I really love human emotion. I feel like its most beautiful expression is through religion. However abundant religious expression is, I don't think it can ever do the experience of God justice. If words could better describe God, there probably wouldn't be such a wealth of them attempting to do so...

I don't believe in the fatherly portrayal of a God that fixes my problems. I love the idea of God, but my view of God is rather different than the one that most Christians would give you. My views, all in all, are rather outside of the general Christian mindset. Because my ideas about religion are so different, I feel the need to explain them, lest I be misunderstood.

I don't want to be grouped with people that think of God like they think of Santa. I don't want to be grouped with people that blindly follow tradition. I don't want to be grouped with people who throw around Bible verses as if they were written yesterday specifically about someone they know. I don't want to be grouped with people who have never read the Bible, but think it's "the word of God." I don't want to be grouped with a lot of people.

Looking back at our written histories, finding our God has been a process. We've been confused and wrong and human, just like every other religious tradition. Of course, for us to be part of the Judeo-Christian tradition, there must be something special that we see in it-- something unique that isn't offered to us by other traditions. But understanding our own history of error is essential to loving all peoples, not just those in our in-group.

I believe in studying God, because to say I know enough about God is not only arrogant, but disrespectful to my potential. I never want to stop learning how to best understand. I never want to stop learning in general.

I believe that God (or something) had some play in the creation of this world, but I don't know to what extent that is or if he is still "active."

I have never felt so apprehensive about an event in the Church as I do concerning Saturday in Kiev. Mind you, I would be extremely pleased if "nothing happened". Please, God, let that be the result. Unfortunately, I fear that is not going to be so. If Bart does anything as silly as recognising the schismatic Ukrainian bodies, it shall toss a match onto a standing pool of petrol. All this week, he has been playing with matches, pretending to be the "universal patriarch" (how bloody silly, the Church has NEVER had such an office, it's why we kicked the Pope of Rome out!), and puffing himself up silly.

If Bart recognises the schismatics Kudryakov and Denisenko, the end result shall be a rupture in communion with the MP. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev would demand such, and Patriarch Aleksei would defer to him. Vladyki Vladimir, speaking through his aide Archimandrite Kirill Govorun, has made it clear that ANYTHING concerning the Ukrainian Church MUST pass through his hands, as he is the only canonical First Hierarch in the country, and Bart does not have the authority to change that. The Ukraine is not the canonical territory of the EP, it is under the omophor of the MP.

In short, we have a horrific situation facing us. I repeat, I fervently hope that Black Bart retreats from the precipice. I sincerely pray that nothing happens. However, the signs are there for those of us who know the church situation all too well. If Black Bart stabs the Holy Church of Moscow in the back, if he spits in the faces of Metropolitan Vladimir Sabodan and Patriarch Aleksei Rediger, there shall be hell to pay. The MP has put up with much from this Vatican and American sock-puppet, and this would be the end of it, I think.

Interestingly, I think the Pope of Rome is innocent in this particular potboiler, for I believe that Benedict sincerely wishes good relations with us. He knows that such an event would smear him, so, I think that he has actually been trying to restrain Bart. I fear that he is going to fail, because there are people in the US State Department who have encouraged Bart into thinking that he can have an extraterritorial enclave in Istanbul, just as the Pope has an enclave in Rome. Of course, the Turks would nix it. However, we all know that people have the capacity to believe the most foolish things. After all, aren't there those who believe in Mormonism? I rest my case (magical spectacles and "Reformed Egyptian", indeed!).

I fear that there is going to be a noxious brew cooked up by Bart, Viktor Yushchenko, and Condoleeza Rice. All of us are going to gag upon it. In conclusion, I would pray that Bart pulls back. I am praying for the best and preparing for the worst. I fear that is the only thing that any of us can do. Dear Lord, save Thy Church from this, if Thou willest. If not, send us the strength to endure what we must.

These are the saddest words I have ever written... why did we live to see such?

Vara Drezhlo

Thursday 24 July 2008

Via Life moves pretty fast....

