SPAM?? - CAPTCHA GOTCHA

OK, so there's this verification thing on blogs.

It's called Captcha. 

But did you know it stands for this:  "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".

It's a way to screen out spam comments.

Usually, one only needs to check a box to confirm that you're not spam. (While trying not to be personally offended at the implication that you would ever be spam even if given the chance!  Totally kidding!!)

I don't know why I get all nervous waiting for the green check mark.  Or why I then get all excited when it appears.  (As if I was ever in doubt???)

But, sometimes the verification asks for a second step.

In this scenario, you are shown a photograph, and then asked to check off all the other photos that are in the same category.

OK, honestly, this is a difficult task when you are "reading-glass-challenged" like those of us who have reached…um…wonderful middle age.

I have found myself squinting to even see what the photos are!!

Then, the second challenge is the category itself.

I have been known to fail on my first attempt.

Once I was asked to check all the boxes that were sushi.  As I squinted, I checked off the boxes that I thought were photos of sushi.  Then I was informed that I had somehow failed.

Huh?

What did I do wrong?  

Did I mistakenly check off a spring roll, or a tiny hors d'oeuvre, or…what the heck WAS that anyway???

Or, how about the category of meat.

Don't "tiny bits of something white in a salad that look like chicken" count? Or, excuse me, should that have been considered for the incorrect salad category?

Sometimes, after encountering a few of these Captcha moments – (which I am not fond of capturing) – I find myself inordinately hungry for really random food.

Not so great.

Especially when there's no sushi in the house.

Suffice it to say, that I also used to struggle with the verification method that asked you to type in the number you saw in a photograph.  Can't tell you how many times I looked, and scanned, and peered…and yes, squinted…trying to determine what the numbers actually were.

Is that an 8 or a 3?  A 1 or a 7?

Where's a magnifying glass when you need one?

Now, I have to admit that I did enjoy the old verification method of one or two words that you had to retype.  I had fun imagining what the gobbledygook words might mean.

Like gobbledygook.

And, I enjoyed the occasional actual word(s) that snuck in.

This was especially fun when the two words formed a rather funny phrase. Like *heroic lizard* or something else ridiculous – (I just made that up).

(By the way, what is a heroic lizard anyway?  One who keeps his tail?  Or one who burns his belly by refusing to do those funny lizard push-ups on hot cement?  Or what about the one that refuses to move when I scream??)

I digress.


But really, all this has got me thinking…

Two thoughts come to mind.

First of all, we are not spam to the Lord.

He has saved us, and we belong!

There is no need to add to His gift of salvation.  There is nothing we can ever do to make His love for us greater or less.  We are justified by our faith, and the verification is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

What a comfort in a world that is becoming increasingly more impersonal, more dangerous.

It is an age of social media, where people "connect" but often never get beyond the surface of "look good, talk good" posturing.

It is an age of identity theft, when people try to "steal" who we are.

It is an age where many are bullied, many are persecuted, many are hated – just because of misguided stereotypes and preconceived judgments.

It is an age where we can get *lost*…

No need.

For we are intimately connected to the Lord God Almighty.  

The One who knows all about us, way beyond our surface.  The One who promises that we are never in danger of losing our identity as His children. The One who is infinitely kind and compassionate to each and every one of us.

No more judgment, no more condemnation.

For we are held securely by Our Redeemer, the One who *verified* us when we opened the door of our hearts.

Green check mark completed!


The other thought I've had is that there is no confusion in Him.

Captcha has sometimes confused me with their numbers and their photos.  I find myself struggling to understand what I'm seeing.

And in this tired old world, with its many "mixed messages", it's easy to get confused.  We are constantly bombarded with conflicting viewpoints.  And how widely the meter of public opinion swings.

Sometimes humans can be so naïve, so gullible, so willing to follow…

Confusion could reign, if we were not given the sure beacon of Truth.

The Bible is the perfect antidote to a world gone mad.  

We are cautioned against listening to false teachers and untrue teaching.

And we do this by reading, studying, contemplating, memorizing, internalizing Scripture.  By making ourselves intimately familiar with it.

We are promised that if we seek wisdom, it will be given to us.

Let's take God at His Word (literally!).


So, my friends, as we negotiate Blog Land, with all its idiosyncrasies, may we remember these two things…

We are not spam.

We need not be confused.


OK, one more thing…

We are eternally *verified* by The One who *captcha-ed* us and who has said forever…

"Gotcha."

