Donna’s Blog

“No Compromise”

I just read this book about Keith Green’s life.  I have so much to tell you, but it will have to wait.  Run to the store and get this book….

weekend update….

We were here on Saturday….

and here Saturday evening….

…where the wait was 1 1/2 hours just to get a seat!  Just driving by the restaurant from the street, it doesn’t look like much….

but believe it or not, they serve some of the best tasting seafood EVER!  So if you come across the bridge into St. Augustine, look on your right for this little block cement building with the line outside!

Friday ramblings

Still hard to take in all the news of yesterday.

and

two faces that are so different and yet both shared the same thing in common…..the media spotlight.

Living in the spotlight is obviously not all it’s cracked up to be.

The light shines on what is good, but also highlights what might not be so good.

And really, who needs their personality cracks and flaws highlighted for all the world to see anyway?

We all have them.

And we all need grace to cover them.

Sometimes i just laugh at myself

I was just reading a blog before i clock out for lunch.

I discovered a new one.

I love discovering new blogs.

This particular one includes lots of pictures because the blogger loves taking and posting pictures.

In this particular blog, i’m reading about her trip to New York with her husband and two daughters. 

They take a tour of a submarine.

Part of the tour is to see the bunks where the submarine dwellers sleep.

Here’s the picture:

She says the tour guide tells them that the bunk is shared by three guys….thus, the three lockers at each bunk.

She writes…..

“So here’s the kind of thing I do. When the tour guide explains that three men would share one bunk (he pointed out the three lockers per bed), I look all aghast and say, “Seriously? Well…did they all, like, have to sleep on their sides so they could fit?”

…..and i’m thinking the SAME THING.  OMG.  How DID they fit?

and then she writes what her husband says to her…..

“Uh…no, honey. They…have…different…shifts.” And his voice slows down to a crawl so that I can understand. And I suddenly feel all exposed and lost.

And really, I felt happy for the guys. Three at once would have been extremely uncomfortable.”

……and i LAUGH OUT LOUD at myself!  just me, at my desk, all by myself, hee-hawing!

you’re welcome

He’s the Good Shepherd

….and we are the sheep….

I read something interest about sheep last week.  It was on a blog (of course) and the writer was talking about a pet sheep she used to have and how much work it was.  Every time her sheep got caught in the fence, she had to go and rescue it.

Here’s what she said:

“Mom had to explain to me that sheep have no will to live. They give up and die. Sheep drove my grandpa crazy. A sheep would fall in a ditch.  If he wasn’t there to rescue it, the sheep would give up and die. He had numerous episodes of finding dead sheep from falling, being stuck in the barn door, a little hay falling on a sheep’s head. He went back to raising cattle.”

WOW…..seriously?  I had no idea.

Then i thought about how Jesus referred to himself as the Good Shepherd and we were the sheep.    I always thought of that as meaning that he found us when we wandered off, took care of our physical needs and kept us safe.  It never occurred to me that he even give us the “will to live” when we don’t have it.

Ever been there?  Just wanting to quit life?  Not physically, of course.  But wanting to “check out” emotionally.  Wanting to quit, give up…..no will left to try any more.

I have.

And i guess i took the credit for “snapping” myself out of it.  But now that i think about it…..it was the Shepherd who came along and rescued me by whispering encouraging words to my soul…..”don’t give up”…..”you can do it”…..”i believe in you”…….”greater is He that is in you”……..

That’s Why

I am taking a break from my normal Friday randomness to bring you something not so random.

I was reading a blog that i read occasionaly.  It’s written by a pastor’s wife….of a church called, “The Lord’s Gym…New Life”.  They are a church that’s in the recovery business…..helping people recover from addictions and finding God to be enough.  Their blog is so inspiring.  Lots of stories of miracles.

