Joyful Transformation

Even with the vacation this month this is my 27th post! I think this may speak to the level of my addiction. Some things you grow tired of with time and some you just grow more attached to. Blogging is obviously not getting out of my blood stream any time soon.

So I must ask myself, is this addiction doing anything to make me a better Christian? I think perhaps it has made more introspective. I think that it has allowed me a medium to express some of my ideals. I am sure it has introduced me to some heavy thinkers, people who express the same ideals and frustrations that I do. In that way it has been very good.

However, this morning as the DH and I were driving to breakfast, I realized that I am not doing much. I want to be. I think about it, I talk about it, I blog about it, but I NEED to just be doing.

Heavy thoughts for a Saturday. Just thought I would share them with you.

Sometimes I am swept off of my feet by the way God chooses to teach me something.

Last night I met a group of friends for dinner to celebrate the birthday of my FC (favorite cousin, no everybody in Alabama is NOT my cousin!) We had a great time but I was anxious to get home. I haven’t got to spend much time with David since I’ve been home from vacation. He left Sunday on business and got home late Tuesday night. I stay in town until after church on Wednesday nights. Anyway, haven’t seen him much.

I got behind a car on my two lane speedway, I meant highway, who hovered between 51 and 53 mph. Of course this is an unacceptable speed for a heavy footed NASCAR fan. You know I must prepare for Talladega this weekend! Anyway I finally came to a straight away and I proceeded to pass, safely, I could have blown by him in my big Tahoe, but I just wanted around!

Off to my right I see a scary sight! You guessed it, a State Trooper parked right where he can pull out and get me. My heart sinks! Great, all I need is a ticket. I just had to buy tags for all the cars and boats this month, not to mention vacation. Well I watched in my rearview mirror and sure enough he pulled out but did not seem in any hurry to pass the car that I had passed. I am thinking “can I just pull of on a side road or something, he will never see me”. Yep, that is what I need, evading added to speeding, I knew I just had to stay the course and face the music. Then I saw the lights come on. Is there a more frightening sight at night than those blue lights flashing in your rear-view mirror? He is telling that car to get out of his way where he can come and get me, or is he? Where is he? Where did he go?

Obviously something about the car I had passed annoyed or interested him too! He stopped them! I was able to drive on home, unstopped, unticketed…..unworthy!!

I started thanking God for His grace. I was sure He had a hand in this. Once again it was demonstrated to me that though I am guilty, though I deserve to be punished I am able to go home free; though unworthy I do not have to pay for my disobedience. What a marvelous gift we have been given.

Last night our class was great. Not because I was leading the discussion, no it wasn’t anything to do with me. Forgiveness is one of those areas of life that everyone has some experience with, everyone has been hurt. However there are depths to being hurt that I have not experienced, some of our ladies have. They opened up and shared. We even had a small conflict going on in the room between two of the ladies that they resolved with tears, hugs and applause from the rest of us. Some spoke of how they had moved from hoping that the person they had to forgive would die a “slow painful death” to actually wishing the person well. I went into the class thinking that since I was teaching this lesson AGAIN that it must have been a message God was trying to teach me. I left the class realizing He had used me to let some people face their hurts and share them with the rest of us. I need the lesson over and over that “It IS NOT about ME!”

One thing I was able to take from the class and apply to myself is that forgiveness is not excusing, it is not forgetting and it is not reconciling. You can forgive someone and never forget the hurt. That is healthy. We must not forget the things that bring us great pain less we repeat the process over and over. Just as a child burns his hand when he touches a hot stove; the burn will heal, but the memory of that pain will keep him away from the stove in the future. I can also forgive someone and never reconcile with them. If you question whether or not you have forgiven someone ask yourself how you feel daily. Do you dwell on them and the hurt they brought you? Do you feel bitter and angry when you hear their name? If you remember the hurt when their name is brought up, that is normal. That does not mean that you have not forgiven them. If on the other hand you have deep bitter thoughts and can think nothing good about that person, perhaps you should examine yourself a little more closely.

The most important thing I took from this study was that while the grace and forgiveness of God is freely given it is not given unconditionally. Forgiveness is not an option if we want to be right in the sight of God. In our model prayer Jesus gives us, we are to pray to be “forgiven, as we forgive others”. That brings it home. My forgiveness depends on how willing I am to forgive someone else. After all what has anyone ever done to me that is as bad as the way I sometimes treat my God.

