We are the first of the three segments. The episode is "Shape Shifters."

http://www.lorilynroberts.com/neurocysticercosis.html

Having never been on television, it was a unique experience to see myself and my family on the screen. I looked way too old on high-definition TV (do I look that way in person?) At least the analog televisions didn’t show every wrinkle. Now I know why people spend so much time in make-up. Yeah, I know, vanity, vanity! They should have sent one of those miracle workers along with the cameramen and interviewers. I heard comments from my kids like, "That doesn't look like you." What is that supposed to mean?

There were also some scenes needed that weren't shot in Gainesville. I did a double-take when another woman appeared on the screen impersonating me. Where did she come from? And a lot of events were omitted for the sake of brevity.  Really, I am not that paranoid about headaches—except my father and aunt died of a brain tumor. If you know that bit of information, my initial concern about Manisha’s head hurting makes more sense.

But I am thankful for the opportunity that Animal Planet gave my family to share the story and disseminate the information about the pork tapeworm in the brain. It is the most common parasitic infection of the nervous system in the developing world. Six percent of the population in Asia, Africa, and South America are infected. More knowledge about this condition will help doctors and the public to be aware of and prevent this sometimes fatal malady.

I also appreciate the time and effort of all those who were involved in Manisha's care, the filming of the show, and who helped to bless us with a successful outcome. I want to thank the family with the eight-year-old adopted daughter from Nepal who played Manisha in the reenactments. She was a real trooper. I want to thank Joy for allowing us to use her bedroom for Manisha's interview. And lastly, I want to thank Manisha for being willing to share her story on national television. Not every teenager has the guts to do that!

This whole experience has touched each of us in significant ways. Hopefully you have vicariously shared in this journey on “Monsters Inside Me” and in my book Children of Dreams. May God receive the glory for His healing touch on Manisha. 

If you want to read the full story, as they say, usually the book is better than the movie, please check out my book Children of Dreams, available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and your local bookstores. I am also available for interviews and speaking engagements within the Gainesville area (and maybe outside the area if I have the time).

If you missed the airing yesterday, “Shape Shifters” will be shown again on Animal Planet on August 31^st at 8pm and 11pm. When it’s available on the Discovery website, I will post a link to the episode here.  

Lastly, if you would like to follow me on my blog, click on the link http://lorilynroberts.blogspot.com/.  Go to “follow” just a little ways down the page on the right, and click again there. I do not send out an e-zine for all my blogs—so there will be more there you might enjoy reading. Plus, I would love to get a hundred people on my “follow” list. I have been told that makes you look good, and since I want to publish another book someday, I guess I better get started. 

My thought for the day: Life is too short–may we focus on the moment since that’s all we have and give it our best.  No complaining allowed. Try it. And then thank God He gave you one more day. Life is a gift—share it.  

P.S. Leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of Children of Dreams on September 1, and check back here for the winner.

Manisha's story will be on Animal Planet's "Monsters Inside Me" tonight, August 25th, at 10pm EST. She was adopted from Nepal at 3 and five years later had a tapeworm in her brain. I wrote about her adoption and medical difficulties in my book, Children of Dreams, as well as about Joy's adoption from Vietnam.

Ours is supposed to be the first segment of three. Today Manisha is a healthy 19-year-old. Be inspired! And learn how to prevent the most common neurological parasitic infection in the developing world.

The link on Amazon.com is:

http://www.amazon.com/Children-Dreams-Lorilyn-Roberts/dp/1602643865...

Manisha's story will be featured on Animal Planet's show "Monsters Inside Me" on Wednesday August 25, 10-11pm EST. The episode number is 210, Shape Shifters (unless they change it between now and then, but this is what they emailed me today).

To celebrate her incredibly inspirational adoption and healing from a devastating illness, I am offering a free copy of Children of Dreams from now until the end of August.

Here is all you have to do. I posted a devotional located beneath this blog, "Many Lessons for a Life Worth Living," and if you will leave a comment -- a quote, Bible verse, something the devotional spoke to your heart, I will enter your name into a drawing for a signed hard copy.

The drawing will be September 1. I will post the winner here.

 

 

Every summer we have a nesting pair of birds to set up residence in the birdhouse in our backyard.  For many years, it was a purple martin house, though purple martins never used it. Great crested flycatchers found it and returned year after year. We knew they had arrived when we heard them in the trees. If they thought I was watching, they would fly away. Toward the end of the summer when the babies had fledged, the squirrels would move in and stay. When I took it down I found one large hole in the middle. The squirrels had remodeled the interior and the flycatchers had enjoyed a mansion for a home.

