Every year, I make a list of books I would like to read during the year. I have to admit, "my eyes are usually bigger than my stomach" so to speak and my list is way longer than I have the time to actually accomplish the reading of these great books. I have started my readings for the year and have high hopes for making a good dent in them. I actually have finished a few. You might already have a list but here is mine for 2008.
1. Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart (John Ensor)
2. I Saw the Lord (Anne Graham Lotz)
3. Biblical Womanhood in the Home (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)
4. Boiling Point: Understanding Men and Anger (Stephen Arterburn/David Stoop)
5. Praying the Names of God (Ann Spangler)
6. God Knows My Size (Harvey Yoder)
7. Satisfy My Thirsty Soul (Linda Dillow)
8. Mere Christianity (C.S.Lewis)
9. The Great Divorce (C.S.Lewis)
10. Safely Home (Randy Alcorn)
11. Basic Economics (Thomas Sowell)
12. The Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan)
13. Disciplines of a Godly Woman (Barbara Hughes)
14. Disciplines of a Godly Family (Kent and Barbara Hughes)
15. The Mission of Motherhood (Sally Clarkson)
16. Church History in Plain Language (Bruce Shelley)
17. Esther and Ruth: Reformed Expository Commentary (Iain M. Duguid)
18. Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother (Carolyn Mahaney)
19. Heaven (Randy Alcorn)
20. Doctrines of Grace (Boice/Ryken)
21. Systematic Theology (Wayne Grudem)
22. Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers)
Oh my goodness! So many books and this is just the first 20 that I want to read! I find myself surrounded by piles of books that: a) I want to read, b) I have started, c) I use for reference frequently, and/or d) I have finished and want to read again as soon as I can. I just love to read. Some of these on the list already are books I have read and just want to read again because it has been awhile or I remember reading something in that book that pertains to some things that I am going through now or they are just plain dadgum good! I have several more on my list but I want to see if anybody else has some good books to read that they have either heard some really great things about or have read themselves and can vouch for the quality and substance of the read. I'm up for anything.
So... tell us. What have YOU been reading lately??
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Womanly Musings for Monday
"Character contributes to beauty. It fortifies a woman as her youth fades. A mode of conduct, a standard of courage, discipline, fortitude and integrity can do a great deal to make a woman beautiful." --- Jacquelin Bisset (English actress)
"Take the attitude of a student. Never be too big to ask questions.
Never know too much to learn something new."
---Og Mandino (American Author)
"There are no ugly women. Only lazy ones."
--- Helena Rubenstein (American Cosmetics Manufacturer)
"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."
Proverbs 12:16
Blessings to you this week!
He is not here...
After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. They brought spices (as an act of love to offset the stench of the decaying body.) They worried out loud to each other, "who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?" Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, and came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightening blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened , they couldn't move.
They (the women) walked in but once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.
The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here.
I know you're looking for Jesus,
the One they nailed to the cross.
He is not here. He was raised, just as he said.
Remember how He told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?" Then they remembered Jesus' words. "Come and look at the place where he was placed. Now - get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, "He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there."
The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb.
They ran to tell the disciples all they had seen.
The above passages are excerpts from "The Message" (Eugene Peterson) out of the the first three gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke with notes from John MacArthur's Commentary inserted as necessary to clarify the meaning or draw correlations between the three overall passages. Read and reflect on the the true meaning of His sacrifice and the miracle of the fulfillment of His resurrection and how it impacts you now and how it will impact you later.
May He be praised both now and forevermore!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Phil, Farmers and Political Correctness
OK. I think today is the day to finish the story which, by now, is really beyond the funny state and circled back to un-funny. It was slightly humorous at best and, I'm guessing, more funny with my particular animation of the situation. So, unless you live here and were with me when this happened, this will be a let down for you.
Sorry.
However, I do have more stories to share. Some are hysterical though again, probably funnier with my entire re-enactment of it all, which thus far, I have shown to many and all agree, it loses something in translation to the written word. Plus, the choice of words should be tempered or at least filtered through a p.c. (political correctness) filter which, as Cass says, I clearly do not have in my possession. I don't know why she says that I am not politically correct. Truth is truth. As I said to her, just because somebody says the sky is purple, doesn't mean it is. It means that you are color blind or lying or uninformed. Please don't make me go philosophical on you guys and discuss the problems with moral relativism. Some things are just as they are, no matter what you call them. There are no gray areas in certain specific aspects of life just because we want there to be.
Just because someone doesn't want to be called short, doesn't mean that they aren't short. They are not "vertically challenged". It makes it sound like they had a choice and just weren't up for the challenge of growing. That is not what has happened. They are just short. It is not bad to be short. It just "is what it is" to quote a very overused phrase these days.
