Pruning

I have been thinking, that as we walk as Christians, its like taking care of a plant. A flowering, or fruit-bearing plant. These two types of plants need plenty of water, sunlight, weeding, and pruning. So many of us fail to grow spiritually because we aren't willing to do what I call a "Spiritual Pruning". A spiritual pruning is a rather simple concept. If you don't prune yourself (i.e. get rid of the stuff thats keeping you from your full potential in God) you can't expect growth, or to see fruit produced from your labor, or lack thereof. We can read our Bibles and go to church all we want, but if we are allowing things that don't belong into our lives, and don't get rid of them, all of our Bible-reading and church-going is in vain.

I think of it like a show I recently saw on TLC called "Hoarding: Buried Alive" which was a documentary of people who were compulsive hoarders. They would collect things, and wouldn't be able to stop collecting or to get rid of things. It got to the point where they couldn't even walk through their own homes because it was so full of junk. Their hoarding drove a wedge between them and their families, to the point where their own children couldn't stand to come to their parents homes because it was unsafe, unsanitary, and smelly.
These people who were compulsive hoarders generally had good intentions. They saw something that they knew could be useful, so they picked it up and brought it home, that way when someone needed something, they could give it to them. The problem was, this habit overcame their desire to give, it became a desire to stock. They saw something that they might decide they need one day, and that if they didn't get it right then, then it would be a waste because they had an opportunity to get that item and they passed it up.

There were other people where their hoarding got to the point where they wouldn't throw actual garbage away. For years, they would not throw away carryout containers, rotting food, paper plates kitty litter (used kitty litter). and their houses would be condemned by the city.

A lot of times we become so attached to our junk, that we panic at the thought of losing it. We become complacent and set up housekeeping in our issues, because we know it well, and we feel safe there. we loose sight of the fact that the God who created us has more for us then our stuff can offer. All we have to do is get rid of the bad in order to receive the good. And we can't do this on our own. We need to recognize that we have problems, and allow God to take them away. We have to make room for God to move into our lives.

These Hoarders on the tv show realized they had a problem. So they contacted psycologists to get help. And in the end, they were able to get their homes cleaned up, and there children and spouses were able to move back into the space where the junk had taken over the parents/spouses life.

Compulsive hoarding is a mental illness. So once they got help it didn't mean they were miraculously healed. They have to learn ways to deal with their problem. They have to learn how to get rid of the bad, and have to constantly be on the lookout for their behavior, and to learn to recognize what makes them want to start collecting things, so they can squelch it.

Its the same with pruning. A good gardener takes care of their flowers and plants, by pulling away the dead leaves, flower, and buds, which in turn allows new whole and alive and better things to take their place. But if you don't do this, the plant will eventually whither away and die.

If we let our issues take over our lives, we will loose sight of God and will whither away.

Long Overdue

I realize my last post written nearly a month ago. I didn't mean for that to happen, it just did.
I did have plenty of opportunity to write, I just didn't. I had been enjoying beautiful weather, planning music set lists for the HUB (our churches weekly dinner and service where my sister and I have lead worship for the past 4 weeks. Filling in for people) baby sitting, taking nieces and nephew fishing, anxiously awaiting the arrival of another nephew (to be born tomorrow around 7:30 a.m. my SIL has to get a c-section) cooking, painting the youth room, running events at church, flea market shopping, cleaning, reading, playing my guitar, discovered that they have ALL of the Little House on the Prairie episodes on Youtube (which has consumed way too much of my time), hiking, bowling, job searching, discovering I like country music (well, some of it anyway) practicing the song Boondocks (by Little Big Town), Dr's appointments, having food poisoning and or the flu, baking bread, ... However, I DID have plenty of time to write. I just haven't.

And now that I have that long spiel over with, I will tell you I meant to write on Monday. I had it all planned out, the title and everything. It was to be called "As My Bread is Rising" and I was going to write it as my bread was rising cause I did a lot of baking that day. However I didn't get my baking started until later then I had planned, as I was washing and cleaning the kitchen, and doing the dishes, and waiting for my turn to use the mixer. The kitchen was busy. So in reality I didn't get started baking until about 1 o'clock, as opposed to when I wanted to start around 10:30. And then I first made crackers to go with dinner (creamed chicken over pot pie crackers-- yummy!!!) which took a long time cause the cracker dough is stiff and crumbly. and hard to roll out thing. then I made 6 loaves of bread. And during this time a friend stopped by with the movie "Star Wars" insisting we watch it. (Sorry John, but I wasn't a fan of it...) and in return we made him watch Cranford (one of my favorite movies ever, its much like Pride and Prejudice in the way its written and such, set in 1842)
So you see why I never got around to posting. Yesterday my friend Naomi came over so I didn't post then either.

