Share Your World 2016 Week# 6

Posted on February 9, 2016 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

It’s time to open up and share with Cee again. Check out SHARE YOUR WORLD BY CLICKING HERE. It is an awesome site.

Generally contributors are asked five questions and our answers help us share our lives with the blogosphere. This week we get to share double thanks to The Happy Quitter Blog

Here are this week’s questions and my answers:

What is your favorite word?

I really love words. Some of my favorites are lullaby, mystical and loquacious. The word I use the most is probably Groovy

What is your least favorite word?

This is actually a pretty hard question. I am not a big fan of the word bombastic.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

Being in the presence of God through prayer, worship or study of the Scripture really gets me going. Writing and reading also really trigger something deep inside.

What turns you off?

Complaining and criticism that is not thought out.

What is your favorite curse word?

I don’t curse. Maybe “darn” or “shucks” or “bummer dude”.

What sound or noise do you love?

I love the sound of the ocean waves or a waterfall. I love birdsong.

What sound or noise do you hate?

Incessant prattle and mean-spirited banter.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I have tried many professions and I am very content with being a minister.

What profession would you not like to do?

Construction.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“Well done Thou good and faithful servant enter into the joy of the Lord!”

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 happy to have gotten some walls painted in our upstairs hallway during my vacation. I am looking forward to our concert at the Lifeskills program this week.

Share Your World 2016 Week 5

Posted on February 6, 2016 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

I am a bit late this week (with next week starting tomorrow and all), but late or not I didn’t want to miss a chance to SHARE MY WORLD.

Cee’s five questions and my answers are below. If you would like to see how others answered the questions or if you would like to join in the fun you can do so by clicking the underlined link above.

CEE’S QUESTIONS & MY ANSWERS

If you had a shelf for your three most special possessions (not including photos, electronic devices and things stored on them, people or animals), what would you put on it?

My shelf would contain my family tree, the current journal I am writing in and my Bible. Past, present and future.

If you had a box labelled ‘happiness’, what would you put in it?

I guess I would start with two questions: How big is the box? Can you only put material things in it?

If the answers are “a small box and yes”, then I would put a picture of Jesus, a picture of my family and two 3×5 cards. One 3×5 card would say “Be content with what you have and where you are.”. The other would say, “Remember only relationships last into eternity.”

If the answers are ” the size of the Universe and no you can put immaterial things in the box too”, then I would put God in the box remembering that the box would still not be big enough to contain Him. The Psalmist wrote, “In Thy presence (O Lord) is fullness of joy.”

What do you want more of in your life?

God, His presence and love.

Daily Life List: What do you do on an average day? Make a list of your usual activities you do each day.

I generally get up between 5 and 6 to walk the dogs. I pray and study Scripture. I get ready for work and then I head off. Most mornings I do a bit of paper work until morning prayer meeting. After an hour of prayer I usually have meetings until 11 or lunch time. In the afternoon I do paperwork, write and usually once a week I am out doing a service at a nursing home or dayhab. Sometimes I throw in the occasional meeting. I go home for 3 and walk the dogs. I usually rest for a bit and try to get something done around the house before I return to the church. Most evenings I have a meeting followed by a rehearsal or a service and then I head home for 8 walk the dogs, eat supper and watch a little television to unwind before bed.

On days off I try to do as little as possible.

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

I am mindful that I am a week behind so I will share one things from this vacation week that was special and do the same next week. I am grateful that I got to watch the sunrise at Ogungquit Beach, Maine. It has been years since I did that. Next week I am looking forward to getting back into the routine of work. Here are some shots of the Beach.

And of course the sky

Share Your World 2016 Week #3

Posted on January 19, 2016 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

It’s that time again folks. It’s time to answer five questions and reveal a little bit more of my life to all y’all. You can join in the fun by going to Cee’s Site Here and answering her questions for yourself. While you are there take a gander at how her other contributors answered.

Here are the questions and my answers:

What is your favorite piece of art? (it doesn’t have to be famous)

Oh, this is a tough one. I work with an artist’s collaborative, called C.cada, and it is just chock full of talented artists. You can see some of their work HERE.

I guess my favorite art changes regularly depending on what I am looking at. I recently obtained a new piece by Charlotte Dorais. It is a watercolor rendering of a spot just South of Perkins Cove in Maine.

Another of my all time favorites is actually a series of paintings by Thomas Cole called “The Voyage of Life.”

What made you smile today?

My prayer time this afternoon made me smile, not a funny “ha,ha” kind of smile but a quiet contented “Ahh that’s better” kind of smile.

