Christmas decorating and video recommendation!!!

I know I wrote already earlier today but I wanted to share a good video recommendation.

Today I started decorating for Christmas!  Can't believe Sunday is December 1st!  Not sure how you count.. so it's 26 days till Christmas? Time flies when you're having fun... actually it flies whether you're having fun or not!

I get a bazillion emails from stores and websites I signed up for.. Armstrong's Garden center is one.  I got one about a lighted wreath being $15, 50% off.  So I got one.  But it's plain, just the lights and no decorations.

Yesterday I went to Michael's Craft Store to get things to put on the wreath.  They had some beautiful bows of various colors, but they wanted $12.99 for them!  So I got  some wire-edged ribbon half price, $3.50 a roll.  I figured I could make my own.

I used to have a bowmaker but rarely used it so took it to Goodwill or something.  But I sort of remembered how to do it.  I looked at one You Tube video, but it wasn't with wire-edged ribbon.  But I winged it, and it turned out pretty good.  

Then I looked at You Tube again, and saw a thumbnail of a video that looked like it was made with wire-edged ribbon.  It was very well-done.  Great demonstration and clear instructions.  The title is How to Make a Bow, posted by a user named GoodKnit Kisses.  Here is the code for it:

http://youtu.be/onaw5tiMNmw

You could use this method to make bows for gift packages too -- it's not hard at all and doesn't take very long.

And here is the wreath -- it's a little dark but I took it for a friend who wanted to see the lights and all.  It turned out pretty good.

You CAN'T be serious!!! (not all the time that is)

It just now occurred to me, I don't want to be SERIOUS all the time  in this blog.  There are lots of things I could do -- share recipes.  Review products or movies or YouTube videos.  Maybe do a certain thing the same day each week... like Monday thoughts, Tuesday recipes, Wednesday product reviews, etc.

And I guess I do want to have people read them...  so I will try out sharing this on Facebook...  this is a huge experiment -- so let's just move forward and see what happens!

The running thread is to tell it like it is (you know, I'm the Spear Woman), but at the same time ENCOURAGE...  so I'm NOT going to get political or be an activist -- I'd rather concentrate on the GOOD, the LOVELY, etc., like it says in Philippians.  

So even if I have to give a bad review, I refuse to be mean about it... yeah maybe that's boring but hey, there's enough mean stuff in the world, who needs more?

You want to get to the end of my blog and feel like you got run over by a truck?  I don't think so.  

If you disagree with me, I CHALLENGE you to find a NON-MEAN way to say it... it is my blog, you know :)

Truth Shall Make You Free

Someone just told me they don't want to spend the holidays with someone in their family because that person always puts them down and it hurts too much.

I understand.  I've experienced similar things.  But in a sense, that was "in another life", so I won't talk about it right now.

I'm a student in a school of ministry and one of the books assigned to read is "Supernatural Ways of Royalty" by Kris Vallotin.  I highly recommend it.  The book is all about the fact that when we accepted Jesus as our Savior we literally became children, sons and daughters, of God, who is a King.  That makes us "royal".  And the book explains what that does and should mean in our lives, and how this fact should affect how we think about ourselves and the world we live in.

Which brings me to the title of this post.  In John 8:32 Jesus is quoted as saying, "the truth shall make you free."  He was referring to the truth about who He was and the truth about freedom from burdens of Levitical law, etc.  But this statement has huge ramifications in every area of life, including the situation my friend faces, and my family experiences growing up, too.  The spiritual part of it, is of course, the first thing that comes to mind.

The truth about who God is and that Jesus died for us to save us and was resurrected and defeated death, is the Gospel -- the good news for all mankind.  And it's our hope that more people will accept this truth.

There is the truth and there is what is not the truth.  It is there.  But for example, if your parents were rich and you didn't know it, the truth is still that you were born into a wealthy family, but you might live like a pauper. So it's not just "truth" that makes you free, it's KNOWING and BELIEVING THE TRUTH that makes you free.

