Tag Archives: blogs

Good Blog Read

Stuff I Actually Think, , , , , ,

I read the best blog post!

No kidding – I was reading some one else’s blog, who just happens to be my brother Joe’s wife, Rockin’ Robin.  And it was just such. a. good. post.  I loved it!  She wrote about blogging and all the things a blog is about it.  In one, single post, Robin journaled a Sunday in their household and she presented her recommended book list.  She shared her Christmas wish list and the secrets from her daily planner and to-do list.  She gave a lighthearted and interesting glimpse into theirs lives, these people I adore, and I was just loving it.  I laughed right out loud on some of it and was like, “Awwwww…” on other parts.  I decided about halfway through that I would recommend it to my blog readers as a peek inside the mind and heart of sweet Robin (Elise-the-Niece’s mom, for those of you who know Elise), my friend and sister, Bible teacher, women’s leader, accomplished realtor, amazing mom and wife to the Joe-Joe.  My sister-in-law love, Robin.

READ IT HERE

I just love this woman and enjoy her writing.  So imagine my surprised delight when I showed up in a list of special people in her life at the end.  I promise that is not why I am recommending this read.  I just love Robin and think you would, too! (And thanks, Robin-for the mention!  You know I’d trust you with my life, right?)

A Few of My Other Fav Bloggers~

Facebook is taking over the universe and some of my favorite bloggers have practically dropped off the face of the earth, rarely-if-ever posting.  But most people are not as graphomaniacal as me.  But among the favorites in my blog box,  some who do still blog regularly, giving me food for thought, are:

bloggit01

Carol Ann Kelly.  She blogs, she FBs, she tweets and she gets more done in a single afternoon than I do all week, I am sure.  Always bright, funny and encouraging, always bringing a smile, read her here.

Marie and I worked together in ministry for a brief time, but she was a gift to me and is planted deeply in my heart.  One of the most intelligent and thought-provoking women I have ever known, Marie can pierce me with a thought (whatever current truth she is personally wrangling with) so deep I think about it for weeks.  She just did it again with her post, “Delicious Ambiguity.”  Read Marie here.

Joel is a thinker.  He is ever reading another mind-boggling book or listening to the intelligesia speak and then summarizing it for his readers.  Saves me lots of time.  He also gifted me with my top book read for 2009, and really probably in my top-20 all-time books, From Eternity to Here, by Frank Viola.  Sometimes you get the right book at the right moment and Joel made that happen for me.  Thanks, kiddo!  Read Joel’s thoughts here.

Not only does she write openly, honestly and poignantly for her new ministry, For Girls Only (she is going to save this generation), Mary V. blogs the story of her little family: her love for her husband and their little boy and the challenges they have faced and overcome these past few years.  The woman blogs!  You can read her delightfully entertaining escapades here (where she also just wrote something very nice for me, so sweet- thank-you, Mary) and her passion for following and taking the next generation of godly young women with her, here.

There are more.  I will talk about them another day. :)

Thanks, blog-family (those mentioned and those on the blogroll).  Thanks for the words that inspire me, the thoughts that blow my mind, the things you share that touch my heart, the ideas I’d never have considered and for giving me a glimpse into your minds and hearts.  Thanks for baring your souls, being gentle with mine, and exposing your fears as you cheer the rest of us on.  As long as you write, I will read! …Jeanie

I won! I won!

9 TV & Movies/Books & Entertainment, Stuff I Actually Think, ,

Carol Ann did this to me.  

She has “awarded” me this symbol and names me a blog she hearts.   And truly it would be a wonderful prize, except that I have to WORK for it.   I have to award it to 7 other people and have them pay it forward.   And so on.   And so on.   And so on….

The waters feel choppy, here, Carol Ann.   How am I, a person who loves soooooo many blogs, to pick only 7?   Some are so great, but they only actually post 3.2 times a year, so I sort of have them on “probation.”    I wish all my kids blogged-by default it would be easier.   But I must select.    Well, here goes, in no particular order.   The  I LOVE YOUR BLOG AWARDS go to:

 1.

