June's 10 on 10th

It has been a while since I have had a chance to stop, but my feet up and enjoy the solitude of Bloggerrehaville! School is out and life is a little lighter. I am so looking forward to making summer memories. Although I missed June 10th's 10 on the 10th, I thought I would share my 10 favorite things of summer. Here we go.

10. Lemonade stands
9. Bike rides
8. Flying kites
7. Smell of a pending thunder storm
6. Camping out in the backyard
5. Running through the water sprinkler
4. The sweet smell of BBQ
3. The sweet smell of BBQ
2. Seedlings breaking through the ground
1. Care free sun kissed kids with gleaming white teeth

Enjoy the Hot Chocolate

Today is a rare cold and cloudy day here in Colorado. You know the kind of day that you cuddle up with your favorite blanket, book and a cup of hot chocolate. Since a day like this makes one think about life and all it's details from memories to wishes - I thought I would share this post with you.



A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.


When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: 'Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.


Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly... And enjoy your hot chocolate.

April's 10 on the 10th

Taking the advice of my friend and blogmate Rebbecca I am going to do the 10 on the 1o. This is where you list the 10 ten things you enjoy, memories you have, reasons to be grateful, favorite foods, whatever. Just list 10 things on the 10th of each month that bring you happiness.

1. That he called Judas his friend AFTER Judas had already betrayed him.



2. He showed meekness not weakness. Meekness is having POWER and choosing not to use it. (Matthew26:53)



3. Although he knew Peter was going to betray him he loved him just the same.



4. In the mist of his trail when the rooster crowed the third time, he knew exactly where Peter was! He look at Peter with love and empathy.



5. That he spoke not a word when they falsely accused him!



6. The only words he did speak during his trial were to verify his divinity
7. Jesus did not complain once during his trial and execution.


8. Jesus prayed for me (and the whole world) in the mist of his suffering. (Luke 23:34)That prayer was for his enemies and embraced the world, taking in every sinner who should live, until the end of time!


9. Jesus took the time to comfort others in the mist of his most excruciating pain. First the thief, then then his earthy mother
10. After proclaiming "It is finished" his death brought life immediately as some of the graves of the saints open and they were raised from the dead. (Matthew 27:52)

Our lives are being watched

We are a watched society. From the parking lot at Walmart to the traffic camera on the corner our coming and going is being logged. If you look closely at some department stores you will see a small sign notifying customers that they are being watched in the dressing rooms! Yup, we are constantly being monitored and watched. The sad thing is it is not for our safety or to give us peace of mind but to monitor the wrong. Speeding, shoplifting, workers theft and more. All this watching reminds me of the 80's song eye in the sky by the Alan Parson Project.

The modern day "Eye in the sky" Google-Earth can track every nook and cranny on the planet, including your home. To get a good idea of just how well the "Eye in the Sky" can see, just take a look at the nature filming of Planet Earth. The cameras that were used from 30,000 ft. can zoom in so close to the animals, that it looks like the camera is only a few feet away. The detail and technology is amazing. And for some it is alarming.

Our lives are being watched!

George Orwell's greatest fear has become a reality! He wrote warning about Big Brother watching our every move and it is a reality today. But what most people don't realize is that from the beginning of time mankind has been watched and even more so an accurate record of each word spoken, deed done and thought conceived has been recorded. The "Eye in the Sky" is not some satellite being maned by human and subject to human errors. But the Great God of the Universe! And from these recordings our eternal destiny is judged.

Our lives are being watched!

The bible tells us that there will come a day when the books will be open and all will be judged by their content. Revelation 20:12 What is in those books, how did they get there? Ecclesiastes 12:14 tells us "God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Every detail of life will be reviewed, including my thoughts (something "Big Brother" could never read) and actions. That is a sobering thought! Everything I say, do and even think is being written down in the book of Remembrance. There is a recording angel more accurate than a court stenographer writing what you just thought!

Whether you believe it or not.

Our lives are being watched!

Whether you like it or not.

Our lives are being watched!

But the good news is this, the sacrifice that Jesus made on behalf of you and me covers our bad deeds. The blood of Christ is a magnificent eraser that eradicates sins from our records and allows us to stand before the judgment throne without guilt. It is His sacrifice and righteousness that we accept on a daily basis that frees us from the fear of accountability. We are told that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) and our confessions of wrong are thrown into the depths of the sea never to be remembered again (Micah 7:19). The psalmist says as far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our sins from us. This is good news...no this is GREAT news.

"our little world is the lesson book of the universe. God's wonderful purpose of grace, the mystery of redeeming love, is the theme into which "angels desire to look," and it will be their study throughout endless ages. Both the redeemed and the unfallen beings will find the cross of Christ their science and their song. Desire of Ages p. 19

What to Wear Part III

[C]lothe yourselves with kindness ….
Colossians 3:12

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!" What a falsehood! Many of unkind words hurled at me in childhood had tattered my ego, shattered my self esteem and damaged my self-perspective. Whether it is our words or our deeds the lack of kindness is killing people all around us. Some die slow, painful, emotional deaths and some suffer quick destruction. All at the hands of unkindness. Kindness is the restorative power, the source of healing and life - it is the garment tucked in the closet of a well dress Christian.

