Picture Tag

I've been tagged by The Patterson 5! The instructions were to go to your picture files, pick the fourth folder and the fourth picture in that folder and explain it!

This was in 2005 when hubby & I went on a cruise. This photo is looking down from the side of the ship before we left dock. I love the colors in the photo.

You've got the instructions. If you want to play, consider yourself tagged!

**Updated - it was a cruise to "nowhere." A 3-day trip, one and a half days out and back, no docking. A baby cruise for a first time cruiser. Plus we left our child at home (with ET, thanks ET!) and weren't ready for a longer cruise. And for Sue J, my link to my losing poem trying to win a cruise. And yes, there really was water....

Ahh, this is the life....

Just a drill....

In Perfect Step

My mom has a photo of me when I was about 6 or 7 years old, in ballet class. All the little girls have their feet together and their hands in front of them clapping, except me. I have my hands on my hips and one leg out tapping my heel. I was out of step.

Fast forward ahead 30+ years and that is me in the Body & Soul fitness class. I started this class on Tuesday and was the model student. I say model, as the teacher used me as an example. She said "If you can't get the arm motions with the legs, just do what Kelly is doing and leave your hands on your hips." I just can't do the "heel, knee, kick" with my legs and do "up, down, up" with my arms at the same time.

I've not taken fitness classes in the past because the number of steps involved, and the coordination of the feet & hand motions together seemed overwhelming. I didn't want to look stupid. But with maturity comes caring less of others opinions of you (not to mention a slower metabolism) so I decided to start the class with a friend. I tried hard not to compare myself to the others who seemed more coordinated. I kept my eyes on the teacher, so I could follow her every step. Thursday was second class and amazingly I was already able to add some of the hand motions in. Soon I think my feet will be able to follow the steps without so much thought, and then I'll add all the arms. Soon, I'll be getting stronger!

As Christians, we too can be overwhelmed. Just look at one area of Christianity, the fruit of the spirit. (Galatians 5:22, 23) Love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control seems like too much to achieve.

But if we start with one thing at a time, it's easier. Which one of the fruit do you have? Focus on the ones you do well. Don't compare your self with others! Then as you get one down, add another until you've gotten them all. Soon you'll be stronger! In time you can add more & more "steps" of Christianity. Keep your eyes closely on the Teacher (Jesus), like I did. Then you'll be spiritually fit, and in perfect step.

Galatians 5:25 -- Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Proverbs 4:12 -- When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

1 Peter 2:21 -- To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Just Be Nice

My kids argue. Oh how they can fuss & fight! "She's being mean to me!" "She touched me!" "She took my {insert item here}!" And I ask in a too loud voice "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE NICE TO EACH OTHER!??!?"

The funny thing is we are all children of God. 1 John 3:1 says "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

I wonder how our heavenly Father feels when he hears me complaining about what a bad driver "my brother" is when "He cut me off in traffic!" Or how "my sister" at the cash register is "going to slow and I'm in a hurry." How many times do I make a careless comment about one of God's children, my brothers and sisters in Christ?

Next time I yell at my kids for arguing (and it could be any second), I'll thank God for being a Father who never yells at me, even when I'm mean to my brothers & sisters in Christ. Then I'll try to practice what I preach, and "just be nice."

John 1:12, 13 -- Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

Romans 8:16, 17 -- The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

1 John 3:1 -- How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Thank You

"Mom, can I have..."
"Mom, I want..."
"Mom, may I please..."
"Mom, give me..."

As a mom, I often get exasperated by my kids' desires for "more." They are basically good kids, but are self-centered, as most kids are. I give them candy, and then they ask for gum. I let them watch a movie, and then they want to play on the computer. I let them have a friend over for the afternoon, but then they want to take them somewhere. I lament, "Just once I wish you'd just say thank you, and be grateful for what you have instead of asking for more!"

"Lord, help me to..."
"Lord, heal the..."
"Lord, I need..."
"Lord, save the..."

I feel the nudge of God saying, "Just once I wish you'd just say thank you, and be grateful for what you have...."

Lord, thank you so much! Thank you for my health, my healthy family, my church that I love, my great friends, my home, my car, my food, my wardrobe, my pets!! Lord, I am so abundantly blessed, I have so much...and yet my prayers are often childish. I, I, I. Lord, forgive me. May my prayers focus on you, not "I." May my prayers be thankful and grateful for what I have, and not focused on what I don't. Thank you Lord, for your gentle nudges to direct me the right way. In Jesus Name, Amen.

1 Chronicles 16:34 -- Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Romans 1:21 -- For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Ephesians 5:19, 20 -- Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Angela's Birthday

Hey - It's Angela's birthday and she is giving the presents. So dash over to her blog, BECOMING ME and enter to win a "birthday" present from Angela for her birthday. While you're there bookmark her blog. She writes devotionals and is always nice to read.

Happy Birthday Angela.

Call My Name

The words of this song touch my heart. "If you want to get away from the madness, just call my name and I'll be there." Like Peter on the lake, I call "Jesus" and he holds me up.



Matthew 14:29-31 -- Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

Looking Beyond Looks

Here is a traditional picture of Jesus. He is always shown looking handsome, and gentle. His beard is closely cropped to his face. The second picture again depicts Jesus as gentle and attractive. He is clean cut and attractive with a closely cropped beard.

This picture is an actual model created by BBC scientists as to what they believe Jesus, or a Jewish man from biblical days would actually look like. Notice how much wider his face is, and his nose is also fuller.

Obviously, this is Osama Bin Laden. But he is a middle eastern man. His beard is long and not trimmed closely. There is nothing "attractive" about him to us. Of course, we have been shown his picture many times in conjunction with his terrorist activities.

This is a picture of a modern Jewish man I got off of Google (where I pulled all these images). I picked him because, although not unattractive, his beard is long and not closely cut.

My question to you is this. Could you love Jesus if he looked like any of the men pictured besides the top 2 images of the "commercial" Jesus. Could you love an average, plain or even ugly Jesus? We live in a society where we judge people by their appearance. But Isaiah 53:2 says "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."

1 Samuel 16:7 says "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'"

God judges by the heart. Jesus had a pure and perfect heart. But, what about his outward appearance? We assume he was physically attractive, but that is "perfection" to us - a perfect face, perfect hair, perfect body. But what if Jesus was ugly, would you still love him? What if he was just "plain" looking?

I mean no disrespect to God or Jesus, but I'm pondering today. Because I do look at the outward appearance. Wouldn't it be a wonderful piece of irony if Jesus was ugly intentionally, so that we'd have to look at the heart?