Wednesday, 31st of May, 2023 -TDP

Do you practice religion?

—The Daily Prompt

Oh, getting spicy, dear Questioner! I am one of those pretentious arseholes that say, “I am a Christian; which is not a religion, but a relationship with Jesus.” I’m not trying to patronize or pretend to be something I am not, it is simply the truth. I have been a Christian since I was 26 years old, March of 2007, & have been worshipping within the Southern Baptist denomination ever since. I believe in a cerebral faith, I do not check my brain at the door to my religion, which is why I love Christianity.

When I look back, I can see the Lord throughout my life; He has been there, loving me & guiding me as much as I would allow. My mother took me from my Meemaw & Pappaw and moved us 90miles south to Dallas, Texas, which is a point of trauma that has effected my life profoundly. However, once I got to Dallas, He made it so I could start school early, being 4 years old in Kindergarten; I began school at Liberty Baptist Academy, with an awesome teacher named Mrs. Clark. My mom met a man, got married, and he was transferred several years later to Phoenix, Arizona, where my new dad wanted to place me in a Catholic school, as that was his religion, but there was a 2-year waiting list minimum on all the private Catholic schools, so it was public school for me.

The Lord was at work again, guiding our steps to Phoenix. He blessed me with a lovely best friend, Jessica, whose family practiced the Catholic faith, which was a plus for my dad. We were “holiday Catholic” for most of my growing up. I studied for Communion, Confirmation and everything, especially when Jessica was going through it, but my family never went to church enough for me to get Confirmed. In second grade I was once again blessed with an amazing teacher, Mrs. Peacock. That wonderful woman read to us daily, with the first book being The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis, something that I doubt would be allowed now.

That effected my life so profoundly that I spent an inordinate amount of time sleeping in my closet, not realizing that I was really praying to God a great deal of the time. Religion, defined by Oxford, is the belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods; a particular system of faith and worship. I suppose I check those boxes, but I still don’t think of true Christianity as a religion. Jesus didn’t have a religion, He came to abolish the Law; He worshipped the Lord, taught His Word, and spread His loving kindness throughout the land, living by example for us to follow into a relationship with the Lord.

Traveling Tuesday, you ol’ (insert bad word here), you. 30.May.23

{pain} 5 or 6 or 7 {sleep} 4h 22m – and I feel the lack of sleep, for sure. I did get nearly a full hour of ‘Deep’ sleep, which is good.

One of my favourite quotes from a movie… do you know it? Hint: Samuel L. Jackson’s character says it.

I am exhausted. I had a counseling appointment this morning quite early, meaning I had to leave the house by 7am. Then there was one thing after another, all day, ending with another trip -this time to Effingham, to visit my dispensary, RISE.

Stained Glass Parabolas by: Mindy Sommers

Heat makes me exhausted, just takes the life right out of me. The A/C in Zeus remains broken, so driving is an issue.

Nonchaloir Repose by: John Singer Sargent

The Garage Sale during Crazy Casey Days is a GO! We need to get to work, this is very big for us. My Ma has even asked off, so…

The Eagle is Coming by: Arthur Houston

She will be incredibly helpful, as she is a complete professional when it comes to Yard Sales; and we just have so much stuff. I feel the need to purge a great deal; I am praying that I personally get rid of a great deal of my things currently in the garage.

Reality check, sweetheart…

‡‡ You are running OUT of TIME ‡‡

AND this month is CRAZY BUSY!!! Time to get your shite together. Start your lists, organize your calendars, it’s time to 💩 or get off the 🚽.

On that lovely note, I wish you well. Talk Soon, Cecelia 💋

Post Script: Wonderful Memories… We used to go to the Renaissance Faire each year in Muskogee, Oklahoma, at least one weekend during the month of May. One year we went every weekend bc Rœgn had won the costume contest the year before & we got free season tickets. I think we may work a festival next year… goooood times.

Tuesday, May 30th, 2023 -TDP

Do you remember life before the internet?