What about blonds? Are they brunette-challenged? No, they are cognitively-challenged.
NO, I AM JUST KIDDING. JUST SAID THAT TO GET A RISE OUT OF YOU ALL. WORKED, DIDN'T IT?!?!?!?!?!? SORRY! They are just blond. Even if they want to be called brunette and everybody starts to say that she is a brunette, she is still a blond. Unless she dyes her hair which is for another entry.
Likewise, just because someone doesn't want to be called tall, doesn't mean they aren't tall. I guess the P.C. term for this would be vertically SUPERIOR when compared with the converse of vertically challenged? Let's take an example, shall we? What about Yao Ming? You know, 7'6" Houston Rocket originally from China. Do you think, at 7'6" he thinks, "Yes. I truly am vertically superior." No. THIS is what he thinks.
"I am SICK AND TIRED of ducking through every stinkin' doorway that I come to."
"I am IRRITATED BEYOND BELIEF that Hoover doesn't make vacuum cleaners taller because I am getting back spasms by bending over to vacuum the carpet and don't get me started about the baseboards."
"I am RIDICULOUSLY ANNOYED at the fact that I am losing my hair because my head rubs the top of my Hyundai every time I wanna go to the store to get me a cheeseburger."
- and that is a lot of rubbin', my friends. Of course, he thinks all this in Chinese, but I think the translation is approximately the same. He does not think that he is vertically superior. He is JUST as frustrated as the short person and would probably prefer to just be called tall. End of statement. I have not spoken to him directly on this matter but I feel confident that he must feel similarly to this. If he happens to read this blog, please chime in, Yao, and let us know how you feel.
Seriously. I would like to know and put this P.C. stuff to rest. Can we just tell it like it is please? There is no need for unnecessary rudeness, but we should just come out with the truth more often in this country rather than trying to make everyone feel good about themselves and justify every single decision that is ever made as being a good decision. There are some decisions that are bad decisions and we shouldn't make them. Drunk driving - bad. Teaching three year olds how to play with a loaded weapon - bad. Eating rotten fruit - bad. Helping eldery people across the street (when they want to go across the street) - good. Working hard - good. Eating ripe fruit - good. There are some things that are really not up for debate. It seems that we have a society now where we glorify the individual over the good of the entire group by making the majority bend to accommodate one single person and what they want or demand or makes them feel better about themselves and their decisions no matter if it is beneficial to the greater number of people.
Think about in sports. I grew up where every child gets a trophy whether they won or not. We are rewarded for things we do not deserve rewards for simply by breathing in the same air as the winner. I am not saying be cruel and not affirm our children - please do not read that. I am saying that life is not fair and I feel like we are perpetuating a disservice to those by teaching that you will always gets rewarded and life will always hand you a trophy even if you don't win, don't put forth the effort, or don't even show up to practice. We end up with some very spoiled children growing up into adults continuing to make these unwise and morally relative decisions into adulthood and expecting to always get their way. We have football players crying because they cannot go to strip clubs, carry a weapon, be involved with the "wrong crowd" and not make 8 gazillion dollars for playing 13 games which amounts to approximately 36 hours of time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is less than a week's worth. Sometimes, life is just life. Bad things happen. Justice seems ill apparent at times. Families fracture and fall apart. Best friends and good people pass away. Hard-working (and cognitively superior blond) people lose jobs sometimes. It is not the happiest part of life but it is a very real part of life and we should be teaching our own how to deal with it productively and appropriately and not expect that your life will be ideal or that you deserve to expect ideal. We get back up and realize that yeah, you didn't get the trophy this time but next time, you might with some hard work and God's favor.
Just my 2 cents.
Wow. That kind of morphed into a topic bigger than PC, huh? I think maybe I had a chip on my shoulder about something. Huh -- how'd that get there?
Well, I kind of hope there are no professional athletes reading this because they are taking major hits today. Except for Payton. I see him all over TV all the time. He could play baseball with all the pitches he is making. Therefore, I excuse him and could justify him for requesting millions because he clearly works lot of overtime for his money. He makes good decisions and does a lot of good things for the community like a lot of other professional athletes do as well. I can just see the flood of hate mail now. Everyone, easy up. This is not a personal attack on professional athletes. This is just a little venting moment about a bigger issue than you guys. I do love me a little Payton Manning, though... and a little Eli. I so did not blog on the Superbowl and I so should have. Man, was that great or what?
OK, let's get back to the boring story of yestermonth.
