turtle x-ing!

I know this is extremely random... but I've seen tons of turtles crossing the roads lately! Makes me sad because I know so many of them never make it to the other side!

My dear friend Lindsey recently posted about a little turtle she saw & rooted for and it made my heart smile!
Watch the roads people!

The Land of the Living

A friend sent the following link via email today. I thought it was well worth sharing. It's called Christmas-As Celebrated by the Presidents.

A scripture that I have prayed over friends and family this year is found at the end of Psalm 27. It says: "I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD."
Be confident that God's plan for your life is not only a good plan but a plan worth waiting for. And, it's a plan for the land of the living... for today... for the here & now. Trying to solve my own problems by my own strength has never ever turned out well. The truth is that when I decide to be patient and wait on God's plan and His strength to solve my problems... it's always WAY, WAY better than anything I could come up with. Seriously. When it seems like nothing is changing or nothing is happening... you're wrong. God is working and moving on your behalf. So, stick that in your pipe and smoke it. No really, whenever you start to freak out: stick the "GOD IS WORKING I JUST CAN'T SEE IT" in your pipe and chill. That's what I try to do... anyway... take it or leave it.... that's my 2 cents.

Merry Christmas!! I pray the rest of 2010 will be happy for you and that 2011 will be a year of growth and joy in your lives! LOVE & HUGS!!

MEN!! Stand up! Be courageous! LEAD!!

Luke 10:27
He answered: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

A very dear friend of our family passed away last month. He was one of the few men who I looked up to in this world. One of the men who cause me to continue to believe that good, godly men exist. I called him: "Uncle Danny". He was a man's man. A veteran. A great father to Tony & Eric. A loving husband to Teri. A man of God. A man who followed Luke 10:27 with everything he had. And I will always love him for being all of those things. I remember my dad & Uncle Danny would come out and play baseball with us kids growing up. He always had the heart of a child- he loved to have fun and laugh. I loved watching him wrestle with the boys... teaching his sons to be men. Even as a kid, I found something awe-inspiring about it. I loved how he taught them to be tough and unafraid even in the face of uncertainty. I will always be eternally thankful for the godly example that Danny was to me.
I am SO sick of the obsession of our society to feminize men. I gotta tell ya, the boys I always liked as a kid were the ones that got muddy and caught bugs and snakes and weren't afraid to skin their knees or bleed or be ADVENTUROUS. And guess what? I still like those kind of guys!!! A guy I dated in college pursued me like that day was his last day on earth. He risked looking like an idiot to get my attention and it worked. He loved to get dirty and sweaty and guess what? I thought it was sexy.
I remember my little brother, pretending to be a superhero, took a flying leap off the sofa when he was about 3 years old. I'm pretty sure the coffee table knocked him out cold. All I remember was the end result was a pretty black eye and my mom freaking out. All I'm saying is... what happened to the little boy sense of adventure in men?? What happened to the little boys who weren't afraid to get caught passing love letters in class? The boys who climbed trees and built treehouses? What happened to the boys who dressed up like superheros and firemen? (Not that I advocate grown men dressing up like superheros in skin-tight pants). Men: Look for your sense of adventure... if it's lost... go find it.
My girlfriends and I considering setting up camp in the men's clothing section at Bass Pro Shop hoping to check out the men shopping for Carhartt gear. Ok, that's a joke... kind of. The truth is that real men have been missing from our society for awhile and we'd like to know where all of you manly men are. Please tell me you're not a dying breed. I have to watch "Man, Woman, Wild" to catch glimpses of a man. I'd like to see the girlie men in our society go hang out with that guy, Mykel Hawke. Mykel and Uncle Danny would have been great buds.
I recently bought a book called "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide". I don't know why I bought it but I'm glad I did. It's encouraged me that there are still real men out there who LOVE GOD & aren't afraid to get dirty. I love it. Let me tell you, if any guy interested in me doesn't have this book at the top of their favorite list... then we probably aren't going to work out. I had lunch with my parents this weekend and of course my parents brought up my dating life. You know, like "what are you doing to meet people"? Ugh. My response was to tell them about a conversation my roomie had with a friend recently. This friend was also inquiring about whether we girls were dating and what we were doing. He said: "You just need to put yourself out there." REALLY? IT'S THAT EASY??!! We just need to put ourselves OUT THERE?? Hmm, ok. So my very wise roomie asked: "Ok, where is this elusive out there? Is there a secret hiding place?" And not surprising, after much discussion our friend could offer no advice outside of church singles groups. Anyway, back to the response that I gave my parents... I told my Dad: "I want my husband to be like you, Dad. A man who lives his life honorably as unto the Lord." And guess what? THAT'S THE TRUTH!! THAT'S WHAT WE CHRISTIAN WOMEN REALLY WANT! Sounds simple, huh? I live MY LIFE in that way... and I expect him to do the same. What's so damn complicated about it??

