Category: In the News
Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings
Picture taken from www.elmont.org |
Our world is even more aware of the existence of evil, after the horrible tragedy on Friday that claimed the lives of 20 beautiful children and 6 brave adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Sending my son to school today was difficult. To see him get on the bus made me cringe. I felt uneasy about sending my Second Grader to school. Was he going to be safe? I made myself nauseous mapping out ways that an intruder would be able to gain access to his room–it really would be all to easy. The truth is, it would be easy for someone to inflict damage on anyone of us if that was their intent.
As a nation, our hearts are broken for such devastating loss of innocence. Our children bring us such hope and joy. If adults could learn to harness the simple purity of a child’s perspective on life, then the world would be a better place. Jesus knew what He was saying when He talked about having faith like a child. Children are what is good in this world, and worthy of our protection.
1-13 You who sit down in the High God’s presence,
spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
14-16 “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
“I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!”
spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
“I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!”
General Petraeus Sex Scandal
Scandal, scandal! Yet another Political Sex Scandal!
Pic taken from nydailynews.com |
God at the Voting Booth
Oh MY-LANTA! Was anyone at Hilldale Baptist Church this morning to hear Bro. Larry lay the smack down on what God thinks about the Presidential election? Whew! I’m sweating right now just thinking back on it! I was all fidgety waiting for some kind of outburst, lol. Seriously, I did not hear one Amen during the sermon, lol…I think we all feared a political riot!
Don’t get me wrong, IT WAS A GREAT SERMON, AND FULL OF TRUTH, but when you talk politics and religion at the same time…well, let’s just say I’m sure some pacemakers in that sanctuary were fluttering! Bro. Larry was on FI-YA today! Sizzzzzlllle!
Highlights from the Sermon:
*God doesn’t pick political sides…He is his own side (That kinda sounds like a Chuck Norris joke)
*God cares about all things, but who is in office is not going to change the fact that He is in control and still has a plan that can’t be thwarted
*The outcome of elections gives us a glimpse of what the heart of America really looks like, and it’s not a pretty sight right now
*What if Christians voted for Biblical values instead of their political party.
I’ve tried to live my life by making decisions based on what Jesus would do…and no I never wore a WWJD bracelet, or maybe I did in middle school, but in my defense, they were cool then. Being a follower of Jesus is more than just saying you believe in him– it’s how you live, act, and talk that shows you are believer–and this applies to me even when I am in the polling booth. When it comes to voting, believers should vote for God and the things He stands for. Don’t be silly, God’s name isn’t on the ballot, but we can vote for the person that represents the things that God has already voted for–note that I am about to steal my notes from Bro. Larry’s sermon today.
These are the things that God has already voted for–the things He represents, and so should we as followers of Christ.
1: Protecting the lives of our unborn children. Abortion is a hot button topic, but God is clear on this. All life is sacred, and the killing of innocent unborn children is unacceptable.
2: The sanctity of marriage. God is very specific on how He designed marriage to be–between one man and one woman, and for our society to try to redefine what marriage means only leads us down a path we shouldn’t go.
3: Religious liberty. God gives free will…we have the God-given right to accept or reject our creator, and our religious freedom is protected under the 1st Amendment. However our religious freedom is being threatened…not cool.
4: God has already voted on Israels sovereignty. A nation that allies with Israel is wise…they are God’s chosen and He says “I will bless those that bless you and curse those that curse you.” I’m not into being cursed.
When we vote on Tues, let’s vote for the candidate that supports the things God has already voted for. I know the choice can be difficult, confusing and down right frustrating, but pray about it. Ask God to give you wisdom when you dive into the polling booth on Tuesday (and I’m sure that means you will vote for the same person I am voting for…lol…TOTALLY JOKING! 🙂 )
Debate Anyone??
I love a good debate better than the next person. Really though, a debate is just a fancy word for “arguing,” and arguing can be fun, ONLY if the other person you are arguing with understands that the argument is just all in fun–that’s why there are Debate Teams, which I totally should have been a part of!
Debates/Arguments are SOOOO appealing! What is it about my nature that wants to scream “Uh,UH, you’re wrong?” When I was a little girl my Momma would say, “You would argue with Jesus himself,” and I would reply “No I wouldn’t!” with my hands on my hips. Lol–I was a defiant little blond headed child. Now I’m a defiant fake-brunette-headed adult.
