I've Been Tagged for Songs

I've been tagged by my friend, Steviewren, and the challenge is to list 5 songs that I am embarrassed that I enjoy. This is the most clever tag and really got me thinking. So here goes in no particular order:

Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine-this always takes me back to the late sixties and early seventies. I got to see the play "Hair" in London and I thought the music was great. Knowing who I am now it probably would seem strange to people that I would enjoy this. I was definitely not a hippie.


The Star Wars Theme--I love the Star Wars movies and I know there is a stigma to people that enjoy them. I love the whole good vs evil theme throughout them. My husband got me into them and Star Trek. I would have to say Harrison Ford was my favorite character.

Henry the Eight, I am by Herman's Hermits--this is another song that takes me back to the 60's. I thought it was such a darling song and I sometimes still get it locked in my head. You know the part, "Second verse, same as the first". So many pop songs are depressing now, there were lots of cutsey songs in the 60's.

Stop in the Name of Love by Diana Ross and the Supremes--My girlfriend Pam and I stood in front of her big bathroom mirror and sang this with the hand motions along with her 45 record about 8 million times. Of course, we had brushes for microphones. We were so cool. I think we called ourselves tuff back then.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T by Aretha Franklin--this was a song of my youth that had the most wonderful beat, in my estimation. I just think this is a neat song and have thought it for over 40 years. I admit it's not something you would hear in the most sophisticated settings, but it's a fun song.

I took away the one originally I had put down. It sounded braggy and that is the last thing I want to sound like. Sorry.

Now I have shared mine. Here's the rules:

1. Post the link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 5 songs that you are embarrassed to admit to others that you like and tell why.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post.

This was fun and it took me all day to figure out what songs I would not be thrilled about others knowing I liked. You are supposed to link the songs to YouTube, but you know if you are reading this that I am somewhat computer challenged. I'm thrilled I've figured out this much.

I am now tagging, Ruthie at Just Ruthie, Sharon at Techno-Nana, Maggie at Nuts in May, Barb at French Elements, A Woman Who Is at In A Garden. Have fun!

Thanks for Being Out There

I am feeling very grateful and blessed for my friends in blogdom. Through your blogs I have found some of the warmest and most encouraging folks. There seems like a special bond and we haven't even met. Perhaps it's the sharing of our thoughts, hopes and dreams

that brings the bond.

Getting back into something that brings me so much joy has definitely made a difference in my life. By realizing that so many of you are doing things and making so many memories it has encouraged me to get back into doing some creating. I love art and was constantly putting it on the back burner because I didn't feel inspired.

I now see so many friends at various sites creating art, cooking, doing some wonderful photography, writing excellent essays that are thought provoking and inspirational. Thank you for being there and giving me the privilege to share in your life.

Having a Mary Spirit--Week 3

Joanna Weaver's study has taken me to some places in my walk that are not my usual stops. We are already into week three and this terrific guide has helped me to dig into places that usually are left untouched. This week's lesson was "Spirit Check". Joanna refers to Mark Buchanan, a pastor and author who describes,"the halfway life too many Christians settle for as 'conversion without regeneration, an initial encounter with Jesus that doesn't lead to a life abiding with Jesus. He calls it borderland." I don't want to be sitting on the fence and there are references to being lukewarm in the bible.

There is a mention of people being comfortable with boredom. I pray I am not in that group. I have been a passionate person for most of my life, but I have to recognize that I can tend to get into a mode of being content in staying at a certain place. I need to focus on the fact that Jesus was bold enough to step up and be strong when it meant 'taking a stand'.

There's a section in the book called, "More than Y'all". This referred to a love that Christ has for us that feels like more than any other. I loved the reference to a grandmother that had loved her grandchildren so much that each one felt that they had been the favorite. They were shocked when she passed away and they found out that she given this intense love to one just as much as the other.

In our questions for reflection one stood out to me.

"As you were growing up, what irritated you most about your brother

and/or sister? What irritated them? (If you were an only child, perhaps

you tangled with an annoying cousin or friend)."

I was an only child and I don't have a reference for living with a sibling and the interaction it must conjure up. I did have cousins. One of my cousins was quick to let the rest of us know that he had special toys. He would pull these toys out and would tell us, "you can't touch my toys. These are my toys." We would just watch him play with the toys or games and I can remember looking at my other cousins as we sat around in awe watching him play by himself and not including us in the fun. This was so frustrating to me. I spent most of my time wishing I had someone to play with and here I was getting a chance to play with my cousins and we were left sitting on the sidelines watching someone else participate alone among a group.

This was a source of irritation for me for years. Growing up I thought that he had elevated himself and was sending a message to the rest of us that we weren't good enough. I had to get to a point in my Christian walk that I realized that my cousin was the one that was losing out. It wasn't us on the sidelines. There comes a point when we can view events as lessons and I started realizing that Christ would not want us to exclude. I began to feel sorry for my cousin that was so selfish.

There was also a question about Philippians 2:1-11. These verses speak to us about the way the Lord humbled himself and became a servant. "Christ was obedient to death--even death on a cross." There's some deep part of my spirit that doesn't like to be controlled by others. I don't like the feeling that someone else can make my decisions and be in charge of my destiny. I believe that if I take an honest look at myself I will realize that Christ wants me to naturally let Him control all my ways. I need to be more like Him and realize that His walk here on earth was guided by His father and I need to humble myself more and turn everything totally over to Him. I shouldn't hold back certain things that I want to manipulate. I love Him and I need to abandon my selfish thoughts of thinking I know what I need to do. If I can come to the place where He directs ALL my thoughts and paths I will be so much better off.

