Write From Karen

Yep. We bought our outdoor fireplace yesterday. We also found these chairs, which is exactly what Kevin had in mind when we started talking about our patio. He wanted chairs without arms so he could play his guitar. As luck would have it, they were on clearance, so we got a super deal. The only problem was, they didn’t have any more in stock, so we took their display chairs.

Works for me!

We’ll have to move the chairs away from the fireplace and the fireplace away from the post, obviously, we don’t want to catch our house on fire, but you get the idea. I can’t wait to use it!

It’ll be like camping, only without the extra work and fuss.

SCORE!

Prompt Fiction

Writing What You (Don’t) Know

September 5, 2011 Karen

Mary thought he looked a little like Tom Selleck, only with blonde hair. She pressed her face a little closer to the knothole in the fence to spy on him.

She thought he had a great chest – all hairy and hard.

Mary thought it would be nice to run her fingers through all of that hair.

She thought …

Laura stopped typing. “Mary, you think too much,” she mumbled taking a moment to proofread her work.

“This is the worse romance story EVER,” she snarled while pounding on the delete key.

She placed her head in her hands and cried.

*************************

Write up to 100 words, fact or fiction….

This is a themed writing meme hosted by The Head’s Office. The goal is to write something that does not exceed 100 words. The prompt this week is in bold.

Life

A Man is Not Paid for Having a Head and Hands, But for Using Them ~ Elbert Hubbard

September 5, 2011September 5, 2011 Karen

Labor Day weekend. I have mixed feelings about Labor Day – on the one hand, COOL. A long weekend. On the other hand, NOT COOL that so many people don’t have a job to take a labor day FROM.

Myself included.

Dude included.

I know eventually we’ll find jobs, it’s just discouraging that it’s taking so long. I don’t want to brag or anything, but it has never taken me this long to find a job. I almost had a job back in March: I had three interviews and it was between me and one other woman. But because I’m an honest person and don’t believe in withholding the truth in order to advance my personal agenda, I told them that I would need a week off in July in order to take a family vacation that we had booked since January.

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that is the reason I didn’t get the job.

(Or they didn’t like me ……….. nah, surely not. *wink*)

At any rate, it’ll happen. I just need to be patient and vigilant. I am focusing on getting my foot in the door with a certain industry with the intention of moving up the ranks over time. I like this industry, I think I would be good in this industry, but it’s hard to get into this industry. If nothing happens by the time November rolls around, I’ll likely look into banking again. (I want to keep my Saturdays free so I can attend Jazz’s band competitions which is nearly every Saturday in October). I have a lot of experience in banking and it seems they are always looking for people so … we’ll see. I like banking and wouldn’t mind working in that industry again, but I’m not crazy about having to rotate Saturdays even if it is only half a day.

What have we done all weekend?

Well.

Saturday – chores. I know – YAWN.

Kevin did take the ramp off our front porch, though.

We had a ramp because after Kevin’s motorcycle accident he had to use a wheelchair to allow his crushed pelvis time to heal. And we needed some way of getting him in and out of the house. My father-in-law and brother-in-law came over and built the ramp a few days before he was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital (he was in intensive care for two weeks, at a rehab center for three weeks).

It was a highly emotional time for our family.

So it was really satisfying to remove the ramp from our porch. Even though Kevin has been up and walking for over a year now, still, it felt good to remove the last trace of his accident from our home. (By the way, the woman who hit him? [It was a head-on collision and the woman TOOK OFF after the accident] Still hasn’t been punished. I KNOW! Our system is maddening).

Saturday night, Kevin talked me into going to his band gig and taking pictures. I don’t normally go to his gigs because it’s awkward for me to sit in the audience, solo, and get hit on. (Not bragging, just saying). Kevin’s parents usually show up, and that’s fine, it gives me someone to sit with and talk to, but still … THE IN-LAWS.

It’s still a little awkward.

Anyway. I went and took some pictures. Here is one of the better ones of the band:

They’re called “Midnite Thunder” and they play 80’s music. (You can see more pictures on Kevin’s Flickr). They played a lot of new songs Saturday night and I thought they sounded pretty good. (Course, I’m biased). If you’re in the Springfield (MO) area and you like that kind of music, you can keep track of when they play next on their website.

Sunday, we were all pretty much dead. We’re old – late nights pretty much KILL us.

But Sunday night, Kevin bought some salmon, zucchini and I boiled some potatoes for him to make steak fries with. He grilled everything.