So many situations would be different if the people involved would know and believe the truth.  People would avoid foods or activities that are bad for them.  Our country's voting history would likely be different if the whole truth came out.  People who need to would go to jail and the innocent would not. And the list goes on. 

But what about the situation in my first paragraph?  I was reflecting on this, and the book, and the "truth makes you free" statement.  

If you had black hair and I said you were a blonde, how would you feel?  What if you had brown eyes and I told you I thought they were blue and was jealous of your blue eyes?   Those things are easy for you to know the truth and believe, and nothing anyone says or does could make you believe you have a different color hair or eyes than you have.  You would know that I was simply "incorrect" and not buy into what I said.  You might even think I was crazy!

The same is true for how you feel about yourself inside.  If you know the truth about your gifts, your talents, what you're good at and what you're not, it gives you FREEDOM to accomplish things, and freedom from put-downs and believing discouraging things said by other people.

We all have things we are good at.  We all have things we are not good at.  Which one should you focus on?  Is it logical to focus more on what you DO have or to focus on your shortcomings?  And if you are good at something, does someone telling you you're lousy at it change anything?

So if someone tells me I'm lousy at sports (I am), should I feel bad about that? No, because there are things I AM good at, so sports doesn't matter.  

As an aside:  Don't forget to forgive the person insulting you -- people are people and they get things wrong, are "incorrect", and the blood of Jesus will cover those mistakes as much as any others.

My wish for my loved ones (children, grandchildren, friends, and my students) and even myself, is that they would be so grounded in the truth of who they are, both in God and in the "natural", that they can be literally immune to put-downs. That they would know their worth and contribution to those around them.

Read Ephesians 3:14-19.  You are loved.  So much. Know this.  Believe this. Know the truth of what you're good at, no matter how small it seems. Read those verses as a prayer every day, and it will set you free.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This will be short -- I'm so thankful to have my family nearby, that we all have what we need, and that we enjoy being together with no drama.

My blog is new so nobody is reading it yet.  To anyone who runs across this, God bless you and yours and best wishes for a lovely holiday season this year.

The world could sure use a lovely season!  If you focus on what God is doing in your life, and your blessings, you will be joyful.  The "stuff" doesn't give us joy, the Holy Spirit does (Gal. 5)....

Those fruits of the Spirit listed there are actually attributes of God, and sub-characteristics of love (notice I Cor 13 -- for example, "love is kind" -- kindness is a fruit of the Spirit).  God is so good.

May you be filled with the Spirit as much as you wish.  It's  a gift, sent personally by Jesus (in Acts He told them He had to leave so he could send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit).  Wow.  A gift from the King Himself:)

Blessings to all.

Facebook Users: Will Someone Please Explain Where Privacy Went???

Several years ago, I saw a psychologist being interviewed on TV, saying that our society had lost its sense of privacy, that people no longer drew a line for sharing or not sharing what used to be considered confidential and personal issues.  That was BEFORE Facebook and Twitter.  I think at the time it was a response to TV shows like Jerry Springer and Monteil Williams, where people would tell all about what should have been family secrets.

But now we have "social media sites" -- people air their squabbles and tell what they "really" think, in front of the whole world! And people no longer differentiate between the virtual and real world.  It's ALL real.

We have cyber stalking, cyber espionage, cyber dating and cyber bullying. And anybody can watch or participate.  Employers check Facebook and Twitter accounts of prospective employees or fire current ones for making negative comments. Teachers get special training on how to teach students how to deal with cyber bullying-- because kids have even committed suicide over it. People feel comfortable making hateful comments on posts by people they don't even know.

What ever happened to, "if you can't say something good, don't say anything at all?"  Or "do to others what you'd want them to do to you"?

There is a lot in scripture about words.  People talk about all those "bad rules" God has...  but what is so terrible about a rule that says "love your neighbor as yourself"?  Or "don't lie"?  Or "treat others as you'd like to be treated"?

Disagreements in the family should stay in the family.  Friends should talk to each other privately and not on Facebook, to resolve problems.

