The Body of Christ: Part 1

Intro: There are going to be a few blog posts on this subject. I could do one post but it would be extremely long and you know how things can get lost in translation. I have written and spoke about the blog post I am about to write a few times. There are always those insights and Word the Lord gives you that never grows old- and He wants you to continue to use it. I did feel that it should be written about again. It will not be the same exact words as the blog I had written before on was, well, deleted. Then when I spoke about it, I did not have it written down. Yet, it is the same insight the Lord had given me.

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'For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body,being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free----and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.' ~1Corinthians 12:12-14[NKJV]

Did you ever look in the mirror and study yourself? Head to toe? I have. Immediately, yes immediately, I will start to pick out everything I do not like about myself, my body. 'My arms are flabby, my waistline is too big, my hips and thighs are too big, what is that mark on my face?, oh I see wrinkles and oh my goodness there's gray hair!' I could go on forever. Couldn't you? If you have never done this, please, seriously....go and do it. Then come back and we'll move on. I will pause and wait till you return.

How about a desire to belong? Have you ever had that? I have. I had quite the childhood and felt quite out of place where I was- I did not feel I belonged anywhere. I remember in school, the desire to belong somewhere with a group of girlfriends. I would turn into someone I was not just to be liked and when that did not work and/or I was exhausted from acting, I would crumble down in a corner and cry. 'Why do I feel the need to belong? Why does insert name(s) here not want to be my friend? Why can't I just fit in as myself?' 

Have you ever been picked on because you looked different? Lived differently? Different culture? How about a different family dynamic? I grew up in a time when divorce was not so prevalent and Dad's did not raise their kids. Guess what? I am from a divorced home being raised by my Dad. I only got to see my Mom on the weekends and then the summer. I did not have the 'Mom' influence in my life. We had no money and I wore a lot of clothes that were more to the male gender side. I have to give my Dad grace, he was raising a girl and he was a man-- and it was during a time in our culture that did not happen. So I looked different. I lived different. I had a different family dynamic than most. I did not belong. I could not relate.

Like most women, I would love to get rid of the parts of my body I do not like-- the bigger or wrinkled parts--I tried everything to get rid of things I just cannot seem to get rid of--- or hide them! Put make up on them- concealer. The wrinkle cream regimen -- you are getting it.

Now...............

First I would like to encourage you and say, Jesus has made you a part of something big, wait, I should put that in CAPS---- BIG! HUGE! MAGNIFICENT! He loves your wrinkled, too big, imperfect body. He is pulling you into the Body of Christ and you belong. YOU BELONG! You, the square peg trying to fit into the round hole--- you have a place within the Body of Christ- there's a square hole for you. You, yes you, who look different, come from a not so great family dynamic.....maybe a place of violence, neglect, a lot of hurt and pain. Maybe from an addiction. A crazy home life....anything..........He has brought you into His Body.

Second, I would like to get you, my Christian Sisters,thinking about this: Have you ignored parts of the Body of Christ? Have you pushed them aside and pretended like that do not exist? Have you looked at them and picked out things about them that you do not like (reasons to dislike them)? Have you made them feel different? Unwanted? Have you tried to cover them up? Have you moved yourself away from them? Have you ever tried to or though of dismembering them?

Let's look at that Scripture again:

'For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body,being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--- whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free----and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.' ~1Corinthians 12:12-14[NKJV]

Pray and seek the Lord on this subject. I have needed to repent. I still find myself sometimes in the mode of picking out things I do not like about a Christian Brother or Sister or reasons to dismember myself from them. The Lord is good and will forgive you and me.

The Lord wants us to belong to Him and His Body and He desires for us all to function together--- well. Let's start here. Encourage a Sister in Christ, include the one you have previously decided you do not like- invite her out for coffee or a movie. Befriend the different, the square peg, the unwanted. Be like Christ.

Part 2 coming soon!

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I miss you. What I would not give to see you, hear your laugh. Watch a Yankees game or WWE and all the other wrestling shows. Remember when you were upset when they changed from WWF to WWE? I miss the board games and card games--- how we would play it a few times by the book and then make up our own rules of the game. You cheering NASCAR. I miss your laughter, your matter of fact ways. I miss your unconditional love most of all. No matter what I did and how I treated you, you still loved me. You loved me, for exactly who I am, you weren't looking for a phony or a person you wanted me to be- you were looking for me and you wanted to love me.

I wish you were here so I can tell you how sorry I am about all the pain I caused you. All the times I didn't call. All the times I disrespected you. All the times I did nothing. All the times I never came to visit. All the flowers I didn't buy. The cards I didn't send. The meals I didn't share with you. All the times I treated you as replaceable. I am sitting here crying this Mother's Day thinking about all the pain you must have felt with my nonchalant attitudes and behavior. I look at my daughter today and would die inside if she ever treated me the way I treated you. You never asked "Why haven't you called?" "Where have you been?" "Why did you do that?" -- you never asked for gifts, you never asked for time, Yet when my selfish soul would call you or visit or bring you a gift ---- you treated me like I was priceless and my gifts were the best things you had ever laid eyes on. It's so sad that today I sit here missing you, wanting to hug you, make you dinner, spend time with you, love on you, play board games, watch fake wrestling and cheer on NASCAR, talk about the Yankees-- and call you, talk to you every day. Every day. Every. Day.

Oh how I took you for granted you beautiful woman. You beautiful soul. The soul I didn't see. How I took for granted that you would always be here. And now you're gone. You've been gone for years, yet everyday I think of you. What I would not give to call and ask your advice-- I never did that. Or what you thought of a situation- I never did that either. Or just to hear your voice.

