One of the issues I have debated with others about quite often is given or tithing as the church calls it. I have heard every excuse in the book for why we don't have to give, why we can't give or why it just isn't our duty to give. Personally, I think they are all hogwash.
I have been told that its our duty to find out how the receiver will use the gift and this should determine whether we give or not. I must disagree with this also. I probably need to clarify this statement though because obviously, some wisdom must be used in giving. For example, I know of a situation where a church member withheld their financial support from the church because they did not favor one Elder of the church. To me, this is just an excuse to keep your money for yourself. That's kind of funny since the money we have is not really ours anyway.
One person I continually discussed this with explained that although he had given 10% faithfully, he had never received the return we are promised. My answer to that has always been that the giver's attitude was not right. I will agree that obedience is in order even if the heart is not but I'm not sure we are richly blessed and rewarded for our obedience as much as we are for a right heart.
So, how does a person get a right heart? It seems an impossible thing to convey to another. Recently, as I was reading Proverbs it hit me like a lightning bolt! Here's the verse that got me: Proverbs 22:9 "Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor". Do you see the answer?
I've never understood holding on to possessions so tight and I think it comes from a story I heard as a child. The story goes: Some parents and their children were camping one weekend in their family camper. The mother was washing dishes and took off her wedding ring and put it on the back of the sink. In the commotion of packing up she forgot to put her ring back on. On the trip home, she realized she did not have it on. They stopped and tore the camper apart to find it but never found it. Her daughter began to cry for her mom and felt horrible. Her mom said to her "Honey, never cry over anything that cannot cry over you". I have to admit... if I had been in the same situation, I'm pretty sure I would have been crying! But, I never forgot the story and it taught me that possessions are just that - possessions - things - you can't take them with you!
Here's the point I learned from that Proverb verse - We must FIRST see ourselves as bountifully blessed before we will have the right heart and attitude when giving to others! Once you believe that God has given you everything you have and will continue to bless your socks off it makes it so easy to turn around and bless others!
After reading that and pondering it over the last couple of weeks I absolutely believe it to be true. I am constantly telling others how blessed I am and I believe that! I love to share my blessings with others. I have often told others that I can really see in my life when I am giving and when I am not. Its very obvious in the blessings that I receive. Seriously!
Moral of the blog.... If you are one of those folks who have a hard time parting with cash, possessions or your time to help others try to look at your own life and see how you have been blessed and pay attention to every good thing that comes your way and thank God for them! Over time, you will begin to feel blessed and as you make it habit to do so, you will begin to experience the unbelievable joy in giving!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
House Update # 1
Back when I started my blog I wrote about moving to my parent's house and I think I mentioned some of the challenges of moving here and the condition to which I found it after it had been vandalized. I've worked hard at getting the house put together, selling off everything extra at my "Big Ass Garage Sale" which was a great success. Now, I need to have a small hiney garage sale and get rid of more stuff.
I wanted to add some pictures of a few rooms that have been finished.
First is my bathroom. Here's a before picture. The first picture on the left is what it looked like when my folks lived here. The second picture is what it looked like 6 years later when I moved here. The lovely neighborhood thieves stole that attractive handicap and rusted toilet.
That's about as girly as I can get although I did pick up a $10 chandelier at a yard sale to hang in here but I just haven't gotten around to it. I keep thinking some knight in shining armor is going to show up to do it for me but so far that hasn't happened.
There is also a sign inside the pink frame now that says "Its never to late to Live Happily Ever After". I thought it was very appropriate for my life.
I love my little laundry room. Its not much and isn't big but since I have very little storage at this house I have to make a little space go a long ways.
Before pictures:
I can't remember which came first but I picked out this really bright yellow color for my sewing room or my laundry room and loved it so much I did both rooms. I really think I picked it for the laundry room first. The room is long and narrow and dark so I wanted a color that would reflect any light that made it in there and also put me in a cheery mood every time I see it. Here's the finished -and incredibly full, but organized - laundry room.
As for the living room and bedroom, I just had to figure out how to make everything fit in those rooms. I haven't painted either room. My bedroom has a 1/2 bath but because the thieves took the toilet out of there too and I have yet to replace it, it is just a storage room for now. I don't have a good picture of the living room but here is the bedroom although it has already changed from this. I found that that the old screen with the little dresses kept getting bumped so I hung a picture there instead.
When I moved in my office it was green due to my bargain $5 paint purchase at Home Depot. I'm just not a green person. So, I painted it a lavender color and made it the "bear" room .
I wanted to add some pictures of a few rooms that have been finished.
Since moving here I have gotten a new toilet (first thing), painted and decorated it into a "girly" room.
There is also a sign inside the pink frame now that says "Its never to late to Live Happily Ever After". I thought it was very appropriate for my life.
I love my little laundry room. Its not much and isn't big but since I have very little storage at this house I have to make a little space go a long ways.
Before pictures:
I can't remember which came first but I picked out this really bright yellow color for my sewing room or my laundry room and loved it so much I did both rooms. I really think I picked it for the laundry room first. The room is long and narrow and dark so I wanted a color that would reflect any light that made it in there and also put me in a cheery mood every time I see it. Here's the finished -and incredibly full, but organized - laundry room.
As for the living room and bedroom, I just had to figure out how to make everything fit in those rooms. I haven't painted either room. My bedroom has a 1/2 bath but because the thieves took the toilet out of there too and I have yet to replace it, it is just a storage room for now. I don't have a good picture of the living room but here is the bedroom although it has already changed from this. I found that that the old screen with the little dresses kept getting bumped so I hung a picture there instead.
When I moved in my office it was green due to my bargain $5 paint purchase at Home Depot. I'm just not a green person. So, I painted it a lavender color and made it the "bear" room .