Well, it is getting late and I'm still in my pj's, so I best be going now. And on this note, I will tell you I'm "planning" to post pictures sometime soon. I'm hoping to go to my brothers house to put some pictures on his computer and post from there, because ours takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R to load pictures on.
Farewell :-)

Ponderings

I have had many things on my mind of late. Some good. Some disappointing, some hopeful, some joyful. In all of these pondering moments, its interesting to see how God works things out, both in the way I see things, and they way I deal with things.
For instance, I recently became aware of a past Christian recording artist who wrote beautiful songs for God and about God, who has chosen to lead a shall we say, ulterior lifestyle. Not one that is how God designed for us to live at all. My immediate thought once I heard this was to completely boycott everything that this person had done while they were serving God. But then as I was thinking that, I wondered what made me think that. God doesn't love this person any less. And if we are to live in the image of God, then shouldn't our actions, no matter how big or small, should represent Him in some way. Should we turn away from someone just because of a mistake? did God turn away from me when I have sinned? While I in no way shape or form condone the way this person is now living, rather than try to forget that they ever existed, I should be praying that they see God now more than ever. Cause once they see God, then they will see the error of their ways. Not with everyone judging them. Cause when everyone tells you that you are wrong, its so easy to just ignore them. Cause so often we speak not out of love, but out of our own so-called self righteousness, whether we realize it or not. So often we speak of the speck in someone else's eye, rather than the log in our own. No one likes to admit that they made a mistake, yet when someone else fails, fingers start pointing and tongues start wagging. Its no wonder why Christians can be the worst models for Christ. We can be just as judgmental and hypocritical as anyone else. And the sad thing is, we often are. Instead of choosing a higher standard of living, we often settle into what is easy. We go along with the crowd.

I'm not saying that I have over come all of these tendency's, because I know that I haven't. Its always a struggle to stay away from certain conversations, or to blurt out what I'm thinking, or to start problems, and more often then not, I find myself doing these very things. I think every Christian daily find themselves in situations that would be so easy to go with the flow, rather than standing for what is right... Its like trying to walk up stream in a river. So many times you are so tired of doing the opposite that you just want to relax and be swept away. But the difference is made when we choose to keep trudging forward without falling. And trust me, people will start noticing you as you keep yourself from situations that could tear others down. They will notice that you aren't laughing at so and so like everyone else, or that you aren't gossiping are talking behind peoples backs. And I believe that thats the kind of person most people want to be friends with... People who they know will stand by them. They know they won't be judged. The rewards of living a life walking upstream can be so rewarding.
Tiring, exhausting maybe, but so fulfilling and worth it.
Be blessed~

Musicals.

I love musicals. Old ones. I don't like the High school musical (which I sat thru and had to endure whilst baby sitting, uhg...) But I LOVE the old ones. They are so much cleaner than any movie, even children's movies that are now playing in theatres, plus, there is actual GOOD singing. Here are some of my favorites:

Every year in August we pull St. Fair out, because our county fair is in August,
And this movie gets us "In the mood". Well, we are usually
completely excited months in advance before the fair, I should say that this movie
just hightens our excitement ;)

Another favorite, all though my family members don't share my same zeal
for Fiddler on the Roof. I actually saw a high school put on this production
about a year ago, and it was awesome! Yente made the show, in my opinion.

Tootie is my favorite. Plus "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a fun song to belt out
at the top of your longs :D

All though My Fair Lady is EXTREMELY long, it is great.
''Jist you waoit 'enry ' iggins...''

I love the songs in this one... 'nuff said.

Actually, Brigadoon kinda gives me the creeps now that I think about it.

This is one of my all time favorites, all though I decided I don't really care for Gene Kelly.
I guess its the way he comes across on screen...seems sorta...Stuck up.
Lina Lamont more than makes up for my dislike of Gene Kelly though:-)

I haven't seen Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in ages... its at my sisters house... Still a favorite though:-)
My sister Anna and I are going to be house sitting tonight, and are most likely going to
take this over to watch... We'll actually be able to watch what we want
without little brothers complaining about it. Its either this one or the long Pride and Prejudice.