I know you are with Jesus. I know He is your Saviour. I know you are dancing with Him right now and I will see you again. I just wish you were here now. I am blubbering everywhere and my face needs to be wiped and my nose blown. I can tell you that, because you're my Mom.

Thank you Mom for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for loving me when I was not so lovable and I didn't love. I love you so much. You are not replaceable. Nothing fills the empty spot in my soul that needs to be filled by you.

I could keep typing. But I must stop - for now.


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Dear Person reading this;

Please do not take your Mom for granted. Or maybe you did not have a Mom or someone else raised you or whatever the situation. Whomever played that role of Mom in your life-- please, don't waste time -- don't think they are here forever. They are not. Love on them with everything you have.

National Pet Month

Good Morning! The temperature here really shot up yesterday to 88--- in May. This morning though it is nice and cool and quiet.

I am hearing rumors it is National Pet Month, below you will find our housemates. We consider them as part of the family [I believe they may be a little bit spoiled] and love them immensely. Like people they have their own unique personalities that make them stand out as individuals.

Meet Bubba Dee Licious [Bubba Delicious] Now really drag out that Dee with emphasis. Bubba DEEEEEE Licous! Bubba is a male, he is 17 years old [doesn't he look fabulous?]; he is over the top handsome, loves mashed potatoes, playing with tennis balls, smelling coffee [only if it has creamer in it], loves to be petted yet quite temperamental. He loves baths!!! He is quite social but will fool you as while you pet him-- the way he lets you know that he does not want to be pet anymore is maybe a hiss or nip or two. He has an identity crisis- he growls like a dog. Yes growls. He's the only guy in the house so I believe he is quite territorial and he is not willing to share his resting spots and he MUST be the first to the dinner bowl. Bubba is very healthy for his age, he does have some belly issues that have him on a prescription medicine and food. We have known Bubba since he was 2 years old, his given name was Baby Doe, his first owner found herself in a circumstance that she could no longer care for him and we took him on from there- he has been with us 7 years now.

Now, to your right- is Your Royal Highness Lilah- Jayne. Yes she thinks she is the queen, not just a queen, THE queen. She is female and 11 years old. She LOVES attention and will do anything to get it. My daughter spoiled her the moment I brought her through the door, so she thinks she is the one and only living being in the house. My daughter used to make her princess beds--- not kidding. Lilah loves chasing and leaping on her own tail and then crying out because she hurt herself [did I mention she is light in the brain area? LOL], she loves extra hot chicken wings, cool ranch Doritos and loves to eat tissues, toilet paper and writing paper. Yes, yes she does.Though Lilah loves to be petted and have lots of attention, she is not very social to visitors and will hide out when company is here. She is the junk food junkie and will hunt down a potato chip crumb anywhere! Lilah came to us when she was 2 years old. When I first adopted her she was having seizures maybe 2-3 times a month and the vet could not find out the causes-- strangely enough we moved 6 years ago and she stopped having seizures. Maybe it was something in the last flat? Anyway, she is healthy and strong and quite the mischievous brat!

We enjoy our kitties immensely and love them with all our hearts. They love to taunt and torment each other and I could not find one picture of them together. Yet, when Bubba was in the hospital for his belly issues Lilah was pacing all night. I think deep down they like each other.

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by! Getting ready to enjoy this beautiful day! 

Confessions and Re-Construction

I started streamlining. You know..... doing what everyone else was doing on blogging. I was starting to feel as if I needed to be part of the cookie cutter of blogging. I found out I did not want to be on that baking sheet. I started comparing my blog with other blogs-changing too much to try and line up with their blog--- because their blog is always better --- right? Their blog had great topics, pics, hey some blogs are making money! Wow! Some are just more talented than me! More creative! (over exaggeration added by me). Found myself blogging about topics and things I had no interest in-- to try and match up to what everyone else is doing. It became boring, tedious, overwhelming, stressful............................ I needed to be me --- because everyone else is taken.

I had to remove every last post--- because I did not have the time nor the patience to try and figure out what post was me and what post I worked so incredibly hard at --- to --- what? Get followers? Make someone happy? Make someone unhappy? Ugh! Crazy thing is... I know I am supposed to write. Get that nudge 'just do it' --- just sit down and start writing! 

So here I am --- I am going about this with a new perspective with the hopes you enjoy my blog by me. I must confess I have no idea WHY I wanted my blog to be like someone other blog--- I mean did I want them to write my blog? Or, me write their blog? Hmmm, almost made me feel like I had to do what they were doing or no one would read my blog ..... side note: they, their, them, someone--- nobody in particular--- just bloggers, et al.  

I have more to do. More to write of course (I hope). But more to do in the re-construction- it has to be different. I have not changed, I am still me and I want my blog to be posts of what I enjoy and love. I love to teach, read my Bible, cook, read, watch good movies and good TV, spend time with my daughter, worship, I love music and lyrics. I love puzzles and coffee, never ever forget coffee. I love animals and food, board games and stupid comedy. I am a social introvert (yeah go ahead and figure that one out), I love learning, different cultures and traditions, different religions and belief systems. I love the rain, the first snow, a good thunderstorm- hold the lightning, Fall, Jesus. Yeah, I do love to write and create......to begin.

Bunny Trail:

May is Pet Appreciation Month--don't quote me on that, a 6 year old told me. I will be posting pics of my pets tomorrow- even if it's not true. And I do find it comical the pun in the 'Bunny' trail and it is Pet Appreciation Month.

Under Construction

Unfortunately, something happened! I am revamping the whole blog! Be back soon......