SOGGI

Tip of the Iceburg

2005-12-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

The day zooms by as if it were asleep. We stand by as another citcom distracts us from reality and we are entertained. Entertained= without thought.... And how can we stand to be in this state of mind at all times? How can that be good for us? People crave the philosophy that will pull them out of this haze and grant them clarity. But what philosophy can man offer that is perfect, when NO man is perfect? And yet we run to it. And once we feel we've learned our fill- having actually touched the very tip of the iceburg- we run zealously with gaping mouths to teach others. HALT! BE WARY! Do not speak so that you may be heard! Speak so that you might inform. Oh the weight that a teacher must carry- because if we teach, we will be held accountable for what we have taught. Rather, we should be like ambassadors and inform. Allow the teachers to teach. Proverbs, in all it's simplicity, is so valuable! Do not take it for granted, and allow the wisdom it holds bring to you the clarity only GOD can give!

Proverbs 6:16-19

16 These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him.
17 A proud look,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans
Feet that are swift in running to evil.
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.

Man! How simple is that? So how difficult is it to avoid these things? To flee from their temptations? Adultery is so prevalant today.... so who knows these things?

Oh how I wish to talk about everything- hmm. In that thought, how can I know that I am still being only an informant.... and not the teacher? I end in humility, ask forgiveness, and hope that you may gather THE clarity that Christ offers us through Proverbs.

Orchids

2005-07-21T11:50:00.000-07:00

Orchids amaze me! There are over 3,000 different species- many which even to this day have not been discovered. It's considered an honor worthy to the Queen to have an orchid named after you. Sometimes I think about that. But then I think if I had the opportunity to name an orchid I wouldn't name it after myself... but someone else I have in mind....

No orchid seems to be alike either. I mean... Compaire the following picture to some of these:
Some Kind of Whispy Orchid
Angeburneum Orchid
Big Leaf Orchid
Bulbophyllum or Elizabeth Ann Orchid
Crocodile Tiger Orchid
Dracula Cordobae Orchid
Meeg Orchid
Feutcha Orchid
Vanilla Pompona Orchid
Nepenthes Orchid
Paphiopedilum or Rosy Dawn Orchid
Pleione Grandflora Orchid
Purple Orchid
Star Like Orchid
Red Orchid
Yellow Orchids

Threading

2005-07-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Check this cool "ancient" method of hair removal! If I had more time I would say more than: I wanna try that!

Up to Date

2005-06-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well... my email is not working, my phone is not working, so therefore it seems as though my communication with the world has been turned off. I'm not sure when things are going to be back up and running again, but I hope soon. For now... anyone trying to contact me would probably be successful if they were to leave a comment on here.... I will check this blog from the Library for now.

Luke and I will be leaving for Grand Marais soon. We found a quaint little place to live up there. Its got some issues, needs fixing up, but if we provide the labor, the Land-Lord said that we would have at least the first month's rent free. God Provides!

The One Campaign

2005-06-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Currently the American government uses 1% of its income to fight poverty in Africa. People there are living in shelter that Americans would hardly call shelter. AIDS runs rampent, but it's hardly their own faults. People ask... why not use protection. The fact of the matter is that the these African citizens have such little money that to buy things like their own TB shot for $5 isn't even affordable. Women prostitute themselves for as little as $2.50 a night to survive! And one woman testified that if they ask for protection, they are beaten! Ladies, can you imagine?! I learned, while watching a program on ABC, that it takes only $16 to put a child through a year's worth of education! Man! You could buy a CD for that!

Oh- I could go on and on about the situation, but the fact stands that the more talking about it, the less action there is. The link above takes you to a website for The One Campaign, that is campaigning to have the percent that America gives to them raise by atleast 1. Hmmf..... we are the richest country in the world- and we give less than any of the other countries who give to the impoverished! How greedy of us. Sign the petition. It doesn't me that you have to donate money, and the fact is I haven't even recieved any junk mail from signing the campaign yet. So what does a spoiled U.S. citizen like me have to complain about?