Sorry.

The heroic lizard made me do it!! 

Hey!

I passed the test!

I got the green check mark.

 Thumb's up!! 

"Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100:3, ESV)

"'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.  No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.  No one can snatch them from the Father's hand." 
(John 10:27-29, NLT)

"If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." (Romans 14:8, NIV)

"Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." (Ephesians 3:12, NLT)

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." 
(Hebrews 4:16, NLT)

"You, therefore, dear friends, having been warned beforehand, must continually be on your guard so as not to be led astray by the false teaching of immoral men nor fall from your own steadfastness." 
(2 Peter 3:17, WEYMOUTH)

"Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit.  You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world." (1 John 1:4, NLT)

"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." (James 1:5, ESV)

"By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path." (Psalm 119:105, MESSAGE)

"Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action), so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17, AMP)

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV)



How does knowing you belong to God *straighten out the paths* of life?



Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, PLAYDATES WITH GOD, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, MAKE A DIFFERENCE MONDAYS, SMALL WONDER, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, GRATEFUL HEART MONDAY, REFLECT LINKUP, MOM 2 MOM MONDAY, THE ART OF HOMEMAKING MONDAYS, WORDS OF COMFORT MONDAY, SOLI DEO GLORIA, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TELL IT TO ME TUESDAYS, RA RA LINKUP, WOMEN HELPING WOMEN, INTENTIONAL TUESDAY, TELL HIS STORY, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAY, WISE WOMAN, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WAITING ON WEDNESDAY,WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, WOMEN WITH INTENTION, JOYHOPELIVE LINKUP, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, THE (NOT JUST) HOMEMAKING PARTY, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, BELOVED BREWS, EVERYDAY JESUS, GRACE AT HOME, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, SHINE, HEARTS FOR HOME, LOOKING UP LINKUP, THURSDAY FAVORITE THINGS, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY, LIGHT FRIDAY HIT LIST, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, COUNTING MY BLESSINGS, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, FAITH & FELLOWSHIP, GRACE & TRUTH, DANCE WITH JESUS, SATURDAY SOIREE, STILL SATURDAY, TGI SATURDAYS, WEEKEND BREW, SUNDAY STILLNESS, GIVE ME GRACE



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

THE ENEMY STRIKES

Spam.

I have come to despise that word.

I've been reading lately in Blog Land about a recent (and annoying) influx of *fake comments* that are infiltrating our beloved blogs.

So far, I thought I had escaped.

But, in the last couple of weeks, I've had a few pesky (and annoying) comments "sneak past" Blogger's spam filtering system.  (I'm not going to get snide here – but honestly, spam filters should actually WORK, right???)

These comments were obvious attempts to get me to click on over to some random website - (not a *real* blog, mind you).

Oh, they were sneaky.

One complimented the great content of my blog.  (Working on the flattery angle evidently…)

One said I was having browser viewing problems.   (Working on the fear angle evidently…)

But, the other night, I was attacked.

That's my word for it.  Let me tell you why.

First of all, let me set things up a bit.

It had been a very long day.

Late in the afternoon the previous day, I had made the long trek down the hill.  Woke up to a day full of activity.  Errands in the morning, a long hair appointment, and then a fun jaunt up the freeway to go to a hockey game with my oldest son…during rush hour…to Los Angeles.  (For those of you who live in Southern California, you'll understand.  For those of you who don't, picture billions of cars moving an inch at a time for almost 1½ hours).

It was a very exciting, but very close game.

Let me tell you, I really, really love hockey.  And I really, really get into the game.

So, a very close game is emotionally draining for me!  Fortunately, our team won.  But it was a touch-and-go battle.  Phew…

Then, son and I had to stop and get something at a Walmart on the way home.  (I didn't know that Walmart stayed open until midnight in some places).  I was tired, yes, but shopping with my oldest is a treat.  He’s very funny, and we always get the giggles.

Then we had to finish our yakking when we pulled into the driveway. Suffice it to say, that I finally walked in the door at 12:30 AM.

I'm not sure what made me check my blog.

Well, actually, I totally believe it was a God thing.

"Oh," I thought to myself, "I got another comment today."

So, I went to read it.

SPAM.

But, this comment was different.  It was full of terrible words and impure thoughts and lewd suggestions.  (Working on the filth angle evidently…)

I. WAS. SHOCKED.

Stunned by what I was seeing.

Like I said, I felt attacked.

