I’ve attended church most my life, on my own volition. For me, church is often a place that I consider my home away from home, and a place where I can learn about and freely worship God, and have some fellowship with other believers. Unfortunately, most of the churches that I have attended have also had cliques too. You wouldn’t think that’d be the case in God’s house, where people are supposedly equals and should be treated as such. After all, when you think of cliques, high school comes to mind along with the movies “Mean Girls” and “Never Been Kissed.” Church cliques usually aren’t as nasty but they certainly exist.
Instead of being called a “loser” or openly laughed at, getting the cold shoulder at church is a little more subtle. Sometimes it’s a group of women in a discussion and then just as you come along, the ladies fall silent. Other times it’s the same group at an event that you have also been invited to, but you’re made to feel out of place while you’re with them. Or perhaps it’s during a church dinner and you always end up eating at the same table instead of feeling encouraged enough to eat at a different one.
This irks me more than I let on. For crying out loud, church is not high school and people should not be broken up into groups where they feel safe and accepted. God’s house is open to all and He doesn’t play favorites, so why do some Christians?
There was a time in my life when I did belong to a church and yes, it had a clique too. But the majority of that church family was just that- a family. That church became my home away from home and a place of refuge in hard times. The people there weren’t just church members or fellow Christians, they became my family and I’m still in contact with most of them even though that church has long since closed. I have never felt God’s presence more than I did there and I’ll always reflect on that period of my life as one of my highest points, spiritually speaking.
Its too bad that many Christians don’t follow Christ’s example and love and treat everyone the same. Then perhaps non-believers would be more apt to try out church if that were the case.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A Quote From Dr. Seuss
Be who you are, and say what you feel...
Because those who matter don't mind...
And those who mind don't matter."
-Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Because those who matter don't mind...
And those who mind don't matter."
-Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Veronica Goes to Confession
1. I never wear shoes when I’m at home. In fact, I go around barefoot whenever possible.
2. I can make a strange purring sound at the back of my throat like a cat does.
3. The first time I ever kissed a boy I was seven and in the first grade. Hopefully I won’t get sued for sexual harassment. After all it was only on the cheek.
4. I can still put one of my ankles behind my head.
5. The more I study Judaism and Jewish history, the closer I feel to Jesus.
6. I’ve borrowed so many books and movies about Nazism and the Third Reich from the library, that the librarians think I’m a Nazi.
7. I love to eat peanut butter sandwiches with kosher dill pickles on the side.
8. Swing/Big Band is my favorite genre of music now.
9. My life is a cross between “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Little Women” with a side of “Secondhand Lions.”
10. Growing up I read too much “Sweet Valley Twins, ” “Goosebumps” and ridiculous romances that I neglected the classics. So I have to go back and read the great authors of the past.
11. Give me a good war movie or holocaust film rather than a romance any day.
12. My favorite movie is either “Little Women” with Winona Ryder or “Sophie Scholl: The Last Days” with Julia Jentsche.
13. I hope someday to write a coming of age series based in Indiana.
14. Though I love to write, I often speak with bad grammar. It’s just part of who I am.
15. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world than in the Wabash Valley, Indiana.
2. I can make a strange purring sound at the back of my throat like a cat does.
3. The first time I ever kissed a boy I was seven and in the first grade. Hopefully I won’t get sued for sexual harassment. After all it was only on the cheek.
4. I can still put one of my ankles behind my head.
5. The more I study Judaism and Jewish history, the closer I feel to Jesus.
6. I’ve borrowed so many books and movies about Nazism and the Third Reich from the library, that the librarians think I’m a Nazi.
7. I love to eat peanut butter sandwiches with kosher dill pickles on the side.
8. Swing/Big Band is my favorite genre of music now.
9. My life is a cross between “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Little Women” with a side of “Secondhand Lions.”
10. Growing up I read too much “Sweet Valley Twins, ” “Goosebumps” and ridiculous romances that I neglected the classics. So I have to go back and read the great authors of the past.
11. Give me a good war movie or holocaust film rather than a romance any day.
12. My favorite movie is either “Little Women” with Winona Ryder or “Sophie Scholl: The Last Days” with Julia Jentsche.
13. I hope someday to write a coming of age series based in Indiana.
14. Though I love to write, I often speak with bad grammar. It’s just part of who I am.
15. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world than in the Wabash Valley, Indiana.
Friday, September 4, 2009
My Ancestor was a Polygamist…
Or maybe a Black Widower.
My Grandma always used to tell me, “When you start to shake the family tree, anything may fall out, so beware.” Ain’t that the truth!
I have started getting involved in genealogy recently and have made some new, hilarious discoveries. For several years now I’ve been able to pin-point who one of our ancestors was; a man named Michael who’s surname shall remain blank (for the reason that I don’t feel safe putting my last name out there on the internet). Anyway, Michael was born in 1758 and married a woman named Berthena in 1783 who they had a son with; their marriage was of short duration. Either they had it annulled, or they divorced or just went their separate ways. Whatever happened between the two, Berthena isn’t mentioned again but what is interesting is that Michael later names a child after her that he has with another wife (Awkward!). Once he is single, Michael proceeds to marry a lady named Jemina who later dies in childbirth. This time Michael waits two years before wedding Elizabeth; together they have six or seven children. At some point prior to 1818, Elizabeth dies or leaves Michael because in 1818 Michael marries an eighteen-year-old named Ann. And there is actually a possibility that he had married a woman in between Elizabeth and Ann, but I haven’t found a wedding date yet.