Which place do you recommend as a Must-See? Please state which country, state or providence.

You simply have to see the bathrooms in the YWAM building in Amsterdam.

OK, maybe it is not a must see but they are pretty amazing. I am not sure I would ever go to the bathroom there but it’s a pretty amazing photo op.

Now places you should see:

The City of Delft in South Holland

Longwood Gardens

Complete this sentence: When I was younger I used to….

pretend I was a superhero. I have always wanted to be able to shoot bolts of lightning out of my fingertips, make heavy objects fly through the air or maybe conjure a dragon or two.

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 am over the stomach flu. I am also grateful that I got to visit with my daughter Melanie and my son-in-law James. My daughter Amanda, my mother, my sister and I went out to Melanie and James’ home in Lynn MA to have a belated Christmas dinner.

An American Gothic Christmas

Next week I am looking forward to having cleaned up from all the snow that is supposed to come in this weekend.

Share Your World 2016 Week #2

Posted on January 12, 2016 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

It’s time for SHARE YOUR WORLD again. Click the underlined link to visit Cee’s site and open yourself to a wider world.

Here are our sharing questions for the week:

Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?

I suppose saying I believe in other dimensions (like Heaven and Hell) where other life exists (like angels and demons), and then saying I don’t believe there could be life on other planets would be a bit preposterous. Do I believe in the possibility? Absolutely. But I am with Larry Norman on this one.

How many places have you lived? You can share the number of physical residences and/or the number of cities.

I was born in Gardner MA and have lived most of my life in Winchendon MA. My parents moved briefly to upstate New York when I was a toddler and we lived there for about a year and then we moved back to Winchendon. In college I lived for about a year and a half in Phoenixville Pennsylvania. That is where my son Joe was born. Then we moved back to Gardner. Now I live back in Winchendon in the house I grew up in.

If you given $22 million tax free dollars (any currency), what is the first thing you would do?

The first thing I would do is tithe to my home church. Then I would pay off my kids college loans. After that I would do all the repairs to the house that it needs inside and out ( I might actually just tear it down and rebuild on the same spot). I would set aside what I need for retirement, put a million in a travel account. The rest I would probably give to missionary endeavors. What do I need all that money sitting around for?

The Never List: What are things you’ve never done? Or things you know you never will do?

I have never ridden a horse. I have never successfully waterskiied. I have never been sky-diving nor hot air ballooning. I have never been hang-gliding nor bungi-jumping nor zip-lining. Will I do any of these things? Most likely not.

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 that after prayer on Sunday my thumb injury was healed. Hallelujah! I am looking forward to two successful moves for two more ladies in our church this week (hence the gratefulness for the the healed thumb).

Share Your World 2016 Week 1

Posted on January 6, 2016 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

It is 2016 and time once again to SHARE OUR WORLDS. This is week one of the sharing and you can find out all about folks in the New Year by clicking on the underlined link. OK maybe you won’t learn everything but you will learn something and as they say “that is something at least!” 🙂

Ready? Set? HERE WE GO……

As a child, who was your favorite relative?

My favorite relative as a child was my cousin Michael. He was imminently cool. He was closest to my age among the cousins (at least the ones I knew well) and I saw him quite often. I don’t think he felt the same. I was four years his junior definitely not cool and his mother had to baby sit me and my sister. So I guess looking back there were times he didn’t appreciate me as much as I appreciated him but that has changed over the years. He and his wife are now members of the church where I pastor and his daughter is one of our church pianists.

If you could be a tree or plant, what would you be?

I would be a date palm. Big and sweet.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn or awake before noon?

Oh gosh I am usually awake before dawn now and that is most definitely not my favorite…. but awake before noon? 😦 I guess if that could include waking up between 8 and 9 A.M. I would choose that. Sleeping until like 11 feels like such a waste of day light.

Would you like to sleep in a human size nest in a tree or be snuggled in a burrowed spot underground?

Oh underground please. I have always wanted to live in a Hobbit Hole!

photo by: http://www.backpackingearth

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 that I got the 20 pages of back story done for my publisher!

This week I am looking forward to helping at Special Touch REACH New England’s outreach service and I am also looking forward to helping my friend Deb Maciorowski from http://debbestillandlisten.com/ move into her new apartment. Hopefully she will be back writing again soon.

Share Your World 2015 Week #52

Posted on December 30, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

And folks this week is a wrap for 2015. Next week we start a whole new season of sharing our worlds and I believe 2016 is going to be a whole new ball of wax. It’s going to be the bee’s knees. It’s going to be the cat’s pajamas!! Oh boy am I excited to see what the New Year brings!!