Most long time readers know that I love music (and if you didn't, the fact I just wrapped up my fifth song lyric week recently would be a hint) and there's a song by Weezer that just stuck in my head from the moment I saw it...."Pork and Beans."  Now, the song itself is catchy like their other hits but what really put this over the top for me was the video.

If you haven't seen it, they've made the video look like something from YouTube and it contains many of the people who've had the more popular YouTube videos like the "Leave Britney Alone" guy and the ones who set off the two liter bottles of Mentos and Coke.  They even wrangled Miss South Carolina who had a little trouble with a question during the Miss Teen USA pageant to make an appearance to badly lip sync along with the song.

It struck me what people will do to gain exposure on a wide scale.  These folks will have these clips running around and haunting them forever but they're reveling in their fifteen minutes of fame and the feelings of love and acceptance that they think are coming their direction from the people who view the clips and tell them how much they love to watch them.  Once the novelty of these things wear off these folks will go back their regular lives and there's going to be a huge void left behind.  A few will come through it just fine but others are going to have problems from self-esteem issues to anger issues because they want to regain that moment of glory they felt because a million folks watched them on YouTube.

Riches is so often thought of in terms of money but riches can also be in accolades or other kinds of objects that provide joy and satisfaction on some temporary level. These in and of themselves are not sinful but when you place them ahead of Christ and serving Him is when you're going to run into problems.

Paul wrote to Timothy talking about the financially rich but I think if you take a bigger perspective of riches you can see a lot of meaning in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV): "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

There is nothing as uncertain as the riches of popularity.  All it can take is one person to spread a nasty rumor on the internet and you could go from hero to villain overnight.  The one thing that doesn't change is that God is in control of all things and He can provide you with things that satisfy without having to worry about it fading if the neighbors don't want to see it anymore.

So we need to take hold of that which is truly life...Christ...and realize that while other things in life are nice they aren't necessary.

WHERE MEN ARE A MINORITY

Every major Christian tradition in the USA has more female members than male; this is reflected in their attendance at worship as well, a new survey of 35,000 adults finds. Percentage of denomination that is male: Evangelical Protestant: 47% Mainline Protestant: 46% Historically Black Protestant: 40% Roman Catholic: 46% Mormon*: 44% Jehovah's Witness: 40% Orthodox: 46% Percentage of memebers who say they attend services at least once a week:Evangelical Protestant Male: 46% Female: 54% Mainline Protestant Male: 31% Female: 38% Historically Black Protestant Male: 49% Female: 65% Roman Catholic Male: 36% Female: 45% Mormon* Male: 75% Female: 76% Jehovah's Witness Male: Not available Female: Not available Orthodox Male: 30% Female: 38% *Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life; margin of error ±.06 percentage points

By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY

Women outnumber men in attendance in every major Christian denomination, and they are 20% to 25% more likely to attend worship at least weekly.

Although every soul matters, many pastors say they need to power up on reaching men if the next generation of believers, the children, will find the way to faith. So hundreds of churches are going for a "guy church" vibe, programming for a stereotypical man's man.

"I hear about it everywhere I go," says Brandon O'Brien, who detailed the evolution of the chest-thumping evangelism trend this spring in Christianity Today.

One church, 121 Community Church in Grapevine, Texas, outside Dallas, was even designed with dudes in mind, from the worship center's stone floor, hunter-green and amber decor and rustic-beam ceilings to woodsy scenes on the church website.

No pastels. No flowers. No sweet music. No sit-with-your-hands-folded mood. Women are welcome, but the tone is intentionally "guy church" for a reason, says Ross Sawyers, founder and pastor of 121.

"I have read that if a child comes to Christ, 12% of the time the whole family will follow," Sawyers says.

"If the mom comes, there's a 15% chance the family will. But if the man comes to church, 90% of the time the family will come along behind.

"That's the reality, and that's why we do this."

He couldn't cite his source, but recent surveys show:

•52% of women and 48% of men say they identify with a particular religion, and women are the majority in 21 of 25 Christian denominations, according to the recent U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of 35,000 people by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The survey found 39% of U.S. adults — 45% of women and 34% of men — attend worship at least weekly.

