Our precious jewel is back, safe and happy to be home. Thank you for your prayers. 

HFCS

Recently I have been made aware of some of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup. While the internet is a dangerous venue for research because of the mass of misinformation, there are enough reputable internet sources waving the red flag against HFCS to raise my eybrows. What concerns me is that it seems to be in everything. I encourage you to do some research of your own and read your food labels carefully.

Where I'm From

I am from the wicker laundry basket that rests beneath the clothesline, from the hearth that warms the soul and the table we join hands round.
I am from the cheery, peaceful bungalow where aromas of freshly baked breads slip out the window to call loved ones home. I am from the porch swing where stories are told, hearts desires unfolded and kisses bestowed.
I am from hand made baskets bursting with Chrysanthemum. From delicate tea rose, and gentle Dogwood. From Japanese Maple, proud and colorful.
I am from puns and playfulness and loyalty, from Jack and Mert, and Russell and Sylvia, too.
I am from childlike generosity and unwavering love.
From faeries leaping from chimney stacks and flickering with light and from brownies who clean under the bed through the night.
I am from Calvin, Luther, and Zwingli; the reformers whose voices still echo today.
I'm from England and Germany, from tradition and stoicism. From sourdough bread and chocolate chip cookies, relished with thanksgiving to God.
From the floods and fires of vacations past, the adventures of clearing land and contests for the dirtiest laborer. From seaside strolls, ice cream shops, and bookstore addictions. From the members who stand by their loved ones when all the world turns their back.
I am from hope chests, old train trunks, and hat boxes tucked away for safe keeping until some small child happens upon these tiny treasures and stories from so long ago.

Hat tip to Mrs. Blythe for this wonderful idea. :)

Our daughter is away at camp and has been faced with some trying times. A mother's instinct is to run to her defense, bringing her back to the fortress of home, but as my husband said, what kind of teacher am I if I do not allow my student to ever take an exam? As our daughter is on the brink of womanhood, I cannot and should not be always at my daughter's side giving her the correct answers; there comes a point in every child's life when they must own their faith. God is to be her strength and her high tower, not me. Our daughter has certainly had many tests of faith while at camp, and thus far has done very well. Her verse to cling to during this time is, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is a comfort, because it is an honor and a privilege to be counted worthy to share in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. May God increase her faith even more.

Bird Flu Update

This week I attended our city's bird flu planning meeting. Most the information given at this meeting was not new to me. What was most encouraging to me was the city's plan to shut down non-mandatory public gatherings if such a pandemic hits. In the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, communities that enforced quarantines fared much better than those that did not. What was discouraging to me was the realization that I am not "over" prepared for such an event. Most influenza viruses come in two waves, each one lasting six to eight weeks, so I need to have more supplies on hand. Later, I will post some of my notes from the meeting.

Free Glad Rags

From Glad Rags:
Do you have a blog? Help spread the word and get a Free GladRag! If you have a blog, add www.gladrags.com to your links page and we’ll send you a Free GladRag. And if you have any other blogger friends who might be interested in a Free GladRag, please let ‘em know about this great mutual opportunity.
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Are We Driven By Fear?

So much of what I think, read, and post about is really motivated by fear. I find this to be very energy and time draining.

I'm concerned about bird flu, so I get daily google updates about it and read 1,000 page books about the 1918 flu epidemic and start stocking up on medications and food...

I read books about what's in processed foods, and I buy foods that are organic, but allow my mind to be poisoned by worry, which in turn negatively affects my health more than the processed foods or not exercising...

While it is good to make preparations for the future, take care of our bodies, and protect our children; it is not good to let these activities or thoughts consume us. To spend so much of our energies on these things is to be weighed down by the things of the world. In light of this, I will be removing my google alerts. I would be better prepared mentally for any impending pandemic if my mind were bathed in Scripture and prayer rather than fear.


Phillipians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'm currently in Chicago on a trip with my dear husband and my mother. While I'm here, I am reading a book entitled Chew on This by Eric Schlosser & Charles Wilson. Here are some quotes from the book:

Every month about nine out of ten American children visit [McDonalds].

The Golden Arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross.

