CTNYC: Day 5

First thing I"ll mention is, MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS. :D

Ok, the Challenge for Day 5 is:

GO DOOR TO DOOR AND HAND OUT CHRISTIAN MATERIAL. Little Bibles, booklets on various subjects from your Church book table. You can even ask your Pastor to print you little articles to hand out, or you can recycle those Christian magazines and newsletters that you've already read and have stacked on a shelf. :) It just might do someone a world of good.

CTNYC: Day 4

For Day 4, I want ya'll to:

PERFORM A RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS.

Leave $20 in a card on a random strangers car. Pay for someone's lunch at a restaurant. Take a meal over to an old lady from church. Make a donation to the animal rescue. I'm sure you can think of something. :)

CTNYC: Day 3

Day 3.

SHOW APPRECIATION.

Tell someone (or multiple someone's) that you appreciate what they do. Leave your mailman a little note in the box saying how you appreciate him braving the weather to deliver your mail. Or your garbage man. And anyone else you can think of. It'll give them an extra boost for the day to know that they aren't taken for granted, and give them a little more motivation to do their jobs better.

Countdown to New Years Challenge: Day 2

Alright, so for day two, I'd like you all to

VOLUNTEER.

At the Food Bank, Salvation Army, Toy Drive, Animal Shelter, Homeless Shelter, or any other Charitable event that I'm missing. :)

You'd be surprised how much you could make a difference and how people appreciate it.

Preparing for New Years Challenge: Day One

As we all know, it is almost Christmas, and therefore, close to the year 2015. Everyone has "New Years Resolutions", but I'm going to (try) to post one thing every day as a Challenge to the readers. And please, comment below if you do them and tell me how it went for you!

Starting today: Number One

TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVE THEM-Preferably someone you haven't said it to in a long time.

I was just at a funeral today, and it always shows you how short life is. Too short to just assume people know how you feel about them. And once they're gone, it's too late.

I have given you your challenge. Go forth and perform. :)

Compassion: Kind of a Big Deal

Compassion, is a subject sort of near and dear to my heart I guess you could say. Some people have told me that I can be too compassionate and this will get me into trouble. Maybe it's because I'm an INFP and it's just the way God made me. I don't know. I do know that it is possible to be too compassionate. But I also know there is also a thing as not being compassionate enough.

So I'm going to talk about that a little bit tonight. Of course, lets start with a verse or two. And I'll give you the definition of compassion.

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them"~Matthew 7:12

"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: [he is] gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."~Psalm 112:4  

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,  compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and,  if one has a complaint against another,  forgiving each other;  as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." ~Colossians 3:12-13

NOUN

noun: compassion · plural noun: compassions

sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others:
"the victims should be treated with compassion"
synonyms: pity · sympathy · empathy · fellow feeling · care · concern ·
solicitude · sensitivity · warmth · love · tenderness · mercy · leniency · tolerance · kindness · humanity · chariy
 

Compassion can be many things.
Sometimes it's giving food or clothes to someone who has none.
Sometimes it's seeing a grieving person and giving them a hug.
It can be seeing someone who needs a friend, and you step in and become the friend they needed.
It can even be as simple as offering a kind word.

I think one of the world's biggest problems is it's lack of compassion. Of course this is the result of the Fall, but we should not use that as an excuse. God commands us to be compassionate and so we need to make it a priority.

Now you might say; "well I'm just not all squishy-feely like that," or "well I'm just not a compassionate person." But let me ask you, dear readers; Do you think God is going to accept that kind of excuse?

Everything that we do-or don't do-has to be answered for at the end of this world. We are going to have to stand before God. What are you going to say to him?

"I'm sorry God, I just was too busy to help out with my Church Food Drive today."

"Well I didn't think about helping that old lady with her groceries Lord. I had somewhere to be."

"I didn't think I had to apologize to my friend for hurting his feelings. I mean, he should've gotten over it right? I figured he knew I didn't mean it."

"No I didn't bother to stop and try to understand someone's POV on things. It would have been stupid anyway."

Somehow, I don't think God is going to like any of those answers, especially when he was compassionate enough towards us to punish his only Son so that we wouldn't burn in Hell.

So here is my challenge to you. Make more of an effort to be kind and compassionate from now on. Think about how God would want you to act towards the person in front of you or how he would want you to respond to a situation. Does it take work? Of course it does! Nothing God asks us to do is easy. But we still have to do it, because we are His Children.

Jesus performed the ultimate act of compassion towards us. How can you do any less for anyone else?

 

Brand New Blog

Well, the Christian Teen Writer Blog www.inthecharactersshadow.blogspot.com is finally up and running! We'll be doing Book Breakdowns, writing tips and a little randomness every week so please check it out and share!

Announcements and Apologies.

Happy December everyone! :)

Things are crazy right now, getting ready for Christmas. I love Christmas, gift giving is so much fun! I haven't had a lot of time for my poor Blog, sorry about that. :( But I have two announcements to make:

1) I did not win the 2014 NaNoWriMo. :( I didn't even reach 10,000 words.

2) The ChriTeNo's Blog, (Christian Teen Novelists) is almost ready to go! So excited about that, will post the link ASAP.

And that's actually all for now. Hopefully I'll get back to posting here soon.

Mockingjay Part 1: Spoiler Alert

 

 

 

Ok, I just saw the third Hunger Games movie, "Mockingjay; Part 1" in Theatres tonight. My Fangirl is saying it was a really good movie. :) Just as good as Catching Fire was. There were a few added changes, like keeping Effie in the movie, and taking out the Prep Team, and there was even footage from Peeta's rescue, which was cool.

 

Jennifer Lawrence did an amazing job playing Katniss.

 

Sam Clafin was excellent as Finnick, and I am looking forward to seeing more of him in the next part.

 

President Coin was a bit too sugar sweet, but I imagine come part 2 that will change.

 

Peeta was amazingly creepy. The crazed, hollow, tracker-jacker rage was pretty disturbing.

 

So, once again, it was true to form, perfect book-to-movie adaption.

 

 



Effective-or Infective-Attitudes

Lately I've been thinking about how much we effect the people around us. It's not something we generally think about. It's so easy to get lost in ourselves that we easily forget that other people exist. And I don't mean that we forget people are even there, I mean we forget that they exist outside of our own little bubbles.

We effect people every day, just by being alive. But the question is, how are we effecting-or infecting-them?

There are many ways we can "infect" people, and our attitude is one of the most influential ways to do it. We can infect them with our sour outlook on topics and subjects, with our mood swings, and it isn't a nice infection. Ninety-five percent of the time, I don't think we realize just how bad it can be, until maybe one day it blows up in our face.

Now there are various reasons for bad/sour attitudes. Stress, financial issues, home troubles. And certainly everyone is allowed to have a bad day. But, never should we let our sourness effect other people negatively.

Let's take a look at some Bible Verses:

^""Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." ~Philippians 4:8

"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." ~Philippians 2:4 

^"Charity (love) suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;" ~1 Corinthians 13: 4-6

 "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." ~Proverbs 17:22

 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue"~ Proverbs 18:21

 "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin." ~James 4:17

Once again, it's not hard to see what God wants us to do with our bad attitudes. Take them and bury them. He tells us to look on the good things, the positive things. To think of how other people feel when we constantly complain, are negative, or snappy. Everyone is going to have bad days, stressful days. But we do not have to let it rule us. In fact, God tells us not to. 

What do we do if we find our constant bad attitudes have been effecting others? Simple. Ask them to forgive us, and ask God to help you to control it better. And really mean it.

 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." ~ James 5:16

 

Busy busy busy

Ack! My blog is slowly dying! I vowed when I started it I would not abandon it, and I am trying desperately to keep that vow! But I have been pretty occupied. As you know I am participating in NaNoWriMo-it is not going well, to say the least, my novel is not going to be 50,000 words by the 30th-and I'm helping with the Chritenos Blog, and there is a parade next week thr I am participating j. And I did a 5K walk and we've been winter proofing everything and I spent 5 hours yesterday raking and moving a pile of wood shavings for the garden and the Insurgent trailer came out -which sucked- and MJPt1 is coming out soon and Taylor Swifts new CD was released and my stupid laptop want quit updating itself, it now is windows 8.1 instead of 8.0 which is dumb because I don't need it and it's cold And i wish it was summer again and we got a mini horse at the barn and I'm working on my Xmas List and comparing dog food so I can find one with enough calories for my hyperactive-I-get-so-much-exercise-I-am-losing-weight dog. And I haven't been able to come up with a blog post. 

