The Family of God

I remember when I was younger, the church we attend ended every service singing, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God......"  I always thought it was an interesting song and specifically meant within my church.  As I have grown, I have found that their are a lot of people in the family of God.  I meet new people everyday and find a close knit like I have known them all my life.

In todays world, so many people are cutting others out of their life( ie. ex-spouse, bad friend, old co-worker) for whatever reason.  I thought I would share a story that I was told in youth group a long time ago. There once was a new Christian and wanting to be a good Christain, he decided to stop associating with anyone that did not believe in God.  He felt very good about his decision until he found that a few of his "Christian" friends were not acting very "Christian" like so he decided to eliminate anyone who did not act like a "Christian." Then one day he got in a heated discussion with one of his approved friends and found that they did not see eye to eye on a passage in the word of God so he redrew his friendship circle to only include those who shared the same biblical view points as him.  He was very happy, but then he heard some gossip at church about someone within his circle befriending someone outside of his circle so he once again redrew his line to only include his immediate family, born and raised to believe like him.  Time went by and he realized that they were all heathens and sinners as well, so he eliminated them form his circle one by one until he was the only one left in  his circle.  Then one day a stranger came by seeking friendship from him.  He quickly explained all the qualifications for friendship.  The stranger gave him a sympathetic look and said, "you have failed your own friendship test and yet I loved you so much I gave you my life." At that moment he realized that Jesus loves us inspite of ourselves.  He doesn't put conditions on His love for us and that putting conditions on his friendships had only left him lonely.

We may not see eye to eye.  We may not worship the same way.  We may not sing the same songs, but all I need to know is that your Father in Heaven loves you to know that I love you too.

Pet peeves

Amazing how quick things can change.  I have been looking for a house for the family to move to and we now have two prospects after almost a year with none.  However, having a pet has not helped the situation.  I wish people would take responsibility for their pets.  It is hard to find a landlord who will either allow a pet or not charge an arm and a leg extra deposit for the pet.  I just don't understand.  Puppies and kittens are cute, but so are babies.  They all grow up.  If you truly love your pet, you should have it fixed, keep up on its shots, potty train it, pay attention to it, etc.  Having a dog tied up in the back yard is not having a dog.  That is having an alarm that eats.  Allowing your cat to take over the furniture isn't loving your cat.  Who would allow their children to destroy the inside of the fridge and call it love? Who would put their children in the back yard all day and night and just visit when dropping off today's meal?  Although a pet shouldn't out shine any human in the household, the pet should be a functioning part of the family.  We have a black toy poodle named "Kirby."  He tends to clean up the floors like a vacuum cleaner.  He is hypoalergenic and so good with everybody.  He may bark to let us know that someone is at the door, but he is no alarm.  He is my youngest daughters best friend.  He is the only sibling that she has since she is so much younger than her siblings, who are all grown.  He is also really good with my grandkids.  That dog can take a licking and keep on ticking.  Well, I just wanted to voice my frustrations.  I hope that if you have a pet,  you take care of it.  I wish neutering and spaying was free for all pets.  It would solve a lot of issues.  I'm  not against breeding pets, but I am against randomness because puppies and kittens are so cute.  Don't get a pet if you don't want to be responsible for the pet.

A Slight Addiction

I think I am addicted.  My eldest daughter got me to sign up for "Words with Friends" and now I have like 12 games going.  Of course the plan was to keep me in contact with my family and friends and to have a little fun, but now my phone is dying half way through the day.  I find myself looking at everything in print and wondering how I could use that word for points.  Honestly, I have always loved to play games.  I grew up playing nertz, jubile, canasta, monopoly, life......you name it.  I am a firm believer that the family that plays together stays together.  I have fond memories of family water fights.  My husband and I have been known to chase each other around with a cold bottle of water. Tomorrow is Independence Day. 
Shhhhhhh!
I think I will celebrate with a surprise water balloon fight!