I quickly deleted the comment, and then logged in to remove all traces of this disgusting invasion.

I worried, too.

What if someone read that comment?  I know that people would quickly realize that it was something that I had no control over, and that it was an unabashed attempt to discredit the Christian content of my blog.

But still…

I was chagrined to think that anyone might have been exposed to such awful language.  (If you were, I really am so very sorry…)

After I deleted the comment, I simply looked at the computer screen and muttered:

"Hello, Mr. Satan."

(Spam, as defined in Sharon's Acrostic Dictionary):

S atan
P ersecuting
A ttacking
M aligning

I had trouble sleeping for a while, and I have a feeling that I'll be watching my blog like a hawk for quite a long time.  If it keeps up, I'm going to have to enable comment moderation.  Thank goodness that we have that option!

But, I was mostly kept awake thinking about how ugly our enemy 
can be.

Prince of the power of the air (Internet) indeed.

I was reminded of the scene when Jesus confronted a demon – (I like the way The Message relates the story):

"Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people.  They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority.  In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 'Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!'
  
'Be quiet!' Jesus said sternly. 'Come out of him!' Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.  All the people were amazed and said to each other, 'What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!'

And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area."  

(Luke 4:33-37, MSG)


An attack.

An attack against the words of Jesus.

And in a way, an insight into the way that followers of Jesus will also be attacked.

Persecuted.  Maligned.  Belittled.

Perhaps even "smut-splattered" by Spam comments.

The father of lies is all about conducting a *smear campaign* against the Lord.  And, because of our association with Him, the enemy is going to go after us, too.

So, what to do?

Well, what we always do.  We pray, we put on our armor – and we fight back.

I have been praying for all of us who seek to spread the Good News in Blog Land.  I have been praying for a hedge of protection to surround us.  I have asked God to guard the words He speaks through us.  I have prayed for God's courage – so that we might not be dismayed, or discouraged, or defeated.

I have prayed for the power of The Word to overcome.

And, of course, it will.

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8, NLT)


That night, as I finished talking to the Lord, as I turned over to go to sleep, I heard the words that He seems to be speaking to me lately – over and over again:

"Don't be afraid."

OK, Lord.

Fight for me.  Fight for all of us who seek to honor and glorify You in this place called Blog Land.

And I believe this is His strong response:

"I got this one.  Rest easy, dear ones.  I will not be thwarted."

Yes, Lord.

Let it be so.


"It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." 
(Isaiah 55:11, NLT)

That Wily Serpent

How do you fight back against the enemy?


Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

SAY THAT AGAIN???

OK, it's been a while since I did something just for fun.

So, today's blog post will be fun…(at least that's my intention!)

I was inspired by a game I used to play with my brother and sister. It was called "Mad Libs."

Basically, one person had the "Mad Libs" booklet with pre-printed stories in it. Within the story, there were blanks that had to be filled in with words provided by the other players (players who were not aware of the story line). For instance, I might read, "The (noun) drove his car around the block, and (verb) it at the corner." Once the blanks were all filled in, one person would read the completed story, with the silly words inserted into it.

My brother, sister, and I used to have so much fun doing "Mad Libs."

Of course, the older we got, the more the game deteriorated into using every inappropriate word we could think of. We laughed so hard we thought we'd die. That is, until my mom would tell us to get rid of "those" stories. And we did – we hid them in a jar on the bookshelf so we could read them again when she wasn't listening!

(Bad, bad children…)

Actually, it was a clever way to teach the various parts of speech – noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.

It was certainly better than my 9th grade English teacher trying to teach a roomful of 14-year-old hooligans grammar. He was a nice man, but we called him Mr. Dull if that's any clue.

Really, he gave boring a whole new meaning – unless of course, you mean boring as in drilling a painful hole right through my head…

I'm sorry, but he truly spoke like a cadaver. He didn't have a voice that could wake the dead – he had the capacity to turn adolescents into the walking dead…

"Now class, take out your pencils and get ready to diagram sentences."

OK, I've got a diagram for you – a diagram of the best way to escape this torture chamber and end this sentence of solitary tedium!

WOW! I digress (subject: I – a noun/predicate: digress – a verb)…

So, today I'm making up my own "Mad Libs" story using spam blocker words.

Once upon a time, Sam and Shelley fell in love and got married. One night, while they were still newlyweds, they got into a maratift (small marital tiff). Evidently, the brouhaha started after they had spent the day at the beach.