•31% of men and 27% of women say they never go to church, not even on holidays, according to a new survey of 1,007 adults by Ellison Research, a market research firm in Phoenix.

It found 62% of those who attend regularly as adults say that as children they went to church with both parents. If only one parent went, usually the mom, the likelihood of the adult regularly attending dropped to 50%. If neither parent took them to church, 33% now attend.

"Dads need to model the behavior," says Ellison president Ron Sellers.

•77% of women but just 65% of men say their faith is very important in their lives, according to a 2008 survey of 1,006 adults by Barna Research in Ventura, Calif.

Decades of traditional men's ministries and fellowship groups within most churches, even the stadium-packing 1990s all-male rallies run by the Promise Keepers, haven't made a dent.

Blame the church, not the men, says David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church.

Warm, nurturing congregations ignore men's need to face the epic struggles of living for Christ, writes Murrow, of Chugiak, Alaska, on his website, churchformen.com. He trains leaders for Promise Keepers and writes on his website: "We've wrapped the Gospel in this man-repellent package."

Murrow recommends a free "Go for the Guys" downloadable action plan that advises pastors to infuse "adventure, challenge, boldness, competition, hands-on communication, ferocity and fun" into congregational life.

If they could pump essence of testosterone into the sanctuary, some churches might try it.

O'Brien says most of the "guy churches" don't go to the degree 121 has, "but much more prevalent and more alarming is the number of churches that promote a stereotype of muscular male behavior as the only correct godly way to be."

He describes a 2002 gathering of comedian Brad Stine's GodMen ministry, featuring videos of karate fights, car chases and a song with lyrics urging, "No more nice guy, timid and ashamed … Grab a sword, don't be scared — be a man, grow a pair!"

O'Brien counter-punches that those who prefer lattes and books to bows and arrows are equally able to embody Christ-like qualities. "Guy church" pastors should not forget that "humanity in the image of Christ is not aggressive and combative; it is humble and poor."

There aren't a lot of lattes at a church banquet where your host may have shot your supper.

Congregations across the Sun Belt are holding "Beast Feasts," where the flock's outdoorsmen invite their unchurched male pals to a game banquet, served up in good fellowship in hopes guests will find a trail toward Jesus.

"Men are driven by activity, by events, by doing. That's our nature," says Mark Estep, senior pastor at Spring Baptist Church near Houston. "Beast Feasts. Fishing. Hunting. Golf. … They build bonds with each other. That's the open door into their heart. Then you can begin to talk about their spiritual condition.

"A man is far more apt to come to a church event if another man asks him. If his wife asks him, he'll interpret that as nagging."

It seems to work.

At Thompson Station Church, south of Nashville, where the last Beast Feast in March drew 350 men, "26 men made decisions for Christ that night and have stayed in conversation with us," says administrative pastor Duane Murray.

Women aren't forgotten, Murray says. "But I don't know what woman wouldn't be excited if her husband showed more interest in coming to church. When a man's life is changed, he becomes a more effective father and loving husband. We choose to invest and go after the higher returns."

That's what Ross Sawyers had in mind when he launched 121 Community Church in 1999.

"We wanted it to feel like some guy's really, really cool home," albeit one with lots of high tech and a staff videographer, says David Parker, 121's associate pastor for worship and creative arts.

Between the two Sunday services, 1,200 folks attend worship and hear Sawyers offer verse-by-verse Bible preaching, punctuated with videos, skits and music.

Men make up a third of the volunteers working with children from preschool through teens. Vacation Bible school, renamed Bible Extreme, was shifted to an evening session this summer, allowing nearly four dozen men to volunteer after work.

Sawyers says worship is "free and flexible" so that a man might join in song and praise or stand skeptical by the back door with a cup of coffee and try to assess if this is a place "where his heart can open to God."

No first-time male visitor at 121 leaves without being greeted by a volunteer, often Ross' older brother, Loyd, an auto auctioneer.