There is even a verse that says "love covers sin."  It's NOT in anybody's best interest to blast someone's mistake or conflict all over the net for all to see... way too many times there is more to the story, or the story is even wrong -- and seldom after someone's reputation has been wrecked do we see the same publicity given to admitting the error that ruined a life just weeks before.

By this I don't mean someone who is convicted of a horrible deed like rape or robbery or murder.  I'm referring to private family/friend things or false accusations that go viral and then just die even after a relationship or reputation is forever ruined.

The Apostle Paul advised us in Philippians, "whatever things are good, ... think on these things." What do you want to fill your mind with?  Bad news or good news?  I find myself caught up in morbid curiosity, reading posts about the negative things happening in the world, until finally I realize what it's doing to my mood and I just simply stop reading.

My wish for the world in and out of cyberspace, especially this time of year, is that people would think before they say or write their words -- let kindness prevail, and honor privacy.

I'm thankful that my friends and family are kind to each other. To everybody else, try it, you'll feel lots better:) 

But I'm too short to be an Amazon Warrior!!!

My head is so full of ideas I don't know where to start.  So like I usually do when I start into ASL-mode, I'll start at the beginning.  Mine, that is.

I'm the eldest of 3 kids.  I was born premature, weighed 4 lbs 14 oz, and then had lots of what they now call "motor delays"... did everything "late".. and they named me Geraldine, after my mother (she told me she was going to name me something cool like Kim or Randee but my grandfather said "well she'll always be little Gerrie to me", so she figured "if people will call her Gerrie may as well name her Gerrie").  

I was always one of the shortest, skinniest ones in my class, and definitely NOT athletic!  I remember someone telling me I'd be able to jump further and run faster, cuz I was smaller and lighter.  Didn't happen!  I was almost always the last one in the race.  Did I care?  Nope, I loved reading books.

So I was "little Gerrie" and my mother was "Big Gerrie"... that's VERY funny, because as an adult I'm only a quarter-inch shorter than my mother was (she passed away in 2004).  I'm 5' 1-1/2" and Mother was 5' 1-3/4".

As a little kid I never thought anything about my name -- everybody called me Gerrie.  Yes, it's with a G and an i-e.   G, because it's short for Geraldine, and the "ie" ending is to "be more feminine" (so Mother told me).

Until First Grade.  The very first day of school I remember meeting my teacher, and she asked my name.  Of course I told her, "Gerrie".  Then my mother whispered something into her ear.  And the teacher said, "ok Geraldine, here is your desk".  And on my desk was a name tag with the name Geraldine written on it.  I felt SO betrayed!!!!  

All my life I've always hated my name -- I wanted to have a cool name, like my little sister Penny.  I wished my mother had not caved in to other peoples' wishes and called me that cool name she had in mind, Kim!

When I looked in one of those baby-name-books I found out what Geraldine means, and hated my name even more -- of course it's the feminine derivative of "Gerald" -- and it means "spear bearer".  One book I looked in said Geraldine means "Spear Woman".  I was shocked --it was just a STUPID idea to name me that -- it was long and ugly, I'd have to always spell it for people, and I associated its meaning with that tribe of warrior-women called Amazons -- I'm a short, wimpy, and geeky bookworm -- it just was NOT the right name for me!

Flip Wilson inventing a character named Geraldine didn't help at all.

When I got to college I still hated my name but it didn't occur to me till my sophomore year that I could have changed it by introducing myself by my middle name Carol.

So my sophomore year I told people I was now going by my middle name... it didn't work. Only 2 people changed over.  Sigh. So I got married with the name Geraldine.  Later, however, with my divorce, I legally made it Gerrie.

Over the last few years, however, my spiritual life has created a side-effect of changing my view of my name. For example, in Ephesians 6 it describes the spiritual armor we are to wear daily, including a SWORD.  Our God-given assignment is to stand firm and wield the Sword of the Word, which is described in Hebrews 4:12 like this: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,  piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (KJV)

In God's eyes, size doesn't matter.  He gave us His spirit and therefore His power, to further His Kingdom and stand for good.  So my name isn't as much of a misfit as I thought:) Now my quest is to live it and BE it!