A survey I took not long ago said, among other things, that I was most likely to make up my own meme or survey. This planted an idea in my head, so here goes my first try at writing a meme. I know some of the questions might seem a little strange, and that some people might be too young (haven't learned yet) or too old (have forgotten) to know the answers to some questions. But I think it's a kind of fun little meme (if I do say so myself), and I hope everybody else enjoys it too. Here we go:
Square meme
1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Answer the square number of questions on your blog
4. Tag a square number (i.e., 4, 9, 16, etc) people at the end of your post, and let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
1. Do you have the squares of every number up to 12 memorized? If you do, list them: Yes, I do. 1squared=1, 2squared=4, 3squared=9, 4squared=16, 5squared=25, 6squared=36, 7squared=49, 8squared=64, 9squared=81, 10squared=100, 11squared=121, 12squared=144.
2. If you take the square root of a number and square it, what do you get? The original number.
3. Think about the number of people in your immediate family (i.e., parents, grandparents, siblings, children). Is it a square number? My mother and her siblings make a square number. The number of my grandparents, my parents, and I is not a square number
4. Is your bedroom a square or a rectangle? I think it's a square...I haven't paced it off.
5. Can you form a perfect square with your hands? No...my hands curve too much.
6. Name the nearest object to you that is a square: A mousepad.
7. Is a square symmetrical? Yes, it is.
8. Do you know how to draw a 3D square? Yes, although I might be getting a bit rusty from lack of practice.
9. Which looks prettier to you -- a quilt with perfect squares or a crazy (strips of fabric of different shapes) quilt? A symmetrical quilt with perfect squares.
O.K., now I'll tag a square number of 4 people:
1. Miss Theresa at her Homeschooling Blog (I figured it'd be very appropriate for that blog!)
2. Daughter at Mac Children 4 (Turn about's fair play!)
3. Tiffany at Mrs. Creative
4. Mackenzie at Whatz Up With Kenz
Well, that's all for my first time writing a meme! Personally, I don't think it really turned out all that well...I'll try writing another one later.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Square Meme
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!!
We were very busy at the beginning of this month, and I never got around to posting my monthly devotional. In my personal devotions this morning, I happened to read my favorite verses in the Bible, and I decided I would post a short devotional this morning. You see, these verses just happened to be part of my morning reading today...but, of course, we know that there are no coincedences with God. Here is the passage:
Romans 8:31-39
31What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us?
32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God
that justifieth.
34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?
36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us.
38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:31-39 (King James Version)
Romans 8:38-39 are my favorite verses in the entire Bible. It is an indescribable comfort to know that nothing, nothing at all, can ever separate us from God's love. If we put our trust in people, people will let us down. Even the people that we love the most are still human; our Savior is the only One that we can always trust, we can always believe, we can always depend on...He will always love us, no matter what happens, no matter what we do, His love is forever.
Today is Valentine's Day. People will pledge their love to each other today, in many different ways. Some of the people will have grasped true love, the unchanging, constant love, given by God. Some have only a mere wisp of sentimentality that they think is love, and others are mistaking lust for love.
I don't know how people without the Lord live from day to day anyways, but it seems to me that Valentine's Day must be one of the emptiest, loneliest, most pain-filled days in the year for the unbelievers. Today, if they pull back the shroud and expose the things they think are love for what they really are, they would realize just how much they long for the true, pure, beautiful love that God offers.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
That's true love. That's what Jesus did for us. I beg you, if you are reading this today and do not know the love that our Savior offers, please, please, be reconciled to Him. Read your Bible -- read the Gospels and see His love shine forth. Talk with a pastor or minister, or with a saved friend; I have heard that there is even a hotline that you can call (1-888-NEED-HIM). Don't make excuses any longer -- make it right, now.
Happy Valentine's Day to you all, and may you be filled with the love that only He can give.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Memes
O.K., here comes a wave of memes. One I picked up, another I volunteered for, and still another I was tagged for. So here goes:
Name Meme:
1. What is your name? - Rebekah
2. A four-letter word? - Rent
3. A vehicle? - Radio-controlled car
4. A city? - Rancho Santa Margarita (it's in Southern California, it's just the first city starting with an R that I thought of)
5. A Boy's Name? - Reagan (I admire the president)
6. A Girl's Name? - Rachel (one of my very good friends)
7. A movie/film? - Remember the Titans (I've never seen it, I just searched the web for a movie starting with R and got that)
