%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |  This contains entries to Take up Your Cross, Space Blog, Blog City PF and BC of Friends |
 Thank you, Sum1  Courtesy of Blogging Circle of Friends ![Merit Badge in BCOF
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-BCOF-1901868_10.gif) ThirteenTime Blogger of the Week on Blogging Circle of Friends Last was December 6-December 12, 2020 ![Merit Badge in Space Blog Merit Badge
[Click For More Info]
Congratulations on your new merit badge! Thank you for supporting the Writing.Com community with your inspirations, participation and activities. We sincerely appreciate it! -SMs](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Space_Blog_Merit_Badge-2223888_14.gif){kind=icon}   Best Group, Best Blog |
    ![Created by the talented [Link To User poulynoe]](https://www.writing.com/main/images/action/display/ver/1595185357/item_id/2227277.gif "Take up Your Cross image 5 [#2227277]
Created by the talented [Link To User poulynoe]") Prompt: Psalm 15:2-5 says "Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right, speaking truth from sincere hearts, those who refuse to gossip, or harm their neighbors, or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts, Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.Can anybody do these things? If so how? If not, why not? I believe what Jesus said. "All things are possible with God." Matthew 19:26 I also believe Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Sure I have times that I get into the flesh and when I do I usually screw up. I repent and turn it back over to God. "Prompt: “Whenever a poem enacts what it is about, it creates a way for itself to live dramatically inside the reader. It becomes an experience unto itself.”Edward Hirsh, from the book How to Read a Poem, page 45. Do you agree and if so, which kinds of poems leave the same or similar effect inside you?" Rhyme and meter or smooth flowing free verse always did that to me. If I have to stop and catch a breath or go back and pick up a word it throws the flow off. I like good flow in poetry. "Prompt: "You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”― Mahatma Gandhi Use this quote to inspire your blog entry." No, it isn't dirty but it's polluted. I wouldn't want to and try not to eat from it. Today I feel like I've eaten from it. I've been sick to my stomach for a month. I think it's allergies causing post-nasal drip. That makes anybody sick. Gandhi does have a point though. Just because there are a few bad fish in the ocean doesn't mean they're all sharks. There are sharks though so one must be careful.   Prompt: I was cruising the universe and found this star lezismore-moreislez   Planet:
The waves continue their endless cycle and crash upon the seashore. Write about this in your Blog entry today and be sure to read the above item. I could just see the little Labrador Retriever puppy chasing the ball into the sea and getting tumbled onto the shore! This was quite cute. I have never been to the ocean but going there is on my bucket list. I will graduate from Regent University in May of 2023 with a Master of Divinity degree. I'm hoping to go see the university which is in Virginia Beach one day. I don't know that I will, but that's my goal and I usually obtain my goals.     |
| Prompt: "What are your plans for the weekend?" Other than going to Starbucks and spending money I really can't afford to spend, I have no idea. I do know I love my chocolate frappucinos however and I want one of four. Prompt: Saturday is a good day to ________.Saturday is a good day to have a frappucino. I love the java chip frappucino from Starbucks and the mocha frappucino from Starbucks. The other day I had a cinnamon roll frappucino from there. It was delicious too. Now I'm torn. So I'll get them all. "Prompt: What task do you keep putting off and why?"I keep putting off doing my laundry because I forgot to get detergent. I'll get it though.  Prompt: "Psalm 1:1-3 says "Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or stand in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers." NIVIn what sense does a righteous person prosper?" The jury is still out about this one. Psalms 1 is definitely a metaphor about the righteous and sinners. Scholars just cannot agree if the blessing for the righteous comes in this life or in the next. I believe we are blessed in both. The blessings may or may not be material but spiritually we are blessed. |
| Prompt: "Writing is thinking out loud. Blogging is thinking out loud where other folks think back.”~ Liz Strauss What are your thoughts?" I think I would tend to agree with that assessment. When I write I do not always do so with the expectation of receiving feedback. I am usually writing out my thoughts. When I blog I am discussing things with others. Scholars say that Christians in the early church shared the gospel stories to the point that they knew every nuance of the stories. They could tell by what order the story was being told which gospel was being told.Fox News did a report at Easter that interviewed many people. Most identified as "Christian" but did not know what Easter celebrated. What does this say for us? I would say that this suggests that Christians have some work to do. We are slowly losing America as it becomes a melting pot of religions. That might be great for culture but it is contrary to the commandments of God. Christians have let liberal politicians and liberal judges pass laws that are contrary to God's word. The Old Testament has entire books devoted to what God feels about a countries leadership having policies that go against His commands. Try reading Jeremiah for example. God is not pleased with the way things are. Prompt: "Have fun with these words in your blog today: critic, feather, visual, emphasis, grand, jester, correspondI am my own worst critic. I suppose we all are. There are times I nearly tar and feather myself. I know I'm human but watch out if I make a mistake! My 20/20 visual hindsight is really hard on me. I guess I place an emphasis on "perfection." I have grand ideas for myself. Many times I feel like the court jester. I guess that would correspond with being human, would it not? "I was cruising along with Luke Skywalker {Lucky Me!} and we found the planet Jaya.
