My Rant

Bear with me here while I rant.

I overheard someone say that gifts to churches shouldn’t be tax deductible.

And well, it made me a little mad.

I don’t give my tithe for the tax deduction, but churches do so much good–just as much as any other charitable organization.

This video was shown recently in my church. I was impressed and wanted to share with my readers. This is why churches should remain under the charitable contribution rules:

If you would like to donate to the NC Baptist Men, click here: http://www.baptistsonmission.org/Giving/Baptist-Men

Thank you, NC Baptist Men.

The Parable of The Sower –Pastor Barry’s Message from September 11th

Mark 4:1-20

Giving

I’ve been listening to the audio version of  Debbie Macomber’s book, One Simple Act, on giving and I conclude that you can free yourself  by giving.

Before listening to Mrs. Macomber’s book I had been reading a self-help book on success or finding your right life (I’ve been in a getting-life-in-order fix so I can finish the book I’m working on) and the life coach said that she had a client who could not relax (not be a workaholic) until she had $20 million. The woman made it to $20 million and then wanted more (so she could relax).

You gotta be kidding me. $20 million?

If I had been that woman’s life coach, I’d have told her to give some of that 20 million away. Give freely. It wouldn’t be easy, but I think it would release her from her anxiety.

I’m reading another book, First Steps to Wealth by Dani Johnson(ABC’s Secret Millionaire). This millionaire gives away all but 10% of her income.

That’s where I want to be–to be able to live comfortably on 10% of my salary so I can give away the rest.

Hey, we can all dream, can’t we?

 

 

Austenland by Shannon Hale

The dream of every Janeite(Jane Austen fan) is to meet Mr. Darcy.

And not just any Mr. Darcy, but the Colin Firth Mr. Darcy.

He filmed a movie  with Orlando Bloom in Durham a while back  called Main Street(Mr. Darcy with a southern accent. Say it isn’t so!).

On my way in to work one day I saw the crew filming. I was so close to Mr. Darcy.  And yet, so far. (I was working on N. Main Street at the time).

Anyway, this post is not about the movie. I’m not endorsing it. I haven’t seen it actually, so I don’t know if it is objectionable or not.

My point in the blog is to talk about the book Austenland, a satisfying Jane Austen-inspired fantasy(aka romance)  by Shannon Hale. Loved it.

The author dedicated her book to Colin Firth.

Here is the dedication:

For Colin Firth

You’re a really great guy, but I’m married,

so I think we should just be friends.

Isn’t that great?

The character of the story, Jane, inherits a vacation to an English country house where she is required to leave all her fancy modern gadgets and pretend to live in the Regency time period (roughly 1810-1820).

Of course there’s romance with a few twists at the end. The girl gets the guy. But which one? The author had me guessing.

Great story.

Thanks, Val, for introducing me to the book and letting me borrow your copy.

The Unpardonable Sin – September 4th message from Mark Chapter 3

There is a video malfunction in this message(the video camera went to a screen saver because it hadn’t been moved for a period of time), but the audio still works, so I didn’t edit out the bad part.

The Halloween Scream

Sara’s latest tale. We had a lot of fun laughing at the dialogue between the characters.

The Halloween Scream

There was a little family called the Robertsons. The youngest child was named Isabel and the middle child’s name was Zoey. The oldest child’s name was Jackson. He was mean and always scared them.

“Tomorrow’s Walloween,” said Isabel.

“That’s not how you say Halloween,” said Jackson.

“Don’t be mean,” said Zoey.

“Halloween’s for babies,” said Jackson.

“No, it’s not,” said Zoey. “Now we’ve gotta go pick out our Halloween costumes.”

“You’re already wearing yours,” said Jackson. “And so is little baby smurfette.”

“I not waby murfpet,” said Isabel removing her thumb from her mouth.

“Dar har har,” said Zoey.

“Come on children,” said their mother in a squeaky voice.

“Coming momster,” said Jackson.

A few minutes later they picked out their costumes. Isabel was a pumpkin and Zoey was Taylor Swift. And Jackson was a werewolf.

Isabel said, “Fwuffy doggy.”

Jackson said, “I ain’t no dog, dawg. You overgrown booger.”

Zoey sang, “Stop fooling arou-ound. We never have to be this me-ean. Ah yeah.”

Jackson said, “You’re no Taylor Swift, you’re more like Taylor Swiffer.”

Zoey sang, “I hate that ole dirty ole Swiffer upper you never let me use.”

“If you sing one more time, dis little doggy here is gonna eat you. Dum Dum dum.”

“Oh, no! Tonight is Halloween,” said the two girls. “The store is shut down all night.”

They all heard the door slam as the lights grew darker and the costumes started to light up and float around.

“Isabel, is that you?” asked Jackson. “I’m scared of the dark.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” he screamed, in a panic, running around in circles like a fluffy doggy.

Zoey grabbed one of the costumes and jumped at Jackson with the costume, then she said, “I’m Zoey. They killed me. And now I’m one of them.” Then she started to laugh as Jackson was crying sucking his thumb and rocking back and forth on his back.

“Mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” screamed Jackson.

Then they turned on the lights and started laughing at him.

“Tomorrow’s Halloween, you tiny scaredy dog.”

The End.

I Remember

I remember wanting to go home so I could cry.

My head hurt from trying to keep my composure.

And then, instead of going home after work, we had plans to eat at my husband’s parent’s house. So, I couldn’t cry then either.

Today, I cry as I watch the documentaries of the tragedy.

10 years later, I cry.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

The Power of the Word – August 28, 2011

One of my favorite ministries is Gideons International.

Every year we  have a man representing the organization come speak to our church.

I love hearing the testimonies of lives that were changed by simply reading the Bible.

That little book has power.

I’m grateful to those men who volunteer their time to see that the Word gets in the hands of people.

Evacuation warning.

Hurricane Katrina is on a path toward New Orleans. So screamed headlines back in 2005.

Evacuation orders went up.

And yet many stayed behind.

1,836 people died in the Hurricane and the flooding it brought.

What if those people had heeded the warning?

Have you ever opened the Bible and asked God what he wanted you to read?

I did this morning and the Book opened to Ezekiel chapter 33.  I wanted to go to another book, because I thought, there is nothing in Ezekiel that would speak to me. But instead of seeking out other scripture, I said, “What do you want me to get from Ezekiel today, Lord?”

And this is what I got:

Ezekiel 33:7-11

New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for^[a] his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. ⁹ But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.

¹⁰ “Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of^[b] them. How then can we live?”’ ¹¹ Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’

Okay, so maybe you think you’re not wicked like, say, a serial killer. And you’ve never robbed a bank.

It doesn’t matter, because Romans 3:23 says for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

1 John 1: 8 -9 says:

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 6:23 says

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

and John 3 says

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

So, wicked person(read everyone),

Before the “Hurricane” hits, get out.

Turn.

Turn to the one who can save you.

2 Corinthians 5:

¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

and

²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Jesus took on our sin, so that we can be made right. Turn to Him.

The threat is real. Heed the warning.

Called to the Ministry — August 21, 2011