The New Black... "Layaway" (Or at least a way to stay in the black!)

Have you ever used a store layaway plan? I remember seeing my mom do it several times when I was growing up and I personally put a pair of pin-striped, "ultra-cool" shorts on layaway once when I was in high school. Honestly, I haven't used a layaway plan since that time, but I am considering it.

The basic idea with "layaway" is simply making payments for something, interest free before you actually receive the item… the opposite of a credit card. The idea of delayed gratification that we try to teach our kids is coming back around to us. The layaway plan has had a revival of sorts because credit and cash are both hard to come by. A few stores which have a layaway plan are Kmart, TJMaxx, Marshalls, and Burlington Coat Factory. (Wal-Mart execs are most likely kicking themselves for doing away with their layaway plan a couple of years ago.)

Tracy from Rocky Mount used layaway this past Christmas and she said she also used it to buy school supplies this year.

Do you think you’ll use layaway this Christmas?

Did Jesus Die for Little Green Men?

So did Jesus come to die for aliens as well as Earth dwellers? Here is a link to an interesting scholarly article which discusses the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe, and what that would mean for Christianity. Would Jesus have to die multiple times for multiple planets or have we missed the boat by not advancing civilization to the point we can send missionaries to all other planets? When would the Great Commission really be accomplished if Earth isn't all there is? Interesting thoughts to ponder...

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090827/did-jesus-die-for-little-green-men/index.html

So What's on Your Reading List?

President Barack Obama released his summer vacation reading list, which includes the following:

*The Way Home, a crime thriller based in Washington, D.C.;*Lush Life, a story of race and class set in New York's Lower East Side;*Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded, on the benefits to America of an environmental revolution;*John Adams, and *Plainsong a drama about the life of eight different characters living in a Colorado prairie community.

Some have said President Obama's list is rather boring compared to George W. Bush's lists and not as ambitious as Bill Clinton's lists of a dozen books or more. My own reading list has been fairly short:

*It Takes So Little to Be Above Average, by Florence Littauer

Description: Nobody wants to be average, ordinary, run-of-the-mill. We'd rather be unique, inspiring, above average! Why continue to trudge down the middle lane of life when there's so much more to experience? Florence Littauer shares her formula for a rich life.


*For the Write Reason: 31 Writers, Agents and Editors Share Their Experiences with Christian Publishing, by Marybeth Whalen

Description: Drawing on the wisdom of experienced writers, agents and editors, this book offers writers of all levels a valuable source of encouragement and wisdom. By combining personal stories with an in-depth Bible study, you can delve into God's calling to write in your own life.

(My summer reading list would be much longer if I were to include all the dozens of children's books I read per week. How many kids books does it take to equal a REAL book, anyway?!)


On a regular basis you'll find me reading the following websites:

www.christianpost.com
www.cnn.com
www.foxnews.com
www.CNSNews.com
www.newreleasetuesday.com
www.actsnetwork.com
(and many local news sources)

So what have you had the chance to read this summer? What websites do you frequent and what do they say about you? I'd love to know!

The Shocking Truth of #25

#25 "[Certain items used for birth control] have always been advertised on television."

"The list" is out and reading it this year I don't feel necessarily "old", but I do feel a strong sense of being an alien on my own planet! Every year since 1998 Beloit College in Beloit, WI has put together a list of telling facts about the lives and experiences of incoming college freshmen. Their site receives over 300,000 hits a year, so it's definitely worth the read at http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/.

Did you know, for example:

Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black & white TV.

They have always had cable.

There have always been VCRs, but they have no idea what Beta is.

They cannot fathom what it was like not having a remote control.

They were born the year Walkmen were introduced by Sony.

"The Tonight Show" has always been with Jay Leno.

But there was something about that #25 (about the birth control mehod advertisements) that hit me very strangely. Finally realized why... I HAVE MISSED A COLLEGE FRESHMAN'S LIFETIME WORTH OF TV! I have never seen ONE of those commercials in my life. Have I really lived in that much of a cave? (Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, I guess.)

