flight risk.

no doubt you've been to a funeral when the pastor recites Psalm 23. so when i say "the Lord is my Shepard; i shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters." you have heard it. but did you ever stop to think.. WHY on earth would He make me LIE DOWN in green pastures? i'd personally would much rather enjoy a bed.

three things i know for certain.

1. a pasture is a safe place
2. a pasture is a simple place
3. a pasture is a sanctuary

safe because a shepherd was always there. a guard over the livestock. that shepherd made sure the livestock had everything needed to sustain life. for HIS purpose, whatever that may be. That shepherd's joy and livelihood was protecting his flock.

a pasture consists of grass, hopefully a nearby water source, and livestock. three things. that's it. simple.

sanctuary is defined as a place where the livestock live. this pasture, was home.

if i claim to be a sheep and that Jesus is my Shepherd. i need this pasture. i need safety, i need simplicity, and i need a home. Jesus know what i need, and today, well for this moment at least, i'm resting in that pasture. it's a long day.. i might try to escape and go my own way.. but for sure my Shepherd will always come looking for me. maybe that's why i have to lie down??? i'm not such a flight risk then.

dollop.

a small lump, portion, or amount.

• been busy cleaning the house. man, it's easy to say it's clean, but a whole other thing to actually go look and see for yourself. if being off Facebook has done one thing, it's made me face the state of my house... holy smokers. yesterday, i got the upstairs mostly clean.. still have windows before we totally cover them all in plastic for the winter.. i hate that, but old farm houses require it, unless you run around 24/7 in your snowsuit to stay warm.

• walked out to take the kids to school yesterday. the chickens were sitting on my doorstep, which you recall is normally the cat's area... at least a chicken can fly when i kick it. cats... well, never mind.

• i picked this book up in a hurry, a girl needs to have her hair colored at my age, and i have one of those fantastic hairdressers that just let me sit and read. love that. i was really surprised that i actually liked this book. it's about the cycle of domestic abuse. some painful things to read, but the author really does a great job of helping you picture the abuse, and also the ending.. which i'm not going to spoil. it is a true story, which makes it difficult to read at times, but ya know, although abuse is never ok. i know some pretty special people in my life that have broken the abuse cycle in their own families with God's help. All in all, it's just a great reminder that people deal with "stuff" that might be different than your "stuff", but it doesn't make them any different in the eyes of the Creator.

• the BEST cake i have ever eaten. not because it's made from a box, or that the frosting is in the right places.. it's because the baker and artist of this particular cake is an amazing woman of God who sells herself short all the freaking time. and i just want the world to know that she's one of the most beautiful women i know and love, but i'm sorry you can't eat a piece of the cake.. it was yummmy.

book snob.

i have a few rules when it comes to books.

#1 they have to be new

#2 no paperbacks

#3 they have to be new

#4 i love new authors

reason's #1 and 3 is probably why i love to work at the library. in fact, i'm such a book snob that if someone has even read the book once.. i'll look for the CD of it and listen to it. it's hard to be me sometimes.

so yesterday at work, because i couldn't play scrabble with Daisyman in Facebook world, i decided to read a few pages of the new Sparks book.... knowing that i'd never pick it up to read it once it hit the shelf, because... #1 and #3 rules just have to be obeyed.

i finished reading it this morning at 5:27. would i recommend it? totally.

little word, big deal.

We expect our children to obey. Even to the point of missing out on fun stuff or privileges if they don't obey. We as citizens of a country are expected to obey it's laws. If you chose not to there is a consequence. Even being a child of God comes with rules, and things that if you just don't do you'll save yourself a ton of headaches. such as these..

"if you hear his voice.. follow"

"love... the Lord your God."

"believe... and you will be saved."

actually all those verses boil down to one word.

obedience.

how come that word is SO hard to use?? prolly because every part of my soul screams that i have a CHOICE! and i do, a choice to continue to not engage in life around me when the kids are home, the choice to checkout and play bejewled blitz till i get to be the top dog, the choice to be friends with someone or not, the choice to actually feel as though the world loves me and my words that i use.

then God showed me these.

"if you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,

you shall be as my mouth. Jer 15:19

" let the words of my mouth and the meditations

of my heart be acceptable in your sight" Ps 19: 14

"and Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him

and let none of his words fall to the ground." 1 Samuel 3:19

so, this fasting from facebook for 12 weeks is just me being obedient to a God who loves me and wants my words to matter.. for eternity. it's really just that simple.