Sunday, January 30, 2011
Celebration
Today, we celebrate as we do everyday because we woke up and are ALIVE in and to Jesus Christ. This is also the day that marks 25 years of commitment on Dan's part as an employee of the George A Hormel plant and to his family as an awesome provider all of these years. I am so thankful for both. It wasn't his dream job, but as he has said, everyday, he walked out of the plant thanking God he had a job even if his attitude wasn't that one in the morning when he arrived. Yes, we have raised 4 kids with the wages he has earned, we won a trip to Orlando, Fl. to Disney World and Epcot, and we got through Dan's double by-pass surgery a few years ago with very little to pay, thanks to the great health insurance policy they have for their employees. What a great event to celebrate. Through the ups and downs and changes at the plant, Dan has remained faithful. We are blessed and have cause to celebrate.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Again!!
Is there any rule that I can only write once/day?
I was pondering the poem and the verse in my last post, and it hit me. Those verses are exactly why Bethany told me that I have always told the kids to GO BIG or GO HOME. If you are going to do something, do it the very BEST you can, give it your ALL, and glorify the Lord.
That is why we are here. That is why I have big rings that I wear...to remind me of this.
SHINE!!
I was pondering the poem and the verse in my last post, and it hit me. Those verses are exactly why Bethany told me that I have always told the kids to GO BIG or GO HOME. If you are going to do something, do it the very BEST you can, give it your ALL, and glorify the Lord.
That is why we are here. That is why I have big rings that I wear...to remind me of this.
SHINE!!
Our Deepest Fear
This morning, as I was moving papers again, I found a poem given to me by a friend at a leadership conference I just attended. It challenged me a bit. AND, then in God's word I was shown the verse that follows. WOW. How personal is God?
OUR DEEPEST FEAR
by Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear in not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine.
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive ther reward of the inheritance. IT IS THE LORD CHRIST WHOM YOU SERVE. (my emphasis)
I've been set FREE, once again.
OUR DEEPEST FEAR
by Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear in not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you NOT to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine.
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing
that from the Lord you will receive ther reward of the inheritance. IT IS THE LORD CHRIST WHOM YOU SERVE. (my emphasis)
I've been set FREE, once again.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
What HE thinks
Well, I haven't revealed that I am writing this. I can only think that "what others think" is burdening me. It is one thing my Dad always said, "What will others think if you......?" "How do you think they will feel about that?""What will they say?" "Polly, you don't want to ruin the family name." BUT, as a teen, I wasn't really into thinking about others or about saving the family name. What I wanted, and wanted to do was the most important thing, so I took off and did things that turned my dad's hair gray and probably caused my mom to pull out her hair.(Maybe that is why her hair got thinner as she got older.)
Today, I've been thinking about connecting with others. THAT is what this life is about. NOT that I need to worry about others opinions, but when you look at what Jesus did on this earth, it is apparent that it is all about relationships, building relationships. Jesus didn't come to collect things, move things, dust things, show off things, wear things, gloat about things, one-up others with things, brag about things, etc, etc. etc. He came to relate to people. All that he did was about people.
We all need to be connected with someone; someway or somehow. That makes this world bearable when so much seems so senseless sometimes. The best connection is the one between us and the One who made us.
When I find myself consumed with connecting with bigger and better, prettier, and more expensive THINGS, I need to stop and think about the last time I spent time connecting with others instead. We all like to feel like we belong and are wanted here....like we matter. Things last only for a lifetime. People last for eternity.
Matthew 5:16- Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.
I just need to do the things that glorify my Father in Heaven. What HE thinks matters.
Today, I've been thinking about connecting with others. THAT is what this life is about. NOT that I need to worry about others opinions, but when you look at what Jesus did on this earth, it is apparent that it is all about relationships, building relationships. Jesus didn't come to collect things, move things, dust things, show off things, wear things, gloat about things, one-up others with things, brag about things, etc, etc. etc. He came to relate to people. All that he did was about people.
We all need to be connected with someone; someway or somehow. That makes this world bearable when so much seems so senseless sometimes. The best connection is the one between us and the One who made us.
When I find myself consumed with connecting with bigger and better, prettier, and more expensive THINGS, I need to stop and think about the last time I spent time connecting with others instead. We all like to feel like we belong and are wanted here....like we matter. Things last only for a lifetime. People last for eternity.
Matthew 5:16- Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.
I just need to do the things that glorify my Father in Heaven. What HE thinks matters.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Today may be the day
Today may be the day I let everyone know that I am writing here so I feel I need to let you know that I love to name things. It was so much fun to think of all the names needed for this page. Let me explain how they all came to be.