Sam asked Shelley what he thought was a simple questini (a small, inconsequential question).

"Shelley, what happened with your bathing suit straps today? You've got a weird tanscu (weird tan lines skewed out of position)."

Shelley, without a word, pulled a suitcase out of the closet, and began to packstac (piling in clothes with no attention to order or neatness).

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Sam, you are such a creuseb (cretin, substitute person). Why can't you get a clewa (BIG clue)?"

Sam's face started to have a mictic (a facial spasm which closely resembles Mick Jagger's snarl). He tried really hard to come up with a good torth (retort that's worthy).

"Shelley, sweetheart, let me splin (a nervous lapsing into Desi Arnaz’s accent). It was just a jectoke (jesting joke).”

"I'm not laughing,” she said. And with anger in her voice, she took out a pair of sessers (serious scissors) and cut the straps off of her bathing suit top.

"What did you do that for?" Sam cried. Then he quickly recovered his senses. "Wait, sweetie. It's OK. I'm sorry. Can I get something to make you happy?"

"Yes, ilati (shorthand lingo for “I’d like a latte")."

"OK," said Sam. "Is there anything else?"

"Well," Shelley said as she tried to poider (exploitive pondering). "I really need some new clothes. I don't like a closet with ledesses (shorthand lingo for less dresses)."

Sam, a newlywed man, a smart newlywed man, quickly replied, "You got it. Let's go shopping!"

Shelley turned away from Sam and smirked. After all, a woman always gets herwei…(I think you got that one!)

So…

What's my spiritual lesson today? C'mon – you knew there'd have to be something to learn!

It's this – anyone can make up a story using gibberish words.

But, there is only…

One Story

Full of Absolute Truth

Written by The Author

The LORD God Almighty Himself

And in His Word

There is Salvation!!

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

JUST A LITTLE SPAM

Spam.

Internet junk mail.

Who doesn't get it sometimes? Who doesn't hate it?

But there's another definition of Spam.

I looked it up in Sharon's Acrostic Dictionary – (a wonderful source – everyone should have it on their shelf…)

S atan

P rying

A ngling

M eddling

Yes, that's what it said.

Here's why I believe it. I had an interesting "blog burp" last week. Something random happened on my blog that unnerved me, that made me pause for a moment (several, actually) – and wonder…

What am I doing on the Internet?

It can be a scary place out there.

In the past, I've been caught by someone who stole my credit card number. Once I got reeled in by someone out on a phishing trip. I'm always sure that something else is going to happen…

Now, don't worry – I think I took care of the problem just fine.

But my initial reaction was fear.

And that's when I realized the truth…

Satan was after me. He was prying into my business, angling for a way to disrupt things, meddling in the work that God is doing in and through me…

He was busy – shooting arrows.

And as soon as I had that thought – thank you, Holy Spirit – I regrouped.

And laughed.

Our enemy is really so predictable sometimes. He's going to come after us – that's a given. And he's going to pry into our business. He's going to angle for a way to disrupt our thoughts, our emotions, our finances, our health – whatever it takes to effectively distract us. And he's really going to meddle in the work that God is doing.

He had me going for a while the other morning. He was working that fear thing.

And it was working…

…until it didn't.

And it stopped working when I looked at him. When I recognized him. When I called him out – "I see you, and I see what you're doing. It isn't going to work."

It stopped when I looked at God.

I'm pretty convinced that the devil does not want me doing this blog. Not because I'm "all that"– but because God is.

All that – and much, much more.

Almighty.

All-knowing.

Always there.

And so, I expect that the devil will try to stop me from talking about his most hated enemy – God. I'm just not going to let his "SPAM" attempts work.

Yeah, I was a little freaked out there for a bit. But I also had a good laugh at myself. And I was amused at the enemy's rather pathetic effort to shut me up.

With the Lord's help – I will not be quiet – unless He tells me to be quiet…

…and then, well, let's just hope I obey!!

How does the enemy attempt to shut your mouth from speaking about our Lord?

(I'm linked with Wendy at Faith's Firm Foundation for "Mondays Are G.R.E.A.T." Hop on over and visit!)

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

GONE PHISHING

Phishing…

A fun new word in our Internet vocabulary.

Here’s the definition:

The practice of using fraudulent e-mails and copies of legitimate websites to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft – from fishing in the sense of catching the unwary by offering bait.

Do you have an inkling of where this is going?

