In Honor of Halloween: My real-Life "Scary" Story

In “honor” of Halloween (a day that deserves no honor), I’m gonna share with you why we don’t celebrate Halloween.  (We take our kids to a movie, instead, or buy them a movie they’ve been wanting and have a “family movie night” with candy and popcorn.  So no need to feel sorry for them; they are not deprived.  In fact, we just went today to see the Lego Ninjago movie.  Enjoyable movie ... but I was so tired that I almost fell asleep in the first ten minutes.  And then later when I saw a Lego character sipping from a Lego coffee mug, all I could think was, Mmm, coffee!  I want coffee!  You know you're tired when you envy a Lego character drinking fake coffee.)

You don’t have to believe me, but this really happened.  (Not talking about the Lego thing.  I'm sure you figured that was real.  I'm referring to what's coming up.  And for the longer version of this story on my other blog, click here.)  And don't read this if you want to keep enjoying Halloween. 

It started on a dark night in the middle of nowhere, in the bluffs of Iowa, where there are virtually no neighbors, no sounds, no cars going by at night.  Pitch black, silent darkness.

Octopus Aliens? Seriously!?!

Apparently, scientists (33 of them) have recently made the claim that octopuses originated from outer space, that they are alien life-forms.  

And yet they still think it's impossible for God to exist!?!

Too funny! 

(5/22/18)

Talk About Hypocrisy!

(Written 7/1/18)  This is satire, but it's so true (click on it).  It illustrates the hypocrisy of the left.  They demand that every business has to serve every person, regardless of the business owner's deeply-held convictions ... but then they turn around and applaud a business for kicking out someone with opposing values.  Go figure!

So where's the love and tolerance now!?!

LGBTQ supporters claim they're all about loving everyone else, about being tolerant of all people and all lifestyles.

YEAH RIGHT!!!

I have no doubt that there are many genuinely loving, tolerant LGBTQ supporters, but then there are ones like this ...

Hey GQ, Good Luck Defending Yourself Before God!

Okay, so GQ magazine published a piece saying that the Bible is overrated and doesn't need to be read.  (I am writing this on May 21, 2018.) 

Hmm ... I wonder how many people at GQ read the Bible (the whole Bible) before forming the opinion that the Bible doesn't need to be read!?!

I am going to guess that - if they are like most Americans - they never actually read the Bible before forming a conclusion about the Bible.  Most likely, they simply heard about parts of it over the years (the parts people have problems with or don't understand) and they based their opinion on that.

But maybe I'm wrong.  Maybe they read the Bible cover to cover.  Maybe they gave it a fair chance - reading it, studying it, trying to understand it, reviewing all the historical and archeological data that validates the reliability of the Bible ... and then they formed an educated opinion about it.

Yeah ... I'm sure that's what happened!  'Cuz who would make such a bold statement about a book they never read.

Anyway, many Christians are up-in-arms about this.  But you know what? 

I'm not. 

In fact, I expect this kind of thing from the world.  GQ didn't offend me by what they said.  In fact, I don't think GQ needs to worry about offending us Christians at all.

No!  What they need to be worried about is offending the Author of the Book they just denigrated.  

Have fun defending your opinion - the guidance you gave millions of people which will lead many astray - when you stand before the Almighty God! 

What reasonable, acceptable excuse will you give God to defend why you told people they don't have to read the Book He wrote which explains the way to eternal life through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? 

(If you can't think of one now, that's ok!  You'll have an eternity to figure it out.  But by then, of course, it'll be too late to do anything about it.  Will it be worth it?  I hope getting your fifteen minutes of fame was worth the price of your eternal soul!)

Is That Really a School's Responsibility!?!

Remember when schools focused on teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic?

Ahhh, good times!

But not anymore! 

Click here to read what schools are teaching our children.  (Warning: graphic information, inappropriate for children.  And yet, that’s exactly what’s being taught to young children.  And this is just one of the stories I've come across recently.)

WHY IN THE WORLD would they think it’s their responsibility or right to teach these things to other people’s children?  Whatever happened to teaching academics?

What's Your Dream Vacation?

If there was an extra week this year that you could use however you wanted (with all the resources you needed), how would you use it?  Where would you go?  What would be restful and recharging for you?

Or how about this question ... If you could decide what to do for your first year in heaven, what would you do?  (No need to get too technical about what heaven will really be like.  Just daydream about it.)

