May 1, 2006

  • The 10 Commandments (NIV)

    1. You shall have no other gods before me.


    2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.


    3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.


    4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.


    5. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your god is giving you.


    6. You shall not murder.


    7. You shall not commit adultery.


    8. You shall not steal.


    9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.


    10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

April 25, 2006
















  • Here is a thought that was sent to me today. It is worth sharing with you all.

     

     JUST LIKE JESUS

    This will make you stop and think. Hope you enjoy it. This is really
    powerful and makes you think…..Could I be mistaken for Jesus?

    A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in
    Chicago.  They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of
    time for Friday night’s dinner.

    In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen
    inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples
    flew everywhere.  Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to
    reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding.  All but one. He
    paused, took a deep breath, got in touch with his feelings, and experienced
    a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned.

    He told his buddies to go on without him, waved goodbye, told one of them to
    call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his
    taking a later flight.  Then he returned to the terminal where the apples
    were all over the terminal floor.  He was glad he did.

    The 16 year old girl was totally blind!  She was softly crying, tears
    running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly
    groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one
    stopping and no one to care for her plight.

    The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them
    back on the table and helped organize her display.  As he did this, he
    noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set
    aside in another basket.

    When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, “! Here,
    please take this $40 for the damage we did.  Are you okay?”

    She nodded through her tears.  He continued on with, “I hope we didn’t spoil
    your day too badly.”  As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered
    blind girl called out to him, “Mister…..”  He paused and turned to look
    back into those blind eyes.  She continued, “Are you Jesus?”

    He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered.  Then slowly he made his way to
    catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his
    soul:  “Are you Jesus?”

    Do people mistake you for Jesus?  That’s our destiny, is it not?  To be so
    much like Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and
    interact with a world (shopping, working, reacting to others that are
    serving us) that is blind to His love, life and grace.

    If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing
    Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church.  It’s
    actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day.

    You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a
    fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit.

    Let us live like we are worth the price He paid.

April 10, 2006

  • What I did on my vacation

    Today is the last day of my 3 week vacation.


    The first week I was off, I went to Matamoros Mexico with my daughter, Holley, and a group from her Church, Kingwood Assembly of God. Our mission was to finish building a Church in a small town named Little St. Louis. It was the most incredible experience! We started out with 4 walls and a dirt floor. We ended with a finished building, including pews and a pulpit. We also gave away clothes, toys and food, as well as providing haircuts and manicures. And they fed us wonderful food every day and allowed us a small glimpse of their lives. I came away with such respect for the Mexican people. They are so hard working and so appreciative of the little things in life. I would love to go back some day.


    I also met the most awesome people from Kingwood. If I start naming names I will miss someone for sure, but I spent more time talking and working with some more than others. They all made me feel so welcome and I was very impressed with how well everyone worked as a team. I especially appreciated Cheryl for kind of guiding me along all week (and loaning me a jacket because I wasn’t smart enough to bring one with me!), Doris and Melissa for all the help interpreting and making sure we didn’t order wrong in restaurants or get too lost coming back from dinner (thanks again Melissa!!!!), and our team leader Michelle for making sure I felt like a part of the group. Everyone on the trip was special and I miss all of you.


    Each day I felt myself growing closer to God. I am in total awe of His powers and some of the stories I heard while there just reinforced how very much in control of things He is. It also gave me a new appreciation for where I live and the many things I have. Most of the people we met were very poor. They were happy for just a new t-shirt or a bag of rice and beans.


    I very much intend to attempt at least one mission trip a year with these folks.


    The second week my husband and I went to New York City. Yeah, it was cool and we saw a couple of good plays, but it just seemed like such gluttony after the experience in Mexico. And I still can’t get over how expensive everything is there! No wonder they have so many homeless people!


    This last week was just time to catch up on housework and get caught back up on The Apprentice and The Amazing Race. I’m very grateful for Comcast’s DVR!


    I’ve missed the women I work for (Trudy and Frances) so I am happy to go back to work tomorrow. We started a new work schedule while I was off, so I will be there for a full week now and I’m looking forward to a great week with them!