Michael was certainly a busy boy. He lived a long life, and died in 1830, at the ripe old age of seventy-two. I know in those days that the records were sketchy and marriages were often recorded in a Bible or maybe not even at all. I’m not as familiar with the divorce/annulment process of that era, but I doubt it was as easy to end a marriage as it is today. So man had an easier time leaving his wife and marrying someone else. Does that make him a Polygamist? :~P. I might be being pessimistic here, maybe Michael outlived all of his wives.
I wonder if he really was a Black Widower…
Oh well, if you can’t laugh about it, what can you do?
My Grandma always used to tell me, “When you start to shake the family tree, anything may fall out, so beware.” Ain’t that the truth!
I have started getting involved in genealogy recently and have made some new, hilarious discoveries. For several years now I’ve been able to pin-point who one of our ancestors was; a man named Michael who’s surname shall remain blank (for the reason that I don’t feel safe putting my last name out there on the internet). Anyway, Michael was born in 1758 and married a woman named Berthena in 1783 who they had a son with; their marriage was of short duration. Either they had it annulled, or they divorced or just went their separate ways. Whatever happened between the two, Berthena isn’t mentioned again but what is interesting is that Michael later names a child after her that he has with another wife (Awkward!). Once he is single, Michael proceeds to marry a lady named Jemina who later dies in childbirth. This time Michael waits two years before wedding Elizabeth; together they have six or seven children. At some point prior to 1818, Elizabeth dies or leaves Michael because in 1818 Michael marries an eighteen-year-old named Ann. And there is actually a possibility that he had married a woman in between Elizabeth and Ann, but I haven’t found a wedding date yet.
Michael was certainly a busy boy. He lived a long life, and died in 1830, at the ripe old age of seventy-two. I know in those days that the records were sketchy and marriages were often recorded in a Bible or maybe not even at all. I’m not as familiar with the divorce/annulment process of that era, but I doubt it was as easy to end a marriage as it is today. So man had an easier time leaving his wife and marrying someone else. Does that make him a Polygamist? :~P. I might be being pessimistic here, maybe Michael outlived all of his wives.
I wonder if he really was a Black Widower…
Oh well, if you can’t laugh about it, what can you do?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
A Littlle BIble Humor
It doesn't hurt to have a little Biblical humor to start the day....
Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.
Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.
Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a Little prophet.
Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.
Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.
Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer
lived in Eden ?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.
Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan . The banks were always overflowing.
Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.
Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.
PS.. Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . 'He-brews'
Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.
Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.
Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.
Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a Little prophet.
Q. What kind of motor vehicles are in the Bible?
A. Jehovah drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden in a Fury. David's Triumph was heard throughout the land. Also, probably a Honda, because the apostles were all in one Accord.
Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.
Q. What excuse did Adam give to his children as to why he no longer
lived in Eden ?
A. Your mother ate us out of house and home.
Q. Which servant of God was the most flagrant lawbreaker in the Bible?
A. Moses. He broke all 10 commandments at once.
Q. Which area of Palestine was especially wealthy?
A. The area around Jordan . The banks were always overflowing.
Q. Who is the greatest babysitter mentioned in the Bible?
A. David He rocked Goliath to a very deep sleep.
Q. Which Bible character had no parents?
A. Joshua, son of Nun.
Q. Why didn't they play cards on the Ark ?
A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.
PS.. Did you know it's a sin for a woman to make coffee?
Yup, it's in the Bible. It says . . 'He-brews'
Friday, August 14, 2009
“Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana,” by Melanie Dobson: Book of the Month
About the Author:
Melanie Dobson is the author of four novels and has a background in publicity and journalism. She grew up in a small Ohio town but now lives with her husband and two daughters in Oregon.
Read more about Melanie Dobson at www.melaniedobson.com
About the Book:
In a divided town during a dangerous era, who can be trusted?
Liberty, Indiana, is home to a stop on the Underground Railroad operated by Quaker abolitionists Anna Brent and her father. Harboring runaway slaves is a dangerous mission; anyone caught aiding them is subject to imprisonment. When Anna’s secret work is threatened, can she turn to the handsome yet outspoken Daniel Stanton, Liberty’s newspaper editor to ensure the safety of the runaways so dear to her? Will she and Daniel risk everything for their beliefs- including their personal liberty?
My Thoughts:
I knew that I would like this book from the moment I heard about it. Of course I was a little biased; finally a novel set in my beloved state! And then when I discovered that it was about the Underground Railroad, I was excited. I was certain that this book was going to stand out from all the others in the series and it did not disappoint me. For any Civil War or Underground Railroad enthusiast, or a lover of Indiana, this book is for you!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
No one ever made it to Heaven by...
watching a sunset and acknowledging that God created it.
praying or reading the Bible.
attending church or being baptised.
being good or doing good works.
or admitting that there is a Higher Power.
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with you heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."- Romans 10:9-10
praying or reading the Bible.
attending church or being baptised.
being good or doing good works.
or admitting that there is a Higher Power.
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with you heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."- Romans 10:9-10
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