a them if something is wrong and they say, “Nothing.” you had better be prepared to do some major grovelling or sleep in the dog house…

Now I am a woman and I’m not saying I’m perfect at avoiding these female tendencies or that men are without faults, but men are much more enjoyable for me to deal with. I know where I stand with them. I never know where I stand with another woman. And that can change from moment to moment anyway…

I find most women don’t like me. If you’ve read this far you’re probably thinking did you expect them to?

I could care less about fashion, weddings, jewelry, and who is dating whom.
I share interests with men that upset many of them: Computers, games, cars, guns, knives, and Sci-Fi.

And probably the main one that tends to be the kicker is I am a Biblical wife. (See th end of my post for a listing of verses.) My husband is the head of our home. It is my duty to honour, respect, obey, and love my husband. His word is law and final in our home. I believe this to be our God given role and I perform my duty willingly to the utmost of my ability. For some reason this seems to irritate, irk, offend and make many women quite hostile to me.

A lot of wives want their husbands to love them. Work. Provide. Care. Share. Give of themselves like they are called to do. However when it comes to that submission thing…any excuse will do.

 Our Duty as Christian wives to our husbands.

To love and obey them:
Titus 2:4-5  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

To reverence them: 
Ephesians 5:33  Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

To be subject unto them:
Ephesians 5:22-23  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

Colossians 3:18-19  Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

1 Peter 3:1-2  Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.

Trials and Growth

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

 

When you exercise you will break down muscle tissue in the body. Over a period of continuous destroying and rebuilding, your muscles will grow and adapt to the strain you put on it.

Consider how muscle growth and strength comes from pushing the muscles, breaking down, destroying and rebuilding. So it is with other things in life.

 

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Where does our peace come from? Are we promised life be easy? Who has overcome the world? Why in today’s world do WE try to overcome the world and expect life to be trouble free?

 

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Just look at all the things Paul went through…

 

2Co 12:9-10 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

How did he deal with it? What did he learn through it?

 

Philippians 4:6-9 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

I find that most issues with “depression” come from having an unrealistic view of how people THINK things should be. (Part of this is comparison to others…) And what people think they deserve/want.

Another unrealistic view that seems to add to this is that God is a “genie in a bottle” granting our wishes and prayers. He promises what we NEED, “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,”.

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This includes the various trials and valleys that we go through. If God is giving them to us for a reason then we need to learn from it… and grow from it…not wallow in it … and not medicate it away.

When we go through trials praising God and clinging to his word that is an example to others. Others see this and who knows maybe those others are the part of the reason you were blessed with this trial.

Leap Year

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
All the rest have thirty-one
Save February, she alone
Hath eight days and a score
Til leap year gives her one day more.

This year is a Leap Year which makes February 29th 2008 a very special day.

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/leapyear.html WHY we have Leap Years.
http://www.leapzine.com/FactsandTrivia.htm all about Leap Babies and Birthdays.
http://marriage.about.com/cs/holidays/a/leapyear.htm Traditionally Leap Year was the one day when women were allowed to propose and men had to pay a fine (a kiss, a dress, or a pair of gloves.) if they refused.

Enjoy your “extra” day.

Embryos: A Life Not Just a Blob!

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

In light of recent news about animal-human embryo research and
Britain Destroys More Than 1 Million ‘Excess’ Embryos

I thought I’d share this story/excerpt from a book I just heard about:
What Is at Stake in the Embryo Experimentation Debate

There are families willing and waiting to give these little lives a womb to grow in. A home and family to welcome them with loving arms. That loves them before they are pregnant or give birth to them.

These are just a few links with more information:
http://www.nightlight.org/snowflakeadoption.htm
http://www.embryoadoption.org/
http://www.embryodonation.org/

An Embryo is a life waiting to be born, not just a Blob of matter.

Rules and Consequences

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/01/09/mean.mom.ap/index.html 
Meanest Mom on Planet Sells Son’s Car.

I love it! Rules are rules. He only had two: Keep it locked and no booze. No booze means just that. Be it yours or others. You just get the car at Thanksgiving and you can’t even keep the rules for 3 whole months?

When you break the rules you suffer the consequences. If more parents actually stuck to their guns and had a little school of hard knocks training going on maybe the youth of today wouldn’t be such a mess.

Kudos to the parents.

