"Bags"

but you may call it "cornhole", "cornhole toss" or "beans bags" but younger beloved calls it bags.

He loves bags and it was a must have for his graduation\18th birthday party. I bought a bean toss game at Walmart but it was not of the "Official Cornhole Association" version. Yes, there is an "Official Cornhole Association", so we borrowed one from a friend. I had not played the until this year. I had lived 50 years before experiencing this fine game. I wish I had had the experience earlier in life.

Bags is a game anyone can play. Unlike "Boggle", "Scrabble" or "Pictionary" it does not involve thought, which for some people thinking and fun are mutually exclusive activities. It is also an equalizer, an 18 year old and 82 year old can play. This was the case last month , when we had a family gathering. We made up house rules. Since we had nine players, we made up teams with three players each with one toss each per round. One team played "cheer leaders" to the other two teams as the competed. It was a lot of fun. I wished that we had obtained the game years ago for friends and family use. Why?, you may ask. It is my belief when people feel that they are "of equal value" with others they can be in a relationship with them. God made us for community, relationships. In good relationships we are challenged and grow. Growth is good.

I had the opportunity to play bags yesterday with a staff member during my lunch hour. I won, by the way :) I think our relationship grew a little. I need to get me that game!

EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY

I watched the services for the senator yesterday, the funeral and burial. I was shut in with the flu. The Kennedys were contemporaries with my parents. In the very late sixties and early seventies, I remember in some black folk homes there was a "picture" of Jesus (the one with dark blond hair and green eyes) and a print of the profiles of John and Bobby and King hanging in a place of honor. Many blacks felt that the Kennedys really cared about them.

When the Gospel was read at the funeral Mass, I looked at my husband and asked who did he think chose that reading. Later, one of the priest said that Teddy and his wife planned the service. (I do not think that this is odd as I have outlined my funeral as well including a slide show with pictures of me from birth to now. I update it about twice a year.) The passage was Matthew 25:31-46

The Sheep and the Goats
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

While you may not agree with how Teddy tried to live out the verses from above, I think he really believed he was doing the right thing. He was a flawed man, as we all are. I am sure that he "got out of situations" because of his position in life as most of us could not. It appears to me that he did not always know how to reconcile his faith with his position on issues. I come to that conclusion after hearing from the letter that he wrote to the Pope that was read at the grave site.

God will deal with Teddy and He will also deal with us. While I believe we should have "personal responsibility" we are also to care for the hungry or thirsty or a stranger or one needing clothes or sick or in prison. If we did this in Christian love we would not have a generation of lazy bums always wanting entitlements but people who want to give back because that is way that love is.

New shoes for my journey on the road to a size healthier

My new shoes came with an instruction booklet,a DVD and a disclaimer to consult with your doctor before use. I was almost afraid to put them on for fear of falling. Very bad things can happen to me when I fall. The shoe manufacturer says that I can get in shape without setting foot in a gym and that is music to my ears because being in a gym with skinny women does not provide me with motivation. Walking and resistance tubes will be my methods of exercise.

These shoes are designed to promote weight loss, tone muscles, improve posture, improve blood circulation, tighten abdominal muscles, strengthen the back, firm buttocks muscles, reduce cellulite and tone thighs and firm calf muscles. I bet you think that I am making all of this up. Well, I am not, Google "Skechers fitness footwear shape-ups" and you will see everything that I said above.

I will not weary in doing good.

I am getting back on the road to a size healthier.

As some of you may know, I have been fortunate to have had a couple of guys have come into my life to help me in that regard, a couple of tall dark and handsome guys in their 30’s. Well, I should not say dark because they are white. I should say brunettes that would indicate darker for white folk. But then again, one of them has no hair….. well, you get the drift. My personal trainers have been patient and non judgmental with me even when I have slipped up and not followed their good advice. But, that is behind me and I am back on the road to a size healthier.

I met with a dietitian yesterday and she helped me fine tune my eating plan for Ouie at age fifty which in not the one that may have worked for me twenty years ago. For my daily devotions I am using Living the Legacy from the First Place Series, a Bible-based weight-loss plan. Today’s study talked about

Ephesians 1:4 (New Living Translation)4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

and 1 Peter 1 13-16. (New Living Translation) 13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”[c]

The thought to mediate on for the day was the act of being holy impacts our daily life which should include striving for a healthy lifestyle, looking for ways to minister to others and living so that people see Christ in us.

