God's Blessing: Getting Bear Back

When I was growing up, we had cats. Morris and Muffy were typical cats in that they didn't do anything that kids wish they would, like coming when called, performing tricks, or generally anything else requiring energy. Pretty much the only thing my cats ever did that was cool was when I was in 4th grade. I chose to do a science experiment on Muffy. The question I posed was, "Do cats prefer one color of food over another?"

Every morning and evening, my parents would help me put the other cat away and mix the same flavor of wet food with food coloring for four weeks. We changed the positioning and timing of the food so that it would be unbiased. The one thing that I did accomplish was that I established that my cat definitely did not prefer either color over the other. She appeared to choose which food to eat completely randomly. After my  research, my next question was to find out if cats could see in color or if they were colorblind. Definitive research only came a few years ago, so I wasn't that far off base in my thinking.

Anyhow, my science experiment was met with great applause at my elementary school. I had come up with the question, the experiment to test the question, and most of all of the other parts of the experiment on my own. My parents helped me to carry out some portions of the experiment (like helping to mix the food and put data on graphs). I ended up getting the Grand Prize amongst 4th and 5th graders, which sent me on to Regionals.

I got to the Regional Science Experiments and deadpanned very quickly. It was impossibly easy to notice that the judges were looking for "environmentalist" experiments, AKA not tested on ANIMALS. The ones that they seemed interested in were things like displays explaining acid rain and plastic biodegrading. I was upset because those weren't even EXPERIMENTS! They were just visual demonstrations. I didn't get even so much as an Honorable Mention at Regionals and went home to curse the cat.

When I got home, I researched color-blindness in cats. One of the studies I read about had thought that cats were color blind because they didn't care if a fish was grey or multi-colored. It turned out, after over 1,700 times the researchers could teach a cat to choose the colored fish. They weren't color-blind, just extremely unmotivated. From then on, I begged my parents for a dog. Dogs were so much cooler than cats. You could TEACH them things!

My parents never gave in on the dog thing though, no matter how much I begged. They told me that they didn't want to have to worry about the dog whenever we went on vacation. Honestly, I think they were just scared what kinds of things I would teach  experiment on the dog.

When I got to college, I finally had a place of my own and I was determined to get a dog. My mom's best friend had the most amazing kind of dog. It was sort of like a cat in that it liked to cuddle and lay around a lot, but still very teachable and not too big. So, I researched and found an Italian Greyhound that I adopted from a breeder. He was the best dog (only 12 pounds!), but unfortunately he was one of the many devastating byproducts of my later divorce.

When the Husband and I got married, we contemplated dog ownership. Prior to knowing me, he had the  most untrained  craziest dog ever, Joe. Joe was a Jack Russell Terrier with a bad reputation for doing just about every single thing you did NOT want him to do. Unfortunately, that reputation came to fruition when one day he ran away and got ran over. So, the Husband and I were a little leery of getting another dog that might break our hearts.

Well, our holding out on a dog could only last so long. I was descending into a very deep depression since my mom had died the year before, and both of us thought a dog might help me to focus on something else (especially since we were proving to continue my history of infertility). The Husband stated he didn't want an Italian Greyhound since they weren't really his style (all dainty and such). So, I began to look for dogs that had the short hair I liked, were small in stature like we both liked, and had a little more rugged personality that the Husband liked. It was then that I found DACHSHUNDS!

After looking for a young (1-3 yo) weiner to rescue, we found a lady in our town with a solid black boy who was thought to be 5 years old. After hearing that his owners had kept him as an outside dog and had turned him over to rescue due to a paralyzing back injury, I was hooked. I really sympathized with the back problems.

The next week, the lady brought the dog, named Bear, for a home visit. He literally jumped out of her arms, got out of her leash and ran right up to me wagging his tail! He was no longer paralyzed and after some physical therapy he was almost new. My only hangup with Bear was that he was 5 years old. He sat in my lap the entire time of the visit. As he was leashed up to go, he looked back at us when he got to the door. The look said,"I guess I will leave, but I really don't want to." It melted my heart and I began to rethink his age.

The next day I got a call from the rescue lady. She said that she had looked back at Bear's paperwork and that he was only 2 years old, as estimated by the vet. We were immediately sold and picked up Bear 2 days later for our "2 week in-home trial". I laugh about it now, remembering the Husband's insistence that we be able to return him, if necessary.

