Be Wary of the Beast

I suppose I should have been alerted by the phone number displayed on my screen when I looked to see who was calling me this morning. ***\666\****. Okay, so I'm not one of those fundamentalist knee-jerk Christians who see the devil everywhere, but I am a bit suspicious of some things. The number 666 is one of them. Most people would request another number if offered one that included those infamous digits.

But, hey, I need a job, no problem. so I ignored it. I spoke with a heavily accented woman who told me that Mr. Khadivian had seen my resume on CareerBuilder and wanted to offer me a position at Bankers. I asked if it was selling insurance (I get tons of those offers) and she said that they were an insurance company but I would be a manager. Would I be supervising the sales reps? Never got more than a giggle from her. Well, maybe she's being vague because she really doesn't know. I need a job. So, I make the appointment for tomorrow morning at 10:00. Be early, she says, Mr. Khadiavian is very busy. Fine, I thought. Isn't everybody. But I agreed. I did ask about parking (a major concern here in the Valley). No problem, she tells me, we are in the US Bank building. Great, a parking lot. She agreed to send the details in an email and we ended the call.

I then hit google to check this place out. First it was hard to find any mention of the "main office" in North Hollywood that I would be going to, but I did see that Bankers was a very large nationwide company. With tons of complaints. Oops. Still, I had made the appointment and would follow through with it. Called my husband to let him know. Told my siblings to pray for me.

Then the email arrived. Dress business. Of course. Be Prepared. Naturally. Expect to spend at least 2 hours. Whoops. Interviews do not take that long. Free parking is available on the side streets. On the residential streets? What happened to the parking lot? More web searching. More complaints.

It seems that this wonderful offer is the usual mode of operations for this particular company. What apparently happens is that they call a lot of people, offer them positions to match the skills on their resumes, and the when the masses arrive to the "presentation" they are offered more interviews at which they are convinced to become an independent agent for Bankers.

The old bait and switch. Too bad that there are so many wolves in sheeps' taking advantage of a lousy economy. The good news (and it is the Good News!) is that the Lord's sheep are not as innocent as they appear. A good lesson learned; take nothing in this world at face value.

No wonder so many have trouble accepting Jesus' offer. Eternal life and all I have to do is accept it? I get it for free? (well, Jesus paid for it). He is the only thing that can be taken at face value. The only thing that sounds too good to be true - but is. Jesus gave his life on the cross for you. As we prepare to celebrate Easter, make sure that you have received the best gift of all, not a chocolate bunny, but a risen Savior. Hallelujah!

The Soundtrack of Our LIfe

Here I sit, mid-May of 2012 listening to the Bee Gees. Flash back to 1977. No, even further. While most people can make a listing of songs that outline their memories, I will bet that few can use the music of one group for most of it. I'm one of those few. If you asked me what songs define my life's memories, Bee Gees songs would probably be eight out of ten of them. And not just the 70's and 80's. Me and the brothers go way back. All the way to 1967 with "New York Mining Disaster 1941" up through 2001 and "This is Where I Came In".

As you can imagine, I was quite saddened when I read of Robin Gibb's death yesterday. Another Gibb brother gone, much too soon. There was Andy back in 1988, then Maurice in 2003, and now Robin. A part of my history is gone. And as I sit writing this I can remember so many times, so many people whom I associate with the music. For instance, "Words" the song on now, reminds me of an old boyfriend from school; he used to sing this one to me. Badly :-) And then there are the disco years, just out of High School full of dreams ... and the music followed along. Sweet memories.

November

November. The month of giving thanks and electing politicians. Wow, does that seem like two opposite things. Well, maybe not. Our elections are one of the things we should be most thankful for. Although I am already tired of the campaigning, I am also quite grateful that I live in a country where we can have political campaigns. Look at what happened recently in Libya. They got tired of the leader, they killed him. Done deal. Pretty harsh way to deal with a situation, but then it was a pretty harsh situation. Whether you like our current President or not, you have to admit that it is much better system than a dictatorship.

