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You know, I was reading a couple of articles on line about the Anglican Church this evening: it went on and on about gay marriage, how unwed moms can get hitched AND get their kid(s) baptized in one ceremony, etc. I just shake my head an wonder how a supposed Christian denomination can be Christian when it’s not based on the Bible? Well, in our bulletins today was an excerpt from C. S. Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters” where we have one demon (supposedly Satan) training his nephew on how to keep a Christian out of walking with Christ.
Lewis writes (Satan speaking): “You must arrange to make him a devout Methodist or Anglican…he must come to accept the church as a type of religious social club…help him become more religious, but for hell’s sake, not more Christian!”
ZING! or for some readers just a big fat “YEOWCH!!”
My main point in that quote was the Anglican church and how they have really become a religious social club (save those who have broken off to become what is known as the “Anglican Church of North America”).
So I have found Facebook to be addicting in a negative way. I find I couldn’t live without knowing if Kristen’s kids ate the new french toast she made? Did Alex have a good time in Maine? And why did Ruth suddenly disappear off everyone’s friends list? I have collected a number of hearts (from many different apps) and hugs, but my farm town is failing. I had to get off FB!! It was taking away time from everything else – everything that is far more important. It was becoming my god. However, it has saved me money in that I am not going to attend my 30th class reunion…I have reunited with those I wanted to through FB! Why worry about losing weight to look good in September?
However, has FB replaced blogging? I see all my blog buddies on my FB friends list. For me, however, being far more verbose that FB allows, I prefer the realm of the blog and regret not having shared via this method more frequently. I will not go off FB forever, and I may skulk about in the background a bit, but hopefully this will be my primary source in order to really communicate.
For anyone who doesn’t know (but I think you all do) blogger G came up to take care of me when I came back from the hospital – I just wanted to send out more public thank you’s to her!! (Do her a favor, do her friday folderol…I even dreamed about it one night).
So today’s service – let me narrow that down a bit – for this morning’s service, Pastor talked about being the BRIDE OF CHRIST. Sounds a bit like the “Bride of Frankenstein” (and Pastor did clarify this evening that he did not marry a gorilla which I believe made his dear wife very happy). The BRIDE is the church. Not just PAG where I go, but the entire church body world wide. (I am stealing shamelessly from Pastor’s message so credit goes to Pastor JQ of PAG). God wanted us to be in a forever love affair with Christ…thus, the church becomes the bride, which can make some men get a little squeamish but I am sure they will be SOO grateful they made it into heaven, they won’t care if they are wearing the veil. God wants us united with Christ “not having any spot or wrinkle or any such thing. (as Pastor pointed out, that’s why He gave us Oxy-Clean).
It’s really a pretty big honor to be blessed to sit at the marriage supper of the Lamb! Imagine, He is getting married, and as His spouse He says “I pick….YOU!” and he points right at us!
Ok, so what’s my point? The Church is where the discipleship happens, it’s where you go to grow! It’s where the Spirit can minister to us (“wherever two or more are gathered in His name”), it’s where the Bible is taught, where we find our strength and our fellowship. (fellowship does not equal social club).
Pastor told a story that went something like this: There was a man at a bazaar selling pigeons. To keep them with him, he put tied a string around the leg, and a ring at the other end that slipped over a pole. This arrangement allowed the pigeons to walk around, but the stick kept them going in a circle.
One day a buyer came along. Having a compassionate heart, he bought ALL the pigeons and then told the seller to let them all go free. The seller cut the strings, but the pigeons didn’t go anywhere. The buyer said “Shoo! Shoo!” and some flew off as far as 100’, but everywhere they landed, they continued to peck in a circle.
How do we fit in? SALVATION is the seller cutting the string…DISCIPLESHIP is being reconditioned so we don’t keep going around in a circle!
Disciples are made in church – that’s “being about [our] Father’s business!” We are to make sure that whatever church we go to the Scriptures are respected, taught, and the Holy Spirit is present.
Makes me think the Anglican church isn’t having any of that going on – or several other churches for that matter. That stuff interferes with the social club ambiance, rather, as C S Lewis put it, one demon to another, “If you can obscure these facts, there’s a good chance that he will embrace what hell considers to be the perfect synonym for true religion – churchianity.”
So, are you practicing churchianity? Or Christianity?
Ok, so a little over a month has gone by and where have I been? I guess you could say trying to battle some personal demons by myself – it doesn’t work that way, does it. However, gratefully because of God’s help, these demons seem to have raced out of the room this week — adios and don’t let the door hit you on the way out !!