As I entered college in 1992 (okay that dates me!) I didn't have a TV in my dorm room. When Andy and I got married right out of college we decided TV was "too addictive" so we opted to not purchase one. A few years later we bought a DVD player for our computer to watch movies. We have borrowed TVs to watch specials, Christmas movies, the Olympics, for family get-togethers, but it has not been a normal part of our lives. (By the way, I do follow "American Idol", just online instead.) We keep up on culture, movies, politics, and news through the internet, newspapers, and obviously- RADIO! (I do have to add that when I do watch TV and see how old some of the actors, actresses, and news anchors look, it shocks me because some of them I haven't see in over 15 years!)

I honestly appreciate not having a TV because it forces us to find creative activities to do together as a family, and with all the craziness associated with our work and school schedules there really isn't much time to watch anything anyway. There are only 1-2% of Americans who do not have a TV in their homes. The Beloit list gave me a look at what I am "missing", although I am thankful to have my memories of a more wholesome world- even if I am living in a time warp!

Is there anything else you think I might have "missed" by not having a television? I'd love to know your thoughts (and your help in filling in my cultural gaps!)

How to Make Money Without Money

Many out-of-work people are looking for ways to get career counseling and opportunities to "schmooze" with people in their industry... but with no income how can you afford the pay-by-the-hour counselor and the networking steak dinner? Some creatives ideas came out in an article at ThirdAge.com (http://www.thirdage.com/budgeting-bargains/7-ways-to-save-cash-on-a-job-hunt) that make networking and brushing up career skills more affordable.

1. Barter for job assistance. If you have a skill you can offer to a career coach (secretarial skills, administrative skills) see if you can strike a deal.

2. Volunteer. If there is a networking event/conference you think would be important for you to attend, see if you may be able to be a volunteer at the event. You could either receive reduced or free admission.

Also, check with local churches about available networking opportunites. For example, Open Door Baptist Church (N. Raleigh) has a Bible Study/Mentoring/Networking group that has been recently organized to fill this very need for unemployed men. Church Phone Number: (919) 847-6969.

There are many community and state resources dedicated to job placement and career betterment. Here is a link to the North Carolina Career Resource Network. http://www.soicc.state.nc.us/soicc/. This site includes a career interest assessment that you can do right from your computer.

Praying for Mercy Me and Josh Hamilton

News came out this weekend about Mercy Me being involved in a tour bus accident that led to the deaths of two adults and an unborn baby. Also this weekend Christian Josh Hamilton, local guy-turned-pro-baseball player for the Texas Rangers, was discovered intoxicated in some questionable photos. Please join me in prayer for these men who are going through some very difficult situations.

For more about Mercy Me: http://actsnetwork.com/?p=528

For more about Josh Hamilton: http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/52794237.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUnciatkEP7DhUsl

A Late Bloomer...

I received two flowers on Mother's Day, one beautiful blooming pansy from church and a mystery plant in a Styrofoam cup from my four-year-old, Micah. I had a very large flower pot, so I decided to place the two together in the pot on the back deck. Micah's plant had a marked disadvantage. He had grown it from seed at preschool and it had a bite on one of its leaves from an earwig that had made its home inside the Styrofoam cup.

As time went on the fuchsia pansy continued to bloom generously, while Micah's plant simply grew straight up... and UP! I was convinced that since Micah had planted it from seed, perhaps the bug had really eaten the flower and I was left with one mighty tall weed!

God gives us so many surprises in life. Oftentimes those annoyances in my day, such as a red light at just the wrong time, provide the best opportunities for my character to be shaped. On a larger scale, a side trip in our family's life plan for "ministry" has created more opportunities to "do ministry" along the way. When I am waiting on God I get impatient because I want God to do something logical. Instead God wants me to wait. I can often mistake what God is working on for a weed (a sidetracking inconvenience.)

As you can see, this week God finally bloomed that "weed" as it appeared to me since Mother's Day. Sometimes it takes patience to see the amazing plans God has for us! (Jeremiah 29:11)