Thursday, September 28, 2006

Back to the Radio Messages

I re-read some of my earlier postings and oh, my, some of them are pretty poignant and moving . . to me, at least. I always, as I said, have the radio on a Christian station and every morning there is a stream of half hour ministries that get me up and moving. I haven't written about them for some time but having re-read the older posts where I did write about them, and having the need for the messages, I thought I would share this morning's experience which was really on point, with me at least.

The message is from Ligonier Ministries Renewing Your Mind with Dr. J. C. Sproul. I love that show. It is so cerebral, it makes you stretch and isn't that wonderful in the morning. This morning the discussion was about Jonah. He was sent by God to Ninevah and ran away, fell into the ocean, swallowed by a great fish, up chucked onto dry land and told again to go to Nineveh which he hastily did. Once there he said they had 40 days before destruction, repent or die and they repented. Jonah was furious and went off to sulk in the sun of the desert. God sent a plant to shade him followed by a worm which ate the plant and then dry heat blasting wind. God spoke to Jonah and pretty much wondered how Jonah could feel bad for the plant which he never created or nurtured and had no feelings for all of the people of Nineveh who would have died.

Jonah hated the people of Nineveh, they were the enemies of the Israelites. He wanted justice not mercy for them. I used to be so angry when I caught the message of God's grace...a person could be rotten and mean and cruel and abusive and do unspeakable acts and yet. . . when hearing the message of the Gospel and taking it to heart could claim Jesus as his savior, repent and be forgiven of everything and then, a new man in Christ go on with life, a servant of God. I always thought justice would not be served that way. I wanted that for me but not for people who were mean to me and those I loved. I have been gradually worked on and know that my way is not God's way (boy is that for sure and am I glad of that) and I know that as each of the sin's for which we are forgiven is pulled out of our baggage, confessed to and repented for, I know each of those sin's is forgiven and forgotten by God. I also know that each of them rolls through our heads and humbles us in enormous ways...there is regret and that in my mind sometimes is the justice. To see ourselves as God did when we were committing those sins is so painful......

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Catch up with Jenny

I am still a Jenny kind of girl....to date I have lost almost 17 pounds. Yeah, I know, it's been forever and I am moving along at glacial speed but I am still forging on. I now go every two weeks and I am not buying as much food but I still try to keep the boundaries that I have been told will succeed. Calories Calories Calories. Yes. I'm afraid the truth is that the Calories count and the truth will set me free.

I saw a picture of me at our Post Labor Day bash and Thank You God that I was losing weight then because.....beached whale or what?

A little fat humor. It's amazing the difference between what I look like in my head and what occurs in pictures...........

Check ya later......

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Psychobabble and Family members

I have a revelation which I have to write down or forget. My late brother( the oldest since they’re all late) had a never ending dispute with my late Father. They never got through that Oedipus thing, I think. One of my brothers foolish stories that only got more detailed as years went on concerned a dinner scene. He was an only child at the time which meant he was four or younger. He spilled milk and claims my father slapped him im the face very hard. My mother got angry and said she was taking her son and leaving him. She didn’t. My brother never forgave either of them. I can’t imagine either of my parents hitting anyone. They would never hit a child. A glass of spilled mild always warranted loud voices, a slap on the table, a quick jump to get towels or sponges or whatever. He enhanced the scene tp make himself the innocent victim and my father the dastardly villain and my mother the hapless heroine who, if she had the money, could have taken her son and had a better life.

A lot of years were spent developing and polishing and nurturing that fairy tale and with each telling the characters were even more innocent, villainous and helpless. My brother never lived in the real world. He was always so insecure and unsure of himself. He created a personality for himself that was cartoonish and silly. He was one of the characters in a Mike Hammer paperback, he was Tony Soprano, he was invincible but really . . he was a little boy at a dinner table being humiliated in front of the woman he loved by a man he saw as his rival. From that time he created scenes that would avenge his honor and dreamed of revenge. He carried that with him all of his life. He was so sad.

