The Hey You Lady

It seems all of us have had someone say something that has made a lasting impact on our lives.   It may have been a parent, a teacher, pastor, friend, a line in a movie, or something overheard from a total stranger. This week’s blog topic is “A not-so-well-known Bible verse that impacted you.”   For me, there are several.   One is Ecclesiastes 9:4 "Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!" Then there is Ephesians 4:29 – "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ouch.   Not as touchy-feely as the live dog.   If you can’t say something nice … And of course, a favorite of many people: "God will never give you more than you handle." (Hold on … I’m still looking for the chapter/verse reference on this one …) You know what?   That’s not in the ...

Hello, everybody. God here. Thought I’d check in with all of you this evening. I’ve been hearing your prayers – all of them – and have been answering them, too. I know some of you don’t quite believe that I’ve been hearing and listening. And there are a few of you who have been praying, with the first words out of your heart are “God, if you’re there …” Surprise! I AM here! I’ve heard the prayers that you’ve memorized since childhood, “God is great, God is good, Thank you, God, for our food.” You’re welcome. It makes me happy that you enjoy it – just do so in moderation, of course. I’ve heard you saying the prayer that my Son taught his followers while he was here on earth: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil For Thine is the kingd...

Not long ago I attended a writer's faire, where I heard a speaker say, "If you write a page a day, at the end of a year you will have a novel."  No, I thought, in my case I would have 365 pages of disconnected drivel.  This is a sampling of my disconnected drivel that came out of the 500 Words challenge.  It happens to be in line with this week's Topical Blogger's subject of "Family Portraits."  Enjoy! Molly likes breakfast time.   Her whole family has breakfast together – Mommy, Daddy, and her brother Bobby.   Her favorite doll Pansy also sits at the breakfast table.   Molly usually has a bowl of Loopiloos with milk for breakfast.   But today was Saturday.   On Saturday, Mommy makes pancakes.   Daddy helps her cut the pancakes so she can eat them easier.   She likes to pour her own syrup, but sometimes needs Daddy to help her.   Molly eats two pancakes.   Pansy does not eat pancakes.   She does not like them. ...

Tragedy.   Disease.   Killer heat waves.   Natural disasters.   Terrorist attacks.   Horrible circumstances.   Chocolate chip cookies without a cold glass of milk.   War.   Sitting through the movie “Creature.”   What do all of these things have in common?   People say they are hell.   While unpleasant things make our lives miserable, even hellish, they themselves are not hell.   We’ve all heard or been taught that when we die we either go to heaven, or to hell.   The difference between heaven and hell, to break it down to the simplest explanation, is this:   heaven is where God is; hell is where God is not. To understand the nature of that, let’s take a look at the nature of God.   Yes, God is the Creator of the universe, knows all, has ultimate control, can do great and marvelous things.   And the purest description of God is found in the apostle John’s first epistle.   God is love. ...

There is a popular hymn that is taught in Sunday school classes all over America.   As I type the words, and as you read them, we can hear young children singing, “Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!”   Yes, Jesus loves me, and I love Jesus.   Bible verses such as “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), “God demonstrates His own love for us in this:   While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8), and the assurance of pardon in 1John 1:9, the promise of forgiveness and restoration to a right standing with God when we confess our sins (“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us of all unrighteousness”)   do not begin to scratch the surface of why Jesus is worthy of my love.   Nor do they adequately explain why I love Him.   To be honest, I don’t think anything can, but I wi...

I love the autumn months. It’s my favorite time of year, really. Not necessarily because of the change of seasons. In California, there is not much change of season to begin with. It’s not because children are returning to school and all the projects that go with it. And I am not a Halloween fan. Football has its merits, but that’s not what makes the season special. The reason fall is so much fun has much to do with the food factor. Coffee houses are stirring up their Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Cappuccinos, the sweet-spicy fragrance of apple pie will soon fill the air, and the deeper into autumn and closer to the holidays, the more people will try their hand at cookies and candies. (All this is in addition to the annual October 5 National Holiday in celebration of the day I was born!) Believe it or not, I have actually taken to making food to share with others. From my own kitchen. Yes, she-who-burns-soup and sets-toaster-ovens-on-fire has found a flame-free method of ma...

probably not comparing the same versions of the $5 bill but you get the gist. I work at a place where quite a bit of money changes hands on a daily basis.   They call me the “money-mama.”   I’m the one responsible for making sure the employees can make change for a $100 bill on a $6 transaction first thing in the morning.   I’m the one who makes sure all the big bucks are accounted for at the end of the day, and I’m the one who gives those same big bucks a send-off to the bank vault on a daily basis.   If there is one thing I’ve learned from handling so many Benjamins, Grants, Jacksons, Hamiltons, Lincolns, and Washingtons, it’s this: I can usually spot a counterfeit at first glance. The authentic bills all have identical characteristics, such as color, feel, and size.   Yet they are all different.   Bills that have been in circulation for a while are more worn, some may be a bit faded, and some may have a birthday greeting or short grocery list ...