Here are a few more favorite pictures from my house. I have a long ways to go. Its a small house but just right for me. I want it to be a cozy, welcoming house where a person feels comfortable putting their feet up and relaxing.
The old birdhouse is something I found at an Antique Mall awhile back for $22. I just couldn't pass it up. It has so much character. The big picture behind it is one of my most favorite possessions. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Its about 5' x 4' on a big heavy board plank and is probably 100+ years old. The paint is chippy and the old wood shows through in just the right places. One of the things I love most about it is that there are 2 churches among the houses on the right side of the painting. This painting was the big adventure when moving. I wrapped it in Saran Wrap and then we laughed every time we started to move it because I was so paranoid more paint would fleck off of it. My son finally decided he wasn't moving it at all. It was all mine to take care of. That works for me!! The last picture is my front porch decorated for the 4th of July. I love my little porch. Its not much but its a nice place to sit when the weather is less than 100 degrees outside.
I hope you enjoyed the tour. I'll post more as I get more work done. I'm afraid a lot of what is left is big ticket items that don't show up too well like a new roof, new A/C and heat, etc.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Moses: The Corporate World
I'm currently studying the life of Moses and finding God's glory, blessings and humor (yes, humor) throughout his life. Not all of this humor is exactly related to Moses but more about things I read in scripture that strike my funny bone. If it doesn't strike yours the same, well, sorry but its my blog and I'll laugh if I want to....
I work for Dell which has some 100K+ employees all over the world. It doesn't get much more corporate than that. I can honestly say that I so look forward to the day when I can kiss the corporate world goodbye and work at something I want to do because I want to do it and not something that just brings in a healthy paycheck.
Today I was reading Exodus 5 where Moses first approaches Pharaoh and asked that the people be allowed to travel 3 days into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord. This request doesn't sit too well with Pharaoh. He reasons (now, here comes the corporate part) that if the people have enough time on their hands that they can make a 3 day trip for something he considers quite petty, that they must not have enough to do. So, Pharaoh says no to the request and then decides to put new policies in place for the brick makers. Apparently, up until this point, the foremen provided the straw to the brick makers. Pharaoh is now saying that this will no longer be provided. The people will now have to go find their own straw wherever they can to make their bricks and even though this new process is much more difficult than their past process, they still must produce the same quota of bricks per day.
Are you seeing it yet? If you have worked around the corporate world very long at all, you have surely experienced layoffs and budget cuts. Of course, they have nice corporate sounding words for layoffs and budget cuts and work really hard at making us feel like its for our benefit - those of us who still have a job.
So, in order to be more efficient and make better use of Pharaoh's (the company's) resources, we will no longer be able to provide the straw (supplies, staff) previously in place for brick making (order completion, product lines, sales). Because it has been observed that the slaves (staff) have abundant time for 3 day journeys to the wilderness (lunches, breaks, potty breaks) slaves (staff) will now be required to obtain their own straw (office supplies) to complete the required allotment of daily bricks (job requirements). In the long run, this will make our operations much more productive and cost effective resulting in the company stock prices to rise and adding a thicker lining to our shareholder's pockets. yada, yada, yada, Who knew the corporate world existed 6000 years ago???
Moses : "BUT I DON'T WANNA..."
I've decided to spend a little time studying the life of Moses. Its a bit of a long story explaining why but I'll try to sum it up by saying I have had questions all of my life about why God placed me in the home he did when I was born. You see, I am adopted. He could have put me in any household looking for a child but he chose the one he did for a reason. Yet, even after wondering about this for the last 25+ years I still have no clue as to the reason why the stork dropped me off where he did. It occurred to me this last week that Moses has the same sort of situation. Yes, he was born to his own mother and he was even raised by her to a point but the Bible says that once he was raised, he was taken back to Pharaoh's daughter and given to her to finish raising as her own child. Do you think his mother told him he had a great purpose in life? Do you think he wondered why he was spared and what God wanted of him for sparing his life?
As I go through Exodus, I thought I would write some of the interesting things that strike me along the way. I tend to have a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor and I find much humor in the Bible. If you have raised children, you should too. Very often, God deals with us just as we deal with our children. Here's a prime example:
How many times have you reasoned with your child to get them out the door in the morning or to get them to jump in the pool or get on the school bus or get off of the school bus, etc. All the while we are compromising with them in the back of our minds we are thinking "Good Grief! How ridiculous is this??" I feel this is exactly what God did with Moses when he balked at being the one to speak to Pharaoh. "Oh no God, I CAN'T do that!" What Moses is really saying is "I don't WANT to do that. I'm afraid!". Now, can't you just see God standing there, arms crossed, tapping the front of his foot up and down and saying, "OOOKKKK... what if Aaron goes with you and even stands in front of you?" All the while God knows he has fully equipped Moses for this task but he is giving in a bit to get the show on the road. How many times are we tempted to just sweep the little boogers up by the hand, plant a little pop on the hiney, and say "JUST DO IT!"? I mean, let's face it, Nike has made millions with this statement. But no, God is patient and loving and works with Moses instead of just laying down the law.
Anyway... we serve a GREAT GOD! One who knows us inside and out and yet stops and says, "OK, what's the problem?" and then doesn't look at us like we are complete idiots for not believing in ourselves because both God and us know that he doesn't give us anything to do that is more than we can do. Why do we balk when we get a clear "GO" from God?
So, what's my point? I don't really have one other than to see the humor in the fact that God deals with us just as we deal with our children. He's the first and best role model we will ever have.
Here's another piece of humor I read today that is not really long enough for a blog entry but it cracked me up anyway. Should I mention somewhere in here that I'm currently taking a lot of pain pills for my back? Maybe that is why things are so funny to me these days. Oh well...
