Monthly Archives: September 2015

Friday Fictioneers: Bazoom and the Dangerous Waddle Boxes

Posted on by under The Stories

PHOTO PROMPT - © Marie Gail Stratford

Copyright – Marie Gail Stratford

Well it’s time for something a little lighter than my last entry “Kicking the Dust Off”. I am going totally Sci-fi, Hitchhiker’s Guide on this one folks. Also by way of explanation when I first wrote this piece I saw the mouse as a Zoomba automatic vacuum cleaner. It wasn’t until reading several other posts that I realized I was dealing with a remote mouse. Anyway rather than change the story I went with my original interpretation of the picture. Thanks as always to Rochelle for providing the inspiration. Check out her site when you’ re done here to see what other stories this photo prompt inspired.

Bazoom and the Dangerous Waddle Boxes

by JE LIllie

When humanity created the waddle boxes no one thought they could be dangerous. After all they were only supposed to be automated mail delivery systems for interoffice communication. But give a box a brain and they think it’s the green light to take over the universe. It’s always been that way with squares. Think about it.

All it took was a simple adjustment to their vortex transceivers  and the waddle boxes went from teleporting mail between Ciprotech and Genofirm to transporting humans into the eye of Jupiter.

That’s when the humans made me. I’m Bazoom. If mailboxes can take over the world, vacuum cleaners should be able to take it back. Think about it.

Fun Foto Challenge: A Terrific Smell

Posted on by under Photography

This week Cee has asked us to have Fun Depicting the sense of smell with our photographs. You can see how others achieved smell in picture by clicking on the underlined link.

Here are my smelly photos:

The gentle scent of the French Rose.

The gentle scent of the French Rose.

This is what the smell of Sandalwood Incense looks like.

This is what the smell of Sandalwood Incense looks like.

The smell of wet dog in a tub.

The smell of wet dog in a tub.

THe scent of pine in the air on a late winter's day.

The scent of pine in the air on a late winter’s day.

Share Your World 2015 Wild & Wacky Week 39

Posted on by under For Family & Fun

share-your-world2

This week Cee has asked some really fun questions!

My first response to question number 1 was “Really?”

I don’t know why but I was a little bashful about answering it.

The questions and my answers are below and you can discover other answers from around the world by clicking

HERE

Which way does the toilet paper roll go? Over or under?

To be honest I don’t have a toilet paper holder. My toilet paper sits on a ledge and goes left to right when I pick it up.

If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

Burnt Sienna. Some days I feel a little more burnt than others.

You are comfortable doing nothing? For long stretches of time?

Actually the answer to this is “no.” I do enjoy my down times and when I have them I like to be quiet but I have become used to being busy and I do not like it when I have days of unending quiet. I usually find something to keep myself occupied.

Rather:  Would you accept $5,000 to shave your head or die it bright lime green and continue your normal activities while not explaining the reason for your haircut or color?

I would love to dye my hair lime green and not tell people why for $5,000.00 In fact if anyone is offering I will take the deal so I can visit my son in South Korea. I would also go bald for $5,000.00 but as my hair has dramatically thinned in the last year I doubt anyone would seriously think of offering me $5,000.00 to do a job that is already half done anyway.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am so grateful that the Toy Town Fall Fest was a resounding success. Our committee was looking to do an event that created togetherness, In fact our theme was “Building the Toy Town of Tomorrow Together”. It was awesome to see so many town agencies out working to bless the community.
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This week I am looking forward to buckling down and getting a lot of writing done!

The Fruit Of Our Labors

Posted on by under Photography

The world is filled with fruit this time of year. Ailsa has asked us to show some of our local or travel FRUIT in a new post. Click the link to see where other people went with this post. My pictures of fruit are below.

A taste of fall

A taste of fall

This picture was taken at the Red Apple Farm in Phillipston MA. We are now into the season of harvest festivals here in New England. It is glorious.

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The pumpkins were photographed on the Mohawk Trail in MA

But not all fruit is edible. Jesus said in John 15, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

Here is some of the fruit that is most precious to me…

Folks in our church orchestra

Folks in our church orchestra

Folks at Special Touch Camp

Folks at Special Touch Camp

Folks from the church I am privileged to minister at

Folks from the church I am privileged to minister at

My son, a teacher in South Korea

My son, a teacher in South Korea

My daughters, both children's ministers

My daughters, both children’s ministers

Friday Fictioneers: Kicking the Dust Off

Posted on by under The Stories

PHOTO PROMPT © The Reclining Gentleman

I haven’t participated in F.F. for several weeks/months. Ministry had kept me busy. But I am jumping back in this week to tell a story in 100 words from the photo prompt above. If you would like to participate in Friday Fictioneers or if you would like to read other takes on the prompt click on the underlined link and it will take you to the F.F. home page.

