QUAKE WITH GOD

Like Alice in Wonderland, I was speechless with admiration for it’s wild and sublime grandeur. A torrent of power and beauty washed over me and through me with a loud, spirit filled silence that spoke eloquently and profoundly, that God does imperially and emphatically exist. Transfixed with an exalted sense of being, my eyes dripped with tremendous tears of emotion as they gazed upon the silent vista across Silver Lake. The towering granite cliffs and the snow melt avalanche of fresh water that fills the lake is surrounded by a grand grove of majestic Sequoia trees that have weathered 2,000 years ~ Their twiggy limbs stretch up in praise of the One who created them. What a gift from our loving Father, whose great delight it is to usher His children along into a Disneyland that twirls us about to give thanks to our beloved Dad! Absolutely enchanted by Dad’s great joy in witnessing my discovery of all that He has done for me, I descended into the hypnotic romance of Plasse’s Resort. Forever after this personal experience so long ago, I became a zealot, an absolute fanatic of God’s creation. With quaking hesitation I humbly give God the glory with this simple utterance intended to glorify God Almighty. I am filled with honor for His thought of what would delight me, what would speak to me ~ to assure me with such overwhelming confidence that my Father; the Creator of all things did this for my pleasure and knowledge of Him. AMAZING! My words beg to not diminish His purpose in creating the seasons, the snow, and the scripture of nature. What a treasure to look up at what appears to be an old gothic cathedral of rocks with spires that point up ~ to the glorious happy works of God. Every tree and bush grew from a seed planted with a great purpose. The natural grace and charm of Plasse’s Resort uplifts, regenerates and washes the mind and spirit of all who visit.

PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE

Allegiance = Promised loyalty
To the flag = a symbol for USA
Of America = a UNION of people
To the Republic = sovereign man
For which it stands = government
One Nation = united states
Under God = beneath divine guidance
Indivisible = can NOT be separated
With Liberty = freedom to pursue
And Justice = entitled to fair laws
For All = afforded to each person
Regardless of race, religion, color, creed, or any other criteria, when Americans pledge their allegiance, their loyalty, their faith in a place, or a person, we relinquish our faith in God as the King of Kings. WHAT IF we switch our loyalty from the symbol of the flag, to the symbol of the cross? WHAT IF the citizens of America united all nations under God and pledged loyalty to Lord Jesus Christ, the name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost? A clear warning in REV 2:10 when John warns the church that any glory given to Babylon is glory that belongs to God. The USA may be the best Babylon in the world, but it is still a nation of people who have been giving glory to a party of people, not God. John describes a marriage between God and His people and they are to be loyal lovers of Yahweh, for their faith to remain in God alone. His bride, a New Jerusalem, a new metropolis of people who live together with a purpose of glorifying God. Oh Lord, let us be JUBILANT as we honor Your holy living Word:
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE CROSS
And to the community of people
For which it still stands
A NEW Metropolis, our Jerusalem
Under God
INDIVISIBLE
with freedom of all captives
by our Lord Jesus Christ - AMEN
Revelation 21:3 "and God himself will be be with them; he will wipe away every tear
from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning
nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away" The photo below was taken in 1919 and used by the Red Cross. Pain and sorrow is evident in the eyes of the refugee children. This collage was used to convey the message that through The Cross, someday all pain and suffering will be over. AMEN

LEGIONS OF FAITH

AWESOME - Then he Lord said "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the sign which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." Numbers 13:13

Two STEPS from HELL

There is no soul, no heart, no truth, no king in a man who teeters on the brink of hell ~ without humility and submission ~ the false prince marches blind into eternal hell where hordes of angry demons, ghouls, and pride filled rogue presidents answer their call of war against mankind. "Then the Lord said to Moses: 'How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?" Numbers 13:13 ~ Kings, Presidents, Authors, Musicians, and Clergy have all passed away ~ but the Lord is Lord of all, from the beginning without end. With the sound of glory blaring, those whose hearts are darkened by unbelief, Two Steps From Hell behead all false kings.

LOCAL BOYS

THE BISHOPS WIFE

Retired World Traveller

The thought of long distance travel is exhausting. Like the above alleycat, my pocketbook remains in great shape as I can travel to any place in the world without jet lag. Enjoying terrific music while given a delightful experience~ a choice that allows my heart to soar without sore feet. Copy into browser and purrrrrr thru England, Scotland, and Germany.
http://www.jcdurand.ca/Monde/Tour.html

FRONTLINE on PBS

Brooksley Born was born to give the people the truth. FRONTLINE delivered an eye popping expose' on the HOT TOPIC of our failing USA economy! If you lost money, value or hope as a result of the economic crisis that is yet to be admitted as worse than that of the great depression, then feed on the truth for 55 minutes and watch the PBS special produced by FRONTLINE entitled:
THE WARNING
A decade before our current financial crisis.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1302794657/

In 1998 as the Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) , Brooksley Born was shut down by the Ayn Rand follower Greenspan during her plea to investigate and then regulate the common practice of huge financial institutions trading over-the-counter derivatives. She warned that the trading of unregulated financial contracts, such as credit default swaps, by the billions between banks, were open to fraud which put our USA economy at risk. It put American people at risk of losing jobs, homes, and values to support retirement. In 2009 Brooksley Born was given the Kennedy F Kennedy Profile in Courage Citation.

