5 Things We Learned This Week 40 of 2011 (animals, fires, stars, volleyball)

Hay Fires

If you are a farmer, this tidbit is for you! Over at Country Pictures, Lucky Lady mentioned about several barns in the area catching on fire. When I asked how that happens, she sent me this link: Spontaneous Combustion and Hay Fires. It basically says that you need to make sure your stored hay does not get too hot or it can burst into flames! If your a farmer, this article gives some tips on how to avoid this, worth reading!

Cleveland Zoo

The two new Grizzley bear cubs from Wyoming (Cheyenne and Jackson) have joined the two from Montana (Cody and Cooper). A baby capybara was born too. We'll have to go soon to see these new additions!

Pet Food

According to the label test, Abby’s dog food isn’t as good as I thought it was—I should have known when Giant Eagle had it!

 

Stars

All the stars have names--God calls them by name! We'll have a post up Sunday about how awesome God is.

Life your eyes and look to the heavens; Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Isaiah 40:26 NIV)

Volleyball

Some people play volleyball using "rolling scoring" where teams can score even if they didn't serve. I never heard of this until this week when I went to volleyball open gym night at our church.

Find more Friday Fragments or link up some of your own at Half-Past Kissin' Time.

Share this:

What 10 Things Would We Do If We Didn't Have To Work? (Writer's Workshop)

If we didn't have to work, the first five things we both would like to do are:

1) Volunteer at the Parma Animal Shelter.
2) Go to the gym to workout more early in the morning.
3) Join our Senior group at church for trips and luncheons.
4) Take more walks with each other and our dog, Abby.
5) Visit the zoo more.

Karen would also:

 6) Visit the Senior Center, Humana, and play games with other people.
 7) Maybe sell on Ebay again.
 8) Spend more time socializing—join a bowling or golf league.
 9) Get her filing cabinets cleaned out.
10) Get Abby certified as a Therapy dog and visit places with her.  

Gerard would also::

 6) Sleep later in the morning and stay up later at night.
7) Watch his sporting events to the end!
 8) Do more reading and visit the library more.
 9) Spend more time working in the yard.
10) Watch an afternoon or morning movie.

What would you do if you didn't have to work?

This was one of Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop Prompts.

Share this:

Along The Way

In the New Testament, it is recorded that Jesus often met the needs of people along the way.  Some examples are talking to a Samaritan woman at the well, calling Zachaeus to come down from the tree, turning water to wine at a wedding, healing a Centurion’s servant, calming the storm when in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and healing a blind beggar. 

In our Wednesday night Bible study about The Tangible Kingdom, we discussed what the world’s general perception if of Christians and agreed we are perceived to be judgmental, hypocritical, self-righteous generally annoying.  This is certainly not the way God wants Christians to be as we see from the following verses:

Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour.  Ephesians 5:1-2

Jesus went out to where the people were.  He did not sit in the temple all day.  As Christians, we need to show we love God by loving people in our everyday lives and make the gospel of Christ real by showing His love to them by our actions.  Two weeks ago, our Wednesday night Bible study group went to a local park and picked up trash.  Instead of sitting in the church talking, we went out into the community to do something helpful outside of our church. 

I am a task-oriented person but am learning to look at interruptions in my routine or schedule as God-given opportunities to be a blessing to others.  Although this may seem like a little thing, it is huge for me.  Here are a few examples that came up recently:  

On the bus that week, instead of burying my nose in my book, I actually talked to a woman sharing my experience with Cancer and convincing her she definitely should get a mammogram. 

As I was walking outside on break reading a book one day, a woman came up to me asking for directions to the library which I gladly gave her.

On my morning walk to the bus stop one day, one of my neighbors showed me her yard had been torn up by a skunk.  We had that same thing happen to us last fall so I told her we used Grub-X to get rid of the grubs.  I had just recently come across another solution which I shared with her:  place some cucumbers in an aluminum pie tin and place it in the yard.  It makes a scent that the grubs do not like so they leave.

How can Christians change the world’s perception?  By imitating Christ by going out into our world and meeting needs of others.  Make some non-Christian friends and leave the judging to God.  Ask God to give you an opportunity to be a blessing to someone along the way today.

Share this:

Taking Food For Granted

We go grocery shopping every Saturday at Giant Eagle.  The store is huge with a wide variety of food along all the walls and in practically every aisle.  The prices seem to keep rising, but at least we have food.  I don’t know why I was born here in the United States with so much but am very glad I was.  The people in these countries strive to survive every day while I chow down at a buffet every week and complain about car repairs or home maintenance costs.  We do not have to hunt for food or grow it ourselves.  We can go a few blocks from our house and find convenience stores, fast-food places, restaurants and a food court, most within walking distance. 

My heart breaks when I read about people starving to death in other parts of the world.  I cannot imagine going for days without eating.  Nor can I imagine how much mothers must hurt when they have no food to give to their hungry children.  I received a special alert from Children International last week concerning the food crisis in Zambia, the Philippines, Colombia and Guatemala.

Our next charity to benefit from comments on our blogs will be one that provides food for the starving people of the world.  The question is, which one:  (1) Children International (the one that sent me the flier that spoke to my heart about world hunger), (2) Samaritan’s Purse (one that also includes the Gospel when meeting physical needs consistently where most needed so that people in these conditions can have a better life in eternity), or (3) Heifer International (one that provides livestock that reproduce to help a community--Samaritan's Purse also does this).

All these are good but since Samaritan’s Purse also gives people the hope of the Gospel of Christ, we will donate 50 cents for each legitimate comment we get on our blogs during October to Samaritan’s Purse for the hunger crisis. 

Do you take food for granted too?  We challenge you to make your own donation to the charity of your choice!

Share this:

Imagine A World Without Cancer--Live Strong! by Spunky and Manny

We are joining many other cat bloggers for Live Strong Day today to honor those who lost their fight with Cancer, encourage those who are currently fighting this monster and to celebrate those who are in remission and have survived!  Please take some to to watch the slideshow of cats around the blogosphere who all joined in together for this special day.

We Remember Those Who Lost Their Fight

Gerard's Mom and Dad
George Host

Uncle Bill

Aunt Shirley

Sarah's (teen) mom, Susan LaSalvia

Joyce's Brother

We Pray For Those Who Are Currently In The Battle

Tosha Parisi

Sheri Thomas
A Young Couple, both with Cancer, and two small children (bloggers)

We Celebrate Those Who Are In Remission And Survived

Michelle Kerr (sister)

Lucky Lady (blogging buddy)

Laurel Myers (church friend)
Sylvia Schweitzer (Circle of Friends Bible Study Leader)

Our mom, Karen

If you or someone you love are currently in this fight and would like us to include you in our prayers, feel free to add the name of the person in our comments on this post.  If you need support, visit LiveStrong.org.

Share this: