His hands - our hearts

Every Saturday mid-morning, we are out there in the parking lot of Suggs and Kelly Law Firm under our canopies, tables set for the midday service of a hot meal, dessert and a bag of snacks to go. We serve cold drinks in summer and hot coffee in winter, and for every change of season, there is a chance for the homeless to change out their wardrobe. Not only does CJ(founder) receive an abundance of donations in food kind, but tons of clothes, shoes, accessories and toiletries come in. His back-yard garage is full, and he likes to set up an extra table in the parking lot, laden with shirts and trousers, coats and other garments, sorted out according to size. In case one lucky person obtains a job interview and needs to look dressed up, he can likely pick out something suitable from the lot. You'd be surprised at the great

Kit-Kat Krave

Krispy Kat
Krunchy Kat
Kit-kat junkie
Kandy Krush
Kandy rush
after lunch
Krumble
....krunch-krunch

We only remember the good

This early on a Sunday morning, I am sitting at the desk, writing a short mémoire or personal remembrance of my Aunt who passed away 2 weeks ago, to be read at the funeral service.

It turns out to be a beautiful recollection of her goodness to us as kids. I can picture listeners nodding and maybe smiling as they identify with the feelings I express, and maybe there will be a titter or two at the pictures I painted. They will all agree, I am sure, that there was something almost "saintly" about my Aunty.

I think of the eulogies I have heard at funerals and I wonder: Do people only choose to remember the good after someone dies or do they really only see goodness and perfection when they look back, their minds totally eclipsing any negative memories of the past?

Tell me what you think or what has been your own experience.

TheSouthernJackAss: Fool's Gold ...

TheSouthernJackAss: Fool's Gold ...

Some healthy vegan substitutes

Cream and eggs are two frequently used ingredients in the making of desserts, especially ice cream. Vegans prefer to substitute with a more healthy non-dairy choice. Depending on the brand product used, the type of effect desired and the job to be done by the cream or eggs, in some cases the outcome is very near the original, and one can hardly tell the difference.

VEGAN HEAVY CREAM SUBSTITUTE
To make vegan heavy cream substitute you will need:

1/2 block of silken tofu (extra firm)
1/2 cup of plain soy milk.
Blend until thick and creamy and perfectly smooth.

HOME-MADE EGG SUBSTITUTES
Vegan egg replacements are not hard to find. However there are a number of ways you can create your own substitutes from ingredients found in your own kitchen.
To substitute for one egg, try one of the following:
Two tablespoons of cornstarch
Two tablespoons of arrowroot flour
Two tablespoons of potato starch
One heaping tablespoon of soy powder plus two tablespoons of water
One tablespoon of soy milk powder plus one tablespoon of cornstarch, and two tablespoons of water
One tablespoon milled flax seed and three tablespoons of water
One tablespoon chickpeas and one tablespoon of water
One medium banana or half of a large banana, mashed
Two ounces of mashed soft tofu and one tablespoon of water
Two ounces of mashed potatoes and one tablespoon of water
Two ounces mashed beans and one tablespoon of water
1/4 cup applesauce or other pureed fruit
One teaspoon soy flour plus one tablespoon water

Shepherd

At the
point of departure,
up from your knees,
you left me


and you,
I found,
far distance away,
a-stray,
caught in a thicket,
bleating,
my one
lost
sheep

Papier-mâché recipe and building Egypt

We worked last night until late o'clock, laying the ground work for the transformation of the school gym into Egypt, our choice this year for VBS. Last year it was Rome and it came off successfully. Most of all, we had a blast. (See photos at this link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=30217&id=1317527766&l=7e09ad7c80

Can't think how two people can built pyramids, gardens, a palace, sphinxes (sphynges), a prison and Joseph's throne in a week or two, but it has to be done. Last year we proved that Rome could be built in three weeks, but I don't really know the time frame for Egypt. The further along we got last night, the happier Sue became... and the more doubtful was I! By signing-off time, I had singed my fingers making papier-mâché paste, dyed some of my hair green, splashed yellow paint over my jeans and sprinkled my face and arms with glitter. But Sue assured me it was all good.

Here's my recipe for the best papier-mâché:

Combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups cold water in a bowl.
Add this mixture to a saucepan of 2 cups boiling water and bring it to a boil again.
Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Let it cool; it will thicken as it cools. Once it does, it's ready to use.

