Things to do.....

I thought that these were amusing. Some of them I really liked, others I found funny, and some are just there.:) Enjoy...

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other. (amen, I like that.)
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye. That is so importan!!!
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married. I am not sure I like that idea. :-)
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love ! deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?" (or I have been programmed with limited answers you must ask the right question)...:-)
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. It is true.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.
TWENTY-TWO. Spend time everyday with the Lord.

Friendship

I have been thinking about a subject that I haven't heard talked about all that much.....Friendship between opposite genders. Everyone wants to have friends, but how does a friend behave? Here are some things I've been thinking over.
First, friends of opposite genders do not ever need to become romantic. I have heard over and over again cases of people that start out "friends", and then one of them gets upset with the other for not caring about them romantically. Girls especially..... You need to stop romanticizing. You need to look at this guy as a brother. He is your friend and he has trusted you to view him as such. He has opened up and been himself with you because of this trust. Have the integrity to keep your emotions under control. Emotions are fine if they are subjected to the teaching of the scriptures and brought under the control of the Holy Spirit. Be honest with yourself before the Lord. You are being selfish, unkind, and unloving, and dishonest when you romanticize about your friend. Shame on you!!! Stop and think about how you would want him to treat & think of you. You would want him to care about you as a sister and protect you, physically, spiritually & emotionally. You would want to be able to count on trusting him to be a brother to you. You would not want him to use you as an easy date. That is what you are doing when you romanticize about him, and sir , that is what you are doing to her when you flirt, lead her on & have no intention to commit to anything. Both of you need to stop and think about what you would really like from the other person. Girls, if he changes his mind and wants the relationship to become romantic, he will tell you. Believe that when he told you he wants to be your brother in Christ that he meant exactly that, and nothing more. Believe the last thing he told you! Guys please do not do this "she should just know how I feel" thing. Tell her if you are wanting to keep the relationship on a friendship/brother/sister plane. Tell her if you are wanting to become more then friends. You are supposed to make that move, not her, so make it. Either way you should tell her what you want the relationship to be. Communication is vital in friendships. You have got to take a moment to explain to each other where you are going and what you are wanting out of your friendship. I heard a quote that I think makes this point beautifully. “60% of all communication is miscommunication.” For all of you that know me, you are probably really tired of me saying this, but it is so true.:)) It is easy to think you are making perfect sense when in reality you are not making any sense to the person you are trying to converse with. Take the time to explain things; you will be glad you did later.

Second-- You may notice I do not call it " just friends ". THIS is on purpose. Friends can be one of the best things you ever have in life. The friendship in itself is a treasure! Friends accept you as you are and can become the brother or sister you never had. They are the person with whom you can share what the Lord is doing in your life, and they don't think the worse of you for it. (Within reason, there are some things you should NEVER share with the opposite gender. Stay within guidelines of friends.) A friend is someone that knows the bad and the good and still wants to maintain the relationship. They may have been hurt by you and had to forgive you and it may have been the other way around as well. You can call them and just say hi. Friends are your pals, your teachers, and your support team. They are a treasure that we only have for a short, golden time. Do not overlook this and take them for granted.

Third-- When you have friends you should let them know when they do something to hurt you. If it was a family member you would, and you should in this situation as well. If you hurt them you should go to them. They are your family in Christ. You should be willing to listen and learn from your mistakes. We all continue to learn and make adjustments.

Fourth-- If you can't talk and you have to run, a friend understands and lets you go. They are okay with the fact that you are out with someone else for the evening and you need to run. Friends are open and honest. They do not hide things in the shadows and act funny around one another. That only breeds distrust and confusion, as well as hurt. Your friendship should be something you hold in open hands because over time it will have to change. A close friend may become engaged and need to concentrate on this new relationship; they may have a number of other close friends and one might need extra attention for a time. At the same time you should take care of the friendship. It should not be taken for granted; It needs to be maintained, and we need to allow it to 'sharpen' us. One of the hardest things in life is having friends you can be yourself around. I know you are thinking I said it backwards, but I didn’t. When you choose to be yourself with someone you are opening yourself up to hurt. That is frightening. When you do so though, others will begin to feel that they can be themselves. Be someone that others can trust to be themselves around and trust with their peculiarities.