I replaced it with a bluebird house early spring last year. I wasn't sure if we would attract any bluebirds. When I saw a scout checking it out a few weeks later, I thought we might get lucky. After all, the birdhouse is located on prime real estate, what I would consider Park Place on a Monopoly board. It has a bird's eye view of our pool; the canopy of honeysuckles, red tips, cassia, and water oak; and a small flower garden of shrimp plants, milkweed, pentas, and philodendrons.

This spring, I took a peek inside the house. I knew I should buy a new one. The base it rested on was warped and it was only secured by a plastic bag tie; but I was busy and soon forgot about it.

The bluebirds arrived and began rebuilding their nest. I watched as they carried leaves, moss, and twigs into the hole. A few weeks later, the faint sounds of babies could be heard. I was excited once again to watch the back and forth ritual of the parents feeding them. However, when a few days passed and I didn't hear or see them, I became concerned. Did a predator get to them? I looked around the front yard to make sure I didn't see a dead bluebird.

I gave up the search when I saw the mother and father working on the nest again. They appeared to be undertaking a rebuilding project. Something had gone awry and they had started over.

Several days later I went out for my daily swim. When I glanced at the wooden house, I was greeted by two beady eyes staring out of the dark hole. They were much too big to be a bluebird's. Surprised, I examined the front of it and noticed the hole had been enlarged. It was big enough for one determined squirrel to squeeze into, though it was a tight fit. She was scrunched down as she stared out. She had usurped the bluebirds and now considered it her home.

It would have been comical if I had not seen the birds bringing in nesting material the day before. But what could I do? I got in the pool distracted and concerned. Was the squirrel sitting on the eggs, or worse, smothering the babies?

After a while I watched the male and female fly over to their nest. At the last minute, they halted their approach in midair. They backed up and flew over to a tree. It appeared they had no idea there was a squirrel inside their quarters. I was upset because the squirrel had the entire canopy in which to build her house.

I climbed out of the pool, grabbed the pole that I used for skimming the water, and angled it up to the birdhouse. The squirrel jumped out like she had been stung by a hornet. Wild eyes flashed as she scrambled past me, jumped from the fence into the thicket, and scurried off faster than a startled fish.

My job accomplished, I dipped back into the pool and swam to the far end. I hoped to see the bluebirds reclaim their territory, but they didn't return. Perhaps they were waiting for me to leave. It was getting dark anyway, so I got out, dried off, and went back inside to change.

Then I heard Joy's frantic scream, "Mamma, the bluebird house fell over."

"What?"

I ran out the backdoor. The box was partially burst open lying on the ground. The squirrel broke the plastic tie when he scrambled out of the tiny hole. Or maybe the birds had returned and knocked it to the ground. The house was destroyed beyond repair. Some nesting material had fallen out of the sides where the wooden boards had separated. I peered through the hole searching for baby birds or eggs, but to my dismay, instead, there were two baby squirrels inside. I did a double take because I expected to see baby birds. They were very small with no hair and couldn't have been more than a few days old.

Would the mother return? How could the squirrel have been using the house at the same time? The babies didn't appear to be hurt. At least they were moving around a little, as much as baby squirrels with their eyes closed can.

The nesting debris had cushioned the fall, though I wondered how so much "stuff" could fit into such a small space. We needed to figure out how to put the birdhouse back on the post. The base of it had rotted away and there was nothing to which we could mount it. I managed to force the sides of the box back together.

I set the house on the table by the pool and went out to the garage to find something we could use. Joy later told me she saw the mother squirrel return and leave. That was a good sign, I hoped, that she would come back. I found a roll of sticky blue tape that we had used to cover the windows during the last hurricane season. We could use a screw to latch it on the post and run the tape around the sides and underneath it. 

Joy and I climbed on top of the wooden fence and took turns pulling off tape and wrapping it like a band-aid. When we finished it was nighttime and we went back inside to watch.

A bluebird arrived immediately, but he refused to go in. He just sat outside the opening. We got tired of watching the perched bird, and he was in the shadows anyway. I went to bed thinking about baby squirrels, feeling guilty for my part in the disaster. I wondered what I would do if the mother did not return.

The next day I kept an eye out for her, but the birdhouse just baked in the sun with no squirrel to be seen. By late afternoon I had to do something. I took Joy to gym and went to visit a friend who takes care of orphaned animals.

I asked her if she would take them if I retrieved them. She reassured me she would. I ran home, climbed up on the railing once again, and brought the box down. I set it on the table and looked inside, but to my dismay, it was empty.

