Please consider watching these when you get some time. They'll take a little awhile. These were very educational for me, and I think they'll prove to be so for you, too.
I have so many feelings about the ideas expressed in these videos. I don't know how to make myself understood, but a lot of what is said in the videos is in agreement with my feelings. Whether I am right, wrong, or somewhere in-between, I would still like to express all I feel. Maybe someday.
How did you find out the secret behind Santa Claus?
Submitted by Carinish.
Well, I think like everyone else, I was about 18, 19 years old. I went to vote for the first time for state offices, and lo and behold, there was Santa Claus's name on the ballot. Confused, I asked asked the little old retired lady handing out the ballots why Santa Claus was running for Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee (the state where I was living at the time).
"Well, because of the Candy Cane Scandal, of course!"
"The 'Candy Cane Scandal'?", I asked, wondering who let little old retired lady out the house without her medication.
"Dear, if you're going to vote, you need to be informed," she scolded. "The current Santa Claus has been accused of laundering toys and candy canes from the executive North Pole toy and candy account. The elves found the..."
Seeing the bewildered look on my face, Mrs. Senior Citizen, asked, "Your parents never told you, did they?", obviously not realizing that my in family, if you wanted to learn anything about Santa Claus, voting, or growing up in general, you either had to hitch a ride to the library or sneak a peak into the medical encyclopedia Mom kept hidden in the middle drawer of her dresser, depending on the question.
"Told me what?" I asked her.
"Honey, the position of Santa Claus is an elected office," she said. "Every four years, we vote on Santa Claus. This spring after the elves found the dry cleaning ticket for Santa's toy and candy laundering operation, we the people decided to have early elections for the office of Santa, which I believe took place not long after the news of the scandal broke out, and let the laundering Santa run for Lieutenant Governor for this state, since, for one, the state of Tennessee has no money to launder, and, also, no one really knows what Lieutenant Governor does any way."
So, that's how I learned that in this great Democratic-Repulican country of ours, I can help decide who the next Santa Claus will be.
Shh! Don't tell the children. We don't want to get them excited about voting.
Show us your desktop.
Submitted by Anthony.
All right, but it's the most boring picture ever.
So, I'll add a sleeping puppy to make it cuter. (Don't tell my friends I've cutened something up.)
She looks like that dragon in from the movie The NeverEnding Story.
My mom got my brother a puppy for Christmas. Josie is a two month old Westie. Before you begin with, "Oh, how cute!"'s, please realize that my brother is at work and Mom is at Bible Study, thus leaving me alone to play between referee her and Bunkie, clean up two poops, and bathe the thing.
Okay, I suppose she is cute.
Supposedly these are actual newspaper headlines gathered from papers across the country.
Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim
Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax
Plane Too Close to Ground, Crash Probe Told
Miners Refuse to Work After Death
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant
Stolen Painting Found by Tree
Two Sisters Reunited after 18 Years in Checkout Counter
Drunk Gets Nine Months in Violin Case
Eye Drops off Shelf
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay. I feel better.
Relating to people is HARD, HARD, HARD!!!
Worth it, I reluctantly resign, but HARD!
(Went to housechurch tonight, my church's version of the small group community thing a lot of churches are doing these days.)
Show us a victory.
Submitted by dearbarbz.
What books did you love as a child?
Submitted by hearts.
I loved many, many books as a child. A few of my handfuls off the top of my head would be The Berenstain Bears, Curious George, and Amelia Bedilia.
Interesting the movie The Passion of the Christ. Everyone I know has such strong feelings about it, from those who were completely broken by the movie to those who adamantly refuse to see it. For me, this movie was one of the things God used to bring me back to Him during a time in my life when I was trying to walk on my own. I say trying to walk, because it was more like a slow, scarring slither on a bunch of rocks.
There is something about The Passion of the Christ that makes me want to see it over and over again. Not like a typical movie I like to watch a lot, like Elf or Girl Interrupted, where I pop popcorn and veg on the couch with friends or by myself. When The Passion of the Christ is playing, it's all I'm focused on.
When the movie begins, legalistic? instinct to mentally check the movie over for 'doctrinal correctness' kicks in; doctrinal correctness may be over-used in my spiritual life, but it's not always a bad thing. Eventually, my mind relaxes, as the heart of the movie just feels like Truth. I move into something like emotion mode, and emotionally, I am always in shock at first. Then I begin to feel so much when I watch it, this unidentified emotion that I think is Love. And pain.
Every time I watch it, I come away with something else, not so much because of Mel Gibson's excellent direction of the movie, but what must be the Holy Spirit's teaching of my heart. At my third viewing of the movie, I began to understand the difference between obeying out of fear verses obeying out of love. Would a Father rather his child follow Him (get saved) because the child was afraid of punishment (going to hell) or would the Father rather his child follow Him out of reverent love?
I found a journal entry from a couple of years ago I had written after just seeing the movie.
"I've seen The Passion a couple of times, and I want to see it again. I feel like I'm not getting the point of it enough. I don't feel bad enough about it or bothered enough about what Jesus did for me on the cross.
The pain and suffering one human life endures as the consequence of sin is horrible enough. I know this just by looking at my life. My life seems unbearable at times, and Jesus not only took on my sin, but literally billions of others.
Why? Wouldn't it have been easier after the fall for God to have said, "You failed" and turn His back. He could've started over, created a new planet and new creatures. Does He really love us that much. Does He really love me that much?
I think of this, and I cry. But not enough. I don't feel bad enough. I don't stop my sinning.
What does it mean when people say, "God broke my heart". Is it something like these thoughts, because if I truly thought about the cross, His pain, and my role in all of this, my heart would explode."
I don't have a clue who this guy is, but his rendition is as good as anyone's. Better than most, I expect.