The truth is that I'm not going to go hunting for anyone. I'm sure my man is looking for me. And I'm sure my God who created the UNIVERSE and EVERYTHING in it, can manage to get us together. My bro met his wife at a dog park. Another couple I know met because she was his waitress and she accidentally spilled a drink on him as she was passing by. Seriously, God is big enough... He can handle this. This entry is not about me or my dating life. The purpose is to encourage men to BE MEN!!!! To encourage you that we want you to be men and LIVE "The Ultimate Man's Survival Guide". Most importantly, we want you to live Luke 10:27!! Because if you do that... then you can't help but be real men.

I've been dabbling in some ancestry stuff recently. I gotta tell you, it's also boosted my belief that men are created to be courageous. Looking at my genealogy, it's filled with guys who were warriors, soldiers, fighters, victors. They were the type of men who were naturally "ultimate". Men who weren't afraid to risk everything for the people they loved. Men who went against the grain went the going got tough. And I believe many of them loved God with all their hearts and with all their souls and with all their strength and with all their minds.
Certain things really fire me up. And this is one of those things. Men: Please stand up and be men. Take off your girlie clothes, put down that "messenger bag", go camping, go fishing, make a fire, and sleep under the stars. Don't forget to take your bible and talk to God. I'm praying that He will help you be the men that He has created you to be. The men that we need you to be. Don't let us down... go watch Braveheart, put some warrior paint on your face and get revved up. We need men to stand up for the truth of God's Word. We need men to stand up for their country. We need men to stand up for their families. We need men to stand up. STAND UP! STAND UP! STAND UP!!!!!!!!!

There are only a few songs that cause me to involuntarily move. I've been listening to "Cosmic Love" while writing this... it's just the kind of song that makes me want to get up, march & fight. Maybe I like it because she's shouting at the top of her lungs and I can hear gun-fire somewhere in the background. But unlike this song, I believe that the men in this world aren't going to leave us "in the dark". I'm praying that men of God will stand up & be courageous & be the leaders that God has created them to be.

I love what Jesus says to Saul (aka Paul) in Acts 26: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the Lord replied. 'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

Men: You can thank my father & my Uncle Danny for my crazy 100% faith in the "manly man". I can hear your hearts beating. Don't leave us in the dark. We need you. We miss you. Live Luke 10:27. Help us light the darkness.

some thoughts on LOST finale

Ok, let me just say right now that if you have not seen the series finale then stop reading now.

I've decided to take the time to write up a few thoughts on LOST. I know, this is more than likely the nerdiest thing I've ever done but who cares. I've been meaning to post this for a VERY long time. If some of this is something you already know, then great... here's my translation anyway.

Here's the deal... if you're an extreme left brained person (like our beloved Jack) then you're probably not getting the whole picture. If you're an extreme right brained person then I'm guessing you might also be a bit LOST. To my Jack-like friends who are focusing and zeroing in on things of no consequence, I'm just going to say it... like Jack was told, you're going to have to "let go". This show is a sci-fi show. It should be understood that not ALL of your questions are going to be answered. It's a story about a strange mystical island... so things are going to be strange & mystical... period.

If you have a chance to watch the "Enhanced" version of the show, I recommend it. It may explain some things for you. I was happy to see that it confirmed many of my thoughts and theories.

I want to briefly talk about the show's pilot, with the backgammon reference. John tells Walt: "Two players. Two sides. One is light- one is dark." The entire show was about the light vs dark or the good vs the evil. Backgammon is a game of not only luck, tactics, strategy... but also of choices. Kind of like the saying "You have to play the cards you're dealt" in the game of backgammon you have to choose wisely how to play according to the roll of the dice. I believe the writers were giving us the main idea of the show with the backgammon reference. Life for our characters (and dare I say us) is about light vs dark and about how we choose to live our lives according to the hand were dealt. Do I think the writers knew what they were going to do or how they were going to end the entire show at the very beginning? Yes, I think they did to a certain extent... hence the backgammon reference in the pilot. Did all the story lines in every single episode line up with this main theme? No, not every episode... does any sci-fi show? So what was the point of Dharma? Dharma was simply a group assigned to study the island and all the crazy, mystical things that go on there such as the electro-magnetic anomalies and other strange happenings like the smoke monster, etc. Think Bermuda-Triangle weird. There's no explaining that kind of weirdness. Seriously, not even Ben(who lived there the majority of his life) knew what was going on with the island. And unfortunately, the "Man in black" used Ben's confusion and frustration to get him to kill Jacob.