We took advantage of the wonderfully cool weather and ate out on our pergola.

And that salmon was flaky and delicious! I swear Kevin could be a chef, he’s THAT good.

(We also had a little spider “episode” – I thought the boys were going to have a heart attack … over a little spider. I mean, yeah, creepy, but come on boys – grow a pair. Sheesh).

Today? We’ve been taking it easy. Catching up on laundry, sleep, goofing off. Kevin and I are getting ready to make a trip to Lowe’s to buy an outside fireplace to use on our pergola this fall.

I KNOW. Doesn’t that sound fun? To snuggle next to an outside fire with a cup of cocoa cradled in our palms, listening to soft music and looking at the stars?

We think so.

After that, we are going to take some pictures of a school I’m doing a website for. Then it’s back home and making either homemade pizza, or shish-ka-bobs on the grill – again. (We do a lot of grilling. Well, not WE, but KEVIN. ha!)

Tomorrow, it’s back-to-school for Jazz and back-to-the-office for me, Kevin and Dude. We’re making Dude dress up in slacks and a polo shirt to come to the office in – he has been looking pretty scruffy lately and it’s good practice for whenever he gets a job. He’s also going to get a trim this week, too, but he doesn’t know that part yet. (And he’s going solo. He’s too old for mommy to hold his hand on these things anymore).

I got a surprise call late Friday afternoon – the interview I went on last week, the one I thought I had COMPLETELY blown? Well apparently, I didn’t. Because I’m supposed to call them tomorrow and schedule a second interview. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure this is a job really want, BUT, it’ll get my foot in the door and who knows what sorts of opportunities will come up after that.

Hey. When you’re starting out, you have to take what you can get.

Wish me luck!

Work isn’t [just] to make money; you work to justify life. ~Marc Chagall

Photos

Triptychs Photo Technique

September 5, 2011September 6, 2011 Karen

I am seriously going to try this technique.

It probably won’t turn out nearly as good as this guy’s set, but it’ll be fun trying.

(Don’t even be impressed with my usage of the word Triptychs – I totally had to look it up and I will save you the trouble of doing the same:

~ something composed or presented in three parts or sections; especially : trilogy

You’re welcome).

ADDED: In case you came here looking HOW to do the Triptychs photo technique, here’s a video that might help:

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday: These Boots Were Made for Walking (or Kicking Butt)

September 4, 2011August 28, 2011 Karen

Abundant Life

Teaching: The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6)

September 4, 2011August 2, 2011 Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

I have a manual grain mill. That means I buy my wheat and other grains in kernel form from a farmer in New York and grind them into flour by hand. What that further means is that I have between 30 and 45 minutes of round-and-round-and-round-and-round to do, left hand, right hand, both hands, any and every time I need flour for breads and biscuits. So what that ultimately means is that I have a lot of time early in the mornings when I am grinding that I have to figure out what to do with my thoughts. If you’ve ever done a manual, repetitive job such as that, you know that the discipline it takes mentally to keep going can be quite a challenge. Up to the plate steps the Teacher–God and/or Jesus are never at a loss for a lesson or an insight to teach us if we’re open to it, and so I’ve come to think of my time at the grain mill as my daily grind of spiritual food.

As I was grinding away a few weeks ago, what should come to mind but the phrase, “give us this day our daily bread.” That, as you know, comes from what has been termed in Roman Catholic circles as “The Our Father.” Being raised as such, this had deep roots for me as one of the prayers often handed out to me as a penance for my soul after observing Confession with a priest. But I took a good look at it this particular morning as my arms went round-and-round, and I found a hearty meal of spiritual insight.

The prayer appears in Matthew 6:9-13 and is taught by Jesus to his disciples as an example of what the contents of a prayer might hold. Prefacing in verses 5-8, Jesus instructs them about prayer with the following:

Matthew 6:5-8
(5) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
(6) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
(7) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
(8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pretty self-explanatory.

But how about the prayer itself? That morning, I saw what Jesus was trying to do–he did not give them a rote method of chanting a “penance,” but rather a beautiful standard by which to understand what prayer was and could be. As I recited the prayer in my mind, I thought it would be a great sharing for fellowship. Let’s look at it. I have not, however, “researched” this sharing. I am taking the words at face value from the English translation, but I think an enormous amount of insight could be gained by some word studies for those so inclined.