Sometimes when I read the blogs of students and others who are procrastinating doing what they really need to be doing, whether studying, writing a paper, working on music, laundry or whatever.. I tend to be judgmental. Why are you writing if you have other stuff you need to be doing??? Yet here I am; I should be studying the lesson I am supposed to teach tomorrow night. My topic is Forgiveness! I truly don’t know how you preachers and full time teachers among us do it! I feel like I have taught this class five times in the last year alone. Maybe it is because I need it so much. Maybe it is because I always feel like I should be the one being taught this lesson.

Most of the time I have an incredibly short memory. If you did something that you think might have offended me and I am still talking to you, forget about it! I have! I think there is a great difference in the small slights that happen to us from time to time. Even the left-handed insults we can look past. People don’t really mean to be crude, they just aren’t thinking while they are talking. For the most part, these things are over for me about as quickly as they happen. But what do you do with the person who deliberately pursues a course of action knowing that they will hurt you in the process! How do you forgive this person when they truly have not looked for your forgiveness? Or what if they have apologized by saying how very sorry they were, but made no effort to follow up with you or to restore what they took from you, whether it is pride, friendship, money, a husband, girlfriend, boyfriend a job…whatever! And how about us? Do we freely throw out the “I’m so sorry” without showing fruit of repentance?

I don’t know what approach I will use with this lesson but I love the words of John Ortberg in this chapter of Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them

The ache of loneliness
The hope of searching
The joy of intimacy
The anguish of betrayal

That is it, right? The anguish of betrayal; I dared to open my heart to you, I shared with you the innermost secrets of my soul and you sold me out! You gave me up, for what!!?? And this my friends is the biggest threat to forming real community, this fear!

Folks I am on a roll, so I think I will take these thoughts and save them for my class. One or two of them read this blog and if I go on and on they will have no reason to show up.

So I will end with a question, has there been a time in your life when you found it hard, if not impossible to forgive?

To check us out in "formal" attire click here ( Terri is the blonde)

The water was beautiful in Cozumel at least over on Pleasure Island.

Then there was how we looked on deck with the ship moving, just so you know we are real!

Hey! I have passed the $150.00 mark in 40 Days of FAT!! Remember all of this money goes to World Vision!

I weighed this morning and have lost the pound that I gained while on the cruise. So I have a question for you.... Should I count that pound as lost again?? I am leaning towards "yes", but I will go with the majority, so vote please!

After spending a week where food was so abundant and always ready for my consumption I am convicted again with the ways I am blessed. SG has me thinking hard on the people in Kenya. We are so blessed in this country we don't even know how to appreciate it. And I can't help but feel that our blessings are just like our gifts or "talents" if you wish. To whom much is given, much is expected. What are you doing with your "talent"? What am I doing with mine?

I say the words “if only” on a regular basis. Do I really think that I could control the world “if only” I had done something just so at just right the moment? Well obviously I believe the answer to that question to be “yes”.

Take tonight for instance. My husband had to go out of town on a business trip. We have become avid 24 watchers. He recorded last Monday’s episode while I was on the cruise ship. I was to record tonight and we would watch both of them together. Well I did everything right, I thought! IF ONLY I had made sure the tape was rewound!! And truly I thought I did, but alas, I blew it again!! I did get the middle part of that stupid show about the Nanny!!

I was thinking of some other times when I thought “if only.” Like the night I was in a car wreck. If only I had stayed at church two minutes later, the girl who ran the red light would not have hit me! IF ONLY I had insisted that the car be taken to a different mechanic it would have been totaled! Then there was the accident my children were in, IF ONLY I had made them leave a few minutes earlier, or IF ONLY I had cooked their breakfast they would not have stopped at the store and the timing would have all been different. We believe that by reliving some less than stellar moments in our lives we could change the outcome…IF ONLY!

But truly we have our safety net. While we cannot change the past, we can live confidently in the fact that we are given a clean slate and a fresh start each time we ask! That is priceless. You know when I consider things that I might have gone back and done differently I know that the end result may have been much worse. God takes care of me even when I don’t exercise the good sense to do it for myself. Praise God that He gave His only son to die for me….IF ONLY I will trust and obey!

Today, I started loving you again.
Now I’m right back,
where I’ve really always been.

Have you ever had that experience? You fell “out-of-love”? I have.

I became disillusioned. I thought that my needs, my wants, my heart was no longer important. I felt like I had been left to make it on my own. Angry, I started looking for another to love, one that would fulfill me, and one that would understand that I needed more. Yet part of me didn’t want to give up. Part of me knew that we had built so much, surely this love could be saved, could be salvaged! After all I had invested years and money not to mention sweat and tears into this relationship. Surely it could be saved.