So yeah the above is my life in a nutshell in a giant run-on sentence. :D

Best Blogging Buddies Award!

Well, it seems I have been nominated for the Best Blogging Buddies Award! :P Rules are very simple:

1). You must make a post to show your award on your main blog.

2). You must tag the person who nominated you in your post.

3). You must nominate all of your best buddies, and those whom you want to become best buddies with, who, to your knowledge, have not been nominated, for this award.

4). You must ask your buddies at least 15 questions on your post.

5). You must answer all of the questions your buddies ask you. On your post.

Ok, so before I answer the questions, I shall make it known that Ginny from http://spiritworkinginme.weebly.com/ nominated me for this prestigious award. ;D

And now, for the answers to her questions:

1). Sweet tea or Lemonade? 
Lemonade

2). What's your favorite era?
Uh...don't have one.

3). French Fries or Onion Rings?
French Fries. :)

4). What's your favorite band?
That is seriously hard!! OK, fav. Country Band probably Florida Georgia Line, but I also likes lots of other bands of other music types so choosing one single solo favorite is impossible.

5).Which is worse? Having a sore throat or stuffy nose? 
Um.....sore throat.

6). What's your favorite NFL team? 
Sorry, don't like Football.

7). Cream cheese or cottage cheese?
CREAM CHEESE!!!!!!!!!! (brown sugar and cinnamon cream cheese is amazing.

8). Crab or Shrimp?
If I had to choose, shrimp, but I don't really like either.

9). History or Science?
Probably Science, if it was animal related.

10). Leading or Following?
Following. I am a helpless follower. I aspire to be a leader, but so far it has slipped from my grasp.

11). Beef or Pork?
Beef. Less parasites.

12). Pencil or Pen?
Does a mechanical Pencil count? Its both rolled into one. XD

13). Pizza or Fried Chicken?
Pizza!!

14). Divergent or The Fault In Our Stars?
DIVERGENT. Hands down.

15). Flip flops or Sandals?
Flip Flops.

I nominate for the Award:

Anya Becca: www.dangerouscrusader.blogspot.com
Erin: http://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/
Saber: http://disguisedasablog.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth: http://elizabethlucymorgan.blogspot.com/

Here are my questions:

1. Pink or Purple
2. Winter or Summer
3. Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia (yes I'm evil :P)
4. Country Music or Rock/Heavy Metal
5. Ice Cream or Yogurt.
6. If you were going to die tomorrow, what would you want to accomplish most
7. Typing or Handwriting
8. Sleeping in your bed or in a tent
9. Divergent or Hunger Games
10. Would you rather have curly or straight hair
11. What is the latest you've ever stayed up
12. What state do you want to visit most
13. Would you rather visit the 7 wonders of the world or hang with a favorite movie star
14. If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be
15. Swimming or Trampoline

Death with Dignity?

I am sure you have probably heard the story of 29 year-old Brittany Maynard, who was sick with terminal brain cancer. Upon being told there was no cure for her disease, she chose to select a date for when she would die.

And two days ago she did, with the aid of lethal drugs.

Her argument was that she wanted to go with "dignity" and that is was her life, and she had the right to choose what to do with it. It's true her disease was horrible. She suffered from head and neck pain, and was taking seizures. Her death would not be a gentle one. Many people say she was brave, not afraid of death, and are applauding her choice.

I say, it was not brave. It was a cowards act. It was in defiance of God. It's a sad day when we can stand around and watch someone kill themselves and then applaud them afterwards.

If she had truly been brave, she would have taken things one day at a time, saying; "Ok God, this is what you have chosen for me. I don't understand it. It's going to be hard. Give me the strength to trust you in this."

But she didn't.

If we can excuse this kind of behavior then we can easily excuse killing mentally ill people because their quality of life isn't "as good as ours" or we can kill the elderly because they'll die soon anyway and it'll be kinder for them. And we can excuse killing babies because they're unwanted, or going to live with a birth defect. We can excuse any kind of murder.

This is the world in which we live. We have made ourselves gods, deciding to take life whenever it suits us, as if they are worth absolutely nothing.

Well, guess what? Our lives are not our own. We have no right to decide when we die. We are not the masters of our souls. God is.

This is something we nee to fight. And I don't mean stand in our homes or our churches and say; "That was wrong of her to do."

I mean fight by saying we are not going to stand for this anymore. We are going to teach our kids to follow God and bring them up with His word, and train them to resist giving in to the beliefs of our heathen culture. Because if we don't, we are going to destroy ourselves. We are already on a path to self destruction, and it is only when we make God Lord over all, that this clock will stop.

Fangirl Alert!

I have been doing a lot of Fangirling lately, what with Mockingjay Part 1 Trailers and Clips being released, knowing the Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies is hitting theatres in December, and keeping up with Insurgent news, my Fangirl wheels are going high speed. XD

The final Mockingjay trailer was amazing (see link there)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXshQ5mv1K8

and I am super excited for the movie. I have high expectations, and I have a feeling they are going to be met. And the feels? Ooh yeah, I will be freaking out in the Theatre the whole time. :)

The Hobbit. Well I was disappointed with the movies since they were not as good as the LOTR's movies, but I still enjoyed them and I want to see how PJ raps everything up.

As for Insurgent, I am probably most eager for it, since I liked Divergent better than HG's, but I am really nervous about the rumors of an added love triangle, and I am also mad at Shailene Woodley for deciding to keep her boy-ish haircut from FIOS when she films Insurgent.

So I will leave you with a few little quotes about Fangirls and finish my evening....which may or may not consist of more Fangirling.....

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Evil Fears

Fear.

It's almost like a disease. It grabs a hold of you and doesn't want to let go. It torments your thoughts and effects your actions, sometimes it even renders you useless. Its one of Satan's most effective tools, and sometimes we don't have the means to defend against it.

And that is where God comes in.

Joshua 1:9-"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest."

Isaiah 41:10~"Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."
We can't fight the fear on our own, we aren't strong enough. We need God for that. Its a long battle, but in the end, we are always going to win, because God is on our side. It may not be soon, but someday we will conquer all of our fears.

I am still waiting for my day.

Writing, writing...and more writing.

A writers job never ends. Our poor brains are on constant hyper-drive. Gottawritegottawritegottawrite! Oy.

Trying to think of Blog Posts, working on my Divergent FanFiction, sorting through notes for my upcoming Nano Novel, and helping out with the new Chriteno's Blog (which is going to be awesome, and I'll be sharing the link as soon as it is up and running)....yeah, my computer is becoming my best friend.

Man would I be bored if I didn't write.

Of course my parents don't understand this writers mentality. Is it cool I am writing? Yeah whatever, fine. But they see a lot of it as a waste of time, and since I don't have an actual book published, in their heads I don't classify as an actual writer. *sigh* Did I mention we aren't understood most of the time?

But I love writing, and hopefully one day I will be an Professional Writer. In the meantime, my computer will be my shadow, music will be my friend and the characters I create, will be my foster kids. XD

Now, where are the chips?

Small things matter too.

I was recently faced with a situation and it got me thinking about how often we neglect little things in life. I'm not talking about tasks, I'm talking in terms of morality. How we often think that we're ok because we don't commit the "big sins" like murder, but we are so focused on that, we forget that we fall short in the small things, and that God cares about those things too.

Usually, you are entrusted with small things before big things. Handling the small things show you are mature enough to handle the big things. I find Christians tend to do things backwards. They focus on not murdering etc. but ignore smaller things that "don't matter." We says things like:

"Well, it'll be ok if I tell a white lie. Its not a REAL lie. God wont mind."

"Its just a tiny quiz sheet, it wont hurt to look up the answers."

