The Christmas Flu

My husband has been working in cold and damp conditions oustide. He's now got a monster of a cold!

I've been keeping my distance, as I haven't gotten the flu in several years, and don't want what he's got. I'm glad I got the pneumonia vacine when I did! I got a little cold around Christmas 2 years ago, and it only lasted for a week and 1/2. The time before that, I had bronchitis for a year and a half. That one started on Christmas day, so I spent two Christmas's in a row, sick!

So, if your sick and singin' the blues, don't feel bad. Everybody is a bit cranky when they don't feel well. I live that nightmare every day with the pain from the spinal stenosis, so I can commiserate. 

So, if you're a bit run down, have some hot chocolate by the fire place with your family and enjoy the coming weekend! 

Knowing a lot of people have the bug, I thought I'd share a funny song with you this post. I hope you get a chuckle out of it and that you all feel better, real soon!

Frday Funnies!

Get ready to laugh! These video's are too fun!

Fair Winds and Following Seas, Mr. President

While my husband was in the US Air Force he served under Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. 

Bush was just one of the guys. He loved our Nation's military and really wrestled with sending our brave young men into Iraq to stop Sadaam Hussein, who had invaded Kuwait. My husband served in both Desert Shield and later Desert Storm with the United States Air Force, 33 yr retired. He was a flight engineer on the C-141 and the C-5.

No matter which side of the aisle you are on, Bush 41 was definitely one of the good guys. He and his wife, Barbara, are now at rest in heaven with their daughter Robin, who died from Leukemia at age 3.

I truly hope in reviewing how he lived his life, with humility and respect for others, we all realize how precious life is and decide to move the country forward instead of continuing to fight with each other.  Bush 41 didn't skip a beat or miss a minute of life. I can't imagine the pain of actually losing your daughter to cancer & I nearly lost my own daughter, but in the early 1990's, the chemotherapy she was on, made all the difference. She survived Stage IV  cancer after her relapse & she had a very rare form of childhood cancer.

In 1944, Bush was shot down over the pacific, losing his 2 other crew members. He was found floating in a raft, and was picked up and rescued by a US Sub. He survived that day and I'm grateful to God that he did. This week, I learned a lot about him that I hadn't heard before. It made me love him more as well of making me proud as an American.

He never blew his own horn, but then, that was one of the characteristics of the "Greatest Generation," and he was one of the best of that generation. 

You will be missed Mr. President, but you will never be forgotten.

Fair Winds and Following Seas, President George Herbert Walker Bush. God speed.

At the beginning of the service today, I noticed a 6' grand piano sitting near the orchestra. I knew immediately who it was there for. After 9/11, Bush 43 asked Michael W. Smith to write a song to commemorate what had happened on that day. Michael became friends with their family & became just one of their "Brothers (and Sisters), from another Mother." 

At today's Memorial for President George H.W. Bush, he played his huge hit "Friends." I couldn't help but notice that he had been weeping himself. Let's face it. Dubya was a hard act to follow today. He got emotional right at the very end. He has lost both his Mother and his Father within 7 months. That's got to be very difficult and I will keep their family, friends and extended relatives in my thoughts and prayers.

Here's Michael with the choir & orchestra at todays memorial service at the National Cathedral in DC, celebrating the life of our 41st President, George H.B. Bush.

The Devil's Favorite Reality Show

Recently, I wasn't behaving in a way that was a good witness to anyone in my home, to my friends, or for God. As I was praying about it, I suddenly realized that when we're separated from God through our own sins, we can become the devil's FAVORITE reality show! 

When we're out of control, the devil likes to walk in and lead us down a primrose path where we really hurt people. People we'll never be able to witness to again with any credibility whatsoever. Not only that, we ruin it for anyone else in the future who tries to witness to the person(s) you've offended.

When we have unconfessed sin, it separates us from God. When we're in that state, the devil can sift us like wheat and believe me, he's laughing all the way to the stage of our terminal "Melt Down!" We have to learn who our enemy is, how he operates and then have a plan of attack to overcome him.

I remember going into service one Sunday, greeting other church goers. One woman I knew from bible study class, didn't say hello back to me. I thought, "Well, I never! Why was she so dismissive to me?" I sat through the entire service thinking about that and how I would NEVER do that to someone else. The devil was having his day in the sun that day! It should've dawned on me, "That's not like her. I hope everything is ok. I am going to pray for her this week." That's the thought I should've had but alas, was still just a babe in the woods, so I didn't even think about it! I just began judging her!

Some of us blame God for our circumstances and how unhappy it has made us without ever thinking, "How did I get here?" Some of us blame our families, boss, you name it, but we never look in the mirror to discover who the real culprit "might" really be. God gives us a choice in every situation. We get to pick and choose how we behave, how we talk, who we trust, etc. The devil? This is his world. We live on his turf! He gets the first crack at us and sometimes, he wins!

I was thinking about this and suddenly had a vision. I could see him, the "prince of darkness," in his fine linen suit, dark features, prince like, but dark, with a shiny black crown of onyx on his head. His legs were thrown sideways over the arm of his big shiny black Lazy Boy, there in hell. He was leaning back in uproarious laughter as he ate his popcorn and began flipping channels through billions of people's lives. He was laughing at me, at us, at every Christian that he's ever had in his cross hairs and was able to cause us to slip and sin against God. He goes at us until he can discombobulate us into an outburst, a curse word, taking God's name in vain, being angry, etc. Thus the scriptures say of him, "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy." (John 10:10).

When we don't follow Christ's commands and live for the Lord like we're suppossed to, we give a foothold to the devil and his demons. They come in steathily, with subtle thoughts to make us doubt ourselves, doubt God, doubt everything. We're to take "all thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5). When we don't do so, we have failed to use the fail safe promised by God in His word. The New Testament says He will always provide "a way of escape" (1 Corinthians 10:13), from any and all temptations. 

I love using that way of "escape," and telling the devil to go away in "Jesus" name! He thinks he's slick, but Jesus provides me a way out by showing me that those thoughts don't match Philippians 4:8, and I immediately dump them in the trash!

My mess is just one of billions of the devil's favorite reality shows. Now, I'm not picking on anyone, because the bible says "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

While we're still on earth, we can pray for forgiveness of all sin, even stuff we can't remember and Jesus will forgive us. (1 John 1:9)

He loves us and wants to have a closer relationship with us. He wants us to fight the devil so that He can tell him, "Satan? Bite the Dust!" 

Friday Funnies!

I went online to find some funny videos that had a Christian message. To my delight, there is a treasure trove of "funny" in a "Christian way" out there! Here are the top 5 for this Friday's edition of "Friday Funnies!" 

This one had me laughing so hard, I nearly fell over in my chair! Check it out, it's called, "Baby Got Book." Enjoy!

Here's one on "Prayer" for a first time visitor in church!

"What if Starbucks Marketed like a Church." 

Now this one reminds me of me and my addiction to Ding Dong's! 

If you miss the NFL, this one will definitely make you laugh!

I hope these video's make you laugh! I know I'm always lookin for a good laugh, and today, while searching YouTube for Funny Christian Video's, I found a treasure trove! 

God loves humor! It's why we love it so much! Laughter is good for the soul! I hope you enjoy this, and future episodes of "Friday Funnies!"