Tell Me Your Story Tag~ Part Two

(To read Part One, click here.)

Well, after our impromptu meeting in Crazyville, several months passed by.

I no longer had a boyfriend, and I was just certain that I was doomed to a life of spinsterhood.

I remember crying to my mom about my bleak looking future. I told her that I thought I was NEVER going to meet anybody. I would be tragically alone, and one day be pawned off to go live with family somewhere else, much like Aunt Bee.



Sigh.

Not long after my breakdown, following my startling realization that I was definitely going to be doomed to a life of spinsterhood, I ran into Shannon again.

My friend and Shannon's brother were preparing to get married, and I was helping her do some things to get ready for the wedding. You know important things like tanning, so we would both look beautifully sun baked in all of the wedding pictures. I was going to be her maid of honor, and Shannon was going to be the best man.

Sigh.

We both stopped by Shannon's brother's house on the way to the tanning bed, and lo' and behold Shannon was there too. This was very unusual for him at the time, considering that he was a hermit, who for the most part, never left Crazyville.

But this time, I did notice him, and he noticed me.

Sigh.

However, I did not want anyone to know that I noticed him, especially since I was still pretty well convinced that I was tragically doomed to a life of spinsterhood.

So, as we were leaving to go to the tanning bed, I very nosily asked my friend, if she thought Shannon would still be there when we returned from tanning. (See, my friend was making us all dinner that night, and I being the kind girl that I am, did not like the thought of Shannon going all the way back to Crazyville alone. Especially when I knew, what with him being a hermit and all, that he would probably really love a good home cooked meal.)

She quickly answered my question with these words, "No, he won't be there...He never hangs around for very long."

Sigh.

Like I said earlier, I just knew that I was doomed to a life of spinsterhood.

So, we went tanning, and we returned home to prepare dinner.

Only to my very joyous surprise, Shannon was still there.

Come to find out, he decided to hang around, once he asked his brother if I was returning, and his brother said, "Yes, she's coming back to eat dinner with us."

Sigh.

And the rest, my bloggy friends, is all romantic history.

We have been together pretty much like an old married couple ever since.

He has told me many times over the years (while being forced at gun point by me to repeat the story) that he thought about me all of the time after that first visit I made to Crazyville.

Sigh.

There is, of course, more to the story, but let's just end it here for today by saying, "And they lived mostly happily ever after!"



Sigh.

So, now it's your turn my bloggy buddies. I am tagging ten several of you to tell me your story of love.

Shelly

Tina

Mia

Michele

Gina

Valerie

Laura

Whitney

Nikowa

Tracey

Tag, you ladies are it! Let me know when your posts are up (if you decide to do this, no pressure, just fun), so I can stop by your blog to read all about some more real life romance.

Sigh.

Song of Solomon 6:3
"I am my beloved's, And my beloved is mine."

Tell Me Your Story Tag ~Part One

I have been tagged by my sweet bloggy friend, Dianne, from the Deez Dayz blog to do a post or two telling the story of how Shannon and I met and fell in love.

Sigh.

Dianne's post was, of course, wonderful. I highly recommend that you click here to read all about how she met and fell in love with her sweet hubby.

Sigh.

Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I was very excited about this tag.

So, without further ado, here is "our story."

Sigh.

If you have read this blog even once before, then you probably know that I am a girl who loves movie quotes....especially from Steel Magnolias.

There is a scene in that movie where Ms. Truvy is fixing Shelby's hair, and she asks Shelby to tell her what Jackson (her fiance') is like. Shelby grins and says, "Well, I thought he was a pest at first, but then he sort of grew on me, and now I love him."

Sigh.

I have said very similar words about my Shannon.

Shannon and I went to the same elementary school together for a while, but he was four years older than me, so I did not know who he was at the time. I was, however, in the same first grade class with his younger brother.