—The Daily Prompt

Why, yes! I do remember life before the internet & was just speaking on something related to this today. We had to learn things by doing them, then we wrote all that knowledge down, made much more knowledge available to everyone, and expected our kids to just read about it and know how to do it straight away. (Even though we had to learn it all by doing it not by reading about it. Not to say that you can’t learn by reading, obviously that is NOT what I am saying). I just think we put a great deal of pressure on our kids learning through the internet, when we didn’t do that so why should we think that they can? I mean, some can, just like some are more visual, others more auditory… I don’t know, I am rambling.

I remember there were a lot more books involved in the every day, since we had to actually find the physical book to read it. Atlas’s 🗺️ were fun; if you didn’t have a Navigator 👨‍✈️ on a road trip, you were sunk. Phone book! 📕 That is one thing I don’t mind giving up! But my daughter will never know the absolute joy & astonishing pride that comes from finding the ONE shop, ONE name, or ONE whatever, that you were looking for in a book that was several inches thick. (I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, so big city = BIG BOOK). Shopping 🛍️ was much more tactile and involved traveling… outlet malls! Oooh, if we saw one on the highway as we passed through we definitely hit that shit. I remember once getting a Coach purse for about $150 and thinking I was finding the best deal ever, considering the original price was 3x that. 👀 Now you can find that on Amazon.

I enjoy the convenience of the internet, especially for looking up businesses, but there is a cost. It is funny though, we (Gen X) didn’t have to wait to tell the “When I was young” stories because everything changed so drastically, so very quickly. I haven’t even hit 45 years old yet and I can discuss this like a good ol’ “When I was young, we had to memorize phone numbers AND addresses AND directions!“ Instead of the, “We had to walk 10 miles, up hill (both ways),” talks that we got when we were growing up.

I often say that I was born in the wrong time. I would have been an amazing figure for Women’s Suffrage, Civil Rights, discovering the new century & the Industrial Revolution, in a corset 💃. Instead, I am fighting for Equal Rights for (women, still 🙄), LGBTQ community, & minorities (thought we got passed this one too, but NO), while attempting to navigate the technological revolution. 🖥️ I am unsure of which is more frightening.

Monday, 29 May 2023 -TDP

What are you good at?

—The Daily Prompt

Dear Questioner,

I feel as though this is a very broad question, like spanning a canyon, broad… with any answer I give sounding like I am way too full of myself. So I will begin by saying that I’ve always been a good liar, which made me a good actor, which made me shit at real life.

I am good at talking to people, listening to people, counseling people, & crap at taking or implementing most counsel. And I am exceptional at procrastinating, not finishing things, & giving up way too soon on some things (the latter I have gotten much better at as I have aged). I used to be a decent writer, a skill I am trying to reclaim.

I hope what I am best at is being a mom, it is certainly my favourite thing to be good at. 🤔 I’m tired, so I’ll stop there. ✌🏻

Sunday, May 28, 2023 -TDP

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?

—The Daily Prompt

Cascade of Rhetoric by: Fania Simon

I came across this today and I thought of you, dear Questioner, and your prompt today. “Right now the perfect place is right under my feet” …and no matter how the rest of the poem goes, it is perfect just there. I think “having it all” truly means being content with what you have already been blessed with. If we are going off of that definition, then yes, it is completely attainable, with patience, humility, and love. (And a whole lotta Jesus! For without Him you will never have it all.)

Oh, holy Son day, I pray for healing. 28.May.23

{pain} IFH ugh, just don’t ask. {sleep} 5h even… like I was trying. (I wasn’t).

Optical Illusion, All Is Vanity, 1892 by: Science Source

I feel as though I am getting sick… I hate this feeling. Tomorrow is a holiday, so no Telehealth available, no walk-in clinic. I wish I could just sleep forever…(insert TOOL, Sober, for a few minutes). I wish my head would just get back in the game. Talk Soon, Čęčęłįâ 🫶🏻

Coffee, Cannabis, & Kirk -28.May.23- How Could Jesus Be the Only Way? Acts 4:8-12

Good morning/ afternoon/ or evening, friends! We are nearing the halfway point of this year, which is just crazy! Just like 2023 – I will get right along: I’m brewing Death Wish Coffee Co. Dark, enjoying a mix of London Pound Cake (I) & Gas Station Sushi (S) with a dash of THCa powder called Yeti. I have been in a great deal of pain this week, forgive me if I digress.

