If You Were Stranded . . .

. . . on a deserted island, what book or books would you want to have stashed in your survival
pack?

Being a smart-aleck, I'd say, "I would have my Kindle with dozens of books loaded on it." Poor idea. No electricity on a deserted island.

What has enough oomph to keep me mentally engaged, challenged, and  entertained for who knows how many years?

Pick number one would be the Bible. The contents are meaty enough to chew on for a lifetime. If I couldn't have the entire Bible, I would choose Psalms, Isaiah, and Philippians. Psalms because it teaches me how to pray and praise. It comforts me when I am distressed and overwhelmed. Isaiah because it assures me that what God promises and prophesies always comes to fruition. It plainly outlines that evil will be punished. It reminds me that He will return. And it is long - lots of reading material to while away the day. Philippians because it is a book of love and encouragement. Whenever I read it, I feel soothed, encouraged, and loved by God.

A second pick would be anything by C.S. Lewis. His thought processes, logic, and huge intellect are mind bending. Even a short book by Lewis takes me forever to read because each sentence is packed with layers of meaning.

Because my survival pack has to be stuffed with essentials other than books, there probably wouldn't be room for any more, but if I had a verrry large pack, I would want to include Jan Karon's Mitford and Father Tim books. I've read through the series two or three times and never tire of them. Books filled with genuine, fallible characters who choose to love each other, despite being frustrated by each other, are inspirational. Besides, if I were all alone, they would feel like my friends and neighbors.

Oh, and I'd want to have my reading glasses.

What would be your pick? Fiction or non-fiction? Fantasy? Inspirational? Romance?


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I Need a Sign

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Driving along the road this morning, I saw a series of signs in quick succession:

Rough Road Ahead
Unmarked Pavement Ahead
Uneven Lanes.

Just like life. I thought. There are rough roads, no clear direction, circumstances bounce you up and down.

Wouldn't it be really handy if each day, when faced with a decision or difficult choice, you could look up and see a sign alerting you and guiding you in the direction you should take? I mean, Moses got a burning bush, right?

Nothing fancy, only simple signs like we see every day as we drive.

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Caution
Pull Over
Yield
Wrong Way
Do Not Enter
Right Way
Stop
No Through Road
Congestion Ahead
No Exit
Change Lane.

If there actually were life-direction road signs, would we pay attention? I like to think I would, but, like I sometimes ignore or miss road signs altogether, I am afraid I would do the same with life signs.

But, wouldn't it be nice?

Now, speaking of signs, if you have a couple of minutes and need a laugh watch this. By the end you will be convinced that not only should this woman not be allowed behind the wheel, but she should also be in the constant care of a court-appointed guardian.

Have a great Monday.

Just the Before

It wasn't his main point, only a brief comment before beginning his sermon.

Yesterday, the Pastor said, "The Devil only shows you the before, not the after." His example was seeing a commercial or advertisement of a couple enjoying a drink and how appealing it looks. That's the before. The after is many years down the road and a person hospitalized and dying of cirrhosis of the liver.

Whether someone drinks or not isn't the point and I hope no one gets caught up in the alcohol versus not-alcohol debate. The point is how appealing the Devil can make sin appear. And we only see the fun parts, the enjoyable parts, the exciting parts of a sinful choice. We don't see the repercussions, the hurt, the danger, the sorrow those innocent-seeming sinful choices can lead to.

Some of my family members are deeply hurt and wounded by sinful choices a friend has made. Although this person may think his choices are only affecting him, they're not. They are impacting his family, his friends, his friends' families (as we try to help our kids deal with their hurt and anger), and who knows who else?

Somewhere down the road (we hope), he will realize the destructiveness of his behavior and make a U-turn. However, damage has already been done and some things won't be able to be altered or repaired.

The scripture that runs over and over in my head is:

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward (Hebrews 11:24-26).

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Adopting the Right Attitude

Welcome to the Blogging from A-Z April Challenge 2013. I'm aiming for short, interesting, entertaining and occasionally insightful posts. Topics addressing transitions are the goal . . . but we'll see.

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one. 
Dr. Hans Selye

Transitions are not only physical, but mental and emotional too. Selye's comment on changing our attitude is key to living an optimistic life over a pessimistic life, a healthy life over an unhealthy one, a joyful life over a discontented one.

It's all about choices.

One person is raised in an alcoholic home and becomes an alcoholic. Another person, also raised in an alcoholic home, chooses to drink little or not at all, chooses to not be defined and limited by a difficult childhood and strives to live a physically, mentally and emotionally healthy life.

Adopting the right attitude can help us leap over many negatives on our life's road and not get stuck  in the potholes as long as we choose to turn the negatives into positive learning tools.

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Reach Out and Touch Someone

Welcome to Five Minute Friday - today's writing prompt is Connect

We are an interconnected web of humanity.  Each one's actions affects other people, both positively and negatively.  As we reach out in love, we bless and build up, first one person and then another.

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When we behave selfishly and without regard for the needs, thoughts and feelings of another we break the tenuous threads that bind us to others.

Jesus was a connector, a binder of people.  He reached out to the least and the lost, the despised and rejected.  Once He touched a person's life they were never the same.  He healed and accepted and loved.  Can we do any less?

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

I Took the Road Less Traveled By ...

Five Minute Friday - Today's word is Path

"I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence.  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  This is one of my favorite quotes from the poet Robert Frost.  My daughter bought me a coffee mug a few months ago with this quote and I always have a bittersweet feeling about the words.

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We choose our path, even when we think a path has been forced on us we have still chosen it.  It may lead to marvelous opportunities, it may lead to disaster.  That's the gamble with choosing a path, we only learn the result after walking it.  I have taken a path or two which have caused people I know to wonder about my mental state.  Moving from New York to California as a young single woman with no job at the other end.  Choosing to homeschool my children when the oldest of four was eight years old and the youngest was one.

As a believer, even though I know I should pray ...

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My five minutes are up, again.   What a frustration this five minutes of writing is sometimes. I didn't get to walk down the path I was headed for when I sat down at the keyboard.  I took a meandering path and never got to the point.  Maybe that's one of the blessings of Five Minute Friday, a training ground for focusing thoughts quickly.


Here's how Five Minute Friday Works:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking 
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community...