Backyard fireworks display spirals out of control

GASTON, SC (WIS) - A Fourth of July fireworks show in one South Carolina town got out of control Sunday night. New video shows the aftermath of the accident.

A viewer sent WIS the original video Monday.

According to the viewer, who asked not to be identified, about 100 church members gathered at a house in Gaston to watch the annual backyard fireworks show.

The fireworks were set up on a small island in a pond when something went terribly wrong.

The video shows what appears to be

The musician, the man, the composer...

Push the pause button on my player (right column of homepage) and go to the1st video (interveiw) or just listen to him play (2nd video). OUAIS! (yeah mon!) Fritz Kreisler - the man - the composer. Love it!

Personality in Art
The influence of the artist's personality in his art finds a most striking exemplification in the case of Fritz Kreisler. Some time before the writer called on the famous violinist to get at first hand some of his opinions with regard to ...Read More

Does God really speak to us?

My friend Andrew is quite annoyed at people who claim that God spoke to them. "How dare anyone stake such a claim on the personal attention of the Almighty? Only great prophets of old heard God's voice from heaven. People today are only trying to justify their own convictions and desires, trying to give them credibility by saying that 'God told them' or that God called them"

I rarely meet a Christian who has actually heard a voice addressing them from heaven or from some corner of a room, announcing itself to be coming from God. When they do say that God spoke to them, they never go into details about how things really happened and how they knew it was a message addressed to them by God. I am not sure why I hardly ever ask for details. Maybe I don't wish to give an impression that I am doubting , since each person is entitled to believe what he wants about his own experience. Or perhaps I am more interested in hearing what God had to say.

Has God ever spoken to you? How did you know it was God? Does God necessarily use an audible voice or does He send messages through others, through His Word or through events that you witness? How then do you know that it isn't just your own conscience or a strong feeling about something - does it have to be God speaking?

On the other hand, if you doubt that God ever speaks, what do you make of the verse that tells us
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” John 10:27 ESV
And why entertain the thought of praying/conversing with God if he doesn't talk back? Where will you get answers?How will you really know He was listening?

I read an article on the subject and I will share it with you:

God Speaks Today
By Martha Noebel
CBN Staff Writer

CBN.com -- God still speaks to the hearts and minds of His people today. Dr. Charles Stanley wrote of four reasons why in his book, How To Listen To God. They are:
1. He loves us just as much as He loved the people of the Old and New Testament days.

2. We need His definite and deliberate direction for our lives as did Joshua, Moses, Jacob, or Noah.

3. He knows we need the comfort and assurance just as much as did the believers of old.

4. He wants us to know Him.
Dr. Stanley shares that some of the ways God chooses to speak to us are ... Read More...

Wide asleep in the pew

Do I really need to explain the reason why I slept all the way through the sermon this morning?

Have you ever done that? The sermon's not boring and you're not particularly tired, but a cloud of heavy slumber descends just as the preacher gets into it, and there you are, wide open in the pew, head tilted over almost touching the seat , mouth open and drooling...
I believe I heard my mother say once that the Enemy does that. If he can't distract you or cause some kind of confusion or upset for you on the Lord's day, he can just throw some sleep dust into your eyes and there you go. Do you believe that? Can't quite remember if C.S. Lewis had included that ruse in his Screwtape Letters.

Feeling too guilty to give the customary compliment or show some sign of appreciation to the waiting pastor, I found myself filing out with everyone else avoiding the pastor's eyes. It must have been a spanking good sermon ( no less from John Earnhardt, racing car driver Dale's cousin). Maybe I did hear the intro. Something about mosquitoes feeding on blood. He wanted to draw some kind of parallel with Christians needing to feed on the blood of Christ in order to live His life.