Prompt: Even as I go through some trying times, every dawn, everyday feels truly fine. Use this sentence in your Blog and be sure to read the above item for your ideas. Jaya is a beautiful person, friend and writer. This is beautifully written. I find that life is whatever I make it to be. If I make it painful it is painful. If I make it fun it is fun. It all depends on my attitude. I believe jaya is absolutely spot on. It depends on us.{2187984-33%} |
| Today I was working on the paper I've spent a week working on. The paper is about the Parable of the Unjust judge. What do you think? Does God ever seem unjust? Does it ever seem like your prayers go unanswered? If so, what do you do? As I said the paper is about the Parable of the Unjust King. One has to ask; was Jesus saying that God is unjust? Of course, He wasn't. What He was saying is that God is sovereign. He doesn't have to answer to us or explain why He does things. We are to simply be obedient and trust Him. Many people fall away when they see s loved one struck down with a devastating illness and God allows the loved one to die from it. We feel He owes us an explanation for why He allowed the loved one to die. The fact of the matter is that it wasn't God who killed them. It was man's fallen state that killed them. God simply allowed it to happen as a natural consequence of our fallen state. It wasn't their sin that killed them. It was the sin of the world and the consequences of that sn. The consequence of sin is death. God could end death and He will end death. He's already defeated it. He just has not set the time yet for it to surrender. He destroyed the world once. He's in no hurry to do so again. The answer to unanswered prayer is yes, no, or wait for it. Prompt: "What food triggers you emotionally? Happy or sad. Does this food connect to something that happened or to someone?"I don't really believe any food would trigger me emotionally. Well, on second thought I guess maybe spearmint leaves jelly candy would trigger some emotions. They were always my Grandfather's favorites and he bought them for us as kids a lot. Before I found out that I actually had bipolar disorder the doctor thought I was hyperactive. Nowadays we call it ADHD. Back in the day, they used to believe that food coloring such as that found in candy and sugar were the culprits in ADHD. So I was not allowed to have candy. My grandfather felt that was unfair so he would sneak candy to me. They finally did research which proved that dyes and sugar did not cause ADHD though sugar causes other health issues. In the end I found out I was misdiagnosed and had bi-polar disorder. I am on medication and completely stable. I have been stable for years. Today I am a graduate student and a therapist. "Prompt: What are some things in your life you take for granted?"I try not to take anything for granted. Perhaps in a sense, I take God for granted because I know that no matter what He is always going to be there. Aside from God, I try to take nothing for granted. COVID-19 has taught me that nothing is permanent. Life as we use to know it is over. There are plenty who are trying to force things to go back to the way they were and all they are accomplishing is causing the virus to exacerbate. The things I took for granted disappeared like a puff of smoke. I will try not to make that mistake again. Today's star in the WDC galaxy is lizco252isback The planet is
The prompt from that port is "The prompt is: "We all knew the jerk was inept But what is life but a reality show" What do you think? Could life be a reality show that some alien is watching? No. I do not believe life is a reality show that aliens watch. I too watched the Matrix trilogy and thought it was good fiction but it was just that: fiction. Do I believe that somebody is watching? Yes. I very much believe God is watching the human race as are His angels. They see the good, the bad, and the mediocre. They see it all. A drama is unfolding but it is not for aliens. It is the drama of Jesus Christ and it is being played out in human hearts. Jesus already won the war. The terms of the surrender have not been signed and completed yet. The occupying army is here. It is called the church. |
| Prompt: "Scholars debate Philippians 2:6 hotly. There is a Greek term "ἁρπαγμός" that has the turmoil stirred up. To some it means that Jesus was born 100% human. He lived an exemplary life and later was acknowledged to be divine. This school of thought it "additional Christology". The second school of thought says it means Jesus pre-existed and became a human being. This is called Incarnate Christology. Which do you believe?" The beliefs of my church and my personal belief is that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine. He was born 100% human. He grew up and died 100% human. However just because He was 100% human does not mean that He was not also 100% divine. It is a difficult concept to explain because the human brain has no concept of the mind of God. It is also difficult to explain because I am having problems concentrating this morning and my muse has gone south on me. I will have to suffice it to say that I believe Jesus was both 100% man and 100% God. Hi CrewWhile cruising through the WDC galaxy today I found the star Becca Winchester  On the planet
