Baptists are… well obese

“Weighty matter: Is religion making us fat?”

The above is the title of a very interesting article I found. Here are some excerpts from it. Purdue socialogist, Ken Ferraro conclusion is the acceptable vice in Christian circles is eating.

“So it’s not surprising that Ferraro’s latest study found that about 27 percent of Baptists, including Southern Baptists, North American Baptists, and Fundamentalist Baptist, were obese

Ferraro’s study also found that about 20 percent of “Fundamentalist Protestants,” (Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Assemblies of God and Church of God); about 18 percent of “Pietistic Protestants,” (Methodist, Christian Church and African Methodist Episcopal), and about 17 percent of Catholics were obese.

By contrast, about 1 percent of the Jewish population and less than 1 percent of other non-Christians, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and others), were Continue reading “Baptists are… well obese”

“Shut Your Trap”

I have heard that derogatory command before, “shut your trap!”. It sounds irreverent or disrespecful, to say the least, and we are taken aback by the harshness of that remark. However, today in church I reached a new understanding and got to see that questionable phrase in a new, revealing light.
In Sara’s teachings, today, she admonished us to watch what we say because our WORDS are often that which cut off the blessings and negate that which we have prayed, hoped and believed for so vigorously. And then she said, “SHUT YOUR TRAP” WELL!!!! “Do you know what your “trap ” is?” she challenged. And suddenly I saw it. Of course! Your “trap” is your mouth. When you tell someone in the vernacular to “shut their trap” you mean to say.,…. “shut up or shut your mouth.” But in the Spirit it has a much greater significance and is of greatest “life or death proportions, that isContinue reading ““Shut Your Trap””

Ode to Geriatrics

We got Geriatrics in the city,
Geriatrics in our homes,
Geriatrics in the country
Geriatrics living alone.

I’ve got geriatric plants in my geriatric greenhouse
And geriatric books on my geriatric shelves.
Geriatric dust on my geriatric furniture
And geriatric money in the geriatric bank.

I’ve got a geriatric dog
Who needs a geriatric to walk him.
There’s a geriatric tape playing
In my geriatric taper player.
And a geriatric pile of bills
That long have been a’waiting.

I gave a geriatric monologue at a business meeting today;
After I spent four hours looking for an article that I had forgotten
where I stored it away.

My geriatric ‘moment’ has turned into a geriatric day.
My ‘juvenile’ aquaintances no longer ask me to play.
Now geriatric’s not a curseword if it’s used in a way that’s
kind.
It becomes one when it grows into a tree that overtakes my mind.

FContinue reading “Ode to Geriatrics”

A Day in Church

I was so blessed to be in the Lord’s house yesterday, Sunday! I heard a great
message from God’s Word. The Minister/Preacher said that he remembers a
preacher saying…”sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you
longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay”.

He spoke about sin and how we can have “regret for sin”, “remorse for sin”, and
or “repentance for sin”. He used the example of Judus only having regret and
remorse for betraying Jesus, because he commited suicide. He than spoke
about Peter having regret, remorse, and repentance, for denying Jesus,
because repentance means you make a change. “Peter weeped bitterly”, God’s
Word says.He continued to use David as an example in Psalm 51. You can read
this scripture and know that David truly had a repentant heart, for his sin
with Bethsheba.

The minister/preacher stated thContinue reading “A Day in Church”

Prayer Request

I receive many prayer request and seemly I am receiving more and more letters with issues like this letter.

I would like to ask each of you for your comments and ways to pray and answer this type of letter. And, of course if you feel lead to pray for this young Christian Lady and her Mom which is also a Christian. I understand they both attend church regularly.

Then we have the issue of ‘friend’ in the letter, also a Christian Mom with grown children and grandchildren. The man I understand she has not even met yet. Just telephone communicaton. As you will read neither man claims to be a Christian.

” Keep my Mother in prayer concerning her blood sugar. It’s high and the doctors say she might have (Diabetes). But I rebuke that in Jesus’ Name.

My man and I have given Mom a new nick-name…”Big Bad Mama”. She’s never scared of anContinue reading “Prayer Request”

Carpe Diem

In our world today we fill our day with a multitude of activities. From the moment our feet hit the floor until we collapse into bed at night we are saturated with activities. Even at night, our sleep may be restless from the ideas that seem not to want to shut off. Carpe Diem we think. That is what we did, we seized the day for all its worth. Is that what Carpe Diem is all about in God’s sight or have we played the fool?

Have we worked so hard that no creativity can enter in? Have we worked so hard that we have shoved God aside? Have we been so busy with the things of the world that we have forgotten that God is with us all the time.

In the ’06 Retreat we studied Genesis 28: 10-22. In that scripture Jacob lays his head down after a full day and dreams of a ladder from earth to heaven. God speaks to him about the awesome promise to him and that he will Continue reading “Carpe Diem”

Heart and Mouth

I discovered that the Message Bible states in Matthew 12:34, that Jesus says, “It’s your heart and not the dictionary that gives meaning to your words.”

This makes a VERY enlightening point that sheds new perspective on our discussions of “heart and mouth” on thedailylily. I am thinking that from this Scripture….that whatever you MAY THINK that you are thinking in your MIND and trying to say or (THINK that you are saying)..actually..what REALLY ,TRULY is coming out of your mouth is what your HEART, REALLY, TRULY thinks.

So when we examine the fruit of our lips….what we’re saying that is exaggeration, or flattery, or put downs or mockings or bragging or complaining or deception or self- deceiving …and we see the bitter fruit it produces..we must quickly turn to look at our own hearts to find the root of what is causing this rotten harvest and “lay the axe to it.”Continue reading “Heart and Mouth”

Guess who?

Is this ‘Mash’, ‘General Hospital’ or World War II? Her Mother and I found this in some very very old pictues. Has anyone ever seen anyone wear a uniform with a hat that looks like this? Maybe it’s as ‘The World Turns’? Was it a century ago? A millennium?

I know with all the research Lilies we have we will identify and write a story of the year of?????

I must say she sure is beautiful and sweet looking. The Mona Lisa will have to move aside and let this anonoymous lady reign. (Mona Lisa |Л?mЕЌnЙ™ Л?lД“sЙ™; Л?lД“zЙ™| a painting (now in the Louvre in Paris) executed 1503–06 by Leonardo da Vinci. The sitter was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo; her enigmatic smile has become one of the most famous images in Western art. Also called La Gioconda .)

Continue reading “Guess who?”

The Roses/Lilies of God

While away on vacation, I had the opportunity to work in my mother-in-law’s beautiful rose garden. I pulled the weeds, clipped off the old roses that had dropped their pedals, and trimmed away dead branches. In a matter of a week, I could see new buds starting to form. What a beautiful sight and fragrance to behold.

Recently I was going through a study on Spring – Landscaping Designs by
Sara and with the activity with the roses and the recent summer
retreat I figured God must really be telling me a few things in a
hand-on/mind-on/spirit-on way.

The first thing that was revealed to me as King Solomon said, “Arise my
love, my fair one, and come away with me.” The second thing is that we are to be a mirror image of our Father. Our Father is a creator. He is an artist. According to a quote from Oswald Chambers in the Spring lesson, “An artist is Continue reading “The Roses/Lilies of God”