Even though Shannon and I went to the same school for a time, and grew up in the same neighborhood, we did not officially meet until I was in about the eleventh grade. My best friend had just starting dating Shannon's brother, and she was hoping to set me up with Shannon, you know, so we could all double date.

So, I fixed my hair (bless my heart), put on my make up, and donned some hideous outfit from the eighties, and I went with my friend over to Shannon and his brother's apartment.....I just knew love was going to be in the air.

Well, love was in the air alright.....but not in the way that I had hoped for.

Shannon was too busy flirting with three other (yes, I said three other) girls from the neighborhood. So busy, in fact, that till this day, he does not even remember me ever being in his apartment.

Sigh.



I was heartbroken. He did not even notice that I was in the apartment that night.

Sigh.

Well, I moved on with my life. Don't you all feel sorry for me though. There were plenty of other guys that came around and broke my heart. Like I've said before, my teenage years were tragic (much like my hair).

My friend continued to date Shannon's brother, so I heard about him from time to time in conversations, but I never gave him any more thought one way or the other.

Fast forward several years, I was dating somebody new, and my friend was still dating Shannon's brother. One evening, we all decided that we wanted to see a certain comedian's stand up routine, but none of us had it on videotape....But Shannon's brother remembered that Shannon had a copy of it........

So, we all piled up into the car and drove all the way out to Crazyville to borrow that tape.

My friend with her boyfriend, and me with mine.

When we pulled up to Shannon's place in Crazyville, I was less than impressed. I thought he lived out in the boonies.....Not to mention that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and had on some form of hunting boots that I thought looked ridiculous.

I starting conjuring up images of Jeremiah Johnson.



Minus the breathtaking Robert Redford part, of course. Sigh.

Interestingly enough, at this impromptu meeting of ours, Shannon did notice me. To this day, he can tell you what I was wearing, what I said, how I laughed, and he even remembers what he was thinking after I left with my boyfriend that day. He said that he thought to himself, "Man, I sure wish I had a girl like that."

Sigh.

I, on the other hand, came home with very different thoughts of our meeting that day. As we pulled out of Crazyville, I said to my friends, "I could NEVER live out here in Crazyville."

And as my mother still loves to tease me about, I came home and told her about meeting my friend's brother. I said, "I met my friend's brother today, and he is a hermit!"

Meanwhile, back in Crazyville, Shannon was still thinking about me.......

(To be continued tomorrow......)

Bible Study About Martha (And Her Family)~Part Two

Today I am sharing another part of the story of Martha (and her family). I read about her in my devotional book.



I have a soft spot for Martha, probably due to the fact that I identify with her so much. I feel like sometimes her positive qualities have been overlooked in studies of her life, because there is always so much focus on her mistakes.

Times have not changed very much, have they? Today, we live in a society that just waits for a celebrity to mess up and make a mistake, because that is what sells magazines and newspapers. And the reading public laps the bad news up like dogs to water, because it makes them feel better about themselves and their own lives.

So today, I am going to focus on another thing that I think Martha did well. I shared with you last week how I thought that she handled herself well even in her complaining. Although her frustrations were misguided, she carried them straight to Jesus. (You can read my thoughts on that by clicking here.)

Well, the part of her story that I am going to share with you today just goes to show you, Martha may have made many mistakes, but she got some things so right. Things that we should all take notice of.

Here is the story as told in Scripture.

John 11

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. 7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?" 9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. 10 It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light." 11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." 12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.

Now, Martha and Mary knew that Jesus loved their brother Lazarus as much as He loved them, so when they sent for Him, they expected that He would be swift in getting to them. But as you just read, He took His time.

Here is what happened when Jesus finally arrived in Bethany.

John 11

20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."


Did you notice what she felt and said? Right away, she voices her displeasure in Jesus' taking His time, but then she follows it up with an amazing display of faith by saying, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

Even at a time when she must have been completely heartbroken, she had not lost her faith.

Listen to Jesus' reaction to her.

John 11

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 28 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside.