My friend said it was possible the mother might have returned that night or early in the morning. She explained that squirrels make several nests, so if one nest is overrun by ants or she is scared off, she has another one to which she can carry her babies.

I still felt sorry for the birds. I went to the store and bought a brand‑new bluebird house - one that a determined squirrel couldn't gnaw through. My neighbor come over later that evening and anchored it so it couldn't get knocked over again. My biggest regret was that I didn't do it sooner.

Sometimes God paints pictures of life lessons that can have many meanings.

If I was a bluebird, I would have doubted my ability to raise a family. Would I have the strength to try a third time?

If I was squirrel, I would have learned it doesn't pay to steal someone else's home. I needed to build my own.

But God had a different message for me - things may not always be as they appear. While I was expecting bluebirds, God delivered squirrels. How many times have I been so sure of myself only to find out later I was wrong? And maybe, just maybe, God wanted me to dive into the pool, enjoy a swim, and let Him take care of the animals.

 

We all want to sell more books, and ultimately, we want to glorify God in the process. My hope is we can accomplish this in much the same way as the Gospel is spread--through word of mouth among Christian authors. Many of you have written books about your faith, your love for Jesus, and how God has worked in your life through hardship, divorce, parenting and many other obstacles. He gave you the ability, desire, and passion to write. Truly, the hardest part is getting your book into the hands of those who would want to read it. I hope through the John 3:16 Network, we can work toward accomplishing that.

The John 3:16 Marketing Network serves several purposes:

1. To provide a Body of Christian authors to encourage and share the experience of launching a new book (or re-launch an already published book).
2. To help authors sell more books when they launch their book on Amazon and/or Barnes and Noble.
3. By having a target date for a book launch, more books will be sold within a 24-hour period, thus raising the author's rankings in categories and subcategories. Amazon and Barnes & Noble promote their highest-ranked books (the top one hundred), which increases book exposure for the author.
4. Authors help in book launches by announcing the new book on social networking sites and email lists.
5. Authors can also help by offering free e-gifts during the 24-hour launch period, encouraging potential buyers to buy during the book launch, enabling the buyer to receive more value for his purchase.
6. Because there is no cost to join or participate, the Network can complement any marketing plan an author already has in place.
7. All Christian authors are welcome to join - self-published, Print on Demand, or traditionally published.

I have highlighted a few points here and hope you will be interested in learning more and signing up. The link to join and familiarize yourself with the way it works can be found at:

http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html

The three requirements to join are:

1. You must profess to believe in John 3:16.
2. You read, at the very least, the third article on the webpage, Part 3, "The Nuts and Bolts").
3. You have a website or blog that validates your Christian testimony.
   
   

After you join, I will list your name on the author webpage at:

http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network_authors.html

We need at least a couple of hundred author members before we do a book launch using the Network. Marketing requires wide exposure, and that is best accomplished with many authors being involved. Plus, not every author will want to be involved in every book launch. Once we have sufficient numbers, we will set up a Yahoo Users Group and Facebook page. I hope you will catch my vision for Christian authors helping each other to promote books on Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble.

As a closed captioner for television, sometimes the news can be overwhelmingly depressing.  As I look at the oil spill in the Gulf, the missing child in Portland, Oregon, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world appears cruel and heartless. If it bothers me, as sinful as I am, I know it must grieve our heavenly Father.

So today I am reminding myself of the heavenly home that awaits me. While I can't change the world I face each day, I can renew my thoughts and how I view the sometimes unexplained darkness. By allowing God to work on my heart through His word, I can gain a heavenly perspective, lifting my spirit from the gutter that robs me of my joy.

Take a few moments and see what God is preparing for us. Our negative thoughts can be redeemed, helping us to live each day with renewed hope for a brighter future.

Revelation 21:4 says. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." This will follow the greatest war in the universe when God and his angelic warriors battle against Satan and his powers of darkness. Earth will be the battleground and man the prized possession. While the eternal battle wages on for the destiny of our souls, we can rejoice that Heaven is a real place--a place where our failures will no longer paralyze us; where perfect love will cast out fear, joy will abound in unceasing laughter, and unfettered peace will dwell forever. It is but one heartbeat away for those who believe in Jesus Christ.

On earth, we are locked in time, but heaven exists outside of time. Sadly, sin has tainted almost every aspect of our lives--the way we think, the way we live, and the curse, passed down from Adam and Eve, plagues every living creature. But in heaven there is no sin. It is a place of unparalleled beauty.

Think of the most beautiful place you have ever visited and it won't compare to the majesty of heaven. Heaven is an out‑of‑this‑world kingdom inhabited by thousands upon thousands of people and angelic creatures. When we pass through heaven's gates, we will be clothed in spiritual bodies that will no longer be imperfect but eternally perfect.

