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WITandWISDOM(tm) - May 19, 1998 THOUGHTS: The world is so fast that there are days when the person who says it can't be done is interrupted by the person who is doing it. - Unknown (Shared by John L. Hoh, Jr.) SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Differentiate between what the Lord says HE WILL DO from what HE CALLS YOU TO DO. The Old Testament has a really good example of how meddling with God's timing and purposes can produce global disaster. God meant to establish His people through Abraham, so in Genesis Chapter 15, He speaks to Abraham (then known as Abram) and tells him what God intends to do. But from the time God told Abraham in Genesis 15 that He would make His descendants as numerous as the stars, God did not speak to him again till thirteen years later when Abraham was ninety-nine - "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him." - Genesis 17 : 1. "Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised, and his son Ishmael was thirteen" - Genesis 17 : 24 - 25. And all because of Sarah's disobedience because she was impatient of the ways of the Lord and said to Abraham "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Don't think it's all Sarah's fault either, for Abraham was not absolved from guilt since he agreed to what Sarah asked him to do and this disobedience separated his direct communion with God for 13 years. And this promise was thus given to Hagar : "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." - Genesis 16 : 10 - 13 And the sins of the fathers visit upon their children. Through the rest of eternity, the hands of the sons of Ishmael, who are the Muslims, are against us who are the seed of Abraham. Such is the power of God's covenant with Hagar and the begotten of her who were also His creation. But since, ". . . we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Romans 8 :28, therefore, if God speaks and says that He intends to do something, your next step is not to rush headlong into carrying out the deed. You should therefore ask : "What will you have me do?" You may not be called to fight in the battlefields as was the role for Joshua when the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites in Exodus 17, but you may be called to the task of manning the base camp doing support work such as lifting your hands to the Lord in prayer, just, literally standing in the gap. The pencilings of Elizabeth Honor (Shared by Avonlea) THIS & THAT: 30 MINUTES TO A CLEANER HOUSE You're getting company in 30 minutes. Your house is a mess. WHAT WILL YOU DO? Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first session of Housekeeping Tips for Regular People. If you're a Martha Stewart type of housekeeper, this column is NOT for you. However, for the rest of you, this is your chance to learn 15 Secret Shortcuts to Good Housekeeping that your mother never told you. SECRET TIP 1: DOOR LOCKS If a room clearly can't be whipped into shape in 30 days, much less 30 minutes, employ the Locked Door Method of cleaning. Tell anyone who tries to go in the room that you accidentally locked the door and can't find the key. Of course, the locksmith can't possibly come until tomorrow. CAUTION: It is not advisable to use this tip for the bathroom. Time: 2 seconds SECRET TIP 2: DUCT TAPE No home should be without an ample supply. Not only is it handy for plumbing repairs, but it's a great way to hem drapes, tablecloths, clothes, just about anything. No muss, no fuss. Time: 2-3 minutes SECRET TIP 3: OVENS If you think ovens are just for baking, think again. Ovens represent at least 9 cubic feet of hidden storage space, which means they're a great place to shove dirty dishes, dirty clothes, or just about anything you want to get out of sight when company's coming. Time: 2 minutes SECRET TIP 4: CLOTHES DRYERS Like Secret Tip 3, except bigger. CAUTION: Avoid hiding flammable objects here. Time: 2.5 minutes SECRET TIP 5: WASHING MACHINES & FREEZERS Like Secret Tip 4, except even bigger. Time: 3 minutes SECRET TIP 6: DUST RUFFLES No bed should be without one. Devotees of Martha Stewart believe dust ruffles exist to keep dust out from under a bed or to help coordinate the colorful look of a bedroom. The rest of us know a dust ruffle's highest and best use is to hide whatever you've managed to shove under the bed. (Refer to Secret Tips 3, 4, 5.) Time: 4 minutes SECRET TIP 7: DUSTING The 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House method says: Never dust under what you can dust around. Time: 3 minutes SECRET TIP 8: DISHES Don't use them. Use plastic and you won't have to. Time: 1 minute SECRET TIP 9: CLOTHES WASHING (EEWWW) This secret tip is brought to you by an inventive teenager. When this teen's mother went on a housekeeping strike for a month, the teen discovered you can extend the life of your underwear by two . . . if you turn it wrong side out and, yes, rerun it. CAUTION: This tip is recommended only for teens and those who don't care if they get in a car wreck. Time: 3 seconds SECRET TIP 10: IRONING If an article of clothing doesn't require a full press and your hair does, a curling iron is the answer. In between curling your hair, use the hot wand to iron minor wrinkles out of your clothes. Yes, it really does work, or so I'm told, by other disciples of the 30-Minutes-To-A-Clean-House philosophy. Time: 5 minutes (including curling your hair) SECRET TIP 11: VACUUMING Stick to the middle of the room, which is the only place people look. Don't bother vacuuming under furniture. It takes way too long and no one looks there anyway. Time: 5 minutes, entire house; 2 minutes, living room only SECRET TIP 12: LIGHTING The key here is low, low, and lower. It's not only romantic, but bad lighting can hide a multitude of dirt. Time: 10 seconds SECRET TIP 13: BED MAKING Get an old-fashioned waterbed. No one can tell if those things are made up or not, saving you, oh, hundreds of seconds over the course of a lifetime. Time: 0 SECRET TIP 14: SHOWERS, TOILETS, AND SINKS Forget one and two. Concentrate on three. Time: 1 minute SECRET TIP 15: If you already knew at least 10 of these tips, don't even think about inviting a Martha Stewart type to your home. (Shared by Just 4 Laughs! Http://www.GeoCities.com/Hollywood/Set/6993) ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mikey's Thot for the Day: Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift? (Shared by Mikey's Funnies http://www.YouthSpecialties.com) TRIVIA: Consider the fact that there are a billion people in the world that struggle to survive on less than $1 per day. . . . It is said that over half the world's population has never made a telephone call. - Price Pritchett, "MindShift" (Shared by Elisa Wimer) |