Yup, earlier this year, I got caught by a phishing scam.

Fell for the bait – hook, line, and sinker.

These people are good.

Or else I’m just incredibly gullible – which would mean I’m bordering on "How could you be so dumb"– so, I’m picking that they’re just VERY good.

Here’s how it happened.

It was in July. We were planning for our tremendous trek down The Narrows in Zion National Park. 17 miles of rocky, slippery hiking – only one night allowed in the canyon. There was a LOT going on, trying to get everything all situated.

Did we have EVERYTHING we could possibly need?

First-aid kit, hiking poles, sleeping pads and bags, WATER…knee braces…stamina.

So, I was already harried and nervous.

The morning before we were supposed to leave, I was doing my LAST check on emails. And there it was – an email warning me that my PayPal account had shown fraudulent use of a credit card, and was being blocked for further usage. "Here’s the case number, please attend to this as soon as possible."

HOOK in place.

I freaked out – which is the first thing I think they count on.

Here we are, ready to go on a HUGE trip, and someone’s stolen our credit card information.

So, I click on the link to the website. Log in. And proceed with the instructions I’m given on the screen.

LINE being pulled in.

It asks me to verify who I am. Please insert a credit card number, expiration date, and security code. For a brief second, I think this is strange, but I am so anxious about this "terrible situation right before vacation" that I comply.

SINKER.

To my credit, as soon as I logged out, I had a bad feeling. So, I went into my PayPal account (the REAL one) and quickly saw that there was NO report, NO case number, NO problem…

Except for my "How could you be so dumb?!"

I spent half of that day contacting PayPal, closing my account with them, changing all my credit cards, updating all the accounts connected to those cards, changing passwords – the list goes on and on. A thousand little things that I hadn’t planned on doing, just because I had "bit" on an effective lure.

So what’s the lesson? (BESIDES "How could you be so dumb?")

The devil is out there phishing.

He’s trolling for you.

And he’s very good.

He is an expert at making his fraudulent website look just like the real thing. He takes the perfect truth of God, the absolute goodness of what He has created, and twists it just so.

Love becomes lust and immorality.

Joy becomes a hunt for happiness at any cost.

Peace becomes compromising the truth.

Patience becomes asserting your "rights."

Kindness becomes apathy and selfishness.

Goodness becomes a thousand little "bad-ish" things.

Faithfulness becomes "Sunday"worship.

Gentleness becomes political correctness and meek acceptance of sin.

Self-control becomes pious pride and righteous rules.

He makes the perfect lure – tailor-made just for you. He baits it with what is most tempting. And then he casts it out there, and waits…

…for you to bite.

He’s got all the time in the world.

We must not get caught up in his scam!

He’s subtle – oh you bet! He’s deceptive – for sure! He’s successful – all too often!

But we have a better weapon. We have the Truth – both through the Spirit living inside of us, and in God’s Word.

Wise people know when to fight, and when to run. Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight!

"And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure."

(1 Corinthians 10:13)

We must be smart!

The devil lies, he attacks, he deceives, he discourages, he entices, and he makes us doubt.

He goes "phishing" – but just hit the "delete" button.

After all, he’s really just "SPAM!"

BLOG = “Blessedly Leaning On God!”

QUAINT WORDS - GLITCHES!!!

Dear friends,

This is just a test post - for some reason, my blog is not updating on other blog rolls!! :(

I'm working on the problem -

If you get this post, please know that I am STILL posting every day!!

GOD BLESS!

(And I'd love it if you read my original "Quaint Words" post listed directly below!! - Thanks!)

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

SPAM BLOCKERS - GIBBERISH?!

Spam blockers on our blogs…

You know, where you have to enter a “word” before you can leave a comment.

Some of us have them, some of us don’t. (I do – don’t know why – seemed like the thing to do).

I don’t know exactly how they work – I guess they do.

But have you ever noticed the “words” we have to type in to leave our comments?

They crack me up…

They are SO CLOSE to real words that it seems like they should mean something.

So, I’ve kept a little record of some of them. And just like my “blog terms dictionary” (See my post, “When in Rome” dated July 28, 2010 – you don’t have to, but you can, if you want to…) – where was I? Oh yeah, I’ve searched and found definitions to these “words”:

SHARON’S “SPAM BLOCKER WORDS” DICTIONARY:

1. drith – what Daffy Duck puts on when he’s pretending he’s a woman for Halloween: “Where’th my drith? The one with the pretty ruffleths?”

