Music Monday

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”

The Return...

Wow... It's been months since my last blog post. Work, writing, volunteering and church have kept me busy. I long for the time when I can earn the title 'bona fied blogger'

Anyway, Here's a video for all fathers. Remember your kids are going to follow in your footsteps so set a Godly example!

Be Blessed, always!

Happy Easter!

The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He's the King of Israel. He's the King of righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of glory. He's the King of kings, and He's the Lord of lords. That's my King. I wonder...Do you know Him?

My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define his limitless love. He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's immortally graceful. He's imperially powerful. He's impartially merciful. Do you know Him?

He's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He's God's Son. He's the sinner's Savior. He's the peak of civilization. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He's the highest personality in philosophy. He's the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He's the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior. I wonder if you know Him today.

He supplies strength for the weak. He's available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meager. I wonder if you know Him.

He's the key to knowledge. He's the wellspring of wisdom. He's the doorway of deliverance. He's the pathway of peace. He's the roadway of righteousness. He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. Do you know Him?

Well, His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous, and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes, He's indescribable. He's incomprehensible. He's invincible. He's irresistible. You can't get Him out of your mind. You can't get Him off of your head. You can't outlive Him, and you can't live without Him.
Well, the Pharisees couldn't stand Him but they found out they couldn't stop Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him, and the grave couldn't hold Him. I wonder if you know Him.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

There was no greater sacrifice for the sake of love than God giving us his only beloved son, Jesus. Let's take time today to thank God for his love which is everlasting and unconditional.

I do wish everyone reading this blog a wonderful and love filled day. May grace, mercy, peace and love be yours now and until eternity.


“Love is patient; love is kind
and envies no one.
Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude;
never selfish, not quick to take offense.
There is nothing love cannot face;
there is no limit to its faith,
its hope, and endurance.
In a word, there are three things
that last forever: faith, hope, and love;
but the greatest of them all is love.”

****************************************LOVE************************************


Valentine’s Day is for honoring love;
To show those we love we care.
Red hearts with tender sentiments
We send, our love to share.

So on Valentine’s Day we’re reminded
Of our very first Christian goal:
To love the Lord with all our heart
And all our mind and soul.

To love our neighbor as ourselves
We are also told to do,
So let’s live our love by the Bible;
It’s God’s word, flawless and true.

If we give this Christian Valentine first,
We’ll never run out of love,
For infinite love will come to us
From God in heaven above.

By Joanna Fuchs

*********************************LOVE************************************
Avalon - Testify the Love

Thirsty Thursday!

Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri

The perfect drink for a hot summers day! Refreshing and healthy!

Ingredients

* 1 ounce fresh lime juice
* 3 ounces frozen sliced strawberries in syrup (or fresh)
* 1-3 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
* cracked ice

Directions
1. Fill a blender with cracked ice. Add lime juice, strawberries, and sugar. Blend until smooth. You may add a little water if too thick. Pour into a chilled glass.

2. Garnish with an extra strawberry or an orange slice. Enjoy!

Travel Companion

I boarded the plane from New York to California hoping for no turbulence and praying for a friendly fellow passenger as good and lighthearted conversation is always welcomed. I found my seat, made myself comfortable and took out a book. Before I could turn the page, a gentleman sat down besides me. I didn't look directly at him, just caught a glimpse of his worn hands and somewhat long fingernails. From the corner of my eye I could see him take out a notepad and begin to write. By nature I'm curious. I was most interested but didn't want to be intrusive by asking him what he was writing.

The captain welcomed us and wished us a safe journey. The cabin crew went through the emergency procedures, of which I didn't pay any attention. My focus was on his writing. I wondered if he was a writer or a poet, perhaps a director mapping out his next Academy Award winning script. No sooner had we taken off, he got out his seat, placed his notepad on the serving tray and made his way to the restroom. I tried to take a peak at his notebook but couldn't make out his handwriting. His handwriting was similar to those of doctors - totally illegible. "Oh bummer", is what I uttered.

As he returned to his seat, we made eye contact and he nodded. He looked strangely familiar as if our paths had crossed before. I spent the next ten minutes trying to remember where we had met. I knew I had to at least introduce myself -- hoping he would provide the missing piece of the puzzle. I mustered up the courage and introduced myself, "hi, I'm Belinda". All I got from him was a mumble "yeah" and he resumed with his writing. Another bummer. Why had he not revealed his name? Did he have something to hide? Did I perhaps see his face on America's Most Wanted? All this was so intriguing and puzzling!

A few minutes later, one of the cabin crew members stopped at his seat and greeted him as if they had been old friends. She called him "Carlos". Didn't Carlos have a last name? If only internet access was available on flight, i would've used google! Google is amazing if you want to find out neat little facts about people. I always google my first and last name, unfortunately I'm not famous or rich to make a hit.

I try to eavesdrop on the conversation and the cabin crew member mentions music. Ah, another clue -- finally! No matter how hard I try, I just can't remember who he is. Eventually I quit eavesdropping and begin to focus on my book.