"I'll chase them into the parking lot if I haven't seen someone else already welcome them. I'll talk to the dad. Give him a card. Say, 'Call me if you have any questions,' " he says

"They don't know the Lord, and they don't trust places with steeples. They're just struggling with the idea they have to get this or that right before they can come to Christ. I tell them, 'You have it backwards. You come hang with us, and you'll see.' "

Marilyn regularly hosts these Saturday breakfasts across the nation.  Be sure to check our events listing for a breakfast near you.

What does a sizeable ego do to people? Well for one thing, it makes them think they are right and the other person is wrong, always. But mainly ego makes people blind to both sides of any issue. With ego, all a person can see is their side. Let me give a fictional example of what results from this...

Fred is a Christian who frequently demeans homosexuals. He believes all homosexuals will go to hell, and he doesn't hesitate to express this opinion. Gail reads Fred's blog and leaves a comment stating that all Christians are homophobic, insensitive, narrow-minded bigots.

Ironically, Gail has lowered herself to Fred's level, by making her own narrow-minded, bigoted remark. Now I realize my example is not perfect, since Gail was provoked. But I hope you get my point, which is: Ego causes us to loose perspective and enter any situation seeing only part of the issue. And that gives those with bigger egos a huge disadvantage in that they are missing so much of the truth that resides in any issue. And I believe that without truth, there will be failure.

What does Jesus have to say about egos?

"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)

Humility is incredibly underrated in our society. And most, if not all, of the worlds problems are because of egos. Do you want to help solve social problems? Then look for the ego in the problem, and humbly keep your ego out of it.

It has been 12 years (and now 3 days) since I became a Christian.

The journey's never been boring, I'll say that much.

I wonder what the next 12 will bring?

People just don't speak candidly about their own problems or the problems they see in their spouses. In fact, it's more likely they'll tell their friends about the flaws they see in their husband or wife long before they'll say anything to their spouse. Why is this?

We live in a culture where conformity and tolerance are preached. Don't make changes, because it might make others feel uncomfortable. Don't speak candidly about the flaws you see, because that's inconsiderate. I hear things like:

"We all have things we need to improve. Don't sweat it."

Are you kidding me? We're the people of God and scripture is very clear about our need to conform to His image. This isn't kids' games. We're walking temples, yet we have no clue the seriousness of it.

The old testament priests would tie a rope to their foot so that as they approached the "Holy of Holies", their bodies could be pulled back out if they weren't pure in God's sight and they were struck dead. Their respect and esteem for God was paramount, and their actions showed it. What about you and I? Being the temple of God, are we purifying ourselves for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us?

Our fear of God and love for His mercy should lead us to changed lives. Sitting still & changing nothing is shameful and pitiful.

If you see changes in your spouse that could enhance the glory of God, and you can "speak the truth in love", do it. Love your spouse, and God, enough to tell them the truth as you see it.

Not communicating necessary changes gets you nowhere. However, speaking the truth in love can increase trust, Godliness, and intimacy in a marriage.

Side note #1: Communicating these things in a fight is usually ineffective and will get you nowhere. If you think your comment made in a moment of fury was good enough, think again. Look for another way to communicate it lovingly.

Side note #2: If you're going to communicate flaws to your spouse, expect to hear them back. Be humble enough to accept them and change.

Religion is a subject I generally avoid, because it boils down to this: You either believe or you don't. Jesus-lovers love it, Jesus-haters hate it and the rest of us just try to tolerate it.

Personally, I have nothing against Christians. I married one with the understanding "she is who she is." And over the years, my wife has taught me to listen with an open mind and not be too judgmental.

I believe I have largely succeeded. I'm not offended when the wifey starts quoting verse. And unlike so many of my athiest and agnostic co-workers, I do not engage in Christian-bashing. I believe in "to each his own." If Christianity makes people feel good about themselves, so be it.

But since this is my blog, and no one here knows me, let me share what I've learned about Christians over the course of my 20+ year marriage. Forgive me in advance if my statements are offensive. They are merely my personal observation.

First, I believe that Christianity is a "fix" for people of weak mind. Their mindset, if you'll notice, is childish in nature. I can't cope. I can't manage. I can't think for myself. I can't. I can't.

Christianity is surely the greatest invention in the history of our world. It's better than a shrink, and cheaper than Prozac. With God, you put your mind on auto-pilot.

