Rainy And Cold - Let's Revisit The Socks And Flip-Flops

It's Raining But I'm Ready For It!

It's Cold But My Feet Are Warm!

Revisiting My Blog Post from 11/23/07 - "Chic" -

How I keep my feet warm in the most stylish way

It's really disappointing to feel the cold weather again after the warm "short sleeve" days but by August I know I'll want these cool snaps. Isn't it strange how the rain makes the cool weather feel even colder? It's probably at least 50 degrees but it feels below 32 degrees. I do dress accordingly! Straight to the point - rain good; cold good but not together.

FRC INTERNET CAMPUS UPDATE !

I received my weekly newsletter from Pastor Brian this morning and was thrilled to see that 2,032 people attended one of the FRC internet services this past weekend. Also, I learned that the "teaching" topic for the final installment in the RationLies series this weekend will be about one of the biggest lies - "You Can Do It Tomorrow". I believe we can all benefit from this "teaching". I know I can. www.flamingoroadchurch.com

Just A Reminder - RationaLies Continues

Dear Readers,
Don't forget to go to the FRC website: www.flamingoroadchurch.com to watch the next teaching in this series. Hopefully, one of these times will suit your schedule:

Saturdays: 5:00 and 6:30 PM

Sundays: 9:30 and 11:00 AM; 12:30 amd 5:00 PM

*Once you get to the website, you will see GO LIVE - INTERNET CAMPUS. Below those words is a click here button. This will take you to the lobby page. You can either register or stay anonymous and enter for the service. There is also a chat room which opens about 20 minutes or so before the beginning of each service.
Pretty neat?

Decisions! Decisions!

Some of the best advice I have ever had in my life came from my father. I would say something like, "I don't know if I should or not." He would answer, "When in doubt, don't." Then he would go on and say, "Think about it. What you decide could last forever." Our decisions most often don't just affect us but also at least one other (if not more) person in our lives. Isn't it strange how we heard the words of our parents but we never ingrained their wisdom in our hearts and minds? Boy and how! I wish I had listened and followed what I was taught.

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise."

Proverbs 19:20 (NIV)

I am much older now and a tad bit wiser and I try to follow some steps when making decisions. But, unfortunately, I don't always follow these steps and do what is right. It sure would make my life much simpler and more fulfilling if I did.

First, I pray about my decision

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

Second, I ask -

Would my decision be pleasing to God?

Will it do damage that I will have to face for a long time ?

Will it be hurtful to others?

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.

A man reaps what he sows.

The one who sows to please his sinful nature,

from that nature will reap destruction,

the one who sows to please the Spirit will reap eternal life."

Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

Third, I ask -

Will my decision help defeat the devil?

The devil is waiting to take

advantage of every situation he can. He is definitely

our enemy and should be treated as such.

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord."

Psalms 1:1-2 (NIV)

The first one - praying about my decision before I make it is the one I often fail to do and then I have to pray later and ask God to help me because I'm stressed out about the decision I made. The one thing I have found out for sure is that my decisions and my actions always affect my life and the lives of others and that is the reason the Bible is so important in our lives. When all else fails - read and follow the instructions! God has given us a manual for life - let us use it.

One Of My Favorite Bluegrass Singers

Ricky Skaggs

I read in the news that Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder will be performing on EARTH DAY on April 20th in NY. What a treat that will be! Ricky sings the best old time gospel music you have ever heard. You can learn more about Ricky on his website: http://www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com/ . I have also put one of his songs I found on "You Tube" in the right column of my blog. If you love old time gospel music and bluegrass music as much as me, you'll love this.

What's All This?

I really got excited because it was time to change the flowers in my flower boxes. I retired last fall's pansies and planted geraniums (my summer favorite), daisies, and begonias. Well - leave it to me to get so excited about new colorful flowers (you can see I went with red flowers this year). So, what's the problem - you ask? Well, we have a "freeze warning" tonight. I had to bring them all inside to keep the blooms from being damaged by the cold. Yes, I'm too impatient! I guess an appropriate flower for me would be Impatiens. Get it?

A Great Easter Weekend!