Carol Ann-you win again.   The other lady that awarded you talked about your joy and fun shining through and it is true.   You were the blogger  I most looked up to when  I started blogging   because you did it so well and so honestly.   You won again!   You have to do it all over!

 2.

Stephanie’s Place – you win because you write so well about such tough stuff.   I am honored to have the secret password.   And one day (soon, I am thinking), I will be standing across the bookstore watching you sign copies of one of the many books you have in you, and I will say, “I knew her when it was just a blog…”

 3.

Robin, my sister-in-law.   Sometimes she and I write these amazing blog posts back and forth in the form of emails, and I think: what are we, crazy?   The world should be reading this amazing material.   Robin is pretty new at it  and hasn’t found her posting groove (she thinks it should be really important first-ha-then I’d never post!), but when she writes, it is good!

 4.

My husband’s.   He has 3 websites and 4 blogs, but I’ll just mention one.   We write for each other really.   If you read us both, you are in on the corny conversations that are our life.   We like each other a lot. :)

 5.

Tara’s.   She doesn’t write enough, but I love when my first-born does!   She is a passionate young woman, full of zeal and optimism, truly in love and inspirational in her walk with God.   I always tell her if she weren’t my daughter, I’d be trying to find ways to be friends with her.

 6.

Jovan’s, my daughter-in-love.   She is better to me than 7 sons(Ruth 4.15).   I have known this girl for at least 1/3 of her life and she is only 21!   She married my son almost 2 years ago and her exhuberance for her husband and baby bless my heart.   She writes of love in every post and gives me lots of pictures to look at!

 7+.

Pearl and Bryan.   These are two, but they are kind of connected by marriage.   Bryan is clever, witty and wry and uses my blog to write tormenting things on his, sometimes.   He is the brother I already have too many of. :)   Pearl is artistic and thoughtful, deep and sincere.   She writes about family and beauty and things of the heart.   They are good friends who’ve seen me at my worst, and yet, are good friends.

OK winners, there are AWARD RULES, here is what you have to do:

  • Tell the winner to put the award logo on their blog.   It is their prize!
  • Link to the person from whom you received your award.
  • You bestow the award on 7 other blogs and link to them!
  • E-mail or leave a message on the bloggers you have awarded letting them know.

Keep the love going!

 

Every Possible Bad Word

1 Christ is All, Stuff I Actually Think, , , ,

When you blog, there are “robots” out there crawling around on their slimy underbellies looking for places to deposit sick and disgusting “comments” with links to their perverted websites.   These “comments”  are  generally 3872+ words long and they are all bad words, combinations, however,  of the same  limited, vile vocabulary  used  repeatedly ad naseum  .   So actually there are only about 78 words.   They are just “creatively” re-arranged for “impact.”

Usually I just get rip-roaring ticked off, like how dare you crawl onto my site and leave this pile of donkey dung, but today, for just a moment I looked at it and had to laugh at the stupid nincompoop who sat and typed all that stuff out.   It is every dumb, degrading, distorted and naughty word a 12-year-old boy heard on a bus and tried to impress his friends by repeating.

And people choose to make their living this way?   I feel sorry for them because I heard all these words years ago and they can’t seem to come up with anything new for their own specialty lexis.   What size must your brain be (and any of the other random parts of you that you seem to wish to discuss)  if that is all that is in there?  

Shut. up.

The thrill is gone, my friends, gone.   You’re out of words, so shut up already!   No amount of stringing these objectionable obscenities together can reward you with the pleasure and joy of discovery for the pure-hearted innocent.   You wish you had what they have!

Stay off my site, you freaking idiots!   What would your mother say?   Sincerely…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Use words to bring life.   “May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer…”   Psalm 19.14 NIV.   Maybe I shouldn’t have called these people “freaking idiots”?

Blog: Three Hundred

6 Looking Back // Memories!, Stuff I Actually Think,

I started this blog on November 29, 2006 during a dark time when I just needed to be able to talk and was hoping I could find a place to tell the truth even when it hurt me or exposed my ugly side (as if it couldn’t already be seen). I wasn’t always forthcoming, it took awhile, but it was freeing to expose my darkness and hit “post”! There, done. Never to be retrieved. Freedom!

