Now THIS is Hilarious!!

I was reading this article today, and gleaned a LOT of wisdom.  No, I'm not a secretary, but I can learn a lot about serving from those who serve.  Bonnie's words of guidance are quite an encouragement to anyone who wants to grow and be a blessing to others.

Not only did I gain some wisdom, I also got a few belly laughs.  These are simply HILARIOUS.

Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.

We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand.

For Rent: 6-room hated apartment.

Auto Repair Service: Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once, you'll never go anywhere again.

Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!

And my personal favorite:

Our experienced Mom will care for your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included.

The moral of the story??  Always have someone proofread your work!!

Put a skip in your step as you go on your journey!

An Unbelievable Sight!

The other day, Sharon and I were sitting outside talking and enjoying the beauty of the Southern California winter.  I love to watch the different kinds of birds that migrate here to spend the winter in a warmer climate.  I had my camera with me, ready to take any pictures of beauty that presented itself.

What Sharon and I saw as we sat there was something so unbelievable, so incredible, and unusual, that if I hadn't seen it myself, I would not believe it!

I love herons, but I'm reconsidering.  You'll see why in the next few pictures.

I always thought herons went fishing, but this one went "squirreling!"  Here the ground is INFESTED with ground squirrels, with holes about every foot or so in the field.  They're simply EVERYWHERE!  But Mr. Heron must have decided that getting a meal in the field is easier than getting it in the water!

Here he is, ever so still, and very gracefully taking very...careful...steps.

Slowly, ever so carefully, he puts out a foot and moves closer to his desired "squirreling" spot.

Spying his meal, he stands literally frozen to the spot.

Slowly, carefully, he crouches down, ready to attack.

ZAP!  He got it!  But the question is, what did he get?

I was astounded when I realized that it was a baby squirrel!!

Poor thing.  You can see his legs sticking out of Mr. Heron's beak.

Yikes!  A squirrel-eating bird??!!??

What if he chokes??  Would he turn blue?

There you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  Proof positive that Herons eat rodents.  Like I said, I don't know that I like herons quite as well as I used to.  Now, if they ate rats, that might be a different story.

Meal finished, Mr. Heron goes on to look for more.  

Am I glad I'm not a ground squirrel!

When You Are Tired...

This is the way I feel sometimes!

"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

-Sir Winston Churchill

Rest when you need to, but never lose your vigilance on the home front.  Keep rolling on for Jesus, dear ones!

Created for a Purpose

God never made us to fit in, He made us to STAND OUT!

Keep rolling on for Jesus!

What's an Educated Woman to Do?

What's an educated woman to do?

I've been reading a very interesting book by Charlotte Mason, an educator from the 1800s.  Charlotte was actually the original home education proponent, turning the hearts of the parents to the children, and encouraging parents, especially mothers, to use their talents to educate their children at home.  Her writings are refreshing, insightful, and encouraging.  I've been tremendously challenged and blessed by what I've read so far.


Here's an interesting quote I read earlier:

We are waking up to our duties and in proportion as mothers become more highly educated and efficient, they will doubtless feel the more strongly that the education of their children during the first six years of life is an undertaking hardly to be entrusted to any hands but their own.  And they will take it up as their profession - that is, with the diligence, regularity, and punctuality which men bestow on their professional labours.

Looking back now on all that's transpired in the past one hundred and ten years or so, we see that Mason was perhaps a little idealistic, ready to believe in all that is good in people.  Really, we can't fault her, but it's sad to see that just the opposite has happened - mothers have become more highly educated and efficient and instead of benefiting their families with their talents, they have taken them and given their best energies for the purse, or the pocketbook, or the self-esteem.


What's an educated woman to do?  Give of her best to her Master, and give her very best years, talents, and labors to her family.  What better reward can there be for her labors than that her children would rise up and call her blessed?  

Invest in her children!

