Memories

It's amazing the silly things we remember that will never leave us. I'm having one of those memories at this very moment. I was in a Halloween play in 6th grade. The premise was this--some friends were hiding in a graveyard to play a practical trick on a boy who "never gets scared." I was the vampire--the ultimate scare. Believe it or not, I even remember my line, "good evening creature of the night. Just stepping out for a bite?" (said in a Transylvanian accent of course). How funny. With that said:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Where Is God?

Smoke from countless fires contaminates the air around me--thousands have lost their homes, some have lost their loved-ones. Where is God? God is on His throne.

My mom has cancer. My aunt has cancer. Where is God? God is on this throne.

My friend has a brain tumor. My friend's little brother is in jail. My friend's baby has leukemia. My friend's dad has cancer. Where is God? God is on His throne.

We live in a fallen world. Bad things happen. Sad things happen. And the sovereignty of God is only comforting if He is our highest prize. If my mind is set on the things above, then no matter how bad things seem here, my hope and joy is found not in this world, but in the next. When the glory of God is my highest aim, then even in the midst of terrible circumstances I will be able to say, "blessed be the name of the Lord!"

Lord hear my prayer and my cry,
I lift my voice to You on high.
Bring comfort and peace to those in pain.
And may I dare not ever complain.
Help me find rest in You alone
You are God, You are on Your throne.

Little Things

The other day when I got home from work, I went into my room and my mail was sitting in a neat pile at the bottom of my bed. Such a simple thing, but it meant so much to me. You see, I've been staying in the house myself for the past few months and my dad recently came home. So to me, that pile of mail on my bed says my dad is a considerate gentleman. It says he was thinking about me. It says he went out of his way to serve me. And it says he loves me. Sometimes it's the little things in life that mean the most.

Tu t' amuse

VERY FUNNY
"A Colorado judge knows just where to hit noise ordinance violators: right in the ears.When a violator of the Ft. Lupton, Colorado noise ordinance is found guilty in Judge Paul Sacco's coutrroom, the perp is sentenced to a full hour of Barry Manilow and friends. The violators, who are often convicted of turning up their hip-hop music too loud, serve their sentence in Sacco's courtroom as he blares a loop of Manilow, Dolly Parton ("I Will Always Love You"), and Karen Carpenter through a boombox for an hour. 'When you have a person playing rap at extreme volumes all over the city, and they have to sit down and listen for an hour to Barry Manilow, it's horrible punishment,' Sacco told CBS in Denver. The city sees very few repeat violators."

VERY SAD
In her acceptance speech for Best Reality Program (My Life on the D-List) Kathy Griffin shouted an obscenity to Jesus and exclaimed, "This award is my god now."

FUNNY (AND SAD)
Back in 1971 a man named Mike Flynt was suspended from his sr. year of college football at Sul Ross State University for fighting. Now he is 59 years old and he just reenrolled and is going to play his "sr. year" of football. His old coach said, "He's an idiot." "Gosh dang, Mike, you're not 20 years old anymore. You're liable to cripple yourself."

Change of Plans

I had big plans for the weekend. I was going camping in Yosemite. And I was ready to hike Half Dome. God had other plans. I woke up feeling terribly sick--nauseous to be exact. It wouldn't be wise to sleep in a tent for two days and push my body to the limit by a challenging hike.

And I had to remember--put people above things. God wanted me to spend time with dear friends and their unsaved brother. God wanted me to catch up with a ministry partner, and God wanted me to be encouraged by a friend. None of that would have happened if my plans had come to pass.

I never stop, but God says he wants me to be still. When I'm still, He reveals things to me and speaks to me through His Word, and gives me a deeper and clearer discernment of events in my life.

I make plans, but God directs my steps.

Indicators of Pride

By: Dave Norton (adapted from Stewart Scott)

-Complaining
-Lack of gratitude
-Expectations not being met
-Seeing myself as better than someone else
-Inflated view of my importance
-Lack of using my abilities
-Self-pity
-Perfectionism
-Talking too much
-Seeking independence or control
-Caring too much what other people think
-Devastation because of criticism
-Unteachability
-Sarcasm
-Lack of service
-Lack of compassion
-Defensiveness/blameshifting
-Lack of prayer
-Resistance to authority
-Minimizing sin
-Jealousy, envy
-Deceitfulness
-Lack of close relationships