“I Don’t Know Why Anyone Would Follow My Blog”

My husband and I were talking the other night and for some reason I was talking about my blog (something I rarely do).

He was asking some questions about it and asked how many people followed my blog.

I told him.

“Why do people follow your blog?” he asked.

I responded with the above quote, “I don’t know why anyone would follow my blog.”

So, I lied a little I guess.  Most of you are here because of BSF.  That’s how most of you found me.

I told my husband I guess they like what I have to say and I’m a good writer (not sure about that but it fell out of mouth like most stuff does).

I know I have offended many people.  Some of you have gotten mad at me.  Some of you probably would like to smack me at times (which I don’t blame you.  I probably need a good smack or two) and ask, “What is wrong with you?”  (I ask this too).

I recently offended one lady who copied portions of my About page.  She emailed me back, offended by my offensiveness and explained her reasoning.  I duly apologized.

You see, I think people are out to get me in general.  So far, I’ve had 3 scrapers of which I know of and this irks me.  I now know how Stephenie Meyer must have felt when Midnight Sun was stolen and published without her approval.  It is a violation and for writers it’s usually personal. I know it is for me.  It’s a creative endeavor that I at least am fiercely protective of.

For those of you who don’t know, Midnight Sun is an unfinished work of Stephenie Meyers (the author of the Twilight Series) which got posted on the internet illegally when one of her rough drafts fell into the wrong hands.

The lady who copied my About page was probably an admirer (which you can tell from this post I have a hard time believing why anyone would admire me).  I should have acted out of love, but I didn’t.  I failed God’s test.  What else is new? you ask.

Luckily, the lady was nice about my insecurities although she probably harbors some ill-will against me.  I don’t blame her.  I can be quite caustic at times, especially when it comes to sensitive subjects.  You should see me when it comes to my kids.

I do thank you all who for whatever reason you do follow this blog.  I pray for you all–that God is moving in your life and blessing you beyond reason.  I thank you when you take the time to advise me or add your 2 cents to the questions or encourage someone else who shares their heart here.  I know your time is valuable and I appreciate every second you share with insignificant me.

And I pray many, many others appreciate you as well.

Christians are Judgmental

Did I get your attention?  Good.

Research has shown one of the biggest barriers for non-believers to turn to Christ is Christians themselves. After some of the comments I received from my Glenn Beck post, I now agree.  For every comment I get, I’m sure there are dozens more who think the same.

So Glenn Beck is Mormon.  Does that make a difference to us in how we view him?  Is that for us to judge?  I think we all know the answer to that.

“Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  Matthew 22:36-40

I would say this is pretty important, wouldn’t you?

Yet as soon as us Christians find out someone is NOT a Christian, we immediately turn our backs on them, pronounce them insane, judge them, and move on to our Christian friends whom are somehow better than others because they have Christ.

Well, this is dead wrong.  Jesus loved everyone.  He loved the fringes of society: the downtrodden, the broken, the desperate, the derelicts, the homeless, and yes, even the un-believers.  His aim was to show them through his undying love what God can offer and to tell them the Truth and the Good News.  But, it was up to them to decide which was to turn.  And if they turned away, he loved them all the same.

My point:  quit being hypocrites!  Quit judging others based on their beliefs.  In this day and age it’s amazing to find people who even have beliefs, especially amongst the young.  Just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’m better than others.  I’m equal with others.  Period.

Non-believers will turn to Christ if they see you living His example.  If you gossip, are catty, downright mean, and judgmental, why would others want to even see whom your God is?

We are commissioned to walk like Jesus did.  He lived a Godly life.  He spoke universal truths.  He loved on others no matter their circumstances or who they were.  And people flocked to Him.

Why can’t we do the same?

The Wonders of a Good Dental Cleaning

You probably dislike the dentist as much as I do.  I hate getting the plaque scraped off my teeth and it usually hurts and I always feel like I’m not doing enough to keep my teeth clean.

For years, I’ve been struggling to find a good dentist ever since my childhood dentist in my hometown (1500 miles away).

I think I’ve finally found one.  After two dentists who kept telling me I needed thousands of dollars worth of work done to my teeth, this guy says, “Wait and see.  Everything’s fine right now.”  Plus, he said I have beautiful teeth, something I’ve never gotten before.

