CHRISTMAS QUOTE OF THE DAY

Ellen: "What are you looking at?"

Clark: "Oh, the silent majesty of a winter's morn...the clean, cold chill of the holiday air...an a$***** in his bathrobe, emptying his chemical toilet into my sewer."

From National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

CHRISTMAS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"We've even got a Christmas Queen!"

by Lucy from A Charlie Brown Christmas

DUMP

So much....so, so much.

There has been a lot on my mind, lately. Tonight, some things just kind of evened out for me.

Some things were new. Some things stay there for always....just rears it's head every now and again.

In case you didn't notice, I have stopped posting MHHM. I might pick it up again, but maybe not. I still do things, but most don't care, so....well, shoot, if I use that reasoning, I probably shouldn't even blog.

I found out some stuff about a friend. I don't know what she expected my reaction to be. I still love her.

I was defriended by another friend (seems kind of weird using that word, considering how this person obviously feels about me, but I - for some reason - consider this person such). It is because I know some stuff....some would say "who cares" or "it's none of your business." Well....I care, and because of some whom it indirectly affects, it is my business. I still love this person. (Remember this? Well, I value this person, but will not sugar coat the behavior. Oh well, what do you do?)

I have been doing some volunteer stuff for my church. It is hard work, and sometimes a bit frustrating. But, when we (as a church) do what we do, I love to know that I was a part of it.

If I didn't know that DH was shooting blanks, I would think I might be preggers. I have been really hungry the last few days and tired, tired! However, I was so fertile and we haven't taken any other precautions, other than the ol' snipperoo, that I know there is no "oomph" in his little swimmers.

I am on the list to start substitute teaching. I think it will be fun, though I'm a bit scared to be in a kinder or 1st grade class. (Or 2nd, 3rd or 4th, for that matter. LOL)

There have been a few confirmed cases of swine flu. Some people will freak, I'm sure.

There are a few blogs I read. One is a blog that I enjoy because of housekeeping stuff. She gets a bit religious. I don't mind....mainly because I haven't seen anything that is not Biblical. There is another I read because I'm just curious. A lot of her beliefs are not in synch with mine. She is a Messianic Jew. Now don't get me wrong. There is room for the Jews that haven't accepted Jesus, yet. She is an interesting read, but you have to read with a HUGE grain of salt. There is one that I have read a few times....it is like a sad, sad train wreck that you just can't turn away from. I need to stop. It is not good for my spirit. All I know is that there are a lot of "pots and kettles" out there.

I have been baking a lot, lately. I should put it up on TMTT, but I have been lazy. There are 3 reasons that I have been baking. One is that the weather has been cooler and has been "begging" for pumpkin cheese bread, lemon cake, fresh blueberry muffins, banana oat muffins and yummy things like that. Secondly, it is good therapy for me. The 3rd reason, I'm not ready to get into. Two or three of you know, but that is all for now.

The obama crap is really getting to me. What really bothers me is that some of my friends (true friends) helped to put that man into his office. I still love these people, but I'm seriously praying the "spirit of slap" down on them. I'm now hearing that if you don't accept obama-care, you will be fined or face jail time. Now, as a disclaimer, I haven't researched this at all. It's just what I've heard. I've also heard that he wants to make the kids smarter by increasing the school day and the number of days we are in school. Well, HERE'S a thought....pay the teachers more! Just a thought. All I know is that when the poop hits the fan, I can honestly say I had nothing to do with it!

Speaking of teaching, we are still not sure what is happening next year. My hope is that I sub a lot....pretty much every day DH is gone. Then, I can be homeroom mom to my #4. But, my paperwork is in, so I will be able to transition pretty easily. I have already talked to some key people. I expect to start getting phone calls soon. Well, actually, I have already had an offer as a long-term sub...before my app. was totally processed. I don't want to put #4 in childcare.

I am in the thick of the holidays and already feel the crunch. I'm behind on my notebook, however, my cards are coming along nicely. I have them about 1/3 done.

I've enjoyed doing my "Christmas Quote of the Day." For a brief, insane moment, I wondered if I would have enough quotes to get through all 90 days. Then I laughed to myself, "OF COURSE I DO!!!"

