Notice God's unutterable waste of saints, according to the judgment of the world. God plants His saints in the most useless places. We say - God intends me to be here because I am so useful. Jesus never estimated His life along the line of the greatest use. God puts His saints where they will glorify Him, and we are no judges at all of where that is. ~Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, August 10
Believe it or not, I've started another new blog! But this one is totally different and I think you're gonna like it! Along with a friend we've started THE PROVISION ROOM!
We are learning how to build our pantries, stock our freezers and prepare for emergencies while sticking to our budgets and being true to our values of REAL FOOD!
It's a wonder to me that every woman doesn't fail to progress when you consider how many people are monitoring her! It makes me twitchy just thinking about strangers standing around staring at me trying to birth a baby. I mean, I've had close friends and family at births, but that's a far cry from orderlies, nurses, interns, and doctors whom I've never met.
Here's a brilliant short to inspire you banish "failure to progress" from your vocabulary! I dare you to not laugh!
And don't forget to link up on yesterday's post with your birth story and/or birth pictures! Regardless of how your baby made his or her entrance, it's a powerful thing to grow a baby and to become a mother! Celebrate Empowered Birth Week with me!
Having a baby is something more amazing, transcending, connecting and magical than anyone can imagine before they've have a baby. When I hold that squirmy, wet little bundle I marvel at how exactly that came out of me! And the wonder does not wear off! Every time I'm privileged to attend a birth, I'm always in awe afterwards! How exactly did she do that? And how exactly did God do that? How did all of that perfection come from imperfection? How did that whole separate person grow from a sperm and an egg?
It's something out of a fairy tale, I'm sure. And I say that with the utmost respect for fairy tales.
"The things I believed most then, the things I believe most now, are the things called fairy tales. They seem to me to be entirely reasonable things. They are not fantasies: compared with them other things are fantastic. Compared with them religion and rationalism are both abnormal, though religion is abnormally right and rationalism abnormally wrong. Fairyland is nothing by the sunny country of common sense. It is not earth that judges heaven, but heaven that judges earth....Modern minor poets are naturalists, and talk about the bush or the brook; but the singers of the old epics and fables were supernaturalists, and talk about the gods of brook and bush. That is what the modern means when they say that the ancients did not 'appreciate nature,' because they said that Nature was divine. Old nurses do not tell children about the grass, but about the fairies that dance on the grass; and the old Greeks could not see the trees for the dryads." --GK Chesterton
As I marvel about pregnancy and birth and call it something greater than natural--that is supernatural, I do not ignore the arduous physical process of carrying a child and giving birth. It's intense to be sure, but it's less scientific than it is magnificent. It's less medical than it is magical. Even if you took medication or had a surgical birth. Still your body grew that child, sustained that child and brought that child into the world.
So..........in honor of Empowered Birth Week, let's have a little blog carnival. Link up with your birth story or pictures. It can be a new post or an old one. It can be about your natural, home, earthy-crunchy birth or about your hysterical situation of birthing in the car on the way to the hospital! You can link up about your c-section or your uphill battle to birth vaginally. Don't allow anyone to steal the joy from your experience or invalidate it by comparing it to other pregnancy and birth stories.
If you don't have a blog but want to share a picture or story, email it to me (mrsgombojav@gmail.com) and I will post it for you! (How's that for a deal?!)
For every link-up I will enter you to win a prize. I'm not exactly sure what yet, because it depends on who wins! If you are in your child-bearing years it might be something for your pregnancy or birth. If you are one of those wise older ladies, it may be an inspiring book or something to pamper yourself. All I promise is that it will be something I consider totally cool. You'd expect nothing less, right? :-)
You have one week. I will close the contest Sunday night at 11:59. So, get crackin'!
During the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, the Florida State Department of Children and Families took in 24 minors who had been trafficked to the Tampa area as Sex Slaves for the Super Bowl. These were just the ones that were found.
In 2010. the Women's Funding Network found an increase of 80% in Craigslist sex ads during the Super Bowl. Craigslist recently shut down their "Adult Services" section after receiving over 10,000 petition signatures from the public and pressure from a number of State Attorney Generals.
Although no one knows exactly how many people will be trafficked to North Texas for the Super Bowl in February 2011, anti-trafficking organizations estimate it will be in the thousands.
This is partially due to the fact that the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that over 14,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year and 25% of all trafficked persons come through Texas.
Didn't know human trafficking was such a problem? Consider this: there are more slaves in the world today than were extracted from Africa during 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade. More than 25 million human beings are slaves in 2007. They are not slaves in a metaphorical sense. They are held in forced servitude by other human beings. (Source: Christianity Today.)
While you are rooting for your team and chowing on your chips and queso, please take some time to pray. And read from some of the links provided and find out if there is a way you can help in today's abolitionist movement.
The following video highlights another sporting event, The World Cup. Although a different country and a different event, the reality is profound:
This is my jar of collected wine corks.
Sits on my mantle as a reminder of good times.
As promised in my pessimistic unvitation for 2011, I have picked out a wine cork to end the extremely suspenseful giveaway. And the winner is Sara at June Cleaver In Yoga Pants. Send me your address, Sara and I'll send you this snazzy cork...a little something from my villa to yours.
A little about how I know Sara: We grew up together on the beautiful Central Coast of California. She was actually instrumental in my getting involved in missions as a teenager. Thanks to her and her sister's testimonies and encouragement I started going to Teen Missions. And Teen Missions is how I met Gana. So, in a way, you could say that it's all her fault thanks to her (and her sister)!
