An Early Christmas Present

I'm getting an early Christmas present this year.....Naomi is arriving in town tomorrow afternoon and she will be staying with us for a whole week. Yes, she is our special Thanksgiving dinner guest.

Death's Sting

Someone in our church passed away last week. He was young and gifted and as many have testified, he was in love with Jesus. We attended his funeral this past Sunday and it was a sweet mix of sorrow and hope. Sorrow for someone leaving us so soon and hope for the promise of knowing that those who loved him will see him again.

The sting of death. It hurts. It crushes.

But how good to know that we, those of us who profess Christ, do not grieve as the world grieves. No, we will be reunited in a perfect place. Heaven.

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Chuck Damschen (Naomi's dad) on winning a second term in the North Dakota state legislature! Whoo-hoo! I may not be a constituent, but I AM a fan!

This post reminds me of something I heard on the radio a few weeks ago........do you know the number one mistake Christians (and perhaps all people for that matter) make in politics? We disenagage from them after the election. So, I challenge you (and me, too) to figure out a way to stay in engaged in the decisions being made for you at the local, state, and national level.

Life and Death

Simple Guy and I just returned from a great night of celebrating a friend's 30th birthday. It was meaningful to share in this milestone with him and it is always good to celebrate another's life.

But how sad I was to read that one of the girls that Naomi had known from her time ministering on the reservation in Fort Totten, ND committed suicide. She was only 14 years old. This is heart-breaking. If you think of it, can you please pray for this girl's family; I cannot begin to imagine how devastated that they are to lose their young daughter/sister.

And let me also take this opportunity to ask you to pray for Naomi and the work she is doing to share the news of Christ with the Native Americans on the reservation in ND. Click here to read Naomi's entry about this sad story and to learn more about what she is doing day in and day out to spread the love of God to a very hurting people.

I Heart Coupons!

I posted on the little project I was undertaking which was e-mailing the various companies whose products we use or eat and asking them for some coupons.

Well, friends, ask and you shall receive, indeed! Here is what I got:

Odwalla- sent me coupons for two free Odwalla drinks ($7 value)

Earthbound Farm Organic- sent me coupons upon completing a survey ($2.75 value)

Kashi- sent me coupons for any of their products ($2 value)

Kiss My Face (skin care)- sent me coupons to use at Target ($3 value)

Lunderg's Family Farms- sent me coupons for any of their products ($7.50 value)

Country Choice Organic - sent me coupons for any of their products ($4 value)

Avalon Organics- semt me coupons for any of their products ($9)

Total Value = $35.25

And all it took was a total of 15 minutes* to contact all of these companies!

*I used the same e-mail and only changed the greeting and the product I most enjoyed.

Facelift!

As you may recall, Simple Guy was elected onto our condo association's board last year and for the last several months, he has been busy working on getting our lobby to go

from this

to this

and from this

to this

Thanks for all your work, Simple Guy.......oh, and thanks for asking for my advice on some of the selections!

Election Reflection

To all who exercised their right to vote on Tuesday, thank you. Thank you for being a true citizen of this country. No matter how you voted, it is important that you voted and I am so glad that you did.

To those who did not, shame on you. For the next four years, you have no right to comment or complain on the state of our country's affairs. And I mean it. I will hold you to this. When you begin to utter words of any kind about this country's laws, foreign relations, taxes, hand-outs, etc., I will politely remind you that you did not vote and tell you that I am not interested in hearing what you have to say on those matters.

I posted a blog a while back inidicating that I was voting for McCain for this election. My vote was less for the man (and far less for the woman) and more for the moral convictions that I felt the Lord was impressing upon me. I felt my vote needed to be for the sanctity of human life and even though I completely understood and am aware of the state of our nation's economy and the war that is still waging, I had to make the voices of those who have no voice my top priority.

I did not not vote for Obama because of the color of his skin (as the woman in the park the other day was trying to get at) or beacuse he was a Democrat (I pledge no allegiance to any party). If you read my post about why I was voting for McCain and/or if you are aware of Obama's stance on the issues of abortion and stem cell research, then you know the reason why I did not vote for him.

Because the person I voted for did not win, I am not distraught. I am not driven to thoughts of long food ration lines outside of government buildings or the idea that every political crook in Chicago will end up with a national appointment on Obama's cabinet.

In fact, I am quite peaceful because I know who ultimately is in control, for He is the one who places kings on their thrones. He, and He alone.

I am happy for Obama and the many supporters who rallied around him when he was just some skinny Senator from Chicago. I think he will have a positive impact on our foreign relations. And there is no doubt about the impact his presidency will have on the many children in our city who have been waiting for a positive male role model who looks like them.

It's important to remember that no one person can save us. No one person can make right all the wrongs. No one person can lead us into the land of milk and honey. Nope, there is only One who can do such things. And I am still waiting on His return.