Walmart is a concern. Nothing Christmas yet. WTHck? Target, however, has it going on! Of course, there is Hobby Lobby and I will be going on Wednesday. I need a fix. I'm going with one of my BFs. Maybe my hubby will foot the bill for a real, sit-down lunch. If not, Chick-Fil-A will suffice.

OK....you know that volunteer work I said I was doing? Well, I need to get on that.

I'll TTYL!

"You did it! Congratulations! World's best cup of coffee! Great job, everybody! It's great to be here."

Buddy from Elf

CHRISTMAS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Treat ever day like Christmas!"

Buddy the Elf on ELF

CHRISTMAS QUOTE OF THE DAY

"DON'T ANYBODY MOVE! A fuse is out!"

From the dad on A Christmas Story

IMPORTANT BIZNISS!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Y'ALL!!!

Today is the opening day for THE Great State Fair of Texas. That means that the holidays HAVE started. Look for lots of holiday stuff.

One thing I will do (or try to, anyway) is to share daily, some movie quotes from some of my favorite Christmas movies including:

~ It's a Wonderful Life

~ The Santa Clause

~ Elf

~ A Christmas Story

~ A Charlie Brown Christmas

~ Rudolph

~ National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Of course, there are others, but these will be the ones I draw from the most. Hope y'all have fun.

To start off this 90 day Holiday Celebration, I leave you with this. I posted it last year. These are my youngest 2 children, re-enacting their favorite scene. I included the true scene in case you have never seen it.

REGRETS

There is a question that pops around every now and again. It goes something like this:

"If you could change anything in your past, would you?"

And, almost always the answer sounds like this:

"Though there are regrets in my life, I would not change them because that is what has made me what I am today."

Hmmmm....really? I guess it depends on your life, your experiences and your regrets.

I have a few stupid things that I have done. I honestly don't see the bearing it had on my "here and now." That is hard to say, though. I mean, I am who I am, having had the experiences I have had. Most of my regrets have to do with suckin' a little toe jam off my beautiful toes. Would my life be any different had I not embarrassed myself? Had I not hurt some one's feelings? Certainly, there are SOME things that I could have said that would have changed my life. But, the things I regret? I'm not sure.

I wonder how many people live with regrets? I have some, but I don't really consider them life-long regrets. They are certainly something I think about...something that maybe I would change. They aren't anything that makes my life sad, but they are little things that I think could just help to make my life more full.

Let me explain. I was reviewing one of my past posts with some resolutions. Some I did well, and completely. Some, I did mostly and am still working on. Some...well, I did poorly, if at all. That stuff, I regret. I regret that I just couldn't seem to get my kimchee together. I don't know why. Some things were just not important enough, I guess. At some time, I apparently DID think they were important. I wonder, did my opinions change because God was telling me something? Or did I not do them because I tend to have a lazy streak? I don't know.

I do know this....I might be going to work this next year. If that is the case, I do not have a long time to get done stuff I want to get done. There are some things that I don't think I will be able to do, to the degree I want to, by the time next August rolls around.

Because of this, there are some new resolutions I want to put out there. I am not going to rehash some of the things that I didn't do. There is no need. Some of these things will be a repeat. I still need to lose that 10 pounds....I have lost 10 pounds....10 pounds plus. But, there is still some poundage that needs to go away.

I not only cut down on my Dr Pepper consumption, I cut it out completely. It still pains me to say that. I am sad....the Doctor was a good friend of mine. But, alas, God intervened.

I have cut down a little on the sugars....high fructose corn syrup have been cut out completely, but I have no issues with white flour, sugar and rice.

No, here are the things that I'm really wanting to happen before I am done being a SAHM.

I want to FINALLY get my house under control.

I want....no, I NEED to get my prayer life in better order.

I would like to get a bit healthier.....I won't mention the #, but I would like to take it off before I go back to the classroom.

I do regret some things I *didn't* do with the kids. Some, I didn't do because I got lazy, or ran out of time. Some, I just put off until I forgot. Now, I remember. And, I'm going to do them.

I realize you might want to know what I'm talking about. I'll list the things that are really on my mind. I know that in the whole scheme of things, these aren't huge deals, but they are to me.

