Share Your World 2015 Week 40

Posted on October 6, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

It is time to share our world again!!!

I love this time of the week when I get to sit down and think through and answer Cee’s five questions. I also love reading the responses that come to Cee from around the globe.

When you have finished reading my answers take a trip through the underlined link to see what people have told Cee about their worlds.

Here are this week’s questions…

If you have been to a foreign country name those you have been too?

I have been to Mexico, England, Ireland and the Netherlands. Each trip was different and special in its own way. Mexico and England were missions trips. My daughter and I road-tripped the perimeter of Ireland. I have been to the Netherlands twice to visit my sister.

Is the glass half empty or half full? What type of glass is it and what is in the glass?

I really loved so many of the answers that Cee’s contributors gave to this question. For myself I will answer my cup is full enough! I love what God has given me in life. Should He choose to take me from this earth today I have lived a full life. I can depart in peace even though there are certain things I have not done yet; but I think He will give me a bit more time and a bit more fullness.

My cup is a simple plastic cup, nothing fancy but made to endure.

It is flowing with milk and honey!

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?

Italian food!

List: List at least five places worth shopping.

There are more than five places to shop? Who knew?

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 I was able to go to a night of worship hosted by Rend Collective last Friday. This week I am looking forward to worshipping at the Lifeskills program In Ashburnham MA, finishing the prologue to my book for my publisher and preaching on Sunday morning at Cornerstone Church.

Share Your World 2015 Wild & Wacky Week 39

Posted on September 29, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

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.

This week I am looking forward to buckling down and getting a lot of writing done!

Share Your World 2015 Week 37

Posted on September 15, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

We are 37 weeks into sharing the year with each other using Cee’s wonderful site and weekly questions.

I have answered her questions and shared my world below. After you have read my thoughts click the underlined link above and see what Cee’s other contributors have shared.

If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be?

Wishes are tricky things you see. I thought about wishing the mistakes of my past undone but some of those mistakes while painful had unintended good consequences. Undoing them would remove the good as well as the bad. So I would not wish away my mistakes. I guess I could wish for money but I don’t know that I could handle it. So I wouldn’t wish for money. Fame? Nah!

I think I would wish for godliness with contentment.

I would wish for the fruit of the Spirit to multiply in my life.

I would wish for the ability to forgive as completely as God forgives.

What is the most incredible natural venue that you’ve ever seen in person?

Oh boy this is a hard one. I think the Grand Canyon was an incredible view. The Grand Tetons were also amazing. The Great Plains actually struck me dumb. The Irish Coast was amazing as was Killarney. I think the world is the most amazing natural venue I have seen in person. Each place has a beauty all its own.

Is your hair short (total neck and ear showing), medium (covering ears and neck), long (below shoulders) or extra long (at least halfway down your back)?

Short, but I do have a tendency to let it grow to medium length between cuts simply because I don’t have enough time to get to the barber.

List some of your favorite blogs.

Ceenphotography.com . This is a great photography blog everyone check it out. 🙂

anotherredletterday.com Prolific author Ben Nelson shares the red-letter words of Jesus and other Scriptural truths

jsparkblog.com Pastor J.S. shares thoughts and advice on navigating church life in the 21st Century.

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

I am grateful Rose Hall Media signed me to a book contract on Saturday. Here is a picture of my editor Tracy and my publisher Ken.

This week I am looking forward to sharing the gospel in music at Wachusett Manor Nursing Home and at the Gardner Visiting Nursing Association Dayhab. I am also looking forward to preaching at Cornerstone Church on Sunday.

Share Your World 2015 Week 35

Posted on August 31, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun, Photography, Uncategorized

It is time once again to play SHARE YOUR WORLD, the game where Cee asks five questions and we answer them for the whole world to see.

If you want to see more of Cee’s world or the many worlds of her contributors just click on the icon above and you will be whisked away to Ceeland .

Here are the questions and my answers.

What made you feel good this week?

So many things really encouraged me this week. The opportunity to preach every single day was just awesome and the opportunity to baptize three new friends. Well that just can’t be beat!

For potlucks or parties do you cook it yourself, buy from a grocery store, or pay for catering?

This one really depends on the amount of time I have. This summer I have found myself buying most of my potluck fare simply because cooking time has been severely limited.

What is your favorite part of the town/city you live in. And what Country do you live?

I live in the US of A and my favorite part of town is Cornerstone Church where I work. I have had so many great experiences there over the years.

Complete this sentence: My favorite place in the whole world….. has not been established yet. I am waiting for Heaven to come to Earth!!!! Call me crazy but I believe the last chapters of the Bible (and all the ones before the end too)

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 I got to preach at Special Touch Camp last week and at the home-going of one of God’s saints and at Cornerstone Church. This week I am looking forward to getting caught up on my reading and writing and a little R& R at the pool in Jiminy Peak.