God's Way of Saying "Good Morning"

 

 

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.  (Psalm 19:1)

 

 

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.  (Psalm 118:24)

 

 

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (Lamentations 3:22-23)

 

 

 

If It's Not Natural, Maybe It's ...

Did you read the Newsweek article that just came out which says that - according to natural laws - the universe shouldn't actually exist? 

Hmm?  Well, let me think about that.  If the universe shouldn't actually exist according to nature, then maybe its existence is ... dare I say? ... "supernatural."

This article shows one of the biggest, most unscientific problems with scientists.  Notice that it says that one of the biggest puzzles scientists are trying to solve is ... how did matter form after the Big Bang?

They start from the position that there was undoubtedly a "Big Bang," forcing them down a path of fitting all the pieces into the "Big Bang Puzzle."

When, instead, maybe they should start with the question of "Was there really a Big Bang as we assume there must have been?"

A scientist would consider all the possibilities and look at all the evidence and let the evidence guide them to a conclusion.  That is the scientific process.

But when you completely cut off a whole possibility from the start (such as "Could there be a Creator?") and you start your research from a predetermined point (such as "There must have been a Big Bang.  It's the only explanation.") then all the research and results are biased, contorted, misguided, and misleading.

Way to go, scientists!  So great to have such "scientific" people following such a "scientific" process to figure out where things came from and how they work!

Life As A Mom



 

 

My sons, two minutes after breakfast ...



 

 

 

Everybody knows one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously ... who does that!?!

 

A Magical Moment ...

I had a magical moment just now, the kind that makes you pause and smile and think "How cool!"

I was headed out to clean up my severely-neglected garden when I stopped dead in my tracks.  A hawk had swooped down and landed on top of our garden swing, ten feet away from me.

He didn't seem bothered by me at all.  He just looked at me and I looked at him.  And we stood like that for about 60 seconds. 

I wondered if I should try to take a picture of him, but I didn't want to move and break the spell.  So I decided to just soak up the moment, to let it linger for as long as he was willing to linger.

 

Finally, though, I slowly tried to reach for my phone to see if I could sneak a picture.  But he looked off in the distance, ruffled his feathers, stuck out his tail ... and crapped on my swing. 

And then he flew away. 

A magical moment indeed!


I took this picture after he left.  Imagine that the orange Magikarp hat is the hawk (if you know Pokémon, you'll know what I'm talking about).  That's how close he was, just sitting there watching me.

And this is where he crapped on my swing ...

(Ahh, good times!)

 

Mompetition

Pride Comes Before The Fall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

\

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you find the bunny?

Took this photo in my backyard today.  Can you find the hidden bunny?

 

 

 

The Rainbow

So you've taken the rainbow, the symbol of God's promise to never again destroy a rebellious mankind in a world-wide flood, ...

 

and you've changed it into a symbol for gay pride, a lifestyle which rebels against God's ways as recorded in the Bible.

 

Hmm?

 

Just wondering ... how do you intend to defend that one when you stand before Him on Judgment Day?

 

 

Is God Drawing Lines in the Sand?

It’s amazing and disturbing how brazen our society is in attacking everything about God and everything He created:  marriage, monogamy, sex, family, sexuality, the scientific reality of gender, morality, modesty, the value of a person, the right to life, the Bible, Jesus, and Absolute Truth.  Not to mention God Himself, His very existence. 
 

We are destroying everything associated with Him (except nature – we worship that), and then we call ourselves progressive.

 

But you know what I think about it all?

 

I think that God is letting it happen because He’s drawing lines in the sand.  Through all these divisive issues, God is saying “Pick a side!  I am forcing you to decide which side you want to be on ... because I am coming back soon to take My people out of here.  So I need you all to decide:  Me or the world?  Which do you choose?"

At least I hope that's why He's allowing all this breakdown to happen, all this conflict and divisiveness.  Because if He's not - if He's not coming back soon - then God help those of us who choose to be faithful to Him.  We're gonna need it! 

Most People Nowadays

How they think:

How they're ruining our country:

            




                  



           
             



                

How they treat you:

                  

What I think:

Bellies, boobs, and butts ... What's that about?

Did you ever notice that every time you see a headline that says something like "woman's photo goes viral, making an important point about body image" it always seems to have a semi-naked photo attached to it?  

What's that about?

Can we not learn these important, affirming, "body positive" messages unless there's near-nudity involved?  

Forgiveness

God is much more concerned with where you’re going than with where you’ve been. 