The Only Way by: Shevon Johnson

We have another oldie but goodie today, “How Could Jesus Be the Only Way?” I have been asked this question a lot and I asked it myself when I was younger; in order to answer it I read about many different religions. We are beginning in Acts 4, follow along in your Bible or read below:

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’”

—Acts 4: 8-12 (ESV)

Bryan’s not messing around again, fam… He begins by stating the obvious, how you respond to the question (How could Jesus be the only Way?) individually, will determine how you live on mission with God in this life. And it should radically reorient your life & the way you see those you ‘do life’ with around you.

• The exclusivity of Jesus is both the hardest and greatest truth we know of the Christian Faith. Holding on to this is difficult in a pluralistic society, facing “don’t all religions teach the same thing?” (Spoiler Alert:: No, they don’t.) [Cringeworthy statistic that 1 in 3 within the church believe in “something MORE” than Jesus Christ.
• —Universalism stated (basically) by Rob Bell in his book, (Love Wins) that the Love of God is so great & overwhelming that ALL will eventually be saved. In order to appeal to the pressures of pluralism there was a ‘watering down’ of the truth. ~Before 1900 the appeal of Universalism was man, not God, in that we celebrated ourselves and how awesome we were [flying high on the Industrial Revolution, indoor plumbing will do that]. Then came WWI, WWII, Nazism, Communism, genocides, pogroms, etc., that proved we were horrific beings, which pointed back to the goodness of God making everything okay.~ 🐄 Universalism also appeases human feelings about the lost, those that have never known Christ, in making it easier to believe they will all eventually be saved.
• Believing a lie because it is easy doesn’t make it any less dangerous.

The Rose Garden, Love Wins by: Kimberly Santini

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”

1 Timothy 2: 3-5

• —{Critique of Universalism: Sometimes we think of God in our image, instead of the other way around, therefore thinking that He will agree with what we think is good.}
• The holiness of God does not allow you to rest in a “feel good” theology. Because sin must be dealt with does not mean that God is delighting in the loss of people, but that also does not mean we get to hide from the hard things.
• —Pluralism – there are MANY ways to God; says that essentially all religions are equally valid and invalid. The point of it all is to HAVE faith, not which faith it is; this is the “all roads lead to God” idea. Pluralists like John Hick think there needs to be a Copernican Revolution concerning the exclusivism of Christianity. In essence, the recognition of religious value of other religions ‘involves a shift from the dogma that Christianity is at the centre to the realization that it is God who is at the centre, and that all the religions of mankind…serve and revolve around him.’ (Per Philip Almond, “John Hick’s Copernican Theology”). With this ideology, it doesn’t matter what you are as long as you’re sincere. However, it also devalues the very words of Jesus, I am the way, the truth, and the life; and as we all know, “In the beginning was the WORD.”
• The revelation of God does not allow you to rest in an ambiguous theology. The Holy Spirit dwells within us and shines through us onto others. We Believers are found to be disobedient if we are not evangelical in our faith.
• —Inclusivism – Jesus ALONE is the Saviour of the world. Not all religions are the same, but Jesus stands above all religions, and He includes those of sincere faith & covers them by his blood. (.e.g. Holy Pagans, Anonymous Christians). Rahab- she had heard the testimony of others and responded.

Honk If You Believe In Anything by: Warren Miller [Published in the New Yorker; March 3, 1975]

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

Hebrews 11:6

• —The Faith Principle, Hebrews 11:6 – people are not saved by the content of their theology, but there is a subjective side and an objective side of faith. That God revealed Himself in His Son Jesus Christ, and that He came to live a sinless life, and die a sinner’s death, only to rise three days later from the grave… historical events.
• The Mission of God does not allow you to rest in a “hope so” theology.
• It’s the hardest truth because of the REALITY of LOSTNESS is ALL AROUND YOU. God places you in each situation for a reason and mostly it is to point them to Him. Because how much must you despise someone to NOT share the Gospel?
• It’s the greatest truth because of the finished work on the cross. Jesus did for you what you could never do; this is not a religion, it is a relationship. We no longer carry the weight of it being our responsibility. Every saved person used to be lost; God uses broken people to save broken people, so live so that He may be seen in you.