Sunset at Jiminy Peak

Share Your World 2015 Week #32

Posted on August 12, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

It has been four days since my last blog. FOUR!!! I keep trying to get back to wordpress but just reading has been a stretch. Tonight I know I have a sermon series I need to complete but in the interest of time I am opting to break back in by answering Cee’s questions from her Share Your World Blog. You can find the blog

HERE

and here is what we are trying to accomplish in Cee’s own words.

I sincerely hope you enjoy my questions for this week and find the questions interesting enough to play along. If you ever want me to ask anything specific, please feel free to contact me. You don’t think a lot about these questions, unless of course it is FUN for you. Simply dream and just let loose, or you let your alter ego answer if you want. Have a fabulous week everyone!!

Even though I oftentimes will add photos to my answers, it is not a requirement to participate in Share your World.

See poll results to the right. I am making a slight change to Share Your World from your responses. Here is the basic change to the standard format. Since most votes were leave it the same I am going to continue with at least three random questions each week, special fourth questions and the standard Bonus Questions.

Here is the basic format. I will ask you:

To answer three random questions each week.
Respond to a fourth item (I will randomly chose from this list)
- Making a List out of a topic
- Completing the sentence I start
- Answering a Would you Rather question
Bonus Question is always the same “What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?” Because we all need to be reminded that there are many things in our lives to be grateful about.

Now onto the questions for the week!

Are you a collector of anything?

I am a collector of Bibles. I know that must seem apropos ( the name’s Pastor J after all what else would I collect…right?) Truthfully while I do have a few very old Bibles most of the Bibles in my collection are left behind at church. They sit on a shelf outside the sanctuary waiting to be retrieved and if they stay on the shelf too long they eventually make there way to my office which has become “the land of misfit Bibles”. I feel kind of bad for these little books because I know their owners are not really missing them which truth be told is even sadder for the people who left them behind. They don’t know what they are missing!

Really folks a Bible is a terrible thing to waste!

What is your biggest fear or phobia? (no photos please)

I have a really serious issue with being late. I am trying to relax a little bit about it but I was always taught “Early is on time. On time is late and late is unacceptable.”

Do you prefer reading coffee table books (picture), biographies, fiction, non-fiction, educational?

I of course love the Bible. I own at least 60 copies (land of misfit Bibles remember?) But I also love reading fiction. It relaxes me. That said I am currently reading “The Community of the Future” an old study by the Drucker Institute and I just finished Primary Purpose a study on the focus of the church. So little to no relaxing reading going on in my house right now.

Complete this sentence: If I Must Be Reincarnated, In the Next Life I Want to Be…

OK obviously as a Christian Pastor I do not believe in reincarnation but I will play along. I want to be a Christian Pastor who writes and sings for a living. By the time I’m done this life I figure I will have it pretty well figured out how to do it right.

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

I am grateful I got to go to Walden Pond with my son Joe after picking up his VISA. He leaves this Sunday for his new job posting in South Korea. I am not sure if I am looking forward to that exactly but I am pretty proud of him!

Share Your World 2015: Two Weeks (29&30) In One

Posted on July 28, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

Cee is on a retreat this week (teaching and training I think but you would have to read all her work to know for certain). You can find out more about that by clicking the “Share Your World” Icon below.

Now, because of the teaching/ training retreat, Cee has consolidated week 29&30 into one set of questions which equals out to 2 1/2 questions a week. Since it is really hard to answer 1/2 a question (although some would say I do that with some regularity) I have opted to answer all five questions at the beginning of week 30. There ya’ go! That is my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

As a young boy I wanted to be a zoo keeper. Then in eighth grade I had a rather sudden shift. I remember going to my mother and telling her I was going to become a minister. I didn’t even go to church at the time, but I just knew that I was called… and well… I guess it was my first genuine God moment because today I am Pastor J.

What was your favorite food as a child? Do you eat it now?

Macaroni & Cheese with hot dogs. Yes I sometimes still eat it, though it is not one of my “favorites” now.

If you were invisible, where would you go?

Invisible wouldn’t do it. I would also need mind reading ability to see what people were really thinking. But then if I could read minds maybe it wouldn’t be necessary to be invisible because then I could get more out of a hand shake than I ever would out of skulking around in shadowy corners. Until then I will just content myself with the knowledge that “God knows”.

Was that 1/2 an answer? Oh well I can’t tell you where I would go because then the people would be expecting me and never share, even in darkened corners, the things I want to know. Tthat would negate any benefit of being invisible (should I ever get the power). You see, mind reading is a much more beneficial skill!

Would you rather forget everyone else’s name all the time or have have everyone forget your name all the time?

I have a hard time remembering everyone else’s name (sometimes including my own). I hate that and would gladly trade it for everyone forgetting my name. I have found though that if you can remember people’s names they generally remember yours.

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

I am very grateful for a great trip to get my son in NJ last week and I am also grateful that his contract in Gyeongbuk was approved. Below are some picture of the area he will be heading to.