Annual Christmas Video 2012

For the past couple years I have created a Christmas video and this year I'm at it again.

Christmas 2010 was all about my family. Basically photos and music strung together.

Christmas 2011 was all about the reason Jesus came. You often see signs at Christmas that say, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season". But with the 2011 video I tried to answer the question, "Why did Jesus come?" with my video, "We Are the Reason for the Season".

In the past year I have been stunned (and saddened) to discover how few people actually know the story of Jesus, who he is or anything concrete or factual about him. They have never read the Bible nor have they attended a church. They get their information from a handful of "Biblical" movies, which have been hugely changed and rewritten by Hollywood writers.  Then you mix in Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Jack Frost and you have a recipe for CONFUSION!

So this year my Annual Christmas video is going back to basics. It is done mostly with drawings done by my very own little hands. Then I scanned the pictures into my computer, added a few photos, some music and PRESTO! ... you've got another Christmas video by Laura-Lee.

I hope you like it. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and that by knowing more about Jesus, you will come closer to knowing him personally.

 

 

You may also want to go to my YouTube Channel and watch my "Christmas Videos by Laura-Lee" Playlist.

YouTube Playlist: CHRISTMAS VIDEOS by Laura-Lee

                       AND

Check out my Blog Post, "My Three Dads", which I just put up a couple hours ago.

God Bless you, and MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Christmas Story: My Three Dads

          
On a quiet night on December 25th several years ago, I was sitting around thinking about how Christmas had come and gone again for another year. After weeks of increasing frenzy, Christmas is  over after only a few hours. Suddenly my phone rang and I picked it up. I heard a man's voice say, "Little Girl? This is your Dad."
   
A mixture of shock and excitement swept through my body like an electrical current. I felt transformed from a middle-aged woman to a little 7 year old girl again.
    
I responded, "Hey Dad! It's great to hear your voice."
Then the thought hit me that something must be very wrong for him to call after all these years of silence.
"Are you okay?" I asked hurriedly.
"Sure," he replied with joviality, " I just wanted to give you a call to wish you a Merry Christmas".
We made a couple more minutes of excited small talk, but when I asked him a specific question I got no response. After a few seconds pausing he said, " I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you're my daughter."    

He was right. We discovered that he had accidentally dialled the wrong number!

I asked him, " When did you first realize that I wasn't your daughter?"

He said, " Actually, I immediately suspected something was different. My daughter is never  this happy to hear from me. Usually the moment she realizes it's me, she hangs up."

I told him, "I should have realized immediately too. My father hasn't phoned me at Christmas or any other time for more than a decade."
 
We wished each other a Merry Christmas and before we hung up the man said,
" I hope you don't mind me getting personal, but your father is a fool if he doesn't want to talk to you."

I told him I thought the same about his daughter. He had grown quiet with the realization that he still had to phone his daughter and he knew she would probably hang up on him once again.
    
I got even more personal and said, "Let's make a pact. Every Christmas when my Dad doesn't call me and your daughter hangs up on you, let's think of each other and remember that you have a ‘mystery daughter’ who would never hang up on you and I have a ‘mystery father’ who calls every Christmas to see how I'm doing".
 
Every year it seems that families become more fractured and Christmas  gets more noisy and hectic. I suspect people make such a big commotion so they won't notice how lonely they are. I've puzzled long (and cried much) over people who ignore those in their lives who are desperately ready to love them unconditionally, yet have their own family members treat them with indifference and sometimes even contempt.

 Deep inside us God has placed a blue-print of family life that is repeatedly declaring to us, "this is not the way it is meant to be! " In Psalm 68:6 it says, "God sets the lonely in families". A family is suppose to be a haven, a shelter, a fortress in trouble and a place where you are loved independent of who you are or what you've done. Yet Christmas is a dreaded and lonely time for many people, because it seems to put a magnifying lens to our lives and amplifies the fact that things are not quite right.
  I would never tell you to love only the people who love you back, but my "wrong number father" showed me that there are people who are waiting and wanting to love me. I just may not have met them yet.
Now each Christmas finds me with three fathers: 1) a biological father who can't be bothered to know me, 2) a "wrong-number-father" who wants to know me and 3) a Heavenly father who knows me intimately. But not only does He know me, He loves me enough to send his Son from Heaven. His Son, Jesus, who was born in a lowly stable to demonstrate humility, to die an agonizing death on a cross to atone for my  sins, to rise from the dead to give me hope for Eternity and to give me a reason to celebrate all year through with wonder and thankfulness.
 
"-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-" (1 Peter 2:4 NIV)

Addendum:
When I wrote this story my biological father was still alive. He died less than two years later . My biological father is gone, my "mystery" father I will probably never meet, but my Heavenly Father remains. Continually demonstrating to me that his love for me knows no boundaries. 

