Blonde Antithesis

On this date, 2037 years ago, Cleopatra ended her life. In the wake of two leaders being murdered because of their relationship with her, she left a legacy of intrigue, pain and seduction.

She was known to be beautiful and fantastic in her ability to charm. A woman of words, she was reputed to be the only member of her family in 300 years to master the Egyptian language. She was definitely a woman of influence - and she used that influence for some good, and much destruction…

Women have always had this ability, since the very beginning of time. We instinctively know how to effect a change, we were created for it - and the Enemy knows it. How do we use this gift? How do we wield the tools of our birthright - as a blessing or as a curse? Are we like Eve and Cleopatra - using everything at our disposal to persuade…and, ultimately, to destroy.

I pray that I will use my influence as a blessing…and that God will be merciful to me in those times when I have not. I pray that the women under my influence will be encouraged to use their gifts to effect positive change, facilitate peace, and minister grace.

We can learn from those who’ve gone before. Let us find our true beauty in walking in His peace…

You are beautiful: You women who walk in His peace
You are strong and courageous
As you follow and lead

You are lovers of mercy and givers of grace
Speakers of truth and true holders of faith

You are friends with compassion
Well-acquainted with grief
Yet your harbor no hatred
Seeing bitterness a thief

You are beautiful, my sisters, who have chosen this Way
Though the journey is difficult
And many have fallen away
You walk on in your mercy, your love, and your faith
For you’ve laid aside comfort for a glimpse of His grace.

So, let us fulfill our destiny by using the gift of our influence to walk in His peace and find our true beauty.

Peace.

So, I have just a few minutes before I get in the car for an hour and a half…at least. Thank goodness for the DVD player! I’m looking forward to the holidays because I love the sound of Christmas movies. “A Christmas Story” and “Home Alone”, they’re just more fun to listen to…plus, I just love the holidays anyway. I have a tendency to romanticize them and build them up in my mind (kind of like the dad in “Christmas Vacation”).

But, for now, it’s “Star Wars”…or any superhero type movie. Most of them I’ve never actually seen, but they sound okay…

The morning after Thanksgiving, “it’s on”, though. Only Christmas stuff will be played in my car: Christmas carols, Manheim Steamroller, Christmas movies…etc. I might even wear a Santa hat!

Gotta run! The superheroes are calling me…

Peace.

…all you U. S. Americans out there and the other people like in South Africa and The Iraq and such as…!

The upside of this interview:

*She’s absolutely adorable.

*She has just shown herself to be qualified to host a morning news show on any of the Big Three major networks (or the evening news, for that matter!)

*The panelist asking the question was also blonde and seemed reasonably articulate.

*Mario Lopez understood every word she said…and such as.

*My daughter Ashley is a native of South Carolina and also a blonde, yet CAN locate a map, find the U.S., and…well…SPELL the word “map”.

*Immediately following this question, Miss Teen S.C. was awarded “Miss Congeniality” for her heartfelt compassion for all those poor U.S. Americans out there who don’t own maps (she then spearheaded a campaign to raise a gazillion dollars to buy South Africans and the Iraq maps…and such as).

*Umm….She’s….adorable.

I’m not throwing stones…just looking for the bright side. Happy Wednesday…and such as! Peace out.

Byron and I have had a lot of discussions, lately, about rest, boundaries, and protecting/insulating ourselves and family from the stresses of the world as much as possible. My current issues with my nervous system have definitely factored in to these conversations. Avoiding extreme stress has become a necessity, not just for me, but for all of us in the Bledsoe household. It has been a wake-up-call for us, in that, no matter how strong you think you are or how ready you feel for the fight, your body can say, “No more!”, and then you are forced to take inventory of your priorities.

Of course, God knows that we must set aside time for true rest in order to even worship properly. This presents some obvious difficulties for the household of a pastor because the Sabbath is, inherently, a “work day”. So, traditionally, minister’s families just suck it up and do without respite - and not even God can convince them that you can’t work yourself into worship…as if to say that what God has required for us to function at our best, and honor Him with our efforts - a day of rest - is not necessary for the leaders. There’s a piety in living like the world will stop revolving if I (”Super Pastor/Pastor’s Wife”) don’t work for the kingdom 24/7. How many pastor’s families secretly know that they come AFTER the calling?

So, Byron and I are looking at and praying about finding a way to observe Sabbath before, and therefore leading into, Sunday. We haven’t figured it out yet, but we do know that it’s going to take a lot of planning ahead if Saturday, for instance, will be our day of rest (especially since that’s the day when all of the “running” has to be done - and especially since I’m a huge procrastinator). But, we know we need to at least entertain the idea of setting aside a “Day of Rest”, so that we can be prepared to worship and work on Sunday. Also, Saturday seems like a natural choice because the Enemy, without fail, throws his biggest arrows on Saturdays - So, intentional insulation will make us even more productive in our work.

Who knows us better than our Creator, so who can have a better plan than He does. Sometimes - a lot of the time - we just come up with excuses for why we’re the exception.

So, we’re on a journey to discover how to fulfill our calling and how to find our Sabbath at the same time. It’s an interesting journey. I’ll do my best to chronicle our discoveries along the way.

I hope you all find some rest in Him today. Peace.