Issue #7: Fact or Fiction?

Note: I included hyperlinks in the text below to some of my sources.

I just read a news article that left me feeling very frustrated. It was about a boy who found an extinct shark's tooth in a Michigan river. All these stories are pretty much the same... "What? A shark tooth where?? How did that happen?" And then you get all the "scientific" theories... which are just theories because they don't really have a clue. Some say that North America and Eurasia used to be covered with several small oceans... millions of years ago. I cringe every time I hear that phrase "millions (or billions) of years ago". Seeing as how no one was around that long ago, I'd call that a theory and not a fact. The scientist quoted in the article today said that maybe a long ago native of the area (I'm pretty sure he meant "caveman") carried it that far inland and dropped it. He couldn't figure out how it would have ended up in a Michigan river otherwise. For the love of Pete! (I don't know who Pete is. I just like to say that when I'm frustrated.)

For the record, I am not "down on" science. Science is necessary. What I do not agree with is when scientific theories are made to sound like proven fact, when they are not... which is the case with the news story about the boy in Michigan. It really made me angry to read that the Megaladon lived millions of years ago. They don't know that for a fact, so therefore it shouldn't be worded as if it were a fact.

Anyway, the story made me think of other stories I had heard about shark's teeth being found in the middle of North America, so I decided to do a little more digging and see how many other states have reported finding them. I didn't have to look very long. Kansas, Michigan, Texas, South Dakota, Georgia, North and South Carolina were all mentioned, as well as Canada, Peru, Chile, Belgium, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Morocco, and The Netherlands. I'm sure there are probably more. I only had to look at 2 sites to find all of these. So, this is a global happening. If we are to believe that the scientists' theories are true and that these countries were covered with a bunch of oceans, then where did the cavemen live? There wouldn't be much land at all... there would be a bunch of little islands sticking out from a water world. We're supposed to believe that???

And also, think about this... if we are to believe the theory that some native carried that tooth hundreds of miles inland and then dropped it, are we also to believe that's how all the other teeth were dropped all around the globe? This site shows how plentiful the teeth are. They find so many that they have them cataloged and for sale. Picture it: Little hunched over cavemen all on their own little journeys, leaving a trail of shark's teeth behind them. Whatever. That actually makes me think of a third theory, which is that man evolved from apes and didn't even exist when the dinos existed. Hmm... so how did those freaky little cavemen get all those Megaladon teeth?

I'm more inclined to believe that the shark got there because of the Flood, thousands of years ago... not millions. It sure makes a lot more sense. The earth was completely covered in water for a long period of time. It would only make sense that underwater creatures would get stranded on land and die when the water receded.

Science has started to prove that the Bible account of the flood could be very true. The Bible says in Genesis 7, "all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened." I have never doubted this account of what happened, but it sure made me happy when my beliefs were validated by a scientific discovery of underground oceans beneath North America and Eurasia. It's a fact. They do exist. And it is very plausible that they would have erupted at the time of the flood.

Now you know what I believe. You all believe what you want.

Fun Poll #1

I know I'm not the only person with issues, so I've created a poll (out of curiosity) to see how many of you have issues too. Don't worry... it's only for fun and no one (including me) will know who said what.

Come on... just do it!

Which of these common neuroses do you have?

Anxiety
Pyromania
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Hysteria
Phobias
2 of the above
3 of the above
4 of the above
all of the above
none of the above

(View Results)

Create a Poll

Issue #6: Easter Egg Hunts

Easter was a bit different for me this year. Usually my Dad's side of the family all get together... 10 adults and 3 kids (one of which is now a teenager). We're not a huge family, but still, it's a big deal for us to get together for holidays. I look forward to it. I love hiding candy/eggs for the kids and I especially love it when the weather cooperates. We decided to not do our traditional Easter gathering this year because we all were together on Good Friday for my youngest cousin's wedding... which was a fun, festive event in itself. I really wasn't terribly disappointed about us not doing our usual get together until today.

Today, after church, Hayley left with her dad and step mom, which left Mike and I childless for the day. We decided that we would grab some food from Sonic so I wouldn't have to cook. As we were driving through town, we saw several different houses where adults were outside hiding Easter eggs. We both started to feel bummed and thought maybe we might crash somebody else's Easter celebration and offer to hide eggs for them, but then we kind of thought maybe that would be in poor taste, since we didn't even have a casserole for their potluck dinner.

