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Plarn crazy
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Sep 28, 2009 6:31 pm
192 Views
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Never in all my years did I think I'd be crocheting with plastic bags! Oh, what a hoot! How addictive it is!
I found a pattern at myrecycledbags. (Google it and the site will come up.) Never, ever, did I think something so cornball would be blazing fun to do!
Plarn is made with those one use plastic bags that are the bane of all of America. They're so evil they're banned in San Francisco. You cut the bags up into strips and then crochet the strips into purses, tote bags, even barbie doll clothes.
I thought they were tremendously kitschy. However, in class today, one of my 20-something classmates said "wow...cool!" Who would've thought I could've impressed them with something their grandma used to do!
:LOL:
Just wanted to share my latest joy. (That and making cassette tape barbie doll outfits..)
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Character
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Sep 22, 2009 7:35 am
224 Views
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I found a great study on it at crown dot org. under "In Search of Character".
I find myself that my character starts to wobble when my intimacy with God is suffering.
Here are some quotes from the article:
"It is one thing to generate mind thoughts about appropriate goodness. It is something else to want to do good. The character traits most often desired by employers seem to center upon individuals who would consistently demonstrate the conversion of thoughts and desires into actually doing good – a matter of mind, heart and action."
What employers say about character…
.." 92% of those respondents specifically placed honesty and integrity as one of their two highest hiring priorities. Further, ethics and “doing the right thing” were also present in sizable numbers. "
The article talks about the home as the best place to develop ethics like this.
However, what if you're an adult and didn't have that example at home?
How do you develop integrity and honesty in your life?
I have a non-Christian friend who developed the characteristic of honesty through his AA group. He has the "needing boundaries" level of honesty, but I do find it refreshing. I don't really wonder about what he's hiding because he's been so straight-forward with me.
For me, I try to be around people who try to live with integrity..as well as trying to let God into my actions through reading His Word. I'm struggling though to keep going.
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How do you even begin to talk abou this.
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Sep 17, 2009 5:55 pm
Mood: sad,
357 Views
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There was a gastroenterologist in a famous clinic near me, whose family I knew in high school, who committed (proven and confessed) sex offenses against patients. The doctor owned up to 11 charges of sexually assaulting patients while they were sedated. He went in for treatment for his issues.
I had a bad reaction to a colonoscopy I had in 2007. I went quite wacky on the conscious sedation. When I understood what I had done and said, I was mortified. It took me 4 months to allow a doctor to do a routine p & p.
I wasn't hurt or molested in my colonoscopy. I was just so upset at how vulnerable I was during the procedure. Someone could've done anything, and I couldn't have protected myself. I realized I couldn't even talk coherently enough.
Now, to find out a doctor molested his charges while they were that vulnerable is hard to hear.
On top of that, his parents are firm believers in Jesus Christ. All 3 of their children (sons) graduated from military academies. 2 of 3 have doctorates. They were a family many Christians wanted to emulate.
Maybe they still are.
I think again and again of my struggle the past 2 years with the ability of believers in Christ to sin. "...Not that I have yet attained..." (Phillipians 3:12 and onward.)
Please pray for this family and this man and his family under that verse, because we're not home yet and the race is still being run.
There's still hope for him and all of us.
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What Do You Think Is Best To Do?
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Sep 14, 2009 7:19 pm
342 Views
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Sometimes, even when we try to follow God's word to the black and white letter, dilemmas occur!
I've been supporting my parents through giving them money I would've spent on rent and food. This is in accordance with Mark 7:10-12.
I'm very poor (by American standards) while a student. I made about $3000 last year and the rest was student loans. I paid $2000 in medical expenses last year, despite being eligible for a full write off.
This year, I was unable to work enough. I have $1400 in medical expenses and less money from the school's financial aid department.
The clinic refused my payment arrangements of $50 per month on $1019 as not high enough. They offered me a loan instead (..a non-profit that makes money on people's hardships....) or to the financial office to see if the debt should be written off due to my financial situation. (Yeah, don't get me going on their complaints about having to have charity patients. It's more that their charity patients can't pay within their time frame.)
I was just at Crown Financial Ministries (crown dot org article "Paying Off Past Debts").
They said: When money is borrowed, there’s an obligation to pay it back, no matter the circumstances. In essence, the debtor makes a vow to the creditor to pay. Repeatedly in the Bible a vow is referred to as a pledge, and the emphasis is that such pledges are binding and must be honored. When we obligate ourselves financially, we must pay. In our present society, it has become a common practice for creditors to “write off” debts that they consider noncollectable, either through bankruptcy or the refusal of the debtor to pay. This is not acceptable according to God’s Word.