Apparently some saints will shine brighter than others, depending on their faithfulness to God, just as some stars appear brighter in the night sky. There will be rewards for our good works and for bringing others into the kingdom.

In heaven, there is no competition for food or toll for survival--even in the animal kingdom. Romans 8:22 says, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." The wolf and the lamb will feed together. Children will play with lions. The sound of crying will never be heard again. The old order of things that we are subjected to now will have passed away, and our afflictions and troubles will no longer be remembered.

It is never dark in heaven because the glory of God gives it light. The New Jerusalem will shine with the majesty of Perfection. The city will be built of pure gold, pure as glass. The foundations of the city wall will be made of precious gems and the twelve gates to the city of single pearls. Nothing impure will be able to enter the city. A river will flow from the throne of God, a crystal, clear, river called the River of Life. Within the city there will be a Tree of Life which will bear a different fruit each month. Its leaves will be for the healing of nations.

Heaven, as portrayed in Revelation, also has many mysteries that are beyond our understanding. For example, the four winds who obey God and the four unusual creatures who unceasingly give praise to our heavenly Father. I wonder, what did John mean when he said the sky receded like a scroll? And where heaven is physically located is not revealed, but in Genesis 23:12, Jacob "had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it."

In Revelation 4:1, John sees an open door to heaven; and in Acts 7:56, Stephen said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."  Because it is impossible for anything defiled or sinful to enter into heaven, it would have been impossible for anyone to go there if God had not provided a way. In Leviticus 26:12, God said, "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people."  

Long ago Satan and his angels were cast down, and today we battle against these unseen powers of darkness. But through the Holy Spirit, we have a taste of heaven here. The Spirit whispers to us in our sleep, comforts us in our pain, and implores us never to give up. The Bible reminds us of the unwavering truth that even the rocks would cry out in praise to our heavenly Father if it were possible. 

When Jesus hung on the cross, He said to one of the two thieves beside Him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." I take comfort in the fact that for the last two thousand years, Jesus has been preparing a place for those who believe in Him. I Corinthians 13:12 says we see through a glass darkly, but someday heaven will be fully known to us, even as we are known to God.

Someday heavenly music will permeate our ears. We will splash with joy in heavenly waters emanating from God's throne and walk on streets of gold. We will be reunited with those who have gone before us. We will feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and all those whose names are written in the Book of Life will see the face of God. What a glorious eternity awaits us. Let not the heartaches of this world discourage us from remembering the richness of God's grace even here--found in Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life in heaven. As Jesus said in John 16:33, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

 

Joy, Manisha, and I just finished one of the most exciting and unique (but stressful) events we've shared as a family. A few weeks ago we were contacted by the producers of "Monsters Inside Me" on Animal Planet to film Manisha's story. One of the producers found my article, "Monster Inside My Daughter," where I wrote about Manisha's parasitic infection. The producer contacted me through my website. We went back and forth for a while, and then Animal Planet emailed that they wanted to try to squeeze in Manisha's story to finish out this season's shooting. We had one week to make it happen. I didn't believe it would be possible considering how many people were involved and the logistics of doctors' schedules, et cetera. 

But I started contacting everyone-Manisha's doctors, Shands, and a family in Nepal who have a little girl the same age as Manisha was when she got sick. Animal Planet wanted a little Nepali girl to do some reenactments. Through whirlwind emails, we got it approved by the Shands' legal and public relations departments. Dr. Carney set aside all day Friday to be involved, and the family with the Nepali daughter drove in from Tallahassee and stayed both days to do the reenactments. Animal Planet is planning to film Dr. Hostetter at Yale next week.

I have a new appreciation for how difficult it is to produce shows-making sure the lighting is right, the sound is perfect, what to film, what not to film, reshooting scenes several times from different angles to see what works the best, dealing with outside noise like barking dogs, helicopters, and my stomach that wouldn't quit growling (I hope they make sure that doesn't hit the airwaves all over the world).

There were four people that came down from New York and a freelancer that drove over from Jacksonville. They were young, talented, and processed great people skills. Their backgrounds were interesting-not what you would expect. One lady had a degree in anthropology and culinary arts, another lady had a degree in biomechanical engineering, and a third one, a young man, had a degree in comparative literature.  The fourth guy was "a jack of all trades."

Joy called the whole event a "breathtaking experience." She was very excited to have them conduct Manisha's interview in her bedroom (it was her contribution to the show). 