I am excited about being back on the road to a size healthier!

The 18 to 30 year old age group.....

is probably the least represented group in weekly church attendance. From what I know and read, if a young person is not firmly rooted in their faith by the time that they graduated high school, they will be prone to not attend church any longer and/or be open to other "spiritual things". Unfortunately, many churches do not have programs, classes, youth groups, etc. that equip young people to develop a Christian world view. Some churches that do have programs use methods that do not speak to the young person of today, so they are ineffective.

One minister, I will not tell you his denomination because some of you will close your mind just on that alone, is taking God's message to the young people since they are not coming to church. His program, "Theology on Tap" is designed to bring young adults in a social setting and allow them to connect about religious issues relative to their lives. Yes, friends they meet at a pub and discuss theology over beer and a sandwich. The target group is those who were brought up in the church but strayed away. The goal of the program, according to the coordinator, is to inspire people to want to know more about their faith, meet people and return to their church to find out more.

My church tradition and drinking do not go along so this program gives me concern. Then again, is it worse than having the conversation about Jesus before or after enjoying fried chicken, fried catfish, potato salad (full fat dressing), macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, Cole slaw (full fat dressing), greens cooked with fatty meat, white bread, corn bread washed down with Kool-Aid, and sweet potato pie and caramel cake for dessert, all the while knowing that fried food, white flour and sugar are very bad for "the temple"?

I said all of that to say, we need to think about what we are doing (or not doing)and why we are doing it (or not doing it). The shepherd left 99 sheep to find one lost one. Do we need to go to pub to find some sheep who have gone astray?

Tell me your thoughts.

Thoughts on MICHAEL JACKSON's Memorial Service

Yes, I watched the memorial service for Michael. Some people may have thought that it was long, 2 1/2 hours or so, but not me. It was about the same length as my father's funeral. I have attended a four hour funeral in my life so those funerals that are one hour are short to me.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was not over the top. It did give me pause that they brought his body in on the song "Soon and Very Soon We are Going to See the King" but I felt better when Lionel Richie sang a song with the name Jesus through out. I can not recall the name of the song at his moment but Richie recorded it quite a number of years ago.

Millions watched that service. I am glad that the organizers wanted/allowed/permitted a song with the name of Jesus to be sung. It is my prayer that some have heard that song and will want to know more about Christ.

I want to revisit the Spiritual Gifts discussion.

I will stick with the gifts listed in the Pauline epistles. On second thought, this one may be derived from Paul’s list. Paul lists helps and service as gifts and hospitality is a form of these gifts. The website Cyber Ministry lists hospitality as a gift as does the book I spoke of a few weeks ago, May 27 and June 4, Network.

The website Cyber Ministry defines the gift of hospitality as the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to provide open arms, open house and warm welcome for those in need of friendship, a warm welcome, food and lodging

Hubby and I don’t have this gift, but sometimes I wish I did. I know we should not covet others gifts but I am being honest. For those who I think have the gift, having people in their home is effortless, it comes naturally like breathing. It gives me stress. But I do like people and having meaningful conversation. In the last five years we have only had one person/family in our home for a meal who was not a blood relative.

The website Cyber Ministry defines the gift of service as the special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to identify unmet needs involved in a task related to God’s work, and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired goals. I have a friend who I think has the gift of service.

His reputation preceded him. Three years ago, a friend called me, I could hear in her voice that she about to cry. She told me of what a great guy this football coach was and asked if younger loved one had told me about him. I told her “no”. Coach was an offensive coach and my boy played defense. By day three on my new job, I wondered if I was in over my head. His “duty post” was near my assignment. I approached him, introduced myself and told him that his reputation had preceded him and asked him to pray for me immediately. He did. My job has been easier ever since. He encourages me while at work and advises me. He has been around high schoolers a lot longer that I have. He willingly helped me when I asked for his guidance on the road to a size healthier. He is a P.E. teacher and has worked as a personal trainer. I was able to break plateaus that I previously had been unable to in decades. He reads my blogs and gives comments that are helpful. He used his truck to move a sofa for me and would not accept payment not even gas money. Last week he brought his family to my home to help with back breaking yard work in the heat and would not accept payment.

He and his family serve the body of believers because of their Christian love. They are the only non blood relatives who I spoke of above who have had dinner in our home in the last five years. My family loves this guy and his adorable family.