Friends

sun in his fur
Originally uploaded by ilexxx

"My friend is not perfect - nor am I - and so we suit each other admirably." -- Alexander Pope

Friends are treasures, aren't they, both the fuzzy kind with 4 feet and our human pals too.

"Friendship cheers like a sunbeam; charms like a good story; inspires like a brave leader; binds like a golden chain; guides like a heavenly vision." -- Newell D. Hillis

Twelve Unlikely Heroes book review

The Booksneeze.com group gave me a copy of this book, in return for me reviewing it. Their program is great; if you like to read Christian books and post reviews of them, visit their site and see if you want to sign up to receive books to read and review.

I wanted to read the book "Twelve Unlikely Heroes: How God Commissioned Unexpected People in the Bible and What He Wants To Do With You" because I want to learn more about some of the unlikely heroes in the Bible and this book filled me in on their stories.

This book gives hope to Christians who have doubts, flaws and difficulty on their walk in the Christian faith, as the author, John MacArthur, shares the stories of 12 unlikely heroes of Bible times. “Mark and Onesimus: a tale of two runaways”, “Esther: for such a time as this”, “Joseph: because God meant it for good”, “Gideon and Samson: stories of weakness and strength” are just a few of the chapters about regular people who became Bible heroes.

Many of these names like Jonah, Gideon, Miriam and Samson, are familiar to me but I only know a few snippets about these people. MacArthur tells us more fully about them and their exciting stories.

For example, Esther risked her life to go before the king who had set a date to exterminate the entire Jewish population in his kingdom. In Esther 4:16 she said “And so I will go to the king, which is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Esther succeeded in saving her people as she risked instant death in approaching the king.

MacArthur gives us the background stories on these people, and the stories show how God can use anyone to do his work, even these unlikely people and even us.

We don't have to shape up before approaching God

Happy Chinese New Year
Originally uploaded by Thai Jasmine (Smile..smile...Smile..)
These flowers are so pretty that they make me feel happy. On a recent Sunday our minister included this quote in his sermon.

"There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every person which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus."

By Blaise Pascal, philosopher, mathematician, scientist and Christian

I agree with Pascal that nothing can fill this longing but God, made known through Jesus. We can buy 100 or 1,000 pairs of shoes like Imelda Marcos of the Philippines, or the cars and houses collected by foolish Hollywood stars, or the possessions owned by the bejeweled lady down the street, but without Jesus we are hollow people. Any light breeze can topple us if we have a vacuum within.

Another pearl from the sermon was how we don't have to shape up before approaching God. Flaws, addictions, imperfections galore, God welcomes each of us with open arms. My church, like many, emphasizes that you don't need to be a perfectly formed Christian to approach Jesus or to join us; all are welcome. We have a big ministry for people in recovery from all addictions, including drugs and alcohol and I love that all are welcome. Remember, Jesus broke many rules about who to spend time with, and he especially loved people who were condemned and shunned by strict rule observing Pharisees and religious leaders.

He loves you, and he loves me. Now that is worth celebrating. The flowers make me happy for a moment but we have the chance to be happy for eternity. What do you think?

And the winner of the book is ...

Mountain-Scotland_HDR
Originally uploaded by michaelsking

I used random.org to pick the winner of "365 Senior Moments You'd Rather Forget" by Karen O'Connor.
The winner is Hootin Anni.
I will visit her blog and look for a way to contact this Lucky Lady.
I found this dramatic photo of a mountain in Scotland on flickr.com.

Book give away funny senior moments

I admit it, I am a woman "of a certain age", and this book made me laugh at funny senior moments O'Connor includes in it. Not that I personally have had  any senior moments, ha ha. 

I am giving away a copy of this book to one person who comments, and I use random.org to choose the winner. The copy I am giving away is a print copy.

Here is my review of this book:

A Laugh a Day

"365 Senior Moments You’d Rather Forget" by Karen O’Connor

You are sure to find some giggle worthy moments recounted in this book, and I suggest it as a gift for your friends and relatives who are of “a certain age” and who have a sense of humor about aging.

Here are a few moments O’Connor shares in the book:
“Depositing your to-do list in the ATM slot instead of a check.”
“Leaving your house key in the front door and then going to sleep feeling totally secure.”
Or this one “Writing a reminder note and then forgetting to read it.” Ha ha, this one could happen to me.

The book is only five inches tall and four inches across, a handy size for carrying in a purse to read while waiting for an appointment or for mailing to some lucky person.

So leave a comment for a chance to win. 
I will announce the winner on Oct. 2.

Here's a senior moment that happened to my friend years ago, that still makes me laugh. She was 80 at the time, and returned home from grocery shopping, put her groceries away and went on with her day. But she soon realized she could NOT find her car and house keys.

She searched high and low and no keys. Eventually she found her keys when she opened her freezer to take out food for dinner. She put the keys in the freezer, poor darling, and was happy to find them!
Chance for you to win, just leave a comment.

Greek Festival and Evil Eye Beads

The Concept Studio
Originally uploaded by TutkuTokol
On Sunday my hubby and I enjoyed attending the Greek Festival given twice a year by the congregation of a local Greek Orthodox Church. Delicious food as always. We had moussaka, spanakopita and dolmas.
I treated myself at the festival and bought a bracelet that looks a bit like this one. I found this photo on Flickr.
The beads are the traditional blue and white in concentric circles beads that are worn to ward off the "evil eye."
People in Turkey and Greece put protective bracelets on babies and young children, and hang beads on vehicles and homes too.
The beads remind me of the year I lived in Turkey. I have a necklace and earrings that I bought in Turkey and now a bracelet too.
Do you attend festivals sometimes?

The Beauty of Note Cards

Do you like to send snail mail cards and letters? Well, I do.
Sending real cards is falling out of fashion, but I think it is very meaningful. The recipient often displays and keeps the card on view. You purchase a card the recipient will like, or stationery, write some words from the heart, and mail it. I even buy pretty or funny stamps at the post office and add stickers to the notes. Stickers of  cats, lady bugs, butterflies, you know what I mean. My sister sent me stickers of cows which make me smile.
So when I found that my new friend in blogland makes pretty cards, I bought some from her.
Her name is Wanda at Got a Minute or Two blog Got a Minute or Two blog

Wanda paints flowers, jars, old trucks, hydrangeas, blueberries, butterflies and bouquets.