Manisha felt satisfied that by being interviewed, she could help someone else and raise awareness about neurocysticercosis. It felt surreal to relive some of what Manisha and I went through-the emergency room, seeing the MRI machine again, and reenacting many scenes. It was a little more fun this time, although it was more stressful than I thought it would be.

The public relations director at Shands said it was very rare to give this much access to a filming crew (we were all over the hospital), but Manisha's case was so unusual, they wanted the public to hear the story for its educational value. 

There were many reenactments at the house as well as at the hospital, interviews of Manisha and me, as well as "portrait" shots that took about five minutes.  As a home schooling mom, it was a fascinating learning experience.

The show should air on Wednesday night, August 11, at 10pm EST.

You can visit my website at  http://www.lorilynroberts.com/neurocysticercosis.html  to see some photographs from the shoot.

May 10, 2010

By Lorilyn Roberts

* * *

I began my presentation with the following statement:  "You have no platform. You are not famous. You are not an expert in any particular subject. You have no fancy initials after your name. The reality is nobody cares about you or your book."

As depressing as this might sound, it's how I began my presentation to the First Coast Christian Writers in Jacksonville, Florida, in the fall of 2009.  But I ended my comments with the following observation:

"If you were to present Jesus' marketing plan for the Gospel, it would probably go something like this:  Jesus had no internet, no TV, no blog, no books, and no public relations people. All He had were twelve disciples whom He loved and on whom He had to depend to spread the Gospel around the world.

"God was able to use those flawed human beings to bring ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told' to a world way beyond what they could have envisioned, both then and into the future. If God can do that, our books can reach those for whom they were written.

"We don't need to overstretch our wallets, but neither should we sit idle. We should pray hard and seek His will not only in our writing but in our marketing, lest we waste our time and money. Ultimately, God will get our book out there if we are good stewards of the gifts He's given us.

"I wonder what the marketing people would say today if we told them our marketing strategy was to have twelve people talk about our book to everyone they met and that was all. We had no money to spend either. This is just a thought to ponder as I think about how difficult it is to market."

To read the full article, go to: http://www.lorilynroberts.com/john_3_16_marketing_network.html

http://www.lorilynroberts.com/inspiration_from_the_deep.html 

Enjoy this new video I posted from David Gallo, a pioneer in ocean exploration. Make sure you watch the octopus at the end. As a scuba diver this is the kind of thing that amazes and inspires me -- why would God create this kind of beauty that only until recently has even been seen, that has existed for thousands of years hidden in the caverns of the deep? It's so much a part of God's nature as the Creator--to show complete perfection and harmony. If only we could figure out how to be like Him in our insane and chaotic world.

 

I am starting my screenwriting course and need to watch lots of movies. If you have a favorite movie you would recommend, please list it in the comments section of my blog after this entry.  If I choose your movie to view, I will send you a "sneak peek" from my new book, Written in the Sand.

 

Joy and I stood before the artisan anticipating his newest creation. The old, bearded man picked up a small, clear, glass tube with callused hands and gently stroked it. The two-thousand degree fire spewed from the dragon's mouth and we could feel the intense heat from a few feet away. While others came to the medieval fair for entertainment and sports, we came to enjoy the musicians and artists.

Would the artist create a dog, a cat, a dolphin, or something else from the dozens on display behind him? Scattered about on the table of the lamp maker were hundreds of discarded shards of glass. If the broken and shattered pieces had been found any place else, they would have been thrown in the trash as worthless. But in the hands of the expert, little creatures of beauty sprung into being. The man "knew" his creations before they were sculpted into existence. With all-consuming passion, he focused on the object he held up to the burning flame. We stood transfixed, wondering what would emerge from the heat.

Not able to bear the suspense any longer, Joy asked, "What are you making?"

The artist glanced up at Joy with a look of satisfaction.

"I am making a hummingbird."

We stared at the glass object as it glistened intensely. From the cylindrical shape came forth a small bird with flapping wings, a high tail, and a long beak. The intricate creation looked like the little winged creature that visited our red hummingbird feeder in the summer. It was hard to believe something so delicate had been forged out of two thousand degrees. Hidden in the worthless shard of glass was beauty that the artisan could see and no one else.

Watching him pursue with such intensity a dying art reminded me of the Great Creator, who thousands of years ago, created a world out of nothing. God flung the stars into the darkness to create light. He shook the heavens to release droplets that blanketed the earth, filling the valleys with abundance. He carved the mountains as monuments that stretched into the heavens. Everything God created was perfect. God's crowning glory was the creation of man in His image, When the Great Master finished all His work, He described everything as "good."

