Answers to survey challenge

OK...I'll bite.

A is for age25
42 I think

B is for burger of choice
Pal's

C is for what car you drive
Honda Accord

D is for Dog's name
I have 2 - Allie and Jeremiah

E is for essential item you use every day
I would have to agree with Beth that makeup is very essential


F is for favorite tv show at the moment.
I don't really have a favorite but I do like reality TV

G is for Favorite game.
Mahjong Medley on the computer

H is for Hometown
Blountville, TN (aka Blount-vegas)

I is for instruments you play
Piano...barely - use to play Clarinet....barely

J is for favorite juice
Any kind of Cranberry...

K is for who you'd like to kiss
Nobody except family....don't like people in my space

L is for last restaurant you ate at
The Crazy Tomato

M is for your favorite Muppet
I don't know my choices...I forget

N is for number of piercings
2 in each ear....that makes 4

O is for overnight hospital stays
Quite a few....I have had 3 children and a few surgeries

P is for people you were with today
Co-workers, husband, Zach

Q is for what you do with your quiet time
Homework, TV, blog, myspace, etc.

R is for biggest regret
I'm not sure if it is the biggest but I wish I had finished school sooner

S is for status
Married

T is for time you woke up today
I am out of ambien so several times last night...ultimately around 7:30am

U is for what you consider unique
I can also pick things up with my toes like Bethanne and now that I read her answer I can't think of anything else...I'll "cheat" off her survey!

V is for vegetable you love
I don't like vegetables....is chocolate a vegetable?

W is for worst habit
Not folding laundry in a timely manner

X is for number of x-rays you've had
A few

Y is for yummy food you ate today
Manicotti, salad with extra bleu cheese dressing

Z is for zodiac sign
Gemini

Some little Bethanne unknowns......

Well, it is Monday already! The weekends go by way too fast. Can we just do away with Mondays? Two Saturdays in a week would be best. A Saturday before Sunday and a Saturday after Sunday. That would always ensure a 3 day weekend! Just a thought....

For all you Bethanne fans, just some information.......

WARNING: This could get graphic....prepare yourself!
As you know, my sister (Bethanne) is now in Disney with Mickey. While she is away, I thought it would be good to talk about her....you know, in hopes that when she returns, she will have sooooo many blogs to read that she will miss the details of mine! (It could be the green-eyed monster coming out right now!) I've recently noticed that there seems to be a recurring theme in several of Bethanne's blogs discussing the fact that I, her oldest sister, MAYBE "made her eat dog food when she was little". This is actually a matter of perception and a very misleading statement that I would like to present in a different light. From my point of view, I did not (repeat DID NOT) force dog food into her mouth. I did, however, make a simple suggestion that she could taste the dog food and she apparently thought it was a good idea also because she did. She is obviously alive and well today. Therefore dog food is not bad for humans!

Now most of you have this picture in your head of this mean older sister forcing dog food down the sweet little Bethanne's throat. This most definitely was not the case! There could have been some serious behind the scenes issues here. Let me paint a very different picture.............
as the older sister, there were times that my sweet, darling little sister wanted to sleep in my bed with me just as many sisters like to do. With Bethanne, she apparently only wanted to sleep in my bed when she was not feeling well. I only learned this the hard way! I would estimate that approximately 98% of the times she slept with me, I was awakened in the middle of the night and found myself laying in a pool of "throw up". In my younger days, I had very long hair....not a good combination! It was extremely uncomfortable on my part and has left me with serious adverse reactions to throw up to this day. The loss of sleep, waking abruptly in the middle of the night, taking a lengthy shower to clean my LONG hair, and change sheets on my bed has potentially created many issues in my life today. Many of you may not know this, but Bethanne was quite the throw up child....at least that is my memory. Can I get any sympathy here????? My mother (Anchored on the Rock) can verify the validity of this.

And another thing......there is a difference of 6 years in our ages. Bethanne and I were very lucky to have Grandparents that spoiled us. Prior to the arrival of my sister, I did have some advantages to being the only grandchild. Needless to say, some of the attention was diverted when she was born. For instance, I use to be able to take an extra trip to the beach each year with my grandparents. However, when Bethanne was born, they were not able to take 2 little ones to the beach, and it wouldn't be fair to take me and not her, blah, blah, blah, so.....one less beach trip every year....and you know how much I love the beach! (checkout previous blog) Get the picture? Any sympathy yet????