DON'T GIVE UP ON ME

Dont give up on me,
Though I know at times its hard to see;
All my many weaknesses
Might blind you,
I must remind you,

Dont give up on me,
Even when I act so selfishly,
All my views are all I see.
Yes, I know theres still so much of me,
But God is working constantly,
To shape me,
He'll remake me.
Dont give up on me.
Im gonna make it.
I know its hard for you to see.
Dont give up on me,
I couldnt take it.
If a part of me should keep you from seeing
The part of me that youd start to believe in,
Im changin so please dont give up on me.

Dont give up on me,
Even when I fail so miserably.
Time and again I know
I stumble,
It makes me humble.
Dont give up on me.
But never let your love to be
Hanging on the things you see,
Counting all the times I fail to be
Everything you want from me;
Im trying.
Hear me crying.

Dont give up on me.
Im gonna make it.
I know its hard for you to see.
Dont give up on me,
I couldnt take it.
If a part of me should keep you from seeing
The part of me that you'd start to believe in,
I'm changin so please don't give up on me. I know much more than you
How very weak I am.
But he believes in me,
And so I know you can.

When all my views are all I see,
Then I know theres still so much of me;
But God is working constantly
To shape me,
He'll remake me.

Dont give up on me.
Im gonna make it.
I know its hard for you to see.
Dont give up on me.
I couldnt take it.
If a part of me should keep you from seeing
The part of me that youd start to believe in,
Im changin so please dont give up on me.

AMY GRANT tune about PATIENCE

CHARLIE DANIELS

Charlie Daniels is a simple, humble man that can JAM! He is a man that has travelled as a FAN of many folk hero's, and has been a hero to many farmers, cowboys, and good old gals! In Charlie's mind, Obama can't jam or dance ~ his simple mind summed up the Obama administration perfectly! "After being in the music business for 52 years, it's just about all I know anything at all about--and in keeping with my admittedly narrow knowledge--I would like to draw an analogy concerning the Obama administration, viewing things from my vantage point. Ok, let's say you pick out the finest symphony conductor in the world, add the greatest singer and seven or so of the finest classical musicians on the planet. You get them together backstage and say, "Alright, there are twenty thousand fans out front, standing room only, expectations are off the charts, they are looking for the best show they've ever seen. The curtain goes up in five minutes, the sound has been checked, the lights work, and the stage is set for the greatest show the world has ever seen. Now its your turn to make history! The people out there are screaming to hear you! In their eyes, yawl are superstars! HOLD ON ~ one tiny change ~ tonight you have to do your show playing songs you've never played and you'll have to improvise. There's no sheet music. You'll just have to jam." There was pure panic backstage and on stage, because the truth is that the very finest musicians on earth can't jam a lick! I remember a few years ago when I had a couple of young fiddle players come on stage with me and play "The South's Gonna Do It Again." They had learned the parts I'd played on the record, arrangement, lead lines and all and played it perfectly note for note. Everything was great until I decided to leave the sheet music and jam for a bit. I turned to one of them and told him to take a solo ~ the kid was lost ~ he had nothing in front of him that told him what note to pic! He had no more idea about improvising than he did about how to build a spaceship, winning a war, or balancing the budget! "The South's Gonna Do It Again" is a simple twelve bar blues song that any musician from any garage band would be able to take a solo on ~ but even though these kids were extremely talented and played what they knew perfectly, when it came to jammin', they were totally lost. They had just never learned to do it. To me the presidency is kind of like jammin'. You have to roll with the flow, improvise, adapt to the moment, pick up on what's going on and deal with it. Our president has never had to jam, he's always had the sheet music in front of him and he's never had to play a note somebody else had not written for him. One of the biggest mistakes President Obama made when he came in office was to surround himself with a bunch of players who had never jammed either. None of them have ever had any practical experience in the real world. In essence, they are a bunch of paper tigers, they do an incredible job of spending other people's money and sneaking legislation through the back door, but out in the real world, where there are no scripts, down where the rubber meets the road, there is probably not a person in the bunch who could change a flat tire, much less deal with the complex problems America faces. The only thing Obama has done with any problem that has arisen is to throw money at it (our money), and in truth, that's sadly all he knows how to do. When it comes to dealing with things that money alone won't fix like busted oil pipes at the bottom of the ocean or solving the problems on our southern borders, he's lost and all those around him are lost. The Obama cabinet is the most inept bunch imaginable. When people have only viewed the world from the top of an ivory tower they don't react very well when it's time to get their hands dirty. Obama's young bunch can't even accept real world concepts of the dangerous situations we're dealing with. Eric Holder wants to take terrorists to court in civilian courts, in New York City of all places! That is PLAIN naive arrogance. Janet Napolitano's gross inexperience in dealing with security matters is going to end up costing this country dearly. Obama appoints an unqualified person who has never even been a judge on the bench of the highest court in the land, for nothing more than her political leanings, is insanity. Everywhere you look you see eggheads with nothing more than a college degree to qualify them for the sensitive jobs they hold.