Case in point, The Purpose Driven Life, by Christian author Rick Warren. Being the dutiful husband of a Jesus lovin' wife that I am, I actually read that book and pretended to like it. But what was truly entertaining were Warren's "suggestions" on how to make the voices in your head go away:

"The Bible tells us to pray all the time. How is it possible to do this? One way is to use 'breath prayers' throughout the day. You can choose a brief sentence or simple phrase that can be repeated to Jesus in one breath: 'You are with me.' 'I receive your grace.' 'I'm depending on you.' 'I belong to you.' Practicing the presence of God is a skill, a habit you can develop."

Habit? I'd say a habit.

Yet nothing you can ever say will change a Christian's mind. They have an answer for everything, a childlike answer. Let me offer a few examples:

• You don't understand because you've never felt the presence of God.
• God is in control, not me.
• God loves me and that's all that matters.
• God has good things in store for me.
• God has forgiven all my sins.
• With God, there is nothing I can't do.
• All the bad things that happen to me are in accordance with God's plan.

And so it goes.

It was with shock and horror that I recently discovered a "friend" of mine has chugged the Jesus Kool-Aid. A once-smart and attractive TV reporter (and a damned good investigative producer) has decided that God is the answer to her misery. When I came across her blog, I almost shit myself. Jesus this and Jesus that. Here's a woman who was once at the top of her game, a creative giant with big things in store. Now she has slipped into a dream-like state that will have her thinking about the afterlife for the rest of her days. I know, because I live with a dreamer.

When I read T's blog, my heart sank. I actually broke down and cried. Is this what happens to people who can't handle life and difficult situations? I would have married that girl if I wasn't already taken. She is in my mind day and night. This rare creature is a "beautiful and unique butterfly." Now, she's just like my wife.

Because of her newfound "faith," she has probably labeled me an evildoer, an extension of Satan. That's what Christians do. It's what they believe. They see things in terms of good and evil.

But I'll never have the chance to explain to her how I feel, and how much I miss talking to her. I see from reading the comments on her blog, she's being "love bombed" by Christians everywhere. Together, they will pray and chant bible verses. And she will settle for a husband who loves only...World of Warcraft.

Nite-nite, Tracy. Sleep tight.

In the past Christians would simply protect the innocent and the weak, regardless of what the naturalistic and faithless thought about the matter. We would make laws according to the rule of ultimate good while not persecuting the ignorant because of their ignorance, but never particularly prone to be conciliatory toward people of a merely Natural mind. We would have never allowed people to strip the laws of their ordained purpose of protecting the innocent and punishing evil simply because some people can’t tell the difference between good and evil. And we would never have elected people to hold public office that we knew were faithless, because though they may use our words, they cannot understand them.

There was never a need to create a law that faithless people could not hold a public office; we were wise enough to not elect such people as the expression of our God given right to self determination in politics. Why elect someone to office that does not believe in our God given right to self determination because they recognize no God? Or something that is really just as bad, possibly worse, no God that we recognize. It’s not that we don’t recognize everyone’s right to run for office, we’ve simply forgotten our duty to not vote for them because they are opposed to our most fundamental understanding of who and what we are and what should be done in the world.

It is inherently self destructive to the Christian, their societies, their children, and their cause, to be found neutral on any matter of faith or practice, especially politics. Politics is the rule of the community, and community is part and parcel of the expression of the Christian life. As such, a Christian that is not “political” is no Christian at all, because a political life is one that expresses care and concern for the larger community. A Christian that cares only for themselves is a contradiction in terms.

We are committed, demanded, commanded, ordained to give ourselves for others in every way and at every opportunity. To abandon the community to merely Natural men and women is an act of the gravest kind of aggression against Christian love and moderation. Who will tell them right from wrong if not you? Who will guide them in the truth if not you? People that believe that the entire content of human experience and community is explicable in terms of an accidental arrangement of atoms in the void with no ultimate purpose and no meaning beyond today’s Natural lust?