What she said to Jesus is worth repeating. She said, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

That is one of the boldest displays of faith in the Bible to me. She wasn't wishy- washy with her answer. She was bold! She knew Who she was talking to. She knew What He was capable of. She knew that He loved her and her family. She accepted whatever decision He made concerning her brother. Period.

Oh, in that way, to be a Martha! She was a woman who knew that Jesus loved her. She was so comfortable with Him that she didn't hesitate to tell Him of her frustrations, and she never lost sight of her faith in Him. She knew regardless of her emotions or the outcome of the situation that He loved her.

The last few verses that I will share today are ones that touch me so much. I love the fact that they give us a glimpse of Jesus as simply a friend of this family. A friend that loves them so much.

John 11

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

I love those words. Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He knew in mere moments they would all be rejoicing. But in that moment, He hurt for the pain that He saw in His friends.

He does that same thing for each and every one of us. He loves us, just like He loved Martha and her family.

John 11:5
"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

One morning, a couple of weeks ago, while Shannon was getting ready for work, he decided to have a little fun at my expense.

When he got out of the shower, this is what he walked in on.



Allie and I were sleeping so soundly together.

Sigh.

He got tickled at his two girls sleeping together, so he grabbed the camera and took this picture.

I do love that man.

And I love that Allie Girl.

Also, since most of you know that Allie has a torn ACL, I thought you might appreciate these next photos.

Let me set the stage for you first though. Allie is what is known in some places as a "couch potato." She love, love, loves the couch. But with her ACL being torn, we do not want her to hurt herself more by jumping on and off the couch all day. So, in order to keep her off of the couch, we keep the couch pillows turned down. This system has worked very well for us.

Sometimes though, Shannon or the boys we forget to lay the pillows back down once we get off of the couch ourselves. Like the other morning, for instance,
Shannon someone forgot to lay the pillow back down, and this is what happened.



Is it just me, or does she look like she feels guilty?



I'm just saying.



Sigh.

I do love that Allie! :)

Genesis 1:25
"God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good."

Bible Study About Martha (And Her Family)

The woman that I read about this week in my devotional is Martha. I love the story of Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus.

Scripture says Jesus loved them.

John 11:5
"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."



Can you imagine, forever and all time, God's Word saying He loved you by name?
Now obviously we already know that the Bible says God loves all of us.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

But the Bible says that Jesus loved them by their names.

He was their friend.

It would be the most amazing feeling to open up the Bible and read the words, "Jesus loved Amy and her family."

Sigh.

Much like the relationship that I have with my friend Kenny, Jesus spent time with them. He enjoyed their company. I can just picture them laughing over funny memories while enjoying dinner together.

He obviously looked forward to spending time with them, as much as they looked forward to spending time with Him.

He definitely had a special relationship with this family, and that in a nutshell is why the story of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus is one of my favorites.

It lets us see Jesus simply as a friend.

A friend that they obviously felt completely comfortable around.

Mary felt comfortable enough to sit at His feet and hang on to His every Word.

And Martha knew that she was safe to go straight to Him with her complaints and frustrations about her sister.

That type of comfort comes only after time spent in getting to know each other.
Of course, the Bible doesn't tell us of all of the times that they were together, and it doesn't tell us everything they did or discussed.
But relationships that are that comfortable don't just happen. They develop over time.

Scripture tells us that Martha opened her home to Jesus.

Luke 10:38
"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him."

From what I have been taught regarding "opening her home" in Bible times, it doesn't mean that she just opened the door and said to Jesus, "Come on in!"
It means she literally invited Him to come inside and make her home, His home. She would have rolled out the red carpet of hospitality for however long His stay would be.

I know myself, if company is coming, I want the house to be clean. I want food to be available, and I want my guests to feel like my home is their home. (And since most of my friends that visit always start yawning and want to go to sleep, I think I definitely make them feel comfortable. I don't know if they always approve of my cleaning and cooking skills, but they definitely know that they can kick their feet up and relax.) ;)

How much more so would I be this way if I knew it was Jesus that would be staying with me. Like Martha, I can see myself working feverishly to make everything perfect for Him.