And another thing.....remember the Grandparents that spoiled us? Well, when I was 16, my Grandfather bought me a brand new car! Much to my dismay, it would not be fair to give me a car and not my sister. (I see a pattern here. How much sense does that make? She was 10!) So, my Grandfather told her that 1/2 the car was hers. Obviously I had a license, therefore, the drivers side was mine. Unfortunately, the radio controls fell on her side of the car. And she used her Grandfather-given power to control the radio! (Technically the volume and the on/off button were on my side :)) I won't even mention the blackmail that she used as needed to force me to drive her places that she wanted to go in her 1/2 of the car. Just a side note...she also received a car when she was 16 but I was not 1/2 owner. Sympathy please????

These are just a few unknown facts about my sister Bethanne. I know you have all felt much sympathy for me over the past few minutes of reading. You can probably even understand the dog food situation now. I guess, looking back on things, all the normal sibling "stuff" provides great laughs and memories. Knowing her, she will have plenty of rebuttals when she returns and maybe even a different perspective....I really can't imagine how though!

I wonder if I will get a present from Disney???? Do you think I messed that up?

Really and truly, what would I have done or even do now without my sister. There were many times that we were all we had and we stuck together. Sisters share alot of memories that no one can take away. Overall, she is a great sister! You can see that we love to pick on each other (and we especially like to gang up on our Dad). Even with all the throw up, dog food, bossiness and blackmail we are still sisters!

Now that I have ratted her out on some things, here is a little poem (I didn't write it) just for my sister Bethanne:

A sister's love is special
in oh so many ways
Now miles stretch between us
and minutes turn to days.

We've shared so much as children
the tears, the joy, the pain
A lifetime spent together
those memories remain.

In times gone by we've pondered
the paths our lives have taken
Knowing that in spite of this
our sister love unshaken.

A sister's love is special
in ways that are unspoken
Still that binding force exists
our sister love unbroken.

Author Unknown

New York Mission Trip

I finally heard from my youngest son today! He left last Friday to go on a Mission Trip to New York and I have hardly heard from him since he left. Boys! My daughter would have called a couple of times a day, but not him. I have to send word through others to tell him "Call your Mother!"

My husband and I have been very worried about this trip. Zach and Anna just came back from Nicaragua and I was less worried about that trip (as far as safety) than I have been about New York. They are specifically targeting many of the inner city areas which would typically be associated with high crime areas. Their mission this week is to present the gospel to as many people on the streets of New York as possible. They are performing "skits" and "human videos" on the streets and inviting people to the ultimate "Block Party" which will be held this coming Friday. They are also going door to door inviting people to come. Zach told me today that while going door to door in an apartment complex, they knocked on a ladies door and while talking with her and inviting her to the block party, the police burst into the apartment complex and arrested the woman they were speaking with! Needless to say, this did not relieve my anxiety. He did say that they have been in some pretty scarey places and have seen some really rough looking people, but everyone has been very nice to them all week.

I was sharing this information with a lady that I work with today and how nervous I have been about the recent mission trips and my children being so far away from home, etc. She said to me "But it has to make you really proud that your children are so interested in missions and doing things like this." And then I thought.....How silly of me to be so worried about the trivial things when my children are so excited and anxious to "go ye therefore into all the world" sharing the gospel with others just like Jesus commanded. This reminder has helped me focus on what is important and what they have already discovered....the important thing is that they are sharing Jesus with a lost world. Be sure to pray for the "Block Party" this week in New York where the gospel will be presented in many different ways to people who may never go to a church or may never have the opportunity to meet Jesus any other way.

Here are a few pictures from the Nicaragua Mission Trip:

Anna and Zach the day they left

Anna and Nicaraguan children

Zachary and Nicaraguan children....Zach giving his testimony in church in Nicaragua

It was a great trip....these are just a few of the 2500 pictures.

Keep praying for my children and their youth group and the many opportunities that God is presenting to them in their lives.

I've been a slacker....

I know, I know....I've been a blogger slacker! This past month has been pretty busy and I just haven't had alot of time to write my thoughts down. I have thought about alot of things to write but when the time came, the words didn't appear. I have had to write three papers this week and my mind is not working well. I feel a few moments of rambling coming on so be patient with me...all my thoughts are running together.



I just finished reading a couple of books for school. Only one of them I would recommend to everyone. The fact that we were forced to read this book and write a paper on it and the entire class LOVED the book should be an encouragement to each of you to immediately go to amazon.com (can't buy buy in bookstores yet) and purchase a copy. The book is called The Bishop of Jerusalem. It is written by Chuck Thompson who is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Religion at King College where I attend. He actually came to our class and we had about a 3 hour very informal, very interactive, and very interesting discussion about the book.