So, when God told Moses to throw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake, Moses ran! Apparently, Moses was afraid of snakes! I'm not sure why I think that is funny. Maybe its because I am one of the only people I know who is not afraid of snakes. We do have to give Moses credit though because when God told him to pick up the snake by the tail the Bible doesn't say Moses hesitated at all. I would venture to guess that most of the snakes in that region were probably poisonous snakes too.
That's it. Just learning and laughing my way through Exodus!
As I go through Exodus, I thought I would write some of the interesting things that strike me along the way. I tend to have a wicked, sarcastic sense of humor and I find much humor in the Bible. If you have raised children, you should too. Very often, God deals with us just as we deal with our children. Here's a prime example:
How many times have you reasoned with your child to get them out the door in the morning or to get them to jump in the pool or get on the school bus or get off of the school bus, etc. All the while we are compromising with them in the back of our minds we are thinking "Good Grief! How ridiculous is this??" I feel this is exactly what God did with Moses when he balked at being the one to speak to Pharaoh. "Oh no God, I CAN'T do that!" What Moses is really saying is "I don't WANT to do that. I'm afraid!". Now, can't you just see God standing there, arms crossed, tapping the front of his foot up and down and saying, "OOOKKKK... what if Aaron goes with you and even stands in front of you?" All the while God knows he has fully equipped Moses for this task but he is giving in a bit to get the show on the road. How many times are we tempted to just sweep the little boogers up by the hand, plant a little pop on the hiney, and say "JUST DO IT!"? I mean, let's face it, Nike has made millions with this statement. But no, God is patient and loving and works with Moses instead of just laying down the law.
Anyway... we serve a GREAT GOD! One who knows us inside and out and yet stops and says, "OK, what's the problem?" and then doesn't look at us like we are complete idiots for not believing in ourselves because both God and us know that he doesn't give us anything to do that is more than we can do. Why do we balk when we get a clear "GO" from God?
So, what's my point? I don't really have one other than to see the humor in the fact that God deals with us just as we deal with our children. He's the first and best role model we will ever have.
Here's another piece of humor I read today that is not really long enough for a blog entry but it cracked me up anyway. Should I mention somewhere in here that I'm currently taking a lot of pain pills for my back? Maybe that is why things are so funny to me these days. Oh well...
So, when God told Moses to throw his staff on the ground and it turned into a snake, Moses ran! Apparently, Moses was afraid of snakes! I'm not sure why I think that is funny. Maybe its because I am one of the only people I know who is not afraid of snakes. We do have to give Moses credit though because when God told him to pick up the snake by the tail the Bible doesn't say Moses hesitated at all. I would venture to guess that most of the snakes in that region were probably poisonous snakes too.
That's it. Just learning and laughing my way through Exodus!
Friday, July 6, 2012
Today has enough trouble of its own!
Have you ever wondered what "worry" is about? Why do we
worry? Why can't we STOP worrying? Well, I think it comes down to one simple
thing. Ready? You aren't gonna like it....
We worry because we want to CONTROL OUR LIVES. See, our little human minds believe that if WE do all the worrying, then we can control the outcome of situations. Giving up control of our lives is probably the hardest thing anyone of us will ever do. But, here's the big secret in all of this - once you try it - that is giving up the worry and letting God who is in charge of all do the worrying for you - it is one of the most free feelings you will ever experience.
Have you ever found yourself in a circle like this: "I worry that my car is going to break down any day and I won't be able to fix it and then I won't be able to go to work and then I will lose my job and then I will lose my house and then my family will leave me and then....." This is a vicious cycle and we can not serve God wholeheartedly while we're riding this train. So, I say - GET OFF.
The Bible clearly states that we are not to worry. And not only are we not to worry about important things - we are not to worry about the piddly things either! Good Grief! Isn't God just a tad busy with saving the world from hunger and terrorists to worry about the fact that I have NOTHING to wear?? We are so good at boxing God up into our own little human perimeters.
"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the ski: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you - you of little faith? So, don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34.
So, here's my challenge to you - ask yourself this question - Do you in your daily life (I mean every bit of it) seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? If you can say yes to that, then there isn't a reason in this world to worry. I'm not saying you have to be perfect but if your overall intent in life is to put God first, then you MUST believe that God will care and provide for you. If it helps, keep a journal. Record the challenges in life and how they were resolved. This helps a lot of people see that God was with them all along. Things don't always work out the way WE would plan them but they do work out the way GOD designs them too.
Give it a try - just for one day. Leave every single worry to God. Now, don't get me wrong. You still have to make decisions and function in life. You just have to give up worrying about the things that worry can't change.
We worry because we want to CONTROL OUR LIVES. See, our little human minds believe that if WE do all the worrying, then we can control the outcome of situations. Giving up control of our lives is probably the hardest thing anyone of us will ever do. But, here's the big secret in all of this - once you try it - that is giving up the worry and letting God who is in charge of all do the worrying for you - it is one of the most free feelings you will ever experience.
Have you ever found yourself in a circle like this: "I worry that my car is going to break down any day and I won't be able to fix it and then I won't be able to go to work and then I will lose my job and then I will lose my house and then my family will leave me and then....." This is a vicious cycle and we can not serve God wholeheartedly while we're riding this train. So, I say - GET OFF.
The Bible clearly states that we are not to worry. And not only are we not to worry about important things - we are not to worry about the piddly things either! Good Grief! Isn't God just a tad busy with saving the world from hunger and terrorists to worry about the fact that I have NOTHING to wear?? We are so good at boxing God up into our own little human perimeters.
"This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the ski: they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Can any of you add single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don't labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won't He do much more for you - you of little faith? So, don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34.
So, here's my challenge to you - ask yourself this question - Do you in your daily life (I mean every bit of it) seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? If you can say yes to that, then there isn't a reason in this world to worry. I'm not saying you have to be perfect but if your overall intent in life is to put God first, then you MUST believe that God will care and provide for you. If it helps, keep a journal. Record the challenges in life and how they were resolved. This helps a lot of people see that God was with them all along. Things don't always work out the way WE would plan them but they do work out the way GOD designs them too.