Now, I'm left deciding between taking my parents' money and giving it to the hospital because my parents are willing to take $50 per month.
Yeah, God, which direction do I choose? I could get a write-off, but that makes me not legit under
“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Matthew 5:23-24)
and “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27). “The wicked borrows and does not pay back, but the righteous is gracious and gives” (Psalm 37:21).
So, what are your thoughts about charitable medical help?
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Prayer request
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Sep 11, 2009 1:52 pm
348 Views
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Hi all.
Thank you for taking a moment to consider this.
I'm facing a very difficult class that I've taken 3 times before. I've spent about $3200 preparing for it to boot.
Please pray for me. I really want to make it through this time.
As well, I have my final class in 5 months. Please pray that will go well also.
I've waited 20 years for my bachelor's degree. I've been so amazed God has allowed me to get this far. I have a learning issue, and I struggle to not give into it. It has held me back before I even knew it existed.
As a result, I struggle with work and can't often work enough while taking classes. I'm financially struggling and scared of graduation. I'm scared I've invested a lot of time in a degree program that won't be useable.
I know it'll all work out okay in some form some day. It's just scary to be in the no clarity zone.
There are other prayer needs that God knows as well.
Thank you so much!
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Women in India
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Aug 11, 2009 11:38 am
439 Views
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I ended up on YouTube, where I saw several documentaries on women in India.
One was on widows. In conservative Hinduism, widows are looked at as a burden and as bringing bad karma. They are often shunned as a result.
Some suffer greatly, despite having faithfully tended to their family for years. Some have sons that reject supporting them and so on.
An activist, herself also a widow, was trying to make a difference and ran a home to care for them. The saddest widow for me was one that was only about 25 years old.
In a different case, one younger widow was fairing well. It was pointed out that she was the main breadwinner of her family, which had made a difference.
In another search, I came up with a report on female infanticide. Due to dowry, a second daughter can literally bankrupt a family.
Again, these are mainly conservative Indian families.
(It's easy to feel very critical of India. However, we have similar situations in America. Elderly family members are taken to nursing homes, albeit many times with heavy hearts by the children. Children are abused, starved and neglected here also.)
As I was watching the widows, I realized the ones who found a sort of resolution to their lesser status and a renewed sense of purpose, were the ones who didn't allow peer pressure to decide their destiny for them. They didn't give in to others' definitions.
It just launched me into deep thought about the outsider's perspective. I've had many non-American friends in my life. Each has helped me see outside of what is my norm.
So also too, Jesus brings that fresh outsider perspective to mine and all of our lives. He brought that into His time on earth. Remember the woman with the issue of blood for 12 years? Remember the woman at the well who had 5 husbands and was living with a man not her husband? Remember Mary Magdelene? He reacted to women, especially those considered pariahs, prostitutes, whores, with such kindness and understanding. He saw them with different eyes than society.
"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them with the princes, with the princes of their people." Psalm 113: 7, 8.
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Musings In Church
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Aug 9, 2009 1:36 pm
463 Views
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Today, I was in the cry (outside of the sanctuary) room so I could work on needlepoint and control my restlessness during the service.
A man walked in and began talking to the other man who had been dozing in a rocking chair. He began to criticize the Pastor and gossip about some of the Pastor's decisions and his sermon style.
The new man was ragged, although in a suit. Disheveled both in dress and in manner. There was an air of such insecurity. He wasn't someone I would've considered for a mate.
As he sat down in front me, I noted the wedding band. I realized someone at one time loved this man and trusted him enough to give her life over to him.
My respect rose a little...and raised questions. What happens when the man you think so highly about becomes someone you don't respect anymore? What happens when you're trapped with his failings? What happens when he changes in ways you never anticipated?
What if he never does change?
Marriage is a very difficult thing. One that I've not yet found the courage to participate in.
I'm so afraid of being trapped with someone who turns out to be difficult to respect. Maybe he's using porn at 3 in the morning. Maybe he cheats and lies and lies and lies. Maybe he has a brain injury and becomes so child-like.
There are millions of things that can break a woman's respect for her man.
What are your thoughts?
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8
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Found Some Excellent Relationship Ending Advice
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Aug 7, 2009 2:40 pm
524 Views
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Part of dating is losing. SOMEthing at some time needs to be grieved out, even when things are going well. Maybe the person reminds you of the past. Maybe the two of you break up.