Long and short of it... I had a blow out on I-65 on the way home. It was Tuesday and had started snowing that day. It was freezing and I had no coat or gloves. I have no AAA (Triple A) and I have no "male friend" to take care of this for me. (This is where I get lots of women writing saying, I DO have a male friend and I still have to take care of that kind of thing! Thank you so much for trying to make me feel better or at least that I am not hanging out in the boat all alone but I am not going to lie, I was still ticked about the lack of help.) However, I want to take a little time to introduce Phil.
Phil and Donna.
Phil and Donna _ _ _ _ _ (I am protecting the innocent. They might not want to be mentioned on this blog or be associated with the one writing this blog.)
I love these people. Love them. Love them.
She is tall and he is bald.
That's right. I said it.
I call them "Vertically Superior" and "Barely Hairly".
Well, I don't really do that because he is not really bald.
Kind of balding... but HUMANLY SUPERIOR with road side help!!!!
I wish you could hear the tone in my voice when I relay the phone conversation.
Christi: "Phil. Hey, it's Christi. Listen, I am on the side of the road on 65 and I just had a blow out. What should I do?"
Phil: (Calm, cool, and collected but upbeat) "Are you OK? Are you still on the road or were you able to pull off?"
Christi: "I am on the side of the road and am fine. About 3 exits from my house. Should I call someone to help me and who should that be?"
(Ladies, a side note, do your brains go out the window when you're cold? Yeah, me neither but when I am stuck on the side of the road, in the dark, without a coat and gloves, and it is snowing outside, I think it is safe to say, I checked out.)
Phil: (Still calm, cool and collected but upbeat) Do you have triple A? I would call them.
Christi: I don't have Triple A.
Phil: (Calm, cool, collected, but NOT upbeat. Think Eeyore on 'Winnie the Pooh') Where are you? I'll come help you out.
Christi: "Thanks so much, Eeyore." (Inside my brain but NOT verbalized - Why do I need Triple A when I can call Barely Hairly Triple P?)
Just kidding. I really and truly did not think that at all. I did think "what would I have done without him being here?" And, let's be honest. It was after 7 PM. It was dark. It was snowing. Who wants to change a tire? Who knows how to change a tire? Not us. Please, no lectures about me not being a mechanic. I have other skills. Car assembly or disassembly is not one of them.
Anyway, in a few minutes, I got a tap on my passenger window. It was "Vertically Superior". I rolled that window down and this is the conversation that ensues.
VS: "Hi there, Honey! Are you OK? I've got a blan-ket, a pil-low, some bottled wa-ter, and some warm zucchini bread in the car for you. Why don't you come on into my car and we'll let Phil take care of this and we'll get warm in over there!"
Christi: "AMEN, SISTER FRIEND!!!!!"
Who here wants "VS" for their friend? Yeah, that's what I thought.
So, please don't think I or we were that callous to let Phil do all of it. I offered moral eye support as we watched him and figured out that this would take additional help because the jack was inadequate for the job.
Blah, blah, blah...called my insurance company. (Shout out to Farmers.) They sent a pizza man out to change the tire for FREE. (I suppose "free" is a relative term because really, I have paid jacked up auto insurance prices for the last 20 years so that when I was stuck on the side of the road in my 30's I could get a tire change for free.) Anyway, I got home and the Jones's have earned a HUGE star in my book. I will now call them "Astronomically Superior" when referring to them as a couple.
But wait, there's more...
The next day, drove to work and left my car in the shuttle lot during the day. My friend gave me a ride to my car after work in the shuttle lot and...
Kimmie: "Is that the tire that you had changed yesterday?"
Christi: "Yes."
Kimmie: "It's flat."
Yes, friends. Now the spare was flat. And the other tire was blown out in the back of the car.
Just so you know, I did not call "Astronomically Superior" but I totally cashed in on those higher rates again and had them hustle me up a tow truck, which they did for free again.
Bottom line... it's fixed now.
See, not the best story. Had you been there for the entire scenario it would have been funny maybe. I tried to add as much humor as I could since Mandy has been waiting a really long time and posted two comments about how sick she was of waiting to hear it.
I bet she wishes she had saved the comments for a more pressing story coming later after hearing this story?
Mandy, don't go. Come back. There are many more stories coming. They are funnier, I promise.
Sorry.
However, I do have more stories to share. Some are hysterical though again, probably funnier with my entire re-enactment of it all, which thus far, I have shown to many and all agree, it loses something in translation to the written word. Plus, the choice of words should be tempered or at least filtered through a p.c. (political correctness) filter which, as Cass says, I clearly do not have in my possession. I don't know why she says that I am not politically correct. Truth is truth. As I said to her, just because somebody says the sky is purple, doesn't mean it is. It means that you are color blind or lying or uninformed. Please don't make me go philosophical on you guys and discuss the problems with moral relativism. Some things are just as they are, no matter what you call them. There are no gray areas in certain specific aspects of life just because we want there to be.
