ode to Jode

this is my friend Jody.  today is her birthday.   i won't tell you how old she is though, because i like being her friend.  
i'm not very good at poetry, so i won't try to write a poem, but i will tell you why she's my friend:

1) everywhere we go we have a good time, yes, even to a funeral!

2) she's a riot, and you never know what she's going to say!

3) it's fun to tease her about bacon.  she hates it, but i always invite her over when we have it just to hear her politely say "no thank you".

4) she's only serious when needed, otherwise she loves to laugh.

5) she's got a crazy family, crazy as in fun though-not mad.  so it doesn't make mine look near as bad.

6) she lets me be me.

7) she looks sophisticated, but isn't. don't tell everybody though.

8) we can walk around the c-store looking at things and eat ice cream, and then pay for it, and she thinks its fun!

9) she likes apples

10) she loves God.

i wish that all of you could get to know my friend Jody, but she's great, just take my word for it!

poem

yesterday i went to my moms to help her clean out some things, we didn't do what we had planed on doing, but ended up cleaning out something else.  and in that mess that was mine, i found some poem books.  i like to write down and keep copies of things that other people have wrote, just because it holds a special memory or something to that effect, or it just spoke something significant to me.  the poem i'm going to post is one that i've held on since 1999 or 2000 (that was just yesterday right?)  anyway, i was a part of a social network called collegeclub and you signed up for all these things that you want to get in on, whether it's about a fav movie, or music, or poetry, and on and on and on, like i said this was the first big social networking thing that i knew about, anyway, there was this post by this person who i only know as libteconilgst or something to that effect, and i've carried this poem with me many many places, and here it is, making an appearance on the world wide web, with the whole 4 people that read my blog, anyway, i hope you enjoy this poem as much as i did.

hey God

hey God what's been up with You lately?

and You ask about me?

i've been okay,

i'm sorry that i haven't found time to pray.

i was hiding between my books and it flew away on a daydream,

about the guy down the hall.

the truth, the hard facts

well... i don't mean to dis You 

but...

other things are more important

than You.

at least right now.

at least until i cry.

i'm just being real God

i mean

i love You

yeah, just like the player loves his...girl

sure i love you.

but You know You aren't the only 

god in my life.

money, clothes, school, guys,

friends, parties, sleep...i really love sleep

they are gods too.

they make me.

why should You get priority?

oh, just because You made me?

Just because You sent Your Son and He died for me?

hmmmm....

and You protect me

You love me

You're always there

even though

even though i treat You like 

this?

well my clothes protect me

and my friends make life fun,

but i guess You have a point here,

You don't come first

and i know what You want

all or nothing eh?

all of me or none?

okay, i've decided

wait

can we make a deal?

how about i give You 

80 percent

and i keep 20?

all or nothing?

but i'm not perfect

all or nothing?

You know, i give up

i can't take this

it's nothing

You hear that?

i can't do this anymore

it's nothing

no more lies.

see, because i love You like a player 

loves his...girl

and i don't want to hurt You 

anymore

it's nothing, i promise God, no more

it's better if i just give up

than if i stand in the middle.

wait God wait!

where are You going? come back in

i just died to my flesh

the answer was nothing

i choose nothing

i give You everything

Satan gets nothing.

You thought i would choose him over You?

well, i see why You would

i have been.  but no more winner takes all

and in the fight of good verses evil, You must win.

Psalms 1

how happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the paths of sinners, or join a group of mockers!  instead, his delight is in the Lord's instruction, and he meditated on it day and night.  he is like a tree planted beside streams of water that  bears its fruit in season and who's leaf does not wither.  whatever he does prospers.  the wicked are not like this; instead, they are life chaff that the wind blows away.  therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous.  for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

quote

when God is abandoned; truth is abandoned; and when truth is abandoned, the basis for moral law is abandoned.

Determination

Yesterday i had the wonderful privilege to watch 2 beautiful girls while their mother was at a doctors appointment. it wasn't for very long, maybe 5-10 min, but the fun stuff happened while i was in the waiting room with them and their mother. the littlest girl is 3 years old, and have a very big, strong personality! she's a riot! anyway, she's standing in front of me doing what this little girl in the picture is doinglike any good friend, i swiped away her hand, she didn't quite get her finger in her nose, but boy was she headed there rather quickly! but she went at it again, and again, finally i told her to stop it! she just looked at me and said "NO! I HAVE A BUGGER!" her mom heard this and rushed to the receptionist for a tissue.

now, this little girl was determined to get what she wanted! she wanted that bugger out! (now bear with me, i'm going somewhere with this) and she would stop at nothing. however, she was not about to ask for help.

i looked at her and i thought, i'm sure there's a lesson in this somewhere! i just know there is! it's to funny not to get a lesson out of it. so the lesson i came up with is, that's how we need to be in our walk with God. Relentless! not backing down, not giving up until the obstacle is out of our way. but so many times, we ask God to do all the work and leave none of the work for us, or the other way around, we try to do all the work and it's God who needs to do it. i think it varies on the situation. but the question is, are was as determined as this little girl was to get obstacles out of our way? or are we going to let it continue to hinder us?

hands

it's been a bit since i've posted anything.  i've thought about a few things, but then i just got to tired to post them, and now they don't seem that blog worthy anymore.  but as i did some research last night, this was laid on my heart.  

a few days ago i received some mail from world vision.  it's a group that helps children world wide, children that are poverty stricken and don't really have a hope.  i have one child that i sponsor from Ecuador and it's been on my heart to sponsor another child i really wanted to sponsor one from South Africa.  and there she was.  she's from Swaziland.  

i have a very strong desire to go to South Africa, and the same strong desire to adopt children from there.  i've shared that with a couple of my friends, and they told me i would have to learn how to grease hair, braid, and maybe even get botox so my kids will feel like i'm really their mom.  (it's just fun to talk about). hopefully the man that i will marry will have the same vision that i have!

 anyway, i was interested in Swaziland, and my heart broke.  they are so stricken with AIDS and HIV that they are predicting by the year 2028, the  population of Swaziland will be 0.  AIDS will have wiped out an entire country.  

World Vision is stepping in and hoping and praying that people will sponsor the children to give them a hope.  they are called "hope children", they have special needs seeing how they are surrounded with death and severe illness.  the cost is $35.00, but i believe it is well worth it, just to give these kids hope.  to let them know that there is a God and they are loved.  Swaziland has had a lot of kidnappings and rapes too.  these children are precious!  it breaks my heart.  on the positive note, they do speak English in Swaziland, so if i were ever to go, the language barrier won't be there, or at least not as strong.

if you are interested in sponsoring a child you can go to worldvision.com, you can pick the gender, age, country, any special needs or birthdays and you can help paint a better world for these children and give them a chance to come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

below are lyrics from a secular song by Jewel.  but i couldn't pass up posting them.  they are so true.

"Hands"

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear
My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn't steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn't ever after
We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
I am never broken
In the end only kindness matters
In the end only kindness matters
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's mind
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's heart
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's hands

PATIENCE

HAVE PATIENCE
HAVE PATIENCE
DON'T BE IN SUCH A HURRY
'CAUSE WHEN YOU'RE IMPATIENT
YOU ONLY START TO WORRY
REMEMBER
REMEMBER
THAT GOD HAS PATIENCE TOO
SO THINK OF ALL THE OTHER TIMES
WHEN OTHERS HAVE WAITED ON YOU!!