But God says:

"Lying lips [are] abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly [are] his delight." ~Proverbs 12:22

"Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." ~Ephesians 4:25

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin." ~James 4:17 

"A false balance [is] abomination to the LORD: but a just weight [is] his delight." ~Proverbs 11:1

These are just a few verses.

My point is, God sees EVERYTHING we do. We need to think about what He would think about us doing-or not doing-something. Is God going to be pleased with how I am doing my buisness? With how I treat others? Is He going to be happy about this white lie? How about peeking at answers for a homework sheet or copying off of someone else's work? Is He happy about how I have kept The Lord's Day this week? Would He like the music I am listening to, or the movies I am watching?

These are things we must consider. And we will find the answers in His Word. That is what it is there for.

Remember we have said before how we are to be separate from the world? If you were put on trial and accused of being a Christian, will they find enough evidence to convict you? The world will notice how we glorify God in ALL life's areas, and God will too.

God Made Girls.

Has anyone heard the song "God made girls" by Rae Lynn? While I was poking around on YouTube trying to relieve some boredom, I came across it. I found it to be a very cute and pretty song, however I noticed A LOT of people disagreed with me. Their objections?

The song was "sexist".

Yep, all those Feminists were screaming; "sexist" because the song promotes that women were "only created to serve men."

Give me a freaking break. The only thing I saw wrong was the music video. All the girls were way too skimpily dressed. Here you can listen to the song and then continue reading if you want:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=40-mBHxjpwI

So, I think you've guessed by now that I don't believe that this song is sexist, but i'll explain why. I'll break it down bit by bit. I think it's purpose is to explain a lot of ways how girls are (and should be!)

"Somebody's gotta wear a pretty skirt, Somebody's gotta be the one to flirt,somebody gotta wanna hold his hand so God made girls" Yes, someone has to wear pretty frilly clothes with glitter and sparkle. And we do. Someone has to think he's cute and want to hold the hand of the man we are in love with. And we do. I see nothing wrong with that.

"Somebody's gotta make 'em get dressed up, Somebody's gotta give 'em a reason to wash that truck, Somebody gotta teach 'em how to dance so God made girls."  Guys dress better when they're around girls. No girl wants to see a guy who looks like a slob right? And that truck has to look nice when the guy goes to pick up his girl for a date right? And some guys...can't dance. So, the girl can teach them.

"He needed something soft and loud and sweet and proud, But tough enough to break a heart, Something beautiful and breakable that lights up in the dark "  That sounds like a nice description of a girl right there to me. I know girls who are really loud, and sweet, and beautiful. They're tough enough to break a heart, but soft enough to get their hearts broken.

"And God made girls (For singing in your front seat), God made girls (For dancin' to their own beat), He stood back and told the boys I'm bout to rock your world, And God made girls."  I don't know about some of you, but I sing loud in the car with friends...and in my room...and the shower. I don't dance but I have a friend who does. And, God told Adam he would make him a helper suitable for him. Someone....to rock his world. :)

"Somebody's gotta be the one to cry, Somebody's gotta let him drive, give him a reason, To hold that door so God made girls." Ok, we all know most guys don't cry. But girls do. And maybe she'll show her guy its ok to shed a tear or two. And what is so bad about a guy holding a door for us? Are we perfectly capable of opening a door? Of course we are! But when a guy holds a door for a girl, it shows he's respectful and polite. And I rather like the idea of a guy driving me all over the place, because currently, I hate driving. :)

"Somebody's gotta put up a fight, Make him wait on a Saturday night, To walk downstairs and blow his mind, So God made girls" Yep, I can be feisty when I want to. And we all know guys complain about how girls take to long to do....everything. And all those sweet movies where the girl comes downstairs looking gorgeous and makes him drool? Adorable.

"Someone that can wake him up and call his bluff, And drag his butt to church, someone that is hard to handle, Somethin' fragile to hold him when he hurts". And sadly there are some guys who have to be woken up and drug to church. Hopefully they're working on that one.

My take on the song? We complete guys. The relationship between a guy and a girl is priceless and something God made special. Just because she's not depicting women walking around with gear like Rambo doesn't mean she's being sexist.

I guess I have one thing to say to the Feminists out there who are hating this song: Pull up your big girl pants and quit your whining.

A Heck of a Ride.

Ok, so today, being my friend's Birthday, we all went on a Trail Ride. It was originally to be a 4 hour ride with other people bringing their horses but because of different circumstances, it ended up being just our group of 5. :) And it didn't help that it started to rain. Oh yeah, and it was like, less than 50F.

Yay.

Now, when you go on a Red Hawk Stable Trail Ride, it is almost never dull. They are, 95% of the time, what we call "eventful". Whether we are laughing till our sides hurt or trying to spot "spiffets" in the woods, there is always something going on.

However, I didn't say the happenings were always good. :)

First example; it rained. Just enough to get us pretty wet and chilly. Really hoping we don't end up with pneumonia, colds...or Ebola. :)

Second example; my horse, the lovely Miss Dory, decided she was really loving the idea of running. Now, Dory is feisty. She gets a bit full of herself and her middle name is Speed. I didn't want to canter her down the flat tracks by myself because I know she likes to run and I have a tendency to not control my nerves-which makes things worse-so my Instructor says she will canter beside me while holding onto Dory, who will be attached to a lead rope.

Ok, lets do this thing.

Leaving the other three members of our group behind, we start off. At first Dory decides a trot is nice and I'm thinking; "Ok, this is good!". Then it happens.

The explosion.

Unable to contain the urge anymore she starts galloping, breaking the strap on her bridle, leaving the lead rope in the dirt and deciding to try to leave my Instructor in her dust.

Crap. 

So here I am, flying down the puddle-filled tracks in the woods on a horse who thinks she's running in the Kentucky Derby, and she's not even a Thoroughbred. My thighs, at this point, go into survival mode and are doing all they can to keep me in that saddle. In a few seconds, my Instructor, on trusty old Spice, catches up and yells "Pull back", and I do.

Of course, Dory says; "I'm having too much fun to stop!" and keeps going. Between the two of us we manage to get her to stop before we hit the road. And I'm still in the saddle. :D I survived! I didn't hit the ground going at unknown speeds, I didn't slam into a tree, and my brain didn't shut down rendering me immobile at it has been known to do.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty good. :)

Fast forward a little bit. That little jaunt in no way dampened Dory's desire to run. In fact it made her want to run some more. So I say to my friend; "I'll hold Romeo (her horse) and you run her down the tracks a bit and blow off some steam." She agrees and she and my Instructor take off and the rest of us wait. Here is their story.

Dory goes faster than she did with me, jumping puddles and making my poor friend lose her stirrups, and once again, it took the two of them to maker her stop. Luckily she stopped before they reached a really rutted out water-filled part of the path, complete with three or four tires someone threw back there. After that, she did settle down.

Add in the fact that I banged my knee off a tree, my extra sweatshirt hit the ground twice and we were harassed by a mangy looking dog, this ride was pretty interesting. :P

Other events in the day included me acquiring burns to my mouth from hot pizza, and the purchase of an iPod touch for myself.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to our next big trail ride.

(note; this actually all took place yesterday, but I didn't get to finish the post until today, and I didn't feel like changing it.)

National Novel Writing Month!

 

 

 

November is National Novel Writing Month, and I am proud to say I will be (hopefully) participating in it once again! My first year of Nano was back in 2012 and I am happy to say I won! Let me give you a brief run-down:

 

Create an account at nanowrimo.org and pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. You can write whatever you want to. Then, beginning Nov. 1 you punch in your word count at the end of every day and if you reach 50,000 words viola! you're a winner and can take advantage of some cool winner prizes provided by many different companies.

 

And to help you along the way are articles on writing, revising, and PepTalks from famous Authors. Not to mention you have the whole (awesome) Nano community on the Forums. What's not to love?

 

So to all you fellow writers out there, get out your coffee and laptop chargers and join me in another writing adventure!



Top Ten Favorite....

MOVIES

1. LOTR's Trilogy
2. Divergent
3. Eragon
4. Phantom of the Opera (movie of the actual play. Gerard Butler is not a good Phantom.)
5. Unconditional
6. HG's/CF
7. Anne of Greene Gables
8. Mom's Night Out
9.
10.

