Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
« December 2006 »
S M T W T F S
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31



Add to Technorati Favorites





Image hosting by TinyPic


Click here to join
crickl's nest
Tue, Dec 5 2006
Wordless Wednesday: Our first Christmas 1983
Topic: Photo entries


**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**

by crickl at 11:09 PM PST
Updated: Wed, Dec 6 2006 8:10 AM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (17) | Permalink | Share This Post
Daniel 1-6
Topic: God things
I just got home from our ladies' Bible study and I am thoroughly exhausted!! But I need to write down some thoughts before I sleep and forget them all. (very very true, I'm ashamed to say) I was so filled up with excitement over this week's study, I just have to say something. Besides, I promised some people I would do some entries on this study and I haven't done any yet! (it's been so long, I forgot who I promised! Good grief!)

We are doing a study on the book of Daniel written by Beth Moore and I come away from watching the DVD each time overwelmed by the information and knowledge I've gained. (and hopefully can retain, since I have to sleep sometimes!) We just finished the first half of the study, which was the first 6 chapters of Daniel, now we have a break until January. Then we will begin on the prophecy in Daniel, starting with chapter 7. I am eating it up, as I have not had this kind of deep personal study in a long time. I love to study the Bible. I love it when things happen in science or archaeology or historic writings that confirms something in Scripture that before, wasn't proven to be fact. I LOVE THAT. This study has already thrilled me like that at least 3 times.

First of all, it is so relevant to today. Right away, she began showing us the comparisons of today's American/Western culture and the ancient culture of Babylon. We are just like Babylon! Yikes, it is so clear. The mindset in Babylon was as described in Isaiah 47, on the fall of Babylon.

You have trusted in your wickedness
and have said, 'No one sees me.'
Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you
when you say to yourself,
'I am, and there is none besides me.'
Isaiah 47:10


I am and there is none besides me. It reeks of pride and self-centeredness and rebellion. Yikes, indeed....

Chapter one is all about the captivity. The prophets of old warned the Jewish nation time and time again that they would be taken captive and lose their land if they did not follow Jehovah. It is interesting that where He takes them is back to where they began. Back to Babel....where the people tried to build a tower to reach Heaven. Their pride brought them down and scattered them to the ends of the earth. Daniel and his 3 friends do not conform in captivity to their captors' society like the other young people do. God uses them in great ways and they will forever be honored for it. What/who is holding you captive? Don't get comfy there.

Chapter two blew me away with it's prophesy and history. The statue that Nebuchadnezzar has a dream about represented the kingdoms, beginning with his, that would be the great kingdoms through history until the time of Christ, whose kingdom is the rock that flew down from the heavens and destroyed their earthly kingdoms. The head was gold, arms and chest of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, feet of iron mixed with baked clay. The minerals decreased in value as they went down, but increased in strength. And do you see how our very culture is increasing in strength but diminishing in value....in morality. And that is just a nutshell! There is so much more.

Chapter three is about the 3 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. I can't even think about them without the Veggies Tales Rack, Shack and Benny scenes going through my head! But I managed to make it through the study on chapter three and actually supress that and learn something. It's actually an awesome story of these 3 young men's courageous faithfulness to God and His bringing them through the fires unharmed. They didn't even smell like smoke! But interestingly, there was one thing that did burn....the bonds on their hands and feet fell off. =) Amen?

Chapter four: "Farewell Lessons from Nebuchadnezzar" was an uncomfortable study. King Neb. (as I will refer to him) was not a good learner, poor guy. After vowing allegiance to the God of Israel in the end of chapter 3, he goes on into chapter 4 making some very bad mistakes. They are mistakes we can make too when we live in Babylon. 1) Losing touch with the poor, (Daniel 4:27) and 2) Losing touch with our own poverty of spirit (Daniel 4:28-30). While standing out on his balcony, viewing his awesome city, he praised HIMSELF and his 'majesty'. Poverty of spirit is knowing that we are nothing without Christ. He is our strength and nothing we do is successful because of ourselves, but because of His grace. King Neb. paid severe consequences when his self-praise came rolling off of his tongue. While the words were still rolling, God told him what was about to happen and it immediately did. One minute you're up on your balcony loving on yourself and the next minute you're going stark raving MAD, eating grass and growing hair all over your body. Ummm, yikes again.....humility and caring for the poor go a long way people. In Beth Moore's words, "....learn [this lesson] in the classroom and not on a field trip."

