I wanted to post a poem...

But then I realized that I don't have the rights to it anymore! I won it's publication in a poetry contest! :D It felt cool to just now remember that I couldn't post it up here, I must say :) Oh well, I'll post something else :)

Have you ever been only SLIGHTLY offended by someone? I mean the kind that leaves you half chuckling, half horrified, wondering if you are angry, then thinking you aren't, then that you are depending on what time of day it is. Usually that sort of offended is brought on by a person who has had the habit of offending you before, or at least half offending you many times. After many offenses, anything iffy said by that particular person makes your automatic reaction to be, well, offense. Whereas if any other person said that same thing you would have thought it truly funny, or true, or not even paid any attention. BUT *gasp* that guy said it!!!! Now you just HAVE to think the worst of it!!!!

I had never much thought on this topic before, until a good friend brought it to my notice. Of course it is a true fact, at least for me. After all, that person had said/done whatever before and it was offensive, so why shouldn't I be offended now? But this reaction is sin. Each new offense should be treated as the first one, since the others were so forgiven.

Ephesians 4:32 ~ "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Matthew 18:21-22 ~ Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Matthew 6:14-15 ~ "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

That last one's a little scary huh?

One cannot write alone...

Writing a novel is a team effort :) I am writing the dedication for Of Shattered Things before I turn in the final copy, and had sooooo many people to thank. I'm sure I didn't cover everybody!

Thank you to:

My LORD and Savior, for giving me the passion and ability to write, and for being with me through every paragraph.

To my parents, for always encouraging me in my writing and giving fun ideas. I love you both!

To Christen Krumm, for being such an excellent writing teacher and for making sure I get my chapters written whether I wanted to that week or not. Thanks for everything Christen.

To Ethan Riley, for his amazing editing and admirable forbearance in having to read this whole novel in it's
rough state, and for always being ready and willing to give ideas, advice, and fight scene tips. Thank you,
Mighty Wordsmith.

To Laney, for being my ear to brainstorm in and my partner to word war with. Love you, bug.

And finally, for the original idea for this story and for always being a friend, I'd like to thank my sweet, talented Cherise Mabb...

I mean, Alena.

 

 

The LORD has declared it not good for a writer to be alone, and hence He has given me all these wonderful people to be helpers for me :) Thank you for all of them LORD, and for being with me Yourself! :D

Proverbs 2:1-11

My son, if you accept my words

and store up my commands within you,

turning your ear to wisdom

and applying your heart to understanding,

and if you call out for insight

and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the LORD

and find the knowledge of God.

For the LORD gives wisdom,

and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He holds victory in store for the upright,

he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

for he guards the course of the just

and protects the way of his faithful ones.

Then you will understand what is right and just

and fair—every good path.

For wisdom will enter your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Discretion will protect you,

and understanding will guard you.

Mr. Sneakypants

One bad day, David had to flee from Saul to escape his ill-founded wrath. He went to Ahimelech the priest to ask for supplies and recieved bread and the sword of Goliath.

After he escaped, Saul pitched a fit as his officials. He sat under a tree and screamed, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today."

But one fellow, Doeg the Edomite, had been skulking in the shadows of the temple when David had been there. He stood up and said to Saul (I assume in a Grima Wormtounge kind of voice), "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

Saul growled in anger and sent for the priest and his whole family to come before him. When he beheld a line of the priestly family standing before him and said, "Howdy there, priest. Why have you given my enemy provisions, and thus put yourself against me, your king?"

Ahimelech threw up his hands. "What are you talking about?" he said. "David was always your right hand man! If he's now your enemy, leave me out of it, because I have no clue what you speak of."

"Suuuuuuuuuure you don't." Saul looked at his guards. "Kill them all"

But the guards would not touch the priests of the LORD--they knew it was wrong, even though their kind had commanded it. So the king next turned to Doeg, the skulking one. "Kill them!" he screamed.

So Doeg smiled, and murdered the priest of the LORD and his family. One son of the priest escaped to tell David what had happened, and David said, "That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul."

For some reason I had never noticed this guy before. Didn't remember him. But I was quite intrigued by what I found. This man evesdropped on David and the priest, told Saul, then murdered the LORD's anointed priestly family. I also wonder what all he had done before this, to earn such a reputation in David's eyes.

"He who plots evil will be known as a schemer. The schemes of folly are sin, and men detest a mocker."

Proverbs 24:8-9

Pray for me...

My heart is not 100% right towards a particular person. We shall call him/her "Sydney" because it is a guy and girl name and I have no friends named Sydney. Sydney is not someone who is close to me, nor would it be exessively GOOD if Sydney was close to me. The two of us don't cross paths very often, but it's not like I don't like Sydney. He/She just has some things that he/she does that require me going away from my fun to take care of he/she is doing. It is nessecary action and I don't really have a problem doing it. But my heart is not having the best attitude towards Sydney right now, because I know Jesus wouldn't think this way or make any form of jokes about it. It's really no biggie, just please pray that I wouldn't think/feel this way or accidentally make others feel this way either :)

A thought from my Bible study...

Remember when Isaac calls Esau in and tells him to go out and do some hunting so that he can bless him? Rebekah overhears and says to Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies."

This was a complete, boy-you-do-as-I-say thing. It was all her idea. Jacob obeyed, their scheme worked, and then (who knew) Esau found out and was SUPER MAD. He decided to kill his brother, but Rebekah found out about this too, and made yet another plan. She sent for Jacob and said, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"

Did anybody catch anything funny in that? Who did she put all the blame on? I had never caught this before I did this study, but she put all the blame on Jacob for tricking Isaac! She had probably not even told Isaac it was her fault and apologized--instead she is even tricking herself and writing things off as not her fault when they get tough. I bet if somehow, someway the whole steal-the-blessing operation HAD run cleanly and nobody was furious or anything, she would have taken all the credit. Just a hunch... this girl has a few problems :)

Happy Birthday to my Marchies!!!!!!

First of all.....LANE TURNED 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The best-looking of the Tagg gals is growin up *sniff sniff* Lane and I have been through thick and thin together, and the funny thing is that we've done it all pretty much getting along. We don't remember any downright FIGHTS we've ever had, except when we'd beat each other up trying to get the Barbie we both wanted. I used to could beat her up whenever I liked, but we quit that when we were like, 5 and 7. She'd probably stomp me out now, I'm on my not-so-strong side right now :)

And now.....JAHJAH TURNED 9 TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! No matter how old he gets, he's still my baby. However, he is just now getting too heavy to have on my lap for long periods of time :( He was the first baby that I was really old enough to "baby", so I got really good at changing his diapers and such. He called him "Mwamwah"...a slur of "Meggy". He's in TX right now and I miss him on his birthday especially :( Talked to him this morning on facebook and then on the phone! :D

Last but not least, MY CUZ MACE IS TODAY AN ADULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That boy and I did some wickedly crazy things as kids. What's scary is that it still tends to sneak out of us when we get together :P He would think of the bad idea to begin with, then I would be the brains of how we could carry it out. I miss living in CO and actually being able to see him.

How come we all have to GROW UP? :)