seasonsoflife's Xanga

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Sat, 22 Jul 2006 16:15:37 GMT

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." [Luke 6:37-38.]

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 22:00:28 GMT

I'm so sorry I haven't been on Xanga for a while. I've been having injections into the ligaments of my back and I've found it a bit difficult to sit at the computer for long periods. I will try and post more often now that the ligaments are beginning to heal.

Isn't this a wonderful video?

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Thu, 11 May 2006 07:27:45 GMT

Yesterday I read this quote referring to George Bush "He believes Wednesday what he believed Monday, despite what happened Tuesday." It got me thinking about our Faith in God in those storms of life which might come in the Tuesdays of our life. We need to have a heart which is fixed on the promises of God and established on the Word of God not only on the Mondays and Wednesdays of our lives but on the Tuesdays too. We need to believe that HE TRULY IS ALERT AND ACTIVE WATCHING OVER HIS WORD TO PERFORM IT in every season of our lives.

Monday, February 27, 2006

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 08:31:06 GMT

This from Bob Gass at:

"The Word for Today"

"When The Truth Speaks Well Of You

The truth itself stands up for Demetrius.
3 John 12 TM

When others speak well of you, you have acceptance; but when the truth
speaks well of you, you have character. Demetrius had it - do you? A lot
has been written and said about character. Study the following words
carefully then ask yourself, "Do I have character?"

Character is simply confidence dressed in humility. It keeps its word,
its temper and its friends. It has a steady eye, a steady nerve, a
steady tongue, and steady habits. It's silent when it has nothing to
say, thoughtful and compassionate when it judges, and is always first to
make amends when it's wrong. Character doesn't run scared. It's
surefooted, committed, and handles whatever comes along. Character has a
sense of humour. It knows that a good laugh is often the best lubricant
for oiling the machinery of human relations. Character never makes
excuses. It takes its lumps, learns from its mistakes and becomes wiser.
Character knows that courtesy and good manners are nothing more than a
series of small sacrifices. It bespeaks an aristocracy that is not
dependent on ancestors or money. A blue-blood can be totally without it
while the son of a Welsh coalminer may ooze it out of every pore.
Character can walk with kings yet still keep its virtue, talk with
crowds yet still maintain the common touch. Everyone is comfortable with
a person who has character - because they are comfortable with
themselves! So, how do you measure up? Still need work?

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 08:56:28 GMT

GOLDEN NUGGETS - things worth pondering on.

1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversation skills will be as important as any other.

3. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

4. When you say "I love you" mean it.

5. When you say "I'm sorry" look the person in the eye.

6. Be engaged at least 6 months before you get married.

7. Believe in love at first sight.

8. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

9. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don't judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask "Why do you want to know?"

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Say Bless You when you hear someone sneeze,

16. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

17. Remember the 3 R's; Respect for self, Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

18. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

19. When you realise you have made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

20. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21. Spend some time alone.

Anyone want to add anything to this?

Friday, January 27, 2006

Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:26:09 GMT

Okay, I'm a day late but I've decided to do this post anyway. Yesterday was Australia Day and all week I'd planned to post something on the 26th but we've had guests and I've not had a spare moment.

From 25th November 1980 to 13th October 1998 I spent living in Australia. It was Australia that introduced me to my amazing husband of 25 years, it was in 1985 in Australia that I was introduced to my wonderful saviour, it was Riverview Church in Australia that taught me how to live passionately as an authentic Christian, it was in Australia that our awesome son was born 15 years ago and it was Australia that has given me some of the most sincere, lovely and loyal friends that anyone could ever hope to meet. Jeremy and I love travelling and although we are so happy living now in beautiful Yorkshire, Australia will always remain a very special part of our lives. Australia, thank you.

This is my heart cry for the people of Australia:

The Great South-Land
Geoff Bullock, ©

This is our nation,
This is our land,
This is our future,
This is our hope.
A land of reaping,
A land of harvest,
This is our land,
This is our home.
Chorus
This is the Great South-land
of the Holy Spirit.
A land of red dust plains
and summer rains,
To this sunburnt land we will see a flood,
And to this Great South-land
His Spirit comes.
This is our nation,
This is our land,
This land of plenty
This land of hope.
The richest harvest
is in her peoples
We see revival
His spirit comes.
Chorus:
This is the Great South-land
of the Holy Spirit.
A land of red dust plains
and summer rains,
To this sunburnt land we will see a flood,
And to this Great South-land
His Spirit comes.
This is our nation,
This is our land,
This lucky country,
of dreams gone dry.
And to these peoples
we see a harvest
And to this land revival comes.
Chorus:
This is the Great South-land
of the Holy Spirit.
A land of red dust plains
and summer rains,
To this sunburnt land we will see a flood,
And to this Great South-land
His Spirit comes.

