If you are not familiar with http://www.lifechurch.tv/ ... I highly recommend checking out the Supernatural Series that Craig Groeschel is doing. This is sooooooo what I needed! With all that's been going on - fighting in my mind - this makes perfect sense to me. All of which I already KNEW, but it helps to be reminded every now and then. I've posted the message video - it's about 35 minutes. Hopefully it'll work here. If not, when you get time, I still highly recommend it!
So last night I was working late to try to catch up on some things and the sirens start going off. It obvisouly was not the normal testing time, so I turned on the tv and saw that we were under a tornado warning - it was in the Shively area and headed my way. Well, I thought I would do the wise thing and not stay on the 10th floor - you know, just in case. So I took my phone and a book to work on and went to the first floor to join others that had been dining at the Korean Restaurant that's on the first floor. Well, after the extension of the tornado warning, the waitress decides to not let that stop her from providing her customers with the food they came to her restaurant for! They brought out tables from the restaurant and put them in the hallway and started serving - and taking orders from anyone else who planned to eat! No panic here! That's spontaneity for ya. How flexible are you in a new situation?
Pastor Chad's messages this week have touched many nerves on a lot of people...will you forgive that person when they show up at your door asking for it? And tonight at Round 2 he got deeper -- what if they never ask for your forgiveness? What are you going to do then? The short answer is to still forgive them.
Chad gave the examples of Stephen when he was being stoned and Jesus on the cross...forgive them (they don't know what they're doing). Chad also gave the modern-day example of the couple whose son was killed by a drunk driver, Tom. They forgave Tom - and eventually adopted him as their own son. Incredible.
For me, this is one of the top areas I have worked on in my life. I realized long ago with a father who didn't want me, a mom who called me a mistake and "shouldn't have been" when I was a child, other family members who had only a negative view of me when they wouldn't even have anything to do with me, and later in life with men who didn't know how to truly love, my ex-husband's abuse, horrible job situations with horrible people, friends who turned out not to be real friends -- I realized -- it's my choice on how to think about them...how to forgive them for my own peace of mind. And for those of you that know me know there's enough going on up there I don't need to hang on to unforgiveness and bitterness! So I chose and choose to forgive. And for some, I still forgive on a regular basis. Forgiveness is never EASY - just NECESSARY. It's part of the "loving your neighbor" process.
Chad gave the examples of Stephen when he was being stoned and Jesus on the cross...forgive them (they don't know what they're doing). Chad also gave the modern-day example of the couple whose son was killed by a drunk driver, Tom. They forgave Tom - and eventually adopted him as their own son. Incredible.
For me, this is one of the top areas I have worked on in my life. I realized long ago with a father who didn't want me, a mom who called me a mistake and "shouldn't have been" when I was a child, other family members who had only a negative view of me when they wouldn't even have anything to do with me, and later in life with men who didn't know how to truly love, my ex-husband's abuse, horrible job situations with horrible people, friends who turned out not to be real friends -- I realized -- it's my choice on how to think about them...how to forgive them for my own peace of mind. And for those of you that know me know there's enough going on up there I don't need to hang on to unforgiveness and bitterness! So I chose and choose to forgive. And for some, I still forgive on a regular basis. Forgiveness is never EASY - just NECESSARY. It's part of the "loving your neighbor" process.
Last Friday I went to Chicago to meet with my media distribution company, DGFastchannel. DGFastchannel bought out the former little guy, Point360. Now when it was Point360 there was an individualistic quality about the place - each person had their own office and could decorate it how they chose, etc. But now that "corporate" owns them, it's a lot more uniform. As a client, I have been treated to fancy meals and even a Chicago Cubs game - FUN! I have built a few great relationships with my account team up there and I hope to keep it up long past KFC. And Friday night I got a special treat again. They took me to a great restaurant, Keefers, and then Merlin, my account manager, took me and my old CSR, Pam, out to a great Blues Bar (John Primer was the group). It was a lot of fun! But the funny thing was it was located in the gay community of Chicago (Boystown)....which was crazy! In the bar itself I did not even see a gay couple...crazy weird, but the whole area was teeming with black leather pants and black turtleneck sweaters outside. So - what was my take on the whole scene? Tragic I told them....tragic that there were so many gorgeous men around and not a one of them would be available to date me --- LOL!
And it is tragic. Tragic for women like me who are looking around for a great guy to respect and admire. Tragic for those guys who may never know Christ - or chose to not know Christ - or may think they know Christ but do nothing to want to be like Him by denying that lifestyle (just like I have to deny laziness). And tragic for those women who refuse to let real men be real men. Merlin and Pam both know a lot of gay people. And they know quite a few that are gay because that gay person gave up on the opposite sex. A man can not live up to a woman's expectations - because they are not clearly defined. And women get too frustrated with guys too quickly and decide to just do it themselves - be it fixing a leak, or things more personal. That's not the way God designed it do be.