Kicking the Dust Off

by JE Lillie

Sam eyed the cars behind him as he slowed down at the edge of the bridge. He half-expected them to slow down and park too. None did. The traffic continued on oblivious to the man with the cardboard box.

“It should be different,” he thought. There should be a funeral, a luncheon; But Bridget had no friends. She had lost Sam all his.

She got cancer.

He stuck by her.

Her dying words… “You’re worthless!”

Sam put the cardboard box down on the edge of the bridge.

He kicked.

She was gone.

Sam Cried.

“It should be different,” He thought.

The Law In the Grace Pt. 7

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles
Restoring Connection

Restoring Connection

Today we conclude our discussion on the authority of the Bible. If you have missed any part of the discussion it can be found in segments in the links below

PT. 1

PT. 2

PT. 3

PT. 4

PT. 5

PT. 6

It all comes down to this; The way we view the Word of God, the Bible, is going to affect our understanding of good and of God. If the way we view the Bible is incorrect then our understanding of God and good will be incorrect. The church today is teetering on the brink of a lot of wrong choices simply because she has forsaken a high view of Scripture.

Some, in the church, choose to believe that not everything in the Bible is God’s Word. They believe they can pick and choose what they like from the Bible and discard the rest. They end up with a sweet sounding watered down faith that has no power.

Others have chosen to believe that they can mix the Bible with other religions and come out with a better religion than any the Earth has ever seen. That is the religion of antichrist and it is the lamplit path to Hell.

Still others have accepted the Bible as the Word of God but they believe that only parts of it are for today because they believe God’s grace has delivered us from the rules of the Bible so we don’t have to obey them. Those people are making shipwreck of their faith and are making a mockery of grace before the eyes of unbelievers.

 Finally, there are many in the church who believe every word written in the Bible but they don’t actually know those words because they have let the Devil busy them right out of Bible study. Their lives in the days to come will be ineffective, not because their belief was wrong but simply because they didn’t make it important in their day-to-day life.

Today the church is in need of great repentance not FROM something but TO something. If you are not already there God is asking you to repent TOWARD a high view of Scripture again.

Maybe one of the attitudes we discussed over the last several days has grabbed hold of you, slipped in unawares. Maybe as you have read my words you have realized you need to get rid of that attitude. In order to get rid of an attitude you have to replace it with something better. If you need to take a higher view of Scripture this morning. If you need to make Scripture, the Bible, more important in your day-to-day living would you pray with me now?

PRAYER: 

Lord I am coming to you today. And I am rededicating myself to you and I am rededicating my attention to your Word, the Bible. From now on Lord I give this Word place in my life as the only infallible authoritative word for my faith and doctrine. If you say it in your Bible God I believe it and that settles it from now on. Amen.

The Law In the Grace Pt. 6

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

 Sunset Prayer

Over the last several days we have been discussing the topic of biblical authority and four mindsets that undermine it. Not only do these mindsets call into question the authenticity or power of the Bible, they weaken the connection between men and God.

If you missed any of these discussions they can be found at the links bellows:

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

Pt.4

Pt. 5
Today we will discuss the fourth mindset that hinders a biblical lifestyle.

the final attitude that weakens the authority of the Bible and which keeps Christians from knowing what is really good and what is really God is the one that is most prevalent in the church today.

It is the mindset that says,

  • I believe everything in the Bible is true. I believe that God only reveals himself through the Bible but I don’t know what He has revealed about himself because I never read it.

Folks, we can say we believe everything written in the Bible is true, but if we don’t have one sweet clue what the Bible actually says about our practical lives then the Devil still wins,

David said in Psalm 119 :9-11

How can a young person stay pure?

By obeying your word.

10I have tried hard to find you—

don’t let me wander from your commands.

11I have hidden your word in my heart,

that I might not sin against you.

The Prophet Hosea wrote these words,

“6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

“Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also reject you as my priests;

because you have ignored the law of your God,

I also will ignore your children.” Hosea 4:6

 

The truth is we can believe all the right things and if we fail to study them, meditate on them and most of all apply them in practical ways in our lives the Devil still wins.

How often do you find yourself busied right out of Bible study?