One example, that I will rectify this Christmas break is the making of gingerbread cookies. Every since kindergarten, my oldest has asked me to help him make gingerbread cookies. The first year, I put it off because I was pregnant and had 3 kids AND I was teaching. The next year, it's hard because I now have 4 kids, all of whom want to help (except the 6 month old who just wants to be with us the whole time.) (Please know that I realize there are many mothers who are better and able to juggle all their kids AND the fun stuff, whether or not their hubby's are home to help. I am not that good.

Well, the NEXT year, I vowed to do it again. (In kindergarten, at our school, there is a unit on the Gingerbread Man...they follow him around, discovering bathrooms, offices and other things before finally finding him on their table as a snack.) I honestly don't know why I didn't do it then. Then, I forgot. Number 3 is in kinder now and I was reminded when he quoted the famous, "Run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man."

This year, I WILL make those cookies with all my kids. And I hope to do it every year. I want to make that a tradition.

Another regret? Pictures. I go through phases on my picture taking. I have lot of pictures...all on my computer. I don't do albums. I don't really regret that, necessarily. But, I would like some of the pictures displayed, labelled, or something. I would also like to take pictures of more everyday things...not just the exciting stuff. I see people's pictures on facebook....pictures where the camera was just picked up for whatever reason and snapshots were taken.

I want to read to my children more. The excuse I will give is hard for some to understand. It is hard for me to understand sometimes....but I know exactly why and how it happens. When I start bedtimes, it is hard to make sure I go to everyone to read, sing, pray.....On the nights my hubby is home, it is certainly easier, but we get in a hurry....gotta make sure we get the exact bedtime, right? GRRR !

So, another goal is to sit down and talk, read, sing, pray with my kids every night. Usually it's a tuck in, a prayer, a kiss and goodnight. My oldest is 10. He doesn't need me to read to him. He loves to read and often goes to bed on his own to read before lights out. That is fine, but I still need to be in there for a portion of that time. I guess, instead of my goal being to sit and talk, the big goal should be to slow down and enjoy my kids. I get so caught up in bedtimes, practice times, homework times....I have trouble just being and enjoying. That is a drawback to my personality. :( It makes me sad.

My husband's grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few months ago. Well, the meds he is on hadn't fully kicked in or weren't tweaked...something. Anyway, he has been really irrational and a bit violent. So much so that we don't know if we will be able to take our children to see him....at least until he is in a long-term care facility. It was just a sad reminder of how quickly things change and the importance of family.

OK....I'm sad now and need to go to bed. Embrace every moment...especially with your children. God bless you all. I'll will be back soon.

TEMPT MY TUMMY TUESDAY

Sorry, I haven't been around too much lately. I have been busy. I've had a lot on my mind. I have been cooking and baking quite a bit (a bit of culinary therapy. :) )

BUT, with the holidays right on top of us....10 days, y'all, till they start...I will be sure to stay on top of this. I might repost some stuff from last year. I got a lot of positive feedback on things like roasting turkey and fixing dressing.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday is a blog carnival that my friends, Lisa and Lana, (twin sisters) co-host. It's a lot a fun.

This recipe is being posted at the request of another blogger pal, Cammie. She found out that I had intended to make this on Sunday. I haven't yet, but will probably be making it in the next day or 2. It seems like a pain in the tush, when you first read this. But, even if it takes you awhile....IT. IS. WORTH. EVERY. MINUTE!!!

CHOCOLATY CARAMEL PECAN BARS

ingredients:

CRUST:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon whipping cream (I use heavy cream)

1 cup all purpose flour

FILLING:

24 vanilla caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 cup pecan halves (if you only have pieces, that is OK, but you want large pieces, not bits)

TOPPING:

1 teaspoon butter

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I sometimes use semisweet)

2 tablespoons whipping cream

Heat oven to 325 F. Grease 9-inch square pan. In medium bowl, combine powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter and 1 tablespoon whipping cream; bled well. Add flour; mix until crumbly. With floured hands, press evenly in greased pan. Bake at 325 for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm to touch.

Meanwhile, in medium saucepan combine caramels and 1/3 cup chipping cream. Cook over low heat until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring occasionally. (If heat is too hot, the caramel will scorch and it will taste bad, as well as stick to your pan.) Remove from heat. Add pecans; stir well to coat. Immediately spoon over baked crust; spread carefully to cover.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt 1 teaspoon butter and chocolate chips, stirring constantly*. Stir in 2 tablespoons whipping cream. Drizzle over filling. Refrigerate 1 hour or until filling is fir. Cut into bars.