Accept His forgiveness, let it make you free, forgive yourself, and “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  (John 8:11)  

 

Headed for Trouble

A thought that always leads to trouble:  “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way.”  (Deuteronomy 29:19) 

When your way isn’t God’s way, you’re headed in the wrong direction.

Christian Polyamory?

It seems that there are “Christians” who are engaging in, supporting, and encouraging the idea of “Christian polyamory,” claiming that it’s ok to have multiple sexual relationships between consenting adults in a marriage.  And they point to the fact that famous biblical people had polygamous relationships as support for this view, while dismissing the biblical truth that marriage is to be between one man and one woman.

 

Hmm?  Sounds to me like a classic case of “Wouldn’t it be fun to read about the mistakes that other people made in the Bible … and then go out and make them myself, even though I read all about the problems and consequences it caused and even though I know that Jesus Himself said that marriage is between a man and a woman?”

 

Under Construction

I wish we all came with signs on our backs that said “Construction Zone:  Work in progress.  Please be patient and pardon my dust.” 

If we did, I think the world would be a nicer place because we’d all be a little more kind, gentle, gracious, and forgiving with others and with ourselves.

 

To Christians in America:

If everyone loves you all the time and never has a problem with anything you say, do, or believe ... you're probably doing it wrong!

 

When Your Moral Compass is Broken

If your moral compass is spinning wildly, if it doesn't point True North, you’ll always be lost!

(True North = Jesus!)

 

To Those Who Believe Morality is Subjective:

“So, you’re saying it’s wrong to have views about what’s right and what’s wrong, is that right?”

 

Tofurky

Tofurky: A product that made God say, “Now there’s something I never thought of!”  (Just speculation.)

 

Tolerance?

Original definition of tolerance (my paraphrase):
“Agreeing to disagree over our differences while maintaining respect for the other person as a fellow human being, being able to live peaceably among those who are different from us.” 

New definition of tolerance being forced on us:
“You must never offend anyone.  And taking it further, you must condone, support, and encourage everything that everyone else says, does, or believes, or else you will be labeled an ‘intolerant, narrow-minded hater’ and you will be taken to court and we will destroy your job and reputation.  And if you have any lingering convictions about "right and wrong," we will continue to relentlessly beat them out of you have until you fall in line with our current values and positions and until you admit that we're right and you're wrong.” 

Which one do you think is going to lead to more chaos, fear, interpersonal problems, and a breakdown in society?

Say A Prayer For Harvey Weinstein

For all the Christians out there ... say a prayer for Harvey Weinstein.  (And those he hurt.)  It's never easy when it's time to face up to our sins, to the hurt we've caused other people. 

We Christians know that we are all in need of forgiveness and compassion, grace and mercy.  We know that we are all so human and capable of bad things.  We know that we all fall short of the glory of God.  We know that we can't save ourselves.  That none of us deserve heaven.  That we all need Jesus. 

But for many of us, we don't learn this lesson until we are broken down to our lowest point, until we have been stripped of all our self-confidence and smugness and reputation and power.  And that's why I say that we need to pray for Mr. Weinstein ... because he is in the best place to find Jesus right now.  

When everything else around us falls apart and there is nothing else to lean on ... that's the best place to find God.  No matter what we have done, forgiveness and healing and eternal life are available to us.  The penalty for our sins has already been paid for by Jesus on the cross.  And all we have to do - all Mr. Weinstein has to do - is reach out and accept it.

God is more concerned with where we are going than with where we have been.  That's why He's always so ready to forgive! 

Pray that Mr. Weinstein's eyes are opened to God's truth, to the salvation and forgiveness that is available to him, if only he would confess his sins and turn to Jesus.  

And pray for those he hurt, that they also would find healing, help, hope, and salvation in Jesus, too.  God wants to heal them, to turn the bad into something good, and to give them eternal life where they will never hurt again - if only they will reach out and grab it. 

No sin is too great for God to forgive.  
No pain is too great for God to heal.


            [Personally, I'm a little shocked that Hollywood is acting shocked that this happened.  Isn't this what Hollywood is made of?  What it's known for? 
            Pray that this causes them to think a little harder about the immoral films they produce.  A perfect example of life imitating art.  (Or is it art imitating life?)  Either way: garbage in, garbage out. 
            They could be doing a lot more instead to produce wholesome films filled with decency and goodness and integrity.  And who knows?  Maybe that would inspire decency and goodness and integrity.  Just a thought. 
            But you can't be surprised to discover that a society that's built on filth is living it.
            And for the record, I think this is just the beginning.  This issue is going to explode wide open, with everyone coming forward with their own stories.  You can bet there are a lot of nervous people right now, just waiting to be exposed.  It kinda feels like we have a front row seat for watching Hollywood implode.]

