The Rapture! Coming to a Sky Near You September 23, 2017

More fun with apocalypse predictions. Remember Harold Camping?  Once again the Watchers, the Prophets and the Discerning are all astir over the signs in the stars - it's Revelation 12 coming to life before our eyes. The moon and sun will be at the feet of the constellation Virgo, 12 stars will be at her head, and Jupiter will appear to be in her womb. Or not.

But what it really is, is astrology. Good old pagan astrology.

People are never satisfied with spreading the Gospel. Spreading fear and, in this case, pagan mythology, provides much more satisfaction to the flesh.

No matter how hard we try, we just can't stop the sinning.

The Beauty of The Traditional Liturgical Year

Today is the Commemoration of the Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, 325 a.d.

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

I've Been Thinking About You

Started to feel like writing again but my thoughts are too scattered to compose anything truly "blog-worthy." I'm mired in perimenopause. For me it isn't so much hot-flashes as it is brain fog, night sweats and much, much worse PMS. Plus my periods have decided every 3 weeks is a good schedule to keep. So my cycle pretty much goes like this:

Week 1 - Period, Night Sweats, Brain Fog (first 3 days)
Week 2 - Feeling Good!
Week 3 - PMS, Brain Fog, Anxiety, Bloating
Rinse & Repeat.

Presently I'm in Week 3.

Trying to eat better and get more exercise - it really does make a difference. But once the PMS sets in it is really hard to dig myself out of the big, black hole of lethargy.

Sorry to be such a Debby Downer but right now I am in the Debby Downer season of my life. All those years where my cycle was like clockwork and PMS was a titch of moodiness, yeah, I'm paying for it now.

What I have realized, but not fully embraced, is that what worked no longer works and I must not only try something new but fully embrace and change to doing new things. Different things. Like regular exercise. Going to bed on time every night. No caffeine at all, ever. Lots and lots and lots of fiber - truckloads. Gallons of water.

Oh, hormones, you are wicked masters.

This.

If my sinfulness appears to be in any way smaller or less detestable in comparison with the sins of others, I am still not recognizing my sinfulness at all.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Wake Me Up When It Ends

It has been a dark, dark summer.

Election years are never good times. But violence and tragedy worldwide and here in the U.S. have pushed this year to a new level of wretchedness.

I need to unplug from it all for awhile. Life around me has enough trials and troubles of its own. That's enough to deal with.

Last week I realized I was worrying too much about things that are wholly out of my control and I was badly in need of distraction. And, lo and behold, a distraction found me.

A woman my daughter, Lucy, works for asked her if she sews. Lucy said, "No, but my mom does." And the lady gave her an overlock machine! She had bought it years & years ago, hardly used it, and packed it away. She had moved 4 times with the thing and never unpacked it! She figured it hadn't been opened since the early 1990s. She is down-sizing and getting rid of a lot of her stuff.

It is a tiny, portable serger that only holds 3 spools, but the instructions were in the box and I was able to get it threaded and working. Go, me! But that's not all that was in the box....

In the box was a gallon sized zip-lock with fabric strips for a quilt. Seven colors and yards and yards of material. What she was planning to make is a mystery - Lucy's employer doesn't remember it.

I've made a couple of quilted "things" but I have never made a quilt so I've done some research. I think a Log Cabin pattern will work with the colors and amount of material that I have. Plus it is recommended for beginners. I'm not going to escape this endeavor expense free since I need a cutting mat, rotary cutter etc. And batting and backing and edging. Oh, I'm so excited just thinking about it!

I've found an escape. For now.

Pray without ceasing!

Housekeeping!

Cleanliness is next to godliness. - said no Bible, ever.

As a teenager I worked one summer as a room maid for a resort hotel. My girl friend, Gee, and I got jobs there partly because employees had free use of the water park. I think Gee & I only used the water park once or twice. When our shifts ended we just wanted to get out of there.

Being a maid is not very taxing work. We were armed with a checklist of what needed to be done and in what order and, for most rooms, if you followed the checklist the room got clean lickety-split. On to the next one. There were exceptions, of course. Some people trash hotel rooms. In those cases management is notified and getting the room back in order becomes a team effort.

Point is, cleaning should not get your undies in a bundle. Sometimes cleaning becomes over-analyzed and you start to take it personally. Then instead of a task that can be easily completed when approached methodically, every wipe and every swipe bears some incredible amount of significance. Drama and hand-wringing follow. "Oh, whatever shall we do! The TV needs dusting! Woe, woe is me." In a marriage this often turns into a power struggle - the "good" spouse does the cleaning.

My in-laws fought so much over housework they even separated for a time.

They were both serious neat-freaks.

This has been to my benefit, as I married their son who was sick to death of having to keep his room spotless at all times. I'm okay with him leaving his clothes on the floor. He appreciates that. I realize the dirty clothes will get picked up, eventually, either by him or me. We don't keep track of whose turn it is. It isn't a competition.

I'm not saying neglect is okay. No! Not at all. We are not animals. Cleanliness and order make a comfortable home. Filth invites vermin and odors. I really can't stand either so I will do what it takes to prevent it. But whether or not my TV is dusty or my husband's socks are on the floor has no moral bearing. It is just a task that needs to be done.

When morality gets involved, and cleanliness becomes less about comfort & hygiene and more about spiritual superiority, your home has become your idol. Its "cleanliness" a reflection of your spotless, obedient soul. An outward sign of inward glory. Pride & idolatry go hand in hand.

There isn't much that can be done about it. We are sinners. We sin. We do the right thing for a thousand wrong reasons. Confess, repent, try try again. Try not to judge other peoples standards, whether too clean or too messy. It just doesn't matter.

What saved my in-laws marriage was hiring a housekeeper. Instead of fighting over who left a fingerprint on the refrigerator, they'd shrug and say, "Let Terri get it on Thursday."

St. Zita, patron saint of housekeepers. She'll help you find your keys. Of course, if your house wasn't so messy you wouldn't have lost them. A place for everything and everything in its place. ;-)

If Jesus Led a Bible Study

As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. “Master, don’t you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it—it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.” (The Message)

I think a Jesus led Bible study would focus more on the gospel and less on the law. More discussion on what He wants us to believe and less on what He wants us to do. Like in the Mary/Martha story. The woman at the well is probably a better example because we do not have a record of what Jesus was saying in front of Mary & Martha.