THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT

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I’m a sinner and have no right judging another person, but I am truly concerned about the lack of common sense and not taking responsibility for our actions, which has infiltrated our nation.  It’s another insidious tool of the devil as old as time itself.  When Adam was confronted by God about His disobedience, He blamed Eve. She passed the buck to the devil.  All three of them were guilty, but no one wanted to own up to it.

It seems that the idea of blaming someone else has come back in style big time these days.  When things don’t go our way, we blame our parents.  When we don’t get our monetary needs satisfied, we blame our employers.  If our chosen candidate doesn’t win the election, we try to dig up as much dirt on the winner as we can. When our children misbehave, we blame their genetic DNA.  When we screw up, we blame someone else for the results of our wrongdoing.

This tactic of “self defense” simply shouldn’t cut it anymore.  We’ve lived too long this way.  It’s weaving its way into the political realm.  We’re exposed to it by actions taken against those who protect and serve.  We see it every day when kids blame other kids for something they’ve done.  Children learn by example and today the example stinks.

Every day there’s another incident of not owning up to foolish or harmful actions.  Those who can’t seem to handle the heat, don’t want to lose face.  They fear losing their jobs.  They can’t accept the results of their foolishness.  If they had thought about the results before doing the action, they never would’ve done it.

We’re all guilty of this at one time or another, but I fear it has become a way of life and a catch

all for every situation.  When those in power, minorities, parents, children, old fogies and celebrities use this tactic, we’re setting themselves up for judgment.  That judgment will come on the final day and will be determined by God Himself.

Isaiah 1:4 “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers,
children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.”

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WRITERS FUNNIES

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Start taking notes, kids!

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EXPRESSING THOUGHTS WITHOUT WORDS

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ORIGINALLY POSTED ON 5/29/14 BY ATIMETOSHARE.ME

A mixture of saline and water which appears during a specific episode.
It can occur when a foreign object enters the area.
It can be produced through irritation, emotion, a strong odor or taste.
It acts as a cleanser. It can come at the most unpredictable times.
When your heart is aching over a lost love.
When you’ve shared angry words with a friend or spouse.
When a loved one departs this temporary life.
When you feel alone, betrayed, hopeless.
When there are no words to express what is in the heart.
God give us these little droplets to renew us – to release the sadness –
To wash away anger, frustration, grief, loss.
They can come gushing out or merely trickle.
Tears.
Tears give us new strength and power.
Every time I cry, I feel as though the flood gates have opened.
Once the cry is over there is true sense of relief.
Thank you, Lord, for tears. Help me to know that they are a good thing.
Keep me from being embarrassed or ashamed when my tears fall.
Remind me of the tears shed at your death.
Assure me that through your resurrection and ascension, I will see you.
My tears of sorrow will turn to tears of joy when I enter heaven.
After that time there will be no more tears.

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SET SAIL

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ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER@

THOUGHTS FOR THE GRADUATE

Up until now,

Stuck within the pack,

Held tightly from the fray,

Others watched your back,

Protected you did stay,

But now the day has come,

It’s time to spread your wings.

To soar above the sun,

To reach for all life brings,

So raise the mast and sail,

upon life’s shifting seas,

Your pilot will not fail,

To give you all the keys,

Your path is all mapped out,

When God is at the helm,

There is no room for doubt,

He’ll guide you to His realm.

Look ahead, yesterday is gone and life is starting fresh. Set sail for your future.

 

 

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JULIE’S FRIDAY FUNNY

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Light saber recharging it does need.

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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SO THIS BE MADNESS …

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I’ve been trying to remain silent about all the hoopla over our president and the slings and arrows flying in his direction.  All of these diversion tactics draw us away from the truth in the form of fake news, insane attempts at comedy, making fun of him, pulling no punches when it comes to his family or his lifestyle.  In my opinion, it’s nothing more than pure and simple bullying – the one thing that liberals are good at.