Has anyone been reading Facebook a little too much (or have you even seen it at all yet)? It’s a little like email, a little like a blog, a little like a chat…My fascination has been in how many people from my high school class are on there now. It’s our 30th Class Reunion this year, the admin is on there, and little by little the “friends” list is growing for Needham HS Class of ‘79. I’m not sure what else draws me…perhaps reading what co-workers are doing on the weekend? One very smiling friend from work always has an upbeat message – if it’s not sunny outside, her status messages will make the sun shine regardless! I can follow along with someone’s daughter as she celebrates her first birthday…see that a theater friend may be moving to Tampa, keep in touch with a friend as he moves to northern Canada…even find a long-lost friend that I have occasionally shed tears over. Perhaps it satisfies some odd voyeuristic need in me…to be connected, but not TOO connected…I’ll look at the pics of your child’s graduation, but I don’t want to listen about it. Anyone else been sucked into this?
I went for a walk today, was trying to make it a “nickel walk” but didn’t have much success. What’s a nickel walk? It’s when I take a plastic bag and collect all the returnable bottles and cans. My lack of success was due to lack of a sidewalk where there WERE nickels, and no nickels where there were sidewalks. However, I as I was driving today, I found a place where there are many nickels, and I may take that walk this weekend if the rain stays away. I have this overwhelming urge as I drive to stop and pick up the cans. One family in my acquaintance saved enough to take a weekend away.
I am this way with coupons – I love going on line to find coupons for the items I actually BUY. It’s amazing how many websites have coupons for the clipping. For example, there is never a need to pay full price for Stoneyfield Farms yogurt. Also – do you love a particular product? Tell the manufacturer! Make sure you include your name and mailing address – voila! Coupons!
Ok, so on to a different subject. Lately I have been pondering something I don’t think I have ever thought about before. The Holiness of God and what does it REALLY MEAN? Pastor says in church all the time how Holy God is. How set apart He is. But what IS that? I was feeling detached from any and all meaning that has. How do I make that real for me so I can understand? So I can share?
Bring out the book Downpour by James MacDonald. Chapter Two is entitled “God on the Throne, a Picture of Holiness” and this chapter attempts to explain the Holiness of God. It’s a very powerful chapter! One issue explained what “holy” means – it is separated, it is apart – when we think of God we must think “separation” – God is so totally different and apart from us, we cannot truly comprehend Him. God is infinitely exalted.
If you check out Isaiah 6, there is this pretty succinct picture of God on His Throne…there is no physical description except that of His robe: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” (nkjv) When brides want their trains to be so long they reach back to the church door, when Queen Elizabeth wears her long red robe – what splendor! Now imagine God’s robe – it fills that whole temple! And imagine how BIG that temple is ! I suspect Isaiah couldn’t even see the ends of the temple. There were six-winged cherubim flying around – 1 pair of wings covering their faces and 1 pair of wings covering their feet (the other pair of wings was flying them around). Why did they have wings over their faces? The GLORY of GOD is too much to gaze upon (and far too bright for sunglasses to be effective).
Now go to Ezekiel 1:
Eze 1:26 And above the firmament over their heads [was] the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne [was] a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
Eze 1:27
Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
Eze 1:28
Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so [was] the appearance of the brightness all around it. This [was] the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. So when I saw [it], I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
You’ll notice Ezekiel can’t quite get the right words out….”It was like…but sort of, but maybe not, but it had an appearance of…like…like…” Why? Because there ARE NO WORDS to describe what he saw. Then all he could do was fall on his face! God is holy – God demands separation – and it didn’t take Ezekiel long to get that clue right! God was so Holy and Ezekiel was just so not … well, you get the picture,
Now in Revelation 20: 11
Rev 20:11
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
God is so holy, even the earth and heaven flee.
Flip back to Isaiah 6:3:
And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy [is] the LORD of hosts; The whole earth [is] full of His glory!"
Did you know that in Hebrew, when emphasis is placed on a word, it is repeated? To understand this, Pastor James uses a storm as an example. If there was a thunderstorm last night, we might say, “That was quite a storm we had last night.” If we were to then say, “Wow, did you catch the news? They are having one heck of storm-storm in the Panhandle!” This repetition shows force. Of course, when describing Hurricane Katrina, well, that was a storm-storm-storm !! In the Bible, there is only one word that is used as a “three-peat” and that is the attribute of God: HOLY. Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts!
Another peek at God’s throne room is found again in Revelation:
Rev 4:1
After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, "Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this."
Rev 4:2
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and [One] sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3
And He who sat there was [fn] like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and [there was] a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Rev 4:4
Around the throne [were] twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns [fn] of gold on their heads.
Rev 4:5
And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. [fn] Seven lamps of fire [were] burning before the throne, which are the [fn] seven Spirits of God.
Rev 4:6
Before the throne [there] [was] [fn] a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, [were] four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
Rev 4:7
The first living creature [was] like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature [was] like a flying eagle.
Rev 4:8
[The] four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, [fn] Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!"