8. An occupation? - Reaper (not the Grim, but rather someone who gathers in crops)
9. Something you wear? - Removable sleeves...I couldn't think of anything else!
10. A Celebrity? - Reba McEntire
11. A Food? - Red bell peppers (I don't like them, but I couldn't think of anything else)
12. Something found in the kitchen? - Recipes
13. Something found in the bathroom? - Razors
14. A Reason for being late? - not Remembering where your car is
15. A Cartoon Character? - Roadrunner
16. Something you shout? - "it's Raining!"
17. An animal? - Rhinocerous
18. A Body Part? - Rear end (there's another part, too, but I think you know which that is)
19. A word to describe you? - not Rebellious...I couldn't think of anything else
I picked this one up, so I won't tag anybody for it.
Book Meme:
1) One book that changed your life: the Bible, without a doubt. I'm not going to say what version is best, since I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is inerrant in its original manuscripts.
2) One book that you have read more than once: Hmmm...pretty much any good book
3) One book you would want on a desert island: I would have to say that if I could only take one book, it would be the Bible.
4) Two books that made you laugh: Books by Stephen Bly ; Cranes in My Corral, by Dayton O. Hyde (very, very funny! About a rancher who decides to raise 4 sandhill cranes).
5) One book that made you cry: A Walk to Remember, by Nicholas Sparks
6) One book you wish you'd written: Any good book, particularly any book written by Stephen Bly
7) One book you wish had never been written: Any book that exemplifies, exonerates, or exalts a different belief or lifestyle than what our Savior wants us to have.
8) Two books you're reading: I'm working on rereading the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery; I'm in the middle of Blind Man's Bluff, the Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage, by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew with Annette Lawrence Drew.
9) One book you're going to read: I intend someday to finish reading Plato's Five Great Dialogues, and someday I intend to read Homer's The Iliad and the Odyssey
This one I volunteered for, so I'm not going to tag anybody for this one, either.
This one I was tagged for by Daughter of Mac Children 4
Random Meme:
01. Link to the person that tagged you
02. Post the rules on your blog
03. Share 6 non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
04. Tag 6 random people at the end of your post
05. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog
1. When I'm feeling self-conscious, I begin to shift my weight from foot to foot, and often rub the top of the free foot on the calf of the weighted foot. I also blush.
2. I have this strange quirk about necklaces -- I can't stand to see the clasp of a necklace hanging down by the pendant. What's even stranger is that one of my cousins also has this quirk.
3. I have wanted to join the military since I was a small child, though not consistently (I, as all children do, wavered many times as to what I wanted to do when I grew up).
4. I like to write fiction, but I'm not really very good at it. I stink at mysteries (so predictable they might as well be called no-mysteries), and my westerns resemble stories that a six-year-old might tell you. The only book I've ever written that I think is any good was juvenile contemporary Christian, and maybe sometime I can look into having it published or something. But for now, I only write for my own amusement, because if anyone else reads them, they're way too amusing because they aren't very good!
5. Kids tend to flock to me. Why, I don't know, except that I like kids as much as they like me, but it seems like any neighborhood we're in, I end up with a fan club!
6. I pretty much always wear a hat when I'm not inside a house, usually my black cowboy hat, but if I'm working out or something I'll wear my Kawasaki baseball cap.
I'm going to tag:
1. Under Southern Skies
2. Dad of 3 Girls
3. Little Drummer Boy
4. Because He Lives
5. Heart of Praise
6. The Days of My Life
That's all for now!
Monday, February 11, 2008
More Ariana Pics
Yes, here's another wave of photographs of my beautiful niece. Before I begin, though, I want to make a little explanation of my use of the phrase, "I just have a minute..." Usually, that's true. I understand, though, that some people would be somewhat puzzled when I begin a post in that manner and go on to make a several-paragraph post. But, like I said, it is usually true. Many times I start a post, save it as a draft when my time is up, and come back to it later. Other times some priorities get rearranged and I finish it all in one sitting. Still other times I might have to leave the unfinished post up on the computer, work on something else for a little while, and come back to it. So I want to make sure everyone is clear that I do not lie when I say "...I only have a few moments..." and yet write several more paragraphs, but that it usually is true.
That taken care of, I have one other issue to bring up, and that is that I am so glad that other people also are praising God over our adventure with our keys. As a friend said in a comment,
"Well, this one thing I am sure of it happened so God could get the glory fromOthers also left kind comments, and praised the Lord with us. Isn't He so good?!!!
it, and He did!!! ... connie from Texas"
O.K., now for the pictures:
My mom holding Ariana
Just chillin', Mama, just chillin'
Would somebody take the bow off me, pleeease!!