Then out of nowhere comes something so totally unexpected. I was swept off of my feet! My greatest desires had become reality. You have listened! You do know me! You care about me and you care about the way I want to express myself! Oh yes, today I started loving you again! Oh, I am not naïve; I know that we have a long way to go. But that little spark lets me know that I do still love you! I want to make this work. And I know that if we both are trying that it can. Truly it is not all about me! I can sacrifice and I can be patient. After all I am assured that good things come to those who wait!

This is a great mystery, but I am talking about my church. Just when I think all hope is gone I am captivated by the many who love Jesus just as much as I do. I am overwhelmed by the opportunity to show my love and support of others. I am blessed to be a part of this “family of God”.

Yesterday was the last work-day of vacation! As I was sitting and reading blogs my son called. I ended up going to lunch with him, Mary and Matthew and my daughter Diana. We had a great time. After hinting heavily that I could/should I offered to keep Matthew for the afternoon. We had a wonderful time. He is almost 9 months old and is into everything. He amuses himself for long periods of time trying to figure things out. I love that little boy so much. I know you all don't want to hear doting grandma stories, but he shapes my life and my attitude in so many ways.

Last night David and I went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. This is a Friday night routine of sorts for us. The waiter asked if we were traveling. I am sure he was impressed with my tropical tan.....

This morning I will be hitting the tennis courts. I have not even thought about tennis for over a week, so I might be rusty. I was dreaming before I woke up that we had a new trainer who was telling me I had to be able to jump over the net and do a 360 in mid air...... I woke up stressed because I knew that I couldn't do it.

It is awesome that God does not ask us to do great things for Him. He just wants our life. He knows it is not perfect... He made us. He knows we fight a battle with His enemy everyday. He is ready to help us if we will only ask Him. The best I can do... doing it on "purpose"; really, all that God wants from me!

Happy routine Saturday folks!!

Wow!! What a wonderful trip! 6 days of glorious sunshine, abundant food, endless conversations, being taken care of, ready for me entertainment and some great books thrown in! Wish you all could have been there. TL has posted what she will miss (notice she didn't mention spending 24/7 with me) I am usually a positive person, but here are some things I will NOT miss.

1. The 2' x 2' shower
2. The intermittent cold and scalding water in the shower!
3. The inability to walk down the hall without staggering into someone (no drinks involved)
4. The "dirty drunk old man" who decided TL and I were the best looking women on the ship and somehow thought it his duty to tell us about it.....Constantly!
5. $.75 per minute to use the internet!!!
6. Living out of a suitcase.
7. 4 ounce water glasses
8. $1.50 for Diet Cokes
9. Not being able to use the phone when I wanted to!
10. The cruise director's annoying voice and comments over the loud speaker.

There was this one announcement we missed on the loud speaker. Sunday night we stayed at Karoke until it closed (midnight) and we finally found a rhythm in sleeping. Well while we were sleeping the ship did a u-turn to pick up a small boat full of refugees from Cuba. Evidently there is a maritime law requiring sailing vessels to rescue any they may see at sea. We slept through it!!! Evidently there were about 8 people in the boat and they had been at sea over a week. They were brought aboard, placed in the infirmary and holding cell until we reached Costa Maya later that day. There they were turned over to the local authorities. We could see the Mexican Army or police on the pier with their machine guns! I don't know how we slept through all of this excitement!

This morning I can't help but think of the analogy of us and God. We are but small boats crying out for help from the mighty Power that sails by us. While we may feel that our need is urgent and immediate it sometimes takes that power a little while to slow down and turn around. But we can rest assured He will save us in our distress! Sometimes we may not get the answer that we want. "Can't you just take us to America?" We may have to stay in Mexico. We may have to stay in jail....But we have been saved from the brutal ocean. While our mighty power is omnipotent, it helps me to think of Him on a mission, set in motion when I cry out! He hears me, He wants to save me, it is just going to take some time!! I love that He hears me!

I read "Blue Like Jazz" on the trip! It met all of your rave reviews! The tough part for me will be internalizing the book. I finished another book I was reading and am half through a fun fiction book. It is raining here this morning so I feel some reading coming on!

As for my 40 Days of Fat.... I only gained one pound over the week! I know it can show up later, but I can control it now. We looked at the exercise room and had lots of good intentions, but the lounge chairs by the pool were calling our name!! We did refuse to take the elevators the whole time we were on the ship, maybe that offset the chocolate and the ice cream and the bread..... Not to mention the sugary drinks...

I will post a picture later. My lap top here at home does not have the software (still runs Windows 98, somewhat of a dinosaur!) In the meantime it is good to be back! OurGreenRoom is back up and running, thank you Chris! Skip is moving! Hard to believe but blog world just went on without me! I must go now and finish catching up with you guys!!

