Tag Archive | What this blog is about

Oops! Jar

A few weeks ago my husband and I discussed some new family guidelines for our three member family. We were trying to find a way that would help all of us remember things to do to help us function sweeter together as a team. We came up with the Oops! Jar. After a family meeting where everyone got to have a say in the guidelines, reasons behind and solutions we implemented our plan.

Whenever one of us forgets to do something, like put dirty clothes in the laundry baskets or wipe the toothpaste off of the sink then we have to put a quarter into the Oops! Jar. Then when we go on a vacation we will use the funds to help pay for something we all want to do.

Since this is still “new” to us I won’t tell you how it’s working, although I will say we need a lot more quarters than usual around the house these days!

If I had an Oops! Jar for myself on this blog I would have quite a tidy sum of quarters jangling around inside. There are some “rules” of blogging I haven’t adhered to very well. So, although I won’t be depositing a physical quarter into fvbf’s
Oops! Jar I will offer virtual ones to you my readers.

Sometimes I drop off the blogging field for days, even weeks at a time.
I am no computer whiz and when I had to purchase a new laptop unexpectedly with Windows 8 and upgraded Word products it threw me for quite a loop. Rather than deal with it, I’ve chosen to bury my head under the laptop and try to wish it to work like what I was familiar with.
No back-up! Yes, I know I should back-up my computer files and I was once regular at doing so but, I grew neglectful and when my old laptop crashed – yes, you got it, I lost work in process and that made me annoyed with myself so I just didn’t deal with it.
When I am blogging regularly I don’t post my blog before 9:00 a.m. like the “suggestive guidelines” tell me.
My writing will win me no grammar awards I am sure!
I’m sure there are others and ignorance isn’t bliss so for those I also offer an Oops! Jar contribution.

Now, with those Oops! Jar confessions accounted for here are some for the personal blogging guidelines God and I hammered out when I began to publish my blogs that I’ve violated too.

I’m not always willing to give my readers “the rest of the story”. Especially since I was forced into taking disability. As a Christian I have wanted to handle it better, allowing God to show grace through me, to forgive and to push on to the rest of my life. I have struggled in ways I have no words to describe these last six months. I have chosen to hide away at home on Sunday’s so I could avoid admitting to my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ that my faith is taking a beating, that I have been asking “Why?” of God and not trusting. Now there are some who may comment that I’ve been way more forthcoming than they have desire to know. I respect that opinion if it is yours.
I need to forgive my father and his role he played in leading to my having an amputation AGAIN. That is difficult for me to admit but I’ve allowed resentment and bitterness to interfere and become a stumbling block AGAIN. This is on me, not him, for I am the one who forgives, leaves it at Jesus’ feet and picks it up again.

Finally let me remind myself and you my readers that I am no formally educated person in theology, doctrine, religious beliefs. The views I offer are of a layperson who is a female, a mother, a wife, an amputee with complications, a wrestler with depression and anxiety, a want-to-be writer, artistic painting dabbler and a flawed human being with a relationship with Jesus Christ that is not always what it should be because I can’t “surrender all”. I want this blog to be “real” and sometimes gritty revealing honest emotions, faith struggles and life lessons. Here I hope people read “real” and by doing so, find God to be real as well.

For now it is way past posting time and my coffee grows cold. Until next time dear readers and friends!

Faye

Assignment: God Stuff

Feb6

Our daughter is at that age where she is no longer a “child” but not yet a teenager. Her special “friend” Charlie, is still as alive and real in her world as we are, and people in our life know not to refer to him as a “stuffed animal”. Yet boys are starting to become interesting creations and a bad hair day can ruin an otherwise bright morning. So when I’ve requested prayer for “What is it God wants me to write?” her answers, I’ve thought were well, suggestions from my eleven-year-old. The same child who begs me to tell her stories about “squirrels being crazy funny” and “princess who love squirrels” also suggests:

“Christian writing Mama, what else?”

“Angels and God things Mama.”

“How many times do I have to tell you? You write “God stuff”!”