There you have it :-) I highly recommend each and every one of these, so if you are bored and decide to pick up a movie or something, I would check and see if they have any of these!

Good intentions

So last week, I intended to take pictures and do a recipe tutorial of the shrimp alfredo I made for dinner ( all though now that I think on it, the only thing I use a recipe for is the alfredo sauce)
I intended to take pictures and do a tutorial of my loaded egg potato cakes (my invention, but again, no written down recipe. and I forgot to add salt half way through).
Then half way through both times I remembered a camera but figured I'd just do it next time. That is if our computer doesn't decide to croak before then. Its pretty old and REALLY slow, especially when it comes to trying to upload pictures onto it from a camera... So I do admit that half the reason of my reluctance to do it this time was because I just wasn't up to dealing with a bipolar computer and resisting the temptation to kick in the screen and toss it out the window. Cause when you spend 3 hours (true story) trying to upload pictures, only to have them all disappear into thin air, you aren't the most happy person at the end. So I figured my siblings wouldn't much appreciate me being in a bad mood. So sometime hopefully in the near future pictures will be added to this site. Just not today. Perhaps Thursday or Friday though. Cause my brothers and sisters and I have been dreaming up April Fools ideas, and there will be a camera present then:)

Yesterday we had a lovely church service. We did a ham give away. We have lots of low income housing around our church, and occasionally go give out bags of groceries and the like. In honor o Easter, it was ham, so at 9:45 in the morning, 66 hams were taken across the street and offered to the people living there. Its a great outreach, cause often times we are able to pray with the people and have heard awesome stories about both the givers and recipients.
I unfortunately was unable to help, as we were having trouble with our power point projection, as well as a new program I had to learn to run the power point for Sunday morning. So I now have running all of the slides for the pastor's sermon under my belt, cause his clicker wasn't working, and I had to do it all manually. There were a few mistakes, but I hadn't heard the sermon or anything previous to this, so I was mostly guessing when to change the slides.

Then yesterday afternoon me and my brother and sister went to our friend's birthday party. Played Apples to Apples, chatted, ate pizza, had cake, watched a movie... That type of thing.
And I'm really rambling right now, so I shall post again some other time!

Norman Rockwell

I'm a big fan of Norman Rockwell. My grandma has a huge book of his prints at her house, and every time we go over there its always is someones hands, with several people gathered around and leaning over whoever is holding it, just looking at the pictures. He was one of those amazing artists who painted realistic but humorous pictures depicted from life. I'm sure as I wrote more entries on here, you shall see many of his pictures pop up here and there. I was doing another google search today (I google everything. Even my own name. Sad, I know) and found some of my favorites from my grandma's book.
Such as:

These two football ones remind me of my youngest brother and his friends.
Faithfully, every time they're together they play football. And their skinny little
legs stick out of there baggy pants, just like these pictures:)

The run away. I love his little hobo sack. I'm betting it had
some PB&J, and a couple of apples in it.

You can just imagine the sour notes coming from those guys.
And the expressions on their faces our priceless.

This one, is probably my all time favorite. She looks so proud of her black eye.
No doubt she was fighting with some boy and came out on the winning end.
Reminds me of the major Tomboy that I was. I'd have rather been playing football
and baseball, and riding bikes and climbing trees
(and I did get into my own share of scuffles with the neighbor hood kids)
Than play with dolls and the like.

Look into the Past

I was at a hardware store yesterday, that sold many vintage looking metal posters. I love the 1940's , and rather than pay $22.50 for 12 by 8 replica, I figured that online was as good a source as any to find old posters. To print up and stuff. WWII was (and is) my very favorite era. So I thought maybe some old war bonds, victory garden, and recruiting signs would be great. I love how each of the signs are hand painted, and generally not photographs. unfortunately it seems that the times signs that were hand crafted, rather than computer processed and mass produced are over. Also, when grocery stores and butcher shops would display hand painted signs of sale items, and that sort of thing. Instead we now have photo shopped pictures of fake looking food, and even faker looking people (seriously, are anybodies teeth that white?) Now I wasn't even born until some 50 years after the '40's, but still, I would have loved to be alive at the time.
So, for the sake of satisfying my longings of the past, I shall post some of my favorite war time posters that I found today while on my google search :)

Victory Gardens. Now that was a cool idea. I love gardens :-)

you know it! lol

And of course the two classic war posters.
I love these too, all though Uncle Sam doesn't seem to be very happy!

Ahh. to have been alive then.