I'm just wondering how long it will take for a majority of the people in this country to realize that the wheel that steers the direction of this nation is in the hands of people who have no idea how to get from point "A" to point "B" without a roadmap and that road map just doesn't exist. Every trip is different. I see disaster looming on the not too distant horizon, financial disaster, increasing danger from terrorist attack, unabated violence in the streets and an arrogant and unmanageable illegal alien population. It’s coming, folks, and Obama and the band are still in the dressing room looking for the sheet music.

They just can't jam, or dance to any foreign music that is required for PEACE!
Pray for our troops, and for our country.
God Bless America!
Charlie Daniels

"The race is not for the swift, nor the battle for the strong.
It's for the one who endures."

AMORE

MEMORIES

Andre Bocelli

Because You loved me

AMY GRANT

Her new HIT song "MORE THAN A HALLELUIAH"
God loves a lullaby
In a mother’s tears ...
in the dead of night,
Better than a halleluiah sometimes...

God loves a drunkards cry,
A soldiers plea,
not to let him die ...
Better than a halleluiah sometimes
We pour out our miseries,
God just hears a melody...
Beautiful the mess we are,
The honest crys….
Of breaking hearts ...
Better than a halleluiah.
A woman cries out in the dead of night...
A dying man giving up the fight...
Better than a halleluiah sometimes

Tears of shame ...
for whats been done,
Saddest when the words won’t come
Better than a halleluiah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful the mess we are
The honest crys….
Of breaking hearts ...
Are better than a halleluiah
Better than a church bell ringing
Better than a choir singing out
Singing out….
We pour out our miseries...
God just hears,
A melody..
Beautiful the mess we are,
The honest crys….
Of breaking hearts...
Are better than a halleluiah.Amy Grant and Vince Gill weathered the storm of accusations, untrue press, and the challenge of blending families. Their love story is a testimony to waiting on the Lord, trusting in the Lord and being blessed by obedience. Halleluiah they are celebrating 10 years married. AMEN

AMELIA

Go tell the world that I am on my way. "I am a flyer pursuing my passion, I understand the danger and I can handle it. There is more to life than being a passenger!" Amelia

Charlie St Cloud

A great slow paced plot about long term grieving. Some things you cannot speed up on film or in life. The acting is superb, the scenes are mezmerizing. The impact of the lesson that second chances are given to those yet to fullfill a purpose totally inspired me. Nothing can keep me from my dream! Why did I survive an anuersym? Who am I set to meet that dares to sail off to Mexico? I am so excited about what waits and I am getting my gear ready for the best ride of my life! Thanks Charlie St Cloud!

FRIDA

Frida painted what she felt, not wanting, not caring if she struck a nerve or got approved. She was living courage and truly unconventional. Frida showed her emotion, she expressed her pain in art. As a young woman she wore a back brace, her toes were amputated, she lost her health but never her passion! Her painting was cathartic, her love was brutal. This film is an artistic diary of Frida!