My hubby, Dan, was thinking that since we live in a country school turned into a home and since I wanted to share wisdom from the past, I should title this page, OLD SCHOOL news or something to that effect. Instead, the blogspot website is baileyschool because that is what our home used to be called. It is now known as the Avalon Chateau, but has also been known in the past as the Lilly Pad, Lilly Haven, and just plain home to my 4 children, Brett, Curtis, Grant, and Bethany.
Help is on the Way...!came from the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire. It was from one of those scenes that I thought was hilarious. My son, Curtis, could get me to laugh just by saying it. Somedays, he would come up with so many one liners from all of our family movies, inside jokes, and stories, etc. that he had me laughing and forgetting about the fact that he was supposed to be studying. I threatened to ground him if he didn't stop making me laugh. Fond memories of our home school days go with that phrase even though the real meaning is still there.
My e-mail address refers to OUR HOPE in the Lord JESUS Christ. HE is still alive on this earth and lives in the hearts of all of his followers.
My son, Grant, is in a screamo band-APastUnkown, and they released a song today with the lyrics that follow. I thought the timing and the words went with this thought of our HOPE still living.
The song is titled: What if you're Wrong
The lyrics:
What If You’re Wrong?
Have you not heard of me? False hope, false love, the silent enemy. I’ve done my best, I’ve kept you deceived. Faith still grows in more than one answer, only my God frees, my God redeems, stop honoring the dead among the living.
Burn your incense down to these silent ears that hear no one. All this time your screaming makes no sound and it’s death you’ve found. Where’s the hero? Where is truth when death sets in the blood? The grave still holds the names who claimed a way, all but One.
This world will burn. Whose side are you on? Show me your faith, you will get no answer. Suffocation fills your lungs when no one keeps you breathing. Show me a sign, the dead can’t answer. Failure, again and again. Set yourself up for the fall with these empty words and useless rituals.
Calling out to no one only silence will be heard. Your hero is no longer breathing, sound the alarm, no hope. I hear no one , you hear no one, give me an answer, where is your god now?
When will confusion end? This world will burn, leave nothing left. When all the hope seems dead, You’re the one still breathing. Their eyes will turn to You, the One who rose, the only truth, confessing with their tounges “I’m the one who’s wrong”
Burn your incense down, no one will hear. Where’s the hero now, it’s death that you’ve found. Death, where is your sting? You will never claim me cause the grave still holds the names who claimed a way, all but One, all but my God.
Very heavy metal music and words. BUT definitely truth.
I'm so glad that we follow the ONE who gives us hope of eternal life because TODAY may be the day that we meet that ONE.
My hubby, Dan, was thinking that since we live in a country school turned into a home and since I wanted to share wisdom from the past, I should title this page, OLD SCHOOL news or something to that effect. Instead, the blogspot website is baileyschool because that is what our home used to be called. It is now known as the Avalon Chateau, but has also been known in the past as the Lilly Pad, Lilly Haven, and just plain home to my 4 children, Brett, Curtis, Grant, and Bethany.
Help is on the Way...!came from the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire. It was from one of those scenes that I thought was hilarious. My son, Curtis, could get me to laugh just by saying it. Somedays, he would come up with so many one liners from all of our family movies, inside jokes, and stories, etc. that he had me laughing and forgetting about the fact that he was supposed to be studying. I threatened to ground him if he didn't stop making me laugh. Fond memories of our home school days go with that phrase even though the real meaning is still there.
My e-mail address refers to OUR HOPE in the Lord JESUS Christ. HE is still alive on this earth and lives in the hearts of all of his followers.
My son, Grant, is in a screamo band-APastUnkown, and they released a song today with the lyrics that follow. I thought the timing and the words went with this thought of our HOPE still living.
The song is titled: What if you're Wrong
The lyrics:
What If You’re Wrong?
Have you not heard of me? False hope, false love, the silent enemy. I’ve done my best, I’ve kept you deceived. Faith still grows in more than one answer, only my God frees, my God redeems, stop honoring the dead among the living.
Burn your incense down to these silent ears that hear no one. All this time your screaming makes no sound and it’s death you’ve found. Where’s the hero? Where is truth when death sets in the blood? The grave still holds the names who claimed a way, all but One.
This world will burn. Whose side are you on? Show me your faith, you will get no answer. Suffocation fills your lungs when no one keeps you breathing. Show me a sign, the dead can’t answer. Failure, again and again. Set yourself up for the fall with these empty words and useless rituals.