I feel renewed after a blessed Easter weekend. I hope all of you do too. I would like to tell you about the weekend at Flamingo Road Church. The numbers I have seen today show a total of 15,700 attending all of the campuses at FRC. Still more awesome - 479 people were baptized over the weekend at FRC. Praise God - What a wonderful weekend!


On the right column of my blog, you will find a video - Flamingo Road Church - First Internet Baptism. It is a "must watch". (Click on the picture and watch) You can't help but smile and feel great joy for this young lady as she makes a declaration of her personal faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior. Pastor Troy Gramling, Head Pastor at FRC, and his innovative staff are using technology as an avenue to bring people to Christ. Over 2,000 people watched one of services being broadcast on the Internet this past weekend. So, doesn't it make good sense to use the Internet for something that will bring joy and peace to so many lives?

GREETINGS !!!

Let us celebrate and give thanks for the new dawn Christ has given us !

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come."

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

HAVE A WONDERFUL, BLESSED EASTER !!!

STRESS !!!

HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE THIS ???

I know we all feel very stressed from time to time but for the past couple of years, I feel that I have had more stress than usual. Everybody has some stress everyday but when it is consuming you - it is bad. Over time stress can make you sick, ache all over, and raise your blood pressure. I have experienced all of the above. However, I have found a cure which is simple and it actually works. When I feel stress trying to take over, I do two things: pray and read scriptures from the Bible. After I do this, if I remain still and listen - I can feel the stress leaving. On some days, I have to repeat my "stress buster" several times. I have found it is amazing what faith can do. TRUST AND BELIEVE !!!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

Beulah Baptist Church

Beulah Baptist Church

Hopkins, SC

Founded in 1806

Plans for the 1.2 million dollar facility expansion which is underway

Praise God! Beulah is growing and reaching more and more people.

Beulah Baptist Church in Hopkins, SC was my church for most of my adult life until I moved away. My daughter grew up in Beulah which helped shape her into the dedicated Christian woman she is today. I know the youth program there is as awesome now as it always has been. Words cannot describe what a wonderful part Beulah has played in my life, as well as that of my family. I made some everlasting friendships there. Beulah was definitely a part of God's Plan for my life.

The purpose of this post is to let my readers in the Hopkins or East Columbia areas know the great opportunity they have to spend some time with people who are warm, caring and eager to help you reach your God-Potential. They are a great group of people to journey through life with. Check out the Beulah website at http://www.beulahbaptist.com/ . There is a place at Beulah for you!

EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE TIMES

Easter Sunrise Service - 7:00 AM

(Breakfast will be served after the service)

Traditional Sunday Service - 9:00AM

Contemporary Sunday Service - 10:30 AM

Let's Talk About My Third Favorite Subject - Food

I went out to lunch today and I must tell you that I enjoyed it. During the last couple of weeks, I've eaten Mexican cuisine twice. You're probably saying - So?? You have to remember that I've always eaten country cooking and that's all I know how to cook. I've always cooked fried chicken, pork chops, country style steak, etc.

I had no idea what I was ordering when I looked at the menu in the Mexican restaurant. Well, I decided to order the combination plate because it had a taco with it and I know what a taco is. What a pleasant surprise! The combination plate had an enchilada with some kind of red looking sauce, my familiar taco, yellow rice and some kind of squashed - up beans that tasted like pinto beans. I am now a fan of Mexican Cuisine! I plan to broaden my menu selections so I can learn what all of these foods are.

By the way - in case you're wondering - my first and second favorite subjects are God and my family.

A Great Find - Beautiful Scenery

Cold Mountain, Shining Rock Wilderness,

Pisgah National Forest, NC

(National Park Service - U. S. Department of the Interior)

My friend, Carolyn, called me one day and told me about a great website that shows awesome, live pictures of some breath-taking scenery. If you like beautiful landscape pictures - check it out. The way I understand it - the USDA Forest Service has web cams located in several wilderness areas across the US to monitor air quality and visibility. This is the website where I found the picture shown above: http://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/ There are links on this site that will take you to several other locations so you can view more gorgeous pictures.

I Hope You Enjoy This Video As Much As I Do

I found this on You Tube - A Tribute to Josh Groban & His Family. He has such an awesome voice and the video is great also.