On the way to school this morning I was silently praying for our daughter when I had a clarifying moment for my own question. Suddenly I heard her voice suggesting what I write and in the same moments I remembered one of the things I’ve been told in a multitude of ways which is “write what you know”. If I take that with what my daughter’s advice is my direction to write would be to write “about God stuff, about the times I’ve encountered God and angels in my ordinary life”.

Returning home I pulled out my favorite Bible and prayed for as clear a direction from scripture as what I believed I had received as I drove away from school. I started in I Corinthians 13 but it was chapter 14 that held my attention. I read it over and over for I knew something was calling to me to pay more attention and verses 9-12 kept drawing me back.

“So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. If I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker and he is a foreigner to me. So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.”

I Corinthians 14:9-12 N.I.V.

Paul was writing about the desire the Christians in Corinth were having for spiritual gifts and how those gifts they desired should be ones that build up the church. These particular verses are about orally conveying the message of Christ in a language that the audience members can understand. (At least to the way this layperson understands them.)

Would God direct me any differently today than He did through Paul those early Corinth Christians just because my venue is the written word? After all God did not intend that Paul’s letter would be one to encourage and instruct just the Christians at Corinth. Even then God knew that His message through Paul would one day be devoured by Christians all over the world. Yes, I believe even then God knew I would be in need of His words to the Corinth church. Should I not convey the message of Jesus Christ’s love for us? That Jesus Himself became the mediator between God and us? Should this message not be written in a language people can understand? Should I not be writing so that God’s people are encouraged and the body of believers is built up?

Or in a more direct understanding, should I not write about my ordinary life and encounters with God and angels with words that people understand?

Maybe this blog is my assignment at this time whether I have many followers or not. God must have His plans and as long as He keeps inspiring me I’ll keep writing “God stuff” and pray that I use words that people understand so He is edified.

-Faye

Celebrating 100

Feb1

This blog site is celebrating today as we post our 100^th blog. As I pondered ways to observe this milestone (well to me it’s a milestone) I found myself thinking of the somewhat “cheesy” ideas my daughter’s old school used to do to celebrate the 100th day of school. We were always asked to send 100 coins, some food that could split into 100 pieces (can you say Cheerios?), and once 100 small items such as party favors, pencils or erasers. None of those would be feasible for fvbf (faith view by faye) so I hope I’ve managed to escape the cheese today.

The 100^th word of the Old Testament is “So” found in Genesis 1:7:

“So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse.”

The 100^th word of the New Testament is “David” found in Matthew 1:6:

“…and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.”

The 100^th verse of the Old Testament is Genesis 4:20:

“Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.”

The 100^th verse of the New Testament is Matthew 5:10:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

To Our Father in Heaven I offer as David did thousands of years ago, the 100^th Psalm.

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations”

The purpose God and I set forth for this blog was the opportunity for one female to share her Christian layperson views on living the Christian faith. I haven’t promised (nor delivered) deep theological thoughts or discussions, outstanding writing or sparks for lighting any spiritual fires. I have and hope to continue sharing my walk in Jesus with any and all who stop by.

Thank you for keeping me around this long! I’ve loved the comments I’ve gotten and I am appreciative of them and of you! My numbers aren’t as bad as I thought they were!

Mostly I’m amazed that God has blessed me with such an avenue to put forth something for His kingdom.

God bless,

-Faye

Hello world!

Apr11

Hello Readers:

If you’re looking for a blog that is theologically deep this is the wrong blog for you to subscribe to…HOWEVER, if you’re looking for a blog written by an everyday Christian who is unafraid for you to read about her warts, flaws and all then I believe this blog may be interesting for you. I will never claim to have all the answers always my blogs I pray are going to be based on my experiences and perspectives from my own walk with Christ but hopefully also on what the Word of God says on the matter, AS I UNDERSTAND IT.

To quote Paul in II Corinthians 12 verse 9a (N.I.V.) “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weaknesses.’…”

Glory, pats on the back etc…is not what I seek from this blog…I merely want to reflect for you God’s mighty ability to use everything in our lives for His purpose.

Faithfully,

Faith