2. mation – a country where moms rule: “They lived in a mation where everyone cleaned up their rooms, and gave their mothers flowers on Fridays.”

3. drima – when you have a really dramatic dream...in Italy: “Wow! That was some drima last night. Nothing comedy about it – Mama mia, drama all the way.”

4. cherate – a price quote from Cher’s plastic surgeon: “Is that the regular price or is that the cherate?”

5. flitylit – a verb describing how fireflies fly: “Those little bugs sure do flitylit from one place to another!”

6. touclas – when an exotic bird, like a toucan, exhibits “chic” behavior: “That bird sure has some touclas. Must be from hanging out with the peacocks.”

7. pundow – what stupidly funny remarks are worth on the open market: “Hey George, what’s the pundow? Is it still $1.00 a share?”

8. oritate – really important speaking: “Joe was asked to oritate at the weekly Toastmasters meeting.”

9. comin – short-hand for a lazy person: “The door’s not locked. Comin.”

10. koake – entertainment at the monthly “Poor Speller’s Club”: “Come on Toosday nite four “Koake Night” – we luv too here yore singing!”

11. predietr – something that hunts: “That is one mean predietr, Jethro. He ate all the chickens!"

12. gousive – what to use if your pet bird loses some feathers: “Molly, give me some of that gousive. Goosey Gander’s lost some of his strutting feathers!”

13. butpo – a country conjunction/adjective: “Golly, I thought we were hurtin’ for money, butpo Zeke’s got nothin’ ”

14. logived – sacrificial lumber: “We are thankful for what this logived. His sacrifice helped us build this house.”

15. persubog – high speed chase in Louisiana: “Yup, we finally caught him after we mounted a persubog into the bayous.”

16. tuperco – shorthand for a home-sales company: “Yeah, I used to sell for Avon and Tuperco. Now I’m into Amway.”

17. feeskint – a skinflint (cheapskate, tightwad) who refuses to pay his doctor’s bill: “Mr. Cheepo is such a feeskint. He’ll die before he agrees to our charges.”

OK, what’s the point?

WORDS ARE IMPORTANT!

Words can convince, persuade, influence, impart, incite, encourage, demean, explain, confuse – the list of verbs goes on and on.

What we say carries meaning.

Especially as representatives of Jesus Christ.

We must say what we mean, and mean what we say.

We must “tame our tongues” and “speak the truth in love.”

We must be HONEST.

We must always represent our Lord in the best possible language.

"The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth." (Proverbs 12:22) 



"With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it." (Romans 9:1)


"...If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies." (1 Peter 3:10)

“Then keep your tongues from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!” (Psalm 34:13)

“…I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” (Psalm 39:1)

“Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.” (Proverbs 13:3)

“Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.” (Proverbs 21:23)

“…no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison…If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life…” (James 3:8, 13)

Are you speaking His language?

Ask God to give you HIS WORDS – so that your speech is honoring to His name.

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

SPAM

Just the other day, my friend informed me that an email I had sent to her was flagged as SPAM. To which I rather plaintively asked, “Do I always come to you as SPAM?”

She chuckled, and told me that no, I don’t usually come across as SPAM – just this one time her cable company had deemed me “junk mail.” I tell you what, I’d like to meet this “Wizard of SPAM” who sits blustering away, and arbitrarily decides who gets through and who doesn’t! I would love to pull aside that curtain and expose him for the imposter he is – HA!

But it got me thinking…Do I come across to God as SPAM?

Sometimes it’s easy to think that He doesn’t pay attention. He seems hidden, or distant, or silent. Does He really care about me and my silly little life? I am reminded of those words from Psalm 8:

“…what are people that you should think about them, mere mortals that you should care for them?”

Yup, in the bazillion people that populate this planet, I bet I do get lost in the shuffle sometimes. I’ll bet God is a lot more concerned about world leaders, or powerful rich tycoons, or which team LeBron James is going to sign with. In the grand newspaper of life, I’m probably just a classified ad.

It was kind of depressing, you know?!

So I searched my Bible, because I always say: When in doubt, search God out. And here are some wonderfully amazing things that God has to say about EACH one of us:

“You saw me before I was born…Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16

“…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; YOU are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:29b, 30-31

“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I am far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do…How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!” (Psalm 139:2-3, 17)

No, I’m not SPAM to God…I’m just SPECIAL!

So are you!!

BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"