what makes a bad word a bad word ??

One of the teens in our church youth group posted this question today on face book. My immediate response was to tell her that if you wouldn't use the word in front of the pastor at church it is a "bad" word.

I got to thinking .
Watching commercials on TV and listening to the radio, what used to be considered "bad" words are now everyday words. I remember George Carlin had a list of 7 things you can't say on TV. That was always a good rule to follow. If they can't say them on TV or the radio station bleeps them then they are "bad" words. Now that list has changed to but a few. I have heard church officials use some of the 7 in the church building. I have heard parents and grand parents use some of the 7 when talking to the youth. I have heard lyrics in a song that plays on the radio that 10 yrs ago would have been bleeped. I have watched even Disney characters use words that were on Carlin's list. It's considered a "bad" word if it offends the listener, but what offends one person does not necessarily offend another. I always thought foul language showed ignorance and was used to end an argument that you weren't winning.

Has the society changed so much in just a few decades that now anything is okay to say? Is there no longer a need for a verbal filter when in "polite company"?

Just my thought for the day. Jesus said the tongue was sharper than the sword. He warned against saying things to hurt others.

Snow!

Long story made short.

I had the gas shut off at my house in the summer time and had no heat. I couldn't pay the bill. As the calendar ticked away the months I still could not turn it back on. I had requested help but most agencies that help with that sort of energy assistance wouldn't be able to help until November. We would heat water on the stove for baths but as far as heating the house we were at God's Mercy. Some dear friends had loaned us space heaters but here in my part of the world it can get very cold. I would pray each night for God to help me keep my family warm this fall and winter. Each day when I woke the forecast would be for 65-70 and sunny.

My family started teasing me that it was because of my prayers that the weather was so nice this past October and November. I'd like to think they were partially right. God helped keep my family warm, in His way. I had finally gotten the agencies to work together and have the gas heat turned back on. I had warned my family that 14 days from the day I stopped praying for heat and started giving thanks for the agencies that helped, it would snow.

14 days from the day / hour that I had my heat turned back on.. Guess what!?  SNOW!!!
and it was a beautiful snow, the trees were flocked with a gentle white blanket. The flakes were large and beautiful falling gently to the ground. I felt like I lived in a snow globe.

God had blessed me with the warm fall weather and again to say "your welcome" He blessed me with a beautiful snowfall.

What a great and merciful God!

Falling Leaves

 I only have one tree in my yard but somehow my yard has more leaves than the rest of the block. I had been asked if this bothers me. It doesn't and this is why.

I sent a couple of young adults out to rake the leaves that had fallen from the trees.

When the pile in the back was about 4 feet tall I heard the young lady give out a yelp and the young man laugh. I looked out my window in time to see him toss her small frame into the pile and throw a handful of gold and  brown in her hair. I watched as they playfully enjoyed the leaves like small children. 

When the pile reached 5 and a half feet tall two teenage boys (13) asked if they could jump in the pile. I gladly said yes. I watched as they took turns diving in from the top of the stump. They yelled and laughed so hard! They would take turns making the pile tall again and jumping in.

( for some reason that song from Steven Curtis Chapman kept running through my head) 

"♫♪’m diving in, I’m going deep in over
my head, I want to be
Cought in the rush, lost in the flow,
in over my head, I want to go♫♪"

I really wanted to go and jump in too!  I was remembering the year before when I did dive in with the neighborhood children. I remembered once when my two oldest were small and we played in the leaves an entire afternoon! I remembered the youngest ones picking leaves out of their scarves. I remembered gallons of hot chocolate being poured and trays of cookies being eaten,still outside in the cold and darkness, not wanting the fun to end.

Oh, How Blessed I am, to be the yard that gets all the leaves!

Giving Thanks

The Holy Day of Giving Thanks has just passed. I had a wonderful dinner with wonderful guests.

I got to wondering what the topic of conversation was for the rest of the world.

Did you talk about people? Those who made it to dinner and those that couldn't join the family. Did coworkers, employers or clients come into conversation? Did you discuss the neighbors,community members or the people that had to work that day?