So here I am again – after vowing to put on a happy face – screaming, ranting and spewing words of anger and rage.  I never should have tuned into the news.  I should steer clear of the internet.  I should just hide under my pillow with my happy face having no effect on anyone.

The truth is, we can’t hide from the horrid things going on in our world and in our own country.  The atrocities occurring around the world are countless.  People seriously are starving to death, being forced to deny their beliefs, living in squalor, poverty or addiction, being sold into sex trafficking and losing lives as martyrs.  These aren’t pleasant things to witness, but they are the truth of our world today.  Instead what is being focused on?

A comedian, trying to gain public attention, holds the head of a decapitated image of the leader of the free world, simply to get a laugh.  The president makes a typo in one of his tweets and the press is all over it.  All of us has done so, but we don’t see headlines about it.

A bus full of Coptic Christians in Egypt is destroyed because those within it won’t deny their faith in Christ. ISIS claims responsibility.  This story takes second place to the comedian.  A jury in Minnesota is being selected to prove that a cop acted in self defense and the media focuses on a video taken by the victim’s  girlfriend.  We don’t know how this will turn out, but why bias those who will judge him before he even goes to trial?

Our world has gone mad and these are just a few examples of the craziness.  This insanity can only be overcome by the consistency of One.  God has never changed in regard to what He expects from us.  He demands our obedience and respect and as a true Father, also loves us unconditionally in spite of all our madness.

The diversions of this world should never give way to the truth of God and His Holy Word.  Madness feeds on untruths or flashy headlines.  When we allow it to overtake us, we are allowing it to fester.  We get angry, we lose sight of the important things and many times succumb to the insanity.

1 Timothy 3:1-5   “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

 

I feel better now!

 

 

 

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SET THE WORLD ON FIRE

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ORIGINAL ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

Life can be but a mere whisper,

Or it can be a consuming fire,

The way we approach it,

Will define who we are and where we’re going,

If we go through life without focus,

If we don’t set goals,

Or make wise decisions,

If we try to accomplish it alone,

We are bound to stumble,

If we use each moment with purpose,

If we wake each day knowing that Jesus is our partner,

If we light the world with our enthusiasm,

We will turn that fire into a raging conflagration,

Our spirit will soar as on wings of eagles,

We will succeed in ways we never imagined.

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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HUNGRY GOATS

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Recently, my home state of Minnesota decided they would try to control invasive plants which are killing the good ones.  Where does one go to retain a group of goats?  I suppose they call UNEEDA GOAT or some other rent a goat operation.  In any case it seems funny to me that they are returning to using these animals for what they were originally designed to do.

Maybe, over time goats have received a bad rap and now because of political correctness, we are tolerating them in our cities.  What once was unheard of is now good.  I’ve also heard that chickens are making a comeback in the city.  Little hen houses are popping up all over the place so that people can enjoy fresh, unprocessed eggs for breakfast.

Isn’t it strange how we set limits on things and then realize we might have overlooked the obvious?  For example, we could get rid of all the gas guzzling cars and revert to riding horses to and from work.  If you work at home – even better.  You won’t have to clean up after them in transit.  Maybe we should add cows to the mix as well.  A tall glass of warm non-pasteurized milk would taste great on a hot summer day.

So let’s get back to basics.  Many cultures revere their animals and some even think their relatives have reinvented themselves within them.  Animals forged the path across this great country.  They helped to create roads, feed families, produce clothing and much more.  The least we can do is repay them in some small way – like having them take the place of weed whackers. I’m sure they’ll enjoy the benefits.

Oh boy, I have left myself wide open for attacks from PITA!

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CHOICES

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“We are not living in a world where all roads are radii of a circle and where all, if followed long enough, will therefore draw gradually nearer and finally meet at the centre: rather in a world where every road, after a few miles, forks into two, and each of those into two again, and at each fork, you must make a decision.”  C. S. Lewis

While on vacation these past couple weeks, I came to the conclusion that I am free to make choices, because God made me that way.  He didn’t make cookie cutter versions of each of us.  We all have an inner voice which guides us one way or the other.  That voice is called conscience and seems to have been erased over the past few years as non-existent or foolishness.