Can you imagine being John in the presence of so much splendor, wonder, noise, beauty, awe, and hearing the angelic chorus crying out “Holy Holy Holy!” Just blows me away! Yet how many refer to God as “The Man Upstairs” – sorry, I don’t think of this image of God as just a guy upstairs. Remember, He just ISN’T us. He is wholly apart and separate from us, He is wholly Holy !
Pastor James sums it up nicely, “If you do know and love the Lord, never let God’s holiness get far from your focus. Remember who He really is and what it means to account to this God of infinite, indescribable holiness.”
Not sure I am really back for good, but perhaps a little while…
Posted: February 21, 2009 in UncategorizedWow, I have been gone a long time…and I see in being gone, almost every contact has been deleted…not sure if that’s a system thing or a personal thing, either way, it’s a wake-up call!
Joe and I are still together – we had a rocky moment back in November but have decided to see where this goes. 
As he said, I am currently learning to be a “tax widow” – as a CPA he is hardly around now, working late hours, working Saturday, then doing returns on the side. However, this is giving me time to work on other parts of my life – my house, my kids, my health, and most of all – my relationship with Christ.
My work has changed- I am once again the DSL/HSI specialist for Verizon New England and am thrilled to be doing this job again. I feel tremendously challenged and rewarded – not many people can say that about their job. However, it does involve a commute to Andover which is up by the NH border…my regular office is near the RI border. It’s quite a commute, right thru Boston at rush hour, but I just love it when I get there. I try to get there 3 days/week. Each Monday, however, I have been taking customer calls. Although I don’t care for it, I am grateful to have a job and try very hard not to complain. My concern is with THIS Monday, my calls will be in regards to FIOS which is a fabulous product, but I have been away from the FIOS world for so long, I am very nervous about taking calls…my fear is appearing like a blithering idiot with the customer and then the customer losing all confidence in their experience with Verizon. Others in the same position have demanded training, but some of my friends were thrown online unexpectedly a couple weeks ago (in the same boat as myself) and they survived – I don’t even think there was any scarring. If they can do it, I can do it. Or, at least I can laugh at myself at the end of the day!! My team leader has promised to sit with me and coach me until I feel more comfortable – she’s AWESOME!!!
The kids are all well, my youngest is spending the weekend with me, my daughter is spending the weekend with her dad, and Colin got off work at 3pm today so he is now home as well. The dog, Goosie, is asleep near my feet.
My February vacation is coming to an end tomorrow – it was quiet for the most part, but I have spent time working on some of the rooms. Still need plastering/spackling done and so much painting…but since in this economy the house has little value, I might as well give it a good facelift since I’m clearly not leaving anytime soon!
Health-wise I have been sick off and on, although that evil flu that has been going around did remarkably little damage other than give me a good enough case of bronchitis to have multiple asthma attacks. I spent a good deal of January hooked up to my nebulizer. I did get a chance to see the difference in both my blood pressure and my pulse when I am NOT using the neb when I am sick…my blood pressure sky rocketed as did my pulse! My doctor said, “It’s because your heart is working so hard to pump oxygen!” YIKES! No more convincing needed. I have also battled stomach bugs 
that creep up on me, slam me for a day, then are gone as mysteriously as they came. However, since mid January, I seem to be doing MUCH BETTER (praise God!). Just had my yearly physical & the doctor said I HAD to lose the weight – I was too young and my family history between type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure was too ominous, I needed to start taking better care of myself. I agree ! I tire easily and have no stamina. Therefore, my daughter and I are going to try one week of the Flat Belly Diet…we have our menus and all our food, and although it will be quite a change, we are both looking forward to it ! I’m curious to see what a week on it will be like. The main thing is to eat sensibly but make sure you have a MUFA with each meal – MUFA = monounsaturated fats – the “good fat” that drives good cholesterol & weight loss. My cholesterol is good so far (yay!) and my blood pressure is a tad high, but not enough to treat with anything more than diet and exercise. We start this Monday (but had to factor in one cheat day – Friday 2/27 – she has youth group and I have a Bake&Bring in Andover). Joe is skeptical, but that’s ok, I will prove him wrong, be slimmer and more energetic, and he won’t be skeptical anymore. He very much wants us to exercise together once tax season settles down. That will be fun!
My relationship with Christ is not bad nor is it “on the rocks” – I just feel that I need to pursue it more. I need a personal revival. Been reading my Bible a lot, been doing devotionals, spending a lot of time in prayer (although sometimes I get distracted while I am in prayer and my mind wanders…that’s frustrating).
Not sure what else to write at the moment…I need to do some blog hopping (made easier now that I have just downloaded ALL of Windows Live applications). You can also catch up with me on facebook – a different forum but fun.
Take care and God bless !! 
