In honor of my upcoming 100th blog, Blonde Antithesis is undergoing a face-lift (a very blonde thing to do, no?).
You can find the new site at www.angiebledsoe.wordpress.com
I hope you all make the move since this will be my final entry at this site. See you on the other side.
Peace.
So, I have just a few minutes before I get in the car for an hour and a half...at least. Thank goodness for the DVD player! I'm looking forward to the holidays because I love the sound of Christmas movies. "A Christmas Story" and "Home Alone", they're just more fun to listen to...plus, I just love the holidays anyway. I have a tendency to romanticize them and build them up in my mind (kind of like the dad in "Christmas Vacation").
But, for now, it's "Star Wars"...or any superhero type movie. Most of them I've never actually seen, but they sound okay...
The morning after Thanksgiving, "it's on", though. Only Christmas stuff will be played in my car: Christmas carols, Manheim Steamroller, Christmas movies...etc. I might even wear a Santa hat!
Gotta run! The superheroes are calling me...
Peace.
…all you U. S. Americans out there and the other people like in South Africa and The Iraqs and such as…!
The upside of this interview:
*She’s absolutely adorable.
*She has just shown herself to be qualified to host a morning news show on any of the Big Three major networks (or the evening news, for that matter!)
*The panelist asking the question was also blonde and seemed reasonably articulate.
*Mario Lopez understood every word she said…and such as.
*My daughter Ashley is a native of South Carolina and also a blonde, yet CAN locate a map, find the U.S., and…well…SPELL the word “map”.
*Immediately following this question, Miss Teen S.C. was awarded “Miss Congeniality” for her heartfelt compassion for all those poor U.S. Americans out there who don’t own maps (she then spearheaded a campaign to raise a gazillion dollars to buy South Africans and the Iraqs maps…and such as).
*Umm….She’s….adorable.
I’m not throwing stones…just looking for the bright side. Happy Wednesday…and such as! Peace out.
Byron and I have had a lot of discussions, lately, about rest, boundaries, and protecting/insulating ourselves and family from the stresses of the world as much as possible. My current issues with my nervous system have definitely factored in to these conversations. Avoiding extreme stress has become a necessity, not just for me, but for all of us in the Bledsoe household. It has been a wake-up-call for us, in that, no matter how strong you think you are or how ready you feel for the fight, your body can say, "No more!", and then you are forced to take inventory of your priorities.
Of course, God knows that we must set aside time for true rest in order to even worship properly. This presents some obvious difficulties for the household of a pastor because the Sabbath is, inherently, a "work day". So, traditionally, minister's families just suck it up and do without respite - and not even God can convince them that you can't work yourself into worship...as if to say that what God has required for us to function at our best, and honor Him with our efforts - a day of rest - is not necessary for the leaders. There's a piety in living like the world will stop revolving if I ("Super Pastor/Pastor's Wife") don't work for the kingdom 24/7. How many pastor's families secretly know that they come AFTER the calling?
So, Byron and I are looking at and praying about finding a way to observe Sabbath before, and therefore leading into, Sunday. We haven't figured it out yet, but we do know that it's going to take a lot of planning ahead if Saturday, for instance, will be our day of rest (especially since that's the day when all of the "running" has to be done - and especially since I'm a huge procrastinator). But, we know we need to at least entertain the idea of setting aside a "Day of Rest", so that we can be prepared to worship and work on Sunday. Also, Saturday seems like a natural choice because the Enemy, without fail, throws his biggest arrows on Saturdays - So, intentional insulation will make us even more productive in our work.
Who knows us better than our Creator, so who can have a better plan than He does. Sometimes - a lot of the time - we just come up with excuses for why we're the exception.
So, we're on a journey to discover how to fulfill our calling and how to find our Sabbath at the same time. It's an interesting journey. I'll do my best to chronicle our discoveries along the way.
I hope you all find some rest in Him today. Peace.
Since I'm still suffering from my nerve "situation", I decided to post a blog I wrote several days ago, and just saved for a rainy day. Although I discuss how my blogging boundaries came more slowly than those in other areas of my life, it's important for me to set the record straight about some particularly obnoxious blogs that are floating around out there - these blogs I have never read...or even laid eyes on. I don't look at porn, and I don't read trash - This has become a point of conviction for me. Peace out.
Today, like most days at some point, I spent some time reading the blogs "bookmarked" on my "toolbar" (if you don't use a Mac these terms might not mean the same thing - but you get the drift) - it's somewhat of a ritual for me, I guess, and if you were to read the blogs I read you would pick up on a theme: they are all positive and uplifting and many times challenging to me in my faith, family and church-life. There must be some positive value for me.
It's not always been that way for me, sadly. Out of curiosity, obligation, or even a desire to be entertained by ridiculousness (not sure that's a word), I've subjected myself to a lot of junk (that's putting it nicely in, most cases) that has done nothing to edify me or refine my walk. Blog site boundaries are a discipline that have been developed out of necessity.
I had already limited my exposure to negativity in my relationships, phone conversations, parties I attend, even in just "hanging out" with a bunch of ladies (this can go negative so fast it can make your head spin) - But in the area of the Internet, these boundaries can be more easily rationalized away.
These "rationalizations" can sound something like this:
*I would rather know first-hand if someone's talking trash - or their friends are, so I can KNOW!
*I deserve to read it myself...everyone else seems to know the scoop.
*I need to prove that stupid lies and innuendo from carnal people don't hurt me - I CAN TAKE IT!
*Their words don't really offend me...it's just entertainment!
*I need to know what they're saying so that I can look spiritual as I forgive them (a vicious cycle, by the way).
*Whatever other rationalizations I've used that I can't remember right now.
Today, though, I guard myself (and my family), vigilantly. It's an issue of obedience for me now. Whatever I tell myself to make it easy to read stuff that I know, or even suspect, won't be beneficial to me, doesn't outweigh my responsibility to be disciplined with the words that I allow to come into my life.
I need to be considerate of the fact that even though it doesn't hurt, it may not help. My knowledge of other's critiques or "issues" may not be helpful to those around me. Because of this, I've even had to be careful about what "friendly" blogs I allow myself to read. Not everyone limit's their exposure as much as Byron and I do, so their lack of boundaries can become ours, as well.
This may sound rigid or ridiculous, but these lessons come out of experience. For me, knowingly reading trash is just plain stupid.
So, if you hear the latest tidbit from some blog site, please don't tell me the web address. I don't care, and I don't want to know. Bondage to trying to mend fences with people who stir dissension is just that: BONDAGE! And it's a luxury that I can't afford - distraction from my true purpose is a price that's too high.
We can either chase after the opinions of men, or Christ. We can't fully do both. At least that's not my calling.
I love the beautiful blogs on my toolbar, and plan to keep it that way.
Peace.