*A word about melting chocolate. I prefer to over a bain-marie or water bath. I set up a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. I have a glass bowl sitting on the top of the pan. The steam will melt the chocolate.

Be sure to add your butter and cream. There are certain stabilizers in chocolate that will actually prevent a smooth melt without the add fat. The cream will actually add a gloss to it. Also, when you are melting, be sure to stir. Those same stabilizers prevent the chips from losing their shape. If you wait until they start to change shape, you have scorched your chocolate...nothing can save it.

Finally, don't the water or any condensation get into the bowl. That will cause your chocolate to seize up leaving it grainy and like a thick paste. Really hard to work through.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

SO, I didn't have a post for today. And the world kept spinning. How is that so?

Since I didn't even think about it until now, I think I will take a MHHM break. So, Catey....you are hereby granted a vacation! LOL!

I think that I will still post things, but I will not necessarily get it up each Monday. With the holidays starting on the 25th (see The Great State Fair of Texas countdown), I will certainly have lots to say about holiday stuff.

Today was a good day. I had some people over to come coupon with me. My hubby asked if we actually got couponing done or if we sat and gabbed the whole time. The beauty of couponing is that you can do both simultaneously. We clipped, filed, ate pumpkin bread and homemade blueberry muffins (with fat, juicy, *fresh* blueberries.....the ONLY way to eat a blueberry muffin.)

It has been raining here since Thursday. A quick look at the math. When I say raining "since Thursday" I mean that we have only had about 15 hours out of the last 110 or so without rain. We have had about 10 inches of rain. That makes things in my house a bit difficult. My house uses a septic system. We don't have issues, normally. But, when the ground is saturated, it doesn't want to hold more water....water from the tubs, toilets, washer and dishwasher. :-/ NOT COOL! But, we are making it.

I really have nothing to talk about. Since my throat has been hurting, it makes me feel really tired and run-down. I think I will go sit and watch the rest of Scooby-Doo with the kids before I start our bedtime routine.

Y'all have a good one!

WORK

Simply stated, I don't want to.

It's not that I am lazy. I just don't want to GO to work.

The need is coming. I will stay home this year. Next year? I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen.

I understand our situation. I know what we need to do. I want to do my part to help my family....to help my husband. It isn't fair that he takes on the entire financial responsibility....and the stress that comes with it.

I feel like (after 4 years) that I'm JUST now getting the hang of housekeeping. Don't laugh. I'm GETTING the hang of it....I haven't GOTTEN the hang of it.

Also, we are just so busy. With my hubby gone 18 days a month, I have to get the kids everywhere they are going to go. I don't begrudge them that. And, I don't hold it against my hubby. He is doing a great job providing what we have and giving me the opportunity to stay home as long as I have. I often think (when feeling a time crunch) of how stressed I'd feel during TAKS testing, grading period and lesson plans. (And, yes, they all come at once at some point during the year.) I won't NOT let my kids play soccer or have music lessons because I'm tired.

When I was teaching, I didn't start my work until all the kids were down. I usually had 2-3 hours of work to do each night. (I am a middle school teacher.) I'm just extremely worried that I will be a bad teacher and an even crappier mother and housekeeper. What if my stress comes through in my mothering? What if I'm so tired that I don't want to spend time with my kids? What if they want me to do something with their class and I can't? What if I miss my kids too much?

So tomorrow, I will be going to the school to fill out the paperwork for subbing. I don't mind. It will be OK to go a few days a month. I wish it could be that way all the time. It just can't be. I have thought about trying to do a job share...perhaps for one year. First, I don't know if I would make enough money to do that. Secondly (and mostly), I would have to do a job share for kinder or 1st grade. EEEK! I don't want that age. Period. They won't do job share for middle school, due to the testing.

Let me clarify our situation. There are some things we need to pay down/off and other things we would like to do, as a family. We can't, if I don't work. If I don't work, we are stagnant. If I work, we start to pull ahead. We need to pull ahead.