I seriously cant think of anymore, though I know there is!!

Police Carelessness

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/katti-putnam-lawsuit_n_5959246.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk4%26pLid%3D543335


Honestly, I am so tired of seeing stories like these. It is not the first article I have read where a cop shoots a civilian's dog, the only difference with this one is, the dog survived. Most of them don't. In the below article, the dog dies. To give a brief rundown of the first story, cops broke into the wrong home looking for a fugitive and then shot the 15 year old dog in the back yard. He fired one shot at her, hitting her face, and then a second, which missed. The owner threw herself between the cop and the dog, yelling that it was the wrong house. The cops then realized they had the wrong address and told the owners they would take care of it. And they never did. The owners are now suing for vet bills, and the cops will not return phone calls.

This is one of several stories like it, and I hate reading them. Cops break into the wrong home, kill the dog, and then leave, or shoot a dog simply because its in close proximity. It's ridiculous.

Just because there is a dog present does not mean it is going to attack. And even if the dog is barking and growling, it doesn't take rocket science to figure out the dog is viewing officers as home invaders and are simply trying to protect themselves or their home-certainly nothing to deserve being killed. Cops need to stop being so darn trigger happy and use their brains to properly handle situations like this.

They need to be taught how to handle dogs that they face humanely and without resorting to killing them. It is my belief that at least one officer should be equipped with a tranquilizer and equipment to handle dogs (muzzles, leashes) so they can secure them in a safe area (a closet, a bedroom, a kennel in the back of a car) while other officers do their work. That way, no innocent animals would be harmed.

K9 Officers are given Human status almost, and if someone shoots/harms them, they get in even bigger trouble. While I agree these dogs are heroes in their own right, they are not much different than regular people's dogs. They are capable of defending their owners, capable of giving just as much love and affection. The only difference is they are specially trained and cost a lot of money. Why do Officer's dogs get treated as more important than a regular civilian dog?

I am not a cop-hater, or someone who thinks we need to get rid of all the police, but I am tired of seeing such careless behavior, and seemingly no remorse on the part of the Officers. And I am certainly tired of seeing no attempts to fix these issues.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/23/lexie-dog-shooting_n_5614051.html

The Next Black Plague.

Ebola.

By now you have probably heard of it. The nasty incurable disease spreading like wildfire in Africa, killing over 3,000 people. Symptoms ranging from fever, vomiting, to bleeding and severe pain. It's enough to make you shudder. But the good thing is, its only found in Africa and nowhere else right?

Well, that would be a somewhat comforting thought if people hadn't decided to bring it to the United States. I'm all for helping people. It's the right thing to do. However, I think it is very irresponsible for the Aid Workers to be brining back a deadly disease so that everyone here can get infected.

I guess blame shouldn't all be laid on the Aid Workers, but rather the people who made the decision to let them come back here. I'm no rocket scientist, but somehow bringing a sickness with no known cure, that has never ever been found here, to here, seems like a really dumb move. Regardless of who has it, it's a disaster waiting to happen.

Now a guy in Texas, who went to Liberia and handled Ebola patients, is infected and walked around for days carrying the nasty disease before being admitted. The Workers who decided to go to Africa are in hospitals in several states being treated. An NBC Reporter is also being treated. And now, a Nurse in Spain has come down with it. (And they say they've decided not to shut down air travel. Yep, great idea.)

Of course, there is the question of whether it is right to deny a U.S. Citizen treatment in the U.S. Sorry, but these people knew the risks when they went to offer help. They knew how awful the disease was, and still decided it was their duty to lend a hand. While that is all well and good, they also have a duty to the other people who do NOT have the disease. I do not believe they should have been allowed back here. It was their personal decision to put themselves in harms way. They have no right to endanger millions of healthy people.

At the very least, if they had to bring them back here, they should have found some top secrete high security facility to treat these people in, not allowing anyone in or out until they were POSITIVE no one else was carrying Ebola.

Rules should be enforced for people coming out of these places infected with Ebola as well. No one should be allowed back here until after the 21 day incubation period is past and they are showing no symptoms. Whatever it takes to keep this from spreading.

The health officials are telling us that Ebola cannot be spread by the air, so it's not as easily caught as the cold or flu, and therefore they are confident they can easily contain it. Now there are reports of the Spanish nurse being infected with it. A Nurse, trained in how to handle herself with diseases like this and how to keep herself from being contaminated and she still has it. My point? If a trained professional caught it that easily, how much easier is it going to be for common untrained people to catch it and spread it? The way things are looking, I can see Ebola easily becoming the next Black Plague.

The solution? Well, the way things are going now, I say dig a giant underground hole, seal the entrance and pray God puts an end to this epidemic. Then we can emerge in about twenty years and hope we aren't faced with post-apocalyptic conditions.

A Deadly Poison

What is the deadly poison that I am going to talk about tonight? As you might have guessed, it is not a physical substance. Not a drug, or a plant, or some kind of chemical. The thing I am calling a poison tonight is anger.

How often do you see problems stem from anger? If you look closely-and often times you don't even have to look that close-you will see that many different issues (mostly in relationships) spring up from that hard-to-kill root. And pretty soon, it can grow into something that is very difficult, and yes, even occasionally impossible to fix.

The Bible has much to say about being angry, and a lot of it is how we aren't supposed to get angry. Don't get me wrong; there are good reasons to get mad. Jesus showed us that when he overturned tables in the temple and sternly rebuke the Devil. But a lot of the things we get angry over are, let's face it, stupid and unnecessary. Let's look at some verses.

"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit, than he that takes a city." ~Proverbs 16:32 

We all know how we adore our heroes. Those people that rescue helpless victims and do various other great acts. But the Bible makes it clear that the people who practice self control are even more admirable than Spiderman.

Let's keep looking:

"He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly." ~Proverbs 14:29

Obviously here, Solomon says if you are slow to be angry then you are very wise. If you are quick to be angry, then you're stupid. Pretty blunt, huh?

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." ~James 19:20 

Hmm, it seems if our wrath does not work the righteousness of God, then we must be doing something wrong right? I don't have time to list the verses about how we are to be like God, but you know there are quite a few. :)

 "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil." ~Psalm 37:8  

"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." ~Romans 12:21

 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" ~Ephesians 4:26 

These are direct commands. God is telling us NOT to be angry, and to be keep ourselves away from evil and sin. Clearly, unrighteous anger leads to evil and is therefore, sinful.

There are many ways anger acts as a poison. Not only can it poison people around us. but ourselves as well.

"Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go." ~Proverbs 22:24

Here Solomon tells us not to associate with people who get angry easily. I'm going to guess it is because they are likely to get very angry with us quite frequently, and their angry tendencies could rub off on us with time.

So I want to challenge you all to think before you get angry. Stop and ask yourself if what you are about to get upset about is worth it.
Are the words that are about to pass your lips words that will harm, do damage, work evil?
Are you getting angry because you think the other person deserves it, in other words, to satisfy a sinful feeling?
Are you yelling at someone for something they have no control over, for something that is not their fault?
Are you holing a grudge, not letting go of something in the past?

If the answer is yes to any of these, take steps to ensure you can soon answer "no". If you feel yourself getting angry, take a breath and walk away from the situation so you can calm down. Ask others to hold you accountable for your actions, someone who will remind you when you are/have lost your temper in a sinful way. Talk to your Pastor about it if you have problems you feel you cant fix on your own. And of course, ask God to give you the power to control your temper. Even in a situation when you feel things are starting to escalate, pause an quickly ask him to help you.

Are we going to succeed every time? No. No one is perfect. But be sure to ask forgiveness of the people around you who may have been effected by your anger. Don't sit and do nothing.

Ask God to give you the antidote for this poison, and you will be the better for it.