Hello! Terri and I are in the middle of the ocean having a wonderful time! Yes the blog addiction has reached all time highs when I am sitting in the internet cafe blogging on a cruise ship! What can I say? I missed you guys!

The weather is great! The food so far has been wonderful. We have met people from the counties that adjoin ours and so far are not on each others nerves! We visited Karoke last night, but did not participate.....I can't promise about tonight!

Hope you are all doing great! I will be going to formal night tonight sans the "sexy" dress! I will be wearing a dress, but it will be a little more conservative and I am sure I will be much more comfortable eating desert!

Later gators!

Today I was going to blog all about my cruise! How excited I am, how much fun we are going to have, how I would not miss work but would miss blogging (by the way check the comments of the last post to see my “dress decision”.) But this morning something has upset me. One of my favorite bloggers (alright my list is around 30) Chris Green declared he is not going to blog anymore! He posted an excellent post yesterday that spoke to me in so many ways. I even pointed Chris to this post as she is having some struggles. Well someone didn’t like one of the words he used while he quoted someone else!! Now the post is gone and he says he is going to stop! Please jump over to his site and encourage him not to!!

The thing that I have loved the most about blogging is the interaction with other Christians who are “real people”. It is like out here in blog-land we don’t have to worry about what people will say or how they will act if we reveal some of our-self to them. Are we going to become like we are in our churches? Will we just keep our mouth shut because someone may be offended? It is real easy to just move on to the next blog if something offends or upsets you, just move on! I truly debated posting the whole “dress” thing yesterday. I know it does offend some! And to be honest there have been things that others have posted that caused me to raise an eyebrow. When this happens I just move on. This medium does not always accurately express what we are trying to convey. But we can’t throw the baby out with the bath water! We are real people! We are human, we are sinners!! Praise God we are forgiven sinners, but we must bear with each other just as God bears with us.

So thanks to all of you who might have used an inappropriate word, phrase, joke or just admitted that you watched a movie or TV show that might be deemed sinful. I don’t want to read about a lot of uptight people who never do, say, or think anything wrong. Then I would feel left out and alone! I want to know that you face the same problems that I do. I want to hear how you are sometimes dissatisfied with your church and maybe even with yourself! I need to have someplace to go where people are real! I need to read about real Christians, struggling, making wrong choices and right choices, trying and failing, trying and succeeding, but all with the knowledge that we are one in Christ and are trying to complete the journey to be at home with Him and with each other!

If you have a moment tomorrow, pray for Terri and me as we travel. I hope you all have a wonderful week. If God wills it, I will update you next week! If His plans don’t bring me back or He comes back to get us, I will see you in Heaven! Save me a seat!!!

I have a dilemma. One of my friends brought me one of her dresses to take on my cruise. (did I mention I am leaving Saturday?…Yeah, I thought I did.) It is a party dress. It comes about eight inches above my knee and is very, VERY form fitting! I look good in it if I do say so myself! I tried it on for my husband last night and he REALLY liked it, but his first response was that I COULD NOT take that dress on my cruise with Terri. It would be fine for me to wear when I was with him. He then asked me why I would want to wear it. I told him I had worked hard to lose weight and get in shape and didn’t see a problem with showing it off a little. Truly folks, I am going on a cruise. I WILL be wearing a swim suit and shorts all week! What is the big deal about this dress? He later relented and said that I should take it. He knew that I had worked hard and got up early every morning to work out, I should be able to show it off.

My dilemma is not whether to wear the dress or not on this cruise, but should I want to dress in anyway to draw attention to myself. I know that if we are honest we all do it from time to time. When does it become wrong? When am I being a stumbling block to someone else? He told me that I didn’t understand men. I told him that there would not be any men on this cruise by themselves (guys just don’t do that) and even if there was I was a big girl and could take care of myself! I am flattered that he thinks others might find me attractive in this dress; but I worry about what message I am sending if he thinks I am dressing inappropriately. Is there a difference in what we wear to dinner and what we wear around the pool? Is it o.k. to dress differently according to our surroundings? I just wonder if you have any thoughts on the matter.

Last night I dreamt that I was to be killed by lethal injection. I had no argument, no leg to stand on because the other person who was to be terminated was George W. Now I am not sure what had put me in the same league with him, but I knew I couldn’t argue for my life when someone much more important was dying as well.

As I was being led to the termination site, there were people all around. I was trying to tell each of them that I knew how much I loved them and how important they were to me. I was thinking I would talk to God after they injected me. Well the dream ended with one of us dying and one of us getting a reprieve. I hated it for George.