Some Funny Pictures

How Would Like To Try To Follow This Sign? - I Love This Sign Maker's Sense Of Humor

Are You Supposed To STOP?

Amazing! - The Ants Won't Come Out Of The Chalk Lines?

Starting Tonight

I received my FRC Internet Campus Newsletter this morning and thought I would pass along some of the info: 975 attended the internet service last weekend, 18 people accepted Jesus, 10 registered online for Baptism. These numbers make me believe that the internet is working miracles to bring people to Jesus Christ. Thank you Flamingo Road Church for being innovative and unafraid to go down new paths.

This weekend's topic will be "water". Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I wonder what this will be about. This weekend's internet service times: Saturday (today) 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM; Sunday 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM. Website: http://www.flamingoroadchurch.com/

Access to the internet campus is easily found on the home page.

If you have questions about the FRC Internet Campus and want to communicate with the best on this subject, here is his e-mail address: brian.vasil@flamingoroad.org or FRCLive@gmail.com. He is a great Pastor and always willing to help anyone who needs help.

Let's Talk Words

Remember when you were a kid and you asked your parents how to spell a word? I do and it seems that they always told me to look it up in the dictionary. I always found that strange because I felt like I needed to know how to spell the word to look it up. That directive never made much sense to me. But the result did make me curious about words.

One word that always made me curious is "cycle". We say bicycle, tricycle and motorcycle. Why is the suffix "cycle" in motorcycle pronounced differently than "cycle" in bicycle and tricycle? There probably is a reason but I have no idea what it may be. If anyone knows, please let me know.

One of the words I think is just plain ugly is "merge". I don't know why, but to me- it just sounds ugly. Couldn't the "merge" signs on the highway say "combine or blend or unite gradually"? Just a suggestion.

Does anyone else have a word that sounds weird to them?

Keeping Up With The Times

Stretching Is Important Before The Workout

Resting After A Workout Is More Important To Me

Listen to the talk shows - Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! I'm not really an exercise person - too much like work. But I thought I would give it a try. I stretched and thought - OK - enough for today and decided to nap until the exhaustion went away.

Seriously - I know exercise, along with a good diet, is a key to good health but I prefer not to over do it. But for the people who exercise on a regular basis - I admire you.

Study Of The Classics-Boring You Say?

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

I don't know how many of my readers took Latin and English Literature in school but for many people, it's really boring. I took two years of Latin and loved it. I found it one of the easiest languages to study. I can't say the same for English Literature, especially Old English Literature. I didn't understand what the writers were trying to say. I thought - why don't they speak English??? - Duh! it is English.

The original subject that I was going to post was about the Ides Of March. Of course, my mind started going in a million different directions - as it usually does. So, I ended up looking at Shakespeare more than Julius Caesar. But first I will present a brief discussion about the Ides of March - March 15th.

The word ides was used in the Roman calendar for the 15th day of the months March, May, July and October. Ides was used for the 13th day of all of the other months. William Shakespeare wrote a play about Julius Caesar and made the phrase "Beware the ides of March" famous. This refers to the warning given by the soothsayer to Caesar about the tragedy that would befall him on the Ides of March when he went to senate house. Sure enough- when Caesar approached the senate house on the 15th, he was stabbed to death by a group of senators who called themselves the Liberators. Caesar was also surprised to see his friend Brutus among the murderers. Caesar exclaimed, "Et tu, Brute!" If I remember my Latin correctly - et means and; tu means you and of course Brute is Brutus. By the way, this assassination took place in 44 BC. OK - enough with the history lesson.

But I'm haven't finished. Do you know how many phrases from William Shakespeare's writings are commonly used by us today? Many! Here are a few:

1. "I'll not budge an inch" - Taming of the Shrew

2. "It was Greek to me" - Julius Caesar

3. "What's done is done" - Macbeth

4. "Tis neither here nor there" - Othello

5. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" - Hamlet

6. "Though this be madness, yet there is a method in it" - Hamlet

(I've always heard it as - there is a method to my madness)

7. "For ever and a day" - As You Like It

8. "Can one desire too much of a good thing" - As You Like It

9. "He hath eaten me out of house and home" - King Henry IV, Part II

10. "What's in a name" - Romeo and Juliet

11. "The game is up" - Cymbeline

12. "I have not slept one wink" - Cymbeline

I feel sure that you have used some of Shakespeare's phrases/quotes some time in your life or at least heard them before. I have used many of them.