Love, Luck, Health & Wealth

Friday, January 4th, 2008

We were going out to dinner the other night and saw a group of young women wearing shirts that said: Love, Luck, Health & Wealth. They were having a bridal shower. Never mind the irony of Health handing Luck a cigarette. It got me to thinking…This is what marriage is about these days? It is no wonder we have a divorce rate as high as we do.

Love? Love is a feeling that is largely dictated by your actions. Lust is what most people these days mean when they say “We’re in Love.” Where is the commitment? To making it work even when you’re having one of those not so loving seasons? It reminds me of someone I knew who vowed “So long as we both shall Love.” When they weren’t feeling it anymore they stopped being married and moved on to the next Love…

Luck? I’ve never liked the word luck because it implies things just happen. I’ve been told so often how lucky I am to have a well behaved child. To have a good husband. So on and so forth on so many things. Yes, I have been blessed by God with a wonderful son and husband. I don’t consider that luck. God was gracious in his providing and plan.  But it has also taken WORK. I am blessed with my son for the miracle he is. The good behavior doesn’t just happen. It comes from consistency, from both of us, in teaching good manners.  I was blessed with finding  a man of good character whom I married and he makes a wonderful husband. Together we work on having a good marriage. Luck is for rolling the dice in board games not in choosing a mate, making a marriage work, or the behavior of a child.

Health? I suppose I can see wishing someone good health, but it is “In Sickness and in Health” that we take a spouse for. We want to be healthy. Which takes work. What we eat and how we spend our time has an effect on our health.  Sometimes you learn and bond more through the times of Sickness than of Health. In addition Sickness can often be a way of showing how God works miracles in our lives.  

Wealth? I’m sure most of us could use a bit more $ to get by… but Wealth? I’ve seen the rich. I don’t want that. Shelter, food, clothing, are meeting needs. Wealth is something else altogether. But you know, meeting your needs and being good stewards with what you are given is also work and again not just something that happens to you. Getting to a good place financially takes discipline, WORK, perseverance, and denying yourself. You might not like your job, but you have to work to keep the lights on, food on the table, a roof over your head and shoes on your feet. Unless you have a rich relative Wealth is not something that generally just happens.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is things don’t just happen you have to Work to make them Happen. Marriage is NOT something to be entered into lightly thinking things will be all roses and warm fluffy clouds. In Love, Luck, Health & Wealth there are aspects of your own personal work and sacrifice that goes into making it Good.

I’ll leave you with what I always tell any couple that is getting married:

Ralph Waldo Emerson in a journal entry writes:

Love is temporary and ends with marriage. Marriage is the perfection which love aimed at, ignorant of what it sought. Marriage is a good known only to the parties, — a relation of perfect understanding, aid, contentment, possession of themselves and of the world, — which dwarfs love to green fruit.

They never understand it and say, “Haha love ends at marriage.” but to the few who work, and grow, and ripen to the point where they get it they understand that Marriage is so much more and better than mere Love…

Merry Christmas

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Be smart. Be safe. Be thankful for the simple little things in life.

Mele Kalikimaka!

Saturday & Sunday

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

We had a landscaping company out of Muskogee come by and went ahead and had them do the tree clean up. A lot of the limbs were dangling still connected up near the tops of the trees and they had to climb up there and cut them loose. They spent most of Friday and part of Saturday cleaning up. They did an awesome job.

We won’t be running out of firewood for several years…

Saturday we went ahead and got out of the house. We did get a bit of snow, but just a light layering. Friends were having a potluck lunch so we went and visited with them. Most had power back, but a few still were making do without it. The kids got to play and trade gifts. We all exchanged stories. Nice to talk to someone, face to face, other than my husband and son.

Today we did our food shopping to restock the fridge. Things are heading back to normal for us, but there are still others out there waiting to get power. There are others that got hit by the storm that just barely missed us who are also dealing with storm damage. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them.

Well, this brings my week to a close and what a week it was. I’m beat.

We now return you to your regularly sheduled bloggings… ALOHA!

Friday

Friday, December 14th, 2007

Power has held! We’re getting things back to normal, while keeping an eye on the weather that may or may not effect us. A lot of houses are still with out power today.  They are working on it as fast as they safely can.  We’re stocked and ready for whatever happens.

Here are some photos of after the ice storm:
http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon.staggs/December2007IceStorm

Back to more cleaning!