Now these things occurred as an examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 1 Corinthians 10:6


Thirty years pass before chapter 5 comes to begin. Now Belshazzar has come to be king and he is a piece of work! He throws a huge party and brings in the gold vessels that the Babylonians had pillaged from the Temple in Jerusalem and brought back with them when they brought the Israelites into captivity. All these years, the articles from the Temple had been in storage…until Belshazzar’s wild party. They pour their wine and toast their gods with the very vessels that God had consecrated for holy use. A hand appears…spooky….and while they are all freaking out, God writes a little message to Belshazzar on the plaster of the wall. He tells him he has been examined and found wanting. That very night his kingdom would be taken. Then the Medes and Persians come in, kill him and take over the kingdom. Wow, very abruptly, the Babylonian kingdom comes to an end.

20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

26and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
2 Timothy 2:20-21, 26


We are God’s vessels, set apart as holy by Him for His purposes. Satan wants to use you for his purpose and defile you just as Belshazzar did with the Temple articles. In what ways has Satan tried to put you to use to defile you and to dishonor God? Has he used you in any way to distract and thwart the work of His Church? It's amazing all the things He showed me as I went through this week's study on ways Satan's tried to use me, to defile me. It was very eye-opening.

Chapter 6, “In the lion’s den” find Daniel in trouble for having holy habits. He prays several times a day at an open window, specifically, it says he ‘gave thanks’. The corrupt men who attend the king trick him into making a rule that no one is to pray to any other god but the king. (twisted, but a culturally accepted thing…..it vaguely reminds me of our culture’s insistence on being politically correct and giving your honor to society instead of to Truth) Daniel’s holy habits though, have prepared him to stand the test of faith, to refuse to bow and consequently to be thrown into a den of hungry lions. God delivers Daniel from the lions, shuts their mouths, and the king then honors the God of Daniel. Our enemy is also a prowling lion. (1 Peter 5:8-9) We need to develop those holy habits of faithful praying and of sharpening our only weapon against him…..the Word of God, our sword of the Spirit. Then when trials hit us in the face when we least expect it, our tendency will be to call on the Lord and trust Him instead of panicking or becoming paralyzed by fear. There is too much in this part of the study to convey here too.

I’m so glad to be a part of this study…so glad to be learning something so very relevant and fresh, yet thousands of years old. God has a way of working that is so cool…He gets people from all over the world interested in certain things…all at the same time. I know so many people who are studying the book of Daniel right now. It is the forerunner to the book of Revelation and it has been promised to us by Beth Moore herself, to be a really interesting ride through the prophesy section of Daniel. I can’t wait!

You can find this study for sale at lifeway.com. I’m not trying to sell it, but you may be interested in it after my little spiel here.

And yes, Hannah, I loved her story about her dogs. Beth Moore told a story on tonight's dvd. She was all set to do a phone interview with a radio station, live, at her house. Her kids and husband were not there to give her total concentration and she put one dog in the house in a room and the other outside with the curtains closed. The phone interview got underway and the dogs started barking…all the way through the interview. She eventually backed herself into a small closet and shut the door in order to be able to concentrate and do the interview and stayed there until it was over, an hour later! It was such a funny story because I can see it all perfectly. My dogs are pills too. She was so mad at those dogs that she didn’t speak to them the rest of the day. She replayed the whole ‘conversation’ that the dogs were having, loudly, during her interview. She got up the next morning to give them their morning biscuit and said, “ok, which one of you is the bad dog? Wag your tail.” And of course they were both wagging like crazy. She sounds just like me, talking to/about my dogs. I’m glad I’m not the only freakishly strange dog interpreter in the world. =) (I wonder if she sings to them too?)

by crickl at 11:00 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (6) | Permalink | Share This Post
Identify yerselves, me matey....
Topic: People/Family stories
My sister is having fun with her new caller ID. It actually tells you out loud who is calling. It concerns them though, when my family calls her. She thinks that perhaps we are pirates. I"m so glad to be of entertainment to her when I call, as her Caller ID announces my husband's name aloud (last name disguised as to protect his identity):

****, Charles R.

Which doesn't look very piratey. But when said in a computerized voice it holds the R out ever so slightly, as if saying, "Aaarrrrr" in a gravelly computer voice.