“Our Father” —Wow! Jesus, who made known God to the world, called him a “Father.” I would imagine a lot of the Jews sitting there were quite astonished at this shift in relationship with Yahweh and Elohim. Jesus opened to them the tender side of a loving God, not One on the smoking mountain unto whom they were afraid to come. “Father” opens up images of one whose lap you can crawl into, one who teaches alongside of you, and not one from whom you must hide.

In our fellowship that next Sunday I asked how each person opens his prayers. “Dear God” and “Heavenly Father” seemed to be pretty standard. Great, we’re on track with Jesus’ teaching. But then, if we’re honest, what is usually the next word we utter? One of our brethren piped up, “I!” Yep. There it is— “Dear God, I…” (I must note that a few beautiful souls admitted their next word is “thanks.”) Spoiler alert: there is not one single “I” in the whole prayer. The closest we see is “us,” a beautiful word that reminds us that we belong to one another, that we prosper or suffer together, that our sins and our triumphs affect not only ourselves, but also the rest of the Body of Christ.

What is the next thing Jesus taught? “In heaven”–a prepositional phrase telling us where our Father resides, and reminding us that He is God Almighty, whose perspective of both our lives and the world around us is far broader than our own.

“Hallowed be your name”—After acknowledging that God is our Father, and before we get to our own needs, we PRAISE Him! How beautiful! I am reminded how God, answering Job out of the storm, never addressed his suffering or his needs, but instead points out to Job how great He is!! Why? Because He’s a pompous attention-grabber? NO. God is Love, and as Love, He seeks the best for us. When we focus on Him and His greatness, what fear, what need, what despair can consume us? None. So, God our Father in heaven, we praise you!

“Your kingdom come” —the Hope! Next in line Jesus reminds us to look forward to our glorious future, when the Devil will be an afterthought.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”—We are to recognize that God has a will, and do our best to line up with it. I’ve heard some mighty teachings on prayer being an invitation to God to come in and “POW!”, knock the Devil on his derriere.

Now, finally, we come to “us.” “Give us today our daily bread.” This statement could be taken very subjectively. Note that the word “us” was chosen instead of “me.” As a body of believers who live and move in diverse individual circles, we are nonetheless intricately connected to one another. We must ask ourselves how we define our personal “daily bread.” Has God prospered you above and beyond your needs? Perhaps it was not for you alone, but also that you could help someone else. Come to think of it, giving is itself a need, and we therefore must have something to give.

If we define our “daily bread” way beyond what we need, we will likely become unthankful. I submit that God keeps His Word, and that He does give us our daily bread need. Our modern society, however, would like us to believe, as Eve did, that God is withholding good from us, that our needs are not met, that we can and should have what we want, and have it now. I love Colossians 3:15, which states as an imperative, “And be thankful.” An “imperative” is a command: “(You) be thankful.” This is the only sentence in the entire prayer that addresses physical need.

“Forgive us our debts”: reminds us that we are sinners in need of forgiveness, “as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Boy, if you first recognize your own personal need for forgiveness, if you first look in the mirror and see the real you looking back, it sure makes it a lot easier to forgive someone who wrongs you.

And finally, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus reminds us that life is a battle, and that we’re all in it collectively. It is imperative that we pray daily for one another to succeed in this war against spiritual powers. None of us is above that need, and our God is a God Who delivers!

As Jesus came to make known God, he came to also lead us into a relationship with Him, and certainly prayer is an indispensable component of that relationship. It is a prayer of recognition of who God is: a loving Father who forgives, supplies, and delivers. It is a prayer of praise that acknowledges the hope of a future life filled with God’s will. And it is a prayer that acknowledges our need now for community, forgiveness, help, deliverance, and of course, our daily bread.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

(Comments have been turned off. The information is here to inform and bless you. God granted you the gift of free will – take it or leave it).

More from Write From Karen

Politics

Just Because You Disagree Doesn’t Mean You’re a Bigot

September 3, 2011 Karen

I have never quite understood people who claim they are “outraged” over someone else’s beliefs or opinions.

Everyone is entitled to his/her own OPINION. Everyone has a core set of beliefs (and if you claim NOT to have beliefs well there you go, your beliefs are, you don’t have beliefs). Being outraged because someone doesn’t agree, or believe, the same as you is unrealistic, selfish and quite frankly, egotistical. In essence, people who are “outraged” over differing opinions are saying, “You don’t have a right to your opinion … unless you agree with me and then, okay.”