We discussed a lot of different things: raising children (which is always funny to hear a bunch of people who have no children "know" how to raise them!), homosexuals, corporate world, etc. Now, Merlin is not a committed Christian. He's one that has the "every Christian is a hypocrite" mentality. Which is very popular. However, when I told him that I believe a sin is a sin regardless of which one and it's not my place to judge someone else because that too is a sin, (even though sometimes I fail) he was impressed. Seemed simple enough for me. But he told Pam he had never heard a Christian actually say that. So while we were in that Blues Bar it hit me! Kim Kane who's leading our women's study asked us to ponder about "faith without works is dead" and at that moment I figured something out! My faith (inward belief) without my works (outward action) is dead (to others). If I don't live out what I believe, then that hinders someone else from coming to Christ. I'm all talk and no action. "Action speaks louder than words" mean anything to you?
And one more cute note. The next morning while I was waiting to meet Pam for breakfast outside the hotel, there were 4 little girls and the rest of the family waiting to go somewhere as well. The little girls were all dressed the same - ready to go to the American Girl store! It was adorable. Well to pile on the cuteness, a horsedrawn carriage comes around the corner to pick up the girls and grandma and tour the city before going to the store! Don't you know those little girls thought they were real princesses for a day!
Well - here's one version of my superhero I've told some of you about!
I seem to always be able to pull things out of my hat at the last minute! Today was no exception!
You would be surprised to find that it's pretty difficult to find 2 portable toilets to be delivered to Campbellsburg, IN by tomorrow for an auction on Saturday --- the same weekend as Harvest Homecoming! Just love the last-minute requests. AND - finding obscure historical Colonel commercials has become a specialty as well as scheduling last-minute trips. Not to mention planning a new meeting for a subcommittee next week in Providence, RI.
Now I don't mind a good last-minute rush every now and then, it's just too bad that I don't have a REAL superhero costume to don when I pull off the win of the moment!
I went to see Eastern Marching Band compete Saturday night - and I SOOOoooo miss being a part of all that! Eastern did a fabulous job and it was easy to see how they advanced to Regionals (this Saturday!). The clip above is the last few seconds of the show - I was so engrossed in the show I forgot to get more! I used to teach some of these bands back in the day. The one I was most proud of was Borden! They have a new director - young and right out of college - and their numbers tripled. Which may sound like a lot but considering they only had about 8 kids in band when I did a guard show a few years ago- that's a great increase! They only had 2 guard members, but those girls looked like they were having a great time and they were in-sync!
I'm going to include some mroe stuff here...my favorite local band has always been Floyd Central. They just have this way of really using volume dynamics to get their point across. Although, I am used to having an in-your-face ending - the kind to get everyone on their feet cheering. This year was a little more avant-guard...softer, very artsy. But when this band comes on the field you know they mean business. I've included a couple of videos of them.
And then one of my favorite themes - I just wished they had pulled it off a little differently. Henryville did a Riverdance theme...notice the girl coming in from front center - traditional celtic dress even!
My Great Grandma passed away September 15. She was 98 years old. I miss her terribly now. I think so much so because I missed the ceremonies of visitation and the funeral. But I sure loved my grandma! She never stopped learning new things. She was always active - had at least 3 blankets she was crocheting, a jigsaw and crossword puzzle every day, and loved that hand-held solitaire game! She was the family geneologist - shoot - she was the county geneologist. That lady knew all the people on her floor - their birthdays, their spouses, parents, kids, and all their birthdays, where everybody lived and what they did for a living. She wrote the history of Oatsville - including drawings of old buildings and maps - just 2 years ago...at age 96! She taught me how to crochet about 4 years ago - don't know why that took me so long! Actually, I do - her stance was "now that you know how to do it, you can make your own blankets." LOL! I have 3 of her blankets! When you look at the picture grandma is on the left (obviously), and my mom is on the far right - her twin sister is in the middle with Felicity (her son's ex-girlfriend's daughter). I just hope I can be like her if I reach 98!
Today's a special day for me! It's the 7-year anniversary of my divorce being final! It's amazing how different life is now compared to then. I consider my divorce to be a blessing in my life. It's sad and terrible that my marriage to Dan didn't work at all, but if not for that I would never had discovered how much God loves me. He forgives me for that - I am not condemned to hell for getting a divorce. And because I have followed His ways since, He continues to bless me! That's not to say I haven't had my fair share of screw-ups - I am soooooo not perfect. But He forgives them to and I try to never do those stupid things again.
The other thing I am amazed with is myself. Back then...I thought I was worthless - not truly capable of much - totally depressed and almost suicidle (I can relate to Jeremy). Dan was good at keeping me on the carpet - but once I left that - I discovered myself and my dreams again. Yesterday I had the "last meeting" for a new job opportunity. He complimented me highly on carriage, attitude, knowledge, strength, and personality...he thought I was already a manager. I've wanted to believe I could be for a long time and it helps to have an outsider validate that for me. So, like Odie - I got reminded of what I can truly be and I have potential for more!
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