I was thinking when I woke from this Benadryl induced dream; who would I want to see if I were dying. Who would I want to say one more thing to? What would I want to do with the last few minutes or hours of my life? In the light of day these questions remain. For all that I am assured of; I could be living the last minutes or hours of my life! Did God send me this dream to help me to realize the importance of telling people how I feel about them daily? Perhaps the dream meant nothing. Perhaps I make too much of such things, but I do think it is a question worth pondering.

Another side note; one more important than me was suffering the same fate… Perhaps this is me trying to learn the lesson that God is no respecter of persons. The things He demands and expects of the “important” people are the same things He demands and expects of me. On the flip side, I am just as “important” to Him as anyone else. That is great news!!

Terri summed all of this up very well: “Where is Joseph when you need him??”

There is a slow steady rain beating down outside my office window.

Thank you God! Thank you for washing away some of that green stuff (pollen) that has settled so ruthlessly in the back of my throat. Thank you for the cleansing properties of the rain you send us!

The only positive thing about this reaction I have to pollen is that for one or two days my voice sounds like Demi Moore. If somehow it would only transform me into her body for a couple of days….(oh well, a girl can dream can’t she?)

I am thinking of an old hymn this morning; “My Jesus Knows Just What I Need”. So many times though, I don’t pray for “just what I need”, I pray for what I WANT! I think that is o.k. too! God wants us to bring Him all of our request. He wants our lives to be so centered on Him that we would not hesitate to ask for anything. I didn’t think to pray for rain to relieve me of this allergy thing. But I am very grateful for the rain. I am grateful that My Jesus knows what I need!

Wow! I logged on this morning and found out that someone had donated $50.00 toward immunizations at World Vision through the 40 Days of Fat!! This is a great thing that I am so proud to be a part of! I spend way too much time on my computer in "blogland" and I am glad to see some of that time "giving back". If you notice I am keeping my personal totals in my sidebar. I will not add this or any other donations but Fajita will keep a running total on the official 40 Days of Fat blog. You can make a donation at any time rather than playing the 40 day game....Any more takers??

Thank you all for your kind encouraging words. It is good to know (I think) that I am not by myself in this struggle. I did have a good weekend. I had two days of tennis, sun, babysitting, lunch at Mom’s and a little relaxing. My blessings are too great to count. Thank you for bearing with me when I get a little down.

Now for the elephant…. I have told you how I have preacheritis. I love Randy and he and I have become somewhat spiritual soul-mates. You probably didn’t notice but when JD asked his interview questions, he asked what I liked about my church. I did not mention the preacher. You see I had just found out he was leaving me! He was deserting ME, taking his family and going to Columbia Tennessee!! How could he? Did he not understand that I NEED him here? Well he made the announcement to the congregation yesterday, so I guess there is no changing his mind now.

Actually, I am much better now. I have quit taking it personally and am praying for Randy & Celia and their family. I am also praying that God will send us the right man to lead us during this next phase of our growth. However, I am sure that you can understand why a dramatic change like this would throw me into my spiritual “funk”. I have always been a big agent of “change”. I guess it is time for me to step forward and show that I mean it. The next few months are going to be very difficult for our church family. It is vital that we keep the faith and KNOW that if we ask; God will provide just what we need. If He truly is leading Randy to Columbia, He also has in mind the right man for us!

So if any of you know a dynamic preacher who would just love to come to North-Central Alabama, send them our way. In the meantime I am getting ready for my cruise… just five more days!!

Do you ever not like yourself? Do you have thoughts, attitudes and reactions to things that seemingly come out of the blue? I am not happy with myself right now. It seems that in every area of my life I am having an “attitude” problem. I don’t want to be judgmental, sarcastic or resentful. I don’t want to let petty things annoy me; I want to handle things like Jesus would have. But I don’t! I slip into being this person that I don’t like. I forget to fill my heart up with God; I forget that He loves the people with whom I am annoyed. I want all of this to go away; I want to be the Light that I am supposed to be not the darkness that I feel I have become.

Today is Friday. The weekend is here. Perhaps I can rest and regroup.

Psalms 94: 19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

God, help me to be who You want me to be. Help me defeat this attitude that Satan has helped me to achieve. Forgive me for my lack of joy and my sour attitude. Lord please help me! I want to do better.

