I broke a record, a 12-year record. And I won't tell you what. If you want to know, see Seinfeld's "The Dinner Party" episode and what happened to the black and white cookie.
I've been sick and feverish and blogging while running a temperature could be humiliating for yourself, as well as your future generations. So sorry for my absence. I'll be back next week with my senses in tact, or at least no looser than usual.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
the Word: God wants us happy
Well....not quite.
Pastor Craig Groeschel, in this week's lesson in his TRUEish series, said, "God doesn't want you happy...in these three categories in your life."
Find out what they are here.
Pastor Craig Groeschel, in this week's lesson in his TRUEish series, said, "God doesn't want you happy...in these three categories in your life."
Find out what they are here.
Quote Them
"Too bad all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxis and cutting hair."
George Burns (1898-1996)
comedian
Via Patriot Post
George Burns (1898-1996)
comedian
Via Patriot Post
Friday, January 23, 2009
the Word: Cultural Relativism
Ravi Zacharias talks about truth. This is the sun of my universe: truth. Every time I hear the word, I feel my pulse quicken. And I can't even explain to you the reaction, the reason, only that it appears as if truth is dissipating slowly, like warmth in the midst of a bitter Northern wind, and so I'm seeking the heat.
The video is only four minutes and worth the time. I don't know anything about the minister but he's got my attention. Here are a few quotes piquing my interest:
- "I am convinced whatever message God has for this generation, they are determined to change it and come up with the opposite."
- "Intent is prior to content. And the question is: Does this generation really want the truth?"
- "Political expediency stalks the landscape today. How in the name of reason can any sensible human being say, 'I personally believe it is wrong, but politically it is the right thing to do."
Several years ago, on an evening when the darkness seemed thicker, heavier than usual and the weight of it dripped from my hair and dragged down my shoulders, I made a request to God, as well as a promise to accept the culmination of that request.
Driving in my car, alone like I'd never felt and facing a trial of half-truths and misconceptions, I distinctly remember turning the corner toward my closet of a home in the middle of a dilapidated neighborhood where joy remained barricaded on the outside.
This was the end of a tiring day, the end of a tiresome journey, the end of a future so real I had already written the check and never expected it to bounce. I had been lied to so many times, so repetitively over many years and many subjects, I was chocking on the plastic content of it all.
So I asked God, "Tell me the truth. In everything. I want it. I only want the truth. I'm sick to death of lies, from anyone or anything. I want to know, 'What is truth?' And if truth turns my world completely upside down so that up is below and down is above, help me through it, give me truth, as much as I can stand."
I restate that request often, sometimes every week, sometimes every day. It isn't easy, but it's life. Truth, even if it makes me an outsider or unpopular or hated or mocked, I want it. And I have every intention of sharing.
Quote Them
Via the Patriot Post:
James Madison
"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."
James Madison
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Quote Them
"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death."
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
the Word: will the real Hope please stand up
Not today.
I'm not going to say anything.
I'm letting the celebrities and pundits and talking heads slobber over every inch of this Inauguration day.
There are days to speak. Days to listen. Then, there are days to observe, quietly and with God as your only company. And...maybe a glass of wine. Or two.
Today there is hope. There truly is. And it has absolutely nothing to do with Washington D.C. or Oprah or a man some want to crown King.
But hope, real hope, is alive.
It was yesterday, the day before, eight years before, thousands of years earlier, and every moment from then until the end. Hope came with one man, who will never die. And there is where hope resides.
So tomorrow, definitely tomorrow, my comments and sarcasm and observations will return. But today, I think you need something more.
A friend sent me this:
Psalm 37
9 Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;God-investors will soon own the store.
11 Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,relishing a huge bonanza.
13 But God isn't losing any sleep; to him they're a joke with no punch line.
18 God keeps track of the decent folk;what they do won't soon be forgotten.
19 In hard times, they'll hold their heads high;when the shelves are bare, they'll be full.
21 Wicked borrows and never returns;Righteous gives and gives.
28 God loves this kind of thing,never turns away from his friends.
Live this way and you've got it made,
but bad eggs will be tossed out.