Just because someone doesn't want to be called short, doesn't mean that they aren't short. They are not "vertically challenged". It makes it sound like they had a choice and just weren't up for the challenge of growing. That is not what has happened. They are just short. It is not bad to be short. It just "is what it is" to quote a very overused phrase these days.
What about blonds? Are they brunette-challenged? No, they are cognitively-challenged.
NO, I AM JUST KIDDING. JUST SAID THAT TO GET A RISE OUT OF YOU ALL. WORKED, DIDN'T IT?!?!?!?!?!? SORRY! They are just blond. Even if they want to be called brunette and everybody starts to say that she is a brunette, she is still a blond. Unless she dyes her hair which is for another entry.
Likewise, just because someone doesn't want to be called tall, doesn't mean they aren't tall. I guess the P.C. term for this would be vertically SUPERIOR when compared with the converse of vertically challenged? Let's take an example, shall we? What about Yao Ming? You know, 7'6" Houston Rocket originally from China. Do you think, at 7'6" he thinks, "Yes. I truly am vertically superior." No. THIS is what he thinks.
"I am SICK AND TIRED of ducking through every stinkin' doorway that I come to."
"I am IRRITATED BEYOND BELIEF that Hoover doesn't make vacuum cleaners taller because I am getting back spasms by bending over to vacuum the carpet and don't get me started about the baseboards."
"I am RIDICULOUSLY ANNOYED at the fact that I am losing my hair because my head rubs the top of my Hyundai every time I wanna go to the store to get me a cheeseburger."
- and that is a lot of rubbin', my friends. Of course, he thinks all this in Chinese, but I think the translation is approximately the same. He does not think that he is vertically superior. He is JUST as frustrated as the short person and would probably prefer to just be called tall. End of statement. I have not spoken to him directly on this matter but I feel confident that he must feel similarly to this. If he happens to read this blog, please chime in, Yao, and let us know how you feel.
Seriously. I would like to know and put this P.C. stuff to rest. Can we just tell it like it is please? There is no need for unnecessary rudeness, but we should just come out with the truth more often in this country rather than trying to make everyone feel good about themselves and justify every single decision that is ever made as being a good decision. There are some decisions that are bad decisions and we shouldn't make them. Drunk driving - bad. Teaching three year olds how to play with a loaded weapon - bad. Eating rotten fruit - bad. Helping eldery people across the street (when they want to go across the street) - good. Working hard - good. Eating ripe fruit - good. There are some things that are really not up for debate. It seems that we have a society now where we glorify the individual over the good of the entire group by making the majority bend to accommodate one single person and what they want or demand or makes them feel better about themselves and their decisions no matter if it is beneficial to the greater number of people.
Think about in sports. I grew up where every child gets a trophy whether they won or not. We are rewarded for things we do not deserve rewards for simply by breathing in the same air as the winner. I am not saying be cruel and not affirm our children - please do not read that. I am saying that life is not fair and I feel like we are perpetuating a disservice to those by teaching that you will always gets rewarded and life will always hand you a trophy even if you don't win, don't put forth the effort, or don't even show up to practice. We end up with some very spoiled children growing up into adults continuing to make these unwise and morally relative decisions into adulthood and expecting to always get their way. We have football players crying because they cannot go to strip clubs, carry a weapon, be involved with the "wrong crowd" and not make 8 gazillion dollars for playing 13 games which amounts to approximately 36 hours of time. Ladies and gentlemen, this is less than a week's worth. Sometimes, life is just life. Bad things happen. Justice seems ill apparent at times. Families fracture and fall apart. Best friends and good people pass away. Hard-working (and cognitively superior blond) people lose jobs sometimes. It is not the happiest part of life but it is a very real part of life and we should be teaching our own how to deal with it productively and appropriately and not expect that your life will be ideal or that you deserve to expect ideal. We get back up and realize that yeah, you didn't get the trophy this time but next time, you might with some hard work and God's favor.
Just my 2 cents.
Wow. That kind of morphed into a topic bigger than PC, huh? I think maybe I had a chip on my shoulder about something. Huh -- how'd that get there?
Well, I kind of hope there are no professional athletes reading this because they are taking major hits today. Except for Payton. I see him all over TV all the time. He could play baseball with all the pitches he is making. Therefore, I excuse him and could justify him for requesting millions because he clearly works lot of overtime for his money. He makes good decisions and does a lot of good things for the community like a lot of other professional athletes do as well. I can just see the flood of hate mail now. Everyone, easy up. This is not a personal attack on professional athletes. This is just a little venting moment about a bigger issue than you guys. I do love me a little Payton Manning, though... and a little Eli. I so did not blog on the Superbowl and I so should have. Man, was that great or what?
