Cell phones in church are the devil & why # 4 is my favorite number

October 26, 2015October 26, 2015 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Technology sure enough has its way of butting its way in & taking over everything. Sometimes I want to tell that guy to slow himself down just a bit. But then, I turn around & let my cell phone be the boss of me so much. Y’all, it’s just too easy to do. I know I shouldn’t be so weak. Even when I am sitting talking to my sweetie. I’m just going to briefly check my emails while he is telling me about his day. Then, all of a sudden y’all, I see an email where Vera Bradley is having a sale & it’s off to the races! The next thing I know of

He’s saying, “Did you hear what I just said?”

I’m like, “Sure, but could you repeat it just to make sure?”

He does the same thing to me so not much harm done. But do you see what’s happening here? DISTRACTIONS folks! Those of the technological kind. They run our lives.

Here is my message to technology:

“While I appreciate all you do for us, there are some things you should just be ashamed of. That’s right. You know what you’ve done. Stop it with the distractions.”

I will tell you, I do have an apparent pet peeve that is, looking on your phone during church. I get using a Bible app on your phone. I am talking about checking Facebook, looking on Pinterest, texting, etc.,. did I say DURING church? It’s so easy to be distracted by a phone. Even though you are supposed to be at church worshiping the Lord, that died for your sins, some people can’t give up the phone long enough to do that. And that’s WRONG if I’ve ever seen it. Just don’t do it. Don’t.

Coming up y’all, how I really feel about it.

I think this is a commandment or something.

I know it could be something as innocent as getting on your Bible app. In the process, you see you have notifications on Facebook or Pinterest. You are just going to glance to see what’s going on & before you know you are scrolling & looking & not paying attention to the preacher & the lesson being taught. Satan will try everything he can to take you away from the Lord. Even, using your phone. And why not? You can access anything on your phone & I mean ANYTHING. You have to be stronger than that & resist what the devil is laying out there at your feet. Or in this case, your fingers.

I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

If we are at church to worship, let’s worship. I don’t think the Lord really wants any less. Ya know?

John 4:24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

How can we worship in spirit & truth if our mind is on what’s going on with Facebook? What did we ever do before social media & knowing what others are doing ALL. THE. TIME? Let the Lord have His time in your life. That’s what’s most important. Not “Suzy’s” new outfit or what “Bob” had for breakfast. You can get the 411 after you finish with worship service. I know. I know. It’s the whole fear of missing out thing. I addressed that here. We need to give God our best. Not what’s left over. Pretty sure the above scripture is a commandment, not a suggestion.

I hope everybody has had a blessed weekend. We attended a football game where my nephew played like a champ. Right now, the number 4 is truly my favorite number. (More about that later.) However, a grand time was had by all. Which means we saw our peeps & ate like pigs. Our favorite. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

My favorite number 4.

Me & my favorite number 4.

More faces I love.

photo credits: http://www.compliancesigns.com, http://www.smartsign.com

What is really necessary & holiday hair loss

December 10, 2014December 10, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Today’s post is just as much for me as it is anybody. With it being such a hectic time of year, sometimes our time gets away with us. Things need to be done, trees are being trimmed, Christmas cookies & candies made, present bought, elves on the shelf are back with a vengeance, Christmas parties to attend, parades to watch, this list of things going on will run rampant if you let it. Then, along with the excitement of the season comes the daily things. You know the things that need doing no matter what. The dishes need washing, the clothes laundered, the floor swept, bathrooms cleaned, beds made, kids taken care of & with all the other Hoorah, sometimes, just sometimes our time with God slips by us. With all the stuff we have to do, there are times I fall into bed at night & barely get my prayers said before I am fast asleep. The next morning I think, I didn’t study my Bible yesterday. That’s not a good thing. So that brings me to this question, “What really is necessary?”

There was a lady in the Bible that got a wonderful lesson about what is necessary. There was a time Jesus went to visit with His sweet friends Mary & Martha. Now, I can imagine what a serious tiz I would be in if Jesus was coming to my house. I would be just like Martha. I would be running around trying to make sure everything was just right. Martha got caught up, just like I would, with things not really necessary.

Luke 10: 40

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”(NKJV)

Jesus did not tell Mary to get up & help her sister fix dinner or clear off the table, so they could eat. He was there to teach & fellowship with them. Not be concerned with things like is the floor vacuumed, dishes washed, and the throw pillows aligned properly on the couch.

