A Very Great Loss

My Grandmother found and sent me this. We've gone a long way down since the lady who spilled coffee on herself, which says something about the demise of our reasoning to this point. Read. Enjoy. Change.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr.Common Sense.
Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in the bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such value lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six year old boy charged with kissing a classmate: Teens suspended for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Me. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer asprin to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finnally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit on her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on; if not join the majority and do nothing.


This speaks volumes. It is so true today. (Only in America can these things happen). Everyone says he or she has rights. Yes we do. The right to behave. The right to show respect. The right to be kind to one another. The right to act responsible toward others and in business. The right to pray in school. Where are these rights today? Let's see if we can put these rights back where they belong, starting right now, we can make a difference.

In His Love,
Clara

AMEN!

the pieces are coming together

Today I received a wonderful phone call, and a re-affirming once again of God's goodness. The call was from X-FUGE camps in Edgewater, Florida telling me that my youth group has officially been accepted and entered and scheduled to come in July and experience God in a whole new way. When I first heard of the opportunity, I felt that God was gently assuring me that He would make a way. There have been steps along the way to keep me assured that He was working out the details for me, and then the completion of the process today. I always enjoy watching puzzle pieces come together and God's will be done, when I have done nothing to promote the process. My Lord is good. He is preparing our youth group for a life that many of them have yet to begin to comprehend. He is ripening them to be used, and I personally can't wait for Him to blow their lives apart with His goodness. I eagerly anticipate what is to come.

More to learn for me!!

Ah, how refreshing it is.....to be in a conversation with someone who can debate theology better than I can. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have any ambitions of calling myself a know-it-all when it comes to the Bible. To me the first greatest fun about the Bible is no one can ever know it all. BUT, a very close second is the trying to anyway! For me, I've grown up in the church, a christian home, sunday school, christian school, and christian college and university. I've read through the entire bible numberous times, in order, and by skipping around, and by comparative study. Do I know a lot, yes I do. In fact that's the whole problem I've been feeling lately. I'm always the one people come to ask questions to about theology. Thanks be to my Savior that I am able to help them. But as I shared with a co-worker recently, I greatly desire to have my boundaries and comforts pushed and to learn more. I desire to grow as well, to find new things to wrestle with, new insights, and someone to challenge me to not accept those things at face value, but to delve it deeper. Being at seminary it might seem like a "duh" statement that I'll be around people like that, but not so necessarily. So far, I haven't been able to meet those people and develop the relationships necessary. Today, I have officially determined that there are at least 3, whom I am glad to call friends, who will definitely be able to push and challenge me to go deeper as I go through my seminary experience. I certainly feel that I will enjoy the time a great deal more now. Actually, I will have to add a 4th to that list. Good ol' PJ has some great insights, and if you haven't already, you should check out his blog by linking from this one. I was told to prepare for seminary by expecting there to be many individuals who would come for the sheer purpose of being able to impress others with how much they knew. It is wonderful to find that I am encountering individuals who know a lot, but are KNOWN by how much they love and care. Now that's a reputation to leave behind.