Two Feet From Death

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)
With the tens of thousands of miles we put on our bus, who would have thought My Beloved and I would come face-to-face with death on our weekly date? It is strange to think how commonplace quickly becomes the uncommon, and in an instant, our whole perspective on life is altered.
My husband and I were driving home on the highway the other night from an evening of relaxation, good food, too much shopping, and enjoying each other's undivided attention when I saw the other car.
He was driving right toward us.
As I saw his headlights get bigger, it slowly dawned on me that we were on a four-lane road, NOT a two-lane, and this car was clearly going the wrong way on a one-way street…at about forty miles an hour.
Life can get very messy, very quickly.
Beyond words, I merely pointed and began hollering unintelligible things. My Beloved saw the other car when he was about a hundred feet away and began honking for all he was worth. The other car flew past us at a combined speed of about one hundred miles an hour merely two feet away.
I didn't want to look in the rear view mirror, but I had to. Flashing headlights, brake lights. Finally My Beloved breathed a sigh of relief. "He pulled off the road," he said, looking in the mirror. I was unable to see it, but I was very thankful. I reached over for his hand, letting my fingers feel his strength, his faith, and sighed deeply.
I was still quivery when we arrived home about ten minutes later.
All three of the young children were in bed, sleeping, oblivious to what had happened. I looked at their tousled heads, wondering what the night could have been like…and thanking God that it wasn't.
Why is it that a brush with death gives us a new perspective on life? Why do we wait until we are living on borrowed time before we begin to appreciate life? Eternity becomes vividly into focus, and we see, perhaps for the first time in our lives, what is really important and what doesn't matter at all.
"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." It is my heart-cry, my desire, my quest. Help me, Lord, to always see life from Your perspective, from the eye of eternity.
Death could easily cross that two-foot gap and strip the life from my hands, and it would be gone. I thank God it didn't that day. I've been given more time with my family, more time to serve the Lord, more time to love, and more time to give. It's a wonderful feeling. It's a sobering feeling.

It's that feeling that happens when you are Two Feet From Death.
I have a huge responsibility, and that's to glorify God, giving myself wholly to Him. To enjoy the gifts He has entrusted me with, and to focus my heart on Him, pointing others to Him.
Giving ourselves wholly to God is a full and free feeling, a "throwing it all to the wind," so to speak. But in this case, the wind is not the instability of a breezy air of empty expanse, but the rock-solid stability of the kind and gentle hands of a tender loving Abba-Father.
It's the same heart-cry that our Lord uttered when He threw back His Head, took His last earthly breath,, and cried, "Father, into Thy Hands I commend my Spirit." It is giving our all to Him, trusting that He will take it and lovingly sift the bad from the good, and fill our lives and hearts with His goodness. I know His Will is best. The outcome may be not quite like I prefer it at first, but it is always best.
"I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
It's that crucified life – that life of the living dead – that is worthwhile. Those that have realized that we are as good as dead to the material draw of this world are the crucified ones. It is that brush with death that brings eternity into focus. Really, I am already dead. When I gave myself to Christ one day years ago, I died. I died to my dreams, to myself, to my precious vices I held so dear. I died to them all. A vision of death brings a vision of eternal reality. But, oh, that blessed reality!
Always remind me, Lord, of what is real, and focus on that reality every day.
Help me to savor every blessed moment I have – including the trials – because there will come a time when these opportunities will be gone.

Thank You, Lord, that I have been Two Feet From Death….Help me to live for You like there is no tomorrow.

Tickle Your Thinker

Did you know that happy people are more likely to get married, and married people are more likely to be happy? (Raisinghappiness.com, April, 2011)

And…

Did you know that those who shop daily are more likely to live longer than those who shop only once a week? (msnbc.msn.com, April 2011)

These are some of the recent statistics that have been tickling my thinker this week. Of course, the latter statistic is greeted with great enthusiasm by the thrift store shoppers of my family, and the former statistic I find interesting because I've found it to be true in my own experience.

The lifelong commitment of marriage was intended by God for our benefit, and even for our happiness. God uses such things "for our good always." I know that I have been happier married than I was before I got married.

As for daily shopping, there's nothing in the Bible about it, but it is an amusing statistic. I personally think we could all benefit equally from going out for a daily walk rather than spending money so often. ;)

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