Luke 10:41-42

And Jesus^[l] answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴²But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”(NKJV)

Jesus was trying to tell Martha what was necessary. Serving him in a physical, earthly way was not that important to Him right then. He wanted her to sit with Him & her sister & listen to what He had to say. That is what was necessary. When my Daddy drops by my house unannounced, there are times it may appear there has been cyclonic activity happening inside my home. I always start out apologizing for things being in a mess. His response is always the same, “I came to see you, not your house.” I think this is what message Jesus was trying to drive home to Mary & Martha. When you get so busy doing stuff, that you don’t have time for God, you have to be reminded. Is this “stuff” really necessary?

While it’s Christmas time or anytime let’s make sure we don’t overdo ourselves on the unnecessary, that we neglect the necessary. At the end of our time, will it matter that no dirty dishes were left in the sink or that we took that time to sit down & study God’s words & spend time with the Lord? I’m not saying don’t clean your house. I’m saying make your time with God a priority. I do want to share with you one thing I try to do. I have a Bible app on my phone. When I am in my car, I turn that thing on. If I don’t have anything specific I want to listen to, I will put it on Matthew 5. This starts the sermon on the mount. I love hearing the words of Jesus. Something in that sermon seems to always be what I need to hear. It just makes my day go better. It helps me to remember what is really necessary.

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. There are a lot of things we have going on for the holidays. Parties, get togethers, cooking, baking & Christmas shopping. Gracia, our elf on the shelf, is just everywhere this year. She’s a busy little elf for Santa, that’s for sure. I hope you have a plan for your holiday. Me, not so much. Thus, the falling out of my hair. Which I hardly notice for my queasy stomach & frequent heartburn. You see, I’m an off the cuff type of gal. Let me tell you, Christmas at my house is not an off the cuff kind of holiday. There’s lots of preparation. And I have a big family. No pressure. Anyway, I hope all of you are having a blessed week. I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: honeynfizz.blogspot, newyorksightseeingtours.wordpress.com, shereadstruth.bigcartel.com

The time I broke up with Walmart

July 2, 2014September 4, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

It was the summer of 2009 & I had had it. Every time I turned around, I was running to Walmart for something. My husband had been laid off from his job. We were turning off lights, taking shorter showers, limiting our cell phone usage, and basically only going to church & to & from work. We cut way down on eating out. Lots of things we learned quickly we thought we had to have, we didn’t.

One day, after coming out of Walmart, I was studying my receipt. Now, I know Walmart is the place you have to watch out for falling prices. They also price match anyone’s ad that’s a lower price than theirs. So why, pray tell, could I not come out of there under $150? Hmmm….I got to investigating more on this mystery. I went down the list & low & behold I found the answer.

Walmart was sucking my bank account dry.

I was going in & making my price slashed purchases. However, I was coming out with stuff I could very easily do without. I made up my mind right then & there, I was not going to take it anymore. So, I did what any full-blooded Southern, penny pinching consumer would do.

I broke up with Walmart.

There were others there to comfort me through this life changing decision. K-mart stepped right in & gave me a card, that when you buy your wares, you start racking up points. In return, you can cash those boogers in & get money off. Right off your total purchase! I thought they were just flirting with me, until I bought a nice birthday present for nearly nothing out of pocket.

Next, Dollar General became my new love. Do you know you can get $5 off coupons that make $25 worth of necessary things only cost you $20? I’ll take $5 free dollars. The Dollar Tree got on my list of favorites, as well. Do you know how many things you can get in Dollar Tree for $50? (Yup, 50, that’s how many.) They even have food now. As I happily started seeing my money being put to better use, I realized Walmart had too many distractions. Yes, I can get soap cheaper at Walmart than Dollar General. However, I am not bombarded with stuff, as soon as I walk in the door. Stuff that I & lots of other well meaning, moneysaving shoppers think they have to have. (But honestly do not.)

Sometimes my spiritual life seems to get spent the same way. Temptations & enticements easily lead me away. There are times I have so many things that try to get in the way of me reading my Bible. Often enough, I don’t take the time to stop & encourage someone. Or I let other things get in the way of me stopping to send a card to someone sick. I don’t take the opportunity to acknowledge someone’s problems because I’m too busy doing things that really aren’t helping me at all.

Such as reading all the wonderful, uplifting posts on my Facebook news feed.

(Ha. Haha. Hahahaha.)