How To Understand "God's Will"

            “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.”  (Romans 12:1-2)

           

            We all want to know what God’s Will is, don’t we?  But do we really know what we are asking?  Are we willing to put in the required effort to know it?

            Usually, when we want to know God’s Will, we want to know what our next step is or what plans God has in store for our future.  We think of “His Will” as “His plans for our life.” 

            But is that how the Bible defines “God’s Will”?

 

            Does “God’s Will” mean what He wants for us/asks of us?  Is it His plans for our lives?  Is it just whatever happens … because God always does His Will, right?  Such as “Well, it must have been God’s Will that I got pregnant . . . or lost my job . . . or that our house got destroyed in a tornado, etc. because it’s what happened”? 

            Personally, I think that “His Will” is not necessarily about His future plans for us and it’s not really whatever happens to us.  I think it is most accurately defined as what He desires. 

            It’s what He wants for us (the choices He wants us to make and the path He wants us to take and the blessings He wants us to obtain, etc.), and it’s what He wants from us (living God-glorifying lives and being obedient, etc.).

Prayer, Faith, and God's Will

[A long summary of “Understanding God’s Will,” (Question 9), from https://sweetlybrokengirl.blogspot.com.]

            “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered.  ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’” (Mark 11:22-24)      

            I have to be honest.  I struggle with this verse more than any other.  I really do.  I mean, it sounds pretty straightforward to me: believe that you’ll get what you ask for and you’ll get it.  Name it and claim it!  Sounds great! 

            But there’s a problem.

            It doesn’t always happen.  There are many things that we pray for and that we are confident are in line with God’s Will, and yet they don’t happen.  The mountains didn’t move. 

            How come some prayers don’t seem to work, even when you believe that it’s God’s Will?  And how long do you keep praying for something (especially when it’s a painful issue) when God seems to not be listening or answering?   

Battle of Wits? (repost)

            Some Christians seem to think that faith is a “battle of wits,” that it’s a Christian's job to beat everyone else in a debate about biblical things.  They act like it’s more about “proving and defending the Word” than it is about “living the Word.” 

            But it’s not about winning or about showing off how smart or godly we are compared to everyone else.  (This will make us repulsive to everyone else.)  It’s about helping each other, about coming alongside another person and lovingly putting our arm around their shoulder and helping them on their long, confusing, difficult journey of faith, the journey through life.     

No Masks Allowed! (repost)

 

 

 

 
           I’ve talked in other posts about the need to get real with God.  But I think that we Christians also need to do better at being real with each other.  Why can’t we Christians just admit that we are broken, hurting people too, that we are sinful and need help? 

            Why do we act like we can do it all on our own and like we can handle everything with grace and style and a smile on our faces?  Why do we spend so much time and energy polishing up our outsides?  To earn approval?  To make God happy and proud of us?  To impress others?  To feel better about ourselves?  To look better than others?

            Honestly, all we are doing is hurting everyone.  When we are not real, we miss out on a genuine relationship with God and others.  We don’t get the help and the healing we need.  We exhaust ourselves.  We keep others and God an arm’s length away.  And we make others feel like they are “less than”. . . because they struggle while we “have it all together.” 

            We are “unsafe” because people feel judged, condemned, and shamed in our perfectly-polished presence.  Why would they confide in us or seek our help when they feel like we couldn’t understand, like we are “above” them, like they have to feel ashamed of their brokenness and their struggles, like we expect them to be polished too?

            Why can’t we just be real about our heartaches, doubts, fears, shortcomings, weaknesses, and pain?  Why can’t we admit that we, too, are human?  Why can’t we even admit that to ourselves?

Weight of the World (repost)

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  - Heather (Joshua 24:15, Psalm 46:10)  


(reposted from https://lovehealme.blogspot.com)

Broken People (repost)

            “Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  (Mark 2:17)
            “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

            Jesus did not come to call to the righteous, to call those who are spiritually-wise in their own eyes . . . because they think they earn their way to heaven with their good deeds and proper living and spiritual wisdom and polished outside. 
            No!  Jesus came to call the sinners, those who are broken and hurting and who know that they need Him and that they could never earn their way to heaven.  And God loves us sinners enough to send Jesus to die for us. 
            And no one needs to polish themselves up to be worthy of that love.  It is there.  It is free.  It is yours for the taking.  As long as you know that you need it but can never earn it. 
            It’s not about being “good enough.”  It’s just about accepting the free gifts of love and forgiveness and grace that God offers to us while we are still sinners, before we clean ourselves up. 