So now I"m usually greeted on the phone by her with "Arrrrrr, it's Charles ****. Arrrrr"

So my question is: where can I find one of those shoulder parrots?

=)


by crickl at 1:01 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (2) | Permalink | Share This Post
Sat, Dec 2 2006
Ringing in the holidays
Topic: God things
Today it was just me and Maggie here at home. Our two teen daughters and Charles attended the Acqire the Fire youth evangelism conference with our youth group. So Maggie and I cut and baked bunches of gingerbread men (and a few ladies) and we hunkered down with blankets in between batches to watch some movies on the Halmark Movie Channel. This afternoon from 3pm til 8pm, the channel had 2 American Girl movies. That's five hours people! In order to make room on the video we were recording for both movies, we were trying to catch all the commercials and pause the tape so we didn't have a bunch of commercials to fast forward through.

In the midst of commercials about refrigerated cookie dough, restaurants, shopping online, cereal, men enjoying their soup waaaay too much, popcorn, candy, jewelry, cell phones, cavemen being offended, holiday movie ads, and ads for men with special needs that really should not be shown during children's movies (!), one commercial kept catching me off guard...every time! I've seen this commercial before, but it captures me, it just about sends me to my knees and definitely brings tears to my eyes, causes a catch in my throat, and a prayer to my mind. It is a Salvation Army commercial. Have you seen it?

A disaster scene with fire.... a bell rings and as the camera pans out, you see a Salvation Army bell ringer standing amid the flames ringing the bell. Then you see a man, collapsed from alcohol consumption, a bell ringer standing near, ringing. A flood scene and a family on a roof trying to escape the waters, and there is a bell ringer beside them, ringing. The ringer is shown in many traumatic, desperate situations, ringing as if to get our attention. I see those scenes in my mind now, as I walk past bell ringers in front of stores. I hear them ringing as we're getting out of our car and I search for change for Maggie to put in the collection bucket.

The commercial brings it all together, it makes a connection between the anonymous ringer with the red kettle and what the money is helping to accomplish. The Salvation Army really is there during disasters or for people who are hurting with no one to help them. That they do it in the name of Christ is absolutely the icing on the cake!

They're doing the work of the church....throw your change in and make change happen.

by crickl at 8:44 PM PST
Updated: Sat, Dec 2 2006 9:03 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink | Share This Post
Movie review: The Nativity Story
Topic: God things
Charles and I found ourselves with no kids this afternoon, so we went to the movies. It was opening day for The Nativity Story, so we bought our tickets an hour and a half early, then went to lunch while we waited. We got back to the theater 20 minutes early to get good seats. (I like to sit in the front row of the second section, where there is a railing in front of you instead of a tall man's bobbing head.) There was only one other man in the entire theater and by the time the previews began, only 5 more had come in! I couldn't believe it didn't get more of an audience on it's first day...but it was only 1:30 in the afternoon, so I'm hoping that was the only reason.

The movie begins right away...no opening credits....with a view of the cloudy, heavenly looking sky. In front of the clouds, come the written words giving the setting of the movie. The Roman empire has taken over Israel and is oppressing the people. All the while they are waiting for their Messiah to come and deliver them. The only sound is the song O Come O Come Emmanuel being sung in Latin (I think?) This is one of my husband's favorite Christmas songs.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.


Most of the story is set before the birth of Jesus. It is a story about Mary and Joseph, and it is a beautiful story, very Biblical and yet very creative and thoughtful. There is much strife in the daily life of the Jews. The Roman soldiers are in a lot of scenes, giving the strong presence of oppression and hardship.