Or perhaps I might find a wee bit of time to help someone if I weren’t on Pinterest pinning funny sayings to my board. Or looking for new hair styles, or pinning lots of lovely things to my crafty project boards – that I will probably never get time to do anyway.

James 1: 22 says But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

That means I have got to be a doer. A doer for good. Then, maybe my temptations won’t seem so big.

John said in

I John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (NKJV)

This means all the stuff I was seeing that I just HAD to have, was not only not necessary, it’s not of the Father. SO, I had no business with it anyway.

The apostle Paul cautioned Timothy in

I Timothy 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.(NKJV)

Buying more things than I needed was foolish & harmful. It just wasn’t doing anything but leaving me with less money. At the time, I just didn’t need to be doing that. While things are more on track now, I still don’t need to throw our money away.

Now that we are in 2014 & we have been back to a 2 job home for a while, I still do not go in Walmart very often. My break up with Walmart taught me a few things.

I have to hold myself to my shopping list. If I go in to buy notebooks for $.10, but still wind up with $103.17 worth of stuff in my buggy, those $.10 notebooks weren’t really that cheap, were they?
I can survive without Walmart.
Change may not be as bad as you think.
I am not willingly subjecting myself to a store’s ploy to take my money. Because, hey I admit it. I am a sucker for a bargain & Walmart is FULL of them, plus lots of other stuff I don’t need.
I can do without a lot of things I thought I could not.
Even if I have money to purchase things, I need to ask myself if it’s a need or a want.

Just so the elephant in the room can move on out, this is not a paid endorsement from Kmart, Dollar General, nor The Dollar Tree. These are my own personal opinions, in which have been perfectly approved by the president & CEO of I should be washing clothes (Which is me.) I’m not bitter with Walmart. I think they taught me some valuable lessons. Some that I would have never experienced, if not for them & their stuff.

Thank you for coming by to visit with me today. I have enjoyed our time together. I hope you are able to provide for your family’s needs and wants. Just remember, too, God will provide. He provided for us while we were a one job household & He will provide for you, too. I hope you enjoy this beautiful holiday weekend. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: sodahead, tattoodonkey, & howtobreakup.net

Happy belated Father’s Day & distractions

June 18, 2014June 18, 2014 / kstrick7 / 1 Comment

I hope all of you fathers out there had a wonderful day on Sunday. I did not forget you. I was just, well distracted. But first let me say I love my Daddy & I did visit him Sunday. This year, I visited him at his house. Not at the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It used to kinda be a running joke. If someone asked me, “Did you get to see your Dad on Father’s Day?” I would reply very solemnly, “Yes, he seemed to be doing well. You know he’s at the correctional facility, now.” Lots of times, I would get startled looks. Then again, those who knew us well enough, knew he was just at work. He has since retired & I do not have to go through a guarded chain link, barbed wire laden gate to make my Father’s Day visit. Coincidently, my daddy is a preacher. Even though he is in his late 60s, he still sees it his responsibility to keep the gospel spread about. He was filling in for a friend, on Sunday, at a local congregation. Like a good minister he spent his Sunday afternoon studying the Bible & taking a little rest. Me & Miss Neenee went over after our church service Sunday night. We took him supper & visited for a bit. He was full of his usual entertaining conversation. As I sat at the kitchen table talking to him, I felt very blest to be there with him. Very blest to have been raised by a preaching daddy & praying mama. Very blest to have had a present daddy. One that was there & was involved with me & my brother growing up. He did a miraculous & above and beyond job taking care of my mama when she got sick. I have nothing bad to say about my daddy. Nothing. At. All. Go ahead. Try to make me say something. Nope. Won’t do it. He has the qualities the Bible talks about.
A Father’s Integrity
I Chronicles 29:17
17 I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You. (NKJV)
A Father’s Courage
Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
A Father’s Compassion
Psalm 103:13
13 As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.(NKJV)

A Father’s Legacy
Proverbs 23:24
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice,
And he who begets a wise child will delight in him. (NKJV)
A Father’s Wisdom
Proverbs 4:11-13, NIV
“I guide you
in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk,
your steps will not be hampered;
when you run,
you will not stumble.
Hold on to instruction,
do not let it go;
guard it well,
for it is your life.”

A Father’s Love
I Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.

I hope everyone has had a great week, so far. I so hope you did not mind my Father’s Day post being a teeny tiny bit late. Oh yeah, that distraction I was talking about- a FULL weekend with my sweeties! It was grand. But for now, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.