I no longer fear the things I don’t have or the people that don’t love me. Each occasion is an opportunity for Jesus to supply all that I need and much more.
Not having an earthly father is what initially drove me to my Heavenly Father.  And it is each thing I lack that continues to draw me to him.  For all that we don’t possess can be found in Him. 
 
"He said to me, ' You are my Son, today I have become your Father' " ~Psalm 2:7 (NIV)

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY DEARS!

 

Love Laura-Lee

“NO SAFE HARBOR” by Elizabeth Ludwig

  


It was a cold and snowy day when I began to read this latest book sent to me to review. I had never read anything by author Elizabeth Ludwig before so I was anxious to get started.
They always say the sign of a talented writer is the ability to capture the readers’ interest quickly. It took only a couple sentences before Ludwig had me hook, line and sinker.

“NO SAFE HARBOR"  is a fictional romance set in the late 1800’s which begins as Cara Hamilton arrives at Ellis Island. Cara is a young, Irish woman who has set sail from Liverpool in order to come to America in search of her brother. It takes very little time before she starts encountering several helpful people.

Douglas Healy recommends her to the boarding house of Amelia Matheson and she meets the attentive and attractive Rourke Walsh who takes the time to escort her there. Cara Hamilton is cultured, well brought up and moral and finds the surroundings of New York both rough and crude. But with her personal determination and the help of several interesting characters she sets out on her quest to find her brother.

But things (and people) are not all that they appear. There are other people also looking for her brother and the meeting with Mr. Walsh was no accident. Yet Rourke’s owns purpose becomes cloudy when he develops feelings for Cara and is torn between spying on her in the hope she will lead him to her brother and his desire to protect her from his malevolent employers.

Elizabeth Ludwig unwinds the knots of Cara’s life with an easy flow of prose and sense of intrigue. Her characters are drawn from life as well as her knowledge of human nature and the unexpected turns life takes when God is involved.
 
Ludwig seems a little light in the details and knowledge of this era in New York history but her perfect balance between romance and mystery and the steady and pleasant rhythm of her writing makes it an enjoyable read.

Elizabeth Ludwig

 
I not only recommend you read “No Safe Harbor” but suggest you pick a time when you will be undisturbed and wish to relax as you allow Elizabeth Ludwig to lead you into an interesting and suspenseful retreat.
 
This is Book One in the “Edge of Freedom” series so, if you enjoy it, keep watch for Book Two.

It rates 8 out of 10 “Secret Christian Fishies”.

 

 

 

Follow the Link to Graf-Martin for further information:

GRAF-MARTIN COMMUNICATIONS

 

 

* Please leave a comment about this book or this review. Remember you can be anonymous but I value your Feedback. Thank you. Sincerely, Laura-Lee

NOW for something completely different ...


*** NOTE: In the COMMENTS sections throughout this blog you will find portions of the topic "VERTICAL JUMP/The Jump Manual". So I have gathered them all and given this topic it's very own post.
Just follow the Link.
THE JUMP MANUAL at "Laura-Lee Was Here"

What I Believe Doesn't Matter

 

Old Christian Saying:

 

"God says it

I believe it

That settles it"

 

 

 

 

Revised version:

 

"God says it ...

 

 

... THAT SETTLES IT ! "

 

 

Any questions? Love Laura-Lee

Coming Out of Red John Part 4

In "The Coming Out of "RED JOHN" Part 3" post, I made predictions as to what would happen on "The Mentalist" in the next year or two. After watching the 100th episode on Sunday night, you should know I'm on the right track.

Remember a previous episode in which Jane helped a former friend and it ended up that she was a Psychiatrist? They made a couple of vague insinuations that Jane had been a mental patient. Then the topic was dropped.

I've told you that they are going to start making you think that several people from the CBI could be Red John or at least an accomplice. But I predicted the writers would point to the possibility that Patrick Jane IS Red John! Well, here come all the episodes which will continue to explore him as a psychopath.

But remember what I said? It's a smoke screen.

Please read Part 3 , which has all my main predictions, before commenting on this post.

I can also guarantee that FBI Agent Susan Darcy is NOT a RED JOHN accomplice. But after falling romantically for Jane, she will be killed by RED JOHN. Or will it be Patrick that kills her? ;-)

Round and round and round the writers will spin you. (Like a record round, round, round)

A "Witch's Invitation" for Halloween

I stopped celebrating Halloween many years ago. Right around the time I became too old to go "trick or treating" from door to door, I also became a Born-Again Christian.

 

Now, in truth, dressing up in costumes and having a good time is something a person never really grows out of, so there is always a "tug" on my emotions around this time of year. I have a vivid imagination, can always think of a great costume and I'm never too old for a party.

 

Of course, this time of year also brings out certain songs, depending on what generation you belong too.

