World Youth Day in Germany

I was a little surprised when I was listening to the World Youth Day Mass on tv tonight. It had been previously serviced about 10am Germany time, but that would have been roughly 2am Midwestern time. Who is crazy enough to watch a mass take place in German at 2am? Well, I'm sure there's some zealot out there...but I'm not her.
So... surprises! Yes, what I was surprised about during the mass. I was listening to the English translator, speaking over Pope Benedict's voice and I noticed a something.......or a lack of something. I think it would be enthusiasm. How disarming it came to me when the Pope started off a prayer to the poor of the world (in German I presume, although I don't really know any German)and here the commentator start up going "And here we see Pope Benedict xvi praying for the poor of the world." I guess it doesn't come off as that mundane in writing, but if you heard this person ... it was as if he was annoyed that he was missing out on his weather channel reports.
Where has all the excitement gone? I mean, World YOUTH Day celebrations.... I can't imagine how lucky it would be to have that many kids in one area....the things you could instill in them! If only the Pope would have spoken on drug abuse, purity, addictions, wrong choices, and personal relationships with their Savior and Lord ~ I'm sure I would have stood up and cheered in my living room ( Just as soon as the commentator told me the Pope said that of course.) It's possible that I missed that part of the mass, of course.

Lately I've found out that people really don't care about starving orphans being oppressed in China. Oh, they may give money to charities to feel better, but what people really truly care about is themselves. Their world and the people in it. That thought makes me cry, even though I know for a fact that I am similarly the same type of person they are. I remember Milagros and her family in my prayers and make sure that I give 28 dollars a month to help her go to school; but would I go to Peru to see her? Probably not. It was much to my surprise that when I was praying at the Wailing Wall (It's a wall of names to pray over) I was succombed with tears over people who I've met previously, but don't see regularly anymore. The names I wrote up there of my family and current Aberdabber people didn't influence me as did the people I knew in Madison. Seeing those names again ~ the faces that crossed through my mind ~ brought me to a glimpse of how God feels when we fall away from Him. He sees us, though He hasn't heard from us in a while, and He cries. He is succombed with emotion over the people He has missed and just the sound of their names bring on the tears.
A few other ramblings I had in my head was that a dear person I knew passed away this month. Her name was Vera Clancey. I worked with her when I was a CNA at a nursing home she lived in. She was an amazing Christian who once made me these cool hangers out of wire and string. I would drop in to visit her whenever I could and enjoyed seeing her nicknacks and whatnots around her room. I was shocked to hear this news in Church, but overjoyed because I knew her time had come to be with our Savior. I wouldn't take that away from her even if I could.
The other rambling I have in my head, is that I'm trying hard not to complain. If you see me doing it... ask me what Worship song I would like in my head... for I am bound to think of praise music whenever I feel cantankerous nowadays.

Live in Christ- He died for us!

The Askew

I was reading in this page-a-day bible book given to me called, "Our Daily Bread" today. It was given to me by a Baptist pastor I just recently met when I dropped by one Sunday for a service. Good sermon.
Anyway, I was reading and the last bits of this book tend to have a quote of some sort on it. Here was todays:
Christian are you disappointed
With the world and all around?
Turn your eyes from earth to heaven,
Where true joys may all be found.
-Anon.
I thought it was quite what I need to hear... even though I didn't have a clue what I needed to hear until I heard it. It was much the same yesterday as well...
I never walk alone, Christ walks beside me,
he is the dearest Friend I've ever known;
With such a friend to comfort and to guide me,
I never, no, I never walk alone.
-Ackley
We all need to hear that every once in a while. We aren't alone in our decisitions and choices. And likewise, the consequences from our decisions may be small or large on this world, but it is nothing to what's in store for us in the hereafter...

Interesting thoughts for the day....

Another month bites the dust!

Hello out there in the land of interspace connection! I just found a small spicket of time in my ever so busy day to drop you guys a line. Tell you I'm fine. ... yeah.....
Anyway, you know the job my mom has been pining for for all of July? Well, they still don't know! 6 interviews later...and they still don't know! That's bogus. If they have to have six interviews with her and they still don't dismiss her, they should totally hire her on the basis that she has driven to at least three seperate towns to do these interviews on a whim!

Also, my friends, Zach and Mary just got hitched last weekend up in Fargo~ it was a lovely services and yummy food after! Also, as a parting a gift, Zach had made these plastic roses out of red plastic spoons heated over a candle.... creativity in spades, I tell you what! They look awesome too!!

Susan (we'll call her sister #4 or younger sister 1) is spending some time with me in Aberdeen. I picked her up yesterday and she'll be leaving tomorrow. We went shopping yesterday for school clothes and after went out for chinese. Her fortune cookie after said something like, "Broke is only temporary. Poor is a state of mind." Mine said, " Look forward to extra energy." No kidding. The fortune cookies were actually right on the dot!
After Chinese yummyums, we stopped by our brother, Matt's place and saw him, his gf Sara, and their son, Owen. Owen is getting über big! He's chunky and he likes to smile a lot. Then, Stacy (Sara's sis) and her 3 girls came over. They were heading off to go swimming at Wiley Park. We were thinking about it, but then we realized we wanted to see a flick instead.
Susan and I left for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shortly before 9 to be able to see it. It was amazing fun stuff! I really enjoyed this version. I'm not sure it can really be put on a ranking with the prior one... there's so much technological difference and year difference... I think if the older one was made in this year than it would look like this one, but if the new one was made back then, then it would look like the old one... wait... yeah, that makes sense to me!

Wonderful goodness and joy to you!