So, Bear has been our baby through our 3 years of babyless infertility. We took him everywhere! He was such a great companion throughout my depression. Then, all throughout my pregnancy, we dreamed of how Bear would react to an actual baby. We couldn't wait to bring the baby home to meet Bear!

Then, tragedy struck as I was struggling to deliver our son! At 9:30am I informed the Husband that I was ready to push and not to go too far. When I began pushing, I had no clue that my pushing would last over 2 and a half hours! At around 11:30, after 2 hours of my pushing, the Husband got antsy. He called his brother, who was nearby our house and asked him to let Bear out, even though Bear had already been let out once that day.

The problem was that Bear didn't know the Husband's brother very well and his voice and stature scared him. He ran out of the house and towards the neighboring property. This worried the Husband's brother, so he chased after him and yelled some more, further frightening Bear. Bear then ran to the garage behind our house, his other safe place. Unfortunately, the Husband's brother chased him again there and yelled for him. The last time, Bear ran to our back porch and when the Husband's brother tried to capture him, he took off running for good.

Bear kept on running right up until the time I delivered at 11:59am. Our news of delivering our baby boy (surprise as we were kinda thinking girl!) was dampened by the news that our precious dog was missing. Later that evening, the Husband returned home to try and locate our missing dog, to no luck. He left the door open with some food, hoping that sometime in the evening, Bear would return.

The following two days, the Husband returned home and back to the hospital several times, via a 30 minute drive. It had been an all-out search by the neighbors to try and locate our precious wienie, but with no luck. On the second day, Husband put up all kinds of brightly colored posters up, offering a reward. I thought to myself that Bear would definitely be found and tried to remain calm and joyful over our new baby.

On Sunday morning, the Husband spoke with one of the people he knew that went to a nearby church and asked him to make an announcement. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to church in time to make the announcement in the morning, but was sure he would that evening. By Sunday afternoon, Bear had been gone for 3 days. I was losing hope and so was my Husband. The next morning, we would be bringing our precious new baby home to an empty house, a house that we had entered so many times before, greeted by our dog.

That afternoon, my Husband got a phone call. Someone thought they had spotted Bear running down the middle of a busy road near our house. Husband rushed home and promised me he would call if he found Bear. Forty-five minutes passed and I didn't get a phone call. When I finally called an hour later, I knew he hadn't found Bear. He told me that the person couldn't even verify it had been Bear that he had seen. There was another black dog on the loose.

I broke down in tears, but tried to shield it from my husband, knowing that he had felt it was his fault that Bear was gone. I told him to just stay there for a little while longer and to turn his dump truck on for a bit. Perhaps the sound would get Bear to return, since he was famous for hearing the dump truck coming from a quarter mile away.

After I got off the phone, I noticed it was after 6:30pm, beginning to get dark and I began weeping uncontrollably. I looked at the innocent baby in the clear hospital bassinet and cried aloud. I then pulled the bassinet to the side of the bed and began praying with my hands covering The Baby. "Please God, I have been patient and faithful. If you are going to return Bear to us, please just do it now. Bear has been such a good helpful servant in my time of need, and if his season is over I will be so sad, but I can handle it. I want him to return, Oh God, but I understand if it is not your will." I prayed and cried out like this for several minutes. When I was done, I picked up The Baby and held him closely.

Ten minutes after I began praying, I got a phone call from my Husband. Bear was in his arms!!! Three teenagers had seen Bear run through the parking lot of the nearby church, and remembering the lost dog announcement at church that evening, they coerced Bear into getting into their vehicle. The preacher then called to say, "I think we've found your dog."

If them finding Bear in a church parking lot after my sincere prayer is not a testimony to God's love and faithfulness, I do not know what is. I pray that Bear will live to a ripe old age, perhaps even old enough so that our dear miracle son will have his own science experiment on our miracle dog.

The Low IQ Geyser

When I was 18, I got my first job and it was my DREAM job! I worked as a Lifeguard for Disney World at their Wilderness Lodge Resort. It felt like I was out West somewhere with this amazing lodge built on a lake. I was at the prime age to enjoy it too. But, in the winter there was this ONE feature that I did not enjoy. Every hour on the hour, they had a GEYSER that would go off.