Calling out to no one only silence will be heard. Your hero is no longer breathing, sound the alarm, no hope. I hear no one , you hear no one, give me an answer, where is your god now?
When will confusion end? This world will burn, leave nothing left. When all the hope seems dead, You’re the one still breathing. Their eyes will turn to You, the One who rose, the only truth, confessing with their tounges “I’m the one who’s wrong”
Burn your incense down, no one will hear. Where’s the hero now, it’s death that you’ve found. Death, where is your sting? You will never claim me cause the grave still holds the names who claimed a way, all but One, all but my God.
Very heavy metal music and words. BUT definitely truth.
I'm so glad that we follow the ONE who gives us hope of eternal life because TODAY may be the day that we meet that ONE.
Can't say it any better
Kay Arthur, a great Bible teacher of our time, posted this today on Facebook. This is a truth that must live on. If we do not grasp it, we will be tripped up over and over by our enemy.
Monday, January 24, 2011
MY MOM and the refrigerator
I bet when you saw that title, you thought that MOM had a problem with eating. That wasn't the case at all. She did eat her fair share of peanuts and loved a good Sunday sundae, but she was known by my friends for the things that she put on the front of the refrigerator. She collected sayings, jokes, comics, poems, good short articles, and whatever struck her fancy. They would show up on the refrigerator as little reminders of what she thought was important in life and she would lecture us without lecturing us. She would tell us what to do without telling us what to do. My friends always "read" our refrigerator before they raided it. Years later I realized that they held on to a few of her nuggets for their own lives. I think I will start posting some of her nuggets. They live now in a scrapbook that I assembled after she went to be with Jesus. A few months before that day, she said that she didn't really know why she had filed all of those things. They would probably all be thrown away when she left this earth. I promised MOM that I would look at every one of her files and decide what should/shouldn't be thrown. I sometimes wish I had kept more.
In my scrapbook is MOM's outlook on life. Here is a taste of the food for thought from the front of the refrigerator:
HUGS
The Perfect Cure for What Ails you
No movable parts
No batteries to wear out
No periodic check-ups
Low energy consumption
High energy yield
Inflation proof
No monthly payments
No insurance requirements
Theft proof
Non-taxdable
Non-polluting
And, of course, fully returnable
Hugging is healthy
It relieves tension
Combats depression
Reduces stress
Improves blood circulation
Its invigorating
It's rejuvenating
It elevates self-esteem
It generates good will
It has no unpleasant side effects
It is nothing less than a miracle drug!!!!
In my scrapbook is MOM's outlook on life. Here is a taste of the food for thought from the front of the refrigerator:
HUGS
The Perfect Cure for What Ails you
No movable parts
No batteries to wear out
No periodic check-ups
Low energy consumption
High energy yield
Inflation proof
No monthly payments
No insurance requirements
Theft proof
Non-taxdable
Non-polluting
And, of course, fully returnable
Hugging is healthy
It relieves tension
Combats depression
Reduces stress
Improves blood circulation
Its invigorating
It's rejuvenating
It elevates self-esteem
It generates good will
It has no unpleasant side effects
It is nothing less than a miracle drug!!!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
I SPY
So often in life, something happens that we just don't realize is the hand of God in our lives. The Bible tells us that HE cares about everything that pertains to life and godliness (2Peter 1:3).....What does that mean? EVERYTHING
All through my children's lives we have encouraged them to look for God, and we call these "I SPYs"(I know that is misspelled, but we always said when we saw one: "I Spy".)
You can call them God Stops, God things, or whatever, but these are obvious happenings that show God is personally at work here in our lives.
WELL, this has been burning in my heart for a couple of weeks. My son called me then and told me his God story. Here it is:
It was one of those days when life was coming in on him. He had financial concerns, thoughts that maybe he wasn't doing what the Lord wanted him to do. He was needing the reassurance that God was leading and God was there and aware of all that was going on in his life. He was stewing as he probably has seen me do a few times, but decided to head to the Y to work off a little of the stress on the basketball court. All the way there he was in prayer somewhat wrestling with God.
When he hit the basketball court at the Y and grabbed his ball, he realized that he needed to head back to his bag because the first bounce of the ball was more of a thud. His ball was flat. He would need a needle to pump it up.
You have heard of the straw that broke the camel's back. Well, that was just around the corner.
When he went to his bag to the compartment where he always had a needle for the air pump, it was not there.