Today Not Tomorrow

I hope some of my readers watched Part 1 of RationaLies titled Hell Just Doesn't Exist. I watched the Internet Service last night and was impressed by Pastor Troy's presentation on this topic. Now - I could write a 12 page blog trying to say what he said but my words would never come across like his. But here goes my summary.

Scriptures: John 8:44b-47 (TM), Luke 16:19-22; 23-24; 26-28 (NLT2), Luke 16:25; 29-31 (NTL2), Matthew 7:21-23 (NTL2), John 3:16-17 (NTL2)

Why do we listen to Satan and not to God? We go along feeling pretty good about ourselves and our lives - everything is OK. Things that happen day to day (good or bad) will pass and we have a chance to fix them. Satan says everything can be fixed and that our eternity will be OK. We rationalize we're OK now and will forever be OK. However, once we die and we haven't trusted God and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior - it can't be fixed. We are doomed to an eternity in hell. We will suffer mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Pastor Troy gave examples based on the scriptures about these sufferings.

We can go to church, give money to the church, do good deeds, and talk-the-talk but the only thing that guarantees us that we will not spend eternity in hell is not to listen to satan but to listen to God, trust his words, and accept Jesus as our Savior. We have to be willing to trust and we should make this decision today and know that "For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life". John 3:16 (NLT2)

If you missed this weekend - remember next weekend - the series continues. http://www.flamingoroad.org/

Don't Forget

Just a reminder - if you didn't watch the Flamingo Road Church Internet Service last night, you still have 4 chances today: 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM. I watched last night and found it inspirational and motivational. It was about one of the lies that Satan tells us to try to destroy us. It was titled Hell Just Doesn't Exist. I hope you can watch it and send me a comment. http://www.flamingoroad.org/ I will post again tonight and try to summarize and relate the message as I understood it.

Blogging Is So Much Fun

What do you do when you have writer's block and the words that you want to use to express your thoughts just won't come? As you can see, I just sit by the keyboard and stare at the monitor hoping the words will suddenly appear on the screen. (:

About Flamingo Road Church's New Series

Flamingo Road Church through the leadership of Pastor Troy Gramling has many innovative ideas that draws people to church. Some of the ideas like I've Screwed Up. com and My Naked Pastor have drawn many different opinions. However, the result has led many to Jesus Christ that normally would not have thought about entering a church and listening to a message that hits deep in the soul - changing their lives for the best.

The new series is RationaLies. I can guarantee you that many people will come to hear Pastor Troy teach and leave with answers that will improve their lives 100 percent. I believe that in today's world it takes something innovative and unique to reach people. This website will help you understand the new series: http://www.satanspeaks.com/.

For all of us who don't live in South Florida, we are still fortunate. We can attend Flamingo Road Church's Internet Campus and see what this new series is all about. We have a great selection of times to attend the Internet Campus: Saturdays at 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM; Sundays at 9:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 5:00 PM. There is also a Spanish service at 2:15 PM on Sundays. The website to reach the Internet Campus is http://www.flamingoroad.org/.

I am really curious to see what this is all about. It would be nice if you would watch one of the Internet services and let me know your thoughts. I will blog about it after I watch it, also.

Check out the newly added comment - it gives great insight into the new series.

MY PICK FOR PRESIDENT !

Look down the right column and you'll see a video from You Tube. Watch it and you'll see why I want Mac Powell for President. (Mac is the lead singer for my favorite Christian music group - Third Day) His platform and main issue is to have a Waffle House on every corner - now that is my kind of President. He is evidently a man before his time. I think our presidential candidates should add that issue to their "stump speeches".

MAC POWELL FOR PRESIDENT !!!