Twenty minutes later, he leaves his seat and heads to the restroom again. I peer over my shoulder to see if I can see the cabin crew member so I can ask who he is but unfortunately she's no where to be seen.

He returns, sits and resumes writing. I continue reading when I feel a nudge on my left shoulder. It's him, the mysterious man. I look at him and he points forward. I look ahead and see a lady who i chatted with briefly at the terminal. Her name is Mary Beth and she's from Barbados. A very sweet lady I must add. She waves her book in her hand and smiles. I recognise the book, as it's the same one I'm reading "Faith of my fathers" by John McCain. I laugh and in return wave mine.

She sits down and I continue reading. Half hour later, mystery man nudges me again. I look at him and he points ahead. It's Mary Beth again, this time she's pointing to a can of soda - gesturing if I wanted it. I gestured no with the nod of my head and continued reading. A while later, I thanked him for nudging me. He replied by saying, "no problem young lady", in a deep spanish accent. Who would've guessed that mystery man "Carlos" was so sweet?!!

Cut a long story short, we land at LAX and the mystery man and I say goodbye.

I hurry towards the baggage claim and make eye contact with Mary Beth who seems rather excited to see me. She asks me how did it feel to brush shoulders with a celebrity. A celebrity??? I'm dumbfounded. I ask innocently, who the celebrity was. She takes a gasp and says "The man sitting next to you was Carlos Santana"

Not so smooth transition, Mr President!

Ever since the election, the media has tried to convince us that Barack Obama’s transition effort was unparalleled in history. They heaped praise on him for having picked his Cabinet before his inauguration, as if that had never happened before, and for setting a clear path for their confirmations, as though a Democratic Senate would create much of a hurdle. Since the inauguration, though, a series of errors ranging from technological (e-mail and phone systems) to key personnel have grabbed headlines and shown Barack Obama as a bumbler in his honeymoon period.

Will the media quit fawning over Obama now? At least they’re starting to notice:

President Obama acknowledged yesterday that he had “made a mistake” in trying to exempt some candidates for positions in his administration from strict ethics standards and accepted the withdrawal of two top nominees, including former Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle, in the first major setback of his young presidency.

Obama officials had sought a seamless transition, nominating most of his Cabinet at record pace and taking office ready to implement a raft of new policies. His reversal yesterday suggested that speed may have come at a cost, and that Obama, despite the overwhelming popularity he had upon taking office and the major challenges facing the nation, will not be spared from the same kind of scrutiny his predecessors have faced.

In jettisoning one of his closest and earliest political allies, the president appeared eager to make a course correction after days of criticism that his administration was not abiding by its own stated ethical standards and questions about his ability to bring change to the capital.

“Did I screw up in this situation? Absolutely. I’m willing to take my lumps,” Obama told NBC’s Brian Williams, one of five interviews he gave yesterday afternoon. Obama told the network anchors that there are “not two sets of rules” for people, and said that average taxpayers deserve to have public officials who pay their taxes on time.

Daschle’s exit from consideration to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after a firestorm over his failure to pay $146,000 in taxes on time came as a shock to the president’s supporters in Washington. Just a day earlier, Obama had pledged his full support for the former Democratic Senate leader who was widely expected to be confirmed. And just hours before Daschle bowed out, Nancy Killefer, Obama’s nominee for the newly created position of chief performance officer, also stepped aside because of a tax problem.

In two weeks, he nominated two people to Cabinet positions who turned out to be major tax evaders, and a third tax evader who was supposed to measure performance in the federal government. Most transitions feel embarrassed by one high-profile withdrawal, but Obama’s had three: Daschle, Killefer, and Bill Richardson, who had to leave before being confirmed because of his involvement in a pay-for-play scandal in New Mexico.

Clearly, the Obama transition team doesn’t do its homework. The tax problems of all three, including Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, should have been caught months ago, especially for a transition team and effort as highly praised as this one. The investigation into Bill Richardson came to light last August. Didn’t anyone bother to even Google these candidates? Worse, even after the tax problems came to light, Obama acted as if it meant nothing until it became obvious that he was the only person in the country who didn’t understand how it looked to put tax cheats in charge of major federal bureaucracies.

And how do we know that the rest of Obama’s appointments are clean? After all, Obama promised a new era of government free of conflicts of interest, and then in two weeks appointed at least 13 lobbyists to key positions within his administration, including Daschle, who avoided registering as one. After months of demonizing lobbyists, Obama has quickly found ways to jump into bed with them, compounding the optics of cheerleading for tax cheats.

Now Obama looks weak and inexperienced, flailing at his first executive position in government — just as many of us predicted he would do during the campaign. The media never bothered to ask the tough questions about his lack of experience and instead extolled his coolness and his competence. Maybe now they’ll at least drop the Greatest Transition Ever meme and start reporting on what a train wreck it became.