35 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,croaking pretentious nonsense.
36 The next time I looked there was nothing—a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.
37 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,scrutinize the straight life;
There's a future
in strenuous wholeness.
40 God-strengthened, we're delivered from evil—when we run to him, he saves us.
I'm not going to say anything.
I'm letting the celebrities and pundits and talking heads slobber over every inch of this Inauguration day.
There are days to speak. Days to listen. Then, there are days to observe, quietly and with God as your only company. And...maybe a glass of wine. Or two.
Today there is hope. There truly is. And it has absolutely nothing to do with Washington D.C. or Oprah or a man some want to crown King.
But hope, real hope, is alive.
It was yesterday, the day before, eight years before, thousands of years earlier, and every moment from then until the end. Hope came with one man, who will never die. And there is where hope resides.
So tomorrow, definitely tomorrow, my comments and sarcasm and observations will return. But today, I think you need something more.
A friend sent me this:
Psalm 37
9 Before long the crooks will be bankrupt;God-investors will soon own the store.
11 Down-to-earth people will move in and take over,relishing a huge bonanza.
13 But God isn't losing any sleep; to him they're a joke with no punch line.
18 God keeps track of the decent folk;what they do won't soon be forgotten.
19 In hard times, they'll hold their heads high;when the shelves are bare, they'll be full.
21 Wicked borrows and never returns;Righteous gives and gives.
28 God loves this kind of thing,never turns away from his friends.
Live this way and you've got it made,
but bad eggs will be tossed out.
35 I saw Wicked bloated like a toad,croaking pretentious nonsense.
36 The next time I looked there was nothing—a punctured bladder, vapid and limp.
37 Keep your eye on the healthy soul,scrutinize the straight life;
There's a future
in strenuous wholeness.
40 God-strengthened, we're delivered from evil—when we run to him, he saves us.
Monday, January 19, 2009
the Word: Truish
"Truth is not just a what but a who."
Pastor Craig Groeschel
referring to John 14:6:
This month, LiveChurch.TV is talking about truth, a word that makes my blood pump, not in a heart attack way.
I crave truth more than chocolate or companionship or even Vitamin C, which I'm very fond of.
The first sermon covers two of Satan's Greatest Weapons:
1. Relativism: assumption that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
2. Subjectivism: I, the subject, have the right to determine what is right and wrong without submitting my judgment to any authority outside myself.
I've been so excited about this series that I dreamed Saturday night I was too late to church and missed it.
Denied.
Except..all the sermons are also online so who the heck knows why I dreamed that. It was also the same night I dreamed about meeting Rush Limbaugh and buying a little bed and breakfast in Alaska from a nice, if not chatty, older couple.
Moving on...
The first sermon was, by no means, a disappointment. If interested, check it out here.
Pastor Craig Groeschel
referring to John 14:6:
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
This month, LiveChurch.TV is talking about truth, a word that makes my blood pump, not in a heart attack way.
I crave truth more than chocolate or companionship or even Vitamin C, which I'm very fond of.
The first sermon covers two of Satan's Greatest Weapons:
1. Relativism: assumption that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
2. Subjectivism: I, the subject, have the right to determine what is right and wrong without submitting my judgment to any authority outside myself.
I've been so excited about this series that I dreamed Saturday night I was too late to church and missed it.
Denied.
Except..all the sermons are also online so who the heck knows why I dreamed that. It was also the same night I dreamed about meeting Rush Limbaugh and buying a little bed and breakfast in Alaska from a nice, if not chatty, older couple.
Moving on...
The first sermon was, by no means, a disappointment. If interested, check it out here.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
the Word: Burning Kincade paintings
Mark Driscoll again. But this has been on my mind. Now I want to put it on yours.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Word: God's rights
My roommate listens to Joyce Meyer every day. She climbs into her car, plugs in a ministry CD, and listens to 20 minutes of encouragement all the way to work and 20 minutes all the way back.
Then she comes home and tells me about it.
I don't do that. I plug in to scripture during Sunday service, sporadically throughout the week, and when something crosses my path. And I have to say, IT ISN'T ENOUGH.
