Thankful Thursday 4/10/14

1. Glad to have a job.

2. Love, love, love the beautiful weather this week.

3. It's Master's week!!!

Conversation

This is an exchange I had with the 7 or 8-year old neighbor boy this morning as I cleaned up my car.

Me: Do you have a baseball game today?
Boy: Yes.
Me: What position do you play?
Boy: 3rd or left field
Me: Do you ever go to Rough Rider games?  (The Rough Riders are a local minor league team)
Boy: YES! We even got a t-shirt of theirs.
Me: Well my friend and I went last night.
Boy: Really? Did you get a t-shirt?
Me: No, but I caught a foul ball?
Boy: You did??? Can I see it?
Me: Well, the ball hit a roof and came rolling down. I picked it up off the ground, but there were about 3 boys your age who were trying for it as well. I gave it to one of them.
Boy: Oh.
Me: Maybe one day when you are a game an old lady will get a ball and give it to you.
Boy: Probably not. Old ladies don't go to games.
Me: Well my friend and I went.
Boy: Yeah, that's really different.

I guess I need to go knit or crochet something.

Thankful Thursday 02/13/4

1. Mostly thankful that I'm not in the Midwest with its record breaking amounts of snowfall this year, and thankful I'm not in the southeast with it's snowstorm of the last two days. I'm just done with snow--maybe in my lifetime.

2. Get to see family tomorrow for the weekend!  Woo-hoo!!! So thankful to be surrounded by their love.

Happy Birthday, Renae.

Renae and I became friends in spite of the fact that I first met her through an e-mail because a formula in a spreadsheet I used for the women's basketball tournament had a bad formula. That was almost 14 years ago.

We've shared good times, not so good times, and just downright yucky times. We've shared a lot of laughs; the tears we've shared have mostly been mine.

Renae is a very generous person, and I'm fortunate to have been the recipient often. When I told her I was going to my parents to help them settle in their home, she offered to take a week off work and drove down with me. She never hesitates when I invite my family and friends to visit. When I wanted to try square foot gardening, she had no problem with me putting two 4x4 boxes in the backyard because she thought that would help me transition to Texas better.

In the past year and a half Renae has seen the worst in me, and yet we're still friends. Amazing.

Happy Birthday, Renae.

Day 11 and Thankful Thursday

Today is Day 11 of my "being under the weather." I haven't had anything like this any time that I can remember. A week ago Monday I left work mid-morning with a fever and stayed home the next day. After lunch on day 2 I was resting and thought, "I have energy. I am better." I got up, cleaned up, and truly was better. At work the next day I was cold and felt a cold coming on. The next day it felt more like bronchitis coming on. Days 5, 6 and 7 was scratchy throat. Day 8 I went to a walk-in clinic and started an antibiotic. Day 9 when I thought I would be seeing good results I was worse than ever--I had the most serious sinus pain I could ever imagine. Day 10 I stayed home and while I'm much better today I am not quite up to being at work.

So what makes me thankful?

1. Having medical insurance. Even with high deductible insurance it is comforting to know I have help with medical costs. The antibiotic without insurance was $53.78--with insurance $10.00.

2. Having a work team leader who is supportive and allows me to work at home on days like this.

3. Having family who have been concerned and care.

4. Having a friend who will make me dinner even if her first words to me yesterday when she got home from work were "You look terrible."

5. A co-worker gave me a sachet of this last week when I returned to work. I'm not a hot tea fan as I know I'm sick when I want it. This cinnamon spice tea is really good and has felt great. I immediately ordered it on ebay and it came on Tuesday. I think I like the sachets instead of the paper tea bags.

Books I Read in 2013

My time of unemployment was beneficial in that I spent more time reading books than I have for years. I got a library card soon after my move and while the Little Elm library is small I found a suitable variety to keep me motivated to read.

Sum It Up Pat Summit--a gift from my good friend Jayne, from Handbells, who knows I love all things Pat Summit.

Calico Joe John Grisham--an ok read but his legal books are much better

Killing Kennedy Bill O'Reilly--even more enjoyable to read after my move to Dallas. I really enjoyed a conservatives positive perspective on Kennedy and was surprised by it.

True Believer Nicholas Sparks--a fiction fluff book but good to read in the pool

Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand--a book I wanted to read for quite awhile but never did. Excellent, excellent, excellent, but difficult to take in as well. Another recommendation from Jayne, from handbells.