 

Those of us who grew up in the 1980's immediately think of  "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.

 

Those of us even older (not me of course) think of  "The Monster Mash". Both 'classics' in their own right.

 

But when I think of Halloween, one song rises above the rest. AND the great part of it, is it can slip by my Christian conscience, so I can still enjoy it.

 

So for those of you who have never had one before, I give to you now a "Witch's Invitation."

 

With deep sincerity, Laura-Lee

 

"Witch's Invitation" by Carman

 

 

 

And if that video "left you hanging", then you should rap it up with some good news.

 

 

"THE COURT ROOM" Video

 

 

 

 

Now this is the best way to celebrate "Halloween". Make sure your name is written in "The Book"

REVIEW: "GRACE" by Max Lucado

Heather and her father, Kyle, were both doctors doing missionary work among AIDS patients in Zimbabwe. When Heather’s father became very ill she finally convinced him to get on a plane back to America for treatment. She went along to care for him on the trip and became very ill herself while on the plane. Soon she had to rush to the on board washroom where she began to vomit profusely, while her father remained in his seat with a 104.5 fever. From where she lay on the floor in the airplane washroom, Heather prayed to God for help. At some point she was found in the washroom and both her and her father were attended to by the 100 doctors who also happened to be on that plane!

With stories like that and many others, Max Lucado reveals to us God’s luxurious Grace in his new book, “Grace: More Than We Deserve; Greater Than We Imagine”.

In a world where the meaning of Grace can be easily misunderstood or even twisted to the point of being unrecognizable, Lucado explains the difference between the human version of Grace, which usually involves strings attached or the idea of earning God’s favour, and God’s idea of real grace.
“Grace is simply another word for God’s tumbling, rumbling reservoir of strength and protection. It comes at us not occasionally or miserly but constantly and aggressively, wave upon wave.” (page 99)

Lucado goes even farther back to explain why we need Grace in the first place. We, as humans, are riddled with sin which “is not a regrettable lapse or an occasional stumble. Sin stages a coup against God’s regime. Sin storms the castle, lays claim to God’s throne, and defies his authority.” (page 34)

In order to rid ourselves of our entrenched sin we often think we can win God’s favour, just as a boy scout wins his merit badges. But if we “[make] the assumption that God rates on the merit system” then “some thorny questions surfaced. If God saves good people, how good is ‘good’?” (page 46 – excerpts)

I became familiar with the writing of Max Lucado about 20 years ago when I first read his book, “God Came Near”. Through the years I have read 9 more of the more than 60 books Max has authored. I refer to him as “The Point Man” because he weaves together anecdotes, human interest, jokes, current events and Bible stories in an almost seamless way in order to meld emotion, common sense and theology into a sharp point. I was expecting more of the same with this book and was not disappointed.

Even though his writing skills have continued to grow I do have a few reservations about “Grace”. It seems to me that grace has three sides to it. All of them in perfect balance. Max discusses it’s cost and it’s results but there is little emphasis or practical advice on how to pass it on.  As is the case with most things of God, we learn the most, get to the heart of the matter, and find their greatest power in the sharing of them. Max briefly discusses this in chapter 9 by encouraging us to be “generous” and “forgiving” and a “Billboard of God’s mercy” (page 166), but fails to delve into it much deeper or give practical advice on exactly how to live grace out on a daily basis. 

He also discusses the “cost of grace” and the fact that grace was paid for by Jesus on the cross. Through an enhanced story of Barabbas, Max Lucado demonstrates that Jesus was sinless and died for each of us personally. But I wonder if a person can truly understand the massive cost of grace without identifying with our Heavenly Father who allowed his only Son to be murdered in order to purchase that grace for us? Max excels at showing different points of view, yet he misses out on helping us view things from God’s view. The view of a Parent, sacrificing one innocent, beloved Child for the sake of a rebellious, evil one.

 As Max puts it,

“ ‘Cheap grace’  comes from misunderstanding the enormity of the sacrifice.” (page 169) AND

“The gift is the Giver.” (page 150) [emphasis mine]

I am also concerned with Lucado’s use of so many different translations of the Bible. He seems to use whatever version of the Bible best suits his immediate purpose. Whether it be NIV or The Message, he used whatever version best made his point. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be the first step down a slippery slope to slanting the Scriptures to mean what what we want, instead of us wanting to get to what they mean.

At the end of “GRACE: More Than We Deserve; Greater Than We Imagine” the book is further enhanced by a “Reader’s Guide” written by Kate Etue. It reviews each chapter with sections entitled, “Scripture Review” (which gives further Bible verses on the topic), “Ask” (which poses probing questions), and “Call on God” (which aids in beginning a conversation with the Lord).

Kate Etue picks some very pertinent Bible verses and her sincere way of starting us in a personal prayer time is both insightful and eloquent. However, I feel slightly manipulated by some of the questions in the “Ask” sections. As if I am being routed into conclusions and assumptions that I am might not come to on my own.