So, there ya go. This isn't any surprise to my husband. We have talked about it. He knows how I feel. And, if things get better with the economy, I know he will keep me home as long as possible. I also know that if I do go back to work, he will do his best to get me home as soon as possible. He says he likes me to stay home. I enjoy trying to improve on my housekeeping, my cooking, my being a homemaker.

I pray that I will get more time in the near future.

MAKING A HAPPY HOME MONDAY

Yes! It is that time of week again. And, being Labor Day, it means we must labor. Right?

Actually, this bit if labor was done a few days ago. I just decided to put it up.

Making a Happy Home Monday is a small blog carnival that I created. It is hopes of inspiring and encouraging others to find one area in their homes to improve upon. Make it pretty. Make it more functional. Make it clean. Whatever you do, make it happy.

I would love for you to join in. If you do, just link up down below (on Mr Linky) and show/tell us what you are doing!

Over the past month, my hubby and I have really done a lot with the boys' rooms. My oldest switched with my 2 youngest (who share a room.) They are now in the bigger room with their bunk beds. My oldest and 2nd now have "big boy" rooms....meaning it is set up to facilitate homework a bit better.

Well, in my mind, it was just a matter of moving a few key pieces of furniture. Hmmmm....it took us over a week. We had to switch beds, move dressers, clean, rearrange, switch closets....this even included my 2nd son, who had some furniture in his room that belonged to my youngest.

So, we FINALLY got that mostly settled. (I'm still working on detail stuff, but for the most part, we are done.) The thing that was just overwhelming had to do with the toys. TOYS! TOYS! TOYS! There is no way that 4 kids need that many toys! Actually, I'm referring to the 2 youngest, mostly. My oldest, who would rather be on the computer, watching TV, playing DS or reading, has a small selection of toys.....mostly transformers and a few games. My 2nd is in the transition of not really playing so much with toys. Though, he does enjoy lego's, k'nex and more "sophisticated" forms of play. He has a small tub full of his stuff.

Nope, the area is in my youngest boys' new room.....they had 3 of the GIANT tubs, 1 large tub and 3 baskets full of so much. It was sad. Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad that we have been blessed with gifts from friends and the ability to get so much of what our boys want. But, they don't play with them all. Some are outgrown. A few were broken. Some are just not liked by the kids.

SO....the other day, I decided to dedicate a bit of time. Little did I know that it would take me about 5 hours. I went TOY BY TOY! I kept the ones I knew for sure they would like. I sorted out the ones I knew they didn't like. THEN, the ones that were on the fence, I put in the floor to see if they were picked up. If not....they went into the discard bin.

By discard, I mean donation. We have a lovely charity place down the road. They run a thrift store. The merchandise is all donated. I would rather donate than go through the "fun" (note the sarcasm) of a garage sale. (For the record, there was only 1 kitchen-sized trash bag full of trash and/or broken toys.)

Here is a picture of what I'm donating.

The large tub? We still have 2 of those full of toys to be loved by my children. The basket? Just overflow. The bags? Kids' clothes. I recently went through the dresser of my youngest 2 and pulled out grown clothes.

What do you think?

IMMUNIZATIONS

Do you get them for your children?

I could have researched a lot of results.....just as many pros as cons, I dare say. I decided not to. I don't want this to be an article stating fact. I just wanted to share some of my thoughts and feelings on the subject.

I have some friends who don't do any shots for their children. I have no problem with this, I really don't. They have (I trust) prayed the matter through and have decided what is best for their children. And, that should never be taken away. Though I have never asked, I feel that one of my friends chose to not immunize due to religious reasons. I have some friends that probably don't do shots because they are a bit "granola" and depend on nature/homeopathic things vs. synthetic or man-made drugs.

I have one friend who started with shots with her first, but did not continue with her other 2. Her son is autistic. She believes that the autism is due to mercury levels in some of the shots.

I get shots for my kids. I know that God will take care of us. I trust God. I also know that God expects me to use my noggin and use doctors. It is a matter of choice and conviction.

I do, however, watch HOW the shots are given.

My oldest, at 12 months, received the varivax (chicken pox) along with the MMR (measles, mumps & rubella). I knew that he could have a bit of fever. He had fever for 4 days. The doctors had told me if, at day 5, he still had fever, to bring him in. Day 4.....fever gone. Day 5......no fever. Day 6.....