Martha gets criticized so much for her story as told in Scripture, since she was complaining to Jesus, but let's be honest with one another....Don't we all do this at one time or another?

Martha was human just like the rest of us.
Although Mary chose a very good thing to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him as He spoke, Martha was trying to do the same thing in her service to Jesus. She was misguided, maybe, but non the less, she was doing what she thought was her best.

I wonder if Mary was going through something extremely difficult, as opposed to Martha at the time.
I know when I am in great emotional pain, I spend so much more time talking to God. Every time we see Mary in Scripture, she is at the feet of Jesus.
I don't know what was going on in her life, but I know in my own, when I am hurting, I, too, find myself frequently at Jesus' feet.

These are just things I wonder about. Every one of us has our own story. Our own pain. Our own individual relationship with the Lord. We are all in different seasons in our walks with the Lord.

Even though Martha's feelings about Mary were misguided, I love the fact that she carried her frustrations straight to Jesus. Scripture doesn't say that she slammed the cabinet doors, or banged the dishes together. No, Scripture says she went right to Jesus with her complaints.

Luke 10:39-40
She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

Here is Jesus' response to her.

Luke 10:41-42
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

I can picture Jesus trying not to smile as He gently spoke those words to her.

Remember Scripture says...

John 11:5
"Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."

He corrected her wrong thinking towards Mary, but oh, how He loved her!
He must have been so pleased that she brought her frustrations straight to Him.
She wasn't gossiping about Mary to any one else who would listen; she went straight to Him.

1 Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

In that way, oh how I would love to be a Martha!

John 7:24
"Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

We need to be careful how we misjudge the women and men and their stories that God shares with us in the Bible. They were all human, just like us. There is so much to learn from their mistakes, as well as their triumphs.

I will share more next week of my study of Martha and her family.

P.S. Thank you for the lovely picture, Dianne.

Our Allie Girl

Yesterday, Shannon called me around lunch time to tell me that he had heard from the vet's office.

Long story short, Allie's heart is not strong enough to withstand any kind of surgery procedure, and she has a build up of fluid in her lungs.
The vet wants to put her on some heart medication for the rest of her life. The purpose of the medication is to try to strengthen her heart which will help to get rid of the fluid in her lungs.
If the medication is successful, then they could do the surgery to repair her ACL. If the medication is not successful, all they can offer her is some pain meds to make her more comfortable walking around with the torn ACL.

The vet told Shannon that if he had not brought Allie in with this ACL problem as soon as he did, that she would have been dead within two months due to her weak heart, which is causing the fluid to build up in her lungs.

Needless to say, I am devastated, as is the rest of my family.
Allie is such a big part of our lives, and the thought of her being in pain and/or losing her is heartbreaking.

I know some people in life think, "It's just a dog. Who cares? You can get another one."
But to us, Allie is a part of our family. We all say that she is the favorite person in the house. If we were in school with her, she would be voted "Most Popular," or "Class Favorite."

She is so loving. I say all the time that she is like a toddler forever. You know how toddlers always want to sit on you, kiss you, have you rub their hair, love on you, etc.? Well that's how Allie is. If I go out to get the mail, she is thrilled when I come back inside. She misses me when I am not with her. She cries at the door when we all leave the house to go to church. And every night when Shannon gets home from work, she behaves as if she hasn't seen him in years.:)He is greeted with a full on love fest! (And he loves it!) :)

Yesterday, in my post, I shared about the gift of humor, joy, and laughter that God gives us all.
It is very difficult to find much humor, joy, or laughter in this current situation, but I am trying. I want to focus on the joy and the laughter that she has brought into our home. Allie has been such a blessing to our family.
I just want to enjoy every minute with her. I want to laugh at the funny things she does. I want to pet her until my arms fall asleep. I want her to lick all over my feet while I watch television. I want to love her like she loves me.

