Cathy Lynn Grossman of USA Today writes: The color of Christmas may be red ink this year for many of the nation's churches. Experts blame 6% unemployment and sinking investment income for pummeling budgets of congregations great and small, black...
Mark Morris is looking to set up a comments system in his blog. Here is part of an email I sent to him this afternoon: Personally, I kinda regret putting a comments section on my blog. On one hand, it...
Gary Peterson has been clearing his desk as he prepares to move to a new job. He says, "I had so much old crap that even I was astounded, and I know without a doubt that I save too much...
On (almost) the same subject as the post below: I like the idea of having things on record. Maybe that's why I'm a writer. And two nights ago, I discovered a little notebook, one of those zillions that I'd bought...
Something in Sainteros's latest offering struck me today. In a list of resolutions, two stood out:Express my creativity without concern for conventionDo something visual and something musicalI致e been going a bit mad lately. I passed a sort of bazaar the...
This morning, 5am She wrote down words of encouragement in a little card, then sealed the envelope. She knew from experience what a difference a few words could make. With secret glee she planned, anticiplating the joy those words might...
From the friend who reads my blog regularly, in response to my post yesterday: The Father looked down on His forlorn child. He saw what she was going through and understood. He knew the darkest nights belong to the loneliest...
I have never liked moving. I say it's a hassle and a bother, but the real reason is much deeper than that. I have A LOT of stuff. People always think I'm exaggerating till they actually see it with their...
Two weeks ago I attended the opening of a new Starbucks cafe. Here's me learning how to make my own coffee... Update: Since the picture REFUSES to load even though I've tried three different webhosts (including Yahoo photos!), I've changed...
You know what? I read other people's blogs and everybody is talking about the LOTR Two Towers movie. I haven't seen it. I didn't see the first one, either. *gasp* *faints* LOL Dunno... it's just not very important to me....
Today my paper's youth section ran a letter from a girl who's suffering from clinical depression. It hurt me to read her story. Clinical depression. Through the years, I've wondered off and on whether I could possibly be suffering from...
A thing of beauty is a joy forever. – John Keats Things of beauty have a value all their own. They might not have a great deal of practical or monetary value, but they are precious nonetheless. They fascinate me....
I saw my room today for the first time. Madelyn wasn't kidding when she said it was square-ish! There is no ceiling fan. In a country where the temperature hovers around 86-95ｰF (30-35ｰC) in the daytime all year round, a...
I now have an Amazon wishlist. I've never shopped at Amazon, which is probably a good thing, considering that throughout 2002 I was buying on average about 6 books a month! But anyway, Anne Geddes' books are on the list....
I moved about 1/3 of my things over to the new place today, on my own. The Soulcare people said they'd help me move tomorrow after church (today, actually, since it's past midnight), so I left the bigger and heavier...
I'm exhausted. Tonight will be the first night in my new place. Everything is in disarray, both in the new place and the old. Tomorrow I'll have to go back to the old place after work to pack the final...
Beautiful people don't communicate with written word. They communicate with another language. They stare. They play games. They turn each other on with pheromones and slobber. They break up their friendships by giving each other the cold shoulder. But.. words?...
Yesterday morning: scrambled out of bed, and... ooyah! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! What the ? The pads of my heels hurt like the (there is just no appropriate simile) each time I put any pressure on them. I could barely walk....
Darren Rowse has a true story of, how shall I put it, an exclusivist church:This story made me angry. It's an extreme illustration of something that I feel many churches today are guilty of - building walls. The pastor that...
Neal, Jon Davis and Josh S have all been posting about relationships lately. Specifically, the longing for one. The other night I was out for dinner with Janelle. As usual, I asked her how her boyfriend is and we talked...
Since I wrote about relationships in my latest post, I decided to dig up my archives for a few related posts I wrote last year. Waiting for THE man:You see, when I was 16 I read a true story that...
Gary Chapman's "love languages" books are famous. I haven't read any of them, though. (Leigh says, "For a bibliophile, you certainly don't read any of the right books!" *grin*) But today I was in the Christian bookstore just down the...
I've been having a cough over the past few days. Not a big deal, except I had it pretty bad over Christmas and I thought it was all over. But noooo, it made a comeback. Stubborn people have stubborn cough...
I've been away from the computer for a few days, supposedly resting and recuperating. Only that's not too easy to do when I see boxes around me every time I open my eyes. *groan* On the upside, I've just ordered...
I'm thinking about cultural differences today. A comment I left on Theophany drew another visitor's fire. Theo said he'd gotten his two children (aged 13 and 15) cell phones for Christmas. I said I wish I'd had a dad like...
A lot is being said about the blogs4God post against Planned Parenthood. It has upset many people, inculding Rachel C., Jordon Cooper, Darren Rowse, Richard Hall, and Richard Bott (can't get into his blog as usual, though). The author has...
Joshua Claybourn comments on Darren Rowse's latest offering: "The focus here should be on Planned Parenthood's evil ways, and none of the critics, besides yourself in this post, have acknowledged that. The blogs4God parody is not offensive. Planned Parenthood is."...
Gregory Popcak responded to my email (see post below):Sunflower, Thank you for your comments. I'm not stupid. I am a therapist. Every day I slog through more pain than you will experience in your entire life I pray. This...
Bryan McAnally has an excellent post on the Planned Parenthood poster parody issue. His is a very balanced view. Several bloggers, including Locdog and Victor Lams, have defended the use of satire in addressing this issue. Victor Lams wrote:"Greater issue:...
I just got a call my cupboard's arriving tomorrow! I'm so excited. And I still haven't decided where to put it. *rolls eyes* The new place is really taking shape. I'm still unpacking, but I've got my figure-skating calendar...
My cupboard didn't arrive!!! They said they'd deliver it at noon and I waited and waited. Nothing. At 5:30pm I called the furniture shop and the lady was horrified. "What, you mean you haven't gotten your cupboard yet?!" Nope... She...
I'm extremely tired tonight and won't post anything too deep. After church, I had to rush back coz the furniture people suddenly decided to deliver my cupboard. I have a cupboard! Yay! :) Then at 4pm I had a Graduates...
11:30am and I feel like I'm going to faint. I drove to work, every turn of the steering wheel asking for more strength than I've ever noticed before. My head feels like it's disconnected from my body, and my body...
You know the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18:10-14? The one where this big-shot religious leader prays, "God, I thank You that I'm not like other people the robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even that...