Live So Others See Jesus In You by: Shawna Lewellen

Resting exclusively in Jesus – that’s what it means to be a Christian; realizing that you cannot do it on your own and will never be able to, no matter what. On that note I am going to say, have a good week! Let me know what you think of this week’s sermon! Talk Soon, Čęčęłįâ 💕

Saturday, May 27, 2023 -TDP

Who would you like to talk to soon?

—The Daily Prompt

Ma Petit Fleur & Mon Petit Homme

I miss my boyo & girlie so very much. It has been too long and I can only pray to see them again soon.

Outside of them, let me explain the dichotomy of my life… when I think of the prompt, a rush of <<ohh, My Aunt Vicki, it was her birthday the other day & all I did was text. Or my cousin, who said that she misses my face; or my best friend, who I miss like crazy & whose son’s birthday party I missed yesterday.>>but then I think about the questions inevitably asked about me, and I lose all wanting to talk with anyone.

Torment by: Jacky Gerritsen

Not only do I lose interest in talking, I just want to hide; crawl under the covers and sleep. I love my Aunt Vicki, and my cousin, and my best friend… I miss them all dearly, but even thinking about it makes me anxious right now. I would love to talk to my boyo & girlie though, for real.

Hiding by: Jacky Gerritsen

Oh, Frigga’s day, you bętch. 26.May.23

{pain} IFH – my face can burn in hell. Both my left & right trigeminal nerves are karate kicking my arse today. {sleep} 4h 24m – yeah. 🫤

Freya/ Frigga Norse Goddess of Beauty by: Michele Avanti

I want to cut my ears off …pause for a minute… then reach in & pull out anything that still hurts. I can barely see straight; I’m typing with my eyes closed.

Freya (frigga) And Her Handmaidens by: Mary Evans Picture Library

My best friend’s oldest son is celebrating being on this earth for two decades… & I am worried I won’t be able to go.

Several hours later…

Yeah, I couldn’t go. I despise myself & my stupid Trigeminal Nerves. Talk Soon, Cecelia

Oh, Thursday, you let me down. 25.May.23 -Most Favourite Aunt Vicki’s Birthday

{pain} IFH. My face. I hate my face. {sleep} 4h 45m – so tired.

Per – Vogue Magazine

Today is my Most Favourite Aunt Vicki’s birthday, and one of her most favourite artists passed away just the other day. When I think of my Aunt Vicki & music, I think of 1. Sawyer Brown (long story) 2. Tina Turner & 3. Rod Stewart. She loves Tina Turner! I remember her dancing to her records…

Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It by: Bo Kev

Tina Turner was a testament to strength and perseverance. She was in a psychologically, emotionally, and physically abusive relationship for several years with Ike Turner, only to break away from him & become an icon all by herself. My solemn prayers are with her family & friends, and my Aunt Vicki. Talk Soon, Čęčęłįä 💕

Tina Turner by: Fin Costello

Tina Turner by: Paul Meijering

Tina Turner colorful watercolor portrait by: Mihaela Pater

Tina Turner Private Dancer by: Yury Malkov

Tina Turner Painting by: Concert Photos

Tina Turner Portrait Session by; Michael Ochs Archives

Tina Turner Sticks Her Tongue Out by: Michael Ochs Archives

Tina Turner Portrait by: MIchael Ochs Archives

Queen Tina Turner by: Bo Kev

Tina Turner Performs On A Tv Show by: Michael Ochs Archives

Thursday, 25 May 2023 -TDP

Do you have any collections?