If you find a friend to be untrustworthy in an area pray, & look for a way of sharing that with them. They may not be aware of it. There are people it is very hard to be myself around. I am afraid that they will think I am weird, loud, crazy, too quiet, or bizarre. Basically, I am just afraid and that is wrong of me. If I want those that I am friends with to be open with me and trust me, I need to do the same with them. God tells us in the scripture not to seek our own selfish wants and needs, but to seek God's best for others. Friendship should be this charitable practice of giving oneself and seeking to bless our friend. The Lord will bless in ways we can not see, nor fathom, when we are willing to obey him.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not: charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth. Beareth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:

How does a friend behave? In all circumstances we are instructed to behave with Charity. It is given to us as a guide for personal interaction and a visible way to show God's perfect love. Love never fails

Verses

I had a wise friend send me these and I thought they were extremely encouraging. I am sharing them with you all. (Aren't you lucky ones?):) I hope that they uplift you and bless you as they did me.

Peace, quietness, and assurance

Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness; for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

This is my Father's World

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees,
of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.
2. This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.
3. This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet!
This Is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord Is King;
let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

Perserverance- Jeff Meyers

Perseverance in Days Gone
ByMy eight-year-old son Graham and I are in Virginia this week where I'll be speaking at the Virginia Homeschool Conference in Richmond. We came a day early to tour battlefields and museums. Yesterday it was Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill, today it's the Museum of the Confederacy, the Confederate White House, and the Tredegar Iron Works.

Whenever I visit battlefields in the heat of summer, it strikes me how difficult life was for those soldiers--severe weather, disgustingly unsanitary camps and trenches, lack of proper food and water, terrifying battlefield conditions.

Yet officers and soldiers on both sides exhibited enormous levels of dedication and perseverance in fighting for their cause.

Do We Have What it Takes to Stick With It?

Perseverance is a character quality in short supply today. I'm sure you struggle as I do when it comes to doing the right thing without giving up. We could probably think of a hundred examples in church, business and society of how we tend to take it easy--to give up, to move on, to rationalize about why "sticking to it" just doesn't matter.

The Bible has much to offer when it comes to inspiring asense of perseverance in ourselves and others. Tonight myson Graham and I read our devotions out of Second Timothy--my favorite book of the Bible. Second Timothy is Paul's final letter to the young man in whom he had invested so much. In Chapter three he gives three insights about how we can persevere and train others to persevere.

1. Paul set the example.

Paul says, "But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love and endurance" (v. 10). "Watch me," he says in essence. I must face the fact that my children--and other young people I influence--will rarely be able to muster more perseverance than I myself can muster.

At Cold Harbor, Confederate General Robert E. Lee said, "Richmond must not be given up; it shall not be given up."It was that simple--"We will persevere to the very end." He set the pace for everyone else.

2. Paul inoculated Timothy to giving up.

Paul says, "In fact, all those who want to live a godly life will be persecuted" (v. 12). Hardship comes with the territory.

Yesterday as we prepared for this trip it seemed that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The electricity went out. The computer system went down. Books for the conference didn't arrive. Having just returned from out of the country, I faced stacks of letters, e-mails and phone calls but no time to get back to people. Discouragement was setting in.

I told our team, "If there is anything I've learned in this business, it's that the attacks are always proportionate to the impact that Satan knows we're going to have." We prayed together and immediately set our faces toward persevering through the difficulties.

We still struggle with each incident, of course, but we're learning to see hardship as a God-ordained alert system to dig in.

3. Paul clarified the vision.

Paul says, "All Scripture is inspired by God...so that the man of God may be complete..." (v. 16). This seems to be a reference to pulling up the anchor and raising the sail. In other words, "We're on a mission, we have a destination, and we have a Compass. Let's go!"

Today as we explored one of the remote battlefield areas, we came across a monument to an Alabama soldier who bore his regiment's colors as they broke through the Union line. Abullet hit and broke his right arm, so he switched the flag to his left arm. His left arm was then pierced by a bullet, as were both of his legs. As he fell, a comrade began to take the colors from him, but the young man cried out, "I can still walk--strap the colors to my body!" This young man was determined to carry out his mission, regardless of the cost.

I seriously doubt that such injuries would have inspired him to persevere in less vision-driven situations. If the soldier's wife had asked him to do some household project, he probably would have let those injuries keep him laid up for weeks. But in an unprecedented trial, with a heartfelt cause, he found it in himself to persevere.