For Example: The question is asked,

“How is spiritual rest a holy assignment?”

When perhaps it should be phrased,

“Do you think spiritual rest is a holy assignment? If so, how?”

Yet, who am I to question the opinions of Cal Thomas (USA Today columnist), Sheila Walsh (author, speaker and singer), Colt McCoy (NFL Quarterback), Mandisa (American Idol singer) and the other 18 people who spend the first 4 pages of this book singing it’s praises?

In conclusion, I must admit that I always enjoy a book by Max Lucado, including this one. He is honest, refreshing and very funny. His topics are both timely and necessary and I feel encouraged by what he has to say. I can most definitely recommend “GRACE: More Than We Deserve; Greater Than We Imagine” as a good read and a welcome addition to my home library (because I will want to read it again).
 
Or as Max says, “ I know we shouldn’t complain. But, honestly, when someone hands you a bar of hotel soap and says, ‘This is for you',’ don’t you detect a lack of originality? But when a person gives a genuine gift, don’t you cherish the presence of affection? The hand-knit sweater, the photo album from last summer, the personalized poem, the Lucado book. Such gifts convince you that someone planned, prepared, saved and searched. Last minute decision? No, this gift was just for you.” (page 149)

I suppose the same thing applies to God’s grace too. Let us rest in the presence of his affection.

 I’m giving this book 8 out of 10 “Secret Christian Fishies".

 

 

For further information contact: 

Graf-Martin Communications Inc

 

 

HERE'S A VIDEO FROM MAX LUCADO HIMSELF

 

 

 

 

** NOTE: Please feel free to leave a comment. I would like to know what you think of this book AND the Review. (Remember. You can leave a comment Anonymously)

Close Enough to Spit and Hit It

"Grace", Counting Homeless People, Cyber-Bullying, Christmas, and "The Mentalist". All these things are coming up on my blogs. (My life has certainly become a very strange mix)


Here's what's coming up so close that you could spit and hit it:


1) Another book has arrived for me to read and review thanks to Graf-Martin Publishing.

"GRACE: More than we deserve; Greater than we imagine"

     by MAX LUCADO

 I am rushing through it as fast as possible.

 

2) They have just done the "Annual Homeless Count"  for Edmonton and I am in the middle of some research before I write an article about it.

 

 

3) I have been working on a post about Cyber Bullying  and, with the death of Amanda Todd in Port Coquitlam, I see that the Lord has me right on topic.

4) On a lighter note, Christmas is coming up and I've got some ideas that should be helpful on my crafting blog, "LOVE Expressed Through DOODLES".  Some decorating ideas but lots of card making ideas, which will be easy and fun to participate in with you and your kids.

5) On my blog, "The Bible and the Biz" I have made the claim that I have figured out the identity of "RED JOHN" who is the serial killer that drives the plot of the TV show, "The Mentalist". Because I cannot just blurt out the culprit, the 'nay-sayers' have started to come out of the wood-work and are challenging me to PROVE that I know his/her identity. So, we will see if I actually DO know. If I DO know, I should be able to predict where the show is going with both the "A Story" (Who is Red John), the "B Story" (Who is Patrick Jane), and the "C Story" (Who is everyone else).






SO, I better stop talking about it and get those things done.

In the mean time, I have noticed that many people are returning to my blogs to read the former posts. (Whew. I had no idea I had written that much and I have only begun to blab). I remind you that I LOVE comments and that you can leave a comment anonymously or with your Google Account. Either way, let me hear from you. (I already know what I'm thinking).

See you soon.
Love Laura-Lee

God Let Me Down – YUMMY !

If the Lord is the Lord of them

 

I joined Vancouver Christian Secondary School (VCSS) about 6 weeks into grade 8. Prior to that my family had been living in the Maillardville district of Coquitlam, British Columbia and it looked like there was no way that I would ever be able to go to a Christian school. During the summer we had seen an advertisement in the TV Guide for Christian Schools in the Lower Mainland. We were brand new Christians, but we put our faith in Jesus to the test and my family (me, my mother and my brother) started praying in earnest that God would find a way for me to go there.

Summer came and went and the new school year started. I had to start at my neighborhood high school and it was pretty obvious that God had completely let me down. But just when it looks like all hope is lost and there is no way that God is going to come through, He answers prayer in a way we would never guess.

In our case, our sleazy landlords rented the little house we were living in right out from under us. Mom was reading the newspaper and came across a Classified advertisement that seemed rather familiar. We all took a look and recognized the home up for rent was where we were currently living! The land lords were 'upping' the rent by $300 and the move-in date for the new tenants was only 2 weeks from that moment we saw the advertisement.
We desperately scrambled to find a new place to live, but very few home owners want to rent to a single mother with TWO teenagers. PLUS a dog. It looked like my little Maltese Poodle, Sweetie, might have to leave our family in order for us to find a place to live.
 