The sky is blue. “Well, actually it’s Robin Egg Blue!” The grass is green. “What shade of green because that depends on the kind of grass it is?” Slavery was the cause of the Civil War. “Actually that is not true…it was a BIG cause but not the sole cause.” I feel the need to argue! It feels good to argue! It feels even BETTER to win an argument! What is wrong with me?
I don’t think I am alone...I KNOW I am not alone! People want to be right. Why do you think game shows have been on TV forever?? They jump at the chance to prove they are right! I’m going to argue (lol) that our need to be right stems from selfishness–putting ourselves before another so we can look better, feel better, and THINK we are better. The Bible has a whole lot to say about quarrelsome people and selfishness…it’s humbling and if I had a tail I would tuck it. This past year God has been working with me on my need to argue, to be right and I’m learning to just let it go. I’m a work in progress…
Titus 3: 9-11: But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.
Who’s Picking on Chick-Fil-A?
Focus on the Family’s Jim Daly posted his latest blog “Did Facebook Boycott Chick-Fil-A?” recently and it caught my eye because, well, Chick-Fil-A is just AMAZING–best chicken sandwich ever AND a soundproof kid’s play area (GENIUS!).
Basically Chick-Fil-A has said that they support the biblical definition of a family unit–WHICH HELLO, THAT IS NO SURPRISE–and now social media, politicians, celebrities, and gay rights activists are all up in arms and ready to bring Chick-Fil-A down or acting like the whole food chain has leprosy. Craziness. Geez people! Chick-Fil-A is a WONDERFUL company that gives so much back to the community. Besides, who else says “It’s my pleasure to serve you,” (with a smile) at a drive through window let alone anywhere else in the world? These Chick-Fil-A boycotters need to wake up and realize that they are boycotting CHICKEN SANDWICHES…it seems a little sad to me…definitely a waste of good time.
Whatever happened to just agreeing to disagree over different perspectives/opinions? Why does Chick-Fil-A have to be punished for sharing their views…ugh, that’s so unfair.
I am sorry if our nation feels like Christians hate gay people…that’s so not true. Let me say that it should not be true, but some people, Christians or not are just hater kind of people. I’m a Christian and I love gay people; Jesus loves gay people–His whole message is about Love! Love doesn’t mean you agree with everything someone does. I totally feel for the the gay community’s cause, and if it were not for my faith and belief in God’s Word then I would totally be in support of same sex marriage because it’s their life, they can do what they want. However, God has a different view on marriage and family, so I’m going to stick with what He says because, well, He created everything so I figure He knows what He is doing.
All that to say:
It’s going to take a lot more than a few frenzied public figures to keep my car away from Chick-Fil-A. In fact, I will be there Wed. Aug. 1st for a play date–you are welcome to come! I’m not giving up the children’s soundproof play area, lol, and I like knowing that I am supporting a company that stands for something I can build my life around–Good Faith and Good Food.
Apples Falling from the Sky?
Anyone hear about the apples raining down on a British town?
lol! That’s craziness! It is still unexplained but meteorologists are saying it’s some kind of wind storm similar to a tornado that picks things up and carries it to another area. Sure it is. 🙂 If food is going to fall from the sky I’m really glad it was apples…lots of nutrients! Didn’t Disney Pixar make a movie about that…Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs? Maybe this bizarre meteorological phenomenon is like a letter from God to the world…well…mainly the westernized people…
Dear Westerners,
Please put down the greasy foods and grab one of these! Bam! Apples! One a day keeps the doctor away and you people visit the doctor way too much anyway….you can thank me later.
Love,
God
If this was a God-caused event…which who knows…anything is possible…isn’t it kind of odd that He chose apples? Apples have been considered the “forbidden fruit” for milinea. You know the story; Eve ate the “apple” and caused sin to enter the world! Boo!!! So having apples fall from the heavens, well…with this kind of symbolism it God could mean all sorts of things like “this is a good spot for a garden.” “I like apples.” “Apples were not the forbidden fruit.” Maybe there is no symbolism. Maybe the apples fell from heaven’s banqueting table.:)
Check out the article when you get a chance. It made me smile and I’m sure it will make you smile as well. 🙂
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/unexplained-shower-apples-falls-sky-over-town-221921738.html