So, we came up with another plan. We decided to do an Easter egg hunt in our own back yard for our dogs... using dog treats of course. Now you are probably thinking, "What a couple of sad, pathetic losers!" You are absolutely right! But we love our dogs and it's a really pretty day so, why not? What's wrong with making the most of an otherwise depressing situation? It was fun. We strategically hid treats around the steps and around trees and then we turned the dogs loose. They didn't know what to think but, once they figured out there were treats in the yard, the hunt was on. Moose has the best nose and she's the most aggressive, so she did get more than the others... which we had kind of figured would be the case, so we put extras in our pockets to feed the other 2 so they wouldn't feel left out. I didn't think that a dog treat hunt would be as fun as the kid's Easter egg hunt, but it was very close. So, now I'm not quite so bummed... in fact, I'm feeling rather content. I think I'll go take a nap after all this excitement.

Issue #5: Sticks and Stones

Mark 11:25-26

Whoever made up that stupid saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me" was a liar. Words do hurt. A lot. Even as I'm typing this, it is taking everything I've got to hold back tears of anger and hurt. What's really sad is, the person who hurt me doesn't even have a clue. Even if he/she did know, it wouldn't matter. He/she is one of those people who is always 100% honest and is never wrong... ever. And to be honest, that's part of what has me so angry. I know this is just how he/she is and yet I still let it get to me. The problem is, even though the words were probably unneccessary, they were still true and that is the part that I'm dwelling on. And that leads me into my next thought:

As a Christian, we are taught that our past is forgiven and we must move forward and not look back. My question is this: How do I look forward when there is always someone reminding me of the bad things I did "once upon a time"? As if I didn't feel bad enough about it in the first place, now I have to relive it over and over because people can't let it go.

It's not just the person who hurt me today. There are others... even an elder at my church did it once. And actually, I feel like maybe he (the elder) probably hurt me even worse just because he's one of the people teaching us about forgiveness and moving on and yet he felt it neccessary to dredge up the past... that he had only heard about 2nd hand from someone who worked where I used to work... someone who never even talked to me because we didn't even work in the same department. Are you following this??? The elder who felt it wise to dredge up my past was only basing what he said off of complete and total gossip. He never even asked what parts of it were true. He just assumed he knew everything.

It angers me to think about how we, as Christians, tell people that as long as they repent and ask God for forgiveness, then all will be forgiven and become a thing of the past... that they are to move forward and not look back. But as soon as there is an opportunity to, we hold it over their heads. Maybe it's because it makes us feel better to point other's mistakes so we don't have to look at our own. It's still hurtful no matter what the reason.

And I'll ask again... How do I look forward when others are constantly reminding me? I have done what I was supposed to do. I openly confessed everything I ever did to God and I asked for forgiveness. And I have tried to move forward and do things the right way, but was it good enough? Maybe for God, but apparently not for humans. Humans want blood, I think. I mean, for crying out loud, it's been almost 7 years since I cheated, divorced, smoked, or consumed alcohol. It's been 4 years since I confessed all and was rebaptized. What else do I need to do to prove I am a different person than I was then??? How do I convince people that I am a good person who has no intention of repeating the past?

I KNOW WHAT I DID. I don't need anyone else to remind me. I will always be sorry for the wrongs I committed. My goal is to learn from my mistakes and not relive them. I'll never forget what I did, but I will continue to try to move forward (even though some make it a constant struggle for me). I would like to think that I can help keep someone else from making the same mistakes I did.

I know this started off as a rant or a venting of frustration, so I'd like to leave with something that makes at least a little sense. This is a huge thing I am going to ask of you:

When someone who has screwed up recognizes the need for repentance, forgiveness and a better life, don't hold them down. Don't hold their sins over their head. Help them. Guide them. But don't ever judge them. They will never truly be able to move forward until you show them the love and forgiveness of Jesus.

And yes, I'll say it: I'm guilty of doing this to people too. Now that I've ranted, I realize that I have done the same thing... not on purpose of course, but just out of stupidity. I'll work on it.

Issue #4: The Voices

I hear voices all the time. Some tell me good things and some strive to lower my self-esteem and self confidence. It's sometimes hard for me to figure out which one I should be listening to and I'll think to myself, "Okay, was that me, the Holy Spirit, Satan, or just another psychotic episode?" Don't worry. I'm kidding about the psychotic episode... of course there IS schizophrenia on my Dad's side of the family (one of his cousins) and on my Mom's side of the family... well, they're ALL just plain looney toons. Thankfully I escaped all of that. (I just said that in a sarcastic voice because I really didn't escape it at all.)

Anyway, back to the voices.