Some things so Australian:

Clean T Shirt and thongs to a formal "do".

Boiling the billy on the fire and munching pikelets drenched in golden syrup..

The sound of a flock of Black Cockatoos flying overhead.

The sound of rain and hail on the tin roof.

Calling a spade a spade.

Flies.

Tall Poppy Syndrome.

Red Dust and sunburnt plains.

Marsupials.

Poisonous snakes and spiders but oh so unique.

Some of the most beautiful beaches in the world - although anyone actually venturing into the sea will have to contend with sharks, stinging jellyfish, stonefish (a fish which sits on the bottom of the sea, pretends to be a rock, and has venomous barbs sticking out of its back that will kill you just from the pain) and surfboarders. However, watching a beach sunset is worth the risk of all of these

Wattle, Warratah, Kangaroo Paws and Eucalyptus.

Drizabone and Blundstones

Lamingtons, Pavlova, Vegemite,

Waltzing Matilda.

Dinky-di Aussie slang and sayings:

G'Day!

It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

She'll be right.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:59:15 GMT

From Brother Andrew's Open Doors:

SANTA ANA, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2006) – In 1956, five missionaries set out to reach the violent Waodani Indian tribe in Ecuador.

They never came back alive.

Two years later, the wife and sister of two of the missionaries walked into the jungle to share the Gospel with the same people who had murdered the men they loved.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:17:08 GMT

I came across this simple but lovely idea as a gift for someone special in your life.

~ Friendship Bag ~

CONTENTS: roll of lifesavers, cotton ball, Hershey's Kiss, Hershey's Hug, Sweet and sour sweet, Birthday candle, circle with happy face stickers, rubber band, pencil rubber,band-aid, recipe card with a recipe on it, paper clip, tissue, and a small smooth stone.

Place all these items in a pretty gift bag. On the outside of the bag attach a sheet of paper or note card with the meanings below printed on it.

Contained in this Friendship Bag are a few reminders of friendship.

LIFESAVERS: To remind you of the many times others need help and we need theirs.
COTTON BALL: For the rough roads, seek the cushioned support of your family and friends.
RUBBER BAND: A reminder to stay flexible.
SWEET & SOUR SWEET: To help you appreciate the differences in others.
HERSHEY KISS: To remind you that everyone needs kisses.
HERSHEY HUG: To remind you that hugs are nice, too.
HAPPY FACE STICKER: Smiling not only increases your face value, it's contagious.
BIRTHDAY CANDLE: To remind you to let your light shine.
BAND-AID: For healing hurt feelings, yours and someone else's.
RECIPE CARD: To share a favorite with a friend as a symbol of caring.
PAPER CLIP: to help keep things together when they seem to be slipping out of control.
TISSUE: to wipe away a tear, your own or someone else's
SMALL SMOOTH STONE: to remind you that rough times help refine and polish--use for smoother tomorrows
PENCIL RUBBER: To remind you that everyday you can start with a clean slate.

True friendship is an awesome gift from God. I am so grateful to Him for the wonderful friends He has brought into my life.

Saturday, December 31, 2005

Sat, 31 Dec 2005 11:46:04 GMT

For those food lovers... According to Olive magazine, the six best food blogs can be found at

http://www.woolfit.com - Though Small, It Is Tasty
http://www.cooksister.typepad.com - Cooksister!
http://www.thepassionatecook.com - The Passionate Cook
http://www.sautewednesday.com - SauteWednesday
http://www.chezpim.typepad.com - Chez Pim
http://www.fireandknives.com - Tim Hayward's site

Oh, and if you're contemplating a foodie safari in 2006: http://www.norwegiancoastalvoyage.com offers a food safari for £78 per person from its northernmost stop, Kirkenes. You'd have to be an extreme foodie though as part of the fun is to jet out on a snowmobile to the Norwegian/Russian border where you can ice fish for lunch. Apparently it is here that you can land the largest king crabs in the world. Now doesn't that sound tempting?

Happy new year!

Thursday, December 29, 2005

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 11:12:18 GMT

Need a laugh? I guarantee this will give you one http://thebackpew.com/backpew/06clndr_mrg.htm. This was a great find on a Thursday morning. Enjoy!