The character quality of perseverance isn't usually observed in isolation--it occurs in the context of a vision that is worth fighting for. A Generation that Won't Give In"Never, never given in," said Winston Churchill. Let's takethe three steps above to prepare ourselves to set a godlyexample of perseverance for others--and to call out a highlevel of determination in those who will be the nextgeneration of leaders!

Quotes

To keep your friendships brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you're wrong, admit it;
Whenever you're right, shut up.
-Ogden Nash, author(1902-1971)
This was a little bit different than I have written it out, but it hit home when I read and I thought about friends. I changed one word.:)

from Hamlet-
Doubt thou that the stars are fire;
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar;
But never doubt my love.
I really liked this when I read it a few weeks ago.

Jesus I am resting

Jesus I Am Resting

Jesus I am resting, resting In the joy of what Thou art.
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou has bid me gaze upon Thee
And Thy beauty fills my soul
For by life transforming power
Thou has made me whole
Oh how great Thy loving kindness
Vaster, broader than the sea
Oh how marvelous Thy goodness
Lavished all on me.
Yes I rest in Thee Beloved
Know what wealth of grace is Thine
Know Thy certainty of promise
And have made it mine
Simply trusting Thee Lord Jesus
I behold Thee as Thou art
And Thy love so pure so changeless
Satisfies my heart
Satisfies its deepest longings
Meets supplies its every need
Compasseth me round with blessings
Thine is love indeed!

G.K. Chesterton

I am reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton right now and this passage stuck out and I just had to share it with you all. I will probably be adding more Chesterton to my blog as time goes on. Enjoy :)

If your life is ever really as beautiful as a fairy-tale lies in this: that the price has wonder which just stops short of being fear. If he is afraid of the giant, there is an end of him; but also if he is not astonished at the giant, there is the end to the fairy-tale. The whole point depends upon his being at once humble enough to wonder, and haughty enough to defy. So our attitude to the giant of the world must not merely be increasing delicacy or increasing contemppt: it must be one particular proportion of the two - which is exactly right.

Man must have just enough faith in himself to have adventuress and just enough doubt of himself to enjoy them.

The beautification of the world is not a work of nature but a work of art, then it involves an artist.

The Emperor of Peru

Finally a good reason to learn the 9x's.:) This is so much more enjoyable read aloud.

The King of Peru

( Who was Emperor too!)

Had a sort of a rhyme

Which was useful to know.

If he felt very shy,

When a stranger came by - ( Hmmmmm..)

Or they asked him the time

When his watch didn't go;

Or supposing he fell( By mistake) down a well,

Or he tumbled when skating

An sat on his hat,

Or perhaps wasn't told

Till his porridge was cold,

That his breakfast was waiting-

......Or..something like that!

Oh, whenever the Emperor

got into a temper,

or felt himself sulky,

frightened or sad, ( YES!)

He would murmer and murmer,

Until he felt firmer,

This curious rhyme which he had:

* Eight eights are sixty-four

multiply by seven.

When it's done, carry one,

And take away eleven...

Nine nines are eight-one;

Multiply by three.

If it's more,Carry four,

And then it's time for tea.

So whenever the Queen Took his armour to clean,

And she didn't remember

to use any starch;

OR his birthday ( in May)

Was a horrible day,

Being wet as November

And as windy as March;

Or, if sitting in state

With the WISE and the GREAT,

He just happened to hiccup

while signing his name,

Or the Queen gave a cough,

When his crown tumbled off

As he bent down to pick up

A pen for the same:

Oh, whenever the Emperor

Got into a temper,

or felt himself awkward and shy, ( YES!)

He would whisper and whisper,

Until he felt crisper,

This odd little rhyme to the sky:*

Eight eights are eighty-one;

Multiply by seven.

If its more,Carry four,

And take away eleven.

Nine nines are sixty-four;

Multiply by three.

When its done,Carry one,

And then it's time for tea.(Finally):)

G. K. Chesterton

I thought this was interesting.

A stick might fit a hole or a stone a hollow place by accident. But a key and a lock are both complex. And if a key fits a lock, you know it is the right key.
Chesterton

I have spent many hours trying to figure out if something was right for me. This is a good reminder that we will know when something is right for us when it fits perfectly. There should be no doubt that it was made for us.