Even after man's fall from grace, God created beauty by devising a plan to rescue us. God sees what we can become, not what we are now; in the rough, full of warts and foibles that only He knows. God sees beauty despite the mess we make of our lives. In hard places, He is our Hope. In broken dreams, He is our Redeemer. In sickness, He is the Great Physician. When we are discouraged, He strengthens us.

He has a plan even when we don't have a clue. I am amazed at how beauty takes hold again and again in so many forms. Even in our fallen state, the imperfections that surround us have hidden echoes of God's image. He never wastes anything to woo us back to His unconditional love.

That's because God knows us better than we know ourselves. He promises hope and love and peace. He gives us opportunity and faith and joy. He sees what we can't because He knows how it's all going to turn out.

God is the Great Author who penned the greatest story ever written thousands of years ago. He painted the picture when nothing yet existed.  Today He works out the rough edges of our lives to prepare us for the great banquet.  In all our imperfections, God sees beauty.  He even blesses us with a sense of wonder so we can catch a glimpse of the world beyond.

Just as the artisan discovers beauty in shards of glass, the Master sees beyond our shattered lives. He breathes life into the heart of our souls. His heavenly hands long to mold us into the person He created us to be.  

Today the hummingbird sits on our bookshelf and speaks of beauty. Someday I hope God will marvel at me, just as the artisan held up the hummingbird and nodded his approval. How wonderful it would be to hear the Master say on that blessed day, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Socialism and the Ten Virgins

"An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had failed an entire class.

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "Okay, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade, so no one would fail, and no one would receive an A."

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D!

No one was happy.

When the third test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them, "Socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

It cannot be any simpler than that."

* * *

The above story quoted from several sources on the Internet may be spurious but it's an interesting analogy on the mechanics of socialism.  None of us are so "Godly and self-sacrificing" that we are willing to work our behinds off for the welfare of the State without regard to our own personal sacrifice and what the cost is to ourselves. Socialism takes away the hard-work ethic that Americans historically have been known for and equalizes available resources for "the good of all."

Socialism runs counter to my Christian beliefs because my freedom and ability to choose have been taken from me and what's "good for all" has been forced on me by a godless government. The government is not wise enough to make the choice about what is best for me or my family, and when they rob from me to give what is rightfully mine to someone else, most of the surplus ends up in the pockets of those who least deserve it.

In the Parable of the Ten Virgins, found in Matthew 25:1-13, the five young women who brought extra containers of oil for their lamps were not "forced" to share with those who didn't. Why? Because there would not have been enough "capital" or oil available to take care of everyone who came to meet the bridegroom.

The five virgins without sufficient oil were not disabled-they could talk, walk, think, and reason, and it is implied by the context, they could take care of themselves. Jesus called them "unwise." The wise virgins instructed them to "go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves." Implicit in the story is a free market economy where there are resources available to be bought, showing that the foolish virgins could have bought some earlier but didn't.

The foolish maidens preferred to depend on handouts from the wise who had planned ahead, much like many today are looking for the government to take care of them in the form of bailouts for fiscal mismanagement; free money for cars, houses, and education; entitlements for government welfare; funding social issues like abortion; and now free health insurance that could bankrupt our country.

Jesus admonished us to help the poor, saying they would always be with us, the thought being, no matter what a nation does to equalize wealth, it goes counter to God's natural law. Everyone is not guaranteed the ability to own a home, have health insurance, or whatever else our government decides should be funded by those who have more. The government will end up robbing its citizens to pay for what is not affordable. Socialism is not sustainable because fewer and fewer will be able to survive economically at a high enough level to provide for those who are unwilling. Many will be duped into thinking they can't to validate our government's desire for ultimate control. The whole system will collapse into its own waste of misallocated resources and broken dreams. .

Too many of our young people have been hoodwinked into believing they are entitled to "more." Someone insisted in response to my arguments on Facebook, "the government is going to take care of me." Good luck with that thought. The problem is somebody has to pay. In the end, we all pay because we all suffer when the truly poor suffer, and there will be more who are truly poor. When limited resources are squandered by propping up those who deserve to fail and the available capital is used by the government to equalize all there is, everyone suffers. We see this now and will see more of it because we are now using capital that doesn't exist. 

The future earnings of our children, borrowed money from other countries, fiat money created by our government, our Social Security, and probably, eventually, our retirement accounts, will be used to fund our fiscal irresponsibility. There will be a continued shrinking of the private sector as the government takes over more and more of the economy. A day of reckoning is coming. God's law is a natural law. Those who have been deceived will receive their just reward.