CALIFORNIA GURLS

Happiness is a state of mind or inside feeling that shows up on faces. The look of love, pleasure, joy, contentment, satisfaction are clear without words. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical analysts have researched happiness in order to define its source. However the intellect has stumbled when attempting to define a direct measurement of happiness. Being happy or feeling joy does not require laughter.
We are told and we are sold that the TRUE positive EMOTION of JOY that we SEE in those SMILING FACES, or in those we HEAR constantly LAUGHING --- does NOT auto-matically place them in the desired category of a "Happy Person". The ability to remain HAPPY, content, SATISFIED, or joyful regardless of an external circumstance does however BEGUILE us! Consider California Gurls, Kate Perry, Ghandi, Oprah, Mandella, Corrie Tin Bom, Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham --- so bewitching! How did they come by this JOY? Is the common denominator MONEY? Does plenty of cash guarantee happiness? Look at Mel Gibson, a Million Dollar Athelete, Bradd Pitt or ...you name the celebrity of choice then google their HAPPY quotient. Does their "HAPPY" default to a FEIGN without FAME? What about BOB --- that HAPPY FACED DUDE? Ain't he the absolute perfect VISION OF JOY ?
His eyes are bright
He emits a light
Nothing changes
His attitude
is HAPPY
ALL the time.
Listen to Bob RAP this SONG~
"Smiling faces going places
Light hearted with lolipop faces
To the mall, a beach, or back road races
California Gurls giggle loud and lotz
They seldom complain or throw rocks!
California Gurls, a fluff of curls
They leave me in a whirl
Witty and meaningless
Leaving Bob breathless
Shameless and Aimless
Seeking that famous
HAPPINESS! SHOUT JOY OUT! Consider a concert or a football game? What the crowd feels travels and spreads --- ANGER or JOY is CONTAGIOUS ~ YIKES! Research identified a number of attributes that correlate with happiness: relationships and social interaction, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, endorphins released through physical exercise and eating chocolate! Religious involvement, income and the proximity to other happy people. Human relationships, and PET relations are consistently found to be the most important correlation with human happiness. The 2008 British Medical Journal reported that happiness in social networks may spread from person to person. VISUALIZE "THE WAVE" movement at a game~ That research MUST have been FUN! Scientists followed nearly 5000individuals for 20 years in the Framingham Heart Study and found clusters of happiness and unhappiness that spread up to 3 degrees of separation on average. Happiness tends to spread through ongoing contact with family, friends, siblings, spouses, co-workers, and neighbors! STATS suggest happiness spread more consistently than unhappiness through the network. The HAPPY analyst reported that HAPPINESS spread through a population like a virus! ALSO that older folks generally happier than younger folks! JOY does not appear to be generational, because longitudinal research found that happiness increased over time for the older people who were studied. Older peeps SHARE that their creaking health has a bone to pick with the BOUYANT youth that whine about taxes~ Young persons FEEL more anger, anxiety, depression, and financial stress while balancing troubled LYRICS in popular LOVE songs~

JASON GRAY

GIVE ME RULES I WILL BREAK THEM
"MORE LIKE FALLING IN LOVE"
Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It ought to be

(CHORUS)
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be

It's like I'm falling in love, love,
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus
brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love.

TOMMY DORSEY

Back in 1932, when Tommy was a new husband to his beloved wife Nettie, they lived humbly in a little apartment on Chicago 's south side. One hot August afternoon Tommy had to go to St. Louis where he was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. He didn't want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with their first child. But a lot of people were expecting him so he kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs and in their Model A he chugged out of Chicago on Route 66. Just outside Chicago he discovered that in his anxiety about leaving Nettie, he had forgotten his music case. So he wheeled around and headed back home. He found Nettie sleeping peacefully and hesitated by her bed. Tommy felt that something was strongly telling him to stay. But eager to get on his way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, he shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the house. The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on Tommy to sing again and again. When he finally sat down, a messenger boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. Tommy ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED. People were happily singing and clapping around him, but he could hardly keep from crying out. He rushed to a phone and called home. All he could hear on the other end was 'Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.' When he returned home he learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. His emotions swung between grief and joy. Yet that same night, the baby died. Tommy buried Nettie and their little boy together, in the same casket. (Resting in PEACE side by side Nettie and Tommy) After the funeral Tommy fell apart. For days he withdrew from all who gathered to comfort him. Tommy felt that God had done him an injustice. He did not want to serve God anymore or write gospel songs. He just wanted to go back to the world of jazz and forget everything. Hunched over in grief, alone in a dark Chicago apartment Tommy thought back to the afternoon he went to St. Louis. He remembered the inner nudge to stay with Nettie. Was that something God? Tommy grieved and cried out to God his sorrow for not paying more attention to Him that day. In the midst of his brokeness and sorrow, Tommy vowed to listen more closely to God. Everyone offered their best, but no kind acts could ease his deep sorrow. A good friend piced Tommy up the following Saturday and took him to a music school named Maloney's Poro College. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. Tommy sat down at the piano and his hands began to browse over the keys. Tommy remembers "Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, once into my head they just seemed to fall into place. The Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, when we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power. And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home."
The song 'PRECIOUS LORD' by Tommy Dorsey
'Precious Lord, take my hand,
lead me on, let me stand,
I am tired, I am weak,
I am worn, through the storm,
through the night, lead me on to the light,
take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.'