Nothing feels “right”. There is a sense of unease in my life. I can’t lose myself in work; I am having trouble reading (sounds serious); I can’t find complete contentment in a good tennis match. What is going on? Don’t you hate those times of un-rest? Perhaps God puts them on our hearts to help us to long for home. Maybe He wants us to turn it over to Him. Perhaps He is disappointed that I try to find the answers to this uncertainty without just giving it to Him.

Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy. I have a wonderful life and I love all of the people who make it so rich. But there is that blasted elephant! This is the start of the unease, but it goes deeper than that. Perhaps this situation is making me ask myself the really tough questions. How can this be better? How can I make that happen? Do I want to put myself out there? What are you really trying to accomplish?

At any rate, I think vacation is just what the Dr. ordered for me. Nine more days till I sail away……

I will get in here later and figure out how to put a side-bar up to track my Fat Loss for the "40 Days of Fat". To see how you can join up click here.

The official time is May 1 through June 9, 2005.

However since I have been losing weight since the first of the year I am making my donation for weight and size retroactive to Jan 1, 2005. I am also starting my work-out and tennis donations effective yesterday (4/6/05) Below is the donation scale I am using. Please use any method good for you. All money goes to World Vision.

Weight- $5 per pound
Current loss 21 lbs- $130.00
Dress/pant size $25.00 per size
Current loss 1 size- $25.00
Work out- .01 per minute
Current (began 4/6) 80 minutes- $.80
Tennis sets won- $1.00
Current-$1.00
Tennis sets played- $.25
Current-$1.00

My current total is $132.80

Today I arrived at the gym at 5:24 a.m. only to find that there were no bikes available for “spin” class! Do you think I was a little frustrated; maybe a little angry? I could have slept another HOUR!! I probably needed the sleep more than the work out, but you know what made me get up and go? Fajita and his fat loss project! I thought, I can count those 40 minutes toward my goal? So is Satan messing with me? Maybe I should just find a new gym! I was not the only one turned back at the door this morning. Frankly it is rare indeed for a gym to be overflowing at 5:30 a.m. Obviously there is something there appealing to the masses (no pun intended). Well, I missed the sweating, but I will give the 40 cents as if I was there. (sounds small but it will add up!!) Maybe I will have success in my tennis match today and will have more to give!

Do we have the same problem with our churches? Do we work and work to grow only to let people slip in and out virtually unnoticed without even experiencing God? Is there not something comforting about being in a group that knows your name and cares whether you are there are not? Do we not lose something when the crowd becomes so large that you cannot tell if someone is “new” or not? What exactly are we trying to accomplish? Who are we trying to save? If numbers are what we are after, would we not be more successful at a baseball game or a race? I have slipped into a “rant” here and that was not my intent. But the more I think about this the more frustrated I become. I am not sure we have clear objectives in our churches. We act like its all about God, but have we become inclusive? Do we think we are Kevin Costner and “if we build it, they will come”? I am pretty sure there is no New Testament example for that! I mean, aren’t we the ones who will only do what is in the New Testament?

Obviously not getting my morning work-out is not good for me! I will leave you with these thoughts and go do some push-ups or something!!

I just had my first Amazon.com experience in three months..... It was REAL good for me. Four new friends will be coming to me soon. (Well, I had to qualify for free shipping!!)

Oh and I have joined with Fajita on his "40 Days of Fat". If you are working to lose weight and would like to donate to a good cause as well as encourage others of us trying to shed some pounds, come on over and check it out!!

I hate having anything unfinished hanging over my head so here are the interview questions. In some cases I feel like I am getting too personal, but if you blogged it, it is open for discussion.

The rules, as I understand them are to copy and paste the questions to your blog where you will answer them. Then you challenge your readers to be interviewed by you where they will continue the process. Good Luck and have fun!


5Q4 Jenni

1. You started your blog in August of 2004. You mentioned late in August that you could easily be addicted to reading and commenting on blogs. Seven months later, would you say that you read blogs as much as you did in the beginning? Would you say that overall the experience has been positive or negative for you?
2. Several times you have mentioned how important donating blood and platelets is to you. What was the impetus that made this so important to you?
3. Last year you were involved with your 10 year class reunion. What was the most surprising thing you discovered about your classmates? What was the most surprising thing you discovered about yourself?
4. What caused you to start collecting thimbles? What was your first one?
5. Preparing for and having your Lasik surgery was very important to you, overall how satisfied are you with the results? Would you consider having any other type of optional surgeries?

5Q4 Karen

1. What is the most difficult part of life in the military and moving frequently?
2. What made you decide to home-school your children? What would you say are the positives and negatives of home-schooling?
3. You mentioned your prayer group was studying the book Cultivating Contentment. Has this been a good study? Would you say your contentment levels have increased?
4. You mentioned that you do not have cable TV. Do you find that you rent more movies? Is this a way to have quality family time?
5. You have gone through quite a bit of remodeling/updating to sell your house. What advice would you give someone who is contemplating selling there house?
   