The book is written in a story format and is based on the last days of James, the brother of Jesus. One of the questions the author asks in the preview of the book (the back cover) is "If you knew your life was about to end, how would you prepare yourself?" That is an interesting thought and it is actually kind of difficult to answer. Some things are pretty obvious but I'm still thinking on that one. (The book is so much more than that though)



While reading the book, the thought that kept coming to my mind....Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be the brother of Jesus? Your initial thought would be that Jesus was the perfect child, never disobeyed, never talked back to his parents, knew all the answers in Sunday School, was right 100% of the time....I'm sure it is much the same way that Bethanne felt growing up with me! :) This would cause some serious sibling rivalry in most houses. But did it? I have gone back and forth on this in my head as far as picturing Jesus growing up in a household with a Mom and Dad and brothers and sisters. I don't know how on target I am, but I think to some extent Jesus did all the things that normal children do. I don't think that he came out of the womb quoting scripture and reading the Torah (let me clarify and say that I believe that he could have if he had wanted to). And I don't mean that in a blasphemous way at all. I just mean that he came into this world in human form as a baby, he grew, he slept, he ate, he drank, he played, he joked around with his brothers, maybe played a practical joke or two, he experienced human feelings and emotions. We know that at a young age Jesus knew what his role was and who he was. But what was it like to be the brother of Jesus? Was Jesus a protective brother, did his Mom ask him to watch the kids while she ran to the market, did he have to carry water? I'm just throwing some food for thought out. These are all things that have been running through my mind over the past couple of weeks.



I amazed by the fact that James did not know who Jesus really was, other than his brother, until after Jesus death. Where was James when his brother was being crucified? Why wasn't he there? Where was the rest of his family? It is just hard for me to comprehend. The truth is that many people, including the disciples, didn't know who Jesus really was until after his death. Can you imagine walking with Jesus everyday, seeing him heal people, seeing him walk on water, feed 5000 people with a little boys lunch, turn water into wine, and even raise people from the dead and not know that he was the Messiah! What were they thinking? How can that be? Or was that how it was suppose to be?



I told you my thoughts were jumbled today and that I had lots of questions. There is so much more about this subject that I would like to talk about but I would like for you to read the book first. I promise that you will like it and it gives a little different perspective to some things. Remember the book is a fiction book but based on historical and biblical facts kind of like the Left Behind Series is.

It is very late and I have been interrupted 100 times so tonight is probably not a good night for blogin'. Think about some of the things above and definitely, definitely read The Bishop of Jerusalem. For those of you who don't have alot of time to read, it is an easy read and not very long.

Compassion, Making a Difference

Compassion Definition - The Quality of showing kindness or favor, of being gracious, or of having pity or mercy.

Working with deaf people has been one thing that has helped me learn to have compassion for others. I am not always 100% there but am certainly trying. Sometimes deaf people are not as educated as hearing people, may not have as high paying jobs as hearing people, may not communicate with everyone as well as hearing people, and may even be perceived as being a "lesser" person because of their disability. I have seen and experienced this perception first hand. Usually this happens because the person simply does not understand the deaf person or their culture. They are not willing to take the time that is required to deal with that type of person. And more often than not, they really just don't care.

Isn't that what it is all about? Judgement? Perception? Apathy? Isn't it about the perception that one person is better than another person? We simply look down our noses at someone because of the way they look, the way they dress, the way they sound,the way they smell, their economic status or even the way they communicate. We are so busy and so focused on "us" that we can't even see beyond our needs. What I have seen is that people who are "different" for whatever reason tend to make us uncomfortable and since we don't want to feel awkward or uncomfortable, we just avoid the situation. Isn't it arrogant of us to take it upon ourselves to decide what a person needs or doesn't need?

Example 1: I live near the Bristol Motor Speedway. Usually after every race, there is a man and woman with a whole car full of children stuck on the side of the road with a sign that says "Spent all money at races, need gas money to get home."

I have to say, I haven't always been very compassionate at times when I see this situation. Why? Should I have been? I think I should have been. Really, the only opinion that matters is Jesus opinion and what he has commanded us to do.

• I Peter 3:8 - "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous. "
• I John 3:17 - "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"
• Jude 1:22 - "And of some, have compassion, making a difference."

Sure I felt bad for the people (mostly for the children) and in that respect I had compassion for them but did I do anything? No. Why? I could probably name several excuses but the main excuse was because I thought I was better than they were. I talked myself out of it because I really didn't care. and they should not have spent all their money! I would never go to the races and spend so much money that I didn't even have money to feed my children or to get them home. I was appalled that people would do this. According to the scripture above, I should have had compassion, loved the brethren, been kind to them because they had a need. It also asks how can the love of God dwell in me if I am not compassionate. Ouch!