Hogwash.

For example…

The whole Chaz Bono appearing on “Dancing with the Stars” show drama (*rolls eyes as she types out the word drama*).

I saw a tweet from a blogger expressing her outrage over this article.

She was angry that the author of this opinion piece didn’t support Chaz’s decision to make the physical transition from a woman to a man. She called people who didn’t agree with Chaz’s decision bigoted and evil. She also didn’t agree with the author’s appeal to his audience to boycott the “Dancing with the Stars,” show this season.

Here are my thoughts on this issue:

First of all, let’s not forget that this is an opinion piece. The author of this piece has a right to his opinion. And just because the author is asking his readers to boycott the show doesn’t mean they will, or even should. I have my own thoughts about things and just because someone is telling me to boycott something doesn’t mean I will – I don’t do something just because someone tells me to. I will form my own opinion and if I choose not to watch the show, then I’m choosing not to watch the show.

It’s not any different than being “outraged” over an article published on Huffington Post that is asking people to watch this season’s “Dancing with the Stars’ to help support Chaz. So what? That writer has a right to his/her opinion, just like the writer in the above piece has a right to his opinion. Readers can agree, or disagree … I’m not exactly sure where “outrage” fits in. We can all choose to either watch the show or not watch the show. We can choose to support Chaz, or not support Chaz. It doesn’t make us bigoted; it doesn’t make us anything. We disagree. It’s OKAY to disagree with a person’s decision to do, or not to do, something.

However, it’s NOT okay to treat the person any differently just because we disagree with them.

If I saw Chaz on the street, I wouldn’t shun him or treat him badly, I don’t have the right to do that to any human being. Just because I don’t agree with his transgender decision doesn’t mean squat, really. It’s none of my business what he does with his body. As long as I treat him the same as everyone else, then there isn’t an issue.

I have a niece who chose to have a giant tree tattooed on her arm. I personally don’t care for it, but so what. It’s her arm. She can do what she wants with it. I don’t treat her differently, or love her any less – it simply is what it is. Am I disappointed with her decision? Of course, but again, I’ll get over it – it’s HER body.

And speaking of choice – Chaz has the right to choose what he does with his own body. He also has a right to go on “Dancing with the Stars” and celebrate his change. However, this does not mean that I have to celebrate with him. Just because he is feeling happy with his decision doesn’t mean I HAVE to feel happy, too. I too have a right to my own opinion and personally? I think changing one’s sex is sick and creepy. But that’s my OPINION. I can still watch “Dancing with the Stars” and NOT agree with Chaz’s decision if I want to; it doesn’t mean I’m a bigot, it means it’s his life, it’s my opinion and life really isn’t any more complicated than that.

We all judge. Sometimes it’s necessary to judge to keep ourselves in check. It’s what we do with that judgement where we start running into problems. Calling for a boycott is silly – so the writer doesn’t agree with Chaz’s personal decision on what to do with his body. GET OVER IT. So there are people out there that DO agree with Chaz’s decision and support him – GREAT.

Just because someone agrees with someone doesn’t mean he/she is a better person, it just means he/she agrees. If a person doesn’t agree with a decision someone makes, it just means he/she doesn’t agree with the decision.

WHY must we make something out of nothing?

The fact that this blogger is making a stink about the fact that people disagree with Chaz’s decision and is trying to rally the troops into feeling “outraged” because they think differently than she does, is not being helpful at all. In fact, it could be argued that she’s being bigoted against the people who disagree with Chaz’s decision.

We could all get along so much better if we just checked our self-important attitudes at the door, don’t you think?

Actually, I don’t give a rat’s ass what Chaz does with his body – honestly, whatever. But I DO feel sorry for Cher. Because speaking as a mother, whether she agrees, or disagrees with her son’s decision or not, it HAD to have been hard for her to cope with all of the conflicting emotions she must have gone through during this transition. I can only imagine the torment she must have suffered seeing her child in so much pain and wanting to help him through it. A mother’s love transcends all personal decisions and opinions.

At any rate, the moral of this story is this: we all have our opinions. We all judge. It’s who we are, it will never change. However, we CAN change how we react to these judgements and disagreements and ACCEPT the fact that not everyone will agree with everyone else and that’s OKAY. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you doesn’t make him/her a bigot, racist or anything else derogatory – it means we’ll all different and we all have to work on accepting those differences.

Diversity is a process. It’s also a two-way street. Think about it.