Give it a try - just for one day. Leave every single worry to God. Now, don't get me wrong. You still have to make decisions and function in life. You just have to give up worrying about the things that worry can't change.
Numbered Hairs
Here's a short little thing
to think about today...
The Bible says "are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered".
All of my life I took this to mean that God knows how many hairs are on my head at any given moment but recently someone brought to light that not ONLY does he know how many hairs their are - each has a unique identifiable number! Imagine that! So, when you sweep your bangs to the side or tuck your hair behind your ear, just remember that may have been number 1000-4000. :-)
God is SO big that we can not fathom it with our human brains! Its overwhelming to think that he knows each of us individually, that each of us have a unique name known only to him but to think that he knows us so intimately that he even numbers every hair on our heads!
Heaven is gonna be great!
The Bible says "are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered".
All of my life I took this to mean that God knows how many hairs are on my head at any given moment but recently someone brought to light that not ONLY does he know how many hairs their are - each has a unique identifiable number! Imagine that! So, when you sweep your bangs to the side or tuck your hair behind your ear, just remember that may have been number 1000-4000. :-)
God is SO big that we can not fathom it with our human brains! Its overwhelming to think that he knows each of us individually, that each of us have a unique name known only to him but to think that he knows us so intimately that he even numbers every hair on our heads!
Heaven is gonna be great!
Follow up to "Would Jesus hang out at Hooters?"
I came across a section of
scripture this morning that was new to me although I'm sure I've read it many
times before. I was still thinking about the Hooter's blog when I found this.
It comes from 1 Corinthians 5:9-12:
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler - not even to eat with such a one.
I don't believe Paul is telling us not to associate with these people (sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters). He is telling us not to allow this behaviour to go on among believers and to cast out anyone who commits these acts continually and still calls themselves a Christian. He says that if we were not to associate with those people outside of the church, we would need to leave the world. I do not believe this applies to people who are struggling with a sin and trying to overcome it. I believe this refers to those who relish in what they are doing and somehow call it good.
I believe he is calling us to associate and teach the lost outside of the church. He is also teaching us to keep the House of God pure and undefiled.
The truth is that not all people can do this. If going into the world and associating with those of the world would bring temptation to great to resist - then this is not what God is calling YOU to do. The people who can do this and not become defiled need a support base that remains within the walls of God's house. Find where you fit best and plug in! God didn't create us all to do the same thing.
I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler - not even to eat with such a one.
I don't believe Paul is telling us not to associate with these people (sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and and swindlers, or idolaters). He is telling us not to allow this behaviour to go on among believers and to cast out anyone who commits these acts continually and still calls themselves a Christian. He says that if we were not to associate with those people outside of the church, we would need to leave the world. I do not believe this applies to people who are struggling with a sin and trying to overcome it. I believe this refers to those who relish in what they are doing and somehow call it good.
I believe he is calling us to associate and teach the lost outside of the church. He is also teaching us to keep the House of God pure and undefiled.
The truth is that not all people can do this. If going into the world and associating with those of the world would bring temptation to great to resist - then this is not what God is calling YOU to do. The people who can do this and not become defiled need a support base that remains within the walls of God's house. Find where you fit best and plug in! God didn't create us all to do the same thing.
Would Jesus hang out at Hooters?
So, would he? Don't answer
too quick. What about the local bar on a Friday night?
I believe he would hang out at Hooters or any other place today's "good" Christians frown upon. You see, Jesus made it very clear that he came to this world for the non-believers - not the believers. He came for the sick, not the well. He came for the sinner, not the saved.
In Matthew 9 and Mark 2 the Bible clearly shows Jesus reclining with tax collectors and sinners. Now, look at that line again - Jesus was reclining with them. He was not sitting straight up at attention and nervously looking around to see who might see him. He was reclining. I don't know what reclining means to you but to me it means relaxed, resting, comfortable and in no rush to leave. Now, can you do that? Could you go down to the local Hooters or Pike's Peak and hang out without feeling like you were doing something wrong? Or, would you be looking over your shoulder constantly to see who might have seen you there because you know your name would be ruined at Church for sure.
I challenge you to think long and hard about this one. Let me tell you a true store that happened to me.
I worked in a small office with about 12 people. I was the only Christian in the office. I really cared about these people and they were my friends so when they went to their monthly Happy Hour at a local bar I decided to go along. All bars have Coke on hand because it is used in many mixed drinks. So, I decided to go and hang out and just drink pop. Let me interject here that I really don't think there is any sin in drinking. The Bible clearly says the sin is in being drunk and losing control of yourself. Anyway, I was sitting at the bar next to my friend. She had been going to a few Bible study classes and had some interest in the subject but she was the kind of person that would never ask someone else about it. Wow, this girl could drink! She could drink most men under the table. We had been sitting at the bar for about an hour and she had drank 5 or 6 bottles of beer and was feeling a little tipsy. She leaned over to me and asked "So, what is this Jesus thing about anyway?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. It took me a second to get my head together and then I began to tell her the story of Jesus. We talked for a few more hours - way past Happy Hour! This occurred on a Thursday night. The next day at work she called me to her desk and said she was ready to commit her life to Christ and she AND her daughter both came to church Sunday morning, went forward during the invitation and were baptized. Now, I don't tell this story to bring credit to myself. I tell it to show that we should go wherever life takes us. If I had been too "good" to go to that bar with my friends she may have never asked the question that led to a life change. And, if you are asking yourself where she is now - well - she is amazing! She has been on fire for God since that weekend. She has way surpassed me in witnessing and a Christlike life. I just thank God often that he gave me the opportunity and the Holy Spirit gave me the words.