As young men and women graduate, they’re making choices that will affect their future.  They’re choosing a career path, education options, who to associate with, whether religion is relevant, living off their parents or deciding it’s time to fly. When we choose a spouse, we have to make bigger decisions.  When we start a family, the choices are no longer ours alone.  When you reach old age, you think you’ve finished making choices, but not so.

For the past few months, I’ve been wallowing in sadness caused by the loss of several of my dear friends.  I’ve been witness to the results of aging and the disabilities it causes.  I’ve struggled with my own aging process.  I’ve been searching for peace in retirement, as I feel I still need to work.  In other words – I’ve been choosing to be depressed.

I know in time there will be healing from all the death surrounding me.  I also know that those who have passed are already in heaven waiting for my arrival.  The process of death is not what makes a Christian sad, it’s the grieving process that follows which can disable us.

So what do we choose?  Do we continue to feel sorry for ourselves and live in darkness for the rest of our days, or do we find joy in looking for ways to be happy? It shouldn’t be a difficult choice.  The toughest choice ever, was made over two thousand years ago, when God chose to send His Son to the world, to be crucified, suffer death and placed in a tomb. The grief was tremendous, but the joy was insurmountable on Easter morning when Jesus conquered death for all.

I know God still has plans for me.  I’m not sure what they are, but I am confident that they are going to be for my good and the good of others.  It’s time to choose happiness!

 

 

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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PUNCTUATION, PUNCTUATION, PUNCTUATION!!!

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NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

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For two weeks, I was rarely exposed to the noise of a TV, the cacophony of rhetoric out of Washington, the negative, the fake.  The Senators Foghorn Leghorn, who love the sound of their own voice were a distant memory.  The local news channels fighting for a scoop and reporting stories with equally irresponsible journalism, was nowhere to be found.

Since returning home, the news has returned, but I’ve turned a deaf ear to it.  I only have one good ear anyway.  We can tune out all the ugliness of the political scene.  We can ignore the state of the world and the hotspots erupting all around it.  We can even cocoon ourselves from all of it by turning inward, but there is too much which needs to be fixed and the ugliness of that truth always rears its ugly head.

So what do we do when all the prattle becomes too much?  What do we do when we can’t do anything about it? Why do we feel we have to be the ones to fix it?

So many minds are still focused on an election which has been over for six months.  Too many have stored up anger which will go on for months and even into years.  The topsy- turviness of our world has caused many to despair, give up and even cave to anxiety.

If anything is going to change in this world, there needs to be a return to the One who created it.  God is longing to hear from us.  He wants us to ask for His help.  He is the only One who can provide it.  We can’t suppress the anger that has overtaken our country, but He can.  Too many have forgotten how to do that.  We’ve lost sight of the power of prayer – especially when more than a few are praying for the same result.

If you’re tired of yucky news, if you feel cheated or lost by what’s going on in the world, if you want to retreat to a desert island forever, turn it over to God.  He has it all mapped out.  His plan is sure.  He will not disappoint us.  He loves us.  PRAY!

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LIFE IN THE CAR

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Who can forget this scene from the movie, “Vacation”?  Chevy Chase assessing the damage while his family looked on in dismay.  In this part of the story, Clark Griswold has a man to man “good talk” about life, with his son, Rusty.  With many miles under my back side, I’m reminded of the many “good talks” I had with my own children in the car.

Memories of their accomplishments during those growing up years, paled in comparison to the Some of the time spent carting them from one event to another. We shared a lot of good stuff on the way to those things. You wouldn’t expect those chauffeuring moments to create long time bonding, but it does.  Certainly many cab drivers get an earful when delivering their patrons to their destination.

Lots of good parental advice can be deled out in the car.  After all, you have a captive audience, so why not use that valuable time to solve the problems of their world.  We talked about what happened during their day, what they expected from the event we were going to, and how they were coping with things in general. Since we live in a world which revolves around getting from one place to another, those precious moments can be a boon to parenting.