Allie has brought so much joy into our lives; she is a gift from God to our family.
And we love her.

Proverbs 3:13
Joyful is the person who finds wisdom,the one who gains understanding.

I don't pretend to understand why God allows so many things to happen to us all at once, but I do know that everything that He allows in our lives is for our good.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;do not depend on your own understanding.



Thank you for praying for me, my family, and for "Our Allie Girl."
God Bless,
Amy:)

Belated Birthday And Father's Day Well Wishes!

Yesterday was a special day for two reasons. The first being it was my Mom's 29th birthday! (She was very young when I was born.) :)

I'm sorry that this post is a day late, Mom, but you know how busy I was yesterday with Shannon painting my toenails and feeding me bonbons all day.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you this.............much!



The second reason yesterday was special was because it was Father's Day!
I wanted to say a special thank you to my dad; He toted me all over town Friday for my different doctor's appointments. He listened to me moan and groan all day in pain, and he never complained. (At least not in front of me.) :)

So thank you, Daddy!
Happy Father's Day! I love you dearly.



I also want to tell Shannon thanks. He took care of the boys, Allie, the house, and all of the chores while I was away on my trip, and now that I am back, he is still doing everything. Shannon I promise you when I am well again, you will no longer have to paint my toenails or feed me bonbons on Father's Day.....I'll do those things by myself.:) Thank you for all of the things you do each day to take care of our family; you are an amazing husband and father.

Happy Father's Day, Shannon! You are my heart, and I love you so much.



Deuteronomy 5:16
"Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you in the land which the Lord your God gives you."

♥ Happy Anniversary, Shannon! ♥

May 18th is our seventeenth wedding anniversary, and since I will be gone on this special day, I wanted to post this before I leave.

One of my favorite stories that Shannon tells is the story of our wedding day.

Every year at our anniversary I make ask him to tell me this story.

He says when he was standing at the front of the church waiting on me to walk down the aisle, he was so nervous. Then the doors of the sanctuary were opened and he saw me. Sigh
He said I looked so beautiful to him anyway. He was trying to just take the moment in.......
Then everybody in the sanctuary stood up, and he couldn't see me anymore.
He just wanted everybody to sit down so that he could just gaze upon my beauty look at me........Sigh

I love when he tells me that story.

Of course, now he probably sees me way more than he wants to some days. (Just kidding!)

I thank God every day of my life for my marriage and my family.
My cup runneth over.

Happy Anniversary, Shannon!

♥I love you!♥

Song of Solomon 6:3
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine.








I also want to say that May 18th is my daddy's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

I love you too!:)

♥ For Keeps ♥

I walked into the kitchen and found these on the table.



I think I'll keep him!

♥ I love you, Shannon! ♥

Where's Waldo?

Did you or your children like these books? My boys really enjoyed them. I spent many hours sitting in doctor and dentist office waiting rooms trying to find the elusive Waldo.

But don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to try to find Waldo today. No, instead, I'm going to have you try to find butterflies among the daisies. I know, I know, I said that I was done last Sunday with my spring daisy pictures, but I lied was mistaken. Sorry.

Friday morning I went out in my front yard to take a few more pictures of my beloved daisies before they all withered away. As I was taking some pictures, I spotted this little butterfly right as it landed on one of the daisies.



At first it was just one, then two, and before I knew it there were probably ten of them fluttering about in the daisies.

So, if you would like to, come along and see the butterflies in the daisies. They are much harder to photograph than I would have ever thought. Watching them I realized they are very much like two year olds, constantly on the go. They never stayed still for long; they just fluttered about from flower to flower.