I know what you're thinking. It is one of Three things. First) How powerful could a man-made geyser be? Second) Why does that Disney spend so much money on crazy things? Or Third) Why did that geyser bother you? Lucky for you, I have all those answers.

A man-made geyser, whether intentionally or UNintentionally made, can be pretty darn powerful, as I discovered while in Indiana this week (more about that later). Anyhow, the one at Disney is called Fire Rock Geyser. I have included the video for your viewing pleasure. Sorry, I don't have the accompanying stadium seating, popcorn machine, and candy for you. (Except if your name is Uncle.. if it is then go watch this in your basement!)



Seems harmless in this video, doesn't it? Well, imagine that it is not sunny outside. In fact, imagine that it is 40 degrees, with 20 mph winds, and already drizzling. You are sitting under an umbrella at the nearby pool guarding the many Canadians who are swimming the family of ducks that is trying to get out of the waterslide's current. You're wrapped up in the warmest layers of "costume" that Disney will provide you, a pair of track pants and a thin jacket. At least they also gave you some gloves and a scarf. Now that you have this image in your head, go ahead and laugh. It probably does look pretty silly to see a lady huddled up guarding an empty pool, save for the ducks, with a scarf and gloves on.

As you're guarding the pool, you glance at the clock across the pool. Crap... it's 5 minutes till... you then hear the rumble to your right and you stare at the rocks begging the weather station to determine it is too cool to let Fire Rock Geyser erupt. No. Such. Luck. The geyser erupts anyhow and you are then drenched by sideways spray from the 40 foot geyser for FIVE MINUTES. The only good news is that at least the weather station determined to only put out a 40 foot geyser instead of the 80 it usually gives.

So, that was the worst part of my career as a lifeguard/ pool towel girl/ boat rental clown/ supervisor of fun/ babysitter/ pool bar tester/ college program CPR instructor. I tried to find out why Disney installed that crazy geyser in the first place. At first it was without a weather station so no matter the temp or conditions that thing would be BLAZING into you! The answer is apparently, when guests pay 3-5 HUNDRED DOLLARS a NIGHT, they expect to see a little Disney Magic.

Well, while I was Indiana, there is another person I know that likes to see a little Disney Magic of his own. His name is Uncle. He and his late wife have been Disney FANatics! They have a lot of really neat Disney memorabilia from my aunt's office that is decked out from the carpet to the ceiling in bright colors with a Mickey Mouse TV and blanket, to a Margarita sign from Disney's old Pleasure Island, to even the bath towels with "hidden Mickey's" in their cloth.

One night, while we were there visiting and my back was killing me from all the car travel, I decided to go down and enjoy my Uncle's hot tub. My uncle helped me pull back the cover on it and turned on the jets for me. I then began to ease my sore back and relish the relief. Then, I decided the jets were a little too rough on one spot and I noticed a lever that said, "Comfort Control." So, I twisted it a little. It didn't do much. In fact, it seemed a little stuck. So, I twisted a little harder. With not so much as a rumble as a warning, the lever popped off in my hand and a VERY powerful geyser was created right in front of my face!!!!

I've never been to Yellowstone to see Old Faithful, but let me just tell you, I'm pretty sure what I experienced rivaled that! The spray of water went STREAMING up to the 10 foot porch ceiling covering the hot tub. In 2 seconds, it had washed that down pretty well. I looked up and it was, in fact, so powerful that it was going sideways up past the 2nd story windows. My immediate reaction was to try and put my hand over the stream. HA! That clearly didn't work. Nothing was stopping this thing! Thankfully, in the recesses of my brain I remembered my uncle stating that he was turning the jets on and reaching forward towards the front of the tub. I looked over the tub and spotted a blue button marked, "JETS". Oh. Thank. You. GOD!

As I pushed the blue button, I'm pretty sure I simultaneously prayed that it would work to shut it off and that the break was not before the water gets to the "JETS" control. Two seconds later my UNintentional Geyser petered out. Of course, my girly screams had beckoned both the Husband and Uncle. <sigh> Captain actually witnessed the geyser as he was nearby, but my uncle just got in on the tail end. He came down to a freshly flooded deck. Hey, at least the cobwebs were rinsed free, right?