Of course, if you’re faced with inclement weather, detours, accidents and other driving obstacles, you want to keep your attention on the road.  Today children are more focused on their phones or other electronic devices, but maybe as their parent, you should ask them to turn them off when in the car.  You can set the example by turning yours off as well.

Treasure the time you have with your children. Soon they will be leading their own lives and it’s good to know that they can talk to you anytime . . . even in the car. I should probably add that my “captive audience” was sometimes asleep while I was pressing on through wind and snow, but that didn’t deter my conversation.  I had to talk to keep myself awake on those early morning drives into school.

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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ROAD WARRIORS FINI

We recently hit the road with great intentions of seeing wonderful sights and visiting with special people.  There are also the moments you never forget.

The final leg of the journey returning home, often turns into a quest no matter how much your body is screaming for a bed.  We vowed to make a few more stops on our way home, because we looked like old people when we arrived at my sisters. By the time we reached our daughters, we probably looked like we needed a hospital bed, rather than the comfy one they provided us.  I’m not saying we’re getting old, but we are!

My husband has proven to be a true road warrior.  He loves driving – especially when the road is clear and the pace has been set.  Having the eyes of an artist, he notices things that I never see. constantly taking mental pictures for future reference, while I struggle to capture moving objects on my phone camera. Having the desire to push on, leaves little room for sightseeing, but we did manage to see a restoration of an Appalachian village.  We go stretched our weary legs, but I quickly ran out of breath, so it was back to the air conditioned vehicle and watching the beauty of the countryside as we whizzed by.

The mountains were majestic, the trees lavish and tightly knit into massive forests, the road kill was abundant.  There were dead possums, birds, porcupines, deer and thousands of dead tires which could probably be recycled into flip flops.  We witnessed a few accidents, many speeders and lots of cone storage.  I’m sure you’ve seen it.  When they have no room for those bright orange barriers, they line them up on the highway to annoy drivers..

Mr. Road Warrior was on a roll as we rolled into Kentucky.  It was still early, so he decided we could make a few more hours of driving.  When we pulled into Indiana, we realized it was Memorial Day weekend and the Indianapolis 500 would take place the next day, so finding a motel was impossible.  So we hit the road again and wound up in a town on the border into Illinois. It was next to impossible to find a room and those available were way out of our range.  We found a motel that seemed devoid of cars.  A broken down restaurant sat beside it.  In the front stood four Roman statues, beckoning visitors. The motel was encrusted with broken down plaster exterior, plastic bottles and other refuse floating through the parking lot and I expected the manager to look like Norman.

We entered the room, which had no light switches, so we groped around for a lamp. I rushed to the bathroom, to discover a toilet that was not functioning and a shower that was consistent with the Bates Motel.  After calling the manager, we were told someone would come to take a look at it.  I was sure Norman would show up with a plunger and some sharp instrument in his hand.  Eventually we were sent to another room, which proved acceptable.  At least the bed was huge and the toilet worked.

We had a wonderful vacation and we’re still talking to each other.  We’re already talking about our next trip.

 

 

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BEAUTY IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

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ART & INSPIRATION FROM PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

Swirling shades of mauve, azure, mossy green and brilliant yellow,

Interlaced with contrasting purples, browns, deep crimson,

Knotted and gnarly,

Ridged, impenetrable, stoic,

Trees can hold secrets from centuries before,

They listen, but never respond,

They dance in the wind,

Breathe as each season carries them,

Die in the final one,

But rise to live again,

We become tangled,

Hardened,

Entrenched,

Tightly woven in the fabric of life,

Forgetting,

Who gave us breath,

We struggle,

We become weak,

We blame ourselves,

And others,

For the plight of every day,

We abandon the One who loves,

Without end,

Forgives,

Without end,

Turns death into life again,

He will hold us in all strife,

Carry when we no longer can walk,

Cuddle us in His massive wings,

When we ask Him to,

Ask.

 

 

 

 

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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WRITERS’ FUNNIES

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