These days, I need it 24/7. If I could liquefy scripture, I'd be attached to an IV. With YouTube, I can skip the needle.
So as I find ministry shorts, I"ll be posting them. Let me just say this in advance, posting a video does not mean I support or endorse the minister. There are ministers I like, ministers I don't. And I won't get into that. The videos are MESSAGES I like. Nothing more.
Here's today's snack: Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This is his "Ask Anything" service where those in attendance text questions and he answers them on the spot. And the questions are without limits. Awesome.
Then she comes home and tells me about it.
I don't do that. I plug in to scripture during Sunday service, sporadically throughout the week, and when something crosses my path. And I have to say, IT ISN'T ENOUGH.
These days, I need it 24/7. If I could liquefy scripture, I'd be attached to an IV. With YouTube, I can skip the needle.
So as I find ministry shorts, I"ll be posting them. Let me just say this in advance, posting a video does not mean I support or endorse the minister. There are ministers I like, ministers I don't. And I won't get into that. The videos are MESSAGES I like. Nothing more.
Here's today's snack: Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. This is his "Ask Anything" service where those in attendance text questions and he answers them on the spot. And the questions are without limits. Awesome.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Case of the Mondays
Today is my birthday.
Uh huh. Yeah and all that.
Anyway, I'm a firm believer in taking every day off possible. So I'm gone today, planning on spending the entire day with family and being extravagant, which means window shopping with no credit limit.
However, since I've officially ended my blogging vacation, I couldn't leave you without at least one Monday laugh from my favorite political cartoonist, Gary Varvel.
See you tomorrow!
Uh huh. Yeah and all that.
Anyway, I'm a firm believer in taking every day off possible. So I'm gone today, planning on spending the entire day with family and being extravagant, which means window shopping with no credit limit.
However, since I've officially ended my blogging vacation, I couldn't leave you without at least one Monday laugh from my favorite political cartoonist, Gary Varvel.
See you tomorrow!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Back to the Future
I've been here. I just haven't been talking.
So thank you to everyone who have patiently checked the site, checked on me, or played checkers. All three are special in their own way.
2009 is here. Anyone notice?
Well, I've been paying attention. And let's just say the games have begun. If you don't find a way to laugh through the next four years, you aren't going to make it. So I'm starting now.
And yes, to all my thousands upon thousands upon...well, so many readers I simply can't count them (probably around five, actually) looking for a return to observations and my blathering nonsense, count on it. I hate to disappoint. I won't be totally consumed with politics from here until eternity. Not totally.
As a good friend tells me often, "If only you were more passionate Tara. That's your real problem. You just aren't passionate enough." I only have sarcastic friends.
I am passionate about a freakin' boatload of stuff. And I want to blog about them ALL!
So I will. And if you want, you can read them. See how nicely that works?
Thus, welcome to TaraLynnThompson.com for a new and rather overcast year. But the sun will come out, tomorrow. Just don't bet your bottom dollar. You're going to need it.
I'm off my vacation starting....now. Let's get this party started.
So thank you to everyone who have patiently checked the site, checked on me, or played checkers. All three are special in their own way.
2009 is here. Anyone notice?
Well, I've been paying attention. And let's just say the games have begun. If you don't find a way to laugh through the next four years, you aren't going to make it. So I'm starting now.
And yes, to all my thousands upon thousands upon...well, so many readers I simply can't count them (probably around five, actually) looking for a return to observations and my blathering nonsense, count on it. I hate to disappoint. I won't be totally consumed with politics from here until eternity. Not totally.
As a good friend tells me often, "If only you were more passionate Tara. That's your real problem. You just aren't passionate enough." I only have sarcastic friends.
I am passionate about a freakin' boatload of stuff. And I want to blog about them ALL!
So I will. And if you want, you can read them. See how nicely that works?
Thus, welcome to TaraLynnThompson.com for a new and rather overcast year. But the sun will come out, tomorrow. Just don't bet your bottom dollar. You're going to need it.
I'm off my vacation starting....now. Let's get this party started.
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