I slipped between two old folks shuffling out as though I was in a hurry and looking for someone over the other side of the foyer. But I didn't escape the smile of the most beautiful Pamela, and she caught me inside a warm embrace, beaming up at me as though she was delighted I was just there today! Dear Pamela. Maybe in eighty years you have grown shorter, more fragile, wracked with arthritis and suffering from Parkinson's, but you still manage to remind us of God's all-embracing, forgiving, unconditional love

Waiting for the night

At the backside of the neighborhood
on the wrong side
sitting on the front steps
hanging with friends
blazing gold earrings
drop from lobes
strained stretched by their weight
wait
for the night
jukebox glamour
dressed in best
club bound
swirling
puffing
sniffing
high
till morning light

Mother Comfort

She made us mugs of "Milo"
before bed
and we drank
side by side
half drinking
half eating
crunchy, malty beads
still suspended
in a swirl of milky foam
at the top

                                         She and I
                                         sucking
                                         rich, chocolate smell
                                         close loving arms
                                         stroking
                                         close your eyes
                                         head on breast
                                         mother -comfort.
                                         warm sweet sticky drops
                                         from the corners of our mouths
                                         prolong the evening
                                         misty thoughts
                                         of bedtime slumber
                                         upstairs
                                         several mouthfuls away.

IN THE HOLLOW OF THY HAND

"In the hollow of thy hand"
like eye of hurricane,
calm...
till sudden gale whips from behind
to snatch like a roof torn from its hinge
flagged like paper
flown like kite
tossed across
to land abrupt
dismantled object
in a stranger's yard.

LOVE UNTENDED

your deep rose
dried
drooped
head on stalk
petals crisp
thirsty brown
lifeless...
love
un-watered
withered in its bloom

WISTERIA

dripping
dropping
topping the eaves
cascade of lavender
like grapes
hung in cluster
soft in Spring
as light as sweet,
warm fragrance
floating on a breeze
wisteria

MANY MANSIONS

Brother's keeper,
doer unto the least of these,
my brethren.

His hands (click)
His feet
His Word.

Plate of chili
under steamy sun,
take, eat,
for this is my body
broken for you,
take, drink,
a cup of life,
one more day,
homeless,
hopeless stray
I show you the way
to that city
In my Father's house
there are many mansions
I have prepared a place for you.

MAXCY GREGG PARK

Depicting a new dawn- survival, and a passage into life.

Coming out from the frame of an exit way, they step forward into a luminous future. The bronzed figures of a man and woman are holding a child by the arms, striding joyously, as the child gaily skips along between them, keeping up with their pace. It is a representation of hope and healing. Renewal. Behind the open door-frame, not too far behind, others ,

OFF-CAMPUS LIFE

"Boom- Boom! Thud! thud!"
"Boom -Boom! Crash!

If you have ever lived in the apartment below, then you probably have begun to guess at what I am griping about. But I don't live in the apartment below. I actually live at the top of a one-hundred-year-old two-story house, shared by a couple of teenagers renting below! Yet, it is amazing the difference it does not make in terms of noise disturbance. Footsteps,

The hills

Distant hills don't roll
they breathe and raise
their breasts of green
and varied hue

And mist sighs
gently steals
willow arms
to wrap around
soft embrace
before the sun awakes

Gone

As the tongue
returns
to the site
a tooth
has left
so
I return
and find you
gone

AU REVOIR

Man in the mirror

Man in the moon

Man in the mirror

Gone too soon


It was too late

He fell to the ground

a horrid fate

no fans around


one frantic call

the doctor made

a dirty game

they said he played


all the truth

only time will say

still in his youth

he went away


Au revoir, Michael

well deserved rest

of all the stars

you were the brightest!

I can see!

They call his name
and speak His fame
the Man called Jesus
the One they blame.

They said he took
God's name in vain
They thought he was
somehow insane.

"Kill the imposter! Crucify!"
up from the mob
there came the cry
"Save yourself! You need not die!"
others pled
as they stood by.

A drop of His blood
fell on my cheek
My heart was full
I could not speak

For it was I
whose sight he healed
as in the dirt
this great man kneeled

He cupped the soil
dug from the ground
while doubtful crowds
stood all around

and then He spat
and formed a paste
He made no sound
He had no haste

With gentle touch
my eyes did soothe
with this soft salve
so warm, so smooth.

"To the pool
of Siloam go"
His tone was tender
steady, slow.

"Wash, and you
your sight will gain.
Wash until
no salve remains"


Straight away
to Siloam I went
and into the pool
where I was sent

I rushed to do
what I was told
in my excitement
I was bold

No fear no doubt
was in me now
I believed
don't ask me how

He didn't have
to say too much
I felt it
in his healing touch

And then the sun burst
from the sky
vivid colors
filled my eyes

Joy exploded
inside of me
"Glory Glory!
I can see!"

