A Must Read

Get tissues first!

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"There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."

I Dreamed a Dream

I'm on the Susan Boyle bandwagon!

Wouldn't it be GREAT if everyone could see each other's true potential at first glance?

And if we each could realize those dreams we dream?

I watch this and feel as if I can do those things!

Sherry, thanks for the email this morning, you made my day!

You @ 50

Two posts in one day?

That's odd for me, but couldn't wait until tomorrow to post this video.

It is an entry to AARP's video contest entitled You @ 50.

I love it!

The Good Shepherd

I've been spending a lot of time lately organizing my Israel photos so that I can start scrapbooking them (digitally). And in the course of doing this I want to share another experience.

This one occurred at the Shepherd's Field in Bethlehem, which is not the location of Jesus' birth. But it is a cave similar to many in the area in which animals would've been stabled. In fact it is similar to many that shepherds would use to fold their sheep at night.

While sitting in this cave we were taught by our Palestinian guide about what a Good Shepherd Christ was. It was an amazing presentation to which the spirit testified to our whole group. I'd like to tell you about it. (Caution - long post)

The Good Shepherd

To begin, a shepherd has certain tools that he uses to do his job. He carries a sack to hold his food, a slingshot to kill small animals, a rod (much like a police stick) to defend his flock from robbers or animals and a staff (with a crook on the end) to use as a walking stick and for correcting wayward sheep.

A Good Shepherd knows the names of his sheep and they know the sound of his voice. At days end several shepherds will gather their flocks together. A cave, like the one we were at, is walled off with stones and brush to create a small opening that only the sheep can pass thru. All the sheep are driven into the cave as the shepherd counts off his flock at the door. The shepherds watch over their flock, through the night, outside under the stars. In the morning the shepherds will stand by the door and call for their sheep and only their sheep will heed the call and come.

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the
door of the sheep. (John 10:7)

A Good Shepherd will lead his flock to where there are green fields and still water. Sheep are unable to locate new green fields once one has been depleted of its grass. Sheep are unable to locate a source of water by instinct. They must be led. Also, sheep will not drink from a fast moving stream or a stagnant water source. A Good Shepherd will know where to continually move his flock to keep them nourished. Also, a sheep will not lie down unless they feel completely safe.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (Psalms 23:1-2)

A Good Shepherd will use his staff to teach his sheep. Sometimes a wayward lamb will think he knows the best way to go to find food. As the lamb goes astray, the shepherd will use the staff to smack the lamb on the head to show the lamb he is in trouble. The shepherd will then bring the lamb back into the fold. If the same lamb goes astray again, he will smack him another time with the staff to correct his behavior and bring him back. The third time that the little lamb goes astray the Good Shepherd will use his staff to break the lamb's leg. The shepherd will bind and care for the broken limb and then carry the lamb around his neck until it heals. The Good Shepherd shows the lamb its dependence on the shepherd and the need to heed his direction.

Finally, I thought it was interesting that shepherds were not well looked upon at the time of Christ. They were, after all, hirelings. The wealthy who owned the flocks hired the shepherds to care for the animals. If a bandit or wild animal went after the sheep, sometimes the shepherds would desert the flock having no long term interest in their survival. But a Good Shepherd would lay down his life for his flock.

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
(John 10:11)

I know this has been a little long, and over the past few weeks I have researched even more about sheep and what their tendencies are. The use of sheep and shepherding as symbols for us and Christ is quite appropriate. What a fond memory I have of this place and what a boost for my personal testimony!

Bob and Carol inside the cave at the Shepherd's Field where we heard the great testimony from our guide.

This is the outside of the cave having been walled up over the years to become a place to visit. But back in the day, it would've been walled up with natural materials anyway to serve as a animal shelter.

Reflections Of Christ

This is just something I've been meaning to post. It's beautifully done, and posting it on a Sunday seems appropriate. I believe this presentation and artwork are on displaying at the visitor center in Mesa, AZ. Hope you enjoy!

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Hot Chocolate

It's been one of those days. . . . . However, it's not been "one of those days" for me. But it has been for my dad, whose grandson reformatted his computer's hard drive (grandson's name starts with "E" and rhymes with Reethan) and for my friend Kim who had her boat drop off her hitch near State Street and 300 East and put a nice dent in her truck.

With that kind of news, I offer you some Hot Chocolate:

Author Unknown:

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.

Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said, "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you went for the best cups... And then I noticed you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have.

Enjoy your hot chocolate!