Wednesday, January 10, 2024

I'm Quirky

Welcome to the New Year!

January is my month of hibernation and I can finally indulge in it without guilt because we're empty nesters. In fact, I'm alone, by myself, while my husband is down in Iowa working on our old house. (I gave him a deadline of May 1st to get it up for sale or he'd be without a wife.) Anyway, in addition to hibernating I'm doing a "no-spend" challenge (by myself) to put aside $500 towards our son's headstone. 

As part of not spending I've gone to the library to satisfy my reading and book acquisition addiction. Among the non-fiction I found this one:

As I was reading it the other day, and laughing my head off because of the author's wit and sense of humor, the thought occurred to me that I am quirky. I enjoy weird tales, crazy YouTubers, and off-beat humor (not off-color). To prove that, here's a quote from Thomas Thwaites in the chapter on making plastic:
To start the chain reaction going you need an initiator of "free radicals"--these are single electrons that react with (or oxidize) just about everything (including the molecules in our cells, which is why those of us who want to live forever should eat plenty of antioxidant containing face cream). 

I laughed until I started coughing. It just hit my funny bone square on. I love anyone who can make me laugh!

Here is another quirky fellow human, Beau Miles from Australia. 


He has more, and longer, films on his channel. I don't even remember how I found him, but I've enjoyed everything he's put up.

And lastly, this morning when I looked in the mirror I knew it was time for some of my own quirky humor. I took a photo and sent a text to my husband saying, "Feeling particularly sexy this morning, can't wait for your return."

I look like I stuck my finger in the toaster!

There, now go make someone else smile today!

Monday, December 25, 2023

Ardent - More Christ In Christmas

My Christmas ABC's

Z is for zealous. The Lord instructed Paul to write to a particular group, "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent." (Revelation 3:19 KJV)

In the Webster's 1828 dictionary, zealous is defined as "warmly engaged or ardent in the pursuit of an object." Jesus's first recorded words after He was baptized by John were, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye, and believe the gospel." (Mark 1:15 KJV) 

The "good tidings of great joy" are that we have a Savior! He was born to redeem us from sin and death. Can there be any greater message for Christmas Day? I hope you have felt closer  to Him this season and will follow Him more zealously in the new year. 



Sunday, December 24, 2023

Side By Side - More Christ in Christmas

My Christmas ABC's

Y is for yoke. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 KJV)

From a church leader, who is South Korean, "My wife says that our marriage yokes us together, and because of that she can do things she couldn't do before. For example, ever since she was young, she has had a hard time going out in the dark, but it is not hard anymore because I go with her. She is short and cannot reach to the high shelves unless she uses a chair or ladder, but I can reach the things from high shelves for her because I am taller than her. Taking our Savior's yoke upon us is like that. As we yoke ourselves to Him, we can do things we couldn't do on our own because He can do the things we cannot do for ourselves." (Elder Choi YoonHwan, General Conference, October 2023)

Another church leader said, "Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and pull together with Him, even though our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared with His. As we trust in and pull our load with Him during the journey of mortality, truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light." (Elder David A. Bednar, General Conference, April 2014)

What a wonderful gift offered to us, to be yoked with a divine strength who can make up for all our weaknesses. I know that in my life His yoke truly is easy, and His burden truly is light.



Saturday, December 23, 2023

Are You Thirsty? - More Christ in Christmas

My Christmas ABC's

W is for water. Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:13-14 KJV)

Through the Old Testament prophet Amos the Lord said, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos 8:11 KJV) 

There are so many in the world today who wander around parched and panting. They need the words of the Lord to quench their thirst, they need to know the hope and joy of redemption through Jesus Christ. That is one of the messages of Christmas--the baby whose birth we celebrate would grow up to perform the Great Atoning Sacrifice for us! He would make it possible for us to be forgiven and be clean, to have help in returning to God in Heaven.

Drink deeply of the Living Water!



Friday, December 22, 2023

Grow Through Jesus - More Christ in Christmas

My Christmas ABC's

V is for vine. Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. . . . I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15:1, 5 KJV)

Paul echoed this teaching when writing to the Philippians, "I can do all things through Christ which strentheneth me." (Philippians 4:13 KJV)

In modern language we would probably say something like "Plug into Christ for strength." Which is what we need to do each day: study, pray, act. S.P.A. Essential for eternal beauty! 

Jesus gives us the strength to grow through the adversities we face in life. He gives us the comfort to endure the trials we face. He gives us the wisdom and grace to help others through their trials. He also gives us joy as we celebrate successes. He gives us peace as we weather the storms of the world around us.

Don't cut yourself off from the true vine. Be sure you are firmly grafted in and enjoying daily nourishment.