5Q4 Elizabeth

1. You seem to have an obsession with Starbucks. What started this particular habit, and what are your favorites?
2. You mentioned that Matthew had inherited some of your traits as an oldest child. What do you think are the strengths and or weaknesses of being the oldest child?
3. Most of the things I truly dislike in my life can be traced back to an incident. What caused your extreme dislike for cheese?
4. You mentioned that you were a speech pathologist. How long did you work in that field before starting your family? What do you miss about working outside the home?
5. Do you think that your cake decorating will turn into anything other that a hobby? What do you enjoy most about cake decorating?
   
   

5Q4 Chris

1. You once mentioned that you used to think you were invisible. When would like to have the ability to be invisible?
2. You have talked about your estranged relationship with your mother. What effect positive or negative do you think this has had on your relationship with your children?
3. You spoke of a friend with whom you had a falling out and later reconciliation. Has your friendship been the same since the “bad times”?
4. At one time your job was incredibly stressful for you. Are your stress levels better? Did the whole incident from December blow over?
5. Do you think that your posting style or content changed any when your husband began to read your blog?
   
   

5Q4 Betty

1. Working for an airline you get to fly a lot. What has been your scariest experience in an airplane?
2. You mentioned that you are 50 years old. Was this your toughest birthday? What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a little older?
3. At one time you stated that you checked out other people’s blog rolls for new blogs to read. Do you still look for new blogs? Would you say you spend more or less time in blogland than you did in the beginning?
4. In November you visited Puerto Rico. Was this the prettiest place you have ever visited? What is the most memorable location that you have visited?
5. Reading is obviously very important to you. Other than your church history books what have you read in the last three months that has touched you most? Why?

Thank you to those who have volunteered to be interviewed. I will post the questions later in the week.

Last night I played in a tennis match that was quite disappointing. My partner and I played very well, and we played well together. The team we were playing was also playing very well. We lost by one break in each set. I walked away thinking, we did the best we could we just came up short. This morning I was thinking how comforting that we do not have to worry about that in our spiritual lives. Our opponent is very skilled. He knows all the shots to keep us off balance and out of control. But no matter how many “sets” we drop to him we know we will win the match if we keep in the game. The problem comes when his tactics convince someone they should just quit! You have seen it happen to people, I have too! I have been that person! We should never underestimate the prowess of Satan, but at the same time we have got to be teaching our young people (as well as the “not so young”) to never give up, the ultimate victory will never go to him!

Now just so you know, I am not calling my opponents “little devils”. I would never do that! We will get them next time!!!

In 12 days Terri and I are going on a 5 night cruise. We are leaving from Mobile and going to Cozumel and Play del Carmen. I can hardly wait.

I need a couple of more volunteers for the interview questions. Jenni and Karen have graciously agreed. Come on bloggers, play along!

For my current post click here!

Posted below are my five questions from John D. and my answers. Since this is called 5Q4, I will interview the first 4 people whom comment on this blog and agree to be interviewed. Please don’t be shy. This is a lot of fun, although I do feel a little strange knowing JD had to go back and read a lot of my post to come up with these questions. Come on folks, sign up and read below to find out a little more about me!!

Five Questions for Donna

John #1: From the beginning of your blog experience you have often mentioned Mike Cope's blog as an inspiration in several posts. What is it about Mike's blog that reaches you? How would you compare his blog and yours?

Donna #1: In the fall of 2003 I went to hear Mike Cope speak in Montgomery, Alabama. In an effort to find where I might here him speak again I “Googled” him and came across his Blog. Prior to this time I had no concept of what a Blog was. As I read from time to time I started clicking on the commentors and reading their blogs. By May I was hooked and had started thinking about starting my own blog. Mike is a professional speaker and writer. He also has devoted his life to God’s word. Yet Mike speaks from his heart and is not afraid to take a stand on contreversial issues. He is also comfortable enough to talk about Guacomole and sports. He is just real. That is what inspires me about him.

As far as comparing my blog to his that is really tough. It is kind of like comparing a child’s picture book to the great american novel. I ramble and probe and share some thoughts from my mind. I never expect anyone to really read what I write and I certainly don’t entertain the thought that my writings will be taken very seriously. I take pleasure in posting and love to get comments and I am grateful that this medium is available to all that care to use it and is not offered exclusively to those who are amazing communicators (like Mike!)