I was pretty sad that I broke the hot tub, but thankfully my Uncle was really easygoing about it. He mentioned, "Don't worry, you've just created the new geyser feature I've been wanting." Later, I noticed that the Hot Tub's model was named "IQ 2020". Apparently, it required a higher IQ then I'm sporting to operate it.

So, Uncle now has a little more Disney Magic to call his own and he didn't even have to pay those Imagineers a million dollars to create it. I'm just glad he didn't charge me 3 to 5 HUNDRED dollars to stay there since I made him the Low IQ Geyser. And didn't bring more Mickey Mouse towels to clean up the water. And Bear got sick on his nearly white carpet within minutes of getting there.

His only win? That he will have something to tease me mercilessly about for the next millenium.

Was Jesus's Death Faked?

While I was gone in Indiana, the Hubby and I saw the 2009 movie of Sherlock Holmes, with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. I thought it was INCREDIBLE! I loved all the hidden details and the mysterious plot. Plus, we watched it in HIGH style in my uncle's movie theater basement. Not kidding you, his basement is decked out like no other. He has three rows of the most comfortable reclining stadium seats, projector with Bose surround sound. For snacks, we made Jiffy Pop (instead of using the actual movie theater popcorn machine) at his full bar and had our pick of about 20 different candies in movie style boxes. It was AWESOME!

Anyhow, in case you haven't seen the movie, Robert Downey Jr. plays Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law plays his sidekick Dr. Watson. In the movie, the nefarious character of Lord Blackwood uses black magic to plot his own demise and RESURRECTION! Although Dr. Watson pronounces his death after Lord Blackwood is hanged, he is seen a few days later by a shocked undertaker as his huge tomb is broken through from the INSIDE.

Days later, Lord Blackwood has turned many members of parliament to his side and is promising to take over the new world (America). Anyone who doesn't join him, will of course be killed. Sherlock Holmes comes in to save Parliament when he discovers the machine that is going to release cyanide into the Palace of Westminster. Of course, Lord Blackwood's newly believing cronies have already taken the antidote (unbeknownst to them) to the cyanide treatment and they would be seen as surviving because they BELIEVED in Lord Blackwood.

Throughout this story, Holmes and Watson discover how Lord Blackwood faked his resurrection, in amazing fashion. Lord Blackwood was in cohorts with the man who was hanging him and the noose had a metal hook in it that would keep it from collapsing. Lord Blackwood had taken a special potion that would render him pulse-less when Dr. Watson declared him dead, but would bring him back to life when in his grave. The large stone placed over his grave had been glued in a way that would weaken when London's infamous rain falls.

So all of this thinking got me to THE RESURRECTION, just in time for Easter. Now, I'm a firm believer in Jesus Christ and that he rose from the dead 3 days after he was killed, just like the prophets and Jesus himself said he would. However, I got to thinking: Could Jesus's death and resurrection have been faked?

The bottom line of this question is, "Yes." The reason is because it has been 2,000 years since Jesus lived and died. It is impossible to prove that ANYONE existed 2,000 years ago, without a body.

Now that we are clear on that, given the eyewitness accounts and the number of people present, it is very easy to believe that a man named Jesus was crucified and died. This year, I finally found out how crucifixion kills people. You actually die because you are asphyxiated. For hours, you hang with your arms outstretched, and as you get more and more tired, your body sags lower and lower. Then you no longer have room for your diaphragm to expand your lungs.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Stick a fork in me, I'm done"? Although this saying probably comes from actual meat and checking its doneness, this is literally what they did to Jesus after he was presumed dead. See, the Jews didn't want any bodies hanging on crosses on their Sabbath day, especially not Jesus, since he was trying to go against their rules and claim he was God's son. They actually asked Pilate to break his legs and have him taken down from the cross. Breaking the legs would hasten death because a person couldn't continue to support himself with his legs at all and would sink lower, causing asphyxiation sooner.

The soldiers broke the legs of the other two men crucified with Jesus, but when they got to Jesus, they realized he was already dead. Faking his death would've gotten a lot easier if the guards had taken Jesus down then. (Could he have still been alive?) Instead, the guards pierced Jesus's side and blood and fluids began flowing out. Popular speculation is that perhaps the guards pierced Jesus's pericardium which is a fluid-filled cavity around the heart, which resulted in both water and blood flowing. In any case, the guards were doing their job to ensure Jesus was indeed dead. Little did the guards know that by doing this they had ensured Jesus's prophecy that he would perish "with no bones broken".

