Caught In The Act

Hamsters...the hams of the animal kingdom
always want to get in the act.

Felines also have PMS

and alas, the human species is not the only one that must deal with anger.








Tom Cruise has nothing on this guy!

Tuning Up

I'm rather suspicious of trends...why get on a bandwagon that has lost its direction? As Christians, we are too prone to follow gimmicks. We copy what another congregation is doing because we think it will get us better results. What foolishness! If we follow the latest pattern, we have lost the key and are playing out of tune.






Long ago, an instructor told me that when someone is tuning several pianos at a time, they do not tune them to each other or they will all be slightly off key. First, the piano tuner must tune one piano perfectly and than each new piano is tune to the same key as the original. That is the only way they would sound the same and could be played at the same time. May we all be tuned to Christ and not each other.

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair.
When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel.

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there. I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several furry bodies would need to get comfortable. I would have money.....and no guilt to go on a real vacation. I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grandkids through college.

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay,
and leave him/her/it ALONE. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers. My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere.
My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash.

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E,
W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading 'mud' season.

If I Didn't Have Dogs...

I would not have to answer the question why do you have so many animals?' from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.

Sign Me Up!

Sadist!

The housing market went bust and now this!

Where's Green Peace when you need them?

They're getting desperate!

Been there...done that.

Lord of the Mark

Like a Viking king you rise, from the ash heap full of lies. Clothe yourself in armor again; wash away years of toil and pain. The warrior in you has never died, the courage there could never hide.

Strengthen your grip by holding your sword. Lead the way as Riddermark’s Lord. Let the horns blow throughout the land. At Helm’s Deep you will make your stand.

Saruman’s aim went wide of the mark. Gandalf’s light broke through the dark. Deception was unmasked in time, so you could rise up in your prime.

Better to end your days in a fight with others against Mordor’s might;
than to waste away believing lies by a master who loves to disguise.

Ride forth like Eorl of old, shepherding your flock in the fold.
Like a dotard you will not die, in a green mound with kings you will lie.

Simbelmynë will adorn your grave, crowning the Rohan you fought to save. Your people will mourn, yet sing your praise.Your ending was a triumph to all your days.

Want A Date?

After visiting Israel last summer and seeing Masada, I
found this article fascinating (like only Spock could say).


A Judean date palm, long extinct, has been "brought back to life" by scientists who unearthed a 2,000 year-old seed of the plant and germinated it. A healthy 4-foot-tall seedling, named Methuselah after the oldest living man in the Bible, now holds the record for the oldest germinated seed.






The seed itself, perhaps the last link to the vast date palm forests that once grew in the Jordan River valley, was first discovered in 1965, as archaeologists excavated the ancient Israel site of Masada. Seeds discovered at the site were put into storage for 40 years.






In 2005, the date palm now known as Methuselah was planted and sprouted. After it germinated, fragments of the seed shell clinging to the roots were carbon dated, placing the age of the date seeds sometime between 60 B.C. and A.D. 95, about the age expected for a seed that could have survived the famed attack on the Masada fortress described by the ancient historian Josephus.

Following the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by Roman forces, a group of Jewish zealots retreated to the mountaintop fortress of Masada, a nearly impregnable palace originally built for Herod the Great. These resistors to Roman rule withstood siege from Caesar's army until A.D. 73, when, according to Josephus, the nearly 1,000 people bunkered there burned their remaining stores (all but one food stash, to demonstrate that they weren't starving to death) and committed mass suicide.

The discovery of these date seeds from Masada at about the same time period leads to some intriguing historical speculation.

"These people were eating these dates up on the mountain and looking down at the Roman camp, knowing that they were going to die soon, and spitting out the pits," Sallon said. "Maybe here is one of those pits."

The Struggle

The struggle builds the muscle.
The strain brings the gain.

It takes strength to live right.
It’s so easy to lose sight.

The path of least resistance
will always have insistence.

OASIS

I’ve come upon an oasis of rest in the Lord.
It’s a welcome after the desert of strife and struggles.
It’s not a rest apart from the desert but in spite of it.

LOVE IS TRUE

Everything I love has something true in it.
I cannot love a lie.
I may be deceived by it but I can never love it.

Great Shots

Gone fishing!

Gimme a bite of that kit-kat bar!

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses.

Two is better than one.

Hang loose

Got milk?

An Encouraging Word

Excerpts from Come Away My Beloved by Frances Roberts

"No obstacle within yourself can restrict My grace. I love you when you cannot love yourself. I forgive you when you are still repenting. I am blessing you while you are still pleading for mercy. I use many vessels while they are still struggling with their failures--for in their conscious sense of need, they are more yielded to Me than they who think themselves to be without flaw. To feel need is to receive grace. It is natural to reject yourself when you have failed. When you know that I do not reject you even in your worst state, faith will rise and slay despair, hope will drive out discouragement and My love will restore your joy. You should never abandon your desire for holiness because of your failures. You judge yourself incurably sinful. I see you as potentially pure."

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the
tomb of the Unknowns and why?
21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one salute, which is the
highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his
return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the
rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time
and if not, why not?
He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb.
After his march across the path, he executes an about face
and moves the rifle to the outside shoulder.

5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes,
twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to?

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30." Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their
lives or give up the wreath pin.

In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington , DC , the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930

Crazy About That Man!

I saw Prince Caspian tonight and enjoyed it as thoroughly as I did The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I must say that though Ben Barnes is a heartthrob, Reep a Cheep is my favorite. I adore that mouse!

More than the movie, I marvel at the man C.S. Lewis. He can serve up fantasy to the delight of every dreamer, science fiction to the contentment of every layman, and apologetics to the most discerning.

Here's some quotable Lewis:

*A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
* I sometimes wonder whether all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.
* God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
*We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.
*This year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day, we have failed to practice ourselves the kind of behavior we expect from other people.
*Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is...
*If there is equality it is in His love, not in us.
*If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.
*When you are arguing against Him you are arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all.
*Pride gets no pleasure out of having something; only out of having more of it than the next man.

Anger Management

Having trouble controlling your anger?

Trust me, holding it in doesn't work.

You've got a real problem, my friend, and channel surfing and binge eating won't change anything.

Prayer, though uplifting, doesn't make it disappear.

A day at the spa won't make any difference.

Finding another lover won't help.

Sometimes the only thing you can do is just sit on it!

Low Maintenance

Albert Einstein's wife often suggested that he dress more professionally when he headed off to work. "Why should I?" he would invariably argue. "Everyone knows me there."











When the time came for Einstein to attend his first major conference, she begged him to dress up a bit. "Why should I?" said Einstein. "No one knows me there!"














"When I was young I found out
that the big toe always ends up
making a hole in a sock,"
Einstein once recalled.
"So I stopped wearing socks."

Smile

Smile though your heart is aching;
Smile even though it's breaking.
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by.

If you smile through your fear and sorrow.
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You'll see the sun come shining through for you.

Light up your face with gladness,
Hide every trace of sadness.
Although a tear may be ever so near,

That's the time you must keep on trying,
Smile, what's the use of crying?
You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile.

• Music written by Charlie Chaplin for his 1936 silent movie classic, Modern Times

What Do You See?

How many images do you see?