I had thought God let me down just because I couldn't go to a Christian School. Then, the rug got pulled completely out from under us and I was starting to question whether or not God even liked me.
But, within 1 more week, we had a new home (much, much nicer than the one we left) and my mother had been offered a new job with a promotion and pay raise.

The evening of "Move-Day" we were tired, dusty, surrounded by boxes and munching on Big Macs. Suddenly a thought hit me and I quickly got up from my dinner and went into my bedroom.
Mom discovered me about 5 minutes later with the top half of my body deeply submerged inside a very large box. When she asked, "What are you looking for?" I popped my red face out of the box and proclaimed, "I have it!"
In my hand was a map of the city and the little advertisement from the TV Guide listing the addresses of the Christian Schools. As my mother and brother joined me looking at the map, which was spread out on a kitchen counter I said, "I was just wondering if we are any nearer to a Christian School".
I discovered that we now lived only 1 mile away from Vancouver Christian Secondary School and since my mother had gotten a pay raise, we were able to afford the tuition.
That was the first of many times that I have eaten the words, " God let me down."

It says in the Bible, "But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:31-32)

Even when I was angry and hurling accusations at Him, Jesus was working out a surprise for me. I spent all the remaining days of high school at "Vancouver Christian Secondary School" which I graduated from in 1985.

In grade 12, about 3 weeks before we graduated, my class started a discussion about the first day I came to school. All those who had been attending the school when I first arrived remembered it (maybe because it also happened to be the day of a field trip). It was very interesting to hear what every one's opinion of me was on that first day. What I remember most about it was how terrified I was. I don't think anyone even knew how scared I was or how much they intimidated me. But as I sat there in grade 12, preparing to go out into the "real" world and hearing the views of what kind of person I had become, I knew it was greatly because of those who were surrounding me at that moment.

My Science teacher, Mr. Van Oosten, wrote in my last year book, "Blossom wherever you are planted". I've tried to do that, but I know I couldn't have even attempted it unless I had been accepted and loved throughout my high school years. The faith and strength of purpose I had was given to me by the other members of VCSS who had started as friends and somewhere through the years had became family.
 
On this Thanksgiving, I remember them with gratitude.

Thanks to all of you for creating a 5 year oasis that allowed me to rest and grow into who I was mean to be. You did it without judgement and by demonstrating Jesus' love to me EVERY day. You are the "Blessings" I count.

Love Always, Laura-Lee (Thanksgiving, 2012, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

F.Y.I.: We didn't have to give up Sweetie, either. She lived with us to a ripe old age.

VCSS ALUMNI Twitter Page

Choosing the Right "ONE" to Marry

Meet Mr. and Mrs. RIGHT  CLOSE

This is a follow up on my other post: "Marriage: (at 10 years old)".


People often ask me "How do you know when he/she is the one to marry?" 

  I'm not sure why they ask me. I suppose I am getting older and therefore, people think, I'm wiser. But having lived several decades does allow you to see patterns. Especially in the way people behave. So, for those of you who want to know how to decide this very serious question of who to marry and when to marry them, here are my thoughts.

** If you don't care how you're dressed, who is at your wedding, what your ring looks like (or whether or not you even have one), if you will be going home to a hovel and you will have to be poor for the rest of your life and you still want to get married. And furthermore,  the mere sight of your beloved makes you want to run into their arms and you are thinking only one thing: "I am not good enough for this wonderful, amazing person", then I can say with some certainty that this probably the person for you.

  ("Perfect love casts out fear." - Book of: 1 John - The Bible)

** To the men: If you are proposing and you don't know whether your lady will give you a "yes" or a "no", then it is either too soon, or not the right person .

In describing LOVE, the first thing the Bible says is that, "Love is patient". If you don't know what the answer to your proposal will be, then you don't know that person well enough to be starting a life together.

 Whether or not you two should be married, is just the first in a million decisions you will have to make TOGETHER. If you aren't even on the same page as far as the "first" big decision is concerned, you are not ready to make any other ones yet. 

WHAT IS THE RUSH?!
 
I've always said: "The wedding ceremony should only be the final, public declaration of the commitment your heart has already made".
 
A piece of paper doesn't make you married and a piece of paper can't make you divorced.
Whether or not you cheat on your spouse has nothing to do with LOOKS or OPPORTUNITY. It's all about your level of commitment and if you have the character and self-discipline to follow through with your vows and promises.

BUT, if all this does work out: 1) you love the person, 2) they are right for you, 3) you are of one mind and heart, 4) you have made a lifetime commitment and 5) you have the guts to see it through and 6) the ability to love that person "NO MATTER WHAT", ...  then you have something that can change the world. Literally! A family that is bonded in love, obeying God and sacrificing for each other, is an UNSTOPPABLE FORCE and the rewards will be never ending.