It is presumed that as evening approached, one of Jesus's disciples, Joseph came to retrieve the body. The Sabbath begins as the evening arrives, so Joseph was worried that the Jews would destroy Jesus's body as the Sabbath approached. There was a nearby fresh tomb (speculated to be made by Joseph) and he and another man, Nicodemus prepared his body in the Jewish custom and rolled a stone to cover the doorway.

Next, Jews who remembered hearing Jesus speak that he would be resurrected on the third day, begged Pilate to post guards at Jesus's tomb, to ensure the Christians would not steal his body. Pilate sent guards, and together they somehow put a seal on the tomb and guards were there to protect it. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb after the Sabbath. As they sat there, a violent earthquake happened and an ANGEL appeared and rolled away the stone and sat on it. Then the guards, being terribly afraid, fell into a dead faint. The angel told the women," Do not be afraid,  Jesus isn't in the tomb, he had risen already! You'll see him where he's gone ahead of you in Gallilee."

From there, Jesus appears to many other people throughout Gallilee. In fact, eyewitnesses number in the hundreds, including the guards who were converted. EVERY PERSON who came in contact with the resurrected Jesus became a Christian.

The plot thickens though. The Jewish leaders and Pilate hatch a plan and tell the guards they must tell people that they were approached during the night and paid off by Jesus's followers to be permitted to steal Jesus's body.

This story is better than Sherlock Holmes's story! So, it seems that Jesus was most-likely dead and killed by Pontius Pilate. Could his resurrection have been faked? It's possible, I guess. A lot of things would have had to have lined up, though. Why would an earthquake happen that third day and guards who were "guards of guards" or the king's best men shout that Jesus must have been God's son? Why would hundreds of people report seeing Jesus in the following days? Mass Hysteria? Possibly. Were people payed off to steal Jesus's body? Maybe.

The real thing that gets me is this: The scripture that was written hundreds of years ago was completely fulfilled. Everything that prophets have been claiming would happen, DID happen. Could that have been faked? Possibly. The Roman church decided which documents to keep over the last thousands of years, and of course those are supportive to the Christian cause.

So, how can I be sure and believe? The Holy Spirit fills me. There have been entirely too many things that have happened in my life, directly after praying, to have been lucky coincidences. My dog's return, the meeting of me and Adam, the birth of my son. (Some day I'll tell you exactly how these contribute to my testimony.) Are there things that I've prayed for that I've not gotten? Yes, but an answer from God has always come as to WHY I can't have what I've asked for. When I see people surrounding me with the true joy of Jesus in their heart, I cannot help but believe. I have seen so many lives changed, including my own.

In history, it seems that every "false claim" has always been disproved. Yet, this one mystery keeps on going. From just a few hundreds of people who saw Jesus to 2 BILLION Christians worldwide. So many transformed lives. I wonder what would have happened had Sherlock Holmes met Jesus. Surely, we would no longer have to live by faith alone. Now THAT would be a movie I would want to see....of course only in my uncle's home movie theater, surrounded by Jiffy Pop and Skittles!

Updated: Just for kicks, here's a photo of Downey Jr. from Sherlock 2! I realllly need to watch that soon!

WHY is this HAPPENING to ME???!!

Recently, a lot of people I know have been going through extremely tough times. While at the doctor, I heard that the Nurse Practitioner I have had for 5 years (and is about to give birth to her first baby) found out her baby girl has FIVE critical heart defects and likely won't live. A dear friend of mine suffered a molar pregnancy, which is when something goes wrong with the cells during early DNA replication and the "baby" turns into a monstrous growth that can quickly turn into cancer. A friend of a friend just lost their twin pregnancy in the 2nd Trimester when her water broke (and this is now her second miscarriage). All of these different scenarios are with women who are God-fearing Christian couples.

Common responses to this are: "WHY is this happening to them? They are such an amazing couple. I can't believe it is happening to THEM!"

In 2008, when I lost my mom (and began my journey WITH Christ) I asked screamed out these same questions, "GOD WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW!? PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY MOM! IT'S NOT FAIR!"

The doctor who treated my friend for her molar pregnancy told her, "I don't know why this is happening to you. You're a young, healthy lovely, married couple and it seems like crackheads can pop out healthy children daily."