Hong Kong's Symphony of Lights "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16 A couple of months ago I decided to do an experiment. Not out of boredom, but for a purpose. It was blog writing time. Pastor Chris and I belong to a group where we blog on the same topic every week. His is chrislogan.blogspot.com; mine is heyyoulady.blogspot.com. The topic for that particular week was, “What is seen in the light.” My experiment was to shut off the lights and put on a blindfold, then write my post, typing blindfolded. Here are some of my reflections of my time in the absence of light. ---------------------------- My vision has failed me. I rely solely on my remaining senses ...

Gifts.   We’ve all given some, and we’ve all received some.   Birthday gifts, Christmas gifts, re-gifts.   Some of my favorite gifts to receive – and to give – are the ones given for just cause – “just ‘cause” you are loved by somebody.   Whatever the occasion, the giver usually puts some thought behind what gift he chooses for the recipient.   I know when I give a gift, whether it is a book or clothes or flowers or food, I am particularly blessed to know that the person I give it to will use it to benefit himself and/or others. Not long ago some members of my church went through a study series on Spiritual Gifts.   In one part of the study everybody had the opportunity to take a personal Spiritual Gifts Assessment.   This assessment was a questionnaire designed to reveal some areas where God has blessed each of us individually with strengths that we can use in our lives, such as wisdom, creative ability, teaching, intercession (praying for others), ...

That’s Rich! When you hear that phrase, different things could come to mind.   For me, the first thoughts are Chocolate, Cheesecake, Cappuccino.   Or you might think of people, such as that “Little” guy who does impersonations.   That’s Rich!   And of course there’s what it costs to fill up a gas tank nowadays – too rich for my blood!   There’s another meaning to the phrase “That’s Rich.”   I looked it up on UrbanDictionary.com.   It means, “when someone criticizes you for something that they themselves do,” or “when someone has the audacity to reprimand you when they are much worse than you.”   Very much like when adults tell kids not to smoke cigarettes while they themselves are lighting one up, or seeing the traffic court judge – the one who rolled his eyes when you said the picture from the red-light camera wasn’t you – at the DMV to get his own license reinstated after a DUI.   If you were to use “proper” language to express somethin...

All throughout history God has used people to do things for Him.  Even today God still uses people, presenting opportunities to all of us to tell others of His love for the world.   His call may be subtle, such as simply noticing that someone needs help opening a door to enter or exit a building.   It may be a bit stronger.   He may but a burden on your heart to help people at the freeway offramps by offering them a snack bar or a piece of fruit to eat. You may feel prompted to bless others by sending a note of encouragement in the mail to someone you know is going through a struggle.    Or, you may be in a position where you can financially support an organization or cause that is close to your heart. These are all little things that just about everybody can do.   And for many people, that is enough, and that’s OK.   You are fulfilling what God is calling you to do at that particular time in your life.    But for some others, doing the...

I have been cleaning out areas of my house and garage lately that have not seen light in quite some time.  I found some items of obvious sentimental value - high school yearbooks; a set of collector plates that my mother gave to me; a journal that I started writing when I was in 8th grade.  I also found some unusual items belonging to my ex-husband - some ugly neckties, a whoopie-cushion or two, a box of MAD magazines from the 60's and 70's, just to mention a few.  I also came across a letter wrtitten about five or six years ago by a friend who was questioning whether or not God is what people say that He is. Because of some run-ins with over-zealous Christians, he was turning to a belief, which I will not name, with more differences than similarities to Christianity.  He went on to quote George Harrison, saying, "All religions are branches of one big tree. It doesn't matter what you call Him just as long as you call."  Apparently, according to my f...

picture by frail0124 via photobucket.com The other night I decided to do an experiment.   Not out of boredom, but for a purpose.   It’s blog writing time.   On several occasions in the past I’ve asked for input from my Facebook friends as research for whatever topic I’m focused on.   This time I decided to do my own research for a change.   The topic for the week?   What is seen in the light.   My research experiment?   Shut off the lights and put on a blindfold, then write my post.   Yes, fellow ponderer, I typed blindfolded.   And I did pretty well, too.   I say that not to boast; it’s because I have used my typing skills almost daily over the past manymany years, and I don’t like having to go back and edit any more than what is necessary.   Here are some of my reflections of my time in the absence of light.   I have left out some of what I wrote, simply because the thought was too random, or the flow of thoughts di...