He couldn't find one anywhere in his bag. His thought was, "Oh, come on God. I need to buy another needle?
Why?" He conveyed to me that they are inexpensive, but it was just the principle. ONE MORE THING TO BUY.......!!!!!
I'm not sure what happened that evening on the basketball court, but on his way home my son asked God to please let him know if HE was still there in the middle of his life's events, was he on the right track, etc.? My son just wanted a sign.
That evening he enjoyed his family, and the next morning they headed to church. Their church is a church plant that is meeting in a school at this time. He parked the car, got out, and looked down.....then broke out into laughter. THERE, on the ground was a package that had 2 basketball needles. They were in a package; brand new!!!!
God cares about the details. He heard my son. He cares about YOUR details and says when you seek Him you will find Him. Or he will reveal Himself to you. When was the last time that you saw, not one, but two needles for your basketball laying on the ground???? What were the chances? God went the extra mile and gave him double what he needed. I SPY!!!!
All through my children's lives we have encouraged them to look for God, and we call these "I SPYs"(I know that is misspelled, but we always said when we saw one: "I Spy".)
You can call them God Stops, God things, or whatever, but these are obvious happenings that show God is personally at work here in our lives.
WELL, this has been burning in my heart for a couple of weeks. My son called me then and told me his God story. Here it is:
It was one of those days when life was coming in on him. He had financial concerns, thoughts that maybe he wasn't doing what the Lord wanted him to do. He was needing the reassurance that God was leading and God was there and aware of all that was going on in his life. He was stewing as he probably has seen me do a few times, but decided to head to the Y to work off a little of the stress on the basketball court. All the way there he was in prayer somewhat wrestling with God.
When he hit the basketball court at the Y and grabbed his ball, he realized that he needed to head back to his bag because the first bounce of the ball was more of a thud. His ball was flat. He would need a needle to pump it up.
You have heard of the straw that broke the camel's back. Well, that was just around the corner.
When he went to his bag to the compartment where he always had a needle for the air pump, it was not there.
He couldn't find one anywhere in his bag. His thought was, "Oh, come on God. I need to buy another needle?
Why?" He conveyed to me that they are inexpensive, but it was just the principle. ONE MORE THING TO BUY.......!!!!!
I'm not sure what happened that evening on the basketball court, but on his way home my son asked God to please let him know if HE was still there in the middle of his life's events, was he on the right track, etc.? My son just wanted a sign.
That evening he enjoyed his family, and the next morning they headed to church. Their church is a church plant that is meeting in a school at this time. He parked the car, got out, and looked down.....then broke out into laughter. THERE, on the ground was a package that had 2 basketball needles. They were in a package; brand new!!!!
God cares about the details. He heard my son. He cares about YOUR details and says when you seek Him you will find Him. Or he will reveal Himself to you. When was the last time that you saw, not one, but two needles for your basketball laying on the ground???? What were the chances? God went the extra mile and gave him double what he needed. I SPY!!!!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Let's set one up now!
Today, a friend of my daughter was here and agreed that I should set up a blog. I told her that others had mentioned it and I had thought about it, but I wasn't sure how to do it, what to write, and all of the other excuses I could find to put this off a little longer. In my heart, I want to leave a legacy to those who come behind me. I want them to know what happened in generations past, and what we, their ancestors, have learned that may be helpful and inspirational. I want them to know that when life is tough, they can always turn to the Lord, their Bible and then this blog and find that HELP IS ON THE WAY....!!!!
I hope to leave here encouraging and inspirational words(I am a words person) and stories that they can pass on, insights that I have and those lightbulbs moments I have that have opened my eyes to truth that has helped me.
As I cleaned up papers that seem to over take my home, my daughter's friend started setting up this blog. I dislike papers very much, hate to file, and hate to search a file drawer looking for an important piece of information. Hopefully, this gift (my blogpage)will eliminate some papers and will be of help to more than just my family. I am all about helping others. May you find just a nugget here that will help you on your way through this life! By the way, Aly, thank you!!!
I hope to leave here encouraging and inspirational words(I am a words person) and stories that they can pass on, insights that I have and those lightbulbs moments I have that have opened my eyes to truth that has helped me.
As I cleaned up papers that seem to over take my home, my daughter's friend started setting up this blog. I dislike papers very much, hate to file, and hate to search a file drawer looking for an important piece of information. Hopefully, this gift (my blogpage)will eliminate some papers and will be of help to more than just my family. I am all about helping others. May you find just a nugget here that will help you on your way through this life! By the way, Aly, thank you!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)