"IT'S NOT FAIR!!! WHY GOD??" WE SCREAM! A lot of people waver or completely lose their faith in times like these. They, like me, can't see why a fair God would do this to his beloved, saved children.

But here's the thing, readers. I have news for you. This is the SAME God who told his Son to die on the cross. His only son. As a parent, I can't imagine the heartache at knowing your child has to suffer in this way! To be persecuted for crimes he did not commit. To suffocate for hours. To have nails driven through his hands. To lose his life so that he could save YOU!

Through this, God tells us that our suffering has purpose! That is good news to me.

In a recent sermon, our Associate Pastor preached on Matthew 5:45. Although the sermon was not focused on what I'm talking about today, that verse really struck a chord with me, given these recent sufferings.

"That you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Wow! How powerful! God says here that he shines the sun and the rain equally on all people. All of us experience loss, pain, and suffering equally in our lives. The crackhead who had a healthy baby struggles with addiction and poverty. She's never known the love of a parent or family member to support her. That baby may become her turning point, where she can get support to get clean. Or, maybe it won't and the baby will be adopted by a family who has been waiting on her for 15 years. Only God knows.

This comfort of knowing that my suffering is rooted in some purpose, that I suffer no less or no more than any human being helps me get through these times. God really is fair, although not in the way we wish!

You may be asking why suffering even exists! Why do we HAVE to suffer at all? The short answer is "The Fall of Adam and Eve." I'll go more into that another day.

I just want you to know that telling God that your circumstances are not fair and asking "why" is normal, human behavior. Jesus who was both God and man even said on the eve of his persecution, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."  Jesus asked God, in this passage, to take away his suffering, but ultimately realized that God had a greater purpose and he would fulfill that purpose through his suffering.

So powerful! It is not easy to do this, but remember that in the very next passage God sent an angel to strengthen Jesus! Amazing! In your struggles, God will do the same. It may be a friend, or a spouse or even a whackadoodle a very random blog to give you that strength to get through those rainstorms, and feel the SUN (SON) shining on you!

Guard your GOLD!

I heard a story recently about a contractor (who shall remain nameless unless you bribe me with copius Diet Coke use Chinese Water Torture to get it out) who is being sued by a person who hired them to do a lot of expensive work. Apparently, the contractor did not complete the job properly within a reasonable amount of time and as a result, their house now has a lot of water damage.

Now, my disclaimer to this story is: I don't know a lot of the details personally. It is all heresy, so I'm not going to go into much detail on the story. But, what I will tell you is that the contractor is a known Christian. So, despite whatever right or wrong the client did to the Contractor, it is imperative the Christian Contractor go above and beyond, which apparently did not happen.

Before I became a Christian, I had no idea what a Christian testimony or "witness" even is. People are always sharing their "testimony" about how great an iPhone is or how awesome Toyotas are. My husband's 4Runner is about to hit 200,000 miles and has barely needed a BIT of maintenance. My Ford on the other hand...ugh. Crazy people like me are even touting how phenomenal the use of cloth diapers is.

Anyway, when we listen to people's testimony about phones or trucks or cloth diapers we usually gauge the product they're selling with a few short things. First thing, who are they? If it is your friend or parent you're more likely to listen to their assessment of the product. If they're a car salesperson, you probably take what they have to say with a grain of salt. Unless they are your friend AND a car salesperson. I'll let YOU be the judge on that one!

Second, you probably gauge what they're saying with your own experiences, both about the product and with the person. Can you trust what they're saying? Does what they're saying line up with what you're experiences with that product or a similar one agree? If you don't trust them, there is probably good reason. Maybe they're a compulsive liar  car salesperson  only interested in sounding like a good, knowledgeable person, but don't know squat about what they're touting?

Anyway, when it comes to making decisions about products we buy, we often do a lot of research and make a decision based on those factors. (One of the big things we are basing our household decisions on right now is: Where is it made?)  Becoming a Christian is SOOO much more complex, especially for those who haven't been raised in a church. There is no label on people to read that says: "Doesn't Lie. Speaks God's Truth".

I just committed myself to the Lord in 2008 after my mom passed away. Prior to that time, I had gone to church periodically for Easter and Christmas like SIXTY-TWO percent of Americans!!! (This is really crazy, no wonder our "world" is so "worldly".) Anyhow, I "sort of" believed in God, but I had a lot of questions.

