First really cool night in Tucson this fall...

Wow- can you believe it- here it is October 22 and today for the first time this season I actually had to wear long pants to keep warm! I may even have to get out a blanket for bed tonight! Seems pretty strange to all of you who have been having freezing weather for months...... but that is why people move to Tucson AZ!

Today we sent our early ballots in the mail- whooie- now we won't have to deal with the lines and hassle at the polling places! So for all of you who haven't done early ballots, or have them and have not filled them out yet.... go out and VOTE! This election year is going to be close once again I am afraid and we need to have a Christian presence in the White House again.... so don't just think that your vote won't matter! Everyone needs to make their choices known! (ok- done with the soap box!)

Some interesting facts for everyone follow.....

DID YOU KNOW? As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of ! the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view ... it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW? As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.

DID YOU KNOW? As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit,a display of the Ten Commandments!

DID YOU KNOW? There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.

DID YOU KNOW? James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement: "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."

DID YOU KNOW? Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said: "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ"!

DID YOU KNOW?Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.

DID YOU KNOW? Fifty-two of the 55 founders of the Constitution were members of the established orthodox churches in the colonies.

DID YOU KNOW? Thomas Jefferson worried that the Courts would overstep their authority and instead of interpreting the law would begin making law . an oligarchy ... the rule of few over many.

DID YOU KNOW? The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said:"Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers." How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done for 220 years in this country is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional?

Let the world see and remember what this great country was built on.

What are you filling yourself with?

This is really interesting.... makes me think- what AM I filling myself with each day? Something to ponder each day.
d2

THE BEAUTY WAY

I guess I'm likely to put anything in my body! I love spicy foods and Mexican foods in particular. I've "treated" friends to my favorite homemade spicy dishes. A typical reaction to a dish bathed in my hot sauce goes like this: they smile and enthusiastically try a bite; their eyes open far too wide and they begin to sweat profusely and reach for the water to put out the flames in their stomachs; then, when voice and reason return, they nod and politely say, "Tasty." They often don't come back.

One person commented, "I've heard of people who preach hellfire, but you're the only one I know who hands out samples."

Well, maybe it's not quite that bad, but I'm likely to eat most any kind of food. And though I exercise regularly, my body is starting to tell me to be more selective in my diet. I like the woman who stepped off the scale and was asked by her husband what the verdict was.

"According to the height table," she replied, "I should be about six inches taller."

But more important than the food we put into our bodies are thoughts we put into our minds. Thoughts of bitterness like, "I hate her!" Thoughts of despair like, "I'll never be happy again." Thoughts of fear like, "I could never do that!" And thoughts of worry, thoughts of greed and thoughts of self-loathing. A constant diet of these killer thoughts will destroy us long before cholesterol.

The Navajo people have an expression for this. They traditionally believe that how they fill their minds will shape their lives. So they want to fill their minds only with that which is good, harmonious and edifying. They speak of "thinking in the Beauty Way" -- ridding their minds of all that is destructive and filling them with that which is good and peaceful.

The Beauty Way is the way of love and contentment, peace and kindness, patience and courage.

What are you putting into your mind? James Lane Allen has said, "You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." Fill your mind with life-affirming thoughts and tomorrow will find you further along the Beauty Way.

- Steve Goodier

Too Much to do- no time to do it....

Ok- I am not really sure why I am doing this, other than the fact that I had to register one of these things to be able to post to someone else's blog. So I guess in case someone stumbles upon this page, it should at least have something on there.

Today is pretty much a normal day for me- loads to do and not enough time to get it all done. I have spent the past 45 minutes responding to important emails and prayer requests- going over budget items for our upcoming church youth board work plan- fun fun..... In the middle of all this I am attempting to potty train a 2 yr old..... whooie.... is that ever a thrill- it seems all we do sometimes is sit in that little room ...... waiting- you get the idea!

I pray that God will direct my paths each day and show me how I can best minister to those I come into contact with- whether it is the young children I provide care for each day- or any adults I may meet and talk to. That is my daily goal- to try to let Jesus' light shine though my words and deeds.

Have a blessed day!
d2sn