Watch the Jimmy Kimmel's LOST after-show... or at least first part with Matthew Fox. Within the first segment, Kimmel chatted with Fox about his theory. Matthew confirmed Jimmy's thoughts/ideas and added a bit more explanation. Jimmy suggested the the "sideways" life that we have been seeing in this 6th season is actually an "after-life". Now, here's where a lot of people get confused based on whatever their religious beliefs are. Here's the deal, it's not just one religious/spiritual road that they have taken! They actually took the beliefs of a handful of different religions and tried to morph them into one ending. Matthew Fox attempted to explain some of this to Jimmy on the after-show. For example, some religions believe that you have to remember your previous life in your after-life before you can "move on" to the next place or life. This "after-life" that we have been watching all of them go through is a sort of purgatory type place where they live until they realize their pasts and are ready to move on. Not all of our characters are ready to move on... for example, Eloise Hawking, Daniel Faraday, Charlotte, Ben. Also, did you notice that their "after-life" is slightly different than their real life? If you examine the afterlife of each character, in most cases you will find that they chose the better road... or the things they always wanted in real life but never had. Hurley has good luck instead of bad. John is still in a relationship with his girlfriend/fiance(in real life they broke up). Jack has the son he always wanted but didn't have in real life. Kate was innocent and not guilty. Sun & Jin are able to conceive a child. Eloise didn't kill her son. Daniel is the musician he always wanted to be. Charlie quits the band(Hurley has to kidnap him to get him to the concert). Sawyer is a cop instead of a con-artist. Ben is kind, is looked up to and admired and makes the right decisions (including not killing his father). Desmond is loved by Penny's father and not hated. Claire decides to keep her baby. It goes on and on. In other words, our characters have chosen different paths in this afterlife... they attempt to right their wrongs in a way or they have the things they always wanted but could never have in their real lives. In the case of Eloise, she has time to spend with her son because she didn't kill him... remember what she asked Desmond? Eloise understands what is going on, and isn't ready to move on yet. She is enjoying a life she didn't have before and tries to keep Desmond from revealing their pasts to people because she fears this will cause her & Daniel to be forced to move on. She asks Desmond if he's going to take Daniel along... to which Desmond replies "Not with me, no." It appears that our characters who aren't willing and ready to "move on" don't go to the church. Eloise isn't ready to move on because of the aforementioned, Daniel & Charlotte just met at the concert so they're not ready, Ben is finally admired and has a healthy relationship with Alex.... so you see the pattern?

Obviously, there were a lot of clearly defined "Christian" references throughout the course of the show. But as I've already mentioned, the finale is not to be translated strictly from a "christian" point-of-view and cannot be. They try to clue us in on this by using symbolism in the last scene with Jack & Christian in the church. The window in the background had not only the christian cross to represent Christianity, but it also included symbols of a handful other religions: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Side note: Funny the show is called "LOST" because that's what usually happens to people when they try to live life according to more than one true belief system at a time.

There has been some discussion on whether or not their lives on the island were real or were they all dead? They were not dead in the island life... they were alive. There were hints/clues & symbolism throughout this season to explain that... but for sake of time, I'll just give you a couple... the conversation between Richard & Jacob when they meet for the first time and another example was the conversation Jack has with Christian Shephard in the church.

Also, an important key to understand is that this "after-life" does not coincide or line-up on the same time-line with their real lives on the island. This is explained during Christian & Jack's conversation at the end. Jack asks, So we're all dead? And Christian tells him yes, but some have died before you and others died LONG AFTER you. Also, when Kate approaches Jack after the concert, she says, "I've missed you SO much waited for so long". If you remember, on the island life, Kate left the island on the plane... and it is assumed that she then went on to lead a long life off the island. Also, Hurley & Ben at the end when Hurley tells Ben he made a good #2 and Ben telling Hurley he made a good number #1.... this also insinuates that they lived & stayed on the island for quite awhile.

I'll close this with a video clip from IGN. If you are still looking for answers... maybe this can help... and if it can't then I charge $20/hour if you want to discuss LOST theories with me. Ok, just kidding about the $20/hour thing.

2,977 lives lost

2,977 victims.
Some went down with the towers.
Some were firefighters.
Some were paramedics.
Some were police officers.
Everyday people who went to work but never came home.

2,977 lives lost.
2,977 families affected.
2,977 souls.
2,977 laughs no longer heard.

2,977 people died... but here's a few who didn't.

I wrote some about my memories of 9/11 last year. I hope you will always remember that terrible day and never forget the 2,977 lives lost.

THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
John 14:6

"Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Acts 4:12

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name...
John 1:12

Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?”
Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
John 8:19

He who hates Me hates My Father also.
John 15:23

And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:28-29

"Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:19-21

Oldie but goodie!

Some of my friends took me to dinner for my bday last month. Since we were discussing aging, I mentioned to them how I used to listen to the "Oldies" radio station from time to time. I remember listening to it one night & thinking: One day my music is going to be the "Oldies" station.
Well, that day has come. Our local radio station changed it's format at the beginning of the year from the "Oldies" to "Gen-X" radio. Don't get me wrong, I love it. But part of me doesn't love it.
Thanks 106.1FM -- I have mixed feelings-- but I'm sure I'll get over it.