Within Mary, there are struggles. Keisha Castle-Hughes did an excellent portrayal of this young woman who was placed in a very difficult circumstance of being pregnant out of wedlock. (And I never thought of Whale Rider once, as I thought I would.) She knew it was from God and gained confidence with the confirmation of Elizabeth and of Joseph being assured by an angel. She was not portrayed as a starry eyed, mystical woman, but in a very real way, as a baffled young woman. She struggled with being between childhood and a woman, she was very unsure of Joseph's proposal and at first did not want to marry him, she was often disheveled looking and dirty, and when she began to be in labor on the way to Bethlehem, true panic and fear was evident in both Mary and Joseph.

Joseph was a complete surprise to me....a very pleasant surprise! He was a wonderful character. I read that the only thing they could glean from the Bible about Joseph was that he was a righteous man. So his strength of character was really played up and done in a way that was loving and self sacrificial, yet protective. He jokes to Mary as they head out of Nazareth on their journey to Bethlehem, under the judgemental glares of their friends and neighbors, "We will really be missed, eh?" Their growing in love is a beautiful part of the movie. I won't spoil it for you by giving the details. =)

UPDATE: E-mom, at Chrysalis has an interview up, with Oscar Isaac, the man who portrays Joseph! He did a great job and truly was my favorite character in the movie.

One of the most enjoyable things about the movie for Charles and I was the scenery and daily customs of Israel that moved naturally throughout the story line. We were able to go to Israel last year and were recognizing a lot of things in the movie. I loved the scenes in the olive groves, the journeying up into Jerusalem, with the Temple gleaming, majestic on the Temple mount. The sheep and shepherds around Bethlehem reminded me of a few years ago, when I heard a story about the hills around Bethlehem. They were famous for producing flawless lambs for the Temple for sacrifice at Passover. Jesus, the Lamb of God was born there too, with the hills of Jerusalem looming over. And it was the shepherds who God chose to first announce the news to. I am not sure of the authenticity of the information in that story, but the thought was definitely interesting!

There are a few violent scenes, but no violence is on camera. There are 2 dead men hung on trees along the road while Mary is going back to Nazareth. There is a quick scene of men dying on crosses, there is a scene of Roman soldiers pillaging homes to find baby boys to murder, and the cruelty of Roman soldiers is shown throughout.

The only thing I was disappointed about was that there was no scene after Jesus' birth when they went to the Temple to dedicate him...... no Simeon or Anna. The Magi scenes were delightful, sometimes humorous, and the gift giving scene was quite moving.

There is so much more to mention, but I will just say, go see the movie! It is not the solemn, predictable story you've seen a hundred times. It is fresh, intriguing and thoughtfully done, really delving into the characters of the story. And when the baby is born, the scene is so touching, I had big old tears running down my face.

I loved it! Go see it!

by crickl at 12:20 AM PST
Updated: Sat, Dec 2 2006 8:47 AM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (6) | Permalink | Share This Post
Mon, Nov 27 2006
Wordless Wednesday: Christmas, Arizona Style
Topic: Photo entries


**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**

by crickl at 11:01 PM PST
Updated: Wed, Dec 13 2006 3:21 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (24) | Permalink | Share This Post
Talking blog?
Topic: Other
I noticed yesterday that my blog has been uttering words. Do not be alarmed, it's only an advertisement on the top of the page. Simply push the button that says sound off. My appologies....it's a free blog, so they do advertise without my permission on here.

Also, here is a helpful tool if you check on a lot of blogs each day to see if there is a new post. It's called bloglines, www.bloglines.com and it's free. After putting in all the blog addresses you would like to keep track of, you bookmark your bloglines page. My daughter saw the bookmark for my bloglines and was amazed that there was a service to keep track of your favorite blogs for you. Your page will have a list of blogs that you've subscribed to and the ones with new information added will be highlighted. That way you only check in on your favorite blogs when there is something new to see and you never miss an entry. I've been using it for over a month now and it is very very helpful!