The Bible? How could this thing be written "by man" and be all true?

Evolution? How could my school teach me that things evolved over millions of years and the Bible says the Earth was created in a week?

Jesus? How did God make some girl pregnant without sex? It's pretty hard to believe she was a virgin.

Where is this God and why is this HAPPENING to ME!???

If I had parents who were Christians, I could have gotten answers to these questions the first time they appeared. However, my dad is a somewhat aloof Computer Programmer who got "burned" by a church he grew up in and my mom was a Research Toxicologist with a lot of scientific background that did NOT support the Bible. It's no wonder it is hard to believe in God when the world keeps on pushing ideas of evolution and "Ask not what you can do for God, but what God can do for you" attitudes. I will go into the answers to those questions I had more in detail later, but I want to get to that Testimony thing.

When it comes to your Christian Testimony, you must guard it like the gold in Fort Knox. (That place is not in Tennessee, despite a lot of people thinking Knoxville=Fort Knox.) Let's assume that there is even any gold left in that place. It is the one thing we might be able to barter with should China come knocking on our door asking for repayment of our HUMONGOUS debt to them.

With Christianity, your Testimony is like that bartering gold, to unbelievers. So what is a Testimony?

Your Christian Testimony or "witness" is threefold. It is a story that you tell about how you came to Christ, a story about how coming to Christ has changed you, and how God can help someone else change their life. When I say that you need to guard your Testimony, it is because we Christians keep touting that God has CHANGED us!!! The problem is, that becoming a Christian doesn't take away your sin. It only makes you aware of it and you have a DESIRE to change because you now know your sin is wrong.

So, that little problem of not taking away your sin is a big one. If you go to share your Christian Testimony with someone, it is really hard to believe that whole thing that "belief in God can change you", if they don't see a changed person. REAL true salvation causes a change in your heart. You want to please God and so you seek, in all of your behaviors, to praise and worship and proclaim God the King of your life.

Back to the story of the contractor, it is impossible to tell whether the contractor is indeed a Christian or not. That is business between that person and God alone. However, the dispute that was not resolved before a lawsuit is a major hurdle now between that contractor and their Testimony. People are prone to saying, "Christians just SAY they're changed, but when it comes to money, they aren't any more truthful or honest than the next guy."

Christians, you don't have to be perfect. You will make mistakes. But, if you seek by prayer the best way to resolve things with others and God, you will keep your Testimony safe. "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." 1 Timothy 6:10  No matter what wrong someone does against you, you HAVE to do what is right (to keep your Testimony safe), whether that is fixing something you don't believe was your fault, or paying more money than you thought you should, or merely being timely with something (which I'm soooo guilty of).

Guard that Testimony like the precious gold it is and you'll be able to share it with all you can without worry they won't find you a trustworthy and sincere source of knowledge of God's Salvation.

Readers, I would love to hear your Testimony. So if you have time, write me about yours. :) I will share my own Testimony sometime soon!

P.S. For you newly saved, guarding your Testimony becomes a lot easier the longer you are a Christian and the better relationship you have with Christ. So, keep on trucking and don't get discouraged if you fall. I have, many times already this week. ;)

It's Friday!!!

Woot! It is Friday, and that means a couple of things.

Number 1: I am done with our Taxes!!! Woohoo! Since we own our own business, our taxes are not "easy-peasy", and I dread them because we usually have to pay in self-employment taxes for things like Medicare and all that down the road. Well, I should not have dreaded them that long. I forgot about something we had this past year. A little thing we nicknamed our sweet, little tax deduction! The Baby! This is the first year in a decade we've gotten anything back. We really shouldn't have waited this long to do them! Ha!

Number 2: Tonight is Date Night!

Number 3: The Baby is done teething. All week, he's been trying to break through his second tooth on the bottom. It has been incredibly like hell  sleep depriving and hard. This coming week, I'm hoping to get back on my regular schedule and sleep routine and thus get some blog posts written.

Number 4: This is the most important, and I need your help with this one. Yesterday, as I was taking laundry out of the dryer, I noticed a Bouty Paper Towel still intact, that looked almost brand new. Conversation that followed:

Me: Husband, I found a paper towel in the dryer that made it through the wash and dry cycle in one piece. It looks almost brand-new. Those things really do hold up!