How dare we forget how to be Christians and leave a world to collapse under the weight of its own tragic blindness? How would it last without the infusion of goodwill and reason attributable only to the insight of a Spiritually informed people? Every corner would inevitably descend into the madness of Hitler, and Stalin, Pol Pot, Genghis Khan, and Alexander. There would be no measurement of evil but the power of one man’s arm against another. The pedophile would become the norm again as he was in ancient Greece, and as he is becoming virtually in the West as sexual purity is explained away as the dying traces of a once robust Christianity. The King would become again an agent of innovative laws according to the dictates of his own unquestionable will. Half the population would be slaves, the other half wolves of varying descriptions. Women would be bought and sold as chattel because there is no naturalistic way to justify the rights of women. There is no Naturalistic way to justify any rights for anyone. It takes the insights of a Spiritually informed person to see the right and wrong that provide the philosophical capital for “Rights”.

We have no right to abandon that post, and more than that, a duty, a righteous charge to fulfill in this present dark age when the Church has become the darkest of all places.

Christopher Neiswonger

I can remember in a rather sophomoric philosophy class one time the "ultimate" question was posed, "What is truth?" Philosophers and philosophy students alike have struggled with the answer to this seemingly relativistic and puzzling question unnecessarily for ages. I say sophomoric simply because of all the weird answers people come up with which reveal a shallow understanding of the nature of "truth". They blurt out ideas like, "Truth is different for each person." Hmm. Makes you wonder what the definition is they are using for "truth" doesn't it? The whole post-modern movement and its slippery slope designs towards equality of all ideas and "truths" would indeed redefine what "truth" is or can be. So as not to fall into the same sort of esoteric discussion, let's simply be clear. A truth is not different for each person. There is no relative or fuzzy edge with which to know or measure truth. Jesus puts it out there concise and clear. God's word is truth. There you have it. So, no more sitting around rolling the question of "what is truth" between your thumb and forefinger. Truth can be known by reading God's word, which is truth. Truth is unchanging. It does not blow with the winds of changing social mores and worldly opinions of what is "right" or "wrong". Truth is not relative to the reader. Truth does not adopt or adapt. Rather, it is us who must change in order to align with the righteous measure of God's clear truths that we might live in accordance to His will, in truth. We do pray Lord that You will indeed continue to set Your children apart as holy by the living of lives in accordance with Your word. The truth. Amen

Audio Version: seeking-gods-heart-john-17_17

Lynn Williams Inventor

The Beginning of Sales ~ Praying and believing my way through!

What is that saying?  Necessity is the Mother of Invention?  Well then, Function is the Father of Invention.  After I designed and started selling my Earring Angel Pierced Earring Organizers on EBay in February, 2005 I thought, why not sell other items as well, not yet having it occur to me that I should design and manufacture anything else.  I just thought go shopping and buy items on sale and then put them up for auction on EBay.  So I went shopping!  I shopped at discount stores like Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack and other outlet stores.  

I researched on EBay items of interest to me to see what they sold for and kept notes so that when I went shopping I would have a guide. I bought only items that I myself would like to have, so selling something I loved would come naturally.  I purchased everything on a credit card and only bought items that could be returned if for some reason I could not sell them within 30 days.  Then my only loss would be my time and the listing fees that EBay charged, unless it was an auction item that I took the chance of listing low to bring in interest and found and there was little to no interest, this only happened once or twice no big deal. 

If you do your homework buying items and selling them on EBay can really payoff and did.  Plus, another great benefit to selling other items is it brings traffic into your EBay Store and they end up buying something else too.  I started doing something that seemed crazy to me but it worked.  Later I was told that this technique had a name in the Retail World called a loss leader.  Buy something you will most likely loose money on, but that will bring tons of traffic to your store.  When the customers fight for the one you will most likely loose money on they might buy something else that you will make a profit on.  I look at it as affordable paid advertising!

I am all about traffic, even if I don't sell anything!  If the traffic is high eventually it will payoff as long as your pricing is fair and you have great products that are hard to find.  Personally, I don't like competition, my best competition is with myself which is probably worse but none the less that is me!   If there are 100 "Gizmos 101" and only 5 "Gizmos 1" and they are more valuable and sell quickly, why would I try to buy and sell "Gizmos 101"?  If you narrow the competition it helps you sell more.  I am the only one who sells Earring Angels, why?  I am the manufacturer and I can do that, atleast for now.  I have people email and ask where can I go to buy one?  The answer is only with me on EBay, Amazon or my Website www.Angelynns.com  and all are me!