MOVIE of TRUTH

IF a movie could be nominated for an OSCAR based on a message of TRUTH, or IF a movie was nominated for it's VALUE in society, then the MOVIE entitled "The Gospel of John" would win the BEST MOVIE for the century! The script was written by God. This 3 hour EPIC does not add one word to the Gospel of John. Enjoy perfection on screen. Purchase on AMAZON with commentary by the producers. Hear the Word and watch Father, Son, Holy Spirit love us --- even in our doubt, denial, rejection of the truth, He tells the truth, but do we listen? Do we accept that God is God and we are not? His ways are not our ways. Mary poured out all she had because she loved Jesus, He had just raised her brother Lazurus from the dead! VISUALIZE Jesus, the Holy Spirit telling us the Truth, and yet some still do NOT believe? Must we also see miracles in order to believe? "Sir they said, 'we would like to see Jesus'." John 12:21 Excitedly Andrew and Phillip raced to tell Jesus that even Greeks wished to see Him. Without restraint of their internal jubilation about their close friend Who would soon rule the world --- Jesus knew the motive of their hearts and He had already rebuked them for their pride --- Knowing all things, compassionately He said "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." John 12:23 --- He knew that they just did not get the agony He was about to suffer. In love Jesus then explains "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." John 12:24 --- One life changing lesson in this scripture: ONLY when we die to our selfish desires, can our life increase the harvest for His kingdom. "His heart was touched and He was deeply moved. Where have you buried him. Jesus wept." For one seed to produce more grain, it MUST fall to the ground and die. The blessing of a broken heart, a broken pride, a demolished dream --- is death to ourself, a life's meaning as the world teaches. In that moment we realize today what Jesus is saying to us. On this side of the cross, His lesson is clear --- the TRUTH of this principle was made manifest in the death of Jesus on the cross. Like a grain of wheat, the mission of God complete, Jesus came down into the pit, into the world to be seen, that we might believe. To be put to death publicly, that His death would produce many seeds, many believers, many followers. Jesus knew that He would send the Holy Spirit in His absence, and that in the future, generations of people would understand through the Counselor. So without explaining what was meant in words, Jesus said "The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." John 12:25 What did this mean? Disciples then and today are baffled because to choose to die to our ways---when in our education, in our world, this makes no SENSE ---the cross, the life and death of Jesus confounds the wise! Because it takes FAITH in the purpose of Jesus to crucify our desires for recognition and importance. To fully YIELD our lives to the purpose of God, is to understand what Paul said "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." The power in a single seed, a single life... is in the portion we allow the Holy Spirit to rule. It is ONLY in our full surrender that He is glorified through us. That is when one is willing to hate this life on earth, to die to it's own: will, goals, dreams, desires, wants, needs, plans, rights and personal reputation. Jesus said "If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." Whose approval do we seek? Approval and blessings from the world or from Jesus, the Son of God? Who do we listen to? What voice calling out in the desert? "I am the Good Shepherd -- I know My sheep. The hired man runs away because he does not care about the sheep. I am willing to die for them. They will listen to My voice and become one flock" One church, one body united in Jesus Christ. Are we afraid of speaking about our faith in public because we will be laughed at? "Those who speak on their own authority are trying to gain glory for themselves. But He who wants glory for the One Who sent Him is honest. There is nothing false in Him." Then Jesus told the Pharisees, the highly regarded teachers of the law of Moses "Stop judging by external standards, and judge by true standards." Today, on this side of the cross, as per His promise, the Holy Spirit resides in our body which is the temple of God. As Jesus taught in the temple, He said in a loud voice "Do you really know Me, and know where I am from?" "A branch can only bear fruit if it remains in the Vine."

CHRIS RICE ROCKS

Listening to Chris Rice on my morning walk
His beat, His melody, His words just ROCK!

LYRICS to a Chris Rock hit entitled "CLUMSY"
You would think I would have it down by now,
been practicing for 30 years, I should have
walked a 1,000 miles, so what am I still doing here? Yeah!
Reaching out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit,
I slip and fall and knock my HALO loose,
by that time whatsa girl suppose to do?

I get so clumsy, I get so foolish, I get so stupid,
and then I feel so useless, but you say that You love me,
and You are still gonna hold me,
that You wanna be near me ---
cause You're making me HOLY,
Still making me HOLY, HOLY yeah!

Gonna get it right this time,
I'll be strong and I'll make You proud.
Prayed that prayer a 1,000 times,
the rooster crows and my tears roll down again.
You remind me that You made me
from the dust and I can never be good enough, and
that You're NOT gonna let that come between us...