Captain: Well, maybe we should start washing and reusing them.

Me: Hmm... good idea.

Captain: Why do we even USE paper towels? I mean, we use CLOTH diapers!!!

Me: Very true... I will look for a solution to that.

So, RT Blog Readers, I need some ideas. I love the easy usage of paper towels, how you can just rip one off and have it be fresh and clean. I hate having damp towels hanging around. I have NO storage and not much money. I thought of maybe a way to have fresh clean towels on a roll like the paper towels? Any ideas?

Don't worry.. we're not going to replace our toilet paper either (at least not yet muhahaha) with  Family Cloth yet. :)

Thank you dear readers for your help in this! Your ideas for my hair were AWESOME! I hope to be back to posting more Random Thoughts this next week!

Laundry epiphany: save your sanity!

After "only" 30 years on planet Earth, I have finally figured out how to make laundry enjoyable tolerable. That way is to pay someone else, and preferably not someone in your own household, to do it. Just kidding. I don't have that kind of money. But I really did discover the secret to laundry.

When I was about 8 years old, the laundry fairy stopped coming to my house. Actually, my mom stopped being my slave decided that I should learn to do my own laundry. Man, do I miss those good 'ole days. Anyway, thinking back on that time, I can distinctly remember her telling me something along the lines of, "I'm sick of doing your laundry. You never turn your clothes right-side-out."

I didn't really think too much of it, and went about my way going into our very scary basement to use the washer and dryer. That basement was insanely terrifying for an 8 year old! You had to walk down unfinished wood steps and about 40 feet in the dark to get to the laundry room. There, you would search around for the light switch. Your only source of light was the faint bare bulb coming from the stairwell and the scary glow of the pilot light from the gas furnace. Couple the noises from the furnace with the noise and smell of the sump pit, and you have a world class horror film setting, at least for an 8 year old.

So, the prospect of laundry always involved bringing a partner, which considerably upped the entertainment value. Often, I can remember bringing my 3 year old sister down to the basement with me. The fact that we had a laundry chute in our house also considerably upped the fun factor.

We tried throwing every item not bolted down that would fit in the chute, down it. Things were lowered down it with ropes, thrown up it to try and catch, gravity experiments were done with heavy and light objects, but thankfully I never tried to actually put my 3 year old sister down it! Although, I'm pretty sure we tried to stack enough soft objects in it that you could stand in it on the second floor.

As I got older, I just became used to doing my laundry. As a teen, I would wear things as often as I could to avoid doing laundry. As a college student, laundry again became fun in the communal dorm laundry. Then I reached a point where I was sick of laundry again when it became painful for my back.

For awhile, people helped me do laundry before and after I had back surgery. That was a blessing but also a difficult thing to accept given that I was young and experiencing debilitating pain.

Now, I just plain hate laundry. I had an epiphany this week though. I don't actually hate everything about doing laundry. I don't mind sorting, nor washing, nor transferring laundry to the dryer or clothes rack. I really don't mind doing The Baby's laundry or diapers either. So what exactly do I hate???

ANSWER (for the daily double): HANGING and FOLDING

But whyyyyyyy do I hate those???

Because it seems so tedious and my back starts really hurting after a few minutes of standing in one spot.

But whyyyyyyy does it seem so tedious to do this???

Because it seems to take roughly eleventy-hundred years.

But whyyyyyyy does it seem to take roughly eleventy-hundred years???

Because my mom was freakin right: I never turn my clothes right-side-out.

Ughhhhhh... If I just would have listened to my mom TWENTY-two years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of time and hatred of laundry (and a lot of money rewashing clothes AND turning the dryer on for the fifth time just because I don't feel like putting those suckers on hangers.)

Today I tried turning everything right-side-out before putting things in the washer. Taking the clothes out and hanging them up seemed like a heaven-sent miracle. It took hardly any time and the pain didn't have time to develop.

Next step: relearning 3O years of a bad habit of taking my clothes off wrong.

For you mommas out there, I strongly recommend teaching your kids this step, at all costs; For your sanity and theirs (or their future wife's)!

And in heaven I can just see may mom up there saying, "LMHO!" That's text-type for "Laughing my halo off!"