In the beginning in 2005 the things that I bought to sell were: Name Brand Handbags like Michael Kors, Betsey Johnson, Baby Phat, XOXO, Guess etc.  and home decor items like hand decorated storage boxes and jewelry boxes.  Since my business was kinda born in earring organizational products it made sense to migrated to jewelry organizational products like necklace tree stands.  Some of theses were items I could take apart and remake as jewelry holders.  Since you have to photograph and write a clever sales presentation (item description) and research keywords and price points for every item you sell it was best to purchase all they had of any given item so you could relist after the sale instead of having to PWR (Phototgraph, Write & Research) which took me hours and days! 

Don't think I have a lot of money because I don't.  I have 3 children and my husband is a self employed electrician and I drive a 2002 Ford F-150 Pickup and live in an average home and have a hard time paying for gasoline like most of America right now.  I used credit cards because I had to and would spend around $500.00 and then sell and make around $800.00, payoff the credit card $500.00 and then reinvest the $300.00 profit and then just return what did not sell.  I would take the $300.00 and spend every penny buying more and basically that is what I am still doing today, re-investing every dime to grow my business.  Hopefully this year will be the year I actually get to keep some of what my labor and efforts has been working so hard for.

I stopped selling the handbags and home decor items, not because they sere not selling, but because I had a hard time finding more that one of any particular item and the work to PWR was taking all my time.  Don't forget I have to respond to emails pack, ship and drop at the post office too!

I was going in too many different directions and had to focus!  I asked myself "What is my best seller?" the Earring Angel   What do the customers love the most based on feedback?  the Earring Angel   Are those sales growing?  Yes  Then it occured to me offer other colors of the Earring Angel!  I could not afford to have them made in other colors so I faux finished them by hand to test customer interest. 

I spent so much time sweating in my garage sanding, priming, painting and topcoating Earring Angels it was unreasonable but worth it.  Some of you that read this might actually have one of these.  They were beautiful and the customers loved them, but I had to sell them for more because of the material costs not to mention my labor that I did for basically free. 

I had to focus!  So I settled on only finishing in Hammered Black, Bronze, Dark Bronze and Copper, these I am no longer doing for obvious reasons, but I do still have some for sale at www.angelynns.com .  The faux finishes with the sponging techniques etc. was just way too much. 

The Necklace Trees / Jewelry Trees

I had purchased necklace trees, bracelet racks and jewelry organizers and sold them and made a small profit. So I bought more, and more!  Then I even had the discount store managers calling me to tell me when they came in and would set aside the entire shipment for me.  I had my tax permit so I did not have to pay sales tax on most of the items, but some stores made me pay the tax anyway so I did. 

The Jewelry Trees etc. were not the best quality, but they were pretty once I stripped them, sanded them and painted them.   The necklace trees were too short for many of my necklaces and I continually thought "If I made these I would change that, I would make them more heavy duty, prettier, more elegant, timeless and not so trendy".  Then it occurred to me "I should design Necklace Organizers and sell Unique Organizational Products only", so that is what I decided to to. 

So I started drawing, and redrawing over and over again and came up with my 1st design.  Months later I took a trip to South Texas and hired someone to make me a prototype.  I had some doubts on a few things but let it go and manufactured anyway.  I was able to sell everyone of them but I had to repair everyone of the 75 too!  So I went online to find another metal craftsman and I have been using them ever since.

Currently I have 5 Jewelry Tree designs that I am selling but I have several more in my head that I will be doing probably next year, because of finances. 

The Black Wrought Iron Earring Angel for table top use is so popular it makes me think I should have made that one sooner, but with NEW items you just never know which one will SHINE!  The Bronze Slim Earring Angel for wall, cabinet, closet or jewelry armoire use is brand new, so we will have to wait and see if it SHINES too. 