My head is so full of different thoughts all the time. I constantly pray for discernment. And I've found that if I truly open myself up and really listen, then the "Voice Of Truth" will drown out all that other junk going on in my head. When I'm feeling overwhelmed with thoughts, I just take a deep breath and say, "Okay, Jesus. What do YOU want me to hear?" And usually, it becomes clear. Do I always follow His instructions? NO. But that's a blog for another time... probably about disobedience or being self serving or something to that effect.

Anyway, the reason I felt compelled to talk about the voices is that the first song I heard this morning was "Voice Of Truth" by Casting Crowns. The Holy Spirit has spoken to me several times through music because He knows that's the best way to get me to listen. In fact, I've heard that song many times and love it, but today it really spoke to my heart and I knew I was meant to tell you all about it.

Here's the chorus:

But the voice of truth tells me a different story

The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"

The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

If you'd like to view the whole thing, here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/3ag2jt

Issue #3: Self Esteem

I hate my hair. It gets on my nerves. Sometimes I have no self control and I end up cutting it myself and then have to call someone to fix what I did to it. Today I was able to keep myself away from the scissors. My usual hair stylist, who I've gone to since the age of 13, is so popular that it takes 2 months to book an appointment. Once I start having a bad hair meltdown, I don't want to wait 2 months... I want it done NOW!

So, that's what happened today. I wanted it fixed right now. I put a headband on and drove to the salon at WalMart. I don't really like to go there just because there is so much employee turnover there, I don't get to know anyone and figure out who is good and who shouldn't have graduated from cosmotology school. Getting my hair done there is usually done on a whim, in desperation.

I walked in and as luck would have it, I didn't have to wait. The girl that greeted me (we'll call her "Jane" because I didn't catch her real name, and even if I did, I wouldn't disclose it here) seemed nice enough, except that after the greeting there was an awkward silence that lasted almost the entire time I was there. Being the self conscious person that I am, I was a little intimidated at first because I thought maybe she wasn't talking to me because she thought I was a loser with bad hair (which I was).

After washing my hair, she led me to her station so she could cut my hair and asked me how I wanted it cut. This was the second time she spoke to me the whole time I was there. I told her I just wanted to take off a couple of inches... enough to make it shorter but still put into a ponytail if I wanted to. Simple enough, I think. So, she starts cutting my hair and again we're in total silence. Part of me wanted to start talking about something, but then the other part of me thought, "If she's new, she might really need to concentrate." So I just kept my mouth shut.

When she was done, she handed me a mirror and asked if it was short enough. I couldn't really tell a difference, to be honest, but at this point I was starting to realize that "Jane" wasn't rude or thinking I was a loser. She was shy and lacking a lot of self confidence. I started to take pity on her because I know how that feels. So I said, "It looks great!" She dried my hair and then asked me again if it looked okay and I told her again that I thought it was great. Right after drying your hair, the stylist usually styles your hair... right? Not "Jane". She was ready to get me out of there... so I asked her if she would mind curling the front a little since I still had to do some shopping afterward. She got a confused look on her face and got out her curling iron but then stopped and actually tried to hand it to me and said I could curl it myself if I wanted to. I think I stared at her for 10 seconds before I was actually able to say anything. Normally, this would have completely ticked me off but she looked like a scared rabbit, so what I said was, "Silly me... I forgot I brought this headband! I'll just put it on and it'll be fine!" I paid the full price for a "cut and style" and gave her a 20% tip. My hair didn't really look much different than it did when I went in.

This will sound really twisted, but it was actually refreshing to meet someone who is more introverted and less self confident than me.

Issue #2: OCD

This isn't so much MY issue, but it's an issue all the same. My neurosis must have rubbed off on my dog, Jamie. Jamie is my oldest dog. She is a black lab mix. She's a little overweight... that's my fault. Back when I had my knee surgery and was laid up for weeks, she and I would lay on the couch together and eat oatmeal cream pies. It did a lot of damage to both of us. But that's not the issue. The issue is this:

Jamie has this facination with our carpet. I don't know why. But she licks it so much that she gets hairballs. If you have a cat, you no doubt have seen a hairball before. It's gross. Now, think about that hairball being 5 times bigger. It's 5 times more gross. On top of that, she is wearing holes in the carpets thoughout the house. That's a problem. It has been happening more frequently so I called the vet to see if he had any bright ideas. His diagnosis: OCD. My dog has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. That is an issue. She has just started on some medication that will hopefully stop this behavior. If it doesn't work after 30 days, then we just stop the meds and invest in hardwood flooring.

Yep. Issues.

Issue #1: Road Rage

This one's short.

Stupid people and 4-way stop signs. UGH.

Discuss amongst yourselves.