Christ Animated

Just a happy part of my day Almost everyday as I Log into Facebook to see All the people who are Playing around. I relax, Eating my sliced pickled peppers Not nachos, but chips or crackers with them, On cheddar cheese, too, and I Smile.

Two or three days, at best.  That's all I can manage. Then I break down in tears again. A word, a song, an unfamiliar face ... I never know what's going to open the gates, rip the dam apart. A few precious friends  check on me regularly and pray for me. An even more precious much smaller number call, text, message me and we talk for hours. They know their names. I hope they know that I know their names, and that their hearts are golden -  lovely to me. When I desperately needed to talk to someone yesterday, I got to talk to my girls via Skype. How I've missed them! Then one of those precious few called, and we talked for an hour, about everything and nothing. I felt so much better after talking with you. Thank you. Then another of those precious few messaged, and we 'talked' like that for three hours, about things that matter and things that don't, to anyone else. I felt so much better after talking with you, too. Thank you....

Have you ever listened to a CD (tape, record, 8-track, iTunes list, stone tablet) that you've had for quite a while, and maybe listened to countless times, and "discovered" a song? It just jumps out at you, and you could swear you've never heard it before. Two songs did that for me today. I was listening to "Alien Youth", an earlier album from Christian/crossover mega-group Skillet . My son and I had previously agreed that "You are My Hope" was the only song we both really liked from that album.  But then I heard "Will You Be There? (Falling Down)", followed by "Come My Way", and I thought, "Wow! Where have these two songs been hiding?" I'm not sure why I never noticed them before. Maybe it's like when you see a beautiful woman across the room and she takes your breath away, and you find out later you've seen her a dozen times before. For some reason you did not notice until just that moment . It...

A while back, a friend who had himself very recently been through a divorce, recommended that I sign up for Divorce Care Daily Emails [ http://dailyemails.divorcecare.org/dailyemails/tellafriend/ ], so I did. As I read through the ones that came, I thought some were less than helpful (most likely due to my attitude at that moment), but the majority hit me right between the eyes, and straight in my heart.  As I write this, I'm on day 126. Two days ago, the short email was on "Profound Loss". Though I cannot reprint the short article here, you can look it up for yourself on the DivorceCare.org website [Day 124].  But I can share part of it: "When you go through divorce, you experience a profound sense of loss, and that makes the loneliness deeper." "What was so bad is that I knew what it felt like to be loved, to be cherished, to not be lonely, to have a full life. All of a sudden it seemed like my life was over. I was convinced that I would nev...

'You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.' [Insert photo of Congress here. Don't know where it went. Maybe it's not in session ...]

How awfully inconvenient. Although I repeatedly implore God to work according to my  timing, He never does. Although God's timing has (remarkably) coincided with my own at times, not once has He ever altered His timing for any reason. God's timing is always  best. Always.  So, if I am to fully depend upon God, I must fully depend upon His ability to do what is right at the right time.  Pity that doesn't line up with my "gimme it now" attitude.  But thank Him that He would rather give me what I need when He knows I need it, rather than give me what I want and think  I need whenever I ask for it.  Praise You, Lord!

See how many you can get right WITHOUT looking up the answers! [1] Top grossing _______ movie of all time:      [a] Western:   (1) Dances with Wolves  (2) Django Unchained  (3) Unforgiven      [b] Zombie:    (2) Night of the Living Dead  (2) 28 Days Later (3) Zombieland        [c] Drama:      (1) Gone with the Wind  (2) Titanic  (3) The Passion of the Christ      [d] Thriller:    (1) The Dark Knight  (2) The Hunger Games  (3) The Sixth Sense      [e] Horror:     (1) Texas Chainsaw Massacre  (2) Blair Witch Project  (3) The Exorcist      [f] Comedy:   (1) Groundhog Day  (2) Home Alone  (3) Liar Liar      [g] Animated: (1) The Lion King  (2) Toy Story 3  (3) Shrek 2       [h] Any Genre: (1) Avatar  (2)...

The benefits and glory of Christian singlehood, as explained by Dr. Tony Evans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB6K1sNPptQ&list=UURZweRCzcK5ObXPCNKvdMOQ&index=28   Very much worth the 6 minutes it will take you to watch it! I joke about being single versus being 'attached', but this is well worth your time, singles!

Just because today (Feb. 14) is "Single Awareness Day", does that mean it's "sad"? Sure, the acronym for Single Awareness Day is  "S.A.D.", but, come on.  If we called it by its less-popular and more obscure name, "Valentine's Day" (I mean, who ever heard of that  name for this 'holiday'?), does that mean the day would be "V.D."? I don't think so. Or even necessarily happy, just because it's a different name. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Juliet Capulet, to some guy named Roman, or something. Verily, 'tis true, I say.  A dead skunk by any other name would still stink to high heaven.  So what does it matter what moniker we bestow upon the day at hand? Naught, I persist in attesting. It matters naught.  Therefore, I will not call the day "Valentine's Day" just because I am a history buff (trust me, check out my h...

Songs I Really Enjoy [1] Arms , by Christina Perri [2] Distance , by Christina Perri [3] 1,000 Years , by Christina Perri [4] The Lonely, by Christina Perri [5] Jar of Hearts , by Christina Perri Perhaps it's because these are all songs about love and loss (and love again, in some cases), or struggling with feelings of falling in and out of love, but I have found myself listening to these songs over and over lately. I also love Ms. Perri's beautiful voice. And, I have admitted to some that I become kind of 'obsessive' when it comes to music I really enjoy. I will listen to the same CD over and over and over before going to something else. I can listen to the same song that I love multiple times in a row.  Books I Really Enjoy [1] Salem's Lot , by Stephen King [2] Beowulf [3] The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe , by C. S. Lewis These are three of the many books I have read several times. King's Salem's Lot  scared the heck out of ...