As in the parable of the Ten Virgins, the wise virgins had enough oil and those who were foolish didn't. Those who seek the truth will be prepared. God said in the end times He would send a strong delusion. I see a lack of discernment everywhere; sadly, most of all in our young people. Too many of them have bought into the lies fed to them by the educational system and powerful bureaucrats in Washington. I blame both the Democrats and Republicans. In many ways, I hardly even see a difference between them except when it comes to the issue of abortion. I wonder if they do not know history or if it's just easier to believe the delusion rather than to seek the truth. Even Pontius Pilate, who represented the powerful Roman government, asked "What is Truth?" as the Author of Truth, Jesus Christ, stood before him. The question is, do you know?  

I implore you to seek the truth while it can still be found. Who knows when the last bastion of freedom of information will be taken from us. In China, much of their news is filtered by the government. There the Google search engines remove "propaganda" that the government doesn't want the masses to know. In Russia, South Korea, and Vietnam, Christians are imprisoned and martyred for speaking the truth; and now in Europe, Islam is the fastest growing ethnic minority and Sharia law is becoming the norm. The Muslims make it no secret what their agenda is by their attacks on our country, our faith, and our way of life. How long are we going to be in denial of the truth for the sake of political correctness?

While the government may think Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG, and others are "too big to fail," perhaps they don't realize a free United States is not too big to fail. It is not even a question if you have enough oil.  Don't blink or you might miss the bridegroom. It is happening that fast!

All of us have lived through dramatic times of ecstasy and pain. For the sensitive and sensate person, memories of these events are etched in the psyche and have molded us into who we are. A memoir is a way to touch at the heart of those feelings and allow them to be shared with others.

A memoir is different from an autobiography because it takes a “snapshot” of certain events in a person's life. A memoir tends to read more like a novel. Usually a memoir is written in more colorful language than an autobiography and only relevant information is included—not everything about a person's life should be shared. So how do I get started, you may ask? Here are twelve steps I followed in writing my memoir of adoption in Children of Dreams.

1. A memoir should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. There should be a problem, a conflict, and a resolution. 

2. It might be helpful to pull out old pictures, diaries, and objects to bring to memory the experiences you are writing.  If possible, go to the scene and relive the events in your mind.

3. Allow your feelings to flow freely from your mind and heart—they may be painful, terrifying, hurtful, crazy, or not understood, but to write a good memoir, you must bring the buried nemeses to the surface and write with passion.

4. Listen to music that will transport you from your surroundings to the time and place of the memoir. I like classical music, but anything that stirs your emotions and allows your mind to be absorbed back into that moment will work.

5. Don't do any major editing until you've written all that you can remember. Worry later about clean-up. If you edit too soon, you may change something that is important.

6. Expect to feel like you are going crazy. Your feelings may create powerful emotions that are buried deep, but when you write those hidden passions and distorted thoughts on paper, it can be cathartic. The story may even write itself and come to a resolution you never thought possible.

7. Make sure you validate facts. A memoir is based on truth, so dates, times, names, people, and sequence of events are important. Otherwise, your credibility may come into question if something you have written is shown not to be true. It may be necessary to change names or locations, and this is acceptable provided you put a disclaimer at the beginning.

8. A good memoir is rich in color—metaphors, similes, descriptions, dialogue, and feelings will make your memoir come alive.

9. After you've written around one hundred pages, take some time to reflect on what you have said. Then put it aside for a few days, don't look at it, and come back and re‑read it. It will be easier to spot things that need to be revised or rewritten. Save deletions for later.

10.  Be kind to yourself. Writing a memoir is a very personal, gut-wrenching journey.

11. After you have written the rough draft and edited it as much as you can, including deletions, give your memoir to some trusted friends for feedback. You may see a pattern in their comments, and that's a good indication of what needs further revision. Don't be shy and seek a professional editor if needed.  

12. Never give up. Never, never give up. Need I say it again? Never, never, never give up.

Why write a memoir, you may ask?

First, the memories are important to you. The intimate details will soon be forgotten if they are not written down. The memoir validates your experience and gives meaning to your life. Your memories become a treasured journey for others to learn from and enjoy.

A memoir can be a gift to your children, your parents, your friends, your country, and the world. Only you can tell the story that you've been given, and other people's lives will be enriched. Most of all, if you're like me, you will be set free from the past and empowered to write your next story.

You will be changed and healed in ways that would not have been possible without writing your story. Having gone through the journey twice, you will be wiser. Perhaps you will touch others in a way you couldn’t have imagined because the “gestalt” of your experience is universal. Most importantly, you will have accomplished what you set out to do, and that is to write your memoir.

I say it again, never give up. It will be worth it when you have finished.