            Whoever wins next year’s election I pray that they will be given more of a chance than President Obama was in his first term. It seems as if barely two weeks had passed before folks were complaining about how nothing had changed. After 8 years of  crap, Obama was given 2 weeks? It doesn’t happen that way. And so many were quick to fuss about the war in the mid-east as if Obama had started it. Surprise, people, this one was started way back with Isaac and Ishmael. Don’t blame the President, any of the Presidents. Politicians are human, remember, not magicians.

            The latest thing that gets my goat, so to speak, is the fussing about Mitt Romney being a Mormon. Well, guess what, that isn’t the same as being a disciple of Satan. Mormons, most Mormons, are Christians. Really. They worship just like the rest of us. They sing the same hymns, read the same Bible. (No, the Book of Mormon is not the Bible.) Ok, so they add quite a few extras into their beliefs, but the basic beliefs are the same. Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and then rose 3 days later to ascend to the Father in heaven.

            That’s what I was taught in Primary class. Yep, I was raised a Mormon. My mother’s side is Mormon as far back as you can trace. My siblings were baptized into it, and my brother even went through the “Priesthood”. My grandmother went through the Temple and was buried in her Temple garments. But we were and are Christians.

            I’m not sure if I’ll vote for Romney should he get the nomination or not, but I do know that it won’t be because of his religious affiliation. I will vote for whoever God puts in on my heart to vote for. And I believe that whoever gets the position will be the one that God has ordained.

            And that is one thing I am very thankful for. God bless the USA.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God

 the powers that be are ordained of God. Romans 13

PRAISING GOD

O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. ~Psalm 51:15



Praise the Lord! How often do you say that? How often do you really thank Him for everything? Does everything that comes from your mouth glorify God? Probably not, after all, we are human.


So does this Psalm mean that we are to continually be shouting out “Praise God”? No not really. Then what does it mean to show (shew) forth God’s praise?


Well, I think it means much more than we imagine. It does mean letting loose with a Praise God, or Amen when you feel like it – no matter who can hear you. It also means a “good morning’ to that stranger on the street. Or smiling and saying God bless you to the man begging for money, even if you can’t or won’t give him anything. Praising God is making sure that whatever comes out of your mouth is uplifting, not hurtful or wicked. It does not mean getting angry, but it does mean not screaming profanities at someone because of that anger.


Think of your mouth as God’s mouth – imagine that he is saying whatever it is that you say. Like the catch phrase “what would Jesus do?” think instead “what would Jesus say?” Your mouth is one opening to the temple of the Holy Spirit of your body, try no to let unclean things come out of it.

Changing emails

In the process of getting rid of earthlink which means we lose our website, and have to notify everyone of the change. More of a hassle than I ever thought. Good reason to use a non-specific address like a yahoo or gmail.

Writing

Took a little test; not sure I believe it but it is interesting. I think I write like my moods; different each time.

I write like
Vladimir Nabokov

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Animals and love

My faith was really tested recently when both my dog and cat became ill. For poor Maggie dog it was another bladder infection, not unusual for older females. A trip to the vet, some antibiotics and she was fine. A week later she got another blood test and things were good. Then less than a week later the cat starts acting funny. Quiet, not eating much, losing weight. Within two days we were worried. Another trip to the vet and we have our choice between major $$$ surgery or euthanasia. At least that was how it sounded when we left the vet. Some kind of intestinal obstruction. Anything from a hairball to a cancerous tumor. Let's see in a week; maybe an ultrasound to augment the X-ray. Well, I chose prayer for my beloved Mr. Katz. One week later, a big hairball came up. Within two days Katz was back to his normal self.

Why is it that pets can tug at our hearts so? What purpose did God have for them? Are the animals here to teach us how to love? Maybe so. I've seen people change because of a dearly loved pet. My husband is one of them. He owes what love he is able to show today to a mean old dog named Speedy. Speedy was the first person to offer unconditional love to John. Yes, I said person. Some animals are better people than people. And some people are nastier animals than ... well you get the point.