Oh, I love this verse of the day today,

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach
and admonish one another with all wisdom...
Colossians 3:16


And speaking of admonishment, I was visiting e-mom's e-magazine, Chrysalis on which she has posted a really good article on postmodernist subjective truth and classic literature. Just go read it.... =)

by crickl at 12:17 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (5) | Permalink | Share This Post
Sun, Nov 26 2006
Thanksmas season updates
Topic: Holidays/Vacations
We had Thanksgiving dinner at the church a week ago and the whole place was packed! We paid for tickets this year because it was catered by Boston Market...it was really good food. We sat around table of 8-12 and ate family style, passing the serving bowls around which the deacons brought to each table. There was a ministry there called Set Free from down town Phoenix that our church helps support and 2 of their guys gave testimonies. This ministry helps get men off the street (they live there for up to a year), requires them to get off drugs and alcohol and provides daily discipleship, counseling and worship. They are always so inspiring to be around. It's so true that he who is forgiven much loves much. They are exuberant!

We sang songs of worship and thanks around the tables too, led by a powerpoint with beautiful video behind it. During dinner, the powerpoint screen had cartoon turkeys telling jokes. My back was to the screen, but I heard each joke because Maggie was reading them out loud and laughing her head off!

Example: *turkey with serious look on his face* "What would Jesus eat??"......"FISH"

or

"As you're enjoying your dinner, I just want you to think about my wife and kids at home."

Silly....but we had a fun time, wonderful testimonies of thanks for what God has done and worship together.

**************************************
Here at home, we had 15 for dinner on Thanksgiving. We had the usual, traditional meal, with my mother-in-law's dressing recipe, my neice's mashed potatoes and fancy almond green beans with carmelized shallots *yeah, they were good*, rolls, cranberries, maple glazed turkey and gravy. I also tried a new recipe for corn pudding....it was a hit and easy schmeazy! Then more relatives came for dessert, which we had outside by the fire with coffee and cocoa.

We are very thankful for God's great blessings of famiy, comfort, healing and growth.

**************************************
My daughter tried to justify starting Christmas almost the evening of Thanksgiving by saying she is most thankful for the Christmas season. It was also the only weekend she will be here with us to help decorate until right before Christmas. So we rushed out and brought in the lights and boxes. We bought a real tree this year, after years of using an artificial one due to our wood stove heating in the old house. We bought it from the cutest little Boy Scout tree lot, it was so quaint with light bulbs on wires strung across the top of the lot and they even had wood burning in a metal barrel in the middle. (I felt like Charlie Brown and Linus!) The smell in our house is amazingly piney!!!!

And the weather finally turned chilly!

**************************************
Are you going to see The Nativity Story? It is in theaters December 1.

**************************************
Do you celebrate Advent?

I found this today off the Advent website above:
"Advent is the special season that comes just before Christmas. The word advent comes to us from the Latin word adventus, which means "coming." Advent is a beautiful and worshipful way of preparing our hearts and minds for the celebration of the first coming (the birth) of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time of preparation as we look forward to His Second Coming."

**************************************
I hope you have a wonder-full Christmas season!

by crickl at 11:01 PM PST
Updated: Tue, Nov 28 2006 4:45 PM PST
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Days of Elijah
Topic: Photo entries

by crickl at 3:50 PM PST
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Wed, Nov 22 2006
Songs of Thanks
Topic: Holidays/Vacations
We are so detached to the harvest season, living in American. Our food comes from grocery store shelves and is available to us all year round. Full cupboards, full refrigerator, plenty of things on hand to simply pop into the microwave. I want to consider the people who wrote these hymns of Thanksgiving. They are so basic...thank you for grain, for the seasons, human love, a Savior, for the beauty of nature, for bringing us through another year with food to eat and sound minds and bodies. They are beautiful hymns and bring us back to the basics of giving thanks.

Click on the titles to see the hymn's background and hear the tune.
Happy Thanksgiving!