The 3rd one I think will be my absolute best item ever!  It is called the Accessory Angel and is Black Wrought Iron and wall mounted.  It will hold a whopping 55 pairs of earrings and has necklace hooks and a large accessory tray.  I have to say it is AWESOME and I can't wait to make them.

Him and his friend did a wonderful job presenting a picture of Jesus that today's youth could really get their "brain around".

They make a great point that we serve the kingdom of God and not America and that our hope is in the King of Kings and not in any president.  It was inspirational how they communicated that it is the church's responsibility to care for the less fortunate- and that we shouldn't rely on the governement for that (though their help is welcomed). 

However, the second have of the event seemed to "take a turn".  After the event, our Senior High Youth Minster, Greg Reckinger communicated to me that he felt ambivalent about continueing in his plans to use the book as a curricullum for our senior highers.  Freshman Zack Fowler (pic on left) said: "I left there feeling confused because in the beginning of night it was all about Jesus and then it ended up being about passivism."

I also, wasn't sure how I felt about the night.  I felt inspired about Jesus and yet angry that the other side of the "conversation" wasn't presented at all.  I was frustrated that I couldn't respond publicly to the crowd. 

Here is what I would have liked to say: 

1) I found their comparision of Rome and America offensive.  I have been reading an autobiography of George Washington and watching the HBO series called John Adams.  This whole country was founded on premises that people would be free from the control of a dictator- especially in the name of God.   Yes, I agree, America is not meant to be a "new Jerusalem" or a Christian country.  However, to live here is a great gift and a responsibility- not a reason to be passive.  After the event, I heard one youth talk about whether he should vote or not. 

 I believe they left out that the United States of America is a gift from God and we are so fortunate to live here.

2) Why don't you come out and say it- your teaching dogmatic Christian passivism.  While they used Hitler to make the point that Christianity was used for an evil war, they didn't continue to talk about what it would be like to passively resist Hitler.   Iinterpreting scripture in its context was lacking: Jesus' words to: "Turn the cheek" and go the second "mile" were used to support their belief that we shouldn't bare arms- even to defend our women and children. 

3) Scripture was used out of context.  If memory serves, Galatians 1:6-7 was used to communicate that the "other gospel" was a gospel that didn't embrace passivism, whereas the context of the writing has to do with legalism.

Since I am patriotic, much of the second half of the "conversation" was difficult for me.  However, I tried to not let reactivity get the better of me. 

I left there thinking about something C.S. Lewis wrote in his essay on learning in war time.  He wrote something to the effect that to die for one's country may be a noble duty, but no country on this earth is worth living for. 

There is only one cause worth living for- Jesus.

     I love to go to the mall and sit and watch people.  Each to his/her own has a unique walk.  Some walk according to how quickly they need to get to the stores with the greatest sales.  Others walk the mall just to exercise.  Some enjoy the company of others, so their walk may be a little slower as to not pass the time as quickly.  Either way, everyone has a unique walk and a different purpose for why they are at the mall. 

     "The Bible instructs us:  "Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us"(Eph. 5:2) and to "walk in wisdom"(Col. 4-5).  I ask myself, "Does my walk reflect God's love and wisdom?"  Am I "pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy"? (James 3:17)  Do I have love, joy, and peace?  Am I tranquil and strong?  What do others see as I walk by?

     George MacDonald said, "If you who set yourselves to [theorize about] Christianity had set yourselves instead to do the will of the Master, the one object for which the gospel was preached to you, how different would be the condition of the part of the world with which you come into contact."  How different indeed!

     Is your life making a difference in the lives around you?  Do others see Jesus in what you say and do?" (Roper, David)

Quote of the day:  Author Unknown

"For a Christlike walk, keep in step with Jesus."

Bible verse of the day:  Ephesians 5:2

"And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for my walk.   I pray that my walk is a resemblance of Who You are and that others may see You through it.  Father just as James 3:17 stated, may my walk remain pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  I pray that You continue to guide my walk, that I may follow the path that You are placing before me.  May I continue to walk in love and may my walk be full of wisdom so that it reflects Your Love and Wisdom.  I thank You for this day!

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

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