 

"Something in the water": Carrie Underwood's New Single

Carrie Underwood's new single "Something in the water" was a nice attempt at an inspiring talk about Baptism, but unfortunately she was way off the mark.  Here are the lyrics to the song and a link at the bottom:

He said I've been where you've been before
Down every hallway's a slamming door
No way out, no one to come and save me
Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave you
There's somebody saying what I'm saying to you
Open my eyes and told me truth
He said: just a little faith and it'll all get better
So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I'm changed
And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water

Well I heard what he said and I went on my way
Didn't think about it for a couple of days
Then it hit me like a lightning late one night
I was all out of hope and all out of fight
Couldn't fight back my tears so I fell on my knees
Saying God if you're there come and rescue me
Felt love pouring down from above
Got washed in the water, washed in the blood and now I'm changed

And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water

And now I'm singing along to amazing grace
Can't nobody wipe this smile off my face
Got joy in my heart, angels on my side
Thank God Almighty I saw the light
Gonna look ahead, no turning back,
Live every day, give it all that I have, 

Trust in someone bigger than me
Ever since the day that I believed I am changed

And now I'm stronger

There must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh there must be something in the water
Oh yeah

I'm stronger
Stronger

I'm free

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=XZ2kdx4zZUY

The first thing I noticed was the line:  "He said: just a little faith and it'll all get better
So I followed that preacher man down to the river and now I'm changed
And now I'm stronger" This makes it sound like the man is saying once you have a little Faith in God, all your problems will go away. That is a dangerous thing to claim. While God helps you through troubled times, he does NOT promise to give you a care-free life.

The second thing: The phrase "there must be something in the water" is....ridiculous. There is nothing in the water. Baptism is not magic.

Third; The song is very Arminian. "Thank God Almighty I saw the light." makes it seem that the person is thanking God that they were smart enough to see for themselves. It should say; "Thank God Almighty he enabled/made me to see the light."

To sum it up; pretty song, but sadly, bad Theology.

Animals+BB Guns=Disaster

For those of you who are Country people, you have probably heard of someone at one point in time "pinging" animals with BB Guns to get them to leave their yard. People consider this ok because "it doesn't hurt the animal, it just stings a little." But this is not always true. I'm going to give you 4 stories to prove my point.

Story #1.

A man we know that owns a large farm down the road from us had a dog, and when my Mom asked how she was one day, the man informed us she had gotten sick and died (she was old). They started talking about her, and he said that when they took her to the vet to be checked out, the vet had to take X-rays, and they found an unexpected surprise. Their dog had 14 BB Gun pellets in her body. Someone had been shooting her, probably to get her out of their yard.

Story #2.

Relative of my friend had a dog who was shot by the neighbor with a BB Gun and it entered his chest and he died a slow death after the vet said there was nothing they could do for him.

Story #3.

Just read an article online about a family who went outside to find their little dog had been shot with a BB Gun in their front yard and after being rushed to the vet, he died.

Story #4.

A girl my Mom knew was shot in the thigh by her brother's BB Gun and the bead went into her skin and she had to get it removed.

So, are you still convinced BB Guns are harmless?

Even though these guns don't shoot real bullets, they are still guns, and still pose a danger. They are meant for shooting inanimate objects.  Do they always cause damage like I just described? I'd guess not, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Never shoot anyone with a BB Gun and don't shoot neighborhood pets or strays with them. Its not kind and is a potential danger.

Modesty: Setting ourselves apart in how we dress.

Well, my brain gave me something to write about after all. :P I'm going to talk about being modest. It's a problem that smacks you in the face every time you step out the door. Everywhere I look I see girls in shorts that look like underwear, shirts that barely keep "the girls" in place, and skirts/dresses that are so short if the wearer bends over she'll be mooning anyone who's behind her. And of course, once you step onto the beach/around the pool, the women might as well all be naked.

While this kind of thing is not a surprise to see on Non-Christian girls, it is for Christian ones. I see professing Christians wearing things that don't make them look any different than the worldly women, even though we are called to look different from the world. 

"Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." ~Romans 12:3-2 

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth  the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light." ~ 1 Peter 2:9

God calls his people to separate themselves from the ways of the world, so that people will notice we serve Him. That is part of our witness. But how, I ask you, are people to tell we serve God, if all of our girls look like they should be standing on a street corner with the Hookers?  I'm not one of those who believe girls have to be covered from their throat to their ankles (or one of those who thinks they should wear only dresses, or that tank-tops or tighter clothes are bad), but I do believe in wearing acceptable clothing.

"Likewise, women are to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly, and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making claim to godliness." ~1 Timothy 2: 9-10

Now, does this mean us girls can't wear jewelry or do nice things with our hair, or wear a pretty dress? Does he mean for us to walk around in brown sacks and never touch a beauty product? No. What Paul is saying, is that we are not to adorn ourselves SO much that we draw attention to ourselves like Cleopatra. It is not to be out main focus. In other words, we are to be humble and modest, not vain, proud and wanting to draw attention to ourselves. God looks at inner beauty, not outward appearance.

I realize,of course, there may be some girls who are going to protest to this and say; "Well, it's MY body, who are you to tell me what to do with it? I can wear what I want to wear, and if people stare, well that's THEIR problem." Let me be clear. I am not telling you what to do with your body. God is. Your body isn't YOUR body at all. It's Gods. You are His child, bought with a price-Jesus's own blood.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your Spirit, which are His." ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Aside from not heeding the command to be apart and the fact that our bodies are God's temple, another thing that is wrong with wearing clothes that are immodest, is the reaction we will get from guys. If your boobs are hanging out, a guy is going to notice. If your shorts are so short and tight that they look like they are going to split, a guy is going to imagine what is under them. And if you're wearing a bikini on the beach, he sees almost all of you, and can imagine the rest. Should a guy be looking at our bodies in that way? No. But we are responsible for what we do, and we are not to tempt others to sin, or cause people to stumble.

"It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall." ~Romans 14:21

Before you go to purchase a piece of clothing, or put something on, ask yourself if Jesus would be happy with how you looked if He was standing next to you? Is your shirt showing too much skin? Is your back or stomach hanging out? When you bend over, are people going to see down your shirt? Or can they see anything from behind?

A good rule is finger tip length for shorts and about knee-length for dresses and skirts. And if your boobies are showing some skin, the shirt can go.

Let's evaluate our clothes and make sure that we are acting like good Christian girls, not tempting to others, pleasing to God, and apart from the world.

Top Ten Favorite.....

TV SHOWS.

OK, back to my Top Ten Favorites list. :) My brain hasn't thought of anything decent to write lately, so I'll be falling back on this. It's a mixture of old and current shows, again not necessarily in any specific order. Enjoy. :)

1. Airwolf.
2. Heartland (for all you horse lovers out there, this is awesome)
3. The Dog Whisperer
4. The Little House on the Prairie
5. MacGyver
6. The Voice
7. Hannah-Barbera's "Scooby Doo Where Are You?"
8. Road to Avonlea
9. Dateline
10. The Smurfs

There you are! My list of favorite shows. Unless I come up with a different post, the next one will be TTF Movies. :)

Life's Two-Sided Coin

I watched a movie the other day, called "Mom's Night Out." If you've seen "Facing the Giants", or "Courageous" you'll know the Filmmakers and some of the Actors involved in the film. I'll give you a short rundown:

The story centers around Ally, a Mom of 3, who is, quite frankly, losing her mind. The stress is pulling her under and she can't understand why, when to have a family was her wish as a kid, she isn't happy with it. At her husband's suggestion she plans a night out with two of her friends and they all leave the kids with their hubby's and set out. The night does not go as planned and for both groups it turns out to be a hilarious disaster. But by the end, Ally realizes, that even though her life isn't perfect, and it is not always easy, God is there with her, and he placed her where she needs to be. That he doesn't make mistakes.

One of the Characters in the movie says this:

"Life isn't about a parking space. Its not about God taking all our problems away and giving us a perfect life. It's about finding meaning, and joy, and purpose in this, in the crazy, and in the chaos." 

