The Volcano Blew!

Well ... I knew this day was coming.  The day the volcano blew!  (Explained in more detail in this post.)  And so I think I'll be taking some time off from writing, maybe just adding a few small posts here and there.  I'm not sure when I'll get back to writing, but I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.  Take care and God bless!


[Thank you to Tim from Trader Joe's, for holding me while I sobbed uncontrollably in the check-out line, pouring my pain out to you.  And for praying for me in the parking lot.  Your kindness and emotional support during my breakdown probably saved me from another panic attack.  Thank you!  (I really hope I didn't end up on YouTube somewhere, recorded on someone's phone, balling my eyes out in the store.)]

Several great sermons from Tony Evans, just because I need them:

What to do when life gets hard

Trusting The God You Believe In

Trusting God In A Storm

Trusting God In The Darkness

God Knows What He Is Doing

Divine Coincidences 
(for more sermons from him, click here) 

A few songs that help keep my faith up:

I AM by Crowder  (One of my favorite scenes in this song is at the 2:34 minute mark, when one of the disciples is laying on the floor crying, reaching out to a battered Jesus who's lying near him.  Oh, how I've felt that way so many times these past years, especially now.  Life has repeatedly beaten me down, and I'm laying on the floor crying, doing the only thing I can do - reaching out for the Lord who is nearby - even if it doesn't feel like it - during the painful trials, just hoping and praying to be able to touch Him with the tip of my finger to feel His presence and know that He is there.  Reaching out for the Lord while you're in pain - sometimes that's all you can do.  (And praising Him, of course.)  And sometimes that has to be enough.)

Oh, What Love by City Harmonic  (One of my all-time favorite songs.  Always makes me cry.)     

We Believe by Newsboys  (Such great truths that need to be remembered, especially in the hard times.  It's critical to remember that the Bible's truths trump our feelings and fears.  That the Bible's truths will outlast our feelings and fears.  Someday He's coming back again, and He will right all wrongs, make all bad things beautiful, and heal all hurts.  And that's a truth I cling to.)

Hallelujah Christmas by Cloverton  (A wonderful, encouraging song any time of year!)

Burn the Ships by For King and Country  (There will come a day when it's time to stop crying, to pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself off, put the past behind you, and move forward.  Someday, for whatever trials we're in, there will come a day to "burn the ships."  For the backstory to this song, click here.)

In The Sky by Bob Carlisle, Russ Lee, and Ashley Cleveland  (I am so longing for this day!  Waiting for the Lord's return.  It's what helps keep me going.)

Praise the Lord by City Harmonic  (No matter what you're going through - good or the bad - this is critical to maintaining your faith, to staying near to the Lord, and to keeping evil away as much as possible.  Praise the Lord.  No matter what.  You might not be able to fix the problems that are coming your way, but you can turn the problems into "sacred ground," into a springboard for praise.  You can't choose the hand you're dealt, but you can choose how to play your cards!)

(You can find more great songs in this post: My "When Anxiety Strikes" Playlist) 

If someone protests the police ...

Regarding this up-and-coming generation's fascination with protesting the police, my suggesting is ...

If someone is going to protest the police, then they should NOT be allowed to call on the police for help if ever they find themselves the victim of a crime!

If you protest the police and then someone breaks into your home, don't call the cops for help.  If someone mugs you in an alley, deal with it yourself.  If someone crashes into your car while you're driving, you're on your own.

If you are going to trash those who are trying to help us, then you shouldn't be allowed to call on them for help.  


You know what really gets me?

Do people not realize that the more they protest the police and lash out against the police and vilify the police, the less people there are who will want to become police?  And the less police there are, the more criminal activity there will be.  Because there will be less police to fight it and because these protesters are stirring up major disrespect for authority and for laws.

And so who should we blame when crime is running rampant but there's no one to fight it?

That's right ... these protestors.

I'm not saying that all cops are good cops or that cops are perfect.  And I'm not saying we shouldn't protest police actions that are truly wrong.  But I am saying that we need to stand up against this generalized attitude of lawlessness and rebellion and disrespect being spread by people like those protesting police just for the sake of protesting.  We need to fight for the respect of police, for our men and women in uniform.  Before we find ourselves in a country where the protestors have become the dangerous ones and where crime is growing but there's no one to call on for help.