Photo taken at Rocky Mountain National Park by author, Annette Harrison
“Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples, and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself.” ~William Martin
Let me first start with, I was hesitant to write the below paragraphs. And I surely was nervous about posting such a bold quote on America.
But please understand I read loads of material each day. Because of what I choose to read everyday I find myself fighting the blues on some level or another. However, I’m not sure if I choose to read everything and anything or if my hobby as a blogger demands I read an array of subjects. But whatever the case maybe I know one thing is for sure, it really bothers me when I read nasty comments about America and Americans. And as an American it really angers me when Americans makes unpatriotic remarks about the country they call home.
As a pet free home I recently learned: neither dogs nor pigs will shit where they live! And with that said, I found a suitable quote for those that feel America and its people are contemptible:
Photo credit: Internet
America makes prodigious mistakes, America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America is always on the move. She may be going to Hell, of course, but at least she isn’t standing still. —E. E. Cummings
John Newton is the author of this spiritually enlightenment hymn. At the age of eleven he became a seaman and later was imprisoned. After escaping from those that held him captive he found work on a slave-trading ship. It was then God began to work on his conscience about the cruelties of slavery. And it was then when he wrote this beautiful hymn as a testament to his transformation from being a slave-ship captain to becoming a Christian.
Most often God takes our wrong to right the wrong of man’s inhumanity to man. We’re His wonderful creation with the flaw of cruelty attached to our characters. It is only by God’s amazing grace that saves us from always extending the hand of destruction to our brothers and sisters.
– Prayer –
I pray this day for God’s peace in your life. I ask God to give you His grace. For the Bible says, His grace is enough for you and His power is perfect in your weakness as His grace is new every morning. Have a wonderful day!
Amazing Grace
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; ‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me, His word my hope secures; He will my shield and portion be As long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less dys to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.
Lord, I have read and heard a lot this week. Many of those stories made me feel like I was traveling through a portal of stupidity. Often I found myself asking the following questions: Lord, is my thinking off track? Or are people now enjoying conflict? And why are they enjoying being hoodwinked? What is making them so gullible? And why can’t they see they are being invalidated?
Lord, as I sat in bewilderment over the troubles of the world, I asked, yet, another question, “Where is common sense?” Has it left the world? Has it found a hiding place? Is it sad because humankind no longer has a need for it? Lord, where is common sense? Because as I see things, who would enjoy heartaches, trials and tribulations?
Nothing I read or heard this week made any sense at all except for: “Something that sounds correct could be incorrect.”
— Prayer —
Lord, please bless the world with common sense. For without it mankind will become void in all their ways. So, again, please Lord bless the world with common sense. Amen
Well, Lord, I have finally gotten up from the couch. Mostly because your spirit has urged me to write a pray.
But, Lord, I feel torn about what I should pray. There are so many life situations that need your help. So, again, I feel torn about what I should pray about. However the situation that seems to be heaviest on my heart is the spiritual and cancerous choice of Americans.
The choice to remove you from our country is drowning this wonderful nation in the pool of political correctness; thus, giving birth to spiritual chaos.
We have taken you out of everything! We have taken you out of our governmental institutions, our business, our schools, our churches, our homes, our children, our families and our daily actions. And because we have taken you out of everything we are now experiencing the following: high unemployment, high divorce rates, high rate of children born out-of-wedlock, high rates of child exploitation’s, extreme amounts of mental illness, and people having disregards for life.
Sadly, Lord, as we the American people bicker over small things such as who should or should not get married. Or should the NRA step in and help make stiffer laws for obtaining firearms! Or if a black man is making good or bad choices up on Capitol Hill! Lord, the country that I love is quickly falling into a perilous state.
Lord the catalyst for what is happening in America is our ease in removing you from our lives! It’s not the black man up on Capitol Hill! He’s just one man! It’s not Joe marrying Johnny or Susan marring Sally! And it’s certainly not mandating tougher gun laws! It was removing you!
Lord, the American people need to hear from you! We need to hear from the God that got this American party started. We’re a young nation. And we’re making our fair share of mistakes. But, Lord, the biggest mistake we have made thus far was removing you!
I’m praying for my country. I’m asking you for your mercy upon me and my country. I’m asking you God to show us how to repair our relationship with you. I’m asking you to forgive the arrogance of the American people. I’m praying that you will do a historical roll call in their minds and in their hearts. I’m asking Lord that they remember the blood that was shade for our freedoms; and how you fought along the men that were fighting for all to be freed men and women. I’m asking you to remind them that our ancestors came here to freely worship you. I’m asking you to remind them this country was born from a divine dream and supported and encouraged by spiritual God.
For George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” And in Numbers 14:26-38 people perished and wondered in the wilderness because they had lost faith in you and your abilities to create a new land for a people of promise. Lord, help the country that I love. Heal the heart of this country because America is a land of promise and we are a people of promise.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
Artist: Henry Lee Battle
Dear Lord:
Your word says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” My prayer today is about what does it mean to trust in you? Or should I pray for answers to the following questions: How does a person trust in you Lord? Does this passage support our free will ? And how does it support common sense?
Lord my questions are not original (although I wish they were). But many before me have asked the same during moments of spiritual isolation. And, sadly, so many after me will pose the same question(s) during moments of uncertainty. So, Lord, again, I ask what does it mean to trust in you? Because sometimes Lord I’m afraid those that believe in you fail to know what it means to truly trust in you.
And for that reason Lord, I am asking that you help us to know what you mean in this passage. Help us to merge the wisdom of God with our instinct to spiritually and physically survive. Help us to refrain from blaming you when things don’t go as planned and according to our interpretation of your words. Help us to accept defeat as well as our victories during moments of spiritual growth. So, Lord, I ask again, help us to truly know what it means to trust in you. Amen.
Recently, I purchased a new Amish love story by Kelly Long. She’s a new author for me. But I needed something to read and enjoy during moments of downtime. And the title Lilly’s Wedding Quilt intrigued me. So it was plucked off the shelf and placed into my basket with great anticipation for a romantic adventure. But my limited vocabulary has made it hard for me to enjoy the book. As I reflect upon my frustrations in having to stop reading to look for the meanings of words I probably will never use I find my behavior childish. Honesty, I feel my juvenile outlook during reading this book keeps me stagnant in building my vocabulary. So to keep me interested in reading what seems to be a great novel I have decided to use the words I do not know on Vocabulary Mondays.
obtained,done,made,etc.,bystealth;secretorunauthorized; clandestine: a surreptitious glance.
actinginastealthyway.
obtainedbysubreption;subreptitious.
Word usage in “Lilly’s Wedding Quilt”: “She blinked her eyes, licking surreptitiously at a splat of rain that dripped past her mouth, then spoke the first thing that came to her mind.”
Recently, I purchased a new Amish love story by Kelly Long. She’s a new author for me. But I needed something to read and enjoy during moments of downtime. And the title Lilly’s Wedding Quilt intrigued me. So it was plucked off the shelf and placed into my basket with great anticipation for a romantic adventure. But my limited vocabulary has made it hard for me to enjoy the book. As I reflect upon my frustrations in having to stop reading to look for the meanings of words I probably will never use I find my behavior childish. Honesty, I feel my juvenile outlook during reading this book keeps me stagnant in building my vocabulary. So to keep me interested in reading what seems to be a great novel I have decided to use the words I do not know on Vocabulary Mondays.
Black Women Have It Going On 