Imagine how Adam felt in the Garden of Eden when God told him he was in charge of naming all the livestock, the birds of the sky, and the beasts of the fields. Maybe that explains names like stegosaurus and hippopotamus! (For the record, I misspelled both of those the first time I typed them!)
I don't know about you, but I was doing good to come up with first names for my kids! And I can't even take credit for their middle names, because they first belonged to me and my DH!
So, if you had the opportunity, what would you name...
...a band
...a restaurant
...the latest shade of crayola
...a cattle ranch
...a clothing line
...a perfume/cologne
...a car
...a soda
...a subdivision
think about it!
10.30.2008
10.23.2008
think about it thursday: 10.23.08
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels he said, "We can't keep the Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken."
"So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels."
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this? shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent un-numbered schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles.
"Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR and their CDs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.
"Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes that have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there.
Has the devil been successul at this scheme?
Think about it. (author unknown)
"So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels."
"Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"
"How shall we do this? shouted his angels.
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent un-numbered schemes to occupy their minds," he answered.
"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles.
"Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.
"Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR and their CDs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.
"Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes that have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."
It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there.
Has the devil been successul at this scheme?
Think about it. (author unknown)
10.17.2008
think about it thursday: 10.16.08
(forgive me...i'm a day late!)
The past 3 years or so I've been thinking a lot about joy. What exactly is joy? Where does it come from? How do I get it?
Here are a few descriptions I found recently that really resonate with me.
"joy: gladness not based on circumstances"
"Joy is more than happiness. It is not based on financial success, good health or popularity. By believing in God, obeying His will, receiving His forgiveness, participating in fellowship with other believers, ministering to others, and sharing the gospel, believers will experience joy."
I have been praying almost daily for God to give me joy...and I think it's working!! Here is what He's shown me:
What exactly is joy? It's a state of mind, not a state of being. I can be content (and have joy!) in all circumstances, and I can praise God despite my state of being.
Where does it come from? By living by the Holy Spirit; it's one of the fruits you know! (Galations 5:22)
How do I get it? Well, in my case, I had to ask Him for it, because I didn't really understand exactly what it was to begin with. I just knew I wanted it! What I found is that as I asked Him for it, He helped me not only understand it, but also showed me how to get it. By letting Him guide my decisions instead of me, the joy will surely follow.
Now it all seems so simple...at least in theory! Getting it is one thing, but maintaining a joyful state of mind is another. Think about it.
The past 3 years or so I've been thinking a lot about joy. What exactly is joy? Where does it come from? How do I get it?
Here are a few descriptions I found recently that really resonate with me.
"joy: gladness not based on circumstances"
"Joy is more than happiness. It is not based on financial success, good health or popularity. By believing in God, obeying His will, receiving His forgiveness, participating in fellowship with other believers, ministering to others, and sharing the gospel, believers will experience joy."
I have been praying almost daily for God to give me joy...and I think it's working!! Here is what He's shown me:
What exactly is joy? It's a state of mind, not a state of being. I can be content (and have joy!) in all circumstances, and I can praise God despite my state of being.
Where does it come from? By living by the Holy Spirit; it's one of the fruits you know! (Galations 5:22)
How do I get it? Well, in my case, I had to ask Him for it, because I didn't really understand exactly what it was to begin with. I just knew I wanted it! What I found is that as I asked Him for it, He helped me not only understand it, but also showed me how to get it. By letting Him guide my decisions instead of me, the joy will surely follow.
Now it all seems so simple...at least in theory! Getting it is one thing, but maintaining a joyful state of mind is another. Think about it.
10.09.2008
think about it Thursday: 10.09.08
With the election less than a month away, there is no escaping thoughts about big issues. One I've been thinking a lot about recently is abortion.
Let me start out by saying, I'm not one to argue sides, especially in such controversial issues as this. And I about can't even believe that I have enough courage to stand on my own internet soap box to talk about it.
Here goes.
For years, I've been bugged by some of the pro-choice arguments. Just the fact that they call themselves pro-choice bugs me. Here's why.
Over and over again I hear the statement, "It's a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body." And I agree with that. It is absolutely the woman's right to choose whether or not she has sex, unprotected or not. But is it her right to choose whether or not she gets pregnant when she decides to have sex? Nope. That's God's choice. So why then should she be able to choose whether or not that new life lives or dies? That brand new being is simply growing inside of her, but that body does NOT belong to her. It just so "happens" that God created women to carry new human bodies inside their own. Deciding what to do with her own body is one thing, but deciding what to do with someone else's is another. So for me, the "right to choose" argument carries no weight.
However, I also know that saying what you believe and doing what you believe are definitely two different things. To be completely honest, I have to admit that there are situations in life in which going through with a pregnancy would be extremely difficult. You've heard them all before...rape, incest, a baby that the doctors claim "won't survive," or even when being pregnant puts the mother's life at risk. I fortunately have never been in any of these situations before, and really can't say how I would feel or not feel if I was faced with one of them.
I do know however that God is bigger than my "problems." I believe everything happens for a reason and that He can use tragic circumstances for His glory. I could only hope that if I was faced with a situation like this that I would have not only the faith, but also the courage to make the right choice in His eyes.
There. I said it. I'm getting off my internet soap box. I'm tired of thinking about this. Now you can think about it.
Let me start out by saying, I'm not one to argue sides, especially in such controversial issues as this. And I about can't even believe that I have enough courage to stand on my own internet soap box to talk about it.
Here goes.
For years, I've been bugged by some of the pro-choice arguments. Just the fact that they call themselves pro-choice bugs me. Here's why.
Over and over again I hear the statement, "It's a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body." And I agree with that. It is absolutely the woman's right to choose whether or not she has sex, unprotected or not. But is it her right to choose whether or not she gets pregnant when she decides to have sex? Nope. That's God's choice. So why then should she be able to choose whether or not that new life lives or dies? That brand new being is simply growing inside of her, but that body does NOT belong to her. It just so "happens" that God created women to carry new human bodies inside their own. Deciding what to do with her own body is one thing, but deciding what to do with someone else's is another. So for me, the "right to choose" argument carries no weight.
However, I also know that saying what you believe and doing what you believe are definitely two different things. To be completely honest, I have to admit that there are situations in life in which going through with a pregnancy would be extremely difficult. You've heard them all before...rape, incest, a baby that the doctors claim "won't survive," or even when being pregnant puts the mother's life at risk. I fortunately have never been in any of these situations before, and really can't say how I would feel or not feel if I was faced with one of them.
I do know however that God is bigger than my "problems." I believe everything happens for a reason and that He can use tragic circumstances for His glory. I could only hope that if I was faced with a situation like this that I would have not only the faith, but also the courage to make the right choice in His eyes.
There. I said it. I'm getting off my internet soap box. I'm tired of thinking about this. Now you can think about it.
10.02.2008
think about it thursday: 10.02.08
Just one question today. Imagine Jesus asking you the following:
"What would you do for me if you knew I wouldn't let you fail?"
How would you answer? Think about it.
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