We Gather Together

We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
He chastens and hastens His will to make known.
The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing.
Sing praises to His Name; He forgets not His own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine;
So from the beginning the fight we were winning;
Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!

We all do extol Thee, Thou Leader triumphant,
And pray that Thou still our Defender will be.
Let Thy congregation escape tribulation;
Thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

For the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.


For the beauty of each hour,
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, and stars of light.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.


For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.


For Thy Church, that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.


For each perfect gift of Thine,
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of Heaven.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,
This our hymn of grateful praise.



Come, Ye Thankful People, Come

Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.

by crickl at 7:08 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (3) | Permalink | Share This Post
Tue, Nov 21 2006
Wordless Wednesday: Fall memories
Topic: Photo entries


My 3 teens: Never too old to go on a punkin pickin hayride!

**For more WW photo entries go to Wordless Wednesday or Five Minutes for Mom.**

by crickl at 11:44 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (13) | Permalink | Share This Post
For the dogs
Topic: Humor/memes
My sister sent me these sayings in an email. I love dogs!

~*~My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog thinks I am. ~*~

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous

Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
-Ann Landers

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.
-Will Rogers

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
-Josh Billings

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner

A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley

Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
-Franklin P. Jones

My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money!
-Joe Weinstein

Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come from a grocery with the most amazing haul, chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain

You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says,
'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
- Dave Barry

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.
-Phil Pastoret

by crickl at 10:42 AM PST
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Sun, Nov 19 2006
Keep me near the cross
Topic: God things
A song caught in my throat unexpectedly this morning during Sunday worship. This hymn brought my dad's death (back in August) to my memory. And all in one mili-second, I remembered his frailty at the end of his life....and how times like that really make Heaven seem like a nearby reality. In that mili-second, I was reminded of the depth of my infirmity (especially here in the U.S. where we all think we're pretty wonderful) and of the over abundance of grace He shows to me each day.

It's all about Him.

Near the Cross
words by Fanny Crosby

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.



by crickl at 3:26 PM PST
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post
Sat, Nov 18 2006
He's guarding my heart and mind.....as promised!
Topic: God things
I am so thankful that God not only brought me through this very stress-filled year, but He gave me peace through it. Moving, buying a house for the first time, putting my kids in public school after homeschooling, the death of my father from dementia, and now major surgery. It was quite a stressful year, but I was freshly reminded again that the verse I have put my trust in all these years is still true. I will always stand by it, believe it, cling to it and experience it.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

by crickl at 11:01 PM PST
Updated: Sun, Nov 19 2006 3:06 PM PST
Post Comment | View Comments (1) | Permalink | Share This Post
....the days fly by
Topic: Humor/memes

I must be getting my strength back. Yesterday I walked almost a mile at the park and today we walked a mile around the neighborhood. We're having record temperature highs and it feels like the beginning of summer, when the nights are cool and you wake up with a chilly feeling, then the temps climb about 30 degrees by 2pm. Our highs are in the high 70's this week, including Thanksgiving being forcast as reaching 80! Anyone for barbeque turkey burgers at the park? =)

Well, back to today: we walked Maggie and her friend who is visiting over to our neighborhood park, around the block. The girls played while Charles and I walked the outskirts of the park. Then I sat in the shade at a picnic table while Charles helped the girls shoot off air rockets. It's a toy Maggie got last Christmas, you pump the air pressure up, pull the cord and *pop*, up goes the lightweight rocket. It shoots up to 100 feet in the air, so it's really quite spectacular...if you're 9....or 40something. Charles was right there with the girls, pumping, trying to catch the elusive rocket as it plummeted to earth, laughing out loud each time he missed it. (they never did catch it, it goes so fast!) I enjoyed it all from a distance under my tree and laughed my head off.

As I sat at my picnic table, watching the goings on of the park, I sorted out my day. I've been flying by the seat of my pants this past week. It was a busy week already and then unexpected things kept coming up! It was all I could do to keep from hiding in my bed and playing sick! It's all done now though and I say to myself *once again* that I'll never get that booked up again....overlapping things I was supposed to be there for even! So this morning, with no appointments or activities planned *for me* I puttered around a bit, then decided to fix a big breakfast for the family....bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes. Everyone was rushing off to different activities for the day, so I cleaned up the kitchen. I had just finished putting dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed a pile of things to put back in the refrigerator.