That's true. God doesn't make mistakes when he places us in a certain time, place, etc. He know what is best for us, he knows where we need to be. In one way, our life is not always perfect. We are not always going to be walking in the sunshine, laughing all the while eating sugar-coated candy. There are times we are going to be upset, and angry, and sad, and losing our minds and wondering why our life isn't the perfect one we envisioned. But in another way, it IS perfect, because it's the one God gave us.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11

I know it's hard to remember. It's something I struggle with myself. We are always tempted to ask what He's doing, why everything isn't exactly how we want it. But like I said, it's one coin with two sides. Our life is perfect even when its not because He has us all in the Palm of His hand.

So the next time you're in a whirlwind of crazy, and you're about to scream, stop and ask God to remind you of the verse in Jeremiah. And laugh at the crazy, find peace in the difficult time, and do what he's made you to do. 

"I'm a mess. But I'm a beautiful mess. I'm His masterpiece. And that's enough." ~Ally

Punish thy son with the rod: Putting a time out on "Time Outs".

Alright, tonight I'd like to touch on a subject that is very controversial for a lot of people. But, as with all controversial topics, it needs to be talked about......

Spanking.

In today's Culture, children are rarely spanked. Instead they are given various forms of other punishments, like the famous "time-out". Which of course consists of sitting somewhere for a certain period of time to "think about what they did."

Often, spanking is demonized and labeled abusive, possibly carrying the consequence of Child and Youth Services coming to your home and taking your kids away. I have a simple question to ask; what happened to discipline?

In my grandparents' day, no one called spanking abusive, it was punishment, the consequences for doing something wrong. And if you go back further, (if anyone watches Little House on the Prairie), you still see spanking. The Bible clearly commands us to spank, which is back even further.

So, is it just that we today are so much smarter than people way back then, or, are parents neglecting their duty when it comes to disciplining their children? Lets look and see.

"Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall strike him with the rod and rescue his soul from Hell." ~Proverbs 23;14

Here Solomon tells us not to withhold spanking from our children. When we spank, we are doing our child a favor-saving his soul from hell-teaching them that there are consequences for wrongdoing. And it serves as a reminder next time the child goes to misbehave.

The Bible tells us whom God loves he chastens, and we are told to chasten our sons. Remember that we are called to be like Christ-who is God-and he did nothing wrong. There is no injustice with God. There is no un-fairness or cruelty with God. So if he is commanding us to spank, then it is not wrong.

"He that spareth the rod hateth his son, but he who loveth him chastiseth him betimes"~Prov. 13:24 

"Chasten thy son while there is still hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying"~Prov. 19:18

Many parents have said they love their child too much to spank. God tells us if we do not spank, we do not love them at all. 

People need to learn to distinguish the difference between abuse and discipline. Which brings us to the next part of the discussion. There is a right and a wrong way to spank.

I see parents smacking their kid on the top of the head, screaming and yelling at them, and yanking their arms, before turning them over their knee, giving them a good paddling, and then continuing to yell some more. This, dear readers, is not the Biblical way to spank.

God tells us to discipline, but he also gives us a command:

"Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."~Ephesians, 6:4

"Ye Fathers, provoke not your children to anger"....~Colossians, 3:21

We are to spank our kids in a way pleasing to God, and it is to be used along with Godly teaching, so they understand that this is not an abusive act. It is what God commands.

I once read part of a book by a Christian author, who talks about this subject, and I agreed with him when he said;

"When we spank our children in anger, we are doing it to fulfill our own selfish needs, and not punishing our children as servants of God."

When parents spank while they are angry, yelling at their kids, roughly yanking them about, spanking them and sending them to their rooms afterwards, they are sinning themselves. Instead, parents need to calm themselves, take the child to another room, and tell them what they did wrong, and now they must be punished because God says they must. After the child has been spanked, they should be allowed to cry, and then, the parents needs to read the verses about punishment to them, and then pray with them to ask God to help them behave better the next time. Then, they should be hugged, told they are loved, and all should be forgiven. That is Biblical punishment.

But this is rarely done, and all people see is the yelling and the child crying, and it is labeled abusive. When done properly, it is anything but abusive. Is the child going to like it? Of course not! They're not supposed to. Its punishment.

Parents need to stop being cowards, and take up the responsibility of properly disciplining their kids. What God says is far more important than what ungodly people in our Society say.

A bit about Animal Shelters and Dogs.

For this post I'd like to talk a little bit about Animal Shelters. They do some great work, rescuing dogs and cats and finding them new homes, many even offering to help owners spay and neuter their pets.

But, there is so much that they don't do.

While animal shelters are good intentioned, I think they do many pets a disservice in many situations. The biggest example is their refusal to approve an adoption when a potential owner says the dog will spend a certain amount of time outdoors. It is not uncommon for this to be the case.

One example is a story about how our local shelter refused to let a man take one of their Rottweilers because he informed them that while he was at work during the day, he planned to tie the dog to a run he had attached between the house and the garage. He would leave the door open for the dog to enter the garage and then when he returned home from work, he would bring the dog inside. The shelter told him they couldn't allow that, and refused to give him the dog. My Step-Grandmother knew the man and said he was very nice and would have given a dog a good home.

But the people who are supposed to care about these dogs, denied one a perfectly good home because of a twisted view in their heads. This is only one of many stories like it. It makes you wonder if the dogs who could have had good homes were actually adopted, or killed because the Shelter didn't want them outside.

Now, personally, I believe tying a dog outside to a house should be a last resort. It is a fact that they are happier indoors with their humans, because they are pack animals. God created them to be with people. However, if I were given the choice between killing a dog and tying him outside...well, I'd choose the latter.

Shelters should instead educate people on how to properly care for a dog that is outside. If an owner wants to keep a dog outside for a stupid reason (such as, "oh I want a dog but I don't want to clean up after it/deal with hair", or "I don't believe animals should step toe in a house"), then I can see not wanting to give one to them. But I do believe shelters shouldn't be so picky about who adopts a dog. There are some dogs who are ok with being outside. I know someone who had a dog that preferred her doghouse to the actual house.

Shelters would be better off telling people that if they choose to adopt a dog to put outside, they must be responsible, and follow certain requirements (shelter staff checking up on these dogs they have adopted out to be outside pets can ease workers minds and ensure these animals are not being mistreated). Telling them how to build proper dog houses that can withstand cold, making them understand that outdoor dogs must be exercised daily, will get more dogs homes. Which means lives saved and families with wonderful pets. :)

And since we're on the subject, I'll list the tips for keeping an outside dog:

1. Make sure you have a suitable doghouse.

Determining whether a dog house is good enough will depend on the size and breed of your dog, and what your weather is normally like. Finding instructions on how to build one online is fairly easy.(Building your own house is far better-and I'm pretty sure less expensive-than buying one.) Make sure the house is insulated and your dog can't get to the insulation to chew. The roof should be shingled to minimize leaks. Your dog should be able to stand up in the house and turn around, but it needs to be just right so the dog's body heat won't escape and will be used to keep it warm. Be sure the house is propped up on cement blocks so the bottom doesn't get wet and rot. The lid should be removable for easy cleaning and make inside repairs easier. The opening for the door should be covered up by a piece of rubber, a carpet or piece of blanket to keep out cold air and rain. Cut off a corner or make a slit in the center so your dog can peer out and it makes access easier. (my dog won't keep a flap on his house unless there is a slit so he can look out) The doghouse should be filled with hay, sheets/blankets, and/or a waterproof dog pillow. The weather and your dog's preferences will let you know what to put inside. :) Note: plastic igloo doghouses are not warm enough, so please don't get one of those.

2. Yard location;

Put the doghouse in a flat (if you can) spot in your yard. Make sure he isn't near anything too dangerous and try not to place him too far away from his people. Make sure he has shade to escape the heat. If you don't have any, build him a lean-to or something of that sort to lie under.

3. Restraints

If your dog is not strong enough to break it, a dog run/clothesline is best because it doesn't tangle. There are some dogs though who are just too strong, so a chain and stake may be your only option. Try to give your dog as much space as possible. You can have stores cut you some chain to your specific length and thickness. I find those types of chains are less likely to knot themselves. You can also keep your dog behind chain link fence, but again, try to connect several fences together to make a decent area. When I see dogs kept in tiny kennels all day, it makes me feel sad. (think of it in terms of you being shut in your bedroom all day long with nothing to do....not fun is it?) Leather collars work great for tie-out dogs. They last a long time and are very sturdy. The best option of all would be to fence in the whole yard with a doghouse in the corner.

