Cotton-Candy – It’s more than what you eat!

Recently, some of us writers were discussing the negative aspects of cotton-candy characters.

I suspect many would think that I'm a cotton-candy character. Such a person is more than someone with sugar on her face. She is commonly thought of as someone who has a life and attitude that is too perfect to be real, and worse, too perfect to be fun. The criticisms of a cotton-candy life are varied; from boring to making others gag.

Hmm. Maybe it’s a good idea to look beyond the surface into the soul of a why a character might be too sweet for others to tolerate.

Attitude: Everyone must deal with their fluctuating emotions. It's not because I don't have hurt, anger, and frustration, but those weakness are overcome because my main goal is to live a life glorifying to God. When you work to "love" others (keeping in mind that love is patient, kind, doesn't envy, isn't proud, doesn't seek its own, etc (1 Cor. 13), in other words--completely and utterly selfless--the person that washes another's feet--or in today's vernacular; "a doormat,") than on the surface a character is too sweet to handle.

The conflict is still there...but it's inner turmoil, as a person struggles to fight against the human traits of anger, selfishness, pride, arrogance, greed, hate. However, the power of God in us is powerful enough to allow us to control our sinful nature, so that do not have to have fits of ungodliness.

Hopefully, as God's grace draws me closer to him, both my outer actions and inner thoughts will be more in keeping with His image. My goal, really, is to look more like a cotton-candy character.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
Eph. 5:1-2

Hairs, Hares, and Heirs

You know you're using too much hairspray when:

You no longer have to dust your bathroom.

Your smooth solid-surface countertop feels like 10 year old Formica.

The cover of your book no longer has that glossy feel.

Your clothes stick to your shoulders.

Which makes me wonder, if that's what hairspray does to your outside, what does it do to your inside?

Still, hairspray works better on your hair than say, air freshener, which is why the two should NEVER be stored next to each other.


And on that thought...

A man was driving home from work when he hit a poor little rabbit. The man jumped from his car to see how the rabbit fared. One look at the flattened creature and he knew it was dead.

A lady saw his car stopped in the road, and went over to see what the problem was. The man said, "I hit this poor rabbit and I just feel terrible."

The plump older lady then went to her car and returned with a can. She told the man not to worry, and began spraying some sort of liquid on the dead rabbit. The man asked "What are you doing?" The woman replied, "I am going to save this rabbit, just watch."

About five minutes later the man was thinking to himself, man, this woman is crazy. I mean the rabbit is as flat as a pancake! Why on earth would she claim she could save it? All of the sudden the rabbit rose, looked around, got up and begun to hop away. By now the man was amazed. The rabbit then stopped turned around, and waved. Then hopped another four feet, turned around, and waved again. This ritual lasted on until the rabbit jumped out of sight.


The man, desperate for an explanation, looked at the spray bottle and read " Hair Spray. Brings damaged hair back to life. WARNING MAY CAUSE PERMANENT WAVE."

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7

Achooo!

It's unfortunate, but the cold and flu season is passing through. Many in my household have been suffering for several days.

Have sympathy!

When Loyalties Collide

I made the decision to quit reading a book today. Something, I seldom do with fiction books. Yet three quarters of the way through, I decided that I couldn't handle the direction the story was going. I abhorred the decisions the protagonist was making, and in disgust I quit reading.

This civil war story was a touching portrayal of what life must've been like in Richmond, VA, preceding and during the War Between The States. I appreciated the author's insights to the reality of the problems that generation faced, and the author wrote in smooth and intriguing manner. So what is my problem?

When a young woman is torn between her love for her father's black servants and the prejudices she's grown up with, she must make her own choice between what is right. However, the Civil War began because people held different ideas and philosophies. Similarly, my actions would have been different than the heroines. When Caroline chose to become a Union spy in order to help the cause and so her father's slaves would find freedom, her actions also increased the likelihood of her father, fiancé, and cousins, all Confederate soldiers, getting captured or killed. It was at this point that I put the book down and contemplated why I didn't want to finish reading the story. While Carolyn's love for her servants is admirable, her betrayal of her family's trust and loyalties is heart-rendering. Her struggles are painted realistically, and if a lesson should be learned it is perhaps how small steps will lead us far away from the place we ought to be. In the end of the book, Carolyn's fiancé recognized that he still loved her and forgave her. The problem is that, were I in his shoes, I might forgive and still love, but it would be a long time before my heart would safely trust her.

Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Prov 31:10-12

Tears in the eyes of Jesus

When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him?

They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept.

Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.

Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

John 11:33-40

It doesn't say why Jesus wept. We know Jesus understood death, and He also knew that Lazarus would come alive at His command. In the context, it's reasonably to assume that Jesus was troubled by the unbelief of those around Him.

If he wept at their unbelief, does He also weep when he sees our unbelief?

The Promised Messiah

John 5:17-41

Yesterday I watched The Gospel of John. I find that hearing/seeing the Bible in a different media format inspires me to see scripture in a different light.

As I was watching Jesus argue with the Jewish leaders it came to me that the Jewish people were looking for a promised messiah on the order of King David, Elijah, or one of the other prophets. In my recollection the Old Testament doesn't state (clearly) that the Messiah would be God in human form.

When Jesus came claiming He was the Messiah AND the Son of God who is Himself God, He not only was thought of as a liar, but worse in the eyes of the Jewish people His claim violated the 1st commandment. I suddenly had a clearer understanding of the attitudes that prevailed, and greater understanding into Jesus' words. Such as:

And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?

Luke 20:42-44 (From PS. 110:1)

This is the root problem behind many who are unwilling to accept the truth of the Trinity. For if you are unwilling to accept the Jesus you are denying the witness of the Father.

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 5:26

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 14:6

In the beginning...

I'm not one for making New Year resolutions, but I do enjoy using this time of year to review my goals and examine my weaknesses.

At least twice a year, I check my progress. I remind myself what my aim is and how I intend to get there.

Let me challenge you to start this new year by looking at your life objectives and I'd encourage you to make a list of what you're doing to achieve those goals.