Becky asks: "How would you describe freedom?" So how would you describe it? I would say that freedom is something I have been raised with and sort of take for granted. I live in West Virginia USA and have been taught all of my life that I am free. However, I know that freedom does not come free. I see the price of freedom every day in the veterans that I live with. I served in peacetime so I never knew the rigors and horrors of combat. I served when the biggest threat to me was putting my head between my knees and kissing my earned goodbye to a blinding flash. I served during the Cold War. The guys I live with are the true heroes. Many of them have disabilities inflicted in combat. They have purple hearts, bronze stars and other awards of valor. They saw lives taken for freedom. How would I describe freedom? I would say it is the ability to wear a holstered pistol at my side. It is the ability to tell the leadership I disagree with them. It is the ability to work where I want. It is the ability to write what I want. It is wonderful and liberating. Prompt: Since Covid 19 is hampering travel, vacations,basically any fun activity with large groups how would you feel about joining the 30 Day Group on a Virtual trip? Do you have any locations you would like to see? any thoughts on locations?I know Princess Megan Rose 22 Years  whom I dearly love would like to see Ireland and England. I would like to see Japan and Antarctica. There are many places I would like to see but never will. I'd like to see the Grand Ole-Opry with Conway Twitty on the stage but that can't happen. I would like to see the Grand Canyon. I would like to see Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia, and South America. "Prompt: What would you do with 3 more hours in a day?"Please don't make my day any longer than it already is. I am in school now and when I'm not doing classwork I am bored. Today will be boring because my classwork is all done for the semester. Now it is a matter of waiting for the grades. As it stands right now I have an A. |
| Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2226644 over display limit. -?- And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments: this is the commandment just as you heard it from the beginning-you must walk in it." 2 John 6 Prompt: What then is love? Love is putting the needs of others ahead of our own needs. Sir Thomas Aquinas had a term for the state of man after the fall from grace. Well, I should say he had a term for our focus. You see before the fall we were one in the community that is God. I believe in the Trinity of God: God the Father, God the Son, and God Holy Spirit all serving and focused on others. Man was created to be part of that community focusing and serving our fellow man in love. Then the fall turned our focus inward. Thomas Aquinas called it "homo incurvatus" or "curved inward." Our eyes are now backward and we look inside and not out. Love turns that focus back to where it is supposed to be. Our focus should be God first, others second, ourselves last. Many do the God first part but ignore the "others second." Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "While cruising through the galaxy the captain saw a star he did not recognize. We stopped to explore and found some really nice inhabited planets. The star was {user: and the planet the captain took a crew to was
where they found a nice item in the self-help realm. "What are we afraid of if not ourselves?" What do you think?" I think we are often afraid of ourselves just as Kurt Philip Behm implied here. I know that self-fear paralyzed me for years. I did a fourth step in a 12 step program and realized that I was afraid of success and I was afraid of failure. Therefore I did not try either and failed at both. I was a failure for a long time. Today I am successful in a different way.Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: It was an ordinary day in July when... Write a story, poem, or some other type of blog entry that begins with the above phrase. It was an ordinary day in July when I made my brother very angry at me. I was only joking with my biological brother on social media last night when I believe he got seriously upset with me. I sent him a response last night letting him know that I was only pushing his buttons, but I am going to send him another this morning and formally apologize. We were having a discussion about whether or not one should wear masks for COVID-19. My brother says that his rights are impeded by a mask and that my "fears stop where his breathing begins". I told him that I did not wear a mask to protect myself, but rather to protect others. Then I asked him what right he had to throw "rights" around anyway having never served in the military. I'm a veteran. This made him angry and I regretted it as soon as I asked it. Once you hit send though you don't take social media back. I will apologize when I am done blogging. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.” — Mary Shelley, Frankenstein What are your thoughts on the idea of the fearless feeling powerful? I feel like this. If they are fearless they don't know God. God does not want fear though. He wants love and respect. However, if they are truly fearless they can stand 20 yards and let me shoot at them with my 30.06 or an assault weapon of some kind. We'll see how fearless they are then. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2222769 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2225754 over display limit. -?- Todays prompt comes from Philippians 2:21. It says "I will seek your interests Christ Jesus, rather than my own." In today's dog eat dog world, how do we do that? I find that it is a balancing act. God created the world and set it in motion. The world was perfect in the beginning and sin such as greed was not a part of it. The man sinned and the whole universe fell into the chaos of death and decay because God was not willing to let man suffer alone. This brought competitiveness and greed into play. Now humans must work for food and meet such personal needs as grooming, food, water, shelter, etc. We also balance all of that with worshiping God. When it boils down to it God only wants one-tenth of our time. I believe there are 107 hours in a week so God wants 10.7 of those hours dedicated to Him. Most of us use that time for worship, prayer, and daily devotions. For me 10.7 hours was not enough. To stay focused on God I need to be in a preaching position. This blog helps as does my chaplain position. What helps most is my career. I work as a Christian and it keeps me 100% focused on God. Image #22224458 over display limit. -?- Planet:
Prompt: Write about heroes: fictional or real. I live with real-life heroes every day. I am fortunate enough to live at the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville WV. Sometimes the guys here get on my nerves and we are all human after all. The long and short of it is that I have never known a better group of people. These guys will go out of their way to help each other out. It isn't at all unusual to see somebody drop everything they are doing and spend the entire day helping somebody else. There isn't a person among them who did not sign on the dotted line and raise the right-hand swearing that they were willing to die if necessary to help each other out and defend their country. The camaraderie is great. Despite all of that the love of my life and my real hero is Jesus Christ who gave up the position of being equal with God to become a man and face death, even death on a cross. He will be my hero for eternity. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: "In the hands of a great poet, words have ways of affecting us in ways we don't understand." -- Kenneth Branagh Let this quote inspire your blog entry." I agree with Branagh. Poetry can stir the imagination and affect us in ways we do not begin to imagine. I've read poetry before only to wake up in the middle of the night realizing the poem had a hidden meaning or other insight I originally missed. I wish I could think of a good poem to go with this but I can't. Besides, I have a test to study for. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: “Literature was born on the day when a boy came crying ‘wolf, wolf’ and there was no wolf behind him. That the poor little fellow because he lied too often was finally eaten up by a real beast is quite incidental. But here is what is important. Between the wolf in the tall grass and the wolf in the tall story there is a shimmering go-between. That go-between, that prism, is the art of literature,” says Vladimir Nabokov. From your own personal point of view, what is literature to you?" I think literature began before that. It began when God had His word in mind in eternity. I really don't know how to best describe literature. It has the power to shape minds. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2222769 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2225754 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: What do you do to prepare for worship service or for that matter, your day to day activities? How do you invite Jesus into your activities?" Unless my day starts out really weird, like this one did, the first thing I usually do is my devotion. During my devotion I pray, do a short Bible study, and write in my prayer journal. I have two journals I keep. One is a catch all journal and it catches just about anything I want to write. The other is my prayer journal. I write about my meditation in it. I use a book called Face to Face by Kenneth Boa to do my morning meditation. It has several Bible verses on various subjects. I write and meditate about how to apply those to my life. After I write that out I write out my prayer requests. Then when a request is fulfilled I go back and see when I first made it. Then I glorify God in my journal for His perfect timing. This routine sets my mind on spiritual matters for the day. Then I do my blog and spend the rest of the day doing homework. I am a seminarian working on my Master of Divinity Degree at Regent University. I usually spend the day studying after I do my blogging. I have written a total of 100 pages of papers for class so far. I love to write and now that I have become accustomed to the format it is fun. Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Read the above item. Prompt: Happy endings were real and wishes came true. Write about this from a child's view. When I was a child I really did think wishes came true and everything had a happy ending. I knew there could be a lot of drama in between but ultimately it would work out. I have never lost that sense of well-being and I honestly believe today that the hard times are good for us for this is when we do our most growing. Everything has a positive angle. All we have to do is look for it. I am glad I never lost my childhood optimism. I would not want to be a cynic. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: It's the Dog Days of Summer (July 3 to August 11). In your entry today, write about the Dog Days of Summer." I use to look forward to the dog days of summer because for me it meant going out into the forest picking blackberries. It meant swimming in the creek, riding my bike or my horse, and generally having a good time. It also meant I wasn't in school and I hated school back then. Now my whole life revolves around school. Dog days were always a pleasure to me because I was young and the heat did not phase me. Now that I am older I can't handle the heat very well. I like the green of West Virginia summers but I hate the heat and humidity. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Tell us about your writing space. Where do you write your blog posts?" I never really plan any of my writing. I write impromptu so I write them directly into my blog. However I do my writing on my flat screen television. I got it for Christmas last year. I use it as a monitor for my computer. It has three HDMI ports so I have two computers hooked up to it by HDMI. I do my blogging and writing on it. Of course the professional writing that I do for graduate school gets done in MS Word, which allows me to insert footnotes and Turabian formatting. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2222769 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2225754 over display limit. -?- Welcome to Take up Your Cross This will be a daily blog forum. This is Day One of what I hope will become a regular blog for Jesus! Today's lesson is about Nehemiah and the building of the wall in Jerusalem. Nehemiah built the wall and then Ezra read the books of law to the people. The people stood the whole morning as Ezra read. Nehemiah 8:5 The prompt is: Do you believe people should stand when God's word is read? Why or why not? There are times I will stand and read God's word and there are times when I do not stand. I don't see a problem with standing because in doing so we are treating the word with reverence and respect. However with as much reading of the word as I do I would be standing most of my waking hours. I am a student at seminary and I often have four or five versions of God's word lying open on my desk. Right now I have a King James Version open though I do not consider it to be the most reliable translation, I also have a New International Version open, a New Revised Standard Version, and others for an assignment I was working on yesterday. Some of them are buried under some papers and my mom would shoot me for that. She always said not to put anything on top of a Bible. The problem is that I only have so much space on my desk. When it is covered with Bibles then I need places to lay papers. I really need to clean my desk as well. I am going to order some new versions when I get paid. I think my next one will be a New Living Translation. Back to the topic at hand though I believe it is up to the individual. If they feel led to stand when God's word is read they should do so. Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Planet:
"Prompt: Don't chase your dreams, live them! Use this line in your Blog entry today." I don't believe in chasing dreams. I believe in making them a reality. I don't think I have ever set a goal that I have not met. I think the key is making your dreams realistic and then working toward them. I believe Princess Megan Princess Megan Rose 22 Years will someday go to England if she sets her mind to going there. It may take some work but it can be done. I heard a joke about a man who prayed consistently that he wanted to hit the lottery. One day he was working in his yard and God spoke to him."Bill, Bill," God said. "Yes Lord", Bill inquired. "Help Me help you hit the lottery Bill," God said. "Buy a ticket." We have to work for our dreams. They don't come by osmosis or magic. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Have you ever been in a situation where someone doubted you and you proved them wrong? Tell us about it." Yes. I hate being called a liar. Probably because I used to be a liar. One of my preachers once called me a liar about something pretty important and I proved him wrong. He publicly apologized and that was that. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Write an anecdote. According to Merriam-Webster.com an anecedote comes from the Greek word anekdota, which means unpublished. It is defined as a short short story concerning a funny or interesting occurrence or event." I already wrote one for another prompt. I was about a man who prayed to hit the lottery. God told him that God was glad to help him out but the man had to buy a ticket. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2222769 over display limit. -?- |
| Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #2224458 over display limit. -?- Luke Skywalker and I were flying in the Galaxy and we found this planet. Emily.
Prompt: How often do you worry about worrying and end up worrying about nothing at all? Write about this in your Blog entry today. Today has been one of those worrisome days for me. I had a doctor's appointment first thing this morning so I did not even get to blog. I got to the doctor's office to use up a total of four hours of the doctor's time and my own. Apparently there is some bleeding at the back of my eye but the doctor says it probably from sneezing and that my eye will reabsorb it. They were also concerned because my eyelid droops on my right eye but they think that may be as a result of damaged nerve. After I finally got to leave the doctor's office with a fairly decent bill of health I came home and did homework. I worry about homework all the time when I know I am going to do just fine. I worried about two other classes and got an A in each of them. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "Write down a few memories from last week that made you smile." I don't remember last week. No seriously. I remember chapel making me smile last week. The semester ending last week made me smile. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: “These so-called bleak times are necessary to go through in order to get to a much, much better place.”― David Lynch What are your thoughts?" I agree. The bad times make us appreciate the good ones. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2187503 over display limit. -?- Image #2187984 over display limit. -?- Image #2222769 over display limit. -?- |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