It took me me until September 26, 2007 to get to the 100th post, which was a full 10 months, but only a scant 6 months to get to the 200th post, for which no fanfare or mention was made and I can only guess happened on or about March 21, 2008. Here we are at number 300, just 4 months and some days later and I am barely hitting my stride! Ha!

I can make fun of myself as a blogger. I had a friend laugh that she actually got mad when people asked her how she was doing. She was like, “Well, haven’t you read my blog?” The nerve.

Bloggers realize they are graphomaniacal. We madly write a post with passion and gusto and then wait to see if anyone reads and leaves a comment. If no one comments, we think we will never write again. But we do. We cannot help ourselves.

So, I shall blog on -for the thousands and thousands of people who read my blog daily, hourly even, and just choose not  to comment, as they wrestle through the issues I have raised, are dumbfounded by the awesomeness of my thoughts, or must meditate on on the wisdom I share. Yes, I’ll continue on for all of them. Or maybe just because I know my mom wants me to. Could it be she is my only reader? Well, it matters not, tomorrow there will be another blog, #301. Tomorrow is another day!

NOTE: I am happy to report that somewhere between the beginning and now (and very recently, at that), my mom has learned to post comments.

Heaven Fest by Other Observers

Stuff I Actually Think,

 

Others  who have written  about Heaven Fest.

My friend, Donna, wrote about her husband’s ministry to Nathan.

Rob Kelly, one of the most gracious pastors of the very generous and gracious church who allowed us the use of their property for Heaven fest, and just basically gave us anything and everything they could, wrote about Heaven Fest here and here and here.   Maybe he wrote more, too…

Pearl and Bryan helped sow the seed, build the event and clean up afterwards.   They participated through and through.   Read Bryan’s account here.   This is a cropped version of a snapshot Bry took during Main Event.

A miraculous healing for Traci.   God was watching out for our crew!

Carol Ann  (my Maui partner-in-crime) was hanging with the ‘importants’ at HF.   She was the HF liaison (Director)  to the stars, aka “artists.”

A family I don’t know,  but found on google attended and wrote about the Main Event.

A couple of girls who experienced life-changing encounters with God at Heaven Fest wrote about it here.

This musician   (Jeremy Riddle’s drummer, Brandon McCoy, it turns out) was impacted by people he met during Heaven Fest.

One of the stage managers, a guy right in the middle of the fun, Joel F. wrote his thoughts.

Jeremy Camp did a video blog at Heaven Fest.

This blogger’s comments have given me lots of things to consider as we evaluate HF and things we need to do better.   Thank goodness for God’s grace for the stuff we missed!

I really enjoyed this young guy, Hector’s, observations on what happened at Main Event!

And this young guy really sensed people were there for God!

The people of Heaven Fest  I met and the ones I didn’t-I am amazed by them all.   But the HF leadership team was outstanding!   In the end, we had 21 “directors” over the various parts (modules).   We were new at this and they were our  “guinea pigs.”   We handed them what we had, which for many was not much.   And most were able to turn our best, but  less-than-wondrous-at-the-time-they-got-it  work into gold, pure gold!   I am so thankful God allowed me to be a part of Heaven Fest and to work side-by-side with the directors and some  really wonderful  managers, as well.

Add to that leadership team  the remarkable volunteers that showed up from all over the place and  you can understand why HF worked.    It was the people!   The people who worked (directors, managers, volunteers)  cared  enough about the people who came (12,000+)  to lay aside their time and efforts and resources, to give up just relaxing and meandering  with a snow cone, to work until they were bone-tired, to make HF happen.    I am absolutely in awe.   HF Leadership, I am amazed at your total lack of self-centeredness, at your complete eschewing of entitlement, which is  too prevalent in these days, even in the church.   Thank-you for pouring out your life in this way!