Cause I get so clumsy, I get so foolish,
at times I get so stupid ---then I feel so useless,
but You say You love me ...
and You are still gonna hold me...
cause You're making me HOLY.
Chris Rocks voice soothes because the Holy Spirit has softened his heart and through Chris, the heart of Christ for all His creation is heard. Dance for Jesus and live. With your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye, and go in peace and laugh at Glory's side --- and fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus, fly to Jesus and live!
SO GO AND LIGHT YOUR CANDLE - in a dark world full of people who slipped into a hole. Don't be FOOLED by the maze of teachings. What has worked? Who can help?

SOAKED IN SPIRIT

What I truly long for is the warm fragrance of Him in the sunshine, the taste of cool breezes that prickle me with the tiny bumps of His awareness, the soft texture of flowers that He made for my pleasure, His vision of a birdsong, and the sound of a gentle drenching, quenching rain. To be immersed and totalled impressed by His passionate creation and respect His purpose --- for my soul.
With a bump inside, don't be shy --- dance to TRINITEE 5:7 and sing "Dance Like Sunday"
I will give praise anytime, anyday
See he's done so much for me
That I want the whole world to see
Hey! That's o.k.
You can praise Him like me
You don't have to be ashamed
You can praise Him this way
Come on get out of your seat,
Stand up give Him a little dance, Say dance with me
He's done too much for you
We got to give Him a little praise
so here's what we gonna do…

CHOURS: We gonna dance dance like Sunday
We gonna praise Him in a new way
Show you how to have a good time,
come on get with me…
It’s o.k.. Everybody join the praise

Now look at me, even talk about me
for the way I feel won't change...
Hey! Cause I love to call His name
I can't sit down cause
everytime I think about
everything He's done for me (say)
I can’t hold my piece

Come on get out of your seat,
Stand up give Him a little dance, Say dance with me
He's done too much for you
We got to give him a little praise
so here's what we gonna do…

Dance with me (yeah) don't be afraid just do it
You need to give it up (just move your feet, yeah)
It's easy for me so if you really believe
come on…join the praise!
To accept that I am His and He is mine, for all time, without separation, without a need unmet. He says I am the bride and that He is the Bridegroom and I trust that His Word is truth. Slipping and sliding in and out of belief in the truth of who resides within us - to protect us, guide us, convict us and transform us. Artist Chris Rice stirs us with a cool beat in his hit song "CLUMSY"
You think I'd have it down by now
Been practicin' for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin' here
Reachin' out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me waht's a boy supposed to do?

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless
But You're sayin' You love me
And You're still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
'Cause You're makin' me holy
You're still makin' me holy, yeah

I'm gonna get it right this time
I'll be strong and I'll make You proud
I've prayed that prayer a thousand times
But the rooster crows and my tears roll down again
Then You remind me You made me from the dust
And I can never, no never, be good enough ---
And that You're NOT gonna let that come between us

Chorus: From where I stand
Your holiness is up so high I could never reach it---
My only hope is to fall on Jesus!Soaked in spirit I spin and dance in His presence and all of creation responds! The trees dance as the leaves clap their hands in the wind that is His ever present breath! Walking and talking with my Lord is more like falling in love than the very best daydreaming! BE BLESSED listen for FREE on ITUNES to the happy melody of Jason Gray's hit song: "More like falling in Love"
Give me rules
I will break them
Give me lines
I will cross them
I need more than a truth to believe
I need a truth that lives, moves, and breathes
To sweep me off my feet
It ought to be

(CHORUS)
More like falling in love
Than something to believe in
More like losing my heart
Than giving my allegiance
Caught up, called out
Come take a look at me now
It's like I'm falling, oh
It's like I'm falling in love

Give me words
I'll misuse them
Obligations
I'll misplace them
'Cause all religion ever made of me
Was just a sinner with a stone tied to my feet
It never set me free
It's gotta be

It's like I'm falling in love, love,
Deeper and deeper
It was love that made
Me a believer
In more than a name, a faith, a creed
Falling in love with Jesus
brought the change in me
It's gotta be
More like falling in love.GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS oh God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee
Thou changes not, Thy compassions they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness Lord unto me
Summer and Winter, Springtime and harvest
Sun, Moon and Stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Beautiful rendition by Chris Rice on ITUNES