So, again, I challenge you - don't avoid people or places because of what society thinks of those people. Remember, Jesus talked to the woman at the well when society said that NO ONE should speak to her. It was the very reason she was at the well at the time of day that she was. She had to wait until all the "good" people were through at the well before she could go get her own water. I suspect Jesus was waiting for her. He had such love for people like this. I think we should too.
Here's a link to a site where this idea is discussed and I seem to be on the outs of the general opinion!
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=2879&forum=35&start=0&viewmode=flat&order=0
I believe he would hang out at Hooters or any other place today's "good" Christians frown upon. You see, Jesus made it very clear that he came to this world for the non-believers - not the believers. He came for the sick, not the well. He came for the sinner, not the saved.
In Matthew 9 and Mark 2 the Bible clearly shows Jesus reclining with tax collectors and sinners. Now, look at that line again - Jesus was reclining with them. He was not sitting straight up at attention and nervously looking around to see who might see him. He was reclining. I don't know what reclining means to you but to me it means relaxed, resting, comfortable and in no rush to leave. Now, can you do that? Could you go down to the local Hooters or Pike's Peak and hang out without feeling like you were doing something wrong? Or, would you be looking over your shoulder constantly to see who might have seen you there because you know your name would be ruined at Church for sure.
I challenge you to think long and hard about this one. Let me tell you a true store that happened to me.
I worked in a small office with about 12 people. I was the only Christian in the office. I really cared about these people and they were my friends so when they went to their monthly Happy Hour at a local bar I decided to go along. All bars have Coke on hand because it is used in many mixed drinks. So, I decided to go and hang out and just drink pop. Let me interject here that I really don't think there is any sin in drinking. The Bible clearly says the sin is in being drunk and losing control of yourself. Anyway, I was sitting at the bar next to my friend. She had been going to a few Bible study classes and had some interest in the subject but she was the kind of person that would never ask someone else about it. Wow, this girl could drink! She could drink most men under the table. We had been sitting at the bar for about an hour and she had drank 5 or 6 bottles of beer and was feeling a little tipsy. She leaned over to me and asked "So, what is this Jesus thing about anyway?" I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised. It took me a second to get my head together and then I began to tell her the story of Jesus. We talked for a few more hours - way past Happy Hour! This occurred on a Thursday night. The next day at work she called me to her desk and said she was ready to commit her life to Christ and she AND her daughter both came to church Sunday morning, went forward during the invitation and were baptized. Now, I don't tell this story to bring credit to myself. I tell it to show that we should go wherever life takes us. If I had been too "good" to go to that bar with my friends she may have never asked the question that led to a life change. And, if you are asking yourself where she is now - well - she is amazing! She has been on fire for God since that weekend. She has way surpassed me in witnessing and a Christlike life. I just thank God often that he gave me the opportunity and the Holy Spirit gave me the words.
So, again, I challenge you - don't avoid people or places because of what society thinks of those people. Remember, Jesus talked to the woman at the well when society said that NO ONE should speak to her. It was the very reason she was at the well at the time of day that she was. She had to wait until all the "good" people were through at the well before she could go get her own water. I suspect Jesus was waiting for her. He had such love for people like this. I think we should too.
Here's a link to a site where this idea is discussed and I seem to be on the outs of the general opinion!
http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=2879&forum=35&start=0&viewmode=flat&order=0
A tough holdout for some people...
Here's something to think
about when witnessing to an unbeliever....
If a person's family or friends are not Christians and they are considering becoming one there is a tough hurdle they have to deal with emotionally at some point that I think a lot of Christians never realize.
If this new person comes to believe that the ONLY way to heaven is Jesus (I am The Way, The Truth, The Life and no one can enter the kingdom of heaven except through me) then at some point they have to accept that all of their loved ones who have died before are NOT in heaven.
Think on that for a minute.
"But grandpa and grandma were good people! They helped others and never hurt anyone"
" My dad was a coach all his life and helped so many kids!"
" Mom never hurt a soul. She took care of the poor and gave to needy"
The Bible clearly shows that being "good" is not the way to heaven. For a new believer to learn and accept that Christ is the only way, he has to accept at some point that his loved ones who have gone on before that were "good" people but did not know Jesus are not going to be in Heaven.
I have no answers for how to deal with this but I believe this may be the reason some will never accept Christ. The thought is just too much to handle.
Put this in your hat and remember it when you are dealing with a person who has no logical reason for not accepting Christ. They may not know how to voice it, but this may be what holds them back.
If a person's family or friends are not Christians and they are considering becoming one there is a tough hurdle they have to deal with emotionally at some point that I think a lot of Christians never realize.
If this new person comes to believe that the ONLY way to heaven is Jesus (I am The Way, The Truth, The Life and no one can enter the kingdom of heaven except through me) then at some point they have to accept that all of their loved ones who have died before are NOT in heaven.
Think on that for a minute.
"But grandpa and grandma were good people! They helped others and never hurt anyone"
" My dad was a coach all his life and helped so many kids!"
" Mom never hurt a soul. She took care of the poor and gave to needy"
The Bible clearly shows that being "good" is not the way to heaven. For a new believer to learn and accept that Christ is the only way, he has to accept at some point that his loved ones who have gone on before that were "good" people but did not know Jesus are not going to be in Heaven.
I have no answers for how to deal with this but I believe this may be the reason some will never accept Christ. The thought is just too much to handle.
Put this in your hat and remember it when you are dealing with a person who has no logical reason for not accepting Christ. They may not know how to voice it, but this may be what holds them back.
Train wreck one mile down the track!
God recently gave me a great
analogy I want to share....
We all find it tough to witness at times and it seems close friends and family are the hardest to talk to of all! Here's something to think about.....
What if a loved one was getting on a train and you were 100% sure that one mile down the tracks, the bridge was gone! You are certain that if your loved one gets on that train that they will plummet to their death one mile down the track. Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get them off of that train even to the point of acting like a fool?