Americans now spend more money on fast food than on college education, personal computers, computer software, or new cars.

More later...

Call Me Weird, but...

I am so excited. My husband was invited to attend our city's bird flu planning meeting. He is unable to attend, so I get to go in his place. I know that a lot of you will think that my excitement over this is strange, but this really "floats my boat!" 

In light the supposed, impending bird flu pandemic, I have been reading The Great Influenza. One reason that I chose to read on this particular subject is that I believe American society is not prepared for such another sweeping tragedy as the 1918 Flu pandemic. While it remains to be seen as to whether the present bird flu will mutate into the monster that experts claim it will or will become only a mildly irritating bug similar to that of the Y2K computer scare, I am convinced that the ease and comfort in which we currently reside cannot last long. This present generation in America knows nothing of true suffering or poverty; we are spoiled children. With this in mind, my next book to read will be the The Grapes of Wrath. Light reading, eh?

Expletives

People (self included) use too many expletives today. I am not referring to bad language alone, but mainly to the use of filler language. Filler language consists of words that do not add any meaning to a sentence. For example:

Who left this stupid light on?

Why do we need such words to express ourselves? Lights are neither stupid nor intelligent.

The other use of expletives, of which I am guilty, is to express emotions through phrases such as the following:

Oh, brother!
Good grief!
My word!
Blast! ...and so on.

These phrases in and of themselves do not express any emotion, but rather the tone of voice with which we say them clues the listener in to our present mood. So why, other than habit, do we use these particular words and phrases?

I believe it is because we are not a thinking people. I believe we speak without taking the time to carefully choose and guard our words. I also believe it is because we are not well read; we, instead, watch mindless drivel on TV, resulting in our mimicking the language of said verbal twaddle.

I am culpable in the use of this blather, but I would like to change this. Perhaps, I should carry a thesauraus with me??? (visualize Mrs. Calla Lilly with a sly grin) Perhaps, the real answer is that I need to be more prayerful in regards to my speech.

One of the things that I love best about this time of year is that we can eat every meal on our patio, watching and listening to the birds. When we eat on the patio, our meals always seem more relaxed. Perhaps it is because it is away from the kitchen, and the dishes to be washed are not on my mind. Perhaps it is because there is no telephone, radio, or TV. Or, maybe it is simply because we are outdoors and it is reminiscent of a picnic from long ago. It is so much more relaxing than the atmosphere at a fast food establishment. It is a respite from our all too harried lives, running hither and yon to little avail, rather like reading before a blazing fire in winter. Sometimes, it's good to just be quiet... 

Do We Truly Love Our Neighbor?

Do we love our neighbor if we dress sloppily or immodestly?

Do we love our neighbor if we do not show good manners?

Do we love our neighbor if we do not step out of our comfort zones in order to reach out to them?


Do we love our neighbor if our speech is vulgar or brash?





 

The Dress of War

If someone told you to sketch a portrait in your minds eye, could you? It's not hard to do. How about a Muslim woman, shrouded in thick black veils? Now picture a "alluring" woman out to have a good time on the town. But this is harder: can you picture a Christian woman? It is easy to identify a policeman, soldier, fireman, and even sometimes a politician, but shouldn't we be able to point out a Christian maiden just as simply?...

Follow the link above for a must read article on dress.

Lessons in (modest) fashion
Churchgoers walk the runway to show that cute doesn’t have to mean sexy
By Ron Knox
Thursday, May 4, 2006