 

It's interesting to me that Jesus never said in the Beatitudes, blessed are the beautiful, blessed are the popular, blessed are the gifted, or blessed are those who are the best--whether it be as a teacher, artist, carpenter or writer. But He did say, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you."

I have sensed in my spirit that when I am creating I am most like God than at any other moment. There is a subconscious link between the creative aspect of who we are and God. When we choose to glorify Him in that endeavor, the beauty is far greater than we could have created (or written) on our own. When our motives are tainted, we lose part of that beauty. By tainted, I mean for fame, money, popularity, or acceptance.

One thing that has struck me is I have scuba dived all over the world, and there is a good possibility I have seen things that no one else on earth has seen--beauty that surpasses anything that I could describe here. I wonder why God would create beauty that would only be seen by me, or create beauty that would never be seen by even one person. New species are being discovered every day in science, and if I were a betting woman, I would say there are hundreds if not thousands of things out there that are still not seen or known. If we ask ourselves that same question, it can lead to some profound answers. Why create beauty if no one else will see it, believe in it, appreciate it, pay us for it, or give us accolades?

It's because that is the way God is. We will always have the Audience of One, and if that Audience of One chooses to bring us recognition here, then we can be grateful for that. But I believe our rewards will be far greater in heaven if the beauty we create here is for Him, and maybe even more so if never appreciated by anyone, because the rewards we receive in heaven from our heavenly Father will dwarf anything that we could receive from man.

 

 

One night in a dream I stood before the Great Judge as He sat at the bench draped in His official black robe. The courtroom was immense and dark. I was all alone and stood quietly pondering my fate. As I waited to be sentenced for my unspecified crimes, my stenograph machine, set up before me as if I was to record the proceedings, began spitting out the record of my life--everything that I had ever done from the time I was born until that point.

Just as a court reporter writes it all down, my notes unraveled and overflowed from the paper tray faster and faster until the courtroom was covered in thousands of interconnected loops of stenograph paper strewn everywhere.

I knew I was condemned as I stood before the Great Judge. I wanted to fix all my mistakes, but I couldn't. It was too late and I had no defense. He was about to sentence me, but from the back of the darkened courtroom, a lone figure came forward and stood beside me. He was a towering individual, and I was covered by His shadow and enveloped by His omnipresence. Dare I look into His eyes? The room was empty, except for the three of us, and I suddenly recognized it was Jesus who now stood next to me at my darkest hour.

He approached the bench and there was a conference out of my hearing between the Audience of One. I wondered what the Masters of my future would decide; I knew I deserved death. The ugliness of my life was no secret to them. They knew every sin I had committed, every secret thought, every wasted action, every omission and commission of things of which I knew better.

Suddenly, as in a flash of lightning, the ream of stenograph paper rolled backwards on itself and disappeared. The paper tray was empty. The scroll of my life was "remembered no more." There was no record that could be made, no court reporter's notes, no transcript. It was whisked away in an instant.

Jesus stepped down from the bench and returned to stand beside me. Again, without warning, the reams of paper now quickly reappeared, as a tornado, unraveling and covering the Holy One's body. The Master stood condemned, my dirty, stained stenograph paper wrapped around Him as garments of cloth. He was bound as if he were to be laid in a borrowed tomb--or a manger. He would take the punishment I deserved. No longer guilty, God redeemed me by His love.

I now stood before more than a righteous judge. I stood before the Audience of One. Love compelled Jesus and my Heavenly Father to remember no more my past vulgarities. For the joy set before Him, Jesus was escorted away in shame. It was Love that took my place, Love that covered my sin all recorded on stenograph paper that spoke of condemnation.

As we share the joy of the Christmas holidays, let's remember Jesus is the reason for the season. Let's keep Him in our traditions and celebrations as we adorn Christmas trees in colorful ornaments and exchange lavish gifts. The greatest treasures we give, however, may not be wrapped in Christmas tissue but rather in what we do--our forgiveness, joy, and love filled to the brim, poured out, and shared unselfishly. Let the light of Jesus burn brightly through the window of our heart.

May it begin with me--more patience, more time, more of everything I lack. If Jesus gave His all, maybe, just maybe, I can venture out of my own comfort zone. If I try to be more like Him, if I allow His Word to mold me, perhaps I can be the difference maker in my own world filled with the most precious lives I touch--my children, my family, my friends, my coworkers, and my neighbors. 

Most of all, I want to remember what I have to be thankful for--and it begins with the empty paper tray. Because of Jesus, I can write the greatest story ever told, of how a baby came from Heaven to earth, born in a manger, wrapped in rags, and who redeemed me....Merry Christmas.