Example 2: My husband and I are at a gas station off the interstate near Knoxville. He is pumping the gas and I am sitting in the car. A young guy walks up to my husband and tells a sob story about how he is there with his sister and her boyfriend and they are trying to get back to Knoxville but did not have enough gas money to get them there. He asked if my husband could give him some money to help with gas.

Should he? According to scripture, yes. Was I happy? Not at first. I was skeptical and thought to myself, it is going to cost $50+ to fill my car up. Gas is expensive for everyone. I don't even know if he will really even buy gas with our money. If they didn't have the money, why did they leave the house! What did my husband do? Gave him gas money. When I asked him why, he said "because he said he needed it and I had it." I said "he is probably just going to go buy alcohol or cigarettes, etc." My husband says, "I can't help that....I was just trying to help him out. It is up to him as to what he does with it."

I realized at that time, that you can't "give" with conditions. Either you are a giver or you are not. I should have been thankful that God had provided us with enough money to fill up our gas tank AND give a little more away. We have been commanded to have compassion and help those in need. It is not based on whether or not the person deserves our help. We will be held accountable for what we do and the intention of our heart. By the same token, the person who is receiving will also be held accountable for what they do and the intention of their heart.

Gods compassion was not just an emotion or feeling. His compassion was always followed by actions. He still had compassion on Israel even when they were rebellious and God restored his people. Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, he told us the parable of the Good Samaritan who had compassion on a wounded traveler (Luke 10:33) and of the Prodigal Son whose father had compassion on him when he returned home (Luke 15:20). Jesus showed his ultimate compassion on the cross when he died for our sins. We didn't deserve it, many people will never thank him, and everyday we sin in an act of rebellion after all he did for us. But he did it anyway, knowing how ungrateful and unthankful we would be and that we did not even deserve it.

People have many different needs in their life. Sometimes just kind words are sufficient. Sometimes, compassion may require giving of your time, and sometimes it may require giving of your money or a personal possession. Having compassion is not just an emotion, it requires action. To have this kind of compassion requires that we put away our judgmental "Phariseean" (probably not a word) garments and put on our compassionate Jesus robes....having compassion and making a difference. I guarantee that in the next couple of days, you will have an opportunity and be faced with the decision of should I or shouldn't I? Ask that famous question "What would Jesus do?" The answer will be obvious!

Remember, compassion comes with no strings attached. True compassion is giving out of love and expecting nothing in return. We could all stand to add more compassion to our lives!

The Beach

We will call this the "beach survey"....keep reading and you will understand!

This is in response to Bethanne's survey and I assure you I will try to do better than my sister at following the rules and keep my answers to only one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? work
3. Your hair? blah
4. Your mother? home
5. Your father? home
6. Your favorite thing? beach
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? skinny
10. The room you’re in? Bedroom
11. Your hobby? Homework
12. Your fear? SNAKES!
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Beach
14. Where were you last night? church (not all of us laid out!)
15. What you’re not? skinny
16. Muffins? Banana Nut
17. The last thing you did?laundry
18. What are you wearing? slouchies
19. Something you’re not wearing? socks
20. Your mood? sleepy
21. Your summer? Beach
22. Person you tag? All beach lovers

I would have liked to answer more of the questions with the word "beach". It would look something like this:

1. Where is your cell phone? beach
2. Your significant other? beach
3. Your hair? wet (from the beach)
4. Your mother? beach
5. Your father? beach
6. Your favorite thing? beach
7. Your dream last night? beach
8. Your favorite drink? Ocean water (at the beach) - that's weird I know
9. Your dream/goal? skinny (at the beach)
10. The room you’re in? patio (overlooking the beach)
11. Your hobby? walking the beach
12. Your fear? rain (while at the beach)
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Beach
14. Where were you last night? Beach
15. What you’re not? cold (at the beach)
16. Muffins? Banana Nut (eating for breakfast while watching the surf at the beach)
17. The last thing you did? walk on the beach
18. What are you wearing? bathing suit (only if #9)
19. Something you’re not wearing? shoes (while walking on the beach)
20. Your mood? rested (at the beach)
21. Your summer? happy (at the beach)
22. Person you tag? All beach lovers

I love the beach. I think I would like to live there but only if I do not have to go to work each day. I think that would surely take the fun out of it. I think it would be great to live in a tropical paradise from October - March and the mountains from April - September. Wishful thinking.....oh well, I guess I will have to be thankful for my one week a year at the beach.

Why do I love the beach? I'm not sure.......