Now here He hangs
upon a cross
I sense the doom
I feel the loss

"The Son of man I am"
He'd said
but now the blood
drips from his head

And from His side
He bleeds profuse
a dead Messiah
is of no use

On my cheek
I touched that place
How like the salve
upon my face

The salve He made
to set me free
from blindness that
imprisoned me

His warm blood
upon my cheek
told me what
He couldn't speak

"My blood is the salve
I freely give
By my death
shall all men live"

And as I gazed
upon that face
full of sorrow
full of grace

I understood
what it all meant
why the Son of man
was sent

Far more than
the sight he gave
Far beyond
his stony grave

By this sacrifice
of blood
He in my place
has stood

His eternal life
is mine
For as Son of God
He is Divine

Only a perfect
sacrifice
Only pure blood
would suffice

With salve He made
my blind eyes see
By blood
I gained eternity

Wish you were here

Before the traffic
and humid heat
that comes with dawn,
early fog
curls smoke in the air
streets clear
semi-dark
town
wrapped in sleep
distant fog horn
breathe
long
moist
deep
.....wish you were here.

SOLOMON

His dawn was soon
his sun shone bright
His glory did not wane
His words brought light
His vision, sight
and thousand to him came

Of treasures he had
an endless store
Of pleasures
he craved more
Mirth and wine
music fine
no lack did he endure

And so engaged
he spent his days
feasting on the best
but selfish ways
obscured his gaze
from God who first had blessed

Now the coming
of the eve
now the setting sun
now the dusky shadow-fall
Now the end has come

Shutters on the life he had
shutters colored grey
sealed with time
twisting vines
evening envelopes day

"Vanity of vanities!"
The sage now declares
"Eat and drink
and be thou merry
do not waste your years

But take thou heed
for all you do
is counted in the end
by One who sees
from the life you've led
where eternity you'll spend"

Waiting Room

Just feet
and feet
tapping
shifting
moving
feet
restless
nervous
aching
feet
waiting
to be called

MY LORD AND I

We walk a path
in step we tread,
I do not see
no script is read.
I am to peaceful waters led,
on His breast I lay my head.

But when in pathways
dark and drear
in storms of life
or battles dread
don't walk behind
don't walk ahead
Remember what his Word has said:
I will guide you with mine eyes
I am your Lord
who hears your cries
I give you grace
I give you strength
to run this race
to go the length
until you see the Father's face
until you gain that eternal place
It is done!
your case I've plead.
For this, my Child
my blood was shed

NONNAH'S

    Just as I had imagined. The Nonnah's experience did not disappoint. There isn't much that distracts me during my early-morning seven-mile walk each day. Some may wonder why I would choose to limit my options for daily exercise to the downtown area when just a drive away I could find more popular places designed especially for walkers. Well, the truth is that it was useful for me to explore the city when I first got here, and walking around before the morning traffic built up was a good way to do just that. My mind focused mostly on where I was going, but I kept an eye out for spots of interest I would want to visit at length, later on. That was the way I discovered most theatres, libraries, the University campus and the local Nickelodeon.

    One fine morning , I came across Nonnah's, right in the Vista area where beautiful people like to play. I couldn't help it. I stopped and pressed my nose against the glass windows, trying to get a better look at what appeared from outside to be an art gallery hung with paintings of such vibrant color, they beckoned to me, and the thrill of morning exercise was forgotten for a few minutes of pure joy like sunburst , as I gazed. "What in the world!" I gasped as,

CHICKEN MAN

He set up shop
road-side of Harden
and of it makes
a colorful garden

splashes of red
and yellow and blue
his subject chickens
of every hue

smiling he talks
about his trade
of his paintings
that bring him
financial aid

to care for his sons
he loves so dear
he talks about them
to all who will hear

you spend some time
with the chicken man
look at his art
stashed away
in his van

or strewn all around
on cardboard siding
you'll spot some treasure
amongst them hiding

chicken man laughs
wiping sweat from his brow
and you wonder why
or when or how

a man such as he
could appear to be
so real, so warm
and joyously free