That scenerio is just fiction but the real truth is that millions are on the train to hell and its OUR job as believers to do everything in our power to get them off of that train and onto the one whose track never fails!
We all find it tough to witness at times and it seems close friends and family are the hardest to talk to of all! Here's something to think about.....
What if a loved one was getting on a train and you were 100% sure that one mile down the tracks, the bridge was gone! You are certain that if your loved one gets on that train that they will plummet to their death one mile down the track. Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get them off of that train even to the point of acting like a fool?
That scenerio is just fiction but the real truth is that millions are on the train to hell and its OUR job as believers to do everything in our power to get them off of that train and onto the one whose track never fails!
Would God send an Angel in human form to speak to me?
The answer is YES!
ABSOLUTELY! The Bible clearly states that this occurs in Hebrews 13:2. "Do not neglect to show hospitality
to strangers for thereby some have entertained angels."
Something happened to me about 10 years ago that changed my life forever. I believe an Angel was sent to teach me something. I would hope that if a person were visited by an angel, they would never forget it and it would change their life forever. My angel wasn't glowing and he didn't have wings or even look the least bit heavenly. God has been directing me to share the story here.
At the time I worked for a financial manager (stock broker). This man and his wife were very well off. Together, their gross income was over $350K per year and they had well over $100K in the stock market. If anyone had means to give to the needy, they were the people to do so. Our office was just off a main street in Tulsa. Our office was a stand alone building so there was no office or lobby to go through to get to us. When entering the office, a person would be in a waiting room of sorts with a very nice conference room on the left and a half wall directly across from the front door. My desk was behind that half wall. My boss and another broker had offices that were adjacent to my space but my boss could not see the front door from his office.
In the past I had assisted a few stranded motorists and the like that came through the door. On each occasion I was rewarded with a tongue lashing and threats from my boss about using my time or, should I say HIS time on other people. So, I was well aware of my employer's feelings about helping others.
It was a very cold Winter morning. Normally, in Oklahoma the temperature never drops below zero. It will get down to the teens for a night or 2 but never actually below zero but this particular week it had been below zero for 2 nights in a row. A man walked in the front door and I got up to greet him. He looked so cold. I think he must have had on 4 or 5 layers of clothes. He wasn't dirty and he really didn't look like a homeless person. He had on a Carhart jacket, jeans and work boots. I asked him if I could help him and he looked at me as sincerely as a person can and said, "Mam, I am looking for some work - any work at all. I just can NOT spend one more night in the cold. I only need $4 to spend the night inside at the Y (YMCA) downtown. Is there anything here I could do to earn some money?"
It just so happened that I had a crisp $20 bill in my purse that I had retrieved from the ATM on my way to work. Now, in those days, it was very rare for me to have more than $5 - $10 dollars in my pocket at any one time so that $20 may as well have been $1000 back then. I thought about that money for a split second and argued in my head that I should just go get it and give it to the man. But instead, I reasoned that surely Sam would help this man by letting him clean the windows or something. I was wrong. Dead wrong.
I walked into his office and explained that a man was asking if he could do some work in order to earn enough money to stay at the Y. Sam got out of his chair, walked around his desk and headed towards the front office. When he got to where the man was standing, the man held out his hand to shake Sam's hand. Sam recoiled in disgust (really) and told the man he would not touch him and then told the man to get out of his office and never to come back again. THIS is the moment I will never forget. I have never seen a more dejected, humiliated and embarrassed look on anyone. The man thanked Sam for his time, turned and walked out the door. I was stunned. I couldn't move. Sam proceeded to chew me out for even considering giving this man work. And at at that moment is where I failed. I didn't tell Sam that the homeless man was a far greater man that Sam would ever be. I didn't go to my desk, get my belongings and tell him what he could do with his job. I was a coward. All I could think about was me and what it would mean to my family if I quit that job.
About an hour later it was my half hour lunch. The minute the clock hit the hour, I grabbed my purse with the $20 bill inside, headed to my car and searched that entire stretch of road for that man. Not only would I have given him that money but I would have driven him the 5 miles to the downtown Y. I looked in every parking lot, around every business and anywhere I thought that man could be but he had vanished! I could not find him anywhere. I went back to work totally crushed but I have never forgotten that day nor will I. From that day forward, if someone asked me for money I gave it and I still do. Even if I only have a dollar, I will give it to them. Its not my place to judge them or what they may or may not do with that dollar. Jesus didn't say to give if you deem that they will use the gift appropriately. He said to give. Period.
It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that the man who came to my office may have very well been an angel. Lord knows the lesson I received that day could not have been any stronger if it had come from an angel. It truly changed my life and I will never forget it.
So, my words to you are this - do not be too quick to judge the person in front of you as worthless, non-important, a loser or whatever other judgemental thing you might think whereby you tell yourself you are far better than this person. I'm quite certain God is not going to send a King to get his message across. He is going to send someone that the world sees as lesser or even as having no value at all.
I still pray for that man. If he was real then I pray that he found warmth that night and every night after. I don't even think I could pick him out of a crowd now but I will never forget him just the same.
Something happened to me about 10 years ago that changed my life forever. I believe an Angel was sent to teach me something. I would hope that if a person were visited by an angel, they would never forget it and it would change their life forever. My angel wasn't glowing and he didn't have wings or even look the least bit heavenly. God has been directing me to share the story here.
At the time I worked for a financial manager (stock broker). This man and his wife were very well off. Together, their gross income was over $350K per year and they had well over $100K in the stock market. If anyone had means to give to the needy, they were the people to do so. Our office was just off a main street in Tulsa. Our office was a stand alone building so there was no office or lobby to go through to get to us. When entering the office, a person would be in a waiting room of sorts with a very nice conference room on the left and a half wall directly across from the front door. My desk was behind that half wall. My boss and another broker had offices that were adjacent to my space but my boss could not see the front door from his office.
