WINNING!!!

Charlie Sheen is all over the place. His downfall is the topic of conversation for so many peoples. The man is literally imploding upon himself. I feel afraid for Charlie Sheen. I feel terrible for his children. I wonder what the "Goddesses" are thinking through this whole thing?
I pray that Charlie can survive this! I pray that he can come out the other side with more clarity and deeper understanding about who he is!

Linda Holmes on Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen on 20/20

Charlie Sheen Quotes

Charlie Sheen on Twitter

Charlie Sheen in Major League

Faith Healers

I was watching Our America with Lisa Ling on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). The subject of the episode was on Faith Healers. It centered around the MorningStar Revivals in Ft. Mill S.Carolina with Todd Bentley. Todd Bentley says he is a normal guy who believes in the power of the Holy Spirit who was given the gift of healing. Some say Todd Bentley is a false prophet. It's up to us, the viewer, to determine what WE think.

Lisa Ling tells that she grew up with religion. She mentions that she grew up going to church and bible camp when she was a young girl. She does a pretty good job of keeping any bias out of what she is reporting. This may be why I like Lisa Ling.

The episode follows a few specific people. A man named Steve, who has suffered a severe brain injury. Steve was in a car crash at 18 and left with a brain injury and a speech impediment. Then in 1995, he fell off a roof and was paralyzed in his lower body. His legs are both paralyzed, and he has come to the MorningStar Revivals Conference to be healed by God through Todd Bentley. He is 100% convinced that he will be healed.

Another story about a mother and daughter. The daughter, Debbie, has brought her mother to be healed of terminal cancer. Her mother could no longer afford the treatments that were above and beyond what her Medicare paid for. She sees God as her only source at this point.

I watched the hour long story waiting, wondering how this story would end up. Would these people be healed? Would the average person watching this show be turned off to the power of God? The REAL truth behind the fact that PRAYER DOES WORK? The fact that FAITH can move mountains? God does heal....he does heal through others.....I believe it 100%! I also believe that God doesn't always heal. How can a man promise miracles?

When Steve gets up to Todd Bentley, after three days of waiting, I sense how much Steve's faith could heal him. Unfortunately, he is NOT healed. He has not given up his faith. He is still waiting on God. Waiting for his time.

What about Carol, the mother with terminal cancer, will she be healed? I am so expectant I want her to be healed. At the end we find out that Carol's cancer had steadily been getting worse.

Lisa could have taken the road of: these people are quacks, but she didn't. She said she learned something there. She learned that lives could be genuinely changed. That hope could transform, and that faith could empower!

What is YOUR take on faith healers? If you have seen Our America, what do you think of Lisa Ling?

What Makes You Angry?

What Makes You Angry? This was the writing prompt that I used today with my high school students. I always write when my students are writing. As I wrote each hour, I added to what I had written before. I started out with big picture, governmental, societal issues that make me angry. Then, I moved to injustices that have happened to me, personally, which I never seem to get closure on. By the time I got to my last class of the day, my final writing was very eye opening to me. Don't get me wrong, not eye opening like I didn't know I DO this, but just eye opening about what a whiner I can be. It went like this:

Not getting my own way makes me angry. Truth is, deep down, I really like to get my own way. Let's face it, don't we all like to get our own way? I wonder if this is actually a true statement, aren't there some out there who truly like to give and give? Well, not me. I think to pout, either internally or externally (or both sometimes) when I don't get my own way leads me to rather passive aggressive behavior....childish, ridiculous behavior. Performances not quite fitting to a 44 year old. I pout, pull away, pretend. Why? I truly only hurt myself in this process. To top it off, I am not very good at holding grudges, so then it just turns into short term pouting. Even less effective!
So, there is my confessional...a full day's worth of pondering things that make me angry.
So, I pose the same question to you: What Makes You Angry?

Church On Saturday Night! AMAZING!!

Acts – Chapter 17A from Hosanna! Church Lakeville MN on Vimeo.

HUNGER GAMES: KATNISS & RUE

Probably Still Nick Swansen Look

Nick Swansen pretty much knows what it means to be Special Ed.: You can't drive, even if you're sixteen and your parents have two cars; the regular kids in school don't talk to you much; and even if you can memorize every fact about amphibians, it's hard to make sense of all the other stuff swirling in your mind. What he doesn't know is whether being Special Ed. means you shouldn't go to the prom. But since no rule says you can't, Nick decides to ask Shana.

But the prom doesn't turn out at all the way Nick expects it to, and everything bad seems to get all mixed up together: the prom, what Shana does, and the terrible thing that happened to Nick's sister nine years ago. Nick doesn't want to think about any of it, but he begins to realize that unless he makes peace with all the memories that trouble him, they will haunt him forever....

Psalm 34:18

Today in my quiet time, I read Psalm 34:18. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those who are crushed in spirit.
Yesterday I had a particularly difficult day, on the back of a difficult few weeks. My daughter has decided to live full time with her dad, again. My youngest son is making some decisions that are poor, and I feel his dad should be steering him more closely. When I sit back and reflect on how much my hands are tied, and how I have no control over the situation, I feel crazy. These children who I love so much, are in some ways lost to me right now. As a mom, it's the most frightening thing to just sit and watch. I also end up feeling so sad, lost and alone. I berate myself that I should have been more...tried harder. Some days I just want to move away. Move far away where I am not so close to the pain. Some place where distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Yesterday was a difficult day. I was feeling depressed and alone. Out of the blue I got an text message from my oldest son telling me that I am a good mom, and that he always felt loved by me, and that he loves me so much! OUT OF THE BLUE???? I think not. It was FOR SURE God's voice. I have no doubt that God was saying: Look Kari!! All is not lost. Don't forget about your oldest child!! All is not lost!!
Today the verse from Psalm telling me that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He was close to me last night, in the midst of my despair. I am so certain of this!!