A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson--I checked this out based on a recommendation on our extended family blog by my cousin's daughter. My cousin is enamored with the Appalachian Trail and we discussed this book when she visited. An administrator from a previous school is planning a hike of the trail as a fundraiser for scholarships for this school. It has been interesting reading his blog to have read this book and have some knowledge of the Trail.

The Circle Maker Mark Batterson--an excellent read at a time when I need to make specific prayer petitions and hold to those. I was very encouraged by the thought that God had already had provided a job for me, but I needed to go through the steps to get to that job.

Angels Watching Over Me Michael Phillips--a free book on Kindle recommended by a friend on facebook. I read while at the lake this summer--a good book for vacation reading about a black and a white girl whose lives are brought together just after the Civil War.

1000 Gifts Ann Voskamp--call me a heretic but I had a difficult time getting into her writing style. Great concept but a difficult plod for me to get through. However, after a certain point I made myself finish it.

gods at war Kyle Idleman--another excellent book about how we put good things into a higher priority than they should be. Highly recommend. 

Sycamore Road John Grisham--yes, he is my favorite fiction writer. I listened to this on my Thanksgiving drive. I think it is one of my favorites of his.

Gifted Hands Ben Carson--very interesting autobiography of this surgeon whose illiterate mother forced her poor minority children to understand the importance of an education and built in them a strong work ethic.

During the year I tried to read David Copperfield and despite checking it out the maximum 3 times (9 weeks), I just couldn't get through it.
I also realize I read another fluff book with December in the title, but I didn't put it on my list.

My Take on Phil Robertson

Just over a year ago I started watching Duck Dynasty. I like it; I can’t take a marathon of it, but I like watching the new shows. One of my favorite parts of an episode that I would watch multiple times is when Phil’s grandson John Luke wants to take his girlfriend out on the river in Phil’s boat. Phil goes along as a very uninvited guest. On the boat ride he explains all to John Luke about proper dating and what to do and not to do on a date.

Phil has a great story—college football quarterback who decides he’d rather hunt than practice football so he gives up his starting spot to none other than Terry Bradshaw who goes on to win multiple Super Bowls in the NFL. He’s a man with a sinful past but found God’s love, grace, and redemption in salvation.

Here’s my problem with Phil. Phil is coarse and vulgar. I’ve tried to think of the men in my family, friends, and co-workers for the past 30 years, and I’ve worked with unbelievers in an athletic setting. I cannot think of any man who had any character about him who would have talked the way Phil did especially in such a public venue as a magazine with many subscribers. He didn’t have to say what he did. He could have made a statement of his beliefs without his crudeness. I think he violated Colossians 4:6—Let your speech be always with grace. . .”.

But he did say what he did.

A former student “liked” a blog post that a friend of hers posted on Facebook. I thought this person explained well why Phil said what he did.

The reason that Phil Robertson “equated” homosexuality with adultery, drunkenness, and beastiality is because to him it’s all the same. It’s all against what God teaches us in His Word…which is sin. It’s black and white…no room for gray. He drew a line in what his faith teaches…so is that bad? For those of you who feel like Christians are intolerant, take a look in the mirror first. Are you intolerant of Christianity? TRUE Christians love everyone. It doesn’t matter your race, sexual orientation, beliefs, or the family you are from…there is no justification of hate toward anyone!

…

So, let’s get REALLY real- I can bet we all make the list in 1 Corinthians as those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Let’s take a look at a few: Have you ever put something above God? You are an idolater. Have you ever stolen anything? You are a thief. Have you ever had a little too much to drink and gotten slammed? You are a drunkard. Ever had sex outside of the marriage covenant? You are sexually immoral. Like I said, let’s get REAL! I am guilty as guilty gets, but there is GREAT news: JESUS came and died for all of these things! THAT IS WHAT TRUE CHRISTIANITY IS ABOUT!!! JESUS!!! Nothing else. If you try and take Christ out of Christianity and instead, insert your moral code you are fooling yourself. Take a look at what Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” WOW that’s good news!

So because of JESUS, I am no longer on the list. Apart from Him I am the epitome of the list– stuck in sin and shame. But because Jesus saves me from sin and death, I can rejoice that God the Father looks at me and sees Jesus instead of my broken, sinful self. All glory to Jesus!

http://chasegentes.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/is-phil-robertson-a-real-christian/

 I also thought this post by Perry Noble was quite good if you have time to read a longer post.
http://perrynoble.com/blog/duck-dynasty-homosexuality-and-political-correctness

I don’t have the answer, and I’m already tired of the discussion.

So why did I just add to it???