After a cleaning, I feel awesome.  My mouth is germ-free (as much as it can be) and I don’t want to eat anything afterwards for fear I’ll ruin it.  My teeth shine and I feel good.

This was the first dentist who told me things I’ve never been told before.  He told me the importance of a soft bristled toothbrush and recommended an electric one.  ”Well, I’ve looked into electric ones but I don’t want to drop $100 on one,” I said.  The hygenist gal recommended a $30 (Oral B Vitality) that works great she said.

So, since I didn’t have the kiddos with me, I ran to Wal-Mart and purchased one.  I also got 3 electric toothbrushes for my kiddos (on sale for $6!) who have been complaining relentlessly about brushing their teeth so I thought a new gadget would work wonders.  Something for them to play with.

I will never go back to a normal toothbrush.  It feels like my whole tooth is getting cleaned.  It’s gentle on my teeth and gums and I actually brush longer because it’s so smooth.  I only wish I would have discovered this sooner.

My kids also think they are the coolest things.  My oldest actually brushes her teeth twice a day now!

I just wish someone had taken the time before to share this information with me.  I’m not that old but I did seem to grow up in the dark ages and my mother was horrible at teaching me stuff like this.

So, I’m sharing this with you all (kind of like the IPod thing) so you’re not as backwards as I am.  I don’t keep up with the trends very much and if no one tells you, how else will you know?

Going Back to Refutation…

I’m still kicking around the blog post by Nathan Bransford dealing with dreams and expectations.  Most people agreed with it.  Some were like me.

It angered me.  I do get offended when people say “temper your dreams”.  Ever.  People had better not say this to one of my kids or they will have to deal with Mama Bear.  This isn’t what Jesus said or did.  The point of life is to be more like Jesus.  He said go forth and prosper.  Find your God-given purpose.  God wants us to succeed and not settle in life.  Life is way too short to settle.

I want my dreams so bad it hurts sometimes.  I cry over it.  I anguish over it.  I pour every ouch of blood, sweat, and tears into my works and I do expect it to touch millions.  I expect that.  This is why I will succeed.

Ask any successful millionaire out there how high his expectations were and I’m sure you’d get out of this universe.  Steve Jobs?  Bill Gates?  Donald Trump?

Sure, I’m sure they didn’t know the path their dreams would take but that doesn’t matter.  All that matters is the end result.

If I Had Another Life…

I’d be a bartender in a pub in Ireland.

I actually did this when I was in college and would do it again in a heart beat.

But, that was not my intended path.

As I was unpacking stuff from my move, I came across a pint glass I had stolen from Spain (the only one to survive the flight.  I actually brought home dozens but they all broke in my luggage).  It brought a surge of memories back.

During this time in my life, I was always searching for something.  It was a chaotic time and not at times a happy one.

Instead, God led me to my husband.  He meant me to have kids, who brought me back to God and led me to write novels which will hopefully one day serve His purpose.  He put me here for a reason.  And I intend to fulfill that reason.

Who knows?  Maybe one day I could end up back in Ireland.  I do hope to visit again with the family.

The Importance of Protecting the Innocence of Our Youth

I’m reading on FoxNews.com about Montana attempting to teach 5 and 6-year olds about sex education and immediately thought, “If I lived there, my kids would be homeschooled and that would be the end of that.”

This is indicative of what’s wrong with public schools.  They trespass on the role of parents, declare what they think kids should be learning instead of focusing on the basics (reading, writing, and math), and then just do whatever the hell they want.

Well, this is not okay with me.  In no way is this okay with me.  I’m the primary educator of my children and I will decide when my kids need to know about the birds and the bees.

In all honesty, I am petrified of sending my kids to school because they do believe at this age all they are told.  They think adults will never lie to them (read here the power of pedaphiles) and they are always right.  Well, they’re not.  I’m not.  They aren’t.

Kids today grow up way too fast as it is.  Remember playing outside all day every day all summer long?  Gone in this day and age.  Kids need to be protected.  Kids need to be sheltered.  Kids need to be valued.  Their little minds don’t need to know about adult stuff.  They have 50 plus years (God-willing) of doing adult stuff.  They only have maybe 15 years of kid stuff these days.

I can tell you right now I want to be a kid again.  I don’t like having to plan where I’m going to live, pay bills, drive everywhere, deal with in-laws, plan for retirement, and overall be an adult.  I’d much rather live carefree, play all day, have my meals served to me, do whatever I want when I want, and have fun all day, every day.  This adult stuff is, well, for adults.

So, let our kids be kids.  Stop trying to prepare them for an unknown and uncertain future.  That’s my job.  I plan to do it well.  But let my kid play in the mud for as long as possible without having to worry about how to get out of the mud once buried in it.

Is This All God Has In Mind For Me?

It’s hard to keep your goals and future plans in mind when you get bogged down in the details of everyday life.  I have to constantly remind myself that God has more than this in mind for me and if I pray everyday and ask Him for His guidance, then small steps will achieve big results.

Now, I try to keep in mind that all things are possible.  I can do this.  I can achieve my life’s purpose.  I can and I will.

My daughters have the horrible habit of saying, “I can’t.”  Well, starting today, that will be banned in this house.  It has driven me nuts for a while now so today I’m taking action.  No more limiting beliefs.  Good things can and will happen.  God can do anything so why not in my life?

Every day is a challenge and I try my best.  Some days I succeed.  Some days I don’t.  Nevertheless, I keep going never looking behind at where I’ve gone but only in the now and future.

Mediocrity is No Longer Acceptable

I’ve come to realize over the last few weeks that I have been dreaming too small and have settled into exactly that:  settling. God has so much more planned for my life and if I just believed that all things are possible through Him, then I will achieve them.

I have been blessed with certain talents that no one else in this world has.  I have certain gifts and it is up to me to use these for God’s purpose.

Part of my problem has been I’ve gotten caught up in believing only things I can see when I need to believe in things I can’t see.  Nothing is too big for God to achieve (this includes my measly dream of getting published).  I need to trust God for what I can’t see and for what God wants to do.  I must be a good steward of what I have in order to get more.  I need to ask God for the impossible because all things are possible through Him.

So, I’ve decided to make a list of what to ask God for.  This weekend I had determined to sell our third vehicle and get this place subletted.  Well, I sold the vehicle on Friday and yesterday I had one guy said he’d fill out the paperwork on Monday.  2 things on my list already accomplished.  I’ve decided to get out of my poverty frame of mind and believe I can do anything.

I had been struggling with how hopeless publishing was and wallowing in self-pity and only doggedly writing.  Well, I’ve decided my dream will come true since I have asked God for it.  I will believe my family has the money to go and do things and not get caught up in the mindset of “I’m broke, I can’t afford it, and No, I’ll wait.”  I can afford it because I believe God will provide for me–both my needs and my desires.

Other things on my list to ask God for:

A nice house in the location I want it with what I want it to contain.

A publishing deal.

God to work through me as I edit my newly-finished YA paranormal.

Faith in tithing.

Raise kids good.

A strong, healthy family.

Lessons from the Arabian Nights

I began this humongous book of epic proportions to read to my kids entitled “The Arabian Nights: Their Best Known Tales.”  I’ ve been reading it pretty much non-stop for the past 5 days mainly because it’s due back at the library today.  I finally finished it last night and even my kids were glad.

This book was refreshing because the stories are all ancient and most talk a lot about God or Allah.  It’s nice to see how the characters rely on God and his will for their lives.  Some good quotes I enjoyed:

I resigned myself to the will of God.

Call upon the Almighty, He will help thee; thou needest not perplex thyself about anything else; shut thy eyes and whilst thou are asleep, God will change thy bad fortune into good.

There is no strength or power but in God alone, who is almighty.

God’s purposes concerning me are as yet hid in darkness.

Several times the characters submit to the will of God and chalk up the calamities of their lives and their situations to His will.  They never complain and about it but just accept (or submit if you will) to it and move forward, making the best of what has happened.

I wish I had more of this attitude in my life.  The ability to accept things in your life and not try to fight or change the bad stuff and to do all this humbly and with grace is hard in our day and time of instant gratification.

To realize that God does have a plan for your life but it is hidden in darkness, waiting for you to discover it.

Good stuff to think about this weekend.

Advice to Live By–Courtesy of Coach Wooden

“Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books — especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day, give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”  Coach John Wooden

I had never heard of Coach Wooden until I read his memorials online, but I found this bit of advice on FoxNews.com and had to share.  The advice is timeless and should be something we should all strive for.  God bless you, Coach Wooden.