The models here certainly walked the model walk — strolling down the runway, sashaying, turning their gaze side to side.
But at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3655 W. 10th St., there was not an inch of shoulder flesh, not a hint of thigh.
Here, modesty was the rule.
“It’s helping the girls to be proud to be modest,” Kristie Hansen said, “to realize there’s beauty in modesty.”
Hansen and fellow church leaders put together the Modest Fashion Show at the church Wednesday night, hoping to spur interest in being fashionable without succumbing to the urge to wear what they described as “indecent” clothes.
Halter tops. Midriffs.
Anything that showed more than a girl’s arms and neck.
The whole idea was the brainchild of Michelle Hague, a Young Woman Leader at the Mormon church. To her, it isn’t about young women having a choice while hitting the racks at department stores.
While similar movements around the country have pressured big chain stores to sell less revealing clothing for social reasons — to promote healthy body types, mainly — that wasn’t the point for Hague.
To her, its about doing right religiously.
“We believe their bodies are gifts from God,” Hague said backstage.
Gifts, she said, that should not be on display for everyone to see. Sure, church rules dictate so, but for Hague it’s also about the way the girls may appear to guys.
“They’re giving the idea to the world that they’re that kind of girl,” Hague said.
That kind of girl? Isn’t that the guy’s problem?
Sure, Hague said, but the guys are part of the equation as well. To help keep boys in the church complacent, the girls need to hide the flesh, rather than keep it out for everyone to see.
So in the small gymnasium inside the church halls, junior high and high school girls stepped out on the runway wearing clothes that revealed little in the way of flesh.
Which is to say, they wore what many would wear on a stroll down Massachusetts Street — save for some late-night revelers. The majority of the girls wore hoodies and capri khakis, jeans and sandals.
All of this at the direction of church leaders. But the girls, for the most part, seemed to agree with the philosophy that modest meant better.
Liz Beisner, an 18-year-old, hit the modest runway wearing a typical outfit: a pair of jeans, a hooded T-shirt, moccasins.
“We’re just trying to show girls that there are cute things that are modest,” Beisner said.
To her, modest clothing equates to a religious belief. For others, it may be because of body insecurity, a rejection of physical stereotypes, a cold breeze, whatever.
She knows girls are going to wear what they want, she said. But the point is to offer a less revealing choice in clothing, and have girls still feel attractive while wearing them.
Walking along Massachusetts Street with some buddies earlier Wednesday, Alex Swanson, a 15-year-old student at Central Junior High School, said she felt about the same way.
Swanson said that everyone has different tastes in clothes for whatever reasons. She could appreciate that.
“I’d rather have options,” Swanson said.
Swanson’s friend, Akina Kashiwaya, agreed.
“That way,” she said, “you won’t be limited to what people expect either way.”

New Poll

While you wait for postings, there is a new poll at the bottom of the screen. You may vote more than once if more than one answer applies. 

On Holiday

At the request of her dear husband, Mrs. Calla Lilly is presently taking a brief respite from the blogging world until Monday to daydream in her garden and spend time resting.

Dress Codes for Worship

I Corinthians 10:23-31
Do All to the Glory of God
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

What constitutes proper attire for worship is obviously a topic that is much debated and will continue to be debated for a long time to come. Let us each search out the Scriptures and dress intentionally, according to our convictions based upon study, prayer, and the counsel of godly men and women. God's dress code for worship is holiness. May we each be adorning ourselves in Christ's righteousness every day and with the attire we believe to be most honoring to Him.

A Second Hope Chest

This year, I received an early birthday present from my mother-in-law. A hope chest! It may seem strange to you that a middle-aged, married woman would even want such an object, but I did - very much, in fact. I never had a real hope chest in my youth. I had an antique steamer trunk with drawers that I loved to fill with my "treasures." As our daughter fills her hope chest with beautiful things for her future married life, I want to fill mine with beautiful things for future grandchildren. My daughter will be learning to sew this summer, and what better way to learn than on things for babies.  

Acceptable Speech

I Corintians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Gentle readers,

In this surreal world of blogging and message boards, it easy to forget that there is a real person reading your thoughts and words - a real person with feelings and convictions all their own. You do not know what is going on in that other person's life at present or their background or their level of maturity in the faith. Words are so very powerful and can do great damage without the speaker (or typist) even being aware of the outcome.

If you have a differing opinion, it is fine to state such, but in a loving way. To call someone (especially a commentor on a blog, rather than the blogger herself) "inconsistent" or state that they are not "using their Bible to form their beliefs" is to resort to name calling. If one has such strong opinions as to feel the need to express their opinions in such a bold way, perhaps he or she should start their own blog in order to let their voice be heard. Such comments will not be allowed here as they are not gracious or edifying to the Body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Blessings and peace,
Calla Lilly