In the past I had assisted a few stranded motorists and the like that came through the door. On each occasion I was rewarded with a tongue lashing and threats from my boss about using my time or, should I say HIS time on other people. So, I was well aware of my employer's feelings about helping others.
It was a very cold Winter morning. Normally, in Oklahoma the temperature never drops below zero. It will get down to the teens for a night or 2 but never actually below zero but this particular week it had been below zero for 2 nights in a row. A man walked in the front door and I got up to greet him. He looked so cold. I think he must have had on 4 or 5 layers of clothes. He wasn't dirty and he really didn't look like a homeless person. He had on a Carhart jacket, jeans and work boots. I asked him if I could help him and he looked at me as sincerely as a person can and said, "Mam, I am looking for some work - any work at all. I just can NOT spend one more night in the cold. I only need $4 to spend the night inside at the Y (YMCA) downtown. Is there anything here I could do to earn some money?"
It just so happened that I had a crisp $20 bill in my purse that I had retrieved from the ATM on my way to work. Now, in those days, it was very rare for me to have more than $5 - $10 dollars in my pocket at any one time so that $20 may as well have been $1000 back then. I thought about that money for a split second and argued in my head that I should just go get it and give it to the man. But instead, I reasoned that surely Sam would help this man by letting him clean the windows or something. I was wrong. Dead wrong.
I walked into his office and explained that a man was asking if he could do some work in order to earn enough money to stay at the Y. Sam got out of his chair, walked around his desk and headed towards the front office. When he got to where the man was standing, the man held out his hand to shake Sam's hand. Sam recoiled in disgust (really) and told the man he would not touch him and then told the man to get out of his office and never to come back again. THIS is the moment I will never forget. I have never seen a more dejected, humiliated and embarrassed look on anyone. The man thanked Sam for his time, turned and walked out the door. I was stunned. I couldn't move. Sam proceeded to chew me out for even considering giving this man work. And at at that moment is where I failed. I didn't tell Sam that the homeless man was a far greater man that Sam would ever be. I didn't go to my desk, get my belongings and tell him what he could do with his job. I was a coward. All I could think about was me and what it would mean to my family if I quit that job.
About an hour later it was my half hour lunch. The minute the clock hit the hour, I grabbed my purse with the $20 bill inside, headed to my car and searched that entire stretch of road for that man. Not only would I have given him that money but I would have driven him the 5 miles to the downtown Y. I looked in every parking lot, around every business and anywhere I thought that man could be but he had vanished! I could not find him anywhere. I went back to work totally crushed but I have never forgotten that day nor will I. From that day forward, if someone asked me for money I gave it and I still do. Even if I only have a dollar, I will give it to them. Its not my place to judge them or what they may or may not do with that dollar. Jesus didn't say to give if you deem that they will use the gift appropriately. He said to give. Period.
It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that the man who came to my office may have very well been an angel. Lord knows the lesson I received that day could not have been any stronger if it had come from an angel. It truly changed my life and I will never forget it.
So, my words to you are this - do not be too quick to judge the person in front of you as worthless, non-important, a loser or whatever other judgemental thing you might think whereby you tell yourself you are far better than this person. I'm quite certain God is not going to send a King to get his message across. He is going to send someone that the world sees as lesser or even as having no value at all.
I still pray for that man. If he was real then I pray that he found warmth that night and every night after. I don't even think I could pick him out of a crowd now but I will never forget him just the same.
GOD DID NOT DESIGN THE RAINBOW TO REPRESENT HOMOSEXUALITY
There is something that has been weighing on me for some time. Do you ever have those things that you just know God is telling you to say but for whatever reason (chicken, busy, etc.) you ignore it? Well, that's what I've been doing about this.
The rainbow was given to God's followers as a PROMISE. That promise was that he would never destroy the earth with water again. This promise is found in Genesis 9:8-17: Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud (rainbow), and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth." Whew... do you think he wanted to emphasize who this covenant was with?
I believe we as Christians should TAKE THE RAINBOW BACK. Let the homosexual community use a symbol that is offensive to God because that is what homosexuality is - it is offensive to God. Did you know that homosexuality is the only sin that God calls an abomination? That is because it goes against His created order. I don't understand the lax attitude toward homosexuality. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying these people should be stoned, harassed or even shunned. God still loves them and so should we. He just doesn't love the act.
Believe me, I know how far right this opinion is and I'll stand right on the far right side edge. I believe I'll be standing right next to God. For those who have convinced themselves that this lifestyle is somehow OK, let me tell you what the Bible has to say about it. In Romans 1:18-28,32 the Bible speaks about man's unrighteousness and how he gives their minds over to depravity. I'll begin in verse 21 "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. (vs 32) Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."
I've said all of this to say this - I believe God is very disappointed in those who belong to Him because we have allowed His sacred symbol to become the symbol for something that He despises. So, how might we take the rainbow back? Honestly, I don't know other than speaking about it. Maybe someone could come up with a sticker / sign for our yards, cars, whatever else that is a rainbow with the words "TAKE BACK THE RAINBOW". At least it would cause people to ask what it means and you best be ready to answer! :-) 1 Peter 3:14 says "But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
Friday, February 10, 2012
I wanted to post more pictures of the house. These include the current state of the outside as well as what I found when I went by to check on it after Christmas. What a shocker!!
