Why do I concern myself so much with what other people think about me? Concerning men, I want to love a man for who he is, not who he tries to be so that I will like him. Similarly, I want a man to love me for who I am. I do not want to have to try to be perfect to win and keep his affections. I think my major issue is that I put far too much value on how my peers view me, and totally neglect how my God sees me. I am constantly striving for physical perfection, while knowing it is unattainable, thus making myself miserable in this attempt to store up my treasures here on earth verses where they will last forever. I am constantly being barrauded by feelings of guilt when I eat. I am tired of listening to the accuser. I choose to listen to my Savior, the one who loves me so much that He gave His life and freed me forever from all condemnation. God, if I eat this bowl of chili, and I have it with cheese and crackers, will you still love me? YES! Will my worth go down in your eyes? NO WAY! I LOVE YOU LORD!

insight to my needs

There is a difference between knowing you are loved and feeling cherished. I want both.

On Marriage and Family Life

1. What to me defines success as a wife? As a mother? As a provider?
2. What are my unspoken rules and expectations?
3. What are things I want to have in common with my husband? (i.e. What activities do I want to be able to share with him?)
4. What roles do I expect to play in my marriage? What roles do I expect to definitely not have to play?
5. What do I expect to gain from marriage?
6. What might I have to sacrifice in order to gain what I want to gain from marriage, and am I willing to make those sacrifices?
   
7. How important is “meaningful touch” to me? Am I a high contact person or a low contact person?

Rawr means "I love you" in dinosaur. It also means, "I miss you" and "I'm hungry" and "I'm really hungry. I'm going to eat you, so you better run!"

I'm in love with my bed. But my alarm clock won't let us be together...

I stepped on a cornflake. Does that mean I'm a cereal killer?

I wish I could record my dreams, and watch them later :) .

I don't miss you...I miss who you were.

"Can you do me a favor?" "Sure." "Can you go up the stairs and..." "No(:"

I saw a picture of a giraffe. It said, "Moo. I'm a goat."

If Google can't find it, you're screwed.

I don't know Marge. Trying is the first step to failure. ~Homer Simpson

Bloom where you are planted.

Love is the only justice. ~Iris Murdoch

Entranced in my reverie, I am isolated and alone. ~Brennan Manning

Servanthood is not an emotion or mood or feeling; it is a decision to live like Jesus.

"a society marinating in its own incestuous self-interest"

One imponderable trait of the human psyche is its ability to make irrational judgments about worthwhile human investments also with its refusal to view life in light of eternity.

JESUS ACTED OUT HIS PASSION FOR THE FATHER WHOSE INDISCRIMINATE LOVE ALLOWS HIS RAIN TO FALL ON HONEST AND DISHONEST MEN ALIKE.

Faith tells us we are Abba's beloved children.

The "poverty of uniqueness" is the call of Jesus to stand utterly alone when the only alternative is to cut a deal at the price of one's integrity. It is a lonely yes to the whispers of our true self, a clinging to our core identity when companionship and community support are withheld.

Passion is not high emotion but a steely determination, fired by love, to stay centered in the awareness of Christ's present risenness, a driveness to remain rooted in the truth of who I am, and a readiness to pay the price of fidelity.

Chances are, the last time you really had fun was spontaneous, after you threw off your inhibitions...The secret to enjoying uninhibited spontaneity as a Christian is to remove unscriptural inhibitors...Chief among the inhibitors of Christian fun is our fleshly tendency to keep up appearances..."Who cares what people say!? I care what God says; I stopped playing for the grandstand a long time ago when I started playing for the coach." ....It is a lot more fun trying to please the Lord than trying to please people.

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. ~Jim Elliot

Sanctification

My inner struggle is requiring personal sacrifice in order to win the battle. This isn't a change that will happen slowly outwardly as a result of inward change. This is a change that happens slowly on the inside after the outside is changed. I need to treat the symptoms first, so that I have the clarity of mind to resolve the real issues. My symptoms are hiding the root cause. To do away with the symptoms is to expose the deeper issue. Sometimes we have to face our fears instead of trying to make sure they never come to reality. Facing my fears is the personal sacrifice. I may have to be hungry every once in a while. I may not get to eat the foods I want to eat. But I do get to be set free from this bondage. And after time, I will again get to eat the foods I want; I won't have to deprive myself of them. But for now, I must face my fears, and trust that God will bring me through them to the other side, where there is freedom and light.

Email From Gradma Ginny

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore". No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I love you."

So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage.....And old cars... And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Concerning My Fears

"What will God do if ... ?"

He WILL:

perfect everything that concerns me (Psalm 138:8, KJV).
work all things together for my good (Romans 8:28).
contend with those who contend with me (Isaiah 49:25).
fight this battle for me (2 Chronicles 20:15).
equip me with divine power (2 Corinthians 10:4).
delight to show me mercy (Micah 7:18).
meet all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
give me grace that is perfectly sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).
do immeasurably more than all I could ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within me (Ephesians 3:20).



(Beth Moore book)