Did you talk about money? Did you make plans for "Black Friday"? Did you talk about how much the turkey cost? Did you make plans for Christmas presents? ( who is buying for whom, and how much you were planning to spend) Did the high cost of gasoline come up?

or
Did you talk about God, the reason for Holy Communion, Jesus' death and resurrection, and the possibility of the second coming? Did you talk about the great and wonderful things God has done for you and your family?

I guess the real question is ..

This Thanksgiving while your family and loved ones were close, did you discuss gossip, greed or God.

As for me and mine, we discussed God and all of His Glory. We gave him Praise!

All This , and Heaven ,Too!

I found a poem by Clay Harrison that mirrors exactly what is in my heart. I must share this with you.

All This,and Heaven,Too!

I have sunlight in the morning

in shades of gold and red

And songbirds serenade me

before I'm out of bed.

I have flowers in my garden

fit for a queen's bouquet,

And I know that God has blessed me

before I kneel to pray.

I have food for my table,

and some that I can share;

God's goodness and His mercy

follow me everywhere.

I have family to love me

and friends to see me through,

But best of all, God's promise...

All this, and Heaven too!

Here is the list of things that I saw today that made me say "All this, and Heaven too!

a warm shower on a cool day

the color of the sky is the same blue in my youngest daughter's eyes

the carpet of gold and brown leaves on the neighbor's lawn

the look on a young man's face when he realized God loves him

the smile on my oldest daughters face when she woke

my brother's humor

too many doughnuts on the kitchen table

my daughter in love's giggle over the phone

a kitten purring on my lap

the sun reflecting in my coffee cup

being able to type this

It's only 9am. The list will grow. What happened for you today that made you say:

"All this, and Heaven too!" ?

Be Blessed

I'm ready

We are coming up on 11/11/11 and there are a lot of "dooms day" predictions out there.
  Asteroids hurtling towards earth, Planet X in a near earth orbit, 2012 Mayan calendar ends, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, Revelations,ancient aliens returning, earthquakes, floods, famine, riots in the streets of the cities, the list goes on.

I guess to me it doesn't matter when or how. the question is "am I ready?"

I could have a stroke today and be gone tomorrow. Have I lived my life to the best of my ability? Have I accepted Christ? YES. I am not saying I am perfect only that I am forgiven. If January 1, 2013 comes around just like any other new year, I am ready for that too.Only God knows when life on this planet will change. We will all just have to wait and see. I refuse to spend the time worried. I will spend the time worshiping.

I will wake up each morning like Sponge Bob and jump out of bed singing;  ♪"I'm Ready, ♫I'm Ready"♪! with joy in my heart. I know that whatever happens and whenever it happens I am Ready!

Are you ready my friends? Prepare and Praise God!
Be Blessed my friends

Missing Children

Disclaimer: 
This is not one of those "feel good" messages. My writing reflects my mood. 

I was asked to write about "The Children's Sabbath" for my church. They wanted to know my feelings about the children in our church. I have a good sense of the children in the neighborhood and have several children of my own. The local church thought that this made me some sort of "knowledgeable adult".

They are not going to like what I have to say.

Where are the children?

I sat there and saw only the pastor's grandchildren. No other children were at church that day. We celebrated the 90th birthday of one of the congregants but no children. We typically celebrate birthdays for people over the age of 80. We rarely celebrate the birthday of anyone under 18. This leads me to ask "where are the children and why are they missing from church".

When we sign them up for football we take them to every practice. When we sign them up for scouts we take them once a week. Parents will wake up extra early to get their child where they need to go on time. Except to church. We sign them up for a life with Christ when we baptize them but then what? We don't bring them to practice life with Christ.

We all want to make sure our kid is the best at whatever sport or activity they want to join, but we seem to forget the important thing is saving their soul. I have heard parents say things like "practice your piano and someday you'll be famous". I never heard a parent say "read your Bible and someday you will be saved".

I guess I don't understand why it is so imperative that our children practice for this world but not for the life eternal that Jesus promised. Is it just to much work to wake the kids on Sunday? Do we, as parents, feel it is something they can do when they grow up? Maybe it's that most of us adults don't like to get up on Sunday so we just don't want to bother trying to get our kid to get up either.

Whatever the excuse we use doesn't justify the fact that there are very few small children practicing life with Christ and it is reflecting on the lives they lead as teens and young adults.

Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."