                   

Bros Grimm Story: Old Man & Grandson

** I've had the privilege to spend the last dozen or so years in the company of many Senior Citizens. They are treated quite badly, many times by their own family.

I heard this story many years ago and it had a great impact on me and helped to bridge the generation gap between the elderly and myself. Maybe it will help you too. A little understanding can go a long way.

 

 

 

The Old Man and His Grandson

Image: The Old Man & His Grandson

 

There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his son's wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then they bought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which he had to eat.
They were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. "What are you doing there?" asked the father. "I am making a little trough," answered the child, "for father and mother to eat out of when I am big."

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything.

 

 

 

ORIGINAL SITE: The Old Man and His Grandson

I'VE BEEN HACKED Delete & Report "Me"

I've been hacked and I'm not happy

I have just deleted all my Windows Live Accounts and Deactivated all my HOTMAIL accounts.

DELETE IMMEDIATELY anything that appears to be from me that ends with "hotmail".

Especially delete anything that seems to come from NiftyNieces@hotmail.com.
LoveExpressedThroughDoodles@hotmail.com & LauraleeRahn@hotmail.com.

NONE OF THEM WILL BE FROM ME !!


Even though I've cancelled the accounts, the Hackers can still access them.

Put up BLOCKS (with your email programs) and REPORT any and all abuse to Window Live/ MicroSoft.



SEE INFO ON HOW TO DO IT BELOW:

If you receive something from these accounts, NiftyNieces@hotmail.com.
LoveExpressedThroughDoodles@hotmail.com & LauraleeRahn@hotmail.com.

Forward them to the email listed below as evidence of the Hack. And delete the rest. they will NOT be from me. Don't open these emails. Just FORWARD them.



* Non-Windows Live Hotmail customers should address an email to report_spam@hotmail.com, report_spam@msn.com or report_spam@live.com (Depending on the originating mail domain: hotmail or msn or live). Attach a copy of the spam email to this email and send it. If we do not receive a copy of the email as an attachment our ability to take action against the spamming account is severely impacted.

* We ask for a full copy of the email so that we have conclusive evidence showing from which Windows Live Hotmail account the SPAM was sent. It is possible that the email address was spoofed, and we don't want to mistakenly close a non-spamming account.


My new email address is now:  irene.lauralee@gmail.com.

Love Laura-Lee (& her Mom, Irene)

Absent Father vs. Invisible Father

After my father and mother got divorced when I was 9 years old, my father still had visitation rights every second weekend. I would sit with my little, green suitcase every Friday night and wait for him to show up. By about 10:00 PM I would take off my coat, take my suitcase back to my room, unpack and go to bed, feeling worthless. I would always make excuses for him in my mind.

“He had to work late.”

“He forgot this was his weekend.”

“He was away on a business trip and forgot to phone”

“He had a flat tire and was stuck on the side of a highway somewhere.”
 
Then when I was 10 years old my father (and his new family) moved within a 15 minute drive of where I lived. The first weekend that was set aside for his visitation came. I brought out my little, green suitcase, packed it as soon as I got home from school on Friday and from the time supper ended at 6:30 pm, I sat at the door to wait.

At 10:45 pm I picked up my suitcase and silently brought it back to my bedroom. I quietly got into my nightgown and slipped into bed. The time for excuses had passed. It was time for reality. He didn’t love me, he didn’t want me and if I was really honest with myself, I guess I knew he never had.

A little bit later, by the time I had cried my tears out, my mother slipped into my room.

 She softly asked, “Are you awake?”

I didn’t answer.

She asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

I bolted up in bed and spat out loudly, “What is there to talk about?! He hates me. And I hate him too. So we are even! Good night.” and I flopped back onto my bed and pulled the covers over my head.

I felt Mom sit on the side of my bed. She was going to talk to me, because sometimes loving someone means you don’t leave them alone, even if they want to be.

She started with the truth.

 “ You don’t hate him. You love him. I know you love him because that’s why it hurts so much. But that’s okay. I love him too. In this life you will find many people will hurt you and they will be able to hurt you because you love them.
 Now you can become bitter and hateful and wall up your heart where no one can reach it and feel nothing but miserable. OR, you can let love in and take the risk of getting hurt. And when it hurts it will hurt bad. Really bad. But every once in a while, someone will love you back. Really love you. Just as you are. They will require nothing of you except that you allow them to love you. It won’t erase all the pain you’ve had, but it will allow you to overcome it.  Just like the way I love you now. And how I know you love me too. And all the love you and I have for each other I wouldn’t have missed for anything. It is worth more than anything the world can chuck at us.
 You can’t choose how people will treat you, you can only choose how you’ll treat them back. And it's also your choice what kind of person you want to be. Do you want to be the type of person who will love anybody no matter what they do to you? Or do you want to be the type of person who lets their little girl wait and wait without even caring about her feelings? The choice is yours, Angel.”