I still cannot get over seeing the Body of Christ work together like this.   Beautiful!…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:   So many thank-you’s to write,   many people to appreciate.

pictured: some views from a plane early in the day by Mark Aiken.   Note how small the 80-foot wide stage looks (top, right corner of 2nd photo).   The church even looks small!

1.4 blogs are born every second & other important miscellany

Stuff I Actually Think, , , ,

 easter-2007-tris-and-guini.jpg

My son-in-law, Tristan (pictured with Guini), sent me this news recently:

David Sifry has released Technorati’s latest “State of Blogosphere”
report today.  Sifry’s post tells us that Technorati is now tracking
more than 70 million blogs.  That’s up from 51 million at their last
report.  He also points out that new blogs are coming online at a
rate of 120,000 per day (or roughly 1.4 blogs per second).

What the heck are all of us people trying to say?  My goodness, we are desperate to be heard, huh?  I started my blog (see my very first post on 11.29.06 “Top Ten Reasons I’m Blogging”) with the thought that I could put all these tidbits down for my kids to consider (and because my mom thinks I should write) and now I have to nag my kids to read it!  Ha!  I am just trying to get a word in edgewise here, people.

She rants. Everybody totally wants to know what bugs me, right? ;)

On Good Morning America a few days ago, they ran a story about the minivan makeover by the Chrysler Group who are now offering, for just under $60,000, live satellite feed in your cars.  They hooked us in with “No more DVDs keeping the kids quiet….”

GMA’s guest “expert”, Jane O’Donnell of USA Today, commented: “I remember asking my parents ‘when are we gonna be there’ and my daughter still does that, but she goes right right back to her movie and I might not hear from her for another hour or so.”

“That’s the kind of experience mothers crave.  Now imagine if you could put your kids in the back of a minivan and have them glued to satellite TV watching children’s programming,” came the voice of the journalist reporting the story, you’d have a “driving dream come true.”

At which time one of the co-anchors laughed, “Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?”  And told us, “There is a way to silence them.”

Omigosh.  Do I even need to explain on how many levels this bugged the heck out of me?!?

Kids, let’s take a trip and ride for several hours and God forbid you should look out the windows and see any of the countryside or the occasional cow. And don’t even think about yakking at me! Yes, let’s use this time to further pound your little brains with more movies and now –  live commercials for the entire trip.

I shall stop before this becomes truly vile.

E-mail forwards.

I get them all the time.  We all do, right?  Some have made me laugh so hard I have cried.  Some have been motivating and inspiring.  Some are pretty freakin’ sappy.  But still they come, faster than clockwork.  And I actually do enjoy many of them.  They have become forums for people who have a lot to say (but haven’t yet gotten a blog, apparently).

But here is my beef… I got one today with a really good poem, one which I have probably received 27 or 28 times already, but a good reminder, nonetheless.  It came from this hilarious, wonderful friend I don’t get to see very often. But she keeps in touch and likes to send me forwards.  I rarely send them on – or if I do, I try to cut and paste then warn the recipients (generally my mom, who loves forwards) that it isn’t really something from me – just something that made me think of them.

So anyway – I get this good poem, which some caring person knew would bless the recipients, but along the way, it has gotten surrounded in words and phrases like:

If I don’t get this back, I will know you didn’t really read it.
Too bad that the person who sent this to me didn’t even know 10 people who were willing to admit to knowing the Lord.
If I sent this to you, please send it back so I will know that my friends do know the Lord. Do you love Him?
This is a simple test: If you love Jesus, send this to at least 10 people including the person who sent it to you.

Rebellious by nature, I think you know that I am not sending it on and I refuse to try to prove I love the Lord by doing so and instead of “sending it back. She already got it – why would she need it again?  So she can send it back to ME??? Eeks! Who came up with these vile tests of my faith in Jesus or my love for my friends? Grrrr…..

Let the deleting begin.

I think it is the April snow that has me in this prickly mood.  But I pray blessing on you anyway!  Really!  Jeanie

easter-07-the-grandkids-with-guinis-basket-2.JPG

NOTE TO SELF:  Think how green the grass will be in a few days.   (Tristan with Guinivere, above; Guini, Gavin & Hunter, left.  On Easter)