Day 6: (setting the scene): Baby at daycare, Mom in 1st year of teaching (about 6 months pregnant), Dad just getting home from his crash pad in Puerto Rico

Day 6 I get a phone call from the daycare saying that my son is currently in a tepid bath (doctor's orders) to bring down a 105 fever.

"Doctor's orders?"

Yep...they had called the doctor. They had me, my hubby and my doctor on the phone finding out what to do, when we could pick him up, doctor telling the daycare to tell us to get him to the ER (DUH) ASAP.

Yep, Day 6 he actually broke out with chicken pox on the lower extremities and ran high fever. We had to make sure he didn't have a blood infection.

I soon jumped online to find out what was up. It turns out that when the varivax and MMR are given together, there is a *slight* chance of this happening. I knew that we would probably never face that with my other 3. But, I didn't want to take that chance. It is a scary thing, rushing your child to the ER. So, every time my kids were due those shots I just had the varivax put off by 6 months. We never had issues again.

Well, now, I'm faced with another decision. The flu shot. More specifically, something for swine flu. We did the flu shots for 2 years. I didn't have a problem until I found out that there were several strains that you couldn't be vaccinated against. Hmmmm....We stopped getting the shots for a few years. No issues....last year, my youngest did have a mild flu affliction. It was so mild, in fact, that the doctor was shocked to find out the results.

The swine flu, they say, is really no worse than the regular flu. MY only difference in consideration is the fact that my third is predisposed to asthma AND he is in school this year. Something to think about.

What are your thoughts?*

*Please note: I am not asking for advice. I will pray and talk to my hubby and together, we will decide. I am just curious as to what you do and why.

Blessings.

(P.S. I am not going to proof this just now. I need to get the kids in bed. Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors.)

WELL, NOW....HERE WE GO

It is not often that I make people mad with my blog. It is never intentional. I don't LIKE to make people mad. When I do, it bothers me....but has yet to shake me from what I said. I might apologize for the way I have said something. But, in my more "controversial" posts, I have never apologized for saying what was said....and I probably never will. BUT, you never know.

How is that for an attention grabber?

Back about 18 months ago, I made several people mad with my beliefs and my views. I was called various things, most of which did not bother me. What did bother me is when some folk (most being non-Christian) would try to use my lifeline against me. (I'm talking about the Bible, if you are wondering.)

What I'm going to say here tonight has to do with some things that have been bothering me, literally, for MONTHS! You know how it is when you get into a disagreement or some "word sparring" with a person. You leave and then think, "UGH! I should have said....." Well, that is how I have been for awhile. There were (are) many things that I wanted to say....and still do, I just never knew how to say them. I am wondering if maybe God didn't give me the words. Well, now I feel that maybe He has.

You can *guffaw* all you want. You can criticize because I am so bold as to assume I have a direct line to God......well, I do.....if you don't you can get with me. As with any post, I will publish your comment, providing it isn't personally insulting to me, any other reader or Biblically errant. (And yes, I know you might think that subjective, but I get to do that.)

First, I want to share a verse that keeps coming to me. It's just that while praying about this post (I started thinking/praying on it about 6 weeks ago) this verse came to me. So here we go.

2 Timothy 1:12 ~ For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

Hmmmm....have to step back for a sec. I had a whole laundry list of items...more like a dump post. But, it's not going to be that. Sorry, if you were really excited to get after me. :)

It has often been said (after one of my posts) that Christians (myself, in particular) shouldn't judge. They invariably throw out Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. (KJV)

OK, fine. KEEP READING! verse 2 of the NASB: For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

That does not mean that Christians shouldn't make a judgment call about things they see that are wrong. It DOES, however, tell us how we should make those judgment calls.

There are 3 groups of people: Believers, Unbelievers, and False prophets. (I leave it to you to figure out where you fit.) My standard of measure is the Bible. The Bible, is my absolute truth. It will not change. It needs nothing further.

Oh man......my thoughts are muddled. Bear with me.

I need to first explain what the "don't judge" part means to me. I shouldn't make an absolute determination of a person's guilt. That is not my job. I'm not to judge a person's eternity based on the brief snippet of time that I see. That doesn't mean a complete hands-off approach, either. Don't you realize that as a Christian, I am TOLD to tell people of my beliefs...to warn people of their impending doom, should they not accept Christ as Saviour?