[1] Christina Perri's "Arms" is only one of a trio of songs from this amazing singer that are named after body parts. The other four songs are: "Spleen", "Appendix for Two", and "Medula Oblongata".  [2] J. R. R. Tolkien was actually an elf, which explains his bizarre fascination with pipe tobacco and Owen Wilson. [3] Tabasco brand pepper sauce is what was used in the fake blood mixture in the episodes of AMC's  The Walking Dead where a bleeding person also needed to be screaming.  [5] Batman is not Bruce Wayne, nor is he Bill Gates. [6] When any musical number from Les Miserables  is played in reverse, it sounds just like Conan O'Brien impersonating Justin Beiber.  [14] Jason Mraz's last name is actually pronounced "Jones".  [18] Valentine's Day is named for a guy I used to know named Paul Valentine. Hi, Paul!

According to TheFreeDictionary.com, "creepy" is defined in the following manner (actual copy of site, Feb. 10, 2013, 4:46 pm): creepy   [ˈkriːpɪ] adj   creepier ,  creepiest 1.   Informal  having or causing a sensation of repulsion, horror, or fear, as of creatures crawling on the skin 2.  creeping; slow-moving creepily    adv creepiness    n Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged  © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 Ads by Google Public Arrest Records 1) Search by First and Last Name 2) Instant, Accurate and Anonymous InstantCheckmate.com Thesaurus Legend:    Synonyms   Related Words   Antonyms Adj. 1. creepy  - annoying and unpleasant; "some creepy kids were bothering her" offensive  - unpleasant or disgusting especially to the senses; "offensive odors" 2. creepy  - causing a sensation as of things crawling on your skin;...

Ask me this question and this answer I'll give People are watching the way that we live Over all the screaming can the whisper be heard Every thing spoken could be the one word Making changes in hearts and shaking up souls All the tears that we've cried gathered in bowls Betraying all that we've longed for and all that we've loved Only showing our true selves to the One up above Until my voice shakingly ceases to sound Til the beat in my veins can no longer be found Years from now or tomorrow all this will be gone Onto greener pasturers, with victory won Under His gaze you will ever remain

It is so appropriate that the word tears can be pronounced as 'teers' or 'tares'. The first refers to the drops or streams that flow from our eyes when we hurt. The second refers to a rending of something, such as a heart or dream torn to bits. "I shed tears because of the tears in my heart," then, would be a correct sentence.

I'm not sure why, exactly, but ever since I was a teenager, I've had the opportunity to talk with people who were seriously considering suicide. It's never a fun thing, but so many factors in life can lead someone to contemplate ending their lives.  Thousands (if not more) have written about it, sung about it, made movies about it. Still, many choose to end their lives - a 'permanent solution' to a temporary problem.  According to CDC.gov, in 2010 (latest available data) ... 633,000  people in the USA visited the emergency department of a hospital for self-inflicted injuries. How many people didn't go to a hospital, whether successful or not in their attempt? Of those, 38,364 were successful in their suicide attempts. Though that's less than 7% of attempts, it's still more than 38 thousand people who took their own lives. So much can be said about suicide and its links to depression, etc., but the main focus I want to have here today is to pay attent...

So many people want to be a help to those who are going through a period of separation and/or divorce. They offer well-meaning comments and prayers, but some of those well-meaning comments don't come across quite the way I think the people mean them. I've heard people at funerals tell the grieving parent that it was "God's will" for their child to die. This is not  what should be said to someone grieving, during the funeral, or at visitation! No comfort is offered by hearing that God wanted  your child to die. Mis-placed words during the death of a relationship are no less hurtful. "I never liked him/her, anyway." "You'll be fine. You'll get over this." "You'll find someone else in no time." "God hates divorce." "If you had worked harder on your marriage, maybe you could have avoided all this." You know, I didn't marry her because you liked or didn't like her. I know I'll be ...

I once had a preacher friend who would get so angry on Sunday mornings before services. He would get up early, study some more, and be dressed and ready to go before his wife and two children were even awake. Then, he would get aggravated with them for not being ready to go when he was ready to leave, and would often lose his temper over the kids' rambunctiousness (?) and difficulty in getting them ready to go. He would not leave without them, even though they lived directly across the street from the church building, because a pastor should arrive with his family, as a loving, healthy unit. But by the time they arrived at church, he was usually upset, and so were the rest of the family. What should one conclude from the repeated, weekly troubles this pastor & family had? [1] That the pastor should get some help with anger issues and patience? [2] That the wife and children should get up earlier on Sunday mornings? [3] That the children should be more obedient? Or ... ...

I'm interested, what would be your ultimate fantasy mash-up? Characters from Game of Thrones , Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, even The Walking Dead  ... what groupings would make the best: [1] Hero team? [2] Scariest villains? [3] Group to take to a show-n-tell type event at your school? [4] Worst one to wake up and find standing at the foot of your bed?

In the sci-fi/action movie  Transformers , alien robot entities are able to transform from their gigantic robot selves into cars, weapons, etc. They attempt to become whatever is most convenient and beneficial at that moment. Do we as Christians attempt to become whatever is most beneficial to those around us at any given moment? I'm sure we often attempt to become whatever is most convenient, but that's not always most beneficial. Paul told us he became "all things to all people" so that he could be all means be a saving influence to some of them. Are we doing the same? Next time we "transform", let's try to do it well.