Am I cute or what?!!!
That's all for now, I intend to get around to visiting everybody again in a few days, but we've been so busy lately I haven't had a chance yet...
News peek....My mom and her friend have a Bible study blog! Not ready to be unveiled yet, but soon!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
AMAZING -- Praise the Lord!
O.K., I only have a few minutes but I got to share this with everybody. By the way, I'm still working on making the rounds to say hi to everybody, so if I haven't been by yet, I'll be by soon...
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we were working at the Equine Affaire. Thurs we worked 4 hours (1:00 to 5:00) selling programs at the gate to the people coming inside the Fairplex; Friday we worked 6 hours (10 - 4) helping kids make stick horses in the Youth Pavilion; Saturday we worked 2 1/2 hours (10-12) in the Youth Pavilion...sounds like a math problem, doesn't it? :-) Thursday we did the hour's drive to the Fairplex, did our 4 hours, and looked around and stuff (and watched cowboy mounted shooting -- fun!), did the hour's drive back, and got to bed maybe 11:00 or so.
Friday morning we were up at 7:00. We did our hour's drive, did our 6 hours, met up with some very *very* dear friends who were also attending (the horse they trained in the Mustang Makeover was in the Race, but that's a whole 'nother post), hung out with them for awhile, then went together to the Craig Cameron's Extreme Cowboy Race that evening. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them... The Race was almost over, and Mom was sort of preparing to go, and all of a sudden she couldn't remember where she'd put her keys. She looked through the bag that we were carrying -- not there. She felt through all her pockets -- not there. I patted down all my pockets -- not there. We started getting worried. We looked under the bleachers we were sitting on; we looked in the pockets of the extra coat I'd brought...we couldn't find them anywhere.
Mom came to the conclusion that she'd left them in the volunteer office. By this time it's maybe 10:00 at night, and the volunteer office closed at 7:00. We managed, by the help of some security guards, to get in contact with the coordinator of the event, and she, bless her heart, sent one of the other coordinators to unlock the door for us and help us look. We searched the volunteer office, the bathrooms downstairs, everywhere...nothing. We got together with our friends again, and discussed what to do next. We looked all around the stables where we had hung out together before the Race, and then we decided to get back in touch with the coordinators and security guards and see if we could look in the Information booth where the keys would have been turned in had they been found by anybody. Still nothing. Our dear friends, bless them, drove us the hour's drive back to our house so we could pick up our spare key, then they would drive us back to our car, which was still in the parking lot. We were tired, Mom and I both felt kind of sick, we just both felt like 'this was so not in our plans...' We did a lot of praying, and a lot of talking with our friends, and the drive went pretty well.
We got home, picked up the spare key, everybody did a bathroom stop, and we all piled back in the Jeep. As I got in, I noticed that one of the cargo pockets of my pants was bulkier than I had remembered it being. I couldn't remember putting anything that bulky into my pocket, so I patted it down again...my heart almost stopped. I pulled the keys out of my pocket. I couldn't believe I was actually holding them. My voice was almost shaky as I said, "Mom, hold out your hand." I thought I was dreaming or something.
Mom held out her hand, and the instant the keys touched her hand, she knew what they were. We praised God. Our friends, who could easily have started grousing about how they had driven us the hour home, would drive us the hour back, and still had a two hour drive to get back to their own home, praised the Lord with us -- Uncle Joe's first comment was "Hallelujah! Now you don't have to get all those keys copied!"
This was such a God-thing, such a miracle, because the keys were not in my pocket earlier! They just weren't there -- and then they were! There is no way to explain that but the hand of God. We praised Him with our friends, then the next day we praised Him before the coordinators and other volunteers, and also to some of the people that were attending the Equine Affaire.
As our friends said, maybe this was God's way of protecting us from something on the ride home...or protecting them from something on their ride home...or maybe the Lord just knew that we needed a little more time with our dear friends... Whatever His reason was, I know He had a sovereign plan, and knew about this before the world even began -- isn't that such a comfort to know, to realize that He has everything under control, nothing surprises Him or takes Him unexpected?
I don't know if I'll ever come up with more of it, but the chorus of a song started going through my head the next morning, and I know it was from Him. I can tell the difference between when I'm making up a poem or song, and when He gives me one -- because the words are not mine, they are just there. Here's the chorus:
Won't you join me in praising His goodness right now?
