Journal Comic 1

I love my job at "Tiny Village" (named changed to protect the innocent). Work in a daycare is never boring. It has it's good times (babies who greet you with a familiar smile at the start of the day), and it's hard times (saying goodbye to babies when they either move up to the next room or move away) and it's gross times (spit-up, diapers, runny noses). I love it nonetheless. You get to know them and pretty much become their second mother (some babies are dropped off at 5:30am and aren't picked up until 6:00-6:30pm. You are with them a long time). I've had babies reach for me from their parent's arms when they are dropped off. They feel happy and safe with me and that makes me happy. It's one of the most rewarding jobs I've had. :) So much better than retail!

Not Dead

not dead.

Daily Bible Reading- Leviticus 15-16

Last night I did my daily Bible reading, which was Leviticus 15-16. It was not an instructional on sacrifices like the previous chapters, but concerned more *ahem* delicate matters. But, in reading it, brought to mind something about Jehovah God and sacrifices.

When one normally thinks of gods and sacrifices, you think of the Greeks or other ancient religions, including ancient Israel's contemporaries. The comparison was interesting.

In the ancient religions, one would sacrifice for the pleasure of the god, because the god wanted, needed the yummy cooked meat smell; the worshipers make sacrifices in order to, hopefully, get the god to do something for you. 

With the one true God, the sacrifices were for Israel's benefit, not His. It was so Israel could come into God's holy presence, to be clean and holy before Him. It was so God could be close to them. Awesome!

Of course, we don't do those sacrifices any longer, because Christ was the ultimate atoning sacrifice, which makes, we who accept His death and resurrection, holy and clean before God, so we can come into God's presence, in prayer and in Heaven. 

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Release the Hounds!

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! I hope you all have had a pleasant one. I got a cookie for Valentine's day from my parents, while I bought flowers and chocolate for them. Mother felt bad, as she should! ;) It's okay. I enjoyed giving the Valentine's presents.

Right now I'm watching the Westminster Kennel Dog Show. I'm in love with the Beagle. Oh, my goodness, so precious! The Wirehaired Dachshund is also very charming.

I'm still working on my "'Thumbprint', episode one". Completely penciled except for some pages over, though.

That's all for now!

Bronchitus! You Learn Something New Everyday!

For the first time ever I have Bronchitus! Wooo!

I was surprised when the doc told me. I thought it was just a bad cold. I was like, "'bronchial' what? You mean Bronchitus!?"

So . . . I had to take off of work, practically wiped out my account in order to pay for the doctor visit, since I have no insurance, and the antibiotics . . .

And I can't go to Williamsburg to hang out with my friends which I've been looking forward to for months because apparently (and I didn't know this), if you over exert yourself the Bronchitus could easily turn into Pnemonia. Yikes.

So, I'll be staying here. In bed. Surrounded by my favorite books that I've read a million times, "Princess Bride" being one of them. 

Still working on the Thumbprint episode 1. Changing Edith's speakeasy outfit to something that looks more like a waitress uniform.

"Freedom from Christianity" Group

WHAT is UP with this "Freedom from Religion" group? The "religion" part is just a guise for "Freedom from Christianity". It is soooo bold-faced and blatant the minute you look at their stuff. What jerks. They would not dare insult Hindus, Muslims (definitely not Muslims. Remember Solomon Rushdi or the famous European cartoon making light of Mohammed. . . ? YEah.), Jews (because then they'd be anti-semetic, although, by ridiculing Christianity, they are ridiculing them also because we both worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob :) ), Buddhism or any other religion on the face of the planet, because that would be intolerant . . .

"Yeah, why not? Christians are easy targets and no one likes them. They can't do anything about it."

I put my name to the petition of protest against abolishing the National Day of Prayer. These "freedom from religion" people are sooo proud that they got a supreme court justice, Martinez, to agree with them about the "unconstitutionality" of the day. Is not the judge's leaning in favor of this group unconstitutional in and of itself? Judges aren't allowed to make decisions in favor for or against religious groups because of the separation of church and state. But, of course, nothing is sacred in the Obamanation. There are no rules because the rules (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution) are changeable, a "living document", as the administration so aptly put it. It's expected that one by one things will be and attempted to be, taken away from us. It's in Revelations, after all.

The National Day of prayer is not a mandatory thing. It's an acknowledgment that there is a Creator. George Washington put into affect many "national days of prayer."

The reason the United States of America has been, and hopefully will continue to be someday, such a hope and light to those around it, so wealthy in spirit and earthly ways, is because it began with leaders who knew God. They revered God and His Word, leading them to make wise and prudent decisions.

For Heaven's sake, President Obama's hero and idol, President Abraham Lincoln was the one who designated the National Day of Prayer in the first place. (Show's him how well he knows him. I only learned how devout he was recently. Of course you don't hear of it in public school).

"'Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficent to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness . . . . I therefore designate the 30th day of April 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer.'"

Sorry, Mr. Obama, but we are a Judeo-Christian Nation, whether you say so or not. Just because you declare something, does not make it true (a fact which has been proven more than once. Oh snap).

America is indeed arrogant, but not in the way you say it is. I pray not only for you and the First Lady's salvation, but also that your lovely daughters will also come to Christ, perhaps before you, and be shining examples to you. That would be a wonderful thing to see, for your sakes.