Bobby's Garden

I am always on the look out for beautiful gardens and unique landscaping ideas. Today, I toured the gardens of Bobby Estates. I first noticed how he planted the vibrant green plants to disguise his air conditioner. They make a lovely cover. Then he stressed the importance of color in his garden which is shown in the colorful display of azaleas. Also, the mulch has done its job of keeping the moisture around the plant, as well as, contrasting the brilliant color of the plant with the mulch. The garden was a definite place to sit and experience tranquility. Thanks for the wonderful tour.

Thought This Was So Funny!!!

I found this picture on the http://www.funnyjunk.com/ website. There are a lot of other funny pictures on that website. Do I have a warped sense of humor or what? Of course, one of my favorite movies is Dumb and Dumber.

Maggie

My Grandmother Maggie

My grandmother, Maggie, was probably one of the most hard working women I have ever known. When I was growing up, I stayed with her a lot during the summer and was always amazed at her never-ending energy. She was up every morning about 5:00 and cooked breakfast, put on her boots and headed outside. She plowed - she planted - she weeded - she harvested and cooked. Whatever was left at harvesting time, she canned for winter. Each day, she stopped working long enough to cook lunch and supper. As soon as lunch was over, she was back out. Take a look at her yard - she maintained it herself. She had a "green thumb" and a knack for landscaping.

I have a fond memory of the fresh blackberry cobbler that she made late in the afternoon before she cooked supper. She would cross the road and go up on the bank and pick fresh blackberries and bring them home, wash them and make fresh blackberry cobbler to go along with the great supper that she cooked. A couple of my other favorites were her rhubarb pies and kilt lettuce that we often had for lunch. Of course, the homemade molasses and "big biscuit" were always on the table.

She also loved music. On several Saturday nights, we walked to a neighbor's barn where the local musicians would gather in the loft to play music so everyone could dance. She loved to dance and play the spoons at the Saturday night gatherings. Of course, the next morning was church meeting time and big lunch day with her children and grandchildren. She had minimal rest on Sundays and was up the next morning at 5:00 to start her busy week again.

My grandmother was a lady with many talents, including art and music. Her accomplishments were many. The words "idle" and "doing nothing" were not in her vocabulary. Life was never dull around her and she was quite an amazing woman. She certainly created many great memories for me.

Need I Say More?

One of My Favorite TV Shows

Big rig driving on the ice road

Ice on the lake that the big trucks drive over

The History Channel is one of my favorite stations. There are so many shows on that station that are entertaining, as well as educational. But let me tell you - Ice Road Truckers is my all time favorite History Channel show. Last summer, I was surfing the channels on tv out of boredom and ran across this show. Wow! It didn't take long to get my attention. After watching the first show, I looked forward to the new installment each week.

The show is about six men who drive the ice roads in northern Canada for about two months. It is a contest to see which man can haul the most loads/tons of equipment and supplies to the isolated diamond mines. They drive through "white outs", over frozen lakes and in really freezing temperatures to get there. The cold temperatures are really bad on their trucks and on the drivers when their trucks break down. You can hear the ice crunch and crack under the heavy loads. This is really bad because the cracking noise is from ice over lakes. Yes - they are driving over frozen lakes. You can see the waves under the water as they travel. If the waves get too high, the ice breaks and the trucks go down.

You really have to see the show to appreciate the drama. Check out www.history.com/iceroadtruckers and take a look at their videos. I don't know if or when the new season of the show starts but I keep checking the schedule so I won't miss it.

A God Favor

Today as I do many times, I was traveling along the interstate in the "snail lane" of the three lane highway. I noticed a large metal object in the middle lane and at the same time, cars were flying by me in the middle and far lanes. I decided to slow down so that the car in the middle lane which was approaching the metal object could easily cut in front of me and miss the metal object. Unfortunately, the car did not react accordingly and ran over the metal object which flipped up when the car passed over it.

It was a large ladder which came apart and scattered debris over that lane, as well as the other two lanes. As I mentioned, I had slowed down and the debris missed me. However, I feel sure that the car that ran over it will suffer tire damage. I consider this event as a God Favor. Every day, all of us receive favors/blessings from God just like this. You see - God let me see the ladder well ahead of time and slow down even though the ladder was in another lane and I was in no danger of hitting it. Don't we all have so many blessings to thank God for? I know I do.