Lyrical Baez

Joan Baez was a mega-star in the 60's and a friend of Bob Dylan. She was born in Staten Island, New York. Her father, Albert Baez, was born in 1912 in Puebla, Mexico. Joan's grandfather, the Reverend Alberto Baez, left Catholicism to become a Methodist minister and moved to the U.S. and preached in Brooklyn. Joan's dad studied to become a minister but turned to the study of mathematics and physics. He was the inventor of the x-ray microscope and author of one of the most widely used physics textbooks in the U.S. The Baez family converted to Quakerism during Joan's early childhood, and she has continued to identify with the tradition, particularly in her commitment to pacifism and social issues. Her mother, Joan Bridge Baez, or "Big Joan", was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, a daughter of an Episcopal priest. Her mom and dad met at a high-school dance in Madison, New Jersey, and quickly fell in love. Her parents moved to California. Joan remembers that her family moved about the USA like gypsies and her sister Mimi also sang. Martin Luther King's invited Joan to sing in Missisippi during outrageous times. Joan did not consider her reputation as an artist --- she followed her heart and always did what felt right. She was jailed many times in Oakland, California for her protest against the draft. She travelled to each war zone for over 40 years. Her son now plays in her band at the age of 60+. Joan never considered the power of her fame until she saw how music could connect hearts to her crusade for peace. Her faith and beliefs never wavered.---2008 was a landmark year for Joan Baez, it marked 50 years since she began her legendary folk singing at Boston's famed Club 47. She remains a musical force of nature whose influence is incalculable - marching on the front line of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King Jr., inspiring Vaclav Havel in his fight for a Czech Republic, singing on the first Amnesty International tour in 2008, standing alongside Nelson Mandela when the world celebrated his 90th birthday in London's Hyde Park. She brought the Free Speech Movement into the spotlight, took to the fields with Cesar Chavez, organized resistance to the war in Southeast Asia, then forty years later saluted the Dixie Chicks for their courage to protest war. Her early recordings fed a host of traditional ballads into the rock era. Joan un-self-consciously introduced Bob Dylan to the world in 1963. She travelled to England and they sang duets. Joan's affection for Dylan allowed her to let go of his enigma style. Awakened to the truth that his passion did not include politcal causes kept them friends not mates. She influenced and sang hand-picked lyrics from songwriters that touched her soul. Woody Guthrie, Dylan, Phil Ochs, Richard Farina, and Tim Hardin, to Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle and many more. Her new collection of songs reflects the momentous times in which Joan delights as the grand-mother of FOLK. Her own words, "these words speak to the essence of who I am in the same way as the songs that have been enduring the backbone of my repertoire for the past 50 years," Day After Tomorrow is the name of the CD she recorded in 2008 - Her march for the rights of people continues to inspire. "I've never had a humble opinion. If you've got an opinion, why be humble about it?" Joan Baez


"GOD IS GOD" Written for Baez by Steve Earle
I believe in prophecy.
Some folks see things not everybody can see.
And,once in a while,they pass
the secret along to you and me.

And I believe in miracles.
Something sacred burning in every bush and tree.
We can all learn to sing
the songs the angels sing.

Yeah, I believe in God, and God ain't me.

I've traveled around the world,
Stood on mighty mountains and
gazed across the wilderness.
Never seen a line in the sand
or a diamond in the dust.

And as our fate unfurls,
Every day that passes
I'm sure about a little bit less.
Even my money keeps telling me
it's God I need to trust.

And I believe in God, but God ain't us.

God,in my little understanding,
don't care what name I call.
Whether or not I believe
doesn't matter at all.

I receive the blessings.
That every day on Earth is
another chance to get it right.
Let this little light of mine
shine and rage against the night.

Just another lesson
Maybe someone's watching
and wondering what I got.
Maybe this is why I'm here on Earth,
and maybe not.
Chorus:
But I believe in God, and God is God.DAY AFTER TOMORROW - Lyrics reflect her stand for non-violence - lyrics by Tom Waits
I close my eyes
Every night
And I dream that I can hold you
They fill us full of lies
Everyone buys
About what it means to be a soldier
I still don't know how I'm supposed to feel
About all the blood that's been spilled
Look out on the street
Get me back home
On the day after tomorrow

You can't deny
The other side
Don't want to die
Any more than we do
What I'm trying to say,
Is don't they pray
To the same God that we do?
Tell me, how does God choose?
Whose prayers does he refuse?
Who turns the wheel?
And who throws the dice
On the day after tomorrow?

Mmmmmmm...
I'm not fighting
For justice
I am not fighting
For freedom
I am fighting
For my life
And another day
In the world here
I just do what I've been told
You're just the gravel on the road
And the one's that are lucky
One's come home
On the day after tomorrow

And the summer
It too will fade
And with it comes the winter's frost, dear
And I know we too are made
Of all the things that we have lost here
I'll be twenty-one today
I've been saving all my pay
And my plane will touch down
On the day after tomorrow
IMAGINE this DARING DOG skating to TUNES of BAEZ!

THE RAZORS EDGE

AH YES - gotta get clear about what I think about things! Larry postpones his engagement to learn the meaning of life. A shallow fiancee does not understand. Larry sought truth and "What is the meaning of life?"What does it mean when a man gives up his life for you? In the end Gene Tierney discovers by default that GOOD prevails while her fortune will NEVER bring her joy. A noble man knows "GOODNESS is the greatest force in the world and he has got it!"