CONS

• I am pretty fair skinned so I don't tan really well.
• I like to ride the waves but have become quite fearful of the sharks in the ocean (thanks to my husband)....and the pecker fishes in the ocean (Bethanne will appreciate that one).
• Hurricanes would really stress me out.
• I'm always afraid we will get sucked in the under toe, expecially my children
• There are alot of strange creatures in the ocean that can hurt you
• I am certainly not a "skinny minny" so a bathing suit is not my friend.
• I really am disgusted and disturbed by some of the excess skin that others like to share with everyone at the beach.
• There seems to be alot of drunk idiots at the beach....some places
• I seriously hate seafood!
• My least favorite thing is LEAVING the beach.

PROS

• The sand - what better pedicure!
• No allergies! No sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, and definitely no runny nose!
• The sound of the waves is the most calming, relaxing sound ever
• At the beach, I am on vacation...no work, no school, no responsibility - the greatest decision to make is "where are we going to eat now?"
• Even though I don't tan to a beautiful dark brown color like my son, I do get a little bit of a tan - any additional color to my lily white skin is an improvement
• Sleeveless shirts seem to be more acceptable - I have a weird thing about showing my arms but for some reason I don't really care when I am at the beach...explain that one?
• Makeup - not a requirement
• Fixing your hair to perfection - not a requirement
• I have NEVER seen a snake at the beach - maybe they are there but I have never seen one - don't spoil it for me!
• Walking on the beach - I can barely walk a time or two around the track while at home, but at the beach, I can walk like 10 miles beside the ocean and not even be tired! Why is that?
• I really think I could be skinny if I stayed at the beach for an extended amount of time - due to the walking thing and the fact that the sun usually takes away my appetite
• Where else can you eat like 30 popsicles one right after another and not feel bad about it....it's just part of the beach! (ask Bethanne)
• The late afternoon nap - only at the beach can I take an afternoon nap and not think I am lazy
• The last and final....no matter how large you think you are or how bad you think you look in a bathing suit, you will always see someone else that is bigger than you and looks worse than you (at least in your mind.....ugly but true!)

Many more pros than cons which helps explain my obsession with the beach. My husband and I will be leaving in 18 days to go to the beach. Two of our children, Anna and Zach will be going on a mission trip to Nicaragua and my oldest son lives 3 hours away from home.....so, we decided to take advantage of this and go to the beach for the FIRST TIME all by ourselves! We have had weekend getaways over the years, but this will be our first time vacationing for a week by ourselves. And, just as proven above, what better place to go! THE BEACH!!!!

(I warned you I was obsessed!)

Just a little side note that I am sure Bethanne will second.....we had an awesome vacation about 3 years ago when my Dad took us to Destin....don't you think that would be a great thing for him to do again??? Hint....Hint....Hint to the blog site "Eddie's Place".

Is there more than one creation story?

That sure sounds controversial to me! Maybe not......

I am taking an old testament class and it has turned out to be quite interesting. I have had some questions about certain things or approaches that my teacher has taken at times. So when he mentioned there are two different creation stories in Genesis....ding, ding, ding....red flag! However, after clarification and discussion, I found it to be something I really had not thought about in this way. By two "different" creation stories, he actually means two different perspectives.

The first is in Genesis 1:1 - 2:4. This is what I have mostly thought of as the creation story. Genesis 1:3 "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." Genesis 1:4 "And God saw the light, that it was good". God simply said....it happened....it was good. He didn't have to work at it, have help, discuss it, etc. He just said!

The second creation story begins around Genesiss 2:5. This is the more "personal" creation story that may have been quite obvious to others but really caused me to have a light bulb moment. As Lake once told me, "Aunt Lisa, you are a slow learner".....out of the mouths of babes! It is not as much that I hadn't heard it before, but I "heard" it in a different way. This passage shows God actually coming to Earth, forming "man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

I immediately got a more intimate picture in my head of God picking up a handful of dirt, molding and forming man, holding Adam in his hands, they were face to face, lip to lip, with God literally breathing into Adam. Adam did not have life until God breathed His breath into him. I'm not sure I have ever really had such a vivid picture come to my mind. This presents such a beautiful picture of Adam becoming a living soul. God didn't create an ape or some other form of an animal. He created Adam as a perfect man, innocent, sinless and in a right relationship with Him.

In the "first" creation story, God said "let there be light", God said "let the earth bring forth grass", God said "let the earth bring forth the living creature". Yes, God took time to create all things in the universe. It was only with Adam (human beings) that he made a personal and intimate connection. This emphasizes the fact that God created us with the purpose of having a personal relationship with him.

Throughout time, there have been (and continue to be) many different versions of the creation story. Even though this is basic Sunday School stuff, we sometimes need to go back to "in the beginning" to be reminded of the true creation story which only God could accomplish.