—The Daily Prompt

Ohhh, dear Questioner, do I have any collections? (All my crap flashes through my brain) >>>Well, I was raised by a pack-rat who taught me to collect things by collecting things herself. I began by collecting stickers when I was little, and my books of stickers remain a favourite. I collected spoons, a wonderfully 80s baby thing to do, I think; the spoons are from each state and some from other countries. I collect memories in our scrapbooks and the journals I write to my daughter. I collect NFL football jerseys and other clothes & memorabilia. My daughter & I collect hoodies. My largest collection is probably my elephants… for several years my family gifted me elephants of all shapes and sizes. Oh, I also collect books; I wish I owned a bookstore.

Whoa, Wednesday, you need to back the eff up. 24.May.23

{pain} My face is an 8 – mostly on the left today. {sleep} 8h 29m – and a whole lot more since. I have been sleeping a lot today to keep the pain away.

By: Mario Sanchez Nevado

Pain by: James W. Johnson

Head in the Clouds with Pills by: CSA Images

Debt Ceiling Cheetahs

In yesterday’s blog, I talked about how Republicans don’t actually care about corruption unless a Democrat does it. In the case of the Biden family, …

Debt Ceiling Cheetahs

Hey, you good lookin’ palindrome, you… 23.May.23

{pain} 8 I hate life without Lyrica. {sleep} 2h 8m – Lady Diana woke me at 2:30a (after not much sleep) whining & crying until I played with and cuddled her, the çunt. I have not been able to get any more sleep so I am in a peach of a mood. 👿

Shopping Cart Palindrome triptych by: GJ Glorijean

Palindrome Portals … by: Judy Foote-Belleci

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 -TDP

How do you feel about cold weather?

—The Daily Prompt

Oh, dear Questioner, you ask a question I contemplate daily during the spring as I mourn the loss of winter and dread the oncoming summer. I love cold weather. I prefer to be able to add clothing and have issue with not being able to take my skin off… I despise heat. I love weather from September-May, the summer months are an enemy.

I also take certain pain medications that increase my body temperature ever so slightly, just enough to make me damned hot when no one else is.

Monday, May 22, 2023 -TDP

Have you ever broken a bone?

—The Daily Prompt

I am uncertain if this counts, but I walked around for eight months with a collapsed spine; C5/6 & C6/7, which had been previously fused.

I had a hairline fracture in my shin after being kicked by a horse.

Other than that, no.

Share Your World 22.May.23 -SYW-

Welcome to Share your World. Thanks to Di at pensitivity101 for hosting. There are two ways in which you can participate:
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Melanie always included an optional gratitude section at the end and I see no reason to change that.

Here are this week’s questions:

1. Growing up, were you closer to your mother or father, or was it a balance of both depending on the circumstances? My ma was a single mother for most of my life, so I guess I was closer to her. When I was a kid I would go to work with my dad and he would put me to work at the front desk of the hotel, or in the deli, or answering phones in the back. That is when I felt closest to him; though I never really got to know who he is. As for my mom, well, I felt closest to her when I was little up until about 11 or 12 years old, then she became distant. I have tried to get to know her too, but it gets more and more difficult the older we get… 😑
2. What was your favourite toy as a child, and do you still have it? Oh man. I was a spoiled child, I had hella toys. However, the first image that popped in my head was my Barbie™ Dream House, all the dolls themselves, the clothes, a corvette, a pool, etc. I had it all and I played with them up until I moved to the Midwest, after 7th grade. If I am honest, I played with them every time I found the box they were in as I got older, AND I passed them along to my daughter. She destroyed most of them, which broke my heart, but I digress…
3. Did you have any secrets? Secrets from whom? Yes. I have one secret that I have never told anyone. I have other “secrets” that I would discuss if asked. Other than that, I’m a brutally honest, open book.
4. What did you want to be when you grew up, and are you anywhere close? Hm. I wanted to be a judge, then the first female President of the United States… or a cosmetologist. 😝 I am nowhere on the map of “What did you want to be” …medical issues have firebombed my life.

Gratitude:
I’m a hugger. If we meet, I’ll probably hug you hello, or definitely hug you goodbye. I am grateful for human touch, something of which I don’t get nearly enough.

Glowing With Gratitude by: Az Jackson

This is from Di – & it is so true. I’ve learned this through The Thoughtful Journal™ which helps you reflect.