Valleys and Mountaintops (repost)

            James 1:2-4:  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”


            I think many of us know well the ups and downs of life.  In fact, we may have spent more time in the discouraging valleys than on the wonderful mountaintops.  We may have had our heart and spirit squashed over and over again. 

            Yet through the trials and heartache we learn this important lesson: This life is not all there is and this world really holds nothing for us. 
            Through the pain, we learn to live for eternity, not for the delights of this world.  We learn that our joy and strength and purpose are found in the Lord, not in anything this world can give us or do for us. 
            And these are eternally important lessons to learn.

Falling Apart at the Feet of God (repost)

            “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  (Psalm 34:18)  

            “Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”  (Psalm 9:10)

            Having grown up with a biological dad who had almost nothing to do with me and two ex-step-dads who I lost contact with eventually (one after a really, REALLY messy divorce) and a current step-dad who . . . well, I am just too old for a new dad . . . I have never really felt like I belonged to a dad, like I really mattered to one. 
            I grew up always feeling like the outsider, a step-child who didn’t quite fit in or have a place to belong.  I never felt like I could be myself with a dad, like I was fully loved for who I was.  It was always just a matter of time before they left. 
            And this caused a terrible fear of abandonment and a fear of being a burden to anyone.  It caused me to lean only on myself and to polish up my outside so that I earned love and approval and acceptance.  It caused me to always keep my distance, to keep walls up around my heart to protect it from being vulnerable, being hurt.  It caused me to always feel like I was on the outside, looking in.

            And I didn’t know that I was doing this with God, too, until a series of trials crushed my confidence in myself and taught me that I was not as strong and capable as I thought I was.  I learned that I couldn’t do it all on my own, like I was used to doing.  I learned that I really needed God.  Not just wanted Him, but needed Him.  Desperately needed Him. 
            I wasn’t used to needing a father.  I tried not to need a father.  Fathers let you down.

You Might Have Trouble Accepting God's Love If ... (repost)

            As I said in the previous post, I had trouble embracing God’s love because I never felt “good enough.”  I never felt that like I deserved to be loved, like He could love me for me. 
            But I wanted His love.  So I kept busy trying to make myself “good enough.”  I tried hard to pray right, talk right, think right, and act right.  But none of this earns His love because His love is free and already available to us. 
            But if I couldn’t believe that then I couldn’t really live in His love, because I was too busy trying to earn something that could never be earned - something that could only be accepted by a humble heart that is willing to reach out and grab ahold of it, as the free gift that it is. 

Unearnable Love (repost)

(As we head into the holiday season full of discouragement about the condition of the world, I'm going to share some of the most truth-filled, "hope-filled" posts from my other blog, https://lovehealme.blogspot.com.  May they help people find God in the midst of a messy world.  These posts were written for Christians, but there's a lot of hope in them for everyone.)

            One of the hardest lessons I have had to learn in my spiritual life (and in my earthly life) is to let myself be loved by someone . . . by Someone. 
            I come from a very dysfunctional home.  A bio-dad and two step-dads by the time I was 8.  And then another step-dad (after a very messy divorce) when I was in my late-20’s.  I didn’t grow up with my bio-dad or his family.  I didn’t even really meet them until my teens.  And then after that, I’d see my grandparents, uncles, and cousins about once or twice a year, sometimes less.  And I’d see my dad and half-siblings once every several years or so. 
            I never really felt like I belonged to a dad or had a place in my extended families.  And this feeling carried over to my relationship with God.
            I didn’t know it earlier in my Christian life, but my relationship with Him was based on fear, not on love.  I desperately wanted to please Him not because I loved Him and valued His love for me, but because I was afraid of “doing it wrong,” of being displeasing to Him, of failing Him.  I never really felt like I belonged to Him or mattered to Him, like He could really love me for me.  And so I felt like I had to earn His love and acceptance and grace. 
            I didn’t really know how to let myself be loved by Him because I didn’t feel like I was worth loving.  And I didn’t understand the unconditional nature of His love, that I don’t have to be worthy of love because He loves us anyway, as we are.  And so I kept myself busy trying to earn His love . . . when what I really needed to do was simply accept it for the free gift that it is.