And while you look for them, if you like, you can hum a little Dolly Parton tune.
You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

♫ Love is like a butterfly ♫



♫ As soft and gentle as a sigh ♫



♫ The multicolored moods of love are
like its satin wings ♫



♫ Love makes your heart feel strange inside ♫



♫ It flutters like soft wings in flight ♫



♫ Love is like a butterfly, a rare and gentle thing ♫



Isaiah 40:8
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

Bible Study About The Woman Who Lived A Sinful Life

This week I studied about the "Woman Who Lived A Sinful Life" in my devotional. She is a woman just like me. She is a woman just like each and every one of us.

Her story is found in the book of Luke.

Just like all of the women that I have been studying, there is so much to learn from her encounter with the Lord.

I will share the part of her story that spoke so much to me. If you have something to share about her story, I would love for you to leave it in my comments section. I love to learn from the views of other people. God speaks to each and every one of us in a different way; we all have our own story of what God has done in our lives.

Luke 7:36-39
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,
and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is--that she is a sinner."

Can you imagine the spectacle?......But she did not care. She had only one thing on her mind, and she was not going to let the judgmental, probing eyes of others stop her.

She dropped to his feet and wept. She knew that she was a sinner, a person unworthy of the forgiveness that only He could offer. But, she knew that He offered that forgiveness to her (yes, even her) anyway, and she wept at the reality of it. The reality of how dark her sin was against the light of His forgiveness simply overwhelmed her.

So many times in my own life, I have found myself there, sobbing at the feet of Jesus. Knowing that I am so unworthy of His love, but He loves me anyway. Even when others judge me, treat me harshly, or ignore me, He looks at me with love.

The thought that the Pharisee has about the woman, pointing out, "that she is a sinner," is so true of all of us today, at one time or another. We, as Christians, tend to put "degrees" on sin. We compare our sins to those of others. For example some people might say, "I may have cheated on my taxes a time or two, but I have never killed anyone!" That sort of "sin comparison" is very common among most of us, isn't it? It makes us somehow feel better about our own sins, if we focus on the "much worse" sins of others.

Jesus does not put "degrees" on our sins. He doesn't compare my sins to the sins of others. To Jesus, sin is sin. Period.

I love what Jesus says to the Pharisee, who must have been caught off guard that this Man knew what he was thinking.

Luke 7:40-47
Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said.
"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

I want to love much everyday of my life, because I have definitely been forgiven much.

When I am at sitting at the feet of Jesus sobbing and asking for forgiveness, the only place I can look is up!
When I look up, I see Jesus looking at me with nothing but love and forgiveness in His eyes for me.
He says the same words to this "sinful" woman today, that He said to that "sinful" woman so long ago.

Luke 7:48,50
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Go in peace. Not go in guilt or regret, but go in peace.

1 Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Philippians 4:7
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Here is the scene of the "Sinful Woman" from the movie "Jesus of Nazareth."
As you watch it, put yourself in her place. Think about what you would say or do while sitting at the feet of Jesus.



"Your sins are forgiven; go in peace." Lord, thank You for those precious words.
They are the only light with the ability to shine through the darkness of my sins.

The Young And The Restless Rested

Warning: The following images could cause excessive yawning. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how your body will react to these images. These images are intended for people who are wide awake and have had at least one cup of coffee. Viewer discretion is advised.

If, despite the warnings, you have decided to go ahead and look at the images, click the play arrow below for a little music to set the mood.

Now sit back, try to stay awake, and listen to the soothing music. We would like to invite you to join us in watching the premiere episode of Crazyville's version of "The Young and the Restless Rested."












































































This concludes our premiere *presentation; We hope that you enjoyed it.


Tune in again soon and join us for another sleepy riveting image filled episode of "The Young and the Restless Rested."



* The participants in this presentation of "The Young and the Restless Rested" are not actors. They are real people. The dog that you see in this episode is a real dog; she received no special training prior to the making of this production. There were no trick cameras or stunt sleepers doubles used during filming. The images you have just witnessed are real, live pictures of events that happened during the "Days of Our Their Lives."