It’s Friday! I cannot begin to express how happy I am about this. The last few Fridays have been incredibly busy, and this one will be too, but it will be busy at home. I have my list of things I’d like to accomplish today in order of what MUST be done all the way down to the things that it would be nice to get finished but won’t really matter if they get shoved off another week or two. Since we are experiencing amazing weather I absolutely must get the lawn mowed for the last time this year. I need to make Little Man R’s birthday cupcakes to take to him tomorrow, straighten up the house, etc. etc. etc. There is always an endless list of things to do, I just need to prioritize them in order of importance.
Verse of the Day
October 19, 2018
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
Rather than seeing this as a way to get our wish list granted, let’s see it for what it really is — an invitation to seek a love relationship with God above all other things. In finding him, we will find our priorities properly aligned and our hearts tuned to know what is really valuable and what is not. Then we will see that what we have in him is our hearts greatest desire.
Food for Thought
I was raised in a church going family, and though I no longer attend, the time I spent going to church formed a great deal of the belief system that I carry with me today. In church I learned from wonderful Sunday School teachers, like the lady I ran into at the store last night. She had a profound affect on my life, though I never realized it until recently and through the lens of history. Throughout high school I had an amazing youth pastor who guided me through the difficult teen years, years that I seemed to navigate fairly well when compared to other kids my age. As an adult I tried various churches, some of which I felt met my spiritual needs, and some that did not. Though I have tried not to let human frailty and imperfection sway my opinion of mainstream churches, I cannot help but know that they weren’t the bastions of Christ following believers that they should have been. Accepting that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God is one thing but closing our eyes to horrific acts against God and humanity are quite another. For all of the amazing and upstanding people who attend church, work with the children’s ministries and do their best to serve the Lord, there are so many others who hide behind the façade of respectability to get away with horrible crimes. Sex crimes, money laundering, outright theft and more. The feelings I had about certain leaders in the church I attended growing up, the hair on the back of my neck feelings, the discomfort being in their presence, the uneasiness that God gives us that shows our instincts for survival are on alert – I feel those feelings probably saved me from, at the very least, being witness to things that I could not have handled at that age. What breaks my heart though, is how many people were likely involved, how many were hurt, how many carry with them the scars from the abuse they were put through, all in the name of serving God, the secrets imposed on them through guilt and threats. The sweet and lovely lady I spoke with last night has survived much in her life, and she is a warrior for good and right in this world, carrying the luggage packed for her by her abusers with her wherever she goes. Through God’s love and support He has gotten her through all of this and she is now an advocate for the abused, for those who are lost in the guilt and betrayal of church leaders, of family members who hurt her so badly. I pray for her to have peace from the darkness, and that the light of God’s justice expose the horrors perpetuated on the innocent, and that the guilty are brought to their punishment – no matter how many people will be exposed in the process. The victims deserve to heal, the criminals deserve to be severely dealt with for every single awful thing they have ever perpetuated against the innocent. God did not do this to people, evil did, so I do not want anyone to misunderstand and think I am blaming God, turning my beliefs away from Him, or in anyway saying that church is a negative thing. Church is good, fellowship is good. People sometimes aren’t though, and it’s those people we must be wary of and from whom we must protect the innocent. Just because they are church leaders, doesn’t mean they can be trusted with our children. Something to keep in mind.
Evaluate Your Life Day – This one sounds serious, doesn’t it? But sometimes serious is important. There are many people who would rather hide their heads in the sand instead of evaluating their lives because they are afraid that they may not like what they find out. This is a good time to make positive changes by pausing and reflecting on our lives, where they are and where they are going. Be honest about it too. Are things going well? Is something bothering you? What is you need or want to change? Take a look at your appearance and health? Are you gaining too much weight and it’s negatively affecting your health? I think many of us suffer from THAT problem! A self-evaluation can give you the push to make big changes to improve the quality of your life. If things are actually going quite well, then maybe making little adjustments can make it even better! Evaluate Your Life Day could very well be the beginning of a healthier and happier you.
Mammography Day – In 1993 Bill Clinton proclaimed the 1st National Mammography Day, an annual observance that encourages women across the country to schedule their annual mammograms. According to a report by the American Cancer Society, that though breast cancer rates in the U.S. have dropped 34% since 1990, it is estimated that over 230,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year and nearly 40,000 American women will die from the disease. Men can get breast cancer too. It always surprises me how few people know that! Granted, it isn’t as common, but it still happens. The estimate is that 1,900 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed this year. Screening and early detection saves lives, so in honor of National Mammography Day, women across the nation are encouraged to schedule a mammography appointment. Do it for yourself, do it for your family.
This Day in History –
1983 – The Senate passed a bill making Martin Luther King’s Birthday a national holiday.
1781 – The Revolutionary War ended.
Food Celebration of the Day –
National Seafood Bisque Day – Bisques are well-known in French cuisine, but experts think they may originate from the Bay of Biscay, Spain, where the thick soup usually contained game meats, not seafood. I’ll let you all celebrate this one for me. Ever since I got sick from shrimp, I can’t stand the thought.
Well, I have enjoyed all the down time I can afford today. I have quite a few things I need to accomplish and if I wait much longer I’ll lose any ambition I had to start the morning out with. My 2nd cup of coffee should push me through with a little extra energy, which may just get me through! God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow.
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Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com