BLONDE HAIRSPRAY

High School hair in the 60's was all about teasing and hairspray! This picture shows me and my sis with hair that was ironed, and ratted to gain a poof and sprayed with Aqua Net to keep it set! We attended Amos Alonzo Stagg from 1967-1969 and in my senior year Grace Slick played for us on the Senior Walk! Credence Clearwater, Stephen Wolf and all the 60's tunes would blast on the radio as Bobby Newell and I cruised Pacific Avenue in his 1957 metallic green Chevrolet! In 1976 my locks were punked short to mimick the ice skater Dorothy Hammil. This shot was taken aboard a cruiser in San Francisco Bay while taking a tour of Alcatraz. Notice these "Boots were made for Walking" by Nancy Sinatra! Yes hair... the style, the cut, the color keeps on changing to best fit the time, the mood and my delight! Boys mostly enjoy long sleek hair, but us girls like curls! In Hawaii 1986 ---dressed for a 50's BOP HOP at the Hyatt, I wore a poodle skirt that I sewed together with the help of my uncle Richard who then lived in Manteca. I attended an awards banquet hosted by "Matol Botanical", a Canadian Company that sold an herbal elixir that several athletes drank during the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea. All the girls out there can truly relate to the truth of BAD HAIR CUTS in this Good Morning America clip with ANITA - Please girl tell us the TRUTH! When we bring in a photo of what cut we NEED and we get something that ain't NOTHING like it---YEAH that is MESSED UP! Our HOPE is deferred, and our PATIENCE and KINDNESS --- well that fruit of the spirit just got all dried out during that HAIR DO that went POO POO! But we get a new pair of shoes and we just keep on dancing! Taking my-all- one-length-BOB to a local shop with a photo of a more stylish BOB---YES total shock stiffened my neck as this hair destroyer used thinning shears all across my thin hair! After paying for something I did not ask for, at home I tried to accept that "It's just hair!" In the mirror my 2010 pixie had straggles of hair that looked like hair that missed the blade! Wild hairs poked out in defiance for the shearing! At home with precision as my guiding intention, I snip off all that dares to stick out! The very next weekend I went to a NEW local salon that advertized color! Lighter shades that swirled in layers atop my frazzled brain would make my short blunt hairs appear softer as I gently relaxed into the truth "It is just hair!" All kinds of stories to tell from the times living in Humble, Texas, New Iberia, and Santa Cruz --- with geography my style did radically shift! After one year working 10 hour days for ten days --- followed by ten days off from Houston's medical Center, I was offered a position marketing MRI's for a group of doctors. The 1980's waves of curls like Farrah Fawcet was sooo cute and FUN! Staying in style for awhile then bending the rules with a blunt cut was a must! No bangs in high school, just long and iron smooth was the look in 1969. Moving quickly through 30 years of cuts and colors, in 1999 I moved from Santa Cruz back to Stockton to work as a loan officer for the ultra conservative Union Safe Deposit Bank. Short with bangs, I chose a Loreal color because I am so very worth it...My "short do" matched my position as a business banker. On May 4, 2004 I started working for the City of Stockton. Over the last six years with the City my hair has been kept in a style that is "easy peasy" to fix quick! A relaxed style fits my preference for casual during the day....and for special occasions, that slicked back dramatic is always possible with short or long hairs! It has been a thrill to sport all kinds of style from the perfect BOB to the pixie cut! For a short while in 2009 my locks were long enough to bend around a curling iron. Standing in the lobby of the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco in December 2005, I was a dazzling redhead! Change has always been exciting for me so for the remainder of my days in California I have opted to be a blonde! A great stylist in Manteca named Gina perked me right into summer 2010! Retirement is just around the corner - 2014 is the year that I shall drift into a land in which there is no time, and rushing to keep up with a hair trend is absurd! Being too slow, early, or late is also nothing that will be noticed round Lake Chapala. I shall enjoy being a California blonde until my hair turns naturally to a very silky and sexy silver! In Mexico it shall be like Aunite Mame living in heaven! In a place where there is no pace, or, if pace was there, it will be at my own pace. If I choose to move fast or slow it will be "Just Right"! There will be no haste, and no waste of time to select or change a fashion, decorator item, hair color or cut! From Lake Chapala it is but a quick 40 minute ride to Guad-a-la-ha-ha! The capital of fun festivities and fashion! With my Hair Spray Painted Blonde, it does tickle me fancy! It is TRUE that while following my bliss - my HAPPY did increase as a lighter blonde!