The great host of Cee’s 2015 contributors can be found by clicking HERE

HERE ARE CEE’S 5 QUESTIONS AND MY 5 ANSWERS FOR THE FINAL WEEK OF 2015!

SHARE YOUR ROAR!

Tell how you are feeling today in the form of a weather report. (For example, partly cloudy, sunny with a chance for showers, etc.)

Foggy with a mix of precipitation and an occasional thunderstorm. I am admittedly a bit tired and cranky today.

What is most memorable about your high school years?

The most memorable thing about high school was my involvement in a group called Christ’s Ambassadors ( C.A.’s for short). It was in this group that I made all of my long term friendships and truly learned what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. I met my wife in C.A.’s and was called to the ministry out of that group.

Have you ever owned a rock, pet rock, or gem that is not jewelry?

Yes! Yes! and Yes! to all of the above. I was a rock collector as a child and when my parents wouldn’t buy me a pet rock I made one. His name was Charlie.

Complete this sentence: I like watching…

Sci-fi/ fantasy. I know…I know I should probably say Bible stories or preaching videos but I am a science fiction fantasy nerd . While there are many Scyfy shows I cannot in good conscience watch I do watch others. I particularly like shows like The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl. I just started watching The Expanse and dare I say it I am a Haven junky. I just saw that the Shannara Chronicles is coming to MTV. I am going to have to give it a look see even though MTV has never been allowed on my television set.

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 for a peaceful Christmas (I actgually had two whole days off). I am looking forward to all God will do in 2016.

Share Your World 2015 Week 49

Posted on December 8, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun, Uncategorized

Just a few weeks left until we launch into 2016. As Christmas creeps closer here we are sharing our worlds again. You can see how others answered the share your world questions for this week by going to CEE’S SITE.

Meanwhile here are the sharing questions for the week from our hostess Cee.

What would be your ideal birthday present, and why?

A day of complete solitude which is protected by the ones I love, would be an ideal birthday present. I love people and I love events but I am busy all the time and my calendar is full of events. Scheduling alone time is nigh unto impossible and even when it is scheduled many times it gets interrupted by life. To have a time of solitude completely insulated from the world and its goings on would be the best gift anyone could give.

What color would you like your bedroom to be?

I like my bedroom the calm green it currently is.

Would you prefer snowy winters, or not, and why?

I have lived all my life (but a brief span in college) in New England. Snowy winters are well known to me. I don’t mind some snow, but the eight- plus feet we got last year was a little much.

Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?

Oh I think I could go without changing my clothes… but a week without bathing?….. 😦 Oh that would be hard unless of course it was a snowy winter and the water was cold. Then I would go a week without bathing as long as I could change my clothes.

Still, If I couldn’t do either I suppose even that I would get use to.

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 for the opportunity to narrate the dance performace of “The Chosen Lambs” this last weekend. This week we are starting into full blown Christmas season at the church so I am looking forward to that.

Here is a picture of the cast of “The Chosen Lambs”

Share Your World 2015 Week #48

Posted on December 2, 2015 by joseph elon lillie under For Family & Fun

I have once again lost time. My goal was to write this post on Sunday night or Monday morning at the latest.

BUT

Christmas season has begun and this week is the first of the Christmas Shows! “The Chosen Lambs” goes up Saturday and Sunday and I am in final rehearsals this week for this wonderful children’s piece.

But before I dive back into the waters of drama and music practice, I wanted to take some time and share my world with all y’all.

If you would like to learn about the lives of other interesting bloggers you can do that at CEE’S SITE.

Here are Cee’s questions for the week interspersed with my answers:

Are you a hugger or a non-hugger?

I am most definitely a non-hugger. My personal space bubble is night unto invincible, truly. I am known to give a hearty and very loving handshake.

What is your favorite toppings on pizza?

When it comes to pizza I am afraid I am not very exciting. I like extra cheese and sometimes pepperoni. However I do like to eat my pizza with either ranch dressing or peanut butter slathered on the top.

If you were the original designer of one existing corporate logo, which one would you select?

I really lke our church emblem and it is one I have chosen to live by for many years.

Complete this sentence: Where I can seek my solace is…

…In the arms of Jesus. He is my peace who has broken down every wall.

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 for a wonderful Thanksgiving with my sister, my mother and my daughters and son-in-law. I didn’t even destroy anything in the dinner (usually I have at least one item which is an epic fail).

Do you like my apron?

This week, I am looking forward to sharing the gospel with hundreds of people through the children’s story, The Chosen Lambs.

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