What would Jesus do? THE ABOVE!!! That's what He did. That's what He told His followers to do. He didn't say, "Oh, because I love you, I will not warn you. Nor will I allow you to go through the consequences of your actions" (or inactions, as the case may be.) Nope. He wants me to try to love people to Heaven, but be willing to love them to hell.

Another thing about the "don't judge" statement is that everyone can't be judged the same. What does that mean? Well, if you aren't a Christian, you don't live by the same standard that I live by. That does not automatically give you permission to do whatever you desire to do.

When the scribes and Pharisees (John 8) brought the woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, He drew the line in the sand and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Basically, nobody picked up a rock because they knew that they weren't without sin. They all up and left. When Jesus asked her, "hath no man condemned thee?" She stated that no man had.

He said, "neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."

There....cool, huh? Why didn't he condemn her? Because He knew that she was living under a different standard. However, that did not make her sin any less a sin. He told her to SIN NO MORE! We can judge the sin and still value the person.

We are also to beware of false prophets. How can we beware if we aren't allowed a bit of judgment? Jesus said that we will know these by their fruits. He also said that a corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. If the peaches are bad, we are to chop down the tree and throw it into the fire. (Of course, He didn't say "peaches" specifically....LOL~)

Please don't make the mistake of confusing tolerance and love. I love my children....I will NOT tolerate when they speak disrespectfully to me. It does not show them love if I let them stay in bed all day, not doing their chores, never going to school, or learning the ways of the Lord.

It's sad that what I mean in love is seen as judgment. Well, if you are making that call, then aren't you judging me? You obviously don't know my motive. And, I still hold that if you have a problem with what I'm saying, then you need to dig deeper into your own eternal security.

You see, there IS only one way. Yeah, it's nice to think of a big map with many roads...you can choose the interstate: lots of traffic, fast moving, get ya there quickly. Or there is the scenic route....not as quick, but a lot more fun....or the rocky, dirt path: narrow, difficult, lots of obstacles. Well, it's the rocky dirt path. Jesus told us that the way is narrow and difficult.

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Guys, if He wasn't the only way, then WHY was He in Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion? Do you know what He was doing? Do you really?

He was in anguish. His sweat became like drops of blood. He prayed to Abba Father, in Luke 22:42, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."

He didn't want to go through what He was about to face. To carry, not only my sin and sickness, but yours and the sin of everyone else in the world....that is heavy stuff. Think about what that meant. ALL the sickness. ALL the sin. God turned His back on Jesus because of the sin. That was more painful to Jesus than anything He endured physically.

I love this clip.

Go to about 6 minutes for the part about the cup.

Back to what I was saying. If there was ANY OTHER WAY, don't you think Jesus, of ALL men, would have found it? I mean....He's God! Yet, He had to go through the crucifixion to atone for our sins.

*deep breath*

I'm tired. I'm typing way too fast and having to correct a lot of mistakes. :) I don't know if I'm done. I'm done for tonight. I feel certain there will be something from someone that will bring about conversation. That is OK....let's all keep it friendly, please?

Good night, y'all.

GOD BLESS.

ETA:

Spiritual truth #1 - No one is good. All are sinners

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God -Romans 3:23

Spiritual Truth #2 - The payment for sin is death. If you sin, you have been sentenced to the death penalty, and an eternity away from God.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. -Romans 6:23

Spiritual truth #3 - Jesus paid the death penalty for us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. -John 3:16-17

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -John 14:6

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. -John 10:10

Spiritual truth #4 - To accept the free gift of salvation, you must accept Jesus as your Lord and saviour.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. -2 Corinthians5:17

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. -Romans 10:9-11

The above scripture says you need to do three things:

Confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth

Believe in your heart

Don't be ashamed

If you want to be saved and born again, and you are ready to become a new creature in Christ, then pray the following prayer. You can do this right now...right where you are. God will hear you:

Dear Lord, Thank You so much for sending Your Son to pay for my sins, by dying in my place. I accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and I believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead. Thank You for Your free gift of salvation, I gladly accept it. Amen~

If you did this, please let me know in the comment section. I will pray for you.