I hope the Lord has him in group therapy and maybe by the time I get there he will at last have grown past that four year old we all had to live with for over 65 years. PS I loved him so much anyhow.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Strife and Division

Just read an editorial by the Anchoress regarding the Pope's speech which has sparked outrage. The speech has sparked the outrage, not the editorial. What doesn't spark outrage with those people? See where I am? I'm using a "those people" phrase. I guess that phrase distances me from them... there is no we right now only us and them. Well. I guess the press has worked it's magic. There is no news in a strife free world. Strife must be created. There can be no strife in a unified community. We must be separated and different from each other so that there is better and worse, righter and wronger, richer and poorer, haves and have not. You get it. If there was no threat or insult in the Pope's words....then pull them out of the middle of the message and create one. Having read the speech and knowing where the Pope inserted those quotes from the long ago emperor, the press has fomented this strife and the Muslim leaders who are whipping the crowds into a frenzy are very grateful. In my opinion they have been itching to start a brawl here in this country and did try with the silly cartoons. It had no legs. Now, they have the anti-Catholic press and the false assumption that the press speaks for all of us. This might be the one to tip the scales. God Bless Us and Keep Us. He will indeed.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Stuff and Nonsense.

Well, we had a wonderful weekend and here it is - - over. Monday always appears and back to reality. There has been a remarkable flurry of activity in the news. Finally, the real onslaught seems to be starting. Enough of this dictator and nuclear weaponry stuff. Get the religions going because that is really what all of this nonsense seems to be about. All of the masked wonders holding up signs - bowing to islam or slaying the infidels - in perfect English mind you. I loved one commenter who said something like....don't accuse the religion of peace of violence or they'll kill you. Perfect!

Friday, September 15, 2006

Religiosity

Dear Muslims,

Stay away from my religion and I'll stay away from yours. I don't presume to guess what your prophet would say today.....don't make up stories about Jesus.

Thank you


Good Bye

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Stuff and Nonsense

Had a major discussioon (read argument) with a liberal co-worker and it concerned this Harvard nonsense and the Kennedy School of government guest speaker on September 10th. First of all my co-worker had not made a connection between the speaker and the date and the event 5 years before. Can anyone be that obtuse? At least he appeared that obtuse. Things went from bad to worse when he started with the right wing religious lunatic stuff and the W talking to God when he signed the veto of the embryonic stem cell research. I was bored and exhausted with the rote repetition of the learned opinions the left has imposed on the willing and so was not as energized as usual. I brought up the money factor of the stem cell thing. . . why not let private funds take care of the problem? Oh, no one will. Why not? No chance of real success. So grab the federal funds which are a deep and never ending resource. Get rich quick? Snake oil? No, embryonic stem cells. All of these malcontent former Catholics still angry with Mommy and Daddy have to come to some reconciliation or explode their heads with all the nonsense being jammed in.

I'm done. Thanks for listening.

Odds and Ends

Still sad but on the road to recovery. A lot of friends, like me, will be back this weekend and those that won't we'll see on Columbus Day when they will probably close up shop until Memorial Day. Plans are in the works for some kind of wrap up on that week end. One of the guys wants to do a clam bake, lobsters and all, on the beach. My husband is of course all for that and in the middle of it. Gads. It better not rain.

Meanwhile. There is a touch of fall in the air but only a touch. Yesterday was coolish but today. . humid and warm too. The clothes they are a changin'. Pants, shorts, no pant, no shorts . . . Yikes! Wear both. Terrible problems No?

My niece's son has started school, first grade, and he is so happy so far. It's a small church school, not his church but my niece doesn't care. The classes are small and the religion is solid and not overwhelming so she feels it will just work for his good and I agree with her. When did she develop such wonderful common sense? Not when she stayed with us for all those times as a youngster. Then my husband called her Linda Blair. She did appear to be possessed. Hormones I guess. Now she is a lovely young woman with two beautiful children and she is really working at the whole thing. Bless her and Keep her Lord.

That's my morning and I have to go. Work. Work. Work....Later.