Either way, this was excellent advice I found.
"How To Get Over A Break Up.." from wikiHow
Walk out of your relationship, knowing that you have done all that you can do, said all that you can say, and given as much as you can give. When you feel that you did your part as best you could, but he or she didn't meet you halfway, then you will not need to torture yourself with "what-ifs".
Remember that your ex may be trying to get over you, as well. (Yeah, right, says JustMe506..ANYhoo) Be sensitive to that, and keep your distance. If you've decided to stop seeing one another, do just that: stop.
Sometimes it helps to listen to music that matches your feelings because you have stored up grief that needs a trigger to help you release it. But beware of wallowing. After a certain point, you're not helping yourself by going through it all again and again with the sad songs. Stephen Sondheim reminds us in his song "Into the Woods": "Into the woods and out of the woods and home before dark!" You can think of the grieving part of your process as "the woods": you may have to "go there", but you definitely shouldn't live there.
Remember those old catch phrases: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", "Everything happens for a reason", "There are other fish in the sea" and most of all, "This too shall pass".
When you go through a breakup or some other emotionally challenging time in your life, you're actually getting closer to finding real happiness because you are getting to know your true inner self. This may or may not include other romantic relationships or an eventual long-term union. Whatever happens is okay, no matter what you choose to do in life.
As simple as this sounds, be clear to yourself that you are actually breaking up. Too often the thoughts of possibly being back together will creep in, distracting you from the work of healing. Such fantasizing gradually eats at you and destroys your emotional well being. Accept the truth of your situation, and commit to it.
If your ex has left you for another person then ask yourself: if s/he said s/he wanted you back, would you really want him or her? (Oh, sister, you're speaking to my situation!!!)
Would you ever trust him not to break your heart again? Would you be hurt, angry, distrustful when he is 10 minutes late calling you, wondering where she is, who he is with? Though you may believe that the answer to all your prayers would be a reconciliation with your ex, if it did happen, you might find that Mr. Spock from Star Trek was right when he said "You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."
Freedom from fear is what you get when you end a relationship with a cheater.(Amen!!   )
Sometimes the most liberating phase of a post-betrayal breakup is the sudden realization that you are no longer sitting at home waiting for a phone call, spending the evening obsessively searching for evidence of an affair, or just imagining what might be going on behind your back - you're done with all that!
The one deserving person you need to take care of now is yourself, and it is so much easier to relax and just love yourself when you're not in constant fear. Count this as a gigantic blessing!
Keep your dignity. Many times, it's our own ego that causes the pain; we feel rejected and deceived, embarrassed. We doubt our self worth and adequacy. A breakup, especially one in which your partner has cheated on you, can really undermine your self-confidence and shake your self-esteem to the core. Help rebuild your inner stability by impressing yourself with accomplishment - volunteer, take a class, do things that remind you of your value as a person.
Remember that this pain just has to be survived. It takes a season of time to heal, like a broken arm - there is no magical, instant cure or relief. You won't die from it, though you may feel like you will for a time. Endure. Eventually you will feel better, the pain will lessen, and you will be able to love again.
This one can't be repeated enough: It's a good time to try something new. (Trip to Paris, Anyone????)Try a new hobby, a style, a sport. It'll keep you going and moving on and if your brain is circling endlessly, obsessing on the details of your pain, learning something new will interrupt the repetitive cycle. Those dusty,rusty old gears need some fresh air and polish!
If you find yourself compulsively checking your ex's myspace, Facebook, or any other social networking profile, help yourself out and use the Firefox extension, block site, which allows you to block the URL to that profile. Sometimes it also helps to take them off your 'Friends' list, or 'de-friend' them, at least for a while. Even if things ended on a clean slate, it can be too painful to see what the other person is up to.
Your partner has a right to choose to be or not to be with you. Respect the decision. If your partner digs at you again, do behave with dignity. Taking the high road may be hard now, but you'll be glad later that you didn't stoop to the gutter, even though you could have.
Every day, find something that will make you smile. Smiling really helps, even at the worst time of your life. You are free to be whoever you want to be now, without thinking "will he/she mind if I do that?". Nothing is more important than you. Love yourself, love life, and when you wake up, SMILE! (Carole King's wonderful anthem "Beautiful" has the lines, "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart. Then people gonna treat you better, you're gonna find -- yes you will -- that you're beautiful... as you feel." Sometimes it helps to play that song for yourself first thing every morning!)
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To link to this blog (JustMe506) use [blog JustMe506] in your messages.
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