rambling rosemarie

Pain, suffering, death.... part of the price we pay for doing business in a fallen world. I had a doctor's appointment today. It seems my pernicious anemia is going to require weekly shots of B12 so the doctor has suggested I start giving myself the injections. I am not at all squeamish about things medical so the idea doesn't bother me at all. While I was in the pharmacy getting my prescription for syringes and B12, I was struck with an odd thought. It is a good thing that our bodies slow down and become frail as we mature intellectually. It's a blessing. God could have had our bodies fail when we were young and stupid. Think of the harm we could do to ourselves. Now that would be survival of the fittest... if our bodies were frailest while we the most ignorant! Just a random thought....

For those of you praying for my long awaited check to arrive, it has. For those of you praying for my spiritual health, sense of humor and general well being, please continue. As I said in an earlier post my distress is so not about the mail... it was just the vehicle God used to show me how desperately I need His grace and mercy and to remind me that sanctification isn't painless.... lest I forget when counseling others.

I follow Dr. Albert Mohler on Twitter. He has a keen eye seeing things clearly, especially when it comes to culture and its effects. One of his tweets was about a young woman in a graduate counseling program at Augusta State University being challenged to silence her views on homosexuality and gender identity. Here is the story Dr. Mohler linked to his tweet. I dropped out of college as a young and foolish woman. I pursued a career in public safety and since I did not want to be a cop, (I don't have the temperament. I figured if you run from a cop you're guilty of something awful and shooting you to stop you is probably going to keep you from hurting someone. I have mellowed with age. ) I didn't think there was a major I could use to help me in my pursuit. Like I said, I was young, foolish and without good counselors. I had a great career that paid well but when I was no longer able to work due to injury, I had thousands of dollars of specialized training and no for...

I am overflowing with resentment and bitterness. If it were not for that little piece of me that is compliant and listens to His Holy Spirit there is no telling what I might write here today. My face is as red as fire and twice as hot. I am angry. I am hurt. I am disappointed. This is so much more than a fruitless trip to the mailbox. It always is. The situations in life are the context wherein the content of our hearts are revealed. Overdrawn, overwrought, overtired. Overtly defiant. Covertly collapsed. Pay no attention to that woman behind the wall.... I am teaching about the biblical concept of peace in a couple of days. Ain't that a hoot? How long can I throw a pity party while studying God's idea of peace? About .001 seconds. Months ago when planning this I had no idea what series of events were being put in place... things over which I had absolutely no control. But He did. He knew that I would need His peace, His shalom now. His timing is always perfect and ...

I wanted to write about the shameful way Shirley Sherrod has been treated by most of the media. (If you are unaware, read and follow links here , here and here. ) I am outraged that an edited clip of something the woman said decades ago was all her boss needed to force a resignation from her. I wanted to talk about context and growth and how times have changed. I wanted to point out that although I am not a racist or a homophobe, things I said 25 years ago might lead someone to believe I was, simply because the common vernacular has changed and what was acceptable then is no longer considered politically correct. I wanted to write right here and now that I condone neither racism nor homosexuality but think that media is far more dangerous than either of those topics simply because "We the People" tend to believe everything they write or show us. I thought I would like to write a post about how I blame "We the People" for the failures and glories of our natio...

I hate dilemmas, especially the kind where you feel strongly both ways. Choosing lanes to be in when entering a toll plaza, what line to stand in to be checked out of a store, any type of choice that has variables you cannot control make me crazy. Yes, Virginia, I am a control freak. I also hate multiple guess questions on tests. I can talk myself into and out of all but the most inane answers. I go right into analysis paralysis. I am headed there now. I am receiving long term disability payments. I am injured and my injury is permanent. Every month I get to guess when my payment is going to arrive. The insurance company mailed a check to me on July 9th. Their office is 1 state away; one eastern size state away. We aren't talking Texas or California... just one teensie tiny little state away. In fact their state borders my state. I have not received the check. I am too broke to pay attention let alone the bills unless and until that check comes. So, do I have them st...

I am having a rough day AND I am being vexed by stupid people. Ever notice that when you're grumpy the level of stupidity in those around you increases? Coincidence? I think not. You know you're having a bad day when you happen to watch the The View and find yourself agreeing with Whoopi.... when she's admittedly high on drugs (she took drugs that enable her to be calm enough to fly). Yeah it's been that kind of day and it's only noon. Ms. Goldberg and I find ourselves in agreement on whether or not something Kathy Griffith said was not nice and uncalled for... but then most of what Kathy Griffith says falls into that category. That's why I don't watch her television program, buy tickets to her shows or find myself wanting in any way shape or form to be in her company. Not on the D list, not on the A list... not on any list. So when faced with the probability of seeing her unkind, unfunny self on my TV I practice this technique.... I turn the channe...

I was reading Tom Chantry on the CRBC Pastoral blog , something I recommend you do to as the man writes well, cuts to the heart of matters and shows godly wisdom and discernment. I say this though he criticized Stephen Ambrose and shattered my world. What can I say? The truth hurts.... and I still like Band of Brothers.... but now take Ambrose's history with a grain of salt. Anyway, one of the comments on the particular article I linked to first has a question that I want to answer here on my blog. I have used cut and paste to bring the question here as I found it: "What can we as students at LU do to speak out on this issue?Should we write a letter to Jerry Falwell, Jr.? Should we as students speak out publically? Or should we remain quiet?" OK... here I go again! I love students. I had the pleasure of working with students at a Christian University. I had no idea after a career in public safety, one that I loved and was forced to leave due to injury, that t...

I have said many times how blessed I am to be in the church that I attend. The folks are loving and want to live their lives according to the Word. Last Sunday Scott got to preach. He is a God honoring young man who cuts the Word straight and isn't afraid to hit you right between the eyes. I thought about blogging my notes on the sermon but instead I will just make it available to you. Here it is . Sit back and take some notes of your own. A little later in the day I was chatting with friends online about heroines of the faith and I heard a name I was unfamiliar with; Darlene Diebler Rose. Here's a link to her testimony on YouTube . Listen to it and you can be double dipped in blessing like I was.

I have been watching the HBO series John Adams on DVD using the feature they have that pops up historical facts as you watch the drama. For the most part they did a wonderful job of keeping things historically accurate. When I studied interior design I had to study the history of furniture and textiles so it is always fun for me to see how accurate period pieces are with their sets and costumes. One of the things I really appreciated was the lack of perfectly white teeth for all the actors. Dental health or lack of it was a major cause of suffering back then. It hasn't been that long ago that things have changed. My father suffered horribly with his teeth and as a result he took me to see a dentist by the time I was 3 years old. My father told the dentist that he would see I made every appointment and followed every rule the dentist gave me. My dentist, Dr. Gan, was my favorite person. He was a children's dentist and reluctantly sent me to someone else when I was in my lat...

Proverbs 27:17 says : "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." When you rub iron against iron friction occurs. Honest disagreement laid out between believers will result in sharpening. However, weaker iron will not hold up under the stress, exposing its fractures it will splinter, crumble and fail. Such failure generally shows in ad hominem attacks. When you squeeze a sponge and dirty water comes out of it, it is not the pressure that makes the water dirty. The dirt was there before. When a man or woman claims to be of Christ and yet under pressure spew venom and make ad hom attacks instead of factual statements, they expose either their spiritual immaturity or their true reprobate nature. Confrontation is not a bad thing. Neither are debate and argument. All three are valuable things. I praise God for the times I have been in sin and someone loved me enough to confront me. I am grateful to Him for my ignorance being exposed and my mistaken thoughts, misdee...