After that lovely speach there was a lot more crying, hugging, nose blowing. (You get the picture.) I went to bed knowing I was loved. But I was pretty sure my father had gone to bed that night not knowing he was loved. The tragedy of it, is that he could have known it. How many nights, how many years, how many decades did he not know he was loved?

What I didn’t realize myself until much later was how deeply Mom was preparing me for the world I would live in and all the suffering I would have to face. She was helping me find the strength to face it as the right kind of person. And she knew that I couldn’t completely close myself off to love or I wouldn’t be able to accept God’s love when I finally discovered it.

As I grew up, people used to say to me, "It must be hard to be without a father." But by then I had a Father. A greater kind of Father with a greater kind of love.  You know, just because God is invisible doesn't mean He’s unreal. He is called the "Living God" because He is! Living, warm, available, compassionate, tender, a refuge, a companion, someone to dry your tears, to protect you and to sacrifice whatever it takes so that you and He will never be apart. Even if the sacrifice means having to give up His only Son.

Interesting. I finally found someone worth waiting for and He has never kept me waiting. Always there when I need him. Answering my questions before they are even formed  in my mind. Supplying my needs before I have to do without.

“ Jesus replied,'If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ “
                    (John 14:23)
 
I became a Christian for one simple reason, I discovered a Father who would "show up". He showed up, moved in and the lonely days of waiting were over.

Is that something you want?

Love and Marriage (at 10 years old)

When I was 10 years old I fell in love for the first time. My older brother had a friend named, Brian Jolie and the three of us went everywhere together.
Since my brother and Brian were both 13 years old, neither one of them recognized me as a person, let alone a woman. I was simply ‘the kid sister”.

But one day I realized I was experiencing some conflicting feelings about Brian, so I went and had a talk with my Mom about it. I was straight forward and simply admitted to her, “Mom? I think if Brian kissed me, I wouldn’t throw up or anything.”

Yes. If I didn’t feel the need to vomit at the thought of being kissed by Brian, it was obviously the real thing. I was in love!
 
Of course, we all know that the next step after falling in love is getting married. The fact that I was only 10 years old never seemed to enter my brain at any point. I needed more information if I was going to choose a life long partner, so I sought out my mother again. I remember our conversation as if it had just taken place yesterday. Truth always does have a way of sounding fresh and new.
I asked her, “ Mom. How do you know who is the right person to marry?”

Thankfully, although my mother found what I was saying very cute, she took my question seriously and laid the foundation for my attitude towards boys and men ever since.

She responded:
“Every person has 3 parts to them: the physical part, which is their body; the part that is called the soul , which houses the heart and mind and the spiritual part. If you and the man you will marry are alike in the spiritual part and you both believe in God and love Jesus, then you will have a great marriage and the other 2 parts will fall into line.
BUT, if the two of you don’t believe in the same things about God, then it won’t matter how much your brains, hearts and physical parts match. You will have a miserable marriage.”

For the past 36 years since we had that talk I have had the opportunity to watch many, many couples dating and sometimes they make it all the way down the aisle. They may have a meeting of the minds and a great sex life, but if the two of them are not matched up when it comes to God, their marriage will probably never make it.

You know, it doesn’t matter how fast time moves or how extreme are the changing circumstances,  truth is truth and it cannot be altered, no matter what the situation. There is one thing none of us can run away from:  MOTHER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!! (at least she has been up until now).

Since I have never been married, people have often asked me if I  feel I “missed out” on not having a husband. Sometime I feel that way, but I was blessed to have come from a broken home. And boy was it broken! And through it I have learned one very basic truth: “The only thing worse than NOT being married, is being married to the WRONG man!”

Counting Down 30 Life Principles (1-5)

  

According to Dr. Charles Stanley, Pastor and Television Evangelist, there are "30 Life Principles". And since Dr. Stanley has lived quite a long time, I suspect that he knows a thing or two. He developed these 30 Principles in order to give us guidelines on how to get more intimate in our relationship with Jesus and get along better with each other. These are based on principles from the Bible , which is another reason I suspect they work. Because God has lived even longer than Dr. Stanley .

 

However, the first time I came across this list it was a bit overwhelming. And since I was over whelmed, I put it aside and didn't touch it again for almost two years.

 

Also, I am probably the most paranoid person on the planet and I accept nothing simply because someone tells me to. So if these principles are to be any good to me at all, I have to put them to the test ... myself. And in order to do that, I had to take just a few at a time.

 

So, I present to you, the first 5 of the "30 Life Principles" by Dr. Charles Stanley.  Read the first 5 and see if you think they have truth in them. Put them into action in your life and see if they work at all. If you're anything like me, you'll find all sorts of things can be encountered and discovered if you put faith into action. Because believing something isn't really anything until you are ready to live it out. Rubber meet road time.

 

(And if you wish to learn more about Dr. Charles Stanley and the ministry he created, follow the link to "In Touch Ministries" below).

 

 

LIFE PRINCIPLES (1-5)

 



1) Our intimacy with God – His highest priority for our lives – determines the impact of our lives.

2) Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.

3) God’s Word is an immovable anchor in times of storm.

4) The awareness of God’s presence energizes us for our work.

5) God does not require us to understand His will, just obey it, even if it seems unreasonable.

** Try and apply these to your life by not being afraid to expect God to act according to his character and promises. If you take just one of these principles as a fact and live according to that fact, you will see God amaze you, just by showing up. L-L

In Touch Ministries with Charles Stanley

DR. CHARLES STANLEY

 

LITERATURE vs. VCSS

***NOTE: What follows is a story I wrote over at http://www.goodreads.com as a comment on a review of C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet" and I thought I would post it on my appropriate Blogs:



"I read [Out of the Silent Planet] in high school (Vancouver Christian Secondary School) and it was also assigned to 8 other people in my class. Besides the 8 of us, the other kids in our class got other books to read. But all of us who read the books had to act out a scene from our respective books.
 

Now, keep this in mind: The other kids in our class haven't read our book and they don't know ANYTHING about it. PLUS, it takes place on another planet. So how do we act out a scene from a Sci-Fi, inter-planetary story in the front of a tiny classroom ... in 10 minutes or less?

We picked the scene (possible spoiler coming up) where one dude is taken off and tortured by water. We did this because we had a sink in the cloakroom of our class (it had formerly been an old elementary school) and I got the bright idea that we should wet down someone off stage. Guess who got picked. Yup. Me! I kept saying. "But, but, but ... I'm a girl. And the character is a man". (nice excuse eh?) But I had this big perm (it was the 1980's) and hair like Bon Jovi and I thought, "If I've got to do it, I'm going to GO FOR IT!
 At the appropriate time I was dragged off stage, into the cloak room and I stuck my head in the sink and drenched it. Then I started yelling at the top of my lungs (I was supposed to be being tortured and I was "in character").  My yelling sort of surprised the other kids in the class who were watching our scene and had just seen me go off into the cloakroom without knowing why. And because of the fuss I was making off stage, the other 8 kids who were in the scene had stopped acting altogether. They kept trying to see what was happening to me in the cloakroom, so they had stopped saying their lines completely.  I whispered to them loudly, "I'm okay. Keep going. Say your lines or I can't come back on stage."

 They'd start up their lines again and I'd start yelling again! Every time I yelled (I'm being tortured, remember) everyone would gasp and stop what they were doing. I'd whisper again, "Don't stop. Keep acting or I'll never be able to finish this. I'm waiting for my cue so I can come back on stage!"

So I'm yelling, laughing, and the two guys who were portraying the aliens that had dragged me to my torture were afraid to even come near me. It all seemed so ridiculous that I started laughing even more.

 Suddenly, I hear the Principal of the school walk into the room. He had heard the screaming and had come to investigate.
By that time I'd been threatening the other 8 kids to keep going so much, that they kept saying their lines no matter what. Not stopping for anything. FINALLY, I realized that my cue was coming up, but  my hair was almost dry. So I took one more massive dunk into the water and the two "Aliens" dragged me back on stage ... unconscious.

 When I got back on stage my head was hanging down (and dripping profusely) and I was "unconscious". Dead weight. They had to half carry me back on stage.
Once there, I was suppose to groggily come back to consciousness, look up and say the line, "I can't believe you betrayed me like this, Ransom!" - Which I did.

Between being soaking wet, yelling at the top of my lungs and saying the line with a lot of feeling, the kid playing Ransom (poor Cameron Walker) must have thought I was serious because he  quickly responded, "No I didn't, Laura-Lee. I would never betray you!"

By that time the scene was pretty much lost and we didn't know what to do or how to finish and I thought to myself, "this just didn't work out the way it was suppose to".
 But the mischievous side of me came out again when I realized my big Bon Jovi hair was still drenched and dripping all over the floor. I decided to shake  my head just like a dog shakes after a bath and I covered EVERYONE with water: The kids in the scene, the kids watching, my teacher standing nearby and the principal looking in. They all let out one massive scream when they got hit with the water and curiosity finally got the best of the kids from the other classes and they came to investigate all the yelling and screaming.

Isn't literature wonderful?!!

Ransom Meets a Hross (Alien)

Link to Blog : Artists' Renditions of Aliens from "Out of the Silent Planet"