4. Exercise.

Outside dogs need just as much-probably more-exercise as indoor ones do. Be sure your dog is off of his chain every day, and not just for a few minutes. Take him for long walks/jogs, let him run around the yard, and play with toys. Train him so he can be included in activities like inside dogs, and set up a routine to stick to. The reason outside dogs bark constantly, dig, run away and act anti-social is because a lot of people treat them as lawn ornaments. Something to just look nice, and not be bothered with.

I believe if Shelters educated the public on the proper way to keep a dog outside, instead of labeling it inhumane and refusing to give dogs to people with the intention of keeping them out, less dogs would be put down and more people would have happier outdoor dogs.

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/index.htm

This is an awesome site. Check it out! You can also find stories of people who were denied pets because of being outside.

Of Sticks, Stones and Words.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me." 

We have all heard this saying before right? Whenever someone is being made fun of by peers, or unkind things are said in anger, people always quote that phrase. But I think you will find the Bible has quite a different view on the matter. So let's look at it.

It's true that when people say rude things about us or to us, we can let it roll off our backs. We certainly shouldn't take offense to every little thing that is said. But we shouldn't forget that words hurt much more than we think they do. Those little jabs we make at people, the mean things we say behind their backs, the smart comments we make to their faces, the times we laugh when they make stupid mistakes, or when they do something embarrassing, all pile up, and eventually, if we are not careful, will blow up in our faces. I'm not saying we can't laugh at/with people sometimes when they do things, but I am saying we need to be very cautious when we do it.

Proverbs 18:21~Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Psalms 34:13~Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Ephesians 4: 29~Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Jesus tells us that our words have the power to kill. He also tells us we should not kill with the sixth commandment. It seems that the sticks and stones saying, is not a very true one.

Words hurt more than sticks and stones do, because they make wounds that are far more difficult-sometimes nearly impossible-to heal. Hurt will stay with someone for a long time, and can manifest into something that you may not be able to control. Sometimes, its too late to take something back once its been said.

The Bible says the tongue is one of the most evil things, and very hard to control. But as Christians, it's our job to do that. This verse is pretty simple.

Matthew 7:12~"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."

If you don't want someone to hurt your feelings, then make sure you don't do it to someone else.

Before we open our mouth to laugh at the way someone is dressed, yell/scold someone, or call someone a name, we need to ask ourselves if what we are about to say is pleasing to God. Would we say it if Jesus was standing in our living room? Because technically, he is ALWAYS in our living room.

Galatians 5:14~"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Love one another

I think I'll take a break from my Top Ten Things and try to write something a little more meaningful. The subject that came to mind was about how God commands us to love, and how we lack so much in that area. The inspiration for the idea? A news article.

It was about an Autistic boy who was told to do the Ice Bucket Challenge by two boys he thought were his friends. The boy accepted the challenge, only to find too late that the other boys had filled the bucket with human waste.

God commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, so that our joy may be full. There are many different ways to show love to someone. It is true that keeping God's Law towards someone is loving them, because we are not harming them. And people think "well I'm obeying God because I didn't kill, steal, or spread gossip etc." so I'm good.

But we need to pay attention to how we act towards people on a daily basis more than we do. We may not steal from someone, dump human waste on their head or murder them, but is there more we can do to show love? I think so.

When was the last time you told your spouse how much you appreciate everything that they do, that you love the fact they are your spouse?

When did you tell your children how much you love them, how much you appreciate everything that they do for you?

How about your Pastor? Have you thanked him for laboring faithfully for you, preparing sermons every week, visiting congregation members, and praying for you?

I could keep going, but I think you get my drift. If we are to love others as much as ourselves, we need to treat them how we would want them to treat us. Show the merciful, undying love God has shown to you, to others around you. There are endless ways to do it, you just need to think about them. It is easy to think about big things, but especially pay attention to the small things, the things we neglect. God notices small things too, and often uses them to show others himself through us.

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" ~Luke 6:31

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another."  ~1 John 4:11

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" ~1 John 4:20

^"And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." ~ 1. Cor. 13:13

Top Ten Favorite....

SONGS.

Heavy metal/rock version. :)

1. Someday ~Nickleback
2. Dear Agony ~Breaking Benjamin
3. Not Alone ~All that Remains
4. Wake me up inside ~Evanessence (hopefully I spelled that right)
5. Far Away ~Nickleback
6. Last Night ~Skillet
7. This Calling ~All that Remains
8. Whispers in the Dark ~Skillet
9. Hero ~Skillet
10. Its not me its you ~Skillet

Next time I might do books or movies. We'll see. I'll try to do something of importance soon. ;)

Top Ten Favorite....

SONGS:

Pop songs this time! (again, very difficult decisions, and these aren't necessarily in any particular order.)

1. Clarity ~Zedd
2. Perfect ~Pink (clean)
3. A Thousand Years ~Christina Perri
4. Skyscraper ~Demi Lovato
5. Warrior ~Demi Lovato
6. 22. ~Taylor Swift
7. Eyes Open ~Taylor Swift
8. Say Something ~ Great Big World ft. Christina Agulera
9. Jar of Hearts ~Christina Perri
10. Love Somebody ~Maroon 5

Next post: probably be heavier songs, rock, heavy metal. :P

Top Ten Favorite.....

SONGS:

Ok, so I thought I'd do a series of Top Ten Favorite Things. And, I decided to start with music. I'll do Country songs for this one. (this is super hard btw. I like a lot of songs,)

1. Till Summer Comes Around ~Keith Urban
2. Teardrops on my Guitar ~Taylor Swift
3. Cop Car~Keith Urban
4. Every Storm Runs out of Rain ~Gary Allen
5. Tattoos on this town ~Jason Aldean
6. Long Hot Summer ~Keith Urban
7. Highway Don't Care ~Tim McGraw/Taylor Swift
8. Dirt ~Florida-Georgia-Line
9. I drive your truck ~Lee Brice
10. Stay ~Florida-Georgia-Line

Next time for Top Ten Favorites I will do Pop Songs. :) Feel free to list your top ten on your blog or in the comments below!

More than Nine Lives

We recently had a stray female Tabby cat show up at our house, and soon after, she brought her only kitten, spitting image of herself, and also a girl. After checking with neighbors we determined she is another drop-off case. Since we live in farm-country, we have a lot of fields, woods, barns, outbuildings, and lots of stray cats. You drive up and down the road, and see cats at almost every farm and house. Our house seems to have been involuntarily dubbed the "Cat Sanctuary" because we have had many a stray cat over the years show up. Most have stayed, and others have only visited for short periods before leaving. Currently, we have 2 indoor cats, and 8 outdoor cats. We have had litter after litter of kittens from 3 stray females (The first one is long gone, after having only one litter, the last of which resides in our house, the main culprit having finally passed from old age, and the other is fixed). One year we had 24 kittens. Eventually we ran out of homes and places to put up posters. So, we got stuck with various cats from various litters. We managed to fix all of our females and one of our males. And then 2 toms cats were dropped off, a stray Tom cat showed up recently and now these two females. The point I'm trying to make? There are too many cats.

I love all the cats I have, and I know they are all here for a reason, but it makes me sad each time a stray wanders into our yard, because I know that it wasn't wanted by someone else. These cats are thrown away because there are simply too many of them, and they are left to survive on their own, afraid of people, and produce more offspring, who are just as unwanted as their parents. And why is this the case? Because owners don't spay or neuter their cats.

One female cat and her mate can produce 11,606,077 kittens in 10 years. It is no wonder there are strays everywhere and the shelters are full to bursting. If every cat owner fixed their cat, there would be less unwanted cats on the planet, and even less in Shelters. About 2.7 million cats and dogs-one every 11 seconds-are euthanized in Shelters each year. If you stop and think about it, that's insanity.