Now my current giveaway is much better. Give my money to your favorite charity! Please enter by visiting my Daddy's blog!
And for this contest I won't just send you one of my used wine corks! :-)
Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it. Jeremiah 33:9
My Daddy (the bestest Daddy a girl could ever ask for!) has started a new blog. Not just any blog--with incessant bragging on his children and pictures of his food (such as this blog!)--but a blog that is completely uplifting and inspiring!
This is my Daddy. He's a warrior.
Each week at Prosperous and Successful he is highlighting an individual, a ministry or a business that is excelling in its particular field! He doesn't ask that you send them money or join their mailing list or hook up in any multi-level marketing gig! He's simply asking that the readers pray for blessings on that person or organization! HOW COOL IS THAT?!
I really believe that the Lord LOVES to see us blessed and loves to bless us and loves it when we bless others! Join with me (and my Daddy!) in praying blessings on others!!!!!
Proverbs 11:25
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
So, here's the contest part (I know you were waitin' for the it).....
First, the prize: Gana and I will donate $25 to the charity of the winner's choice!(Providing the charity of your choice isn't like Planned Parenthood or the DNC. In other words....subject to approval.)
How to enter: (one entry for each of the following)
1. Become a follower of Prosperous and Successful! (If you are already a follower, just let me know, and it still counts!)
3. Promote my Daddy's blog on your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter!
Let me know in the comment section how many entries you get! If you post on your FB page, blog and Twitter you'll get an entry for each! I'll choose a winner in two weeks: January 25.
Bishop Gabe and Lady Dorothy
Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperityof His servant." Psalms 35:27
I love homemade gifts. I love to receive them and I love to give them. There is something so charming about something you created with your own two hands and clever mind. When you hold something that you know someone created in their kitchen, garage, garden or office and you know that time and thought and love went into, it's value skyrockets. To know that hands you love and cherish fashioned something for you, it's a blessing!
This year, I didn't make everything, but some things. I got together with a friend and we put on the Christmas tunes, drank apple cider and created! It was a blast. Here are the fruits of our labors:
Homemade Limoncello using the fresh lemons from our tree.
Gana and I enjoyed limoncello in Italy this summer,
so it was doubly fun to mix up a batch in our own kitchen!
Mulling Spices
Magnets
"The irregular and intimate quality of things made entirely by the human hand." - Willa Cather
Pomanders
Oranges and cloves, lovingly (with only a little whining)
made by Israel and Meg to decorate the house for Christmas.
I LOVE the way it makes the kitchen and tea room smell!
So, maybe I'm in a slightly negative mood today. Blame it on the overcast weather or the overfull week catching up with me or the fact that I'm a member of that weaker sex. Who knows. All I know is that I'm in a bit of a funk. As un-conducive this frame of mind is to spreading Christmas cheer, it's the perfect frame of mind to compose a list of things that are not welcomed back in the new year. Here they are in no particular order:
1. Whitman and Brown campaign commercials. As terrible as it will be at have to listen to Jerry Brown give State of the State speeches or to hear him in press conferences, what a relief to not see any more of his or Whitman's commercials. The only sound more annoying is the Governator's political speeches or this:
2. Trips to the ER. Spent the better part of the week at Urgent Care, the orthopedic doctor and the hand specialist. Belgee has a broken pinky with a laceration thanks to a slamming bedroom door. I could have written a doctrinal thesis in the time I've spent waiting for doctors, x-rays, cast techs, etc. Instead I watched Chikin Run through twice, Toy Story 2, Go Diego Go and hours of PBS kids.
3. Nasty emails. Seriously, if you couldn't or wouldn't say it to my face, don't think that saying it through email will soften the blow any.
4. Along with number 3 is nasty blog comments. "We already know that anonymous letters are despicable. In etiquette, as well as in law, hiring a hit man to do the job does not relieve you of responsibility." --Judith Martin
5. Defriending me via FB because you don't like my theology, family members, family member's blog, or politics. Can't we disagree without being disagreeable? I don't think I've ever defriended anyone. If I friended you on FB it is because I actually consider you a friend in real life. And if you just kick me off, it does hurt.
6. Wine with screw tops. They tried to convince me at Whole Foods that it was a superior way of bottling. But drinking wine (and eating food for that matter) is as much about the aesthetic as it is the taste. I tried it a few times, because the wine was organic so "try to keep an open mind" and all that. But it gave me no pleasure to twist off the cap.
7. The violation of my constitutional rights--be it in enormous unread health-care bills that are shoved down the throat of the American people or TSA molestation of people who do not pose any possible risk to safety. I'm very tempted to require my children to memorize the Constitution and Bill of Rights, just in case no one else remembers them by the time they are grown.
8. Theological reflection papers. Aside from the theological reflection I post from time-to-time on this blog, I (and I think I speak for Gana here) shall be happy to never have to proofread another assigned theological reflection paper. Gana graduated in June. He's officially a "theologian" which means my title of editor and proofreader is done....unless one of my children decides to go to seminary before they have a spouse who can take that role.
9. Bad food. I was well on my way to becoming an organic foodie years ago. But, this movie pushed me over the edge (along with Gana, who finally "saw the light".)
10. Uncomfortable chonies. I know I have a primarily female readership, if you are a man, you may excuse yourself now. All ladies left reading this, go here and get the Vanishing Edge panties. You will never want to wear any other underwear ever again.
So, what's on your list of things you are not inviting back in 2011? Leave me a comment. If you post it on your blog, leave me the link. I will choose a random winner from all comments and links after January 1 and send you a wine cork that I will personally autograph for you.