Key to Lasting Relationships~ Inspired by Chip Ingram

2005-06-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Today's day and age of "love" is absolutely pethetic. The divorced population is the fastest growing marital category in the United States. In 1970 the total number of divorced people was 4.3 million. By 1996, 26 years later, it was 18.3 million! Man! If that was a virus or infection, the CDC would be calling this a catastrophic epidemic!

So lets talk about what we know about these two things...
-How do you go about finding real love?
-Where did you learn your approach?

Stumped? Ever really thought about it? How about this:

Hollywood's Formula for Love
1. Find the right person.
2. Fall in love.
3. Fix your hopes and dreams on this person for your future fulfillment.
4. If failure occurs repeat steps 1, 2, & 3.

Did you notice the Physical foundation of the upside-down pyramid? For most people, that is the foundation of their relationships. They meet a person that they have thought about meeting because of how beautiful they are, and go from there. If sparks fly, they press forward, but if not- it's on to the next hottie. And that pointy tip of the upside-down pyramid doesn't look like a very stable foundation for the rest of that relationship. And they know in their heart of hearts that at any moment it could come crashing down upon them.

So how many times can you find the right person, anyway? People don't usually get married unless they know they are with the right-person... right? How many right people are there? If a man was too look at all the 18 year old+ women's faces in the world for one second, he could never see all of the possible marraige candidates before he died. So how could anyone possibly know they are with the "right-one"? Well... a sad fact is that most people get married as a last stitch effort to save an already struggling relationship.

God's Prescription for Relationships
1. Become the right person.
2. Walk in love.
3. Fix your hope on God and seek to please Him through this relationship.
4. If failure occurrs, repeat steps 1, 2, & 3.

Ephesians 5:1-2
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

I bet if more people would change the order of what leads them to believe that "this person is right for me," they would build themselves upon a foundation leading to the best relationship of their wildest dreams!

*Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships, by Chip Ingram*

Studying Ecclesiastes

2005-06-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 1:18 says:
"For in much wisdom is much greif,
And he who increases knowledge
increases sorrow."

Solomon truly must have been a sorrowful man. Some believe he was very pessimistic. I, on the other hand see him as an optimist. The only reason that Ecclesiastes was written in such a meloncholy and blunt tone is because of the state of mind that Solomon was in. (See 1 Kings 11.) Solomon gained wisdom through reading and books, but not only this...

Ecclesiastes evinces a time when traditional solutions to life's great questions, particularly the meaning of life, have lost their relevance for the author. Rather than respond to such questions with citations from Scripture, Solomon introduces methodology that is predicated on observation and induction. While never disputing the existence of God who has given meaning to His creation, Solomon nevertheless determines to seek out the meaning through his own experience and observation so that he may personally verify it and pass it down to his disciples.

Ecclesiastes 1:13-14:
"And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind."

Solomon realized that everything he had, all of the greatness he had acheived, even the clothes on his back he could not take with him into the kingdom of heaven. He saw that even what happens to the fool, also happened to him. I suppose this means the realization that they are both destined for death. Which... if you think about it... is quite depressing when you know that you have worked so much harder to get to the point you have... and still Joe-Shmow who slacked his life away is just as well off. Futility sinks in.

Solomon must have felt cheated. "For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil." (Ecc. 2:21)

Ecclesiastes 7:3-9
3 "Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth(*gladdness).

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool. This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason. And a bribe debases the heart.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry; for anger rests in the bosom of fools."

I guess I will close with that thought.... Maybe I'll pick this topic up again later and post more about it then.

God of Power and Promise!

2005-06-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

star.jpg

You know... I drew this picture doodling during a H.S. class... Back then it was just a cool picture. It carried no meaning. Nothing that peirced my heart. But now it's something different. This picture and many others showed me that at the heart of my soul there was something starving. My Spirit- and it still found a way to express itself somehow.