Birthdays

Well, I had a good one yesterday. Nothing extra special happened, but a lot of little things.

• I found a decorated cupcake waiting for me when I got to work.
• There were tons of messages wishing me a great day/year on facebook and in my email.
• There was a card from my church in the day's mail.
• My husband took me out for a nice dinner.

For a birthday that I wanted to ignore, this one turned out pretty good. And last Sunday my brother and sister took me to lunch along with two of my bestest friends.

I guess birthdays are ok after all.

Bad Days

Well, my sister says that if it starts bad, it stays bad. She's right. It began with my sleeping past the alarm, running out of the house later than normal, and falling just 30 feet from my office. Two skinned knees and a ruined pair of pants later I made it to work. Then there was about 20 minutes of  total chaos wherein my boss and I both decided to not mention the other's clothing. (Coffee does not go with dress shirts.) It kept going as the phone kept bringing me problems and obstacles to jump over. Add that to the fact that my sugar is still way too high despite the insulin dosage being upped from an initial 10 units to 25 units. And very little sleep last night.

 

Some days are just bad.

 

But they pass, as this one will. And I get to go home to my messy but warm house and pets who love me. And my husband. It could be worse.

 

God is good.

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May God bless you in 2010.

The Moon

See that photo at the top of my blog? Pretty good, isn’t it? Beautiful views of the craters Copernicus and Plato, and several others. Nice shading on the terminator that really helps you to see the curve of the moon's limb. Not quite full on the night it was taken. If you know your lunar surface you can even pick out Deslandres basin and the small crater named Hell after a Brittish preacher. I'm quite proud of this shot. Yep, I took it  myself by holding my camera lens up to the eyepiece of my telescope. Not too bad, huh?

 

The God who made the moon in the first place is not too bad, either. He made a beautiful ball of rock for me to look at and photograph. We live in a very beautiful and exciting universe. Too bad that not enough people spend time just looking at it.

 

2010 is coming. Spend at least a small part of it looking up.

 

 

 

AVATAR

Ok, so I had to see it despite all of the hype. Really great movie. I felt as if I was there on Pandora. The 3D wasn't just some stunt to get you in, it pulled you into the movie. Just my kind of movie, too. Simple storyline, lots of action, some sadness, some love, nature - what more could you ask? Ok, well I could ask to go to Pandora if it really existed.

I've been a fan of sci-fi since I began reading. Well, even before that. As a toddler I saw most of the old b-movies and loved them. No Disney fare for me; my mom took me to the real thing - "The Blob", "Invaders From Mars". Good stuff. "Star Wars" is one of my obsessions. "Star Trek" (the original) was one of my first TV have-to-sees.

Now there is "Avatar". Great stuff.

Post-Holiday

Well, Christmas was great. The whole day was low-key and comfortable.The gifts were not the central part, nor was the dinner (though both were good). The best part was being with people I loved and who loved me. We talked, we played a trivia game, we enjoyed each other. We experienced Christ in us. Just the way it should be.

It wasn't so much a bare-bones Christmas, as a pure-love Christmas.

Let's keep it going in the new year.

Merry Christmas

I refuse to wish someone Happy Holidays. I am not celebrating several holidays, I am celebrating Christmas. Christ's Mass. Christ. If I wish Merry Christmas to someone who is not a Christian, so be it. It is my holiday I am celebrating. If anyone would wish me a Happy Hannukah, or Kwanza, or whatever, I would graciously thank them for sharing their holiday blessings with me. I would not be offended, and hope that they will not be, either.

So, Merry Christmas to all of my readers, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Shinto, Hindu, Buddist, etc. (Forgive me for not knowing the names of all religions.) And may God bless you in the coming year.

 

Bare Bones Christmas

This year it seems as if everyone is having a "bare bones Christmas". Oh, there are decorations, but not too many. There are gifts, but so far small and meaningful. There have been celebrations, but they have been quiet and joy-filled.

 

Bare bones. Down to the important part. Down to Jesus.

 

That's what Christmas is all about.

