Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Monuments Men

As this blog progresses, I think you will find information from my many hours listening to podcasts. I love my iPod!

During the Hitler era, many, many thousands of works of art and documents were stolen by Hilter and the nazis. While the saving of human lives is much more important, there was a group of museum curators and art lovers who did their part in the war by traveling to Europe to help preserve and protect works such as the Mona Lisa. Many people do not know that the Mona Lisa was moved SIX TIMES during WWII. The Monuments Men continue today to recover works and restore them to their proper place.

The nazis stole 1/5 of Europes art. Other artwork was at risk of damage from bombings, vibration, and destruction at the hands of the nazis. Hitler did not like modern art and either sold works to fund his rein of terror or destroyed the works.

For more information on this extraordinary group of people, you can visit their website at

http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org

Living Abroad

We have been living abroad for 6 years. The time has gone by so quickly.

It has been interesting living in a country in which the official language is not English. I studied the language and am able to communicate surprising well considering the [lack] of effort exerted. I really need to go back to language school and plan to do so. Soon.

The major drawback to not being able to communicate effectively is the inability to deepen a relationship. My friendships here are not very deep. Sharing my faith is a challenge and I want to work on the vocabulary involved in that.

I'd love to hear how others feel about living abroad and how they cope.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

How Are We to Live?

I trusted the L-rd as my Savior 37 years ago. He has provided for all my needs and has never left me nor forsaken me. As I travel upon this road of life, I seek to know exactly how G-d wants me to live.

G-d wants to be our lives. We are to die to self. Certainly putting our trust in His provision for salvation is the most important decision one can make. However, after that salvation experience, we aren't to just go about doing what we want.

We find in I Peter 1:18 that we have been called to be holy, so be in all manner of conversation. I Peter 4:2 says that we should not live the rest of our lives in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to THE WILL OF G-D.

Therefore, I pray that I will strive to control my speech, behavior, attire, etc., and that they will all be brought under submission to my Savior.

How People Grow

I was reading the book "How People Grow" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Towsend. I was glad to read the following:

"...when people look for the life they want, they must understand that this life is found in doing things G-d's Way."

People who want to experience the true growth revealed in the Bible will shift 180 degrees from the ways of the world to the ways of the Kingdom of G-d, because only the ways of the Kingdom work.

We must explore all areas of our lives to see what needs to be changed.

One area that many people need to work on is discipline. I meet so many people who cannot keep disciplined and self-controlled. I really struggled in this area when my children were little. Because no 2 days were alike, I reasoned, I could not keep a routine, follow through to attain my goals, etc. I felt very defeated. As a result, I gained weight and was generally unhappy.

Last year was one of my best years. I actually accomplished many of my goals, including losing 20 pounds, selling our house, buying our dream condo, completing my master's degree and getting out of debt (except for our mortgage). I have also increased my efforts to improve my prayer life, which has been a great source of comfort and joy for me.

Unfortunately, I used rationalization to keep me from becoming disciplined for several years. Don't let that happen to you! Prayerfully seek areas of your life where you need self-discipline. Maybe partner with a friend or family member to keep you accountable. Pray for self-control, one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23).

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Welcome to my blog

Glad you stopped by. My vision for this blog is to share topics on my heart, including home, family and the L-rd. I hope you will stop by often!