[C]lothe yourselves with kindness ….
Colossians 3:12

Every "suicide prevented" story in Chicken Soup books was prevented by the act of kindness. Oftentimes small acts of kindness. Now that is power! Power to change lives. Incredible power to save lives and prepare souls for eternity.
Think kindness isn't all that great of a power? Consider the influence of Jesus' kindness and the effect it has had on human existence now and evermore. The kindness and tenderness as He chose to die for a hateful murderous, sinful people (myself included). His kindness held Him to His cause as they beat Him, spit on Him, ripped His bread from His face and then viciously nailed Him to the cross. It was kindness that held Him on the cross...rose Him from the dead and causes Him to return for His beloved. Kindness is the ultimate power and triumphant force of God.

We have been commanded to [C]lothe yourselves with kindness. Are you following the divine command? Have you been too busy to wear any kindness lately? Do you take it on and off, depending on your mood, or who you are with? Sometimes we are least kind to the people we love the most. It seems we save our kind behavior for people we don't see very often, as though it were in short supply. We all really need to show kindness to everyone around us. God has plenty of it, so wear it proudly. You will look terrific!

[C]lothe yourselves with kindness ….
Colossians 3:12

What to Wear Part II

Part II of "What to Wear"

[C]lothe yourselves with compassion ….
Colossians 3:12

The first garment is compassion, which can be describes as a deep feeling of sharing the suffering of another. It is not hard to find suffering people around you these days. Everywhere you look there is pain and suffering. If compassion was to be a skirt it would be a maxi mini or pants that have been cut to daisy dukes; in other words we are very short on compassion in this world. So short that we tune it to watch other peoples pain on daily talk shows, buy tabloids to see the latest pictures of stars falling back into rehab and even revel in the desperate fictious antics of suburbian wives. Yes, compassion is a rare commodity. Are you aware of the suffering around you? Not the global suffering, but the pain and sadness of those around you in school, work and even home? Do you care?

Someone has spread a terrible uncompassionate lie! The lie is that crying is a sign of weakness and those who cry or show their pain are weak and pitiful. We often turn away, even run way from others pain with disgust and contempt. We have falling for the lie and shed ourselves from the ability to care and show compassion.

It seems to me that all too often we are all too quick to blame people and judge them without stopping to think of what they are going through or what made them the way they are.
Don't you think compassion would look good on you? Do you have it hanging in your closet, waiting to be put on? If you put on compassion you won't be so quick to condemn or judge. We'll give people room to make mistakes. We ourselves will have the greater capacity to forgive and grow.

So how do can you put compassion on? Remember that everyone has their own battles and sufferings, no matter how good they try to make their lives seem. When you see someone acting is way that makes you cringe in disgust or anger we should pray for them. That's right pray for them. You will be amazed how much more compassionate you will feel toward them and the suffering around you. So remember to:

[C]lothe yourselves with compassion ….
Colossians 3:12

Next we will unfold the second garment in this special wardrobe, kindness.

Kickaboutist

nud·ism (ndzm, ny-) The belief in or practice of going nude, especially in secluded, sexually mixed groups for reasons of health.

Because I am not a nudist and do not promote it for reasons of vanity and modesty (as well as temptation), I have become a devout Kickaboutist. What is a Kickaboutist you ask? You already maybe one and not know it.

(kik)-(about)-(ist) Is a word that I created to describe a person who believes or practices wearing clothing that is loose, comfortable and often time mixed matched, especially in the privacy of their own home for reasons of mental health.

I believe that every one of us deep down inside are kickaboutist. How many people really enjoy wearing tight confining clothing in the name of fashion? How often do we all long to loosen our pants after a big meal or take off the neck tie?

A true kickaboutist takes off the street clothes they were wearing as soon as the get home. The reach for their favorite sweatshirt, t-shirt and sweat pants. For me it is my favorite pajama bottoms and big oversized t-shirt. I love to kick about the house doing the daily chores, playing with the kids, watching TV in my comfy kick bouts.

Most kickaboutist are not comfortable answer the door or going out for the mail in their kick bouts. You see kickaboutist are not fashion unconscious - but comfortable conscious.
You can know your level of friendship by the way a kickaboutist reacts to your visit. If they change into "more appropriate" clothes, well then you are really just an acquaintance. If they don't change but make a comment like, "Oh, I am sorry I look like a mess." then you are a friend. If they don't say anything and comfortably sit and chat with you are a "close" friend. If you drop by to watch TV, work on a project or just settle down for a long conversation and the kickaboutist offers you some kickabouts….then you are best friends! An intimate friend will offer their own kickabouts to you!

When a kickaboutist travels he or she always make sure they take along at least one set of kick about to where in their hotel room or around the house of family (when it is a stay at home day). And often time will take one less "regular" outfit if needed to make more room in their suitcase.
Being a kickaboutist is not a passing fad for the fashion unconscious but a state of mind. It is the desire to be comfortable in your own home. To shuck off the public fashion requirements of what is cool, hip and acceptable and just be.

There is a difference between a kickaboutist and a slob in whom there is a danger is becoming if you take kickaboutism to the extreme. You know you have crossed the line if your entire wardrobe consist of kickabouts, and you comfortable going out in public in kickabouts. The common mantra for a slob is "I don't care what I look like or what people think of me." But the mantra of a kickaboutist is "I am in my own home and I am going to be as comfortable as I want to be."

Remember the definition: a person who believes or practices wearing clothing that is loose, comfortable and often time mixed matched, especially in the privacy of their own home for reasons of mental health.

If you examine your home dress attire you will soon see you too are a kickaboutist. I truly am and comfortable with it!