I'm calling owners to be responsible, and to get their pets spayed or neutered today. Getting your pet fixed is not as complicated as people make it out to be. Watch local shelters closely for spay/neuter specials. Our shelters will run weekly and monthly specials for spaying and neutering, and I've seen prices as low as $25 for a male cat. Vets will offer payment plans and sometimes even give you a discount on stray animals. If money is tight, find areas in your budget that you can cut back on until you have enough to make an appointment. Go without cable TV for a while, don't go out to eat or buy items that you can live without. You know the old saying; "Where there's a will, there's a way."

There are steps you can take to ensure your dog/cat does not reproduce until you are able to get him/her fixed. When your female cat/dog goes into heat, keep them away from other animals as much as possible. We have had to kennel our females until their heat cycles end, and while we awaited vet appointments. If your dog is in heat, don't let her go outside unsupervised, or without a leash. If your cat is in heat, keep her locked away until she's through, and make a speedy appointment at the vets office. When we fix our cats we ask the vet for dissolvable stitching so we don't have to drive back to the Hospital a second time just to get stitches removed. Do your research and form a plan that best suits you. In the end, it is well worth it.

Spaying and neutering can also help solve other problems like territorial/aggressive behavior,
wandering away from home, and peeing in the house during the heat cycles. So really, it's a win-win situation.

Go online and search shelters, rescue organizations, and phone local vet offices to find out the cost of spaying/neutering and make an appointment now. You'll be doing yourself, your pet, and your fellow man a favor.

Home Again/Tale of Two Wolves

Made it home yesterday and all-in-all I'd call our vacation....interesting. :P It seemed to be the vacation for various ailments (these included migraines, stomach issues, allergic reactions to the bed, toddler puking, and bad sunburn) and there was high tide a lot of the time so we weren't in the water as often as usual. But we visited Boardwalks and ate a ton of junk-fudge, icecream, pizza, candy and popcorn- (bleh....kind of regretting that. not a normal routine for us), played in an arcade, bought trinkets for ourselves and people back home and did a lot of relaxing. I had a few books to go through, one about True Cat Stories, and Chicken soup book about True Dog Stories, and when we visited a fancy bookstore I finally bought; "Four; A Divergent Collection." XD Yay!! And I also purchased 2 bumper-magnets for my car. One saying; "My friends are crazy but I love them" and the other "I love my rescue dog." And my sister got a Hermit Crab, which she named "Neil."

Now to get to the more serious part. This quote caught my eye today, so I thought I'd share.

An old man told his grandson; "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, jealousy, greed, inferiority, lies and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, love,  hope, peace, humility, kindness, empathy, and truth." The boy thought about it and asked; "Grandfather, which wolf wins?" The old man quietly replied; "The one you feed."

How true this is. The Bible warns us against those evil qualities, telling us that the latter is what God loves, and the former He hates. Because we are sinful we are going to want to feed the Evil wolf when God commands us to starve him. Ask Him to help you want to feed the Good wolf instead.

^"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." ~Galatians 5:20-23 KJV

Start of our Vacation

Ok, now that I have a possible minute, I'll tell you how our Beach Vacation is going so far. ;) We left on Friday, and stayed in a Hotel partway, visiting a small Historical Museum, and seeing a few creepy Southern Bugs. And 3 Hotel cats. ;P We ate at a nifty little Café, called the Blue Moon, and I ended up trying some interesting appetizers along with a really yummy burger.


(This is a Stone Fly. They spend most of their lives in the water as larvae and then emerge a few years later as adults.)


(This is one of the appetizers. Toasted Baguette Bread with sliced apples and cheese. Hunger Games food! lol. Sadly, it is overrated. It's pretty though!)


We made good time getting here (the drive was pretty dreary thanks to all the rain), arriving just in time to be let into out Beach House, which is only a minute or so walk from the Ocean. The place is quite roomy, sleeping 12 people! All us "kids" are in the Basement, with a bed for each and a TV, so we're having fun camping out. The place is big, so we have played Hide-n-Seek twice now. :) 


(here we are enjoying a nice game of "Clue")

We went down to the Ocean this morning for a walk and it is WINDY. The windiest I've ever seen it here. Needless to say, not too many people were in the water. And by the time we got back, my bun had fallen out and my hair needed a good brush through.



(The waves were pretty wicked!)

So now we've finished lunch and are figuring out what to do next. Probably going on a hunt for Health Food Stores and Herb Shops because, among a few other things, we forgot our massive bag of Supplements. :)

Ice Bucket Challenge: Pro's and Con's.

Ok, so we've been hearing about this Challenge for a while now, and I finally just discovered what it's all about. A friend nominated me today and I reluctantly complied, letting my brother douse me in cold water. :P However, I'd like to point out a few things about the organization, ALS.

Do not donate money to them. While raising awareness for a disease is fine, giving money to people who support Stem Cell research using Aborted Babies is very wrong.

Here is a link to an article standing against ALS's use of Stem Cell Research.
http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/georgia-purdom/2014/08/20/pouring-cold-water-on-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GeorgiaPurdom+%28Dr.+Georgia+Purdom%27s+Blog%29

Before you donate money to any organization, please check them out and make sure they are not using questionable methods in the name of a greater good. The end does NOT always justify the means. 

On another Note, I'd like to say Happy Birthday to my Riding Instructor. XD

Dog 101

Ok, time to talk about a favorite subject of mine: Dogs. :P They are such popular pets, and we love 'em to death, but I do notice a few things people don't do. So I'm just going to touch on a few subjects important to owning a Dog.

1. Training:

I see a lot of dogs who's owners don't take the time to train them to behave. While I know this can be a very long, and sometimes frustrating process, it is necessary to owning a dog. Dogs need to learn not to jump, to stay in their own yards, how to walk on a leash and behave with other dogs, at the very least. When they aren't taught these things, it can lead to a host of problems, which are not safe for anyone involved. Dogs who pull on the leash can hurt whoever is walking them, not to mention, it's very bad manners. Dogs who jump can knock people over, plus it is a behavior that can lead to different problems later on. Dogs who don't stay in their yards can cause trouble in their neighborhoods, get hit by a car, or get lost forever. Not to mention, some neighbors can get testy and resort to what they will call "defending their yards" using BB Guns, sling shots or calling Animal Control. There are tons of resources available t help you train your dog, so make good use of them. It may take you a while to finds the methods that will work for you, but in the end it's worth it. And if your dog develops severe behavioral issues, like aggression, territorial behavior, etc. please don't ignore them or isolate them. Try to solve the problem, even if it means contacting Trainers.
I suggest every dog learn the following:
Come
Sit
Stay
Lie down
Getting off the furniture when asked, and not getting on unless invited
Staying out of the room when the family is eating meals
Heeling on a leash (not just walking nicely, heeling)
Waiting to go in and out of doorways
Drop it
Yard boundaries
Proper Socialization with people/others pets

2. Exercise:

This is a really big problem that I see. People own dogs, but they often don't give them the proper exercise. Dogs need things to do, especially breeds who were made to work. Collies for example, were bred to herd sheep, so if they don't get exercise, they are going to resort to barking, chewing, and a host of other behaviors. Research the breed of dog who own, and figure out what it was made to do, then adjust his exercise schedule accordingly. Of course, not all of us own sheep/cows, or need hunting dogs or guard dogs. But there are other ways to drain our dog's energy. Building an at-home agility course is fairly inexpensive and fun for both you and your dog, and gives him mental and physical stimulation. Long walks are also helpful, and not just once every so often. Every day at least is best. You can buy your dog a backpack to carry on walks and load it with water bottles for the appropriate weight. Bike riding is also an option. And if you have a treadmill, don't hesitate to train your dog to run on it! All you need is a leash and some food. And of course the good old game of fetch the ball, and there are some great puzzle toys you can purchase for them while you're not home. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and have some fun!

My Dog is a Boxer/Jack Russell mix, and he's really hyper. I've got the makings of an Agility Course in my yard, he has a backpack we take on walks, and he has a favorite toy he likes to chase. If I had a treadmill, I'd use that too. :D And we have a lot of fun, sometimes I even have him pull the two year od around in his wagon. He's not the most enthusiastic agility dog in the world, but he's learning. XD

It may take some time, but learn to really know your dog so you can take advantage of what makes him tick and make him healthier and happier.