John #2. I'm glad you are a book reader! You mentioned back in July that you were reading THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY by Dallas Willard. It's a pretty heavy book to work through. Did you finish it? What did you think about the book (or just the part you read)? What was meaningful to you about that book? (Since this book did not make your 'best of 2004' list, what book have you read recently that was meaningful to you and why?)

Donna #2: Confession time; Dallas Willard is VERY HEAVY. Shortly after I started the book I started reading John Ortberg as well. He described himself as Dallas Willard “light”. I was hooked. I wanted the concepts of Dallas Willard without the effort it was going to take to read his book. However, I have not given up. It took my three years to tackle Tom Clancy’s Clear & Present Danger but I did it. I will read the Dallas Willard book (I have to now). You John have mentioned that you own John Ortberg books but have not read them; that would be my answer to part b of this question. I love his writing and it has definitely made an impact on me. I own every book of his and have read all but one. Right now these would be the most meaningful books to me.

John #3: In September you bought a beautiful SUV. You mentioned that you haven't loved a car since your 1996 Buick Riviera. Now that you've had time to settle in ... does this SUV live up to the memories of your Riviera ... or are you still looking for love in all the wrong places? :)

Donna #3: Of course I am looking for love in all the wrong places; don’t we all? I do like my Tahoe. I especially like the XM radio and 6 disc CD changer. I enjoy having room for my children to ride with me comfortably and I like being high off the ground. But, for sheer driving pleasure, I would still have to go with the Riveria. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very comfortable ride and it truly makes me slow down (this is a good thing). But there is just something that is so exhilerating about driving a powerful car FAST!! I feel much safer in my SUV!

John #4: What do you appreciate the most about your church? You write about going to Zoe / Otter Creek in such a way that it is obvious that these times are much different from your worship times at home. It's always easy to note the things we do not like ... what are the things that you most appreciate about your church family?

Donna #4: I love my church family. These are the people I know that I could count on if I needed anything in life. They love me and my family and have always made me feel welcomed and loved. My church is filled with good people who are always willing to help others. We are a traditional C of C. We are trying to break into a few praise songs, but we still sing them from the book and change is SLOW. I appreciate our Elders and the fact that I know them by name and well enough to go to them with ideals or problems. I also appreciate that they give me a certain amount of liberty to run the Ladies programs I am involved in the way that I want to. One of the things I have a problem with in all areas of my life is that I love change. I am impatient when change is occuring. I get excited about things and therefore get disappointed a lot. This problem is with me and not with my church.

John #5: On January 21 you pledged not to buy another book until April 1st. Did you keep your pledge? (Other than the Bible you bought on Jaunary 27!) Did you buy a book on the 1st? What will be your next purchase?

Donna #5: I bought the book that we are studying from on Sunday Morning, but I don’t think that really counts. I told my husband this morning that my book ban was up and I had to get to the bookstore! I haven’t bought a book yet, but I probably will before the day is over. On the recommendation of several bloggers I will probably buy "Blue Like Jazz" next. I have nothing definite beyond that!

Here in the Heart of Dixie April is starting with showers! We are having a nice relaxing steady rain that makes you want to crawl deep in the covers and sleep a long, long, long time….but no, I got up at 4:55 and went to work out. I am sure that I will be a better person for it. (can you sense that my eyes are rolling up in my head while I type that?)

My daughter is doing well. Mae you hit the nail on the head with the “obsessing about every detail” thought. Some days she drives me crazy with “what if” and “what about” questions. They changed her drug after the first month because her body had one of the side effects that make getting pregnant difficult. I don’t think the second drug caused quite the mood swing that the first one (Clomid) did. I am thankful for small favors. Hopefully this will be “the” month, but as I tell her we must be patient.

I will tell you about my upcoming vacation, but not today. There are a few people who read my blog who I need to tell in person first, so stayed tuned….I will tell you Monday. As for other unresolved matters, trust me, I will update you when I can.

I wanted to post some elaborate story today and end it with “April Fool” but I just don’t feel the creative juices flowing this morning. I trust that someone out there in blog land will do so today.

I do have a Bible question for you today. In Matthew 22 Jesus is presenting the parable of the Wedding Feast. He tells how the invited guest would not come so they went out into the streets and invited everyone, both good and bad. Beginning in verse 11 …

What do you think this means? We are told that God does not look on the outward appearance of man so what is this about? Matthew 22:14 was one of my favorite memory verses as a kid because it was so short, but I guess I have never really considered this part of the passage. I was listening to this chapter on the way in this morning and started pondering what it meant. I just wondered if any of you had any ideals….