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| Front of house - lots of dead trees and limbs to clean up from the bad winter storm last year. |
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| Front of house |
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| Laundry room. The hot water heater was in the corner. The breaker box and all of the breakers were taken too (you can see the hole in the wall). |
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| This is the kitchen as we found it. I had previously removed the cabinet tops and painted the cabinets when I lived there before. The thieves took the microwave vent hood and it looks like they were about to take off with the oven. They used the sleeping bag to cover the windows so no one would see activity inside the house. Thankfully, I took the fridge with me when I moved or it would probably be gone too! |
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| The Living Room after the wallpaper and popcorn ceiling removal. The walls had to be textured because the wallpaper did not come off cleanly. I ended up really liking the outcome but I already have plans to repaint again when I get there. |
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| This is the Master Bedroom. I love this color an may not change it at all - at least for a while. I'm not entirely sure how a king sized bed is going to fit in here but I'm going to give it my best shot! |
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| The left is the bathroom as my folks left it. The right is after the vandalism. You can see the hole where the old toilet was and the missing cabinet. I had planned to replace the toilet eventually but they pushed my time table up a bit! |
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| Before and after in the kitchen. |
Now the fun begins!!! Stay Tuned!
At the end of this month I will be moving to my new house and starting my new life adventure. There have been several challenges that have popped up along the way. First of all, the house has been empty for 3 years and that alone seems to produce problems. I don't know what it is about an empty house but it sure does seem to get depressed and start falling down.
The house is 5 hours away from where I currently live in McKinney, Texas so I don't get to go by it very often. I made plans to move there about November/December of 2011. So, just after Christmas I decided to go by the house and check on things. What I found was a big shock! Someone(s) had totally stripped the house of ALL wiring, stolen the hot water tank, the microwave vent hood, the copper from the air conditioner and - believe it or not - the 2 old toilets -WHY??? I can see that the rest of the items could probably be sold for a few bucks here or there but old toilets??? My folks were quite old and feeble so the toilets were the higher handicapped ones and even had rust on the sides where the safety bar had been. Oh well, go figure...
It seems they had intended to take the oven too because it was in the middle of the kitchen floor but for some reason they didn't take that. They also took the bathroom cabinets that were over the toilets and the mirror from the Master Bedroom which is again a mystery because it was a cheap basic mirror.
So, I have no electricity, no hot water tank, no toilets and no wiring in the house. I haven't even mentioned the fact that there was a water break in the bitter cold last winter so there is no water either. Is anyone asking what the heck I'm thinking by going through with this plan?? Believe me, you wouldn't be the first to ask.
The bright spot in all of this is that my brother is a professional electrician and lives just 45 minutes away from the house so he is re-wiring the whole house for me for just the cost of the wire. He said this job would cost about $8K but I'm able to get it done for about $1800. Whew... Thank you, James!
I'm moving towards the end of February to this home in the small town of Muldrow, OK which is located in NE Oklahoma near Fort Smith, AR. I know I'm going to cry when I drive out of Texas because I absolutely love it here but I'm working on a 5 - 10 year financial plan and this is the first step of that plan. Oh, I also forgot to mention the best thing of all! I'm only going to be 90 minutes from my grandbabies! Texas is 5 hours from them. I can't wait!!!
I'm going to post pics of the house as it looked in 2008. This will be the second time I have lived at this home. I lived there once before for about 4 months and made a few changes. Below are pictures of the house as I recieved it after my folks passed away.
The house is 5 hours away from where I currently live in McKinney, Texas so I don't get to go by it very often. I made plans to move there about November/December of 2011. So, just after Christmas I decided to go by the house and check on things. What I found was a big shock! Someone(s) had totally stripped the house of ALL wiring, stolen the hot water tank, the microwave vent hood, the copper from the air conditioner and - believe it or not - the 2 old toilets -WHY??? I can see that the rest of the items could probably be sold for a few bucks here or there but old toilets??? My folks were quite old and feeble so the toilets were the higher handicapped ones and even had rust on the sides where the safety bar had been. Oh well, go figure...
It seems they had intended to take the oven too because it was in the middle of the kitchen floor but for some reason they didn't take that. They also took the bathroom cabinets that were over the toilets and the mirror from the Master Bedroom which is again a mystery because it was a cheap basic mirror.
So, I have no electricity, no hot water tank, no toilets and no wiring in the house. I haven't even mentioned the fact that there was a water break in the bitter cold last winter so there is no water either. Is anyone asking what the heck I'm thinking by going through with this plan?? Believe me, you wouldn't be the first to ask.
The bright spot in all of this is that my brother is a professional electrician and lives just 45 minutes away from the house so he is re-wiring the whole house for me for just the cost of the wire. He said this job would cost about $8K but I'm able to get it done for about $1800. Whew... Thank you, James!
I'm moving towards the end of February to this home in the small town of Muldrow, OK which is located in NE Oklahoma near Fort Smith, AR. I know I'm going to cry when I drive out of Texas because I absolutely love it here but I'm working on a 5 - 10 year financial plan and this is the first step of that plan. Oh, I also forgot to mention the best thing of all! I'm only going to be 90 minutes from my grandbabies! Texas is 5 hours from them. I can't wait!!!
I'm going to post pics of the house as it looked in 2008. This will be the second time I have lived at this home. I lived there once before for about 4 months and made a few changes. Below are pictures of the house as I recieved it after my folks passed away.
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| This is the kitchen as it was after my parents passed away. |
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| This is the front bathroom. You can see the handicap rails on the toilet. These left big rust stains when they were removed so why, oh why, would someone steal this toilet??? |
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| This is the Master Bath. As you can see, the mirror looks like a $10 Dollar Store Mirror. Again, why would you steal this?? |
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| This is the other side of the kitchen as my folks left it. I couldn't count the number of dominoe games played at that table! |
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| The first upgrade to the house was removing the wallpaper, the popcorn ceiling in the hall and living room and repainting both. Sorry, Erica - I know you would prefer a better pic! |
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| Still removing wallpaper! |
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| This used to be my dad's shed that met up with a tornado and you can see who won! It was just a big pile of rubble. You can't even see any remains of the shed except the floor. |
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