So I am back to blogging — I have missed it, and yet for a while there my heart wasnt in it…perhaps it was because my EX found my blog and didn’t like it? I honestly don’t know…but he and I are friends, and I won’t stop reaching out to great blog buddies (some of whom have become more than blog buddies — G !!!!) and sharing thoughts and feelings with awesome people — my ex, who isn’t an "ex-friend" by any means, will need to understand, and I am sure he will come to appreciate it all.
I guess I let everyone know I have found someone wonderful — his name is Joe. I pray God take care of him and bless our relationship so it can continue to be a Godly one — Joe has been thru a lot and needs prayer, but he is not "needy" and wow, I hope I am not that to him, either !!!! He just rocks my world…wise in his faith and the Bible, it’s so cool to be able to have a BIBLICAL discussion with him!! We give and take…we SHARE ideas. No one is right or wrong, and it’s so amazing — is this an idyllic relationship? Wake me up, Lord, if this is just a dream!! Wait, don’t!!!! I am enjoying this dream! But who am I do deserve THIS joy? THIS love? THIS happiness? I am no one. I am a "wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind". Sometimes I wish it were possible to hug away all the pain in someone else’s life…I can’t, and it’s a very helpless feeling. We can only be who we are today.
And as I type this, I am listening to Mercy Me’s "Spoken For" what an AWESOME song! I have loved that song for the past several years!
Roey recently sang "So Long Self" at church, maybe I can figure out how to upload it on to this site so you can all enjoy it ! woohooo!!
My oldest, Colin, has gotten his car on the road —it’s insured, registered, and Mass stickered — wow, a lot to accomplish at once! I give him kudos for doing it himself! Long time coming, but life long lesson, also. Someday he will have a son, and he will explain what HE had to do to get HIS first car!
Roey is enjoying her summer — she has truly bonded with Joe’s daughters who are 15 & 19 — she is having a great time with them, and with her friends who, by the way JUST stopped by and she is sleeping over her friend Erin’s house. Since when do 15-yr-olds look like models? It’s a universal thing it seems…she looks like a model (doubt me? I will post her pic!!!!!!) and Joe’s daughters look like models…and her friends look like models, and Joe’s daughters’ friends look like models… DID WE look like that back then? In the 70′s and 80′s ???? I think NOT!
Wow, Mercy Me just did "Here With Me" — we sing that at church, the video is very powerful !!
So, anyone who wants to share Pandora Radio with me, please check out: http://www.pandora.com/?tc=e-001425-0035-1137&sc=sh19202133103139348
May God bless you all this evening, and sorry I havent been a more faithful blogger…I will continue to try !! 
Ok, so I was told that it would be a good idea to add an update to my blog this way:
"I met someone. He’s nice to me. I like him."
That’s it. HA HA HA HA HA !!! 
That really cracked me up, but it was worth adding only because those were his words, not mine.
That really cracked me up, but it was worth adding only because those were his words, not mine.Yeah, I am in love. I met someone WONDERFUL. He’s not just nice to me, he treats me like GOLD! And I like him so much I LOVE him!
we met on eHarmony — a local boy — turns out I have been driving by his neighborhood for the past 2 years, to and from work. We share our faith, and find we compliment each other in everything else. Oh, first date back in April, the sparks were FLYING !! To heck with 4th of July fireworks, we had our own going from the moment we met! We havent been apart since.
Therefore, if I seem a bit distant, it is really only distraction. I will try to share more later!
With love to all
You thought I had given up, right? Nahhhh! Just a lot of stuff going on, some I don’t feel ok sharing, other stuff I do!
My son, my oldest who is 20, has an opportunity to join the phone company, make a LOT of money, get full benefits, and I was assured by my director he would be hired…why won’t he apply? He can’t pass the drug test.
My job has also changed…I have been the DSL "Duchess" for the past 3 years for New England. Upper management decided I needed to be skilled in FIOS now, and rightly so, so now I am online, talking to customers about FIOS (which is AMAZING). It is quite a change for me, however, one I was unnecessarily nervous about but trusting in God, I knew I could do it. So far so good!
Financially things are rough, I am asking for prayer and wisdom for that, but again, God takes all the yukkiness and messes we make out of our lives and turns it for good eventually. I know this is part of the "yukkiness" and trust whole heartedly that HIS plan is awesome! Amen!
My pastor’s wife shared a story about a wealthy man who, every time he saw a penny, picked it up. His friends found this behavior odd until they asked him, "Why do you, a wealthy man, pick up every penny you see?" The man replied, "On each penny is written ‘In God We Trust’ and each penny is an opportunity for me to ask, ‘Am I really trusting you, Lord?’ and it allows me that time to re-evaluate my purpose."
So each time you see a penny, pick it up, and see it as an opportunity to put your trust in Jesus.