 

Organization

Lately I've been trying very hard to organize my workspaces both at home and at work. I'm not getting very far. It seems as if every time I get started, something else comes up to sidetrack me. Maybe the thing that needs the most organization is my brain.

 

Life is good.

 

Rewards

We read in Luke 15 the story of the prodigal son. Like most people I have never understood that story. Oh, I know that Jesus was trying to see that God accepts us back no matter how bad we've been, that we are rewarded in heaven because of his love and not our own works. But, and it is a big but, I have always felt sorry for the son who stayed behind and  did everything right, only to see his slacker brother celebrated.

Everyday I experience a taste of what the older brother must have felt. I've worked at my job for ten years and often see others get the awards and raises - knowing full well that they are really slackers. It is quite annoying to have to congratulate a co-worker for receiving our quarterly award for excellence, knowing that I worked twice as hard helping them out.

However, it was pointed out to me that the real trouble with the older brother is that he was not happy for his brother's return, only resentful. So, searching myself I realized that the awards others recieve do not take away from me, they aren't against me, rather simply for the other person. And mow I am truly glad when others do get recognized; sometimes it is the encouragement they need to do better.

Oh, and I did finally get the big award after all. Not only recognition, but it also involves a cash bonus. I received it just when I returned after my husband's heart surgery - which came with lots of medical expenses.

Everything in God's own time. :-)

 

 

Good Morning

And a grand and glorious morning it is!

Don't people who are cheerful in the mornings make you nuts? I am definitely a night person; not necessarily darkness, but night. The later in the day, the more energy I have. My body doesn't wake up until at least 11:00 am or even noon. Later, even better.

The problem with that is a job that starts at 8:30 am.

Oh, well. Good morning!

Sweetness

I'm a diabetic, so you can bet that I pay very close attention to sweet things. One thing that I have learned is that sweetness does not necessarily mean sugar. And sugar does not guarantee sweetness. Sugar is one form of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates (carbs) are one of the main souces of energy for our bodies. Carbs, however, are not always easy to discern in our food because carbs don't always take the form of sugar.

 

There are many items we eat that we don't think of as sweet or sugary that are full of carbs. Bread for instance. Are you aware that almost all bread contains a little sugar? It does. Sugar helps the yeast to rise, it gives fuel to the little yeast bacteria that provide the leavening agent. Too little sugar and the bread won't rise, too much sugar, however, and the bread doesn't come out right, either. Plus the starches or grains in the bread turn into carbs as our body processes them. In fact, most of the food you eat turns into carbs in the body, and that raises anyone's blood sugar. So it isn't easy to just stay away from sweets to control your blood sugar, you have to balance everything you eat, from vegetables, to meat, to grains. Too little sugar (or carbs)  and our body doesn't have energy, too much and we get sick.

 

Well, did you know that sin is like that? Sin, or the possibility of it, is in almost everything we do. Many things are good, even righteous things, but we make them into something that they are not. Too much of even a good thing can turn into something bad.

 

Sports, either watched or played, are a good, healthy thing, but when they interfere with our church activities on a regular basis, then they are wrong. Watching TV, seeing a movie, going on a picnic - insert whatever activity you enjoy - anything that interferes with your relationship with God is wrong. Even prayer can be wrong if you spend so much time talking TO God that you don't spend any time LISTENING to God. As a matter of fact, church itself can be a sinful act - if it keeps you away from your family. That's how cults get started, and I think we can all agree that cults are sinful.

 

Life is a balancing act, not too much, not too little. Except where sin enters. That is the one place that there is no such thing as too little. Any sin is too much.

 

Fishing

Tomorrow my husband and I are going to the Aquarium of the Pacific and taking two friends with us. Free tickets - one perk of working for a non-profit. Anyhow, it makes me think how Jesus wants us to be fishers of men., Well, The only bait and hook I use is how much my Lord loves me. And everyone else. Pretty good reason to grab that hook, isn't it? Christmas is coming, a good time for fishing - throw out that line and reel them in ...

"for God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" John 3:16