Praise God he kept me in his sight! Praise God that my Christian Family never stopped praying for me- because it was the answer to their prayers that I was awakened from my blindness and set free in Christ. It was because of the hedge of protection of angels they asked to gaurd me in Jesus name during the times that I had walked out from his protection that some how kept the seed inside of me alive.... even if it was flickering only a pixel of light.

~ My husband and I were talking... He said if you go into an empty Football Stadium, with every other light off, and spark a lighter- you can stand anywhere in the whole stadium, and still see that light, and it will displace darkness in the room indefinetly!

And when I look back now with eyes wide open, I can see how everthing that occurred happened in such a way that it would lead me to this point. Almighty Lord-
Jehovah Elojim (*sp?: pronounced: el-oh-heem)- God of Power and Promise! You have brought me this far... You lead me through the dark... And so now, I will keep my eyes fixed on you! For you are the only one who I could ever trust! I am excited to be with You!

"Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them." (Ps. 111:2)

"Have You Had Your Vitamins Today?"

2005-06-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

Just as our natural bodies need vitamins daily to replenish and/or maintain a nutritional balance within, our spirit man too needs vitamins (THE WORD) to be digested daily to fight against the attacks of the enemy, by claiming the promises of God over your life and circumstances....

You can go from spiritually deficient to spiritually sufficient by the WORD OF GOD....

So take one or two daily- or better yet why not make it a multi-vitamin and take them all?

A- Ask and ye shall receive; seek and ye shall find. (Luke 11:9)
B- But my God shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19)
C-Casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:7)
D- Delight thyself in the Lord and He'll give you the desires of your heart. (Ps. 37:4)
E- Every good and every perfect gift comes from above and from the Father of light. (James 1:17)
F- For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Cor. 5:7)
G- God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. (II Tim. 1:7)
H- He that dwells under the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. (Ps. 91:1)
I- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)
J- The joy of the Lord is my strentgh. (Neh. 8:10)
K- Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (I Cor. 6:19)
L- Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb. 12:2)
M- Many are the afflictians of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Ps. 34:19)
N- No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
O- Obedience is better than sacrifice. (I Sam. 15:22)
P- Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph. 6:11)
Q-Quench not the Spirit of God. (I Thes. 5:19)
R- Rejoice in the Lord; again I say rejoice!! (Phil. 4:4)
S- Seek ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33)
T- They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:31)
W- What things soever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them. (Mark 11:24)
Y- Yield ye your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Rom. 6:13)

Abba, I Love You

2005-06-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 1:39:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 1:39:2) I am familiar with all your ways (Psalm 1:39:3) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31) For you were made in my image. (Genesis 1:27) In me you love and move and have your being. (Acts 17:28) For you are my offspring. (Acts 17:28) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1:11-12) You were not a mistake, for all your days were written in my book. (Psalm 139:14) I knit you together in your mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) And brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71:6)

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me (John 8:41-44) I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16) And it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3:1) Simply because you are my child and I am your father (1 John 3:1) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11) For I am the perfect father (Matthew 5:48) Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1:17). For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6:31-33) My plan for your future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts towards you are as countless as the grains of sand on the seashore (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19:5)

I desire to establish you will all my heart and all my soul (Jeremiah 32:41) And I want to show you great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3) If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4:29)

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) For it is I who give you those desires (Philippians 2:13) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20) For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are broken-hearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34:18) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40:11) One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21:3-4) And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21:3-4) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son Jesus (John 17:23) For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17:26) He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1:3) He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8:31) And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4:10) I gave you everything I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8:31-32) If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2:23) And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8:38-39) Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15:27) I have always been Father, and will always be Father (Ephesians 5:14-15)

My question is, will you be my child? (John 1:12) I am waiting for you (Luke 15:11-32)

Love,
Your Dad,
ALMIGHTY GOD.