(if you've ever watched Rachael Ray grab things from around her kitchen on 30 minute meals...you know, the way she makes it a game to see how many things she can carry at once to save trips to the fridge or pantry....that is what I do sometimes)

And this was one of those times....

.....only my coordination is still a little 'off' and as I opened the fridge to put away my stuff, the pancake syrup slipped from my grip. The impact of the bottle and the stone tile resulted in the bottom popping complETEly off of the plastic bottle. Who would have even guessed that could happen! But there it was. Our brand new, FULL bottle of 100percent maple syrup from Canada....gushing out onto the tile, into the grout, slipping UNDER the fridge, dripping from the cabinets and my pajammas. A roll of paper towels, bowl of warm cleaning solution, 2 wash rags, and a lot of muttering under my breath later, Charles attempted to move the 2006 side by side fridge that we tightly wedged into a 1970's small, freezer on top, gold refrigerator space so we could clean under it....no deal, lucille. Then he tried to tip it ever so slightly back, as to settle a brick under the front and reach in to swipe clean the sticky stuff. Nope. We ended up just putting a wash rag over the end of a long flat tool of some sort that was fetched from the garage and running it back and forth, as far back as we could.

I never hated 100 percent pure maple syrup more in all my life. The NERVE of the company who made that bottle! And who does Rachael Ray think she is carrying all that stuff at once! She's a show off, that's what!

I'm ok now though....sorry Miss Ray.

The rest of the day was relaxing. (it wouldn't dare mess with me after that) In fact by 3pm it felt as if it had to be at least 5 or 6pm, but it wasn't....so we went to the park. It's like finding money tucked back in an unused pocket of your wallet. My days have been running so short lately, it was nice to find a little stash of time, saved up to enjoy. More time to spend....I liked it!

by crickl at 8:39 PM PST
Post Comment | Permalink | Share This Post

Newer | Latest | Older

My Daily Reads
2nd Cup of Coffee
A Gracious Home
Adventures in Mercy
Amy's Humble Musings
Big Mama
Blogging Chicks
Boo Mama
Bread Crumbs
Christian Women Online
Chrysalis
Darlene Schacht
Days to Come
Faith Lifts
Following an Unknown Path
Holy Experience
Holy Mama!
Javadawn
Just a Sojourner on this Planet
Kiss My Beans
Laced With Grace
LPM Blog (Beth Moore)
Nutmeggmama
Owlhaven
Pensieve
Picturesque Life
Save the Kittens
She Lives
Shiny Olives
Simply Recipes
Sting My Heart
Veritas (Charles)
Who I am Becoming (Hannah)

Favorite posts
My 100th Post
Stuck in the middle
Moving up
Along the road
Life with swallows
Hotel Rwanda
A lesson in Ernest
The darker us...
Divine humor
Close encounters
Things I saw today
The wonderful cross
Spring Break?
Boo boop dee doo
Balancing act
Do you wanna dance?
Rain revival
Snow showers, baby showers
Finding Glory
Small town USA
Old redefined
Dog blog day
My first post

Photography
My flicker photos

Links
Online Bible with Search
Our Daily Bread
Serious Times
Discipleship Journal
Breakpoint
Christian Research Institute
Focus on the Family
Christian Music Radio
Family Movie, TV, Music Reviews
Professional personality test
Recipes
B&Bonline recipes
Gardening ideas/advice
Games

Pastor's Wives
Accidental Pastor's Wife
Blackpurl's Knitpickings
Hesed
Joann's Blog Adventure
Laundromat
Living in a Fishbowl World
Mom Musings
My Crazy Life
Ordinary Girl
The Prattling Pastor's Wife
Recovering Pastor's Wife
Sauce for the Goose
Shasher's Life
Tea Time
Wind Scraps
With Purpose

You are not logged in. Log in