To me, so far, this has been the deepest lesson in the book. Examining ourselves is not easy. It takes stepping back and acknowledging negatives about ourselves that I believe we like to shove over into the shadows. I need to put the light on my selfish tendencies and let His light totally surround me.

This is an introspective study and I'm not even half way through it, but I see myself trying to develop more characteristics of Christ through the author's direction and strong reference to the scriptures.

How'd It Get So Upside Down?

Do you ever wonder how everything got so upside down? I do. These mermaids are chilling out and the fish are flying all over the place. This makes me think of how different it is now from when I was growing up. I know I'm getting old with these thoughts, but it's a reality.

Life seemed so simple then. There was more respect for authority. The things that are so common place now were rare then. So many of our basic institutions were solid and at around the time I got in my mid-teens (mid 60's) there was a deterioration of values. There was an unsettling spirit with so many people. Drugs became more widely used. It was the time for 'free love'. Many chose to protest everything there was to have an opinion on. They took prayer out of the schools in the early sixties. In public school we used to have 'weekly religious education'. When it stopped, I couldn't understand why. We'd walk down the street to a church and have Bible lessons and learn scriptures for a couple of hours a week. I guess the government thought that was hurting us. I disagree.

I guess somedays I'd like to be a cute little mermaid and just explore the ocean and take it easy. What about you?

Flowers are a Gift from God

When I look at flowers there is something within me that sings. There are so many beautiful flowers and each has it's own beauty. I never get tired of admiring God's gift of flowers. I have never been very good at growing them. My mother had a passion for raising them. My daughter has a green thumb too. Now Avery, my granddaughter seems to have a love for them.

We are so blessed to be able to see the beauty. Do we take it for granted? I work with restoring people's vision and I am always reminded that this will give the individuals a second chance at witnessing God's tender love in the petals of the flowers.

Crickets and the Sound of Her Ukulele

Untitled by Leo Hunter

I found this interesting picture today and it made me wonder about it. She's playing a ukulele and he's lighting a cigarette. I love looking at pictures and trying to figure out what is going on. Is he getting ready to lure her on some wild adventure? Are they heading out on the lake for a little song? This is a very dark picture that really makes you feel as though it's an inky cool night.

I will be doing some resesarch on this artist and I hope I can find something about him. It's a simple picture, but I think beautifully done with a thirties feel to me. Just like my daughter and I used to always try to figure out about people's lives when they were sitting in a restaurant, I like to figure out what is happening in paintings.

This has been a good hump day. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Maybe this is all about the moon. It seems to set the tone for romance.

Having a Mary Spirit--Week 2

This week our study focused on the third chapter of the book, "Twisted Sisters". It spoke of our Flesh Woman. We all know we have a 'flesh woman' within us. Joanna Weaver, the insightful author, has us looking at various scriptures to see how we handle our lower nature.

The first scripture is Romans 13:14, "Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." I am reminded that as a person that has always loved fashion, do I put too much emphasis on the outward appearance? Do I seek to clothe myself in what the world looks at as fashionable and not necessarily what I think is what I should be buying? I don't mean revealing, inappropriate clothing, but is a desire to have lots of clothes holding me back from seeking what God would have me be satisfied with? Is the outside woman too important to me?

I realize that in this scripture Paul is not referring to literal clothing, but it hit me that I may be trying to satisfy my 'flesh woman' by trying to put too much emphasis on appearances and maybe that fulfills something in my sinful nature. I know I don't want to look dated and pitiful, but my Mary spirit should shine through and perhaps I do focus on having more and more.

Galatians 5:13, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love." This verse says to me that I can't be self-absorbed and focus on myself, rather than seeking to serve others. Yes, the blood of Jesus has set me free, but this also gives me a responsibility to look for opportunities to share Christ's love. If I stay in my own little world, basking in what the Lord has done for me..me..me, I will not be looking for ways to help others and spread His love. I don't believe there's a certain formula for serving. I think He expects us to be open to his nudging to do what He would have us to do for others.

Colossians 3:5, "Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed." I take from this scripture that we must turn completely from those old desires. Putting something to death, to me, means expelling it forever from our attention. As Christian women we should be focusing on what is pure and uplifting, not what satisfies our old 'flesh woman'. This reminds me of a song by Nicol Sponberg, that used to sing with Selah, "Not You Again". The lyrics talk about our old self wanting to come back in the picture. The devil knows our weaknesses and he can use them to try and trap us. We need to keep our eyes on the Lord.

The author tells us that even after salvation, Flesh Woman tends to call the shots. She says it takes time and the dark corners of our heart still need to be evangelized. This reminded me that because we have become Christians we have not 'arrived'. There are corners that we may try to keep private and secretly hold old desires.

She gave the analogy that Flesh Woman is still our roommate, but as Christians she will not run the house. I believe having the awareness that she is there is vital. She can no longer control us, says the author. I find that exciting. I want to be Christ-centered and He will show me what He would have me do and where I should put my energy.