This week was another miracle for them.  There facility was in need of some help and turns out, there were some volunteers in need of a job.  She writes……

“There is a large church in town that does a great outreach ministry called Second Saturday.  On the second Saturday of the month they get hundreds of volunteers to ascend upon a building project in the community that will benefit the community. Contractors, construction workers, painters, landscapers etc and everyday people come to help.  The church that has this Second Saturday ministry asked the city commissioner about the need in the community and he said to help “The Lords Gym”.  Thats us.  Other churches got wind of it and low and behold our prayers were answered and 500 people showed up on Saturday to fix our building.  It was the most amazing picture of the body of Christ.  Here is a 3 minute version of the day!!!  Oh and by the way, that city commissioner, Mark Boldt, was on his hand and knees cleaning our chairs we use on Sunday morning (those chairs had some skank).

live at Daylight…

It’s too early to go to work, and it’s too early to be on the computer at home because everyone is asleep.

Yes, this is my life in the summer.  Ben and the girls get to sleep in, while i tip toe around trying to get ready without waking anyone up.  Which explains the brown shoe/black shoe episode last week.

So this morning i decided to head over to Daylight Donuts for some free wifi.  I purchase coffee and two donuts because i hate to use their wifi and not order SOMETHING.  Of course the donuts are just sitting here because, believe this or not, i don’t really want to eat them.  It felt so good to zip up my pants today and not have to suck in my gut to do it.  So loading myself up with glazed and chocolate covered donuts at 3 million calories each doesn’t really seem right this morning.  I’ll probably just stick them in a bag and take them to work and eat them at 11:00 when i get the morning munchies….and then run them off tonight!

Never fear.  I can enjoy donuts every once in a while.  In fact, on Monday i did.  It was a rainy, yucky morning and i decided to cheer the girls up at work by buying a dozen donuts.  I ate my two and enjoyed them immensely.  I just hate to do it again on Wednesday!!

Last night Paige and i drove to Daylight Salon (donuts not included) in Madison, FL where our favorite beautician moved a few months ago.  It’s only 27 miles and not really a bad drive.  I figurered we would chat all the way there, but then i forgot that Paige had the new issue of Susie Mag.  It’s the new magazine by Susie Shellenberger. 

Susie was the creater and editor of Brio magazine, the magazine for teen girls by Focus on the Family.  Then last year, Focus decided to cut their budget, and Brio went with it.  They sold Brio as an online magazine and Susie decided to opt out.

But Susie knows how to do a teen magazine, so the premier issue of Susie Mag debuted in May.  It’s awesome.  If you know any teen or pre-teen girls, they need to go to www.susiemag.com  and for only 
$23/year, they will get some great monthly reading.

Girls still love getting stuff in the mail, you know?  Actually, i had no idea that Paige would be SO thrilled to read it….but she couldn’t keep her nose out of it.  And here’s how i KNOW she loved it, because as we pulled into the driveway, she was reading me one of the articles OUT LOUD.

i love that.

it’s the same thing i do when i’ve read something i love.

i can’t wait to share it with someone else.

so now i have.

order a copy for someone you know today.

the end.

Home from England!

We finally got the call that the bus had arrived at the middle school last night around 12:45.  We all got in the van and headed over to pick her up.  Ben had made a sign that said Welcome Home Paige!  It was so cool!  When we got to the middle school, the kids were already on the sidewalk with their suitcases.  Ben got to her first and she hugged him and just cried.  Then i got the best hug ever!  It’s so good to have her home.

I know she misses this girl..

  That’s her new “heart sister”….Lauren.  We enjoyed having her in our home in January. 

It’s so cool to make friends around the world!

But i’m glad to have my sweetie home!

Friday randomness

..…i’m going bold and italic today.  feels good!

Happy Friday All!

Reminder to me…

I listen to Pandora radio on the computer.  It’s a free site and you can choose what styles of music you want to hear.  Every time this one artist comes on, i find myself drawn to her style.  I’ve never heard of her before…..

….but she is really, really, really, good….in a Norah Jones kind of way.

So this is a reminder to me to GO OUT AND BUY HER CD!!!!!!!!!