Question of the day: How do you picture the face of God?

This is a question I came across the other day. You know what? I have never tried to picture the face of God. It never occurred to me. As I think about it, I really can’t picture HIM. HE is more of a feeling to me than anything else. I feel and hear and experience him, but can’t place a picture on HIM. Why do you think that is?

Now Jesus, I can picture and my picture of him has changed over the years. Growing up, I assumed he was white. Never took in account his earthly heritage. When I was in my 20’s, attended a wedding at a African American church. The crucifix at the altar had a black Jesus. I looked at it for a while, contemplating, and realized we all see him differently.

Then when we started studying ancient history of Egypt and Israel, it hit me light a bolt of lightening. Mary came from Nazareth and Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He is from Israel. Yes, his father was God, but Mary was his earthly mother. His heritage is Israeli.

So now I have a different image of Jesus that I see when thinking about him or praying.

Amazing what you discover when you teach someone else about history.

So – what image do you have of God?

Poetry: Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay,
And wash the cups and saucers up, and brush the crumbs away,
And shoo the chickens off the porch and dust the hearth and sweep,
And make the fire, and bake the bread, and earn her board and keep;
And all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire and has the mostest fun
A-listenin' to the witch tales that Annie tells about,
And the Gobble-uns that gits you if you don't watch out!

Once they was a little boy who wouldn't say his prayers--
And when he went to bed at night, away upstairs,
His mammy heard him holler and his daddy heard him bawl,
And when they turned the kivvers down, he wasn't there at all!
And they seeked him in the rafter room, and cubby hole and press,
And seeked him up the chimney flue, and everywheres, I guess;
But all they ever found was just his pants and round about!
And the Gobble-uns'll git you if you don't watch out!

And one time a little girl would always laugh and grin,
And make fun of everyone, and all her blood and kin;
And once when they was company and old folks was there,
She mocked them and shocked them and said she didn't care!
And just as she kicked her heels, and turnt to run and hide,
They was two great big Black Things a-standin'by her side,
And they snatched her through the ceiling
'fore she knowed what she's about!
And the Gobble-uns'll git you if you don't watch out!

And little Orphan Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
And the lamp wick sputters, and the wind goes woo-oo!
And you hear the crickets quit and the moon is gray,
And the lightning bugs in dew is all squenched away--
You better mind your parents, and your teachers fond and dear,
And cherish them that loves you, and dry the orphan's tear,
And help the poor and needy one that cluster all about,
Or the Gobble-uns'll git you if you don't watch out!

by James Whitcomb Riley

This is a poem we (my sisters and I) all memorized for elementary school “way back when”. Can you still recite it?

Book Review: Bodie Thoene’s A.D. Chronicles

Have you ever fallen in love with a writer and their books? You read all their books and then wait with bated breath for the newest story to be published. This is how it is with Bodie Thoene’s A.D. Chronicles. She has taken the characters in the stories of the bible and given them life: from the blind beggar to the lepers to the centurion to Mary and Joseph. She has given them a life and wrapped the story of Jesus around them.

I discovered that I am a visual-spatial learner and see things in pictures as I read, rather than words. This means, if the story is well written, it will draw me into the story.

The A.D. Chronicles have personalized the bible for me. Now, whenever I read the bible, I feel a closer connection and envision what is happening in my mind.

The first three books of the series follow the lives of Peniel the begger, the Centurion and the Shephard Zadok as they follow Yeshua.

The last three books chronicle the lives of Mary and Joseph.













This is an awesome series. Get taken back to the life and times of ancient Jerusalem and discover who the characters of the bible really are.

News: Blog posts of the day

Want to do something silly?

Planet M & M's


Need a laugh?

Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

Need some mental stimulation?

Mental Multivitamin


Need a dose of inspiration today?

Hop on over to Christian Women Online Internet Cafe and read "The Shadow of His Wings".

Home life: Spring Fever

Spring has sprung and we have spring fever (aaaaccchhhooooo!!!!!)

We are taking a planned break from lessons this week. We have lots to do including finishing the income taxes. Spring cleaning is also on the calendar: clearing out the dormant plants in the garden, washing windows and cleaning out the garage.

My online class “Literature for Children and Young Adults” is going well. Just finished writing my first paper: an analysis of a children’s book. This is the first paper I have written for college in 20 some odd years. I managed to find a good used copy of “MLA handbook for writers” recently, so that was helpful. I just “might” post it for you all to read, silly as it may be.

News: Homeschool for and against debate

An interesting debate took place in the cyber world yesterday between anti and pro home school proponents. A home school mom was ridiculed for her choice in curriculum material for her children, which led her to defend herself of course. (R rated due to the “F” bomb* -- It is always amazing to me when people resort to the “F” bomb because they can’t defend their viewpoint or to disguise the fact that they have no view point)

The conversation meandered from home schoolers are over protective and making their children incapable of functioning in society to WE are being selfish. That by keeping our children out of school, we are somehow eroding the quality of public education.

He says and I quote'

“Undoubtedly, socialization is a big part of public education. People talk about peer effects a lot, i.e. kids pick up a great deal of habits, values and outlooks from their classmates. Put a child in a class of kids coming from dysfunctional families – sons and daughters of crack addicts, alcoholics and unemployed wife-beaters – and you’re putting him at serious risk of contracting some pretty negative traits. Put the same child in a different environment, surrounded by peers coming from engaged and enlightened families such as yours, and you’re likely to have very different results. When the better folks pull out their kids to be home-schooled, they worsen the pool and diminish the life prospects of all those left behind. Your own kids get a better education in the process, but have you ever asked yourself: at whose cost?

The effect I describe above works through other channels too. School quality depends among other things on parental involvement. Had you people (clearly among the parents most concerned about your kids’ education) not disassociated yourself with your local school system, it probably would have been blessed with curricular and pedagogic improvements thanks to the pressure you would have brought to bear. As it stands now, your neighborhood schools languish under the supervision of apathetic teachers and aloof parents. You have started a movement which, if it became widespread, would create gated communities of nurturing amidst a sea of educational collapse. This is what worries me.

It is of course not my place to lecture you about compromising your own child’s learning for the sake of a greater common good, to put country and community before family. But I am tempted to paraphrase the words of a great President whose inspirational words once stirred the soul of a nation:

Ask not what your school district can do for you; ask what you can do for your school district.”

We are responsible for the erosion of the public school system? I think not. Once the powers that be decided to take God out of the schools, then that is when the erosion began. As always, the conversation ended with an agreement to disagree. No one changed their mind about the issue. Hopefully, though, a few were enlightened.

Celebrate: 19 Years in Business

Congratulations to my dear husband, the electronics genius. Today he celebrates 19 years as owner of our business, Rainbow Electronics. He took a failing electronics business and made it into a successful audio and video repair facility. He has outlasted the majority of other repair shops in town and is still going strong. I am so proud of him.

I do have to give credit to our two wonderful employees who have been with us practically the whole time. They are masters at their craft as well.

Father loves to design and has come up with some wonderful ideas. He has an ear for sound and has taught me quite a few things. He has designed and built huge amplifiers for the high end audiophile world to a micro guitar amplifier for musicians to use to practice quietly behind the scenes or in hotel rooms. Just click on the links to take a look at his creations.