I close with another excerpt concerning Lincoln. It comes from the pen of Mary Lincoln's seamstress, Elizabeth Keckly, which she recorded in her memoirs Behind the Scenes:

". . . the Confederates were flushed with victory, and sometimes it looked as if the proud flag of the Union, the glorious old Stars and Stripes, must yield half its nationality to the tri-barred flag that floated grandly over long columns of gray.

. . . One day he came into the room where I was fitting a dress on Mrs. Lincoln. His step was slow and heavy, and his face sad. Like a tired child he threw himself upon a sofa, and shaded his eyes with his hands. He was a complete picture of dejection. Mrs. Lincoln, observing his troubled look, asked:

'Where have you been, father?'

'To the war Department,' was the brief, almost sullen answer.

'Any news?'

'Yes, plenty of news, but no good news. It is dark, dark everywhere.'

He reached forth one of his long arms, and took a small Bible from a stand near the head of the sofa, opened the pages of the holy book , and soon was absorbed in reading them. A quarter of an hour passed, and on glancing at the sofa the face of the President seemed more cheerful. The dejected look was gone, and the countenance was lighted up with new resolution and hope.

The change was so marked that I could not but wonder at it, and wonder led to the desire to know what book of the Bible afforded so much comfort to the reader. Making the search for a missing article an excuse, I walked gently around the sofa, and looking into the open book, I discovered that Mr. Lincoln was reading that divine comforter, Job. He read with Christian eagerness, and the courage and hope that he derived from the inspired pages made him a new man. I almost imagined that I could hear the Lord speaking to him from out of the whirlwind of battle:

'Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.'

What a sublime picture was this! A ruler of a mighty nation going to the pages of the Bible with simple Christian earnestness for comfort and courage, and finding both in the darkest hours of a nation's calamity. Ponder it, O' ye scoffers at God's Holy Word, and then hang your heads for very shame!'"

Duuuude. You go girl.

It's a Good Thing I'm Already a Christ Follower . . .

Ran into some "pet peeves", I guess you could call them, Sunday and today. I went to McLean Bible Church's new Prince William campus' service for the first time on Sunday. I decided to attend their "Open Doors Community Bible Study". I enjoyed the group study, but when I first walked into the room, there were already two women and they were chatting away, obviously good friends. The one closest to where I was standing (at the complimentary coffee stuffs) introduced herself to me. I did the "nice to meet you's" back and then silence . . . Normally, in Christian circles, being social is expected, well, the woman she was speaking with, sitting next to her just sat there and didn't introduce herself as well (of course, her friend could've done that for her). So, I said "and . . . " after a moment, looking at her expectantly. She didn't even turn her head my way, much less look at me, just curtly said her name, "Max." That was it.

It's a good thing I'm already a long-time Christian, because, if I was not a believer or if I was a new believer, I would've walked right out of that room. I'm a very self-conscious person by nature and I was offended and a little hurt. If she hadn't been talking to a white woman already (she was black), I would have assumed that she was prejudiced against whites, or something. That sort of thing steams me up! What if I wasn't a believer? What if I was a new Christian? You can't assume that everyone who walks into a church and/or Bible study is Christian! A friend or parent might've brought them, or they were brave enough to take the initiative and go by themselves!

The rude woman only spoke to me when her friend noticed me doodling in the margins of my notes and was impressed. Oh, now I'm worth your time? *Sigh* Oh, well. I admit, in initiating social interactions, I haven't been so good lately. I've been letting my shy, insecure side take over. Got to pray for confidence!

The other incident was MORE OUTRAGEOUS! This morning I was watching the kids of a friend of my sister's, at a church. The friend was attending the home-group art class with her two other children. So, I babysat her three year old (cute-as-a-button) girl and her three-month old son. His stroller is pretty heavy. It takes a lot of effort to push and keep control of the steering. It's like the Hummer of baby-carriages! Anyway, so the children and I go outside. I push the stroller out, too, with herculean effort since there was no one to open the door for me.

The moment we get outside, the little girl announces, "I need to go potty". I make a u-turn. I pause before the doors a moment, in the hopes that someone will come and open it for me (the doors are glass, by the way). A man who looked to be in his mid-to late sixties, came up from behind and walked through the door next to me ( 2 sets of double-doors, went through the pair next to me). Of course, the stroller is too unwieldy for me to quickly get in behind him, AND HE JUST OPENED THE DOOR ENOUGH TO LET HIMSELF IN!! You know, the kind that follows close behind your back as it closes . . . ?

So, I push open the door, hold it to let the girl in first, then push and shove and maneuver the heavy stroller over the threshold. Of course, the little metal threshold cover gives me trouble. Then, somehow one of the wheels turns in the opposite direction and gets stuck against the edge of one of the double doors. I'm pushing and pulling, trying to pick up the stroller and turn it, all the while holding the door open (which is also heavy) with my back (it's the kind that's on like a tension wire, so it will close itself . . .).

The man had gone to drop off some canned goods in the charity bin at the end of the narthex (church lobby). I was still struggling half inside and half outside within the door as he came back to the entrance. He actually looked at me as he exited back through the same doors he entered through! And I was obviously struggling! WHAT GIVES? I've never seen such rudeness in my entire life! AND I'VE LIVED IN THE D.C. AREA UP UNTIL RECENTLY!!! Come on, brothers and sisters! AAARRRRGGGG! Makes me so frustrated! If I wasn't a Christian and knew that this sort of rudeness is not business as usual . . . It also shocked me that it was a man, a much older man, who was so indifferent!

*Rumble, rumble, rumble! Mutiny, mutiny, mutiny . . .*