Certain uncertainty...

Jon and I braved the Friday night crowds to see Amazing Grace . In fact, Jon ate a movie theater hot dog for dinner (Note to self-- Pick Up Stix is not fast Chinese food like Panda). I encourage any and all of you to see this film. (And we are pretty sure it is real film, a fact which warms the cockles of my Jonathan's heart) I am not going to go into detail about things at this point. I have too much on my heart this evening. Suffice to say, my prayer is to find what it is which wrecks me. Finally, I leave you with this: My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things; That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour. John Newton (1725-1807) English minister and hymn writer Amen.

Appetizer Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it? I have several, but the worst is on my left knee. When I was thirteen or so, I thought it would be fun to skate down the hill. It was about a 7% grade. Ok, maybe it wasn't quite THAT steep, but it was steep. So, I fell and ruined my favorite paisley jeans (it was the late 80's, okay?) and was picking asphalt out of my leg for hours. It is a reminder of one of my less though-out adventures. Soup What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle? Rolled my car when I was nineteen and had only a small bruise on my ankle. And some shock. But the car was upside down and ten feet away from being wrapped around a tree. Salad Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves. Kate Couric, Joy Behar, anyone who uses the non-word " irregardless " or " that" instead of "who " Main Course What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pas...

Last week, our small group was discussing the spiritual discipline of Slowing. Jon and I missed the meeting because our schedules were jam packed. *sigh*

Christine is looking at The Secret as any good Berean should , and measuring it against scripture. Yay!! She is asking our thoughts, and as I have several, I though it best to not hijack her comments. So goes Kelly's woefully inadequate analysis of "The Secret" I am really torn about this, because I hate to spend money on something like this. I shall, however, in the interest of fairness. I have made it about one hour into this movie, and here are my initial thoughts. I shall measure this against scripture, but that will most likely come in a later post, as I have a couple of e-mails out to trusted spiritual mentors. 1) One of the first quotes came from Bob Proctor, listed as a "philosopher." He states, "The secret gives you anything you want." This quote sets the theme for "The Secret"-- self. Everything is about what you want, what you think, what you feel. Hmm... What does the Bible have to say about self? Let's see: Luk...

My Jonathan's silence on this subject can only mean that he has not heard the news. If anyone knew the amount of peanut butter consumed in this home, it would cause wonder. It also puts to rest many ideas that the private labels (store brands) are any worse than national brands. I remember my dad explaining to me that many of the private labels were processed alongside national brands, but I was never quite sure if I believed him. Well, twenty years later, here it comes: Dad, you were right. I was foolish to doubt your wisdom on the subject of food processing. That didn't hurt too much. Update: While I was uploading the picture, MJ came out of the shower and informed we that he knew about the recall and knew also that our far-superior brand was not in question.

Appetizer What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make? Our phone at home plays "When Irish Eyes are Smilin'" and my cell phone sounds like a can of soda pop being opened and poured. I like those. We listened to some fun ring tones the other evening, but my Scots nature won't spring for them (at $2.50 apiece!!!) Soup Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.). OOhhh, this is tough. I really struggle to get out of cloudy. My default is definitely cloudy, but I earnestly try for sunny skies. Salad What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects? None. I am a wealth of useless information. Jon is fond of telling people that his retirement plan is to get me on Jeopardy! I am a voracious reader and have been blessed with good retention. If I absolutely had to choose, I would guess science. Mostly because my mother is a scientist and science teacher, and ...

So Bank of America is offering a credit card for people with no SS number. The idea is to tap into the rapidly growing Hispanic market. Of course, Michelle Malkin is outraged and thinks I should be, too. But I am not, and this is why: 1) I would rather see BOA open accounts with no SS# than with fraudulent SS# (which is what we know is occurring now). 2) BOA is letting the market drive its decisions. A novel idea for a capitalist nation?! I have read comment after comment about aiding and abetting. I just to do not see it. Does that mean that the gas station on the corner which sells gasoline to the landscapers is aiding and abetting? After all, they may be hiring illegal immigrants. I love how, instead of outrage that we are seeing no results at whatever it is our tax dollars are going to, we take frustrations out on corporate America. I would much rather see these people putting their money into our banks than carrying it around in their pockets (which, incidentally is what...

I am not sure what it says about me, but I am pretty sure it isn't a good thing when a girl looks forward to a hot steamy date with her new carpet cleaner . Gig season is back in full swing, so I must find new ways to amuse myself. Of course, my living room looks pretty darn good, and it was pretty icky what was pulled out of our carpet. We are now blissfully allergen-free. That is, until Tele next decides to roll around on the floor.

I have already mentioned my interest in a particular presidential candidate, so this is not another post cheering on Dr Paul. Election season has already begun, it would seem, so I am thinking about what are important traits in my candidates. What issues REALLY matter to me? Do I care about flag burning, school prayer, and gay marriage? More importantly, does the electorate really care about these things? Do you? What are your deal breakers? Has that list changed for you? What precipitated these changes? I have finally composed my list of "must-haves," and it is shorter than I thought it would be. My deal-breakers: 1) Must be committed to radical tax reform. 2)Must be committed to the preservation, protection, and defense of the US Constitution. Pretty much everything else is just gravy; I can boil my expectations down to the above mentioned criteria. Of course, I am realistic enough to recognize that I dwell in a lonely lonely place.

I must preface this by saying that, as a no-child household, we are already ahead of the game. I don't even want to think about how expensive a sitter is these days. I remember my babysitting days, and they were pretty lucrative. Anyway. My favorite cheap date with consists of two bottles of water each, some Gorp (or a Cliff bar), and our annual pass to Red Rock Canyon . The park has so many trails, from an easy stroll into Ice Box Canyon to the more challenging scramble and climb to Turtlehead peak. We throw everything into a knapsack and head off. Check out state and national parks in your area, as our annual pass was only $20.00. Very often there are plenty of other programs to enjoy-- group hikes, star-gazing, children's hikes. Head on over to Shalee's Diner and check out everybody's ideas.

"I long to worship Jesus with the heart of a child, in a state of pure and true adoration. Yet so many things of the world cloud my thoughts and pull on my heart until it's no longer just a girl in the arms of the Father" ~ Darlene Schacht ~ "The Mom Complex" When did everything become so complicated? When did I stop being able to freely respond to my father? Oh, it isn't that I don't love him, because I do. But somewhere along the way, I stopped running down the stairs shouting, "Daddy's home!" I was no longer clinging to his pant leg being dragged across the kitchen floor as he left for work. When was it that I stopped climbing into his lap or snuggling up next to him on the couch to share my day's adventures? Somewhere I closed off a part of me that used to be open to him. I have done, of course, exactly what a healthy adult is supposed to do. With my dad. But have I done the same thing with my relationship with God? Have ...

Add an "I" and and "E" and you get bloggy design euphoria. Once again, Susie at Bluebird Blogs has worked her magic for my little corner here. I love my new digs. Thank you, Susie !

She's smart and funny, and she has started the newest carnival craze! Shalee is asking for all our cheap date ideas. Tuesday is the day, so put on your thinking caps and staple your wallets, then head over the Shalee's Diner and share your ideas (Or steal someone else's, perhaps).