OK, let's get back to the boring story of yestermonth.
Long and short of it... I had a blow out on I-65 on the way home. It was Tuesday and had started snowing that day. It was freezing and I had no coat or gloves. I have no AAA (Triple A) and I have no "male friend" to take care of this for me. (This is where I get lots of women writing saying, I DO have a male friend and I still have to take care of that kind of thing! Thank you so much for trying to make me feel better or at least that I am not hanging out in the boat all alone but I am not going to lie, I was still ticked about the lack of help.) However, I want to take a little time to introduce Phil.
Phil and Donna.
Phil and Donna _ _ _ _ _ (I am protecting the innocent. They might not want to be mentioned on this blog or be associated with the one writing this blog.)
I love these people. Love them. Love them.
She is tall and he is bald.
That's right. I said it.
I call them "Vertically Superior" and "Barely Hairly".
Well, I don't really do that because he is not really bald.
Kind of balding... but HUMANLY SUPERIOR with road side help!!!!
I wish you could hear the tone in my voice when I relay the phone conversation.
Christi: "Phil. Hey, it's Christi. Listen, I am on the side of the road on 65 and I just had a blow out. What should I do?"
Phil: (Calm, cool, and collected but upbeat) "Are you OK? Are you still on the road or were you able to pull off?"
Christi: "I am on the side of the road and am fine. About 3 exits from my house. Should I call someone to help me and who should that be?"
(Ladies, a side note, do your brains go out the window when you're cold? Yeah, me neither but when I am stuck on the side of the road, in the dark, without a coat and gloves, and it is snowing outside, I think it is safe to say, I checked out.)
Phil: (Still calm, cool and collected but upbeat) Do you have triple A? I would call them.
Christi: I don't have Triple A.
Phil: (Calm, cool, collected, but NOT upbeat. Think Eeyore on 'Winnie the Pooh') Where are you? I'll come help you out.
Christi: "Thanks so much, Eeyore." (Inside my brain but NOT verbalized - Why do I need Triple A when I can call Barely Hairly Triple P?)
Just kidding. I really and truly did not think that at all. I did think "what would I have done without him being here?" And, let's be honest. It was after 7 PM. It was dark. It was snowing. Who wants to change a tire? Who knows how to change a tire? Not us. Please, no lectures about me not being a mechanic. I have other skills. Car assembly or disassembly is not one of them.
Anyway, in a few minutes, I got a tap on my passenger window. It was "Vertically Superior". I rolled that window down and this is the conversation that ensues.
VS: "Hi there, Honey! Are you OK? I've got a blan-ket, a pil-low, some bottled wa-ter, and some warm zucchini bread in the car for you. Why don't you come on into my car and we'll let Phil take care of this and we'll get warm in over there!"
Christi: "AMEN, SISTER FRIEND!!!!!"
Who here wants "VS" for their friend? Yeah, that's what I thought.
So, please don't think I or we were that callous to let Phil do all of it. I offered moral eye support as we watched him and figured out that this would take additional help because the jack was inadequate for the job.
Blah, blah, blah...called my insurance company. (Shout out to Farmers.) They sent a pizza man out to change the tire for FREE. (I suppose "free" is a relative term because really, I have paid jacked up auto insurance prices for the last 20 years so that when I was stuck on the side of the road in my 30's I could get a tire change for free.) Anyway, I got home and the Jones's have earned a HUGE star in my book. I will now call them "Astronomically Superior" when referring to them as a couple.
But wait, there's more...
The next day, drove to work and left my car in the shuttle lot during the day. My friend gave me a ride to my car after work in the shuttle lot and...
Kimmie: "Is that the tire that you had changed yesterday?"
Christi: "Yes."
Kimmie: "It's flat."
Yes, friends. Now the spare was flat. And the other tire was blown out in the back of the car.
Just so you know, I did not call "Astronomically Superior" but I totally cashed in on those higher rates again and had them hustle me up a tow truck, which they did for free again.
Bottom line... it's fixed now.
See, not the best story. Had you been there for the entire scenario it would have been funny maybe. I tried to add as much humor as I could since Mandy has been waiting a really long time and posted two comments about how sick she was of waiting to hear it.
I bet she wishes she had saved the comments for a more pressing story coming later after hearing this story?
Mandy, don't go. Come back. There are many more stories coming. They are funnier, I promise.
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